Buhari consoles Ighodalo over wife's death

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Sunday, commiserated with Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of Trinity House, based in Lagos, over the death of his wife, Ibidunni.

Ibidun was said to have died in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, in the early hours of Sunday.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President said he shared the pain and sorrow of the family at the sudden death.

He prayed God’s comfort for the entire family, friends, and members of Trinity House.

Buhari described Ighodalo as one person who faithfully prays for the country and the government.

He recalled that the pastor sent him a personal letter of condolence when his former Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, died in April.

“Please accept my condolence. May God give you the fortitude to bear the loss, and strengthen you at this trying time,” Buhari told Ighodalo.

It's a shame to lie about a dead man - Maryam Abacha

Former First lady, Maryam Abacha, has described as lies reports of the Federal government discovering monies allegedly stolen by her husband while he was in office.

Mrs Abacha who granted an interview recently to commemorate his 22nd death anniversary, said it is evil to speak ill of the dead. She said,

“How come this man was not a thief until he died? What is this amount of money after 22 years you say oh we have found this amount of money and we’re bringing it back? It is a shame to tell lies on a dead man! It is a shame to tell lies on your leader. 

If he had done wrong, God knows. If other people are putting the wrong on him, it is a matter of time. They will kneel down like America is kneeling down now. Anybody that is evil will kneel down just like this corona has come to shut this world".

According to Mrs. Abacha, her husband helped a lot of people who no longer greet her again.

“He worked in Kano and he planted Kano people, but there are people he helped a lot but they are not even greeting me now for no reason. They just hate us. But why? It is Haram and Allah is watching us.” she said

Presidency reacts to shooting at the Presidential villa

The presidency has reacted to the shooting which reportedly occurred at the presidential villa in the early hours of Saturday June 13.

Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari described the incident as a "minor occurrence" which is being used by some critics to justify attacks on the government and the Nigerian leader.

He stated that the recent incident among the occupants of the State House has led to the arrest of some staff by the police.

The presidential spokesperson noted that the President has acted in compliance with the rule of law by authorizing that proper investigation be carried out into the unfortunate incident which occurred outside the main residence of the President.

Ilorin - 3 drown, 2 bodies missing under fallen bridge

Three persons of the same family lost their lives on Sunday when the car they were traveling in plunged into a river following the sudden collapse of a bridge during a downpour in Ilorin.

Reports have it that the incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday on Okoerin road, off lbrahim Taiwo road, in the llorin metropolis.

Eye witness accounts revealed that the incident occurred during a heavy rain which lasted for more than four hours.

It was gathered that there were five people in a Toyota car with registration number LRN-978FE when the accident occurred.

The bridge which had been in existence for over two decades suddenly collapsed during the rain when the car reached the place and the car plunged into the flowing river under the bridge.

Two out of the five occupants of the vehicle were said to have escaped without any injury.

The car was still trapped in the river at the time of filling this report.

The State Director of Fire Service, Mr Abdulwaheed lyanda-Yakub, who spoke at the scene of the incident, confirmed that three persons of the same family’ lost their lives in the accident.

Paul Ighodalo conducts service hours after wife's death

The Senior Pastor, Trinity House, Ituah Ighodalo, on Sunday morning conducted funeral service hours after receiving news of the death of his wife, Ibidunni Ighodalo.

The cleric, who conducted the funeral service of Deji Modupe Johnson, the grandson of industrialist, Razak Okoya, said he was shattered by the death of his wife but life must go on.

At the funeral, the cleric spoke about how transient life is and how important it is to live in accordance with the will of God.

Ituah is normally cheerful but he was sombre and quite philosophical in the video obtained. He said, 

“For the past 72 and 84 hours, everywhere tensed, confused, frightening, and disturbing but here we are today. I mean, if they had told us last week Sunday that we will be here to celebrate Ayodeji’s life, we’ll say it’s not possible.

But here we are right now and here he is. And of course, a lot of you know that I really shouldn’t be here but that’s how life is. So, this morning, I received a call that shattered my life but life must go on.”

Ituah and Ibidunni were married for 13 years before her sudden demise in Port Harcourt in the wee hours of Sunday.

Putin condemns riots at US anti-racism protests

Russian President, Vladimir Putin on Sunday criticised anti-racism protests in the United States for sparking crowd violence, in his first comments on the issue.

