Covid-19: Lagosians React As BRT Reduces Passengers To 20; Stops Short Distance Rides

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May 3, 2020

By Akinwale Kasali

In line with the Federal and State Governments commitment to curtailing the spread Coronavirus, Primero Transport Services Ltd, operator of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Lagos, has issued new guidelines ahead of operations which begin again on Monday, May 4th. The new guidelines are a bid to curtail the further spread of COVID-19.

The management said it will only be carrying 20 commuters, wearing face masks, per bus.

The Managing Director of the firm, Fola Tinubu, said that as from Monday, May 4th, 2020, the BRT buses will only convey 20 Passengers, while the 21st person on board would be the driver.

Tinubu disclosed that the company would no longer issue short-distance tickets as from Monday, saying short-distance commuters that wish to use the service must be ready to pay for the longest distance tickets on their route.

The BRT boss also disclosed that the firm has scrapped N100 and N150 tickets for short distances in the mean time, and asked commuters to be ready to pay for the N200, N250 or N300 tickets, depending on their routes.

“We are going to carry only 20 passengers per bus, the 21st person on the bus will be the driver starting from Monday.

“We will space them zigzaggy; we will show them how to sit. We don’t want anybody to sit next to each other. There will be no air conditioner; we are going to open the windows to allow enough ventilation.

“We will only be doing long distance; we will only be selling N200, N250 and N300 tickets. We will not be doing short distances of N100 or N150 stuff. So, anybody that wants to do short distance will have to pay for the long-distance.

“We want to concentrate the buses on the long-distance routed since we can only carry 20 people. We will not sell a ticket for a short distance at all,” Tinubu said.

According to him, all the passengers must wear masks and sanitise their hands before they will be allowed to board buses to curtail the spread of Covid-19.

This new development Primero does not augur well with Lagosians who lamented that they have been locked down in their homes for over a month with no source of income, saying that this is another hardship the masses will face.

Lekan Akinkotun, a regular commuter on the BRT bus from Iyana Ipaja to Ikeja lamented that this is a big blow to numerous commuters who will be stranded at the bus stop, as it will also give way for commercial buses to hike the price of transportation.

Update: How Emir of Rano, Dr Abubarkar Died

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The Source

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May 2, 2020

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By Adesina Soyooye

Kano state has lost one of its First Class Emirs. Dr Tafida Abubakar, IIa ll, Emir of Rano, is dead. Aged 74, the Emir died early Saturday evening at the Nasarawa Specialist Hospital.

His death was sudden and swift, fuelling speculations that, perhaps, he was a victim of the deadly Coronavirus.

Sources said he took ill on Friday, and was rushed to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. When his situation was not improving, he was transferred to the Nasarawa Specialist Hospital where he, shockingly, passed on.

In the past couple of weeks, Kano state has witnessed the death of over 650 of its indigenes, many of them Professors, Doctorate degree holders in different fields, and core professionals.

Abdullahi Ghanduje, Kano state Govermor, had, surprisingly attributed the deaths to malaria and typhoid.

However, Kano state is reeling under the sting of Coronavirus. There are fears that the state is most likely to become the epicentre of the Virus and Nigeria’s nemesis. Already, both the Federal Government and WHO have moved in hundreds of health personnel to the state to avoid a catastrophe.

Rano was one of the Emirates carved out of the old Kano Emirate by Governor Ghanduje in the heat of his bitter quarrel with the then Emir of Kano, Dr Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. It resulted in the deposition of Sanusi by Ghanduje as Kano Emir.

Covid-19: Islamic Cleric, Sheik Gumi, Says Easing Lockdown Is Suicidal; Advises Buhari To Rescind Decision

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The Source

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May 2, 2020

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By Akinwale Kasali

Popular Political and Religious Activist, Critic and Islamic Cleric, Sheik Ahmed Gumi, has described the easing of the Covid-19 Pandemic lockdown by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration as suicidal and Insensitive.

Gumi stressed that it is irresponsible for the Federal Government to ease the lockdown at a time the nation is grappling with the astronomical rise in cases of COVID-19.

He warned President Buhari of the consequences of its decision to ease the lockdown imposed on some parts of the country.

It would be recalled that President Buhari had, on April 27, announced the partial relaxation of the lockdown in FCT, Lagos and Ogun beginning from Monday, May 4th.

Gumi, however, said that the Federal government should not have bowed to pressure from Nigerians but be firm in its approach to tackle the ravaging viral disease.

He also noted that the decision to ease the lockdown was because government is running away from its responsibility, adding that people are locked down in hunger and that the government is not ready to spend on the palliatives.

