The Nation Newspaper

Category: CORONAVIRUS

  • Lagos records two deaths, 68 infections in two days

    Lagos records two deaths, 68 infections in two days

    Lagos State Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi has announced that the state recorded two COVID-19 related deaths and 68 infections from October 9 to 10.

    Abayomi stated this through his Facebook account @Profakinolaabayomi yesterday, while giving the state’s COVID-19 update for the reported days.

    He said the two recorded deaths increased the number of COVID-19 fatalities in the state to 656.

    The commissioner said 4,100 COVID-19 tests were conducted on the reported dates from which 68 cases were confirmed positive.

    He said the new infections increased the number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 77,226.

    Abayomi said the total number of COVID-19 tests conducted in the state since inception of the pandemic stood at 774,404.

    He added that there were currently 80 positive cases in the state’s isolation centres and 597 active cases of the infection in various communities across the state.

    Abayomi said 5,156 COVID-19 patients had been successfully treated and discharged from the state’s isolation centres.

    Read Also: COVID-19 kills 20 Nigerians in five days – NCDC Report

    The commissioner noted that 70,737 persons, who were managed under the state’s home-based care, have recovered in the community.

    The state had recorded a decline in the number of infections and fatalities since mid-September compared to previous months.

    Abayomi said the state had successfully flatten the COVID-19 infection curve, noting that the state exited the third wave of the pandemic earlier than envisaged.

    He noted that the various waves of the infection in the state were mostly from importation.

    Abayomi noted that the state would evolve an ingenious way of implementing the COVID-19 protocols, while also sanctioning defaulters

  • Fed Govt to Nigerians: take responsibility for your health

    Fed Govt to Nigerians: take responsibility for your health

    The Federal Government has urged Nigerians to take responsibility for their health against the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).

    It said though it’s the duty of government to protect its citizenry, people should also take cognisance of their health.

    The government maintained that people should take care of their health by complying with COVID-19 protocol, adding that their health is their greatest asset in life.

    Minister of State for Health Senator Olorunnibe Mamora stated these while addressing reporters in Ibadan during the Distinguished Personality Lecture, titled: ‘The battle against Coronavirus in Nigeria, organised by University of Ibadan Physiology Students Association.  Mamora said Covid-19 pandemic has come, adding that nobody could determine when it will end.

    “Every Nigerian should be vaccinated; though vaccination doesn’t absolutely prevent you from having the virus, but you will not easily transmit the virus, and you have chance of surviving the infection.

    Read Also: Property inspections in the post Covid-19 era

    “Nigerians must take responsibility for their health. They should comply with all COVID-19 protocol such as using face masks, washing their hands, using sanitisers and maintaining social and physical distance.”

    “I wear two face masks to some gathering despite the fact that I’ve been vaccinated and also comply with COVID-19 guidelines.”

    In his welcome address, the former Chief Medical Director (CMD), University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole, lauded the Federal Government’s efforts towards curbing the virus in Nigeria. He said experts had earlier predicted that bodies would litter the street, but government was able to curtail it.

    Dignitaries at the event include the University College Hospital (UCH) Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, and former Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan among others.

  • 46 die in one week as cases slow down

    •Recoveries drop by 38 per cent

    By Moses Emorinken, Abuja

    A LATEST epidemiological report from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) showed that in one week – between September 26 to October 2 – 46 Nigerians died from the ravaging COVID-19 disease, increasing from 2,677 to 2,723 deaths.

    Although no death was reported on October 2, the death toll has continued to increase, while the average number of confirmed cases have hovered around 250, with the total number of confirmed cases of infection in one week being 1,608.

    Investigation by The Nation revealed that asides increasing death rate, recoveries have dropped by 38 per cent, from 2,059 two weeks ago to 1,273 recoveries as of October 2, 2021.

    The above data gives credence to the reality of the Delta variant of the virus – being more infectious and severe – driving the third wave of the pandemic across the country.

    Speaking to The Nation, the Director General of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said: “We are currently in the middle of the third wave of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Transmission is driven mainly by the Delta variant, which has been associated with increased transmission. There will be occasional increases and decreases in the number of deaths, but generally the case fatality ratio has stayed below 2 per cent.”

    To avoid being infected and protecting oneself and loved ones, the Federal Government has urged Nigerians to ensure that they get vaccinated at a nearest designated health facility.

    Also, it has continued to urge all to adhere strictly to the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) of regular hand washing with soap in flowing water, hand sanitising, properly wearing the facemask, avoiding large gatherings, and practising social distancing.

