The Oyo State Government has indicated that it might return the 1 , 800 bags of rice donated to the state by the Federal Government as COVID- 19 palliative on the grounds that the rice had been infested with weevils.
The state government took delivery of the three trailer loads of rice through the Nigeria Customs Service .
The Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Agribusiness , Dr Debo Akande, explained that the 1 , 800 bags of rice from the Federal Government had spoilt .
Akande said , “ We received these items from the Federal Government via the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs , Disaster Management and Social Development and we brought them to the warehouse . It was in the process of further inspection that we discovered that the rice had been infested with weevils.
“ On that basis, we formed a committee to re- inspect it so we can be sure of what we have received .
“ We don ’ t want to create another problem while providing solution to another one . We have inspected it; we have done random selection and we have seen that similar things apply across the board.
“ We have agreed to return them to the source but if there are good ones with good quality that could be sent to us as replacement, we will be glad to receive them. ”
Akande promised that the situation would not in anyway delay the planned distribution of palliatives by the state government .
He added , “ We all know that a good number of food items have been received by the Food Security Committee of the Task Force and they would be distributed in the next couple of days . We have in place a robust system for distribution and that we have finalised on it . ”
The Dutch football federation called an end to the 2019-20 season , as the Eredivisie became the first top European league called off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
No team will be declared champions after Ajax and AZ Alkmaar were left level on points at the top of the table.
A KNVB statement read: “Unfortunately, with the cabinet’s most recent corona measures, it has become impossible to complete the 2019/2020 season of professional football competitions in time – it will be crystal clear to everyone involved, from supporters and players to directors and referees, that public health always comes first.
“The professional football board, after consulting clubs, players and coaches, and with the approval of the Supervisory Board, has decided to stop the 2019/20 competition and to allow the allocation of European club football seats based on the current league table.
“This is in accordance with UEFA guidelines. In relation to promotion and demotion, it has been decided not to promote and not to be demoted.”
The Federal Government said that wearing of face mask in markets across the country would become compulsory.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Richard Adeniyi Adebayo who disclosed this in Abuja at the weekly engagement with the Emergency Operation Centre of the Committee On Sustainable Production/Delivery of Essential Commodities during COVID-19, said: “I need to stress that, while there is an undeniable need for markets to be opened on some days for people to restock on household supplies, it is most important for the set protocol to be complied with during the process.
‘’The use of face masks and hand sanitisers on market days are non-negotiable to limit the spread of the virus until the scourge blows over.”
Adebayo also used the forum to call on security operatives to allow farmers access their farms for necessary farm activities, such as fertilizing and harvest in order to ensure food sufficiency during COVID-19 and beyond.
‘’The farmers must wear their face masks as well as observe other preventive measures before they are let through.
“ The synergy between our law enforcement agencies, our essential goods manufacturers and the producers and the Ministry, has allowed us to be able to meet critical demands at this time.’’
Barely two days to the end of the second round of a 14-day shutdown of the nation’s capital, Abuja as well as Lagos and Ogun states, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control NCDC has hinted at the likelihood of the extension of the current lockdown, saying Nigeria has not gotten to the point where its containment protocols could be relaxed.
This was even as the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC warned the federal government against deploying the Contributory Pension Fund as Palliatives in the fight against the Novel Coronavirus.
On its part, the Federal Government which promised not to touch the pension fund announced that Nigeria’s insurance industry has offered life insurance to 5, 000 health workers who are in the front line of the fight against Covid-19.
The government also asked farmers in the country to get set to return to the farm as the planting season begins, saying the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has put in place several farming incentives.
These were some of the disclosures yesterday in Abuja at the daily briefing of the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19.
Lockdown continues
Speaking at the event, Director General of the NCDC, Dr Chikwe Iheakwazu said while relevant authorities are working hard to get to a point where the restriction measures can be eased, the country was yet to get to that point.
He said; “I will like to start by thanking everyone for their continued sacrifice on this journey and their continued cooperation with the lockdown as advised and instituted by Mr President and many other Governors across the country.
As we travelled around the country over the last four days, we could really see how difficult it has been and how hard Nigerians have been trying to do their best. We know it is a difficult journey but we also know that we will eventually exit this stage and we return to our normal lives, but that stage is still a while to come and I ask for your endurance, your support, your patience. A lot of efforts are going on across the world to find new therapies, to find vaccines and everybody is pushing very hard in this direction. So, we need to stay firm.
“Spreading the virus, we do when we go out. We are an outgoing society. We live and work outdoors. So, staying at home and thinking about every movement we make is very important especially when we feel the need to travel. I recognize how difficult these things are at the moment. Many families I know personally have not been able to bury their dead, they have rescheduled their marriages, baptisms and everything they are doing.
