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Author: Alpha Maidawa

COVID-19: CBN releases guidelines for operations of N100bn credit support for healthcare
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released guidelines for operations of N100 billion credit support for the healthcare sector following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
In a circular signed by Mr Kevin Amugo, Director Financial Policy Regulation Department on Wednesday, the apex bank indicated that indigenous pharmaceutical companies and healthcare practitioners that wanted to expand or build their capacities would benefit from the scheme.
CBN had earlier announced the N100 billion intervention for the healthcare industry to strengthen the sector’s capacity to meet potential increase in demand for healthcare and services.
In the guideline, the apex bank noted that the scheme would provide credit to indigenous pharmaceutical companies and other healthcare value chain players intending to build or expand their businesses.
The CBN said the scheme was also expected to increase private and public investment in the healthcare sector, facilitates improvement in healthcare delivery and reduce medical tourism to enhance foreign exchange conservation.
The bank further explained that the objective of the scheme was to provide long-term low cost finance for healthcare development that would lead to the evolvement of world-class healthcare facilities in the country.
According to the bank, the scheme will improve access to affordable credit by indigenous pharmaceutical companies to expand their operations and comply with the World Health Organisation’s good manufacturing practices.
The CBN noted that the eligible participants under the scheme were healthcare products manufacturers and pharmaceutical equipment.
It added that others are healthcare service providers, medical facilities, pharmaceutical and medical products distribution and logistics services among others.
The CBN said the Deposit Money Banks and Development Finance Institutions were eligible to disburse the fund. (NAN)
March 26, 2020
COVID-19: MAN urges members to sustain production of essential commodities
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has urged its members to sustain ongoing operations and scale up production of essential commodities needed to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
In a statement by its President, Mansur Ahmed, MAN applauded the efforts of government since the nation recorded its first case in February.
He said it was imperative for stringent actions to be taken by the world and indeed, the nation to help its citizens adjust and cope with the pandemic.
“As the voice of manufacturers’ interest in Nigeria, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) recognizes the efforts of government from the point Nigeria recorded its first case.
“It is also comforting to note that the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) are not resting on their oars through drafting of the different protocols for safety disseminated to the general public all in a bid to ensure the safety of citizens,” he said.
Ahmed advised members to adequately sensitize and educate workers on compliance with National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) guidelines to curb the spread of coronavirus.
He also urged that members provide requisite facilities and supplies for the prevention of COVID-19 in line with extant guidelines of the NCDC.
“Given the fundamental role manufacturers will be playing at a time like this, they have been encouraged to sustain ongoing operations to avoid reduction or shut down of production activities.
“They should also scale up their production especially of essential commodities such pharmaceuticals, consumables, sanitary and hygiene products needed to curtail the spread of the virus (COVID-19),” he said.
The MAN president also appealed to the government to provide safety nets to ensure seamless operations as manufacturers adhere to safety rules to keep the economy running.
He urged that government ensured reasonable access to industrial supplies and inputs such as gas, electricity supply, fuel and other essential infrastructure needs.
He also advocated that the financial support offered by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) be extended to the supply of forex to the manufacturing sector at pre-COVID-19 rates.
Ahmed urged the CBN to consider directing commercial banks to freeze interest charges in the event of a lock down.
“In the case of an eventual lockdown, government should consider the introduction of fiscal measures such as waivers on import duties on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), and other essential products.
“Also, they should extend tax holiday to companies on corporate tax, and waive the Value Added Tax (VAT); and reduce the burden of personal income tax as a way of increasing the disposable income of an average Nigerian worker.
“Government should ensure its agencies do not act contrary to its directive of permitting essential manufacturing sectors to operate.
“For emphasis, we would enjoin the general public to take seriously the protective measure of regular hand washing with soap and water or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, practice of good personal hygiene; maintenance of social distancing.
“We also advice that members sufficiently stay abreast of additional directives from the National Centre for Disease Control and World Health Organization,” he said. (NAN)
March 26, 2020
Enugu: Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium deserted over fear of COVID -19
Activities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, seems to have come to a halt as the stadium looked deserted and empty, a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) check reveals.
The stadium that was usually full of activities with people and athletes exercising in the morning hours was empty due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) scare and the suspension of activities of any kind by the Federal Government.
