Muhammadu Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari will on Friday (tomorrow) address the nation in commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day.
According to a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President’s message will be broadcast by 7am.
The statement read, “To commemorate Nigeria’s Democracy Day, President Muhammadu Buhari will broadcast to the nation on Friday, June 12, 2020, at 7am.
“Television and radio stations as well as other electronic media outlets are enjoined to hook up to the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority and Radio Nigeria respectively for the broadcast.”
Gov Sanwo-Olu Lifts Ban On Event Centers In Lagos
This was disclosed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf during a live Instagram session tagged “Ensuring Effective Health Safety and Environment Management System in Hospitality Industry- Post COVID-19”.
According to her, before any event centers will be permitted to open in the state, they must have met the necessary requirements of its newly introduced Register-to-Open initiative.
Responding to speculations relating to whether the number of persons allowed would exceed 20 persons, Akinbile-Yusuf, explained that at-most one-fifth of the capacity of the centre should house not more than 500 persons.
She said:
“This depends on the size of the event hall, if it is going to one-fifth of the normal occupancy level of each venue, then that is fine but no matter how big the event hall, it cannot occupy more than 500 people at a time, that is what the guideline says.
“This is not about 20 individuals in a building now, what we are saying is that one can have at-most one-fifth of the capacity of the hall. If you have a large event hall that can accommodate as many as 5,000, the maximum one cannot exceed is more than 500 at a time.”
Akinbile-Yusuf added:
“We have global guidelines that deal with both social and religious centres but we have specific ones for certain categories.”
The Deceased, Oluwamayowa Adeyemi
A young Nigerian man, Oluwamayowa Adeyemi was shot and killed outside his home in Hackney over the weekend.
Adeyemi, also known as Samson, 21, was killed in Clapton, east London, last Friday night June 5th. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, with a post-mortem revealing a gunshot wound to the chest as the cause of death.
Police were called at 11.30pm on June 5 to reports of shots fired in Brakenfield Close, E5. They found Samson suffering gunshot injuries outside his home where he later died.
Homicide detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command have appealed for information.
A 22-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on bail.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Considine said: 'Following initial enquiries we know that there were people in Brackenfield Close at the time of the shooting.
'I would urge those people, and anyone else who has information that could progress this investigation to get in contact immediately.'
He added: 'This is a tragic incident that has resulted in the loss of a young man's life and has left his family and friends devastated.
'If you can help us find those responsible, then please get in contact.'
Police Borough Commander Marcus Barnett said: 'We understand this is a concerning time for Hackney residents, but please be assured we have increased our resources in the borough and are providing support to the investigation team.
'Our thoughts remain with the victim and his family during this devastating time for them.
'Get in touch with us if you see something or know something about a crime that has either happened or might potentially happen - your information can save lives.'
Emeka Rollas
The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) says it has introduced communication links to tackle sexual assault and other forms of abuses on actors in Nollywood.
According to NAN, Emeka Rollas, AGN president, broke the news in Lagos on Thursday.
Rollas said the measure became imperative following recent cases of alleged rape and sexual molestation of some individuals in the industry.
He said he had already issued directive to Ronnie Dikko, his aide on sexual harassment and related abuses, to open communication links on the issue.
“The recent revelation of alleged rape and sexual molestation on some individuals in the film industry is calling for serious attention and I must put an end to such an abuse,” he said.
“It doesn’t speak well of us and of me as the president of AGN, I must restore sanity into the Nollywood industry as part of my commitments toward protecting my members and the image of this noble body.
“I have told my SSA to quickly open a special telephone line and an e-mail address through which the victims of this immoral act can reach out directly to the Guild.
“This will enable us seek redress and offer counseling process for complete healing to victims of sexual abuse.”
He urged all survivors of sexual abuse, molestation, financial demands and rape to make the best use of the links to send their petitions and complaints to the guild.
The AGN president specifically directed victims to Dikko and also gave the e-mail address as: “[email protected], or call 0705 397 5522 for direct information”.
According to him, the communication lines will be opened and all related matters will be treated with strict confidentiality and respect of victims.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu
The Lagos State Government says the decision to reopen schools in the state will be taken in two weeks, The PUNCH reports.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said this during a televised press briefing on Thursday.
