NDLEA intercepts 3.30kg cocaine in Lagos airport (Punch)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested one Ukaegbu Onyekachi with a 3.30 kilogram of cocaine at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos State.
It was gathered that Onyekachi, who arrived from Sao Paulo, Brazil, via an Ethiopian airline, was intercepted on Monday during an inward clearance of passengers of the airline at the E Arrival Hall of the airport.
In a statement on Tuesday, the airport commander of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Garba, said Onyekachi concealed the drug inside T-shirt stickers.
He said, “The hard drug was cleverly concealed in T-shirts stickers, but he couldn’t escape the eagle eyes of our detectives.”
Similarly, the FCT command of the agency raided some drug spots in Abuja and arrested 14 people including three suspected fake soldiers and different quantities of cocaine, codeine; Rohypnol and Indian hemp were allegedly recovered from them. Read more
Unemployed man in court over unlawful possession of 3 cell phones (Vanguard)
A 20-year-old unemployed man, Samsudeen Jimoh, on Tuesday appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court,
for allegedly being in possession of three cell phones suspected to have been stolen.
Jimoh, whose address was not provided, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and unlawful possession.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Prosecutor, Insp. Emmanuel Ajayi, told the court that the defendant committed the offences with others still at large on Jan.12 at Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos. Read more
CDA kicks as land grabbers invade Magodo estate (Punch)
The Gateway Zone Community Development Association, Magodo G.R.A Phase 1, Lagos State, has decried the invasion of the estate by suspected land grabbers on Monday and Tuesday.
PUNCH Metro was told that the invasion was to enable the men to gain access to the greenbelt located in a vast gorge separating Magodo GRA Phases 1 and 2, in the Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area of the state.
A security guard in the area, George Celestine, said no fewer than 15 suspected land grabbers stormed the estate, claiming that the gorge belonged to them. Read more
Lagos Assembly screens health, procurement, oil & gas, judicial commissions board nominees (Tribune)
The Lagos State House of Assembly has screened Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s nominees for the Board of Health Commission, Procurement Service, Ibile Oil & Gas and Judicial Commission.
The screening exercise took place during the plenary session held on Tuesday.
The nominees for the Lagos State Health Service Commission are Dr. (Mrs) Atinuke Onayiga, Mrs Kemi Ogunyemi, Dr. Olumuyiwa Solanke and Dr. Mobolaji Olukoya.
Mrs. Folusho Olayinka Onabowale, Mr. Folusho Akeem Mustapha, and Lanre Olusola Kupoluyi are for the Lagos State Public Procurement Commission. Read more
Nigeria to provide 80m doses of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 – Govs (Independent)
About 80 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines would be available in 2021 to cover 40% of the Nigerian population, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Chairman, Nigerian Governors’ Forum, has disclosed.
Dr. Fayemi gave the hint while speaking on the role of Nigeria’s state governments in recovery and responses to COVID-19 linked challenges at a virtual event held Tuesday at Chatham House, London, United Kingdom.
Kayode also disclosed that another 60 million doses were being planned for 2022, adding that beyond government’s procurement of vaccines, the Nigerian government was also a strong proponent of the utilisation of public-private partnerships in vaccine procurement as a means of closing the gap between what is available and what is necessary to achieve herd immunity. Read more
Yoruba, Hausa teachers needed in US (Tribune)
The US Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria has announced that the services of Yoruba and Hausa teachers are needed in the United States.
According to the Public Affairs Section of the US Mission Nigeria which made the announcement on its website, applications from qualified Nigerians wishing to teach Hausa or Yoruba languages and cultures to American students in US universities and colleges opened February 1 and will end on June 1.
The applications are being requested under the mission’s Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Programme (FLTA).
The FLTA programme, the mission explains, is designed to offer young foreign teachers an opportunity to teach Yoruba language and culture to American students in universities and colleges. Read more
FCT to recover encroached pedestrian walkways (Guardian)
The FCT administration has reiterated its resolve to ensure swift recovery of encroached pedestrian walkways to ease human and vehicular movement, especially in the city.
The Director, Development Control Department, Murktar Galadima, who made the assertion yesterday during its weekly routine site monitoring exercise, expressed disappointment on the level of incursion into public infrastructure.
Galadima said the practice runs contrary to the Abuja master plan. He noted that the department had the backing of the provisions of the FCT Act of 1976, as well as the Urban and Regional Planning of 1992 to enforce strict compliance with the Abuja master plan. Read more
9mobile, Globacom, Airtel fail quality tests in 20 states – NCC (Punch)
9mobile and Globacom have failed to meet key performance indicators stipulated by the Nigerian Communications Commission, the latest report by the industry regulator has shown.
