Lagos moves to stop church, mosque services (Nation)
The Lagos State Government has stated it will request religious leaders to stop Friday (Juma’at) and Sunday church service.
Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, stated this on Wednesday at a briefing.
He said the religious leaders will be advised to shut down services in the interest of the public.
He said this a few hours after Lagos recorded its seventh coronavirus case. We are all aware that the Federal Government asked the National Youth Service Corps to shut down orientation camps; yesterday (Tuesday) the Commissioner for Home Affairs said there will be a meeting with religious leaders today (Wednesday). Read more
COVID-19: Lagos suspends 2020 boat regatta (Vanguard)
Lagos State Government, yesterday, announced the indefinite suspension of the “Greater Lagos Regatta and Festival” earlier scheduled to hold during the Easter period to local tourists, and fun lovers.
The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Uzamat AkinbiIe-Yusuf, who stated this at a press conference in Lagos, said that the postponement became necessary because of the outbreak of Coronavirus, and the need to ensure the safety of residents and participants.
AkinbiIe-Yusuf said: “The state government will not take any chances, though it is not cancelling the event, but will prevent participation from foreign countries because of the global threat of COVID-19 to human lives at the moment. Read more
Judge adjourns ex-Lagos Speaker’s ‘N673m fraud’ trial for six months (Nation)
The Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday adjourned till September 30, the ‘N673million laundering’ trial of an ex-Lagos House of Assembly Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and his aide, Oyebode Atoyebi.
The court did not sit, but Justice Mohammed Liman communicated the date to the defendants and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) through his registrar.
The judge said he fixed the date in compliance with a directive from the FHC Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho.
The Nation learnt that the directive, issued in January, requires judges to not open new trials until the ongoing process of FHC judges’ transfer is complete. Read more
FG: No need to panic over new coronavirus cases (DailyTrust) Minister of Health, Prof Osagie Emmanuel Ehanire The Federal Government has urged Nigerians not to panic over new cases of coronavirus in the country. The Federal Ministry of Health confirmed five new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country on Wednesday morning, but the minister of health said there was no reason to panic. These new five cases bring the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to eight. Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire said that the national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and supported by partners, was supporting response in the states. Read more
Buhari approves reduction of Petroleum pump price to N130 (Vanguard)
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reduction in pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS) from N145 per liter to about N130.
Presidency sources hinted that the approval followed presentation by minister of state petroleum resources Mr Timipre Sylva to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), on Wednesday.
The sources claimed that the Minister briefed the council on the need to reduce the pump price following the global fall in oil price.
It was reliably gathered that outbreak of COVID-19, has made the international crude oil price to crash from $60 to $30, causing fear of a possible economic crisis. Read more
Coronavirus: Brief Nigerians now, Senate tells Buhari (Punch)
The Senate, on Wednesday, urged the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to “immediately” address the nation on the situation of the Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.
The red chamber said if the president addressed Nigerians, citizens and government agencies would be more serious in adhering to the preventive measures.
It also asked the Federal Government to take more drastic measures to contain the virus’ spread. Read more
Six weeks old baby among Nigeria’s five new coronavirus cases (Guardian)
A six weeks old baby is one of the five coronavirus index cases, Nigeria’s health minister Osagie Ehanire said on Wednesday.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, Ehanire disclosed that the baby along with the mother tested positive for the virus.
With 8 cases confirmed in Nigeria in total, the six weeks old baby is the youngest coronavirus patient in Nigeria since the first confirmed case on Thursday, February 28 2020.
Out of the five new cases, three arrived from the United States, while two came in from the United Kingdom. Read more
2020 UTME: JAMB denies cancelling any result (Guardian)
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has distanced itself from rumours in some quarters that results of its 2020 UTME taken on Saturday March 14 and Monday March 16 had been cancelled.
Dr Fabian Benjamin, Head, Media and Information, made the clarification in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
According to him, such rumours are the handiwork of fraudst. Read more
Strike: ASUU, FG reaches concrete proposals (Guardian)
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says it has reached concrete proposals with the Federal Government on the ongoing warning strike embarked upon by the union.
Mr Biodun Ogunyemi, ASUU President said this in Abuja while addressing newsmen at the end of a closed-door reconciliatory meeting at the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The meeting which began by 3 p.m ended at about 11 p.m on Tuesday. Read more
Kenyan beaten to death over coronavirus fears (BBC)
A man suspected of having coronavirus in south-eastern Kenya was beaten up by a group of youths and later died in hospital.
Local police chief Nehemiah Bitok confirmed the death to the BBC and said no arrests had been made and investigations were under way.
The attack took place in the fishing village of Msambweni in Kwale county, an area on the coast popular with tourists because of its sandy, white beaches. Read more
Are people with asthma high risk for coronavirus? (Metro)
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told those with the most serious health conditions to ‘shield themselves’ for at least 12 weeks in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It came as Johnson set out ‘drastic action’ to tackle ‘the fast growth’ of Covid-19, which has already claimed the lives of 55 people in the UK. Meanwhile the Foreign Office has advised against all but essential global travel for 30 days as the world battles the outbreak. While people who have heart conditions and kidney conditions were included as those who need to potentially self-isolate, could those with asthma also be at risk? Here’s what you need to know… Read more
103-year-old Iran woman survives coronavirus (Guardian)
A 103-year-old woman in Iran has recovered after being infected with the new coronavirus, state media reported, despite overwhelming evidence the elderly are most at risk from the disease.
The unnamed woman had been hospitalised in the central city of Semnan for about a week, IRNA news agency said.
