The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: covid 19

  • Brazilian World Cup-winner Ronaldo tested positive for Covid-19

     

    Brazilian World Cup-winner Ronaldo tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, forcing him to cancel his appearance at celebrations for the 101st anniversary of his first-ever team, Cruzeiro, the club said.

    The 45-year-old ex-striker “is fine, with light symptoms, and will now undergo a period of rest and social isolation, in line with medical advice”, Cruzeiro, who Ronaldo bought last month, said on Twitter.

    Ronaldo, who starred in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win and was thrice voted FIFA World Player of the Year, announced on December 18 he was buying a controlling stake in recently struggling Cruzeiro, where he made his professional debut in 1993 at age 16.

    He scored 56 goals in 58 matches for the Belo Horizonte-based club before going on to a glittering career in Europe at PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan, winning the Ballon d’Or in 1997 and 2002.

     

    Ronaldo was also in Brazil’s 1994 World Cup-winning squad and scored eight goals in seven matches when the Selecao won the title again in 2002.

     

    He ended his career at Sao-Paulo based Corinthians in 2011.

    Mired in financial strife, Cruzeiro finished 14th in the Brazilian Serie B last season.

     

    Globoesporte.com reported Ronaldo paid 400 million reais (about $72 million) to become the club’s majority shareholder.

    He also has a controlling stake in Spanish club Real Valladolid, who were relegated to the second division last season.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Covid 19: FG restricts religious gatherings to 50 percent capacity

     

    As Nigerians prepare for Christmas and New Year celebrations, the Federal Government, yesterday, restricted religious gathering indoors to 50 per cent capacity in full compliance with public health measures, even as it threatened to introduce more restrictions should there be an increase in COVID-19 cases virus in the country.

     

    Meanwhile, Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib has disclosed that Nigeria currently has over 20 million doses of vaccines available.

     

    Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, PSC, Boss Mustapha, in a statement, yesterday, noted that the decision became necessary following the recent rise in number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

     

    The government which appreciated that this period of the year is important to religious organisations as they hold crossover services every year to usher in the New Year, added that there has been reduced compliance with public health social measures which has led to increased COVID-19 cases in the country.

     

    He said: “The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 recognises the importance of the Christmas and New Year celebrations for most Nigerians. As we prepare to celebrate with our families and loved ones, it is important that we do so safely by taking the necessary precautionary measures to stop the further spread of COVID-19 in our country.

     

    “The PSC wishes to remind Nigerians that we are now experiencing the 4th wave of COVID-19 as new cases have continued to rise in the country. This is the result of a mix of very low vaccination coverage, increased travels and movements, reduced compliance with public health social measures and highly transmissible Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant now circulating in the country.

     

    “Indoor religious congregations should be limited to 50 per cent capacity in full compliance with public health social measures; face masks and hand sanitisers should be used at all times regardless of vaccination status while in public spaces.

     

    “Families are advised to limit the number of visitors to their homes and put in place precautionary safety measures. Any gathering in the excess of 50 people should be done in open spaces with physical distancing.

     

    “Avoid non-essential inter-state travel at this period as this increases the risk of spreading infection from one place to another. People who intend to travel are encouraged to take a rapid COVID-19 test to confirm status as many infected persons are asymptomatic.

     

    “Ensure that you have taken the full dose of COVID-19 vaccination including the booster dose to reduce your risk of severe infection and death in case of exposure to COVID-19.”

     

    We have over 20m doses of COVID-19 vaccines — FG

     

    Meanwhile, Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr. Shuaib has disclosed that Nigeria currently has over 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines available currently

     

    This is coming on the heels of Wednesday’s destruction of over one million expired doses of vaccines in Abuja.

     

    In a chat with Vanguard in Abuja, Dr. Shuaib disclosed that over 33 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were either donated or bought by the Federal Government.

     

    “Right now, at hand, I believe that we have right around 20 million vaccines that we will be deploying in a couple of months.”

     

    The NPHCDA boss further disclosed that the government will soon commence the deployment of the available vaccines to different facilities for continuation of vaccination of eligible Nigerians in a couple of weeks.

    Disclosing that at the moment, over 130,000 persons were being vaccinated daily, he said the agency is seeing a gradual increase in the number of people being vaccinated.

     

    “We are still looking up to states like Kano, like Kaduna, like Katsina that have large populations. By the time some of these states probably increase their vaccination rate, I think we will be reaching up to 200,000 vaccinations per day. This will really help us move closer to the number that we need to attain herd immunity, “he said.

     

    Shuaib, who also disclosed that over 13 million Nigerians have so far been vaccinated, added that the government is targeting vaccination of a total of 112 million Nigerians to get closer to attainment of herd immunity.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguardngr.com

  • FG approves Sinopharm vaccine

     

    The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) said NAFDAC had approved Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV COVID-19 vaccine, to step up efforts to battle a third wave of infections in the country.

