₦airaland Forum

Nigeria has recorded a total of 5,125 new cases of COVID-19 and 30 deaths within the first five days of 2021, an indication that the second wave of the virus is on the rise.

More worrisome is the fact that the 5,125 new cases are higher than the total infections recorded in the country in the first 75 days of the virus.

From February 27 to May 11, 2020, Nigeria recorded a total of 4,641 cases. The average daily death from the virus within the period was three as against the average of six daily recorded within the first five days of this year.

Lagos, the epicentre of the virus in Nigeria, has continued to record more cases and deaths as the state governor and medical experts cautioned residents to adhere to safety protocols to stop further spread and possible imposition of another lockdown.

The University of Lagos (UNILAG), yesterday, lost another prominent professor, Duro Ajeyalemi, to the dreaded COVID-19 virus.

It was gathered that Professor Ajeyalemi died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) isolation centre.

The late Professor of Education retired at the age of 70 from the university last November. He was a former dean of the university’s Faculty of Education and also the pioneer Registrar of the Joint Universities Preliminary Examination Board (JUPEB).

Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Development Services at UNILAG, Professor Folasade Ogunsola confirmed Ajeyalemi’s death to our reporter on the phone; saying the news of his death came as a shock to the university.

On whether he died from COVID-19, she said, “I understand that the great scholar died of COVID-19 but I do not have a confirmation of that.”

The University had on Sunday lost its former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, who died at the age of 72.

Sources close to the deceased confirmed that he died from COVID-19 complications.

It was gathered that the two professors attended same wedding party at Ikoyi, where Professor Obe was the chairman of the occasion.

“Apparently, the two contracted the virus at the party. I learnt there are two other professors at the party that are currently on ICU,” our source claimed.

Deputy gov loses brother

The Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, yesterday, mourned the death of his younger brother, Dr Haroun Hamzat, who passed on at the age of 37.

The medical expert lost the battle to coronavirus complications despite fighting frantically to survive the deadly respiratory disease, it was learnt.

Haroun, before his death, was a medical officer at one of the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Orile-Agege Local Council Development Area (LCDA).

The deputy governor, who said that Haroun’s death was painful and devastating for his family, warned that the killer disease “is no respecter of person, name or status.”

Hamzat, who also lost his father in 2019, noted that since no one can escape the brutal strike of death, the entire family had submitted to the will of Almighty, whom he said, gives and takes.

“There is an urgent need for us as people to be conscious of the volatility of COVID-19,” he said.

Second wave ravaging our land – LUTH CMD

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of LUTH, Prof. Chris Bode, yesterday, said COVID-19 second wave was in “Our land and claiming many lives.”

Bode, who made the assertion at a news conference in Lagos, said: “The resurgence of COVID-19, through the newly mutated form, is ravaging our land, claiming many lives.

“Unlike what we witnessed in the first wave, this one is even more easily transmitted and deadlier too. It is, therefore, imperative for everyone, first and foremost, accept that COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and we must prepare to confront it all over again.

“What we see on the streets, worship centres and social interactions, parties and daily activities call for concern. In a period when the `enemy’ has doubled back and is attacking us ferociously, we seem to be celebrating a false victory and denying the danger is still around us,” he said.

The chief medical director, however, advised the public to shelve all forms of social engagement for now, including parties, churches, mosques and meetings.

“Wash your hands frequently and before you touch the face, eyes and mouth. Wear face mask obligatory (most important), maintain a social distance of at least six feet away from others where you must be with anyone,” he said.

Commenting, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, said everyone thought that the pandemic was over.

Adeyemo said that there were periods in November that the hospital had zero admittance in its wards. “We planned to move to a smaller place, which we actually did, but had to come back to our 120 beds facilities; we never shut down the centre.

“We did not only witness increased numbers, but the severity also increased. Before now, we were not talking about vaccine, but about myths that COVID-19 was not real,” he said.

