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Senate passes N10.8trn revised 2020 budget
The Senate on Thursday passed the revised 2020 budget of N10.8 trillion, the exact amount approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The budget was passed at both the Senate plenary and at the Committee of Supplies following the consideration of the report of the Senator Barau Jibri-led Committee on Appropriation, Daybreak reports.
The Senate increased the budget size of N10.5 trillion presented to it by the executive by about N300 billion.
The sum of N500 billion was passed in the budget as an intervention fund for COVID-19, while N186 billion was earmarked for the health sector.
The sum of N422 billion was for statutory transfers and N4.9trillion for recurrent expenditure.
Capital expenditure gulped N2.4 trillion while N2.9 trillion was earmarked for debt servicing.
Details later…
June 11, 2020
COVID-19: Obiano closes market, imposes curfew
The Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano has announced the closure of Eke Awka Central market from Monday next week.
A public service announcement by the Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu, on Thursday, said the decision was because of fragrant disobedience of COVID-19 protocol by traders and customers.
The government also imposed a curfew on Awka South Local Government Area where the market is situated from 8 pm to 6 am daily until further notice.
The announcement stated, “This is to inform the public that effective Monday, 15th June, 2020, Eke Awka Market, in Awka South Local Government will be shut down.
“This is as a result of non-compliance by the market traders and customers with COVID-19 protocols including wearing of protective face masks, provision of running water and soap for washing of hands and keeping of physical distancing.
“These actions by the government is as a result of increased cases of COVID-19 in Awka South Local Government.
“The government is also putting other market leaders and local government councils in the state on notice that a similar curfew action will be taken, and markets in the local government closed down if it is observed that such markets do not observe COVID-19 protocols.”
June 11, 2020
Senate confirms Dongban-Mensem as Appeal Court President
The Senate on Thursday passed the revised 2020 budget of N10.8 trillion, the exact amount approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The budget was passed at both the Senate plenary and at the Committee of Supplies following the consideration of the report of the Senator Barau Jibri-led Committee on Appropriation, Daybreak reports.
The Senate increased the budget size of N10.5 trillion presented to it by the executive by about N300 billion.
The sum of N500 billion was passed in the budget as an intervention fund for COVID-19, while N186 billion was earmarked for the health sector.
The sum of N422 billion was for statutory transfers and N4.9trillion for recurrent expenditure.
Capital expenditure gulped N2.4 trillion while N2.9 trillion was earmarked for debt servicing.
Details later…
June 11, 2020
Gunmen kidnap 90-year-old ex-gov Nyako’s brother in Adamawa
Police in Adamawa State have confirmed the kidnap of Alhaji Dahiru Nyako,90, a brother to former governor Murtala Nyako.
Police Public Relations Officer, Sulaiman Nguroje, in the state confirmed the development to NAN on Thursday in Yola.
Nguroje said the victim was kidnapped by suspected criminals about 2 a.m. on Thursday in his residence at Mayo – Belwa town, the headquarters of Mayo – Belwa Local Government Area.
“The command had already deployed Anti-kidnapping and Operation Farauta Squads for quick response and rescue missions,” Nguroje said.
Mayo–Belwa, Jada, Ganye and Tongo local government areas in southern Adamawa have been under siege due to the activities of kidnappers.
June 11, 2020
Borno attack: Buhari charges military to rescue abducted villagers
The President, Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, described as shocking the killings recorded in Gubio village, Borno State.
The state government had confirmed that 81 people were killed in the attack that was carried out on the village on Tuesday afternoon.
Seven persons, including a village head, were also said to have been abducted by the insurgents.
A statement by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described the killings said to have been carried out by Boko Haram/Islam in West Africa Province as one of the most brutal terrorist attacks on innocent people in the North East.
Shehu said the President, who was expecting a detailed briefing by the state governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, on the outcome of his visit to the affected communities, said the “primordial nature of the killings is particularly shocking because it happened not long after the Ramadhan and Eid, and the country is preparing to celebrate the Democracy Day.”
In condemning the incident, Buhari charged the armed forces to sustain their “recent string of successes against the terrorists to extract a heavy price from the attackers, and bring back all those they kidnapped as well as a large number of cattle rustled.”
He also expressed condolences of the government and people of Nigeria to the bereaved families, communities, and the government and people of the state.
June 11, 2020
FG rejected Iwu’s covid-19 medicines because he is Igbo- Gilbert Obi

