₦airaland Forum

Patrick Lumumba, a Kenyan lawyer who served as the director of Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, says Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the candidate Africa should back for the World Trade Organisation top job. Lumumba, who is from the same country as Amina Mohamed, who is also contesting for the job, said Okonjo-Iweala is the better candidate — based on credentials.

Speaking during an interview with Osasu Igbinedion on The Osasu Show, Lumumba said Africans have a way of competing against each other rather than complementing each other.

“Our lack of coordination, different things that we should do jointly, and with one voice, we don’t,” he said. “Recently when we were competing for the non-permanent membership of the UN security council, Djibouti was competing with Kenya. Why?

“Right now, there is the WTO; Okonjo-Iweala is the candidate we should back, given her credentials. Now, a Kenyan candidate has emerged, an Egyptian candidate has emerged — we are going to be manipulated and none of the Africans is going to get it. We’ve got to learn to do things properly as a continent. And when we do that, we’ll be stronger and ultimately, our populations would benefit from it.”

There are 8 candidates for the WTO top job — and 3 of them are from Africa.

SOURCE: https://www.thecable.ng/patrick-lumumba-picks-okonjo-iweala-over-his-countrys-candidate-for-wto-top-job

An aluminium fabricator, Obi Oguzie, has accused operatives of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit (task force) of destroying his vehicle after seizing it for an alleged traffic offence. Oguzie told PUNCH Metro that after the task force personnel confiscated the vehicle, they claimed they were taking it to their office in the Costain area of the state.

He alleged that the vehicle was handed over to a garage boy working for the task force to drive to the office, adding that it became flooded on the way. The 49-year-old said as he begged the personnel to stop the vehicle, his pleas fell on deaf ears as they insisted on taking it to their office.

He noted that after paying a fine of N10,000, he discovered that the vehicle’s engine had knocked. Oguzie stated, “I was arrested by the task force operatives for driving against the traffic around Orile on June 29, 2020, and my vehicle was confiscated. The personnel collected my car key and gave it to one of the garage boys working for them to drive the vehicle to their office.

“I pleaded with them but I was told to go to their office in Costain. I went there and waited for them, but by the time they came, I discovered that my vehicle was being pushed into the premises, so I approached the person, who drove it to inquire what happened to my vehicle, but he did not answer me.

“I met the team leader to demand an explanation, but he threatened to tow my vehicle to Ikorodu; so, I went back to the person who drove my vehicle and he told me that it collided with another vehicle and that my car’s cooling system started flooding. I called my brother, who is attached to the Nigeria Police Force HQ to speak with the team leader and when he spoke to him, the leader told me to come back the next day and that my vehicle would have been fixed, but when I got there the following day, he gave me a ticket of N50,000 and refused to repair the car.

“My vehicle was later towed to their office in Oshodi and when I pleaded with the team leader again that I only had N10,000, he collected the money and asked me to tow the vehicle out of their office, but when my mechanic checked, it was discovered that the engine had knocked and when I told the team leader about it, he promised that it would be repaired, but all efforts to get him to repair the vehicle have proved abortive as he no longer takes my calls.”

However, the Head of Public Affairs Unit of the agency, Adebayo Taofiq, when contacted by our correspondent, said he was not aware of the incident. “I am not aware of this matter. Please tell the victim to come to our office so that we can investigate the incident,” he stated.

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/aluminium-fabricator-accuses-lagos-task-force-of-destroying-vehicle/

1. There are approximation 96,000 km of blood vessels in your body.
2. Without food a person dies within a few weeks but lack of sleep kills faster.
3. Just like fingerprints, each person has a unique tongue print.
4. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
5. A cough travels at about 96 km per hour but a sneeze exceeds 160 km/hrs.
6. Stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve razor blades.
7. One-quarter of all human bones are found in the feet (52 out of total 206).
8. It is impossible to tickle yourself.
9. The only part of the human body that cannot repair itself is the tooth.
10. The human nose can remember 50,000 different scents.

France Football, organisers of the Ballon d’Or, have cancelled the 2020 edition of the award due to the “exceptional circumstances” the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the season. In a statement on Monday, the organisers said the prestigious prize will not be handed out this season due to “lack of sufficient fair conditions”.

The development makes it the first of its kind in the award’s history. The Ballon d’Or has been given out every year since Stanley Matthews won the first one in 1956.Lionel Messi has won it a record 6 times – one more than longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

“For the first time in its history, which began in 1956, the Ballon d’Or will not be awarded in 2020, due to the lack of sufficient fair conditions,” France Football wrote in a statement. “Messi and Rapinoe (as well as De Ligt and Alisson, winners of the Kopa and Yachine Trophies) will have to wait a year. The winners of the last edition of the BO will have no successors at the end of the year. Because there will be no Ballon d’Or 2020 edition.

“Why? Because such a singular year cannot – and should not – be treated as an ordinary year. When in doubt, it is better to abstain than to persist. Because the Ballon d’Or trophy conveys other values – like exemplarity, solidarity and responsibility – rather than merely sporting excellence alone.

“Because the fairness that prevails for this honorary title could not be preserved, in particular at the statistical level and also in the preparation since all the aspirants to the award could not be rightly compared, some having seen their season cut radically short, others not. So how can we compare the incomparable? Because of our approximately 220 jurors (men and women combined) distributed around the world, some may have been distracted or diverted from their observation due to other priorities and emergencies to manage.

“We did not want to put an indelible asterisk on the prize list like “trophy won in exceptional circumstances due to the Covid-19 health crisis”. We will always prefer a small sprain to our history to a large scar. This is the first time since 1956 that the Ballon d’Or has taken a break. The situation does not enchant us but seems to us the most responsible and logical decision. Protecting the credibility and legitimacy of such an award also means protecting it over time.

“The Ballon d’Or story is too precious to take the risk of damaging it with a wobbly exercise. In these turbulent times, taking a break is a luxury and an invaluable necessity. So that football, as a whole, regains momentum, passion and emotion.”

The Ballon d’Or is presided over by France Football, having been a FIFA award from 2010 to 2015.

SOURCE: https://www.thecable.ng/covid-19-ballon-dor-cancelled-for-first-time-since-1956

One picture is worth a thousand words.

See attached reasons we should include bananas in our daily diet...

Founded 2007 and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has become a global reference for health statistics, especially its annual Global Burden of Disease reports. Below are some key highlights of a study led by an international team of researchers, published in The Lancet on Wednesday 15 July 2020.

THE WORLD IN YEAR 2100
1. Nigeria will move from 7th position today, to become 2nd most populous country in the world, with 791m.
2. India will move from 2nd position today to become No 1, with 1.09 billion population.
3. China will move from 1st to become No 3, with 732m.
4. USA will move from 3rd to 4th position, with 336m.
5. Total world population will be 8.8b in year 2100, from 7.8b today.
6. More than 20 countries, including Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain & Thailand, will reduce by at least 50% by year 2100.
7. Out of 195 countries, 183 will have fallen below replacement threshold for maintaining population levels.
8. Sub-Saharan Africa will triple to approx 3b, with Nigeria alone reaching almost 800m population.
9. Most countries outside Africa will see shrinking workforces and inverting population pyramids, with profound negative consequences for their economies.
10. As fertility falls and life expectancy improves, number of children under age 5 will drop more than 40%, from 681m in 2017 to 401m in 2100.
11. Number of people aged above 80 will jump from 140m today to 866m.
12. Due to fewer workers/taxpayers, many countries will struggle to grow economically e.g. working age people in China will drop 62% from about 950m today to just over 350m by 2100.
13. In Nigeria, the active labour force will expand 425% from 86m today to more than 450m by 2100.
14. Nigeria's GDP will improve from 27th today to become the 9th global economy.
15. By 2100, the world "will be multipolar, with India, Nigeria, China and the USA the dominant powers," said Richard Horton, describing the study as outlining "radical shifts in geopolitical power".

