Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the wife of the Ondo State Governor, has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease. One of the security aides to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, whose name was withheld, also contracted the virus. This happened after Governor Akeredolu directed all his aides and appointees to go for COVID-19 tests. One of the aides to the governor, who craved anonymity, told The Punch on Thursday that “Yes mama’s (first lady) result has come and it was positive. One of the security men attached to the governor is also positive and has been asked to go on isolation.”
The Benue government on Wednesday approved a partial re-opening of schools in compliance with recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. Briefing newsmen after the State Executive Council meeting, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mrs. Ngunan Addingi, said the schools would be re-opened for primary six pupils and students in JSS 3 and SSS3. She said that the Action Committee on COVID-19 would further meet with the Ministry of Education to work out modalities on protocols to be observed and fix a date for the re-opening of the schools. Addingi further said that the council also approved a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for the management of the Makurdi Modern Market. The information commissioner said that due diligence would be carried out to identify interested persons in the PPP arrangement and those with the requisite capacities for engagement. She said that the council also approved a request for the 2019 and 2020 International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-Assisted Rice and Cassava Value Chain Development Programme. According to her, the Benue government will pay its counterpart funding for the programme so that farmers in the state, especially in the six local government areas where IFAD is intervening, can access funding for rice and cassava farming.
BREAKING: Kano Directs All Civil Servants To Resume
The Kano State Government has asked all civil servants to resume duties on Monday, July 6. Governor Umar Ganduje made this known during the state’s Task Force on COVID-19 press briefing at the Government House on Thursday. Ganduje also announced the total removal of lockdown in the state. He said, “All Kano state civil servants are to go back to work with effect from Monday, 6th July 2020.”
Notorious Nigerian online scammer Hushpuppi, who was nabbed in Dubai following a special police operation titled ‘Fox Hunt 2’, has been extradited to the US. Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has praised the Dubai Police force for their exceptional efforts and for handing over Raymond Abbas (better known as Hushpuppi) and Olalekan Jacob Ponle aka Woodbery to the US. The men were wanted for money-laundering and multiple cybercrimes outside the UAE. They were among 12 others caught in a series of synchronised raids by six SWAT teams from Dubai Police. According to Brigadier Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, director of Dubai CID, they confiscated incriminating documents of a planned fraud on a global scale worth AED 1.6 billion ($ 435 million). The team also seized more than AED 150 million ($40.9 million) in cash, 13 luxury cars with an estimated value of AED 25 million, 21 computer devices, 47 smartphones, 15 memory sticks, and five hard disks containing 119,580 fraud files as well as addresses of close to 2 million victims.
BREAKING: Ondo Health Commissioner Dies Of COVID-19
The source revealed that Mr Adegbenro died on Thursday after he was rushed to a hospital in Owo after contracting Coronavirus. “The Commissioner died at the Federal Medical Centre in Owo and this has just thrown the entire cabinet into chaos. “He died of COVID-19 because he had contracted the virus earlier and was taking drugs at his own comfort being a medical doctor.” Governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu, is currently in self-isolation after testing positive for the virus earlier this week.
COVID-19 hits Osun’s cabinet, SSG tests positive, others at risk
The Government of the State of Osun on Tuesday confirmed that its Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prince Wole Oyebamiji, and some of his staff have tested positive for Coronavirus. The State’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu, disclosed this in a press statement in Osogbo on Tuesday, also confirmed the discovery of 10 additional cases in the State. “I want to confirm to you that our SSG and some of the staff around him have tested positive to the virus. But they are all in stable condition and are receiving adequate medical care,” Dr Isamotu said. Dr Isamotu was however quick to add that one patient had equally been discharged after testing negative for the virus. The Commissioner noted that one of the reasons for the sudden rise in the Covid-19 cases in State was largely due to the nonchalant attitude of citizens and residents of the State to laid-down precautionary measures against the spread of the virus. Dr Isamotu also hinted that there are strong reasons to believe the State now has community transmission around Ilesa axis of the State, warning that unless citizens and residents change their ways, government might be forced to impose another lockdown on the State. While noting that the 11 new cases were from the contact tracing of previous cases in the State, the Health Commissioner also revealed that with the latest development, the number of confirmed cases in the State has risen to 127 with 74 active cases. However, a source who did not want his name mentioned told PM News that the wife of the SSG, Prince Wole Oyebamiji also tested positive to the virus as well as Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr. Charles ‘Diji Akinola. This is coming weeks after Governor Oyetola’s Deputy Chief of Staff on General Administration, Barrister Mikhail Adejare Adebisi, died at an undisclosed hospital in Lagos State after a long illness. The deceased, who died less than a year after he was inaugurated into office was said to have died of COVID-19, a claim the state government debunked. Meanwhile, Dr Isamotu in his statement did not confirm if the Chief of Staff was among the new cases but believe the State now has community transmission around Ilesa axis, where the Chief of Staff hails from.
