COVID-19
NSCDC dismisses officer for ‘looting’ virus palliatives in Abuja
SIGNAL The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has dismissed a Corps Assistant, Illiya Ibrahim, from service for allegedly looting COVID-19 palliatives discovered in a warehouse in Gwagwalada, Abuja. It was gathered that Ibrahim of the Gwagwalada Division Abuja was seen with some food items while wearing the NSCDC uniform at the scene where hundreds of youths looted COVID-19 palliatives in Abuja. Ibrahim’s sacking was contained in a press statement by the Media Assistant to the Commandant General of NSCDC, Ekunola Gbenga, on Tuesday. The statement was titled ‘NSCDC dismisses officer for looting in Abuja’. It read in part, “The Commandant General Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu has approved the recommendation of the Junior Staff Disciplinary Committee for the dismissal of Illiya Ibrahim of th...
Andrew Bird Shares COVID-19-Inspired Holiday Song “Christmas in April”: Stream
Hark! is the forthcoming holiday album from Andrew Bird, due out next week. An expansion of his 2019 EP of the same name, the project features covers of John Prine and John Cale, as well as original numbers like today’s newly unveiled “Christmas in April”. As you may have guessed by its title, this seasonal offering was inspired by and written during quarantine. On it, the indie troubadour wonders what the holidays will look like amidst the coronavirus pandemic. “When will we know if we can meet under the mistletoe?” Birds asks with a sobering melancholy in his voice, echoing our very same anxieties and fears as the global health crisis stretches into fall and winter. (Remember when we thought it would only last through spring?) Editors’ Picks In a statement, Bird further explained h...
FIFA president tests positive for coronavirus
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has tested positive for coronavirus, the world football governing body announced on Tuesday. Infantino has been confirmed to have contracted the virus and is now entering a period of self-isolation. The 50-year-old is said to have shown just ‘mild symptoms’ of Covid-19, and all those who have come into contact with him in previous days are said to have been informed. In a statement by FIFA it was outlined that Infantino will remain in complete isolation for ‘at least ten days.’ The statement read: “FIFA President Gianni Infantino has received confirmation today that he has tested positive for coronavirus. “The FIFA president, who has reported mild symptoms, has immediately placed himself in self-isolation and will remain in quarantine for at least ten days. ...
Delta governor presents N378.1 billion 2021 budget to state assembly
Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, Tuesday, presented a proposed budget of N378, 184,397,889 for 2021 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly. The budget is made up of N170, 370,000 for recurrent expenditures and N207.5 billion for capital expenditures. Okowa in the more than 50 minutes presentation of the Appreciation Bill at the Hallowed Chamber of the House, said the budget christened “Budget of Recovery” would be funded from four sources. The sources according to the Governor, include Internally Generated Revenue, N65.6 billion, Statutory Allocation including Mineral Revenue Derivation and Excess Crude, N219.9 billion, Value added tax, N17.5 billion and Other Capital Receipts, N17.3 billion. Explaining that the 2021 budget estimates was N96.1 billion increase over the revised budg...
SnowGlobe Music Festival Postponed Due to Impact of COVID-19
The 10th anniversary of SnowGlobe Music Festival has been postponed due to the impact of COVID-19. The unfortunate news should be unsurprising to most due to the country’s rising case counts and the fact that other major festivals have not taken place since March. SnowGlobe representatives took to Twitter to share the update with fans, including a photo of Skrillex from last year’s event in the post. Organizers stated that they consulted with local and state health officials before making the decision to hold off on this year’s event. They also note that the safety of attendees, staff, and performers was the deciding factor, and thanked all those who supported the fest over the years. Snowglobe Music Festival will now take place December 29th to 31st, 2021 in South L...
NERC: DISCOs collected N114 billion revenues in Q1 of 2020
The latest quarterly report issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, showed that a total of N114 billion was collected as revenue by the 11 electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, in the first quarter of 2020. The report also indicated that while the collection efficiency decreased considerably, the regulatory agency listed Abuja, Benin and Eko DISCOs as the companies with the most efficient collection systems. Meanwhile, the report which covered the first quarter of 2020 also showed that the country generated more electricity compared to the last quarter of 2019 with total electricity generated put at 8,613,998MWh, 6.33 per cent more than the energy generated during the preceding quarter. The regulatory agency noted that the collection efficiency implied that fo...
