Total ban on Okada takes effect in two months, says Sanwo-Olu (Guardian)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday revealed that the total ban on commercial motorcycles popularly called Okada will take effect in two months.
Speaking at the launch of 500 First and Last Mile Buses (FLM) meant to be deployed to inner roads in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu said this had become important because motorcycles are being used for criminal activities.
Sanwo-Olu also said Okada riders contribute to fatal accidents in the state.
The governor also warned those driving against traffic to desist as repeated offenders would not only lose their vehicle, they would contend with a three-year jail term, while first offenders will face a one-year jail term. Read more
Insecurity, COVID-19: Lagos sensitizes market leaders, others (Vanguard)
The wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has advocated the need for security consciousness and sanitation in markets in the state.
Speaking at a One Day Seminar on Market Sanitation and Security For Market Leaders, on Tuesday, organised by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, the second in its series, Dr. Sanwo-Olu stated that the measure s became expedient in view of the current COVID-19 pandenmic as well as security situation in the country.
She advised market women in the State to take precautionary measures towards securing thier property in and around the market place, also mentioning that it is the responsibility of all traders and customers, to imbibe the culture of vigilance and report suspicious movements in and around the markets to the appropriate quarters. Read more
Sanwo-Olu unveils first phase of 5000 buses for First and Last Mile transportation scheme (Guardian)
To ease movement within the inner and rural areas of the state, Lagos State Governor, Bababjide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, launched the first phase of the 5000 commercial buses meant for the First and Last Mile (FLM) Scheme.
The governor was optimistic that with the buses, Lagos residents would have better commuting experiences across the state. According to him, the buses will also provide the needed alternative means of journeying across the state.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed that passengers and the drivers expected on board the buses are fully insured, stating that the goal is to ensure residents have a comfortable means of commuting.
The governor unveiled the 500 buses already on ground as more buses are being assembled for the FLM project, promising that more of the buses would be deployed as soon as they are coupled. He said the 500 buses would be deployed to five of the eight routes already marked out for the FLM Scheme. Read more
UNILAG attracts N12 billion research grants (Vanguard)
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) attracted N12 billion research grants in the past three and half years, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe has said.
Ogundipe made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos on the sidelines of a public presentation of a book.
The book entitled “Nutritional Biochemistry”, was written by Prof. Ifeolu Akinwande of the Department of Biochemistry, University of Lagos.
According to Ogundipe, research remains one of the institution’s major areas of focus and is geared toward the development of the country. Read more
Suspected ‘yahoo boys’ protest alleged EFCC’s midnight raid, block Osogbo roads (Punch)
Some people suspected to be internet fraudsters popularly known as ‘yahoo, yahoo boys,’ on Tuesday blocked some roads in Osogbo, Osun State capital, in protest after an alleged midnight raid by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The protesters had set up bonfires at Lameco Junction, along Osogbo/Ilobu Road, forcing many motorists passing through the road to take alternative routes.
They also blocked Osogbo/Iwo Road around the Rasco Hotel area.
Residents of Omobolanle, Lameco, and Oroki Estate Area, who spoke to The PUNCH, said they heard indiscriminate gunshots in the early hours, but could not say those behind the shooting. Read more
Delta State grants judiciary autonomy (Guardian)
Delta State governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Tuesday said the state judiciary has been granted full autonomy to aid its operations.
“Earlier today, at a meeting with the Chief Judge of Delta State, Justice Marshal Umukoro, and other judges in the state’s judiciary, I was pleased to announce that in line with the law, Delta State’s Judiciary has been accorded full autonomy,” Okowa tweeted.
Okowa said the judiciary’s autonomy is a follow up to his signing of the Judiciary Autonomy law in January 2021.
The governor said he has directed the setting up of committees headed by the Chief Judge of Delta State to begin the process of implementing full autonomy for the state judiciary.
“As we work to improve our democratic processes across the board, we are proud that Delta State now has both a legislature and judiciary that are fully autonomous,” Okowa said. Read more
Nigerians to obtain passports within six weeks – NIS (Punch)
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede, on Tuesday said the turnaround time for issuance of passports is now six weeks.
The service’s Public Relations Officer, Sunday James, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists.
