Lagos pastor in court for land grabbing, forgery (Punch)
The pastor of Christ Salvation Divine Ministries International, Rev Godwin Godwin, has been arraigned before the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Oshodi for alleged forgery of documents and illegal sale of a plot of land at the Lekki Peninsula Scheme 1.
Godwin allegedly sold the plot of land identified as Block 108, Plot 8, belonging to one Mrs Halima AbdulMalik.
Following the alleged sale of the land, AbdulMalik addressed a petition to the Lagos State Special Task Force on Land-grabbers through a law firm, Paul Onyeka & Co.
Our correspondent learnt that upon the receipt of the petition, an investigation was launched into the matter and Godwin was arrested on Thursday, June 24, 2021. Read more
Lagos urges occupants near collapsed Apapa building to relocate (Guardian)
Lagos State Government through its Building Control Agency (LASBCA), has advised occupants of buildings close to a partially collapsed building at Olufiditi Street, Amukoko to relocate while removal of the collapsed structure is ongoing.
General Manager of LASBCA, Prince Gbolahan Oki, gave the advice while reacting to the incident that happened last Sunday at Olufiditi Street, off Olokodana street, Amukoko, Lagos.
Oki stated that the building, which was an ongoing construction at the time of collapse, was detected by the agency, sealed up after serving construction statutory notices, including a stop-work order and advised to conduct a structural integrity test to ascertain its level of structural integrity.
He, however, regretted that the developer refused to toe the line of best practices as suggested by the agency and was eventually sealed off again the agency suspected that the building had structural defects and had no development permits. Read more
Banks defy CBN order on auto reversal timeline (Leadership)
Most banks across the country are defying the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s order on auto-reversal timeline policy, even as customers are furious over the development.
Although there is a specific timeline for banks to refund customers in the event of failed transactions on the various electronic payment channels, investigation revealed that the timeline is no longer adhered to as reversals in some cases linger between five working days and three months.
For most banks, auto reversal is mostly done for intra-bank electronic transactions and transfers made via the banks’ online portals as well as some USSD transactions, while remote-on-us ATM failed transactions take between five working days to two weeks.
Also, failed Point of Sale terminal transactions can take between seven days to three months. This is despite a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s directive last year putting the maximum timeline for reversals of failed transactions at five working days. Read more
Respite as repair works begin on Lagos airport link bridge (Guardian)
Six months after the Toyota Bus Stop stretch of the Murtala Mohammed airport link bridge was closed to traffic due to a fire incident that damaged a part of the bridge repair works have commenced on the bridge.
The bridge has been put out of use since the tanker conveying 44,000 litres of diesel crashed with another trailer and discharged its contents, which led to an explosion under the bridge.
Its poor state and closure had caused untold hardship to motorists and commuters around the area. Before the start of the rehabilitation, the only means of transportation from the bus stop to the airport area had been through okada, which costs between N300 to N500 per passenger. Read more
LASTMA officials arrested for extorting bizman, absconding with bleeding wife (Punch)
Some officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, who allegedly absconded with the bleeding wife of a Dubai-based businessman, Jude Eze, have been arrested.
PUNCH Metro had reported that a combined team of policemen and LASTMA officials arrested Jude on Friday in the Akowonjo area of the state for alleged seat belt infraction.
It was reported that Jude’s wife, Sophia, was bleeding and could not use the seat belt, but attempts to explain her condition to the LASTMA personnel proved abortive as they allegedly impounded the vehicle with the woman inside.
The father of four had told PUNCH Metro that while he was pleading with the officials to allow him to take his wife to hospital, one of them jumped into the car and drove away. Read more
Sanwo-Olu re-launches Jigi-Bola free sight programme for 250,000 residents (Guardian)
Extends initiative to residents suffering hearing impairment
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, re-launched the Jigi-Bola Free Sight and Hearing Aid Programme conceived 20 years ago and implemented during the tenure of former governor of the state, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The initiative was conceived as an innovation to improve the vision of Lagosians who were visually impaired, as well as borne out of the concern to reduce the negative effect of preventable visual impairment on residents of the state.
Sanwo-Olu, who spoke at the ceremony held at the Police College in Ikeja, said the re-launch of the Jigi-Bola initiative signals the commitment of the present administration towards improving the well-being and welfare of Lagosians. Read more
Senate receives PIB report, begins consideration tomorrow (ThisDay)
The Senate yesterday received the report of its Joint Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Petroleum (Upstream) and Gas Resources on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) 2021 and promised to debate the report tomorrow (Thursday).
Also, the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mele Kyari, will today meet with members of the House of Representatives as part of efforts aimed at ensuring the smooth passage of the PIB.
