The Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, today announced that the state government would be offering free medical services to pregnant women and other persons with health emergencies in the state all through the month of April.
While speaking at a press briefing on Saturday April 4, the governor said the free medical services is part of palliative measures to cushion the effect of the lockdown imposed on the state to fight the spread of COVID-19.
“The Lagos State Government will for the duration of this lockdown, in the first instance throughout the month of April, take full responsibility for the medical bills of all patients who fall under the following categories and present themselves at all our secondary health facilities, meaning our 27 general hospitals and the maternal and child health facilities that we have round the state. Emergencies, casualties, cases including registration, laboratory tests and surgeries will be treated free of charge.
Maternity cases and all pregnant women that have to do deliveries in this month of April, either caesarean or normal delivery will also be attended to free of charge. All admissions within this period will be free and treated free of charge in the month of April at the first instance. What this means is that those that have the above-listed conditions that will need to access the hospitals will be treated free” he said
Lagos state has 108 confirmed cses of Coronavirus. Following presidential directive, the state went into a lockdown beginning from March 30 to last for up two weeks.
Africa, specifically Nigeria has become a center of attraction for both investors and new businesses, irrespective of the failures by several Startups in the country.
There has been significant growth with respect to investment and business development in the country, and this cuts across all areas of the Nigerian economy; E-commerce, mobile technology, fintech startups among others.
Despite the many possibilities and potentials in the Nigerian market, not so many new businesses are able to scale through the fundamental stage, and as such are either forced to relocate or perhaps fold up, if they don ’t end up been purchased by a third party company.
Some of the companies of the internet era that have failed the test of time in Nigeria at the fundamental stage include a couple of prominent businesses and/or brands who came in with bold statements such as OLX (classified forum), Efritin, Fero, Wiko, Wechat, Tambo Mobile, Easy Taxi, among several others.
While some of these businesses were able to scale through for years before going pear-shaped, others could barely scale through beyond a year. It’s interesting to note that many of these businesses share similar key issues that led to their respective failures, including a lack of proper research before entering the market, spending investor funds and never hitting the profitability mark, misappropriation of resources, lack of employee confidence, etc.
Sadly, a couple of existing Start-ups with seemingly great potential are still towing this familiar path to failure. This article aims to look at some of these businesses, past and existent, and shed light on key issues leading to their eventual failure.
Efritin
Owned by Swedish company– Saltside Technologies, Efritin officially launched as a classified advertisement website in Nigeria back in August 2015, however, could not scale past the second year of establishment in the country due to many reasons, with mismanagement of funds and high cost of data being the most prominent.
According to the CEO, Nils Hammar, Efritinhad suffered greatly from the lack of excellent internet penetration and adoption. Nils also emphasized on how the high cost of data, as well as the unfavorable economic condition during that time, had impacted negatively on the business.“We have a long list of KPIs to evaluate how things are performing. Compared to other markets, we didn’t see the same progress in Nigeria” Nils told the media.
“I think the data cost in Nigeria is very high. In comparison to other parts of West Africa, Africa and the rest of the world, it is very expensive to use the internet for the vast majority of the people. It is very difficult for e-commerce and classifieds because they are quite late in the evolution of the internet industry,” Nils added.
With no much doubt, Efritin’s exit from the Nigerian market points to the fact that their business strives in Nigeria was a non-profitable one.
While Nils’ reasons for the closure are justifiable, insiders also have it that the main reasons for the company’s inability to survive in Nigeria are major because of funds mismanagement. Recall back to 2016, Efritin former MD, Zakaria Hersi was accused of stealing thousands of dollars, while turning a blind eye to the internal crises that played a major role in their demise, especially as they were not able to raise more funding to scale the business any further.
Another key issue would be the lack of proper market survey, considering that other online classified platforms like OLX were not doing fantastically great as at the time of establishment in Nigeria.
Easy Taxi
Easy Taxi is another business/startup that failed at the point of debut in Nigeria, or better still let me say could not survive the test of time. Following the reception of a seed-funding valued at $10 million, the ride-hailing service which started off in Brazil back in 2011 expanded to Africa among other regions, launching in Nigeria sometime in 2013 and commencing operations in Abuja. 3 years down the line, however, the company hit the halt button and exited Nigeria.
