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A man named David, who came into Nigeria from Maryland, United States of America, and was suspected of having Coronavirus, has now tested negative for the virus. 

This was confirmed by a senior staff of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo Town, Ondo State, where the man had been kept under observation all the while. See Also PUBLIC HEALTH UPDATE: US Returnee Suspected Of Having Coronavirus Moved To 'Stroke Ward' In Ondo Hospital 0 Comments 1 Week Ago

The man had travelled into Ondo to visit family members when he fell ill and showed signs of the virus. 

"His test returned negative. He does not have the virus" the source said. 

With Thursday's revelation, any fears initially raised by news of his suspected infection have since been erased.

Meanwhile, management of the hospital on Thursday announced a shut down of activities as a result of the continued spread of the virus. 

In a statement, management of the facility said that all units except accident and emergency ward will be closed to the public in order to reduce the risk of patients and staff being infected with the virus. 

Patients on admission, who are in stable conditions, have been advised to go home and continue with prescribed medication. 

The statement said, "The management of University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo Town, has decided to partially shut down its normal activities as a precaution to steam the spread of Coronavirus."

Nigeria now has 65 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and one recorded death. 

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The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control has announced 14 new cases of Coronavirus in the country.

According to the NCDC, 12 were confirmed in Lagos while two were confirmed in the FCT.

“14 new cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in Nigeria: two in FCT, 12 in Lagos

“Of the 14, six were detected on a vessel, three are returning travellers into Nigeria and one is close contact of a confirmed case.

“As at 7:35 pm 26th March, there are 65 confirmed cases, three discharged and one death,” the tweet by NCDC read.

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In trying to enforce the closure of markets as ordered by Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State, the police brutalised and fired teargas canisters at traders and buyers at Ifon Market on Wednesday morning. 

The governor had on Tuesday ordered the closure of all weekly markets in the state to curb the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The government stated that only daily markets would be allowed to operate because they attracted small number of persons at a time.

However, in enforcing the order, the police in Osun embarked on extra-judicial activities by harassing and brutalising buyers and sellers at Ifon Market.

Some buyers caught in the melee, explained to our correspondent that they went to purchase food items but were attacked by policemen.

“Police officers stormed the market in large numbers and teargassed everyone both young and old.

“The market was filled with people from all over the state, we had to rush out of the place to escape beating from the police,” one witness said. 

Another resident explained that her husband had to hurriedly go in search for money after the pronouncement by the governor so that they could stock some food items in the house.

She said, “What would people eat during the period of staying at home if they couldn't get food?

“Why should people be dispersed with teargas while trying to get items to be used for a long time during the course of this epidemic?” a woman queried.

The residents urged the state government to revisit the order and give people the opportunity to stock their houses with food items before closing all markets.

“Yesterday's act was not needed at this point where people live from hand to mouth. 

"I strongly call on the appropriate authorities to look into this and check on those who might have been injured during the ruthless act by police officers,” one of the affected residents of the state said.

While speaking, another resident of Osun said, “Government and prominent people in the state should also help by providing materials and items which will help to alleviate suffering at this hard time."

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NCDC

 

The Advocacy for Integrity and Economic Development has urged the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to stop wasting "limited testing kits" on political office holders and government officials. 

In a statement on Thursday by its Director of Media and Publicity, Comrade O'Seun John, the organisation said the unchecked usage of the scarce testing kits for COVID-19 on government officials and politicians is appalling and a disservice to ordinary Nigerian, who deserve to be truly tested. 

The statement reads, "We have noticed with utmost dismay the unending wastage of scarce testing kits for COVID-19 on politicians and political office holders at the detriment of the masses. 

"We find this endeavour as a disservice to the people of Nigeria who should be the primary focus of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Ministry of Health. 

"From several reports, the NCDC conducts an average of two tests on governors, senators, House of Representatives and Assembly members, Chief of Staff to the President amongst other influential figures in the country. 

"These individuals have been solely responsible for the decades of decay and backwardness our health care system is facing. They stood aloof and budgeted billions of naira for frivolous expenses while the citizens suffer in penury, they do not deserve to enjoy the benefits from magnanimous philanthropists who have inconvenient themselves to help Nigerians. 

