₦airaland Forum

The Central Bank of Nigeria has made an alteration in exchange rate of dollar to Naira as confirmed in a communique to all banks and Bureau De Change on Friday March 20.

The apex bank on Friday sold dollars to deposit money banks at the rate of N380 to one dollar signaling the official return of a single exchange rate regime in the country’s foreign exchange market.

The CBN directed banks and Bureau De Change to ensure that the end-user sales of the Dollar should not be more than N380/1USD. The communique was on the disbursement of the proceeds of the International Money Transfer Operator (IMTO).

CBN's communique which backed the highest official exchange rate between the dollar and naira in over two years, came barely a week after the apex bank denied plan to devalue the Naira.

SOURCE: https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2020/3/cbn-devalues-naira-restores-uniform-exchange-rate-of-n380usd-2.html

It is no longer news that former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder John Mikel Obi has parted ways with Turkish super club, Trabzonspor (Read HERE).

During the week, Trabzonspor chairman Ahmet Agaoglu stated that the Turkish football league should continue despite widespread calls from the international community for the league to be suspended to avoid spreading coronavirus.

According to Agaoglu, whose club is top of the table in Turkey the league shouldn't be stopped because it could increase the rate of divorces across Turkey but his former player Mikel Obi has now responded to Agaoglu's claims.

Mikel, this week terminated his contract with Trabzonspor after criticizing the club on social media for continuing matches when other European leagues had stopped football matches. The Club chairman asked Mikel to delete his social media post to which Mikel refused, leading to both parties agreeing to mutually part ways.

Asked to respond to Agaoglu's comments, Mikel was quoted as saying by the Guardian UK : "It just shows you how the thinking there is.

"I just have to be honest and be brutal with what I’m saying. It just shows that they don’t really care about human life.

"They don’t care about what is going on in the world. All they care about is how to win the league. The reason why I signed for Trabzonspor last summer was to win the league.

"I gave 100% in every game. But in this situation, where the world is facing such a difficult time, I didn’t feel that football should continue."

“He was telling me if I didn’t take the post down, I was not going to play until the end of the season,” Mikel says. “I said: ‘OK, if that’s what you guys think, then I am ready to stand by what I’ve said and take the hit for it.’”

Mikel was an unused substitute for the home game against Istanbul Basaksehir on Sunday, with the selection order having come from the club president.

“The president told me: ‘I will tell the coach not to play you,’” Mikel says. “I said: ‘OK.’”

“It was still a risk in terms of passing the virus on, with a lot of accredited people there, and I saw what was going on, I was on the bench,” Mikel says.
“There was no motivation, the players were all scared. There was no handshaking. It didn’t feel right. I just thought: ‘I don’t want to be part of this.’”

SOURCE: https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2020/3/mikel-obi-responds-to-his-former-club-trabzonspors-president-who-said-stopping-football-in-turkey-will-increase-divorces-2.html

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili has asked Nigerians to brace up and begin to practice financial prudence as the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic 'will be severe in Nigeria.'

Taking to her twitter handle, the former Vice President of the World Bank, wrote

''Brace up, Fellow Citizens. Brace up. The economic impact of the #CoronaVirusPandemic will be severe on our country. But do not despair. Make sound personal and household financial choices. Rearrange and realign personal and family Priorities immediately. Keep the Faith'.'

SOURCE: https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2020/3/brace-up-the-economic-impact-of-the-coronaviruspandemic-will-be-severe-on-our-country-oby-ezekwesili-tells-nigerians-2.html

Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom states has said that there are no plans to shut down schools in the state due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

In a state wide broadcast delivered on Saturday morning, Governor Udom said that there is no confirmed case of COVID-19 disease in Akwa Ibom State and that as a matter of fact, the measures put in place at the state airport to curb the spread of the virus into the state, is comprehensive and has no parallel anywhere in West Africa.
He appealed to residents of the state to adhere strictly to preventive measures so they do not contact the virus.



