Daybreak, Politics, Entertainment, Sport

Author: Alpha Maidawa

COVID-19 : Business owners in Iyana Ipaja comply with lockdown order
Business owners in Iyana Ipaja in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State on Tuesday complied with the lockdown order put in place by the Federal Government to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday ordered the lockdown of Lagos, Ogun and Federal Capital Territory effective 11p.m., on March 30.
The lockdown which is for a period of 14 days is aimed at containing the spread of the Coronavirus which has currently infected 131 Nigerians with majority of them in Lagos State.
A NAN correspondent who monitored the situation in Iyana Ipaja and its environs observed that only essential businesses which were exempted from the lockdown such as bakeries, foodstuff sellers, pharmacies and banks opened their doors to customers.
Also, there was restriction of movement as commercial buses, tricycle operators and motorcyclists adhered to the directive to stop operations.
However, some youths in the locality took advantage of the lockdown to engage in football matches on the major roads in clear breach of the stay at home order.
A youth leader in Aboru area of Iyana Ipaja, Mr Muiz Abdullahi, who spoke to NAN, commended the efforts of both Lagos State and Federal Government in combating the virus.
“The lockdown is needed to halt the spread even though it is a difficult time for owners of small businesses and those who are not financially buoyant.
“I want to thank the Lagos State Government for the relief materials promised,we have not gotten anything yet but hopefully it will arrive soon,” he said. (NAN)
March 31, 2020
Neymar says he never flouted social distancing rules
Paris St-Germain (PSG) forward Neymar has denied flouting social distancing rules following his return to his native Brazil.
The accusation came after he posted pictures on Instagram which showed him sun-bathing and playing foot-volleyball with a group of friends.
The 28-year-old said in a statement that the people in the photographs had travelled with him from Paris in a private jet and were in quarantine with him.
“The photograph… shows Neymar alongside people who are in quarantine with him, people who travelled with him from Paris to Brazil,” said his spokesman in a statement published by the Globo media group in Brazil.
“Neymar invited those people to spend the 14 days in quarantine there before joining their respective families.”
The statement added that the only visit he had received was from his son Davi Lucca and the striker had avoided meeting other relatives, including his mother, grandmother and sister.
“The house where the player is fulfilling quarantine is completely isolated, and allows peace and serenity for him to continue training,” it added.
“Neymar continues to do his daily workout, to prevent injury and maintain his fitness, with his coach Ricardo Rosa. (He is) looking forward to the end of this sad moment for humanity and the return to work that will follow.”(Reuters/NAN)
March 31, 2020
British boxing authorities suspend Saunders’ licence
WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders had his licence suspended by Britain’s boxing authorities on Monday.
The suspension came after a social media post in which he advised men how to hit their female partners during the coronavirus lockdown.
The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) said in a statement that Saunders’ licence would be suspended until a hearing could be arranged under its misconduct regulations.
Saunders had filmed himself punching a bag in a barn and advising “dads, husbands and men with girlfriends” how to deal with their female partners during the coronavirus lockdown.
“If your old woman is giving you a little bit of mouth and you try to be patient… but about the sixth day you’re just about to explode,” he said in the video, before demonstrating how to “hit her on the chin”.
Saunders apologised for the video on social media over the weekend.
He did so again on British radio station TalkSPORT on Monday, when he also pledged to donate 25,000 pounds (31,000 dollars) to domestic abuse charities.
“I just want to say sorry again for everyone I’ve offended,” he said on TalkSPORT.
“I looked at it as a bit of a joke at first —- I obviously wasn’t thinking right —- but looking back at it now I can clearly see the destruction it has caused among the women suffering from domestic violence.
“It was a silly mistake but I didn’t intentionally mean to cause harm to anyone and I certainly wouldn’t promote domestic violence.”
Saunders was scheduled to face Mexican Saul `Canelo’ Alvarez in a super middleweight unification bout on May 2 in Las Vegas before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Briton is unbeaten in 29 bouts and held a world title in the middleweight division before moving up to super-middleweight.
He was fined 100,000 pounds by the BBBofC in September 2018 for a previous social media post.
In that instance, Saunders posted a video on social media in which he offered a woman drugs to perform a sex act on another person.
