₦airaland Forum

About 88 ‘ghosts’ received N48.2 million in car loan from the Ondo State government in 2018, according to the 2019 audit report submitted to the Ondo State House of Assembly.

Some beneficiaries got double car loan while 86 workers in both the civil and teaching service collected loans above what they were qualified for.

It was through the audit report that the lawmakers learnt that the sum of N4.3bn was stashed in a Zenith bank account for over 10 years.

Part of the audit report stated that the sum of N9,750,000 was fraudulently disbursed to 16 non-public officers between October and December 2018.

The report said further investigation showed that a total N38.4 million was given to 66 persons whose names could not be found in the State Salary payment register and who were consequently deemed to be non-government employees.

It said findings showed that Director, Treasury Service, Akinsanmi T. R and Jegede E.D Head Car Loan Unit were responsible for the signing of the bank confirmation schedules for cheques issued in respect of the disbursement. The report said most of the disbursements were done without regard to due process.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria says it has commenced fumigation of International Airports in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt ahead of reopening of flight operations in Nigeria.

General Manager, Corporate Affairs of FAAN, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, made this known on Tuesday in a statement in Lagos.

Yakubu explained that the fumigation exercise was in line with the efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world.

She said though, it was not yet clear when the ban on flights would be lifted, the authority was taking the proactive steps.

“This is to ensure the safety of passengers and other airport users when the airports eventually reopen.

“In March this year, the authority embarked on a similar exercise of disinfection and fumigation of all the international airports,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, had in April announced the extension of the ban on flight operations by four weeks.

(NAN)

The Federal Government has said the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation have agreed to shoulder the cost of accommodation and feeding of evacuees during their 14-day compulsory quarantine.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, made this known on Monday during the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

He said the gesture was made possible by the co-operation of the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and the NNPC GMD, Mele Kyari.

The minister explained that the MFA had imposed advance payment of feeding and hotel bills on evacuees because the FG had no source of funding.

He said, “After getting all the barrage from all around the world including that we were somehow conspiring with hotels to fleece Nigerians and make money for ourselves and other kinds of accusations, we continue diverse to find the way through.

“They say that two heads are better than one. The Honourable Minister of Environment, Dr Mahmoud Abubakar, called me on Friday and suggested that why not try NNPC and CBN. They have corporate social responsibility funding and I told him I will do that immediately.

“I got in touch with the governor of the CBN and he generously agreed. He said the amount I was talking about is over a billion naira because we have over 4000 Nigerians out there and if over 3000 of them comes back, the cost of feeding and accommodation is over a billion naira that we don’t have. He said he was ready to share the cost with the NNPC.

“I spoke with the GMD of NNPC and he said he was going to consult and thanks be to God today (Monday), he got back to me and he said he was going to meet with the governor of CBN and together, they will fund this portion, a very important one, the feeding and accommodation of the evacuees.”

During the coronavirus lockdown, Mikano International Limited sacked over 600 of its workers. It later changed its mind by re-absorbing the affected staff, due to interventions from high quarters. However, the Generator and Steel Company has wielded its corporate axe again, sending the same workers parking. Their hope evaporated in a puff. Worse still, the company added fresh names to those it threw into the job market.

After reports of the first wave of sacks went viral, the company retraced its step. It recalled the retrenched staff, paid their basic salary, deducted all debts and then proceeded to kick them out the second time.

According to one of the victims: “When the story of our sack went viral online, they called us back and told us to return the letters that were given to us earlier because according to them, it didn’t follow due process and the Chairman was upset about the manner it was handled. We were told to wait for further instructions. To our dismay, we got paid our last month basic salary and then told to go home as we have been sacked definitely.

“This time around, the sack surpassed the former one. It is a mass sack, and nobody is fighting our cause. During the lockdown, we worked day and night delivering generators all over the country, we never bothered on our health, we gave all we had to make the company grow, but look at what we have gotten at the end.”

A reliable source within the company, who didn’t want his name, attributed the sack to the dwindling economic woes. “We should have sacked workers since last year December, but we prevailed and were paying salaries, and as the pandemic continues to wreck havoc on the economy, we had no option but to retrench most workers. If you should know, we spend millions on salaries and we are not supplying any generators for now”.

But some aggrieved workers lamented that their nightmares had begun. “Just look at how the company treated me. Where do I begin from? And I wonder why our labour leaders cant intervene for us. Sacking of workers now is not the remedy. We are all in this trying period. But it seems Mikano just made up their mind on us. We will keep pushing it, because I know they will still put up vacancy and I will re-apply, that is their nature.”

Abuja – American billionaire, and co-founder of Microsoft, Mr Bill Gates, has described as spurious, media reports that he offered a $10 million incentive (bribe) to the leadership and members of the House of Representatives to hasting the process of passing the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill, 2020 being considered by the House.

This was as the Adhoc committee investigating the allegation has given the spokesman of the Coalition of United Political Parties, (CUPP), Ikenga Ugochinyere, till Thursday to appear before it with evidence of inducement as alleged by him or face parliamentary contempt.

Ugochinyere, had on May 4, 2020 issued a press statement in which he alleged that the House and its leadership had recieved financial inducement to the tune of $10 million to rush the passage of the bill.

But speaking through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation before the House Adhoc committee on Monday, the businessman cum philantrophist who was represented by the country Representative of his Foundation, Dr. Pauliu Basinga said there was no interraction whatsoever between himself or his Foundation and the House.

“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has recently been made aware of an allegation circulating in certain elements of the Nigerian media that the Foundation was involved in a payment purportedly made to the Nigeria House of Representatives. Any such allegations are entirely false and without merit.

“To be clear, the Foundation has not offered any financial incentives to any member of Nigeria’s legislative branch for the passage of legislation nor has it offered any grants to organisations in Nigeria in connection with the same. The Foundation adheres to strict ethical and legal guidelines across all areas of its operations”, Dr. Basinga said.

However, appearing before the panel on Monday, instead of Ugochinyere, was Barr. Tochukwu Uhazurike, a legal Representative to the CUPP spokesman.

Uhazurike told the panel that his client didn’t come to the hearing because, he had filed a law suit challenging the legal ground of the committee to summon him for investigation, adding that “in line with the principles of natural justice, the speaker cannot be a judge in his own case”.

But the committee Chairman, Rep. Henry Nwawuba, (PDP, Imo), told the lawyer that the committee invited Ugochinyere and not his lawyer, as he personally made the allegation and not through any lawyer.

As a result, the lawmakers said they cannot allow any lawyer or legal representative to speak to them on his behalf, insisting that the man who alleged must come forward to prove his allegation.

One after another, they challenged the veracity of the court document said to have been served the House in an attempt to halt the investigation, just as their urged the lawyer to kindly advise his client to come forward with the prove of his allegation as that will also help the House to expose any of its members who must have taken the said bribe thereby bringing it to disrepute.

Nwauba said, “we have a mandate to investigate the allegation by your client, and any attempt in whatever manner to derail it will be met with the full weight of the parliament. You cannot bring a letter to the House on the day of an investigation in an attempt to stop it.

“What we do here is constitutional, and just like the procedures read out to you, he must be here present, accompanied by you, if he so wishes. But we won’t listen to you on this matter, so you tell your principal to make himself available by Thursday, failure of which we are will turn in our recommendation to the House”.

On media houses who carried the said story, Nwawuba said “the Nigerian Media and the National Assembly remain partners in progress on the task of nation building, adding that care must be taken at all times to vet and verify potentially libellous materials before going to press.

The Federal Government, on Monday, said the recent order of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on gradual ease of lockdown will remain in force for another two weeks.

The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, disclosed this at the daily briefing of the task force in Abuja.

The President had on April 27, announced a “phased and gradual easing” of the lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun states, while declaring a nationwide curfew with effect from May 4.

He also ordered a ban on all inter-state movements.

Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said in spite of the modest progress made, Nigeria was not yet ready for full opening of the economy “and tough decisions have to be taken for the good of the greater majority.”

He said, “Any relaxation will only portend grave danger for our populace.

“​Advisedly, the current phase of eased restriction will be maintained for another two weeks during which stricter enforcement and persuasion measures will be pursued.

“The two weeks extension of Phase One of the eased restriction is also to enable other segments of the economy to prepare adequately for compliance with the guidelines, preparatory to reopening in the coming weeks.”

For the avoidance of doubt, the SGF added that “Mr President has approved the following: (i) ​The measures, exemptions, advisories, and scope of entities allowed to reopen under phase one of the eased locked down, shall be maintained across the federation for another two weeks effective from 12 00 midnight today (18th May, 2020 to 1st June, 2020);

“(ii) ​intensifying efforts to ‘tell (communicate), trace (identify) and treat (manage)’ cases;

“(iii) ​elevating the level of community ownership of non-pharmaceutical interventions;

“(iv)​Maintain the existing lockdown order in Kano for an additional two weeks;

“(v)​Imposition of precision lockdown in states, or in metropolitan/high-burden LGAs, that are reporting a rapidly increasing number of cases, when the need arises. This would be complemented with the provision of palliatives and continued re-evaluation of the impact of the interventions; and

“(vi)​Aggressive scale-up of efforts to ensure that communities are informed, engaged and participating in the response with enhanced public awareness in high-risk states.”

An unidentified doctor in Bauchi State infected ten of his family members including his last child, a 9 year old son after testing positive for coronavirus.

Chairman, State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BSPHCDA), Dr. Rilwanu Muhammed who disclosed this to the Nation in Bauchi, the state capital on Sunday said though nine of the family were recently discharged, but the 9 year old son remained in isolation as he is yet to recover.

Dr. Mohammed further disclosed that the doctor may have contracted the virus while treating COVID-19 patients but he refused to allow himself to be treated thereby exposing his family members to the deadly virus.

”The doctor and nine of his family members were recently discharged but the last child, the 9 year son is still in isolation. When the doctor got infected, instead of allowing other doctors to take care of him , he went home with it. He ought to have placed himself on a sick role and allow others to treat him, you’re a doctor doesn’t mean you can treat yourself of covid-19, ” he warned.

Dr. Mohammed , however, advised infected health workers to submit themselves for treatment adding that no fewer than 24 health workers have tested positive so far for the novel virus, with 17 from Azare community in Katagum Local Government Area while 7 were infected in Bauchi Local Government.

