Nigerian Eye

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Late Abba Kyari, a recipient of the national honours title of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), was an influencial Nigerian politician who served as Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari. 
 
Late Kyari was born on 17th November, 1938 from the Kanuri speaking tribe in Borno State. 
 
EDUCATION 
 
In 1980, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Warwick, and also received a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Cambridge. In 1983, he was called to the Nigerian Bar after attending the Nigerian Law School. 
 
In 1984, he obtained a master’s degree in law from the University of Cambridge. He later attended the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland and participated in the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School, in 1992 and 1994, respectively. 
 
PROFESSIONAL CAREER 
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Kyari worked for the law firm Fani-Kayode and Sowemimo for some time after his return to Nigeria. 
 
From 1988 to 1990, he was Editor with the New Africa Holdings Limited, Kaduna. 
 
In 1990, he served as a Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Resources in Borno State. 
 
From 1990 to 1995, Kyari was the secretary to the board of African International Bank Limited, a subsidiary of Bank of Credit and Commerce International. 
 
Kyari was an executive director in charge of management services at the United Bank for Africa, and was later appointed the chief executive officer. 
 
In 2002, he was appointed a board director of Unilever Nigeria, and later served on the board of Exxon Mobil Nigeria. 
 
POLITICAL CAREER 
 
In August 2015, Kyari was appointed Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari. 
 
Kyari was an influential figure within the Buhari administration. During the administration’s first term, he worked mainly behind the scenes to implement the president’s agenda. In 2019 with Buhari’s re-election for a second term, he ordered his cabinet to channel all requests through Kyari’s office. Further enhancing his influence within government circles, and being labelled as the de facto head of government. 
 
In 2017, following a leaked memo, Kyari became embroiled in a public argument with the Head of Civil Service, who was later removed from office and arrested. In 2020, in another leaked memo, Babagana Monguno the National Security Adviser accused Kyari of meddling in matters of national security. 
 
DEATH 
 
On March 24, 2020, it was made public that Kyari tested positive for COVID-19 on March 23, following an official trip to Germany nine days before. Kyari died in a Lagos hospital on 17 April 2020, he died from complications related to COVID-19. 
 
He is survived by his wife and four (4) children.

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Jonathan, Atiku, Lawan, others mourn Abba Kyari

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Former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, and Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, have expressed shock to the passage of the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari. 
 
In a separate tweet on Saturday morning, the three politicians paid tributes to the departed CoS. 
 
Kyari died on Friday at age 81. 
 
President’s spokespersons, Garba Shehu and Femi Adesina said the deceased died of COVID-19. 
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“The Presidency regrets to announce the passage of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari. The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19, and had been receiving treatment. But he died on Friday, April 17, 2020,” they said. 
 
Kyari had tested positive for coronavirus in March after a trip to Germany and Egypt. 
 
Expressing his shock to the death of the CoS, Atiku tweeted, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. I am saddened by the death of Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari. May Allah SWT comfort his family, forgive his sins and grant him AlJannah Firdaus. Ameen.” 
 
Jonathan prayed that “Allah” strengthens his family and friends during this moment of grief. 
 
Lawan said death is inevitable and it only comes at an appointed time while praying for God to comfort Kyari’s family. 
 
Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari, described the departed CoS as a “truly good man,  profoundly faithful and loyal to our country”. 
 
Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said he was “deeply saddened by the news” while expressing condolences to his family. 
 
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Friday night had announced that the number of coronavirus deaths in the country jumped to 17 while the infections near 500.

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Kyari: Ooni shocked, urges Nigerians to see COVID-19 as reality

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The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye  Ogunwusi, has described the death of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Abba Kyari, as shocking and an unfortunate surprise. 
 
The Ooni, in a statement issued on Saturday in Ile-Ife by his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, described the late Kyari as a coolheaded gentleman and great respecter of the traditional institution. 
 
The monarch said that the deceased, until his death, handled his position as a public servant with dignity and dedication arising from his fervent belief and incorruptible patriotism and commitment to the Nigerian project. 
 
The statement said in part: “Ooni of Ife has received news of the death of Alhaji Abba Kyari with a rude shock and he sees it as a very unfortunate surprise. 
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“Late Abba Kyari was a detribalised Nigerian and coolheaded fine gentleman who had treated traditional institutions with love and respect. 
 
“Ooni immediately after the news was confirmed made a phone communication to the wife and children of the late Chief of Staff. 
 
“He prayed for the gentle soul of the deceased and the fortitude for the family to bear the irreparable loss.” 
 
The Ooni, who urged Nigerians to take the ongoing fight against the pandemic more seriously, described the virus as a ruthless enemy of humanity that must be collectively defeated. 
 
Ogunwusi also prayed for the souls of the thousands of victims already killed by COVID-19 around the world. 
 
He urged Nigerians to keep to the rules and regulations already set by the government as measures to combat the pandemic. 
 
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Presidency on Saturday morning had announced the passage of Kyari. 
 
Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, confirmed the development in a statement in Abuja. 
 
”The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19, and had been receiving treatment. But he died on Friday, April 17, 2020. 
 
”May God accept his soul. 
 
”Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly,” the statement said.

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Igho Otegheri, husband of Blessing Okagbare, says he won’t “tarnish” the image of the Nigerian superstar athlete in the media amidst reports that she filed a divorce suit to end their six-year marriage. 
 
Nigerian Olympics silver medalist Okagbare reportedly filed for divorce recently, citing infidelity, laziness and irreconcilable differences as reasons for the divorce. 
 
Footballer Otegheri, a former Super Eagles striker, got married to Okagbare in a well-attended wedding ceremony which had top dignitaries like then Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, in attendance in Sapele. 
 
Otegheri joined Okagbare in the United States after their wedding, but recent reports in the Nigerian media indicated that the sprinter and her husband have been engulfed in marital crisis, leading to her filing for divorce. 
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Some reports say Okagbare, a 100m and 200m gold medallist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, gave her all to the marriage but had to file for divorce following long-standing rows between her and her hubby, which led to a face-off between the families of the couple, with the ex-footballer’s parents reportedly asking for a refund of the bride price they paid during the traditional rites six years ago in Sapele. 
 
In an interview with newsmen, Otegheri admitted that his marriage to the athlete was headed for the rocks but added that he won’t comment more on the issue to avoid “tarnishing” the image of Okagbare. 
 
When our correspondent asked Otegheri on Facebook if it was true that Okagbare had filed for divorce, he replied, “It’s true. It is what it is, boss.” 
 
Speaking further, he added, “No matter what, I can’t say anything that will tarnish her (Okagbare’s) image, please try and understand. It will be a disaster if I come out to clear the air.” 
 
Though quite unknown, ex-international Otegheri began his professional football career with Wikki Tourist in 2004, before a switch to former Nigerian champions Enugu Rangers, where he spent two years. 
 
He joined defunct Dolphins in 2007, before another sojourn at Heartland, where he plied his trade until 2009, when he moved to Europe for a short stint at Beitar Jerusalem in Israel. 
 
Otegheri, who has three caps for Nigeria, made his Eagles debut in 2002 in an international friendly against Costa Rica.

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The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has removed the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Dandaura. 
 
Dandaura, who is now the Provost, Force headquarters, Abuja, was believed to have been redeployed over the arrest of two Caverton Helicopters pilots and their passengers on April 7. 
 
He was replaced with CP Joseph Mukan. 
 
Also redeployed was CP Musa Adze, who is now in charge of the Anti-Fraud Unit, a statement in Abuja on Friday by the Force spokesman, DCP Frank Mba, said. 
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The redeployments are with immediate effect. 
 
Dandaura had on the directive of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, detained the pilots for allegedly bringing in oil workers into the state, thereby violating the border closure order of the Rivers State Government meant to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state. 
 
