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COVID-19 in Nigeria: Confirmed cases exceed 22,000 as NCDC announces 649 new cases
A total of six hundred and forty-nine cases of coronavirus were recorded in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, announced the figure on Wednesday.
NCDC said Lagos State recorded 250 cases, while Oyo State followed with 100 cases.
The two states have recorded high figures for the past two days.
Nigeria now has a total of 22,020 confirmed cases and 542 deaths.
The tweet reads, “649 new cases of #COVID19;
Lagos-250
Oyo-100
Plateau-40
Delta-40
Abia-28
Kaduna-27
Ogun-22
Edo-20
Akwa Ibom-18
Kwara-17
FCT-17
Enugu-14
Niger-13
Adamawa-13
Bayelsa-7
Osun-6
Bauchi-6
Anambra-4
Gombe-3
Sokoto-2
Imo-1
Kano-1
“22,020 cases. 7,613 discharged. 542 deaths.”
June 25, 2020
APC crisis: Buhari backs Giadom, dumps Oshiomhole
President Mohammad Buhari may have finally stepped into the leadership crisis rocking the ruling All Progressive Congress. APC and may have thrown his weight behind the Deputy National Chairman South South Victor Giadom to take over the leadership of the party.
Presidential spokesman Garba Shuhu said the President has received very convincing advice on the position of the law as far as the situation in the party is concerned and has determined that the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman.
It noted that Buhari would always act in accordance with the law, the President will be attending the virtual meeting Giadom called for tomorrow afternoon. He said.
He advised the media to stop promoting manufactured controversies and to not give any further room for mischievous interpretations of the law on this matter.
In addition to the President, the Giadom meeting will, hopefully, be attended by our Governors and the leaders of the National Assembly.
June 25, 2020
Imasuagbon PDP aspirant denies stepping down for Gov. Obaseki
Mr Kenneth Imasuagbon, one of the governorship aspirants under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo, says he has not stepped down for Gov. Godwin Obaseki contrary to some media reports.
In a statement in Benin on Wednesday, Imasuagbon debunked the rumour that he has accepted to step down for the governor.
The Abuja based educationist stressed that he was in the race to win and not to make up the number of aspirants for the PDP ticket.
He noted that the rumour that he had stepped down was being spread from his (Obaseki’s) camp to sway the votes of delegates in his favour.
“The governor knows that am popular with the delegates and he is doing everything possible to change this.
“For the sake of emphasis, I have not and will not consider accepting anything to step down from the race for the PDP ticket.
“I also understand that they are trying to manipulate the delegates’ list in their favour. I want to warn that if they try it, we will do everything possible to resist it, we shall also meet in court,” he said.
June 24, 2020
BREAKING: Rivers State High court stands down Obaseki suit for out-of-court settlement
The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on Wednesday morning granted a three-hour stand down for parties to explore an amicable out-of-court settlement in the suit seeking to bar Governor Godwin Obaseki from contesting in the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship primary scheduled for Thursday.
Justice E.O. Obile granted the stand down following an oral application by the plaintiff’s lawyer, Mr Ferdinand Orbih (SAN).
The counsel for the respondents -Emmanuel Enoidem, Higher King, Alex Ejesiema, and M. E. Ani – did not object to the prayer for a stand down to allow parties to talk.
Justice Obile ordered the parties to within three hours discuss and document their terms of settlement.
He said the case would be recalled at 12.30pm for the parties to brief the court on the outcome of their discussion.
The Judge said the case would be recalled at adjourned the matter till 12.30pm for contraction of hearing and possible decision on the matter.
June 24, 2020
Ghana apologises to Nigeria over demolition of mission building
The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, has sent apologies to President Muhammadu Buhari over the demolition of a building in the premises of the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana.
Mr Ferdinand Nwonye, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform that the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, called President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, today, June 23, on the phone.
“To express his sincere regrets and apology for the demolition of a building on the premises of the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana.
“He informed President Buhari that he had directed a full investigation of the unfortunate incident.
“It further emerged earlier in the day that some suspects had been arrested and will be arraigned in court.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this note wish to call on Nigerians home and abroad to remain calm despite the highly provocative attack on the High Commission of Nigeria in Accra, Ghana.
“And to reassure Nigerians that the Federal Government is engaging the Ghanaian Authorities at the highest level to seek redress,” it stated.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on June 19, some unidentified persons willfully carried out the demolition of a building in premises of the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana.
