Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has ordered all employees in the Government House to go for COVID- 19 tests.
Wike said the ongoing increased testing for coronavirus in the state was part of his government's commitment to save more lives.
A statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, said the governor spoke when the Executive Director of BUA Foundation presented three ambulances to him at Government house, Port Harcourt.
The governor insisted that more testing would reveal more covid-19 cases to enable the vovernment dedicate prompt medical attention to the people.
He said: "The more we test, the more the number will increase and we are willing to continue to test. Let our people know that this not the kind of sickness to be ashamed of. Nobody knows who you have shook hands with.
"I'm sure, in Rivers State, we have lost not less than 38 lives on the record. Nobody will be happy that each day you wake up, you hear that somebody, probably a bread winner of the family, is no longer there because of covid-19 pandemic.
"In fact, I have given a directive that all staff of government House must go for testing, Nobody knows who is a carrier and we must save everybody as much as we can."
Police operatives have arrested a woman who went to bury an aborted child in Anambra state. Also arrested was a quack chemist who allegedly carried out the abortion. Some expired drugs were also recovered in his shop.
It would be recalled that on the 20/6/20 at about 9pm, following a tip off, Police operatives attached to 33 Division in collaboration with Nsugbe Vigilante group arrested one Chidera Nwaoga 'f' aged 24 years of Ofianta village Nsugbe but Native of Izzi LGA of Ebonyi State.
Suspect was arrested with a premature baby girl concealed inside a rubber bucket on her way to bury the child inside the bush before she was apprehended.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the woman who was heavily pregnant approached a quack and untrained chemist - one Odimegwu Ikunne 'm' aged 51 years of Nando village but resides at Akpalagu village, Nsugbe, who allegedly administered injection on her and aborted the pregnancy.
Meanwhile, search was executed at the premises of the quack chemist and some quantity of expired drugs/syringes were recovered while the said Chidera, who was weak and lost much blood when arrested has now fully recovered due to urgent medical attention she received since 20th June, 2020.
Consequently, the decomposing baby was buried based on experts advise in order not to constitute health hazard to the public.
The Commissioner of Police, CP John B. Abang has ordered that the case be transferred to the State CID Awka for discreet investigation and prosecution.
In the last 24 hours, 566 new cases of COVID19 were reported in Nigeria; Lagos-166, Oyo-66, Delta-53, Ebonyi-43, Plateau-34, Ondo-32, FCT-26, Ogun-25, Edo-24, Imo-15, Bayelsa-13, Benue-12, Gombe-11, Kano-11, Kaduna-11, Osun-8, Nasarawa-7, Borno-5, Katsina-2, Anambra-2.
A total of 25,133 confirmed cases in Nigeria. The breakdown;
Nigerian actress Gloria Young is using her platform to seek funds and support for fellow actor who is down with endometrial cancer.
Sharing a picture of the ailing actress, Young wrote a caption, urging well meaning Nigerians to donate whatever they can afford into Ify Onwuemene’s bank account to help her.
‘Folks please we need help for our sister @ifyonwuemene an actress from the days of Sam loco and Enebeli Elebuwa. I worked with her last on the set of Tajudeen Adepetu’s “Everyday People” in the late 90’s. She is down with endometrial cancer. She has tried sourcing for funds on her own, but nothing is too small. Please send whatever you can to Ifey Onwuemene, Fidelity Bank 6010999993.
Thank you’
Ace Nollywood actress and film producer, Funke Akindele has responded to allegations made by a former staff member that she overworks them, leaving no time for rest.
A screenwriter, Cassandra Owolabi, had accused the popular actress of physically, emotionally and financially abusing her staff.
She alleged that Funke strictly supervises them and this led her to depression.
”…For instance, we couldn’t watch TV (literally, the TV in our lodge was taken away weeks after we resumed) and she mustn’t walk in on you watching anything on your laptop (can’t tell you how many times she randomly sent people to come to check if we were sleeping or doing anything asides writing)”
”We worked under DURESS AND FEAR. It is always about the script, the script is more important than you and your health” she wrote.
