WAEC releases 2021 WASSCE results (Nation)
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates, 2021 – First Series.
Head of the Nigeria National Office, WAEC, Mr Patrick Areghan, told reporters on Tuesday the examination was primarily designed to help candidates seeking admission to tertiary institutions to reduce the waiting time for results and beat admission deadlines.
He said: “The analysis of the statistics of the performance of candidates shows that out of the Seven Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine (7,289) candidates that sat the examination:
“Two Thousand Nine Hundred and Thirty-Eight (2,938) candidates representing 40.31 per cent obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects (with or without English Language and/or Mathematics; out of which One Thousand Three Hundred and Ninety-Six (1,396) were male and One Thousand five Hundred and Forty-Two (1,542) were female candidates, representing 47.52%and 52.48 % respectively; Read more
EFCC hands over recovered ¥370,000, $1,800 to Japanese fraud victim (Punch)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has handed over ¥370,000 and $1,800 recovered from a fraudster to his Japanese victim through the officials of the Japanese Embassy, Abuja.
The money was recovered by the EFCC following a complaint by one Hatsumi Ozeki on January 19, 2019.
Investigation established that Ozeki was duped by one Evans Ewean-Obayagbona but the proceeds of crime was wired to him through the accounts of his accomplices- Samson Okonofua, Osifo Onaiwi-Kelly and Igbenedion Iyobor Mikel. Read more
Association tasks govts, stakeholders on qualified caregivers in schools (DailyTrust)
Mr Simeon Fowowe, National President, Association of Nursery and Primary Education Instructors in Nigeria (ANPEIN), has said only qualified caregivers should be allowed to teach children under five years in schools.
According to Fowowe, governments at all levels and concerned private schools must strive to ensure that the development is taken seriously through constant monitoring.
He noted that for every Nigerian child, early education with the right caregivers is key.
“To produce and achieve right adulthood, there must be right early start in life. Read more
COVID-19: 2021 WASSCE postpones exams indefinitely (Vanguard)
The conduct of 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, for school candidates has been postponed indefinitely due to the effects of COVID-19 pandemic.
Briefing journalists on Tuesday in Lagos over the release of results of WASSCE for private candidates 2021- first series, head of the body, Mr. Patrick Areghan explained that the pandemic distorted academic calendar, hence it was not possible to hold the examination in May/June.
His words: “Let me also use this opportunity to dispel remours being peddled about by some people regarding the conduct of the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2021. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still very much felt in the education sector.
“The academic calendar has been distorted. It will, therefore, not be possible to have the examination in May/June this year. A convenient International Timetable for the conduct of the examination will soon be released. Read more
FRSC returns N716,800 cash found at crash site (Guardian)
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has returned N716, 800 found at an auto-crash site at Ozubulu along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway, to the family of the deceased. Mr Bamidele Ayanwale, the Unit Commander in Oraifite, handed over the sum on Tuesday.
He said that the amount was recovered when the FRSC officers were on a rescue mission after the accident. Ayanwale said that the money belonging to late Mrs Oparaocha was returned to her son, Mr Chibueze Oparaocha, after a written undertaking with full identification by the Unit’s intelligence officer. According to him, the FRSC contacted the relatives through the mobile phone of the deceased.
The FRSC boss said that the accident involved a Nissan bus with registration number LSH-517YG and a truck with registration number GGU-83XA. Read more
Nigeria loses another lawmaker (Vanguard)
Rep. Suleiman Lere (APC-Kaduna State) has died at the age of 53. Mr Tukur Maibindiga, his Personal Assistant, disclosed this when he spoke with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.
Maibindiga said that lawmaker who represented Lere Federal Constituency, died at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna State after a brief illness.
Lere was sworn-in in February after he won his case at the court of Appeal, which reinstated him as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the winner of the Feb. 23, 2019 general elections.
The deceased had on March 23 moved a motion on the floor of the House to compel Jos Electricity Distribution Company to restore electricity supply to 28 communities in Southern Kaduna. Read more
Polytechnic lecturers begin indefinite strike (Nation)
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has commenced an indefinite strike over poor funding.
The union said this followed failure of the Federal Government to address the sorry state of polytechnics and monotechnics and the expiration of the ultimatum issued since March 2020.
The action is coming less than a week after resident doctors under the umbrella of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) embarked on a nationwide strike over non-payment of allowances and other issues.