Easy Taxi Nigeria is a subsidiary of Africa Internet Group who had the likes of Rocket Internet, MTN, Millicom, among others as Shareholders. It was hard to believe they wouldn’t survive the Nigerian economy for that long given all the major stakes in the business, however, as with most businesses that have failed in the past, Easy Taxi was not immune to the harsh realities of market penetration in a challenging market as Nigeria’s, hence its exit.
As for the reasons for their failure in Nigeria, it is still very unclear as all effort to lay hands on actual information has been to no avail. For the obvious, Easy Taxi had to struggle with proper penetration into the Nigerian market.
OPay
Talking about OPay, the story is a bit different as it is not a case of exiting the country. Instead, the fintech and multi-service company has been struggling with profitability since it arrived in Lagos, Nigeria back in August 2018. Here, there are several key issues that may lead to a bad ending for the Chinese company if care is not properly taken.
One of those many key concerns about OPay’s business in Nigeria is the over-reliance on financing to become profitable. While it is not news that Africa, and Nigeria as a whole, has become a focal point for foreign investors; OPay has keyed itself into the enormous opportunity therein, investing millions of dollars to pivot its multi-service platform which has been more of a liability than an asset. Why? You may like to ask; so far, the company has rather focused on spending, even when it is obvious that a lot of their business module is not sustainable, or perhaps, requires an overhauling in other cases.
As much as funding for a startup is very vital, working with a module that is sustainable or viable is as important. Sometimes, it is not all about spending money; a sustainable strategy sometimes cost less spending. It is even worse when a startup such as OPay fails to gather (despite having reasonable funding) the required expertise and knowledge to run the business, especially in this part of Africa where you have to go the extra mile to achieve significant success.
OPay’s services include ORide, OTrike, OFood, OLoan ,and the recently launched OCar among others. Here, it is obvious that a lot of activities are taking place simultaneously, however, how many of them are properly been managed? How many of the business are properly been accounted for by their respective management team?
While you are trying to figure that out, the Chinese company’s inability to turn profit yet could also be blamed on external stakeholder impact – the Lagos State Government has influenced some policy that may have impacted a vital operation of OPay negatively.
In a recent development, the State government placed a ban on the use of Okada on major roads within the state, and as a result, OPay has had to shut down its bikes operation not only in Lagos State but also in other states where its bike operation is functional, including Kwara State (although the company hasn’t released any official statement to that regards; insiders informed of how a majority of OPay staff was laid off in Ilorin following the okada an in Lagos).
The OPay bike-hailing service was meant to be the business module to lay the golden egg, but now what happens? In my opinion, it simply shows the extent to which OPay lacks an understanding of the environment with respect to the engagement of stakeholders and policymakers.
Also, in a recent report by a research website- Hindenberg, Opera was found guilty of several misconducts in its operations across the board.The company was not only linked to what was tagged as ‘exploitative loans’, but also misappropriation in the company’s operational cost, poor management, as well as certain corruption crisis specifically tied to the company’s current CEO, Yahui Zhou.
According to an insider whose name will be withheld for privacy reasons; she shared an insight on what the internal management looks like, and just like the rumors that have been making rounds on the internet, it wasn’t a fantastic one. According to her, the company has employed a lot of resourceful talents, while offering juicy benefits; however, fast-forward to date, the company has been landing a lot of slash on employees’ benefits including salaries.
Additionally, OPay was recently accused of falsifying numbers, which according to a reliable source, was from fake orders, and was intended to ‘promote’ or possibly increase its app usage. Whether this worked well for them or not, it isn’t the best approach for a startup that ordinarily should be after leaving behind a good first-time impression. What also happens to gaining people’s trust? I didn’t mention investors because, to them, it’s all about Return on Investment (ROI).
It is also worthy of note; OPay’s latest venture into mobile business. The Chinese company named its mobile brand- OLLA, and you are most likely not aware of what that means, I guess? This is only possible because the new devices have recorded low sales (near-zero in some cases) in over 80% of the shops they are been sold at the moment. That’s also aside from the fact that the devices are of low quality, forcing a lot of phone dealers to quit doing business with them.
There are more than a dozen, perhaps hundreads of startups who are most likely threading in this similar path. It is only advisable to stick to the most important things in starting a business, and two of them are sticking to a sustainable plan and recruiting efficiency over numbers, (or both simultaneously).
