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Nigerians residing abroad who have indicated interest in returning home on account of the coronavirus pandemic will pay before their evacuation to Nigeria , the Minister of Foreign Affairs , Geoffrey Onyeama , has disclosed .

The minister informed news correspondent that the stranded citizens would be required to pay for their flight ahead of the evacuation .

Onyeama stated this in a text message in response to an inquiry from newsmen about the evacuation .

Asked if those who registered for evacuation would pay before or after their evacuation, the minister replied , “ before evacuation. ”

However , he did not respond when asked if the government had any plan for those who might not be able to afford a return ticket .

Many Nigerians had been clamouring to come back to Nigeria following the increase in cases of COVID- 19 across the world .

A viral video showed about 100 Nigerians being evicted from their homes and hotels in Guangzhou by the Chinese authorities last week.

Sequel to this , the MFA had directed Nigerian missions abroad to compile a list of stranded Nigerian nationals who wished to come back home .

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It stated that the financial implications would be borne by the prospective evacuees , who would also be compulsorily quarantined on arrival .

In response to the directive , the Nigerian Consulate in New York , United States , Nigerian High Commission in the UK and in other countries announced that they had begun compiling names of Nigerians willing to return home.

Findings indicated that the registration exercise for Nigerians interested in returning home has ended with over 2 , 000 individuals enrolling for evacuation .

Confirming this , the spokesman , Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission , Abdul – Rahman Balogun , stated that the missions were currently processing the names of those who had registered.

Punch

AS the two weeks lockdown declared by President Muhammadu Buhari in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State expires today, the President will by 7pm address Nigerians on the next line of action.

There have been anxiety in many quarters whether the lockdown which was imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) would be extended or lifted.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina in Abuja, said, “President Muhammadu Buhari will broadcast to the nation Monday, April 13, 2020 at 7pm.

“Television, radio and other electronic media outlets are enjoined to hook up to the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) respectively for the broadcast.”

AS the two weeks lockdown declared by President Muhammadu Buhari in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State expires today, the President will by 7pm address Nigerians on the next line of action.

There have been anxiety in many quarters whether the lockdown which was imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) would be extended or lifted.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina in Abuja, said, “President Muhammadu Buhari will broadcast to the nation Monday, April 13, 2020 at 7pm.

“Television, radio and other electronic media outlets are enjoined to hook up to the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) respectively for the broadcast.”

The Federal Ministry of Education has urged Nigerians to disregard some false news making the rounds that the Federal Government had directed the reopening of schools .

The ministry ’ s Director of Press, Ben Goong, said that there was no such directive from the minister , Adamu Adamu , as everyone had been instructed to work from home due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Goong noted that parents , guardians and stakeholders must not be misled by fake news but should continue to abide by the Federal Government’ s regulations to tackle the ravaging pandemic .

He said , “ On the issue of reopening of schools , the ministry has not directed the reopening of any school at any level . The purported press release by the minister to that effect is a clear forgery as it did not emanate from the minister .

“ Parents , students and the general public are advised to please disregard the fake release . There is also another story making the rounds that the Federal Government has blamed the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities on vice-chancellors . At no time did any Federal Government official make that kind of statement .

“ Any insinuation in that direction is simply emanating from the fertile imagination of the author and that the ministry has nothing whatsoever to do with it. Stakeholders and indeed the general public should disregard such statements . Stay at home , stay safe . Let ’ s work from home like I ’ m doing . Only the living can work or worship. ”

The United Arab Emirates has launched an online marriage service that allows couples to wed amid restrictions on movement and interaction imposed to counter the deadly coronavirus .

The UAE has taken strict measures to combat the spread of COVID- 19 respiratory disease , which has claimed the lives of well over 100 , 000 people worldwide .

The justice ministry said that citizens and residents can set a date for an online wedding ceremony conducted via video link with a cleric after their paperwork is submitted and approved — also online, according to the UAE ’ s official news agency WAM .