Announcing the industrial action at a briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, ASUP President, Anderson Ezeibe, said academic activities had been shut down in all polytechnics and like institutions nationwide with effect from 12am on April 6. Read more
NCDC monitoring situation in 8 states for suspected cholera cases- D-G (Guardian)
The national multi-agency cholera Technical Working Group (TWG) at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is monitoring the situation in eight states, where there are reports of suspected cholera cases.
The NCDC Director-General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday in Abuja while giving an update for the cholera case in the country.
Ihekweazu said as at March, Benue, Delta, Zamfara, Gombe State, Bayelsa, Kogi, Sokoto State and Nasarawa State have reported suspected cholera cases.
Cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation, overcrowding, lack of clean food and water, and areas where open defecation is common practice. Read more
Kim Kardashian is officially a billionaire (PageSix)
Kim Kardashian is officially a billionaire.
Forbes announced her inclusion on the World’s Billionaires list for the first time Tuesday, citing her two lucrative businesses, KKW Beauty and Skims, as well as cash from “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and endorsement deals.
Kardashian’s worth increased from $780 million in October to $1 billion.
The E! reality star launched KKW Beauty in 2017 after seeing the success of half-sister Kylie Jenner’s makeup company, Kylie Cosmetics.
“It’s the first time I’ve moved away from having licensing deals and transitioned into being an owner,” Kardashian told Forbes in 2017, when she announced her cosmetics line. Read more
Cryptocurrency market now worth almost as much as Apple after market cap hits record $2t (RT)
The combined market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies has surpassed $2 trillion for the first time in history, boosted by explosive growth in bitcoin and other coins.
The value of all cryptocurrencies surpassed the $2-trillion mark on Monday evening and continued to rise after that, data from tracking website CoinGecko shows. On Tuesday morning the market capitalization of the crypto market hit an all-time peak of $2.039 trillion, before sliding to the current level of around $2.020 trillion.
This means that all the cryptocurrencies available in the market are now nearly as valuable as Apple, the second-largest company in the world, or the combined value of Google and Tesla. Read more
Paris hits back at filthy streets hashtag campaign (BBC)
Paris officials have blamed a “political smear campaign” after angry comments and pictures of filthy streets spread on social media criticising a “trashed Paris”.
The hashtag “saccage Paris” went viral over Easter, with many of the messages accusing the city’s Socialist leadership of ruining the capital.
They complained of uncollected rubbish, damaged pavements and graffiti.
The Paris deputy mayor said keeping the city clean had always been a problem. Read more
Death toll from fighting in Sudan’s Darfur rises to 56: UN (Guardian)
At least 56 people have been killed in four days of violence in Sudan’s West Darfur region, the United Nations said Tuesday, reporting gunfire in the city of El Geneina.
Thousands are fleeing the fighting, which has seen a power station in El-Geneina destroyed, at least one rocket-propelled grenade hit a key hospital, and another smash into a UN compound, the UN said.
“The number of deaths has risen to 56 and more have been injured,” the UN humanitarian coordination office said, with clashes pitting Arab groups against the non-Arab Massalit people.
“People are fleeing into neighbouring Chad,” it added. Read more
Yahoo Answers will shut down for good next month (NYPost)
Yahoo Answers — perhaps the internet’s largest repository of stupid questions — is on its last leg.
Yahoo plans to shut down the question-and-answer message board for good in May, ending a nearly 16-year run.
The Verizon-owned media outfit announced the move at the top of the Yahoo Answers homepage. The forum will stop accepting new submissions on April 20 before it becomes inaccessible and redirects to the Yahoo homepage starting May 4.
Yahoo reportedly attributed the move to waning interest in the forum, which launched in 2005 as a place for internet users to crowdsource answers to their most burning questions and went on to become a gushing font of viral humor. Read more
China vows to hold regular naval drills as its carrier group conducts exercises near Taiwan (RT)
Beijing has staged naval exercises involving an aircraft carrier group in the vicinity of Taiwan, which is claimed by China as part of its territory. Similar drills will be held on a regular basis in the future, China says.
The large-scale maritime drills, led by China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, are aimed to “enhance [Beijing’s] capability to safeguard national sovereignty, safety and development interests,” the navy said in a statement late on Monday, adding that “Similar exercises will be conducted on a regular basis in the future.”
According to Chinese media, a brand-new Chinese destroyer, the Nanchang, was a part of the carrier group. The cutting-edge vessel is the maiden ship of the Type 055 large destroyer series, which entered service in China last year. Read more
Iran nuclear deal: US joins Vienna talks aimed at reviving accord (BBC)
The United States has joined talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal, which the Trump administration abandoned in 2018.
