Ekiti govt confirms 4 new cases of coronavirus

Ekiti State Government on Friday confirmed four new cases of Coronavirus disease in the state.

The State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Mojisola Yahaya-Kolade, disclosed this when members of the Covid-19 Taskforce gave an update on the spread of the virus in the state.

Yaya-Kolade said though the state has discharged some patients from the isolation centre, but hinted that three of the four new cases were those that have been quarantined having come to the state from places considered as epicentre of Covid-19.

“We have four new cases now. One of the cases is an old man that has been isolated in one of our tertiary health institutions for a while. He is an elderly person who is in a critical condition.

“Others included a 35-year-old female from Katsina and 32-year-old male from Ibadan, while the third one is a 38-year-old male from Lagos, who all sneaked into Ekiti during the lockdown.

“But despite all these, no community spread, because they all came from outside. We beg our people to always alert us when new people come into town, because this has been working.

“But we are begging that nobody should come to Ekiti now, it is an executive order given by Governor Kayode Fayemi that nobody should come at this precarious time.

“It constitutes financial burden to Ekiti for victims of Covid-19 to come from Lagos, Oyo, Katsina to our state for treatment,” she stated.

Yaya-Kolade added that the government has trained a total of 80 civil servants on how to test the people using infra red thermometer.

She added that a total of 234 blood samples had been taken and tested since the outbreak of the disease, adding that more will be done to safeguard the state from calamity.

The commissioner added that Ekiti has set up a molecular laboratory situated within the premises of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, which she said will be launched soon.

Also speaking, the Director General, Office of Transformation, Strategy and Delivery, Prof. Bolaji Aluko, stated that the state has received the sum of N631.083 million cash donations through the Covid-19 Fund Mobilisation Committee, headed by Chief Afe Babalola (SAN).

“We have received a sum of N631.08 million from 535 contributors which the breakdown includes 231 donors and 234 political appointees.

“About 50 private organisations had donated food items and other consumables to fight this scourge by way of cushioning the effect of lockdown on the people,” he said.

Aluko said the state government will continue to work with security agencies and border towns to make the borders safe and impenetrable by intruders.

The Commissioner for Environment, Hon Gbenga Agbeyo, said drone fumigation by Oodua fumigating team being powered by Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, will soon commence as part of the measures to curb the menace.

FAAC Shares N606.196 Billion April Allocation To FG, States, LGs ...

The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total sum of N606.196 billion  as April allocation to the Federal, States, Local 

Governments and relevant agencies in the country.

This amount, includes revenue from Value Added Tax (VAT), Exchange Gain, Solid Mineral Revenue, Excess Bank Charges and Excess Oil Revenue.

The Federal Government received N169.831 billon, the States received N86.140 billion, Local Government councils got N66.411 billion, while the oil producing states received N32.895 billion as derivation (13% Mineral Revenue).

Cost of collection, FIRS Refund, Allocation to North East Development Commission and Transfer to Excess Oil Revenue was put at N15.134 billion.

Hassan Dodo, Director of Information at the Federal Ministry of Finance said “the Gross Revenue available from the Value Added Tax (VAT) for April 2020 was N94.495 billion as against the N120.268 billion distributed in the preceding month of March 2020, resulting in a decrease of N25.772 billion.

The VAT distribution for April shows that the Federal Government got N13.182 billion, the States received N43.941 billion, Local Government Councils got N30.758 billon.

How Nigeria can defeat COVID-19 – Osinbajo

The challenge posed by the coronavirus pandemic can only be defeated through careful coordination and collaborative efforts of the government, public and private sectors, as well as philanthropists, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has said.

 

Mr Osinbajo said given the unprecedented nature of the global pandemic, both in its impact and severity, it was clear that it was a challenge the public sector alone cannot tackle.

 

“As the pandemic’s impact is unprecedented, so too is the commitment of Nigerians both at home and abroad, who have rallied to help one another and stand in solidarity against this deadly virus,” he said.

 

The vice president spoke on Thursday in Abuja at an event to announce the impending launch of a Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) to provide additional support for Nigeria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The fund is an initiative of Global Citizen, a global movement committed to ending extreme poverty by 2030, in collaboration with Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) to enable Nigerians at home or in the diaspora as well as international donors to contribute to Nigeria’s fight against the pandemic.

 

The event hosted by the NSIA and chaired by the vice president also had the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, in attendance.

 

Others present included the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NSIA, Jide Zeitlin, and the Managing Director, Uche Orji, with Global Citizen represented by the Chairman of Global Citizen Nigeria, Babatunde Folawiyo, and the Vice-Chairman, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede.

 

Mr Osinbajo noted the significant health, social and economic challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has presented across the world, adding that the Nigerian government instituted measures to contain the spread of the virus.

