Nigeria
Nigeria confirms 476 new virus cases
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), has confirmed 476 new cases of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in the country. The NCDC confirmed this through its official Twitter handle on Thursday. The agency said that seven deaths were recorded in the country. NCDC said that till date, 50,964 cases have been confirmed, 37,569, discharged and 992 deaths recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. According to it, the 476 new cases are reported from 18 states. It said that Lagos has the highest figures of 235 cases, followed by FCT with 44 cases. Others were Kaduna (41), Borno (33), Plateau (28), Abia (13), Edo (13), Rivers (12), Imo (11), Oyo (10), Kano (9), Kwara (7), Enugu (5), Katsina (5), Gombe (4), Ogun (4), Nasarawa (1), and Zamfara (1). The NCDC stated that...
UK offers free visa replacement for Nigerians
Y-Axis The British High Commission in Nigeria has said it will replace, for free, the 30-day visa of individuals that were supposed to travel to the UK before the lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 global pandemic. It said the free visa replacement, which will be open till December 2020, covers those who will be travelling to the UK for work, study or to join their families. This was contained in a statement issued yesterday by the commission titled, ‘Update on VAC Services From The BHC Nigeria’ posted on its verified Twitter handle, @UKinNigeria. The statement read in part, “as a result of the disruptions to travel caused by COVID-19, we are experiencing high demand for replacement vignettes for 30-day visas to travel to the UK for work, study or to join family. “If an individual’s 30-da...
Governor Obaseki: Edo election will put final end to godfatherism
Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Thursday said that the Sept. 19 governorship election would put a final end to godfatherism in the state. Obaseki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said this during his ward to ward campaign tour across the 10 wards in Esan North East Local Government Area. He said that the election was very vital for, not just the state, but the country at large, as the decision had to be made whether or not the state should move forward. Describing Edo Central Senatorial District of the state as a PDP enclave, he urged members of the party and its supporters not to succumb to threats and intimidation. He said that the state and Nigeria did not belong to a few people. Earlier, Chief Dan Orbih, Chairman of the PDP state campaign council, had urged party members...
TUC begs police chief to release report of rape allegation against Kogi commissioner
The Trade Union Congress (TUC), has urged the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, not to sweep under the carpet the rape case allegedly leveled against the Kogi State Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon. Abdumumini Danga. The Kogi State Chairman of the TUC, Comrade Ranti Ojo, made the call yesterday during a peaceful protest in Lokoja that was tagged “Say no to Rape and all Forms of Gender Based Violence.” Ojo lamented that the Nigerian Police under the leadership of Adamu has failed to tell the country the outcome of their investigation five months after the former Miss Kogi made the allegation, which drew public condemnation from far and near. He described rape as a grievous offence, which should be condemned in its entirety no matter how highly placed the culprit might be...
Nigerian government approves N13.3 billion take off for community policing
The Federal Government has approved the sum of N13.3 billion for the take-off of Community Policing initiative across the country. This is as the World Bank has cleared 35 states for the US$1.5billion stimulus package for Nigeria’s states to cushion the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Economic Council (NEC) at its virtual meeting on Thursday, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, resolved that the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, with two other governors, meet with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Finance Minister and the Inspector General of Police to coordinate the proper utilization of the funding of the initiative Attendance at the NEC virtual meeting with state governors, included the Min...
South Africa Ranked as Most Targeted Country in Africa, Cybersecurity Research Shows
Sourced from IDG Connect Phishing is one of the oldest and most flexible types of social engineering attacks. It is used in many ways, and for different purposes, to lure unwary users to fake sites and trick them into entering personal information. The latter often includes financial credentials such as bank account passwords or payment card details, or login details for social media accounts. In the wrong hands, this opens doors to various malicious operations, such as money being stolen or corporate networks being compromised. This makes phishing a popular initial infection method. According to Kaspersky, phishing attacks are becoming increasingly more targeted. A number of new tricks have also been found – from HR dismissal emails to attacks disguised as delivery notifications. As a res...