President Joe Biden has said he wants to return to the landmark accord.
But the six remaining state parties need to find a way for him to lift the sanctions imposed by his predecessor and for Iran to return to the agreed limits on its nuclear programme.
Iran has said it will not meet the US face to face until that happens. Read more
Ogba lauds Edo govt on first class facilities (Nation)
The 1st vice President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) Solomon Ogba has applauded the Edo State government for putting up a state of the art facilities for the on-going 20th National Sports Festival in Benin City.
The former president of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, said he was impressed with the facilities especially the swimming pool where Delta State contingents continue to rake in medals.
“We competed with Edo for the hosting right but they won it, it’s like a battle between brothers and i was happy with the kind of show they put up,” Ogba said.
“One of the major problems with us in Nigeria has been lack of maintenance, but i am sure the state governor, Godwin Obaseki and his amiable deputy, Philip Shaibu, a sport lover, will surely look after the facilities. Read more
Tokyo Olympics test event cancelled over virus: reports (Guardian)
A Tokyo Olympics water polo test event has been cancelled because sports officials cannot enter Japan due to coronavirus restrictions, reports said Tuesday.
The event is only the latest victim of virus restrictions, which have forced the cancellation or postponement of a series of Olympic qualifiers and tests.
The two-day water polo event was supposed to open on Saturday, but has been scrapped because of Japan’s strict travel regulations, which bar virtually all foreign nationals from entering the country, local media reported.
The restrictions mean time-keepers and record-keepers who were due to travel to Japan cannot take part in the event, although Kyodo news agency said it may be rescheduled to a later date. Read more
Can playing in Spain help Zimbabwe’s Martin Mapisa become a top African keeper? (BBC)
Zimbabwe under-23 international Martin Mapisa says he wants to follow in the footsteps of some of Africa’s best goalkeepers.
Like many of those who have made it to the top the 22-year-old, who earned his first senior cap in the recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, has started his journey in Spain.
A product of the Harare-based Aces Youth Soccer Academy Mapisa began his Spanish odyssey in 2018 at seventh-tier club CD Almunecar since then he has moved up four divisions and now plays for Segunda B side Zamora FC.
“My ultimate goal is to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world. And play in one of the top leagues,” he told BBC Sport Africa. Read more
Guram Kutateladze declares war on UFC newcomer Pimblett (RT)
Georgian-born Swedish UFC lightweight Guram Kutateladze says he wants to punish promotional newcomer Paddy Pimblett for “insulting” remarks on social media he insists imply Georgians “deserved to die”.
Tbilisi-born Kutateladze has offered to humble Liverpool’s Pimblett, the former Cage Warriors featherweight champ who recently penned a deal with the UFC, after he tweeted “how stupid are these Georgians. No wonder the Russians terrorize their lives”.
Kutateladze, himself a recent UFC debutante when he narrowly outpointed Mateusz Gamrot in October, interpreted the 26-year-old’s tweets to be referring to the Russo-Georgian conflict of 2008 and that Pimblett was implying his countrymen “deserved to die”.
“He answered the way he did – very insulting for me – then I just answered back. So I told him to stay humble until he’s forced to become humble,” Kutateladze, now fighting out of the Swedish capital of Stockholm, told MMA Junkie. Read more
Nets pay big James Harden price in close win over Knicks (NYPost)
The Nets lost James Harden — again. But they dug down deep enough to win the game, and a season sweep of the cross-river rival Knicks.
Already without Kevin Durant, the Nets saw Harden go down after just four minutes. But Kyrie Irving led a huge comeback, and Jeff Green capped off a 114-112 rally before a mixed crowd of 1,773 at Barclays Center.
The last man standing of Brooklyn’s Big Three, Irving had a game-high 40 points and seven assists. Jeff Green added a season-high 23 points, including the tie breaking points in the final seconds. Julius Randle’s miss at the buzzer sealed it.
After going just 1-for-4 from the stripe in the first half, Green went 8-for-9 in the second — including the game-winning pair with 3.7 seconds left. Read more
Manchester City post £126m loss for disrupted 2019-20 season (BBC)
Premier League leaders Manchester City have reported a loss of £126m for the 2019-20 season which was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The club posted an 11% reduction in revenue to £478.4m but the figure does not include delayed income from player sales – including proceeds from Leroy Sane’s move to Bayern Munich.
City expect an immediate return to profit for the current season.A total loss of less than £60m per year is forecast over the two campaigns. Read more