South Africa to close borders as COVID-19 overwhelms its health system

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13/01/2021

By Salim Yunusa

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has told the nation that his government will close its land borders for travellers from now to 15th February, in its efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

Ramaphosa was shown in somber state on a national television stating that the country is now being hit hard due to rising number of new cases, which he alluded is higher than the first wave.

He said that in this year 2021, the country has recorded 190,000 cases of COVID-19, and almost 15,000 are currently hospitalized.

The president identified burial ceremonies as one of the factors facilitating spread of the virus in the country.

On suspension of planned schools reopening: Matters arising

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13/01/2021

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By Pokalas, Paiyun-Dayi Tal.

If the Government both past and present had heeded ASUU’S demand for revitalization, Universities would have had enough freshness and energy to find a way around the pandemic at this crucial time when schools have been closed for almost a year and especially now that the hopes which spreads forth light has been dimmed by the indefinite postponement of the earlier date announced for school resumption.

The excitement with which students and parents greeted the news of the reopening has been dashed. This I can only attribute to a lack of planning by a band of men who happen to seat at the hem of national affairs only to keep rescinding crucial decisions at every turn as though these decisions haven’t been carefully thought about before implementation. An instance of this is how the nation has been driven as pendulum regarding decisions on electricity tariff hike.

I have read reactions and equally heard of how people have been thrown into a manic sense of infuriation at the fact that ASUU declared that with the current surge in COVID-19 cases schools aren’t safe to reopen because facilities that will ensure safety aren’t in place and that ASUU cannot risk the lives of its members to return to the classrooms just to satisfy the appetite of other education stakeholders in the country.

Moreso, with an unfulfilled promise of payment of the legitimate salary arrears there still won’t be enough motivation to resume classroom, this is but by the way. ASUU just like any other trade union hold as a duty to ensure good welfare of its members and safety of lives is not an exemption. I can only regret the inconvenience this pronouncement will cause the general public, but I must stress that even if school reopens, comrades can only resume only at the behest of our dear union.

To make a point further, seeing the kind of levity with which the government’s delegation led by Dr. Ngige handled the strike issue before a “resolution” was reached, I can only think that given the attitude conspicuously displayed especially with Dr. Ngige’s claim of a “gentle man’s agreement” you know? I am scared that the government will not be up and doing in watching to completely deliver on all yet to be fulfilled promises, seeing how they kept mum last year and did nothing when COVID-19 took over during the strike period. This is just my shot in the dark. I do hope my conjecture doesn’t hold water for if it does, the latent hope in our minds for this government will completely be quenched.

The “we move” mantra making rounds among Nigerians especially on media platforms cannot be a conclusion to the current suspension of the planned reopening especially to any man who understands that it is the government’s negligence over these years that has brought us to this point of mis-decision. One can only say “this life no balance” to the treatment education is getting from the government of the day.

If you are one who chooses not to look at these issues objectively, I’ll borrow to conclude with a soothing words from Dr. Amoka who said “Let’s keep swimming in our ignorance and our own idea of education and university system”

Fears of famine in Yemen as US designates rebels as terror organization

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13/01/2021

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By Abba Gwale

The designation of Yemen’s Iranian-backed rebels as a terror organization sparked confusion in aid agencies and warnings from the United Nations that it could have a devastating humanitarian impact on a conflict-wracked nation facing the risk of famine.

The designation is to take effect on President Donald Trump’s last full day in office, Several aid groups pleaded for Biden to immediately reverse the designation, with Oxfam America’s Humanitarian Policy Lead Scott Paul saying: “Lives hang in the balance.”

The Iranian-supported Houthi rebels rule the capital and Yemen’s north where the majority of the population lives, forcing international aid groups to work with them. Agencies depend on the Houthis to deliver aid, and they pay salaries to Houthis to do so.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the U.N.’s humanitarian operation is huge and the U.S. action “is likely to have serious humanitarian and political repercussions.”

“Good intentions must not be eclipsed by significant unintended consequences,” they warned. “Yemen imports 90 percent of its food. In light of near-famine conditions … this designation will have a devastating effect on Yemen’s food supply and other critical imports unless the executive branch acts now to issue the necessary licenses, waivers and appropriate guidance prior to designation.”

Dujarric also said it is “imperative for the U.S. to swiftly grant the necessary licenses and exemptions,” expressing fear that the private sector will not want “to get in the crosshairs of any sort of unilateral sanctions” as it has done in past situations, “so they sort of self-censor and hold back.”

Most of Yemen’s 30 million people rely on international aid to survive. The U.N. says 13.5 million Yemenis already face acute food insecurity, a figure that could rise to 16 million by June.

Some aid agencies said they were considering pulling out foreign staff.

They warned that even if the U.S. grants humanitarian exceptions as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised Sunday, the move could snarl aid delivery, drive away banks, and further wreck an economy in which millions can’t afford to feed themselves.

Houthi officials were defiant over the U.S. designation.