SOURCES:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/population-20-countries-halve-2100-study-200715061706992.html

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30677-2/fulltext

https://www.thelancet.com/infographics/population-forecast

https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/countries-by-gdp

https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-country/

To determine the best performing Funds, we looked at Fund Prices as of last business day December 2019 and compared to fund prices at last trading day June 2020. Below are the top 5. We also included profiles of the funds as described in their websites.

1. NEW GOLD ETF
Vetiva’s NewGold Exchange Traded Fund (NewGold) is an Exchange Traded Fund listed on The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in December 2011. It tracks price of gold and offers institutional and retail investors opportunity to invest in a listed instrument (structured as a debenture) fully backed by gold bullion. Each NewGold security is equivalent to approximately 1/100 ounces of real gold bullion held in a secured stockpile of gold bullion. All gold is kept in form of London Gold Delivery Bars and Good Delivery Standards are prescribed by LBMA.

December 27th: Fund Price – N5,220
June 26th: Fund Price – N8,000
Return – 53.3%
Ranking – FIRST
Commentary: Gold prices have been on the up since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold of the global economy. Investors are uncertain and as history shows, gold prices are always up during market uncertainty. If you are looking for protective investment in times of uncertainty then this is the best performing fund so far.

2. FBN NIGERIA SMART BETA EQUITY FUND
FBNH owned Smart Beta Equity Fund is a pure equity fund that invests predominantly in a portfolio of Nigerian companies, using a rigorous, research-based and tested evaluation ssystem. It provides long-term capital preservation by investing at least 75% of assets (excluding cash and cash equivalents) in a diversified portfolio of high-quality companies listed on NSE. In order to manage liquidity, the fund may also invest up to 25% in short-term money market instruments and deposits with financial institutions.

December 27th: Fund Price – N129.17
June 26th: Fund Price – N197.29
Return – 52.7%
Ranking – SECOND
Commentary: For a fund predominantly focused on equities, this a pretty impressive performance. For example, NSE All-Share Index is down 9.8% year to date. If you are worried about investing in stocks and don’t have the heart for it and are looking for a mutual fund, then this is the best performing fund out there.

3. VANTAGE BALANCED FUND
Investment One’s Vantage Balance Fund (launched 2002) is focused on long term capital appreciation, achieved by maintaining flexible diversified portfolio of equities, fixed income, money market, and real estate. Assets are high-quality equity instruments quoted on NSE while the bond issuers have investment-grade rating from a credit rating agency registered by SEC.

December 27th: Fund Price – N2.21
June 26th: Fund Price – N2.87
Return – 29.9%
Ranking – THIRD
Commentary: This is a Mixed fund as it invests in a diverse pool of assets. Interesting to note that managers of this fund also have an Equity-Based Fund, a Dollar Fund, and a Fixed Income Fund. But none of them come close to the Balanced Fund. If you are looking for a portfolio with a good mix of investment assets then this is the best performing as of June 2020.

4. LEGACY USD BOND FUND
FCMB Asset Management Owned Legacy USD Bond Fund (launched 2018) is a SEC-registered US Dollar-denominated Collective Investment Scheme, structured as a high-yield mutual fund. It seeks to generate stable income over the long-term by investing in credit-rated US Dollar-denominated fixed income securities issued by the Nigerian Government, supranational bodies, and corporate entities.

December 27th: Fund Price – N306.5
June 26th: Fund Price – N360.5
Return – 24.4%
Ranking – FOURTH
Commentary: it is the best performing mutual fund if you are looking for dollar-denominated fixed-income debt securities like Eurobonds. At 24.4% they seem to be holding bonds with good yields and market value. Apart from the Bond Fund, managers of the Legacy Bond Fund also manage a Fixed Income Fund, a Money Market Fund and an Equity Fund. If you are looking to invest in Eurobonds then this mutual fund is the best performing.

5. VANTAGE DOLLAR FUND
Investment One’s Vantage Dollar Fund (launched 2018) is a SEC registered open-ended Unit Trust Scheme in Nigeria. It seeks to provide investors with bias for Dollar-denominated securities access to such securities, which ordinarily would be inaccessible by virtue of minimum amounts typically required for such investments. It invests primarily in Corporate and Sovereign Eurobonds.

December 27th: Fund Price – N401.02
June 26th: Fund Price – N469.2
Return – 17.0%
Ranking – FIFTH
Commentary: This is the second dollar mutual fund on the list and the second from Investment One to make the list of best 5. It appears they have the hang of fund management. Dollar Mutual funds are a great form of investment and it is great to see another in the top 5. Thus, if you want another option, then this is one you can also go for.

BUBBLING UNDER: The following funds make up the rest of the top 5 on our list and in descending order.

6. AIICO Balanced Fund
7. VI ETF
8. Coronation Fixed Income Fund
9. CEAT Fixed Income Fund
10. United Capital Euro Bond Fund

SOURCE (abridged): https://nairametrics.com/2020/07/13/best-mutual-funds-in-nigeria-half-year-2020/

Mutual Funds are a great form of investment especially for passive investors. According to data from the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigeria has about 107 Mutual Funds across several Fund Types. Below is a breakdown of Fund Types available for investors according to SEC.

Effective August 1, banks will be able to debit accounts of loan holders in other banks to settle defaults. This is according to global standing instruction (GSI) guidelines published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday 13 July 2020. CBN said the GSI, which was developed in collaboration with stakeholders, should be the last resort used by a bank to settle loan defaults.

The apex bank said the directive would apply to eligible loans granted from August 28, 2019. At its meeting that held on August 26, 2019, the bankers’ committee of the CBN agreed that loan defaults be settled using customers’ deposits in other banks.

“The GSI shall serve as a last resort by a creditor bank, without recourse to the borrower, to recover past-due obligations (principal and accrued interest only, excluding any penal charges) from a defaulting borrower through a direct set-off from deposits/investments held in the borrower’s qualifying bank accounts with participating financial institutions,” the guideline document read.

A bank setoff happens when a financial institution removes money from a deposit account to cover a missed payment on a loan. CBN listed objectives of the GSI to include facilitating improved credit repayment culture, reducing non-performing loans (NPLs) in the banking industry and watch-listing consistent loan defaulters. It warned banks not to use the GSI to recover penal charges that may have accrued on a credit/loan and included as part of outstanding balances/obligations of a borrower.

According to the guidelines, the account types that the standing instruction can be applied to include individual and joint savings accounts, current accounts, domiciliary accounts, investment/deposit accounts (naira and foreign currency), and electronic wallets. Banks already have to get the credit history of customers before approving loans.

CBN said banks must regularly report to CBN on recoveries made through the GSI and releases made to other banks. In the event of wrongful debit, the guideline provides that an erring bank would be made to take full liability and pay a flat fine of N500,000 per incident.

SOURCE (abridged): https://www.thecable.ng/from-august-1-loan-defaults-will-be-settled-using-funds-in-other-banks

Expectations that the 3 million-metric-ton Dangote Fertilizer plant will come on stream next year is giving hope to farmers across Nigeria, who over the years have struggled with expensive and inadequate supply of fertilisers which at times also came at inferior quality. A comment this week, attributed to a top executive at a firm involved in constructing the Dangote Fertilizer plant, has suggested it will be ready for operation in 2021.

“The 2021 start date for Dangote Fertilizer is what I would refer to as light at the end of the tunnel. Though still a few months away, it is bound to alleviate the pains of farmers,” said Folake Aina, managing director, VD&S Farmers’ Centre, which retails agricultural inputs and offers advisory services to farmers in Epe area of Lagos.

