Protesters storm Lagos APC secretariat, reject candidates (Punch)
Protesters from the Somolu Local Government Area on Tuesday besieged the secretariat of the All Progressives Party in Lagos State to express their grievances against the list of candidates for chairman and vice chairman released by the party for the forthcoming local government election on July 24.
The protesters sang protest songs, displayed placards and wore caps and shirts of their preferred candidate, Bowale Sosimi.
A former secretary of the party, Salaudeen Shehu, said, “The people of Somolu have decided that the only person they want as the council chairman is Bowale Sosunu. Even the primaries election did not hold in Somolu. So, we want the primary election to be rescheduled or they should declare the person that has the majority of members as the winner; that is Bowale Sosimi.” Read more
Lagos residents lament delayed repair of burnt airport bridge (Guardian)
When in early January 2021, a petrol tanker loaded with fuel crashed at Toyota Bus Stop, on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, and burst into flames, damaged the bridge that leads to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, motorists and other road users never envisaged that it would, for months, disrupt their journeys to and from the airport and other destinations.
The damage was so intense that the Federal Government suspended usage of the bridge, which was in the right direction.
Due to the fact that the road leads to the airport and that the bridge is the only access to the airport for those living at Isolo and environs, Lagosians never gave it a thought that repair would take such a long time.
The assumption was that the plight of the users, especially those travelling by air, would be considered and would therefore influence immediate repairs of the bridge. Read more
Cab drivers move to dump Uber, Bolt, partner indigenous ride sharing Apps (Vanguard)
The Professional E-Hailing Drivers and Private Owners Association (PEDPA) in Lagos on Tuesday said it had entered into partnership with two indigenous App companies for its ride sharing service.
Mr Idris Shonuga, National President of PEDPA, told newsmen in Lagos on Tuesday that it had partnered with Active Ride and My Cab App companies as replacements for Uber and Bolt.
“These indigenous App companies would work with the templates and provide drivers with a good welfare package for riders’ satisfaction.
“This will enable the union to protect the collective interests of the drivers as decisions can now be jointly taken and approved before it is binding on both parties,” PEDPA said. Read more
Lagos commences retrofitting of streetlights (DailyTrust)
The Lagos State Government has commenced the retrofitting of streetlights from High-Pressure Sodium Bulb (HPS) to Light Emitting Diode (LED) across the state.
This was disclosed by the General Manager, Lagos State Electricity Board (LSEB), Engineer Mukhtaar Tijjani, who explained that the LED lighting system aligns with the present government’s effort to have a smart electricity network that will improve the socio-economic resilience of the city.
Impeaching Buhari not solution to Nigeria’s problems – Yusuf Ali
Police confirm killing of cult member in Osogbo
According to him, to make a profound impact in the drive towards power sustainability and optimisation of energy use in the state, significant change in investment is required.
He disclosed that the Board is appropriately adopting the conventional scheme to promote energy efficiency and management. Read more
COVID-19: Lagos Assembly to strengthen healthcare sector through training (Vanguard)
Lagos State House of Assembly has moved to expand the provision of training and retraining facilities for health workers with the amendment of the Healthcare Bill.
The Bill titled; ‘A Law to Repeal and Re-enact the Lagos State College of Health Technology and for Connected Purposes., with 54 sections, went through public hearing organised at the Assembly premises on Wednesday June 2 in order to provide better training for workers in the health sector.
Deputy Speaker of the House, Wasiu Eshilokun-Sanni, who represented the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, stated that the essence of the amendment is to make the Bill more functional so as to suit the yearnings of the people. Read more
OAU pushes ahead with airstrip project (Punch)
The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, on Tuesday said it planned to construct airstrip for the training of aeronautic engineers.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, while addressing newsmen on the university campus as part of events for the celebrations of 60th anniversary of its establishment, also identified funding as major constraint facing the institution.
Ogunbodede, who reeled out several accomplishments of the institution since its establishment in 1961, explained that the airstrip project would be done in conjunction with relevant government agencies and corporate organisations. Read more
Bayelsa government impounds 34 cows for violating anti-open grazing law (Guardian)
The Bayelsa State Livestock Management Committee (BSLMC) has arrested 34 cows around the Bayelsa Palm area in Yenagoa, the state capital, for violating the state’s anti-open grazing law.
