Okada ban violation: Rider, passengers risk 3 years jail-term (Guardian)
Lagos State government on Wednesday said residents and commercial motorcyclists, who failed to comply with the directive on the ban on the use of motorcycles for commuting risked a jail term of three years, as the second phase on the ban commences September 1.
The Commissioner for Transport, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, who said this on Wednesday, disclosed that the state government has directed law enforcement agencies and security personnel to ensure total compliance with the ban on okada riders in all the local councils they had been prohibited, including the in four local councils and their six Local Council development with effect from first of September 2022.
Speaking at a press briefing organised by the Inter-ministerial committee on the Okada ban to reiterate the ban in additional four local councils and their LCDAs, Oladeinde reemphasized the need for total compliance by riders for the security and safety of the lives of residents.
He said the Lagos state government had put in place various interventions in the state to ease the inconveniences that the development might bring to the people adding that there was the need to obey the Lagos State traffic law as both the rider and passenger would be penalised. Read more
4 nabbed for stealing car in Lagos (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of Temple Samuel, 21, and three others for stealing his boss’ Lexus ES 330 car in the Egbeda area of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement, said Samuel, who worked at his boss’ car wash, stole his boss’ iPhone X and IPhone 13 and fraudulently transferred N75, 000 from his boss’ account.
He said, “Officers of the Lagos Rapid Response Squad have arrested 21-year-old Temple Samuel for stealing his boss’ Lexus ES 330 car.
“The suspect was arrested in the Ogba area of Lagos State with three others, Benjamin Bassey, 32, Chukwuemeka Okorie, 29 and Joshua Agboche, 37, who had conspired with him to sell the car. Read more
8 months baby, 1577 minors emotional abused across Lagos in 11 months (Guardian)
Lagos State government, on Wednesday, revealed that about 1,578 children have experienced emotional abuse in the last 11 months in the state.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, who revealed this during a media briefing to kick off the domestic and sexual violence awareness month, stated that 55 per cent of these children have been taken through counselling programmes to ensure they are able to psychologically deal with the events they have witnessed without the experience having a permanent and negative impact on them.
The commissioner said the youngest child that experienced sexual violence in the year under review was 8 months, whilst the oldest client that experienced domestic violence was a 75-year-old woman and an 89-year-old man.
He said from September 1st 2021 to July 31st 2022, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency handled 4860 cases which are into two categories, adults and children.
According to him: “The breakdown of the cases is as follows: 2029 Domestic Violence; 65 Rape; 40 Sexual Assault;10 Attempt to commit rape; 5 Sexual Assault by penetration; 73 threat to life; 488 others that included separation, not taking responsibilities of the child(ren), neglect, custody of the child, among others; 113 Child Abuse/Physical Assault; 194 Defilement cases; 15 Defilement/Molestation by Minor to Minor; 105 Child Labour, Abduction Neglect/Others and 145 Sexual harassment/molestation cases.” Read more
Collapsed reservoir: Father demands justice for Lagos vicitms (Punch)
A distraught father, David Aina, has demanded justice after the scaffolding tank from a two-storey building under renovation collapsed and killed his son, Tosin, his son’s guardian, Funmi Olaoye, and her son, Ayo, in the Bariga area of Lagos State.
The 59-year-old father said he was in Oyo State when a Reverend in the church Olaoye had been attending in Lagos State called to inform him that he was hospitalised because of an accident.
He said, “It was when I got to Lagos from Igbo Ora in Oyo State that I discovered that the reservoir at the back of the house my son and his guardian were staying collapsed and landed on the bungalow housing their apartment.
“My son, his guardian and the child of the guardian were at home when the reservoir collapsed. Only the guardian survived; my son and the guardian’s child died.” Read more
NIWA begins enforcement of boat operators’ licence on Lagos waterways (Tribune)
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) said it has started the enforcement of the licence of boat drivers on Lagos waterways.
Recall that the Lagos Area office of NIWA, had last year, introduced a mandatory training programme and licences for all boat operators in order to reduce the rate of mishaps.
According to the Area Manager, Sarat Braimah, the new licence would be valid for use anywhere in Nigeria and would last for three years after which it would be renewed.
In a chat with newsmen recently, NIWA confirmed that enforcement has started in August. The Head of Marine, Lagos Area Office, Elsie Egwuatu, confirmed the development. Read more
World Mosquito Day: PECAN, Rotary Club fumigates Lagos drainage against Malaria (ThisDay)
The Pest Control Association of Nigeria (PECAN) with the Rotary Club of Gbagada fumigated the drainage system on Owoseni Street in the Surulere area of Lagos in its efforts to combat the menace of malaria and its effect.
