First Nigerian tests positive for COVID-19 (Guardian)
The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, yesterday confirmed that the second case of COVID-19 in the country is a Nigerian in Ogun State.
He said the patient is a contact of the index case, a 44-year-old Italian man, and has been in isolation since the first case was confirmed. Ihekweazu however declined to give more information about the new patient.
The NCDC boss also disclosed that for the first time in Africa, researchers have successfully performed the genome sequencing of the coronavirus strain brought to Nigeria by the index case and matched it with the strain circulating in Italy and Wuhan.
“The result has been shared with international authorities and the Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has extended congratulations to Nigerian scientists for this achievement,” Ihekweazu said, noting that the feat was coordinated by the Lagos State Ministry of Health and NCDC. Read more
Ex-mortgage bank MD remanded over N32.6m fraud (Nation)
A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday remanded a former Managing Director of Mortgages PHB Ltd, Bayo Adewakun, in Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS) custody.
Justice Saliu Saidu made the order following Adewakun’s arraignment on a four-count N32,632,667.91 fraud charge.
The defendant was charged by the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Office of Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
Prosecution counsel Gladys Ezinwa-Ukoha alleged that Adewakun committed the offence between April 29, 2014 and June 28, 2019, while at the firm’s helm of affairs.
Read Also: Accountant arraigned for allegedly defrauding employer of N37,799m
The court heard that aside allegedly defrauding the bank, the defendant also recklessly granted loan facilities of more than 20 percent of shareholders funds to his firm, B. Waks Consultant. Read more
EFCC raids Lagos hotel, arrests 30-year-old owner, 79 others for alleged internet fraud (Guardian)
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested a 30-year-old Oladimeji Olusegun Ogunfolaju, owner of Lakers Hotel and Lake County Entertainment in Lagos State, and 79 others for allegedly involving in internet fraud.
The hotel, alleged to be a haven for internet fraudsters, is being guarded by armed security men from three security agencies, including the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Navy.
The suspects were arrested during a sting operation on the hotel located at 29, Ebute-Igbogbo Road, Ikorodu, Lagos on Saturday, following an intensive surveillance and intelligence gathering by the commission about their alleged criminal activities.
EFCC acting spokesman, Tony Orilade disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja. Read more
How Sanusi was evicted from palace amidst tight security (DailyTrust)
Deposed Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II was evicted from the palace around 5:36 pm amidst tight security in company of Kano State Commissioner of Police and other security agencies. Sources from the palace said the deposed emir signed the dethronement letter after series of consultations with his lawyers and confidants who were with him during his last moments at the palace. The Chief Imam of Al-Furqan Mosque, Dr Bashir Umar Ali, was reported to have gone into the palace to meet the deposed emir, in what many saw as an attempt to placate and persuade him to accept the fate that befell him so as to avert any possible breakdown of law and order in the city. Many of the emir’s close subjects were seen in his company as he was taken out of the palace. Read more
Ex-PPMC boss’ wife, others arraigned for money laundering (Nation)
Mrs. Ochuko Okor Momoh, wife of a former Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Haruna Momoh, was arraigned on Monday in Abuja on money laundering charges.
Mrs. Momoh was arraigned at a Federal High Court with five others on a 22-count charge filed against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
The others are: Mrs. Blessing Azuka-Agozi, StanbicIBTC Bank Plc, Energopol Nigeria Limited, Blaid Construction Limited aand Blaid Farms Limited.
Mrs. Momoh allegedly laundered funds estimated at over N2 billion by using her companies – Blaid Construction and Blaid Farms – while her husband headed the PPMC, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), between 2012 and 2013. Read more
13-year-old boy stabs step-brother to death over argument (Guardian)
The quiet Azikoro community of Yenagoa in Bayelsa State was thrown into mourning at the weekend after Ebi Andrew, a 13-year-old boy, reportedly stabbed his 20-year-old elder brother to death over a domestic argument.
The incident happened at Jehovah Witness Road, off Goodnews street, Azikoro on Saturday night. It was gathered that the suspect, Ebi Andrew, stabbed his brother, Tarikebina Andrew, over a minor disagreement, which began when the deceased asked the suspect to go home and sleep.
Many residents were left aghast as their father was accused of hurriedly burying the murdered son to avoid police investigation and arrest of the suspect. Read more
Uduk: SEC working on guidelines to strengthen corporate governance (ThisDay)
The Acting Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms. Mary Uduk, has disclosed that the commission is currently, “working on a guideline to strengthen corporate governance of public companies in the country.”
This is just as Uduk stated that the Finance Act 2020, recently signed into law by the president has removed a lot of obstacles associated with securities lending.
