Southwestblog

The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, disclosed this at the ongoing daily briefing of the task force in Abuja on Monday. He said the reopening of schools was meant to allow graduating classes resume to prepare for examinations. He disclosed the latest developments were contained in the task force’s fifth interim submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday. Mustapha said: “I am pleased to inform you that Mr President has carefully considered the 5th Interim Report of the PTF and has accordingly approved that, with the exception of some modifications to be expatiated upon later, the Phase II of the eased lockdown be extended by another four weeks with effect from Tuesday, June 30, 2020 through Midnight of Monday, 27 July, 2020. “Specifically, however, the following measures shall either remain in place or come into effect: “Safe re-opening of schools to allow students in graduating classes resume in-person in preparation for examinations; “Safe re

The widow of the former governor who was buried amid tight security yesterday advised the governor to avoid playing politics with the death of her husband.   Mrs Ajimobi said, “I read in the newspapers a few days ago that the governor of Oyo state Engr. Seyi Makinde claimed to call me and I didn’t pick up, he never paid Ajimobi’s family a visit since my husband was admitted to hospital, neither has he sent anyone nor sent us a message”. “I don’t have his contact and I have never spoken to him. Even if he called me and I didn’t pick up because of my mourning state, he could have sent me a message”. “Ajimobi’s family is not competing with him in any way, we are all working for the growth, development, and progress of Oyo state, although our party might be different, we are working for the same goal. “Do I need to send an official message to the governor to inform him about the death of my husband before he could send us a condolence message or pay us a condolence visit? It is not pleasan

THE Oyo State government said its response to the COVID-19 pandemic has helped the state to overhaul its emergency response system and ensure it has in place permanent structures to tackle any epidemic in the future. Governor Seyi Makinde spoke at the commissioning of the state’s upgraded Emergency Operation Centre. It was supported by Jhpiego, an international, non-profit health organisation and an affiliate of the John Hopkins University. The governor, while speaking through the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Basir Bello, said creating permanent structures like the isolation and treatment centres had ensured an improved healthcare system and supported a continuous response by the state and its partners to flatten the COVID-19 pandemic curve. While assuring of good containment of the COVID-19 spread in the state, Governor Makinde said, “We are creating permanent structures; so we had to convert some major hospitals under construction immediately into isolation and treatment centres

Former Acting National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the immediate past governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, will be given a private burial and it will solely be family affair in observance of the COVID-19 guidelines as released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Sun News reports. Special Adviser to the late governor on Communication and Strategy, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, who disclosed this during an interview with journalists at Oluyole Estate residence of the Ajimobis in Ibadan on Friday, said the funeral activities for the deceased would be announced by the family. He ruled out earlier media reports that the remains of Ajimobi, who administered the pace setter state from 2011 to 2019, would be interred according to Islamic rites in Ibadan on Friday, June 26. Ajimobi died at a private hospital in Lagos on Thursday due to COVID-19 complications at the age of 70. Tunji said: “We have all heard that he answered the call of God on Thursday June 25.

THE federal government has said a total of 500,000 Nigerians have benefited so far in the N-Power scheme just as it confirmed that enrolment for Batch C beneficiaries began yesterday, Friday, June 26, 2020, at 11.45 pm. The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, which said this in a statement Saturday night by its Deputy Director of Press, Rhoda Iliya, gave the breakdown as 200,000 beneficiaries in Batch A while 300,000 in Batch B. Recall that Batch A started in September 2016 while Batch B kicked off in August 2018. “The programme has enrolled 500,000 beneficiaries thus far – 200,000 from Batch A which started in September 2016 and 300,000 from Batch B which kicked off in August 2018,” the statement said. It explained that beneficiaries were “supposed to spend 24 months on the programme and were spread across the key industries targeted by the program – Agriculture, Health, Education, and Tax.” “The enrolment of a new batch of beneficiari

