₦airaland Forum

For decades, Nigeria’s state oil company couldn’t maintain refineries meant to ensure domestic fuel supply, forcing Africa’s biggest producer to rely on imports. Now it wants to build hospitals to attend to the health needs of the country’s more than 200 million people.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. indicated this shift of focus when it announced plans on Tuesday to build health institutions in 12 of the country’s 36 states at the cost of 21 billion naira ($54 million), part of a new package of non-oil investments that also includes housing and power. The hospitals venture is part of its response to the dearth of health facilities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s also among “measures to cope with the boom and bust cycle in the global crude-oil market and to sustain revenue generation,” the company, also known as NNPC, said in a statement.

The oil firm seems to be hinting that it’s learned the lessons taught by the collapse of crude prices caused by loss of demand and the subsequent price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. With the state overly dependent on oil, for more than 50% of revenue and 90% of export earnings, President Muhammadu Buhari found his budget plans in tatters as oil fell to a 21-year record low in April.

NNPC, which manages Nigeria’s oil interests with international energy companies, has on its own struggled with financial health for more more than 25 years. Apart from frequently missing its capital obligations in joint ventures, it has among the highest oil-production costs globally and has been saddled with cash-guzzling, dilapidated refineries for years.

At the moment, the state producer is struggling to find buyers for its crude despite huge price discounts, with most of Europe, its primary market, only starting to reopen after three months of lockdown to combat the coronavirus. A situation that perhaps spurred more creative thinking at the Nigerian oil behemoth.

“We do have a lot of non-core business that would be expanded through effective collaboration and partnerships with the private sector,” said Roland Ewubare, the company’s chief operating officer for ventures and business development.

Among the new pathways to health unveiled by Group Managing Director Mele Kyari is a plan to trim production cost to $10 per barrel, revamp the refineries for restart in 2023, seek opportunities in power and housing, and, of course, build the hospitals.

-Bloomberg

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/business-news/nnpc-fails-to-fix-refineries-but-wants-to-build-hospitals/

Emirates, one of the world’s biggest long-haul airlines, laid off hundreds of pilots and thousands of cabin crew as it manages a cash crunch caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and more job cuts are planned, five company sources said.

Aviation is one of the industries worst hit by the fallout from the virus outbreak, with airlines forced to lay off staff and seek government bailouts.

More redundancies were expected at Emirates this week including both Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 pilots, the sources said on the condition of anonymity.

The workforce of 4,300 pilots and nearly 22,000 cabin crew could shrink by almost a third from its pre-coronavirus levels, three of the sources said.

Without giving further details, an airline spokeswoman told Reuters some employees had been laid off.

“Given the significant impact that the pandemic has had on our business, we simply cannot sustain excess resources and have to right size our workforce in line with our reduced operations,” she said.

A promise by the Dubai government to provide Emirates with new equity would allow it to “preserve its skilled workforce,” the state airline said on May 10.

It has since laid off employees, which sources previously told Reuters were trainee pilots and cabin crew.

Outgoing President Tim Clark has said it could take four years for the airline to resume flying to all of the 157 international destinations it served before the pandemic. It has a fleet of 270 A380 and 777 jets.

The airline has operated limited, mostly outbound services from the United Arab Emirates since grounding passenger flights in March but is due to restart some connecting flights after the UAE last week lifted a suspension.

Emirates has also extended pay cuts until September, and in some cases deepened the reduction to 50 per cent, according to an internal email on Sunday.

-Reuters

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/emirates-lays-off-thousands-of-pilots-cabin-crew-plans-more-job-cuts/

Snoop Dogg will exercise his right to vote for the first time ever this year. The rapper revealed in an interview with The Real 92.3 that he’s never voted before, because he thought past criminals were not eligible to do so.

“For many years it had me brainwashed thinking that you couldn’t vote because you had a criminal record,” he shared, reported the New York Post’s gossip column Page Six.

However, the Drop It Like It’s Hot star added that this November he’s going to change that, and vowed to cast his vote for anyone but current President Donald Trump.

“Definitely, ’cause we got to make a difference. I can’t talk about it and not be about it,” he said. “I can’t tell you to do it then you don’t go do it. Everybody know I’m a front-liner. I ain’t gonna tell you to do something I didn’t do.”

On Friday, Joe Biden formally won the Democratic Party nomination to take on Donald Trump in November’s presidential election, as he announced on Twitter: “Folks, tonight we secured the 1,991 delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination.

“I’m going to spend every day fighting to earn your vote so that, together, we can win the battle for the soul of this nation.”

-Torontosun

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/entertainment/trump-must-go-snoop-dogg-vows-to-vote-for-first-time-in-2020-election/

Former Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Macaulay Ofurhie, is dead. He died on Monday, June 1, 2020 in Lagos after a brief illness. He was aged 75 years.

Macaulay Ofurhie who was simply called Mac by colleagues and friends, graduated with a B.Sc. Honours in Geology from the University of Ibadan in 1971. He spent 34 years at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Prior to his retirement as director of DPR, Ofurhie had served as Managing Director of Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and Nigeria Gas Company (NGC), both subsidiaries of NNPC.

Mac was a geoscientist by background and a Fellow of the Nigeria Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) and the Nigeria Associatiation of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE).

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/exclusive/former-dpr-director-mac-ofurhie-75-is-dead/

The African Union (AU) has said it is closely monitoring the new outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which has already claimed four lives.

The AU, through its specialised health institution, the Africa CDC, is responding and providing support to eliminate the EVD. The Africa CDC is a specialised technical institution of AU, which supports member states in their efforts to strengthen health.

Following a notification by the Equateur provincial health authorities of community deaths on May 23 and 30, the DRC government on Sunday declared a new outbreak of EVD in Mbandaka in the northwest Equateur Province.

This is the 11th EVD outbreak in the DRC and it has already claimed four lives and infected four other people in the community, said a statement from the 55-member pan-African bloc.

The outbreak began at a time when experts were close to declaring an end to the 10th EVD outbreak in North Kivu Province, and when countries are fighting hard to control the Covid-19 pandemic, noted the statement.

As the DRC Ministry of Health is currently establishing a coordination and response mechanism to effectively contain the outbreak, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is closely monitoring the situation while preparing to support response to the outbreak at the national and regional levels.

The Africa CDC has briefed the leadership of the AU Commission about the outbreak and the Commission has pledged its solidarity and support to the DRC in responding to the outbreak, according to the statement.

It also said that the Africa CDC would redeploy its resources and team of experts supporting response to the 10th EVD outbreak in North Kivu to support response to the new outbreak in Equateur Province.

Cognizant of the risk that multiple disease outbreaks have on the DRC, the Africa CDC is working with the DRC government, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners to strengthen response to both the 10th and 11th EVD outbreaks and the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

-Theeastafrican

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/health/africa-union-wades-into-fresh-ebola-outbreak-in-congo/

Zenith Bank Plc, Nigeria’s leading financial institution, has emerged as the Best Bank in Nigeria in the recently released Global Finance Magazine World’s Best Banks Awards 2020.

The awards, which was published in the May 2020 edition of the Global Finance Magazine, was based on the performances of the banks in their respective regions and countries over the period from January 1 to December 31, 2019.

Global Finance’s “World’s Best Banks Awards” are recognized amongst the world’s most influential banking/finance and corporate professionals as the most coveted and credible awards in the banking industry, with winners chosen in more than 150 countries across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America and Western Europe.

Founded in 1987, Global Finance regularly selects the top performers among banks and other providers of financial services and the awards have become a trusted standard of excellence for the global financial community.

Commenting on the recognition, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Zenith Bank, Mr, Ebenezer Onyeagwu said that “this award is a clear demonstration of the bank’s market leadership, occasioned by our superior product offerings, best-in-class service and top-of-the-range technology which create value for our teeming customers.”

Zenith Bank has clearly distinguished itself in the Nigerian financial services industry through superior service quality, unique customer experience and sound financial indices. The bank, with a knack for setting the pace and raising benchmarks, is a clear leader in the digital space with several firsts in the deployment of innovative products, solutions and an assortment of alternative channels that ensure convenience, speed and safety of transactions.

As a testament to its resilience and market leadership, Zenith Bank announced an impressive result for the year ended December 31, 2019, with profit after tax (PAT) of N208.8 billion, achieving the feat as the first Nigerian Bank to cross the N200 billion mark. In the recently released Q1 2020 unaudited financial results, the bank also recorded an improved result over the corresponding period in 2019, with gross earnings rising by 6% to N166.8 billion and profit before tax (PAT) growing 3% to N58.8 billion.

