The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu has said that 600,000 households of 100,000 each from each Area Council are billed to be benefit from the palliative measures, against the backdrop of the lockdown arising from coronavirus spread.
Speaking at a ministerial press briefing in the federal capital city yesterday, April 9, Dr. Ramatu said that there will be in place a monitoring team made up of civil society organisations, religious and traditional rulers, youth and women groups to ensure an equitable distribution of the palliatives.
She said that the distribution of the palliative package will be carried out through a door to door mechanism to prevent overcrowding.
She however, did give the date the distribution will begin.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Industry has donated the sum of N100,000,000 for the FCT palliative package, so also CGC Nigeria Ltd with N20,000,000 donation and Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company with N15,000,000 donation; Arab Contractors OAO Nigeria Ltd with N15,000,000 donation and Gilmor Engineering Ltd with N10,000,000 donation.
The United Bank for Affica (UBA) Nig. PLC had earlier donated N300,000,000 even as Honeywell Group joined the administration as part of the palliatives to be distributed.
President Muhammadu Buhari has pleaded with Christian community in Nigeria to bear with the government over the lockdown situation, brought about by the spreading coronavirus. In his Easter message today, April 10, the President said that the sacrifices we are all called to make might be unbearable but that they are necessary to save the country from calamity. “I am very much aware of the personal and collective inconveniences suffered by our people due to measures such as restriction of movements and closure of business premises. Being “a matter of life and death,” these sacrifices are in everybody’s interest to save our country from calamity. “The welfare of our people is paramount. Accordingly, the most economically vulnerable in our communities will continue to be uppermost in our plans, and efforts will be made to supply them with basic means of survival.” The President he felicitated with “Christian brothers and sisters,” noted that this year’s Easter has come amid the grip with which coronavirushas held the entire world. He regretted that majority of Christians have found themselves marking the Easter in a subdued manner, away from the usual congregation in churches. “This is unusual and very unfortunate. “However, I wish to enjoin our Christian compatriots to rekindle their faith in Christ who overcame persecution, sufferings and displayed endurance, steadfastness and above all piety. “Jesus Christ represented man’s ability to withstand temporary pains in the hope of everlasting glory.” Buhari advised Christians to imbibe and live the values of humility, discipline, perseverance, sacrifice and obedience which Jesus Christ demonstrated during His stay on earth. According to the President, there is no better opportunity than now for all Christians in particular, and Nigerians in general, to remain faithful and hopeful that with intensified prayers backed by personal and collective responsibility, the nation shall pull through this most difficult trial. “I have no doubt that if all stakeholders – individuals and groups – play their part to the fullest as advised by our scientists and medical experts in confronting Covid-19, the inherent resilience and determination of our people will enable us to pull through. “As I stated in my national broadcast on Sunday, March 29, 2020, since there is currently no known vaccine against the virus, “the best and most efficient way to avoid getting infected is through regular hygiene and sanitary practices as well as social distancing.” President Buhari commended the encouraging containment and ameliorating strategies put in place by members of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19. He made it clear that despite the government concentration on the battle against coronavirus spread, it would not be oblivious of the constant threat posed to national security by terrorists and insurgents. “They may take this opportunity to perpetrate attacks. But our armed forces and other security and intelligence services will remain vigilant and continue to contain these threats and consolidate efforts to eradicate them completely.” Buhari said that as Nigeria joins the Christian world to mark this year’s Easter, “whatever the circumstances, I encourage you to make the most of the situation, and to keep safe.”
This is a piece I have written very reluctantly. It took me three full days to decide to write it, as I was between and betwixt on it. Should I, or should I not? If I do, wouldn’t I be exacting vengeance for myself, when the one I serve has told me: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” And because of that conviction, I very, very rarely do rejoinders, no matter the virulence of the language deployed against me. I often leave matters to the one who recompenses, and who will judge every wicked or hateful word on that Final Day.
But I decided to write, out of the permissive will of God. The Yoruba people say if you don’t call a wicked man by his name, he will think he’s among those remaking the world, and turning it to an Eldorado.
