AFRICAN NEWS FLASH

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.

President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, has ordered the immediate arrest and prosecution of the persons behind the attack at the Nigerian Embassy in Accra, Ghana, leading to the destruction of property in the embassy.

The power tussle between Federal Ministry of Finance and Federal Ministry of Power over the control of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) continued on Monday when the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed inaugurated the board of NBET with the purportedly sacked Dr Marilyn Amobi still recognised as managing director/chief executive officer. Minister of Power, Mr Saleh Mamman on Monday last week announced the appointment of Dr Nnaemeka Eweluka as a replacement for Amobi, as approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Presiding LGA officers in the All Progressives Congress Primaries in Edo Edo State have sent in preliminary results of the election. Below is a breakdown of the results; Oredo Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu. 1902 Hon Osaro Obaze 308 Dr Pius Odubu 67 Ovia North East Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu 1650 Hon Osaro Obaze 70 Dr Pius Odubu 124 Ovia South West Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu 1668 Hon Osaro Obaze 79 Dr Pius Odubu 107 Ikpoba Okha Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu 1581 Hon Osaro Obaze 67 Hon Pius Odubu 99 Uhunmwonde LGA Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu 1394 Dr Pius Odubu 274 Hon Osaro Obaze 183 Orhionmwon Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu 1750 Hon Osaro Obaze 171 Hon Pius Odubu 418 Egor Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu 1794 Hon Osaro Obaze 53 Dr Pius Odubu 81 Igueben Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu 1300 Hon Osaro Obaze 178 Dr Pius Odubu 251 Esan Centra Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu 1033 Hon Osaro Obaze 114 Dr Pius Odubu 170 Esan South East Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu 1400 Hon Osaro Obaze 144 Dr Pius Odubu 205 Esan West Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu 1

Eminent socio-cultural leaders from southern and middle-belt Nigeria have sued the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for N50 billion over marginalisation of the people of the region in the appointments to security, quasi-security agencies and “strategic agencies” of government. The 16 plaintiffs filed the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/595/2020, at the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 8, 2020. Among the plaintiffs are an Ijaw leader, Chief E. K Clarke, the Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Dr John Nwodo, a leader of the Middle Belt people, Dr. Pogu Bitrus.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Monday, assured state governors elected on the platform of the All Progressive Congress that the crisis rocking the ruling party will soon be resolved.

The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor will try Monday to overturn last year’s shock acquittal of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo on charges of crimes against humanity. Gbagbo and his right-hand man Charles Ble Goude were in January 2019 cleared of allegations of post-electoral violence in the restive West African nation in 2010-11 in which around 3,000 people died. The one-time Ivorian strongman, the first former head of state to be tried by the ICC, had spent eight years behind bars in The Hague before his surprise acquittal by the court. Appeals judges will this week listen to arguments by the ICC’s chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, who says the court erred in letting Gbagbo and Ble Goude go. The two-day hearing will be “partially virtual” due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ICC said, and it was unclear whether Gbagbo and Ble Goude would physically be in court or follow hearings remotely. The ICC last month allowed Gbagbo, 75, to leave Belgium where he

Hotels in Britain are likely to be able to open from July 4 with the easing of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions by the Government -  and many overseas properties are already welcoming guests. But how will your experience shape up with enhanced hygiene protocols and social distancing? And will you even want to sleep in a room where a stranger stayed the night before? Brands and chains around the world are working hard to ramp up their hotel cleaning programmes to reassure guests and boost public confidence in booking a stay.

THE incumbent deputy governor of Ondo State, Hon Agboola Ajayi Sunday resigned his membership of the All Progressive Congress (APC). He pointedly declared that he would not resign his appointment as the state deputy governor no matter the intimidation. Ajayi, thereafter, picked the membership card of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party at his Kirobo, Apoi Ward 2 Ese Odo. The terse two paragraphs letter was addressed to both the ward and Ese- Odo council chairmen.