This article is brought to you by Askifa.ng
Askifa.ng is a Technology-focused news website, and its primary aim is to demystify the ideology behind technology, an alternative to saying simplifying technology. While our primary focus is to dish out tech stories and breaking news; we also have a keen interest in Startups across respective fields, and we don’t hesitate to put up stories about latest development in the space.
The Government of Osun State has confirmed that the Coronavirus patient who escaped from the state’s isolation center has been found.
This came after the state’s Commissioner of information and Civic Orientation, Mrs. Funke Egbemonde debunked the earlier report of six coronavirus patients escaping from the isolation facility in the state.
The Chief Press Secretary to Osun State Governor, Ismail Omipidan has now confirmed that the escapee has been found and returned to the facility by the police on Saturday afternoon.
He said;
“It is true that a patient, a woman escaped from the isolation centre, but she has been apprehended and returned to the facility.
“Presently, we are investigating her movement to enable us to initiate contact tracing with anyone she might have contacted to avoid community spread of the deadly pandemic.”
Big Brother Naija 2019 Star, Khafi Kareem has seemingly bemoaned the adverse effect of the coronavirus pandemic as she revealed she was supposed to get married today.
Recall that on the 26th of December 2019, Khafi announced her engagement to reality TV lover, Gedoni on her Instagram page much to the joy of her fans.
According to a video she shared, she revealed she’d initially planned her wedding for the 4th of April, 2020 but that would have to be postponed because of the pandemic which she didn’t know would ravage the world like it has.
She then shared another point of view that we should be thankful to God because we do not know the other dangers we are actually being saved from as people have been advised to stay at home to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
A group of commercial sex workers in Benin City have been evicted from a hotel where they transacted their daily business.
The owner of the hotel said he asked the sex workers to leave his property because of fears of the deadly coronavirus the entire country is currently battling to contain.
Speaking to newsmen, he said ;
“I asked the prostitutes occupying my buildings to go home and meet their children and families at their various states because if any man who has the virus, meets any of them, they can easily share it among themselves.
“Like me now, I have children and I can’t ask my children not to embrace me and you know that these prostitutes are occupying my buildings and I am the one managing the facilities and so, I asked them to go home and stay with their children until the coronavirus is over”
The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has released more information about the coronavirus, revealing that as many as 25% of people infected but showing no symptoms are spreading the virus.
The new findings are leading the CDC to broaden the range of who needs to wear medical masks, as they previously stated that only people showing symptoms should wear a mask.
Experts are urging the public to continue with social distancing, and they believe that everyone should be wearing masks to protect themselves against asymptomatic carriers spreading the virus.
A Nigerian man, Aghawarianovwe Ikie, who has been diagnosed with Coronavirus, in the UK, has taken to Facebook to shares his near-death experience.
In his post, Ikie recounted how he initially thought he had a flu but when the symptoms persisted, he was examined by the health workers and tested positive for COVID-19.
Read his post below;
Here I was in my isolation bedroom at home, NOT at the hospital. But here I am to worship, Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you’re my God, You’re altogether lovely, Altogether worthy, Altogether wonderful to me…
COVID-19: My Testimony:
I was in the valley of the shadow of death. But I abide in the secret place of the Most High & rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I say of the Lord, you are my Refuge, my Fortress, in you alone I trust.
I have been sick since on or about 12 March 2020. I initially mistook my condition for Flu. It was much later that it dawned on us that I was battling with Coronavirus. I was totalling broken down with 100% loss of appetite, cough, shortness of breath, extreme fever and sudden extreme cold.
My saving grace lied in the fact that I still managed to breathe unaided. So, when the ambulance eventually came to take me to the Covid-19 Hospital facility, I declined because I was worried that I might catch a more deadly strain of the virus in such an environment. Besides, the benefit of ventilator, I didn’t see any chance of hospital staff forcing me to eat as would my wife & children.
They literally forced fed me. The Paramedics carried out ECG Test on me & were happy with the results. They remarked that they were confident that I had Coronavirus & that members of my household unit were already all infected despite not having been formally tested. As at this point, you only get tested upon admission at the hospital. The nights were terrible; I sweated a river. On a particular day, I alerted my cousin, Olorogun Kenneth Okpara, about my predicament. He advised that I should read Psalm 91 in the mornings and in the evenings.
