AFRICAN NEWS FLASH

TWO Nasa astronauts lifted off from the launch pad of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday in a SpaceX rocket to start their historic mission to the International Space Station. The attempt is the first ever crewed space launch by a private company and follows last week's cancellation due to fears of a lightning storm.

Massive Shake -up at NNPC Next week. 3 Top members of Management Team and all M D of Subsidiaries affected. Details soon

Six  Nigerian Air Force  personnel attached to the former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, were Friday sentenced to jail by a General Court Martial. They were sentenced for conspiracy and illegally disposing service weapons issued for the protection of the late CDS, among others, the Punch newspaper reports. According to the report, in a statement on Saturday, the Director of Public Relations and Information, Ibikunle Daramola, said the aides were sentenced before the president of the GCM, David Aluku, at the NAF Base, Bill Clinton Drive, Abuja. Mr Aluku found the six guilty of absconding from the convoy of the former CDS, while it came under attack. The convicted personnel are: Squadron Leader Tom Gwani, Flight Sergeant Amu David, Flight Sergeant Philemon Degema, Flight Sergeant Sabo Simon, Sergeant Mukhtar Abdullahi and Sergeant Alfred Alexander. However, the statement did not indicate the number of charge counts levelled at the convicts and their jail terms but said “

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reconstitution of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). This decision was reached after the expiration of the term of the board members appointed in 2016. Members of the new Board are: Mohammed Lawal (North West), Tajudeen Umar (North East), Adamu Mahmood Attah (North Central), Senator Magnus Abe (South-South), Dr Stephen Dike (South East), and Chief Pius Akinyelure (South West). This was contained in a brief statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina and made available to DAILY POST on Saturday. The statement added that the new board will be in place for three years.

Lesotho’s Court of Appeal on Friday ordered the rearrest of former first lady Maesaiah Thabane after revoking her bail on murder charges over the 2017 killing of her husband’s estranged wife.

Former Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate, Sen. Tim Kaine and his wife Anne have tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, he announced Thursday. In a statement released by the senator’s office, Kaine (D-Va.) said that he had the flu earlier this year, but the symptoms lingered after he was prescribed standard medication to treat it.

President Muhammadu Buhari is currently participating in a virtual United Nations (UN) world forum on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond.

Data analysis by Dataphyte has shown the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) paid over 8 billion as salary upfront in January 2020. This is according to the  daily payment data published  on the open treasury portal. The review of salary payments between January and April 2020 showed two descriptions. The first description is January 2020 DPR Staff Salary. This has only five beneficiaries and sums to ₦29.6 million. The second description, which is 2020 DPR Staff Upfront Payment, had 605 beneficiaries and summed to ₦8 billion. 29 top officials received between ₦50 million and ₦71.7 million as upfront salary payment. Another 30 received between ₦30 million and ₦49.9 million. 51 staff members received between ₦20 million and ₦29.9 million. 119 others received between ₦10 million and ₦19.9 million. The remaining 375 staff members received between ₦5 million and ₦9.9 million. The treasury database also indicated that five DPR staff received double payment in the same period.

Nigeria's former Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, getting a second term as President of the African Development Bank are being currently threatened following allegations of corruption and favouritism levelled against him. The allegations against Adesina including misconduct, arbitrary recruitment, private gain, impediment to efficiency, singlehandedly overruling decisions taken by directors, nepotism, political lobbying, use of bank resources for private gains, have since raised doubts over his integrity and depleted confidence among major stakeholders and partners of the bank especially the United States Government.  The allegations were raised by “whistle-blowers” within the organisation.  Adesina is the sole candidate for the bank's Presidency to lead it through the next five years but with a fresh and independent probe of his administration being demanded by the United States, things may no longer go as expected for the Nigerian technocrat.  In a document seen by

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on Tuesday accused some federal lawmakers of demanding payment of N6.4 billion from it for unverifiable projects. It also accused the members of asking it not to send “certain files” to its forensic auditors in a bid to scuttle the probe ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari. The Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC urged the management of the National Assembly to investigate the activities of the lawmakers.

