Buhari has put Nigeria on an irreversible road to sustainable development - Lai Mohammed

The minister for information, Lai Mohammed has said that Buhari has put Nigeria on an irreversible road to sustainable development. 

He made the statement at a news conference in Abuja to mark the first anniversary of the second term of Buhari.

He said that the President achieved the feat by some actions “mostly bold and highly visionary” taken.

Mohammed said that the past one year had been momentous, adding that never in the history of Nigeria had so many positive steps being taken in so short a time.

“President Muhammadu Buhari was elected in 2015 on the strength of his promise of change.

Nigerians are satisfied with his performance, especially in the cardinal areas of fighting corruption, tackling insecurity and revamping the economy, overwhelmingly re-elected the President in 2019.

One year later, the President is taking Nigeria to the Next Level of irreversible change for the better,” he said.

Specifically, Lai Mohammed said that the intractable power problem was finally being tackled in a way that would end poor power supply that had stunted Nigeria’s socio-economic development.

#JusticeForTina : 16 year old girl shot dead by trigger-happy police man

A 16 year old girl has been shot dead by trigger-happy police man in Lagos State. 

According to reports, the trigger-happy policeman was trying to arrest a bus driver for violating the nationwide curfew at Iyana-Oworo in Lagos state. 

In the process, he allegedly shot the bus conductor dead, as well as Tina, who was just a passerby.

She was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital but gave up the ghost this morning.

Using the hashtag #JusticeForTina, Nigerians have taken to social media to demand the arrest and prosecution of the erring police officer.

May her soul rest in peace, Amen.

Kylie Jenner is no longer a billionaire

According to Forbes, KylieJenner is no longer a billionaire, and she grossly over reported the revenues of her companies.

Kylie Jenner, sold 51% of her #KylieCosmetics to beauty giant Coty in a deal valued at $1.2 billion this January. In the deal’s fine print, a less flattering truth emerged. 

Kylie’s business is significantly smaller, and less profitable, than the family has spent years leading the cosmetics industry and media outlets, including Forbes, to believe.

Taking all this new information into account and factoring in the pandemic, Forbes has recalculated Kylie’s net worth and concluded that she is not a billionaire. 

A more realistic accounting of her personal fortune puts it at just under $900 million, despite the headlines surrounding the Coty deal that seemed to confirm her billionaire status. 

More than a third of that is the estimated $340 million in post-tax cash she would have pocketed from selling a majority of her company. 

The rest is made up of revised earnings based on her business’ smaller size and a more conservative estimate of its profitability, plus the value of her remaining share of Kylie Cosmetics—which is not only smaller than the Jenners led us to believe but is also worth less now than it was when the deal was announced in November, given the economic effects of the coronavirus.

Coty’s share price has fallen more than 60% since the deal was struck, and even better-performing competitors like Ulta Beauty and Estee Lauder are still down single digits. 

"Add that to the fact that Wall Street tends to think Coty paid too much to begin with and there is no way to realistically peg Kylie’s net worth above a billion—despite her massive cashout. 

As usual, we asked the Jenners for input on our numbers. But pressed for answers on the many discrepancies, the typically chatty family did something out of character: They stopped answering our questions."

Culled from Forbes Magazine

NCDC - Longest viability period of COVID-19 in patient is 10 days

The longest viability period of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) patient would be 10 days, according to a new study by infectious diseases experts in Singapore.

The Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, disclosed this at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) media briefing on Wednesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the Singapore study shows that COVID-19 patients are no longer infectious after 11 days of getting sick even though some may still test positive.

“A positive test “does not equate to infectiousness or viable virus,” a joint research paper by Singapore’s National Centre for Infectious Diseases and the Academy of Medicine Singapore said.

The virus “could not be isolated or cultured after day 11 of illness.”

The paper was based on a study of 73 patents in the city-state.

The DG said in line with this latest findings, the health agency would release a new case management guidelines for COVID-19 to review criteria for admission and discharge of patients.

He noted that the move would assist in managing challenges faced in isolation centres across the country, particularly with the shortage of bed space.

“We are now relooking our practice in terms of discharge criteria, and even who to keep in hospital, and who can stay at home and for how long.

Right now, the entire case management team which includes our colleagues at the Federal Ministry of Health, NCDC and few clinicians are reviewing our case management guidelines to redefine our approach around admission in terms of who is admitted and duration of admission and when to discharge,” he stated.

NDDC shut down headquarters over death of director

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has shut down its headquarters in Port Harcourt after the reported death of its Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Chief Ibanga Etang.

Etang was said to have died in the early hours of Thursday as he reportedly took ill last week and was taken to the Rivers State University Teaching in Port Harcourt for treatment.

But efforts made by our correspondent to get the Corporate Affairs Department of the NDDC to confirm the sad incident were not successful.

However, in a memo signed by Silas Anyawu on behalf of the management of the NDDC effecting the shutting down of the office, he said, 

“I am directed to inform all staff that management has approved that the commission be shut down for two weeks from today 28 May 2020.

Consequently, all activities in the commission including ongoing matters are hereby shut down for the time being.

Members of staff are to ensure that all electrical appliances in their offices are switched off before leaving the premises.

The head security is by this memo directed to work out modalities to ensure the safety and security of the commission while director, the administration is requested to fumigate and decontaminate the entire offices and premises in the Headquarters during the period.