The CP had followed the governor to the NAF base in Port Harcourt to arrest the pilots who were hastily arraigned before a magistrate’s court and quarantined in a hotel on the orders of the court. 
 
Dandaura justified his action, stating that the pilots and the oil workers violated the regulations regarding the safety of the state. 
 
Meanwhile, Wike, on Friday announced the arrest of 22 workers of ExxonMobil who allegedly entered the state in violation of the State Executive Order. 
 
Wike, who spoke during a live broadcast in Port Harcourt, disclosed that ExxonMobil workers were apprehended on Thursday by security personnel along the Ogoni-Akwa Ibom axis of Rivers State. 
 
The governor also maintained that the same law that was applied during the arrest of Caverton Helicopter pilots and 10 passengers would also be applied in the case of the arrested ExxonMobil employees. 
 
He said, “Security agencies arrested 22 staff of ExxonMobil who came into the state from neighbouring Akwa Ibom State in violation of the extant Executive Order restricting movement into the state. We do not know the coronavirus status of these individuals. 
 
“Even though security agencies advised that they be allowed to go back to Akwa Ibom State, I insisted that the law must take its course. This is because nobody is above the law. 
 
“As a responsive government, we have quarantined them in line with the relevant health protocols and they will be charged to court. The same law that was applied in the case of Caverton will also apply to ExxonMobil,” Wike stressed. 
 
He expressed regret that the Federal Government was working “dangerously” to compromise the health protection system of the state and make it (Rivers) vulnerable to coronavirus. 
 
However, a group, the Rivers State Leadership Advancement Foundation, has criticised Wike for arresting the ExxonMobil workers. 
 
RIVLEAF, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Friday by its Director of Communications, Onyeche Peters, said the arrest of the ExxonMobil workers appeared as if the governor was against the oil and gas industry. 
 
Peters described the governor’s action as unnecessary and capable of having a backlash on the country. 
 
He said, “It looks as though Governor Wike is targeting the oil and gas industry with the latest arrest of ExxonMobil workers. This is unnecessary and capable of having an international backlash on Nigeria. 
 
“The governor himself during his state broadcast exempted oil workers from the lockdown, so one would have expected the governor to meet with the oil majors and fashion out mutual ways of ensuring compliance with the state’s directive. 
 
“While the governor reserves the right to protect the state, he should do so in cooperation with the various agencies of the Federal Government and corporate bodies, rather than threatening them all the time.”

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The Spanish Football Association (RFEF) has taken a decision on what to do if the La Liga season is cut short or abandoned due to the coronavirus pandemic, an official says. 
 
RFEF general secretary Andreu Camps disclosed this in a statement on Thursday. 
 
He said the four clubs on top of the most recent completed round of the La Liga season standings would qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League. 
 
All the clubs have played 27 matches before the RFEF suspended play on March 12 due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. 
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Therefore, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Real Sociedad are the four teams that will go through to Europe’s premier club competition if no more action is possible this season. 
 
“The RFEF wants to have done its homework in case, in the event of a suspension of competitions, it receives the request from UEFA regarding the Spanish clubs that would have access to European competitions next season,” Camps said. 
 
“Thus… it has been agreed in the RFEF Delegate Commission to make a plan in order to give certainty in an extreme scenario, such as not being able to finish the competitions, so that all the clubs know the new scenario they are facing.” 
 
After the last round of games were completed on March 10, FC Barcelona topped La Liga with 58 points, two ahead of Real Madrid. 
 
Sevilla are third on 47, with Real Sociedad a point further back in fourth. 
 
The teams in fifth and sixth place —– which are currently Getafe and Atletico Madrid —— will also qualify for the Europa League. 
 
The result of the Copa Del Rey final, if that is contested, could impact which team grabs the final Europa League spot. 
 
With Copa Del Rey finalists Real Sociedad already in the top four, their opponents Athletic Bilbao (10th in the league) are in pole position for the third Europa League spot. 
 
But that will be if they have not climbed into the top six by the time the final league standings are decided. 
 
Should that occur, the final Europa League spot will go to the seventh-placed team in La Liga.

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COVID-19: South West governors agree on border closure, mandate wearing of face masks

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Governors of the six South-West states of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo have dissolved the board of Odu’a Investment Limited. 
 
Chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu announced the dissolution. He said the dissolution took immediate effect. 
 
The governors mandated the Group Managing Director of the company to take charge of the business venture. 
 
Odu’a Investment is a legacy bequeathed to the states by the old Western Region. 
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The governors took further steps to jointly tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
They agreed on closure of all entry points as well as compulsory wearing of face masks. 
 
“The South West Governors at its virtual meeting held on Thursday, April 16, resolved as follows: 
 
“That as Owner State Governors, we dissolve the Board of Directors of ODU’A Investment Limited with immediate effect. 
 
” The Group Managing Director should take charge of the conglomerate affairs pending the constitution of a new board. 
 
“That the entry points of our six states be closed forthwith to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
“That the state governors agreed that people involved in essential services or dealing in medicine, water and consumable items, in particular traders and market men/women, should endeavour to wear nose masks while outside plying their trade to minimise the spread of the deadly virus. 
 
“The governors further agreed that wearing of nose masks will be made compulsory for everybody coming out of their homes effective from Friday April 24 in their respective states,” the statement said.

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Protests erupted in several states across the U.S. this week, demanding that stay-at-home orders to stem the spread of the new coronavirus be eased. 
 
Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina and Utah are among the states that saw rallies in recent days as concerns mount over the economic fallout of the measures. 
 
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to throw his weight behind demonstrators in three states with Democratic governors. 
 
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“LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” the Republican president tweeted, followed by calls to “liberate” Michigan and Virginia. 
 
A few dozen protesters gathered in Virginia’s capital a day earlier, and a demonstration was expected in Minnesota later on Friday, according to local media. 
 
Michigan saw one of the country’s biggest protests on Wednesday, when the streets of its capital were gridlocked by thousands of drivers pushing back against some of the nation’s toughest restrictions on travel and business. 
 
“People are upset because they believe the restrictive order is taking away their fundamental civil liberties and freedoms,” Michigan House Republicans said in a tweet. 
 
Some prominent figures on the right, including talk show host Rush Limbaugh, have expressed support for such demonstrations. 
 
“The more they’re out and about, the more likely they are to spread Covid-19,” Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer told CNN, saying that could result in a further extension of the directives. 
 
On Friday, Whitmer said she hoped to relax some restrictions on May 1, though she stressed data would drive decisions, as Michigan has the third-highest death rate due to the virus among U.S. states. 
 
“It’s two weeks away, and the information and the data and our ability to test is changing so rapidly, it’s hard to predict precisely where we’ll be in a week from now, let alone two weeks,” Whitmer told broadcaster ABC. 
 
Trump, who has repeatedly said he wants to reopen the economy as soon as possible, unveiled guidelines to do so on Thursday. 
 
But he left the ultimate decision on when to move ahead with the plan to state governors. 
 
He has clashed with governors on the matter in recent weeks, and on Friday upped the tension with a series of tweets. 
 
After New York Governor Andrew Cuomo reiterated that the state could not reopen its economy without more widespread testing and needed federal assistance to do so, Trump tweeted that the governor “should spend more time ‘doing’ and less time ‘complaining.’” 
 
“Get out there and get the job done,” the president wrote. 
 
Asked about Trump’s criticism during his daily press conference, Cuomo responded angrily. 
 
“If he’s sitting home watching TV, maybe he should get up and go to work,” he said, adding: “Let’s keep emotion and politics out of this and personal ego if we can, because this is about the people.” 
 
Cuomo said the number deaths due to the virus “refuses to come down dramatically,” with 630 more people dying in a day, taking the death toll to over 12,800 in New York, the epicentre of the outbreak in the U.S. 
 
The country leads the world in reported coronavirus cases and deaths, at more than 671,400 and 33,200, respectively, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. 
 
