TheNewsGuru

Tag: Lockdown

  • Despite rising Covid-19 cases, Gov. Ganduje relaxes lockdown imposed by President Buhari

    Despite rising Covid-19 cases, Gov. Ganduje relaxes lockdown imposed by President Buhari

    Despite the rising numbers of Covid-19 cases in Kano State, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has announced that the lockdown imposed by the federal government on Kano will be eased to allow for free movement of people within certain periods.

    Ganduje said the decision to ease the lockdown was taken with the consent of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The President had, on April 27, imposed a two-week complete lockdown on Kano after COVID-19 cases in the states started to rise.

    According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Kano has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country with 311, only behind Lagos.

    “We sought for the consent of Mr President on how to relax the lockdown, to allow for some free movements of people, but within stipulated hours of the agreed days,” Ganduje said on Saturday.

    The lockdown will allow for the movement of people on Mondays and Thursdays between the hours of 10 am to 4 pm.

    The public is still expected to observe COVID-19 protocols such as social distancing.

    Markets also must remain closed, with the exception of Yankaba market, where perishable items are sold and Yan Lemo market, where fruits are sold.

    ” . . . people must observe all protocols as given by our health professionals,” Ganduje said. “We should all know that there is no shortcut in the fight against COVID-19 all over the world. So we must always abide by all the protocols.”

    At the press briefing, Ganduje announced that Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote is donating a mobile testing centre to the state.

    The centre has the capacity to test 400 people daily and is expected to arrive in Kano by Monday.

    The Governor said the state was targeting more testing centres.

    Rising cases in the state “is a thing of great concern,” Ganduje said. “Though we are aware that with the bouncing back of the Aminu Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Testing Centre with the capacity of 88 samples per day, and the coming up of another Testing Centre at Bayero University, Kano, with the capacity of 20 samples per day, would mean another rise in the identified positive cases.”

    He also addressed the increase in the price of essential commodities like sugar and salt.

    “I had a meeting with Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Alhaji Abdussamad Isyaka Rabi’u,”‘ he said. “they all assured that they didn’t increase a kobo in the prices of their products. This means that any hike in the prices of sugar, salt and other commodities will not be tolerated by the state.

    “It is as a result of this that I directed the State Anti-Corruption Commission to be very vigilant and monitor sells at points of sales of such commodities.

    “Whoever is found increasing any price will have his or her products confiscated and whatever is confiscated will be put into our palliative programme to be distributed to the public free.”

  • Sometimes I feel alone- Ice Prince laments

    Sometimes I feel alone- Ice Prince laments

    Popular singer and rapper, Panshak Zamani a.k.a Ice Prince has confessed that he sometimes feel alone.

    The ‘Super Star’ crooner made this known in a chat with Pulseng.

     

    Asked what has kept him grounded over the years, he said: “I can’t change… I don’t know if I haven’t changed, but I think God keeps me grounded. Sometimes, I feel alone because I don’t have a brother. I only have two sisters. My parents are both gone. The people I call brothers are people like Sneaker Boy, DJ Dino and so forth. It makes me lonely, but it reminds me that all I have is God and that keeps me grounded.”.

    Sharing what he has been up to during the lockdown, Ice Prince said: “During this lockdown, I’ve remained indoors. I’ve always been a studio rat, an indoor person. I’ve been watching a lot of stand-up comedy, TV shows like Flatmates and more”.

    The former Chocolate City Vice President noted that he isn’t happy when he does things for people and they thank him.

    “When I do things for people, I hate it when they say thank you. I’m not doing it for them, they deserve it. I can’t help everybody, but the ones I can help, I’ll do my bit. That’s why I can’t talk about that charity. I hate blowing that trumpet. It’s just my philosophy, you should give without expecting anything in return.”

  • Lockdown: Entertainers find solace in usage of social media

    Lockdown: Entertainers find solace in usage of social media

    Your favourite celebrities will probably not be on the list of the wealthiest Nigerians, however they have been using their star power and influence to build their brand amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and also sensitizing their fans.
    Since the coronavirus lockdown took effect in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja, celebrities have had to turn to social media more than ever to remain relevant, connected to their fans and engaged.
    Amazingly, the lockdown gave Nigerian celebs an occasion to maximize the use of social media . An explosion in the use of the Live feature on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and YouTube made it possible for celebrities like Ubi Franklin, Gbenga Adeyinka, Koffi, Bouqui, Iyabo Ojo Arole and others to host their live shows.