Shortly, thereafter (25 minutes precisely) he sent me a message that as he prayed for me, the Holy Spirit lifted a “dark cloud” from me & my house & replaced it with a white cloud. Some time passed and another brother, Mudiaga Dennis Ofuoku, advised that I should read Psalm 91 three times daily. I just smiled to myself. I can confirm that members of my family unit are fully recovered.
To the glory of God, I am also now almost fully recovered. My appetite is 100% back & the fever is gone. I lost no less than 7 kilograms in the short period. Please I do not want to receive phone calls as I presently require a lot of rest. God has been most merciful to me. I fall within the vulnerable group. I saw death, but prevailed, to His glory. Join me in expressing my gratitude to the Almighty.”
Nigerian singers and songwriters, Peruzzi and Kiddominant held a live session on their Instagram page and in course of it, revealed the songs they’d written for top singer, Davido.
During their session, Peruzzi revealed that he’s written top hits for the singer, FIA, Nwa Baby, Risky and Assurance while Kiddominant went on to say that he’s also written a couple of hits, Dodo, Fall, The Money and Like Dat.
The singer, who they were battling over then commented that at least he too, has been able to write something that has now become a popular hit.
Davido who was watching the live session among other fans took to the comment section to show that he also possesses an admirable writing dexterity.
The Oluwo of Iwo has stated that the “end” of Coronavirus in the world is in sight. The ruler, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi has been actively expressing his concerns about the disease.
About a week and few days ago, he gave a spiritual warrant of arrest for the deadly virus, saying that he has “pronounced the arrest of the deadly virus through his office with the ultimatum of 16-day for the menace to vacate the world.”
10 days has passed since his proclamation and he took to his Instagram page to assure his followers that in 6 days time, God will “sheath his sword” and we will “all heal together“.
He wrote,
“Stay safe by keeping the distance and wearing masks, help your neighbour in need by feeding them and always wash your hands whenever you handle money and touch anything, check on your neighbour’s… we in this together until God kabiyesi Olodumare sheaths His sword in 6 days time and we all heal together !! God bless you all abundantly to witness the next power shift in the world that will give glory to only God in the Highest… Adagba ma paro oye Kabiyesi Olodumare Iba re o.”
The Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, Professor Akin Abayomi has confirmed the recently reported death of the coronavirus patient in the state.
Professor Abayomi took to his twitter page to reveal that the deceased lived in Holland but returned to Lagos two weeks ago. He had a Kindey transplant 7 years ago and was also diabetic and was on high immune suppressing drugs.
— #OurFavOnlineDoc ? (@DrOlufunmilayo) April 3, 2020
Read below ;
I regret to announce the first #COVID19 related death in Lagos state. The deceased was 55 year old NigerianFlag of Nigeria; male who lived in Holland but returned to Lagos 2 weeks ago. He had a kidney transplant 7yrs ago and also diabetic.
He did not provide full account of his travel history or medical circumstances to the attending doctors in keeping with global trend and to enable guided treatment for #COVID19 related vulnerability due to severe underlying ill health.
He however demonstrated some signs of an upper respiratory chest infection. He later tested positive for #COVID19 but died early hours of April 3rd, 2020 from a cardiac arrest. May his soul rest in peace!
#COVID19Lagos Situation Report
I regret to announce the first #COVID19 related death in Lagos state. The deceased was 55 year old Nigerian??; male who lived in Holland but returned to Lagos 2 weeks ago. He had a kidney transplant 7yrs ago and also diabetic.@jidesanwoolu@WHOpic.twitter.com/q2msRdcGlG
— Prof. Akin Abayomi (@ProfAkinAbayomi) April 4, 2020
A Pastor recently met his waterloo after he was caught packing human faeces.
When questioned, the Pastor first claimed he wanted to use the faeces for an experiment before stating that he needed it as a fertilizer.
When asked why he didn’t use that of his children or church members, he said members are no longer coming to church at this time. However after one the residents pointed out that he could have used the faeces his members excreted before now, the Pastor defended himself by saying he never needed it then but needs it now.
