SS 3 pupil commits suicide after alleged assault by half-brother (Punch)
When the next West African Senior School Certificate Examination eventually begins, Sherifat Sulaimon, will be missing in action.
The 21-year-old SS3 pupil reportedly committed suicide last Sunday after she was allegedly beaten by her stepbrother, Moliku Sulaimon, whom she lived with at Olorunshogo Iyewa, in the Isawo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Neighbours, who spoke to Sunday PUNCH, accused Moliku of serially assaulting Sherifat, noting that she became frustrated and took Sniper after he repeated the act last Sunday morning. Read more
Sanwo-Olu to empower one million youths with digital skills by 2023 (Nation)
The Lagos State Government led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, through the office of the Special Adviser on Education, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, has kicked off ‘Jobs Initiative Lagos’ – an initiative targeted at young people in eight Lagos-based tertiary institutions.
The initiative aims at providing complementary training of students in their ultimate and penultimate year in entrepreneurship, employability and basic digital skills required for the workplace.
The essence of the programme is to account for the documented gaps in current curriculum that bedevils the employment market and to increase labour employability of graduates in Nigeria’s Centre of Excellence. Read more
Woman allegedly commits suicide after fighting with husband (Punch)
A 28-year-old woman, Mrs Clara Vincent, has allegedly committed suicide by drinking sniper after quarrelling with her husband,
City Round learnt that the deceased, who lived on Ebewi Street at Agodo area of Lagos State with her husband, was rushed to the General Hospital, Isolo, Lagos where she was confirmed dead.
Her cousin, Mr Lawrence John, who reported the case to the police, said the family suspected foul play, alleging that the husband had a hand in her death.
He said, “My cousin, Clara, was said to have taken her own life after drinking sniper. She was rushed to the General hospital, at Isolo, where she died. Read more
Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation launches ‘Project 40at40’ (Independent)
Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation (IIF) has announced the commencement of its ‘40at40’ initiative in accordance with its founders, Ibidun Ighodalo’s last wish before she died on Sunday, June 14, 2019.
It was revealed at a press conference in Lagos on Friday, that the founder’s desire was to celebrate her 40th birthday, which would have come up today, July 19, 2020, by granting 40 couples in dire need of reproductive interventions a once in a lifetime opportunity to become parents.
Speaking on the initiative, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, chairman of IIF, said the foundation would fulfill the founder’s last wish. Read more
Youths protest increased cost of marijuana in Ilorin (Guardian)
Concerned elders in Ilorin are worried over alleged rise in crime rates among youths in the ancient town of Ilorin, Kwara State.
The development came on the heels of outbreak of hostilities among youths at ‘Alore’ part of the town, over an alleged increment in the cost of Cannabis sativa, ‘Igbo’ or ‘Weed’ in the area.
The protesting youths, some of whom went berserk, two days ago, to register their anger by destroying unsuspecting residents’ property, allegedly conscripted sellers of the outlawed substance to reduce the cost. Read more
Broadcasting code stirs controversy at NBC (DailyTrust)
The controversy over the amendment of the sixth edition of Nigeria’s broadcasting code raged at the weekend as the Board of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) insisted it must be reviewed.
The Board had on Friday, June 26, placed advertisements in some national newspapers, calling on aggrieved stakeholders in the broadcasting and entertainment industries to submit position papers on the amended code.
But the NBC, in another advert signed by the acting director-general on Monday, June 29, asked Nigerians to disregard the earlier one by the Board. Read more
Nigeria is dangerously adrift, says Okogie (Guardian)
His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie has decried the level of corruption going on in the country, especially as Nigeria is supposed to be waging a war on corruption. He said the development has become alarming, with government officials publicly accusing themselves of corruption, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is also facing internal challenges.
In a statement, Okogie said EFCC is supposed to be part of the solution to the problem of corruption, but the twist of events has shown that the war on corruption has been lost.
He said: “The war on corruption never took off in the first instance. Our President is reported to have said if we do not deal with corruption, corruption will destroy us. Isn’t this country on the path of destruction already? Nigerians hear of huge sums of money being allocated to one government agency or the other, but the quality of life in this country continues to deteriorate. Whither Nigeria?” Read more
Arotile: NAF to reveal details of investigation today (Nation)
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will today give details of its preliminary investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot, Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile.
Earlier the Nigerian Air Force had in a statement signed by its Director, Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, linked the pilot’s death to a car accident at the NAF Base in Kaduna.
It was reported that Arotile was knocked down by a reversing vehicle driven by her old schoolmate who was excited to see her. Read more
Coronavirus: WHO reports record single-day global increase in cases (BBC)
The number of new cases of coronavirus rose by almost 260,000 in 24 hours – the largest single-day increase since the pandemic began, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.
According to WHO, this is the first time the number of new daily infections has surpassed a quarter of a million.
The biggest increases were in the US, Brazil, India and South Africa. Read more
Strangers form human chain to save baby from burning building (Metro)
A group of complete strangers came together to save a baby’s life as a fire ripped through a block of flats in Liverpool.
A blaze erupted on the first floor of Knightswood Court due to an electrical fault and quickly spread onto the communal stairways, trapping several residents.
A young family were stuck in a smoke filled flat with no sign of a way out, until passing members of the public used their instincts and worked as a team. Cable engineer Craig Mason, 30, was driving with colleague Andrew Lewry in their van when they spotted black smoke billowing into the air in the suburb of Allerton. Read more
Thousands in Bangkok rally against thai government (VOA)
Several thousand anti-government protesters rallied in Thailand’s capital on Saturday to call for a new constitution, new elections and an end to repressive laws.
