Sanwo-Olu blames late airport, border closures for COVID-19 spread (Punch)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said the delayed closure of the country’s borders, seaport, and airports, including the failure of returnees to self-isolate, caused the spread of COVID-19.
He said this during an Instalive interview with CNN on Wednesday.
According to the governor, Lagos was prepared to curb the spread of COVID-19 but had to wait for the Federal Government to shut airport, seaport and land borders. Read more
Redeem Church Youths host Lagos Shift Online, as Elegbe speaks (Leadership)
The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos Young Adults and Youth Affairs (LYAYA) has announced the season 9 of its annual event, Lagos Shift, with a themed, “Rise 2 Shine”, which will hold Online on Sunday 3rd May 2020 from 1.00 pm.
The annual event, due to the social distancing of the Federal Government in the fight to curtail the spread of Covid-19 will be held online and streamed live on all @LagosShift social media platforms, with participation open for all.
This online event will provide insights into how youths, in particular, can remain optimistic and in fact RISE above the debilitating impact of Covid-19 and still SHINE in this era of global uncertainty. Read more
Tragedy averted as tankers spill fuel in Lagos (Punch)
A petrol-laden tanker fell and spilled its content on the road on Wednesday at Western Avenue, Ojuelegba area of Lagos State, thereby sparking panic amongst residents of the area.
THE PUNCH gathered that the yet-to-be-identified driver lost control of the vehicle after it developed a mechanical fault while in motion.
A resident of the area said the incident happened on Wednesday evening but the spillage continued into the night, thus creating apprehension in the area. Read more
Kaduna confirms 16 more coronavirus cases from Kano Almajiris (Guardian)
The Kaduna State Ministry of Health on Thursday announced the confirmation of 16 new Covid-19 cases in the state from Almajiris who came from Kano State.
A statement by the state’s Commissioner of Health, Dr. Amina Mohammed-Baloni also said that one of the 17 cases announced by Nigeria Centre for Disease Centre (NCDC) on Wednesday was a repeated test from an existing patient.
She said their test results returned positive from a sample of 40 persons whose test results were released on Thursday, raising the number of active Covid-19 cases in Kaduna State from nine to 25. Read more
Fire Razes Shops In Ilorin (Leadership)
Property worth millions of naira were, on Thursday, destroyed by an early morning inferno, which occurred at Ita-Ama in llorin West Local Government area of Kwara.
The News Agency of Nigeria NAN reports that the fire, which destroyed five shops and some rooms, lasted over three hours.
NAN also reports that it took some fire fighters from the state Fire Service over two hours to put out the raging fire.
Some of the residents of the area, who spoke with NAN at the scene of the incident, said they could not ascertain what triggered the fire. Read more
COVID-19: Principled father appointed as Ekiti ambassador for rejecting disobedient son (Independent)
Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has appointed Commander Femi Adeoye (rtd), of the viral “Father Rejects Son” video as an ambassador of the COVID-19 Response in Ekiti state for his integrity and exemplary show of valour in the ongoing fight against Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Fayemi also made the retired Federal Road Safety Officer a member of the State’s Covid-19 Taskforce which the Governor headed as chairman. Read more
Obiano directs Anambra teachers to resume on Monday (Punch)
Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, has directed all workers in the state to resume work on Monday, May 4.
The workers were ordered home by the state government about a month ago as a measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
But in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu, obtained by our correspondent on Thursday, the workers were asked to be on their duty posts on Monday. Read more
Outrage over arrest of Kaduna man for blasphemy (Guardian)
Beyond Kaduna State, northern Nigeria, where the supposed ‘crime’ was committed, there has been an outrage over the arrest of Mubarak Bala, a man who allegedly blasphemed against Islam.
Bala, the president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was arrested by the police on Wednesday afternoon at his residence in Kaduna State.
His arrest, many believe, was in connection to his recent outburst against Islamic Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in a Facebook post. Read more
Tension in Delta community as policeman kills soldier (Vanguard)
There is pandemonium in Bomadi, headquarters of Bomadi council area of Delta state, as a soldier, attached to the Joint Task Force, JTF, Bomadi Division, Thursday, was shot dead by a policeman attached to SARS.
Though the soldier’s identity has not been known as at the time of filing in this report, the incident occurred in the early hours of the fateful day.
