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The Niger State government has issued an order for the arrest of one of the state councillors who absconded with 30 bags of grains supplied as COVID-19 palliative for distribution in his constituency.
Secretary to the State Government and Chairman of the state’s Task Force on COVID-19, Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Matane who confirmed this, said the Councillor was part of a committee set up for distribution of the grains to his community.
Matane who expressed disappointment with the act, also disclosed that security operatives have been deployed to arrest the Councillor.
He told journalists;
“Committees have been set up in each of the 274 wards in the State, which comprise of a councillor, party chairman, ward head, and a religious leader to monitor the distribution of the grains”
The SSG further revealed that 10 bags of rice, maize, and millet each were allocated to the 274 wards across the 25 local government areas by the state government.
Global coronavirus cases crossed the 2 million mark early Wednesday as China and Latin American countries reported new infections.
The global total reached 2,005,564 as at 09.00 GMT.
Death toll from the 210 countries and territories affected by the virus, is also over 126,600.
China reported 46 new infections, a sharp drop from the 89 reported on Tuesday.
Argentina reported 166 new cases to take its tally to 2,443.
This is according to figures published by worldometers.info early today.
The U.S. remains the most stricken nation by the virus.
It has 614,246 cases as at Tuesday night.
The death toll has also soared to a world record 26,064.
Apart from the U.S. Spain, Italy, France, Germany and UK are also badly affected by the disease.
The others are China, Iran and Turkey
Spain has 174,060 cases, 18,255 deaths.
Italy is the third worst-hit nation with 162,488 cases and 21,067 deaths.
France, the world’s fourth has 143,303 cases and 15,729.
Nine COVID19 patients have been discharged after recovering from the disease at the Abuja Isolation Center.
This brings to 20 the number of COVID-19 patients that have been discharged from the center.
The federal capital territory administration (FCTA) announced this development in a tweet on Wednesday morning April 15.
NINE (9) NEWLY DISCHARGED IN THE FCT As at 5:50am, 15th April, 2020. Residents are urged to continue to #StayHome and #StaySafe by adhering to precautionary measures laid down.
Out of the nine (9) newly discharged, two (2) were treated at the National Hospital Isolation & Treatment Centre while the other seven (7) were treated at the UniAbuja Teaching Hospital Isolation Centre, Gwagwalada
FCT currently has 58 confirmed cases of COVID19
Five new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Kano state.
The state’s ministry of health disclosed the development in a tweet on Wednesday. With the announcement, a total of nine persons have tested positive for coronavirus in the state.
Wednesday, 15th April 2020. As at 10:25 am, 5 additional cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in @KanostateNg @NCDCgov @FMICNigeria @dawisu @NOA_Nigeria @Chikwe_I @NphcdaNG
— Kano State Ministry of Health (@KNSMOH) April 15, 2020
#StaySafeNigeria #StayHome pic.twitter.com/8KfIOT2Bih
Kano confirmed its index case of the virus on April 11, 2020.
The patient, a former diplomat, was said to have travelled to Lagos, Abuja, and Kaduna respectively over the past few weeks, and returned from Kaduna on the 25th of March, 2020.
He had several engagements with family, friends and close associates, and also attended a wedding fatiha and Juma’at prayer.
On Tuesday, Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano, announced a total lockdown of the state, beginning on Thursday, April 16, 2020, as a part of efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
The state government also said efforts were ongoing to trace possible contacts of persons who tested positive for the disease.
So far, 373 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in 19 states across Nigeria. Of that figure, 99 persons have been discharged, while 11 deaths have been recorded.
he Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 30 new COVID-19 cases in five states across the country.
The agency made the announcement in a series of tweets on Tuesday.
In the first set of tweets made around 9:20 pm, NCDC announced 19 new cases.
However, barely two hours after the NCDC confirmed 19 new cases, 11 new cases were recorded.
