The Ballon d’Or will not be awarded in 2020, organisers France Football have confirmed. It will be the first time since 1956 the prize will not be awarded amid the coronavirus pandemic. France Football say ‘all the conditions are not met’ and that 2020 ‘should not be treated as ordinary’. Editor Pascal Ferre said: “For the first time since 1956, the Ballon d’Or will take a break. There will be no edition in 2020, because it turns out, after thoughtful consideration, that all the conditions are not met. “We believe that such a singular year cannot – and should not – be treated as an ordinary one.
“From a sports perspective, two months (January and February), out of the eleven generally required to form an opinion and decide who should lift the trophies, represent far too little to gauge and judge; without forgetting that the other games were played – or will be played – in unordinary conditions (behind closed doors, with five replacements, Champions League’s Final 8 played in a single game).” “Finally, the equity that prevails for this honorary title will not be warranted, especially when it comes to accounting and preparation: all the award seekers will not be in the same boat, some having seen their season cut short. “Therefore, how can we establish a fair comparison? To avoid overly convoluted calculations and projections, we chose the least bad of the options.
“This decision, which was taken of course with all the Group stakeholders, does not delight us but it seems to be the most responsible one. “Protecting the credibility and legitimacy of such an award also means ensuring its flawlessness over time. “The Ballon d’Or will gather again the football big family and enthusiasts in 2021, to relive the happiness that surrounds the ceremonies as we have experienced them in recent years.” Lionel Messi beat Virgil van Dijk to the Ballon d’Or last year – his seventh triumph – the most of any player in history.
Gov Abiodun replaces striking doctors with volunteers
Governor Abiodun of Ogun State Government has taken drastic action against resident doctors working at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital Isolation Centre, Sagamu. The striking doctors have been replaced with volunteer doctors. The Association of Resident Doctors had last week asked their colleagues who were working at the centre to join them in their ongoing strike which commenced on July 1, 2020. Failure of the government to meet their welfare demands was one of the reasons cited for their actions. However, The Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, noted that the striking doctors at the isolation centre had been replaced. She said, “Only two doctors at the isolation are ARD members. They have been replaced by other doctors who are happy to serve the people of Ogun State by volunteering at the isolation centre.” The Secretary, ARD, OOUTH, Dr Tope Osundara, confirmed the replacement. Tope added that the doctors were hopeful that the government would call for a meeting this week.
Gov Abiodun replaces striking doctors with volunteers
Governor Abiodun of Ogun State Government has taken drastic action against resident doctors working at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital Isolation Centre, Sagamu. The striking doctors have been replaced with volunteer doctors. The Association of Resident Doctors had last week asked their colleagues who were working at the centre to join them in their ongoing strike which commenced on July 1, 2020. Failure of the government to meet their welfare demands was one of the reasons cited for their actions. However, The Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, noted that the striking doctors at the isolation centre had been replaced. She said, “Only two doctors at the isolation are ARD members. They have been replaced by other doctors who are happy to serve the people of Ogun State by volunteering at the isolation centre.” The Secretary, ARD, OOUTH, Dr Tope Osundara, confirmed the replacement. Tope added that the doctors were hopeful that the government would call for a meeting this week.
If you are acquainted with me, you would know of my legendary impatience. Patience is not one of my stronger Agbada. I have only learnt to rein in my rather short fuse, as I became older. Do not be fooled by the use of the phrase; short fuse, I was always the tiniest kid in my school days. At least I was until LASU alale. I had simply perfected the science of making clear to fools, that I had no intention of wasting my time and energy on them.
My short fuse rarely had me willingly throw a punch at anyone, and my weapons of choice have always been the tongue in my head, and the brain housed in the head itself. The ones in authority considered me a brat to be subjugated, and my bigger classmates and seniors, either tolerated me, or gleefully took whatever opportunity they found, to wash my caustic tongue with soda. I have never been accused of the sin of diplomatese.
