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The Ogun State Government has given conditions to relax its lockdown occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic .

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Communications , Remmy Hazzan , said the state was monitoring the COVID- 19 situation in the neighbouring states , particularly Lagos to decide whether to relax the lockdown or not .

Lagos has recorded more cases of the killer virus in the country.

Hazzan said the state government would announce its decision on Friday.

When asked whether the state government would continue the lockdown following COVID- 19 cases rise in the state , Hazzan said they were monitoring the situation.

He said , “ Have you considered the number of those that have being discharged ? So that you will now look at the active cases, 93 cases do not mean 93 people are undergoing treatment . About 20 people have been discharged.

“ We are looking at the situation, we are looking at what is transpiring in the neighbouring states like Lagos , all of that will help us make a decision on Friday, whatever we ’ ve decided will be communicated to the people of Ogun. ”

Hazzan added , “ The way it is now is the way that we ’ ve asked for it . The lockdown continues with the windows.

“ It was for seven hours – from 7 am to 2 pm – but now it is 10 hours – 7 am to 5 pm and we still hope to continue till weekend.

“ But what next week will look like will form the basis of Friday’ s press conference . ”

The Federal Government has extended the ban placed on flights in the country as part of efforts to curtail the spread of coronavirus for another four weeks .

The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID- 19 , Mr Boss Mustapha , disclosed this at the daily briefing of the task force .

Mustapha , who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation , said the decision to extend the ban was taken after due consultation with experts .

Two of the 33 COVID- 19 active cases in Oyo State have absconded , according to reports .

Governor Seyi Makinde disclosed this via his official Twitter handle .

He said more results from the outstanding coronavirus confirmation tests had been received by the state .

The governor said a total of 975 samples have , so far , been collected and are being processed .

He tweeted, “We have received more results from pending COVID- 19 confirmation tests . The result of one suspected case came back positive, on May 3 . The person is based in Ibadan .

“ The results of five suspected cases came back positive on May 4 . Four of these five cases are immigrants and the last person is an Oyo State resident .

“ The results of five suspected cases came back positive on May 5 . Four of these five cases are travellers from the northern part of Nigeria and the last one is an Oyo State resident .

“ Of the 33 active cases being managed by the state , two have absconded , possibly to their permanent places of residence . This brings the number of active cases in Oyo State to 31 .

“ Ten cases are self – isolating while twenty – one cases are being managed in the isolation centres in Oyo State ; one at the University College Hospital , Ibadan and 20 in Olodo. Nineteen of these 20 cases at Olodo are asymptomatic, and the last person has anosmia ( loss of smell) . ”

The governor urged members of the public to contact the Emergency Operations Centre on the emergency numbers , “ if you find travellers from other states arriving in your neighbourhood. ”

The Senate has called for the decentralisation of the Nigeria Police as part of efforts to boost the protection of lives and property.

It also resolved to probe the status of fifth generation (5G) network in the country.

The Senate urged the 36 state Houses of Assembly to pass laws that would legalise community policing in their respective states.

The Senate, in resolving to adopt the recommendations of its Ad-hoc Committee on Nigerian Security Challenges, headed by Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, called for the expansion of the states’ security councils and constitution of area command, local government and ward level advisory councils.

These were the high points of the recommendations of the ad-hoc committee report on the urgent need to restructure, review and re-organise the current security architecture, which was considered and approved in the Senate yesterday.

The committee, set up on January 29, 2020, in its report, made recommendations, which were also approved by the Senate.

The Senate, therefore, urged the executive to direct the Ministry of Police Affairs and the Inspector General of Police to “decentralise the police command structure with operational and budgetary powers” vested in the following 11 zonal commands: Kano/Jigawa/Katsina, Sokoto/Zamfara/Kebbi, Kaduna/Niger/ FCT, Ekiti/Kwara/Kogi, Benue/Plateau/Nasarawa, Bauchi/Yobe/Borno and Adamawa/Taraba/Gombe.

Other commands are: Lagos/Ogun, Oyo/Osun/Ondo, Edo/Delta/Bayelsa, Rivers/Akwa-Ibom/Cross Rivers, Imo/Abia and Anambra/Enugu/Ebonyi.

The Senate also urged the federal government to set up zonal security advisory committees at each zonal commands to advise on the security challenges facing each zone.