“If this fight for natural rights, legal rights, turns into mayhem and rioting, I see nothing good for the country,” Putin said in an interview with Rossiya-1 television to be broadcast in full Sunday evening. We have never supported this,” he said.

The Russian leader stressed he supported black Americans’ struggle for equality, calling this “a long-standing problem of the United States”.

“We always in the USSR and in modern Russia had a lot of sympathy for the struggle of Afro-Americans for their natural rights,” he insisted.

But Putin added that “when – even after crimes are committed – this takes on elements of radical nationalism and extremism, nothing good will come of this.”

Putin also described the protests as a sign of “deep-seated internal crises” in the United States, linking the unrest to the coronavirus pandemic, which he said “has shone a spotlight on general problems”.

He said he nevertheless expected that the “fundamental basis of American democracy will allow the country to escape this series of crisis events”.

Asked about reactions to the US protests including demonstrations in Europe and statues being pulled down, Putin said “this is undoubtedly a destructive phenomenon”.

He suggested protesters wanted only Afro-American doctors to treat Afro-Americans and said this would be impossible in “multi-ethnic Russia”.

The interview was billed as Putin’s first since the start of the pandemic though it is not clear when it was recorded.

The president made his first public appearance at an open-air event in Moscow on Friday after weeks of lockdown at his country residence.

Obaseki to reveal next move after meeting with Buhari

Following his disqualification from the All Progressives Congress primary election, embattled Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki says he will disclose his next move after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari.

Describing his disqualification as an act of injustice, the governor said he will also consult his supporters to determine the next step to take ahead of the gubernatorial election in his state in September.

Obaseki said this via his Twitter handle on Sunday, June 14, 2020. He tweeted, 

“I appreciate the sustained show of solidarity, support and goodwill from Edo people and Nigerians in the face of injustice by the @OfficialAPCNg screening committee,” he wrote.

Buhari orders police to investigate shooting in the Presidential villa

President Muhammad Buhari has ordered the police to investigate the recent crisis involving the First Lady, Aisha Buhari and some security aides in the Presidential Villa.

The Presidency announced this on Sunday, June 14, 2020, in a statement by Garba Shehu the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.

On Saturday, Pulse reported about how gunshots fired by Aisha’s security aide, Usman Shugaba in the Villa escalated a heated argument between the First Lady and Buhari’s Personal Assistant, Yusuf Sabiu also known as Tunde.

The First Lady, her children and her security aides had gone to Sabiu’s residence in the Villa to ask him to self-isolate after returning from a trip to Lagos.

But Tunde felt the First Lady was picking on him, saying he was not the only occupant of the Presidential Villa that travelled during the lockdown measure put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The encounter degenerated into a heated argument as Aisha’s ADC reportedly fired gunshots while trying to apprehend the President’s PA.

Following the gunshots, the Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed received a security report on the incident and ordered the arrest of Aisha’s ADC and all the security aides that went to Sabiu’s residence with the First Lady.

I once had a crush on Michael Essien - Chimamanda Adichie

Renowned novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, has said that she once had a mild crush on a Ghanaian footballer, Michael Essien, after the Ghanaian team defeated the United States at a World Cup tournament that Nigeria did not qualify for.

She made the revelation in the introduction she wrote for a picture book, Africa― The Future of Football, authored by a photographer, Pall Stefansson.

In a video posted on her Facebook page, Adichie, who recently lost her father, read the introduction (to the book), with the title, Football Nationalism.

The novelist, in the write-up, said because Nigeria was absent at the tournament, the Ghanaian team got her attention and she became ‘a Ghanaian’.

Making a point about how people often forget their differences in the euphoria of the football game, Adichie narrated how she watched the Ghana-US clash with her best friend, Uju, and how they excitedly referred to the Ghanaian players as ‘our boys’. She said, 

“I watched the game with my best friend, Uju, often shouting and then hugging each other when Ghana finally beat the United States.

You know some of our boys started playing this game without shoes’, Uju said. ‘Our boys’ were, of course, the Ghanaians.

“A small consequence of that game was my developing a mild crush on the Ghanaian player, Michael Essien, as much for his looks as for his dexterity.

But the larger and more important consequence was my realisation that sports allowed us, black Africans, to address historical and political grievances in the most cathartic way.”

