A judge sentenced rapper Meek Mill to two to four years in prison for a probation violation Monday, drawing outcry from fellow entertainers and the hip-hop world. “The sentence handed down by the Judge — against the recommendation of the Assistant District Attorney and Probation Officer — is unjust and heavy handed,” Jay-Z wrote Monday on Facebook. “We will always stand by and support Meek Mill, both as he attempts to right this wrongful sentence and then in returning to his musical career.” Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation manages Mill, has been a vocal supporter of criminal justice reform. He produced…
Author: David Folami
Thanksgiving dinner has yet to be served, but Rihanna already has holiday footwear on lock. The pop star-turned-designer is releasing a holiday collection with Stance — where she’s a contributing creative director — and it’s festively titled “Thottie or Nice.” The line — Rihanna’s ninth with Stance — comprises nine offerings. It centers on preppy, grade-school styles — in keeping with the theme of the Fenty Puma by Rihanna fall 2017 line — in holiday hues such as red, black, cream, navy and burgundy. There are three over-the-knee offerings, two of which feature an added touch of Christmas kitsch, three…
Serena Williams celebrated her bachelorette weekend in New York City on Friday, November 3, and Saturday, November 4, alongside her sister, Venus, and pals including Ciara and LaLa Anthony. Reports have it that Venus, Ciara, LaLa, and Serena’s family all stayed at the Baccarat Hotel. They took a party bus around town and had a private dinner at TAO Group’s new seafood brasserie, Legasea. The ladies continued their fun later in the night. Adds the onlooker: “They partied ‘til the wee hours at PH-D Rooftop in the Meatpacking District before returning back to the hotel.” The group opted for a…
Queen Beyonce and Pharrell just keep slaying … the items they donated for a charity auction fetched 19 TIMES MORE than anticipated. Reports havve it that Bey and P. Willy donated items auctioned off at Heritage Auctions to help raise money for The Lung Transplant Project… a non-profit that raises money and awareness to reduce transplant waiting list times. Beyonce’s “Formation” tour hat was supposed to bring between 1 and 2 G’s … but after Monday’s auction closed it brought in a whopping $27,500!!! Pharrell donated two pairs of adidas Originals … the first pair featured the hit-making producers’ John…
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been appointed as a member of an 18-man United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation. The appointment was stamped in a statement by the UN Secretary General, Antonio Gutierrez. The board was described as a part of the “surge in diplomacy for peace” consistently asked for by Gutierrez. The board, according to reports will allow the UN work more effectively with regional organisations, non-governmental groups and others involved in mediation around the world. Guitierrez described Obasanjo as one of the most distinguished elder statesmen of Africa. Others on the board include President Michelle…
The All Progressives Congress, Rivers State Chapter, has alleged that Governor Nyesom Wike is now into “high level scam to dupe the peoples’ resources and rubbish their collective intelligence.” The party made the assertion while describing the award given to Wike by a United Nations-backed platform, Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements Awards, SCAHSA, as a scam. The state arm of the party said this after an inquiry to ascertain the authenticity of the award from UN-Habitat Headquarters in New York. The All Progressives Congress, Rivers State Chapter, has alleged that Governor Nyesom Wike has resorted to “high level scam to…
The Enugu State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has commended Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for maintaining excellent relationship with labour unions in the state. Mr Rex Arum dished out the praise on Tuesday in Enugu during the inauguration of the executive members of the Correspondents Chapel. “The State Executive Council of the NUJ is grateful to Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. We will not forget in a hurry his timely intervention during the dark days, which nearly crippled the chapel. “His kind gesture towards members of the press is unprecedented and we will continue to partner with him to make…
Ini Dan-Nkang, the Chief Executive Officer, Brotherart Productions, recently talked about the need for the use of pedestrian lanes and bridges for safety. Dan-Nkang added that his company would partner with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), to notify people on the importance of arts and the significance of symbols on the roads. “We are partnering with the FRSC this year because their symbols are arts related, and it will help to lecture people on the signs on our roads and how to use them,’’ he said. “We are using the opportunity to make people appreciate the value of arts…
The Chief Judge of Abia, Justice Theresa Uzokwe, has asked for financial autonomy of the state’s judiciary. She referenced that the importance of financial autonomy of the judiciary could not be over-emphasised because of the impact it would have on its performance. “The dilapidated court halls in the state would have been fixed if the state judiciary had financial autonomy or if funds allocated to it for capital expenditure in the fiscal year were released constantly and timely.” She appealed to the state government to expedite action in addressing the numerous challenges facing the judiciary. Responding, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of…
About 42 suspected armed robbers and cultists detained by the Special Anti Robbery Squad cell (SARS) in Yenagoa on Tuesday broke loose from detention and escaped. A Policeman attached to the SARS who was brought in to cordon off the facility said that they were still taking stock of the number of inmates that had escaped. “The cell holds more than 50 suspects but it is empty, so it is difficult to give an accurate number until they check the records, but we hear that 42 criminals were being detained,” the Policeman said. A police source said that one of…
