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Tag: Coronavirus

  • Anglican Primate highlights key lessons learnt from COVID-19

    Anglican Primate highlights key lessons learnt from COVID-19

    The Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba has highlighted the lessons learnt from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

    Primate Ndukuba, who gave the highlights during a media chat with newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, pointed out that the COVID-19 experience has depicted that this world belongs to God and not to man.

    He said the pandemic has shown the importance of the family unit and revealed that when human beings stand together, they can resist any onslaught.

    According to Most Rev’d Ndukuba, no one saw the COVID-19 pandemic coming, especially not to this magnitude, and therefore, the government, church and society were not prepared for it.

    He observed that the whole world has suffered, including the well-endowed nations; which has shown that the excellency of power belongs to God.

    He, therefore, stated that it is time to give God His place in His world because human beings are helpless and in need of God’s help.

    The Primate added that the pandemic has shown that human beings need to support one another, as individuals, families, and even as a government.

    He remarked that the government has seen that they cannot do everything on their own and that they need individuals, as well as organizations to support and implement their plans.

    The head of the Anglican Church in Nigeria noted that the pandemic, which brought about certain restrictions in movement helped families to reconnect with one another and drew attention to the fact that certain things that hitherto had been prioritized are not of more value than the family unit.

    He explained that it also highlighted the importance of the rule of law and obedience to the authorities.

    He, therefore, commended the federal government for rising to the occasion and giving directives to battle the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

    Ndukuba stressed that these are lessons that should be learnt from the COVID-19 experience and lessons that should not be lost when things get back to normal.

    He advised the Federal Government to focus on improving the things that affect the wellbeing of the people such as food, water, security, health, education and employment; and urged Nigerian leaders to formulate policies that are favourable to the people.

  • PTF shares high points of battle against COVID-19 in Nigeria

    PTF shares high points of battle against COVID-19 in Nigeria

    The Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus disease (PTFCOVID19) at the national briefing of Thursday shared high points of the battle against the dreaded disease in the country in the last three months.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Chairman of the PTFCOVID19, Boss Mustapha, who is also Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) gave the highlights in his remarks.

    According to Mustapha, the PTF has planned a full mid-term report with larger stakeholders groups for 2nd and 3rd of July. However, he did give titbits of the high points.

    Read remarks by the SGF at the national briefing of Thursday below:

    I welcome you all to the National Briefing for Thursday, 18th June, 2020.

    2. Yesterday, Wednesday 17th June, 2020 made it exactly three months since the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 was inaugurated and assigned the task of putting in place sustainable measures for the control of the spread of the virus and strengthening our health care systems to withstand the deadly virus and prepare for the future. The PTF was given a time line of six months for its assignment

    3. You will recall that the ToR given to the PTF include the following:

    i. Strengthen the national response strategy, particularly in the areas of testing, containment and management of COVID-19;

    ii. Strengthen collaboration with all tiers of Government, Private Sector, Faith-Based Organizations, Civil Societies, Donors and Partners;

    iii. Build awareness among the populace;

    iv. Direct the deployment of any relevant national assets when necessary;

    v. Lay a foundation for scientific and medical research to address all emerging infectious diseases; and

    vi. Advise Government on the declaration of national emergency as part of the containment measures when necessary.

    4. It is therefore, very apposite that the PTF on COVID-19 undertake a Mid-Term Review to ascertain the extent to which it has been able to achieve set objectives. There has, no doubt, been some modest achievements, challenges and lessons learned over the past three months. The COVID-19 is certainly the greatest invisible public health emergency that has threatened humanity in modern history.

    5. As at the last recorded numbers on Wednesday 17th June, 2020, global figures of confirmed cases were 8,408, 203 resulting in 451,463 deaths in 213 countries. Unfortunately, as at the same period, Nigeria accounts for 17,735 and 469 fatalities. Ladies and gentlemen, these are not just numbers. They are our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends and colleagues. These fatalities are forceful reminders of the task before us all.

    6. Although the PTF has planned a full mid-term report with larger stakeholders Groups on 2nd and 3rd July, 2020, we nevertheless find it necessary to share with you some of the high points of the last three months.

