The Ekiti government, on Wednesday, confirmed that a 38-year man from the state has tested positive for the deadly Coronavirus.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Mojisola Yaya Kolade, in a statement made available to Tribune Online, said that the victim contracted the virus while driving an American who visited the country from Richmond, Virginia in the United States of America alongside his caregiver who is an indigene of the Ekiti.

According to her, “The American male and his Nigerian female caregiver, arrived in Nigeria on March 3, 2020, through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos. Preliminary investigations revealed that the pair were driven by our confirmed case to Ibadan, where they stayed for two weeks and arrived Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State on

“A day after their arrival, the American male fell ill and he was taken to a private hospital where he was referred to a tertiary hospital. Unfortunately, he died from complications of his illness.

“The hospital authorities alerted the State Taskforce and samples were taken from the American male as well as his two companions. The test for the male driver came back positive; the test for the female caregiver came back negative while the test for the American male was inconclusive.

“In line with the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) protocols, the Ekiti State Taskforce on Covid-19 has already quarantined the confirmed case on admission in the State Isolation Centre, while the caregiver who tested negative, is presently under observation in self-isolation.”

The commissioner for health explained that the 40-man Taskforce constituted by the governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has commenced in conjunction with other stakeholders contact tracing of the patients since they landed in the country.

She added that the government has contacted the Oyo State government, “since it was recorded that they stayed in Ibadan for two weeks before arriving Ekiti State.”

While revealing that the confirmed case is in a very stable condition, Yaya-Kolade advised residents of the state to remain calm and observe all the prevention steps currently being published in the media.

“It is important to state that this likely index case was on a short visit and had not been in Ekiti State for up to 72 hours before his death.

“The Ekiti State Taskforce on Covid-19 advises residents to continue to take self preventive measures by washing their hands with soap and water, covering their mouth when coughing or sneezing, observing social distancing and to alert the authorities of any suspected case by calling the 112 Emergency Number or 09062970434, 09062970435, 09062970436.

“The government of Ekiti State will continue to update the public on new developments as necessary in our commitment to ensuring the safety and protection of all Ekiti residents,” the statement reads.

In a bid to curtail the spread of coronavirus in the state, the Lagos state government, in agreement with religious leaders, has banned all religious congregational service of over 50 worshipers.

The decision was reached after a meeting between the state government and religious bodies which comprised of members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Muslim leaders.

Reading a statement after the meeting which held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, the state Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Elegushi said the groups agreed that all large religious gathering of over 50 people should be suspended immediately. He said the suspension would last for four weeks, with a necessary review carried out if need be.

He also announced that a 15-member committee comprises representatives of Muslims and Christians in the State has been set up to ensure the enforcement of the ban. Explaining why the figure was pegged at 50, the Commissioner said it would be easier to trace 50 people .

“We hereby agree we should suspend all religious congregation that is over 50 within the state for four weeks. While the constitution allows for freedom of association and worship, we are of the opinion that we should exercise our rights with extreme caution so as to avoid contacting and spreading of this disease. We hereby appeal to you to please pay close attention to people coming into our places of worship, anyone found showing symptoms of this disease should immediate be isolated and reported to the appropriate authorities.

“We should put in place measures that will ensure cleanliness of our environment bearing in mind that, cleanliness is next to Godliness. Aside our normal ablutions, our worshippers should be encouraged to make use of hand sanitizers, avoid bodily contacts as much as possible and ensure safety measures in and around their places of abode.” he said

Speaking on the ban, the Chief Imam of Lagos State, Sheikh Oluwatoyin Abou-Nolla, said the move is commendable and urged all Muslim leaders to abide by the decision and to also make personal hygiene a priority.

The CAN Chairman, Apostle Alexander Bamgbola on the other hand, said the nation was at a critical point, stressing that since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Christians had been praying.

“We are at a critical moment in Nigeria, since we heard this, we have been praying. We have listened carefully to one another, particularly the government. The responsibility of every government is to protect the lives of the people.

