COVID-19
PTF: NAFDAC screening local cures for coronavirus
The Federal Government said yesterday it has evaluated claims by local researchers that they have manufactured curative drugs for COVID-19. It explained that having met preliminary requirements, the drugs had been forwarded to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, for listing. National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force for COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, had restated the federal government’s position on Wednesday that no cure had been found for the disease. The government also expressed worries over the continued repatriation of Almajiriai by states, saying the development could fuel a spike in infections. On compliance with general safety protocols put in place against the virus, the federal government asked security agencies not to cut corners, addi...
Boss Mustapha: We are all combatants in battle against coronavirus
The Chairman Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, has said every Nigerian is a combatant in the fight against Coronavirus pandemic, noting that whatever you do to yourself is capable of affecting others. Mustapha said this at the PTF on COVID-19 daily briefing on Thursday in Abuja. According to him, “the only way to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic is when various institutions in the country work together based on understanding”. He urged those in leadership to also take responsibility by engaging their communities in ways to forestall the spread of the COVID-19. “The media must not relent in its crusade to curtail the spread of COVID-19”. He also commended the security agencies for arresting and prosecuting viola...
Abia government intercepts trucks bringing 26 people
Abia State Government says it intercepted 26 people hidden in two trucks coming into the state. The Commissioner for Homeland Security, Dan Okoli, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Aba on Thursday. He said the 26 persons were concealed in two trucks that belonged to a Nigerian multi-industry company. Okoli said the interception took place at Ariam Community, a boundary town between Akwa-Ibom and Abia, in Ikwuano Local Government Area of the state. He said the 26 people were later moved into another vehicle and sent back to where they were coming from. He debunked stories making the rounds that Abia boundaries were porous and that people were freely coming in and going out. Okoli said that it took the painstaking surveillance by security personnel to intercept the 26 persons. H...
Ty, Mercury Prize-Nominated British Rapper, Dies at 47
U.K. hip-hop artist Ty has died, according to The Guardian. He was 47. The Guardian reported that he died from complications due to COVID-19. The rapper was born Ben Chijioke, to Nigerian immigrants in London. In 2001, he released his debut album Awkward, and his breakthrough sophomore effort Upwards won him a larger audience and eventually a Mercury Prize nomination alongside Amy Winehouse and Franz Ferdinand. Chijioke went on to collaborate with such kindred spirits as De La Soul, Bahamadia, and Arrested Development’s Speech over the course of three more full-lengths: Closer, Special Kind of Fool, and A Work of Heart, his final solo effort in 2018. Ty was also a member of the group KingDem along with Rodney P and Blak Twang. [embedded content] [embedded content] [embedded content]
Edo clears 111 suspected coronavirus cases, 380 contacts
The Edo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Patrick Okundia, has said the state is making steady progress in the management of coronavirus (COVID-19), noting that all active cases of COVID-19 are being managed at different isolations centres across the state and are responding well to treatment. Speaking to journalists in Benin City, Okundia said Edo has discharged ten persons who have tested negative twice to the virus and exited another 491 persons, comprising 111 persons of interest (POIs) and 380 line-listed contacts, who have completed the compulsory 14-day follow up and tested negative. The commissioner noted that from the onset of the outbreak, Edo State has recorded a total of 593 suspected cases of COVID-19 and 65 confirmed cases spread across nine Local Government Areas (LGAs) of t...
Cross River orders five truckloads of almajiris back to destination
Cross River State government on Thursday ordered five truckloads of almajiris including other passengers from the northern part of Nigeria back to its destination. Newsmen learnt that a border patrol team, comprising of Peace Corp members, civilian Vigilantes, Border COVID-19 Taskforce had intercepted the trucks yesterday night at the Gakem border town in Bekwara LGA of the state near Benue State. A source who pleaded anonymity told Vanguard that the team was led by a Commissioner who said it was the result of intensive search and blockade of interstate vehicular travels, which his team was poised to enforce. “After a thorough check on the five trucks we discovered that most of the passengers, aside goods, were almajiris who did not meet COVID19 protocols, we had to force them to return,” ...
