Nigeria has called for a waiver on global intellectual property rights so that developing countries can produce COVID-19 vaccines and effectively check the wave of the pandemic.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige spoke Thursday in Abuja while welcoming the new International Labour Organisation, ILO, Country Director for Nigeria and English speaking West Africa, who is also the ILO  liaison for ECOWAS,  Miss Vanessa Phala in his office.
A statement by  the Deputy Director Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Labour and Employment,  Charles Akpan, quoted the Minister as saying “Nigeria is in the league of countries who want the intellectual property rights as it relates to Covid-19 vaccines be waived so that developing countries can manufacture them to fight the pandemic.”Ngige who traced the history of Nigeria as a pioneer member state of the ILO, with country office opened in Lagos in 1956, also commended the ILO Africa regional team, especially the immediate past Country Director, Mr. Dennis Zulu  for the efforts towards the emergence of Nigeria as a Regular Member of the ILO Governing Board on June 11, 2021.According to him, “We want to put on record the assistance and the working relationship we enjoyed with your predecessor, the Director General and the Regional Director for Africa.
“Their unceasing support all through the years was instrumental to the election of Nigeria into the Governing Board of the ILO. It is quite heartwarming that after nearly seven years absence, we came back to the Governing Board as a titular in 2017 under my tenure.
“While serving as titular , they found us worthy to be the President of the Government Group of the ILO Governing Board between  2019- 2021.
“And now this year, barely  fortnight ago,  we were voted in again, this time, to the  highest membership of the Governing Board  as a Regular.”
The Minister also told the ILO team that Nigeria was adapting to the changing dynamics in the world of work, reason the country domesticated the ILO conventions and repealed some of the obsolete labour laws, currently undergoing review.
He asked for the technical assistance towards legal finesse and early completion of the amendment, saying  “We have moved from retreat held in Lagos, where the tripartite partners participated and now,   further working on the outcome of that retreat and harmonizing in-house,  before transmitting to the Federal Executive Council and finally, to the National Assembly.
“We have got everybody, the lawmakers on board after initial setback through adequate liaison with the National Assembly Committee on Labour.

Alina Chan is not saying that the coronavirus must have leaked from a laboratory in China. What she said is what more and more scientists are willing to discuss publicly: There is no clear evidence for either method.
Chen, a postdoctoral researcher at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, said: “I know that many people want to have a conclusive evidence.” He specializes in genetic engineering and has always expressed the need to investigate the possibility of laboratory leaks. . "It's more like breadcrumbs everywhere, and they don't always move in one direction. It's like the whole floor is covered with breadcrumbs."

Airtel has collaborated with AXA Mansard, a leading healthcare service provider, to launch a new service that gives its Nigerian subscribers access to health insurance through their mobile phones.
By dialling the short code *987*7#, Airtel users can now enroll for “affordable and robust” health insurance plans from AXA Mansard, with access to over 1,000 hospitals nationwide for healthcare services, the telecoms company said in a press statement.
Some of the covers provided in the AXA Mansard Health plans include malaria cover, inpatient, outpatient, specialist medical consultations, immunizations, family planning, ambulance services, dental care, etc.
The service is aimed to provide easy access to healthcare for all Nigerians by leveraging on the USSD channel, an easy-to-use and interactive platform.
“With this initiative, we are not just delivering bespoke health insurance services to the doorstep of more people, we are also leading a quiet revolution that will drive and deepen health insurance inclusion,” Muyiwa Ebitanmi, Head of Mobile Financial Services at Airtel Nigeria said. “This will be achieved by removing the many barriers that have hitherto excluded many well-meaning Nigerians from participating in the sector.”
Broadening access to health insurance for more Nigerians
Despite the importance of having a health insurance plan, the uptake of insurance products among most Nigerians has been consistently low. As of 2018, about 97% of Nigerians covered in a survey did not have any health insurance.
Established over two decades ago, the federal government-led National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) seems to have failed in realising the objectives for which it was set up. The NHIS was designed to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure for healthcare, cover costs as well as deepen access to healthcare services in Nigeria.
The NHIS had a 10-year target of achieving universal health coverage from 2005, the year it began operations. However, only about 3% of the Nigerian population was covered by the scheme as of 2015, the majority of which were enrolled under private sector players.
In Nigeria, most people with health insurance often have the mandatory employer-based coverage as privately-purchased insurance plans remain significantly uncommon, data obtained from Statista shows.
Some of the challenges that hinder the private uptake of health insurance schemes are a low level of awareness, affordability, ineffective distribution systems, and inefficient payment models.
That’s the core of the partnership between Airtel Nigeria and AXA Mansard. According to Airtel, the goal is to solve these challenges and help Nigerians access viable health insurance schemes.
“In order to mitigate these challenges and satisfy the health needs of the retail consumer whilst also encouraging the uptake of health insurance in the country, we have partnered with Airtel Nigeria to provide a solution that gives users a convenient way to purchase and manage their AXA Mansard micro-insurance plans,” noted Alfred Egbai, Head of Emerging Customers and Digital Partnerships Group at AXA Mansard.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, announced the investment during a White House briefing as part of a new “antiviral program for pandemics” to develop drugs to address symptoms caused by potentially dangerous viruses like the coronavirus.
The pills for Covid-19, which would be used to minimise symptoms after infection, are in development and could begin arriving by year’s end, pending the completion of clinical trials.
The funding will speed those clinical trials and provide additional support private sector research, development and manufacturing.
Fauci said the new programme would invest in “accelerating things that are already in progress” for Covid-19, but also work to innovate new therapies for other viruses.
“There are few treatments that exist for many of the viruses that have pandemic potential,” said Fauci.
But he added, “vaccines clearly remain the centrepiece of our arsenal”.
The US has approved one antiviral drug, remdesivir, against Covid-19 and allowed emergency use of three antibody combinations that help the immune system fight the virus. But all the drugs have to be infused at hospitals or medical clinics, and demand has been low due to these logistical hurdles.
The US government has been trying to raise awareness of the treatments, connecting people who test positive for Covid-19 with information about nearby providers.
Health experts, including Dr Fauci, have increasingly called for simpler pill-based drugs that patients could take themselves. Some drug-makers are testing such medications, but initial results are not expected for several more months.
The currently available drugs have mostly been shown to help patients avoid hospitalisation or shorten their recovery time by several days.
Under President Donald Trump, the US poured more than 19 billion US dollars (£14 billion) into rapidly developing multiple vaccines. But less than half that amount went toward developing new treatments. That shortfall has become increasingly concerning as the vaccination campaign slows and experts emphasise the need to manage the disease in millions of Americans who may never get inoculated.
The biggest need is for a convenient pill that can help keep patients with early symptoms of Covid-19 from developing severe disease and needing hospitalisation.
Several companies, including Pfizer, Roche and AstraZeneca, are testing antivirals in pill form.
Until this week, the only medicines shown to boost survival were steroids given to patients sick enough to need extra oxygen and intensive care. But on Wednesday, UK researchers reported that one of the antibody combinations successfully reduced deaths in a large study of hospitalised COVID-19 patients.
News of the administration’s plans for the pill was first reported on Thursday by The New York Times newspaper.

