Party Crisis: APC Groups Meet To Vote On Oshiomole

A vote of confidence was on Friday passed on the national chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as two groups in the party staged a joint peaceful rally to endorse his continued stay in office.

The two groups are Unity Group of APC and Friends of Oshiomhole in Nigeria.

Banner and placards carrying members of the two groups stormed the national Secretariat of the party barely 24 hours after Police averted bloody clash between two opposing groups who were on protest for and against the national chairman of the party.

As early as 11am members who were seen signing praises of the national chairman took over the road that leads to the party Secretariat to drum support for the continued stay in office of the national chairman.

Some of the banners and placards read, “No one can pull APC down”, “Godwin Obaseki, stop the pull down syndrome”, “Obaseki, stop creating concussion in our party” and “Oshiomhole means well for the party”.

Other placards read, “We stand with our Chairman”, “Osho Baba must stay”, “We won’t accept negative narratives. Oshiomhole we know” and “There is no alternative for Baba and Oshiomhole”.

Addressing newsmen after the rally the leader of the APC Unity Group, Malam Idris Umar Faruk said all well-meaning party members endorsed the continued leadership being provided for the party by the national chairman.

Faruk, who is also the deputy youth leader of the ruling party in Federal Capital Territory berated those calling for the removal of Oshiomhole, arguing that, the national chairman has turned the fortunes of the party for good since he assumed leadership.

He noted that aside the sound leadership provided by Oshiomhole, the national chairman has accorded youth more prime positions stressing that youth occupied more elective offices under the watch of the national chairman.

Faruk insisted that the national chairman has come to stay. According to him, “we are here today as APC members to give support to our national chairman for the good work he has been doing. We want him to continue”, adding that, “whosoever is nursing that the national chairman should go, he or she is nursing their exit from the party.”

Speaking in same vein, the national publicity Secretary of Friends of Oshiomhole in Nigeria, Hon. Folorunso Oluwole Emmanuel took a swipe on Oshiomhole antagonists. He said, “we are here to say Oshiomhole must stay”.

Describing those oppose to the national chairman as “political jobbers”, the group leader said they were not perturbed by the antics of the opposition noting that “the antecedent of Comrade Oshiomhole speaks for him”.

The group blamed the opposition against the leadership of the national chairman on the governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki. He maintained that the alleged state sponsored assault on the national chairman in Benin last weekend was unbecoming of the governor who benefited from the magnanimity of the national chairman.

“We are here to tell Governor Obaseki to leave the national chairman alone and face his work of administering Edo State. He has a lot on his plate as a governor. Let him allow the national chairman to be focused and take the party to the next level. Obaseki should stop the pull down syndrome. He is biting the fingers that fed”.

Police Arrest NYSC Member For Raping JSS Student

The Katsina Command of the Nigerian Police Force, Friday confirmed that it has detained the corps member, name withheld, deployed to Katsina state who raped a junior secondary girl secondary school, where he is doing his primary assignment and are awaiting for medical report on the case before charging him to court.

Command Spokesman, SP Gambo Isah confirmed the development in a chat with The Nation, adding that police was still awaiting medical reports to firmly establish the allegation.

He said” Yes, the boy has been arrested and remains in detention but we are still awaiting the outcome of our investigation and the medical report to firmly establish the allegation.”

It was alleged that the victim who is a JSS one student at the Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Katsina, made the allegation against the corps member, leading to his arrest.

It was learnt that the girl alleged that the corps member committed the act when she visited him at the residence the school provided for serving corps members.

Already, the school management and the NYSC authorities have met to discuss the issue before the arrest of the corps member by the Police.

Meanwhile, the state branch of the National Youth Service Scheme, NYSC, have reacted to reports of an alleged rape case involving a serving corps member deployed to the state, insisting it is awaiting the outcome of Police investigation on the matter before taking necessary action

The NYSC Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Alex Obemeata, in a press release made available to newsmen in Katsina, said   NYSC is a highly reputable organization where discipline is the hallmark and will therefore not condone acts of indiscipline by any member of the corps.

He said “the issue is still under police investigation and we await the conclusion from the force, before taking any action.

“Further necessary briefs and actions will be communicated to the press when investigation is concluded by the Police.”

#CoronaVirusUpdates: Lagos Begins Search For All Contacts Of Infected Italian

The Lagos State State Government has begun a search for all the contacts of the Italian who brought coronavirus to Nigeria.