The perpetrators, who were purportedly on the instruction of the Ghana Urban Development Agency, were said to have carried out the act without prior notification.
There have also been engagements between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and the Ghanaian authorities since the incident. (NAN)
June 24, 2020
ADAMAWA, TARABA HOLD’S JOINT SECURITY MEETING
By Richard Emmanuel
A joined security meeting between Adamawa and Taraba states which was at the instance of the National Security Adviser on the need for the two states to checkmate cross boarder insecurity has held in the Government House, Yola.
The meeting had in attendance governors of Adamawa and Taraba states, first class emirs and chiefs, religious leaders, security commanders and relevant key stakeholders on security from both states.
In his address at the event, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri said the dreaded farmer-herder clash has caused alot of harvoc in communities on border land causing colossal destruction of lives and property in Numan local government of the state.
The Governor explained that the continued clash is affecting the fate of farmers and herders in Adamawa depriving them means of livelihood, and low agricultural yield which will cause food insecurity in the two states.
He added that the Adamawa state government has tried to broca peace between farmers and herders in the state but some macenaries from Taraba often invade into to the state and for which the aftermath reprisals was always on Adamawa citizens who did not carried the attack.
He said land encroachment in Adamawa by some farmers in Taraba was also another problem bedevilling the two states and called for border communities in Taraba to support effort of Adamawa state government.
In his remark, Taraba State Governor, Architect Darius Ishaku represented by his deputy Alhaji Haruna Manu pointed out that cattle rustling among others was the major cause of the crises rocking border communities of the two states.
He said Taraba state government has made effort to resolve the conflict, through series of meeting and setting up committees but however revealed that the perpetrators of such crimes often come from Adamawa state.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Secretary to the State Government, Malam Bashir Ahmad hinted that the gathering was held to find out a lasting solution to menace of insecurity in the borders of Adamawa and Taraba states.
June 24, 2020
World Bank approves $750m power sector recovery operation for Nigeria
The World Bank has approved a 750 million dollars International Development Association (IDA) credit for Nigeria’s Power Sector Recovery Operation (PSRO) to improve electricity supply.
The Bank, in statement in Abuja on Wednesday, said that the target was to also achieve financial and fiscal sustainability and enhance accountability in Nigeria’s power sector.
It explained that about 47 per cent of Nigerians did not have access to grid electricity and those who had access, faced regular power cuts.
According to the bank, the economic cost of power shortages in Nigeria is estimated at around 28 billion dollars, which is equivalent to two per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
It stated that getting access to electricity was one of the major constraints for the private sector according to the Ease of Doing Business report.
It added that improving power sector performance, particularly in the non-oil sectors of manufacturing and services, would be central to unlocking economic growth post COVID-19.
The statement quoted Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, as saying “lack of reliable power has stifled economic activity and private investment and job creation.
”This is ultimately what is needed to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
“The objective of this operation is to help turn around the power sector and set it on a fiscally sustainable path. This is particularly urgent at a time when the government needs all the fiscal resources it can marshal to help protect lives and livelihoods amid the COVID-19 pandemic”.
The bank said that PSRO would provide results-based financing to support the implementation of the Government’s Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP).
It further explained that the PSRP was a comprehensive programme to restore the power sector’s financial viability, improve service delivery and reduce its fiscal burden.
“The PSRO is expected to increase annual electricity supplied to the distribution grid, enhance power sector financial viability while reducing annual tariff shortfalls and protecting the poor from the impact of tariff adjustments.
“This will enable the turnaround of power sector while helping the Federal Government to redirect large fiscal resources from highly regressive tariff shortfall financing towards critical crisis-responsive and pro-poor expenditures. It will also increase public awareness about ongoing power sector reforms and performance.
“Specifically, the PSRO will ensure that 4,500 mwh/hour of electricity is supplied to the distribution grid by 2022 by strengthening the regulatory, policy and financing framework.
“It will also enhance the accountability and financial viability of the sector, helping the sector create a track record of sustainable operation necessary for unlocking much needed private investments in the future,” the Bank explained. (NAN)
June 24, 2020
Russia celebrates World War II victory today
Columns of tanks and troops will parade through Red Square on Wednesday as President Vladimir Putin oversees grand World War II commemorations to stir up patriotic fervour ahead of a vote on extending his rule.
Forced to postpone the country’s traditional May 9 Victory Day celebrations by the coronavirus pandemic, Putin rescheduled the parade for just a week ahead of a July 1 public vote on controversial constitutional reforms.