Adichie also narrated how despite their frequent quarrels over the dirty state of the compound and the attendant mice infestation, her sister, who lived in Ilupeju, Lagos State, and her neighbour became momentary friends the moment the Super Eagles beat Argentina in the finals of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

She said, “My sister put aside her stereotypes of her Yoruba neighbour and her neighbour put aside her stereotypes of my Igbo sister. They forgot about the flat not clean, water wasted and electricity bills unpaid. They became, for that moment, Nigerians, who had somehow contributed to the vanquishing of the world.”

She said, “There is no doubt that football nationalism is not peculiar to Nigerians and to Africans. Indeed, the very idea of national games is based on the premise of national identities.”

Egypt set to reopen airports on July 1

Egypt will reopen its airports on July 1 and begin welcoming to beach resorts tourists kept away by the coronavirus pandemic, the government announced on Sunday.

Flights will resume “between Egypt and countries which have reopened their airspace”, said Aviation Minister Mohamed Manar during a news conference in Cairo.

“We hope that business will resume,” he said.

Egypt has since March halted air traffic and shuttered archaeological sites, museums and hotels to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.

But with international flights resuming, only three governorates famed for their beach resorts will be allowed to welcome tourists: the Red Sea, South Sinai and Marsa Matruh.

“We chose these three governorates because they are coastal, far from the main centres, and have reported the lowest numbers of virus infections,” said Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anani during the briefing.

The government has also decided “to waive tourist visas from July 1 until October 31,” he added.

Other tourist sites including the pyramids at Giza, the Egyptian museum in Cairo and Luxor’s Karnak temple will reopen progressively, Anani said.

“We are not in a hurry. We want to ensure everyone’s health and our reputation as a tourist destination,” he added.

Over 200 hotels have received permission to reopen to tourists after implementing strict sanitary measures, including spacing out restaurant tables and restricting elevator capacities.

Any establishment breaching health regulations will have this authorisation revoked, the minister said, adding that the government would offer “no leniency in this area”.

Egypt’s health ministry has so far registered around 43,000 COVID-19 cases in its population of over 100 million, including close to 1,500 fatalities.

In late May, Egypt’s top medical union warned of a potential “complete collapse” of the country’s health system in the face of the pandemic.

No punishment is too much for rapists - Pastor Adeboye

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, has said that every form of punishment that could be given to a rapist cannot be considered too severe.

He said this while speaking on the rising cases of rape in the country especially that of a 22-year-old 100Level student of Microbiology at the University of Benin, Edo State, Vera Uwaila Omozuwa.

Recall that Uwaila was brutally raped and killed inside a Redeemed Christian Church of God branch in the city while reading.

In a three-minute video message on his personal Twitter account, Adeboye stated that while no crime can be more grievous than rape, no pain can be compared to that of a parent whose daughter had been raped. He said, 

“In my own opinion, there is hardly any crime more grievous than rape, maybe with the possible exception of murder, because when you rape a girl you put a scar on her, not only physically but mentally, a scar that cannot be removed for the rest of her life.

I am telling you there is no pain that I know of that can compare to the pain of parent whose daughter has been raped, the girl that was raped and killed in Benin happened to be one of my daughters and I am telling you I feel the pain seriously.”

Adeboye said he would continue to pray for the murderer of Uwa to be arrested while also saying that he would pray that God kills anyone, who attempts to rape.

“I want to put this on record that both myself and my prayer warriors will not rest in prayer until the perpetrators of this evil are brought to justice.

I will pray that anyone who will ever think of raping anybody again, the almighty God will stop them before they can do so even if he has to take them away from this world to achieve that purpose,” he said.

Man dies aboard Lagos -Mumbai flight

A 42-year-old man suddenly collapsed and died due to natural causes aboard Air India's Lagos-Mumbai flight on Sunday.

Air India's flight AI 1906 departed Lagos in Nigeria at 7pm Indian Standard Time on Saturday and landed in Mumbai at 3:45am on Sunday.

"A passenger aboard AI 1906 of June 13 from Lagos to Mumbai passed away due to natural causes today. 

A doctor aboard along with our crew, trained to handle such medical emergencies, made a valiant attempt to revive the passenger, aged 42, who had suddenly collapsed, through resuscitation etc but all their efforts went in vain," the airline's spokesperson said.

