Lagos motorists, commuters groan as works on Pen Cinema flyover delay (Punch)
“I use 15 litres of fuel every day to get to my house in Iju from Ikeja,” Akinlabi David, a motorist, said angrily while speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday.
“In this COVID-19 pandemic era when there is no money and business is bad, how does the government expect us to survive? How does the government expect us to cope with a bridge under construction for close to three years?” he added.
David’s Toyota Highlander had been stuck in traffic for close to 45 minutes at the diversion route created to link Abule Egba because of the ongoing construction of the Agege Pen-Cinema Flyover, which has made movement strenuous for residents and motorists.
Another motorist, Azeez Ahmed, who also expressed disappointment, said he was frustrated passing through the area every day. Read more
Lagos East Senatorial bye-election: APC settles for ex-Polaris Bank boss, Abiru (Nation)
The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has confirmed a former Commissioner for Finance, Mr Tokunbo Abiru, is the party’s consensus candidate for the forthcoming Lagos East Senatorial bye-election.
The party’s state Assistant Publicity Secretary, Mr Abiodun Salami, gave the confirmation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
He said the choice of Abiru, who recently stepped down as CEO of Polaris Bank, was agreed upon by party elders, including the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Salami said Abiru had been successfully screened at the party secretariat, adding all the other aspirants had stepped down for him in agreement with the party. Read more
Lagos crash: Helicopter has no black box, says AIB (Punch)
A Bell 206-B3 helicopter that crashed on Salvation Road, Opebi, in the Ikeja area of Lagos State, on Friday, has no black box, the Accident Investigation Bureau has said.
AIB, the investigating body in charge of all aviation-related accidents and incidents in Nigeria, however, noted that investigation has since commenced without the black box.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the United Nations specialised agency for global aviation regulation, black boxes, also known as flight recorders, are one of the most relied upon resources for the improvement of aviation safety. Read more
Kaduna Government bans tricycle operators from major roads (Guardian)
The Kaduna State Government has banned tricycle operators from plying major roads within the metropolis, in line with the ongoing transport sector reform.
Hajiya Aisha Sa’idu-Bala, Director-General, Kaduna State Transport Regulatory Authority (KADSTRA), announced the ban in a statement in Kaduna.
She said all tricycles, “Keke”, are banned from the Kawo-Ali Akilu- Ahmadu Bello-Command Junction routes with effect from Aug. 31.
She said the Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Agency (KASTLEA) would ensure strict compliance to the new Keke regulations. Read more
Speakers’ controversy: Obasanjo shuns NBA conference (Punch)
Following the controversy that trailed his inclusion as one of the speakers at the 60th Virtual Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, former President Olusegun Obasanjo during the week, boycotted the conference with the theme, ‘Step Forward’.
The just-concluded NBA conference generated heated controversy when thousands of lawyers signed a petition for the NBA to remove Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, from the list of speakers due to his government’s failure to stop the killings in Southern Kaduna, and his alleged human rights record.
Bowing to pressure, the NBA tweeted its decision, “The National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association at its ongoing meeting resolves that the invitation to the Kaduna State Governor, H.E. Nasir el-Rufai by the 2020 Annual General Conference Planning committee be withdrawn and decision communicated to the governor.” Read more
Kwara Deputy Governor recovers from COVID-19 (Guardian)
The Kwara Government on Saturday said the Deputy Governor, Mr Kayode Alabi, had recovered from COVID-19 after testing negative in a repeat test.
Mr Rafiu Ajakaye, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and spokesman of Kwara State Covid-19 Technical Committee, said this in a statement in Ilorin.
It would be recalled that the Deputy Governor and his wife, Abieyuwa, underwent COVID-19 test after they showed slight symptoms of the virus and were confirmed positive.
According to Ajakaiye, this means the Deputy Governor is free of the virus and would be back to his desk.
“The government thanks members of the public for their support and prayers, and the medical team for their hard work.
“The government equally wishes all of our remaining patients, including the wife of the Deputy Governor, safe recovery like the Deputy Governor,” he said. Read more
Akpata, SANs kick as northern lawyers form parallel NBA (Punch)
The newly sworn-in President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata; and some other Senior Advocates of Nigeria have condemned the move by northern lawyers in the country to form a parallel association.
Some lawyers of northern extraction had, on Friday, formed the ‘New NBA,’ following the recent controversy that trailed the withdrawal of an invite to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, as a guest speaker at the association’s conference.
