Politics
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Akwa Ibom governor commends ExxonMobil’s donations
Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom has commended ExxonMobil for donating equipment and items worth millions of naira to curb the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic in the state. Emmanuel, who was represented by Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, Secretary to the State Government, gave the commendation in Uyo on Saturday. He expressed the government’s profound appreciation to ExxonMobil for the kind gesture and for demonstrating its pride of place as Akwa Ibom’s number one corporate partner. “The items received would be a significant support boost to the state government’s effort to contain the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state,” the governor said. ExxonMobil’s donation included WHO-standard RNA COVID-19 test kits for 1,920 tests, 1000 units of samples collection kits, two brand new ambulances and ...
FIFA to pick 2023 Women’s World Cup host in June
World governing football body, FIFA, will pick a host for the 2023 Women’s World Cup on June 25. The host will be selected by FIFA’s ruling council and it is a contest between Brazil, Japan, Colombia, and a joint bid from Australia and New Zealand. According to reports, the selection will be done in an open vote of the 37-member FIFA Council and the result of each round of balloting and each voter’s choice will be made open. “FIFA is now finalizing the evaluation report, which will be published in early June,” FIFA said in a statement on Friday. Newsmen report that FIFA inspection teams had initially visited the four bid candidates in January and February before international travel was restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 2023 World Cup will be the first to feature 32 teams. Th...
Coronavirus: African football must wait – CAF chief
CAF president, Ahmad Ahmad, has stated that African football must wait till the coronavirus pandemic is over. He said health comes first before football and as such, it is better that the pandemic is managed and curtailed before football resumes in the continent. He said: “As we see the ratio of tests that have been carried out in these countries, it is always alarming because we lack visibility in the management of this pandemic. “There is a lack of visibility. We must wait. As president, I invite everyone to be very careful and wait for the situation to normalize. But beyond that, I do not want football to be a source of destabilization for the precautionary measures taken by the various governments to deal with the pandemic. “The whole world is facing a very important health crisis, and...
53 more Nigerian returnees from Ghana, Benin Republic arrive Seme border
Another batch of 53 Nigerian returnees from Ghana and Benin Republic arrived Seme Border Post in Lagos State on Saturday. Newsmen gathered that 39 out of the 53 returnees who came from Ghana were brought in two luxurious buses with registration numbers, Lagos KTU 833XY and LSD 614 YR. Newsmen also gathered that the remaining 14 Nigerian returnees from Benin Republic were dropped by different vehicles at the border by Beninoise officials. An official of Port Health Services (PHS) in Seme, who pleaded anonymity, told newsmen that the Nigerian returnees, comprising 39 males and 14 females, had been screened by health officials. “They arrived at 3:30 a.m. today from Ghana and Republic of Benin. “While those from Ghana came in two luxurious buses, the returnees from Benin Republic were dropped ...
Borno governor directs enrolment of 552 retired workers into pension payments
552 Borno ex-workers who retired from 2016 to April 2020 have been enrolled for pension payments following the directive of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum. Borno State Head of Civil Service, Barr. Simon C. Malgwi, stated this at a press briefing on Saturday in Maiduguri. Mr Malgwi stated that Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, having been considerably disturbed by the pension problems in the state, had to personally intervene in order to address the problem and ensure a hitch-free system of pension administration in the state. The Head of Service explained that the 552 pensioners enrolled are inclusive of the 387 complaints received from the Nigerian Union Of Pensioners received on Thursday, 12th March, 2020, during a public hearing that was presided by Governor Zulum in Maiduguri. He noted tha...
UEFA clarify comments on teams from abandoned leagues pre-qualifying for Champions League
UEFA has made clear a statement which implied that teams from abandoned leagues would need to pre-qualify for next season’s Champions League. European football’s governing body had issued confusing comments which implied that teams such as Paris Saint-Germain would need to enter the competition in the first qualifying round. PSG, who remain in this season’s Champions League, were awarded the Ligue 1 title as the season was cancelled last month. But UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin appeared to warn that clubs from abandoned leagues – such as in France, Holland and Belgium – would need to enter European competition at the preliminary stages. UEFA have now clarified their comments, confirming that only teams in the positions normally needing to pre-qualify will need to be ready to compete in...
