State of the Nation: Group Slams President Buhari For Pretending All Is Well

By

-

April 17, 2020

By Akinwale Kasali

The Centre for Truth and Liberty, CTL, a non-governmental Organisation, has slammed the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for pretending that all is well with the nation in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. The group says the Federal Government is making light of the situation of citizens who are languishing in hunger, poverty and insecurity.

CTL in a statement signed by Olusesan Semaye, the Executive Director and Francis Abayomi, Director, Research, Communication and Strategy said that the posture of the leadership in the country to pretend that all was well with the polity is futile and worrisome.

It stressed that it reeks of careless advertorial of culture of impunity that has become a virtue accustomed with public office, for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, to publicly deny that he never knew the Nigerian health sector was in an appalling state until he was saddled with responsibility of coordinating the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.

Mustapha’s admission, the group said, smacks of failure, and ought to have been followed with a letter of resignation considering his position in a government under which billions of naira was earmarked annually ostensibly for equipping the presidential clinic in Aso Rock and for which nothing concrete had been put in place to meet requirements for any emergency response to Covid-19.

Said the statement: “Unfortunately, rather than offer profuse apologies for the glaring and unpardonable failure that has consigned Nigeria into a state of alarming socio-economic quagmire which has regrettably manifested in a comatose health system in spite of yearly budgetary allocations, it is worrisome that the present ruling elite has unashamedly positioned the government as a worthy recipient of Covid-19 emergency donations from individuals, corporate bodies as well as concerned international stakeholders.”

It reads further: “Having failed to bequeath functional healthcare infrastructure prior to the entry of Covid-19 pandemic into the country, the ruling elite has no legitimate justification or moral integrity to mobilise donations or supports from non-state actors in the bid to be seen as championing the revalorization of the health sector.

“It should however be instructive Covid-19 and the attendant challenges posed by the imperative of containing the contagion has exposed the bankruptcy of a false polity founded on promoting the narrow interest of thieving political oligarchy at the expense of overwhelming majority of the citizenry.

“CTL, however, holds that the tragedy of the exposé of leadership deficit in the wake of Covid-19 reality is not just about the giddying indictment thrown at the faces of ruling elite who together with their relations and cronies have been forced to remain in Nigeria with no other option than to patronise the same healthcare facilities they left in utter ruins for decades.

“The ultimate challenge for Nigerians, at the end of Covid-19 episode, would be failure to unite around the gripping clamour for new generation of leadership capable of restoring hope to overwhelming population of citizens in despair who are currently faced with the compelling brave to survive daily miseries which Nigerian society has become”.

The CTL says it condemns the failure of President Buhari in its entirety during his address to the nation on April 13, 2020 to demonstrate empathy for Nigerians who were ruthlessly attacked and humiliated by soldiers and police following the restriction of movement imposed in his earlier address of April 29, 2020.

” It is unfortunate that Mr. President rather than condemn this act chose to pretend he was not aware of unwarranted ordeals Nigerians; including those on legitimate assignment amongst who were journalists experienced in the hands of overzealous security agents.

“CTL is concerned that President Buhari as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in a democratic setting has not, even prior to the present scenario, demonstrated enough concern by consciously dissuading security agencies from molesting innocent Nigerians. CTL condemns unprovoked attacks on Nigerians by security agents who are obliged under the law to adopt civilised methods in apprehending violators of civil restrictions.

“CTL is worried about the spate of robbery incidents, civil disturbances and insecurity stirred by the frustration of two weeks of lockdown at the federal capital territory (FCT) as well as in Lagos and Ogun States. The development glaringly comes down as telling portrayal of the prevailing fragile nature of the Nigerian society. There is no doubt that palliatives introduced by the federal and state government have proven to be grossly inadequate to assuage the angers of millions of Nigerian already sidelined by the polity. It is thus important to emphasise that idea of palliative in itself is too little and boils down to tokenism which cannot offer solution to present consequence of looming socio-economic crises in the country.”

Palliative measures, it says, underpin the failure of a system that should be offering stimuli to teeming population of productively engaged workforce as seen in countries across the world in the wake of Covid-19 epidemic.

CTL, therefore, called on “platforms of civil society genuinely committed to the cause of responsive governance to connect their efforts and voices to the grassroots for the purposes of mobilising ahead for the enthronement of responsible leadership across board capable of bequeathing genuine democratic virtues and standards.”

