Drama as man, family disrupt Lagos church wedding, say bride already married (Punch)
There was confusion on Saturday at the Great Salvation Christian Centre, aka Father’s Church, on Ako Aro Road, in the Ifako-Ijaiye area of Lagos State, after a man, Iberemu Osadebe, disrupted an ongoing wedding in the church.
He claimed that the bride, Gloria, was his wife.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Osadebe had a traditional wedding with Gloria after they had a son together.
He, however, became sick for about five years, during which time he sold most of his property to seek a cure.
The Imo State indigene was said to have later travelled to his hometown in Isiala Mbano, where he continued the treatment.
Our correspondent gathered that he was on the sick bed when he received information that his wife of 20 years would be getting married to another man on Saturday, August 29, 2020. Read more
Lagos Assembly asks Sanwo-Olu to take anti-drug campaign to schools (Vanguard)
The Lagos State House of Assembly has passed a motion calling on Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to immediately embark on anti-drug campaign programmes in secondary schools.
The House made the resolution following the motion by Mr Desmond Elliot (Surulere I) during plenary on Monday.
The motion was titled “A Call on the Lagos State Government to embark on Anti-drug Corruption Campaign in Secondary Schools in the state”.
Elliot said the House observed an increasing rate of drug abuse and alcohol consumption among students of secondary schools.
He said:“It was observed that such an experiment with drugs, alcohol, and tobacco sometimes started from elementary schools and peaked in high schools where its adverse effect is remarkably high on the students. Read more
Court orders arrest of Lagos Prince (Nation)
Justice Sherifat Solebo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of a Lagos Prince, Waheed Gabadamosi Eletu-Odibo and one Yemi Idowu, for their failure to appear before the court for trial.
The defendants are to answer charges bordering on conspiracy, stealing, and unlawful conversion brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Others affected by the order of Justice Sherifat Solebo are their companies: Aircom Nigeria Limited and STB Building Society.
Justice Solebo made the arrest order yesterday while granting an application filed and argued by EFCC prosecuting counsel, Ahmed Yerima.
Eletu-Odibo and Idowu had refused to appear before the court to take their plea on the charges filed against them EFCC. Read more
COVID-19: Lagos health commissioner recovers, tests negative (Vanguard)
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi has tested negative for COVID-19, following the mandatory isolation.
This came barely seven days after he reportedly tested positive on August 24, 2020.
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso announced the latest health status of Prof. Abayomi in a statement on Monday. Read more
Lagos rebuilds damaged fence after chopper crash (Nation)
IN keeping with the promise made by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State government on Monday started rebuilding the fence damaged in the helicopter crash on Friday.
The rebuilding followed an integrity test carried out on the affected buildings.
During his visit to the scene on Saturday, Sanwo-Olu assured owners of damaged properties that the state would fix them. Read more
UNILORIN undergraduate to clear drainage over romance scam (Punch)
A Kwara State High Court on Monday convicted an undergraduate of the University of Ilorin, Ridwan Akinsanya, over a romance scam.
The 400-level student was sentenced to three months of community service by Justice Sikiru Oyinloye.
Akinsanya, according to a statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Dele Oyewale, was arraigned on one count bordering on Internet fraud.
He pleaded guilty to the charge.
The charge read, “That you, Akinsanya Ridwan (a.k.a Alex James) sometime in March 2020 or thereabout at Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, attempted to commit an offence of cheating by impersonation by pretending and representing yourself to be a white man called Alex James to an unsuspecting white woman, Stewart Sonia, on a dating site, called Hangout, as it is contained in your Gmail account:
, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 95 of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria.” Read more
FG secures $6.15bn for Nigeria’s power infrastructure (Vanguard)
The Federal Government has disclosed that it has secured $6.15 billion for infrastructural development in the power sector.
The Minister of Power, Engr. Sale Mamman, who disclosed this in his report – One Year Anniversary: Key achievements–obtained by Energy Vanguard, stated: “I am glad to state that to date, a total sum of $6.15 billion have been secured for infrastructural development. The total sum has been earmarked for the following critical projects: $2.3 billion Siemens, $1.6 billion Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme, $1.7 billion DISP and $550 million NEP (WB/AFDB).
