Coronavirus patient attempts to escape Lagos isolation centre (Punch)
Following the detection of the first case of the novel Coronavirus disease and the placing in quarantine of the patient, identified as a 44-year-old Italian, at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos, a health worker at the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, said on Friday that the patient was angry and attempted to escape, given the state of the isolation centre.
The high ranking health worker, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity on Friday, decried the ‘very poor quality’ of the isolation centre, lamenting that “the authorities have not matched words with action.”
Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, had said on Friday that the state government had built a facility to handle the situation, adding that the patient was getting better.
He said, “It is a lab that we built that can accommodate 100 for now but it is only one bed that is occupied today. Hopefully it wouldn’t spread. We are ready and we are well equipped. He (the patient) is there and he is getting better. He is steady. The doctors say he is going to be fine.’’ Read more
Face masks, hand sanitizers sold out in Lagos following Coronavirus scare (DailyTrust)
Face masks, hand sanitizers and head masks are now scarce in most supermarkets and pharmacy shops in Lagos State as the Nigerian government on Friday confirmed the first Coronavirus case in the state. A visit to most pharmacy shops and supermarkets on Lagos mainland areas such as Surulere, Ikeja, Agege and Ogba by our reporters on Friday shows that the products were bought off the shelfs early Friday morning by residents in the respective areas. When our reporters visited major marts such as Shoprite, Spar, Medplus, Healthrite – all located in Adeniran Ogunsanya Mall in Surulere area of the state, none has hand sanitizer and facemask as early as 9:47am today. A shop attendant at the mall, who craved anonymity, told our reporters that people came in as early as 8am when the mall opened and bought off every sanitizers and masks available. Read more
How COVID-19 destroyed social fabric in Lagos, other states (Guardian)
There is anxiety in Lagos and other states as citizens were greeted with the news of the first coronavirus case in Nigeria.
With mutual suspicion between landlords and their tenants, neighbours now live like strangers to avoid being infected.
At a particular area in Akowonjo, Lagos State, a landlady was seen screaming aloud to her tenants not to allow visitors into their houses, while a woman was seen complaining that she greeted her neighbour who refused to respond and moved away quickly to avoid body contact. Read more
LASUTH transfers newly quarantined man to general ward (Punch)
A man who was quarantined at the Isolation Unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, has been transferred to the General Ward of the tertiary hospital.
Our correspondent had spotted the patient inside the Isolation Unit of the state-owned hospital on Friday.
The isolation unit is located within the Medical Emergency unit of the facility.
It was also observed that the medical personnel on duty at the unit and other health workers wore personal protective equipment, while patients and visitors were screened before they gained entrance into the Medical Emergency unit. Read more
FG tasked on building sustainable models to bridge skills gap in Nigeria as SMW 2020 ends on high note (Guardian)
The Federal Government has been urged to build models that are sustainable targeted at building skills gap in Nigeria. This has become necessary if the country must compete favorably well among other nations.
The need to build skills gap in the country was a major issue of deliberation yesterday, at the Social Media Week (SMW) 2020 in Lagos. Already, the United Nations (UN) has canvassed the need for countries to invest in capacity buildings and ensure that citizens get new skills for development.
As such, the Federal Government has been urged to leverage on technology in building sustainable models to close the country’s skills gap and prepare the young generation for the future of work. Read more
Labourers by day, burglars by night (Punch)
With his calm looks, Emeka Emmanuel would easily pass for an innocent Nigerian dutifully doing his daily job and content with his little income.
Popularly known as Wiper, Emmanuel paraded himself as a labourer ready to work on any construction sites in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. His zeal appeared genuine enough to land him contracts at Guzape and Gwarimpa areas of the FCT.
To many of his clients, the 34-year-old was an artisan, adept at installing plaster of paris. They never knew the man they entrusted their property with during the day had a criminal role he assumed at night. Read more
Coronavirus: How Italian imported disease into Nigeria (Vanguard)
In a near replay of the July 20, 2014 Ebola Virus Disease episode when Liberian Patrick Sawyer imported the Ebola virus into the country undetected through the Muritala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, an Italian national has imported the COVID-19 virus into the country through the same airport on February 25th 2020.
