Good Day! Below is a Summary of News Stories Across Nigeria and Abroad:
1. A few months after the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owaluwa Street, Owo, Ondo State, was attacked by terrorists, it is set to reopen for worship on Easter Sunday. The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Most Revd. Jude Arogundade disclosed this during this year’s Chrism Mass as part of activities for the Easter celebration. Recall that on June 5, 2022, no fewer than 41 persons were killed and 69 others injured when gunmen invaded the church and opened fire on the worshippers who attended Pentecost Sunday. Two months after the deadly attack, the suspects who allegedly carried out the attack were arrested by the military in different parts of the country. Arogundade who said, following the incident, the church had remained closed because of the horrific attack, informed that it will be opened for service on Easter Sunday. DAILY POST
2. Rwanda on Friday started the commemoration of the 29th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group that left over one million people dead, with President Paul Kagame calling for self-determination to build a better and more prosperous country through unity, hard work, and perseverance. Kagame made the remarks at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the genocide, in the capital, Kigali. VANGUARD
3. Israel Adesanya says his rivalry with UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira could be the “greatest storyline in MMA history”. The pair meet for a fourth time at UFC 287 in Miami on Saturday, with Pereira winning all three previous fights. The Brazilian, 35, has won twice in kickboxing and once in MMA, claiming the UFC title in November. His latest victory ended Adesanya’s three-year dominance of the division. LEADERSHIP
4. Festus Keyamo has criticised Chimamanda Adichie over her letter to President Joe Biden of the United States regarding the Nigerian presidential election conducted on February 25.
The Chief Spokesperson for the Bola Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Festus Keyamo (SAN), has expressed his dissatisfaction with Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie’s letter to President Joe Biden of the United States. Adichie’s had on Thursday , April 06, 2023, sent a letter criticisizing the Nigerian presidential election conducted on February 25, citing inconsistency and irregularities ignored by the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC). She further warned the President Biden, not to legitimise Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election by congratulating its winner, Bola Tinubu.
Keyamo, reacting to this in an article, described Adichie’s letter as “petty” and accused her of being a “bitter supporter of sore losers, posing as ‘concerned citizens’ (but in reality actuated by ethnic politics).” PULSE
5. Veteran Nigerian singer, Charles Oputa, aka Charly Boy, said Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has reduced himself to a “boyiboyi” (common errand boy in local parlance ) for corrupt politicians. The Nwata Miss crooner was reacting to the playwright’s recent criticism of supporters of Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party. Charley Boy said the respect he used to have for Prof. Soyinka was almost the kind he had for his late father, Justice Oputa. DAILY POST
6. The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has deployed the new Assistant Inspector-Generals of Police to their new posts following their promotion in the Nigerian Police Force. This assignment to the various commands in the force is in line with the manpower development policy of posting the right people into roles fitting for them based on their capabilities. This includes the former police Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, who was assigned to the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Annex Lagos. The posting is with immediate effect, the IGP stated. PUNCH
7. Gunmen on Friday night reportedly killed 34 people in an attack on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp at LGEA Primary School Mgban, in Nyiev Council Ward of Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. A resident simply identified as, Jonah, told correspondent on the telephone that armed men attacked the community around 9pm on Friday. He said a pregnant woman and her son were among those killed while many people were injured. DAILY TRUST
8. The Nationwide League One (NLO) has listed 33 Stadium League venues for the 2023 Division One season which is scheduled to kick off Wednesday, April 26. The NLO in a statement informed the development to the participating clubs. According to the nation’s third-tier domestic league, the 33 Stadium League venues were strategically drawn each from the five geo-political zones, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. In keeping with commitments made to clubs to ensure a hitch-free season, Chief Operating Officer (COO) Olushola Ogunnowo said: “The 2023 NLO campaign will begin on April 26, with interesting fixtures in the 33 Stadium League venues that have been approved. LEADERSHIP
9. Nigerian megastar Davido has set a new record for the most streams in a debut week on Spotify Nigeria. On March 31, 2023, Davido released his highly anticipated fourth album. Since its release, the album has been breaking records across streaming platforms with the latest being a new debut week streaming record on Spotify Nigeria. 24 hours after its release, Davido’s ‘Timeless’ surpassed the previous record for the number of streams in a debut week on Spotify Nigeria. After a week, the album has now dwarfed the existing record of 4.89 million streams set by Burna Boy’s ‘Love, Damini’ as it garnered a staggering 14.5 million streams. PULSE
10. The Chadian government has expelled the German ambassador to the country, Jan-Christian Gordon Kricke, because of his “impolite attitude”, the government said in a statement on Saturday. The decision was “motivated by the impolite attitude and the lack of respect for diplomatic customs by the German ambassador, as prescribed by the Vienna Convention,” a government spokesman said. No further explanation was given, but according to local media reports, ambassador Kricke’s criticism of the current transitional government might have been the reason for the move. Kricke, who has been serving as Germany’s ambassador to Chad since 2021, was given 48 hours to leave the country. PUNCH
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