Lockdown May Be Injurious To African Economies, Says World Bank

By

Uche Mbah

-

April 17, 2020

0

By Uche Mbah
World Bank has warned of an impending economic catastrophe if African countries continue with their “Copy and Paste” knee-jerk reactions to the coronavirus Pandemic, particularly in the issue of lockdown.
Nigeria has locked down both its economic and administrative capital in the wake of the pandemic while keeping the Northern cities operating business as usual. Palliatives were concentrated in the cities where there is no lockdown.
But World Bank, in a recent release, fears that it will increase the poverty index due to collapse in the supply chain due to economic activities at standstill.
“A prolonged lockdown will put at risk the subsistence of their households,” the report said. “The majority of workers hired are in a precarious situation, and most of these jobs are temporary and with low remuneration, do not offer social security, and put workers at a greater risk of injury and ill health.”
90% of the economy is driven by the private and informal sectors
Since the federal government ordered lockdown March 30, there have been restiveness in the three states involved-Lagos, Ogun and Abuja. many are defying the lockdown and challenging security agencies which some times use high handedness against them. there have been reports of death in the hands of overzealous security agencies. Daylight armed robberies are also on the increase.
World Bank has therefore advised policy makers in the region on the need to “design effective strategies that include (short-term) relief measures and (medium-term) recovery/stimulus measures.” But it appears that the whole arms of the presidency are singing discordant tunes since the de-facto President Abba kyari, who is Chief of staff to President Buhari, came down with covid 19 and is being quarantined in an unknown location.
“African policymakers need to think ahead about the exit strategy from COVID-19. Once the containment and mitigating measures are lifted, economic policies should be geared toward building future resilience,” the Brenton Woods Institute stressed.

COVID-19: After Dumping Funke Akindele, NCDC Appoints Toyin Abraham New Ambassador

By

The Source

-

April 17, 2020

0

By Akinwale Kasali

Talented Nollywood Actress, Funke Akindele- Bello, must be full of regrets for her unbelievable indiscretion when she hosted a birthday party in honour of her husband, Abdulrasheed Bello.

The party was held at their Amen Estate residence in the midst of the lockdown over Coronavirus. Not only did she host the party, which had over 25 people present, she unbelievably splashed the photographs on the Social Media.

What made it worse was that she was an Ambassador for the NCDC, on COVID. The outrage was overwhelming, forcing the NCDC to publicly deny her as its ambassador. The party also earned her and her husband a conviction after the Lagos State Government, dragged both of them to a Magistrate court for violating the State’s and Federal Government’d order on restriction of movement and social distancing.

Even though she apologised profusely later, the damage to her reputation as a role model, had already been done.

Now, her loss has become the gain of another Actress. The NCDC has just appointed Toyin Abraham its new ambassador.

In a video posted on NCDC’s official twitter page Thursday evening, Toyin Abraham was revealed as the new face of the campaign against COVID-19.

In the video, Toyin spoke about how Nigerians can protect themselves and prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Toyin’s unveiling has put paid to speculations that Akindele could be forgiven and re-appointed as NCDC ambassador.

Abraham recently had a baby boy, Ireoluwa, for Nollywood Actor, Kola Ajeyemi.

Ken Saro-Wiwa’s Son, Gian, Dies of Coronavirus

By

The Source

-

April 17, 2020

0

By Adesina Soyooye

A son of late Environmentalist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Menegian, has died of Coronavirus.

Popular as Gian, he died in the United Kingdom on Monday.

According to his sister, Noo Saro-Wiwa, who announced his death, Gian had underlying health issues.

In an emotional post, she described her brother as the smartest of all them, a pianist and a budding engineer.

She wrote: “We said goodbye to my brother, Gian, on Monday. He had COVID-19, combined with underlying health issues.

Gian was the smartest and most talented out of all of us: a champion sprinter at school, a poet, an artist, budding engineer, a self taught guitarist and pianist. But mental health issues limited his life from age 16 onwards.

“A kind and beautiful soul, always wanting the best for his family, always praying for our future successes, while being eternally optimistic about his own. And, of course, always loving his music.

“He leaves a wonderful son, Louis.”

His father, Ken, a novelist, playwright and environmentalist, was hanged to death by the late General Sani Abacha’s regime, along with others, over the gruesome murder of four Ogoni leaders.

His hanging was greeted with outrage, world over, and earned Nigeria a suspension from the Commonwealth.

We’ve Never Backed A Democrat For President, But Trump Must Be Defeated –Washington Post

By

The Source

-

April 16, 2020

0

By George T. Conway III, Reed Galen, Steve Schmidt, John Weaver and Rick Wilson

This November, Americans will cast their most consequential votes since Abraham Lincoln’s reelection in 1864. We confront a constellation of crises: a public health emergency not seen in a century, an economic collapse set to rival the Great Depression, and a world where American leadership is absent and dangers rise in the vacuum.

