3 men held for ‘removing’ human skull from public cemetery (Nation)
The police in Lagos have arrested three men for alleged vandalism on a public cemetery and removal of a human skull.
The suspects Dauda Tijani, 42, Olawale Shodolamu, 70, and Seun Falana, 37 were arrested separately by police operatives attached to Area E Command.
It was gathered that Falana, an attendant at Trinity Cemetery Ajegunle, allegedly removed human skulls from graves and sold to herbalists at N10,000.
Police said the trio was picked after operatives at the wee hours of March 1, intercepted Tijani, a resident of 23, Omomwunmi Street Orege Ajegunle around Alakija with a black polythene bag containing a skull. Read more
Stakeholders lament poor utilisation of UBE Fund in Lagos (Guardian)
Lagos State government has been implored to lay more emphasis on the monitoring and implementation of intervention programmes meant to improve basic education, decrying the poor utilisation of funds dedicated for Universal Basic Education (UBE) projects in Lagos, considering the overall huge cost burden on government and tax payers.
A total of N4.65b was allocated for UBE action plan for 2016 and 2017. While N2.08b was allocated for 2016, N2.57b was allocated for 156 schools in 2017. A further breakdown of the allocation shows that the projects were broken into four critical areas, which are 5,529 perimeter fencing, 3448 furniture to be supplied to schools, 35 constructions (classrooms) and rehabilitation of five schools. Read more
Okada ban: more operators storm Ibadan (Nation)
As Ibadan the Oyo state capital continue to witness rise in the number of influx of commercial motorcycle operators as a result of the ban in neighbouring Lagos State, a new entrant, Safe boader Nigeria over the weekend said it is not in the state to compete but to offer better service delivery.
The company which said it’s choice of Ibadan to kickstart business operations in Oyo state is not as a result of the ban in Lagos, but as a result of extensive market research.
Speaking during a media parley, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Alastair Sussock, who also doubles as a Co-Founder of SafeBoda, said the launch was supposed to have held October last year, long before the ban of okada operations in Lagos. Read more
Tinubu fetes Osinbajo at 63 (DailyTrust)
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo The APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has congratulated the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, as he clocks 63 on March 8. In a congratulatory message by Tinubu’s media aide, Tunde Rahman, on Saturday March 7 Tinubu commended Osinbajo for his dedication and selfless service to the nation. He called the vice president “an erudite legal luminary” and his reputation for loyalty, dedication and selflessness “well deserved”. “I recall with fond memories the time we worked together along with other technocrats to help lay a solid foundation for an egalitarian and prosperous Lagos. Read more
FRSC reacts to alleged arrest of vehicle conveying pregnant woman in labour (Punch)
FRSC officials on duty Photo: File
The Federal Road Safety Corps has reacted to the alleged arrest of a vehicle conveying a pregnant woman in labour in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem, expressed the corps position in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja.
NAN gathered that a twitter user took to the microblogging platform to accuse some unidentified officials of the FRSC of puncturing the tyre of a car driven by a lady rushing a pregnant woman in labour to the hospital. Read more
International Women’s Day:Foundation urges elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS (Guardian)
As the world commemorates 2020 International Women’s Day (IWD), AIDS Health Care Foundation (AHF), a Non-Governmental Organisation, has called for the elimination of Mother-To-Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV and AIDS in Nigeria.
Steve Aborisade, the Advocacy and Marketing Manager of AHF-Nigeria, made the call in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, stressing that the call was also for world leaders to ensure more inclusive and equitable world.
Aborisade said that the IWD campaign, commemorated annually around the globe on March 8, is combined with the advocacy actions that seek to inspire change for gender equality, “thus, the need to advance equality for women and girls.” Read more
Using 12.5Kg cylinder as camp gas highly dangerous – SON (Vanguard)
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has advised Nigerians against using 12.5 cylinder as camp gas, describing the practice as highly dangerous.
The Coordinator of the organisation in Plateau, Mr Musa George, gave the advice during an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Sunday.
George said the act of mounting burners on cylinders as big as 12.5 kg was very wrong because such cylinders were not designated to be used as camp gas .
“It is a very dangerous act, people are not supposed to mount burners on 12.5 kg cylinders or cylinders bigger than 12.5kg. Read more
Four plants idle as power grid sheds 893.2MW (Punch)
Nigeria is currently witnessing power supply shortage as the Transmission Company of Nigeria revealed on Saturday that four power generating plants could not generate any megawatt of electricity the preceding day.
