2,310 violators of COVID-19 lockdown order arrested in Lagos (Vanguard)
A total of 2,310 violators of the presidential directives on lockdown and social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), have so far been arrested in five weeks, in Lagos State. Out of the number, 125 were minors.
Some of the suspects were arrested in clubs, parties and during group exercises.
Two thousand, one hundred and eighty-five of the suspects were charged to court and awarded various degrees of punishments ranging from two hours to six months community services and fines between #5,000.00 and #100,000.00.
Others were asked to write undertakings to be of good conducts and apology letters, while the 125 minors were warned and released. Read more
We need data to plan for emergencies like COVID-19 – Sanwo-Olu (Nation)
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared that leaders need to place premium on gathering of data if the country truly desires to move forward socially and economically.
According to him, data is a very critical component for economic planning and good governance as the COVID-19 pandemic has further reveled.Stressing that data is critical to planning during emergencies such as COVID-19, Sanwo-Olu said the absence of data on the identities of residents slowed down planning activities as the nation grapples with several issues that emanated from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answering questions as a guest on the digital edition of The Platform, a Covenant Christian Centre socio-political program on Saturday, he said no nation can maximize her full potential without data. Read more
Abducted twins of Ibadan-based Islamic cleric freed (Sun)
The abducted twins of a popular Ibadan-based Islamic cleric, Sheik Taofeeq Akeugbagold, have been released by gunmen that kidnapped them eight days earlier.
Akeugbagold, the immediate past chairman of the Oyo State Pilgrims Welfare Board (Muslim Wing), said he picked up the twins, who are two years four months, comprising a boy and a girl, from their abductors at 5:30 am on Sunday May 3.
The twins were abducted on April 25 at the Akeugbagold’s residence, Abatakan, Ojoo, Ibadan a few minutes after he left the house for a studio to record his Ramadan sermon. Read more
Why we arrested Sokoto travellers – Makinde (Punch)
Men of the Nigeria Police, on Friday, apprehended 11 travellers from Sokoto, who allegedly defied the inter-state lockdown order by the Oyo State Government, in a bid to sneak into Akure, Ondo State.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State during a visit to Gbagi Police Station, where they were detained, however, said the travellers would not be released to the Sokoto State Government until they undergo COVID-19 test.
The governor said samples from the travellers had been taken for COVID-19 test. Read more
Nasarawa lawmaker dies of COVID-19 (Nation)
Nasarawa Governor Abdullahi Sule has ordered shutdown of the House of Assembly as well as immediate quarantine of all members of the Assembly, including workers.
This directive followed the sudden death of a member of the Assembly, Adamu Sulieman of COVID-19.
Sulieman, who attended sittings less than two weeks ago, interacted with all members at different meetings at the Assembly.
He was said to have suddenly fallen ill on last Thursday, necessitating his blood sample taken immediately at Federal Medical Centre Keffi. Read more
Covid-19: Relaxing lockdown premature, health workers tell Buhari (ThisDay)
The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) has implored President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse the decision to relax measures on Covid-19 lockdown which takes effect from Monday.
In his April 27, 2020 national broadcast, President Buhari had approved the implementation of a phased and gradual easing of the lockdown order in Lagos, Ogun States and the Federal Capital Territory.
The move was seen as a response to concerns over the negative effect the lockdown was having on businesses and Iives of citizens. Read more
Jarman Kano, Isa Hashim, dies at 86 (Nation)
A senior counsellor in Kano Emirate Council, Prof. Isa Hashim, is dead
Hashim, who was the Jarman Kano, died on Sunday morning after a brief illness.
A family source, Ibrahim Aliyu, told reporters that the 86- year -old traditional title holder died when his health deteriorated following the deaths of some of his childhood friends in quick succession. Read more
Gbajabiamila, Wase hail Journalists on frontline of COVID -19 pandemic coverage (Vanguard)
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and his deputy, Hon. Idris Wase has paid glowing tributes to Nigerian Journalists working at the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic coverage at great “personal cost”, saying they deserved better.
Both leaders in their respective statements to mark this year’s World Press Freedom Day with the theme ‘Journalism Without Fear or Favour’, however, asked the media and the practitioners to tackle the menace of fake news.
Also read: World Press Day: Nigeria has unhealthy dose of disinformation, fake news — Buhari
In his statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Lanre Lasisi, Gbajabiamila said Nigerian media practitioners must resist every temptation that would make them promote reportage that was anti-people. Read more
British man who fled to UK from Wuhan now wishes he never left China (Metro)
A man who fled to the UK from Wuhan in January has said he wishes he never left China. Matt Raw, 38, shouted ‘we’re free’ after spending two weeks in quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral on February 13, but he now says he went ‘out of the pot, into the fire’. ‘We should never have left China,’ he said. ‘We made the decision to come back over here because there was a killer virus running loose around Wuhan. ‘At the time coronavirus was not in England – I think the first case was while we were in quarantine in Arrowe Park, and I thought ‘They have seen what happened in China, they will jump on this straight away’. Read more
Rohingya refugees relocated to controversial Bangladesh island after weeks at sea (Guardian)
Dozens of Rohingya refugees stranded at sea for weeks have been relocated to a controversial flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh officials said Sunday.
Bangladesh last year constructed facilities for 100,000 people on Bhashan Char, a muddy silt islet in the cyclone-prone coastal belt, saying they needed to take pressure off crowded border camps that are home to almost one million Rohingya.
The 28 Rohingya were taken to the island late Saturday instead of the camps as authorities were afraid they might be infected with the coronavirus, Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen told AFP. Read more
Algerian singer Idir, champion of Berber culture, dies at 70 (France24)
The Algerian singer Idir, a leading cultural ambassador of his native Kabylie and its Berber language, died in Paris on Saturday aged 70, his family has announced.
