AFRICAN NEWS FLASH

The Minister of Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, on Monday gave an update on the reopening of schools. Nwajiuba disclosed that all the 104 Unity Colleges across the country are ready to reopening for the final year classes. He said this during the daily briefing of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 in Abuja. According to Nwajiuba: “All the 104 Unity Colleges are ready to open their gates to exit classes tomorrow, August 4, 2020.”

Chief Whip of the Senate and former Governor of Abia State,  Senator Orji Uzor Kalu on Monday said  the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has not paid any dime to the contractors who built the roads he facilitated.  Kalu was reacting  to the communique written by Senator Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, where he  reportedly mentioned ex governors Emmanuel Uduaghan, James Ibori , Senator Ifeanyi Ararume , Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and others to the several contracts allotted by the NDDC In a statement signed by Barrister Emeka Nwala of office of the Senate Chief Whip and made available to THE NIGERIA DAILY , Kalu  said he believes the issues at stake in  the NDDC has to do with missing funds and not works done , adding that he is becoming worried over his name being used indiscriminately to sell newspapers without verifications . According to the Chief Whip , the road projects mentioned by the Honourable Minister are the interventions he facilitated fo

A BRAWL erupted on a flight from Amsterdam to Ibiza after two "drunk" British passengers refused to wear face masks. Footage appears to show a fight break out after takeoff on Friday - despite the airline specifically asking passengers to wear face coverings from first boarding call until they reach the arrival gate.

Ibom Air has announced that it has delivered additional aircraft, thus increasing its fleet to five aircraft. The Akwa Ibom state-owned airline said the aircraft would have been delivered earlier but was delayed due to the COVID-19. “After delays occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ibom Air is pleased to finally receive its fifth Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, the second of the two additional aircraft purchased in December 2019. The aircraft, with registration number 5N-BXO, arrived Lagos from Calgary, Canada at 00.05 am local time, Saturday morning, 01 August 2020).

The controversial Onitsha based pastor made the statement when he stormed Camp Neya, Igbere Abia State, the countryhome of the Chief Whip of the Senate and former Governor of Abia state, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu. Speaking in Igbo, he said he was in agreement with the President’s nephew, Mamman Daura who insisted that competence should be placed above zoning in choosing the next President of Nigeria but insisted that the most competent people come from the South-Eastern part of Nigeria. According to him it is only Igbo people that have the capacity to change the economy of Nigeria for good. Odumeje, accompanied by his team arrived Kalu’s hometown at exactly 2pm. He expressed happiness for getting access to Kalu after several attempts.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja reacted for the first time to the allegations of corruption levelled against the leaderships of some federal government agencies and commissions.

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG hit twice as Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final - and gained a route into Europe next season. The Gunners will now be in the Europa League, bumping Wolves - who are still in the competition - out of a place and sending Spurs out of the initial group stage.

In a list published today, Mrs May's husband was given a knighthood for “political service”, while the Prime Minister handed one to his remainer sibling.

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday celebrated the  Eid-el-Kabir festival  with his family at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The president had earlier announced that he would not be going for the traditional Islamic eid prayer held in large gatherings, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Buhari also said he would not be entertaining visitors during the Islamic celebration. Photos of the celebration the president had with his family were shared by presidential aides on Friday.

The Borno state Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum has pointed an accusing finger on the Military in Baga Town where his convoy was attacked, saying that the attack on his convoy by unknown gunmen was complete sabotage in the fight against insurgency in the Northeast.

FORMER Tory MP Charlie Elphicke was today found guilty of three sex attacks after groping the breasts of two younger women - and immediately DUMPED by his wife. Elphicke, 49, bowed his head as he was convicted following a three-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Mr. Ouattara on Wednesday asked for more time to consider the nomination, indicating he would announce his decision in a speech to the nation on 6 August.

The World Bank Board of Directors on Wednesday approved a $500m credit from the International Development Association for the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, to improve secondary education opportunities among girls in targeted areas. The World Bank said the project would support access to secondary education and empowerment for adolescent girls in seven states which are Kano, Kebbi, Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, Plateau and Ekiti. The bank said this in a statement titled, “Nigeria to boost support for keeping adolescent girls in school.”

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on Tuesday, affirmed Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the validly elected Senator for Kogi West Senatorial District.

The Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) rose from a virtual meeting yesterday with a threat to sanction recalcitrant parties in the ongoing political crisis rocking Mali. The organisation, comprising West African leaders, said it would wield the big stick against groups which refuse to abide by recommendations prescribed to restore peace to the troubled country. “The ECOWAS Heads of State and Government request the commission to consider sanctions against all those who act contrary to the normalisation process of the crisis,” they said.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 829 COVID-19 patients were discharged on Monday. The NCDC in a tweet said the number was the highest in one day since the index case was reported on Feb. 27. Nigeria, It said, has successfully treated 18,203 cases of COVID-19. The NCDC data showed that 648 new COVID-19 infections were recorded in 21 states across the country, which brought the total number of confirmed cases to 41,180. It stated that regrettably two deaths were recorded in the country. The health agency said that the new COVID-19 infections were reported in Lagos, 180, Plateau, 148, FCT, 44, Ondo, 42, Kwara, 38, Rivers, 32, Oyo, 29, Kaduna, 21 and Osun, 20. Others were Edo and Ogun, 17 each, Ekiti, 11, Kano, Benue, Delta and Abia, 9 each, Niger, 7, Gombe, 3, Borno, Bauchi and Imo, 1 each. According to it, till date, 41,180 cases have been confirmed, 18,203 cases, discharged and 860 deaths recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Tanzanian opposition heavyweight, Tundu Lissu, who was shot 16 times in a 2017 attack, returned home from exile on Monday to challenge President John Magufuli in elections later this year.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has finally picked up the gauntlet thrown down by the National Assembly to name lawmakers who got contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The minister, in a document attached to his response to the threat by the House of Representatives to sue him over the allegations that federal lawmakers were the major contractors of NDDC, listed four senators as receiving 74 contracts from the commission between 2017 to date He also accused the Chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of inserting 19 contracts worth N9 billion into 2019 NDDC budget. House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, had last week given Akpabio a 48-hour ultimatum to identify lawmakers that are NDDC contractors as he alleged during his testimony before the House Committee on NDDC. However, a few hours after the expiration of the ultimatum, Gbajabiamila had signified the House’s readiness to he

Former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa was suffering from malaria and died of a heart attack, his family said Sunday, scotching rumours that he succumbed to coronavirus. “Mkapa was found with malaria and he was admitted for treatment since Wednesday,” family member William Erio revealed during a funeral mass broadcast on state television TBC1. Mkapa, who ruled the East African country for two terms from 1995 to 2005, died early Friday aged 81 in a Dar es Salaam hospital but the government did not reveal the cause of the death.

ABUJA-SOME lecturers of tertiary institutions and workers in the federal and state ministries, departments and agencies were among the beneficiaries in the federal government’s batches A and B N-Power scheme,expected to end this month,Vanguard has learnt.

In a bid to stem the spread of the Coronavirus in the workplace, the federal government has provided facilities for the conduct of tests for civil servants in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

France will require on-the-spot coronavirus tests for people arriving from 16 countries where the pandemic is circulating widely, Prime Minister Jean Castex said Friday. France does not allow general travel to and from these countries, which include the United States and Brazil. Along with the United States and Brazil, which are reporting tens of thousands of new cases each day, the countries include Algeria, Bahrain, Israel, India, South Africa, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Panama, Peru, Serbia, Turkey and Madagascar.

South Korea will start letting limited numbers of fans back into baseball and football stadiums, an official said Friday, as authorities seek to restore normality after the coronavirus crisis. The country endured one of the worst early outbreaks outside China but appears to have brought it broadly under control with an extensive “trace, test and treat” programme while never imposing a compulsory lockdown. Social distancing rules were relaxed in early May and some professional sports — including baseball and football — started new seasons behind closed doors.

Madagascar COVID-19 herb syrup did not show any evidence that it has real curative properties against COVID-19.

The House of Representatives on Thursday adjourned plenary till September 15, 2020 to enable members proceed on the annual summer vacation. The adjournment followed the adoption of a motion moved by the Leader of the House, Hon. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, and seconded by the Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu. The House, following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, reduced plenary session to once a week and also had a five-week shutdown of legislative activities. In June, the lawmakers embarked on a two-week break to celebrate its one-year anniversary.

