Madagascar’s much touted herbal COVID-19 cure may have received some support from the World Health Organization (WHO) after the global health body stated that it welcomes innovations around the world including repurposing drugs, traditional medicines and developing new therapies in the search for potential treatments for COVID-19.

This was contained in a press release issued by the WHO on Monday evening.

“WHO recognizes that traditional, complementary and alternative medicine has many benefits and Africa has a long history of traditional medicine and practitioners that play an important role in providing care to populations. Medicinal plants such as Artemisia annua are being considered as possible treatments for COVID-19 and should be tested for efficacy and adverse side effects.

“Africans deserve to use medicines tested to the same standards as people in the rest of the world. Even if therapies are derived from traditional practice and natural, establishing their efficacy and safety through rigorous clinical trials is critical,” WHO stated in the release.

Today’s Echo understands that Madagascar is building a factory to mass-produce a drink from the extracts of the artimisia annua plant, which is used to treat malaria. The factory will be operational within a month, according to President Andry Rajoelina.

“Our researchers and scientists are doing the necessary to make our coronavirus remedy a drug that meets the standards,” he said on state TV.

Madagascar’s herbal drink has also received a boost from other African countries. The president of Tanzania, John Magufuli, has said he’s sending a plane to Madagascar to fetch the tonic, and Rajoelina said on Twitter that Equatorial Guinea’s vice minister for health had arrived in the country to procure an unknown quantity. Other countries that have shown interest are Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Comoros, Rajoelina said.

African governments through their Ministers of Health adopted a resolution urging Member States to produce evidence on the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicine at the Fiftieth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in 2000.

Countries also agreed to undertake relevant research and require national medicines regulatory agencies to approve medicines in line with international standards, which include the product following a strict research protocol and undergoing tests and clinical trials. These studies normally involve hundreds of people under the monitoring of the national regulatory authorities and may take quite a few months in an expedited process.

WHO is working with research institutions to select traditional medicine products which can be investigated for clinical efficacy and safety for COVID-19 treatment. In addition, the Organization will continue to support countries as they explore the role of traditional health practitioners in prevention, control, and early detection of the virus as well as case referral to health facilities.

Over the past two decades, WHO has been working with countries to ensure safe and effective traditional medicine development in Africa by providing financial resources and technical support. WHO has supported clinical trials, leading 14 countries to issue marketing authorization for 89 traditional medicine products which have met international and national requirements for registration. Of these, 43 have been included in national essential medicines lists. These products are now part of the arsenal to treat patients with a wide range of diseases including malaria, opportunistic infections related to HIV, diabetes, sickle cell disease and hypertension. Almost all countries in the WHO African region have national traditional medicine policies, following support from WHO.

“As efforts are under way to find treatment for COVID-19, caution must be taken against misinformation, especially on social media, about the effectiveness of certain remedies. Many plants and substances are being proposed without the minimum requirements and evidence of quality, safety and efficacy. The use of products to treat COVID-19, which have not been robustly investigated can put people in danger, giving a false sense of security and distracting them from hand washing and physical distancing which are cardinal in COVID-19 prevention, and may also increase self-medication and the risk to patient safety.

WHO welcomes every opportunity to collaborate with countries and researchers to develop new therapies and encourages such collaboration for the development of effective and safe therapies for Africa and the world.

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Kogi is the only state besides Cross River that has not recorded any confirmed case of the coronavirus in Nigeria. However, new information emanating from the state seem to suggest that this is not because people have not been catching the virus there or dying from it.

According to award-winning journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, the Kogi State government may be involved in a high-level cover-up of events in the state.

Soyombo’s investigative piece on corruption in prisons stimulated a reform in Nigeria’s correctional system. He also wrote that evidence suggests mysterious deaths in Kano were caused by COVID-19, days before official test results show rising number of cases from the state.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, Soyombo revealed people have been showing up in hospitals in the state with COVI-19 related symptoms. Some of them have died without ever getting tested but the state government seems to be deliberately covering up.

In the first set of tweets, he gave various instances of patients who had exhibited symptoms of the virus but were never tested:

“On Saturday, a patient died at FMC, Lokoja, Kogi, after exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. His samples weren’t taken.

“That was the 4th such death at the FMC last week alone. Not once was the patient’s samples taken, dead or alive. March 22 was the first time this scenario occurred.

“A patient who came into Kogi from Lagos required a Ceasarean Section. The patient exhibited COVID-19 symptoms, prompting the hospital to request for her to be tested. It was turned down. The patient was isolated for some time, surgery was done and she was discharged without testing.

“Last week, there were some patients in the O&G(Obstetrics and Gynaecology) ward who manifested respiratory issues, inability to breathe and other COVID-19 symptoms. They’d come from private hospitals — one in Lokoja, another in Okene and the third in Ogudu. The first of the trio, Mrs G.I. (her initials), a 43-year-old woman who arrived at the hospital on Thursday, had a temperature of 38.8°C. The other 2 had temperatures of more than 40°C. In each case, no sample was taken before or after death.

“Now, on the final day of the week, a patient admitted to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Ward with a temp of 40.3°C was transferred to the male medical ward. The patient spent 3 hours in the ward and then died.

“One more patient exhibited potential COVID-19 symptoms on Sunday but moves for sample collection were futile; by yesterday, the patient was dead. I’ve been told there are more suspected cases, but these were the ones I personally tracked,”

Soyombo then went on to accuse the state government of covering up its COVID-19 cases and explained why he though they would do so:

Read more: https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/covid-19-kogi-state-accused-of-deliberate-cover-up/

SWITZERLAND, MAY 04 – Perhaps, many Nigerians had never paid attention to the office of the Chief of Staff (COS) to the President until the late Abba Kyari came and redefined that position. The late COS was larger than life; many considered him a powerful, conservative, and controversial man who rarely spoke but wielded enormous influence on the government and remained loyal to his president till the end. Kyari’s death from COVID-19 has created a huge vacuum in the presidency that will be difficult to fill. When he was alive, he had the complete trust of President Muhammadu Buhari and was pivotal to most of the decisions made by the Nigerian government. In his demise, several people have speculated on who his successor might be. Today’s Echo lists and examines seven likely candidates for the job.

Read more: https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/exclusive-seven-likely-candidates-to-replace-abba-kyari-as-cos/

Madagascar’s much touted herbal COVID-19 cure may have received some support from the World Health Organization (WHO) after the global health body stated that it welcomes innovations around the world including repurposing drugs, traditional medicines and developing new therapies in the search for potential treatments for COVID-19.

This was contained in a press release issued by the WHO on Monday evening.

https://www.afro.who.int/news/who-supports-scientifically-proven-traditional-medicine

“WHO recognizes that traditional, complementary and alternative medicine has many benefits and Africa has a long history of traditional medicine and practitioners that play an important role in providing care to populations. Medicinal plants such as Artemisia annua are being considered as possible treatments for COVID-19 and should be tested for efficacy and adverse side effects.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/breaking-who-considers-madagascars-herbal-drink-as-possible-treatment-for-covid-19/
“Africans deserve to use medicines tested to the same standards as people in the rest of the world. Even if therapies are derived from traditional practice and natural, establishing their efficacy and safety through rigorous clinical trials is critical,” WHO stated in the release.

Today’s Echo understands that Madagascar is building a factory to mass-produce a drink from the extracts of the artimisia annua plant, which is used to treat malaria. The factory will be operational within a month, according to President Andry Rajoelina.

“Our researchers and scientists are doing the necessary to make our coronavirus remedy a drug that meets the standards,” he said on state TV.

Madagascar’s herbal drink has also received a boost from other African countries. The president of Tanzania, John Magufuli, has said he’s sending a plane to Madagascar to fetch the tonic, and Rajoelina said on Twitter that Equatorial Guinea’s vice minister for health had arrived in the country to procure an unknown quantity. Other countries that have shown interest are Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Comoros, Rajoelina said.

African governments through their Ministers of Health adopted a resolution urging Member States to produce evidence on the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicine at the Fiftieth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in 2000.

Countries also agreed to undertake relevant research and require national medicines regulatory agencies to approve medicines in line with international standards, which include the product following a strict research protocol and undergoing tests and clinical trials. These studies normally involve hundreds of people under the monitoring of the national regulatory authorities and may take quite a few months in an expedited process.

WHO is working with research institutions to select traditional medicine products which can be investigated for clinical efficacy and safety for COVID-19 treatment. In addition, the Organization will continue to support countries as they explore the role of traditional health practitioners in prevention, control, and early detection of the virus as well as case referral to health facilities.

Over the past two decades, WHO has been working with countries to ensure safe and effective traditional medicine development in Africa by providing financial resources and technical support. WHO has supported clinical trials, leading 14 countries to issue marketing authorization for 89 traditional medicine products which have met international and national requirements for registration. Of these, 43 have been included in national essential medicines lists. These products are now part of the arsenal to treat patients with a wide range of diseases including malaria, opportunistic infections related to HIV, diabetes, sickle cell disease and hypertension. Almost all countries in the WHO African region have national traditional medicine policies, following support from WHO.

