Lagos Assembly crisis: Aggrieved lawmakers link feud with Pension Bill for Speaker (Punch)
Some aggrieved members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have alleged that the Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, removed some principal officers of the body because they did not support the Pension Bill in favour of Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the 8th Assembly.
The bill, introduced by the House in 2016, sought an amendment to the state’s Pension Law that would make the Speaker and Deputy Speaker earn life pensions.
Rotimi Abiru (Chief Whip) and Olumuyiwa Jimoh (Deputy Majority Leader) were removed from their positions and replaced on Monday, while Moshood Osun and Adewale Raheem were suspended for alleged gross misconduct and insubordination. Read more
Lagos explosion not caused by oil pipeline vandalism – NEMA (Guardian)
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says Sunday’s explosion which occurred at Abule Ado, Trade Fair axis of Lagos State was not caused by a disruption of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) oil pipeline.
Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, Acting Coordinator, Lagos Territorial Office, NEMA, made the clarification in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Farinloye said that contrary to information earlier put out on the social media, the explosion which occurred at about 9 a.m. was unconnected to pipeline vandalism.
“From the information given by officials of the Lagos State Fire Service who are currently on the ground, the implosion is not connected to pipeline but might have occurred in a factory located in the Abule Ado area.
“Emergency responders are on the ground while others are still on their way to the scene. The situation is under control and we hope to get more information soon to ascertain its cause,” he said. Read more
One feared dead, 50 houses destroyed in Lagos explosion (Punch)
The National Emergency Management Agency says over 50 buildings were destroyed in the explosion that rocked Abule Ado, near the Trade Fair Complex on the Lagos-Badagry highway.
Acting Coordinator of the Lagos Territorial Office of NEMA, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Sunday.
Scene of the Lagos explosion on Sunday.
Residents walked past damaged buildings
One of the affected buildings
Farinloye said the cause of the incident and casualty figure were currently unknown as “rescue operations are still going on in the affected area”.
A building on fire at the scene of the Lagos explosion on Sunday. Read more
Lagos explosion: Churches, hotels, schools count losses (DailyTrust)
The headquarters of the Lagos Province 3 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) located on 24 Road, Festac Town, Lagos, is among over 70 buildings affected by a pipeline explosion that occurred in the area on Sunday morning. The explosion which occurred more than a kilometre away from the church premises, shattered its glass windows, injuring worshippers. A parish of the First Baptist Church near the RCCG parish also lost a part of its roof to the explosion. The roof of a parish of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) located at 7th Avenue, Festac Town, was also blown off by the explosion which equally shattered the roof of the Ark Parish of the RCCG at 1st Avenue, many kilometers away from the explosion scene. Read more
FRSC warns drivers against using earpiece (Guardian)
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ikeja Unit Command, on Sunday warned Nigerians against the use of earpiece while driving.
The Assistant Route Commander, Mr Olukayode Ayoola, who gave the warning in Lagos, said that use of earpiece by drivers had caused countless accidents.
Ayoola wad sensitising some Christians to road safety rules at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Court of His Majesty, Abesan, Ipaja, Lagos.
He said that accidents had occurred due to the use of earpiece because drivers did not hear necessary caution horning.
According to him, 90 per cent of road crashes are due to human error which has to do with ignorance and carelessness, while 10 per cent is due to mechanical faults. Read more
2023 ambition destroying APC like coronavirus, says Tinubu (Punch)
All Progressives Congress stalwart, Bola Tinubu, says the Presidential ambition of some top politicians in the APC is destroying the party like the coronavirus pandemic.
Tinubu said in a statement on Sunday that it was unfortunate that these individuals had in their desperation for power orchestrated the suspension of the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole.
He said, “While coronavirus has been presently contained in Nigeria, we must be alert to another sickness that seems rampant within a certain segment of society. That sickness is old Ambition-virus 2023. This illness afflicts many in the political class along with their allies in the media. Read more
Enugu records suspected case of Coronavirus, suspect isolated (Guardian)
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced a suspected case of the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Enugu, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
The information is on the official Twitter handle of NCDC @ncdcgov.
The centre stated that the suspected person had been isolated and the sample was collected for further verification.
It added that the result of the medical test would be out by Monday.
The statement on the Twitter handle reads: “Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is aware of the patient in Enugu, suspected to have #COVID19.
“This is one of several alerts received daily at the National #COVID19 Emergency Operations Centre.