Also, industry figures released on Saturday showed that the total quantum of power on the country’s electricity grid dropped from a peak of 4,129.7MW on Thursday to 3,236.5MW on Friday.
This indicated that the country’s power generation dropped by 893.2MW within a space of 24 hours.
The General Manager, Public Affairs, TCN, Ndidi Mbah, explained that the nation’s power sector was experiencing power supply shortage as a result of low gas supply. Read more
UN Women seek robust media partnership on gender issues (Guardian)
Country representative of the United Nations Women and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Nigeria, Comfort Lamptey has called on the media to collaborate with UN agency to positively promote its activities, educating Nigerians on progress and challenges of women, as the world marked the International Women’s Day (IWD).
Speaking to a cross-section of journalists at an interactive media session in Abuja, Lamptey described the media as one of the strongest tools in creating change in perceptions, especially as the agency seeks to leverage this year’s theme: ‘Generation Equality’ to foster interaction between the young and older generations of women in advancing women’s rights.
According to her, people often misunderstand or even misrepresent the UN Women’s work because they do not understand the agency’s concept and intentions, which is why the media is important in enlightening Nigerians in this regard, as well as in creating and understanding the theme ‘Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights for an Equal Future.’ Read more
Jonathan reacts to Okonjo-Iweala’s appointment in South Africa (Punch)
Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has expressed confidence that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala would deliver on her appointment as a member of South Africa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
He said this in a post on his verified Facebook page on Sunday.
He said, “I congratulate Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who served as the coordinating minister for the economy/finance minister in my cabinet, on her appointment as a member of South Africa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council. Read more
International Women’s Day: Marchers around the world call for equality (BBC)
Despite fears over the coronavirus outbreak, thousands of people took to the streets across Asia, including this march in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Marches to raise awareness of discrimination against women are taking place in cities around the world to mark International Women’s Day.
The protests have been widespread and well-attended despite concerns about the coronavirus.
People around the world have been marking 8 March as a special day for women for more than a century.
It grew out of the labour movement to become a UN-recognised annual event. Read more
Women form topless chain on Waterloo Bridge to protest ‘climate rape’ (Metro)
Topless women formed a chain across Waterloo Bridge today with the words ‘climate rape’ and ‘climate murder’ painted on their bodies. The activists were taking part in a protest for Extinction Rebellion, the environmental group which shut down large areas of central London last year. At 11am, a group of 31 women stripped from the waist up to symbolise the vulnerability of women around the world in the face of climate change. Read more
Kamala Harris endorses Joe Biden for president (NYPost)
Sen. Kamala Harris endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president in a video released on her Twitter account Sunday.
In a posting addressing her supporters, the former Democratic presidential candidate said Biden “has served our country with dignity and we need him now more than ever.”
“I have decided I am with great enthusiasm going to endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States. I believe in Joe,” she said. Read more
Al-Shabab’s Bashir Mohamed Qorgab ‘killed in air strike in Somalia’ (BBC)
An air strike in Somalia has killed a senior commander of militant Islamist group al-Shabab, state radio reports.
The US issued a reward of $5m (£3,8m) in 2008 for information on the whereabouts of Bashir Mohamed Qorgab.
The US carries out frequent air strikes in Somalia to target militants. It has not yet commented on the report. Qorgab’s family confirmed his death.
He was in charge of attacks on military bases, and was also involved in operations in Kenya, the report said. Read more
Avalanche kills five people in Austria (Punch)
A large avalanche swept five people to their deaths on a mountain in Upper Austria on Sunday, police said.
The bodies of the five, who were among a sports group from the Czech Republic, were brought down from Dachstein mountain, where the avalanche began at 2,800 metres (9,200 feet), to Hallstatt village for identification, a police spokesman said.
The five victims were walking in snow shoes on the mountain, reports said.
Mountain rescue services were still at the scene midday Sunday, backed up by six helicopters sent from other regions in Austria. Read more
Coronavirus: Northern Italy quarantines 16 million people (BBC)
Italy has placed up to 16 million people under quarantine as it battles to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Anyone living in Lombardy and 14 other central and northern provinces will need special permission to travel. Milan and Venice are both affected.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs and other venues across the whole country.
The measures, the most radical taken outside China, will last until 3 April. Read more
100-year-old Chinese man recovers from coronavirus, the oldest patient to beat illness (NYPost)
A 100-year-old Chinese man has fully recovered from the coronavirus, making him the oldest known patient to pull through the deadly illness, state media reported.