Meanwhile, Funke replied to the allegations, saying that she and her staff play as hard as they work.
“We work so HARD 24/7 and also play hard. Thanks for the hard work. Love you guys!”, she wrote in an Instagram post with a video of she and her staff playing.
The leadership of the National Assembly on Monday convinced the Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to defer the planned hike in electricity tariff till the first quarter of 2021.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan made this known in a statement on behalf of the leadership in Abuja.
The statement by Mr Ola Awoniyi, Special Adviser (Media) to Lawan said the lawmakers waded into the controversy due to the planned hike in electricity tariffs from July 1.
Lawan said that Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and other principal officers of the two Chambers met with the Chief Executives of the government electricity regulatory body and DISCOs across the country.
“The National Assembly leaders were emphatic at the meeting that the timing of the planned hike is wrong, even though they had not much issue in introducing a cost reflective tariffs for the power sector to attract the much needed investment.
“The agreement here is that there is not going to be any increase in the tariffs on July 1. The speaker and I, we are going to take appropriate action and meet with President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We are in agreement here that there is no question on the justification of the increase but the time is simply not right and appropriate measures need to be put in place
“So, between now and the first quarter of next year, our task will be to work together to ensure that we put those blocks in place to support the eventual increase in tariffs,” he said.
Lawan said that government had been doing a lot as part of its obligations to provide some form of intervention.
“I’m quite aware that for this year, probably starting from last year, over N600 billion was earmarked for this sector to improve.
“The potential increase in the tariffs is definitely something that will be of concern to the National Assembly.
“There is too much stress in the lives of Nigerians and indeed across the world because of the challenges imposed by COVID-19 pandemic.
”Before then, we had issues that will always make it tough for people to effectively pay the tariffs.
“One way or the other, for this business to flourish, for this sector to be appropriately fixed, for it to attract investment, something has to give way.
”There is no doubt about that but it is also crucial that we look at the timing for any of our actions,” Lawan said.
Iceland’s President Gudni Johannesson has been re-elected with a whopping 92 percent of the vote, according to final results released on Sunday.
The former history professor won his second four-year term in the largely symbolic position in Saturday’s vote, the second election held by a European country after coronavirus lockdowns were lifted.
Since suffering spectacular bank failures in 2008, the volcanic North Atlantic island of 365,000 inhabitants has recovered some economic and political stability, which worked in the 52-year-old independent’s favour.
The final results showed he took 92.2 percent of the 168,821 votes cast, crushing rightwing challenger Gudmundur Franklin Jonsson.
“I am honoured and proud,” the president told AFP in Reykjavik on election night.
“This result of this election is, to me, proof of the fact that my fellow Icelanders… have approved of how I have approached this office.”
The dominant win had been predicted by opinion polls, which had shown the president winning between 90 to 94 percent.
Taraba State Government has declared Monday, June 29, Tuesday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 1, as public holidays to enable residents to participate in the local government council poll.
This was contained in a statement by Alhaji Hassan Mijinyawa, Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Darius Ishaku, on Monday in Jalingo.
“The public holiday is to enable civil servants to travel to their respective wards and vote during the local government election slated for Tuesday, June 30, 2020.
“The governor also urged people of the state to be orderly, law-abiding and conduct themselves peacefully while discharging their civic responsibilities,” he said.
Meanwhile, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations under the auspices of Eyes on Democracy of Nigeria (EDON) has activated a situation room to monitor the election to ensure that it was free, fair and credible.
Alhaji Muktar Madaki, the State EDON Chairman, in a statement on Monday, said that a comprehensive report on the electoral process would be made after the election.
“We have been observing the preparations by Taraba State Independent Electoral Commission (TSIEC) and we are so far satisfied with the preparations.
“It now behoves on the people to come out in large numbers to exercise their franchise as responsible citizens.
“We are also calling on security agencies to be civil during the conduct of the election and operate within the ambit of their engagement in regards to electoral matters.
“We also call of TSIEC to ensure that the election is credible, peaceful, free and fair,” he said.
