Fear Grips Ministers, Govs, Villa Guests As Kyari, Aides Test Positive [PUNCH]
- Buhari’s Chief of Staff visited Germany, Egypt after Nigeria’s index case
- Osinbajo, top Aso Rock officials, Kogi gov go into self-isolation
- Panic in Bauchi as Gov Mohammed’s positive status is confirmed
- 62-year-old UK returnee tests positive in Ogun, 32 contacts isolated
Panic on Tuesday gripped some governors and ministers as the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, and the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, tested positive for COVID-19.
The panic among the governors and the ministers stemmed from the fact that Kyari after his return from foreign trips a few days ago attended the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, while Mohammed was at the National Executive Council meeting on Thursday.
Kyari, after Nigeria recorded the first coronavirus case on February 27 visited Germany and Egypt. In Germany, he and the Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, on March 9, met Siemens officials over the power deal signed with the company.
A top government official, who confided in The PUNCH, said there was concern that Kyari and Mohammed could have infected some ministers and governors.
The source stated, “Panic has gripped governors. Kyari went into isolation on Monday, but before that, he had attended the FEC meeting and also travelled to Kogi State to sympathise with the state Governor, Yahaya Bello over the death of his mother.
“Also Bauchi governors attended the NEC meeting on Thursday. There are fears that both of them could have infected their colleagues with the disease.”
Also gripped with fear were those who had visited the Villa in the last one week and met Kyari.
As panic gripped governors and ministers, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said on Tuesday COVID-19 cases had increased to 44 from 40 on Monday.
The NCDC, on its twitter handle, said eight confirmed cases had been recorded in Abuja, one in Bauchi State, one in Edo State, one in Ekiti State, 29 in Lagos State and three in Ogun State.
“As at 06:25pm on 24th March, there are 44 confirmed cases of #COVID-19 in Nigeria. Two have been discharged with one death,” the NCDC stated.
A top source at the Federal Ministry of Health confirmed to The PUNCH that Kyari, who recently returned from Germany, was among those who tested positive on Tuesday.
He, however, said the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had tested negative but the President would be tested again in a few days.
At 65, Kyari is one of the oldest persons in Nigeria with a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus. SaharaReporters had reported on Tuesday that the President’s chief of staff was coughing.
The diagnosis of Kyari with COVID-19 created fears at the Presidential Villa and among governors, who attended the National Executive Council meeting with him on Thursday last week.
The PUNCH learnt that some very top officials at the Presidential Villa had gone on self-isolation to play safe over coronavirus.
Among them are Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu.
Also on self-isolation are senior directors and close aides to the Chief of Staff to the President.
Findings indicated that Osinbajo did not report to the office on Tuesday. On Monday, he was billed to inaugurate a digital radio system owned by the Federal Road Safety Commission, but the event was put off abruptly.
The Vice-President reported late to work past noon on Monday, unlike before when he came very early in the morning.
The developments came after reports indicated on Tuesday that Kyari tested positive for coronavirus earlier on Monday.
The Chief of Staff had attended last Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting and had contact with many top officials of government, including the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); Osinbajo; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha; and the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs Folasade Yemi-Esan.
Many ministers also attended the FEC meeting, including those of finance/budget/national planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed; health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; Aviation, Hadi Sirika; information and culture, Mr Lai Mohammed; and state, transportation, Gbemisola Saraki.
Following Kyari’s positive test result, Buhari was reportedly tested and his result turned negative.
But, presidential spokesman, Mr Garba Shehu, failed to respond to enquiries on the matter by The PUNCH.
He also failed to respond to a specific question on whether he had self-isolated himself, as a result of his regular contact with Kyari.
But he informed reporters of other newspapers, who also reached out to him, that he could not talk to them “right now.”
Osinbajo’s media aide, Mr Laolu Akande, also did not respond to enquiries by The PUNCH on his boss’ alleged self-isolation, though he was in his (Laolu) office on Tuesday.
However, Akande later confirmed on his twitter handle, @akandeoj, the fact that Osinbajo was on self-isolation.
He tweeted, “VP Osinbajo yesterday (Monday) at the office conducted his meetings via video conferencing, while observing social distancing. Today (Tuesday), he continues his work from the home office, as he is in self-isolation in accordance with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control protocols.”
A government official explained that the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 would officially announce the decision that all government officials exposed to Kyari should proceed on self-isolation.
“The task force will make that announcement. That is the agreement taken after discussions across several layers of government. But, it is true that Osinbajo is on self-isolation,” the official added.
The Technical Assistant to the VP (New Media), Mr Philip Obin, later tweeted that the VP held a meeting via video conferencing on Tuesday.
Using his twitter handle, @PhillipObin, he wrote, “#COVID-19compliant @ProfOsinbajo just concluded a meeting via video conferencing, as he continues to discharge his official duties as the Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The tweet was accompanied by three pictures taken at the said meeting. In one, the VP is seen wearing a medical mask and clutching his iPad. In the second photo and third photos, he is shown sitting at a round table with other participants and his aides.
However, there are two empty chairs both rows in between Osinbajo and the others.
The tweet was to convey the message that the VP was still working, though in self-isolation. Around the VP’s office, the majority of aides were seen wearing face masks.
The development came as members of the PTF on COVID-19 made a dramatic visit to the State House on Tuesday. The members were led by the Chairman, Mr Boss Mustapha. Mustapha is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The members declined to state their mission, but it was observed that they filed straight to a floor accommodating the office of Kyari. They made a brief inspection, discussed for about 15 minutes and left in two white Coaster buses.
Mustapha merely told reporters, “We are going to brief the media later.” The members drove off without making further comments.
Aside from the SGF, other members of the PTF on COVID-19 sighted at the Villa were Minister of Health, Prof Osagie Ehanire; Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika; Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Mrs Sadiya Umar-Farouk; and the Minister of State Health, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora.
Meanwhile, Buhari and his Katsina home State Governor, Mr Aminu Masari, held a meeting at the State House on Tuesday.
The agenda of the meeting was unknown, but Masari left the State House about 12.47 pm after meeting with Buhari. He declined to speak with State House correspondents.
As Masari exited the Villa, the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd.); Director-General, Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi; and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, arrived for another separate meeting with Buhari.
The agenda of their meeting was expected to focus on security. They did not speak with reporters.
Kyari’s three aides test positive
On Tuesday evening, three aides of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Abba Kyari, reportedly tested positive for coronavirus.
Information at the disposal of The PUNCH indicated that they had been asked to self-isolate.
Kogi gov, Bello, goes into self-isolation
The Kogi State governor, Bello, has also gone into self- isolation, following reports that the Chief of Staff to the President tested positive for COVID-19.
