Residents demand action on Abule-Ado, Ojo roads (Guardian)
Elated by the commissioning of the first phase of the Ariyo-Ira-Muwo-Tedi-Abule Oshun road in Ojo Local Council, residents have stressed the need for the commencement of Tedi-Abule-Oshun road to address the huge vehicular traffic flowing from the ongoing construction works on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
Conveying the appreciation of residents, chairman, Ojo Local Council, Rosulu Idowu, thanked the state for fulfilling its pledges, urging it to do more on road construction in the area as the rainy season approaches.
According to him, the call became necessary following the deplorable state of inner roads in the Ojo area. Ojo, in Mile 10 axis, is one of the busiest and most strategic areas on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway given its connection to the commercial nerve centre of Alaba electronics and furniture markets with major linkages leading to densely populated and commercial areas.
Responding, the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, pledged that works on the road leading to Abule-Ado would commence soon. Read more
Internet fraudster jailed 3 years (Punch)
An Internet fraudster, Sodiq Adewale, has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja for defrauding his victims of $87,300.
Adewale was re-arraigned before Justice Mojisola Dada on an amended one count by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
At the resumed proceedings on Tuesday, the EFCC prosecutor, Fadekemi Giwa, told the court that Adewale had approached the commission for a plea bargain, adding that following this, the charge against him was amended.
The charge was read to Adewale and he pleaded guilty to it. Read more
Shippers Council to go after those frustrating e-call-up system (Vanguard)
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), is getting set for a clamp down on those allegedly sabotaging the electronic truck call-up (e-call-up) system.
The e-call-up is a new innovation introduced by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, to control trucks related congestion at the Apapa ports access roads.
Barely one month after the introduction the NSC disclosed, yesterday, that there is a push back by some vested interests against the system because it affecting their illegal benefits.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the NSC, Hassan Bello, in an exclusive interview with Vanguard Maritime Report, called on all maritime stakeholders to support NPA to make the system successful. Read more
Many killed, others injured as suspected herdsmen attack Ebonyi communities (Tribune)
Many residents of Ebonyi State were killed while many others sustained various degrees of injuries on Monday night when suspected herdsmen invaded three communities in Íshíelu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The suspected herdsmen who attacked Egedege, Obegu and Amazu communities also looted some properties in the area.
A resident of the community who craved anonymity told Tribune Online that 18 persons were killed by the attackers including a priest of the Methodist Church whose car was burnt to ashes. Read more
Couple, farmer abducted by gunmen in Ibadan (Guardian)
Gunmen have kidnapped no fewer than three persons on Monday afternoon in Oluyole Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The trio, who were kidnapped at two different locations within the council, included a farmer and a couple who are also into farming business.
This came two weeks after the abduction of about four persons in the same local government area. Recall that about four people, including two bankers, were kidnapped on the Ijebu-Ode/Ibadan Road a few days ago.
Sources said the couple were abducted from their farm located at Alabameji Village, Sanyo area, while another man who is also a farmer was abducted at Soka area. Read more
Security guard invites robbers to rob employer (Punch)
The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a security guard working at the S.A. Filling Station in Ondo town, Abiodun Osuntimehin, for his alleged involvement in the robbery of the station.
Abiodun was said to have mastermind the robbery attack on the station. A colleague of the suspect was said to have been killed by the robbers, while the sum of N2m was stolen by the bandits.
Parading the suspect, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Bolaji Salami, said the suspect had confessed to the crime and would soon be charged.
He said, “A security guard was killed and about N2m stolen from the safe, but the good news is that the man behind that dastardly act was immediately nabbed by our detectives, who did not leave any stone unturned to see to his arrest. Read more
Buhari’s medical trip reinforces need to equip nation’s hospitals, says Tomori (ThisDay)
President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical trip to the United Kingdom has returned to the front burner the need for Nigerian hospitals to be equipped in line with global best practices, a foremost virologist and infectious disease expert, Prof. Olawale Tomori, and other health professionals have said.
Their intervention comes as THISDAY’s investigation shows that the federal government budgeted N2.55 trillion for the health sector from 2015 to 2019.
However, the figure is below the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s recommendation, which is nine per cent of the country’s N59.660 trillion for the six years, amounting to N5.4 trillion. Read more
Tinubu denies calling for recruitment of 50 million youths into army (Guardian)
The National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has denied calling for recruitment of 50 million youths into the Nigerian Army.
Tinubu said the figure he mentioned during his remark at the 12th Bola Tinubu Colloquium held in Kano State on Monday was five million and not 50 million, adding that the figure should include 50,000 recruitment into police, military and other security agents.