The proposed composition of the zonal advisory council include governors in the zone (to preside on a rotational basis); zonal Assistant Inspector-General of Police; state commissioners of police in the zone; state directors of the Department of State Security Service; zonal immigration officers; zonal customs officers; representatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Correctional Service in the zone.

Others are chairmen of state traditional rulers’ council in the zone, faith-based leaders in the zone; civil society representatives; representatives of senators, House of Representatives members, business community and labour in the zone as well as and any person or persons deemed to be useful and relevant, taking into account the socio-cultural peculiarities of the zone.

China has hit back at US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over his claims that the coronavirus originated in a lab in Wuhan , saying he “doesn ’ t have any” evidence .

Pompeo said on Sunday that there was “enormous evidence” to show that the new coronavirus originated in a lab in China , further fuelling tensions with Beijing over its handling of the outbreak .

“ I think this matter should be handed to scientists and medical professionals , and not politicians , who lie for their own domestic political ends , ” said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular press briefing .

“ Mr Pompeo repeatedly spoke up but he cannot present any evidence. How can he ? Because he doesn ’ t have any, ” she said .

Pompeo said Sunday in an interview that there was “enormous evidence ” that the new coronavirus came out of a Wuhan lab .

Most scientists believe the new virus , which emerged in China late last year , jumped from animals to humans — possibly from a market in Wuhan selling exotic animals for meat.

The World Health Organization said the US claims were “ speculative ” .

AFP

The African Union says it is in discussion with the Republic of Madagascar over the safety and efficacy of a herbal remedy recently announced by the country for the prevention and treatment of COVID- 19 .

The AU made this known in a statement issued in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and published on its website .

The continental organisation said its Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention would review the potency of the herbal remedy once Madagascar provided the necessary information .

The statement read in part, “ The AU Commissioner for Social Affairs , Amira ElFadil , convened a meeting with the Chargé d’ Affaires of the Republic of Madagascar , Eric Randrianantoandro , on 30 th April at which it was agreed that the member state would furnish the African Union with necessary details regarding the herbal remedy.

“ Once furnished with the details , the Union , through the Africa CDC will review the scientific data gathered so far on the safety and efficacy of the COVID- 19 Organics .

“ This review will be based on global technical and ethical norms to garner the necessary scientific evidence regarding the performance of the tonic . ”

Madagascar ’ s President , Andry Rajoelina in a teleconference meeting of the Bureau of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government on 29 April 2020 had made a presentation to his peers regarding the herbal remedy.

The AU said it was working with member states in developing acceptable solutions and treatment for the coronavirus pandemic which has infected over 46 , 000 people on the African continent with more than 1 , 800 deaths .

The Presidency says the $ 311 m stolen during the Abacha regime and returned to Nigeria from the United States and the Bailiwick of Jersey , on Monday , May 4 , 2020 , has already been allocated.

This was contained in a statement released by Garba Shehu , spokesperson to the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ).

Shehu said the repatriated funds would be used in full , for “ vital and decades – overdue infrastructure development” including the second Niger Bridge, the Lagos – Ibadan and Abuja – Kaduna – Kano expressways as well as the Mambilla Power Project .

He said the receipt of the stolen monies is an opportunity for the development of the nation.

“ Indeed , previous monies returned last year from Switzerland – some $ 320 million US dollars – are already being used for the government ’ s free school feeding scheme, a stipend for millions of disadvantaged citizens , and grain grants for those in severe food hardship.

“ Without these funds , the fight against COVID- 19 would be even tougher.

“ The latest return is a testament to the growing and deepening relationship between the government of Nigeria and the government of the United States .

“ Without cooperation both from the UK Government, the US Executive branch and US Congress , we would not have achieved the return of these funds at all, ” he said .

Punch

The Senate has asked the Federal Government to suspend the planned deployment of the Fifth Generation Network in Nigeria .

The red chamber stated this after the deliberation on a motion by Senator Uche Ekwunife , drawing the attention of the senators to the status of the 5 G network in the country.

Ekwunife said her motion was borne out of the need to assure Nigerians of their safety by asking the Federal Government to postpone the launch until a proper investigation was carried out .

The Deputy Majority Leader , Senator Ajayi Boroffice , said the 5 G network deployment remained a controversial issue.

He said the experts should be allowed to handle it and deliberate on the merits and demerits of its deployment .

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said it would be irresponsible of any government to subscribe to a technology that won’ t be safe for its citizens .

He noted that no scientific research has been done by any agency of the Federal Government on the 5 G network .