Bello shook hands with Kyari last week when the latter attended the burial of his mother precisely on March 17, 2020. A close aide to Bello said the governor would be tested for the virus.
He said, “I can confirm to you that his Excellency has gone into self-isolation and is being tested for COVID-19. The result will be announced on Wednesday.”
Others who attended the burial alongside Kyari include the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu; and Minister of Special Duties, Senator George Akume.
Panic in Bauchi as gov tests positive
In Bauchi State, the Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, also tested positive for coronavirus.
The governor had on Monday gone into self-isolation after having contact with a son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar abroad an Aero Contractors flight from Lagos to Abuja.
Atiku’s son, Mohammed, tested positive for the disease on Sunday night. His father said he recently travelled to Switzerland.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Bauchi State governor on Media, Mukhtar Gidado, in the statement on Tuesday, said the test conducted on Mohammed was positive.
He said, “This is to inform the general public that the results of the six initial tests carried out by the Centre for Disease Control on His Excellency, Senator Bala Mohammed, his family and aides that accompanied him to Lagos are out.
“Of the six initial tests carried out, one sample was confirmed to be positive for COVID-19. The positive result happened to be that of His Excellency, Senator Bala Mohammed, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State.
“At this point, it should be noted that the governor is in self-isolation as his doctors and officials from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control have taken full charge of his quarantine.”
Meanwhile, the result of the governor has created panic in the state, particularly among those who attended events with him after his return from Lagos.
The governor attended the foundation laying of 2,500 housing units on Saturday at Dungal Village and a stakeholders engagement at the Council Chamber of the Government House Bauchi on Sunday.
The foundation laying was attended by some traditional rulers, the state Deputy Governor, Senator Baba Tela, the Secretary to the State Government, Sabi’u Baba; the Chief of Staff Government House, the Managing Director, Family Homes Funds Limited, Femi Adewale, and Ambassador Adamu Jumba, who represented the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed.
The governor, in a statement on Tuesday by Umar Saidu on behalf of the Head of Civil Service, said civil servants from grade 1 to 12 should stay at home.
30 people who had contact with Bauchi gov undergoing COVID-19 test
Also, the state government said the blood samples of no fewer than 30 people who had close contact with the governor had been taken for testing.
The government directed that all those that had contact with Mohammed to come forward to be tested and should isolate themselves.
The Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr. Aliyu Maigoro, disclosed this to journalists on Tuesday evening in Bauchi.
He said that four isolation centres had been created at the Toro General Hospital, the Federal Medical Centre, Azare; Specialist Hospital in Bauchi and the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi.
Coronavirus: FCTA Shuts Markets, Churches, Mosques, Gives Sit-At-Home Order [PUNCH]
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has ordered workers at Grade level 1 to 12 to stay at home as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.
It also ordered the immediate closure of shops in the markets and neighbourhood centres, except those selling food items and other essential commodities.
The Minister of FCT, Muhammad Bello, who announced the measure at a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, also ordered the immediate closure of churches and mosques.
Bello said, “Shops in the markets and neighbourhood centres in the FCT are to be shut to traders except those who sell essential commodities and medicines. However, pharmacies and supermarkets selling essential products and bakeries are to remain open but abide strictly by laid down measures.”
While noting that the FCTA had raised an emergency response team to tackle the spread, the minister explained that containing the virus depended largely on personal choices.
In order to better manage cases of infection, the minister said the FCTA would work closely with the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital to expand the capacity of the current isolation and treatment centre to accommodate more patients by providing the essential facilities.
He added that the Zuba General Hospital would also be converted into an isolation and treatment centre to accommodate more patients should the need arise.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Bala Ciroma, who was at the event, promised that security agencies would enforce the order restricting gathering to not more than 50 persons in churches and mosques.
Senate Threatens To Order Emefiele’s Arrest Over $289m Payment [PUNCH]
The Senate Public Accounts Committee said on Tuesday that it might consider demanding a warrant for the arrest of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, over his alleged refusal to honour invitations extended to him by the legislature.
The committee invited Emefiele to address it on the release of $289m cash to a former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke, sometime in 2015.
The Senate had, while acting on a report of the Auditor General for the Federation, last week, uncovered how the CBN released $289m cash to the former NIA DG.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, said the CBN governor had been summoned several times but he ignored the invitations.
Urhoghide fumed that Emefiele did not also deem it fit to send any official of the CBN to appear before the committee.
He said, “We have summoned the CBN governor; it is the only part remaining in the investigation.
“The CBN governor has not sent any of his officials; they have to corroborate the story being told by those mentioned in the audit query, whether they are correct or not correct.
“The committee may consider consulting with the Senate leadership with a view to issuing a warrant for the arrest of the governor of Central Bank if he pushes us to the extreme.
“There are over 10 issues highlighted in the audit query that needed to be addressed by Emefiele and his top officials.”
He added that other issues, like the sales of federal bonds, funds collection, and discrepancies in figures between some agencies and the CBN, needed to be addressed by the governor of the apex bank.
The Director of Finance of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Godwin Okonkwko, had last week told the committee that $289m was released to the former NIA DG.
Okonkwo had explained that the $289m cash given to the former NIA boss by the CBN was based on a directive to that effect from the NNPC.
The $43m found in an Ikoyi apartment in 2017 that led to the sacking of Oke as the DG of NIA was a fraction of $289m cash collected by the DG from the NNPC.
COVID-19: Buhari’s CoS Kyari, Governor Positive [THE NATION]
- Buhari tests negative • Osinbajo in isolation • My health okays, says Garba Shehu •
- Confirmed cases now 44, says NCDC
- Lagos orders stores, markets closed
- Edo, Osun, Ondo, Rivers shut markets
COVID-19 has struck at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and in the Bauchi State Government House.
Chief of Staff to the President Mallam Abba Kyari has tested positive to the virus, it was learnt yesterday.
Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed also yesterday announced that he tested positive to the pandemic.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who volunteered to be tested, following Kyari’s result, returned negative, it was gathered.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who received members of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC), along with Mallam Kyari on March 17, has sent himself into self-isolation in line with “protocols,” his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said yesterday.
The media aide said Osinbajo was observing “social distancing” and self-isolating in line with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) requirements.
In a tweet via his verified handle @akandeoj, Akande writes: “VP Osinbajo yesterday (Monday) at the office conducted his meetings via video conferencing while observing social distancing.
“Today, he continues his work from the home office, as he is in self-isolation in accordance with NCDC protocols.”
Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Mallam Garba Shehu, yesterday tweeted that he was “pleased” with his health status.
It followed reports that he may have had contact with Kyari.
