Lagos seals off mosque over attack on task force officials (Nation)
Lagos State Government on Thursday sealed off a mosque for violating the government’s order on religious gathering.
The order was given to curb the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had banned gathering of more than 20 persons in one of the preventive measures to curtail the spread of the deadly disease.
However, worshippers at Agege Central Mosque (Hausa Community), popularly called Moshalashi Alhaja, located at Balogun Street, on Tuesday flouted the order during the night prayer (Ishai) and worshipped in hundreds. Read more
No approval for estate in Magodo green belt – LASG (Punch)
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development in Lagos State, Dr Idris Salako, has said no approval has been granted for housing development in the green belt area of Magodo in the Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area of the state.
Salako said this in a rejoinder to an article that the ministry might have secretly given a nod to a consortium made up of suspected land-grabbers, a real estate firm and the traditional authorities to develop an estate in the flood-prone green belt between Magodo phases 1 and 2.
Members of the Gateway Zone Community Development Association in Magodo have vehemently opposed the development of the estate. Read more
Lagos Muslims hold prayers across state (Nation)
The Chief Imam of Lagos State Sheikh Sulaymon Abou-Nolla and Baba Adinni of Lagos Sheikh AbdulHafeez Abou have directed all the imams in the state to pray for the containment of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The duo said the directive was given earlier in the week.
Sheikh Abou said a special prayer was planned to hold at the Lagos Central Mosque, Idumota before the declaration of lockdown by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“In view of this, we directed the divisional imams to hold the prayers in their various mosques without contravening the social distancing regulations. Read more
Lagos Lockdown: CRFFN, Shippers’ Council pull banks back to Apapa over duty payments (Vanguard)
Following difficulties being faced by freight forwarders in the of payments of import duties and other levies and dues through commercial banks during the lockdown of Lagos and Ogun states, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NSC, and the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) have convinced revenue collecting banks to reopen their offices in Apapa.
The banks had closed shops in accordance with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari restricting movements and business activities in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja for 14 days starting March 31, 2020. Read more
Lagos Assembly crisis: suspended members resume (Nation)
Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Midashiru Obasa has lifted the indefinite suspension on two lawmakers, Lanre Oshun (Mainland) and Raheem Adewale (Ibeju-Lekki).
However, the removal of two principal officers, Chief Whip Rotimi Abiru ( Somolu) and Deputy Majority Leader Wahab Jimoh (Apapa) has not been reversed.
The four lawmakers are associates of former member of the House from Kosofe Constituency, Senator Bayo Osinowo.
According to party insiders, many chieftains, including Minister of Interior Chief Rauf Aregbesola and Senator Osinnowo, want the dethroned principal officers back in their previous status. Read more
COVID-19: Govt finds 3,550 contacts, concern as cases reach 190 (Punch)
The Federal Government on Thursday said it had succeeded in tracing 3,550 people who came in contact with patients infected with COVID-19 in the country.
The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, who disclosed this at a press conference organised in Abuja by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, said the 3,550 people were being monitored for symptoms of coronavirus.
The NCDC said this as there were concerns in the country over the rising COVID-19 cases, which increased to 190 on Thursday. Read more
JUTH ventilators ready for use (Nation)
Two volunteers, Engr. Williams Gyang and Nura Jibrin, have repaired two ventilators in the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), as part of their humanitarian service to combat COVID-19 in Plateau.
Speaking to newsmen at the hospital premises on Thursday in Jos, Gyang said the gesture was premised on the critical function of a ventilator in the treatment of COVID-19 cases, saying the hospital has shortage of the equipment and required urgent repairs of damaged ones. Read more
Lockdown: Soldier shoots motorist dead in Delta (Punch)
A motorist, identified as Joseph Pessu, was shot dead in Warri, Delta State, on Thursday, by a soldier for allegedly flouting the state government’s sit-at-home order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Eyewitnesses said the middle-aged motorist, who was cruising in a black Toyota Camry car without number plate, failed to stop at a military checkpoint on the NPA Road when the soldiers ordered him to halt.
Our correspondents gathered that rather than stop, Pessu allegedly accelerated the car in a bid to beat the security personnel. Read more
Trapped by coronavirus, Nigeria’s elite faces squalid hospitals (DailyTrust)
For decades, powerful Nigerians could ignore the government’s failure to invest adequately in the health-care system by seeking medical treatment abroad. The coronavirus pandemic means they can no longer escape. Since Nigeria identified its first case in late February, President Muhammadu Buhari has responded by closing the borders and imposing a lockdown on two key cities and the state of Ogun, an industrial hub. Commercial flights and private jets have been grounded. Like most African countries, Nigeria is now largely cut off from the world. Read more
Kogi commissioner allegedly assaults, rapes beauty queen (Punch)
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has ordered accelerated investigation into the alleged battering of a beauty queen, Elizabeth Oyeniyi, by the state Commissioner for Water Resources, Abdumumini Danga.
