Thefaithbearer

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that the United Nations has released 15 million dollars emergency funds to help vulnerable countries fight coronavirus (COVID-19) The Director-General, WHO, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, disclosed this on the agency’s twitter handle, @WHO, on Monday. Ghebreyesus said that the potential spread of COVID-19 to countries with weaker health system was one of the agency’s biggest concerns. He said: “WHO thanks UN Humanitarian Chief Mark Lowcock for releasing 15 million US dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help fund global efforts to contain the COVID-19 virus. We thank the agency for releasing the fund to help weak countries battle the spread of the virus,’’ he said. WHO is calling for 675 million dollars to fund the fight against coronavirus. The UN announced on Sunday that WHO and UNICEF will use the funds to undertake essential activities such as monitoring the spread of the virus, investigating cases and op...

The  Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has directed medical experts to start the screening of passengers coming into Ekiti from border states to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the state. The governor has also set up a 40-man task force to work on the prevention of the spread of coronavirus in the state. The task force chaired by Fayemi, has other stakeholders drawn from medical, religious and traditional institutions and civil society organisations, among others. The governor said an isolation centre where victims can be quarantined has been provided at the state specialist hospital that can easily handle any emerging case of the infection in the state. Fayemi gave the revelation at a press conference on coronavirus infection held in Ado Ekiti, on Monday. The governor said he had enfolded the leadership of the drivers’ unions to the task force in a bid to tackle the spread of COVID-19 , especially in the area of proper screening of disembarking passenge...

At early morning on Sunday, fire engulfed  five offices of Freedom Radio in Kaduna. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Freedom Radio is a private radio station located in Kaduna. It also reports that the offices affected by the fire incident included the engineering room, office of the Head of Marketing, conference hall, security office and drivers’ room. The station’s Head of Operations, Abubakar Usman, who confirmed the incident to NAN, said that the fire, which started around 2:30 am., was put out around 3:30 am. by the personnel of Kaduna State Fire Service. Usman, who said that there was no loss of life or injury, however, added that the main cause of the fire incident was yet to be ascertained. He put the value of the damage caused by the incident at N20 million. “The fire consumed five offices; we had to go off air immediately but we later resumed around 10:45 am., and God willing, we will continue with our transmission,” he said.

The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, has disclosed his belief about decrease in the high rate of unemployment in the country, saying that Dangote Refinery alone will employ more than 70,000 able Nigerians when it begins operation . He  the varireported that various  policies of the Federal Government will ultimately reduce unemployment in the country. The CBN governor who spoke to the press after the tour of the Refinery over weekend, said the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Plant was expected to increase the number of employees from the present 34,000 to over 70,000 when it becomes operational. Additionally, Aliko Dangote, said he is on a mission to  reduce the unemployment rate in the country drastically. Apart from job creation, the plant will also retain foreign exchange in Nigeria, as the country becomes self-sufficient in petroleum refining.

  It's reported that not less 40 robbers were killed in an operation carried out by local hunters, led by a 70-year-old female spiritualist in Zuguruma, Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State. The operation, which lasted for just 30 minutes, has been defined by villagers and eyewitnesses as, “cabalistic  war,” which ought to have been capitalised on and used ever since. Despite several efforts in the past months, it seemed like the operations by combined efforts of the military, Police and other security agencies against banditry in Niger State have been unsuccessful. A witness told journalists that the state government had to go spiritual with the engagement of spiritualists and local hunters to fight the bandits who had besieged some local government areas in the state.  This breakthrough in the fight against bandits came barely a week after the state government declared a state-wide prayer in mosque and churches against men of the underworld, who have...

From a reliable source,we learn that the N35 billion loan, which was obtained from the Debt Management Office, DMO, was for the award of contracts for the provision of logistics and equipment for Nigerian troops on peace-keeping missions under the Nigerian Contingencies in Peace Keeping Missions, CADEP. However, documents obtained  last night indicated that the bulk of the cash was diverted by the ministers, permanent secretary and a Chief of Staff to the President at the time, using fronts to cover as genuine contractors who did not only disappear with the cash but also provided substandard facilities that the troops have not been able to use till date, in some cases. According to the  documents, it also showed that the contractor, Richfield Technologies, which was used as front to divert the funds, exposed how the top government officials dictated to him how to share the cash, instead of executing the contracts and got full payment, even when the jobs were not sati...