The Senate also passed an N329.963 billion statutory budget for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the 2021 fiscal year.
The PIB report was laid during the plenary by the Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Sabo Mohammed. Read more
UNIBEN student shot dead days after final examination (Punch)
A 400-level student of the Department of Political Science, University of Benin, Austin Izu, has been shot dead by yet-to-be-identified gunmen in his friend’s off-campus hostel room on the Federal Girls College Road, Ugbowo,.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the deceased, who sat his final examination last week, was alleged to have come from the upper floor of the hostel to visit his friend, Walter Emaka, who stays on the ground floor of the same hostel.
The gunmen were said to have come into the room and shot the deceased in the head, while Walter narrowly escaped with gunshot injuries.
A source in the school, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told PUNCH Metro that the case was reported at the BDPA Police Station under the Ugbowo Division. Read more
Canada weather: Dozens dead as heatwave shatters records (BBC)
Dozens of people have died in Canada amid an unprecedented heatwave that has smashed temperature records.
Police in British Columbia have responded to almost 70 sudden deaths since Monday, the majority of them involving elderly people.
They said the heatwave baking the region was a contributing factor.
On Tuesday, Canada recorded its highest ever temperature for a third straight day – 49.5C (121F) in Lytton, British Columbia. Read more
India approves Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use (Guardian)
India authorised the emergency use of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday as it seeks to ramp up inoculations in the wake of a record-breaking surge in infections and deaths.
The vast nation of 1.3 billion people was hit by a massive spike in coronavirus cases in April and May that pushed the healthcare system to breaking point.
Moderna’s shot is the fourth to be approved by New Delhi after Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield and Covaxin — which was developed by Indian firm Bharat Biotech — and Russia’s Sputnik V.
“I am pleased to inform that an application received from Moderna through an Indian partner of theirs, Cipla, has been granted EUA (Emergency Use Authorisation),” Vinod K. Paul, a member of government advisory body NITI Aayog, said at a health ministry briefing. Read more
Germany complete troop pull-out from Afghanistan, ending nearly 20-year mission (France24)
Germany has completed its troop pull-out from Afghanistan, started in May, the defence ministry announced Tuesday, ending a nearly 20-year deployment there alongside US and other international forces.
The announcement of the pull-out of German troops, whose presence there was second only to the US forces, came as the US aims to complete its own withdrawal by September 11.
“After nearly 20 years of deployment, the last soldiers of our Bundeswehr have left Afghanistan this evening,” said German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in a statement. “They are on the way back.
“A historic chapter comes to an end, an intensive deployment that challenged and shaped the Bundeswehr, in which the Bundeswehr proved itself in combat,” she added.
On Twitter, the minister offered her thanks to all the 150,000 men and women who had served there since 2001, saying they could be proud of their service. Read more
Olivia Colman and other stars call for ‘gadget tax’ to fund arts industry (Metro)
Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton and artist Sir Frank Bowling are calling for a ‘gadget tax’ to support the arts industry.
They argue that adding a levy of between 1% and 3% to the sale of electronic devices could be used to help people struggling in the creative fields.
The arts industry has been hit hard by Covid-19 as venues have had to close and events have had to be cancelled.
This has led to many artists, actors, musicians and others losing their jobs.
Meanwhile, the sale of smartphones, laptops and games consoles continues to increase as many people use those gadgets for consuming content. Read more
French lesbians and single women to get IVF rights (BBC)
France has passed a law allowing single women and lesbian couples to get fertility treatment, currently reserved for heterosexual couples.
The National Assembly (lower house) vote follows two years of heated debate and demonstrations by groups opposed to this expansion of reproductive rights.
Many French women have gone to Belgium and Spain for fertility treatment, which can be very expensive.
The new law brings France into line with 10 other EU countries and the UK. Read more
Indigenous leaders secure papal audience to set stage for residential school apology (CBC)
National Indigenous leaders will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican in December to set the stage for a formal papal apology in Canada for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in residential schools, according to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).
A delegation of First Nations, Métis and Inuit will meet with the Pope separately between December 17 and 20, according to the CCCB.
The entire Indigenous delegation will then have a final papal audience on December 20 to conclude the visit. Read more
Daniel Craig and Kate Hudson bake in the Greece sunshine as Netflix’s Knives Out 2 begins filming (Metro)
The cast of Knives Out 2 have been spotted on set in Greece as filming on director Rian Johnson’s sequel gets underway.
The first film, released in 2019, followed Daniel Craig’s private detective Benoit Blanc’s investigation into a wealthy, eccentric family after its patriarch is found dead.