"It is also on record that most, if not all, of the cases recorded or perceived in the corridors of power have been caused by the sheer refusal to submit to simple emergency protocols and checks at the airports. Nigerians should not then be the ones suffering for the ego and pride of these few ones. 

"While we acknowledge that not every Nigerian will get tested for COVID-19, it is extremely important that these testing kits are kept safely for the primary use of the average Nigerian. 

"The present statistics of less than 200 individuals who have received testing from the NCDC is disgraceful for a population of almost 200 million people. NCDC must channel its resources on improving the testing rates for Nigerians.

"The NCDC should leave the politicians alone and focus on Nigerians who are more in number and at a greater risk. If any politician feels the need to get tested, such politician can charter a flight to Europe, Asia or America where they get their routine medical check-up." 

 

 

 

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Omoyele Sowore BBC

Rights activist and journalist, Omoyele Sowore, has raised the alarm over a plot by the Nigerian Government to detain him over revelations by his news outlet, SaharaReporters, that Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, tested positive for Coronavirus. 

On Monday night, SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that Kyari was ill and had contracted the deadly virus.  See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Buhari’s Chief Of Staff, Abba Kyari, Reportedly Sick, Suspected Of Contracting Coronavirus 0 Comments 2 Days Ago

The online news medium went ahead on Tuesday to break the story of three of Kyari's staff contracting the virus from him. 

Till this moment, the Presidency has been unable to deny any of the reports, instead plotting to turn their anger on Sowore and SaharaReporters.  See Also Exclusive EXCLUSIVE: Presidential Intensive Care Unit Activated As Buhari Self-isolates After Abba Kyari Tests Positive For Coronavirus 0 Comments 1 Day Ago

In a message to his followers on Facebook on Thursday, Sowore said his lawyers had informed him of a high-powered delegation sent to the Federal High Court in Abuja to obtain a detention order.

Sowore said, "Folks, it is important to inform you that we are facing some unusual circumstances and the days ahead might be very tensed and difficult, but we will conquer. 

"Following the revelation by SaharaReporters that the Chief of Staff to Buhari, Abba Kyari, contracted Coronavirus and subsequent revelations about the criminal conducts/negligence that has brought Nigeria to the nadir of this global pandemic, the Buhari regime today sent some high powered delegation to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria to help procure a detention order against me. 

"The courts are reportedly on break due to COVID-19 pandemic. This was leaked to our lawyers a few minutes ago. They plan this time is to use the Nigerian Army for the sinister plot.

"The plan is to obtain a court order and then send soldiers to shoot up my residence in Abuja by claiming that I resisted arrest with armed colleagues. 

"If I am arrested alive, they would take me to a military barracks in Abuja to be tortured and or infected with COVID-19. 

"I am not raising the alarm to scare anyone, it is to inform our compatriots that we should brace for difficult days ahead. 

"However, rest assured that we are in high spirits and are totally convinced that we may be turning a historic corner in the face of brutal repression. 

"I am urging all to stand firm, unbowed and unbroken."

Recall that Sowore was first arrested in the early hours of August 3, 2019 by operatives of the Department of State Services for calling on Nigerians to take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations on August 5 to demand a better country from the administration of President Buhari. 

He was kept in unlawful detention from that period until December 5, 2019 when he was finally released on bail despite two court orders earlier sanctioning his freedom.

In a twist of event, DSS operatives invaded the Federal High Court in Abuja on December 6, 2019 to rearrest him without any court order.

He remained in unlawful detention until 18 days later when he was released by the secret police for the second time. 

At the resumption of his trial in a case brought against him by the Nigerian Government, the prosecution failed to prove accusations against him and even went ahead to dropping seven of the charges earlier preferred against him.

Groups and high-raking individuals from around the world have described the charges against Sowore as baseless and a waste of time. 

The journalist remains confined to Abuja as one of his bail conditions forbids him from leaving the city or speaking with journalists until the end of his trial.

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Police and the army patrol the streets as all but essential movement is banned across the country.

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South Africa government has introduced stringent measures to halt the spread of coronavirus.

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China is the biggest market for electric vehicles, but the coronavirus is the latest blow to shake the industry.

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Experts are calling on the public to practice ‘information hygiene’ to help stop the spread of falsehoods online.

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A selection of the best photos from across the continent this week.

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The UN warns that camps for the displaced in north-western Syria could be devastated by coronavirus.