(dpa/NAN)

Latest-News Americans protest against Coronavirus stay-at-home order

Protests erupted in several states across the U.S. this week, demanding that stay-at-home orders to stem the spread of the new coronavirus...

Nigeria to evacuate citizens in China over maltreatment

04:20 Unknown 0

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Following new revelations regarding the reported maltreatment of Nigerians in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China, the Federal Government said it would immediately begin the process of evacuating affected persons. 
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the government would ensure compensation for about 100 Nigerians who were evicted from their homes and hotels by Chinese officials in Guangzhou. 
 
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Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the minister said he had summoned the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Zhou Pingjian, for the second time in one week since the reports surfaced in the media to register Nigeria’s displeasure with the incident. 
 
Onyeama stated that the Nigerian Ambassador to China, Ahmed Jidda, as well as other African ambassadors in China had met with the Chinese Foreign Ministry and expressed their concerns. He said they made a number of demands from the Chinese Government, including respecting the rights and dignity of Africans and Nigerians in Guangdong. 
 
He added that the Chinese Government was committed to looking into the matter and ensuring no maltreatment of any Nigerian or African in China. 
 
The minister stated, “After we had made a statement in the media, I have continued to receive information from Nigerians in China and I engaged directly with our officials in Guangzhou and people who were on the ground. 
 
“And I must say that contrary to what we believed, that the situation had stabilised and was fully under control and there were no longer issues, it became apparent that there were still very distressing incidences and that it was almost as if it was an institutional attack on the rights and dignity of Nigerians and Africans there.” 
 
Onyeama added, “So, as I said, with confirmation from people who were there, I again, invited today (Friday), the Chinese Ambassador and presented these facts to him. I said ‘look, contrary to what was agreed, promises made and guarantees given, the situation does not seem to have ameliorated and this is totally unacceptable.’ 
 
“That we have stories of Nigerians who had been evicted from their residences and were unable to get back in; that they had been moved from where they were into more expensive hotels and Nigerians not being served when they went to restaurants and shopping malls. I told him this was totally unacceptable and something needed to be done.” 
 
He added that though the narratives were conflicting, sometimes among Africans in the area, there were consistent reports of unacceptable treatment of Nigerians and other Africans in Guangzhou. 
 
He stated, “I spoke to some of our people there in Guangzhou; and what do we do and where do we go from here? Quite a lot of them said they just wanted to come home and we are putting in place as quickly as possible the mechanisms to start bringing them home. That clearly is the immediate solution here,” Onyeama added.

Latest-News Nigeria to evacuate citizens in China over maltreatment

Following new revelations regarding the reported maltreatment of Nigerians in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China, the Federal Governme...

BREAKING: Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari dies of Coronavirus

03:20 Unknown 0

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The Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari has died of the deadly Coronavirus. 
 
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, confirmed this in a press statement. 
 
Adesina said the Chief of Staff to Nigeria’s President Muhammadu died on Friday, about 25 days after testing positive for COVID-19. 
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He said, “The Presidency regrets to announce the passage of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari. 
 
“The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19, and had been receiving treatment. But he died on Friday, April 17, 2020. 
 
“Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly.” 
 
It can be recalled that on March 24, the 81-year-old Kyari had contracted the coronavirus. 
 
The late Kyari, who was one of the most influential and powerful members of the Buhari regime, visited Germany and Egypt after Nigeria recorded its first coronavirus case on February 27. 
 
In Germany, he and the Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, on March 9, met Siemens officials over the power deal signed with the company. 
 
Barely a week after the report on his status, Kyari announced his decision to leave Abuja for Lagos to receive medical treatment in a private facility. 
 
Upon his arrival at Lagos, the State and Federal Governments refused to disclose his whereabouts. 
 
The NCDC revealed that the confirmed cases of coronavirus have increased to 493 in Nigeria after 51 new infections were recorded on Friday, with 17 deaths in total. 
 
Out of the 17 coronavirus-related deaths recorded in Nigeria, 11 patients died in Lagos, two in Abuja, one each in Kano, Edo, Delta, and Katsina. 
 
President Buhari initially appointed Kyari as his Chief of Staff on August 27, 2015 and reappointed him on July 5, 2019 after winning his second term election. 
 
The late Kyari held Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick in Law and Sociology. He had worked with the New Nigeria Development Company, New Africa Holdings, African International Bank, United Bank for Africa, Unilever, and Mobil in various capacities over the years. 
 
He remained a very close friend and trusted ally to President Buhari till his death.

Latest-News BREAKING: Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari dies of Coronavirus

The Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari has died of the deadly Coronavirus. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public...

Abba Kyari's Last Message To Nigerians Before His Death

03:20 Unknown 0

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Former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari is dead. 
 NigerianEye recalls that he tested positive for the dreaded Coronavirus (COVID-19) in March, 10 days after he returned to the country from a trip to Germany where he had a meeting with officials of Siemens in Munich on Nigeria’s electricity expansion programme. 
 
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In the past few weeks, some Nigerians had taken to social media to debate about his health condition, with some even saying the president’s Chief of Staff had been flown abroad in an emergency. 
 
He, however, confirmed his health status in a statement on March 29, the same day President Buhari made his first nationwide broadcast on the pandemic. 
 
In his statement, Kyari revealed that he would be transferred to Lagos for treatment and expressed the hope that he would recover and return to work soon. 
 
Kyari noted that he felt well and did not exhibit any signs of the disease, and even hoped to be back soon on his feet, this never happened unfortunately as his death was confirmed on Saturday. 
 Below is the Abba Kyari’s full statement and last message to Nigerians 
 
<blockquote>I am writing to let you know that on medical advice, I will transfer to Lagos later today for additional tests and observation. This is a precautionary measure: I feel well, but last week, I tested positive for coronavirus, the pandemic that is sweeping the world. I have followed all the protocols government has announced to self-isolate and quarantine. 
 
I have made my own care arrangements to avoid further burdening the public health system, which faces so many pressures. Like many others that will test also positive, I have not experienced high fever or other symptoms associated with this new virus and have been working from home. I hope to be back at my desk very soon. I have a team of young, professional, knowledgeable and patriotic colleagues, whose dedication has been beyond the call of duty, who continue to work seven days a week, with no time of the day spared. We will continue to serve the President and people of Nigeria, as we have for the past five years. 
 
I want to thank all our fantastic, talented and brave healthcare professionals, working across the country in such a difficult time; all the good Samaritans looking out for the most vulnerable in our communities; the key workers that will keep our country going through this; friends and family and often strangers, who have sent me such warm wishes and displayed such a generosity of spirit. 
 
We should be calm, measured and diligent – be meticulous in your hygiene, especially with cleaning hands, if possible stay at home or keep your distance. Listen to good advice from the proper authorities: pay no heed to quack cures or fake news from social media. President Buhari will do whatever it takes to protect the health and safety of our people and get the country back on its feet as soon as possible. 
 
Like the whole world, we are dealing with a new disease. Our experts are learning more all the time about coronavirus, what it does and how we can combat it. What we do know is that while some may become very sick, many others who contract the virus will not, and may have no symptoms at all. This is a disease that recognises no difference between north and south, men or women, rich or poor. We are all in this together. 
 
Sincerely 
 
Abba Kyari 
Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari</blockquote>

Latest-News Abba Kyari's Last Message To Nigerians Before His Death

Former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari is dead. NigerianEye recalls that he tested positive for the dreaded Cor...

Appeal Court dismisses suits seeking to nullify Bayelsa, Kogi gov elections

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The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed the case brought by the Action Peoples Party challenging the propriety of the last governorship elections held in Bayelsa and Kogi states. 
 
The court dismissed the case shortly before hearing the applications by interested parties, who sought to be made parties in the case. 
 
The parties who sought to be joined include the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri; his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo; their party, the Peoples Democratic Party; the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello and his party, the All Progressives Congress. 
 