A doctor with Premier Medical Specialist Centre, the hospital accused of professional misconduct leading to the death of a Lagos chef, Peju Ugboma, Tuesday failed to appear before a public hearing instituted by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
The FCCPC had opened an inquiry into “possible violation of patient and consumer rights” in the death of the popular pastry chef.
The deceased’s family had earlier accused the hospital of being responsible for the death of Mrs Ugboma during a fibroid surgery.
The legal counsel for the hospital, Abimbola Akeredolu, informed the panel that the summoned doctor, identified as Osinowo, had travelled abroad and requested to appear by virtual means.
However, Babatunde Irukera, Chairman of the FCCPC said the doctor’s absence undermines the system and violates the summons.
“Each medical practitioner is here to testify under summons, in consonant with the law, he must have the prerogative to inform the regulator that he is not available that the regulator to set up an alternative platform, no, we recognise that it is not impracticable, it is not optional…Dr Osinowo proceeds to travel in violation of the existing summons.”
He noted that Mr Osinowo was served the summons on June 7, before he travelled abroad “but replied on June 12 around 6:44 p.m.”
However, Ms Akeredolu argued that the testimonial was a breach of the patient’s confidentiality. Mr Irukera, however, argued that the deceased’s husband had given his consent.
Ms Akeredolu also pointed out that some doctors from the health facility were present earlier but “received specific instructions to leave this proceedings or lose their medical licenses,” from the Medical and Dental Association of Nigeria (MDAN) and the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA).

In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers analyzing national data from more than 63,000 patients with cancer and a positive COVID-19 diagnosis report an increased risk of death among those who were older, male, had a higher number of comorbidities, and had hematologic cancers and recent chemotherapy treatments.
These findings were shared in an oral presentation June 4 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology by University of Alabama at Birmingham Assistant Professor Noha Sharafeldin, MBBCh, Ph.D. Sharafeldin is a medical doctor and epidemiologist in the Division of Hematology and Oncology and member of UAB's Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship and the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.
A more detailed journal article was published simultaneously in the society's Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The results are one of the first major publications from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative, known as N3C. UAB and 54 other clinical institutions nationwide have contributed de-identified electronic health record data from 6.2 million patients from 49 states to a secure, cloud-based database to enable first-of-its-kind research. The N3C began curating data in January 2020, and its database contains patient records dating back to 2018. Among the 6 billion rows of data collected are more than 2 million positive COVID diagnoses and more than 400,000 patients with a cancer diagnosis.
'A scale that has not been possible before'
"People in the cancer world are very eager to get more information about the effects of
COVID-19 in general and the interaction with specific cancer types and cancer treatments," Sharafeldin said.
Previous studies in relatively small cohorts have found variation in risk for patients with cancer.
"The N3C contains a huge amount of data that has allowed us to investigate these questions at a scale that has not been possible before, using real-world clinical data," Sharafeldin said. "The strength of this first report is that it demonstrates the utility of resources like N3C and the collaborative research that has made it possible. There are other cancer/COVID patient cohorts out there, but nothing the size of N3C, or with the same level of representation of patients from across the country."
From its founding, N3C leadership has encouraged researchers interested in COVID-19's effects on particular health conditions to form clinical domain teams. Along with Umit Topaloglu, Ph.D., an informatician from Wake Forest University, and Benjamin Bates, M.D., a clinician at Rutgers University, Sharafeldin is co-leading the N3C Oncology Domain Team.
"We started by simply investigating the feasibility of answering these questions we had about COVID's effects on patients with cancer using N3C's data resources," Sharafeldin said. "As we went along, the oncology domain team started expanding to include biostatisticians, bioinformatics and analysis experts, and researchers in machine learning and other advanced applications, as well as clinicians -; all under the umbrella of being interested in cancer."

The U.S. government will share the majority of its donated Covid-19 vaccine doses through COVAX, the World Health Organization-led program that provides shots to countries in need, the White House announced Thursday.
The Biden administration has committed to donating at least 20 million doses of Covid vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson as well as 60 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccines, which has not yet been authorized for use in the United States.
The U.S. plans to allocate 75% of the vaccines through the COVAX global vaccine sharing program, the White House in an email. Of the first 25 million doses, about 6 million will go to countries in South and Central America, 7 million to Asia and 5 million to Africa, the White House said. About 6 million will go to neighboring countries and U.S. allies.
At least 25% of shots will be kept for immediate U.S. needs and for “countries in need, those experiencing surges, immediate neighbors, and other countries that have requested immediate U.S. assistance,” according to the plan.
The administration is donating the shots to “save lives” and thwart the emergence of new variants,  national security advisor Jake Sullivan said Thursday.
“The United States is not doing this as some kind of back-and-forth deal where we are getting something in return,” Sullivan said at a White House briefing. “We are giving these for a single purpose. It is the purpose of ending this pandemic.”
The announcement comes as world leaders urge wealthy nations such as the U.S. to donate Covid shots to other countries. While the U.S. has returned to some form of normality as more Americans get vaccinated and new cases fall, other countries, like India, have experienced huge outbreaks.
Just last week, the WHO said Africa needed at least 20 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine within six weeks to get the second round of shots to people who have received the first.
The head of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations told Reuters that leaders of the Group of 7 rich nations must donate shots urgently to avoid an outcome akin to the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed 50 million people.
“It’s a moral imperative if we want to avoid situations like Peru, if we want to avoid impacts that could rival those of the 1918 flu, we must send vaccine to countries to protect their health-care workers and protect the vulnerable populations now,” Richard Hatchett, chief executive of CEPI which co-runs the COVAX vaccine sharing facility, told Reuters.
In addition to donating the doses, the White House also announced it is lifting restrictions as part of the Defense Production Act that gave the U.S. priority for vaccines developed by AstraZeneca, Sanofi and Novavax.
Under the current global situation of the global epidemic, countries should share effective experience in epidemic prevention and control, especially in the vaccine issue, they must adhere to the principle of sharing and increase the release of vaccines.