FAMILIES and friends may soon be having barbecues together under plans allowing different households to meet for the first time in months. Ministers looking to ease the  coronavirus lockdown restrictions  are hoping to approve small outdoors gatherings at home from next month. It will be capped at two households at a time — but will mean youngsters can

Minister for the Exterior, Arancha González Laya has confirmed the news Brits have been waiting for on her personal Twitter site just an hour ago, with a messages in Spanish, English and French. She posted: "The worst is behind us. In JULY we will; * gradually open to international tourists * lift the quarantine️ * ensure the highest standards of health safety We look forward 2 welcoming you!

BORIS Johnson has announced Brits can hit the high streets again from next week as he set out his plans for the staged reopening of shops in England at his Downing Street press conference. The Prime Minister has said Britain is heading into "step two" of his plan to get the country moving again. The UK will reopen thousands of high street shops, department stores and shopping centres next month. Outdoor markets and car showrooms could be reopened as soon as they are able to meet the COVID-19 secure guidelines from June 1. All other non-essential retail from June 15 if the government's tests are met. The PM said: "There are careful but deliberate steps on the road to rebuilding our country "We will set out our formal assessment of the five tests that we set for adjusting the lockdown later this week as part of the three-weekly review we are legally required to undertake by Thursday. "But because of the progress we are making I can, with confidence, put the B

Despite being cleared of all allegations of impropriety and fraud by the ethics committee of the  African Development Bank (AfDB) , the bank’s president, Akinwumi Adesina, still has another big hurdle to cross in his bid for re-election into office. The United States government has demanded that a fresh and in-depth investigation be conducted into the allegations against Mr Adesina using an independent investigator. On May 5, the ethics committee of the continental bank, headed by Takuji Yano, said in its report that Mr Adesina was not guilty on all counts. Mr Yano is a Japanese executive director charged with the responsibility of investigating allegations by some concerned employees against the official. The committee described the allegations that he (Mr Adesina) violated the code of conduct of the institution as “spurious and unfounded”. Allegations In its petition, the concerned staff accused Mr Adesina of 20 breaches of the bank’s code of conduct, including “unethical

The federal government on Saturday said it has concluded payment of April stipends to beneficiaries under the  N-Power programme .

Hon. Dora Siliya. Zambia Minister for Information and Broadcasting Services, has tested positive for COVID-19. Siliya who made this known in a video she shared on Saturday said she has since gone into self-isolation.

Ministers hope to strike pacts with top tourist destinations with low levels of infection. But if we can’t book a foreign holiday, it should be a bumper year for the British tourism industry Brits yearning for a summer getaway were given a glimmer of hope yesterday after Spain’s PM Pedro Sanchez announced: “We’ll be waiting for you from July.” The country, our fave hotspot with 15.2 million of us jetting there every year, will lift quarantine restrictions for foreigners from July 1. Our Government plans to quarantine people flying into the UK for two weeks, from June 8 – but the measures will be reviewed every few weeks and ministers hope to strike pacts with other top tourist destinations with low levels of infection. These travel arrangements will be know as “air bridges”, although details are still being ironed out. If we can’t book a foreign holiday, it should be a bumper year for the British tourism industry which hopes to be back in business by July. So what lies ahead for travel

A TOP Pakistani model is feared to be among the 96 people killed on a doomed passenger jet which crashed into a housing estate today. Zara Abid, who has more than 80,000 Instagram followers, is believed to have been on the Pakistan International Airlines  which plunged into homes near Karachi.

