Pope Leo XIV has revealed his four favourite films ahead of a special audience with Hollywood celebrities and Oscar-winning directors at the Vatican.
Leo, the first pope from the United States, picked tearjerkers including Frank Capra’s classic 1946 film “It’s a Wonderful Life” with James Stewart, in which an angel is sent from heaven to help a desperate family man.
The Chicago-born pontiff said in a video released by the Vatican Wednesday that his other picks include Robert Wise’s musical “The Sound of Music” (1965) and Robert Redford’s family drama “Ordinary People” (1980).
He finished with Roberto Benigni’s “Life Is Beautiful” (1997), about a father trying to shield his son from the horrors of a WWII concentration camp.
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The Vatican said Leo had picked “the films that are most significant to him”.
Leo, who was elected in May, will hold a special audience Saturday at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace with stars including Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine, Viggo Mortensen, Dave Franco and Monica Bellucci.
Directors including Spike Lee, Judd Apatow, George Miller and Giuseppe Tornatore of “Cinema Paradiso” fame are also expected to attend.
The 70-year-old pontiff hopes “to deepen dialogue with the World of Cinema… exploring the possibilities that artistic creativity offers to the mission of the Church and the promotion of human values,” the Vatican said in a statement.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has vowed that his administration will ensure Rivers people get full value for money spent on public projects, insisting that he will not tolerate poor performance from contractors.
Governor Fubara made the remark on Tuesday during an inspection of the 14.5-kilometre Ndele-Omofo-Egamini-Agba-Ndele Road project, connecting Emohua, Ahoada East and Abu/Odual Local Government Areas.
Demonstrating his determination to personally assess the work, the Governor defied the difficult terrain, trekking a long distance before continuing in a vehicle to reach the 240-metre Agba-Ndele/Abua Bridge section of the project in Emohua Local Government Area.
Visibly displeased with what he saw on the road, Governor Fubara expressed disappointment at the slow pace and poor quality of work being executed by the contracting firm, Messrs Stream Co. & Equipment Limited.
He hinted at a possible review of the contract to ensure the delivery of quality work to the people.
“I can say here already that the contractor handling the road from the bridge to the East–West Road is not doing a good job. I’m not happy about it. When I get back, there will be a need to review that contract because I’m not impressed. They don’t have the capacity, and we need capacity because we must have value for whatever money we’re spending,” the Governor said.
In contrast, the Governor commended Setraco Nigeria Limited for the impressive pace and standard of work on the 240-metre Agba-Ndele/Abua Bridge, which he described as a vital component of the road project.
He explained that the bridge, which his administration inherited, would significantly improve connectivity among communities in Abua/Odual, Ahoada-East, and Emohua Local Government Areas once completed.
“Where we are standing on is a bridge connecting Abua/Odual, Ahoada-East, and Emohua Local Government Areas. The community that is connected to this bridge is Agba-Ndele. Instead of running through the East–West Road to Ahoada-East and heading into Port Harcourt or out of it, this bridge provides easy access for the Abua/Odual people to cross into Emohua, Agba-Ndele, and access the East–West Road in minutes,” he explained.
Governor Fubara expressed confidence that the bridge would be ready for use by early 2026.
He said the project underscores his administration’s focus on rural connectivity and inter-community access, which are central to his development vision for Rivers State.
According to him, the bridge will open up the corridor for agricultural trade and ease the movement of goods and people between rural communities and the city.
“I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen on the bridge. I’m very sure that before the end of January, it might be completely ready for us to walk through and even drive across,” he said.
The Governor reaffirmed his commitment to people-oriented projects that promote connectivity, commerce, and improved livelihoods across the state, noting that his development plan prioritizes balanced growth and inclusion.
He also disclosed plans to include the rehabilitation of the Abua/Ahoada Road in the 2026 state budget, as part of efforts to open up more communities and sustain economic integration.
“Our vision is to connect the entire Rivers State together, especially communities that have challenges of access. The bridge here connects Abua/Odual and Ahoada-East to Emohua and Port Harcourt. It will ease movement, promote trade, and boost our economy because agriculture is strong on this side. Moving goods to the city won’t be a problem anymore,” he added.
Governor Fubara reiterated that his administration will continue to monitor ongoing projects closely to ensure that only contractors with proven capacity handle government jobs, guaranteeing quality delivery and value for money.
The Kebbi State Police Command has neutralised one suspected bandit and arrested three others in coordinated operations across Maiyama and Shanga Local Government Areas of the state.
According to a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, the operations followed two separate attacks launched by armed bandits on residents in Botoro Gadi and Kwari communities.
Abubakar said that eight armed men invaded the residence of one Alhaji Sani in Botoro Gadi, Mungadi area of Maiyama LGA, abducting two residents identified as Muhafi Sani and Shamsiya Aliyu.
