Sanwo-Olu meets doctors, grants their requests (Guardian)
Lagos State Government, yesterday, said there was no need for doctors in the state to have joined their colleagues in other states to embark on the strike called by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at a meeting in his office at Alausa, Ikeja, said the state government had performed its duties to them.
He, however, promised to address other standing issues.
According to the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso: “The circular issued by the Head of Service (HOS) removing Housemanship and NYSC doctors from the scheme of service, which was part of the grouse of the striking doctors, was discussed. Read more
Open grazing, VAT bills scale second reading at Lagos Assembly (Punch)
The Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday sent the bill on open grazing to the committee on agriculture after it scaled second reading.
According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the House, Mr Eromosele Ebhomele, the anti-open grazing bill will provide for ranching, as well as the registration of herders.
The House also passed the state Value Added Tax Bill to the committee on finance, asking it to present its report on Thursday.
The Speaker of the House, Dr Mudashiru Obasa, said, “The Prohibition of Open Cattle Grazing Bill is timely and one that will ensure harmonious relationships between herders and farmers and protect the environment. Read more
Lagos to try Chidinma, sister for Ataga’s murder, frees 11 others (Guardian)
Lagos State Government, through the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), is set to try Chidinma Ojukwu, her elder sister, Egbuchu Chioma, and Adedapo Quadri for the murder of Super TV CEO, Michael Ataga, while 11 others were cleared of the murder case.
Police prosecutor, Cyril Ajifor, disclosed this yesterday when the defendants were brought before Yaba Magistrate court.
The Chief Magistrate, Adeola Adedayo, who cleared 11 other suspects, said Quadri, Chidinma, and Chioma were indicted by the DPP legal advice.
Chief Magistrate Adedayo affirmed receiving a directive to hands off the case following the latest development.
The Guardian had earlier obtained a document dated August 20, showing that a prima facie case of conspiracy to murder, and conspiracy to commit forgery was established against the suspects. Read more
Buhari appoints Osinbajo to head health sector reform committee, names new NCDC DG (Tribune)
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the setting up of a Health Sector Reform Committee to commence the development and implementation of a programme for Nigeria in collaboration with the state governments and the FCT administration.
The committee is headed by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, as chairman.
A statement issued by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) on Monday said the setting up of the committee is sequel to a Health Sector Diagnostic Review Report developed by a consultant, Vesta Healthcare Partners and the Federal Ministry of Health.
The committee will undertake a review of all healthcare reforms adopted in the past two decades and lessons learnt and factor them into the development of the new Health Sector Reform Programme. Read more
“This nonsense must end”, CJN queries judges over conflicting orders (DailyTrust)
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), Justice Tanko Muhammad, has warned judges against conflicting orders.
He gave the warning at a marathon meeting he held with six chief judges in Abuja on Monday.
Daily Trust had reported that Muhammad invited the judges over conflicting ex parte orders.
In a statement, spokesperson of the NJC, Soji Oye, said the meeting which commenced at 11am lasted till 5:30pm.
He said the Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory was also in attendance. Read more
About 5,000 refinery, steel workers receive salaries despite zero production (Guardian)
Despite producing nothing and adding zero value to the nation’s economy, the Federal Government has continued to pay the salaries of about 5,000 workers operating in the nation’s ailing refineries and Ajaokuta Steel Complex.
With 1,898 staff strength, the refineries’ workers represent about 28.7 per cent of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) group’s total workforce domiciled at the Kaduna, Port Harcourt, and Warri refineries.
The Guardian gathered that while 758 workers operate at the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) has 655, while Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) has 485 staff.
Though details of the workers’ emoluments are yet to be ascertained, the government has been incurring huge costs to keep the workers operating at the wasting assets. Read more
My wife broke my heart, says husband of BBNaija’s Tega (DailyTrust)
AJ Money, the husband of Tega, ex-Housemate of Season 6 of Big Brother Naija show, says he is heartbroken over his wife’s conduct in the house.
Tega, who was evicted on Sunday, has been under fire for romantically being involved with Boma, another housemate who has also been evicted.
In an Instagram live chat session with influencer and blogger, Tunde Ednut, on Monday, the housemate’s husband expressed how he felt over the scenario.
Tega’s husband, AJ Money, said she did not behave recklessly until she got into the Big Brother House.
“We have been married for four years now. I’m going to be honest, before she left into the Big Brother house, she said something about how she was going to do everything but she was not going to have sex. So, I was like, I don’t understand.” Read more
How I escaped from gunmen who killed Sowore’s brother – Widow (Punch)
A woman, Emmanuella Anyanwu, who escaped from the hoodlums who reportedly killed late Olajide Sowore on Saturday, has said the gunmen demanded a ransom of N10m shortly before she escaped from the camp where she was kept with four others.
Anyanwu, who said she was on her way from Lagos to Imo to bury her husband, stated that she offered the kidnappers N500,000, but was called a fool.
She recounted her ordeal at the police headquarters in Benin on Monday.
