Lagos barman, domestic worker, labourer die at workplaces (Punch)
Three workers, identified as Femi, Israel Umogani and one Austine, have been found dead in their respective places of work in Lagos State within a week.
Femi was a barman at a hotel on Pipeline Road, Abule Egba; Umogani worked as a domestic worker on Fatai Irawo Street, Ajao Estate while Austine aka Mortuary was a POP designer.
Femi was reportedly found dead in his room at the hotel on Saturday morning of June 25, with a head injury and blood streaming from his nostril.
It was learnt that Femi and a co-worker were embroiled in a quarrel in the early hours of the day which led to a fight. Read more
Group decries Lagos police stoppage of anti-Yoruba nation rally (Guardian)
Yoruba Appraisal Forum (YAF), a coalition of Yoruba groups, was yesterday forced to postpone its peace rally/sensitisation motorcade scheduled to hold at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos, due to heavy security presence and disapproval by the police.
Personnel from Lagos State Police Command had very early yesterday cordoned off the Gani Fawehinmi Park, over the planned anti-Yoruba nation rally by YAF.
The group, however, expressed regret at the inability of the Police to distinguish between it and other groups claiming to be championing Yoruba self-determination and independence with the disguised objective of destabilising the country.
In a statement by its National Coordiantor, Adeshina Animashaun, YAF stated that its objectives and consistent campaigns for peace throughout Yorubaland, the Southwest and all over Nigeria had been misunderstood and misconstrued by the police, which had also misrepresented YAF to the public as one of those groups claiming to be agitating for the creation of a Yoruba nation and the disintegration of the Nigerian state. Read more
Lagos demolishes 4 severely distressed buildings at Ebute Metta (Vanguard)
The Lagos State Government, through the state Building Control Agency (LASBCA), on Monday, embarked on the removal of the carcass of the partially collapsed building at No 19, Herbert Macaulay Street, Ebute Metta.
This happened just as it removed three severely distressed buildings as well as marked several others for demolition in furtherance of the state government zero tolerance to incidences of building collapse in the state.
The General Manager of the agency, Arc. Gbolahan Oki, in his reaction to the ongoing demolition of structures across the state, said that removal of all distressed buildings in the state became necessary to prevent building collapse and its attendant loss of lives and properties.
Oki said that all the buildings in question were identified as distressed structures by a team of LASBCA Monitoring Officers early in the year, and all efforts by the agency to prevail on the recalcitrant owners of the affected buildings to toe the line of due processes and best practices in consonance with state-building control regulations, fell on deaf ears, hence, its removal over the weekend. Read more
Lagos community decries rising insecurity, poor power supply (Guardian)
Residents in Greenfield Estate, a bustling middle-class neighbourhood in Amuwo Odofin local council area of Lagos State has lamented increasing insecurity and epileptic power supply in the area.
According to the residents, the popular business hub of many flourishing plazas, hotels, offices and schools has become a shadow of itself as a result of poor power supply despite very ‘crazy’ bills, rising insecurity, poor drainage network, flooding, lack of street lights and bad roads.
In a bid to find lasting solutions to these problems bedeviling the community, the residents elected and inaugurated a new estate executive council led by Monday Akunna, recently.
Speaking after his inauguration, Akunna affirmed that he was ready to face the daunting task of leading the community. Read more
Lagos govt set to ease homeownership (Vanguard)
Lagos State Government says it is upscaling its housing delivery performance and subsidising the cost of the homes to reduce the barrier to homeownership in the state.
Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Mr Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, made this known on Friday in a statement signed by Mrs Adeola Salako, Spokesperson of the ministry.
The commissioner said this was a response to the growing gap in housing demand in relation to the available accommodation in the state.
Akinderu-Fatai said the government was committed to the provision of affordable mass housing units in spite of the increasing cost of building materials occasioned by the current inflationary trend. Read more
Drug addicts get post-rehabalition home in Lagos (Guardian)
To curb the menace of hard drug addiction in the country, the family and larger society have been urged to re-strategise the mode of raising the boy child.
The charge was made during the week at the launch of Mara To Elim Post Rehabilitation Home (MTEPRH) for drug addicts who have graduated from rehab centres.
The event, which was held at Wellspring Rehabilitation Centre in Ojodu Berger Lagos, was in commemoration of the 60th birthday and thanksgiving of MTEPRH founder, Mrs. Oluwakemi Jegede.
According to Jegede, hard drugs have become the menace of the Nigerian society and global community as a whole. Read more
Nigerian-American raises $85,000 to sue white woman for chasing her in mall (Punch)
A Nigerian-American woman, Ijeoma Ukenta, who was seemingly chased by a white woman at Victoria’s Secret, a clothing mall in Millburn, New Jersey, on Saturday, has raised over $85,000 on GoFundMe to hire an attorney to defend herself against the woman.
Ukenta captured the encounter in a viral six-part YouTube series. In the fifth video of the saga, Ukenta displayed what she described as the police report on the incident, claiming that the Victoria’s Secret staff corroborated her version of the events.
“Online, the woman’s actions have morphed into a viral meme, and she has been given the nickname “Victoria’s Secret Karen,” Insider reports.
