22 suspected Internet fraudsters arrested in Lagos (Punch)
No fewer than 22 suspected Internet fraudsters have been arrested by the Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
A statement on Tuesday by the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed that the suspects were rounded up on January 23 on the Terra Annex Estate, Sangotedo, in the Ajah area of Lagos, following intelligence report.
The agency had last Thursday arrested 16 suspected Internet fraudsters at the Ziroc Residence Hotel, Lekki.
Uwujaren identified the latest suspects as Muyiwa Adetola, Adeolu Damilade, Oritsetimeyin Abel, Ademola Lekan, Abayomi Qudus, Isaac Chibueze, Ayeni Olarewaju, Aminu Kelvin, Ajama Patrick and Nesta Olotu. Read more
YABATECH shuts medical centre, academic planning unit as staff dies of COVID-19 (Tribune)
Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) Lagos has closed down its medical centre and academic planning unit following the death of a staff of the institution, Mr M.A.Omoighe.
Omoighe was reportedly died from COVID-19 complications and until his death was a staff of the Academic Planning Unit of the institution.
The two facilities were closed down by the management after careful review of Omoighe’s death on Monday as a way to curtail the spread of the contagious virus among staff and students of the college, their relations and other members of the public.
In a memo issued by the Acting Registrar of YABATECH, Dr S.O Momodu, to all staff and students concerning the death and the consequent decisions taken, the school said both the Academic Planning Unit and the medical centre would remain shut for one week from Monday, January 25 while general decontamination exercise would be carried out on the college. Read more
Sanwo-Olu begs Buhari for more slots as FG launches 774,000 ESPW jobs in Lagos (Vanguard)
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has urged the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration to increase the state allocation as it finally kicked off the 774,000 Extended Special Public Works, ESPW programme in Lagos, aimed at providing employment opportunities for the unemployed Nigerians.
Sanwo-Olu, who made the call through his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, yesterday, at the official flag-off of the programme, held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa-Ikeja, stated that the programme which is being implemented through the National Directorate of Employment, NDE, in collaboration with state governments and other relevant stakeholders, will create 774,000, jobs for Nigerians across all the local government areas out of which 20,000 will be in Lagos.
Making reference to increasing population and the consequent burden of caring for such growth, the governor cited attraction of Lagos to all Nigerians with every village or town having its representative living in the state. Read more
We’re not involved in death at Oshodi, says Lagos Task Force (Tribune)
Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (Task Force), on Tuesday, washed off its hand in the death of a young man at Oshodi earlier in the day “as being falsely reported on the social media.”
Chairman of the agency, CSP Shola Jejeloye, said this in a statement made available to newsmen, stating that the young man was knocked down as he was trying to cross the Oshodi Expressway by a commercial bus driver, who took off recklessly at a high speed, having noticed the presence of a Lagos Task Force vehicle, while illegally loading passengers by the roadside in Oshodi.
This was just as the Jejeloye vowed that the affected commercial bus driver would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law of the land. Read more
Aregbesola seeks dialogue to tackle insecurity (ThisDay)
The Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, has implored Nigerians to exercise restraint and embraced dialogue, good neighbourliness and the primacy of peace-building as ways of dousing anger and resentment over the worsening insecurity in the country.
In a statement titled, “A Time to Put Unity and Peace Above All,” the minister described the incidences of heightening ethnic and religious tensions in the country as part of outcomes of political and economic strains that have persistently defined the country and continue to exacerbate security challenges, making the task of development more traumatic.
“Government is keenly aware and genuinely concerned about these complications that sadly, have been sharpened by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic through the growth of anxieties about issues, life and livelihood in our communities,” he said.
He added that the federal government is taking a holistic look at the challenges to ensure the return of lasting peace, security and amity to all our communities. Read more
Gov Emmanuel says ring road project will boost state economy (Vanguard)
The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Udom Emmanuel, has projected that the ongoing 9.5km Ring Road III project in Uyo which transverses three major economic routes namely Aka – Nung Udoe Road, Oron Road and Nwaniba Road will further boost the State economy.
