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Give Us Cure To Covid-19, FG Begs Scientists
… As PTF Uncovers Impact Of Culture, Domestic Violence, Religious Beliefs As Emerging Consequences of Virus
Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Boss Mustapha on Thursday, fell short of pleading with scientists from all walks of life to come up with cure for the Coronavirus pandemic.
The SGF in a moody voice, while briefing Nigerians on the update and management of the virus, said with the continuous rise in the rate of infections, the only option left was for scientists to come up with a cure.
Recall that Wednesday 17th June, 2020 made it exactly three months since the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 was inaugurated.
The Committee upon inauguration was assigned the task of putting in place sustainable measures for the control of the spread of the virus and to strengthen the health care systems to withstand the deadly virus, three months after the cases of infections has increased to over 17,000 presently.
“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, “he stated.
The PTF chairman also complained of resistance of Nigerians to safety guidelines issued, saying the situation on ground has been compounded by shortage of essential materials to control the spread.
He listed current challenges to include inadequate infrastructure, manpower shortage, global shortage of essential items (test kits, PPE).
His words, “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.
“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. The COVID-19 has changed our ways of life and we may never go back to what we used to know”.
According to the PTF Boss, the journey ahead was even more important than the last three months.
He said no one should be left in doubt that the virus has assumed community dimension which poses more threats to the citizens.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“As we go forward,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, “he noted .
June 18, 2020
You have failed, Buhari tells Service Chiefs
By Gabriel Anuku
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, came hard on his security chiefs, saying their performance in tackling insecurity in the country was nothing to write home about.
It is probably the first time the President may be openly criticizing the services chiefs over their performance in the battle to check insecurity, especially insurgent crisis, banditry and kidnapping.
National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen. Babagana Mungonu (rted), gave an inkling to what transpired when Buhari met with the service chiefs.
According to the NSA, the President gave a stern directive that excuses will no longer be tolerated,hence he expects everyone to live up to expectations going forward.
Addressing State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting, Mungonu said the President also ordered him to meet with all northern governors including that of Niger State, in other to know what the problems are and find solution.
The meeting held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where Buhari was briefed on how the increasing security challenges across the country are being tackled.
Mungonu said, “the meeting was just concluded between Mr. President and heads of the security agencies, that is the operational heads consisting minister of Defence, the service chiefs and on the other hand, the intelligence components that is consisting of myself and the intelligence heads.
“Today’s meeting basically focused on recent developments. Mr. President has expressed great concern over the declining security situation in the country.
“He is extremely unhappy about what is happening and he feels that, even though the security agencies are doing their best, their best is not good enough for him and wants an immediate reversal of the current trend and immediate reversal of our misfortunes in all their dimensions.
“Mr. President also told us clearly in no uncertain terms, that he and indeed the administration campaign to power on the platform of three issues, fighting insecurity, overcoming our economic difficulties and dealing with the scourge of corruption. More so, he noted that it takes common sense for anyone to understand that without security, the pursuit of the other two will just be an exercise in futility.
“He, therefore, warns the security agencies to take into consideration the wider implication of the gradual decent of the security of this country, he is not going to accept any further escalation of the security situation.
“He also stated, that no one was forced on him, he selected everyone individually based on what he feels their records had revealed and therefore, it is up to individual Organisation to live up to the expectations.
“Again, Mr. President said that, it is extremely important that we in the security agencies, must ensure that we justify the leadership by not disappointing the populace”.
Mungonu said the President also pointed out the immediate areas of concern and these areas are also interlinked and we must find a way out, especially the issue of proliferation of drugs, small arms and light weapons.
“These two issues also go hand in hand with the major issues of criminality in this country, be there banditry on one hand on the north west of Nigeria or terrorism in the north east.
“Now, added to this, is also another area which rises concern, is the use of unregistered SIM cards. In my own brief, I dwelt on that issue and I raised concern that whatever we intend to achieve, we will not be able to get to the promised land unless we wrestle this issue of unrestrained acquisition of unregistered SIM cards.
“Mr. President has directed that I, as the National Security adviser should link up with the honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, to workout a blueprint to ensure the end of the irresponsible use of any SIM card.
“Of course, I urged my colleagues the Inspector General of Police and Director General of Department of State Services to help in this issue.
“Again, my office is going to call on, certain governors starting with the governors of the north west zone including the governor of Niger State, to come over into Abuja, so that I meet with them and my colleagues in intelligence and security.
“Finally, is about the issue of lack of synergy within the security sector. This has to be addressed also and has left us in no doubt that unless we address this issue and form a single front, the convergence of efforts, the confluence of all ideas be there operational or intelligence, must be achieved so that we no longer if at all there was this notion that groups were working in silos or stockpiling , they desist from that with immediate effect.
“We must have a central platform to coordinate all the efforts, all operations and security”.
In the final analysis, Mr. president has said, everyone is doing his best but his best is not good enough, that should send a signal to all of us. But again, it is also incumbent on the wider Nigerian population, to key into whatever the security agencies are doing.