U.S. President Donald Trump  said he was considering conducting the upcoming G7 summit in Camp David, indicating he would want an in-person meeting rather than a teleconferencing session. As the coronavirus pandemic spread, Mr Trump in March cancelled the in-person meeting of the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the U.S., which was scheduled for June at Camp David in the US state of Maryland. “Now that our country is ‘Transitioning back to Greatness,’ I am considering rescheduling the G-7, on the same or similar date, in Washington, DC, at the legendary Camp David,” Mr Trump said in a tweet, using his slogan for easing lockdowns. “The other members are also beginning their COMEBACK. It would be a great sign to all – normalisation!” Following the president’s tweet, world leaders started to cautiously weigh in on the proposal. During his daily news conference, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was open to discussing an in-person meet

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved N2.923 billion contract for the provision of infrastructure for the manufacturing of oil and gas components at Odukpani, Cross River State. Briefing reporters after the virtual FEC meeting in Abuja, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief  Timipre Sylva , said the total contract sum of N2,923,480,976.70, including tax, was awarded to Messrs Kinetic Electro-Mechanical Limited with the completion period of 15 months. Sylva, who said the project would serve as an additional infrastructure facility for the manufacturing of oil and gas components in National Oil and Gas Park, added that upon completion, the project would boost capacity in oil and gas sector, provide job opportunities for Nigerians and boost economic activities in Odukpani. He said: “Today, council approved the provision of water and fire service equipment in the National Oil and Gas Park to be sited in Odukpani, Cross River State in the sum of N2,923,480,976.70. “The

Today's death toll refers to those who have died in all settings - including care homes, hospices and the wider community. The latest rise in deaths confirmed by the Department of Health is smaller than it was yesterday, when  545 more deaths were logged . Today's figures are a decline from last Wednesday's 494. It's the lowest number of deaths recorded on a Wednesday in the UK for the last eight weeks. The total number of cases Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden announced today is 525 lower than yesterday - but the discrepancy was not explained. In England, the total number of Covid-19 deaths rose to 25,079 today - up 166 from yesterday. NHS England confirmed the patients were aged between 33 and 99 years old and five had no known underlying health conditions. In Scotland, a total of 2,184 patients have died after testing positive for coronavirus - up by 50 from yesterday. In Wales, 14 more deaths were recorded overnight, bringing the overall tally there to 1,238. There h

Susan Idoko-Okpe, a British-Nigerian woman alleged to have COVID-19, has been released from Abuja isolation center after 54 days of unjust quarantine.

The Federal Government has undertaken a major re-organisation at Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) with the replacement of the Managing Director (MD) Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed with Sule Abdulaziz. This was contained in a statement by Mr. Aaron Animas, the Special Adviser to the Minister of Power Engr. Sale Mamman, Tuesday night. The statement read in full: “As part of continuing measures to reposition and improve the performance of the power sector in the country, the Honorable Minister of Power Engr. Sale Mamman hereby announces major changes at the Transmission Company of Nigeria,”. “Accordingly, the Managing Director of the TCN, Usman Gur Mohammed has been removed from office with immediate effect. He is being replaced with Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, as Managing Director, in acting capacity.

The Zamfara state government has denied having 10 new cases of COVID-19 as was allegedly announced by the National Center for Diseases Control, NCDC. The state therefore, demanded for an apology from the NCDC, saying it was improper to give Zamfara a wrong figure. A statement  by the state taskforce on COVID-19 signed by the Secretary, information sub-committee, Mallam Mustapha Jafaru Kaura, said their attention was drawn to the daily update of new confirmed cases of COVID -19 victims as released by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control(NCDC) nationwide with particular concern on the one released on Monday. According to him, the release where the NCDC unilaterally allocated 10 new confirmed cases to Zamfara, was wrong.

  All the details Coming .