A former President of the defunct Onitsha Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, OMATA, High Chief Gilbert Obi (a.k.a. Bravo) has alleged that Nigerian government shunned the medicine produced by Prof. Maurice Iwu for the treatment of coronavirus because Iwu is Igbo.
He also said that Nigeria does not value anything made by its citizens but prefer foreign made.

“I have said it times without number that Professor Maurice Iwu, a professor of Pharmacology and one time Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, who claimed he has drugs that will cure covid-19, should be appreciated but the Federal Government seems to have turned its back against his claim because Iwu’s drug is local or that he is of Igbo extraction,” Chief Gilbert Obi said.

While addressing newsmen in Onitsha Wednesday, he said- “Iwu asked the government to send covid-19 positive patients to him if it is in doubt on the efficacy of his drugs and there is this other one from Irish hospital in Lagos, that said it also has the drugs and even challenged the Federal Government to also send covid-19 positive patients to him for treatment”

Obi who is the CEO of Bravo West Africa limited also recalled what former President Olusegun Obasanjo said about covid-19 that, “it is business,” adding, “I don’t know how true it is but I know Covid-19 is not all that effective in Nigeria and Africa in general”.

“I can recall when my mother bathed me with water heated with lily leaves (dogon yaro) when sick and the malaria disappeared immediately and that is the cure for covid-19 which I believe the government is yet to let us believe”

“Those that were cured of the disease what drug did the government use, let them tell us, is it not chloroquine. I am not satisfied with the way government is handling the issue because they are in control, they know what to do” he stated.

Speaking further, Chief Obi predicted harsh economic recession that will descend on the country during the post covid-19 if proactive measures are not put in place now.

“Majority of our income comes from oil. Oil has from $50, $60, gone down to about $10 now. Nigeria is going to face very serious economic recession as soon as covid-19 is over.

“If much is not done now, it will take 20 years to recover. We are in trouble of herdsmen attack, Boko Haram, armed banditry, among others and government is not doing anything to help out matter” he said.
June 11, 2020
APC screens Obaseki for Edo 2020

Ahead of the Edo 2020 governorship election, embattled Governor, Godwin Obaseki has been screened by the panel constituted by the national headquarters of the All Progressives Congress, APC. The panel is to screen the six governorship aspirants of the party in Edo State.

The panel had earlier on Wednesday, shunned the governor for yet to be disclosed reason which made him leave the screening center for the Nigeria Governors’ Meeting.

