Tragedy struck on Thursday morning around the Sagamu axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when a tanker explosion claimed the lives of 10 persons.

The explosion occurred around 1am today around Araromi town, after Conoil filling station towards Sagamu Interchange on the outward Lagos section of the expressway.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander in Ogun State, Ahmed Umar, told Channels Television that two fuel-laden tankers, two trucks, and one bus were involved in the explosion.

Umar said three of the vehicles were burnt in the inferno.

He also said while 12 persons were involved in the inferno, 10 persons were burnt to death while two occupants of the vehicles escaped.

The FRSC official added there is a possibility of discovering more casualties as recovery efforts is ongoing.
First responders including firefighters were seen at the scene as of the time of filing this reports.

Umar said the burnt persons were taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital in Sagamu while some of the burnt vehicles were towed off the road.

He said while the cause of the incident remained unknown, eyewitnesses attributed it to over speeding by one trucks who lost control to smash the body of the tanker.

A toddler has died after being trampled by a giraffe on a conservancy in South Africa, while her mother is in hospital in critical condition.

The 16-month-old girl lived with her mother at the luxury Kuleni Game Park in KwaZulu-Natal province.

Police told the BBC the details were sketchy, but they had opened an inquest to determine what happened.

It is unusual for giraffes to attack people and they are a common feature in game lodges in South Africa.
The child was taken to the nearest doctor's room where she died," police Lieutenant Nqobile Madlala told the BBC.

It is not clear where in the large game park, that features 14 lodges, the incident occurred on Wednesday.

A manager at one of the luxury accommodations was reluctant to speak, saying the matter was "sensitive".

The park is 16km (10 miles) outside Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal, a province that is popular with local and international tourists.

On its website, the farm says that visitors can "enjoy close encounters with animals while walking or cycling the numerous trails".

Giraffes are the world's tallest mammals and are not usually aggressive.

The females can however be aggressive while protecting their calf.

In 2018, British scientist Sam William's wife and son were trampled by a female giraffe at Blyde Wildlife Estate in South Africa.

The two were treated at a private hospital in Johannesburg and they recovered.

It's simple, just so they can say I do, or would you want then to "say I do" when they did not Do

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported that the nation recorded 386 new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Friday as the total cases confirmed rose to 3912. NCDC, stated; “386 new cases of #COVID19; 176-Lagos 65-Kano 31-Katsina 20-FCT 17-Borno 15-Bauchi 14-Nasarawa 13-Ogun 10-Plateau 4-Oyo 4-Sokoto 4-Rivers 3-Kaduna 2-Edo 2-Ebonyi 2-Ondo 1-Enugu 1-Imo 1-Gombe 1-Osun.
NCDC while advising Nigerians on the preventive measures for the coronavirus disease reiterated the importance of physical distancing, frequent handwashing, and the wearing of face mask in public.
Meanwhile, Lagos State which was reported by the NCDC to have confirmed 176 new cases has expressed concern over the increasing number of runaway patients tested positive for COVID-19 in the state, describing it as “disturbing.” Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, made the remark on Friday, during a media briefing on the update of COVID-19 situation in the state, held in Alausa, Ikeja. The total confirmed cases in Lagos State as at Friday was 1, 667.

IT IS WELL

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported that the nation recorded new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Friday. NCDC, stated; “386 new cases of #COVID19; 176-Lagos 65-Kano 31-Katsina 20-FCT 17-Borno 15-Bauchi 14-Nasarawa 13-Ogun 10-Plateau 4-Oyo 4-Sokoto 4-Rivers 3-Kaduna 2-Edo 2-Ebonyi 2-Ondo 1-Enugu 1-Imo 1-Gombe 1-Osun 3912 cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria Discharged: 679 Deaths: 117.
NCDC while advising Nigerians on the preventive measures for the coronavirus disease reiterated the importance of physical distancing, frequent handwashing and the wearing of face mask in public.

The Lagos State Government on Friday said it has discharged 42 more persons from various isolation facilities to reunite with the society. COVID-19 Incident Commander and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who announced this in a statement, said the patients include 22 males and 20 females, all Nigerians. According to Sanwo-Olu, “The patients, 32 from Eti-Osa (Landmark), 8 from Lekki and 2 from Onikan Isolation centres were discharged having fully recovered and tested negative to COVID-19 in two consecutive readings. “This brings to 448, the number of #COVID19 confirmed cases that have been successfully managed and discharged in Lagos State Isolation facilities.”

