60 fun seekers arrested for violating lockdown order in Lagos (Vanguard)
Sixty fun-seekers were arrested Wednesday, at a party held at 84 Parks and Graden, in Abule-Egba area of Lagos for violating the lockdown and social distancing orders.
The arrest was effected by the Lagos State Task Force on COVID-19, comprising operatives of the Task Force of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA) Lagos State Safety Commission and the Rapid Response Squad, RRS .
According to the team leader/ Director Enforcement and Monitoring LASEPA
Mr. Kayode Bello, the Taskforce stormed the birthday party following a tip off from concerned citizens of the state. Read more
Woman charged to court with alleged death of housemaid (DailyTrust)
The police in Lagos yesterday charged a middle-aged woman, who they identified as Nene Fortune Stephens, to court with the murder of her housemaid. Stephens was brought before the Yaba chief magistrate court on a one-count charge of murder. The accused, according to the charge sheet, allegedly beat the maid, Joy Adole, 19, to death on April 20, 2020 at about 7.30am at Ogundola Street, Sungas bus stop, Bariga, Lagos. Stephens was remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre Lagos, till June 1, 2020. Read more
Tinubu CSO’s burial not attended by 50 policemen, says PPRO (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command has said about 10 people buried Alhaji Lateef Raheem, a former Chief Security Officer of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said policemen deployed in the area were not part of the burial and only dispersed sympathisers and neighbours who attempted to attend the ceremony.
The police spokesperson stated this on Wednesday after a public analyst, Jumu’ah Abiodun, in a letter to the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, claimed that 50 policemen attended the event. Read more
Nigeria records 196 new COVID-19 cases, total now 1728 (Punch)
Nigeria has recorded 196 new cases of #COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 1728.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control made this known via its Twitter handle.
The NCDC also announced that Nigeria’s COVID-19 fatalities have increased to 51.
The PUNCH reports that COVID-19 has spread to 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Yobe is the most recent state to record a case of COVID-19 in the country. Read more
Lagos discharges 49 COVID-19 patients (Punch)
Lagos State has discharged 49 COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment in its isolation centres.
This brings the total number of discharged patients in the state to 187, The PUNCH reports.
The Lagos State Ministry of Health made this known via its Twitter handle.
It tweeted, “49 #COVID19Lagos patients: 28 females and 21 males including a foreign national – a Greek – were today discharged from our Isolation facilities at Yaba and Onikan to reunite with the society. Read more
Times Higher Education ranks LASU among 600 top varsities globally (Vanguard)
The Times Higher Education Impact Ranking has rated the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, as among the first 600 universities globally.
This is contained in the 2020 ranking by the global body.
The Times Higher Education Ranking is the most recognised globally and ranks universities around the world on factors such as research, outreach and teaching, among others.
Commenting on the development, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, SAN, expressed satisfaction at the university’s performance in the global ranking but added that there was still much to be done. Read more
Banks open in Abuja, Lagos, Ogun from Monday – FG (Punch)
The Federal Government says banks will open for commercial operations in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States beginning Monday, May 4.
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, disclosed this in an ongoing update in Abuja monitored by The PUNCH.
Aliyu said banks would be allowed to open between 8am and 2pm in the three places.
He said, “In terms of the banks, this continues to be a recurring issue for all of us. We have been in touch with the CBN governor. Read more
Easing COVID-19 restrictions: FG reopens offices Monday (DailyTrust)
Chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, addresses participants during the body’s national daily briefing in Abuja yesterday Banks, construction, manufacturing coys, others cleared for operation CBN resumes dollar sales for SMEs, school fees Airlines remain suspended, schools closed Full economic activities in 6 weeks Dispatches 50 trucks of grains to Kano The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 yesterday gave the green light for federal government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to resume work from Monday, May 4. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of PTF, Boss Mustapha, said this in Abuja at the 22nd joint national briefing of the committee. Read more
Revenues of 70% of African businesses to decrease next month, poll says (Guardian)
In a live poll conducted by Africa.com as part of its webinar series, Crisis Management for African Business Leaders, nearly 70 percent of webinar participants predicted that their business revenue will decrease by more than 10 per cent next month. Only 20 per cent indicated that they expect revenue to remain the same or increase.