    7. The Presidential Task Force has the following functional working areas through which it implements its objectives. These are:

    (i) PTF National Pandemic Response Center (NPRC) Coordination

    (ii) Epidemiology & Surveillance

    (iii) Risk Communication & Community Engagement

    (iv) Laboratory

    (v) Security, Logistics & Mass Care

    (vi) Points of Entry

    (vii) Resource Mobilization

    (viii) Infection, Prevention & Control

    (ix) Research

    (x) Case Management

    (xi) Finance Monitoring & Compliance

    8. Since inception, several measures have been instituted by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to curtail the spread of the disease and protect the health of Nigerians. These include:

    (i) Initial lockdown of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT;

    (ii) Ban on flights to prevent importation

    (iii) Ban on inter-state travels and domestic flights;

    (iv) Closure of schools and religious centres;

    (v) Imposition of nationwide curfew

    (vi) Easing of the lockdown in phases to allow for gradual reopening of the economy;

    (vii) Prescription of measures to be observed, to prevent spread such as:

    – Mandatory use of non-medical face mask/covering in public spaces

    – Mandatory provision of handwashing facilities/sanitisers

    – Extensive temperature checks in all public spaces

    – Physical distancing of 2 metres between people in workplaces and other public spaces;

    – Prohibition of gathering of more than twenty (20) persons outside of a workplace

    9. In addition to non-pharmaceutical measures, the following capacity has been developed:

    (i) Expansion of the testing laboratories from two (2) to 38 as at today;

    (ii) Trained over 13,000 health workers in Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC);

    (iii) Developed policy and protocols for testing returning Nigerians;

    (iv) Developed policies and protocols for integration of primary healthcare into national response;

    (v) Developed stronger and sustainable policy for community engagement and risk Communication

    (viii) Collaborated with development partners to boost our resources and enrich our capacity for technical response;

    (ix) Raised the isolation centre bed space from three-thousand to over five thousand nation wide

    10. Let me acknowledge at this point the leadership and guidance by His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, who has consistently supported and encouraged the PTF. The support received has been a huge boost to the determination of members for success. I similarly acknowledge the collaboration with other Committees set up to address the impact of the COVID-19 and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum

    11. The PTF consistently pursued a National Response that was under-pinned by science, data and global experiences that placed a high premium on our local peculiarities. The importance of this approach is further underscored by Mr. President’s call during yesterday’s Extra-ordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against the COVID-19 (Video Conferencing), when he called for knowledge sharing as a fundamental aspect of dealing with this pandemic, globally.

    12. Like the rest of the world, our National Response continues to face challenges, especially as there is no known cure for the virus, presently. These include inadequate infrastructure, manpower shortage, global shortage of essential items (test kits, PPE), strain on the economy which has compelled the need to balance between lives and livelihoods.

    13. By far the greatest challenges are human resistance to change, stigmatization, mental health, skepticism, culture, religious belief, rising incidents of domestic violence and a host of others. Ladies and gentlemen, the COVID-19 has changed our ways of life and we may never go back to what we used to know.

    14. As we push the frontiers of research at domestic and international levels, the debate on which drugs will be clinically suitable also continues. With our reliance on data and science, we eagerly look towards crossing the threshold of experiments into a world of cure. We continue to encourage our researchers and scientists to rise up to the occasion by submitting to the validation processes. The PTF’s position is that every treatment regime must be supported by incontrovertible scientific evidence.

    15. The PTF wishes to express its appreciation to our diverse stakeholder for their support and commitment to the course of humanity. These include the health workers (our last line of defence), security agencies, State Governments, the private sector, traditional and religious leaders, international community, professional bodies and public-spirited Nigerians. Your contributions have been highly instrumental to our present level of progress.

    16. Ladies and gentlemen, the journey ahead of us all is even more important than the last three months. As you are aware, the main focus is on community engagement and risk communication while not neglecting the need to obey all the guidelines and non-pharmaceutical measures. We therefore crave your buy-in so that we can collectively become champions in the efforts to wipe out the virus.

    17. Always remember, that the virus is real, potent and dangerous. Our relaxed lock down should never be interpreted to mean otherwise. This point is further underscored by reported resurgence of a second wave in countries like China and the USA and this should put all of us on alert, knowing that this virus can only be eliminated if we agree to play our part.

