Don’t spread fake news about COVID-19 vaccines, says Sanwo-Olu (Guardian)
Lagos State government, yesterday, kicked off the rollout, distribution, and administration of COVID-19 vaccines at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba.
The state took delivery of the first consignment of 507,000 vaccines allocated to it by the Federal Government on Tuesday.
Speaking after receiving its COVID-19 vaccination jab at the infection Disease Centre at 3:03 pm, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu implored residents to stop spreading fake information about the vaccination.
He said he did not feel any pain after receiving the jab, encouraging Lagos residents to come forward to take their vaccine. Read more
Govs, frontline workers get jabs in Lagos, Ogun, Delta, others (Punch)
The Lagos, Ogun, Delta, Enugu and Akwa Ibom state governments on Friday commenced the vaccination of frontline health workers in the state against the deadly coronavirus as part of efforts to reduce the spread of the pandemic.
This is just as the Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his Delta counterpart, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, received the first jab of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Also, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and Governor AbdulRamon AbdulRazaq took their first jabs. Read more
Police parade 101 armed robbery suspects, others in Kano (Vanguard)
The Police Command in Kano State has arrested 101 armed robbery suspects and other suspects in the past three weeks in the state.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Sama’ila Dikko, said this while parading the suspects on Friday in Kano.
Dikko said the suspects were arrested at different times and locations in the state between Feb. 26 and March 12 under Operation Puff Adder.
He explained that those arrested included 27 armed robbery suspects, 14 suspected kidnappers, six suspected fraudsters, three suspected drug dealers, five suspected car thieves and 46 suspected thugs. Read more
Petrol price hike: Queues persist despite reversal (Guardian)
In what appeared to be the most uncoordinated situation by agencies under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, headed by President Muhammadu Buhari, confusion, panic-buying and an attempt to profiteer by marketers ruled the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol, yesterday, following a template released by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), which increased petrol pump price to N212.68 per litre.
Long queues, traffic jam, an increase in the cost of transportation and the immediate shutdown of most petrol stations were the result of the situation across most parts of the country. However, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and PPPRA tried to manage the situation, insisting that the pump price remained unchanged.
Sylva, who gave the assurance while addressing newsmen in Lagos, yesterday, said: “Irrespective of the source of that information, I want to assure you that it is completely untrue. Read more
2 killed as hoodlums attack Ibadan masquerader (Punch)
Pandemonium broke out in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Thursday evening as hoodlums attacked the popular masquerader called Oloolu in the city.
Our correspondent gathered that two persons were killed while one was missing as gun-wielding hoodlums waylaid the masquerader and his followers in the Oje area.
It was learnt that although the Oloolu usually goes out around July, the masquerader went out on Thursday around 6pm to make some rituals to appease the gods so that rain could fall. Read more
Katsina: Gunmen abduct 30 passengers, as police differ on incident (Guardian)
Gunmen have abducted 50 passengers late Thursday night along the Kankara-Sheme road, in Katsina state.
The passengers, traveling to Sokoto for an Islamic event, were abducted and taken into the dreaded Rugu forest. According to a source, the passengers were traveling in two big buses for the annual Maulud celebration, when the gunmen double-crossed them. 20 of the 50 persons abducted were later released and it is unclear if family members of the rest have been contacted for a ransom payment. This comes two days after gunmen abducted over 60 women, including teenage girls, in three villages at Sabuwa Local Government Area. While 55 women were kidnapped in Katsalle village, 10 women were abducted in Unguwar Tukur and Layin Mai Keke villages.
State House of Assembly member repressing the area, Danladi Machika, reportedly said that the gunmen demanded for N7 million before they released 24 of the 65 abducted women, even as he lamented frequent attacks and abductions of residents of his constituency. Read more
Scavenger in court for allegedly causing public nuisance (Vanguard)
The Police in Abuja on Friday arraigned a 20-year-old scavenger, Kabiru Ibrahim, in a Zuba Upper Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, for allegedly constituting a public nuisance.
The police charged Ibrahim for Kagiri Village Gwagwa Abuja, for constituting a public nuisance within Kagiri.
The prosecutor, Chinedu Ogada, told the court that the vigilance group of Nigeria Kagiri branch, at about 10 pm on March 5, arrested and handed Ibrahim over to police.