     

    The Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, said this on Tuesday, in Abuja, at the National Vaccines briefing.

     

    The BBIBP-CorV, also known as the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine or BIBP vaccine, is one of two inactivated virus COVID-19 vaccines.

     

    He said it was developed by Sinopharm’s Beijing Institute of Biological Products “sometimes written as Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products,” resulting in the two different acronyms BBIBP and BIBP, for the same vaccine.

     

    “It completed phase 3 trials in Argentina, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru and United Arab Emirate (UAE), with over 60,000 participants. BBIBP-CorV shares, similar technology with CoronaVac and Covaxin, other inactivated virus vaccines for COVID-19.

     

    “Its product name is SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine ‘Vero Cell’ not to be confused with the similar product name of CoronaVac,” said Shauib.

    He added that the approval was recently granted by NAFDAC and the vaccine had also received the World Health Organisation (WHO) certification.

     

    The NPHCDA boss said, “NAFDAC has approved Sinopharm vaccine, the approval was done three days ago; and yes, Sinopharm vaccine has also received WHO certification.

    “So, it is a potential vaccine that we could use.

     

    “There are so many vaccines out there, but one thing that we are very clear about is that we are not going to use all the available vaccines in Nigeria.

     

    “At some point, we are going to draw a line in terms of the number of vaccines we would use, so that we can keep a close watch on the number of vaccines we are utilising in Nigeria,” he said.

     

    NAN also reports that the Moderna vaccines donated by the United State of America, to step-up efforts to battle a third wave of infections in the country had been deployed to 29 States.

     

    The 29 states, out of the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, were said to be prepared to receive the vaccines.

     

    According to NPHCDA, “Readiness here means that the states’ ultra-cold chain equipment are fully functional and able to store the vaccines at the required temperatures.

     

    “Also, the states must have back-up storage facilities such as Walk-in cold room, Walk-in freezer or chest freezers with reliable 24-hr power supply.

     

    “Additionally, the 29 states had trained their health care workers who will monitor the equipment and the vaccines, which was one the immunisation requirement by states to access the vaccines.

     

    “The agency is also calling on the 29 governors to continue to provide the needed oversight and resources, to ensure that the vaccines are secured and maintained in the required temperatures.

     

    “And that all eligible persons are mobilised to access the vaccines to protect themselves, their families and their communities against COVID-19,” Shuaib said. (NAN)

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.thenationonlineng.net

  • Covid 19: Buhari and his aides go on Isolation after trip to UK

     

    Mr Buhari and members of his entourage returned to Nigeria last Friday after about two weeks in London, UK.

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari will go on isolation in line with COVID-19 protocols after spending about two weeks in London, United Kingdom, the presidency has said.

     

    Also billed to go on isolation are officials of the government who accompanied the president on the trip.

    They include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba; National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno (rtd) and Director General of National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Ahmed Abubakar.

     

    Mr Buhari and members of the delegation, who travelled to London on July 26, returned to Nigeria on Friday after about two weeks.

     

    They were received at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja by his Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammad Bello, security chiefs as well as some presidential aides.

     

    Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said the officials would go on isolation in line with the guideline for international travels.

     

    “Mr President and all of those on his delegation will be isolated in line with NCDC guidelines for international travel. They all tested yesterday (Friday) and will follow up with another test in due course,” Mr Shehu told the Guardian newspaper on Sunday.

     

    While in London, Mr Buhari joined other world leaders to attend the Global Education Summit.

     

    The summit, co-hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, successfully generated about four billion dollars out of the targeted five billion dollars for the transformation of the education sector in low income countries, including Nigeria.

     

    Mr Buhari appeared on a panel of discussants with a live audience alongside his counterparts from other African countries, including Mr Kenyatta, President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, President Faure Eyadema of Togo and President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi.

     

    The summit focused on topical issues including Education’s Reset – Learning from COVID; Transforming the Child’s Learning Journey; Gender Equality in and Through Education; Ripple Effect – Education’s Impact on Sustainability, and Financing for Impact – Volume, Equity, Efficiency.

    At the summit, Mr Buhari pledged to increase the budget for the education sector in Nigeria by as much as 50 per cent over the next two years.

    Messrs Buhari and Johnson, also held bilateral talks, during which the two leaders appraised the war against different forms of terrorism in Nigeria, and agreed that the judicial process be allowed to run its course.

     

    The Nigerian leader also used the opportunity of the trip to undergo a medical check-up.

     

    Mr Buhari and members of his family routinely travel to the UK for medical treatment.

