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Femi Adesina You have possibly watched the 1998 action-thriller film with the above title, starring Will Smith. It was the box office hit story about a group of people plotting to kill an American Congressman, and the tape of the plot was discovered. Well, an Enemy of the State struck in Nigeria on Monday, but this time, it was no fiction. It was real life act of sabotage from somebody who does not wish his own country well at all, and who derived a sinister kind of pleasure from undermining the system. President Muhammadu Buhari was to broadcast to the country by 8 p.m, to give an update on the battle against COVID-19, and what becomes of the lockdown that had lasted four weeks, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun States. Kano was also a point of heavy interest, with the strange deaths ravaging the state. Was it COVID-19 or not? As the country waited for the President with great expectations, a purported copy of the broadcast began to circulate on socia

A vial of the investigational drug remdesivir is visually inspected at a Gilead manufacturing site in the United States. PHOTO: AP Remdesivir has been shown to speed up recovery times for patients with COVID-19 in a major US-led trial, becoming the first drug with proven benefit against the disease. Here is what you need to know. – What is remdesivir? – Remdesivir is an experimental, broad spectrum antiviral made by US pharmaceutical Gilead Sciences that was first developed to treat Ebola, a viral hemorrhagic fever. It showed early promise in a primate study in 2016 and was later rolled out for a major trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it was compared against three other medicines. That study concluded in 2019 when it was discontinued because it did not boost survival rates as greatly as two monoclonal antibody drugs, which are lab-engineered immune system proteins. In February, the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced it w

Today, we celebrate all our health care workers that are on call, working long hours and tirelessly trying to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic. Without them, the country would be overwhelmed by the Coronavirus pandemic but they are risking everything to make sure we conquer the virus. Aside from being a day to celebrate workers, “Mayday” is also a distress call. Hence, we are calling on all Nigerians to mask up and stay home as much as they can so that the efforts of our health care workers will not be in vain. Happy Workers’ Day from all of us at Coronation Merchant Bank The post Happy Workers’ Day!!!from all of us at Coronation Merchant Bank appeared first on Vanguard News . by sunday via Vanguard News https://ift.tt/2VQxs07 President in Church Wikipedia

By Funmi Komolafe Labour costs of COVID-19: Matters arising EXPECTEDLY, Nigeria joined other nations to effect a lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 that has claimed lives in hundreds in many developed countries. In many countries, the International Labour Organisation anticipates economic and social costs, as we are experiencing in Nigeria right now. The International Labour Organisation warned: “The eventual increase in global unemployment during 2020 will depend substantially on future developments and policy measures. There is a high risk that the end-of-year figure will be significantly higher than the initial ILO projection, of 25 million”. For us in developing countries like Nigeria, the ILO noted, “Workers and businesses are facing catastrophe, in both developed and developing economies.” According to ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, “We have to move fast, decisively, and together. The right, urgent, measures, could make the difference between survival and collapse.”

U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful, Joe Biden Joe Biden will break his silence Friday about a former aide’s allegations that he sexually assaulted her in the 1990s, according to the broadcaster set to interview the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Biden’s morning appearance on MSNBC comes as he faces mounting pressure, including from President Donald Trump, to address the allegations, and as top Democrats rushed to the party flagbearer’s defense. “Tomorrow in a @Morning_Joe exclusive, former Vice President @JoeBiden (will) respond for the first time to the recent allegation of sexual assault,” the cable television channel’s public relations team said Thursday on Twitter. Biden’s campaign has denied the claim that he assaulted a 29-year-old staff assistant who worked in his US Senate office. But the 77-year-old White House hopeful has yet to personally respond to the bombshell accusation by Tara Reade, now 56. Trump, who himself faced more than a dozen accusations

President Muhammadu Buhari Tailor Morenike Alabi was convinced Tuesday that a decision to ease a lockdown on Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos, was the right call — but other residents feared the move could see coronavirus cases rocket. “One thing is sure: the suffering, hunger, idleness, and uncertainties of the past one month will ease,” the 33-year-old told AFP as she waited to sell a pile of hand-made facemasks. “At least, people can go out to look for money to feed.” President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday ordered a “phased and gradual easing” from next week of a lockdown covering Africa’s biggest city, neighbouring Ogun state and the national capital Abuja. For a month now, millions of people have been ordered to stay home under the measures aimed at curbing the spread of a virus that has caused 1,337 confirmed infections and 40 deaths in the country. The restrictions have seen usually bustling streets emptied and taken a huge toll on the vast numbers of poor who depend on dail