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Ella from North London lives with four other people, including someone who is high risk.

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The green sea turtle is vulnerable to extinction as the climate warms, Australian scientists say.

A former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has distributed protective items and foodstuffs to churches, mosques and correctional centers.

Sani while making the donation in Kaduna on Wednesday, urged Nigerians to stand together and fight Coronavirus.

He berated the elites and political leaders for neglecting and destroying the public healthcare system over the years. 

He added that the days of reckoning had come for those charged with the responsibility of turning around Nigeria's hospitals but refused to take action. 

Sani said, "Coronavirus will not bring an end to the world but surely return it to its beginning and basics where love, brotherhood and compassion was the spirit. 

"If Coronavirus had come during electioneering period, political leaders could have distributed free and customised sanitisers, masks and ventilators."
 

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Two yet-to-be identified persons are alleged to have died of Coronavirus after attending the lavish and star-studded 80th birthday party of Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, George Adetola Oguntade.

The colourful ceremony, which took place on March 10, 2020, was held at the London Hilton on Park Lane, a posh area of UK’s most popular city – London.

Apart from the two guests alleged to have died of the virus after attending the event, one other attendee is said to be on ventilator at a hospital in London.

One of the two persons that died is said to be related to Dorlapoh Crystals, a popular UK-based business owner whose company customises fashion items.

The development has since raised fears that scores of other attendees at the ceremony could have contracted the deadly virus. 

Among prominent Nigerians, who attended the party are billionaire Rasak Okoya and his wife Sade, a former governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba, Kessington Adebutu (Baba Ijebu), Oba Saheed Elegushi, music icon – Ebenezer Obey, and Dele Momodu. 

Many of these high-profile guests have since returned to Nigeria, further raising concerns that some of them may have imported the dreaded virus into the country without knowing. 

Coronavirus was first detected in the United Kingdom on January 31 and since that period, there has been 8,077 confirmed infections and 422 deaths.

Therefore, as at the time Oguntade’s birthday was staged in London on March 10, the virus had fully taken up strategic positions across most parts of the UK. 

In a recent interview, Momodu, a veteran journalist and Publisher of Ovation International, confirmed attending the party in London but said that he had no symptoms of the pandemic.

Senior airport sources however, told SaharaReporters that many top Nigerians, who arrived in the country from UK and other parts of the world before the ban on international flights into Nigeria was announced, refused to submit themselves for medical screening for the virus.

Already, a number of prominent Nigerians have been confirmed to have contracted the virus. 

Full Video: Justice George Oguntade’s 80th Birthday Celebration Full Video: Justice George Oguntade’s 80th Birthday Celebration

Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, and Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Frank Okiye, have all tested positive to the virus while dozens others including state governors, who came in contact with them in recent days have now gone into self-isolation in order to ward off the pandemic.

Nigeria has 46 confirmed cases of Coronavirus so far and one recorded death.

Though government at the federal and state levels have adopted series of measures to curtail the pandemic, there are fears of the virus spreading further in the coming days.

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Two yet-to-be identified persons are alleged to have died of Coronavirus after attending the lavish and star-studded 80th birthday party of Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, George Adetola Oguntade.

The colourful ceremony, which took place on March 10, 2020, was held at the London Hilton on Park Lane, a posh area of UK’s most popular city – London.

Apart from the two guests alleged to have died of the virus after attending the event, one other attendee is said to be on ventilator at a hospital in London.

One of the two persons that died is said to be related to Dorlapoh Crystals, a popular UK-based business owner whose company customises fashion items.

The development has since raised fears that scores of other attendees at the ceremony could have contracted the deadly virus. 

Among prominent Nigerians, who attended the party are billionaire Rasak Okoya and his wife Sade, a former governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba, Kessington Adebutu (Baba Ijebu), Oba Saheed Elegushi, music icon – Ebenezer Obey, and Dele Momodu. 

Many of these high-profile guests have since returned to Nigeria, further raising concerns that some of them may have imported the dreaded virus into the country without knowing. 

Coronavirus was first detected in the United Kingdom on January 31 and since that period, there has been 8,077 confirmed infections and 422 deaths.

Therefore, as at the time Oguntade’s birthday was staged in London on March 10, the virus had fully taken up strategic positions across most parts of the UK. 