     

    While he was away, members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) began a strike over repeated failure of his administration to implement agreements signed with them.

     

    Before departing London, Mr Buhari visited former Lagos State governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, who is believed to be on a medical trip to London.

     

    Meanwhile, some persons whom the president interacted with in London have tested positive for COVID-19.

    Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the UK, Sarafa Isola, and other staff of the embassy had received the president upon his arrival at the airport in London.

    The High Commission in Central London was shut down on Thursday for 10 days.

    On March 6, Mr Buhari together with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, received the first doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

    Former Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, died of the pandemic in April 2020.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.premiumtimesng.com

  • Setback on Medical Practice

     

    The National Association of Resident Doctors says the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a devastating blow on the nation’s medical practice, especially with the death of 19 members.

     

    NARD President, Dr Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, said this on Thursday during the association’s first National Executive Council post-COVID-19 meeting in Umuahia.

     

    Uyilawa expressed regret that the pandemic “dealt heavily on resident doctors,” who lost at least 19 colleagues to the deadly scourge.

     

    He said the plight being suffered by resident doctors in the country informed the choice of the theme of the meeting: “The Nigerian Doctor: An Endangered specie Grappling with a Pandemic, Poor Workplace, Infrastructure and Security Threat.”

    He added that aside from the number of deaths recorded, about 1,000 members were suffering from varying morbidities from the pandemic.

     

    He noted that the meeting would provide platform where the plight of resident doctors would be discussed with regards to poor workplace infrastructure and security threats associated with the job.

     

    The NARD president said, “This NEC meeting gives us another opportunity to critically and extensively deliberate on issues surrounding the quality of healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

     

     

    “We shall also X-ray our plight and shortcomings as it pertains to our welfare.

     

    “We shall review the ultimatum given to the federal and state governments on issues of welfare of our members, training and service delivery to our dear patients.

     

    “The hope of Nigerians for specialist healthcare is on the resident doctor and we have shown this by how we stood up to the novel pandemic and put our lives out for Nigerians.

     

    “We are, however, relieved that our service to humanity has not fallen short o f our mantra and calling.”

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Covid 19: My Contraction and Recovery From Covid – Obasanjo

     

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday, said he once tested positive for COVID-19 but was relieved 72 hours later when subsequent tests came out negative.

     

    Obasanjo who turned 84 March 5, said he was a bit concerned about it and had to call his daughter, Dr Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, that he was not having any symptom but COVID-19 test from sample extracted from him read positive.

     

     

     

    He spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital while speaking at a colloquium organised to celebrate his 84th birthday. It was held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta.

     

    He said Iyabo’s verdict was that the result might be faulty and required further tests.

     

    The colloquium, which took place simultaneously online and offline, was entitled, “Reflection on Governance and Changes for Post-Pandemic Leadership in Africa,” with people in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Singapore and Nigeria participating virtually. The former president said subsequent tests 72 hours later all certified him negative to the coronavirus.

     

     

     

    Obasanjo, therefore, advised people not to be afraid to come quite close to felicitate with him on his birthday for the fear of COVID-19 infection, saying he had tested negative to the disease three times.

     

    He noted that God had continued to be compassionate and merciful to Nigeria and the rest of Africa, saying if the coronavirus had come in the manner of Ebola in Africa, no amount of social or physical distancing would have saved the continent. He wondered how much social distancing requirement would have been able to accomplish in very congested Lagos communities like Mushin or Ajegunle.

     

    On why the pandemic did not wreak havoc in Africa like it did in America, Europe and Asia, Obasanjo said many had attributed Africa’s luck to genetics, heat and peculiar food in the environment, stressing that whatever might be the plausible explanation, God’s finger could not be ruled out. He lamented that the coronavirus spread to many nations of the world because the United States under the administration of Donald Trump was passive in addressing the public challenge, saying Trump spent all his time dismissing the danger as a Chinese virus until it became a glob al problem.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • COVID 19: Another Covid 19 variant B.1.2.5 surfaces in Nigeria and 15 other countries,

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced on Monday that a new COVID-19 variant has been detected in Nigeria and 15 other countries.

     

    The NCDC, the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), and other partners released findings of household seroprevalence surveys (house to house survey) conducted in Lagos, Enugu, Nasarawa and Gombe states between September and October 2020.

     

     

     

    NCDC Director-General Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu made the disclosure at the media briefing by the PTF COVID-19.

     

    He explained that the new strain, B.1.2.5, which is different from the highly infectious B.1.1.7 has, however, is not yet tagged a variant of concern.

     

    He said researchers and scientists were still working hard to understand if the B.1.2.5 variant had any effect on the virus transmissibility, immunity, as well as diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics.