Mohammed, who doubles as the Chairman, Contact Tracing Committee on COVID-19 in the state also identified denials by infected patients as one of the challenges health workers are facing in the state.

According to him, health workers most times may have had contact with an infected patient before knowing his or her Covid-19 status.

He therefore advised infected patients to always succumb to treatment saying denial posed a greater risk to the society.

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, at the State House, Abuja, received the Madagascan native formulation against the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), and reiterated that he will listen to scientists before allowing traditional or any new medicines to be administered on Nigerians.

While receiving a sample of COVID-Organics from the President of Guinea Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, Buhari said his position on all such herbal or traditional medicinal postulates had remained the same, stressing that he would not allow the solution, or any other drug to be administered on Nigerians without scientific instructions.

It would be recalled that President of Madagascar, Andry Ranoelina, recently dispatched consignments of the drug to African countries, some of which were sent to Guinea Bissau for onward delivery to West African countries.

According to Buhari: “We have our institutions, systems and processes in the country. Any such formulations should be sent to them for verification. I will not put it to use without the endorsement of our institutions.”

Embalo said one of the reasons he was in the country having stabilized his country after the crises that attended the general elections won by him, was to come and seek counsel from his “father,” President Buhari, on his plan for a “government of national unity,” and a proposed war against corruption in his country.

He also said that his new government met a country beset with a number of issues and problems, the resolution of which would require tremendous assistance from “big brother,” Nigeria.

“Problems of Guinea Bissau are problems of Nigeria. I have come to you as your son. I need your help and assistance to make the people happy. I will not let you down, neither will I put you in any difficult situation,” the visiting leader told President Buhari.

In response to these demands, the Nigerian leader commended “General“ Embalo on his confirmation as President and for stabilising the country.

“I commend your political dexterity in getting the opposition to join the proposed unity government,” he said, adding that Nigeria was determined to keep West Africa politically stable and promised to support the new government in Guinea Bissau. “I will cooperate and help in every way possible,” assured the Nigerian President.

But as Buhari promised not to allow the Madagascan solution, or any other drug to be administered on Nigerians without scientific instructions, some experts have warned that the misuse of Artemisia, one of the main plant extracts in the tonic (from Artemisia annua), could accelerate malaria resistance to artemisinin-based drugs, used as treatment for malaria.

Already, Artemisia annua, which is a source of artemisinin, a significant component of modern anti-malarials, has been the subject of some international research looking at possible Coronavirus treatments.

Scientists at Germany’s Max Planck Institute, in Potsdam are among a group of researchers from Germany and Denmark collaborating with a United States company, ArtemiLife to explore whether Artemisia plant can be used against the raging contagion.

Recently, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, during Presidential Task Force (PTF) briefing on COVID-19, in Abuja, also said that samples of plant from Madagascar would be compared with the ones that grow here in the country.

He said, “The cure from Madagascar has been making the news and we have promised to get samples of the herb or the botanical products that is there for analysis and (also) use (that) as an opportunity to speak with the health authorities, particularly the scientific community, on how they use it.

“We will give that to the research community with us here to examine and see what they can do with it. We understand that it is something called Artemisia annua, which also grows here but if we get it, we will like to compare it with the strain here whether they are identical or whether they are similar, and see what properties they have. Things like that are subjected to analysis.

“All countries in the world are interested in finding a cure and we are no different, and we will look at all options, possibilities, and promises that were made. But before we give them to our people, we will ensure they are safe and make sure they work.”

The WHO recently also warned against using untested herbal therapies to treat COVID-19 patients without first “establishing their efficacy and safety through rigorous clinical trials” in step with global standards.

The United Nations agency in a release this month acknowledged that medicinal plants such as Artemisia annua, were “being considered as possible treatment of COVID-19,” but stressed that they “should be tested for efficacy and adverse side effects.”

The organisation added that efforts were underway to find treatment for COVID-19, but cautioned against misinformation, especially on social media, about the effectiveness of certain remedies.

“Many plants and substances are being proposed without the minimum requirements and evidence of quality, safety and efficacy. The use of products to treat COVID-19, which have not been robustly investigated can put people in danger, giving a false sense of security and distracting them from hand washing and physical distancing, which are cardinal in COVID-19 prevention, and may also increase self-medication and the risk to patient safety,” the agency wrote.


Worries Over Artemisia Annua

One of the earliest concerns about accelerate malaria resistance to artemisinin-based drugs was raised by a Professor of Pharmacological Science and Experimental Medicine at Stony Brook University, New York, Dr. Arthur Grollman, who speaking to CNN said: “Widespread use of Artemisia annua in the pandemic will accelerate resistance to it, endangering people in countries, including Madagascar, where artemisinin-based drugs are being used to treat malaria.

“The product won’t work and will result in more people dying from Coronavirus due to the false sense of security created by the advertisement and also more people dying from malaria due to artemisia resistance,” Grollman said.

Reacting to this, a clinical pharmacist and public health expert Kingsley Chiedu, said: “In treatment of malaria, if artemisinin is used as monotherapy (that is alone without combining with an additional antimalarial medicine, then resistance could develop to it. That is why the World Health Organisation (WHO) insists on artemisinine being combined with other anti-malarial medicines. When the product is used alone at sub-optimal doses, resistance could develop. When used at higher than recommended doses, toxicity or adverse drug reactions can set in.”

The plant artemisia is found to be effective in treatment of malaria, but according to Chiedu, if used in sub-therapeutic dose, could lead to years of treatment failure.

Malaria is endemic in many African countries, and as many as 400, 000 people died of it globally in 2018, according to WHO.

In terms of side effect, Chiedu said, “Artemisia herb is known to be quite safe. Safer than some orthodox medicine, but the problem is standadisation of dose. People tend to use such drugs as they like. In terms of efficacy tests, it is trial and error.”

Regarding injecting higher than recommended therapeutic doses, Chiedu said this could lead to toxicity and adverse reaction. “But for now, it is too early to speculate that it can lead to drug resistant. What we need to do now is to encourage our own local herbal products up to the point of testing,” he said.


Another pharmacist, Olumide Akintayo, said when people begin to misuse herbs, they are exposed to consequences like ulcer, and gastrointestinal diseases. “Before you get to the stage of drug resistance, you must have abused the drug over and over again. If you begin to abuse lime for instance, within a week, I can assure you that you will come up with a gastrointestinal issue.

“There is no prophylaxis for the virus. The best people can do is to use supplements like Vitamin C- a high dose for a short period then substitute with fruits and vegetables. Avoid crowded areas, avoid air-conditioned areas were you have lots of people, this is why you have lots of people contracting it through flying in aircraft. People should focus on these preventive measures instead of focusing on herbal preparation,” he said.

Akintayo stressed the need to evaluate the safety profile of the drug saying: “It’s important that pharmacists embark on national dialogue with NAFDAC, to agree on the necessary pharmacological tests of some of these herbal preparations.

Artemisinin is not the first malaria treatment to gain attention in the search for a treatment for COVID-19. The malaria drug hydroxychloroquine has also been hyped in recent months despite little data supporting its effectiveness against coronavirus infection.

The Co-Chair, Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 in Kano, Prof. Abdulsalam Nasidi, yesterday, said there was urgent need for Nigeria to search inward for a veritable treatment and cure for the pandemic.

The professor of infectious diseases and public health, who spoke in Kano, noted that it was high time Nigeria and Africa focused more on local scientific research and development in a bid to finding homegrown treatment for the virus.

Although, Nasidi disclosed that several clinical tests on vaccines for the cure of COVID-19 pandemic were presently at advanced stages, he reminded that such vaccines when finally certified may be difficult to access in Africa, even as he alleged that world powers may make it extremely expensive and reserved for their citizens first, before thinking of Third World countries.

Nasidi, who expressed the belief that Nigeria and Africa have the scientific and alternative medicine competence to finding a cure for the virus, urged government to increase funding for research centres in the country.

How First 32 COVID-19 Cases Were Treated
Meanwhile, Nigerian researchers have published the first-ever study on how the first 32 COVID-19 patients were treated with lopinavir-rotonavir, with no recorded death.

The study titled, “Clinical Presentation, Case Management and Outcomes for the First 32 COVID-19 Patients in Nigeria,” was published in The Pan African Medical Journal.

The researchers led by a consultant public health physician and former Chief Medical Director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Akin Osibogun, include, Abimbola Bowale, Akin Abayomi, Jide Idris, Sunday Omilabu, Ismail Abdus-Salam, Busayo Adebayo, Folarin Opawoye, Ore Finnih-Awokoya, Emmanuella Zamba, and Hussein Abdur-Razzaq among others.

They are drawn from Mainland Hospital, Yaba, Lagos; Lagos State Ministry of Health; College of Medicine, University of Lagos; Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH); Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor; Lagos State Primary Health Care Board; World Health Organisation, Nigerian Office, Lagos; Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, Lagos, and African Field Epidemiology Network, Lagos.

According to the researchers, success in curtailing pandemic depends largely on a sound understanding of the epidemiological and clinical profile of cases in a population, as well as the case management approach.

“This study documents the presenting characteristics, treatment modalities and outcomes of the first 32 COVID-19 patients in Nigeria,” they noted.

The retrospective study used medical records of the first 32 patients admitted and discharged from the Mainland Hospital, Lagos State, between February 27 and April 6, 2020. The outcomes of interest were death, promptness of admission process and duration of hospitalisation.

According to the results, “the mean age of the patients was 38.1 years (SD: 15.5) and 66% were male. Three-quarters (75%) of the patients presented in moderately severe condition while 16% were asymptomatic. The most common presenting symptoms were fever (59%) and dry cough (44%). The mean time between a positive test result and admission was 1.63 days (SD: 1.31). Almost all (97%) the patients were treated with lopinavir-ritonavir with no recorded death. The median duration of hospital stay was 12 days.”

They concluded: “In this preliminary analysis of the first COVID-19 cases in Nigeria, clinical presentation was mild to moderate with no mortality. Processes to improve promptness of admission and reduce hospital stay are required to enhance the response to COVID-19 in Nigeria.”