The Federal Ministry of Health and the Lagos State Ministry of Health had, in early hours of Friday February 28th, confirmed the case in Lagos. It is the first case of COVID-19 to be reported in Nigeria and in sub-Sahara Africa and the third in Africa after Egypt and Algeria since the outbreak occurred in China in December 2019. Read more
Coronavirus: Lafarge says persons who had contact with Italian isolated (Guardian)
Lafarge Africa Friday said it has identified the persons who had direct contact with an Italian diagnosed of coronavirus in Lagos on Thursday.
Ogun State governor Dapo Abiodun said 28 persons have been isolated and the Ewekoro the Italian visited shut down.
The unnamed Italian flew into Lagos on Monday and visited Lafarge’s office in Ogun State on Tuesday. He took ill while there and was subsequently kept in isolation until he was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities on Thursday morning.
Lafarge said the Italian works for one of its vendor in Ogun State.
“We have immediately identified the persons who had direct contact with the concerned individual,” Lafarge’s Director of Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development Folashade Ambrose-Medebem
said in a statement. Read more
Expectations as S/Court speaks ‘finally’ on Imo (Vanguard)
Ahead of the Supreme Court’s final verdict on the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Imo state, anxiety, fear and uncertainty have since gripped the political firmament. For pundits who are always quick to point the direction the pendulum would swing, the conundrum in the South-East state is quite a different beast.
On January 14, 2010, the apex court nullified the election of Emeka Ihedioha, earlier declared governor of Imo state, and tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to issue a new certificate of return to Senator Hope Uzodinma, who has since stamped his feet of authority as governor of Imo state. Read more
Groovy fun listening party as 2Baba’s ninth studio album, Warriors drops (Guardian)
It was exciting atmosphere on Wednesday night at the ‘silent party themed’ album listening party for 2Baba’s earlier announced seventh solo album titled Warriors.
Held at The Artisan lounge Victoria Island, Lagos, the exclusively celebrity guest event was well attended by guests that spans the music industry, Nollywood and the media.
The esteemed guests were treated to exclusive first experience of songs from the 13-track album, which was released yesterday, via powerful headsets provided by House of Oni. They also, witness the crispy visual for We Must Groove featuring the Grammy nominated International Music Act, Burna Boy. Read more
We feel special celebrating our birthdays every four years – Nigerians born on February 29 (Punch)
Seyi Oladele was born on February 29, 1988 and she will celebrate her birthday today. Of course, she should be turning 32 but because this will be the eighth time ever she will get the chance to observe her birthday, she says she is turning eight.
Oladele, a social worker in Abuja, is among a few people in the world born on a leap day, that is, February 29, which occurs on years divisible by four.
Apart from being nicknamed leap day babies, people born on February 29 are also referred to as leap year babies, leapers, leapsters, or leaplings. Read more
Kizito Mihigo: The Rwandan gospel singer who died in a police cell (BBC)
Rwandan gospel singer Kizito Mihigo was at one time hailed as a great national talent but then he was accused of being a traitor. He was recently found dead, at the age of 38, in a police cell. The BBC’s Great Lakes Service looks back at his life.
With his signature crucifix dangling around his neck and his patient demeanour, Kizito, as he was popularly known, resembled a priest rather than one of the most popular performers in the country.
Like a priest, he felt he had a mission to promote peace in a country scarred by slaughter, but it was this mission that is widely seen as having eventually landed him in trouble with the authorities. Read more
California confirms second US coronavirus case of unknown origin (Guardian)
California health officials on Friday confirmed a second suspected US case of the new coronavirus transmitted to a person who did not travel overseas or come in contact with anyone known to be ill, prompting fears of a possible outbreak in the country.
“This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear,” said Sara Cody, director of public health for Santa Clara County, the heart of Silicon Valley where tech giants like Apple and Google are based.