In 2018, the West African Fertilizer Association put fertiliser consumption in Nigeria at 1.4m metric tons, whereas the country has an estimated demand of 6m metric tons, according to a presentation by Gideon Negedu, executive secretary, Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN). Farm productivity in Nigeria has ranked among the lowest in the world, with output for different crops from maize to tomato, rice, cassava (and any crop one could mention) falling below world averages. While output is not entirely due to fertiliser, its usage or non-usage contributes significantly to output.

In June 2006, part of the resolutions adopted by the African Union Special Summit of the Heads of State and Government in the famed ‘Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for the African Green Revolution’ sought to increase fertilizer usage across the continent from 8kg to 50kg of nutrients per hectare by 2015. It is currently estimated that Nigeria only uses about 23kg (less than 50% of the target).

Dangote coming on stream with 3m metric tons per annum Urea will cover about half the country’s fertilizer needs, putting the direly-needed input within reach of more farmers, and helping to take the country closer to food security. The facility, located in Ibeju Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos, is the largest fertilizer plant in West Africa, according to the company.

“The emergence of Dangote Fertilizer will impact supply greatly and farmers will be able to access fertilizers more readily and probably at more affordable prices,” said Kabiru Ibrahim, national president, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), in a Whatsapp chat. According to Ibrahim, going by the company’s antecedents in cement, it is expected to make fertiliser available to smallholder farmers readily and at an affordable price. “Nigerian farmers look forward to fertiliser becoming available like Coca-Cola,” he enthused.

Phase 1 one of the Dangote Fertilizer project which is estimated to cost $2.5bn is to manufacture 3m metric tons per annum of Urea. The capacity will later be expanded to produce multi grades of fertilizers to meet soil, crop and climate-specific requirement for the African continent, according to a project fact sheet shared with BusinessDay.

Africanfarmer Mogaji, chairman, Agric & Agro-Allied Group, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), reckons the Dangote Fertilizer plant will be a game changer in the agric space when it takes off. “We can get quality because that is the biggest challenge in the sector,” Mogaji told BusinessDay. “Most of the fertilizers we have contain a lot of fillers used to beef up the product (in a misleading way). Most times when you have the NPK 15-15-15, it is mostly like 7-7-7 or 10-10-10, so farmers have to use double to get the required results.”

This negates efforts of farmers who use single applications, where, for instance, a farmer who should uses 10 bags of the substandard fertilizers per hectare should in fact be using 20 bags. “For a long time, farmers have been agitated over lack of fertilizers for their planting. This scarcity led to astronomical increase in prices of the little available quantity, making business tougher and less profitable for farmers,” said Aina of VD&S Farmers’ Centre.

Like other farmers, input suppliers and stakeholders in the sector, she expressed optimism that the Dangote facility would lead to a surge in agricultural output in the country, and with this, likelihood of reduced cost of food items for individuals and manufacturers who use agricultural inputs.

SOURCE (abridged): https://businessday.ng/lead-story/article/farmers-anticipate-productivity-boom-on-dangote-fertilisers-2021-completion-plan/

In December 2019, the coronavirus was seemingly confined to China. But, few weeks later, the virus, which causes COVID-19, became a global pandemic. It has now been reported in at least 188 countries.

Here are a few countries that have not reported any cases of the coronavirus so far:

1. Kiribati
2. Marshall Islands
3. Micronesia
4. Nauru
5. North Korea
6. Palau
7. Samoa
8. Solomon Islands
9. Tonga
10. Turkmenistan
11. Tuvalu
12. Vanuatu

SOURCE (abridged): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/countries-reported-coronavirus-cases-200412093314762.html

As clashes over face-covering mandates and school reopening intensified throughout the USA, the country shattered its single-day record for new cases on Thursday — more than 75,600, according to a New York Times database.

This was the 11th time in the past month that the record had been broken. The number has more than doubled since June 24, when the country registered 37,014 cases after a lull in the outbreak had kept the previous record, 36,738, standing for two months. As of Wednesday, the country’s 7-day average case number exceeded 63,000, up from about 22,200 a month before. The previous single-day record, 68,241 cases, was announced last Friday.

Thursday’s record included more than 5,000 cases in Bexar County, Texas, which contains San Antonio, where numbers spiked in part because of a backlog in test reporting. Florida on Thursday broke its single-day death record for the second time this week, reporting 156 new fatalities. It was one of 10 states to reach a record for deaths in a single day this week, joining Idaho, Alabama, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, Texas, Hawaii, Montana and South Carolina.

More than half the 50 states have issued mask requirements, including Arkansas, where Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, announced a face covering requirement on Thursday, after previously taking a more hands-off approach. Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado, a Democrat, also issued a mask order on Thursday, after questioning whether such a mandate would be enforceable. But there remains firm resistance in many circles, including some Republican leaders who view mask requirements as a threat to personal liberty.

Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, who announced this week that he was suspending all local mask mandates, filed a lawsuit on Thursday challenging the authority of leaders in Atlanta to require masks inside their city’s limits. Also Thursday, Dallas health officials announced the city’s public and private schools would conduct classes virtually for the first 3 weeks of the school year, which begins Aug. 17. Several other large school districts have announced plans to rely on distance learning when they reopen for the upcoming school year, bucking pressure from the Trump administration.

The White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, on Thursday reiterated President Trump’s view that schools must open in the fall. “When he says open,” she said, “he means open and full, kids being able to attend each and every day at their school. The science should not stand in the way of this.”

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., noted in an interview Thursday on Facebook with its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, that after its initial peak, the nation never succeeded in driving the virus beneath a plateau of about 20,000 new cases a day.

“What I think we need to do, and my colleagues agree, is we really almost need to regroup, call a timeout — not necessarily lock down again, but say that we’ve got to do this in a more measured way,” Dr. Fauci said. “We’ve got to get our arms around this and we’ve got to get this controlled.”

INDIA HITS A MILLION CASES IN A SURGE THAT HAS FORCED A RETURN TO LOCKDOWNS
India on Friday surpassed a million confirmed infections and 25,000 deaths, weeks after the government lifted a nationwide lockdown in hopes of getting the economy up and running.

Back in March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was one of the first to impose a national lockdown to slow the pandemic. But that drove many migrant workers out of crowded cities and back to their home villages, where some of them spread the virus.

The lockdown came at a steep economic cost, and Mr. Modi lifted it last month. Now India is recording about 30,000 new cases a day, almost 3 times as many as a month ago, and with testing still sparse, the true figure is likely to be much higher. Critics say Mr. Modi imposed the lockdown before it was needed, then lifted it too soon. In his defense, he has pointed to wealthier countries where the official death toll has been 20 to 50 times as high, relative to the size of their populations, as in India.

Regardless, India now ranks 3rd in the world (behind only the United States and Brazil) in both total infections and number of new cases recorded each day. Along with South Africa, the 4 countries accounted for two-thirds of the 230,000 new cases that were reported worldwide on Wednesday.

The rate of new cases in India is on track to soon overtake Brazil, where the caseload has surpassed 2 million but the spread of the virus has leveled off. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology estimate that by end of next year, India will have the worst outbreak in the world.

“We have paid a price for laxity,” said K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India, a nonprofit organization of public health experts and academics.

SOURCE (abridged): https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/world/coronavirus-updates.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20200716&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta&regi_id=138433149&segment_id=33611&user_id=5a22037c923790f1af6288c316ac1bde

5. HUSHPUPPI
Real name: Ramon Igbalode Olorunwa Abass.
Alias: Hushpuppi, Aja Puppi, Aja 4.
Gender: Male.
Date of birth: 11 Oct 1982.
Place of origin: Ekore-Oworonsoki, Kosofe LGA, Lagos State.
Education: Command Children School.
Period of fraud operation: Unknown - 2020.
Worst infamy: Defrauded 1,926,400 victims to the tune of $435m.
Lifestyle: Flamboyant.
Denouement: Charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the USA for fraud and currently undergoing trial.

