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1. 1,444 new COVID-19 infections take Nigeria’s total caseload to 110,387. Deaths, recoveries updated Nigeria on Sunday recorded 1,444 fresh COVID-19 cases. 2. APC sweeps Kano local council election The All Progressives Congress (APC) has won all the 44 chairmanship and 484 councillorship seats in the Kano State local council election held on Saturday. 3. Nigerian govt approves NIN enrolment centre for diplomats The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, has approved the establishment of a National Identity Number (NIN) Enrolment Centre for members of the diplomatic corps. 4. Sanwo-Olu orders police to impound vehicles with covered number plate in Lagos The Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has directed the state police command to impound vehicles with covered number plate in the state. 5. ‘Stop Buhari’s govt from selling Nigerian assets to fund 2021 budget,’ SERAP tells National Assembly The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) on Sunday urged the National Assembly to urgently review the 2021 Appropriation Act to stop President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration from selling public assets to fund the 2021 budget. 6. Nigeria will miss Martins-Kuye’s insight on development – Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday expressed his shock at the death of former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Jubril Martins-Kuye. 7. Stocks investors gain N552 billion in one week Nigeria’s stock investors ended last week trading which ended on January 15, N552 billion richer as the value of listed equities increased remarkably by 2.63 percent to N21.530trillion from N20.978trillion recorded in week one. 8. Investments in mutual funds for 2020 reach N450bn In 2020, Nigerian mutual funds attracted over N450 billion in new contributions, pushing the asset under management (AUM) by 43% to N1.49 trillion from N1.042 trillion recorded in 2019. 9. NPFL: Abia Warriors pick first point of season as Enyimba pip Pillars Abia Warriors successfully picked their first point of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season as they held IfeanyiUbah to a 1-1 draw. 10. Messi sent off as Bilbao stun Barca with extra-time goal to win Spanish Super Cup Lionel Messi was shown a red card in a thrilling Super Cup final that saw Barcelona lose to Athletic Bilbao after extra-time on Sunday. Source: RipplesNigeria

The Lagos State Government has clarified that second term of 2020/2021 academic session is meant to last for 61 days for public and private schools. According to the revised calendar for 2020/2021 academic session released by the Office of the Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), the second term is slated to run from January 18 to April 30. The mid-term break has been scheduled for March 4 and 5. There will also be two public holidays – Good Friday on April 2 and Easter Monday on April 5. Resumption for the third term has been scheduled for May 4, while the term is to terminate August 6. Schools have been directed to strictly follow the time table. In another development, the Edo State government has said that the suspension of schools’ resumption is applicable to all educational institutions in the state. The government noted that the directive will be reviewed on February 1 when the outcome of efforts to check the spread of COVID-19 in the state will be evaluated. Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Osarodion Ogie, said in a statement that the state government is taking drastic measures to limit the spread of the virus and protect lives and livelihoods in the state. Source: ThisDaylive

In his first hours as president, Joe Biden plans to take executive action to roll back some of the most controversial decisions of his predecessor and to address the raging coronavirus pandemic, his incoming chief of staff said Saturday. The opening salvo would herald a 10-day blitz of executive actions as Biden seeks to act swiftly to redirect the country in the wake of Donald Trump's presidency without waiting for Congress. On Wednesday, following his inauguration , Biden will end Trump 's restriction on immigration to the U.S. from some Muslim-majority countries, move to rejoin the Paris climate accord and mandate mask-wearing on federal property and during interstate travel. Those are among roughly a dozen actions Biden will take on his first day in the White House, his incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, said in a memo to senior staff. Other actions include extending the pause on student loan payments and actions meant to prevent evictions and foreclosures for those struggling during the pandemic. “These executive actions will deliver relief to the millions of Americans that are struggling in the face of these crises,” Klain said in the memo. “President-elect Biden will take action — not just to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration — but also to start moving our country forward.” "Full achievement” of Biden’s goals will require Congress to act, Klain wrote, including the $1.9 trillion virus relief bill he outlined on Thursday. Klain said that Biden would also propose a comprehensive immigration reform bill to lawmakers on his first day in office. Providing a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally will be part of Biden's agenda, according to people briefed on his plans. Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum and among those briefed, said immigrants would be put on an eight-year path. There would be a faster track for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields people from deportation who came to the U.S. as children, and for those from strife-torn countries with temporary status. Day Two for the new president: On Thursday, the new president's second day in office, Biden would sign orders related to the COVID-19 outbreak aimed at reopening schools and businesses, and expanding virus testing, Klain said. The following day, Friday, will see action on providing economic relief to those suffering the economic costs of the pandemic. In the following week, Klain said, Biden would take additional actions relating to criminal justice reform, climate change and immigration — including a directive to speed the reuniting of families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under Trump’s policies. More actions will be added, Klain said, once they clear legal review. Incoming presidents traditionally move swiftly to sign an array of executive actions when they take office. Trump did the same, but he found many of his orders challenged and even rejected by courts. Klain maintained that Biden should not suffer similar issues, saying “the legal theory behind them is well-founded and represents a restoration of an appropriate, constitutional role for the President.” Source: France24