The applicants, who sought to be made parties in the appeal by the APP are the current beneficiaries of the elections, who would have been affected by the outcome of the case. 
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The APP had dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission before the Federal High Court, Abuja, querying the exclusion of its candidates. 
 
In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1163/2019, the party claimed that INEC prevented it from replacing its candidates earlier disqualified by the electoral umpire. 
 
It particularly prayed the court to among others, declare that any subsequent conduct of the 2019 Kogi and Bayelsa states’ governorship election without the replaced candidates of the plaintiff, is null and void by reason of such exclusion. 
 
The Abuja FHC gave its judgment against the APP, and proceeded to uphold the decision by INEC to reject the candidates’ replacement list submitted to it by the party on the grounds that the list was brought outside the stipulated time. 
 
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, in the judgment delivered on February 21, 2020, maintained that INEC was right to have excluded candidates of the party (APP) from participating in the governorship election in Kogi and Bayelsa states in 2019. 
 
Ojukwu was of the view that the APP replaced its withdrawn candidates outside the statutory period of 45 days to the date of the 2019 Kogi and Bayelsa states’ governorship election. 
 
Disputing the Abuja FHC ruling, the APP appealed to the Court of Appeal, Abuja. 
 
The appeal was however dismissed in a ruling by a three-member panel led by the Acting President of the court, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem. 
 
The court had scheduled hearing for Thursday on all pending applications and the substantive appeal. 
 
Shortly after the appeal was called and lawyers to parties announced their appearances, the appellant’s lawyer, Obed Agwu, announced his intention to withdraw the appeal. 
 
Agwu said, “The appellant is desirous to withdraw the appeal against the respondent. 
 
“We have filed a notice of withdrawal of the appeal, in accordance with Order 11, Rule 1 of Court of Appeal Rules, 2016. 
 
“The said notice of withdrawal is dated and filed on April 14, 2020.” 
 
Counsel to INEC, Alhassan Umar, SAN, said he was served with the said notice of withdrawal in the court, adding that his client ‎will be asking for a cost of N3m. 
 
Justice Dongban-Mensem relied on Order 11 Rule 5 of the Court of Appeal Rules to dismiss the appeal. 
 
However, Dongban-Mensem rejected the respondents’ prayer for cost against the appellant.

Latest-News Appeal Court dismisses suits seeking to nullify Bayelsa, Kogi gov elections

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed the case brought by the Action Peoples Party challenging the propriety of the last governorship...

Lockdown : Armed robbers take over Abuja

11:20 Unknown 0

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Kubwa one of the major satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT is under siege as armed robbers on Friday morning raided 19 houses in Phase 3 extension. 
 
This is just as the lockdown enters its  third day Kubwa has become an easy target for hoodlums. 
 
The robbers after robbing the phase 3 extension axis moved to FHA estate in Phase 3 where 5 flats were raided. 
 
At Phase 3 extension various goods from cash to household utensils were carted away. 
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A victim of the robbers, name withheld said that “my N150k cash was taken and my cell phone collected with a sharp cutlass over my neck. 
 
“This place is fast becoming a haven of criminals because once is 10pm this place becomes a no go area. 
 
“We are now living under perpetual fear even to leave to the market because  we hear they will soon start raiding markets. 
 
It was earlier reported that residents got a shocker of their lives when one of the victims dashed to the area police command in Kubwa only to be told he should come back later as they were still asleep.

Latest-News Lockdown : Armed robbers take over Abuja

Kubwa one of the major satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT is under siege as armed robbers on Friday morning raided 19 h...

COVID-19: Enugu discharges second patient

11:20 Unknown 0

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Enugu State is now free of COVID-19 after the State Ministry of Health announced that it discharged the second coronavirus patient from treatment and isolation. 
 
With this, the state discharged two patients in less than 24 hours. 
 
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control four weeks ago announced two coronavirus index cases in Enugu State. 
 
On Wednesday one of the index cases was discharged after testing negative to the novel coronavirus twice. 
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The two index cases, a couple, were said to have returned from the United Kingdom and quarantined after testing positive for COVID-19 in their house, where they subsequently received care. 
 
A statement by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ikechukwu Obi, released on Thursday night announced that the state has no coronavirus index case after the second index cases tested negative for COVID-19 for the second time. 
 
The health commissioner said, “Two of them are now negative for the coronavirus and have been discharged. 
 
“We encourage our people to continue to stay at home, try not to touch your face without having washed your hands, maintain strict hand and respiratory hygiene, wear a facemask in line with the NCDC’s advisory and maintain physical distancing.”

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Coronavirus patient attempts to escape from Kaduna isolation centre

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‘There’s no better time than now’ — Army boss, Buratai asks his men to destroy Boko Haram

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Coronavirus: NCDC list States with COVID-19 cases, number of infected persons

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‘People smuggled in trucks out of Lagos’ — PTF blames spread of COVID-19 on inter-state travel

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’14 killed’ as fire guts IDP camp in Borno

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We can’t declare total lockdown in Bauchi because people must eat, says Gov Bala Mohammed

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COVID-19: Soyinka, others ask Africa to reduce dependence

10:20 Unknown 0

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Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and other leaders of thought across the African continent have said the current coronavirus pandemic has underscored the need for African countries to change their mindset of depending on help from outside to survive. 
 
They stated this in a letter jointly signed by them. 
 
Apart from Soyinka, the long list of signers to the letter address to African leaders had Makhily Gassama (essayist); Cheikh Kane (writer); Odile Tobner (Librairie des Peuples Noirs, Cameroon) ; Iva Cabral (daughter of Amilcar Cabral, University of Mindelo); and Olivette Otele (Bristol University). 
 
A portion of the letter read, “The challenge for Africa is no less than the restoration of its intellectual freedom and a capacity to create – without which no sovereignty is conceivable. It is to break with the outsourcing of our sovereign prerogatives, to reconnect with local configurations, to break with sterile imitation, to adapt science, technology and research to our context, to elaborate institutions on the basis of our specificities and our resources, to adopt an inclusive governance framework and endogenous development, to create value in Africa in order to reduce our systemic dependence. 
<a name='more' id="more"></a> 
 
“More crucially, it is essential to remember that Africa has sufficient material and human resources to build a shared prosperity on an egalitarian basis and in respect of the dignity of each and everyone. The dearth of political will and the extractive practices of external actors can no longer be used as excuse for inaction. We no longer have a choice: we need a radical change in direction. Now is the time!” 
 
The writers urged African leaders to seize the opportunity of the coronavirus crisis to “break with a model of development based on the vicious cycle of indebtedness.”

Latest-News COVID-19: Soyinka, others ask Africa to reduce dependence

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and other leaders of thought across the African continent have said the current coronavirus pandemic h...

Lockdown: Falana writes NHRC, says 21 persons killed by security agents

10:20 Unknown 0

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Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has written the National Human Rights Commission, saying that 21 persons, rather than 18, were killed by security agencies during the first phase of the coronavirus lockdown in Nigeria. 
 
The NHRC had in a report released on Wednesday said 18 persons were extrajudicially executed by security agents while enforcing the lockdown ordered by the Federal Government to curb the spread of the COVID -19 disease in the country. 
 
However, in a letter addressed to the Executive Secretary of the NHRC ‎on Thursday, Falana said three other killings were not captured in the report. 
 
Parts of the letter, entitled ‘Re: COVID – 19 killings by security forces’, ‎read, “Our attention has been drawn to your report on the 18 people that were brutally killed in Kaduna, Abia, Niger and Katsina states by the armed personnel of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps deployed by the Federal Government to enforce the COVID-19 Regulations. 
<a name='more' id="more"></a> 
 
“‎However, we have confirmed the unlawful killing of three other persons after the compilation of your report. 
 
“Specifically, a taxi driver in Cross River State while two other persons were shot dead by the police in Anambra State. 
 