Again, I also wrote because the people viciously attacked along with me are innocent souls. My principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, and the women who love him, whom I wrote about on this platform last Friday. They were quietly minding their businesses when I wrote on them, and if someone then savages them unduly, I am morally bound to rise in defense, particularly when the attacker operated out of a malicious mind, perhaps because his request was not gratified.
My piece last week was titled Women Who Love PMB, and it was a focus on the committed women who support and defend the Nigerian President on Facebook. The article received wide comments and remarks, both positive and negative. But the positive far outweighed the negative.
However, the comments were not principally what I wanted. I just was out to celebrate those women, who have the courage of conviction to stand by a man they believed in, through thick and thin. Like I said in the concluding part of the write up, it was not that those women did not see the shortcomings of the Buhari Administration, for every government has its own weak points. But rather, they decided to dwell on the strengths, knowing that it would ultimately redound to the good of our country. Bravo, dear women.
But on Monday, one wicked soul who goes by the name Bayo Oluwasanmi came after the President, myself, and those faithful women on Sahara Reporters. He wrote an article under the headline, Women Who Love PMB as Darling Tyrant. He opened the foul cesspit, which his diseased mind is, and employed words from the pit of hell to savage everyone. As stated earlier, my own, I would have overlooked, as I most often do. But for PMB and those women, this rebuttal and clarification became imperative.
Bayo Oluwasanmi postures as a writer and columnist, who loves Nigeria. Very regularly, he takes an axe to public office holders, cutting them down, as if the only thing that defines column writing is the deployment of foul language. Well, some small minds hold that misbelief.
So, on Monday, there was no evil word he didn’t use against us. He even wishes me Luciferous thoughts post-office. Well, that is one of the prices you pay when you leave your quiet abode to serve your country. Everything is thrown at you, including the kitchen sink.
But let me tell you about Bayo Oluwasanmi, and you can then make up your minds whether he’s a true commentator on national affairs, or just another self-seeking scoundrel, a wastrel, a boy screaming loud enough to bring the roof down, because you denied him a lollipop.
My first encounter with Oluwasanmi was in this wise: On November 12, 2014, by 12.54 p.m, an electronic mail popped in for me. It was from one byolu@aol.com, and the subject was ‘Columnist.’
By the above stated date, I was Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Newspapers, a job I was quietly doing and making my modest contribution to the media landscape in the country, before I was called to serve in government.
Oluwasanmi introduced himself as a journalist with first degree in Journalism and graduate degree in Public Opinion and Propaganda, both from Temple University, Philadelphia, USA.
He mentioned the friend who gave him my email, and said he was a syndicated Columnist for 16 Internet portals, including Sahara Reporters. Could he have a column in The Sun, which he said I was running quite well? He included five sample articles.
I read the articles. Two were on the arms procurement saga involving the private jet of a Christian preacher, who was a core supporter of the Goodluck Jonathan government. The remaining were a trilogy on My Next President of Nigeria.
In one of the articles, Oluwasanmi appraised President Jonathan, and Major General Muhammadu Buhari, who was candidate of the main opposition party then. He concluded thus: “So far, the two aspirants who are running in 2015 for the presidency, in my opinion, do not qualify of my next president for Nigeria.”
This one is not a Buharist, I told myself. But it didn’t matter. A newspaper is a marketplace of ideas. Wasn’t my Publisher then a top member of the ruling party, PDP, but he didn’t stop me from writing to support Buhari. All he wanted from me then was a fair, balanced newspaper, which I struggled keenly to produce, giving a voice to all sides.
In the final part of his articles, the aspiring columnist picked his preferred President and Vice President. Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, and Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin. I laughed and raised my two legs up. Was Nigeria ready for a female President at that time, with a female deputy, and with both of them coming from one part of the country? Ezekwesili, South-east. Joe Obiajulu Okei-Odumakin, though married to Yoruba, also originally from the South-east. He didn’t seem to understand what he was advocating, and in what kind of polity.
I eventually linked Oluwasanmi up with the editor of the paper by email, and I told that one to publish his pieces, and see if he could grow into being a regular columnist.
By May, 2015, President Buhari appointed me as his media adviser. I got goodwill phone calls in many hundreds, from within and outside the country. Oluwasanmi called from his base in Maryland, USA, a trend that continued for many months. Each time we traveled to America, he also called, praising President Buhari and the good work he had begun to do for Nigeria. I always thanked him, not suspecting that he had anything else up his sleeves.