The Dubai police on Thursday revealed a footage showing the details of how the arrest of Nigerian Dubai-based and Instagram celebrity, Raymond Igbalodely, popularly known as Hushpuppi, was effected. Reported that Dubai Interpol and the FBI apprehended the Instagram celebrity in his residence in the United Arab Emirates. The video confirmed the arrest of Hushpuppi following an extensive operation named “Fox Hunt 2”, which revealed a hidden online fraud network committing crimes outside the UAE, including money-laundering, cyber fraud, hacking, criminal impersonation, banking fraud and Identity theft .@DubaiPoliceHQ Commander-in-Chief Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri: The arrest of 'Hushpuppi','Woodberry' & 10 gang members involved in money laundry & cyber fraud activities, is another achievement added to the proud record of Dubai police in ensuring the emirate's security and safety — Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) June 25, 2020 Following their arrest, investig

A former governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi is dead. He died at age 70. Before the latest information filtered in, his alleged death was rumoured about one and half weeks ago which was later dispelled by his media aide, Mr Bolaji Tunji and one of his children. Ajimobi, who was born on December 16, 1949, was on life support machine since last Friday at  First Cardiology Hospital in Ikoyi, Lagos. Ajimobi who had COVID-19 related ailment was rushed thereafter he reportedly fell into coma. As it happened some days ago, nobody was willing to confirm his death. One of his security men who served him for eight years said the death of the APC chieftain is real this time. Asked if the APC in the state would make any official statement, the Chairman, Chief Akin Oke said why should it be the APC that would make official statement when his family members are not talking yet. “We can’t make any official statement now when the family members have not said anything. We are hearing just lik

Nigeria has recorded 675 new cases of the Coronavirus According to a tweet from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Monday night, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria is now 20,919, with 7,109  persons discharged. The breakdown of figures recorded according to states is as follows: Lagos-288 Oyo-76 Rivers-56 Delta-31 Ebonyi-30 Gombe-28 Ondo-20 Kaduna-20 Kwara-20 Ogun-17 FCT-16 Edo-13 Abia-10 Nasarawa-9 Imo-9 Bayelsa-8 Borno-8 Katsina-8 Sokoto-3 Bauchi-3 Plateau-2 525 persons have so far lost their lives in Nigeria due to Coronavirus, the tweet said.

N-Power, Federal Government’s youths empowerment programme, on Monday, disclosed that its registration portal would be opened this week. The scheme disclosed that 400, 000 beneficiaries would be selected upon registration. N-Power made the disclosure via a tweet on its official Twitter handle. “This week, the N-Power portal will re-open for registration. 400,000 beneficiaries will be taken from the application pool,” it said. The scheme also disclosed to intending beneficiaries requirements they must meet before applying. “Here are some tips to get ready “Get your BVN ready. “Ensure you are are not an existing employee in any organization. “Application is online.” Recall that the Federal Government had scheduled June 26 for the enrolment for Batch C beneficiaries of the N-Power Programme under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).

Nigeria on Sunday night recorded 436 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 20,244. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced this through its official Twitter handle. NCDC said that the 436 new confirmed cases were from 19 states. The NCDC said Lagos reported the highest number of cases with 169 new cases and Oyo was second with 52 new infections. Read Also: BREAKING: Lagos discharges 45 new COVID-19 patients Amongst others were Plateau – 31, Imo – 29, Kaduna – 28, Ogun – 23, FCT – 18, Enugu – 18, Bauchi – 17, Bayelsa – 14, Rivers – 8, Osun – 6, Kano – 6, Edo – 5, Benue – 5, Adamawa – 3, Borno – 2, Abia – 1, Ekiti – 1. Meanwhile, the NCDC has said a sudden loss of taste and smell with fever, headache or runny nose might be COVID-19.   It called on Nigerians not to ignore these symptoms, adding that they should call their state hotline immediately to arrange for a test.