In a statement, yesterday, the former Lagos State governor canvassed the urgent need to combine employment and national security policy by the recruitment of the youths in all aspects of nation-building, ranging from infrastructural development to agricultural modernisation. Read more
Gunmen kill Catholic priest, 3 parishioners in Benue (Punch)
Some gunmen early hours of Tuesday killed a Catholic Reverend Father, Fanem Nguban, and three other parishioners in the Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to locals, the gunmen stormed the village called Agu Centre in Mbatyula/Mberev council in the state around 7:00am Tuesday when the church was closing for morning mass.
One of the locals, who did not want to be mentioned, said, “As soon as the morning mass was over and parishioners were returning home, some men entered the church and asked of the senior priest. Read more
Justin Bieber just broke another record held by Elvis Presley (CBC)
Justin Bieber just broke a record held by Elvis Presley since 1961.
His latest album, Justice, released on March 19, is Bieber’s eighth album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making him the the youngest solo musician ever to reach that milestone. According to Billboard, the record had belonged to Elvis Presley, who was 29 when Roustabout reached No. 1 in 1965.
And that’s not the only record Bieber has smashed with his new album. He also becomes the first solo male musician to simultaneously hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. He topped the latter with “Peaches,” performed with Daniel Caesar and Giveon. In its first week, the single amassed more than 100 million global streams on Spotify and Apple Music. “Peaches” is Bieber’s seventh No. 1 song on the Hot 100.
Bieber has sold more than 70 million albums worldwide, and is the No. 1 artist on YouTube with more than 60 million subscribers. Read more
Russell Crowe devastated as his father John Alexander dies aged 85 (Metro)
Russell Crowe is mourning the death of his beloved father, John Alexander Crowe, who has died at the age of 85. The Gladiator actor broke the news on Tuesday via Twitter after arriving back in his native Australia. He told his followers: ‘I arrived back in the bush last night. Today, although the sun is shining and the torrential rain has abated, this date will forever be tinged with sadness. ‘My dear old man, my beautiful dad, the most gentle of men, has passed away.’ Read more
Teen who recorded Floyd video says ‘he was begging for his life (VOA)
The teenager who shot the harrowing video of George Floyd under the knee of the Minneapolis police officer now charged in his death testified Tuesday that she began recording because “it wasn’t right, he was suffering, he was in pain.”
Darnella Frazier, 18, said she was walking to a convenience store with her younger cousin when she came upon the officers, and sent the girl into the store because she didn’t want her to see “a man terrified, scared, begging for his life.”
Frazier grew emotional at times, breathing heavily and crying as she viewed pictures of officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd last May.
Floyd’s death and the video of Floyd pleading for his life and onlookers angrily yelling at Chauvin to get off him triggered sometimes-violent protests around the world and a reckoning over racism and police brutality in the US. Read more
Saudi plans economic overhaul with $3.2t investment (France24)
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced plans to pump fresh investments worth $3.2 trillion into the national economy by 2030, as the top crude exporter accelerates economic diversification efforts.
The announcement by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman underscores a push to jumpstart the domestic economy as the OPEC kingpin battles high youth unemployment and a coronavirus-triggered downturn.
“The total investment injected… into the national economy is expected to reach 12 trillion riyals ($3.2 trillion) by 2030,” Prince Mohammed said in a speech carried by state television.
That amount includes three trillion riyals from the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund. Read more
US, 13 other nations concerned about WHO COVID origins report (VOA)
The United States and 13 other nations issued a statement Tuesday raising “shared concerns” about the newly released World Health Organization report on the origins of the virus that causes COVID-19.
The statement, released on the US State Department website, as well as the other signatories, said it was essential to express concerns that the international expert study on the source of the virus was significantly delayed and lacked access to complete, original data and samples.
The WHO formally released its report earlier Tuesday, saying while the report presents a comprehensive review of available data, “we have not yet found the source of the virus.” The team reported difficulties in accessing raw data, among other issues, during its visit to the city of Wuhan, China, earlier this year. Read more
Meghan Markle’s ex Suits co-star warns she’s the ‘wrong woman to mess with’ (Metro)
Meghan Markle’s former Suits co-star DB Woodside has sent a fierce message to her critics, warning that the Royal is the ‘wrong woman to mess with’. Woodside worked alongside Meghan in the hit legal drama before she left to marry Prince Harry in 2018. In recent months, the Duchess of Sussex has been subjected to heightened backlash with accusations of bullying and criticism of her interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which she claimed a member of the Royal family made racist comments. Lucifer actor Woodside completely stands behind Meghan and says the whole fallout from the Oprah interview is ‘very upsetting’.
Moroccan illustrator using comics for #MeToo campaign (France24)
Young Moroccan cartoonist Zainab Fasiki draws on a whiteboard in a Casablanca studio where she is holding a workshop that mixes art with a homegrown illustrated #MeToo campaign.
“We are here to change this rape culture, which says the victim deserves what they get while the criminal is innocent,” says Fasiki, 26, her eyes flashing with indignation.