     

     

     

    Ihekweazu said: ‘As we shared, a total of 54 cases with the B.1.1.7 variant strain, which is a variant of concern first described in the UK have been detected in Nigeria.

     

    ‘There is a new variant, the B.1.2.5 which we have begun to detect in Nigeria and 15 other countries. It is important to note that this variant has not been described as a variant of concern yet.

     

    ‘Researchers and scientists are still working hard to understand if this variant has any effect on the virus transmissibility, immunity, as well as diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics.

     

    ‘This is because the variant has some similar mutations with the B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1 variants first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, respectively.’

     

    The NCDC boss assured that the agency was scaling up its sequencing capacity to have a better understanding of the burden of variants of concern in the country.

     

    Ihekweazu said ‘last week, we sent another 100 samples to our colleagues at the ACEGID lab in Ede, and we did 30 sequences in our lab at NCDC.

     

    ‘We will continue to scale the weekly number of samples sequenced as part of our surveillance.’

     

    According to him, the risk of virus mutation was higher when there is high transmission of the virus.

     

    ‘While sequencing is important for us to understand the situation, handwashing, physical distancing and the proper use of face masks are very important to prevent the spread of the virus,’ he further stressed.

     

    Speaking on the September and October 2020 household prevalence surveys carried out in Lagos, Enugu, Nasarawa and Gombe states, the NCDC boss said findings revealed the level of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among the population.

     

    ‘The findings from the survey show that the estimated prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the population is 23 per cent in Lagos and Enugu states, 19 per cent in Nasarawa State and 9 per cent in Gombe State’

     

    ‘We are still working on a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 which is the virus that causes COVID-19 and the duration of immunity,’ Ihekweazu said.

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • COVID 19: Apprehension, tension grips both teachers, parents and other stakeholders as schools resume today

    Anxiety and fears have gripped both teachers, parents and other stakeholders as schools resume today amid the spike in the second wave of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

     

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), yesterday, expressed fears about the safety of their members returning to classrooms nationwide against the backdrop of the frightening number of cases recorded daily in recent times.

     

    National President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, and ASUP National President, Mr. Anderson Ezeh, said from indications, there were no preparations on ground to show that COVID-19 precautions were in place to ensure safe resumption of schools.

     

    Prof. Ogunyemi said there was no sufficient evidence on ground to show full compliance of COVID-19 protocols as released by the Federal Government in 2019. He picked out two conditions that must be met before resumption of schools, which are readiness on part of schools and assessment of compliance by stakeholders such as government officials, staff unions and students.

     

    He said: ‘’We are demanding that government should take responsibility. We have proposed to government to try virtual learning if physical learning will not be possible. In most schools, infrastructure that would drive online learning are not available.

     

    ‘’Our members are ready to work. We want government to guarantee their health and safety. As we speak now our members are being owed four to 10 months salaries. Our members are not ready to work on empty stomach.’’

     

    Ezeh said ASUP has been constant with its position that government and institutions are not ready for resumption, adding there is nothing on ground for safe resumption. Apart from questionnaires sent and filled, there is nothing on ground to guarantee the safety of lecturers and students.’’

     

    He said ASUP members have been directed that any polytechnic where safety measures on COVID-19 is not adequate, they should not go for lectures. The union leader said government had all the time to provide safety facilities in the institutions, but failed to do so and are asking schools to reopen.

     

    The Federal Government want to turn our members and students to guinea pig, ‘’why is government directing schools to reopen when COVID-19 figures are high. This does not make sense.’’

     

    President of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, said parents are already to provide basic safety needs of their wards, stating ‘’we have directed all state PTA to monitor the resumption and ensure safety measures are met by schools and parents.’’

     

    He said NAPTAN is desperate to have the children back to schools and appealed to government to ensure schools are provided with safety facilities to protect teachers and support the schools to ensure compliance of the protocols.

     

    President, National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said the decision to throw Nigerian children back to school was wrong and should be reversed as quickly as possible, expressing fear that such decision could herald unprecedented disaster.

     

    “The decision is a disaster in the waiting. Obviously, the basic safety tools that would make schools safe for children are completely absent in most schools in Nigeria particularly in public schools. Did government screen the teachers and students ahead of resumption?

     

    “Countries of the world are not in hurry to throw children into the schools. United Kingdom school system is locked, so is United States and Canada. So where are we getting our yardstick from?.

     

    “Over 700 people were infected the last time NYSC camp was opened. We have observed that most of the screenings going on in Nigeria, particularly in hospitals, are for people who are seeking clearance to travel abroad.

     

    “In health care facilities, COVID-19 is spreading with little or no checks. Recently, over 25 doctors were infected with COVID-19 in Nasarawa State University Teaching Hospital. In University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, over 20 doctors were infected including pediatricians, and so they would spread the virus among their families.”

