Lagos shut 430 event centres, clubs for violating COVID-19 protocols (Guardian)
Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC), on Thursday, disclosed that 430 event centres and night clubs have been shut across the state for violating COVID-19 protocols.
The Director-General (DG) of the commission, Mr Lanre Mojola, who stated this at a briefing to announce activities to mark the annual World Safety Day slated for April 28, said the commission was saddled with the responsibility of enforcing safety measures during COVID-19 lockdown.
“The Commission was involved in the enforcement of COVID-19 Protocol and this led to sealing of 30 event centres and 400 clubs across the state.”
Mojola said the commission carried out risk assessment and unscheduled safety inspections of construction sites to ensure safety compliance, as well as adherence to COVID-19 protocols to prevent accidents, incidents, illnesses and loss of lives. Read more
Again, fire razes Oko Baba sawmill in Lagos (Punch)
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has put out the inferno that razed Oko Baba Sawmill in Ebute Metta on Thursday, April 1, 2021.
The effort by the firefighters prevented the fire from extending to the adjoining shanties and residential areas.
This was disclosed by the Acting Controller, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye, while briefing journalists about the incident.
According to a statement by the Service, “Adeseye disclosed that the Agency received an alert at about 0239 hours indicating that Oko Baba Saw-Mill was on fire and action was immediately taken with the deployment of three Fire Engines and crew members to combat the situation. Read more
NSCDC bursts oil pipeline vandals in Lagos (Vanguard)
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps NSCDC, Lagos State Command on Wednesday, burst a syndicate of oil pipeline vandals and recovered an unspecified number of bagged Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly called petroleum in the Abule-Idowu area of the state.
The product was allegedly syphoned by some suspected vandals.
It was gathered that in an attempt to cart away the products, the suspected vandals bagged them in sacks via a swampy route in Abule Onilu area, of Lagos State, at about 7 am of last Sunday.
Also read: Implement Gowon’s 3Rs before 2022 or risk Nigeria’s continuity, Ohanaeze youths tell Buhari
However, the Command responded swiftly, to stop the vandals, through an emergency call. Read more
UNILAG gets new deputy vice-chancellor (Tribune)
Mrs Ayodele Atsenuwa, a Professor of Public Law at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka has been appointed Vice-Chancellor (Development Services).
Atsenuwa until her new role was the Dean of Faculty of Law of the university.
She succeeded Prof Folasade Ogunsola whose tenure in that capacity ended early March. Prof Ogunsola is the acting vice-chancellor of UNILAG during the face-off between the then led Dr Wale Babalakin’s governing council of the university and the incumbent Vice-Chancellor, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe. Read more
US report on Lekki shooting inaccurate – Amnesty International (Guardian)
Amnesty International on Thursday said the United States could have taken more time to evaluate all available evidence before publishing its reports on the October 2020 Lekki toll gate shooting.
The US government, in its 45th annual human rights report, said “accurate information on the fatalities” from the shooting remained fuzzy, noting that apart from “Amnesty International which reported 10 persons died during the event, no other organization was able to verify the claim.”
“One body from the toll gate showed signs of blunt force trauma. A second body from another location in Lagos State had bullet wounds. The government acknowledged that soldiers armed with live ammunition were present at the Lekki Toll Gate. At year’s end the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution continued to hear testimon. Read more
Nigerian beauty queen, PhD student shot dead in her car in US (Punch)
A 24-year-old former Nigerian beauty queen, Najeebat Sule, has been found shot dead inside her car parked close to her residence at 8800 block of Frankford Avenue on March 12, Daily Mail reports.
Nearly three weeks later, police have not found a motive and have made no arrests, leaving Sule’s family and friends searching for answers.
‘I can’t think of anything that would make anyone want to kill her,’ Sule’s close friend Habibat Magaji, told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Magaji was among the last people to have seen Sule alive before she was gunned down. Read more
Wizkid, Burna Boy top Spotify’s most streamed artists list (ThisDay)
A month after it launched in Nigeria, music streaming service, Spotify, has released data on its first 30 days in the country.
The data, which covered the period between February 23 and March 22, 2021, showed the top streamed artists, songs, podcasts; most popular playlists and cities with most streams on Spotify.
The first 30 days demonstrated how much Nigerian listeners love their home-grown artists. Four out of the top five most-streamed artists are from Nigeria. Topping the list are WizKid, Burna Boy, Davido and Rema.
Local hits are also resonating the most with Nigerian listeners. The most-streamed track in Nigeria over the past month is “Bounce” by Rema, followed by Wizkid and Burna Boy’s “Ginger” and Davido and Teni’s “For You.” Read more
Corruption ‘massive, widespread, and pervasive’ under Buhari – US (Tribune)
The United States has said described the scale of corruption in Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as “massive, widespread, and pervasive.”