He said: ”The government is just running away from their responsibility. This is just the truth. People are locked down in hunger and the government is not ready to spend on the palliatives. So they are saying the best thing is ‘let’s release you people’. But this is suicide, it is suicidal, it is suicidal and I’m very sorry to say it is irresponsible.

“Yes, it is, because of pressure and hunger, that is it. If not, it is not right to do that. Even in China where they have controlled opening, like the schools they made every child to come with mask, there was serious testing and taking of people’s temperature before coming into the school.

“Can we afford to do that here? We cannot. And what we are afraid of is if there is community transmission, meaning that it is not only the man to man contact, but it comes into the community and it becomes endemic; then it is going to be seriously fatal and we pray it does not happen.” he said.

Timi Frank Flays 9th Assembly, Tags Members Copy And Paste Legislators

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The Source

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May 2, 2020

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By Akinwale Kasali

Former Deputy Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Timi Frank has lashed the National Assembly for alleged poor performance in its constitutional role of checks and balances on the executive arm of government.

Frank, a later- day critic of the President Muhammadu Buhari Government described the 9th Assembly as a ‘copy and paste’ body of legislators that sold off their authority and conscience for a pot of porridge.

The Bayelsa State born politician said Nigerians are not surprised at the ‘Rubber Stamp’ Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, who once told the Nation that “any request sent to the National Assembly by President Buhari, under him, will be approved.”

In a tweet from his verified Twitter handle, @RealTimiFrank on Saturday, the political activist tweeted; “9th Assembly is Nigeria problem. They’re ‘Copy & Paste’, they’re worst than rubber stamp. That’s why they cannot say ‘No’ to all the loan requests from @MBuhari. Becos they’re beneficiaries of the loans. They have 10% from all the loans. These people are worst than COVID-19.”

He described the 8th Assembly, under the leadership of Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives as one that had the genuine qualities of true democrats with the interests of the people at heart who could confidently and boldly ask questions of the Buhari administration.

“Now, Nigerians will see the true reasons why the Buhari administration never liked the 8th Assembly.

“The 9th Assembly can best be described as “halleluyah boys” who will approve every request of the General Buhari regime not minding if it is anti people in as much as they are generously greased by the Presidency .

“We have never seen the 9th Assembly deliberate any request for loan by the general Buhari presidency and have immediately gone ahead to approve every loan request without crosschecking to see if previous loans have been properly utilized for the purposes it was meant for. What has been the concern of the 9th Assembly and her leadership is their own gains.

“The legislators have turned themselves into Praise singers and copy and paste bunch of every request from the Executive arm. No wonder Nigeria is presently its present state.”

“The 9th Assembly and Buhari want to impoverish Nigerians with the loans it has obtained with nothing to show in its almost six years in office. The corruption mark, under this administration has shot up with the Legislative arm, an active aparticipant”, Frank stated.

He, therefore, called on Nigerians to hold their representatives accountable for the various roles they have all played by providing legislative cover for the President and his government.

“Hold your representatives accountable for they are responsible for the hunger and poverty Nigerians are currently witnessing”, Frank stated.

Frank stressed that the 9th Assembly members are part and parcel of the @GenBuhari led Government as it has always approved anti peoples laws in support of Buhari because of their slavish attitude.

“Saraki and Dogara were leaders who had the interests of Nigerians unlike this bunch who are anti people and will approve any loan request from Buhari without considering the implications to the country”, he insisted.

Frank was a venomous critic of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, and a great supporter of them candidate Buhari. He questioned every action taken by the Jonathan Government. And celebrated its defeat.

He was soon to fall out with the APC and Buhari government over his not appointment as the Publicity Secretary of the party when the former office holder quit.

He had since apologised to Jonathan over his very harsh criticism of his government.

COVID 19: After Osun, Oyo, Others May Deport Northern Youths

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Bayo Bernard

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May 2, 2020

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By Rita Oyedele

The Zamfara state government has failed in its threat to stop the deportation of youths from the northern part of the country into Osun state.

Two days ago, Osun was warned by Zamfara not to attempt sending back the youths who have flooded the south west state in the last few days.

The state is not the first to carry out such action. Kano has recently sent 400 almajiri s( child beggars) back to their state of origin.

Kaduna has also done same in spite of protest against Governor Nasir el-Rufai by his northern counterparts.

Deporting the youths, who came into Osun in different lorries, the government of Zamfara said will be against their fundamental human rights of movement.

Any Nigerian has the rights to move into any part of the country without been hindered, the Zamfara governor said in a statement by his Special Adviser on Public Enlightenment, Media and Communications, Zailani Bappa.

