Benue hospital insists it sacked 3, not 30 doctors

Management of Benue State University Teaching Hospital says it issued sack letter on only three, not 30 doctors, as the Association of Resident Doctors have claimed.

The association at the hospital has threatened to go on strike if the hospital doesn’t withdraw the letters at the end of an ultimatum, claiming the hospital is attempting to impose a six-year window for residency training on resident doctors instead of the eight years allowed.

Deputy Director, Head of Public Relations at BSUTH, Cephas Hough, issued a statement saying, “We wish to inform that, whereas, the Association alleged that 30 of their members have been ‘sacked’ by the Management of the hospital, we wish to point out that only three resident doctors  were terminated upon service of month notice in compliance with directives of the Management Board of the hospital.

Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham steps down

Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham has stepped down.

She stepped down as White House press secretary today to return to the East Wing as chief of staff to first lady Melania Trump, according to a White House statement.

Grisham spent less than a year in the post without ever holding a news briefing.

Her predecessor, Sarah Sanders, scrapped the regular briefings that had been customary to the job throughout Republican and Democratic presidential administrations dating back to Herbert Hoover's, according to historian Martha Kumar.

Grisham is expected to begin her role with the first lady immediately, according to a statement from Melania Trump that announced the change.

Bill Gates willing to spend billions to speed up the hunt for coronavirus vaccine

Bill Gates has said he is willing to spend billions to speed up the hunt for a coronavirus vaccine.

The Microsoft founder has already devoted millions of pounds to help fight the disease, but is now looking at ways he can help further.

And he's looking at funding everything from drugs for symptoms to research on a cure.

There's money for seven vaccine makers to allow them to build factories and another £16million available to three initiatives in the US and UK studying the effectiveness of existing drugs in treating coronavirus.

Top politicians’ names found as police invade shrine in Zamfara state

The Police in Zamfara State are saying they have found names of top politicians in the state on a paper at a shrine in Gusau, the state capital.

The state commissioner of police, Mr Usman Nagogo, who disclosed this on Tuesday, said the discovery was made when his men invaded the hideout of some suspected cultists in Gusau.

He said the police command had earlier received a credible information that some people were planning attacks against some of the top leaders of the state using fetish means.

Nagogo said the information had it that a house in Unguwar Dallatu, near motor park, was being used for heinous activities.

YouTube bans all conspiracy theory videos that falsely claim '5G causes coronavirus'

It’s one of the most popular video platforms around the world, and now YouTube has made the decision to ban all conspiracy theory videos that falsely claim ‘5G causes coronavirus ’.

Despite having absolutely no science to back it up, the conspiracy theory has gained popularity over the past week, with several celebrities even endorsing the claims.

While YouTube hosts many conspiracy theory videos, it’s decided to ban those linking coronavirus to 5G.

The decision follows a live-streamed interview with conspiracy theorist David Icke, in which he falsely claimed there is a ‘link between 5G and this health crisis.’

COVID-19 donations in Nigeria has reached N21.5bn

Donations from 50 individuals and corporate bodies in Nigeria to the Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) Relief Fund domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have risen to ₦21.5 billion.

This was contained in a statement on behalf of the coalition by the Director, corporate communications, Central Bank of Nigeria, Isaac Okorafor, on Monday.

The initial list of 37 donors grew to 47 and stands at 50 with the likes of Chief Mike Adenuga, Raj Gupta of African Steel Mills Nigeria Ltd., Modupe and Folorunsho Alakija of Famfa Oil Limited and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) donating N1billion each to the Relief Fund.

15-year old boy takes his own life after saying he couldn't wait for coronavirus lockdown to be over

The mum of a teen thought to have taken his own life during the lockdown in the UK has urged families to tell their kids "it's okay not to be okay".

Talented 15-year-old kickboxer Kian Southway died on March 31 at his home in Wales days after the start of the government's coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

The schoolboy was known by family and friends as a "polite" teenager who thought of everyone, and an "incredible" older brother to sister Darcey.

But his parents have told how they think he felt 'isolated from the world' due to the Covid-19 lockdown, reports Wales Online.

COVID-19: Kwara Govenrment totally locks down Offa

Kwara State Government has announced the total shutdown of the ancient city of Offa, Offa local government over COVID-19 pandemic.

The state said it is a proactive move to prevent the spread of coronavirus to other parts of the state.

Deputy Governor and chairman technical committee on COVID-19 in the state, Mr. Kayode Alabi, announced this to reporters on Tuesday in Ilorin.

He said the directive is pursuant to the Kwara State Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulation 2020.

Ronaldinho released from prison and placed on house arrest after paying £1.3m bond

Ronaldinho has been released from prison in Paraguay and placed under house arrest following his fake passport scandal.

The Brazil legend, 40, was thrown behind bars for allegedly trying to enter the South American nation with forged documentation.

But he has now been allowed to leave prison on the condition he stays within the boundaries of the hotel he will be forced to stay in.

Ronaldinho will be placed under house arrest at the Hotel Palmaroga, in Paraguayan capital city, Asuncion.