    18. This call becomes more pertinent as we go fully into the rainy season that ordinarily brings with it cold, catarrh and other COVID-19 mimicking illnesses. Our call to take personal responsibility cannot be more strident than now.

    19. As we go forward, therefore, let us look forward to another three months of overwhelming successes, let us create awareness and sensitization, stop stigmatization of survivors and let’s encourage fellow citizens that have contracted the virus to enable them overcome the illness. Our choice of words matter. Our attitude and reactions to them help to boost the stability of their mental health. All combined will help our efforts to test, detect, trace, isolate and treat.

    20. I thank you for listening.

  • FG identifies group of citizens for special COVID-19 care

    FG identifies group of citizens for special COVID-19 care

    The federal government in tackling the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the country has identified a group of Nigerians for special protection against the disease.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire made this known at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTFCOVID19) press briefing on Thursday.

    According to the Minister of Health, this is because majority of COVID-19 fatalities are over 50 years of age or have preexisting ailments. He identified the group of Nigerians as those with cancer, hypertension, kidney disease, and people living with HIV.

    “We have said that the increasing number of cases should be a warning that fatalities will increase too; but there are measures we can take, to limit case fatality rate.

    “Since majority of fatalities are over 50 years of age, or have preexisting ailments like diabetes, cancer, hypertension, kidney disease, HIV, etc, this group of citizens has to be specially protected,” he said.

    In his remarks, Ehanire addressed how to carry out the special protection. Read remarks below:

    The Nigeria Center for Disease Control yesterday announced 587 new confirmed covid-19 cases, increasing the total tally to 17,735. We have treated and discharged 5,967 persons and 469 persons have sadly been lost to the disease.

    2. We have said that the increasing number of cases should be a warning that fatalities will increase too; but there are measures we can take, to limit case fatality rate

    a. Since majority of fatalities are over 50 years of age, or have preexisting ailments like diabetes, cancer, hypertension, kidney disease, HIV, etc, this group of citizens has to be specially protected.

    b. This protection begins with limiting their exposure to risks of covid19 infection by urging stay at home, except there is urgent and dire need to go out.

    c. To wear a face mask or a covering at any time, once outside the house, or when inside the house with persons who may have been exposed.

    d. To observe all other non pharmaceutical advisory, like frequent hand washing, social distancing, respiratory hygiene, sanitizer use, etc.

    e. I must emphasize that going to places where there can be a crowd, like market or also places of worship carries risk of increased exposure. l also stress that being in a closed room increases the risk of exposure to infection in proportion to the number of people and the length of time spent with them, because the likelihood of presence of a positive person increases with the number and infection with time of exposure.

    f. All persons in the vulnerable group who test positive should go to a treatment center immediately, in their own best interest. A vuln5person is not among those who should risk staying at home, because complications can arise easily and suddenly or at an odd hour of the day or night when there will be no immediate help available.

    g. Any person who tested positive and opted to stay home or elsewhere should move to a treatment center at the first sign of fever or shortness or breath. A delay can be fatal because the disease progression can be unpredictable and faster than imagined.

    h. Witherspoon these important measures, we could mitigate the fatality rate. The novel coronavirus is still among us and is infecting people daily, including prominent members of the society. Friends and family have an increasingly important role to play in helping to guide compliance with this advisory. Till it goes away, whenever that is, we must take extreme precaution when going to public places.

    3. I also had the honour yesterday, of joining Mr. President at the China-Africa Extraordinary Summit on Solidarity Against the COVID-19 pandemic, where the desirability of sharing knowledge from research and experience was emphasized, as PTF Chair has reported. This is of value to us because China has considerable experience with covid19.

    4.​Earlier yesterday, I signed a bilateral agreement with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on cooperation in the area of public health and medical sciences. The agreement is to start cooperation between both countries in these areas:

    (a) Exchanging experience in public health and health sciences

    (b) Facilitation of visits by scientists and Exchanging information in research.

    5.​On Monday, 15th June, 2020, I inaugurated the governing council of the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, where the Council was charged to refocus aspects of the profession to meet up with the realities of today as the Covid-19 Pandemic has brought medicine security to the fore front.

