THISISLAGOS MIDDAY NEWS UPDATE APRIL 9, 2018
Lagos APC: count us out of elongation (Nation)
Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has nothing to do with those plotting for tenure elongation for the members of the Oyegun-led National Working Committee (NWC), party’s Deputy Publicity Secretary spokesman, Mr Abiodun Salami has said. Salami said the chapter’s position was influenced by the submission of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo at the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja last week on the implication of tenure elongation for the NWC members on the party. He said Lagos would never be a party to a decision that will work against the APC now that we are preparing for the 2019 general elections. Read more
Man collapses, dies after withdrawing N100,200 from bank (Punch)
There was confusion in the Ojota area of Lagos State after a middle-aged man, identified only as Muyibi, collapsed and died in a commercial cab. Punch Metro learnt that the victim boarded the cab after withdrawing money from a United Bank for Africa branch in the Ogudu area. The driver was said to have demanded the cab fare from the victim, who was motionless. After reaching the terminus, a resident told our correspondent that the driver alighted from the cab to nudge Muyibi, who appeared to be fast asleep. Read more
Ikeja Electric introduces new features on receipt to tackle fraud (SUN)
In a bid to further protect customers and shore up convenience in electricity bills payment, the management of Ikeja Electric is partnering one of its payment channel partners to modify the receipt for payment transactions made by customers. The online receipts issued for bills paid through the Ikeja Electric Cards channel on computer systems/laptops feature the word ‘ORIGINAL’ & ‘IE’ logo watermarked at the background with the IE watermark randomly displayed on the receipts. The mobile receipt issued for payments via its Agent App has ‘Ikeja Electric Payment Receipt’ with dotted underlines half inch from the caption dated with time stamp. An inscription of the dealer/sub-dealer’s name coupled with the day of transaction abbreviated as ‘Tue’ ‘Wed’ with GMT time zone with year – GMT+01:00 2018 is also embedded at the foot of the receipt. Read more
MSSN wants Lagos to publicise new education policy before implementation (Guardian)
To ensure general acceptance and understanding of the newly reviewed education policy, the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria has appealed to the Lagos State Government to publicise the policy and make it available to stakeholders before implementation. The President of the MSSN in Lagos State, Dr. Saheed Ashafa, in a statement said doing so would aid a collective acceptance of the policy and prevents a similar crisis currently witnessed with the Land Use Charge modification. Ashafa, who commended the Lagos State Stakeholders Engagement Forum where the policy was reviewed, said it is important to give education stakeholders the opportunity to assess the policies before implementation. Read more
Offa Robbery Attack: First Bank to partner with government on security, says MD (Guardian)
First Bank Holdings has expressed its readiness to collaborate with the government in providing security in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara to curb incessant armed robbery. The Managing Director of the holdings, Dr. Adesola Kazeem said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), at the Ilorin International Airport on Monday. The MD spoke through the Deputy Managing Director, Mr Francisco Shobo. The MD said, “We are very sad at the development but thankful to God that none of our staff or customers lost their lives to the armed robbery attack. Read more
NAF Special Forces foil suicide bombing at UNIMAID (Vanguard)
The Special Forces of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, in conjunction with some Nigerian Army troops, successfully foiled a suicide bombing attack by Boko Haram terrorists at University of Maiduguri, Borno State last night. The Boko Haram suicide bombers, according to the Air Force, in a statement by its spokesman, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, tried to gain access into the University but were quickly detected by the NAF Special Forces. The vest on one of the suicide bombers was said to have been detonated before they could gain access into the hostel, leading to a commotion. Read more
Woman flees as boyfriend drowns in hotel (Punch)
A35-year-old man, identified simply as Sikiru, has drowned in the swimming pool of a hotel in the Ishashi area of Lagos State. It was gathered that Sikiru and his girlfriend had visited the hotel – Regional Hotel and Suites – on April 2 when the incident happened. The girlfriend was said to have fled the facility while the hotel manager reported the case to the police who removed the corpse and deposited it in a morgue. The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chike Oti, said a preliminary investigation by detectives who visited the scene showed that there was no injury on the corpse. Read more
Robbery suspect caught while beating girlfriend (Punch)
A suspected robber, Rilwan Wasiu, has been arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command. The 20-year-old was reportedly beating up his girlfriend on Thursday under the Adeniji Adele Bridge when he was caught. According to the police, some officers who were on patrol around 10pm on the day had been drawn to the noise of the scuffle between Wasiu and his lover. The men had tried to mediate when a toy gun allegedly fell from Wasiu’s body. When interrogated, the suspect allegedly confessed to be a member of a three-man gang which specialised in dispossessing stranded motorists of their valuables. Read more
Homosexuals fight in Lagos after contracting HIV (Punch)
There was chaos in Egbe, in the Ikotun area of Lagos State, when some homosexuals allegedly fought one another after contracting the Human Immunodefeciency Virus. Punch Metro gathered that one of the men, identified as Ezeugo, infected his first lover with the virus. Ezeugo had reportedly brought in another boyfriend to the house and was about to make love to him when the first boyfriend raised the alarm around 3am on Tuesday. Our correspondent learnt that policemen from the Ikotun division were invited by residents and the suspects were arrested. Read more
Lagos pledges support as 7th Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp Begins (ThisDay)
Impressed with the organisation and the impact the annual Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp has had on grassroots football; the Lagos State Sports Commission has pledged its support to the organizers of the clinic.