     

    He maintained that NARD is opposed to the reopening of the schools, suggesting that online classes should continue as being the case in other countries of the world battling COVID-19 pandemic.

     

    But President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Otubela Abayomi, confirmed to Daily Sun that its members have been properly sensitised as regards the COVID-19 safety protocols as advised by NCDC.

     

    “Our members throughout the country have already complied with the safety protocols. They have provided the needed items in the schools. We have also held seminars and trainings for all the stakeholders within the school system. Teaching and non teaching staff were engaged separately on what to do as regards the safety protocols.

     

    “We also engaged with the pupils/students on their expected roles. Also, parents were also engaged on their own responsibilities. We set up a committee called COVID-19 Protocol Compliance Officers (COPCO). They move round the school to check the level of compliance with the safety protocols. Their job is to remind and call the attention of the school authorities to any breach of the protocols.”

     

    In addition to that, he said that NAPPS has directed schools to adopt staggered resumption, particularly schools with high population, so they could spread the classes into morning and afternoon session, even though available data indicated that majority of the private schools have fewer population.

     

    He also confirmed that members have adopted the option of spending few hours in school as against spending about seven to eight hours in school. “Students would be spending about four to five hours in school. We have also adopted staggered break so that all the children would not come out at the same time for break,” he said.

     

    Delta cancels transfer of 4,500 teachers

    Delta Government has announced cancellation of recent transfer of over 4,500 secondary school teachers across various communities.

    The cancellation, Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Patrick Ukah, said, is as a result of increasing rate of COVID-19 infections.

     

    Ukah, in a statement, explained that the pandemic has already affected the adjusted academic calendar, adding that transferring teachers at this time would lead to further loss of academic hours as the affected teachers would need time to adjust and settle down in their new schools.

     

    Rivers tasks media on public enlightenment on pandemic

    Meanwhile, Rivers has charged the media to intensify partnership with the state government in the the fight against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic through aggressive public awareness strategy.

     

    Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, who gave the charge at a meeting with media executives, expressed worry at the spike in the spread of the pandemic in the state, saying it needed increased media enlightenment campaigns.

     

    Nsirim stressed the need to carry out an aggressive public enlightenment programme to effectively educate and inform residents of the state on the need to strictly observe all the COVID-19 protocols as measures to protect themselves from the deadly pandemic.

    “As major stakeholders in the state, it is important that we see this as part of our corpor ate social responsibility to begin to do something very fast.”

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • FG bans large gatherings such as assemblies and visiting days, orders schools to observe covid 19 guidelines

     

    The Federal Government, on Thursday, banned overcrowding and large gatherings such as assemblies and visiting days, as schools reopen on Monday.

    It also put limitations to class sizes and hostel occupancy and asked the schools to ensure compulsory wearing of face masks by all students, teachers and workers, as well ensure temperature checks and put hand washing facilities in strategic locations in all schools

     

    The government also asked the school authorities to ensure constant supply of water and sanitisers, and make available functional health clinics with facilities for isolation and transportation of suspected cases to medical facilities.

     

    The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, gave the conditions in a statement by the Director of Press in the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Bem Goong.

     

    READ ALSO: Three LASUCOM students test positive for COVID-19

     

    According to him, the decision to maintain the resumption date is the aftermath of “extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, including state governors, commissioners of education, proprietors and heads of institutions, staff unions and students.”

     

    Adamu told parents and the respective institutions to ensure full compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

     

    The statement read in part, “Sequel to the hint given during the press briefing on January 12, 2021 for the review of the proposed resumption date of January 18, 2021, the Federal Ministry of Education has undertaken a comprehensive appraisal of the situation.

     

    “After extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders, including state governors, commissioners of education, proprietors and heads of institutions, staff unions and students, the consensus of opinion is that the resumption date of January 18 should remain, while parents and respective institutions must ensure full compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

     

    “These measures, which are to ensure safe reopening of schools for academic activities, will be subject to constant review as we urge teachers, school administrators and other stakeholders to ensure strict compliance.”

     

    When asked how the government intends to curtail further spread of the virus with the planned resumption, Adamu school authorities would be asked to ensure strict compliance with existing and fresh guidelines that would be released.

     

    He added, “We shall be warning stakeholders, particularly school authorities to ensure strict compliance with protocols.

     

    “For instance, we will have no choice than to enforce compulsory use of face masks by teachers and students.

     

    “We will also make it clear that we shall be reviewing the situation from time to time after resumption with a view to taking necessary decisions.”

     

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    Recall that the United Nations Children’s Fund had called on governments across the world to spare no effort to keep schools open or prioritise them in reopening plans despite the increasing cases of COVID-19.

