₦airaland Forum

LAGOS – One of Africa’s leading cement manufacturers, BUA Cement Plc, has announced a 25.1% increase in revenue of N54.0billion in its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020. BUA Cement’s profit before Tax (PBT) increased by 15.7% from N17.4 billion, as at Q1’2019 to N20.1 billion in Q1’2020 while Profit After Tax (PAT) in Q1 2020 stood at N19.8 billion – a 26.2% increase of from N15.7 billion in Q1’2019. This was contained in a filing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange today.

Speaking on the results, the Managing Director/CEO of BUA Cement Plc, Yusuf Binji said the excellent performance in the Q1 financial results amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet another landmark of the company since its listing on the Nigeria Stock Exchange. The company’s performance was buoyed by an increase in production capacity from 5million metric tonnes at the end of Q1’2019 to 8million metric tonnes currently; its strong product differentiation strategy which translates to an increasing appreciation of BUA Cement product offering and a growing distribution network across existing and new markets.

Binji said: “The turn of the year witnessed the achievement of yet another milestone, with the completion of listing requirements of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), emerging the third-most capitalised company on the exchange; with a market capitalisation of N1.2 trillion ($3.3 billion) and the de-listing of the shares of CCNN Plc. Subsequently, BUA Cement was included as a constituent of the MSCI frontier market index in February.

“Undoubtedly, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic will have broader ramifications to the world and indeed the world economy, even as governments institute measures to curtail further spread of the virus. Nationally, Nigeria has not been immune to the wave of the virus; with the government instituting safety measures whilst building capacity, in preparedness for possible high number of cases.

“In response to the global pandemic, we implemented our “COVID business continuity program”, built into our corporate governance framework. This minimises disruptions along the value chain; prioritises the safety of workers and customers; and assesses probable scenarios a prolonged lockdown would have on the business.

“Clearly, our strong-showing epitomises the effect of further growth in output but most importantly, a growing appreciation of the value and service offering we continue to afford customers in the market place: with sales revenue increasing by 25.1% (y/y) to N54 billion. We continue to anticipate changes to customer and market behaviour, aimed at further strengthening our value model, even as we continue our push into ‘new markets’.

“As the COVID-19 virus makes landfall, we believe the current measures in place, should help minimise plausible downside risks; nevertheless, poised to take advantage of an upturn in market activities”. Binji added.

I. Financial Highlights

Revenue increases by 25.1% from N43.1 billion in Q1’2019 to N54.0 billion, as at Q1’2020
EBITDA increases by 16.7% from N21.1 billion in Q1’2019 to N24.6 billion, as at Q1’2020
EBITDA margin declines from 48.9% in Q1’2019 to 45.6% in Q1’2020, arising from the continued push into ‘new markets’
Operating profit up 15.6%, from N18.2 billion in Q1’2019 to N21.0 billion in Q1’2020
Profit before Tax (PBT) increases by 15.7% from N17.4 billion, as at Q1’2019 to N20.1 billion, as at Q1’2020
Profit after Tax (PAT) up 26.2%, from N15.7 billion in Q1’2019 to N19.8 billion, as at Q1’2020
Earnings Per Share (EPS) up 26.1% from 46kobo in Q1’2019 to 58 kobo, as at Q1’2020

II. Operational Highlights

Cement volume dispatched up 20.0% from 1,107 kt in Q1’2019 to 1,328 kt, as at Q1’2020; underpinned by increased capacity output and growing market acceptance
Throughput from OBU line-II reads positively; commissioned in the second quarter of 2019
Continued in-roads to ‘new markets’ aided by our distribution strategy
Implementation of COVID-19 business continuity plan

About BUA Cement Plc

BUA Cement Plc is Nigeria’s second-largest cement producer and the largest producer in its North-West, South-South and South-East regions; with a combined installed capacity of 8 mmtpa and with plans underway to increase existing capacity to 11 mmtpa, through the commissioning of a new 3 mmtpa plant by the first half of 2021 in Sokoto State, Nigeria. BUA Cement operates strategically from Okpella, Edo State and Kalambaina, Sokoto State.

BUA Cement Plc is a business combination between CCNN Plc (Sokoto Cement) and BUA Cement Manufacturing Company’s Obu Cement Company and is the third most capitalised company on the floor of the Exchange.

BUA Cement is committed to quality - a differentiating attribute, driven by its people, innovation and technology; and positioned to solving Nigeria and Africa’s challenges while driving economic growth and development.