“As efforts are under way to find treatment for COVID-19, caution must be taken against misinformation, especially on social media, about the effectiveness of certain remedies. Many plants and substances are being proposed without the minimum requirements and evidence of quality, safety and efficacy. The use of products to treat COVID-19, which have not been robustly investigated can put people in danger, giving a false sense of security and distracting them from hand washing and physical distancing which are cardinal in COVID-19 prevention, and may also increase self-medication and the risk to patient safety.

WHO welcomes every opportunity to collaborate with countries and researchers to develop new therapies and encourages such collaboration for the development of effective and safe therapies for Africa and the world.

SWITZERLAND, MAY 01 – In a conversation with IMF Country Focus, the International Monetary Fund(IMF)’s mission chief for Nigeria, Amine Mati, described the economic situation confronting Nigeria, and how the country will use the money negotiated with the IMF.

In this interview, Mati revealed that the $3.4 billion financial assistance to Nigeria is a loan to be repaid in five years with repayments starting in the third year at 1 percent interest rate.

Today’s Echo has obtained the content of the interview from the IMF’s website.

1. Impact of COVID-19 on Nigeria
The COVID-19 pandemic is severely impacting economic activity in Nigeria. The country’s main export commodity is oil, which represents around 90 percent of its exports. The sharp fall in international oil prices, together with reduced global demand for oil, is worsening the country’s fiscal and external positions. The country’s oil exports are expected to fall by more than US$26 billion.

The economy—which remains highly reliant on foreign exchange proceeds and the recycling of petrodollars—is expected to contract by about 3.4 percent in 2020, a 6-percentage point drop compared to pre-COVID-19 projections. With the decline in economic activity, large fiscal and external financing gaps have emerged.

2. Risks to the Growth Outlook for Nigeria

Our baseline scenario is uncertain and subject to heightened risks. These are mostly linked to a further collapse in oil revenue—due to persistent low oil prices, an inability to sell oil because of depressed global demand, or declining production because of additional OPEC-agreed cuts. Our growth outlook also assumes the COVID-19 spread in Nigeria is contained in the second half of 2020. If these measures fail to contain the virus or domestic infections rise, the economic recovery would be slower and gaps would become even larger.

3. What Emergency Assistance can the IMF Provide to Nigeria?

To help alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sharp fall in oil prices, Nigeria requested emergency assistance of about US$3.4 billion—equivalent to 100 percent of its quota— under the IMF’s RFI. The financial support—approved by the IMF Executive Board on April 28, 2020—will provide critical support to shore up Nigeria’s heath care sector, and shield jobs and businesses from the shock of the COVID-19 crisis. It will also help limit the decline in international reserves.

4. Why is the RFI the Best Way to Borrow for Nigeria?

The RFI is a loan that is repaid in 5 years, with repayments starting in the third year. It currently costs 1 percent in annual interest—which is about one tenth of the current risk premium on Nigeria’s sovereign bond. Unlike the IMF’s standard financial package, there are no ex post conditions attached to this emergency loan.

However, a member country requesting RFI assistance is required to cooperate with the IMF to solve its balance of payments difficulties, and to describe the general economic policies that it proposes to follow.

5. Why didn’t Nigeria Benefit from Recent IMF Debt Service Relief?

On April 13, the IMF Executive Board approved immediate debt service relief to 25 of the IMF’s member countries under the IMF’s revamped Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT)—a part of the Fund’s response to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nigeria was not included in the list of beneficiary countries for this initiative because Nigeria had no outstanding debt owed to the IMF at that time.

6. What Measures will be Introduced to Ensure RFI money is Used for its Intended Purpose?

To enhance transparency and governance, the Nigerian authorities committed to undertake an independent audit of crisis-mitigation spending and related procurement processes, and to publish procurement plans and notices for all emergency-response activities, including the names of awarded companies and beneficial owners.

Special budget lines are to be created to record all crisis emergency response measures, which are published daily on Nigeria’s treasury online portal. These measures will not only ensure financial assistance received as part of the COVID-19 response is used for its intended purposes, but also significantly strengthen the oversight of the entire budget used for the government’s crisis response.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/nigeria-to-repay-3-4-billion-loan-in-5-years-imf-mission-chief/

SWITZERLAND, APRIL 30 – The World Health Organization(WHO) has appointed the Director of Nigeria’s National Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu as an adviser to its newly constituted International Health Regulations (IHR) 3rd Emergency Committee for COVID-19.

This was contained in a statement the WHO sent to Today’s Echo on Thursday after the inauguration of the special committee.

“Further to our previous email announcing today’s convening of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (IHR) regarding the outbreak of COVID-19, please find a link to a list of Committee members and advisors,” the statement reads.

Today’s Echo gathers that the emergency committee is chaired by Dr Didier Houssin, President AP-HP International, Subsidiary of Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, France

“As previously communicated, the Committee’s statement will be issued Friday 1 May during the regularly scheduled virtual press conference, planned for 17:00 CEST. Dial-in details will be sent tomorrow, 1 May, ahead of the VPC(Press Conference),” WHO added.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/breaking-who-appoints-ncdc-boss-ihekweazu-as-emergency-committee-adviser/

SWITZERLAND, APRIL 27 – Nigeria is among countries labelled as ‘poorest in the world’ to benefit in a fresh $195.84 Million allocation from the World Bank as they battle against COVID-19

“The Steering Body of the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) announced today the allocation of US$195.84 million to 64 of the world’s poorest countries with reported cases of COVID-19. Special attention will be given to areas with the most vulnerable populations, especially in fragile and conflict-affected countries,” the World Bank announced in a press release sent to Today’s Echo on Monday.

Read more: https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/exclusive-nigeria-to-benefit-in-world-banks-195-84-million-allocation-to-poor-countries-with-covid-19/

Lyrics of Good Job by Alicia Keys

You're the engine that makes all things go
And you're always in disguise, my hero
I see your light in the dark
Smile in my face when we all know it's hard
There's no way to ever pay you back
Bless your heart, know I love you for that
Honest and selfless
I don't know if this helps it but

Good Job
You're doing a good job
You're doing a good job
Don't get too down
The world needs you now
Know that you matter
Matter matter yeah

Good Job
You're doing a good job
You're doing a good job
Don't get too down
The world needs you now
Know that you matter
Matter matter yeah

Six in the morning
And soon as you walk through that door
Everyone needs you again
The world's out of order
It's not as sound
When you're not around
All day on your feet
Hard to
Keep that energy
I know
When it feels like the end of the road
You don't let go
You just press forward
You're the engine that makes all things go
Always in disguise, my hero
I see a light in the dark
Smile in my face
When we all know it's hard
There is no way to ever pay you back
Bless your heart
Know I love you for that
Honest and selfless
I don't know if this helps it but

Good Job
You're doing a good job
You're doing a good job
Don't get too down
The world needs you now
Know that you matter
Matter matter yeah

Good job
You're doing a good job
You're doing a good job
Don't get too down
The world needs you now
Know that you matter
Matter matter yeah

The Mothers
The Fathers
The Teachers that reach us
Strangers to friends
That show up in the end
From the bottom to the top
The listeners that hear us
This for you
You make me fearless

You're doing a good Job
You're doing a good job
You're doing a good job
Don't get too down
The world needs you now
Know that you matter
Matter matter yeah

WHO has published guidance on adjusting public health and social measures for the next phase of the COVID-19 response. Some governments have suggested that the detection of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could serve as the basis for an “immunity passport” or “risk-free certificate” that would enable individuals to travel or to return to work assuming that they are protected against re-infection.

There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.

The measurement of antibodies specific to COVID-19

The development of immunity to a pathogen through natural infection is a multi-step process that typically takes place over 1-2 weeks. The body responds to a viral infection immediately with a non-specific innate response in which macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells slow the progress of virus and may even prevent it from causing symptoms. This non-specific response is followed by an adaptive response where the body makes antibodies that specifically bind to the virus. These antibodies are proteins called immunoglobulins.

The body also makes T-cells that recognize and eliminate other cells infected with the virus. This is called cellular immunity. This combined adaptive response may clear the virus from the body, and if the response is strong enough, may prevent progression to severe illness or re-infection by the same virus. This process is often measured by the presence of antibodies in blood.

WHO continues to review the evidence on antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection.(2-17) Most of these studies show that people who have recovered from infection have antibodies to the virus. However, some of these people have very low levels of neutralizing antibodies in their blood,4 suggesting that cellular immunity may also be critical for recovery. As of 24 April 2020, no study has evaluated whether the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 confers immunity to subsequent infection by this virus in humans.

