Lagos commissioner tasks public health physicians on policymaking (Punch)
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, has described public health practitioners as important players in policymaking in the health sector.
Abayomi stated this when he received the executives of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, Lagos State branch, and members of its biennial scientific conference local organising committee.
He noted that inequities and social injustice were key problems in healthcare in Nigeria, especially at the grassroots, and encouraged members of the association to pursue policies and interventions that sought to address the challenges.
APHPN, in a statement titled, ‘APHPN Lagos State Branch Visit to the Honorable Commissioner for Health for Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi,’ and signed by its Chairman, Dr Tolu Olufunlayo, and Pubic Relations Officer, Dr Blossom Maduafokwa, said the commissioner lamented the paucity of biosecurity laboratories in Africa as only one in Nigeria and one in South Africa, despite being a hotspot for emerging and re-emerging diseases. Read more
Police, Lagos council, group unite against drug abuse (Guardian)
In a bid to frontally tackle drug and substances sale and abuse in Lagos State, a non-profit organisation, United Breed Foundation, has partnered with the Amuwo-Odofin local council, the police, Lagos Neighbourhood watch and churches to sensitise residents against the menace.
Speaking at the Amuwo-Odofin local council headquarters, the Convener of the foundation, Anthony Abakporo, decried the prevalence of drug use amongst youths, saying that even primary school children were not left out.
“It will shock you to know that children in primary school now use hard drugs according to some cases we have before us. We are trying to penetrate the schools through the PTA and parents to sensitise them against this looming danger. Parents need to be close to their kids, check their phones always and monitor them strictly to ensure they are not into drugs or in a cult. Read more
My relationship with Mr. Macaroni — Mummy Wa (DailyTrust)
Kemi Ikuseedun is one of the popular content creators on social media.
The busty talented skit maker, popularly known as Mummy Wa for playing the role of the wife of Mr. Macaroni (Debo Adedayo) in his skits is a chartered accountant but her interest in the entertainment industry won’t allow her to practice.
Also known as Kemz Mama, Ikuseedun, who grew up in Orile Iganmu, had her secondary education at Queens College, Yaba, Lagos state.
She bagged a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the Bells University, Ogun State and a Master’s degree in Management from the University of Lagos, UNILAG. Read more
Dad said he didn’t want me to learn it outside day he first had sex with me– 16-year-old girl (Punch)
A 16-year-old girl, Mercy (pseudonym), has recounted how her father forcefully had sex with her for about two years, saying that she has lost count of times he committed the act.
The randy father, Adebayo Aderinoye, was apprehended on Wednesday by policemen from the Agbado division, Ogun State.
Aderinoye, 52, was reportedly arrested following a petition to a human rights group based in Lagos by his wife.
City Round learnt that the couple and their five children reside in a one-room apartment in the Matogun area of Ogun State.
Mercy told our correspondent that she initially resisted her father’s attempt to have sex with her but he cajoled him into believing that he was teaching him the right thing. Read more
Nigeria gets $400 million in World Bank financing to procure more COVID-19 vaccines (Tribune)
Nigeria got approval on Friday for $400 million in World Bank financing to procure and deploy COVID-19 vaccinations, the bank said in a statement, Reuters reported.
The World Bank board of directors signed off on the financing, provided via the International Development Association, which it said would enable Africa’s most populous nation to purchase COVID-19 vaccines for 40 million people, some 18 per cent of its population, and support vaccine deployment to 110 million people.
In a statement, the bank said the money would ensure that the government can vaccinate 51 per cent of its population within two years and “avoid the dreadful consequences of another lockdown that left in its wake an economic toll the country is still grappling with.” Read more
Viral Tiktok Video: Police arrest two, says lady alive (Guardian)
The Edo State Police Command has arrested two suspected cultists who allegedly tortured and humiliated a lady identified as Queen Perri following a viral TikTok video she made on social media.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Philip Ogbadu, disclosed this while addressing journalists after the monthly state security meeting at the Government House, Benin City.
He said two of the boys involved in the torture of the lady had been arrested and were in police custody, adding that the command has intensified search for the other culprits. Read more
OAU shut as aggrieved students protesting colleague’s death block highways (Punch)
Aggrieved students of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife, Osun State, on Friday blocked the Ede/Ife road and the Ife/Ibadan expressway to protest the death of one of their colleagues and 400-level student of the Department of Foreign Languages, Aishat Adesina.
The students during the protest halted vehicular movement on the roads, leading to traffic gridlock, while many commuters looked for alternative routes to reach their destinations.