Craig reprises his role in the follow up, looking into another murder mystery full of yet more peculiar – and suspicious – characters.
The No Time To Die star was pictured sweltering in the Greek sunshine on Spetses Island as he filmed scenes with the new cast, and from the looks of things, Benoit’s debonair dress sense has not gone anywhere. Read more
Adekuoroye is Team Nigeria’s flag bearer at Tokyo 2020 Olympics (Guardian)
World number two in the women freestyle wrestling, Odunayo Adekuoroye, is set to lead Team Nigeria as the flag bearer to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in Japan, which begins on July 23 and ends August 8.
Formerly ranked number one in her weight class, Adekuoroye secured qualification for the Olympics at the 2019 Senior World Wrestling Championships held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
According to a source, who pleaded anonymity, the sports ministry may have chosen the Commonwealth Games gold medalist for the task due to her recent sterling performances at various championships in preparation for the wrestling event at the Games.
Speaking to The Guardian yesterday, the Nigerian Wrestling Federation Caretaker Committee chairman, Daniel Igali, who denied knowledge of the sports ministry’s plan to make Adekuoroye the flag bearer at the Olympics, however, said the wrestlers were in top shape, training hard to make the podium at the Olympics. Read more
Wimbledon 2021: Serena Williams retires injured against Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BBC)
American great Serena Williams says she is “heartbroken” after her latest attempt for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam was cruelly ended by injury.
Williams started against Aliaksandra Sasnovich with heavy strapping on her thigh and slipped in the fifth game.
The 39-year-old went down again in the seventh game and was overcome by emotion before having to retire.
Centre Court gave a standing ovation as she left, with Williams later saying: “The court meant the world to me.”
What is making Centre Court so slippery?
Williams, seeded sixth, seemed to do the damage when she rocked backwards on the baseline before unleashing a forehand back to her opponent. Read more
No public for Olympic torch relay in parts of host Tokyo (France24)
Parts of the Olympic torch relay in host city Tokyo will be taken off public roads, officials said Wednesday, in another virus setback for the flame as it travels across Japan.
The Olympic torch relay due to begin on July 9 in Tokyo will mostly be displayed at closed ceremonies for the first eight days of its time in the capital, in line with virus countermeasures, Tokyo government official Koichi Osakabe told AFP.
“Instead, we will have a ceremony each day at the final spot of the day’s (planned) relay runs,” he said, adding that roughly 100 runners per day would be affected by the change.
The change mostly affects portions of the relay outside Tokyo’s 23 central neighbourhoods. Read more
England end 55-year wait for knockout win over Germany (BBC)
England struck twice late on to end a 55-year wait for a knockout tie victory over Germany amid scenes of huge tension and elation at Wembley to reach the Euro 2020 quarter-finals.
Gareth Southgate’s side battled hard to earn the statement victory that has so often eluded England, and it was their talisman of this tournament, Raheem Sterling, who made the decisive breakthrough.
Sterling, who scored the winners against Croatia and the Czech Republic in the group stage, steered in Luke Shaw’s cross after 75 minutes to send England’s fans, with more than 40,000 inside Wembley, into wild celebrations.
The win was secured with another moment of significance four minutes from time when captain Harry Kane, who had once again struggled to influence the game, headed in from substitute Jack Grealish’s perfect delivery for his first goal of Euro 2020. Read more
Manchester United agreement for Jadon Sancho ‘imminent’ as Borussia Dortmund accept compromise over transfer fee (Metro)
Manchester United are on the verge of reaching an agreement with Borussia Dortmund for the signing of Jadon Sancho, according to reports in Germany.
United have already agreed personal terms with the 21-year-old, who will sign a five-year deal worth around £250,000 a week.
But United have so far been unable to reach an agreement with Dortmund over Sancho’s transfer fee, with the Bundesliga club holding out for €90 million (£77.4m) this summer.
United have already had two bids worth €72m (£61.9m) and €78m (£67.1m) rejected by Dortmund this month. Read more
Trio of scorers power Canada past Greece in opening game of FIBA Olympic qualifier (CBC)
Depth.
Canada finally has a depth of talent on its national men’s basketball team. And they leaned into it Tuesday night in the opening game against Greece.
Led by the strong play of Andrew Wiggins, R.J. Barrett and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Canada started its quest to qualify for the Olympics with a 97-91 victory over Greece in Victoria.
The Canadians trailed by as many as eight points in the first half but mounted a charge in the last two quarters to start the event with a crucial win. Andrew Wiggins, R.J. Barrett and Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the way offensively for Canada as they beat Greece 97-91 to open the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament. Read more