The High Commission of India in Abuja had on Saturday announced the departure of 231 evacuees aboard the Air India aircraft to the Asian country.

Buhari’s aides launch massive attacks against Aisha

The last has not been heard of the crisis in Aso Villa, Nigeria's seat of power in Abuja, as aides and close individuals to President Muhammadu Buhari launch a massive offensive against his wife and First Lady of the country, Aisha.

Aisha incurred the wrath of the 'cabal', a group of powerful and almost untouchable individuals around Buhari, after her Aide De Camp and other security details forced her husband's Personal Assistant, Saibu 'Tunde' Yusuf out of Aso Villa on Thursday after he refused to embark on a 14-day isolation period after a trip from Lagos.

Yusuf, according to findings by SaharaReporters was thoroughly beaten by the Guards Commander of Mrs Buhari after he refused to quarantine upon returning from Lagos in company with five women. 

He was said to have escaped into the apartment of Mamman Daura, Buhari's nephew, around the Villa and had remained there ever since.

Angered by the situation, it was gathered that Daura, Yusuf and other powerful individuals around Buhari had initiated several meetings to get back at Aisha, whom they consider to be blocking their plans in the Villa.

This is after Yusuf and Buhari's Chief Security Officer had ordered the arrest of Aisha's ADC and other security details. 

A top Presidency source, who confirmed the latest development to SaharaReporters on Saturday, said, "The case has now escalated to a power tussle between remnants of the cabal including Mamman Daura, Isa Funtua, and Tunde Sabiu.

"Tunde was thoroughly beaten by the Guards Commander of Mrs Buhari after he refused to quarantine upon returning from Lagos with women. Tunde claims his trip was to visit his wife, daughter of NIMASA DG, who just delivered a baby. He reportedly secured special landing rights at the Lagos Airport from Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation. 

"Upon being beaten, he scaled the fence and ended in the residence of Daura, who now lives on the periphery of the Aso Rock Villa having been driven out of the Glass House within the Villa by Aisha last year.

Daura then summoned Isa Funtua to a meeting to discuss next steps on how to deal with Aisha's latest excesses. 

They contacted the IG of police, who initially declined, asking that the issue be handled by Villa officials, but he was warned to order the arrest of Aisha ADC, a formerly with Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello. 

The ADC was seen to be powerful because he knew the secrets of the cabal and was said to help Bello move cash to the cabal while he was there in Kogi. He also had a reputation for being ruthless as Bello's ADC.

When Buhari was informed, he asked that an investigation be done but it is believed that Buhari is in a state of dementia and most times don't even remember the instructions passed out and the cabal around him capitalizes on this to commit atrocities and massive corruption.

Tunde has remained in Mamman Daura's house refusing to enter isolation as directed by Aisha, while the ADC to Mrs Buhari and other aides remain in detention at the FCT command. 

"Isa Funtua and Daura are asking the IG of Police to prosecute the ADC for some murders he reportedly carried out in Kogi as ADC to Yahaya Bello as a way of getting rid of him.

"Meanwhile, another scandal is brewing around Tunde, he was illegally recruited into the National Intelligence Agency but did not attend the compulsory training for cadets. He is looking into a future where he can be sent out of Nigeria as soon as Buhari's regime is over as a way of covering up his massive wealth.

Also, Daura cannot bear having Yusuf out of the Villa for even one week because of how he protects his numerous deals."

Though Mrs Buhari had called on the Inspector-General of Police to release her security details, they remain in custody till this time.

Casualties as soldiers clash with COVID-19 committee

One person has been confirmed dead with five others left with various degrees of injury after a vehicle conveying some soldiers rammed into a hilux in the convoy of members of Borno State COVID-19 Committee in Maiduguri.

The COVID-19 team, comprising the state Attorney General, Kakashehu Lawan, and the Commissioner for Health, Dr Salisu Kwaya-Bura, were on the enforcement of the interstate lockdown along Maiduguri-Damaturu Road when the incident happened on Saturday.

The soldiers were said to have come down from their vehicle and assaulted the COVID-19 team.

The soldiers were said to be escorting some travellers into Maiduguri when their armoured vehicle hit the hilux conveying some members of the Borno Rapid Response Squad attached to the committee.

The hilux reportedly somersaulted, leaving the driver and five others critically injured.