On Friday, The State Security Service (SSS) has told the Federal High Court in Asaba  that it arrested and detained Anthony Okolie, based on a directive from the presidency to investigate him over the use of a SIM card previously used by Hanan, President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter. In July 2019, Mr Okolie was arrested  and was detained for 10 weeks without any trial despite the provision of the Nigerian law that authorizes that a suspect not be detained for more than 48 hours by the police (or government agency) without bail or without charging the individual to court. After his release, Mr Okolie through his lawyer, Tope Akinyode, sued Hanan, the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS) and telecoms provider, MTN, over his ‘illegal detention’. Mr Okolie is seeking an order to “compel the respondents to jointly or severally to pay the applicant the sum of N500 million as general and aggravated damages for the gross and unlawful violation of the applic...

Veteran Yoruba Actor Kayode Odumosu Alias as Pa Kasumu dies at age 67.. Pa Kasumu’s death was announced by Nollywood star Foluke Daramola-Salako on her Instagram page on Sunday, March 1, 2020. According to her, the actor died after a brief illness She wrote, “Our model veteran actor Pa kasunmu Kayode Odumosu finally takes a bow. It is with so much heavy pain in our hearts that we regret to announce ur in Para, that our #paraafricafoundation model actor Pa kasunmu has given up the ghost after a brief illness. The news was broken by a close source that stays around the hospital he gave up the ghost. We will keep u updated with further information on this.”

Before putting on a mask, wash hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and rinse with water.  Cover mouth and nose with mask and make sure there are no gaps between your face and the mask. Avoid touching the mask while using it; if you do, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.  Replace the mask with a new one as soon as it is damp and do not re-use single-use masks.  To remove the mask: remove it from behind (do not touch the front of mask); discard immediately in a closed bin; clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says his side have been lacking the striker’s instinct that Odion Ighalo has provided since moving to Old Trafford. The Nigerian opened his account for the club in a 5-0 win against Club Brugge in the Europa League on Thursday and United will be in the hat for Friday’s draw for the next round. Ighalo had made two brief substitute appearances before the game following his shock loan move from China but he started against Brugge and found himself on the goalsheet when he converted Juan Mata’s cutback midway through the first half. The former Watford man slotted home from within the six-yard box and Solskjaer has regularly bemoaned the lack of ‘scrappy’ goals that his side fail to score. And, in a thinly-veiled dig at first choice centre forward Anthony Martial, Solskjaer praised Ighalo after the game for providing what United have lacked all season. ‘When you have a striker in [Ighalo]…he does what it says on the tin,’ said Solskja...

Two members from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  in Gombe State have been detained in prison following their prosecution in court for allegedly insulting Governor Inuwa Yahaya. Gombe is the latest state to join in the harassment of social media and opposition voices over criticism of their governors. Atiku Boza-Boza and Adamu Babale are being detained on the orders of an area court following their arraignment on allegations of “conspiracy and intentional insult”, according to court papers. The police at Pantami Division of the community arrested and detained Mr Boza-Boza on Wednesday over undisclosed complaints. Mr Boza-Boza was a personal assistant to erstwhile Gombe State governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo. An associate of Mr Boza-Boza, Adamu Babale, who went to the police station to secure the bail of his fellow party man was also detained. The two were then taken before the Area Court in Pantami in handcuffs on Thursday on charges of conspiring to abuse Mr Yanaya. T...

Ogun State base Cement manufacturing company Lafarge Cement Plc, has explained why the company invited an Italian, who was later diagnosed with coronavirus, to Nigeria. The company Industrial Director, Segun Soyoye, said the Italian came to Lafarge facilities at Ewekoro to inspect some installations of machines bought from a Swedish company. He reported this at their facility during an on-the-spot-assessment by the host state government, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and the World Health Organisation (WHO) teams. Mr Soyoye also mentioned that the guest house where the Italian was lodged is 5km to the manufacturing plant in Ewekoro. “The Italian came for a business visit. He was in Lagos on Monday and slept at Airport Hotel, Ikeja. Our driver took him there, and when we observed abnormal temperatures and symptoms, we quickly instituted an Emergency Response Team which is led by the Company CEO; we have to find a way of analysing and identifying not only the...

Yesterday February 29, Pakistan government confirms two fresh cases bringing the total number of positive cases to four since Wednesday when the first two cases were reported in the country. “We have received reports of two more positive cases of coronavirus, one has been reported in Sindh province and the other in federal areas,’’ Zafar Mirza, Pakistan’s Health Minister, told a news conference.

Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has instructed the state Ministry of Health to establish coronavirus emergency centers in six local government areas of Niger state. Bello stated this during reintroduction of the monthly sanitation exercise in Minna, Niger state. According to him, the state needs to be prepared and watchful for any eventuality especially as a case had already been reported in Lagos state. The local government areas where the coronavirus emergency centers would be established include Minna, Bida, Kontagora, Suleja and New Bussa. The Governor, however, said that the Ministry of Health had assured him of its capacity to contain and handle any outbreak should it happen in the state but stated the need for the state to be ready. The governor then urged the people to keep their environment clean to avoid the outbreak of diseases such as cholera. The Commissioner further stated that the surveillance level across the state has been raised a not...