About 1,500 business leaders participated in the poll. Participants came from 41 countries across the African continent, with the largest representation coming from Nigeria. The largest sectors represented are financial services and professional services, followed by energy and manufacturing. Read more
Coronavirus ‘altered the brain’ of NYC ER doc who killed herself, sister says (NYPost)
The sister of top Manhattan ER doctor Lorna Breen — who committed suicide after working on the front lines of the coronavirus battle — said she believes contracting the illness “altered her brain.”
Jennifer Feist told NBC’s “Today” that her 49-year-old sister, who caught COVID-19 herself before returning to work at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, was haunted by the disease and her inability to help more people.
“She had COVID. And I believe that it altered her brain. Then she went back to the most horrific, unimaginable conditions,” Feist said in an interview set to air Thursday. Read more
Remdesivir: Drug has ‘clear cut’ power to fight coronavirus (BBC)
There is “clear-cut” evidence that a drug can help people recover from the coronavirus, say US officials.
Remdesivir cut the duration of symptoms from 15 days down to 11 in clinical trial at hospitals around the world.
The full details have not been published, but experts said it would be a “fantastic result” if confirmed, but not a “magic bullet” for the disease.
A drug would have the potential to save lives, ease pressure on hospitals and allow parts of lockdown to be lifted. Read more
Reduced pollution during Covid-19 lockdown could prevent 11,300 premature deaths in Europe: study (France24)
Improved air quality in Europe due to lockdowns to combat the coronavirus pandemic has delivered health benefits equivalent to avoiding 11,300 premature deaths, according to a study published on Thursday.
Researchers extrapolated the likely impact on diseases caused or made worse by air pollution, which has fallen dramatically as hundreds of millions of people have stayed at home over the past month. Read more
US ‘hasn’t seen’ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently, Mike Pompeo (BBC)
US officials “haven’t seen” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently and are watching reports about his health “closely”, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.
He also expressed concern that the hermit state could be hit either by the coronavirus outbreak or a famine.
Mr Kim, 36, last appeared in state media on 12 April, triggering speculation that he was seriously ill. Read more
For foreigners on France’s front line, COVID-19 exposes health care shortcomings (VOA)
Like many of their colleagues these days, Dr Nefissa Lakhdara and her husband, Dr Redouane Bouhalila, return home from long hours on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. They wash up, stuff potentially virus-tainted clothes into the washing machine, and attend to children left homebound by the pandemic, clocking up exhausting work weeks.
It’s a routine without a fixed ending, as France battles a disease that has killed more than 23,000 people. But while the spouses, both medical doctors trained in Algeria, face the same health risks as their French colleagues, there is far less payback. Read more
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher send planeload of PPE to UK frontline workers (PageSix)
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher quietly partnered with Salesforce mogul Marc Benioff to donate a planeload of PPE supplies to front-line medical workers in the UK.
The shipment of 20 tons of equipment was also made with the Daily Mail via a new charity initiative called Mail Force with Benioff.
Benioff revealed that Cohen was part of the donation in a tweet — and the comedy star responded in a post. Read more
Harrison Ford investigated over LA runway incident (BBC)
US actor Harrison Ford is being investigated over an incident last week at an airport in southern California.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said he was piloting a small plane that wrongly crossed a runway where another aircraft was landing.
The planes were within about 3,600ft (1,100m) of each other at Los Angeles’ Hawthorne airport last Friday. There was no danger of a crash, the FAA said.