The National Association of Nigerian Female Students (NANFs), yesterday, marched through the major streets of Jos, Plateau State, clad in black attires to protest against rape and sexual violence meted out to female minors in the society.    The march was terminated at the Jos North Local Council Secretariat, with the association’s National President, Comfort Agbo and Director of Programmes and Research, Nafisat Abdulaziz, calling for the establishment of a special government agency to investigate and prosecute rape offenders, sexual assault and other sexual violence within and outside schools.    They advocated total castration of confirmed rapists of minors and not just a jail sentence.It is also their view that during the investigation, the accused person should be held in police custody, especially where there is sufficient evidence to prosecute the matter.     Stressing that a law should prohibit female children from sitting on men’s laps, they also stated that rape laws should be

MTN, Access Bank and Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde led the list of 25 winners at the Social Media for Social Good Summit and Awards Africa. Other winners include Girl Hub Africa, Ugochi Obidiegwu, Sega Link, Edirin Edewor, Africa Clean Up initiative, My Farm Base Africa, Donors for Africa, Photowaka Africa, So Fresh Ng and Debo Adebayo (McMacaroni). Honorary awards were also extended to Fela Durotoye, Mo Abudu, Chikwe Ihekweazu and Folorunsho Alakija. Speaking at the summit and awards ceremony held online, the Convener of Social Media Summits, Kalada Belema Meshack-Hart, said it was important to appreciate Nigerians using their social media platforms. He added that this year’s edition had over 3,500 participants and 4 speakers at the summit.

Nigeria’s coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, on Friday, increased to 19,808 as 661 new infections were announced by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The NCDC disclosed this on its verified Twitter handle on Wednesday night. it also said that 230 of the new infections were recorded in Lagos. “On the 20th of June 2020, 661 new confirmed cases and 19 deaths were recorded in Nigeria. No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours. “Till date, 19808 cases have been confirmed, 6718 cases have been discharged and 506 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. “The 661 new cases are reported from 14 states; Lagos-230, Rivers-127, Delta-83, FCT-60, Oyo-51, Edo-31, Bayelsa-27, Kaduna-25, Plateau-13, Ondo-6, Nasarawa-3, Ekiti-2, Kano-2, Borno-1.”

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 667 new cases of COVID-19 in the country, bringing the total number to 19,147. The NCDC made the announcement on Friday night via its Twitter handle. “On the 19th of June 2020, 667 new confirmed cases and 12 deaths were recorded in Nigeria. No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours. “Till date, 19,147 cases have been confirmed, 6581 cases have been discharged and 487 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. “The 667 new cases are reported from 23 states; Lagos-281 Abia-48, Oyo-45, FCT-38, Ogun-37, Enugu-31, Ondo-23, Plateau-21, Edo-19, Delta-18, Rivers-18, Bayelsa-17, Akwa Ibom-17, Kaduna-14, Kano-12, Bauchi-9, Gombe-4, Osun-3, Benue-3, Nasarawa-3, Kwara-3, Ekiti-2, Borno-1.”

Anxiety has mounted over the health status of the former governor of Oyo state Senator Abiola Ajimobi. He was rumored to have died of complications of COVID-19 in Lagos this evening but many of his aides said its untrue. His Media Adviser Mr Bolaji Tunji, described as untrue reports of his death. In a post on his social media handles, he urged Nigerians to pray for the recovery of the APC chieftain who is battling with COVID-19. But another source said they are  yet to break the news becauae they want to make some arrangemet and political permutations He was made the acting chairman of the All Progressives Congress yesterday following the  removal of Adams Oshiomole by the court. He was reported to have  been in coma since last week but  a close source  said he has been recuperating and getting better.

Over 18,400 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Nigeria. This after 745 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the country on Thursday.   The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control announced this on its website. It also said that no fewer than 475 patients have died of coronavirus-related complications in the country. Data obtained from the NCDC’s website showed that Nigeria currently has 11,669 active COVID-19 cases. It said, “On the 18th of June 2020, 745 new confirmed cases and 6 deaths were recorded in Nigeria’ “No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours. “Till date, 18480 cases have been confirmed, 6307 cases have been discharged and 475 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. “The 745 new cases are reported from 21 states- Lagos(280), Oyo(103), Ebonyi(72), FCT(60), Imo(46), Edo(34), Delta(33), Rivers(25), Kaduna(23), Ondo(16), Katsina(12), Kano(10), Bauchi(8), Borno(7), Kwara(5), Gombe(4), Sokoto(2), Enugu(2), Yobe(1), Osun(1), Nasa