A former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly who respresented Ahoada East Constituency I, Hon. Martyns Mannah and unrepentant critic of Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration has died after protracted illness.
It cannot be immediately confirmed the circumstances surrounding his sudden demise but a source disclosed that the lawmaker has been battling a heart complication for a while.
Mannah was until his death an associate of Transportation Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State.
During his first tenure, the late lawmaker, representing Constituency 1, Ahoada East Local Government, under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party, later became an ardent critic of Wike’s style of administration.
He defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The Police in Lagos State have arrested three paedophiles in different parts of the state.
One of them arrested by Ikorodu police, was identified as Eke Kanu, a 61 year-old, residing at Ebute Road, Igbogbo, Ikorodu.
He impregnated his 19-year-old daughter.
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, announced the arrest on Sunday.
According to Elkana, the teenager said that her father started having sexual intercourse with her when she was a young girl and threatened to deal with her if she told anybody.
“She further stated that when her father discovered that she was pregnant, he took her to a chemist where she was administered some drugs and injection to abort the pregnancy.
“The survivor is taken to Mirabel Centre, Ikeja, by the Police, for medical attention and forensic examination.
“The suspect has been arrested and taken to State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, for discreet investigation and diligent prosecution,” the police spokesman said.
Elkana also said that the Bariga Police Station has arrested one Chibuike Kalu, 33, of Amodu Street, Bariga, for defiling his 14-year-old daughter.
“The survivor has been taken to Mirabel Centre, Ikeja, for medical treatment and forensic examination.
“The suspect was arrested and has confessed to the commission of the crime. He will be charged to Court,” Elkana added.
Also, in a similar development, a 26 year-old man, Chinedu Obi, has been arrested by Aguda Police Station for defiling his employer’s daughters at Aguda.
Elkana said that Obi had sexual intercourse with the 12-year-old twins when his employer left the two girls in his custody.
The Lagos State Government has begun stiff enforcement of laws against distressed buildings and called on property owners to carry out immediate integrity tests or risk demolition.
The General Manager, Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LSMTL), Dr Afolabi Abiodun, told the News Agency of Nigeria that property owners who did not ascertain the structural stability of their buildings risked sanctions.
Abiodun advised construction companies, developers, estate agents, builders and other stakeholders in the built environment to comply by testing their construction materials, ongoing and completed buildings to avert risks.
He said that enforcement would be more proactive in line with the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s zero tolerance for building collapse, saying that, using the right materials would prevent construction failure.
The general manager who assumed office in February said that soil test was also very important before any kind of construction to safeguard the construction from imminent collapse.
“Enforcement has taken a new toll in Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory now. Before my arrival, there was no enforcement and that is why I say there is a new Sheriff in town to unleash the law of the agency on all distressed buildings.
“There is need for those who have completed their buildings to do the Non-Destructive Test (NDT) and this test which we call the NDT is to be done every five years,’’ he said.
Nigerian singer, Di’Ja who recently welcomed her 3rd child has pleaded with parents to let their girl-child grow, atleast to 18 before giving her out in marriage and start doing adult things. The plea also went out to men.
Writing on twitter and explaining how MM is very common in young girls because of early marriage, Di’Ja whose real name is Hadiza Blell wrote;
“Our young girls need to be allowed to grow up before doing grown man and women things like marriage and anything to do with sexual reproduction. If you really mean well you will at least give her until 18 years old, while honestly guiding her spirit. Not every one means well.
''DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OBSTETRIC FISTULA? Very high in young girls early marriages whose reproductive systems have not fully developed. Ya Allah we ask you for guidance. Our children cannot keep going through pain because of lack of understanding.”
One of the black police officers at the scene of the killing of George Floyd by a white officer in Minneapolis in May has a Nigerian father [everyone wants to use Nigeria to trend]
Alex Kueng who joined the police largely because he believed diversity could force change in a Police Department long accused of racism,
New York Times reported that Mr Floyd, whose name has been painted on murals and scrawled on protest signs, has been laid to rest. Mr Kueng, who faces charges of aiding and abetting in Mr Floyd’s death, is out on bail, hounded at the supermarket by strangers and denounced by some family members.