On 14/8/2015, I got an email from Oluwasanmi. He said he was in the country on vacation, and would love to visit me at the Presidential Villa. I replied that I would give him time the following week, which I did.
He kept the appointment. A rather smallish man, who talked in a whisper. His person was contrary to the angry man I had always read on Sahara Reporters. No matter.
My visitor praised President Buhari to high heavens, and also lauded the work I was doing in superlatives. As he did, two thoughts crept into my mind: but this man is not a Buharist, judging by his position before the election, why now the praises? I also remembered my father, a great educationist, who always quoted John Plowman for we his seven children. “When a man makes too much of you, he either needs you, or he wants to cheat you.”
I didn’t have to wonder for too long. Oluwasanmi whipped out his CV, and pleaded with me to find a place for him in the Buhari government, which he said was God-ordained for such a time as this.
Now, let me make something clear. There’s nothing wrong in seeking to serve your country, if you believed in the government of the day. If you also worked to enthrone that government in one way or the other, there’s nothing wrong if you aspired for any position. Angels are not the ones to come down from Heaven to serve. Human beings, with all our strengths and weaknesses, will still do.
But Oluwasanmi didn’t believe in Buhari. He had written as much. Why then was he seeking a position, and so desperately? Has he changed his mind? If so, all well and good. He was almost prostrating as he gave me the CV, and pleading that I should help. I remember making it clear to him that the Buhari Administration was product of a political coalition, and thousands of people were waiting to be compensated. He pleaded once again that I should help, and we said goodbye.
On September 25, 2015, we were in New York for the 70th edition of the UN General Assembly, when by 12.51 p.m, a message popped in by email. It was our dear friend.
“Welcome to the U.S. Please let me know if I could be of help during your stay. I wish the President successful deliberations in his engagements.”
I replied, and thanked him.
On October15, 2015, by 12.50 p.m, another message popped in. “Great job on the pictures posted on Facebook. Anyway, just touching base with you.”
Many phone calls did I receive regularly from Oluwasanmi, as he touched base with me, and reminded that he wanted to serve in the Buhari government. I always took his calls and tried to be as civil as possible.
On December 30, 2015, by 2.08 p.m. Another pop. Yes, from you know who.
“With the legion of corruption cases in the docket of EFCC, I believe the agency would need additional hands to successfully prosecute the scoundrels. I’ll be very useful and effective in the areas of information and research. Please use your connection to hook me up. I really want to be part of the Buhari Revolution that ‘will kill corruption before corruption kills us.’”
It was just four days after I had lost my elder sister, a professor of Dramatic Arts, in an auto crash. I was sorrowing deeply, but I still managed to reply the email, saying I would let him know, if EFCC was recruiting.
Later, Oluwasanmi read of my bereavement, and sent me a condolence message. I thanked him very much, and still thank him today, despite the ill will he now bears, even to the point of wishing me evil after public office.
He says President Buhari is a tyrant. The women who support him are hypocrites. And me, I have failed like all my predecessors in the office I am holding. So, all my predecessors failed? So, who will succeed as media Adviser to the President. Maybe an underwhelming man called Bayo Oluwasanmi. And what happened to all the encomiums he had poured on me? “When a man makes too much of you, he either needs you, or he wants to cheat you. “ So right was John Plowman. And very right was my father. God rest his soul.
What happened to the Buhari Revolution, which he had labored so much to be part of, bending very low (in fact, almost prostrating as he gave me his CV?). Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, is what Shakespeare wrote.
Oluwasanmi has refined that saying. Hell hath no fury like a columnist scorned. He will come back with a vengeance, like a fiend out of hell.
But Oluwasanmi was not scorned. Thousands of faithful Buharists have not found space in government, but they remained faithful in 2019, just as they were in 2015. Why then should an American-based writer, who never ‘believed’ be the first one to be given an appointment over them? Fair is fair.
The scoundrel has called the President, the women, and myself all sorts of names. If it was me only, I wouldn’t have replied. I would simply have joined Paul the apostle in saying “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. The Lord reward him according to his works.”