Oyeniyi had accused the commissioner of assaulting and raping her over a Facebook post.
Oyeniyi had on March 29, 2020, made a post on her Facebook page about Danga not taking care of his sibling, who is her friend.
It was gathered that the post did not go down well with Danga and he allegedly ordered his boys to look for Oyeniyi and beat her up. Read more
Facebook brings Messenger to desktop with free unlimited group video calls (Metro)
Facebook has announced the arrival of Facebook Messenger – its standalone chat app – on desktop with unlimited support for video group chat. As more and more people begin using video conferencing due to the coronavirus, the move from Facebook seems sensible and will pit it against the likes of Zoom, Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams. Facebook is launching Messenger on both Windows and MacOS and says chats will sync across mobile and desktop. ‘Now more than ever, people are using technology to stay in touch with the people they care about, even when physically apart,’ wrote Stan Chudnovsky, VP of Messenger, in a blog post. Read more
Forget about returning to jobs as usual after coronavirus (NYPost)
With the pandemic raging through the country, forcing the shutdown of much of the American economy, the unemployment rate — a measly 3.5 percent in February — has gone through the roof.
Just in the last two weeks, new applications for unemployment benefits have reached an incredible 9.9 million. That’s 6 percent of the entire workforce. That’s about as many job losses as there were in the entire 2008-2009 recession. Read more
Confirmed global coronavirus cases pass one million (BBC)
More than a million cases of coronavirus have been registered globally, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University – another grim milestone as the world grapples with the spreading pandemic.
Nearly 53,000 people have died and more than 210,000 have recovered, according to the US university’s figures.
The US has the most cases, and about 1,000 died there in the past day.
The disease, Covid-19, first emerged in central China three months ago. Read more
Veteran, 104, who survived 1918 pandemic is oldest patient to beat coronavirus (Metro)
A 104 year-old World War Two veteran who survived the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic has become the oldest known person to have beaten coronavirus. Bill Lapschies managed to ride out Covid-19 at the Edward C Allworth Veterans’ Home in Lebanon, Oregon, where he lives. Despite his age, Lapschies only developed a ‘moderate’ case of coronavirus, and did not need a ventilator, with friends and family amazed by his recovery. They were able to mount a double celebration at the home on Wednesday to celebrate Lapschies getting better and surviving the illness, which has infected at least 236,000 Americans and killed over 5,700. Asked by OPR how he’d beaten the virus on Wednesday, Lapschies laughed and said: ‘I don’t know. It just went away. Sit out here and you can get rid of anything.’ Read more
Chinese researchers find coronavirus patient who was contagious for 49 days (NYPost)
Chinese researchers say they have discovered a new “chronic” mutation of the coronavirus in a patient who was contagious for a record-breaking 49 days.
The patient, a middle-aged man, had non-severe symptoms but had a prolonged ability to infect others, said the Chinese military researchers in Wuhan, according to the South China Morning Post.
He had an intermittent low fever and no cough, chills, shortness of breath or other typical symptoms of COVID-19.
CAT imaging showed lesions in both of his lungs, but they disappeared a few days after he was admitted to the hospital, and his body temperature also returned to normal. Read more
US Navy removes Captain Brett Crozier who raised alarm over coronavirus (BBC)
The commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt has been removed after saying the US Navy was not doing enough to halt a coronavirus outbreak on board the aircraft carrier.
In a letter, Capt Brett Crozier had urged his superiors to act to prevent US troops dying outside of wartime.
But acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said the commander “exercised extremely poor judgement”.
At least 100 people aboard the vessel have been infected, reports say. Read more
4 major hurricanes predicted in 2020 as part of above-average Atlantic season (NYPost)
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is shaping up to be a doozy, with four major hurricanes predicted along with a higher-than-average number of named storms.
The forecast, from meteorologists at Colorado State University, is for 16 named storms to strike during the season, which runs from June through November, up from the seasonal average of 12 named storms.
Eight of those 16 named storms will intensify into hurricanes, with four reaching major hurricane force with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or greater, the forecast predicts.