Sonia Morales, ex-wife of Nollywood actor IK Ogbonna is thankful that the Coronavirus pandemic did not happen while she was with him.
According to the mother of one, staying indoors because of Coronavirus would have been bad if it happened 5 years ago because she was staying in a house without steady electricity and water supply.
In her words ;
Ok gotta tell you a story: listen up : Life was good, life is still good and guess what? It’s gonna get better! I can’t even complain about being indoors right now cuz Lord knows how bad it would be if this happened to me 5 years ago when I was staying in a house with no water and light coming off & on with a newborn baby that doesn’t stop crying and sweating and mosquitoes that won’t stop biting ( thank God we don’t look like everything we been through lol) .. nah!
It just crossed my mind like yesterday (as u know we all got some spare time to think) and somehow this whole situation came in handy as a tool of introspection, it helped me spot the obvious difference between our lives back then and our lives now, and even though I find myself getting all inpatient and restless with this whole idiotic situation, I steady remind myself that I must be stupid to let myself be anything less then grateful, and I don’t know your struggle and your problems, but I pray for you to see, find and acknowledge, from the bottom of your heart, that no matter where you stand at this moment , no matter how it seems to you right now , it ALWAYS, ONLY gets better, and once you do, you have changed the damn game in your favor! It’s not on you to know how it’s gonna happen, just make sure you know it’s gonna happen.
I promise you and you need to trust me on that. Love, S
A woman identified as Rosemary Osegba, has killed her mother in-law in a local community in Nassarawa State on March 18, over the woman’s interference in her marriage.
In an interview with The Nation, the suspect said she and Abaagu Clem, got married in February 2016 but the marriage was yet to produce a child.
According to Rosemary, her and her mother in-law became sworn enemies the day Clem, an only child, introduced her as his wife to be.
Rosemary revealed her mother-in-law tried to prevent Clem from marrying her but it proved abortive as he stood his ground, insisting she was the one for him.
Clem’s decision to defy his mother and go ahead with the marriage allegedly didn’t go well with his mother as she allegedly swore never to allow the marriage to work.
Rosemary added that she had no regrets over her action as she did it to save her marriage.
Nollywood Actress, Funke Akindele Bello has taken to her social media page to eulogize her husband, JJC Skillz as he clocks a new age today.
JJC Skillz clocked 43, today, and his wife Funke can’t contain her joy and appreciation and she shared beautiful photos of herself and her husband on her page.
Sharing the photos, she wrote:
‘Happy birthday my darling husband. The Lord will Grant you longer life and good health. Thank you for being a sweetheart! Our home will always be peaceful and the Lord will continue to bless us. Enjoy your day my King @jjcskillz #babaibeji.’
Veteran Nollywood actress, Sola Sobowale has shared an emotional message about the dangers that comes with coronavirus.
The talented actress in a video via her IG page, used her professional skills to relate with Nigerians and implored everyone to stay safe because coronavirus has not come to play with anyone.
In the video , the 56 year old related with her fans in Yoruba language and captioned the post saying; “Dear Nigerians, this dark cloud of covid-19 has covered our nation over the last few weeks. It has been a tough time for me and you.
“I have been praying for our nation. I have chosen to speak in my native tongue,for you to know the urgency that has been placed in my heart. I want this to travel to our mothers and fathers, our friends and sisters and brothers. Let’s play our part. I love you all, God will send us a rainbow soon.”
Controversial On Air Personality, Toke Makinwa has made a big confession on twitter about why she hates to cook.
According to the fashionista, cooking will make her sweat and smell and she hates anything like that.
She added that junks always comes to her rescue because they do not require stress i guess.
In her words ”I walked into my kitchen ready to cook and walked out with a glass of wine in my hands, cooking is not for me, all that sweat and smell yuck, crackers to the rescue..maybe I’ll try tomorrow’
Nigerians have expressed outrage following the death of a man who died of Coronavirus at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) after lying about his travel history upon being admitted at the medical facility.
Recall Punch reported that the man who died is a 55-year-old hypertensive and diabetic patient who was presented to LUTH’s emergency unit on Thursday night with “malaise, tremors, and fever.” The hospital only discovered after his death that he had Coronavirus. A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test was done on his blood posthumously and it tested positive for Coronavirus.