 

Despite efforts to increase access to testing, ensure contact tracing and isolation as well as implementation of social distancing to contain the potentially devastating impact of this deadly virus, he said more support was needed.

 

“The government of Nigeria is delighted that the NSIA, together with the world’s leading international advocacy organization, Global Citizen, and their partners, have embarked on a process to set up a new funding vehicle,” he said.

 

“The NSSF will provide support to our most vulnerable communities in the fight against COVID-19,” he added.

 

The NSIA Board Chairman, Mr Zeitlin, said the NSSF would be incorporated as a non-government charitable foundation to be managed professionally and transparently governed in line with global best practices.

 

He said the advisory board of the fund would comprise eminent and qualified men and women to ensure the funds are effectively used and properly accounted for, to the benefit of all Nigerians. (Premium Times)

COVID-19: EFCC Hands Over Property to Lagos State Govt for Isolation Centre

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, May 15, 2020, handed over a property forfeited by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke to the Lagos State government for use as an isolation centre for COVID-19 patients.

The property consisting six flats of three bedrooms and a boys’ quarter was forfeited by Mrs Allison-Madueke  following an order of Lagos State Federal High in 2017.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Lagos Zonal Head of the EFCC, Mohammed Rabo stated that the gesture was part of the Commission’s social responsibility efforts towards the fight against the spread of Corona virus.

“In addition to our mandate to fight economic and financial crimes, the Commission is committed and ready to render essential services that may be required of it in the fight against covid-19.

Therefore, Lagos State should not hesitate to call on the Commission anytime the need for such essential service arises,” he said. 

In his remarks, the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, thanked the Commission for the gesture, noting that it was a welcome collaboration between the Federal and Lagos State Government.

While assuring the Commission that the property would be put to good use, the governor thanked the EFCC for paying attention to the efforts of the state government at containing COVID 19.

He added that “part of the challenges we have been facing is getting isolation centres for COVID-19 patients. We will go round the facility to see what we can do to improve on it.”

(EFCC)

Tragedy As Missing Seven-Year-Old Girl Found Dead Inside Co-tenants Vehicle In Ekiti

Olujoda area of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital on Friday, was thrown into mourning when the corpse of a 7-year -old girl Olagoke Morire, was found dead inside a vehicle owned by a co-tenant.

It was gathered that Morire and her twin sister, Olagoke Mokore were with their cousin in their apartment before they went out to buy biscuits.

The mother of the deceased Kehinde Ajayi said her daughter got missing around 1:15 pm after Mokore left her in the compound to fetch the money she forgot in the room.

Ajayi said the deceased’s twin sister and her neighbors raised the alarm when she could not be found and the situation prompted them to conduct a search for the girl around the compound, which proved abortive until 8 pm when her corpse was found inside a co-tenant’s vehicle that was parked in their compound.

“When we woke up in the morning I took care of my children as usual. They are twins. I gave them money to buy biscuits and left them in the house with my cousin.

“Suddenly, I received a distress call from one of my neighbors around 3 pm that Morire was missing and that they have searched everywhere but they could find her. I quickly left what I was doing and rushed home. We searched everywhere to look for her yet we didn’t find her. We reported the incident to Ologede Police Division and we were told to wait for 24hrs before they could take any action.

“It was later around 8 pm that someone discovered her corpse inside a vehicle parked in our compound with her body peeled off”, she added.

When contacted, the Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, Abutu Sunday confirmed the incident, describing it as unfortunate.

“It was true that a teenager was declared missing and the parents reported the incident in our division at Ologede. So, all efforts to recover the little girl turned out unsuccessful until 8 pm. She was found lifeless in one of the cars parked within their compound”.

He said the corpse of the deceased had been deposited in the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital’s morgue in Ado-Ekiti, adding that autopsy would be conducted to unravel the cause of the teenager’s death.

Vanguard

Death of Ponmo Seller Sparks Protests in Ekiti

A woman, Sefiat Useni, who lived at Oketoro area of Iyin-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun local government area of Ekiti State, was gruesomely murdered in her room in a mysterious circumstance at midnight on Wednesday, which has sparked protests.

It was learnt that the deceased, a ‘ponmo’ seller who lived alone, was hit on the head with a pestle and she died on her bed. It was further revealed that her body and the room where she was murdered were drenched with blood as a result of the severe head injury she sustained.

The death caused violent protest on Wednesday at Iyin, as Ebira people and the deceased kinsmen demanded that a man arrested in connection with the murder should be handed over to them for possible jungle justice.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti command, Mr. Sunday Abutu, said the cause of the death is being thoroughly investigated. “We have arrested a suspect in respect of this murder and he is being detained at the CID section,” he said.