Below is the submission made by the President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, in defence of himself over 16 allegations made against him by some whistleblowers who accused him of violating the bank’s code of conduct. Mr Adesina made the submission to the Ethics Committee of the bank which conducted a preliminary investigation into the allegations. Our source had on May 27 published a summary of Mr Adesina’s submission after sighting the document. But here now is the verbatim submission made by the AfDB president, at least for the record. You will most likely find it interesting. April 8, 2020 CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM To: Ethics Committee of the Board of Directors, African Development Bank From: Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina, President, African Development Bank Group Re: Disclosure by an Unidentified Group of Concerned Staff I understand that the Ethics Committee (the “Committee”) will convene on April 9, 2020, in order to consider the anonymous January 19, 2020 Disclosure of

Following allegations of a cover-up in the investigation of an N2 billion contract scam involving the Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending, NIRSAL, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami has advanced reasons for insisting on police investigation alone.

A US judge refused Saturday to block the release of a tell-all book in which President Donald Trump’s former national security advisor, John Bolton, describes him as corrupt and incompetent.

Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki Friday formally joined the Peoples Democratic Party, after his resignation from the All Progressives Congress, which disqualified him from participating in the upcoming governorship primary.

Nobel Prize-winning activist Malala Yousafzai, who moved to Britain after being shot for campaigning for girls’ education in Pakistan, described her joy Friday at graduating from Oxford University.

The Federal Government yesterday said the June 21 date for resumption of domestic flights was no longer feasible. The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who disclosed this during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja, said the industry was not ready yet to resume operation.

The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced, on Thursday, new oil discovery in the shallow waters of Geisum concession south of the Gulf of Suez, with an initial production rate of 2,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Indications showed that the new discovery, referred to as GNN-4, contains about 70 million barrels of extractable crude oil, the Egyptian Oil Ministry said in a statement. The discovery was made by Petrogulf Misr joint company, on behalf of Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC), Pico GOS Petroleum Company Limited and the Egyptian unit of Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC), the ministry said. The concession is technically supervised by Ganoub El Wadi Petroleum Holding Co., according to the statement. In early June, Egypt announced a new oil discovery made by Borg Al Arab Petroleum Company at Abu Sennan concession in the Western Desert, with a planned daily production rate of 4,100 barrels of crude oil and 18 mill

The United States and the Nigerian government on Tuesday discussed the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the constructive role of multilateral initiatives in accelerating economic recovery and regional security. Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who is the President of the bank, had been in the eye of the storm over allegations of impropriety leveled against him by whistle blower. Despite being given a clean bill of health by the bank’s Ethics’ Committee in its report which was accepted by the Board of Governors, some AfDB non regional stakeholders, notably the United States, rejected the report and called for a fresh probe by an independent body.

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Tuesday, while commenting on the alleged inconsistencies in his credentials which was one of the reasons for his disqualification said someone who hasn’t gone to school, who doesn’t have certificate himself, will not know and understand what inconsistencies in certificates are.

The President of Arewa youth consultative Forum, Shettima Yerima in an interview with Vanguard said the North will be vying for the presidency comes 2023.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu has suspended the reopening of worship centres in Lagos State, earlier planned to begin from June 19, until further notice.

Following his boss’s footsteps, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has announced his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC). Mr Obaseki announced this after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja, Channels Television reports. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how Mr Obaseki said he would take a decision on his membership of the APC after meeting with the Nigerian leader. Mr Obaseki was last week disqualified by the APC from participating in the party’s governorship primary slated for June 22. Although he wants to contest for a second term in office, the APC denied the governor the chance to do that, alleging inaccuracies in his school certificates.

Shareholders of the African Export-Import Bank have voted and re-appointed Prof. Benedict Oramah as president of the pan-African multilateral financial institution for a second five-year term. The decision was announced on Sunday in Cairo following Afreximbank’s 27th Annual General Meeting of shareholders which was held by circulation of resolutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, according to a statement.

Burundi’s newly-elected president, Evariste Ndayishimiye, will be sworn in on Thursday, the foreign ministry announced, in a ceremony fast-tracked by the sudden death of the incumbent, Pierre Nkurunziza.

