Coronavirus in lagos.The first case of the dreaded Coronavirus has been confirmed in Lagos State, Nigeria. Equally important, it was confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Health on Thursday, February 27, 2020.
The case is an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and just returned from Italy to Lagos. According to reports, the man arrived in the country on the 25th of February 2020. The case is an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on the 25th of February from Milan, Italy for a brief business visit. He fell ill on the 26th February and was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing.
The patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms. Furthermore, he is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.
A statement by the Hon. Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire reads:
I wish to assure all Nigerians that have we have been beefing up
our preparedness capabilities since the first confirmation of
coronavirus in China, and we will use all the resources made available
by the government to respond to this case.
We have already started working to identify all the contacts of
the patient since he entered Nigeria. Please be reminded that most
people who become infected may experience only mild illness and recover
easily, but it can be more severe in others, particularly the elderly
and persons with other underlying chronic illnesses.
Health Minister shares advisory on how to beat the Coronavirus scourge
All Nigerians should take care of their health and maintain hand
and respiratory hygiene to protect themselves and others, including
their own families, following the precautions below:
1. Regularly and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water, and use alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
2. Maintain at least 1 & half metres (5 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
3. Persons with persistent cough or sneezing should stay home or keep a social distance, but not mix in-crowd.
4. Make sure you and people around you, follow good respiratory
hygiene, meaning cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or into your
sleeve at the bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then
dispose of the used tissue immediately.
5. Stay home if you feel unwell with symptoms like fever, cough
and difficulty in breathing. Please call NCDC toll free number which is
available day and night, for guidance- 0800-970000-10. Do not engage in
self-medication
6. Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19
through official channels on TV and Radio, including the Lagos State
Ministry of Health, NCDC and Federal Ministry of Health.
Citizens must not abuse social media and indulge in spreading
misinformation that causes fear and panic. The Federal Ministry of
Health, through Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, will continue to
provide updates and will initiate all measures required to prevent the
spread of Coronavirus outbreak in Nigeria.
‘The Queen doesn’t own the word ‘Royal’ – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle complain about their treatment by the Queen in lengthy statement
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have posted an extraordinary statement accusing Buckingham Palace of bias towards them while also claiming that her majesty, the Queen of England does not own the word ‘royal’ across the world after the Queen ordered them to stop using the ‘Sussex Royal’ brand from Spring 2018.
On Saturday just hours after announcing they would stop using the word ‘royal’ in their branding after this year’s spring, Harry and Meghan put a new statement on their own website saying that while neither the government nor the Queen herself own the word ‘royal’ internationally, they would stop using the title.
The statement read:
‘While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word “Royal” overseas, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use “Sussex Royal” or any iteration of the word “Royal” in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020.’
They also complained that the palace is treating them differently to other family members and argued that their £3million – £6million worth of security cost to protect them and their son’ is necessary when they relocate to Canada.
The statement comes after the Queen employed top lawyers to stop the Duke and Duchesss from using the ‘Sussex Royal’ in merchandize or businesses and would affect Harry and Meghan as they have spent tens of thousands of pounds building the Sussex Royal-branded website and creating Sussex Royal themed social media page.
Read the full statement as posted by Harry and Meghan, below
‘It is agreed that the commencement of the revised role of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will take effect Spring 2020 and undergo a 12 month review.’ The Royal Family respect and understand the wish of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex to live a more independent life as a family, by removing the supposed ‘public interest’ justification for media intrusion into their lives.’ ‘ They remain a valued part of Her Majesty’s family. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will become privately funded members of The Royal Family with permission to earn their own income and the ability to pursue their own private charitable interests.’
‘The preference of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex was to continue to represent and support Her Majesty The Queen albeit in a more limited capacity, while not drawing on the Sovereign Grant.’
While there is precedent for other titled members of the Royal Family to seek employment outside of the institution, for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a 12-month review period has been put in place. ‘Per the agreement The Duke and Duchess of Sussex understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties and not undertake representative duties on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.’
‘As agreed and set out in January, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will retain their “HRH” prefix, thereby formally remaining known as His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer actively use their HRH titles as they will no longer be working members of the family as of Spring 2020.’
