The Lagos State Government has withdrawn charges against a musician, Azeez Fashola , alias Naira Marley , and a politician, Babatunde Gbadamosi .
Naira Marley , Gbadamosi and his wife were charged before the Lagos State Magistrates ’ Court in Ogba for attending a crowded birthday party in violation of the government ’ s social distancing directive to check the spread of coronavirus .
They were scheduled for arraignment , according to reports .
But the government , according to one of the defence counsel, Mr Ebun- Olu Adegboruwa (SAN ), withdrew the four counts filed against the three defendants .
Earlier reports said that policemen barred journalists from the court premises.
At the end of the proceedings , Adegboruwa briefed journalists on what transpired in the courtroom.
He said the state withdrew the charges on the condition that the defendants would tender an apology to the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd . ) , and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo -Olu .
There was a fire outbreak at the Treasury House, which is the headquarters of the Office of the Accountant – General of the Federation .
The cause of the fire , which started about 10 am , is yet to be known .
Reports gathered that as soon as the incident started , men of the Federal Fire Service were alerted to assist in putting out the fire .
They were later joined by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency , the Nigeria Police Force and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board .
Doctors treating the over 40 COVID- 19 patients at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital , Gwagwalada, have complained about the failure of the Federal Government to pay them their allowances , according to reports .
Newsmen learnt on that there are five doctors and four nurses , as well as three cleaners working at the isolation centre who are collectively owed over N 30 m.
News correspondent was informed that due to the sensitive nature of the disease , the government picked and trained the five doctors with a promise to pay them the sum of N50 , 000 daily while nurses were to be paid N40 , 000 .
The allowances are also supposed to cover feeding as well as accommodation
They were also promised hotel accommodation near the hospital .
However , top health officials told news correspondent that only N40 , 000 had been given to each doctor since they started working there on February 15 , 2020 .
A top source said the doctors had already started working on suspected cases at the isolation centre before the first confirmed case in Abuja on March 20 , 2020 .
He said , “ We were paid N20 , 000 the first week and then N 20 , 000 the following week and we haven ’ t received anything since then . When we started , we were promised N50 , 000 per day for doctors while nurses receive N40 , 000. The cleaning staff were promised about N25 , 000 per day .
“ The health minister said during the Presidential task force briefing recently that we were well taken care of but we have not received anything besides the N 40 , 000 in the last two months.
“ When we went to understudy Lagos at the time the disease first broke out in February, we were told that the doctors were receiving N50 , 000 per day . In fact , Dr Ismail Abdusalam, who was in charge of the doctors , said N40 , 000 was paid to nurses , N20 , 000 to cleaners and then there was a special package for security while the staff that come in contact with patients would be placed on life insurance . That was the template we used . ”
The health worker said some firms had offered to take care of the doctors but the hospital authorities seem to be more interested in donated equipment and neglecting the staff .
“ The CMD claims the government has not released the funds but the government claims the money has been released , ” he said .
A nurse who also spoke to newsmen said they would rather have the allowances than have life insurance which is only payable in the event of death .
The nurse added , “It is because we are not well taken care of that health workers don ’ t want to join in this COVID- 19 fight . We have been working since February 9 . On February 9 we had the first set of suspected cases that were Chinese . They were later discovered to be negative and discharged .
“ We had the second set of Chinese that were negative discharged . We had set of Nigerians that were discharged before we had final set that turned out positive and treatment started . We have not been received anything since then .
“ They are thinking of bringing volunteers and retired doctors while we that have been in the trenches have been abandoned . ”
A spokesperson for the hospital , Frank Omagbon , neither responded to calls nor a text message .
Similarly, the Director , Hospital Services , Dr . Adebimpe Adebiyi, could not be reached for comment.
However , a top source at the ministry of health said , “ The money will soon be released . We appreciate the 24 -hour job the doctors are doing. They should be just a little more patient . ”
The result of COVID- 19 second test done for the chairman of the governing board of the University College Hospital , Ibadan , Ibrahim Shetima , has returned positive .
Shetima had been in isolation at a special ward in the UCH after he tested positive for coronavirus two weeks ago .
The Public Relations Officer of the institution , Mr Toye Akinrinlola, had said the chairman manifested symptoms of the virus shortly after the last board meeting of the hospital began in Ibadan , adding that the test conducted on him revealed that he was positive for COVID – 19 .
Akinrinlola, in another interview with news correspondent , said Shetima would continue to receive treatment at the UCH and that a third test would be done in a few days .