Consistent with this superlative performance and in recognition of its track record of exceptional performance, Zenith Bank was ranked as the Best Commercial Bank in Nigeria 2019 by the World Finance and the Best Digital Bank in Nigeria 2019 by Agusto & Co. The bank was also voted as Bank of the Year and Best Bank in Retail Banking at the 2019 BusinessDay Banks and other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards. Most recently, the bank was recognized as the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria, for the third consecutive year, in the Banker Magazine “Top 500 Banking Brands 2020” and the Bank of the Decade (People’s Choice) at the ThisDay Awards 2020.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/business-news/zenith-bank-emerges-best-bank-in-nigeria-in-worlds-best-banks-awards-2020/

Shoprite, a popular South African retail firm with branches all over Africa, including Nigeria has been sued for $80,000 for selling expired chocolate.

An Ugandan, Francis Jjumba, sued Shoprite for more than Shs 300 million, an equivalent of about 80,000 US dollars in compensation from Shoprite supermarket for allegedly selling him expired chocolate.

Francis Jjumba, in his documents submitted before the High court civil division, contends that on April 23, 2020, he purchased groceries including Ferrero Rocher chocolate from Shoprite supermarket Lugogo branch along Jinja road.

According to Jjumba, he developed health complications after eating the alleged expired chocolate and sought treatment at St Felistus clinic in Bulenga where he was diagnosed with gastrointestinal disorder, which is associated with eating contaminated food or expired products.

He was referred to Lancet laboratories for thorough diagnosis and medical examination, which forced him to retrieve the pack of the said chocolate and discovered that it had expired on April 10, 2020.

Through his lawyers led by Nalukoola Luyimbazi, Jjumba contends that by the time he bought and ate the said chocolate on April 23, it was unfit for human consumption.

Jjumba says that he visited other hospitals for treatment for the gastrointestinal disorder resulting from eating the expired chocolate. He argues that the omission by Shoprite was deliberate as it failed to take care of its customers in breach of the standard guidelines issued by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards UNBS), requiring sellers to withdraw expired products from their shelves.

Jjumba says that he has suffered untold inconveniences, mental anguish, anxiety and embarrassment. He now wants Shoprite to compensate him Shs 306 million for general damages, inconveniences, treatment, and consultation and transport costs.

According to the evidence before the court, Shoprite, Africa’s largest consumer goods retailer was served on May 26, 2020. The registrar of the High court has directed Shoprite to prepare its defence within 15 days or else the court will proceed to hear the matter in their absence.

“Should you fail to file a defence on or before the mentioned date, the plaintiff (Jjumba) may proceed with the suit and judgment maybe given in your absence”, reads the summons to Shoprite in part.

Prior to the suit, Jjumba wrote to Shoprite through his lawyers a notice of intention to sue on April 28, 2020, and gave them four days to pay him about Shs 300 million in vain.

Shoprite Holdings Limited is founded in 1979 by South African Billionaire, Mr Christo Wiese.

-Observer/Media Issues

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/business-news/shoprite-dragged-to-court-for-selling-expired-chocolate/

Foreign exchange restrictions introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria is creating uncertainty and distorting decision making in the economy as manufacturers and businessmen groan under forex scarcity.

Besides worsening the downside risks to growth, the scarcity of dollars in Nigeria is threatening the survival of many manufacturers, even when they have a lot of naira cover.

The CBN has been rationing foreign exchange in efforts to protect the local currency amid the crash in oil prices and coronavirus outbreak. It only resumed weekly dollar sales of $100 million for small businesses and expenses such as tuition late in April.

That means importing raw materials has been difficult for companies such as Duro Kuteyi’s Spectra Industries Ltd., a Lagos-based processor of commodities including soybean, sorghum and cocoa. The 68-year-old chief executive officer applied for credit of 200 million naira ($516,649) to import processing and packaging machines for a new production line before the Covid-19 crisis. As of Thursday, he has only been able to get $5,000 in hard currency from his bank.

His bankers will let him know when they have more dollars for him, Kuteyi, who is also head of the Association of Food and Agro Processors in Nigeria, said by phone. However, he may need to apply for additional credit to be able to import the same machines because the value of the dollar has gone up.

Foreign investors in Nigeria are also lining up for greenback to take their money out of the country and some lenders have reduced how much dollars customers can spend monthly for international transactions on their naira-denominated bank cards.

Local Production

Still, Governor Godwin Emefiele said on Thursday there isn’t a shortage of hard currency and sales will resume to bureaux de change when the coronavirus lockdown has eased sufficiently. Also, the central bank sees no rationale for seeking foreign currency when global manufacturing is shut down and the crisis presents a good opportunity for Nigeria’s economy to diversify and focus on producing locally, he said.

Supporting local production has often been touted as reason to limit dollar access in a country that imports fuel, food and raw material for factories. However, Nigeria relies on crude exports for about 90% of foreign-exchange earnings and the price plunge has led to hard-currency inflows drying up. That put pressure on the naira. While the central bank devalued the local unit in March and increased the rate at which investors and exporters could purchase the greenback, the naira still trades at about 20% weaker in the parallel market. The local unit weakened 0.06% to 387.50 per dollar on the interbank market as of 9:32 a.m. in Lagos on Friday.

Nigeria’s central bank has been managing its currency to avoid depreciation

When the oil crash in 2014 caused dollar shortages, policy makers introduced capital controls and pegged the naira to try curb inflation. However, price growth surged as businesses struggled to pay foreign suppliers and the CBN then introduced multiple exchange rates — a lynchpin of President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic policy.

Past Steps

Analysts such as Adedayo Ademuwagun of Songhai Advisory LPP in Lagos said the central bank could repeat some of these steps. While the policy climate is different, “the mindset in the government has barely changed and so the tendency is to repeat past steps,” he said.

The $3.4 billion emergency funding secured from the International Monetary Fund will boost foreign-exchange reserves in the short term, allowing the central bank to maintain its currency regime.

While the government suggested to the IMF “that exchange-rate unification would be on the cards, the CBN’s default position remains to delay further changes to its foreign-exchange regime, including official devaluations, for as long as possible,” said Malte Liewerscheidt, vice president of Teneo Intelligence.

It’s no longer possible for the central bank to lure investors to buy its high-yielding OMO securities, with the current climate where traders are withdrawing funds from emerging and frontier markets. In the meantime, “they will try to limit forex sales, and it depends on how long this economic crisis lasts and on the oil price meeting target,” Liewerscheidt said.

Pharmaceutical Imports

Dollar scarcity and a weakening naira are already adding to inflation in a country that imports all major inputs used by pharmaceutical firms. Manufacturers can’t open letters of credit as dwindling oil receipts and the lack of intervention by the central bank pushed international banks to withdraw credit relationships with local lenders, said Fidelis Ayebae, the chief executive officer of Fidson Healthcare Plc.

Nigerian inflation has been above the target range for five years

“You now have a situation where nobody is holding letters of credit, no manufacturer is getting anything from their suppliers abroad because even the ones that we owe, we are not able to pay,” said Ayebae, who also heads the 180-member pharmaceutical group of Nigeria’s manufacturers association. “Some companies may shut 45 days from now if they are not able to import.”

The administrative costs of the drugmaker soared by at least 22% due to the current headwinds and it may be forced to stop manufacturing from July if dollar illiquidity persists. While his company got 2.5 billion naira from the central bank’s coronavirus intervention fund, he has only received $80,000.

“I need dollar equivalent of 2.5 billion naira,” he said. “If I get $5 million today, I will be a very happy man.”

-Bloomberg

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/business-news/manufacturers-businessmen-groan-as-forex-scarcity-bites-harder-in-nigeria/

World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the first wave of COVID-19 is not over, dampening hopes of early recovery, speedy global economic rebound and renewed international travel..

“Right now, we’re not in the second wave. We’re right in the middle of the first wave globally,” said Dr. Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization’s executive director.

“We’re still very much in a phase where the disease is actually on the way up,” Ryan said, pointing to South America, South Asia and other parts of the world.

This is coming just as Brazil and India are struggling with the surge of the coronavirus which is taking a severe toll on both countries.

India, with a population of over 1.3 billion, saw a record single-day jump in new cases for the seventh straight day. It reported 6,535 new infections Tuesday, raising its total to over 145,000, including close to 4,200 deaths.

The virus has taken hold in some of the country’s poorest, most densely populated areas, underscoring the challenges authorities face in trying to contain a virus for which no vaccine or cure has yet to be developed.

Most of India’s cases are concentrated in the western states of Maharashtra, home to the financial hub of Mumbai, and Gujarat. Infections have also climbed in the east as migrant workers stranded by lockdowns returned to their native villages from India’s largest cities.

Despite this, India allowed domestic flights to resume Monday following a two-month hiatus, but at a fraction of normal traffic levels.

In Brazil, where President Jair Bosonaro has raged against state and local leaders enforcing stay-at-home measures, WHO warned that before reopening the economy, authorities must have enough testing in place to control the spread of the virus.