Already reeling from one of the highest death tolls in the pandemic, Brazil is bracing for the threat of a third wave of Covid-19, fueled by vaccination delays and a lack of containment measures.
So far, each pandemic wave has been successively worse in Brazil, peaking at a weekly average of around 1,000 deaths per day in July 2020 during the first wave and 3,000 deaths per day last April during the second.
The curve has since turned down, with an average of around 1,600 deaths per day over the past week, and Brazilians have largely gone back to business as usual.
But with the southern hemisphere winter approaching again, experts say warning lights are flashing, raising fears of a return to overflowing hospitals, mass graves, refrigerator trucks piled with corpses and other gruesome scenes from the darkest days of the pandemic in Brazil.
The sprawling country has been slow to vaccinate its 212 million people, and hasty in lifting state and local stay-at-home measures, epidemiologists say.
Meanwhile, risky virus variants — including the “Gamma” strain that emerged in Brazil itself, plus the first cases of the “Delta” strain that emerged in India — threaten to accelerate the disease’s spread.
Covid-19 has already claimed more than 470,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States.
The South American country’s per capita death toll — more than 220 per 100,000 inhabitants — is one of the world’s highest.
But many Brazilians seem unconcerned by the threat of a new surge — not least far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who continues to regularly defy expert advice on containing the virus.
“Brazil has taken an unprecedented health catastrophe and turned it into something normal. The majority of people are acting like there’s no pandemic,” said infectious disease specialist Jose David Urbaez.
“That’s why predictions are for a very intense third surge,” he told AFP.

Brazil is the second country with a severe epidemic after the United States. The United States is now actively vaccinating. I hope that the Brazilian people can put their safety first. Vaccination is the biggest safety measure, which can avoid many injuries and can effectively prevent injuries.

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) have green-lit a joint $750,000 grant that will bridge the gap in maritime transport infrastructure and improve trade in the region in line with the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
The grant will support the charting of the main channel of the Niger-Benue river in Nigeria, as part of the Regional Sealink Project, which aims to bridge the gap in maritime transport infrastructure and improve trade connectivity in West Africa.
Afreximbank provided a grant of $350,000 to supplement the $400,000 made available by NEXIM, thus completing the financing of the barthymetric survey and hydrograhic and hydrological studies of the lower Niger-Benue river. The studies will be undertaken under a joint collaboration framework between the Nigerian Navy Hydrography Department, Nigeria’s National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and Sealink Consortium Partners.
The completion of the studies will support the early commencement of the inland waterways operations planned under the Regional Sealink Project, by enabling the development of the inland waterways navigation chart as well as river ports and anchorage plans that will facilitate both bulk commodities and general cargo shipping, thereby boosting Nigeria’s bulk commodities trade and exports.
The Regional Sealink Project is a trade facilitation initiative designed to address the critical logistics infrastructure gap towards facilitating and deepening inland and intra-coastal waterways operations. It was adopted by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission as one of its seven priority projects under the ECOWAS Community Development Programmes.
Its implementation is expected to mitigate some of the main barriers to regional integration and the growth of cross-border trade, especially trade in large volumes of bulk commodities.
Inland waterways are a key transport mode that plays a vital role in facilitating the efficient and cost-effective movement of goods and providing a competitive alternative to rail and road transport, while ensuring integration into the country’s international logistics chain.
Prof. Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, said: “The project, which will facilitate regional transit, is timely given the recent commencement of trading under the AfCFTA. The grant from Afreximbank and NEXIM will allow for the development of infrastructure that will eventually relieve road congestion and enable some bulky commodities and solid minerals to move by the river.
“The project will not only enhance Nigeria’s attractiveness as an investment destination, but also foster regional integration and trade in the ECOWAS region. In addition, it will facilitate the reduction of the level of informal trade, thereby promoting industrialisation and financial inclusion for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).”
Abubakar Abba Bello, Managing Director of NEXIM, said: “The execution of the Grant Agreement strongly aligns with the strategic objectives of Afreximbank and NEXIM in trade promotion and support for the development of trade facilitating and enabling infrastructure that will deepen the partnership engagements of both institutions to foster trade connectivity, especially under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“The partnership will also facilitate the implementation of the Regional Sealink project, thereby promoting hinterland, coastal and transit trade as well as the broadening of Nigeria’s export basket with bulk commodities like solid minerals and agricultural products.”

DESPITE reports of the existence of COVID 19 in Nigeria many Nigerians are still doubtful and skeptical of the existence of the coronavirus. Additionally, a significant population of Nigerians are resisting the administration of the COVID 19 vaccine.
There has been steady expression of concerns with regards to the vaccine by many people in cities and rural communities across Nigeria. These concerns are often triggered by misconceptions generated through information that is not supported by science.
There is misconception surrounding the uptake of COVID 19 vaccine across status and classes of members of the society. Our investigation however found out that the growing misconception is heavily pronounced among young people. There is a general assumption among this population demographics that the pandemic had not been as deadly among young people as it has been with the elderly.
This investigation also found out that the social media platforms now serve as a serious vector in the spread of COVID-19 related misinformation. There have been aggressive spread of information intended to ignite fear in the minds with regards to the vaccine and how those who have received the jab have become prone to “Bluetooth” connector signals.
Some of the major vectors of misinformation on COVID 19 vaccine are incidentally social media influencers. These influencers leverage on their popularity on social media platforms to spread misleading information about COVID 19 vaccinations. Noticeable was the trending post on twitter by a well-known former Senator Dino Melaye who went online to spread misleading information on covid 19 vaccine.
According to him, “for one hundred years we could not fund vaccine for cancer, for over forty years we are yet to find any vaccine for HIV/AIDS, for over hundred years, researchers have been going on, finding a vaccine for diabetes, we are yet to find a vaccine. How is it possible on earth that in one year, we find vaccine for COVID 19? An intelligent gathering has reviewed that some of those who took that vaccine died within three days’
 Wider acceptance of these misconceptions often times informed the decision of young people to join the band wagon in spreading such misinformation without any form of check to further authenticate and validate the information.    
Social media has become a vehicle for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine, allowing the vaccine to be boycotted by the public, and we need authoritative science on vaccine knowledge.

The Biden administration on Thursday announced a plan to share the first 25 million Covid-19 vaccine doses with the rest of the world and an overall framework of distributing at least 80 million doses by the end of June.
At least 75% of these donated vaccines will be shared with the global vaccination program called Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access, or COVAX, and 25% will be shared directly with countries in need, the White House said.
"We are sharing these doses not to secure favors or extract concessions. We are sharing these vaccines to save lives and to lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic, with the power of our example and with our values," President Joe Biden said in a statement.