A dear friend and brother spoke to me yesterday. He spoke with a lot of pain, and his counsel was that I should be drawing your attention to the fact that all that is happening today, were foretold in my book, Do Not Die In Their War. He is of the opinion that I have failed to take every opportunity to show you how wrong you are, not to have even bothered to read the book, but to presume to argue with me, when I speak from the position of watching something about which I had warned, happening in real time. He could not understand how I would go into TV interviews, and fail to hold my book as an evangelist would clutch the Bible. He spoke to me in anguish.
The second book threatens to kill the first was his conclusion. He has read the manuscript, and would prefer that I allowed the first a chance to circulate better. It better explains the second is his deduction. I have pondered his words to me, for I know his love is pure. You are the beneficiaries of the thoughts he has triggered.
I do not write for you. I am convinced that you are incapable of understanding my words. That as Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, the heart of this generation is hardened, and you were not purposed to hear my words, even as you were forced to listen to my wailings. I have stopped writing for you. I write now for posterity. I write so that my children and future generations might hold me innocent and free of the several charges that they shall surely bring against the perverse generations that have led us into the mess to which we have become acculturated.
Or perhaps there’s a more artistic and creative explanation for my complete and total lack of interest in pontificating about the book. To me, it’s done. I have written it, and it is up to those who care, to find the time to read it. I write from my stream of consciousness, and Do Not Die In Their War, has been written, and I am simply done with it. I see new vistas explained by the book, and those are the things with which I am currently preoccupied, and from where my creativity is flowing. I am still mining from the same vein, but I am simply in a hurry to deal with the other issues raised by the need to birth a nation.
Fela had the annoying habit of never playing any song he had recorded at a concert, be that at the Shrine or anywhere else. I am not an authority on Fela, and I am happy to be corrected, but I cannot recall Fela playing on stage, a song that he had already released as a studio album. I believe that I now understand why he wouldn’t. It is not unlike asking that the creative should reinvent his work. That the mother of a child, having gone through the trauma of pregnancy and the pains of birthing, shall rewind, and replay. I have not found a single chapter in Do Not Die In Their War, that I wouldn’t want to rewrite, if I had the opportunity to do so.
I am working to make the book: Do Not Die In Their War, available for free download in the coming days. I am not under any illusion that giving you the book for free would suddenly turn you into readers, some of you have the attention span of my brother Femi’s dog. Pesky little okere, forever darting around excitedly, not unlike the squirrel it resembles.
I wrote Do Not Die In Their War, for you. I have endured several idiotic arguments from so many of you, inanities that might have been cured or mitigated, by the wisdom you would have gained from reading. After a season, I gave up on you. I console myself by writing with the future in mind. I write in witness against this generation. I speak to record that you were warned, that you had sufficient knowledge of what the future holds, and that you are the ones that have refused to be persuaded by the truth told to you by your own senses. If I was writing for you, I’d have wasted my life on a generation incapable of change.
I do not write for you again. I write against you.
Nigerian Airforce Reveals ‘Nehemiah Adejoh’ as Tolulope Arotile’s Killer
The Nigerian Air Force has revealed the identity of the killer of late Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile. NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Ibikunle Daramola, gave the name of Arotile’s ex-classmate, who drove the vehicle that hit Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot as “Mr Nehemiah Adejoh”. Arotile died from head injuries on Wednesday when she was knocked down by a car driven by Adejoh at the Kaduna NAF base. Giving a report of a preliminary investigation carried out, the NAF spokesperson said the late Arotile met three of her former schoolmates at the Air Force Secondary School now Air Force Comprehensive School, Kaduna, on the day of the incident. Daramola said, “Mr Nehemiah Adejoh, Mr Igbekele Folorunsho and Mr Festus Gbayegun, drove past her in a Kia Sorento SUV, with registration number AZ 478 MKA. It is noteworthy that Messrs Adejoh, Folorunsho and Gbayegun are all civilians who live outside NAF Base Kaduna, but were on their way to visit one Mrs Chioma Ugwu, wife of Squadron Leader Chukwuemeka Ugwu, who lives at Ekagbo Quarters on the Base. “Upon recognising their schoolmate, Arotile, after passing her, Mr Adejoh, who was driving, reversed the vehicle, ostensibly in an attempt to quickly meet up with the deceased, who was walking in the opposite direction. In the process, the vehicle struck Flying Officer Arotile from the rear, knocking her down with significant force and causing her to hit her head on the pavement. The vehicle then ran over parts of her body as it veered off the road beyond the kerb and onto the pavement, causing her further injuries.”