“Thus, you will agree with us that 21 Nigerian citizens have lost their lives in the hands of trigger happy security personnel under the pretext of enforcing the COVID-19 regulations.” 
 
Falana urged the Commission to update the report, and also investigate the killings. 
 
The lawyer also called for compensation for the victims’ families. 
 
“Apart from updating your report, we urge you to use your good offices to conduct an investigation into the unlawful killing of the 21 persons and ensure that the culprits are prosecuted for murder or culpable homicide. 
 
“Furthermore, we request you to ensure that the bereaved family members of the slain citizens are adequately compensated by the federal government.”

Latest-News Lockdown: Falana writes NHRC, says 21 persons killed by security agents

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has written the National Human Rights Commission, saying that 21 persons, rather than 18, were kill...

Free electricity, mere propaganda, says TCN

09:50 Unknown 0

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The recent announcement of plan to give Nigerians two months of free electricity as part of palliatives for COVID-19 is nothing more than propaganda that cannot work, the Transmission Company of Nigeria has said. 
 
The TCN faulted the announcement by power distribution companies that the Federal Government and the National Assembly would pay for the proposed two-month free electricity for customers. 
 
Discos made the announcement through their umbrella body, the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors. 
 
Reacting to the development in Abuja on Thursday, the Managing Director of the TCN, Usman Mohammed, said, “There is this information that went round that power is going to be free. 
<a name='more' id="more"></a> 
 
“I don’t know where that information came from. 
 
“But I can tell you that there is nothing like power is going to be free because the Federal Government cannot make power free. The Federal Government does not own the power.” 
 
Mohammed explained that the Federal Government only owns the TCN while the generation and distribution companies were largely owned by private investors. 
 
He said, “In the electricity industry, apart from transmission, which is just the transporter, all the other chains do not belong to the Federal Government. So I cannot understand how somebody will concoct that information.” 
 
Mohammed argued that those peddling the information were merely sharing propaganda that would not work. 
 
He said, “But these are some of the people involved in propaganda who brand information that is very unnecessary, to be honest. 
 
“I think at this stage what we need to do is to sustainably supply electricity and that is what we are doing.” 
 
The TCN boss further stated that in the last two weeks that most parts of Nigeria had been on lockdown, operators in the power sector had worked and performed well. 
 
However, the House of Representatives and electricity distribution companies raised a joint committee on the proposed two-month free power supply on Thursday. 
 
Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, who presided over a meeting in Abuja with the companies and other officials, said the joint panel would work out modalities for the proposed two-month bill waiver for the most vulnerable people in the country.

Latest-News Free electricity, mere propaganda, says TCN

The recent announcement of plan to give Nigerians two months of free electricity as part of palliatives for COVID-19 is nothing more than ...

Toyin Abraham debunks being ambassador of NCDC

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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gNgzgIMbovYPi_wvJU84TCjL6m6pOQ-yvv8aDwl3QKRm1R5mJYUwQjpAOBPLRGghea_DQ2ZNglBgbHZPE00gGB1vTL99EXamboB8PvOfUs3Iy7wlFri2hmXS8tKzgwFKUWiKhRHvVZY/s1600/7D8C7114-4ACB-4045-916B-09E6C83CF861.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="408" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gNgzgIMbovYPi_wvJU84TCjL6m6pOQ-yvv8aDwl3QKRm1R5mJYUwQjpAOBPLRGghea_DQ2ZNglBgbHZPE00gGB1vTL99EXamboB8PvOfUs3Iy7wlFri2hmXS8tKzgwFKUWiKhRHvVZY/s400/7D8C7114-4ACB-4045-916B-09E6C83CF861.png" width="400" /></a></div>
 
Award winning actress and filmmaker, Toyin Abraham has debunked being signed on by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as an ambassador to replace Funke Akindele-Bello who was recently arraigned in a Lagos court for violating the social distancing order of the Lagos State Government. 
 
In a statement made available to newsmen, the actress noted that she detests the narrative that she is trying to take advantage of a bad situation. 
 
According to her: ”It has just been brought to my attention that blogs are reporting that I am now NCDC ambassador. Implying that I have been used to replace a colleague. That line of thought necessitate I put this out there. I am not an ambassador to NCDC. 
 
I do not like the narrative that I am trying to take advantage of a bad situation. I support the campaign against Covid-19, I appeared on a video campaign against the pandemic but please let’s not drag another person down. Thank you”

Latest-News Toyin Abraham debunks being ambassador of NCDC

Award winning actress and filmmaker, Toyin Abraham has debunked being signed on by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as an am...

Police urges Kano residents to comply with lockdown order

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The Kano State Police Command has urged residents in the state to adhere strictly to the lockdown order to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
Mr Habu Sani, the state Commissioner of Police, made the call in a statement by the Command’s Spokesman, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, on Friday in Kano. 
 
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje, had on April 14 ordered for a seven-day total lockdown of the state between April 16 and 24, aimed at stemming the spread of Coronavirus. 
 
Kano State Ministry of Health had confirmed 21 COVID-19 cases and one death in the past one week in the state. 
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Sani disclosed that the Command had made adequate deployment of police personnel and other security operatives in the metropolis to enforce compliance with lockdown order. 
 
He said: “All markets are closed and all public gatherings banned, no roaming about will be tolerated everywhere in the state, only people on essential services will be allowed to move. 
 
“The lockdown is 24-hours daily and night hours are not excluded. Transporters who defy the lockdown order will face the full wrath of the law. 
 
“We solicit for full cooperation and support of the people in the discharge of our statutory duty, members of the public are advice to obey this order and remain law abiding”. 
 
While calling on the people of the state to continue cooperating with the police and other security agencies, Sani enjoined them to contact the Command in case of emergency via the following phone numbers 08032419754, 08123821575, and 09029292926. 
 
Meanwhile, residents of Kano metropolis have complied with the lockdown order which began at 10:00 p.m. on Thursday. 
 
A NAN correspondent, who went round parts of the metropolis reports that residents stay-at-home and streets deserted in compliance with the lockdown. 
 
At the ancient Kasuwar Kurmi, Rimi, Kantin Kwari and and Kofar Wambai markets shops were under lock and key, while banks and other services remained closed. 
 
NAN checks showed that policemen and other security personnel were deployed to strategic locations to enforce compliance.

Latest-News Police urges Kano residents to comply with lockdown order

The Kano State Police Command has urged residents in the state to adhere strictly to the lockdown order to contain the spread of the COVID...

Trump says travel restrictions top priority as U.S. reopens

09:50 Unknown 0

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U.S. President Donald Trump has said border control and travel restrictions would be top priority as the country prepares to reopen its economy after a costly coronavirus shutdown. 
 
Trump said during his daily news briefing on COVID-19 at the White House on Thursday where he announced a three-phased plan for the reopening process. 
 
“As we begin a science-based reopening, we must be extra vigilant in blocking the foreign entry of the virus from abroad. 
 
“Border control, travel restrictions and other limitations on entry are more important than never before to keep the virus in check and allow Americans to get back to work,” he said. 
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Citing expert advice, the president said the pandemic curve had flattened and the peak in new cases behind, hence the need for Americans to “start our lives again”. 
 
However, he said the States would decide on when to reopen, but the guidelines recommend criteria that would have to be met in this regard. 
 
“America wants to be open. 
 
“Based on the latest data, our team of experts agree we can start the next front in our war, which we are calling ‘Opening up America Again”. 
 
“And that is what we are doing, opening up our country and we have to do that,” he said. 
 
Trump said that a prolonged shutdown combined with “a forced economic depression” could deeply hurt the country and its economy. 
 
The document lays out the guidelines to be followed for reopening of businesses across the country badly hit by the economic impact of the pandemic. 
 
One of the key recommendations for the first phase is the avoidance of groups of more than 10 people where appropriate social distancing is impossible. 
 