Brazil has 375,000 coronavirus infections — second only to the 1.6 million cases in the U.S. — and has counted over 23,000 deaths, but many fear Brazil’s true toll is much higher.

Ryan said Brazil’s “intense” transmission rates means it should keep some stay-at-home measures in place, regardless of the damage to the economy. “You must continue to do everything you can,” he said.

But Sao Paulo Gov. João Doria has ruled out a full lockdown in Brazil’s largest state economy and plans to start loosening restrictions on June 1. A U.S. travel ban was set to take effect Tuesday for foreigners coming from Brazil.

-AP/Media Issues

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/health/who-warns-first-wave-of-pandemic-not-over-virus-still-on-way-up/

After Germany reopened places of worship this month, congregants of an Evangelical Baptist church in Frankfurt gathered in prayer on May 10. Less than two weeks — or one incubation period — later, members of the church are now infected with the coronavirus, the German press agency DPA reported.

The exact number of those sickened is unclear, but the deputy chairman of the local congregation, Wladimir Pritzkau, told DPA that six people are currently hospitalized, while the majority of attendees who tested positive are isolating at home. The church is now holding services exclusively online.

German authorities are investigating another possible cluster of seven infections that reportedly emerged from a restaurant in the country’s northwest. Restaurants in Germany reopened two weeks ago with social distancing and contact tracing measures in place. If confirmed, this would be the first such case of the virus spreading inside a newly reopened restaurant, the Associated Press reported.

President Trump has urged businesses and houses of worship in the United States to reopen, labeling the latter as “essential” in a move seen as mindful of his evangelical Christian voting base.

On Saturday a French court struck down the government’s ban on places of worship opening before June 2, after stores and businesses were allowed to reopen last week. Religious leaders said it would take some time for them to put in place required social distancing precautions.

In Jerusalem, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and resurrected, is set to reopen Sunday after shutting in March.

-theguardian

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/health/members-of-reopened-church-in-germany-infected-with-virus-after-attending-services/

Scientists from The Singapore University of Technology innovation lab have used complex modelling to predict the exact date the coronavirus crisis will end in the UK, USA, Italy and other badly-hit countries.

According to the Daily Star, scientists at The Singapore University used the complex modelling to determine when the pandemic could be over globally and the world free of the coronavirus.

The scientists believed by September 30, Covid-19 could be eliminated from Britain

The data shows that the US might be free of the deadly bug by November 11.

Singapore has been highlighted in the prediction as the first nation to be rid of the coronavirus, as July 19 is believed to be the date researcher has released.

Next is Italy, where the crisis is expected to recede by August 12.

A leading professor at Oxford University has forecast that the UK’s declining death rates could reach the stage of no fatalities being recorded on some days by the end of June.

The UK is currently at stage four in the alert system, meaning there is high transmission of Covid-19. Researchers in Singapore have said the prediction is “uncertain” and could alter with time. The date is also susceptible to new surges of infections caused by easing lockdown measures and people breaching the rules.

But a spokesperson for the university warned that ‘readers must take any predictions with caution’. They also warned that ‘over-optimism based on some predicted end dates is dangerous because it may loosen our disciplines and controls and cause the turnaround of the virus and infection, and must be avoided.’

The spokesman added: “The model and data are inaccurate to the complex, evolving, and heterogeneous realities of different countries.

“Predictions are uncertain by nature. Readers must take any predictions with caution. “Over-optimism based on some predicted end dates is dangerous because it may loosen our disciplines and controls and cause the turnaround of the virus and infection, and must be avoided.”

Separate modelling carried out in Washington and in Oxford has predicted that the UK could first see a 24-hour period with zero deaths from coronavirus by June. However, it is expected that there will be “sporadic up and downs” for several weeks afterwards.

Professor Carl Heneghan, of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University told The Sun: “I think by the end of June we’ll be looking at the data and finding it difficult to find people with this illness, if the current trends continue in the deaths.

“But we will continue to have these sporadic up and downs for about four to six weeks.” It comes after the number of Covid-19 patients to die in the UK rose today by 351 to 36,393, although that rise is far lower than the daily death tolls of over 1,000 recorded in April.

Of the latest confirmed fatalities, 121 occurred in hospitals in England, 24 in Scotland, seven in Wales and three in Northern Ireland.

The youngest victim in England was 41, health bosses confirmed, while three of the 121 had no known underlying health condition.

A further 3,287 people were confirmed to have the virus, the Department of Health and Social Care said, bringing the total number of cases to 254,195 since the start of the pandemic.

-Daily Star

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/covid-19-scientists-predict-end-date-in-uk-usa-italy-others/

Bismarck Rewane, Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, has called on the federal government to export marijuana as a new creative way to generate foreign exchange for the country.

He said this has become imperative considering the country’s failed attempts at broadening revenue base through diversification, saying the cannabis market is a fast growing one and that “If Nigeria can capture only 10% of the global legal market of this product, it will earn an additional $2bn”.

Rewane who disclosed this during his FDC Think Tank discussion on the export potential of legitimate Marijuana in Nigeria and the risks of legalization without proper management/control, put the global legal marijuana market size at $22bn which he projected to grow to $73bn by 2027.

This is coming at a time when the nation’s finance minister, Zainab Ahmed, had disclosed that the country might be heading towards recession resulting from the coronavirus and crashing oil prices which were pushing the economy into negative growth.

Specifically, she said this development which was already impacting negatively on the federation’s revenues and foreign exchange earnings would multiply the misery of the poor.

This might have prompted Rewane’s position who disclosed that since commodities like cocoa fetches only a paltry $0.5 billion (1% of exports), government should take advantage of the growth in the marijuana market occasioned by its advantages. “Legitimate cannabis is used primarily for severe pain management, suppressing acute arthritis and other anxiety disorders”, Rewane said.

Besides, he said “This will give the unemployed youths in the Niger Delta a legitimate means of livelihood whilst building a more functional society.”

However, he added that regular use of cannabis can lead to abuse and addiction capable of leading to use of harder drugs like heroin.

Countries like Lebanon has also began export of marijuana as a means of boosting the country’s revenue which has suffered downturn from COVID-19.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/business-news/export-marijuana-to-shore-up-export-earnings-says-bismarck-rewane/

Cadbury, makers of chocolate, bournvita, curly wurlies, milk tray, etc has urged customers to stop keeping chocolate in the fridge.

The company made this clarification recently in its Twitter account in Australia in response to a query by a customer.

It said “Chocolate should always be stored in a slightly cool, dry, dark place such as cupboard or pantry at temperatures less than 21°C to ensure the quality isn’t compromised.”

This has finally revealed whether you should be keeping Cadbury’s iconic products in the cupboard or the fridge. With this development, Cadbury has used its Twitter account to confirm whether its punters should be keeping bars in a fridge or a cupboard.

The Birmingham based chocolate giant is renowned for its chocolate bars, from its iconic Dairy Milks to Twirls, Wispas and Crunchies.

The company, which has been a part of our lives for decades, is based in nearby Bournville, and responsible for everything from Curly Wurlies to Milk Tray boxes.

For those who don’t want their sweet confectionery icy – so will naturally opt to keep it housed in a cupboard, away from sunlight, for a smoother and meltier texture.

-Birminghammail

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/business-news/stop-keeping-chocolate-in-fridge-says-cadbury/

A young man identified as Kelvin Rhima has committed suicide at Modinatu Street in Ogba area of Lagos.

The lifeless body of Kevin who works with a new generation Bank was found dangling from a ceiling fan, in his mini apartment by neighbours at about 8pm, on Tuesday, May 19th, 2020.

It was gathered that neighbours became worried on Tuesday evening when they noticed that Kevin hasn’t been outside since morning. Unfortunately, when they look through the window, they found his body hanging on the ceiling fan. Sequel to the discovery, they had to invite policemen to break into the apartment.

According to a neighbour Barry Olarenwaju who spoke with iBrandTV, “Kelvin was a tanquil person we didn’t notice on time. When we didn’t see him on Tuesday morning outside, we felt that was his lifestyle, that he was sleeping inside, but when it was evening we got worried because there was no padlock at his entrance to indicate that he had gone out.

“When we tried to open the door, it was locked from inside that was when we began to bang on the door. By the time we went to the window, he was him dangling and his tongue sticking out. From the look of things it was obvious that it was on Monday he died because the corpse has begun to bloat”.

Another tenant in the building who spoke on the condition of anonymity said immediately we discovered the corpse we raised alarm, it was a battle before the police came to the scene to access the situation.

“We went to Area G on Tuesday night to inform them about the situation they asked us to go to Pencenima division which we did.

“Ironically when the police came, they wanted to detain all the tenants we had to pay N2000 naira each so that we won’t be implicated in a matter we don’t know. After which they still abandoned the corpse with the excuse that the mortuary was filled up. They only snapped pictures.”

