Samklef apologises to Simi, others (Punch)
Popular Nigerian music producer, Samuel Oguachuba, aka Samklef, has taken to social media to make an apology video to famous singer, Simi, and women.
He said “Hello everybody! My name is Samuel Oguachuba, aka Samklef. I am doing this video because I really want to apologise to the women out there based on my statement last week. I really apologise for what I said; and to Simi, I really apologise to you too.
“I wish you all the best in life. I am not perfect and I have my emotions too. I am not justifying my actions but I just want to say that I am sorry to everybody for my statement when I said women raised by single women are toxic. I really apologise for that statement and I want you guys to forgive me for my words.” Read more
UNILAG VC, one other win N25.8m research grants (Tribune)
The Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe and a senior female lecturer at the Department of Botany of the university, Dr Temitope Onuminya, have won biodiversity research grants to a tune of €56, 850 Euros (about N25.85m).
The two dons, who are botanists and from the same department won the global competitive grants on the separate ground and in different monetary values.
While Ogundipe’s grant, which is at the National Level and on the project, titled: “Implementation of the Biodiversity Information and data System for Coastal Ecosystems in Nigeria,” is valued at €38,000 Euro(about N17.28m), that of his junior colleague which is at an institutional level and on a project titled: “Expanding the visibility of the Lagos Herbarium through Digitization and Mobilization of Plant Specimen Data,” worths €18,850 Euro(about N8.57m). Read more
Adegboruwa kicks as police detain US national in Lagos (Punch)
A legal practitioner, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) on Saturday raised the alarm concerning the worsening health of an American national in police custody, Kari Ann R’ouke.
According to him, expectations were high that the citizen of the United States would be released from custody on Friday, March 19 2021, having fulfilled all her bail conditions and the acceptance of her surety.
Adegboruwa in a statement said that he was “scared that something devastating may happen to Kari Ann if she is not released forthwith.”
He recalled that Kari Ann was arrested by the Lagos State Police Command in respect of the death of her friend that she met online and whom she left in good health at the time of her departure to the airport. Read more
3 feared dead, others injured in Ekiti Assembly bye-election (Punch)
Three persons were feared dead during the Ekiti East Constituency I bye-election in Ekiti East Council area of Ekiti State for a vacant House of Assembly seat on Saturday.
No fewer than five others also sustained varying degrees of gunshot injuries with about three of them said to be in critical condition at the hospitals where they are receiving treatment.
While residents said a 50 years old man identified as Bola and a 35 years old man were feared shot dead, the Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, said the injured included two policemen and a corps member. Read more
Teenage girl stabs brother to death in Ondo (Nation)
A teenager identified as Idowu Biletiri Ruth has stabbed her elder brother to death for reportedly questioning her movement.
The incident happened at Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Witnesses said Ruth, aged 18, was peeved after her brother questioned her for not sleeping at home the previous day.
The witness said the suspect picked a kitchen knife after an argument and stabbed her brother. Read more
138,000 new TB infections on record last year (DailyTrust)
An estimated 138,000 new cases of tuberculosis were recorded in Nigeria last year, according to the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme.
The programme’s national coordinator Chukwuma Anyaike made the disclosure on Saturday during a media conference ahead of this year’s World TB Day observed every 24 March.
Dr Anyaike said Nigeria ranked first in Africa in the burden of TB, and is also among the 30 high burden countries with the disease globally.
He said there was an urgent need for everyone to increase efforts towards tackling the burden of the disease. Read more
Gunmen attack Ortom’s convoy
John Charles (Punch)
Gunmen suspected to be bandits on Saturday attacked the convoy of Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.
The incident happened at Tyo Mu along Makurdi/Gboko road around noon.
It was gathered that the Governor was on his way to Makurdi when the gunmen opened fire on his convoy but were repelled by his security men.
In a statement, the governor said, “You know today is Saturday and is normal as a farmer, I usually go to my farm, so I went to my farm along Gboko road and on our way back, we started hearing some gunshots and we discovered people who were dressed in black and from experience we now discovered that these are fulani militias and I do not want to take things for granted because few days ago the media were awash with statement from MACBAN who met in Yola, the same place they met in 2016 where they decided that they will take Nigeria and that every other person is a slave that was when they started infiltrating the entire country.” Read more
Ikpeazu renames Aba Road after late Sam Mbakwe (ThisDay)
Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has renamed Faulks Road, Aba, after the Governor of Old Imo State, Late Dr. Sam Mbakwe.
This development followed a request made by a student of DANIJOY International Schools, Umuahia, during Governor Ikpeazu’s lecture on ‘Building a New Nigeria through Democratic Leadership’ where he said that Late Dr. Sam Mbakwe was one of the greatest leaders in the history of Old Imo State.