The first phase also discourages non-essential travel, and encourages telework (working from home) and closure of common areas in offices. 
 
Also recommended is the need for States to achieve a 14-day “downward trajectory” in coronavirus cases before beginning the re-opening process. 
 
Under the plan, States are expected to set up screening and testing centres in addition to develop contact tracing capabilities. 
 
It also recommends that hospitals should have a “robust testing programme,” in place for healthcare workers, among others. 
 
While acknowledging that there would be challenges ahead, Trump said the goal was to quickly identify and address new cases. 
 
“If the virus returns in the fall as some scientists think it may, possibly, these guidelines will ensure that our country is up and running so that we can likewise put it out quickly,” he said.

Latest-News Trump says travel restrictions top priority as U.S. reopens

U.S. President Donald Trump has said border control and travel restrictions would be top priority as the country prepares to reopen its ec...

COVID-19 Pandemic: 195 million jobs at risk globally – ILO report

09:20 Unknown 0

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A report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has predicted that the novel coronavirus [COVID-19] disease may wipe out as much as 195 million full-time jobs or 6.7 per cent of working hours globally in the second quarter of the year. 
 
The report highlighted some of the worst affected sectors and regions, and outlines policies to mitigate the crisis. 
 
It indicated that large reductions are foreseen in the Arab states (8.1 per cent, equivalent to five million full-time workers), Europe (7.8 per cent or 12 million full-time workers) and Asia and the Pacific (7.2 per cent or 125 million full-time workers). 
 
Huge losses are expected across  various income groups, but especially in upper-middle income countries (seven per cent, 100 million full-time workers). These far exceed the effects of the 2008-9 financial crisis. 
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The sectors most at risk are accommodation and food services, manufacturing, retail, and business and administrative activities. 
 
The report highlighted that the eventual increase in global unemployment during the year would depend substantially on future developments and policy measures. 
 
According to the report, there is a high risk that the end-of-year figure will be significantly higher than the initial ILO projection of 25 million. 
 
More than four out of five people (81 per cent) in the global workforce of 3.3 billion are affected by full or partial workplace closures. 
 
ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said: “Workers and businesses are facing catastrophe, in both developed and developing economies. We have to move fast, decisively, and together. The right, urgent, measures could make the difference between survival and collapse.” 
 
The report describes COVID-19 as the worst global crisis since World War II. The updated version includes sectoral and regional information on the effects of the pandemic. 
 
According to the study, 1.25 billion workers are employed in the sectors identified as being at high risk of drastic and devastating, increases in layoffs and reductions in wages and working hours. 
 
Other regions, particularly Africa, have higher levels of informality, which combined with a lack of social protection, high population density and weak capacity, pose severe health and economic challenges for governments, the report cautions. 
 
Worldwide, two billion people work in the informal sector (mostly in emerging and developing economies) and are particularly at risk. 
 
The report noted that large-scale, integrated, policy measures are needed, focusing on four pillars: supporting enterprises, employment and incomes; stimulating the economy and jobs; protecting workers in the workplace; and, using social dialogue between government, workers and employers to find solutions are needed to mitigate the effect of the pandemic. 
 
Ryder added: “This is the greatest test for international cooperation in more than 75 years. If one country fails, then we all fail. We must find solutions that help all segments of our global society, particularly those that are most vulnerable or least able to help themselves. 
 
“The choices we make today will directly affect the way this crisis unfolds and so the lives of billions of people. 
 
“With the right measures we can limit its impact and the scars it leaves. We must aim to build back better so that our new systems are safer, fairer and more sustainable than those that allowed this crisis to happen.” 
 
Meanwhile, the need to treat seafarers with dignity and respect during COVID-19 crisis has been emphasised by the ILO. 
 
The ILO urged that the seafarers should be treated as key workers, and be exempted from travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
A statement by officers of a special ILO tripartite maritime committee of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006) also called on ILO member states to do all that they could to facilitate the delivery of essential medical supplies, fuel, water, spare parts and provisions to ships. 
 
The tripartite committee, which represents seafarers, ship owners and governments, reported that in some parts of the world suppliers have been prevented from boarding ships to give masks, overalls and other personal protective equipment to crews. 
 
According to the statement, ports in some parts of the world have also refused to allow some ships to enter because they had previously docked in areas affected by COVID-19, preventing vessels from obtaining essential supplies. 
 
The committee also underlined the importance of ensuring that the flow of essential goods, energy, food, medicines and other products around the world is not disrupted by measures that impede the safe and efficient movement of ships and the seafarers who operate them.

Latest-News COVID-19 Pandemic: 195 million jobs at risk globally – ILO report

A report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has predicted that the novel coronavirus [COVID-19] disease may wipe out as much a...

Police release pictures of Funke Olakunrin’s killers

09:20 Unknown 0

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The Nigerian Police have unveiled the faces of four suspects said to be Funke Olakunrin’s killers. 
 
Olakunrin, daughter of Pa Reuben Fasoranti, was killed on 12 July 2019, at Kajola on Ondo-Ore Road by gunmen suspected to be Fulani marauders. 
 
After some painstaking investigation, IGP Mohammed Adamu announced the arrest of the suspects on Thursday. 
 
They are: Lawal Mazaje,40, from Felele, Kogi and Adamu adamu, 50, from Jada in Adamawa. 
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The others are Mohammed Shehu Usman, 26, from Illela Sokoto and Auwal Abubakar, 25, from Shinkafi, Zamfara state. 
 
However, the IGP also announced that four other suspects, including the ringleader named Tambaya, are at large. 
 
The Police have declared wanted and have given out some description. 
 
According to the police, Tambaya speaks Hausa, Fulfulde and Pidgin English. 
 
“He is fair in complexion and in his late 20s – between the age of 27 and 30. 
 
“His last known address is Isanlu, Kogi State. 
 
“He has visible scar from stitches on his forehead down to his nose and mouth”.

Latest-News Police release pictures of Funke Olakunrin’s killers

The Nigerian Police have unveiled the faces of four suspects said to be Funke Olakunrin’s killers. Olakunrin, daughter of Pa Reuben Faso...

Stop damaging the roads in the name of vigilante operations - Lagos state govt warns

04:20 Unknown 0

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Lagos State Government has reiterated the need for residents to desist from setting up bonfire on tarred road surfaces across the State while embarking on vigilante operations, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown. 
 
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A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engr Aramide Adeyoye, urged Lagosians to refrain from such acts, pointing out that roads that had been rehabilitated with taxpayers’ money were being destroyed by the heat generated from the bonfire. 
 
According to her, “Burning of tires directly on the roads where taxpayers’ money has been expended is not only unpatriotic, environmentally hazardous, but more importantly compromises the integrity of the pavement and overall riding surface, especially now that the rains are about to commence”. 
 
The Special Adviser, therefore, appealed to residents to desist from this unwholesome act so that the roads will remain intact after the lockdown, thus preventing the need for further expenditure on infrastructure in the face of scarce resources.

Latest-News Stop damaging the roads in the name of vigilante operations - Lagos state govt warns

Lagos State Government has reiterated the need for residents to desist from setting up bonfire on tarred road surfaces across the State wh...

Was Coronavirus developed in a laboratory in Wuhan ,China?

04:20 Unknown 0

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Western nations are mounting pressure on China to admit that the deadly coronavirus that has paralysed the world slipped out of Wuhan lab. 
 
Leading the pressure is United States, the worst affected by the virus. 
 
Confirmed cases in the country are hurtling towards the 700,000 mark. 
 
And 35,000 people have died. 
 
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Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 2.1 million people and killed about 140,000, according to worldometers.info. 
 
The U.S. said it is probing the Wuhan lab connection to the virus crisis. 
 
The new focus on China’s role came as the world wrestles with a collapsed economy that has created historic jobless numbers. 
 