“What we know now is that the virus is here, present at some level, but we still don’t know to what degree,” she added. Read more
Writing contest on forgiveness, retribution open for entries (DailyTrust)
The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize 2020 seeks writing from all nationalities on the theme of forgiveness and retribution. The winner receives a £10,000 cash prize and is presented with the award by the poet John Burnside. A £3,000 cash prize will go to the second place, and £2,000 to the third-place runner up. The winner and two runners up are invited to attend the Fjällnäs symposium. All genres are permitted for the competition. Applications close on April 1. The longlist will be announced on May 15 and shortlist June 1. Winners will be revealed on June 15, 2020.Read more
Fish oil supplements offer ‘little or no benefit’ against cancer (BBC)
The global market for omega-3 supplements has been estimated to be worth around $33bn (£25.6bn)
Taking omega-3 supplements offers “little to no” benefit against cancer, say experts.
Consumption of fish oil supplements is promoted as having a wide range of positive impacts on health.
These are purported to include lowering the risk of strokes, as well as diseases such as cancer and dementia. Read more
BTS’s Map Of The Soul: 7 hits number one and is UK’s fastest selling album of 2020 (Metro)
There was no doubt in the minds of the ARMYs, but BTS have gone and landed their second UK number one album. Map Of The Soul: 7 has shot to number one in the UK, becoming the fastest selling album of 2020 so far. The boys’ album – of which you can read our review here – sold 38,000 copies in its opening week, 2,000 more than Eminem’s Music To Be Murdered By, which was previously the fastest selling album of the year. Of those 38,000 sales, 32,000 came from pure physical and download sales.Read more
Simi, Lijadu sisters feature in Netflix African series (Vanguard)
Songstress, Simisola ‘Simi’ Ogunleye, and identical twin sisters, Taiwo and Kehinde Lijadu, known as the Lijadu Sisters, are some of the musical features on Queen Sono, Netflix’s first African original series.
Queen Sono is a six-part series led by South African actress Pearl Thusi, who plays the titular character, a spy on a mission to unravel the mysteries behind her mother’s assassination while also balancing the challenge of living a double life. Read more
US court reverses Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy (BBC)
A US federal court has ruled that the Trump administration must halt its policy of requiring Central American asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico pending US approval.
The ruling from the San Francisco-based appeals court temporarily upends Mr Trump’s policy
The so-called “Remain in Mexico” policy is touted by supporters as key to reducing illegal migration.
Friday’s decision is expected to be challenged in the US Supreme Court. Read more
James Bond’s Daniel Craig and Lashana Lynch go matching in BTS photo from No Time To Die Share this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via whatsapp Rishma Dosani Friday 28 Feb 2020 11:25 pm James Bond fans were sent into meltdown after it was revealed that Lashana Lynch would be introduced to fans as the new 007, in No Time To Die. And a behind-the-scenes snap from filming showed the Captain Marvel actress, 32, going matching with Daniel Craig on set – teasing that this could be a reality.
The official Bond Instagram account shared a photo of the 51-year-old and his co-star as they watched playback with director Cary Fukunaga. Read more
Trump urges Afghans to seize opportunity for peace (BBC)
President Donald Trump has called on Afghans to embrace prospects for peace, as the US prepares to sign an agreement with the Taliban on Saturday.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due to attend the signing in Qatar. The agreement will see thousands of US troops withdraw from Afghanistan in return for security guarantees.
It follows a week-long partial truce with the Taliban.
The accord raises hopes for a wider peace process after 18 years of war. Read more
Prince Harry recreates famous Abbey Road album cover with Bon Jovi (Metro)
Prince Harry and Jon Bon Jovi have teamed up at the famous Abbey Road studios to record a charity single for the duke’s Invictus Games. The two men greeted each other on the steps of the north London building, where The Beatles recorded 11 of their 13 albums.
A teaser video shared on the Sussex Royal Instagram page showed Harry gearing up to sing at the mic with the rock star, but cut out before the song began. He wrote: ‘I said I’ll give it a shot. Read more
A Serie C player has become the first player in Italy to contract the coronavirus (Nation)
A player in the third division of Italian football has become the first professional footballer in the country to be diagnosed with the coronavirus.
The killer virus is continuing to spread, with over 2,800 deaths now recorded globally, and it has now moved into the world of football for the first time.
The affected player, who plays for US Pianese ASD, is 22 years old but has not been named, according to newspaper La Nazione.
