The Oscars will reportedly have no host this year after the fallout with comedian Kevin Hart who stepped down from the role over resurfaced homophobic tweets.
For the first time in three decades, producers will select A-list celebrities to present and introduce segments instead of having one person host the entire night, sources tell Variety.
With the 91st Academy Awards just six weeks away, producers are reportedly scrambling to coordinate the celebrity lineup for February 24.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences currently has made no new offers for an alternative host after Hart confirmed Wednesday that he would not be hosting despite a public push from Ellen DeGeneres to do so.
The last time the Oscars went without a host was in 1989. Instead, Rob Lower performed what was labeled a 'disastrous' performance with Snow White during the 61st Academy Awards.
Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote has retained his place as the richest man in Africa. He remained number one on the newly released Forbes’ list of African billionaires.
He, however, lost almost $2bn compared to his last year’s worth. The list was released on Wednesday.
Dangote’s estimated $10.3 billion net worth is nearly $2 billion less than a year ago. Mike Adenuga, the owner of Globacom, emerged Africa’s 5th richest man. He is worth an estimated $9.2 billion.
Here are the richest Africa’s Billionaires
Mavin act Dr Sid welcomed his second child, Sarah with wife, Simi on Christmas Eve, 2018.
His wife, Simi has taken to her IG page to share beautiful maternity photos. Captioning the photos, she wrote;
🌸🌺 Every time I look at these images, I can only see the grace of God and His divine protection. You are a way maker, a miracle worker and a promise keeper. 🙏🏽🙌🏽 Lord knows the challenges I faced in this pregnancy 😅😅 So many things were happening behind the scenes, it’s really the grace of God we made it! Thank you to the amazing @SpotlightPI, @Kayito_N and my day 0 glam @PatricksBeautyZone and @ZaronCosmetics for making me always feel great! 👸🏽✨ We did this shoot at 33 weeks guys! To everyone praying for this and more, I pray 2019 supersedes your wildest dreams and God meets you at your point of need
A 22-year-old man, Oluwadamilare Temenu, has reportedly stabbed a technician with the Ikeja Electric, Oluwaseyi Amao, for disconnecting power supply to his residence at No. 13 Adesanya Street, in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi, Lagos State.
Punch Metro gathered that Amao and his colleague, Yusuf Tunde, had acted on a disconnection order by the management of Ikeja Electric, an electricity distribution company, which had marked some flats in the building for disconnection over unpaid bills, when they were attacked.
Amao, who said he gave the residents a month’s grace to pay their outstanding bills, added that he was surprised that one of them would attack him for disconnecting power supply to his apartment despite owing over N300,000.
The 42-year-old technician said, “We were given a disconnection order to execute at No. 13 Adesanya Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, last Thursday. The building has four flats; one flat has a prepaid meter, while the remaining three are on estimated billing; but we were given a disconnection order on the two flats with over N200,000 and N100,000 debts, respectively.
“Before that day, I had visited the house for disconnection last month and one of the residents, the one using prepaid meter, had pledged to speak with the others to pay their debts, because it was only one wire that supplies power to the four flats. If we cut off the wire, the whole flats will be affected, including the one with prepaid meter, but they still refused to pay.
“So, on the day I was instructed to execute the disconnection order, I explained to the residents, including the guy who stabbed me, that I was there the previous month and that since they had refused to clear their outstanding bills, I had been instructed to disconnect power supply to their apartment. He never argued with me, but I was surprised that he said I was looking for trouble when he saw me climbing the pole.
“All of a sudden, he went inside his flat, brought out a crate of bottles and broke two bottles. I quickly jumped down and he chased after me and stabbed me. He first stabbed me in the neck and head; to avoid more harm, I held him tightly and told my colleague, Tunde, to inform our other colleagues to bring a vehicle so that we could take him to the police station.”
His other colleagues eventually brought a vehicle, which conveyed Temenu to the police station.
An eyewitness, Segun Gbenro, said residents of the area condemned Temenu for stabbing Amao while performing his duty.
“About two weeks ago, he (Temenu) had a fight in the area and he stripped himself naked. He had no reason to stab the IE official; even the people he lives with faulted his action and other residents of the area also condemned his action,” he stated.