The forecasters say there is a 69 percent chance that a major hurricane will make landfall somewhere along the US coastline. Read more
Netflix’s Tiger King’s Joe Exotic ‘hospitalised for coronavirus’ (Metro)
Tiger King’s Joe Exotic has reportedly been hospitalised after catching coronavirus in prison. The star of everyone’s latest Netflix obsession was in quarantine after changing prisons, but new reports suggest he may have contracted Covid-19. According to Texomashomepage.com via the Mirror, prison sources have claimed he has contracted coronavirus after previously being in isolation. The 57-year-old, who is serving a 22-year sentence, was moved in March from a county jail to federal facility FMC Fort Worth prison in Texas. According to outlets in the US, including ET Online, the reality star and former zoo owner had been placed in quarantine as a precaution against coronavirus, which they would do for any new inmates entering the prison. Read more
Victor Moses reveals he is ‘working hard everyday’ (DailyTrust)
Former Super Eagles star and Inter Milan wing-back Victor Moses has revealed he is ‘working hard every day’ to remain fit during the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic has claimed thousands of lives across the world and brought many businesses to a standstill. Italy, where the 29-year-old is based, is one of the most affected countries globally, having recorded more than 13,000 deaths with about 100,000 cases confirmed. With the Series A suspended due to the outbreak of the virus, the former Nigeria international has stated he is keeping himself fit at home. Read more
Ndidi ruled out of Barcelona (Nation)
The possibilities of Wilfred Ndidi quitting Leicester City for a big money move to either real Madrid or Barcelona in the nearest future may be a ruse after all according to a reliable confidant of the ‘industrious Nigerian’ midfielder.
Ndidi who has established himself as a very important player in the Coach Brendan Rodgers squad since joining the team in 2016 has been linked with a possible move to Barcelona in recent times but a confidant of the star told NationSport on anonymity that insisted that ‘Ndidi is going nowhere’.
The source, however, ruled out the possibility of Ndidi moving to Spain, saying with air of finality: “Nothing is happening and anybody can talk (about Ndidi leaving Leicester City); just ignore them,” he stressed. Read more
Mikel set to join Botafogo (Punch)
Former Super Eagles captain, Mikel Obi, is on the verge of joining Brazilian club, Botafogo, with the deal likely to be concluded on Friday (today).
Mikel is a free agent after terminating his contract with Turkish club, Trabzonspor, in March due to comments he made on coronavirus on Instagram.
According to reports on Yahoo Sports, the 32-year-old has been negotiating for a few days with the Rio club and there is optimism within the board that a deal could be made for the Nigerian soon. Read more
‘There may be no more tennis this year’, says Wimbledon chief Lewis (Nation)
Tennis may not return until 2021 after the Coronavirus pandemic caused the cancellation of the entire grass court season and most of the clay court campaign.
All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) Chief Executive Richard Lewis said this on Thursday.
The pandemic has played havoc with the global sporting calendar and the Wimbledon championships were cancelled by the AELTC on Wednesday for the first time since the second World War.
Lewis, who is set to step down in July, said he hoped the situation will stabilise in the coming months to allow the hard court season to get underway before the U.S. Open begins on Aug. 24. Read more
Nigerian athletes to enjoy IOC scholarships –Bach (Punch)
The International Olympic Committee president, Dr. Thomas Bach, has commended the Nigeria Olympic Committee Athletes Commission for their initiative in creating awareness on the COVID-19 pandemic, using the voice of Nigerian athletes.
Bach said Nigeria was the first country to do that, and encouraged other NOCs to emulate Nigeria.
The video of the Nigerian athletes’ message was used on social media platforms by Athlete365 and the Olympic Channel. Read more
Brescia threaten to forfeit matches if Serie A re-starts (DailyTrust)
The president of bottom-of-the-table Brescia has said that it makes no sense to try to complete the Serie A season and that he would rather forfeit matches than put his team on the pitch. A national lockdown has been in place in Italy since March 9 and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday that the restrictions would remain in place until at least April 13. He added the government would start softening the measures only with the approval of its scientific advisors, without setting an exact date. Meanwhile, there is no indication of when football matches, or even training, could re-start. Read more
Neville lifts lid on Ferguson’s three-step transfer approach at Man United (Vanguard)
Gary Neville has likened Sir Alex Ferguson’s approach to recruitment at Manchester United to Pep Guardiola’s methods at Manchester City.
Neville played his entire career at Old Trafford under Ferguson, who refreshed his squad numerous times over a 27-year reign at the club.
Talking to Sky Sports, Neville has offered an insight into Ferguson’s thinking when it came to the transfer market.
“There were three categories,” Neville said. “His policy was to promote youth wherever possible, that was number one before he even looked at the external market. Read more