The number of sexual assaults in the US military increased again in 2019, though at a lower rate than the previous year, according to an annual Pentagon report published Thursday. The report from the Department of Defense’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPR) showed the number of assaults and sexual crimes brought to the attention of military authorities rose to 7,825, a three percent increase from 2018. The year before, such incidents rose 13 percent. The biggest rise was in the Air Force, which saw a nine percent spike, while the Navy had a five percent increase, the Army’s sexual assaults were up two percent and such reports were down six percent in the Marines. The report notes that 73 percent of sexual assaults in the military are committed by a superior. The proportion of military personnel reporting a sexual assault remained steady from the year before, according to the report, at 5.1 per 1,000 people. ALSO READ:  Trump says evidence ties COVID-19 virus

The Lagos State Government on Thursday issued fresh guidelines for public transport operations in the state as part of the controlled measures to ease the lockdown over COVID-19 pandemic. The state Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, released the guidelines at a news conference in Lagos. According to him, public transport operations within the state shall be between the hours of 6.00a.m and 7.00p.m daily from May 4. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new guidelines bring a slight difference to the Federal Government directive that ordered 8.00p.m to 6.00a.m curfew in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja as from May 4. Oladeinde told newsmen that the guidelines should be followed by commuters and transport operators in the state until further notice. He reiterated that inter-state operation had been suspended until further notice, except for essential services. According to him, the operations of commercial motorcycles, popularly known as “Okada”, has been su

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar By Atiku Abubakar How to pull Nigeria from the brink. ON Monday, April 27, 2020, British oil and gas giant, BP, became the latest in a growing number of energy firms to declare a massive quarterly loss. Their loss was in the region of $4.4 billion. Bear in mind that this was a conglomerate that posted a $2.6 billion profit in the corresponding quarter of 2019. The challenges that are already engulfing the oil and gas sector will continue to plague that industry for at least the rest of the year, and may reach apocalyptic levels sooner than we expect. As I write this, there are hundreds of crude oil-laden ships, all filled up, with nowhere to berth, and accruing daily charges of an average of $30,000. We have also seen crude oil prices plunge to record lows, to the extent that some variants of the product have been given out for free, or worse still, producers have paid storage facilities to take their products. As at today, Nigeria is pricing its very low s

As three new cases test positive for COVID-19 By Chioma Onuegbu – Uyo A sixty-eight-year-old woman from Akwa Ibom State has died of Coronavirus otherwise known as COVID-19 ravaging the world. The state Governor, Mr.Udom Emmanuel announced the death on Thursday while giving an update on Covid-19 in the state at Government House, Uyo. According to Emmanuel, the new death brings to two, the number of COVID-19 death recorded so far in Akwa Ibom state. READ ALSO:  COVID-19: Niger Delta people marginalized in distribution of FG’s palliative — Group alleges Emmanuel who noted that the state now has six active cases explained that the three new positive cases were discovered in the course of the ongoing contact tracing exercise in the state. “On the last laboratory test we conducted on 44 suspected cases, three persons were confirmed positive, while we lost one. “The patient we lost was a 68-year-old woman who was transferred to the centre, totally unconscious. With multiple serious l

Boss Mustapha The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has assured that the Federal Government is on top of the situation in Kano State. Mr Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and PTF chairman on COVID-19, gave the assurance at the PTF daily briefing on Thursday in Abuja. Mustapha also appealed to Nigerians who were diagnosed with the coronavirus to cooperate with the relevant agencies and stay at the Isolation Centres. “ It is for your good and that of the general public,” he said. He said the fences at the isolation centres in the country could not prevent people from escaping, if they were determined to do so. The SGF said that the government was committed to curbing the spread of COVID-19 in Kano State. He noted that Kano is one of Nigeria’s historical cities and remained a backbone for the economy of the country. “The PTF has released a number of equipment to be transported immediately to Kano to beef up the response. READ ALSO: 16 Alm

By Theodore Opara   Dr. Vivian Kwaghe (in green uniform) with colleagues during the presentation of Stallion Group’s COVID-19 palliative at University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, FCT, Abuja. Stallion Group, one of the largest conglomerates in sub-Saharan Africa, has kicked off the distribution of COVID-19 palliatives to hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR. A giant player in agric business, fishing, automobile, steel, packaging and logistics, Stallion Group said it joined the fight against the rampaging coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic as part of its modest efforts to support the Federal Government’s struggle to stop the spread of the disease across the country. READ ALSO Buhari promises to position universities to produce quality graduates Anant Badjatya, Chief Executive Officer of Stallion Group Nigeria, said the company targets accredited COVID-19 hospitals across the country with the palliativ