The BBBofC said in a separate statement on Monday that it had further extended its suspension of the boxing tournaments under its jurisdiction for the month of May.(Reuters/NAN)
March 31, 2020
UEFA to discuss Champions League fate on Wednesday
UEFA will discuss the fate of this season’s Champions League and its other competitions that have been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic in a video conference meeting on Wednesday, European soccer’s governing body said in a statement.
All UEFA competitions have been halted because of the flu-like virus that has killed around 34,000 people, while this year’s European Championship has been pushed back to 2021.
“UEFA has invited the general secretaries of its 55 member associations to a video conference on Wednesday, April 1… to discuss options identified with regards to the potential rescheduling of matches,” UEFA said.
Player transfers and contracts will also be discussed at the meeting, it added.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said over the weekend that the current season could be lost if it is unable to re-start by the end of June, although he did not rule out extending it into the next season. (Reuters/NAN)
March 31, 2020
Organisers postpone Nigeria Horse Week indefinitely
Organisers of the inaugural Nigeria Horse Week have announced an indefinite postponement of the event in compliance with the Federal Government’s lockdown directive against the spread of the coronavirus.
In a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, the organisers said a new date would be announced later.
“Please note that the Nigeria Horse Week 2020 earlier scheduled to hold from April 17 to April 19, 2020 at the Guards Polo Club, Mambilla Barracks Asokoro, Abuja, has been postponed.
“A new date will be communicated in due course” .
According to Anthony Obiorah, Project Manager of the 2020 Nigeria Horse Week, who signed the statement, the postponement was in keeping with the Federal Government’s ban on all social activities pending as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also said the decision to postpone the two-day event was to keep to the Federal Government’s ban on all social activities pending when the virus is curtailed.
The 2020 Nigeria Horse Week was launched with a focus to recognise and celebrate the culture and positive impact of the equestrian industry in Nigeria.
The event intended to feature horse racing, polo and show Jumping championships among other entertainment and lifestyle activities.
This year’s programme tagged: “Unlocking the Economic Potential of the Nigeria Horse Sport Industry,” aimed at tapping from the cultural, agricultural and economic tourism impacts such event can bring.(NAN)
March 31, 2020
Federer wows fans on Twitter with video of trick shots
Roger Federer delighted fans by posting a video on Twitter on Tuesday, which shows him executing some trademark trick shots against a wall in the snow.
The 20-times Grand Slam champion last played at the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, before undergoing keyhole surgery on his knee in February.
He is supposed to return to playing in time for the grasscourt season in June.
“Making sure I still remember how to hit trick shots #TennisAtHome,” Federer tweeted along with the video, which showed the Swiss moving around seamlessly amid snowfall.
The video has already garnered over 3.85 million views and shows Federer hitting between-the-legs “tweeners” and behind-the-back shots.
The tennis circuit is currently halted with the men’s ATP Tour and the WTA, which runs the women’s circuit, suspending all tournaments until June 7.
This was after countries started locking down borders to contain the coronavirus pandemic.(Reuters/NAN)
March 31, 2020
COVID-19: Association orders closure of mining sites
The Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) on Monday, in Abuja, directed that all mining operations in the country be closed down because of the coronavirus pandemic, until the situation improves.
The association gave the directive in a statement, saying that this had become necessary because the country’s mining sites are not in tandem with social distancing.
The statement was jointly signed by Mr Dele Ayanleke and Alhaji Kabiru Mohammed the organisation’s
National Secretary and National President respectively.
It noted that coronavirus had become a global pandemic plaguing the entire nation and continents of the world.
It said the association had been monitoring the developments and measures being taken at mitigating the effects of this monumental health challenge and curbing its spread.
The statement noted that such measures were especially by the Federal and State Governments andhealth authorities at both local and international levels.
“And having also considered the peculiar nature of our mining activities which are mostly domiciled in the rural communities with attendant lack of health and other basic amenities.
“Infiltration of illegal immigrants and high level of social contacts and interactions among the mine workers and other camp dwellers, the association has come to the conclusion that the state of our mining sites is not in tandem with social distancing.
“It is in the light of the above that the National Executive Council of Miners Association hereby directs all our members across the nation to close all mining operations forthwith, until the nation survives this global emergency,” it said.
It appealed to other non-member miners to heed this directive in the overall national interest.