But Osun has now rebuffed the Zamfara helmsman, as it has gone ahead with deportation of the northern indigenes

Osun state Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Funke Egbemode, in a statement Friday, said the state has decided to follow through with the deportation in line with presidential directive that banned all interstate travels and movements.

She said the youths came in at a time when the state’s boundaries “are currently shut.”

The statement said even though the state “believes in the unity of the nation but will not hesitate to take actions against those who breach its boundaries and try to jeopardise the health of its people.

Osun is not the first to carry out such action.

According to Egbemode “Every state in the country is upscaling its security measures in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic and other vices.

Zamfara state government, a few days back, arrested some suspected illegal miners in the state.”

Meanwhile, the magazine learnt from senior government officials in the south west, that more states in the region are likely to follow Osun line of action by deporting non indegenes from the north who move into their states during the period of lockdown.

International Intelligence Dossier Documents China’s Role In The Manufacture, Coverup of COVID 19

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Uche Mbah

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May 2, 2020

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By Uche Mbah

A spy dossier has documented how the Chinese government manufactured the Coronavirus in Wuhan laboratory and covered it up by denying initially that it can be transmitted through human to human. The disease is currently ravaging the entire world.

The British Sun has reported that a 15-page document obtained by the Saturday Telegraph, also a British tabloid, has heavily indicted the Chinese government, accusing them of coverups in the wake of the Pandemic.

The dossier is from the intelligence agencies of the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. “They also stated that China‘s secrecy surrounding the virus led to an “assault on international transparency”, The Sun wrote.

“Despite evidence of human-human transmission from early December, PRC authorities deny it until January 20,” it states.

“The World Health Organisation does the same. Yet officials in Taiwan raised concerns as early as December 31, as did experts in Hong Kong on January 4.”

Last January, the World Health Organisation twitted that the disease cannot be transmitted from human to human.

“preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human to human transmission of the novel #coronavirus” (2019 nCov) identified in #Wuhan, #China”, the organization twitted. this has resulted in American President Donal Trump saying they should be “ashamed of themselves”. “(They are the) public relations agency for China”, he said, muting striping China of sovereign immunity so they can be sued.

According to the dossier, china”disappeared” whistleblowers, destroyed evidence of the virus in the labs as well as news censorship. china also deleted terms including “SARS variation,” “Wuhan Seafood market” and “Wuhan Unknown Pneumonia” from search engines.

“Millions of people leave Wuhan after the outbreak and before Beijing locks down the city on January 23,” the document states.

“Throughout February, Beijing presses the US, Italy, India, Australia, Southeast Asian neighbors and others not to protect themselves via travel restrictions, even as the PRC imposes severe restrictions at home.”

US has canceled funding for WHO but China has increased its own funding.

Update, COVID-19 Drug: Gilead’s Drug, Remdesivir, To The Rescue

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The Source

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May 2, 2020

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By Jaimy Lee

Experimental drug was tested in Ebola patients but had never been proven as a treatment for other diseases

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted an emergency use authorization to Gilead Sciences Inc.’s remdesivir, a decade-old experimental therapy first tested on Ebola disease patients, as a COVID-19 treatment.

President Donald Trump announced the news just as the markets closed Friday afternoon at the White House. The authorization means that the drug can be used by hospitalized patients with suspected or laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 outside of clinical trials or on a compassionate use basis.

Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day on Thursday night told investors during an earnings call that talks with the FDA about an emergency use authorization, or EUA, or other formal approval had intensified in the last 48 hours. “There’s a big sense of urgency,” he said, according to a FactSet transcript of the call. “We think the FDA will move quite quickly.”

Shares of Gilead GILD-4.82% moved 1.9% higher in after-hours trading Friday immediately after the announcement. Year-to-date, the company’s stock has gained 23%, hitting a low of $62.23 on Jan. 21 before soaring to a $85.97 high for the year on March 19. It closed Friday at $79.95.

Read: Gilead expects to spend up to $1 billion on coronavirus drug this year, will donate 1.5 million vials

The antiviral drug has been widely considered a front-runner in the rush to find viable treatments for a disease that has sickened more than three million people worldwide and killed at least 220,000, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University. It is the first new drug to get an EUA, a type of authorization that the FDA is using during the pandemic. The regulator in March authorized chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to be repurposed for some COVID-19 patients though both drugs have previously been approved to treat other diseases, like malaria.

Investors and clinicians have been paying close attention to the snippets of study data about the antiviral drugs, sending the company’s shares up or down depending on the day.