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_sRYwNFZIk/

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_qJ96PpswS/

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_sGCzTHwTU/

    In the same vein, the likes of Don Jazzy, Simi, Beverly Naya, Biodun Okeowo, Toke Makinwa and others took to TikTok, a Chinese video sharing platform owned by ByteDance, which has been in existence since 2016, to entertain their fans. The app surprisingly recorded wide spread use amongst Nigerians since the lockdown began.
    According to reports, TikTok this year has surpassed Facebook and WhatsApp as the world’s most downloaded non-gaming app.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_SgR1WBV1S/

     

    On how the lockdown has affected her, Tiwa Savage revealed during her Instagram Live session: “This is a really weird time for everyone. Whether you are rich or famous; it affects everyone. It can be a little scary actually because one doesn’t know what would happen next. One doesn’t know what tomorrow brings. The coronavirus pandemic has humbled me because I had my album ready to be released. I had a lot of shows, festivals and tours lined up. All of that had to be cancelled and some postponed. We don’t know’’, when this will stop. This is despite all the plans one has already made. It definitely humbled all of us.”
    Will the usage of social media decline amongst celebrities after the COVID-19 lockdown? Only time will tell
  • Lockdown: I am craving for money, not sex- Whykay

    Lockdown: I am craving for money, not sex- Whykay

    Budding rapper and Instagram actress, Ogunjimi Adeyinka a.k.a Whykay has said though it’s not been easy as a single lady coping during the lockdown, she isn’t craving for sex.

    Busty Whykay who is popular for her seductive roles in Nedu’s comedy skits said: “It has been over five weeks since the lockdown, I don’t even know how I have been coping. I just have to do what I got to do. First, there’s no electricity and it isn’t making things easy. So, what I do is eat and sleep, then make videos when there’s light and study online if my laptop has battery. Sometimes I play games. Well, maybe I miss going on set.

     

    “As for my boyfriend, we talk on phone, do video calls, and so we are good. For the past five weeks, I have not been intimate with anyone. In fact, for months now. I’m not a saint but I am not craving for sex. I’m craving for money instead. There are better things to do than craving for sex. Get productive, not reproduction,” Whykay told The Sun.

     

    In an interview, Whykay revealed that she always catch guys staring at her boobs.

     

    “As a grown woman, it has become a normal experience. Not necessarily verbally but I always catch guys staring at my boobs and most times I can’t do anything. Anyway, I am used to it”.

     

     

     

  • Easing of Lockdown: FCTA urges workers residing outside Abuja to remain at home

    Easing of Lockdown: FCTA urges workers residing outside Abuja to remain at home

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has directed federal workers residing outside Abuja to remain in their respective states of residence pending the lifting of ban on interstate travel.

    The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, said this a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Anthony Ogunleye, on Saturday in Abuja.

    Bello said that the FCTA would enforce rigorously the guidelines regulating the easing of the lockdown in the FCT as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the territory.

    He said that security agencies had been mandated to arrest and prosecute, through mobile courts, anyone found contravening the guidelines.

    Bello also said the FCTA would enforce the overnight curfew from 8p.m. to 6a.m. in order to prevent possible patients of COVID-19 from coming into the territory.

    The minister said effective Monday, May 4, 2020, all civil servants in the FCT on Grade level 14 and above were to report for work three time in a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between the hours of 8a.m. and 2p.m.

    He, however, said that all officers on essential duties were to carry on with their assigned responsibilities.

    He enjoined all workers to maintain safe distancing protocols of at least two meters and wear facemasks at all times.

    Bello said that temperature checks and hand sanitising protocols would be strictly adhered to at all entry points and access to offices tightly controlled.

    He explained that markets were to operate for two days in a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 8a.m. and 3p.m.

    Bello assured that neighbourhood selling points would be established in various parts of the city to decongest major markets.

    ” Wearing of facemask is mandatory to gain access to markets in addition to hand washing and sanitizing protocols.

    ” The above hygiene related protocols are also applicable to supermarkets and neighborhood markets.

    ” Banks are to open between the hours of 8a.m. and 2p.m. and are to observe temperature checks, hand sanitising protocols as well as the use of face masks for staff and customers.