The Public Relations Officer, Ikeja Electric, Felix Ofulue, who condemned the attack, said the firm would explore all necessary means to bring to justice any person or group, who took the law into their own hands by inflicting bodily harm on its officials when performing their duties.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has been seeing a married former television anchor, and announced his split with wife MacKenzie Bezos to get ahead of the release of embarrassing photos that expose the affair.
Since at least the fall, Bezos has been seeing Lauren Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and the former anchor of Fox 11's Good Day LA who is married to Hollywood talent mogul husband Patrick Whitesell, according to reports.
Photos of Bezos, 54, and Sanchez, 49, are set to hit the newsstands on Thursday, in an edition of the National Enquirer that the magazine says 'exposes WHAT REALLY tore apart Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie after 25 years'.
The Enquirer claims that Bezos 'two-timed' his wife by 'whisking his mistress off to exotic destinations on his $65 million private jet' and 'sending her raunchy messages and erotic selfies.'
However, a source close to Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos tells DailyMail.com that the couple 'worked very hard' on their marriage before becoming separated, and that Jeff Bezos only began seeing Sanchez after separating from his wife.
Bezos (right) is seen with Sanchez and her husband Patrick Whitesell in 2016. The couple were said to be friends with Bezos and his wife before Bezos began seeing her on the side
President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday that he would not approve any money from public treasury for his re-election campaigns to support the All Progressives Congress ahead of the February 16 poll.
Buhari, who spoke after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, specifically told his ministers to devise individual ways of canvassing votes rather than waiting for government money.
This was contained in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, in Abuja.
The President was quoted to have said, “Try and use text and multimedia messages to seek votes for the party and government.
“There is no money from the treasury for use in the campaigns. I will not authorise that.”
The statement added that the President used the opportunity to remind the ministers about the development agenda of the APC for Nigeria.
“Nigerians want change and we alone can deliver that change. Our people can no longer be swayed by money politics,” Buhari was quoted further.
Josiah Akinsuyi, a pastor with the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Ondo State, has been arrested over allegations of impregnating a 16-year-old girl in the state.
The 46-year-old pastor was also said to have been involved in an affair with the victim's elder sister before he was exposed.
Officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ondo State, paraded the pastor before journalists in Akure on Wednesday.
Pedro Awili, the NSCDC Commandant in Ondo State, said the incident was reported by the father of the victim. He said the victim confessed to her father that she was already four months pregnant after a pregnancy test was conducted.
He revealed that the girl and her family stayed in the same neighbourhood where the pastor's church is located at Abusoro in Ijoka area of Akure, adding that the suspect took over from one Sunday Babatunde, who was also involved in sexually defiling the girl.
"Our investigation revealed that the pastor had had carnal knowledge of the girl three times and we have carried out pregnancy test which proved that the girl is four months pregnant. Investigation also revealed that the elder sister of the girl has something doing with the pastor, because the first time he wanted to have carnal knowledge of her, she was not cooperating and she informed her sister about it, and the sister asked her to cooperate with the pastor," he said.
"She told us that there was a time this same pastor slept with her in the classroom of one private school owned by his wife. The pastor denied having any intercourse with the girl. I am not expecting him to accept the allegation. The girl confessed to us that the pastor had earlier promised to give her N50,000, but he failed on his promise.
"We think it was because the pastor failed to redeem his promise and was not attending to her again that made the girl confess to her father."
Awili stressed that the pastor would soon be charged to court for prosecution.
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has alleged a massive fraud in the nation’s oil sector under the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He alleged that the Federal Government’s claims of paying subsidy on 50 million litre of fuel being consumed by Nigerians daily were a big fraud.
Saraki, who is also the Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party/Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organisation, stated this in an interview monitored on Channels Television on Wednesday.
He said, “One of the areas we labeled the Goodluck Jonathan government as a corrupt one is on the issue of fuel subsidy. The assumption then was that the Federal Government was paying subsidy on the 30 million litres of fuel being consumed daily by Nigerians.
“All statistics have shown, even now that it is not possible for Nigerians to consume that much daily.
“A government that is claiming to be fighting corruption is now telling us that we are consuming 50 million litres of fuel per day. It is not possible.
“The National Assembly has investigated the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s claims but our efforts have been frustrated because agencies of government under the current government have been emboldened to disregard the National Assembly.
“We have lost a lot of money because oil is our major source of revenue through the NNPC. If we are paying subsidy based on the 50 million litre consumption then it is a big fraud! It is corruption.”
He also disagreed with claims that the 16-year of the PDP caused the crisis currently being experienced in the country.