Also, Dr Iorhen Akase, Head, Infectious Disease Unit, said that the hospital observed increased mild cases in the first wave, pointing out that the second wave was severe.

Obey safety protocols to avoid another lockdown – Sanwo-Olu

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has also expressed concern over the high cases of coronavirus recorded in the state.

Sanwo-Olu in a statement, yesterday, urged residents to observe measures put in place to curb the spread of the virus, noting that the state government was doing everything possible to avoid another lockdown.

Sanwo-Olu, who recently recovered from the virus, was reacting to the recent report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC that showed that Lagos recorded 712 out of the total 1,354 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Nigeria on Tuesday.

“There is an urgent need for us to be more circumspect in the way we live, interact and socialise with our friends and family. Many people are ignoring #COVID19 warnings and guidelines, thereby exposing themselves and others to the virus.

“Lagos scarily recorded its highest number of infections in one day (712). We have already recorded a frightening spike in infection cases. This spike brings positive cases to a total of 32,720 in Lagos alone.

“This second wave comes with severe symptoms, and the higher number of positive cases we detect, the higher number of casualties we are bound to record. We do not want this, but for this to be avoided, we must be intentional and cautious.

“We also do not want to go into another lockdown. It is important that you wear your masks, avoid crowded areas, wash or sanitise your hands regularly, and practice social distancing,” he said.

The Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, has disclosed that 15 persons have died from COVID-19 since the outbreak of the virus.

He said in Lafia after a security meeting that, ” As at Tuesday December 22, the state has discharged 668 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 26 under home care and 3 in isolation.

“85% of the cases are found in Karu, Keffi and Lafia local government areas, while the rest are found in the remaining 10 councils of the state.” He said.

The Deputy Governor disclosed that Dr Rebecca Isaac Umaru, Former Provost of College of Education Akwanga died of the virus on Monday, December 21.

He also said Dr Janet Angbazo, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism was tested positive of the virus and she is currently on isolation.

According to him, a member of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in Lafia was tested positive.

He said, the second wave of the pandemic is worrisome, because the virus has become more violent than the previous one.

Dr Akabe said that from statistics available to the government, even younger people are now vulnerable to the virus as it was more aggressive than before.

He therefore urged the public to always wear their face masks, maintain social distancing, and wash hands regularly to curtail the spread of the virus.

Zamfara State Governor, Bello Muhammed, has explained the role he played which led to the release of 344 students of the Government Boys Science School, Kankara, Katsina State.

Speaking on Tuesday night in Abuja when the PDP National Working Committee led by its Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus paid him a condolence visit over the death of 8 people in the recent attack on the convoy of the Emir of Kaura Namoda, Matawalle said he was able to secure the release of the students through a dialogue with some of the repentant bandits.

Matawalle said: “As soon as the boys were kidnapped, we stepped in. We reached out to repentant bandits in the state. Negotiations were made and that was how they were released. The boys were released in Zamfara before they were moved to Katsina.”
The Governor also said the reign of bandits in Northern Nigeria will come to an end if all governors in the region formed an alliance to destroy their (bandits) camps in Zamfara State.

Describing Zamfara as the epicentre of banditry in the north, the governor said while dialogue had worked to some extent, not destroying the bandits camps most especially in Zamfara remained a risk to ending their activities.

“Zamfara is the epicentre of banditry in the North…and if the issue of banditry was taken serious in Zamfara State, I assure you the whole issue of banditry in Northern Nigeria will end”

“So I’m calling on my colleagues and the security agencies to put more effort in Zamfara State so that we can identify all the camps of the bandits and destroy them.

“If we don’t destroy them, we may not be able to end the issue of banditry in the North or Nigeria at large. No matter what the bandits tell you about dialogue or reconciliation, we must be able to mop the weapons in their hands, without doing so, we are not doing anything.

