COVID-19: Sanwo-Olu opens face masks production factory (DailyTrust)
Medical Face Mask, an indigenous firm, yesterday flagged off daily production of 240,000 indigenous masks to join the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The factory was commissioned by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who pledged the state government’s support to the firm.
The Managing Director of Transgreen Nigeria Limited, maker of the face mask, Cyprian Orakpo, noted that since a vaccine was yet to be discovered for the coronavirus disease, face masks and other medical devices like gloves and ventilators had suddenly become national security products. Read more
Rotarians plant tree, beautify Lagos school (Guardian)
As Rotarians across the world mark the World Tree Planting Day with month-long events, members of the Rotary Club of Ewutuntun, District 9110, have beautified Mafoluku Grammar School, in Oshodi, with flowers to stem global warming, preserve the environment and propagate the life-saving benefits of trees to humanity.
President of the club, Dele Adegbola, said the project was in line with the new focus of Rotary International.
“Because of the emergency of climate change, Rotary International has expanded its areas of focus to accommodate what is now called ‘Supporting the Environment.’ The decision to plant trees inside the premises of the school is also consistent with Rotary’s support for basic education. Read more
Lagos unveils initiative to tackle electricity metering gap (Punch)
The Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, in collaboration with Eko Innovation Centre, has unveiled an initiative as part of efforts to address the metering gap in Lagos and other parts of the country.
The initiative, tagged ‘The Lagos Smart Meter Hackathon 2020’, was unveiled by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, on Thursday, according to a statement entitled ‘Improved electricity: Sanwo-Olu, minister, unveil Lagos smart meter initiative, call for entry.’
The statement said through the initiative, the state government would leverage the availability of bright local talents in Nigeria to develop and produce affordable smart electricity meters for consumers. Read more
Foundation donates computers to Little Saints Orphanage (Guardian)
Love And Oneness (LAO Foundation), founded by actress Linda Osifo, has made donations of seven sets of computers to the Little Saints Orphanage, Shasha, Akowonjo, Lagos.
Overwhelmed with joy while receiving the donation, the founder of Little Saints Orphanage, Akowonjo, Revd. Dele George, said: “I am overjoyed as this is a timely intervention and we are indeed grateful for this donation.
We lay so much emphasis on education at Little Saints because, without it, these children’s past will continue to haunt them and they won’t be able to live a financially independent life when they leave the orphanage. Read more
Sallah: FCT residents warned against complacency over COVID-19 (DailyTrust)
Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), the incumbent chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Candido Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been urged to comply with COVID-19 safety protocols as they celebrate the Eid el-Kabir.
The FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, the Member, House of Representatives (AMAC/Bwari), Micah Jiba, and the Chairman of AMAC, Abdullahi Adamu Candido, in separate messages to the residents, called for unity and sharing as they celebrated. Read more
Five men raped me, put sticks inside my private part, victim tells police (Guardian)
A 20-year-old girl, Chioma, has disclosed that five men raped her and inserted rods and sticks inside her private part following her abduction for five days.
Chioma, a native of Nsukka in Enugu State, was raped by five men at Onunwafor Ezzagu, in Ishielu Local Government area of Ebonyi State. She disclosed that she and her brother were abducted by the suspects.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Loveth Odah, said the youths took laws into their hands by abducting Chioma and her business partners and holding them hostage for five days in a bush where the girl was raped. Read more
Soldier goes berserk, kills senior officer over frozen salary account (Punch)
A soldier serving with the 202 Battalion of the 21 Special Armoured Brigade, Bama, Borno State, has shot dead his adjutant, Lt. Babakaka Ngorgi, for allegedly refusing to give him a travel pass to enable him resolve his inability to access his salary account, which had been frozen for about eight months.
The private, whose identity could not be ascertained, was said to have fired some rounds at the officer, who was making a phone call in front of the unit headquarters on Wednesday.
The killer soldier was immediately taken into custody at the scene of the incident, while the remains of the officer were evacuated to the 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital. Read more
Widows, IDPs knock FG over amnesty for B’Haram fighters (Punch)
Widows and other victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State have berated the Federal Government for taking care of the insurgents at the expense of the internally displaced persons.
The IDPs stated this in a report published on the BBC Hausa Service website accessed on Thursday by one of our correspondents.
They lamented that government, which is spending huge resources on the insurgents, had not paid adequate attention to widows, orphans and other victims of Boko Haram’s attacks. Read more
Ivory Coast Defence Minister Bakayoko named prime minister (Aljazeera)
Ivory Coast’s defence minister, Hamed Bakayoko, has been named prime minister, after acting as interim prime minister since the sudden death of Amadou Gon Coulibaly on July 8, the presidency announced.
Considered a close associate of President Alassane Ouattara and a pillar of the regime, Bakayoko, 55, has had the defence portfolio since 2017, after serving as interior minister from 2011.
He has also been mayor of Abobo, one of the West African country’s most populous districts, since 2018. Read more
Amazon, Facebook and Apple thriving in lockdown (BBC)
The coronavirus crisis might be causing widespread economic upheaval around the world, but the world’s biggest tech firms are thriving.
Amazon sales soared 40% in the three months ending June, while Apple saw a surge in purchases of its iPhones and other hardware.
At Facebook, the number of people on its platforms, which include WhatsApp and Instagram, jumped by 15%.
The gains come as the firms face scrutiny over their size and power. Read more
Car bomb kills at least 17 in Afghanistan ahead of ceasefire (Aljazeera)
At least 17 people were killed in a car bomb explosion in an Afghan city on Thursday as crowds shopped for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, officials and a medic said.