Ogada said that Ibrahim was caught in a black spot with a cutlass and other dangerous weapons, thereby constituting a nuisance and posing as a danger to the public. Read more
Controversy: NSA claims arms funds missing, recants under pressure (Punch)
Controversy ensued on Friday after the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd.), alleged that $1bn funds meant to purchase arms to tackle insurgency during the ex-service chiefs’ tenure got missing.
This comes over a month after the ex-service chiefs’ resignation and replacement by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).
The ex-service chiefs are the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin (retd.); Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai (retd.); Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas (retd.); and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (retd.).
They resigned from their positions on January 26 after intense calls by many Nigerians over their perceived failure to tackle widespread insecurity across the country. Read more
COVID-19 pandemic: Italy to shut shops and schools amid infection spike (BBC)
Shops, restaurants and schools will be closed across most of Italy on Monday, with PM Mario Draghi warning of a “new wave” of the coronavirus outbreak.
For three days over Easter, 3-5 April, there will be a total shutdown.
Italy, which one year ago imposed one of the first national lockdowns, is once again struggling to contain the rapid spread of infections.
The country has reported more than 100,000 Covid-related deaths, Europe’s second highest tally after the UK. Read more
Vietnam Detains Man Over Facebook Posts on Politics, Human Rights (VOA)
Police in Vietnam’s northern Ninh Binh province this week arrested a 61-year-old man who used Facebook to post articles on human rights and corruption and who had recently declared his intention to run in the National Assembly.
Tran Quoc Khanh was detained March 9 on accusations of using Facebook Live to “distort information against the State, causing public confusion.” The Provincial Public Security website said he will be held in pretrial detention for four months. If convicted, he faces up to 12 years in prison.
Khanh, who has more than 4,700 friends following his account, used the social media site to post about human rights abuses, allegations of corruption by state officials, and Vietnam’s territorial dispute with China over the South China Sea — a region containing a key shipping route, fishing grounds and natural resources. Read more
Include Taliban in interim Afghan administration, says Russia (AlJazeera)
Afghan security officials stand guard on a checkpoint Lashkargah after the Taliban launched an attack on the capital of southwestern Helmand province in Afghanistan [File: Watan Yar/EPA]
12 Mar 2021
Russia said on Friday that the Taliban should be included in any Afghan interim administration, before a conference in Moscow aimed at supporting peace talks between the group and Afghanistan’s government.
Moscow is set to host a conference on Afghanistan on March 18 and has invited several regional players, including Taliban representatives.
The meeting is seen as the Kremlin’s latest effort to cement its role as a broker in the conflict, decades after the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan ended.
It comes at a crucial time for the peace process before a May 1 deadline for foreign troops to withdraw from Afghanistan. Read more
Thousands defy night curfew to attend vigil in Yangon (Vanguard)
Thousands of people gathered in Yangon to attend a vigil on Friday evening despite a night-time curfew and the growing threat of violence from security forces, as protests continue against the military coup.
People came to the Hedlan district of Yangon, many holding candles, according to The Irrawaddy newspaper and other local media. Others carried posters demanding the release of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Nyi Min, a protester from Hledan in the Kamayut township said he and others were rallying peacefully. “This huge crowd is praying for the fallen souls during the revolution against the military coup, who fought for justice,” he told dpa. Read more
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez end engagement after 2 years: Reports (USAToday)
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez have called it quits.
The former power couple has split following their two-year engagement, according to People magazine and E! News. Page Six first reported the news.
Lopez, 51, and Rodriguez, 45, were last seen together in public at Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay, Florida in February, one year after Lopez headlined the 2020 Super Bowl LIV halftime show with Shakira in Miami. The couple also shared a kiss at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in January, where Lopez sang a mash-up of “This Land is Your Land,” “America the Beautiful” and her own hit “Let’s Get Loud.”
Lopez is currently in the Dominican Republic shooting the romantic comedy, “Shotgun Wedding.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Lopez and Rodriguez’s reps for comment. Read more
AstraZeneca vaccine okay, says World Health Organisation (ThisDay)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday advised countries to continue administering the AstraZeneca vaccine, stating that it was safe and effective.
The global health organisation’s advice is in response to the suspension of the vaccine’s use by 10 European countries, following claims of blood clot associated with its use.
However, the spokesperson of WHO, Dr. Margaret Harris, said in a virtual press conference yesterday that they were aware of “blood clot concerns linked to a specific batch of AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine.”