No fewer than 587 people tested positive for coronavirus in Nigeria on Wednesday. The Nigeria Centre for Disease announced this on its website, saying that 14 patients also died of coronavirus related complications. With the 587 new cases, the total number of confirmed infections in the country has increased to 17,735. The NCDC said, “On the 17th of June 2020, 587 new confirmed cases and 14 deaths were recorded in Nigeria. “No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours. “Till date, 17735 cases have been confirmed, 5967 cases have been discharged and 469 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory “The 587 new cases are reported from 18 states- Lagos (155), Edo (75), FCT (67), Rivers (65), Oyo (56), Delta (50), Bayelsa (25), Plateau (18), Kaduna (18), Enugu (17), Borno (12), Ogun (12), Ondo (7), Kwara (4), Kano (2), Gombe (2), Sokoto (1), Kebbi (1).” Globally, the novel coronavirus has killed at least 445,213 people since the outbreak began in China

  The General Manager, Assets Oil and Gas, Ojoo in Ibadan, Okediji Adekunle on Wednesday said the owner of the company lost over 1 Billion Naira to the unjustifiable demolition of the filling station. He said the chairman of the demolished station has been hospitalised as a result of the debt he incurred. Assets Oil and Gas, Ojoo was demolished by the state government for allegedly contravening environmental and planing law of the state. He noted that the company secured all the necessary documents from the federal and state governments, as well as the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). According to him, the company had approached the court to stop government from further demolition of the structure but the government was adamant. Narrating the Genesis of the crisis, Adekunle said; “We acquired that land through the federal government because the land belongs to the Federal Government. We have all the papers for the land. As expected, we approached the state government for approv

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 490 new cases of COVID-19 in the country, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 17,148. The NCDC made this known via its verified Twitter handle on Tuesday. “On the 16th of June 2020, 490 new confirmed cases and 31 deaths were recorded in Nigeria. No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours. “Till date, 17148 cases have been confirmed, 5623 cases have been discharged and 455 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. “The 490 new cases are reported from 16 states ;  Lagos-142, FCT-60, Bayelsa-54, Rivers-39, Delta-37, Oyo-30, Kaduna-26, Imo-23, Enugu-19, Kwara-17, Gombe-11, Ondo-10, Bauchi-8, Ogun-7, Borno-6, Benue-1,” it said.

Lagos State Government has rolled back its earlier decision, granting partial re-opening to houses of worship across the State. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, announced indefinite suspension on the order. By implication, churches and mosques in Lagos must remain closed for religious activities and gatherings. The Governor made the development known during the 15th press briefing held at the State House in Marina to give updates on Lagos Coronavirus (COVID-19) response. Besides, Sanwo-Olu said the State Government would be finalising the protocols to re-open basic and secondary schools, noting that meetings were currently being held with stakeholders. He said online learning already adopted by the State-owned tertiary institutions and secondary schools would go on until stakeholders agree on protocols for schools’ resumption. The State Government had earlier directed‪ mosques and churches to re-open from June 19 and 21 for obligatory services only. The Governor said the revers

The immediate past Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has remained Covid-19 positive two weeks after being admitted at the First Cardiologist and Cardiovascular Consultants Hospital, Lagos. Ajimobi’s wife, Florence, was however, discharged from hospital earlier.   The Southwestblog learnt that Ajimobi, who is the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress, had been hospitalised since June 2, 2020. He was said to have been confirmed positive and was managing the situation at home before the illness worsened and he had to go to a hospital. A source close to the family said the former governor had an underlying ailment which was not unusual for men his age. He said, “The former governor has been in hospital for two weeks and his condition is not getting better but we are hoping for the best. The irony is that the person whom we believe he contracted the disease from has been discharged. “However, the former governor has an underlying ailment which is slo

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced 573 confirmed new coronavirus cases in the country on Sunday. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 16,658. The NCDC also announced the discharge of 5,349 patients from isolation centres across the country with 4 new deaths reported. “On the 15th of June 2020, 573 new confirmed cases and 4 deaths were recorded in Nigeria. No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours. “Till date, 16658 cases have been confirmed, 5349 cases have been discharged and 424 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. “The 573 new cases are reported from 20 states; Lagos-216, Rivers-103, Oyo-68, Edo-40, Kano-21, Gombe-20, FCT-17, Delta-13, Plateau-12, Bauchi-12, Niger-10, Kebbi-9, Ogun-8, Ondo-8, Abia-7, Nasarawa-5, Borno-1, Kwara-1, Benue-1, Anambra-1,” it said.

