COVID-19
Nigerian government orders civil servants to ‘stay at home for five weeks’
The Federal Government on Monday ordered all federal civil servants on Grade Level 12 and below to stay at home for the next five weeks from Monday. The chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, made this known in a statement on Monday. He also announced that all schools would remain closed till January 18. Mustapha also said restrictions have been placed on social and religious gatherings for five weeks. He said, “Encourage virtual meetings in government offices. The leadership of such offices are to ensure that all offices are well-ventilated offices, and encourage staff to work from home where possible; “All government staff on GL.12 and below are to stay at home for the next 5 weeks; Permanent Secretaries and Chief Executives are to be held accountable for enf...
Governor Sanwo-Olu still recovering from coronavirus infection
Over one week after testing positive for COVID-19, Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is yet to make a complete recovery. The governor tested positive for the novel disease on December 11, 2020 after he was in close contact with an infected aide. The Lagos government reported that the governor was displaying mild symptoms and fatigue and was receiving treatment at home. While providing an update on the governor’s health on Monday, December 21, Lagos Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, said Sanwo-Olu is doing much better. However, he said the 55-year-old remains in isolation and receiving home based care. “We are waiting for a complete clearance of the virus so that Mr Governor can resume public activities,” he said. Abayomi urged members of the public to adhere to safety measures...
Iggy Pop Releases COVID-19 Rocker “Dirty Little Virus”: Stream
I’m happy to report that not all 70-plus white male classic rockers are COVID-19 deniers. Iggy Pop is back with a new song inspired by the novel coronavirus, and unlike Eric Clapton and Van Morrison’s recent anti-lockdown collaboration, Pop’s “Dirty Little Virus” accurately reflects the severity of the pandemic — even if the lyrics are, times, quite painful. “COVID-19 is on the scene,” Pop sings to open the song. “Grandfather’s dead. Got Trump instead.” Later he croons, “She’s only 19, but she can kill ya. She ain’t my type, but it is what it is.” In a video accompanying the song’s release, Pop explained that he was “moved to write a direct lyric, not something too emotional or deep, more like journalism. Who, what, where, where… I left out the why, because that gets too complex. But...
Governor Lalong mourns NIPSS deceased chief
Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau has described the death of Prof. Habu Galadima, the Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, near Jos, as a “great loss” to Nigeria. Lalong said this in a statement issued by his Director of Press and Public Affairs (DOPA), Dr Makut Macham, in Jos. He also said that the demise of Galadima was a huge loss to his immediate family, NIPSS, Plateau and Nasarawa states. He said that the deceased would be greatly missed by the academic community in Nigeria and the diaspora. “Prof. Galadima is an astute scholar of international repute, administrator and professional who demonstrated uncommon commitment in carrying out every responsibility he was assigned. “Since he assumed office one year ago, Galadima had injected a fr...
Airtel begins initiative to feed 5,000 displaced persons
Airtel Nigeria has announced the commencement of the 2020 edition of its annual ‘5 Days of Love’ Yuletide initiative with a focus on providing palliative packs to 5,000 persons across five Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the country. Speaking during a virtual press conference to announce the initiative, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, said despite the pandemic and a difficult year, Airtel would continue its long standing tradition of celebrating and empowering the vulnerable and underprivileged during Yuletide. “Our resolve to Nigeria and Nigerians is unshakeable. Despite a difficult year, we are committed to making lives better for many Nigerians and we will not rest on our laurels as we will continue to create opportun...
Report highlights impact of coronavirus on graduates
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted 47 per cent of graduates and their activities (including job search), a report has stated. Also 17 per cent of graduates lost their jobs due to the pandemic, a research by the Knowledge Exchange Centre (KEC) and BudgIT revealed. The Executive Secretary, KEC, Aghogho Akporido, disclosed this during the virtual graduation ceremony of 43 students in its Graduate Advancement Programme (GAP) network, recently. He said the programme was extended to three months as opposed to the previous six weeks. He also said during the selection process, training session, career counselling and mentoring session and even in some cases, the internship was done virtually (online). Akporido said for the first time there were participants from eight states and volunte...
