One killed as police, okada riders clash in Lagos (Punch)
One person yet-to-be-identified was reportedly shot dead while another was injured on Saturday during a clash between commercial motorcyclists popularly known as okada riders and policemen at the Itire area of Lagos.
It was learnt that some policemen from the Itire division seized motorcycles from two riders said to be Hausa around 8am and took the bikes to the station.
The owners of the motorcycles were said to have reported the incident to their members who followed them to the police station on motorcycles to protest the seizure.
In a one-minute-ten-second video of the incident obtained by our correspondent, policemen are seen firing straight bullets while trying to dodge objects thrown at them. Read more
UNILAG moves to mainstream online teaching skill among staff (Guardian)
As part of efforts to address some of the challenges of transiting to online teaching, the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos has invited Dr Susie Schofield, a top expert on online teaching and member of Scottish Higher Education Developer (SHED) to facilitate a Webinar on Opportunities and Challenges in Online Teaching to enhance the capability of academic staff.
Dr Schofield is a Reader at the University of Dundee with responsibility for design and delivery of face-to-face and distance learning of various courses including application of educational theories, teaching methods, reflection and reflective practice, learning styles, instructional design, technology-enhanced learning, blended learning, curriculum development, educational environment principles of assessment and self-assessment.
Her current research interest includes technology-enhanced learning, including digital and assessment literacy. Read more
Waste in the City’ initiative holds in Lagos community (Nation)
The State-wide Waste and Environmental Education Foundation recently rolled out the Waste in the City initiative across Surulere Local Government Area, Coker-Aguda LCDA and Itire-Ikate LCDA as part of its environmental sustainability activities sponsored by the Coca-Cola Foundation.
The President/CEO of the foundation, Amb. Obuesi Phillips, said this ahead of the foundation’s 3rd town hall meeting schedule to hold on the 9th February 2021 at Itire-Ikate LCDA.
He said the Waste in the City is a community engagements and sensitisation campaign. It is a plastic (PET Bottles) recovery initiative helping to unclog blocked drains and canals through the extraction of PET bottles, cans and other plastic waste, and recycling them through accredited off-takers. Read more
Abiodun orders probe into herdsmen/farmers clash in Ogun (Vanguard)
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun has ordered investigations into the recent clash between herdsmen and farmers in Eggua, Yewa-North Council Area of the state.
Recall that the clash led to the loss of one life and destruction of property.
Mr Kunle Somorin, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, in a statement in Abeokuta on Saturday stated that Abiodun had also set up a special task force to maintain peace in all areas prone to herders/farmers conflict in the state.
According to the statement, the governor had also directed that those behind the violence should be brought to justice. Read more
16-year-old boy commits suicide in Kaduna (Tribune)
A 16-year-old boy, Bright Haruna, was alleged to have committed suicide by hanging himself inside a room in their house located at Daura Road, in Kaduna metropolis.
It was gathered that the teenager took his life after being scolded by his father.
The development, threw residents of the area into mourning when the news filtered that the teenager committed suicide after being scolded by his father.
The incident occurred at about 4 pm Wednesday, February 3, 2021, but for the quick intervention of security operatives, the neighbours had attempted lynching the father, Mr Haruna Umar before he was rescued. Read more
COVID vaccines: Nigeria receives highest allocation in Africa (Punch)
The World Health Organisation in Abuja on Saturday said it had not disqualified any African country from accessing COVID – 19 vaccines through the COVAX facility.
The organisation said while it was supporting all countries to access vaccines as quickly as possible, Nigeria has received the largest allocation with 16 million doses out of the 88 million AstraZeneca doses allocated to Africa for the first phase.
The WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulomboo, made the clarification during a joint press conference with the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, on the purported disqualification of Nigeria from access to the COVID – 19 vaccines.
He said, “WHO has not disqualified any country in Africa from accessing COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility, but rather is supporting all countries to access vaccines as quickly as possible. Read more
Facebook Marketplace launches in Nigeria (ThisDay)
Facebook has announced the launch of Marketplace in Nigeria where customers can explore and effect transactions.
The launch of the platform in Nigeria makes it Facebook’s fourth market place in Africa, after establishing its presence in South Africa, Ethiopia and Kenya.
According to the organisation, the innovation is such that through a click on the market place icon, would enable customers to browse and search for items and sort based on distance or category.
Commenting on the innovation, Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa, Adaora Ikenze, stated that the move further highlights Facebook ongoing efforts in helping to boost trade activities in Nigeria and connecting communities. Read more
Father, son held as thugs invade Osun school, beat principal (Punch)
Osun State Police Command on Saturday said a father, (name not given), and his son said to be a student of Oduduwa Secondary School, Ile Ife, are being held following the invasion of the school by some thugs.