Chanting and waving placards, the demonstrators, comprising mainly younger Thais, converged on Bangkok’s iconic Democracy Monument in the old part of the city, a popular venue for dissent.
The gathering, organized by a group calling itself Liberation Youth, was the biggest of its kind since the government called a state of emergency in March to deal with the coronavirus. Read more
Coronavirus: Boris Johnson ‘does not want second national lockdown’ (BBC)
Boris Johnson has said he does not want to impose a second national lockdown in the event of another Covid-19 outbreak.
Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, the PM compared the option of a nationwide shutdown to a “nuclear deterrent”, adding he does not think the country “will be in that position again”.
But the UK’s chief scientific adviser said there is “a risk” such measures could be needed as winter approaches.
It comes as councils in England have been given “lightning” lockdown powers. Read more
Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction becomes Netflix’s most watched original of all time (Metro)
Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction has become Netflix’s most watched original production of all time.
The action movie, which was released onto the streaming service in April, has been viewed by 99 million accounts within the first month of its release, according to CNet.
It has beat competition from Sandra Bullock’s 2018 motion picture Birdbox, which was watched by 89 million upon release, as well as fantasy series The Witcher, with 76 million.
Rounding off the top five is docuseries Tiger King, which saw 64 million accounts tune in after its release back in March, and reality series Too Hot To Handle with 51 million. Read more
Coronavirus: New Avon sellers double during UK lockdown (BBC)
There’s been a sharp rise in the number of people signing up to sell Avon beauty products during lockdown.
Between late March and early June, the number of new UK sales representatives was double that in the same period last year.
The company appears to have benefitted from more people finding themselves at home with time on their hands, or in need of work.
Tracy Powers of Avon UK says people see it as a good source of income. Read more
Thousands protest in Russia’s far east, challenging Kremlin (France24)
Mass rallies challenging the Kremlin rocked Russia’s Far East city of Khabarovsk again on Saturday, as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest the arrest of the region’s governor on charges of involvement in multiple murders.
The massive unauthoritized crowds gathered despite local officials’ attempts to discourage people from taking to the streets, citing the coronavirus epidemic and an alleged averted terrorist threat.
Local media estimated the rally in the city 3,800 miles east of Moscow drew 15,000 to 50,000 people, while city authorities put the number at 10,000. Hundreds of people have rallied in the city every day this week against the arrest of Sergei Furgal, reflecting widespread anger over the arrest of the popular governor and a simmering discontent with the Kremlin’s policies. Read more
Lagos issues reopening certificate to Lagos Polo club (DailyTrust)
The Lagos State Government has commenced the issuance of COVID-19 guidelines compliance certificates to Lagos Polo Club and other verified social centres and clubs across the state in a bid to fully reopen the state’s economy.
A release by the Lagos State Safety Commission obtained by Polo Royals indicates that the Polo Club and other sporting and social clubs with mechanisms to abide by health regulations to control the spread of COVID-19 have been issued ‘Provisional Safety Compliance Certificates.’
Polo Royals exclusively gathered that Lagos State physical verification exercise led by the Director-General, Lanre Mojola, recently visited the foremost Lagos Polo Club and other clubs to assess their compliance. Read more
Aubameyang double sends Arsenal to FA Cup Final (BBC)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta outmanoeuvred his mentor Pep Guardiola as the Gunners reached the FA Cup final with victory at Wembley.
Arteta, who left his job as Manchester City assistant manager to succeed Unai Emery at Arsenal in December, now has a chance to mark his first season in charge with major silverware when they face Chelsea or Manchester United in the final on 1 August.
The match-winner was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the world-class striker Arsenal are desperate to secure on a new long-term contract, as he ruthlessly exposed City’s defensive deficiencies. Read more
Osimhen rejects Liverpool, United offers (Punch)
Lille striker Victor Osimhen has reportedly rejected offers from Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester United, as a move to Napoli looks likely for the Nigerian.
According to French newspaper, L’Equipe, the Nigeria international is focused on completing a move to Serie A side Napoli.
Napoli are favourites to sign Osimhen, with reports that the club have agreed an €81m deal with Lille to sign the 21-year-old. Read more
Jadon Sancho responds to fresh Manchester United and Liverpool transfer links (Metro)
Jadon Sancho says ‘you never know what could happen’ as he continues to be linked with a move to Premier League giants Manchester United and Liverpool.
Sancho has thrived for Borussia Dortmund since leaving Man City in 2017, scoring 34 goals and 99 appearances and establishing himself as one of the best young players in world football.
The 20-year-old’s performances have attracted attention from a number of clubs, with Premier League rivals United and Liverpool particularly keen to secure his signature. Read more
ATP finals to go ahead at London’s O2 Arena (Independent)
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) finals are at the O2 arena still in line to go ahead in November — although they could be without spectators.
The London showpiece event is currently planned to be part of a further revised calendar for the rest of the tennis season that is expected to be released in the next fortnight.
Keeping the event on is a priority for tour bosses, who hope that it might still be possible to have at least some of the 250,000-plus audience who annually flock to the eastern side of London to see the year’s top eight male players in action. Read more
Jon Rahm leads Memorial Tournament from Tony Finau and Ryan Palmer (BBC)
Spain’s Jon Rahm will take over as world number one if he can convert his four-shot lead into victory in Sunday’s final round at the Memorial Tournament.
Rahm holed four birdies in succession from the 13th as he hit a four-under 68 to lead on 12 under from Americans Ryan Palmer and Tony Finau, who had 73s.
England’s Danny Willett is fourth on six under after a 70 in Ohio. Read more
