NIGERIAN NEWS BLOGGERS

4 sentenced for attempting to escape with Covid-19 patient in Ilorin An Ilorin Magistrate’s Court on Thursday sentenced four persons to 14 days self-isolation for attempting to escape with one Kazeem Oladayo, a COVID-19 patient, at Sobi Isolation Centre in Ilorin. The Chief Magistrate, Mr Bio Solihu, also ordered the convicts to pay N20,000 fine each in addition to the isolation sentence. Solihu also ordered the NSCDC officers who arrested the violators to liaise with the officers of the correctional centre and the state’s Covid-19 Technical Committee to ensure that the convicts were isolated. The convicts are AbdulGaniyu Sadiq, Abdullah Isiaka, Sodiq Hakeem and Aremu Wasiu. They were convicted for violating the state government’s restriction of movement order and the rules guiding patients at the isolation centre. The Prosecutor, Insp Nasir Yusuf, urged the court to try the offenders summarily since they had pleaded guilty. Yusuf sai...

ADDRESS BY H.E. MUHAMMADU BUHARI,  PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE CUMULATIVE LOCKDOWN ORDER OF LAGOS AND OGUN STATES AS WELL AS THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY ON COVID- 19 PANDEMIC  1. Fellow Nigerians  2. I will start by commending you all for the resilience and patriotism that you have shown in our collective fight against the biggest health challenge of our generation. 3. As at yesterday, 26th April 2020, some three million confirmed cases of COVID nineteen have been recorded globally with about nine hundred thousand recoveries. Unfortunately, some two hundred thousand people have also diedpassed away as a result of this pandemic.  4. The health systems and economies of many nations continue to struggle as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.  5. Nigeria continues to adopt and adapt to these new global realities on a daily basis. This evening, I will present the facts as they are and explain our plans for th...

COVID-19 Update: Churches To Re-Open In Anambra Government of Anambra state has relaxed the lockdown in the state to allow churches hold services.  Governor Obiano who made this known during a statewide broadcast stressed that worshipers must wear face masks and enforce all WHO guidelines during worship, including, regular hand washing, avoiding handshakes, application of hand sanitizers, social distancing and others. The Governor also announced that movements around the state have been relaxed, stressing that all boundaries in the State remain closed. According to Governor Obiano, all food and drug markets in the state are to open with immediate effect. He noted that he will meet with market leaders on Monday, 27th April, 2020 pointing out that update about when to re-open the schools as well as when civil servants will be allowed to go back to their offices, will be announced soon. Source: ABS

ECOWAS LEADERS APPOINT PRESIDENT BUHARI CHAMPION OF COVID -19 RESPONSE Presidents of West African countries under the aegis of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government have appointed President Muhammadu Buhari Champion of the COVID-19 response. The appointment took place Thursday at the Extraordinary ECOWAS Summit on COVID-19 which was held via teleconferencing under the Chairmanship of His Excellency, Mahamadou Issoufou, President of the Republic of Niger. During the teleconference, President Buhari called on fellow ECOWAS leaders to look beyond the challenges posed by the COVID -19 pandemic and tap into various opportunities that it presents for the betterment of lives in Member States: “In every challenging situation such as the current one, there are also opportunities. Our region must therefore seek to find those opportunities provided by this gloomy global outlook for its benefit by embarking on the implementation of such critical policies, which b...

Kaduna state Labour Union rejects 25% salary deduction plan Labour unions in Kaduna State have rejected plans by the state government to deduct 25 per cent of workers’ salaries to contribute to the state’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the state Deputy governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe had in a state broadcast on April 9, announced that modalities were being worked out for all employees of the state to contribute to the Covid-19 Emergency Fund. Some heads of the labour unions confirmed to NAN that the Head of Civil Service of the State, Mrs Bariyatu Mohammed had met with labour leaders on April 14 on the planned salary deductions. They identified participants at the meeting to include Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Join Union of Tertiary Institutions in Kaduna State (JUTIKS), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), RATTAWU and other affiliate unions. The Chairman, Kaduna State Council of NLC, Ayuba Sulaiman told NAN,...

