COVID-19 phased unlocking: Sanwo-Olu holds virtual meeting with religious leaders (Vanguard)
Ahead of the Presidential briefing on gradual lockdown in some states, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has held a virtual meeting with religious leaders over the ongoing efforts towards reopening of various sectors amid battle against COVID-19 in the state.
Sanwo-Olu, while giving a ray of hope for reopening of worship houses, however, reeled out fresh guidelines and conditions to be met before the state government would reopen Mosques, Churches and other religious centres for normal activities.
According to the governor, the wide-ranging and extensive consultations with our various stakeholders ranging from the religious organizations; traditional rulers and the Organized Private Sector is expected to form the backbone of a wider and robust framework that will govern a further opening up of economy of the state in the weeks and months ahead. Read more
Federal High Court adopts virtual court (Nation)
The Federal High Court (FHC) of Nigeria has authorised judges to adopt virtual proceedings for court cases in all its judicial divisions.
Chief Judge (CJ) Justice John Tsoho gave the direction in the new 2020 Practice Directions for the COVID-19 Period.
But proceedings can only be held virtually with the consent of the parties and their counsels.
Also, under the new rules, FHC judges cannot hear more than nine cases in a day.
There were 36 Divisions of the court as at last July with 82 judges to hear over 200,000 pending cases. Read more
Flight ban violation: Impounded plane crew quarantined in Lagos (Vanguard)
The crew of the impounded plane operated by the United Kingdom, UK, based Flair Aviation, that breached the federal government flight ban into Nigeria, has been quarantined in Lagos to ascertain if they have the dreaded coronavirus.
Also read: Flight ban violation: FG impounds Flair Aviation aircraft
This is just as investigations into the incident by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA is still ongoing. Read more
Social workers lift 570 less privileged in Lagos (Independent)
Social Workers under the umbrella of Nigeria Association of Social Workers (NASoW) Lagos state chapter have disbursed financial assistance to no fewer than five hundred and seventy (570) less privileged in Lagos state.
The 570 people were drawn from all the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs in the State.
Ten (10) persons were selected from each LGA/ LCDA regardless of their tribe, sex, or religion.
NASoW Lagos State Chairperson, Mrs. Adetoun Ogedengbe, noted that out of the selected persons, preference was given to the persons living with disabilities (PWDs), aged (65 years and above), widows/widowers, single mothers and orphans.
Ogedengbe while speaking further said that COVID-19 pandemic necessitated lockdown of Lagos State by the President of Nigeria on 31st March, 2020 and this has further increased the level of dependence of the less privileged persons on the populace. Read more
COVID-19: FG to maintain eased lockdown for another two weeks (Vanguard)
The Federal Government has announced an extension of the current partial lockdown of the country, saying the time is not ripe for it to relax its containment protocols against the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce PTF on Covid-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha announced this Monday in Abuja during the daily briefing of the Taskforce.
He said; “the reality is that in spite of the modest progress made, Nigeria is not yet ready for full opening of the economy and tough decisions have to be taken for the good of the greater majority. Any relaxation will only portend grave danger for our populace. Read more
2023: Okowa cautions PDP politicians over early campaigns (Vanguard)
Delta Governor, Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, has barred Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, especially political appointees, to refrain from constituting consultation groups ahead of 2023 general elections.
He cautioned that such early consultations were capable of causing distraction in governance and polarisation among State Executive Council members.
