No less than 155 persons have died in Gashua and Potiskum areas of Yobe State over the last six days after exhibiting symptoms related with Coronavirus.
The deaths, which have caused panic among residents of the state, is similar to the situation experienced in Kano recently where people in large numbers died consistently for several days to what had now been confirmed by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to be the virus.
Between April 30 and May 5, 98 people died in Potiskum.
“Cemetries are now the busiest places in these towns. In Gashua town, at least 57 have died. those dying are mostly elders, yet the state committee on COVID-19 is sleeping in Damaturu as if nothing is happening”. Another source familiar with the situation, said.
Instead of addressing the challenges his state was facing, Governor Mai Mala Buni has been away in Abuja where he spends more than 80 per cent of his time since being elected into office.
Recall that Buni recently gifted 14 Emirs luxury Sports Utility Vehicles worth over N 600 Million despite the poverty rate in the state.
Doctors have continued to be at the receiving end of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thirty four doctors have tested positive to the virus in Kano within the last two weeks.
One of them has died, the doctors’ association said on Tuesday.
No fewer than 30 doctors in Lagos and Katsina states were reported on Monday to have tested positive to the virus.
Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kano State chapter, Dr. Sanusi Bala said many of the victims were the doctors working at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH).
The others work with private clinics in the state.
According to him, many of them were infected through normal clinical routines while attending to unsuspected COVID-19 cases.
He said the association would protect its members and appealed to the authorities to provide more protection for doctors through procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
“We have doctors who are positive and one of them is dead in Kano. We are still compiling the data but as at now, we have 34 positive cases within the last two weeks,” Dr. Bala said.
He said the body had developed a feedback mechanism to access each facility for information and report to the relevant authorities.
“But what we all agreed is that, doctors don’t have PPEs, they shouldn’t risk their lives,” he said.
The AKTH spokesperson Mrs. Hauwa Muhammed, said the hospital had procured and distributed PPE to frontline health workers.
She said the hospital management had ordered all consultants and heads of department to train their staff on proper use of the PPE.
Thirty doctors and three policemen were reported on Monday to have tested positive for Coronavirus.
Sixteen of the infected doctors are members of the in Medical Guild in Lagos State and 14 others are in Katsina State, according to Governor Bello Masari. The three policemen are serving in the Ondo State Command.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Medical Guild Chairman Dr. Oluwajimi Sodipo told news conference in Lagos on Monday that the doctors were engaged in training, contact tracing, surveillance, enlightening of the public and providing clinical care at the isolation centres and hospitals.
He said: “This has unfortunately led to several healthcare workers being infected with COVID-19 and over 16 doctors are isolated so far in the state’s workforce.
“There may be more doctors who are infected, but from the information available to us, 16 of our members are infected with COVID-19.”
Confirming that no fewer than 14 doctors have tested positive for the dreaded virus in his state, Governor Masari, said the government was waging two wars – against coronavirus and unrelenting attacks by bandits.
He told reporters at the Government House that the state has been overwhelmed by the two-pronged fight.
In Ondo, three policemen attached to Yaba Police Division, Ondo town, have tested positive for COVID-19.
They were said to have contracted the disease from a female senior colleague who refused to go for testing despite showing symptoms.
The policemen have been admitted at the state Infectious Disease Hospital, Akure, the state capital.
Sources said the female senior police officer resorted to herbs for treatment rather than go for a test to know her COVID-19 status.
She was exposed by a relative who posted on a WhatsApp platform that her sister has been taking herbs at home to treat herself rather than go to the hospital.
The relative said she cried out so that innocent people around her would not be infected in case she tested positive.
The post reads: “I’m ready to give all information needed. It’s my blood sister. The family members did not know. Neighbourhood people don’t know (about her health condition) and she is drinking herbs.
“Who knows what is happening to other officers too? She is not the only one in Yaba police station, Yaba is a big police station in Ondo town.”
Ondo police spokesman, Tee-Leo Ikoro, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) confirmed that there was an officer, infected with the disease at Yaba Police Division but was not a senior police officer.
Ikoro said: “When I learnt about the matter yesterday, and we investigated it, we discovered that it was the Federal SARS officer in the division that they were referring to and he had been quarantined.”
The House of Representatives is heading for the court over what it believes is a weighty allegation of bribery of $10million, allegedly given the House to pass the Infectious Disease Control Bill.