The procedure will see a cleric confirm the identity of the couple and witnesses , before a marriage certificate is relayed to a specialised court for validation .

The couple will receive confirmation of their marriage certificate via text message .

The service was launched “ to maintain the health of the public and that of people working in courts and to limit the presence of employees” , WAM reported .

This comes after Dubai , one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE , said on Wednesday it suspended “ until further notice ” marriages and divorces in the emirate . No announcement has been made about divorce proceedings .

Dubai has temporarily restricted the movement of people and vehicles , except for those working in “ vital sectors ” and with “ essential needs ” — such as food or medicine .

The UAE has recorded more than 3 , 700 coronavirus cases, including 20 deaths .

AFP

How old are you ?

I am five years old and I am in Basic 1 .

The state governor said you donated N 950 towards the fight against coronavirus in the state , is it true ?

Yes , I contributed N950 towards the fight against coronavirus . The money was my own.

How did you get it ?

Mummy Kaduna and Daddy Port Harcourt gave me the money . It was given to me last Christmas .

How much was given to you ?

Mummy Kaduna gave me N 5 , 000 and Daddy Port Harcourt gave me N10 , 000 , making N 15 , 000 .

How did you spend the money ?

After buying some things , the money remained N 3 , 000 .

How many people have called you after you donated money to the state government ?

Only my daddy thanked me for the donation .

What do you know about coronavirus ?

I was told coronavirus kills people .

Why did you choose to give Ogun State Government N 950 ?

I don ’ t want coronavirus to kill people in Ogun State .

What advice do you have for your peers ?

They should please donate. They should also ensure they wash their hands with soap and water and use sanitisers .

What do you aspire to become when you grow up ?

I want to study medicine and become a doctor .

Punch

Malian President , Ibrahim Boubacar Keita , has said the second round of a parliamentary election scheduled for April 19 will go ahead despite the need for social distancing .

He also announced a coronavirus aid package for poor people and hard – hit firms , as cases continue to rise in the war – torn West African state .

The president warned that the country’ s already war – battered economy was facing a shock , and declared a package worth some 500 billion CFA francs ( $ 832 million ).

“ The government of Mali… is willing to make the greatest sacrifice to lessen the negative impact of the pandemic on our economy and society , ” Keita said in a televised address .

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world and has been struggling since 2012 to quell a jihadist insurgency that has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians .

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The conflict – which has left swathes of the country outside state control – has aggravated fears that Mali is ill -prepared to tackle a large coronavirus outbreak .

Authorities have recorded 87 cases in the country so far , with seven fatalities . The government had previously declared a nationwide night – time curfew and closed land borders .

Warning of the steep economic costs associated with the pandemic , Keita said Friday that the government would shoulder water and electricity bills for the poorest people in April and May, among other measures .

The government would also distribute 56 , 000 tonnes of grain in food aid and 16 , 000 tonnes of animal feed , he added , and allow tax rebates for firms hit hard by the virus .

The president added that the government is also considering isolating the capital Bamako , where most of the country ’ s infections have been detected , with a decision due soon .

AFP

The Rapid Response Squad, a section of the Lagos State Police Command , have arrested five hoodlums suspected to have unleashed mayhem on residents of Lagos border communities .

The RRS team led by its Commander , Tunji Disu , said the suspects had harassed citizens in Abule- Egba , Alagbado , amongst other areas of the state .

Disu said five arrests have been made , adding that the police would be on standby to prevent further disturbances.

The PUNCH had reported that hoodlums robbed residents of the areas which fall under Alimosho and Ifako- Ijaiye Local Government Areas of Lagos State .

This happened as the 14 – day lockdown order of the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ) , to curb the spread of COVID- 19 enters day 12 in Lagos and Ogun States .

The two affected local governments in Lagos are the suburbs of the state with Ogun.

Disu added that some of the suspects were arrested while the RRS team and the police in the areas were on patrol in the Lagos – Ogun border communities .