The driver was later confirmed dead at the state Specialist Hospital where all the injured were rushed for treatment.

Speaking at Njimtilo, the scene of the incident, the Attorney General said the soldiers turned one of their gun trucks to his face, threatening to shoot him during the assault. He said, 

“As Nigerians, the mission and vision of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration and of course, the Chief of Army Staff, is to protect lives and property of citizens.  We cannot just allow a chunk of the military men to cause havoc when people are doing their official duties.”

Grace Oshiagwu, ND student has been raped and killed

Grace Oshiagwu, a 21-year-old female National Diploma student of Business Administration at the Oke Ogun Polytechnic, Saki, Oyo State, has been raped and killed.

The young lady was sexually assaulted and killed on Saturday afternoon at a church where her parents live around the Idi-Ori area of Shasha under Akinyẹle Local Government Area in Ibadan, the state capital.

A source, who confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters, said, "Yes, it was another rape case close to my street and the lady was murdered at the same Akinyẹle LGA where Barakat was killed a few weeks ago.

"But one thing that surprised me the most is that the lady's hair was shaved and taken away too. I feel it was for ritual purposes."

He revealed that her corpse had been deposited at Adeoyo State Hospital in Ibadan for autopsy.

Confirming the incident, the police in Oyo State said an investigation had commenced into the case.

The incident occurred 10 days after Shomuyiwa Azeezat, who was seven months pregnant and a postgraduate student of the University of Ibadan, was raped and killed in Akinyele LGA.

It also came after 18-year-old Barakat Bello was raped and killed in the same LGA.

Check out Arat Hosseini, six year old boy with six packs on Instagram

The spectacular muscled physique of Arat Hosseini is due to his football and gymnastics skills. 

When someone claims that muscles knows no age, I bet that a six year old boy doesn’t come to your mind. Well, an Iranian boy who trained from a very young age is here to change that.

On Instagram, the six year old boy has 4.1 million followers, and he has a place at Liverpool FC Academy.

Yup, he is already a celebrity. A kid of many talents, Arat impresses his fans with his superb skills, fit body, and gymnastic videos.

His toned biceps and six-packs are rare for such a young boy, so his dad, Mohammad Hosseini started sharing his photos on Instagram.

Check out pictures of his well toned abs

269 Nigerians arrive Abuja, Lagos from India

NiDCOM has announced the arrival of 269 Nigerians who were stranded in India. They arrived at both the Abuja and Lagos airports of Nigeria.

The commission, who took to their Twitter handle to disclose this news said that the 269 Nigerians arrived Nigeria at 2:00 a.m.

NiDCOM said that evacuees were received from India at the Lagos and Abuja airports.

”103 in Lagos and 166 in Abuja passages arrived today, Saturday, June 13, at about 2:00 a.m, after a few hours of delay.

All evacuees are now on compulsory 14 days Self Isolation according to the new Protocol,” it said.

It was gathered that 103 evacuees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while 166 others landed at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.

Nina writes about the joy of motherhood

Reality TV star, Nina Ivy has gushed about her pregnancy in a new post on Instagram.

It can be recalled that she got married traditionally on February 14th, 2020.

Some weeks ago, she uploaded pictures showing off her baby bump and invariably announcing her pregnancy.

Obviously, she is still not over the feeling of being pregnant as we realised from her latest post.

Nina wrote,

"A Mothers Joy Begins When a New Life Is Stirring Inside , when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time , and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone ...•
You don’t know Love until you ve grown a life inside of you that is half of the one you can’t Live without🥰..."

12 people die in Niger, Anambra auto crash

Twelve persons have been confirmed dead in two separate road accidents on the Ogidi-Abatete Road, Anambra State and on Lambata-Suleja Road, Niger State.

Meanhile, seven persons died in an auto crash which occurred around 5pm on Friday in Anambra.

The crash involved a tipper loaded with sand and a bus, with 19 persons on board.

It was gathered that the bus was conveying a family to a burial ceremony when it collided with the lorry.

An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the tipper had a tyre burst, which made it to lose control and ram into the bus. He said, 

“No fewer than seven persons died on the spot while other passengers sustained injuries. Most of them were members of the same family going for a burial ceremony.”

The Sector Public Education Officer of Federal Road Safety Corps, Pascal Anigbo, confirmed the incident to our correspondent.