According to the statement, any window of entry of the virus into any of our minefields may spell doom at all efforts at curbing its spread.
“We are not unaware of the cumulative economic and operational costs of the adherence to this directive on the investments of our members and other miners.
“We plead that they should regard this call as our sacrificial contributions to deliver our nation, fellow citizens, ourselves and other residents from the pandemic of
coronavirus.” the statement stressed.
President Muhammadu Buhari in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday on the coronavirus pandemic, ordered the complete lockdown of Abuja, Lagos and Ogun from 11.00 p.m on Monday.
The total number of those infected by the coronavirus in the country as at Sunday, according to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) stood at 111 with one death recorded.
20 states in the country had also directed a lockdown of activities to forestall the spread of the virus. (NAN)
March 31, 2020
COVID-19 lockdown: Prices of perishables crash in Jigawa
Prices of perishables have crashed in Guri Main Market, in Jigawa following the lockdown by Federal Government over COVID-19.
A bag of onions now goes for N3,500 instead of the usual N8,000, while a bag of dry pepper that was sold for N9,500, has dropped to N7,000.
Also, a bag of chili pepper sold at N5,000, now cost N3,000, while a bag of dried tomatoes has dropped to N6,000 from the old price of N8, 000.
A bag of soybeans now goes for N8,000 as against the previous price of N13,200.
The Chairman, Perishable Sellers Association in the market, Alhaji Musa Zugo, said that the crash was due to the lockdown which had prevented customers from going to the market.
“Majority of our customers from Lagos, Ogun, Abuja and Port Harcourt are no longer coming because of the lockdown in the country.
“Very few customers come to the market and you know, if demand drops, price also drops,” he said.
Zugo, however, appealed to the federal government to assist in cushioning the effect of the lockdown on the poor and the vulnerable in the country.
“The federal government need to come up with a strategy to assist the people at the lower cadre of the society who rely on daily earnings to survive.
“If you keep this category of people at home with nothing to fall back on, they will die of hunger,” he said. (NAN)
March 31, 2020
CBN suspends cheque clearing amidst 2 weeks lockdown
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday suspended clearing of cheques until further notice following the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and FCT to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
The suspension was announced in a circular to Deposit Money Banks and the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) by the Director of Banking Services at CBN, Mr Sam Okojere.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday ordered a lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and the FCT with effect from 11 p.m. on Monday, March 30 FCT), as a response to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The bank explained that in view of these developments and in furtherance to the Bank’s effort to ensure hitch-free clearing and settlement activities, the CBN had therefore suspended it until further notice.
The apex bank further stated that the clearing of cheques instruments in the Nigerian clearing starting from March and for the avoidance of doubt, no fresh cheque instrument would be allowed to pass through March 31.
The CBN noted that only returned cheque would be treated on the said date.
“However, settlement activities for electronic instruments will continue to hold during this period of suspension”. (NAN)
March 31, 2020
Lockdown: EKEDC assures customers steady power supply
The management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) on Tuesday assured its customers of steady power supply in spite of shutting its offices outlets in Lagos and Ogun state.
Mr Godwin Idemudia, the General Manager, Corporate Communications Unit, EKEDC, said this in a statement in Lagos.
According to him, the company’s staff will be available to rectify faults within its network.
EKEDC on March 30 shut down its office and outlets in Lagos, Ogun and Federal Capital Territory.
The shut down was in compliance with the Federal Government’s lockdown of the two States and FCT to curtail the Coronavirus (COVID-19) spread.
Idemudia said the offices and outlets would be closed throughout the lockdown period, but its staff would still carry out their usual services under EKEDC franchise area.
He said that the action was part of its efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Idemudia said that the technical crew of the company would be on standby to repair faults and ensure constant electricity supply.
He urged customers within the network to report faults resulting to darkness in the areas through the company’s hotline telephone numbers and website.
“Our men are on shift duties of 24 hours daily to make sure our customers obey the stay at home order.
“The public are hereby advised to cooperate with our staff when they see them in their area with proper means of identification ( ID card).
“The company will ensure that all faults are rectified to enable you enjoy this period of lockdown with your families with steady electricity supply.
“We are also advising customers to make use of the electricity bill payment channels to pay their bills this period,” he said. (NAN)
March 31, 2020