Sanwo-Olu flags off construction of Regional Road (Nation)
On Saturday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu flagged off the construction of the long-awaited Regional Road in Lekki region, a critical infrastructure proposed in the Lekki-Epe master plan aimed at decongesting traffic gridlocks in the entire Eti Osa Local Government Area. At a groundbreaking ceremony held on the project site, the Governor described the development as “a manifestation” of his administration’s commitment towards improving socio-economic activities on the Lekki-Epe axis by the provision of supporting infrastructure.
The construction of the 8.75 kilometre-long road, being undertaken by Messrs Hi-Tech Construction Company Limited, will link Lekki-Epe Expressway at Victoria Garden City (VGC) Junction to the Freedom Way in Eti Osa. The road is also said to be a precursor to the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge that is expected to take off from the axis. Read more
Flight restrictions cost Lagos airport over N15b in revenue (Guardian)
Protracted flight restrictions of both local and international flight operations in the last two months may cost Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) as much as N15b loss in revenue.
The sum covers unmet targets in passenger service charge, sundry charges on other airport-users, land transport services and toll charges at the access gate, among other income-generating sources for the managing Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The government had in March placed a restriction on local and international flights, as part of efforts to contain spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. Read more
Fire guts nylon factory in Ahmmadiya, Lagos (Punch)
A polythene manufacturing company has been gutted by fire at Ahmmadiya Bus Stop around the Abule Egba area of Lagos State, The PUNCH has learnt.
It was gathered that the incident happened on Saturday morning while production was ongoing at the factory located on Wifunke Street, behind a Total Filling Station.
Director-General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said there was no loss of life.
He said first responders including the LASEMA team, the Federal Fire Service, and the Lagos State Fire Service have arrived at the scene. Read more
Doctors may begin strike in June over non-payment of entitlements, harassment (Guardian)
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has threatened to begin strike action on June 14, 2020, if the Federal Government did not meet its demands, which include payment of entitlements and stoppage of harassment of members by security operatives.
NARD in a communiqué issued at the end of its virtual 40th ordinary general meeting and scientific conference at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi State, yesterday, with the theme: “Health inequalities and social determinants of Health in Nigeria,” decried the perpetual lack of personnel protective equipment for health workers in tertiary teaching hospitals, with the attendant increase in risk of COVID-19 infection. Read more
Northern governors mourn former NNPC boss (Vanguard)
The Northern Governors Forum (NGF) has expressed sadness over the death of the former Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru.
The Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau, Simon Lalong, in a condolence message described his death as a big loss to the nation.
Director of Press and Public Affairs to the governor, Dr. Makut Macham, issued the condolence message on Saturday in Jos. Read more
Edo primary: APC govs to meet Tinubu over Obaseki (Punch)
Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress are scheduled to meet with the party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.
The meeting, which is believed to be connected to last-minute efforts to ensure the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, clinches the party’s ticket for the forthcoming governorship election in the state, is scheduled to hold today (Sunday).
It was not clear if the governors’ emissaries would meet with the former Lagos governor at his Bourdillon residence in Ikoyi or it would be a virtual meeting. Read more
Gbajabiamila says House to give legal backing to Social Investment Programme (DailyTrust)
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, says the House will provide strong legislation and codify the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs). He said the programmes are now subjected to whims and caprices of some few people in charge. Gbajabiamila was quoted in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi while speaking at a web interactive session (webinar) organized by the Emmanuel Chapel on Friday. He said the House would soon introduce a bill that would codify government’s Social Investment Programme (SIP) to give it legal backing. Read more
Veterinary doctors donate items to Ondo govt to fight COVID-19 (Tribune)
The Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association, Ondo State Chapter, on Saturday, lent helping hands to the state government in its fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
Prof Adebayo Abayomi, Chairman of the association, donating the items in Akure, said it was based on professional consideration for some of their colleagues in the frontline toward containing the spread of the virus.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items donated by the association include Digital Clinical Thermometers, hand sanitisers and bottled water. Read more
SpaceX rocket blasts off on historic private crewed flight (France24)
A rocket ship built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company thundered away from Earth with two Americans on Saturday, ushering in a new era of commercial space travel and putting NASA back in the business of launching astronauts from U.S. soil for the first time in nearly a decade.
NASA’s Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken rode skyward aboard a sleek, white-and-black, bullet-shaped Dragon capsule on top of a Falcon 9 rocket, lifting off from the same launch pad used to send the Apollo astronauts to the moon a half-century ago. The flight had been delayed three days because of stormy weather in Florida.
“Let’s light this candle,” Hurley said, borrowing the words used by Alan Shepard on America’s first human spaceflight in 1961.
The two men are scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station on Sunday for a stay of up to four months, after which they will return to Earth in a Right Stuff-style splashdown at sea. Read more
George Floyd death: US cities order curfews amid widespread clashes (BBC)
Curfews have been ordered in cities across the US in an attempt to stem the violent clashes between protesters and police over the death of George Floyd.
Widespread demonstrations have taken place, with riot police using tear gas and rubber bullets after their vehicles were set alight in several cities.
