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The Nigerian Center for Disease Control has confirmed four new cases of Coronavirus in the country.
This was announced via the official Twitter account of the agency on Monday night.
The four new cases takes the total cases in the country to 40.
Four new cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in Nigeria. 3 are in Lagos State and 1 in FCT
Two of these cases are returning travellers
As at 11:00pm on the 23rd of March, there are 40 confirmed cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria. 2 have been discharged with 1 death recorded pic.twitter.com/cR94MO6xnC
— NCDC (@NCDCgov) March 23, 2020
“Four new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Nigeria. Three are in Lagos State and one in FCT.
“Two of these cases are returning travellers.
“As at 11:00pm on the 23rd of March, there are 40 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Two have been discharged with one death recorded,” the NCDC said.
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Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, is said to be seriously ill and in fact suspected of being infected with Coronavirus.
A top government source told SaharaReporters on Monday that Kyari has been seriously “down” since returning from a trip abroad.
Kyari visited Germany and Egypt and only returned this week, giving credence to the fact that he may have indeed been infected with the virus.
Egypt has 327 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and 14 deaths while Germany has 29,056 infections and 123 deaths.
Though coughing severely, Kyari is said to have been attending meetings including with Buhari, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, ministers and other members of the Federal Executive Council.
Executive Chairman of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Prof James Momoh, was said to have accompanied Kyari on the trip to both countries.
The latest development comes hours after a leaked memo showed Kyari telling Nigerian legislators, who recently returned from foreign trips, to submit themselves for Coronavirus test.
It also comes after Aisha Buhari, wife of Nigeria’s President, disclosed that one of her daughters was in self-isolation after returning from the United Kingdom, one of the high risk countries for the virus.
On Monday, Nigeria confirmed its first Coronavirus death after a former Managing Director of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Suleiman Achimugu, succumbed to the virus in Abuja.
Earlier, the Nigerian Center for Disease Control announced a total of 36 confirmed cases but with Kyari’s suspected infection, that figure may have now risen to 37.
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Workers in Nigeria’s Presidential Villa in Abuja are currently jubilating following the redeployment of State House Permanent Secretary, Jalal Arabi.
In a letter on Monday, Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, announced the redeployment of Arabi and two others, Tijani Idris Umar and Sabi’u Zakari.
Arabi has now been moved to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
Umar was moved to the State House from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs while Zakari was moved from Ministry of Transportation to Defence.
According to findings by SaharaReporters, Arabi became a thorn in the flesh of State House workers after rising through the ranks to become Permanent Secretary.
“He turned out to be a monster and by far the worst Permanent Secretary in the history of the State House.
“People are jubilating and openly saying it’s good riddance to bad rubbish.
“Everyone thought he was going to be a good person having been in the Villa for over 15 years. He rose from a mere Legal Officer in the Villa to State House Counsel before being appointed Permanent Secretary.
“The whole Villa is jubilating over Arabi’s ouster.”
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The Independent National Electoral Commission has suspended its activities in the country over the outbreak of Coronavirus in Nigeria.
Festus Okoye, National Commission and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, in a statement said the commission in line with directives of the Nigerian Center for Disease Control and the social distancing advisory of the World Health Organisation, will suspend all regular and non-essential activities for 14 days.
He added that the electoral commission values the health and wellbeing of all staff, officials and general public.
“Effective from Tuesday 24th March 2020, all regular and non-essential activities will be suspended in its headquarters and offices nation-wide for 14 days in the first instance.
“The regular quarterly meetings with stakeholders including political parties, civil society organisations, the media, security agencies and all other meetings, have been suspended until such a time when normalcy returns.
“The commission will no longer monitor the conventions, congresses, conferences or meetings of political parties until further notice,” Okoye said.
INEC noted that the suspension of its activities would not affect the activities for Edo and Ondo governorship elections scheduled for 19th September and 10th October 2020 respectively.
Recall that the government ordered all civil servants to stay at home with all schools closed down.