We must be proactive and take preventive measures. It is no longer the issue of religion but survival. We are going to accelerate the education of our people. We must listen to the instruction of the government and take the instruction seriously. We agree with the action of the government” he said

Lagos recorded four new cases of Coronavirus in the state today March 18th.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reduction in pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS) from N145 per liter to about N125.

FG sources hinted that the approval followed presentation by minister of state petroleum resources Mr Timipre Sylva to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), on Wednesday.

FLASH: President Muhammadu Buhari reduces fuel (PMS) price from N145 to N125, with immediate effect – HM Timipre Sylva.

— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) March 18, 2020

Bashir Ahmad wrote on twitter ;

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reduction in pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS) from N145 per liter to about N125, State Minister for Petroleum Resouces, Timipre Sylva confirmed in a statement this afternoon in Abuja.

A Nigerian man has taken to his twitter page to raise an alarm over the poor state of an isolation center his cousin who travelled in from the United Kingdom for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme was kept in, in Osun State.

According to @Chinyereoranugo, his cousin who was deployed to Ekiti State for his NYSC orientation course, was quarantined and sent to Osun State after experiencing incessant cough.

Chinyeren further revealed that his cousin who has not been fed since yesterday, has been complaining of dizziness after being driven to Osun state in a poorly kept ambulance.

Read his tweets below;

Please Nigerians, my family and I need your help at this time. My cousin who schooled in the Uk and returned home 26/01/2020 to serve in the NYSC was posted to Ekiti state for his orientation and he’s down with cough so has been quarantined and sent to Osun state, but he’s not… but he’s not been fed since yesterday that he’s been quarantined and he’s complaining of dizziness.

Not only that, he was carried like a waybill in a poorly kept ambulance. It’s almost as if they want him dead so a case will be established.

Please help us speak to the authorities to give this boy food to eat, so that he can even withstand whatever I’ll treatment awaits him. My family is going to visit and see how he’s being treated. This is a boy who is ordinarily fragile but with one of the largest hearts on earth

Please help us speak to the authorities to give this boy food to eat, so that he can even withstand whatever I’ll treatment awaits him. My family is going to visit and see how he’s being treated. This is a boy who is ordinarily fragile but with one of the largest hearts on earth

— Splendidmarshal (@ChinyereOranugo) March 18, 2020

pic.twitter.com/BMmQ0qK0Qg

— Splendidmarshal (@ChinyereOranugo) March 18, 2020

pic.twitter.com/4gwOBLkd6J

— Splendidmarshal (@ChinyereOranugo) March 18, 2020

The Lagos state government is set to ask religious leaders in the state to suspend all religious gatherings. These include Sunday Services in churches and Friday Jummat services in the various mosques.

The state Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, made this known at a press briefing today March 18th.

“We are all aware that the Federal Government asked the National Youth Service Corps to shut down orientation camps. Yesterday (Tuesday) the Commissioner for Home Affairs said there will be a meeting with religious leaders today (Wednesday). It is going to be suggested to them to maybe stop Friday and Sunday services – wherever we have large gatherings.

Going by the new development, I am sure they will be advised to shut down the services in the interest of the public and all of us. I am sure they are going to comply” Omotosho said

China’s health authorities have endorsed the Japanese-developed anti-influenza drug, Avigan, which is said to be effective in treating coronavirus patients.

Zhang Xinmin, China’s director of the National Center for Biotechnology Development confirmed that the Avigan (Favipiravir) drug was found to be effective in two clinical trials completed in Wuhan and Shenzhen involving 320 patients.

During a conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Zhang said the medicine worked for coronavirus-related symptoms including pneumonia and had no obvious side effects.

“It has a high degree of safety and is clearly effective in treatment,” Zhang told reporters.

Patients who were given the medicine in Shenzhen turned negative for the virus after four days of therapy, compared with a median of 11 days for those who were not treated with the drug, public broadcaster NHK said.

In addition, X-rays confirmed improvements in lung condition in about 91% of the patients who were treated with favipiravir, compared to 62% or those without the drug.

