Good Day! Below is a Summary of News Stories Across Nigeria and Abroad:
1. Monday, May 1, has been declared a public holiday to mark this year’s Workers Day celebration. Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, disclosed this on Friday. Barely a week ago, Nigeria marked the Eid-el-Fitr holidays. Aregbesola, in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Shuaib Belgore, on Friday, lauded Nigerian workers for their hard work, diligence and sacrifice. DAILY POST
2. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has created 11 centres for Persons With Disability (PWDs) for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME). The Chairman, JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) for the Abuja Centre, Prof. Sunday Ododo said this while addressing a news conference in Abuja on Friday. Ododo commended the board’s Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede for the initiative to create the JEOG to give level playing ground for candidates sitting for UTME. According to him, JAMB was aware of candidates with special needs who may not favourable compete with candidates without special needs. VANGUARD
3. Former Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Andrew Yakubu, has sued the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Central Bank of Nigeria and Guarantee Trust Bank over alleged refusal to release his $9.8 million after a court judgement. Yakubu, through his counsel, Ahmed Raji, SAN, filed the suit before Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court, Abuja. The originating summons, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/231/2023, was dated and filed on March 8, with EFCC, CBN and GTB listed as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively. Justice Ahmed Mohammed had, on March 31, 2022, discharged and acquitted the ex-NNPC GMD of a money laundering charge. PUNCH
4. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have launched a joint bid to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in East Africa for the first time. The African Football Confederation (CAF) yesterday acknowledged receiving a declaration of interest from the three countries along with bids from Algeria, Botswana and Egypt. The Kenyan government in December approved a cabinet proposal to back a bid for the biennial tournament, alongside two of its neighbours. The government said a successful bid would help the national football team, Harambee Stars, achieve their target of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 2030. LEADERSHIP
5. The Plateau State Police Command has confirmed that 13 persons lost their lives while ten others sustained various degrees of injuries in the tanker explosion in Jos North LGA. The Command also said 28 shops, eight cars, six tricycles and two motorcycles were destroyed in the incident. Recall that on Wednesday, a tanker carrying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) had brake failure along the Bauchi road area of Jos North LGA and fell off, causing an explosion. The Police, through its Public Relations Officer, Alfred Alabo, confirmed the figures to journalists in Jos, the state capital, on Friday. DAILY POST
6. Popular Nigerian singer, Ayra Starr has revealed that back in secondary school, her mathematics teacher predicted she was going to sign for record label, Mavin. The singer, whose real name is Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe would go on to be signed under the record label, bringing to past the prediction of her teacher. Ayra Starr revealed this while speaking during the recent edition of “Afrobeats Intelligence” with Joey Akan. She said the teacher inspired her in her music ambition, encouraging her to share her videos online for people to watch. VANGUARD
7. The United Nations voiced alarm Friday at the prison breaks amid the violence raging in Sudan that has seen Sudanese war crimes suspects escape, and deepening impunity. The UN also warned that the conflict was reigniting ethnic clashes in the western Darfur region which had left nearly 100 dead in a matter of days. Her comments follow several jailbreaks, including of a high-security prison holding suspected war criminals, since violence erupted across Sudan two weeks ago. CHANNELS
8. Nearly half the candidates failed a new FIFA exam to work as a player agent in football, the governing body said yesterday. Only 1,962 people — 52% of the 3,800 candidates worldwide — passed last week’s test to get a license that will be mandatory to work in transfer and contract negotiations from October. FIFA is being challenged in multiple legal cases across Europe by agents and lawyers seeking to block the new licensing system that would cap fees and regulate an industry that earns hundreds of millions of dollars each year. A second round of exams will be held in September. It costs $600 to take the test and the pass mark is set at 75% for answering 20 questions in one hour in English, French or Spanish. LEADERSHIP
9. Popular Nollywood actor Jim Iyke recently posted a heartwarming video featuring himself and his colleague Ini Edo after a challenging day on the set of their upcoming movie, ‘Rent A Room.’ Jim, who was directing a scene, expressed dissatisfaction with Ini’s acting and yelled at her to improve, which led to her unexpectedly bursting into tears. He recorded a video explaining the incident and publicly apologised to Ini for making her cry. In the video, Ini tried to deny crying on set, but Jim insisted that she had broken down due to his angry outburst. He also noted that, despite her tough public persona, the actress has a soft personality. PULSE
10. His forehead beaded with sweat, Titus Katana has been digging for days to find the remains of victims of a Kenyan starvation cult that once counted him as a follower. The discovery of mass graves in Shakahola forest near the coastal town of Malindi last week shocked Kenyans, with the government warning that the death toll — currently at 109 — could rise even further. “We used to worship together,” Katana told AFP as he recalled his years in the Good News International Church founded by self-styled pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, who allegedly told his flock to starve to death to find God. CHANNELS
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