₦airaland Forum

Panic In Bauchi Community As Over 100 People Die Of COVID-19 Within Seven Days

Over 100 people are said to have died in Azare, Bauchi State, over the last one week owing to Coronavirus complications.

Azare is the second largest town in the state after Bauchi, the state capital.

Ibrahim Mohammed Baba, former lawmaker representing Katagum Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, made this known in a letter of appeal for urgent action to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Baba said the deaths caused by COVID-19 had thrown the town into great mourning, panic and confusion.

The former lawmaker said the centrality and proximity of Azare to Bauchi, Kano and some major cities in Jigawa State exposed people of the town to the virus.

He said, “Your Excellency, I write to draw your kind attention to the massive outbreak of Coronavirus in Azare town and environs in Bauchi State, which has already resulted in over 100 fatalities in the last one week and this has thrown the entire area into great mourning, panic and confusion.

“The centrality and proximity of Azare to Bauchi, Kano and some major cities of Jigawa State make the town's large population susceptible to the virus due to the already existing large cases of the disease in those areas.

“Consequently therefore, I wish to appeal to your Excellency to direct the Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control and the Presidential Task force on COVID-19 to urgently reach out to Azare town with all the necessary facilities and palliatives to assist the communities there.

"And to help in this expected effort, may I draw your attention to the fact that at the Opthamology unit and laboratory have already been built and equipped by the Central Bank of Nigeria at the Azare Federal Medical Centre since 2013 but have not been commissioned and put to use up till now. This facility can be repurposed to a COVID-19 test and treatment centre provided the right equipments are added, including ventilators.

“As a matter of life and death, I have the utmost trust in your sense of patriotism and commitment to the well-being of Nigerians that you will assist the beleaguered people of Azare town and environs to overcome this harrowing situation."

SaharaReporters recall that Justice Dahiru Saleh, a former federal judge, known for annulling the June 12, 1993, presidential election died on Thursday in Azare.

He was said to have died of Coronavirus complications.

The NCDC on Friday announced that the number of COVID-19 cases increased to 117 in Bauchi State following the confirmation of 15 new cases.

PRESIDENT BUHARI COMMISERATES WITH EXTENDED FAMILY, DAURA COMMUNITY ON THE DEMISE OF NEPHEW, MUTARI DAUDA

President Muhammadu Buhari has consoled the members of his extended family and Daura community at large following the death of his nephew, Alhaji Mutari Dauda, Malam Mamman Daura’s younger brother.

In a condolence message, President Buhari said: "Let me on behalf of myself and my family convey to you my deepest sympathy for the loss of Mutari Dauda. Death is inevitable and every soul must taste death one day. What we owe the dead are not tears, because our tears can't bring them back, but what they deserve are our prayers. In this regard, my heart and prayers go out to all the family members and the Daura community as a whole over this irreparable loss.”

“May Allah forgive his gentle soul and reward his goods deeds with aljanna. Amin," the President further prayed.

Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
May 8, 2020

The Borno State Government has announced the death of 11 Coronavirus patients.

Deputy governor of the state, Alhaji Usman Umar Kadafur, made this known in Maiduguri, the state capital, on Saturday.

Kadafur added that the total number of confirmed cases has increased from 53 to 69, among which are 16 health workers.

He said the situation had informed the need to expand and increase the number of isolation centres and facilities in Maiduguri and other parts of the state.

The deputy governor however, appealed to residents of the state to be very mindful of the consequences and danger posed by the virus as it had no cure yet.

The second case of the dreaded Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), recorded in Kebbi State, who absconded from the hospital, is dead. The Health Commissioner, Jafaru Mohd disclosed this in B/Kebbi, Saturday, when he gave a situation report of the State Task Force on Covid 19 pandemic.

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, has said that he infected four persons in the state with Coronavirus, all of whom have since recovered.

El-Rufai, who doubles as the index case in the state, made the disclosure at the 24th edition of The Platform hosted by Pastor Poju Oyemade.

The governor said Kaduna State had tested about 400 people and now has three testing centres.

He said, “As I announced some days back, we received 169 almajiris from Kano and so far 21 of them have tested positive. We expect more to test positive; the spike in our numbers have largely been the almajiris and other people that have come in.

“We have been successful in closing down our state, in reducing the traffic into our state, every case in the state has been imported.

“I was the first case, fortunately, I’d say, because it served to scare everyone about reality. COVID is real, it’s not a joke. I was the first case, I got it in Abuja and infected four other people, all of us are okay now.”

KDSG has announced that all entry points into the state are shut from 6pm to 6am daily. No interstate or intra-state travel is allowed at night-time even for essential services with effect from 1st May 2020.

Criminal elements are using night-time hours to infiltrate people into Kaduna State. KDSG is compelled to take further measures to deter inter-state travel.

Recent Covid-19 cases in the state are related to inter-state travel which is implicated in the rapid spread of the virus across state lines.

Security agencies will respect the exemptions granted for the movement of food and other essentials in daytime hours. All entry points will be sealed to all traffic from 6pm until 6am daily.

All vehicles that come after 6pm carrying food, petroleum products or other essentials must park at the entry point overnight. Vehicles on essential duty will be inspected after 6am by our health and security team, and will only be granted passage if content is verified.

All passenger and private vehicles shall be turned back to their original destination.

COVID-19: Controversy as Ganduje rejects Kwankwaso’s Amana Hospital as isolation centre

Kwankwasiyya Foundation has disclosed that Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduhe, has rejected the former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso’s donation of a newly-built 60-bed capacity hospital as isolation center for Coronavirus patients in the state.

Recall that on Monday, April 20, the former governor had announced the donation in terse statement signed by Ibrahim Adam, spokesman to Abba Kabiru Yusuf, the Kano State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in the 2019 elections.