‘As the grandson of Her Majesty and second son of The Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex remains sixth in line to the throne of The British Monarchy and the Order of Precedence is unchanged.’
‘It was agreed that The Duke and Duchess will no longer be able to formally carry out ‘official duties’ for The Queen or represent The Commonwealth, but they will, however, be allowed to maintain their patronages (including those that are classified as ‘royal’ patronages).’
‘It is agreed that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to require effective security to protect them and their son. This is based on The Duke’s public profile by virtue of being born into The Royal Family, his military service, the Duchess’ own independent profile, and the shared threat and risk level documented specifically over the last few years. No further details can be shared as this is classified information for safety reasons.’
‘In relation to the military, The Duke of Sussex will retain the rank of Major, and honorary ranks of Lieutenant Commander, and Squadron Leader. During this 12-month period of review, The Duke’s official military appointments will not be used as they are in the gift of the Sovereign. No new appointments will be made to fill these roles before the 12-month review of the new arrangements is completed.
While per the agreement, The Duke will not perform any official duties associated with these roles, given his dedication to the military community and ten years of service he will of course continue his unwavering support to the military community in a non-official capacity.’
‘ As founder of the Invictus Games, The Duke will proudly continue supporting the military community around the world through the Invictus Games Foundation and The Endeavour Fund. ‘Based on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s desire to have a reduced role as members of The Royal Family, it was decided in January that their Institutional Office would have to be closed, given the primary funding mechanism for this official office at Buckingham Palace is from HRH The Prince of Wales.’
‘ The Duke and Duchess shared this news with their team personally in January once they knew of the decision, and have worked closely with their staff to ensure a smooth transition for each of them.’
‘Over the last month and a half, The Duke and Duchess have remained actively involved in this process, which has understandably been saddening for The Duke and Duchess and their loyal staff, given the closeness of Their Royal Highnesses and their dedicated team. ‘
‘As The Duke and Duchess will no longer be considered full-time working Members of The Royal Family, it was agreed that use of the word ‘Royal’ would need to be reviewed as it pertains to organisations associated with them in this new regard. More details on this below.’
As shared in early January on this website, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not plan to start a ‘foundation’, but rather intend to develop a new way to effect change and complement the efforts made by so many excellent foundations globally. The creation of this non-profit entity will be in addition to their cause driven work that they remain deeply committed to. While The Duke and Duchess are focused on plans to establish a new non-profit organisation, given the specific UK government rules surrounding use of the word ‘Royal’, it has been therefore agreed that their non-profit organisation will not utilise the name ‘Sussex Royal’ or any other iteration of ‘Royal.’
‘For the above reason, the trademark applications that had been filed as protective measures and that reflected the same standard trademarking requests as done for The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have been removed. While there is not any jurisdiction by
‘The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ or any iteration of the word ‘Royal’ in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020.
‘As The Duke and Duchess of Sussex continue to develop their non-profit organisation and plan for their future, we hope that you use this site as the source for factual information. In Spring 2020, their digital channels will be refreshed as they introduce the next exciting phase to you.
Some beggars took to the streets of Lagos today February 25, to protest against continous arrest by officials of the state government.
The beggars who stormed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s office in 10 buses and seven tricycles, also barricaded the entrance to the State House of Assembly as they demanded for audience with the Lagos State Governor.
They held up placards which read “Enough is enough, stop the persecution of people with disabilities,” “Save the waterfront, enforced conviction, we demand justice,”If you don’t want to see us begging on the streets, give us skills and empowerment,” “Seeing beggars all over our streets and roads is the failure of the system” and “We are tired of running without legs or eyes, give us skills and empowerment.”
Mohammed Zanna, Spokesperson of the beggars and Coordinator of Physically Challenged Empowerment Initiatives (PCEI), recounted how some of them were arrested during a similar protest in 2017 and taken to Majidun, which he described as a prison. He alleged that they were ill-treated and manhandled by government officials, leading to death of some of their members.
He further stated that the recent ban on commercial motorocycle and tricycle which some of them have been able to purchase, has made business difficult for them as they now have to trek from bus stops to their destinations.
Zanna said;
“We cannot enter buses now because we cannot fight and struggle. We are seeking audience with the governor. Let them come and tell us what they want to do with us. We need skills and empowerment. We are tired of sitting at home. We are demanding to be skilled.