The Minister for Youths and Sports in the country, Mr Sunday Dare recently instructed that sports activities of any kind should be suspended.
Also the Federal Government and Enugu State Government ordered civil servants on grade level 12 and below to work from home.
NAN correspondent who visited the stadium on Wednesday, noted that the place was deserted while the main gate was closed but not under lock and key.
Speaking on the situation, the Southeast Zonal Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development, Jane Owoh said that federal government ordered for suspension of activities of any kind.
”The minister for youths and sports Sunday Dare ordered that activities of any kind should be suspended.
”We got the instruction to stop all activities inside the stadium on Monday and we swung into action because lives are involved.
”Secondly, another instruction came later for civil servants on grade level 12 and bellow to work from home while those above 12 should be coming to work.
”We are only doing an administrative work and that is why the stadium is scanty because civil servants on grade level 12 did not come to work, ” she said.
Speaking on the measure to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus, Owoh said that the office provided washing hand bucket and sanitiser at the entrance of the office.
”We are adhering to the instruction of regular washing of hand and sanitising the hand as well.
”All the staff at the office has been trained on the best way to stay safe even before the government order of work from home, ” Owoh said.
Few coaches under the Enugu Ministry of Youths and Sports were in the stadium roving, without athletes in sight. (NAN)
March 26, 2020
SWAN condoles Enugu Rangers over death of 2 players
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has condoled with the management, players and fans of Rangers International FC, Enugu over the demise of its two players.
Chigozie Chukwuleta, Vice-President of SWAN, South-East gave the condolence in a statement on Wednesday in Enugu.
It would be recalled that Rangers’ strikers, Ifeanyi George (main team) and Emmanuel Ogbu (feeder team) died following an auto crash on March 22.
Both players were in the company of two others when the accident occurred along Benin-Lagos Road while heading to Lagos.
“The loss of both players no doubt has left huge shock and surprise on football lovers across the world, including sports writers and especially those in the south east.
“It is worthy of note to consider the contribution of George to the game in domestic league and at the continental scene for his club.
“We pray for their gentle souls to rest in peace and for God to grant their families and Rangers the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,’’ Chukwuleta said.
The SWAN vice president said that Rangers family should accept the association’s heart-felt condolence. (NAN)
March 26, 2020
Covid-19: CAN mulls suspension of Sunday worship, weddings in Benue
The Benue branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has recommended the suspension of all Sunday worship and wedding activities in the state as a proactive measure against the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.
In a message by its state chairman, Rev. Akpen Leva, on Thursday in Makurdi, the association appealed to churches to comply with the recommendation to curtail the spread of the pandemic.
Leva said the recommended suspension would take effect from April 1 and enjoined all churches to cooperate.
The message titled “The Reality of Covid-19: A call for strict compliance”, the association appealed to proprietors of mission based schools to adhere to the directive for the closure of schools by the state government.
“It has become very pertinent for me to address you today concerning the reality of COVID-19 Pandemic which has brought the world to unavoidable panic.
“The rate at which it is spreading therefore calls for real collaboration and unity of purpose to ensure we curtail further spread among our people.
“In this regard, we urge all church leaders, clergymen and the Christian community in Benue State to duly observe the following adjustments we have made regarding our Christian activities.
“Considering the importance of the week long fasting and prayer session organized by CAN in conjunction with the state government, which is to round up on 29th March, 2020, we wish to say that with effect from 1st April, 2020, we will encourage churches to enforce smaller units of congregational worships of not more than 50 people.
“We also recommend the suspension of Sunday services and Mass for the next two weeks to monitor the situation. Christians are encouraged to continue with home devotions, Crusades, conventions, revivals, vigils, refresher courses.
He said other activities that involved coming together of large congregation should be discouraged for the benefit of the residents of the state.
“Burials should be restricted to only close family members of the deceased. Weddings and social celebrations are to be suspended until the situation improves.
“We urge you to observe strictly the health conditions as prescribed by Centre for Disease Control and World Health Organization (NCDC). In this regard, you are advised to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
”Personal protective equipment including hand sanitizers, face masks, hand washing fonts with liquid soap dispensers to be provided. Thus, hand sanitizers should be handy at every church entrance. He
“We appeal to all church leaders to ensure that this information gets to the grassroots and also ensure strict compliance. Ensure the vulnerable are not abandoned at this time and beyond.