It was gathered that policemen from Pencinema who came to the compound to access the scene and saw the suicide note that he wrote. The suicide note was addressed to his father and his girlfriend”.

As at the time of filing this report on Wednesday evening, the father of the young man just arrived the apartment now and has gone to get an ambulance to move the corpse.

-iBrandTV

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/metrocrime/bizarre-as-young-banker-commits-suicide-in-lagos/

After more than a month under lockdown, a number of private school teachers have turned to begging to survive.

They are begging for handouts from sympathetic parents because their bosses, the school proprietors, cannot afford to pay them anymore as weeks of lockdown pile up.

Private schools are majorly dependent on tuition fees paid by learners to finance their operations. The abrupt closure of schools in March impacted greatly on the finances of private schools.

Godlove Baguma, a teacher in a city school, said in an interview that he was eagerly waiting for his pay cheque in March when schools closed. According to Baguma, he hasn’t received his salary to date.

He said the school proprietor was expecting to get money from parents on visitation day the following week. The father of two says he has been struggling to provide for his family. He said he sometimes begs parents for help.

Baguma said some parents send him between Shs 10,000 and Shs50,000, which keeps him going. His story is no different from many other teachers in the private sector interviewed.

John Jones Alimpa, a teacher in Lyantonde district, said he has also been reaching out to parents for help to make ends meet.

“You know it is disgusting. But it is the only option that one can resort to. Some give you and others will not because they are also struggling to live. But still I know that time will come when they can no-longer send even Shs 5,000,” said Alimpa.

Alimpa said he had hoped to ride his boda boda but he hardly gets customers because under lockdown, motorcycles are limited to cargo deliveries, which doesn’t work well upcountry. Rita Nabukenya, a teacher in Wakiso district, said she knew she was doomed when schools were closed.

“Even during the normal days, we are poorly paid. You wait for the salary for three months. Now at this moment we can’t even have any hope,” she said.

Josephine Ndagire, a school proprietor in Masaka district, said she feels sorry for teachers but she cannot do much. Ndagire said when schools closed, she paid teachers half of their March pay cheque.

William Ssembiro, the director, Villa Road primary school in Masaka, said he was able to pay teachers full salaries for the months of March and April.

“If the situation doesn’t normalise we will have to pay them half salaries beginning May. In the worst case scenario, that is to say if the lockdown goes past September, we may stop paying them. However, we have assured them that they will receive their arrears since they have running contracts,” Ssembiro said.

Juma Mwamura, the general secretary of the Uganda Private Teachers Union, said they understand the situation of their employers but have asked them to provide some essential items like food but most of them have turned a deaf ear.

“We understand that they don’t have money but schools stock some items; they should give us some items like the maize flour so that we also survive the lockdown and discuss the issues of payment at a later time,” Mwamura said.

He said teachers are not considered a vulnerable group and were not listed among the beneficiaries of free food, posho and beans. Mwamura further notes that another big challenge of advocating for private teachers is the fact that most of them don’t have formal appointments with schools.

To make matters worse, there is no up-to-date statistics for this group of people. The Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) has started initiatives at the district level to rescue their counterparts in the private sector.

The UNATU secretary general, Filbert Baguma, notes that since public teachers are still receiving salaries, they are mobilizing themselves to donate food and some basic needs to those who might be greatly affected.

“The initiative has so far been implemented in Bushenyi and Ibanda districts. Other districts have started mobilising but still we call upon the district task forces to consider looking at this category of people as vulnerable,” said Baguma.

In the same development, the Federation of Non-State Education Institutions chariman, Patrick Kaboyo, notes that they are engaging the education sector to see whether they can come up with a plan to help teachers in the private sector survive during the lockdown.

-Observer

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/covid-19-lockdown-private-school-teachers-turn-to-begging/

Hu Xijin, editor of Chinese state-run newspaper, Global Times, accused Trump in a since-deleted tweet of ‘leading the US’s struggle against the pandemic with witchcraft’ – suggesting that is why 90,000 Americans have died from the virus.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also accused the US of trying to smear authorities in Beijing in order to avoid criticism for his own mishandling of the pandemic.

Donald Trump has revealed that he is taking anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to protect himself against coronavirus after hearing ‘good things’ about it , leading to backlash from medics around the world.

This is coming as British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has warned against taking hydroxychloroquine, just as UK medics warned that the United States President is setting a dangerous example.

The president, 73, said he began taking the drug ‘a week and a half’ ago because ‘good things are being said about it’, including by medics who have written to him.

Trump has often touted hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus, even going so far as to call it a ‘cure’ after a few early studies showed positive results in patients.

But repeated experiments since then have showed it has only limited or no effect on the virus, and can cause serious side effects including potentially-fatal heart arrhythmias.

That led medics to blast Trump’s admission as irresponsible – including former UK government adviser Sir David King, who said ‘every word’ of the president’s advice on coronavirus should be ignored.

Speaking about hydroxychloroquine to Good Morning Britain, Dr King said: ‘I think [Trump] speaks from the top of his head and every word he says should be ignored in terms of advice.

‘I’m sorry but this is not the pronouncements of a person who is listening to the scientists. He is making it up as he goes along.’

Dr Stephen Griffin, an associate professor at the School of Medicine, University of Leeds, added: ‘This is a staggering, irresponsible act that could very well amount to self-harm.

‘The president seems either unaware or unconcerned that his actions will have profound influence amongst his supporters and perhaps the wider US or world population.

‘Hydroxychloroquine is not licensed for the treatment or prevention of COVID19 by the FDA, or any other agency.

In fact the weight of evidence from most recent patient trials shows it to be ineffective, with the potential for adverse side effects including those affecting the heart.’

Highlighting the potential risks to people – including President Trump – Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested the president was putting his health at risk by taking the medicine despite being ‘morbidly obese’.

Dr Sean Conley, physician to the White House, released a memo confirmed that he spoke with Trump about the drug and decided the benefits outweighed the risks

The White House attempted to push back on the criticism by releasing a memo from physician Dr Sean Conley which confirmed he had discussed taking the drug with Trump after several members of staff tested positive.

The White House also stressed that Trump does not have the virus and is taking the medication as a preventative measure.

‘There is no evidence that hydroxychloroquine is effective for the treatment or the prevention of COVID-19,’ said Dr. Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association. ‘The results to date are not promising.’ People should not infer from Trump’s example ‘that it’s an approved approach or proven,’ because it’s not, said Dr. David Aronoff, infectious diseases chief at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

Hydroxychloroquine can cause potentially serious heart rhythm problems even in healthy people, but ‘it’s hard to infer’ that Trump’s artery plaque, revealed in tests from his 2018 physical, makes the drug especially dangerous for him, Aronoff said.

White House officials did not say whether any other administration officials were also taking the drug.

The other study from China was a stricter test: 150 adults hospitalized with mild or moderate illness were randomly assigned to get hydroxychloroquine or usual care. The drug made no difference in rates of clearing the virus or time to relief of symptoms, and they brought more side effects.

-Dailymail


http://www.mediaissuesng.com/health/covid-19-china-says-trump-is-governing-by-witchcraft/

Zenith General Insurance Limited has released its full-year financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2019. A review of the results showed positive improvements on a year-on-year basis with profit before tax rising by 16% from N3.16bn to N3.67bn while profit after tax rose by 10% up from N2.79bn to N3.06bn. The company also maintained a robust balance sheet closing the year with total assets of N40.1bn and a shareholders’ fund of N25.9bn.

Gross premium grew by 17% year-on-year from N13.7bn to N16.1bn, while there was a 46% growth in underwriting profit from N2.77bn to N4.06bn. The company made substantial gains from reduced claim expenses and healthy growth in gross written premiums.

Investment income showed an increase of 2% year on year, up from N3.55bn in 2018 to N3.63bn in 2019 despite lower yields on most investment classes in 2019.

Commenting on the financial results, the Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Kehinde Borisade said “we are re-affirming our mission statement that Zenith General Insurance Ltd exists to ensure peace of mind and also create value to people in a world of uncertainties. This is evident in our strong financial performance showing improvement across the board through increased premium income, underwriting profits and investment income despite the economic headwinds witnessed in various sectors of the economy. We also ensured prompt settlement of claims with total claims payment of N3.8bn for the year and an average settlement turnaround time of three days.”

He added that “our company has continued to maintain a very strong and healthy financial position with a growth of 6% year-on-year on total assets, and a 4% increase in shareholders’ funds. We also continue to strive to be the best in the insurance industry; maintaining the strongest solvency position and closing the year with a solvency ratio of 726%”.

Zenith Insurance is one of Nigeria’s leading insurance institutions. The company is one of the first Insurance companies to have met the recapitalisation requirements of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) by recapitalising its share capital from N3bn to N10bn.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/business-news/zenith-general-insurance-ramps-up-profit/

The Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) has indefinitely suspended the contracts of both teaching and non-teaching staff. The institution has also temporarily closed all its campuses after failing to pay staff salaries.

