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.

The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women in the US has noticed an increase in reporting of landlords preying on tenants’ financial stress during the Coronavirus pandemic to request sexual favors in exchange for rent payment.  

According to Vlad TV, the commission disclosed that only 69% of American renters were able to make rent on April 1 due to recent layoffs and furloughs. 

Immigration attorney Kevin Block says instead of asking for rent, some landlords are asking for ‘other arrangements’ and even sending graphic sexual images when female tenants ask about rent.

"I am concerned because reported incidents indicate a greater number of unreported incidents," Block said. 

Khara Jabola-Carolus, the Executive Director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women also confirmed the sexual harassment by landlords saying: "There was no plan upfront to prepare for the physical and sexual violence from the combination of shelter-in-place, lost income and systemic sexism. So we need to get the information on rights and resources out as fast and wide as we can. There is help.”.

The commission also revealed that an online guide has been created for women in Hawaii to follow if they are victimized by a landlord. The HCRC will offer guidance on the emergency rent assistance at 808–586–5757, and will also be keeping a database of bad landlords.

Women in Hawaii were also told to file a complaint if they are victimized by any landlord. 

Jabola-Carolus added, “Retaliation by a landlord for filing a complaint against him is illegal. If your landlord changes the locks or shuts off your utilities for complaining about his sexual predation, you can file a landlord-tenant TRO against your landlord and the court will take these cases during the crisis. Please contact Legal Aid Society of Hawaii for help with retaliation. There are no income limits for their help when it comes to fair housing matters.”

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.

The International Monetary Fund on Monday announced immediate debt relief for 25 poor countries, to help them free up funds to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Twenty two of the countries are in Africa.

They are Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, D.R., The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique.

Others are Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Togo, and Yemen.

Afghanistan, Yemen, Nepal and Haiti are also on the list.

“This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement.

The IMF board approved the debt relief for the countries.

The fund together with the World Bank have called for rich nations to stop collecting debt payments from poor countries from May 1 through June 2021.

The debt relief will be funded by the IMF’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT), which was first set up to combat the West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2015 and has been repurposed to help countries fend off COVID-19.

The fund currently has $500 million, with Japan, Britain, China and the Netherlands among its main contributors.

“I urge other donors to help us replenish the trust’s resources and boost further our ability to provide additional debt service relief for a full two years to our poorest member countries,” Georgieva said.

Last week, the World Bank said it would roll out $160 billion in emergency aid over 15 months to help countries stricken by the virus, including $14 billion in debt repayments from 76 poor countries to other governments.

The king of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, 67, also known as King Rama X has broken lock down rules by traveling from Germany where he has been isolating for weeks with 20 girlfriends, to Bangkok for a party.

He made the 12,000 miles to and fro trip within 24 hours stopping in Zurich, Switzerland to pick up his wife Queen Suthida, who is self-isolating there, and then dropped her off again on the way back before returning to his isolation spot- The Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl in Germany's Garmisch-Partenkirchen. He made the trip using a customized Thai Airforce Eurocopter.

According to reports, his party occurred as he traveled for the Chakra Day in Thailand last Monday – a national annual holiday marking the birth of his royal dynasty in 1782.

He has received criticism from foreign media for leaving his country to go isolate in another country as his citizens cannot say anything negative against him as they risk facing 35 years imprisonment.

Despite breaching the lockdown, he reportedly said at the party: ‘This pandemic is not the fault of anybody. ‘The Government must solve the problem by understanding its causes.

‘It is necessary to establish a system and communicate it to the people and to understand it well.’

The Thai King was crowned king last May, nearly three years after his father’s death, in a six-hour ceremony that cost £25 million.

Thailand declared a state of emergency and went into lockdown two weeks ago and has recorded 27 deaths and 2,250 cases of coronavirus.