Laboratory tests that detect antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in people, including rapid immunodiagnostic tests, need further validation to determine their accuracy and reliability. Inaccurate immunodiagnostic tests may falsely categorize people in two ways.

The first is that they may falsely label people who have been infected as negative, and the second is that people who have not been infected are falsely labelled as positive. Both errors have serious consequences and will affect control efforts.

These tests also need to accurately distinguish between past infections from SARS-CoV-2 and those caused by the known set of six human coronaviruses. Four of these viruses cause the common cold and circulate widely. The remaining two are the viruses that cause Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. People infected by any one of these viruses may produce antibodies that cross-react with antibodies produced in response to infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Many countries are now testing for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at the population level or in specific groups, such as health workers, close contacts of known cases, or within households.(21) WHO supports these studies, as they are critical for understanding the extent of – and risk factors associated with – infection. These studies will provide data on the percentage of people with detectable COVID-19 antibodies, but most are not designed to determine whether those people are immune to secondary infections.

Other considerations

At this point in the pandemic, there is not enough evidence about the effectiveness of antibody-mediated immunity to guarantee the accuracy of an “immunity passport” or “risk-free certificate.” People who assume that they are immune to a second infection because they have received a positive test result may ignore public health advice.

The use of such certificates may therefore increase the risks of continued transmission. As new evidence becomes available, WHO will update this scientific brief.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/covid-19-who-mulls-issuance-of-immunity-passport-to-survivors/

If you find yourself in tears watching the visual for Alicia Keys’ new song, know that the singer had the same reaction the first time she saw it.The 15-time Grammy winner debuted “Good Job” during CNN’s global town hall Thursday to address the latest questions and concerns in the fight against Covid-19.

The tune was originally written months ago to honor the unsung heroes in Keys’ own life, she told CNN in a conversation before the broadcast.”It has always been such a personal song and such a poignant song,” she said. “And every time I play it, I want to cry because I’m thinking of my mother, I’m thinking of my grandmother, I’m thinking of friends of mine who can’t make ends meet.”

But as the pandemic swept the world, it occurred to Keys that the lyrics could also serve as a tribute to the health care professionals, front line workers, parents, teachers and everyone else who has stepped up during this unprecedented time.”A lot of times people don’t feel like they’re doing a good job.

They feel underwater and like there’s never going to be a brighter day,” she said. “Fast forward to now, with where we are now, and it’s almost like the song was written for this and I didn’t know it.”

The visual features Keys at her piano singing interspersed with footage of people, masked, going about life in what has become a new normal.”You’re doing a good job/Don’t get too down/The world needs you now/Know that you matter, matter, matter, yeah…” she sings.

Keys has partnered with CNN to use the song as the theme for a new CNN Heroes campaign in celebration of the ordinary people who’ve emerged as heroes during the Covid-19 crisis.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N63tvQBwSSw

SWITZERLAND, APRIL 19 – There have been 131 confirmed cases reported in the last three days, representing a 31 percent increase in coronavirus cases in Nigeria. While some analysts have attributed this dramatic increase to non-compliance to the shut-in orders imposed by the president and some governors, others have agued that it is evidence that the pandemic is nearing its peak in Nigeria.

Whatever the case may be, it is evident that many Nigerians are not complying with the officially recommended measures such as staying at home and social distancing. It is sad that many violators are members of the elite.

Several members of the elite who attended the burial of the late Chief of Staff to the president, Abba Kyari may have put their health and that of other people in jeopardy due to the high level of carelessness displayed at the event.

Mr Kyari died on Friday from complications due to the coronavirus. It would be expected that his burial would follow strict guidelines from the NCDC and other authorities to prevent the further spread of the virus. However, the rules of social distancing were hardly adhered to as more than 20 people were present at the event, most of them in close quarters to one another. Although all the guests wore facemasks, videos have emerged showing some guests taking off their masks intermittently to scratch their faces.

A video has also emerged on social media, showing a man who was allegedly among the workers who buried Mr Kyari, removing his Hamzat suit carelessly and dumping it on the ground before entering his car.

This is the same sort of dangerous behaviour that has aided the spread of the virus in other countries. In Chicago, United States, a super-spreader attended a funeral and infected 15 people, including three who died. Some of them also went on to infect other people, setting up a cascade of infections that shot up Chicago’s confirmed cases.

Also in Albany, Georgia, coronavirus infection swept through the community like wild fire, days after over 200 people gathered for the funeral of a retired janitor.

Many Nigerians have condemned the gross carelessness exhibited at the event, expressing concern that some of the guests may become infected and spread the virus to other people. This has elicited reactions from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the NCDC.

Today’s Echo gathered that the FCTA has already assured that all those who were active at Mr Kyari’s burial had been identified and will be isolated and tested.

In a statement, Dr Mohammed Kawu, Acting Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat, FCTA, urged Nigerians to remain calm, adding that the FCT Administration would move to curb actions that could lead to further spread of the virus.

He stated that future burials would be done in line with guidelines of NCDC.

He said, “The administration has also taken steps to ensure that all future burials of victims of COVID-19 are conducted in line with protocols established by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

“Residents are therefore urged to remain calm and rest assured that the FCT Administration will continue to do all that is necessary to curtail and eventually end the spread of Coronavirus in the FCT,” Kawu said.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/coronavirus-may-have-found-a-super-spreader-in-the-handling-of-kyaris-burial/

SWITZERLAND, APRIL 19 – In the early hours of Saturday, 18th of April 2020, Presidential media aide, Garba Shehu announced the death of Abba Kyari, President Muhammadu Buhari’s powerful Chief of Staff. He was laid to rest at Gudu Cemetery in Abuja on Saturday in a solemn ceremony. He will be remembered by many as a powerful, conservative and controversial man who rarely spoke but wielded enormous influence on the government and remained loyal to his president till the end.

The Aso-Rock power man was diagnosed with the dreaded coronavirus over three weeks ago after returning from Germany. He was flown into Lagos after his condition deteriorated and the public did not hear of him for almost three weeks until the news of his death cleared our doubts. Until his death, he was alleged to be a member of a powerful cabal that acted as gatekeepers to the president.

Kyari’s death shows the non-discriminatory nature of the coronavirus; that it can afflict both the rich and the poor alike, and that it can reach to the highest levels of power. His death will also destabilize the balance of power in the country as he had wielded so much influence in Buhari’s government that some called him the de facto president or unofficial Prime Minister.

Many people knew Kyari as powerful, secretive and conservative. But the Aso Rock kingpin was also intelligent and highly educated as well as loyal and ruthless

Not much is known about Abba Kyari’s beginnings besides the fact that he was from Borno State. Even his age is a subject of controversy. However, it is reported that in1980, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Warwick, and also received a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Cambridge. In 1983, he was called to the Nigerian Bar after attending the Nigerian Law School.

In 1984, he obtained a master’s degree in law from the University of Cambridge, while also later attending the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland. He showed up at the Harvard Business School in 1992 and 1994 where he was part of the Management Development Program.

Kyari joined the law firm Fani-Kayode and Sowemimo and worked there for some time after his return to Nigeria.

From 1988 to 1990, he was Editor with the New Africa Holdings Limited, Kaduna. He was to later serve in 1990 as a Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Resources in Borno State.

From 1990 to 1995, Kyari was the secretary to the board of African International Bank Limited, a subsidiary of Bank of Credit and Commerce International, from where he became an Executive Director in charge of management services at the United Bank for Africa, and was later appointed the Chief Executive Officer.

In 2002, he was appointed a board director of Unilever Nigeria, and later served on the board of Exxon Mobil Nigeria.

Kyari was appointed the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, a position he held till his demise on April 17, 2020.

To many Nigerians, one of the the events that depicted just how ruthless Kyari could be was his bitter exchange with former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita during a Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, where the duo (Kyari and Oyo-Ita) argued over a leaked memo from Oyo-Ita to the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President on the wanted former Chairman of the Pension Reforms Commission, Abdulrasheed Maina, in which she warned the CoS of the implication of reinstating Maina into the Civil Service. Although, Kyari and Oyo-Ita appeared to have reconciled, the latter later resigned after being accused of a N570 million fraud.

In August 2020, just after inaugurating the new ministers for his second term administration, Buhari directed the incoming ministers to channel all requests for meetings with him through his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, further accentuating his influence.

“In terms of coordination, kindly ensure that all submissions for my attention or meeting requests be channelled through the Chief of Staff, while all Federal Executive Council matters be coordinated through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF),”
Buhari said.

Another event that shows just how much power Kyari had been wielding, was a leaked memo from the National Security Adviser, NSA, Babagana Monguno, accusing him, of “unwarranted meddlesomeness” on matters of national security. In a memo to all service chiefs, Monguno urged them to desist from taking further directives from Mr. Kyari, accusing the Chief of Staff of issuing directives to service chiefs without the knowledge of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Chief of staff to the President is not a presiding head of security, neither is he sworn to an oath of defending the country.