“Finally, we appeal to the standing committee on COVID-19 and the state government to cooperate with the church by providing the needful so that we can effectively control the spread of COVID-19 in Benue state,” Leva said.(NAN)
March 26, 2020
We still live in the shadow of slave trade — UN Chief
UN Secretary-General António Guterres says the world “still lives in the shadow of the transatlantic slave trade” in spite of rejecting racism.
In a video message to mark the 2020 International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Guterres said racism continued to plague the world.
The UN Chief emphasised that all structures and support systems of racism must be dismantled for the world to move forward.
Commemorated every year since 2008, the international day honours victims of the transatlantic slave trade considered the worst violation of human rights in history.
The practice, which spanned over 400 years, saw no fewer than 15 million Africans snatched from their homelands and shipped overseas for forced labour .
Guterres said the theme of this year’s commemoration, “Confronting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism Together”, underscored the “strong role” racism continued to play in today’s world.
“This moving memorial commemorates the women, men and children who suffered and died after being forced onto slave ships to cross the Atlantic — one of the biggest crimes in the history of humankind.
“Racism is the reason, outside Africa, people of African descent are often among the last in line for health care, education, justice and opportunities of all kinds.
“We need to raise our voices against all expressions of racism and instances of racist behaviour.
“We urgently need to dismantle racist structures and reform racist institutions.
“We can only move forward by confronting the racist legacy of slavery together,” he said.
To this end, President of the UN General Assembly, Amb, Tijani Muhammad-Bande, called for strong policies and programmes by member-states to end hate speech, xenophobia and racism.
“We must take collective action to reaffirm our commitment to implement the Durban Declaration of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
“We simply cannot be indifferent to injustice. It is incumbent upon each of us to uphold the human rights of everyone, everywhere,” he said.(NAN)
March 26, 2020
India struggles with coronavirus shutdown; Pakistan cases hit 1,000
India’s 1.3 billion people on Wednesday were under an immense lockdown to prevent an explosion of coronavirus cases as the government struggled to deliver essential goods and calm nerves.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered everyone indoors for the next three weeks, saying this was the only way to avoid a disaster and effectively shutting down Asia’s third-largest economy.
However, with less than four hours before the decree went into effect at midnight on Tuesday, crowds of people thronged shops to stock up on milk, rations and medicines even though Modi said these would be available throughout the lockdown.
Others including labourers and day workers headed home to the countryside from cities such as Delhi, many walking because public transport also stopped.
“My daughter needs allergy medicines regularly.
“The medicine shops are open but how do we reach there?
“Who wants to risk a run-in with the police? They’re beating people up,” Yash Goswami in the northern town of Moradabad said.
India’s tally of 539 cases and nine deaths seems tiny compared with those in China, Italy and Spain; although health experts have warned that the world’s second most populous country faces a tidal wave of infections if tough steps are not taken.
The lockdown came after evidence indicated it was spreading out into India’s countless small towns after a first wave in Delhi, the commercial hub Mumbai, and other big cities.
That has raised the prospect of a cash-strapped public health sector being overwhelmed.
India has just 0.5 hospital beds for every 1,000 people, compared to 4.3 in China and 3.2 in Italy.
“The only way we can save ourselves is by social distancing, and staying inside our homes.
“A little bit of inconvenience now will save so many lives,” Information Minister Prakash Javedkar said.
India’s population is even more densely packed than China’s raising the risk of rapid transmission of the virus.
In New Delhi, Modi met his cabinet at his residence, with ministers sitting apart from each other in a large room. (Reuters/NAN)
March 26, 2020
US Senate passes historic stimulus as coronavirus deaths top 1,000
The United States Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed an unprecedented stimulus bill to cushion the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, as deaths in the country topped 1,000.
The legislation – estimated at 2 trillion dollars – is a sweeping economic plan meant to stabilize households and businesses around the country as worries grow over a deepening economic recession that could reverberate around the globe.
The package will include direct 1,200 dollar payments to most adults, with an additional 500 dollars per child, in a bid to pump money back into the economy.
Another roughly 350 billion dollars will be available in loans for small businesses, which will be forgiven by the government if the money is used to keep employees on the payroll.
Unemployment insurance will be boosted, allowing most people who have lost their jobs to maintain their full salaries for four months. Some 150 billion dollars will go to the health care system.