SHOPPERS bundled into Nike's flagship London store ignoring social distancing rules earlier today. The Oxford Street store opened its doors today for the first time in three months as the coronavirus lockdown rules for the high street are eased.

The Federal Capital Territory Ministerial Enforcement Task Force on COVID-19 Restrictions has sealed Jabi Lake Mall indefinitely for violating the government's directive on ban on public gathering.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has denied the purported resignation of its acting Director General (DG), Ms. Mary Uduk, from the Commission.

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, in a bid to survive the onslaught in the All Progressives Congress, APC, is currently meeting with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike. This seems like the beginning of the political rebranding regarding the hope of Obaseki ahead of the Edo Guber.

SO it’s your 12th birthday and to celebrate we’ll have four hours of tennis, a few rounds of boxing, 30 minutes of ballet and an hour of taekwondo. Then back home for a slice of cake before collapsing into bed. And tomorrow, we’ll be back to training hard again. Welcome to the world of a young Venus Williams, as witnessed by the man who helped transform her from gangly kid to Grand Slam champion. A superstar who, remarkably, is still going strong as she celebrates her 40th birthday on Wednesday. Rick Macci, 65, coached her back in the day and distinctly recalls that June of 1992. He tells the Sunday Mirror: “Her birthday wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies and sunshine. She had only one goal in mind – to be the best in the world. I’ve never seen that much determination in anyone of any age.

Violence erupts across UK between far-right and Black Lives Matter protesters A total of 15 people have been injured so far in London as far-right protesters bombarded officers with vodka bottles and smoke bombs before taunting rival demonstrators with chants

PART of Beijing is in 'wartime mode' and tourists are banned from visiting over fears of a second wave of the deadly coronavirus. It comes after a spike in  infections  was linked to a major meat market in the Chinese capital this week.

PRESIDENT Trump has pushed a campaign rally in Oklahoma back one day after angering black leaders by originally scheduling it for Juneteenth. The event to be held in Tulsa - site of a race massacre - is now set for June 20.

A former United States Ambassador to , John Campbell, has said insecurity in Nigeria, especially in the North, appears to be worsening. Referencing the killings in the region in recent times, especially the June 10 banditry attacks in Katsina State and those on June 9 in Borno State, the ex-US envoy said the two assaults were examples of different aspects of insecurity in northern Nigeria.

The coronavirus death toll in the US topped 116,500 cases today, which is as high as the number of Americans killed during WW1. Since the coronavirus was unleashed across the globe earlier this year, the US has claimed the unwanted title as the nation with officially the highest death toll. It has also today passed a grim milestone, not only is the US the country with the highest Covid-19 death toll, but it has now recorded 116,731 fatalities – more dead than during its entire involvement during WW1. Having entered the conflict late, the US has a low death toll when compared to the UK, France and Germany. Since declaring war on Germany in 1917, the US would lose 116,516 soldiers in the trenches, fields and hospitals in Western Europe. The entry of the US cemented the allies' position and proved to be a tide that Germany could not keep at bay, with President Woodrow Wilson sending millions of Americans to a continent many had never been to before.

Burundi’s constitutional court on Friday ruled that the country’s newly elected leader Evariste Ndayishimiye be rapidly sworn in following the sudden death of President Pierre Nkurunziza earlier this week. Nkurunziza’s death on Monday, aged 55, came after the May election of his successor Ndayishimiye, who was meant to be inaugurated in August. The unusual situation raised questions over how the transition would be managed, as the constitution calls for the speaker of the national assembly to step in if the president dies.

Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska on Friday June 12, announced that she tested positive for Coronavirus amid a rise in infections in the country.    The First Lady also disclosed that her husband, President Volodymyr Zelensky and their two children tested negative for the virus. Olena added that she is receiving outpatient treatment and is isolated from her family “in order not to put them in danger.”   On Friday, the ex-Soviet country reported 29,753 cases and 870 fatalities. This came after Ukrainian authorities said there had been an “alarming” rise in coronavirus cases as the country eases lockdown restrictions.   Ukraine has so far reported over 29,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 870 deaths. The government started gradually easing lockdown restrictions in late May with the resumption of public transportation and the reopening of malls and gyms.