This was contained in a press statement by the Ministry of Health in Lagos State on Friday.

The statement signed by the Lagos Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, expressed concern that the disease might be severe in those that had contacts with the Italian.

He said the patient, who returned to Nigeria from Italy, has been placed in isolation in Lagos.

Abayomi said, “We will use all the resources made available by the State and the Federal Government to respond to this case.

“We are working to identify all the contacts of the patient since he arrived in Nigeria.

“Please, be reminded that most people who become infected may experience only a mild illness and recover easily, but it can be more severe in others, particularly the elderly and persons with other underlying chronic illnesses.”

He, however, warned residents not to create tension by spreading false information about the disease on social media.

“Citizens must not abuse social media and indulge in spreading misinformation that causes fear and panic. The Lagos State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, will continue to provide updates and will initiate all measures required to prevent the spread of the outbreak in Lagos,” he added.

#Coronavirus In Italy: Pope Francis Cancels More Official Appointments As He Continues To Be Sick

Pope Francis postponed his official appointments Friday and was working from home, the Vatican said, a day after cancelling a scheduled appearance at mass because of “a mild ailment”.

Francis, 83, had appeared earlier in the week to be suffering from a cold. He was seen blowing his nose and coughing during the Ash Wednesday service, and his voice sounded hoarse.

He celebrated morning mass as usual and greeted participants at the end, but cleared his diary of everything apart from meetings at the Saint Martha’s guest house at the Vatican he lives, chief press officer Matteo Bruni said in a statement. Bruni had said Thursday that Francis was suffering from “a mild ailment”.

The decision to cancel public appointments for a second day in a row came as Italy grapples with the largest outbreak of the coronavirus in Europe, with some 650 cases and 17 deaths. The Vatican made no reference to the disease in its announcement.

Francis has not previously curtailed any of his activities, which often include mingling with crowds and shaking hands. The pontiff, who lost part of a lung as a young man and suffers from sciatica, very rarely skips appointments in his busy schedule.

On Sunday he is due to go on a spiritual retreat with the entire Roman Curia — the Holy See’s administrative institutions — after presiding over the weekly Angelus prayer from a window overlooking Saint Peter’s Square.



(AFP)

#CoronaVirusUpdates: Serie A Fixture Between Juventus And Inter Milan To Be Played Behind Closed Doors

Sunday’s Serie A fixture between Juventus and Inter Milan will be played behind close doors because of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe.

Confirmed cases of the Coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, has been reported in Italy as more than 400 people have been infected. Almost all the cases are reported in northern Italy.

Juventus confirmed this in a statement on its official website on Thursday.

Maurizio Sarri’s men head to the game following a 1-0 defeat to Lyon in the Champions League round of 16 first leg encounter on Wednesday.

“Juventus vs. Inter, scheduled for 20:45 on Sunday 1 March at the Allianz Stadium, will be played behind closed doors,” a club statement read.

“Lega Serie A communicated, in compliance with the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers from 25 February 2020, further implementing provisions of the decree-law from 23 February 2020, n. 6, containing urgent measures regarding the containment and management of the epidemiological emergency that is COVID-19.”

The match venue is at the Allianz Stadium, and the kick-off is at 8:45 pm.

Over 40 APC Chieftains Decamp To PDP

Bigwigs of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Zamfara State, totalling about 41, have dumped the party and joined the Peoples Democratic, Party, PDP.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, the party chieftains from Talata-Mafara Local Government Area, LGA of the State made the move on Thursday.

Talata-Mafara is the LGA of the immediate past Governor and APC leader in the state, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari.

The defectors were led to Governor Bello Matawalle at the Government House by Dr. Sha’aya Shehu alongside the State PDP leadership.

Shehu said the team: “consists of 41 political leaders who command respect across the local government area and have political structure in place.”

He told the Governor and the PDP leadership that their decision to join the ruling party in the State was borne out of their careful study of the Matawalle-led administration.

They hailed the Governor for having tackled insecurity and restored peace in the state within the first 100 days in office.

Dr. Shehu also commended the governor for his laudable programmes and projects being executed across the state.

NAN also reports that other speakers of the group who include Alhaji Bello Wadata, Alhaji Abubakar Take-Tsaba, Alhaji Bello Gwaram and Alhaji Armaya’u Ahmad, extolled the positive virtues of Matawalle’s administration and promised to give their total support to the government.