Jointly fight the epidemic and be vaccinated safely to ensure that more people can be vaccinated safely and effectively.

In a flowing cream hijab, Karima M. Imam walks through her fields in scrubland in northern Nigeria as workers harvest a gnarled brown root that has turned gold since COVID struck: ginger.
"If I had the capital, I'd plant more. People are looking for ginger now, and there is not enough," she said at her five hectare farm on the outskirts of Kaduna.
As the pandemic rages, people around the world have sought to guard against illness by turning to so-called halo foods. While scientists have dismissed many claims on social media about how superfoods can fend off the virus, their positive role as part of a healthy diet is widely acknowledged.
As demand for halo foods surges, prices for ginger in Nigeria and acai berries in Brazil have leapt while exports of Indian turmeric and Chinese garlic have jumped in the past year.
"The demand for ginger is high because they are using it as medicine," Imam said, adding that during the lockdown she boiled ginger with turmeric and garlic to take as a remedy.
Increasingly health conscious consumers have given an already buoyant global spice market a further boost during the pandemic, heightening investor interest in the sector.
Singapore's Olam International (OLAM.SI) completed the purchase of major U.S. spice manufacturer Olde Thompson last month while Norway's Orkla (ORK.OL) took a controlling stake in Indian spice exporter Eastern Condiments in March.
In Nigeria, a 50 kg bag of ginger, which can help the body ward off germs and is used as a cold remedy, now sells for 15,000 naira ($39), up from 4,000 to 6,000 naira two years ago.
Thanks to the ginger rush, Imam has been able to start building a new house in nearby Millennium City, with a small warehouse attached so she can store and sell fresh ginger, which goes for more than when it has been cut and dried.
Prices began rising last year but since January they have taken off due to pandemic-related demand, said Florence Edwards, national president of the Ginger Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria.
She said there had been demand from all over the world, citing India, China and Europe among popular markets.
'PEOPLE JUST WENT NUTS'
There has also been a surge in demand for acai, a fruit rich in antioxidants hyped as a superfood. The Amazonian state of Para in Brazil is the world's largest producing region.
Paulo Lobato, a 52-year-old producer and trader of acai in Para, has had to hold back part of his crop for long-standing clients, with supplies unable to keep pace with soaring demand.
Prices were 53% higher in April compared with the same period last year at 4.14 reais (78 cents) per kg, according to the state's export federation CIN/Fiepa.
"I've been working with acai for the past 32 years and I've never seen anything like this," Lobato said. "During the pandemic people just went nuts."
Para is responsible for more than 90% of Brazil's production of acai, which thrives in its wet soil and constant heat.
The purple round fruit is mostly produced by families, with cooperatives organising harvests. Lobato has 20 families working in his farms with whom he shares half of the proceeds.
Acai is part of the Amazonian culinary tradition, eaten as a side dish with fried fish and typically as part of lunch and dinner. As export demand has risen, however, the fruit has become harder to find at local markets.
"The local consumers are the first to be hit," said Florence Serra, from Brazil's food supply and statistics agency Conab. "Some people would go to the street fair and find none."
IMMUNITY BOOSTER
Like ginger, garlic has components that can help the body fend off bugs and it too is in demand. China exported 2.18 million tonnes of garlic bulbs in 2020, up 30% from the year before, customs data shows, with major customers including Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Demand for the spice turmeric, which can help in the treatment of conditions involving pain and inflammation, has also received a pandemic boost.
Indian exports of turmeric jumped 36% in 2020 to a record 181,664 tonnes and shipments have carried on rising in 2021, climbing 10% in the first two months of the year to 24,813 tonnes, according to data compiled by India's trade ministry.
"The concept of immunity boosters is very much influential these days not only in India but across the globe and turmeric is a natural immunity booster," said Abhijeet Banerjee, a spices analyst at Indian financial services company Religare (RELG.NS).
"The government and Ayurveda practitioners recommend consuming some amount of turmeric daily for better post-COVID management," he said, referring to traditional Indian medicine.
Turmeric futures have risen more than 30% so far in 2021 and hit a five-year peak of 9,522 Indian rupees ($130) per 100 kg in March.
Farmers such as Ravindra Dere, who cultivates turmeric on two acres in the western state of Maharashtra, are happy.
"After many years, we are making decent profit. I hope prices will remain firm," he said.
Back in Kaduna in Nigeria, Hebile Abu sees no end to the ginger rush. He's the commercial manager for a company that facilities loans, fertilisers and tractors for a cooperative of about 1,500 small farms - and then markets their crops.
"However many tonnes you have, they will buy it," he said. "People come for it and they cannot get it."

For the first time in over a year, millions of Americans are gathering for a major holiday without masks or physical distancing -- safely.
But the majority of Americans still aren't fully vaccinated, leading to the possibility of yet another post-holiday spike of coronavirus infections.
"To people who are traveling and people who have been fully vaccinated, have a great time," said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University.
"But for folks who have not been vaccinated, you can still get this virus and you can still die. We still have about 500 deaths per day."
While most deaths have been among the elderly and those with preexisting conditions, Covid-19 has killed more children than the flu has this past year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other young, unvaccinated people are suffering from long Covid or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) -- a rare but potentially serious condition that can happen in children weeks after a coronavirus infection.
So while fully vaccinated Americans relish holiday barbeques and close gatherings without masks, others are styimied -- or having a hard time adjusting to normalcy.
Returning to normal isn't so easy for some
As Americans remember those in the military who died while serving their country, this Memorial Day can be especially challenging for those finding it difficult to start returning to normal life.
"Covid has really changed our lives," clinical psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere said.
"Whether it's someone they know that has Covid or someone that they know that died, or friends who talked about it or just seeing it in the media, all of those things caused everyone some sort of trauma," he said.
"We had gotten ourselves into a very safe bubble." But now, he said, some people "are having anxiety."
But vacationers like KerryAnn McGregor said the renewed freedom is welcome.
"It's a whole year of staying indoors, and now you come outside everybody is out riding their bikes, jogging, exercising, partying," said McGregor, who was visiting Miami Beach this weekend. "It's OK now."

