Explosion averted as tankers collide, spills content on Otedola bridge (Guardian)
Another explosion was yesterday averted at the popular Otedola Bridge on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway when loaded tankers laden with kerosene and diesel had a head-on collision in-ward Berger and spilt its contents on the highway. The disaster on the bridge famous for tanker explosion was averted by the prompt response of emergency responders.
The incident occurred at about 8:00 a.m. inward Berger bus stop, which subsequently led to severe traffic gridlock. As a result of the accident, road users were urged to avoid the area and make use of alternative routes to get to their destinations.
According to an eyewitness account, the accident involved two petroleum tankers on top speed jostling for the Right of Way. Read more
Curfew: Lagos police chief Odumosu shuts out journalists (Nation)
Many media executives in Lagos returning home from work were on Monday night shut out for hours on the instruction of Lagos State Commissioner of Police Hakeem Odumosu.
On the first day of the 8pm to 6am curfew imposed by President Muhamadu Buhari as part of measures to curtail the spread of coronavirus, the police chief personally mounted a road block on Gbagada Expressway, Mainland Lagos, from around 8.30pm.
He declined for a long time to allow passage for people on essential duty including journalists, despite protestation and pleas.
He declared that essential workers are not allowed movement during curfew, claiming that there were exceptions only during the lockdown. Read more
COVID-19: Lagos battles shortage of reagents, FCT runs out of test kits (Punch)
Merchants now treat chemical as if it’s gold, says state government
Kano lacks adequate manpower for surveillance, contact tracing – PTF
Adelani Adepegba, Leke Baiyewu, Tobi Aworinde, Dayo Ojerinde, Tukur Muntari, Chima Azubuike and Armstrong Bakam
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 at the House of Representatives on Tuesday said Kano State had become the epicentre of coronavirus in the North.
The PTF Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; who led other members of the task force, including the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, disclosed this while briefing the House on the war against the virus in the country. Read more
Lagos to blacklist contractors, firms flouting COVID-19 guidelines at construction sites (Guardian)
The Lagos State government yesterday said it will not hesitate to blacklist any contractor or firm found flouting COVID-19 guidelines at construction sites.
The Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, who disclosed this said the information has already been cascaded to all contractors and professionals working at its various housing schemes across the state.
He enjoined all contractors and other professionals on-site at its various housing schemes to comply strictly with the recently released COVID-19 Guidelines on Construction Sites in Lagos State. Read more
Lagos gets N82.5m ambulance (Nation)
The Lebanese community in Lagos on Tuesday donated eight truck-loads of food items and an ambulance valued at N82.5 million to the Lagos State government.
The items are meant to help the state cushion the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on the residents.
The food items included 1,848 cartons of Aquafina water, 105 cartons of sanitisers, 350 cartons of noodles, 100 cartons of 1kg rice, 120 cartons of margarine, 1,000 cartons of supreme noodles, 1,667 cartons of biscuits, 300 cartons of chips, soya oil, 1,000 cartons of Semovita and 1,000 cartons of spaghetti, among many others. Read more
NDLEA arrests 18 suspected drug traffickers at Lagos airport (Guardian)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) command, Lagos State, said it arrested 18 suspected drug traffickers in first quarter of 2020.
NDLEA commander at the airport, Garba Ahmadu, said 18 suspected drug traffickers, comprising 17 males and one female, were arrested at the airport between January and March 2020, out of which, nine have been convicted.
Ahmadu said 272.532kg of hard drugs were seized in the same period. The narcotics include cocaine (25.053kg), cannabis sativa (5.580kg), ephedrine (16.811kg), tramadol (158.600kg), nitrazepam tablets (24.488kg) and diazepam injection (42.000kg). Read more
Drivers who violate lockdown order will forfeit vehicles to Ekiti govt – Fayemi (DailyTrust)
Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State The Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has warned that any vehicle that violates the lockdown directive during the COVID-19 pandemic will, henceforth, be forfeited to the state government. This was contained in COVID-19 implementation guidelines the state government released on Monday, signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Biodun Oyebanji, as Gov Fayemi eased the lockdown imposed on the state. Reading the guidelines at the COVID-19 media update yesterday, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Muyiwa Olumilua, said interstate travels remained prohibited, while defaulting vehicles would be seized and forfeited to the state government. Read more
COVID-19: 34 doctors in Kano test positive, one dies (Vanguard)
The Kano State Chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), on Tuesday, said that 34 doctors have tested positive to the novel coronavirus in the state.
The NMA Chairman, Dr Sanusi Bala, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano that one of the confirmed cases has died.
Bala explained that many of the victims were the doctors working at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) and other private clinics in the state.
According to him, many of them were infected through normal clinical routines while attending to unsuspected COVID-19 cases. Read more
US Supreme Court says Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized with infection (CBC)
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized Tuesday with an infection caused by a gallstone, the US Supreme Court said.
The 87-year-old justice underwent non-surgical treatment for what the court described as acute cholecystitis, a benign gall bladder condition, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
She expects to be in the hospital for a day or two, the court said. Read more
France to limit international travel this summer, Macron says (France24)
French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that it was unlikely that French people would be able to undertake major foreign trips this summer and that even trips within Europe may have to be limited in order to reduce the risk of a resurgence of the coronavirus epidemic.
“It is too soon to say whether we can take holidays. What I can say is that we will limit major international travel, even during the summer holidays. We will stay amoung Europeans and, depending on how the epidemic evolves, we might have to reduce that a little more. We will know early June,” Macron told reporters during a visit to a school outside Paris. Read more
Abbco Tower: Fire engulfs skyscraper in UAE city of Sharjah (BBC)
A fire has engulfed a skyscraper in Sharjah, one of the largest cities in the United Arab Emirates, showering debris on cars in the streets below.