Chairman of the committee, David Alagoa, stated that the herders chose a convenient time in the night to graze, saying some of the cattle were seen grazing on farmlands.
Alagoa, who is also Commissioner for Agriculture, said the committee would follow the anti-open grazing law to the letter, stressing that the seized cows would remain in custody until the required fees were paid before they would be released. Read more
200 fresh Nigerian doctors in UK swell list to 8,384 (Punch)
The General Medical Council which licenses and maintains the official register of medical practitioners in the United Kingdom licensed at least 200 Nigerian doctors in April and May alone, The PUNCH has learnt.
This implies that at least three Nigerian doctors were licensed per day in April and May 2021 despite a new policy by the UK government in February to discourage the aggressive recruitment of doctors from 47 developing countries facing a shortage of doctors at home, including Nigeria.
Our correspondent, who has monitored the website of the GMC in the last 10 months, observed that the number of Nigerian trained doctors practising in the UK rose to 8,384 from 7,870, a difference of 514.
Checks by The PUNCH showed that the average number of Nigerian trained doctors in the UK rose from an average of 1.3 per day in between July and December 2020 to 3.3 per day in April and May 2021. Read more
Tax details of US super-rich allegedly leaked (BBC)
Details claiming to reveal how little income tax US billionaires pay have been leaked to a news website.
ProPublica says it has seen the tax returns of some of the world’s richest people, including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett.
The website alleges Amazon’s Mr Bezos paid no tax in 2007 and 2011, while Tesla’s Mr Musk paid nothing in 2018.
A White House spokeswoman called the leak “illegal”, and the FBI and tax authorities are investigating. Read more
Huge international crime ring smashed by police using encrypted phones (Metro)
Organised crime gangs have been targeted in a global sting which has seen more than 800 people arrested.
Police secretly distributed special phones which could not make or receive calls, but which they could monitor among the alleged criminals.
Those using the encrypted phones believed they were communicating securely about crime including the drugs trade, weapons, money laundering and murder, it is alleged.
Police have now ensnared suspects in Australia, Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East. Read more
Kim Kardashian says she loves Kanye West ‘for life’ in birthday tribute (PageSix)
Kim Kardashian says she’ll love Kanye West “for life,” despite their impending divorce.
The “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star paid tribute to the Yeezy founder on his 44th birthday with an old picture of the pair with three of their kids: North, Saint and a then-infant Chicago West.
“Happy Birthday Love U for Life! 🎈” she wrote alongside the photo Tuesday.
The 40-year-old Skims founder also shared a throwback couple’s photo, a pic of West with all four kids, and a Polaroid of West from 1987 on her Instagram Story. Read more
Nicaragua arrests third possible challenger to Daniel Ortega (BBC)
Authorities in Nicaragua have arrested a third potential presidential challenger to veteran leader Daniel Ortega in elections later this year.
Felix Maradiaga has been accused of terrorism and plotting against Nicaragua’s sovereignty and independence.
He is being investigated under a controversial new security law passed in December by Mr Ortega’s government.
The US branded Mr Ortega “a dictator” after Tuesday’s arrest. Read more
Regulators approve ‘game changing’ weight-loss drug (BBC)
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has endorsed the use of a weight-loss drug described as a ‘game-changer’ by researchers.
Semaglutide has been used as an anti-diabetic medication for many years but research has shown it can also be used as an appetite-suppressant.
A study published last year looked at the effects of the drug on 2,000 obese adults from 16 different countries. Long-term treatment with semaglutide led to an almost 15 per cent weight loss on average.
In fact, over 30 per cent of the group dropping in excess of 20 percent of their body weight. Read more
Kamala Harris under pressure to visit US-Mexico border (BBC)
Vice-President Kamala Harris has faced pressure to visit the US-Mexico border, as she tackled a record migration spike on her first official foreign trip.
Ms Harris had a testy exchange with a news anchor who asked why she had not gone to the US’ southern boundary.
Members of Ms Harris’ own Democratic party meanwhile assailed her after she warned against illegal immigration.
Some 178,000 undocumented migrants arrived at the border this April, the highest total in more than two decades. Read more
Iconic “Indiana Jones Ark of the Covenant” sound effect revealed to have been made by a toilet (Metro)
Reasonably high up on the list of things we didn’t expect to learn is that the iconic opening of the Ark of the Covenant scene in the first Indiana Jones movie Raiders of the Lost Ark was enhanced by the sound guy’s ceramic toilet lid.
