Entertainment / News

Scarlett Johansson is pregnant, expecting baby with Colin Jost

According to PageSix, the movie star is due anytime soon.

“Scarlett is actually due soon, I know she and Colin are thrilled.” Another insider added: “Scarlett is pregnant but has been keeping it very quiet. She has been keeping a very low profile.”

The actress has been sparking pregnancy rumours for a while now.

The new arrival will be Johansson’s second child. She previously welcomed daughter Rose, now 6, with ex-husband Romain Dauriac.

Johansson and the “Saturday Night Live” star, quietly tied the knot in October 2020 after three years of dating.

This will be Jost’s first child.

…
Business / News

FIRS makes historic tax haul, rakes in N650b in June

The Federal Inland Revenue Service has raked in over N650 billion in June 2021, the highest revenue realized in a single month since the COVID-19 pandemic started and the assumption of office of the current management.

The Executive Chairman of FIRS, Muhammad Nami, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Nami stated: “This feat was achieved as a result of the efficiency and effectiveness of the TaxProMax Solution, notwithstanding the challenges and resistance faced in the early stages of its adoption, and the downturn orchestrated by slow economic recovery.”

Nami recalled that as part of its efforts at modernizing tax administration in the country, the FIRS recently introduced the Tax Administration Solution (TaxProMax) for ease of tax compliance.

He had noted that the Solution “enables seamless registration, filing, payment of taxes and automatic credit of withholding tax as well as other credits to the Taxpayer’s accounts, among other features. It also provides a single-view to Taxpayers for all transactions with the Service”.

The TaxProMax platform, which took off on June 7, 2021, is a channel for filing Naira-denominated tax returns in the country.

The TaxProMax platform is accessible at www.taxpromax.firs.gov.ng.

Nami reminded taxpayers of the one-off one-month extension granted earlier this month for the filing of Company Income Tax returns by taxpayers with December 31, 2020 accounting year-end whose statutory tax returns were due not later than June 30, 2021.

He urged them to take advantage of the extension as it “provides an opportunity to all taxpayers whose company Income Tax returns were due in June 2021 to file up to the 31st July 2021”.…

Crime / News

Bandits confirm 121 Bethel Baptist School pupils in their custody

Abductors of pupils of Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna State have said the have 121 of them in their custody.

The President of Kaduna Baptist Conference and Proprietor of the school, Rev. Yahaya Adamu Jangado, revealed this.

Jangado announced this while addressing reporters on Tuesday after a meeting of the management and parents of the abducted students in Kaduna.

He said: “They came and, already, the bandits were going away with a number of our students and there was an exchange of fire between the soldiers and the bandits.

“For now, we know that we have 154 students in the school hostel, as at yesterday (Monday), after the exchange of fire between the soldiers and the bandits.

“We came to the school and recovered 28 students; some of them hid in many places.

“In the course of taking them away, some students escaped and came back to the school.

“So, the total number of students we recovered on Monday was 28.

“Today (Tuesday), by the grace of God, we had a call from the bandits and they assured us that our children are well and doing okay.

“In fact, we had the privilege of speaking with a few of them.

“They counted themselves in the jungle and they gave us information that they are 121.

“When we put the number together with what we have recovered, we discovered that the number is exactly the same with the number of students we had in the hostel.”

On ransom demand, Jangado said: “They (bandits) called us to say that our children are there with them and that they were doing well.

“They were sound.

“We spoke with a few of them.

“That is the information for now.

“We called the parents here to appreciate them for their patience, understanding and calmness and also solicit their support in this trying moment.

“We assure them that as management we will do anything possible to bring back their children.”…

MMA / Sports

McGregor has to get his mind off ‘boxing’ to avenge defeat by Dustin Poirier

He has to switch his mind back to MMA. He has to get his mind off boxing,” Claressa Shields believes Conor McGregor must be fully focused on reviving his UFC career in a third fight against Dustin Poirier 

Ireland’s UFC star faces Poirier in a third fight on Saturday in Las Vegas, having suffered a stoppage loss to the American in January. McGregor has hinted at an eventual return to boxing after his massive clash with Floyd Mayweather in 2017, but Shields has outlined the perils of combining a career in MMA and boxing. The three-weight world boxing champion, who is now fully committed to the Professional Fighters League, told Sky Sports: “I think that Conor McGregor is a force to be reckoned with, but it doesn’t matter who you are. “You can be me, you can be Conor, you can be Floyd, you can be whoever.