Obaseki later released a statement, saying the committee had refused to pick his call to ascertain when he would be screened. He later returned to APC secretariat around 8.pm and was screened alongside Mathew Iduoriyekemwe, another aspirant for the party’s ticket.
June 11, 2020
Chinese, Irish medical experts exchange experience on COVID-19 via video conference, build synergy in pandemic response
By Jiang Nan, People’s Daily Online
A teleconference was held on March 13 at the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (SAHZU) for Chinese and Irish medical workers to share experience of the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
The teleconference, spanning nearly 9,000 kilometers, was a response to Oisin O’Connell, a consultant in Bon Secours Hospital Cork , who emailed the SAHZU days earlier asking for China’s experiences in pandemic response.
Medical experts with the SAHZU, the hospital’s medical workers fighting COVID-19 in Wuhan, the former epicenter of COVID-19, as well as 30 some experts from Irish medical institutions and colleges joined the teleconference.
The Irish side raised a series of questions of their greatest concerns, suchas the organization of manpower and resources, the rapid training of medical personnel, medication and short supply of medical materials.All the questions were answered in detail by SAHZU experts, who also shared with their Irish counterparts the Chinese schemes and Zhejiang’s experience in coping with the disease.
The influence of the conference even extended beyond Ireland’s borders. David Garry, a doctor with theIntensive Care Unit at UK’s Oxford University Hospitals, asked to join in the meeting after he learnt about it. Heheard the conference together with his colleagues at his hospital.
At the end of the two-hour experience exchange, the Irish experts extended their gratitude to the Chinese side, saying the Chinese experience is very valuable.
“We’ll do our best to help our Irish friends combat the crisis together, as long as you need us,” SAHZU president Wang Jian’an replied.
A few days later, the SAHZU received another invitation from Ireland.Deirdre McCarthy, News Managing Editor, Radio News Programmes and Regions of Ireland’s National Television and Radio Broadcaster Radio TelefísÉireann,saidshe wanted to make a TV show to introduce China’s experience in containing the virus to the Irish public.
Therefore,a second teleconference started on March 20, joined by not only medical experts, but also several citizens from Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province.
Xu Xueying, a professor at the School of International Studies of Zhejiang Universityshared her story during the quarantine.”I spent my time at home baking, doing exercise and readingin the past two months. I also followed closely the latest official release on the disease, which was transparent and open,” she said, adding that the Hangzhou citizens were concerned, but not panicked.
Medical and health institutions in Zhejiang province contributed to the efforts of their foreigncounterparts in fighting the pandemic. Likewise, cities and counties of the province also donated materials to and offered technical support to foreign countries, sister cities, friendly organizations and overseas Chinese of Zhejiang origin, carrying out international cooperation in multiple forms.
So far, the province has donated 152 batches of medical materials to sister cities in 45 countries, friendly organizations and institutions,as well as foreign missions stationed in China,including about 5.1 million pieces of masks, 68,000 protective suits, and 455,000 pairs of surgical gloves.
Besides, it also donated about 5.49 million pieces of masks and 12,000 protective totaling36 million yuan ($5.09 million) tooverseas Chinese.
June 11, 2020
Surprise, as Sen. T A Orji visits Uzor Kalu after ten years of feud

After ten years of what seemed irreconcilable dispute, former Governors Orji Uzor Kalu and Theodore Orji may have found fertile grounds to reconcile.
It certainly will surprise many that Theodore Orji on Tuesday visited his former boss, Orji Uzor Kalu in his Aso Villa residence, Abuja to felicitate with him over his release from Kuje prison.
Both Abia state leaders are serving senators in Nigeria.
Theodore Orji visited Orji Kalu in company with his wife, his former Chief of Staff, Mascot Uzor Kalu and a friend, Emma Custom.
It would be recalled that Theodore was Chief of Staff to Uzor Kalu for eight years and later helped him become governor as his successor after which they parted ways since 2010.
June 11, 2020
George Floyd: NCAC, NIDCOM hold memorial, call for justice
Mr Olusegun Runsewe, Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), has called on the authorities in the United States of America to ensure that justice is served in George Floyd killing.
Runsewe made the call during a memorial session held at NCAC headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday in honor of the slain African-American.
He added that it had become necessary for Nigeria to join other countries across the world to organise a memorial for George Floyd.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Floyd was killed while being arrested by the police in Minneapolis, United States of America, on May 25.
“It has become necessary to emphasis that as Africans, our culture has great respect for the sanctity of human life, we are a peaceful, loving and God-fearing people that detest violence.
“This is why we are joining the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission to ask for justice for late George Floyd and to propagate the message of peace all over the world.
“We believe that all men are created equal and have inalienable rights among which are rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
“From Africa to USA, Latin America, Asian, Europe and the Pacific, we say let justice flow; let love reign and let there be peace,” he said.
Also in attendance was Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).
In her tribute, Dabiri-Erewa reminded the crowd that witnessed the event that as blacks, demand for justice for Floyd’s death should be a collective effort as the DNA of an African runs in every African.
“As a black person, you must aspire to come back to your motherland where you can freely breathe.
“As a black person, you should think of coming back to Africa/Nigeria to invest in an environment where you can freely breathe.
“As a black person, come back to your home where you will be shown love,” she said.
There was a minute silence in memory of Late George Floyd and all the other black African heroes all over the world who had suffered violent attacks and even death on account of the colour of their skin. (NAN)
June 11, 2020