Meanwhile staff are enjoined to go into self-isolation for two weeks as they await further directive from Management.”

When contacted, the commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Charles Odili, said he would not be able to confirm the director’s death, adding that such confirmation would come from the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

“I don’t have any official information on that; I have not spoken with the family. So, we don’t really have an official position on that matter. If we have to do it, it has to come from the Minister’s office. For now, there is no confirmation,” Odili said.

Nigerian businessman allegedly beaten to death in India

A Nigerian man, identified as Ohaji Egbema Oguta aka Sunny Mic, has been allegedly beaten to death in India.

The incident happened today at Palam , New Delhi. It was gathered that Oguta was accused of theft by an Indian lady which prompted passers-by to accost him and beat him till he passed out.

The police were invited but by the time they arrived the scene, he had died. His body has since been moved to the morgue while friends and family members have taken to social media to demand justice.

Photo credit : Instablog

Anambra communal clash : Community deserted as one dies

One person was reportedly killed on Wednesday in a clash between Urum and Achalla communities in the Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The feud, it was gathered, was over a piece land.

The Wednesday conflict came barely a week after the Commissioner of Police in the state, John Abang, engaged the leaders of the two communities at the command’s headquarters in Amawbia for peace talks.

Our correspondent gathered that the two communities had had a series of disagreements over ownership of a piece of land where the duo had boundary. A native, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, 

“The people of Urum were invaded by Achalla youths this afternoon, killing and maiming women and children that were tending to their farms.

Many people were chased out of their farms and many others from other villages in Urum have different reports of harassment from Achalla youths.”

He said the matter had been reported to different persons and authorities in the state to no avail.

“This afternoon, Achalla people invaded our farmlands, clearing them with bulldozers. Attempts made by our youths to resist them may result in a war. One person died. He died as hero not like a coward.

Residents of Umuife village, Urum have deserted their homes and fled to different places for safety. Some of them camped at Eke Market, Isuaniocha, trying to figure out their next move,” he added.

The native expressed surprise that as the crisis raged, no police presence was seen in the area.

The state Commissioner of Police, John Abang, confirmed the incident to our correspondent. Abang said, 

“On my own, I had before the sallah festival invited their leaders to my office and asked them to maintain peace pending the outcome of the government’s committee on the disputed land.

I was surprised this afternoon to get a report that they were fighting one another over the land. I have deployed my men there to restore normalcy. For now, I can’t tell you the number of casualties until I get a full report.”

Flight reopening : Expert request hourly disinfection of airports

As stakeholders prepare for the reopening of the nation’s airspace that has been shut down to commercial flights since March, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has been asked to prepare for hourly disinfection of airports when flights resume.

A stakeholder and former Managing Director of the defunct Virgin Nigeria Airways, Capt. Dapo Olumide said the airports need to be disinfected every hour once they are reopened for flights.

Aviation authorities have begun preparations for the reopening of the airspace.

Barring any last minute change, domestic flights operations may resume across the country by the first or second week of June after two months’ shutdown occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has already held series of meetings with airline operators as well as service providers including Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and other stakeholders to work out modalities for safe and secure resumption of flights.

Our correspondent learnt that a comprehensive guideline has been developed for seamless reopening of airspace starting with domestic operations.

It was gathered that the NCAA had already issued an advisory circular to all the operating airlines to draw up their post COVID-19 operation manual. An airline operator said, 

“All things being equal, June is feasible for the resumption of flights. The NCAA has already issued us an advisory circular stipulating what they expect from us, what each airline must put in place before we can start operations.”

But speaking at an Aviation webinar yesterday, Olumide said constant disinfection of the airports is imperative to protect the passengers and airport workers and prevent the spread of the COVID-19.

Olumide noted that with the COVID-19 experience, it would get to a time when airport certification around the world would incorporate the preparedness for disease outbreaks.

According to him, the United State Category One certification is basically about safety but it will get to a point where such certification would include the health procedures at the airport.

White Minneapolis man loses his office lease for 'racially profiling' black entrepreneurs inside a gym

The incident occurred on Tuesday inside a building on Lagoon Avenue in Minneapolis. It came a day after the killing of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer.

In the video, Tom Austin, the managing partner of F2 Group questioned the black entrepreneurs using the gym in a building of which they were all tenants. 

“I’m Tom Austin,” the man says in the video. 

“I’m a tenant in the building. Are you?” 

The men in the group responded that they are all tenants. 

Austin demands to know which office they work in. They told him they don’t have to tell him. Then he says he’s going to call 911 but ended up calling the building manager who confirmed the men have a lease in the building.

In an Instagram post, the men accused Austin of “racial profiling and age discrimination.” 

Speaking with the Tribune, Austin said his actions led to his company losing its lease in the building. 

“Should have handled it differently,” he said in an email to the Tribune. “Not my job to have done anything.”

Bobrisky allegedly arrested by the police

Socialite Bobrisky has allegedly been arrested by men of the Ajah police division in Lagos.

It was gathered he was trailed to a salon in Lekki, last night, by the police officers, who interrogated her before being whisked away to the police station.

The reason for his arrest remains unknown, but multiple sources suggest that she might have been arrested for breaking the curfew considering the time he was found outside.