Governor Ikpeazu who described public perception as critical to solving to a great extent, the myriads of problems facing Nigeria, insisted that the society must learn to appreciate and promote leaders who served the public creditably.
The governor said that our society must also promote the virtues of honesty, integrity and service, adding that the journey for a new Nigeria was a collective one as everyone is guilty of contributing to the many challenges bedeviling her. Read more
DSS: we will provide security for NYSC members in Anambra (Nation)
The Department State Security (DSS) in Anambra State has pledged to fortify security around the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) locations across the state
The State Command Director, Mr Michael Obaje stated this in Awka when the NYSC Coordinator in the State, Kehinde Aremu paid him a courtesy visit.
He described the NYSC as one of its strategic partners in the task of nation-building, promising to maintain the existing cordial relations between the two agencies. Read more
Atlanta slaughter fuels fear, anger among Asian Americans (VOA)
For Asian Americans already feeling vulnerable after a year of surging race-based violence during the coronavirus pandemic, Tuesday’s deadly attacks at three Atlanta-area massage parlors took traumatizing fear to a new level.
“It was shocking to see, but also terrifying,” Kimberly Ha, a New Orleans-based photographer of Vietnamese descent told VOA. The city and its suburbs are home to a vibrant community of more than 15,000 Vietnamese Americans.
Ha said when she first learned of the attacks, which killed eight people including six Asian Americans, she thought of her mother, who works in a salon not unlike those targeted in Atlanta.
“Sometimes she works by herself, or she’s opening and closing the store alone,” she said. “That’s the first thing that came to mind when I saw the shootings. If something happened, I wouldn’t be there to protect her.” Read more
Tsunami warning temporary issued in Japan as 7.2-magnitude quake hits off northeast coast (RT)
An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 struck off the coast of Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture on Saturday evening, prompting the local meteorological agency to briefly issue a tsunami advisory.
The quake struck northeastern Japan at around 6pm local time. Japan’s Meteorological Agency put the power of the quake at 7.2, saying it happened at a depth of 60km. Several weaker aftershocks followed over the next hour.
The agency issued a tsunami warning for the areas closest to the quake, which was lifted later.
The Miyagi Prefecture has issued an evacuation order for almost 7,000 households in the coastal town of Shichigahama. Read more
Tourists are finally returning to NYC (NYPost)
Tourists are finally starting to take a bite of the Big Apple again.
After a year-long COVID-19 lockdown turned the city into a virtual ghost town, a steady stream of visitors is once again checking into hotels, gaping up at skyscrapers and asking New Yorkers which way Fifth Avenue is, hospitality industry insiders said.
“I’ve always wanted to come here,” said Sarah Haskins of Dallas, TX as she posed for a street portrait in Times Square with her new husband Harold on Friday.
They were spending their honeymoon in the Big Apple “just to see something different.” Read more
Turkey quits landmark Istanbul Convention protecting women from violence (France24)
Turkey has pulled out of the world’s first binding treaty to prevent and combat violence against women by presidential decree, in the latest victory for conservatives in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party.
The 2011 Istanbul Convention, signed by 45 countries and the European Union, requires governments to adopt legislation prosecuting domestic violence and similar abuse as well as marital rape and female genital mutilation.
Conservatives had claimed the charter damages family unity, encourages divorce and that its references to equality were being used by the LGBT community to gain broader acceptance in society.
The publication of the decree in the official gazette early Saturday sparked anger among rights groups and calls for protests in Istanbul. Read more
NASA successfully tests world’s most powerful rocket (NYPost)
NASA successfully test-fired the core stage of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the second time on Thursday afternoon.
The powerful moon rocket’s four RS-25 engines fired for eight minutes and 19 seconds at approximately 4:37 pm ET at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
The “Green Run” series hot fire test of the 212-foot-tall core stage marks what NASA says is a “critical milestone” ahead of their future lunar missions.
The core stage design will be used for all configurations of the 322-foot-tall SLS rocket and the team will use the data from their tests to validate the design for flight. Read more
3 new microbes ‘unknown to science’ found on the ISS (Metro)
NASA scientists have discovered three previously unknown strains of bacteria growing on the International Space Station. The researchers think these microbes could help astronauts grow food in space, and eventually even on Mars. Of four bacteria recovered from the floating laboratory, three were found to belong to a new species, while the fourth was a known strain called Methylorubrum rhodesianum. The team called the new species Methylobacterium ajmalii after renowned Indian biodiversity scientists Dr Ajmal Khan, in a study published in Frontiers in Microbiology. Read more
‘We will not be silent,’ vow Biden, Harris after attacks on Asian Americans (France24)
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris offered solace to Asian Americans and denounced the scourge of racism at times hidden “in plain sight” as they visited Atlanta, just days after a white gunman killed eight people, most of them Asian American women.