An indigene who resides close to the scene of the incident, who also pleaded anonymity, said “the incident occurred around 1 am last night (Thursday) when SARS police patrol van came in front of the residential hotel premises of JTF officers here. Read more
COVID-19: Using herbs to treat virus not discouraged – PTF (Sun)
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, on Wednesday in Abuja, said the Presidential Task Force PTF on Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic said the use of herbs to treat the deadly virus is not discouraged.
Ehanire who was responding to a question on the use of herbal remedies for the treatment/prevention of the Coronavirus, said that so far, herbs don’t cause ‘harm’, Nigerians can use it.
According to him, traditional medicine experts are encouraged to work with the Ministry of Health and Nigerian Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, (NIPRID) on developing a possible cure for the virus.
“There are also traditional remedies that say that they boost your immune system. I receive almost every day a letter from traditional practitioners who are offering traditional medicines that they have put together and praising the quality and the efficacy of this medicine. Read more
Strip club turns into drive-through food service complete with pole dancers (Metro)
The coronavirus pandemic has radically changed so many parts of our lives.
Physical intimacy is limited, pub trips are no more, many of us are out of work while others have had to change what our jobs look like.
At the Lucky Devil Lounge in Oregon, owner Shon Boulden came up with an unconventional way to keep his business up and running.
Shon turned the strip club into a drive-thru food service, with pole dancers providing entertainment while customers pick up their meals, and workers doubling up as delivery drivers. Read more
Japanese island hit by second wave of coronavirus after ending lockdown early (NYPost)
Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido — the first area of the country to see a major coronavirus outbreak — was forced back into lockdown after lifting its stringent restrictions too early, according to new reports.
The prefecture of 5.3 million people, known for its rugged mountainous terrain and history of farming and fishing, went into lockdown in late February in response to a sharp acceleration in infections, which largely stemmed from its annual Sapporo Snow Festival, TIME reported.
The region, at first, was lauded for quickly containing the outbreak with a 3-week lockdown, but when prefectural governor Naomichi Suzuki lifted the restrictions, a second wave of infections slammed the island even harder, according to the report. Read more
WHO warns of neglecting vaccinations during pandemic (Guardian)
The World Health Organization’s European office warned Thursday that to keep other infectious diseases in check, vaccination programmes must remain a priority even during the coronavirus pandemic.
The warning came as the UN body noted that while the spread of the novel coronavirus seemed to be “plateauing in western Europe, the gradient of the epi-curve steepens as we look east”.
“Immunisation services are essential. If they have been interrupted, catch-up measures must be taken as quickly as possible,” WHO regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, told a press conference. Read more
Nancy Pelosi ‘satisfied’ with Biden’s response to sex assault allegation (NYPost)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended Joe Biden after being asked about a sexual assault allegation made by a former Senate staffer for the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Asked during a Thursday morning appearance on CNN whether it was time for Biden to address Tara Reade’s allegation himself, Pelosi (D-Calif.) maintained her support for the former vice president.
“I have great sympathy for any women who bring forth an allegation. I’m a big strong supporter of the MeToo movement. I think it’s been, it’s made a great contribution to our country, and I do support Joe Biden. I’m satisfied with how he has responded,” the highest ranking House Democrat said. Read more
China says it has no interest in meddling in U.S. election (Guardian)
China has no interest in interfering in the U.S. presidential election, it said on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed Beijing would try to make him lose his re-election bid in November.
“The U.S. presidential election is an internal affair, we have no interest in interfering in it,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters during a daily briefing.
“We hope the people of the U.S. will not drag China into its electoral politics.” Read more
Boris Johnson says UK is ‘past coronavirus peak’ with lockdown plan next week (Mirror)
Boris Johnson has said the UK is ‘past the peak’ of the coronavirus outbreak – and that he will reveal a comprehensive plan on coming out of the lockdown next week.
At the Prime Minister’s first appearance at the daily coronavirus briefing for more than a month he said: “I can confirm today for the first time we are past the peak of this disease.”
The Prime Minister, whose fiancee Carrie Symonds gave birth to a son on Wednesday, said: “I want to thank everybody who has been doing such a good job in my absence, and I want to thank the NHS for so much – including getting me back here and, I might add, a very much happier hospital visit yesterday.” Read more
Song you need to know: Megan Thee Stallion, Beyoncé, ‘Savage Remix’ (RollingStone)
By now, you have probably heard Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” more times than you thought could be possible. The track’s chorus has dominated TikTok in both its original form and a Tiger King-themed remix about Carole Baskin. Yet through what can only be described as pure witchcraft, Beyoncé’s new remix makes it feel like you’re hearing this omnipresent hit for the very first time. Together, the pair are an unstoppable force of Houston bravado and empowerment that will boost your serotonin levels just enough to have hope for a world beyond this pandemic.