Dockworkers at the Rivers ports today commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to due process, which has led to reopening the BUA Terminals shut down last year by the Nigerian Ports Authority in a move challenged by BUA at the time, and decried by maritime stakeholders.

The workers in their numbers took to the docks of Port Harcourt to thank key stakeholders for their timely intervention in the crisis between the BUA Ports and Terminals and the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), which rendered business activities at the terminal B void.

Addressing the dockworkers at the rally, Comrade Waite Harry - a National Trustee of the dockworkers' branch of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria praised the President for his commitment to due process, which ultimately led to the withdrawal of the notice of termination issued to BUA Ports & Terminals, in line with the concession agreement. The Government also directed both parties to resolve all outstanding issues in line with the concession agreement, discontinue the pending arbitration in London, and reopen the BUA terminals immediately.

According to Comrade Waite Harry, “this action has saved the jobs of many dockworkers whose only source of livelihood come from working here. The resolution of the crisis has changed our status from being “prisoners of hope” due to untold hardship dockworkers faced over the inability of ships to berth at the BUA terminals.

We must also appreciate the Management of BUA Ports & Terminals who continued to support us monthly throughout this period. We are happy that we can now return back to our work through this gesture by the FG which will also bring economic prosperity to the state and the nation in general.”

“I hope that all outstanding issues can now be resolved by both parties amicably”, he added.

It will be recalled that in 2019, the NPA issued a notice of termination to BUA Ports and Terminals, concessionaires of the Rivers Ports Terminal B in a move that BUA said was illegal and ran contrary to the concession agreement.

BUA Ports and Terminals Limited, a subsidiary of BUA Group, has reopened its Portharcourt terminals shut down by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) last year.

In October 2019, the ports authority decommissioned the whole concession arrangement which BUA Group got in 2006, claiming that the unsafe operational environment of the jetty (BUA concession area) needed urgent repairs and reconstruction.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the NPA and the company have been in a dispute over a port terminal in Port Harcourt, Rivers state. The Company, however, accused NPA of breaching the court process. Meanwhile, in a statement obtained by this newspaper on Wednesday, the company informed the public that the notice of termination issued by the NPA has been withdrawn.

"The Ongoing arbitration at the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) be discontinued, and the BUA terminals be reopened immediately for operations," the company announced.

The management disclosed that decision is in line with the "earlier and consistent stand that all parties respect the content and spirit of the concession agreement for the facility."

"We also want to thank you unequivocally - our dear customers, employees, dockworkers and other stakeholders for your patience, support and for keeping faith with us throughout this period."

"BUA remains committed and has put in place structures to develop a best-in-class terminal at the Rivers Ports to serve not only users of the Rivers Ports but also, the recently constructed $400 million foods manufacturing complex adjacent to the terminal."

"BUA remains a law-abiding corporate citizen and is looking forward to working with the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority in resolving any outstanding issues and making the Eastern Ports one of the best in the country," the statement read in parts.

SirWarlock:
Someone should correct me if I'm wrong but didn't WHO say masks should be worn by sick people or people showing covid symptoms? Have they officially recommended the use of different grades of face masks?

As part of efforts to curb the Coronavirus pandemic across the world, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended the use of face masks.

In Nigeria for instance, it has been compulsory for every household to use it and failure to comply may lead to the arrest of defaulters by security operatives.

Meanwhile, since the outbreak of the pandemic, there has been an increase in the price of pharmaceutical facemasks and the hike poses a danger to a large section of Nigerians who can hardly put food on their tables in this critical period.

Hence, the need for a new initiative, an alternative facemask which is very affordable, in comes the 'Ankara' Facemask. Although Ankara material is not indigenous to Nigeria, it has become the material for native wears in the country, especially in the South. It is 100% fine cotton fabric tightly woven in plain weave before different motifs and patterns are printed on it through various dyeing techniques.

Owing to the vastness of the Ankara fabric in the African market (Nigeria to be precise), it is easy for tailors to make face masks from pieces in their workshop and sell to Nigerians at a cheaper price. It does not have an expiry date and it is washable. It is usually sold for just N100.

Unfortunately, there have been different conspiracy theories online and among many folks claiming that it is wrong for healthy people to wear face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, in fact, emphasis has been laid on Ankara facemasks.