Idir, who suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, had been taken to hospital on Friday.
“We regret to announce the death of our father, Idir,” a message posted on his official Facebook account said. Contacted by AFP, his family declined to comment further.
Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called him “an icon of Algerian art”, saying on Twitter, “With his passing, Algeria has lost one of its monuments.” Read more
Face masks to become compulsory for air travel (Independent)
Face coverings are set to become mandatory for airline passengers – even though medical opinion is sceptical of the potential benefits.
Airlines and airports are demanding that internationally agreed measures are in place when aviation starts to recover from the near-standstill caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The industry fears that many prospective passengers will be deterred from travelling if they believe flying places them at risk of contracting the virus from fellow travellers. The hope is that the universal use of face coverings will restore confidence. Read more
Student ‘kills himself after becoming overwhelmed with lockdown’ (Metro)
A grieving mother is sending a heartfelt plea to those struggling with troubling thoughts to speak out after the tragic loss of her son this week. Ben Brown, 22, from Gloucester, took his own life in the early hours of Monday morning after he wrote a letter to his mother explaining that he struggled mentally when he wasn’t on the go. Helen Hartery-Brown, 54, said how Ben had been living with housemates at the University of Loughborough in Leicestershire during lockdown and communicating with his family. Read more
Jeff Bezos ‘set to be world’s first trillionaire’ as coronavirus drives Amazon fortune (DailyStar)
The coronavirus pandemic has already cost over three million lives worldwide, and its economic cost cannot even begin to be measured.
But that cost won’t fall on all of us equally. Some will actually come out of this unprecedented crisis even better off than they were before.
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, already the world’s richest man with personal wealth somewhere in the region of $145 billion, is enjoying a sudden surge in his fortunes as more of us are shopping from home than ever. Read more
The remarkable resurgence of Ben Enwonwu who was already Africa’s greatest contemporary artist (qz)
A few recent discoveries of long-lost works by Africa’s greatest contemporary artist, Ben Enwonwu, are leading to a reexamination of his legacy. How is it that the works of a man who in 1949 would be named Africa’s greatest contemporary artist by Time magazine, would decades later be gathering dust, long-forgotten in an apartment in London or in a family house in Texas?
At the height of his career in the 1940s to 1960s, he was a household name not only in Nigeria, but globally. For more than six decades, one of his bronze sculptures, Anyanwu/Awakening, has occupied a place of prominence in the lobby of the UN headquarters in New York. The bronze sculpture, inspired by the Igbo earth-goddess Ani, was a gift from the newly independent Nigeria in support of world peace and liberation of colonies. Read more
Lille receive €85m bid for Osimhen (Punch)
Lille have received an €85m bid for Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen, according to Telefoot.
According to the report, the unnamed club is interested in securing the services of Osimhen in the summer.
The Super Eagles forward has been the subject of interest of clubs, especially in the English Premier League.
The clubs include Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal. Read more
Dembele agrees £90million Manchester United move (Nation)
Manchester United have been linked with Moussa Dembele for a very long time and the latest reports seem positive for the Red Devils.
According to Manchester Evening News, the French striker could leave Lyon in the summer transfer window and he would find it hard to reject a move to Old Trafford.
Last year, The Daily Record revealed that the former Championship player is keen on joining the Red Devils. Not so long ago, Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol also claimed that Dembele’s dream would be to play for Manchester United in the Champions League. Read more
Premier League: More clubs open to using neutral venues if relegation removed (BBC)
A growing number of Premier League clubs are open to playing the remaining fixtures at neutral venues but with the threat of relegation removed.
Top-flight clubs have been told that using up to 10 neutral stadiums will be the only way to complete the season.
Brighton say they are “not in favour” of using neutral venues because it may affect the “integrity” of the league. Read more
Tyson Fury’s promoter sends subtle message to Deontay Wilder over Anthony Joshua talks (Metro)
Tyson Fury’s co-promoter Bob Arum has confirmed that talks to host a heavyweight unification fight between the Gypsy King and Anthony Joshua have taken place, while he has urged all parties to behave like ‘adults’ to find a solution.
Fury was due to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time this summer, while AJ was contracted to fight Kubrat Pulev, but the coronavirus crisis has seen both fights postponed with suggestions that a unification fight later in the year will now take precedence.
In order for that to happen, both Wilder and Pulev will need to accept step-aside offers but the American appears reluctant to do so and Arum has urged Wilder and co-manager Al Haymon to ‘cooperate’ for the good of the sport. Read more
It was difficult quitting Eagles, says Ighalo (Punch)
Ex-Super Eagles striker, Odion Ighalo, has admitted that it was difficult quitting the national team, but added he had to take the decision after sealing a deal with Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua.
Ighalo stated this during an Instagram interview with a Ghanaian journalist.
Ighalo helped Nigeria to a third-place finish at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt as tournament’s top scorer with five goals, but the 31-year-old announced his retirement from the team shorty afterwards. Read more
Juventus chief Fabio Paratici sends warning to Manchester United star Paul Pogba over salary demands (Metro)
Juventus Chief Football Officer Fabio Paratici has discussed the Italian champions’ interest in Manchester United star Paul Pogba but admits the club will not be able to spend big this summer and has warned him not to expect a massive pay day. The French midfielder is out of contract in the summer of 2021 – though United have the option to trigger a one-year extension – and has been stalling over renewal talks, with his agent, Mino Raiola, clashing with the club’s hierarchy and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Fearful of losing Pogba on the cheap and wary of their increasingly strained relationship, United are believed to be open to selling the World Cup winner if they receive a sum close to the £89m they paid four years ago. Read more