Helicopter two minutes from Lagos airport before crashing – Air Traffic Controllers (Punch)
The helicopter that crashed on Salvation Road, Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos State, on Friday was about two minutes to reach its destination at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.
Two air traffic controllers confirmed this in separate interviews with our correspondents on Friday.
This is just as President Muhammadu Buhari, national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu; and Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State joined Nigerians to commiserate with the families of three crew members who died when the helicopter crashed into a fence separating two houses at 16A, Salvation Road.
The residential area was a centre of attraction on Friday, receiving a mammoth crowd that thronged the scene of the ill-fated Bell 206-3 aircraft with registration number 5N-BQW belonging to Quorum Aviation. Read more
How crashed helicopter pilot tried to save lives (Nation)
The pilot of the helicopter that crashed into a residential at Opebi, Ikeja on Friday tried in vain to avoid causing many casualties, witnesses said.
The pilot who eventually lost his own life had apparently targeted an open space in the area for emergency landing when he sensed trouble, only for the aircraft to crash into 16A, Salvation Road.
One other person in the Bell helicopter 206B3 also died immediately while the third victim, who was said to be the engineer of the ill-fated helicopter, died at the intensive care unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) where he was admitted after he was rescued from the accident scene.
The owner of the property on which the helicopter crashed, Mrs. Comfort Adeniyi-Johnson, was said to be all alone at home reading her Bible when the unexpected happened.
The nonagenarian was profuse in thanking God for saving her life. Read more
COVID-19: Lagos may lose N240bn, says Sanwo-Olu (Punch)
The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said his administration envisaged a N240bn revenue decline in the state, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sanwo-Olu said this during his keynote address at the 10th annual public lecture of the Lagos State Public Service Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria tagged ‘The Global Economic Realities of COVID-19 Pandemic, Lagos State as a Case Study,’ on Thursday.
The governor, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Samuel Egube, noted that though the 2020 budget had contingency plans, it did not account for the unforeseen pandemic.
Sanwo-Olu said, “If one accounts for something without an action, then one’s proper accounting has not been done because the whole idea of accounting is, first, to account for things, but by nature of the way one has done so, it should be clear to one what kind of actions one should take. Read more
NPA expects 27 ships with petroleum products, others at Lagos port (Vanguard)
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) says it is expecting 27 ships laden with petroleum products, food items and other goods from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5.
The NPA made this known in its publication, `Shipping Position’, a copy of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday.
According to the NPA, the ships are expected to arrive at the Lagos Port Complex.
The publication indicated that the ships contain bulk sugar, frozen fish, bulk wheat, butane gas, automobile gasoline, salt, petrol, base oil, gypsum and general cargo. Read more
CAMA Act 2020 may destabilise Nigeria’s fragile peace, says Kaigama (Guardian)
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has urged the Federal government to take another look at the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020 and ensure that the law does not destabilise the fragile peace in the country.
The cleric also blamed the recurring crisis and violence in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the country on lack of political will by the government to deal with the issues decisively, stressing that the application of justice and addressing the issue of poverty would bring the crisis to an end.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with Kaigama on the “conferral of the Pallium for the See of Abuja’’ by Pope Francis, which is in recognition of his dedication to promoting unity, peace and justice. Read more
Okowa inaugurates Delta economic council (Vanguard)
Delta Governor, Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, on Friday inaugurated the State’s Economic Council, with a charge to the members to institute strong, credible and enduring platforms for diversification of the economy, including enhancing business competitiveness.
The Council is headed by the Deputy Governor, Mr Kingsley Otuaro while the Commissioner for Economic Planning, Dr Barry Pere-Gbe, is the Secretary.
At the ceremony in Asaba, the governor urged the Council to proffer viable alternatives to building strong public/private partnerships, formulate policies and practices that promote institutional transparency and accountability, including systematic disclosure of accurate and reliable financial information. Read more
FG moves to tackle Ghana over harassment of Nigerians (ThisDay)
The federal government has warned the Ghanaian authorities that it would no longer tolerate the incessant harassment and acts of hostility towards Nigerian citizens in Ghana.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, issued the warning in a statement yesterday.