Nigeria records 16 new cases of COVID-19

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Wednesday night recorded sixteen new cases of Coronavirus.

Ten cases were recorded in Lagos; two cases were recorded in the FCT, two in Oyo, one in Delta and one in Katsina state.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to  254. Fourty-four have so far been discharged with six deaths recorded

Two pilots of Carveton Helicopters REMANDED till May 19 for violating Rivers order on COVID-19

The Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has remanded the two pilots of Carveton Helicopters, Samuel Ugorji and Samuel Buhari in prison custody, for allegedly disobeying the Executive Order issued by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Coronavirus preventive measures.

The court presided over by Chief Magistrate D.D. Ihua-Maduenyi remanded the two pilots at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre till May 19, 2020 when their trial would commence.

Chief Magistrate Ihua-Maduenyi ruled that COVID-19 tests be carried out on the two pilots to ascertain their status.

Chichi Igbo shows us s.e.x.y ways we can rock our nose mask

You already know she is a stallion.. well in her own rights. And Chichi today modeled a nose mask, showing us how we can rock it in a sexy way this period.

Good to see the former Falcons star girl is also back on track, after being bereaved twice recently.

Kenya to pay musicians, actors during covid-19 lockdown

President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage to set aside Ksh.100 million to to cushion local artistes from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Addressing the Nation on the state of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, Kenyatta said the Ksh.100 million fund will allow artistes, actors and musicians to continue entertaining the public through TV, radio and the internet.

“I direct the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage to avail Ksh.100M from the Sports Fund to our artistes, actors and musicians during the period of the covid-19 pandemic so they may continue to entertain their fellow brothers and sisters through TV, radio and the internet,” said Kenyatta.

Five killed in Kaduna as security operatives enforce lockdown

At least five people have been killed and several others injured on Monday at Kakuri and Trikania community in Kaduna South Local Government Area of the state.

The incident happened when police operatives and members of the Civilian Joint Taskforce attempted to disperse traders who defied the lockdown in those areas.

It was gathered that a fight ensued between the JTF members and the traders when the local vigilante group also joined to disperse the traders who converged at a temporary market located at Trikania following the closure of Monday market in Kakuri by police personnel.

FIRST made in Nigeria ventilators set for unveiling

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure has produced the first made in Nigeria ventilators.

The development is aimed at combating the COVID-19 disease in the country.

Ventilator is a vital equipment in the treatment of coronavirus patients.

NASENI has equally produced mobile sprayers, which are to be used to disinfect Nigerian cities and homes.

Plateau declares six days total lockdown for fumigation

Plateau State Government has directed a total lockdown of the state from 12 midnight of Thursday, April 9, 2020 to 11pm of Wednesday, April 15, to enable it carry out a state-wide fumigation across the 17 local government areas of the state to contain the spread of coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic.

Governor Simon Lalong of the state who is the Chairman of COVID-19 Monitoring and Enforcement Task force who announced this while giving a progress report on the fight against the virus, informed that during the period, “there will be no movement of any kind except for staff on essential duty which include security agencies, medical and health workers, Power and Energy staff, Fire Service, Media, Telecom operators, fuel tankers.”

COVID-19: WhatsApp places limits on message forwarding

WhatsApp on Tuesday placed new limits on message forwarding as part of an effort to curb the spread of misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic.

The new policy limits users to forwarding certain messages to one “chat” at a time, aiming to limit the rapid propagation of content which is provocative but likely to be false.

The Facebook-owned messaging platform said it took the action to enable people to concentrate on personal and private communications during the health crisis.

In recent weeks, “we’ve seen a significant increase in the amount of forwarding which users have told us can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.

Breaking: Seven COVID-19 patients discharged in Abuja

Seven patients receiving treatment for COVID-19 have tested negative and discharged in Abuja.

Muhammad Bello, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, just broke the news.

Bello said, “Let me begin by appreciating the high level of compliance so far exhibited by residents of the FCT with regards to the 14-day restriction of movement as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari with a view to curb the Coronavirus pandemic.

“This restriction was necessitated by the need to contain the spread of the virus within our community in order to safeguard lives.

Pictured! 23-year-old graduate commits suicide in Kogi

Tragedy struck in the early hours of Monday in the Angwa Tiv area of the Kogi State capital, Lokoja when a 23-year-old simply identified as Bayo committed suicide.

Bayo, according to a source who resides on an adjacent street, was sighted in the area the previous day going about his usual activities.

The deceased, it was gathered, was engaged in managing a thrift business, which a source said could be responsible for his death.

The source, who pleaded anonymity, told The Nation that Bayo took his own life by drinking Sniper, a popular insecticide.

Photos: Robots replace Japanese students at graduation amid coronavirus

Spring graduation ceremonies in Japan have been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but students at one school were able to attend remotely by controlling avatar robots while logged on at home.

The robots, dubbed “Newme” by developer ANA Holdings, were dressed in graduation caps and gowns for the ceremony at the Business Breakthrough University in Tokyo.