Unlike most pop remixes of the past couple years, Beyoncé goes above and beyond to make this one powerful: She serves up three total verses along with a wealth of angelic, whisper-y runs that feel like diva ASMR. This is post-“Partition” Beyoncé, full of magical wordplay and sensuality that is as silly as it is untouchable. Read more
Sarri forced me out of Chelsea – Aina (Punch)
Super Eagles defender Ola Aina has revealed that he was frustrated out of Stamford Bridge by former Chelsea manager, Maurizio Sarri, who deemed him surplus to requirements.
Aina joined Italian club Torino on a season-long loan after signing a new three-year deal with Chelsea in the 2018/19 season and made 30 appearances before the Bull triggered the option to permanently transfer him from Chelsea for a reported fee of £9m.
The versatile defender had wanted to continue playing in England for a Premier League club but only received concrete offers from Championship teams. Read more
Fellaini lends struggling Standard Liege 3 million euros (Guardian)
Marouane Fellaini will lend his former club Standard Liege three million euros ($3.26 million) to help them through the coronavirus crisis, Belgian media reported on Thursday.
The former Everton and Manchester United midfielder, who now plays for Shandong Luneng in China, followed in the footsteps of international teammate Axel Witsel, who has also invested in the Pro League club.
According to one report, Borussia Dortmund’s Witsel recently acquired a 45-percent stake in Standard’s stadium, which is due to undergo extensive renovation works. Read more
West Ham target Hector Herrera tracked by Premier League clubs (Independent)
Atletico Madrid midfielder Hector Herrera is being monitored by a number of Premier League clubs, with the Mexican midfielder set to leave when the transfer window reopens.
The Independent understands the 30-year-old was one of West Ham’s primary targets in the January transfer window, but Herrera opted to remain in Madrid until the end of the season to see how his first-team opportunities developed. David Moyes’s side have since signed Polish midfielder Tomas Soucek on an initial loan deal, with the option to make the move permanent this summer. However, the Hammers have retained an interest in Herrera and could renew their approach in the event of any major departures. Read more
Some lecturers making life difficult for athletes – Adekuoroye (Punch)
Nigerian wrestler Odunayo Adekuoroye admits it is difficult combining sports and education as an athlete due to the stance of some of the country’s higher institutions.
The 57kg world No. 1 told The PUNCH that it would have been easier to combine both if the country’s athletes were given some consideration.
“I would have loved to further my education because I thought I could just finish the Olympics and go back to school, but since they’ve postponed the Olympics to 2021, I have not decided if I will be going to school now or not. Read more
Michael Jordan turned down $100 million for two-hour appearance (NYPost)
Part of the allure of “The Last Dance” is the chance to see and hear Michael Jordan, who has largely stayed out of the spotlight in retirement.
But it’s not for a lack of opportunities, some of which offered huge paydays. Jordan once turned down a two-hour, $100 million appearance, according to his former agent.
“I brought him a deal three years ago for $100 million. All he had to do was, other than giving his name and likeness, make a one two-hour appearance to announce the deal and he turned it down,” David Falk said Wednesday morning on WFAN’s “Boomer and Gio.” Read more
Playing remaining EPL matches will be good for football – Mourinho (Punch)
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho believes bringing football back, even behind closed doors, would be a much-needed morale boost for fans starved of action during the coronavirus crisis.
No Premier League games have been played since March 9 due to the pandemic, which has claimed more than 26,000 British lives.
Dutch football chiefs have called an end to the Eredivisie season while French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu on Thursday called for the French league to end the Ligue 1 season. Read more
The rules every Premier League player must follow when they return to training (Metro)
Premier League players will be told to wear masks at all times while spitting and tackling will be prohibited as part of new guidelines for clubs to follow during their training sessions. The aim is to resume the English top flight on June 8 but the Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’ plan has already faced widespread opposition. Arsenal, Tottenham, Brighton and West Ham have allowed players to return to their training grounds this week, but some clubs, including Manchester United, have no imminent plans to reopen their facilities. Read more