“We do not want to beg on the streets. We have used our own ingenuity and resources to provide alternative livelihoods for ourselves that are more dignified, safer and productive to society. Yet, in the blink of an eye, this government is willing to destroy all we have built for ourselves and push us back into poverty and life without basic human dignity.
“We are ready to work with government to find workable alternatives through appropriate regulation of keke, special permits for People Living With Disabilities to use our keke for transportation of our members or real and immediate support for alternative livelihoods through skills training and support for PLWDs to start new businesses.”
Pope Francis (R) blesses a nun during the Ash Wednesday mass which opens Lent, the forty-day period of abstinence and deprivation for Christians before Holy Week and Easter, on March 6, 2019 at the Santa Sabina church in Rome. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP) (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images)
On your way to work, school or wherever your business of the day is, you are most likely to have come into contact with commuters with the sign of the cross on their foreheads.
In case you are wondering why these individuals have ash on their forehead or maybe you are even one of such individuals, today is an important date in the Christian calendar as faith members observe Ash Wednesday.
What exactly is Ash Wednesday? Keep reading below to find out facts about the day.
Ash Wednesday gets its name from early traditions in the Christian Church in Rome when penitents and sinners would partake in a period of public penance.
Ash Wednesday – officially known as the Day of Ashes – is a day of repentance, when Christians confess their sins and profess their devotion to God.
The religious holiday follows Shrove Tuesday – aka Pancake Day – and signals the coming of the Lent.
Ash Wednesday falls on a different day each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter.
Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent and falls six and a half weeks before Easter.
Lent is marked by placing ashes in the shape of a cross on observers’ foreheads.
The ashes come from burning palms used on Palm Sunday. They are then blessed before being used in the ceremony.
The ashes symbolise both death and repentance. During this period, Christians show repentance and mourning for their sins, because they believe Christ died for them.
Catholics are not supposed to eat meat on Ash Wednesday. They also are expected to give up meat on Fridays during Lent.
Catholics also are expected to fast on Ash Wednesday. According to Catholic doctrine, believers between 18 and 59 in good health can choose to consume just one full meal on that day, or two smaller meals.
Children and the elderly are exempt from the fasting requirement on Ash Wednesday and during Lent.
It is not required that a worshiper wear the ashes for the rest of the day, although many Christians choose to do so.
An Italian infected with Coronavirus arrives in Algeria .Algeria has reported its first case of the novel Coronavirus recognised by the World Health Organisation as COVID-19.
The Ministry of Health, Population and Hospital Reform of Algeria made this known on Tuesday.
This follows Africa’s first case which was reported earlier this month in Egypt.
Health authorities report that tests indicated that an Italian adult, who arrived in the country on 17 February 2020, tested positive for the disease.
The fast-spreading nature of the disease has seen the prices of hygienic masks and sanitising gels increase up to 400 percent with pharmaceutical stores running out of the items.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said, “This is the first case in the WHO African region. The window of opportunity the continent has had to prepare for coronavirus disease is closing. All countries must ramp up their preparedness activities.”
Algeria is one of the 47 countries in the WHO African region.
The North African country is one of 13 countries, which WHO has identified as a top priority for preparedness measures due to their direct links or a high volume of travel to China.
The country’s health minister confirmed the case. Photo: Shutterstock
Algeria has confirmed its first case of Covid-19, becoming the second African country to report the disease.
The country’s minister of health Abderrahmane Benbouzid announced on state television on Tuesday evening that an Italian national who arrived in the North African country on February 17 tested positive for the virus, which causes a disease known as Covid-19.
Benbouzid said the patient has been placed in quarantine and was receiving treatment.
The patient’s home country Italy is the worst-hit European nation. It has seen almost a dozen people die and hundreds of confirmed cases as coronavirus continues to spread in the country’s northern region.
North African country becomes second on the continent to confirm presence of Covid-19
Italy has been the worst hit country in Europe with almost a dozen deaths
Thierry Henry has revealed that he still harbours ambitions to manage Arsenal, who considered a club legend for the role back in 2018 following the departure of Arsene Wenger.
Henry played for the Gunners between 1999 and 2007, helping the club to win six major trophies in total, including two Premier League titles before returning for a brief loan spell in 2012.
