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The Chairperson of Oyo State Decontamination and Containment Project, Prof. Olanike Adeyemo, said on Friday that the state followed the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for decontamination of the coronavirus. Adeyemo, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan, was reacting to speculations making the rounds that the required chemical was not being used in the decontamination process. She said that the speculations were politically motivated, adding that “experts developed and published a protocol in line with WHO guidelines for decontamination of coronavirus contaminated facilities.” “I do not join issues with faceless people, most likely it is…

The Media Centre of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja on Friday was gutted by fire. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the fire incident at the media centre, which is located within the commission’s headquarters, but not within its main building, started at around 11:30 a.m. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye while confirming the incident, said that the fire started around 11:30 a.m, adding that the main building was intact. Okoye, speaking with newsmen at the office where the incident happened, said that the commission’s critical staff who…

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Friday announced the discharge of five COVID-19 patients in the state. Obaseki, who announced this via his twitter handle said the five patients were fully recovered having tested negative twice. The governor said, “I am pleased to announce that five of the confirmed cases in Edo have now tested negative twice for COVID-19. They have thus been discharged. “This bolsters our resolve to defeat the common enemy, as we roll out more measures to check the spread of COVID-19”, he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Edo has 15 confirmed cases…

Some small businesses and workers in the private sector on Friday expressed concern over the negative impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown which had disrupted socio-economic activities across the country. They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Lagos that the government needed to firm up its efforts at combating the dreaded virus so that people could go back to their daily lives. Mr Ayooluwa Shoga, a business owner and major distributor of plastic chairs, said that the COVID-19 pandemic had created an unprecedented situation for most businesses. He said many businesses had been caught unawares, noting…

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of information, Culture, and Tourism, says the National Orientation Agency (NOA), is fully involved in the campaign to stop the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Mohammed said this while responding to questions at the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 briefing, on Thursday in Abuja, against the backdrop of allegations that the agency had been docile. He said allegations that NOA was not doing enough in terms of sensitization, awareness creation and public enlightenment about COVID-19, were unfounded. He said that a credible independent poll conducted, had certified that a greater percentage of Nigerians were aware of COVID-19,…

Ecobank Nigeria is encouraging unbanked and underbanked Nigerians which include artisans such as mechanics, carpenters, electricians, small scale retailers, transporters and others who depend on daily earning for survival, to open bank accounts instantly simply by dialing the bank’s USSD code*326#. According to the bank, owning bank accounts will enable them to save easily and access microloans (Xpress Loan). This will also enable them easily receive monetary support from friends and family members as the need arises, especially during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown, while maintaining social distancing via digital transactions, in a bid to check the spread of…

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has appealed for calm over the protests in Sapele, Delta State against the state government’s two-week extension of the lockdown. Omo-Agege also condemned, in strong terms, the alleged shooting of one of the protesters by security agents and called for the arrest and prosecution of the culprit (s). According to him, this will serve as a deterrent to other trigger-happy security men. While noting that the lockdown has caused untold hardship on the people, the lawmaker pointed out that the long-term benefits of the stay-at-home order is to protect the citizens…

A Lagos-based naturopath, Mrs Cecilia Ejinkonye, on Thursday called for the consumption of vegetables such as tomatoes, which she said contains cancer-fighting property. Ejinkonye, a therapist who specializes in Naturopathy in the Somolu area of Lagos State, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that consuming vegetables would boost the immune system of the consumer. NAN reports that Naturopathy is a method of treating diseases using food, exercise, and heat to assist the natural healing process. Ejinkonye said that tomatoes have numerous health benefits that have remained unexplored by most individuals. According to her, tomato fruits are rich in lycopene,…

Chief Judge of Bayelsa, Justice Kate Abiri, has granted pardon to eight Awaiting Trial Inmates (ATI). News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abiri pardoned the inmates while performing Jail Delivery Exercise on Thursday, to decongest the correctional centre amidst the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the world. Five of the inmates were released immediately, while three others were granted bail at Nigerian Correctional Service, Yenagoa, the state capital. The chief judge also donated food items and toiletries to inmates as palliatives in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.She said: “We were here, precisely in October 25, 2017. The purpose of the Jail…

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, says that COVID-19 tests in all approved testing centres in Lagos State are conducted free of charge. Abayomi disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, in reaction to an online report that alleged that patients pay N30,000 naira for COVID-19 test at Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) approved centres in Lagos. The commissioner noted that no designated testing centre in the state was allowed to collect money for the COVID-19 tests. Abayomi added that the state Ministry of Health was not aware of any health worker at any of the…