₦airaland Forum

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ANGELA ONWUZOO

Consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists have alerted that Lagos State will experience an explosion of newborn babies in the next seven to eight months as a result of the recent lockdown due to the COVID -19 pandemic .

The maternal and child experts , Dr. Akinde Joseph , Chairman , Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria ( SOGON ) , Lagos State chapter and Dr . Modupe Adedeji , Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, also warned that except proactive steps are taken, there would also be more cases of mental health issues in the state, due to hundreds of unwanted pregnancies.

Dr . Joseph , a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist , said the lockdown has resulted in many unplanned pregnancies.
Speaking with PUNCH HealthWise in an exclusive interview , he said the nation must respond properly to a recent report on the impact of COVID -19 on maternal health and low patronage of family planning services by women.

It would be recalled that a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria , Prof. Oladapo Shittu, had recently said that the lockdown imposed to reduce community spread of COVID -19 resulted in fewer client visits at hospitals for family planning services .

According to Shittu, this poses concerns about reproductive health emergencies, such as unplanned pregnancies for the women who could not access care .

Shittu, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, had stated that an analysis of clinical data at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, revealed significant drop in client visit for family planning services from 150 in February to less than 50 at the end of May .

Speaking on the impact of the lockdown on maternal health in Lagos State , the SOGON chairman told our correspondent that besides increase in unintended pregnancies, the lockdown would further lead to increase in unsafe abortion and maternal death .

He explained , “ Though, we don’ t have the collation of the number of clients who visited Lagos hospitals for family planning services between February and May , what we are observing generally is that women are afraid of coming to the hospital to access the services because of COVID - 19.
“ The women feel that once they come to the hospital to utilise services, they will be infected with COVID - 19.

“ They forgot that once they don’ t use family planning and they are having regular sex , it will result in unplanned pregnancies.

To continue reading this story , go to
https: / / healthwise. punchng .com/
Copyright PUNCH.

All rights reserved.

Ada Wodu

The Nigerian Medical Association , Cross River State branch, has described as alarming the decision of the state government to begin a trial resumption of schools amid the COVID -19 pandemic , fearing pupils could contract the virus .

The association issued the warning on Saturday in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman , Dr Agam Ayuk , and Secretary , Dr Ezoke Epoke , after its ordinary general meeting which deliberated on the COVID -19 response in the state and the health sector.

The statement read in part, “ The declaration by the Cross River State Government of a trial resumption of three public schools in each of the three senatorial districts in the state on June 16, 2020, is alarming .

“ To the medical community , there is a lack of evidence to ascertain the actual COVID - 19 status and disease burden in the state due to the unacceptable low number of tests carried out.

“ The quick resumption of schools, despite genuine reasons, has the potential of significant disease outbreak among pupils. The association advocates the adoption of educational technologies to provide remote learning opportunities and educational programmes for pupils in public schools in the interim , which is currently being implemented by private schools until a national policy is introduced on the unified resumption of schools by the Federal Government . ”

The NMA further said the “ gross” under- testing of COVID -19 in the state was a significant public health concern, saying as of June 10, data by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control showed that the state had carried out only nine tests using the NCDC Molecular Laboratory.

Meanwhile, the state government has debunked the claim by the Bauchi State governor , Bala Mohammed, that 15 COVID - 19 patients in the northern state came from Cross River State .


SOURCE: PUNCH Newspaper.

Godisgreatest1:
And since when did Bauchi state become a neighbouring state to our beloved Cross River?..they travelled from south, to be diagnosed in the north, please check your map. Also, I didn't see where they stated the duration of their stay in Cross River. Last year, I travelled to Kano state, spent a day and returned....Cross Riverians are moving forward..are you?

Now I know where you are coming from. You don't know who I am or whether I am from there, yet you are saying all these. As a progressive, you will meet me at the top. My concern was for all the children at all the 18 LGAs.

Godisgreatest1:
If you are looking for answers to these questions you will experience the following:
(1) you will sit at home till 2023
(2) your children will end up constituting a nuisance, don't look at your leaders, their children are studying abroad were school has resumed.
(3) the issue of infant molestation and juvenile delinquency will be so serious that rape cases will be a child's play.
(4) there will never be an answer, not even a single solution to any of your questions.