  • COVID-19: Group warns against pushing pro-GMO agenda

    COVID-19: Group warns against pushing pro-GMO agenda

    By Bisi Olaniyi, Southsouth Bureau Chief

    THE Africa Technology Assessment Platform (AfriTAP) has stated that it is wrong to use the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) crisis to cynically push pro-Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) agenda.

    It insisted that anti-GMO activists were not conspiracy theorists and that the deliberate attempts to re-colonise, control and exploit Africa and the African people must be resisted.

    AfriTAP, through its coordinator, Zahra Moloo, and Anglophone Desk officer, Mfoniso Antia, yesterday in an online statement, declared that comparing the decades-long debates over the safety of GMOs with anti-COVID-19 vaccination was a callous manipulation attempt.

    It said: “To suggest that decades-long debates all over the world about the impacts of GMOs, corporate take-over of agriculture and democratic deliberations about who controls our food systems is the same thing as anti-COVID-19 vaccination is a cynical attempt to avoid honestly addressing the real needs of Africans and African farmers, our seeds and soil. This is a callous attempt at manipulation and this is dishonest.

    “Africans deserve the same right to engage in democratic deliberations as other countries, including the dozens with full ban on GMOs.”

    “The peddlers of corporate GMO agenda are dishonestly avoiding any discussion on the impacts of GMOs on the autonomy of farmers, the right to seeds, the use of GMOs to further control who can grow what, where, when and how.

    The pertinent question to ask the pro-GMO groups will be: why is democratic debate about GMOs okay in Europe, USA and Canada, but not for African countries?

    “With dozens of nations banning GMOs and even more regulating them to protect farmers, Africans deserve the same right to democratic debate and not the dishonest dismissals and false equivalencies currently being peddled.

    “It is important to state that falsely claiming that anti-GMO activists are conspiracy theorists actually adds to the misinformation and thus feeds the vicious circle of conspiracy theory.”

    The platform also stated that Africans must be concerned about consuming crops that were engineered to be pesticides, while it would not be possible for human beings to eat crops that could kill pests and still be safe and healthy.

    It said: “Africans or their farmers do not need pesticide-engineered crops. African farmers have over the years used local methods of pest control, without poisoning consumers. There are farming methods that work hand-in-hand with nature and produce crops that are safe for consumption.

    “Agro ecology is one of such farming methods and it should be encouraged. African farmers, especially those in Nigeria, need extension workers, ways of preserving farm produces and transportation to the cities where there are huge consumer markets. Genetically-modified crops and mono-cropping with the aim of market/food system take-over and control are what they do not need.

    “Anti-genetically-modified movement originated from the USA and Europe. If individuals or countries in these regions rejected the failed technology, why should Africans accept it? If the technology was as safe as claimed, its proponents should spend more time convincing the countries of its origin, rather than strategically planning to dump the technology in Africa.

    “Africa is not a petri-dish for tests/trials and should not be made a dumping ground for failed and rejected technologies.

    ‘Farmers have learnt first-hand about spectacular failure of genetically-modified cotton in Burkina Faso. The permitting system in Nigeria does not engender any confidence in the technology either. Uganda has insisted on strict liability requirements, and the GMO proponents bristle over that as anti-science. Is science averse to responsibility?”

    AfriTAP also reiterated that the concerns of most Africans regarding the COVID-19 vaccination had been about the way the vaccines were developed and rolled out, including the total lack of international coordination to ensure equitable access and the lack of transparency on how the producers managed to take a four-year process down to less than 18 months.

    It declared that the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines ought to be questioned, especially seeing that the likes of Bill Gates Foundation championing the cause of their deployment to Africa, while insisting that Africans deserved much better.

    AfriTAP also urged Africans to take their destinies in their own hands, while kicking against second slavery or attempt to re-colonise them.

     

     

  • Rotimi Williams’ son Ladi dies at 74

    Rotimi Williams’ son Ladi dies at 74

    •President, NBA, Body of SANs, others mourn

    By Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja, Bisi Onanuga and Robert Egbe

    A SENIOR Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Ladi Rotimi-Williams, is dead.

    Ladi, first son of the late legal luminary, Chief Fredrick Rotimi Williams (SAN), died of the coronavirus in the early hours of yesterday. He was 74.

    According to his son, Kunle, the legal luminary was fully vaccinated with the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.

    “My father passed away this morning from COVID despite being double vaccinated with Oxford AstraZeneca”, Kunle reportedly said in a post on his Facebook page.

    Also confirming the death, Ladi’s younger brother, Chief Kayode Rotimi-Williams, said: “I just lost my elder brother, Chief Ladi Rotimi-Williams (aged 74+) to Coronavirus. He passed on at 3a.m. this morning.”

