WASSCE: Lagos private schools to resume August 3 (Punch)
National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Lagos State, has said the terminal senior secondary school pupils will resume on August 3.
Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, the President, NAPPS, Lagos State chapter, Mr Amusa Olawale, explained that there was plan to ensure the conduct of the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination in September.
He said, “In the last meeting the South-West governors had with the commissioners for education, they are still working on how WASSCE would be conducted in September, because if these pupils don’t sit the exam, the 2020/2021 session will be seriously affected.” Read more
COVID-19: ‘Lagos spends N100,000 not N1m daily on patient’ (Nation)
The Lagos State Government has clarified what it spends on the treatment of coronavirus patients in various isolation centres in the state.
The clarification followed the misgivings that have trailed a disclosure made by the state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, on the amount the state government spends on the treatment of COVID-19 patients in critical conditions, which a section of the media sensationally put at N1 million per day.
A statement released by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, on Friday said that factual account of what Prof. Abayomi said was sacrificed for sensational reporting by some news outlets. Read more
Communications ministry donates IT hubs to UNILAG (Guardian)
The Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, has handed over Information Technology (IT) hubs to the University Of Lagos (UNILAG) in support of economic growth through capacity building and digital job creation.
The minister in charge of the ministry, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, during a virtual handover and commissioning of five other IT hubs around the country, said the aim of the digital economy is to integrate all sectors into technology, saying digital technology would help youths to expand intellectual curiosity.
Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, while commissioning the building on behalf of Pantami, said the intervention was in line with the mandate of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to aid the development of Nigeria’s economy through digital technology. Read more
You’re holding Mompha’s belongings illegally, judge tells EFCC (Punch)
Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to release all the items it seized from Internet celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha, alias Mompha, who is standing trial for alleged money laundering.
The judge, in a ruling on Friday, said the anti-graft agency should return the five wristwatches, a pair of Apple Airpods, one iPhone 8 mobile phone, and one pair of sunglasses seized from Mompha during the course of the investigation. Read more
As partial closure of Third Mainland Bridge begins, Lagos reassures on traffic (Nation)
The Lagos State Government has assured motorists of ease in movement for the next six months as it partially closed down the 3rd Mainland Bridge for repair works on worn out expansion joints on the structure of the bridge.
At a joint press conference by the Commissioners for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Aramide Adeyoye, in Alausa, Oladeinde re-assured that the state government is fully prepared to cater to the mobility needs of residents and visitors of the state as it has deployed 650 LASTMA officials as well as 250 FRSC personnel to diversion points and alternative routes to manage the traffic flow for the duration of the rehabilitation. Read more
Naira weakens marginally to dollar (Guardian)
The Naira on Friday weakened marginally against the dollar at both the parallel market in Lagos and the investor’s window.
The Nigerian currency traded at N472.5 to the dollar at the parallel market, down by 0.5 points from N472 exchanged on Thursday.
The Pound Sterling and the Euro closed at N582 and N530, respectively.
The Naira closed at N389.50 to the dollar at the investor’s window, down by 1.50 points from N388 it traded on Thursday. Read more
Brothers seeking money ritual rob grandpa, kill wife over N550,000 (Punch)
Two brothers alleged to be members of a robbery gang operating in Ijebu Mushin, Ogun State, have been arrested by the police after they attacked an elderly man identified only as Pa Olutokunbo in the community and killed his 72-year-old wife, Christiana.
The siblings – Akinola Akeem and Muyiwa Akeem – reportedly robbed Olutokunbo of N550,000 and three phones after strangling his wife who raised the alarm during the operation.
They were apprehended alongside an herbalist, Moses Oduntan, whom they consulted for spiritual support. Read more
Former council chair jailed 31 years for N97m fraud (Guardian)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Gombe, has secured the conviction of Samuel Bulus Adamu before Justice N. I. Afolabi of Federal High Court, Gombe.
Adamu, a former chairman of Shongom Local Government Area of Gombe State, was arraigned on March 9, 2015 on a seven- count charge bordering on fraud, cheating and money laundering to the tune of N97, 640, 000.00. When the charges were read to him, he pleaded not guilty, prompting the EFCC to prosecute him for the last five years. During the trial, prosecution counsels, A. M. Labaran and A. Y Muntaka called four witnesses and tendered several exhibits, in order to prove the case.
Afolabi found Adamu guilty of all charges, sentencing him to five years on counts 1, 2 and 4 without option of fine. On count 3, he was sentenced to seven years without option of fine and on counts 5, 6 and 7; 3 years each without option of fine. Read more
South Africa police rearrest dozens of inmates after mass escape (Aljazeera)
Nearly 70 inmates staged a brazen escape from a detention centre in South Africa’s wine-producing town of Malmesbury after overpowering guards, before most were re-arrested, the government has said.
The inmates, who were awaiting trial, broke out on Frday around midday during routine physical exercise at the facility situated about 65 kilometres (40 miles) north of Cape Town, the Department of Correctional Services said in a statement.
“The escapees overpowered officials, took the keys and locked three officials in a cell and opened other cells before escaping through the main entrance and over the roof,” it said. Read more
Sex workers explain why they don’t want their clients to ‘please’ them (Metro)
You wouldn’t go to a salon and give your hairdresser a trim, so why would people who use sex workers insist on pleasuring them? Sex workers who are asked by customers if they would like to be pleasured back are often in a conundrum – a client who focuses too much on them can be more work than those who are there for their own self-pleasure.