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits to Paul Pogba error
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has surprisingly hinted that he mismanaged Paul Pogba, particularly at the start of this season. The French midfielder was a shadow of himself when the league began but was handed minutes nonetheless and so he continued to struggle. In fairness, United were performing poorly overall so Pogba wasn’t the only one who looked out of sorts. However, Solskjaer would soon exclude him from the starting XI and use him as an impact substitute, which he did remarkably well. Pogba’s lack of form was put down to a lack of a pre-season but perhaps fans have been a little dismissive that he also had to recover from Covid-19. According to the club’s official website, Solskjaer said: “You see, when you have got good players, it is a nice challenge and a nice deci...
Italy closes theatres, gyms as virus cases mount
Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte tightened nationwide coronavirus restrictions Sunday after the country recorded a record number of new cases, despite opposition from regional heads and street protests over curfews. Cinemas, theatres, gyms and swimming pools must all close under the new rules, which come into force on Monday and run until November 24, while restaurants and bars will stop serving at 6pm, the prime minister’s office said. Italy, the first European country to be hit hard by the pandemic and impose a nationwide lockdown, on Saturday clocked nearly 20,000 new cases in a 24-hour period. “Semi-lockdown for a month,” said the Repubblica daily, noting Conte had done little to appease regional heads who had appealed for much softer measures to save ailing businesses devastated ...
#EndSARS: IGP orders clampdown on hoodlums
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered the immediate mobilisation of all police operational resources to bring an end to the wanton violence, killings, looting and destruction of public and private property across the country. The IGP said this according to a statement by the Force Public relations Officer, Frank Mba. According to Mr Mba, the directive by the IGP is to reclaim the public space from hoodlums who have operated almost freely in many states. Vandals have attacked public and private property, especially those belonging to politicians, since Tuesday when soldiers shot at unarmed protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos. In many states, warehouses holding food aid meant for residents during the COVID-19 lockdown have been broken into and looted. The IGP, a...
Sokoto commences distribution of virus palliatives
The Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on Saturday commenced the distribution of the Federal Government COVID-19 palliatives to beneficiaries at Isa, Sabon Birni and Gada Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state. Malam Zubairu Albadau, the Special Adviser to Gov. Aminu Tambuwal on Relief and Rehabilitation, flagged off the exercise. He said that other LGAs in the state will receive their own share of the palliative within the week. Albadau reassured that the state government will continue to ensure that the hardship, occasioned by the pandemic, is limited. “Today, we are commencing the distribution of the FG-COVID-19 palliatives to ease the pain inflicted by the pandemic. “The Federal Government, through the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social D...
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan to COVID-19 Deniers: “Eat a Dick”
Maynard James Keenan recently revealed that he contracted COVID-19 in February, and that he still has lingering effects months later. Apparently, there are some who’ve questioned the Tool singer’s story, leading him to deliver a blunt message to his doubters. After disclosing his coronavirus battle to the Arizona Republic earlier this month, Keenan offered a more detailed account during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast this week. The singer confirmed that he contracted COVID-19 while on tour of Australia and New Zealand in late February. “I’m in Australia, we went out to dinner… and immediately food didn’t taste right, but this is now, this is all hindsight, right — I didn’t know at the time,” explained Keenan. “We didn’t know that these are the things you’re looking...
Defected Records to Staff New Livestream Festival Series With Nightlife Professionals Displaced by Pandemic
Standing in solidarity with the global events industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Defected Records is launching a series of livestream events featuring a roster of top dance music talent. The announcement follows in the wake of the venerated UK imprint’s successful virtual festivals, which were delivered weekly in the first half of the year. Defected’s We Dance As One livestream festivals will see DJs playing from their favorite local nightclubs, which currently lay dormant due to ongoing event restrictions. In the first livestream fest, Sam Devine will broadcast from the historic Ministry of Sound while CamelPhat will take to their own club, Mansion Liverpool. Carl Cox, Dennis Ferrer, Natasha Diggs and more will also be taking part. Defected is using the opportunity...