    6. ​We have updated the case management guidelines with reviewed changes like discharge criteria and medication used for the treatment of cases. Our treatment centers will be getting an advisory to test applicability of a drug recently repurposed and found effective for treatment of COVID-19

    7.​The engagement of States and support for them in

    management of covid19 will continue to increase with increased capacity building. The Ministry of Health will also be prioritizing the procurement of oxygen generators alongside ventilators as our experience so far shows that oxygen supplementation is in high demand in treatment.

    8.​Thank you for your attention.

  • FG designates strategic minerals to unlock economy

    FG designates strategic minerals to unlock economy

    Mr Olamilekan Adegbite, Minister of Mines and Steel Development says the Federal Government has designated seven of the country’s strategic minerals to unlock the enormous potential in the mining sector.

    The Minister, who stated this on Thursday in Abuja at a webinar organised by Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), named the minerals to include: coal, iron ore, bitumen, gold, limestone, lead-zinc and barite.

    He noted the country was endowed with over 44 different mineral resources occurring in over 500 locations across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    “Seven of these minerals have been designated strategic to unlock the enormous potential in the sector, they are coal, iron ore, bitumen, gold, limestone, lead-zinc and barite.

    “Alongside the seven strategic minerals, the ministry is also looking into key minerals to fuel the future.

    “These include metals such as titanium, tungsten, lithium and cobalt, which have various applications in futuristic industries such as aerospace, telecoms and electric vehicle manufacturing,” the minister said.

    He commended NESG for the effort it had put in place to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the country’s economy.

    He said the webinar which was to discuss the opportunities and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Nigerian mining industry was timely.

    He noted that the double-ended shock of the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent sharp decline in oil prices had led to a revenue shortfall for the country.

    Adegbite added that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had been making efforts to diversify the economy from oil through the development of the mining and agricultural sectors.

    He said these efforts were being fast-tracked, adding that mining offer robust economic potential to diversify the economy, create jobs and increase government revenue.

    According to him, the Nigerian Mining Industry Roadmap formulated in 2016, highlights clear policy direction on how to develop the sector which is being improved upon to unlock the potential in the sector.

    He added that structural reforms embarked upon in the industry were geared towards supporting the emergence of a vibrant private sector and to stimulate resource-based industrialisation.

    “It is predicated on the principle that government serves as a regulator, providing an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

    “We are trying to stimulate mineral processing across the country using a cluster or hub approach.

    “Each cluster will be provided with road and power infrastructure to encourage investors in processing and refining equipment to support a network of miners and processors.

    “In the longer term, the upgrade, completion, and operation of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant operations would enhance jobs and revenue generation.

    “The project is based on a bilateral agreement between Nigeria and Russia, with funding from the Afreximbank and the Russian Export Centre,” he said.

    He added that other ongoing initiatives to stimulate the growth of the industry include: working with several stakeholders to design mining-specific and credit enhancement instruments among others.

    Adegbite expressed confidence that the country’s mining industry was on track to reach its goal of 5 per cent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contribution in the next five years.

    He said this would be made easier with support from the federal government and its ethos on diversification, job creation and sustainable revenue generation.

  • Coronavirus hits hard as FG, States, LGs share N547.3bn, lowest in 2020

    Coronavirus hits hard as FG, States, LGs share N547.3bn, lowest in 2020

    The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) on Wednesday shared N547.309 billion to the three tiers of government for the month of May.

    It was the lowest amount shared this year, reflecting the downside effect of COVID-19 pandemic.

    In January the three tiers shared N716billion.

    It was N647billion in February, N780 billion in March and N606billion in April.

    Out of the N547.3 billion available for May, the Federal Government received N219.799 billon, States N152.436 billion and Local Government Councils N114.095 billion.

    Oil producing states received N37.021 billion 13 per cent derivation fund

    The revenue came from Value Added Tax (VAT), Exchange Gain and Excess Bank Charges recovered.

    Mr Hassan Dodo, the Director of Information in the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.

    This followed a virtual meeting chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Mahmoud Isa-Dutse.

    The cost of collection of Federal Inland Revenue Fund (FIRS) Refund Allocation to North East Development Commission (NEDC) was N23.958 billion.