The resolution was to take legal action against an online media organisation for allegedly reporting that the House collected $10million from Bill Gates to pass the Contentious Infectious Disease Control Bill.
Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila has mandated the Clerk, Mr. Patrick Giwa, to liaise with the Majority Leader of the House and Legal Adviser to the National Assembly to begin legal action.
To fine-tune the efficacy of the legal action, the House also set up an investigative panel headed by Henry Nwawuba to fish out those responsible for the damaging report. The panel is to report back to the House in 10 days.
The resolution of the House followed the passage of a motion of Personal Explanation by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Ahmed Wase, at plenary on Tuesday.
It was unanimous agreed by all members that the legal action begins in earnest.
Wase, while moving the motion, said he had not collected any money from anyone and was aware that no member had collected money from anyone for that purpose.
According to him, it was reported by an online media organisation that the House collected $10million to pass the contentious bill.
Majority Leader Ado Doguwa told members that his hands were clean, as he did not collect money from anyone.
He wondered where the report emanated from, saying it was damaging to the integrity of the House.
A remedy, he said, must be sought, as the Green Chamber was doing its job to ensure the safety of the people.
He said he like other members saw the report on the online medium alleging that members were given money to pass the piece of legislation.
Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu told his colleagues that he read on an online news medium, Daily Post, that Bill Gates, an American philanthropist and billionaire, gave the Green Chamber $10million to pass the bill.
He said no member of the minority caucus got any money to support the bill, especially himself.
“By the time the Gates Foundation came to the House, we were all in attendance. I want to submit that we did not receive anything and I stand by it,” he said.
Speaker Gbajabiamila was of the opinion that responding to such baseless accusation would give credence to it.
But the action of the online media, he said, had, however, given credence to the need to regulate social media and online publications.
The allegation, Gbajabiamila said, was nonetheless weighty enough to take legal actions against the media organisation, even if it is to deter others.
The Jigawa state government is currently investigating circumstances surrounding the mysterious deaths of over 100 persons in Hadeja local government area of the state.
The Special Assistant to the Local Council Chairman on Media, Sani Kakabori, who confirmed this to newsmen, said an average of ten persons mostly above the ages of fifty, have died everyday within the last ten days in the local government.
Meanwhile, the State Chairman COVID 19 Task force who is also the Commissioner of health, Dr Abba Zakari Committee, has constitued as investigation team led by Dr Mahmud Abdulwahab with Shehu Mohammad, Yusuf Hakimi, Shehu Sule, and representative of World Health Organization (WHO) as members, to unravel the causes of these mysterious deaths.
The Commissioner said the committee is expected to submit their reports within three days.
The deaths have led to widespread fears that there might be community spread of the Coronavirus in the state.
This development comes even as Kano state is still battling with mysterious deaths. Just recently, the leader of the Presidential Task Force committee on coronavirus (COVID-19), Dr Nasiru Gwarzo, revealed that the mysterious deaths in Kano was caused by the novel virus.
The Federal Government has said it won’t rule out local herbs in the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria.
Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health said the Nigerian Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development must first certify the efficacy of local herbs before they are used in treating COVID-19 patients.
Ehanire made the clarification during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.
He explained that local herbs can be classified into those that can either cure COVID-19 or reduce the virus.
According to Ehanire: “Before now, it was said that Chloroquine can destroy the virus. But test are still going on in that regard.
“We have to test the efficacy of local drugs to see of it can kill the virus and also to find out that is in the profess of killing the virus, it can affect the body. So, the Institute will carry out the required test on the local drugs find out how it can work”.
Recall that Ehanire had disclosed that Remdesivir was being used to treat patients infected with COVID-19.
A married woman in Zambia is reported to have died inside a Catholic priest’s house after lying to her husband that she is going to a funeral.
According to reports, the Priest Father Abel Mwelwa invited his married lover to the Parish House on Holy Thursday night.
The woman was a member of the Catholic Women’s League from St Maurice Catholic Church in Lusaka.
Geared for the fateful sexual marathon with the Catholic Priest, the woman lied to her husband that she was going for a funeral with her fellow league members to Kaunda Square.
Sadly, she died in Father Abel’s room in the Parish House that very Holy Thursday night, leaving behind two children.
Father Abel called some Catholic Women’s League members from St Maurice to go and pick up the body to take it to Levy Mwanawasa Hospital and then UTH as BID.
The Priest was made to pay for the whole funeral expenses.
Father Abel has since been suspended and is likely to face the murder charge as the family wants to take the matter to court.