According to the statement, the hospital, named Amana Hospital and located at Miller Road, Bompai in the Kano City, had been equipped by Mr Kwankwaso, a former Senate who represented Kano Central during the 8th Assembly.

On Friday, a few weeks thereafter, Kwankwasiyya Movement took to twitter to disclose that Mr Ganduje had yet to acknowledge the gesture nor put the same to a use.

Writing on Twitter, the movement alleged that Mr Ganduje was playing politics with the lives of Kano people by refusing to take the donation.

“Millions of lives are at stake but Ganduje is playing politics with the donation of the hospital by Kwankwasiyya Foundation.

“Gov. Ganduje refused to take a donation of a hospital as an isolation center from Kwankwaso in order to save lives in Kano because of a mere political grudge,” the foundation wrote.

Reacting to the development, Twitter users expressed mixed reactions with one user stating that if what the movement claimed is true, then, Governor Ganduje’s decision is bad.

He said: “If that’s true, then it’s too bad. I thought they have settled their differences considering the esteemed regards people have for them.”

Another user rose in defense of Governor Ganduje, saying that the Kwankwasiyya Movement was a hypocrite for playing politics with everything.

According to him, Kano does not lack isolation centre, adding that the state needs testing laboratories at the moment.

He said: “[Kwankwasiyya Movement are] original hypocrites, playing politics in everything thing.

“You know Kano does lack isolation Center for now, it is a lab that Kano needs, we still have unoccupied isolation center by Dangote at the Sani Abacha Stadium.

FLASH: The Incident Commander of #Covid19Lagos and Governor of Lagos State, Mr @jidesanwoolu has announced the discharge of 12 more #Covid19 patients; 9 males and 3 females including a Ukrainian today.... making a total of 199 recoveries in Lagos State.

The Senate President Ahmad Lawan, on Tuesday, appointed Senator Ajibola Basiru (Osun Central) as the new chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs.

Lawan made the new appointments at the close of plenary on Tuesday.

Senator Basiru will take over as spokesperson from the Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Godiya Akwashiki (Nassarawa North) who has been acting as the spokesperson of the upper chamber after Senator Adedayo Adeyeye (Ekiti South) was sacked by a court from the Senate.

Senator Akwashiki is now the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity formerly occupied by late Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu, while Senator Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti South) was named as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.

It could be recalled that late Senator Rose Oko (Cross River North) chaired the Senate Diaspora Committee until her demise in March 2020.

Lawan in his closing remarks thanked his colleagues for their hard work and consistency.

He assured that the Senate will reconvene to consider and pass the reviewed budget or the Medium Term Expenditure Framework as soon as they receive communication from the Executive.

He also directed all Senate Standing Committees to continue with relevant activities after suspension of plenary.

The Senate President said lawmakers are expected to work from home after suspending plenary indefinitely.

A team of LUTH Drs, anaesthetists & nurses delivered a woman with Covid19 of a baby girl this afternoon

40yr old mother & 3.3kg baby are doing fine

Our gratitude go to these gallant men & women & all warriors making d nation proud in d face of this scourge

#WeShallOvercome

Over 31,000 #COVID19 cases reported on the African continent - with over 9,000 associated recoveries & 1,400 deaths recorded. View country figures & more with the WHO African Region COVID-19

Today, in line with the Federal Government’s directive to curb the spread of #COVID19 by decongesting correctional centres across the country, I granted pardon to 69 inmates who were serving various jail terms in facilities across the state.

The inmates released comprised of those with and without fines and compensation and those recommended by the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy.

Nigeria’s former finance minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was named by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as its Special Envoy for the newly inaugurated Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that she is to serve alongside British business executive, Sir Andrew Witty in the same capacity, to mobilise international commitment to the initiative.

Director-General of the organisation, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, made the announcement during the launch of the ACT Accelerator — via webinar from Geneva.

“I would especially like to thank Sir Andrew Witty and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for agreeing to act as Special Envoys for the ACT Accelerator,” Ghebreyesus said in his remarks.

The initiative is an international collaboration aimed at accelerating the development, production, and equitable distribution of COVID-18 drugs, tests kits, and vaccines around the world.

This is the fourth international assignment given to Okonjo-Iweala in less than two months.

On March 7, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa appointed her a member of the country’s Economic Advisory Council, which comprises indigenous and international economic experts.

The council advises the president and government on the development and implementation of economic policies toward advancing inclusive growth.

A month later on April 10, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, named Okonjo-Iweala a member of the fund’s External Advisory Group.

The group comprises prominent individuals from around the world, who will serve as Georgieva’s special advisers.

Okonjo-Iweala is one of the four Special Envoys the African Union (AU) appointed on April 12 to mobilise international support for its efforts toward addressing the coronavirus pandemic.

The AU special envoys are charged with soliciting the support of the G20, the European Union and other international financial institutions for the organisation’s response.

Okonjo-Iweala is an internationally respected economist and development expert, who has served as Managing Director of the World Bank, among other assignments.

Even with the number of cases rising, we are happy to celebrate our success stories because they show that a positive #COVID19 case isn't necessarily a case of doom and gloom.

Today,10 patients; 3 females & 7 males including 3 foreigners have been discharged from our facilities

We are encouraged by these discharged cases and the support we have received from the citizens of the state in the battle against #COVID19 but I urge us all not to relent because it is imperative that we win.

Remember to practice great personal hygiene and join our #MaskUpLagos campaign by using a facemask whenever you are in public.

Social distancing is still very key in stopping the spread and we must #StayHomeStaySafe to #SaveLives

Together, we will beat #COVID19.