Coronavirus Pandemic
Akwa Ibom governor commends ExxonMobil’s donations
Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom has commended ExxonMobil for donating equipment and items worth millions of naira to curb the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic in the state. Emmanuel, who was represented by Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, Secretary to the State Government, gave the commendation in Uyo on Saturday. He expressed the government’s profound appreciation to ExxonMobil for the kind gesture and for demonstrating its pride of place as Akwa Ibom’s number one corporate partner. “The items received would be a significant support boost to the state government’s effort to contain the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state,” the governor said. ExxonMobil’s donation included WHO-standard RNA COVID-19 test kits for 1,920 tests, 1000 units of samples collection kits, two brand new ambulances and ...
Coronavirus: African football must wait – CAF chief
CAF president, Ahmad Ahmad, has stated that African football must wait till the coronavirus pandemic is over. He said health comes first before football and as such, it is better that the pandemic is managed and curtailed before football resumes in the continent. He said: “As we see the ratio of tests that have been carried out in these countries, it is always alarming because we lack visibility in the management of this pandemic. “There is a lack of visibility. We must wait. As president, I invite everyone to be very careful and wait for the situation to normalize. But beyond that, I do not want football to be a source of destabilization for the precautionary measures taken by the various governments to deal with the pandemic. “The whole world is facing a very important health crisis, and...
Casemiro: Football can prove a return to normal is possible
Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro says it is “important” that football can return in Spain and that if it does, it will demonstrate that society can eventually return to normal after the coronavirus pandemic. Football fans had their first top-level live games to watch on Saturday with the return of the Bundesliga and, while the situation around the game was far from normal, the games were a source of entertainment and comfort to plenty. Spanish football is hoping to get the green light to resume as well, with La Liga chief Javier Tebas currently aiming for June 12 as the date when games can go on. “It’s a really significant step, not just for football but for society too, to show people that it is possible,” Casemiro told Real Madrid TV. “It’s not just about playing football, it’s about peop...
Artist urges government to invest in tourism
Mr Femi Adegoke, an artist, has called on the Federal Government to invest more in tourism to diversify and boost the nation’s economy post COVID-19. Adegoke told newsmen in Ilorin on Saturday that the Coronavirus pandemic has exposed the fact that the nation cannot survive only on oil proceeds. He said that the nation was blessed with abundant natural sites, adding that government should try and revive the tourism sector. “I don’t know why tourism in Nigeria seems dormant. Every other nation of the earth harness their tourism sites to boost their economy.” “We have very beautiful natural sites in Nigeria, but I don’t know why the government is not developing them into world class tourist attractions.” “It seems to be the least funded and ignored sector in Nigeria. This should not be.” “Ar...
PTF: Stop stigmatisation of coronavirus patients
Worried by the negative impacts on the society, the Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic has warned the public to desist from stigmatization of Covid-19 patients. This warning was given on Friday by Dr. Sani Aliyu, PTF National Coordinator, during the daily press briefing in Abuja. He lamented the growing cases of stigmatization of Covid-19 patients, saying that this state of affairs will not augur well for the fight against the pandemic in Nigeria. “Stigmatization of Covid-19 patients can only make many who have the disease to go underground and by that singular act the virus will continue to spread. When we stigmatize people who have contracted the virus it is obvious that many other people will be afraid to come clean. The carriers will be afraid to come forward fo...
POHAN: Ibrahim Gambari’s appointment’ll enhance synergy, cohesion
The national umbrella for Public Office Holders Association of Nigeria (POHAN) Thursday lauded the appointment of notable diplomat and former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, as new Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari. Gambari’s appointment followed the death of the occupier of the seat, Mallam Abba Kyari, as a result of the Covid-19 disease. Applauding Gambari’s appointment, POHAN, which is the umbrella body for public servants, political appointees inclusive, said the reconciliatory roles played under the aegis of the United Nations by the ex-minister at various times would come in handy, in curbing insurgency in the northern parts of the country. In a statement by the National President of POHAN, Comrade Deola Eseyin, issued to newsmen in Abeokuta, Ogun Stat...
Lagos university inaugurates financial sustainability committee
Lagos State University (LASU) has inaugurated a 21-man Financial Sustainability Committee to evolve strategies to create revenue sources and guarantee the financial sustainability of the institution after the coronavirus pandemic. Inaugurating the committee at a virtual meeting on Tuesday in Lagos, LASU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, said the step became imperative in the light of financial challenges that were envisaged in the wake of, and aftermath of the pandemic. “As a management, we do recognise that our institution, like almost every other institution around the world, are already facing and will face serious financial challenges. “A lot will depend on how institutions chose to manage their affairs that is why the management of LASU felt the need to put in place strategi...
Toyota predicts 79.5% drop in profit
Agence France-Presse Toyota on Tuesday said it expected a 79.5 percent drop in its annual operating profit this fiscal year as it suffers “significant” fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The Japanese auto giant declined to give a net profit forecast for the fiscal year to March 2021 but noted that the impact of the crisis on its business was “wide-ranging, significant and serious”. The company now expects an annual operating profit of 500 billion yen ($4.6 billion), down 79.5 percent from the 2.44 trillion yen logged in the past year to March. Toyota forecast a near-20 percent drop in annual sales to 24 trillion yen, compared with 29.93 trillion yen achieved in the past fiscal year. The company’s net profit for the past year to March came to 2.076 trillion yen, up 10.3 percent on the y...
Ekiti discharges five patients, expands isolation centre
Ekiti State Government on Monday disclosed that five patients of the deadly coronavirus pandemic have been discharged from the Isolation Centre in Ekiti on Monday. This is just as the government revealed it’s a plan to expand the Isolation Centre to 100-bed space capacity for more preparation on the Pandemic. Governor Kayode Fayemi had on Saturday evening broke the news on his Twitter handle that the state recorded new three cases. According to the tweet from the Governor, “We got information from NCDC tonight that three more persons tested positive to COVID-19 virus. Two are contacts of the medical doctor still in our care and another person who sneaked into the state before he was quarantined. This underscores the need for extra vigilance. ” With the development so far, Ekiti has 15 conf...
NITDA chief advocates for a ‘digital first’ strategy in coronavirus recovery plan
Commonwealth of Nations On April 30, 2020, the Director-General of NITDA, Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, delivered a presentation on the role of digital technology in limiting the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in a webinar organized by Nile University of Nigeria. The webinar themed “Dealing with Coronavirus: Digital First Perspective,” was another in a series of virtual seminars held by the Nile University of Nigeria in its quest to ensure that its non-classroom educational activities (similar to its regular lectures) are not disrupted by COVID-19. This sentiment was echoed in the program’s opening address by the Vice-Chancellor of Nile University of Nigeria, Prof. Osman Nuri Aras, who stated the University’s commitment to continuing its educational activities (both classroom and non...
A Future Reimagined for Africa Post-Pandemic
Sourced from Redbubble and iStock. In a rare television broadcast Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, described the COVID-19 pandemic as “Germany’s biggest challenge since the Second World War”. It has indeed proved to be a crisis of global proportion with material implications for the economies and livelihoods of all. Governments across the globe have locked down cities, towns, villages and townships to curb the spread of the virus. Massive fiscal stimuli have been enacted to cushion the economic and humanitarian impact of the pandemic. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund have set aside a large quantum of emergency financial support for countries to tap into. African countries have implemented strong containment measures to avoid further spread of COVID-19. For countries in W...