A mother should breastfeed her newborn baby even if she has a suspected or confirmed case of the new coronavirus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday. “Based on the available evidence, WHO’s advice is that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any potential risks of transmission of COVID-19,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing. “Mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be encouraged to initiate and continue breastfeeding and not be separated from their infants unless the mother is too unwell,” he said.

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has said he will not appeal his disqualification from All Progressives Congress, APC, primaries, an act he described as “Oshiomhole’s rascality.” However, while reacting to Obaseki’s disqualification, a party official told  Vanguard  that the screening committee had finished its job and that any aggrieved aspirant should go to the Appeal Committee. Meanwhile, Governor Obaseki’s position on the disqualification was contained in a statement by Mr. Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy. Obaseki said: “We have watched the mockery of democratic process, which Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is administering and superintending over in our great party, the All Progressives Congress, APC. “It has been an unfortunate, disheartening and dreadful spectacle.”

Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, a former Chief Security Officer to late Gen. Sani Abacha, said there were eight attempts to topple the maximum ruler before he died. Abacha died on June 8, 1998, aged 54. While speaking in an interview on the Hausa Service of the  British Broadcasting Corporation,  monitored in Kaduna on Thursday, Al-Mustapha said Nigerians only knew of three coup attempts that his boss survived. “Let me tell you something about Abacha, eight coups were staged to topple him before he died.  

NATIONAL BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI ON DEMOCRACY DAY, JUNE 12TH 2020 Read the speech by the President below: Fellow Nigerians, 1. The 2020 celebration of Democracy Day marks 21 years of uninterrupted civil administration in our dear country. This day provides us an opportunity to reflect on our journey as a nation, our achievements and struggles. 2. It is a day to honour our founding fathers who toiled to establish our republic and every Nigerian who has worked tirelessly to sustain it. 3. We are celebrating this year’s Democracy Day despite the COVID-19 pandemic which afflicts our nation and the whole world. 4. It is indeed a very difficult time for everyone especially those who have lost loved ones to the virus and those whose sources of livelihood have been severely constrained by the stringent measures we introduced at every level of government to contain the virus and save lives. 5. The dedication of our health and other essential services staff towards containing thi

Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha Buhari, on Wednesday, announced that she lost a protocol officer, Sani Yekini, after battling with diabetes. Aisha, who made the announcement in a tweet on her official Twitter handle, described Yekini who has been working with her for four years as “a very committed, dedicated and courageous staff.” “On behalf of my family and the entire staff of my office, I wish to condole the family of Mr Sani Yekini, a protocol officer in my office who died earlier today.

Ahead of its June 22 governorship primary election in Edo state, the All Progressives Congress APC on Wednesday screened its six aspirants with the screening committee receiving six petitions against the governor and one against Mr Mathew Iduoriyekemwe. The governor who came out of the screening room around 10 pm expressed misgivings at the operations of the committee, saying with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole dictating affairs of the party, he knows he cannot get justice.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine won an endorsement for his anti-corruption policies with the approval of a $5 billion lending program from the International Monetary Fund.

Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum, has confirmed the killing of 81 persons by Boko Haram terrorists who invaded Faduma Koloram village in Gubio Local Government Area (LGA), on Tuesday.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday assented to the $5.513 billion foreign loan request by President Muhammadu Buhari. The Senate approved the loan request last week. This means all three loan requests by the president before the National Assembly have been passed by both Houses. Last month, both Houses approved an ₦850 billion borrowing request made by the President, which is to be sourced from domestic markets “to fund critical capital projects in the 2020 budget.” Another $22.7 billion foreign loan which was approved by the Senate in March was, last week, approved by the House of Representatives. The newly assented $5.513 billion foreign loans are the latest of the string of loans eyed by the federal government. Nigeria’s debt profile, as of September 30, 2019, was ₦26.2 trillion. Of this amount, total domestic debts is about ₦18 trillion, or 68.45 per cent. About ₦8 trillion are owed to foreign lenders. Meanwhile, the green chamber also passed the 2020 revised budget, having