Kaduna civil servants below level 14 to work from home
The Kaduna state Government has directed civil servants below grade level 14 to work from home starting from Monday 21st December 2020 following increased infection rates of COVID-19 in the state. The state Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai tweeted on Sunday that the measure was part of the Covid-19 containment strategy announced last week by his administration. He appealed to all residents to see COVID-19 prevention as a personal responsibility. “It is mandatory to wear facemask outside the house, organizations and individuals that allow people into their premises have the responsibility to enforce the no mask, no entry mandate, facemask should be worn to cover the nose and mouth,” he said. Daily Trust reports that the state recorded 179 positive cases as at Saturday, from 639 samples tested...
Moderna, McKesson, U.S. Army general begin rolling out new coronavirus vaccine
Distribution of Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine to more than 3,700 locations in the United States has begun, vastly widening the rollout started last week by Pfizer Inc, U.S Army General Gustave Perna said on Saturday. Moderna has already moved vaccines from its manufacturing plants to warehouses operated by distributor McKesson Corp where they are being packed into containers and loaded on to trucks on Saturday, Perna said during a news conference. Trucks will set out on Sunday and shipments will start reaching healthcare providers as soon as Monday, he said. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved an emergency use authorization for Moderna’s vaccine, the second COVID-19 vaccine to be approved. The jab developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE was approved Dec. 11....
Governor Sanwo-Olu: Lagos can’t afford another total lockdown
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says the state cannot afford another total lockdown amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 on Friday said there were indications that the country had entered a second wave of the pandemic. “In Nigeria, the indication is that we have entered a second wave of infections, and we stand the risk of not just losing the gains from the hard work of the last nine months, but also losing the precious lives of our citizens”, Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, who represented Boss Mustapha, chairman of the PTF, said. Sanwo-Olu, who went into isolation last Saturday after testing positive for COVID-19, advised residents to adhere to health protocol and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to help limit the ...
Akwa Ibom cancels state events, caution residents
The Akwa Ibom State Government has cancelled all state events requiring large gatherings as it confirmed 48 new cases of COVID-19 in the state. A statement by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Chairman of the COVID-19 Management Committee, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, cautioned residents against acts that might lead to another lockdown with its attendant consequences. He said; “large political meetings are discouraged until the current spike of COVID-19 infections is reduced. “Religious leaders must adhere strictly to the guidelines and protocols for programmes as developed by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and submitted to the government. “School administrators must ensure compulsory and proper use of face mask by students, teachers and everyone in the school premises.” T...
Eric Clapton and Van Morrison Share Awful Anti-Lockdown Song “Stand and Deliver”: Stream
Van Morrison has officially fallen down the black hole of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and Eric Clapton is willfully joining him for the ride. This afternoon, the two veteran musicians teamed up to release a new anti-lockdown song called “Stand and Deliver”. Spoiler alert: it’s truly awful. “Stand and Deliver” is an original song written by Morrison and sung by Clapton. The mild blues rock track is all about how the government is preventing people from living their daily lives, and how it’s up to those people to stand up for their rights before they become brainwashed. “I just wanna do my job/ Playing the blues for my friends/ Magna Carta, Bill of Rights/ The Constitution, what’s it worth?” sings Clapton. “Do you wanna be a free man/ Or do you wanna be a slave?” There’s a generic gui...
Akwa Ibom bans large gatherings as coronavirus surges
As a precautionary measure against the second wave of COVID-19, the Akwa Ibom State government has announced the cancellation of “all state government events requiring large crowds”. The Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government, Emmanuel Ekuwem, who disclosed in a statement on Friday, said “test results from our PCR laboratory clearly indicate a sharp increase in the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our state”. The statement said Governor Udom Emmanuel has directed strict enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines and protocols at the Christmas village in Uyo, the state capital. The government said large political meetings are to be discouraged until the current spike of COVID-19 infections is reduced. It said the use of face mask and adherence to other COVID-19 guidelines and proto...
