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As part of her contributions in support of Government’s effort towards mitigating against the spread of COVID 19 pandemic in Nigeria, Mandilas Group Ltd, the sole franchise dealer of Carrier Air-Conditioners in Nigeria, donates air conditioners in support of GTBank’s effort to create a 100 bed isolation centre at Onikan, Lagos.

The company made this known in a statement issued in Lagos that the team had on the 26th of March started the free installation of 32 Carrier Ceiling Concealed Ducted Air-conditioning units at the newly set up isolation centre.

The Group Chief Executive Officer, Mandilas Group Ltd, Ms. Ola Debayo-Doherty commended the Lagos State Government efforts in combating the spread of the Corona virus and lauded the partnership with GTBank.

“We are very proud to partner with Lagos State and GTBank in setting up a fit for purpose isolation and treatment centre at Mobolaji Johnson Arena.”

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The ac units are humidity and temperature controlled with high filtration levels for clean indoor air quality, preventing the presence of stale air in the room.

“This will encourage habitation and make individuals at the isolation centre feel more comfortable”, she added.

Meanwhile, the installation is expected to be completed on the 27th of March in readiness for the launch of the centre.

Carrier is the pioneering air-conditioning system in the world and is renowned for its quality, durability and performance.

Earlier this month, Mandilas Group donated Carrier split air-conditioning units to the NCDC for the isolation centre in Yaba. The gesture was said to be in line with the corporate mission of Mandilas Group which is geared towards improving the quality of lives of all Nigerians.

Pastor Faith Oyedepo

Dear Reader, I count it a great privilege to share God’s Word with you today. Last week, I taught you on how two can become one. This week, I will be showing you: One Vital Benefit of Togetherness in Marriage.

I want you to know that God’s purpose for designing marriage is solely for man’s benefit. This is why marriage is ordained for better living and not a necessary evil. One standing secret that breeds peace and fulfilment in marriage is togetherness. This is a feeling of closeness or affection between you and your spouse. It talks about friendship and understanding between couples and this is one vital key to a successful marriage. To understand the importance of togetherness in a home, you must understand its benefits and they include:

Enhanced Spiritual Life

Marriage is designed by God to provide additional spiritual strength to man. The Word of God says: Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend (Proverbs 27:17). The purpose of God for marriage is for a man and his wife to sharpen each other. Note that only iron sharpens iron; wood cannot sharpen iron. This reinforces the importance of the fact that the two belong to the same Kingdom spiritually.

Reciprocal reinforcement among couples makes it easy for both of them to win spiritual battles. God expects the married couple to become stronger spiritually than when they were both single. The two of them, together in warfare against the devil, will cause ten thousand demons to flee (Deuteronomy 32:30).

A couple who does not care about the spiritual state of the partner is not helping him /her. When you find out that your spouse is weak spiritually, don’t just fold your hands unconcerned, watching his /her life deteriorate. You need to strengthen him/her.

A husband, who concentrates on himself alone rather than helping his wife to stay spiritually vibrant, is selfish.  He should know that, at the end of the day, the result can be likened to the effect of the force of gravity on an object that is thrown up. Very soon, the object will stop going up and start coming down. A wife who is spiritually weak can pull down her spiritual-giant of a husband, and vice versa. Spiritual reinforcement makes for spiritual prosperity. The prosperity of your soul determines that of all other areas in your life. The Bible says: Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth (3 John 2).

From the above scripture, it is evident that God wants His people to have all-round prosperity, beginning from their spiritual life. It is a spiritual law that the extent of your physical prosperity determines that of your soul. God intends the married to reinforce, support and uphold each other to access spiritual prosperity; and as they do that, they will also find prosperity in health, finances and material things.

This is not to say that Christians who are not married are necessarily weaklings, but when a man is united with God’s choice for him, they become resources of inspiration to each other for soaring higher in the realm of the spirit.  They become fortified and stronger. The closest association you can find between two individuals is between a husband and wife.  When they come together and agree, sharing a common goal and living a common life, they can easily win all life’s manifold battles. In God’s own scheme, one will put a thousand to flight and two will chase ten thousand.

It is also important that you know that marriage does not make you less spiritual as some think. Some people say that Christians go cold when they get married. There is no scriptural backing for this. There might be those who become less spiritual after marriage, but there are several others whose strength has doubled as a result of marriage. Marriage is not meant to pull you down spiritually, but to lift you up.