The director said he formally recommended the use of this medicine as a way to treat the COVID-19 disease, which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

According to Zhang, a Chinese pharmaceutical company has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration to mass-produce the medication and ensure a stable supply.

Ever since the coronavirus broke out from Wuhan in China almost 200,000 have been infected and 7,900 have died from the disease.

Enugu state health workers have responded after a woman took to social media to accuse them of negligence and claim that the 70-year-old woman who tested negative to coronavirus in Enugu later died due to this negligence.

The open letter to Enugu state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, which began with ” I am writing on behalf of myself and family regarding the 70-year-old woman suspected of the Covid-19 in Enugu,” was shared on Twitter by a family friend @UcheNgwu7

The deceased’s daughter accused the state’s health workers of neglecting the 70-year-old woman while she was in quarantine. She said the manner and state in which the woman was treated was “inhumane” and that she was kept in an “abandoned old section of the hospital” that is not habitable.

“The staffs at the hospital were unprofessional in the way they handled my mother. She was stigmatized and this made her feel worthless,” she wrote.

The health workers gave now responded, telling their side of the story.

They shared photos of the hospital and of health workers wearing the protective covering to deny the claims that the late patient was kept in uninhabitable conditions and abandoned by health personnel.

They added that when the woman was brought to the hospital, health workers did their best to take care of her.

The statement signed by a number of health workers reads: “The 70-year old woman was promptly received and interviewed by doctors without any form of stigmatization from them or other health workers.”

The health workers denied that negligence was the cause of the woman’s death.

Revealing her cause of death, they wrote: “She had hypertension, sugar issues and kidney disease which were poorly managed before her admission at the isolation centre. Her personal doctor, a specialist at the ESUTH Parklane, was also contacted and later went to the Isolation Centre with two other specialists to see this woman.

“Some important tests were done which showed the woman’s blood level was very low, hence needing transfusion.”

They added that even the woman’s son refused to donate blood for her and they had to source for it outside.

They referred to the daughter’s allegations as “mischievous”

The statement continues: “We therefore state categorically that this allegation is false, mischievous and a clear case of ingratitude.”

They added: “Where was the daughter all this while the mother was sick and being managed. It will be candid of us to know that where the woman was managed was clean and not the picture that is circulating as seen above. May her soul rest in peace.”

The Federal government has announced five new confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Nigeria, bringing the total of persons with the viral disease in the country to Eight.

According to the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, the new cases had a travel history to the UK and US.

@Fmohnigeria has announced 5 new cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria bringing the total number confirmed cases in Nigeria to 8

All 5 cases had a travel history to the UK/USA

We urge Nigerians to remain calm as public health response activities are intensified across the country.

A detailed travel history of each case is being compiled & contact tracing has begun

Our National Emergency Operations Centre is supporting response in the states

The Federal Government through @Fmohnigeria is conducting risk assessment to initiate other relevant measures.

@Fmohnigeria through NCDC will continue to provide accurate updates & take the necessary measures to protect the health of Nigerians

We ask that the public refrain from spreading false information while we all engage in proper hand & respiratory hygiene to #PreventCOVID19Spread

The Federal Government has issued a travel ban on 13 countries over the spread of the Coronavirus.

This was announced by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha at a media briefing on Wednesday.

The affected countries are the United State of America, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Iran, Switzerland, Norway, Netherland, France, South Korea, Germany, Italy and Spain.

This announcement is coming barely 24 hours after the Nigeria Senate called for travel ban on high risk countries with Coronavirus.

The lawmakers said entry should be banned to flights from the United Kingdom and China after the country recorded the third case of COVID-19 disease.

A married man has landed in serious trouble after catching coronavirus on a secret holiday trip to Italy with his mistress. He is now in isolation in the UK with his wife.

His unsuspecting wife who is in self-isolation is unaware of how her cheating husband caught the disease but the man confessed to medical coordinators in the north of England.

He told them that he contracted the virus while he was on a secret holiday with a mistress of his in the hotspot.

The ‘well-heeled’ male who The Sun reports works in a ‘high-flying job’ refused to name the mystery female he’s been seeing.

