BREAKING: Ikpeazu, Abia Governor tests positive for coronavirus

Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia state, has tested positive for COVID-19.

John Okiyi Kalu, commissioner of information in the state, announced the case in a statement on Monday.

He said the governor had gone into isolation before his result returned positive, and that he has directed the deputy governor to act on his behalf pending the time he resumes duty.

”Recall that on Saturday, 30th May, 2020, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu volunteered his sample for COVID-19 test and subsequently directed members of the state Executive Council (EXCO) and those of the inter ministerial committee on COVID-19 to submit themselves for the same test. On Tuesday, 2nd June, 2020. Tthe result of Governor Ikpeazu’s test returned negative,” he said.

”On Thursday, 4th June, 2020, the Governor submitted another sample at NCDC laboratory for confirmation and the result returned positive.

”As a result, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has gone into isolation, as required by relevant NCDC protocols, and he is being managed by a competent team of medical practitioners with a view to nursing him back to good health.

”Consequent on the above, the Governor has directed his Deputy, Rt Hon Ude Oko Chukwu, to act on his behalf pending his full resumption of duties.

”We wish to urge all Abians to take the fight against COVID-19 serious as the disease is real but not a death sentence. Our state has the resources to manage patients back to good health.”

Ikpeazu is the fourth governor to contract the coronavirus – after Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi.

In March, the governor said COVID-19 would not afflict Abia because the state is mentioned in the Bible.

“Abia is the only state that is mentioned in the Bible. We have a promise from God that none of these diseases will touch God’s people. And I hold on to God’s promise,” he said.

“We saw Ebola, it did not get to us. We saw monkey pox, it didn’t get to us. Even this one (coronavirus) will also pass us by.”

The commissioner of environment in the state had died, though it was not confirmed he died of COVID-19. But some members of the immediate family of the deceased commissioner tested positive for the disease.

 

I didn’t instruct any agency to probe Minister — Omo-Agege

The Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, has denied asking the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to probe the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

Omo-Agege, said a letter in circulation said to have emanated from the Clerk of the Senate, requesting the Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Mr Ibrahim Magu, to investigate the Minister did not come from him.

Omo-Agege made the clarification in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yomi Odunuga, in Abuja on Sunday.

Describing the document as fake, the Deputy President of the Senate insisted that he never instructed the Clerk or any other person to contact the EFCC to investigate any individual.

“The attention of the Office of Deputy President of the Senate has been drawn to a letter dated May 7.

”The letter was said to have purportedly been written by the Clerk of the Senate acting on behalf of the Office of Deputy President of the Senate requesting Chairman of EFCC to investigate and monitor the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and one other.

“This Office hereby states that the said letter is false, fake, malicious, mischievous and vexatious.

“This office never instructed the Clerk of the Senate, or in fact any person, to write to or contact the EFCC in relation to any person.

“In the light of the foregoing, we wish to urge the public to disregard the fake letter, same being the handiwork of a person or persons with criminal intents,” the statement said. (NAN)

We never said Nigeria belongs to us, Miyetti Allah denies statement

Alhaji Abdullahi Bello Bodejo, the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Socio-cultural Association, has said that he has never claimed that Nigeria belonged to the Fulani.

He said in a statement issued to journalists on Sunday, that it was a blatant fabricated lie, concocted by the enemies of the Fulani people.

In the statement entitled ‘REFUTING NEWS REPORTS’, Bodejo said his attention was drawn to a news report making the rounds in the Social Media to the effect that as National President of Miyetti Allah he made claims that “Nigeria is a Fulbe country and that the Fulbe can enter anywhere without permission.

“And that the Fulbe are also raising 100,000 militiamen to enforce their will on every community in this country.”

“I want to state clearly and unequivocally that this news report is a blatant fabricated lie. It is actually the enemies of the Fulbe people that are at it again, as always, concocting such insidious and malicious falsehood against our people for their diabolical agenda against the Nigerian state. ”

“No doubt I was asked by the Sun Newspaper to react on the formation of Amotekun and my response was that every ethnic group has the inalienable right to defend itself against any aggression, including the Fulbe. That Fulbe will pursue their legitimate business anywhere in Nigeria as the country is as much their inheritance as it is of other groups.”

“I further said the Fulbe will also form their vigilante groups if necessary to ward off any threat against our people and against the incessant cattle rustlings that our people have been suffering for decades without respite from government and other communities.”