Sanwo-Olu said the decision would be taken after an extensive meeting with stakeholders in the education sector.
He said, “I know we are all eager to know the plans we have for the reopening of our learning institutions. There is still a lot more works to be done in this regard and we are looking at the educational sector very differently.
“However, we will continue to have our online learning at our seven higher institutions.
“On primary and secondary schools, we will be engaging with the Ministry of Education and Lagos State Safety Commission, and we will be coming out with a full and specific pronouncement in two weeks’ time.
“Once the protocols have been agreed with the stakeholders at the primary and secondary level, as to when and how, the schools will be reopening.”
He also gave permission to all manufacturing companies to operate between 7am and 6pm.
This is as the governor announced that as from June 19 mosques will reopen, while churches can reopen as from June 21.
Details later…
Dr Sani Aliyu
The Federal Government has released the guidelines for religious centres to resume activities in the country, The PUNCH reports.
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Sani Aliyu, stated this on Tuesday during a briefing in Abuja.
He said, “In view of the widespread community transmission of COVID-19, it is important that places of worship operate in a safe manner to ensure the protection of public health, avoid outbreaks and safeguard the health of the vulnerable members of the population.
“To this end, the following guidelines have been developed as a minimum set of standards that have to be complied with for places of worship to safely operate nationwide.
“They have been developed by the PTF in liaison with the leadership of religious communities in the country and should be used as a baseline for states to allow these activities.
“It is important to note that due to the nature of religious congregations, places of worship are particularly recognised to have a major potential for spreading COVID-19 infections amongst worshippers.
“Therefore places of worship that are not able to comply with these measures should not be allowed to operate by state governments.
“The following measures are recommended;
“All places of worship must sign up to full compliance with all aspects of non-pharmaceutical interventions required to protect the public from COVID-19 including but not limited to ensuring the supply of running water and soap, alcohol sanitisers at entry and exit points in all high contact locations including bathrooms.
“Worshippers must sanitise their hands before entry.
“Worshippers must have temperature checks before entry and the supervision and the enforcement of this will be led by the leaders of these facilities.
“Use of face masks is mandatory.
“Strongly discourage all close contacts including shaking hands, hugging, using prayer mats, musical organs, microphones etc.
“The capacity of the facility should be limited to allow physical distancing of at least two meters between persons.
“Facilities should consider the use of cloth or surface markings to guide distancing and people from the same household should be encouraged to stay together.
“Local arrangements will apply to the capacity of these facilities but the most important thing is to make sure that the physical distancing rule applies.
“Local authorities will be advised in terms of areas of hotspots that might require greater restrictions
“Volunteers should be limited to exact numbers needed and none of the volunteers should have underlying medical conditions or be above the age of 55 years.
“Responsibility for enforcement will be with the leadership, church or mosque committees and supported by local authorities including state governments.
“Churches to open from 5am and close by 8pm.
“For churches, each service should be for a maximum of an hour with an interval of thirty minutes in between services to allow time for disinfection.
“Mosques may open 15 minutes before and ten minutes after prayers. The total time for Friday prayers should not exceed an hour.
“Islamiya schools, Sunday schools, night vigils, and children classes are to remain suspended.
“Worshippers should be encouraged to sign up for preferred worship and make the option of virtual service an option.
“There should be no gathering either or after worship and business outlets within the premises should remain closed.
“We are strongly advising vulnerable people with underlying conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases to please stay at home.
“Windows should be left open during services and preferably use open-air facility as much as possible.”
George Floyd
George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin after knee on his neck
An independent autopsy ordered by George Floyd's family has revealed that he was murdered by Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin after knee on his neck 'caused asphyxia that led to lack of blood flow to the brain.'
Attorney Ben Crump and co-counsel Antonio Romanucci, who are representing the family of George Floyd announced the findings of the independent autopsy on Monday afternoon, June 1st.
Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson were hired by the Floyd family's legal team to conduct the independent autopsy after rejecting the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's official ruling last week that he hadn’t died from 'strangulation or asphyxia'.
The duo said the sustained pressure applied by Officer Derek Chauvin on George Floyd's neck impeded blood flow to his brain, while weight applied by another officer, who had placed both of his knees into his back, also impeded his ability to breathe.