“Understanding that there has been issue of lost of confidence, lost of trust, abuse or whatever, these issues will have to be addressed by a discuss between security agencies and the political leadership and of course the judiciary will come in.
“I, the National Security Adviser, wants to reassure Nigerians that each and every department or agency or component, will redouble its efforts and ensure that we reverse our dwindling fortunes for the betterment of this country in the remaining period they have in the life time of this administration”.
June 18, 2020
BREAKING: Troops destroy Boko Haram hideout in Sambisa forest
The Air Task Force of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has destroyed a compound housing some High Value Boko Haram Terrorist leaders and killed some of their fighters at Garin Maloma on the fringes of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State.
A statement by the Coordinator Defence Media Operations Major General John Enenche notes that this was achieved through massive air strikes executed to mark the launch of Operation LONG REACH, a
new subsidiary operation in the theatre, which commenced on 16 June 2020.
The attack was undertaken based on credible intelligence reports as well as days of surveillance missions indicating that the terrorists had begun using one of the compounds in the settlement for accommodation and training of their fighters.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was in Maiduguri to flag-off Operation LONG REACH commends the Air Task Force, directing them to intensify the air offensive against the terrorists and all other enemies of our Great Nation.
June 18, 2020
BREAKING: PDP postpones primary elections in Edo State
The Peoples Democratic Party has postponed its primary election in Edo State.
The primary election, which was earlier slated for June 19 and 20, has been postponed until June 23.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, told The PUNCH, “We have postponed our primary in Edo, till June the 23rd.”
Details later…
June 18, 2020
Kaduna State Govt gets mobile laboratory for COVID-19 test
Kaduna State Government says it has secured a mobile laboratory for COVID-19 test and other infectious diseases in the state.
Gov. Nasiru El-Rufai, who made this known on Thursday in Kaduna, said the laboratory, earlier donated by USAID for tuberculosis test, was deployed to the communities for COVID-19 test and the effort had yielded result.
He said the mobile laboratory tagged: Wellness On Wheels (WOW), which had been in the state for a while, was to increase the rate of testing in the communities.
“There is a 16 per cent rate of infection in the communities that have been tested. The high-risk areas are the border communities with neighbouring states that have large cases of the pandemic
“The testing has helped a lot because, for the first time, the government is getting the demographic spread of the pandemic in the state,” he said.
El-Rufai advised residents to adhere to the preventive measures as young people could have the disease without showing symptoms and could transmit it to their parents and older people which might lead to death.
The Coordinator of WOW, Dr Mustapha Tukur said the mobile laboratory had two components – the X-ray and COVID-19 testing units.
He said that the X-ray unit was for pathology test to determine tuberculosis and other lung-related diseases while the other unit was for COVID-19 test.
“It’s a collaborative effort, as we conduct these tests, Kaduna State Ministry of Health also performs other major tests of different ailments.
“The laboratory has the ability to test about 64 persons daily and results issued after 15 minutes.
“Within six days of commencing the test in Kaduna North, South and Kawo communities, 297 persons have been tested and 36 people were positive for COVID-19,” he said.
According to Tukur, there are just two of such mobile laboratory from USAID in the country, one in the South and one in Kaduna.
June 18, 2020
Protests in Benue as they records 8 rape cases in one week
A Civil Society Organization, Benue Coalition Against Rape, has staged a peaceful protest around Otukpo town against rising cases of rape in the south district of the state.
The coalition lamented that the area had recorded eight new rape cases in the last one week describing the development as worrisome.
Convener of the coalition, Yomi Itodo while addressing the gathering said the match was to create awareness about the dangers of rape and the need to put an end to the menace.
Although rising cases of rape across the country has elicited a public outcry, many are not satisfied with the responses from the legislative and executive arms of government
The psychological trauma victims of rape go through is enough reasons to seek an end to the menace.
The caregiver of a deceased rape victim, the late Ochanya Ogbanje, stresses that the protest is expected help create awareness about the dangers of rape in the district.
Looking for answers to unanswered questions, protesters take their walk to the Otupko Area police command where they are attended to.
June 18, 2020
Adamawa now free of Coronavirus – Govt
World Health Organisation commended mechanisms put in place by Adamawa state government for managing Coronavirus pandemic in the state.
The state is now free of Coronavirus cases after it discharged forty-two survivors of COVID-19, including medical personnel who got infected while discharging their duties.
The state government said after conducting tests for more than 150 persons in the last 16 days, Adamawa state is now free of COVID 19.
Five people have lost their lives to the Coronavirus in Adamawa State since it recorded its index case on April 22, 2020.
Chairman of the Containment Committee, Dr. Bashiru Ahmed thanked the development partners like the World Health Organization, UNICEF as well as health workers who have been in the frontline of containing the pandemic.
The Public Health Department warns residents that COVID-19 is real and urges anyone experiencing symptoms like dry-throat, sneezing, Loss of taste to walk up to COVID-19 centres for testing.