“For example, more than 804 Fulbe were murdered in cold blood in June, 2017 and more than 10,000 of their cattle killed by Mambila militias in Taraba State, continuous killing of our people and stealing and rustling their  Cattles in Plateau,  Southern Kaduna,  Benue, Zamfara with no arrest against the perpetrators.”

Bodejo said the act was part of sustained propaganda and hate speech against the Fulani Pastoralists by tribal champions and ethnic bigots.

“This is essentially what l said to the Sun Newspaper. But I am surprised that I did not see this report on the media I spoke to but it went distortedly viral on some other social media. Miyetti Allah refutes this news report and condemns the inherent mischief by the enemies of the Fulbe for this diabolical act. With or without Miyetti Allah, the Fulbe have the ability, capacity and right to defend themselves in Nigeria and indeed anywhere. Let those who wish this our great country ill to look for other means but leave the Fulbe alone. We have enough of our problems without adding salt to injury,” he said.

Vanguard

PMS pump price: PPPRA will continue to advise NNPC, marketers – Saidu

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) says it will continue to advise oil marketers on the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), generally known as petrol.

The agency, in a statement by its Executive Secretary, Abdulkadir Saidu on Sunday in Abuja, said that marketers were not allowed to fix prices of products.

He said the publication that the agency had removed the price cap of PMS, giving marketers the freedom to fix the price of the commodity and sell above the stipulated price, was not correct.

He recalled that the removal of PMS price cap and implementation of a market-based pricing regime was first announced by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, in March 2020.

This, he said, was followed by PPPRA’s publication announcing the regulation on the market-based pricing regime, thus creating a legal framework for the policy.

“The published regulation does not confer on marketers, the power to fix prices for the product as they deem fit. A guiding price will always be advised by the PPPRA according to market realities.

“The agency shall monitor market trends and advise the NNPC and Oil Marketing Companies on the monthly market-based guiding price which shall include the indicative retail price at which the product shall be sold across the country,” he said.

Saidu further noted that Sylva had said that the Federal Government would continue to monitor the price of petroleum products and advise on monthly guiding prices that guaranteed reasonable returns to operators while ensuring consumers paid appropriate prices in line with market reality, and were not overcharged.

“The minister, in his statement, further stressed that the government’s role in a deregulated economy was to provide, through the operation of the petroleum products pricing regulatory agency, a pricing mechanism to create a market-driven price regime.

“For the avoidance of doubt, it is instructive to state that no private individual or group has the mandate to fix prices of petroleum products.

“It is the statutory regulatory body that is saddled with the responsibility of advising guiding prices. In a deregulated market, the role of a regulator in monitoring and regulating activities in the sector cannot be over-emphasised,” he pointed out. (NAN)

NOUN holds matriculation for fresh students, June 13

The management of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) says that virtual matriculation of students is to be held for fresh students of the institution on June 13 in line with the COVID-19 lockdown protocols.

A statement by the NOUN Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Ibrahim Sheme, explained that the development was due to the current lockdown of the education system.

Sheme explained that during the matriculation, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdalla Adamu, would deliver an address, followed by administering of oaths on the matriculating students by the Registrar, Mr Felix Idoka.

He said the activities would be conducted virtually and beamed live through zoom from remote locations without the students being physically present.

Sheme advised students to download the zoom app, to enable them to participate from home or any other location, adding that the application password would be communicated to them soon.

Meanwhile, the university has withdrawn its earlier announcement that students could collect academic gowns from their various study centres for the matriculation ceremony, saying it was issued in error.

A statement from the registrar’s office noted that it would be impossible to conduct an exercise of that nature physically, due to the lockdown.

“The centre directors have been told not to open any study centre or allow a gathering of students until the ban on all tertiary institutions is lifted by the Federal Government,” Sheme said. (NAN)

Nigeria Records 260 New COVID-19 Cases, Total Now 12,486

Nigeria has recorded 260 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 12, 486.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control made this known on Sunday.

260 new cases of #COVID19;

Abia-67
FCT-40
Lagos-38
Ogun-19
Gombe-16
Edo-14
Imo-9
Kwara-8
Katsina-8
Nasarawa-8
Borno-8
Kaduna-6
Bauchi-5
Ekiti-4
Niger-2
Ondo-2
Plateau-2
Kano-2
Sokoto-2

12486 cases of #COVID19Nigeria
Discharged: 3959
Deaths: 354