Nigeria
Governor Wike extends relaxation of Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor lockdown till Sunday
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has extended relaxation of the Covid-19 lockdown he imposed on Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt Local Government Areas till Sunday. Wike in a Wednesday evening broadcast said, the total lockdown on the Port Harcourt metropolis, expected to take effect again from Thursday following two days. (Tuesday and Wednesday) breather for residents to restock for food and medicals will now resume 17 May. He said, “In consideration of concerns of our people, and need for residents to replenish their supplies especially, the State Security Council decided to impose night-time curfew and review the effective date of the complete lockdown on Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City LGAs from the Thursday 14 May to Sunday 17 May 2020 by 8.00 p.m.” “Consequently, there will be nigh...
President Buhari urges stakeholders commitment as NLNG signs Train 7 project construction
Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), Bonny, Rivers state, says it has signed Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contracts for much-anticipated Train 7 Project with the SCD JV Consortium, comprising affiliates of Saipem, Chiyoda and Daewoo. The development signifies the commencement of the Detail Design and Construction phase of the project expected to increase the capacity of NLNG’s current six-train plant by 35% from the extant 22 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) to 30 MTPA. Tony Attah, Managing Director, NLNG, said, “The award of the EPC Contracts clearly demonstrates our Shareholders’ determination and resolve to sustain the economic dividends NLNG’s monetization of our vast natural gas reserves offers Nigeria” Group Managing Director (NNPC) and a Director on the NLNG Board, Mele Kya...
Ibrahim Gambari’ll give President Buhari’s administration a global appeal – ex-minister
Former Minister of State for Education, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice of Prof. Ibrahim Gambari as his new Chief of Staff will pave the way for the administration to be reckoned with internationally. Gbagi, in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, described the newly appointed Chief of Staff as a man of character and excellence, whose outstanding academic accomplishments would stir the nation in the direction of meaningful progress. “When I heard about the appointment of Ibrahim Gambari as the new Chief of Staff, I was completely impressed by the President’s choice. “Without a doubt, he is a square peg in a square hole. In fact, while I served as a foreign officer in Hong Kong, he was my boss as the Foreign Affairs Minister at the time. “From my de...
Kebbi discharges four coronavirus patients, total recoveries now five
Kebbi State has discharged four COVID-19 patients from its isolation centre in Kebbi Medical Centre, Kalgo, after they have recovered fully from the virus. The Special Adviser on Media to the State Governor, Yahaya Sarki, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday. The development brought the number of patients that have fully recovered in the state to five. Sarki quoted the chairman of the state task force on COVID-19, Alhaji Jafar Muhammed, as having confirmed the development on Tuesday. He quoted Muhammed as saying that the patients were discharged after they have fully recovered from the virus and had tested negative twice. He explained that their recovery came after they were isolated and treated for two weeks. The statement read, “Muhammed commended all ...
US stands in solidarity with Nigeria to defeat coronavirus – envoy
Following President Donald Trump’s telephone conversation with President Muhammadu Buhari on efforts to defeat Covid-19 in Nigeria, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Berth Leonard, has restated the United States government’s promise to stand in solidarity with Nigeria to defeat the deadly virus. Ambassador Berth who said this at a teleconference with journalists, Tuesday May 12, 2020, stated that President Buhari was the first African Head of State that President Donald Trump spoke with on issues concerning the deadly virus that is ravaging the world noting that the US government is very pleased to work with Nigeria to see the end of the pandemic. She also disclosed that about 237 million USD had been expended on Covid-19 activities with Africa continent and about 32.8 million USD already...
Lab scientists fear coronavirus positive cases in Cross River
The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientist of Nigeria, AMLSN, Cross River Branch, has predicted that there were possibilities of positive cases in the state, insisting that more tests must be carried out to ascertain the level of success. The Association also said that since the first case of the pandemic was reported in Nigeria, it was difficult to believe that there were no cases in the state when only 10 persons have been tested out of over 4 million Cross Riverians. The Chairman, AMLSN, Cross River Branch, Ndem Benedict, who said this while briefing journalists on Wednesday in Calabar added that the mode of transportation sample through public transport was appalling. His words: “We can only add that the best way to validate the success of state prevention strategy is testing, tes...