The World Cup winner hit 228 goals in 376 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal, becoming their all-time record scorer in the process, and is widely regarded as the finest player in the club’s illustrious history.
Arsenal reportedly interviewed Henry for the position of head coach before appointing Unai Emery to replace Wenger two years ago, after the Frenchman’s successful spell as Roberto Martinez’s assistant for the Belgium national team.
Thierry Henry ended up beginning his managerial career at Monaco, but only lasted three months at the helm after recording a mere four victories from 20 games.
Montreal Impact offered Henry the chance to mend his damaged reputation in November, and he is now preparing for the new MLS season , but the 42-year-old admits he would still jump at the chance to return to Emirates Stadium should the opportunity arise.
“I do dream of managing Arsenal but I also dream of running up the court and doing a slam dunk. It doesn’t mean it’ll happen,” he told Canal Plus .
“But, yes, I’ll want to manage Arsenal until the day I die.”
Thierry Henry added on speculation he had initially been lined up to succeed Wenger at Arsenal: “It was already difficult before Arsene left. It was already difficult.
“I have learnt by coming onto this side of things (coaching), there are things that I heard, that you might hear something from someone you know or I know and we might know things.
“But we don’t actually know anything, certainly not enough to speak about it, since then I have decided it is best not to get involved in these sorts of things.”
Thierry Henry went on to discuss how high the “intensity” levels have risen in the Premier League over the last few years, with Liverpool and Manchester City setting the pace at the top of the table.
“The intensity, the rhythm that you have in the Premier League, it’s very high,” Henry said. “You see, when you watch Liverpool, even just watching them, you get tired. They move so quickly.
“When you go to Manchester City, before you have even looked up, there is pressing on you.
“If you control the ball, there are already three guys around you. The Premier League’s intensity is immense.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed he has seen proof why they should not be banned from European competitions.
City have been handed a two-year suspension, after UEFA found the Premier League champions guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
The Etihad club have already moved to appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Speaking at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, ahead of their Champions League last-16 first leg against Real Madrid, Guardiola said: “We were under suspicion for a long time, we have the right to appeal and I trust the people in my club.
“They explain the reasons, they showed me the arguments and the proofs. We are optimistic that finally if we deserve to be in the Champions League we can do it next season, if finally, it doesn’t happen we have to accept and move forward.
“My trust is with the club. I know them. We are going to see what happens with CAS.”
Banks must get approval before sacking more than 5 staff – CBN: Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has given a stern warning to all banks to seek its approval before sacking more than five staff. The bank gave the warning in a communique released through the Bankers Committee after its meeting on Friday.
The committee, in a circular signed by Director, Financial Markets Department, CBN, Angela Sere-Ejembi, emphasized that all banks should send sample of Contract Letter issued to outsourced staff + SLA with the company being used to run outsourced staff.
It stated, “Banks should note and be guided by the CBN circular in respect of laying off staff that is more than five. This requires apex bank’s notification and approval going forward.”
The Bankers’ Committee had said the mass sacking in banks would be reduced in the shortest time possible.
The committee noted that while it was working on how to reduce the level of job losses in the sector, there would always be reasons people would have to be sacked from their workplaces.
Banks must get approval before sacking more than 5 staff – CBN
It explained that while the decision to sack bank workers had elicited a lot of sentiments from both the public and private sectors, the banks understood the implications of having to relieve workers of their jobs in view of the current economic situation in the country.
Early January, one of the largest banks in the country started the new year with the sack of about 2,000 staff in one fell swoop. Although, the bank denied the story when contacted, the social media were awash with the news at the weekend. If the report were true, it would have served as a reminiscent to similar incident of last year when the same number of staff were laid off in January, May and July by Ecobank Nigeria Limited.
Several Nigerian banks are in the habit of arbitrarily disengaging thousands of their staff at very short notices. While some would be served their dismissal letters without serverance packages, others were not that lucky, as they were not informed officially but got blocked from accessing the bank’s server. For instance, most of the Ecobank Nigeria Plc workers under the auspices of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE), shut down the headquarters of the bank following the disengagement of about 1200 workers in July last year. The workers, with their placards, took to the bank’s head office to protest their disengagement, insisting that the employer should pay them commensurate benefits.