Harris said, “As of 9 March, there have been over 268 million doses of vaccine delivered since the start of the pandemic. Read more
US grants Myanmar nationals relief from deportation after coup (AlJazeera)
The Biden administration will grant temporary deportation relief and work permits to Myanmar citizens living in the United States because of the military’s crackdown following the February 1 coup, senior administration officials said on Friday.
The decision means about 1,600 Myanmar nationals already in the US, including diplomats who have broken with Myanmar’s junta, will be eligible for Temporary Protected Status for 18 months, two officials told Reuters.
The program grants immigrants who cannot return to their countries safely, for reasons such as natural disasters or armed conflict, the ability to stay and work in the United States legally for a defined period that can be renewed. Read more
Players Championship: Lee Westwood leads from Matt Fitzpatrick at Sawgrass (BBC)
England’s Lee Westwood hit a sensational bogey-free six-under 66 to move into the halfway lead at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
Westwood leads on nine under, one ahead of compatriot Matt Fitzpatrick (68), with Sergio Garcia (72) and Chris Kirk (65) a further shot back in Florida.
Bryson DeChambeau carded a three-under 69 and is one of six on six under.
Rory McIlroy missed the cut after following a seven-over 79 with a 75 in round two to finish on 10 over par. Read more
My target is to reposition global football – Pinnick (Punch)
Newly elected member of FIFA Council, Amaju Pinnick, has promised to help reposition football globally, Saturday PUNCH reports.
Pinnick secured a seat in the FIFA Council defeating Walter Nyamilandu by 43 votes to eight at the Confederation of African Football’s 43rd General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco on Friday.
He becomes the third Nigerian to be elected into the council after Oyo Orok Oyo (1980-1988) and Amos Adamu (2006-2010). Read more
Lazio struggle past Crotone as Bayern salvage job looms (Guardian)
Lazio beat rock-bottom Crotone 3-2 in the Italian top flight on Friday, just days ahead of facing Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Simone Inzaghi’s team is already 4-1 down to the defending European champions after the first leg of their last 16 tie.
Despite Friday’s win, Lazio is still only seventh in Serie A, while Crotone is anchored to the foot of the table seven points adrift of safety.
Lazio took the game to the Stadio Olimpico visitors but was pegged back the first two times they went ahead.
A cool finish from the six-yard line from Sergei Milinkovic-Savic on 14 minutes gave Lazio the lead before Nigerian forward Simeon Tochukwu Nwankano levelled. Read more
Newcastle snatch dramatic late draw with Aston Villa (BBC)
Jamaal Lascelles scored in stoppage time to rescue a point for relegation-threatened Newcastle following a dramatic finale against Aston Villa at St James’ Park.
A largely dull encounter had looked destined to end goalless before Ollie Watkins’ header deflected off Ciaran Clark and went in off the underside of the bar to put Villa ahead with just minutes remaining.
But Newcastle snatched a point when Lascelles headed in Jacob Murphy’s cross in the last action of the game.
It was arguably a deserved equaliser for the hosts, who had been the better side for much of the game but just lacked quality in the final third.
They had also hit the bar through Murphy moments before Villa had taken the lead. Read more
Simy breaks Martins’ Serie A goals record (Punch)
Crotone striker Simy Nwankwo bagged a brace against Lazio in their 3-2 defeat on Friday to emerge as Nigeria’s top-scorer ever in the Italian Serie A, Saturday PUNCH reports.
Simy equalised twice from Crotone’s first two efforts on target, cancelling out first-half goals from Milinkovic-Savic and Luis Alberto in the 29th and 50th minutes.
But a goal from substitute Felipe Caicedo five minutes from time secured a hard-fought win for Lazio at the Olimpico stadium. Read more
South Africa’s Motsepe elected president of CAF (Vanguard)
Sole candidate Patrice Motsepe was confirmed as Confederation of African Football (CAF) president in Rabat Friday, and the South African mining magnate pleaded for unity as he seeks to fix the troubled organisation.
“Africa needs collective wisdom, but also the exceptional talent and wisdom of every (national football association) president and every member nation,” Motsepe said.
“When we all work together, football in Africa will experience success and growth that it has not enjoyed in the past.”Motsepe said there was a “sense of extreme urgency” to “stabilise the financial position of CAF”. However, he also put the emphasis on improving the performances of African teams on the global stage. Read more