But because of President Buhari and those faithful women he took an axe after, Bayo Oluwasanmi has got this comeuppance. I hope it serves him right.
Adesina is Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Buhari
The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed A Adamu, has warned Christians in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun States where the social restriction orders have been emplaced to observe the Easter in their homes.
The Inspector General, in a statement today, April 9 by the Force spokesman, Frank Mba, called on religious leaders in the States affected by the restriction orders, to continue to cooperate with relevant government agencies and use their leadership positions to encourage worshippers to observe Prayers and Worship Programs in the confines of their homes.
He said that the call has become necessary in order to curtail the community spread of the COVID-19 pandemic which has immensely challenged humanity across all spheres of life.
“The IGP expresses deep concerns that for the first time in the annals of our history, circumstances have compelled us to emplace restrictions on social gatherings, which inevitably is also affecting religious programs of all faiths.He therefore enjoins Nigerians to see the restrictions in the light of the symbolism of Easter which connotes sacrifice, tolerance, perseverance, love and ultimate triumph.”
He reassured the citizenry that the Nigeria Police will remain steadfast and committed in the duty of ensuring public safety and security during the Easter period and beyond.
The governor of Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian Federal capital, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has been confirmed to be coronavirus positive and may have been confined to intensive care unit for proper medical attention.
This is even as 84 years old King Salman and his 34 years old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, have retreated on self isolation to an island palace near the city of Jeddah on the Red Sea,
with many of the ministers.
According to the New York Times, several dozen other members of the Saudi royal family have been sickened as well and that doctors at the elite hospital that treats Al-Saud clan members are preparing as many as 500 beds for an expected influx of other royals and those closest to them, according to an internal “high alert” sent out by hospital officials.
“Directives are to be ready for V.I.P.s from around the country,” the operators of the elite facility, the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, wrote in the alert, sent electronically to senior doctors.
“We don’t know how many cases we will get but high alert,” the message stated, instructing that “all chronic patients to be moved out ASAP,” and that only “top urgent cases” will be accepted. It said any sick staff members would now be treated at a less elite hospital to make room for the royals.
As many as 150 royals in the kingdom are now believed to have contracted the virus, including members of its lesser branches, according to a person close to the family.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, so far has reported 44 deaths from the coronavirus and 3,287 confirmed cases with 666 recovered.
Saudi health officials had warned that the epidemic was just getting started. The number of infections over the next few weeks “will range from a minimum of 10,000 to a maximum of 200,000,” the health minister, Tawfiq al-Rabiah, said, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
“This has been a challenge for everyone, and Saudi Arabia is not an exception,” Joanna Gaines, a senior epidemiologist with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who works with the Saudi government as part of a longstanding training program, said in an interview from Riyadh.
Governor of Borno state, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum flew into Abuja, the nation’s federal capital today, April 9 to brief President Muhammadu Buhari on the prevailing security situation in the state, especially as Chadian Military have joined in operations to flush out Boko Haram insurgents. Governor Zulum also pointed out to the President, the implementations to Nigerian national security, of the recent Military action by Chad Republic on the shores of Lake Chad. It would be recalled that Chad, with its president in the lead, responded to the killing of a number of its soldiers, by also killing scores of the insurgents President Buhari and Governor Zulum who reviewed the incident at today’s meeting and expressed the belief that time has come to once and for all put to an end the senseless acts of terror and other criminal elements operating in the region. The President promised to take more decisive and proactive measures towards ensuring that the Boko Haram menace is totally eliminated for sustainable peace and development. Governor Zulum also briefed President Buhari on his administration’s efforts at containing the ravaging Coronavirus pandemic. So far Borno State has not recorded any case of coronavirus.
The leadership of the National Assembly has expressed anger with a section of the Nigerian media for misrepresenting its meeting with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, over the Federal government proposed palliative measures to mitigate the effects of lockdown for the purpose of controlling the spread of coronavirus.
A statement today, April 9 by Ola Awoniyi, Special Adviser on Media
to President of the Senate and
Chairman of the National Assembly said that the federal lawmakers are also angry with the presidency for reacting in a bad manner to such meeting, based on the said media wrong reports.
The statement said that at the meeting, there was nowhere that NSIP was described as a “failure” as reported by The Nation newspaper or a “scam” as reported by the Sun newspaper.