4. INVICTUS OBI
Real name: Obinwanne Okeke.
Alias: Invictus Obi.
Gender: Male.
Date of birth: 9 Nov 1987.
Place of origin: Ukpor Village, Nnewi South LGA, Anambra State.
Education: Bachelor's degree and Master’s degree (MA) in International Relations & Counter Terrorism (cum laude) from Monash University, Australia.
Period of fraud operation: 2009 - 2019.
Worst infamy: Committed Internet fraud of $12m.
Lifestyle: Flamboyant.
Denouement: Charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the USA for fraud and currently undergoing trial.

3. FRED AJUDUA
Real name: Fred Chijindu Ajudua.
Alias: Fred Ajudua.
Gender: Male.
Date of birth: Unknown.
Place of origin: Ibusa aka Igbuzor, Oshimili North LGA, Delta State.
Education: Graduate of Law, University of Benin.
Period of fraud operation: 1993 - 2014.
Worst infamy: Swindled rtd Lieut-Gen Ishaya Bamaiyi of $8.4m.
Lifestyle: Flamboyant.
Denouement: Previously convicted and served 5 years in prison for various scams; currently undergoing trial for the Bamaiyi fraud case.

2. PAUL OGWUMA ODINIGWE
Real name: Emmanuel Nwude Odinigwe.
Alias: Paul Ogwuma Odinigwe.
Gender: Male.
Date of birth: Unknown.
Place of origin: Abagana, Njikoka LGA, Anambra State.
Education: Unknown.
Period of fraud operation: 1995 - 1998.
Worst infamy: Impersonated Paul Ogwuma (then CBN Governor) and sold a non-existent airport for $242m to a Brazilian, Nelson Sakaguchi. At the time, it was the 3rd highest bank scam in world history.
Lifestyle: Flamboyant.
Denouement: Sentenced in 2005 to five concurrent sentences of 5 years; the entirety of his assets were confiscated to be returned to the victim, and he was also asked to pay $10m fine to the Federal Govt. He was released from prison in 2006, but was arrested in 2016 on a murder charge and is currently in Awka prison awaiting trial.

1. ADE BENDEL
Real name: Adedeji Alumile Ademiluyi Elumalu.
Aliases: Ade Bendel; Grandfather of fraudsters.
Gender: Male.
Born: 1966.
Place of origin: Ihievbe Town, Owan East LGA, Edo State.
Education: Never finished Primary School.
Period of fraud operation: 1992 -- early 2000s.
Worst infamy: Duped rtd. Brig-Gen Abba Kyari of N500m.
Lifestyle: Flamboyant.
Denouement: Sentenced in December 2003 to 6 years imprisonment, by an Ikeja high court. Served the sentence in Kirikiri maximum prison. Got converted and became a Pastor while in prison.

Charcoal fumes have reportedly killed a 65 year old woman, Obiageli Ezeuboaja, and her 12 year old houseboy, Chikamso, in Anambra State. This happened in Umuchiana village, Ekwulobia, Aguata LGA of the state. Our correspondent gathered the woman made fire with charcoals in order to warm the room due to cold weather, and she and the houseboy slept off with windows closed.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the incident to our correspondent. He said, “There was a report at the Aguata Police Station by one Bernard Ezeuboaja of Umuchiana village, Ekwulobia, Anambra State, that around 9am, he discovered that his wife, Obiageli Ezeuboaja, 65, and her houseboy, one Chikamso, 12, did not wake up from sleep since the previous night. As a result, he opened the door and discovered their lifeless bodies.

“Police detectives attached to the Aguata Division visited the scene and rushed the victims to hospital for medical attention, but they were pronounced dead on arrival by a medical doctor. Preliminary investigation revealed the deceased made fire with charcoals in order to warm the room due to the cold weather and left all windows closed and without ventilation.”

Mohammed said the charcoal container was recovered as exhibit, while the corpses had been deposited in Ekwulobia Hospital mortuary for an autopsy. He added that investigation was ongoing to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.

SOURCE (abridged): https://punchng.com/charcoal-fumes-kill-woman-houseboy-in-anambra/

Popular Nollywood actor John Okafor aka Mr. Ibu has weighed in his opinion about the coronavirus pandemic known to have brought the world to a great pause at the turn of the year, leaving thousands of deaths in its wake. He believes it is a problem for the Western world and has questioned why the Nigerian government is invested in it like their European counterparts.

The movie star made this known during a chat with The Nation where he declared he does not believe in the existence of the novel virus within the country. According to him, Covid-19 is nothing but a sham in Nigeria as neither he nor any Nigerian knows anyone who has died from the disease. He also noted that he isn’t bothered about contacting the virus because it doesn’t exist.

He said:
“Nigeria, we are not supposed to be involved in this COVID-19. I see no reason why we should be involved. Only Nigerians in diaspora will have to partake in this devilish program. We at home are oblivious; we are not
supposed to be involved in any ceremony in trying to pretend or in trying to avoid. My brother, COVID-19 or 20 is not here, I don’t care.

“Why would China give us sickness and America embellish the technicality and then sell it to the world and people now begin to die when they know it’s killing. Thank God we have hot weather; the thing sef dey fear us. I no dey fear anything I dey wear cloth waka on my own. Nothing dey here; nobody don die for this whole area, if you go another area nobody don die, go to stadium nobody don die. Let’s be sorry for ourselves.

“I’m telling everybody not just government: say only what you know do not exaggerate. Na we dey take our mouth call sickness by im own; sickness dey pass on its own but na we dey call am for Nigeria. You won’t see COVID-19, it’s not here.”

On the rising numbers of cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria and activities of NCDC, Mr Ibu said: “You know anybody? Have you ever attended any burial and they say na this thing kill am? Have you ever gone to the hospital dem say this person na Covid dey hold am? Have you ever seen a family dem say somebody na Covid kill am yesterday for family wey you know? You cannot; dem say dem say na im me and you dey hear. Even the sickness dey fear us.

“Are they not human beings? Let them bring a picture of at least one person killed by COVID-19 and we find the family of such a person. COVID whatever is not in Nigeria, we have hot weather here, the disease is scared of us just as we are scared of it so it can’t come here. It has affected so many industries in the country, it has driven us away from work because of the lies and gossip. Na small thing e remain hunger for don kill me since, if no be say better people dey wey dey give money.”

At the time of this report, Nigeria has 33,616 confirmed cases of coronavirus with 754, deaths while 13,792 people have recovered from the novel virus.

SOURCE (abridged): https://africanglitz.com/2020/07/15/coronavirus-does-not-exist-in-nigeria-mr-ibu-says/

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says the mistakes of his administration were not out of selfishness. The ex-president served for 2 terms between 1999 and 2007, and was military head of state from 1976 to 1979. He made the comment in an interview with The Point newspaper, published in the tabloid’s Monday edition.

He said his administration’s mistakes were genuine, and that his government was devoid of personal interests.
“People who worked with me, it doesn’t matter where they come from, they remember what we did together. There is no question of favouritism, there is no question of, yes, this is my kith and kin. There is no question of this is my personal interest,” he said.

“I never say that we didn’t make mistake or we are perfect, but whatever mistake we made was a genuine mistake. It wasn’t a mistake we made as a result of selfishness.”

Obasanjo dismissed the claim he did not do enough for Yoruba land while president, saying his focus was on Nigeria as a whole. He said his non-partisanship currently is a reflection of his focus and commitment to Nigeria. “Some Yoruba have come to me and said you didn’t do enough for the Yoruba. I said, ‘Yes, did I do for Nigeria?’ They said, ‘You did’ I asked, is Yoruba not part of Nigeria? If I did as I could for Nigeria and Yoruba are part of Nigeria, then I have done for the Yoruba as well as I have done for Igbo, Hausa and so on. I think that must guide us,” he said.