“As such, unprofessional practices such as presiding over meetings with service chiefs and heads of security organisations as well as ambassadors and high commissioners to the exclusion of the NSA and/or supervising ministers are a violation of the Constitution and directly undermine the authority of Mr. President. “Such acts and continuous meddlesomeness by the chief of staff have not only ruptured our security and defence efforts, but have slowed down any meaningful gain that Mr. President has sought to achieve,” Moguno’s leaked memo reads.

Al Jazeera calls him a proponent of government’s involvement in the economy, an idea that brought him at loggerheads with the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo who is a proponent of less government involvement in the economy. The trajectory of government policies in recent times indicates clearly whose idea was winning.

Just how powerful was Abba Kyari? Many may never know as he was not much of a talker but his hand was seen in many events that have shaped the Buhari presidency.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/te-editorial-abba-kyaris-legacy-power-loyalty-controversy/

SWITZERLAND, APRIL 18 – As the world’s attention remains fixated on the coronavirus(COVID-19), which has killed over 145,000 victims, another crisis may be emerging in Eastern Europe that the world has overlooked.

Fires that burned near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site in Ukraine for over a week were put out by firefighters and rain earlier this week, but a new report finds elevated levels of radiation in the area as well as the capitol city of Kiev.

According to the BBC, acrid smoke from wildfires, including blazes near the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant, has blanketed Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, making its air pollution among the worst in the world.

Kyiv’s pollution now ranks alongside that of several Chinese cities, Swiss monitoring group IQAir reports.

The coronavirus lockdown is keeping most Kyiv residents at home anyway.

Ukraine’s health ministry says radiation levels remain normal and Chernobyl faces no immediate threat.

At one point on Thursday, according to the IQAir index, Kyiv’s air pollution was the worst in the world.

The fires burned into the exclusion zone around the power plant that famously melted down in 1986, leading to the worst nuclear accident in history. The blazes burned right up to within a kilometer of the plant itself.

A report released Wednesday by the French Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety Institute (IRSN) shows that samples taken of the air in Kiev had elevated levels of radioactive cesium 137, which peaked around April 10 – 11. During this period the observed levels of the radioactive isotope were almost an order of magnitude higher than at the time the blaze was just getting going.

Structures now contain the radioactivity. But damage to those structures could again release contamination, environmentalists warn.

They say there is no place in the modern world for the burning of fields — especially near the site of the largest nuclear accident the world has known.

“Our society is on the verge of development when we can’t afford to preserve such extreme traditions anymore,” Sergiy Zibtsev, head of the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center, told NBC News.

For the moment, though, it is not nuclear contamination that is bothering the residents of Kyiv, 80 miles to the south. It is the smoke from the dozens of fires, some of which had spread by April 3 to the containment zone.

The only way people under coronavirus lockdown in Kyiv have been able to breathe fresh air has been to open the windows. But over the last 11 days, the air has tasted bitter and dried the nostrils. And in the distance, residents can see the smoke rising into the sky.

It wasn’t until Tuesday that residents breathed fresh air, as the rains poured down and some 400 firefighters tackled the fires.

According to ABC, these fires were no accident — they were set by villagers who were clearing their land for planting, burning the grass away just as their forefathers had done.

They illustrate the tension that can exist between age-old traditions and modern imperatives. The question for authorities is this: how to reconcile the wish of farmers and others to continue a practice that may have been going on for generations with the need to contain radioactive waste for years to come?

The Chernobyl nuclear accident took place April 26, 1986, near Pripyat, in the north of the country, which was then part of the Soviet Union. A reactor core fire, sparked by an uncontrolled reaction during a routine test, released radioactive contamination into the air for 10 days. And that contamination rained down on parts of the Soviet Union and Western Europe.

Firefighters have been tackling wildfires in the Chernobyl zone and in areas nearer to Kyiv, and there was a new flare-up fanned by strong winds on Thursday. But the emergency services say fire has not spread to the Chernobyl power station area.

The plant is surrounded by a 30km (19 mile)-radius exclusion zone, created in 1986 because of radioactive hotspots. It includes the abandoned settlement of Pripyat.

The health ministry has urged Kyiv’s roughly 3.7m people to stay indoors and close windows, Reuters news agency reports.

The ministry warns that the smog can cause headaches, coughs, difficulty breathing and inflammation.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/chernobyl-as-coronavirus-rages-on-fire-threatens-to-awaken-worlds-most-dangerous-radioactive-site/

Coronavirus cases in Africa could surge from just thousands now to 10 million within three to six months, according to provisional modelling, a regional World Health Organization (WHO) official said.

But Michel Yao, head of emergency operations for WHO Africa, said on Thursday it was a tentative projection that could change. He noted worst-case predictions for the Ebola outbreak had not come true because people changed their behaviour in time.

"This is still to be fine-tuned," he told a media teleconference. "It's difficult to make a long-term estimation because the context changes too much and also public health measures, when they are fully implemented, they can actually have an impact."

Separately, new research said Africa could see 300,000 deaths from the coronavirus even under the best-case scenario, according to modeling by the Imperial College London.

Under the worst-case scenario with no interventions against the virus, Africa could see 3.3 million deaths and 1.2 billion infections, the report by the UN Economic Commission for Africa said.


The world's poorest continent has seen more than 17,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and about 900 deaths so far - relatively few compared with other regions.

But there are fears that the numbers could balloon and overwhelm shaky health services.


Coronavirus fallout: IMF says Nigeria economy to shrink by 3.4% (2:56)
"We are concerned that the virus continues to spread geographically, within countries," said Matshidiso Moeti, director of WHO's Africa region, which comprises 46 sub-Saharan nations and Algeria.

"The numbers continue to increase every day."

Other killers
Infections in South Africa, which has the highest number of cases, have slowed after it began a strict lockdown, but other nations - such as Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Algeria - have seen higher than average fatalities.

The WHO is working with authorities there to improve patient care and reduce fatalities, Moeti said.

She warned that President Donald Trump's withdrawal of US funding for the WHO could harm not only the fight against the coronavirus but also that against other killers such as polio, HIV and malaria.

"The impact, potentially, of this decision will be quite significant on areas such as polio eradication" just as Africa was close to being declared polio-free, said Moeti.

Trump accused the Geneva-based WHO on Tuesday of promoting Chinese "disinformation" about the coronavirus, saying this probably worsened the outbreak.

More than two million people have been infected globally, with the largest number in the US.

Washington is the biggest donor to the WHO, which tackles specific diseases and also strengthens national health systems. The US contributed more than $400m to the WHO in 2019, roughly 15 percent of its budget.

"We are very much hoping [suspension of funding] will be re-thought because the US government is an important partner not only in financial terms but also it is an important strategic partner," Moeti said.

She also said the organisation requires $300m to help African governments respond to the pandemic.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/africa-coronavirus-cases-hit-10-million-months-200417055006127.html

The best hope for defeating the coronavirus is not social distancing, but a vaccine that is distributed equitably, argues Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance and chairman of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

SWITZERLAND, APRIL 06 – On April 12, the Democratic Republic of the Congo will mark 42 days since the last person who tested positive for Ebola was discharged from the hospital.

The date is a significant milestone. It refers to twice the maximum incubation period – 21 days – of the virus, which is how the World Health Organization stipulates when an outbreak is over. If all goes well, it will be a remarkable turnaround for the DRC and a testament to the bravery and dedication of health workers, some of whom lost their lives treating the sick.

The DRC’s success in combating Ebola was overshadowed by the fact that, during that fight, approximately twice as many people died from a preventable measles outbreak. One essential lesson for policymakers grappling with the greatest global health crisis in a century is that they must do everything in their power to prevent overstretched health systems from battling two epidemics simultaneously.

Our first priority is to maintain existing immunization programs. For measles, polio, or any other disease for which a low-cost vaccine is routinely available, it is critical that herd immunity is maintained in order to prevent any unnecessary drain on scarce health-care resources.

Next, we must bolster preparedness. A number of organizations, including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (of which I am Chair), have made funds available – $200-$300 million in Gavi’s case – to help the world’s poorest health systems step up surveillance activities, invest in testing, procure protective equipment, and train health workers. Technology is playing a part, too: Despite valid privacy concerns, some countries are rolling out tracing apps – a relatively low cost, effective way to mitigate the virus’ spread. Africa is also using drones to distribute vaccines, protective equipment, and other vital supplies to remote areas.

Social distancing will slow the spread of COVID-19, but it will not win the war. Our best hope lies in finding a vaccine. While there may be 41 candidates of varying promise in the pipeline, we must learn from past mistakes. Too often, governments have sequestered vaccines in the countries where they were manufactured. We must ensure that when an effective vaccine becomes available, it is accessible to anyone who needs it, not just the rich, fortunate few.