When the man’s family members were confronted by doctors with the test result, they disclosed that they withheld his travel history information and likely COVID-19 infection because they were afraid that the hospital would reject him.
Nigerian doctor, Olufunmilayo who corroborated the claim disclosed that 4 doctors have gone into isolation following their exposure to the late Coronavirus patient, whose family lied about his symptoms and hid the fact that he just came back from Europe.
He tweeted;
“4 doctors in LUTH Lagos have gone into isolation as we speak. They were exposed to a patient in the accident and emergency room whose family has lied about his symptoms and hid the fact that he just came back from Europe. If your family is a health worker, Pls pray for them.
The patient was put in the same open space with many other patients who were also in the LUTH emergency room. Doctors, nurses, cleaners, and other health workers have been exposed to the man. The patient is now dead. And he is confirmed positive for Coronavirus.
So as we speak now Many doctors, nurses, health workers who attended to that patient without special protection outfit may have caught the virus. Except you are a health worker at the battlefront, you will never understand that everyday at work, these people’s lives are at risk.”
He also shared a video of moment NCDC officials moved the corpse of the man after his death;
— #OurFavOnlineDoc ? (@DrOlufunmilayo) April 3, 2020
That health worker you kill has a child. She has a husband. He has parents. It is evil, it is criminal and it is totally reprehensible.
If you kill a health worker today, who will take care of the next patient tomorrow?
Pls never lie at hospitals It’s a very terrible behaviour.
— #OurFavOnlineDoc ? (@DrOlufunmilayo) April 3, 2020
Nigerians are now calling for the arrest and possible prosecution of the family members of the deceased, who endangered the lives of many with the information they withheld.
The patient who died in Lagos is a 55-year-old man. He died in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, hours after he was admitted, according to Punch
Recall, it was reported earlier on that two new death cases have been recorded in Nigeria; 1 in Lagos, and 1 in Edo, which brings the total number of deaths in Nigeria to four.
The hospital only discovered after his death that he had Coronavirus. A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test was done on his blood posthumously and it tested positive for Coronavirus, the publication reports.
“Fingerprint antibody test was done on him, confirming his COVID-19 infection,” a source told Punch.
According to our source, the man, a 55-year-old hypertensive and diabetic patient had presented to LUTH’s emergency unit on Thursday night with “malaise, tremors, and fever.”
He was also diagnosed with acute chronic kidney disease and sepsis.
The man, who arrived at LUTH on Thursday night, April 2, did not disclose his travel history, neither did he disclose the fact that he had contact with someone who had travelled overseas.
He reportedly told the doctors that he had no history of coughs, sore throat, joint pains or diarrhoea.
When the patient first arrived at the hospital in Idi Araba, he was sent to the “spillover unit” because the hospital had run out of bed spaces. However, when he developed complications, a junior doctor at the Accident & Emergency Unit reviewed his case and notified the Senior Registrar of his suspicion.
The source told the publication: “After the Senior Registrar reviewed his case and confronted him with their findings, the man revealed the true story about his travels and his fear that he might have contracted COVID-19.
“He confessed that he had been coughing and that he had returned from Holland two weeks ago, where he had gone for follow-up treatment after a renal transplant he also had there.”
The man died early Friday morning, April 3, and the Lagos State coronavirus emergency workers took away his body.
When confronted after the man’s death, his family members said they withheld the information about his likely COVID-19 infection because they were afraid that LUTH would reject him.
A view of the deserted central business district is pictured on the first day of a 14-day lockdown aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lagos, Nigeria March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja - RC22VF961ZXM
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has warned that the lockdown order issued by President Buhari on Sunday March 29, might be extended if Nigerians don’t behave themselves.
The Minister disclosed this at a press conference by the Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus in Abuja on Friday April 3. Lai Mohammed urged Nigerians to observe social distancing and a good hygiene, so everyone can get back to their normal lives after the 14-day lockdown.
Lai Mohammed said;
“If we don’t behave ourselves, there is a likelihood that the lockdown will be extended, but if we behave ourselves, there might not be an extension and I hope we do so.
“If we stay at home for two weeks and we are doing everything we are supposed to do, we should be able to effectively contain the disease.
“Therefore, my appeal to Nigerians is that they should obey the directive on social distancing, personal hygiene and shun gatherings; after two weeks, we will resume our normal life.