“With the securing of the $6.150 billion in funding, the Federal Ministry of Power, under the present administration, has commenced the implementation of critical infrastructure that will enable the country to achieve generation, transmission and distribution of 25,000mw of electricity by 2025. Read more
Nigeria to harmonise skills development programmes (Guardian)
The Federal Government has instructed the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), and Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) to harmonise all operations related to technical and vocational skills development by all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The Government said the move was to achieve greater success in Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), in line with the ITF Act.
It explained that scaling skills development in the economy calls for harmonisation of operations in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment towards empowering Nigerian youths. Read more
Don’t ambush Nigerians, drop water bill, NLC tells National Assembly (Punch)
The Nigeria Labour Congress has cautioned the National Assembly leadership against resurrecting or passing the Water Resources Bill into law “because of the danger it portends to national unity.”
The congress said the National Assembly should not ambush Nigerians by surreptitiously bringing back the bill, which seeks to vest the control of all water sources across the country in the President.
Recall that there was outrage over the bill in 2018 when the eighth National Assembly was divided over it. Read more
Hotel Rwanda film hero Paul Rusesabagina held on terror charges (Aljazeera)
Paul Rusesabagina – known for saving more than 1,000 people in the hotel he managed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, a story later told into the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda – has been arrested on terror charges.
The Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) said in a statement on Monday the 66-year-old government critic had been arrested abroad in an unnamed location on an international warrant and taken to the country to face charges “of serious crime including terrorism, arson, kidnap and murder”.
The announcement came as officers brought Rusesabagina – in handcuffs and a face mask – to the RIB’s headquarters in the capital, Kigali, where he was shown to the press. Rusesabagina did not speak to the media. Read more
Sudan reaches historic peace deal with rebel groups (France24)
Sudan’s power-sharing government and rebel commanders agreed Monday on a historic peace deal, a crucial step towards ending 17 years of conflict in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed.
Leaders of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), an umbrella organisation of rebel groups from the western region of Darfur and the southern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, raised their fists in celebration after inking the agreement.
The deal, reached in the South Sudanese capital Juba, offers rebel groups political representation and devolved powers, integration into the security forces, economic and land rights and the chance of return for displaced people. Read more
Climate change creating vast new glacial lakes, with risk of ‘gargantuan’ floods, researcher says (CBC)
Meltwater from shrinking glaciers is creating vast lakes that could eventually pose an enormous flooding threat, says newly published research.
“Unsurprisingly, we found those lakes are growing,” said Dan Shugar, a geographer at the University of Calgary. “What was surprising was how much.”
The fact that glaciers around the world are shrinking due to climate change is well established. What hasn’t been so well studied is where all that water is going. Read more
Hamas says deal reached to end escalation of violence with Israel (Aljazeera)
Hamas, the Palestinian group running the besieged Gaza Strip, has announced it has reached a Qatari-mediated deal to end the latest escalation of violence with Israel.
After talks with Qatari envoy Mohammed el-Emadi, “an understanding was reached to rein in the latest escalation and end [Israeli] aggression against our people”, the office of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar said on Monday.
The Israeli army has carried out attacks on Gaza almost daily since August 6 in what it says is a response to the airborne incendiary devices and, less frequently, rockets launched into southern Israel. Read more
Saudi king sacks defence officials (BBC)
A number of Saudi officials, including two members of the royal family, have been sacked.
A royal decree said Saudi King Salman had relieved Prince Fahad bin Turki of his role as commander of joint forces in the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
His son, Abdulaziz bin Fahad, was also removed as a deputy governor.
The men, along with four other officials, face an investigation into “suspicious financial dealings” at the Ministry of Defence, the decree said. Read more
French President Macron calls on Lebanon to swiftly form new government (France24)
French President Emmanuel Macron called on Monday for the swift formation of government to lead crisis-hit Lebanon, following the designation of a new prime minister.
Speaking on his arrival at Beirut airport, Macron said a new line-up should be agreed “as soon as possible” to rescue the country, which is reeling from the deadly August 4 port explosion, an economic collapse and the coronavirus pandemic.
