COVID-19
Energy firms’ bank debts rise to N5.94 trillion
The debts owed to Nigerian banks by oil and gas operators as well as power companies in the country rose to N5.94tn at the end of 2020 from N5.25tn in December 2019. The N5.94tn represents 29.16 per cent of the N20.37tn loans advanced to the private sector by the banks as of December, according to the sectoral analysis of banks’ credit by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Oil and gas firms, which received the biggest share of the credit from the banks, increased their debt by N600bn to N5.18tn in December 2020 from N4.58tn in December 2019. The debt owed by power firms to the banks rose to N763.22bn in December 2020 from N671.45bn in December 2019, the CBN data showed. Oil firms operating in the downstream, natural gas and crude oil refining subsectors owed N393tn as of December, up from N3.42t...
It’s Lit and Under Surveillance: Travis Scott Under Investigation For Allegedly Breaking COVID Rules
Source: Rachpoot/MEGA / Getty Travis Scott may be known for his eclectic and rare merchandise, but it was his recent rollout that has authorities examining the event closely. According to published reports, Cactus Jack is currently being investigated after he held a surprise event in Los Angeles for the release of his merch collection that accompanies his “Utopia in Dystopia” i-D cover shot by Spike Jonze and the city revealed that the event, that is accused of possibly breaking COVID-19 gathering rules. Authorities state that La Flame and his team are now being investigated for the gathering that caused a major disturbance in West Hollywood after he and his team reportedly did not go through the process of getting a permit for the event from the Los Angeles Department of Public Works, who...
Twitter could Ban Users with COVID-19 Misinformation Strike System
Image sourced from Mission Statement Academy Twitter will start labelling tweets that violate its COVID-19 guidance policy – this essentially includes content containing misinformation about the virus as well as vaccines. Since introducing its COVID-19 guidance, Twitter has removed more than 8,400 Tweets and challenged 11.5 million accounts worldwide. The new labels are expected to include links to official public health information or the Twitter rules – which is an attempt by the social platform to help users find credible info and partner with the experts. In an official statement, Twitter says “we will begin applying labels to Tweets that may contain misleading information about COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to our continued efforts to remove the most harmful COVID-19 ...
Pied Piper of R&Pee & Alleged Herpes Spreader R. Kelly Gets Both COVID-19 Vaccine Shots
Source: Chicago Tribune / Getty While millions of people are still looking for a way to get the COVID-19 vaccination to keep themselves from falling victim to the raging pandemic, sexual predator/pedophile, R. Kelly can count himself safe from the Rona as he’s gotten both shots while behind bars. TMZ reports that the “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number” writer has just received his 2nd shot of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Bureau of Prisons at MCC Chicago after getting the first shot back in January. Wait, huh?! We get that celebrities and millionaires are jumping to the front of the lines to get themselves vaccinated, but how’d a disgraced pariah of a has-been get to be blessed with protection from a deadly virus while serving his prison sentence? What about the frontline workers and older adul...
Verozil: Nigeria’s Top Herbal Drug Manufacturer Unveils COVID-19 Cure & Prevention Drug
Verozil: Nigeria’s Top Herbal Drug Manufacturer Unveils COVID-19 Cure & Prevention Drug COVID-19 virus fear in Nigerian was again allayed last Thursday as the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, unveiled an indigenous drug for the cure and prevention of the viral infection. The drug named Verozil, which is available in capsules, blisters packs and liquid, was certified by the body regulating sales and use of drugs in Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Verozil, which was launched alongside other three indigenous drugs, was researched and produced by Yem-Kem International Group and Ooni Ojaja Global Outreach. It will be distributed by Organic Remedies. Oba Adeyeye, who spoke at the launch at the banquet hall, Ooni’s palace, Ile-Ife, said it...
Minister: Nigerians who received coronavirus vaccines abroad must get tested upon arrival
The minister of state for health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, says Nigerians who have received COVID-19 vaccines abroad will still be required to take polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests upon arrival in the country. Speaking on a Channels TV programme on Monday, Mamora said receiving the vaccine is not a license to disregard the already established COVID-19 travel protocol. “The protocol is there already. They need to produce evidence of taking a PCR test within the estimated time limit before boarding and the test certificate and when they come into the country, they would need to go into isolation and on the seventh day, they take the PCR test. “Having been vaccinated does not absolutely say that you can’t get the infection. What the vaccine guarantees is that if you get the infection, you are...
