China Steps In To Combat Coronavirus In Nigeria [LEADERSHIP]
An 18-man team of medical experts, including doctors, nurses and other medical advisers, from China is expected to arrive Nigeria in a few days to assist the federal government tackle the Coronavirus pandemic.
Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Enahire, who gave the hint at the daily briefing of the presidential task force on COVID-19 in Abuja yesterday, also disclosed that a group of Chinese companies working in Nigeria have donated medical supplies to support the country’s fight against COVID-19.
He listed the items to include commodities such as personal protective equipment and ventilators.
He said, “I have been notified of medical supplies from China, courtesy of a group of Chinese companies working here in Nigeria. A special cargo aircraft shall leave Nigeria in a few days to collect the items which include commodities, personal protective equipment and ventilators.
“An 18-man team of Chinese medical experts including doctors, nurses and other medical advisers shall come along with the flight to assist us. I must at this juncture commend our frontline workers who are doing a great job in case identification and management.
“As we prepare to contain COVID-19, we must not lose sight of other health challenges in our country. Routine health service must continue in our hospitals. Only a wing of tertiary health centres should be used for infected patients.”
The minister noted that close to 3,000 samples have been tested for the disease, adding that Nigeria will witness an increase in confirmed coronavirus cases despite the lockdown.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has recorded 190 confirmed cases out of which Lagos state, the epicentre of the disease, has 98 cases.
The federal capital territory (FCT) has 38; Osun, 20, and Oyo, eight cases. Akwa Ibom state has five cases; Ogun and Edo states have four each; Kaduna, four; Bauchi, three.
Enugu and Ekiti states have two cases each while Rivers and Benue states have recorded one each.
In Africa, over 7,000 cases have been recorded with 284 deaths spread across 50 countries.
Globally, the confirmed cases hit one million on Thursday, with at least 51, 300 people dead from complications of the disease.
The infection has spread to 204 countries and territories since the first case was recorded in Wuhan, China, late December.
Crude Rebounds To $32.25pb As OPEC Meets Monday [LEADERSHIP]
The price of Brent crude jumped about 10 per cent yesterday to about $32 a barrel.
The price gain followed a similar surge after United States President, Donald Trump, said he expected that Saudi Arabia and Russia would substantially cut their oil production to halt the collapse of prices.
This is coming on the heels of reports yesterday that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has concluded plans to hold a teleconference on Monday to discuss world oil supplies, with a prospect of cutting global crude oil production by 10 million barrels per day.
The move is part of measures to end a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia that has thrown oil markets into turmoil in addition to the economic crisis created by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The latest rise in the price of crude oil is slightly above the new benchmark proposed by the Federal Government in late March, as from $57 per barrel benchmark upon which the 2020 budget was predicated became unrealistic compelling government to reduce it to $30 per barrel.
President Trump said on Thursday via his tweet that he had spoken to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who had in turn spoken with Putin.
But a Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the conversation hadn’t happened and that no production cut had been agreed to with the Saudis.
The U. S. president also said he expected a deal but made no mention of any role for the U.S.
“It would be great for Russia, it would be great for Saudi Arabia I hope they make that deal but that’s what they told me. Can something happen where it doesn’t happen? I guess? In which case there’s another alternative, but I’d rather not see the other alternative,” he said.
However, an OPEC delegate revealed yesterday that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), is planning to hold a teleconference on Monday to discuss world oil supplies.
The meeting will include the OPEC+ group of producers, which includes Russia and other countries “if they wish,” the delegate said.
It was not clear if the United States would take part in the meeting.
Russia hasn’t yet confirmed its attendance at the OPEC+ meeting. But Russia has long said it’s open to talks, and the industry may find itself forced into production cuts anyway because of the slump in demand, potentially bolstering the case for a coordinated response.
Home Made Solution Can Shield Nigeria From Global Recession – Experts [LEADERSHIP]
Economic experts have said the federal government would have to come up with homemade measures to prevent the nation’s economy from suffering the pangs of impending global economic recession recently announced by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
According to the experts, the implication of the global economic recession is grave for Nigeria especially because of the weak structure of the country’s economy, which relies largely on a single product – crude oil – for revenue.
IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, had said many emerging markets will experience a contraction as necessary COVID-19 containment measures take their toll, and are shocked by reduced global demand for their exports – tourism, commodities, and manufactured goods – that provide critical streams of foreign exchange.