    ” Banks are to limit access by customers to allow for safe distancing reasons and limit the number of staff working on their premises to between 30 per cent and 50 per cent.

    ” Residents are encouraged to patronise online banking services as much as possible.

    ” Extant rules regulating restaurants and eateries remain in effect. Restaurants are not open to the public and are encouraged to adopt home delivery services.

    ” The extant directive on places of worship still subsists and they remain closed,” Bello said.

    The Minister reiterated that prohibition of commercial motorcycles within the city centre remained in force including Kubwa and Dutse Alhaji.

    Bello noted that tricycles were to limit their activities to areas already designated and were allowed a maximum of three persons (driver and two passengers).

    ” Similarly, taxis are mandated to carry a maximum of four persons at a time (driver and three persons).”

    He also said that all schools in the FCT will remain closed until further notice, adding that schools were not permitted to commence third term session in any form until directed otherwise by the relevant authorities.

    He, however, said that schools were encouraged to continue with e-learning and virtual teachings.

    ” Residents are once more reminded that COVID-19 can be fatal and all are hereby advised to take all prescribed measures to avoid contracting it.

    ” Persons with underlying medical conditions especially hypertension, diabetes, asthma and low immunity are advised to remain at home.

    ” Equally, persons 65 years and older are also advised to remain at home,” he said.

  • Buhari eased the lockdown based on false reports- Hilda Dokubo

    Buhari eased the lockdown based on false reports- Hilda Dokubo

    Sensational actress, Hilda Dokubo has averred that the decision to ease the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja despite the spike in confirmed cases of COVID-19 recorded in these states and in other parts of the country is a bad one.

     

    Expressing her thoughts via a video posted on her Instagram page, Dokubo noted that President Buhari must have taken the decision to ease the lockdown due to false reports about the current situation of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country.

     

     

    In her words:”Who exactly is lying to the President? Who? The President has announced the easing of the lockdown on the strength of a lie. Who is lying to the President.

    Because on the strength of a lie, he has approved an ease and he has also approved an increase in the number of people to be tested daily to 2500. If they could not accomplish 1, 500 daily, then how are they able to achieve 2, 500 a day?

    The nurses and doctors and all health workers are working extremely hard, breaking themselves into pieces just to save lives and a few people are sitting in the comfort of an airconditioned room reaching an agreement that empowers only their pockets.

    Why make mess of peoples efforts? Why?

    Sometimes when I think of what people that sit in committees come up with, I wonder what runs in their veins. Blood or water? Becasue they react like people who don’t feel the pain of others. You have moved responsibility from yourself and hung it on the neck of the common masses, the same people that you are supposed to be protecting.

    During the lockdown, a lot of the poor were on the streets..why? Because your palliatives did not get to them. They were out there struggling to see how they can feed off the food that you hoard at them.

    So the palliatives didn’t get to them, no one is empowered to carry out research so research is not going on and now, you are throwing people back into the streets, the streets that you haven’t even fumigated, you haven’t even cleaned up but you have told us that this virus is airborne and can stay airborne for 8 hours.

    I don’t understand. Do you even assume that everyone is stupid?

    Let us take for instance Lagos state. With no traffic during the lockdown, they could not trace people who had contact with those who had tested positive to the virus. So imagine now with traffic, how they will trace anyone and if someone needs help, how will the NCDC get to the person?

    Do we want to end up like Ghana who lifted their lockdown prematurely and ended up with all the casualties that they have. Can we handle that casualty?

    Someone is lying to the President and that person needs to stop.” she said

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_qKqhhpAz3/

     

  • Gov. Lalong extends temporal lockdown relaxation to Monday

    Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau has extended the state’s temporal lockdown relaxation, from Sunday to Monday, following appeal by residents for more time to restock their homes

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor had in a state broadcast on Thursday, announced relaxation of its total lockdown directive from April 30 to May 3, to enable residents restock their homes.

    The governor, in a message by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Macham, on Saturday in Jos, said the gesture was in the spirit of the 2020 May Day Celebrations.

    Lalong said the extension was also to enable people access services such as banking transactions which was not possible on Friday, due to the public holiday to mark the annual Workers Day.

    Lalong, however, implored the people to adhere to the curfew directives by the Federal Government with effect from Monday, May 4.

    He said the total lockdown and restriction on intra-Local Government movements earlier announced by the state government would resume on Tuesday, May 5.