According to the report obtained by our correspondent on Monday, the two mobile operators were unable to meet Key Performance Indicators in 19 states of the federation, while Airtel failed to meet the KPI in one state, Ogun State. The report covered the month of July 2020.
The report showed only MTN was successful in meeting the KPIs in every state of the federation.
The data from the industry regulator indicated that the other telcos failed in four major KPIs – Dropped Call Rate, Call Setup Success Rate, Standalone Dedicated Control Channel Congestion Rate and Traffic Control Channel Congestion Rate. Read more
Adeniyi tasks Southern, Middle Belt governors, N’Assembly on insecurity (Guardian)
The Convener, Gravitas Group for Good Governance (CGGG), Chief Tola Adeniyi, yesterday, implored governors of the Southern and Middle Belt regions to summon courage and speak out boldly on menace of insecurity that is about to snuff life out of their constituencies.
Adeniyi, in a statement, tasked all the 34 state governors that have kept mute over the insecurity caused by excesses of armed herdsmen and movement of cattle from the North to Middle Belt/Southerner regions for grazing and the need for state and local council police, to endeavour to speak out like Governors Umar Ganduje and Darius Ishaku of Kano and Taraba states.
While Ganduje had during a recent interview condemned the movement of cattle from the North to the Middle Belt and South by the herders, which he ascribed as a major cause of insecurity and conflicts between the herders and farmers, Ishaku emphasised the need for Nigeria to embrace state and local council police. Read more
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos stepping down nearly 30 years after founding company (CBC)
Amazon said Tuesday that Jeff Bezos is stepping down as CEO later this year, a role he’s had since he founded the company nearly 30 years ago.
Amazon said he’ll be replaced in the fall by Andy Jassy, who runs Amazon’s cloud business. Bezos, 57, will then become the company’s executive chairman.
Bezos, who started the company 27 years ago as an internet bookseller, said in a note to employees posted on Amazon’s website, “As Exec Chair I will stay engaged in important Amazon initiatives but also have the time and energy I need to focus on the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and my other passions.” Read more
Biden signs orders on migrant family separations and asylum (BBC)
US President Joe Biden has signed three executive actions seeking to reunite migrant families split up by a Trump-era policy and ordering a review of his predecessor’s wider immigration agenda.
In an attempt to deter illegal immigration, President Donald Trump’s administration separated undocumented adults from children as they crossed the US-Mexico border.
Mr Biden’s orders will set up a task force to try to reunite the estimated 600-700 children who are still apart from their families.
The Trump administration split up at least 5,500 children from adults along the border between 2017-18. Read more
Italy’s president calls on Draghi to form new government, solve political crisis (France24)
Italian President Sergio Mattarella looks set to ask former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi to form a government of national unity to tackle the twin coronavirus and economic crises battering the country.
The head of state summoned Draghi for talks on Wednesday at noon (1100 GMT) after hearing that efforts to salvage the collapsed coalition of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had failed.
“I have a duty to appeal to all political forces (to support) a high-profile government,” Mattarella told reporters, ruling out the only other possibility, early elections, as ill-advised given the array of challenges facing Italy.
Draghi is widely credited with pulling the euro zone back from the brink of collapse in 2012, pledging to do “whatever it takes” to save the single European currency. Read more
Billie Eilish drops first trailer for her Apple TV+ documentary (Metro)
Billie Eilish has invited the cameras into her life for the first time in her new Apple TV+ documentary. The bad guys singer has released the trailer for her film, Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry, which will offer a behind-the-scenes look as she tours the world, records her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and comes to terms with her rise to stardom. The trailer opens with Billie and her brother Finneas Baird O’Connell joking around in their makeshift home studio – his bedroom. Billie takes out her Invisalign and prepares to record music for her critically acclaimed first album. Read more
Alexei Navalny sentenced to prison term for violating probation as protesters detained (CBC)
A Moscow court on Tuesday ordered Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to prison for 3½ years for violating the terms of his probation while he was recuperating in Germany from nerve-agent poisoning.
With time he has previously served under house arrest, it will leave Navalny to serve just over 2½ years in prison to finish the sentence. Navalny’s legal team is expected to appeal the sentence.
Just before the ruling, Navalny, who is the most prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, had denounced the proceedings as a vain attempt by the Kremlin to scare millions of Russians into submission. Read more
Perth bushfire: Evacuations as dozens of homes destroyed (BBC)
Hundreds of Australians have spent a night in evacuation centres as a fire on the outskirts of the locked-down city of Perth continues to grow.