Seriake Dickson has hailed Bayelsa Cultural Troupe for emerging the overall winner of the 2017 edition of the National Festival for Arts and Culture (NAFEST). NAFEST 2017 was held in Kaduna, Kaduna State, between Oct. 28 and Nov. 4. Dickson, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Francis Agbo, on Tuesday, noted that the Bayelsa Troupe had won the competition for the third time under Dickson’s administration. The governor described the troupe as “worthy Champions of Culture”. According to him, the achievement is a demonstration that Bayelsa is a state to be reckoned with in a number of…
Senator Iyiola Omisore, is set to be honoured by the Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers (NISE), an arm of the Nigerian Society of Engineers today. According to the National Chairman, Mr. Abiodun Oyedepo, Omisore, will be honoured with the institution’s Award of Fellowship for his consistent promotion and vital support of the practice of engineering safety in Nigeria. It was further stated that the award will be presented during the opening ceremony of the conference of the Institution scheduled to hold at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. Oyedepo also stated that the Institution stated that it examines individuals…
Primary school pupils in Kaduna stormed the street to protest Governor Nasir Elrufai’s move to sack over 21,000 teachers in the state. The state government recently announced the dismissal of the teachers after failing the primary four exams conducted for them and also announce the recruitment of 25,000 teachers to replace them. This decision has been causing confusion in the state as the Nigerian Union of Teachers kicked against the move. Supporting their teachers, pupils from Sabon Gari and Zaria local government areas have reportedly trooped out to register their displeasure with the government decision about their teachers. The pupils…
President Muhammadu Buhari says there would be no recruitment into ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) next year without his consent and approval. He said, “I have directed agencies not to embark on any fresh recruitment unless they have obtained all the requisite approvals. Any breach of this directive will be severely sanctioned.” President Buhari noted that 30.8 percent of the N8.6 trillion budget would be focused on capital budget. “Fifty per cent of this borrowing will be sourced externally, while the balance will be sourced domestically. The balance of the deficit of N306bn is to be financed from proceeds of…
Romelu Lukaku has been told to become more selfish for Manchester United if he is to live up to his goalscoring potential by a man who knows a thing or two about finding the back of the net. Former England striker Alan Shearer believes Lukaku’s run of seven matches without a goal can be put down to his current desire to bag goals himself rather than play in his teammates. United manager Jose Mourinho has refused to criticise Lukaku, and called for fans to get behind the Belgium international after signs of frustrations began to creep into the atmosphere at…
Atletico Madrid defender Juanfran has said Antoine Griezmann should remain “relaxed” despite being substituted again on Saturday, although the forward’s brother has questioned Diego Simeone’s tactics on Twitter. “We love him and we trust in him. But any decision the boss makes, with him or anyone else, we accept. The boss does the best for the team. Griezmann should be relaxed. We will support him.” However, Griezmann’s brother, Theo, had posted a series of tweets questioning Simeone’s decision-making during the game. In the posts — since deleted but reproduced in several Spanish publications — he wrote: “We go forward 40…
Jose Mourinho will not be able to bring more players in when the January transfer window unless he offloads some of the fringe players at Old Trafford. United chiefs want to watch the spending when the window reopens and don’t plan on making the squad any bigger than it currently is, according to the BBC. Mourinho has been allowed to spend big since taking over the reins at the start of last season, splashing out £285million on six major signings. Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic, Victor Lindelof, Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have all been signed for big sums…
Manchester United are sure that Paul Pogba will be fit enough to feature against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on November 18th. The Frenchman’s missed United’s last 12 matches after sustaining a hamstring injury in his side’s 3-0 win against Basel in September. United had hoped to have Pogba back for Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea but the Frenchman’s recovery has been slow and medical staff felt he couldn’t be risked. The Red Devils now trail leaders Manchester City by eight points but Pogba could take a place on the bench for United’s next game after the international break. Pogba’s…
Jose Mourinho has said Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are closing on a return to first-team action. The Reds have been without the duo, plus injured stars Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick and Marcos Rojo. But Mourinho says they will be in a “good position” for the Christmas period, following the international break. United midfielders Pogba (hamstring) and Carrick (calf) have been injured since September. While long-term absentees Ibra and Rojo, who sustained knee injuries last season, are yet to recover. Mourinho said: “We have the group of players which are the ones that we hope will recover as soon as…
Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura says a World Cup without the team he manages does not even bear thinking about and remains convinced that the nation will book their place in Russia over the next week. “To be honest, I’ve never even considered that we could not go to the World Cup because I’m absolutely convinced we will be going,” Ventura told a news conference. “Obviously it’s an important moment — it is for me and for my history, but also for the players. “We’ve got great conviction, serenity, determination — we’re convinced we can qualify. All of this is…