Shehu tweeted via his verified handle @GarShehu: “Allah is the giver of health. I am pleased with my current health endowment. Alhamdu Lillah!”
Kyari travelled to Germany via Egypt on March 7. Executive Chairman of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Prof James Momoh and Minister of Power Sale Mamman accompanied him on the trip.
On March 9, Saleh tweeted: “The Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari and I are in Munich right now meeting with executive members of @Siemens to discuss issues relating to the Nigerian power sector. The Nigerian Ambassador to Germany H.E @YusufTuggar has joined us for this meeting.”
On March 14, Kyari attended the wedding of Hassan, son of Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu.
Also at the wedding were Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, Kano State Governor Umar Ganduje, his Katsina counterpart Aminu Masari, among other dignitaries.
The wedding between Hassan and his bride Summayya Goje took place in Abuja.
Kyari was in Kogi State on March 17 after he returned from Germany, where he met with officials of Siemens to discuss power sector issues.
He went to Kogi to commiserate with Governor Yahaya Bello over his mother’s death.
Besides Shehu, Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs George Akume was also in Kogi to commiserate with Bello.
Others are Minister of Communication and National Orientation Lai Mohammed, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole and Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu.
Jigawa State Governor Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar and his Kebbi State counterpart Alhaji Atiku Bagudu also paid condolence visits to Bello.
According to statistics, Germany has 29,056 infections and 123 deaths while Egypt has recorded 14 fatalities from 327 cases.
It was gathered that Kyari had developed severe cough, one of the symptoms of the COVID-19 which he exhibited during a meeting on containing the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria on Sunday.
The Chief of Staff was said to have voluntarily submitted himself for test and was informed of his status on Monday. His status prompted President Buhari to undergo screening for the virus.
The latest development came hours after a leaked memo showed Kyari complaining to the President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila that members of the National Assembly who returned from foreign trips were shunning tests.
Sources close to Kyari said he was last sighted around the State House on Friday. He was not seen on Monday and yesterday in his office.
But a Presidential source, who confirmed Kyari’s COVID-19 status, said all persons suspected to have been exposed to Kyari were advised to self-isolate.
He added that the advice might be responsible for why many people who were expected to be at work in his office on Monday and Tuesday were unavailable.
Many members of staff of offices in the Presidential Villa, including that of Vice-President Osinbajo, who also had contact with Kyari, were also absent.
Another report said three workers in Kyari’s office might have also tested positive to coronavirus.
Amid the worries in the Villa, members of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 pandemic, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, visited the wing housing the office of the Chief of Staff in the State House yesterday.
When approached by reporters on their way out, Mustapha simply said, “We will brief you later.”
The Federal Government declined to confirm the health status of the Chief of Staff.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed, did not, however, deny that Mr Kyari had tested positive when he was asked by reporters.
“We don’t mention names in carrying out this responsibility. It’s a global practice so you don’t expect us to mention any name to you,” he told reporters at the State House.
Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire yesterday inexplicably failed to address the daily media briefing on the latest development around the virus.
Mohammed was part of the Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus that inspected Mr Kyari’s office.
The task force members arrived at the Villa around 2:15 p.m.
Mustapha and other members of the task force, comprising ministers and health experts, spent about 10 minutes at the office.
There was heightened tension in Bauchi State where samples of additional 15 persons who had direct contact with Governor Mohammed were taken to Abuja for evaluation.
Mohammed in a tweet yesterday said: “As you may all know, I just tested positive for Coronavirus.
“I have been in isolation for the past few days, and I will remain in isolation until I get clearance from the doctors.
“I am in good health and showing no symptoms. I urge everyone to stay calm and not panic. We will overcome. #GreaterBauchi.”
His Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mukhtar Gidado, said in a statement that ‘’of the seven initial tests carried out(on the governor and six other persons), one sample was confirmed positive for COVID-19.”
He explained that the positive result was that of Governor Mohammed whom he said was in good health.
Gidado added: ‘’ At this point , it should be noted that the governor is in self-isolation as his doctors and officials from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control have taken full charge of his quarantine’’
Gidado said the governor advised anyone who came in contact with him to go for test to avoid further spread of the virus.
The governor went into self-isolation following contact with Mohammed, son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who earlier tested positive for the virus.
Also, the Commissioner for Health, Dr.Aliyu Maigoro, said samples of about 15 additional contacts had been taken to Abuja for evaluation apart from the initial seven that were part of the governor’s entourage to Lagos who tested negative.
He said: “All the contacts of the governor are also advised to go on self-isolation , we have taken samples of about 15 people , who are primary contacts, to Abuja for further evaluation apart from the initial seven that were in his entourage to Lagos.”I want to assure the people of Bauchi that there is no cause for alarm, the governor is doing very fine’’
The state government ordered civil servants on grade levels one to 12 to work from home.
The governor’s wife reportedly tested negative. However, the governor at the weekend performed two major assignments which was attended by many people.
Governor Mohammed opened a low cost housing project and met with traditional rulers to decide on how best to prevent Lassa Fever which has been ravaging the state.
Oil Majors Brace For Further Dip In Prices [THE NATION]
- CBN to National Assembly: don’t tamper with $30 benchmark
WITH thickening uncertainties in the global market and a continued wave of industry spending cuts, oil majors are bracing for a $10 per barrel oil price.
They have announced significant reductions to spending as prices crashed to $20.
“No one can exactly be sure that production will be shut-in fast enough to not overwhelm our ability to store oil,” JBC Energy said in a statement.
The firm pointed to refineries cutting processing because they are running out of storage, such as Exxon’s Baton Rouge.
“In such an environment, it is as possible for Brent prices to briefly go to $10 per barrel as it was back in 1986 or 1998,” JBC Energy said.
Royal Dutch Shell said it would cut spending by 20 per cent, or about $5 billion, and also suspend its share buyback plan. French oil giant Total SA and Norway’s Equinor announced similar moves.
ExxonMobil and Chevron have suggested they too would be axing their budgets, with Exxon under particular pressure. Goldman Sachs estimates that Chevron needs $50 per barrel in order to cover spending and its dividend. ExxonMobil, on the other hand, needs something like $70.
The companies are more insulated from the downturn than small and medium-sized shale drillers because they have downstream refining and petrochemical assets that have typically performed somewhat better than upstream units when prices fall.
Refineries, for instance, spend less on oil during the downturn, and low prices also translate into a boost in sales of refined products.
Earlier in the week, Exxon announced that it was cutting production at its Baton Rouge refinery, the company’s second largest in the U.S., because poor demand has filled up storage tanks. Exxon also cut 1,800 contractors from the site. In another example, a major closely-watched petrochemical project in Appalachia may not go forward as the market sours.