Presently, Adamawa has five isolation centres having tested more than 374 cases out of which 42 were positive for COVID-19.
June 18, 2020
FG pledges to stem growing rate of rape
With alarming figure of 717 reported cases of rape between January and May, the Federal Government has promised to do everything possible to stem the growing tide of the “pandemic”.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made the pledge on Thursday in Abuja when officials of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) paid him an advocacy visit.
“According to the Inspector-General of Police, between January and May 2020, a total of 717 rape cases were reported.
“That is an average of 143 cases per month and around five cases per day.
“And we are talking of reported cases. Definitely, there are also hundreds of unreported cases.
“This is totally unacceptable.
“The good news is that 799 suspects were arrested during the same period, while 631 cases were conclusively investigated and charged to court.
“It is said that the true measure of a society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members and that include women and children.
“I can assure you that the Federal Government will do everything possible to stem the growing tide of rape and gender-based violence in the country,” the minister said.
Mohammed disclosed that his ministry was partnering with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to launch a national campaign against rape and gender-based violence.
He said the campaign would include advocacy, public sensitisation and social mobilisation.
“The campaign is necessary not only to raise the level of awareness about rape and gender-based violence but to ensure that Nigerians own the fight against the abhorrent and repulsive criminal acts.
“I have no doubt that when we launch the campaign, the National Human Rights Commission will also join us,” he said.
The minister commended the NHRC for its ongoing advocacy campaign against rape and gender-based violence.
“Your campaign couldn’t have come at a more auspicious time.
“Today, as we are fighting the pandemic of COVID-19, we are also being confronted with another pandemic, the pandemic of rape,” he said.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mr Tony Ojukwu said “rape is a gross violation of human rights – the right to dignity, right to life, right to sexuality.’’
Ojukwu said the public outrage on account of rape and other violent crimes against women and girls leading to the death of some of the victims had reached a horrifying and scary proportion in recent times.
He, therefore, called for all hands to be on deck to address this pervasive crime in society.
He said the commission had put together week-long activism with the theme: “Equality and Dignity for Nigerian Women, Join the Fight against Rape and SGBV’’ to among others create and maintain visibility on the crime.
Ojukwu called on the minister to use his office to join other key stakeholders in the quest for a durable solution to the national challenge.
June 18, 2020
Hydroxychloroquine COVID-19 prevention trials incomplete: WHO
Hydroxychloroquine can be ruled out as a treatment for hospitalised COVID-19 patients — but the World Health Organization said Thursday it was aware of ongoing trials into its value as a preventative measure.
A decades-old malaria and rheumatoid arthritis drug, hydroxychloroquine has been at the centre of political and scientific controversy.
On Wednesday, the WHO decided to halt its trials of the drug for novel coronavirus patients in the hospital, after evidence from its own work and others that it had no effect on reducing the mortality rate.
But the UN health agency said Thursday that evidence from non-WHO trials into whether it might or might not be useful in preventing against the virus had not yet concluded.
“As far as the use of hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis or prevention of COVID-19 — either before or after exposure — the last word is not yet out,” WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told a virtual press conference.
“There are some good and big trials going on, and we hope those will be completed so that we have the kind of evidence that we need to make sure that patients receive the drugs which help — and do not receive drugs which do not help.”
Hydroxychloroquine has been touted as a possible treatment for the new coronavirus by high profile figures, including US President Donald Trump.
The drug has been included in several randomised clinical trials — considered the gold standard for clinical investigation — but the WHO said the evidence had led it to call time on its own trials.
“What is clear now is hydroxychloroquine does not have — we know for sure now — does not have an impact on the disease in mortality in hospitalised COVID-19 patients,” said Swaminathan, an Indian paediatrician.
“Where there is still a gap is: does it have any role at all in prevention, or in minimising the severity in early infection? We don’t know that, as yet,” she said.
Hydroxychloroquine is being tested on healthcare workers and others with heightened exposure to the virus in large, randomised trials.
June 18, 2020
COVID-19: WHO warns against unsupervised use of Dexamethasone
The World Health Organization has welcomed the initial clinical trial results from the United Kingdom that show that a cortico-steroid, ie dexa-methasone, can be lifesaving for patients who are critically ill.
Reacting to the development, South Africa said it was “considering” treating seriously ill Covid-19 patients with dexamethasone. Its ministerial advisory committee on Covid-19 said administering the steriod intravenously for 10 days may be considered for Covid-19 patients who are on ventilator support.
In Kenya, where Covid-19 infections are surging, public health director Patrick Amoth says dexamethasone has been used for “supportive management of Covid-19” in the country,and already included in Kenya Essential Medicines List 2019.
But Nigeria said it will wait for the World Health Organization to clear the drug before starting its trials. In a statement on Twitter, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said the government had not validated trials of dexamethasone.
Doctors however warned patients against self-medicating using dexamethasone, saying the drug should not be used in mild Covid-19 cases., as the drug might weaken the immune system and make one more susceptible to getting a severe form of the disease.
June 18, 2020