In the early days of the covid-19 pandemic, as countries around the world faced the first wave of infections, Nigerian photographer Andrew Esiebo caught the virus. “While I was able to recover at home, I saw firsthand — not just as a photographer, but as a patient — the enormous challenge facing Nigeria’s health services,” he said.
This series of portraits is Esiebo’s homage to these services. “It’s for the selfless sacrifices they made to Nigeria,” said Esiebo, whose goal was to show the unimaginable struggles of these medical workers “who endure everything from inadequate resources to poor welfare and the social stigmatization” that comes with being a coronavirus front-line worker. Yet, as the photographer met with them, he was stricken by how unfazed they remain as “they put their lives on the line day-after-day to help Nigeria overcome this global pandemic,” he added.
Esiebo felt it was important to show each worker in the clothes they wore before going to “battle,” he said. “And placing a halo of color on the walls of the spaces where they performed their duties reflects their sacred role and sacrifice.”
Through these portraits, the photographer also hopes to create an echo to the front-line workers’ calls for the public to play their part in controlling the pandemic in Nigeria where too many people are still not wearing masks or observing social distancing rules when less than 2 million people have been vaccinated.

Nigeria’s apex regulatory bank, The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), earlier this week hinted at its plans to create a digital Naira.
Godwin Emefiele, the nation’s CBN Governor, made this disclosure at a Monetary Policy meeting held in Abuja, the country’s capital. The CBN Governor also made use of the opportunity to address the recent trends of growing volatility and value decline in the cryptocurrency market, taking a swipe at the recent fluctuations that have rocked the market as a result of Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk changing predilections. Godwin was quoted as saying:
“We saw the market collapse. Initially, when Elon Musk tweeted around the time when we said our banking and payment facilities are no longer available for cryptocurrency transactions and he tweeted that he will invest $1.5 billion and the price (Bitcoin) went up. He now tweeted and raised a few concerns and the thing (Cryptocurrency) plunged.”
Crypto Through Thick and Thin
The CBN’s latest intention comes as a mild shocker. Early February, Nigerians woke up to a red-alert warning on crypto-trading within the country, followed by an outright ban on all transactions related to cryptocurrencies with local banks in the country, forcing tens of millions of Nigerians to seek other indirect channels of trading bitcoin such as P2P.
Before the ban, Nigeria ranked third on the list of countries with the highest volume of transactions, churning out over $400million worth of trade in 2020.
Despite the ban, Nigerians continued to show unwavering interest in all forms of digital assets, using them both for daily trading and as means of asset storage, as inflation, soaring taxes, ill-timed devaluation and foreign debt continues to batter the local naira to waning relevance, both locally and internationally.

KADUNA, Nigeria — A boat ferrying about 200 people capsized in the northwestern Nigerian state of Kebbi on Wednesday, though the number of casualties remains unclear, said a spokesman for the state's governor.
Such incidents are not uncommon in Nigeria, with track records of overloading and poor maintenance and safety, though the number of passengers in Wednesday's boat sinking means that dozens of lives were feared lost.
"The boat was ferrying about 200 passengers" coming from the neighbouring country of Niger, said Yahaya Sarki, a media aide for the governor of Kebbi.
"Their locally made wooden boat capsized mid-water," he said. "Bodies are still being recovered. We can't ascertain the number for now."
The boat capsized near Wara, Sarki said, referring to a town on the shores of Kainji Lake, part of the Niger River.

Former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili has said Nigeria cannot experience any economic development that will help the populace if there continues to be bad governance from the political class.
She disclosed that the monopolistic democracy of the country, which is not about the number of political parties but the dominant political culture of a few people belonging to the ruling class is detrimental to the poor masses.

Ezekwesili said this at a virtual conference she organised called #TheFixPolitics/Dialogue and focussed on a title, ‘1999 Constitution: To change or amend,’ on Monday.
The ex-Vice President of the World Bank’s Africa Region, while analysing the background of the FixPolitics, a non-governmental organisation she co-founded to address the anomaly of the Nigerian democratic nature, said there is a need to raise a new political class in Nigeria.
“In the course of my studies, I realised there are key ideas between democracy and governance. And in our own case (in Nigeria) the absence of good governance is the greatest obstacle to Nigeria’s economic development.
“The economic development of this country among other things is affected by the monopolistic democracy. The monopolistic democracy is not about the number of political parties present, but the dominant political culture at play.
"There is an urgent need to raise a new order of political class. We have to mobilise people with the awareness of raising the matter of new constitution," Ezekwesili said.
In her address, a former Presidential candidate, Remi Sonaiya called for a new constitution for Nigeria. She clamoured for a platform that would involve the generality of the people in having a people-oriented constitution to replace the current 1999 Constitution of the country.
“There have been submissions, but there is a constant call by the people, and that is a totally new constitution. There has to be a total, radical change to our constitution, not minor adding or subtracting but a total change,” Sonaiya said.

Abuja — Nigerian officials say social distancing and the coronavirus pandemic's impact on the economy have tripled the number of mental health cases. In response, Nigeria has launched a toll-free 24-hour helpline staffed by trained psychologists and counselors.
A crowd cheers as a mental health counselor responds to the first call on the COVID-19 psychosocial hotline during its launch in Abuja.
It's Nigeria's first toll-free line focused on mental health issues and part of a joint effort between the government and a group of private counselors to address increasing mental health cases in the country.
Nigeria's minister of special duties, George Akume, was at the launch.
"The virus has done a lot of damage to societies across the world economically, socially, politically and healthwise," said Akume. "That is why counseling has become an important tool to control the behavior of people who have been affected."
Psychologist Aisha Abdullahi heads the team of counselors working the helpline.
In April 2020, she started free online counseling after seeing a significant jump in the number of mental health cases after Nigeria had recorded rising cases of the coronavirus.
Nigeria to Add More Protections for Health Care Workers Following Surge in COVID-19 Infections
Nigerian authorities urge healthcare workers to be cautious following a surge in infections
She says the uncertainty associated with the pandemic at the time caused an increase in anxiety and panic attacks. As a result, as many as 5,000 people reached out to her and her team.
Abdullahi expects even more to seek help through the new helpline.
"This is a pilot phase," said Abdullahi. "We're anticipating that we're going to get a lot of calls, and we're looking at expanding. So, that's why we're calling on partner organizations, collaborations, so that we'll be able to expand and meet up to the needs of the calls that we get."
Experts say that even though the number of people needing mental health services tripled during the pandemic, less than 10 percent get help because of the stigma attached to it.
Nineteen-year-old Pelemo Ava Nyajo says she had suffered from depression for years after a surgical procedure on her legs. As her situation deteriorated, she contemplated suicide.
She says she eventually overcame suicidal thoughts after working with counselors who were raising awareness on mental health issues.
"I was already in seclusion," said Nyajo. "I was isolated because everyone will go out, go to work, go to school and just leave me alone in the house. That gave more room for the negative thoughts to grow and to affect me mentally."
Authorities and the team of counselors are hoping that a toll-free line will help increase awareness and that more people will get the help they need.