The Russian oligarch bought it in 2004 -  just a year after he took over the reigns at Stamford Bridge  - when Hawaiian Airlines cancelled their order for the plane. And he keeps 'The Bandit' at the Harrods Aviation facility in Stansted Airport, for whenever needs it. But what's so special about Roman's wings? IT'S LAVISH As you can imagine, it's pretty much a palace in the sky. There's a stunning banquet hall on board with room for up to 30 guests to wine and dine. A kitchen, office and bedroom with a double bed were also installed on board as part of the modifications. The interior is made of precious metals and fine wood, including chestnut and gold trim. AS SECURE AS AIR FORCE ONE When you're one of the richest men in the world, you'll always have concerns for your safety. That's why 'The Bandit' has the same security system as Air Force One, which tra

Lesotho’s embattled Prime Minister Thomas Thabane announced his resignation on Monday, ending months of political uncertainty gripping the kingdom since he was accused of participating in his ex-wife’s murder. Thabane’s political rivals have piled pressure on the prime minister to step down early over allegations that he had a hand in the brutal 2017 shooting of Lipolelo Thabane, whom he was divorcing. His coalition was disbanded in parliament last week and he had been expected to resign by May 22, when a new government is due to be installed. “I decided to personally come and inform you that I am stepping down as prime minister of Lesotho,” Thabane told supporters in his Abia home constituency on the outskirts of the capital Maseru. The 80-year-old did not state when he would formally quit but government spokesman Nthakeng Selinyane said the premier would officially “announce his resignation” in an address to the nation on Tuesday. “It is rather difficult to part ways with something t

The Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Monday dismissed the case filed by the Social Democratic Party and its candidate in the last governorship election in the state, Natasha Akpoti. The petitioners had filed the case challenging the victory of Governor Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress in the November 16, 2019 governorship election in the state. The three-man tribunal led by Justice Kashim Kaigama in its unanimous judgment on Monday held that the petition failed woefully. It awarded the cost of N100,000 to be paid by each of the two petitioners to each of the three respondents – the Independent National Electoral Commission, the APC, and Bello. The total costs to be paid by the petitioners amount to N600,000,

The Presidency has said that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd.), will not make any broadcast on COVID -19 updates today. Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, made this known on Monday afternoon via Twitter. He said the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, would update the nation during its briefings. “No presidential broadcast on COVID-19 updates today. “None was planned. Rather, the Presidential Task Force will during its usual media briefings bring the nation up to speed on the next steps,” he tweeted.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has renewed the appointment of Benjamin Akabueze as Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation. This was contained in a statement on Sunday by the Yunusa Abdullahi, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed. Akabueze was first appointed as a Special Adviser on Planning to the President on February 15, 2016, but he was later re-deployed and appointed as DG of the budget office on June 10, 2016. His four-year appointment would expire on June 10, 2020, but it has been extended by another four years with the recent directive from the President. Also, the Presidency tweeted the confirmation of Akabueze’s reappointment on Sunday via its handle, @NGRPresident. “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the renewal of the tenure of Mr Benjamin Akabueze as Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation. The Budget Office is currently und

The 19-year-old wonderkid was the subject of interest from Pep Guardiola's side a year ago, but the club could not agree a deal with his parent club Velez Sarsfield. However, the Citizens are expected to face fierce competition to sign Almada, with rivals Manchester United also said to be tracking the young midfielder's situation.

Niger Delta leaders under the aegis of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) have condemned what they called lopsided appointments into top management positions at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries and departments in favour of the northern part of the country. Their position was contained in an open letter entitled, “Re: Addressing the Continued Injustice Against the Niger Delta People Vis the Lopsided Appointments in the NNPC and its Subsidiaries/Departments,” addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari at the weekend. The leaders called on the president to urgently correct the abnormality. They also reaffirmed the call for proper restructuring of the country. PANDEF, in the letter signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ken Robinson, rejected the deliberate and calculated sidelining of Niger Delta indigenes in appointments and redeployments in the NNPC and its subsidiaries. The group said the region’s marginalisation at the national oil

Former President Barack Obama spoke Saturday at “Graduate Together: High School Class of 2020 Commencement,” an event organized by XQ Institute, a think tank that works with schools, in partnership with LeBron James’s foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Here are Mr. Obama’s remarks in full: Hi, everybody. Aniyah, thank you for that beautiful introduction. I could not be prouder of everything you’ve done in your time with the Obama Foundation. And of course, I couldn’t be prouder of all of you in the graduating Class of 2020 — as well as the teachers, and the coaches, and most of all, parents and family who guided have you along the way. Now graduating is a big achievement under any circumstances. Some of you have had to overcome serious obstacles along the way, whether it was an illness, or a parent losing a job, or living in a neighborhood where people too often count you out. Along with the usual challenges of growing up, all of you have had to deal with