Following the COVID-19 directives issued by President Museveni in March, some organisations, companies and businesses have laid-off workers while others have suspended operations.

The university which is based in Mbale in eastern Uganda also has campuses in Kampala and Arua. It employs 600 full-time members of staff and about 300 on a part-time basis.

The university top management notes that they have made a review of their finances and established that they don’t have sufficient funds to sustain staff. They argue that most of the students have not completed payment of tuition fees, which is the main source of income for the university.

The decision was communicated to all staff members by the university secretary Hussein Lukyamazi. According to Lukyamuzi, all running employment contracts will be suspended from June 1, 2020, until when the university reopens and can resume paying salaries.

“Following the Government of Uganda directive on the closure of academic institutions, the university finds itself unable to continue paying staff salaries and meet other financial obligations, because of the sudden and unplanned early closure of the university. Consequently, I am authorized to inform you that It has been decided that employment contracts for all IUIU staff are suspended indefinitely,” Lukyamazi’s letter reads in parts.

Lukyamazi adds that a few critical staff departments like security will continue working to protect the university assets. A separate communication signed by university council chairperson Almilik Talal and rector professor Ahmed Kawesa Ssengendo has directed the university bursar to work with the management and directors of campuses to ensure that full-time staff at all campuses receive their full salaries for May.

-Observer

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/covid-19-islamic-university-lays-off-all-staff-closes-all-campuses/

People who have had coronavirus should avoid sex for 30 days after recovering to avoid spread of the virus. Veerawat Manosutthi, a senior medical expert at the Thai Disease Control Department, who gave the warning, advised that patients who have overcome COVID-19 should avoid getting intimate for 30 days and also avoid kissing.

Speaking to Khaosod English, Manosutthi said: “Those who believe themselves to be free of the virus should use condoms when having sex. “Kissing should also be avoided as it is also known that it can spread through the mouth.”

Manosutthi’s advice is based on a recent study, which found that some men have traces of the virus in their semen. In the study, researchers from Shangqiu Municipal Hospital took semen samples from 38 male coronavirus patients in China’s Henan province.

The team analysed the samples on January 26 and again on February 16, and found that 16% of the men had traces of the virus in their semen.

In the study, published in JAMA, the researchers wrote: “The presence of viruses in semen may be more common than currently understood, and traditional nonsexually transmitted viruses should not be assumed to be totally absent in genital secretions.”

Aside from semen, coronavirus can also be found in respiratory particles, which means kissing could also be off the cards.

Speaking to Mirror Online, Dr Simran Deo, a UK-based doctor at Zava UK, urged Brits to avoid kissing and sharing food and drinks.

She explained: “Conditions like coronavirus are spread through water or mucus droplets from the nose and mouth containing the virus.

“So things like kissing, shaking hands and sharing food and drink with someone put people at increased risk of passing on the infection.”

-Mirror

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/health/covid-19-abstain-from-sex-for-30-days-recovered-patients-warned/

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Group Plc plans to restructure half of its loans after plunging oil prices, the coronavirus lockdown and a naira devaluation hindered the ability of the Nigerian bank’s clients to repay their debt.

Credit facilities across industries ranging from oil and gas to small- and medium-sized enterprises will be reorganized, the Lagos-based lender said in a presentation on Tuesday. New terms will include a six-to 12-month moratorium on principal debt repayments and an extension on loan maturities of up to two years.

Plummeting crude prices have dealt a hammer blow to the economy of Africa’s largest oil producer, just as the outbreak of Covid-19 shutters businesses and the movement of people to contain the spread of the disease. Authorities devalued the local currency by 4% against the dollar in March and are under pressure to weaken the naira even further amid a shortage of greenbacks and lower export revenues.

The measures by FCMB come after impairment charges surged 61% to 3.7 billion naira ($9.6 million) in the first quarter, according to a filing to the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Loans in the period rose 7% to 764.3 billion naira from a year earlier.

The lender plans to increase impairments to offset losses in unhedged upstream assets in the oil and gas industry, it said. About 37% of the bank’s customers have foreign-currency loans and earn income in naira, so the lender will convert those into the local currency, FCMB said.

However, at the bank’s annual general virtual meeting of April 28, 2020, the Group Chief Executive of FCMB, Mr. Ladi Balogun, had said: “Our businesses continue to improve with growth in other key indicators, such as loans and advances, deposits and assets under management (AUM), which grew by 13.1 per cent, 14.7 per cent and 28.3 per cent, respectively. Our customer base also grew by 27.5 per cent across the group from 5.5 million to 7.0 million.”

-Bloomberg/Media Issues

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/business-news/fcmb-restructures-loans-over-oil-price-crash-covid-19/

The sentencing to death of a Nigerian driver via Zoom is “inherently cruel and inhumane”, Human Rights Watch says.

The rights group was reacting to one of Nigeria’s first court rulings made using the video chat app because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lagos judge Mojisola Dada sentenced Olalekan Hameed to death by hanging for the murder of his employer’s mother.

The hearing lasted almost three hours and was virtually attended by lawyers, including the attorney general. They all participated in Monday’s session from different locations as part of efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19. It was the first day of the easing of lockdown restrictions in Lagos, allowing people to go back to work – although all but urgent court sittings have been suspended.

The judge was in the Lagos High Court in Ikeja, Hameed was at Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison and the lawyers joined from elsewhere.

Hameed had pleaded not guilty to killing 76-year-old Jolasun Okunsanya in December 2018.

“The sentence of this court upon you, Olalekan Hameed, is that you be hanged by the neck until you be pronounced dead and may the Lord have mercy upon your soul. This is the virtual judgment of the court,” Justice Dada is quoted as saying. It is not clear if Hameed will appeal against the sentence.

‘Archaic punishment’

The BBC’s Celestina Olulode says under Nigerian law, state governors must approve death sentences before they can be carried out.

The death penalty is not commonly carried out in Nigeria – although courts continue to impose the sentence.

According to Amnesty International, there are still more than 2,000 people on death row and the last three executions took place in 2016.

Human Rights Watch told the BBC the creation of the virtual court during the coronavirus outbreak showed a commitment to accessing justice.

However, the judiciary was moving in the wrong direction by sentencing a person to death by hanging, it said. “The irreversible punishment is archaic, inherently cruel and inhuman, it should be abolished,” Human Rights Watch said.

Nigeria has recorded just under 3,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 100 deaths.

-BBC
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/death-sentence-via-zoom-by-nigerian-court-cruel-inhuman-says-hrw/

The Central Bank of Nigeria has ordered all banks not to retrench its workers as a result of the disruptions being experienced due to the global economic difficulties induced by COVID-19.

The measure, it said is designed to minimize and mitigate the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic on families and livelihoods.

The apex bankIt said henceforth, any bank that must lay off its workers in the event that it becomes absolutely necessary must obtain the express approval of CBN.

In a statement made available today by CBN’s Director of Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, the decision was arrived at during the special meeting of the Bankers’ Committee convened to review the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Nigerian banking industry.

He said “The Central Bank of Nigeria solicits the support of all in our collective effort to weather through the economic challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

It would be recalled that some banks have begun retrenchment of workers as part of strategy to reduce overhead cost. Access Bank recently sacked several workers while placing others on 40 percent pay cut.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/business-news/cbn-orders-banks-to-stop-sack-of-workers/

Former President Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial — which was due to resume on May 6 — is expected to be postponed until June 23, following an agreement between the state and defence.

The parties in the case have submitted the proposed date to KwaZulu-Natal deputy judge president Mjabuliseni Isaac Madondo, who will advise them on whether he agrees to the new trial date.

While the government has eased lockdown restrictions, air travel is still off limits, meaning most of the lawyers in the case would have needed to drive to Pietermaritzburg to attend the hearing. French arms company Thales was also unable to send a representative to the hearing because of the ban on international travel.

On Wednesday, the JG Zuma Foundation confirmed that the Constitutional Court had accepted Zuma’s withdrawal of his last-ditch bid to appeal the dismissal of his application for a permanent stay of prosecution.

That withdrawal happened after Zuma fired his attorney of two years, Daniel Mantsha, and replaced him with high-profile lawyer Eric Mabuza. Zuma said his decision was motivated by his desire to prepare for his trial. It was also linked to deep rifts between Mantsha and Zuma’s advocate Muzi Sikhakhane.

Under the agreement proposed by the state and defence, Zuma and Thales will not be expected to appear at the high court in Pietermaritzburg on May 6, when the former president would have needed to explain his non-attendance at his previous trial date.

Mantsha had failed to convince judge Dhaya Pillay that he had admissible medical evidence that Zuma was absent because he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical condition overseas.