“The patient is in isolation, sample collected and results expected tomorrow.” Read more
Police nab 46 UniAbuja students for alleged cult activities (DailyTrust)
Forty six students of the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) have been arrested by the Police for allegedly engaging in cult activities in Gwako village of Gwagwalada area council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Gwagwalada Divisional Police Officer (DPO), CSP Dankwano Wilson, who confirmed the arrest of the students to newsmen in Gwagwalada on Sunday, said the suspected cultists were arrested around 4:00am at a forest in Gwako village, after some vigilante members who were moving around the bush suddenly came across them. He said the vigilante quickly came to inform the police who immediately led the police team to the scene, where 46 of them were arrested on the spot, while others took to their heels. Read more
Funke Akindele, Toyin Abraham, Ramsey Nouah, others shine at AMVCA (Punch)
Top Nollywood actors, Funke Akindele, Toyin Abraham, Ramsey Nouah, were some of the big winners at the seventh edition of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards held on Saturday at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Akindele won the award for ‘Best Actress in a Comedy (Movie/TV Series)’ for her performance in ‘Mums at War’, while Abraham emerged winner in the ‘Best Actress in a Drama (Movie/TV Series)’ category for her role in the movie, ‘Elevator Baby’, and Nouah was announced as the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ and ‘Best Director’ for the movie, ‘Living in Bondage.’
By far the biggest winner on the night was the film, ‘Living in Bondage’, which carted away seven awards including ‘The Best Overall Movie’, ‘Best Cinematographer (Movie/TV series)—John Demps’; ‘Best Soundtrack – Larry Gaaga and Flavour’; ‘Best Writer (Movie/TV Series) – Asinugo Nicole and CJ Obasi’; ‘Best Sound Editor (Movie/TV Series) – Cristina Aragon’; and ‘Best Actor in a Drama (Movie/TV Series)— Swankey J.K.A (Living In Bondage).’ Read more
Coronavirus: Vatican cancels Easter celebrations (DailyTrust)
Pope Francis will not lead any public celebration for Easter due to the coronavirus, the Vatican said on Sunday, a move unprecedented in modern times. “All the Liturgical Celebrations of Holy Week will take place without the physical presence of the faithful,’’ a statement from the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household said. The celebrations will still take place, but in ways that have yet to be defined in accordance with anti-virus contagion measures, Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said separately. Easter, which this year falls on April 12, is the most important Christian holiday, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Read more
Pope Francis delivers blessing over an empty St Peter’s Square (Metro)
The Pope made a blessing over an eerily empty St Peter’s Square as Italy remained in lockdown over coronavirus. Pope Francis for the second Sunday delivered his noon remarks from inside the Apostolic Library at the Vatican. He praised people who might risk contagion to help the poor and homeless. The Vatican later confirmed Holy Week ceremonies would take place without the ‘physical presence of the faithful.’ It said until April 12, when Easter Sunday is celebrated this year, all the general audiences on Wednesday as well as Francis’s weekly Sunday noon prayer will be streamed online. Read more
Coronavirus: US airports in disarray over screening (BBC)
US airports have been thrown into chaos as new coronavirus health screening measures for people returning from Europe come into force.
Long queues formed as travellers waited for hours for the screenings before passing through customs.
The US is banning the entry of people travelling from the UK and Ireland from midnight on Monday (04:00 GMT Tuesday).
As a result, the UK Foreign Office is now advising against all but essential travel to the whole of the US.
President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday that the US is “doing very precise Medical Screenings at our airports”. Read more
Kenya blocks entry for non-residents over coronavirus (Punch)
Kenya unveiled a series of strict measures to curb coronavirus on Sunday, blocking entry to the country to all except citizens and residents and shutting schools as the number of confirmed cases rose to three.
Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe announced that two people who had sat next to the first patient on the airplane as she travelled back from the United States via London had tested positive.
“As a result of this we are going to implement the following measures: Only Kenyan citizens and foreigners with valid resident permits will be allowed to come into the country provided they proceed on self-quarantine or in a government quarantine facility,” President Uhuru Kenyatta said. Read more
Buckingham Palace deny Queen fled London over coronavirus fears (BBC)
The government’s plan to isolate all of the UK’s over-70s to protect them from coronavirus has left the Queen’s whereabouts in doubt. Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the measures are planned for the coming weeks and had not been implemented yet because the length of isolation would be ‘very long’. Buckingham Palace has denied a report had the monarch left for Windsor Castle over virus fears on Thursday. A ‘royal source’ was quoted in The Sun on Saturday saying she is in good health but ‘it was thought best to move her’, as lot of her staff are a ‘bit panicky over coronavirus’. Read more
Fourth coronavirus death in Greece, 96 arrests (Guardian)
Greece announced a new coronavirus death on Sunday, the country’s youngest fatality, bringing the toll to four, while police arrested citizens that defied a lockdown.
The 53-year-old man, who had been in intensive care, died early on Sunday, the director of the AHEPA Hospital, Panagiotis Panteliadis told the Athens News Agency.