Only today, Britain, Japan, Australia and New York state extended lockdown measures. 
 
President Donald Trump, who initially downplayed the illness has been attacking China for weeks. 
 
His campaign has won converts, especially among other Western nations. 
 
This was evident after a videoconference among leaders of the Group of Seven industrialised democracies. 
 
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told reporters there could be no “business as usual” with China. 
 
“We’ll have to ask the hard questions about how it came about and how it couldn’t have been stopped earlier,” said Raab. 
 
Raab has been acting for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is recovering from the virus. 
 
French President Emmanuel Macron warned not to be “naive” in believing China has handled the outbreak well. 
 
“There are clearly things that have happened that we don’t know about,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times. 
 
COVID-19 first emerged late last year in Wuhan, with China saying it was suspected to have been transmitted to humans at a meat market that butchered exotic animals. 
 
The Washington Post and Fox News reported there were growing suspicions the virus in fact slipped out of a sensitive laboratory in Wuhan. 
 
The lab was said to be studying bats, blamed for the SARS coronavirus outbreak in 2003. 
 
Neither outlet suggested the virus was spread deliberately. 
 
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said China should have been more transparent about the laboratory. 
 
“We’re doing a full investigation of everything we can to learn how it is the case that this virus got away, got out into the world and now has created so much tragedy — so much death,” Pompeo told Fox News. 
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone and called efforts to blame Beijing counterproductive. 
 
Xi called attempts to politicize the pandemic “detrimental to international cooperation”. 
 
Putin denounced “attempts by some people to smear China,” according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency. 
 
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian quoted the World Health Organization as saying there was no evidence the virus was produced in a lab. 
 
“Many well-known medical experts in the world also believe that the so-called laboratory leak hypothesis has no scientific basis,” Zhao said. 
 
Zhai had previously outraged the United States by spreading a theory that US troops introduced the coronavirus in Wuhan. 
 
Was the coronavirus a virus bred at a Wuhan laboratory.The West and many parts of the world want a transparent answer from China.

Latest-News Was Coronavirus developed in a laboratory in Wuhan ,China?

Western nations are mounting pressure on China to admit that the deadly coronavirus that has paralysed the world slipped out of Wuhan lab...

Two more people die from Coronavirus in Lagos

03:20 Unknown 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5jGynLxpnSHyFfrEjt49ZHe0yCMyGdwlsOaKD2dyr7heggmG0Jv1xtFRhnacvIL15Uu1xeNMZa3tEWyy9aIYFtUGtMxbls5_pEpx7Sg63fwh5stTGMvPZ_OtBSfOmaoOgaC80VYMkH03/s1600/coronavirus+lagos+isolation.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1200" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5jGynLxpnSHyFfrEjt49ZHe0yCMyGdwlsOaKD2dyr7heggmG0Jv1xtFRhnacvIL15Uu1xeNMZa3tEWyy9aIYFtUGtMxbls5_pEpx7Sg63fwh5stTGMvPZ_OtBSfOmaoOgaC80VYMkH03/s640/coronavirus+lagos+isolation.png" width="640" /></a></div>
 
The Lagos State Government on Thursday recorded two more COVID-19-related deaths and discharged another five other patients who have tested negative twice. 
 
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this via his Twitter handle, @ProfAkinAbayomi. 
 
It can be recalled that a 51-year-old Dr Chigbo Emeka died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, after he had contact with an infected person in his private hospital. 
 
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“Unfortunately, Lagos recorded three additional deaths from COVID-19-related complications. The deceased are males aged 51, 52 and 62. One of the dead, a medical doctor, had contact with an infected person who recently returned to the country. 
 
“Other victims have no travel history or record of contact with any infected person. Total COVID-19-related deaths are now 10. 
 
“I hereby urge Lagosians to remain vigilant and report any concern about #COVID-19 infection in our communities by calling 08000CORONA #ForAGreaterLagos,” Abayomi said. 
 
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced on his Twitter handle, @jidesanwoolu, that the state had discharged five more COVID-19 patients after they tested negative twice for the virus. 
 
He tweeted, “Dear Lagosians, Today, five more patients; three females and two males, have been discharged from the Mainland Infectious Diseases Hospital to reunite with society. They were discharged having recovered fully and tested negative twice consecutively for #COVID-19. 
 
“This brings to 90, the number of patients successfully managed and discharged from our isolation facilities. 
 
“I appeal to residents to stay at home, practice #SocialDistancing and observe the highest possible personal hygiene.”

Latest-News Two more people die from Coronavirus in Lagos

The Lagos State Government on Thursday recorded two more COVID-19-related deaths and discharged another five other patients who have teste...

Women arrested in Ogun state for criticizing the quality of food items distributed as palliatives

03:20 Unknown 0

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Men of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested one Idowu Adekoya and two others for allegedly raining curses on the Governor Dapo Abiodun over alleged poor quality of food items distributed as palliatives. 
 
In a video that has gone viral on the social media, the three accused women were seen abusing the governor, the local government chairman and the vice-chairman of the Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area for distributing beans filed with stones to residents of Ijebu Ode. 
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When contacted, the counsel for the acussed, Gboyega Okenla, said,”When I got to the police station , I saw that they were being investigated for conspiracy and conduct likely to cause breach of the peace. 
 
“They have been released, there might be possibility for them to come back to the police station.” 
 
Meanwhile, the state government has described the video as fake 
 
The government in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor, Kunle Sumorin, said, “The truth of the matter is that the fake news purveyor (Idowu Adekoya) who uploaded the offensive and outrageously false video on the internet, had already confessed to being negatively influenced to put up the video by some disgruntled politicians in Ogun State.”

Latest-News Women arrested in Ogun state for criticizing the quality of food items distributed as palliatives

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Melinda Gates to Trump: Your WHO move makes no sense

12:57 Unknown 0

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Coronavirus will spread to all parts of Nigeria, no state will escape – NCDC DG

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COVID-19: Death of Nigerian doctor in Lagos sad, reinforces need for action – Atiku Abubakar

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Coronavirus: 63 inmates get amnesty in Plateau

12:27 Unknown 0

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The Nigerian Correctional Service says 63 inmates in Plateau have been granted amnesty by the federal and state governments. 
 
Public Relations Officer of the service in Plateau, ASC Martha Banda, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Jos. 
 
Banda said the amnesty was in line with the decision of the Federal Government to decongest the correctional centres in the country, as a measure to contain the spread of Coronavirus in the country. 
 
NAN reports that the President Muhammadu Buhari on April 8, approved the release of 2,600 prisoners in the country. 
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Banda explained that 57 of the inmates were granted amnesty by the state, while six others were pardoned by the federal government. 
 
“You will recall that the federal government had directed that all custodial centers be decongested to avoid the spread of the Coronavirus in the county. 
 
“In an effort to decongest correctional facilities in Plateau, Governor Simon Lalong graciously approved the request of the Comptroller-General of the Correctional Service and granted amnesty to 57 state offenders. 
 
“The federal government also granted amnesty to six inmates, bringing the number to 63 prisoners who are affected across the 7 custodian centers in Plateau,” she said. 
 
Banda said the categories of convicts that benefitted from the pardon were the ill-health, the aged, those who have served 75 per cent of their sentence, six months or below yet to serve. 
 
She, however, said those who were convicted over violent offences like murder, armed robbery, terrorism, kidnapping, and rape did not benefit from the gesture.

Latest-News Coronavirus: 63 inmates get amnesty in Plateau

The Nigerian Correctional Service says 63 inmates in Plateau have been granted amnesty by the federal and state governments. Public Rela...

No evidence coronavirus was made in lab, China affirms WHO claim

11:57 Unknown 0

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China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said there is no evidence that the coronavirus that has infected more than two million people globally was made in a laboratory. 
 
Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the remark in response to a question about accusations the coronavirus originated in a lab in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. 
 