All through scriptures, you will discover that two are always better than one. When Jesus was to send His disciples on their first missionary trip, He sent them two by two.

Spiritual upliftment can only come when you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into your life. Surrendering your life to Jesus entails confessing your sins and accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour. If you would want to surrender your life to Christ, please say this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.

Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org, 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

Osagie Otabor, Akure

A pastor (names withheld) of a Celestial Church at Ijapo Estate, Akure in Ondo State was on Friday stopped from further conduct of naming ceremony by the State Task Force on COVID-19.

The Task Force led by Senior Special Assistant to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Special Duties, Dr. Doyin Odebowale, was monitoring compliance with the Governor’s directives banning large gathering and closure of shops selling non-essential commodities.

The Pastor ran away on sighting the team but the people present were advised to go home.

Odewale said the Task Force was not out to make any arrest but to ensure strict compliance.

Read Also; COVID-19: Indian, bank staff, others quarantined in Ebonyi

He said, “We are not on total lockdown in Ondo. We don’t want to shut down the state because we don’t want people to panic.

“It is to protect people from coronavirus and as such we don’t want congregation of people.

“We are also going round mosques to ensure total compliance. The purpose is not to lock up anybody.”

Tunisian Health Ministry on Friday reported 30 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 227.

Out of a total of 2,045 lab tests, 227 cases were tested positive from 20 provinces out of 24, said a ministry statement.

Tunisia’s first confirmed case has recovered, while six more deaths from the coronavirus are reported in Ariana, Sousse, Mahdia, Sfax, El Kef and Tataouine provinces, the statement noted.

As of Friday, more than 17,888 people have been placed under quarantine in Tunisia, of whom 8,845 have completed the quarantine period.

Read Also: Coronavirus: No death in Ondo industrial hub-Coy

According to figures from the ministry, the governorates of Tunis, Ariana and Ben Arous are highly affected areas with 55, 34 and 23 cases respectively.
On Thursday, Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh said that Tunisia was in “state of war” against the pandemic.

He underlined the need to respect general confinement and mandatory quarantine for people arriving from abroad.

According to Fakhfakh, the general confinement was respected “by up to 80 per cent people across the country … thanks to the strict application of the law and the sanctions taken against offenders.” (dpa/NAN)

The number of daily new coronavirus infections in South Korea dropped below 100 on Friday, with 91 new cases recorded since the previous day, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Seoul.

The nation’s total infections increased to 9,332, while the death toll rose by eight to 139.

It marks the 16th consecutive day that there were fewer than 200 new cases reported in the country, according to the KCDC, which shows a relative steadying of the disease outbreak since it began in late January.

The city of Daegu, where the largest proportion of the country’s cases have occurred, reported 34 new cases, while the nearby North Gyeongsang province reported nine.

Read Also: Coronavirus pandemic: The new reality

The total number of imported cases, which the government has been trying hard to contain, increased by 14 to 144.

Seoul announced on Friday that all South Korea-bound travellers would be tested for fever and would be banned from boarding flights if their body temperature was above 37.5 degrees Celsius, news agency Yonhap reported.

(dpa/NAN)

Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

Over 10 teachers of a privately owned nursery and primary school in Rumuomasi, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State, have been arrested for flouting the government’s directive on closure of schools following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Chairman of the council, Mr. Solomon Eke, who acted on a tip-off stormed the school, Mission Education Centre along Arochukwu Street, Rumuomasi, and surprisingly met about 100 students in different classes in mufti.

It was gathered that the pupils were in the school to write their examination despite the preventive measures put in place by the Rivers State Government to check the spread of COVID-19.

Eke, urged residents of Obio/Akpor to support efforts of government insisting that his council would continue to monitor the compliance level across the Local Government Area.

Also, the council commenced the distribution of sanitiser and disinfectants to various police divisions in the area.

Demonstrating the use of the items at the Rumuokoro Police Division, Eke, charged all police formations in the area to encourage regular hand washing and use of sanitiser by all staff and visitors, saying special attention should be given to the cells at the stations.

Read Also: COVID-19: Wike locks down Rivers, closes all borders

The Divisional Police Officer, Rumuokoro Division, Mr. Muktar Mahdi, thanked the Obio/Akpor Chairman for the gesture saying that the police would support the government in enforcing various measures put in place to check the spread of the virus.

