The Governor of Cross River, Ben Ayade has announced new appointments. The governor through his special adviser on media and publicity, Christian Ita has announced the approval of the appointment of 427 new aides in a statement on Monday, according to TheCable.
He said the appointees include chairmen, members of boards of agencies, and special assistants.
One of the appointees include special assistant on groundnut oil factory. In January 2020, the governor approved the appointment of 90 aides, bringing the total number of his aides to at least 517. Ita said the governor made the decision to reduce social tension amid the coronavirus pandemic. He said Ayade only needs the service of five percent of the newly appointed aides, adding that other appointments were made as a means of job provision. Ita said the appointment of a special assistant on groundnut oil factory is as a result of the new factory being built in the state. “There’s nothing wrong with that given that we’re building a groundnut oil factory. Besides it is the duty of government to create jobs for its citizens,” he said. “The governor has said repeatedly that he only needs about 5 per cent of his appointees. So he deliberately creates this jobs to put food on the table so as to reduce social tension.”
One of President Muhammadu Buhari’s personal bodyguards, Warrant Officer Lawal Mato, is dead. The announcement of Mato’s death was made on Tuesday by the Presidency.
Mato, according to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, succumbed to diabetes, which he had struggled with in the last three years, on Tuesday. He was one of the security details restored back to President Buhari by the late President Umaru Musa-Yar’adua as personal security, but had been off full duty in the last three years. “After three years of struggling with diabetes, one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s bodyguards, Warrant Officer Lawal Mato, on Tuesday passed away. “The President described the officer, who had been working with him for many years before he won the 2015 elections, as ‘very thorough, trustworthy and dependable soldier who carried out his duty with diligence and focus. “President Buhari prayed that Allah will ease his passage to paradise and grant his family, government and people of Jigawa State, the fortitude to bear the loss. “WO Mato was part of a team that former President Umaru Musa Yar’adua restored to President Buhari as personal security and he had been off full duty for three years, treating diabetes”, the statement said.
A video that shows Cristiano Ronaldo celebrating the birthday of his niece Alicia, alongside other family members, has sparked controversy during the coronavirus crisis.
The Juventus forward is currently in Portugal, where there is a state of emergency and where citizens are obliged to stay at home and maintain social distancing.
However, the clip shows at least 18 people – including Ronaldo’s mother, Dolores Aveiro, who suffered a stroke on March 3 – gathered in a house. The video was shared on social media and received criticism. “When the family is in quarantine, you can celebrate your birthday well,” wrote the niece as she explained the situation. Ronaldo arrived in Portugal, along with his partner Georgina Rodriguez and his children, on March 9, after Serie A was suspended. It remains unclear when he will return to Turin.
The Police in Ifo, Ogun state has been accused of allegedly refusing to show up after they were called upon by the residents when a thief was caught in the community.
According to a social media report, a boy was appeared to miss his way was caught in an estate in If
o, an area in Ogun where robbers have been terrorizing since last week.
Upon interrogation, he initially claimed he was looking for his lost money, but later confessed to be in the area to rob.
He was, according to reports, beaten by the residents, after which they made attempt to hand him over to the Police.
The officers on duty however told the residents their cell was full and they couldnt take in more offenders.
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Caught one in our Estate this evening and the other one escaped….Fact be told; we called the Police and they said cell is Full This is disheartening, we’re not safe !!!
OgunUnrest #IfoUnrest
Firstly, it started as a cult fight here in Ifo before the whole thing escalated to stealing, raping and killings since then we’ve been on Guard in my area since last Tuesday 12am – 4am everyday #IfoUnrest #OgunUnrest
We’d burn atleast 3 tyres every night that we already ran out of something to burn at the time of this tweet, yesterday after resting in the afternoon I decided to take a stroll in my estate for no particular reason. #OgunUnrest #IfoUnrest
Then I noticed a strange face in the vicinity, very dirty and wet like he had fall into water or probably escaped from somewhere, I moved closer to him and ask who he was and why he was here…he paid little to no attention to me at first hoping I’ll think he lives in the estate
When he got that I wasn’t buying the drama he said he was looking for five hundred naira and that he was from Seriki(another village in Ifo) and that he left home to buy body cream and somehow landed in our area to play Bet9ja #OgunUnrest #IfoUnrest
Please know that Seriki to my area is nothing less than 300 naira transport. I knew he was lying, I grabbed him by the waist & gave him a blow in his jaw as first attack cause I don’t if he had a weapon or somethin, I called d estate security immediately #OgunUnrest #IfoUnrest
To cut the story short….This boy (21) had already robbed a Bet9ja shop outside the estate and got lost not knowing where to turn to, residents start to hit him and he confessed he came all the way from Iju-Ishaga
We called the police station and they said the whole place is full already. I’ll share a video to show we didn’t lynch this guy one bit. These boys are not hungry, they’re evil just evil, These boys rape and kill housewives, they move in groups but send a spy first !#OgunUnrest.
