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  • APC Crisis: Lawal emerges Ag Chairman as sick Ajimobi battles Covid-19

    Following the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as APC national chairman, Shuaibu Lawal, who is the party’s deputy national chairman, north, has been assigned to take over from him as the acting national chairman as ex governor Ajumobi, who constitutionally should have taken over is currently battling with Covid-19.

    Lawal as acting chairman is expected to pilot the affairs of the APC pending when the courts will finalize the suspended chairman’s matter.

    When a lower court sent Oshiomhole packing, earlier in the year, Mr Lawal acted until the Appeal Court set aside its judgment declaring that the status should remain.

    As at Tuesday evening, the embattled chairman’s lawyers vowed they were going to appeal the judgment upholding Oshiomhole’s suspension.

  • Fashola tackles ExecuJet for linking him to Naira Marley’s flight

    Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has lambasted private aircraft charter operator, Executive Jet Services, for linking him to the flight which took singer, Azeez Fashola aka Naira Marley, to Abuja over the weekend.

    The singer, alongside ex-Big Brother Naija housemate, Kim Oprah, and eight others boarded the company’s flight in violation of travel ban which resulted in the suspension of the firm’s licence by the Federal Government on Monday.

    After the federal government suspended the airline, the Chairman/CEO of the company, Sam Iwuajoku, wrote in a letter dated June 15 and addressed to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, to apologise for the violation, saying he thought the flight was booked for the minister.

    However, Fashola, in a statement on Tuesday by his spokesman, Hakeem Bello, said it was ‘ridiculous’ to link him to the flight.

    The statement read: “For purposes of clarity and in order to set the records straight, the Hon. Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, has not travelled out of Abuja since March 22, 2020, when he returned there after an inspection tour of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway construction work and a visit to Lagos, before the lockdown.

    “The decision of the Hon. Minister not to travel was taken in strict compliance with the Federal Government’s ban on inter-state travels as part of efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “It is therefore ridiculous for Dr Iwuajoku to attempt to link the Hon. Minister with any noncompliant flight.”

  • Nigeria records highest number of COVID-19 deaths in single day

    Nigeria records highest number of COVID-19 deaths in single day

    Nigeria Tuesday night announced 31 deaths from COVID-19 as the caseload shot up to 17,148.

    The death toll was the highest number ever announced, since the reckoning began in late February.

    Twenty five of the deaths occurred in Lagos, the NCDC said.

    It said the figure covered the fatalities recorded in four days.

    “Lagos State recorded 25 deaths between June 12th and 15th.

    “They were all announced on June 16th”, the NCDC explained in a note attached to latest figures.

    However, it was not all gloom on Tuesday night.

    NCDC reported that 274 people were discharged from the various centres, cleared of the virus.

    The number of the discharged is now 5,623. It was 5,349 on Monday.

    According to the NCDC, the number of new confirmed cases for the country was 490.

    It represents another decline since the peak of 663 cases announced last week Tuesday.

    According to NCDC, Lagos accounted for 142 cases of the 490.

    FCT Abuja posted the second largest number of 60 cases.

    Its total caseload is now 1,324, and is next to Lagos, which has 7,461 cases.

    At the weekend, authorities of the Nigerian capital were angry with organisers of a concert.

    The concert featured Nigerian popular singer Naira Marley.

    It breached all COVID-19 protocols of physical distancing and large gathering.

    Bayelsa was a surprise on Tuesday night on the daily leaderboard, as it posted 54 cases.

    It now has 86 cases in total and is ranked 22nd on the Nigerian grim chart.

  • FG threatens sack as meeting with doctors end in deadlock

    The meeting held yesterday in Abuja between the federal government and the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) ended in deadlock, fueling a veiled threat by the federal government to sack the striking doctors.

    The meeting which started by 1pm, ended at about 7.40 pm, without achieving any results.

    At the end of the meeting, the Minister of Health Ehanire Osagie disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Health would issue a directive to all medical directors in the country to open a register by 7a.m today (Wednesday) and record those who come to work and those who fail to come to work.