“Dr. Russell Blaylock warns that not only do face masks fail to protect the healthy from getting sick, but they also create serious health risks to the wearer. The bottom line is that if you are not sick, you should not wear an Ankara face mask", a WhatsApp message obtained by POLITICS NIGERIA read.

Verification

As often done with every erroneous report, this newspaper carried out an independent check on the claim rubbishing the use of Ankara face masks. While there is no evidence to back the conspiracy theories and the particular harm that may arise from the use of local face masks, POLITICS NIGERIA reached out to experts.

A medical practitioner in Lagos, Taiwo Suraj, disclosed that no harm can occur from the use of Ankara face masks since it does not affect breathing.

"It is so glaring that the very old face mask is not in circulation at the moment due to an increase in the number of demands. So, it is a wise thing that people find an alternative and it is used even by government officials. There is no any empirical evidence that Ankara face masks will hurt or is risky for use. That claim is not substantial"

A consultant at Royal Hospital, also in Lagos, Funke Ajayi, told POLITICS NIGERIA that "mask is mask regardless of the materials except for children under the age of two and people with breathing problems."

The Centre for Disease Control (CDC.gov) also advises the wearing of cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

The Apex health organization also recommends the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.[

Conclusion

Considering the above findings, it is FALSE to state that the Ankara facemask will harm its user or not protect the user from the COVID-19 Virus.

Despite the surge in the cases of coronavirus infection in Nigeria, a customer experience management firm in Ibadan, iSON Xperiences, has refused to take recommended measures to protect its workers and clients.

iSON Xperiences' Ibadan office is located on the third floor of Kingsway Building, Dugbe, Ibadan, Oyo State.

According to the company's website, iSON with over 2,500 staff, provides inbound customer service, inbound-dealer helpdesk, outbound sales, showrooms staff deployment and management, social media car and data cleanup services in 18 countries.

The company is in partnership with some telecommunications service providers, including MTN, Airtel and Vodafone.

As of Tuesday morning, there are 40 confirmed cases in Nigeria. Lagos state has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases. As of the time of reporting, Lagos state had reported 28 cases, Abuja - 7, Ogun - 2, Ekiti - 1, Edo - 1 and Oyo - 1.

This paper reported how the COVID-19 confirmation test for the suspected case at Bodija in Ibadan came back positive on Sunday morning.

While the state government has shut down all schools, the World Health Organisation (WHO), in its guidelines advised employers to promote good respiratory hygiene in the workplace.

"Display posters promoting respiratory hygiene. Combine this with other communication measures such as offering guidance from occupational health and safety officers, briefing at meetings and information on the intranet etc.

Ensure that face masks and/or paper tissues are available at your workplaces, for those who develop a runny nose or cough at work, along with closed bins for hygienically disposing of them," the documents read.
Also, WHO said employees should avoid congested places and be vigilant enough to ascertain if they are fit to work in the office or from home.

Situation at iSON Xperiences office

iSON Xperiences office in Ibadan, which houses about 400 customer care agents daily, has failed to comply with the WHO guidelines. Although the company had instructed some of its agents to work from home, the workplace is still congested and social distancing not observed.

Moreover, the sleeping arrangement for the agents on night duty is risky as they sleep together on mats and beds. A corner is dedicated for hand washing but there is no provision for face masks by the management.
One of the agents working with Airtel, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, told this reporter that they had failed to convince the company to adopt the work-from-home option.

"Funny enough, they said some people should work from home but most of us frontline agents are still coming to work every day, where working from home can easily be achieved."

"The sleeping conditions are bad and the company is not even concerned. They just keep on saying we should take necessary precautions," he said.

A nurse, Otun Damilola, said the situation is a threat to the lives of the workers.

"This is a deliberate attempt to spread the virus, and it is inhuman. Germany reduced crowds to a gathering of two, Lagos State asked public servants from grade 1 to 12 to stay home, but some people still think it's a joke."

"That kind of action can cause the virus to spread to over 5000 people if any of them is infected," she added.

She advised the government to close down the company to prevent further spread.

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Taiwo Adisa, decried the insensitivity of the company, saying the state government had not been aware of the situation.

"It is not a joke that countries are shutting down. We have to take this seriously," he told POLITICS NIGERIA on Monday morning.

He, however, promised to draw the attention of relevant authorities to it.

iSON reacts

Jamila Yusuf, a line manager in the Ibadan office of the company, promised to get back to our reporter when contacted about the welfare of the workers on Monday morning.