Nigerian Minister of labour refuses to tender copy of Presidential approval for the suspension of Management of NSITF to house of rep committee

The United States has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston in a dramatic escalation of diplomatic tensions between the feuding superpowers. Wednesday’s announcement infuriated Beijing, which vowed to retaliate as the two countries squabble over a slew of issues ranging from trade to the coronavirus pandemic and China’s policies in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the South China Sea. “We have directed the closure of PRC Consulate General Houston, in order to protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters during US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Copenhagen.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it had approved $7.6 million debt relief to Burundi to help address the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It said the relief for three months would be potentially raised to $24.97 million over the next 21 months if resources are available. “IMF debt relief will help free up resources for public sector health needs, including other emergency spending and help mitigate the balance of payments shock posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,’’ the IMF said in a statement.

He died in Abuja while undergoing a routine medical check-up. He was 78 years old. He reportedly suffered a massive heart attack during the medical check-up. Profile SINCE Alhaji Ismaila Isa Funtua commenced his working career at the Katsina Native Authority many decades ago, he remained as constant as the northern star in the polity. In his public and private endeavours, the Manchester University-trained administrator was indisputably remarkable. His feats as a businessman, media patron and administrator distinguished him as an exceptional statesman, whose image was profitable to Nigeria’s developmental trajectory. Funtua was one of the few who could truly be called statesmen given the admiration he commanded. His reputation for making good judgements in the polity was reminiscent of Mikhail Gorbachev’s statement: “A statesman does what he believes is best for his country, a politician does best what gets him re-elected.” Clearly, Funtua, who was the Minister of Water Reso

14 Bournemouth beach has today been evacuated after three beach huts caught on fire just before 4pm 14 Dramatic pictures show beach huts on fire - with the flames spreading to the steep trees behind Credit: UK News in Pictures 14 Firefighters work to put out the blazing fire that started in a beach hut  Credit: Hyde News & Pictures Ltd 14 Sunseekers watched on in horror as the inferno ripped up a steep hill Credit: Twitter/missberkova 14 People have been told to stay away from the area, with residents advised to keep doors and windows closed 14 A team of 40 firefighters battled to control the flames which burnt down three beach huts  Credit: Hyde News & Pictures Ltd A team of 40 firefighters battled to control the flames which burnt down three beach huts on the promenade and covered 100 square metres of cliff face. Huge plumes of black smoke billowed across the beach as horrified beach-goers watched on as firefighters climbed up the cliff with hoses. Beach huts on the seafront

Minister for Niger Delta, Chief Godswill Akpabio, on Monday, told the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. The Minister made the disclosure, which he was fielding questions before the Committee investigating corruption allegations at the Commission.

The Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Daniel Pondei, has fainted while being questioned by the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission.

PRINCESS Beatrice and her new husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi have released more photos from their secret wedding - but there's still no sign of Prince Andrew.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama has tested positive for coronavirus. Onyeama confirmed the development in a tweet on Sunday. He said his result came back positive after a fourth test, adding that he was on his way to an isolation center. “Did my fourth COVID-19 test yesterday at the first sign of a throat irritation and unfortunately this time it came back positive. That is life! Win some, lose some. “Heading for isolation in a health facility and praying for the best. #StayHomeSaveLives #COVID19 #PTFCOVID19.” Nigeria currently has recorded over 36,000 cases and 778 deaths.

PROFILE A security and communication expert with over 30 years’ experience in international peace and security negotiation involving national and regional governments in volatile regions with an emphasis in the Niger Delta and North-Eastern Nigeria. Have demonstrable experiences of conflict prevention attempts at the Horn of Africa and Sub-Saharan African regions including the Lake Chad Basin. Other selected experiences include strategic communication and Consultancy in border security, image building, international and regional conflict prevention and management, peacebuilding and community reconstruction.  Core Skills    Negotiation and Conflict management   Strategic Communication and influential imaging  Consultancy in security strategy     Data collection and forensic analysis  Entrepreneurial and strong problem solving   Project management and decision-making    Excellent reporting and presentation skills  Excellent teamwork and partnerships  Listening and a

Barcelona coach Quique Setien says he agrees with captain Lionel Messi on some matters but not others, and claims he is still optimistic about Champions League success this season. Messi gave a passionate post-match interview after Barca's 2-1 defeat by Osasuna on Thursday as the Blaugrana lost out on the LaLiga title to fierce rivals Real Madrid. In his interview, the Barca captain warned that many things would need to change for the Catalans to have any chance of European glory when the Champions League resumes next month. "There are some things with Messi I agree with and others I don't," Setien said on Saturday. "If we play badly, as we have in some matches, we won't be good enough [to win the Champions League]. But if we play as we have in others, we will be.