Ford, 77, acknowledged his mistake and apologised, his representative said. Read more
Slumdog Millionaire star Irrfan Khan laid to rest in private funeral hours after death (Metro)
Irrfan Khan’s funeral has taken place in Mumbai, just hours after his death. The Slumdog Millionaire actor died on 29 April, aged 53, following a battle with a colon infection. And his family has confirmed they have laid the Bollywood legend to rest, surrounded by his closest friends and relatives. A statement shared with Times of India read: ‘Irrfan was buried at the Versova Kabrastan in Mumbai at 3pm this afternoon soon after the news of his passing away was announced. ‘In presence were his family, close relatives and friends. Everyone paid their final respects and mourned the loss of his passing away. Read more
AFN to stage marathon races in Abuja, Kastina after COVID-19 (Guardian)
Sports philanthropist and board member of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Ahmed Isa Kaita says the federation would stage marathon races in Abuja, Katsina and other parts of the country soon after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
Kaita, who replaced Solomon Ogba on the board of AFN after his resignation told The Guardian that the coronavirus had disrupted activities of the AFN, but added that the federation would recover its lost programmes as soon as Nigeria is declared free of the dreaded coronavirus. Read more
Coronavirus: Serena Williams among stars to compete in Mario Tennis tournament (BBC)
Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova are among the tennis stars who will compete in a live-streamed tournament of Mario Tennis Aces.
Top tennis players will partner celebrities and play as characters from the game on Nintendo Switch.
E-sports have surged in popularity as the Covid-19 pandemic has forced the cancelation of live events.
Facebook Gaming will stream the event. The social media giant is making a push into hosting online gaming. Read more
Derby thank Rooney as players accept wage deferral (Punch)
Derby County have thanked captain Wayne Rooney for the leading role he played in the club agreeing to a wage deferral with players to help the English Championship club survive the coronavirus crisis.
Manager Phillip Cocu, his coaching staff, executives, and non-playing staff have also deferred part of their salary.
“First team players have voluntarily agreed a substantial deferral that is considerably more than has been reported in the media, while Phillip Cocu and his coaching team, and Chief Read more
Liverpool open contract talks with Osimhen (Punch)
Premier League giants, Liverpool, have reportedly opened talks with representatives of Victor Osimhen over the possibility of joining the Reds in the summer.
The 2015 U-17 World Cup Golden Boot winner has been a target for many European clubs after his impressive performance for Lille in Ligue 1.
Osimhen joined the French outfit from Sporting Charleroi for €12m in August 2019 and still has another four-and-a-half-year left on his contract. Read more
Coronavirus could affect international football for ‘two or three years’ (BBC)
Coronavirus could impact on the international football calendar for “two or three years”, says a member of Uefa’s executive committee.
Lars-Christer Olsson, president of European Leagues, said that it would be a case of “wait and see” to assess the disruption of the pandemic, including on the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Uefa hopes to complete the Champions League and Europa League in August.
A decision is set to be made at the end of May around whether this is feasible. Read more
Lagos Lawn Tennis Club donates N5m COVID-19 palliative to state government (Guardian)
The Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, has donated N5 million to the state government as its contribution to efforts to cushion the effects of the COVID-19-induced lockdown on vulnerable citizens of the state.
Speaking at the presentation of the N5 million cheque at Government House, Ikeja yesterday, president of Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Ademola Akin-Taylor said the club decided to help the state government’s efforts to ensure the poor and vulnerable people were able to feed while staying at home. Read more
Mauricio Pochettino tells Tottenham fans he dreams of managing his old club again (Metro)
An emotional Mauricio Pochettino has told Tottenham fans he intends to return to the north London club in the future and complete unfinished business. The Argentinean was sacked in November, just five months after masterminding the north London club’s run to an improbable maiden Champions League final appearance following a thrilling run which saw them defeat the likes of Manchester City and Ajax, before succumbing to Liverpool in the Madrid showpiece. Having established Spurs as a genuine Premier League force, Pochettino warned Daniel Levy that further investment was required in order for the club to go to the next level and end their long-running trophy drought. Read more