On what this study adds to existing literature on the scourge? Osibogun told The Guardian: “Literature on COVID-19 is currently unfolding worldwide and the study would contribute to the growing body of knowledge. In particular, this study helps in identify the defining clinical characteristics of COVID-19 and shares experience with case management in an African context.”


PDP Demands Whereabouts Of Chinese Medical Team

In a related development, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, gave the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government a 48-hour ultimatum to declare the whereabouts of the Chinese medical team it brought in purportedly to assist in the fight against the spread of the COVID-19.

The party said its position is predicated on the declaration by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, that the Federal government could not account for the whereabouts of the Chinese team.

In a statement by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP noted that the Chinese medical team was brought into the country from the epicenter of the pandemic (China), despite repeated warnings and disapprovals by medical experts and professional bodies.

It equally noted that “Ehanire’s statement had heightened apprehensions in the public space that the Chinese team, whose identity and activities have been shrouded in secrecy, might have been brought in by a certain cabal for another purpose outside the general public good.”

The party described as “suspicious, creepy and weird that the minister of health, who had repeatedly assured that the Chinese were brought to render medical services and trainings, and even went personally to receive them at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, on April 8, 2020, in an elaborately publicised event, can no longer account for the team.”

The PDP recalled how officials of the APC-led administration had vehemently defended the invitation of the Chinese team, and offered them full state protocol upon arrival, only to now turn around to disclaim the supposed experts, deny involvement with them, and even forbid Nigerians from enquiring about their whereabouts.

“Our party is worried that the APC-led Federal Government is being economical with the truth, with its officials playing politics with the lives of our citizens and health safety of our nation.”


Chinese Medical Delegation Is With CCECC- Embassy

However, upon The Guardian inquiry, Sun Saixiong, a spokesman of the China Embassy in Nigeria said that the Chinese delegation is currently with the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company, CCECC, where they have held some lectures with the staff of the company on how to effectively follow the NCDC guidelines on self-protection during the pandemic.

According to him, the lectures include how to wear a mask the right way, social distancing and other safety tips. “You know CCECC has thousands of employees in Nigeria, they deserve a supportive team that can give epidemic control guidance and basic health advice during this trying time and because they have many employees, the company must do its best to guarantee that its employees are safe and sound.”

However, another source that declined to be named said there was so much misinformation before the team arrived the country. “The truth of the matter is that the medical team came at the invitation of the CCECC as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, to help the country combat COVID-19.”

The source further disclosed that the team came with medical supplies worth over $2m as donation to the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, through the Federal Government, adding that “the health ministry and the government are aware of the donation and were also aware of the development.”

The source added that at some point, everything that had to do with the visit was hijacked by the Ehanire. But this backed-fired because he sounded in his announcement and gave the impression that the team was coming to help the country tackle COVID-19.

In a bid to further tackle the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a team of researchers in the University of Lagos (Unilag) has produced an Ambuvalent ventilator.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project, known as Unilag /LASRIC Ambuvalent, was sponsored by the Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC).

The team carried out a ‘demonstration of concept’ of the project to the institution’s management on Friday.

The team Lead, AbdulHakeem Amuda, an Associate Professor in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, said at the demonstration that the project was an opportunity for the scholars to prove their mettle.

According to Amuda, the ventilator had met basic requirements as specified by the World Health Organisation.

He said that one of the unique features of the ventilator was its ability to work in villages not connected to the national grid, as it used battery that could last for 13 hours, and a trolley for easy movement.

Amuda said that the ventilator was designed to use 90 watts motor, adding that it was made in such a way that the motor must not be needed for 24 hours daily.

He said that a critical component of the ventilator was that of delivering compression that would inflate the lungs as well as the micro controller system.

According to him, institutions of higher learning are meant to proffer solutions to societal challenges, as well as be responsive to what society needs to live a good and healthy life.

”The journey of the development of this UNILAG/LASRIC Ambuvent started on March 27 when a colleague of mine, Dr Uzoma Oduah of the Department of Physics, walked up to me and muted that, as a result of the global shortage of standard ventilators at this period of global health crisis, it would be good if Nigeria would start thinking ahead on what to do.

”This is because by the time the disease would hit this country, we should not be found wanting in the area of access to medical ventilators.

“He requested that I introduce him to an expert in respiratory track, in constituting a team.

“In constituting the team, I did that on multidisciplinary approach, which include physics, biomedical engineering, metallurgical and materials engineering and others.

”I was also able to get across to the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Development Services, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, who incidentally, is from the College of Medicine, and she linked us with a respiratory track expert. That is how we hit the ground running,” Amuda said.

He added that in constituting the team, he also looked at the project’s objective, which was basically to develop low-cost rapidly-deployable Ambuvalent ventilator – meaning it must be affordable and would not need too much technicality to operate.

”Those are our focus in this project, and because in engineering and societal solutions, you do not need to re-invent the wheel, you only improve on what is available; so, we tried to look at what is available.

”We sat down and tried to figure out what we can do differently that will make us unique; we identified three to four parameters that we needed to work on.

”The first is that whatever we are coming up with must not have supply chain problem. It must be something that we must be able to source locally.

“Secondly, at any point in time, we might have power failure; so, the system must be self-sustaining.

”Thirdly, because of lack of volunteerism in the country, the system should be done in such a way that it would be able to operate without too much volunteerism, and in doing all these, it would equally be affordable,” he said.

According to Amuda, who is the Head, Innovation Unit and Deputy Director, Research and Innovation Office, Unilag, the critical component of the ventilator is that of delivering compression that inflates the lungs as well as the micro controller system.

He said that after a thorough search, it was discovered that a standard one readily available was that of the MIT in the the U.S., which used about 100 watts motor.

”We are using 90 watts for ours; with that, we are able to save 10 per cent consumption.

“In addition to that, our system can work both synchronously and in isolation, such that if the case of the patient is not critical, the system can run on a single motor.

”We designed it in such a way that you do not need to use motor for 24 hours. The existing design that is available all over the space is that of one motor using two arms.

“What this means is that the two arms are linked by a connection; so, the main motor, if faulty, translates to you not being able to use the machine,” he said.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe. hailed the team for the innovation, which he described as timely.

According to him, challenges are springing up in the world regularly, and universities are where the challenges can be solved.
”Our special thanks go to the Lagos State Government for believing in what we can do and sponsoring this entire project.
”We are looking forward to signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the state on this.

“The big advantage about the project is that it will be deployed at the grassroots, as it works with a battery, and the team is working on the possibility of using solar,” he said.

Also, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, the institution’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (Development Services), said that Nigeria could solve its problems, given the opportunity and the right circumstances.

”We have solved problems. This is the kind of thing that we should be doing, not just for Nigeria as a country, but for the world at large ” she said.

Dr John Olatisi, Consultant Intensivist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, said that such a project was expected of higher institutions.

He said that with the ambuvent, lives of those who might not be able to breath well due to COVID-19, especially in the remote areas, could be saved.

”We are happy; the project has been able to meet our preliminary assessment,” he said.

Prof. Lucien Chukwu, Director, Academic Planning of the institution, described the development as laudable.
He said that the ‘proof of concept’ had shown the mileage attained by the university.

”This development will not only assist the country in the treatment of persons with respiratory distress, but will also assist our teaching faculties in elucidating the mechanism of addressing respiratory distress in patients.

(NAN)

The Federal Government is worried that there might have been a rise in the number of deaths not associated with coronavirus (COVID-19) since the outbreak of the disease in the country.

Many of the deaths, it said, could be attributable to the phobia some Nigerians have developed for hospitals where they are supposed to receive qualitative care for fear that they might be diagnosed with COVID-19.

It is also believed that many health workers are now reluctant to attend to patients for fear that they might have contracted the virus.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who made this known during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja yesterday, said antenatal, immunization, out-patient visits and skilled birth attendants have all dropped by more than half.

He said: “There has been some reduction in routine health cases because of fear of COVID-19.

“As a result of that, we do worry that some deaths may have occurred not directly in connection with the coronavirus.

“If a person couldn’t go to get help in a hospital because of the fear of coronavirus or doctors refusing to attend to such persons.

“Latest statistics from the National Health Management Information System (NHMIS) indicates that out-patient visits dropped from 4 million to about 2 million; antenatal visits from 1.3 million to 655,000; skilled birth attendance from 158,374 to less than 99,000, while immunization services dropped to about half.

“All these have as yet undetermined consequences which the easing of the lockdown should hopefully address.

“However, the downside of easing the restrictions needs to be balanced of with a collective determination by all of us, not only to comply with protective and prophylactic advisories, but to encourage relatives, friends, neighbours and customers to do same.

“The use of facial covers like masks in places where social distancing may be difficult or impractical should be supported and emphasised through donation of masks to the population as an act of goodwill.

“Face masks should become commonplace and I look forward to all cooks and food vendors, for example, wearing masks or risk losing customers.”

Concerning the cases of unexplained deaths in Kano and other states, the minister said: “Pathologists from eight states have been invited for training.

“There are reported cases of deaths in Kano and Zamfara states, as these are the ones that have been mentioned openly.

“The situation in Kano has largely stabilised, thanks to the good relationship between the visiting federal task force team and the Kano State Task Force on COVID-19, one manifestation of this being the high number of new cases recorded daily from the fact that all labs in Kano are now functioning and clearing the sample backlog, with over 350 tests done daily.

“The state government has been doing well in opening up more treatment and isolation centres.

“A strategy document of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency is being developed and repurposed for application to Kano, but also to similar high density, high burden metropoles like Lagos to respond more specifically to the challenges of COVID-19 tracing, tracking, testing, isolation and treatment in congested communities. If implemented, it could go a long way in addressing many challenges looming before us.

“A Federal Ministry of Health team has been assembled to proceed to Sokoto and Bornu on fact finding and support missions to engage with state authorities and determine material and technical needs.

“Part of the mission in Kano is to assist state pathologists and scientists to unravel the mysteries around unexplained deaths in some states. The tools for forensic investigation have been jointly developed for a uniform approach and balanced results.”

Ehanire explained that the ministry has been able to persuade the controversial index case in Benue State, Mrs. Susan Idoko-Okpe, to allow a test sample to be taken to the laboratory for testing.