The first round of spending cuts from the oil industry is now visible, but a second round is beginning, according to a report from Goldman Sachs.
“We see U.S. oil production falling almost 1.4 million bpd over five quarters post 2020 based on reduced drilling (i.e., before considering shut-ins of existing wells that are likely to be needed) with covered company capex down 35 per cent (year-on-year) in 2020,” Goldman Sachs wrote in a note.
However, budget revisions are not over. The slide in spending, drilling and ultimately in output could deepen as capex cuts grow more pronounced.
“There is no sugar-coating it, U.S. oilfield activity will collapse with oil prices well below $30 WTI,” Raymond James said.
The initial round of cuts put spending at about 45 percent below 2019 levels, the bank said. “However, the declines will be far more dramatic than these initial cuts and we stress that these announcements skew towards larger cap, better hedged and capitalised operators.”
“Total U.S. capex is likely to fall in excess of 65 per cent with a WTI price persisting in the $20s,” the investment bank concluded.
NCDC Confirms 44 Covid-19 Cases As Ogun Traces 32 [THE NATION]
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), says Nigeria now has 42 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General of the NCDC, gave the figure on Tuesday in Abuja while giving an update on COVID-19 in the country.
Ihekweazu said that the two new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Lagos and Ogun states. The figure however, does not include that of Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and the four involving the Chief of State to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari and three staff members of his office.
The NCDC boss said that one of the new cases was a returning traveler. and the second case, a contact of a previously confirmed case.
“As at 1: pm on March 24, there were 42 confirmed cases of COVID19 in Nigeria-two discharged, one death.
“The 42 confirmed cases are in six states. Twenty nine are in Lagos, seven in the Federal Capital Territory, three in Ogun, one in Edo, one in Ekiti and one in Oyo.” .
The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, who gave an update on the new case in the state, said it involved a 62 – year old resident of Sagamu, who returned from the United Kingdom.
She said the government had also identified four of his family members and 28 other persons that had contact with her.
Coker said the man returned from the UK on March 17 and tested positive after showing Coronavirus symptoms.
The commissioner also disclosed that the patient had been taken to the state’s isolation centre at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu.
She said, “Today, we have a newly confirmed case of COVID-19 in Ogun State. The said case is a 62-year-old male who resides in Sagamu and he had history of recent travel, returning from the United Kingdom on the 17th of March. He presented with history of cough and was tested and the test came back positive.
“All his contacts have been traced; 28 healthcare givers and four members of his family. “He is was very responsible by isolating himself since he arrived, therefore he’s made our job quite easy in tracing his contacts.”
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has however threatened to published the names of those who fail to comply to be isolated to curb the spread of the pandemic virus in the country.
The minister urged Nigerians to take self– isolation and social distancing very seriously.
He insisted that the government would not make self -isolation compulsory as some African countries have done.
The minister said that the government would depend on the sense of responsibility of Nigerians, especially travellers from high risk countries to self-isolate.
“We will continue to plead with those who have traveled out of Nigeria in the last 14 days to report, so that we won’t get to the point where our health system will be burdened,” he said.
How COVID-19 Is Changing The Way Nigerians Live [THE NATION]
The Coronavirus pandemic is forcing people to change the way they live. Nigerians are finding creative ways to adapt, writes ROBERT EGBE
You remember, Hopscotch, that game children play by drawing squares or rectangles in the sand and hopping from one box into another? Adults played it in Ibadan on Monday morning. Well, kind of.
A drugstore in Ibadan, Kunle Ara Pharmacy, came up with the simple but ingenious social distance idea for checking the spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) among its customers.
The lines, drawn on the floor of the crowded compound, showed shoppers the distance they should keep from each other to reduce their chances of having contact with a ‘possible’ carrier of the virus.
Kunle Ara Pharmacy’s social distancing brainwave is one unexpected way COVID-19 is changing the way Nigerians now live.
With one COVID-19 death recorded and 44 cases confirmed yesterday by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), measures cannot but be introduced to curtail the spread.
All over the country, weird is gradually becoming the norm as people try to adapt to a faceless, highly contagious and dangerous enemy.
Until the Coronavirus outbreak, Nigerians had the habit of telling anyone sneezing: Sorry! That has now changed. People sneezing are viewed with suspicion and avoided. In fact, people sneezing now find themselves being the ones apologising for the act.
In Lagos, for instance, one noticeable way people’s lives are being affected by social distancing is in their mode of transport.
The Lagos State Government on Monday banned passengers from standing on public buses, to prevent overcrowding.
The problem is, Lagos is one the world’s most densely populated cities and, yesterday morning, passengers at most of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) terminals scrambled for position in buses in defiance to the social distancing directive.
A video surfaced on the internet showing some of the passengers practically cramping on one another as they jostled to collect tickets from officials.
But by afternoon, sanity prevailed and orderly passengers maintained a safe distance from one another.
In Abuja, more than 70 passenger vehicles were impounded for flouting a directive not carry overload.
Banks and shopping malls were not left out of social distancing.
Several banks with small banking halls now limit the number of customers that can enter at a time. Others wait outside in well-spaced queues.
Of course, bowls of water and soap or sanitisers are now a regular feature outside their premises for compulsory handwashing.
No one knows when humans started shaking hands, but, according to history.com, humans have probably been doing it in one form or another for thousands of years.
Same goes for hugs among same or opposite sexes.
Before the virus broke out, Nigerians’ love for travelling was legendary. The country’s airports were always busy. A plug has been pulled on that. In order to check the spread of the coronavirus, the Federal Government has banned international flights into Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) announced the ban in a statement signed by its Director General, Musa Nuhu, on March 21.
“Further to our earlier letter on restriction of international flights into Nigeria, we wish to inform you that effective Monday, 23 March, at 2300Z to 23 April, at 2300Z, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, will be closed to international flights.
“This is in addition to the closure of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, and Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, effective Saturday, 21 March at 2300Z.
“Henceforth, all airports in Nigeria are closed to all incoming international flights with the exception of emergency and essential flights.”
NCAA added that domestic flights would continue operations at all airports across the nation.
Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika said the Federal Government had cancelled already issued visas for travellers from 13 countries.
Pic 6. From left: Members of Presidential Task Force on COVID-19: former DG of NACA, Dr Sani Aliyu;Minister of Humanitarian Services, Disaster Management and and SocialDevelopment, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouk; Secretary to the Government of theFederation, Mr Boss Mustapha and Minister of Information and Culture, AlhajiLai Mohammed during the visit of the committeeto the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday (24/3/20)01830/24/3/2020/CallistusEwelike/NAN
He listed the countries as: China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, Norway, USA, UK, Netherlands and Switzerland, pointing out that Austria and Sweden were later added, bringing the number to 15.