As at 11:00 pm 14th April, number of states with confirmed cases of #COVID19: 19 + FCT
— NCDC (@NCDCgov) April 14, 2020
Lagos- 214
FCT- 58
Osun- 20
Edo- 15
Oyo- 11
Ogun- 9
Bauchi- 6
Kaduna- 6
Akwa Ibom- 6
Katsina-5
Kwara- 4
Kano- 4
Ondo- 3
Delta- 3
Enugu- 2
Ekiti- 2
Rivers-2
Benue- 1
Niger- 1
Anambra- 1
Mr Victor Ikwuemesi, Founder and CEO of Sosoliso Airlines dies in London today after testing Positive for COVID-19 and being admitted to the hospital on Saturday 11th April 2020. May his soul rest in peace.
According to Independent, Mr Victor Ikwuemesi, the Chairman of the defunct Sosoliso Airline died today in London, United Kingdom few days after he was diagnosed for coronavirus pandemic.
A source close to the family confided in our correspondent that Ikwuemesi was admitted to an unnamed London hospital after brief illness.
He later tested positive for COVID-19 in the result that was released on today (Tuesday).
He was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on oxygen since he arrived at the London hospital.
The source added:
“But, when the oxygen was removed for him to eat he couldn’t breath on his own.
“So they put him on a ventilator and he died shortly after.”
A Nigerian COVID-19 survivor, John Opabola who lives in Longford in the Republic of Ireland, has explained what he went through after contracting the virus.
Opabola, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, said it started with a cough.
According to him, he contracted the virus at work when an infected colleague came into his department to pick up a laptop.
“When I started having dry cough, I called a General Practitioner who booked me for a COVID-19 test. After a few days I began to vomit and experience diarrhea; at this point, I couldn’t stand by myself and breathing became very difficult for me.”
Asked if the symptoms were similar to something he had experienced in the past that could have confused him, he answered in the negative.
“It started with a dry cough and you know when you experience dry cough here in Ireland around this time, we assume that it is just a flu so I quickly began to exercise and practise the normal procedure to cure myself from flu but it degenerated so quickly to a fever. I was having a very strong fever as well as aches and pains which were very painful. The fever was between 38.9 and 39 degrees.
“The policy in Ireland says if you find it difficult to breathe or your respiratory system is affected, you need to call the hospital straight away; however, in my own case, I started vomiting blood and immediately I vomited blood around 4am one Saturday morning, my wife called the ambulance system and they came, checked and even gave me a choice of either going for treatment or not,” he said.
Opaloba said he was grateful his condition did not affect his lungs or cause other severe sicknesses.
“I noticed the cough started around March 25 which was a Friday and by the weekend I had to call off work; I told them that I can’t come in anymore. I had started having severe tiredness and general weakness of the body. By Wednesday of the following week, I had started vomiting and had diarrhea so by 7 to 8 days it was full blown in my system and on Saturday by 5am, I called the ambulance because I vomited blood and when I got to the hospital, the second vomit I had was a brown coffee colour.
“The doctors told me then that that was extremely dangerous for the system so at the hospital I was put on IV and was given antibiotics. I remember them giving ma an IV Paracetamol and at that point I passed out and came back later in the day.”
Nigeria’s economy will face the worst recession in 30 years the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected.
It said the economy will recede by 3% in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted global supply chains.
This would be the worst recession in 30 years after a negative economic growth of 1.51% in 2016.
In 1987, Nigeria’s economy receded by -10.87 and -0.6 in 1991.
The IMF projection was contained in the April 2020 World Economic Outlook report released on Tuesday in Washington.
IMF chief economist and director of the research department, Gita Gopinath said the recession to be experienced would be the worst since the Great Depression between 1929 and 1932 when the advanced economies shrunk by 16%.
It is projected that the Nigerian economy will rebound by 2.4% in 2021.
“For the first time since the Great Depression, both the advanced economies and emerging and developing economies are in a recession,” she said in a briefing that marked the beginning of the April 2020 Spring meetings that is holding virtually.