Addressing the nation after a roughly 80-minute meeting with Asian American state legislators and other leaders Friday, Biden said it was “heart-wrenching” to listen to their stories of the fear among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders amid what he called a “skyrocketing spike” of harassment and violence against them.
“We have to change our hearts,” he said. “Hate can have no safe harbor in America.”
Biden called on all Americans to stand up to bigotry when they see it, adding: “Our silence is complicity. We cannot be complicit.” Read more
Moses Simon calls for ‘right balance’ as travel bans impact Nigeria squad (BBC)
Nigeria forward Moses Simon hopes the “right balance” can be found between club and country, as the continent’s footballers playing in the top two divisions of French football are stopped from leaving Europe for international fixtures.
The 25-year-old, who plays for Ligue 1 side Nantes, has been replaced in the Super Eagles squad for the final round of qualifying fixtures for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations because of the ban imposed by the league organisers in France.
“The challenge is to find the right balance because I understand where the clubs are coming from due to the strict covid rules in France,” Simon told BBC Sport Africa.
“My club Nantes is struggling and not in a good place, so it’s difficult for the team to allow any of our players to travel.
“It’s actually a sad and disappointing situation because I love to play for my country.” Read more
Earthquake hits Mexican Open mid-rally during Alexander Zverev semi-final win (Metro)
An earthquake failed to stop the action at the ATP Tour’s Mexican Open in Acapulco despite tremors, which registered 5.7 in magnitude, causing the stadium to visibly shake during second seed Alexander Zverev’s semi-final win over Dominik Koepfer. The German was serving early in the second set at the time of the incident, but the players managed to finish the point. Zverev told ATP’s website: ‘I didn’t know what happened. Neither did Dominik. We just heard the crowd. I guess the lights started shaking and the crowd felt it more than we did. We were running around the court, so we had to play a point during the earthquake. Read more
Andre Ayew: Ghana captain will not miss Swansea City games, says Steve Cooper (BBC)
Head coach Steve Cooper says Andre Ayew will not be absent for any Swansea City fixtures as a result of the upcoming international break.
Ayew’s Ghana play qualifying matches in South Africa and at home to Sao Tome & Principe.
Current Covid-19 rules say anyone who has visited South Africa within 10 days before they travel must quarantine for 10 days on arrival in the UK.
But Cooper said: “He won’t miss any Swansea games, that’s for sure.” Read more
Leeds United’s record goalscorer Peter Lorimer dies aged 74 (Metro) Leeds United’s all-time record goalscorer Peter Lorimer has died aged 74 after a long illness. Lorimer scored 238 goals in 705 appearances during his 23-year stint at Leeds. The former Scotland international won two league titles, the FA Cup and the League Cup during his two spells at Elland Road. Lorimer also scored in the European Cup final against Bayern Munich in 1975 but his goal was controversially ruled out as Leeds went on to lose the game 2-0. Read more
Spectators from abroad will be barred from Tokyo Olympics (NYPost)
Spectators from abroad will be barred from the Tokyo Olympics when they open in four months, the IOC and local organizers said Saturday.
The decision was announced after an online meeting of the International Olympic Committee, the Japanese government, the Tokyo government, the International Paralympic Committee, and local organizers.
The move was expected and rumored for several months. Officials said the risk was too great to admit ticket holders from overseas during a pandemic, an idea strongly opposed by the Japanese public. Japan has attributed about 8,800 deaths to COVID-19 and has controlled the virus better than most countries.
“In order to give clarity to ticket holders living overseas and to enable them to adjust their travel plans at this stage, the parties on the Japanese side have come to the conclusion that they will not be able to enter into Japan at the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” the Tokyo organizing committee said in a statement. Read more
Monster MMA hulks Pudzianowski & Bombardier face off for first time ahead of clash of the giants (RT)
Superheavyweights Mariusz Pudzianowski and Serigne Ousmane have faced off for the first time before their clash on Polish MMA promotion KSW on Saturday, when the brawling behemoths are expected to weigh more than 600lb combined.
Thrown against one another in a Polish television studio, the pair were respectful and resisted getting in each other’s faces too much before comparing biceps after ‘Bombardier’ Ousmane crossed his arms defiantly.
“Can the cage hold them this Saturday night?” asked the promotion considered by many as one of Europe’s leaders in MMA.A huge star in his native Poland, Pudzianowski is a former World’s Strongest Man but will have his work cut out against Senagelese grappler Bombardier, who can weigh anything up to 330lbs on fight night and boasts a 2-0 record. Read more