Nigeria has recorded 381 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 3526.This was announced by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC on Thursday via its verified Twitter handle. The 381 new cases are the highest Nigeria has ever recorded in 24 hours since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. Nigeria has 22,492 samples tested in its ongoing campaign against the deadly COVID-19, which is far less than Ghana and South Africa that have conducted over 100,000 and close to 200,000 testings so far, with South Africa increasing its daily tests to more than 10,000 a day. This latest update as of May 7 by NCDC shows that Lagos has the highest number of 183 new cases, Kano (55), Jigawa(44), Zamfara(19), Borno(9), Bauchi(19), Katsina(11), Kwara(, Kaduna(7), Gombe(6), Ogun(5), Sokoto(4), Oyo(3), Rivers(3), Niger(2), Akwa Ibom(1), Enugu(1), Plateau(1)
Four deaths were recorded and no new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours. Till date, 3526 cases have been confirmed, 601 cases have been discharged and 107 deaths have been recorded in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Kogi and cross river remain only states without cases.

Nigeria’s first case of coronavirus was recorded in February 2020. The Lagos State Ministry of Health revealed in a statement that the case was an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on the 25th of February from Milan, Italy for a brief business visit. He fell ill on the 26th February and was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing.
The patient was clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and was managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital (Mainland Hospital) in Yaba, Lagos. It was the third reported case of Coronavirus in Africa after Egypt and Algeria; the suspect in the former, a foreigner, later tested negative to the virus. According to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Since 31 December 2019 and as of 07 May 2020, 3 713 796 cases of COVID-19 (in accordance with the applied case definitions and testing strategies in the affected countries) have been reported, including 263 288 deaths. Cases have been reported from: Africa: 51 677 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are South Africa (7 808), Egypt (7 588), Morocco (5 408), Algeria (4 997) and Nigeria (3 145). Asia: 597 979 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are Turkey (131 744), Iran (101 650), China (83 970), India (52 952) and Saudi Arabia (31 938). America: 1 595 437 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are United States (1 228 603), Brazil (125 218), Canada (63 496), Peru (54 817) and Ecuador (29 420). Europe: 1 459 723 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are Spain (220 325), Italy (214 457), United Kingdom (201 201), Germany (166 091) and Russia (165 929). Oceania: 8 284 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are Australia (6 875), New Zealand (1 139), Guam (151), French Polynesia (60) and Fiji (18). Other: 696 cases have been reported from an international conveyance in Japan. Deaths have been reported from: Africa: 2 011 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are Algeria (476), Egypt (469), Morocco (183), South Africa (153) and Cameroon (108). Asia: 20 730 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are Iran (6 418), China (4 637), Turkey (3 584), India (1 783) and Indonesia (895). America: 94 122 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are United States (73 431), Brazil (8 536), Canada (4 232), Mexico (2 704) and Ecuador (1 618). Europe: 146 293 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are United Kingdom (30 076), Italy (29 684), Spain (25 857), France (25 809) and Belgium (8 339). Oceania: 125 deaths; the 4 countries reporting deaths are Australia (97), New Zealand (21), Guam (5) and Northern Mariana Islands (2). Other: 7 deaths have been reported from an international conveyance in Japan. The world has joined hands to find a vaccine for the novel coronavirus and scientists and medical researchers across the globe are scrambling for the first breakthrough. Since the virus spreads easily and is already overwhelming the healthcare system of most countries, a vaccine is the most effective way of putting a pause on the spread of infectious disease. At present, almost 80 groups globally are working at break-neck speed for the same, even though a vaccine fit for humans normally takes years to develop. Currently, there are 111 potential vaccines for the SARS-CoV-2 which are in different stages of clinical trials.

