Lagos doctors begin indefinite sit-at-home to protest Police harassment

The Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA has directed doctors in state to proceed on an indefinite sit-at-home order to protest what they described as ‘conflicting directives by the government and incessant police harassment’ on medical doctors and other health workers in the state.

In a press statement made available to Vanguard, and jointly signed by the State Chairman of the NMA, Dr Saliu Oseni and the Secretary, Dr Ramon Moronkola, the sit-at-home order is expected to begin today, (Wednesday), 20th May 2020 from 6 pm.

The medical doctors maintained that it was no longer safe for their members to continue to provide healthcare services under the present confused arrangement |||READ MORE

 

Sweep bandits, kidnappers away from Katsina now – Buhari orders soldiers

Following the killings of innocent Nigerians in Katsina, President Muhammadu Buhari, Sunday ordered total crackdown on bandits and kidnappers perpetuating the heinous crimes in the state.

Buhari who in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu, asked security operatives to sweep away kidnappers and bandits in Katsina.

The statement reads: “A major proactive operation by Special Forces, which details are being kept secret, is now in progress to replace the reactive strikes against insurgent camps |||READ MORE

 

Caster Semenya to 'stick to 200m no matter what'

South African Olympic champion Caster Semenya has locked her focus into the 200m, no matter the result of her appeal to overturn last year's Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic rocked the sporting globe, Semenya was in a court battle to get the CAS decision that allowed athletics governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), to prescribe hormone-suppressing drugs for any woman with disorder of sex development (DSD) competing in 400m to 1 500m events.

Her last throw of the dice was the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, who had yet to reach a verdict by the time of the global sporting shutdown. In the meantime, Semenya, who outright refused to take the drugs, went to work on the 200m sprint distance |||READ MORE

 

Minister Harps on Importance of Science, Technology to Nigeria’s Devt

The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has stressed the need for Nigeria to look towards science and technology to develop the country, stating that any country that seeks development must pay adequate attention to the twin catalysts of national development.

According to a statement, Onu stated this while delivering a lecture at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, Plateau State.

The minister, who addressed participants of Senior Executive Course No. 42, spoke on the issues bothering on the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and how Nigeria can make an opportunity out of it by encouraging research and development |||READ MORE

 

 

Gambari: How not to love Nigeria

When it mattered most, the overwhelming majority of Nigerians entrusted the leadership and governance of the country into the hands of Muhammadu Buhari as President. He was massively chosen on the basis of what he represented and what he promised to bring to the table in the face of the daunting challenges facing the country at the time.

Also, many people won their elections seamlessly by mere association of their aspirations with that of Buhari at that time. In other words, rather the party, All Progressives Congress, APC, Muhammadu Buhari was the brand to beat.

Although he is exercising this mandate through the instrumentality of organs and institutions made up of appointed, elected and specialized individuals at various levels, and to a reasonable extent on the guidance of the manifestoes of his party, APC; it is the man Buhari who would solely take the glory and blame of the government and governance in the end |||READ MORE

Vatican, Italy resume public church services as lockdown eases

Pope Francis inaugurated the full reopening of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Monday and Catholic churches across Italy held public Masses for the first time in two months, in the latest easing of coronavirus restrictions.

Francis said a private Mass in a side chapel where St. John Paul II is buried to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the late Polish pope’s birth. John Paul II was made a saint in 2014.

The basilica, which on Friday underwent a sanitising process to make it as coronavirus-free as possible, later opened to the public for Masses by priests on other side altars after the pope had left |||READ MORE

WMA decries violence against health workers worldwide

The World Medical Association, WMA, Monday raised the alarm over the rising tide of violence against health workers around the world, describing the situation as an international emergency that was intolerable.

The Association in a press statement made available to Vanguard and signed by the WMA Secretary-General, Dr. Otmar Kloiber, said urgent action was required to combat the trend.

“Over the last decade, we have seen a surge of violence against health personnel worldwide. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, this phenomenon has expanded dramatically |||READ MORE

Bill Gates, bogeyman of virus conspiracy theorists

False claims targeting billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates are gaining traction online since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, with experts warning they could hamper efforts to curb the virus.

Doctored photos and fabricated news articles crafted by conspiracy theorists — shared thousands of times on social media platforms and messaging apps, in various languages — have gone as far as accusing the Microsoft founder of creating the outbreak.

Gates, who has pledged $250 million to efforts to fight the pandemic, is the latest in a string of online targets despite the World Health Organization’s efforts to fight what it called an “infodemic” — misinformation fanned by panic and confusion about the virus |||READ MORE

 

15-man Chinese team leaves Nigeria soon — CCECC

Managing Director, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Nigeria Ltd, Michael Yigao, says the 15-man Chinese team that arrived in the country on April 8 are in the company’s care.

Yigao, who made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja while reacting to concerns as to the whereabouts of the team, said the team would be leaving the country soon.