Please be wise.

You talk sense small jare.

Godisgreatest1:
After reading your long essay, I advice you ask your state governor to resume schools, from nursery to tertiary immediately. Cross River is moving forward. What about you?.

Comprehension here, should help you understand that I did not write what you called ESSAY. I simply copied and pasted.

Meanwhile, tell this your governor (Cross River State) to answer the allegation from Bauchi State Governor of allowing 15 people with COVID 19, leave for Bauchi State. I am waiting for his response. Don't forget, Cross River is still claiming C- 19 free.

HoliMaree:
All your questions are irrelevant. You should be concerned about when your governor will reopen schools. CRS is corona free

*A SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT ON COVID-19 IN CROSS RIVER STATE*

To check how serious Cross River state was about screening fors COVID-19,wsw especially as the state is the only one in the federation without a single case, Taiwo Adebulu disguises as a patient with a risky travel history and suspicious symptoms. He narrates his experience with the doctors, nurses and the test team in this undercover adventure.

Crossing Itu bridge, which marks the boundary between Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, is like a camel passing through the eye of a needle. Vehicles from Uyo, the Akwa Ibom capital, don’t go beyond the bridge.

All passengers have to alight before the military checkpoint and pay their way through. While Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River, claimed he spends nights at the state’s borders as part of efforts to prevent COVID-19 from entering the state, the same location becomes a flourishing industry during daytime as security operatives and thugs cash out at the expense of travellers.

“So, why didn’t you stay in your state when you know you don’t have money to pay to cross the bridge? Did we force you to come?” a young man with bloodshot eyes asked as he scanned me viciously from head to toe.

The security officials and thugs who mounted roadblocks demanded N500 for each person to pass through. With N1,500, I scaled the border checks and proceeded to the busy motor park after the bridge. Ifiok, the motorcyclist who ferried me through the bridge, said the security officials charge each of them N3,000 daily to operate across the border. The bus I boarded from the spot where Ifiok dropped me was filled to the brim with 18 passengers in addition to the driver and his assistant. Some passengers dropped their face masks to the chin to breathe well as the rickety white bus shrieked its way to Calabar.

After a three-day tortuous journey from Lagos, I finally got to the state capital, a thriving city which appeared tucked away from all the troubles of the world. More vehicles trooped in from the boundary and discharged passengers at Essien Town at the entrance to the city. Businesses were booming, sedan taxis loaded with five passengers crisscrossed the city, while praise and worship beamed from a nearby church at Satellite Town close to the university. It was already seven days after the governor lifted the ban on religious gatherings to keep the “spiritual economy” thriving.

As it stands, Cross River is the only state in the country without a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 since the novel virus hit the country in February. According to the situation report of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for May 18, 2020, the south-south state had only tested seven samples out of its almost four million population, while neighbouring states have recorded cases and are battling community transmission.

‘I AM SCARED. EVERYONE IS SCARED’

What’s the secret behind Cross River being free of the disease? To find out, I disguised as a patient. As early as 9am, I was among a few of the patients who arrived the general outpatient clinic (GOPC) of family medicine department at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) – just a few days after two nurses died from suspected symptoms at the hospital. There was palpable anxiety in the air.

“Please, do not remove your masks while talking to me. I can hear you from here,” an elderly nurse told patients sitting at the lobby. The nurse directed me to the payment point where I paid N2,600 as a new patient and I got registered immediately.

When I was ushered in for consultation, I sat on the chair quite distant from the young female doctor. She adjusted her face mask and pulled the booklets closer to listen to me. I complained about chronic headache and involuntary writhing movements on my left hand. The doctor asked if I was coughing or having shortness of breath, fever, nausea, sore throat and loss of taste or smell, symptoms of COVID-19. I answered in the negative. After a series of questions and answers about my habits, diets and activities, she said I might need to work on my eating habit and observe some safe health measures.

Then, I asked if I could get tested for COVID-19 because I was also feeling weak. I told her that I had travelled to the state from Lagos, through Uyo. She adjusted her seat and asked more intense questions and this time around, I shuttled between “Yes and No” as much as it could raise suspicion. The doctor said she was going to call the state epidemiologist and asked me to go for a malaria test first.

