Panic as robbers terrorise Lagos community, kill guard (Punch)
Residents of Ogungbesan Street, Coker, along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Lagos, say they are under siege from robbers that have been terrorising the neighbourhood for about one month.
The incidents took a turn for the worse on Tuesday when a security guard in one of the houses on the street, Garuba Muhammed, was shot dead by robbers who attacked a compound he manned.
City Round learnt that the deceased’s younger brother, Musa, who lived with him, was receiving treatment at a hospital for gunshot wounds he sustained in the leg during the attack. Read more
MMA2 new X-ray Machines, air conditioners arrive Lagos (Guardian)
The new x-ray machines and air conditioners ordered for by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) to upgrade facilities at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Terminal two (MMA2) have arrived the country.
Group Corporate Affairs Manager, BASL, operator of MMA2, Mikail Mumuni, said the equipment arrived on Wednesday night from where they were moved to MMA2.
He added that installation of the new facilities would commence immediately and would be completed within a week. Mumuni quoted the acting Head of Business of the company, Ralph Uchegbu as saying that the installation of the amenities will further re-inforce the status of MMA2 as the nation’s pre-eminent airport terminal in terms of customers security and comfort. Read more
Rotary Club of Akowonjo clocks 35 (ThisDay)
As Rotary International marks its 116 years this week, one of its affiliate clubs, Rotary Club of Akowonjo rolled out the drums on Monday to celebrate her 35 years in the service of humanity.
The well-attended celebration which held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, venue of the club’s weekly fellowship, saw many of the club’s past presidents being honoured and decorated for keeping the club’s flag flying for over three decades.
Speaking passionately at the event, a Charter member, Rotary Past Assistant Governor (Dr.) Olukayode Akinlade, went memory lane and espoused the various sacrifices members have made in ensuring that the club continued to remain relevant in the comity of Rotary clubs worldwide. Read more
LASU governing council approves promotion of 11 professors, 296 others (Vanguard)
The Governing Council of the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Lagos has approved the promotion of 11 new professors and 296 others.
Among the newly-promoted staff are 12 associate professors and 18 other academic staff, while 266 non-academic staff in different categories were also promoted.
According to the Coordinator, Centre for Information Press and Public Relations, CIPPR, Mr Ademola Adekoya, among the non-teaching staff promoted were two deputy registrars and two deputy bursars.
The breakdown of the promotion exercise shows 11 associate professors being elevated to the position of professors. Read more
WHO selects Nigerian varsity’s COVID-19 vaccine for further trial
(Punch)
The management of Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, on Friday, said a vaccine for the treatment of coronavirus being developed by the university in collaboration with scholars from five other institutions had been selected by the World Health Organisation for further trial.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Solomon Adebola, who made the disclosure while speaking with journalists on the 10th anniversary of the university, said the vaccine developed by a team of researchers led by a lecturer at the university, was one of the two vaccine candidates that the WHO had selected for further development in Africa.
According to Adebola, the lead researcher on the project, Dr Kolawole Oladipo, is working with scholars from Precious Cornerstone University, Ibadan; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; University of Ilorin; and Elizade University, Ilaramokin, Ondo State. Read more
Nigeria loses $10bn to illicit financial flows – ICPC (Tribune)
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says Nigeria accounts for 20 per cent or 10 billion dollars (N3.8 trillion) of the estimated 50 billion dollars that Africa loses to Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs).
Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, said this during a virtual meeting to review a report on IFFs in relation to tax, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, spokesperson for ICPC, said in a statement released in Abuja on Friday.
The ICPC Chairman said, “the African Union Illicit Financial Flow Report estimated that Africa is losing nearly 50 billion dollars through profit shifting by multinational corporations and about 20 per cent of this figure is from Nigeria alone.” Read more
Mother of two dies during sex romp with lover (Punch)
The police command in Adamawa State on Friday confirmed the death of a 37-year-old mother of two children who died in the house of her lover during sexual intercourse.
The police also confirmed the arrest of the lover, one Lekan Agboola, a telecommunication engineer as part of investigations to establish the actual cause of her death.