This was in line with this year’s World Mosquito Day on the theme, “No Mosquito, No Malaria” coupled with an awareness campaign.
The National President of PECAN, Mr Olakunle Williams, said the awareness is to enlighten the residents on the dangers of the vector of malaria and give preventive measures rather than curative.
“As we commemorate World Mosquito Day today, we require from our people an attitudinal and behavioural change of open dumping of refuse, littering drainages with waste plastic bottles, cans and the likes. Read more
Emirates restores flights to Lagos (Nation)
Emirates Airlines has announced the reinstatement of its flight operations to Lagos, starting September 11.
The airline said this in an email to customers yesterday.
The development comes almost a week after the federal government released the sum of $265 million to foreign airlines in the country to settle outstanding ticket sales.
“We are pleased to inform you that effective from 11th September 2022, we will reinstate operations of our flights. Read more
Edo plans mass burial for unclaimed corpses (Punch)
The Edo State Government has scheduled a mass burial for unclaimed corpses found at an illegal mortuary located off Ekehuan Road in Benin City, as well as those at the former mortuary at the defunct Asuen Hospital, First East Circular Road, Benin City.
In a statement on Wednesday, the state Commissioner for Health, Prof Obehi Akoria, called on members of the public who have corpses at the locations to provide the required evidence to claim them for burial.
The statement read, “The general public is hereby notified that the corpses which were found at an illegal mortuary located off Ekehuan Road in Benin City have been scheduled for mass burial. Similarly, corpses at the former mortuary at the defunct Asuen Hospital, First East Circular Road, Benin City, have been scheduled for mass burial.
“Members of the public who may have corpses at these locations are hereby invited to provide the required evidence to claim such corpse(s) for burial.” Read more
Josplay Inc. launches first-of-its-kind database for African music (Guardian)
Josplay Inc., a music intelligence company that uses human expertise and artificial intelligence to enrich African music with the goal of improving discoverability and utilization rate by music recommendation engines, will today, Thursday, September 1, launch a first-of-its-kind database for music from the Mother Continent.
Known as the African Music Library (AML), it is a digital knowledge and database built to provide the global music industry with the most accurate and comprehensive understanding of African music.
The ultimate goal of AML, according to Josplay Inc., is to match the global acceptance of African music with adequate data by properly documenting the empirical and historical data about music made in Africa or by Africans in the diaspora.
The library catalogues information about artists, bands, record labels, their works, and how they are made – including instruments and genres. Read more
Adamawa cholera outbreak kills 2, others in critical condition (Vanguard)
Two persons have reportedly died from cholera in two local government areas of Adamawa State.
Eleven cases of the disease have been confirmed in Shelleng and Guyuk council areas and some adjourning towns and communities in four other local government areas.
A statement by Dr Celine Laori, Director of Public Health in the Ministry of Health stated that the ministry received a report of suspected cases of cholera in Shelleng and Gyuku local government areas.
Laori added that the ministry swung into action and collected samples of about 98 persons in over 20,000 populated communities for testing, 11 persons were confirmed positive while two persons died from the disease. Read more
Hillary Clinton joins Adam Driver and Tessa Thompson at star-studded Venice Film Festival (Metro)
Venice Film Festival has officially kicked off, with stars including Adam Driver, Tessa Thompson, and even Hillary Clinton turning out for the opening gala.
White Noise, starring Adam and Greta Gerwig and directed by Noah Baumbach, opened the annual festival, with celebs showing out in force on the red carpet.
Adam suited up in a tuxedo, while co-star Greta stunned in a beautiful black gown. She held husband Noah’s hand as the pair of them posed for the cameras on the red carpet to celebrate the film.
Also making a rare appearance on the red carpet was politician Clinton. Read more
Last living Monkee sues FBI for files on band (BBC)
At their height, pop band The Monkees was one of the most popular bands in America. They were also the subject of an FBI file linked to the Vietnam War.
Now, Monkees singer Micky Dolenz, 77, is suing the agency to find out more.
Portions of a heavily redacted FBI file, released in 2011, include reports of “anti-US messages on the war in Vietnam” during a 1967 concert.
The FBI kept tabs on several famous figures during the war in Vietnam, including John Lennon.
“We know the mid-to-late 1960s saw the FBI surveil Hollywood anti-war advocates, and The Monkees were in the thick of things,” Mr Dolenz’s lawyer Mark Zaid told the BBC. “This lawsuit seeks to expose why the FBI was monitoring The Monkees and its individual members.” Read more
Elton John remembers Princess Diana on 25th anniversary of her death (MusicNews)
Elton John has paid tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales on the 25th anniversary of her death.