“The process leading to the 2019 general election is a big concern to us and I have said it several times; PDP is contesting against the APC and the security agencies,” Saraki added.
This is heartbreaking. An expectant mother was crushed to death by a truck in the Molete area of Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, leaving many in shock.
The accident occurred under the Molete flyover, as the woman and two men were caught in the middle of the road by the speeding truck while attempting to cross over to the other side of the road. Eyewitnesses said the deceased and the men were trying to beat the oncoming truck by running across the road to the other side, but the pregnant woman fell in the process and was crushed to death.
The two men, however, managed to escape unhurt.
The corpse of the victim was evacuated and deposited in the morgue of the Oyo State Specialist Hospital, Adeoyo, by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps.
The spokesman for the FRSC in Oyo State, Mr Seun Onijala, confirmed the accident, adding that officials of the agency quickly moved to the area and cleared the obstruction to traffic, and deposited the corpse in the morgue.
Onijala, who is the Deputy Route Commander, said the articulated DAF 85 truck had no number plate.
The driver was said to have been arrested and detained by the police.
The President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, and the Chairman of Globacom, Dr Mike Adenuga, top Forbes’ Africa Billionaires List released on Wednesday.
However, Dangote saw his wealth drop by $2bn from $12.2bn in January 2018 to $10bn in 2019.
But Dangote retained his position as Africa’s richest man for the eighth consecutive time.
Adenuga, with interests in oil exploration and real estate, moved up to be Africa’s second richest man.
The American magazine said Adenuga’s net worth dramatically increased from $5.3bn to $9.2bn because he provided more detailed information about his assets.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu, featured on the list for the first time since 2015.
Rabiu’s Kalambaina Cement Company Limited merged with Cement Company of Northern Nigeria, which he controlled, in December 2018. He now owns 97 per cent of the entity.
The Founder and Executive Chairman, Famfa Oil Limited, Mrs Folorunsho Alakija, whose net worth dropped to $1.1bn from $1.3bn, was ranked 19th.
The rank was a tie with South African banker, Michiel Le Roux.
Commenting on the reduced net worth of the personalities, Forbes said, “Buffeted by plunging stock prices and weaker currencies, the number of African billionaires has shrunk to just 20, down from 23 a year ago.
“Four people fell off Forbes’ annual list of the continent’s richest since last year while one returned to the ranks after a four-year absence. All but four members of the list have smaller fortunes than a year ago.”
In a per country ranking, Egypt and South Africa are tied with five billionaires each, followed by Nigeria with four and Morocco with two. Forbes found one billionaire each from Algeria, Angola, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Despite pressure from lobbyists, there were strong indications last night that President Muhammadu Buhari may not extend the tenure of Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris.
It was learnt that the IGP might be directed to hand over
to the most senior Deputy Inspector-General of Police next week.
It was, however, unclear if an Acting IGP will oversee the security arrangement for the conduct of the general elections in February and March.
Idris, who was born on January 15, 1959, will next week hit the statutory retirement age of 60.
Although, it is within the prerogative of the President to extend the tenure, there had been controversy on whether or not Idris should remain in office.
As at press time, President Buhari has kept the outgoing IGP in suspense.
It was gathered that when the President met with the IGP last week, he only took brief from him and thanked him for his service.
But he was non-committal on the extension or otherwise of his tenure.
A source, who spoke in confidence with The Nation, said: “The President is not likely to extend the tenure of the IGP but he is waiting for the statutory retirement day before making a pronouncement. You know, Buhari is a due process leader.
“The outgoing IGP is most likely to hand over to the most senior Deputy Inspector-General of Police pending the appointment of a substantive holder.
“If Idris leaves, there will be an Acting IGP and this will not affect security arrangement for the general elections.
“So far, the IGP is expected to be preparing his handover note.”
On what transpired between the President and IGP last week, another source said: “Just a routine pre-retirement interaction, including a brief from the IGP and a thank you by Mr. President.
“There was no words from the President on whether or not he may extend his tenure.”
The second source, however, confirmed that there had been pressure for and against tenure extension for Idris.
The source said: “There is intense lobbying by some groups to allow Idris to remain in office till after the general elections.
“These groups argued that it is untidy to ask Idris to leave about a month to the poll when he has put all logistics in place.
“Those for Idris also cited the case of service chiefs, some of who are due for retirement but they have had their service years extended.