The centenarian patient, who marked his milestone birthday last month, was discharged Saturday from a hospital in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
He was admitted to Hubei’s Maternity and Child Health Care hospital on Feb. 24 with the coronavirus infection, the report said. Read more
Scientists reveal the real effect coffee has on your creativity and problem-solving (Metro)
It’s one of the most widely-used drugs in the world and ingested by millions or even billions of people every day. But as we swig a quintuple espresso first thing in the morning, do we really know the effect all that caffeine is having on our psyche? Scientists have produced a new analysis of the effect of caffeine to work out how it affects creativity and problem-solving. ‘In Western cultures, caffeine is stereotypically associated with creative occupations and lifestyles, from writers and their coffee to programmers and their energy drinks, and there’s more than a kernel of truth to these stereotypes,’ wrote Darya Zabelina, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Arkansas in a study published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition. Read more
Plateau United, Lobi, Rivers continue push for NPFL title (Guardian)
The leading teams in the 2019/2020 Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), Plateau United, Lobi Stars, and Rivers United are on duty today as the race for Enyimba’s title continues across the country.
At the bottom end of the table is the battle for survival involving Nasarawa United, Kwara United, Abia Warriors, MFM FC, and Enugu Rangers.
League leaders, Plateau United are in Bauchi for a date with Wikki Tourists, a side whose fortunes have changed since former Enyimba coach, Usman Abd’Allah became their manager. Read more
Bahrain Grand Prix: Fans banned because of coronavirus (BBC)
Fans will not be allowed to attend this month’s Bahrain Grand Prix because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Organisers said the race – scheduled for 20-22 March – would be “participants only” because allowing spectators at the event “would not be the right thing to do”.
The Chinese Grand Prix from 17-19 April was postponed last month.
“Balancing the welfare of supporters and race goers is a tremendous responsibility,” organisers said. Read more
Frank Lampard explains why Billy Gilmour makes first Premier League start against Everton (Metro)
Frank Lampard insists injuries aren’t the only reason Billy Gilmour is making his full Premier League debut against Everton, stressing that the midfielder has earned his spot in Chelsea’s starting XI. Gilmour, 18, produced a man-of-the-match performance against Liverpool in midweek as goals from Willian and Ross Barkley booked Chelsea’s place in the FA Cup quarter-finals. The Blues are short of options in midfield, with Jorginho (suspension), N’Golo Kante (groin) and Mateo Kovacic (leg) all unavailable, and Lampard has had little option but to keep faith in the talented young Scot. Read more
Coronavirus: ATP and WTA tell players not to give towels and sweatbands to fans (BBC)
Tennis players will be asked not to hand out used towels and sweatbands to fans as part of further action to try to combat the spread of coronavirus.
The ATP and WTA have jointly announced precautionary measures to be implemented at tournaments including Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
Players will also not accept pens, tennis balls or other items from fans for autograph signing.
In a joint statement, the ATP and WTA said health and safety is “paramount”. Read more
Jose Mourinho criticised for using Tanguy Ndombele as a ‘scapegoat’ after Tottenham draw at Burnley (Metro)
Danny Murphy has accused Jose Mourinho of using Tanguy Ndombele as a ‘scapegoat’ after Tottenham were held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley on Saturday. Chris Wood poked the ball home from close range to break the deadlock in the 13th minute at Turf Moor after Jay Rodriguez’s initial strike was saved by Hugo Lloris. Dele Alli equalised from the penalty spot in the 50th minute after Ben Mee was adjudged to have fouled Erik Lamela inside the box and Spurs had to settle for a point which means they are without a win in their last five matches in all competitions. Read more
Jurgen Klopp risks FA charge after celebrating in assistant referee’s face (Metro)
Jurgen Klopp could face action from the Football Association after wildly celebrating directly in the face of the assistant referee during Liverpool’s win over Bournemouth on Saturday. Klopp’s side took a step closer to securing the Premier League title with their victory at Anfield, but they were forced to come from a goal down to secure a 2-1 win. The Liverpool manager felt aggrieved as Callum Wilson’s goal for Bournemouth was allowed to stand despite there being a push on Joe Gomez in the build-up. Read more
Israel Adesanya defeats Yoel Romero, retains middleweight title (Punch)
Yoel Romero started Saturday night’s fight against Israel Adesanya standing completely motionless, covering his face with his hands in a shell-like guard. Things didn’t get any less weird as the fight wore on.
In one of the least active and most bizarre title fights in UFC history, Adesanya successfully defended his middleweight title against Romero via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 248 at T-Mobile Arena.
The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46, ESPN reports.
“I did what I had to do and picked him apart,” Adesanya said. “The legs don’t lie. I f—ed his leg up.” Read more