From today April 8, hundreds of students across Nigeria will converge at the Lekki Campus of Greensprings School, as the 7th edition of the football camp begins under the watchful eyes of coaches from England and Netherlands, supported by their Nigerian counterparts. According to the Executive Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission, Kweku Tandoh, the management of Greensprings School should be commended for the initiative as well as the lives of young people the camp has touched positively. Read more
MFM, Akwa walk tight rope in Confederation Cup (NewTelegraph)
MFM FC’s quest to qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup group stage suffered a rude shock as they bowed 1-0 to Djoliba at the Agege Stadium on Sunday. Mahamadou Cisse’s second half effort handed the visitors a crucial win in the first leg of the play-off round as the Nigerians’ chances now hang on the balance. Consequently, the Olukoya Boys became the first Nigerian team ever to lose at home to the Malians. Fidelis Ilechukwu’s men began the game on a bright note as Akuneto Chijioke’s free-kick forced a brilliant save from goalkeeper Adama Traore after Tchato Giscard was fouled. The Lagosians continued to dominate but could not get past the visitor’s rock solid backline. Read more
Arab MK calls on West Bank Palestinians not to leave Gazans alone (Memo)
Israeli-Arab MK Hanin Zoabi yesterday called on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to organise anti-Israeli demonstrations and not to leave Gazans alone, Shehab.ps reported. “We need to organise popular demonstrations to remind the world of the siege,” she said. “We need millions of Palestinians to advance towards Jerusalem. This is our [Arabs in Israel] ambition, but we cannot do this because the Israelis will kill us.” She stressed that Israel has become a “racist” and “fascist” state and called for carrying out an investigation into the killing of Palestinian demonstrators on the borders of Gaza. Read more
Ri Sol-ju rumoured to be joining husband Kim Jong-un at South Korea summit (Telegraph)
Kim Jong-un’s wife Ri Sol-ju may accompany the North Korean leader to his first summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in later this month, in a sign of her growing role as a key player in the regime’s international diplomacy. With just three weeks to go before the landmark meeting of the two Korean leaders on the heavily militarised border, the South’s press is speculating that Ms Ri will share high tea with their own first lady, Kim Jung-sook, as well as attending a state lunch or dinner. If confirmed, the occasion would be another significant step in the rapid rise of Ms Ri, alongside Mr Kim’s younger sister Kim Yo-jong, in presenting the softer side of the regime in an ongoing charm offensive with Seoul. Read more
Marjuana linked to ‘unbearable’ sickness across US as use grows following legalization (Independent)
By the time Thomas Hodorowski made the connection between his marijuana habit and the bouts of pain and vomiting that left him incapacitated every few weeks, he had been to the emergency room dozens of times, tried anti-nausea drugs, anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants, endured an upper endoscopy procedure and two colonoscopies, seen a psychiatrist and had his appendix and gallbladder removed. The only way to get relief for the nausea and pain was to take a hot shower. Read more
Pope Francis puts caring for Migrants and Opposing Abortion on equal footing (Nytimes)
Caring for migrants and the poor is equally as holy a pursuit as opposing abortion, Pope Francis declared in a major document issued by the Vatican on Monday morning. Brushing back against conservative critics within the church who argue that the 81-year-old pope’s focus on social issues has led him to lose sight of the true doctrine, Pope Francis again cast himself, and the mission of the Roman Catholic Church, in a more progressive light. “The other harmful ideological error is found in those who find suspect the social engagement of others, seeing it as superficial, worldly, secular, materialist, communist or populist,” Pope Francis wrote in an apostolic exhortation on the subject of holiness issued Monday morning. Read more