“He has to switch his mind back to MMA. He has to get his mind off boxing.

“Judging on the last fight, when Dustin Poirier kept kicking that front leg, it’s like he’s got to know. Even me, I know. Jab, get that leg out of there.

“You can’t be in a boxing stance in MMA, you have to make sure you’re ready to check that kick, catch that kick, or get it out of the way.

“You can’t just be taking kicks and taking kicks for five, five-minute rounds, because your leg can only take so many.”

Shields fears that McGregor could endure another major setback in the UFC, if he does not return to the tactics which brought him title success before his entry into boxing.

“If he fixes that, and he throws his striking, he gets back to his wrestling and all of that stuff, I think he can beat Dustin Poirier,” said Shields, who is preparing for her second PFL bout in late August.

“But I feel like Dustin Poirier, right now he has his number, unless Conor McGregor really goes back to the drawing board and just …

Football / Sports

Bonucci hails Italy heart after Azzurri ‘suffer’ through win over Spain

Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci admitted that Tuesday’s clash with Spain was the toughest game he ever played as the Azzurri booked their place in the Euro 2020 final.

Bonucci’s side outlasted Spain in a shootout, earning a place in the finale against either Denmark or England.

After a back-and-forth match that saw Spain equalize in the 80th minute on an Alvaro Morata goal, Bonucci was beaming with pride as he said his team showed exactly what they’re made of to move one step closer to a major trophy.

What was said?

“This is the toughest game I have ever played. I congratulate Spain for what they showed, but once again this Italy showed heart, determination and the ability to push through difficult moments and the lottery of penalties rewarded us,” Bonucci told RAI Sport.

“The victory you suffer for is always the most enjoyable one.”

“Now there’s one more centimeter to go. Just one more centimeter,” he added. “It’s incredible what we are doing, but we mustn’t feel satisfied. We’re in the final. It is in five days, and we need the same hunger and spirit of sacrifice to bring this trophy home after many years.”

‘We suffered to the end and we snatched it’

Gianluigi Donnarrumma also hailed the spirit in Italy’s team after the victory, saying they “snatched” the victory after a difficult game.

Donnarumma made the pivotal shootout stop on Morata, who had scored on him earlier in the game, paving the way for Jorginho to seal the win with a calmly taken penalty.

“It’s indescribable. I was relaxed because I knew I could help the team,” Donnarumma told RAI Sport.

“The team was fantastic, I thank everyone, the people in the stands, we gave our all and now we need one final step to make our dream come true.

“Spain are very strong, but this Italy has a huge heart, we never give up and we saw that because we suffered to the end and we snatched it, but Spain deserve a lot of credit for …

Football / Sports

Emiliano Martinez penalty heroics sets up Argentina – Brazil final

Emiliano Martinez put forth a heroic, legendary performance in goal for Argentina on Tuesday, sending his team to the Copa America final with a 3-2 win on penalty kicks over Colombia. The match ended 1-1 and went straight to the shootout, and from there the trash-talking, hip-thrusting Aston Villa goalkeeper saved three of the five penalties he faced. His team did enough as Lionel Messi, Leandro Paredes and Lautaro Martinez finished their chances from the spot, setting up a dreamy Argentina-Brazil final on Saturday night.

The match started off with Argentina threatening from the opening whistle, taking just seven minutes to get their goal. Gio Lo Celso played a world-class ball into the box to the feet of Messi, who set up Lautaro Martinez for the opener.

Argentina maintained control of the match and felt like the most likely to get the second goal until halftime. That’s when Colombia coach Reinaldo Rueda made three changes that gave his team some more technical ability and speed, and the problems began for the favorites.

