Infowiz

 Despite repeated assurances of protection from the Federal Government and the Nigerian Army, the heinous attacks of bandits on defenceless communities in the North-West have continued unabated. With the COVID-19 pandemic intensifying across the north, states such as Katsina, President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state remain under siege from the notorious bandits who continue to kill and destroy with impunity. The hashtag #PrayForKatsina started trending on Twitter in response to the continued violence in the state, some of which have been reported by the media. Sources from the area have revealed to Today’s Echo that there have been several attacks on villages in Katsina since the president imposed a lockdown on some states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on March 30, 2020. The attacks have reportedly continued even after the lockdown was lifted on May 04. On Saturday, April 18, the Police announced that gunmen have killed 47 people in attacks on villages in Katsina in the ea...

The Association of Resident Doctors in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) have said that doctors in the capital are being owed three to seven months’ worth of salaries. This issue raises a major alarm as these doctors are frontline health workers risking their lives daily to provide treatment to COVID-19 patients. The doctors also voiced their concerns over the suspicious deductions from the salaries of old doctors after being registered on Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System. These complaints were issued in a communique after a virtual meeting on May 7, 2020 and signed by Dr. Mustapha Ibrahim, the General Secretary of ARDFCTA. The doctors who planned to embark on a strike decided from May 1 st  decided to put it on hold for now. The communique read: “The council noted with dismay the haphazard nature in which the April, 2020 salaries was paid by IPPIS with no prior sensitisation or explanation despite the April 30 deadline for all matters connected therewith be r...

The UK government has given the green light for the 2019/20 Premier League season to return from 1 June, with all remaining fixtures set to be played behind closed doors until the public safety can be guaranteed. The news was contained in a 60-page document, Our Plan to Rebuild, which sets out in broad terms the government’s strategy for recovery from the pandemic. Whether or not supporters will be able to attend matches before the end of the campaign remains unclear, as step three proposes a reopening of venues such as cinemas and hairdressers in July. However it also includes the following warning: “Some venues which are, by design, crowded and where it may prove difficult to enact distancing may still not be able to reopen safely at this point, or may be able to open safely only in part. “Nevertheless, the Government will wish to open as many businesses and public places as the data and information at the time allows. “In order to facilitate the fastest possible reopening of these t...

 Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, is set to resume at the Senate on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, following his release from a correctional facility in Kuje, Abuja by the Supreme Court last Friday. The EFCC had described the Supreme Court’s judgement as ‘unfortunate’ and promised to rearraign the lawmaker immediately. Recall that the former Abia State governor was jailed in December 2019 over allegation of misappropriation of Abia’s state funds to the tune of N7.6 billion during his tenure; between 1999 and 2007. He pleaded not guilty. The lawmaker, who represents Abia North in the Senate under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), heaved a sigh of relief when the Supreme Court quashed the judgement of the lower court that convicted him to a 12-year jail term. Kalu and co-defendants, Slok Nigeria Ltd and a former Director of Finance of the Abia State Government House, Jones Udeogu, had challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court in Lagos to conduct the trial after the pres...

 At least 17 out of the 20 airports owned and managed by the Federal Government of Nigeria have turned out to be unviable and have operated at a loss for three years, media sources have revealed. Sources disclosed that only the trio of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja; and Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Rivers State, has sufficient revenue to cover the cost of operations alone. According to Nigerian newspaper, Guardian, additional funding from high-traffic Lagos and Abuja airports’ excess revenue to the tune of N26.1 billion cushioned the operational cost deficits incurred by the unviable airports in 2017, 2018 and 2019. With zero revenue being recorded following the lockdown occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic and recent flight restrictions for another four weeks, the Federal Government is in a dilemma on what to do with the airports; either to keep running them at a loss regardless of liab...

The federal government is set to receive the first shipment of Madagascar’s COVID Organics (COV), a herbal drug for the prevention and cure of Coronavirus after the latter offered it Nigeria and other African countries. According to reports, Nigeria’s consignment has been sent to Equatorial Guinea from where it will be airlifted to Abuja. For ease of transportation, African countries were divided into zones leading to the freighting of Nigeria’s consignments to Equatorial Guinea. Nigeria’s COVID-19 positive tally moved to 4,399 last night with 248 new cases announced by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Lagos recorded 81 cases, followed by Jigawa State 35 and Borno 26 cases to top the chart. Kano recorded 26 cases, followed by Bauchi with 20 cases. There is pressure on the Federal Government by different medical and scientific organizations to allow the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administ...

An additional 21 patients have recovered from coronavirus infection in Lagos State and have been discharged from the state’s isolation facilities. The state Ministry of Health disclosed this on Sunday evening via Twitter. The ministry noted that the patients all tested negative twice for the virus upon treatment before they were allowed to reunite with the society. It said the patients comprised four females and 17 males and they were discharged from different isolation centres across the state, bringing the total recoveries in Lagos to 469. “21 COVID-19 patients; 4 females and 17 males; all Nigerians have been discharged from our isolation facilities at Onikan, Eti-Osa (LandMark), First Cardiology Hospital and Lagos University Teaching Hospital to reunite with the society. “The patients; 3 from Onikan, 1 from Eti-Osa (LandMark), 6 from Lekki, 1 from First Cardiology and 10 from Lagos University Teaching Hospital have fully recovered and tested negative twice consecutively. “With this,...