    The move by government is coming as the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said that federal government has commenced the payment of new hazard allowances to health workers.

    Ehanire who spoke shortly after the talks with the leadership of NARD failed to yield positive outcome, noted that health is very important at this crucial time.

    He said: “We are ready to protect the lives of Nigerians; we are not going to allow our hospitals to fallow.”

    Ehanire said that Nigeria is the first country in the world where doctors went on strike during a global pandemic.

    Speaking via phone with journalists, the President of NARD, Dr. Aliyu Sokomba said, ”we would call off the strike only when the government comes up with tangible outcome; we would call of the strike within 24 hours”.

    Ngige who along the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire held a meeting with the leadership of the striking medical doctors at his office, said that government is going to implement the rest of the agreement with the doctors in stages.

    When THISDAY asked the minister about the outcome of the meeting with the doctors, Ngige said that no conclusions and that the leadership of NARD disclosed that they needed to go back for its executive committee meeting.

    He said that the doctors have gone for consultations with their members, adding that they would get back to government after 24 hours.

    “They said that they haven’t seen any tangible thing from government and that their accounts were yet to be credited. But I told them that the federal government has paid N2 billion to health workers across board in 14 teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres as at Monday.

    Speaking on the promise made by the federal government to begin payment of the new hazard allowances to all categories of frontline health workers involved in covid-19 treatment, Ngige said:

    “There are about 43 or 52 teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres in the country and we are paying them in batches. By Wednesday (today), the amount paid out would have hit N4 billion”.

    However indications that the meeting ended without any tangible outcome emerged when the NARD leadership failed to come back to the venue of the talks at the Ministry of Labour for the continuation of negotiations.

    Only the president of NARD, Sokomba went back apparently to see the minister but he left almost immediately, and refused to speak to journalists. When journalists reached him on his telephone, he said that they were not going to resume further talks until the government has done something tangible tangible to meet their demands.

  • 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.

  • BREAKING: APC names Abiola Ajimobi as Acting National Chairman

    BREAKING: APC names Abiola Ajimobi as Acting National Chairman

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced its Deputy National Chairman (South), Senator Abiola Ajimobi as the party’s Acting National Chairman.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, National Publicity Secretary of the APC made this known in a statement on Tuesday, following the decision of an Appeal Court in Abuja that upholds the earlier suspension of Adams Oshiomhole.

    The statement reads: “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress has received the news indicating the Appeal Court has upheld the suspension of the Party’s National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole by an FCT High Court pending the determination of the substantive suit.

    “Guided by advice from the Party’s legal department in line with the provisions of Section 14.2. (iii) of the Party’s constitution, the Deputy National Chairman (South), Sen. Abiola Ajimobi will serve as the Party’s Acting National Chairman.

    “According to Section 14.2. (iii), of the APC constitution, the Deputy National Chairman, North/South “Shall act as the National Chairman in the absence of the National Chairman from his zone”.

  • Obaseki’s Deputy, Shaibu leaves APC, states why

    Obaseki’s Deputy, Shaibu leaves APC, states why

    Philip Shaibu, Deputy Governor of Edo State has followed in the stead of his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki in resigning membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Announcing his resignation from the APC on Tuesday, Shaibu said he is leaving the party as a result of the reckless and absolute lawlessness of Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the party.

    In a statement, he said the APC has been hijacked for personal and selfish interests of Oshiomhole.

    The statement reads, “It is with great pain that I am leaving the All Progressive Congress (APC), I helped and labored to build as a result of the reckless and absolute lawlessness of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole –the suspended National Chairman of APC.

    “His undemocratic and dictatorial tendencies exhibited at all times have become intolerable.

    “The APC has been hijacked for some Personal and selfish interests of an individual, comerade Adams Oshiomhole.

    “The height of it all was his highhandedness and intolerant conduct at the APC screening exercise.

    “I believe that the President of our great country will be very sad at this development but I am left with no other choice than to take my political destiny in my hands. Hence, my resignation from the party”.