'' I want to advise that we should all continue to observe the simple rules of Personal and Respiratory Hygiene:

Regular hand washing with soap under running water.

b. Use of hand sanitizer where there is no water.

c. Coughing/sneezing into a disposable tissue paper or the cuff of the elbow where no tissue is available and proper disposal of the used tissue.

d. Put on a mask if you cannot properly move away from any person with those symptoms and or give the person a mask to wear.

It is also important to observe SOCIAL DISTANCING, avoid hand shaking, and keep at least six feet away from anyone who is sneezing or coughing.

I would like to remind you of some symptoms of the infection which include: Fever, cough, sore throat, difficulty in breathing, generally feeling unwell (malaise), common cold (catarrh or runny nose, sneezing, cough).

Anyone with these symptoms should self-isolate and invite our Emergency Response Team for assessment and follow-up. WE encourage you to report members of your family or friends with these symptoms to the Ministry of Health. Your report will be held and treated with absolute confidentiality. The Ministry of Health has already provided the emergency telephone numbers for you to contact the State’s emergency team at any time of the day.

Given the measures aforestated, it is our belief that there is no need to shut down our public schools, which are supposed to close in a week’s time.

I urge you to go about your normal duties.'' he said

SOURCE: https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2020/3/coronavirus-no-plans-to-shut-down-schools-in-akwa-ibom-governor-emmanuel-udom-says.html

The Senate leadership has directed senators who recently returned from an official trip from Europe to go for coronavirus test immediately.

Members of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream returned to Nigeria this week from a three-day international training programme, organised by Skills and Career Support Centre in London.

The programme started on March 13, and ended on Sunday, March 15.

Addressing journalists in Abuja after plenary on Thursday, the Senate spokesperson, Senator Godiya Akwashiki, said the affected senators had been asked to go for test.

He said, “Senate President urged those that just returned from foreign trip to do the test from tomorrow because as leaders we should show example to others.”

Akwashiki said the leadership of the Senate would meet with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), if he failed to address Nigerians on the issue of coronavirus.

He said, “I want to believe that in the next one week, if he didn’t address the nation, the leadership of the Senate will engage the executive arm of government because it is a serious issue.

“I want to ask for a little patient with the President to address the nation.”

He said some senators during the closed session advocated the immediate closure of the National Assembly and the suspension of plenary but that the Senate President said it would be a hasty action.

Earlier at plenary, Lawan announced the decision of the Senate to suspend public hearings and restrict access to its chamber over coronavirus.

Lawan said, “The Senate resolves to suspend all public hearings till further notice as a result of COVID-19.

“In addition, the Senate gallery will remain closed to the public till further notice including excursions from schools and organisations from Tuesday, 24th of March, 2020,” Lawan said.

Meanwhile, the Presidency rose in defence of Buhari’s alleged silence on the coronavirus, especially his failure to address the nation like other world leaders had done.

The Presidency said his silence did not mean “complacency” as he had activated all relevant government agencies to respond adequately to the pandemic.

His media aide, Mr Garba Shehu, in a statement, said, “To prevent the spread of cases imported into Nigeria, the President has already ordered the restriction of travel from 13 countries, each with more than 1,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19. Government has also suspended visas issued to nationals of these countries.”

The Presidency insisted that the regime was on top of the situation, using all means available, including government-owned media, to sensitise Nigerians.

On measures taken to cushion the effects of coronavirus, the Presidency stated, “The President instructed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to reduce the pump price of fuel. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a crash in the global price of crude oil, and the President decided that every Nigerian should benefit from this. Subsequently, the NNPC announced a N20 deduction, and the pump price of fuel has now been reduced from N145 per litre to N125 per litre.

“The CBN on Monday announced a credit relief of N1.1tn to businesses affected by the pandemic. The bank has also established a facility for household, small and medium enterprises and announced a reduction of interest rates for loans from 9 per cent to 5 per cent.

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/senators-on-recent-foreign-trips-to-undergo-covid-19-test/