Lagos directs closure of public, private schools (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has directed all pupils/students in public and private schools to stay at home, following the tension generated by the anti- SARS protests.
The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, who issued the directive on Monday said the safety of pupils/students, parents and all staff working in schools was paramount at this critical period.
A statement signed by Head, Public Affairs, Ministry of Education, Kayode Abayomi, quoted the commissioner as advising parents to keep an eye on their wards and not allow them to be used as willing tools in the hands of those who might want to hijack the protests to unleash mayhem on the society. Read more
Stranded Lagos residents hail anti-SARS protesters (Guardian)
It was total lockdown in the Ogba, Ikeja areas of Lagos, as virtually all major junctions and link roads were taken over and occupied by protesters.
Motorists from Ogba, who tried to link up Allen Roundabout or Oba Akran Avenue via Adeniyi Jones, could not make it to their destinations, as the Allen Roundabout had fallen under the total control of the activists.
Some had to do a detour to connect Oba Akran through a link road to the Guinness end of the road. It seemed better and provided some sort of relief. But the respite was short-lived as the motorists, no sooner than later, ran into another stagnant traffic. This was at the Ikeja end of the Oba Akran stretch. It started before the bridge that connects Oba Akran to Kodesoh Street. Read more
Missing girl not our student, says LASPOTECH (Punch)
The Lagos State Polytechnic has said a 19-year-old girl, Shalewa Adebowale, is not one of its students. The Director of Information and Public Relations, LASPOTECH, Olanrewaju Kuye, stated this in a statement on Monday.
Shalewa left her parents’ house on Olorunlogbon Street, Anthony Village, Lagos, on October 10, 2020, to sit an exam.
She reportedly decided to spend the night at a cousin’s house after the exam ended late.
The following day, the teenager was said to have left the cousin’s place to board a bus at Checkpoint bus stop to Iyana Ipaja. Read more
Policemen attacked as protesters damage police vehicles in Lagos (Guardian)
The protest against police brutality was violent on Monday when protesters descended on some policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Command at Adekunle Police station, Yaba, around 10:00 am.
The attack occurred when about 97 policemen, who were being conveyed to their various beats on routine relief duties across the state, came across the violent protesters who started shouting “No Police, No Police”, and stoned them.
After the attacks, 19 of them were critically injured while 4 police vehicles were damaged.
Police spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, said “the policemen, who scampered for safety, were eventually rescued and rushed to the Police Clinic at Panti, Yaba, for medical attention. Read more
Mental healthcare: Lagos creates helpline, expands access to treatment (Vanguard)
The Lagos State Government has established a mental health helpline- ‘Lagos Lifeline – 0909000MIND (09090006463)’ to provide citizens with access to mental health information and help including telephone counseling, social support and referral where appropriate.
Also, the state government has called on stakeholders and investors in the agriculture landscape especially those in the private sectors to collaborate with government to boost food production and security.
On the mental health issue, Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi spoke on the occasion to commemorate Year 2020 World Mental Health Day. Read more
FG begins N75bn support fund disbursement this week (Punch)
Beginning from this week, the Federal Government will start paying grants to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises that are successful to partake in the N75bn COVID-19 support schemes.
On September 10, 2020, the Federal Government inaugurated two schemes to financially support about 1.7 million MSMEs across the country with N75bn.
The schemes are the National MSME Survival Fund and the Guaranteed Off-take Stimulus Schemes under the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan. Read more
NMA confirms death of 16 doctors, warns of COVID-19 spike (Guardian)
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) yesterday confirmed that COVID-19 killed 16 doctors, with 321 infected by the virus while treating patients.
President, NMA, Prof. Innocent Ujah, confirmed this at a press conference to mark the 2020 Physicians’ Week in Lagos yesterday.
“As of October 8, 2020, there were 1,031 doctors who were exposed to the virus in Nigeria and 321 confirmed cases. Sadly, 16 of our members were painfully lost in the battle to save the lives of Nigerians, with mortality rate of 4.98 per cent,” he said. Read more
Amaechi tasks S/East, S/South leaders on unity (Vanguard)
Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has called on the people of the South- East and South-South geo-political zones to close ranks in a bid to foster development in the regions.
