Despite COVID-19 disruptions, Lagos IGR hits N212.5bn in 7 months (ThisDay)
Notwithstanding the biting effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the internally generated revenue (IGR) of Lagos State grew to about N212.5 billion in the first seven months of 2020. This represents a 4.5 per cent or N9.1 billion increase, compared with N203.4 billion realised by the state in the first seven months of 2019.
Executive Chairman of Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Mr. Hamzat Subair, disclosed the latest revenue earning during an interview with THISDAY in Lagos.
Subair said in January the state generated about N34.5 billion; whereas the target for the month was N42 billion. The amount realised in January was the highest monthly revenue generated by the LIRS since its establishment, he revealed. Read more
UNILAG: New VC, Soyombo, accepts removal (Punch)
Following the Federal Government’s directive on Friday that the University of Lagos Senate should nominate an acting vice-chancellor, the newly appointed acting vice-chancellor, Prof Omololu Soyombo, has stepped down.
The governing council, led by pro-chancellor, Dr Wale Babalakin, had appointed Soyombo 10 days ago after it sacked Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.
But Soyombo, in a statement on Saturday, said it was necessary for him to step down because the government had directed the University Senate to nominate an acting vice-chancellor for the university. Read more
Reign of terror in Abuja community (Nation)
Residents of Pegi, a satellite community of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, cannot afford to sleep with both eyes closed on account of the unhealthy security situation in the area.
Situated in Kuje Area Council and boasting a population of about 7,000 people, the community, which is divided into five zones of A to E, is under the administration of the FCT. This is because the satellite community is populated mostly by people who were relocated from Idu, Karimo and Gwagwa communities in 2006 when their houses were demolished by the FCT administration.
According to the residents, Pegi was provided by the government as an alternative settlement with a promise that the necessary infrastructure would be provided for residents. Read more
Aisha Buhari returns from UAE, calls for expansion of health sector capacity (ThisDay)
The First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, who was flown to Dubai for the treatment of a neck disease on July 31, returned to the country yesterday.
Mrs. Buhari, who thanked Nigerians for their love and support while she was away, urged Nigerian healthcare providers to take advantage of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) N100 billion health care credit support facility to expand the frontiers of the health sector.
In a press statement she personally signed yesterday, Mrs. Buhari, who said she had fully recovered, thanked Nigerians for their prayers and good wishes when she was away.
She narrated how the Nigeria Airforce aircraft conveying her back home ran into severe turbulence in the air but which she said they survived through the skill and expertise of the pilot and his crew. Read more
Land-grabbing, theft allegations against Olukoya false –MFM (Punch)
The General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Dr Daniel Olukoya, on Saturday denied the allegation reported in some sections of the media that he stole £150,000.
He also distanced himself from alleged involvement in any fraudulent activities.
While accusing the authors of being bent on churning out malicious stories against him and the church, he itemised seven allegations against him and MFM by an online medium, saying they were unfounded. Read more
DMO refutes corruption allegations, blames disgruntled elements (Vanguard)
The Debt Management Office (DMO), yesterday, refuted allegations of corruption in the organisation.
It said in a statement that as a responsible organization, its processes and procedures always met laid down rules and regulations of the public service in ensuring transparency and accountability, adding that the reported allegation of N1.08 billion corruption in the organization was false.
According to the agency which manages public debt, the report was a distortion and masterminded by those who wanted to misinform the public with the intention of discrediting it. Read more
Vacate your houses, NEMA tells residents in flood prone communities in Kogi (Tribune)
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has advised people living in flood-prone areas in Kogi to get ready to vacate their houses anytime from now.
The agency’s Head of Abuja Area Operation Office, Mr Bitrus Samuel, gave the advice in Lokoja during a sensitisation campaign for people living in flood-prone communities in the state.
He asked the people to start packing their personal effects as the country would soon start experiencing heavy rainfall as predicted by the relevant government agencies. Read more
Babcock varsity holds virtual convocation (Nation)
Babcock University in Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, yesterday held its maiden virtual convocation ceremony due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Its President and Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ademola Tayo, described the virtual convocation ceremony as historical and a defining moment for the institution.
Speaking during the event, in which graduating students and their parents and well-wishers joined in their academic gowns from their homes, Prof. Tayo congratulated the students and the university community for their immense contributions toward the achievements recorded by the institution.