Today, the United States is beset with a president who was unprepared for the burden of the presidency and who has made plain his deficits in leadership, management, intelligence and morality.

When we founded the Lincoln Project, we did so with a clear mission: to defeat President Trump in November. Publicly supporting a Democratic nominee for president is a first for all of us. We are in extraordinary times, and we have chosen to put country over party — and former vice president Joe Biden is the candidate who we believe will do the same.

Biden is now the presumptive Democratic nominee and he has our support. Biden has the experience, the attributes and the character to defeat Trump this fall. Unlike Trump, for whom the presidency is just one more opportunity to perfect his narcissism and self-aggrandizement, Biden sees public service as an opportunity to do right by the American people and a privilege to do so.

Trump calls media criticism of his coronavirus response “fake,” yet cherry-picks news clips to make his case. He can’t have it both ways, says Erik Wemple. (Video: Joshua Carroll, Erik Wemple/Photo: Jabin Botsford / WP; Alex Brandon / AP/The Washington Post)

Biden is a reflection of the United States. Born into a middle-class family in coal-country Pennsylvania, he has known the hardship and heartbreak that so many Americans themselves know and that millions more are about to experience.

Biden’s personal tragedies and losses tested his strength, his faith and his determination. They were enough to crush most people’s spirit, but Biden emerged more compassionate toward the suffering of others and the burdens that life imposes on his fellow Americans.

Biden did what Americans have always done: picked himself up, dusted himself off and made the best of a bad situation. In the years since he first entered office, Biden has consistently demonstrated decency, empathy and humanity.

Biden’s life has been marked by triumphs that didn’t change the goodness in him, and he is a man for whom public service never went to his head. His long record of bipartisan friendship and cross-partisan legislative efforts commends him to this moment. He is an imperfect man, but a man who loves his country and its people with a broad smile and an open heart.

In this way, Trump is a photonegative of Joe Biden. While Trump has innumerable flaws and a lifetime of blaming others for them, Biden has long admitted his imperfections and in doing so has further illustrated his inherent goodness and his willingness to do the work necessary to help put the United States back on a path of health and prosperity.

Unlike Trump, Biden is not an international embarrassment, nor does he demonstrate malignant narcissism. A President Biden will steady the ship of state and begin binding up the wounds of a fractured country. We have faith that Biden will surround himself by advisers of competence, expertise and wisdom, not an endless parade of disposable lackeys.

For Trump, the presidency has been the biggest stage, under the hottest klieg lights in a reality show of his making. Every episode leaves the audience more shocked and divided. Trump’s only barometer is his own ego. The country, our values and its people do not factor into Trump’s equation.

Biden understands a tenet of leadership that far too few leaders today grasp: The presidency is a life-and-death business, that the consequences of elections have real-world effects on individual Americans, and that all of this — all of the struggle, toil and work — is not a zero-sum game.

The coronavirus crisis is a terrifying example of why real leadership looks outward. This crisis, the deaths and economic destruction are immeasurably worse because Trump and his administration were unwilling to do what was necessary to mitigate its worst effects and bring the country back as quickly as possible.

We asked ourselves: How would a Biden presidency handle this crisis? Would he spend weeks lying about the risk? Would he look to cable news, the stock market and his ratings before taking the steps to make us safer? The answer is obvious: Biden will be the superior leader during the crisis of our generation.

We’ve seen the damage three years of corruption and cultish amateurism can do. This country cannot afford to be torn apart for sport and profit for another term, as Trump will surely do. If Biden takes office next January, he won’t need on-the-job training.

We are in a transcendent and transformative period of American history. The nation cannot afford another four years of chaos, duplicity and Trump’s reality distortion. This country is crying out for a president with a spine stiffened by tragedy, a worldview shaped by experience and a heart whose compass points to decency.

It is our hope that when the next president takes the oath of office in January, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. will be the president for a truly united America. The stakes are too high to do anything less.

*April, 15, 2020 At 7:35pm GMT+

The Authors Are On The Advisory Board Of The Lincoln Project

COVID-19: The Woman Who Could Save The World

By

The Source

-

April 16, 2020

0

By Charles Igbo

In the wake of the Coronavirus which is, savagely, sweeping across the world, wreaking havoc, killing thousands of people , bringing the world economy to its knees, and, making world leaders run from pillar to post, there seems to be a glimmer of hope that a solution is in the offing.

Since the Virus hit the world mid-December 2019, from China, many research institutes, scientists, pharmaceutical companies, have been in a race to find a cure. It is like a race against time. In the US alone, the death toll has hit 30,000.