T.I. & Killer Mike Partner To Give Hot Meals & Supplies To Atlanta’s Residents Affected By Pandemic
Source: Freddy O / Radio One Digital Atlanta rappers are stepping up in a big way during this pandemic despite Georgia being the first state to partially re-open. T.I. and Killer Mike teamed up with non-profit PAWkids to serve 500 hot meals and needed household supplies to their most vulnerable neighbors affected by the city’s COVID-19 shutdown. Setting up in the parking lot of Bankhead Seafood, the ATL rap icons stood mask and gloved up with PAWkids volunteers to hand out brown bags and household items to residents of Atlanta’s Grove Park community that raised Killer Mike. “In any crisis, Black people confront dual challenges. We deal with the challenge of racism, and we deal with the crisis itself. COVID-19 is no exception. What we saw today was an overwhelming sense of need, but also a ...
Legendary Los Angeles Venue The Troubadour In Danger of Permanent Closure
As concert venues across the United States continue to be brought to a grinding halt by new regulations attempting to limit the spread of COVID-19, owners and managers are being forced to examine the longterm implications of the impact of pandemic. Some states, like California, are projecting that live music venues could be forced to suspend activities as far out as summer 2021, which spells out a harsh truth for some of those venues. One such establishment facing that truth is legendary Los Angeles club The Troubadour. Established in 1957, The Troubadour is a venue famous for hosting Elton John‘s debut U.S. performance in 1970, hosting an iconic Miles Davis live album recording, and a slew of other illustrious accomplishments. Electronic music acts like Joywave,...
Yaeji Postpones Remainder of Her 2020 Tour
Korean-American vocalist and performer Yaeji has been making quite a splash lately with her uniuque blend of electronic, lo-fi, and hip-hop elements along with her calming vocals in both English and Korean. Her 2020 headlining tour was set to springboard her even further into the spotlight, but unfortunately, that tour is now postponed through the end of 2020. With venues across the nation implementing newly enforced restrictions regarding social distancing in order to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, artists have been unable to perform at any live events and have consequently been forced to do the same as Yaeji. The rising star’s fans are understandably upset, but with the entire country’s live music scene brought to a virtual halt, Yaeji diehards h...
German Club Index is Hosting Immersive “Drive-In Raves”
With most festivals and artists taking to the power of the internet to livestream DJ sets for fans in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, other organizers have been a bit more creative. Take Germany’s super-club Index, for example, who recently came up with something rather innovative to satiate the cravings of those eager to hear music live once again. Calling upon the past to bring something new to the future, Index has been hosting “drive-in raves”—events similar to the drive-in movie theaters of auld—where attendees can park in a large lot and witness DJ performances from the safety of their own automobiles. This environment ensures that attendees comply with social distancing guidelines and allows the venue to continue its operations while bringing in revenue du...
PDP rejects N108 ex-depot fuel price, insist on N70 pump price
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has rejected the new ex-depot price of N108 per litre of the Premium Motor Spirit insisting on a new pricing template that must accommodate a pump price of between N60 to N70 per litre to reflect the crash in the price of crude oil and petroleum products in the international market. The party described the N108 ex-depot price as fraudulent and a far cry from the appropriate pump price template that should not exceed N70 given the prevailing situation in the international oil market. In a statement issued by the national publicity secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP maintained that the N108 ex-depot price with a projected additional N9 per litre Expected Open Market “completely unacceptable to Nigerians.” The statement read: “The federal gov...
Iron Maiden Postpone All 2020 Shows Due to COVID-19 Pandemic, Reschedule Many Dates for 2021
Iron Maiden have postponed all 2020 touring plans as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. The legendary UK metal band has rescheduled many of the European dates of its ongoing “Legacy of the Beast Tour” for 2021, but canceled festival appearances have not been rescheduled. The band was supposed to begin the first leg of the 2020 tour on May 1st in Perth, Australia, with shows in New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan, Dubai, and Israel to follow. Those dates have not been rescheduled yet, though the band hopes to return to those countries “in some guise, in the first half of 2022.” European shows in Moscow, Weert, and Zurich have also not been rearranged thus far. Iron Maiden’s manager Rod Smallwood issued a statement on the band’s website in regards to the postponements and cancellations: “I hope...