The development has however led to the closure of the institution. A statement on Friday by the varsity’s spokesperson, Abiodun Olarewaju, announced the immediate closure of the institution and ordered students to vacate their halls of residence before 12pm on Saturday (today). Read more
Akeredolu seeks restructuring, Abiodun tasks youths on nation building (Guardian)
Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu called for urgent restructuring of the country to reflect the diversity and address the various misunderstandings and high rate of criminality in the polity. He made the call yesterday in a statewide broadcast in commemoration of the 2021 Independence Day Celebration.
Akeredolu, who noted that the current system adopted in the county did not encourage ingenuity, said “it is time for all patriots to unite and speak with one voice.” According to him, the current system in the country does not take into account the diverse status of the people. “The country faces serious challenges bordering on redefinition. It has become imperative that the current structure be tinkered with in a fundamental way. It is no longer sustainable.
“Our country is blessed abundantly. There is hardly any part of this vastly endowed space that should not be self-sustaining. This land should not be a place where hunger, poverty and a general sense of lack predominate. Read more
Bandits Strike Again In Niger, Kill 30, Abduct 7 Women (DailyTrust)
There has been tension in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State, as villagers around Sarkin Pawa Ward vacate their homes following the invasion of three villages by bandits where no fewer than 30 persons were reportedly killed.
Daily Trust learnt that 7 women were also kidnaped by the bandits in Sabon Kachiwe.
A Local Government official from the affected community who spoke in confidence told Daily Trust correspondent that the attackers also set ablaze the entire villages, after slaughtering and shooting both men and women on sight. Read more
Taiwan says record 38 Chinese planes entered defence zone (BBC)
Taiwan has reported 38 Chinese military jets flying into its air defence zone on Friday – the largest incursion by Beijing to date.
The defence ministry said the aircraft, including nuclear-capable bombers, entered its air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in two waves.
Taiwan responded by scrambling its jets and deploying missile systems.
China sees democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign state. Read more
US COVID-19 death toll eclipses 700,000 (NYPost)
More than 650,000 white flags of which 114, 937 were Latin Americans, stand on National Mall in honor to Americans who died with Covid 19, during the art exhibition In America Remember today on September 21, 2021 at National Mall in Washington DC, USA.
More than 700,000 Americans have now died of coronavirus.
Lenin Nolly/NurPhoto/Shutterstoc
More than 700,000 Americans have now died of coronavirus, a heartbreaking pandemic milestone reached Friday — nearly six months after the COVID-19 vaccine first became widely available.
The US averaged more than 2,000 deaths a day during the last week of September, a rate which represents about 60 percent of the peak in fatalities recorded in January.
The current level of daily cases is 117,625 a day, down from a mid-September Delta variant-driven peak, but far short of the 10,000 daily cases that White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said are needed to end the pandemic. Read more
Georgia arrests former president upon return from exile (DW)
Mikheil Saakashvili, the exiled former president of the Caucasus country of Georgia, was arrested on Friday, just hours after returning from Ukrainian exile to campaign in important nationwide municipal elections.
“Georgia’s third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, has been arrested today and sent to jail,” announced Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
The arrest came just hours after the former leader took to Facebook to announce his return. Saakashvili, who was swept into power during the so-called Rose Revolution, was president of the country from 2004 until 2013. Read more
Lavish Russian wedding for Tsar’s descendant (BBC)
A descendent of Russia’s Romanov monarchy, which was toppled in the 1917 revolution, has married in a lavish ceremony in St Petersburg.
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov and his fiancée Rebecca Virginia Bettarini tied the knot on Friday.
Foreign guests included Prince Rudolph and Princess Tilsim of Liechtenstein, and former Bulgarian royalty.
Mr Mikhailovich’s great-grandfather, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, fled Russia during the Bolshevik revolution. Read more
US Supreme Court denies request by New York City school teachers to block Covid-19 vaccination mandate (RT)
A group of New York City teachers won’t be getting the legal relief they sought from an order requiring them to be vaccinated against Covid-19, as the US Supreme Court has summarily denied their request to block the mandate.
Just one day after the emergency appeal was filed to the nation’s highest court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Friday denied the request to hear the case. Sotomayor, who handles emergency filings from New York, offered no comment on the decision.
New York City’s vaccine mandate for public school employees went into effect at 5pm on Friday, putting thousands of workers at risk of losing their jobs. Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered the forced jabs in August, saying New York’s 148,000 school employees must get their first vaccine dose by September 27. About 18% of staffers, including 12% of teachers, reportedly haven’t been inoculated. Read more
Queen Elizabeth reportedly footing the bill for Prince Andrew’s sex abuse defense (NYPost)
Queen Elizabeth is bankrolling her disgraced son Prince Andrew’s legal battle against bombshell sex abuse claims connected to his friendship with late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a report claimed on Friday.