The governor’s admonition was contained in a statement by the Senior Political Adviser to the Governor, Chief Funkekeme Solomon, on Monday in Asaba. Read more
FRSC arrests 776 over inter-state lockdown violation (DailyTrust)
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun State, Clement Oladele, said yesterday that the command arrested 776 traffic offenders for various offences during the lockdown in the state. Speaking with newsmen in Abeokuta, the state capital, Oladele said out of the 776 apprehended, 110 were arrested for overloading and contravening traffic rules and regulations. Read more
We know where 15 Chinese medical experts are – CCECC MD (DailyTrust)
The Chinese doctors arrive Nigeria. PHOTOS BY: Chris Agabi Mr Michael Yigao, Managing Director, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) Nigeria Ltd, says the 15 Chinese medical experts that arrived in the country on April 8 are in the company’s care. Yigao made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja while reacting to questions raised by the media and the Peoples Democratic Party – Nigeria’s main opposition party – demanded the whereabouts of the 15-member team of Chinese medics. This followed comment by the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, that the experts, who reportedly came into Nigeria to support the fight against COVID-19, were not his guests but those of CCECC. Read more
Universities presenting names of dead staff to collect salaries, FG alleges (Tribune)
The Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) office has accused university administrators of providing a payroll list containing dead staff for salary payment.
The government was reacting to accusations by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that IPPIS paid dead staff and generally cut its members’ salaries by as much as 50 per cent.
In a statement issued on Monday by Director of Information, Press and Public Relations, Henshaw Oguike, IPPIS explained why staff of tertiary institutions were paid less than what individual universities were paying them.
“On the alleged payment to dead university staff. It means the institutions deliberately forwarded to IPPIS the list containing dead ASUU members as being part of their personnel to get more personnel fund. Read more
Thomas Thabane resigns as Lesotho prime minister (BBC)
Thomas Thabane has announced he will step down as prime minister of Lesotho following months of pressure after he was named as a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife.
He did not say when he would leave office but his party said a new premier would be sworn in on Tuesday.
The 80-year-old’s current wife, with whom he was living at the time of the murder, was charged in connection with the killing in February.
The pair have denied any involvement. Read more
Moderna reports ‘positive’ results from coronavirus vaccine trial (NYPost)
The company leading the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine announced “positive” early findings on Monday, with participants producing antibodies to ward off the disease.
Biotech company Moderna Inc. dosed 45 patients between the ages of 18 and 55 with 25, 100 or 250 micrograms of its experimental drug. After receiving a second booster shot, those at the 25 and 100 dosage levels were found with antibody levels that were equal to or exceeded those found in patients who recovered from COVID-19, the company said in a press release.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told Bloomberg that the results “couldn’t have been better.”
“This is a very good sign that we make an antibody that can stop the virus from replicating,” he said. Read more
Parents amazed when eight-week-old baby daughter learns to stand (Metro)
When Tezra Finn-Johnston, 31, and girlfriend Emily Derrick, 23, left hospital with their new baby, she could already support her own head. She was born on January 31 and weighed just 5lbs 9oz, which was on the 5th percentile, meaning she weighed less than 5% of other babies her age. But now 15-weeks-old, Lula is able to stand unassisted, supporting her own weight and her parents thing she might have been inspired by the strongman clips they watch on Youtube. Tezra, from Kingswood, Bristol said: ‘When she was about a month old, she was having a tantrum and I tried to sit her on my knee to calm her. ‘Instead of sitting down, she just stood on my knee and wouldn’t bend her legs. Read more
Coronavirus: European countries further relax restrictions (BBC)
Italy and Spain are among a number of European countries further easing their coronavirus lockdown restrictions on Monday.
Most businesses in Italy, including bars and hairdressers, are reopening after more than two months of nationwide lockdown measures.
Spain meanwhile has slightly eased restrictions on some of its least affected islands.
The measures follow consistent drops in the number of daily recorded deaths.
On Sunday, Italy recorded the fewest daily deaths since it entered lockdown in March.