Colombia continued to look like a threat against an underwhelming Argentina defense and made them pay dearly in the 61st minute. A quick free kick was played to send Luis Diaz through, and the Porto man did the rest, finishing from a title angle to equalize it.

But Argentina had their chances, missing two golden ones late in the second half. First, Martinez missed on a goal that was defended by just one defender as David Opsina was caught out, but his poorly taken effort was cleared with ease. Then it was Messi who was played into the box, turning and firing off the left post, resulting in the match going to penalties.

The favorites maintained their composure, with their goalkeeper putting together a brilliant display on how to dominate a shootout.

Argentina and Brazil will meet Saturday night at the legendary Maracana in Rio de Janeiro at 8 p.m. ET.…

Basket Ball / Sports

Chris Paul, Phoenix sink Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee in Game 1

The Phoenix Suns are three wins away from a championship after a strong Game 1 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. The two sides were close for most of the first half before Phoenix pushed the lead as high as 20 in the third quarter. A furious Bucks comeback cut it back down to seven in the fourth quarter, but the Suns just would not be denied. They took Milwaukee’s punch and countered with several of their own, ultimately winning Game 1, 118-105.

Chris Paul led the way with yet another stellar postseason outing. He scored 32 points to lead the Suns, but Devin Booker wasn’t far behind with 27 of his own. Throw in Deandre Ayton’s 22-point, 19-rebound Finals debut and 20 combined bench points for Cameron Payne and Cameron Johnson and it was a complete team win for the Suns. Khris Middleton stood up to Phoenix’s star guards with 29 points of his own, but a still-recovering Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t quite match his typical MVP production. He scored 20 to go along with 17 rebounds in the loss, but played only 35 minutes and couldn’t be as aggressive in the paint as he usually is with 11 field goal attempts in the game.

Game 2 of the NBA Finals will be played on Thursday. A win in that game would take the Suns within two wins of the title, while a Milwaukee win would even up the series and give the Bucks home-court advantage. After the Game 1 we just watched, though, Milwaukee is going to need to make some serious adjustments to make that happen. For now, here are the biggest takeaways from Game 1.

Giannis looked decent, but not 100 percent

Physically, Giannis looked mostly like Giannis in Game 1 of the Finals. He caught a lob on the game’s opening play (though it was called off due to a foul). He overpowered Deandre Ayton in the post. If you squinted, you’d see the outline of the two-time MVP. Even in defeat, he …

News

Ogun teachers to instill discipline in public schools

The Chairman, Ogun State Teaching Service Commission, Evangelist Olalekan Ifede has admonished teachers in public schools to instill their professional skills in classrooms and also inculcate disciplines on the students, so as to extinct truancy, misconduct and misbehavior in schools across the state.

Ifede made this known while addressing teachers during usual monitoring tour to the secondary schools in Abeokuta South Local Government, noted that teachers were emulative symbols and must be conscious of legacies exhibited for students to emulate.

“Ensure that you appear neatly dressed at all times for students to replicate, as they will be accustomed to neat appearance to their mature age”, Ifede said

The Chairman, according to his media aide,  Gbogubola Alao, said that it was very vital for the teachers to embrace his/her students and treat them as their children, especially through impartation of quality knowledge and regular counseling, in order to erode vices and misconduct amongst students. Ifede added that consistent monitoring of students notebooks should be sacrosanct, so as to propel academic excellence in the schools across the three Senatorial Districts of the state.

He however, informed that schools should endeavour to seek indulgence of its communities and old students associations to come to their aid, in erection of structures, saying that this would assist the government’s ongoing reformation agenda.

Responding, the Principals in Senior and Junior secondary schools, Baptist Boys High Schools,  Olusoji Kushimo and Lasabi Olarenwaju, hailed the state government for giving priority to educational sector, noting that the state had set education stakeholders on their toes.

Schools visited include; Baptist Boys High Schools, Isaje and Ilugun High School, Elega, all in Abeokuta South Local Government area of the state.…

Entertainment / Music / News

Burna Boy says he will pick Nasty C over almost any American rapper in new video

During the conversation, Burna Boy was keen to clarify to his interviewer that Africa is more than Afrobeats. He said, “Yeah, everything is not afrobeats. Nasty C is a rapper. And because he’s from Africa now, you’re going to say afrobeats? Nah, he’s a rapper. Brah, I’ll put my money on Nasty C over almost any American rapper.”