The judge issued an arrest warrant for Zuma, which she then suspended.

While Zuma is adamant he is ready to face trial as soon as possible, the Constitutional Court has yet to decide whether it will hear a final appeal application lodged by Thales. Should it decide not to do so, Zuma’s trial may proceed in 2020.

Zuma stands accused of accepting millions of rand in corrupt benefits from his former financial adviser Schabir Shaik, in return for him using his position in government to advance Shaik’s business interests.

He also faces charges that he accepted a R500,000-a-year bribe from Thales, facilitated by Shaik, in exchange for his “political protection” from any potential arms deal investigation.

-Herald

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/politics/corruption-trial-of-jacob-zuma-postponed-till-june/

The US’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised emergency use of the Ebola drug remdesivir for treating the coronavirus.The authorisation means the anti-viral drug can now be used on people who are hospitalised with severe Covid-19.

A recent clinical trial showed the drug helped shorten the recovery time for people who were seriously ill. However, it did not significantly improve survival rates.

Experts have warned the drug – which was originally developed to treat Ebola, and is produced by Gilead pharmaceutical company in California – should not be seen as a “magic bullet” for coronavirus. The drug interferes with the virus’s genome, disrupting its ability to replicate.

During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients.

The donation is expected to be enough for at least 140,000 patients, depending on the number of days they need to be treated.

Gilead said on Wednesday the drug, which is given by intravenous infusion, had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection.

With many countries reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, interest in Gilead’s drug has been high because there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19. Doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease that attacks the lungs and can shut down other organs in extremely severe cases.

“It’s the first authorized therapy for COVID-19, so we’re really proud to be part of it,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said during the meeting.

Data released this week from a trial by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States showed that remdesivir reduced hospitalization stays by 31% compared to a placebo treatment, but did not significantly improve survival.

Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for the price it plans to charge for the drug after its pledged donations are used up. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which assesses effectiveness of drugs to determine appropriate prices, put the cost of producing a 10-day course of remdesivir at $10, but suggested that the price would rise to $4,500 based on patient benefits shown in clinical trials.

Remdesivir was previously available only for patients enrolled in clinical trials or for patients cleared to get the drug under expanded use and compassionate use programs. Through Gilead’s trials, more than 181 hospital locations around the world, including hospitals in 27 U.S. states, have been administering the drug.

The FDA authorization applies to patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 who require oxygen supplementation.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the 1.5 million vials would start being distributed to hospitals on Monday. Gilead said the federal government will coordinate the donation and distribution of remdesivir to hospitals in cities hardest hit by COVID-19. Citing the drug’s limited supply, the company said hospitals with intensive care units and other hospitals that the government deems most in need will receive priority.

There have been more than 3.2 million people infected by the novel coronavirus worldwide and over 232,800 have died, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has the most cases and fatalities at more than 1 million and at least 63,200 with much of the country in lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.

The recent clinical data has raised hopes remdesivir might be an effective treatment. A draft study abstract released inadvertently by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week said remdesivir failed to improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream. The drugmaker said the findings were inconclusive because the study was terminated early.

Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system.

Shares of Gilead, which have gained 26% so far this year, were up 2.7% at $82.10 in after hours trading.

-Reuters, BBC

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/health/covid-19-us-approves-use-of-ebola-drug-remdesivir-for-patients/

Young millennials couple wearing protective face masks and kissing each other, virus spread prevention and people concept
That depends, experts say: If you’re living together in a long-term relationship and not sick, go for it. If you’re hopping into bed with someone you just met, stop that right now.

At least one sexologist says there’s evidence from her own practice that some people who claim to be following all the guidelines are instead taking risks when they think no one is looking.

“These individuals wear masks and gloves when in public but are privately pursuing new dates with people they’ve never met with no intention of maintaining social distance and with every intention of being physically intimate,” reports Christine Hyde, the clinical director and senior therapist of the New Jersey Center for Sex Therapy, who has three offices and more than 145 patients.

The fact we’re talking about this in public highlights a big difference from the last major pandemic, the influenza virus that emerged in 1918 and killed millions as it circled the globe. Back then, health authorities weren’t issuing explicit instructions, advice and warnings about who can safely have sex and who shouldn’t.

Now, for the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, sex talk is as routine in news headlines as other guidelines about washing your hands, staying at home and maintaining six feet of distance from others in public. But it’s complicated because what those guidelines say about safe sex is not the same for everyone or every couple.

The New York City Health Department’s official guide to sex in the new era is frank and unambiguous: You are your safest sex partner.

“Masturbation will not spread COVID-19, especially if you wash your hands (and any intimacy gadgets) with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after sex,” the two-page advisory says.

This is a message that sexologists like Jennifer Litner, founder of the Embrace Sexual Wellness center in Chicago, is pushing to her clients and friends: Follow the recommended guidelines and don’t take unnecessary risks.

“Self-pleasure is the easiest and safest way to be sexual and the least risky to oneself,” she says. She thinks the message is getting through, pointing to reports among her colleagues and in the media about the recent spike in sales of intimacy gadgets.

The mixed prescription about sex during the pandemic says partners in long-term relationships who are living together and aren’t sick can indulge in all the mattress dancing they want – in fact, doctors say it’s good for them. Sex is a stress reliever and who can think of a more stressful time than being cooped up indefinitely in fear of a killer virus and economic ruin?

But you singles accustomed to an active romantic life – dating, hooking up, having sex with whomever they want, whenever they want? Don’t do that anymore, at least for the time being. To be clear: Don’t have sex with someone who hasn’t been living under your roof for a long while. That means no holding hands, no snuggling under the covers and definitely no kissing someone you just met.

“If you are at home with a partner (such as a spouse) in the same home, it’s completely safe – have fun, enjoy yourself, it’s time to get creative,” says Katherine Zagone, a sexual wellness expert and medical director at a Gentera regenerative medicine center (using one’s own body plus nutrients, exercise and hormones to heal after illness or aging) in Los Angeles.

Zagone says self-pleasure is OK but sex with a partner is better medicine: It increases oxytocin (the “love” hormone), reduces anxiety, stress, blood pressure and pain levels and in general improves mental and emotional health.

“Safe sex” is taking on a whole new meaning during the coronavirus outbreak.

“The research on sex shows it can improve the innate immune system, which is the first defense against a virus,” Zagone says.

The coronavirus isn’t a sexually transmitted disease: It spreads through such things as coughing, sneezing and saliva.

“Both semen and vaginal secretions have tested negative for COVID-19,” says Renee Sorrentino, medical director at the Institute for Sexual Wellness in Massachusetts and an assistant professor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “But since sex requires less than six feet of distance, it’s impossible to navigate without the likelihood of droplet transmission.”

That pretty much puts the kibosh on sexual intimacy with relative strangers. “If you’re close enough to have sexual contact, you’re close enough to have aerosol exposure,” Zagone says.

Thus, the warnings against canoodling with someone new at this time. “You have to weigh the risks,” Zagone says. “Have they followed the guidelines? Have they had close contact with others in the last six weeks?”

Sure, it’s a downer to be alone without the comfort of human contact, she says, but your choices can affect a wider population. “This is a short blip in the history of humanity, so it’s worth it to play it on the safe side,” Zagone says.

Ashley Spedale, a business branding coach in San Diego and a podcast host, has chosen as a single woman to take a positive view of the no-sex rule she is following when she meets people via online dating. She says the new reality helps slow down the jump-into-bed impulse, allowing her to get to know someone on “a deeper level” as a potential life partner without immediately taking off clothes.

“Right now, you don’t really know where (new) people have been,” Spedale says. “In the past, maybe I dove into things a little too quickly …(Now) I want to create a bond and figure out whether they want the same thing I want,” and the no-sex rules allow her to do that.

But according to Hyde, some singles in all age groups in her practice are finding it difficult to behave responsibly because of sexual frustration. She advises them to use social media and video chat calls as a way to connect with others in a safe manner.

“Some of them are taking things to the next level by (video) stripping and sexting,” she says. “People who would not normally strip in front of a camera are now stripping in front of a camera. I have also found that pornography as a sexual outlet has been used at a higher level than pre-COVID.”

Whether or not it’s safe to have sex depends on whether you’ve been quarantined together.

More alarming are those married couples in her practice who were in open marriages or already having multiple clandestine affairs and now are flouting guidelines by continuing to take new lovers.

“They do risky impulsive and dangerous things to be with lovers,” Hyde reports. “I find that upwards of 90% of this category of patients have taken that risk. This reflects that the drive to have sex outweighs the fear of contracting coronavirus.”

She puts this down to a certain level of selfishness but it’s also all about raging hormones (such as dopamine and adrenaline) circulating in the body of an average human in the early stages of a new relationship infatuation. “Impulse control is low and risk-taking is high” for these people, Hyde says.