But one of the economic experts, Prof Uche Uwaleke, said a major way the Nigerian economy can be insulated from external shocks such as the current one is to have multiple streams of income through diversification of the export base.
In this regard, the Professor of Finance and Capital market said the government should pay serious attention to health, education (with emphasis on skills), Agriculture (with emphasis on processing), solid minerals and the enabling infrastructure such as power, transport and ICT.
The slowdown in economies of consumer nations such as China and India has reduced considerably the demand for crude oil, leading to a sharp drop in oil price made worse by the price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia on the supply side. To also help stimulate the economy, Uwaleke who is also a former commissioner for finance in Imo State said state governments should prioritise the payment of salaries and pensions so that demand for goods and services is sustained while small businesses take advantage of the intervention funds rolled out by the CBN to ensure continuity in production.
Uwaleke said that the current double digit inflation rate in the country makes difficult a low interest rate environment leading to high cost of funds for small and medium enterprises.
The Other Side Of COVID-19 Shutdown [THE NATION]
Victor, Sade Olofinwuyi’s husband and insurance practitioner, does not joke with hanging out with his friends on Saturdays. His rendezvous with friends at a backstreet lounge somewhere in Ogba area of Ikeja, Lagos, had denied his family of bonding for years until the lockdown order by the federal government commenced on Monday.
According to Sade, since the stay at home commenced, her husband has been staying home with the family more than he had ever done; a development she said has endeared him more to her and their children, whose complaints about his absence from home on weekends he had always ignored.
She said: “The social distancing issue has really helped to strengthen family life and built stronger bonds among spouses and their families. I have a reason to attribute the relative joy that has returned to my home in the last few days to the stay-at-home order issued by the Lagos State Government.
“For example, my husband is a happy-go-lucky fellow. He is fond of hanging out with his friends most times on weekends, especially on Saturdays. They have a downtown lounge where they hook up, discuss football and indulge in drinking beer. But that has stopped now.
“Unlike before when he spent the better part of the weekend with his friends at their lounge, he stays indoors now and plays with our children. The result is that the bonding has brought him closer to me and our children, and this in turn has restored the vanished bliss in my 10-year-old marriage.”
A civil servant in the employ of Lagos State, Frederick Makinde, also explained that his wife now stays at home more than ever before. He explained that his wife, who was fond of attending social events, now spends more time at home with him and their children.
Herdsmen Kill Three In Ondo Community [THE NATION]
Three persons have been killed by suspected herdsmen in Arimogija community in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Some residents were said to have fled for fear of further attacks.
The residents said the three persons were killed on their farms during the week.
They also alleged that they saw a helicopter dropping arms and ammunition for the herdsmen inside the forest but the police did nothing after they made a formal report at the police station.
One of the resident who simply gave his name as Adeola said they are now living in fear.
According to him, ” The herdsmen have killed three people in this community, in just one week. They killed a rice farmer, Jacob Odushe and his son, Adura this week. They killed another boy, Victor Ejeh. The boy’s corpse was found in the bush a week after t he was declared missing. They machete cuts on his body showed that he was killed by the bandits .
“Again, a few days ago, a helicopter was sighted in our community and we later found out that the helicopter brought some arms and ammunition into the bush for the herdsmen to continue in their attack against us.
” We want to appeal to the state government to come to our aid. We need serious presence of security agents in this community and we don’t want to be taking laws into our hands.”
Special Adviser to the state governor on Security Matters, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, who confirmed the killings said Governor Rotimi Akeredolu had sent some security agents to the area to maintain law and order.
He said, ” I have been there with some people. The people were so embittered about the man and his son who were killed. When they saw us, they started protesting but I was able to calm them down.
“They were apprehensive because they said they saw a particular helicopter that came to the bush and they were suspecting that the helicopter brought some herdsmen to the place to attack them probably at night .
“But Mr.Governor has sent some solders there. As I am talking to you soldiers are patrolling the community.”
BREAKING: NCDC Confirms 20 New Cases Of COVID-19 [PUNCH]
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Friday night confirmed twenty new cases of Coronavirus in the country.
Eleven cases were confirmed in Lagos, three cases confirmed in the FCT, 3 in Edo, twi in Osun and one in Ondo
Two new deaths have been recorded in Lagos and Edo State, with twenty-five cases discharged.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to 210.