The breakaway group, in a statement by two lawyers, Nuhu Ibrahim (Convener 1) and Abdulbasit Suleiman (Convener 2), explained that the formation of the ‘New NBA’ was aimed at protecting their interests as enshrined under Section 40 of the constitution. Read more
Universities are ready to resume -Union (Guardian)
The National Co-ordinator, Congress of University Academics (CONUA), Dr ‘Niyi Sunmonu, on Saturday said its members were ready to resume work.
Sunmonu said this in a statement he issued after its National Executive Council meeting and made available to newsmen on Saturday in Lagos.
He urged the Federal Government to reopen universities and put in place infrastructure and COVID-19 protocols that would facilitate resumption in the institutions.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CONUA was an association of lecturers from five universities following cracks in the Association of Senior Staff of Universities (ASUU). Read more
CBN grants 9Mobile first payment service bank licence (Nation)
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted final approval to Nigeria’s lifestyle and first payment service bank, 9PSB (Payment Service Bank) to commence operations in fostering financial inclusion drive in the ecosystem.
It is owned by mobile giant 9Mobile.
This is expected to help ease the challenges of long queues in the banking halls, consistent network failure, stringent documentation to assess credit facilities and frequent transaction/dispensing error, delay in transaction completion, and process among others. Read more
Mauritius oil spill: Thousands march in Port Louis (BBC)
Thousands of people have marched through the Mauritian capital, Port Louis, in protest at the authorities’ handling of a massive oil spill, and the discovery of 39 dead dolphins.
Many wore black and waved the national flag, while honking horns and drumming.
Many called for the government to resign and had T-shirts with the inscription: “I love my country. I’m ashamed of my government.”
It is the biggest protest the country has seen in recent years. Read more
Neuralink: Elon Musk unveils pig with chip in its brain (BBC)
Elon Musk has unveiled a pig called Gertrude with a coin-sized computer chip in her brain to demonstrate his ambitious plans to create a working brain-to-machine interface.
“It’s kind of like a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires,” the billionaire entrepreneur said on a webcast.
His start-up Neuralink applied to launch human trials last year.
The interface could allow people with neurological conditions to control phones or computers with their mind. Read more
Chadwick Boseman’s kindness remembered as Black Panther star visited kids in hospital while undergoing cancer treatment himself (Metro)
Chadwick Boseman was visiting sick children in hospital, all while undergoing chemotherapy himself.
The Black Panther star has died aged 43, following a four-year battle with colon cancer.
And while fans, colleagues and peers paid tribute to the actor’s iconic body of work, people are also remembering the kindness Boseman displayed during his illness.
A tweet Boseman shared in 2018 has gone viral following his death, as the actor enjoyed a visit to St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Read more
Chadwick Boseman: Tributes pour in for Black Panther actor (BBC)
Tributes are being paid to US actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther in the celebrated superhero film set in a fictional African nation, after he died on Friday aged 43.
“This is a crushing blow,” wrote director Jordan Peele.
The Black Panther rallying cry “Wakanda Forever” trended online, as celebrities, civil rights activists and fans posted emotional messages.
The actor’s cancer diagnosis was not publicly known.
“What a gentle gifted soul. Showing us all that greatness between surgeries and chemotherapy. This is what dignity looks like,” wrote TV star and author Oprah Winfrey. Read more
‘A true original’: Devastated Marvel stars pay tribute to Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman (Metro)
Chadwick Boseman has been hailed as a ‘true original’ and a ‘king’ by his devastated Marvel co-stars, following his death aged 43. The Black Panther star’s family confirmed that the actor has died after being diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. Boseman had secretly been undergoing cancer treatment since 2016. In the wake of the heartbreaking news, his Marvel co-stars have been paying tribute to the talented star, who brought T’Challa to life on the big screen. Chris Evans, who played Captain America opposite Boseman in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, wrote on Instagram: ‘I’m absolutely devastated. This is beyond heartbreaking. Chadwick was special. A true original. He was a deeply committed and constantly curious artist. Few performers have such power and versatility. He had so much amazing work still left to create. I’m endlessly grateful for our friendship. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Rest in power, King.’ Read more
Chadwick Boseman: His 5 greatest roles, from ‘Black Panther’ to ‘Da 5 Bloods’ (USAToday)
We didn’t have Chadwick Boseman in our lives for as long as we’d want, but man, did he make the most of his time onscreen with skill, passion and gravitas.