China admits to destroying early coronavirus samples, says action was taken due to safety concerns
China has acknowledged it destroyed early samples of COVID-19, confirming a claim put forward by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo late last month. On Friday, Liu Dengfeng, a supervisor with China’s National Health Commission, admitted that ‘the Chinese government issued an order on January 3 to dispose of coronavirus samples’ at unauthorized laboratories, according to Newsweek. But Liu denied that the samples were destroyed as part of a cover-up, insisting that they were disposed of so as to ‘prevent risk to laboratory biological safety and prevent secondary disasters caused by unidentified pathogens.’ He stated that the labs were ‘unauthorized’ to handle such samples, and they had to be terminated in order to comply with Chinese public health laws. Liu did not specify how many labs des...
Journalist suspended for requesting salary on social media
A journalist with the Imo State government has been suspended indefinitely from her job for taking to Facebook to request her three months unpaid salary and the wages of her co-workers. Officials said the Facebook post was an “embarrassment” to the Imo State government. The suspended journalist, Vivian Ottih, is a lawyer and a senior editor with the government-owned IBC Orient FM radio station. She is the chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), in Imo State. Mrs Ottih, on May 4, posted a message on Facebook, appealing to Governor Hope Uzodinma’s media aide, Modestus Nwamkpa, to make a case to the governor on behalf of the workers in the government-owned radio and television stations who were yet to get their February, March, and April salaries. Ottih described ...
Bayelsa discharges two coronavirus patients
The Bayelsa State government has announced that two patients that earlier tested positive for coronavirus in the state have been discharged. Newsmen report that the two patients who had contact with the index case were discharged from the isolation centre at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) in Okolobiri. A statement signed by the deputy chairman of the state’s COVID-19 taskforce and permanent secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Inodu Apoku, said “the repeat tests of the remaining cases linked to the index case returned negative. “These patients have also met all other NCDC guidelines for discharge. Consequently, they have been discharged today (Saturday). “So there is only one active COVID-19 case in the state after we discharged the index case and the other four linked c...
Casemiro: Football can prove a return to normal is possible
Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro says it is “important” that football can return in Spain and that if it does, it will demonstrate that society can eventually return to normal after the coronavirus pandemic. Football fans had their first top-level live games to watch on Saturday with the return of the Bundesliga and, while the situation around the game was far from normal, the games were a source of entertainment and comfort to plenty. Spanish football is hoping to get the green light to resume as well, with La Liga chief Javier Tebas currently aiming for June 12 as the date when games can go on. “It’s a really significant step, not just for football but for society too, to show people that it is possible,” Casemiro told Real Madrid TV. “It’s not just about playing football, it’s about peop...
Hungary lifts movement restrictions on capital from Monday
Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Saturday that movement restrictions on Budapest residents would be lifted next week. Orban said the Hungarian capital region has made sufficient progress in the fight against the novel coronavirus. Among other things, Budapest residents will be able to leave their homes again from Monday onwards without having to provide a good reason. Shops of all kinds will also be allowed to stay open longer, and restaurants with outdoor seating will be free to receive guests once again. The rest of Hungary has enjoyed the same freedoms for almost two weeks. However, social distance rules and compulsory face masks continue to apply throughout the country. The number of infections in Hungary, and especially in Budapest, has fallen sharply. By Saturday, 3,473 peopl...
Artist urges government to invest in tourism
Mr Femi Adegoke, an artist, has called on the Federal Government to invest more in tourism to diversify and boost the nation’s economy post COVID-19. Adegoke told newsmen in Ilorin on Saturday that the Coronavirus pandemic has exposed the fact that the nation cannot survive only on oil proceeds. He said that the nation was blessed with abundant natural sites, adding that government should try and revive the tourism sector. “I don’t know why tourism in Nigeria seems dormant. Every other nation of the earth harness their tourism sites to boost their economy.” “We have very beautiful natural sites in Nigeria, but I don’t know why the government is not developing them into world class tourist attractions.” “It seems to be the least funded and ignored sector in Nigeria. This should not be.” “Ar...