In April, the American Lung Association released their 2021 State of the Air Report, a national data resource on air pollutants and pollution levels across the United States.
Data show that more than 40% of people live in an area with an unhealthy level of air pollution, with regional disparities showing people of color and people in poverty are more likely to live in areas with poor air quality.
The most recent episode of Lungcast, hosted by Al Rizzo, MD, held a discussion on the intersection of air pollution, climate change and COVID-19.
Rizzo was joined by Poune Saberi, MD and Alan Greenglass, MD, from the Board of Physicians for Social Reponsibility (PSR) to discuss how these intersections relate to community health in the United States.
Greenglass, a past president of PSR, spoke on data showing worsened effects COVID-19 due to increased particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) pollution rates in areas with poor air quality.
“In the United States, it is thought that 18% of COVID-19 deaths have been due to excess PM2.5,” Greenglass said. “There is air pollution and there is the virus, and they seem to work synergistically.”
Saberi, board president of PSR, noted the importance of environmental justice when mitigating drivers of climate change, such as fossil fuels, as it creates a public health opportunity for communities.
“When we transition away from these sources and create equitable systems, and we are polluting environment less, the health benefits will be higher for those who are currently most impacted,” Saberi said.

Failing to effectively sensitize authorities to grazing issues in the region, 17 states in southern Nigeria last week ordered bans on free grazing in those territories. They called on the federal government to help states that have asked it to develop modern and alternative management systems for herd management.
The governors explained, "Development and population growth have put pressure on available land and increased the risk of conflict between migrant herders in the south and the local population. Given this situation, it became imperative to declare a ban on free grazing in the South, including the movement of cattle on foot in the South", reported the Guardian.

Dr. Luther-King Fasehun is an independent consultant and ready-to-work global health professional, living in the United States with regular links with Nigeria.
A physician, Fasehun earned his medical degree from the University of Lagos, on Federal Government of Nigeria Scholarship. He earned his Master’s degree in International Healthcare Management, Economics and Policy from the SDA Bocconi School of Management, in Italy, sub-specialising in Global Health and Development.
He is interested in reproductive/perinatal and nutritional epidemiology, as well as the intersections of health systems strengthening (HSS), improved nutrition (especially for underserved children and women of reproductive age in low- and middle- income countries) and improved quality of care in global maternal and child health.
With years’ experience, Fasehun served as the Country Director of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), overseeing projects and staff in Ghana, Nigeria, and Uganda. He has secured project grants from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), FHI360 (via the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), Amref Health Africa, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and several others. He is the first medical doctor to serve as a Policy Leaders Fellow at the prestigious European University Institute, in Italy. Currently, he serves on the Global Maternal Health in COVID-19 (MATCO) Adaptations and Solutions Working Group, based at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp.
In Nigeria, he is known as “the all-around performer,” the one who leads program/project staff to deliver on public health targets, far exceeding the expectations of stakeholders, and succeeding with government at all levels. His interests and expertise are broad-ranging but specialized: maternal and child health, including nutrition; economic methods for policy and programme effectiveness; COVID-19; and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). He is currently rounding off a PhD degree in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

Just about everything is getting more expensive in the United States as the stimulus-fueled economy rebounds, sending Americans back to shops and restaurants. But the pandemic is far from over, and supply-chain woes mean supply isn’t meeting demand — sending prices even higher.
US consumer prices in April increased 4.2% from a year earlier, more than the 3.6% economists had predicted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. It was the biggest 12-month increase since September 2008.
Prices rose 0.8% on a seasonally adjusted basis between March and April — also more than analysts had expected.
Price increases, supply chain problems and shortages have become hot-button issues for the global economy as it recovers from the pandemic shock of 2020. Higher inflation was expected as the economy began to reopen. The Federal Reserve, whose mandate it is to keep prices stable, continuously said that moderately higher prices this summer will be temporary.
But the supply chain issues — including the Suez canal traffic jam in March and the hack on the Colonial pipeline last weekend — exacerbated the problems already created by a shortage of shipping vessels. Raw material prices for all sorts of goods — oil, steel, lumber — are going up as demand is outpacing what can be supplied. All of this is pushing inflation up further.
For investors, the worry is that runaway inflation will force the Fed to change its ultra-loose monetary policy stance sooner than hoped, either by raising interest rates or tapering its billion dollar asset purchases. That would be bad news for the stock market.
Another worry is that if inflation is too high for too long it will discourage Americans from spending the money in their wallets because things are too expensive. That would be really bad new because the US economy runs on consumer spending.

Nigerian authorities Monday announced a new set of COVID-19 restrictions as many countries continue to battle the resurgence of the virus.
The new measures, which come into effect on Tuesday, ban gatherings of more than 50 people while access to government buildings will be denied to anyone not wearing a facemask.
Bars and nightclubs are to remain closed and a nationwide curfew will be in force until further notice, the national incident manager for COVID-19, Dr. Mukhtar Mohammed, said at a press conference.
Religious gatherings and weddings are expected to maintain 50% capacity of the venue.


Our fight against Covid-19 is not over yet!These measures are to enable the government to effectively prevent and control the resurgence of an acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, protect the lives of the people and the economy.