“Karen” is a slang term usually used in reference to a white woman who is said to act out of a sense of inflated self-importance, according to The Guardian. Read more
Fear of disease outbreak as flood hits Taraba State (Leadership)
The impacts of flooding have increasingly assumed from significant to threatening proportions, resulting in loss of lives and properties in Taraba State.
Though officially detailed statistics are not available regarding the losses sustained by the flood victims in Taraba State, LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that some of the worst-hit areas are Mayo Gwoi, Abuja Phase 2, Barade, Nukkai, and part of Abuja Phase 1.
Besides washing away many homes and rendering many homeless, the furious flood has led to untold and unspeakable hardship to the residents, it also washed away farm crops and livestock worth over a billion naira as a result of the heavy downpour.
A check within Jalingo the state capital also revealed that most of the drainages in the city centre were blocked following the flood posing greater danger if the heavy downpours persist, amidst cholera outbreaks recorded in some parts of the country. Read more
Naira rain as Obi Cubana buries mum in Anambra (Punch)
There was a lavish display of wealth in Oba, Anambra State, on Friday when a nightclub owner, Obi Iyiegbu, aka Obi Cubana, buried his mother in grand style.
Several celebrities, businesspeople and politicians turned out in large numbers for the funeral. This was even as huge amounts of cash were ‘sprayed’ at the event, in addition to several gifts he had got before the event, including cows, foodstuff and drinks. Though it was reported on several blogs that the businessman got about 246 cows, Saturday PUNCH could not independently verify this. However, one of his associates, Cubana Chief Priest, was said to have given him 46 cows.
In a list that went viral on social media, Iyiegbu was said to have got over N200m from friends and associates. Though the authenticity of the list which had 198 names on it could not be verified by Saturday PUNCH, the people on it include Mighty Mighty Umuchu (N1m), Ekene New Age (N1m), Sir Makuachukwu Okeifeadigo (N1m), Wale Cubana (N1m) and Igirigi Uli (N500,000). Read more
Covid misinformation on Facebook is killing people – Biden (BBC)
US President Joe Biden has warned that the spread of Covid-19 misinformation on social media is “killing people”.
He was responding to a question from a reporter about the alleged role of “platforms like Facebook” in spreading falsehoods about vaccines and the pandemic.
The White House has been increasing pressure on social media companies to tackle disinformation.
Facebook says it is taking “aggressive action” to protect public health. Read more
Will Smith’s boxing trainer reveals extreme lengths actor went to for movie about Mohammad Ali (Metro)
Boxing trainer Darrell Foster has revealed the extreme lengths he made Will Smith go to in preparation for 2001 movie Ali.
Will, 52, played late boxing legend Mohammad Ali, who died at the age of 74 in 2016, in the film, and the actor once fell to his knees as he was so exhausted during training for the project.
Darrell trained former boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard for 18 years and has coached a number of big names for movies, including Woody Harrelson, Antonio Banderas and Eddie Murphy.
Darrell explained to NME that he took the TV and film star to an altitude of 10,000 feet in ski resort Aspen in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains so Will could experience breathlessness due to the thinner air at that height, similar to what Mohammad went through during his fights. Read more
75 children killed, 1,000 detained since Myanmar coup: UN experts (AlJazeera)
UN experts have also slammed the widespread arbitrary detention of children in police stations, prisons and military detention centres [File: Dawei Watch via AFP]
17 Jul 2021
Dozens of children have been killed and hundreds arbitrarily detained in Myanmar since a coup more than five months ago, UN rights experts said, as the political turmoil in the country continues amid a health emergency brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UN child rights committee reported on Friday that it had received “credible information” that 75 children had been killed and approximately 1,000 arrested in Myanmar since February 1.
“Children in Myanmar are under siege and facing catastrophic loss of life because of the military coup,” committee chair Mikiko Otani said in a statement.
Myanmar’s residents have taken part in mass protests but have been met with a brutal military response since the coup which deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
“Children are exposed to indiscriminate violence, random shootings and arbitrary arrests every day,” Otani said. Read more
Lil Durk: Grammy-nominated US rapper in shootout with intruders (BBC)
US rapper Lil Durk, who was nominated for two Grammy Awards earlier this year, has been involved in a shootout with intruders at his home.
Georgia police said the residents exchanged gunfire with several suspects on Sunday, but were not injured.
The Chicago star has been touched by gun violence before, with several relatives and members of his circle reported to have been shot dead.
In June, his new album hit number one in the US and number five in the UK. Read more
Why are China’s billionaires suddenly feeling so generous? (AlJazeera)
China’s billionaires are becoming terribly generous of late. In recent months, Wang Xing, the chairman and founder of food delivery giant Meituan, donated around $2.7bn in stocks to his personal charity promoting scientific research and education, along with several other large gifts.
After Colin Huang, founder of e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, resigned as chairman of the company in March, he gifted around $1.85bn to an educational fund. And earlier this year He Xiangjian of the Midea home appliances empire and Xu Jiayin of the Evergrande real estate empire forked over roughly $975m and $370m respectively to poverty alleviation, medical care and cultural programmes.