The said student, Adejuwon Adeyeni, who is a SSS 3 in the school, joined by his father and some suspected thugs who reportedly invaded the school and beat up the principal, Mr. Ademola Sanusi, after he was corrected for a misdemeanor.
A source in the school, who preferred not to be named, told The PUNCH that Adejuwon had dressed inappropriately to the school.
“But he was corrected by the principal. But the correction did not go down well with the student, as he later returned with some people and attacked the principal,” the source said.
In a chat with our correspondent, the spokesperson for the Osun Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed the arrest of both father and son. Read more
Pope Francis appoints first woman to the Synod of Bishops (BBC)
The Pope has appointed a woman as an undersecretary to the Synod of Bishops for the first time.
Sister Nathalie Becquart, who is from France, will have voting rights in the body, which advises the pontiff and debates some of the most controversial issues in the Roman Catholic Church.
Ms Becquart has worked with the synod as a consultant since 2019.
The body’s secretary-general, Cardinal Mario Grech, said the appointment showed that “a door has opened”. Read more
Egypt frees Al Jazeera journalist after 4 years in pre-trial detention (France24)
Egyptian authorities have released Mahmoud Hussein, an Egyptian journalist working for Al Jazeera TV who was held in pre-trial detention for more than four years, the Qatar-based television network confirmed Saturday.
Hussein was arrested in December 2016 when he returned to Egypt for a family holiday and accused of incitement against state institutions and spreading false news.
Mostefa Souag, acting director general of Al Jazeera welcomed the news of Hussein’s release, calling it “a moment of truth and an inspiring milestone towards press freedom”.
In a written statement, Souag said, “no journalist should ever be subjected to what Mahmoud has suffered for the past four years for merely carrying out his profession,” the Al Jazeera website reported. Read more
Indonesia tigers: Zookeeper killed after endangered animals escape (BBC)
A zookeeper has been killed after two critically endangered Sumatran tigers escaped from a zoo on Borneo island.
The female tigers, both aged about 18 months, escaped the Sinka Zoo after a landslide caused by days of torrential rain damaged their enclosure.
On Saturday, one of the animals was captured after it was hit with a tranquiliser dart.
But the other tiger was shot dead after it behaved aggressively and attempts to tranquilise it failed. Read more
Chinese social media pays tribute to virus whistleblower on his death anniversary (France24)
Thousands of Chinese social media users paid tribute to Li Wenliang on Saturday, marking the one year anniversary of the death of the doctor who first blew the whistle on the coronavirus outbreak.
Li, one of a group of doctors in Wuhan who shared posts on social media warning of a SARS-like virus spreading in the central city in December 2019, was reprimanded by police for spreading “rumours”.
The 34-year-old ophthalmologist’s situation eventually became public, making him a potent symbol of the perils of offering a different narrative from the official Chinese messaging.
The Chinese public embraced Li as an ordinary man trying to do the right thing. His wife was pregnant and he was soon to be a father. He sent the “rumour” because he wanted to warn others. Read more
Cuba opens up its economy to private businesses (BBC)
Cuba has announced it will allow private businesses to operate in most industries, in what is a major reform to its state-controlled economy.
Labour Minister Marta Elena Feito said the list of authorised industries had expanded from 127 to more than 2,000.
Only a minority of industries would be reserved for the state, she said.
The communist country’s economy has been hit hard by the pandemic and US sanctions introduced by the Trump administration. Read more
“Malcolm & Marie” is a showcase for its stars, and a headache for its viewers (CNN)
Writer-director Sam Levinson spends a good deal of time in “Malcolm & Marie” complaining about critics, which feels like a boxer leading with his chin. Pairing Zendaya and John David Washington, the movie — quickly and stealthily shot during the pandemic — wins points for ingenuity, then loses them with its shrill tone and the uneven hairpin turns of its writing.
The two-person showcase casts Washington (the Malcolm half of the title) as a director, returning home from a premiere of his debut movie with his glamorous girlfriend, Zendaya’s Marie. While he alternately exults and rails against “the white girl” film critic at the L.A. Times, she’s sullen and angry, for reasons that will gradually (very gradually) be explained.
Levinson and Zendaya were already collaborating on the HBO series “Euphoria” when Covid-19 hit, and the idea of secretly shooting a movie in a remote house arose, as Deadline reported. Filmed in striking black and white, the mostly-housebound structure has the unavoidable texture of a stage play, even if the characters occasionally venture outside onto the rustic grounds. Read more
David Hockney’s lockdown paintings of Normandy captivate Parisians (France24)
While museums in France are shut due to COVID-19 restrictions, private galleries are allowed to remain open and have become a haven for art enthusiasts. British artist David Hockney’s “Ma Normandie” (“My Normandy) show, which opened at a Paris gallery last year, has been the sensation of the season.
