News
Sad! Actor Gene Hackman, wife, dog found lifeless in Santa Fe home, says Sheriff
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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Mendoza added there was no immediate indication of foul play in the deaths, the outlet added.
The actor and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead at their home in Santa Fe Summit on Wednesday, Feb. 26, reported the Santa Fe New Mexican, citing County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, who confirmed to the outlet that the couple had died, along with their dog
Mendoza added there was no immediate indication of foul play in the deaths, the outlet added.
He also did not provide a cause of death or say when the couple, who were married for over 30 years, might have died.
Born Eugene Allen Hackman in San Bernardino, California, in 1930, he moved frequently with his family, eventually landing in Danville, Illinois, where his father worked for a newspaper press.
As a boy, Hackman often found himself escaping to movie theatres, where he idolized stars like Erroll Flynn, Edward G. Robinson and his favourite, Jimmy Cagney.
When Hackman was 13, his father left the family, waving a hand to his son as he left.
“It was so precise. Maybe that’s why I became an actor,” Hackman once told Vanity Fair in 2013 of that parting gesture.
“I doubt I would’ve become so sensitive to human behaviour if that hadn’t happened to me as a child — if I hadn’t realized how much one small gesture can mean.”
Three years later, after a night in jail for stealing candy and soda, Hackman enlisted in the Marines, serving until he was 19.
After his discharge, he bounced around, living in New York, Florida, and his childhood home, Danville, and marrying his girlfriend, Faye Maltese, in 1956. (They would divorce 30 years later.)
The pair later moved to California, where Hackman joined the famed Pasadena Playhouse.
While there, Hackman forged a friendship with another aspiring actor, Dustin Hoffman.
Hackman, however, was kicked out of the Playhouse and, deciding to prove them wrong, headed to New York City, where he was determined to make it as an actor.
He landed a small part in a two-week production of Arthur Miller’s play: “A View from the Bridge.”
In New York, Hackman kicked around for years, hanging out with Hoffman and Robert Duvall, taking small parts as they came.
It wasn’t until he was in his mid-thirties that Hackman finally landed a role that got him noticed, playing Warren Beatty‘s brother in Bonnie and Clyde (1967).
As Buck Barrow in the incendiary film, Hackman earned his first Oscar nomination in 1968 out of five.
Three years later, Hackman was nominated for a second Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the 1970’s I Never Sang for My Father. But it was his leading role in 1971’s The French Connection that solidified his status as a Hollywood leading man and earned him the Oscar for Best Actor in 1972.
Hackman pursued more diverse roles in 1972’s The Poseidon Adventure, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 film The Conversation (1974) where Hackman plays a surveillance expert who thinks a couple is about to be murdered.
He also portrayed a hard-charging coach in 1986’s Hoosiers, the war-mongering submarine captain in Crimson Tide (1995).
And he was Lex Luthor in the 1978 film Superman, which may have seemed an odd choice of vehicle for a man bent on making his bones as a serious actor, but with more than 80 movies on his resume, Hackman made room for silliness.
For every bit of fun like the animated film Antz (1998) or The Birdcage (1996) with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, there were indelible turns in Mississippi Burning, which earned Hackman his fourth Academy Award nomination in 1989, and Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, for which Hackman took home his second Oscar in 1993, as a loathsome sheriff.
Hackman retired from acting after starring in the 2004 comedy Welcome to Mooseport. Just a few years before, he’d once again thrilled audiences in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums as the dying patriarch of a family of kooky geniuses (including Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson). But after a career that spanned cinema’s rebirth in the late ’60s to the new century, Hackman decided he’d done enough.
In 2004, Hackman told Larry King in an interview that his career was “probably all over,” and that he had no new scripts in front of him. Confirming his retirement in 2008, he expanded on his thoughts several years later, telling GQ in 2011 that it would take a lot for him to make another film.
“I don’t know. If I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people,” he said, later telling the outlet that he just hopes to be remembered “as a decent actor.”
While on a book tour for his novel Escape from Andersonville in 2008, Hackman told the Raleigh News & Observerhe didn’t want to “keep pressing” and risk “going out on a sour note. “I feel comfortable with what I’ve done,” he said.
Hackman turned to painting and did voice-over work and writing books. He penned the old west story Payback at Morning Peak (2011) and the police thriller Pursuit (2013), as well as co-authoring three works of historical fiction with undersea archeologist Daniel Lenihan.
He has since narrated two documentary films: The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jim (2016) and We, the Marines (2017).
In addition to one of the most staggering filmographies in the business, his writing, theater notices and his painting, Hackman leaves behind his three children who he shared with his first wife, Maltese: Christopher Allen, Elizabeth Jean and Leslie Ann Hackman.
Asked by GQ in 2011 as to how he would like to be remembered, Hackman humbly replied, “As a decent actor. As someone who tried to portray what was given to them in an honest fashion. I don’t know, beyond that.” [People]
News
NSITF processed 22,359 claims in 2024 ready to deliver ECS benefits
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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) said it would be innovative and proactive in its process to meet the rising expectations of beneficiaries of the Employees Compensation Scheme (ECS).