A former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, has scolded Bello El-Rufai, the son of Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, for threatening to rape the mother of someone who disagreed with him on social media.
bello
The former World Bank Vice-President also asked Bello to apologise for making acerbic comments laced with tribalism.
Ezekwesili, who also served in the same federal cabinet as Bello’s father during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, said this on Twitter on Sunday.
She tweeted, “Did I just see horrific tweets from your handle threatening gang-rape? What was that? Why the ethnic vitriol toward Igbos? What’s that, Bello? Too tragic!
“You need to not just immediately apologise for those vile tweets but get into an anger management program quickly.
“I have maintained that we can disagree without being disagreeable. We can object without being objectionable. Healthy debates and divergences that arise are important for democratic development of societies.”
Trouble started after Bello took to Twitter to insult United States President, Donald Trump, over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bello said, “There is nothing as radioactive as an incompetent leader during a time of crisis. The United States of America is a case in point. A few states in Nigeria too.”
However, a Twitter user named Consigliere with the handle @oewonah, said Bello should rather focus on Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari
He insisted that the American President was miles ahead of Buhari and even Bello’s father, El-Rufai, in terms of quality leadership.
Consigliere wrote, “He (Bello) can’t call Buhari out for his ineptitude yet he’s calling Trump names? Did he vote Trump?”
El-Rufai’s son, however, decided to rain expletives on the man who disagreed with him and also insulted his ethnicity.
He tweeted, “Tell your mother I’m passing her to my friends tonight. No Igbo sounds please! Tueh.
Not done, the younger El-Rufai sent a private message to Consligiere, saying it was obvious that he was attacking Buhari because he is Igbo.
Bello further stated that Buhari was completing the Second Niger Bridge in the South-East, a feat which former President Goodluck Jonathan could not attain despite being supported by Igbos.
He also insulted the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
He tweeted, “Your mother is the main whore of the South-East. I can’t reply you publicly. F**k Kanu and take a picture of the Second Niger Bridge, thanks to Buhari. My mentions are mine. If a Sunday bastard makes up lies and drags my father, his mother will be games. If he doesn’t want it, he shouldn’t mention me. The crowd has never phased (sic) me…
The outburst sparked outrage on Twitter with Bello trending at number one.
The person whose tweets Bello was directed at, expressed shock at the insults, explaining that he wasn’t even Igbo.
However, the debate became more interesting when Bello’s mother, Hadiza, who is a women’s rights advocate, was tagged.
Mrs. El-Rufai, however, defended her son’s outburst saying, “Don’t @me. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind. All is fair in love and war.”
As of 3am on Twitter Nigerian time, Bello was still trending, attracting nearly 60,000 tweets
He said he would not apologise for the insults, insisting that he and his family had been victims of ethnic slurs in the past.
World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa on Friday gave an update on the coronavirus pandemic in Africa. WHO said that there are 11,900 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the continent with 608 deaths. The update was issued on its official Twitter account @WHOAFRO on Friday morning.
South Africa, Algeria, and Egypt have continued to top the list of countries with the highest reported cases. South Africa has 1,934 cases and 18 deaths, Algeria has 1,666 cases with 235 deaths, while Egypt has 1560 confirmed cases with 103 deaths. WHO added that Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria has 288 cases and 7 deaths. The countries with the lowest confirmed cases are South Sudan and Burundi, which have reported only three cases each. “COVID-19 cases in Africa rise to over 11,900 – with 1,586 recoveries & 608 deaths reported,” WHO tweeted.
Neymar planned to mock Erling Haaland after Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund in advance, according to Marquinhos.
The two sides were drawn against each other in the last 16 of this season’s competition, with the first leg taking place at Westfalenstadion on February 18.
Dortmund secured a 2-1 victory in front of their own supporters thanks to a superb brace from Haaland, who celebrated scoring by adopting a meditation pose on the side of the pitch.
Neymar, who scored PSG’s only goal of the game, was motivated for revenge in the return leg in Paris, particularly after a photo emerged on social media of Haaland in Paris with the caption: “My city, not yours.”
Neymar imitated Haaland’s celebration for the cameras, and PSG went on to book their place in the quarter-finals with a 3-2 aggregate win after Juan Bernat doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time.