“The affected countries have over 1,000 cases domestically. Some of the foreign airlines expected to be equally affected are British Airways, Lufthansa, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, AirFrance, KLM, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, South African Airways, Kenyan Airways, Rwandair, Turkish Airlines, Egypt Air, Royal Air Maroc and Africa World Airlines.
“Data from the NCAA showed that from January 2019 to December 2019, the foreign airlines recorded 15,474 flights into the five international airports in Nigeria with an average of 298 flights weekly,’’ the minister said.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said disruption of air travels would cost Nigeria $434 million revenue loss and 22,200 jobs.
IATA, an umbrella body for 290 airlines globally, added that Nigeria would also lose approximately 2.2 million passengers, and that the spread of the virus, that was first reported in Wuhan, China, at the beginning of December 2019, would negatively impact the aviation industry worldwide.
With the announcement of each infection, Nigerians are becoming more reluctant to shake hands. More people are adopting the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s recommended greeting styles.
So, don’t be surprised if you see people doing any of these styles: The wave, salute, elbow bump, bow, Namaste greeting, foot bump or hip bump.
How long can we keep this up? No one really knows. Probably for as long as the virus is a threat.
Public health experts believe social distancing is the best way to prevent a truly horrific crisis, not just in Nigeria, but across the world.
The measure is even more important in the country because of our fragile healthcare system.
Basic hospital equipment in first world countries that are a necessity for combating the virus, such as ventilators and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, are a luxury here. Not that they are all a country needs to suppress the spread. Italy, for instance, is reeling in the throes of the pandemic and has the highest death rate in the world.
Hopefully, and like some religious Nigerians like to say, “Our case will be different”.
Reps Pass Economic Stimulus Bill [LEADERSHIP]
To cushion the effects of the coronavirus on Nigerians, the House of Representatives has introduced and passed a bill to provide stimulus for the economy.
The bill which passed third reading yesterday, and titled: “The Emergency Economic Stimulus Bill, 2020,” was sponsored by the speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the deputy speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase, and other principal officers of the Lower House.
The bill aims at providing temporary relief to corporations and individuals to alleviate the adverse financial consequences of a slowdown in economic activities caused by the Covid-19 disease.
It also seeks to protect the employment status of Nigerians who might become unemployed as a consequence of management decision to retrench personnel in response to the prevailing economic realities.
Due to the urgency and importance of the proposed law, the House suspended its rules to allow for the introduction of the bill, its second reading and passed through third reading after the consideration of the report at the Committee of Whole.
The bill also provides for a moratorium on mortgage obligations for individuals at a time of widespread economic uncertainty.
It further seeks to eliminate additional fiscal bottleneck on the importation of medical equipment, medicines, personal protection equipment and other such medical necessities as may be required for the treatment and management of Covid-19 disease in Nigeria.
It would equally carter for the general financial well-being of Nigerians pending the eradication of the pandemic and a return to economic stability.
The Emergency Economic Stimulus Bill will provide a new regime of corporate tax rebates to encourage companies in the country to maintain their payroll status for the immediate term.
Debating the bill, Gbajabiamila said, “This, we hope, will prevent large scale job losses in an already fragile economy and allow our people to carry on with their lives as best as possible in the event of a large scale outbreak of the sort we have witnessed in other parts of the world.”
He said the bill primarily seeks to grant companies a rebate on Companies Income Tax to the value of 50 per cent of Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deductions so long as such companies maintain their PAYE rolls as at March 1, 2020, to June 2020.
He informed that the suspension of import duties on the items listed would take effect between March and June, a period of three months and that the Minister of Health may by regulations publish in the gazette to specify such goods.
The speaker also noted that the draft law would also defer mortgage obligations on residential mortgages obtained by individual contributors to the National Housing Fund for three months in the first instance.
According to him, the measures are temporary, which would help Nigeria to effectively manage the present crisis and emerge from it with the possibility of rebirth and renewal.
“This Bill is how we try to keep as many people in their jobs by providing tax-based incentives for companies to keep people on the payroll for as long as possible even when faced with harsh commercial realities.
“As the benefits outlined in this Bill are available only to incorporated entities, we expect that the Bill will have a further long term benefit of helping to expand the tax base by encouraging incorporation and compliance,” he said.
He further noted that Nigeria does not have a robust system of health insurance, adding that a large scale coronavirus breakout will put a strain on family finances, hence the need for a moratorium on making mortgage payments.
“All over the world, shortage of test kits, personal protection equipment, medicines and other such has contributed to the loss of lives caused by this pandemic.
“Many of the goods that will qualify for these exemptions are already VAT exempt further removing import duties prioritises these goods and will spur import activity,” he said.
The Bill will be transmitted to the Senate for concurrence following which it would be forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics Postponed As India Orders Total Lockdown Of Its 1.3bn Population [LEADERSHIP]
Faced with growing calls for a new date due to global coronavirus pandemic, the organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games have postponed the twin events till next year.
The event, earlier scheduled for 24th July, this year, will now hold “not later than summer 2021.”
“I proposed to postpone for a year and (IOC) president Thomas Bach responded with 100 per cent agreement,” Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said.
The event will still be called Tokyo 2020 despite taking place in 2021.
Also yesterday, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, ordered all the 1.3 billion people in the country to stay at home for three weeks starting from today.
It is described as the biggest and most severe action taken anywhere to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
In a joint statement, the organisers of Tokyo 2020 and the IOC, said: “The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating.
“On Monday, the director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is “accelerating”.
“There are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country, and their number is growing by the hour.
“In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today (Tuesday), the IOC president and the prime minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community,” the statement noted.
While the Games is the biggest sporting event to be affected by the pandemic, there has been a huge impact on a host of other major tournaments and sports:
The IOC had given itself a deadline of four weeks to consider delaying the Games but there had been mounting pressure from a host of Olympic committees and athletes demanding a quicker decision.
Canada became the first major country to withdraw from both events on Sunday, while USA Track and Field, athletics’ US governing body, had also called for a postponement.
The International Paralympic Committee president, Andrew Parsons, said thatthe postponementwas “the only logical option.”
He added: “The health and wellbeing of human life must always be our number-one priority and staging a sporting event of any kind during this pandemic is simply not possible.
“Sport is not the most important thing right now, preserving human life is. It is essential, therefore, that all steps are taken to try to limit the spread of this disease.
“By taking this decision now, everyone involved in the Paralympic movement, including all Para-athletes, can fully focus on their own health and wellbeing and staying safe during this unprecedented and difficult time.”
The Olympics have never been delayed in their 124-year modern history, though they were cancelled altogether in 1916, 1940 and 1944 during World War One and World War Two.