It also emerged yesterday that 825 Nigerians were deported from Ghana between January 2018 and February 2019. Read more
Fish farmers association lauds Africa’s confidence in Adesina as AfDB President (Vanguard)
The National Fish Association of Nigeria (NFAN), has lauded Africa’s vote of confidence in the President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, which paved way for his reelection for another term of five years.
Mr Chidike Ukoh, National Publicity Secretary of NFAN, made this known in Abuja on Friday while reacting to the re-election of Adesina as AfDB president.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Adesina was re-elected to serve another five-year term at the 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM), of the bank, which held virtually between Aug. 26, and Aug. 28. Read more
Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade’s fans clash over superiority (Punch)
It’s no longer news that two of Nigeria’s biggest female songsters, Tiwa Savage and Yemi Alade are not particularly close and often pitched against each other in the entertainment industry.
Although Alade shut wagging tongues when she performed during Tiwa’s concert ‘Everything Savage’ at Eko Conventional Centre, in 2019, their diehard fans have not buried their hatchets.
In a series of tweets on Friday, fans of Alade claimed that Savage often blocked Alade’s fans on her Twitter page because she’s ‘envious’ of the latter. Read more
‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman dies of cancer at 43 (USAToday)
Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, died Friday of cancer, his representative said. He was 43.
Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his wife and family by his side, his publicist Nicki Fioravante told The Associated Press.
Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, his family said in a statement.
“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” his family said in the statement. Read more
Anger in South Africa as disabled teen dies after police shooting (Aljazeera)
Residents in the South African capital are angry after a disabled 16-year-old boy was allegedly shot dead by the police.
Nathaniel Julius, who had Down’s syndrome, died in a hospital in Johannesburg on Wednesday night, hours after he was shot by the police metres away from his home in the city’s Eldorado Park suburb.
The killing occurred after residents in the neighbourhood – ravaged by drugs and crime – took to the streets to protest the lack of housing in the area.
In recent months, the South African police have faced allegations of brutality during the enforcement of coronavirus restrictions. Read more
Thousands gather in D.C. to commemorate historic March on Washington (CBC)
After a week of protests and outrage over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, thousands gathered in Washington on Friday to commemorate the historic 1963 March on the U.S. capital.
Civil rights leaders and advocates convened near the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic “I Have A Dream” address, a vision of racial equality that remains elusive for millions of Americans.
The event, organized by Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network under the title Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks in recognition of George Floyd, a Black man who died May 25 after a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minn., held a knee to his neck for nearly eight minutes. Floyd’s death sparked weeks of sustained protests and unrest across the country. Read more
EU warns Turkey of sanctions as east Mediterranean crisis worsens (Aljazeera)
The European Union has threatened Turkey with fresh sanctions – including tough economic measures – unless progress is made in reducing soaring tensions with Greece and Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell on Friday said the bloc wanted to give “a serious chance to dialogue” but was steadfast in its support for member states Greece and Cyprus in the crisis, which has raised fears of a military standoff.
A dispute over maritime borders and gas drilling rights near the island of Cyprus has reignited the long-running rivalry between Athens and Ankara, with the two neighbours staging rival naval drills. Read more
J.K. Rowling returns human rights award amid criticism from organization (CBC)
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling says she is returning an award from a human rights group linked to the Kennedy family after the president of the organization criticized her comments about transgender issues.
Rowling’s decision comes after Kerry Kennedy, the president of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights nonprofit and the late American senator’s daughter, published a statement expressing her “profound disappointment” with the author’s comments.
“The statement incorrectly implied that I was transphobic, and that I am responsible for harm to trans people,” Rowling said on her website. Read more
Hundreds of thousands without power as Hurricane Laura death toll rises to 14 (CBC)
The death toll from Hurricane Laura more than doubled Friday to at least 14 as communities began cleaning up along the devastated Louisiana coastline where hundreds of thousands of people were still without power or water — a situation that officials said could persist for weeks or longer.
A day after the Category 4 storm hit, more bodies emerged in Louisiana and neighbouring Texas. The dead included five people killed by fallen trees and one person who drowned in a boat. Eight people also died from carbon monoxide poisoning due to unsafe operation of generators, including three inside a Texas pool hall, where authorities say the owner had let seven Vietnamese shrimp boat labourers and homeless men take shelter. The other four were in critical condition. Read more
Mutants’ movie ‘generic’ and ‘the sub-basement of originality’ (USAToday)
“The New Mutants” hit theaters Friday, and the reviews are starting to roll in.