He said , “ As I earlier said , the chairman only attended the first day of the board meeting on Tuesday , 24 th of March , 2020 . It was at the meeting that he began to exhibit symptoms of COVID- 19 . The meeting was suspended and a test was done and result came out positive. He was placed in a special ward at the hospital for treatment .
“ A repeat test , which was done to see if he was negative after a series of treatments , was conducted two days ago ( Sunday ) and the result still showed positive.
“ He is being treated at an isolation centre at the UCH . He will continue treatment and a third test would be done at an appointed time. ”
The UCH image maker , however , said Shetima was “ sharp and alert . ”
He added , “ The chairman ’ s case is not severe. He is sharp and alert but we have to attain that negative status before we can consider him as fully recovered . The record we have places him around 65 years of age. ”
Also at the meeting was the Chief Medical Director of the hospital , Prof Jesse Otegbayo, who later tested positive for the virus . After days of treatment , a reconfirmation test was carried out on the CMD which came out negative on Sunday .
Akinrinnola said, “At the meeting , the chairman was sitting close to the CMD , Chairman , Medical Advisory Committee and at least two other top officials of the hospital. As of today , none of these people is showing any symptom. The CMD that was found to be positive is now negative when a confirmatory test was done . Hopefuly , the chairman will be negative too when the third test is be done . ”
Despite opposition by the Nigerian Medical Association, the visiting 15 -member medical team from China will arrive the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport , Abuja , on a chattered Air Peace aircraft on Wednesday ( today ) .
The personnel, who are experts in infectious diseases , respiratory illness, intensive care , cardiology , neurology, general surgery and anesthesiology , will be coming with their drugs , and equipment to carry out Covid – 19 tests on the staff of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation in the country .
The Executive Director, CCECC , Mr Jacques Liao , said in a statement in Abuja , that the medical team would be coming with 16 – ton test kits , ventilators, disinfection machine , disposable medical masks, drugs , infrared thermometer and other items ordered by the Federal Government.
Liao dispelled what he described as the controversy about the team’ s visit , stating that “ the primary purpose of the team is to provide CECC employees with critical and necessary healthcare . ”
He added , “ All members of the working team have tested negative for COVID- 19 and shall commence their stay in Nigeria by spending 14 days in quarantine .
“ The primary purpose of the team is to provide CCECC employees with critical and necessary health care assistance. They are also coming with adequate personal protective equipment and medical items for the employees . ”
The director explained that under the directive of the Embassy of China in Nigeria and in response to the Federal Government’ s request , the team may also share with their Nigerian counterparts effective methods on COVID- 19 containment .
Liao explained that in keeping with CCECC ’ s corporate value, ‘ stride with Nigeria , ’ the firm would be participating in the construction of two COVID- 19 response facilities in the Federal Capital Territory for free .
Meanwhile , the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives, has rejected the decision of the Federal Government to bring in Chinese doctors and nurses to assist in tackling the coronavirus pandemic .
The lawmakers on Tuesday , said the decision to bring in people from “ the hotbed of the plague ” was not in Nigeria ’ s best interest. They urged the Federal Government to suspend the plan .
Their position was contained in a statement signed by the House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu ( PDP, Delta ) , in Abuja .
Elumelu , said the caucus wanted the Federal Government to rescind its decision to import doctors from the “ hotbed of the plague into our country at this critical time. ”
The statement read in part , “The lawmakers note that Nigerian doctors and nurses are doing well so far in managing the scourge , and express fears that bringing in Chinese medical personnel, whose status, intentions and scope cannot be easily ascertained and controlled is totally against our national interest.
“ The Federal Government should note the apprehensions of Nigerians and professional bodies including the Nigeria Medical Association over the decision . The caucus notes that this is particularly after alleged escalation of the pandemic in certain countries after Chinese doctors were reportedly involved , in addition to widespread trepidations over the safety of medical equipment and kits from China at this point in time .
“ At such critical time , the safety and wellbeing of our citizens must be paramount and anything that is capable of further jeopardising their lives must be avoided . ”
Former Ecuador President , Rafael Correa , was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for corruption while in office , the attorney general ’ s office said .
Correa , who was president from 2007 to 2017 but now lives in exile in Belgium , where his wife was born , was one of 18 people convicted of bribery , the office said on Twitter .
Correa , who has always claimed to be a victim of political persecution and accuses his country’ s judges of complicity , hit out at the sentence .
“ I know the process and what the judges say is a LIE . They ’ ve proved absolutely NOTHING . Pure false testimony without evidence, ” he wrote on Twitter .
He was found guilty of accepting funds from private businesses for his 2013 election campaign in return for state contracts .
Amongst the others sentenced was former Vice- President Jorge Glas , who had already been sentenced to six years in prison in a separate case for accepting a bribe from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht .
The court also banned all those convicted from political “ participation ” for 25 years .
“ This was what they were looking for : manipulating justice to achieve what they never could at the ballot box , ” said the leftist Correa , who turned 57 on Monday .
The former leader said he was “ concerned ” for his colleagues, adding : “For sure we ’ ll win (an appeal ) at the international level because all this is ridiculous . ”
Oyo State has recorded two new cases of coronavirus , bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the state to 11 .
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, announced this in a tweet .
He said , “The COVID- 19 confirmation test for two suspected cases came back positive, today . One of the new cases is a 28 – year- old woman who returned to the country from the United Arab Emirates on March 22 , 2020 . The second case is a 42 – year- old man who is a contact of an earlier confirmed COVID- 19 case .
“ The isolation process has been initiated , contact tracing and collection of samples have commenced . This brings the number of confirmed cases in Oyo State to 11 . Two cases have been discharged . So , there are nine active cases .
“ Please , keep following the directives of the Oyo State COVID- 19 Task Force : Wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol – based hand sanitiser regularly . Also , continue to maintain social distancing . ”
The President , Major – General Muhammadu Buhari (retd . ) , has approved the suspension of the payment of interest on debts owed by state governments .
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed , who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja , said this was part of measures to reduce the debt burden on state governments .
The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning is expected to meet with the Central Bank of Nigeria to work out details of the moratorium.
The moratorium, according to the minister , would be granted on the Federal Government and CBN- funded loans in order to create fiscal space for the states , given the projected shortfalls in FAAC allocations .
Accordingly , she said as soon as monthly average FAAC receipts fell below a specific threshold, interest and capital payments by states would be suspended till monthly average FAAC receipts exceeded the threshold.
She said details of this moratorium would be expeditiously worked out with a view to submitting the final proposals for the President ’ s guidance and final approval.
The minister described the intervention as vital to creating fiscal said states would be encouraged to explore similar arrangements for their outstanding debts to commercial banks .
Osun State Government has said it would begin the distribution of relief materials to cushion the effects of the coronavirus lockdown on the residents effective Wednesday(tomorrow) .
The government had ordered a 14 – day lockdown , starting from Wednesday , April 1 to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the state .
The Secretary to the State Government, Wole Oyebamiji , said the distribution would be done across all polling units in the state , adding that the items would be distributed without preference for any party or religion.
He further explained that the government was working on ways to prevent the cluster of persons at the distribution centres in compliance with the social distancing directive of government .
Oyebamiji said , “ The distribution would start as from tomorrow ( Wednesday ) at each of the polling centres . It is believed that people within a particular polling centres know themselves and they will distribute among themselves .
“ It will cut across party lines and it will be done from door to door to avoid an unnecessary crowd . ”
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, there are 20 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Osun State .
The era of subsidy on petrol is gone forever , the Group Managing Director , Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation , Mele Kyari, said .
Kyari, who spoke during a live programme on African Independent Television , stated that with the current fluctuations in global crude oil prices , the cost of refined products would be determined by market forces going forward .
He explained that although the NNPC was not responsible for petroleum products pricing , the country was currently transiting into a market situation where the forces of demand and supply would determine the cost of Premium Motor Spirit .
Asked whether there was still petrol subsidy or under – recovery on PMS by the NNPC, Kyari said , “ Subsidy and under – recovery are zero today . And it is zero forever . ”
In March , the Federal Government reduced the pump price of petrol from N145 / litre to N125 /litre .
On April 1 , the price was further reduced to N123 . 50 / litre, although many Nigerians expected a much lower cost.
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency explained that the reduction was due to the sharp fall in the price of crude oil in the international market following the outbreak of coronavirus.
When told that Nigerians expected a further reduction in petrol price as a result of the plunge in crude oil prices , Kyari explained that several factors determined price crash .
He said , “ I know that we are transiting into a market situation where the forces of demand and supply will regulate the pricing while avoiding the possibility of abuses that can actually come in .
“ So I know that ultimately the market forces will take its shape in a way that everybody will know the various requirements . ”
He noted that the decline in crude oil price would often reflect on the cost of refined products in three to four – week time and not immediately.
Kyari said , “ I don ’ t see oil price going below the $ 20 per barrel price that we saw last week. I ’ m certain , all things being equal , oil price will bounce back . ”
He said the aspiration of the NNPC was to grow Nigeria ’ s crude oil production to three million barrels per day .
“ As of yesterday , our production has , for the first time in many months and years , risen to 2 . 3 mbpd. ”
He expressed optimism that the trend would continue.
LatestNewsUpdates 