He made this disclosure while paying an unscheduled visit to the 9.5km Dual Carriage Ring Road III project, currently under construction by an indigenous contractor, HENSEK Construction Company on Tuesday.
According to him, the dual carriage Ring Road III project, will open the frontiers of investment in the State, enhance free flow of traffic and assist in deflooding several communities within and around Uyo Metropolis.
He expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of the job, commending HENSEK Construction Company for living up to expectation.’ Read more
CBN retains 11.5% interest rate, lifts economy with N8.8tr in 1 year (DailyTrust)
Rising from the January Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has retained the benchmark interest rate at 11.5 per cent.
The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele who briefed journalists on Tuesday after the MPC meeting ended, said the federal government has stimulated the economy with N8.8 trillion interventions comprising $18 billion (about N6.82tr) and another N2tr economic interventions in about one year.
The interest rate was however sustained as the recession persists. Just like in November 2020, CBN also retained the asymmetric corridor of +100/-700 basis points around the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR). It also retained the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) at 27.5 per cent, and retained the liquidity ratio at 30 per cent.
Reacting to a recent Fitch’s report that suggested CBN spent too much to support the federal government during this pandemic Emefiele said the interventions were within international best practice as most global economies did the same to help reflate their economies as the negative impact of COVID-19 lockdown bite. Read more
We’ve licensed telcos to provide NIN, says NIMC (Punch)
Telecommunications companies have been licensed to register people who do not have National Identity Numbers so as to reduce the large crowds at the offices of the National Identity Management Commission, the NIMC has said.
Director-General, NIMC, Aliyu Aziz, said some other private and public organisations had also been licensed by the commission to provide NINs in order to address the crowds at commission’s offices.
This came as workers of the commission told our correspondent on Tuesday that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, had constituted a committee to address the demands of NIMC employees.
NIMC workers had downed tools on January 7, 2021 in protest against the poor welfare issues at the commission, but their strike was suspended after the intervention of the minister. Read more
Facebook users’ phone numbers reportedly being sold on Telegram (NYPost)
A cybercriminal created a bot that sold access to millions of Facebook users’ cellphone numbers through the Telegram messaging app, a new report says.
The bot pulled the info from a massive database of phone numbers taken from Facebook before the social network patched a security hole in 2019, according to Motherboard.
A Telegram support representative told The Post that the bot had been blocked by Tuesday morning. But it’s unclear when exactly it was disabled and how long it was active on the platform.
Anyone who pulled up the bot’s Telegram profile could enter the Facebook ID of the person they’re looking for and the bot would fetch the corresponding phone number, the outlet reported Monday. It reportedly worked the other way, too — enter a phone number and the bot would retrieve the Facebook ID that matched it. Read more
Biden outlines ‘wartime effort’ to boost distribution of COVID-19 vaccines (CBC)
US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on COVID-19 at the White House on Tuesday. He increased the amount of vaccine being distributed in the United States in what he called a ‘wartime effort.’ (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)
The Biden administration says it plans to boost purchases of coronavirus vaccines to deliver enough to protect 300 million Americans by the end of the summer or early fall.
The effort will include a surge in deliveries to states over the next three weeks following complaints of shortages and inconsistent supplies.
US President Joe Biden also announced that the federal government is purchasing an additional 100 million doses each of the two approved coronavirus vaccines. With existing purchases, the White House expects to be able to deliver enough of the two-dose regimens to meet its goal. Read more
More than 100,000 die of COVID-19 in rhe UK (BBC)
More than 100,000 people in the UK have died from a virus, that, this time last year, felt like a far-off foreign threat. How did we come to be one of the countries with the worst death tolls?
There is no quick answer to that question, and there is sure to be a long and detailed public inquiry once the pandemic is over. But there are plenty of clues that, when pieced together, help build a picture of why the UK has reached this devastating number.