RESCUED FROM HELL [THE NATION]
Their conditions were as awful as they were pathetic. Their skins were decorated with wounds from lashes and the heavy chains with which their hands and legs were shackled. Their foods were prepared in the most unhygienic conditions and should only be fit only for pigs. They are not only insipid; they are, in most cases, rotten.
Their inhuman conditions were compounded by the heat in the male ward, which made it difficult to breathe and exposed the hapless inmates to infectious diseases. It was clearly a scene depicting man’s inhumanity to fellow man.
Those were the conditions of the 54 male and female inmates of an illegal correctional centre in Gusau, Zamfara State, busted by security agents on Tuesday.
Run by one Malam Iliyasu Abdullahi Gamagiwa, the 30-year-old centre was said to have got most of its inmates enrolled by their parents or guardians for various acts the parents or guardians claimed they were fed up with.
Zamfara State governor, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, had ordered a crackdown on the illegal ‘correctional centre’, which was effected on Tuesday afternoon. He had got wind of the existence of the centre and immediately ordered his Commissioner for Special Duties, Alhaji Mohammed Saddiq Maiturare, to lead a team of security operatives to the place.
On arrival, no fewer than 54 male and female inmates were found in the squalid house that served as the centre. Most of the inmates were found chained and subjected to all manner of inhuman treatments.
Awwal Idris, an 11-year-old inmate, who said he was brought to the centre all the way from Kaduna State, explained that he was the one appointed to share food to the other detained pupils and also took part in preparing the foods.
Coronavirus: Eleven States, FCT Shun Chloroquine Clinical Trial –NAFDAC [PUNCH]
Weeks after the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control approved the use of chloroquine for the clinical trial treatment of the coronavirus disease, states affected by the wide-spreading virus have yet to signify interest to embrace the initiative, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.
The Director General of the agency, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, on Friday told Saturday PUNCH that only Lagos State, which has 109 confirmed cases, the highest in the country, had signified interest in using the drug for clinical trial to find treatment for the virus.
The other states that have recorded cases are Osun (22 cases); Oyo (eight); Akwa Ibom (five); Ogun (four); Edo (seven); Kaduna (four); Bauchi (three); Enugu (two); Ekiti (two); Rivers (one); Benue (one) and Ondo (one), which was confirmed on Friday evening, and the Federal Capital Territory with 41 cases.
As of Friday evening, the number of confirmed cases in Nigeria stood at 210, out of which 25 patients had been discharged in Lagos and Ekiti states, while four deaths have so far been recorded. The two new deaths confirmed on Friday were in Lagos and Edo states. Across the world, the number of cases had risen to 1,093,887 cases, out of which 228,037 had recovered and 58,752 had died.
NAFDAC, which approves medicines meant for clinical trials, had on March 20 approved the use of chloroquine for clinical trial, warning however that the approval was not for the drug to be used as treatment for the virus.
The DG had said, “NAFDAC is not approving chloroquine as a product that can be used for coronavirus because there is no submission to us for registration, but because it is under clinical trials, NAFDAC approves medicines meant for clinical trials. Therefore, the medicine is being approved just for the clinical trials.”
Americans Stranded At Lagos Airport As Evacuation Flight Fails To Arrive [PUNCH]
Many American nationals were on Friday stranded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
It was gathered that the aircraft that was supposed to evacuate them from Nigeria failed to arrive.
Sources said the aircraft was forced to return to the US after takeoff due to issues with the crew.
The US nationals were said to have already checked in at the MMIA and were made to wait for several hours.
The General Manager, Public Affairs of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, who confirmed the incident, said the aircraft did not arrive as expected.
“The passengers spent the whole day waiting, finally they were all told to go home. They retrieved their luggage and went home,” she said.
She said the agency was waiting for feedback on when the next flight would be arranged for the evacuation.
The US Consulate had in a circular, last week, said it would evacuate American citizens in Abuja and Lagos who were ready to return to the US due to the COVID -19 pandemic.
The consulate stated in the circular that there were no scheduled flights to the United States but that it was actively exploring options and attempting to secure flights despite global airport closures and travel restrictions.
“We will email US citizens immediately once we have flight details, routes, and costs. US citizens who are considering returning to the United States are urged to travel to Abuja or Lagos as soon as possible,” the consulate said.
Chinese Medical Team To Arrive In Nigeria Soon — Health Minister [PUNCH]
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, on Friday, said that Chinese doctors, nurses and medical experts would arrive in Nigeria in a few days to assist in the fight against COVID-19.