The country has 36 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the country with one reported death.
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The Governor’s Advisory Council is being convened to intervene in the imbroglio that has engulfed the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The state Assembly has sacked two principal officers and suspended two other lawmakers indefinitely.
The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, is battling to save his seat after revelation of several financial misconduct perpetuated under him.
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With reports by SaharaReporters exposing some of the shady deals of the Speaker and his surrogate companies, the panic button was pressed by Obasa.
He was reported to have urgently mobilised some members of the GAC to convene the meeting and intervene to save his seat.
SaharaReporters had published a report highlighting a list of companies the Speaker had been using to award contracts to himself and launder public funds.
To avoid a direct linking to himself, Obasa did not use his name to register but used his father, wife and children as shareholders in the company.
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A member of the GAC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Speaker was alleged to have sent some huge amount of money to a member, Mutiu Are, on Monday evening for distribution among some members of the council.
Chairman of the council, which has Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as member, is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
It is suspected that Asiwaju, who has been in self-imposed isolation since his return from London last week, would be in attendance personally.
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The Ondo State Government has directed all civil servants from grade levels 1 to 12 to stay at home in order to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus.
The government noted that the order was with the exception of those on essential duties.
In a statement on Monday night by government spokesperson, Donald Ojogo, the state also banned all political, social and religious gatherings for at least 14 days.
The statement reads, “Government hereby places total ban on all political, social and religious gatherings in the state for 14 days in the first instance.
Gatherings at clubs, pubs are prohibited until further notice.
“All civil servants from Grade Levels 01-12, except those on essential duties as may be determined by their respective accounting officers and chief executives, are hereby advised to stay at home for now.”
The Ondo Government directed the state’s Commissioner of Police and all other heads of security agencies to begin the enforcement of the directive.
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Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, General Shuaibu Ibrahim, has permitted all corps members to travel to their homes.
The decision, according to the DG, was coming on the heels of the closure of all schools in the country due to the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country.
In a memo to all Area Coordinators signed by Sanusi A.R on behalf of the NYSC DG, he stated that corps members willing to travel to their various homes should be allowed to go.
“I am directed to request all state coordinators to grant permission to corps members willing to travel, especially those in the teaching or allied professions.
“For the period it will last, corps members should be advised to adopt all preventive tips provided by the federal health authorities including high level of hygiene and refrain from any unwholesome act that may put them at risk,” the DG said.
He ordered all coordinators to inform corps members about the decision and ensure compliance.
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As part of measures to prevent Coronavirus from spreading into Rivers, the state government on Monday announced that beginning from Tuesday, March 24, 2020, all parks, night clubs and cinemas will remain closed until further notice.
In a statewide broadcast on Monday, Governor Nyesom Wike also directed religious groups to temporarily stop all forms of open worship.
He said, “With effect from the same date (Tuesday, March 24, 2020), all public parks, night clubs and cinemas in the state are to remain closed until further notice.
“Similarly, after due consultations with religious leaders, it was agreed that all religious organisations are to temporarily stop all forms of open worship.
“Public burial and wedding ceremonies are also banned within this period.
“In view of the fact that the disease spreads fast through body contact, social distance has become imperative if we are to contain the spread.”
The Rivers State governor further stated that with effect from Tuesday, surveillance posts will be set up across the state to enforce the directive.
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Chief of Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, has ordered the closure of all courts in the country.
Tanko gave the directive on Monday evening as part of efforts to contain the spread of Coronavirus in the country.
The order will come into effect from tomorrow (Tuesday).
Tanko said, “In view of the reality of the COVID-19 in the country and in order to take further preventive steps, all Heads of Courts are from tomorrow, the 24th day of March, 2020, directed to suspend court sittings for an initial period of two weeks at the first instance, except in matters that are urgent, essential or time bound according to our extant laws.”
Nigeria has 36 confirmed cases of Coronavirus with one death recorded so far.
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