“Of course, there are some sponsored associations trying to raise dust against tenure elongation for Idris.
“The President has taken notice of all sides. He is however keeping the IGP in suspense on his decision which will be in the best interest of the country.”
The is quite sad. People need to start taking safety seriously, especially using mobile phones close to petrol or gas while active. A few people, mostly ladies, have lost their lives over such.
This beautiful lady, who's based in Lagos, was reportedly killed in a gas explosion in the kitchen as she was operating her phone while cooking...
A National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) leader, Musiliu Akinsanya - popularly referred to as MC Oluomo - was stabbed with a poisoned knife at the Lagos APC rally.
“MC Oluomo was stabbed twice with a poisonous knife called Makenje (which literally translates to don’t touch blood). All the VIPs were spirited out of the venue by security personnel. It was like a war zone with sophisticated guns and machetes on display”,
an APC chieftain who was at the venue made the revelation to The Pulse on condition of anonymity.
Another source opened up that the violence was orchestrated by persons who are still angry that Ambode was schemed out of the 2019 governorship race and disgraced, as Sanwo-Olu was settled for by the powers that be.
“It was well planned by top politicians. This was carried out by thugs loyal to Ambode’s camp. These thugs and the politicians who put them up to this are still angry that Ambode didn’t get a second term ticket.
The plot was to disrupt the rally and turn attention away from the candidate Sanwo-Olu. And you have to say they succeeded to some degree”, says the source.
MC Oluomo wasn’t supposed to be rushed to the hospital after being stabbed, because he supposedly wears a spiritual armour that shields him from gun, knife and other dangerous weapons. Which was why the knife used to stab him was a poisoned one.
But he was expected to be inured from the venom of a poisoned knife, no less.
In other words, MC Oluomo was supposed to be ‘unkillable’.
“The only way they could break through MC Oluomo’s skin was to poison the knife and as I speak with you now, native and medical doctors are battling to keep him alive by extracting the venom from his system. It’s 50:50 for him now”, another APC source shares.
Another source mentioned that MC Oluomo is recovering in hospital after “doctors and two elderly jazzmen (native doctors) extracted the poison from his system.
“The man who stabbed MC Oluomo lives on Apapa Road in Ebute Metta. Forget what the Commissioner of Police is telling you”, the APC source offers.
A serving Corp member, Odedele Feranmi was on Wednesday arraigned before an Osogbo Chief Magistrates’ Court for reckless driving and alleged killing of a young girl, one Pelumi Olasunkanmi.
The death of Pelumi, a 16-year-old Junior Secondary School 3 student of Coker Memorial High School, Ikirun, occurred last week Friday when he was hit by a car driven by Odedele along Osogbo/Gbongan Road.
The 29-year-old Odedele was said to have driven his car in a reckless manner and hit the deceased, who was selling garden eggs by the roadside.
Odedele was said to be returning to Osogbo from Ibadan to resume at his Primary Place of Assignment, having been deployed in Osun for his mandatory one year service.
Addressing the court, Police prosecutor, Mr. Oladoye Joshua, said the accused person killed Pelumi while driving his Honda car with the registration number Lagos MUN 187 CU around 11.30am.
Oladoye further alleged that the offence contravened the provision of section 81(1) Cap 115, Vol 6, Laws of Osun State, 2003.
Mr. Bola Abimbola-Ige, while reacting to the claims by the prosecutor, moved an oral application for bail of his client and assured the judge that the accused will not jump bail.
While ruling on the bail application, Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara said, “The accused person is reluctantly granted bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.”
An all-female crew of Air Peace have foiled the attempt by a kidnapper to traffic a three-day old baby to Lagos from Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA).
A source close to the airline confided in SR that the group was led by a middle-aged woman, who, with her collaborators, had booked the airline’s flight to Lagos.
According to Chris Iwarah, Corporate Communications Manager of Air Peace, the suspect booked Air Peace Port Harcourt-Lagos flight P4 7393 and during boarding, the lead member of the crew, Mojoko Ewane, observed that the suspect was handling the baby in an awkward manner and decided to question her.
When she was questioned at the boarding door of the aircraft, the suspect claimed the baby was three days old. During further interrogation, the suspect allegedly contradicted herself when she stated that the baby was born on January 5, a day before her aborted trip. The suspect said she gave birth to the baby shortly after travelling from Lagos to Port Harcourt on an Air Peace flight on January 5.