Meanwhile, Tope Omikunle, the company's Human resources manager, denied subjecting the workers to inhuman conditions.

"We have put necessary measures in place to protect our workers," He told this reporter on Monday evening.
He said the company placed sanitisers at different spots in its office and has given out face masks to its security officers. Pictorial evidence obtained by POLITICS NIGERIA however proved otherwise.

Commenting on some workers who were mandated to work in the office, Mr Omikunle said; "there is no ban yet on working from the office by the state government but the company is trying a method that is sustainable and cannot compromise the health of its staff."

EFCC Arrests Two Chinese For Offering N100m Bribe To Its Top Officer

The Sokoto Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested two Chinese: Mr. Meng Wei Kun and Mr. Xu Koi for offering a sum of N50, 000,000( Fifty Million Naira only) as bribe to its Zonal Head, Mr. Abdullahi Lawal.

The suspects were arrested on Monday, May 11, 2020 in Sokoto.

The bribe was allegedly offered in a desperate bid to compromise ongoing investigations of a construction company, China Zhonghao Nig. Ltd, handling contracts awarded by the Zamfara State Government in the sum of N50, 000,000,000.00( Fifty Billion Naira) between 2012 to 2019.

The zonal office of the Commission is investigating the construction company, in connection with the execution of contracts for the construction of township roads in Gummi, Bukkuyun, Anka and Nassarawa towns of Zamfara state; and also the construction of one hundred and sixty eight (168) solar- powered boreholes in the 14 local government areas of the state.

Alarmed by the consistency and professionalism of investigation being conducted, the company reached out to Lawal with an offer of N100,000,000( One Hundred Million Naira) as bribe to “bury” the matter.

In a grand design to trap the corrupt officials, Lawal played along, and on Monday, two representatives of the company Meng Wei Kun and Xu Kuoi offered him cash totalling fifty million naira in their office along airport road, Sokoto. The cash was offered as a first installment.

The desire to help one another is a deeply human need, and now more than ever that help is sorely needed. Even so, many people directly impacted by the current public-health/economic crisis are not in a position to give financially. The need may be great, but everyone must also take care of their own families. With tens of millions unemployed and layoffs continuing at a record rate, no one truly knows what the future may hold.

The good news is that not all help needs to be financial, and there are plenty of ways to give back without opening your checkbook or pulling out your credit card. Here are three ways to give of yourself even when finances are tight.

1. Give your time

With unemployment at record levels and millions sheltering in place, time has become an abundant commodity. If you want to give of yourself and help those in need, offering your time is a wonderful and heartfelt choice. If you have a specific expertise, go out of your way to provide actionable advice to your clients or others in your industry, giving them the tools they need to survive and emerge stronger on the other side.

You can provide the same valuable advice and guidance to local businesses struggling to survive in the age of forced shutdowns and rapidly evolving business models. Working with vendors is another way to give back, helping those organizations adapt their supply chains and find their own ways to aid the community.

Now that face-to-face meetings are forbidden, you can host webinars to stay in touch and share your expertise with clients, local businesses, vendors, peers and others. If you prefer an auditory format, podcasts are a great way to connect and communicate during the current pandemic. You can do guest spots on popular podcasts or create your own customized broadcast.


2. Donate your clutter

The need for household goods and tangible products has never been greater. With so many out of work and struggling to make ends meet, even a small purchase could be out of reach.

If you have been doing some decluttering while sheltering at home, as so many of us have, why not donate your finds to local charities? Start by going through your closet and picking out clothes you no longer wear; you may not need them, but someone else surely will. You can also donate your old furniture and household items, as well as excess stock from your pantry. Local charities and food banks will be happy to accept your generosity.

3. Be a good, mindful Samaritan

Now that we are all alone together, we need to take care of one another. Loneliness and lack of purpose are already being deeply felt, and many mental-health experts expect rates of suicide and depression to increase markedly as the shutdown progresses. If you want to do something good, something as simple as a smile or a phone call can effect so much. Now is the time to check in on your elderly neighbors, call coworkers you have not seen since the shutdown and reach out to those in need.

Now is also the time to thank those on the front lines, from the doctors and nurses treating the sick to the essential workers stocking the local grocery stores and retail establishments. When you do venture out to stock up on essentials, take a minute to express your gratitude and thank those men and women for their time and service.