Makurdi, 7 May, 2021 - “I was not only scared about my health; I was also scared for the well-being of three of my children admitted same time as I at the hospital”, says Hajiya Zainab Yusuf, a mother of four from Benue State.
Mrs Yusuf and her family were some of the people diagnosed with Cholera from Abinsi community and treated at the Primary Health Care Centre Abinsi, in Guma LGA.
“I was diagnosed with cholera alongside three of my children. I was so worried about our health. I was not able to take care of them because we were all on admission same time. Unfortunately, I lost one of my children to the disease. Although I am still sad about losing my child, I am grateful to Allah for the help we got from the state government and World Health Organization (WHO). If not for their timely intervention, we would all have died,” she said.
Cholera is a waterborne disease that lives in the environment and infects humans.
Early in January 2021, the Local Government Area (LGA) Disease Surveillance Notification Officers (DSNOs) of Agatu and Guma reported suspected cases of the disease with onset of index cases in Agatu and Guma being 30th December, 2020 and 5th January, 2021 respectively. A common feature of both settlements is their location on the bank of River Benue, from which they also derive their source of water supply.
Two other LGAs, Markurdi and Gwer West, are also located along with the River Benue with Oju, which also reported several cases and deaths, being the only LGA far from the River Benue.
National response to cholera
Benue State is not the only state reporting an outbreak of cholera since the beginning of the year. Seven other states including Delta, Zamfara, Gombe, Bayelsa, Kogi, Sokoto and Nasarawa have similarly registered confirmed cholera outbreaks in 2021. In addition, there have been 7 other states with suspected cholera outbreaks
Cumulatively, 3413 suspected cases including 111 deaths have been reported by 15 states. A total of 1,746 suspected cases including 50 deaths were reported by the eight states with confirmed outbreaks. Benue state reported 718 cases. Majority of the confirmed cases, 63%, are children aged 5 - 14 years according to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
The number of new cases is progressively declining across all states since mid April 2021. This is as a result of more concerted response interventions by respective states with support from the NCDC, WHO and other partners
In Benue, WHO collaborated with the State Primary Health Care Board, the National Primary Health Cared Development Agency (NPHCDA) and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to sponsor and conduct an Oral Cholera vaccination campaign targeting most affected group; i.e. children aged 2-5years in the affected settlements with the limited quantity of vaccines that were available. A total of 40,493 children aged 2 – 5years were vaccinated.
WHO also supported Benue State with medical supplies to treatment centres used for treatment of cases in the affected communities. The state was also supported in conducting community sensitization campaigns on cholera.
Dr Ahemen Terseer, WHO State Coordinator ai Benue State, said the quick intervention yielded positive result in the state leading to a decline in cases now being reported.
“Within one week of having the borehole in the community, no new cases were reported!” Other control measures embarked upon are: Community sensitization on water and food hygiene. There have been campaigns on the need to stop the practice of open defecation. Jingles are also on the radio stations in the state, he said.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has advised the general public to prioritise good hand hygiene as part of efforts to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The Director-General of the agency, Chikwe Ihekweazu, gave the advice during an awareness walk to commemorate the 2021 World Hand Hygiene Day in Abuja on Wednesday.
Represented by the Head of Prevention Programme & Knowledge Management Department of the agency, Chinwe Ochu, Mr Ihekweazu said good hand hygiene can save lives and prevent the transmission of infections.
“Hand hygiene with soap and water is the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“Hand cleanliness protects our lives they also save our lives! hand hygiene has become most important and relevant than ever,” he said.
Marked on May 5 annually, World Hand Hygiene Day aims to maintain global promotion, visibility and sustainability of hand hygiene in health care and to ‘bring people together’ in support of hand hygiene improvement around the world.
This year’s event is being commemorated at a time the world is still battling the COVID-19 pandemic which has already claimed over 3 million lives globally and 2,063 lives in Nigeria.
This year, the global Hand Hygiene Day theme is “Achieving hand hygiene at the point of care”, and the slogan is “Seconds save lives – clean your hands!”
The sub-theme for Nigeria is “One Nation, One Plan: Turn Nigeria Orange!”.
Good Hand hygiene
Mr Ihekweazu noted that good hand hygiene has been advocated as one of the most effective ways to prevent the COVID-19 diseases.
“Since 2019, NCDC through the National Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) programme has led the country’s efforts to make hand hygiene day activities a major national event in order to raise the consciousness of Nigerians on these efforts, and their role in saving lives,” he said.
He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic further exposed the risk of care-associated infections in low and middle-income countries, particularly in patients admitted to intensive care units.
In her welcome address, the Chairperson of Infection Prevention and Control Committee (IPCC), Nkoli Uwazurike, noted that hand hygiene could reduce major public health problem in Nigeria and has a significant impact in the fight against COVID-19.
Prioritising health workers
Speaking at the briefing, the Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Jabi, Sa’ad Ahmed, reiterated that hand washing could help reduce the spread of diseases.
“As simple as hand washing is , it actually saves a lot of life. There is a circle of infection and and we need to break that circle through hand washing. Hand washing can save us a lot,” he said.
He noted that at the point of care, most health workers infect patients or get infected by patients, hence the need to promote hand hygiene.
In a message to mark the day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) calls on health care workers and facilities to achieve effective hand hygiene action at the point of care.
“The point of care refers to the place where three elements come together: the patient, the health care worker, and care or treatment involving contact with the patient or their surroundings,” it said.

The US has advised its citizens not to travel to India or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so as access to all types of medical care is becoming severely limited in the country amid a massive surge in Covid-19 cases.
The US has put India on Level 4 Travel Advisory, the highest level issued by the Department of State.
The current Level 4 Travel Advisory asks US citizens not to travel to India or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so due to the current health situation in the country.
"#India: Access to medical care is severely limited due to Covid-19 cases. US citizens wishing to depart should use available commercial options now. Daily direct flights to the US and flights via Paris and Frankfurt are available," the State Department tweeted.
In a health alert, the US Embassy in New Delhi said: "Access to all types of medical care is becoming severely limited in India due to the surge in Covid-19 cases." "We urge US citizens to enrol in STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Programme) at step.state.gov in order to receive critical information from the Embassy related to health and safety in India," it said.
It asked American citizens to visit the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website for the latest information on travel restrictions.
"New cases and deaths from Covid-19 have risen sharply throughout India to record levels. Covid-19 testing infrastructure is reportedly constrained in many locations," the mission said in a statement.
A record single-day rise of 3,79,257 Covid-19 infections, 3,645 fatalities on Thursday pushed India's tally of cases to 1,83,76,524, death toll to 2,04,832.

The science behind vaccines is simple: Introduce the body to a small part of a pathogen, trigger the immune system to build antibodies to fight it off and create a lasting immune memory for any future invasions.
But what if instead of immunity, a vaccine caused disease? That's a claim one image being shared on Facebook makes, citing the top authority tasked with regulating the safety and efficacy of biological products like vaccines.
"The FDA confirms that the 1st vaccine dose correlates with increased COVID-19 infections," reads a graphic shared in an April 10 Facebook post.
It goes on to claim a U.S. Food and Drug Administration briefing document reported 409 suspected COVID-19 cases among Pfizer vaccine trial volunteers – versus 287 in the placebo group – seven days post-vaccination. 
The original source for the image is a Feb. 21 article by Colleen Huber, an Arizona-based naturopath who runs a cancer clinic offering patients treatment with baking soda, vitamin C and a sugar-free diet instead of chemotherapy. None of these alternative treatments have been proven effective against cancer. 
Shared widely across social media, her online article has garnered nearly 12,000 interactions on Facebook and 1,100 on Instagram, according to social analytics platform CrowdTangle.
Huber citing the FDA may appear compelling, but there's quite a bit she distorts. Here's what we found.