Some will point a finger at the government – its decision to lock-down later than much of western Europe, the stuttering start to its test-and-trace network, the lack of protection afforded to care home residents.
Others will spotlight deeper rooted problems with British society – its poor state of public health, with high levels of obesity, for example. Read more
Most US Senate Republicans vote against holding 2nd impeachment trial against Donald Trump (CBC)
All but five US Senate Republicans voted in favour of an effort to dismiss Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial on Tuesday, making clear a conviction of the former president for “incitement of insurrection” after the deadly Capitol siege on Jan. 6 is unlikely.
The 55-45 procedural vote to set aside an objection from Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul puts the Senate on record as declaring the proceedings constitutional and means the trial on Trump’s impeachment, the first of a former president, will begin as scheduled the week of Feb. 8. The House impeached him two weeks ago for inciting deadly riots in the Capitol on Jan. 6 when he told his supporters to “fight like hell” to overturn his election defeat.
But at the same time, the final tally shows it is unlikely there will be enough votes for conviction, which requires the support of all Democrats and 17 Republicans, or two-thirds of the Senate. While most Republicans criticized Trump shortly after the attack, many of them have since rushed to defend him, showing the former president’s enduring sway over the Republican Party. Read more
Hamilton’s Daveed Diggs says voicing Sebastian in The Little Mermaid remake has been ‘tricky’ (Metro)
Daveed Diggs has opened up about having to work ‘harder’ than ever for his role voicing Sebastian in the upcoming The Little Mermaid remake. The Hamilton star will once again team up with Lin-Manuel Miranda for the live-action flick, but getting into the character has been ‘tricky’ for the talented musician. Speaking to Collider, the 39-year-old stated: ‘I worked harder on Sebastian probably than I have for any role in my life. It’s tricky.’ The Blindspotting star explained how he tends ‘to say yes to things when I feel like I can do it, but I’m actually not sure I’m the smart choice or the person naturally who should be doing it. That’s true of Sebastian, for a lot of ways that are uncomfortable.’ Read more
Cardi B opens up about ‘uncomfortable’ acne struggles, asks fans for help (PageSix)
Cardi B is getting real about her skincare struggles.
After revealing she suffers from “uncomfortable” acne, the 28-year-old “WAP” rapper turned to her Twitter followers for advice.
“I been breaking out lately and my face is extremely dry. I don’t think these products are working. I think it’s the water out here … What are some good products for little black heads break outs and dry skin on your face?” she tweeted on Monday.
Cardi also shared a photo of a breakout on her cheek, writing, “It’s been happening for like 3 months now … S—t really is uncomfortable.” Read more
Europe looks for a way out of vaccine fiasco (DW)
Vaccination centres in Europe are standing ready — but no vaccine is available. Pfizer has cut its production, and AstraZeneca has announced it would be delivering 60% less than agreed with the EU.
The European Union is well behind many other places in the world in its rate of inoculating people against the coronavirus. First, the bloc’s vaccination campaign grappled with organizational problems; now, it is facing a shortage of vaccines.
The European Commission had signed contracts with eight manufacturers for a total of about 2 billion doses. But so far only, BioNTech-Pfizer has managed to deliver the goods, and even the US company temporarily cut back its production at the end of January.
AstraZeneca, for its part, plans to deliver only 40% of the announced doses in the first quarter. Are other countries receiving more vaccine doses than the EU, or has the bloc signed the wrong contracts? Read more
Court throws out two-year suit against NBBF (DailyTrust)
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday threw out the suit brought before it by the Kwese League Management Board and others stopping the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NNBF) from organising the Men’s Premier Basketball League.
It will be recalled that the league was last organized in 2017 when the ‘Management Board of Kwese Premier Basketball League’ and Ibrahim Sa’ad (Chairman, Gombe State Basketball Association) who represent Gombe Bulls, Kwara Falcons Basketball Club and the Nigeria Basketball Premier League Owners’ Council dragged the federation to court.
The suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/1317/2018) instituted in 2018 by the group asked the court to grant them the authority to organise the league, but after several postponements, it was finally quashed as the judge ruled that the case lacked merit.
Based on the arguments by both parties, the court in its landmark ruling said it was needless to go into substantive issues brought before it after the preliminary objections of the plaintiffs were granted. Read more
Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic clash in fiery Milan derby (Metro)
Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic clashed in a fiery Milan derby, with Lukaku appearing to tell his former Manchester United team-mate ‘f**k you and f**k your wife’. The Inter Milan and AC Milan strikers were both on target in the Coppa Italia clash between the two local rivals, with Ibrahimovic sent off. Ibrahimovic opened the scoring in the first half, before being sent off just before the hour mark, with Lukaku drawing Inter level from the penalty spot in the second. A late Christian Eriksen winner, deep into stoppage time, eventually clinched the tie for Inter but the game will be remembered for Lukaku and Ibrahimovic’s spat. Read more
Ancelotti confirms Iwobi is fit for Leicester City clash (DailyTrust)
Everton manager, Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Alex Iwobi is fit for their Premier League game against Leicester City on Wednesday.
The forward was not involved when the Toffees defeated Sheffield Wednesday in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
The Nigeria international has been delivering eye-catching performances for the Goodison Park outfit this season, scoring two goals and providing three assists in 19 appearances across all competitions.
Ancelotti revealed the 24-year-old will return against the Foxes while Ivory Coast international, Jean-Philippe Gbamin will not be available for the clash as he continues with his recovery. Read more
Man City hammer West Brom to go top (BBC)
Manchester City climbed to the top of the Premier League by handing West Brom another home hammering.
No team in Europe’s top five divisions has conceded as many goals at home as Sam Allardyce’s Albion and they were ruthlessly exposed again by a brilliant attacking display.
For the second week running City were the beneficiaries of a contentious offside call but there can be no doubt that they would have routed the hosts regardless.
Ilkay Gundogan continued his inspired run in front of goal with two excellent strikes, Joao Cancelo scored while an offside flag was raised and several players seemed to stop, and Riyad Mahrez powered in a fourth before the break. Read more
No one elected to Baseball Hall of Fame’s class of 2021 (NYPost)
It’s another lost year for Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.
All three came up short in the voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday in Cooperstown and have just one year remaining on the ballot to get in.
No players gained entry into Cooperstown in this year’s class, and with all three controversial players set to be on the writers’ ballot for a final time later this year, Schilling took a torch to the process by posting a note to the Hall on Tuesday, requesting he be removed from the ballot after falling 16 votes short with 71.1 percent of the vote (75 per cent needed).
“I will not participate in the final year of voting,’’ Schilling wrote in a note posted on Facebook. Read more
Man City hammer West Brom to go top (BBC)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta dedicated his side’s Premier League win over Southampton to absent captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who missed the game for personal reasons.
The Gunners made light of their star striker’s absence as they continued their excellent run of league form by coming from behind to beat the Saints in an eventful game.
After Alexandre Lacazette missed a glorious chance to give the Gunners a first-minute lead, Stuart Armstrong put Southampton ahead from a wonderful delivery by captain James Ward-Prowse.
But the lead lasted just five minutes, as Nicolas Pepe equalised with a neat finish, before both sides created clear chances. Read more
Thomas Tuchel pictured leading Chelsea training for first time ahead of Wolves clash (Metro)
Thomas Tuchel wasted little time in getting to grips with his new surroundings after he was announced as Frank Lampard’s successor and was seen barking out orders in Chelsea training on Tuesday. The 47-year-old was officially unveiled earlier in the evening and has put pen to paper on an 18-month deal, with the possibility of an extension. Chelsea chiefs made the decision to relieve Lampard of his duties after a miserable run of five defeats in eight Premier League games and Tuchel takes over the reins with the club languishing down in ninth place in the Premier League table. Read more