Okomu Oil Palm wants central bank to review anchor borrowers programme
Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc. wants a review of CBN’s Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) to accommodate more farmers and to shore up the nation’s foreign earnings from agriculture. The ABP is targeted at smallholder farmers engaged in the production of rice, maize, wheat and cash crops like oil palm, cocoa and rubber, among others. Speaking with newsmen on Monday in Benin, Okomu Oil’s Managing Director, Dr Graham Hefer, noted that cash crop farmers were yet to fully benefit from the programme. He said food crop farmers had an edge because they could cultivate, harvest, sell and repay their loans within the specified one year period. “It is easy for farmers engaged in annual crops to meet their targets. “This doesn’t happen with cash crops because in the first three years of oil palm production...
3 Reasons Data Management can Unlock the Value of Healthcare Data
Data in the healthcare sector is heavily regulated, with numerous laws and regulations governing how data needs to be processed, protected and retained. This has become more important than ever in light of the COVID-19 crisis, which has made healthcare data an increasingly attractive target for cybercrime. However, the pandemic has also highlighted the need to be able to analyse and share data effectively, as the world strives for improved treatment protocols and ideally an effective and safe vaccination. Data management has become a critical tool to unlocking the value of healthcare data, during the pandemic and beyond. Here are three ways effective data management can provide value: /* custom css */ .tdi_3_0c4.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_0c4.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0...
South Africa signs J&J vaccine deal, eases restrictions
South Africa has signed an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to secure 11 million COVID-19 vaccine doses and will ease restrictions due to a decline in new cases, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday. South Africa has been the hardest-hit on the continent by the pandemic, recording almost half of the COVID-19 deaths and more than a third of reported infections. But daily cases have fallen below 2,000, from a peak above 20,000 last month during a second wave of infections. Ramaphosa said in a televised address that 2.8 million of the J&J doses would be delivered in the second quarter, with the rest spread throughout the year. South Africa started administering the single-dose J&J vaccine this month in a research study targeting healthcare workers but has not yet rolled out sh...
Wole Soyinka to Nigerians: Don’t accept child hostage taking as a way of life
Following the Friday abduction of over 300 school children in Jangebe in Zamfara State, Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Saturday warned Nigerians against accepting kidnapping of school children in parts of the north as a way of life. Soyinka who lamented that the government and security agencies have failed Nigerians, said he did not know what else to recommend as panacea to the nation’s “abnormal times.” The octogenarian playwright spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at the ANA Ogun award lecture and public presentation of ‘Chronicles of the happiest people on earth,’ the latest book authored by him. The event was put together by the Association of Nigerian Authors, Ogun State chapter in collaboration with Abeokuta Club. The 524 page book was launched by foremost indigenous ...
UK Music Festivals Are Selling Out After Government Releases Plan to End Lockdown
Music festivals in the UK are selling out in record numbers after the country’s government unveiled a timeline for ending lockdown restrictions before the summer. However, festival organizers are still wary of cancellations that could lead to detrimental financial losses without a government-backed insurance policy. On Monday, Boris Johnson announced his government’s plan to ease out of lockdown, which is set to conclude with the complete removal of social distancing restrictions on June 21st. As The Guardian reports, the news has led to major festivals like Field Day and Reading & Leeds selling out at historic rates, as demonstrated by a 600% rise in Ticketmaster traffic. “We’ve had around 2 million fans on our site with half a million visits to the Ticketmaster Festival Finder g...
Anambra introduces coronavirus mobile testing
The Commissioner for Health in Anambra State, Vincent Okpala, said on Thursday that the government, through its Ministry of Health, has introduced more aggressive measures, including mobile testing, in order to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Mr Okpala, a medical doctor, told newsmen in Awka that the ministry has introduced a drive-through COVID-19 testing where samples would be collected while the residents go about their normal businesses. The commissioner said a mobile truck with medical officers would drive through the streets to collect samples from the people voluntarily. He appealed to the public to avail themselves of this opportunity and go out for free and voluntary testing. The mobile team would also visit churches in the state to counsel the people on the need to go f...