His interviewer also agrees that Africa is more than Afrobeats. You can watch the conversation below:

 …

Entertainment / News / Stories

5 things Ebuka said about BBNaija in his Beat FM interview

During his interview, Toolz‘s Midday Show on Beat FM cleared up many misconceptions about the show and the recent reunion show.

These are five things he said in the interview.

Ebuka said the ongoing Twitter ban in Nigeria has affected the show because they are not getting instant feedback.

“Oh yes, it has, because people are still watching because Multichoice has the viewers but what is missing is the instant feedback,” he said.

In one of the highlights of the just-concluded reunion episodes, Lockdown housemates Lucy and Kaisha got into a fight.

Although the fight was not air, Ebuka confirmed that it did happen and that the girls ruined his shoes during the scuffle.

“They ruined my shoe that day; I’m actually upset,” the host said.

“I’m actually happy they didn’t air the fight. I actually fell on the floor trying to avoid it.”

At the reunion, there was a lot of carry-over beef from the show, and Ebuka believes that this edition had the least reconciliation.

“This year, a lot of people came and vented and still left probably even angry,” Ebuka said.

“Just Erica and Wathoni, I can’t remember any other one (who reconciled). There were very few moments and I think it was only Ozo and Prince who had some conversation off air. there was a handshake at some point.”

“In the past you would have one or two or have those very intense fanbases who would go back and forth at each other on social media, this year there are probably five or six,” Ebuka said.

Ebuka is frustrated with his family-wife and children-being attacked by fans.

As the host of BB Naija, fans have often accused Ebuka of influencing some decisions. Even more

…
News

Fire outbreak at Synagogue Church during TB Joshua’s candle light

There was a fire outbreak on Monday during a candle light organised for the Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Pastor TB Joshua, in Ikotun area of Lagos State.

The candle light, led by Joshua’s wife, Evelyn, marked the start of the burial arrangements for Joshua.

The church said of the incident in a statement late on Monday: “In the late evening of Monday 5th July 2021, there was a minor electrical fire incident at a storehouse within The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations complex.

“The incident was quickly brought under control without any injuries. “As part of the preparedness for the weeklong services celebrating the life and legacy of Prophet TB Joshua, The SCOAN has worked closely with relevant government agencies including the Lagos State Fire Services, whose members were on the ground at the time of the incident.

“We thank God for His continued protection. We assure the general public that there is no cause for alarm and the services celebrating the life and legacy of Prophet TB Joshua will continue as scheduled.”

Joshua died on June 5 at the age of 57.…

Crime / News

Cultists vandalise Benue school, Gov. Ortom reacts

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State on Monday described the vandalism of facilities at St. Catherine Primary School, Makurdi by cultists as needless and barbaric.

Ortom said this while speaking at an inspection tour of some facilities and projects in Makurdi.

The governor expressed worry that the school had become a haven for cultists, saying: “I am told that the vandalism on this school was done by cultists.”

He said the renovation of the school would be captured in the forthcoming phase of schools upgrading exercise. Ortom called on security agencies to strengthen security around school facilities in the state to avoid similar acts of vandalism.

He said: “I also urge the Universal Basic Education Board and the school management to fortify security within school premises.

“Employ security guards to watch over school premises and ensure that cultists and hoodlums do not come near.”

The governor further expressed concerns that the school had become a shadow of its former self because of the activities of cultists.

He said: “This is where I finished my primary education in 1976, I left here and proceeded to Idah for my post primary education.

“This school is very dear to me, this is the reason I came to see things personally.

“I am worried at the level of decay and vandalism.”

Ortom also decried the level of infrastructure decay at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital.

He said the state government had released N150 million for the repair of some leaking roofs in the hospital.…

Boxing / Sports

Errol Spence Is A ‘Basic Fighter,’ Pacquiao Can Win – Says Robert Garcia

Trainer Robert Garcia says he sees Errol Spence Jr as a “basic” fighter and that he wouldn’t be surprised if Pacquiao beats him when the two meet on August 21st.