“ Commander RRS , Tunji Disu , Commander Area ‘ H ’ and the DPOs within the area have been partrolling Ijoko , Dalemo, Saka , Akinde , Alakuko , Abule , Alagbado, etc , where hoodlums were harassing citizens .

“ Five suspects have been arrested and normalcy restored to the area. Police officers will be on standby to forestall any further disturbances , ” the command tweeted on Saturday evening.

The President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ), has urged Nigerians to comply with the restrictions in order to defeat the coronavirus while promising more interventions for vulnerable citizens .

The PUNCH reports that the lockdown order of the President in Lagos and Ogun State , as well as the Federal Capital Territory Abuja , enters day 12 on Saturday.

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The retired major general in a statement by his spokesperson , Garba Shehu , expressed appreciation to all Nigerians for their patience , resolve and determination to defeat the COVID- 19 pandemic .

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control as of the time of filing this report , over 300 cases of the infection have been recorded in Nigeria .

Buhari entreated Nigerians not to waiver in complying with the lockdown order which aims at allowing citizens to observe social distancing to break the cycle of transmission of the novel virus .

He asked Nigerians “to observe restrictions on movement where they are in place, and follow the instructions of our scientists and medical advisers : stay home, wash your hands , save lives .

“ All that the government is asking you to endure is because there is no known way of defeating this pandemic (yet ) . There is no vaccine . And that means there are choices to be made … We cannot expect others to come to our assistance . No one is coming to defeat this virus for us … We cannot wait for others. We can only depend on ourselves . And so we must — and we will — end this outbreak ourselves as Nigerians , together . ”

World- renowned British primatologist Jane Goodall says the coronavirus pandemic was caused by humanity ’ s disregard for nature and disrespect for animals.

Goodall, who is best known for trail -blazing research in Africa that revealed the true nature of chimpanzees , pleaded for the world to learn from past mistakes to prevent future disasters.

During a conference call ahead of the release of the new National Geographic documentary “ Jane Goodall: The Hope” , the 86 – year- old also said everyone can make a difference .

“It is our disregard for nature and our disrespect of the animals we should share the planet with that has caused this pandemic, that was predicted long ago .

“Because as we destroy , let’ s say the forest , the different species of animals in the forest are forced into a proximity and therefore diseases are being passed from one animal to another, and that second animal is then most likely to infect humans as it is forced into closer contact with humans .

“It’ s also the animals who are hunted for food , sold in markets in Africa or in the meat market for wild animals in Asia , especially China , and our intensive farms where we cruelly crowd together billions of animals around the world. These are the conditions that create an opportunity for the viruses to jump from animals across the species barrier to humans .

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“It’ s really good that China closed down the live wild animal markets , in a temporary ban which we hope will be made permanent , and other Asian countries will follow suit .

“But in Africa it will be very difficult to stop the selling of bush meat because so many people rely on that for their livelihoods .

“It will need a lot of careful thought on how it should be done , you can ’ t just stop somebody doing something when they have absolutely no money to support themselves or their families , but at least this pandemic should have taught us the kind of things to do to prevent another one .

“We have to realise we are part of the natural world , we depend on it, and as we destroy it we are actually stealing the future from our children .

“Hopefully , because of this unprecedented response , the lockdowns that are going on around the world , more people will wake up and eventually they can start thinking about ways they can live their lives differently .

“Everyone can make an impact every single day .
If you think about the consequences of the little choices you make : what you eat , where it came from , did it cause cruelty to animals, is it made from intensive farming — which mostly it is — is it cheap because of child slave labour , did it harm the environment in its production , where did it come from , how many miles did it travel , did you think that perhaps you could walk and not take your car .

( Also consider ) ways that you could perhaps help alleviate poverty because when people are poor they can ’ t make these ethical choices . They just have to do whatever they can to survive — they can ’ t question what they buy, they must buy the cheapest , and they are going to cut down the last tree because they are desperate to find land on which they can grow more food .

“So what we can do in our individual lives does depend a little bit on who we are , but we all can make a difference , everybody can .

AFP