At 4pm, the GOPC is empty with the reporter waiting for the COVID-19 team

At that point, the doctor, whom I later learnt was Rosa Inyang, felt unsettled as she was sliding through contacts on her phone. I asked if she was scared. “Yes, I am scared. Everyone is scared,” Inyang said. “Our state has not recorded any COVID-19 case and if you have such a travel history to a flashpoint and you are insisting on COVID-19 test, it is enough to be scared. We don’t know when an index case will be recorded yet. At least, you are honest with your travel history and symptoms. So, we know how to handle this professionally and see the outcome. Some patients would come here and hide their history and end up making us live in fear.”

When my test result came back, I had malaria. The doctor asked me to wait for the state epidemiologist team who were already on their way to test me. It was a few minutes after 10am.

FIVE HOURS WAITING FOR COVID-19 TEAM

A member of the team that carried out the test

For the next few hours, Inyang checked on me repeatedly that the state team was on their way. It was 4pm and the medical officials at the GOPC had started going home. The doctor kept calling that state COVID-19 team until she got tired and went home leaving me in the empty GOPC.

While the department was virtually empty, I left UCTH. A few minutes later, the state team called me that they were around for the test. I returned to the teaching hospital. I met a man and two women who asked me a myriad of questions and collected my details.

The man later changed to the PPE suit and began the process for the testing. In about 20 minutes, he was done with the test. The women advised me to go into self-isolation pending the outcome of my result. When I asked when my result will be ready, they said it would come out in two days. So, we departed and I began another long wait for the COVID-19 test result.

CONTROVERSY ON DEATH OF TWO NURSES IN ONE WEEK AT UCTH.

Inyang calling the state epidemiologist

While I waited inside the GOPD, I familiarised myself with one of the female nurses who said I was lucky to get tested.

“You are very lucky to have detected your symptoms on time and insist on having the test. If not, they won’t come here,” she said.

“We have had patients who came here exhibiting symptoms of the disease. We will call the state team for hours and they won’t come until the patient gets tired and leaves. Most of the time, they say the patient has not exhibited the symptoms. The doctors had to complain that the state should not be the one taking the test until the NCDC team came and took over. Two of our colleagues have died within this week and they exhibited strong symptoms of COVID-19. These are people we saw with our eyes and knew the symptoms they exhibited. One was a member of staff and the other came from the general hospital.

“But when their post-mortem test results came out, we were all surprised they said negative. We don’t know what is happening. We are all scared. We are trying to be careful with each patient we manage here. Your case is the first time we will call them and they actually came.”

MEDICAL COMMUNITY IN DOUBT


Ayuk

In an interview with Agam Ayuk, the state chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), he said the association has not established any evidence of a cover-up by the government, although there are suspicions that there could be cases of infection in the state.

“As it stands, we don’t have any recorded confirmed case even though the medical community still has their own doubts. The level of testing is quite low. We think there should be an upscaling of surveillance and testing. We’ve complained about delays from the state epidemiologist team,” Ayuk said.

“We have had incidences of people who meet certain signs and symptoms of suspected COVID-19 and the results, from we have heard, are negative. As medical experts, we believe that sometimes we may have false-negative results. Those are possibilities in testing. But the PCR reduces that possibility to the bare minimum.

“If I have any evidence of a cover-up by the state, I will make it public. We have a lot to lose especially putting our members at risk. We’ve drawn government’s attention to the fears of our members and we expect them to do what is right. We have members who have risk factors.”

‘WE WANT TO REMAIN COVID-19 FREE’

Beta

Inyang has been in constant touch to know my COVID-19 status so that she can also know her fate but the state epidemiology team has not communicated with me a week after they took my sample. This has fuelled suspicion among medical workers in the state. Maybe tests are not really done after samples are collected — just to maintain the “zero case” status.

When TheCable contacted Beta Edu, commissioner for health and chairperson of the state COVID-19 response team, she said the state has been performing its role effectively.

She said the team is not responsible for the delayed result of the reporter.

“All results have been sent to the hospital management. We do not publish people’s names in the media. It’s against medical ethics,” she said.

“The late nurses’ samples were sent to NCDC reference lab and results returned negative. We don’t own an accredited laboratory in the state, unless you are saying the lab results from NCDC are not true. This is over two weeks and all persons who came in contact with them including family members are all hale and hearty. Coronavirus is like pregnancy it doesn’t hide.