“How we restored peace in Zamfara”

The Governor added that when he came on board, he invited all the stakeholders to discuss the modalities to tackle the issue of insecurity in the state adding that the meeting resolved that dialogue was the best option for the state.
“As you’re all aware, Zamfara is one of the most peaceful states before and one of the richest in Nigeria but this banditry was created in order to scare away investors so as to prevent them from coming to invest in the state.”
“I submitted myself to everybody and if all governors can be accessed anytime by their locals, we can be able to tackle that issue.

Why I pardoned Nabena

The governor also said the intervention of the APC National Caretaker Committee and the Governors forum made him stopped the plan to institute a legal action against the acting National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena, over an alleged comment credited to the APC spokesperson which the governor considered libelous.

The APC spokesman had last week Thursday accused one of the Governors of the North West States of harbouring the activities of the bandits in the region following the abduction of the Kankara Schoolboys.

The Governor said he was miffed by the allegation but has decided to stop the plan to sue the APC spokesperson “pending the decision and action to be taken by the party in discipline Yekini for the unsubstantiated allegations he leveled against me and my government.”

“Following interventions by the APC National Caretaker Committee, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the Progressives Governors’ Forum, I have decided to hold on to my decision of taking legal action against the Acting National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress APC, Yekini Nabena, for some libellous comments that tantamount to accusations against my personality and governments.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Tuesday, briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on the political situation in the Republic of The Gambia.

President Adama Barrow is seeking re-election amidst political tension and uncertainties.

Barrow had on December 3 met with President Buhari at State House, Abuja, and later told reporters that his country still needed Nigeria’s stabilising support.

“Things would have been very difficult for us without the invaluable support you gave,” Barrow said.

Jonathan, in a brief interview with reporters at the end of the closed door meeting, said he briefed President Buhari about the outcome of his mission to Banjul, the Gambian capital.

Jonathan, who is the ECOWAS Envoy to Mali, said his mission was meant to find amicable solutions to the political problem in The Gambia.

He said that he had successfully completed the first part of the assignment while the final part of the political misunderstanding would be addressed in January, 2021.

Some opposition groups had protested, asking the Gambian president to honour his promise of single term tenure.

It would be recalled that President Buhari had, on December 3, told the visiting President Barrow that he led an ECOWAS onslaught against the sit-tight President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia in 2016 to stabilize the sub-region and promised Nigeria’s support in different ways possible as The Gambia goes to the polls next year.

The Federal Controller of Works Lagos, Mr Olukayode Popoola on Tuesday announced a 72-hour total closure of the Third Mainland Bridge to cast concrete on thee expansion joints.

Popoola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the shutdown will take effect from midnight on Saturday to midnight on Tuesday.

“There is going to be total closure of Third Mainland Bridge in order to allow for the casting of three number expansion joints on the Island Bound lane”

“The effective date of the closure will be from 12:00 midnight of 25th of December. So people will be allowed to use the Third Mainland Bridge to celebrate Christmas.

“By the time the Christmas is winding down which is 12:00 midnight, we are going to close it so that we will be able to cast the concrete on Saturday the 26th and 27th we cast again.

”And we need about 72 hours for this concrete to set. Therefore, the opening will be on the 28th December midnight, that is 72-hour closure.

“This is to prevent vibration of the bridge. If we allow vehicles to be moving on one lane, there is going to be vibrations and the concrete will not set properly,” he said.

The controller said that all the alternative routes were in good condition and traffic regulatory agencies had been deployed to effectively divert and manage traffic to avert gridlock.

He appealed to road users to cooperate with traffic regulatory agencies.

Popoola also announced a 48 hours partial closure of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway from Dec. 28 to Dec. 29 to complete some work on a fly over bridge on the project.

“The contractor, Messers Julius Berger wants to install cross beams at Kilometre 16, that is, around MFM,” he said.

He explained that the Piers were already standing on both sides of the road and the contractor was to lay the cross beam on top across the road.

“That area will be cordoned off, there will be closure within that section from 12:00pm on 28th of December and it will be opened to traffic by 5:00am the following day.