So, in a way, it feels like life has been suspended or we have suspended so many of the things that we hold dear. I am sure that as leaders, we recognise the sacrifices being made by all Nigerians but we have to encourage each other to continue. Continue until we get to the position where we can relax some of that, but to get to that place, we have to continue in the short term”, he added.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie came into her own in 2003 when she wrote the widely-successful Purple Hibiscus. The MacArthur Foundation Fellowship recipient has since gone on to write Half of a Yellow Sun (that has since been adopted into a movie), Americanah, Dear Ijeawele or A Feminist Manifesto In Fifteen Manifesto, and The Thing Around Your Neck. The highly-acclaimed Nigerian author has many other achievements including her TED Talks on The Danger of A Single Story and We Should All Be Feminists. Described in The Times Literary Supplement as the most prominent of a procession of critically acclaimed young anglophone authors (who) is succeeding in attracting a new generation of readers to African literature, her works range from novels to short stories to nonfiction. Chiemelie Ezeobi, who recently sat down with the THISDAY Newspaper Woman of the Decade writes that issues surrounding feminism, sexism, training the male child, and the pressure in writing were laid bare on the table
Does your success in any way put pressure on you?
Not really, I have a lot of pressure but it is on myself, I have always been like that. In primary school if I got 97 per cent, I was upset because I wanted to get a 100. As a writer, I do a lot of editing. My editing for Half of a Yellow Sun in particular, I wasn’t ready to let go, I wanted it to be perfect. I kept editing and at some point, my editor said to me Chimamanda this is it, you’re done. You have been done with this book for six months, you’re done. I think it is because there is a part of me that knows that there is no such thing as perfection, but I am still always looking for it.
Americanah’s adaptation into a television program is already in the works, what contribution did you make in them?
No, very much because the way it works is that you don’t really have much of a say. What I did was that I had a choice in who I sell rights to, and who I gave the rights to.
So much attention is focused on the girl-child and nothing is done about the male child. Are you in any way going to do that?
I really want to talk to boys more, I really do, because I think it can not just be girls we have to talk about boys too. Because it’s the same boys that will grow and meet up the girls. And also gender benefits boys and men yes, because the expectations for boys and men are also difficult.
From the time they are two years old, they are told you can not cry, you have to be strong, you have to provide. It is not easy so I think it is important for us to change that, to start to tell people who are raising boys, apart from mothers; let them cry, they don’t always have to provide, if he doesn’t want to do a manly thing leave him alone.
Because it is what you teach the child that the child grows up with, and I really think that many boys were not taught, they don’t know how to communicate, nobody told them how to, so they get married and the women are like he doesn’t tell me he loves me. The man is like but erhm, I bought rice, the woman is like it is not rice I want. Nobody told him from the time he was five years old , he doesn’t know how to do it. So I’m interested really in talking to boys more and more, because I’m used to talking to girls.
On social media, anytime the issue of feminism comes up, you always trend, whether you are involved or not. Can you break down for people that don’t understand, what does feminism actually mean, because there is a twisted knowledge of what feminism actually means Feminism in a very simple definition is the belief that women and men should have equal opportunity in every sphere of life. But really, the reason that it is misunderstood is that it always depends on the context. I think there are some people who don’t want women to be equal, that’s for sure. There are people who do, but don’t understand feminism.
But does that bother you?
Yeah, it bothers me because I want to change their mind and I want to go and convince them. Which is why I’m always open to having a conversation. I like to have a good argument as long as the argument is in good faith and respectful. Because I think sometimes people don’t know somethings. What I say to people is to think about it in terms of justice. We are black people, we know that, maybe not in Nigeria, but in other countries, black people experience racism.
When a black man says I experienced racism, I know he doesn’t want somebody to tell him, go and sit down you don’t know what you’re talking about, there is no racism. So I think, when women still experience sexism we should also listen to them, I think women are often not listened to. Nobody wants to Lord it over anybody, I don’t believe, for example that women are somewhat angels, they are not. Women are just normal, women can do good and do bad, men can do good and do bad.
My point is, we should not say, because you’re a woman you cannot be governor, because you are a woman you cannot continue working if you marry, because you’re a woman you must know how to cook. I say this all the time, the knowledge of cooking doesn’t come from the vagina, everybody learns it and anybody can learn it. There are some women who got married, very intelligent, very industrious, but their husbands says you cannot work. They stay at home, they are unhappy, frustrated, they could have brought in earnings but they are not bringing in.
What are we losing as a society and as a country when we hold these women back, the women who might have run for political office. How do we know that Nigeria would not be better if they had run? So for me, it’s a question of giving everybody equal opportunity, don’t hold people back based on the gender that they are. That’s what it is for me.
Obileye, known for his role in the movie ‘Hostages, reportedly died on Friday morning after battling an undisclosed ailment.
Confirming the development, Nigerian actor and comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka in a tribute on his Instagram page thanked the deceased for the good memories.
“If tears could build a stairway and memories were a lane, we would walk right up to heaven and bring you back again. “
“Rest In Peace Uncle Yomi Obileye. Thanks for the memories.