Amaechi made the call yesterday during an interactive session with the South-East and South-South Professionals of Nigeria, SESSPN, in Lagos.
The group had taken advantage of the Minister’s presence in Lagos to hold talks with him on challenges facing the regions, particularly in the areas of security, power, social integration and representation in the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. Read more
NASA’s Osiris-Rex probe aims for daring ‘high five’ with asteroid Bennu (BBC)
An American spacecraft is about to attempt the audacious task of grabbing rock samples from an asteroid.
The Osiris-Rex probe will lower itself on to the 500m-wide object known as Bennu to make a contact that lasts no more than a few seconds.
But in the course of this “high-five” manoeuvre, the spacecraft will deliver a squirt of gas to stir up the surface.
And with luck, Osiris-Rex will catch a couple of handfuls of dust and grit it can bring back to Earth. Read more
Dominic West ‘to play Prince Charles during years of affair in “The Crown” (Metro)
Dominic West has reportedly signed up to play Prince Charles in the final two seasons of Netflix hit The Crown.
According to new reports, the actor is set to replace Josh O’Connor as the tortured prince in the upcoming instalments, following a time jump within the series which will see the current cast replaced.
Season five will track the breakdown of his relationship with Princess Diana (to be played by Elizabeth Debicki) and his subsequent affair with first love, Camilla Parker-Bowles, before his divorce. Read more
Trump goes after Fauci as polls show him trailing Biden in key battleground states (CBC)
US President Donald Trump sought Monday to buck up his campaign staff two weeks from Election Day, calling top infectious-disease scientists “idiots” as polls showed him trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden across key battleground states.
Trump was facing intense pressure to turn around his campaign, hoping for the type of last-minute surge that revived his candidacy four years ago and plunging into an aggressive travel schedule despite the pandemic. But his lack of a consistent message, the surging virus cases and his attacks on the country’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and other experts could undermine final efforts to appeal to voters outside of his most loyal base. Read more
Reese Witherspoon teases “Legally Blonde” reunion (Metro)
The cast of Legally Blonde has reunited for a good cause and fans will get to watch it all unfold in a new video tomorrow. For the first time in almost 20 years, the iconic cast will be seen enjoying a virtual get together via video chat in aid of World Central Kitchen.
Hosted by SNL’s Chloe Fineman, the reunion will feature Reese, who starred as Elle Woods, along with cast members Selma Blair (Vivian Kensington), Jessica Cauffiel (Margot) and Jennifer Coolidge (Paulette Bonafonté). While Matthew Davis (Warner Huntington III), Ali Larter (Brooke Taylor Windham), Holland Taylor (Professor Stromwell), Alanna Ubach (Serena McGuire) and Luke Wilson (Emmett Richmond) all take part as well. Read more
Texas woman died from COVID-19 while on flight (Vanguard)
A Texas woman died from COVID-19 while on a flight from Arizona, officials announced this week.
The unidentified Garland woman in her 30s began to have difficulty breathing while on the tarmac awaiting takeoff on July 25, news station WFAA reported.
The woman, who had underlying health issues, was administered oxygen but ultimately died on the jetway, the outlet reported. It’s unclear what airport she was taking off from or what airline she was flying back to Texas. Read more
New name for a Canadian town called Asbestos (BBC)
The small Canadian town of Asbestos that decided it needed a rebrand has done away with the name derived from its mining heritage.
The Quebec town, home to some 7,000 people, voted for “Val-des-Sources” as its new moniker.
The town was once the location of the world’s largest asbestos mine.
It was given the English name for the mineral – rather than the French amiante – in the late 19th Century. Read more
Coronavirus: Argentina’s confirmed cases surpass 1m (BBC)
Argentina has become the fifth country in the world to record one million confirmed coronavirus cases.
In the past 24 hours, there were 12,982 new infections, pushing the overall number to 1,002,662, the country’s health ministry said.