In a recent interview, Momodu, a veteran journalist and Publisher of Ovation International, confirmed attending the party in London but said that he had no symptoms of the pandemic.

Senior airport sources however, told SaharaReporters that many top Nigerians, who arrived in the country from UK and other parts of the world before the ban on international flights into Nigeria was announced, refused to submit themselves for medical screening for the virus.

Already, a number of prominent Nigerians have been confirmed to have contracted the virus. 

Full Video: Justice George Oguntade’s 80th Birthday Celebration Full Video: Justice George Oguntade’s 80th Birthday Celebration

Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, and Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Frank Okiye, have all tested positive to the virus while dozens others including state governors, who came in contact with them in recent days have now gone into self-isolation in order to ward off the pandemic.

Nigeria has 46 confirmed cases of Coronavirus so far and one recorded death.

Though government at the federal and state levels have adopted series of measures to curtail the pandemic, there are fears of the virus spreading further in the coming days.

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Whistleblowers are the first line of defence against corruption, crime and cover-ups, according to a 2019 paper by the All–Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on whistleblowing in the UK.

For Sambo Abdullahi, head of internal audit at the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc, it has been one long tortuous journey. Over the past two years, he has been at the receiving end of the retaliation whistleblowers around the world, including in Nigeria, face for shining the light on malfeasance  around them: denial of wages, job losses, expensive court cases, abuse, psychological trauma, blacklisting across their sector, and sometimes death. 

Abdullahi has been denied his salary and other allowances since December 2017, threatened, blacklisted, arrested and sued. All of this for acting professionally and responding patriotically to the call of the Nigerian government asking citizens to join the fight against corruption by blowing the whistle on corrupt practices and other forms of wrongdoing in the country. 

In two separate courts, in Ifo, Ogun State, and Okitipupa, Ondo State, where in a most brazen abuse of judicial process, Abdullahi was summoned to answer charges of defamation levelled against him by his boss, Dr. Marilyn Amobi, Managing Director of NBET, he easily walked through the doorway of victory. Both cases were struck out on account of Dr. Amobi's lack of seriousness in prosecuting.

The crisis of corruption in NBET has been going on for almost three years and the government appears not to have any solution. The appointment of Dr Amobi as the second substantive MD/CEO of NBET signified doom not only for Abdullahi as head of internal audit but also for the entire staff of the company. The MD withheld Abdullahi’s salary and other emoluments just because he exercised the right to decline participation in her fraudulent activities and rejected an unwarranted deployment to a new department unilaterally created by the MD to continue to perpetrate fraud.

Abdullahi, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), graduated in Accounting from a reputable university and has over two decades of experience. He acquired experiences from both the private and public sectors before joining NBET. He was the pioneer Head of Internal Audit of NBET in 2012; a position he held till 2016 when Dr Amobi joined the company.

Within one month of Dr. Amobi's assumption of office, Abdullahi discovered the illegal over-payment of N2 billion to two generating plants, Omotosho Power Plc and Olorunsogo Power Plc, both of which have no Gas Supply Agreement (GSA) and Gas Transportation Agreement (GTA) as required by industry agreement. The implication of this fraudulent transaction is that electricity consumers on a monthly basis pay N2billion in excess of what they ought to have paid if this fraud is averted. It is on record that the very first month the fraud was detected, Dr Amobi assumed the role of internal auditor by signing off the payment vouchers.

Her defence for this unlawful violation was that the mandatory GSA and GTA had been waived. The questions for her are, who approved the waiver? Why was the waiver not extended to other thermal plants? And why did the waiver idea come only after the head of internal audit had uncovered the fraud?

Other transactions that made Abdullahi to incur the wrath of Dr. Amobi was his refusal to endorse other payment vouchers for illegal procurement of alcohol  using taxpayers’ money, proposed monthly payment of N2.5million to one Engr. Achinaya (an ex-staff of both NEPA and PHCN) without procurement process, procurement of legal advisory services of Azinge & Azinge and Aelex law firms in gross violation of the Procurement Act, and payment for return flight ticket from London for Dr Amobi to resume work in NBET in violation of the NBET Board-approved benefit compensation packages just to mention a few.

