Kidnapped LASU student released (Punch)
A 300-level student of Lagos State University, Kehinde Olowa, has been released to his family by his abductors on Monday.
The PUNCH had reported that Kehinde was abducted by unknown gunmen on April 9 at the Benin-Ore Expressway, as he returned to Lagos from Warri.
Opeoluwa, a close friend of Kehinde, confirmed to The PUNCH on Wednesday that Kehinde has been released.
“Yes, he has been released and is currently undergoing treatment,” she said. Read more
Food security: Lagos sets to launch 5yr agricultural devt roadmap (Vanguard)
Lagos State Government has concluded plans to launch a five-Year Agricultural Development Roadmap in line with its THEMES developmental agenda for the state.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, who disclosed this in Lagos on Wednesday, explained that the roadmap would help the state achieve its goal of making Lagos a 21st Century Economy.
According to Olusanya, the roadmap is focused on the development of agricultural value chains where the state has competitive and comparative advantages to ensure that the state attains its food security goals.
“I am delighted to address you today and avail you of the forthcoming launch of the 5-year Agricultural Development Roadmap for the Ministry which is slated for launch by the State Governor, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu next week Thursday. Read more
Experts warn on dangers of low immunisation (Independent)
Experts have warned that without adequate routine immunisation Nigeria may not eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases and risk having a re-emergence of Polio, thereby called for increased awareness on importance of vaccination.
Speaking at a forum, the experts said there is need for the media to increase awareness for people to embrace routine immunisation to prevent emergence of polio as well as accept COVID-19 vaccination.
One of them, Mrs. Elizabeth Onitolo, Communication for Development (C4D) Specialist, UNICEF, said that more awareness for immunisation acceptance is critically needed in the crisis-ridden North-East part of Nigeria. Read more
Lagos expected to experience rainy season of over 230 days, says Ministry of Environment (ChannelsTV)
The Lagos state ministry of environment and water resources has announced that the metropolis is expected to experience a rainy season of 238-261days for the year 2021.
The state commissioner for environment and water resources, Tunji Bello who was speaking during the 2021 seasonal climate prediction asks residents of the state to desist from dumping refuse into the drainage channel and those leaving in the flood-prone areas are also advised to relocate.
According to him, Lagos Island is expected to have a rainfall onset date of April 6th which has already taken place, while its cessation date is expected to be the 30th of November.
The area is expected to have about 238 days of rainfall over the year. Read more
JAMB scraps use of email for UTME, direct entry registration (Punch)
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced that the use of email would no longer be required for the processing of registration for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry.
The Registrar and Chief Executive of JAMB, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, said this while speaking with journalists on Tuesday evening.
According to him, email would only be requested at the successful completion of the registration exercise by candidates to access information on the examination.
He said, “As from Thursday, April 15, 2021, candidates will no longer be required to provide any email address during registration. Read more
Police arrest three POS robbers in Kogi (Nation)
The Kogi State Police Command on Wednesday said it arrested three suspects who specialise in robbing Point of Service (POS) operators.
The Commissioner of Police (CP), in a statement through the command’s spokesman, William Aya, said operatives of the Operation Puff Adder II attached to Iyara Division arrested the three following an attack on a POS operator in the area.
Those arrested include Gideon Zaccus (45), Medupin Joseph (24) and Afolabi David (24).
The statement reads: “Following the directives of the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Police Command, Ede Ayuba Ekpeji, to all the Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, operational and tactical commanders as well as intelligence officers to secure public places and guaranteed a safe and secure environment for all. Read more
NCoS requests training from Army to check jailbreak (Vanguard)
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has requested the assistance of the Nigerian Army to train its armed squad personnel on how to check invasion of custodial centres by armed hoodlums.
Mr Francis Enobore, the Public Relations Officer officer, said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said that the request was contained in a letter which the Acting Controller-General of NCoS, Mr John Mrabure, sent to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, observing that the request had been granted.
According to him, the training which is expected to begin soon will cover relevant tactical components to strengthen the capacity of Correctional Service armed guards to engage invaders adequately. Read more
Senate confirms Buhari’s nominee, Shaba, as DG NASRDA (Tribune)
The Senate, on Wednesday, confirmed the appointment of Dr Halilu Ahmad Shaba as the Director-General, National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).
