The founder of Victory Life Ministries International, Bishop Mike Bamidele has said that coronavirus is evil from hell. He warned that nobody should blame God for it.

The cleric said the churches would continue to support government with prayers for an end to the virus, adding that government should be commended for their efforts so far in containing the spread of the disease. The cleric said COVID-19 is real and urged people to continue to abide by preventive measures.

The cleric, who disclosed this in an interview, offered special prayers for health workers, journalists, security operatives and others in the front line of the battle against the virus. He said the Pentecost day celebration this year will be to pray for comfort for those who are bereaved and healing for those who are under any kind of diseases particularly the COVID-19.

Bishop Bamidele said this year edition of Pentecost Day Celebration would hold online because of the restriction on public gatherings imposed by government to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

He urged Christians across the globe to join through online and social media platforms and receive blessings. The cleric said Christians would not know COVID-19, saying that whoever has faith in Christ would not be infected. “COVID-19 vanishes immediately you believe that it is gone. If you have faith that it would not come to you, COVID-19 would not locate you. COVID-19 has vanished if you believe so.

No pastor can predict the end of the Coronavirus. Those who had earlier predicted the end to the virus but which did not come to pass, needs to check the spirit that they are operating with.” “There is no specific date the virus will end but the day any man is healed by exercising faith in God is the day the virus will end. For me, an end has come to the virus the day Jesus died on the cross,” the bishop said.

He reiterated the need for the United Nations to give recognition to Pentecost Day. He also urged Osun state governor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola to take a lead in declaring Pentecost Day as public holiday in the state just as Hijirah Day and Isese Day marked annually by Muslims and traditionalists in the state were honoured with public holidays.

He said “The Pentecost Day was the 50 days after Jesus resurrection, it should be declared as a public holiday so that Christians can enjoy the celebration. if the state government could declare a public holiday for Muslims to celebrate Hijrah and the Isese Day for traditional worshippers, the same should be declared for Christians to celebrate Pentecost Day”

The Federal Government of Nigeria has imposed a fine of N1m on a United Kingdom airplane impounded last week for undertaking illegal commercial operations in Nigeria.

Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, disclosed that the impounded airplane and detained crew of Flairjet were found to have violated Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NigCAR) IS 1.3.3(a) Table 2(IV)7(a) and IS 1.3.3 (a) Table 2(VIII)(4). Sirika, speaking via his Twitter handle, noted that the maximum penalty for each of the infractions was N500,000, totalling N1 million (£2,100 at N475.8 exchange rate). “We caused them to pay and reported their callous misdemeanor to United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA), MFA and the UK High Commission”, the Minister added.

It would be recalled that Flairjet was caught making illegal commercial operations in Nigeria, after being given permission to carry out humanitarian services which were only allowed after the airspace was shut to commercial services. “Flair Aviation, a UK company, was given approval for humanitarian operations but regrettably, we caught them conducting commercial flights. “This is callous.

The aircraft is impounded, the crew being interrogated. “There shall be maximum penalty. Wrong time to try our resolve!” After the arrest, the crew were quarantined for 14 days while the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) conducted investigation on the infraction. But Aviation analysts say the fine was too meagre.

Group Capt. John Ojikutu, rtd, an aviation stakeholder, noted that the fine was fixed when one pound was exchanged for N40. Those who commented on Sirika’s timeline, including the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Anjuri Ngelale, said they wished the fine was more.

“I only wish it was N50m per violation,” Ngelale wrote. Another Twitter user, Dayo Kehinde, says: “Penalties for violation of laws in critical areas such as this are overdue for review. “Relevant government agencies need to take action for updates.”

But Sirika, while responding to the call for review of the nation’s aviation laws, said: “Review of our laws is part of our roadmap approved by Mr President in 2016. “The bills have passed 2nd reading at NASS.

“I championed the first review whilst at NASS, 2006. “

This will make the 2nd review since 1963 when Jaja Wachukwu was minister, such a shame! Will get it right.”

* 90% of victims not coronavirus patients- State govt

* Residents give different accounts

* FG’s team in Bauchi, Katsina, Jigawa over mass deaths

Four hundred and seventy one people died in Yobe State in the last three weeks, the state task force on COVID-19 made the revelation yesterday. The Yobe State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Muhammad Lawan Gana, who is also vice chairman of the state committee on COVID-19, said those that died were mostly elderly people. He added that the total of 471 was put together between the last week of April and the second week of May.

According to the commissioner, the casualties were recorded in Potiskum, which is the business capital of Yobe State, Nguru, Gashu’a and Damaturu the state capital.

Like in Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi and Borno, there has been an outcry across Yobe State over an increased number of deaths through various illnesses. Though some locals, medical experts and opinion moulders have over the past weeks insisted that most of the deaths being recorded in the northwest and northeast could be attributed to the ravaging COVID-19.

But in most cases, government officials attributed the development to other factors such as malaria, heat wave and hypertension and ruled out the possibility of coronavirus.

Yobe State shares an international boundary with the Republic of Niger to the North, Jigawa and Bauchi States to the West, Borno State to the East as well as Gombe and Borno to the South.

The media had reported that between the second week of April and early May, over 200 people died in Kano, over 100 in Hadejia LGA of Jigawa and over 150 in Bauchi.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)’s downstream subsidiary, Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) has announced that it sold petroleum products worth ₦211.62bn in February. It also announced that sales of the products for the period February 2019 to February 2020 stood at about ₦2.6 trillion with petrol contributing about 98.06 per cent of the total sales value of about ₦2.5 trillion.

The N211.62bn figure which is contained in the February 2020 NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations Report (MFOR) is significantly higher compared to the previous month’s ₦151.79 billion. The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr Kennie Obateru, who confirmed the report on Tuesday in Abuja also disclosed that about 1.7 billion litres of white products were sold and distributed by PPMC in the month of February 2020 compared with about 1.2 billion litres sold in January 2020.

This comprised about 1.7 billion litres of PMS and 1.09million litres of AGO, he said. Also, there was sale of 0.01million litres of special product, Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO) in the month, according to him. He said total sale and distribution of white products for the period February 2019 to February 2020 stood at about 21billion litres. PMS accounted for 20.8billion litres or 98.73 per cent, according to the report.

On pipeline vandalism, the report said during the period under review, a total of 32 pipeline-points malfunctioned or were vandalized, representing about 47 per cent decrease from the 60 points recorded in January 2020 comprising 22 pipeline breaches, eight-weld failures and two pipeline ruptures. The report said Mosimi area accounted for 78 per cent of total cases, the Port Harcourt axis 16 per cent and all other routes accounted for the remaining 6 per cent.

In respect of natural gas off-take, commercialization and utilization, out of the 241.74Billion Cubic Feet (BCF) of gas supplied in February 2020, 146.54BCF was commercialized, consisting of 35.83BCF and 110.71BCF for the domestic and export market respectively, translating to a total supply of 1,235.56million Standard Cubic Feet per day (mmscfd) of gas to the domestic market and 3,817.40mmscfd of gas supplied to the export market for the month.

According to the report, 699mmscfd was delivered to gas-fired power plants to generate an average power of about 3,064MW, compared with January 2020 when an average of 640mmscfd was supplied to generate 2,683MW. The 55th edition of the MFOR indicates an increased trading surplus of ₦3.95billion compared to the ₦1.87billion surplus posted in January 2020.

The 111 per cent growth in the month is largely attributable to improved performance of the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) as a result of its low expenses put at over 100 per cent.

Other reasons cited for the increased trading surplus are the reduced deficits post by the Downstream units, refineries, as well as the NNPC corporate Headquarters, the report states.