Despite ongoing efforts to combat the pandemic to a standstill, Coronavirus has continued to take a severe toll on Nigerians and the economy of the country.
Like every category of workers and business owners in the country, the lull in commercial and economic activities has also gotten to commercial sex workers in a hard way.
In Ondo State where government has since begun a crackdown on brothels and ‘joints’ housing commercial sex workers, SaharaReporters discovered that the ladies in this business have since devised new ways of servicing their clients and keep the cash rolling in no matter how little.
Last week, at least 18 commercial sex workers were arrested in Ondo by the state government as part of moves to enforce the stay-at-home and social distancing rule meant to help curtail the spread of the virus.
Doyin Odebowale, leader of the task force team, disclosed that the arrested sex workers had been placed on isolation pending when results of their samples will emerge.
But unmoved by the possibility of being arrested by the task force team and police for still marketing cheap and sometimes unprotected sex, some of the ladies told our correspondent that they now took the service to the home of willing clients for an agreed fee rather than wait for such customers to come to the brothels, which has become difficult in recent days due to the crackdown by government officials.
SaharaReporters also discovered that more than a few of the commercial sex workers have signed up to some social networking platforms like InMessage to track down willing clients close to their areas of residence.
Many of the sex workers, who said they had no other means of survival, told our correspondent that they have had to adapt to the reality on ground to put food on their tables.
Identifying herself only as Amarachi, one sex worker at a brothel on Araromi Street in Akure, the state capital, told our correspondent that the dusk to dawn curfew put in place by the state government had affected her operations severely.
She said, “We (sex workers) are one of those most affected by this lockdown because some of us are no longer making money the way we used to.
“They want us to stop our business due to this Coronavirus but they didn’t provide food for us or show us where to get money to feed.
“As a result of the situation, we have to find means to meet up with our customers wherever they want because we need the money to survive.”
Another sex worker named Rita said she, too, had managed to stay in business by offering home service to customers, who want ‘good’ sex.
She said, “Before now, I used to make at least N5,000 at night in a day and even make some contribution the next day.
“But now I can’t make such money because of the curfew. Clients are now afraid to visit us here.
“But as sex workers, before the day is dark, you will have had some agreement with your client and you visit him in his house with the service by sleeping over.”
Abigail, one sex workers at a brothel around the Oluwatuyi area of Akure, groaned over the loss of revenue following a drop in customers as a result of the lockdown.
Like the others, she has switched to ‘home delivery’ mode to stay in business and raise money for her upkeep.
She said, “My madam used to settle some of these policemen before but since she travelled to her village, they have not allowed us to open.
“Now, we talk to our clients on phone and we can easily go and sleep over in their houses but this is for those who are yet to marry or are still single among our clients.”
Following the threat posed by policemen and other security agents enforcing the stay-at-home order in the city, some sex workers however, prefer to remain in their brothels and wait for the right opportunity to hook a customer.
But a psychologist, Mrs Niniola Ashaolu, said the new strategy adopted by commercial sex workers in the city to stay in business was dangerous because they could be exposed to Coronavirus in the homes of their clients.
She said, “The issue is that since they are now on the social media to woo their clients and everyone is avoiding contact, will it not be a serious danger inviting such people into your homes.
“Whatever sexual urge that a man has should not be at the detriment of his own health. Such action is just too dangerous and risky.”
Some mothers who have invested their entire lives in their families and especially on their male children, have a hard time letting go. Such was in charge of all his decisions all his life, until he became a husband. She basically called the shots.
Now that there’s a wife in the picture, all that is changed. There’s another very important woman in her son’s life, and she resents you for it.
To make it worse, you are young, while she’s not so young. If you’re not yet married, there are jealous mother-in-law signs to watch out for.
However, for many Nigerian wives, this scenario is their daily experience. If you’re in these shoes, your mother-in-law is always looking for ways to undermine you just to satisfy her jealousy.While your mother-in-law thinks that you both are engaged in a tug of war where her son, it can cause you great emotional and mental trauma.
What are the jealous mother-in-law signs to look out for?
You have a jealous mother-in-law if she does any of the following:
doesn’t respect your boundaries in spite of numerous requests. She never cares to respect your boundaries or your private life.
is overly attached and emotionally dependent on her son. She tries to grab as much attention as possible by playing the role of a victim.
tries to dominate and control her son by making him dance to her tune. She tries to control your home by taking decisions for you both.
competes with you, and this kind of competition is very unhealthy.
frequently plays the victim to get your husband’s attention.
always complains about you to her son.
gets passive-aggressive, insulting your family and criticizing your every move.
ignores you at family gatherings and parties.
