COVID-19
Chris Okotie: Online church service unbiblical
Pastor of the Household of God Church International Ministries in the Oregun area of Lagos State, Reverend Chris Okotie, says online church service, which has become the order of the day due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is unscriptural. He argued that Christians must physically gather together to be able to truly worship God. Okotie, in a sermon titled, ‘The COVID-19 Mystery’, maintained that the novel disease is a satanic conspiracy to challenge the power of God by keeping Christians out of the church. Okotie said, “We are dealing with one of the most sinister conspiracies in human history. What we call the online church is absolutely untrue, because for you to be in church, you have to be ecclesia, which is translated from the Greek word, ec, which is out, and the word caleo, called out. “Y...
Lagos assemblymen go for coronavirus tests, fumigate complex
Pool Photo The Lagos State House of Assembly has directed all lawmakers to go for COVID-19 test following the death of the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Tunde Braimoh. Newsmen also gathered that the Assembly has been closed for fumigation. Braimoh, who represented Kosofe Constituency, died last Friday after a brief illness and was buried at the Ikoyi Cemetery. He was said to be close to the late Senator representing Lagos East, Bayo Osinowo, who died on June 15 of suspected COVID-19. The lawmaker representing Ifako Ijaiye, Temitope Adewale, in a statement on Tuesday, said he had gone for the test, adding his result returned negative. “As directed by the leadership of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Sunday, July 12, 2020, I went and submitted myself f...
Banksy’s New Artwork Was Inspired by Coronavirus and… Chumbawamba
Bansky is at it again. The secretive English street artist, known for his provocative takes on everything from the high society art world to Paris Hilton’s debut album, has commented on the coronavirus pandemic in his latest piece — all while sneaking in a Chumbawamba reference, because of course he did. Banksy announced his new piece via a video on his Instagram page. Entitled “if you don’t mask – you don’t get”, the artwork was “installed” on a London Underground train, and consists of his own tag sprayed in that familiar shade of N95 mask blue, surrounded by stenciled rats, a common motif in his work. One of the rats uses a face mask as a parachute while another sneezes, shooting blue liquid everywhere — it represents the novel coronavirus’ dynamic aerosol efficiency, duh! The enigmatic...
Weeks After Sharing Lineup, EXIT Festival Announces Cancellation of 2020 Event
Weeks after sharing an expansive lineup, organizers of Serbia’s EXIT Festival have pulled the plug on its 2020 iteration due to the impact of COVID-19. The announcement arrived weeks after they announced its initial postponement to August. Representatives took to social media to share the solemn—if unsurprising—news. “As you may know, earlier this spring, the Serbian Prime Minister had asked EXIT not to cancel the festival but rather postpone it to mid-August,” they wrote. “At that time, the number of new daily cases was on a steady sharp decline and even our most cautious health experts believed that zero number of cases would be reached in June, almost two months before the new festival date in August. During this time, the whole of Serbia was also fully reop...
Education counsellor calls for consensus on 2020 WASSCE
Mr Benjamin Bamidele, an Education Counsellor, on Tuesday called on the Federal and State Governments to urgently resolve the impasse over the conduct of the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Bamidele made the call during an interview with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti. He said such quick and amicable settlement of the impasse occasioned by measures toward curtailing COVID-19 spread was to secure the students’ future academic performances. According to him, the endless discussion and buck-passing between the Federal and State Governments over the conduct of the examination will only compound the challenges confronting the nation’s education sector. “Apart from those challenges associated with COVID-19, the education system has for a very long time been affecte...
Groove Cruise’s Virtual Festival Sets Sail This Weekend
After sailing the digital seas earlier in the year, Groove Cruise is back with another virtual event in the name of charity. Powered by Whet Travel, the “Virtual Sail Aways Live” event will be collective donations for the company’s COVID-19 relief fund in an effort to help artists affected by the pandemic. Through their previous streams, the organization has collected nearly $40,000, which will be distributed to the artists in need. This time, the boat will be rocking with live performances from Crystal Skies, Liquid Todd, Nurko, the appropriately-named duo Ship Wrek, and many more. In addition to the main lineup, Bryan Lubliner, Diskopretty & Friends, and Doc Brown will be hosting a special “night swim” after-hours event. In addition t...