A new group, Concerned Almajirai has called for the constitution of a stakeholders forum by the Federal Government to design a blueprint to address the challenge of Almajiri system in northern states.

Leader of the concerned Almajirai, Malam Onuchi Abdulghafaar at a press conference in Maiduguri, Borno State capital on Friday said neither repatriation of Almajirai to their states of origin by some northern state governors or outright ban could solve the crisis in the system.

“The act is not in line with the Islamic principle which enjoins someone who is in a place affected by a plague not to leave (to prevent the spread of the plague) and someone outside the affected area not to enter the area (also to prevent him from contracting the plague,” Abdulghafaar, also an almajiri and chemical engineering graduate, said.

He suggested that the stakeholders’ forum should comprise community, Islamic, religious and traditional leaders, parents, teachers, governments, civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations. He said the stakeholders could constitute a committee to draw a blueprint for the management of Almajiri system.

“The committee should extensively establish a data base of all the Tsangayas in each state with the number of students. This will assist the governor in having a prospect of intervention needed in the Tsangaya,” he disclosed.

He said the Almajiri system was not a bad form of education, stressing that it teaches students knowledge of the Holy Qu’ran and basic conduct.

He said he as an almajiri, also improved on his knowledge by studying Chemical engineering. He mentioned other notable persons in the north that passed through same system and had risen to the pinnacle of their career.

He charged parents in the north to take responsibility of their children. “Allah has given us capacity over the children He gave to us. Parents must take responsibility and cater for their children wherever they are seeking for knowledge. They should not leave them begging around to eat because they are learning,” he said.

The recent return of Almajirai from Kano and other states in the north to their home states over containment of coronavirus has generated mixed reactions from Nigerians.

COVID-19: Lagos Subjects Fresh Lockdown To Online Vote

The Lagos State Government has subjected its proposed lockdown to a vote on social media.

According to the state government, the decision was informed by the disregard for social distancing and other guidelines issued by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and health experts.

In a tweet on Tuesday, the state government wrote, “Considering the level of compliance with government’s directives on limiting the spread of COVID-19 in Lagos State, should the state government impose another lockdown or not?”

The government asked residents to vote yes, no or neutral.

As of 12pm on Wednesday, over 53,000 votes had been cast.

About 51.4 percent of respondents asked the state government to issue a fresh lockdown order while 37.2 votes against it. The remaining 11.5 percent of the responders were indifferent.

The state government had recently threatened to issue a fresh lockdown after videos emerged of how residents were not adhering to the health guidelines.

Bank customers were seen gathered at entrances, struggling to make their way into premises in contravention of the social distancing advice.

It was the same at several bus stops where stranded passengers gathered in their numbers.

Lagos State accounts for over 50 per cent of infections nationwide with nearly 2,000 persons testing positive as of Wednesday.

Some Twitter users, however, faulted the strategy of the state government, insisting that health issues should not be subjected to a vote.

Awesu Samuel tweeted, “Why should the government place a voting strategy to decide lockdown? Anyway the answer is simple. Because the government can’t afford what it takes to lockdown its economy. It can’t provide for its citizens precisely.”

Another Twitter user said using social media was not the best approach because most of the poor and vulnerable residents are not on social media.

“Most people on Twitter can afford another lockdown. Those that definitely can’t are not here,” @wumifab tweeted.

Popular broadcaster, Jimi Disu, also criticised the government’s approach, saying, “I am amazed, indeed embarrassed at this tweet. Someone must be playing a prank. This is a serious decision to be made being trivialised.”

Executive Director, African Incentive Partnership, Tunde Arogunmati, said in his tweet that a lockdown can only be successful when the people receive government palliatives and incentives.

“A lockdown is only effective to the extent that food and security are guaranteed, with test and trace capacity brought at par with means of isolation and healthcare optimisation. A concise pandemic resilience plan will be necessary, going forward,” he tweeted.

The United States said on Wednesday that it has spent $32.8m to support Nigeria’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.

The US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, said the country has put in place mechanisms to monitor and ensure judicious utilisation of the financial aid provided to help Nigeria in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

She spoke in a teleconference with select journalists, disclosing that since the COVID-19 crisis started, the US has committed $237m to support Africa’s COVID-19 response with the global interventions amounting to $2.4bn.

She assured that just like other interventions, the US government has put in place strict monitoring mechanism and surveillance to block diversion of the funds. Ambassador Leonard also said there was nothing unusual with the current evacuation of American citizens in Nigeria, noting that many of them only wanted to reunite with their families having exhausted their short stay in Nigeria.

The US envoy who expressed satisfaction with the response of the Federal Government to the COVID-19 pandemic assured that more financial and technical support would be provided to the Federal Government in the fight against COVID-19.

Apart from donating ventilators to Nigeria, she added that the US government has a very robust presence of the US Centre for Disease Control (CDS) and the US Aids (USAID) working closely with the Nigerian authorities to transform the country’s COVID-19 response.

Asked on whether the US plans to support Nigeria with the COVID-19 drug, Remdesivir, which was said to have been developed in the US, she said the medication is still undergoing a lot of experimentation and clinical study.

She said the US would not hesitate to support the country with the medication after completing the requisite approval process, saying the American government was open to collaboration as “the whole world is trying to figure out what is the most effective way of dealing with the virus.”

“We are very pleased to be making these commitments to Nigeria. We are very eager to collaborate on measures for curing, mitigating and preventing the spread of the virus,” she said.

MEDICAL experts in the country, including pharmacists, nurses and laboratory scientists, have opposed the plan by the Federal Government to import a herbal tonic, COVID-Organics (CVO), from Madagascar for the treatment of coronavirus patients in Nigeria.

Pharmacists under the aegis of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and other health workers under the umbrella of Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) provided reasons Nigeria should not import the herbal tonic from Madagascar.

JOHESU is the umbrella body of all health workers in Nigeria, excluding medical doctors. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, on Monday during the daily Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja, said Nigeria was expected to receive samples of COVID-Organics, the herbal medicine used by Madagascar to treat COVID-19 patients.

Mustapha, who doubles as the chairman of the task force, however, said that the herbal medicine would go through standard validation process before it could be considered for use in Nigeria.


But in a reaction yesterday, PSN rejected the plan to import the herbal tonic from Madagascar, describing it as “thoroughly disgraceful. ”President of PSN, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, said the plan became disgraceful because:
•Nigeria has about 174 universities (43 federal, 52 state and 79 private); 20 faculties of pharmacy and about 69 Federal Government-funded research institutes, including National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja and the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR),Yaba, Lagos while Madagascar has only six universities, one faculty of pharmacy and nine research centres.

• Nigeria has some of the best scientists (pharmaceutical, medical, biochemical, biological, among others) in the world who have done so much work on natural and herbal medicines.

•Nigeria has developed a pharmacopeia of natural and herbal products and has one of the richest flora and fauna–potent sources of phytomedicines.

•Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, a number of them have raised their voices that they have herbal and natural products that can be used to treat or manage COVID-19. Some have patents. Many herbal companies and producers have announced specifically that they have herbal formulations that can do what this ‘invention’ from Madagascar does.

Ohuabunwa said: “The PSN has received the news that the Federal Government of Nigeria is about to import a herbal concoction called COVID Organics (CVO) from Madagascar with utter disbelief. While in principle we would not mind Nigerian government importing any new drug that is proven to cure COVID-19 or indeed any other disease for which we have neither the capacity, nor the technology to produce locally, we are totally appalled that Nigeria is about to spend scarce foreign exchange to ‘import coal into Newcastle’. Even if we are not going to pay for this, it is thoroughly disgraceful that a country that should be the leader of Africa, with the largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will allow itself to be dragged this low.”

The PSN boss recalled that pharmacists had raised their voices severally that the Federal Government should review these claims by local experts and help put their inventions through clinical evaluation, as most of them could not afford to conduct clinical trials.

According to him, pharmacists have recommended that a portion of the nearly N25 billion donated/allocated for the COVID-19 pandemic should be dedicated for local research and development, but the government has remained essentially silent, only waiting to participate in the World Health Organisation (WHO)-sponsored or mandated trials.

“We have been told that Nigeria is participating in the WHO solidarity trial, but nothing on trying our own inventions and formulations.” Ohuabunwa added: “Now we want to import COVID Organics from Madagascar to try? Why are we like this? If the world can supply us synthetic and chemically sophisticated medicines which we apparently lack the technology to produce, why must we wait for the world to supply us herbal formulations which we can easily make because we have similar products?

“We urge our government to save Nigerian pharmaceutical scientists and other scientists from the shame of having our country import and try herbal remedies which God has given us in abundance and some of which our grandfathers and grandmothers have used for ages. Let us try our own local formulations before we try COVID Organics or any other imported remedy. Every well-meaning nation has been in a race to find cures, remedies and other medical supplies used for COVID-19, while we seem to wait for other nations to solve our problems. There is much talk but little action.

“This dependency mentality needs to change and now is the time. We must seize this opportunity to look inwards, build confidence in our abilities and competences, and re-orientate our national economic philosophy from import dependency to export driven. Nigeria can beat India and China in the production and export of herbal products if anyone is willing to lead us down this part.”

A traditionalist and Chief Executive Officer, Olaking International Holistic Medicine, Dr. Qazeem Olawale, lauded government’s search for solution in herbal medicine, but said the move was in a wrong direction.

The microbiologist, who had challenged the Federal Government in the past to bring COVID-19 patients to him for treatment, said herbal medicine had proven its worth in the healthcare sector.

“It will be a great stride in the fight against Covid-19 to have a cure proven to treat and manage coronavirus. It is also a good development that the government is heeding our long-standing call for integrative medicine approach in the fight against the virus.

“It is, however, sad that government does not have sufficient belief in the traditional medicine practitioners who are learned and professionals in their practice. It embitters that we embrace a solution from Madagascar even though we have everything it takes to develop and produce locally made herbs that will aid in the fight against Covid-19. Long before Covid Organics came, we pleaded with the Federal Government to recognize the traditional medicine in the fight against Covid-19. We are giants of Africa and we should be the one leading in innovative and integrative ways of attending to problems like this. No matter how efficacious, a vital principle of natural medicine is that no cure is as efficient for a group of people than a cure developed from their own locality.