The United Nations has issued a new voting procedure for the election of its next General Assembly president slated for June 17 in New York. Also to be elected the same day are five new nonpermanent members of the Security Council, and 18 new members of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The new procedure is contained in a letter by the current President of the General Assembly, Amb. Tijani Muhammad-Bande, to ambassadors of the 193 UN member countries on Tuesday evening. Muhammad-Bande had earlier informed them that the elections would hold in line with social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The members of Ethiopian House of Peoples Representatives (MPs) have on Wednesday endorsed the extension of the nation’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, term as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced the authorities to postpone elections slated for August. According to the state media, the PM may remain in power till international health institutions announced the pandemic is over. The move by the House of Federation, the upper house of parliament, was sure to anger opposition leaders who have accused Abiy of using the pandemic to artificially extend his time in office, and analysts warned of possible protests and boycotts. “The House of Federation has approved a decision to extend the term of all assemblies until international health institutions have deemed the threat from coronavirus to be over,” the Ethiopian News Agency reported.

It comes after she featured on last year’s remake of The Lion King. A source said: “Beyoncé has become a major player for  Disney  and is the perfect fit for their brand. “She’s worked on a number of projects for them, including voicing Nala in the reboot of The Lion King, and now they’re keen to secure her for more projects. “Disney have put forward a deal worth around £80million, which will secure Beyoncé for three major projects, including the Black Panther sequel.

South Africa’s coronavirus deaths passed 1,000 on Monday and infections spiked to over 50,000 just a week after the continent’s worst-hit country further eased lockdown restrictions, official statistics showed. The number of detected infections was 50,879 — the worst in Africa. However, South Africa ranks second in terms of deaths at 1,080 after Egypt. The continent’s most advanced economy has since May been gradually easing tight restrictions imposed in March.

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has officially welcomed the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, back to the Senate. Kalu arrived at the National Assembly complex at about 9 am on Tuesday morning. “I just want to thank God for everything that has happened. “It is the will of God. I want to urge Nigerians to keep hope alive,” he told reporters before entering the building.

New Zealand will end its strict coronavirus lockdown rules from midnight after eradicating Coronavirus and having zero active cases. The final patient, a woman in her 50s, recorded no symptoms for 48 hours, before being announced as recovered at St Margaret's Hospital and Rest Home in Auckland on Monday.    Health authorities also confirmed no new cases for 17 days straight.    Making the announcement at a news conference on Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said:  "We have eliminated transmission of the virus for now. While the job is not done. This is a milestone," she said, adding that lifting of restrictions will be effective from midnight on Monday (12:00 GMT).

Simi posted the picture of the baby on her Instagram page on Sunday evening Nigerian Singer, Simi has given birth to a beautiful baby girl. Simi announced the birth of the baby on her Instagram pager on Sunday evening with the picture of her husband, Adekunle Gold carrying the baby.

The pop icon, 60, moved through packed streets as she gave her support to the anti-racism movement. She was filmed chanting "no justice, no peace" with fellow protesters during the demonstration. The Like A Prayer legend is still recovering from hip and knee injuries suffered on her Madame X tour earlier this year. She wore large black shades and a stylish coat for the march, and was instantly recognised by fans who took selfies and hugged her. Madonna has been using her platform to champion black rights since the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis last week.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has threatened to pull the country out of the World Health Organisation (WHO), citing the decision by the U.S. to withdraw late last month. “The U.S. has already withdrawn. Either the WHO works without any ideological prejudices or we are out,” he told CNN Brasil on Friday night. “We do not need any people from outside to give us tips about health here.” President Donald Trump said at the end of May that the U.S. would be “terminating” its relationship with the WHO. He accused the UN agency of failing to enact reforms in the face of U.S. concerns over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and that it put too much faith in information from China.