The blaze – the largest the city has seen in years – has burnt through 9,000 hectares, destroying 71 homes. Six firefighters have suffered injuries.
Fire services were expecting further challenging conditions on Wednesday.
They urged communities in the path of the blaze to prepare to leave or take shelter. Read more
Macron says anyone in France who wants Covid-19 vaccine will have it by summer’s end (France 24)
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday all French people who are willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 will be offered a vaccine by the end of summer.
In an interview with TF1 television, Macron also said that because the virus is evolving quickly, pharmaceutical companies need to start preparing now for vaccines that will be needed this winter and early next year.
He said that in the coming weeks, by the end of February through early March, production of COVID-19 vaccines in France will start and there would eventually be four different production centres.
He further said vaccines must be supplied to poorer developing countries, notably in Africa and Latin America. Read more
Tokyo 2020: D’Tigers draw Australia, D’Tigeress face USA (Independent)
The official draw of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Basketball Tournaments for both the women’s and men’s competitions took place on Tuesday at FIBA headquarters, the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball.
Twenty-four top teams from across the globe, 12 men and 12 women, will go for gold at the Olympics, starting July 25 to August 7, 2021 in Tokyo.
While Nigeria’s D’Tigers were drawn in group B of the men’s competition alongside Australia and winner of the qualifiers in Croatia and Belgrade, the D’Tigeress were placed in a tough group alongside host Japan, France and United States of America (USA).
Recall that D’Tigers are the best ranked team in Africa having been rated 22nd in the world going by the ranking released by FIBA in December 2020.
D’Tigers were able to achieve this feat after winning their three matches against South Sudan, Rwanda and Mali in the just concluded 2021 Afrobasket qualifiers. Read more
Man Utd score nine in record-equalling win over Southampton (BBC)
Manchester United equalled the Premier League record by putting nine goals past nine-man Southampton – the second time Saints have lost 9-0 in as many seasons.
A red card for Saints’ Alexandre Jankewitz after only two minutes triggered a complete collapse for the visitors, who were on the end of the same scoreline against Leicester City in October 2019. Read more
Ocampos fires Sevilla into Copa del Rey semis (Punch)
Lucas Ocampos’ second-half goal was enough to see Sevilla edge past second-tier Almeria 1-0 on Tuesday to reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
Papu Gomez, who joined from Atalanta last week, made his debut for Sevilla but made little impact and was substituted on the hour mark.
It was his first appearance since December 16 after falling out of favour with Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
“I think he played a good game,” said Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui.
“It wasn’t easy for him after a month and a half without playing and I think he’s at a good level.” Read more
VanVleet sets new Toronto Raptors record with 54 points in a single game (CBC)
Fred VanVleet, hitting 11 three-pointers, put on a show with a franchise-record 54 points as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic 123-108 on Tuesday.
The Raptors’ previous single-game scoring record was 52 points, set by DeMar DeRozan against Milwaukee on Jan. 1, 2018. Terrence Ross and Vince Carter each scored 51 in Toronto colours.
VanVleet made 11 of 14 three-point attempts, coming within one of the franchise record of 12 by Donyell Marshall, in March 2005 against Philadelphia. Read more
Luiz & Leno sent off for Arsenal as Wolves end winless run (BBC)
Arsenal had two players sent off as they threw away a lead and lost to Wolves – who won for the first time in nine Premier League games.
The Gunners, who had earlier hit the woodwork twice and had a goal disallowed, went ahead when Nicolas Pepe held off two Wolves challenges and curled a fine finish into the net.
But Arsenal were reduced to 10 men when defender David Luiz brought down Willian Jose, with Ruben Neves equalising with the resulting penalty in first-half injury time.
Joao Moutinho scored with a brilliant strike from 30 yards out to put the hosts ahead soon after the restart.
However, the Gunners were then reduced to nine men as goalkeeper Bernd Leno handled the ball outside of his penalty area after racing out trying to deny Adama Traore. Read more
David Luiz speaks out after red card in Arsenal’s defeat to Wolves (Metro)
A bewildered David Luiz has hit out at referee Craig Pawson’s ‘unbelievable’ decision to send him off in Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Wolves. The Gunners appeared to be cruising after Nicolas Pepe put them in front with a sublime solo effort in the 32nd minute but Tuesday’s Premier League clash turned on its head as Luiz was given his marching orders on the stroke of half-time. The Brazilian was adjudged to have clipped Willian Jose from behind and Ruben Neves made no mistake with the resulting penalty before Joao Moutinho gave Wolves the lead with a thunderous long-range strike in the 49th minute. Read more