He had been working in a medical laboratory in the northern city of Kozani.
On Saturday, a 67-year-old man died on Zakynthos island and a 90-year-old man died in the northern city of Ptolemaida.
The first fatality had been a 66-year-old man in Patras on Thursday. Read more
Valencia confirm five positive tests for coronavirus, among them Garay (Guardian)
Valencia confirmed on Sunday five of the club’s players and staff have tested positive for coronavirus, including Argentinian defender Ezequiel Garay.
Valencia said all those affected were “now at home, in good health and obeying self-isolation measures.”
Garay, who was set to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, became the first player in La Liga to confirm a positive test earlier on Sunday.
“Clearly I’ve got off on the wrong foot in 2020,” Garay wrote on social media. “I’ve tested positive for the coronavirus, I’m fine and now just listening to the health authorities, at the moment in isolation.” Read more
Mali backs singer Rokia Traoré after French arrest (BBC)
Mali’s government has issued a statement in support of the singer Rokia Traoré, who was arrested in Paris over a child custody dispute.
The statement pointed out that she has a diplomatic passport.
France was acting on an arrest warrant from Belgium.
It is seeking her extradition after a Belgian court ordered Traoré to hand over her five-year-old daughter to her estranged former partner, a Belgian national.
The Belgian warrant accused her of kidnapping and hostage-taking.
She was arrested on Tuesday as she arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport, in Paris. Read more
Coronavirus: Manchester United’s Paul Pogba sets up fundraiser and pledges financial support (BBC)
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has set up a fundraising page and pledged financial support to Unicef to help children affected by coronavirus.
After turning 27 on Sunday, Pogba set up the birthday fundraiser to “help fight this war against Covid-19”.
The France international says he will double the fund if his goal of £27,000 is reached.
“The impact of a large-scale outbreak, especially on poor and vulnerable children, can be immense,” Pogba wrote.
“It’s my birthday and I’m always grateful that me, my family and friends are healthy. Nonetheless, not everybody is in good health right now. Read more
Players treated like ‘guinea pigs’ over coronavirus: Rooney (Guardian)
Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney claims the British government and football authorities have treated players like “guinea pigs” during the coronavirus crisis.
While the rest of European football was shutting down due to the growing threat of the global pandemic, Rooney is angry it took several days for the Premier League and Football League to postpone their matches until April 3.
It was only when Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for the virus on Friday that football’s the UK governing bodies called a temporary halt to the season. Read more
3rd NBA player tests positive for coronavirus (BBC)
Detroit Pistons say all their players and staff will “self-isolate until further notice” after Christian Wood became the third player in the NBA to test positive for coronavirus.
Utah Jazz duo Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell both tested positive earlier in the week.
In a statement the Pistons said that Wood “will remain in isolation and under the care of team medical staff”. Read more
Van Dijk fears Liverpool will win title in empty stadium (Guardian)
Virgil Van Dijk fears Liverpool will be forced to celebrate their first English title for 30 years in an empty stadium as a result of coronavirus chaos.
All Premier League games have been postponed until at least April 3 due to the spread of the global pandemic.
Premier League chiefs are set to meet on Thursday to discuss if it will be possible to continue the season and, if so, in what format. Read more
Coronavirus: Gremio players wear masks in on-field protest before Sao Luiz game (BBC)
Players from Brazilian club Gremio took to the field wearing masks on Sunday in protest at having to play a football match as fears over coronavirus grow in the South American nation.
The players, led by boss Renato Portaluppi, walked out of the tunnel and lined up before the game against Sao Luiz wearing the masks.
“This protest by the players makes implicit our support for the championship to be halted – life must take precedence,” said Paulo Luz, Gremio’s director of football. Read more
Serie A doctors warn against return to training as 11 players catch coronavirus (Guardian)
Serie A doctors have issued a joint warning advising against a return to club training after four more players on Saturday tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the tally in the Italian top flight to 11.
Fiorentina’s Patrick Cutrone and German Pezzella contracted the virus, the Tuscan club said, with Sampdoria’s Fabio Depaoli and Bartosz Bereszynski later confirming they had also been diagnosed.
Serie A doctors said they had “strong concerns” and “unanimously advise not to resume training until a clear improvement” in the situation. Read more
Inter may send Moses back to Chelsea (Punch)
Victor Moses’ Serie A adventure with Inter may not go beyond this campaign according to reports in Italy.
The former Super Eagles reunited with his former Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte, in January as he sought to revive his flailing career after undergoing dismal spell at Fenerbahce in Turkey.
However, it seems everything has not gone as planned as his latest injury setback coupled, with his failure to hold down a starting berth at the right-back has forced the Nerazzurri to reconsider the option of signing him on a permanent basis at the end of the season. Read more