Why I Converted To Christianity From Being A Muslim – Ninalowo
Nollywood actor, Bolanle Ninalowo has revealed why he converted from being a Muslim to Christianity. The actor who spoke in an Instagram live chat with Mr Porsche said that he had a problem which his family members who were Muslims couldn’t help him out with. He stated that reading the Bible during the period helped him a lot and that became his lifestyle afterwards. He said: “Although I have only gone to church once in my entire life, I read the bible a lot. My name is Azeez; I was born into a staunch Muslim family. When I was troubled and frustrated, it was the bible that saved me, as my parents and family members couldn’t. So, I picked up the bible and it became my life manual.”
WHO sets likely date for mass coronavirus vaccination
mass coronavirus vaccination may not be ready until mid-2021, WHO says Widespread coronavirus vaccination could begin in the middle of next year, the chief scientist of the World Health Organisation, Soumya Swaminathan said. She expressed cautious optimism about the state of the research and development process in an interview with the German news agency dpa. “We have now over 20 candidates in clinical studies. “So we are hopeful that a couple of them will work. It would be very unlucky if all of them fail,” Swaminathan added. “So if we are very practical, then we are looking at the middle of 2021 when we will have a vaccine that can be widely deployed,” she said, adding: “Of course it’s impossible to predict.” Swaminathan said the global race to develop a vaccine had been “the fastest timeline we have ever seen.” She noted that there were only three months between the time the virus’ genetic sequence was published in January and the time the first trial began. The novel coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, China, late last year. It has since spread to almost every corner of the globe, killing more than 600,000 people and infecting more than 14 million. The U.S. leads the world in confirmed cases. The pandemic’s epicentre has shifted from China to Europe, to the Americas, leading to lockdowns and tough restrictions on public life and travel. Some places where the virus was brought under control are seeing an uptick in cases, fanning fears of a second wave of infections and a new round of restrictions.
RCCG General Overseer unveils handwashing machines for schools
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God , Pastor Enoch Adeboye , has unveiled integrated handwashing and sanitiser dispensing machine for use by schools as they prepare for resumption as directed by the Federal Government . Adeboye urged the schools to cooperate with the government and make an adequate provision for preventive measures against COVID -19. The cleric unveiled the machine fabricated by the Redeemer’ s College of Technology and Management at the Redemption Camp , Mowe, Ogun State , saying it was in preparation for the much- anticipated resumption of schools in the country . He noted that he looked forward to the resumption of academic activities in the country. He said , “ The machine which was fabricated as a measure to check the spread of the coronavirus in preparation for the reopening of schools has features which include leg pedal designed to dispense soap, water and hand sanitiser ; it has a water storage tank and also has a tissue paper holding device. ” Addressing newsmen after the unveiling , the RECTEM Rector , Dr Stella Mofunanya , remarked that the college which had embarked on e – learning following the closure of schools occasioned by the spread of the pandemic, deployed the fabricated machines to all entrances to students ’ halls of residence. “ Others are lecture halls , laboratories, workshops among others . Adequate preparation for resumption has also been made with the production of customised nose masks , face shields in large quantity and the World Health Organisation-recommended alcohol -based hand sanitisers which would be distributed to the students and staff on resumption, ” she said .
Mofunanya assured the fumigation of the halls of residence, classes , laboratories and offices prior to reopening.