“Also, there was no mention of N2 trillion or any amount whatsoever in the statement.”
The leadership of the National Assembly regretted: we believe this misrepresentation misled the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Mrs. Maryam Uwais to issue a rejoinder containing unfortunate insinuations which were totally extraneous to the discussions at the meeting and the contemplations of the National Assembly.”
Part of the statement reads:
The attention of the leadership of the National Assembly has been drawn to reactions to some newspaper reports on its meeting with the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, which held on Tuesday 7th April, 2020.
The leadership of the National Assembly had called the meeting as part of the Legislature’s collaborations with the executive arm of government for effective management of the Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria and mitigation of the harsh effects of the measures adopted in this respect on Nigerians.
The focus of the said meeting was the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), which is the vehicle that Government is using to convey its palliative packages to the most vulnerable Nigerians against the backdrop of the lockdown called in many parts of the country to check the spread of the deadly disease. It is worth noting that NSIP has been in existence since 2016 and has been pursuing President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to alleviate the conditions of especially the poorest in society.
At the meeting with the minister, the leadership of the National Assembly made some observations on aspects of the NSIP and recommended that the implementation process be finetuned and the scheme be backed with legislation to make it more efficient, effective and accord with global best practices.
Although the official Press Statement issued at the end of the meeting clearly conveyed the deliberations and resolution of the meeting, some misrepresentations appeared in the reports by one or two newspapers.
Specifically, there was nowhere in the statement that NSIP was described as a “failure” as reported by The Nation newspaper or a “scam” as reported by the Sun newspaper. Also, there was no mention of N2 trillion or any amount whatsoever in the statement.
Virtually all other Media Houses published or broadcast the Press Statement accurately except for the errant reports mentioned above.
The comments at the meeting were not made to denigrate any official but to make the scheme more effective in the delivery of its critical mandate and these comments were well taken by the Honourable Minister and her delegation. The minister was honest enough to admit that the NSIP had some “challenges” and also bedevelled with “intrigues” which she was yet battling with.
The leadership of the National Assembly would not have suggested an enabling legislation for the NSIP if it does not believe in the relevance of the scheme.
We believe this misrepresentation misled the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Mrs Maryam Uwais to issue a rejoinder containing unfortunate insinuations which were totally extraneous to the discussions at the meeting and the contemplations of the National Assembly.
It is true that the leadership of the National Assembly pointed out gaps in the implementation of NSIP. As the representatives of the people, it is a key constitutional mandate of the Legislature to oversight, review and make recommendations for better implementation of important programmes of Government.
That, in summary, was what was done at Tuesday’s meeting.
The observations made by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and the Speakers of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, captured the views of many Nigerians. These observations also reflect feedback from the people they represent who are the targeted beneficiaries of the scheme.
We, therefore, take strong exception to the innuendo by the presidential aide that her rejoinder was issued towards “safeguarding the entitlements of the poorest of Nigerian citizens, whose benefits are likely to cease because they are not known or connected to NASS members or any other person of influence.” That insinuation is unfair to the members of the National Assembly and entirely baseless.
Public office holders should be receptive to constructive ideas and suggestions expressed to enhance service delivery and to improve the performances of public projects and institutions.
The leadership of the National Assembly is committed to sustaining its cordial working relationship with the other arms of Government as it has seen the benefits of this approach in the improved environment and speed of policy and decision making.
But this commitment will never deter or discourage it from asserting its considered views in promotion and defence of good governance.
We urge officials and agencies of Government to exploit their access to the Legislature in making clarifications before reacting to newspaper reports on its deliberations.
There are indications that Nigerian prisons, known as correctional centres, will soon be thrown open for certain category of inmates to regain freedom under the presidential pardon, as part of the measures to control the spread coronavirus in the country.
This hint was dropped today, April 9, by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu.
The statement said that Abubakar Malami, at the flag-off of the 2020 Presidential Pardon and Clemency, held at Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja said that in furtherance to the efforts to put COVID -19 under control, President Buhari requested appropriate authorities to embark on a visit to all correctional/custodial centres within their respective States to identify and release deserving inmates.