James quoted Babandede as saying this at the NIS headquarters in Abuja during a media chat on Innovations and Administration for Ease in Passport Issuance and Processing following the decoration of 87 newly-promoted Assistant Comptrollers-General and Comptrollers of Immigration Service.
The statement was titled, ‘NIS promotes senior officers.’ Read more
FG considers options, as talks begin over Shell’s divestment plan (ThisDay)
The federal government on Tuesday revealed that it was weighing some options as discussions with Anglo-Dutch oil company, Shell, begin over its plan for a total divestment from onshore operations in the country.
The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, who disclosed this in Abuja, said three possible options being considered include a take over by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC); acquisition by indigenous operators, and involving a mixture of local players and other foreign independent operators in the process.
The minister noted that while the federal government was in consultations with the oil giant on the divestment move, “some actually feel that Shell should not hurriedly divest and to at least stay,” adding that “where Shell has completely divested from a sector is not good for us.” Read more
NAFDAC approves Johnson and Johnson vaccine (Punch)
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has approved the use of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria.
The agency’s Director-General, Prof Moji Adeyeye, made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday signed by the agency’s spokesperson, Dr Abubakar Jimoh.
The statement was titled “NAFDAC grants emergency use authorisation for the ‘johnson and johnson’ vaccine’
It read, “NAFDAC is hereby granting conditional emergency use authorisation for Janssen Covid-19 vaccine to prevent COVID’19 in people from 18 years of age. Read more
Naomi Campbell becomes mum for first time at 50 as she secretly welcomes baby girl (Metro)
Naomi Campbell has become a mother for the first time, secretly welcoming a child. The supermodel, 50, announced her daughter’s arrival on social media, vowing that there is ‘no greater love’. Taking to Twitter, she blessed us all with a shot as she clutched her baby girl’s tiny feet in her hands. ‘A beautiful little blessing has chosen me to be her mother, So honoured to have this gentle soul in my life,’ she captioned the upload. Read more
Belarus raids top news site in widening crackdown (BBC)
Belarus authorities have raided the offices of major independent news site Tut.by and the home of editor Marina Zolotova, taking the website offline.
Officials said a criminal case had begun over “large-scale tax evasion”.
The raids are part of an increasing crackdown on dissenting voices.
Months after Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory in a presidential election denounced internationally as rigged, opposition figures have either fled the country or have been arrested. Read more
Drew Barrymore tells Dylan Farrow she regrets working with Woody Allen (Metro)
Drew Barrymore regrets working with Woody Allen on the film Everyone Says I Love You. The actress was 21 when she starred in the 1996 musical comedy directed by Allen, as part of a cast including Julia Roberts, Alan Alda, Edward Norton, Goldie Hawn, Natasha Lyonne and Natalie Portman. In an interview with Dylan Farrow, Allen’s adoptive daughter who has accused the director of molestation, Drew said that she was ‘gaslit’ into starring in the movie. Speaking on her chat show The Drew Barrymore Show, Drew ‘explained herself’, saying: ‘I worked with Woody Allen. I did a film with him in 1996 called, Everyone Says I Love You, and there was no higher career calling card than to work with Woody Allen. Read more
Macron hosts African leaders to address economic impact of Covid-19 (France24)
French President Emmanuel Macron Tuesday hosts African leaders and chiefs of global financial institutions for a summit meeting that will seek to provide Africa with critical financing swept away by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Africa has so far been less badly hit by the pandemic than other global regions — with a total of 130,000 dead across the continent.
But the economic cost is only too apparent, with the International Monetary Fund warning in late 2020 that Africa faces a shortfall in the funds needed for future development — a financial gap — of $290 billion up to 2023.
A moratorium on the service of public debt agreed in April last year by the G20 and the Paris Club, a group of creditor countries that tries to find sustainable solutions for debtor nations, was welcomed but will not be enough on its own. Read more
Just 20 firms behind more than half of single-use plastic waste – study (BBC)
Just 20 companies are the source of more than half of all the single-use plastic items thrown away globally.
That’s the conclusion of analysis of the corporate network behind plastic production.
The study looked at approximately 1,000 factories that make the raw materials needed for single-use products.
