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By Kingsley Omonobi & Ibrahim Hassan THE Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has approved the appointment of a new Theatre Commander for Operation Lafiya Dole, as well as a new General Officer Commanding 1 Infantry Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna While Major General Farouk Yahaya, formerly GOC 1 division is appointed the New Theatre Commander, Lafiya Dole, Major General General US Mohammed, formerly, the Chief of Civil Military Affairs at Army headquarters is the new GOC, 1 division. Also appointed is a new Commander for the Special Military Task Force in Jos, Operation Safe Haven, he is Major General Chukwuma Okonkwo. Confirming the new appointments in a statement yesterday   , Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col Sagir Musa said, “In the efforts to rekindle spirit of professionalism, the Nigerian Army has  released the postings and appointments of some affected senior officers. “The posting which was approved by the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt Gen TY

•Says ministry working with NERC to review MAP policy By Chris Ochayi ABUJA — THE Minister of Power, Engr. Saleh Mamman, has explained that the suspension of take-off of the  new electricity tariff hike till next three months was in line with President’ Muhammadu Buhari’s announcement of March 29 granting a moratorium for certain Federal Government’s funded facilities to the Nigerian public. Mamman, who stated this in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, explained further that the decision was  one of several critical actions the administration was taking to ensure citizens had power supply in this difficult time. Recall that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, apparently bowing to pressure, had earlier in the day, announced suspension of electricity tariff hike expected to have commenced today to June 30, 2020. The minister said:  “The 3-month delay in the implementation of tariff measures is consistent with His Excellency the President’s announcement on Marc

By Sam Eyoboka LAGOS—THE General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has donated some medical supplies to the Lagos State Government to support its efforts in equipping  medical staff with necessary protective gears needed to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The items  include 8,000 hand sanitizers, 8,000 surgical face masks and 200,000 hand gloves. While presenting the donations at Mainland Hospital (formerly Infectious Disease Hospital), Yaba, the Assistant General Overseer, Admin/Personnel of the RCCG, Pastor Funsho Odesola, said: “We commend the sacrifices that all medical personnel are making at this time, the church continues to pray for them as they give their sacrifice of love even as the RCCG as a church agrees that combating COVID-19 is by no means work for all.” Odesola stated that the donations, in addition to other CSR programmes of the church, is a confirmation of the broadness of mind and reach of the church. READ ALSO: Cor

•Nigeria records 4 new cases of coronavirus, 3 in Osun, 1 in Ogun •As total confirmed cases jump to 135 •Bauchi slams 14 days lockdown; 3rd person tests positive •Nyanya, Mararaba residents lament as lockdown paralyses activities •Ask FG to cushion effects with palliatives •Inmates protest at Kaduna prisons; Shi’ites raise alarm over El-Zakzaky’s safety •Angry man wails: I prefer my wife to die at home than be abandoned here By Peter Egwuatu, Chioma Obinna, Nkiru Nnorom, Rosemary Onuoha, Godwin Oritse, Godfrey Bivbere, Prince Ekwujuru, Joseph Erunke, Gabriel Olawale, Luminous Jannamike, Elizabeth Adegbesan, Ediri Ejoh, Prince Okafor, Charly Agwam & Ibrahim Hassan LAGOS — Barely 24 hours after the lock-down directed by the Federal Government took effect yesterday, residents of the federal capital, Abuja, and Lagos have started lamenting effects of the restriction order, asking the authorities to provide palliatives to cushion the effects. In Lagos, a man who simply identifi

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was paid a £3million bonus for delivering the club’s new stadium. The hefty gift, which was additional to his £4million salary, was deferred from 2018 after Spurs moved into their 62,000-seater stadium – widely regarded as the best in the world – last April. ALSO READ:  COVID-19: Nigeria testing about 500 people per day ―NCDC DG Levy was paid the bonus almost a year ago in 2019 and on Monday took a 20% pay cut along with all other non-playing staff as the club look to combat the coronavirus crisis. The club accounts, published on Companies House website, read: “The total aggregate remuneration of directors, who are deemed to represent key management personnel, for the year ended 30 June 2019 was £6.4million. ALSO READ:  Coronavirus: UBA donates N28.5m to Anambra  “However, this amount excluded a bonus which was deferred from the year ended 30 June 2018 as it was contingent upon the completion of the stadium, which amounted to £3.9m, making the tot