“200 meters to get to that particular location we have diversion and another diversion 200 meters away from that place.

“One lane will be opened to traffic, it is only one lane we are closing to traffic at a time. The first lane that we are going to close is outward Lagos, that is the Ibadan bound carriageway, we will close it on the 28th.

”And then the second day which is 29th, we are moving to the other lane which in inward Lagos. The same 12:00pm to 5:00am,” Popoola said.

He appealed for patience and understanding of road users saying that the construction was part of the progress that the Federal Government had achieved on the project.

“We regret all the inconvenience and hardship this might have created,” he said.

He said that all the construction zones had been cleared and the highway had been opened to traffic which was responsible to seamless movement on the road.

NAN reports that the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, which was going through series of repairs, had to be partially shut on July 24 for another round of rehabilitation works.

The repair expected to last six months was extended by one month due to the recent #EndSARS protests in Lagos extending the completion date from January 2021 to February.

The construction was initially divided into two phases of three months on each carriageway, starting with the Oworonsoki bound carriageway whose completion dragged to four months.

Traffic was partially diverted on a stretch of 3.5km where construction is ongoing between Adeniji Adeniji Ramp and Ebute Meta, while different time belts were allotted for traffic diversions on the bridge.

The 11.8km bridge is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the Mainland.

The bridge starts from Oworonshoki, which is linked to the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island.

Constructed in 1990, the bridge was adjudged as the longest in Africa until 1996 when the Oct. 6 Bridge in Cairo, Egypt was completed.

The reconstruction/rehabilitation of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on the other hand was flagged off in 2013 by former President Goodluck Jonathan and was awarded to two firms.

Julius Berger is constructing section one which spans from Ojota in Lagos to Sagamu Interchange while RCC is working from the Sagamu Interchange to Ibadan.

(NAN)

The House of Representatives has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to provide and release N3 billion for the take off of local production of firearms and ammunition through collaboration between the Defence Industries Corporation (DICON) and National Metallurgical Development Center (NMDC).

The call was made after adoption of a motion moved by Rep. Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims during plenary on Monday.

Presenting the motion, he said, some efforts by the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to import arms and ammunitions from some western countries is being delayed or rejected.

“To me this is a clarion call for us to look inwards with the view to harness our abundant human and material resources to commence full local production of arms and ammunitions to meet our immediate needs and further drive our local contents initiative,” he said.

He reminded that, DICON had through the local content initiative produced a military vehicle called Ezeugwu MRAP (Mine Resistance Ambush Protected) which was commissioned by Mr President sometimes ago.

“And today it is been deployed in the battlefield in Borno state with confirmed efficacy and preference is been given to it by our soldiers compared to the imported version due it’s efficiency. (the cost far less than the imported version),” he added.

According to him, there is an existing memorandum of understanding (MOU) between DICON and NMDC on the objective of producing military equipment, arms and ammunitions.

“The benefits accruable to our country through this initiative will be enormous and indeed unquantifiable. Among which are – boost research and promote self-reliance in the local production of armory, weapons and other military equipment, conservation of foreign exchange, wealth creation and employment Opportunities for our teaming youths, aid our security agencies to effectively combat crimes and criminality and many other benefits too numerous to mention,” he added.

The House also mandated its committee on defence to coordinate the agencies of government involved while the committee on legislative compliance ensures compliance.

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has ordered Operation Apakwu, a security outfit, to demolish houses belonging to suspected kidnappers or armed robbers.

He also ordered the arrest of any landlord who accommodates criminals.

He gave the order in an interview with newsmen weekend in Calabar, the state capital.

“The time has come that every Cross Riverian, including landlords must account for every tenant. This is part of the regulation that I have signed into law under the Homeland Security.

“It is the responsibility of the government, the police and the military under the Operation Apakwu to demolish houses that are occupied by armed robbers, kidnappers or bandits. If the property belongs to a landlord, he must be held accountable. That is the position of the law; that the house be demolished,” Ayade said.