“This is simply because we have more than what is required to cure this disease in no time. It’s high time we embraced our indigenous herbs, otherwise, we would not be helping ourselves healthwise and economy wise,” he said. He urged the government to call on traditional and alternative medicine practitioners to come forth to defend their claims.

The Chairman of JOHESU, Comrade Bio Joy Josiah, told The Guardian: “Ordinarily, one will wonder why the Federal Government will start with a Madagascan herbal tonic. It is better to make further enquiries on this matter for informed decision-making.

“We have an emergency on our hands right now. Naturally, people want anything that brings a remedy at reasonable cost. Our attitude should be to allow any remedy that has successfully passed through due process of the scientific evaluations/protocol at National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to be used at this time. So, whether it is a Somalian, Chadian or Nigerien tonic would not really matter as long as it brings relief without adverse reactions or other negative consequences to a consumer.”

On whether he would recommend herbal remedies for COVID-19, Josiah said: “Our pharmacists give the impression that all drugs are basically of natural origin. We are a nation blessed with trees, leaves, barks, roots and so on, so it will be delightful to witness the use of herbal preparations in the health system.

“In the last few weeks, I have read claims of all sorts including those of a former acting vice chancellor of a first generation university and accomplished pharmacist who all insinuate that they have herbal remedies for COVID-19. I will volunteer to be the foremost promoter and marketer for any such product provided that there is scientific validation and endorsement from NAFDAC, which is statutorily mandated to carry out such functions.”

On Prof. Maurice Iwu’s claim, the JOHESU chairman said: “It is still in the same realm as the last insight I provided. Prof. Iwu’s claim was one of those I referred to earlier. Iwu is an internationally acclaimed researcher, so he is more familiar with this terrain than I am. Science is about facts and not magic like some will like to relegate it to become.

“It is on this note that I am encouraging all researchers in herbal medicine to subject their formulations to clinical trials for eventual registration for use.”

Besides, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) berated President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly abandoning the development of homegrown remedies only to seek a solution from Madagascar even when Nigeria brims with curative resources against ailments such as COVID-19.

The party said that “while it had nothing against any genuine effort to secure therapeutics for COVID-19, such solutions as developed by Madagascar abound in Nigeria but had remained untapped because of the failure of the Buhari administration to heed wise counsel to look inwards for answers.”

The PDP lamented that the government jettisoned its advice “to acknowledge our indigenous potential and mobilize homegrown solutions, given our abundant curative flora, globally recognized healing traditions as well as experienced researchers and experts in various institutions across our country, but to no avail.”

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement said: “Instead, the Buhari Presidency and its inept Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 sat on our national potential to wait for foreign solutions, while other African leaders are busy looking inwards for remedies.

“It is indeed despicable and shameful that instead of leading other African countries for solutions, as the Giant of Africa, President Buhari’s incompetent, lethargic, indolent and aimless administration is going to Madagascar to purchase remedies that abound in our country.”

Meanwhile, the Federal government has said it is in a hurry to obtain a homegrown cure for the coronavirus disease just like other countries of the world and assured indigenous researchers who have developed any potential drug for Covid-19 that they will receive appropriate certification if found fit for human consumption.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mustapha, who stated this at the daily update on COVID-19 in Abuja, observed that since the recording of the index case, Nigerians had clamoured for research into a homegrown solution to COVID-19.

He noted that “some countries are trying to abridge the processes of trials to shorten the time as we are not expecting any vaccine to be on the shelve until towards the end of 2021 for industries that have perfected the processes of manufacturing the vaccine.”

Mustapha, therefore, appealed to researchers to be patient and subject their drugs to regulatory processes so that if they were found fit for human consumption, they would receive appropriate certification

He said: “I listened to one of the drug manufacturers in US saying that they will provide the world with billions of vaccine by the end of 2021. We are in 2020 and this is the time Covid-19 is ravaging the entire world, but we are not in a hurry to release those drugs. So my appeal to our homegrown researchers is to be patient and go through regulatory process so that if their drugs are found fit for human consumption, they will receive appropriate certification.

“The processes of examining, trials and validation of drugs are staggered in different stages and take a very long time. Government will not like to end up in a situation the country found itself in the past with a polio vaccine by one of the manufacturers becoming a subject of litigation. The PTF, as part of its mandate, has continued to promote research and wishes to repeat its appeal to all our researchers to go through the validation process so as to enable humanity to benefit from their hard work and they in turn benefit from the intellectual property rights associated with such research.”

The SGF called on corporate citizens and public-spirited individuals to invest in the rural health infrastructure to enable the country to contain the community spread of coronavirus.

Mustapha observed that given the impact of the COVID-19 on global economy and national income, it had become obvious that government alone could not bear this burden as the situation requires a great deal of investment in strengthening the primary health care system, the manpower and the infrastructure.

“As we continue to learn the lessons from COVID-19 by fortifying our health systems and infrastructure against present and future pandemics, I wish to remind Nigerians that there is still a lot to be done and investment to make. The PTF mentioned at the briefing on Monday 11th May 2020 that it had commenced focus on community ownership, guidance, acceptance and implementation in the control of COVID-19.”

The SGF warned Nigerians against the use of recycled surgical face masks picked from dump sites, saying they were not only hazardous to the user but also to other people.

Mustapha who also spoke against the sharing of masks noted that such actions could lead to the risks of contracting the coronavirus. He urged Nigerians to always dispose properly of their surgical masks or at best burn them.

The PTF Coordinator, Dr.Sani Aliyu stated that any medication coming into the country, whether herbal cure or concoction, must be subjected to regulatory processes, adding that the Madagascar cure being expected into the country would be subjected to a lot of processes within the legal framework to ascertain its safety and efficacy before it could be administered to the people.

The Minister of Health, Dr.Osagie Ehanire urged the organs of state to maintain vigilant at the borders.According to him, the Federal Ministry of Health has been closely monitoring and reviewing the unfolding situation in some states, where Covid-19 appears to have gained ground and has responded to the situation in Kano by dispatching a team of medical experts to provide technical support to the state ministry of health.


He said: “I am happy to inform that the team has done well in their assignment and has reported a lot of success in helping to stabilize the state’s health system and assuage the disquiet among health workers who are to restart routine service delivery. No new infection of health workers has been reported in recent times, as those who have recovered are awaiting certification to resume work.

“A FMoH delegation of experts is presently in Bauchi State on a fact-finding mission to work with the state government and look into reports of unexplained deaths in Azare. The similar missions to Katsina and Jigawa identified needs in those states, which include a molecular laboratory in Katsina, to reduce the backlog of pending tests and the turn-around time for results. This will be looked into. Other high burden areas or states grappling epidemic control issues will be offered similar support.”

He commended the ongoing initiative being developed by the Governors’ Forum to give each other mutual support by rallying available human resource for health volunteers from some states, to support other states with high burden and manpower shortages.

Ehanire said government would continue to ramp up COVID19 testing capacity “by adding three new molecular laboratories to our network at Benin City and two in Port Harcourt, which will bring the present total to 25. An expert advisory committee will assist with an audit of our laboratory processes with a view to offering suggestions on strategies to reduce testing turn-around time and other user interest matters.

The minister also said that the number of isolation centres and beds nationwide was increasing with the Thisday Dome commissioned in Abuja and providing the most comprehensive panel of medical services for COVID-19, including lab testing ICU, and dialysis.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bioresources Development Group (BDG), Prof. Maurice Iwu has stated that the Federal Government is yet to show interest in treatment presented by his team of researchers for COVID-19.

Iwu made this known during Zoom Conference organised by Elombah Communications in collaboration with Njenje Media Ltd, tagged “Covid-19 and the proposed Vaccination Bill: Implications for Nigeria”.

The former INEC boss, who led a team of researchers had presented a plant-based patented treatment for COVID-19 to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.

But, Iwu while speaking at the Zoom Conference, said the government is yet to show interest in the drug calling on the National Assembly to organise emergency Public hearing on this issue.

He said the lawmakers through their oversight function should direct agency concern to fast track the process of validating the drug.

Iwu said,” Government needs to show interest in our drug, the money raised by private sectors can be deployed, it does not need to come to Prof. Iwu, it is information, the product is ours, but the information is already outside.

“There must be interest on the part of government that they want to test the drug, once the government shows interest, every other thing will fall in place.”

He said the lawmakers can have a public hearing on the drug and ask why the validation for the drug is taking longer than necessary.

Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has urged Nigerians in China to continue to demand their right, noting that it was clear the Chinese do not want Africans in their country.

The former lawmaker also urged China to respect the rights of Nigerians, noting that there were many illegal Chinese migrants in Nigeria, who are not being singled out for maltreatment by the Nigerian Government

She spoke during a town hall meeting held via Zoom with Nigerians in the America's on Saturday.

Among others, Dabiri-Erewa addressed questions on business, health and politics as it concerns Nigerians in the Diaspora.

While reacting to a question on what the Nigerian Government was doing to address the discrimination and maltreatment of Nigerians in China, she said, “The issue of China has been recurring and I have been to the Chinese Embassy a couple of times, putting into consideration what has been happening to Nigerians in China.

“I will be very realistic with the issue of Africans in China…what I am seeing is that they don’t want Africans in China. Some businessmen are stranded there but when you want to your home, they don’t allow you. In China, if you don’t have a residence, you can’t get a permit.”

Dabiri-Erewa noted that talks were ongoing to address the maltreatment.

She urged Nigerians to obey the laws of the Chinese Government and try to stay out of trouble.

She added, “It is still tough for Nigerians in China. It (maltreatment) is still going on and it has to be dealt with. Right now, there is a little bit of sanity but we don’t know how long it will last but there has to be a permanent solution to the issue of blacks being maltreated in China.

“We need to build a world of peace and love. There has to be reciprocity: Respect me and I respect you, treat me well and I treat you well. They should demand their right and obey their laws too but the laws should not be discriminatory.”

Faith Yahaya, Abuja
THE Federal Government has disclosed that the school feeding programme for pupils in primary schools will commence next week in four states.

As part of measures to cushion the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on vulnerable households, President Muhammadu Buhari had, during his first broadcast in March, directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to work with relevant state governments in developing a strategy on how to sustain the school feeding programme despite closure of schools.