President Donald Trump blamed looters and anarchists for the violence.
Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis on Monday. Read more
St. Patrick’s Cathedral desecrated with protest graffiti (NYPost)
Is nothing sacred?
Protesters desecrated St. Patrick’s Cathedral with graffiti Saturday, staining stairs and spewing hatred on two walls.
The graffiti on one wall on Fifth Avenue and 51st Street read “F–k F–k” in red letters. On an adjacent wall, vandals scrawled “BLM” — for Black Lives Matter — along with “NYPDK” in red letters and “No justice no peace” in black letters.
One of the stairs was spray-painted with “George Floyd” in black letters. Read more
JK Simmons signed on for a few Marvel movies so we better keep our eyes peeled (Metro)
JK Simmons revealed he is signed on to appear in a number of Marvel films and we better keep an eye out. The Spider-Man star portrayed J Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and had a cameo at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Appearing on PeopleTV’s Couch Surfing, the actor discussed whether we can expect him in more Spider-Man films.
‘I don’t know if I would use the word expect,’ he explained. Read more
GOP congressman says Trump’s decision to pull out of WHO helps China and harms global health (Newsweek)
Texas Republican Congressman Will Hurd pleaded with President Donald Trump to reverse his Friday decision terminating the United States’ relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO), with the GOP lawmaker saying the move only helps the Chinese Communist Party.
Hurd penned an op-ed in The New York Times Friday, just hours after Trump announced “China has total control” over the WHO and cut off all funding to the international health body. The congressman cautioned that “leaving the WHO sends the message that the world cannot count on the United States,” while corroborating China’s aggressive disinformation campaign that has been aimed, in part, at exposing America’s lack of commitment to the international community. Read more
Dolly Parton addresses continued fight for female equality (Metro)
Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda are all taking part in an upcoming documentary, Still Working 9 to 5, fighting for gender equality 40 years after the film first came out. The stars of 9 to 5, the hit film which came out in 1980, have reunited to shine a light on the continuing gender pay gap four decades later. In an exclusive clip from Still Working 9 to 5, Dolly explains: ‘My lord, it’s 40 years now and it’s still important. ‘Being treated with respect in the work place, equal pay for equal work and all those things that we all want to do. ‘Anybody that’s working should be paid for what they do, it doesn’t matter. I think it’s given us a really good opportunity to step up and do more and make more corrections and to just do more good things for women especially.’ Read more
Funke Oshonaike: I endured pain to join Olympics’ Club Seven (Nation)
Olufunke Oshonaike’s record as the most successful African female table tennis player stands her out.
The 44-year-old and mother of two wants to concentrate on inspiring youngsters to shine in table tennis.
“I’m the happiest woman in the world today, I still can’t believe it, it feels as if I’m still dreaming,” she said the day she picked her ticket for what would be her seventh appearance at the forthcoming Tokyo Olympics. “I started training in January because of my health, I trained very hard and we are all nervous here, so I am just the happiest woman to have qualified. Read more
Lewandowski equals record as Bayern hit five (BBC)
Robert Lewandowski scored twice against Fortuna Dusseldorf to equal his most prolific season as Bayern Munich moved 10 points clear at the top.
Bayern were 3-0 up by half-time, Benjamin Pavard and Lewandowski scoring after Mathias Jorgensen’s own goal opened the scoring.
Poland forward Lewandowski’s 43rd goal in all competitions this campaign made it 4-0 in a crushing win. Read more
‘Mbappe unfit for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool’ (Guardian)
Kylian Mbappe is not a good fit for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, according to Jason McAteer. The Reds have been linked with a move for the Paris Saint-Germain star, who has been prolific in French football since breaking through at Monaco.
Mbappe has also shone in the Champions League and was part of France’s World Cup-winning squad in Russia two years ago. Signing Mbappe would be regarded by many as a statement of intent from runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool, but former Anfield favourite McAteer is not so sure – with RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner and Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho higher on his wish list. Read more
Michael Schumacher’s son Mick could make F1 debut this season (DailyStar)
The famous Schumacher name could be back in F1 as early as this season with Michael’s son Mick tipped to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Alfa Romeo.
The 21-year-old son of the the seven-time world champion drove a Formula One car for the first time last April, watched on by mother Corinna.
Part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, he is being developed to step up to the highest level whilst currently competing in Formula 2. Read more
Austria set to host Formula 1 season openers in July (BBC)
Austria’s government has approved hosting Formula 1’s season-opening races in July, according to reports.
The races, scheduled for 5 and 12 July, will take place behind closed doors at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.
The 2020 season was due to start in Australia in March, but the coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of that race and a further nine more. Read more
Anthony Joshua rules out Mike Tyson fight: ‘People would boo’ (Metro)
Anthony Joshua is not interested in fighting Mike Tyson if the former heavyweight champion does make a comeback, because he thinks no one would want to see him win.
Tyson, 53, is plotting a return to the ring after working hard in training, getting in fearsome shape and releasing some impressive videos hitting the pads.
Iron Mike has also got back in the limelight by appearing at AEW and getting involved in a brawl with wrestling legend Chris Jericho. Read more