Long before Mr Kueng was arrested, he had wrestled with the issue of police abuse of black people, joining the force in part to help protect people close to him from police aggression. He argued that diversity could force change in a Police Department long accused of racism.
He had seen one sibling arrested and treated poorly, in his view, by sheriff’s deputies. He had found himself defending his decision to join the police force, saying he thought it was the best way to fix a broken system. He had clashed with friends over whether public demonstrations could actually make things better.
“He said, ‘Don’t you think that that needs to be done from the inside?’” his mother, Joni Kueng, recalled him saying after he watched protesters block a highway years ago. “That’s part of the reason why he wanted to become a police officer — and a black police officer on top of it — is to bridge that gap in the community, change the narrative between the officers and the black community.”
As hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated against the police after Mr Floyd’s killing on May 25, Mr Kueng became part of a national debate over police violence toward black people, a symbol of the very sort of policing he had long said he wanted to stop.
Derek Chauvin, the officer who placed his knee on Mr Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes, has been most widely associated with the case. He faces charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter; Mr Kueng and two other former officers were charged with aiding and abetting the killing. At 26, Mr Kueng was the youngest and least experienced officer at the scene, on only his third shift as a full officer.
The arrest of Mr Kueng, whose mother is white and whose father was from Nigeria, has brought anguish to his friends and family. “It’s a gut punch,” Ms Kueng said. “Here you are, you’ve raised this child, you know who he is inside and out. We’re such a racially diverse family. To be wrapped up in a racially motivated incident like this is just unfathomable.”
Two of Mr Kueng’s siblings, Taylor and Radiance, both of whom are African-American, called for the arrests of all four officers, including their brother. They joined protests in Minneapolis.
Nollywood actress Amara Maduka, has asked Nigerian men to embrace p.o.r.n instead of r.a.p.i.n.g women. She also encouraged the society to stop frowning at p.o/r/n assuring it will help men stop r.a.p.e.
She made this known in an interview with the NewTelegraph saying;
''In my opinion adult contents has nothing to do with r.a.p.e. As a matter of fact, r.a.p.e would reduce if the society embraced adult contents instead of frown at it. It’s basic knowledge that mankind will always long for the forbidden fruit.
Because it’s a big deal, people are going to always crave it. But if it’s embraced and the men know that a woman’s body is just a body.
Everyone has one and it’s not a big deal to see a woman’s body because their sisters have one and their mothers have one, then they would see every woman as human and not an object.
And whatever happened to masturbating? They have plastic vagina now and they won’t burn in hell for wanking when they’re horny, instead of raping they should probably watch some “adult contents” and masturbate. And all that aside, people really need to practice self control.''
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has vowed to sanction manufacturers of hand sanitisers and liquid hand wash which failed to adhere to global best practices.
It also advised members of the public to use only certified hand sanitisers to avoid skin damage.
In a statement on Monday, the regulatory body said quality hand sanitisers are important in the fight against the lethal coronavirus pandemic, adding that it would “not tolerate any minus in standards.”
“SON urged consumers to always insist on patronising only hand sanitisers certified by SON to avoid harmful effects to their skin while also getting value for their hard-earned money.
“Quality hand sanitisers and liquid hand wash are some of the critical tools to battle the virus. Handwashing with soap and water is one of the most important steps that can be taken to avoid getting sick and spreading the virus to loved ones,” it stated.
SON implored manufacturers to visit its offices to obtain the required standards for producing goods in the country, adding that it would support businesses that have public health safety at heart.
Dubai Police has released photos of the exotic cars seized from Instagram celebrity, Raymond Abbas (aka Hushpuppi) accused of online fraud and money laundering to the tune of Dh1.6 billion.
Recall that Dh150 million ($40.8m) was recovered from him in cash. It has been confirmed that about 13 luxury cars were also recovered from him.
Hushpuppi, according to Dubai police, creates websites that appear identical to those of well-known companies and banks, then sends emails and messages that prompts users to log in or make payments on the fake sites.