There are ways to avoid the inequitable distribution of vaccines. Gavi, which procures and distributes vaccines to 60% of the world’s children at affordable prices, regularly employs innovative mechanisms such as the International Finance Facility for Immunization, Advanced Market Commitment, and Advanced Purchase Commitment to encourage vaccine production and delivery. In the case of Ebola, Gavi created incentivizes for Merck to stockpile an experimental Ebola vaccine that was then made available to the WHO, which deployed it in the DRC. It can incentivize the production, scale, and equitable global distribution of a vaccine for COVID-19 as well.

Poorer countries in Africa and elsewhere may be unable to deal with both the health and economic fallout of this pandemic on their own. The global effort that is already underway is essential, because COVID-19 knows no borders. No country is safe until every country is safe.

We are not yet near the end of the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. We must use what precious time we have to bolster our weakest health systems and economies. But shoring up our defenses is not enough. We must go on the offensive by making the development and global distribution of a vaccine our highest priority.

Bloodshed and fighting during a brutal civil war exacerbated the challenge facing the DRC as it fought the Ebola and measles outbreaks. The country experienced profound difficulties immunizing its population against entirely preventable diseases. It found itself fighting a multi-front health battle when it desperately needed to marshal its available resources against a major threat.

The trajectory of COVID-19 may be less advanced in many of the world’s poorest countries, but we must not fool ourselves that a warmer climate, or a younger demographic profile, will blunt its impact. The potential for death and disruption is even more pronounced than in the richer countries where the virus has hit hardest.

And yet weathering two significant health threats simultaneously has shown us how to prevent this nightmare scenario.

This article was culled from Project Syndicate: https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/africa-ebola-outbreak-lessons-for-covid19-by-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-2020-04

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - The coronavirus has already driven the global economy into recession and countries must respond with "very massive" spending to avoid a cascade of bankruptcies and emerging market debt defaults, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned on Friday.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said emerging market countries will need at least $2.5 trillion in financial resources to get through the crisis, and their own internal reserves and market borrowing capacity will fall short of meeting this need.

"It is now clear that we have entered a recession as bad or worse than in 2009," Georgieva told a news conference, adding later that it will be "quite deep."

But unlike the slow recovery from the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, she said there be may be a "sizeable rebound" in 2021, "but only if we succeed with containing the virus everywhere and prevent liquidity problems from becoming a solvency issue."

The worst is yet to come for many emerging market countries, which she said have not yet been hit hard directly by the virus, but are suffering from capital outflows, reduced demand for their exports and a steep drop in commodity prices.

So far, 81 countries have requested or inquired about emergency financing from the IMF, including 50 low-income countries and 31 middle-income countries, including Pakistan, Ghana, Iran and Kyrgyzstan, which was granted the first aid under the program late on Thursday.

Heavily-indebted Lebanon expressed interest in such financing, but has not made a formal request for funds, IMF officials said on Friday.

https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/imfs-georgieva-says-world-in-recession-countries-must-go-big-on-spending-2020-03-27

Iranian Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, who has been briefing journalists on the country’s battle with the coronavirus, has tested positive for the disease, according to a health ministry adviser.

“The coronavirus test for Mr Harirchi, the deputy health minister who was on the front lines combating the coronavirus, was positive,” Alireza Vahabzadeh tweeted on Tuesday.

On Monday, Harirchi, who is heading Iran’s coronavirus response, was seen coughing and sweating during a news conference with government spokesman Ali Rabiei.

At the event, he denied claims from an MP that authorities were hiding the true number of people who had contracted the virus and 50 people had in fact died so far in Qom. Harirchi vowed to “resign” if the figure was true.

Harirchi’s diagnosis comes after Tehran confirmed on Tuesday that the coronavirus has claimed three more lives in Iran and that 34 more people had been infected, putting the country’s death toll to 15 and infection tally to 95.

Iran has become the epicentre of the coronavirus in the Middle East, with the deadliest outbreak of the disease outside of China.

Following the outbreak, Iranian authorities ordered a nationwide cancellation of concerts and football matches, with many schools and universities closing its doors in provinces across the country.

The country’s health ministry said most of the deaths and infections had been identified in Qom or people who had visited the city.

Turkey, meanwhile, redirected an Istanbul-bound Turkish Airlines flight carrying passengers and crew members coming from Tehran to Ankara, where they will be tested for the coronavirus.

Six other Middle Eastern countries have reported cases of coronavirus.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/breaking-irans-deputy-health-minister-tests-positive-for-coronavirus/

The 1 kilometre-long flyover bridge at Ore, along the Lagos-Benin Expressway is ready and set for commissioning by the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu on Tuesday, February 25, 2020.

On Wednesday, the governor remarked via a tweet:

“We are looking good. On track for our commissioning on Tuesday. 1km of total bridge area with a height of 7meters at its highest point and enough laterite to fill 4 Olympic size swimming pools.”

In November 2018, Today’s Echo reported that the Ondo State Government would commence construction on a planned flyover bridge at Ore.

The bridge is an effort to divert traffic along the Lagos-Ore-Benin expressway to ease traffic and reduce accidents. The governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Akeredolu solicited support from several stakeholders, including the Federal Road Safety COrps (FRSC) in ensuring a successful construction.

Ore is a gateway town, situated in a vantage position between the Western part and the Eastern part of Nigeria.

Ore is the headquarters of Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.

The flyover, after its commissioning, will prevent all forms of carnage and avoidable accident that that section of the expressway is notorious for.

Chinese multinational conglomerate holding company Tencent has allegedly published “real” data on the novel coronavirus deaths, with briefly listing death toll as 24,589 — way too higher than over 500 deaths China has officially announced to date.

According to Taiwan News, “Tencent… seems to have inadvertently released what is potentially the actual number of infections and deaths, which were astronomically higher than official figures”.

Tencent, on its webpage titled “Epidemic Situation Tracker,” showed confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China as standing at 154,023 – over 10 times the official figure given to the world on February 1.

It listed the number of suspected cases as 79,808, four times the official figure.

“The number of cured cases was only 269, well below the official number that day of 300. Most ominously, the death toll listed was 24,589, vastly higher than the 300 officially listed that day”.

Once people noticed this, Tencent immediately updated the numbers to reflect the government’s “official” numbers.

“Netizens noticed that Tencent has on at least three occasions posted extremely high numbers, only to quickly lower them to government-approved statistics,” said the report.

Some people speculated a coding problem may be behind the real “internal” data but others believe that someone is actually trying to reveal the real numbers.

Tencent was yet to officially comment on these reports. “According to multiple sources in Wuhan, many coronavirus patients are unable to receive treatment and die outside of hospitals.”

There have been multiple reports of Wuhan officials cremating deceased coronavirus victims before they could be added to the official death toll.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the coronavirus numbers coming out of China are “fishy”.

If the numbers from the alleged Tencent leak are accurate, it would put coronavirus’ mortality rate at almost 16 per cent. By comparison, SARS’ mortality rate was 9.6 per cent, reports CCN.

Caijing, an independent magazine based in Beijing that covers societal, political, and economic issues, has also claimed that the Communist Party of China

(CCP) is underreporting the extent of the coronavirus outbreak.

Caijing’s article on Coronavirus that detailed how Wuhan officials are not reporting real figures was censored in China.

Ms Wang, a 33-year-old housewife, and her family have remained in the city since it was sealed off on 23 January.

Since then, the virus has infected more than 20,000 people worldwide, leading to at least 427 deaths.

In a rare interview with the BBC from inside Wuhan, Ms Wang has told the BBC about her family’s heart-breaking struggle for survival.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, my uncle has already passed away, my father is critically ill and my mum and aunt have started showing some symptoms.

The CT scans shows their lungs are infected. My brother is coughing too, and has some breathing difficulties.

My dad has a high fever. His temperature was 39.3C (102F) yesterday and he’s constantly coughing and having breathing difficulties. We got him an oxygen machine at home and he relies on that machine twenty-four seven.He’s taking both Chinese and Western medicines at the moment. There’s no hospital for him to go to because his case hasn’t been confirmed due to the lack of testing kits.

My mum and aunt walk to the hospital every day in the hope of getting a bed for my dad despite their own health situation. But no hospital will take them.

‘No one is helping us’
In Wuhan, there are many quarantine points to accommodate patients who have slight symptoms or are still in the incubation period.

There are some simple and really basic facilities there. But for people who are critically ill like my father, there are no beds for them.My uncle actually died in one of the quarantine points because there are no medical facilities for people with severe symptoms. I really hope my father can get some proper treatment but no-one is in contact with us or helping us at the moment.

I got in touch with community workers several times, but the response I got was, “there’s no chance of us getting a bed in the hospital”.

We thought the quarantine point my dad and uncle went to was a hospital at the beginning, but it turned out to be a hotel.

There was no nurse or doctor and there was no heater. They went in the afternoon and the staff there served them a cold dinner that evening. My uncle was very ill then, with severe respiratory symptoms and started losing consciousness.