* 666 Student Still Missing according to school register
* Protest as FG’s delegation visits Kankara
* The boys will be freed soon – Defence minister


Six hundred and sixty-eight students of the Government Secondary School Kankara, Katsina State are still missing, the school’s register has shown.

One of our reporters, who was at the school yesterday gathered that at the time of the incident, the school had 1,074 students in both its Junior and Senior Secondary sections in session.

A source in the school said, “in the junior section, there are six classes, comprising JSS 1A, which has 58 students, 1B, which has 62 students and 1C, which has 64 students; JSS 2A has 74 students, 2B has 79 students and 2C has 75 students.

“As for the senior section, we have seven classes, which include SS1A, 97; 1B, 108; 1C, 106 and 1D, 118. While in SS2, we have 2A, 74; 2B, 79 and 2C, 80, giving a total of 1074 students.”
Residents of Kankara observe as an air force helicopter conveying the federal government’s delegation landed along Katsina road in the state yesterday

The source added that both SS3 and JSS 3 students have completed their exams, hence they were not in school during the attack.

Daily Trust also gathered that 270 students were rescued from the school on the night of the attack and with the number of those who returned from the bush the following night or those who were reported to have gone home by their parents, the number of those found rose to 406 as on Sunday morning.

However, the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, yesterday said 333 students were still missing as against 668 found by Daily Trust during interactions with sources in the school.

Rescue our children, Parents beg

Parents of the missing students who spoke with Daily Trust have called on the authorities to intensify efforts at ensuring that their children are rescued as soon as possible.

Alhaji Isma’l Kafur said, “It is really disturbing. These are young boys aged 12 to 16, subjected to this terrible condition. We cannot eat or sleep well because we don’t know their condition of health or even their whereabouts.

“My son is 14-years-old and he is in SS1. From our home town, Kafur, there are other four boys who are still missing.”

He said he saw one of the boys who escaped from the kidnappers’ enclave, urging the state government to intensify efforts to rescue the students. He, however, pleaded against the use of force.

Abubakar Ayuba Gozaki said two of his children, Nasir and Salahudden, were among the abducted students.

“When I took home their luggage yesterday, it was as if I took their corpses. Their mothers and other relatives were crying uncontrollably, and that is why I am here again today to see whether we can get any consoling information about them,” he said.

He also called on the government to apply diplomatic methods in rescuing the children, saying “if they decide to use only force, our children will be killed. So we are pleading with the government not to use force.”

‘I can lead a rescue team if allowed’

A parent of one of the missing students who identified himself as Abdurrazak Sani, from Funtua, said he is the commandant of the vigilante group of Jabiri in Funtua and he could lead a rescue team to search for the missing children.

“When I came I asked if something was done about it but I was told nothing was done. I asked some of the security men to follow me to the direction where the children were taken, but they said they had no instruction to do that. I also asked the vigilante to come with me but they declined.

“I took the boy that came with me on a motorcycle and we were able to pick some things along the way, which include students’ uniforms, torch lights, soaps and many other items, which we returned to the school,” he said.

Hajiya Fa’iza Hamza Kankara, who could not control her emotions, said as a mother, she could neither eat nor sleep from the moment she heard about the unfortunate incident. She called on President Buhari and the Katsina State Governor, Masari, to come to their aid.

Another woman narrated how she forced two of her children to go back to school that fateful night after they had pleaded with her to allow them to pass the night at home.

“They really pleaded that they wanted to sleep at home but I forced them to go back to school, none of them has returned. I blame myself for their predicament,” she said.

FG’s delegation visits Kankara

A federal government delegation led by the Minister of Defence, General Bashir Salihi Magashi and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu were in Kankara, Sunday, to commiserate with the parents and the school authorities of GSSS Kankara over the attack.

The delegation, which arrived in two helicopters, landed along the Katsina road in Kankara and moved in a motorcade to the palace of the district head of Kankara, from where they proceeded to the school.