“We are not fearful,” tweeted the head of the group’s Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi. “America is the source of terrorism. It’s directly involved in killing and starving the Yemeni people.”

In Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the designation was “doomed to failure” and the U.S. would eventually have to enter negotiations with the Houthis.

The U.S. designation move is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to isolate and cripple Iran. It also shows support to its close ally, Saudi Arabia, which leads the anti-Houthi coalition in the war. Saudi Arabia has advocated the terror designation, hoping it would pressure the rebels to reach a peace deal. Past rounds of peace talks and cease-fire agreements have faltered

Two people killed in Kauru, Kaduna state.

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12/01/2021

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By Abba Gwale

Troops of Operation Safe Haven have informed the Kaduna State Government of an attack on Kizachi village in Kauru local government area.

According to reports, the victims were ambushed by unknown gunnmen between Bakin Kogi and Narido village, as they made their way from Bakin Kogi Market.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai expressed concern at the report of the attack, and sent condolences to the families of the bereaved, while praying for the repose of the victims’ souls, and a quick recovery for the injured.

The Governor tasked security agencies to ensure a detailed investigation into the incident.

In the meantime, the injured victims have been taken to hospital for treatment, and troops are dominating the area.

Reconsider opening schools, ASUU tells FG

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12/01/2021

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By Abba Gwale

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has reaffirmed its stand on calling Federal Government to consider its first directives on reopening schools across the country.

ASUU President, Professor Biodun made this call while speaking on Channels TV program Sunrise Daily on Tuesday.

Recall that the union called on the Nigerian government to reconsider its earlier directives given by National Universities Commission (NUC) of opening schools on January 18.

But as a result of rising cases of COVID-19 pandemic the Union is urging FG to review the directives.

Professor Biodun said “Our concern is rooted in the safety of our members, what happens to congested hostels, crowded classrooms? What flexible arrangements are in place? It is a situation of emergency. I’m not sure the Universities can cope.”

He added that “We are aware that some universities are putting measures in place, with alternative learning models,” he said. “Some are even trying blended classes, virtual and physical but these efforts are limited. They get to a point they can’t go further”.

He further said “ASUU has been talking about revitalisation since 2012. These are some of the areas where the assistance would have helped. Universities need huge funds to do this.

“People are saying start virtual classes, but more than 60 per cent of our students will run into trouble – they can’t afford data or smartphones.” He concluded.

South Africa closes land borders

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12/01/2021

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By Abba Gwale

South African country will close its land borders for travellers from now to 15th February, in his effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19 says South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa said Coronavirus is hitting the country hard because the number of new cases is increasing more than the first wave, he said in a televised program. He also said burial ceremonies are one of the factors spreading the virus in the country.

Ramaphosa said in this year of 2021, the country recorded 190,000 cases of COVID-19 pandemic and almost 15,000 are currently in hospital.

The country will also communicate new directives with due time.

Oil price surges to 11-month high.

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12/01/2021

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By Abba Gwale

As a result of rising cases of COVID-19 in the world and tighter supply and expectations of a drop in America, oil hit 11-month high up to $57 par barrel on Tuesday.

For five consecutive weeks, crude market fell in the latest America supply report and Saudi Arabia plans to cut its exportations of oil by an extra one million barrel per day.

Brent crude was 75 cents, or 1.4%, higher at $56.41 a barrel by 1022 GMT and earlier hit $56.75, the highest since last February. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained 86 cents, or 1.7%, to $53.11.

Eugen Weinberg of Commerz bank said “Saudi Arabia in particular is ensuring through its additional voluntary production cuts that the market is undersupplied if anything.”

The Saudi decision cut is part of an OPEC-led deal in which most oil producers will hold production steady in February. Record cuts by OPEC and its allies in 2020 helped oil recover from historic lows in April. Some analysts see further gains are likely in due time.

In a report on Tuesday, Giobanni Staunovo of UBS said they advise investors with a high risk tolerance to be long Brent or to sell its downside price risks.

As a result of a drop in U.S. crude stockpiles, there’s expectations that crude inventories to fall by 2.7 million barrels for a fifth straight week since its first declining while during the two weeks supply report, is due in 2130 GMT.

PayPal blocks site that helped raise funds for those who attended Capitol violence

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12/01/2021

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PayPal Holdings Inc said on Monday it had blocked a Christian crowdfunding site, GiveSendGo, after it helped raise funds for people who attended last week’s event in Washington when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol.

The digital payments processor also confirmed to Reuters that it closed an account held by Ali Alexander, one of the organizers of the gathering. The news was reported earlier by Bloomberg, which cited an unidentified source.

Online platforms and social media companies are distancing themselves from, and taking action against, those that encouraged or engaged in last week’s violence in the U.S. Capitol.

Twitter said it has suspended more than 70,000 accounts since Friday that were primarily dedicated to sharing QAnon content after the assault on the Capitol building.

A number of large U.S. companies, including AT&T Inc, American Express and Dow Inc, have said they would cut off campaign contributions to those who voted to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, with Republicans in the U.S. Congress facing growing consternation from corporate America.