But she was “discharged after making a complete recovery”, Semnan University of Medical Sciences head Navid Danayi was quoted as saying by IRNA late Tuesday. Read more
US-Canada border to close amid virus crisis (BBC)
US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have agreed to close the US-Canada border to all non-essential travel in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus.
“We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada,” Mr Trump tweeted.
He said trade would not be affected.
Both countries had already issued sweeping travel bans but had maintained exemptions for each other. Read more
Pope urges hugs, phone calls to fight off isolation (Guardian)
Pope Francis stressed Wednesday the importance of families and friends making small gestures such as hugs and phone calls during times of isolation in a pandemic.
“We must rediscover the concrete nature of small things, of making small gestures toward those around us — family, friends,” the 83-year-old pontiff told the La Repubblica newspaper.
“They are gestures of tenderness, of affection, of compassion, which are nonetheless decisive and important — for example, a hot dish, a caress, a hug, a phone call.” Read more
US election 2020: Rampant Biden crushes Sanders in hat-trick (BBC)
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has steamrolled rival Bernie Sanders in primary elections in Florida, Illinois and Arizona.
Accelerating his momentum in the race, the former US vice-president made a clean sweep in all three states.
Mr Biden appealed for support directly to Sanders supporters. Read more
You can get Microsoft Word for free, here’s how (Metro)
Remote working has quickly become an increasing reality thanks to coronavirus, but how do you get the same tools at home as you do in the office? A big part of many people’s working lives may by Microsoft Word. Even if you don’t use it to write documents, you may need it to open other documents that get sent to you by colleagues or clients. If you’re not prepared to shell out for a subscription to Microsoft’s Office 365 – currently £80 a year for up to six people – then there are some alternatives. For starters, if you just want to open DOCX files then you can download the free Word Mobile application and run it on your home computer. Read more
Glastonbury festival axed due to virus concerns (BBC)
Glastonbury’s famous Pyramid Stage will remain dark in June, as the festival becomes the latest event to be cancelled due to coronavirus.
Taylor Swift, Sir Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar were due to appear, alongside Diana Ross and Dua Lipa.
“We’re so sorry that this decision has been made,” a statement said. “It was not through choice.”
Just six days ago, organiser Emily Eavis said she had “fingers firmly crossed” the event would go ahead. Read more
Rangers coach Salisu unhappy with team’s performance despite win (Vanguard)
Despite extending their unbeaten run after a 1-0 win over title contenders Rivers United, Rangers head coach Salisu Yusuf is demanding a much better performance from his team.
Speaking to NPFL.ng after the match, Salisu Yusuf was particularly not happy that the team were not able to take their scoring chances.
“I am happy we won but in all fairness our performance was not good especially upfront. We had a lot of scoring chances but we were wasteful. Read more
No ideal solution, IOC tells Tokyo 2020 athletes after criticism (BBC)
Olympic organisers have warned “no solution will be ideal” in preparing for Tokyo 2020 after being accused of putting athletes “in danger”.
The summer showpiece is scheduled to begin on 24 July despite the relentless cancellation of sporting events as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi said the International Olympic Committee was “risking our health”. Read more
Ex-champion and trainer Roger Mayweather dies (Guardian)
Roger Mayweather, a two-time world champion turned trainer and uncle of unbeaten boxing great Floyd Mayweather, has died at the age of 58.
“My uncle was one of the most important people in my life inside and outside of the ring,” said Floyd Mayweather, who was trained by his uncle for much of his illustrious career.
Roger Mayweather, who had struggled with diabetes, won world titles at super featherweight and super lightweight, earning 59 wins in a near-20-year ring career that included notable fights against Julio Cesar Chavez and Pernell Whitaker. Read more
Why I haven’t returned to coaching – Oliseh (Punch)
Former Fortuna Sittard manager, Sunday Oliseh, says he is yet to receive the right offer to return to management after turning down two jobs from Belgian clubs, Sports Extra reports.
Oliseh has been out of coaching for two years since he parted ways with the Dutch Eredivisie club in 2018.
In November 2019, the former Super Eagles captain turned down a mouth-watering offer worth €3m annually with another €1m in bonuses to manage an unnamed Turkish second division club, saying he wanted to be with his family. Read more
French World Cup winner Matuidi, Verona’s Zaccagni catch coronavirus (Guardian)
Juventus’s France World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi and Hellas Verona’s Mattia Zaccagni have both tested positive for coronavirus, their Serie A clubs confirmed on Tuesday.
“Matuidi has undergone medical tests that have revealed his positivity to the Coronavirus-COVID-19,” the Italian champions said in a statement.
Juve added 32-year-old Matuidi, who lifted the World Cup in 2018, is asymptomatic and currently “in voluntary home isolation”. Read more
Coronavirus: AFL to go ahead as planned despite pandemic (BBC)
The traditional AFL season-opener between Richmond and Carlton at the MCG will go ahead on Thursday, but behind closed doors
The 2020 Australian Football League (AFL) season is to begin as planned despite the coronavirus outbreak.
Richmond play Carlton behind closed doors at Melbourne’s MCG on Thursday.
The decision was taken following meetings with club chief executives, Australia’s chief medical officer and government representatives. Read more
Athletes express disappointment, shock as Buhari postpones NSF (Punch)
The decision by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to postpone the 20th National Sports Festival in Edo State has left many athletes and officials devastated.
The national sports fiesta was scheduled for March 22 to April 1 in Benin City, the Edo State capital, before it was suspended by the President due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, announced the postponement on Tuesday after a meeting with the President. Read more