FG restates partial closure of Eko Bridge June 4th (Guardian)
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olukayode Popoola, on Thursday said Eko Bridge would be partially shut from midnight, Friday, June 4th for rehabilitation.
Popoola, who said this in a statement in Lagos, appealed to the public to shun rumours that the bridge would be closed on Friday, May, 28th.
He said the construction would be fast-tracked to minimise discomfort for road users.
“The Federal Government shall embark on the rehabilitation of Eko bridge and to facilitate early completion, the bridge shall be closed from midnight of Friday 4th of June till Friday 13th of August.
“The motoring public are advised to disregard the rumour going on that Eko bridge shall be closed from Friday 28th of May. Read more
Police impound 70 Okadas, declare fresh clampdown on Lagos errant riders (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command has said it impounded 70 motorcycles during a raid on motorcyclists plying restricted routes in the state.
No fewer than 19 suspected cultists were said to have also been arrested by men of the command during separate raids on the Somolu and Bariga areas of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, said the motorcycles were impounded during a clampdown on erring motorcyclists in the state, adding that the command deemed it necessary to embark on the enforcement to sanitise the affected areas.
Adejobi said, “In furtherance of the restriction order on the operation of motorcycles, popularly called Okada, in the six local government areas of Lagos State, the state police command has constituted a special squad to embark on massive arrest of Okada operators who violate the restriction order while their motorcycles are being impounded. Read more
Children’s Day: Olori Janet Afolabi hosts 400 Apomu children (Vanguard)
Olori Janet Afolabi, Oueen of Apomu Kingdom, headquarters of Isokan local area, hosted 400 children of Apomu to mark this year’s Children’s Day.
Speaking at the event Oba Kayode Afolabi, Alapomu of Apomu told the children to be of good behaviour because they are the future of the community.
The event took place at Alapomu palace parade ground and the 700 capacity Alapomu palace hall.
It began with a march past during which two schools emerged winners out of the five schools which took part. The winners are ADC School which came first and Adrem which took the second position. The two winners got prizes. Read more
Governor’s Aide, Chinese National Arrested Over Vandalism Of Railway Tracks (DailyTrust)
The Nasarawa State Command of the Nigeria Police Force said it has apprehended the Special Adviser on infrastructure to Governor Abdullahi Sule and Chinese national over the vandalism of railway tracks and slippers in Lafia and Keana local government areas of the state.
Also arrested were 66 suspected kidnappers and armed robbers, who “have been terrorising the citizens of the state and its environs”.
Parading the governor’s aide at the command headquarters on Thursday alongside other suspected kidnappers and armed robbers, the commissioner of Police, Mr. Bola Longe, said all the suspects were arrested through the command’s developed strategic anti-vandalism template.
According to the commissioner of police, Mr. Marta Thai, a Chinese national and the manager of Yong Xing steel company, Tunga Maje in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (FCT), who is the “criminal receiver”, was also apprehended. Read more
Fear of massive retirement grips officers as army gets new chief (Guardian)
Six days after the tragic death of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru, in a plane crash in Kaduna State, the Nigerian Army got a new chief, Major-General Farouk Yahaya, following his appointment as the new COAS yesterday by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The announcement followed the end of three-day mourning after the Federal Government directed public buildings to fly the national flag at half-mast from Monday in honour of Attahiru and 10 other military officers that died in the crash.
Prior to his appointment, Yahaya was the general officer commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army and the incumbent theatre commander of the counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency outfit in the northeast.
The newly appointed army chief indicated that his hobbies are cracking jokes, travelling, reading and listening to local music, according to his curriculum vitae released by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu. Read more
Army probes alleged murder of businesswoman caught with N1.7m by soldiers (Punch)
The Nigerian Army said on Wednesday that it had begun investigation into the alleged involvement of its personnel in the extortion and murder of a businesswoman in Katsina State.
A statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Yerima, dated May 25, 2021, but made available to journalists in Katsina on Wednesday, revealed that the woman was arrested by members of a local vigilante group in a commercial vehicle with N420,000 around 10pm on Wednesday, May 7, 2021.
The statement added that the woman was apprehended in Yankara village along the Funtua/Gusau Road and handed her over to troops by the vigilantes for further investigation.
The woman reportedly died a few days after. Read more
Ordinary President: Human Rights Radio’s license suspended over ‘outright abuse’ (Guardian)
The National Broadcasting Commission has suspended the operating license of the Human Rights Radio with effect from Monday the 31st of May 2021, at 12.00 am for recurring unprofessional conduct.
NBC stated that the order shall last 30 days during which it is expected that the broadcaster will put its house in order and attune itself to responsive, professional and responsible broadcasting.
The regulator also said imposed a fine of N5 million on the station as provided for in section 15.5.1 of the Broadcasting Code at the end of the suspension period.
The owner of the radio station, Ahmed Isah also known as “Ordinary President” was caught on video which has gone viral slapping an interviewee in one of his programmes. Read more
Ooni denies involvement in sale of land (Nation)
The Ooni of Ife Oba, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has debunked a claim on the video and voice note in circulation on the social media that he was involved in the selling of a land where the Idosun community, Ibeju-Lekki, have their traditional place of worship, to Dangote Refinery.
A statement by the palace’s Publicity Secretary, Moses Olafare, said the monarch was not part of the sale of the land.
“I am sure the person that made the video and voice note knew the truth, but wanted to tarnish the image of the king since they cannot resolve the issue they had with Dangote on the said land,” he added.
Olafare explained that it was 15 communities that sold the land to Dangote over a decade ago, but the affected community, had a rift with Dangote Refinery on a particular section where they worship. Read more
Donald Duke returns to PDP, laments Ayade’s defection (Punch)
Former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, has announced his return to the Peoples Democratic Party.
This was contained in a statement titled ‘My Statement of Return,’ which he signed and issued, in Calabar, on Wednesday.
Duke had defected to the Social Democratic Party to contest the 2019 presidential election.
In the statement, the former governor wrote, “Dear Friends, a lot is being said about my return to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Truth is, I reunited with the party almost a year ago now, but in spirit never left the ideals for which the party was founded upon.
“It is rather unfortunate that Governor Ben Ayade who constantly egged me to rejoin the party has himself had cause to leave. A rather unfortunate decision for which I neither support nor condemn, as I’m not privy to the details except his complaints of being stifled and unappreciated by the leadership of the party and certain elements of Cross River State origin at Abuja. Read more
How Covid in India affects patients in Africa (DW)
Huge numbers of Kenyans and many Nigerians depend on India to treat heart and kidney diseases. With travel restrictions to India, some ill Africans have been left stranded.
Imelda Wambua has chronic kidney failure and cannot afford the high cost of treatment in Kenya. Under normal circumstances, Wambua would quickly hop in a budget airliner and jet to India or have her medications delivered via express couriers. Now, none of that is possible.
“I was put on dialysis for about 18 months because my antibodies were too high. They needed to bring them down,” Wambua told DW. “I was advised to get a transplant,” she said. “The procedure that I needed, which is plasma exchange, cannot be done locally. So, going to India, at least, there was hope.”
Wambua’s hopes were dashed when Kenya and many other countries banned travel to India because of the rapidly rising figures in the country’s second wave of the COVID pandemic. Read more
Harry ‘won’t be punished’ and could get share of Prince Philip’s ‘£30,000,000’ will (Metro)
Prince Philip will not leave Prince Harry out of his will, despite fractious relations between his grandson and the rest of the Royal Family, reports suggest.
The Queen’s late husband is thought to have left some £30 million to benefactors with Prince Harry set to inherit a ‘tidy sum’. Philip’s son Prince Andrew, who has been caught up in a string of lurid allegations about his relationship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is also expected to benefit.