Boseman, who died Friday at age 43 after a long battle with colon cancer, initially popped up in movies between stints on various TV shows, starting with 2008’s football flick “The Express.” But in the 2010s, he ruled – quite literally a whole country in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Black Panther, the superhero role that he will be synonymous with forever more.
The South Carolina native also proved adept at capturing the fire and personality of Black historical icons, as well as making the most of his smaller roles in ensemble-driven pictures.
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Here are Boseman’s five essential roles that, even though he’s gone far too soon, will be enjoyed by film fans now and in future generations. Read more
Chadwick Boseman married before his death, family reveals (PageSix)
Chadwick Boseman quietly married in the final months of his life, the actor’s family revealed.
A statement from Boseman’s family noted the “Black Panther” actor tied the knot before the 43-year-old died Friday following a four-year battle with colon cancer.
“He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side,” the statement said. “The family thanks you for your love and prayers, and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.”
Boseman, who was notoriously private about his personal life, even managing to keep his cancer battle secret, had been dating singer Taylor Simone Ledward. They were reportedly engaged in October 2019. Read more
FIF President: Drogba gets FIFA lifeline (Nation)
Didier Drogba’s hopes of becoming the next president of Cote d’Ivoire’s football federation (FIF) could be restored.
Fifa has requested the suspension of all activity relating to the elections until it has received various documentation.
Concerned that the electoral process may not be free and fair, football’s world governing body has requested FIF’s electoral commission to send the five files by Friday ’28 August 2020 at the very latest’. Read more
Lewis Hamilton on pole position at Belgian Grand Prix (BBC)
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton is on pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix, finishing half a second clear of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Hamilton was fastest on both laps in the final qualifying session and beat Bottas by 0.511secs. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was 0.015secs off the Finn.
Daniel Ricciardo excelled with fourth place on the grid, ahead of the second Red Bull of Alexander Albon.
Ferrari struggled, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel down in 13th and 14th.
Hamilton’s performance was one of his most impressive, as he took his 93rd pole with two laps in another dimension to what Bottas could manage. Read more
LeBron James’ moment of truth that nearly crashed NBA bubble (NYPost)
With the NBA season hanging by a thread, LeBron James was put on the spot.
Following the surprise postponement of Wednesday’s game between the Bucks and Magic — sparking a wave of postponements across sports in support of the social justice movement — the league’s players met to discuss the next step. Heat forward Udonis Haslem, 40, turned to the league’s biggest star and pressed him on his stance.
As the face of the league, James was reminded by his former teammate that his decision would likely determine the fate of the season, according to a Yahoo Sports report.
“We’re out,” James replied, prematurely leaving the meeting with all his teammates, other than Dwight Howard. Read more
Rodrigo: Leeds United sign Valencia forward for club record fee (BBC)
Leeds United have signed Spain forward Rodrigo from Valencia for a club record 29m euro (£26m) fee.
Rodrigo, 29, has signed a four-year contract with Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who are back in the Premier League after a 16-year absence.
He scored 59 goals in 220 games for Valencia, helping the La Liga club win the Copa del Rey in 2018-19.
Leeds’ previous record transfer was former England captain Rio Ferdinand, who cost £18m from West Ham in 2000. Read more
Cliff Robinson, former NBA All-Star, dead at 53 (NYPost)
Cliff Robinson, a former star at UConn who played 18 seasons in the NBA, died at the age of 53, his alma mater announced Saturday.
The cause of death was not immediately known.
The 6-foot-10 forward/center played at UConn from 1985-89, helping the Huskies win the 1988 NIT.
“He was our first great player,” former UConn coach Jim Calhoun told Hearst Media. “He came from a difficult background in Buffalo, I watched him evolve as a man. … He was a good man, had a great career, and was instrumental in a lot of the great things that happened at UConn.” Read more
Naomi Osaka withdraws from Western and Southern Open final (BBC)
Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Western and Southern Open final with a left hamstring injury, two days before the start of the US Open.
The 22-year-old Japanese was due to play Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka in New York on Saturday.
Her withdrawal means Azarenka is champion by default, the former world number one’s first title since 2016.
Osaka has been drawn to play compatriot Misaki Doi in the US Open first round on Monday.
World number 10 Osaka said she wanted to “thank everyone for the outpouring of support” after an “emotional week”. Read more