Though experts have had mixed responses to the clinical findings so far, it’s clear that demand is high. There are no proven treatments for infections caused by the coronavirus, making it difficult for the nation’s health-care workers to care for the patients who end up in their emergency rooms and intensive care unit beds.

There’s also an economic angle. The market has been swinging in response to remdesivir data, driven by the investor stance that a proven treatment, even more so than vaccine, would support the prospect of an economic rebound for the U.S., which is thought to be headed for a recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gilead began developing remdesivir in 2009. It was later tested as a treatment for Ebola, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), among other diseases. The company said it began providing doses of remdesivir to the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & Prevention in January when the coronavirus outbreak there began to worsen. By February, the investigational therapy had been moved into a number of clinical trials in the U.S. and abroad, including one conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

That trial has been the one to watch, primarily because it had a placebo arm and two of the Gilead-sponsored trials do not. A preliminary data analysis released this week by the federal research agency found that the drug improved recovery times in COVID-19 patients — the median time to recover in that group of patients was 11 days — compared with 15 days in those patients taking placebo.

Though government officials including President Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the NIAID director, have talked up the results, with Fauci saying remdesivir would become the standard

Breaking: Finally, COVID-19 Drug, Found, Confirmed

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The Source

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May 2, 2020

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By Adesina Soyooye

From the United States of America, USA, comes the good news that, finally, a drug for the treatment of Coronavirus, in an emergency has been confirmed..

Called Remdesivir, the Cable News Network, CNN, broke the news Friday night, saying the drug has been approved, for use in an emergency by the Food and Drug administration.

Details, later…

Kim Jogs Un: North Korean Leader Appears In Public

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Uche Mbah

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May 2, 2020

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By Uche Mbah

After twenty days of death rumor, the North Korean Maximum leader reportedly appeared in public, according to state media. He was said to be pictured cutting the ribbon in the opening of a fertilizer factory.

Though skeptics are reluctant to accept that this is not a clone, KCNA News reports that the crowd “broke into a thunderous cheer and Hurrah” when he appeared Friday, according to BBC, which added that the report from the Korean state media “cannot be independently verified”.

President Trump had declined comment on Kim’s health status, according to recent reports, apart from initial comments indicating he may be alife, but KCNA insists that he was accompanied by senior North Korean officials, including his sister, one of his siblings. Kim had allegedly killed his half brother years back on alleged fear of his ambition of taking over the government. Kim’s family tree has ruled North Korea for three generations.

Speculations about Kim’s death started when he missed the death anniversary ceremony of his grandfather on the 15th of April. Reports of his death were a product of a single-source story that World News Agencies ran with until a US media reported that he slumped and may have died from a botched heart operation. Later Chinese and South Korean intelligence denied the report, claiming it to be false. North Korea never said where he had been during the period under speculations.

The last time Kim disappeared was in 2014, when he disappeared for forty days after attending a Concert. He later reappeared walking with a cane.

Speculations have been rife on who will succeed him if the death rumors are true. The empire has been ruled by the Kim dynasty since 1948 when Kim Il Song founded the nation. One of his half brothers is dead, but he still has two sisters and a brother from the same mother. His father had children from two women.

High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Family Members Are COVID-19 Positive

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The Source

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May 1, 2020

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By Akinwale Kasali

High profile politician, and founder of DAAR Communications, owner of AIT/Ray Power, High Chief Raymond Alegho Dokpesi, has tested positive for Coronavirus.

His three grandchildren, daughter-in-law and a couple of other family members also tested positive for the disease.

A few days earlier, his son, Raymond Dokpesi Jnr., the boss of AIT/Ray Power, also, tested positive for the Virus. He has been in an isolation centre in Abuja since then, and has been joined Friday evening by his father and the other family members.

Members of the family, were, following protocols, tested for the disease as soon as the younger Dokpesi tested positive.

Some results came back positive.

In a release, the Management of AIT said: “Following the test that was carried out on our Chairman, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Jnr., on Thursday, April 23, 2020, by the NCDC, which proved positive, and his subsequent admission into the isolation centre on Friday April 24, 2020, we wish to state that in coformity with the Federal Government Protocol on COVID-19 administration and management, his entire household and all those who had contacts with him were subsequently subjected to the test, and with so much emotional pains, we also announce that the under listed have equally been confirmed positive:

“1) High Chief Alegho Dokpesi (His father/ Founder, DAAR Communication PLC

2) Our Chairman’s wife.

3) His three children.

4) Some relatives.

“A total of eight.

They have been taken to an isolation centre.

Health officials have gone to fumigate the headquarters of DAAR Communitions.