“We must avoid rumors and scare. It has made health workers in most states to abandon their duty post and even Association of Resident Doctors is threatening strike because of lack of PPE amongst other things. More persons are dying from other diseases and things like maternal mortality that kills over 3000 daily.

“Due to scare and the way we have magnified the disease, health workers will neglect more patients across the country that will lead to death of patients (I am glad the nurse was not neglected). We must at this point change strategy of reading out big numbers daily and supports states to get the health system to become functional or we will destroy fragile the health system more.”

Speaking on the activities of security officials and thugs who demand bribes from travellers at the borders, Christian Eta, chief press secretary to the governor, said the government is not aware of the development.

He said the government would do anything to police its borders in order to avoid the spread of the infection into the state.

“I’m not aware of incidences of that nature. It has not been brought to our notice. There is a presidential directive banning inter-state movement. How did those people get to Itu bridge? That’s a fundamental question. They said no movement. So, how did they get there?” he asked.

“We gave the responsibility of overseeing the closure of the borders to some of our commissioners. Two commissioners take the turn to superintend over the closure of that Itu bridge, both night and day. We have over 50 illegal borders with Cameroon, so we are spending a lot of money and resources manning those places. At this point in time, Cross River is COVID-19 free and we want to remain that way. We will do anything to police our border and we will do that within the ambit of the law.”

One week after my test, I am yet to get the result.

*This is a special investigative project by Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF) in partnership with TheCable, supported by the MacArthur Foundation.*

Most unwise decision. Many unanswered questions:

1. What about students living with their parents in the neighboring statesz won't they miss out?

2. Can the state produce these PPE for all the thousands of students?

3. How do you intend to manage the number in classes?

4. Students from neighboring states with C-19 will soon come around. Will they isolate?

5. I pity babies in schools with nose cover. How will it work?

6. The two nurses that were alleged to have died of C- 19, what did the autopsy say?

To all posters. When you pick a topic, focus on the topic and allow for argument for and against and stop comparism with Christianity. I have never seen Christians doing competition or camparism with Judaism that existed before the coming of Jesus Christ.

It takes fake to want to overshadow original.

Boring...

Why expend so much energy to prove a point you don't have an iota of idea about? This is why Christianity is the way of life and not one heavenly body worshipping religion that wants to become relevant AT ALL COST.

Please leave JESUS CHRIST alone. Your own Jesus in your book is different from our own Biblical JESUS CHRIST.

Reserved your energy for your terreorist work and compulsive religion.

Futuragetty:
I already read that verse. but I need to hear your thoughts.
I feel since There is only one God, and this one God is both the God and Father of Jesus and the Lord Jesus himself. Because Jesus is Lord, idols are themselves nothing, following the tradition of the critique of idolatry in the Old Testament. We have nothing to fear, and nothing to worry about—and we are therefore free to eat whatever food we like, without any anxiety.

I wanted to comment on this, then I discovered that you are like a gospel song entertainer and not an inspirational gospel artists.

Meanwhile, reappraise your faith in Christianity and stop sitting on the fence. The one God you are preaching smells gross ignorance of who God is (The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit) and who Allah is.

Let me give you a little experiment to do. Ask a Muslim brother or sister to pray in Jesus name and hear what he or she will tell you up north, except you meet your like.

Insult is allowed, but curses will return to you. Ponder over it.

Shaaz00:
if Islam does not work for u
nobody is forcing u to be a Muslim
dere is no compulsion in Islam

Are you sure no compulsion in Islam? Then you do not know what the religion is all about.

Islam-a-bad

BeerParlour:
Ipob yoot and fake news.

These people are Hausa actresses and actor on Kannywood film

May it happen to your family and generation. The President and head of Kaduna South People's Congress was live on Raypower FM, political platform yesterday. The man was almost crying on happenings in Kaduna South.

Must ethnicity kill us all? If you have lost a love one, you will have sympathy on the dead and their families.

The government is doing NOTHING since they are herds men.Investigate before you call a news fake.

OgogoroFreak:
If you no die in the end then, your story no be true cos na so cultist dey end.