The minister said this during a briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.
Cases in Nigeria have reached 210 as the global figure also surpassed one million mark. He said Nigeria was also exploring the possibility of producing some medical equipment after key stakeholders met in Abuja on Thursday.
The coming of the Chinese medical experts was announced just as the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said efforts to contain COVID-19 in Nigeria were being limited by finance, manpower and other indices despite the support from government and individuals.
Ehanire said, “The global number has crossed one million mark, barely three months after the first cases were first reported in Wuhan, China. It is an indication that it is a public health challenge that we must not take lightly.”
He continued, “We are already seeing what may be the indication of community transmission, in that 30 per cent of the cases have incomplete epidemiological information. 51 per cent are imported cases and 19 per cent are through contacts of known cases.
“Directors of the Federal Ministry of Health had discussions with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and Manufacturers Association of Nigeria to explore the potential for local production of medical consumables such as face masks, gloves, sanitisers and even ventilators.
Buhari Orders Military Action Against Bandits In Sokoto, Plateau [THE SUN]
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Nigerian Army to join the Police and flush out bandits from forests around the country, particularly in the areas that witnessed recent attacks.
Senior Special Assistant to the President Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu in a statement said Buhari gave the directive in response to the killing of 22 people in Sokoto State, whose community was attacked by armed bandits as well as the reported killing of 10 others in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The statement said, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai has already gotten in touch with the General Officers Commanding the army formations in the affected states, directing them to reinforce the police efforts to track the bandits and bring them to justice.
President Buhari also commiserated with the governments and people of the two states, assuring Governors Aminu Tambuwal and Simon Lalong of the federal government’s support in bringing an end to the spate of attacks in the regions.
He prayed that Allah would comfort those who lost beloved family members and friends in the attacks.
How I Spent 7 Years In Boko Haram Captivity Inside Sambisa Forest [THE SUN]
Alkali Musa, is 78, years old. He is no doubt the oldest man among the 680, repentant terrorists undergoing rehabilitation and de-radicalization at the Operation Safe Corridor rehabilitation camp at Malam Sidi, in Gombe state. He is a retired civil servant. During his years of service, he worked as a judge under the Borno State Ministry of Justice, Maiduguri, where he served over 30 years before retiring from service on June 1, 2012. Upon retirement, he decided to relocate to his village having spent all his life in the city. That perhaps was the greatest mistake he made in his life.
He had barley spent one year in the village when the Boko Haram terrorists struck and abducted him and many other villagers including his son and took them into the bush.
In this interview with Saturday Sun, the retired judge though well educated and speaks fluent English spoke in Kanuri language through an interpreter whom he corrected severally for giving a wrong interpretation of what he had told the interpreter who is a staff of the camp.
Life in the bush was hell he told this reporter. He also said life in the village after his relocation was not as pleasant as he had expected it to be as fellow villagers accused him to be a member of the Boko Haram sect and destroyed most of his property he spent his hard earned money to build. They also destroyed three of his vehicles and made him miserable until he was eventually abducted on July 15, in 2013, and taken into the bush. He spent about seven years with the terrorists before he breathed air of freedom and surrendered to the Nigerian troops who were on patrol in the area. And today, even though he is glad to be free from the terrorists’ enclave, he is not a very happy man because he has lost virtually everything he worked in life and has become a high blood pressure patient. He tells his story in this question and answer session with him.
4 More Patients Discharged In Lagos, Ondo Records First Case [THE SUN]
The Lagos State government on Friday discharged four more patients from its Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba. This brings the total number of people discharged in Lagos to 23.
The Incident Commander, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced this on his Twitter handle @jidesanwoolu. According to him, “More great news from our Infectious Disease Hospital as 4 patients; three females and one male have recovered fully, tested negative twice and have been discharged.
“This gives us a lot of hope as we continue to listen to our health experts and provide the resources to beat #COVID19.
“With the newly discharged patients, we now have a total of 23 people that have recovered from #COVID19 in Lagos. Big thanks to our health workers working hard during this time. Please continue social distancing to avoid becoming the weak link in our collective efforts.”
Meanwhile, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State last night announced the first case in Ondo State bringing the total nationwide to 191. He added that “the infected person is currently under isolation and will be monitored”.
The national figure may have changed after the paper went to bed yesterday.