NAF begins investigation into Tolulope Arotile’s death, 2 suspects held
The country was thrown into mourning on Tuesday when the Nigerian Air Force first announced that Arotile, Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot, died at its base in Kaduna State. Meanwhile, the air force explanation was that the female officer sustained head injuries from an accident when she was “inadvertently hit by the reversing vehicle of an excited former Air Force secondary school classmate while trying to greet her.” A Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, however, on Thursday raised suspicion over the death of the female officer. The group rejected the road accident explanation and called for a Coroner’s Inquest into her death. Tolulope’s family also rejected the road accident explanation. However, on Friday, the Nigerian Air Force stated that a thorough investigation has commenced. NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola added that two persons were being held. He, however, noted that at the end of the investigation, “whatever information needs to go out will go out.” NAF spokesman Daramola, said, “First of all, in my first statement, I said she died from a road traffic accident. I further clarified the nature of the road traffic accident where one of her excited classmates who saw her reversed his car which led to him hitting her and knocking her down. This led to head injuries and a lot of haemorrhaging which ultimately resulted in her death. “The two boys are in custody and the NAF will do a thorough investigation into the matter. It is a routine process – our own processes that are ongoing because it happened inside a NAF base. At the appropriate time, whatever information needs to go out will go out. But we cannot pre-empt that investigation process. “Whatever needs to be known will be known; it is standard practice. So, we are investigating the circumstances leading to her death by a road traffic accident. It is an investigation because it may go beyond NAF.” However, NAF also announced that Tolulope Arotile will be laid to rest on Thursday, July 23, 2020. NAF said “The remains of late Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile who died on July 14 will be laid to rest with full military honours at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja on July 23. “Meanwhile, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has received some members of the Federal Executive Council as well as members of the National Assembly who visited him at Headquarters NAF at various times on Thursday.” Tolulope was born on December 13, 1995, into the family of Mr. and Mrs Akintunde Arotile, the native of Iffe area in Ijumu Local Council of Kogi State. She attended Air Force Primary School, Kaduna from 2000 to 2005 and Air Force Secondary School, Kaduna from 2006 to 2011, before gaining admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, as a member of 64 Regular Course on the 22nd September 2012. She was commissioned into the Nigerian Air Force as a Pilot Officer on September 16, 2017, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the Nigerian Defence Academy. Arotile was selected to train at the Starlite International Training Academy, in South Africa, following her performance during her initial flying training course at 401 Flying Training School Kaduna. As of October 15, 2019, she had acquired 460 hours of flight within 14 months in helicopter. The late officer was decorated as the first female fighter helicopter pilot the Nigerian Airforce has had in 55 years; the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. (Dame) Pauline Tallen and Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar performed the decoration in October 2019. She contributed to the efforts to rid the North-Central states of bandits and other criminal elements by flying combat missions. She was particularly a squadron leader in Operation Gama Aiki in Minna Niger State.
‘DSS Should Investigate TOLU’s Relationship With Two Ex-Classmates’–Kemi Olunloyo
Dr. Kemi Olunloyo has added her voice to the call for a proper investigation into the cause of the death of the young and promising Combat helicopter pilot, Tolulope Arotile. The 23-year-old Tolu Arotile was Nigeria’s first ever female combat helicopter pilot. She was the proud owner of the record before she reportedly lost her life in a car accident in the Nigerian Air Force base in Kaduna a few days ago. The car that killed Tolu was said to be driven by a former Air Force secondary school classmate of hers, who was reversing to greet her. A lot of calls have come through from different departments for proper investigation into the reason for her death, and just recently, the popular journalist, a well respected voice in the field of journalism, Dr. Kemi Olulonyo joined the call as she asked for the help of the DSS to involve themselves in the investigation. She did this through her twitter handle by saying; “The DSS should get involved in the death of TOLU Arotile and investigate her relationship with two ex-classmates and her recent missions to katsina fighting vicious bandits.. I know what I’m saying” The late pilot was truly an important part of the fight against armed bandits in some affected states in the North Central region of Nigeria. It was reported that she had died from the injuries sustained from the friend’s car that was reversing to greet her. Joining Dr. Kemi Olunloyo, some of the followers too showed how unconvinced they were about the report of the pilot’s death.
PurpleWorld 