By Chioma Obinna PZ Cussons Foundation in collaboration with Foundation for Refugee Economic Empowerment is donating soaps to over 40,000 people towards controlling the spread of COVID-19 in six Nigerian cities. Foundation for Refugee Economic Empowerment (FREE) is the UK and Nigerian Charity that aims to provide high quality, timely, accountable, and inclusive humanitarian assistance to displaced persons towards enabling them to return to normal and sustainable productive lives. Disclosing this in a statement by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of PZ Cussons Foundation, Professor Eyitayo Lambo, the Foundation stated that: “We have since learned that one of the simple ways to stay protected against the coronavirus is by consistent handwashing with soap. READ ALSO:  COVID-19: Reps maintain stand on 2 months free electricity to Nigerians — SPOKESMAN Sadly, however, not everyone can afford to do this. So, the PZ Cussons Foundation has partnered with FREE to ensure that even the

Dr. Chris Ngige By CHRIS NGIGE OVER the years, May 1 has been a unique day in the world of work. As we all know, it is called May Day, a day dedicated to workers as partners in socio-economic development of the nations. Workers on this day are recognised as an important limb in the tripod that sustains enterprises and development. Workers, over the years celebrate May Day and in Nigeria marchings are conducted by trade unions and their Federations in various stadia throughout the Federation. Today, May 1, 2020, is different. The stadia are empty and there are echoes of silence. We are all taking refuge in our respective homes and staying off the streets in a global bid to stay alive and beat an invisible enemy called COVID-19. We stay at home to minimize and eventually stop the spread of the COVID-19 infection which has killed many people in the world and dwindled life and economies. Offices, workplaces, businesses (small and large scales), and nations are closed. The COVID-19 out

By Theodore Opara   Hiace AS the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact on businesses across the country negatively, Inter State Transport operators in Nigeria under the umbrella of Public Transport Owners of Nigeria Association, PTONA, has cried out to the Federal Government to set up a N20 billion COVID-19 intervention fund on a single digit loan of five percent interest to enable them to replenish their fleet. The association in a letter to Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Chairman Presidential Economic Sustainability Committee on COVID-19 pandemic also appealed to the Federal Government to grant its members 10 percent special concession on import duties on buses as against the present 35 percent duty being charged on imported buses. The association said the Federal Government should direct the Central Bank to prevail on all commercial banks to restructure terms of loan for businesses mostly affected by COVID-19 pandemic, especially the inter-state passenger transport. The

12 patients discharged Professor Akin Abayomi, Lagos State Health Commissioner By Chioma Obinna – Lagos The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, yesterday, disclosed that a 25-year old male patient has died from coronavirus infection in the state. Abayomi who disclosed this in his twitter handle said the deceased was brought in a state of breathlessness due to the severity of the coronavirus infection. He said: “We regret to announce additional COVID-19 related death involving a 25year old male who at the time of admission was in a state of severe breathlessness. READ ALSO:  People Talk: Extension of COVID-19 lockdown and 8pm-6am nationwide curfew “The total number of COVID-19 related deaths in Lagos is now 20.” Meanwhile, the Lagos State government has discharged another set of 12 patients who have tested negative for coronavirus after spending some days at the isolation centres in the state. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the 12, including a Ukrai

By Theodore Opara Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN) A leading health advocate, Dr. Kelechi Okoro, has commended the Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria, TOAN, for taking proactive steps on regulations to ensure safety of tricycle drivers and passengers in the COVID-19 crisis. Kelechi Okoro, who made the commendation via her social media handle, said: “As a medical practitioner, I say kudos to TOAN for taking proactive steps to increase the safety of their riders and passengers, by announcing health and safety norms to help curb the spread of COVID-19. READ ALSO Trump says evidence ties COVID-19 virus to Wuhan lab, threatens tariffs “Kekes can be a safer option of public transport because of limited passengers and open ventilation, and TOAN has gone one step further by limiting passengers to two persons at a time.” Pennultimate week, TOAN, one of the country’s largest tricycle operator unions, issued a circular advising their affiliated tricycles to limit the num