Or, the next time you have groceries delivered or order in a pizza, go out of your way to thank the delivery driver. You can express your heartfelt gratitude from six feet away, and your kindness could help make someone else's day (rhyme intended).

Many people have been leaving their lights on in honor of first responders and medical personnel, and you can join in on that outward show of gratitude. You can also take more forceful action, like donating takeout meals to hospital workers.


As a business owner, you can give back in your own way, donating products with every order. If your essential business sells coffee, for instance, you could offer to donate a bag for each one is ordered online or picked up curbside. Even if you do not have a business of your own, you can still choose to patronize companies that are running such give-back programs. If your favorite restaurant has been forced to close its doors, buying gift cards now can keep them afloat and give you a tasty treat once the dining room reopens.

In this new world, giving back is more important than ever, and you can find ways to help those around you even if your own finances are running low. You can make an impact.

Some nurses of the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun state have been seen wearing polythene bags to prevent themselves from being infected by a suspected case of COVID-19 discovered in the facility.

Recall that two persons, including a pregnant woman who died on Saturday, tested positive for the infection in the hospital. The second case, a 97-year-old man, had been transferred to the Ogun state COVID-19 isolation centre in Ikene. Moreover, some of the health workers who came in contact with those infected have been told to isolate.

This paper gathered that one of the medical doctors who came in contact with the aged man, Mr Ashimi, has also been transferred to Ikene for isolation.

Accordingly, the Emergency Treatment Room (ETR) and the Gynecology Emergency unit, where the confirmed cases were earlier admitted, have been closed down for fumigation.

On Monday, two women admitted at Female Medical ward were suspected to have contracted the disease after showing symptoms. This caused an uproar at the facility with the health workers of the affected unit demanding for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), a protective gear recommended for the treatment of infectious diseases.

POLITICS NIGERIA understands that the nurses had to improvise with the waste bags after the management denied them the PPE on Monday afternoon.

Later on, some public health practitioners protested the irregularities when they saw their colleagues on the materials. However, the spokesperson of the hospital, Orisaju Segun, denied knowledge of the incident when this paper contacted him on Monday.

Also, the head of the nursing department claimed the information about the non-provision of PPE is false. "That is not true. They were not denied PPE," She told POLITICS NIGERIA.

Meanwhile, when she could not explain what led to the nurses putting on a polythene bag, she promised our reporter that the issue will be investigated.

Reacting to this, the President of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Adeniji AbdulRafiu expressed surprise in a telephone interview with POLITICS NIGERIA.

"I am surprised that a nurse will agree to wear a polythene bag. This really baffles me," He said.

Mr AbdulRafiu also promised to do a thorough finding to get more information about the situation.

He then stated that nurses who allow such are doing that at the detriment of their lives. " We have told them not to work if adequate preparations are not made," the national President emphasised.

So much has been said, reported, watched, heard and read about the skirmishes in Guangzhou, China, involving Chinese authorities and their enforcement of the rules and order for the control of the spread of the coronavirus in the city of Guangzhou.

The city has the reputation of housing most Africans in China and reports have it that some 320,000 Africans live in and pass through the large commercial city to the rest of China in a less than a year.

From many perspectives, including frenzy and panic, the incident has been relayed to the reading netizens audience worldwide and each reader walking away with personal interpretations.

In the melee, Afri-China Media Centre (ACMC) decided to reach out to the parties in the drama from the various divides and possibly tell the full story for the first time, since only a balanced report would help to mend the cracks and move on again in peaceful coexistence.

How trouble started

Of the whole incident, one of the first Chinese to give us an account after hearing and reading from African sources was Mr. Luo Jun, the deputy director-general of the foreign affairs office of the Guangdong Province, which Guangzhou is its capital city.

He recalled in his written response that, “Guangzhou is still faced with major risks arising from imported COVID-19 cases. On April 5, 2020, Yuexiu and Baiyun districts of the city were elevated to medium-risk areas. There is still the risk of transmission caused by scattered locally transmitted and imported cases.”

To reduce the risk of transmission, protect lives and health of all people, including foreigners, ensure public security in Guangzhou, and to realise the objective of “early detection, early reporting, early isolation and early treatment,” the city carried out a community health screening and monitoring scheme.