Like everything else having to do with COVID-19, there’s a lot we still don’t know, including how the virus affects sex and relationships. But there’s a study for that just starting at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. Researchers are seeking volunteers to interview to better understand the resulting societal changes and the new ways of coupling and uncoupling not previously seen or studied, the institute writes in an introduction to the project.

“Developing a better understanding of how people feel and behave in emergency contexts is important for both research and clinical practice, in order to plan for both positive and negative outcomes and prepare for events like this in the future.”

– USA TODAY

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/health/how-safe-is-sex-during-coronavirus-quarantine/

A Catholic Priest, Rev. Father Anselm Adodo has developed a herbal drug for the treatment of Coronavirus.

The drug which is called “CVD PLUS” is solely for the treatment of the Coronavirus and its constituents are antiviral and immunodulatory agents which help to stimulate antibodies.

The COVID-19 drug (CVD PLUS) which was developed at Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Laboratories by Rev. Adodo contains herbs and active phytoconstituents with documented scientific evidence based on clinical reports of their efficacy and safety.

In a statement released by Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Laboratories owned and managed by the Catholic Priest, it said the need for the drug was informed by the pandemic and the urgency for a cure following requests and questions by concerned individuals.

According to Fr. Anselm, the “plant-based drugs are supposedly the best approach for the Coronavirus disease considering that these drugs are easily produced, stored and distributed and can be handled by medical and non-medical personnel as they pose low contamination risk.”

Fr. Anslem has expressed gratitude to the Head of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Professor Tunde Salako and the Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Catherine Adeyeye for interest, support and encouragement in the course of the research.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/health/covid-19-catholic-priest-develops-cure-in-nigeria/

By Michael Owhoko

Journalism in Nigeria is on the decline, and its credibility is steadily being destroyed. The solution lies in the hands of practitioners. They can reverse the trend if they have the courage to admit the problem. But how prepared are they and, what needs to be done?

As a member of the Fourth Estate of the Realm the journalist has oversight function over society. His role is recognized by the constitution, a stimulus and catalyst for optimum service delivery. Yet, internal contradictions by practitioners have made this a tall order.

Chapter II, Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution defines the role and obligation of the mass media: “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people.” What a privilege! It is small wonder therefore that the journalist enjoys veneration in society that is hardly accorded other professions.

This affirms the journalist does his job in trust for the public by communicating government programmes, successes, failures and flaws and, where necessary, offer solutions and set agenda. This scope which also covers the private sector is further enhanced by the Freedom of Information Act which gives the journalist right to demand and access information considered of public interest from relevant public institutions.

But have these statutory provisions been properly harnessed and utilized for delivery of quality journalism in Nigeria today? Your guess is as good as mine. There is a huge news transmission gap in the Nigerian media space either due to fear or compromise or both. This is not a blanket indictment as a few media houses and journalists have distinguished themselves in excellence.

Elements that weaken performance and encourage compromise are being brazenly embraced and elevated as standard, leaving journalism with a deficit image. Practitioners need to move in unison and restore credibility, dignity and sanity to the profession to secure its future but will those practitioners that benefit from unethical practices cooperate? The challenges are daunting.

The void created by the absence of a unified rallying command strong enough to initiate and drive the process for practice of credible journalism in Nigeria is unhelpful.
Therefore, the first step going forward is to merge the current three associations – the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) into one resilient cohesive body. The profession needs a body that can give journalists a voice and capacity to discharge their legitimate duties as provided by the constitution. This arrangement will open new vista for unity, professional identity, unalloyed protection, undivided interest and collective aspiration.

The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) as currently constituted is not an alternative. What is required is a complete fusion of the three groups. Prior to the formation of NGE and NPAN, the NUJ was the sole body for journalists up till 1965 when the NGE was formed. Without prejudice to the good intentions of the founding fathers of NGE and NPAN, prevailing circumstances no longer justify multiple bodies.

There is urgent need to pool strength and resources together for the protection and development of journalism. After all, current objectives of these three groups are interwoven. They are either regulating the profession, protecting the interests of journalists or providing a voice for them. Rather than dissipate energies and resources, journalism will be better served under a single entity.

In my over 30 years in the profession, the line between the reporter and the editor is too blurred for separation. In the absence of administrative classifications, operationally, the editor reports and the reporter edits. Proprietors are also not completely immune from editorial content. Professions with single association are more potent and responsive to the needs of their members.

Too many cooks spoil the broth. Allowing the NUJ, NGE and NPAN to manage and speak on behalf of journalism in Nigeria is a recipe for confusion, disunity, rivalry and pursuit of narrow group interests. Indeed, it is an unhelpful clog frustrating the wheel of vibrant journalism in Nigeria and weakening the capacity of the profession to inspire hope and ambition among new generation of journalists.



The second step is to push for reconstitution of the Nigerian Press Council. Why should government mediate in matters of ethics and standards for journalists? Government’s presence on the Council is absurd and, a toxic influence capable of constraining journalists from reporting government’s deficit and flaws.

The Council was an imposition by the military junta in 1992. Government has no business in a Council charged with media monitoring and compliance. The Council should be solely managed by senior members of the profession who should be responsible for ethics, standards and discipline.

Third step is to keep a record of journalists. Journalism has become a free-for-all profession. Interlopers flourish in the profession today because of the space created by the absence of a single rallying body for practitioners. A profession should have a register of its members updated from time to time.

I recall the attempt made to keep a Register of all practicing journalists in 2003 by NUJ under Smart Adeyemi as President. It was entitled, “A compendium of Journalists in Nigeria”. My number on that Register is 2928. It might not be perfect but was a brilliant initiative. Is it being updated? When you do not know your members, you make way for counterfeit.

The fourth step is to put an end to recognition awards. Giving awards to people under your reportorial jurisdiction is illogical and unprofessional. Media houses and journalists have no business organizing ceremonies to present awards to politicians, businessmen and government officials, a people whose activities the media is constitutionally responsible to highlight.

Why giving awards to people for carrying out their responsibilities? This practice undermines the integrity and credibility of journalism, exposes journalism to ridicule, damages the reputation of the profession and indeed, a betrayal of public trust. Similar practice in other climes does not make it right. The motive and the back-end dynamics of these awards are ethically weird and the media risks being branded hire-purchased journalism or cash-and-carry journalism. This should be left for NGOs and the like.

The fifth step is to put an end to delay or non-payment of salaries. A dangerous culture of irregular salary payment is being enthroned in the journalism profession. This has almost become a norm. Most media houses no longer meet salary obligations on due dates and, this is putting journalists under unwarranted pressure and temptation. The labourer deserves his wage. I had gone through this route, having worked for 10 months without salary, so, I feel the plight of journalists under this condition.
Some journalists mitigate this circumstance by trading valuables for survival. An example is the Journalists’ Estate at Arepo acquired by NUJ under Funke Fadugba. All plots of land were originally allocated to journalists but today, many of these properties have been sold to non-journalists, who are now the new majority.

The only reason the estate is still under the control of journalists is because of the bye-laws making it mandatory for principal offices like Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer to be held by journalists. The three-man committee appointed by NUJ to draft the bye-laws had envisaged journalists would one day become minority in the estate, and therefore added the clause to put the management of the estate firmly in the hands of journalists. The committee was made up of Gbenga Adefaye, Michael Owhoko (my humble self) and Agatha Edo.
Expectedly, the non-journalists are embittered over this clause and are currently pushing for it to be expunged from the constitution to enable them take control of the estate. If they succeed, then the efforts of NUJ to establish a home for journalists would have been in vain, as they are likely to erase all traces of journalism in the estate. This is the price of financial incapacitation induced by unstructured salary scheme.
I commend those few media houses that have made it a duty to pay their workers on due dates. If the working condition of the average journalist is not right, how do you encourage younger generation to take up journalism as a profession? There is so much disincentives and disenchantment that most young professionals are opting out of journalism to take up career in other fields. This is a big threat capable of leading to dearth of skilled personnel.

Lastly, there is the need to encourage journalists to become owners of media. A group of journalists can pool resources together to establish own media. When politicians and businessmen set up media, they influence, dictate and interfere with editorial judgment, making editors lame dock. Even columnists in such media are unable to anchor objective opinions for fear of losing their jobs or hurting the interest of their employers. This should not be.
Let’s rescue and safeguard the future of journalism in Nigeria.

Michael Owhoko is a journalist, author and public relations consultant who has mostly worked in the banking, oil and gas, and media industries. He is the author of The Language of Oil and Gas; Career Frustration in the Workplace; Nigeria on the Precipice: Issues, Options, and Solutions; The Future of Nigeria; and Feminism: The Agony of Men. He is also the publisher of Media Issues, an online newspaper that can be found at www.mediaissuesng.com.

https://www.thenewsguru.com/columnist/article/rescuing-and-safeguarding-future-of-journalism-in-nigeria-micheal-owhoko/

Zenith Bank Plc has announced its unaudited results for the first quarter ended March 31 2020, with gross earnings rising by 6% from N158.1 billion in March 2019 to N166.8 billion.