The state police spokesperson, DSP Suleiman Nguroje, who spoke with journalists in Yola, said Agboola was being detained at the command’s criminal investigation department. Read more
Seun Kuti unveils power mic in post-EndSARS activism (Guardian)
Barely four months after the events that followed the #EndSARS protests of October last year, Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, has rolled out a new movement, dubbed ‘Power Mic,’ in a bid to renew socio-political activism.
Debuting at the urban Bistro in Lagos, the initiative launched its key action points to tilt towards achieving “dialogue, solidarity and action from the people” in respect to their socio-political welfare. The Power Mic initiative, which is supported by Naija Resistance Movement and Movement of the People, has other notable celebrities, including Vector, Sheni Ajayi and Falz.
The artiste listed the agenda of the initiative to include bridging the engagement gap between youths across the professional and artisans spaces to create room for dialogue. Read more
Yahaya Bello: I won’t take any vaccine… Kogi has no business with COVID (DailyTrust)
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi has reiterated that COVID-19 is not their business in the state.
Speaking on a Channels Television programme monitored by Daily Trust, Bello declared that he would neither take any vaccine nor compel any one in the state to take it.
He said if the Federal Government is gracious enough to send the vaccine to the state, the government would accept it and ask anyone willing to take it to come forward.
Daily Trust reports that there has been controversy between the Kogi State Government and federal health authorities over COVID-19 cases in the state. Read more
“Coming 2 America”: How to watch Eddie Murphy’s movie online for free (Metro)
The long-awaited sequel to Coming To America, aptly-titled Coming 2 America, has finally been released on Amazon Prime Video, and we cannot contain our excitement. The original film, which was released in 1988, saw Eddie Murphy star as Prince Akeem Joffer, who travels to the US in the hopes of finding a woman to marry. Following on from the first instalment, Eddie reprises the role for Coming 2 America, which sees the newly-crowned King Akeen rush over to Queens, New York, to honour his father’ Read more
Nicolas Cage marries fifth wife, 26-year-old Riko Shibata (PageSix)
Fifth time’s the charm.
Nicolas Cage is a married man again, having wed Riko Shibata last month at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, Page Six can confirm.
“It’s true, and we are very happy,” the actor said in a statement.
The couple wed February 16 in a small ceremony, a date chosen to honor the birthday of the groom’s late father, according to Cage’s statement.
Riko wore a handmade bridal kimono from Kyoto; Cage’s tux was by Tom Ford. The couple exchanged traditional Catholic and Shinto vows with readings of Walt Whitman poetry and Japanese haiku “sprinkled in.” Read more
US and EU suspend tariffs in Boeing Airbus row (BBC)
The US and the EU have agreed to a four-month suspension of tariffs they imposed on each other as punishment for subsidies provided to rival planemakers Airbus and Boeing.
The move affects billions of dollars worth of goods from both countries. including tractors, wine and cheese.
It comes a day after the US agreed to suspend its tariffs on UK imports stemming from the dispute.
The US said the step marked a “fresh start” to US-EU trade relations. Read more
Peru’s victims of ‘forced sterilizations’ hope for Fujimori apology (France24)
The start of court proceedings against Peru’s former president Alberto Fujimori for a program blamed for forcibly sterilizing thousands of poor, mostly indigenous women has generated hope among victims that justice will finally be served.
“We’ve been waiting more than 20 years for justice. I want them to recognize us, to apologize to all the women” threatened or coerced into being sterilized, Gloria Basilio Huaman told AFP.
She said authorities tricked her into getting her fallopian tubes tied when she was 27, as part of a family planning program implemented by Fujimori during the final four years of his mandate. Read more
Senegal protests after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko arrested (BBC)
Violent protests have hit Senegal for a third day as demonstrators burnt cars and clashed with police after the arrest of an opposition leader on Wednesday.
Four people have died in the rare unrest, the interior minister said.
Ousmane Sonko appeared in court on Friday accused of disrupting public order. He also faces a rape allegation.
He denies the allegations and his supporters say the accusations are politically motivated. Read more
CBS reportedly paid $7m for Prince Harry, Meghan Markle interview (PageSix)
CBS reportedly paid more than $7 million for the rights to air Oprah Winfrey’s highly anticipated tell-all interview with Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle.