She said, “On Friday, we were coming from Lagos to the eastern part of the country and our vehicle broke down around Okada on the outskirts of Benin.
“We passed the night in the vehicle. Around 6.30am to 7am Saturday, some men came out from the bush, shooting at us; we surrendered. We were two ladies and three men. Read more
“I lied that i’m married”, nun abducted by gang who killed Sowore’s brother narrates escape (DailyTrust)
Reverend Sister Emmanuella Ayanwu 34, one of the five persons who was kidnapped by the armed gang which killed Olajide Sowore, younger brother of Sahara Reporter’s Publisher, has narrated her escape.
Sowore’s younger brother was shot dead while on his way to Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, on Saturday.
According to the police, the deceased was gunned down when he attempted to escape the armed gang that operated on the Benin-Lagos road.
Ayanwu of All Blessed of the Holy Spirit Convent in Ghana, explained that she was travelling to Imo State but stopped over in Lagos, where she boarded a vehicle to her destination. Read more
“The Wire” star Michael K Williams found dead (BBC)
American actor Michael K Williams, best known for starring in HBO drama series The Wire, has been found dead in his New York apartment. He was 54.
US media quote law enforcement sources as saying he died from a suspected drug overdose. This has not been officially confirmed.
Williams – who was nominated for three Emmy Awards – had openly discussed his struggles with drugs over the years.
In The Wire, he played Omar Little, a gay, streetwise robber of drug gangs. Read more
From “Night Raiders” to “Scarborough”: Canadian films making waves at TIFF (Star)
Feature debuts and buzzy book adaptations are among the Canadian projects grabbing the spotlight at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
From a searing Indigenous thriller set in the near future, to a profile of a Toronto suburb that’s produced several megastars, here are five Canadian films to look out for at the festival, which runs online and in-person from Thursday through Sept. 18:
Night Raiders
This dystopian thriller from Saskatchewan-born Cree-Metis filmmaker Danis Goulet is part of an exciting crop of Indigenous futurism films featuring post-apocalyptic and fantastical ideas, with other recent examples including Jeff Barnaby’s zombie horror Blood Quantum. Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers stars as a Cree mother trying to reunite with her daughter, played by Brooklyn Letexier-Hart, who was put into a forced-education camp by the military after a war. Acclaimed filmmaker Taika Waititi executive produced the Canadian co-production, which echoes the horrors of Canada’s residential school system. Goulet makes her feature debut on what TIFF co-head Cameron Bailey calls “a groundbreaking film for Canadian cinema.” Read more
French film great Jean-Paul Belmondo dies at 88 (BBC)
Jean-Paul Belmondo’s battered face, laconic style and roguish smile captured the imagination of French 1960s youth.
Belmondo, who has died at his Paris home aged 88, was the cool rebel of the new wave of French cinema typified in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 film classic, A Bout de Souffle.
His moody performance as a doomed thief and Humphrey Bogart fan struck a chord and saw him dubbed the Gallic James Dean.
Later, he forsook arts cinema to become a highly bankable commercial actor, as at home in comedy as in drama. Read more
Writer Crystal Wilkinson follows “Birds of Oppulence” with poetic memoir, “Perfect Black” (Kentucky)
When Kentucky Poet Laureate Crystal Wilkinson started looking through her poems a few years ago, she discovered she had been writing a memoir.
Wilkinson’s fellow Kentucky writer Rebecca Gayle Howell asked Wilkinson for some poems for a project she was working on, and unsure what would work best, Wilkinson sent Howell a bunch of her poems. Howell told Wilkinson, “I think there’s a collection here.”
No, thought Wilkinson who, despite a long career as a published poet, had never published a book of her poems.
That’s in part because she had never thought of her poems as a collection. Wilkinson is known for her novels, including 2018’s acclaimed “The Birds of Opulence,” as well as for being one of the founding members of the Affrilachian Poets, a collective of Black writers from Appalachia. Read more
Oxford’s cancer vaccine/immunotherapy combo to head for human trials (NewAtlas)
Scientists at Oxford have demonstrated a powerful pairing – a cancer vaccine and immunotherapy. In tests in mice, the vaccine boosted levels of tumor-hunting immune cells, while the immunotherapy made them more effective killers. Human trials are due to start later this year.
The human immune system is a powerful front-line of defense, patroling our bodies for foreign invaders like viruses and bacteria, as well as rogue cells stepping out of line that could become cancerous. Unfortunately, cancer has a variety of underhanded techniques to escape detection by the immune system.
Immunotherapy aims to give our bodies the upper hand once again, supercharging immune cells to better fight cancers. One way to do this is to remove the natural “checkpoints” that stop immune cells from going too wild, and while this technique has shown promise fighting some forms of cancer, results have been less encouraging for others.