“Yes the question is what is my guiding principle? Nigeria. You know it is true I became President on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Now I am not a PDP man, I am not an APC (All Progressives Congress) man, even I am not an ADC (African Democratic Congress) man. But if you ask for my party, I will say Nigeria is my party.”

The former president said Nigeria can be great with generational consistency in good leadership. He asked incumbent leaders to look beyond the moment because their actions will be a reference point later in future. “The point you must bear in mind is that this country can be a great country. We have everything to make this country great. And that is what always worries me. When you see what we can do, how to do it, and we are not doing it. That is really unfortunate,” he said.

“Can we get there? I believe we can. All we need is one generation of consistency in leadership, we will be there. That is what we need. We need one generation of right leadership consistently. When you are in a position of leadership, don’t think only of today, think of tomorrow, because, look, you would be a reference point. How did he perform? How did he do? What did he do? In future, people would refer to it. For one thing, I have no mind for malice. I cannot even think of malice. And when I have a job to do, I sink myself into it.”

SOURCE: https://www.thecable.ng/obasanjo-mistakes-of-my-administration-were-not-out-of-selfishness

The Federal Government on Monday said it would ban citizens from some countries from gaining entry into Nigeria in order to ensure safety at Nigerian airports and the country in general. It said this was another reason why government had not approved re-commencement of commercial international flights into and out of Nigeria.

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disclosed this in Abuja while speaking at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. He said, “On the question about when we are beginning international travels, certainly you are very aware that so many countries had placed ban on countries that we cannot go even from Nigeria. Also Nigeria, of course, will place ban on other countries that cannot come in here, because everyone is trying to keep safe.”

He added, “These and many other reasons will make us to be cautious, to study some more and to liaise with all the stakeholders and decide when we will open for international flights.” The minister said operators in the sector had wanted to fully open the airspace to local and international flights but safety must be given priority when making such decisions.

Sirika said, “In aviation, we want to open like yesterday because we are losing money; we are bleeding. But we must stay alive first before we are able to make money.” The minister also stated that domestic flights at airports were being staggered in order not to allow crowding at the airports.

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/covid-19-govt-to-ban-some-countries-from-nigeria/

See the attached for your information...

Negotiations between the Federal Government and China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) Limited for construction of the Ibadan Inland Dry Port is nearing completion, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) announced on Sunday. CRCC is the preferred bidder for the proposed dry port to be established in the capital of Oyo State.

The NSC, which described this as a major milestone, is the guarantor to the concession of the proposed 80,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit capacity dry port to be built on the basis of public-private partnership agreement. It said in a statement issued in Abuja by the Head, Public Relations, NSC, Rakiya Zubairu, that on completion, the facility would help address the problem of port congestion and gridlock in Apapa, Lagos.

The council said the Ibadan facility would be designated a port of destination where cargo would be consolidated for import and export, especially in the south-western part of Nigeria. “Among other uses, the dry port will provide a competitive cargo sorting centre, bulk breaking as well as cargo-tracking and truck management services,” Zubairu said.

The council said, “This project, which has been estimated at $94m (N43.24bn), will boost employment in Oyo State and other cities in the environs.” It said the Lagos-Kano standard gauge railway, currently under construction, was aligned to the proposed dry port, making it easy to convey cargo from the seaports in Lagos and to all destinations along the route.

The NSC said the negotiations emphasised utilisation of local content at each stage of development and operation of the facility. It said, “Having concluded this stage, an updated full business case compliance report will be produced. A draft agreement will be presented to the Federal Ministry of Justice and sent to the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission for vetting.

“After that, the Minister of Transportation will present the agreement to the Federal Executive Council. The concessionaire will then be taken to the site for sod-turning. It is expected that construction will commence immediately after the ceremony. The timeline for completion is 12 months.”

The council noted that the negotiations were moderated by the Federal Ministry of Transportation led by the acting Permanent Secretary and the Director, Maritime Services, Auwalu Suleiman. Other persons involved in the negotiations include the Director-General, ICRC, Chidi Izuwa, and a representative of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Jummai Katagum.

The 4-day negotiations also had the Secretary to Government of Oyo State, Olubamiwo Adeosun, in attendance, while the CRCC was led by its Deputy Managing Director, Jacques Liao.

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/nigeria-china-finalising-negotiations-on-n43-24bn-ibadan-port/

On June 29, Lagos Government inaugurated a private lab consortium to expand testing capacity for COVID-19 in the state. Findings however revealed that despite the already high cost of testing (at nearly double the monthly minimum wage) in the 7 accredited laboratories, some of them still levy extra charges they refer to as ‘logistics, home visit or mobilisation fee.’

The extra charges range from N10,000 to N50,000. Findings show that cost of the test might pose a challenge for the average citizen in the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, during a briefing at Alausa, said the private laboratories were selected through a rigorous validation process. Director of Lagos Biobank, Dr. Bamidele Mutiu, said the accredited laboratories had capacity to test for the virus “within the parameters of the COVID-19 Lagos testing strategy."

It may be recalled that, on April 19, the state government said in order to increase COVID-19 testing capacity in Lagos, it had set up sampling stations in the 20 local government areas for citizens who fit the case definition of COVID-19, to visit and drop samples for testing. PUNCH HealthWise had reported that the sampling stations did not take off as expected.

Meanwhile, the 7 private laboratories currently licensed by the state government to carry out COVID-1 tests are --Total Medical Services,
-- SynLab,
-- 54 Gene,
-- Medbury Medical Services,
-- Biologix Medical Services,
-- 02 Medical Services, and
-- Clina Lancet Laboratories;
while commissioner Abayomi reiterated more private laboratories will be accredited as soon as they go through the rigorous validation process set by government. “This is to avoid monopoly,” Abayomi explained, while reminding members of the public that the state’s public testing centres “are still free and accessible to all Lagosians.”

Such public laboratories are the
-- Lagos State Bio-bank at the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba;
-- Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba;
-- Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba; and the
-- Central Public Health Laboratory, Yaba.
As of July 6, a total number of 43,978 COVID-19 tests has been conducted in the state, the commissioner said.

Meanwhile, findings by our Correspondent show that cost of testing at any of the accredited private laboratories is N50,400 (an amount nearly double the monthly minimum wage of N30,000) effectively pricing it out of the reach of the majority of residents.

As if that is not a disincentive to go for COVID-19 testing, two of the private laboratories approached by our Correspondent said they charge extra N10,000 and N50,000 respectively for what they called “logistics” or “mobilisation.” In other words, clients stand to pay either N60,400 or N100,400 in any of the two centres if logistics or mobilisation fees are factored into their charges.

Although Prof. Abayomi had promised that, “as the public protector,” the state government would regulate cost of COVID-19 testing In Lagos, at 54gene, it was gathered that apart from the N50,400 payable for COVID-19 test, a client may also be required to pay an extra fee of N50,000 for “mobilisation,” based on certain conditions.

A gate man at its Lekki, Lagos Island office, told our Correspondent clients are not allowed to come to the centre for COVID-19 test. “You have to call the number on the website and they will put you through on the procedure. However, if it’s an organisation who wishes to have their staff tested, they can come here for the test; but in individual cases, samples are collected and brought here,” he said.

When PUNCH HealthWise called the number (07000544363) on its Facebook page, which the mobile caller detector, Trucaller, identified as ‘Janet-Gene,’ the responder explained that the biotechology company is not a walk-in centre for COVID-19. “It’s not a walk-in laboratory. If you are interested in having a COVID-19 test in our lab, you need to send an email to our official mail [hello@54gene.com] with details of the test you want, the capacity, the number of family and we will get back to you.”