The acting SEC boss stated this in Lagos, in her goodwill message at the 2020 annual symposium organised by the Issuers and Investors Alternative Dispute Resolution Initiative (IIADRI), with the theme: “Nigerian Tax Laws: Matters Arising.” Read more
Reprieve for Oshiomhole as ex-governor gets state APC chairmen’s confidence vote (Guardian)
Reprieve came the way of the embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole yesterday, as state chairmen of the party asked the feuding parties to return to the Chief Bisi Akande-led dispute resolution and reconciliation committee raised by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The chairmen in a statement after their meeting in Abuja and made available to reporters in Enugu, restated their confidence in Oshiomhole, insisting that the issues against him were political and, therefore, should be given similar solutions. Read more
Buhari administration, worst in history, says Oyedepo (Nation)
The President Muhammadu Buhari administration is the worst in the nation’s history, Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, has declared.
He also dismissed the hate speech bill sponsored by Senator Sabi Abdullahi as the most ridiculous.
Oyedepo spoke on Sunday in a sermon during the second service of the church at the Faith Tabernacle, Ota, Ogun State.
He lamented that while government was planning to clamp down on hate speech, it was allowing killers to walk away. Read more
Plateau Government to resume monthly sanitation in May (Guardian)
The Plateau Government will resume its monthly sanitation in May, according to the Commissioner of Environment, Alhaji Yakubu Usman.
Usman, who made the disclosure in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Jos, said the exercise was earlier suspended because of security challenges in the state.
He said the State Government would engage in public-private partnership for the smooth take-off and sustenance of the exercise. Read more
Sudan PM unharmed in assassination attempt (Guardian)
Sudan’s post-uprising Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok escaped unharmed Monday as an assassination attempt using explosives targeted his convoy in the capital Khartoum, his top aide said.
“An explosion hit as Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s car was driving by but thank God no one was hurt,” said Ali Bakhit, his office director, in a Facebook post.
The convoy was targeted on the way to his office in the Kober district of northeast Khartoum. Read more
Joe Biden leads Bernie Sanders by double digits in new national poll (NYPost)
Joe Biden is sitting on a double-digit lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a new national survey released on Monday — on the eve of voters in six states going to the polls.
The CNN survey, taken after the former vice president’s romp through the Super Tuesday states last week, shows Biden has the support of 52 percent of Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents compared to Sanders’ 36 percent.
Biden’s success in winning 10 of 14 states on Super Tuesday was reflected in his favorability rating, which climbed from 39 percent in December to 48 percent. Read more
French culture minister tests positive for coronavirus (Guardian)
French Culture Minister Franck Riester has contracted the novel coronavirus and is staying in his Paris home but is “doing fine”, his office said Monday.
“The minister tested positive today,” after displaying symptoms, the ministry said.
It noted that Riester spent several days last week at the country’s lower house National Assembly, where five virus cases were confirmed earlier.
The prime minister’s office said that the rules for ministers with the virus “are the same for all French people” including acting with caution and taking measures to minimise the chances of the disease spreading. Read more
US trading halted as shares plunge around the world (BBC)
Trading in US shares was briefly suspended after sharp falls led to an automatic halt in the selling and buying of stocks.
Once trading resumed, the three major US stock indexes were down over 6%.
The move follows dramatic falls globally with shares facing the worst day since the 2008 financial crisis.
A row between Russia and Saudi Arabia saw oil prices plunge by 20%, hitting markets already reeling from fears of the impact of the coronavirus.
The day has been dubbed “Black Monday” by analysts who described the market reaction as “utter carnage”. Read more
India denies entry to cruise ships on virus fears (Guardian)
India has banned all foreign cruise ships from its ports because of the coronavirus, with one European vessel turned away from Mangalore in the south at the weekend, officials said Monday.
Cruise ships are seen as a fertile breeding ground for the deadly virus, with more than 700 cases and six linked deaths from the Diamond Princess held off Japan last month.
A sister ship, the Grand Princess, was due to dock in California on Monday with 21 confirmed coronavirus infections among 3,500 people on board. Read more
Max Von Sydow: The Exorcist and The Seventh Seal actor dies aged 90 (BBC)
Actor Max Von Sydow, who appeared in films and TV series including The Exorcist, Flash Gordon and Game of Thrones, has died at the age of 90.
His family announced “with a broken heart and infinite sadness” that the Swedish-born actor died on Sunday.
Von Sydow’s other film credits included Hannah and Her Sisters, The Seventh Seal and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
He was nominated for two Oscars during his career – including best actor in 1988 for Pelle the Conqueror. Read more
Singer falls off stage but carries on despite breaking her foot (Metro)
A singer plunged 10 feet from a theatre stage in Russia and broke her foot mid-song – only to carry on her performance while lying prone on the floor. Anastasia Vishnevskaya, 30, dramatically fell into the orchestra pit during a packed concert in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, but the crowd were initially unable to see what had happened to her. She tried in vain to stand later on in the song, before finding out she had fractured her foot and suffered major bruising. A member of the orchestra had helped her onto a chair after her fall and the pit was raised to allow the 1,375-strong audience to see by the end of her track, called ‘100 hours of happiness’. Read more
Tricks and tools for better working from home (BBC)
Louise Halford decided to self-isolate
When one of Louise Halford’s staff members returned from a ski trip with flu-like symptoms, she advised him to work from home rather than risk bringing the coronavirus into the office.
