Following the success of the fourth season of Big Brother Naija, MultiChoice Nigeria has announced that the fifth season of the show will premiere in July 2020.
The organisers revealed this in a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday.
For its fifth season, the BBNaija show will run an online audition process from May 20 till May 30.
Potential contestants are expected to record a two-minute video of themselves stating why they should be picked to be a housemate in season 5 of Big Brother Naija.
Following this, they are to log on to BBAudition website to fill out the online registration form and upload their videos.
The online audition, they, said, is free and open to interested male and female participants who are of Nigerian nationality with a valid Nigerian passport. They must be at least 21 years of age by June 1, 2020.
The Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe spoke on the return of BBNaija.
He said, “Big Brother Naija has been widely regarded as one of Africa’s biggest entertainment exports, being the biggest showcase of Nigeria’s diversity outside of core Nollywood. This fifth season promises to be more adventurous, exciting and entertaining, and will undoubtedly be the biggest thing on African television in 2020.”
As the new edition draws near, fans and viewers can get ready for the excitement and entertainment this season will bring as they enjoy weeks of unending drama, intrigue, romance, Friday night games, the famous Saturday night parties and an overall battle of wits as the housemates vie for the ultimate prize.
The Big Brother Naija reality TV show continues to produce some of the country’s biggest TV personalities and pop culture influencers since its maiden edition in 2006.
Some of these personalities include Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Gideon Okeke and more recently, Mercy Eke, Mike Edwards, Miracle Ikechukwu, Tobi Bakre, Cynthia “Cee-C” Nwadiora Bamike “BamBam” Olawunmi, Tunde “Teddy A” Adenibuyan, Efe Ejeba, Bisola Aiyeola and Tokunbo “Tboss” Idowu.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed it is considering Madagascar’s COVID Organics for a clinical observation process.
This was made known by the President of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina in a tweet on Wednesday.
Rajoelina after a meeting with Director-General of WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said WHO had congratulated Madagascar for the discovery of its COVID Organics, adding that it had accepted to support the clinical observation process in Africa
Recall that the Rajoelina had over the weekend claimed that the WHO offered his country the sum of $20m as a bribe to poison COVID-19 alleged cure.
He also stated that the only reason the rest of the world had refused to take the herbal cure seriously and with respect was because it came from Africa.
However, Rajoelina on Wednesday tweeted, “Successful exchange with @DrTedros who commends #Madagascar’s efforts in the fight against #Covid19 and congratulates us for the discovery of #CovidOrganics.
“@WHO will sign a confidentiality clause on its formulation and will support the clinical observations process in #Africa.
“Following @WHO’s invitation to be part of Solidarity Trial for clinical trials, #Madagascar will prove the effectiveness of its third protocol that combines two injectable medicines that are different from #CovidOrganics.”
The Lagos state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has issued a sit-at-home directive to its members.
According to a statement on Wednesday, signed by Saliu Oseni, chairman Lagos NMA, the directive takes effect from 6pm today.
More than 50 essential workers, including doctors were said to have been arrested by the police in Lagos on Tuesday following the directive of Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police.
The association said the sit-at-home directive is to protest against the “incessant harassment” of doctors and other health workers by security agents enforcing the directive on restriction of movement in Lagos.
According to the guidelines issued by the presidential task force on COVID-19 and the Lagos state government, essential service providers, such as health workers, are exempted from the restriction of movement, especially during curfew hours from 8pm to 6am.
NMA alleged that enforcement officials ignore the exemption of health workers, and that many of its members have been subjected to “harrassment and intimidation”.
The association also said it received many calls from its members on Tuesday, with reports of “several cases of harassment and intimidation of doctors and other health workers” by security operatives, to the “extent that even ambulances carrying patients with emergency cases were impounded”.
“The Lagos State Branch of the NMA has resolved that it is presently unsafe for members to continue to provide healthcare services under the present confused arrangement,” it said.
“All Medical Doctors in Lagos State are hereby advised to proceed on a sit-at-home, in their best interest, starting from 6pm today, Wednesday, 20th May, 2020 indefinitely, until otherwise advised.”
A part of the Nigerian Postal Service headquarters in Abuja was on Wednesday gutted by fire. The Federal Capital Territory Fire Service personnel was able to contain the fire.
The incident attracted a large crowd at the busy Garki 2 in the Nigerian capital. A security officer who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that the fire started at about 8:40 a.m.
The incident was the fifth fire incident in six months at key Federal Government offices.
On April 17, a part of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) went up in flames.