In carrying out the directive, the ministry said it would liaise with state governors to work out modalities on how the feeding programme would continue while pupils are at home.

The minister in previous fora had also hinted that a door-to-door voucher distribution system would be used for the feeding exercise.

Giving an update on the programme, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, said the exercise would commence in Lagos, Ogun, Kano states, and the FCT next week.

Speaking at the Karimajiji Disabled Colony in the FCT yesterday during the distribution of palliatives to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), the minister said: “By next week, we are going to start off the school feeding programme with FCT, Lagos, Ogun, and Kano states.

There was pandemonium in Benin City, Edo State on Saturday, when a combined team of police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps operatives, allegedly beat up a soldier, for not wearing face mask.

The incident occurred Saturday afternoon, at Lagos street, barely 24-hours after the state government shut down the street to all business activities over alleged refusal of traders and residents of the street to comply with the directives to participate in the ongoing screening and testing exercise for Coronavirus, as part of efforts to contain the pandemic.

It was gathered that trouble started when an unidentified military operative who was on the street was asked to put on his face mask.

An eyewitness who declined to mention his name said the soldier who was on military khaki short had an handkerchief on his neck and that his wife did not properly put on her face mask.

“On entering Lagos Street, the soldier and his wife were asked to wear their face mask by the policemen on duty. The soldier brought his ID card to identify himself but the police officer dismissed the ID card as fake.

“The soldier got infuriated when one of the police officer pushed his wife with a gun in a bid to force her to wear the face mask.

“Following the argument that ensued, the policemen descended on the soldier and injured him on the head with the butt of their gun,” he said.

Traders and passers-by were forced to run in different directions, as men of the Nigerian Army who later stormed the area, allegedly shot repeatedly into the air to scare the police and NSCDC officers.

Quick intervention by officers of the Nigerian Army and the State police command, quelled the situation.

The feuding parties were later driven to the nearby Oba Market Police division to resolve the issue.

The State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, could not be reached on his mobile for for comment.

Muhuyi Magaji Rimigado, the Chairman, Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission on Saturday confirmed the arrest of Alhaji Kabiru Ado Panshekara, Chairman, Kumbotso Local Government Council over abuse of COVID-19 palliatives.

Briefing reporters in Kano over the development, Mr. Rimi Gado said Alhaji Kabiru Ado Panshekara allegedly contravened the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended) in the distribution of palliative materials in his Local Government.

He said the Kumbotso Local Government Chairman was alleged to have distributed palliative materials to security personnel comprising the Police, DSS, Immigration etc as well as Hisbah personnel.

The anti graft boss said the act contravenes the provision of Section 22, 23 and 26 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended).

Mr Rimi Gado stressed that ‘based on the above development, the Commission in accordance with Section 15(3) of its enabling Law request for your usual support to arrest and forward to this Commission the Kumbotso Local Government Chairman as soon as practically possible, ‘’said the Chairman.

The federal government said on Thursday that its policy on self-isolation, which prescribes that people should stay at home for certain time to authenticate their COVID-19 status has failed, saying this was the reason quarantining was made compulsory for all those coming into Nigeria.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, made this known on Thursday in Abuja during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. He specifically made reference to people especially those coming into the country by air, land or sea, saying there were many COVID-19 cases from such persons.

Daily Trust recalled that Nigeria’s index case was recorded on February 27, almost a month after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Earlier on January 11, China reported the first novel coronavirus related death of a 61-year-old man who had visited the animal market in Wuhan.

Many returnees flouted self-isolation advisory

During the time under review, thousands of people came to Nigeria by air, land or sea and after preliminary checks at their point of entry, they were allowed to go home and observe self -isolation.

However, most of them reportedly flouted this advisory even though they came into Nigeria from countries that recorded many coronavirus cases. Some of the travellers later turned out positive with health experts saying this “lapses” had to greater extent paved the way for the transmission of the virus to those close to the suspected cases and at the same time aggravated community transmission which Nigeria is now battling to stop.

As of Wednesday, May 6, Nigeria had 3,145 confirmed cases with 103 deaths from COVID-19, while 534 people have recovered. The cases were recorded in 34 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

‘Policy designed to fail’

The National Publicity Secretary of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (ALMSN), Dr. Casmir Ifeanyi, said the self- isolation protocol deployed by the federal ministry of health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) at the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country was designed to fail from the beginning because it did not take into cognisance the undisciplined nature of the human species where impunity is the demonstration of how rugged or powerful people think they are.

He said the federal government stipulated that those with travel history abroad should self -isolate, but that many of those with the travel history were the bigwigs in the country who refused to self -isolate. He said: “Rather, they mingled with politicians and the populace and even travelled to other states to meet with governors and attended social gatherings.” Dr. Casmir said if people had been quarantined on arrival from the beginning, the country would not have had the outcome it has now. “So, the self -isolation policy is a self -defeatist policy.

The quarantine policy is better and all -encompassing, but to implement it, government must ensure there is no duplicity and that it must be self -cutting. It should be sacrosanct for all irrespective of who you are and not discriminatory,” he said.

Quarantine replaces self-isolation

“In order to curb the incidence of such cases coming in and forming clusters of new infections across the country, the provision of self-isolation has now been replaced with quarantining of returnees on arrival,” the health minister said. According to him, “The policy we have now is that anybody arriving Nigeria from anywhere whether by air, land or by sea will go into quarantine for 14 days. During those 14 days, they will be observed for any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 disease. They will be tested at the beginning and at the end. “We don’t have a provision for isolation at home. At the very beginning, we had that provision that if you came in and did not have a symptom, you isolate at home.

Since then, all the cases we are dealing with now came in and multiplied. In order to reduce the incidence of cases coming in and then forming clusters of new infections, the provision has now changed to what we call isolation-one or quarantine. “Quarantine is for those who have not been confirmed or who are under isolation. If during the period, signs and symptoms show up, they will be tested. If they are positive they will go to treatment centres.

f after 14 days they show no symptoms or signs and they are tested and are negative, they are free to go. That is the protocol we have now.” “I join the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) in welcoming the first batch of Nigerian nationals, who were successfully repatriated yesterday evening to Lagos from Dubai. They have entered into mandatory supervised 14-day quarantine, in 2 designated hotels, in line with laid down protocols.

“They will be tested for COVID-19 and any person testing positive shall be invited to a treatment facility. I appeal to our returning citizens to bear with us and cooperate with authorities, especially if they perceive imperfections in our arrangements, as this is a test run, the first of these exercises,” he said.

‘Build 300-bed COVID-19 centres’

There have been complaints by COVID-19 patients and those picked during contact tracing that they are being taken care of especially at the state level. Earlier this week, some patients in Gombe stormed the streets in protest over alleged failure of the state government to take good care of them. The health minister during the COVID-19 briefing on Thursday urged states government to ensure that they treat COVID-19 patients with dignity.

“I shall here also request all states to embark on preparing at least 300 bed spaces for COVID-19 isolation and treatment. “As testing is scaled up and more persons with COVID-19 infection are identified, it is necessary that they are safely and securely isolated and treated with dignity until they test negative, to break our chain of transmission,” the minister said. The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, added: “People have not committed a crime, so they are not being held in prison.

So we really want to work together with everyone to ensure that we all achieve our goals. “The security in treatment and isolation centres is the same thing like any other established organisation as security is the responsibility of the police working with the states government in that particular place. “In certain circumstances, the states have had to increase the security in those facilities. In honesty, we don’t want to ‘securitise’ this response. We want people and organisations to take responsibilities.”

It is 10 years since President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua died while in power. Despite spending just about three years in office, his government pursued ambitious projects and programmes, many of which have been completed. Below are 10 things the late president will be remembered for:

1. Return of Lagos local government funds

The late President Yar’adua will always be remembered for releasing the local government statutory allocations of Lagos State seized by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which opposed the creation of additional Local Council Development Authority (LCDA). The government of Obasanjo had refused to release the funds despite court judgement in favour of Lagos State.

2. Creation of Amnesty and Rehabilitation Programme

Yar’adua stabilised the nation and ensured the return of peace in the Niger Delta by granting pardon to former agitators through the establishment of Amnesty and Rehabilitation Programme. The militants used the window of peace created by Yar’adua to surrender their arms. This single action saw an unprecedented improvement in the performance of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. The history of the creation of the Ministry of Niger Delta will not be complete without mentioning the name of the late Yar’adua whose administration made the feat possible.

3. Declaration of Asset

On 28 June 2007, Yar’Adua publicly revealed his declaration of assets from May (becoming the first Nigerian president to do so), according to which he had ₦856,452,892 (US$5.8 million) in assets, ₦19 million ($0.1 million) of which belonged to his wife. 10 years after: Jonathan mourns ‘selfless, modest’ Yar’Adua He also had ₦88,793,269.77 ($0.5 million) in liabilities. This disclosure, which fulfilled a pre-election promise he made, was intended to set an example for other Nigerian politicians and discourage corruption

4. The triumph of Rule of Law

The late Yar’adua was nicknamed Mr Rule of Law because of his favourable disposition to the judiciary. Under his administration, the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lost states like Edo, Ondo, and Osun in court.

5. Smooth Executive-Legislative relationship

The late Yar’adua will also be remembered as an advocate and proponent of the separation of power. This was the reason why former Vice President Atiku Abubakar once described late President Yar’adua as a decent politician whose administration did not suffer from executive-legislative tension in the Fourth Republic.

6. Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais Electoral Reforms Committee

His administration will also be remembered for constituting the Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais-led Electoral Reforms Committee which made far-reaching recommendations that will aid the country’s electoral process if implemented.

7. Seven-Point-Agenda

On August 1, 2007, the Yar’adua regime announced a “Seven Point Agenda”, which includes power and energy; food security; wealth creation; transport sector; land reforms; security; and education.

8. Amend PDP constitution to take monopoly of Board of Trustees (BoT) chairmanship from former Presidents.

He championed the amendment of the PDP constitution which stripped former President Obasanjo of sole chairmanship of the party’s BoT.

9. Expansion of Kubwa and Airport Expressways

The administration of the late former Governor of Katsina State mobilised funds for the expansion of Kubwa and Airport Expressways, a project which was completed under the administration of former President Good luck Jonathan. The airport road was named Umaru Musa Yar’adua Expressway after its completion.