According to her, 54gene used to conduct tests for only corporate bodies until recently when it decided to be testing individuals. “We just recently integrated private testing; we didn’t use to do that. We were targeting corporate companies. This has just been integrated and our target used to be a family or individuals from 10 [in number] and above.”

On the process for testing, Janet said there were sample collection centres in the state and that interested individuals will go to the one closest to them for sample collection. “Some people are not comfortable with us coming to their houses, so we have sample collection centres and we will choose the one closest to you and take your sample; but it depends on whatever works for you. If you want to do the test now, I can forward your details to the account officer, who will create an invoice for you and keep you updated as soon as possible.

“Once your sample is collected, we will get your biodata and create an account for you. Once done, you will get an email prompting you to verify your account. For verification, you will input a password and create a PIN, which will allow you to access your result within 48 hours once it is ready,” she said. On price payable, she said, “The regular price for COVID-19 testing is N50,400, but when you want us to come to where you stay, it will cost an extra N50,000 for mobilisation. That will be N100,400.”

When our Correspondent visited Medbury Medical Services, located at Lekki, it was gathered that testing started after the state government announced its inclusion. However, the designated place for the Polymerase Chain Reaction test is at the Ikeja office. “We were carrying out the test here, but since we have other clients coming in for other diagnostic tests and medical services, management had to decide to designate the Ikeja office for COVID-19 testing.

“Normally, when people come here, we carry out the test in their cars, as they are not allowed to come into the clinic,” the front desk officer told our Correspondent. Continuing, she said, “At the moment, I have to refer you to Ikeja where you will be attended to and you will get the information you need.”

When our Correspondent arrived the Ikeja clinic on Abba Johnson Crescent, it was observed that two individuals walked in to have their tests done. When asked the procedure for having a COVID-19 test, a lady who identified herself as Mosun said, “We don’t just allow people to come here because it is a sensitive period. So, we try to be discreet with it.

“We usually prefer to go to the person for the sample collection, but some people prefer coming to the clinic. So, the procedure is that you have to send an email or put a call through to the numbers on the website requesting the test and we will get back to you within 2 hours. “If you prefer coming here, then we will schedule an appointment with you within 2 to 3 days.

“We basically conduct tests for organisations or a group of people. But, we still carry out tests for individuals now since we have some people requesting the test. “It costs N50,400 and that is the fixed price from the Lagos State Government,” Mosun explained. Another lady who was identified as Bola added that visitors are not allowed into the clinic for safety purposes.

“It’s a PCR test and it takes less than 15 minutes, but the results are released within two days and maximum of three days.” Bola also disclosed that the organisation charges an extra fee for logistics. “Since some people prefer confidentiality and they want us to come to the house, we will charge for logistics, depending on location. “For instance, if you want us to come to Surulere, we will charge N10,000 for logistics.

“If the individuals are more than 30 in number, we prefer they come to our clinic; but if they are not up to that, we can go to the house and the test will be out within 2 to 3 days.” When asked the step to follow if one tests positive, Bola said, “You will be referred to Lagos State Government. We have an isolation preparation with the state government and if someone tests positive and you want us to take charge of the treatment, we will invite the NCDC officials to take it up from there; but it comes at a fee,” Mosun stated.

OUT OF REACH OF COMMON MAN--MEDICAL GUILD
Chairman, Medical Guild, Lagos, Dr. Oluwajimi Sodipo, in an interview with our Correspondent, said cost of testing is beyond reach of the common man. “The truth of the matter is that it is expensive beyond the reach of the common man. However, our view is that it is okay for as long as it does not affect ability of the populace to access COVID-19 testing at the government-owned facility and there is no reduction in the amount of testing at those facilities.

“Ideally, all efforts should be made for the curve to be driven down, because COVID-19 is a public health challenge, as, having one COVID-19 patient can expose many others,” Shodipo said. He said all efforts should be made to ensure that the price is affordable for all. The aim at the various private facilities should be increasing accessibility and not profit-making, because the [N54,000] price tag is not affordable for 99% of Nigerians,” Shodipo added.

IT IS EXORBITANT--NARD
President, National Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Aliyu Sokomba, said the amount being charged for the COVID-19 testing at the private centres is too high for people to afford. “The situation is terrible and, unfortunately, this is a country where private sectors operate unregulated. There is no reason for COVID-19 test to be as high as that. In fact, the test should be free; and if any private institution is allowed to test, the state should ensure it is done at a minimal price so it can be affordable for people,” Sokomba said.

He recommended that Lagos government should find a way to increase the number of public laboratories for COVID-19 testing in the state.

SOURCE (abridged): https://healthwise.punchng.com/lagos-laboratories-accredited-for-covid-19-testing-charge-extra-fees-ranging-from-n10000-to-n50000/

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: Bollywood actress and her eight-year-old daughter 'admitted to hospital' with COVID-19

Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her young daughter have been admitted to hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.

The 46-year-old Bollywood star and former Miss World and eight-year-old Aaradhya, who had been self-isolating at home, are being treated at Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital, Indian news agency ANI reported.

It comes just days after her actor husband Abhishek Bachchan, 44, and 77-year-old father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan - a Bollywood legend - were admitted to hospital after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/aishwarya-rai-bachchan-bollywood-actress-and-her-eight-year-old-daughter-admitted-to-hospital-with-covid-19-12031038

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT NIGERIA

1. Nigeria is currently 7TH MOST POPULOUS country in the world, with estimated population 206 million. It ranks after China, India, USA, Indonesia, Pakistan & Brazil, in that order. Nigeria has approx 15.4% of Africa's 1.34B population, and 2.64% of the world's 7.797B population. (REF: https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-country/ ).

2. It is 7TH LARGEST PRODUCER OF CRUDE OIL, after USA, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Canada & Norway. (REF: https://knoema.com/atlas/topics/Energy/Oil/Production-of-crude-oil ).

3. It is 5TH LARGEST PRODUCER OF COCOA, after Ivory Coast, Ghana, Ecuador & Cameroon. (Ref: https://www.statista.com/statistics/263855/cocoa-bean-production-worldwide-by-region/ ).

4. It is 4TH LARGEST PRODUCER OF SESAME SEED, after Myanmar, India and Tanzania. (REF: https://www.nationmaster.com/nmx/ranking/sesame-seed-production ).

5. Nigeria is the 3RD MOST MULTILINGUAL country on the planet, with at least 515 living languages. It ranks after Papua New Guinea's 840 and Indonesia's 710. Thus, 7.24% of the world’s total 7,117 living languages are found in Nigeria. (REF: https://www.ethnologue.com/enterprise-faq/which-countries-have-most-languages )

6. Nigeria's "Nollywood" is the 2ND LARGEST FILM INDUSTRY in the world by its output of approx 2,500 movies per year, ranking next only to India's "Bollywood". (REF: https://www.videoageinternational.net/2018/01/09/cover-stories/a-new-nollywood-a-close-second-to-bollywood-larger-than-hollywood/ ).

7. It is 2ND LARGEST PRODUCER OF GINGER, after India. (REF: https://www.atlasbig.com/en-gb/countries-by-ginger-production ).

8. Nigeria is the LARGEST ECONOMY IN AFRICA with GDP $496.12B, and is 27th globally. (REF: https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/countries-by-gdp/ ).

9. Nigeria has the current WEALTHIEST BLACK MAN & RICHEST AFRICAN in the world. He is a 63 year old named Aliko Dangote, with net worth over US$7b. (REF: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliko_Dangote ).

10. Nigerians are the MOST SUCCESSFUL ETHNIC GROUP IN THE USA. (REF: https://www.ozy.com/around-the-world/the-most-successful-ethnic-group-in-the-u-s-may-surprise-you/86885/ ).

11. Nigeria has THE BEST JOLLOF RICE in the world. (REF: me, prof2007).

When Maria Grette first discovered that the 58-year-old Danish man with whom she had fallen in love was actually a 24-year-old Nigerian "419" internet scammer, the 62-year-old Swede was distraught. But, soon, her feelings changed.