     

    UNICAL inaugurates COVID-19 task force

     

    The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, has inaugurated the COVID-19 Task Force Central Team for the institution ahead of resumption.

     

    The team, which is headed by Dr Kingsley Akaba, has Dr Paul Odey, Dr Leku Odey, Dr Alexander Peter, Dr Bassey Ubi and Mrs Josephine Bisong as members.

     

    While inaugurating the task force, Obi charged members “to coordinate all the terms of reference as established by the Presidential Task Force and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control in the campus.”

    She also said the taskforce would oversee the activities of all sub-committees and execution of their goals and report directly to the vice-chancellor’s office on the day-to-da y activities of the COVID-19 task force.

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Covid 19 : Pope Francis loses his personal doctor to covid 19

    Pope Francis’ personal doctor Fabrizio Soccorsi has died from COVID-19 related complications, the Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, said at the weekend.

     

    Soccorsi was appointed in 2017. He was 78.

     

     

    The deceased was hospitalised in Rome on December 26 2020 for a previous oncological disease. It’s unclear when he was last in direct contact with Pope Francis.

     

    In an interview with Italy’s Canale 5 channel on Sunday, Pope Francis said the Vatican will begin COVID-19 vaccinations next week and he is in line  to take it

     

    Source : www.thenationonlineng.net

  • ASUU : Institutions are not ready for safe reopening

    Branches of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Sunday assessed COVID-19 protocols in the universities and said the institutions were not ready for safe reopening.

    The chapters of the union, in separate interviews with The PUNCH, commented on the directive of the National Universities Commission that universities could resume on January 18, but must adhere to COVID-19 protocols in hostels and lecture halls.

     

    ASUU said although its members were ready to start work, government had not put measures in place for safe reopening of the schools.

    ASUU’s concern came amid coronavirus cases and deaths, which rose to 99,063 and 1,350 respectively on Saturday.

     

    The union Chairman at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State, Dr Adeola Egbedokun, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said classroom and hostel situations in universities did not in any way conform with COVID-19 protocols.

    Egbedokun further said no preparations had been made so far for the safe re-opening of the universities and urged parents to insist on safety before re-opening.

    No preparation for COVID-19 protocols, insist on safe reopening, OAU ASUU tells parents

    He said, “COVID-19 is very real and this second wave is as real as described. We cannot afford to toy with our health and the health of our dear students in the name of resumption, which is politically motivated.

    “There are no preparations for safe re-opening of the universities and I think parents must insist on safe re-opening. The current classroom and hostel configurations in our universities do not in any way conform with the PTF (Presidential Task Force) on COVID-19 protocols. There is no way universities can achieve that. I have said this elsewhere, that rather than for government to have addressed the obvious deficits in the public universities during the lockdown and strike, they were playing to the gallery.”

    But the OAU spokesperson, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said the university management was ready for resumption and had put in place “a lot in relation to the COVID-19 protocols” in a bid to ensure safety.

    Holding physical lectures now will be disastrous, says FUNAAB ASUU

    ASUU at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta said the university was not ready to cope with COVID-19 challenges.

    The Chairman of ASUU-FUNAAB, Dr Adebayo Oni, in an interview with one of our correspondents on Sunday, stated, “The lectures halls are overcrowded. As of today, in my own campus, I have not seen any facility for hand washing Who is to provide sanitisers? Do you expect lecturers to provide sanitisers for themselves?

    “Fumigation of the environment from time to time should be done, How do you cope with students surge and the challenge of power supply ?”

    Oni said the union had observed that conducting physical lectures with students would be more disastrous.

    He described as alarming, figure of COVID-19. He said, “It is definitely a threat to the resumption of academic activities .

    “The fact is that under this circumstance and looking at the threat of the figure, going physical with students would be more disastrous. Conducting physical session, physical lectures with students would be more disastrous.

    “The truth of the matter is that we now propose a mixed model of online teaching and probably some level of physical teachings.

    “Even the online teaching also comes with its own facilities which are not readily available.

    “We don’t want to be pessimistic to say that it is not going to be workable. However , it is going to be at the risk of our lives and the lives of our students if the required facilities are not provided by the government.

     

    “The truth is that the facilities to cope with the pandemic are not available in our institutions. It appears the government is not ready and our institutions are not helpful.”

     

    COVID-19: Nothing on ground to show ATBU ready for resumption, say lecturers

    Also, the Chairman of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University branch of ASUU, Dr Musa Babayo, in a text message sent to our one of our correspondents, said that the government and institutions did not show any sign of seriousness in handling COVID-19 issues when the union was on strike.

    He said that ASUU in the ATBU had yet to see any tangible improvement in students’ hostel accommodation, classrooms and other things needed for COVID-19 protocols.