The number of persons quarantined in Ogun state in connection with primary or secondary contacts with the Italian Coronavirus patient have reached all time high of 39 on Saturday. The initial number was put at 28 by Governor Dapo Abiodun as at Friday but numbered soared with a harvest of additional 11 persons, who where identified, searched, located and Quarantined, including the driver who picked the infected Italian from hotel in Ikeja and those that served him food and drinks. The guest House where he passed nights as well as the vehicles and ambulance used to convey him and others who were with him while his time in Ewekoro lasted, were also sealed fenced off with red tapes. Saturday, during an on assessment by Ogun state government team, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and World Health Organisation (WHO), Lafarge Industrial Director, Segun Soyoye, said the Italian came to Lafarge in Ewekoro to inspect some installed machines which bought from a Swedish firm a...

On a night Liverpool were hoping to set a new record of the most consecutive wins in the Premier League, the Reds ended up losing their much-guarded unbeaten record as they were thrashed 3-0 by Watford at Vicarage Road. Though still very much in control of the title race, goals from Ismaela Sarr (two) and Troy Deeney effectively ended Liverpool’s hopes of matching Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ season in the which the Gunners went all the way with no defeat. Before Saturday’s late kickoff, no one gave Watford a chance as they have proven not to be a match for the Reds in recent meetings. Watford were winless in their last eight Premier League meetings with Liverpool (D1 L7), losing each of the last four by an aggregate score of 0-15. But despite all the odds against them, Watford proved bookmakers with an amazing display that has further boosted their own quest to escape relegation.

The United States today recorded her first Coronavirus Outbreak    President Donald Trump’s administration has placed a travel ban on Italy, Iran, and South Korea in response to the death from the virus in Washington State. Speaking Saturday, US Vice President Mike Pence said the existing travel ban on Iran would extend to foreign nationals who had been in that country in the past 14 days. “We are also increasing warning to Americans not to travel to parts of Italy and South Korea affected by the virus,” he said. Right before White House’ news conference, health officials in Washington State confirmed that a person diagnosed with coronavirus in the state’s King County had died. President Trump described her as a “wonderful woman” and a “medically high risk patient” in her late 50s, at a news conference at the White House. More coronavirus infections were additionally reported from South Korea to France to Qatar on Saturday after health officials in Washington ...

The Lagos State Government on Saturday said it had moved the coronavirus patient to a better facility where he would be comfortable. The PUNCH had exclusively reported how the patient was very upset about where he was isolated and had threatened to flee. The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who made the latest disclosure, said the Italian was currently receiving treatment at the Infectious Disease facility at the Mainland Hospital in Yaba area of the state. He said, “We were renovating part of the facilities, so we kept him in a single isolation room for his privacy but we’ve subsequently moved him to one of our completed wards which were recently renovated with the full complement of facilities. “He is there now and he is comfortable. “As of this morning, his condition has improved, he hasn’t developed any new symptoms but he still got a mild fever and we would be running tests to see what the situation is with the virus in his body.”

          Qatar has reported its first case of the new coronavirus as infections continue to rise outside of China, where the rapidly spreading virus was first detected late last year.         The Gulf state's health ministry said on Saturday the patient is a 36-year-old Qatari man who returned recently from Iran, the region's worst-hit country. He is in a stable condition, the ministry added.      The state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported that the patient travelled to Qatar's capital, Doha, on a government-chartered plane and has been in quarantine with other evacuees.      "All those who were brought back on Thursday by the Qatari government will be quarantined in a local hotel for 14 daA hotel has been set up as a quarantine facility to be used by the Qatari citizens for a 14-day period and will be cared for and monitored by medical. Additionally, they have also been provided with all necessit...

Luxembourg with population of 614,000 only , being one of Europe's smallest countries and the belief is remarkable. But the "free mobility" drive has captured the imagination. Buses, trams and trains are now free to ride on and you don't need a permit. "The government wants Luxembourg to become a laboratory for mobility," says Mobility Minister François Bausch, who points to the grand duchy's fast-rising population, with a rise of 40% in 20 years. Some 200,000 workers - almost 50 % of Luxembourg's workforce - commute from Belgium, France and Germany, attracted by high salaries and a wealthy economy. The big day is being heralded on Saturday with concerts at four train stations and numerous other events. Markus Hesse, professor of urban studies at the University of Luxembourg, says the "bling bling" they have organised is the wrong solution to a complex problem. One question is whether free public transport will really be free...