"The most terrible thing was not that he had cheated me, but that he had lost his innocence," she said. She became consumed with what she describes as "a profound need to make a difference to the people of Nigeria".

Ms Grette's relationship with Johnny (not his real name) began after an evening of fun and games with her girlfriends, during which they playfully created a profile for her on an online dating website. A few years before, she had gone through a traumatic divorce, and her friends teased her about finally starting a new relationship.

But when the fun of creating her profile was over, Ms Grette, who works as an arts teacher, painter and arts therapist, didn't give much further thought to the website. "I received messages telling me people had contacted me, but I never looked at them," she said.

Then, one day, she did. "I still don't know why," she said. "It was like a sudden impulse happening before I could stop it." That particular message was from a man who described himself as a Dane raised in South Carolina, USA; a civil engineer working on a contract in England; a widower with a son in a Manchester university. "I was caught up by the atmosphere and by something in his words," she said.

THE PREAMBLE
Johnny: "I wish I could see through your eyes and see what you like to see"
Maria: "I like to see the truth, and often the truth is more beautiful and greater than people dare to realize"
Johnny: "You talk in parables. I can´t wait to see you"
Maria: "I cant understand how you can think so dedicated of me, when you have never met me. That scares me."

They spent some time writing, then he called from a UK number. Ms Grette, who had lived in different countries across Europe, was surprised that she could not place the man's accent. She mentioned this to him but didn't give it too much thought.

He told her he was planning for his retirement; had Sweden in mind for a place to settle; owned a house in Denmark inherited from his parents; wanted to leave that to his son, Nick, who was very attached to it, while he looked for a new home for himself in Sweden.

"I wanted to meet him because I liked him," she said. "He had a way and a sweetness I had never known in a man before. And he was innocent in a way that puzzled me." Ms Grette put all these qualities down to "an old fashioned upbringing and an isolated life - living in hotels and spending his free time on golf courses owing to much travelling".

After 3 months of communicating, the man agreed to come over and visit her in Sweden. But before that, he and his son needed to make a quick trip to Nigeria for a job interview, he said.

Johnny called to let her know that he was at Heathrow Airport. And to say that he had landed in Nigeria. He also got her to speak with Nick. The next phone call was to tell her that he was in a Lagos hospital. They had been mugged, his son shot in the head, and they were without money and papers. Unfortunately, his bank did not have a branch in Africa, he added, so it would take time to transfer money from his UK account. Meanwhile, the hospital management was requesting €1000 to proceed with treatment.

THE REQUEST
"Honey, I am in the hospital right now using the doctor´s laptop to send you this message so you can know my situation. Honey, if Nick dies I will also die with him, I have been crying, I wish I could call you, I wish I never came here, I will never forgive myself for bringing Nick along with me. I will call you with the doctor´s phone and send you an email later if I have the chance.

"Honey, I am happy to hear from you and I am still at the hospital. The doctor said we were lucky we were not kidnapped. The bank does not have a location in Africa, so it will take time to get money and the management are requesting 1000 euros to proceed with treatment. Nick is all I have got and I will not forgive myself if anything happens to him. I am confused, and I do not know where to turn at the moment......"

"I will never forget how I rushed to the Western Union office, trembling while I did the transfer," Ms Grette said. "All I could think of was to get the two persons in Nigeria out of danger."

The plot developed after that initial transfer. Medical complications called for more money. The doctors demanded more advance fees. Several thousands of euro later, in what she describes as "coming to her senses", Maria realised something was amiss. She stopped responding to his messages.

Three weeks after her silence, he called her and confessed. He told her that he was not who she thought he was. "I said I already knew that. I asked him to tell me his true identity and he did." He was a 24-year-old Nigerian "419" scammer. He had finished university 2 years earlier but had no job.

These kind of advance fee frauds are known as 419 scams in Nigeria after the section of the Criminal Code which covers fraud.

He further described himself as a "devil" who had wronged "a lovely woman". "He said he had never met anyone like me before, that he had been fighting his feelings for me for a long time. He said his scamming mates had warned him about falling in love with a 'client', that he had ignored them because he trusted me and did not want to lose contact with me."

THE REVEAL
From this point on, their communication took a new turn. There were no further requests for cash. "The attraction I started feeling was to the person who was revealing himself to me... It was still him, but with a new name and different age and circumstances," she said.

Johnny sent her a photograph of himself, but Maria was not satisfied with that. "I wanted to meet him," she said. "I could not live with this relationship unless it was adjusted to reality in all senses." Unable to get him a visa to travel to Sweden, she made up her mind to go to Nigeria.

In October 2009, Ms Grette travelled to Africa for the first time in her life. "When I saw him at the airport in Abuja, tears fell over his face, and I knew I had known him all my life." Ms Grette described her two weeks in Nigeria as blissful, a period during which she and Johnny succeeded in transforming their romantic feelings for each other into a good friendship.

She met his friends, many of whom were also scammers. It was while enjoying their company one night in a local bar that she began to wonder how she could make a difference. "I asked myself what I could do to prevent a situation where healthy, good young men fall into this trap," she said.

An idea came to her 2 years later, in 2011, after she saw an article on a Nigerian news website about an arts exhibition. Over the past 6 years, Ms Grette has arranged for a number of African artists to visit Europe for arts exhibitions, workshops, conferences and competitions. She has assisted them to source international grants and other funding to advance their work.

She has also visited Uganda to give talks on art, and is looking forward to another visit to Nigeria scheduled for later this year.

Ms Grette, now 69 and living in Norway, is elated at the opportunity to improve the lives of these young artists. "Johnny has given me more than he took," she said, "Without him, I would not have met Africa." When she'd visited him in Abuja, Johnny promised Ms Grette that he would give up scamming. With her assistance, he left Nigeria shortly afterwards, to study in America.

Although they have not met each other again since, she continued to provide him with financial assistance until he completed his degree a few years ago and got a job in the American oil sector. They still communicate frequently, updating themselves on each other's lives; and last year, he bought one of her paintings which she shipped over to him in America.

"He is very dear to me," she said. "He has asked me so many times to forgive him and I told him that the most important thing is to forgive himself."

SOURCE (abridged): https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37632259

Per capita, Japan has more elderly than any other country in the world. So, why haven't more people in Japan died from Covid-19? It is a macabre question that has spawned dozens of theories, from Japanese manners to claims that Japanese have superior immunity.

Japan does not have the lowest death rate for Covid-19; in the region, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam can all boast lower mortality. But in the early 2020, Japan saw fewer deaths than average. This is despite the fact that in April, Tokyo saw about 1,000 "excess deaths' - perhaps due to Covid. Yet, for the year as a whole, it is possible Japan's overall deaths will be lower than 2019.

This is particularly striking because Japan has many of the conditions that make it vulnerable to Covid-19, but it never adopted the energetic approach to tackling the virus that some of its neighbours did.

WHAT HAPPENED IN JAPAN?
At the height of the outbreak in Wuhan in February, when the city's hospitals were overwhelmed and the world put up walls to Chinese travellers, Japan kept borders open. As the virus spread, it quickly became clear that Covid is a disease that primarily kills the elderly and is massively amplified by crowds or prolonged close contact. Per capita, Japan has more elderly than any other country. Japan's population is also densely packed into huge cities.

Greater Tokyo has a mind-boggling 37 million people and for most of them, the only way to get around is on the city's notoriously packed trains. Then there is Japan's refusal to heed the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO) to "test, test, test". Even now, total PCR tests stand at just 348,000, or 0.27% of Japan's population.

Nor has Japan had a lockdown on the scale or severity of Europe. Early April, the government ordered a state of emergency. But the stay-at-home was voluntary. Non-essential businesses were asked to close, but there was no legal penalty for refusing.