No doctor came to treat him. He and my dad stayed in separate rooms and when dad went to see him at 06:30 in the morning, he had already passed away.

‘We’d rather die at home than go to quarantine’
The new hospitals being built are for people who are already in other hospitals at the moment. They are going to be transferred to the new ones.But for people like us, we can’t even get a bed now, let alone get one in the new hospitals.

If we follow the government’s guidelines, the only place we can go now is to those quarantine points. But if we went, what happened to my uncle would then happen to dad.

So we’d rather die at home.

‘The infected population is huge’
There are many families like us around, all facing the same difficulties.

My friend’s father was even refused by staff at the quarantine points because he had a high fever.

Resources are limited yet the infected population is huge. We are afraid, we don’t know what will happen next.

Wang’s message to the world
What I want to say is, if I knew they were going to lock down the city on 23 January, I would have definitely taken my whole family out, because there’s no help here.

If we were somewhere else, there might be hope. I don’t know whether people like us, who listened to the government and stayed in Wuhan, made the right decision or not.But I think my uncle’s death has answered that question.

As of Thursday, the official death toll in China rose to 563, with 28,018 confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, two newborn babies in Wuhan, China, have been infected with the novel coronavirus, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV.

The youngest baby was diagnosed at just 30 hours old. The baby’s mother was also infected with the virus, and CCTV suggested that “there may be mother-infant transmission,” where the mother passes the virus on to the baby in utero.

There are now at least 250 confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus in more than 25 countries and territories outside mainland China:

Australia (at least 14 cases)
Belgium (at least 1 case)
Cambodia (at least 1 case)
Canada (at least 5 cases)
Finland (at least 1 case)
France (at least 6 cases)
Germany (at least 12 cases)
Hong Kong (at least 21 cases, 1 death)
India (at least 3 cases)
Italy (at least 2 cases)
Japan (at least 45 cases, including 20 in cruise ship quarantine)
Macao (at least 10 cases)
Malaysia (at least 12 cases)
Nepal (at least 1 case)
Philippines (at least 3 cases, 1 death)
Russia (at least 2 cases)
Singapore (at least 28 cases)
South Korea (at least 23 cases)
Spain (at least 1 case)
Sri Lanka (at least 1 case)
Sweden (at least 1 case)
Taiwan (at least 11 cases)
Thailand (at least 25 cases)
United Arab Emirates (at least 5 cases)
United Kingdom (at least 2 cases)
United States (at least 12 cases)
Vietnam (at least 10 cases)

In the 21st century world of internet and intense media competition, the greatest fear is no more that of inadequate information, but of wrong information. The volume of information emanating from the media these days and the rate at which news break out have made the public vulnerable to misinformation.

More than ever, fake news has become a hot topic, dominating serious conversations in the public sphere across the world; from the United States to Nigeria, affecting individuals, businesses and nation states alike.

In Nigeria, this menace is growing roots and its manifestation is causing unnecessary tension in a country that is already tensed with ethnic, religious and political issues. There have been several targets in recent times including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, First Lady Aisha Buhari, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, and Corporate organizations like Seplat and Aiteo.

Fake news was again brought to the fore last week and this time, Bishop David Oyedepo; a renowned preacher and founder of the Winners Chapel Church was the target. While most of the fake news have been emanating from the social media and gossip blogs, most of them run by non-professionals, the culprit in this case is a highly respected media entity in Nigeria.

On Friday, January 31, Thisday, one of Nigeria’s largest newspapers published a story, reporting that the United States embassy had denied Oyedepo visa because the Bishop did not qualify for a visa renewal after its assessment.

This news came amidst debates generated by the inclusion of Nigeria on the US visa restriction list and instantly became the hottest topic of discussion on social media. Unknown to many Nigerians, the story was not true.

Later in the day, the American embassy in Nigeria debunked the story. The embassy wrote:

“False news alert! Alert! Be advised, the reports making the rounds about a visa being denied to Nigerian Bishop Oyedepo are false. If you have seen this manufactured item in the media, help defeat this misinformation by communicating to everyone that it is completely false.”

Oyedepo’s church, the Winners Chapel corroborated the position of the US embassy, debunking rumours that the popular clergyman was denied visa.

According to the Chairman, Editorial and Media Board of Winners Chapel, Prof. Sheriff Folarin, the Bishop was at no time denied an entry visa into the US.

“We wish to put it on record and categorically submit that this piece of information is not true. At no time was the Bishop denied a visa, nor did he create a scene at the US consulate in Lagos, as purported by some mainstream and online newspapers,” Folarin wrote.

Read Also: Fake News: US Embassy Debunks Rumours Alleging Bishop Oyedepo Was Denied Visa

Thisday later acknowledged that its report was wrong and apologized. On Monday, the newspaper announced that it has suspended its two deputy editors who had worked on the story.

While the public may have put the matter to rest for now, this damage-control from Thisday may not completely reverse the significant loss of credibility this misdemeanour portends for the newspaper.

There are several questions begging for answers in this case. Where did the information about the embassy denying the bishop visa come from? Why did the reporter not verify the authenticity of the information? Why did the editor, as a gatekeeper, not validate the story first before rushing to publish?

We only hope that this serves as a big lesson to media agencies. In the rush to break a story, you may end up breaking your reputation and credibility. Stories and their sources must be verified for authenticity and balance, that is how the media can stay fair and balanced.

Nevertheless, it is not altogether a loss for Thisday as the newspaper pulled significant traffic to its online platform via the sensational story that dominated the public sphere for a few days. This craze for patronage and followership among media organizations is believed to be fuelling the rush for sensational stories.

“Forget the damage to its credibility, Thisday also pulled traffic with the Oyedepo story. Everyone likes bad stories and we usually rush to the media platform that carries it first,” an online news reader told Today’s Echo.

In today’s world, many find the seduction of a bizarre, negative story irresistible without even corroborating its authenticity. Bad news gets more attention, and even better if it is fresh and unusual.

Yet a bad news story can have devastating consequences. It can cause plummeting stock prices, destroy the reputation of an individual or business, tear families apart, sway investors or cause stakeholder panic. In extreme cases, it can lead to an unnecessary war.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/te-editorial-thisday-oyedepo-and-the-rising-menace-of-fake-news/

The federal government is said to embark on a total reconstruction of the Port Harcout to Maiduguri rail line.

The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi revealed this on Tuesday in a series of tweets.

The Minister also said that president Muhammadu Buhari has approved the construction of two additional seaports; one in Bonny, Rivers state and another in Warri, Delta State.

“We are discussing Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail line. We will construct it. We will start the total reconstruction of that rail corridor. The President has assured me of this and announcement on the project will be made soon. We even added an Industrial park to the design!” Amaechi tweeted.

“The president has also approved the construction of two new seaports. One in Bonny, Rivers state, the other in Warri, Delta State. At the Lekki deep seaport, construction work is ongoing,” he added.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/breaking-fg-to-construct-port-harcourt-maiduguri-rail-line-two-new-seaports/

SWITZERLAND, JANUARY 24 – The outbreak of a new deadly coronavirus in China is not yet a global health emergency, said director-general of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. It was, however, an emergency in China, he added.

Ghebreyesus was speaking after WHO’s emergency committee met for a second day on Thursday to debate the epidemic but were divided over whether or not to declare it an emergency.

Prof Didier Houssin, the chair of the emergency committee, said it was “too early” to consider it a “public health emergency of international concern” which would have designated the epidemic a serious global public health event.

The international organisation said they could reconvene the committee if the situation changes.
China has widened its travel restrictions in Hubei province – the centre of the coronavirus outbreak – as the disease spreads to 8 countries and death toll climbed to 26. The countries affected include Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia, South-Korea and United States.

The restrictions in China will affect at least 20 million people across 10 cities, including the provincial capital, Wuhan, where the virus emerged.

On Thursday, a coronavirus patient died in northern Hebei province – making it the first death outside Hubei.

Another death was later confirmed in north-east Heilongjiang province.

The province borders Russia and is more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) from Wuhan.

https://www.todaysecho.com/lifestyle/coronavirus-spreads-to-8-countries-as-who-delays-declaring-international-emergency/

Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Dr. (Mrs) Lola Akande recently received top officials of LONGRICH Production Company on a courtesy visit.

The company representatives expressed the readiness of the company to inject additional $100M worth investment to the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

Lekki Free Trade Zone is a collaboration of the Chinese and Nigerian governments under the management of Lekki Free Zone Development Company (LFZDC).

Spread over 805 hectares of land, the zone will have several industrial zones and offer access to an enormous consumer market across West Africa.

Dr. Akande described the proposed investment as a good development for the State and Nigeria as a whole.

She added that when the investment potential of the Zone is finally harnessed, the economy of the State would receive a major boom just as more job opportunities would be created.

