Month: December 2021

Punch

As Nigerians wait to celebrate the new year, some countries around the world are already in 2022.

The different time zones across the globe mean that some countries around the world will get into the new year hours before others.

While many might think countries like Australia and New Zealand would be the first to celebrate the new year, smaller island nations are the first to welcome the new year.

Here is a list of some countries that celebrated 2022 before the rest of the world and the time equivalent in Nigeria;

Christmas Island
At 11 am Nigerian time Christmas Island, part the Republic of Kiribati is the first place to welcome 2022 before any other part of the world.

New Zealand
While it would be hot in Nigeria at 12 Noon, New Zealand would be in the year 2022 with celebrations.
Samoa

Samoa is also an island nation close that celebrates the new year same time as New Zealand since they are in the same time zone.

Tonga
Tonga, a Polynesian kingdom of which consists of more than 170 South Pacific islands, lined in white beaches and coral reefs and covered with tropical rainforest also gets into 2022 same time as New Zealand and Samoa.

Fiji
One of the more popular island nations in the South Pacific, Fiji celebrates the new year at 1 pm Nigerian time.

Russia
The vastness of the Russian Federation puts a part of it in the new year before the rest of the country. Russia’s Far East celebrates the new year at the same time as Fiji.

Australia

Between 1:30 pm and 2 pm, Nigerian time, places like Lord Howe Island, New South Wales, and the eastern regions of Australia would be celebrating the new year.
Papua New Guinea
At 2 pm in the southwestern Pacific, Papua New Guinea celebrates the new year.

Guam (US)
Before any part of the mainland of the United States of America sees the new year, Guam celebrates the same as Papua New Guinea. Guam is a US island territory in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific.

Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Indonesia
When it is 4 pm in Nigeria, countries in East Asia and Oceania such as Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Indonesia celebrate the new year.

Nigeria’s final 28-man list for the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations has changed.

The Nigeria Football Federation announced the changes in a statement by its spokesperson, Ademola Olajire, on Friday.

One of the key changes was the replacement of Napoli forward Victor Osimhen with Henry Onyekuru.

Also, the exclusion of Cyprus–based Abdullahi Shehu made way right back Tyrone Ebuehi, now with Venezia in the Italian Serie A, England–based Oluwasemilogo Ajayi returns for A injured Leon Balogun.

Emmanuel Dennis was replaced by Czech Republic-based forward Peter Olayinka.

SUPER EAGLES’ NEW SQUAD FOR 33RD AFCON – CAMEROON 2021

Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (AC Omonia, Cyprus); John Noble (Enyimba FC); Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa); Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Defenders: Chidozie Awaziem (Alanyaspor FC, Turkey); Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain);

Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); William Ekong (Watford FC, England); Olaoluwa Aina (Torino FC, Italy); Jamilu Collins (SC Padeborn 07, Germany); Tyrone Ebuehi (Venezia FC, Italy); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal); Olisa Ndah (Orlando Pirates, South Africa).

Midfielders: Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Galsgow Rangers, Scotland); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Chidera Ejuke (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Kelechi Nwakali (SD Huesca, Spain)

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk, Turkey); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Henry Onyekuru (Olympiacos FC, Greece); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France);

Sadiq Umar (UD Almeria, Spain); Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin, Germany); Odion Jude Ighalo (Al-Shabab Riyadh, Saudi Arabia); Alex Iwobi (Everton FC, England); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Peter Olayinka (SK Slavia Praha, Czech Republic).

Embattled Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, MNK, on Friday, released what could be his New Year message for 2022 which, he said, would herald divine grace and favour of unimaginable proportions.

According to Kanu, abiding grace and miraculous happenings would punctuate 2022 while sorrow and sighing shall take a sudden and unremitting flight.

While cursing perpetrators of evil and killings, Kanu also said that he and IPOB followers have been vindicated by the recent abduction of the Imo State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2019 election, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, by the police that politicians had been responsible for the killings and atrocities in the state.

The leader of Kanu’s legal team, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, stated these in a statement titled ‘Update on our routine visit to our indefatigable client Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at the Headquarters of the Department of State Security, Abuja on December 30, 2021.’

He said, “Onyendu sends his best compliments and appreciation to all those of his followers who have remained undaunted and defiant in the face of all odds. He salutes all those who have remained resolute and undistracted to the cause and demonstrably obedient to the appropriate chain of command.

“The new year offers us renewed hope in Chukwuokike Abiama. It will herald divine grace and favour of unimaginable proportions. Abiding grace and miraculous happenings will punctuate it. Sorrow and sighing shall take a sudden and unremitting flight. Chukwuokike Abiama being and abiding with us, we shall reap and appropriate beneficially comprehensive victory on all sides.

“I undertook our routine visit to Onyendu. I did so exclusively. In the course of my visit, both of us engaged in fruitful discussions that substantially bothered on the legal strategy we would deploy at the next court sitting on January 18, 2022. Onyendu was particularly enthused when he realised that we have set to task and brought to perfection all legal engineering implicit in the options available to us.

“I also briefed Onyendu on a number of subsidiary but very important issues. He consistently laid emphasis on discipline and obedience to the hierarchy of command and maintained that his position on this is definite and unshifting. Further, he made the point, for the consumption of millions of his supporters, that the recent development in Imo State signifies a clear message to Umuchineke that Chukwuokike Abiama predominates in all human affairs and would continue to rule in the affairs of men.

