EFCC hands over Dieziani’s forfeited property to LASG for Isolation Centre (Vanguard)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday handed over a property forfeited by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke, to the Lagos State government for use as an isolation centre for COVID-19 patients.
The property comprising six flats of three bedrooms and a boys’ quarter was forfeited by the former minister, following order of Lagos State Federal High in 2017.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Lagos Zonal Head of the EFCC, Mohammed Rabo stated that the gesture was part of the Commission’s social responsibility efforts towards the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus. Read more
LASEMA curtails Jakande Estate fire that destroyed two flats (Guardian)
Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said it has extinguished a fire outbreak that destroyed two flats at Block 257 Jakande Estate Mile 2.
The fire outbreak attributed to electrical power surge has been completely curtailed with dampening down operation completed through joint efforts of LASEMA and it’s collaborating agencies.
The inferno which consumed two, out of the six flats at Block 257, Jakande Estate in Mile 2, recorded no fatalities, nor injuries due to the timely intervention of LASEMASEMA Response Team, LASEMA Fire Unit, Lagos State and Federal Fire Services. Read more
Sanwo-Olu appoints Shomade as GM LASURA (Nation)
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu has appointed Ajibike Faidat Shomade as the General Manager of the Lagos State Urban Renewal Authority(LASURA).
Shomade is a seasoned planning and development expert and had served the Lagos State Government through the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation(LSDPC) where she rose to the level of General Manager Property and Land Management from 2017 to 2018.
She holds a Masters of Business Administration degree in Management Marketing from Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho and a Higher National Diploma in Town and Regional Planning from the Lagos State Polytechnic. Read more
35 Almajirai recover from COVID-19 in Kaduna (Punch)
Kaduna State Government has discharged 35 almajirai after testing negative twice for the virus.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai, made this known via his Twitter handle.
He said the state now has 47 active COVID-19 cases
El-Rufai tweeted, “35 more patients, all of them almajirai, have been discharged having tested negative. The state now has 47 active COVID-19 cases, having discharged 63 persons and recorded four fatalities.” Read more
Nigerians abroad to pay N297,600 for isolation stay before evacuation (DailyTrust)
Nigerians wanting to be brought back into the country must pay an extra N297,600 on their flight tickets to cover their stay in isolation, the foreign affairs ministry has said. Nigerian missions abroad have been asked to inform Nigerians abroad and willing to be repatriated of the required extra payment before evacuation. Foreign affairs spokesman Ferdinand Nwonye confirmed the new guidelines. Meanwhile, the federal government is footing the quarantine bill for 600 Nigerians already evacuated from the UAE, Britain and the US, said Nwonye. Read more
Missing seven-year-old girl found dead inside co-tenant’s vehicle (Nation)
There was pandemonium at Olujoda area of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital on Thursday night when the corpse of a 7-year -old girl, Olagoke Morire, was found dead inside a vehicle owned by a co-tenant.
The Nation gathered that Morire and his twin sister, Olagoke Mokore were with their cousin in their apartment before they went out to buy biscuits.
The mother of the deceased Kehinde Ajayi said her daughter got missing around 1:15pm after Mokore left her in the compound to search for her money she forgot in the room. Read more
Man to die by hanging for killing own mother, 2 sisters (DailyTrust)
A high court in Zamfara has sentenced a man to death by hanging for killing his mother and two sisters.
Kamal Yusuf and two others—Armayau Shehu and Caleb Humphrey—were arraigned before the court on three counts, but Humphrey died in prison awaiting trial.
The charges against them include conspiracy, armed robber and culpable homicide. Read more
11 ISWAP terrorists surrendered in Adamawa – Army (Punch)
The Defence Headquarters has disclosed that 11 members Islamic States of West Africa Province terrorists have surrendered to the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole in North East.
The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, disclosed this while giving updates on the operations of the Armed Forces of Nigeria at a news conference on Friday in Abuja.
Enenche said the troops had also continued to launch an onslaught on the terrorists from both land and air fronts leading to the killing of scores of the terrorists in recent time.
He explained that the 11 ISWAP fighters surrendered to troops on May 11 in Adamawa, adding that the repentant insurgents were being profiled for further action. Read more
Outrage over abducted and assaulted Zimbabwean female opposition politicians (Vanguard)
Three female opposition members were this week abducted leading to an outcry and diplomatic concerns raised by the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.
On Friday (May 15) all three were found having been assaulted and abandoned along a road, the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change confirmed in a tweet.
The three included a sitting lawmaker, MP Joanna Mamombe and youth leaders Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marov. They were reportedly arrested on Wednesday while they held a demonstration over the government’s COVID-19 response. Read more
Coronavirus vaccine: Macaque monkey trial offers hope (BBC)
A vaccine against coronavirus appears to have provided protection against the disease Covid-19 in six rhesus macaque monkeys.
It gives early hope for the vaccine, which is now undergoing human clinical trials.
There is no guarantee this result will translate to people, though.