The vice-chancellor said Babcock had no choice but to tap into technology to see the academic session through. Read more
Baba Suwe now used to death rumours – Son (Punch)
A few days ago, news of the death of veteran actor and comedian, Babatunde Omidina, popularly known as Baba Suwe, was topical on social media platforms.
Many of his fans, who became apprehensive about the unconfirmed report, took to social media to ask about the whereabouts of Baba Suwe, especially as it was just a day to his 62nd birthday.
Speaking with Sunday Scoop, his son, Adesola Omidina, said there was no cause for alarm as his father was alive and celebrating his birthday with close friends and family members. He said, ‘’We are grateful to God that my father is alive, that is what really counts for us. We cannot expect his health to be the way it used to be but he’s recovering daily. About death rumours. Baba Suwe is used to it because such rumours are peculiar to important personalities. The same was said about Chief Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi recently. If Obey can be a victim, who then is Baba Suwe? People were calling us all over the world to show their concern. Baba Suwe was not even worried or angry. Such reports are not new to him.’’ Read more
Okowa lauds Primate Okoh for fight against same-sex marriage (Vanguard)
Delta State Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has paid tributes to the retired Primate, Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, and the Most Rev’d Nicholas Okoh for his fight against same-sex marriages.
Okowa gave the commendation on Saturday at the Retirement Thanksgiving Service for Primate Nicholas Okoh which held at the St. Michael’s Anglican Church Owa-Alero, Ika North East Local Government Area of the State.
He said Primate Okoh stood for truth and deserves all the accolades for not succumbing to global pressures on the subject. Read more
Fredie Blom: ‘World’s oldest man’ dies aged 116 in South Africa (BBC)
A South African who was thought to be the oldest man in the world has died at the age of 116.
Fredie Blom’s identity documents showed he was born in Eastern Cape province in May 1904, although that was never verified by Guinness World Records.
When he was teenager, his entire family was wiped out by the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. He went on to survive two world wars and apartheid.
Mr Blom told the BBC in 2018 that there was no special secret to his longevity. Read more
Scientists find COVID-19 coronavirus variant linked to milder infections (CBC)
Researchers in Singapore have discovered a new variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus that causes milder infections, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal this week.
The study showed that COVID-19 patients infected with a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 had better clinical outcomes, including a lower proportion developing low blood oxygen or requiring intensive care.
The study also showed the variant, which has a large deletion in a part of its genome, elicited a more robust immune response. Read more
Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir a step closer to facing war crimes charges (Aljazeera)
Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has announced that the country is ready to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) so those accused of war crimes in Darfur appear before the tribunal, a list that includes deposed President Omar al-Bashir.
Al-Bashir, who has been in jail in Khartoum since he was toppled after mass protests last year, is wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur in a conflict that killed an estimated 300,000 people beginning in 2003.
The government reached a deal with rebel groups in February that all five Sudanese ICC suspects should appear before the court, but Hamdok had not previously publicly affirmed Sudan’s position.
“I reiterate that the government is fully prepared to cooperate with the ICC to facilitate access to those accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Hamdok said in a televised address on the anniversary of his ascent to office on Saturday. Read more
Belarus blocks more than 50 news websites amid large protests over presidential election (CBC)
Authorities in Belarus have blocked more than 50 news media websites reporting on how the country has been shaken by two weeks of protests demanding that authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko resign after 26 years in power.
The Belarusian Association of Journalists reported the shutdowns on Saturday, including sites for the U.S.-funded Radio Liberty and Belsat, a Polish-funded satellite TV channel focusing on neighbouring Belarus.
On Friday, the state publishing house stopped printing two top independent newspapers, the Narodnaya Volya and Komsomolskaya Pravda, citing an equipment malfunction. Read more
US Postal Service: House backs election cash boost (BBC)
The US Postal Service delivered 142.6 billion pieces of mail in 2019
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would inject $25bn (£19bn) into the Postal Service (USPS) ahead of November’s election.
The legislation would also block cuts and changes that critics have said will hamper mail-in voting.
Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi recalled lawmakers from the summer recess to vote on the bill, which she said would protect the USPS.