“But if they think it is a joke, then we may have to stay at home more than the two weeks.”
Nollywood actor cum politician, Desmond Elliot has defended his ‘cleansing’ project which elicited a barrage of criticism from Nigerians on social media.
The lawmaker who represents Surulere constituency in the Lagos State Assembly has however defended the project and according to him, he did what he felt was right.
FLASH: This is a huge world-class donation from Honourable Desmond Elliot to fight Coronavirus in his constituency. pic.twitter.com/Y3fptDhmic
— #OurFavOnlineDoc ? (@DrOlufunmilayo) April 1, 2020
His words ;
“Normally. I will just let things pass but this has to do with life and death owing to the COVID-19 that we know about. I think responding will be very apt and quite germane.
“I just got couple of people who sent messages to me showing me the backlash and stuff going on concerning the buckets (he shared).
“I am not averse to criticisms. As a matter of fact , I love criticisms. But you see, I love criticisms when they are constructive.
“There was not even one (comment) in the whole social media space that has said, ‘Look at how you can do this.’ There is a lot of negativity out there and I wonder why.”
“If you read my post, and I just remembered you guys on social media don’t read, I said makeshift. It was something I was gonna test-run and see if it was gonna work. To the world, it was not working, to the people, it was.
“What is it about my face being there? If I wanted to score points, I would have put my face in the bags of garri and in every bag of rice.
“I am doing what I feel is right, I am doing it because I am here and you are there asking. What makes it bad that my face is there? Is it your face I would put?”
A lady who was a victim of “one-chance” operators in Abuja has narrated her experience on social media.
The lady identified as Titilayo Daniel said she got into a car at Gwarimpa express at 9:30pm, not knowing the occupants were ”one-chance” operators.
While in the car, she was beaten till she bled and her phone, laptop and ATM cards were collected.
The attackers then took her card and withdrew her money while she was still in the car.
Read her tweets below ;
I unfortunately entered a “one-chance” vehicle from Gwarimpa express going to Life camp around 9:30pm, I was brutalized while in the car, my phone, laptop and ATM cards (plus my ATM pin) were forcefully collected and while still in car,one of them went to withdraw from an ATM.
I was later dropped off in Kubwa after about 2hrs drive round the city.
I reported the incident at Gwarimpa Police station and the officer-in-charge told me to get a CCTV footage from the bank they made the withdrawals from, and that they will take it up.
I went to the bank (Gtbank) to apply to see the CCTV footage and I was shown the face of the culprit (which by the way was a very clear picture). I then requested for the footage but I was told they can’t release it to me cos it’s against their code of conduct to give customers.
CCTV footages. I told them it was to enable an investigation and also showed them the police extra, but the man-in-charge said even if it was the Police men or any security agency that came themselves, they would only show it to them and not release it.
I was devastated, and left the bank heartbroken.
Since then, it has been a burden on me not knowing what to do. But I’ll really love that the culprits are caught and my items recovered.
Attached to this tweet is my picture (that night after the incident).I also have the doctor’s report and the police extra.
I unfortunately entered a "one-chance" vehicle from Gwarimpa express going to Life camp around 9:30pm, I was brutalized while in the car, my phone, laptop and ATM cards (plus my ATM pin) were forcefully collected and while still in car,one of them went to withdraw from an ATM.
The founder of Loveworld Ministries a.k.a Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome has spoken out on the recent arrest of a pastor in a bid to enforce social distancing in churches.
The popular cleric said Pastors are not ordinary people thus anyone who assaults one would be in danger.
Pastor Chris said;
“He was excited he arrested a Pastor. Terrible! But he is not the first to arrest a pastor. Jesus was arrested and Jesus was doing what the people didn’t want Him to do and the Apostles did what they were not allowed to do. The Government said, ‘Don’t preach in this name anymore’. They went on preaching. Right?! They arrested them.
“So it is not enough to say, well, if you do what the Government say not to do, then we have the power to arrest you. Arrest! That Pastor was not the first person to do what Government said don’t do. When I heard of it, I didn’t judge him because what if he was praying and that was the guidance he got?”
“Let me tell you, it is not everyone that will take some of the steps that we might take. Not everyone. The Holy Spirit knows exactly how He wants things done. It’s up to Him. What I’m always saying is that, anybody who assaults a pastor is in danger.