“For 2020, growth in advanced economies is projected at -6%. Emerging markets and developing economies which typically have normal growth levels well above advanced economies are also projected to have negative growth of -1% and -2.2% if you exclude China.”
Gopinath also said the fund has projected 170 countries across the world would experience a shrinkage in their income per capita.
The economist said the recovery in 2020 would be partial and the projections provided in the report are the baseline scenario.
Nigeria on Tuesday received a grant of N21 billion (50 million Euros) from the European Union to fight COVID-19.
Ambassador Ketil Karlsen, Head of EU delegation in Nigeria, announced the grant at a meeting with President Buhari in Abuja.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, also confirmed this in a tweet on Tuesday.
Adesina said “EU gives Nigeria a grant of 50 million Euro to fight COVID-19. Head of EU delegation, Amb Ketil Karlsen, at the event commended President Buhari for “your powerful address to the nation last night,” and for “the bold and necessary measures you’ve taken.”
The federal government has terminated the contracts of two payment service providers (PSP) for failing to meet up with the contractual agreement to commence conditional cash transfer (CCT) to beneficiaries in four states.
In a statement on Tuesday, Sadiya Umar Farouq, minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, listed the affected states as Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Abia, and Zamfara.
She earlier said the ministry had commenced cash transfer to the poorest households in the country to cushion the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The PSP which contracts were terminated are Data Mining Company and Innovative NIPOST.
According to her, the termination is in line with the World Bank procurement guidelines to ensure that payments commenced in the affected states on or before April 28.
“The Federal Government cannot accept delays in the current payment round of N20,000 stipends to beneficiaries in poor and vulnerable households under any excuse in the four states or any other state of the federation,” she said.
“The failure of any payment service providers to meet their contractual agreement is unacceptable.
“The Federal Government through the Ministry cannot allow contractors to derail the immediate CCT to the poor and the vulnerable.”
On Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari extended the lockdown in the federal capital territory (FCT), Lagos and Ogun states.
The president said he decided to extend the lockdown to ensure that the disease which is now being spread within communities is checked.
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A Nigerian medical researcher, Prof. Ayodele Adeleye, on Monday claimed to have a cure for the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.
Adeleye also claimed that his cure had been subjected to scientific proof, adding that he was ready to treat five coronavirus positive patients free of charge to prove the efficacy of his treatment.
Adeleye, a former lecturer in Microbiology and Principal Staff, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika Zaria, in Kaduna State, spoke to journalists at a press conference held in Kaduna on Monday where he announced his breakthrough.
He said his three-day coronavirus cure discovery was so certain and assured that if adopted, the current lockdown in the country and the world over due to COVID-19 pandemic, would be a thing of the past.
“If the government brings in five people with COVID-19, I will treat them for free right in front of your cameras. It will take between three and five days to cure COVID-19 patient, completely.
“Animals are not susceptible to COVID-19. The only luck we have is that, someone who had COVID-19, we brought and treated was cured.
“About five people, including my former students who knew me with research have been calling and asking if I have something to cure COVID-19.
“One of the patients was having breathing problems already and he took the treatment in 10 minutes he was already getting better.
“We told him to keep coming every five days until he was okay. We told him to go for test and he was okay. In fact, he suggested we hold a press briefing and that is why we are here. He would have been here but based on his personality, he is shy.”
The Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Yusuf Tukur Buratai has vowed that he will not leave the theatre of Operation Lafiya Dole until he gave a final blow on the Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast.
The Nation reports that General Buratai had earlier announced his relocation to the northeast following the pounding of the insurgents by the Chadian Army from the Lake Chad axis where the President Idris Deby is claiming to have held a section of Nigeria waiting to handover to Nigerian troops.
The Chief of Army Staff who had a special Easter celebration with the troops on Monday at Ngamdu Special Super Camp regretted that the insurgency has lasted for too long but gave assurances that in no time the Boko Haram elements will be defeated.
“We will not leave this insurgency to last like in other countries who have fought insurgency for close to 50 years. We cannot allow that to happen here”, Buratai said.