Shaba’s confirmation followed the consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on Science and Technology led by Senator Uche Lilian Ekwunife
President Muhammadu Buhari had in a letter addressed to Senate President, Ahmad Lawan dated Tuesday, March 2, 2021, transmitted the name of Shaba to the upper legislative chamber for screening and confirmation as DG NASRDA. Read more
Finance minister reacts to Obaseki’s claim that FG printed N60b, says Edo gov lied (ThisDay)
The Federal Government has reacted formally to the recent disclosure by Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state that N60 billion was printed to fund federal allocation to states, saying the information was not only untrue but unfortunate.
It also emphasised that despite Obaseki’s worry about the rising debt profile of the country, the nation’s current debt profile which is 23 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) falls within sustainable limit.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, who made this known at the end of the weekly virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), described as untrue, sad and unfortunate the statement credited to Governor Obaseki that the federal government had to print N60 billion to fund the March, 2021 federal allocation to the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Edo state Governor was quoted as saying at the Edo transition committee stakeholders engagement penultimate Saturday that, “When we got FAAC for March, the federal government printed additional N50-N60 billion to top-up for us to share. This April, we will go to Abuja and share. By the end of this year, our total borrowings are going to be within N15-N16 trillion.” Read more
Denmark terminates use of AstraZeneca vaccine in European first (France24)
Denmark on Tuesday announced it would stop using the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine altogether, becoming the first European country to do so over suspicions of rare but serious side effects.
“Denmark’s vaccination campaign will go ahead without the AstraZeneca vaccine,” Danish Health Authority director Soren Brostrom told a press conference.
The European Union’s drug watchdog said last week it had found a possible link between the vaccine and very rare blood clot cases, though cautioning that the risk of dying from Covid-19 was “much greater” than the risk of mortality from rare side effects. Read more
Chinese man kidnapped and killed in elaborate body-swap scheme (BBC)
A Chinese man with Down’s syndrome was kidnapped and killed in a bungled plot to grant another man’s wish for burial rather than cremation.
Before he died of cancer in 2017 a man from south-east China told his family he wanted a traditional burial, but in some regions these are banned.
His family hired someone to find a substitute body that could be cremated in place of their relative’s.
But unknown to them, the man they hired committed murder to provide the body. Read more
Andrew Yang heckled, called ‘pro-cop,’ during NYC Daunte Wright protest (NYPost)
Mayoral hopeful Andrew Yang was heckled and called “pro-cop” during a Tuesday night New York City bike ride protest into the police killing of Daunte Wright.
The Democratic candidate rode with roughly 150 cyclists from the Barclays Center into Lower Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge before he was confronted.
Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang participating in a bike ride protest over the police killing of Daunte Wright on April 13, 2021.
Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang participating in a bike ride protest over the police killing of Daunte Wright on April 13, 2021.
Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
“Do not use our protest for your publicity,” a woman told Yang through a megaphone when the group stopped in Battery Park at about 7:50 p.m
“We don’t want you here. You’re pro-cop,” the woman said, according to footage of the encounter obtained by The Post. Read more
Bernie Madoff: Disgraced financier dies in prison (BBC)
Bernie Madoff, a Wall Street financier disgraced after he admitted to one of the biggest frauds in US financial history, has died in prison at age 82.
His death was announced by the Bureau of Prisons.
Mr Madoff had been serving a 150-year sentence after he pleaded guilty in 2009 to running a Ponzi scheme, which paid investors with money from new clients rather than actual profits.
It collapsed during the 2008 financial crisis. Read more
Lee Aaker, ‘Rin Tin Tin’ and ‘High Noon’ child star, dead at 77 (NYPost)
Lee Aaker, a blond, button-nosed staple of classic film and television throughout the 1950s, has died. He was 77.
Best known for the classic boy-and-his-dog series “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin,” which ran on ABC from 1954 to 1959, Aaker passed away earlier this month after a stroke in Mesa, Arizona, his friend and fellow former child star Paul Petersen confirmed via Facebook.
“Saying Goodbye to Lee Aaker — you have to be a certain age to remember Rin Tin Tin,” Petersen, 75, wrote in his short but poignant post. “Lee Aaker passed away in Arizona on April 1st, alone and unclaimed … listed as an ‘indigent decedent.’ “
Born in Inglewood, California, on Sept. 25, 1943, Aaker was discovered by legendary film director Fred Zinnemann and cast in his 1951 short film “Benjy,” which was commissioned as a fund-raiser video by Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital. The 31-minute short, narrated by Henry Fonda, featured Aaker as a little boy with scoliosis who gets the chance to undergo a life-changing medical procedure — if he can get permission from the parents who have rejected him. Despite featuring scripted scenes, “Benjy” would go on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Short category. Read more
Daunte Wright shooting: Police resignations fail to ease unrest over death (BBC)
The resignations of a police chief and of an officer who shot dead a black motorist in Minnesota have failed to end unrest over Sunday’s killing.