It said 145 people had died with the virus in the previous 24 hours. This marked a significant drop from its highest daily death toll, which was more than 900 on 27 March. Read more
Man creates ‘cuddle curtain’ so he can safely give his gran a hug (Metro)
A plasterer turned inventor has found an ingenious way of giving his relatives a much-needed hug as distancing measures continue. Plasterer Antony Cauvin, 29, from Stratford-upon-Avon, created a shower curtain with arms as he missed giving his gran a cuddle after months spent apart. The ‘Cuddle Curtain’ uses a see-through shower curtain fitted with long safety sleeves on either side so that two people can stand opposite one another and embrace without any skin-to-skin or breath contact. Antony tested the curtain with his wife Miriam before taking it to his grandparents’ house and fixing it in their garden. ‘We giggled about it but thought, “this could actually work”,’ he told Sky News. Read more
‘I’m only human’: Top German politician in hot water over hug during Covid-19 lockdown (RT)
The head of the German Free Democrats, Christian Lindner, has found himself in a tight spot after hugging a friend in brazen violation of Covid-19 social distancing rules that Germans are still obliged to follow.
The misdeed by the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader has been made public by the BZ Berlin daily, which published a photo of him hugging businessman Steffen Goepel in front of one of the city’s most-popular restaurants on Friday evening. To make matters worse, the politician was also seen with his facemask hanging under his chin.
The photo, which in a different time would be considered quite innocent, has since been deleted by the newspaper. But it has sparked a wave of criticism in Germany, where many are tired and angry over protracted coronavirus quarantine measures. Read more
Games without spectators only a short-term solution – Wenger (Punch)
Staging football matches without spectators must only be a short-term fix during the COVID-19 pandemic as the prolonged absence of fans could damage the game, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says.
The German Bundesliga became the first major football league to resume since the novel coronavirus outbreak shut down sports earlier this year.
The Bundesliga returns behind closed doors is now being closely watched by other leagues. Read more
Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi arrested on suspicion of rape (Metro)
Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi was arrested on suspicion of rape after a woman he invited to his home was taken to hospital. The 19-year-old has been released on bail and is due to return to a police station in June. The woman, who is understood to have met Hudson-Odoi online, called police and ambulance services in the early hours of Sunday morning and was taken to hospital after reporting that she had been raped. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘Police and London Ambulance Service were called at 03:53hrs on Sunday, 17 May to a report of an unwell woman. Read more
FIFA plans football match for fight against coronavirus (Vanguard)
FIFA will organise a charity football match to raise funds for the battle against the coronavirus, the sport’s world governing body said on Monday.
“It is our responsibility to demonstrate solidarity and continue to do everything we can to participate and support the efforts in the combat against the pandemic.
“We have been active in raising awareness via several other campaigns,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.
According to him, FIFA has also contributed financially to this cause, “but now we commit ourselves to organise this global fundraising event when the health situation permits, even if this is only in some months’ time. Read more
Wladimir Klitschko backed to make shock return to boxing by Derek Chisora (Metro)
Wladimir Klitschko could make a boxing comeback and would cause ‘commotion’ in the heavyweight division if he returned, according to Derek Chisora. Klitschko announced his retirement in August 2017 just a few months after his defeat to Anthony Joshua at Wembley. The 44-year-old remains the longest-reigning heavyweight champion in history and is widely considered as one of the best of all time in his division. Klitschko has reportedly offered to spar with Oleksandr Usyk to help him prepare for his fight with Chisora, which has been rescheduled following the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
Premier League to return mid-June (DailyTrust)
Britain’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden is hopeful the Premier League can resume by mid-June despite concerns raised by players and coaches over the need for an extended period of training before matches restart. Premier League clubs are meeting on Monday to sign off on protocols that will allow a return to training this week, whilst maintaining social distancing guidelines. The last top-flight match in England was on March 9 and Newcastle manager Steve Bruce said on Sunday his players could “fall down like a pack of cards” with injuries if matches return before the end of June. Read more
Celtic declared champions as Scottish season is ended (Guardian)
Celtic were crowned champions for a record-equalling ninth consecutive season as the Scottish Premiership campaign was declared over on Monday.
Neil Lennon’s men were 13 points clear at the top of the table when the season was stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic in March with eight games remaining for the majority of clubs.
Second-placed Rangers had a game in hand to try and cut that gap and were due to face Celtic twice more before the end of the season. Read more