The Queen is expected to receive the majority of the estimated total, but three of the Duke of Edinburgh’s aides are also expected to benefit. Meanwhile one source said Philip’s Grandchildren will have been ‘sorted out quite a while ago’ – meaning recent tensions would not have impacted the will.
The Insider told Fabulous: ‘Unlike some other royals, Prince Philip will be generous to the three men who looked after him. Read more
More than 2m spectators in French cinemas since reopening a week ago (RFI)
More than two million spectators returned to cinemas in France during the first week of reopening according to a new poll. Some 400 films are lined up to be released in the coming months, making up for seven-months of lost time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than two million spectators returned to cinemas during their first week of reopening, according to figures published on Wednesday by CBO-Box Office, attesting to the great desire for the experience of the silver screen.
This statistic is all the more notable because after seven months of closure, cinemas are subject to a 35% capacity and a 9pm curfew that excludes late screenings.
In the same week of May in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, cinemas welcomed 2.4 million spectators, and in August 2020, when the blockbuster Tenet was released, they attracted 2.3 million.
Albert Dupontel’s comedy Adieu les Cons, which got off to a very promising start before seeing its career suspended by the lockdown, is now back on track. Read more
San Jose shooting: Victims named after rail employee kills nine (BBC)
An employee fatally shot nine people at a California train yard before turning the gun on himself as police closed in.
The shooting took place at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) site in San Jose.
The victims, named early on Thursday, include transit employees. No motive for the attack has been established.
It was the California Bay area’s deadliest mass shooting since 1993, when eight people and a gunman died in a San Francisco skyscraper. Read more
White woman who called cops on black bird watcher sues employer for firing her (Metro)
A white woman who made international headlines by calling 911 and falsely accusing a black bird watcher of threatening to kill her had charges against her dropped – but is getting herself into another legal scuffle. Amy Cooper has sued her former employer for firing her over the incident that was filmed and went viral.
Amy filed a lawsuit against Franklin Templeton on Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, alleging that she was the victim of racial discrimination. The suit alleges that the investment firm did not conduct a thorough investigation before terminating her a day after the May 25, 2020 incident at Central Park. It claims that the firm decided to fire her effectively because she is a white woman.
The complaint details Amy’s encounter with bird watcher Christian Cooper, who asked her to put her dog on a leash, per park rules. When Amy refused, Christian said he would give her dog treats to lead it away from her. Christian then recorded her reporting him to the police as she held her dog.
‘I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life,’ Amy told Christian while dialing. She repeated ‘African American’ twice to the dispatcher. Read more
Florida faces lawsuit over Trump-inspired law to block Facebook, YouTube and Twitter from political ‘censorship’ (USAToday)
Calling it a “frontal assault on the First Amendment,” a federal lawsuit is seeking to strike down a Florida law that penalizes social media companies for barring the speech of political candidates, USA TODAY has learned.
Two technology trade groups, NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association, sued the state Thursday in Tallahassee federal court on grounds that the law it crafted to thwart alleged censorship of conservative viewpoints and voices violates the Constitution, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by USA TODAY.
The tech industry’s lawsuit alleges the Florida law infringes on the First Amendment rights of online businesses and is preempted by a federal law that shields internet companies from being sued for how they moderate content. Read more
UN rights council to investigate crimes during Gaza conflict (AlJazeera)
The UN Human Rights Council has agreed to launch an open-ended international investigation into violations during the 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza, and into “systematic” abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories and inside Israel.
By a vote of 24 states in favour, nine against, with 14 abstentions, the 47-member forum adopted a resolution after an all-day special session on Thursday brought by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations.
The resolution calls for the creation of a permanent Commission of Inquiry – the most potent tool at the council’s disposal – to monitor and report on rights violations in Israel, Gaza, and the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. It would be the first such COI with an “ongoing” mandate. Read more
Enyimba win battle of ‘elephants’ as Pillars edge Nasarawa Utd 1-0 (DailyTrust)
Wikki Tourists suffered a 2-1 home defeat Wednesday in the hands of the more illustrious ‘elephants’, Enyimba of Aba in week 23 of the 2021 Nigeria Professional Football league, making it their second home loss in four days.