    “The Gross Revenue available from the VAT for May was N103.873 billion against N94.498 billion distributed in the preceding month of April resulting in an increase of N9.377 billion.

    “The distribution is as follows: Federal Government got N14.490 billion, the States received N48.301 billion, Local Government Councils had N33.811 billon, while derivation got N0.000 and Cost of Collection and FIRS Refund/Allocation to NEDC got N7.271 billion.

    “The distributed Statutory Revenue of N413.953 billion received for the month was higher than the N370.411 billion received for the previous month by N43.542 billion, which the Federal Government got N191.580 billon, States received N97.172 billion and Local Governments got N74.915 billion.

    “Derivation got N33.599 billion and Cost of Collection was N16.687 billion.”

    The communique also revealed that Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Import Duty and VAT recorded increases, while Companies Income Tax (CIT), Oil Royalty and Excise Duty recorded decreases.

  • Panel reports on mysterious deaths in Kano State

    Panel reports on mysterious deaths in Kano State

    The Kano State Investigative Panel on Mysterious Deaths has said that only 15.9 per cent of the recently recorded mysterious deaths in the state was COVID-19-related.

    The Lead Researcher, Dr Mukhtar Gandanya, who submitted a verbal autopsy report to Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje on Tuesday in Kano,

    said that only 255 people died from novel coronavirus-related cases.

    According to Gandanya, findings show that 70 per cent of the deaths were due to hypertension, diabetes and other illnesses.

    He said that 60 per cent of those who died were males while 40 per cent were females, and 76 per cent above 50 years.

    According to the researcher, who is also the Head of Department of Community Medicine at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, 1, 774 people died between April 1 and May 2, in the eight metropolitan local government areas of the state.

    “Kano Municipal has the highest number of the mysterious deaths while Tarauni Local Government recorded the highest number of COVID-19 related cases.

    He commended the state government for efforts in containing COVID-19 and training healthcare workers.

    He urged the government to strengthen death registration at the community level.

    Receiving the report, Ganduje said that it had put to rest hypothesis on the mysterious deaths.

    The governor said that the report of the Federal Government attributing about about half of the deaths to COVID-19 lacked variables and correlations.

    “I am going to personally take the Kano Verbal Autopsy Report to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehinare,” he said.

  • WHO okays dexamethasone for treatment of COVID-19

    WHO okays dexamethasone for treatment of COVID-19

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed the initial clinical trial results from the United Kingdom (UK) that show dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, can be lifesaving for patients who are critically ill with Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Fadela Chaib, Communications Officer and Spokesperson of the WHO made this known in a statement on Tuesday, stressing that dexamethasone benefit was only seen in patients seriously ill with COVID-19, and was not observed in patients with milder disease.

    According to preliminary findings shared with WHO, for patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth.

    “This is the first treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support. This is great news and I congratulate the Government of the UK, the University of Oxford, and the many hospitals and patients in the UK who have contributed to this lifesaving scientific breakthrough,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said.

    TNG reports dexamethasone is a steroid that has been used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in a range of conditions, including inflammatory disorders and certain cancers.

    It has been listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines since 1977 in multiple formulations, and is currently off-patent and affordably available in most countries.

  • Abia Govt. declares commercial town ‘red zone’ of Coronavirus

    Abia Govt. declares commercial town ‘red zone’ of Coronavirus

    Abia Government has declared Aba, the state’s commercial hub, a red zone and epicentre of Coronavirus following the number of positive samples emanating from the city.

    Chief Okeiyi Kalu, Abia Information Commissioner, disclosed this on Monday while answering questions during a phone-in programme on COVID-19 update in the state.

    Abia which recorded 15 new cases on Sunday moved to the 16th position, with 166 confirmed infections, on the log of states with highest Coronavirus cases in Nigeria.

    Out of this number only three persons were reportedly nursed back to health and released from isolation centre which Kalu said compounded Abia’s case with very few spaces left for confirmed cases.

    Kalu decried Aba residents’ non-challant attitude to the pandemic adding that they vehemently refused obeying governments’ directives on COVID-19 including wearing of face masks and observing of social/physical distancing.

    He said such attitude threw the city into a grave danger.

    He also blamed churches and mosques for refusing to adhere to simple directives or telling adherents what was right to do.