The film stars Maisie Williams (as Wolfsbane), Henry Zaga (Sunspot), Blu Hunt (Mirage), Charlie Heaton (Cannonball) and Anya Taylor-Joy (Magik) as misfit teenagers with superpowers who have to team up to fight their way out of a mysterious asylum.
Originally intended to be a spinoff for Fox’s “X-Men” movie franchise, “New Mutants” has traveled a rough and complicated road since its initial release date of April 2018. It was delayed to get out of the way of fellow mutant superhero film “Deadpool 2,” and then to give it a buffer from the X-Men movie “Dark Phoenix.” Read more
Osimhen bags hat-trick on Napoli debut (Punch)
Victor Osimhen scored a hat-trick on his first appearance in a Napoli shirt as the Partenopei recorded an 11-0 friendly win over L’Aquila on Friday.
Napoli officially began their pre-season preparations with a mini-tournament against Castel di Sangro, who were outclassed.
In the second game, manager Gennaro Gattuso deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation with Hirving Lozano, Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne fanning out behind summer signing Osimhen.
The Nigerian got off to a good start, as he sprinted past defenders to score within 59 seconds.
He grabbed his second goal in the third minute before completing his hat-trick in the eighth minute. Read more
Matic has retired from international football, Serbia director confirms (Vanguard)
Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has retired from international football, according to Serbia’s sporting director Vladimir Matijasevic.
Reports began to circulate on Thursday claiming Matic had opted to quit Serbia despite being named in their most recent squad.
Matijasevic, who works as a director for the Football Association of Serbia (FSS), confirmed the decision on Friday.
He claims Matic has brought his international career to a close to allow for younger players to have prominence in the senior side. Read more
NHL, NBA to return Saturday as leagues reschedule after protests over Jacob Blake shooting (CBC)
The professional sports schedule is busier Friday after a string of postponements the past two days, but it won’t be back to normal just yet.
The NBA announced Friday it will resume its playoffs on Saturday after three days without games in the aftermath of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wis., last weekend.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association made the announcement in a joint statement.
The Toronto Raptors will start their best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference semifinal against the Boston Celtics on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Read more
Naomi Osaka into Western and Southern Open final; Johanna Konta loses to Azarenka (BBC)
Naomi Osaka says she realised she would have to “take the first step” in protesting against racial inequality and “create awareness in the tennis bubble”.
Japan’s Osaka initially pulled out of her semi-final at the Western and Southern Open because “as a black woman I feel there are much more important matters at hand”.
Tournament organisers then suspended play in New York on Thursday, one of a number of sporting events in the US to do so in protest at the shooting of Jacob Blake – a black man who was shot seven times in the back by police on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The 22-year-old then decided to play on Friday, beating Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-2 7-6 (7-5) in her rearranged semi-final. Read more
Oliseh top choice for NFF Technical Director’s job (Punch)
Former Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, is the top choice for the Nigeria Football Federation’s Technical Director position, Saturday PUNCH has reliably gathered.
The NFF is yet to name a replacement for Bitrus Bewerang, whose contract was not renewed in July.
Oliseh was a part of the Eagles that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia and was in charge of the Eagles for almost a year.
He was Sports Director at Belgian side Eupen and also managed Vervietois and Fortuna Sittard, helping the latter gain promotion to the Eredivise, before parting ways with the Dutch side. Read more
Novak Djokovic to play Milos Raonic in Western and Southern Open final (BBC)
World number one Novak Djokovic will play Milos Raonic in the final of the Western and Southern Open after edging out Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-finals in New York.
Serb Djokovic came from behind to beat the eighth seed 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-0) and maintain his unbeaten record in 2020.
Canada’s Raonic defeated Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.
Britain’s Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski reached the men’s doubles final by beating Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram.
They will play Pablo Carreno Busta and Alex de Minaur after overcoming Briton Salisbury and American Ram – the 2020 Australian Open champions – 7-5 6-3. Read more