“A call was later placed to the contact numbers the suspect said belonged to her husband and the doctor who handled the birth of the child. While the alleged husband claimed that his wife was actually pregnant, the alleged doctor’s number rang unanswered. When the suspect was asked to breastfeed the baby, she could not as there was no breast milk. The suspect tried to create a scene, rallying other passengers on the flight to prevail on Air Peace crew to allow her fly, but the crew stood their ground.”
It was gathered that when the crew informed the suspect that the carrier’s standard operating procedure barred them from allowing passengers fly with a week-old baby on grounds of health, she claimed to be a nurse and insisted that the baby’s health would not be jeopardised. The airline, it was gathered, later invited personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Port Harcourt Airport to take over the case for further investigation.
Iwarah confirmed the incident on Wednesday, saying the airline was proud that its crew professionally discharged their responsibility to ensure passengers’ safety and assist government in fighting crime. A DSS source in Port Harcourt also confirmed that the suspect had been transferred to the zonal office of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, for further investigation.
The suspect was said to have confessed that a lady gave her the baby. The DSS official also commended Air Peace crew for foiling the attempted child trafficking with their vigilance.
In June 2018, Air Peace crew exposed a suspected trafficker of a three-month-old baby on its Lagos-Banjul flight.
The presidency has reacted to the viral video of Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, allegedly receiving bribe amounting to about $5million from contractors in the state.
The Governor was exposed in a sting operation by an Daily Nigerian that captured him on camera, was said to have began two years ago when one of the contractors agreed to plant spy camera on his kaftan while offering the bribe.
The clip stirred reactions online as some Nigerians described the development as a “shame to the Buhari led administration,who claim to be fighting corruption.’
But, reacting, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Diaspora & Foreign Affairs, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the video was suspicious.
On her Twitter page, she wrote, “No audio?? Suspicious.”
The students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) have shut down the institution’s main campus in Ogbomoso and also its medical school in Osogbo over an increment in their tuition fees.
It had been earlier reported how the institution at its 133rd governing council meeting which held on Thursday, July 5 decided that the hike will take effect from the 2018/2019 academic session.
The present 100 level students paid N120,000 for indigenes of Oyo and Osun states and N150,000 for non-indigenes as part of the resolution of the institution after the university strike that lasted for months.
However, on Monday, the institution implemented its decision in a mail sent to all students. It said indigenes are now to pay N200,000 while non-indigenes are to pay N250,000 for the new session which will commence on October 29.
The new fees are against the initial N63,500 for indigenes and N72,500 for non-indigenes who are returning students.
The spokesman of the university, Lekan Fadeyi, has since then refused to answer calls and text messages sent to his line on this development.
However, as early as 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Premium Times gathered that the students locked the institution’s campus gates in Osogbo and Ogbomoso and are now protesting with the hashtag, #OccupyLautech.
The closure has disrupted the flow of vehicles and also grounded day to day activities in the school.
The Students’ Union President, Abiodun Oluwaseun, who spoke with Premium Times in a telephone interview threatened that they will not vacate the gate unless the school reverses its decision.
“We have shut down main road in front of college of health sciences and also the school main gate. No retreat, no surrender. We have to fight this and make sure that irregularities does not reign,” he said.
Another student leader, Fawole Isreal, who is coordinating the protest in Osogbo told our correspondent that the authorities have erred by increasing the fees.
“During the preparation for Osun State election, the Chancellor of the varsity, Tinubu was boasting how only him is richer than Osun State. The same Tinubu has left LAUTECH to ruins by keeping mum and not showing remorse as a father on the situation of things. That is being irresponsible.”
Other students who reacted to the development, according to Premium Times, also tagged the implementation of the decision by the university management as irresponsible.
“We can’t afford the money (fees). When workers are still fighting for minimum wage, the institution came up with hike,” a student, Aarinola Adegbite, said.
Another student, Kazeem Alli, told Premium Times that the university “is calling for another strike” by the increase.
Peter the Rock, former Ekiti state Governor Ayo Fayose is a man of his words. As he had promised, he reported to the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) this Tuesday afternoon to answer any questions the agency has for him, with respect to their allegations of corruption.
Interestingly, Fayose arrived the anti-graft agency office in style rocking a T-shirt with a bold inscription; "EFCC I'M HERE!"