The French champions celebrated wildly after the final whistle despite the absence of fans in the stadium, and Neymar led the entire squad in a mass-group photo copying Haaland’s pose once again.
The 28-year-old then took to Instagram to post an image of himself celebrating in one final dig at the Dortmund star, accompanied with his own “Paris is our city, not yours” message.
PSG midfielder Marquinhos says Neymar’s actions were pre-meditated, admitting that a fellow countryman is not one to avoid any potential confrontations.
“He likes that. Neymar is not just a football player, he is not afraid and always responds to provocations,” the 25-year-old said during an interview with YouTube channel Desimpedidos.
“After his goal, I asked him if he had taken everything out. He warned me, I told him to wait until the end of the match, but he told me to leave it and not to stop it.”
UEFA issued PSG with a formal warning for “unsportsmanlike conduct” after the match, but the club avoided a fine.
Tuchel’s side are now within sight of a maiden Champions League triumph, but it is not yet known whether it will be safe for the current season to resume amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis which has seen all major leagues and competitions shut down for the foreseeable future.
Former First Lady Patience Jonathan has struck a deal to release her 200-bed hotel as COVID-19 Isolation and treatment centre.
The Abuja hotel, which is believed to be worth about N2 billion, is under interim forfeiture secured by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the court on April 30, 2018.
The former First Lady, it was learnt, struck the deal with First Lady Aisha Buhari, which led to her release of the hotel, under litigation, for use by the government at the critical time.
The First Lady, through her pet project, the Future Assured Programme, entered into separate agreements with Mrs. Jonathan and the Ministry of Health to convert the hotel into a COVID-19 treatment centre.
Mrs. Buhari made an offer to the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, to equip it as a treatment centre to international standards.
Although the hotel will be formally handed over to the Minister of Health on Monday, it will be managed by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) COVID-19 committee.
The Future Assured Programme is providing facilities like water, furniture, beddings, fittings and modern health equipment used to manage COVID-19 cases.
It was gathered that the “deal” between the First Lady and her predecessor was struck at a recent meeting by the duo at the Presidential Villa.
A source quoted Mrs. Jonathan as saying: “This is the time we must all come together, irrespective of political differences, to assist this nation to fight the pandemic. It is a time to shun politics.
“I will do everything to help this great country that has also given me the opportunity to serve.”
Investigation revealed that the First Lady decided to collaborate with Mrs. Jonathan to avoid the Future Assured Programme running into any legal crisis.
A highly-placed source added: “Since the dispute over the property is still in court, the First Lady opted to seek the consent of Mrs. Patience Jonathan on the temporary use of the seized hotel. This mutual understanding has removed all legal hurdles.
“After the nation has overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel will be handed over to the Federal Ministry of Health, which will in turn revert back to the EFCC. Those involved are, therefore, the Future Assured Programme, the Ministry of Health, the EFCC and ex-First Lady Mrs. Patience Jonathan.
“All the existing agreements are without prejudice to the final decision of the court on the property, which the First Lady said is owned by a separate entity, Aurora Foundation.”
About 1.15pm on Sunday, about 30 workers were seen putting final touches to the centre.
A 20-man team of mobile policemen was on the alert to secure the sophisticated equipment already installed.
A source said: “It is a five-storey hotel which can actually be upgraded into 300 bedrooms. But so far, we have fitted the ground floor and three out of the other five floors.
“All things being equal, the hotel will be handed over on Monday by the First Lady. We have been working day and night on this project.
Asked to be specific on the cost being expended on the upgrading of the hotel to a medical centre for COVID-19, the source added: “Only the First Lady and the Future Assured Programme could account for such.”
The hotel is located in a valley in Mabushi part of Abuja, off the ever busy Mabushi Kado Expressway.
By the description of Abuja Geographic Information Systems(AGIS), an agency under the Federal Capital Administration, the property is located at Plot No. 1758, Cadastral Zone, B06 Mabushi, and Plot No.1350, Cadastral Zone, A00 Central Business District.
Being a reseved area, the five-storey hotel is unique with its ash colour paint.
It is easily noticed by shoppers who take the route to one of the biggest shopping complex in Abuja, the Jabi Lake Mall.
Less than two kilometres to Jabi Lake, the breeze from the lake at night provides additional ambience to the facility.
The Presidency has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari is taking a two-step approach to tackle the Coronavirus outbreak in Nigeria.
It explained that the approach has to do with the security of the lives of the people, as well as easing the effect of the virus on businesses in the country.
The Presidency stated this in a tweet on its verified Twitter handle on Sunday.