“The time-hallowed tradition was bastardised by the British colonial masters in order to weaken the authority of the monarch, abolish slave trade, extend British Protectorate, and promote Royal Niger Company commercial enterprise”. By Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, Last week, I commenced a discussion on the concept of traditional rulership in the pre-colonial and colonial Nigeria, the legitimacy of, and the socio-economic-cum-political weight of traditional rulers and the dwindled relevance of monarchs and traditional chiefs in the colonial political domain. This week, I will examine the factual and spiritual significance of traditional rulership – the godlike, sacred status of pre-independent monarchs and the factual and mythical consequences of their dethronement, both in personal and corporate spheres as well as how the time-hallowed tradition was bastardised by the British colonial masters in order to weaken the authority of the monarch, abolish slave trade, extend British Protector

President Muhammadu Buhari By Rotimi Fasan, It was less than 20 minutes. It did not have to be more than that. But had President Muhammadu Buhari taken out time to address Nigerians on the raging invisible killer codenamed COVID-19, Nigerians would not have complained he said nothing. Had he taken necessary and pre-emptive steps and ordered the closure of major entry points into the country as the terrible virus spread like wild fires across the world and Nigeria appeared immune, our people would not have been on edge. But it took our dear president all of four weeks to address the anxiety of Nigerians. Four weeks when the number of infected persons had rapidly increased from the initial index case as at February 27, to 97 as I write this some two hours after the presidential address that was never going to be even though it was described as ‘scheduled’- for when and by who? Was it after the impertinent presidential silence that was neither seemly nor golden? Silence that only h

test kit In late December China informed the world about COVID-19 that was ravaging Wuhan. While COVID-19 was ravaging China, some countries prepared for possible outbreak in their countries, others just watched, waited and hoped it would not cross into their borders. It turns out that those who anticipated it and prepared a response in advance have been most successful in containing the disease. Perhaps, in hindsight, Nigeria’s preparedness and emergency measures have shown to be grossly inadequate. Our current intervention measures are even, surprisingly, less aggressive. The terrible thing with COVID-19 killer virus is that it is insidious: majority of the people infected do not show any symptoms, yet they continue to transmit the virus to other people. For everyone, the only way to know that you’re infected is to get tested. But, in Nigeria with about 200 million people and its vastly traveled population that’s always on the move, it is pretty hard to believe that there are

By Bose Adelaja, Olayinka Latona & Rose Chukwu “Coronavirus is a global pandemic but the Federal Government is handling it with levity, discharged cases are few while new cases are increasing daily. “Lagos State is on top of her game but the only way out is to declare 24-hour curfew nationwide. We are sitting on a time bomb.” -Mariam Adewole, Safety Officer “Kudos to the federal and state governments. I think their response to the coronavirus pandemic has been timely and well calculated. “However, there is need to sustain all the efforts in coming weeks to further contain possible comeback of the virus.We shall surely defeat this pandemic.” -Alade Sikiru Kayode, Health, Safety ALSO READ:  COVID-19: Assessment of FG, States response (2) “The Lagos State Government has issued a directive to give out economic stimulus packages to help some residents of the state. Some risk-prone areas have been disinfected. “The Federal Government has done well in terms of sensitization and

By Chinedu Adonu – Enugu Goods worth over N50million of naira were last Thursday destroyed by fire at the popular Kenyeta Market in Enugu South Council of Enugu State local government area of Enugu State. The fire reportedly started around 4p.m from the section of foam dealers affected about 21 shops; a plaza and a furniture warehouse. According to a victim, Mr. Gabriel Iloji, the fire affected him drastically as he just stocked his shop a day before the inferno. “What happened is a shocking and terrible accident. Within a twinkle of an eye, my shops, my goods and my plaza were gone. No pin was saved from any of the shops. “I had old goods which I cannot determine the quantity now, plus the new stocks that arrived on Wednesday evening, a day before the disaster. Each truck load of foam costs over N5 million; I have a plaza that was burnt down. All my shops were fully stocked. I lost everything”. ALSO READ:  Enugu Airport: Easter deadline suspended over coronavirus – Aviation Mi

Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has ordered the fumigation of all markets and motor parks across the state to contain the spread of COVID-19. Akeredolu, while briefing newsmen on COVID-19 in Akure on Tuesday, said the exercise would commence immediately. He added that the Committee on Sanitation and Traffic Rules would carry out the exercise. “We have given additional responsibility to the Committee on Sanitation and Traffic Rules to disinfect and fumigate our markets, streets and motor parks. “The state government has purchased motorised water pumps. We have 50 drums of ethanol, chlorine that would be used for this exercise. “We have equally bought water tankers and Hilux vans that would carry the water tankers to the markets and motor parks. READ ALSO: Akeredolu advises residents to steer clear of Ondo explosion site “By the time our markets returned after the closure, they will meet cleaner markets that had been fumigated,” Akeredolu said. Responding, the chairman

