COVID-19
Lzzy Hale: “Most of the Bands You Know and Love Won’t Make It Out of This” Pandemic
Lzzy Hale has painted a bleak present and future for music acts in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, remarking that “most of the bands you know and love won’t make it out of this.” The Halestorm singer-guitarist made the comments on Instagram while also warning her supporters that states are reopening prematurely. Even though Halestorm have a strong following and several rock hits to their name, the financial and emotional hit of the pandemic is taking its toll on the band and its crew — as it is for most touring artists. In her Instagram note, Hale pointed out the “audacity of some people to assume that just because I’m someone of note, that I am not suffering because of all this.” As a majority of the United States starts to reopen in varying phases, Lzzy proclaims, “Without a vaccine,...
Nigerian government commends NNPC, partners for coronavirus interventions
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19, Boss Mustapha, yesterday, commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for her unwavering support and several medical interventions, geared towards providing a lasting solution to the novel coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria. According to a statement by the NNPC, Mustapha stated that the gesture showed the corporation as the hallmark of a national oil company. The NNPC noted that Mustapha gave this commendation while receiving 20 ventilators donated by Ocea S.A, a France based company through the NNPC, to bolster the fight against COVID-19 in Abuja. It added that Mystrose Defence Systems Limited presented the donation to the NNPC on behalf of Ocea S.A. to bolster the fight...
Pasuma: Young artistes prefer Hip-Hop to Fuji
Popular fuji singer, Wasiu Alabi, aka Pasuma, has disclosed that the current crop of young Yoruba artistes in the country prefer the hip-hop genre over fuji, which he said has been relegated to the background. He stated this in an Instagram live chat with Yoruba actor and husband to Toyin Abraham, Kolawole Ajeyemi. Pasuma said: “It is sad that budding fuji artistes now prefer to sing hip-hop. After Shanko Rasheed and his set, we are yet to find other young artistes doing fuji music. Even Destiny Boy that was meant to do fuji has decided to focus on hip-hop.” The “Oganla 1” also disclosed that there are plans to save and help the fuji music industry to grow better. He said: “After this COVID-19 pandemic, we have plans to organise a competition for talented fuji artistes. We keep seeing the ...
Federal government to maintain eased lockdown for another two weeks
The Federal Government has announced an extension of the current partial lockdown of the country, saying the time is not ripe for it to relax its containment protocols against the Covid-19 Pandemic. Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce PTF on Covid-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha, announced this Monday in Abuja during the daily briefing of the Taskforce. He said; “the reality is that in spite of the modest progress made, Nigeria is not yet ready for full opening of the economy and tough decisions have to be taken for the good of the greater majority. Any relaxation will only portend grave danger for our populace. “Advisedly, the current phase of eased restriction will be maintained for another two weeks during which stricter enforcement and pe...
CCECC: 15 Chinese medical experts are in our care
Mr Michael Yigao, Managing Director, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) Nigeria Ltd, says the 15 Chinese medical experts that arrived in the country on April 8 are in the company’s care. Yigao made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja while reacting to questions raised by the media and opposition parties on May 14, as to the whereabouts of the Chinese medical team. This followed comment by the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, that the experts, who reportedly came into Nigeria to support the fight against COVID-19, were not his guests but those of CCECC. Ehanire, while responding to questions at the daily Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing May 14, said “the medical personnel are not guests of the Federal Government but that of the construction company”. Yigao...
Platform Simplifies Access to COVID-19 Interventions in Nigeria
Sourced from Mail & Guardian. Beating Corona Nigeria, the country’s leading virtual intervention database has restructured its model to help disadvantaged Nigerians in need of interventions connect with the relevant non-profits. The platform itself kicked off last month, 9 April, and has recorded a massive amount of data. It continues to actively connect interveners to the people who need access to interventions. After recommendations to resolve the platform’s challenges with making interventions accessible, the database was pivoted towards a new model. With this pivot, the intervention database properly complements the core of the platform’s mission. Some of the major updates on the platform now allows for a search bar that can enable interventions to be easily found, a breakdown of a...
Nigeria overtakes Ghana as confirmed coronavirus cases hit 84,000 in Africa
The World Health Organization, WHO, regional office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, says the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Africa has risen to over 84,000 in the past 24 hours. The UN health agency gave the update on its official Twitter account on Monday morning. According to the tweet, COVID-19 has killed 2,700 people on the continent, while 32,000 people have recovered from the virus. “Over 84,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent – with more than 32,000 recoveries & 2,700 deaths,” it said. Nigeria is now the highest country in West Africa, with 5,959 cases and 182 deaths, followed by Ghana with 5,735 cases and 29 deaths. The Africa CDC COVID-19 dashboard showed that South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco have continued to top the list of countries w...
Presidency: Nothing wrong with taking more loans
There is nothing wrong in taking more loans to finance specific projects, the Presidency said on Sunday. It urged those criticising efforts in borrowing to develop the country, to desist. Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina said Nigeria has more capacity to accommodate loans. He spoke while featuring on Southwest Political Circuit, a popular political interview programme on Ibadan-based radio station, Fresh F.M. Adesina called from his Aso Rock office to take questions on aspects of COVID-19 management and economic issues. He said that there was no need for Nigerians to raise concern about the country’s rising debt profile because the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is applying loans to the specific projects they are meant for. Although he pointed out that the huge debt, which th...
Nigeria records 338 new coronavirus cases, total now 5,959
Nigeria has recorded 338 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 5,959. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control made this known on Sunday. Newsmen report that six patients died of coronavirus-related complications in the last 24 hours in Nigeria. Data obtained from the NCDC’s website showed that there are no fewer than 4,183 active cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria. The centre said, “On the 17th of May 2020, 338 new confirmed cases and 6 deaths were recorded in Nigeria. “No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours. “Till date, 5959 cases have been confirmed, 1594 cases have been discharged and 182 deaths have been recorded in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory. “The 338 new cases are reported from 18 states- Lagos(177), Kan...
Morocco confirms 129 new coronavirus cases, total now 6,870
The Moroccan Ministry of Health on Sunday confirmed 129 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 6,870 in the country. Meanwhile, 192 people have died from the novel coronavirus so far, while 3,660 have recovered after 173 recoveries were added during the last 24 hours, Mohamed El Youbi, Director of Epidemiology at the ministry, said at his daily briefing. On April 18, Morocco extended the state of medical emergency until May 20 in an effort to strengthen preventive measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. Get more stories like this on Twitter
Bauchi governor orders payment of salaries
Bauchi State Governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed, has approved the payment of May, 2020 salaries of Civil Servants in the state ahead of the Eid-el Fitr celebration. His Senior Special Assistant on Media, Muktar Gidado, revealed this on Sunday in a statement. He said the Governor has directed the State Accountant General to ensure that the salaries are paid on or before the 20th of May. He explained the development was to enable workers, including pensioners enjoy a happy Eid-el Fitr celebrations. Mohammed assured civil servants in the state of the commitment of his administration to prompt payment of salaries in addition to other reforms introduced to ensure effective service delivery. He equally enjoined them to ensure total compliance with all the protocols against COVID-19 pandemic. Get more ...