Senator Akpabio: NDDC received N15 trillion in 19 years
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has faulted the National Assembly inquest into the financial activties of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) between February and July 2020 rather than embark on a comprehensive probe of the interventionist agency’s 19 years of existence. The NDDC, he stated, received over N15 trillion in the last 19 years, with nothing on the ground to justify the huge funds, wondering why the lawmakers decided to probe five months’ activities in the commission. Speaking when members of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) visited him in Abuja, Thursday, he noted that discretionary probe would not address the problem of the commission, which he described as cesspit of corruption. He, however, assured Niger Delta ...
PTF: Nigerians poor attitude towards virus testing is worrisome
The Presidential Taskforce, PTF, on COVID-19, on Thursday, decried the poor attitude of Nigerians towards COVID-19 testing and safety protocols, saying, despite the increased capacity, sample collection remains very low. Expressing displeasure during the weekly COVID-19 briefing in Abuja, the Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce, Boss Mustapha, further lamented that the numbers of local governments, LGAs, that are hot spots have increased from 16 to 20 and regrettably happened to be a hard-to-reach area. “Initially, we have 10 local government areas that are hot spots which eventually increased to 16 but now we have 20 LGAs that are hot spots. Regrettably, this recent local government is more remote. “Presently, Nigeria now has the capacity to test 15,000 people daily but sadly, what we ...
IPOB warns Nigerian government to stop harassment of members
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Thursday, told the Federal Government to halt “the incessant harassment and arrest of its members and their families in South-East.” It also called on South-East and South-South governors, particularly Ebonyi State government, to prevail on the security agents in their states to release IPOB and their family members, particularly its Ebonyi State Coordinator, Mazi Igwe Ogbonnaya, without further delay. The pro-Biafra group said it is particularly upset by the alleged recent arrest of its Coordinator in Ebonyi State; and the intimidation of an innocent woman who recently put to bed in Oji River Council Area of Enugu State by security operatives in the guise of searching for Radio Biafra Station. In a statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary...
Plateau leads with 186 coronavirus cases as NCDC announces fresh 593
Plateau recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases on Wednesday with 186 new infections, as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 593 new cases in the country. The NCDC made this known on its official twitter handle. The health agency noted that four deaths were recorded in the country. The NCDC said that a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at Level 3, had continued to coordinate the national response activities across the country. According to the centre, 50,488 cases have been confirmed, with 37,304 cases discharged, while 985 deaths recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) till date. It noted that the 593 new cases were reported from 16 states – Plateau (186), Lagos (172), FCT (62), Oyo (27), Delta (25), Rivers (...
Cross River task resort vendors on post-coronavirus guidelines
Cross River Tourism Bureau, has tasked vendors and service providers in the Marina Resort, Calabar on need to maintain high level Customer Service Standards in line with the post COVID-19 guidelines. The Managing Director of the Bureau, Mr Utsu Atsu, made the call during a one-day training workshop organised by the Bureau for vendors and services providers operating in the Resort in Calabar. Atsu, represented by Mr Emmanuel Ekpe, Manager, Standards and Licensing in the Bureau, said that since the pandemic has changed the dynamics at which the hospitality industry operates, the bureau saw the urgency to train the vendors on need to adapt to new service delivery trends. “We have the Marina Resort Service Policy Document on the upgraded customer service standards, it covers areas such as hygi...
NPDC to stop gas importation with 500,000 barrels per day production facility – NNPC chief
The Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari, has disclosed that the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), will soon curb importation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), into the country with the daily production of 500,000 barrel per day, for local consumption. Kyari disclosed this Wednesday during the facilities tour of Oredo Integrated Gas Handling Facility (IGHF) in Ologbo, Ikpoba-Okha local government area ofEdo state. He disclosed that the plant which would be commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari in October this year, will take the company’s daily production form the present 260,000 barrels per day to 500,000 barrels per day. “Around one year ago, NPDC was producing about 136,000 barrels per day. Today, we are producing 260,000 barre...