A group of monkeys was exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The six animals that were vaccinated had less of the virus in their lungs and airways. Read more
World leaders advocate for ‘free of charge for all’ COVID-19 vaccine (Guardian)
About 140 past and present world leaders have urged that any eventual COVID-19 vaccines and treatments should be made available to the world free of charge.
President of South Africa and Chair of the African Union, Cyril Ramaphosa, Nigeria former president Olusegun Obasanjo and the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom were among more than 140 signatories of the open letter.
The world leaders in the open letter demand that all vaccines, treatments and tests be patent-free, mass-produced, distributed fairly and made available to all people, in all countries, free of charge. Read more
UN warns against hasty lockdown lifting as global death toll tops 300,000 (RT)
The global death toll in the Covid-19 pandemic has crossed 300,000, hitting another dark milestone as the United Nations voiced concerns that lockdown measures are being lifted too quickly, warning of a “second wave” of the virus.
Surpassing a total of 300,000 fatalities and nearing 4.5 million cases globally on Thursday, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University, the worldwide viral outbreak continues to expand across some 188 nations, infecting tens of thousands every day. The latest figures came on the heels of a new warning from the UN’s Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, who said countries that repeal containment policies too fast risk a resurgence of the virus. Read more
Israel gets first Ethiopia-born minister, in Pnina Tamano-Shata (BBC)
Israel is set to get its first Ethiopia-born minister, with the nomination of a female MP brought there in a secret operation in the 1980s.
Pnina Tamano-Shata has been chosen by incoming deputy prime minister Benny Gantz, who is forming a unity government with PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
The new government is expected to be sworn in on Sunday after a delay over ministerial appointments.
Israel’s Ethiopian-Jewish community often complains of discrimination. Read more
Britney Spears shows off bikini body after quarantine workout is revealed (PageSix)
Britney Spears is soaking up the sun during quarantine and looking sizzling while doing it.
The 38-year-old pop star posted a photo of herself sunbathing in her pool on Thursday wearing only a tiny bikini.
“Such a beautiful day !!!!” she captioned the slideshow, which also featured her boyfriend, Sam Asghari. “God bless 👔👗!!!!!”
Asghari, 26, posted the same photos and jokingly captioned them, “Who did it better? I choose @britneyspears.” Read more
Finidi named in La Liga’s African Best XI (Punch)
Former Real Betis star, Finidi George, has been named among the all-time African Best XI footballers in the Spanish La Liga.
In a list compiled by SuperSport and posted along with a video on their Twitter handle, the former winger was the only Nigerian who made the cut in a selection largely dominated by the Cameroonians (4).
Finidi joined the Andalusian club in 1996 from Dutch giants Ajax and was amazing in his first season, helping the side to fourth place on the log.
The 49-year-old also helped the Spanish club reach the final of the Copa del Rey in his debut season but his goal was not enough to prevent them from a 3-2 extra-time defeat to Barcelona. Read more
Lionel Messi says coronavirus break could benefit players (RT)
Lionel Messi has admitted that the coronavirus lockdown was difficult, but believes the stoppage of football may end up acting as a positive.
The Argentine and his Barcelona team-mates have been forced to self-isolate after all La Liga games and Spanish second division matches were postponed in a desperate bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
And with the Catalan club just two points clear of Real Madrid, Messi knows he will have to keep training if he wants to be in tip-top shape should the season resume. Read more
Flick doubts Bayern’s fitness ahead of Bundesliga restart (Guardian)
Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick admitted on Friday that he is unsure whether his players are match fit ahead of the Bundesliga restart this weekend.
Defending champions Bayern hold a four-point lead ahead of Sunday’s game at Union Berlin, as German football returns behind closed doors following a two-month suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Bayern, like Germany’s other clubs, only received the go-ahead to resume full team training last week. Read more
Tennis extends coronavirus suspension: ATP and WTA Tours on further hold (BBC)
Professional tennis on the ATP and WTA tours has been suspended further because of the coronavirus pandemic.
All ATP tournaments in July have been suspended, including the Hamburg Open – a third-tier 500 level event.
WTA events in Bastad, Bucharest, Lausanne and Jurmala have been called off, with similar events in Palermo and Karlsruhe set to follow.
The US Open, which takes place in New York at the end of August, remains pencilled in for that date. Read more
Kane wants assurances before Premier League returns (Guardian)
England captain Harry Kane says players are waiting for safety guidance from the Premier League after the government said it was “opening the door” for the return of football next month.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said Thursday’s meeting with the Football Association, Premier League and English Football League had “progressed plans for the resumption of the professional game in England”.
The Premier League hopes for a return to action on June 12, with matches played behind closed doors. Read more
I want a competent coach for Eagles – Dare (Punch)
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says the Super Eagles deserve a world-class coach.
In a video made available to The PUNCH, Dare refused to rule out current Eagles head coach, Gernot Rohr, from the national team job, but insisted that whoever was appointed must be competent.
Franco-german Rohr’s contract expires in June, with the gaffer and the Nigeria Football Federation yet to sign a contract extension. Read more