Author: NPO Admin II
Sidney Poitier, the first black man to win a best actor Oscar, has died at 94. The Hollywood star’s death was confirmed to the BBC by the office of Fred Mitchell, the Bahamas’ minister of foreign affairs. Poitier was a trailblazing actor and a respected humanitarian and diplomat. He won the Academy Award for best actor for Lilies of the Field in 1963. Former US President Barack Obama said Poitier “epitomised dignity and grace” and had “singular talent”. He added that the actor revealed “the power of movies to bring us closer together” and “opened doors for a generation of actors”. US…
Mr. Ayinla Olowo, the Abia commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Friday said the command secured 13 convictions out of the 23 cases prosecuted in 2021. Olowo said this during a meeting organised for officers and men of the corps at the state command’s headquarters in Umuahia. He said that 100 suspects were arrested during the period for different offences, bordering on vandalism of petroleum products pipelines and critical public infrastructures. The infrastructure included railway slippers, power installations and telecomunication facilities. Other offences, he said, included illegal dealings in petroleum products, child trafficking and child labour,…
The police command in Lagos State has confirmed that the death of 12-year-old Dowen College’s student, Master Sylvester Oromoni Jnr., is from natural causes. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, confirmed this while addressing journalists at the command’s headquarters in Ikeja. Odumosu noted that the case had attracted reactions from different quarters, with some parents insinuating a cover-up. He said that the reactions and insinuations necessitated the clarification. Odumosu said that five students and three house masters of Dowen College were released following autopsy results which showed that they were not culpable. He said that all the…
*Mourn Kano Crash Victims President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed Nigerian drivers over what he called recklessness on the roads which he said has caused many needless deaths. The President, in a statement on Friday, was quoted as expressing worry over poor adherence to safety precautions. He spoke against the backdrop of Thursday’s road crash in Kano which claimed 19 lives. Reacting to the incident, President Buhari said, “I’m devastated and saddened by this unfortunate tragedy that claimed the lives of passengers who happily left their homes without any idea that it was going to be their last day on earth.”…
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday named a former Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, Ayo Gbeleyi as the new Chairman of the Federal Mortgage Bank. Gbeleyi is a Chartered Accountant and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. A well-known financial expert, he replaces Chief Adewale Adesoji Adeeyo who passed on recently.
The new board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has been urged to focus on profits and accountability as part of strategies to stay afloat with industry peers. President Muhammadu Buhari, while inaugurating the newly constituted board on Friday, asked members to ensure strict compliance with corporate governance principles that place premium on doing business with the highest ethical standards, integrity, and transparency. Those inaugurated were Senator Margery Okadigbo, Chairman, Mele Kolo Kyari, Chief Executive Officer, Umar I. Ajiya, Chief Financial Officer, Dr Tajudeen Umar (North East), Mrs Lami O. Ahmed (North Central), Mallam Mohammed Lawal (North West),…
Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski has been named on the final three-man shortlist for the FIFA Best men’s player of the year award for 2021. But the Pole faces competition from Egyptian star Mohamed Salah and Argentine great Lionel Messi. The trio were named by the world football governing body on Friday in a presentation ahead of the award being handed out on Jan. 17 as part of a TV show in Zurich. Lewandowski won the title in 2020 and former Germany international Sami Khedira said there was a “great chance” he would retain the honour. “I would bet on…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday disclosed that only eight political parties have so far indicated their readiness to organize a primary election in Ekiti State. This is in preparation towards the governorship poll which comes up June 16, this year. There are 18 registered political parties in the country. Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of, Information and Voter Education Committee, who disclosed this on Friday said the parties that have indicated interests are the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, Action Alliance, African Democratic Congress; and All Progressives Grand Alliance . Others were, Allied People’s…
Tennis star Novak Djokovic has thanked people “around the world” for their support as he awaits a decision on his deportation from Australia. Djokovic landed this week to play in the Australian Open, having controversially been given an exemption to Australia’s vaccination rules. But he was dramatically denied entry on landing. Djokovic is currently in immigration detention in Melbourne with a court challenge due on Monday. In his statement, the men’s world number one tennis player in the world thanked people “around the world for your continuous support. “I can feel it and it is greatly appreciated,” he said in…
Kazakhstan’s authoritarian leader says he has ordered security forces to “fire without warning”, amid a violent crackdown on anti-government protests. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also said “20,000 bandits” had attacked the main city of Almaty, the epicentre of protests sparked by a fuel price hike. He blamed foreign-trained “terrorists”, without giving evidence. The interior ministry says 26 “armed criminals” and 18 security officers have been killed so far in the unrest. In a televised address, Mr Tokayev dismissed calls to hold talks with protesters as “nonsense”, saying: “What kind of talks can we hold with criminals and murderers?” “We had to…