Wuhan was where the epidemic first emerged in late 2019. 
 
However, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his government is trying to determine whether the coronavirus emanated from a lab in Wuhan. 
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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Beijing “needs to come clean” on what they know. 
 
Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Tuesday U.S. intelligence indicates that the coronavirus likely occurred naturally, as opposed to being created in a laboratory in China. 
 
Fox News reported on Wednesday that the virus originated in a Wuhan laboratory not as a bioweapon, but as part of China’s effort to demonstrate that its efforts to identify and combat viruses are equal to or greater than the capabilities of the U.S. 
 
This report and others have suggested the Wuhan lab where virology experiments take place and lax safety standards there led to someone getting infected and appearing at a nearby “wet” market, where the virus began to spread. 
 
At a White House news conference Trump was asked about the reports of the virus escaping from the Wuhan lab, and he said he was aware of them. 
 
“We are doing a very thorough examination of this horrible situation that happened,” he said. 
 
Trump has sought to stress strong U.S. ties with China during the pandemic as the U.S. has relied on China for personal protection equipment desperately needed by American medical workers. 
 
As far back as February, the Chinese state-backed Wuhan Institute of Virology dismissed rumuors that the virus may have been artificially synthesised at one of its laboratories or perhaps escaped from such a facility. 
 
Pompeo, in a Fox News Channel interview after Trump’s news conference, said “we know this virus originated in Wuhan,” and that the Institute of Virology is only a handful of miles away from the wet market. 
 
“We really need the Chinese government to open up” and help explain “exactly how this virus spread,” said Pompeo. 
 
“The Chinese government needs to come clean,” he said. 
 
The broad scientific consensus holds that SARS-CoV-2, the virus’ official name, originated in bats. 
 
Trump and other officials have expressed deep skepticism of China’s officially declared death toll from the virus of around 3,000 people, when the U.S. has a death toll of more than 20,000 and rising. 
 
He returned to the subject on Wednesday, saying the U.S. has more cases “because we do more reporting.” 
 
“Do you really believe those numbers in this vast country called China, and that they have a certain number of cases and a certain number of deaths; does anybody really believe that?” he said.

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Ebola returns as WHO confirms three new cases

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Pensioners beg Buhari to be included in palliatives

11:27 Unknown 0

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Pensioners in the country have pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the palliatives to them in order to cushion the hardship as a result of the lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
The pensioners said that their inclusion in the palliatives has become imperative because of their vulnerability and the need to have money to feed and buy drugs so as to stay alive as the lockdown lasts. 
 
President-General of Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners’ Association of Nigeria, FEPPPAN, Chief Temple Ubani in a statement on Thursday said that the Senior Citizens were passing through serious hardship due to the lockdown order by President Buhari and some states. 
 
According to him, “We most humbly request the President to please include Nigerian Retirees spread all over the Nigerian States and the FCT in the palliatives meant for distribution to vulnerable Nigerians. Pensioners are among the most vulnerable in any community because of their age and health. 
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“These Pensioners can be reached most effectively through their pay-points; such as: The Treasury Funded through PTAD, The Self Funding and Private Sector Pensioners through their former Employers and, The Contributory Pensioners through their PFAs. 
 
“Though our Union was registered to care for Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners in Nigeria, in a matter like this, we are under obligation to be our brothers keeper, hence the general appeal for all Pensioners. 
 
“We appeal to Government to avoid sending palliatives meant for the vulnerable Nigerian Pensioners to none pensioners for distribution or adopt any other distribution mode that will work hardship for the Pensioners, especially the Federal Government funded and Private Sector Pensioners.” 
 
The FEPPPAN boss commended pensioners across the country for adhearing to government’s stay-at-home and stay safe order, as a measure to curtail the spread of the novel Coronavirus.

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COVID-19: MFM G.O Olukoya lists effects of Coronavirus on individuals, politicians, reveals only solution

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COVID-19: Nigeria, South Africa, others lose $4.2bn, says IMF

10:27 Unknown 0

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The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the largest capital outflow from sub-Saharan Africa with over $4.2bn leaving the region from the end of February. 
 
The International Monetary Fund disclosed this in its latest Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa, which was released on Wednesday. 
 
Although the destinations of the outflow were not specified, countries affected by the development, according to the report, are Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Namibia and Rwanda. Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana are also affected. 
 
The report linked the outflow to ‘spillovers from a rapidly deteriorating external environment, said to be compounding the economic challenges facing countries in the region. 
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A sharp slowdown in growth among key trading partners of many of the countries in the region has reduced external demand, according to the report. 
 
The global economic slowdown arising from the coronavirus pandemic is expected to reduce growth in the region’s trading partners by about six percentage points in 2020. 
 
The IMF also observed that ‘tightening global financial conditions’ was reducing investment flow and adding to external pressures. 
 
The report added that sharp decline in commodity prices, especially oil, had exacerbated challenges in some of the region’s largest, resource-intensive economies, particularly Nigeria and Angola. 
 
According to the IMF, sub-Saharan Africa is facing an unprecedented health and economic crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
The IMF, in the report, projected the region’s economy would shrink by 1.6 per cent in 2020. 
 
It also projected that real per capita income would fall by even more, -3.9 per cent on average. 
 
Painting a bleak future for sub-Saharan Africa, the IMF warned “the crisis threatens to reverse recent development progress across the region and may weigh on growth for years to come.” 
 
The report observed that COVID-19 was already threatening to unleash an unprecedented health crisis on sub-Saharan Africa. 
 
As of April 13, over 7,800 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed across 43 countries in the region, with South Africa, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso the most affected. 
 
“The rapid spread of the virus, if left unchecked, threatens to overwhelm weak healthcare systems and exact a large humanitarian toll,” the report said. 
 
In another development, the World Bank and the IMF have welcomed the decision of the G20 countries to suspend debt repayment by the poorest countries. 
 
The decision, aimed at safeguarding lives and livelihoods in poor nations as the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, was taken at the G20 Finance Ministers’ Meeting. 
 
A joint statement released by President of the World Bank Group, David Malpass, and IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, hailed the outcome of the meeting. 
 
The joint statement, which was posted on IMF website on Wednesday, said the G20 countries agreed to suspend repayment of official bilateral credit on May 1.

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COVID-19: Open up on how Coronavirus came about – US tells China

10:27 Unknown 0

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<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">The US President, Donald Trump has said that his administration was trying to determine where the deadly Coronavirus disease originated from.</div>
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<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Also addressing reporters yesterday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the Chinese government “to come clean” on what it knows about COVID-19.</div>
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<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">During his daily briefing on the pandemic at the White House on Wednesday, Trump was asked about the reports of the virus escaping from a laboratory in Wuhan China, where the coronavirus started.</div>
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<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">“We are doing a very thorough examination of this horrible situation that happened,” Trump said, according to Al Jazeera.</div>
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<a name='more' id="more"></a>Pressed further on whether he had raised the subject in his conversations with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the US leader added, “I don’t want to discuss what I talked to him about the laboratory, I just don’t want to discuss, it’s inappropriate right now.” 
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<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Coronavirus has killed at least 136,000 people around the world, with almost 31,000 in the US alone.</div>
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<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Globally, more than two million people have tested positive with the virus, while at least half a million have recovered.</div>
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<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Trump’s top diplomat, Pompeo, told Fox News after Trump’s news conference, that, “We know this virus originated in Wuhan, China,” and noted that the Institute of Virology was only a handful of miles from the market, where people first came down with the disease.</div>
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<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">“We really need the Chinese government to open up” and help explain “exactly how this virus spread,” Pompeo added.</div>
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<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">“The Chinese government needs to come clean,” he said.</div>
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">The Wuhan Institute of Virology which is backed by the government had dismissed reports that the virus may have been artificially synthesised at one of its laboratories or escaped from its facility as far back as February.</div>