But it has just been revealed that hope for a cure is in the pipeline. And, it is coming from where some people might say, unexpected quarters.

It comes from a 34 year-old Black American woman, Dr Kizzmekia Corbett.

Dr Corbett is leading the first Coronavirus Vaccine trial at the United States of America’s Centre for Disease Control, CDC.

It is said that: “Her potential vaccine is first of its kind in the world, and the fastest progress toward a possible vaccine for a novel pathogen”.

And, she is said to, along with others, be working 24/7 in a race to save the world.

COVID-19: Civil Defence Officer Arrests Patient Who Tried Escape; Fears As Officer May Have Been Infected

By

The Source

-

April 16, 2020

0

By Adesina Soyooye

It was a bizarre scene at the COVID-19 Isolation Centre in Kaduna on Thursday when a patient who tried to escape, engaged a Security personnel of the Civil Defence, Joshua Philip, who tried to stop him from escaping in a fight.

The officer who was keeping watch at the Centre, noticed the patient, who was trying to escape and stopped him.

But the patient snatched the keys to the gate, and tried to open it. The officer stopped him. But he said he was going to the Mosque for morning prayers. He then engaged the officer in a fight. Luckily, the officer overpowered him.

It is not known if the officer was kitted to avoid contracting the deadly disease, but a doctor at the Centre gave him some medication, and asked that he be quarantined for 14 days and be monitored. The keys were thereafter disinfected.

A press release by the Media Assistant to the Commandant General, Ekunola Gbenga, where he narrated the story said:

“It has emerged that a COVID-19 positive patient attempted to escape from Isolation Center in Kaduna without authorization.

“Narrating the development was Corps Assistant Joshua Philip who was posted to Infectious Disease Control Center, Down Quarters, Kaduna South to provide security services in and around the isolation centre.

“The suspected COVlD-l9 patient tried to leave the Center for morning prayers without the permission of doctors. A confrontation ensued between our personnel and the patient who forcefully picked the keys of the gate of the Center and tried to open the gate to escape.

“The patient was arrested by Corps Assistant Joshua Philip who was among the officers on duty at the isolation center.

“The Covid 19 index is said to have engaged the Civil Defence Officer Joshua Philip in serious fracas after he stopped him from leaving his quarantine ward at the isolation center, this exposed the officer to the patient of the Covid 19.

“The keys were disinfected, despite that, the doctor gave the personnel some drugs; he was instructed to self-Isolation for two weeks and to call the Center if he develops any symptoms.

“The Corps has since strengthened its security measures in the internal isolation centre.

Scandal: KWAM 1, Olori Badirat Deny Infidelity Accusation, Set For Legal Redress

By

The Source

-

April 16, 2020

0

By Akinwale Kasali

Fuji Maestro, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall and Olori Badirat Adeyemi, Ninth Wife of Alaafin of Oyo, HRH Lamidi Adeyemi, who were alleged to be having a secret affair have broken their silence on the story which has made headlines.

Both had been mute since the allegation went viral over 24 hours ago, even after the Wife of the respected Monarch, Iku Baba Yeye was sent packing, But the celebrated Fuji legend says the allegation was a plot by mischief makers to soil his name.

Kunle Rasheed, Media Adviser to KWAM 1, in a statement said that, “The attention of Fuji Maestro and Mayegun of Yorubaland, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, K1 De Ultimate, has been drawn to the rumour making the rounds in the past 48 hours, on social media platforms, where it has been alleged that the music icon was having an affair with Olori Ajoke, one of the wives of Alayeluwa, the Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III.

“Ordinarily, one would have waved off this allegation as one coming from the warped mind of one possibly numbed by high covid-19 fever. But as known in these parts, a lie repeatedly told, has a way of transmuting to truth.

“Let me categorically state that the rumour is lies concocted from the pit of hell by those whose aim is to drag to the mud, the name of K1 De Ultimate and ultimately that of the most revered kingdom in Yoruba land.

“These agents of Lucifer have continued in their warped delusions to see K1 go to the ground just for being conferred with the title of Mayegun of Yoruba land. The Alaafin’s crime is the conferment of the honour, hence the grim plot to drag him down also. Moreover, the highly respected Monarch and his Olori have both debunked the story as baseless and unfounded.

“For the records, as the Mayegun of Yorubaland, K1 is aware of the customs and traditions of the Yoruba and as such, cannot put the culture and tradition of the Yorubaland to disrepute.