Health worker lost to Covid-19 A medical doctor in Lagos, Emeka Chugbo, has become the first health worker in Nigeria to be killed by COVID-19 after he contracted the virus from a patient he was treating. The doctor, who died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital on Wednesday after being rushed to the facility on Monday, was said to have managed a COVID-19 patient at a private hospital where he was working. The patient he was treating died on April 3. Confirming the report, Chief Medical Director, LUTH, Prof Chris Bode, said the doctor was rushed to the facility after he showed severe signs of the virus. The Nigerian Medical Association also confirmed the death of the doctor. “Until his death, he was a private medical practitioner, who was exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19. “We condole with his immediate family and members of the medical community for this painful loss,” the NMA said.

EU Donates €50m to Nigeria to fight COVID-19 The European Union (EU) has released €50 million to Nigeria to fight the Coronavirus disease which has killed at least 10 people in the country. The donation was announced when President Muhammadu Buhari received in audience the EU Delegation at the Council Chambers, State House, Abuja on Tuesday. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, made this known via a tweet. Adesina said Head of the EU delegation at the event, Amb Ketil Karlsen, who announced the donation, also commended Buhari for extending Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja lockdown. Karlsen was quoted as describing Buhari’s address to the nation on Monday as “powerful”, adding that the retired general took bold and necessary measures. “EU gives Nigeria a grant of 50 million Euro to fight COVID-19,” Adesina tweeted. Similarly, the Personal Assistant on New Media to the President, Bashir Ahmad, said, “The European Union...

191 suspects arrested in connection to Ogun and Lagos robbery The police on Monday said they had arrested 191 suspects in connection with the activities of hoodlums and street urchins in the border communities between Lagos and Ogun States. The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), DCP Frank Mba, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja. He said exhibits recovered from the suspects were 15 locally made guns, 52 live cartridges, 42 cutlasses and axes, and large quantity of weeds suspected to be Marijuana. Mba said the exhibits were recovered by the police teams in the Agbado, Ifo, Otta and Agege axis. He said the Inspector General of Police (I-G),  Mr Mohammed Adamu, had ordered the immediate deployment of additional intelligence and operational assets of the force to the two affected states. The FPRO said the deployment comprises the Police Mobile Force (PMF) Units, Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the Special Tactical...

FULL ADDRESS BY H.E. MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE EXTENSION OF COVID- 19 PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN AT THE STATE HOUSE, ABUJA MONDAY, 13TH APRIL, 2020 1. Fellow Nigerians 2. In my address on Sunday, 29th March, 2020, I asked the residents of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Federal Capital Territory to stay at home for an initial period of fourteen days starting from Monday, 30th March 2020. 3. Many State Governments also introduced similar restrictions. 4. As your democratically elected leaders, we made this very difficult decision knowing fully well it will severely disrupt your livelihoods and bring undue hardship to you, your loved ones and your communities. 5. However, such sacrifices are needed to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our country. They were necessary to save lives. 6. Our objective was, and still remains, to contain the spread of the Coronavirus and to provide space, time and resources for an aggressive...

COVID-19:SERAP calls for a redirection of N37 billion NASS Renovation fund to Covid-19 relief  Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an urgent appeal to the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila urging them to “immediately make a public commitment to redirect the N37 billion for the renovation of the National Assembly complex to give N1 billion to each of the 36 states, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as COVID-19 direct reliefs and benefits to the country’s poorest and most vulnerable people.” SERAP said: “We applaud the patriotic steps and voluntary contributions already made by the National Assembly towards fighting COVID-19 in the country. We now urge you to make major strides to national efforts to deal with one of the greatest threats facing the country by immediately redirecting the N37 billion to provide direct and tangible benefits to the poorest and most vulnerable p...

Police arrest 20 cultist in Ogun communities In the wake of crisis that broke out in Ifo local government area of Ogun state as a result of supremacy battle between two rival cult group which has metamorphosed into robbery and other criminal activities, the state police command in a bid to nip the crisis at its bud deployed large number of policemen comprises of SARS, anti cultist unit, anti kidnapping unit as well as conventional policemen drawn from all adjoining police stations in the area under the command of the Area Commander, ACP Monday Agbonika to restore normalcy and bring the hoodlums to book. Ogun State Police Command Public Relations Officer DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi said in press statement that in compliance with the directives of the commissioner of police, the teams moved into the area and embarked on aggressive and intelligence based patrol of the entire area of Ifo, Owode ijako, joju, ijoko and Agbado area. Their efforts yielded positive results as five of the ho...