From the unaudited statement of account which was presented to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Wednesday, April 29, 2020, this top-line growth was driven by the 43% expansion in non-interest income from N32.7 billion in the prior-year period to N46.6 billion in March 2020.

The Bank’s profit before tax also rose 3% from N57.3 billion in the prior-year period to N58.8 billion in March 2020. The increased profits benefited from the twin effects of continuing top-line growth and focused cost-of-funds optimisation. Cost of funds declined significantly from 3.0% in March 2019 to 2.6% in the quarter, translating to a 10% decrease in interest expense dropping from N36.3 billion in March 2019 to N32.8 billion in the quarter. Despite this drop, the current low yield environment necessitated the repricing of interest-bearing assets which in turn resulted in a 13% compression in net interest margin, decreasing from 8.9% in March 2019 to 7.7% in the current period.

Zenith Bank has continued to gain customer acceptance, with customer deposits increasing by 5% from N4.26 trillion in December 2019 to N4.46 trillion in Q1 2020. The Bank’s customer deposit mix rebalancing remains on-track as the Group added N150 billion in savings account balances in Q1 2020, supported by its retail drive. The Bank’s total assets increased by 12% growing from N6.35 trillion in December 2019 to close at N7.13 trillion in Q1 2020. Gross loans grew by 11% from N2.46 trillion in December 2019 to N2.74 trillion in Q1 2020.

Zenith Bank continues to surpass the expectations of its shareholders with its track record of superlative performances. In recognition of this, the Bank was voted as the Best Commercial Bank in Nigeria 2019 by the World Finance and the Best Digital Bank in Nigeria 2019 by Agusto and Co. The Bank was also recognised as Bank of the Year and Best in Retail Banking at the 2019 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BOFI) Awards. Recently, the Bank emerged as the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria, for the third consecutive year, in the Banker Magazine “Top 500 Banking Brands 2020”, Best Bank in Nigeria 2020 in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards 2020, and Bank of the Decade (People’s Choice) at the ThisDay Awards 2020.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/zenith-bank-records-n166-8-billion-earnings-in-q1-2020/

Police in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, are enforcing new rules requiring citizens to wear coronavirus masks outside their homes by forcing violators to clean city streets.

As of Tuesday, the Indian Ocean island-nation has detected 128 cases of COVID-19 with no fatalities recorded and 75 patients recovered so far. They fill bottles in designated public places with herbal extract they believe will protect them from COVID-19.

The new rule went into effect Monday, and citizens who were caught ignoring it could be seen in the city sweeping streets and picking up garbage.

President Andry Rajoelina has made it compulsory to wear face coverings outdoors in the capital and other major cities as a condition for the gradual lifting of lockdown measures in those areas.

Authorities had warned citizens that those leaving the house without masks would face community service. Gen. Elak Olivier Andriakaja, leader of the anti-coronavirus operations, told Madagascar television that 70% of the people out and about in the capital obeyed the rule.

He said the government had made efforts to raise awareness of the new rules before the sanctions took effect, so he saw no problem with enforcing them.

Police told the French news agency AFP that about 500 people were penalized on Monday for violating the rule, with 25 sentenced on the spot to sweep the streets.

-The Observer

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/health/covid-19-madagascar-compels-citizens-to-wear-masks-punishes-violators/

]
Guinea-Bissau’s Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam has tested positive for the novel coronavirus alongside three members of his cabinet, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

Nabiam, Interior Minister Botche Cande and two other ministers were diagnosed on Tuesday and have been quarantined at a hotel in the capital Bissau, Health Minister Antonio Deuna told journalists.

He did not provide details of the officials’ condition or treatment, but warned the country’s rate of infection could rise.

The West African nation has so far confirmed more than 70 cases and one death – a senior police commissioner.

Nabiam came third in last year’s presidential election and was selected by the eventual winner, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, to be prime minister in late February.

-Reuters

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/covid-19-guinea-bissau-prime-minister-3-ministers-test-positive/

Donald Trump has renewed his attacks on China, saying his administration was conducting “serious investigations” into Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak and suggesting he would seek damages for the US.

The US president had stopped giving press briefings after his advisers reportedly warned him that his marathon news conferences, including his widely-ridiculed comments about disinfectant as a possible treatment for Covid-19 – were hurting his re-election campaign.

The pause only lasted the weekend however. On Monday morning the White House announced that the day’s briefing was cancelled, only to reverse the decision hours later.

At the briefing Trump launched another forthright attack on China, saying there were “a lot of ways you can hold them accountable” for the pandemic.

“We’re doing very serious investigations … We are not happy with China,” the president said. “We believe it could have been stopped at the source. It could have been stopped quickly and it wouldn’t have spread all over the world.”

Trump responded to questions about a German newspaper editorial calling for China to pay Germany $165bn, suggesting he would also seek damages.

“Germany is looking at things, we are looking at things,” he said. “We are talking about a lot more money than Germany’s talking about.” “We haven’t determined the final amount yet,” Trump said. “It’s very substantial.”

The president refused to take responsibility for people who acted upon his unsafe suggestion last week that injecting disinfectant could help patients with Covid-19.

Earlier in the day the White House trade adviser, Peter Navarro, accused Beijing of sending low-quality and even counterfeit coronavirus antibody testing kits to the United States and of “profiteering” from the pandemic and selling “fake tests and counterfeit tests”.

After a series of controversial shipments, China’s government introduced strict rules last month which required all medical equipment and testing kits to be approved by the national medical products administration and registered before they were exported. However, after some suppliers reportedly complained it was too difficult to get the domestic license required, the rules were scaled back on the weekend, with exports now only needing to meet the importing country’s standard.

US criticism of China has intensified over the past week. Over the weekend Politico published details of a 57-page Republican party attack memo, which advised candidate to aggressively target Beijing in their public remarks on the pandemic.

China has reacted strongly, denying any coverup over the virus. An editorial in the state-backed Global Times on Monday said “China’s achievement in the fight against Covid-19 is way better than that of the US”.

“It is the urgent political need of the Republican-led government to pass the buck to China for its own failure to contain the outbreak, so as to win the upcoming election,” the editorial said.

“This is a life-and-death matter, so it would spare no effort to smear China and mobilise all possible public opinion forces to do so to cover its selfishness.”

It said the US had a few followers “like Australia”, but these countries had barely any influence over China. On Tuesday the spokeswoman for China’s ministry of foreign affairs, Hua Chunying, called for the US to “stop playing the political game”.

-theguardian

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/health/covid-19-us-investigating-chinas-involvement-to-seek-damages/

The Nigerian Naira has plunged in the unofficial foreign-exchange market exchanging at 450 Naira to a dollar, an indication the central bank may have to weaken the official rate further after last month’s devaluation.

A dollar exchanged for 450 naira in the parallel market since Friday, according to the website abokifx.com, a 14% spread from the interbank rate which weakened to 387 naira per dollar as of 4:31 p.m. local time on Monday. Twelve-month naira forwards were trading at 509 naira per dollar as of 4:30 p.m. suggesting that investors see the currency falling to around that level in a year.

The Central Bank of Nigeria moved to merge the two rates when it devalued the naira official rate to 360 per dollar from 307 naira and moved the rate at which investors and exporters could purchase the greenback to 380 naira from 366 naira on March 21.

Central Bank of Nigeria spokesman Isaac Okorafor didn’t reply to a text message seeking comment.

Retail investors are trying to diversify their portfolios by shifting to foreign currency assets, Omotola Abimbola, analyst at Chapel Hill Denham, said by phone.“For us to see to improved convergence in the rates, we need to see the central bank stepping into the foreign exchange market again to begin intervention sales,” Abimbola said.

Naira rate spread shows central bank needs to devalue further

The investors and exporters trading window, which was introduced in 2017 to attract capital inflows by offering investors a weaker and market-determined naira rate, has experienced a shortage of dollars since the central stopped its periodic interventions to sell foreign exchange in March, according to notes to clients by Stanbic IBTC and Rand Merchant Bank.

“Dollar supply remains thin as foreign investors continue to stay on the side lines amid weak fundamentals and oil price volatility,” Rand Merchant Bank said in note to clients on Thursday. Nigeria’s economy, which has been on a four-week lockdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic is predicted to contract by 3.4% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.

“We foresee further pressure on the naira as a result of declining export revenue combined with deepening economic fallout from coronavirus,” AZA analysts Murega Mungai and Terry Karanja said in a note on Monday. “The pursuit of dollars is exacerbated by demand from foreign investors unable to repatriate funds.”

-Bloomberg

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/business-news/nigerian-naira-plunges/