The British royal tragically died in a car crash in Paris, France on 31 August 1997. She was aged 36.
Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Elton shared a photo of himself and his good friend Diana backstage at one of his concerts in 1993.
“You will always be missed,” he wrote in the caption. Read more
Ellie Goulding to be honoured at BMI London Awards (Standard)
Ellie Goulding is to be honoured with the president’s award at this year’s BMI London Awards.
The singer, 35, is being given the gong in recognition of her contributions to music and songwriting.
BMI president and chief executive Mike O’Neill will host the ceremony in London in October alongside BMI Europe vice president of creative Shirin Foroutan.
Goulding follows in the footsteps of music stars such as Noel Gallagher, Jay Kay, Kenny Chesney, Pink, Willie Nelson, Adam Levine and Gloria and Emilio Estefan in receiving the award. Read more
‘Blonde’ star Ana de Armas is confused on why movie got NC-17 rating (Fox)
Ana de Armas is confused over the NC-17 rating given to her upcoming Netflix movie, “Blonde,” about the life of Marylin Monroe.
The Motion Picture Association of America typically gives a film an NC-17 rating when the movie contains gratuitous violence, obscene sex and/or nudity and harsh language. An NC-17 rating is different from an R rating because minors 17 and under are allowed to see rated R movies in theaters when accompanied by an adult and are not allowed in an NC-17 movie at all.
The Cuban actress doesn’t understand why “Blonde” was given such a high rating, claiming she has seen movies that feature much more obscene content.
“I didn’t understand why that happened,” she said in her L’Officiel cover story. “I can tell you a number of shows or movies that are way more explicit with a lot more sexual content than ‘Blonde.'” Read more
Africa’s oldest known dinosaur unearthed in Zimbabwe (Metro)
Africa’s oldest known dinosaur has been unearthed in Zimbabwe.
It lived 230 million years ago – and was one of the first of the legendary long-necked sauropods.
Named Mbiresaurus raathi, its discovery sheds fresh light on the evolution of the biggest creatures that ever roamed land.
They emerged in a temperate region in the far south of the ancient supercontinent Pangaea.
Dr Christopher Griffin, of Yale University in the United States, said: ‘Mbiresaurus raathi fills in a critical geographic gap in the fossil record of the oldest dinosaurs.’ Read more
Oscar Pistorius seeks to force early jail release (BBC)
Convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius is going to court to try to force South African authorities to hold a parole hearing for him.
The former Paralympic gold medallist is serving a 13-year sentence for killing his girlfriend in 2013.
Pistorius shot dead Reeva Steenkamp through a locked toilet door, claiming he mistook her for a burglar.
He is seeking an early release over a dispute about when his sentence started.
A series of challenges and rulings by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has led to confusion about when his sentence became effective. Read more
Williams delays farewell with remarkable US Open win (BBC)
Serena Williams showed she has no intention of ending her singles career without a fight after beating second seed Anett Kontaveit on another remarkable night at the US Open.
Williams, ranked 605th and turning 41 next month, won 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-2 to stun the Estonian in New York.
The American recently announced her intention to retire after her home major and is now into the third round.
Williams will play Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic next on Friday.
A few weeks ago, Williams announced she was “evolving away” from playing tennis in an essay for fashion magazine Vogue, but agreed after beating Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic on Monday she had been vague about her exact timeline. Read more
Jighere wins maiden Scrabble In the Jungle Championship (Guardian)
After 36 rounds play and three nerve-shredding days of intense mind-game in a boot camp, former World Scrabble champion, Wellington Jighere, reigned supreme at the maiden Scrabble In The Jungle’ series tournament, which ended in Warri at the weekend.
Ten top ranked players and two wild card players were kept in a boot-camp setting in a secluded area of Warri, Delta State. Jighere recorded 21 wins, a draw and 14 defeats to beat his closest opponent, current West African Scrabble champion, Eta Karo, on table one in round 35 with a game to spare to claim the top title.
Prince Omosefe came second, Enoch Nwali, Eta Karo and Emmanuel Umujose came third, fourth and fifth respectively. One of the wildcard entries, Victor Godwin, posted an encouraging result to finish sixth ahead of some top-rated stars, including Dennis Ikekeregor, Oshevire Avwenagha, Ryan Jacob and Nigeria’s number one, Etim Nsikak.
At the end of the event, prizes and certificates were presented to deserving participants.