  • Trans Forcados pipeline under threat – Host communities

    Trans Forcados pipeline under threat – Host communities

    Host communities have raised an alarm over plans by a group known as Central Youth Body to vandalize the Trans Forcados pipeline (TFP).

    The group in a statement called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the group threatening to vandalize the TFP line that crisscrosses several communities in Delta State.

    According to the host communities, if the group is true to their words, the vandalism will disrupt operations on the TFP line, which delivers over 150,000 barrels of crude oil to the export terminal at Forcados in Delta State.

    TFP host communities alleged that the mastermind of the threat is one Burutu Otuaro, who they said is lobbying to hijack the surveillance contract of OMS in the Niger Delta.

    “Already they are backing a cabal to take over OMS surveillance by alleging that all the surveillance workers are non indigines of TFP host communities.

    “It is on record that OMS has employed 820.000 youths from various TFP host communities in all its Area of operation.

    “The owners of the asset ie- Heritage, NNPC/NPDC and the security agencies deployed in TFP axis attest to the peaceful and harmonious relationship between TFP host communities and OMS since it took over surveillance of the Trans Forcados pipeline.

    “Most TFP host communities representatives and surveillance workers have never met Capt. Hosea Okunbor but his good deeds speak for him.

    “820.000 youths engaged for surveillance feed their families and dependants.

    If anything happens to the Trans Forcados pipeline, Central Youth Body and its mastermind should be held responsible,” the statement reads.

  • Barca inform Liverpool they can have Coutinho if…

    Barcelona have informed Liverpool they can have Philippe Coutinho back this summer.

    It’s emerged Coutinho is willing to take a pay-cut to rejoin Liverpool in the coming months.

    La Liga giant Barcelona are looking to offload Coutinho this summer and a move back to the Premier League has been mooted by his agent Kia Joorabchian.

    The Brazilian has even contacted Reds boss Jurgen Klopp to push through a return to Anfield.

    Mundo Deportivo says Barca have informed Liverpool they can sign Coutinho – but only in an outright sale.

    Barca do not wish to discuss loan terms.

    Barca committed to a fee rising to €145m to sign Coutinho in January 2018.

  • Protest in Buhari’s state over killings, banditry

    Protest in Buhari’s state over killings, banditry

    Hundreds of youths in Katsina State, on Tuesday staged peaceful protest over the increasing banditry, killings and kidnappings.

    The protest was organised by the National Youths Council of Nigeria (NYCN) and Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG).

    The Commissioner of Police, Sanusi Buba, addressed the protestors.

    The youths had planned to converge on the Katsina Emir’s Palace, but their plan was scuttled by security agents, who blocked all roads leading to the palace.

    However, they passed through Kofar-Durbi to GRA carrying placards with different inscriptions.

    Some of them read: “stop the bloodshed”, “do the needful before they finish us” and “banditry and kidnapping are our monsters” among others.

    The security agents also blocked all roads leading to the Government House to prevent the youth from getting there.

    The state Chairman of NYCN, Katsina State, Lukman Umar-Kankia, said that the state, which was known for peace, is now facing mounting security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling, among others.

    “Bandits operate with brazen impunity, their audacity is appalling. In broad daylight, they sack villages and annihilate the people.

    “They rustle animals, raze markets and reduce houses to rubble; they defoliate farms and pillage resources.

    “They rape women and abduct men and demand a ransom their relations couldn’t afford,” he said.

    He therefore urged the Federal and state governments to intensify efforts in protecting peoples lives and property.

    “The government should employ more police for the affected areas, proffer stiffer punishment for anyone found aiding bandits and kidnappers,” he said.

    The police commissioner assured them that the government and security agents were doing their best to overcome the security challenges in the state.

    “We are aware that we have challenges, these challenges were built up over 30 years, yet some Nigerians want these problems that have been accumulated over 30 years to be solved within a period of months.

    “We are determined more than ever before to ensure that these problems are solved, and that is why we have joint security operations to bring the situation under control,” he said.

    Buba admonished the youths not to be misguided, and thanked them for conducting themselves in a matured manner.
    “Thank God it is a peaceful protest, there was no any violence and when I talked to them, they listened.”