The world’s most expensive living artist was on a three-day road trip through northern France in October 2018 when he fell in love with Normandy. He bought a rundown 17th century country home and has since been capturing the play of light on his garden and the empty expanses of the region.
Hockney’s latest show, “Ma Normandie” (“My Normandy”), at the Galerie Lelong in Paris opened in October 2020, as France entered a second nationwide lockdown and the city’s residents who did not have country home getaways resigned themselves to constrained lives in cramped urban spaces.
For art enthusiasts, Hockney’s canvases have been a welcome escape, with visitors flocking to the gallery as museums across France remain closed. Read more
NPFL21: Omoyele’s brace gives Enyimba victory over Plateau Utd (DailyTrust)
Enyimba International have secured the maximum points in a mouthwatering clash against Plateau United at the Aba Township Stadium yesterday during the Match Day 9 clash of the ongoing 2020/21 Nigeria Professional Football League season.
The home side started the game with purpose as the swamped their opponents half in search of the first goal which finally came in the 27th minute when Tosin Omoyele rose above his marker to head in Iwula’s corner kick.
Three minutes later, the 8-time NPFL champions, Enyimba again took the lead following a superb link-up play between Omoyele and Iwuala.
Iwuala had shielded his marker and assisted Omoyele who fired home to score his brace to give his a 2-0 lead. His second goal is the former Osun United striker’s 11 NPFL career goal. Read more
Late Calvert-Lewin goal earns Everton draw at Man Utd (BBC)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored 17 goals for Everton this season
Dominic Calvert-Lewin secured a dramatic point for Everton in the fifth minute of stoppage time as they twice came from behind to hold Manchester United in a six-goal thriller at Old Trafford.
On the 63rd anniversary of the Munich air disaster, Scott McTominay’s header seemed to have sealed a victory that would have taken United level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
However, after they had already responded superbly to falling two behind before half-time on Saturday, Everton refused to buckle.
And, as United grew increasingly desperate, Calvert-Lewin took advantage of weak defending from a Lucas Digne free-kick to stab in from close range. Read more
Barty lays down Aussie Open marker with dominant win over Muguruza (France24)
World number one Ashleigh Barty signalled her intent ahead of the Australian Open with a straight-sets victory over in-form Garbine Muguruza to win the final of the Yarra Valley Classic warm-up event on Sunday.
Barty, playing with the roof shut on Margaret Court Arena, ramped up her preparations by wearing down the two-time Grand Slam champion 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 in one hour and 47 minutes to win her ninth WTA singles title.
The 24-year-old, competing in her first tournament in 11 months, received a confidence boost having struggled to rediscover her best in her earlier matches and then missing out on court time when Serena Williams pulled out of their semi-final.
“I couldn’t wait to get on the court quick enough,” said Barty, who hit 28 winners. Read more
Andy Murray angry at missing Australian Open & questions LTA protocols (BBC)
Andy Murray has spoken of his anger at missing next week’s Australian Open because he caught COVID-19, pointing the finger at the culture inside the National Tennis Centre over Christmas.
Murray, 33, believes he contracted the virus while practising at the LTA’s high performance centre in London.
The Scot says “tonnes of people were in the gym” and thinks too many were allowed to use the player facilities.
The LTA said “stringent and appropriate restrictions” had been applied. Read more
2 former Iranian national team footballers die from Covid-19 within a week of each other (CNN)
Iran is mourning the death of two former national team football players who died from Covid-19 within a week of each other in Tehran.
Mehrdad Minavand, 45, and Ali Ansarian, 43, played professionally in Iran’s Pro League for Persepolis Football Club and were cherished by fans across the country.
The former teammates are believed to have contracted the coronavirus when they co-hosted an online television special on the derby match between Persepolis FC and Esteghlal FC, according to Iran’s state news agency, IRNA.
“As you may have heard in the news in recent days, Mehrdad Minavand has fallen ill with coronavirus,” a spokesperson explained in a video posted to the former footballer’s official Instagram page on January 21. Read more
Arsenal suffer back-to-back defeat against Aston Villa (ThisDay)
Aston Villa players completed a first top-flight double over Arsenal for 28 years when the Gunners suffered a 1-0 loss at Villa Park yesterday.
Goalkeeper Mat Ryan conceded 74 seconds into his debut for the Gunners as Villa followed up a 3-0 win at Emirates Stadium in November with a narrow victory at Villa Park.
Former Arsenal keeper Emiliano Martinez started the move which led to Bertrand Traore pouncing on a mistake by Cedric Soares before Ollie Watkins scored with a shot that deflected off Rob Holding.“That’s the first time we’ve done the double over Arsenal since the inception of the Premier League in 1992-93,” said Aston Villa Manager Dean Smith. Read more