Tracing African COVID-19 cases

Under this scheme, on April 9, Liwan District found eight African nationals straying in a place outside a clothing and shoes market, and learnt that they didn’t have places to stay in. At around 7:30pm, staff from Liwan convinced them to get on the district’s van to designated hotel by the authorities called Maohua Hotel. They were calm and cooperative in providing their information. When the van arrived in the second place where three more people in similar conditions were found, the three persons were emotional but got on the van after staff’s persuasion. There were 11 African nationals on board. One of them told others to listen to him and not to check in at the hotel. Liwan staff on board and an English interpreter talked to him and asked him to calm down. He made a phone call and in the meantime kept asking the interpreter to repeat the address of Maohua and raised different questions, which got answered.

The group refused to get off the van when they arrived at the hotel at 9:30pm. The interpreter explained to them the importance of centralised medical observation, policies on people entering the province, and tried to calm them down. One from the group said that he had to take down information of every one of the group before getting off and checking in. Staff in field agreed.

Seized passports?

They checked in one by one, handing their passports to hotel staff for check-in. When five finished checking-in at 10:30pm, with three in rooms and two still at the lobby, a man stormed in and stopped others from checking in. He requested the five persons who checked in to gather at the hotel entrance quickly and that their passports be returned. He claimed to be the Acting Consul-General of Nigeria in Guangzhou. An assistant escorted him.

Facing that, staff and officials on field had a discussion and retrieved the passports, which were being used for check-in, explaining that it was a routine for check-in and passports would be returned after the procedure. He suddenly flew into more rage and seized passports from working staff. He rejected further communication and asked for the presence of foreign affairs office. Another African man appeared and joined the group when ACG was shouting at local staff.

Mr. Liu Baochun, director-general of Guangzhou Foreign Affairs Office, arrived at 10:30pm and identified the man as Mr. Lawal Dayo Razaq, Acting Consul General of Nigeria in Guangzhou. ACG Razaq questioned DG Liu the decision to quarantine African people, claiming that local staff took Nigerian people from their homes and labelling it as harassment and discrimination.

DG Liu listened patiently and explained that the government treated Chinese and foreigners equally. With the number of local confirmed cases dropping, there was an increase of imported cases, as a responsible move, Guangzhou decided to test foreigners in the city and did find certain number of foreign cases. It was to protect foreigners from the virus. Schools were about to reopen and the city had the responsibility to ensure a good environment. Chinese people made a lot of sacrifices, with joint efforts from both China and foreigners. Chinese people coming back to the province form Hubei were also required to quarantine for 14 days.

ACG Razaq wasn’t convinced, saying the exercise was discrimination. He proposed lockdown of the whole city with everyone both Chinese and foreigners staying at home and no activities for 14 days. He requested that his nationals should go home and refused DG Liu’s request to talk to Nigerian people in field to check whether they had places to go, saying that DG Liu could only talk to him. When DG Liu agreed to let them go, ACG Razaq refused and pointing at his watch saying it was too late to go home.

DG Liu explained that some people didn’t have places to go and hope they can stay at the hotel for one night. Local government helped negotiate for discounted charges for hotel. There were 13 African people in addition to two Consulate officials.

DG Liu explained and negotiated, at 1:30am after which ACG Lawal agreed to let the 13 people stay at Maohua hotel for only one night, and passports should be kept in their possession.

After Guangzhou Foreign Affairs Office officials left, ACG Lawal asked for the English interpreter’s company in checking the hotel rooms. The English interpreter was a young lady and it was her first time to the hotel, so she asked for the presence of one of the hotel staffers, a request that was rejected by Lawal.

When they arrived on the floor where the 13 persons were lodged, the ACG found some protective equipment and daily necessities on the chair at the entrance of each room and was enraged. He kicked off the supplies and accused local authority of treating his people as criminals. Interpreter was shocked and scared, but managed to explain that all people living there were treated equally, and it was for the sake of health and safety.

Eventually, 10 of the 13 persons checked into the hotel had Nigerian passports, two Cote d’Ivoire nationals and one Benin Republic citizen.

Billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Abdulsamad Rabiu has donated an additional N3.3 billion naira to fight the deadly COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the country. It will be recalled that the mogul has previously donated N1.6 billion naira; N1 billion through the private sector fund and N600 million to various state governments.

POLITICS NIGERIA gathered that in a letter written to the Presidential Task-force on COVID-19, Rabiu announced the donation will be made via his BUA Foundation.

"Based on what is going on especially in Kano at the moment, we have decided in the immediate, to commit a 3.3 billion Naira grant to a working group made of the Presidential Taskforce, NCDC and other stakeholders in equipping 2 existing permanent facilities in Kano and Lagos States - whilst collaborating with the teaching hospitals in those states."