10. Dredging of River Niger

The ambitious project to dredge River Niger was pursued by the late Yar’adua but abandoned after his death. River Niger is important in terms of economic activities in the North as it is the major river that links the North to the South.

THE Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has no plan to resume its Mass Transit Train Services (MTTS) in Lagos yet in spite of the gradual easing of COVID-19 lockdown in the state.

According to the Lagos Railway District Manager, Mr Jerry Oche, the corporation would concentrate on Apapa freight shuttles alone.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that it would be difficult to ensure social distancing at the railway stations and on board trains.

The NRC boss said: “As directed by the Federal Government, we will resume on May 4 like every other agency but our emphasis for now is going to be on Apapa freight shuttle.

READ ALSO: Lagos lockdown blues
“Don’t forget that if we have to do the MTT, there are a lot of measures to be put in place. The social distancing is there, the enforcement is there and we know how porous our stations are.

“It is going to be very difficult and we don’t want to go in that line now. “So, what we intend to do is to deploy our manpower, allowed by the government to resume work, for the freight shuttle services,” he said.

According to him, the corporation will not also want to endanger the lives of its staff, especially checkers on the train.

“It is not everybody that is resuming; it is just for those on level 14 and above. We don’t want to risk anybody’s life.

“For freight shuttle, we don’t need checkers, we just need drivers. We can manage that one.

“The freight shuttle is a shorter distance; it is just Apapa to EBJ and Iddo as the case may be. All our emphasis is going to be on freight shuttles,” he said.

Oche added that the port had been congested and the NRC would want to help in decongesting the port.

President Muhammadu Buhari on April 27 announced a “gradual easing” of COVID-19 lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja, from May 4, after a four-week lockdown of the areas to contain the spread of COVID-19.

By Monday, residents of Lagos and Abuja would have been on lockdown to contain spread of the global pandemic for five weeks.

Primero Transport Services Limited, operator of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Lagos, says it will only be carrying 20 commuters with face masks per bus as from Monday to contain further spread of COVID-19.

The Managing Director of the firm, Mr Fola Tinubu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Saturday that the 21st person onboard would be the driver.

Tinubu, however, said that the company would not issue short-distance tickets as from Monday, saying short-distance commuters that wished to use the service must be ready to pay for the longest distance tickets on their route.

The BRT boss explained that the firm had scrapped N100 and N150 tickets for short distances in the main time and asked commuters to be ready to pay for the N200, N250 or 300 tickets, depending on their routes.

“We are going to carry only 20 passengers per bus, the 21st person on bus will be the driver starting from Monday.

“We will space them zigzagly; we will show them how to sit. We don’t want anybody to sit next to each other. There will be no air conditioner; we are going to open the windows to allow enough ventilation.

“We will only be doing long distance; we will only be selling N200, N250 and N300 tickets. We will not be doing short distance of N100 or N150 stuff. So, anybody that wants to do short distance will have to pay for the long distance.

“We want to concentrate with the buses on the long distance since we can only carry 20 people. We will not sell ticket for short distance at all,” he told NAN.

According to him, all the passengers must wear masks and sanitise their hands before they will be allowed to board buses.

He said while the firm would provide alcohol-based hand sanitisers before the trip and after the trip, passengers should provide the mask by themselves.

Tinubu said that the firm would adhere strictly to the guidelines by the Lagos State Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA), its regulator.

“We know it will be a tough time for the firm but it’s for everybody’s safety,” the BRT boss added.

He said that the firm would deploy enough sanitisers to bus stations across the state, urging passengers to cooperate with its staff assigned to ensure adherence to precautionary measures.

On how to ensure social distancing on queues, Tinubu said that the firm would do everything possible to ensure social distancing.

He, however, said that ensuring social distancing on queues might seem tough to achieve in reality.

“That is going to be tough, I don’t know but we are still figuring that out because we don’t know how people are going to show up.

“However, the good thing is that we have more buses now that we can deploy. We have used this opportunity of lockdown to fix some of our buses that were faulty,” he said.

NAN reports that President Muhammadu Buhari on April 27 announced a “gradual easing” of COVID-19 lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja, from May 4, after a four-week lockdown of the areas to contain the spread of COVID-19.

By Monday, residents of Lagos and Abuja would have been on lockdown to contain spread of the global pandemic for five weeks.

(NAN)

LAGOS – As this week may yet witness rise in new cases of the COVID-19 pandemic that has significantly challenged the wit of government’s officials in recent weeks, there are indications that em­ployers of labour, after the crisis, may not be smiling when it comes to making the hard decision to part ways with an unimaginable number of their employ­ees, going by insight from economic and corporate data.

While the unusual circumstance of negative threat of mass sack of workers may not be good news to workers, many players in the industry say it is an indi­cation of more bleak days ahead, and the years of government not creating an enabling environment for investment would not be corrected in a period of weeks or even months.

Timothy Olawale, the Director Gen­eral of Nigeria Employers Association (NECA), in a telephone discussion with DAILY INDEPENDENT, argued that while discussions about how to resolve the ongoing global economic crisis ac­companying COVID-19 remain largely unresolved, manufacturers, financial experts are keeping their eyes on eco­nomic and earnings news that emanat­ed from National Bureau of Statistics as inflation report for march hit 12.26% from the previous position of 12.20% to record the highest in 23 months.

He said: “The hard business deci­sions by employers of labour to part ways with employees are seldom un­avoidable. If the needful is not done now, unimaginable mass job losses loom in Nigeria because ‘a stitch in time’, they say, ‘saves nine’.

This call for policy measures, ac­cording to Mr. Timothy, is necessary for government to address the consis­tent rising consumer price index for straight eight months, especially now that coronavirus outbreak and lock­downs globally and domestically have triggered prices of goods and services due to panicky shopping and buying.

“Government of countries, in re­sponse to COVID-19, have taken steps to bolster key sectors and lessen the so­cio-economic impact of the pandemic. Measures include economic assistance packages, tax moratoriums, extended deadlines, social security contributions, as well as wage subsidies, loans and guarantees for workers, and Nigeria is no exception,” he said.

He added: “To save jobs in Nigeria, more direct intervention such as: direct wage or income support, wage subsi­dies, tax credits or tax deferrals, short-term work schemes, moratoriums on loan payments and the establishment of a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, where government pays up to 60% of private sector salaries until June as long as workers are not laid off, as done in other climes i.e. UK, France, and Den­mark, would reduce the negative impact on businesses and slow the rate of job loss.”

Olawale, who argued that the dev­astating effects of the long-standing inclement environment for doing busi­ness in Nigeria have been over flogged, said: “This has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and the follow-up effect of the unproductive lockdown which understandably was necessary to rein in the blight and protect lives.

“With the lockdown leading to shut­down of manufacturing, businesses, and movement, many companies will not be able to pay salary; this will affect purchasing power of Nigerians there­by leading to supply and demand shock that needs urgent policy measures from the government and policy makers to address the dwindling national and in­dustrial productivity,” he said.

According to NECA’s Director Gen­eral, “While businesses remain pas­sive and unproductive with attendant mass losses of revenue, overhead costs remain. Wages obligations to workers and several statutory payments without respite remain constant.

“The truth is that five weeks of the economic and business shutdown has overstretched the limits and business­es are beginning to buckle under the weight of the burden it is carrying with­out corresponding productivity from workers and necessary support from government. This is the reality today.”

He, however, explained that the government had spoken well in urg­ing businesses to continue to bear the brunt without recourse to staff ratio­nalisation and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), as the most representative body for or­ganised businesses and employers of labour in Nigeria, had equally added its voice by advising its members to contin­ue to keep the full complements of its workers for as long as it is bearable, and as far as economic indices will permit.


Balancing Protection Of Lives With Economic Interests

Comrade Ayuba Wabba, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in his response to what is ahead of the workers, especially with respect to post lockdown socio-economic response, said “we can sustain, enhance, and conclusively win the fight against Covid-19, particularly on the strength of tripartism”.

Wabba agreed that balancing the protection of lives with economic inter­ests should, ordinarily, not be difficult for the government.

He, however, said: “While protection of life should take precedence, the need to protect the economic foundation of the nation cannot be discounted as the economy will ultimately sustain life. While the government takes decisive steps to protect lives, efforts should also be made to keep productive activities going.


Government’s Action On Stimulus Package And the questions

While a lot has been said on the in­tervention of the Federal Government and various coordinated efforts of other stakeholders, Comrade Quadri Olaleye, the President of Trade Union Congress (TUC), noted that more decisive action on stimulus to businesses need to be taken.

He, however, said: “The announced stimulus, to a large extent, has not ad­dressed the critical needs of businesses that will guarantee sustainability and protection of jobs.”


Relaxation Of Lockdown With Regulations To Protect Lives

Omorodion Ambrose, Chief Re­search Officer, InvestData Consulting Limited, in his chat with our correspon­dent, emphasised that the global eco­nomic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, now projected to be the worst recession since the Great Depression by the IMF, would bring about a reconsid­eration of long-standing need to safe­guard or protect jobs in the country, both in the interim and in the long term after the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said: “While it is desirable for the lockdown to be relaxed and not totally removed, it is important to state that mismanagement of the lockdown re­laxation process might spell doom for the gains already achieved.

By Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

The banks of many riverine communities in Rivers State have been littered with thousands of dead fish washed ashore by waves.

Worried by the development, the Rivers State Government has warned residents to refrain from the consumption of the dead fish while it carries out investigations on the cause of death.

The areas most affected are communities in Bonny and Andoni Local Government Areas of the state.

Specifically, the dead fish were seen in Amariari, Lighthouse, River 7, Agaja, Uku-Mbi, Mbisu 1, Mbisu 2, and Ifoko communities in Bonny Local Government Area, and in Oyorokoto and other communities in Andoni Local Government Area.


Worried by the number of the dead fish on the shores and waterways of Bonny, a team of young men from the area tried to unravel the mystery behind the phenomenon and their preliminary findings have gone viral in the social media.

The team, made up of Godswill Jumbo, a journalist; Humphrey Buowari; Kelly Brown; and Kindness Brown, all executive members of Finima Youth Congress (FYC), said they visited the affected areas of Bonny.