Major Cold War boycotts disrupted the Moscow and Los Angeles summer Games in 1980 and 1984.
The Tokyo 2020-IOC statement continued: “The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present.
“Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.”
British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Anson said: “It would have been unthinkable for us to continue to prepare for an Olympic Games at a time the nation and the world no less is enduring great hardship. A postponement is the right decision.”
British Paralympics Association chief executive Mike Sharrock said: “Stemming this global public health crisis and doing everything possible to safeguard the health and wellbeing of people should clearly take priority in these unprecedented times.
“We welcome the clarity this now gives Paralympic athletes throughout the world who have had their training and qualification plans severely disrupted.”
On 22nd January, Olympic qualifying events in boxing and women’s football that were due to be held in Wuhan, China – the centre of the coronavirus outbreak – became the first to be moved or postponed.
There are almost 400,000 recorded cases of the virus worldwide, with the number of deaths approaching 17,000.
While announcing the lockdown of India, Prime Minister Modi said: “There will be a total ban of coming out of your homes,” the, announced on television Tuesday night, giving Indians less than four hours’ notice before the order took effect at 12:01 a.m.
“Every state, every district, every lane, every village will be under lockdown,” Mr. Modi said.
The breadth and depth of such a challenge is staggering in a country where hundreds of millions of citizens are destitute and countless millions live in packed urban areas with poor sanitation and weak public health care.
Though India’s number of reported coronavirus infections remains relatively low – around 500 – the fear is that, should the virus hit as it has in the United States, Europe or China, the consequences would lead to a disaster far bigger than anywhere else.
The nationwide lockdown followed a series of decrees that had been steadily growing more stringent, and some people had been expecting Mr. Modi to announce something even more severe, like a nationwide state of emergency and declaration of martial law.
Hours before Modi’s televised address, the long straight boulevards of New Delhi, the capital, resembled deserted racetracks. All the stores in the center of town were shut, but in the poorer neighborhoods just outside of the city, it was a different story.
People were still out, jostling with one another in narrow lanes and still crowding into bus shelters, sleeping eight to a room in shabby tenements, and showing the impossibility of maintaining social distance.
Long lines of migrant workers streamed out of recently closed railway stations, with thousands of men, almost none wearing masks, marching close together to far-off villages, potentially spreading the virus deep into the countryside.
As midnight approached in New Delhi, lone figures walked down the edges of the main roads, carrying bulging plastic sacks of food – the last of the shopping before the decree took effect.
‘Love-struck’ Policeman Kills Couple, Self In Imo [LEADERSHIP]
A mobile policeman, Inspector Kenneth Enamika, attached to 29 Mobile Police Force Squadron, Awka in Anambra State, has killed himself and a couple in Mgbidi in Imo State.
Police public relations officer for the Imo State command, Orlando Ikeokwu, made the disclosure in a statement.
He said that Enamika wasfound dead with his police AK 47 rifle and left a suicide note wherein he declared the intention to kill the couple, Mr Cajethan Aputanze and his wife, Oluchi, over their refusal to refund him his N150,000.
The love-struck policeman had been in a relationship with Oluchi Aputanze who he thought was single with a promise to marry her.
Further, Enamika had allegedly given Oluchi the N150,000 with the intention that he was giving money to his wife to be, oblivious that it may have been a scam.
Upon discovery that Oluchi was married, he requested her husband, Cajethan, to repay him but the former allegedly refused blatantly with a threat.
Aputanze was alleged to have threatened that he will use diabolical means to kill Enamika, which infuriated the policeman and he resorted to self-help and took the law into his hands.
Enamika was alleged to have shot the couple and then also shot himself, the three corpses were discovered dead at Ozoara, Mgbidi, Oru West local government area of Imo State.
The police spokesman said that one Alloy Eze reported the incident at the Oru West Divisional Police Headquarters upon his return to his house, only to meet the corpse of three persons behind his house.
Already, the corpses have been deposited at the morgue while investigation is ongoing, according to the police.
Anglican Primate, Okoh, Retires, Hands Over To Ndukuba [SUN]
Primate, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, would retire from active service today having served for 10 years.
Okoh is expected to hand over to Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, who was selected as the fifth Primate at a valedictory church service scheduled for today at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Life Camp, Gwarinpa, Abuja.
The church, in a statement, announced some adjustments to programmes earlier lined up to celebrate the retirement of Okoh, due to increasing spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
A dinner party initially planned in honour of Okoh last Saturday was canceled, even as the number of worshippers to be present at other programmes, particularly valedictory church service and presentation of his successor, Ndukuba, was reduced to 50.
Retirement thanksgiving service for Primate Okoh was held last Sunday as planned, but with strict compliance to government directive against the gathering of people not more than 50. Each of the 14 ecclesiastical provinces of the church is expected to be represented by two persons in all the occasions lined up for Oko’s retirement.
The church also announced the indefinite postponement of the church’s Standing Committee Meeting as well as Global Anglican Future Conference scheduled for June in Kigali, Rwanda.
Buhari Approves Appointment Of 16 Permanent Secretaries [SUN]
- He’s committed to bridging gap of infrastructural needs –Fashola
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of new permanent secretaries to replace those from states that are due for retirement and whose vacancies had never been filled.
He also approved the selection of eligible Directors to fill vacant vacancies in the Federal Civil Service.
A statement by Olawunmi Ogunmosunle, spokesperson for the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, listed 16 states with permanent secretaries due for retirement and with unfilled slots to include Kwara, Kebbi, Abia, Anambra, Cross River, Kaduna, Kano, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Jigawa States, Zamfara and Kogi.
Ogunmosunle said for the vacant positions of directors, officers in the main stream of the Federal Civil Service, who attained the substantive rank of Director on salary grade level 17 as at January 1, 2018 and who had updated their records on the IPPIS Verification Portal and are from Kwara, Kebbi, Abia, Anambra, Cross River, Kaduna, Kano, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Jigawa, Zamfara and Kogi States and are not retiring from the service earlier than December 31, 2021 are eligible to participate.
The ministries have been asked to forward the list of all eligible Directors, their confidential and personal files,20 copies of their Curriculum Vitae, and evidence of state of origin. The selection process would involve sitting for a written examination, test on ICT competency, and interactive session with a broad – based panel of experts and practitioner.
Meanwhile, Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has assured of the Federal Government’s commitment to bridge the infrastructural gap in the country. The minister stated this during the inauguration of a two-kilometre rehabilitated internal road within the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan and another 1.8 kilometre within the University of Ibadan.
Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Idowu Olayinka and Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UCH, Prof. Abiodun Otegbayo received the projects on behalf of their institutions.