Akande disclosed that the proposed $100M investment which would come to fruition this year is an additional financial commitment by the company to the Zone following an earlier investment worth $20M injected by the company.

As at today, Longrich remains the largest and most advanced center for research, development, manufacture and sales of cosmetics and healthcare products in china, with their products in over 150 countries of the world

https://www.todaysecho.com/business/chinese-company-longrich-to-invest-additional-100m-into-lekki-free-trade-zone/

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has stated that the April 2020 deadline for the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway is no more feasible.

The Minister said this after carrying out inspection on various sites of the ongoing project on Monday.

Today’s Echo gathered that during the inspection, the minister was joined by Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde. They went through the entire lenght of the project; from the mega station in Ebute Metta to Apapa and all the way to Ibadan. A large chunk of this rail line is in Oyo State.

” Looking at the state of work in Apapa, completing the project in April doesn’t seem feasible, especially the extension of the rail line to the seaport. We’ll however, continue to work and redouble our efforts to complete the project and meet set targets,” Amaechi said on Monday afternoon.

https://www.todaysecho.com/technology/april-deadline-for-lagos-ibadan-rail-completion-not-feasible-amaechi/

Summary of charges against Marry Mubaiwa:

Fraudulently gotten herself married to Vice President Chiwenga without his consent by deceiving court officials
Attempting to kill her spouse by “tampering with his medical equipment”.
Illegally siphoning close to $1 million out of the country to South Africa.
Illegally sending more than $281 000 to a South African bank account.
Externalising money by paying $230 000 into South Africa for a new Range Rover.
Sending a driver and an aide to China last year with $114 000 in cash.

SWITZERLAND, DECEMBER 17 – The story of 38-year old ex-model Marry Mubaiwa has taken Zimbabwe by storm. She is the woman whom her husband and Zimbabwe’s vice-president Constantino Chiwenga has accused of fraudulently getting married to him without his consent and attempting to kill him in order to take over his estate.

Mubaiwa appeared in court on Monday during a hearing on an earlier money laundering case against her. She had earlier been accused of externalizing close to $1 million illegally out of the country and arrested.

According to the court papers, she unlawfully externalized a total of $114,000 to China through her driver and another accomplice.

She also allegedly laundered about $1m to neighbouring South Africa by pretending to pay for goods that were never brought into Zimbabwe.

However, many people were shocked when new serious charges were announced on Monday. She was accused of getting herself married to Chiwenga without his consent by deceiving court officials and attempting to kill him while he was in hospital in South Africa.

Today’s Echo gathered that sick Chiwenga was airlifted to a specialist hospital in South Africa as part of a medical emergency back in June. He reportedly received treatment in Cape Town and Gauteng, spending at least one month in the country. Zimbabwean officials wanted to keep his visit under wraps.

However, according to the court papers filed against her, Marry Mubaiwa had upon arrival in South- Africa, denied her husband access to medical treatment by insisting he stay at a hotel instead of a hospital when he was flown to South Africa for emergency medical treatment. The security forces had to force their way in to take him to the hospital.

“On 8 July, 2019, at about 2000 hours, the accused (Mubaiwa) came to the hospital with intent to cause serious harm to the complainant (Chiwenga). She ordered the security personnel to excuse her alleging that she wanted some privacy with the complainant. The security personnel went outside, leaving the accused with the complainant inside the ward.

“Whilst alone with the complainant, accused unlawfully removed the medical Intra Venus Giving Set as well as Central Venous Catheter which were inserted to the complainant and the complainant started bleeding profusely.

“The accused forced the complainant off the bed, held him by hand and moved out from the ward before being intercepted by the security personnel at the exit door. The hospital staff was called by the security personnel and they reconnected the Intra Venous Giving Set and the Central Venous Catheter and resuscitated the condition of the complainant,” the charge sheet reads.

In addition to the attempted murder charges, her husband has accused her of fraudulently concocting and executing a plot to get married to him without his knowledge and consent.

Part of the charge sheet reads:

“During the year 019 on the date to the prosecutor unknown, the accused misrepresented to the Judge President George Mutandwa Chiweshe that herself and the complainant had consented to we under the Marriage Act, Chapter 5:11 under the marriage licence on the 2nd of July 2019 at their place of residence at number 614 Nick Price Drive, Borrowdale Brooke, Harare. The accused then submitted copies of national identity documents of both parties to the Judge President George Mutandwa Chiweshe without the consent of the complainant.”

A source, however, pointed out to Today’s Echo that there is a lot of unanswered questions in the story and the case against Marry Mubaiwa may be politically motivated as she is seen by some people as getting too powerful due to the influence she wielded on the Vice President.

“Let’s not forget that we are talking about the Vice President of Zimbabwe here and it is not easy for her to have done all these things she is accused of doing without her fallen out of favour with him. If she really wanted to kill the Vice President, she could have done it in more subtle ways,” the source added.

General Constantin Chiwenga was the head of Zimbabwe’s Army. In 2017, he managed to successfully topple Zimbabwe’s President of 37 years Robert Mugabe through a military coup, ushering in Emerson Mnagagwa.

In the early days of President Mnagagwa’s regime, Marry Mubaiwa and Constantin Chiwenga seemed so much like typical lovebirds. Mubaiwa was seen as close to her husband before and immediately after he led the military coup that forced the late former president, Robert Mugabe, to resign in 2017.

However, Mubaiwa reportedly fell out of the Vice President’s good graces after allegedly demanding that he write a will at a time when he was battling for his life. Now she stands a good chance of spending the rest of her life in prison.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/marry-mubaiwa-ex-model-allegedly-married-zimbabwes-vice-president-without-his-consent-tried-to-kill-himexclusive/

OP, stop spreading fake story. This story is from April 2019.
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/325458-exclusive-nine-top-firs-officials-in-efcc-custody-over-alleged-multi-billion-naira-fraud.html

Mods please do your job

Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari has revealed plans to start a radio station for women in Abuja soon.

The First Lady revealed this on Tuesday after receiving an award as Woman of the Year 2019 at the 4th Edition of Voice of Women (VOW) Conference. In her message, she promised to support the advocacy of the founder of Women Radio, Lagos, Toun Okewale Sonaiya by starting her own radio for women in Abuja.

“Today, I was honoured as Woman of the Year 2019 at the 4th Edition of Voice of Women (VOW) Conference. I am grateful to the organisers of the event, Women Radio and Voice of Women Foundation,”Aisha Buhari tweeted on Tuesday.

“The award will spur me to do more to protect, advocate and defend Nigerian women and girls. I wish to specially commend the founder of Women Radio, Lagos, Toun Okewale Sonaiya for giving women a voice, I promise to support the advocacy by setting up a women-focused radio station in Abuja soon,” she continued.

https://www.todaysecho.com/lifestyle/aisha-buhari-to-set-up-radio-station-in-abuja/

SWITZERLAND, OCTOBER 1 – President Muhammadu Buhari has addressed the country on the occasion of the Independence day anniversary on October 1.
One of the highlights of his speech is the hint that his administration may start clamping down on social media which he says is being used to propagate hate speech.

His words:
” Our attention is increasingly being focused on cyber-crimes and the abuse of technology through hate speech and other divisive material being propagated on social media. Whilst we uphold the Constitutional rights of our people to freedom of expression and association, where the purported exercise of these rights infringes on the rights of other citizens or threatens to undermine our National Security, we will take firm and decisive action.“

Read the full speech below:
https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/independence-day-speech-buhari-hints-at-clamping-down-on-social-mediafull-text/

President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the alleged attempted coup in Ghana.

Today’s Echo reported on Tuesday that Ghanaian security forces have arrested and are questioning three alleged coup plotters after their plans to target the presidency were foiled.

Read Also: 3 Arrested as Ghana Foils Alleged Coup Attempt Against Government

In a statement posted on Twitter, Ghana’s government said the plot had “the ultimate aim of destabilising the country”.

President Buhari’s media aide, Garba Shehu released a statement on the incident on Wednesday afternoon.

“Following the announcement of the interception of an attempted plot against the authorities in Ghana, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has issued the following statement:

“Nigeria and Ghana are leading partners in ECOWAS, and Transparency International, and Afrobarometer’s Africa Index 2019 attested that both countries have recorded exceptional advances in fighting corruption.

When you take on powerful and corrupt vested interests successfully, sometimes they seek to push back. As the saying goes, ‘if you fight corruption, corruption will fight back’.

The only acceptable form of governance in our region in this 21st century is through democratic elections. It is the only way to install – and the only way to change – an administration. The days of coups and government without votes are over.

“All Africans hold the nation of Ghana in the highest esteem as the first post-colonial country to gain independence, and the first African country to hold multi-party elections by universal suffrage. Ghana is the first, true African democracy.

“We in Nigeria hold out – as always – our hands in support and friendship to our brothers and sisters in Ghana”.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/buhari-condemns-alleged-coup-attempt-in-ghana/

Premium smartphone maker, Apple has released the iPhone 11 across the world.

” iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 11 and Apple Watch Series 5 went on sale at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, September 20 around the world,” Apple announced on its website on Friday.

Today’s Echo gathers that the new phone has gone on sale in Apple shops already.

At its fall 2019 event, Apple announced that the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max was released on September 20th. Preorders began on September 13th at 5 a.m. PDT.

iPhone 11 price
The iPhone 11 will retail for $699. The iPhone 11 Pro will retail for $999, and the 11 Pro Max will retail for $1,099. Apple is promoting trade-ins of previous models to lower the cost.

Read more about features: https://www.todaysecho.com/business/breaking-apple-releases-iphone-11-worldwide/

In-line with the country’s cashless policy, the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) has directed Banks to charge certain amounts on withdrawals and deposits of certain amounts for individuals and corporate entities.

Effective from September 17, 2019, customers will pay a huge fine for cash deposit or withdrawal above N500k individual or N3m corporate in Abia, Abuja, Anambra, Kano, Lagos, Ogun or Rivers State.

This is contained in a memo issued by the CBN to the banks on Tuesday, September 17 and obtained by Today’s ECho.

The policy will take effect in the rest of the country will take effect from 31 March 2020.

Below is the main content of the memo:

3% on withdrawals and 2% on deposits of over N500,000 for individuals
5% on withdrawals and 3% of deposits of over N3,000,000 for corporate entities

https://www.todaysecho.com/business/cbn-enforces-cashless-policy-directs-banks-to-charge-3-on-all-individual-withdrawals-above-n500000/

Nigeria’s population is expected to reach 400 million by 2050 with 65% of the population under the age of 35.

This was revealed by the Minister of Finance, Bugdet and Economic Planing, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed in her briefing on the upcoming National Economic Summit(NES) scheduled to hold from October 7 – 8, 2019 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

Read her complete address below:

It gives me great pleasure to address you on this very important occasion of the World Press Conference for the Twenty-Fifth Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#25). Let me start by commending the Gentlemen of the Press for their roles in publicising and ensuring the successful hosting of the Twenty-fourth Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#24).


2. The purpose of our gathering here today is essentially to brief you, on our preparation for this year’s Summit. We are looking forward to an even greater support from you as we host the Summit. This year’s Summit is unique because it marks a historic milestone. It is the 25th Summit and, indeed an Anniversary event. It is a celebration of the continued engagement between the public and private sectors which has been sustained over the years.


3. As you may be aware, the Nigerian Economic Summit is organized annually by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and the Federal Government of Nigeria represented by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning. The Summit has become a veritable platform for dialogue between the leaders of Public and Private Sectors. The forum provides opportunity for interaction, sharing thoughts and building consensus on issues relating to the Nigerian economy.


4. It also brings together development partners, the civil society and representatives of the academia as well as provides participants the unique opportunity to interact on issues of national development whilst evolving a common strategy and policy framework for addressing them. The Summit has over the years helped to shape many of the reform policies underpinning the evolution of our economic growth and development.


5. Distinguished Gentlemen of the Press, you will recall that the 24th Summit focused on “Poverty to Prosperity: Making Governance & Institutions Work”. It addressed issues of good governance as a path to sustainable human and economic development. It provided a timely opportunity for a national economic review and created a consensus amongst all Nigerians on the need to ensure that Nigerians take advantage of the opportunities that exist to increase productivity and create jobs.


6. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, this year’s Summit is scheduled to hold from October 7 – 8, 2019 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. Our preparation for the 25th Nigerian Economic Summit has reached an advanced stage. The theme of the Summit, is “Nigeria 2050: Shifting Gears”. Shifting Gears emphasize the imperatives for the country to move to a more robust competitive private sector economy while discussing the implication of the projected population of the country hitting over 400 million by 2050 with 65% of the population under the age of 35.


7. This figure we know will put an unimaginable pressure on our educational institutions, structures, resources and manpower. In this regard, it is only a competitive private sector led economy that will drive this process and ensure economic prosperity all for Nigerians.


8. As with past Summits, the 2019 edition will be anchored on Plenary, Breakout Sessions and Round Table Discussions. Key outcomes of past Summits and their impacts on the Nigerian Economy will also be reviewed. In addition, we shall feature Startup Pitching Events which was introduced as a means of connecting startups registered in Nigeria and are doing business for no more than 3 to 5 years and seeking to raise needed funds. Selection will be based on innovativeness, market size and diversity. It is hoped that this will provide a veritable platform for creating and expanding business opportunities in Nigeria. The application portal was opened on August 1, 2019.
9. At this juncture let me say that to ensure a competitive economy we must have stable macroeconomic conditions and business climate that will keep transaction costs low, thereby encouraging savings, investment and job creation. Nigeria’s economic prosperity depends on the productivity of our human and natural resources.


10. To achieve these we need;
• A modern and well-regulated financial sector that turns savings into productive investments;
• Ability to advance in research, development and technology;
• Investment in hard and soft infrastructure as well as sustained encouragement of entrepreneurship and innovation;
• Economic activity in manufacturing, services, agriculture and natural resources that are viable and plugged into global value chains;
• Introduction of legislations and policies that provide a sustainable foundation for the continuous development of human resources, science and technology, research and development, innovation and infrastructure and;
• Identification of and focus on specific industries (and industry segments) that Nigeria has or can build sustainable competitive advantage.


11. Ladies and Gentlemen, achieving these will in no small measure build a competitive private sector economy that will guarantee the needed economic prosperity for Nigerians.


12. This year’s Summit would be setting a new agenda for Nigeria to key into the 4th Industrial Revolution as the Summit Sub-themes will focus on the following:
• Achieving rapid industrialization;
• Transforming education and;
• Managing demography.


13. Discussions around the Sub-themes will be driven by six identified critical sectors of the economy which are Agriculture, Manufacturing, ICT, Financial Services, Creative Industry and the Extractive Industry. Twelve accelerators and Indicators have also been identified for discussion as central to the growth of competitive industries and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which ensures a prosperous future.


14. The Summit will further seek to:
 Underscore the critical enablers of the private sector led economy that the country needs;
 Develop and deploy human capital to achieve higher productivity;
 Discuss policy framework that is required to guarantee a globally competitive economy that is inclusive;
 Strategize on how to mobilize and attract needed investments;
 Map out possible scenarios on the path to the future we envision and;
 Highlight the role of State Governments in the competitiveness and growth agenda.


15. Distinguished Gentlemen of the Press, the Summit will also have an on-site simulation of “Life as an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)” which will recreate the living conditions of IDPs in the camps. This will enable Summit participants to feel the experiences of internally displaced persons in their Camps.


16. At the national level, Government has taken steps towards making the country investment friendly and competitive. Part of this was the establishment of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) to address constraints to businesses and the Executive Orders focusing on Ease of Doing Business and increasing local content that have been signed to support the diversification efforts. The implementation of these policies enabled Nigeria to move 24 places to 146th from 169th position on the ease of doing business ranking of the World Bank. Government is also working on operational, regulatory and legislative interventions to enable the country move to the top 100 on ease of doing business ranking.


17. We have also established a Competitiveness Advisory Council and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the 6 Geo-political Zones, as a vehicle for partnering with the private sector. The initiative is in line with modern trend of providing infrastructure to business clusters to improve and boost economic activities in such zones as found in China and other fast growing economies. We believe that these initiatives will improve trade balances, investment and create jobs.


18. Ladies and Gentlemen, Government is working towards launching a broad range of sector–specific activities to attract investment and drive growth through improving regulatory efficiency. In this respect, the Solid Mineral Development Fund (SMDF)is being refocused to de-risk value chains in the mining sector and diversify national income streams.


19. To expand transportation and other infrastructures that will make the country competitive for investment, Government is willing to work with the private sector in commercially viable projects.


20. As you are aware, the greatest challenge facing government is inadequate revenue to execute the numerous projects and other initiatives it intends to implement. New sources of revenue is being identified and enhanced. Coordination and cohesion among revenue generating agencies, is being improved.


21. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, we expect that this year’s Summit will present a unique opportunity for discussion among leaders and citizens to set an agenda for Nigerians to deepen discussions on issues and challenges that face the country. The Summit will also assist in proffering solution on how to maximize the large workforce, reap the demographic dividends and achieve a competitive economy that is inclusive leading to improved standard of living and economic prosperity for the citizenry.


22. Distinguished Gentlemen of the Press, the task of organizing a Summit of this magnitude has never been easy. In this regard, let me appreciate the contributions of the various corporate organizations that have provided support towards the successful hosting of the Summit. They have remained reliable partners. The tireless efforts of members of the Joint Planning Committee (JPC) is also worthy of commendation. I therefore solicit your cooperation, support, adequate coverage and reportage of the Twenty Fifth Nigerian Economic Summit, (NES#25).


23. I thank you all for listening.