Dozens of firefighters worked to put out the blaze in the Abbco Tower using at least a dozen fire engines and drones, a local journalist reports.
They are now trying to cool the 48-floor building down.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or of the likely cause of the fire. Read more
France records 330 Covid-19 deaths in 24 hours, highest in six days (France24)
The number of people who died from Covid-19 in France increased by 330 to 25,531 on Tuesday, the sharpest rate of increase in six days, government data showed.
France’s health ministry said the number of people in intensive care units fell to 3,430 from 3,696 on Monday, down for a 27th consecutive day.
The number of people in hospital with coronavirus also fell again to 25,775 from 25,548, also continuing a now uninterrupted three-week fall.
Lockdown easing starts May 11
France is set to begin easing its lockdown on May 11, when people will be allowed to move up to 100 kilometres (60 miles) around their residence without a justification form. Movement beyond 100 kms will still need a justification form. Read more
Scientists explain magnetic pole’s wanderings (BBC)
The North Magnetic Pole has moved rapidly in recent years away from Canada towards Russia.
European scientists think they can now describe with confidence what’s driving the drift of the North Magnetic Pole.
It’s shifted in recent years away from Canada towards Siberia.
And this rapid movement has required more frequent updates to navigation systems, including those that operate the mapping functions in smartphones.
A team, led from Leeds University, says the behaviour is explained by the competition of two magnetic “blobs” on the edge of the Earth’s outer core. Read more
Tom Cruise ‘working with Elon Musk and Nasa to shoot film in space’ (Metro)
In news that might shock absolutely no one, Tom Cruise is apparently teaming up with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) to shot a film in space, according to reports. The Top Gun star and SpaceX – Elon’s aerospace manufacturing organisation founded in 2002 – are said to be working with Nasa on a project that would be, if pulled off (and actually happening), the first narrative movie to be filmed in outer space. This coming from the man who taught himself how to fly a fighter jet, when it comes to Tom Cruise, honestly anything is possible. Read more
Ighalo reveals Solskjaer’s criticism that aided his improvement at Man United (Guardian)
Odion Ighalo has opened up on how the advice he has received from Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made him a better player, reports mirror.co.uk.
Ighalo moved to Old Trafford in the January window on loan from Shanghai Shenhua to provide cover for injured striker Marcus Rashford. And the 30-year-old has settled quickly with his boyhood club, scoring four goals and providing one assist in his first eight games for the Red Devils.
The former Nigeria forward credits his improving performances to the advice he has received from Solskjaer – who knows a thing or two about finding the back of the net in United colours. Read more
Chukwueze undergoes COVID-19 test for LaLiga return (Nation)
Ahead of eagerly-awaited return of the Spanish LaLiga, Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze has undergone the mandatory Coronavirus test along with his Villarreal teammates.
On Monday, La Liga confirmed that Spain’s footballers will go back to training this week being the first step in a month-long process towards a return to competition. The hope is that First and Second Division games can begin in mid-June.
Since COVID-19 enforced suspension of the LaLiga, the 21-year-old former FIFA U-17 World Cup winner had been training at home under the strict regimen provided by his Spanish side but reckons he is at the ready to ruffle more feathers when the LaLiga resumes. Read more
Marbella hotel shoulders blame for Novak Djokovic breaking Spanish lockdown regulations (Metro)
A Marbella resort has shouldered the blame for Novak Djokovic breaking lockdown regulations amid the coronavirus crisis. On Monday, the world No. 1 from Serbia shared a video of him training on court in Spain on Instagram – despite a ban still in place countrywide over the use of sports facilities. Djokovic, a 17-time Grand Slam champion, wrote: ‘So happy to play on clay. Well, just for a bit with my phone in the hands.’
However, he shouldn’t have been on the court at all. While Spain loosened some of its lockdown measures on Monday, allowing professional athletes to return to training, sports facilities are supposed to remain closed until the following week. Read more
Return of sport would ‘lift the nation’ says UK minister (BBC)
Restarting sport in Britain would “lift the spirits of the nation” amid the coronavirus crisis, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said on Tuesday.
Speaking at Downing Street’s daily briefing he said the government “has had constructive meetings with sports bodies”.
He said talks had focused on athletes resuming training when safe to do so. Read more
Mikel Arteta names the Arsenal star that he can make ‘special’ next season (Metro)
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he can’t wait to have a fully-fit Kieran Tierney at his disposal as he believes the Scot could become a ‘special’ player for the Gunners. The former Celtic captain made a move south of the border last summer after the Gunners agreed a £25million fee with the Bhoys. Tierney was injured when he arrived for the club and made just five league appearances before suffering a dislocated shoulder. That injury means Tierney is yet to feature under Arteta but the Spaniard has been impressed by the 22-year-old’s professionalism during his absence and believes the defender can become ‘special’ at the Emirates. Read more
Pulev vows to ruin ‘coward’ Joshua’s dream fight with Fury (Guardian)
Kubrat Pulev has labelled Anthony Joshua “afraid” and a “coward” – and promised to destroy his hopes of an undisputed title fight with Tyson Fury, reports Skysports.
Mandatory challenger, Pulev, is contracted to be Joshua’s next opponent in an IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight title defence, while Deontay Wilder has the right to enforce a third WBC title fight against Fury.
Overseas territories including Saudi Arabia have enquired about hosting a future undisputed title fight between Joshua and Fury, but Pulev insists he will bring those plans crashing down… Read more