Nduka Chiejina (Assistant Editor)

The ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning have tested negative to the coronavirus.

Minister of Finance Zainab Ahmed made the disclosure on her twitter handle where she announced that she is “grateful for negative #Covid19 test results.”

She thanked her followers for their concerns and prayers and urge “all of us to practice social distancing, wash our hands and use sanitizers as frequently as possible to help put an end to this global pandemic. Please support by following guidelines.”

On the ministry’s Twitter account, it was revealed that “test results for #Covid19 has returned NEGATIVE for both our Ministers @ZShamsuna @ClemAgba. The test was considered necessary after confirmed interactions with persons who tested positive.”

Read Also; COVID-19: FCT Minister tests negative

Confirming the test results, Special Adviser to the finance minister, Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi said Zainab Ahmed was at the National Assembly on Wednesday meaning she wasn’t in self-isolation.

Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi noted that “various platforms of engagement and Communication have been created for the Hon Minister of Finance Budget and National Planning to continue to do her work wherever she may be so there is no vacuum. So the Hon Minister’s office is up and running.”

Zainab Ahmed along with other members of the economic team attended the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting last week with state governors one of whom has tested positive to Coronavirus

Blessing Olaifa, Abuja

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Thursday raised the alarm on the creation of fraudulent websites by some unscrupulous Nigerians to capitalize on the Covid-19 pandemic to defraud unsuspecting citizens.

The Agency in a statement signed by its Head of Media, Hajiya Umar Hadiza, said NITDA is doing everything possible to shut down the identified websites and bring those behind them to book.

Hajiya Hadiza said:” in NITDA’s efforts at ensuring a safe and secure Nigerian cyberspace, the Agency’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT) identified a number of websites using various phishing tricks to attract Internet users.

” One of such tricks is misinforming the public that Federal Government has ordered weekly payment of allowances to all citizens above the age of 18 for observing the ‘Stay At Home’ directive. It then requires the user to complete an online form with the personal information including bank details for the payment to be effected.

Read Also; COVID-19: Senate urges FG to provide relief for poor Nigerians

“While NITDA is doing everything possible to shut down the websites identified as well as sanction those behind them, we call on the general public to disregard and report any such websites to the Agency for necessary action.

“As a general precautionary measure, Internet users are advised to observe the following;

not to give out their personal information to anyone online;

avoid clicking unknown links;

disregard offers requesting for their bank details; and

know what to do when they become victims of cybercrime.

“The Agency calls on all well-meaning Nigerians to support the Federal Government in its efforts at containing the spread of Covid-19 in the country. We are all encouraged to strictly adhere to recommendations given by health experts, and follow updates from relevant agencies handling this outbreak”.

5G can enhance the effectiveness of pandemic prevention and treatment and drive the digital transformation of healthcare systems in response to major public emergencies such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, a newly-released Deloitte White Paper suggests.

The White Paper titled: “Combating COVID-19 with 5G: Opportunities to improve public health systems” was produced in collaboration with Huawei.

During the outbreak in China, telecommunications operators collaborated with Huawei to rapidly set up a specific 5G network dedicated to COVID-19 treatment hospitals.

The White Paper analyses examples of COVID-19 control and treatment measures in China and identified challenges that face epidemic management in terms of monitoring, quarantine and treatment.

Amongst its findings, the White Paper notes that the effectiveness of communication and data exchange has been essential in screening for infected individuals and controlling the outbreak.

The research also highlighted the need to build and upgrade public health emergency response mechanisms, through which governments can make right decisions promptly and allocate resources more effectively.

READ ALSO: Unite against pandemic, WHO appeals to African countries

In this regard, 5G can also promote collaboration by enabling connectivity, maintaining effective communication among hospitals, and enable medical data and reference sharing between hospitals and scientific research institutions, especially “in the rapid increases in data volume and mounting demand for remote and HD-video based treatment” scenario.

In addition, the report indicates that the success of 5G applications in the public health domain could also inspire new business models in other sectors.

It finds that as a result of 5G features such as high-speed connection, high reliability and low latency, the healthcare system has benefited from improved response times, patient monitoring, data collection and analytics, remote collaboration and resource allocation. It also sets an example for digitalised, data-driven and Cloud-based innovative major public emergency response platforms.