The 95-year-old monarch is forking over millions of pounds from her private estate to multiple lawyers that charge as much as $2,000 an hour, according to The Telegraph.
The Duke of York was relieved of his royal duties by the queen in the aftermath of accusations by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, 38, that he sexually assaulted her three times when she was 17.
Andrew accepted Giuffre’s Manhattan federal court lawsuit last week after her lawyers accused him of trying to doge facing the legal claim. Read more
Powell goal ends West Brom unbeaten run (BBC)
Nick Powell scored the only goal of the game as Stoke City beat previously unbeaten Championship leaders West Bromwich Albion.
It looked like being one of those nights in the Potteries when Michael O’Neill’s men outplayed the visitors but could not find a way through.
Jacob Brown hit the post in the first half, then Mario Vrancic hit the bar in the second, before Sam Johnstone twice made great saves in quick succession from Sam Surridge, the second of them from the penalty spot after the Albion keeper had brought down the striker. Read more
Luke Shaw included in Manchester United squad for Everton clash (Metro)
Luke Shaw has been included in Manchester United’s squad for their Premier League clash with Everton on Saturday.
The left-back was forced off with a shoulder injury in the first half of United’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa last Saturday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also confirmed that Shaw has been suffering from an illness this week.
Alex Telles started instead of Shaw for United’s Champions League fixture against Villarreal on Wednesday evening and scored a superb equaliser before Cristiano Ronaldo’s late goal sealed a 2-1 win at Old Trafford. Read more
The NBA bubble broke LeBron James (NYPost)
LeBron James wasn’t an exception to experiencing the spent side effects of the 2020 NBA Bubble — where he collected his fourth championship ring with the Lakers.
On the second day of Lakers’ training camp this week, James reflected on the aftermath of being in the bubble — and, just less than two months later, beginning last season’s camp.
“Last year after coming off the bubble it literally took everything away from you. Any little bit of energy that you had, it was completely gone when we left there,” he told ESPN — noting that the “the energy,” heading into the coming season is much different. Read more
UFC star Ladd shakes violently on scales at weigh-in before fight canceled amid widespread concern (RT)
MMA fans and pundits reacted in shock and called for common sense to prevail after UFC bantamweight contender Aspen Ladd was seen shaking on the scales at the weigh-in ahead of a fight that was eventually canceled by officials.
Currently number 10 in the women’s pound-for-pound rankings and number three in her division, 9-1 Ladd was scheduled to take on 8-1 Macy Chiasson on a UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas headlined by Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker.
Attending the weigh-in, however, the 26-year-old had to strip down while attempting to make the 135-pound limit, and first came in at 141.5.
Covered by boarding to hide her modesty, the Folsom, California native was then described as “looking weak” and seen shaking and stumbling in disturbing footage when asked to lift her arms. Read more
Thomas Tuchel responds to Antonio Conte’s analysis of Romelu Lukaku’s struggles at Chelsea (Metro)
Thomas Tuchel insists Romelu Lukaku does not have a problem at Chelsea after Antonio Conte claimed this week that the team have not ‘figured out how to use’ the Belgian striker.
Lukaku has scored four goals since his return to Stamford Bridge but has not found the net in his last four appearances.
Chelsea also struggled in their 1-0 defeat to Manchester City last weekend with Lukaku failing to register a shot on goal during the entire game. Read more
Flat-capped Steffen Baumgart inspires Cologne — and a trend (DW)
Cologne extended their unbeaten run to five games, moving up to sixth in the table. It’s another positive result for their charismatic coach Steffen Baumgart, whose trademark accessory has inspired a trend.
Dotted around the RheinEnergieStadion was a curious spectacle on Friday night – an abundance of fans in flat caps. Such is the popularity of their charismatic coach Steffen Baumgart, the flat cap has become a crucial accessory on these terraces, which were packed with an increased 40,000 fans following the relaxation of the region’s COVID-19 regulations. If Cologne’s ascent under Baumgart continues, the city’s milliners will have their work cut out to keep up with demand.
Since his arrival, Cologne have lost just once – a narrow 3-2 defeat at Bayern Munich – and their unbeaten run is gathering momentum. Following this lively display against Greuther Fürth under the Friday night lights, it’s five games and counting. Next is a trip to Hoffenheim, and you wouldn’t bet against Baumgart’s men making it six. Read more