Kogi State Government lift ban on Religious gathering Kogi state State governor, Yahaya Bello, has lifted the social distancing order imposed to curb the spread of the COVID-19 on religious congregations in mosques and churches across the state, according to the News Agency of Nigeria. Bello, in a statement by Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, in Lokoja on Thursday said that lifting of the ban was to enable religious bodies resume normal worship and services. He urged all religious leaders to put in place preventive and precautionary measures in their various worship centres in order to contain the outbreak and spread of Coronavirus in the state. He said, “Sitting arrangements in mosques and churches should be done to ensure social distancing. “We also urge churches and mosques to make their services as brief as possible in order not to keep a large crowd of worshipers within enclosed confinement.” Governor Bello had on March ...

Covid-19: Catholic Church in Nigeria offers 435 treatment centre  Considering the grave danger posed by COVID-19 pandemic, the world over, and in particular, Nigeria, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), today 8 April 2020, paid a solidarity visit with the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF), who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force committee put in place by the Government to combat the spread of the dreaded Corona Virus.  The CBCN delegation, which was led by Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, the Archbishop of Abuja, acknowledged the excellent efforts of the Government in curtailing COVID-19.  He then read the message of the President of CBCN in which the CBCN, in solidarity with the people of Nigeria and the Government, granted the Presidential Task Force committee full access to 435 Catholic hospitals and clinics in Nigeria.  He further presented the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria’s national Health Secretary, Dr Emma...

Chinese Doctors to arrive Nigeria today Despite opposition by the Nigerian Medical Association, the visiting 15-member medical team from China will arrive the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on a chattered Air Peace aircraft on Wednesday (today). The personnel, who are experts in infectious diseases, respiratory illness, intensive care, cardiology, neurology, general surgery and anesthesiology, will be coming with their drugs, and equipment to carry out Convid-19 tests on the staff of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation in the country. The Executive Director, CCECC, Mr. Jacques Liao, said in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, that the medical team would be coming with 16-ton test kits, ventilators, disinfection machine, disposable medical masks, drugs, infrared thermometer and other items ordered by the Federal Government. He said “Allmembers of the working teams has been tested negative for COVID-19 and shall commence their stay in Nigeria by spendi...

14 DAYS LOCKDOWN TO BE REVIEWED BY BUHARI- SGF   The President, Muhammadu Buhari will review the 14 days’ lockdown before the end of the week after assessment report of the coronavirus situation. This was disclosed by the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on the Control of COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, stated this at the daily national briefing in Lagos on Tuesday. Responding to a question on possible extension of the lockdown, the SGF said, “This is part of the consultation. We are looking at the objectives set when the lockdown or quarantine declaration was signed by the president and other states. “Before the end of the week, we will do an evaluation to see how the set objectives are being met. At the end of evaluation, the second state of implementation and advise will go to Mr. President. “He, only, will take the decision on whether lockdown will be extended or it will stop at the expiration of the 14 days....

Gov. Makinde reveals how he fought COVID-19 The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has revealed how he fought and survived COVID-19 infection while his quarantine lasted . The governor, who has now tested negative to the virus, spoke on the 105.9 FM on Monday via a telephone interview. The interviewer, Mayor Isaac Brown, who said he also spoke with the governor when he was under the quarantine, recalled that Makinde had told him that he ingested plenty Vitamin C, and ate lots and lots of carrots, among others in his fight against the coronavirus. The governor had also told the journalist that his infrared thermometer had been his best friend during his quarantine period, using it to gauge his body temperature at regular intervals. The reporter then asked, “Okay, can we know your latest temperature?” to which the governor responded, “Thermometer reads out temperature as 36.4 degrees. You can hear that; my body temperature is 36.4 degrees. So, I still have the t...