Fashola said the roads handed over to UCH and UI were part of the 43 internal road projects undertaken in some tertiary institutions across the country. He said 18 of the projects had been completed, with 25 still under rehabilitation.
Fashola, who was represented by the Controller of Works in Oyo State, Mr. Oladimeji Awopetu, said the newly rehabilitated roads within UCH and UI were part of governments support to the educational sector.
He assured that the infrastructural gap in the country was steadily bridged through a gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction of major highways, adding that the provision of infrastructural facilities in schools remains a priority of the Buhari administration.
Vice Chancellor of UI, Prof. Olayinka, lauded the government’s investment in the upgrade of infrastructure in the school.
Senator Oko Loses Cancer Battle, Dies In London Hospital [SUN]
A female senator, Rose Okoji Oko, representing Northern district of Cross Rivers State is dead.
Her death brings the number of senators that have died since June, 2019 to three.
Oko who died last Monday at a UK medical facility was aged 63.
She was a second term member of the Red Chamber and chairman, Senate Committee on Trade and Investment.
A close relative, Mr. Patrick Ikorgor Okoroji, broke the news of Oko’s demise.
“Heart broken to hear of the passing of my dear cousin Dr. Rose Okoji Oko after a long fought battle with physical affliction. You gave your best to your world now that it has pleased the Almighty God to call you home may your soul find eternal rest in Heaven. Adieu, distinguished Senator Rose Okoji Oko.”
Born on September 27, 1956, she was a member of the Federal House of Representatives on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing Yala/Ogoja Federal Constituency in Nigeria’s seventh class of the National Assembly.
She was elected into office as the first female representative from her constituency in June 2011 and sat as Deputy Chairman House Committee on Education.
She was elected into office as the first female representative from her senatorial district in June 2015 and re-elected in 2019.
Panic As COVID-19 Lands In Aso Rock [SUN]
- Nigeria’s cases rise to 43 as Buhari’s top aide, 3 others test positive •Buhari tests negative, Osinbajo in self-isolation, Bauchi gov tests positive
Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, and Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, have reportedly tested positive for coronavirus.
However, President Muhammadu Buhari returned negative, following a test carried out by Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Monday night.
A presidential source confirmed that three staff of the Chief of Staff have also tested positive.
This came as the NCDC announced new cases in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Bauchi State in a series of tweets on Tuesday.
The centre said the cases had travel history to Germany and the United Kingdom. This brings the total number of cases in Nigeria to 44.
The agency tweeted: “2 new cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in Nigeria: 1 in FCT and 1 in Bauchi. The cases have travel history to Germany and the UK. As at 06:25 pm on 24th March, there are 44 confirmed cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria. 2 have been discharged with 1 death.”
Efforts to get official confirmation on Kyari’s situation were unsuccessful.
The country now has 40 active cases, two discharged, one death.
Lagos has 29, Abuja, seven, Ogun, three, while Ekiti, Oyo and Edo states have one each. Nigeria recorded its first death from the disease on Monday.
Also, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and Deputy Chief of Staff, Ade Ipaye, are believed to be in self-isolation.
Osinbajo and Kyari seat close to each other at the Federal Executive Council meetings held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa. Their seats are separated by that of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Villa staff and journalists covering the seat of power have been making efforts to get tested by the NCDC.
Meanwhile, the villa is on a gradual lockdown as non-essential staff have been asked to stay away. All the aides at the Vice President’s wing, with the exception of his media aide, did not turn up for work. A source said the VP reported late to work on Monday afternoon, unlike his usual self. Most of his aides had masks and gloves on when they came to work on Monday.
Sources disclosed that Kyari’s close associates, including the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babagana Kingibe, will be tested.
Prominent Nigerians who have had engagements with the Chief of Staff since his return to Nigeria, include the business mogul, Aliko Dangote, Governors Bello Masari and Yahaya Bello of Katsina and Kogi states, respectively, and Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu.
Kyari, who was in Europe alongside the power minister, Saleh Mamman, on a trip to Germany on March 7 to meet with officials of Siemens in Munich on Nigeria’s electricity expansion programme, returned to the country on March 14. On the 17th, Kyari also led a presidential delegation to commiserate with Bello on the demise of his mother, while, last Friday, he met with Dangote.
Spokespersons for Dangote and Masari, Sunday Esan and Abdu Labaran, respectively, failed to answer calls to their telephone lines, and text messages were not replied.
The outcome of Kyari’s test prompted that of President Buhari, which came out negative.
As part of measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19, the media department of the Presidential Villa has reduced the number of accredited journalists covering the Villa to 20 for the next two weeks.
Accredited journalists, numbering over 100, will now take turns to cover the Villa.
FG speaks on Kyari’s coronavirus test
The Federal Government has refused to confirm the health status of Kyari. Information minister, Lai Mohammed, did not, however, deny he had tested positive when journalists put the question to him Tuesday.
“We don’t mention names in carrying out this responsibility. It’s a global practice; so, you don’t expect us to mention any name to you,” he told State House correspondents.
The minister was part of the Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus that inspected Kyari’s office within the Presidential Villa on Tuesday. The task force, led by Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha, arrived at the Villa around 2:15pm. Mustapha and other members of the task force, comprising ministers and health experts, spent about 10 minutes inspecting the office.
Daily Sun learnt that Kyari has moved into the Abuja isolation centre located at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, Abuja, for commencement of treatment.
A reliable source at the hospital confirmed that Kyari arrived there shortly after the result of coronavirus test returned positive. The source could not confirm if three of his staff who were said to have also tested positive were at the isolation centre. But sources said efforts were ongo to move him to IDH, Yaba, Lagos.
Also, Kyari’s staff, as well as presidential aides who had had contact with him, have been asked to self-isolate.
The source also debunked social media reports that one of the ventilators at the UATH has been moved to the Presidential Villa, apparently, to cater for the Chief of Staff and others who might have tested positive for coronavirus.
Governor Mohammed had gone into self-isolation after shaking hands with the son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who also tested positive for the virus.
In a statement yesterday, Mukhtar Gidado, senior special assistant to the governor on media, said Mohammed was under quarantine.
President Buhari met separately with Masari, the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd.), director-general, Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi, and the IGP. Journalists were not briefed at the end of the meeting.
Crisis looms in Abuja testing centre over inadequate testing kits
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Ibrahim Oloriegbe, has revealed that the Abuja testing centre was running out of test kits.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, he said: “We do not have enough testing capacity in the country. As at last week, the total testing capacity was 10,000. I engaged with the task force on Friday. Some of you were there. As at today, it has increased to about 10,000.
“One of the decisions we took today was that we want the Federal Government to expand that testing capacity.”