Nine days earlier, some offices at the Accountant General’s office was burnt. Just two days before, there was a similar outbreak at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
Last October, fire engulfed a part of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
All incidents occurred in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. But the government has failed to probe the causes. Officials usually give assurances that sensitive documents remained intact.
More than 50 essential workers were arrested by the police in Lagos on Tuesday following the directive of Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police.
On April 27, President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered restriction of movements between 8pm and 6am nationwide to check the spread of COVID-19.
The president had, however, exempted health workers, journalists and other essential workers from the curfew.
But there have been reports on the breach of the curfew, with security operatives being blamed for poor enforcement.
On Tuesday, Adamu held a virtual meeting with zonal assistant-inspectors general of police and state commissioners of police, where he directed strict enforcement of the curfew.
He had reportedly ordered that anyone found on the streets beyond 8pm should be detained.
In the Alausa area of Ikeja, Lagos, journalists and doctors who were returning from work were forced to the police station while their vehicles were impounded.
IVY Kanu, a correspondent with the TVC, narrated how some of the essential workers were detained at the station.
“I left the office tonight and on my way, I noticed that the roadblocks had increased. I turned to Alausa and I was picked up. I am at the Alausa police station and you have doctors, essential workers,” she told the station.
“The place is packed. Over 50 people are here and I heard that the new instruction for the next three days is to go after everybody, essential workers and non-essential workers.
“I don’t know how long we will be here. The impounded vehicles are more than 20 and more are still coming in. I don’t know if this is part of a new directive from the federal government or it is over-zealousness on the part of the police officers.
“Some of them have been taken into custody; they have been put into cells and some are standing outside. I was asked to go behind the counter; that was where I was before she (DPO) announced that everybody should come outside and they should hand over our keys and we should sleep in our cars till the next morning.”
In a swift reaction, Lanre Arogundade, director of the International Press Centre (IPC), demanded an immediate release of the arrested journalists.
“It is absolutely out of order for the police to bar journalists from moving in the name of enforcing total curfew,” he said in a statement.
“The president has affirmed the role of journalists as frontline professionals in the fight against Covid-19 while the Minister of Information had earlier said journalists who have their identity cards should be allowed free movement during this period. Journalists who are currently being held in Lagos and any other part of the country should be set free immediately.”
Some key members of the presidential task force on COVID-19 were said to have been contacted over the arrest of the “essential workers” and after over two hours in detention, the IGP directed his men to release all them.
Frank Mba, force public relations officer, conveyed the IGP’s directive in a statement.
“All essential workers including medical personnel, firefighters, ambulance services and journalists are exempted from the restriction of movement associated with both the partial lockdown and the national curfew across the Federation,” the statement read.
“The Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed A. Adamu has therefore directed all zonal assistant inspectors general of police and commands commissioners of police to give effect to these exemptions whilst enforcing the restriction orders.”
The Federal Government has slashed the salaries of airport workers in the country, The PUNCH reports.
In a circular to staff dated May 19, 2020, the Management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria said the reduction in salaries is due to airport closures occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic.
The memo signed by FAAN General Manager, Administration, M.D. Musa, read, “This is to notify all staff that due to the dwindling revenue generation amidst COVID-19 pandemic, management may not be able to pay full salary to staff as from May 2020.
“However, as soon as revenue improves, the balance will be paid. This measure is to ensure the survival of the organisation.”
The PUNCH reports that the country’s airspace and airports, both local and international, were shut in March by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The President’s directive, however, permitted emergency flights such as those for medical and humanitarian purposes.
On May 6, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, announced the extension of the closure of the country’s airports and airspace by four weeks.
The Rwandan government has taken delivery of 5 humanoid robots which can screen and deliver foods and drugs to those suffering from Coronavirus.
BBC reported that the country’s health minister, Daniel Ngamije made the announcement on Tuesday May 19. He also disclosed that the robots were brought in to reduce the exposure of health workers to COVID-19 patients.
Ngamije said;
“We need additional robots for other duties like disinfection in public space and we are working to get them.”
The 5 robots which were named Akazuba, Ikizere, Mwiza, Ngabo and Urumuri, are manufactured by a Belgium-based company.
Rwanda’s health ministry says the units have a number of abilities, including:
Screening 50 to 150 people per minute
Recording and storing patient data
Alerting health workers to abnormalities
Warning people who aren’t wearing marks, or are wearing them improperly.
There are two Coronavirus treatment facilities in Rwanda, one is on the outskirts of the capital Kigali and the other in the south-eastern town of Nyamata.
The country has so far recorded 308 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, 203 recoveries and no deaths.