The package will be coupled with up to 4 trillion dollars in lending from the Federal Reserve, according to White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow.
“It will inject trillions of dollars of cash the economy as fast as possible to help American workers, families, small businesses and industries make it through this disruption,” Senate leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday, after days of intense negotiations between lawmakers and the White House.
“This is a war-time level of investment into our nation,” the Republican added.
The package comes as the death toll on Wednesday topped 1,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as officials throughout the country say the outbreak is expected to worsen.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo blasted the stimulus package earlier on Wednesday as “terrible for the state,” the current epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
“We have 15 times the problem of the next state,” Andrew Cuomo told a news conference as New York’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases passed 30,800, which is over half the US total.
Cuomo said the bill would give New York 3.8 billion dollars, an amount he called a “drop in the bucket.”
He said the state needs up to 15 billion dollars to combat the crisis, which has already cost New York 1 billion dollars.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who oversees 40 million residents, said his state will get around 10 billion dollars, adding that funds are a good first step but more will be needed.
He added that the state’s unemployment claims have skyrocketed past 1 million since March 13, as state-wide shutdown measures forced non-essential bushinesses to close.
Wall Street rallied for a second straight day on Wednesday in a signal that the economic stimulus plan may quell the volatile financial markets.
However markets may dip on Thursday as the Department of Labor releases weekly unemployment claim statistics, which may surge to historic levels.
With the rate of new coronavirus infections in New York doubling about every three days, the state is increasingly desperate for resources, especially ventilators, to treat the influx of coronavirus patients.
Cuomo said he spoke to Trump about a “rolling deployment” of resources around the country, starting with New York.
“We need resources from the entire country right now because our apex is first and the numbers are highest,” he said, adding that “as soon as we get past our critical moment, we will redeploy that equipment and personnel to the next hotspot.”
Cuomo’s comments came a day after a top White House official called on New Yorkers who have recently left the city to self-quarantine for two weeks to prevent the virus from spreading.
There are over 65,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US, and over 920 deaths, according to John Hopkins University data.(dpa)
March 26, 2020
COVID-19: Nollywood actresses sensitise Nigerians
Nollywood Actresses Kemi Afolabi and Sola Kosoko took to their Instagram handles to sensitise Nigerians on the reality of COVID-19 and the preventive measures to adopt.
They urged Nigerians to adhere to the preventive measures stated by the health officials like washing of hands, maintaining personal hygiene, social distancing and more.
Sola Kosoko wrote: “Hello everyone. It is no longer news that Coronavirus is real, please let us comply to all the directives of our health officials and the government.
” Let us maintain high level of hygiene; we shall surely win this war by God’s grace,” she said.
Also Kemi Afolabi had this on her page: “Hello everyone, how are you doing at this trying time? It is for real we have a situation at hand.
“COVID-19 is real, it is already heating the world, we have cases already in Nigeria, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
“I know it is difficult to watch a lot of businesses locked down but let us adhere to the rule,” she said.
Afolabi went further in Yoruba language to apologise to movie producers who were still sending messages as regards location, time and date for shooting to her.
“I saw some movie producers sending me messages of the venue, date and time for shooting; Am sorry oo, I cannot go, let us reschedule, for now let us adhere strictly to the rule,” she said.
The actress also advised Nigerians to relax in their various homes and catch some fun as they watch the already produced films. (NAN)
March 25, 2020
COVID-19: TAMPAN suspends movie production
Bolaji Amusan, National President, Theater Arts and Motion Picture Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), says the association has suspended movie production effective from Friday, March 27.
Amusan announced this on his Instagram handle, saying the decision was taken due to the wide spread of the coronavirus disease and to adhere to government’s directive on social distancing.
He advised movie producers, marketers, actors and actresses to stay in their various homes to be safe from contracting the virus.
“After serious meeting with stakeholders in the movie industry, we realised we need to safeguard our lives and we have decided to suspend movie productions.
“This will take effect from March 27 until April 17; we should remain in our homes and observe personal cleanliness coupled with the preventive measures stated by the health officials
“Avoid social gatherings and remain tenacious in prayers to God.
“You all know that our job requires some kind of division of labour which will require lots of people to come together so we need to take this decision.
“Whoever violates the rule will be punished,” he said (NAN)
March 25, 2020