Organiser of the competition, who is also president, Scrabble Las Vegas, Musa Olasupo, said he is impressed with the success of the event. Read more
Andy Murray eliminates Emilio Nava to book US Open third round spot (Metro)
Andy Murray booked his spot in the US Open third round with a 5-7 6-3 6-1 6-0 victory over American wildcard Emilio Nava on Wednesday.
Three-time major champion Murray had been struggling with cramping issues in the build up to Flushing Meadows this year but now adds his victory over world No.203 Nava to his opening straight-sets win against Francisco Cerundolo.
It was a shaky start for Great Britain’s tennis hero at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, who lost a close-fought first set much to the delight of the American home crowd, before batting back to take the second 6-3 and then steamrolling through the last two 6-1 and 6-0 respectively.
The 35-year-old former world No.1, currently ranked world No.51 as he continues his resurgence from injury problems, faces a big challenge in his next match as he prepares to face Matteo Berrettini. Read more
Makhachev tips Usman to beat Edwards in rematch (Punch)
Professional MMA, Islam Makhachev thinks Leon Edwards’ knockout of Kamaru Usman on August 20 to claim the welterweight belt was a fluke and that the Briton would find it impossible to repeat the feat the next time he faces the Nigerian.
Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) dethroned Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) with a stunning head-kick knockout in Round 5 at UFC 278. Edwards was losing three rounds to one heading into the final frame, but was able to finish Usman with less than a minute remaining in their fight.
But because Usman was able to take Edwards down repeatedly and control him for majority of the fight, Makhachev (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) thinks “The Nigerian Nightmare” was merely unlucky. Based on the way the fight was going, Makhachev expects Usman to reclaim his belt with ease.
“Edwards got lucky because Usman beat him all five rounds, almost,” Makhachev told ESPN.
“First round, (Edwards took) him down, take his back, but other rounds (Usman) beat him very easy, took him down many times and smashed him there. When they’re going to fight again in rematch, 100 percent I think Kamaru is going to beat him because Edwards have same problem, always with wrestling guys.” Read more
Neymar, Mbappe score as PSG see off Toulouse (Guardian)
Goals from Neymar and Kylian Mbappe helped Paris Saint-Germain stay top of the early Ligue 1 table with a 3-0 victory at Toulouse on Wednesday.
Christophe Galtier’s reigning champions were never seriously threatened by their newly-promoted opponents and remain above Lens and Marseille on goal difference.
The fearsome front three of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe have now scored 18 times between them already this term.
Toulouse frustrated PSG early in the game, with goalkeeper Maxime Dupe making two smart stops from Kylian Mbappe and tipping a Lionel Messi shot wide.
But the away side did take the lead in the 37th minute, as Neymar raced onto Messi’s through ball and slotted into the bottom corner.
The Brazilian’s ninth goal of the season was initially ruled out for offside, but that decision was overturned after a lengthy VAR review. Read more
How I escaped being jailed over alleged fraud – Ojo-Oba (Punch)
Former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Football Federation, Bolaji Ojo-Oba, has revealed how he narrowly escaped being sent to jail after he and other top officials of the football body were accused of shoddy deals at the 2010 World Cup, amongst others.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had on July 7, 2010, arrested Ojo-Oba and three other accused persons, namely Sani Lulu, ex-NFF president; Amanze Uchegbulam, ex-NFF vice president and Taiwo Ogunjobi, an ex-NFF secretary-general.
They were arraigned on September 6, 2010 for alleged misappropriation of funds without giving proper accounts of how the money was spent during the South Africa 2010 World Cup.
They were specifically alleged of siphoning about $125, 000 through shoddy hotel bookings in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup, $250,000 lost as a result of booking the wrong airline for the trip, $400,000 allegedly expended on the Nigeria/Colombia friendly match and $236,000, which vanished from the coffers of the Glass House in 2009. Read more
Jurgen Klopp names the ‘best player on the pitch’ as Liverpool beat Newcastle (Metro)
Jurgen Klopp hailed Harvey Elliott as ‘the best player on the pitch’ during Liverpool’s dramatic Premier League victory over Newcastle United.
Liverpool looked set to drop at least two points at home to Newcastle on Wednesday night after Eddie Howe’s new £60m striker Alexander Isak put the visitors ahead shortly before half-time.
But Roberto Firmino scored his third goal of the season to equalise at Anfield and Fabio Carvalho’s last-gasp strike completed the turnaround, much to Klopp’s delight.
The Liverpool boss said: ‘The perfect moment to win this game because it was a difficult game, very passionate, aggressive defending. Read more