According to their report, the affected fish species is croaker, popularly known as ‘Broke Marriage’ and called ‘Onah’ in Ibani dialect.

Their report said, “The fish were seen lying dead and littered along the shoreline from Lighthouse all the way to Ifoko on the fringe of the boundary between Bonny and Andoni LGA. The fish were also sighted dead and floating on the sea and being washed ashore by waves.”

They also said, “We also received and verified reports that several communities along the Atlantic shoreline across the area referred to as the Gulf of Guinea is affected too. These include Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States in Nigeria.”

A member of the team and journalist, Godswill Jumbo, told THISDAY on telephone that the fishermen they visited in the impacted communities said they started noticing the incident about the last week of March and that smell of the dead fish was scaring away other living fishes thus depriving them of their daily catches.

“They informed that the incidence began about the last week of March 2020 and were in large quantities as much as were filling their fishing baskets and boats. Some used theirs for domestic consumption while others dried and sold to their customers both in Bonny and Port Harcourt,” he said.

Some observations of the team include: “Only the Croaker was affected across all the observed affected areas; The dead fish were always turning up fresh in the mornings along the shores; The fishermen observed out at sea that some of the fish kept popping up on the surface of the water and some were alive when sighted only to be struggling to stay alive and then they die.

“Within 2 nautical miles from Lighthouse the fish were all dead but beyond that and as far as the Fairway Buoy many of the fishes were sighted alive only to die later; on the body of the fish, swellings were sighted looking like a lesion or boil. When pricked something like pus would be excreting from it; the fish begins to rotten from the tail as against the head.

“The fish begins to turn green when it begins to get rotten; when spread out on the fire to dry, unlike normal fish, these do not thoroughly dry up, instead they would disintegrate or scatter.

He also said the team observed at the sea that the tide was carrying them from the high sea towards the sea shores, suggesting probably that the cause of their deaths maybe out there in the deep sea.

He further raised concern that the fish were already being sold in markets, even in Port Harcourt in spite of warnings that they could be injurious to health.

Although there are no explanations on the cause of death, THISDAY gathered that samples of the dead fish have been sent to an expert on hydrobiology/fisheries, Professor Ibitoru Hart, of the University of Port Harcourt for investigation.

Prof. ibitoru Hart told THISDAY that the samples had been sent to the laboratory for analysis and that the results would be out in about two weeks.

The Rivers Government has also stated that sample of dead fish had been taken to the Rivers State University Laboratory for analysis to identify the cause of death.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Ministry of Environment has confirmed massive death of fish along the rivers of Finima in Bonny LGA and Oyorokoto in Andoni LGA. The report was brought to the attention of the Ministry on Friday by King M. O. Dic-Isotu, Abah Ogwuile XIII of Unyengala Doni Town in Andoni LGA.

Reacting on the incidence, the Honourable Commissioner for Environment, Dr Igbiks Tamuno, has called on the people living in the affected communities not to eat the dead fish, as the ministry would carry out full scale investigation to ascertain the actual cause of the death.

Meanwhile THISDAY gathered that the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Igbiks Tamuno, had already swung into action as he had sent a team to Bonny to immediately commence investigations.

As at 5pm Friday, the team had arrived Bonny and was being taken round the shores of the community.

The governor of Kenya’s capital Nairobi has distributed bottles of cognac to the poor, saying it protects against the new coronavirus, though the drink maker and national government chided him for propagating a myth.

Cognac is a specific type of brandy, an alcoholic beverage produced from distilled white wine. Mike Mbuvi Sonko, known for his chunky gold jewellery, impromptu raps and arrest in 2019, posted images of Hennessey bottles tucked inside food packages with flour and other staples on social media this week.

“We are giving some small bottles of Hennessey in the food packs that we are giving to our people,” Sonko said in a video, wearing a face mask and shield.

“From the research which has been conducted by the World Health Organisation and various health organisations, alcohol plays a very major role in killing the coronavirus or any sort of virus.”

LVMH, the world’s biggest luxury goods group which makes Hennessey cognac, however, said Sonko was wrong. “The consumption of our brand or any other alcoholic beverage does not protect against the virus,” its local office said in a statement.

LVMH, however, urged people to follow guidelines that include frequent washing of hands with soap. Kenya has 225 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease so far and movement has been restricted to slow the spread.

The government and various private entities have been donating staples to the poor, especially those in slums, who are the hardest-hit by the measures. Government spokesman Cyrus Oguna said there was no science showing alcohol was a protection and cautioned politicians against using the pandemic for publicity.

“We should not politicise this and do these things looking at the forthcoming election,” he said. “This is the life and the health of our people.” To the frustration of scientists and doctors around the world, social media has been awash with unproven, homespun remedies for COVID-19.

Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja

Scores of farmers and some rural folks have been killed as gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen allegedly invaded villages in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The herdsmen were said to have simultaneously invaded the communities in the early hours of today shooting sporadically at every object in sight while some of the lucky residents fled with gunshots injuries.

It was learnt that only last week Thursday, a married woman, Mrs Mary Jekeli Edibo, a native of Agbenema-Ife in Omala was said to have been matcheted to death while on her way back from a neighboring village, Agabifo some four kilometers away, where she went to meet with her customers.

An eye witness who heard her screaming when she was attacked said Mrs Edibo had returned from Ibado Akpacha market some two hours earlier and headed for Agabifo to arrange her purchased goods for subsequent transportation. She was ambushed by Fulani herdsmen and macheted to death.

The deceased husband, Mr Jekeli Edibo, a retired soldier is the younger brother of the late paramount ruler of Agbenema, Chief Musa Edibo who was also murdered along with five others in broad day light in his house by herdsmen when they invaded Agbenema and the neighbouring villages about two years ago.

The murder of Mrs Edibo came just six days after some herdsmen launched an attack on some Agbenema village hunters on their way home but were lucky to have repelled the aggression.

It was also gathered that another middle- aged farmer, Mallam Amodu Oma Ucha from Ajodoma village, some six kilometers from Agbenema-Ife was said to have been killed on his farm when he went to fetch some yam tubers for his family.

Presently, residents of the affected communities namely: Agbenema- Ife, Agabifo, Ajichekpa, Opada, Ofejiji, Ajiolo, Ajodoma and various villages in Omala Local Government Area have fled their homes due to continuous threat of attack by herdsmen, for close to two weeks.

There may be fuel scarcity across Nigeria soon as oil marketers on Thursday voiced their disagreement with the Federal Government over the recently announced price modulation, regarding petrol pricing in the country.

The oil marketers, under the umbrella of Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), is calling for full “price liberalisation” rather than “price modulation” with respect to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol.

MOMAN’s Chairman, Mr Tunji Oyebanji, in a statement on Thursday, said that only full price deregulation will bring about long term stability in the downstream sector. Oyebanji said it had become necessary for the major oil marketers to state their position because of what the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva said recently.

Timipre had announced in a statement that the government would implement a policy of “price modulation,” which means it will give effect to existing legislation enabling it to set prices in line with market realities through the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) as provided in its Act.

But speaking for the oil marketers, Oyebanji said the clear and obvious risk is that the country had never been able to increase pump prices under this law, leading to high and unsustainable subsidies and depriving other key sectors of the economy of necessary funds.

“Our current situation, laid bare by the challenges of coronavirus to the health of our citizens in particular and the economy of our country in general, demands that we are honest with ourselves at this time.

A fundamental and radical change in legislation is necessary,” he said. He added that “When crude oil prices go up, government has always been unable to increase pump prices for socio-political reasons leading to these high subsidies and we believe the only solution is to remove the power of the government to determine fuel pump prices altogether by law.”

According to Oyebanji, purchase costs and open market sales prices should not be fixed but monitored against anti-competitive and antitrust abuses by the already established competition commission and subject to its clearly stated rules and regulations.

He further said: “There is no country or economy where governments do not have the power to influence prices. Nigeria is no different with respect to any other commodity or product.

Governments use economic tools such as taxes or interventions on the demand side or the supply side of the market and other administrative interventions to influence prices where it needs to.

“The problem here is that government has retained for itself by law the power and the responsibility to fix pump prices of PMS which is what puts it under so much pressure and costs the country so much in terms of under-recoveries or subsidies when it cannot increase prices when necessary to do so.

“It makes sense to relieve itself of this obligation now when crude prices are low and resort to influencing prices using the same tools it does for any other commodity or item on the market. According to MOMAN Chairman, “We want the market to determine the price. There should be a level-playing field. Everybody should have access to foreign exchange to be able to import and sell petrol at a pump price taking its landing and distribution costs into consideration.”

He insisted that the government should no longer fix petroleum prices as that would continue to keep our economy down He said health and educational sector should be given a higher priority than paying for subsidy on petroleum.

“We support the pronouncement of the NNPC GMD, Mallam Mele Kyari, which said subsidy or under recovery must be things of the past,” he said. He said MOMAN recommends a legal and operational framework comprising of a downstream industry operations regulator, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) or Competition Commission (for pricing issues) and the interplay between demand and supply.

This, he said, will ensure a level-playing field, protect the Nigerian consumer and curb any market abuse or attempts to deliberately cause inequities in the system by any stakeholder. He said the pricing system should allow internal equalisation by marketers which would be both competitive and equitable.

A policeman in Delta State on Wednesday, allegedly shot a protesting woman, left his rifle behind and ran to an unknown location.

The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Inuwa, told reporters that “the police are on the trail of the suspect in order to intensify investigations into the matter.”

The protest of which a large number of women participated in Sapele area of the state was as a result of the extension of the coronavirus lockdown announced by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, on Tuesday evening.

DAILY POST reported earlier that women and youths took the streets in Sapele, Sapele Local Government Area of the state to protest the extension of lockdown by the government and lack of palliative care.

The protest recorded its first casualty as the protester was shot by a policeman as the women protested over hunger.

The woman is now lying in a critical condition in the hospital after the officer shot her two legs.

The victim was reportedly shot at a close range in both legs by the trigger-happy policeman despatched to restore normalcy in the area.

The policeman was said to have immediately ran away leaving his service rifle behind in a desperate move to avoid mob attack.