Coach Quique Setien is still without the injured Antoine Griezmann and Samuel Umtiti for the trip to Alaves, while Gerard Pique, Ivan Rakitic and Junior Firpo miss out through suspension and Arthur has not been selected after complaining of an ankle problem. Ansu Fati and Riqui Puig are in the squad, even though they were both due to play in a key promotion play-off for Barca B. That leaves very few options for Setien, with just five on the bench (with 12 currently allowed post-pandemic) and just three outfield players as substitutes. The under-pressure Barca coach could hand a start to Frenkie de Jong in midfield after the Dutchman made his return from a calf injury as a late substitute in the 2-1 defeat at home to Osasuna on Thursday night. “It’s important that we finish with better feelings than we had in the last game,” Setien said on Saturday. “And we have to prepare for the Champions League.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the naming of the railway complex in Agbor, Delta State, after Nigeria's former President, Goodluck Jonathan. Tolu Ogunlesi, Special Assistant to President Buhari on Digital and New Media, disclosed this on Twitter on Saturday.

A businessman rumoured to have married Ghislaine Maxwell boasted that he was dating a "high profile woman", it is claimed. A businessman rumoured to have married Ghislaine Maxwell boasted that he was dating a "high profile woman", it is claimed. A family friend claimed Scott Borgerson had led his family to believe he was dating "a model or something". But Borgerson's family say they have no knowledge of him marrying alleged sex trafficker Maxwell, the ex-girlfriend of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. There is no suggestion Borgerson is in any way linked to the allegations Maxwell faces. Prosecutors revealed that Maxwell was married, but did not name her husband in a hearing last week. Tech entrepreneur Borgerson, 43, is said to have left his wife in 2014 for Maxwell.

The government has paused announcing daily death toll figures from coronavirus - amid concerns over their accuracy. A review has been launched after experts said the number of fatalities could be over-exaggerated - but the move had been branded "odd". Academics have said the way that Public Health England(PHE) calculates the data means they might look worse there than in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But there is unlikely to have been a "massive distortion", a member of the Independent Sage group said. In a statement, the Department for Health and Social Care said: "The Secretary of State has today, 17 July, asked PHE to urgently review their estimation of daily death statistics. "Currently the daily deaths measure counts all people who have tested positive for coronavirus and since died, with no cut-off between time of testing and date of death.

Data gathered from King's College London's Covid-19 symptom study app gives fresh insight into who is most likely to be hospitalised. Researchers say their work could have “important implications” for caring and monitoring people who are most vulnerable ahead of any second wave of the disease. They found that most people who require support breathing go to hospital around 13 days after they develop the first symptoms, And knowing who is most likely to suffer a severe infection as early as day five could help save people’s lives.

The Enugu State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure has reacted to what it described as “a mischievous and false graphic illustration of crack” on the ongoing Pedestrian Crossing Bridge, at Ogbete Main Market, Enugu, trending on social media. In a statement, shortly after reassessing the project to re-ascertain its structural integrity following the public outcry over the misleading images on social media, the Ministry maintained that “the bridge structure is intact” stressing the picture showing a crack was misleading and does not represents the true image of the structure. The authorities of the ministry, after assessing the project to ascertain the veracity of the outcries, stated that the structure of the bridge was intact. According to the ministry, “There is no crack on the pedestrian bride, but a designed construction joint at mid-span pier which is applicable to other similar bridges. There are no structural defects from the stair flights through the landings to th

The 70-year-old, who had been on a life support machine since last Friday at First Cardiology Hospital in Ikoyi, Lagos, after slipping into a coma following Coronavirus complications, finally died on Thursday, according to findings by SaharaReporters.

One of the members of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress laying claim to the chairmanship of the party, Mr. Victor Giadom, has summoned a virtual meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC).

South Africa will roll out the first African first coronavirus vaccine trial this week, the university leading the pilot said Tuesday, as the country grapples with the highest number of cases in Africa. The vaccine, developed by the Oxford Jenner Institute, is already being evaluated in Britain, where 4,000 participants have signed up for the trial. South Africa has set out to vaccinate 2,000 people with the vaccine known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. Fifty of the candidates have HIV.