    Until his death, Ladi was the principal/ founding partner of Chief Ladi Rotimi-Williams’ Chambers.

    He was appointed as a member of the Constitutional Drafting Committee in 1988. He was also appointed a director of the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA).

    His service to other industries has seen him on the board of corporations such as UPS/IMNL and Mutual Benefits Assurance.

    Ladi was called to the Nigerian bar about 48 years ago and became a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 1995.

    He and his father, fondly called ‘Timi the law’, were the first father and son to become SAN.

    Reacting, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, mourned Ladi’s death.

    According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, Williams’ death left many in shock, particularly his close friends and professional colleagues.

    “The President joins the NBA and Body of Benchers in mourning the legal luminary, whose passion for jurisprudence and national development will be sorely missed.

    “President Buhari prays that the Almighty God will comfort family, friends and associates of Chief Ladi Williams, and accept the soul of the departed”, the statement said.

    NBA President Olumide Akpata said Ladi’s death left him devastated.

    Akpata said the death was a personal loss to him and his family.

    He described the deceased as a mentor, big brother, great guy and nice person, adding that like him, Ladi was an alumnus of Kings College, who succeeded in his craft.

    Secretary, Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) Mr. Seyi Sowemimo (SAN) described Ladi’s death as a big loss to the legal profession.

    “He had a very good disposition from my interactions with him. He was a good advocate. He would be sorely missed at the inner bar,” Sowemimo said.

    Another SAN, Chief Felix Fagbohungbe, agreed that the death was a big loss to the legal profession and particularly BOSAN.

    “He was one of our prominent members in BOSAN. We will miss him a great deal”, Fagbohungbe said.

    Lead partner, K and C Law Firm, Kelechukwu Uzoka, who once worked with the deceased, described Ladi death “as unfortunate”, adding that his death came as a shock to many lawyers.

    “The bar is grieving. We have lost a legal icon. We pray Lord to grant his soul a peaceful rest,” Uzoka said.

    University of Lagos law teacher Wahab Shittu described the death as “shockingly unbelievable.

    We mourn.”

    “He was personable, sociable, friendly, nice and decent. I had very close interaction with the departed silk.

    “We had mutual respect for one another. He drew me close to him like he did several others. No airs, none at all.”

    “His death undoubtedly is a huge loss to the legal profession and the Nigerian society in general. He will be sorely missed.”

    Ladi, on July 5, 2021, dragged the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) before a Federal High Court in Lagos to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the indebtedness of his brother, Folarin and two others in relation to the estate of their late father.

    The deceased and his three siblings have been at war over their dad’s estate since his death on March 26, 2005.

     

  • I spent over N6m to treat COVID-19 – Pete Edochie’s son

    Uche Edochie, son of Veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie has said that he spent over N6 million to treat COVID-19 at an isolation treatment facility in Gbagada in Lagos.

    Edochie took to his Instagram page @ucheedochie to share and announce his recovery experience.

    He stated that the  facility where he was treated charged him N350,000 per day and was there for twelve days before being moved to First Cardiology Centre in Ikoyi for lung and heart rehabilitation.

    The total cost of his  treatment had exceeded N6 million, he said, adding that many people died of the virus because of the high cost associated with its treatment.

    “COVID costs a fortune and I know a guy whose treatment cost N17 million. When I fell sick weeks ago, I thought I had malaria, so I spent the first couple of weeks treating malaria.

    “By the time I realised this could be something else, it was too late and I was rushed to the hospital with eighty percent of my lungs damaged.

    “I couldn’t eat or breathe and I was on oxygen for weeks; I could not walk either, including having severe chest pains. It felt like I was dying and waking up over and over again, I have never seen anything like this,” Uche said.

    Read Also: 59 die of COVID-19 in seven days – NCDC

    The actor’s son  said it was the first time in his life that he had no control over anything.

    “I felt like I was on a boat drifting away in the still of the night rudder less.

    “The days that followed passed by slowly and everything was a blur and I remember lying in the hospital floating endlessly like a feather in an abyss of nothing.

    “The days turned to weeks and my recovery was going well. I am fully cured of COVID now and I am able to walk a little,” he said.

    He added that his  lungs would take months to heal completely, but he was currently on oxygen and other medications.

    Uche urged governments to invest in affordable treatments, to prevent more people from dying of the virus, while lamenting that in spite of the lockdown, wearing of nose masks and vaccines, the virus was still spreading.

    “Even those vaccinated are still catching it, but thank God I am back home,” he said.

    He thanked his  family members and healthcare workers for their incredible support, saying, “In all these people, I saw the face of God and I will never forget. (NAN)