"To this end, I am immediately committing and making available - through the BUA Foundation, two grants of Two Billion Naira for the Kano-based intervention and One Billion Naira for Lagos state being the two epicentres of this virus in Nigeria. A sum of N300million will also be made available immediately in cash to the Presidential Task Force to assist with logistical and operational activities of the task force. This grant is in addition to BUA’s earlier contributions to the private sector-led CA-COVID coalition and donations to other states."

"The working group will be expected to use resources at its disposal to ensure these facilities - to be determined by the Working Group - are fully equipped in the shortest possible time. I believe this will effectively help to expand the scope of interventions, ongoing research, as well as support, already stretched medical facilities dedicated to this fight." the letter read in part

@POLITICSNIGERIA.COM

The choice of the President's new Chief of Staff after Abba Kyari has been one of the recent topics of political dialogues.

However, since Friday, political analyses have been carried out by newspapers, including POLITICS NIGERIA, on who to succeed late Abba Kyari. Many analysts have listed possible successors who stand the chance of being appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

This paper reported how Mr Kyari, who battled Coronavirus till the point of death, gave up the ghost at a private facility in Lagos on Friday night. His corpse was buried at Gudu Cemetery in Abuja on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, misinformation has surfaced on whether or not the President has announced a new aide in replacement of late Kyari.

In its support for an accountable media, this paper conducted a fact check on these claims.

CLAIM: An online newspaper National Daily Newspaper on Saturday 18th April 2020 reported on both her website and Facebook page that President Muhammadu Buhari had appointed Amb. Babagana Kingibe as his new Chief of Staff.

The online paper said that has been acting as Chief of Staff since late Abba Kyari was hospitalised, Buhari allowed Kingibe to continue as confirmed Chief of Staff.

Also, POLITICS NIGERIA found out that the same claim was posted on Twitter and expounded with the publication from National Daily newspaper.

https://twitter.com/fagge_iliyasu/status/1251597759746056199

VERIFICATION: Although there are speculations that Kingibe, a political ally of Buhari and a friend to late Kyari, stands a chance of being appointed, there are no credible reports to support that.

As a matter of fact, neither the President nor his aides have made any official announcement on the appointment of the new Chief of Staff as of the time of writing this report on Monday 20th April 2020.

Further examination of the story on National Daily Newspaper shows that it is devoid of a source or attribution.

Also, the place and time of the activity, as expected of journalistic work, were missing in the report as it ended the story with a phrase “details shortly”. Meanwhile, two days after it promised to add more details to the story, it has not been updated with necessary facts.

VERDICT: Since there is credible evidence to support it as at the time of filing this report, claims that President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed a new Chief of Staff is FALSE.

@POLITICSNIGERIA.COM

The invitation of 14 Chinese doctors recently to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria caused a furore even before their arrival on April 8. Since then, the Chinese experts have become a subject of misinformation.

Recall that health workers under the aegis of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and some prominent Nigerians kicked against the invitation. While some argued the dependence of Nigeria on the Asian country, others backed up their arguments with the rumoured conspiracy theories which tilt towards Neo-colonialism.

Upon their arrival in Nigeria, there were reports that the foreign nationals were sponsored to Nigeria with millions of dollars from the federal government’s purse. However, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, explained that the doctors came on the bill of China Civil Engineering Construction Cooperation(CCECC).

The Executive Director of CCECC, Jacques Liao also said; “the primary purpose of the team is to provide CCECC employees with critical and necessary healthcare.”

Nonetheless, of recent, an unconfirmed report of one of the Chinese doctors contracting Coronavirus is being shared across social media platforms.

CLAIM: “Breaking: One of the Chinese doctors in Nigeria tested positive for Coronavirus”.

This first appeared online by 7:58 pm on the 14th of April, 2020. It was posted via @FRNcitizens, a twitter handle. In less than an hour, the tweet had been retweeted 1071 times and liked by 1,417 persons.

“You don’t even know the worse part is that some of the Chinese doctors left from where they isolated them in Lagos to God knows where,” the poster continued under the twitter thread.

VERIFICATION: POLITICS NIGERIA, in its support of media accountability, carried out a check on the claims.
The account that tweeted the claim has been suspended on Twitter. While the reason for the suspension is not known, this news medium understands that the social media app flags only accounts who have violated its rules and regulations.