After the vote, President Trump tweeted the measure was a Democrat ballot scam. Read more
NASA working to isolate space station air leak (NYPost)
NASA is working to isolate a small air leak in the US segment of the International Space Station.
Astronaut Chris Cassidy will join cosmonauts Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin in the Russian Zvezda service module from Friday night into Monday morning, the space agency said, in a statement on its website.
“Since September of 2019, specialists have been tracking a very slow decrease in the International Space Station stack pressure, and are trying to identify the source,” a NASA spokesman told Fox News, via email. “The leak rate has increased slightly from measurements taken in September, 2019, but still is within overall specifications and presents no immediate danger to the crew or space station.” Read more
Coronavirus: Germany puts on crowded concerts to study risks (BBC)
Scientists in Germany have held three pop concerts in a single day to investigate the risks posed by mass indoor events during the pandemic.
About 1,500 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 50 – only a third of the expected number – took part.
But the head of the study, which was carried out in Leipzig by Halle University, said he was “very satisfied” with how the event unfolded.
Singer-songwriter Tim Bendzko agreed to perform at all three successive gigs. Read more
Dillian Whyte stunned by Alexander Povetkin as WBC world-title shot disappears (BBC)
Dillian Whyte’s hopes of a world-title shot were wrecked as Alexander Povetkin twice rose from the canvas to land a knockout win that will stun boxing.
The Russian had been out-boxed for three rounds and was down twice in the fourth as Whyte mixed poise with power.
But just as it looked as if Whyte would close in on a shot at the WBC world heavyweight title, Povetkin produced a devastating left uppercut in the fifth.
Whyte needed treatment but will get a rematch according to Eddie Hearn. Read more
UCL: PSG target first title against Bayern (Punch)
The Estadio da Luz plays host to the 2019-20 Champions League final on Sunday as first-time finalists Paris Saint-Germain take on five-time winners of the competition Bayern Munich.
Both teams comfortably made it through their semi-finals with 3-0 wins over RB Leipzig and Lyon respectively and will now battle to be crowned kings of Europe – a title which would complete an historic treble for either club.
Bayern have been here and done it all before – only Real Madrid can top their tally of 11 European Cup and Champions League finals, while only Madrid, AC Milan and Liverpool have got their hands on the trophy more often. Read more
Andy Murray beats Frances Tiafoe in ATP return (BBC)
Great Britain’s Andy Murray beat America’s Frances Tiafoe in three sets in the Western & Southern Open first round at Flushing Meadows.
Two-time champion Murray won 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 6-1 in his first match of the year to set up a meeting with German fifth seed Alexander Zverev.
The tournament is a warm-up for the US Open at the same venue from 31 August.
In the women’s draw, American Coco Gauff lost in straight sets to Maria Sakkari in the opening round. Read more
Raptors’ Nick Nurse wins NBA coach of the year honours in landslide (CBC)
Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse has been named the NBA coach of the year.
Nurse, who has the Raptors on the verge of the second round of the playoffs, was a runaway winner, receiving 90 first-place votes from a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. He finished with 470 points.
Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer was second after leading the Bucks to the best record in the suspended season, earning 147 points. Oklahoma City’s Billy Donovan (134) was third. Read more
Northern Trust: Dustin Johnson eagles 18th to open up five-shot lead (BBC)
Dustin Johnson produced a sensational final-hole eagle to establish a commanding five-shot lead heading into the final day of the Northern Trust.
The world number four capped a fine round by curling home a superb 40-foot putt on the 18th at TPC Boston.
It saw the 36-year-old follow up Friday’s 60 with a seven-under third-round 63 also featuring six birdies.
Johnson sits on 22 under, five ahead of fellow Americans Harris English, who shot five under, and Scottie Scheffler.
It is the largest 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour this season.
Scheffler’s 59 on Friday made him just the 12th player to shoot under 60 on the PGA Tour.
In his third round, he shot a four-under 67 including a birdie on the 18th, but he lost ground on overnight leader Johnson. Read more
Turkey hosts unique cross-continental swimming race (Aljazeera)
More than 2,000 swimmers from 46 different countries are set to dip into Turkey’s iconic Bosphorus strait, competing in a unique race between Asia and Europe.
The Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race, being held in Istanbul on Sunday, is an annual open water event and is the only official swimming competition in the world to cross between two continents. Read more