This is according to 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released by US Department of State.
In Section 4 of the report focusing on Nigeria titled ‘Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government’, the United States noted that:
“Although the law provides criminal penalties for conviction of official corruption, the government did not consistently implement the law, and government employees frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. Read more
718,412 receive 1st dose of vaccine – NPHCDA (Vanguard)
An update released by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, on Wednesday showed that a total of 718,412 eligible Nigerians have so far been vaccinated with the first dose, representing 35.7 per cent of the proportion vaccinated.
A breakdown of the NPHCDA update contained in an Electronic Management of Immunisation Data System, further revealed that Lagos is leading in the exercise with 136,356 persons vaccinated.
Ogun and Kaduna states are trailing Lagos with 50,870 and 46,474 persons vaccinated respectively.
Other states that have recorded 5-digit figures in the exercise are Katsina, 37,819; Bauchi, 33,368; Kano, 33,258; Kwara, 29,061; Ondo, 27,019; FCT, 24,810; Jigawa, 23,745; Edo, 19,305; Ekiti, 19,268; Osun, 19,185; Yobe, 17,898; Rivers, 17,036; Plateau, 16,288; Adamawa, 15,658; Borno, 15,253; Imo, 14,487; Nasarawa, 13,610; Gombe, 12,263; Delta, 11,040; Benue, 10,604. Read more
“Zola” trailer drops as fans treated to first glimpse at movie based on epic Twitter drama (Metro)
The Zola trailer has officially dropped – and it’s a bit of a fever dream as fans are treated to their first glimpse of the movie based on the infamous Twitter drama. For the uninitiated, the film, starring Taylour Paige and Riley Keough, has been years in the making. In October 2015, Aziah ‘Zola’ King shared a 148-post thread on Twitter about a trip to Florida she took with a stripper named Jessica. It was honestly the wildest ride, with stars like Missy Elliott and Solange Knowles joining us in getting gripped. Read more
Sharon Stone crossed state lines to have an abortion at 18 (PageSix)
Sharon Stone had to cross state lines into Ohio to get an abortion at 18 years old.
The “Basic Instinct” star, who grew up in Pennsylvania and went to high school and college in the Keystone State, reveals that her first serious boyfriend got her pregnant and they drove to a clinic in Ohio because it was easier to get the procedure there.
Stone, 63, says that she experienced excessive bleeding after the procedure but still kept it a secret (via Vulture).
“I was bleeding all over the place and far worse than I should have been, but this was a secret and I had no one to tell,” Stone writes in “The Beauty of Living Twice.” Read more
Man’s Ebola relapse spawned 91 new cases in Africa (VOA)
A man in Africa who developed Ebola despite receiving a vaccine recovered but suffered a relapse nearly six months later that led to 91 new cases before he died. The report adds to evidence that the deadly virus can lurk in the body long after symptoms end, and that survivors need monitoring for their own welfare and to prevent spread.
Relapses like this one from the 2018-20 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo are thought to be rare. This is the first one clearly shown to have spawned a large cluster of new cases. The New England Journal of Medicine published details on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, scientists said a separate outbreak that’s going on now in Guinea seems related to one in West Africa that ended five years ago. A survivor may have silently harbored the virus for years before spreading it.
“The most important message is, someone can get the disease, Ebola, twice and the second illness can sometimes be worse than the first one,” said Dr. Placide Mbala-Kingebeni of the University of Kinshasha, who helped research the Congo cases. Read more
South Korea submits bid to co-host 2032 Olympics with North Korea (France24)
South Korean capital Seoul said on Thursday it has sent a proposal for co-hosting the 2032 Olympics with the North’s Pyongyang to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a bid to keep its hopes alive despite Brisbane being the front-runner.
The IOC has already picked the Australian city as the preferred partner for hosting the Games.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to pursue the joint Olympics bid at their summit in Pyongyang in late 2018.
But relations have soured since a summit between Kim and then U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019 failed to reach agreement on North Korea’s denuclearisation, in which Moon had offered to play a mediating role. Read more
Netflix buys “Knives Out” sequels in $400m deal – and Daniel Craig is returning (Metro)
Netflix has shelled out for two sequels to Rian Johnson’s murder mystery Knives Out. The film, released in 2019, follows private detective Benoit Blanc’s (Daniel Craig) investigation into a wealthy, eccentric family after its patriarch is found dead. Not only did it score critical acclaim, but star Chris Evans went viral thanks to the cosy, white cable knit jumper he wears in the film as playboy Ransom Drysdale. Read more
UN: 2 women, 3 children drown in shipwreck off Libya’s coast (VOA)
Two women and three children drowned when a boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants capsized off Libya, a U.N. official said Wednesday. It was the latest shipwreck involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe.