“Seventeen bodies and 21 wounded people were brought to our hospital,” Sediqullah, a senior doctor at a hospital in the city of Puli Alam in Logar province, told AFP news agency.
The bombing came hours before a three-day ceasefire was to begin in the country for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, officials said. Read more
Republicans to Trump: You can’t delay 2020 election (BBC)
Top Republicans have rejected President Donald Trump’s suggestion that November’s presidential election should be delayed over alleged fraud concerns.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy both dismissed the idea.
Mr Trump does not have the authority to postpone the election, as any delay would have to be approved by Congress.
Earlier, the president suggested that increased postal voting could lead to fraud and inaccurate results. Read more
Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish lead 2020 MTV VMA nominations (Metro)
Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish are the stars leading the nominations for the 2020 MTV VMAs.
It’s definitely a year for the girl power, with Ariana and Gaga scooping up a whopping nine nods each, and Billie landing six.
Seven of Ari’s nine nominations are down to her hers and Gaga’s hit Rain On Me, including video of the year, song of the year, and best collaboration.
Meanwhile, six of Gaga’s nods are as a result of the hit, with it also competing in categories including best cinematography, best visual effects, and best choreography. Read more
Obama aims criticism at Trump in eulogy for civil rights leader (Aljazeera)
Former US President Barack Obama launched his sharpest attack to date on President Donald Trump on Thursday, condemning the use of federal agents against protesters and attempts at voter suppression in the United States.
“Today we witness with our own eyes, police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans,” Obama said in a fiery eulogy at the emotional funeral service in Atlanta of civil rights leader John Lewis. Read more
Grime artist Solo 45 sentenced to 24 years in jail after being found guilty of rape (Metro)
Andy Anokye, also known as grime artist Solo 45, has been jailed for 24 years after being found guilty of rape. The performer was today sentenced at Bristol Crown Court for raping four women and holding them against their will. Earlier this year, the 33-year-old – who is from London but had a flat in Bristol -was found guilty of 30 charges relating to a two-year period. Anokye was unanimously convicted in March by a jury of seven men and five women of 21 rapes, five counts of false imprisonment, two counts of assault by penetration and two of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Read more
Ighalo’s holiday trip puts Man United Europa League bid at risk (Guardian)
Manchester United have put the club’s Europa League campaign at risk by allowing their stars to go on holiday abroad this week, reports dailymail.co.uk.
Nemanja Matic, Victor Lindelof and Odion Ighalo are among the players who jetted off following the end of the Premier League season last weekend ahead of United’s return to European action.
The UK re-imposed 14-day quarantine restrictions on all travellers from Spain last week – catching thousands of British tourists by surprise – and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that the travel corridor could be closed on other European countries at short notice amid fears over a second wave of the coronavirus. Read more
Simy targets Serie B Golden Boot (Punch)
Crotone striker, Simeon Nwankwo, will be hoping to find the back of the net when they face 19th-place Trapani in their final game of the season to improve his chances of ending the season as top scorer in Serie B.
Nwankwo played an important role in helping his side return to the elite division as they are billed to finish second on the league table behind champions Benevento.
The Nigerian, who is Serie B’s current top scorer with 20 goals, is closely followed by Perugia’s Pietro Iemmello on 19 goals. The Italian will be hoping to score when they play 13th-placed Venezia. Read more
Osimhen’s €70m deal with Napoli, a good advertisement for Nigeria, says Adelabu (Guardian)
Former Green Eagles winger, Adegoke Adelabu, says the five-year deal sealed by Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, with Italian club Napoli, is a big advertisement for Nigeria.
Lille will pocket €70 million in the first year, which could rise to €80 million based on performance-related add-ons.
Italian daily, Tuttomercarto tweeted in the early hours of yesterday: “All of the paperwork and contracts have been signed for Victor Osimhen’s move to Napoli. All that’s left to do now is the announcement.”
Osimhen’s €70million deal with Napoli is the most expensive signing in the history of the club and the highest transfer deal of the summer so far. Read more
Newcastle fans ‘confused and heartbroken’ by takeover collapse (BBC)
Newcastle United fans say they are “confused” and “heartbroken” following the collapse of the Saudi Arabian-backed takeover.
A consortium, led by the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), agreed a £300m deal to buy the club from Mike Ashley in April but has now pulled out.
Greg Tomlinson, from the Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust, said “answers are needed from the Premier League”.
Fellow supporter Michelle George said: “It’s left fans devastated.” Read more
Jamie Carragher questions Manchester City’s £41m deal for Nathan Ake (Metro)
Jamie Carragher has questioned Manchester City’s decision to sign another left-footed centre-back in the shape of Nathan Ake after Pep Guardiola’s side reportedly agreed a £41million deal. A host of Premier League clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been linked with signing the Bournemouth defender this summer, though it is City who appear to have won the race. Reports emerged on Thursday claiming a £41m deal has been struck between City and Bournemouth and the transfer will be completed in the coming days. Read more
More will withdraw from US Open after Barty, says Murray (BBC)
Andy Murray thinks more top players will follow Australian women’s world number one Ashleigh Barty in pulling out of next month’s US Open because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
The Grand Slam is set to take place behind closed doors from 31 August at Flushing Meadows in New York.
Barty said there are “still significant risks” in going to the United States.
“I think we will see it quite a bit. It’s everyone’s personal decision,” said Murray, who plans to play. Read more