Supporters of Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, trying to halt the certification by Congress of Biden’s election win.

Trump, who has without evidence challenged the validity of Biden’s election win, initially praised his supporters but later condemned the violence.

Bloomberg reported last week that PayPal had closed an account held by Joy In Liberty, one of the groups that paid for supporters of Trump to travel to Washington.

Representatives of GiveSendGo, which describes itself as “A place to fund hope. A place to work together with the body of Christ around the world to make a difference,” could not be reached immediately for comment.

Culled from Reuters

Palliative mismanagement, aggravation of COVID Impact

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12/01/2021

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By Bashir Kabir

As the world slowly slides back to lockdown measures with the new COVID strains gaining strength, the world is massively going to depend on effective pandemic coping strategies.

The current wave of the pandemic directly attributed to the two strains of the COVID virus namely the UK and South African strains are responsible for the return to pandemic.

The U.K. detected two new variants of the coronavirus – one that was first found in the region and another first found in South Africa. British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that he believes the South African variant could be “even more of a problem” than the U.K. strain.

The prevalence of the new variants is not a surprise though, because experts predicted the possibility of the virus mutating to further prevail. Hence, there is no anticipation at the moment as to when the virus might be totally gone or rendered ineffective through drugs and vaccine. Meanwhile, the chances of converting it remain through effective coping measures and vaccines.

The importance of effective coping strategy in the areas of education, economy, work and most importantly health cannot be underestimated. Remote education system, for example, has become imperative to reduce physical social interactions that helps the spread of the virus.

The economy, on the other hand, is one of the sectors hit the hardest by the pandemic. The lockdown as absolutely necessary measure in controlling the spread of the virus has rendered thousands of businesses bankrupt. Poverty in Nigeria always ranks high, the pandemic is raising the number even higher.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released the “2019 Poverty and Inequality in Nigeria” report, which highlights that 40 percent of the total population, or almost 83 million people, live below the country’s poverty line of 137,430 naira ($381.75) per year.

It is understood that the number has augmented with the last year’s impact of the COVID pandemic. Many businesses were closed as a result of going into lockdown. The palliative measure targeting the poor was defective and hence made the pandemic impact even more unbearable.

An effective COVID impact management will have to address the general palliative distribution method of last year, fish out the faults and strengthen the system for the future.

The federal government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) targeted at relieving hardship during lockdown was considered to be infested with faults. These relief measures hardly reach the rightful targets who are supposed to be those economically vulnerable.

The palliative process in the state level was equally faulted for lack of transparency and accountability of the whole procedure. The whole process is shrouded in mystery with no information made available of what actually happened.

A consortium of anti-corruption organisations under the Upright For Nigeria, Stand Against Corruption campaign demands that all governments must disclose to the citizens the value of money received for the COVID-19 donations and publish the list of beneficiaries of the palliative measures; establish a toll-free line for citizens to call and report any act of corruption regarding the palliative distribution. Government should ensure the law is applied where any official is found to be corrupt in the management of the COVID-19 palliative funds.

Other demands include the inclusion of citizens’ group made up of notable members of communities like traditional or religious leaders and Ward Committees to be part of the committee and task force for implementation.

There wasn’t information provided to the public on the above demands and certainly there wasn’t the vital inclusion of the citizens’ group in the process of the palliative distribution. These led to inefficient and skewed process as well as unaccountable procedure leaving millions in agony of the pandemic impact.

Without being modest, it is a fact worth stating that the palliative measure was misappropriated, diverted and fund embezzled by those at the helm of control. The #EndSars protest brought that to the daylight when warehouses across the country were breached revealing palliative items of all sort meant to be distributed several months before.

The government alone must not handle the palliative activities in future. Donors need to take part in the distribution process. Civil society bodies must be involved in the process and information of same must be made available to the general public for transparency and accountability.

Fenerbahce chief hints at imminent Mesut Ozil arrival

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12/01/2021

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By Abba Gwale

Fenerbahce president Ali Koc has hinted that the Turkish giants could soon wrap up a deal for Arsenal out of favour Mesut Ozil.

The ex-Germany international has previously stated that he would see out the remainder of his Emirates contract, but an exit in the January window now appears to be the most likely outcome.

Sports Mole said that despite reported nterest from DC United, Fenerbahce are regarded as the favourites to secure Ozil’s services, and Koc has now revealed that a deal is edging closer to completion.

“Let me tell you the latest on Mesut Ozil. We’ve said it would be a dream for Fenerbahce. The club knows what the coach wants and our transfer policy is guided by that. There hasn’t been an official announcement” said Ali Koc

“What I can say is we are closer than before. There may be a resolution, there may not be a resolution. Fenerbahce SK will make the announcement when the time comes.”

Ozil was eligible to play against Newcastle United in the FA Cup, but he was not selected by Mikel Arteta and looks set to leave Arsenal having amassed 44 goals and 77 assists in 254 appearances for the club since his arrival from Real Madrid in 2013.