The cause of death was ruled mechanical asphyxia, with the manner of death ruled a homicide.
Their independent evaluation also found that Floyd had 'no underlying medical problems that caused or contributed to his death,' contrary to the rulings of the medical examiner that he had underlying health conditions including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease.
'The compressive pressure on the neck are not seen at autopsy because the pressure is released by the time the body has come to the medical office. It can only be seen when the pressure is being applied or in this instance in the video.
'This is confirmed by information from myself, from Dr. Wilson, and from the family,' Baden said. '[Mr. Floyd] was in good health.'
Floyd, 46, died in Minneapolis police custody on Memorial Day after officer Derek Chauvin pinned him to the ground and kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, ignoring his repeated cries of ‘I can’t breathe.’
'Many police officers are under the impression that if you can talk, then you can breath. And that's not true,' Baden said. 'So the concept of someone calling out "I can't breathe" whether that be Mr. Floyd, or Eric Garner should be taken seriously.'
Baden said that Floyd didn't respond to the paramedic's attempts at CPR or a cardiac shock while he was being transported to the hospital.
'The ambulance was his hearse,' Crump said during the Monday afternoon news conference. 'George died because he needed a breath 'I implore all of us to take a breath for justice, to take a breath for peace, to take a breath for our country, and to take a breath for George.'
Crump says Officer Chauvin should have been charged with first-degree murder and not third-degree murder. He also called for the arrests of the other three officers who were fired alongside him over Floyd's death - J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao.
Miss Vera Uwaila
One of the suspects linked to the rape and murder of Miss Vera Uwaila Omozuwa has been arrested by police officers attached to the Edo state police command.
The 22-year-old 100-level student of the University of Benin, Edo State was raped and killed while reading in a church in Benin city.
Spokesman of Edo police command, Chidi Nwabuzor confirmed the arrest while speaking to newsmen. He said the suspect was arrested after the deceased was rushed to the hospital and the fingerprint on the fire extinguisher she was attacked with was examined.
Nwabuzor said the suspect was apprehended after the Area Commander of Ikpoba Hill mobilized his men to take action.
Here Is The Video Below;
Majek Fashek
Nigerian singer-songwriter and guitarist, Majekodunmi Fasheke popularly known as Majek Fashek is dead.
Though the cause of the music legend's death is still unclear at the moment but it was gathered that he died in a hospital in New York in the late hours of Monday June 1.
Cynthia Morgan's former manager, Joy Tongo who confirmed Majek Fashek's death wrote on Instagram;
"Legendary musician, Mr. Majek Fashek has passed on today in New York City. Majek Fashek was a talented man from my home town Benin City, Edo State. RIP"
Majek Fashek's manager, Omenka Uzoma also confirmed his death. He however called for celebration of the legend's achievements in a short video.
Majek Fashek is best known for the 1988 album Prisoner of Conscience, which included the multiple award-winning single "Send Down the Rain". Before his death, he worked with various artists worldwide, including Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Cliff, Michael Jackson, Snoop Dogg and Beyoncé.
Here Is The Video Below;
Nigerian University Begins 2nd Semester Examination Online
The Vice-Chancellor of Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, has said the institution has commenced second-semester examination for students through the school online platform.
Professor Ogunwole noted that the Second Semester examination of 2019/2020 will be phased saying that the first phase which is virtual is to start on Monday 1st of June 2020.
A statement by the school Head of Information, Protocol and Public Relations, Mr Toba Adaramola, said the VC tasked the students to take time to carefully read the guidelines for the Online Examination as published on the University website.
The VC advised that students should not allow distractions and interference during the online examination and Parents should limit their meddling during the period. He noted that students who have not paid tuition fee will not participate in the online exam but will do so at a later date when they do the needful.
Mr Boss Mustapha
The Federal Government has said that schools would remain closed “for now”, The PUNCH reports.
The Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 made this known during its daily briefing on Monday.
While giving an update on the PTF announcement, the Personal Assistant on New Media to @MBuhari, Bashir Ahmad, tweeted, “For now, all the schools are to remain closed, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 announces the directive.
“The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has requested the Aviation Industry to start developing protocols for domestic flights to possibly resume from June 21.
“The interstate travel remains prohibited except for goods and essential travel, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 announces.”