    Babayo who said that if the Federal Government had released funds to universities, proper arrangements for the protocols would have been made by the institutions.

    He said, “The coast is now very clear since has ASUU suspended its strike and it has gone further to show how government and institutions are not serious in the handling universities, particularly the issues of COVID-19.

    “When you talk about ATBU and resumption whether ASUU is satisfied, I can tell you that we have yet to see any tangible improvement, whether in hostel accommodation, classrooms and other things needed for COVID-19 protocols.”

    But the Public Relations Officer of the university, Bauchi, Abdulkadir Shehu, told one of our correspondents that the resumption of students of the institution had yet to be announced.

     

    He said, “Yesterday (Saturday) fumigation of the school at both the Yelwa and Gubu campuses commenced and it will soon be concluded.”

     

    We are concern about second surge – UNIJOS ASUU

    The Chairman of ASUU at the University of Jos, Dr Lazarus Maigoro, said the association was concerned about the second wave of COVID-19.

    He, therefore, urged the management of the university to ensure compliance with COVID-19 protocols on resumption.

    Maigoro who expressed concern over the second wave of COVID-19 said his members expected the university authority to comply with the COVID-19 protocols to contain the spread of the disease in the institution

    The Senate of UNIJOS will on Monday (today) hold a meeting to decide whether the institution will reopen for academic activities on January 18, 2021.

    The institution’s Deputy Registrar, Information and Publications, Abdullahi Abdullahi, disclosed this to one of our correspondents in Jos on Sunday.

    Abdullahi said, “We don’t know yet when UNIJOS will resume. The Senate will be meeting tomorrow (Monday) and that is where they will decide when the institution will reopen.”

     

    ‌Second wave more ferocious, we won’t expose our members to health hazards – UNICAL ASUU chair

    At the University of Calabar, the union Chairman, Dr John Edor, told The PUNCH that the association would not allow its members to be exposed to health hazards.

    Edor stated, “As a union, we are not too quick to talk. We are not too fast to become meddlesome. They have said schools are permitted to resume on the 18th of January, 2021. If by then we see that the necessary things are not put in place for the resumption, the union will come up with a position because we are not ready to expose our members to health hazards.

    “That was why we went on strike, asking for revitalisation of public universities. Revitalisation simply means conducive theatres, conducive hostels, offices, laboratories and libraries.

    “That is why we are saying let us wait till 18th of January and see how prepared Nigerian public universities are in the face of the second wave of COVID-19 which has come up with a more ferocious variant.”

    At the University of Port Harcourt, ASUU Chairman, Dr Austen Sado, said there would be a spike in coronavirus cases.

    He stated, “We have not been invited to inspect any facility in order to determine its suitability. So, we will wait until we get clarification on the resumption, then we will know whether there are things to contend with.”

    Asked if he feared a spike ahead of the school resumption, he said he had seen some measures put in place by the university, but that the possibility of an increase in cases existed.

     

    UNIPORT purchases 400 thermometers

    The university had directed students to resume on January 27, saying appropriate measures had been put in place to check the spread of COVID-19 in the classrooms and hostels.

    The Public Relations Officer of the university, Sammy Kpenu who disclosed this to one of our correspondents on Sunday afternoon, said one of such measures was the purchase of 400 thermometers to check temperatures.

     

    UNILAG Senate decides resumption date Wednesday

    But Registrar of University of Lagos, Mr Oladejo Azeez, said the decision on resumption of academic activities would be taken by the school’s Senate on Wednesday.

    Azeez in an interview with The PUNCH, said the Senate would meet virtually on Wednesday to discuss and decide on the modalities of students’ resumption and academic activities.

    He said, “Irrespective of what the Federal Government has said, the resumption of students or of academic activities is the prerogative of Senate. Senate of the university will decide and the meeting of the Senate is coming up on Wednesday; a virtual meeting. The law places this in the hands of the Senate and until Senate meets, there is no way anybody can say anything on resumption.”

    The management of the University of Ibadan said everything would be done to ensure that there was not spike in cases of COVID-19 among students and staff.

    The Director of Public Communication of the university, Mr Olatunji Oladejo, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents in Ibadan on Sunday.

    But ASUU Chairman at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Dr Abubakar Sabo, said he doubted if universities in Nigeria could meet the guidelines for preventing COVID-19.

    Abubakar, who spoke to one of our correspondents in Sokoto, stated that he was not aware of measures being put in place by the management of the UDUD towards the resumption date.

    “The Federal Government and university authorities must ensure that, there is no spike on our campuses. I have doubt, if our universities can meet up with the standard and best practices to check the pandemic.”