As a retaliation against Abdullahi for doing his job professionally, which to Dr Amobi connotes standing in her way, she colluded with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to get rid of Abdullahi and his colleague Waziri Bintube. Both were removed from their duly appointed and NBET Board- approved functions as head of internal audit and Chief Finance Officer respectively. While Abdullahi’s salary was stopped, Bintube was sacked.

In response, the duo wrote a petition to the Ministry of Power in 2017. The ministerial committee report was released in March 2018 and vindicated them, while indicting Dr. Amobi. But despite the minister’s (Babatunde Fashola) directives that Abdullahi’s salary should be restored and Bintube reinstated immediately, and in fact that both workers should enjoy the rights of NBET staff, Dr. Amobi refused to comply with the directives. 

Till date, she denies Abdullahi his salaries and Bintube has not been called back. Dr. Amobi heads a government agency supervised by a Ministry, but her insolent defiance of a Ministerial order is unprecedented in the history of public sector administration in Nigeria. And it is strange that this is happening under a government that claims to prioritize due process and accountability in the public sector.

As if the stoppage of salaries and sacking were not enough, Dr Amobi got  Abdullahi and Bintube detained in the facility of the State Security Services (SSS) for more than twenty-four hours. Several directives by Babatunde Fashola, then Minister of Power, were rebuffed by Dr Amobi who insisted that as an appointee of President Muhammadu Buhari she would only take directives from the president.

While the issue of salary suspension remained unresolved in spite of interventions from the Ministry of Power, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the office of the Vice President, among others,  Abdullahi approached the National Industrial Court in December 2018, twelve months after the unlawful stoppage of his salaries, with Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, Dr Marilyn Amobi (MD/CEO), Hon Minister of Power and the Ministry of Power as defendants. 

On March 11, 2020, Abdullahi (the claimant) once again walked the path of victory with the court delivering judgement in his favour. According to Hon Justice O. O. Oyewumi, the act of the suspension of the claimant’s salaries from December 2017 till date was wrongful; the denial of the claimant’s 2017 and 2018 leave was wrongful; the 1st and 2nd defendants, contrary to its terms and conditions of service, withheld the claimant’s salary and other emoluments wrongfully. The judge ordered the payment of Abdullahi’s salaries and other allowances, noting, “All sums awarded in the judgement is to be paid within 30days of the judgement, failure upon which it attracts 21% interest thereon per annum.” 

While the case lasted in court, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Auditor General of the Federation and the Bureau of Public Procurement all issued reports indicting Dr Amobi while recommending her immediate prosecution. Sadly, some higher powers are preventing this from happening.

Governance problems are commonly found in federal government agencies due to either lack of a Board or total collapse of the governance structure. The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Alex Akoh, noted in a letter to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, dated January 7, 2020, that “for the past 14 months, no Board meeting of the company (NBET) was held, a situation which has serious consequences on the corporate governance of the company”. Truth is, no Board meeting of NBET has held since August 2018 when Professor Yemi Osinbajo, then Acting President, ratified the reconstitution of the NBET Board of Directors recommended by Kemi Adeosun, the immediate past Minister of Finance.  

The governance collapse in NBET has entrusted the fate of about 80 million electricity consumers in Nigeria in the hands of Dr Amobi who sees herself as not only untouchable, but also a sort of “Alfa and Omega.” She formulates and executes policies at will, such as changing the company organogram whenever she sees any staff as standing in her way. The entire senior management has passed a vote of no confidence in Dr Amobi but despite this and other fraudulent activities traceable to her, no action was taken by the government to ameliorate the problem in the power sector and curb the continuous fraud being perpetrated in NBET.

The Minister of Power of Power Engr. Sale Mamman, in December 2019, made a daring move to respond to the situation by suspending Dr. Amobi from office indefinitely.  But curiously, he was overruled by President Muhammadu Buhari in less than two weeks and Dr. Amobi was returned to office.

This forced the Minister to fire a letter dated January 8, 2020, to Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, detailing investigations by the ICPC, EFCC and the reports of the Auditor General of the Federation which implicated the NBET boss “for breach of due process in the award of contracts and several financial wrongdoings.” In that letter copied to President Buhari, the Minister reminded the SGF of “the additional baggage which the suspended MD carries in the light of the anti-corruption stance of the Federal Government.”