The ways to deal with a jealous mother-in-law
To get some peace in your life, and make it a little easier on your marriage, we give you some sure ways to deal with a jealous mother-in-law. Hope these work for you and you are able to smoothen your ties with her. After all, there shouldn’t be competition within the home.
Understand her feelings
Instead of retaliating or fighting with her, you should first try to understand what is causing such a revolt. All women are emotional beings. Try to observe her behaviour and look out for the triggers that provoke her to behave so. Once you understand those, it will be easier to reach out to her.
Give her attention
Jealousy arises from insecurity and the sudden fear of being replaced by someone who has just become a member of the family. She fears to become a mere spectator of her son’s life. You’ll need to understand these insecurities of hers and give her attention. Regular phone calls and text messages will let her know she is on your mind. Occasional visits will also go a long way to smoothen your relationship.
Keep her involved in your family
The man you have married is proof of her good upbringing. Make her feel special. Keep her involved in little things. Sometimes, ask her advice on parenting and home making. Ask her to share special recipes with you. These efforts of yours could win her over.
Acknowledge the bond between her and her son
The most important thing for a mother is her child’s love. Once she’s assured of her son’s love, accepting you becomes easier. Show her that your marriage isn’t going to hamper the mother-son relationship. Her doubts and fears will be gone. She will soon start appreciating your qualities.
Help her with the transition
You are not the only one whose life is changing here. Your mother-in-law is also going through a transition here. Everything in the family is going to change and she doesn’t know whether she can handle it. As a newlywed, everyone is going to be attentive to you and help you with whatever you need but there is no one to understand that your mother-in-law also needs comfort and security. This particular fact is ignored by most people which makes a perfect mother into a jealous mother-in-law.
You need to help her from the start so that she doesn’t see you as a threat and instead, sees you as her confidant.
Give her surprises
Ask your husband or your father in law about the likes and dislikes of your mother-in-law. Give her surprises and make her happy. Her heart will start to conflict with her mind. She will see a side of you that she didn’t expect and will welcome you with open arms.
Remember communication is key
If you can’t understand your mother-in-law’s behaviour, talk it out. Have a deep conversation with her. Be polite so that she doesn’t retaliate with anger. Ask her why she is behaving like this and ask her what’s wrong. You may be surprised by how a short conversation can make things so simple. You may realize that both of you were misunderstanding each other all along!
Avoid conflict
In order to maintain peace in the house, it is better to avoid fights and discussions that could lead to fights. Fights will only make things worse by causing more bitterness in the family. It will make other family members unwantingly choose sides. Your marriage will be the relationship that gets most affected by all this.
Talk to your husband
Having a conversation with your husband about your mother-in-law’s behaviour could turn out to be helpful. Don’t complain to him about her. Just tell him some of the things that could be bothering you. Ask him to reach out to his mother and find the root cause in a friendly way. The son might be able to get through to his mother better than you and help end the war.
The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC),Chikwe Ihekweazu has warned Nigerians of risking another lockdown if they continue to violate some health guidelines.
Ihekweazu made this known while speaking at the presidential task force briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja on Monday, stating that new cases of the virus may arise if people continued to flout the health directives in some parts of the country where the lockdown was eased.
He said that the Federal government might be forced to impose another lockdown if there are more cases of coronavirus.
He said “How do we want to manage the risk of explosion and transmission?
”Today, we might forgive a little bit because it is the first day.
“We will definitely have more cases because of what happened today, no doubt about that.
“But how can we learn from the mistakes of today into tomorrow, next tomorrow so by Friday hopefully we have normalised some of these things.
“Yes, we knew today would be a problem because for the first time, people were let out of their homes but now they are out and we have seen the sunlight again, the challenge for us as a society is how do we now organise ourselves to mitigate these risks and limit transmission?
“We might have a few extra infections today and tomorrow but what we don’t want is an explosion of new infections.
“If the cases of the virus infection increases, there will be almost no choice left for the leadership of the country than to ask all of us to go back into our homes.
“So for the benefit of coming out to reopen parts of the economy, there is a price to pay which is to reorganise ourselves to do this safely.”
Recall that the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and FCT ended on Monday as residents were allowed to resume work.