“I can’t help but want to watch “HOSTAGES” again. Sleep well Egbon and may God give your family and fans the fortitude to bear the loss,” he added.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo charged that China may have known of the new coronavirus as early as November, renewing accusations that Beijing has not been transparent and again drawing ire from China.
“You’ll recall that the first cases of this were known by the Chinese government maybe as early as November, but certainly by mid-December,” Pompeo said in an interview.
“They were slow to identify this for anyone in the world, including the World Health Organization,” he told conservative radio host Larry O’Connor.
Pompeo said the United States still wanted more information from China including the original sample of the SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in the metropolis of Wuhan.
“This issue of transparency is important not only as a historical matter to understand what happened back in November and December and January, but it’s important even today,” Pompeo said.
“This is still impacting lots of lives here in the United States and, frankly, around the world.”
China hit back on Friday, saying Pompeo’s remarks were “totally groundless and entirely for the purpose of blaming others”.
Pompeo’s comments ran “counter to the general consensus of the global community”, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing, adding that China had “provided timely information to the world” and actively cooperated with others.
China initially closely guarded information of the virus and silenced whistleblowers. The first official acknowledgement of what became a global pandemic came on December 31 when authorities in Wuhan reported mysterious cases of pneumonia.
Michael Ryan, emergencies director at the World Health Organization, said the UN body first spoke of an event in Wuhan on January 4 via Twitter and provided “detailed information” the following day to all member countries.
President Donald Trump’s administration has harshly criticized both China and the WHO, blaming them for not stopping the illness that has killed more than 180,000 people worldwide.
Critics say that Trump is seeking to deflect from his own handling of the coronavirus, which he claimed to have “totally under control” in January but has since killed nearly 50,000 people in the United States — more than any other country.
Pompeo has previously not ruled out that the virus originated in a virology laboratory in Wuhan and has demanded international access to it.
China has dismissed the theory. Its scientists have said that the virus probably was transmitted to humans at a meat market in Wuhan that butchered exotic animals, though Chinese officials have more recently cast doubt about its origins.
The Management of the University of Benin , Edo State has directed the compulsory use of face masks on its campus to curtail the spread of coronavirus .
The varsity’ s Public Relations Officer , Dr Benedicta Ehanire , announced the directive in a statement issued on Friday in Benin .
Ehanire said , “This is in line with the Edo State Government’ s policy , in the efforts to check the spread of COVID- 19 in the state.
“ Staff , residents, and visitors to UNIBEN campuses are hereby advised to comply with this directive .
“ No one should transact any business or engage in any form of interaction with others in the offices and within the public spaces without a face mask .
“ Everyone is enjoined to cooperate with security personnel, charged with carrying out infrared thermometer testing at the gates. ”
Ehanire advised the general public to obey the directives of the Federal Government by practising social distancing , washing of hands frequently and staying at home.
Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs has announced that Ramadan will start on Friday , April 24 .
The NSCIA President – General and Sultan of Sokoto , Muhammad Sa ’ ad Abubakar , announced this in a broadcast .
He confirmed that the new moon was sighted on Thursday in different parts of the country, meaning that Ramadan will start on Friday in Nigeria , according to reports .
He said the reports of the moon sighting were received from Muslim leaders and organisations across the country.
He said , “ After due verification and authentication by the national moon sighting committee and states committees ’ confirmation , as well as routine scrutiny , I hereby announce the sighting of the new moon of Ramadan signifies the end of Sha ’ aban 1441 AH .
” In accordance with Islamic law , the Muslim faithful are to commence fasting on Friday accordingly . ”
Meanwhile , the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan also starts on Friday in Saudi Arabia and most Arab countries .
Other Arab countries who have also announced that Ramadan will start on Friday include Kuwait , Qatar , Tunisia , Lebanon , Egypt , the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq ’ s Sunni Muslim minority .
Italy began conducting antibody tests in the northern region of Lombardy , seeking information about coronavirus immunity to help guide authorities as they reopen the long locked – down country.
Lombardy , the region hardest- hit by the coronavirus crisis in Europe ’ s worst – affected country, is betting that the science about “ herd immunity ” derived from the blood tests will help the prosperous industrial region return to work faster and safer.
Nearly 13 , 000 people have already died of the virus in densely populated Lombardy , whose capital is Milan — more than half of Italy ’ s total dead .
Although Germany has already started nationwide antibody tests and countries such as Finland and Britain have announced plans to roll them out , many questions remain about how reliable data derived from the tests will be .
Health authorities have said 20 , 000 tests would be performed every day in Lombardy . First to be tested are those in the worst – hit provinces : health workers , those under quarantine showing coronavirus symptoms and those they have been in contact with , as well as others with mild symptoms .
Authorities hope to roll out the tests to the wider region after April 29 .
The head of Italy ’ s National Health Council , Franco Locatelli , said last month that antibody tests would help authorities determine the spread of the coronavirus .
Data would also provide “ very relevant information on herd immunity ” which would useful in developing strategies to help restart the country, he said , such as who could be allowed to go back to work.
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