A new drug is being tested by scientists at China’s Peking University.
Beijing (AFP) – A Chinese laboratory has been developing a drug it believes has the power to bring the coronavirus pandemic to a halt.
The outbreak first emerged in China late last year before spreading across the world, prompting an international race to find treatments and vaccines.
A drug being tested by scientists at China’s prestigious Peking University could not only shorten the recovery time for those infected, but even offer short-term immunity from the virus, researchers say.
Sunney Xie, director of the university’s Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, told AFP that the drug has been successful at the animal testing stage.
“When we injected neutralising antibodies into infected mice, after five days, the viral load was reduced by a factor of 2,500,” said Xie.
“That means this potential drug has (a) therapeutic effect.”
The drug uses neutralising antibodies – produced by the human immune system to prevent the virus infecting cells – which Xie’s team isolated from the blood of 60 recovered patients.
A study on the team’s research, published Sunday in the scientific journal, Cell, suggests that using the antibodies provides a potential “cure” for the disease and shortens recovery time.
Xie said his team had been working “day and night” searching for the antibody.
“Our expertise is single-cell genomics rather than immunology or virology. When we realised that the single-cell genomic approach can effectively find the neutralising antibody we were thrilled.”
He said he hopes that the drug will be ready for use later this year and in time for any potential winter outbreak of the virus, which has infected 4.8 million people around the world and killed more than 315,000.
“Planning for the clinical trial is underway,” said Xie, adding it will be carried out in Australia and other countries since cases have dwindled in China, offering fewer human guinea pigs for testing.
“The hope is these neutralising antibodies can become a specialised drug that would stop the pandemic,” he said.
China already has five potential coronavirus vaccines at the human trial stage, a health official said last week.
But, the World Health Organisation has warned that developing a vaccine could take 12 to 18 months.
Scientists have also pointed to the potential benefits of plasma – a blood fluid – from recovered individuals who have developed antibodies to the virus enabling the body’s defences to attack it.
More than 700 patients have received plasma therapy in China, a process which authorities said showed “very good therapeutic effects”.
“However, it (plasma) is limited in supply,” Xie said, noting that the 14 neutralising antibodies used in their drug could be put into mass production quickly.
Using antibodies in drug treatments is not a new approach, and it has been successful in treating several other viruses such as HIV, Ebola and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
Xie said his researchers had “an early start” since the outbreak started in China before spreading to other countries.
Ebola drug Remdesivir was considered a hopeful early treatment for COVID-19 – clinical trials in the US showed it shortened the recovery time in some patients by a third – but the difference in mortality rate was not significant.
The new drug could even offer short-term protection against the virus.
The study showed that, if the neutralising antibody was injected before the mice were infected with the virus, the mice stayed free of infection and no virus was detected.
This may offer temporary protection for medical workers for a few weeks, which Xie said they are hoping to “extend to a few months”.
More than 100 vaccines for COVID-19 are in the works globally, but as the process of vaccine development is more demanding, Xie is hoping that the new drug could be a faster and more efficient way to stop the global march of the coronavirus.
“We would be able to stop the pandemic with an effective drug, even without a vaccine,” he said.
A Pastor, Frankline Ndifor, 39, who laid his hands on dozens of confirmed and suspected coronavirus sufferers is dead, according to Dailymail.
Dr Gaelle Nnanga, who was called to treat Ndifor after he started suffering severe respiratory difficulties a week after falling ill with the virus, said the pastor died ten minutes after treatment.
Ndifor, a candidate in Cameroon’s presidential election in 2018, claimed to cure COVID-19.
In previous weeks, sufferers had flocked to the Kingship International Ministries Church, founded by Ndifor, where he laid his hands on them and prayed for their healing.
His supporters called him a ‘prophet’ and blocked the entrance to his home in the capital city of Douala for eight hours as medical workers tried to retrieve Ndifor’s body on Saturday morning.
The Governor of the coastal region said a police force had to be deployed when supporters blocked the entrance to his home and claimed the pastor was on a spiritual retreat with God so he could not be buried.
They sang and prayed for his resurrection throughout the weekend. He was buried in front of the house on the day of his death.
Dozens of people knelt down on the ground outside Ndifor’s house in Cameroon as they prayed over the loss of a man who called himself a ‘prophet’.
Ndifor also donated buckets and soap to people in need and his last public outing was on April 20, when he went out to distribute facemasks.
Ndifor came seventh out of nine candidates in the 2018 presidential election with 23,687 votes.
There have been 3,529 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and 140 deaths so far in the central African state.