    Lalong said that the guidelines for social distancing, personal and respiratory hygiene, sanitation, inter-State boundary closure, as well as the use of face masks in public places, among others remained during the temporal relaxation. (

  • Kano: Ganduje appeals Buhari to relax lockdown amidst mysterious deaths, increasing COVID-19 cases

    Kano: Ganduje appeals Buhari to relax lockdown amidst mysterious deaths, increasing COVID-19 cases

    Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has urged the Federal Government to relax lockdown imposed on the state.

    The governor said the lockdown relaxation was essential to ease the hardship on the residents of the state.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered a 14-day total lockdown in Kano due to the rise of COVID-19 cases and records of strange deaths in the state. TNG reports that Lagos, Ogun and the FCT had earlier been on such presidential lockdowns to contain the spread of the virus.

    According to The Cable, the governor on Thursday during the inauguration of experts to support Kano state Taskforce said residents of the state were running out of food.

    “We would engage the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to seek permission to relax the total lockdown imposed on Kano.

    “We are making this appeal on behalf of our people who are presently running out of food items. We would love the federal government to relax the lockdown for a period of time to enable people stock their homes, especially now that majority of us are fasting. It will also ease the economic hardship in the state,” He said

    However, in a recent update by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Kano jumped to second after Lagos in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases with a total of 219 cases.

  • Relaxing lockdown not a good idea-Timi Dakolo

    Relaxing lockdown not a good idea-Timi Dakolo

    Popular singer, Timi Dakolo has said the proposed relaxation of the ongoing lockdown introduced to combat spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country is not a good idea.

    TheNewsGuru recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari had announced gradual relaxation of the lockdown in Lagos and Ogun states as well as the FCT as from May 4.

    The development, however, comes about the same time when cases of the novel pandemic have continued to rise in Nigeria.

    Apparently worried by the rising figures Dakolo lamented that this is not the best time for such initiative.

    “This lockdown they want to relax is not a good idea, I repeat it is not a good idea. The numbers are not encouraging at all and we don’t know how to social distance,” he wrote on Twitter.

    Dakolo weeks ago had called on Christians to celebrate this year’s Easter at home due to the intense COVID-19.

  • Lockdown: Ugwuanyi directs LG chairmen, vigilance groups, others to man boundaries

    Lockdown: Ugwuanyi directs LG chairmen, vigilance groups, others to man boundaries

    Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has directed the 17 Local Government chairmen, neigbourhood watch groups and traditional rulers to man their council borders to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state.

    A statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Simon Ortuanya in Enugu on Thursday said this followed reports that persons on non-essential duties had continued to traverse the boundaries of the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state recently recorded a new index case of COVID-19 after two previous cases were discharged.

    The governor directed the council chairmen to also mobilise Development Centre administrators, councillors, town union Presidents General and youth leaders to man the boundaries that are contiguous with other states.

    He also directed the Council Chairmen to liaise with members of National Union of Road Transport Workers, Association of Tricycle Riders Transport Union and Motorcycle Riders Union to ensure that intending passengers beyond Enugu State were not allowed to board vehicles in motor parks within their jurisdiction.

    Ortuanya urged them to ensure that passengers conveyed from outside the state were not allowed to disembark within their Local Government Council Areas.

    According to him, vehicles of erring operators will be impounded and handed over to law enforcement agents for appropriate action.

    “This condemnable conduct compromises the current efforts of the state government to contain the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.

    “The border control activities in all Local Government Council Areas in Enugu State that are contiguous with other states will be intensified at night-time, which is the time most of the infractions occur,” he said.

    The SSG warned that any person or group caught aiding and abetting the illegal traverse through the state borders would be arrested and handed over to security agencies for prosecution.

    Ortuanya noted that these decisions were in furtherance of Gov. Ugwuanyi’s determination “as ever to contain the spread of the contagion in Enugu State and protect residents from avoidable morbidity and mortality.

    In a related development, the state Commissioner for Health, Prof Ikechukwu Obi has disclosed that it had began contact tracing of the new COVID-19 patient in the state.

    Obi urged those that had contact with the woman who returned from Jos, Plateau to submit themselves for testing.

    He said that the police had sealed the residence of the patient at No 66 Nike Road, Abakpa Nike for fumigation and contact tracing.