According to the Presidency, Buhari was taking the approach as a national response to the virus.
“In Nigeria, we are taking a two-step approach. First, to protect the lives of our fellow Nigerians and residents living here and second, to preserve the livelihoods of workers and business owners,” it said.
This is coming at a time the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, confirmed five new cases of COVID-19 in the country.
The latest confirmed cases in Katsina, Lagos, and Kwara States now brings the toll of the disease to 323.
China reported the highest number of new daily coronavirus cases in nearly six weeks, driven by a rise in infected travellers arriving from overseas and underscoring challenges Beijing faces in preventing a second wave of COVID-19.
A total of 108 new coronavirus cases were reported on Sunday, up from 99 a day earlier and marking the highest number of cases since 143 cases were reported on March 5.
The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China now stands at 82,160, while the death toll rose by two to 3,341.
The National Health Commission said on Monday that 98 of the new cases were imported involving people entering China from another country, a new record and up from 97 a day earlier. The number of asymptomatic cases fell to 61 from 63 a day earlier.
Though the number of daily infections have dropped sharply from the height of the epidemic in February, China has seen the daily toll creep higher after hitting a trough on March 12 as the virus spread globally. Beijing is concerned that infected people entering the country could trigger a second wave and push the country back into a state of near paralysis.
The northeast Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia, reported 56 new cases — 49 from Russia.
Chinese cities near the border with Russia said on Sunday they would tighten border controls and quarantine measures on arrivals.
The border city of Suifenhe and Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, said they would require all arrivals from abroad to undergo 28 days of quarantine, as well as nucleic acid and antibody tests.
Harbin will also lock down residential units where confirmed and asymptomatic coronavirus cases are found for 14 days.
A teenage girl in California died by suicide after she reportedly struggled to cope with the stay-at-home orders amid the Coronavirus outbreak.
15-year-old Jo’Vianni Smith of Stockton was found dead inside her home after she hanged herself last week.
A coach at Jo’Vianni’s school, Bear Creek High School, told Recordnet that ‘the cause of death reportedly was due to the stresses and pressures from coping with the self-isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.’ Her mother, Danielle Hunt, also said she believes that stress from the health crisis may have played a role in her daughter’s death, according to the outlet.
“I felt that I was doing all that I could as a parent to leave the communication open,”Hunt told the news station, adding that“sometimes we may need to stop and worry about the kids that we don’t think we need to worry about,” adding that Jo’Vianni did not leave a note behind.
Hunt described her daughter as ‘bubbly,’ ‘loving,‘ and the light of her world. ‘It’s like, how do you explain a girl like her? If you met her one time, like, she made an impact in your life,’ she said.
Jo’Vianni, a high school sophomore, was also a promising student-athlete, playing softball on travel teams as a catcher and second baseman, sports blog Extra Innings Softball reported.
One of Jo’Vianni’s former softball shared a heartbreaking note after he learned of her death.
‘Her name is Jo’Vianni “Jo” SmithJo was a great athlete… [she] was a bright star with a great personality and a huge heart. and a bright future,’ he told Extra Inning Softball. ‘It’s been extremely hard to relate to what these kids are going through. I have daily conversations with my 2 high schoolers and encourage them to reach out to their friends and teammates. I can’t imagine what Jo was going through…’
The Lodi Unified School District released a statement regarding Jo’Vianni’s death. ‘We were deeply saddened to learn of Jo’Vianni Smith’s passing. Jo’vianni was well loved by the Bear Creek High community,’ the statement read.
‘The participated in band, played basketball and softball, and was known for her joyful spirit on campus. She will be dearly missed by those who knew her.’
In a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19, Borno State government has ordered a total lockdown and shut its borders against non-essential movements.
Alhaji Umar Kadafur, the Deputy Governor of Borno, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, said that the order would take effect from Monday, April 13, by 6 a.m, adding that movement in and out of the state would be completely restricted.
Kadafur said,
“The border between Borno and Yobe States would be shut down completely, only persons on essential duties and vehicles conveying food items, petrol, drugs and other essential commodities would be allowed into the state.
“This painstaking decision became imperative as part of the measures to prevent spread of the virus into our dear state, following discoveries of some suspected cases in some northern states,”
Kadafur said.
Kadafur further warned people of the State to comply, pending further directives.
He said the State government regretted any inconvenience the decision would cause the general public.
Meanwhile, Nigeria on Sunday recorded five new cases of Coronavirus in Nigeria.
This now brings the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria to 323.
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Some gunmen on motorcycles have ambushed and killed a female police officer in Akwa Ibom. The incident took place on Tuesday in Ika Local Go...