A source told the paper: ‘His case would be funny if it wasn’t quite so serious. The man confessed what he’d been up to in Italy, and that his wife has no idea.

‘She thinks he just picked up the disease on his business trip away. Although the patient admitted to medics what had happened, he said nothing would persuade him to name his mistress.’

It comes as the UK’s total number of confirmed cases sits at 1,543. Fifty-six people are known to have died from the virus in Britain.

He is expected to make a full recovery from the infection but is said to be in a ‘blind panic’ at the though of his wife finding out.

But the source said he’s relieved he got back before flights were cancelled and he had to explain to his wife where he’d been.

The Briton got out before Italy went into lockdown as the country – which is the hardest hit in Europe – saw 2,158 deaths.

The General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministry, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has claimed that God told him that coronavirus will disappear the same way it came.

Suleman stated this during a sermon last weekend. The clip has gone viral on social media.

According to him, “God told me something to tell you. I want everyone to listen, because I know you all have been waiting to hear what I have to say.

“It is not about vaccine. God told me that the way coronavirus came, is the same way it will disappear.

“You are going to discover you will not hear about it anymore. Because the same way it came, is how it will go. Everything will return to normal. Don’t fear.”

On Tuesday, Nigeria recorded their third case of coronavirus.

The 30-year-old unnamed lady tested positive, after arriving the country from the UK on March 13.

Her case is “independent of the index case”, according to Lagos state’s Commissioner of Health, Akin Abayomi.

Globally, the disease has claimed over 6,000 lives and affected about 150 countries in three months.

A 70 year old woman suspected to be infected with the Coronavirus in Enugu state and tested negative for the virus, has reportedly died.

Her daughter, took to twitter via the handle, @UcheNgwu7, to write an open letter to the government.

Read below;

“Dear RT. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi,

“I am writing on behalf of myself and family in regards to the 70 year old woman suspected of the Covid -19 in Enugu published on Saturday 14th March 2020.

“The patient who is my mother unfortunately passed away on Sunday 15th March 2020 having tested negative to the aforementioned virus. She returned to Nigeria on Wednesday 11th March, 2020 after 5 months trip to the UK to visit her children.”

“My mother was isolated in a dilapidated environment that seems to have been left uninhabitable over a long period of time. The isolation centre in Enugu is an abandoned old section of the hospital, where the grass and debris were being cleared whilst my mother was there”

“The staffs at the hospital were unprofessional in the way they handled my mother. She was stigmatized and this made her feel worthless. My mother arrived at the hospital on Friday 13th March, 2020, blood samples were collected on Saturday 14th March, 2020 with results expected on Monday 16th March, 2020.

“As declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that this is a global pandemic, one would expect a faster testing time. My mother had to spend 3 days in a dire situation, without adequate health care and unsure of what is happening around her.

“If the result for Covid-19 was ascertained on time, my mother would still be here with us, as she would have been moved to a better equipped hospital with the right experts to deal with her underlying illnesses”.

“My mother died due to the negligence and unpreparedness of the state in putting adequate facilities including staff training in place. The corona virus was detected in December 2019. It is absolutely disappointing that there is no appropriate isolation centre in Enugu State.

“After the death of my mother, finding a workable stretcher to move her body was impossible! You would expect any hospital to provide basic facilities such as a stretcher – my mother’s body was carried into the ambulance on a wretched tool.

“Considering that the Covid-19 result proved negative, we can conclude that my mother died due to the following reasons –

· The state of the said ‘isolation centre’ ( pictures attached).

· Wrong treatment

· Staff stigmatisation due to lack of training in dealing with such cases.

“Furthermore, shortly after the news of a suspected Covid-19 patient was published, the Enugu state government responded by releasing 20 Million Naira for the management of the state isolation centre.

“In my opinion, that is a little too late as strategies for dealing with the Corona Virus pandemic should have been put in place before now. It should not have taken my mother’s suspected case to prompt an action from the government”.

The government should have anticipated this and appropriate measures and facilities put in place.

“As l write this, l am sure that no plans has been made for any future case of Covid-19 despite the promised allocated funds”.