The robots’ “faces” were tablets that displayed the faces of the graduates, who logged on at home and controlled the robots via their laptops.

Oyo state records two fresh coronavirus cases

Oyo state has recorded two additional cases of coronavirus. The disclosure was made this evening by the State Chairman of COVID-19 Task Force who also double as the State Governor, Seyi Makinde.

According to the Governor, one of the new cases is a 28-year-old woman who returned to the country from United Arab Emirate on March 22 while the second case is a 42-year-old man who is a contact of an earlier confirmed COVID-19 case.

He added that the isolation process has been initiated, while the contact tracing and collection of samples have commenced.

The situation brings to eleven the number of confirmed cases in the state out of which two have been discharged and nine others active.

Katsina state records first COVID-19 death

Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has announced the death of the state’s first COVID-19 patient.

He is Dr. Aminu Yakubu, a Daura based private Medical practitioner who recently returned from Lagos to the state.

Coronavirus pandemic forces Miss England 2019 to return to work as a doctor

Miss England 2019 has decided to hang up her crown and return to work as an NHS doctor during the coronavirus pandemic.

Bhasha Mukherjee was a junior doctor specialising in respiratory medicine before competing in the Miss World pageant on behalf of England in December 2019.

After winning the crown, the 24-year-old planned to put her medical career on hold so that she could travel the world for various humanitarian efforts.

However, four weeks into her ambassadorship in India on behalf of Coventry Mercia Lions Club, where she donated stationery to schools and gave money to a home for abandoned girls, news broke that the coronavirus situation was worsening back home in the UK.

Lagos pegs entry age into JSS1 at 12 years

The Lagos State Government will from the next academic session enforce the entry age of 12 years for pupils seeking admission into junior secondary school (JSS1) to check the registration of under-aged kids.

Also, a fine of N50,000 for first offenders, N100,000 for second offenders as well as warning letters to close the school in case of further violation.

In a circular to Concerned Parents, dated March 17th, 2020, their state government said the new policy will be enforced in public and private schools to enhance compliance in the 2021 academic session.

OMG! Lagos residents break into LG Chairman's office, make away with relief materials (video)

The F? OMG!!! Some hungry residents of Oke Odo LCDA, Lagos state have allegedly broke into their Chairman;s office and made away with COVID-19 relief materials.

A Facebook user who broke the news and shared the video captioned it;

”Oke Odo LCDA, Opposite Jubilee bridge Abule Egba, Lagos state.

COVID-19: Police decry lack of face masks, hand sanitisers

Police officers in Akwa Ibom deployed to various locations across the state say they stand the risk of contracting the virus.

They accused the government and other relevant stakeholders of failing to provide them with protective items such as face masks and hand sanitizers.

A correspondent of The Nation who was on a routine check round some majors areas in Uyo, Eket, Ikot Ekpene and Abak to monitor residents compliance to the government stay-at-home order observed that policemen at checkpoints were without face masks, gloves and sanitizers.

At some of the checkpoints, policemen demanded hand sanitizer from the reporter, while expressing the fears that their lives are in danger.

COVID 19: Seven-Up to donate free drinks

The Seven-Up Bottling Company has announced donation of one million bottles of Aquafina drinking water brand and other beverages in its portfolio to the Lagos State Emergency Food Relief.

Another one million bottles, according to the firm, will be donated to other states to support containment of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement via its social media pages, the company said the donation was in aid of efforts to cater for citizens in vulnerable communities during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Whatever happens to donating it at door steps, smh, LOL.

Private hospitals not allowed to treat COVID-19, Lagos Commissioner for Health says

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has said private hospitals are not allowed to treat COVID-19.

Abayomi was speaking in Alausa, Ikeja, in reaction to a COVID-19 patient who died at a private hospital in Lagos.

He said, “The death that occurred in the private hospital is not something that is unusual; private hospitals are still managing lots of patients with pneumonia, and COVID-19 is just one cause of pneumonia. There are several other possible causes of pneumonia.

Ten newborns contract coronavirus at Romanian hospital

A Romanian maternity unit was being investigated on Tuesday after 10 newborns tested positive for the novel coronavirus, with the suspicion they contracted the virus from healthcare staff.

“The mothers tested negative, but the babies tested positive so we have to consider their contacts with medical staff,” Health Minister Nelu Tataru said in an interview with the Antena 3 TV station late on Monday.

The babies have no symptoms and all but one of them, together with their mothers, have gone into self-isolation at home.

Tataru pointed to the “failures in the activities of both maternity officials and the local public health directorate (DSP)” and promised severe measures if necessary.

Covid-19: Lady Gaga raises $35m & announces TV concert

Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Sir Elton John will perform at a TV concert curated by Lady Gaga, which will celebrate health workers amid the coronavirus crisis.

Gaga, along with the group Global Citizen, has already raised $35m for the World Health Organisation.

The funds will buy protective equipment for health workers and support efforts to develop drugs and vaccines.

Gaga also announced she had co-curated a concert to recognise health workers' efforts in fighting Covid-19.