Among other changes, the reforms Putin proposed earlier this year would reset the presidential term-limit clock to zero, allowing him to potentially stay in the Kremlin until 2036.
He announced the new dates for the parade and the vote — initially planned for April — last month despite Russia still recording thousands of new coronavirus cases every day.
The rate of new infections has fallen in recent weeks and cities including Moscow have lifted anti-virus lockdowns, but critics accuse Putin of rushing ahead with public events to pursue his own political ends.
This year’s parade, marking 75 years since the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany, will include some 13,000 troops from 13 countries, as well as vintage equipment and the latest military hardware showing off Russia’s fighting capabilities.
More than 20 pieces of new equipment will be on show for the first time including Tosochka flame-throwers, T-90M tanks and Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile systems.
Officials say the date was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the first post-war parade on Red Square, which saw Soviet troops throw down Nazi standards in front of the Lenin mausoleum on June 24, 1945.
In his two decades in office, Putin has harnessed the legacy of the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II to boost patriotic sentiment and support for his government.
Ahead of the parade, he slammed the West for “insulting Russia” by playing down the USSR’s role in winning the war.
June 24, 2020
Wike withdraws from reconciliation efforts as Edo PDP crisis escalates
The Governor of River state, Bar. Nyesom Wike has withdrawn his efforts at reconciling warring factions in Edo state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying he cannot “work with sycophants in Edo PDP peace panel.”
Wike’s withdrawal is a clear sign that the PDP is far from resolving the crisis triggered by the defection of Edo state Governor, Godwin Obaseki to the party to contest the September governorship election following his disqualification by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike accused some members of the National Working Committee of the PDP of being sycophants and tax collectors who would never tell the truth.
The River state governor stated his reasons for backing out of the peace committee through a statement signed by his Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim on Tuesday.
He said the National Working Committee, instead of carrying everybody along in Edo State, resorted to using the media to blackmail him.
“I told them that in Edo State, we must handle the issue carefully and carry everybody along. They must respect human beings and not behave like tax collectors.
“They said because an order was obtained from a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, then I am responsible.
“I have had sleepless nights to resolve the issue in Edo State. The governors of Edo, Adamawa, and Delta states know what I have done to resolve the issues in Edo State. As a result of this senseless accusation, I have pulled out of Edo State settlement. My integrity matters.
“Nobody will rubbish me by raising false accusations against me. I will fight back,” Wike said, adding that he was no longer going to participate in any reconciliation.
“I am brought up not to accept injustice, and that is why I keep speaking out on national issues. Nobody in the PDP can intimidate Rivers State,” he said.
June 24, 2020
Amaechi in focus over threat to “burn and destroy River state”
The never-ending crises rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC), especially in River State may bring an ugly end of the career of the former governor of the state and current minister for Transport Rotimi Amaechi as signs emerge that the powers that be at the presidential villa are been nudged to ease him out of office.
Indications to the fact that Amaechi’s presence and what is happening in River state is irritating power brokers in the country emerged Monday when a controversial APC Lagos chieftain, Joe Igbokwe, gave the warning that Amaechi is embarrassing both President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC.
He said, through his popular Facebook page that the endless war in River state APC has weakened the party in the state as well as posing a danger to it at the national level.
Joe Igbokwe, currently the Special Adviser for Drainage and Water Resources to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, wrote on the wall of the Facebook page that “HON MINISTER ROTIMI AMAECHI SHOULD GO HOME AND STOP THESE ‘APC’ BOYS AND GIRLS IN RIVERS STATE FROM EMBARRASSING APC NIGERIA. RIVERS STATE IS BEING RULED BY PDP AND THAT IN ITSELF IS ANOTHER EMBARRASSMENT. WE CANNOT TAKE THIS SHIT ANY LONGER.”
His position was apparently in response to the statement by Amaechi supporters in the state who on Monday publicly threatened to ‘burn down River State and completely destroy it,” if any court give ruling against the interest of the former governor on the lingering leadership crisis of the party in the state.
Igbokwe said, “He (Amaechi) may be compelled to drop his position if he cannot call you fake APC members to order even when you could not deliver a single Counselor in that due selfish sense of superiority and imposing some fake and inordinate power you do not have.
“It is this kind of political stupidity that led Wike to dislodge you fake Buharists in Rivers. Meaningless bravado, selfishness, self importance, hustling tendencies with nothing to put on the table is the real problem, too much noise from Rivers,” Igbokwe who is said to be very close to APC national leader and former Lagos state governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu wrote.
June 24, 2020