The Fund also disclosed that it processed 22,350 claims in 2024 which ensured beneficiaries of ECS received timely support.
In the same vein, the Fund expressed strong determination to surmount the dynamic socio-economic landscape and stringent regulatory frameworks that would impede on its mandate to deliver social protection services to Nigerians.
Speaking at the opening of the Management Performance Review of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), held Wednesday, at NECA House in Ikeja, Lagos, the Managing Director of the Fund, Barrister Oluwaseun Faleye, disclosed that the organization has started the process of leveraging technology to facilitate its registration process with the intention of improving transparency and trust.
According to him, this has become necessary in order to forge collaborative partnerships with agencies that are able to facilitate the delivery of it’s mandate, including amplifying awareness and compliance among employers and employees to deepen adoption of the ECS..
Barrister Faleye said the review session is, therefore, an opportunity to critically assess their performance, celebrate what works, and address what does not.
He said: “As Custodians of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme, our mandate is clear and it is to provide timely compensation and support to employees affected by workplace injuries, disabilities, diseases, or fatalities. This scheme is not just about financial redress, it is a lifeline that upholds dignity, fosters safer workplaces, and strengthens Nigeria’s social security architecture.”
Buttressing the legacies of the NSITF, Faleye posited ” ln the past year, we have made significant strides: We have processed 22,350 claims in 2024, ensuring beneficiaries received timely support. We have expanded our outreach to 13 regions and created five new branches across the country brining the total numbers of branches to 62. The Fund now cover 183,528 employers and 7,616,476 employees. We have conducted 3,250 health and safety audits and 808 investigations and 2,035 awareness initiatives and 248 follow-up audits.”
According to him we have started the process of leveraging technology to facilitate our registration process thereby improving transparency and trust.
“We continue to forge collaborative partnerships with agencies that are able to facilitate the delivery of our mandate including amplifying awareness and compliance among employers and employees to deepen adoption of the Scheme.
“However, we are not blind to the hurdles: delayed employer remittances, gaps in public awareness, and systemic issues that contributes to diminished operational efficiencies. These challenges test our resolve but also sharpen our focus.
“Let us therefore use this platform to engage in open, honest, and constructive discussions. Let us ask ourselves the tough questions, challenge assumptions, and explore new ideas. Our goal is not just to meet targets but to exceed them, ensuring that the NSITF remains a beacon of hope and support for all Nigerians.” He added
Earlier in her address, the Executive Director Operations (NSITF), Hon Mojisola Alli-Macaulay, said the MPR is a crucial exercise aimed at assessing the Fund’s performance in the 2024 financial year and setting a clear strategic course for 2025.
In her words:” This event is of utmost importance as it provides a platform for us to critically evaluate our achievements, identify areas for improvement, and implement strategies that will fast-track growth and enhance service delivery. The theme for this year’s MPR, Aligning Performance Activities with the Strategic Objectives of the Fund, underscores the necessity for every Department, Region, and Branch to work in synergy towards the overarching goals of the Fund.”
To this end, she emphasized that “The past year presented its fair share of challenges, but it also provided opportunities for us to reaffirm our commitment to excellence and innovation.
“Through the resilience and dedication of our workforce, we have made commendable strides in ensuring that the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) remains a pillar of social security and welfare for Nigerian workers.
As we engage in presentations, discussions, and deliberations over the next two days, I encourage every participant to actively contribute their insights and recommendations. Our success in the coming year will be determined by the strength of our strategies and the effectiveness of their execution.” She also observed
News
EFCC alerted to switch into action immediately as Rivers people money is being loaded into aircraft
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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
There’s an alert on the social media network alerting the anti-graft agency that Rivers government officials are loading an aircraft with hard currencies.
Hear him:
Information reaching us now has it that Rivers State government is loading money in hard currencies in Government Aircraft, at the International Airport, Omagwa!
*EFCC and other relevant security operatives should quickly go into action, to investigate this information!*
News
Warning! EFCC does not run Tik-Tok Account- Oyewale cautions Nigerians
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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The EFCC has cautioned Nigerians over a fake TikTok account declaring that it does not run any such account.
Read statement below:
The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to activities of some fraudsters who on Thursday, 27 February, 2025, organised a live session on a Tik-Tok platform using the Commission’s logo to generate traffic and defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
According to the Head, Media & Publicity of EFCC, Dele Oyewale the fraudsters used six fake accounts all bearing the logo of the Commission and names of non-existent directorates.
Among the names and logos used for the fraudulent live session are: “EFCC of Nigeria”, “EFCC Lagos”, “EFCC Delta”, “EFCC of Benin”,” EFCC of Jos,” and “EFCC Saga.”
The Commission has no Tik-Tok account and the public is advised to discountenance any such account bearing the insignia of the Commission.
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