The problem, it seems, is that letting a patient’s immune cells off the leash is still limited by how many of those immune cells there are in the first place. So boosting those numbers is what the cancer vaccine is designed to do. Read more
Poet Amanda Gorman signs historic deal with Estée Lauder as newest brand ambassador (BlackEnterprice)
Estée Lauder announced a partnership with the country’s first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman on Thursday (September 2). The 23-year-old signed a three-year partnership with the beauty brand, representing the first integrated deal by Estée Lauder and The Estée Lauder Companies to celebrate the next generation of leaders.
Gorman will represent Estée Lauder as the first Global Changemaker. She will appear in the company’s brand campaigns debuting in Spring 2020.
“I am so proud to announce my partnership with one of the most iconic beauty brands in the world @esteelauder
to bring a new voice to beauty as their first-ever Global Changemaker,” Gordon shared on Instagram. “I will also work with @esteelaudercompanies to inspire change, beginning with founding WRITING CHANGE, a new philanthropic initiative of The Estée Lauder Companies.” Read more
US Open 2021: Emma Raducanu into quarter-finals after beating Shelby Rogers (BBC)
British teenager Emma Raducanu put in another devastating performance to reach the US Open quarter-finals as her dream New York debut continued.
The 18-year-old qualifier, yet to drop a set here, won 11 games in a row in a 6-2 6-1 win over Shelby Rogers.
In the biggest match of her life, on the biggest tennis court in the world, Raducanu recovered from a break in the opening game to dominate in style.
She will face Olympic champion Belinda Bencic for a place in the semi-finals. Read more
We have no excuse to lose to Cape Verde –Awaziem (Punch)
Super Eagles defender, Chidozie Awaziem, says they are in Cape Verde to get the maximum points, adding that they don’t have any excuse to lose the tie despite the absence of 10 players for the Group C Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifier.
The Nigerians arrived the island nation on Monday ahead of their qualifying game against the Blue Sharks on Tuesday (today) at the Stade Municipal Adérito Sena in Mindelo.
Speaking to the media after their training on Monday, the Boavista FC defender stated that although the game would be tough, they were going out to get a good result.
“The atmosphere is really hot, the pitch is synthetic but we have no excuses; we just want to go there and get the maximum points, it’s not going to be easy, it will be a difficult game,” he told journalists. Read more
Virat Kohli ‘really proud’, Joe Root ‘frustrated’ after India blow away England on final day to win fourth Test (Metro)
Virat Kohli said he was ‘really proud’ after India stunned England on the final day of the fourth Test to complete a stunning fightback at The Oval, while Joe Root expressed his ‘frustration’ after the tourists took an unassailable 2-1 lead in the series.
All four results were possible at the start of the day, with England 77-0 chasing a record 368 on a pitch that had proved good for batting over the past two days.
A draw appeared the most likely outcome after India made just two inroads in the morning session, but wickets tumbled in the afternoon as Jasprit Bumrah knocked over Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow, before in-form captain Root played on to Shardul Thakur. Read more
Pinnick explains NFF’s excitement over deal with MTN (Guardian)
There was so much excitement among members of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Friday, at the Merriot Hotel, Ikeja. The NFF board members and other stakeholders had gathered at the hotel to unveil yet another sponsorship deal for the country’s football.
A day earlier, the federation had unveiled a pact with the country’s largest airline, Air Peace, which is now the official airline of Nigerian football.
The NFF has an existing pact with oil and gas outfit, AITEO, GAC Motors, Zenith Bank, and Nigerian Breweries, among others. However, NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, believes the deal with MTN is a game-changer.
According to Pinnick, who was accompanied to the event by NFF’s Second Vice President, Shehu Dikko, Chairperson of the Nigerian Women Football League (NWFL), Aisha Falode, who was compere on the day, and Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Obinna Ogba, Nigerian football has long been yearning for marriage with MTN. Read more
Solheim Cup 2021: Matilda Castren claims winning point as Europe retain the trophy (BBC)
Debutant Leona Maguire starred as Europe retained the Solheim Cup with a hard-fought 15-13 victory over the United States in Ohio.
Maguire won her singles match on Sunday to complete an unbeaten week in which she collected four and a half points from her five matches – a record for a rookie – and set the tone for a thrilling final day.
Fellow rookie, Matilda Castren, holed a nerveless eight-foot putt to win her match on the 18th green and claim Europe’s 14th point – the one that meant they would at least retain the Solheim Cup – before Emily Pedersen made sure of the victory by winning the last match on the 18th.
“It’s just crazy, crazy,” said Castren. “I can’t believe I made that putt.” Read more
Brazil icon Pele reveals he underwent surgery to remove tumour (Metro)
Brazilian football great Pele says he is ‘feeling very well’ after undergoing successful surgery to remove a tumour in his colon.
There had been some concern surrounding Pele’s health, with the 80-year-old being treated at Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein Hospital for the last six days following reports he had fainted.
Pele’s business manager, Joe Fraga, informed fans that Pele was not seriously ill in a reassuring statement earlier today and the legendary ex-Santos and New York Cosmos forward took to Instagram to provide an update on the situation this evening.
‘My friends, thank you very much for the kind messages,’ Pele told his 7.1 million followers. Read more
