Tragedy struck at a sleepy Obimo community in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State ,Tuesday, when two sand miners were trapped to their untimely death while loading a tipper lorry at a mining site. While one of the victims, Emmanuel Ugwuoke, was confirmed dead on arrival by the management of Faith Foundation Hospital in Nsukka metropolis, the second victim, identified as Onyemaechi was still trapped in the sand at the time of filing this report. The driver of the lorry was also severely injured and was rushed to Enugu city for ultrasound checks. Vanguard gathered that while the victims were digging a hill located at Eka-Utara Obimo for sharp sand, part of it caved-in and trapped them. At the Faith Foundation Hospital, some of the co-labourers mostly in their early 20s could not control their emotion as they cried uncontrollably when the remains of Ugwuoke was taken from the hospital for burial at his country home, Ajuona, also in Obimo. While reacting to the development, one of the labourers, Sunday Okoro told Vanguard that he could not believe that Ugwuoke who was discussing with him in the morning before the incident was gone from the face of the earth, describing the incident as”mother of all tragedies.” He further alleged that the hill where the incident happened is possessed with evil spirit which claims lives of the labourers on a yearly basis, saying “it is not up to six months that village elders appeased the spirit with a cow because they learned that it was threatening to take two lives. I am surprised that this happened even after the rituals.” Similarly, two labourers were allegedly electrocuted in a Chinese charcoal factory, Okwo-Chief, which is just a stone-throw from where the mining mishap happened. Though, information made available to Vanguard were sketchy, a labourer in the factory who pleaded for anonymity said the victims were removing charcoal from one the ovens used in burning woods into charcoal when electrical complications occurred, leading to their immediate demise. Vanguard gathered that Okwo-Chief, is notorious for deforestation and cheap labour. The labourers earn N1,000 after off-loading charcoal from an oven amidst thick smoke and other attendant health challenges. Some of the female labourers in the factory were alleged to have taken to prostitution in order to make ends meet.

The President, Mohammadu Buhari ,who is also the Visitor to the University of Lagos , has appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Channels Television , Mr. John Momoh , as the acting chairman of UNILAG Governing Council . This is contained in a letter dated August 21 , 2020 and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education , Sonny Echono . The letter titled, ‘Emergency Meeting of the Governing Council of University of Lagos ’ with reference number FME / PS /606 / C.1 / III / 129 , called on Momoh to convene an emergency council meeting with a view to approving the nomination of the Acting Vice – Chancellor for the university. The letter read in part, “ I am directed to request you to convene an emergency meeting of the governing council to consider and, if found suitable , approve the Senate nomination of the Acting Vice – Chancellor of the University of Lagos in line with the enabling Act. “ You are to preside at the meeting in the absence of the substantive pro – chancellor / chairman of council who has had to recuse himself in line with the visitor ’s directives . “ You are to also submit a report on the decision of the council to the visitor through the honourable minister of education immediately thereafter.” A spokesman for the Minister of Education , Mr. Ben Gong , also confirmed the authenticity of the letter to Crimefacts. “ The letter is authentic . It was approved by the visitor ( Buhari ) , ” he said . Momoh , who is a veteran journalist , is the President of the UNILAG Alumni Association . The UNILAG Senate had , on Monday, voted Prof . Folasade Ogunsola as the acting VC, making her the first woman to hold such a position in the school ’s 58 – year history .

As international flights resume August 29 , the Federal Government on Monday issued fresh COVID- 19 protocol for passengers and airlines . It noted that a negative COVID- 19 test result remained important for each passenger before boarding and upon arrival in Nigeria ; while it also warned that airlines that fail to comply would pay a fine of $ 3 ,500 per passenger. The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID- 19 , Sani Aliyu, made this known during a briefing in Abuja on Monday. Aliyu said , “ We will continue with the policy that airlines will only board passengers without symptoms of COVID- 19 and with negative PCR result. “ Airlines will be fined $ 3 ,500 per passenger if they fail to comply with pre- boarding arrangement. “ On arrival in the country from 29 th of August, passports will no longer be retained by the Nigeria Immigration Service . “ Rather , passengers will be allowed to proceed and exit the airport once they can show evidence of a negative COVID- 19 PCR result and evidence for payment for a repeat PCR result in the country; and where possible , where we have been able to get the health questionnaires that have been submitted . “ Passengers will be asked to proceed on self – isolation at home for a period of seven days . On Day 7 , they will proceed to their sample collection centre for a repeat PSR test and by Day 8 , they will be allowed to rejoin the society. “ Based on scientific proof , the PTF has been advised to shorten the isolation duration from 14 days to seven days provided passengers have a negative PCR result from Day 7 . “ Passengers will be monitored by public health officers throughout the period of isolation and those who develop symptoms will be treated.” In terms of ensuring compliance with COVID- 19 protocol, we are currently working with the Nigeria Immigration Service to design a system that will allow us to determine those that have not submitted themselves for a repeat COVID- 19 PCR test from Day 7 onward . “ These passengers may be sanctioned with the inclusion on a travel watch list or their electronic passport suspended for a period of time if they refuse to have a repeat PCR test.”