Gen. Buratai assured the troops of the support of Mr. President who he said has provided all that they need to defeat the enemies.
He also promised that he will not leave the camp until he gives a final blow on the insurgents.
“You may wonder that this counter-insurgency operation has lingered for too long, we all know globally that counter terrorism is very complex. There are some countries that have fought counter terrorism for close to 50years. But we’re not going to leave it, we will not leave this camp
“We are here, we will not leave this camp until we substantially degrade these criminals. By God’s willing, we shall be there with you no going back once we commence. We will be with you in the valleys, on the hill, in the jungle, in the river and so on. As I speak now, we have some element that are providing us necessary intelligence and once we start, no going back. We are here and we make sure that we get ourselves properly motivated, properly equipped and I assure you will have the best of time.
“Some of you have been here before like two three times but I tell you are going to have the best of time. We want the best out of you. We need your courage and determination.
“I want you to have at the back of your minds that Mr. President solidly behind you. We have already started getting the consignment of what we require for us to handle these insurgency and terrorism. It a matter of time and a very short time.
“If I ask you a question, will you answer me? The question is, is anybody ready to chicken out?
A thunderous NO erupted from the soldiers and the COAS continued.
“We make sure that we never go back. Forward ever, backward, never. Thank you and God bless you all”.
Highlights of the occasion was the COAS serving food to troops as soldiers dance and celebrate the Easter.
National Center for the Control of Diseases (NCDC) has counselled former Jigawa state governor, Sule Lamido to as a matter of urgency to go on self-isolation sequel to a successful Covid’-19 test in Kano.
Officials of the NCDC advised the former governor via text messages published on his Facebook page which read:- “Assalamu Alaykum, Your Excellency Sir
As part of our Covid-19 contact tracing your name was mentioned among other dignitaries that attended the funeral at Koki on Thursday.”
The message was sent to Sule Lamido by Dr Imam Wada Bello, Director Public Health State Ministry Of Health, Kano State and Secretary Covid-19 State Taskforce. The invitation SMS added, “we would like to have your kind permission for our RRT to evaluate your risk and possibly take a sample.”
Sequel to contact tracing by the NCDC, the PDP stalwart was one of the dignitaries identified to have attended the funeral ceremony at Koki on Thursday where Kano index case was said to have mixed freely with the crowd of sympathisers.
At least 17 people were said to have been killed when a fighter jet belonging to the Nigerian Air Force fired a bomb on Sakotoku village in Damboa local government area of Borno state.
Those killed included women, and children who were said to be playing under mango trees.
The air force, military sources said, was informed that Boko Haram insurgents were gathering around the village on Thursday afternoon.
The supposed target, according to a source, was an area in Korongilum, a neighbouring village 12 kilometres away where suspected Boko Haram insurgents had gathered earlier.
“We don’t know if they didn’t communicate well with the land troops as the air force jet fired that bomb on the village,” one of the sources said.
“Seventeen people were killed, mostly women and their children playing under mango trees. Many were also injured and have been taken to the 25 army brigade in Damboa, and those with critical injuries were taken to Maiduguri.”
Some of the villagers whose houses were destroyed have found their way to Damboa.
In February, residents of Garkida, Adamawa state and Korongilum, Borno state, had alleged that NAF fighter jets refused to open fire on suspected Boko Haram insurgents when they attacked their communities.
Ibikunle Daramola, NAF spokesperson, had then told TheCable they could not engage the insurgents because the situation in Garkida was chaotic, and that they took the measure so they would not hit civilians.
In 2017, 126 civilians were killed in Rann, Borno state, in an accidental air strike by the military.
When TheCable contacted about the incident in Sakotoku, Daramola said: “It’s a matter of operation” and the defence headquarters would be in a better position to speak on the matter.”
Both Onyema Nwachukwu and John Enenche, defence headquarters spokespersons, were not reachable for comment as they neither responded to calls nor replied text messages.