It reported 451 new deaths, bringing the nation’s toll to 26,716.
With a population of about 45 million, Argentina is the smallest nation to have passed the one million mark. Read more
Eguavoen set for Stade Malien job (Punch)
Former Super Eagles coach, Austin Eguavoen, is set to be named head coach of Malian giants Stade Malien de Bamako.
According to reports, Eguavoen is expected to arrive in Mali on Tuesday (today) to hold further talks with the management of the club before signing a contract.
The former Eagles defender, who last managed Greek club, APS Zakynthos, between September 2018 and February 2019 told The PUNCH in August that he was eyeing a return to the dugout. Read more
Eagles wait on NFF for venue as camp opens November 9 (Guardian)
Players and officials of the Super Eagles will converge on November 9 to start preparations for their African Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone, an official of the federation has revealed. The match will hold in either Benin or Asaba, the official added.
Super Eagles will take on Sierra Leone on November 13 in Nigeria, while the return leg will be in Freetown four days later. The FIFA international window opens on November 9.
Nigeria recently started its preparation for the match with two friendly games against Algeria and Tunisia earlier this month in Austria. Read more
Kylian Mbappe reveals what Paul Pogba told him about ‘special’ Marcus Rashford (Metro)
Kylian Mbappe says he’s wary of the threat Marcus Rashford will pose against his Paris Saint-Germain side on Tuesday night because Paul Pogba constantly raves about the ‘special’ Manchester United forward.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side return to Paris for the first time since their famous last-16 win at the Parc des Princes in 2019, which effectively sealed the Norwegian’s appointment as full-time manager at the Theatre of Dreams.
Rashford scored an injury-time penalty in the French capital to seal a 3-1 win in Paris and to overturn a 2-0 defeat in the first leg at Old Trafford. Read more
Messi’s form could be better – Koeman (BBC)
Lionel Messi’s performances “could be better” but the Barcelona captain is “happy”, says new manager Ronald Koeman.
Argentina forward Messi, 33, tried to leave the club this summer and called the transfer saga “a brutal drama”.
He has scored once so far this season.
“I don’t have any complaints or doubts about his effort,” said Koeman, whose side open their Champions League campaign against Ferencvaros on Tuesday (20:00 BST kick-off).
“Right now his performances could be better. On a day-to-day basis, he’s happy and wants to play and be the team’s captain.” Read more
Wolves beat Leeds to go sixth in Premier League (BBC)
Wolves’ win at Leeds United, which moved them into sixth in the Premier League, was a “massive result” according to defender Conor Coady.
After losing their first two games of the season, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have now won their past three, although Coady said it was difficult to achieve this third victory, decided by a 70th-minute deflected Raul Jimenez strike.
“It was a massive result for us, we knew how tough it would be,” he said.
“They were fantastic last season and play at 100mph, but we stuck at our plan. It’s hard to get after them, you have to play with your brain.” Read more
Frank Lampard provides injury update on Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour (Metro)
Frank Lampard has revealed Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour is progressing well and just three or four weeks away from making his return from a serious knee injury.
The 19-year-old enjoyed a promising start to life in the Blues’ first-team last season, making 11 Premier League appearances in a breakthrough campaign.
However, Gilmour was forced off in the 3-2 win over Crystal Palace in July and required surgery on his knee, putting a swift halt to his rapid progress. Read more
African Confederation Cup: RS Berkane beat Hassania Agadir to reach final (BBC)
RS Berkane have reached the African Confederation Cup final for the second successive year after losing to Egypt’s Zamalek in 2019.
RS Berkane booked their place in the African Confederation Cup final with a 2-1 win over fellow Moroccans Hassania Agadir in Rabat on Monday.
Two penalties from captain Mohamed Aziz in each half helped Berkane reach Sunday’s title-decider.
Imad Kimaoui had given Hassania Agadir hope with a 30th minute equaliser.
In an eventful first half, RS Berkane, last year’s runners-up, had a goal disallowed when VAR ruled out Mouhssine Yajour’s header. Read more