The Chairman of PDP in the State, Alhaji Ibrahim Mallaha said the Party had received them with open hands and assured that they would be treated like any old member of the party in the state.

In his remarks of appreciation, Governor Matawalle said he was overwhelmed by the positive responses from Talata-Mafara local government.

The governor recalled that when God decided to entrust him with the leadership of the state, he thought everyone would rally round him to save Zamfara from its numerous challenges.

He, however, lamented that bitter opposition was brewed by a section of the state opposition, a situation said was uncalled for.

He, therefore, urged politicians in the state to join hands with his administration in order to move the state forward.

“We cannot achieve the laudable goals we are aiming at in a situation of acrimony and sabotage”, he observed.

NAN reports that the Government House has been recording large turn out of decampees from opposition parties in the state.

Reacting to the defection of some of his members, however, the state APC Chairman, Alhaji Lawal Liman noted that the APC had also been receiving large number of decampees.

“It will surprise you to know that most of the defectors we receive are from the ruling PDP in the state even though we are not in control of power.

“This will confirm to you that our leadership had done well in the state and am sure those leaving now will realize their mistake and come back very soon,” Liman stated.

#Coronavirus: Dean Koontz Eyes Of Darkness Novel Written In 1981 Predicted The COVID-19 Outbreak

Fans of author Dean Koontz are insisting that a novel he wrote in 1981 predicted the coronavirus outbreak.

Koontz's thriller The Eyes Of Darkness describes a killer virus named 'Wuhan-400' after the Chinese city it originated in — the same city where COVID-19 was first reported.

Says one character in the novel: 'They call the stuff 'Wuhan-400' because it was developed at their RDNA labs outside the city of Wuhan.'

'A Dean Koontz novel written in 1981 predicted the outbreak of the coronavirus!' wrote Twitter user Nick Hinton, who first posted a screenshot of the passage from the novel earlier this month.

Koontz did not immediately respond to an inquiry from DailyMail.com about the purported prediction in his novel.

Although coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan, there is not yet scientific consensus about how and where it jumped to humans.

Initial theories suggested that it jumped to humans from exotic animals in a Wuhan 'wet market.' Others have suggested, so far without proof, that the pathogen may have escaped from the Wuhan Virology Lab, China's only biosafety-level four facility.

Other than the city of origin, however, there is little similarity between the fictional Wuhan-400 and the real coronavirus.

In The Eyes Of Darkness, Wuhan-400 is a bioweapon virus that has a fatality rate of 100 percent within 12 hours.

The characters explain that the Chinese intended to use it 'to wipe out a city or a country' without the need for 'expensive decontamination'.

'Wuhan-400 is a perfect weapon. It afflicts only human beings. No other living creature can carry it. And like syphilis, Wuhan-400 can't survive outside a living human body for longer than a minute, which means it can't permanently contaminate objects or entire places the way anthrax and other virulent microorganisms can,' one character says.

Differences between Wuhan-400 and coronavirus
Despite the surface similarity, there are big differences between Koontz's fictional virus and the real coronavirus:

 Fictional Wuhan-400

• Origin: Wuhan, China
• Incubation period: Four hours
• Symptoms: 'Literally eats away brain tissue like battery acid dissolving cheesecloth'
• Mortality rate: 100%

 Coronavirus/COVID-19

• Origin: Wuhan, China 
• Incubation period: Several days to two weeks
• Symptoms: Fever, Cough, Shortness of breath
• Mortality rate: Estimated 2-3%

Coronavirus however has an estimated mortality rate of just 2 to 3 percent. It can survive on surfaces for much longer than a minute, possibly hours or days, though scientists are working now to determine such properties with more precision.

In the Koontz novel, the Wuhan-400 attacks the brain.

As one character describes it: 'The virus migrates to the brain stem, and there it begins secreting a toxin that literally eats away brain tissue like battery acid dissolving cheesecloth. It destroys the part of the brain that controls all of the body's automatic functions.'

Coronavirus, on the other hand, primarily affects the respiratory system, in severe cases resulting in pneumonia. The primary symptoms are fever, coughing, and shortness of breath.

The book also describes a virus that has an incubation period of just four hours, whereas coronavirus incubates for several days to two weeks.

Finally, to the disappointment of conspiracy theorists, it turns out that in the first edition of The Eyes Of Darkness, the virus was originally called 'Gorki-400', after the Russian city where Koontz originally wrote the bioweapons lab.

