ENTERTAINMENT : Laycon bags chieftaincy title in Ogun [VIDEO]

 

Winner of the 2020 Big Brother Naija 2020 Lockdown house, Agbelesebioba Olamikekan, also known as Laycon has been installed as the Akeweje of Ipokia kingdom in Ogun State.

Laycon received the traditional title on Sunday from the Onipokia of Ipokia, Oba Yisa Adesola Olaniyan, at the 2021 Opo Day celebration held at the District High School, Ipokia.

The Onipokia during the title installation said Laycon as an indigene of Ipokia truly deserved the title of Akeweje.

Oba Olaniyan described the singer as a good ambassador to Ipokia and a positive inspiration to all Nigerian youths.

The first class Oba lauded Laycon, praying he continues to rise and shine.

Reacting, the BBNaija winner appreciated the monarch, Ipokia indigenes and the youths for standing by him while in the BBNaija house.

He promised to stand by the youths and everything that would contribute to their development.

Recall that Governor Dapo Abiodun had earlier appointed Laycon as the Ogun State Youth Ambassador.

 

NEWS : Ekiti cancels Monday’s religious service

 

Ekiti State Government has cancelled the customary interdenominational service scheduled for Monday.

The religious programme is usually held on the first working day of the year.

Commissioner for Information, Akin Omole explained that the cancellation was part of efforts to curtail the spread of coronavirus in Ekiti.

He affirmed Governor Kayode Fayemi’s directive that public workers on grade level 12 and below should work from home.

Omole appealed to the people to comply with all laid down protocols to protect themselves from contracting the virus.

The commissioner added that the social distancing and face mask-wearing remained mandatory across the state.

Omole emphasized the importance of avoiding crowds, keeping rooms well-ventilated, using alcohol-based hand sanitizers and regular hand washing.

Medical expert urges Nigerians to accept COVID-19 vaccine

 

The Chief Medical Director, Federal Teaching Hospital( FETHI), Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Professor Adekunle Ajayi has advised Nigerians to accept the COVID-19 vaccine whenever it is available.

The health expert also cautioned Nigerians not to allow the discovery of the vaccine outshine the safety protocols.

Ajayi gave this admonition during a “Long Service Award” ceremony held for some health workers who have served for 20 years unblemished.

The CMD said the award was a call on the recipients to continue to contribute to the development of the teaching hospital.

Expressing concern over the attitudes of some Nigerians to safety procedures, Ajayi said apathy was the major challenge at the moment.

“There is apathy on the part of people to do the right thing. When you get to that point, you need to keep talking. The truth is that we moved from an era when fear was the motivating factor to one where apathy is the major challenge. That is expected for anything that is longer than expected or that will also affect the comfort of people. We are on top of the game”.

The medical expert, however, advised Nigerians to accept the vaccine as it would go a long way in combating the dreaded virus.

“As I have always said, the best form of prevention in infectious diseases is hygiene, that is an issue that we must not let down. We must continue to talk about hygiene – personal hygiene, community hygiene and basic things – use mask, wash your hands, use hand sanitisers, maintain the appropriate distance and avoid crowded areas. Take responsibility to ensure that you are not infected. When you take responsibility to protect yourself, you are indirectly protecting the several people around you.

“Health professionals have used vaccines over the years to tackle infectious diseases. This one is not going to be an exception. We are lucky that we have been able to get the vaccine even ahead of the expected time. there is the need to sensitise the populace on the benefits of taking the vaccine.

“Because no matter how well-intended a scheme is if the people do not accept it, it is going to end up as a failure. We have to sensitize the public to accept that these vaccines are meant to help them as part of measures.

Days of US presence in Middle East numbered – Shiites, Nigeria

 

On the first anniversary of the 

killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani 

by a drone strike, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has declared that days of the United States’ presence in the Middle East are numbered.

Ibrahim Musa spokesman for the IMN popularly known as Shiites said this in a statement on Sunday.