If this government wants to be seen as genuinely fighting corruption, the NBET case is a golden opportunity to faithfully demonstrate that conviction. Dr. Amobi has been indicted for corruption by government anti-corruption agencies. The place for her, therefore, is the courtroom, not a cushioned seat of a government agency. 

Meanwhile, before Dr. Amobi's prosecution, government should direct her to obey without delay the judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction in the suit filed by a whistleblower, Sambo Abdullahi, the head of internal audit of NBET. 

In addition, government should realize that all whistleblowers deserve full and effective protection from all kinds of retaliation, without which its whistleblowing policy will not succeed as an instrument for reducing corruption in the country.

Onumah and Onyeacholem are with the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL)

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A former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has donated N50m in support of government’s effort at combating the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country.

In a statement he personally signed on Wednesday, Atiku said that he believed the donation will help efforts towards curbing the spread of the pandemic.

He said, “As the Coronavirus pandemic ravages the world, I applaud the various Nigerian state governments who have proactively taken measures such as issuing stay at home orders, and shutting down non-essential markets and other places of mass gatherings, while also giving guidelines for social distancing.

“However, we must accept the fact that much of the Nigerian public have a subsistence existence. A large percentage of our people do not have the financial capacity to withstand long periods of self-isolation and even lockdown.

“It is, therefore, incumbent on the Federal and state governments to provide palliatives to the Nigerian people to enable them to survive, even as they abide by these necessary measures put in place for their own safety.

“To this end, Priam Group pledges N50m on my behalf as my humble contribution to a relief fund that will form part of the stimulus package.”

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A former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has donated N50m in support of government’s effort at combating the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country.

In a statement he personally signed on Wednesday, Atiku said that he believed the donation will help efforts towards curbing the spread of the pandemic.

He said, “As the Coronavirus pandemic ravages the world, I applaud the various Nigerian state governments who have proactively taken measures such as issuing stay at home orders, and shutting down non-essential markets and other places of mass gatherings, while also giving guidelines for social distancing.

“However, we must accept the fact that much of the Nigerian public have a subsistence existence. A large percentage of our people do not have the financial capacity to withstand long periods of self-isolation and even lockdown.

“It is, therefore, incumbent on the Federal and state governments to provide palliatives to the Nigerian people to enable them to survive, even as they abide by these necessary measures put in place for their own safety.

“To this end, Priam Group pledges N50m on my behalf as my humble contribution to a relief fund that will form part of the stimulus package.”

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The Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta State, is currently witnessing large influx of visitors with suspected symptoms of Coronavirus.

A staff of the medical facility, who spoke with SaharaReporters, disclosed that many of the visitors were apprehensive that they might have contracted the virus after feeling unwell.

“There is serious fear since Monday night, so many persons with suspected symptoms of Coronavirus have been coming into our emergency ward and the number is increasing even though no formal tests had been carried out on such persons.

“We have been told not to disclose a confirmed case so as to avoid panic in the state.

“Some of our colleagues working in government hospitals across the state told us that there was nothing on ground to show preparedness for the pandemic.

“A Lassa fever case was recorded at the facility and the patient, a pregnant woman, was subsequently transferred to Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo State,” the source said.

When contacted, Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Victor Osiatuma, said that there were no Coronavirus patients at the health facility.

He said, “Apart from the Lassa fever case of a pregnant woman recorded in our facility, there is no other case or cases of an outbreak of any dreaded disease here.”

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The Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta State, is currently witnessing large influx of visitors with suspected symptoms of Coronavirus.

A staff of the medical facility, who spoke with SaharaReporters, disclosed that many of the visitors were apprehensive that they might have contracted the virus after feeling unwell.

“There is serious fear since Monday night, so many persons with suspected symptoms of Coronavirus have been coming into our emergency ward and the number is increasing even though no formal tests had been carried out on such persons.

“We have been told not to disclose a confirmed case so as to avoid panic in the state.

“Some of our colleagues working in government hospitals across the state told us that there was nothing on ground to show preparedness for the pandemic.

“A Lassa fever case was recorded at the facility and the patient, a pregnant woman, was subsequently transferred to Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo State,” the source said.

When contacted, Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Victor Osiatuma, said that there were no Coronavirus patients at the health facility.

He said, “Apart from the Lassa fever case of a pregnant woman recorded in our facility, there is no other case or cases of an outbreak of any dreaded disease here.”

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