Interestingly, Robert says Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) is the bigger puncher than Spence (27-0, 21 KOs). Robert isn’t the only one that believes that Pacquiao is the harder puncher.

What makes that hard to believe is the absence of knockouts for Pacquiao in the last twelve years. The last time Pacquiao scored a knockout was in 2009, and that was a questionable 12th round stoppage against Miguel Cotto.

The referee Kenny Bayless halted the fight while Cotto was still fighting back, and a lot of boxing fans felt that it shouldn’t have been stopped.

Robert’s little brother Mikey Garcia found out the hard way what it’s like to be on the receiving end of Spence’s shots when he lost a wide 12 round unanimous decision.

“He’s [Spence] a basic fighter, you know? He does everything correctly,” said Robert Garcia to Fight hype. “He’s not a flashy guy, he doesn’t look like some of those guys where you’re like ‘wow, did you see that?’

Even if Spence is basic, he picks the right spots to land his shots to score stoppages. It’s been a while, though, since Errol knocked anyone out, but it’s possible he’ll get a stoppage against Manny.

What makes Pacquiao’s shots look harder than they are is the speed with which he throws them.

Also, the punch placement and timing that Pacquiao has magnifies the impact. Who can forget the knockout shot Pacquiao hit Ricky Hatton with in the second round of their fight in

“I would probably say the power, probably go with Pacquiao. I probably go with Pacquiao,” said Robert Garcia.

It’s not the power; it’s more the blinding hand speed and the combinations that make Pacquiao so hard to deal with. If Spence can’t track all the incoming shots, he could get taken out by Manny.

If Spence starts throwing power shots …

Sports / Tennis

Angelique Kerber blasts past Coco Gauff and into Wimbledon quarter-final

Five short weeks ago, Angelique Kerber stepped up to the baseline for the first round of her Roland Garros match against Anhelina Kalinina, then the world No 139, trailing 6-2, 5-0 and seemingly lost on the tennis court. The saddest part of the grim scene was that it was no surprise given Kerber’s form over the prior two years. Kerber was eventually snuffed out 6-2, 6-4 for her third successive grand slam first-round defeat. As she flailed outside the top 25 it was fair to wonder what the future held for her at 33 years old.

If ever there is an example of how quickly fortunes can change in tennis, the 2018 Wimbledon champion now stands resolute in the quarter-final as clear proof. On a particularly manic Monday, Kerber exhibited calm and considerable experience as she outplayed Coco Gauff, the 20th seed, on Centre Court to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon with a clean 6-4, 6-4 win.

Both players struggled early on in a swirling wind that forced them to abort ball tosses and make last-minute stroke adjustments but Kerber, the 25th seed, eventually settled into the match and was mostly faultless thereafter. The German limited her unforced errors, her defense was often impenetrable and she returned Gauff’s nuclear deliveries with depth and consistency. When the opportunity presented itself, she consistently wrong-footed her American opponent with trademark down-the-line forehands before finishing the match with an array of winning passing shots.

Faced with a champion in full flow, Gauff did all she could to maintain contact. She pieced together numerous holds with enormous serving, her first serve consistently clearing 120mph, and constantly unleashed on her backhand. But her forehand was the clear difference between the two. Each time Kerber was in danger, she directed returns or defensive shots to the Gauff forehand, which could not consistently penetrate her defense.

Despite falling in the same round as in her breakthrough at Wimbledon two years ago, the identical results belie the clear progress Gauff has made over as her game continues to grow. …

Sports / Tennis

Roger Federer Beats Lorenzo Sonego, Advances to Singles Quarterfinal

After surviving an early test in the first set, Roger Federer found his rhythm in a 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 win over Lorenzo Sonego to reach the quarterfinals in the 2021 Wimbledon gentlemen’s tournament. Federer made history, becoming the oldest men’s player to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal in 44 years.

With the first set tied 5-5, weather intervened to provide both players a brief rain delay and let the retractable roof over the Centre Court close.