Musa called Soleimani, head of Iran’s Quds Force, the biggest hero who defeated ISIS terrorism in Iraq and Syria.

IMN said the elimination of Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy Head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces and others at Baghdad International Airport, was against international law, the UN Charter and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.

Musa stressed that Soleimani was a champion of inter-religious harmony between Christians and Muslims.

He noted that it probably explains why a Mass was held in the evangelical church of Aleppo, Syria to honour his martyrdom.

Shiites accused Facebook, Twitter and Instagram of censorship campaigns to sabotage the ongoing campaigns to commemorate the death of Soleimani.

“The political landscape in the Middle East is changing. Oppressive powers are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their hegemony. They are forced to resort to desperate acts like the assassination of General Qassem Solaimani or the top Iranian nuclear scientist Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

“The future belongs to the oppressed. History shows that no tyrant has remained in power indefinitely. The days of US presence in the region are numbered. Can the Zionist entity be far behind? Certainly not, Insha Allah”, the statement added.

IMN, however, demanded the unconditional release of its leader Sheikh Zakzaky, his wife and all others in detention “since the Zaria massacre of December 2015”.

Umahi remains our friend in PDP – Ebonyi Rep, Ogbaga

 A federal lawmaker, Sylvester Ogbaga, has said the Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, remains “a friend” of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Umahi joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) last November.

Ogbaga, who represents Abakaliki/ Izzi federal constituency in the House of Representatives, spoke at Isu, Onicha Local Government Area on Sunday.

The lawmaker noted that although Umahi was now in the APC, he rose to political stardom via the PDP.

”We have no two governors in Ebonyi, and we expect him as our leader to address the threats to PDP members and the general insecurity in the state.

”It is still surprising that Umahi, who remains our friend and brother, joined APC when we were expecting the party to meet the expectations of Nigerians,” NAN quoted him as saying.

Ogbaga commended Umahi for projects executed and urged him “to pay special attention to stomach infrastructure”.

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to do more to tackle insecurity in Nigeria.

Barcelona dressing room tears apart as Messi, Ter Stegen’s fight

 

Barcelona king, Lionel Messi, has reportedly clashed with goalkeeper, Marc-Andre ter Stegen as the crisis in the club’s dressing room reaches a boiling point, according to Diaro Gol.

This is not the first time Messi and the German shot-stopper have fallen out at Barcelona as they have had issues in the past as well.

According to the newspaper, the Argentine superstar and the goalkeeper have had a massive bust-up that has seen their relationship falling out completely.

The Spanish newspaper said that the reason for their fight is because Messi had opted for Keylor Navas as his first choice during the voting for the FIFA The Best awards.

Messi went on to choose Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer and Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak as his second and third choices.

This was rather seen as quite a shocking choice of votes from the South American superstar who generally always voted for his teammates.

And his decision of snubbing Marc-Andre ter has not gone down well with the goalkeeper.

Diaro Gol reports that Ter Stegen has even reconsidered his future at the club despite renewing his contract with the club recently.

Ter Stegen has now reportedly put a hold on his autobiography movie, with the reason being that he wants his movie to be made next season when Messi is expected to leave Camp Nou.

It is certain that Messi will leave the club next summer, however, as of now, there seems to be no offer.

Zidane reacts as Real Madrid go top after Celta Vigo win

 

Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane, has praised his players for how they controlled the game, following a 2-0 win over Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio both scored for Los Blancos, as they went top of the league for at least 12 hours.

Zidane was pleased with how Madrid contained Celta Vigo’s dangerous players and imposed their own game.

“They’re the most in-form team we’ve played. We had difficulties, but we controlled the game. We pressed them high up, we didn’t let their good players play.

“We’re always better when we go for the game. We have more problems sometimes when we’re in our half.

“Our style is to go for the game, and the pressing of the front three is important,” he told reporters.