“The recent stunning revelation in Imo State vindicates Onyendu entirely. He has long before now made the point that the chilling atrocities perpetrated in Imo State by agents of darkness are the handiwork of politicians, who are their mastermind and paymasters. Onyendu has therefore exhorted Umuchineke and his followers, in general, to remain calm, law-abiding, focused and peaceful in all their undertakings.

“He predicted that many more criminal gangs ravaging our land will sooner than later gravitate to their deserving and ignoble end. He was also emphatic on the need for Umuchineke to be circumspect in their words and actions. He admonished Umuchineke, and his other followers in general, to be eternally vigilant in all they do and to show conscious restraint and forbearance at all times.

“He warned that enemies of struggle are sundry and varied and that they constantly evolve devious strategies to inflict anarchy and mayhem on the polity. When they actualise their evil plan in any instance, they knowingly instigate false propaganda and lay blame for what they have done on the doorstep of members of IPOB. Onyendu has today cursed the persons concerned and has declared that eternal perdition will be their reward. Onyendu is also genuinely concerned about the magnitude of violence that has been unleashed by criminal gangs in the land of our fathers.

“These gangs no doubt are the foot soldiers of those workers of iniquity intent on giving the peaceful movement a bad name. Members of these gangs are sponsored and comforted by these elements. Onyendu is emphatic on the curse he has placed on them. He has supplicated unto Chukwuokike Abiama to guide and protect Umuchineke and to continually expose and punish those elements intent on besmirching them.

“Further, Onyendu has admonished his followers against being purveyors of falsehood and cheap talk. They should not knowingly assist his detractors by unwittingly propagating falsehood. He issued a stern warning against those he regarded as not keeping faith with the structure he has put in place.

“He observed that deliberate propagation of falsehood is aimed at misleading the unwary and uninformed and, most times, is targeted at foisting mischief and disaffection in the system. It is a set objective of all those detractors whose pastime is to pull the peaceful movement down.

“But such detractors have always failed to achieve that objective and would never succeed no matter how hard they try. He also observed that correct information dissemination is an important tool.

“He advised that any information about him should proceed from the appropriate channel and must be verified to confirm its authenticity.

“Persons seeking such information must desist from resorting to fake platforms created by his enemies to source for such information.”

A female fashion designer, Omowumi Oyapitan, 32, has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a man, Mohammed Ahmed, 30, to death in a hotel at Onipanu area of Ogun State, on Wednesday.

The woman was said to be making peace with the deceased and another man in the hotel when the deceased who was not pleased with her intervention, allegedly gave her a blow on the face and she allegedly broke a bottle which she used to stab him in the neck.

According to Ogun State Police Spokesman, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi:” The suspect was arrested following a distress call received by the police at Onipanu Divisional Headquarters from Mr. Stephen Udo, the managing director of Splendour Guest Inn, who reported that argument ensued between two of his guests in the hotel, and in the process, one of them, Omowumi Oyapitan, broke a bottle and used it to stab the other one, Muhammed Ahmed, in the neck.

‘Upon the distress call, DPO Onipanu Division, CSP Bamidele Job, quickly mobilized his men and moved to the scene where they met the victim in the pool of his own blood. The suspect was promptly arrested, while the victim was rushed to state Hospital Ota, where he was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty.

‘Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim, who had been in the hotel since Monday 27th of December, was hiding there after he allegedly stole N600,000 belonging to his boss at Hayorlak Hotel where he was working as bartender. It was further gathered that he used part of the stolen money to lodge some of his friends. He had altercation with one of those he lodged in the hotel who he accused of stealing ate Hospital Ota, where he was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty.

‘Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim, who had been in the hotel since Monday 27th of December, was hiding there after he allegedly stole N600,000 belonging to his boss at Hayorlak Hotel where he was working as bartender. It was further gathered that he used part of the stolen money to lodge some of his friends. He had altercation with one of those he lodged in the hotel who he accused of stealing part of his money; the accusation led to hot exchange of words between them. The suspect, who claimed to know the other boy in their street, intervened and the deceased who was not pleased with her intervention gave her a fist blow in the mouth and in retaliation, she broke a bottle and used it to stab the deceased in his neck.’

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police, Mr Lanre Bankole, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation and diligent prosecution.

The state-owned College of Education, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, AOCOED, has been finally upgraded to degree-awarding Institution, according to the state government, the institution will now be called Lagos State University of Education, LASUED.

The change of the Institution’s status was disclosed in a statement signed by the chairman, House Committee on Education (Tertiary Institutions), Hon. Ajani Owolabi.

The statement was titled, ‘Second allocated day for report of the Committee on Education (Tertiary Institutions) on a Bill for a Law to provide for the establishment of The University of Education, Lagos, ( UNEDLAG) and for connected purposes.’

It read in part, “You would recall that the House at its Plenary Session of Thursday, 1st July 2021, considered the report of the Committee on Education on “the University of Education, Lagos Bill, 2021” after which a second allotted day was given to the Committee to resolve the grey areas observed by the House.

“Consequently, the Committee met and recommends as follows:

RECOMMENDATIONS
“(1) The definition of ‘UNEDLAG’ be deleted and replaced with “LASUED’ to mean ‘Lagos State University of Education” ,

(2) Clause 39 (1) be redrafted to read:” The University shall operate a Multi-Campus system with the Main Campus in Adenran Ogunsanya, Otto/Ijanikin and its Annex at Micheal Otedola, Noforija, Epe and any other locations as may be determined by the Visitors or Council from time to time.

The Committee expresses its gratitude to Mr. Speaker and Members for the opportunity given it to carry out this assignment. We also appreciate the Acting Clerk of the House and the Secretariat for the support at ensuring the timely completion of the report.”