Many paragons of Covid strategy, such as New Zealand and Vietnam, used tough measures including closing borders, tight lockdowns, large-scale testing and strict quarantines - but Japan did none of that. Yet, 5 months after the first Covid case was reported there, Japan has fewer than 20,000 confirmed cases and fewer than 1,000 deaths. The state of emergency has been lifted, and life is rapidly returning to normal.

There is also growing scientific evidence that Japan really has contained the spread of the disease - so far. Telecom giant Softbank carried out antibody testing on 40,000 employees, which showed that just 0.24% had been exposed to the virus. Randomised testing of 8,000 people in Tokyo and two other prefectures has shown even lower levels of exposure. In Tokyo just 0.1% came back positive.

As he announced lifting of the state of emergency late last month, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke proudly of the "Japan Model", intimating that other countries should learn from Japan.

IS THERE SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT JAPAN?
If you were to listen to Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, it is down to the "superior quality" of Japanese people. In a now notorious comment, Mr Aso said he had been asked by leaders of other countries to explain Japan's success. "I told these people: 'Between your country and our country, mindo (the level of people) is different.' And that made them speechless and quiet."

Literally translated, mindo means "people's level", although some have translated it as meaning "cultural level". It is a concept dating back to Japan's imperial era and denotes a sense of racial superiority and cultural chauvinism. Mr Aso has been roundly condemned for using it. But there is no doubt that many Japanese, and some scientists, think there is something about Japan that is different - a so called "Factor X" that is protecting the population from Covid-19.

It is possibly relevant that some aspects of Japanese mores (few hugs/kisses on greeting) have in-built social distancing, but nobody thinks that is the answer.

DOES JAPAN HAVE SPECIAL IMMUNITY?
Tokyo University professor Tatsuhiko Kodama (who studies how Japanese patients react to the virus) believes Japan may have had Covid before. Not Covid-19, but something similar that could have left behind "historical immunity".

This is how he explains it: When a virus enters the human body, the immune system produces antibodies that attack the invading pathogen. There are two types of antibody - IGM and IGG. How they respond can show whether someone has been exposed to the virus before, or something similar.

"In a primary (new) viral infection the IGM response usually comes first," he tells me. "Then the IGG response appears later. But in secondary cases (previous exposure) the lymphocyte already has memory, and so only the IGG response increases rapidly."

SO, WHAT HAPPENED WITH HIS PATIENTS?
"When we looked at the tests we were astonished... in all patients the IGG response came quickly, and the IGM response was later and weak. It looked like they had been previously exposed to a very similar virus."

He thinks it is possible a Sars-like virus has circulated in the region before, which may account for the low death rate, not just in Japan, but in much of China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South East Asia. This has been met with some scepticism.

"I am not sure how such a virus could be restricted to Asia," says Professor Kenji Shibuya, director of Public Health at Kings College, London and a former senior adviser to the government. Professor Shibuya does not discount the possibility of regional differences in immunity or genetic susceptibility to Covid. But he is suspicious of the idea of a "Factor X" that explains the mortality differences.

He thinks countries that have done well in the fight against Covid, have done so for the same reason - they succeeded in dramatically reducing transmission. Japanese people began wearing face masks more than 100 years ago during the 1919 flu pandemic and they've never really stopped. If you get a cough or a cold here it is expected that you will don a mask to protect those around you.

"I think it (a mask) acts as a physical barrier. But it also serves as a reminder to everybody to be mindful. That we still have to be careful around each other," says Keiji Fukuda, an influenza specialist and director of the School of Public Health at Hong Kong University.

Japan's track and trace system also goes back to the 1950s when it battled a wave of tuberculosis. The government set up a nationwide network of public health centres to identify new infections and report them to the health ministry. If community transmission is suspected, a specialist team is dispatched to track the infections, relying on meticulous human contact tracing and isolation.

JAPAN DISCOVERED THE THREE Cs EARLY
Japan also discovered two significant patterns early in the pandemic. Dr Kazuaki Jindai, a medical researcher at Kyoto university and member of the cluster-suppression taskforce, said data showed over 33% of infections originated in very similar places.

"Our figures... showed many infected people had visited music venues where there is screaming and singing... we knew that those were the places people needed to avoid." The team identified "heavy breathing in close proximity" including "singing at karaoke parlours, parties, cheering at clubs, conversations in bars and exercising in gyms" as the highest-risk activities.

Second, the team found that the infection's spread was down to a small percentage of those carrying the virus.
An early study found around 80% of those with Sars-CoV-2 did not infect others, while 20% were highly infectious.

These discoveries led to the government launching a nationwide campaign warning people to avoid the "Three Cs":
-- Closed spaces with poor ventilation
-- Crowded places with many people
-- Close contact settings such as face-to-face conversations.

"I think that probably worked better than just telling people to stay at home," Dr Jindai says. Although workplaces were left off the list, it was hoped the "Three Cs" campaign would slow the spread enough to avoid lockdown - and fewer infections means fewer deaths.

For a while it did - but then in mid-March infections in Tokyo jumped and the city looked like it was on the path to exponential growth, like Milan, London and New York. At this point Japan either got smart or got lucky. The jury is still out on which.

TIMING, TIMING
Professor Kenji Shibuya thinks the lessons from Japan are not so different from elsewhere: "To me, it was a timing lesson." Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered a (non-enforceable) state of emergency on 7 April, asking people to stay at home "if possible".

"If such measures were delayed, we might have experienced a similar situation like New York or London. The death rate (in Japan) is low. "But a recent study by Columbia University suggests that if New York had implemented lockdown measure two weeks earlier, it would have prevented tens of thousands of deaths," Prof Shibuya notes.

A recent report by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found people with underlying medical conditions such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes are 6 times more likely to be hospitalised if they get Covid-19 and 12 times more likely to die.

Japan has the lowest rates of coronary heart disease and obesity in the developed world. Still, scientists insist such vital signs do not explain everything. "Those kinds of physical differences may have some effect but I think the other areas are more important. We've learned from Covid that there is no simple explanation for any of the phenomena that we're seeing. It's a lot of factors contributing to the final outcome," says Prof Fukuda.

THE GOVERNMENT ASKED, PEOPLE LISTENED
To go back to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's boast of the "Japan Model" - is there a lesson to be learned? Does the fact that Japan has, so far, succeeded in keeping infections and deaths low, without shutting down or ordering people to stay at home, show a way forward? The answer is yes and no.

There is no "Factor X". Like everywhere else it has depended on the same thing - breaking the chain of transmission. In Japan, though, the government can count on the public to comply. Despite not ordering people to stay at home, on the whole, they did.

"It was lucky but also surprising," Prof Shibuya says. "Japan's mild lockdowns seems to have had a real lockdown effect. Japanese people complied despite the lack of draconian measures."

"How do you reduce contact between infected and uninfected people...? You need a certain kind of response from the public, which I don't think is going to be so easily replicated in other countries," adds Prof Fukuda.

Japan asked people to take care, stay away from crowded places, wear masks and wash their hands - and by and large, that is exactly what most people have done.

SOURCE (abridged): https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53188847?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

12. IKOGOSI WARM SPRING
Location: Ikogosi Town, Aramoko LGA, Ekiti State.
Founded: Discovered in 1950 by a Baptist Missionary.
Travel time: Approx 5 hours (Lagos to Ikogosi, 282 km via Lagos-Ibadan Expressway & Ibadan-Ilesha Expressway).
Environment: Tropical rain forest, hills, waterfalls, streams and rivers.
Activities: Hiking, rock-climbing, swimming, wildlife trail, fishing, meditation, picnics, warm spring, cold spring, amphitheatre, gym.
Room rates: From N12,500 per night.