Ms Halford also decided to work from home after feeling some possible symptoms as well.
“We work with someone who has a compromised immune system, so I don’t want to take any chances,” says Ms Halford, co-founder of Manchester-based Evolve Family Law.
Around the world, millions of other people have also been told to stay at home in a bid to slow the spread of Covid-19. Read more
PSG under pressure against Dortmund to keep Mbappe, Neymar project on track (Guardian)
Nothing ever seems to go to plan in the Champions League for Paris Saint-Germain, whose bid to avoid yet another exit in the first knockout round against Borussia Dortmund will be played out before an empty stadium on Wednesday.
After Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and co. lost 2-1 to an Erling Haaland-inspired Dortmund before a crowd of 80,000 in Germany last month, PSG discovered on Monday the second leg of their last-16 tie must be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Estimates put the financial hit to Qatar-owned PSG of playing the game without the presence of nearly 50,000 fans at the Parc des Princes in the region of six million euros ($6.9 million), while the president of the club’s Ultras fans group has called on supporters to gather outside the stadium instead. Read more
Chineme Martins was in his best season – Nasarawa Utd (DailyTrust)
Late Nasarawa United defender, Chineme Martins Family to conduct autopsy Clubs, coaches, others mourn The Chairman of Nasarawa United, Barr Isaac Danladi has said Chineme Martins who died during Match Day 23 of the Nigeria Professional Football League encounter with Katsina United in Lafia on Sunday was in the best form of his life. He said this while receiving Kano Pillars delegation who came on a condolence visit yesterday. “What happened at Lafia city Stadium was the saddest day for Nigerian football. It was not just a loss to Nasarawa United and League but a loss to football generally in Nigeria. “Anybody who knows Martins Chineme knows that this is his best season, because when we came back as Management, he was not playing, but all the five matches we have played so far, he has done a yeoman’s job in the defense. Read more
Assembling 23 foreign-based players against Sierra Leone a waste of funds, says Omokaro (Guardian)
Former Nigerian international, Bright Omokaro has expressed dismay over the invitation of 23 foreign-based players by Coach Gernot Rohr for the 2021 African Nations Cup qualifier against the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone, saying it is a waste of scarce resources.
Nigeria will host Sierra Leone at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba on the March 27. Omokaro said the Super Eagles’ coach should have included six or seven home-based players to the squad because not all the listed overseas-based players would play in the tie.
He posited that the continuous neglect of home-based players was part of the things affecting the growth of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), adding that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) should compel Rohr to keep consider home-based players in his selections because ‘the federation exists because of the Nigerian league.’ Read more
Ronaldinho lawyers push for footballer’s release over fake passport scandal (Guardian)
Lawyers for Brazilian football great Ronaldinho are trying to organize a hearing to get him temporarily released from detention for allegedly entering Paraguay with a fake passport, defense sources told AFP on Monday.
Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto were arrested on Friday and held in pre-trial detention in Asuncion for entering Paraguay using forged documents.
Sources close to his defense team told AFP the lawyers were trying to get the brothers a hearing on Tuesday in the hope of securing their temporary release. Read more
Asian World Cup qualifiers postponed over coronavirus (DailyTrust)
Asia’s football World Cup qualifiers this month and in June have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, but games can still go ahead if both sides agree and safety standards are met, officials said on Monday. Football is one of the sports worst affected by the deadly epidemic and especially in Asia, where the AFC Champions League and domestic competitions in China, Japan and South Korea are all on hold. Qualifiers set for March 23 and 31, and June 1 and 9, are “postponed to later dates”, world body Fifa and the Asian Football Confederation said, after consultations with Asia’s national football associations. Read more
Teen star Gilmour vows to keep proving worth at Chelsea (Guardian)
Teen sensation Billy Gilmour has vowed to prove he is not just along for the ride at Chelsea after two man-of-the-match performances in a week.
The 18-year-old caught the eye in both the midweek 2-0 FA Cup win over Liverpool and Sunday’s 4-0 thumping of Everton — his first Premier League start.
“It’s a bit surreal still, coming on and playing with top players,” Gilmour told Chelsea TV. Read more
Coronavirus: Tokyo Olympics torch lighting ceremony to be held without spectators (Mirror)
The torch lighting ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be held without spectators because of the coronavirus.
Greece’s Olympic Committee have barred people from attending the dress rehearsal in Olympia on Wednesday.
They’ll also be excluded from the widely broadcast ceremony taking place at the ancient site on Thursday.
It will be the first time since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics that spectators won’t be at the event. Read more
Vardy scores twice as Leicester thrash Villa (BBC)
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers thought his side looked back to their best as Jamie Vardy ended his goal drought in their convincing win over Aston Villa.
The Foxes had only picked up two wins in their past eight Premier League games – and two points in their past four matches.
They led through Harvey Barnes’ goal after the winger took advantage of visiting keeper Pepe Reina’s baffling decision to run out of his box.
Vardy’s first touch after coming on was to score a penalty after Tyrone Mings’ handball, before he smashed in at the near post – his first goal in 10 games. Read more