Bukayo Saka admitted he doubted he could play for Arsenal’s first team, given the array of stars in the Gunners squad.
The versatile player signed his first professional contract after turning 17, following impressive performances for the youth team.
The wing-back was then promoted to the senior team and made his debut for the Emirates Stadium outfit in their Europa League game against Vorskla Poltava back in November 2018.
Saka has since been a key figure for Arsenal and this season he boasts of three goals, his nine assists across all competitions is the most from any Gunners’ player this campaign.
The 18-year-old recollected how he started his journey to stardom, praising his Nigerian parents for their support.
“To be honest it all really started a long time before that. From the age of three or four I would be playing football at home in the garden with my dad, and my elder brother, Yomi,” he told the club website.
“I just enjoyed playing, but I don’t think I ever really thought I was going to make it to the first team until I actually signed my first professional contract when I turned 17.
“You go through the youth teams, year by year, and you see all these great players around you – some of them could be the best in the year – and slowly they are all let go, to other clubs or even stopping completely.
“So you could never be sure that you would make it, but what I said to myself is that I would always give my best in every single session. I always wanted to learn to get better, I always watched a lot of football to see how I could improve.
“But we had a big group at Hale End, and even though we had so many quality players, the coaches would always say, ‘Look around the dressing room, only maybe one or possibly two of you will make it to the first team one day.’
“We would look at each other and wonder who it would be. I was always determined for it to be me, and so I wanted to do whatever it took to achieve that.
“My mum and dad always encouraged me. They never stopped me from playing football, they just wanted to see a balance and that I was also interested in my education.”
The England U19 winger is eligible to play for the Super Eagles, given he has not featured for the Three Lions at the senior team.
Saka, who admitted back in December he is yet to decide on his international future, revealed he has visited Nigeria along with his parents.
“I was lucky enough to travel a lot when I was younger as well. Every year my mum and dad would take us away,” he continued.
“We went to Nigeria of course, where my mum and dad are both from, we went to Dubai, and to America a few times because my cousins live there. I remember going to Chicago and LA, and a few other places too.”
Saka will hope to play a key role when Arsenal take on take on Olympiakos in the second leg Round of 32 of their Europa League game on Thursday night.
Nigerians react as Netflix launches Nigerian twitter account
Streaming giant, Netflix has officially announced its presence in Nigeria with Nigerian twitter account, launched on Tuesday.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the platform took fans by surprise when the tweet, “Naija how far” surfaced from @Netflixnaija.
Netflix is an American streaming platform whose primary business is its subscription-based streaming service which offers online streaming of a library of films and television programs, including those produced in-house.
As of April 2019, Netflix had over 148 million paid subscriptions worldwide, including 60 million in the U. S., and over 154 million subscriptions total including free trials.
Announcing the new twitter account, Netflix a picture of Nollywood stars including Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Banky Wellington and Akin Omotoso.
Nigerians react as Netflix launches Nigerian twitter account
The picture also included Kemi Adetiba, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Kunle Afolayan, Kate Henshaw, Omoni Oboli and Mo Abudu.
They wrote @Netflixnaija, “N is for Naija. N is for Nollywood. N is the 14th alphabet. 14 is also how many great talents you’re looking at. N is for Netflix. But most importantly…hello, Nigeria!”
Following the announcement, Nigerians welcomed the platform and urged them to commission more films that reflect African stories.
@Owen_osarugbe said, “Purchase the rights to all Ali and Pawpaw movies. In fact, all old Nollywood movies from the last 20 years. Those are the classics!”
@Nwandizzle tweeted, “Should we take this to mean that we should be expecting more Naija Netflix originals?”
@Daposalami said, “Anyways, let’s wait for Netflix originals from Naija. If at all that’s even in the plans.”
NAN reports that the first hint Netflix would have more active interest in original African content came in May when it advertised for a director of content acquisition for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa.
In October 2016, nine months after launching in Africa, it also deployed a dedicated server in Nigeria to ease the difficulties of content delivery for its local users.
In 2019, Netflix put its eight billion dollars original production budget to work in Nigeria’s Nollywood movie industry, when it purchased the worldwide rights to ‘LionHeart’.