Femi Falana, Col Umar, Ezekwesili, Others Launch Political Movement
Prominent statesmen and civil society leaders, including former military governor of Kaduna State, Col. Dangiwa Umar (rtd), Olisa Agbakoba, Femi Falana, Oby Ezekwesili, Mailafia Obadiah, among others, have launched a new political movement called National Consultative Front to save the country from its current trajectory. The group’s objectives include mobilizing Nigerians for a popular mass action towards political constitutional reforms that are citizen-driven and process-led in engendering a new peoples’ constitution. This was contained in a communique after a month-long nationwide consultations and virtual meetings. It was made public by the new group’s National Secretariat, in Abuja, on Wednesday. Listed as members of the 30-member strong steering committee for the NCF include: Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’abba; former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia; Olisa Agbakoba, SAN; Femi Falana SAN; Col. Abubakar Umar (retd.), Dr Oby Ezekwesili; Prof Jibo Ibrahim; Yabagi Sanni; Amb, Nkoyo Toyo, Isa Aremu, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, and Senator Shehu Sani. Others include: Prof. Remi Sonaiya, Mallam Tanko Yinusa, Alhaji Shettima Yerima, Lady Funke Awolowo, Peter Ameh and Ogbeni Lanre Banjo, among others. The group will be unveiled to the public later this month. Part of the resolutions adopted after the meeting read in part, “A new ideological mass Movement shall be initiated to embark on immediate mass mobilisation of the nooks and crannies of the country for popular mass action towards political constitution reforms that is citizens-driven and process-led in engendering a new Peoples’ Constitution for a new Nigeria that can work for all. “The new movement shall also, without delay, mobilise for the economic wellbeing and prosperity of all Nigerians by demanding and ensuring that Chapter 2 of the present Constitution i.e.; “Fundamental Objectives & Directive Principles of State Policy becomes justiciable once and for all, while also mounting an articulate and vigorous campaign to deconstruct and reconstruct obnoxious election laws which have provided leeway for opportunists in the corridor of power to subvert the will of the electorate making voting irrelevant in determining who actually becomes elected in Nigeria.”
American singer, Rihanna provided scholarships and bikes for girls in Malawi to enable them to go to school. She donated $5 million to the Coronavirus fund in Malawi & Haiti. Her trip to Malawi inspired her to form the foundation in 2012. She also helped to build a hospital in Malawi in 2017.
Student with highest JAMB score receives N16million from NSE
Young Nigerian lady, Agnes Egoagwuagwu Maduafokwa who came out with the highest score in 2020 UTME has been rewarded with a whopping 16 million naira.
The Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE gave her the cash gift in recognition of her excellent performance in the latest Joint Admission and Matriculation Board exam.
Agnes was presented with the cheque and a book at the official unveiling ceremony of UTME examination for engineering candidates on June 30.
The young lady was announced as the candidate with the highest UTME score for the year 2020 after she scored 365 out of 400.
She also doubles as the President of the Maths Club, and the 1st Assistant Head Girl of Louisville Girls High School Ijebu-Itele in Ogun State.
She scored 72 in Use of English, 99 in Mathematics, 99 in Physics and 95 in Chemistry 95. Maduafokwa applied to study Industrial Production Engineering at the prestigious University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The Federal Government has disclosed plans to force the Digital Satellite Television, owned by MultiChoice, a South Africa-based cable service provider, to provide pay-per-view options to Nigerian subscribers. The government also said it has amended Nigeria’s broadcasting code to prevent DSTV from monopolising its channels and contents. This is just as the House of Representatives ordered the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission to ask DSTV to reverse its subscription rates introduced on June 1, 2020. The House has been probing DSTV for allegedly cheating its Nigerian subscribers by restricting them to prepaid plans.
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