A dozen students and professionals have joined forces with Fasiki, a pioneer in comics and illustration in Morocco, in response to a web series titled #TaAnaMeToo that depicts women’s real-life ordeals.
As part of the series — “Ta ana” means “Me Too” in Moroccan Arabic dialect — she illustrated the harrowing testimony of a 22-year-old woman who for years was raped by her brother, to the indifference of her parents. Read more
Super Eagles end qualifying series on high, beat Lesotho 3-0 (Guardian)
The Super Eagles celebrated their return to Lagos after 20 years with a 3-0 defeat of the Crocodiles of Lesotho yesterday, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos. The match was Nigeria’s final game in the Cameroun 2022 African Cup of Nations qualifying series.
From the onset, Nigeria swooped on the hapless Crocodiles, who were already out of the race for Cameroun before kick off, with Victor Osimhen the tormentor-in-chief.
Osimhen opened scoring in the 22nd minute of the first half in the game watched by a scanty crowd as prescribed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Two more goals from Oghenekaro Etebo (51st minute) and Paul Onuachu (83rd minute) sealed any hope the Crocodiles had of ending the day on a respectable note. Read more
Super Eagles winning return to Lagos after 10 years excites fans (Punch)
Football fans on Tuesday expressed their excitement over the 3-0 victory recorded by Super Eagles of Nigeria against the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos State.
The PUNCH reports that Super Eagles recorded the win 10 years after their last game in Lagos State.
Before the game, fans had clamoured that Super Eagles should be brought to Lagos to play a competitive game for the first time in 20 years.
Eagles’ last competitive game in Lagos was their Africa Nations Cup qualifying encounter against Zambia in January 2001. The Nigerian team won 1-0 in the game. Read more
Ibrahima Konate completes medical checks ahead of £34m Liverpool transfer (Metro)
Ibrahima Konate has already completed some of his medical tests ahead of his proposed move to Liverpool this summer, according to reports in France. Earlier this week, reports claimed that the Premier League champions were on the verge of agreeing a deal for the 21-year-old, who has a £34 million release clause. Liverpool’s campaign has been severely hampered by long-term injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, and Jurgen Klopp’s side are now prioritising a new central defender ahead of the summer window. According to RMC Sport, Konate has already passed some of the medical examinations required to seal his move to Liverpool. Read more
‘Best to not hold Tokyo Olympics,’ medical experts say, citing considerable risks (CBC)
The Tokyo Olympics open in under four months, and the torch relay has begun to crisscross Japan with 10,000 runners. Organizers say they are mitigating the risks, but some medical experts aren’t convinced.
“It is best to not hold the Olympics given the considerable risks,” Dr. Norio Sugaya, an infectious diseases expert at Keiyu Hospital in Yokohama, told The Associated Press. “The risks are high in Japan. Japan is dangerous, not a safe place at all.”
Sugaya believes vaccinating 50-70 per cent of the general public should be “a prerequisite” to safely hold the Olympics, a highly unlikely scenario given the slow vaccine rollout in Japan. Read more
Xinjiang link prompts concern over Australian Olympic uniforms (France24)
Australian Olympians became embroiled in the global row over Chinese forced-labour cotton Wednesday as the country revealed its uniforms for the upcoming Tokyo Games.
The Australian Olympic committee faced criticism as it rolled out ASICS-branded sportswear, with the company facing questions over its use of cotton from the Xinjiang region.
“We’ve been assured that none of the cotton for the Australian Olympic team comes from that region,” said Ian Chesterman, Australian Olympic Committee vice president.
“I think athletes at the moment need to focus on what their job is, which is to get out there and compete for Australia,” he said during a press conference. Read more
Sergio Aguero keen to join Barcelona with Manchester United, Chelsea and PSG linked with offers (Metro)
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is keen to join Barcelona this summer and has also received offers from Chelsea, Manchester United, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain, according to reports. City have confirmed that Aguero will leave the club at the end of the season when his contract expires, which means he will be available on a free transfer. Having established himself as one of the Premier League’s best-ever strikers during his time at City, Aguero will not be short of offers ahead of the summer window. According to Foot Mercato, the Argentina international has already received concrete interest from at least five clubs including PSG, Chelsea, Manchester United and Inter. Read more
Sunshine Stars kick against alleged plan to sell club (Guardian)
Players and officials of Ondo State-owned football club, Sunshine Stars FC, have decried the non-payment of seven-month arrears by the state government, lamenting unbearable consequences to their career and livelihood.
In their scores, the members of the team trooped out to protest in Akure metropolis yesterday, disrupting vehicular movement from their office to the road to the Governors Office gate.The players, who dressed in sporting wears, brandished various placards with inscriptions like “Save Sunshine Stars,” “Mr. Governor help us, pay our salary;” amongst others, singing solidarity songs to drive home their demands. Read more