Some American high school basketball stars are taking a new and more profitable road to the NBA than the usual college route — the G-League’s new elite Pathway Program squad.
The development plan for players waiting the one year after high school before they become eligible for the NBA allows them to prepare like a pro, be coached by pros, play alongside and against veteran talent, avoid university classes and, unlike collegians, receive a salary. “We’ve been asked by the basketball community to provide an alternative to the traditional route,” G-League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim says. “We want to be available to young players. We believe the marketplace demanded it.” Jalen Green, a guard of Filipino descent considered one of the best US prep players, became the first to join the G-League team, reportedly for a $500,000 salary. Forward Isaiah Todd and guard Daishen Nix followed for a reported $250,000 to $300,000. “A lot of opportunities came,” Green said in a social media video. “But the ultimate end goal is to get to the NBA.” The team, open to all global talent, is expected to play a schedule of 20-25 games against international lineups and clubs in the G-League, the top talent development squads for NBA teams. It allows more time for workouts and instruction with almost as many games as a college season would offer. Teens who might have played gone to teams in Europe and Australia, as 2020 NBA Draft top pick contender LaMelo Ball did in 2018 in Lithuania or last year for the Aussie league’s Illawarra Hawks, now have a new US-based non-college opportunity.
“If an athlete has a chance at a salary and goes to the G-League, I applaud that,” Gerald Gurney, a college sports expert from the University of Oklahoma, told AFP. “You are probably better off in the G-League. That’s a good option rather than going to college.” The pathway team prompted Nix to back out of a commitment to UCLA. Todd had said he would attend Michigan but never signed a letter of intent while Green, who helped three US teams to global youth crowns, went directly to the G-League.
“Jalen will learn from an NBA-caliber coaching and player development staff as he begins his professional basketball journey,” former NBA player Abdur-Rahim said on the G-League website. “He represents the next generation of NBA players, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him develop his professional skills in our league.” – ‘Almost like tampering’ – University of Memphis coach Penny Hardaway, who hoped to land Green, told the Memphis Commercial-Appeal newspaper he objected to the G-League as a new recruiting rival. “Taking guys out of their commitments they have already signed and continuing to talk to their parents, it’s almost like tampering,” said former NBA star Hardaway. “I really don’t agree with that.” University of Kentucky coach John Calipari told the Louisville Courier-Journal that, “my issue with the G-League trying to entice players by giving them more money is not the kids that you’re getting — it’s the thousands of ninth and 10th graders that think that’s how they’re going to make it.” While most will fail, it’s not like colleges don’t make kids dream of NBA careers, often with school photos of pro stars in university locker rooms. “That’s what’s worshipped there,” Gurney said. “Most elite athletes have one thing in mind and that’s to get into a major sport. “The more options a high school player has, apart from the academic setting, the better. I celebrate that.” Abdur-Rahim says the G-League program “doesn’t have a huge impact on the NCAA” and dismisses tampering talk, telling ESPN: “Our process has been educating folks and letting folks know what we’re providing.” A new National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) plan would let students receive endorsement money, offering some funds to athletes who typically can’t work even part-time jobs while schools and coaches reap millions of dollars. “It’s a step in the right direction,” Gurney said of the new plan. “But it’s far too limited for the athletes.” And it could be delayed in court for years to come, Gurney saying, “The anti-trust lawyers are licking their chops.”

International Labour Organisation, ILO, has said the COVID-19 lockdown and containment measures across the globe will increase poverty levels among the world’s informal economy workers by 56 percent in low-income countries. In a report released on Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland, ILO noted that “in high-income countries, relative poverty levels among informal workers is estimated to increase by 52 percentage points, while in upper-middle-income countries the increase is estimated to be 21 percentage points
.“As many as 1.6 billion of the world’s two billion informal economy workers are affected by lockdown and containment measures. Most are working in the hardest-hit sectors or in small units more vulnerable to shocks. “These include workers in accommodation and food services, manufacturing, wholesale and retail, and the more than 500 million farmers producing for the urban market. “Women are particularly affected in high-risk sectors, the report says. In addition, with these workers needing to work to feed their families, COVID-19 containment measures in many countries cannot be implemented successfully. “This is endangering governments’ efforts to protect the population and fight the pandemic. It may become a source of social tension in countries with large informal economies. “More than 75 percent of total informal employment takes place in businesses of fewer than 10 workers, including 45 percent of independent workers without employees. “With most informal workers having no other means of support, they face an almost unsolvable dilemma: to die from hunger or from the virus. “This has been exacerbated by disruptions in food supplies, which has particularly affected those in the informal economy.”

The US Embassy in Nigeria, in a statement on Wednesday, said there is $319 million Abacha loot ($167m in France and $152m in the UK) that is being challenged in court. This is coming just a week after $311 million (N118bn) Abacha loot was returned from the United States of America.
ALSO READ: ABACHA LOOT: How much did the late Head of State steal? The statement read: “The funds returned last week are distinct and separate from an additional $167 million in stolen assets also forfeited in the United Kingdom and France, as well as $152m still in active litigation in the United Kingdom.” According to Bloomberg, the repatriation of the $152 million to Nigeria is being challenged by the UK and the US because of reported plans by the Nigerian government to give $110 million of the money to Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, a known associate of the late Abacha. However, the Attorney-General of the federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has denied the Bagudu angle. Recall that Presidency, had said the $311 million loot earlier returned as part of the money allegedly stolen by the late former Head of State, Gen. Sanni Abacha, had been allocated for infrastructure development in the country. The Presidency also said part of the returned loot in 2019 was being used for grain grants and free school feeding programmes, adding that without the returned Abacha funds, the fight against COVID-19 would be even tougher.