Sonego looked like he was on the verge of taking control at the time of the delay. The 26-year-old Italian was up 40-15 at one point in the 11th game before play was suspended. After the delay, Federer was able to gather himself and take control of the match. Sonego made several mental mistakes down the stretch of the opening set that cost him. Federer wasn’t at his best in the opening set either. The eight-time Wimbledon champion committed 17 unforced errors, compared to nine for Sonego.

Once he closed out the first set in just over an hour of match time, Federer started to look more comfortable. He needed 44 minutes to wrap up the second set.

The stats from Federer’s 6-4 second-set win were much more in line with what fans are accustomed to seeing from him. The 39-year-old won 12 of his 15 first-serve points and 11 of 15 net points while committing four unforced errors.

The third set was largely more of the same from Federer. He had as many aces in the third as he did in the first two sets combined (two) and won two of his four break-point chances.

Federer has been careful to monitor his playing time at this stage of his career. The Switzerland native withdrew from the French Open after a third-round win because “it’s important that I listen to my body” coming off two knee surgeries.

The decision came after Federer played a four-set match against Dominik Koepfer that lasted 3.5 hours.

After the first set Monday took 61 minutes to finish, Federer …

Football / Sports

Brazil beat Peru 1 – 0 and advance to Copa America Final

Brazil have stormed through to the Copa America Final yet again after a near flawless tournament, where they went undefeated through six games — scoring 12 goals and conceding just two in the process.

Eder Militao has not featured much in the last few games as Brazil head coach Tite has gone with Thiago Silva and Marquinhos at the back. Meanwhile Vinicius, until now, had played just 32 minutes in this tournament. Both players started this game on the bench, but did enter the game through a triple sub in the 84th minute when they, along with Fabinho, replaced Fred, Richarlison, and Renan Lodi.

Casemiro though, featured from the start, and played the full 90 minutes on the right side of a double pivot alongside Manchester United midfielder Fred. He was involved in several nice attacking sequences and one-touch passing plays in the first half as he combined well with Lucas Paqueta, Neymar, and Richarlison. Those four in particular were huge instigators in attack as Brazil carved Peru over and over again in the first half. Peru, defending in a 5-4-1, kept everyone behind the ball apart from striker Gianluca Lapadula. Thus, they struggled getting any attacks in transition, and even though they tried to stay compact defensively, struggled to limit space between the lines for Brazil’s runners to find space in. They also allowed both Casemiro and Fred to pick out all the passes they wanted without being pressured. Casemiro had two long distance stingers which forced saves from Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.

Brazil opened the scoring though Paqueta in the 35th minute after some sorcery from Neymar.

Brazil looked set to steamroll a helpless Peru side. But at half-time, their head coach Ricardo Gareca made two subs to advance his team’s shape. Most notably, the entrance of attacking midfielder Raziel Garcia for one of his defenders provided some help for Lapadula in attack and immediately brought Peru back into the game. They got better opportunities in transition, were able to keep the ball better, and gave Casemiro — …

Football / Sports

Messi leading the race to Golden Boot?

Will Lionel Messi win the Golden Boot award in the current edition of Copa America?

The 2021 edition of the Copa America is underway, and Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Colombia are the four semi-finalists vying for the top prize.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi has been the standout performer in the competition with four goals and has also provided as many assists. Interestingly, it must be mentioned that Messi has never won the Golden Boot award at Copa America.

Messi needs four more goals to equal Norbeto Mendez (Agrentina) and Zizinho (Brazil)’s tally of 17 goals each, who are the all-time top scorers at Copa America.

He started the 2021 edition of the tournament in style with a gem of a free-kick against Chile before adding a couple against Bolivia in their last group game. In the quarterfinal against Ecuador, Messi was in sublime form as he provided two assists and scored at the death from a free-kick.

Messi is the only player with four goals to his name. There are 10 players who have scored twice in this competition however, only five are still in contention with their teams being in the semis.