“Let me remind the rumour mongers that Nigeria has adequate laws to bring anyone who has embarked on character assassination of the innocent to book. The fans and the general public should be rest assured that we will legally seek redress for this allegation”, he concluded.

In the same vein, Olori Badirat has also exonerated herself of the accusation just like KWAM 1.

In her response on her Instagram page, she said, “I was hearing of a woman, Esther Aboderin a.k.a. Esabod, for the first time when a friend sent me the clip from UK. When I got the clip, I went through all her past posts and discovered that it was her stock-in-trade to scandalize persons.

“This is a scandal, but she doesn’t know me. Why is she after me? I’m not dating Wasiu. If I’m dating Wasiu, all the deities in Alaafin’s palace should punish me; the spirits of the past Alaafins and Oloris should reward me accordingly…”, she swore.

The Alaafin is yet to comment on this issue through his media aides.

Breaking: Nollywood Actor, Abdulrasheed Saliu Dies

By

The Source

-

April 16, 2020

0

By Akinwale Kasali

As the nation and the world at large are still battling to find a vaccine to the deadly Pandemic, Covid-19, the Nigeria Film Industry, Nollywood, has been thrown into mourning following the death of one of its best actor, Abdulrasheed Saliu.

The Producer, Director cum Actor played a pivotal role and interpreted his role to the delight of his fans in the Yoruba movie, DNA.

The death of the Late Saliu came as a surprise to his colleagues who are yet to come to terms of his demise.

His colleagues took to Social Media pages and handles to mourn the Actor, who has become a known face in the movie industry.

Though, the full details about his death is still sketchy, but Information has it that the talented make believe star joined his creator in the early hours of today 16th April 2020.

COVID-19 Lockdown: NGIJ Tells FG Livelihood Is As Important As Lives

By

The Source

-

April 16, 2020

0

By Akinwale Kasali

The lackadaisical approach of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to the call for the expansion of the Federal Government’s palliative measures has been greeted with disdain by the Nigerian Guild of Investigative Journalists, NGIJ. The Guild tasked the Federal Government on the need to put into consideration the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on a vast majority of poor Nigerians, especially in cities.

The Guild maintained that livelihood was as important as lives, as poverty and hunger can drive people into vices that may terminate their lives.

The Guild’s Vice President, Information and Strategy, in a statement said the Guild frowns at the attitude of the FG towards the sufferings and plight of the masses.

Bolaji stressed that FG’s decision that Nigerians with over #5,000 in their bank account, and those who buy over #200 recharge cards will not be assisted should be swiftly revisited.

The Guild described measures put in place so far, by the government, towards assuaging the economic effects of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, as sparse and inadequate.

“Before the coronavirus pandemic and the eventual lockdown, Nigerians especially the urban poor struggle to eke a decent living, with multiple statistics indicating abject poverty in the cities.

“Even the average mid-income earners cannot afford anything beyond the very basic, at most, as the increasingly high cost of living, sadly, accords a very low purchasing power to a decent sum.

“Practically speaking, what can #5000 do when averagely the PHCN and water bills, family feeding, children school fees, transportation and accommodation at the very lowest gulp over N100,000 monthly in the city?

“With N5,000 in your bank account in a city like Lagos or Abuja, how can a family of five feed for more than a week, and that excludes all other essential bills”, the statement stated.

The Guild, however, stressed that now that the right of poor Nigerians to fend for themselves had been taken away by the Federal Government due to the lockdown, it therefore, becomes the responsibility of Government to help out with more people and not just a disputed few.

The Guild appealed to governments at all levels to remember to protect the livelihoods of the people and not just lives, as the nation fights hard to curtail the spread of the pandemic.

It expressed disdain that though billions of naira had been donated to Nigeria, from both local and international philanthropists and bodies, towards easing the strain caused by the lockdown and the pandemic as a whole, very little economic support has been offered to the people.

It argued further that the federal and state governments had allegedly made more money from the Coronavirus pandemic donations, than any other country in Africa, yet, Nigerians are lacking the basic amenities that support general wellness.

“You can’t even begin to imagine the plight of Nigerians, who have been observing the lockdown for weeks now, with increased prices of food commodities, inadequate preparations, and very little input from the government.

“Though many Nigerians have cried out on social media, about hunger, increase in food commodities price, electricity, and water challenges, in this time, their cries seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Can you imagine?”

“We call on the Nigeria Government to assist Nigerians financially, nationwide, no matter how small even if they have to cut down on other ostentatious expenditures.”

“Globally, hunger and hunger-related diseases like kwashiorkor and tuberculosis kill about 8.4million people every year and so there is more pandemic when it comes to hunger”, the statement concluded.