However, an enquiry about the source of the information that was sent to the manager of the twitter account via the email address provided in its bio was not responded to. Also, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Wednesday reacted to claims that one of the Chinese doctors who came to Nigeria to assist in the fight against COVID-19, tested positive for the dreaded disease.

“This morning, there was a message that went viral, to the effect that one of the Chinese doctors tested positive and that news was supposed to have emanated from the Twitter handle of the federal government. I want to say, to the best of our knowledge here, there’s no such thing.”

“I’ve also just received two hate dramas and other fake news while I was sitting here, which I’ve been unable to open. But we will continue always to debunk fake news and we’ll try our best to timely give you information about the COVID-19, either through our daily press briefings or through the website of the NCDC and the task force,” he said.

In fact, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has flagged the report as “fake news”.

“The rumour circulating that a doctor who was brought in to support Nigeria’s public health response has tested positive for #COVID19 is FALSE,” it posted on its official twitter handle on Thursday evening.

VERDICT: Since there is no available evidence, the claim that one of the Chinese doctors invited to Nigeria has tested POSITIVE for CORONAVIRUS is FALSE

As Nigeria gets support from foreign donors in a bid to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and cushion the effects on its economy, fake news sometimes arises or figures are misconstrued.

Recently, a report emerged about the exclusion of Nigeria from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) debt relief scheme, generating controversies amongst Nigerians, particularly on the social media space.

It is expedient to note that the Coronavirus pandemic is shutting down economies globally thereby sending different countries into emergency distress. It is in this light this that the IMF is relieving them of their debts in order to help sustain and complement their efforts at reviving their economies.

IMF is an organization of 189 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.

CLAIM: A report published by Punch newspaper, one of the most widely read newspapers in Nigeria, stated that “IMF excludes Nigeria from 25 nations granted debt relief”.

After Punch Newspaper published the report, it gathered 792 retweets and over 1000 likes from readers.

(https://twitter.com/MobilePunch/status/1249936673187618820)

Also, it was also featured on several news websites and blogs.

In the report, Punch quoted a statement issued by the Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva.

However, in the statement, Georgieva said the agency would provide $500m in grant-based debt service relief to 25 countries.

“Today, I am pleased to say that our executive board approved immediate debt service relief to 25 of the IMF’s member countries under the IMF’s revamped Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust as part of the Fund’s response to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic”

It listed the beneficiaries as Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, D.R., The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Togo and Yemen.”

Verification

POLITICS NIGERIA findings reveal that although the statement is genuine, Nigeria was never part of the countries indebted to IMF.

Also, in a copy of the statement obtained by this newspaper, Georgieva did not mention Nigeria.

https://politicsnigeria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMF.jpg

As of December 31, 2019, IMF was not part of the agencies Nigeria was owing. A report released late last year on Nigeria’s External debt by the country’s Debt Management office shows that Nigeria is not owing the IMF.

Note that IMF loans are meant to help member countries tackle balance of payments problems, stabilize their economies, and restore sustainable economic growth. Furthermore, Nairametrics, a leading financial resource company, in a recent article, noted that Nigeria was never part of the countries indebted to IMF.

The company however published a list of the debts being serviced by Nigeria as evidence.

Nevertheless, it was gathered that Punch Newspaper later pulled down the story.

While it was not clear why the newspaper pulled down the story, POLITICS NIGERIA understands that credible newspapers only retract stories when they are either false or erroneous.

[b]VERDICT: [/b]Nigeria was excluded from the debt relief scheme because it is not indebted to the IMF.

odinga1of:
Politics Nigeria is a crazy webpage.

Believe them at your own detriment.

Crazy factcheck kill una

Mightyhaiz:
u are not smart boy. These therapies are age long in helping the body overcome,ameliorate and clear up viral infections in good time.. Nobody ever claims it is a cure.. Personally I have been preparing sth similar for my aged parents since this outbreak..they even choose to drink some of the hot fluid.. And I can tell you that they have reported improvements on their general health.. My mom paricularly testified about reduced waist pains, joint pains and chest congestions..

Don't be too eager to shoot down honest and safe efforts geared at improving life because of some primitive and unfounded sentiments when you yourself haven't been able to get off your ass to be of any use .

kiyosaki1:
You are a very sleek operator that is hidden your real intention under fact check to try and sway public opinion towards your tainted opinion.
You think we are all dull on this platform and don't know a paid influencer ?