If he dies, who will complete this story.

bigmodo:
Guys, someone pregnanted my sister and denied that he is responsible. All this while she was pregnant the guy abandoned her and didnt spend a dime. She delivered yesterday. How can i get this dude to take responsiblity of the child? I know marriage is not by force, but i want the guy to do expenses. And i also want the guy to regret why he denied his act.

Get a copy of higher education notebook. Start documenting the expenses. He will bear it in the nearest future. Mark my word.

Nelso2:
Saw a contact on her phone late last year, saved as aa1 and each time he wassup her it's either he calls her my friend or my love.

Confronted her but she denied, saying it's her customer that is owing her money. Been searching for the contact but couldn't find it again after then.

Recently, I searched on her phone while she was sleeping, went through her wassup again, saw a number saved as 3, had to checked on it, behold the profile picture is the same man. Funny part of it, each time she chat wit him, she deletes the chat at the end of it. Been mad since and about to confront.

The man in question is almost 54 and I am in late 30s.

Mine is simple. Get someone to do same on your part. Let the person pretend or act as a secret admirer. Just her from her reaction.

That child will walk. My neighbor's child walked exactly on 15th months.

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abdullahI24:
Help ur self ooh

Check your Espanol game again...

Kushgang:
Good job

Sorry Oga, it's not to intrude on your thread.

Z3HXXWGV
If you can spare N1,600 play that game. Thank me via 3013250471 (Elephant as logo) It's 50-50. If you win show appreciation. If otherwise, let's meet again after another careful research.

WildChild00:
This is an old news and pictures hmmmm Mr. Blogger, soon nairaland would take this to front page.

Bloggers and traffic. Na wa : o

Very old story. Beside it didn't happen in Nigeria. That car is right hand drive.

Ahmed0336:
OP proper source please.
NLC no get shame at all!!!!
Instead of them to shut that state down they are busy blabbering.

Minimum wage too wahala.....

Very useless union headed by a money monger spits...

Source attached.

The Abia State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Uchenna Obigwe, says the organised labour in the state had issued a seven-day ultimatum to the state government ahead of an imminent strike over the unpaid arrears of workers’ salaries and allowances in the state.

The ultimatum was contained in a statement jointly issued in Umuahia on Friday by the NLC, Joint Negotiating Council and Trade Union Congress. The group said that the ultimatum was a prelude to an impending strike.

It warned that labour should not be held responsible “for any breach of industrial peace and harmony in the state,” should government fail to address their concerns at the expiration of the ultimatum.

“A labourer deserves his wages,” it stated, adding that the organised labour was not satisfied with the “sectoral pattern of payment of workers’ salaries in the state since the inception of the present administration.”
It also stated that the unwholesome development “has placed an average worker in the state in a beggarly position economically.”

According to a list of the arrears released by the group, primary school teachers were owed three months, while secondary school teachers were last paid in October 2018.

Others include Hospital Management Board (11 months); Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (four months); Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba (13 months) and Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, last paid in April 2018, plus partial payment in May, the same year.

The organised labour said that while the senior staff of the College of Health Science, Aba, were owed nine months, their junior counterparts were owed eight months.

Also, Abia College of Education (Technical), Arochukwu were owed 18 months, Abia State University, Uturu (four months); local government workers last paid in March, plus half salary in October 2018.

The rest were State Education Management Board (SEMB) (eight months); Agricultural Development Programme (14 months), Ministries of Agriculture and Lands, Survey and Urban Planning, one month, respectively.

Labour also said that some agencies of government, including the state Library Board, secondary school teachers, SEMB and Abia Council for Arts and Culture were owed arrears of the N18,000 minimum wage, ranging from 10 to 14 months.

It regretted that while the 2017 leave allowances were partially paid, the 2018 and 2019 allowances had yet to be paid.

It further expressed concern over the government’s failure to pay pensions as and when due, adding that only a few pensioners were paid in November 2017.
It also said that retired civil servants were last paid gratuity in 1999, saying that the development was tantamount to “mercy killing.”

The group further sought explanations on how
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu ’s administration implemented the third and last tranches of the Paris Club refund to the state.

“We are worried over the non-implementation of this directive for the benefit of the workers in the state,” it said. (NAN).

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-east/345885-in-abia-secondary-school-teachers-were-last-paid-salaries-october-2018-nlc.html

Local champion.

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