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire had said during a Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing that team was the “guests of the Federal Government but that of the construction company” |||READ MORE

 

China pledges $2bn to fight global pandemic

China said it will contribute two billion dollars over the next two years for the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese President, Xi Jinping on Monday announced.

The money is not only earmarked for health measures, but also for development aid for affected countries.

Xi said in a message to the World Health Organisation’s annual conference |||READ MORE

Buhari holds virtual meeting with Governors’ Forum

President Muhammadu Buhari has charged state governors cooperate with the Presidential Task Force PTF on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.

The President who spoke to the Governors’ Forum in a virtual meeting on Monday, particularly charged the governors to continue educating and persuading their citizens to accept the reality of COVID-19 in the country and live responsibly.

In a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, the President said the PTF had briefed him on next steps in the national response to the pandemic, “and I have directed that they work very closely with the Governors.” |||READ MORE

 

 

BREAKING: Bulama sworn in as APC National Secretary

National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomole on Monday inaugurated Arch. Waziri Bulama as the party’s new National Secretary.

The inauguration took place at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja with Borno and Gombe Governors in attendance |||RAED MORE

FIFA To Select 2023 Women’s World Cup Host June

The Federation of International Football  (FIFA) has announced it will announce the host of the 2023 women’s World Cup on June 25  this year.

FIFA made the announced in a statement released on their official website on Friday.

The world football governing body stated that the host country will be announced during its council meeting which will be conducted  online |||READ MORE

 

Trump hopes for COVID-19 vaccine by end of year, ‘maybe before’

United States President, Donald Trump, on Friday said he hoped a COVID-19 vaccine would be available by the end of the year, and announced he was appointing a former pharmaceutical executive to spearhead the effort.

“We are looking to get it by the end of the year if we can, maybe before,” Trump said, as he delivered an update on the race for a vaccine.

“We think we are going to have some very good results coming out very quickly,” he told reporters in the Rose Garden of the White House |||READ MORE

Child marriage could rise after coronavirus pandemic – Experts

The economic impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic could fuel a rise in child marriage and cohabitation in developing nations, researchers warned on Friday.

Researchers led by Britain’s Oxford University interviewed 345 adolescents in India, Ethiopia, Peru and Zambia for the long-term Young Marriage and Parenthood study.

National and UN-led international programmes have reduced the number of children, particularly girls, marrying under 18 years old, they found |||READ MORE

 

Ten buildings collapse at erosion site in Anambra

No fewer than 10 buildings including a school and church have collapsed at Obeleagu St. and Nkissi Aroli axis of Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra following erosion caused by downpour.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Obeleagu community in Onitsha metropolis has been threatened by gully erosion which has turned into an unending nightmare for the people of the area.

NAN recalls that the Minister of State for Environment, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor accompanied by the Deputy Governor of the state, Dr Nkem Okeke had in October 2019, inspected the erosion site and promised that work would be carried out on the site |||READ MORE

Returnee Nigerians to pay for quarantine

Stranded Nigerians that are returning home will henceforth offset their two-week quarantine bill on arrival, according to the revised guidelines.

Hitherto, the returnees were only required to pay for their flight while the government took care of their two weeks stay in isolation.

Returnees from United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United States and the United Kingdom who are currently kept in Lagos and Abuja hotels are being taken care of by the government. The new guidelines stopped that |||READ MORE

 

How I survived COVID-19 attack, by Okupe

A former presidential spokesman on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, who has just recovered from the COVID-19 disease shares his experiences on how he was treated for the disease. Okupe and his wife, who was also infected, have both recovered after treatment that lasted about two weeks. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the former presidential aide gave detailed accounts of the drugs and medications that he used in treating himself and his wife.

Okupe wrote: “The medications I took for my COVID-19 virus infections are Hydroxychloroquine 400mg daily for three days. Then I took Azithromycin 500mg daily for 10 days, Zinc sulphate 100mg daily till today and Vitamin C 1200 mg daily till now”. According to him, he had malaria while on admission and was effectively treated with an anti-malaria drug.

“I also developed a cough after about a week and was effectively treated by a fairly large dose of Augmentine for seven days.”|||READ MORE

Rihanna officially named the richest female musician in the UK

Singer Rihanna has been named as the richest female musician in the UK with an estimated fortune worth N219 billion (£468m).

The singer, who moved to London in 2019, has overtaken Elton John and Mick Jagger to claim third place in the UK musician category.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Paul McCartney are joint first, with fortunes of N375 billion (£800m) each according to The Sunday Times Rich List |||READ MORE

Man in emotional pain after discovering one of his twins isn't his

A Chinese man has inconsolably broken down after discovering that his twin babies have two fathers, meaning one of them is not his.

Daily Mail reports that the discovery was made known after the babies’ unnamed parents did a DNA test as part of the process to register their births in China.

The man could not take it after the result pointed at the fact that the mother had s*x with another person aside from him |||READ MORE