Plastic bottles, food packages and bags are among billions of items that are used once and then thrown away, often ending up in the oceans. Read more
Six hospitals, 3 days and a Covid nightmare (BBC)
Anoop Saxena, 59, was one of hundreds of thousands of Indians who fell sick with Covid at the end of April.
And like so many, the father from Ghaziabad city in northern India became so sick he needed to be treated in a hospital.
But India’s hospitals have been overwhelmed, and beds and oxygen were all in short supply at the start of May – despite officials in Uttar Pradesh state, where Ghaziabad is located, continuing to insist there was no shortage either. Read more
Roy Hodgson: Crystal Palace boss to leave at end of season (BBC)
Hodgson’s first managerial job was with Swedish side Halmstads in 1976
Manager Roy Hodgson will leave Crystal Palace when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The 73-year-old former England boss said: “The time is right to step away from the rigours of top-flight Premier League football.”
Hodgson has been in charge of Palace since September 2017.
His final home game will be against Arsenal on Wednesday, and his last match will be against Liverpool, one of his former clubs, at Anfield on Sunday. Read more
Parma WTA: Serena crashes out in second round (Punch)
Former world number one Serena Williams crashed out of the WTA tournament in Parma on Tuesday when she was beaten in straight sets 7-6, 6-2 in her second round match by Czech Katerina Siniakova.
The 39-year-old American, currently ranked eighth in the world, had been given a wild card to play in Parma after her premature exit from the Italian Open, where she also lost in the second round in what was her first match in nearly three months since her semi-final defeat in the Australian Open.
In Monday’s first round in Parma she had comfortably seen off teenager Lisa Pigato but the 25-year-old Siniakova, ranked 68 in singles but a former world number one in doubles, was a tougher proposition.
Williams fired down five aces but also threw in seven double faults as she struggled to get her service game working. Read more
Karim Benzema earns shock France call-up for Euro 2020 (Metro)
Karim Benzema has earned a surprise call-up for France’s Euro 2020 campaign this summer, according to reports.
The Real Madrid striker has not featured for his national side since 2015 as he has been under investigation for his alleged involvement in a sex tape blackmail plot involving former France teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
Benzema is due to appear in court in October as it is alleged that the Madrid striker acted as an intermediary between a group of blackmailers and Valbuena. Read more
Joshua v Fury: Deontay Wilder setback brings Oleksandr Usyk into equation (BBC)
Anthony Joshua (right) holds three of the four major world heavyweight titles, while Tyson Fury has the other
Promoter Eddie Hearn is considering a “plan B” for Anthony Joshua and says Tyson Fury must clarify this week whether the pair can fight this summer.
Britons Fury, 32, and Joshua, 31, had agreed to a heavyweight title bout in Saudi Arabia on 14 August.
But on Monday it was ruled Fury must face American Deontay Wilder for a third time by 15 September.
Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, said the “game changed” with the ruling, adding: “We have to have a plan B in place”.
He added: “The one that springs to mind is the WBO mandatory – Oleksandr Usyk.” Read more
Marin Odegaard makes Real Madrid plea amid speculation on his Arsenal future (Metro)
Martin Odegaard has implored Real Madrid to let him know whether or not he has a future at the Spanish club, before he makes a definitive decision on his future. The Norway international was effectively deemed surplus to requirements by Zinedine Zidane in January and joined Arsenal on loan until the end of the season. Odegaard made a bright start to his stint in north London, scoring crucial goals in victories over Olympiacos and Tottenham, while his presence helped ease the creative burden on emerging youngster Emile Smith Rowe. The 22-year-old’s influence has waned, however, over the course of the last six weeks but Mikel Arteta is said to be keen to retain the playmakers’ services. Read more
Manchester United’s Eric Cantona & Roy Keane in Premier League Hall of Fame (BBC)
Former Manchester United team-mates Eric Cantona and Roy Keane have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
They join Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry, who were the first players to be inducted last month.
Cantona joined Sir Alex Ferguson’s side from Leeds in 1992 and won four Premier League titles in five seasons.”I am very happy and very proud, but at the same time I am not surprised,” said the Frenchman, 54. Read more