By Abba Gwale
Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Sylvanus Adiewere Nsofor, has died on Thursday at the age of 85.
Mr. Nsofar was a retired Justice of Nigeria’s Court of Appeal, before he assumed office as Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States on November 13, 2017.
Born on March 17, 1935, in Oguta, Imo State, Nsofor graduated from London’s now-defunct Holborn College of Law in 1962. He also bagged an LL.M from the London School of Economics in 1964.
Details later..
By Ismail Auwal
The World Bank has projected that 20-million more Nigerians will become poor by the year 2020.
Figures from the 2019 Poverty and Inequality in Nigeria report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that 40 percent of the total population, which translates to almost 83-million Nigerians, live below the poverty line of N137,430 per year.
According to the World Bank’s Nigeria Development Update (NDU), an average Nigerian may witness a setback of decline in economic growth, and the country could enter its worst recession since the 1980s.
Shubham Chaudhuri, the Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria said, “Nigeria is at a critical historical juncture, with a choice to make. Nigeria can choose to break decisively from business-as-usual, and rise to its considerable potential by sustaining the bold reforms that have been taken thus far and going even further and with an even greater sense of urgency to promote faster and more inclusive economic growth.”
The World Bank in its update warned that the economy may shrink by up to 4 percent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and weak oil prices.
It noted that food insecurity has escalated while “economic precarity is on the rise because unemployed workers have migrated to the low-productivity agricultural sector.”
Marco Hernandez, World Bank’s lead economist for Nigeria said, “Nigeria can build on its reform momentum to contain the spread of COVID-19, stimulate the economy, and enable the private sector to be the engine of growth and job creation. It can also redirect public spending from subsidies that benefit the rich towards investments in Nigeria’s people and youth in particular, and lay foundations for a strong recovery to help make progress towards lifting 100 million people out of poverty.”
The Bank recommended that the Nigerian government should persist in managing the domestic spread of COVID-19 until a vaccine is available for distribution, enhancing macroeconomic management to boost investor confidence, as well as safeguarding and mobilizing revenues.
It further advised that national revenue should be earmarked for critical development expenditures, encouraging economic activity, providing relief items and access to basic services in rural communities.
By Abba Gwale
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is seriously considering leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of the season, according to a reports in Spain.
The Spain international has spent the past 15 years at Real Madrid and is fast approaching his 700th appearance for the club.
However, Ramos is due to become a free agent in the summer and fresh terms have yet to be agreed with Real Madrid hierarchy who are supposedly only willing to give the defender an extra 12 months.
Spanish radio station Onda Cero claims that the veteran defender is now edging towards leaving in six months’ time, with Paris Saint-Germain his most likely destination.
PSG are said to be happy to give Ramos a bumper three-year contract that will take him through until his 38th birthday.
The same report indicates that there is interest from Premier League clubs, but no concrete offers are believed to have been tabled.
Ramos played over 400 matches for Real Madrid winning four Eufa Champions league in the process and he was part of the Spain team that won 2010 Fifa world cup in South Africa.
By Ismail Auwal
Nigerian Government has accused religious leaders in the country of sabotaging its effort in the fight against coronavirus pandemic.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapaha, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
Mr. Mustapha, has accused the religious leader of organizing gatherings which facilitate the spread of the virus.
Recently, Nigeria has witnessed a surge in a number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, which heightened the fear that the country might be experiencing a second wave of the pandemic.
On Thursday, the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced 675 new cases, which is the highest figure recorded in the recent past.
By Ismail Auwal
The police have made a breakthrough in unravelling the bandits involved in a series of abductions at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and the neighboring communities, with the arrest of key suspects in the kidnapping of Dr. Ibrahim Bako.
The suspect who has confessed to being a member of the gang of the kidnappers terrorizing communities is 28-year old identified as Abubakar Yakubu, with alias, Habu Dogo.
Habu Dogo, according to the findings of Sahelian Times has admitted to participating in three different kidnapping cases, in Giwa, Gundu and in ABU Zaria.
A reliable source told Sahelian Times that Habu Dogo confessed to conspiring with one Alh.Bello , Ardo Bello , Nura Gambo Isah Sule , Bello Audu, Haruna surname and two others, all at large to kidnap Dr. Bako.
The suspect has, according to our findings, told the police that he was paid the sum of N30,000, N50,000 and N60,000 respectively for the three kidnapping operations he was involved in.