“He is in more trouble than the Pastor. Pastors are not ordinary people. If you like you can call them ordinary men, that is up to you, but the Spirit that works with them, when that Spirit is fighting you, nobody can help you. No amount of prayer, no one can help you.
“It is only people who say they are Christians that fight ministers of the gospel. Others when they know, they remove their hands, He is a pastor. They shift away, but the one that is a Christian is bold, he enters the church. So, if you are a pastor and they assault you. Don’t feel bad, you are not the first, don’t feel bad. But, for the rest pray for your pastors, remember to pray for them. Never condemn a pastor. Never. Don’t ever do it. Don’t do it. Don’t join those who do it. Don’t! Keep your mouth to yourself.”
The Lagos state Goverment have announced the release of Four more Coronavirus patients from the Infectious Disease Hospital in the state.
The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made this known via a post on social media page on Friday afternoon.
He wrote ;
”Dear Lagosians, it is with utmost pleasure that I inform you of the discharge of an additional 4 patients from the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH). They comprise 3 Females and 1 Male. Bringing the total recovered patients to 23.
They were released having recovered fully and testing negative to the COVID-19 virus twice consecutively.
We are indeed happy to see them reunite with their loved ones. I would also implore everyone to stay home, stay safe and not take this virus for granted.
Keeping strictly to the instructions on prevention is also very important. Thank You all and God bless”.
Last night, TECNO released its new camera phone, CAMON 15 series, through an online launch event which became a milestone in the smartphone industry as the first online product launch in Africa.
The online launch themed “Magic of Unseen” was not long, but the content was extremely rich: TECNO CAMON 15 unveiling its SONY camera and the trademarked TAIVOS™ technology, official spokesman, Wizkid’s appearance, largest flip book with Guinness World Records ™ Title, and much more.
As Nigeria’s most famous performer and a global icon in the music industry, Wizkid is a recognized pop culture sensation. Wizkid’s success runs side-by-side with the emergence of Nigeria’s mobile entertainment market.
Stories like Wizkid’s illuminate the possibilities that are offered to both producers and consumers especially with the development of digital entertainment, not to mention that this time, Camon 15 Premier’s commercial was supported by a production team from Hollywood.
Wizkid who was all smiles while working on the Camon 15 Project had this to say when he was asked why he chose to become TECNO’s ambassador;
“My team and I had series of meetings where we looked at the history of TECNO and we saw something undeniable. There were similarities in both of our personalities. TECNO has relentlessly risen through the ranks over the years, just as I have. We both have risen beyond obstacles and are now global; creating opportunities for others and reminding Nigerians that they are capable of achieving and becoming whatever they desire to be. TECNO and I are indeed for Nigerians.”
One big surprise during the event was that TECNO also brought a 1.1m Wizkid portrait poster photographed by TECNO CAMON 15 Premier, which was stunningly crystal-clear despite being scaled up to almost two meters in height. Thanks to the product’s brilliant high definition, armed with a SONY camera, and 8x zoom, every detail was perfectly captured and vividly displayed.
As a pioneer in the smartphone industry, TECNO Mobile is always committed to bringing latest technologies and cutting-edge smartphones to its global users. The first online product launch is undoubtedly another new breakthrough of what TECNO Mobile brings to us.
The event was absolutely bursting with exciting new technologies and applications. It’s a hands-on taste of what you can achieve with a smartphone camera, powerful imaging hardware, and a device designed to deliver unprecedented performance for mobile photography fans.
The TECNO Camon 15 Premier will sell for 95,000 only and the Camon 15 will sell for 62,500 when they both become available in the Nigerian market. But you can now pre-order the TECNO Camon 15 Series by sending this text “pre-order Camon 15” to +2349036438365 on WhatsApp to get details of how to order.
Kourtney Kardashian has quit long-running reality series ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ following a physical altercation with her sister Kim.
She officially made the revelation in a reply to an Instagram follower who asked why she wouldn’t just leave the show despite complaining about the cameras following her every move.
Kourtney swiftly responded: “I did. Bye.”
She added: “Took a lot to get there but choose happiness always. It’s easy to forget what really matters. It’s been years of build up.”