The two-hour interview, set to air at 8 p.m. Sunday, cost the network a pretty penny — likely somewhere between $7 million and $9 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.
CBS bought the lucrative rights — the network is charging $325,000 for every 30 seconds of commercial time — from Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, and can also license the interview in international markets.
A spokesman for the Sussexes’ told the Journal they were not paid for the interview. Read more
Italian dictionary Treccani urged to change ‘sexist’ definition of ‘woman’ (BBC)
About 100 high-profile figures have signed a letter to the Treccani Italian dictionary calling on it to change its definition of the word “woman”.
The campaign argues that derogatory terms such as “puttana” (whore) should be removed from the list of synonyms.
Such words reinforce “misogynist stereotypes that objectify women and present them as inferior”, it adds.
Treccani, a leading online Italian dictionary, has not yet responded, but previously defended its approach. Read more
Mo Farah opens up 2021 campaign with Djibouti half-marathon win (BBC)
Briton Mo Farah opened up his Olympic season with victory in the inaugural Djibouti half-marathon.
The 37-year-old, who will defend his 10,000m title for the second time in Tokyo this summer, won in 63 minutes and seven seconds.
Belgium’s Bashir Abdi, the four-time Olympic champion’s training partner, finished four seconds behind him.
This was the first time Farah had raced since winning the Antrim Coast half-marathon on 12 September. Read more
Victor Oladipo still in play as Knicks weigh possible trade deadline move (NYPost)
Blake Griffin isn’t the Knicks’ cup of tea at the moment.
As he gets bought out by the Pistons, The Post has learned the Knicks will pass on the former All-Star dunk master.
That says a lot about where they are now. Julius Randle, who is commanding the minutes at power forward, was called Thursday by coach Tom Thibodeau, an “All-NBA Player.’’
And there’s no desire to put team president Leon Rose’s lottery pick, Obi Toppin, on the pine and stunt his growth. In addition, Kevin Knox is waiting in the wings. That does not mean, however, that Rose won’t explore upgrading the roster’s talent level by the March 25 trade deadline to aid a playoff push. Read more
Neurosurgeon declares Osimhen fit for Bologna clash (Punch)
Victor Osimhen trained with his teammates on Friday after he was declared fit for Napoli’s clash with Bologna by renowned neurosurgeon Alfredo Bucciero.
The 22-year-old, who underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan on Friday, was unconscious after he was involved in a scary incident with Cristian Romero during Napoli’s clash against Atalanta.
He was stretchered off the pitch and was immediately taken to hospital a fortnight ago. Read more
NBA’s Pistons agree to contract buyout with Blake Griffin (France24)
Former number one NBA draft pick Blake Griffin has reached a buyout deal with the Detroit Pistons and will become an unrestricted free agent, the team announced on Friday.
The last place Pistons tried unsuccessfully to trade the six-time All-Star forward, who hasn’t played since February 12.
Griffin will turn 32 later this month and the rebuilding Pistons want give more playing time to the younger players in their organization. Griffin is owed $36.6 million on his contract for the remainder of this season. Read more
Emiliano Martinez says Arsenal did not deserve to keep him (Metro)
Emiliano Martinez says he loves everything about Arsenal but admits he never felt trusted by Mikel Arteta. Martinez impressed towards the end of last season when he deputised for the injured Bernd Leno but Arsenal took the decision to sell the Argentine to Aston Villa for £17 million last summer. The 28-year-old has continued his solid form at Villa and has played a key role in the club’s strong Premier League campaign so far. And Martinez has revealed that he felt Arsenal did not deserve him because of how they treated him. Read more
Derek Chisora and Joseph Parker agree May fight over FaceTime (BBC)
British heavyweight Derek Chisora and former world champion Joseph Parker have agreed to fight on 1 May after a friendly exchange on FaceTime.
Chisora was filmed repeatedly phoning Parker earlier this week but the New Zealand fighter did not pick up given it was 2am in his time zone.
When the pair did connect on FaceTime, Chisora, 37, told Parker, 29, he was “ready to rock and roll” on 1 May.
“I’ve been trying to get hold of you, son,” Chisora told his rival.Parker replied: “Listen, you’ve been trying to get hold of me at 2am. Read more