Aisha Buhari, NDE support production, distribution of face masks to northern states
The First Lady, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, is collaborating with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to produce 180,000 face masks for distribution to six Northern states of Nigeria as part of efforts aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Speaking on Wednesday at the training of about 15 women who will produce the face masks in Bauchi, the Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Nasiru Ladan Argungu, said the production and distribution of the face masks will be done in collaboration with the pet project of the First Lady, Future Assured. Argungu, who was represented at the event by the Bauchi State Coordinator of the NDE, Ali Lawal Yaya, informed that the benefitting states are Bauchi, Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi and Zamfara. According ...
Banji Akintoye: South-West won’t tolerate influx of Almajirai
The leader of Yoruba World Congress, YWC, Professor Banji Akintoye, on Wednesday, warned that the South-West would no longer tolerate the influx of Almajirai into the zone, saying most of them have been infected with the COVID-19. He called on the governors to tighten the border patrols in their respective states to prevent the influx of Almajirai into the South-West. Akintoye spoke about Almajirai in the South-West with Vanguard in an interview, noting that “the northern governors seem to have woken up from the Almajiri problem created by the northern culture. “Now, they are forcing the Almajirai to go back to their places of origin, but many of them don’t want to be taken back. So, many are finding their way southwards. “It is a very terrible situation because these are not just ordinary...
NASC: Farmers to access 81,000MT seeds during lockdown
The Director-General of National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), Dr Philip Ojo has said that Nigeria has about 81,000 metric tons of seeds during this COVID-19 lockdown period. Dr Ojo who said this during a Webinar press conference with journalists noted that the seeds would ensure that agricultural activities were not disrupted as a result of the lockdown imposed across the country as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19. He said efforts were being made by the Council and relevant agencies to ensure that seeds reach the farmers in the grassroots amid the COVID-19 lockdown. “The National Agricultural Seeds Council is doing all within reach to ensure that seed sector-related activities are sustained and promoted even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic for Nigeria to be able to have a c...
Plateau promises to commence palliative measures soon
The Plateau State Government has appealed to its citizens to be patient as it is doing more to commence palliative measures in earnest to alleviate their suffering, adding that it is aware of the people’s anxiety over lack of palliatives to them. The state Deputy Governor and Chairman, State Palliative committee on COVID-19, Prof. Sonni Tyoden, disclosed this Wednesday when it received some palliative items donated to the state by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Idris Maje. Tyoden said: “We are aware of your anxiety over lack of palliatives. In a few days, the exercise will begin in earnest. “Government is aware that you have been on lockdown for over three weeks. We thank you for your compliance. No government is happy to see its citizens suffer, but the times have...
Taraba discharge six coronavirus patients
The six are among the 17 COVID-19 cases so far recorded in the state. The state commissioner for Information and member of the state’s technical Committee on COVID-19, Danjuma Adamu, disclosed this at a briefing in Jalingo, the state capital. He explained that the six patients who recovered from the CoronaVirus were discharged Tuesday to reunite with their family. He further explained that those still in isolation are receiving the appropriate care needed. He further urged members of the public to observe all precautionary measures as the government is doing all it takes to contain the spread of the virus. Newsmen reports that Taraba still has 11 active COVID-19 cases. Get more stories like this on Twitter
NAFDAC explains position on claims for coronavirus remedies
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that the rush to mitigate the mortality and morbidly resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in acceleration of product development, repurposing of formulations, off label use of therapeutics and the search for a vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The agency however noted that it has only received application from one company for a product the company is presenting (for approval) to the Agency for the treatment of the symptoms of Covid-19, and not for the cure of Covid-19 as a disease. In a statement yesterday in Abuja, Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye stated that in a bid to discover a cure for Covid-19 disease, the public has witnessed quite a number of claims from differen...