Upon receiving a distress call, the Divisional Police Officer in Maiyama led a combined team of police operatives and local vigilantes who pursued the attackers and engaged them in a gun battle.
“As a result, one of the suspected kidnappers was killed, while his dane gun and one empty cartridge shell were recovered,” the statement read.
The police spokesperson also revealed that another gang of bandits attacked Kwari village in the Giron Masa area of Shanga LGA, where two residents, identified as Suleiman and Yunwa Suleiman, were abducted.
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He said the Divisional Police Officer in Shanga, working with army personnel and vigilantes, quickly mobilised and confronted the attackers.
“During the encounter, the kidnappers abandoned their victims and fled into the forest with fatal gunshot injuries,” he stated.
In a related operation, police operatives arrested one Musa Muhammad at Takware village in Shanga for unlawful possession of ammunition. Recovered from him were three rounds of live ammunition and 20 empty shells of 7.62×39mm calibre.
Abubakar confirmed that all rescued victims have been medically examined and reunited with their families.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Sly Ezeokonwa, has dismissed allegations that the party engaged in vote buying during the recent Anambra gubernatorial election.
Speaking on Channels Television’s breakfast programme The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Ezeokonwa described the claims as “shocking,” arguing that APGA neither had the financial capacity nor the resources to influence voters through monetary inducement.
“The claim that the ruling party was involved in vote buying, I do not agree. I think the best way to describe it is shocking, shocking in the sense that I do not understand the deep pocket that APGA had to control the resources to generate the number of votes that we did,” he said.
Soludo (second-left) was declared the winner of the November 8, 2025, governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Ezeokonwa questioned how APGA, without federal backing or vast financial resources, could be accused of vote buying when rival political parties had access to far greater funding.
He maintained that the party’s success was instead a reflection of the people’s appreciation of Governor Charles Soludo’s developmental policies across Anambra State.
“There is a hypothesis we tested in this election, and that was to see how much the politics of development can translate into what the governor calls political capital. From our campaign trajectory, we saw that when development is brought to the people, they, in turn, show ownership of the process,” he explained.
According to him, the campaigns across Anambra’s 179 communities and 326 wards were largely community-driven, with local residents organising, funding, and inviting the governor to engage them on his achievements.
“The communities organised themselves, rented canopies, stages, and invited the governor to come speak about his impact. At the end of the day, they gathered their legal resources and donated in aid of the campaign. That is what I call ownership. We have never witnessed such a thing in this country,” he said.
Ezeokonwa added that APGA’s performance reflected genuine public support rather than financial manipulation, insisting that the party’s victory was built on credibility and grassroots connection.
READ ALSO: Anambra Poll: INEC Presents Certificates Of Return To Gov Soludo, Deputy
The Anambra governorship election was held in the 21 councils of the state on November 8, 2025.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday issued a certificate of return to Governor Soludo, following his re-election.
This came two days after Soludo and his deputy were declared winners of the poll by the electoral body.
INEC said Soludo, the candidate of APGA, secured 422,664 votes, while Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 99,445 votes.
Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) came third with 37,753 votes, while John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 8,208 votes.
George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP) and Jude Ezenwafor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 10,576 votes and 1,401 votes, respectively.
The electoral umpire said that out of a total number of 2,788,864 registered voters, 598,229 were accredited for the election.
It also said that of the total number of 595,298 votes cast in the election, 584,054 were valid while 11,244 were rejected.
Former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has called for stricter penalties to curb electoral malpractice in Nigeria.
The economic policy expert, who spoke at an ADC Dialogue in Abuja on Tuesday, said existing sanctions are too lenient to discourage violations.
“Stronger penalties for electoral offences. Current punishments are too weak to deter violations. Increasing fines and jail terms for vote buying, result falsification, and violence would strengthen deterrence,” she said.
Ezekwesili also urged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) be given full legal authority over security agencies during elections.
President Bola Tinubu has received security briefs from the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, on the security situation in the North-East region.
The meeting was the first official engagement between the President and the COAS since his appointment and subsequent decoration as an army chief.
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In a brief interview shortly after the meeting, Shaibu said he had visited the region for an on-the-spot assessment of the theatre of operation to ascertain the level of progress being made in the fight against terrorism.
He said he was at the Presidential Villa to brief President Tinubu on the situation in the region and the general security situation in the country.
“I just came to brief him on the outcome of my visit to the northeast region and look at other security situations across the country, which is satisfactory within the period,” he said.
Asked what Nigerians should expect aftermath of his visit, the COAS simply replied, “Improved security across the country.”
Shaibu is one of the new service chiefs appointed by President Bola Tinubu.
Others are General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff, and Air Marshall Kelvin Aneke as Chief of Air Staff.
Tinubu had charged them to carry out their duties with patriotic zeal as Nigerians are in a hurry to celebrate peace and expect results, not excuses.
He also advised them to work together, deploying technology where necessary, and defeat the enemy once and for all.