Lagos shuts markets, others
Lagos State government yesterday ordered all markets, shops and restaurants in the state to close shop, except the ones that sell pharmaceuticals and food items, effective from Thursday, March 26. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who gave the order in a statewide broadcast, said that the partial lockdown became necessary due to the increasing cases of COVID-19 in Lagos State.
Sanwo-Olu said that markets would be opened in various schools to ensure people have access to food. He ordered restaurants and eateries to only offer takeaway and not eat-in services.
“The law enforcement agents are fully empowered to enforce the directives. Gatherings in any form must not exceed 25 persons, against the earlier directive of 50 persons,” Sanwo-Olu said.
NASS shuts down
The two chambers of the National Assembly, the Senate and House of Representatives, have suspended plenary and shut down for two weeks, to curb the spread of the infection.
Seven out of the 40 patients that contracted COVID-19 in Nigeria as of Monday night were in Abuja, where the National Assembly complex is located.
In addition to the 360 lawmakers in the Green Chamber, and 109 in the Senate, the legislative complex receives an average of 3,500 visitors every week.
However, while on break, essential committees will continue to offer skeletal services.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, while making the announcement yesterday after a closed-door session, urged the Federal Government to raise the game and do everything to curtail the spread.
“As at now, the only way out of the pandemic is for the population to observe the recommended measures adviced by the NCDC. The Federal Government should devote special funds to fight the COVID-19 threatening Nigeria. Also, the Federal Government should give financial and other resource assistance to the states in the fight against the virus. The Senate committees on Health and Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases will continue to engage with the Federal Ministry of Health and presidential taskforce on COVID-19.”
Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila said the decision was made over the weekend to shut down the House: “Though the House will be closing tomorrow, I will implore all members to be present on the floor for the passage of a bill titled Emergency Economic Stimulus Bill, which the leadership of the House has been working on all weekend and concluded this night.”
Courts in Abuja comply with lockdown directives
Courts in Abuja, on Tuesday, recorded full complainance with the directive of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Mohammed, to shut down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
When the Daily Sun visited some divisions of the courts, it was observed that most juges did not show up and only a few lawyers were there taking new dates from the court clerks. At the Federal High Court, some lawyers were briefing their clients on the development.
Some office attendants and staff, all wearing protective kits, were milling around the premises, while some returned home immediately after putting down their attendance.
The closure, for an initial period of two weeks, will be reviewed in due course.
The doors of the courts would be opened only for urgent and time-bound cases.
JAMB goes on 2-week break
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced a temporary suspension of all official activities that require contact with humans at its Abuja headquarters and offices nationwide for two weeks.
It also said all services requiring biometric verification were suspended till further notice.
JAMB spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, in a statement released in Abuja on Tuesday, explained that the decision was in line with professional advice of government on safety of Nigerians in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He, however, said that JAMB has upgraded its ticketing online service, which, he said, would attend to enquiries, complaints and handle some services.
He urged candidates to take advantage of efficient and up-to-date digital platforms to access information and solve certain problems pending new developments.
He assured candidates that the situation will be reviewed regularly, and as soon as the circumstances permit, all suspended services would be resolved with further delay.
NECO postpones 2020 common entrance examination
National Examinations Council (NECO) has postponed the 2020 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) into Federal Unity Colleges earlier scheduled to hold on Saturday 28 March, 2020, indefinitely.
NECO spokesman, Azeez Sani, in a statement released in Abuja, on Tuesday, attributed the decision to the outbreak of coronavirus in Nigeria which has altered several programmes.
“The decision was in deference to the various measures put in place by Federal and State Governments to curtail the potential spread of Coronavirus (COV1D-19).”
He said that management of NECO regrets any inconveniences the postponement might have caused candidates and other stakeholders, and assured them that the Council was committed to safety of candidates.
He confirmed that a new date for the examination will be communicated to candidates and other stakeholders in due course, even as he added that registration for the examination continues.
Use unity schools hostels as isolation units – Reps
The House has directed the Federal Ministry of Education to immediately make available hostels in 104 unity schools across the country for use as emergency care centres and isolation units by the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), should the need arise.
It also mandated the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC to immediately develop contingency plans for the establishment of emergency care facilities at the unity schools.
“These contingency plans should include cost estimates for the provision of equipment, material, medicines and other such requirements as may become necessary”.
The lawmakers equally directed the Federal Ministry of Health, to work with the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) and other such stakeholders to develop plans for the deployment of a corps of doctors and medical professionals to these emergency care centres as the need arises.
Furthermore, the Green chamber urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to urgently provide funding for the establishment and operations of the emergency health facilities across the country, as part of its policy measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The House, while lauding the government for the steps so far taken to contain the spread of COVID 19 in the country, resolved to invite the CBN governor,Godwin Emefiele, to brief the leadership on the apex bank’s response to the Covid–19 outbreak, including the procedure and requirements for the disbursement of earmarked intervention funds under the emergency policy measure.
It urged President Muhammadu Buhari to to exercise his authority under the Customs, Excise Tariffs, Etc. (Consolidation) Act to remove any import or excise duty on essential medical equipment as determined by the Minister of Health to be necessary for the management of Covid-19 in the country.
Gbajabiamila, in his lead debate, said corou has emerged as the most significant threat to the physical, mental and economic wellbeing of the people and nations of the world.
PSC suspends staff verification exercise
The Police Service Commission(PSC), has announced the postponement of the Staff Verification exercise scheduled to hold next Monday. The commission has also announced the suspension of its eighth Plenary Meeting.
PSC Head, Press and Public Relations Ikechukwu Ani, said the suspension is in compliance with the containment/Safety measures of the Federal Government in the wake of the Corona Virus pandemic.
Ani in a statement issued in Abuja, said
“The Police Service Commission has postponed till further notice its 8th Plenary Meeting scheduled for today, Tuesday 24th and tomorrow, Wednesday, 25th March 2020. The Commission has also put off indefinitely, its Staff Verification exercise scheduled to commence on Monday, 30th March, 2020.
“The suspension of the two official activities of the Commission is in accordance with the containment/Safety measures of the Federal Government in the wake of the Corona Virus pandemic.
“The Plenary Meeting is the highest decision making body of the Commission and the Scheduled 8th Plenary would have considered recommendations from the different Standing Committees of the Commission on Police Promotion, Discipline, Recruitment and other related matters.
“The Staff Verification is an in-house staff audit and review in line with the extant rules of the Public Service.
The Commission notes that it will abide by all the necessary Federal government measures to contain this ravaging pandemic and advised that Staff must ensure they restrict themselves to the barest minimum contacts and also adhere to stipulated professional behaviour.