LAST September, the Federal Government through the Presidential Task Force, PTF, on COVID-19 was given the sample of the first COVID-19 vaccine by a delegation headed by the Russian ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Alexey Sherbashin. The sample of the then, newly developed and first vaccine, Russian made Sputnik-V was handed over to Nigeria’s authorities with a guiding aide memoir to enable the Nigerian medical and regulatory bodies to conduct further study on the vaccine sample.

Nearly eight months after, nothing has been heard from the Nigerian authorities about Sputnik-V. The Russian ambassador who presented the vaccine sample has suggested, then, that Nigeria may consider to put together an expert team to collaborate with the Russian side for possible clinical trials of the vaccine. There was no evidence in the public domain to indicate that the Nigerian authorities initiated a response for a trial of the efficacy or otherwise of the Russian made Sputnik-V vaccines. Despite that a research article published in September last year in the highly-rated UK-based science journal, The Lancet acknowledged that Sputnik-V passed early trials conducted on patients, as it helped developed anti-bodies without causing any serious side effects, the Nigerian managers of the COVID-19 pandemic maintained complete aloofness to the first developed vaccines against the pandemic despite having been fully briefed by the Russians and provided with samples and other accessories that would enable a scientific study of the vaccine. Despite making no effort at instituting indigenous efforts at vaccine development, Nigerian authorities, especially the COVID-19 pandemic managers, were dutifully waiting for the West to make a breakthrough with the vaccine development. With the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines developed in the US and UK respectively, Nigeria’s pandemic managers cheered enthusiastically in a sheepish neo-colonial context, and were waiting sheepishly to receive the vaccines. The Pfizer vaccines which needed a certain condition of temperature storage and which the Nigeria’s elite managers of the COVID-19 pandemic did not have, were dutifully by-passed on account of inadequate storage facility. Since the arrival of the first batch of Astra-Zeneca vaccines which were actually manufactured in India, subsequent batches have been held back because India has had the highest rate of infections and is keeping the vaccines for its domestic uses. However, in a compelling irony that would bother Nigeria’s managers of COVID-19 pandemic, India has approved the use of Russian-made Sputnik vaccines for use as way to diversify their basket of available vaccines. The India which we wait on endlessly to supply other batches of vaccines and which is currently contending with the unfortunate surge in COVID-19 infections and death may not likely deliver any more batches on schedules. At the middle of March, India’s authority announced a temporary ban on exports of its Oxford-Astra-Zeneca vaccines, in a move that was considered to jeopardise global vaccine supplies, but the action given the surge of the pandemic in India is understandable. The shock is that Nigeria’s COVID-19 managers pretended as if they do not know that India would not be supplying the vaccines for the nearest future.

Young people who get the COVID-19 vaccine in West Virginia won't just gain protection against a deadly virus — they'll also make money.
The state will offer a $100 savings bond to everyone between the ages of 16 and 35 who gets vaccinated, Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, announced at a Monday briefing. It's part of an ongoing push to get shots into the arms of younger residents, who have been largely slow to roll up their sleeves so far.
"Our kids today probably don't really realize just how important they are in shutting this thing down," Justice said. "I'm trying to come up with a way that's truly going to motivate them — and us — to get over the hump."
The initiative will apply retroactively to people in this age group who have already gotten their shots. It is funded with money from the CARES Act, with Justice adding that officials have "vetted this in every way that we possibly can."
West Virginia's vaccine rollout got off to a famously strong start earlier this year. Despite challenges such as a widespread lack of Internet access, the largely rural state had managed to fully vaccinate such a large percentage of its eligible population by late February that, had it been a country, it would have ranked third in the world.

11 people were killed and nine others injured on Saturday in a road accident in Nigeria’s central north state of Kwara.
The accident occurred on the outskirts of Ilorin, the state capital as a result of speed violation, said Jonathan Owoade, sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC) in Kwara, in a statement on Saturday.
“The FRSC received a call at around 6.35 a.m. local time about a crash involving two vehicles, a commercial bus, and an articulated vehicle this morning and found that the crash resulted from speed violation,” he said.
The bodies of the deceased and those wounded have been transferred to a local hospital, he said.
He warned motorists against violating road safety guidelines and other road users, particularly commuters, to always caution commercial vehicle drivers against over-speeding.
Deadly road accidents are frequently reported in Nigeria, often caused by overloading, bad road conditions, and reckless driving.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Victor Guevara knows people his age have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in many countries. His own relatives in Houston have been inoculated.
But the 72-year-old Honduran lawyer, like so many others in his country, is still waiting. And increasingly, he is wondering why the United States is not doing more to help, particularly as the American vaccine supply begins to outpace demand and doses that have been approved for use elsewhere in the world, but not in the U.S., sit idle.
“We live in a state of defenselessness on every level,” Guevara said of the situation in his Central American homeland.
Honduras has obtained a paltry 59,000 vaccine doses for its 10 million people. Similar gaps in vaccine access are found across Africa, where just 36 million doses have been acquired for the continent's 1.3 billion people, as well as in parts of Asia.
In the United States, more than one-fourth of the population — nearly 90 million people — has been fully vaccinated and supplies are so robust that some states are turning down planned shipments from the federal government.
This stark access gap is prompting increased calls across the world for the U.S. to start shipping vaccine supplies to poorer countries. That's creating an early test for President Joe Biden, who has pledged to restore American leadership on the world stage and prove to wary nations that the U.S. is a reliable partner after years of retrenchment during the Trump administration.
J. Stephen Morrison, senior vice president and director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, said that as the U.S. moves from vaccine scarcity to abundance, it has an opportunity to “shape the outcomes dramatically in this next phase because of the assets we have.”
Biden, who took office in January as the virus was raging in the U.S., has responded cautiously to calls for help from abroad.
He has focused the bulk of his administration's vaccinations efforts at home. He kept in place an agreement struck by the Trump administration requiring drugmakers that got U.S. aid in developing or expanding vaccine manufacturing to sell their first doses produced in the country to the U.S. government. The U.S. has also used the Defense Production Act to secure vital supplies for the production of vaccine, a move that has blocked the export of some supplies outside the country.

April is rounding up but there is not a dearth of interesting developments where covid-19 is concerned in Nigeria. It will interest you to know that some countries are contemplating making covid-19 vaccination a requirement before anyone can travel internationally.
The number of newly infected persons have continued to drop weekly in all states of the country as stats from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) show. From April 14 to 20, the centre for disease control recorded only 423 cases of the virus. This is lesser than the 523 people confirmed the previous week.