“In conclusion, l would like to reiterate that the environment of the isolation centre, staff behaviour and the unpreparedness of the Enugu state government resulted to my mother’s unexpected death”.

“The objective of this letter is to make sure that no other person will have to go through what my mother went through. I am appealing to the governor of Enugu state to ensure that the funds allocated to the isolation centre is rightly used for the purpose for which it was meant.

“I urge the Enugu state government to ensure accountability to this respect.

Sincerely,

A very heartbroken daughter.

*Dear RT. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi,*

I am writing on behalf of myself and family in regards to the 70 year old woman suspected of the Covid -19 in Enugu published on Saturday 14th March 2020. pic.twitter.com/4WJ0SRGMxc

— utchay? (@UcheNgwu7) March 17, 2020

About 23 shops and goods believed to worth millions of Naira were destroyed in a fire incident yesterday March 17 at Owode market in Offa, Kwara State.

The fire reportedly started by 1a.m, however the arrival of firefighters prevented the inferno from spreading to other shops and houses in the vicinity.

The Head, Media and Publicity of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Hakeem Adekunle who confirmed the incident said it is suspected an electric spark caused the incident.

He said;

“If not because of the quick intervention of the Fire Brigade, the disaster would have been greater. About 23 shops were affected due to the little delay in reaching out to the Fire Brigade. “The cause of the inferno was suspected to be an electric spark, even though the intelligent team of the state Fire Brigade is still working on that to unravel and ascertain the actual cause or causes of the fire outbreak.”

The the Federal Government has barred all its officials from embarking on foreign trips in a bid to contain the spread of the deadly Coronavirus.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, made this known today Tuesday March 17th after the inaugural meeting of the Presidential Task Force Team on the COVID-19.

Mustapha also advised Nigerians coming in from outside the country to self-isolate themselves for 14 days to ensure they do not pose a threat to their immediate environment.

The National Youth Service Corps has asked corps members currently in orientation camps across the country to vacate the camps over coronavirus fears.

The virus has killed over 7000 persons globally and yesterday, a third case was confirmed Positive in Lagos State.

According to The Guardian, the corps members in Lagos camp were told on Wednesday morning to leave the camp immediately after receiving their letters to their places of primary assignment and transport allowance.

The camps opened last Tuesday and usually last for three weeks.

Bird View Communications President, Ayo Alaba Idowu has disclosed that the UK returnee who tested positive for coronavirus, has been living with their staff since Saturday March 14 till the morning when the test result was released.

Idowu who announced suspension of business operation at their headquarters in Ikeja for the next 15 days, said the decision was taken to keep their staff safe and also support the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

In his words ;

Today, I made a painful, but necessary, decision to suspend operations at our business head quarter in Ikeja for the next 15 days, and subject about 15 employees in the building to Coronavirus test and subsequent government quarantine or self-quarantine. This was after a staff was exposed to a family member that returned from U.K. on Saturday and tested positive to Coronavirus in the early hours of today. The person that tested positive had lived in the same house with our staff member between Saturday and early hours of today. .

Nigerian government reportedly traced the person to the Ogba address in the early hours of today, conducted the test and found out that the person was positive. Our immediate response to the situation was not to discriminate against the staff that was exposed, but to join hands to support the spread of the global pandemic situation. We are providing all possible supports to keep our people safe and fight COVID-19 together. .

In the meantime, our business will mostly be remote, while our Lekki office will still welcome physical consultations. However, we will be putting up a notice that will advise a set of people, especially those who recently traveled in the last 14 days, to stay away from physical meetings and rather engage remotely or simply visit again after 14 days. .

For me and my family, we just started a much-deserved one-month family vacation in Canada, but are already contemplating either cutting our trip short or staying much longer than planned. The truth is that both options come with their own risks and we have to do thorough assessment of the situation to determine which one has less exposure for us. We are taking COVID-19 very seriously and are doing everything possible to join hands to stop the spread. We also urge you to take it more seriously than you have ever imagined. .

Stay safe and stay healthy.