By Ismail Auwal
Kaduna State Government has denied the report that said bandits have killed 16 Kano State indigenes along Abuja-Kaduna road.
In a statement issued by the Kaduna State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, he explained that their death was caused by motor vehicular accident due to burst tyres that led to their bus somersaulting in a ditch. The tragic accident occurred along Rigachikun axis of Kaduna-Zaria road, on Wednesday.
Mr. Aruwan has extended condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for the repose of the souls of the departed.
Some news channels (not Sahelian Times) had earlier reported that no fewer than 16 indigenes of Dambatta Local Government Area of Kano State have been killed by gunmen along Abuja-Kaduna highway.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Port-Harcourt, Major-General Olubunmi Irefin, has reportedly died of Covid-19.
He was said to have contracted the dreaded virus while attending the Annual Chief of Army Staff Conference in Abuja.
The conference has been cancelled when the story filtered out that General Irefin might have been infected with SARS-CoV2.
All of the conference participants, including the Principal Staff Officers, GOCs, and other Commandants have been asked to embark on a 14-day self isolation.
General Irefin becomes the latest high profile casualty of COVID-19 in Nigeria.
By Nasir Isa
The Executive Secretary of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaibu, has stated that Nigeria is planning to procure 20-million doses of COVID-19 vaccines within the first quarter of 2021. The vaccines, according to Dr. Faisal, will be prioritized for health workers, who are at higher risk due to frequent exposure at the frontline.
This disclosure was made during the press briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, in Abuja.
Dr. Faisal further assured that Nigeria has taken all the necessary steps of getting the desired quantities of the keenly awaited vaccines through its full enrollment in an international coalition coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO).
It could be recalled that just recently COVID-19 vaccines produced by two pharmaceutical giants, Pfizer and Moderna, have demonstrated over 90% efficacy in phase 3 clinical trials. The companies are now awaiting emergency authorization by the US’s FDA, pending complete evaluation of the data.
However, already the United Kingdom has purchased large stocks of Pfizer’s vaccine, and initiated vaccination as a measure to contain the spread of the virus. Early reports from UK on COVID-19 vaccination have shown that at least two people have developed allergic reactions, which necessitated the authorities to issue a public warning to all those with strong history of allergy to avoid the vaccine for now.
By Ismail Auwal
The Federal Government has instructed COVID-19 treatment centres across the country to prepare for reopening due to surge in number of cases. It further warned the public that the country might be hit by a second wave of the pandemic.
This warning is coming at the time when the country is reporting more cases compared to what was obtained recently. In past few months, some of the COVID-19 isolation centres were shut after the country recorded a decline in confirmed cases.
Speaking at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, on Thursday, Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, told the newsmen that he had directed health workers to be on red alert.
“We are seeing the increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last few days, which we have frequently alluded to in recent times. This rightly suggests that we may just be on the verge of a second wave of this pandemic. Last week, we recorded 1843 against 1,235 two weeks before that and 1,126 the week before that,” he said.
“In the past 24 hours, 474 new confirmed cases and 2 deaths were recorded, with an indication that this week’s figure will beat last week’s. As at today, we have crossed 70,000 mark with a total of 70,669 confirmed cases of which 65,242 have been treated and discharged. Sadly the number of deaths has now reached 1184 as against 1,167 two weeks before.
“Everyone of us has a role to play in the effort to prevent explosive spread of this infection in Nigeria. While we strive for the best, we must prepare for a possible second wave which we must ensure, does not get to be worse than what we have seen so far, judging from what we observe in other countries.
“The US, UK and other countries are going through very difficult times, and we do sympathize with them. To prepare ourselves, I have directed that all Isolation and Treatment Centres, which were hitherto closed due to reduced patient load, to be prepared for reopening and the staff complement put on alert.”
By Ismail Auwal
Kidnappers have whisked away a Consultant Cardiologist, working with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, on Wednesday. The specialist physician who fell victim of Kidnappers has been identified as Dr. Vincent Uhuegbu.
According to a statement issued by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the kidnapping happened in front of the gate of Dr. Vincent’s house, when he was returning from church service, around 9:30 pm.
The official NMA statement indicates that the association has reported the incident to the security, and is keeping tap at the situation. It further called upon its members to remain calm and vigilant.
© 2023 Sahelian TImes. All Rights Reserved.