Mr Abbas is accused of being part of a gang that hacked corporate emails and directed huge payments to accounts they controlled.
Olalekan Jacob Ponle, known as Woodberry, was also arrested along with 10 other men in an operation that involved six police teams.
Police confiscated 13 luxury cars, valued at about Dh25m, 21 computers and 47 smartphones during the raid.
They said the email addresses of 800,000 people were found and Dh1.6 billion could have been stolen from victims of the alleged scam.
Posts on Hushpuppi's account suggest a lavish lifestyle, with images of him taking trips on a private jet, wearing Louis Vuitton tracksuits and a Dh550,000 Richard Mille watch, and posing outside the Four Seasons hotel in Paris.
A video of a wedding in Dubai attended by Nigerian celebrities, which made headlines online, showed Hushpuppi dancing as he threw $100 notes into the air.
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) says it no longer fix the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol for marketers. PPRA Executive Secretary, Mr Saidu Abdulkadir, stated this in a statement in Abuja, on Sunday.
Abdulkadir, however, said the agency would constantly, on a monthly basis, develop a guiding price for the commodity, with which it would advise marketers.
He noted that the deregulation of the downstream sector was dependent on the enforcement of appropriate laws by strong regulatory agencies, hence its continued intervention.
“For the purpose of emphasis, let me reiterate that different sectors of the polity operate under the guidance of national regulators.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regulates the banks and the financial sector; Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) regulates telecommunications; National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) regulates the insurance sector and the same exists for operators in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.
“To this end, it is not out of place for the Agency to provide a guiding price band with the aim to protect consumers against price gouging.
“It is important to also state that there is nowhere in the world that deregulation means total lack of control, supervision or oversight.
“While the Market-Based Pricing Regime is a policy introduced to free the market of all encumbrances to investment and growth, it should not be misconstrued to mean a total abdication of government’s responsibility to the sector and citizenry,” he said.
Abdulkadir said that the PPPRA no longer fix prices, but rather provide a guiding price band by monitoring petroleum products prices daily.
This, he said was being done using the average price of the previous month to determine prices for the following month, for appropriate cost-reflective pricing that ensures reasonable returns to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
The Wife of the former governor of Oyo state, Florence Ajimobi on Sunday attacked the governor of the state, Engr. Seyi Makinde and his deputy, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan for allegedly playing politics with the death of her husband.
She said her husband never had any problem with the state government despite their different political affiliation, but alleged that the state government saw him as their enemy.
The state government had during the time Ajimobi was hospitalised said it extended hands of fellowship to the family of the late governor but they declined. But the wife of the late former governor said it was a lie because she never had any conversation with the state government when her husband was ill.
Florence who spoke when the Deputy Governor led members of Nigeria Governors Forum, led by its chairman, Dr. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state to the Oluyole residence of the late Governor, urged Makinde to allow the fear of God guide him in whatever he does.
According to her, she had read many untrue stories on the pages of the newspaper since the demise of her husband. Florence said; “my husband took ill precisely on 27th of May and he was hospitalised. “I read on the papers that he (the governor) claimed that he called me but I didn’t pick. He didn’t call me. Even if he had called me, I never had his number. He should have sent text messages for record purposes.
“The governor of Oyo state never called me. He never signed a condolence message. Never called even when my husband was on sick bed for one month. What politics are you playing, please? “Life is short.
I am a Christian and my husband was a Muslim. We should allow fear of God to guide us in whatever we do. Ajimobi is gone today, I am going to mourn and respect his wishes. That is what I am doing today. Laid him to rest peacefully. I don’t want any controversy.
“Everything I read in the papers, I just swallowed it and I let it go. Please, the press are here, we never had any rift with the governor or the state government. I never dialogue with them and I never confronted them and I never send them a word because I didn’t know it was necessary for me to send official message.
“I didn’t send a message to governor Fayemi, I didn’t send to governor Ganduje and I didn’t send to Governor Sanwo-olu.
“I didn’t send to anybody. It was all over the social media. They knew my husband was ill. The least anybody can do is to send me a word of encouragement at that time.”