Chief Tim Gannon and Officer Kim Potter have quit the Brooklyn Center force.
Mrs Potter said she shot Daunte Wright accidentally, having mistakenly drawn her gun instead of her Taser, a stance backed by Mr Gannon.
Despite the resignations fresh clashes between police and protesters erupted for a third night. Read more
Gov Ganduje to unveil Ahmed Musa after return to Kano Pillars (Vanguard)
Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje will unveil Super Eagles forward and captain, Ahmed Musa before the commencement of the Nigeria Professional Football League’s second stanza after his sensational return to his boyhood club.
Musa who has been without a club completed his return after due consultations with the League Management Company of Nigeria (LMC).
A statement signed by media officer of the club, Rilwanu Idris Malikawa which was obtained by Vanguard from the club’s website reads: “Ahmad Musa is our own and Pillars FC will continue to support him anytime and anywhere he found himself.”
The contract with Pillars includes that once Musa gets an offer, he would be released by the club. Read more
NBA: Minnesota and Brooklyn players call for justice for Duante Wright (BBC)
Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets players wore T-shirts calling for “liberty and justice for all” following the fatal shooting of a black man by a police officer on Sunday.
The death of Daunte Wright, 20, in Brooklyn Center sparked days of angry protests and an overnight curfew.
Tributes were paid at Tuesday’s NBA game in nearby Minneapolis, which had been postponed for 24 hours.
There was a moment’s silence before the Nets beat Minnesota 127-97. Read more
Neymar says ‘at home’ at PSG as Bayern knocked out of Champions League (France24)
Striker Neymar called Paris Saint-Germain his “home” after the team’s 1-0 defeat Tuesday against Bayern Munich, which was still enough for the French club to advance to the Champions League semifinal.
The Brazilian is currently negotiating a contract extension.
“I don’t think this is even a topic anymore, I obviously feel very comfortable, at home at PSG,” Neymar told TNT Sports Brazil after the match at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. “I feel happier than before.”
Neymar’s tone is very different from less than two years ago, when Barcelona officials were confident they would be able to bring the Brazilian back to Camp Nou. Read more
ESPN, Ariel Helwani locked in industry-defining contract staredown (NYPost)
ESPN and top MMA insider Ariel Helwani are entering the late stages of a negotiation staredown that could end in a breakup, The Post has learned.
Helwani, 38, is comparable on UFC coverage to Adrian Wojnarowski on the NBA beat. Helwani has nearly 2 million followers on Twitter and Instagram, building his reputation by breaking stories and being at the heart of the reporting and opinions around the fight game.
Helwani currently makes a little less than half a million dollars per year, according to sources. His current three-year deal is up in June.
He would seem to be the type of person the network would want to desperately keep as UFC has proven to be a huge driver for subscriptions for ESPN+ and its pay-per-views. Helwani helps drive the conversation during the week from “SportsCenter” to YouTube to his podcasts. Read more
NBA: Minnesota and Brooklyn players call for justice for Duante Wright (BBC)
Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets players wore T-shirts calling for “liberty and justice for all” following the fatal shooting of a black man by a police officer on Sunday.
The death of Daunte Wright, 20, in Brooklyn Center sparked days of angry protests and an overnight curfew.
Tributes were paid at Tuesday’s NBA game in nearby Minneapolis, which had been postponed for 24 hours.
There was a moment’s silence before the Nets beat Minnesota 127-97. Read more
COVID-19: Japanese city cancels torch relay 100 days before Olympics (France24)
A western Japanese city cancelled the Tokyo Olympics torch relay over spiking coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the second area to scrap the event as the clock ticks down to the postponed Games.
The decision comes 100 days before the 2020 Olympics begin and accompanies fresh concerns about the viability of the event, with virus cases surging in Japan and abroad.
“We will cancel the torch relay in Matsuyama city. We will hold the celebration for the arrival of the flame in a way that will not involve ordinary spectators,” said Tokihiro Nakamura, governor of Ehime prefecture.Emergency medical services in the region are “under extreme pressure” as Covid-19 cases rise, Nakamura said. Read more