If a customer wants to please a sex worker, it can also mean that workers feel pressure to perform their enjoyment rather than just doing their job. Providers also prefer to keep the interactions about the customer rather than themselves as extra time spent on answering personal questions can be a waste of time and often goes unpaid. Read more
Singapore man admits being Chinese spy in US (BBC)
A Singaporean man has pleaded guilty in the US to working as an agent of China, the latest incident in a growing stand-off between Washington and Beijing.
Jun Wei Yeo was charged with using his political consultancy in America as a front to collect information for Chinese intelligence, US officials say.
Separately, the US said a Chinese researcher accused of hiding her ties to China’s military was detained.
China earlier ordered the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu. Read more
Sumatran tiger cub born in Polish zoo (France24)
A Sumatran tiger — a critically endangered species — was born in a zoo in Poland, officials said on Friday.
The female cub was born during the coronavirus lockdown on May 20 at the Wroclaw Zoo in the southwestern city by the same name, but news of her arrival was only made public now.
Her seven-year-old mother Nuri and 11-year-old father Tengah are part of a global breeding programme aimed at saving the species from extinction. Read more
Researcher who took refuge at China’s consulate is in US custody (Aljazeera)
A Chinese researcher who took refuge from United States authorities at China’s consulate in San Francisco is now in American custody and is expected to appear in court on Friday, a senior US Justice Department official has said.
According to court filings in the US District Court in San Francisco this week, Juan Tang, who worked at the University of California, Davis, falsely claimed on her visa application she had not served in the Chinese military. She was charged with visa fraud on June 26.
The Justice Department official told reporters Tang was arrested on Thursday night and did not have diplomatic immunity as she was not declared a diplomatic official. Read more
Amazon, Google and Wish remove neo-Nazi products (BBC)
Amazon, Google and Wish have removed neo-Nazi and white-supremacist products being sold on their platforms following an investigation by BBC Click.
White-supremacist flags, neo-Nazi books and Ku Klux Klan merchandise were all available for sale.
Algorithms on Amazon and Wish also recommended other white-supremacist items.
All three companies told the BBC that racist products were prohibited on their platforms. Read more
Avatar 2, Mulan, Top Gun, A Quiet Place 2 and more movie release dates pushed back again (Metro)
Avatar 2, Mulan, Top Gun and A Quiet Place Part II are just a small handful of the movies facing newly-announced delays this week. The new round of pushbacks comes amid the continuing impact of Covid-19 on the film industry – and a recent surge of new cases in the US. It’s certainly a frustrating time to be a movie fan. (If you want to watch Jurassic Park for the 375th time to ease the pain… that’s OK.) Among old classics screening at drive-in cinemas and huge releases going straight to streaming, here’s the latest on new movie release dates, with some announced delays spanning a few months or a year – with others on indefinite hiatus. Read more
Gerrard: I’m pleased to have Balogun at Rangers (Punch)
Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is pleased to have signed Leon Balogun and is confident the arrival of the defender will add depth to the Gers ahead of next season.
Rangers announced the signing of Balogun on a one-year deal on friday, with the Gers having an option for a further year.
The news comes 48 hours after The PUNCH reported that the 32-year-old was on the verge of joining a top Scottish club.
Balogun joins Gers to add further competition in the centre of defence, following injury to Niko Katic. Read more
NPFL cancelled as Africa’s major football leagues set to restart (DailyTrust)
Two weeks ago, the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, was officially cancelled by the League Management Company (LMC) almost four months after its suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NPFL which is seen as one of the major football leagues in Africa, competing with other leagues for bragging rights at the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup games took the controversial decision after the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha had ruled out the return of any sports-related activities in the country, especially football for now due to the rising cases of the virus in the country. Read more
PSG win French Cup as fans return (BBC)
Paris St-Germain overcame an injury to Kylian Mbappe to beat 10-man Saint-Etienne and win the French Cup in a game for which some fans were allowed into the Stade de France.
This was the first game in France after the league was ended in April because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Neymar opened the scoring in a fiery first half in which Loic Perrin was sent off for a bad foul on Mbappe. Read more
Arsenal confirm Shkodran Mustafi will miss FA Cup final but provide positive update on Bernd Leno (Metro)
Arsenal have confirmed that Shkodran Mustafi will miss the FA Cup final due to the hamstring injury he suffered against Manchester City in the semi-final on Saturday.
The German centre-back had turned in a superb performance in the 2-0 win over City, but went down in the closing stages after chasing a ball with Raheem Sterling.
There had been some hope that the 28-year-old would recover in time for the final at Wembley on 1 August. but the club has updated his status and Mustafi will definitely miss all remaining matches this season. Read more
Brilliant Bruyne deserves applause (Nation)
This has been the weirdest season in the Premier League’s 28-year history. Of that, we can be sure. Weirder than the year that Leicester City inexplicably won the thing, or when West Ham United got 42 points and still went down.
Weirder than Norwich City climbing to third with a -4 goal difference and even weirder than the era that Newcastle United’s John Carver claimed he was the best coach in the league, before offering to fight his own fans. Read more
Mike Tyson accepted Bob Sapp fight before striking Roy Jones Jr deal (Metro)
Mike Tyson had accepted a boxing match with veteran pro wrestler and mixed martial artist Bob Sapp for his comeback bout, before agreeing a deal to box Roy Jones Jr in September. Iron Mike and Jones Jr will compete in an eight-round exhibition bout on 12 September, as Tyson steps into the ring for the first time since 2005.
Amid talk of a comeback for the youngest world heavyweight champion in history, plenty of possible opponents had been mentioned, with numerous fighters throwing their hats in the ring. Read more