He said countries in Europe were already investigating the implications of the deployment and wondered why Nigeria had yet to do so .

The Senate therefore asked its committees on Communication , Science , Technology and ICT , and that of Health to conduct a thorough investigation with a view to determining the status of the 5 G network in the country.

In the interim , the red chamber asked the relevant federal agency supervising the ICT operations in the country to suspend the 5 G deployment until a thorough probe to determine its suitability for human health had been achieved.

The joint committees were asked to submit its report within four weeks

The global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic topped a quarter of a million on Tuesday , with the US government predicting a further surge in fatalities as an international vaccine drive garnered $ 8 billion in pledges.

The dire forecast from the United States came as much of the Western world emerged from weeks of lockdown , with hopes that the disease may have peaked in Europe , where deaths in the worst affected countries have dropped after nearly two months of confinement .

But the global progress did little to cool a war of words between the US and China over responsibility for the pandemic — a feud that has been fueled by US claims the virus originated in a Chinese laboratory — a theory the World Health Organization ( WHO ) labelled “ speculative . ”

An AFP tally of official figures showed Europe is the hardest- hit continent with around 145 , 000 fatalities . The US has recorded close to 68 , 700 . Together they account for more than 85 percent of global deaths .

Since the disease first surfaced in China late last year the number of confirmed cases has reached almost 3 . 6 million .

The grim figures were compounded Monday by an internal government estimate in Washington that forecast the daily COVID- 19 infection rate in the US could surge more than eight -fold to 200 , 000 per day by June 1 , and the death toll could rise to 3 , 000 .

As the country struggles to contain the disease the White House has stepped up its offensive against China , with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday saying there is “ enormous evidence” the virus emerged in a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan .

That claim was rejected Monday by the WHO as well as top US epidemiologist and government adviser Anthony Fauci .

“ Everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that (this virus ) evolved in nature and then jumped species, ” he said .

US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that deaths will go beyond his earlier prediction of 60 , 000, saying: “We ’ re going to lose anywhere from 75 , 80 to 100 , 000 people” .

His prediction underscored the tough , politically – tinged debate over reopening , which pits concerns about a rising death toll against the need to restore national economies shattered by prolonged shutdowns .

US manufacturing giant General Electric announced it will cut an additional 10 , 000 jobs from its aviation sector as the coronavirus pandemic decimates the industry .

AFP

Nigerians will pay much higher tariff for power in 2021 , going by promises made by the Federal Government to the International Monetary Fund while seeking the $ 3 . 4 bn emergency financial assistance recently approved for Nigeria .

The Executive Board of the IMF approved the Rapid Financing Instrument, which the Federal Government plans to use to address the economic impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic in the country, on April 28 .

A Letter of Intent , jointly signed by the Finance Minister , Zainab Ahmed , and the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria , Godwin Emefiele, and addressed to the IMF Managing Director , Kristalina Georgieva , indicated that the Federal Government made a number of promises to the fund in order to secure the financial assistance.

One of the promises , or commitments , which the government made in a bid to assure the executive board of the IMF of its readiness to reposition the Nigerian economy after the pandemic , is that Nigerians would pay full cost-reflective tariff for power in 2021 .

The Federal Government also told the IMF it intends to cap electricity tariff shortfalls to N380 bn in 2020 .

“ We are also advancing in our power sector reforms – with technical assistance and financial support from the World Bank – including through capping electricity tariff shortfalls this year to N 380 bn and moving to full cost- reflective tariffs in 2021 , ” the Federal Government said in the letter .

On January 4 , the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission approved an increase in electricity tariff for the 11 electricity distribution companies in Nigeria .

It, however , could not implement the tariff increase after labour unions , lawmakers and other Nigerians kicked against the move, which would have commenced on April 1 , 2020 .

Although the NERC – reviewed tariff was not cost- reflective enough as required by power distributors , it showed that Nigerians would definitely pay more for electricity if it had been implemented .

This , therefore , implies that once the government enforces the payment of full cost- reflective tariff , in line with the promise to the IMF, power users might pay far higher than what was projected in NERC ’ s recent tariff review .

The commission had explained that its directive on the January 2020 tariff regime for different Discos superseded the earlier one issued on the subject matter .

According to details of the review published by the commission in January , for the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company , residential customers in R3 category who were paying N27 . 20 per unit would have been paying N 47 . 09 , had the regime started on April 1 , 2020 .

The customers would have paid N19 . 89 more per unit .