“During the visit, there should be conditional or unconditional
release of ATPs who have spent a substantial number of years in
custody especially those with no sufficient legal basis to remain in
custody,” he said emphasizing that Mr. President has requested that particular attention should be on the aged, especially those with terrminal health issues, low risk offenders as well as the payment of fines for convicts of lesser offences with option of fines, who are in custody because of their inability to pay such fines.
Malami warned all the beneficiaries of the Presidential Pardon and
Clemency to desist from crime and criminality and be of good
behaviour.
“You must rewrite your individual life stories. You must rebuild broken walls in your dignity by diligently using the
experience and various empowerments and trainings received while in custody positively to better your lots to the fullest.”
The Attorney General called the communities and general public to open their hands of fellowship in receiving the beneficiaries and ensure that they are properly reintegrated into the society without any form of stigmatization or discrimination.
“I have confidence in their selection process, and if Mr. President
has pardoned them, you too can forgive them. I urge well-meaning Nigerian to do something positive to better their lots and livelihood including offering them jobs. It is expected that proper reintegration will strengthen their individual resolve to live in line with acceptable social norms and values.”
He reiterated the need to identify new measures to consciously reduce the number of inmates in Nigerian custodial centres beyond the control of COVID – 19 scourges. “We must primarily look into the cases of persons awaiting trial and individuals convicted of minor offences for which fines were the penalty. It is particularly worrisome that about 70% of the inmates in Nigerian prisons are persons awaiting trial and canvassed for the use of non-custodial measures in line with the provisions of the ACJA, 2015 and the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019.
The 2020 flag-off was part of the urgent measures taken by the Federal Government towards the speedy decongestion of correctional/custodial
centres in the country in view of the COVID – 19 Pandemic.
The Federal Government has cut the 2020 budget by N318 billion and sent it to the National Assembly for approval.
The government decided to reduce the budget estimate from N10.594 trillion to N10.276 trillion as a result of falling oil prices and the ravaging coronavirus that has curtailed economic activities globally.
It will be recalled that the federal government had earlier reduced the oil bench mark from $57 per barrel to $30 per barrel, as the oil production volume was dropped from 2.17 million barrel to 1.70 million barrel.
The exchange rate was increased from N305 to N360 per dollar. It was learnt that capital projects across ministries, departments and agencies have been reduced by 20 per cent and pegged at N312.82 billion.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the National Assembly, Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari, had a close door meeting .
Shortly after the meeting, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan took to his Twitter handle stating what happened at the closed door meeting.
He said that the National Assembly leadership was presented with all the facts regarding the current situation on Nigeria’s crude oil and the amendment being contemplated as regards the MTEF and 2020 budget.
Lawan said: “At the heart of all these facts are the various intervention initiatives of the Federal Government to mitigate the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on Nigeria.”
Medical experts and researchers at the Australia’s Monash University, have discovered an anti-parasitic head lice drug, known as Ivermectin, to kill coronavirus in the laboratory within 48 hours.
It is known however, that the drug has not been approved for treatment of coronavirus by any known authorities, especially the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
Ivermectin is an FDA-approved anti-parasitic drug also shown to be effective in vitro against viruses including HIV, dengue and influenza. The study is the joint work of Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity.
According to the researchers, Ivermectin is used to treat parasitic infestations, from head lice and scabies to river blindness and some worm infestation.
But a single dose of the drug stopped the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, from growing in cell culture, the Daily Mail reported
“We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA (effectively removed all genetic material of the virus) by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it,” Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute’s Dr Kylie Wagstaff said on Friday.
While it’s not known how Ivermectin works on the virus, the drug likely stops the virus dampening the host cells’ ability to clear it.
The next step is for scientists to determine the correct human dosage, to make sure the level used in vitro is safe for humans.
“In times when we’re having a global pandemic and there isn’t an approved treatment, if we had a compound that was already available around the world then that might help people sooner,” Dr Wagstaff said.
“Realistically it’s going to be a while before a vaccine is broadly available.”
Scientists expect it could be at least a month before human trials. Before Ivermectin can be used to combat coronavirus, funding is needed to get it to pre-clinical testing and clinical trials.
The study findings have been published in Antiviral Research.