The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic has warned states proposing to reopen schools and other activities of mass gatherings to suspend such contemplations. The PTF also reminded Nigerians that there were still possibilities of a review of all relaxed measures, adding that relaxation of restrictions “does not mean carelessness and that life is back to normal”. Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF and Chairman of the PTF, Mr Boss Mustapha, who gave the warning on Monday during the daily press briefing by the task force in Abuja, lamented the continued violation of measures put in place to curb the spread of the virus, including ban on inter-state travel. It would be recalled that some states of the federation had recently indicated plans to reopen some activities that encourage crowding and mass gatherings. In this category were Cross River State, which had designed a resumption plan for public schools from June 16, and Kano State, wh

The Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force has announced that it has relaxed the curfew imposed on the State; following the advent of the ravaging Coronavirus pandemic. The Task Force, which made the decision public on Monday, June 15, 2020, after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting presided by its Chairman, Governor Seyi Makinde, added that the curfew would now run from 10pm to 4am. According to a statement released by the Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor, Mr Taiwo Adisa, other decisions reached include the resumption of classes for Primary Six, JSS3 and SS3 students from Monday, June 29; resumption of work by all category of workers at the State Secretariat from Monday, June 22; opening up of Mosques and Churches, which are to operate at 25 per cent capacity; and the decision to limit public gathering to not more than 25 persons. The statement noted that the State Secretariat, which was earlier shut on March 27, 2020, as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, and later reopened to Staff o

The National Assembly, Adebayo Osinowo popularly known as ‘Pepperito’ is dead. He was said to have died on Monday after a brief illness at the age of 64. Before moving to the National Assembly, Osinowo was a four-time member of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to contain the incessant killings of vulnerable Nigerians by insurgents and bandits in Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Kaduna, Kogi, Taraba and other parts of the country. The PDP made the call in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan. Ologbondiyan said it was greatly hurt by the horror, anguish, agony, torture and cruelty that Nigerian compatriots were facing in the hands of bandits, insurgents and kidnappers. “The PDP further notes that the frightening situation where bandits have  reportedly taken control of some parts of our nation and even grant permission and consent to residents before they can conduct weddings, naming ceremonies or operate their markets, is completely inexcusable,” he stated.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 403 new cases of COVID-19 in the country, bringing the total number to 16,085. The NCDC made the announcement on Sunday night via its Twitter handle. “On the 14th of June 2020, 403 new confirmed cases and 13 deaths were recorded in Nigeria. No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours. “Till date, 16085 cases have been confirmed, 5220 cases have been discharged and 420 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. “The 403 new cases are reported from 20 states; Gombe-73, Lagos-68, Kano-46, Edo-36, FCT-35, Nasarawa-31, Kaduna-17, Oyo-16, Abia-15, Delta-13, Borno-13, Plateau-8, Niger-7, Rivers-7, Enugu-6, Ogun-6, Kebbi-3, Ondo-1, Anambra-1, Imo-1.” it said.

Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai has said that Nigerian government appointees are more likely to suffer mental issues after or during political appointments. El-Rufai, a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) made the disclosure at an interview with Funmi Iyanda on Public Eye Live. “I think Government officials are more likely to suffer mental issues after and sometimes, during the office than other people….,” El-Rufai said. “Because they are under greater pressure and they are more likely to face all the evil sides of human nature, like betrayals, double-crossing, and so on… That is why you see that many people when they leave office, just collapse literally.” El-Rufai, during the interview, gave insights on many topics relating to governance, Kaduna’s response to COVID, his COVID-19 recovery journey, banditry and violence in Northern Nigeria. The governor also spoke on how the Shiites leader, El-Zakzaky, being ‘lawfully’ detained despite protests by members of his