It's "unlikely" Brits will be able to travel to favourite hotspots on the Costa del Sol or anywhere else in Spain this summer, with travel bans being extended until June at the earliest Brits won't be able to go and soak up the sun in  Spain  until at least mid-June – but there's a chance holidaymakers will be denied entry until next year. Spain is beginning to ease its own social distancing measures after its devastating  coronavirus  outbreak, but the government remains anxious about a second wave. A state of emergency was declared on March 14, which included significant restrictions on movement throughout the country as well as strict new rules about entering Spain. It has now extended its ban on travellers until June 15, except for exceptional circumstances. Anyone who enters the country, including Spanish nationals, will have to self-isolate for 14 days.

Disinfecting streets does not eliminate coronavirus, Spraying disinfectant on the streets, as practised in some countries, does not eliminate the new coronavirus and even poses a health risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Saturday. In a document on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces as part of the response to the virus, the WHO says spraying can be ineffective. “Spraying or fumigation of outdoor spaces, such as streets or marketplaces, is… not recommended to kill the COVID-19 virus or other pathogens because disinfectant is inactivated by dirt and debris,” explains the WHO. “Even in the absence of organic matter, chemical spraying is unlikely to adequately cover all surfaces for the duration of the required contact time needed to inactivate pathogens.” The WHO said that streets and pavements are not considered as “reservoirs of infection” of COVID-19, adding that spraying disinfectants, even outside, can be “dangerous for human health”. The document also stresses that s

The Enugu State Government, in fulfillment of its plan to give palliatives to all journalists operating in the state, on Saturday, distributed food items to the members of the Radio Television Theatre Art Workers Union (RATTAWU) to cushion the effect of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) on them. The state government’s package for the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Enugu State chapter, was suspended to enable her members harmonize their list before distribution, in the interest of peace and security. Announcing the suspension, the Deputy Governor, Hon. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, who was represented by the Leader of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ikechukwu Ezeugwu, said that “we are taking back the share of the NUJ because the principal objective of government is the welfare and security of the people”. Presenting the palliatives to RATTAWU, on behalf of the Enugu State Government, the Deputy Governor disclosed that the gesture was in line with Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s

Some Senegalese mosques opened their doors on Friday after the government eased coronavirus restrictions, but others judged the rate of infection too high and stayed shut. Senegalese President Macky Sall said this week that public prayers could resume in the West African country, provided that mosques obey social-distancing rules. More than 90 percent of Senegal is Muslim and most of the faithful follow Sufi brotherhoods, which retain considerable influence in the nation of 16 million people. In the seaside capital Dakar on Friday, according to AFP journalists, thousands of worshippers flocked to Massalikul Jinaan mosque — which is one of West Africa’s largest and belongs to the powerful Mouride brotherhood. Mosque spokesman Mor Daga Sylla told AFP that religious authorities had insisted the faithful wash their hands and keep one metre away from one another. “We were uncompromising,” he said. [READ ALSO]  Coronavirus: FG to increase weekly testing by over 9,000 A similar scene played o

The Federal Government has ordered all aviation agencies to relocate their headquarters to Abuja within  45 days. The Ministry of Aviation officials confirmed this on Friday, adding that the directive only involves four of the ministry’s agencies, as two other key parastatals have their headquarters in Abuja and Kaduna. This came as some employees of the affected agencies complained that there were few office spaces in Abuja to accommodate the workforce. However, it was learnt that the directive by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, is aimed at cutting down the cost of governance by the Federal Government. Currently, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Accident Investigation Bureau and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency have their headquarters in Lagos. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has its headquarters in Abuja, while the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology has its in Zaria, Kaduna State. In a letter dated May 4, 2020, with r