Pandemic
Prince Adelegan: Governor Akeredolu has no capacity to take Ondo to the next level
A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressive Congress in Ondo State, Prince Dapo Adelegan has declared that the incumbent governor Rotimi Akeredolu has no leadership capacity to take the state to the next level of economic prosperity. Adelegan while speaking with newsmen in Akure advised Akeredolu not to seek another term and bow out honourably. According to him “the governor has failed to display competence and compassion in running the affairs of the state. ”Ondo state people are praying daily for a better governor, go to the streets, sample opinions,” The aspirant who is Akeredolu kinsman promised that ” if elected the governor of Ondo state, l would use my business prowess to create industrial estates in all the border towns in the state with different targets. ”I wil...
Victor Osimhen emerges fourth best scorer in Ligue 1
Victor Osimhen has emerged as the fourth highest goalscorer in the French Ligue 1 this season. The 2019/2020 campaign was cancelled last week, following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Osimhen, who joined Lille from Belgian outfit, Sporting Charleroi last summer scored 13 goals and bagged four assists in 27 league appearances for the Great Danes. Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot with 18 goals, while Monaco’s Ben Yedder came second with same number of goals. Mbappe edged out Ben Yedder because he scored more goals from open play. Three out of Ben Yedder’s 18 goals came from the spot while none of Mbappe’s 18 strikes were penalties. Mbappe also had a better goals-per-game ratio, scoring 18 in 20 – the same number in six games less than his rival Ben Yedder. M...
NFF gives out palliatives to clubs in Abuja
The Nigeria Football Federation on Thursday handed out palliatives to representatives of 14 different clubs and two communities in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as token support in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic ravaging the entire world presently. The clubs, spread across Nigeria National League, Nigerian Nationwide League One and FCT League (academies) cadres, included Supreme Court FC, EFCC FC, Abuja Female United, FOSLA FC, Bimo Sporting Club, Wazobia FC, Setraco FC, Goodland FC, Fire Service FC, NYSC FC, FWC Champion Club, Abees Academy, Casmat Academy and WACO Academy. Garki Village and Karamajiji communities also benefitted from the package. At the presentation of packed items such as rice, beans, Indomie noodles, groundnut oil and tin tomatoes at the football bo...
Yaya Toure backs Didier Drogba’s bid for Ivorian FA presidency
Getty Images Yaya Toure is backing former Ivory Coast team-mate Didier Drogba’s bid to become president of the Ivorian Football Association (FIF). The Chelsea legend announced he would be running for the post in September 2019, though his campaign took a major hit at the end of April. In a recent vote between former Ivory Coast players, 11 of the 14 votes went to current incumbent Sory Diabate. Drogba and current vice president Idriss Diallo won zero votes between them, with three former players withdrawing from the vote. “It’s time for change in our football. It needs modernity,” said Toure. “When I say I support Drogba, it’s also for the good of the country, to have a former player of his kind investing himself in Africa.” Drogba represented his country 105 times and announced his intent...
Activists press Morroco on fate of 39 political prisoners
Associated Press The fate of 39 Saharawi Political Prisoners in Moroccan jail have become the focus of a new regional campaign from African activists who are asking King Mohammed VI of Morocco to release the men for fear of their exposure to the coronavirus disease. The Movement for the Liberation of Western Sahara, (NMLWS) issued a statement on Wednesday in Abuja through its Nigerian coordinator, Oladipo Fasina, a philosophy professor and noted advocate for academic freedom. According to the statement, the Saharawi prisoners, held for seeking independence for Africa’s last colony, “are in grave danger of contracting the coronavirus as a result of their underlying health conditions resulting from extreme torture and hunger strike they have undergone as prisoners.” Mr Fasina said, “this arb...
France using artificial intelligence to check whether people are wearing masks on public transport
France is integrating new AI tools into security cameras in the Paris metro system to check whether passengers are wearing face masks. The software, which has already been deployed elsewhere in the country, began a three-month trial in the central Chatelet-Les Halles station of Paris this week, reports Bloomberg. French startup DatakaLab, which created the program, says the goal is not to identify or punish individuals who don’t wear masks, but to generate anonymous statistical data that will help authorities anticipate future outbreaks of COVID-19. “We are just measuring this one objective,” DatakaLab CEO Xavier Fischer told The Verge. “The goal is just to publish statistics of how many people are wearing masks every day.” The pilot is one of a number of measures cities around the world a...
Lockdown: Anambra lose N1.9 billion internal revenue in six weeks – official
Anambra State Government said it has lost about N1.9 billion from Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, in six weeks, due to the lockdown order to contain the dreaded coronavirus pandemic. In a telephone interview with newsmen, on Thursday, the Special Adviser to the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano, on Political Affairs, Chief Ifeato Obi-Okoye, disclosed that the lockdown was not only having an effect on residents but also on government as the generation of revenue was severely affected. According to him, it is not only residents that are running short of their daily incomes also the government has lost lots of revenue too. Although I’m not working in the Anambra State Inland Revenue Service (AIRS), I gave the estimate while speaking with Tribune Online that Anambra state government has l...
Inter ask Chelsea to drop asking price for Victor Moses
Inter Milan have reportedly asked Chelsea to drop their asking price for Nigerian utility player Victor Moses. According to Calcio Mercato, the Italian club are unwilling to match Chelsea’s €12 million price tag. Inter head coach Antonio Conte remains eager to sign Moses on a permanent deal at the end of his loan spell with the club. The Nezarrurri though will require Chelsea to drop their evaluation of the player if he is to complete a permanent switch to the San Siro at the culmination of the 2019-20 season. Moses spent the first half of the current campaign on-loan at Turkish Super Lig club Fenerbahce, but left the Istanbul-based club almost exactly a year after joining the them on an 18-month loan deal. The 29-year-old has made seven appearances for Inter across all competitions this s...
NCDC: Nigeria’s coronavirus response powered by electronic data tool
The Federal Government has said that it is using an electronic data collecting tool developed during the Ebola outbreak to drive Nigeria’s response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, stated this at the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19. According to him, the centre is making use of data to drive responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country for proper management. “The agency developed an electronic data collecting tool after the Ebola outbreak. The tool was the reason why Nigerians see the data of cases every day. The NCDC also has a tool for logistics management. We can tell with this tool where every single mask, medical gown or sanitiser has gone,” Dr Ih...
Nigeria extends ban on all flights by another two weeks
The Presidential Task Force on the control of the pandemic has announced a two-week extension of the ban of all flights in Nigeria which is due to expire on Thursday. Chairman of the task force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, said at its briefing in Abuja on Wednesday. He said: “Tomorrow (Thursday) marks the last day for the enforcement of the closure of Nigeria’s airspace to flights. We have assessed the situation in the aviation industry and have come to the conclusion that given the facts available to us and based on the advice of experts, the ban on all flights will be extended for an additional four weeks.” The Task Force has also alerted that the outcomes of the modeling it has adopted suggest that dangers lie ahead for the country. He said...