He said the corpses had been deposited at the hospital morgue, while the injured victims were receiving treatment. He said, 

“About 5.20pm on Friday 12 June, 2020, we received a distress call on a fatal auto crash, which occurred near Buckie Polytechnic, along Ogidi-Abatete Road.

Casualties involved included 17 adult males, one female adult and one female child totalling 19. They were all rushed to Twinkle Hospital, Ogidi by members of the community. The Sector Commander FRSC, Andrew Kumapayi condoles with the family of the deceased and wishes the injured victims quick recovery.”

In the Niger auto crash, five persons died while 12 others were injured on Saturday when a trailer carrying iron rods and 30 passengers lost control and fell while trying to ascend a hilly part of Lambata-Suleja Road.

The Federal Road Safety Corps Route Commander, in Suleja, Babatunde Onemola, told one of our correspondents that the trailer with the number plate UGG485XA was travelling from Lagos, adding that the weight of the iron rods made it impossible for it to climb road.

“The dead bodies have been deposited in the Sabon Wuse General Hospital while the injured victims were taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Gawu Babangida, for treatment,” he added.

Borno : Boko Haram kills scores in fresh attacks

It has been reported that in Borno State, at least 29 persons have been killed by Boko Haram insurgents.

This happened on Saturday in fresh attacks by Boko Haram insurgents on three local government areas of Borno State.

The three local governments attacked are Gubio, Nganzai and Monguno.

The Boko Haram attacks came barely a day after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), claimed that the terrorist group had been degraded and were only taken advantage of the COVID-19 to execute pockets of attacks.

It was reported that the group had on Tuesday killed 81 persons in a major attack on Gubio.

The group reportedly returned to another settlement in Gubio, Dunga village, where they struck on Saturday morning.

Just about the same time, the insurgents attacked Usmanti village in the Nganzai Local Government Area, killing 29 persons.

Credible sources reported that the insurgents invaded Usmanti around 11 am on Saturday.

“The insurgents executed a daring attack killing 29 persons in the village. The village though in Nganzai Local Government Area shares boundary with Gubio Local Government Area where 81 persons were killed on Tuesday,” one of the sources said.

The insurgents were also said to have attacked Monguno town, one of the most strategic towns in Northern Borno, which houses humanitarian operations and has structures accommodating over 100,000 internally displaced persons.

Eyewitnesses in Monguno revealed that the military was able to repel the terrorists.

They said land troops were assisted by air strike, rooting out the invading terrorists.

Regina Askia's daughter recreates some of her old photos

The daughter of Regina Askia, Stephanie Hornecker has gone on to recreate some old pictures of her mother and they are adorable.

The resemblance between mother and daughter is very striking too! 

Check out the original photos of Regina and the recreated photos of Stephanie 

COVID-19 survivor billed $1.1m by hospital

A survivor of the dreaded COVID-19 disease has been reportedly billed $1.1m by the hospital where he recovered.

Reports from Seattle Times has it that a survivor of COVID-19, a 70-year-old American man who nearly died of COVID-19 has been billed a heart-stopping $1.1 million for his hospital expenses.

Michael Flor was admitted to a hospital in the northwestern city on March 4, and stayed for 62 days – at one point coming so close to death that nurses held up the phone so his wife and children could say goodbye.

But he recovered and was discharged on May 5 to the cheers of nursing staff – only to receive a 181-page bill totalling $1,122,501.04, he told the newspaper.

It includes $9,736 per day for the intensive care room, nearly $409,000 for its transformation into a sterile room for 42 days, $82,000 for the use of a ventilator for 29 days, and nearly $100,000 for two days when his prognosis was life-threatening.

Flor is covered by Medicare, a government insurance program for the elderly, and should not have to take out his wallet, according to the Times.

But in a country where health care is among the most expensive in the world – and the idea of socializing it remains hugely controversial – he said he feels “guilty” knowing that taxpayers will bear much of the cost.

“It was a million bucks to save my life, and of course I’d say that’s money well-spent… But I also know I might be the only one saying that,” the Times quoted the survivor as saying.

A gigantic plan adopted by Congress to keep the American economy afloat through the coronavirus shutdowns includes a $100 million budget to compensate hospitals and private insurance companies that treated COVID-19 patients.