Last Sunday, Nasarawa United beat Wikki Tourists 2-1 defeat in Bauchi in a week 22 fixture, a week after the ‘Bauchi elephants’ were beaten 5-1 at Katsina United.
Although Wikki Tourists’ aim was to bounce back against Enyimba, they fell behind as early as the 15th minute when Reuben Bala turned in Tosin Omoyele’s pass for the opener before Stephen Gopey equalised for the home side in the 32nd minute.
However, Omoyele scored Enyimba’s second in the 67th minute from Anayo Iwuala’s pass to deny the hosts a share of the spoils.
In Kaduna, Auwalu Ali Malam’s goal in the 25th minute was enough to hand Pillars victory against Nasarawa United. Read more
Antonio Rudiger: Chelsea defender says anti-racism campaigns change ‘nothing’ (BBC)
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger says “nothing ever really changes” after anti-discrimination campaigns in football, but he will “continue to fight” against racist abuse.
Football clubs, players, athletes and sporting bodies recently held a four-day boycott of social media to try and tackle abuse on their platforms.
Rudiger said racism goes “a lot deeper” than abuse from the stands or online.
The German, 28, has suffered racist abuse several times during his career.
In a piece for The Players’ Tribune, Rudiger said his article, investigations into abuse from people online and in the stands and social media campaigns “will not solve racism” in football. Read more
Tiger Woods: Walking on my own is number one priority after February car crash (BBC)
Tiger Woods says “walking on my own” is his “number one goal” as he continues to recover from the multiple leg injuries he sustained in a car crash.
However, the 15-time major champion would not be drawn on whether he would be able to play competitive golf again.
In his first interview since his single vehicle accident near Los Angeles, the American told Golf Digest: “My physical therapy keeps me busy.
“I do my routines every day. I’m taking it one step at a time.” Read more
French Open 2021: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic & Roger Federer in same half of draw (BBC)
Defending champion Rafael Nadal could meet Novak Djokovic in the French Open semi-finals after the pair landed in the same half of the men’s draw.
Nadal, 34, is a record 13-time champion at Roland Garros but is seeded third behind Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.
The Spaniard starts against Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, while Serbia’s Djokovic plays American Tennys Sandgren.
Swiss eighth seed Roger Federer has also been drawn in the same half as Nadal and Djokovic. Read more
Knicks bans fan who spat on Hawks’ Trae Young from Madison Square Garden (USAToday)
A fan who spat on Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff game against the New York Knicks on Wednesday will be banned from Madison Square Garden, the Knicks announced.
Young was inbounding the ball with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter when video showed a fan in the second row spat on Young.
“We investigated the matter and determined that this patron, who is not a season ticket holder, did indeed spit on Trae Young and for that reason, he is now banned from the Garden indefinitely,” the team said in a statement. “We apologize to Trae and the entire Atlanta Hawks organization for this fan’s behavior. This was completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our venue. We have turned the information over to the appropriate authorities.” Read more
Decision to delay 2021 French Open saves ‘millions of euros’ ( RFI)
The head of the French Tennis Federation says decision to postpone Roland Garros for a week in 2021 has saved the organisers of the event tens of millions of euros.
The 2021 edition of the clay court Grand Slam gets underway in Paris on Sunday, just seven months after the end of the 2020 tournament, which was pushed back from May/June to September/October of last year.
This year’s event is starting a week later than normal in an effort to capitalise on the French government’s phased easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
According to the director general of the FTF, Amélie Oudaa-Castera: “Our little bet was a winner.”
“Having to postpone for a week is really a winning choice,” she added, “… tens of millions of euros saved.”In total, just over 5,000 spectators will be admitted at the Roland Garros site until 8 June. Read more