    The commissioner noted that report coming from Aba Central Mosque, on Hospital road, was very dangerous and worrisome for everyone in the COVID-19 era.

    He said that Abia Inter-Ministerial Committee on COVID-19 had directed the Aba South Local Government Transition Committee Chairman to directly enforce regulations at the mosque on Friday and during other prayer sessions.

    Kalu further said that many health workers in Aba might have been infected with Coronavirus as a result of attending to infected people unknowingly without full protection.

    “At the moment, Abia is having more samples than any other state in the South East which is good, because unless we identify where this problem is coming from, we may not be able to deal with it.

    “We’ve done our mapping by local government and one thing is clear, majority of the new cases are coming from the Aba area and it’s alarming.

    “It looks like all the sensitisation, all the efforts made by the media, have not worked because Aba people continued to violate the regulations with regard to face masks wearing, and social distancing.

    “The churches are part of the problem. It looks like Aba is a red location for COVID-19 infection and all hands should be on deck now to stop the spread there,” he said.

    Kalu expressed regrets that people were busy endangering their lives and others instead of working together to stop the spread of the virus.

    He said that the facts emanating from the level of infection of health workers in the city were disturbing hence the government’s unwillingness to unveil all the facts.

    “The rate of infection of medical workers in Aba is very high, which means that a lot of COVID-19 patients are presenting themselves to hospitals and our medics are attending to them without full protection,” he said.

  • ‘Covid-19 saga: Former Oyo Gov. Ajimobi in ICU, placed on ventilator’

    ‘Covid-19 saga: Former Oyo Gov. Ajimobi in ICU, placed on ventilator’

    Former Governor of Oyo State governor, Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi, is said to be in a coma.

    Although there have been several denials by Ajimobi’s media aide, the former Oyo governor was, however, reportedly moved to a First Cardiologist, a Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Lagos after he was diagnosed of the dreaded coronavirus pandemic about 17 days ago, sources said, slipped into unconsciousness on June 8 while doctors have since been battling to revive him.

    First Cardiologist was the hospital where the former chief of staff to President Buhari, Mallam Abba Kyari, and the late Lagos senator, Bayo Osinowo, were treated of coronavirus before they died.

    In a recent report published by Global Excellence, where the medium claimed it spoke with inside sources, the former governor’s health was said to have deteriorated after he suffered a cardiac arrest the first time and was placed on a ventilator at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). immediately, doctors attending to him were said to have recommended a particular drug for his treatment.

    “But the drug could not be found in Nigeria, according to sources; hence, a private jet was reportedly deployed to purchase the drug in London.

    “Still, sources added, Senator Ajimobi’s condition would not improve and he had to be put on the second ventilator with the hope that he recovers. “Although, he is alive, he has been in a coma since he was placed in the second ICU.He suddenly took ill in Abuja late May 2020 allegedly after attending one of the political meetings with his party chieftains.” The report reads.

  • NARD exempts doctors treating COVID-19 from 2-week strike

    The National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD) has exempted doctors treating COVID-19 patients at designated treatment and isolation centres from its two weeks industrial action commencing on Monday midnight.

    NARD President, Dr Aliyu Sokomba, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja, during a press briefing on decisions taken at the virtual extra ordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the NARD on Sunday.

    He said that the virtual meeting was held to review the 14 days ultimatum issued to government which elapsed two days ago.

    Sokomba said that the exemption was in recognition of the intervention of Hon. Tanko Sanunu, Chairman House Committee on Health Services, other stakeholders and a demonstration of NARD goodwill to the country.

    The president appealed to Nigerians to bear and understand with the association.

    Sokomba said that the demands include the provision of the inadequate appropriate personal protective equipment for all healthcare workers.

    According to him, other demands include “universal implementation of medical residency training act in all federal and state hospitals and ensuring pay parity among doctors of equal cadre, provision of funding of medical residency training in the 2021 appropriation bill.

    “Immediate implementation of the revised hazard allowance and payment of the COVID-19 inducement allowance agreed with the government and healthcare workers three months ago.

    “Stoppage and immediate refund of all illegal, unjust and callous cut in salaries of our members by Kaduna State and other state governments,” Sokomba said.

    He disclosed that the meeting was attended by over 500 members of the association.