A statement on Thursday read: ‘Two new suspected positive cases of Coronavirus in Tuscany. Both are awaiting confirmation by the Higher Institute of Health. Read more
Ighalo: Scoring for United a dream come true (Punch)
Manchester United striker, Odion Ighalo, says scoring for the Red Devils was a childhood dream that has become a reality.
The January signing on loan from Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua made his first start for the club due to a last-minute slight thigh injury to forward Anthony Martial who had earlier been scheduled to begin the game.
Speaking after scoring his first goal for the team, Ighalo revealed that it was a dream come through for him.
“Scoring feels great because it is what I have always been waiting for. Playing and scoring for Manchester United means a lot to me. I’m going to cherish this moment for the rest of my life,” he told BT Sports. Read more
Nadal breezes into semi-finals at Acapulco tennis (Vanguard)
World No. 2 Rafael Nadal remained on course for his third ATP Mexico Open title by breezing past South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo 6-2, 6-1 in their quarter-final clash on Thursday.
Top seed Nadal eased into the semi-finals with his best performance of the week as he continues to jackhammer his way through the men’s singles draw at the hardcourt event in Acapulco, Mexico.
The Spaniard finished the night with 25 winners to 11 unforced errors, and saved all eight break points he faced.
“The match has been much tougher than what the result said. I think it was a beautiful match to see,” Nadal said. Read more
John Terry mocked for proudly posing with a small fish (Nation)
John Terry has fallen victim to some hilarious and light-hearted online trolling after posing proudly with a tiny catch after his most recent fishing trip.
The Aston Villa assistant manager and Chelsea legend tried to show off his angling skills by taking a picture with a fish he had caught.
But his friends and social media followers were quick to call him out for his underwhelming results, with some even suggesting he bought the fish rather than caught it. Read more
Kalu ready for Eagles, Sierra Leone clash (Punch)
Nigeria international, Samuel Kalu, is relishing the prospect of facing Sierra Leone after making full recovery from the injury which has limited his number of matches played so far this season.
Bordeaux boss, Paulo Sousa, had earlier this month, demanded more from Kalu while also expecting the winger to change his mental attitude in terms of commitment to training if he is to remain relevant in his team.
Kalu, whose place in the Super Eagles’ team has been under threat due to injuries, in an interview with girondins4ever.com assured that he was ready for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier game against Sierra Leone, while also expressing his confidence in the team. Read more
‘Health more important than football’ – Infantino says games could be postponed over coronavirus (BBC)
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has not ruled out next month’s international fixtures being postponed as the spread of coronavirus continues.
England and Wales have friendly matches, while Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland play Euro 2020 qualifiers.
“People’s health is much more important than any game,” said Infantino.
Players have contacted unions “out of fear” and are concerned about games in “high-risk environments”, says Fifpro. Read more
Lille desperate to keep Osimhen amid Tottenham interest (Nation)
Lille owner Gerard Lopez is adamant he wants to keep reported Tottenham Hotspur target Victor Osimhen at the club into next season.
Spurs are thought to be keeping tabs on Osimhen and his development, as he has shone in Ligue 1 this season and has been attracting plenty of admirers.
While Tottenham are interested, Lopez says any club would have to stump a serious amount to lure the forward away, as Lille are eager for Osimhen to be leading the line at the club next season. Read more
Newcastle ban handshakes to guard against coronavirus (DailyTrust)
Premier League club Newcastle United have introduced a handshake ban to protect against the spread of the coronavirus, manager Steve Bruce said on Friday. “There’s a ritual here that everybody shakes hands with everybody as soon as we see each other every morning — we’ve stopped that on the advice of the doctor,” Bruce said. “We are like everybody else. Thankfully, we’ve got a superb doctor here and he will keep us informed of what we have to do. “We’re like everybody else, we’re glued to the TV for where it’s going to go next and let’s hope it doesn’t get any worse in this country.” Read more
FIFA confirms loan restriction from July (Vanguard)
FIFA has announced its proposed restrictions on international loan transfers will come into effect in July 2020, pending approval from the FIFA Council.
The Football Stakeholders Committee has endorsed the introduction of international loan limits for players aged 22 and over.
Clubs will be allowed a maximum of eight in and out from 2020-21, with that figure decreasing to six in 2022-23, with no more than three in and three out between the same clubs. Read more