Good Day! Below is a Summary of News Stories Across Nigeria and Abroad:
1. President Muhammadu Buhari has observed his last Sallah festivities in the Presidential Villa. He told dignitaries who thronged the seat of power on Friday, that he can’t wait to go home after eight years of being in the saddle of governing the country. The event was the 9th and final Sallah homage held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Buhari, who was all smiles, described himself as being lucky, to have led Nigeria in various capacities – governor, minister, head of state and President. He commended residents of the FCT for being tolerant hosts in the last seven and half years. DAILY POST
2. The Management of the Federal Capital Development Authority has announced the shutdown of the Nnamdi Expressway carriageway and the Area 1 roundabout in the territory to enable the continuation of construction on the Interchange. In a notification message on Friday, the FCDA said the main carriageways and service lanes on the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway, at the Area 1 roundabout, coming from the Airport, and vice versa, will be shut down between 7 am and 6 pm on Saturday the 23rd and Sunday the 24th of April 2023. The Agency stated that the shutdown would result in the closure of the roads to all incoming traffic on, while urging residents and motorists, to follow the alternative route provided by the contractor. PUNCH
3. Twitter began the mass removal of its blue ticks on Thursday, as the symbol previously used to signify a verified account vanished from users including the Pope, Donald Trump and Justin Bieber. Owner Elon Musk, who has seen his $44 billion investment in the site shrivel, earlier pledged to get rid of what he described as a “lords & peasants system.” He offered instead to sell the blue badge to anyone who would pay $8 a month, in a move he said last year would “democratize journalism & empower the voice of the people.” Earlier dates set for the rollback of the ticks – predominately used by celebrities, journalists and politicians – have slipped by without noticeable action. DAILY TRUST
4. Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will know their 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup opponents today when the draw is made at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich. The Ladan Bosso-led team, who qualified for the global soccer showpiece after finishing in third place at the 2023 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in Egypt last month, are in Pot 3 alongside Uzbekistan, Japan, Iraq, Honduras and Fiji. Following their below par performance at the U-20 AFCON, the Nigeria Football Federation has charged Bosso’s team to win the tournament and the coach has invited over 30 players to a training camp to begin their final preparations for the tournament in Argentina. LEADERSHIP
5. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has urged all candidates sitting for the 2023 main Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination to proceed to print their examination notification slip from Thursday, 20th April, 2023. The Board gave the directive in a statement by its Head, Public Affairs and Protocol, Fabian Benjamin. He said the notification slip would contain their examination centre, time of examination, date of examination and other essential details necessary for taking the 2023 UTME, which commences from Tuesday, 25th April, 2023. According to JAMB, all candidates taking the 2023 UTME are expected to print their examination notification slips on or before Monday, 24th April, 2023, by visiting https://www.jamb.gov.ng, click on “2023 UTME SLIP PRINTING” on the menu bar to know the time and venue of their examination. CHANNELS
6. Dominic Raab has resigned as the UK’s deputy prime minister and as justice secretary after months of allegations about bullying behaviour in the Ministry of Justice and other departments. The senior Conservative MP had faced multiple formal complaints over his dealings with civil servants, including claims, that he bullied and belittled staff, driving some to tears or causing them to vomit before meetings. The resignation is a major blow to Rishi Sunak who will face questions for allowing Raab to stay in his post while an investigation by Adam Tolley KC, a leading employment barrister, was held. In his resignation letter, Raab said the conclusions of a report into his conduct set a “dangerous precedent” but stressed he wanted to “keep his word” after undertaking to quit if it found against him. LINDA
7. Nigerian-American singer and actor, Olurotimi Akinosho, simply known as Rotimi, has revealed that Afrobeats crooner, Tiwa Savage is his cousin. The ‘Power’ star disclosed this in a video shared on his Instagram page on Thursday. He said he has been holding the information for long but was happy to finally unveil it. He captioned the video, “We’ve been holding this secret for so long !!! So happy to share the vibes with everyone!” Tiwa Savage was in the video and confirmed that Rotimi is her cousin. DAILY POST
8. More than 400 people have been killed and over 3,500 others hurt in the fighting in Sudan, the World Health Organization said Friday. “Four hundred and thirteen people have died and 3,551 people have been injured that we know of,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters at a press briefing in Geneva. The UN children’s agency UNICEF added that at least nine children were among the dead and more than 50 children had been wounded. Citing Sudanese health ministry figures, Harris said 20 health facilities had stopped functioning and another 12 were at risk of stopping. CHANNELS
9. K-pop star Moonbin, a member of the boy band Astro, has died, his music label and South Korean police said Thursday, prompting an outpouring of grief from fans. The 25-year-old singer was found dead at his home in southern Seoul late Wednesday, a spokesperson for the National Police Agency told AFP, adding that there was no evidence of foul play. Moonbin’s label Fantagio Music also released a statement on Thursday confirming his death but without disclosing the cause. The label’s announcement prompted thousands of comments from grieving fans, many expressing disbelief. PUNCH
10. APC Governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Binani, accused INEC national officers of taking over the collation of results through the backdoor. In a decisive move, President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended Hudu Ari, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State with immediate effect. The suspension is pending the completion of an investigation by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) into the actions and conduct of the REC during the Supplementary election in Adamawa State. This latest development was revealed in a statement issued by the Director of Information Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey. PULSE
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