Macron arrived in Beirut hours after Lebanese leaders named diplomat Mustapha Adib as the new prime minister on Monday under French pressure, and will press for reforms aimed at dragging the Middle East nation out of a financial abyss. Read more
Tenet scores impressive opening weekend with $50m at global box office despite the pandemic (Metro)
Tenet didn’t let the coronavirus pandemic hold it back as it raked in $50 million (£37.5m) over its opening weekend.
Movie fans are slowly returning to cinemas and Christopher Nolan blockbuster Tenet – which stars John David Washington and Robert Pattinson – is a great way to move past lockdown. In the UK specifically, Tenet took in $7.1 million (£5.4m) as the first Hollywood film to be released in cinemas since lockdown began in March.
It is the biggest box office take for a film in the UK in seven months, since Sam Mendes’s 1917 in January. Read more
Nigeria miss out on online para-powerlifting World Cup (Punch)
Technical Director of the Nigerian Para-powerlifting Federation, Joy Mayaki, says the inability of athletes to train is the reason the country didn’t participate at the World Para-powerlifting Online World Cup, which took place on Monday via Facebook.
The Online World Cup is the first Paralympics competition created during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a bid to keep athletes active and motivated at home and also to celebrate a year before the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
A total of 54 athletes from 21 countries submitted videos to participate in the competition, with Benin, Cape Verde, Egypt, Lithuania and Spain making their debuts. Read more
US Open 2020: Coco Gauff loses to Anastasija Sevastova in first round (BBC)
American teenager Coco Gauff’s hopes of another dream Grand Slam run were ended in the US Open first round after a lacklustre performance in a defeat by 31st seed Anastasija Sevastova.
A second-set resurgence looked to put Gauff, 16, on track for victory against the Latvian but she lost 6-3 5-7 6-4.
World number 51 Gauff reached the third round at her home Grand Slam in 2019, soon after making Wimbledon’s last 16.
Meanwhile, top seed Karolina Pliskova and sixth seed Petra Kvitova advanced. Read more
Sky’s Courtney Vandersloot dishes WNBA-record 18 assists in win over Fever (CBC)
It was a record breaking night for Courtney Vandersloot.
The Chicago guard set the WNBA single-game record with 18 assists, helping the Sky beat the Indiana Fever 100-77 on Monday night.
Vandersloot tied the record, held by Ticha Penicheiro, at 16 on a drive to the basket, drawing two defenders and finding Ruthy Hebard under the hoop for a 89-74 lead with 3:22 remaining.
“I thought this record was untouchable Ticha set the bar very, very high,” Vandersloot said. Read more
Lionel Messi fails to show up for Barcelona training (Metro)
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi failed to show for training on Monday as he no longer considers himself a player of the club.
The 33-year-old handed in a transfer request seven days ago and informed the club that he no longer wished to play for them.
Messi has threatened to leave in the past but never in such a formal manner and he failed to turn up for PCR tests at the club’s training ground on Sunday night. Read more
Veteran Swedish footballer Ibrahimovic announces he will play on at AC Milan (France24)
Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is to stay at AC Milan for another season in a bid to help the once-mighty side end their long wait for a major trophy and return to the Champions League, the Italian club said on Monday.
The charismatic Swede, who will be 39 in October, returned for a second stint at Milan in January on a six-month contract and inspired an upturn in form as they finished last season with a 13-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
That lifted them to sixth place in Serie A and booked them a place in the Europa League qualifying rounds.
“AC Milan is delighted to announce that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has renewed his contract with the club until June 30, 2021,” said a statement. Read more
US Open: Cameron Norrie beats Diego Schwartzman in five sets in New York (BBC)
Britain’s Cameron Norrie fought back from two sets down to earn a memorable win over Argentine ninth seed Diego Schwartzman on day one of the US Open.
Norrie, ranked 76th, looked set for a routine defeat before turning it around to win 3-6 4-6 6-2 6-1 7-5 in New York.
Both struggled to hold serve in a match with 58 break points, Norrie saving two match points in the decider before winning in almost four hours.
Kyle Edmund also came from behind to beat Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik. Read more