NYSC member donates foot-controlled handwashing apparatus to rural areas
File Photo Recently, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Ilori Ayotola Deborah, was in the news after she donated 10 foot-operated soap and water dispenser to some rural communities and offices in Abuja. Deborah who is currently undergoing her Community Development Service (CDS) under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), said she drew her inspiration to embark on the project from the fact that the rural communities were yet to believe the stories of COVID-19. She said during her outreach programs to educate the rural communities on the preventive measures against COVID-19 pandemic, she realised that the handwashing mode in the communities does not conform with the standard given by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). “It was out of the little effort I was able to...
Reckitt Benckiser donates N65m worth of hygiene products to Nigerian government
Reckitt Benckiser (RB), makers of Dettol and Jik, has donated hygiene products worth N65 million to Federal Ministry of Health to enable it respond to coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria, improve access to health, hygiene and nutrition for Nigerians. Donated items included hygiene products such as antiseptic disinfectants, dettol soaps, Jik bleach, full Personal Protective Equipments (PPE), and 100 mobile hand wash units to be installed at locations as advised by the ministry of health. The donations which was presented by representatives of RB at the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, was received by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, in company of other senior ministry officials. In his remarks, the Minister thanked RB for the donations, stating that “you have been in business for f...
Lagos doctors begin warning strike Monday
Doctors employed by the Lagos State Government will on Monday begin a three-day warning strike. The Chairman of the Medical Guild, Lagos, Dr Oluwajimi Sodipo, at a briefing on Sunday, said the doctors were embarking on the strike after the ultimatum given to the Lagos State Government had expired. He said, “Following the emergency congress of the Medical Guild held on June 27, we resolved that the previous 21 days ultimatum given to the state government be extended by a further two weeks during which representative council meeting should be held to review the resolutions of the congress and activate the three-day warning strike if 70 per cent of the Guild’s demands are not met.” Sodipo said the demands of the Guild include the wage disparity between the federal and Lagos doctors. “The issu...
UK Festival Will Feature Beer Delivery and “Socially-Distanced Raving” This Weekend
As most of the world’s live music events continue to be cancelled due to COVID-19, the UK is joining the likes of Amsterdam by hosting its first socially distanced music festival called the Gisburne Park Pop-Up. The event will last eight weeks, from July 11th to August 30th, 2020, and will be hosted on the breathtaking Gisburne Park Estate in Lancashire. The 10-acre venue plans to welcome 24,000 guests over the duration of the event, all of who will be treated to a mix of music, entertainment, food, drink, and boutique glamping while observing the latest social distancing guidelines. Joining the groundbreaking event will be some of the UK’s biggest names in dance music, including Jonas Blue, The Shapeshifters, and Sam Divine. They will be part of the festival’s...
Ibiza Government Thanks NHS Workers with Free 2021 Ibiza Holiday
Healthcare workers the world over are receiving well-deserved thanks for their ongoing and tireless efforts in the fight against the global COVID-19 pandemic. The government of Ibiza has made a grand gesture to show their gratitude to National Health Service workers by giving them a free holiday on the island next year. “Together For Health Heroes” is an initiative backed by the Ibiza government that aims to reward European healthcare workers for their efforts battling against COVID-19 this year. The initiative seeks to “find at least 1,000 best in class accommodation providers in Europe and give back to these healthcare heroes in 2021.” According to a statement from Ibiza tourism councillor Juan Miguel Costa, the island wants to “compensate th...
Social Distancing Ignored in 5,000-Person Electronic Concert in Nice, France Over the Weekend
Ignoring many of the social distancing guidelines shared by the world’s medical community, a large group of people in France gathered for an outdoor concert over the weekend. While some underground events have been broken up for hosting around 100 people, the concert in the city of Nice attracted over 5,000 people, who gathered to see a performance from hometown artist The Avener. French news station France 3 Provence-Alpes obtained footage of the party, which displayed a packed crowd with few people wearing masks or practicing social distancing. The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, released a statement on Twitter addressing the event and shared his regrets that mask guidelines were not upheld by attendees. Yesterday’s event at #Nice06 complied with government guideli...