     

    Crowded classrooms: Our struggle for expanded infrastructure justified, says UNILAG ASUU

    While reacting to this issue of social distancing on campus, chairman,, UNILAG branch, Dr Dele Ashiru, explained that the union had been justified over their agitations for expansion of infrastructure in Universities across the country.

    He said, “ASUU has been clamouring for the expansion of infrastructure in the universities. This is a testimony to the justification of our struggles over the years because the situation as it is now leaves more to be desired.”

    We haven’t seen any measure in ABU – Lecturers

    The Ahmadu Bello University branch of ASUU said although its members were ready to work, it had not seen any measure put in place by the university.

    ABU’s ASUU Chairman, Prof. Rabiu Nasiru, told one of our correspondents in Kaduna on Sunday that the lecturers were prepare to go back to work.

    He, however, expressed concern that no adequate measures had so far been taken by the ABU management against the spread of the virus in the institution.

    He said, “I haven’t seen any measure taken so far by the management of ABU, but since the senate of the university is meeting on Tuesday, once Senate meets, I know those issues will be rais ed and it will be discussed. But for now, I have not seen any measure taken.”

     

    Source : www.punchng.com

  • Covid 19 : Two professors in UNILAG test postive for covid 19

    There is palpable fear among workers and residents of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, as two more professors including a law lecturer and incumbent attorney-general of Oyo State, Oyelowo Oyewo, have been confirmed positive of the deadly coronavirus disease.

    This is coming on the heels of the country’s new record high figure of confirmed cases as announced on Wednesday evening by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

    The centre had announced a total of 1,664 new cases which ranks as the country’s highest daily figure so far since the index case was first recorded on February 27, 2020.

    But while Mr Oyewo neither picked his call nor replied to a text message sent to him on the matter, the chief press secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Taiwo Adisa, simply said; “I don’t comment on what I don’t know.”

    Meanwhile, a top management official at the university, who does not want to be named due to the confidentiality of the matter, confirmed that both Mr Oyewo and a professor of African History at the university’s department of history and strategic studies, faculty of arts, Rufus Akinyele, are down with the disease.

    The source, however, learnt that while Mr Akinyele has been discharged from an isolation centre at the infectious disease hospital (IDH), Yaba, Lagos, and recuperating at his official quarters on the campus, Mr Oyewo is on self-isolation at an undisclosed location.

    Contact tracing

    The university in partnership with relevant authorities has also commenced the tracing of some contacts following the <span;>death of the institution’s former dean of the faculty of education, Duro Ajeyalemi<span;>, on Wednesday.

    This newspaper exclusively learnt that Mr Ajeyalemi had on December 31 reported at the university’s medical centre before he was referred to the university’s teaching hospital in Idi-Araba.

    The university’s vice-chancellor, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, who confirmed the contact tracing process to our reporter on the phone, however, allayed the fear of the residents.

    Mr Ogundipe said the doctors and other officials that attended to Mr Ajeyalemi at the medical centre had been asked to self-isolate while they also go for proper testing.

    “We are making efforts to ensure that those to be tested for the disease are able to get tested on time. There is no need for panic, the situation is well under control but we advise everyone to follow the Covid-19 guidelines and protocols adequately,” Mr Ogundipe, a professor, said on the phone.

    Further findings by our reporter revealed that an unidentified daughter of one of the lecturers on the campus was also on Wednesday transferred to LUTH with the medical centre’s ambulance.

    But the vice-chancellor said he could not confirm the report, saying he was yet to be briefed on any development relating to that.

    Panic on campus

    Many academic and non-academic workers who spoke with  The Source on condition of anonymity said they are afraid of moving around on the campus for fear of interacting with possible carriers of the virus.

    The vice-chancellor also confirmed that he had to work from a hideout on the campus on Wednesday to avoid contacts with many visitors who might want to sympathise with him and the university on the death of two retired professors – Oye Ibidapo-Obe and Duro Ajeyalemi.

    The two dons had died within the same week having contracted the disease. Though it is unclear whether they both attended the same event, the rumour circulating the campus was that both Ibidapo-Obe and Ajeyalemi, among other lecturers of Ijesha origin had recently attended a social event in Ikoyi.

    Mr Oyewo was also recently hosted at a reception in his honour over his attainment of the status of a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

    A lecturer in the university’s faculty of social sciences told our reporter on the phone that he would not risk any interaction with anyone, and “so I have opted for virtual channels to interact with anyone.”

    The university’s deputy vice-chancellor in charge of development services, Folasade Ogunsola, had on Wednesday advised Nigerians to avoid partying “at this critical time.”

    The professor of medical microbiology said the best precaution is for people to use masks appropriately and sanitise their hands regularly if they don’t have access to running water and soap.

    Source : www.premiumtimesng.com