Player Team Goals
Lionel Messi Argentina 4
Papu Gomez Argentina 2
Lautaro Martinez Argentina 2
Andre Carillo Peru 2
Gianluca Lapadula Peru 2
Neymar Brazil 2

The other players who have scored two goals are: Erwin Saavedra (Bolivia), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay) Ángel Romero (Paraguay), Ayrton Preciado (Ecuador) and  Eduardo Vargas (Chile)

…
Entertainment / Music / News

Wizkid’s ‘Essence’ hits US Apple Music Top 50

Nigerian superstar Wizkid’s, ‘Essence‘ has broken another milestone by entering the top 50 chart on Apple Music for the US.

The top charts for Apple Music are updated every day. As of Sunday, the 4th of July 2021, ‘Essence‘ by Wizkid featuring Tems has occupied the number 50 spot on the Apple Music US Top 100 Chart. This was also confirmed by Twitter page @AfricaFactsZone, who claim ‘Essence‘ is the first African song to achieve this feat.

A lot of factors have led to ‘Essence’ making the top 50 on US Apple Music. One notable factor is that a number of international celebrities have shared videos listening to it in their spare time and at public occasions.…

Covid 19 / News

Third wave scare: Lagos inspects Synagogue ahead of Joshua’s burial

Days after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread massively around the world, up to 96 countries as of June 29, a delegation from the Lagos State Government led by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi and the Director General of the Lagos Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, yesterday, visited the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).

The visit was to inspect facilities at the church for COVID-19 safety and prevention protocols compliance as part of efforts to halt the importation of COVID-19 variants into Nigeria, especially during the burial of Prophet Temitope Joshua this week.

This is coming one week after the Federal Government said the deadly Delta variant had not yet been discovered in the country, though the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) recorded an escalation in COVID-19 infections at the weekend, with 71 recorded on Saturday as against 40 on Friday.

Of the 71 new cases, Lagos reported 63, while Oyo logged four cases, Ogun had three and Kano one. “A total of 167,803 infections have been confirmed so far, 164,378 of the cases have been discharged and 2,121 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),” NCDC said, adding that the country has so far tested over 2.3 million samples from its roughly 200 million population.

Speaking during a virtual media briefing on COVID-19 at the weekend, the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said globally, there is a lot of concern about the Delta variant.

As some countries ease public health and social measures, we are starting to see increases in transmission around the world. More cases mean more hospitalisations, further stretching health workers and health systems, which increases the risk of death,” he warned.

In his reassurance last week, Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said the Delta variant, first identified in India, is more contagious than the UK variant and as such, Nigeria needs …

Football / Sports

After Mexico, Eagles Team B to face Canada, Ghana, Cameroun

More home-based stars for World Cup qualifiers
Super Eagles’ home-based players have another chance to show the technical crew why they deserve more opportunities in the senior national team when they play friendly matches against Canada, Ghana and Cameroun.

The team met yesterday lost 0-4 to Mexico in a friendly game played in the Los Angeles Coliseum, California, United States.

Speaking after the game watched by over 50,000 fans, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, revealed that the federation was at the verge of finalising arrangements for the friendly games, which would hold before the 2022 World Cup qualifiers begin later this year.

He added that the matches would hold in the 73,000 capacity M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, United States.

“This is the launchpad we are providing for you to showcase your talents,” Pinnick told the media.

“This team is our pride, and we will keep you and monitor you because you are the next big thing in Nigerian football.

“In October, we will be flying the team to Baltimore for friendly games against Ghana possibly, Cameroun and Canada, maybe. We will sort that out in the coming weeks.

“We will tidy up all the documentation. You will be playing at the 73,000 capacity M&T Bank Stadium.”

In the game against Mexico, Nigeria presented a team made up of players from the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) with Ibrahim Sunusi, who plays for Montreal FC the only foreign-based star in the squad.

Speaking on the game, Super Eagles Head Coach, Gernot Rohr, praised the team for ‘a good outing.’

He said, “These are young players playing in front of over 50,000 fans in a foreign land. It was not easy but they showed they can play this game.

“We are very happy that fans are returning to stadiums after a long time playing in empty stadiums. Mexico is number 11 in the world and our young team is the best players in the professional league at home. They have learnt a lot from this game. I saw some …