Although it’s been 41 years since he started work on the first Indiana Jones movie, sound designer and supervising editor Ben Burtt still remembered the bag of tricks he’d used to create and enhance the film’s sound.
Explaining how he and his team – including Foley artist John Roesch – developed the sounds for the movie, they skipped through a list of sound effects including fights, fire, snakes and, erm, toilet lids. Read more
Falcons arrive US for four-nation tourney (Punch)
Some members of the Super Falcons team on Tuesday arrived the United States of America for the Summer Series – a four-nation tournament which will feature hosts USA, Jamaica and Portugal’s women’s national teams.
According to a statement by the Nigeria Football Federation’s media team, a contingent of Nigeria-based technical crew and nine home-based players flew aboard a Delta Airlines’ flight from Lagos to Atlanta and arrived on Tuesday morning. They were aboard another flight from Atlanta to Houston, Texas, hours after.
Falcons head coach, Randy Waldrum, and a number of overseas-based players are expected to join up with the squad in Houston ahead of Nigeria’s first match of the series against Jamaica at the BBVA Stadium on Thursday.
Three days later, the Falcons, one of only seven teams to have featured in every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals since the competition began 30 years ago, will then tackle Portugal, before their last match against the US at the Q2 Stadium on June 16. Read more
Anthony Joshua set to fight Oleksandr Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September (Metro)
Anthony Joshua’s world title fight against Oleksandr Usyk will be held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September.
Following the collapse of his heavyweight unification fight against Tyson Fury, Joshua is set to defend his belts against WBO mandatory challenger Usyk.
Sky Sports now report Tottenham’s 62,000-seater stadium which opened in 2019 is now the preferred venue for the fight.
Joshua was scheduled to face Kubrat Pulev at the stadium last June only for the fight to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more
Here’s why Derrick Rose got shocking first-place MVP vote (NYPost)
Nikola Jokic took home the NBA’s MVP award on Tuesday, but Derrick Rose still can claim fan-favourite status.
The veteran Knicks guard surprisingly received a first-place vote in the 2020-21 award voting, account for all 10 of his points in the standings. That vote reportedly came via consensus fan vote, according to the Associated Press.
Rose, who won the MVP in 2011, averaged 14.7 points per game to go along with 2.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists over the 2020-21 season, including 14.9 points per game in 35 games after being traded from the Pistons on Feb. 8.
Rose was not the lone Knicks forward to get some love. Most Improved Player Julius Randle earned 20 total points with a third-place vote, five fourth-place votes and nine fifth-place tallies. Read more
French Open 2021: Stefanos Tsitsipas beats Daniil Medvedev & faces Alexander Zverev (BBC)
Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas showed his superior clay-court quality against Russian rival Daniil Medvedev to reach the French Open semi-finals.
Medvedev opted for an underarm serve on match point – which Tsitsipas dubbed “a very millennial shot” after putting it away to seal a 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 win.
It ended Medvedev’s surprisingly deep run on clay and put Tsitsipas into a third straight Grand Slam semi-final.
Tsitsipas, 22, faces German sixth seed Alexander Zverev in the last four. Read more
Daniel Ek ready to make improved offer to complete Arsenal takeover (Metro)
Billionaire Daniel Ek is ready to return with a new offer to buy Arsenal worth more than £2billion.
The Spotify CEO launched his opening bid for the club in the wake of Arsenal’s failed attempt to form a breakaway super league.
Ek’s original offer, said to be in the region of £1.8bn, was turned down by the Kroenke family last month, with the Swede later revealing he was told that the current owners ‘don’t need the money’.
Ek added he remained ‘interested and available should that situation ever change’ with the Daily Mail now reporting he will return with an improved offer ‘north of £2bn’. Read more
Griezmann and Giroud score in France win (BBC)
Antoine Griezmann scored a superb bicycle kick and Olivier Giroud hit a double as France completed their Euro 2020 preparations by beating Bulgaria.
The reigning world champions fielded an impressively strong team with Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann leading the attack.
Griezmann’s acrobatic first-half finish took a deflection on its way in.Chelsea’s Giroud came off the bench to get a second late on with a clinical strike before steering in a third. Read more