After the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Koontz apparently changed later editions to make China the villain.

Buhari Did Not Call Me For Seven Months - Leah Sharibu's Mother

Mother of Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi schoolgirl in Boko Haram captivity has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of failing in his promise to secure her release.

Leah was abducted two years ago along with 109 of her school mates. All but her have been released.

Mrs. Rebecca Sharibu, who spoke in London in an interview on the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari did not contact her family until seven months after the pupils were taken away by the insurgents.

Mrs. Sharibu said: “I have come to Britain to lay my complaints, I need their help. They should help me; I will like my daughter to be freed from captivity.

“My daughter was abducted among others by Boko Haram terrorists, it was seven months later that President Muhammadu Buhari called me.

“When he called me, he told me that my daughter would returned; that she would not stay long.

“Two weeks later, he sent three ministers to our house and they corroborated what Mr. President had told me. The ministers reiterated that Leah would be returned to me, shortly.

“The ministers said they were in my house to reassure me that my daughter would soon return. But since that day, I never heard anything again from the government.

“My major worry now is for the government to do whatever possible and free my daughter from captivity. Because, I am seriously disturbed, but there is nothing I can do. If the government is doing nothing, what can I, an ordinary citizen, do?”

Mrs. Sharibu commended a non-governmental organisation, Leah Foundation, established in honour of her daughter, saying that, the Foundation had been of great assistance to the Leah family.

She also disclosed that, the Foundation assisted the family to make her trip to London a reality.

#CoronavirusinNigeria: Expert advice on self protection unveiled

The first case of Coronavirus disease has been confirmed in Nigeria.

247NNU reported that the Nigerian government on Thursday night in a statement by the health minister,Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health said an italian citizen who works in Nigeria and returned from Milan, Italy on the 25th of February 2020.

His case was confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.

Italy has recorded 12 deaths and 400 cases of infected persons.

In order to avoid further spread of the viral disease, Health minister has advised Nigerians to take necessary precautions.

Below is some advice by medical experts on how Nigerians can prevent contratcting Coronavirus and and avoid further spread

Symptoms of Coronavirus
*Cough`
*Fever
*Difficulty in breathing

Meanwhile, some persons may not develop these symptoms and infect others.

How you can be infected

*When an infected person coughs or sneezes, they release droplets of saliva or mucus. These droplets can fall on people in the vicinity and can be either directly inhaled or picked up on the hands then transferred when someone touches their face, causing infection.

*Staying close up to six feet to an infected person who sneezes or coughs for 10 minutes or longer.

How Nigerians can stay safe

*Wash your hands every time and avoid shaking hands.

*Avoid eating raw animals in affected areas

*Avoid touching the mouth, nose and eyes with unwashed hands after using public transport or toilet

*Carry and use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer at all times

“Use tissues at all times to cover the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing (then dispose of it)

*Do not eat shared or communal food

*Avoid close contact with people suffering from or showing symptoms of acute respiratory infection

*Stay indoors if you feel unwell having symptoms like cough, fever.

*Use clean clothes and sanitiser to clean each surface in households so germs aren’t transferred from area to area.

In general, washing your hands and avoiding people who are ill is way more important than wearing a mask to cover your mouth.

The Nigerian government has advised that cases of anyone coughing nearby should be reported immediately to a nearby hospital or call call NCDC toll free number which is available day and night, for guidance- 0800-970000-10.


Source: Daily Post

BREAKING NEWS: Italian infected with Coronavirus also visited another state in Nigeria

The Italian confirmed to have been infected with Coronavirus had also visited Ewekoro in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State this week.

But residents and visitors to the state have  no reason to panic, the Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker said on Friday morning.

Coker disclosed that the Italian visited a giant manufacturing company(name withheld) in Ewekoro community, adding that the facility so visited has since been quarantined in accordance with health safety standard.

The Commissioner, who abandoned her bed rest to attend to the public health emergency, while briefing the press, said the state has epidemiologists and Infectious Disease Consultant already handling the situation with support from the Lagos State Government and Federal Government.

She said efforts are in place to get in touch with people that have had contact with the established index case.

She advised the public to wash their hands regularly, cover their mouth and nose while sneezing or coughing and to report to the nearest public health centre if they notice any sign of cold, cough and respiratory difficulty.



Details shortly…