Hello and welcome! In today’s trending news stories;
1. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have called for an urgent meeting to review planned strikes and a previous agreement with the government. This comes after the alleged assault on NLC President Joe Ajaero, following a five-day ultimatum issued on Friday. The ultimatum demanded the redeployment of the Imo State police commissioner and the arrest of a government aide. Ajaero’s arrest, which the police claimed was for his protection, occurred ahead of a state-wide protest in Imo on Wednesday. The incident has drawn condemnation from various figures, including Peter Obi and Femi Falana (SAN). Further details are expected after the meeting.
2. Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has refuted allegations that he prevented President Bola Tinubu from facilitating the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Uzodinma accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of using the story as a form of blackmail ahead of the upcoming governorship election in the state. His Special Adviser on Public Communications, Collins Ughalaa, emphasized that the accusation was entirely false, asserting that neither Uzodinma nor Tinubu made any moves to hinder Kanu’s release. The presidency also debunked the reports, clarifying that Tinubu never made such a statement during a meeting with Igbo businessmen in Abuja.
3. The Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos, Ms Yan Yuqing, announced that China’s investments in the Lekki Free Trade Zone and the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone have exceeded $1 billion. The bilateral trade volume between China and Nigeria reached $23.9 billion in 2022, with imports to Nigeria at $22.3 billion and exports from Nigeria at $1.6 billion. In the first three quarters of 2023, bilateral trade reached $17.25 billion, indicating a 22.5% increase in imports from Nigeria compared to the previous year. Nigeria has become China’s second-largest trade partner in Africa, with China being Nigeria’s largest global source of imports.
4. Lazio secured a 1-0 home victory over Feyenoord in the Champions League, with Ciro Immobile scoring the only goal of the match in the first half. The win keeps Lazio’s hopes of progressing to the knockout stage alive, as they moved up to second place in Group E. Despite losing 3-1 in the previous fixture, Lazio now have seven points from four games, one point behind group leaders Atletico Madrid, who won 6-0 against Celtic in another group match.
5. Union Berlin has been struggling in the Bundesliga, with eight defeats this season and 12 consecutive losses in all competitions. Despite three of these being in the Champions League, they need a win against Napoli to have a chance of progressing to the next stage in Europe. They are relying on Leonardo Bonucci, who returns to Italy for the first time since joining Union in the summer, and Robin Gosens, who has extensive experience in Italy. Meanwhile, Italian champions Napoli have been performing well, securing their second win in Group C and preparing for the match without their injured striker Victor Osimhen. Diego Demme and Jesper Lindstrøm, although familiar to German football fans, are not anticipated to start for Napoli.
6. The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Barrister Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, has emphasized her commitment to improving the lives of Nigerian women by introducing the Pink Riders initiative (tricycles) and new sewing machines that will be utilized for the production of domestically made fabrics in Nigeria. While some praised the project, many are citing the action as unreasonable as no feasibility study was carried out and the budget for the project is N64 billion.
7. Chef Hilda Baci congratulated Alan Fisher, an Irish Chef who on Tuesday became the Guinness World Record holder for the longest cooking marathon by an individual. Fisher cooked for 119 hours and 57 minutes, surpassing the previous record held by Hilda Baci by over 24 hours. Additionally, Fisher claimed the title for the longest baking marathon. Chef Baci acknowledged his impressive achievement and wished him the best as the new record holder.