Safa Msehli, spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said the incident took place late Tuesday. A fishing boat and Libya’s coast guard managed to rescue some 77 migrants and returned them to shore, she said.
A total of 400 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya late Tuesday and taken to detention centers in the North African country, Msehli said. At least 480 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya over the weekend, according to the IOM.
Tuesday’s deadly shipwreck was the latest along the Central Mediterranean migration route. More than 55 migrants were reported dead last month off Libya. Read more
Venice bans cruise ships from historic centre (BBC)
Italian authorities have approved a ban on cruise ships entering the historic centre of Venice.
The country’s culture minister said on Wednesday that the decision came in response to a request from UN cultural body Unesco.
Large ships will now have to dock at the city’s industrial port until a permanent solution is found.
Critics argue the ships cause pollution and erode the foundations of the city, which suffers from regular flooding. Read more
Africa Cup of Nations to kick off on January 9 in Cameroon (France24)
The Africa Cup of Nations tournament will be staged in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6 next year, a Confederation of African Football (CAF) official confirmed on Thursday.
A virtual executive committee meeting chaired by recently elected president Patrice Motsepe from South Africa also decided that a draw to divide the 24 qualifiers into six groups will be held on June 25.
Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Comoros, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia and Zimbabwe have qualified.
The remaining place rests between Benin and Sierra Leone, whose fixture in Freetown this week did not take place because the visitors challenged Covid-19 results after five of their key players tested positive. Read more
Lagos to begin Nigeria Beach Soccer League (Punch)
Lagos will kick off the first round of the Nigeria Beach Soccer League organised by the Nigeria Beach Soccer Association in games scheduled for April 3 to 5.
This is sequel to the approval given by the Nigeria Football Federation to the Beach Soccer League body giving the all clear to kick-start its activities.
The league will be played across four centres which have existing Beach Soccer structures in the country. These centres are Lagos, which will host in April, Kebbi in May, Kwara in June and Kaduna will host the Super finals in July. Read more
Only 25 journalists to cover 2021 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon (Guardian)
In line with COVID-19 protocols and working with the Lagos State Safety Commission and relevant agencies, organisers have announced that only 25 journalists will be allowed to cover the 2021 edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon race and Press Conference.
Olukayode Thomas, Head Communications and Media for the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, explained that the decision is in strict compliance with laid down rules by the Federal and State ministries of health and other relevant agencies.
Thomas said the usual applications for media accreditation would not be entertained this year, but a rigorous selection process is going to be adopted to select 25 media platforms to cover this year’s race as well as the press conference.
“There will be no accreditation process for journalists this year, we would only be selecting 25 media platforms with a pedigree in athletics and road races reporting to cover this sixth edition,” Thomas explained. Read more
Mozambique fires coach Goncalves after AFCON failure (Punch)
Mozambique coach Luis Goncalves has become the latest casualty since 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers concluded this week, losing his job after failing to reach the finals.
A national football federation statement confirmed the Maputo-born handler had been sacked after the Mambas (Snakes) lost 1-0 at home to Cape Verde and finished last in a group including Cameroon and Rwanda.
Having won at home to Rwanda and drawn away against Cape Verde, Mozambique lost four consecutive matches to derail hopes of a first Cup of Nations appearance since 2010. Read more
Sergio Ramos: Real Madrid captain out of Liverpool games (BBC)
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is set to miss both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool after suffering a calf muscle injury.
The 35-year-old defender picked up the injury while on international duty.
Real face the Reds on Tuesday, 6 April and Wednesday, 14 April, either side of El Clasico with Barcelona in La Liga.
“If there is something that hurts me, it is not being able to help the team in these highly demanding matches,” said the Spaniard on Instagram. Read more
Jazz players thought ‘this might be the end’ after plane crashed into birds (NYPost)
Utah Jazz players feared they might be killed when their charter plane struck a flock of birds and was forced into an emergency landing on Tuesday, point guard Mike Conley said.
The plane carrying the team to Memphis sustained “engine failure” following the collision shortly after takeoff, but returned safely to the Salt Lake airport.
The Jazz boarded another flight a few hours later and landed in Memphis on Tuesday night.“All of a sudden it felt like there was an explosion. That’s what it sounded like for most people on the plane,” Conley said after Wednesday’s 111-107 victory over Memphis Grizzlies. Read more