The governor of New York state on Tuesday said officials had “underestimated” the coronavirus and needed to prepare for the apex of the outbreak. “I’m tired of being behind this virus. We’ve been behind this virus from day one,” Andrew Cuomo told a news briefing. “We underestimated this virus. It’s more powerful, it’s more dangerous than we expected.” Coronavirus cases surged to 75,795 in New York, while the death toll jumped nearly 30 per cent overnight to 1,550, Cuomo said, warning that the state was “still headed up the mountain.” The new cases mean New York has surpassed China’s Hubei province which reported 67,801 cases since the virus emerged there in December, according to John Hopkins University data. The New York governor also said his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, had tested positive for coronavirus. “He’s going to be quarantined in his basement at home,” Cuomo said of his brother, after calling the virus a “great equaliser”. The governor said the health care syste

Lagos State Government says it is expecting most of its COVID-19 patients to survive, as no mortality was recorded in their treatment. Prof. Akin Abayomi, the State Commissioner for Health, made this known at the COVID-19 media briefing on Tuesday in Lagos, saying that COVID-19 mortality rate varies from country to country. Abayomi said that mortality rate in China was 2.5 per cent, Italy about five per cent, while in some parts of Europe, five out of 100 patients might die of the virus. “Our survival in Lagos is still 100 per cent. We do not have severe cases among the patients. READ ALSO: COVID-19: More patients to be discharged soon, as FG reviews response activities “Most of the patients are experiencing a mild to moderate degree of the illness, no patient requires ventilation at the moment,” the commissioner said. Abayomi said the state has 81 cases with eight recoveries and no death, adding that 66 cases were due to transmission within Lagos and 15 cases were from an oil a

Minister, Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, says his ministry has not received any request from Nigerians aboard for their evacuation in view of the global Novel Coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic outbreak. Onyeama made this known on Tuesday in Abuja at the Presidential Task Force briefing on update of COVID-19 in the country. “As of now, we do not have any request from any of the embassies from Nigerians wishing to be evacuated from various countries. “But certainly, if we receive notification from any of our embassies, we will react accordingly,” he said. The minister, responding to an allegation, said it was not true that a Nigerian lady and her husband were poorly treated in Lome, Togo, while on their way back from Brazil, through Addis Ababa, to the country. He said that the Government of Togo was placing anyone coming from a foreign country in isolation, saying that they were rightly placed in a four-star hotel. “They wer

AS a further safeguard against the avoidable importation of Coronavirus, COVID-19, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, has asked the Federal Government to impose the mandatory 14 days restriction on all cargo vessels, including oil and gas vessels before they are allowed to berth at any of the nation’s seaports. President Muhammadu Buhari, had last Thursday directed relevant agencies of government to ensure that only cargo ships that have been at sea for more than 14 days are allowed to dock at the port as part of measures aimed at curtailing the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. The President, however, said that the new restriction would not apply to vessels carrying oil and gas products because there is minimal human contact with regards to such vessels. While commending President Buhari for his efforts so far, President-General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, said the 14 days restriction on cargo vessels should apply to oil and gas laden vessels to ensure that the

Now fixing host community employment ratio — Effedua By Eguono Odjegba •Maritime Academy, Oron THE Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, Commodore Duja Effedua (retd.) has disclosed that indigenes of the host community have enjoyed far more privileged employment and admission ratio in excess of lawful recommendation. Effedua who made the clarification when officials of the Oron Union paid him a courtesy visit, said management of the Academy under his watch will continue to do everything possible within the ambit of the law to provide employment and admission openings for indigenes of the host community. He further reeled out a list of abandoned and ill executed projects awarded to Oron indigenes, some of which he was constrained to revoke, re-award and already completed. He described Oron people as peace loving and urged the leadership of the union not to allow criminal elements to distort the facts of the peaceful nature of the Oron clan, nor allow them meddle in the

By Godwin Oritse Sea port STAKEHOLDERS in the Nigeria maritime industry have blamed the high port charges on corruption and other sharp practices saying that there are payments that are not official. Speaking on the recent report of a study commissioned by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, on port charges, the Vice President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, Mr. Kayode Farinto, said that the issue of corruption cannot be ruled out noting that it has negatively affected the cost of cargo at the Nigerian ports. Farinto said corruption and under the table payments account for about 30 percent of the charges while arbitrary charges by government agencies and private operators stand at about 55 percent. He said: “If you look at the percentage of under the table cuts which is about 30 percent of the port charges and compare that to the 55 percent of arbitrary charges being collected by government agencies and private operators, then you can agree with our