The list of largesse goes on and on, with billionaires like Zhang Yiming, founder of TikTok parent ByteDance, giving around $77m for education to his hometown of Longyan in Fujian province, and with former Olympic diving great Guo Jingjing donating $10m to the city of Wuhan. Read more
In late surprise, Cannes screens powerful tribute to Hong Kong democracy protests (France24)
In a last-minute addition to its line-up, the Cannes Film Festival has given a world premiere to Kiwi Chow’s “Revolution of Our Times”, a defiant chronicle of Hong Kong’s 2019 pro-democracy protests, taking a diplomatic gamble on a sensitive topic that could provoke China’s ire.
After ten days of blazing sunshine, the rain descended on the Cannes Film Festival on Friday – a tribute, no doubt, to the defiant protesters who fashioned a global symbol of freedom out of an unlikely item: the umbrella.
The humble brolly has been an emblem of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests since 2014, first as a means of expression and then as a shield against police cameras, pepper spray, gas canisters and rubber bullets. But even the sturdiest umbrella cannot protect the protagonists of Kiwi Chow’s shocking documentary “Revolution of Our Times”, which chronicles the massive street protests that gripped Hong Kong in 2019 and their brutal suppression by police. Read more
Daca: Obama programme for child migrants ruled illegal (BBC)
A federal judge in Texas has ruled that a programme protecting migrants who came to the US as children from deportation is illegal.
Judge Andrew Hanen said new applicants should not be enrolled in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca).
But he said the ruling does not require the government to deport any Daca recipients.
Nearly 650,000 people – known as Dreamers – are currently enrolled in the programme. Read more
Poorly kitted Nigerian contingent wear Arsenal jersey, different brands in Tokyo (Punch)
Eyebrows have been raised following different attire worn by members of Team Nigeria contingent in Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games despite the announcement of AFA Sports as the country’s official kits supplier, Saturday PUNCH reports.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had on Monday in Abuja unveiled AFA Sports as the official apparel of Team Nigeria to the Games, a day before their departure to their training camp in Kizarasu, Japan.
However, several videos and pictures showed many officials were wearing different attire and sportswear brands.
Contingents from other countries – including South Africa – who arrived in Japan at the same time with Nigeria were however uniformly kitted. Read more
Suns to face Bucks in pivotal fifth game of NBA Finals (France24)
Upstart rivals Milwaukee and Phoenix battle in Saturday’s fifth game of the NBA Finals but only one title-hungry team will emerge on the brink of a historic championship.
With the best-of-seven series level at 2-2, the Bucks are halfway to their first crown in 50 years while the Suns haven’t won a title in their 53-year history.
“It’s going to be a battle, but I think both sides know the price and both have a goal,” Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday said. “You’ve just got to leave it all out there.”
Host Phoenix won the first two games at home while the Bucks took the next two in Milwaukee, where they are an NBA playoff-best 9-1. Read more
British Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton quickest in Silverstone qualifying (BBC)
The crowds are back for the British Grand Prix – which is live on Sunday on BBC Radio 5 Live, with digital coverage on the BBC Sport website
Lewis Hamilton thrilled a crowd of 86,000 at Silverstone to take pole position for Saturday’s new sprint race at the British Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver beat title rival Max Verstappen’s Red Bull by 0.075 seconds to secure top spot for the new 17-lap race introduced this weekend.
Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas was third ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was sixth and there was an outstanding display by Williams’ George Russell in eighth. Read more
Athlete, Olympic workers test positive for COVID as opening nears (AlJazeera)
A foreign athlete and five Olympic workers in Japan have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Tokyo 2020 organisers.
The cases, announced on Thursday, marked the latest infections to emerge among people involved with the Summer Games, which are due to begin next week, and have raised new concerns about the spread of coronavirus at the global sporting event.
In a statement on its website, Tokyo 2020 said the six people – which included several contractors – had tested positive for the virus on July 13 and 14. It did not disclose any further details about the athlete or the staffers.
Japan’s NHK broadcaster said the athlete was observing a 14-day period of isolation and has not yet relocated to the Athlete’s Village in Tokyo, where 11,000 athletes will stay and mingle during the games that run from July 23 till August 8. Read more
Brighton accept £50million offer from Arsenal for defender Ben White (Metro)
Brighton have accepted an offer worth around £50million from Arsenal for centre-back Ben White and an official announcement is expected soon, according to reports.
Mikel Arteta has made a new central defender one of his top transfer priorities this summer, particularly following the departure of David Luiz, and identified England international White as his number one target.
But Brighton were adamant it would take a massive offer to convince them to sell, having rejected an offer worth £25m from Leeds last summer.
rinciple. Read more
Arjen Robben: Netherlands legend retires for second time (BBC)
Arjen Robben has retired from football for the second time at the age of 37.
The former Netherlands international initially hung up his boots in 2019 before reversing the decision to return to his first club Groningen last season.
Injuries and the coronavirus pandemic marred the winger’s second spell and he announced his decision on Thursday.Robben won two Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup with Chelsea during a stellar career. Read more