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The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu has said that 600,000 households of 100,000 each from each Area Council are billed to be benefit from the palliative measures, against the backdrop of the lockdown arising from coronavirus spread.
The governor of Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian Federal capital, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has been confirmed to be coronavirus positive and may have been confined to intensive care unit for proper medical attention.
The leadership of the National Assembly has expressed anger with a section of the Nigerian media for misrepresenting its meeting with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, over the Federal government proposed palliative measures to mitigate the effects of lockdown for the purpose of controlling the spread of coronavirus.
There are indications that Nigerian prisons, known as correctional centres, will soon be thrown open for certain category of inmates to regain freedom under the presidential pardon, as part of the measures to control the spread coronavirus in the country.
Medical experts and researchers at the Australia’s Monash University, have discovered an anti-parasitic head lice drug, known as Ivermectin, to kill coronavirus in the laboratory within 48 hours.
The Scoundrel Called BAYO Oluwasanmi, Femi Adesina
This is a piece I have written very reluctantly. It took me three full days to decide to write it, as I was between and betwixt on it. Should I, or should I not? If I do, wouldn’t I be exacting vengeance for myself, when the one I serve has told me: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” And because of that conviction, I very, very rarely do rejoinders, no matter the virulence of the language deployed against me. I often leave matters to the one who recompenses, and who will judge every wicked or hateful word on that Final Day.
But I decided to write, out of the permissive will of God. The Yoruba people say if you don’t call a wicked man by his name, he will think he’s among those remaking the world, and turning it to an Eldorado.
Again, I also wrote because the people viciously attacked along with me are innocent souls. My principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, and the women who love him, whom I wrote about on this platform last Friday. They were quietly minding their businesses when I wrote on them, and if someone then savages them unduly, I am morally bound to rise in defense, particularly when the attacker operated out of a malicious mind, perhaps because his request was not gratified.
My piece last week was titled Women Who Love PMB, and it was a focus on the committed women who support and defend the Nigerian President on Facebook. The article received wide comments and remarks, both positive and negative. But the positive far outweighed the negative.
However, the comments were not principally what I wanted. I just was out to celebrate those women, who have the courage of conviction to stand by a man they believed in, through thick and thin. Like I said in the concluding part of the write up, it was not that those women did not see the shortcomings of the Buhari Administration, for every government has its own weak points. But rather, they decided to dwell on the strengths, knowing that it would ultimately redound to the good of our country. Bravo, dear women.
But on Monday, one wicked soul who goes by the name Bayo Oluwasanmi came after the President, myself, and those faithful women on Sahara Reporters. He wrote an article under the headline, Women Who Love PMB as Darling Tyrant. He opened the foul cesspit, which his diseased mind is, and employed words from the pit of hell to savage everyone. As stated earlier, my own, I would have overlooked, as I most often do. But for PMB and those women, this rebuttal and clarification became imperative.
Bayo Oluwasanmi postures as a writer and columnist, who loves Nigeria. Very regularly, he takes an axe to public office holders, cutting them down, as if the only thing that defines column writing is the deployment of foul language. Well, some small minds hold that misbelief.
So, on Monday, there was no evil word he didn’t use against us. He even wishes me Luciferous thoughts post-office. Well, that is one of the prices you pay when you leave your quiet abode to serve your country. Everything is thrown at you, including the kitchen sink.
But let me tell you about Bayo Oluwasanmi, and you can then make up your minds whether he’s a true commentator on national affairs, or just another self-seeking scoundrel, a wastrel, a boy screaming loud enough to bring the roof down, because you denied him a lollipop.
My first encounter with Oluwasanmi was in this wise: On November 12, 2014, by 12.54 p.m, an electronic mail popped in for me. It was from one byolu@aol.com, and the subject was ‘Columnist.’
By the above stated date, I was Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Newspapers, a job I was quietly doing and making my modest contribution to the media landscape in the country, before I was called to serve in government.
Oluwasanmi introduced himself as a journalist with first degree in Journalism and graduate degree in Public Opinion and Propaganda, both from Temple University, Philadelphia, USA.
He mentioned the friend who gave him my email, and said he was a syndicated Columnist for 16 Internet portals, including Sahara Reporters. Could he have a column in The Sun, which he said I was running quite well? He included five sample articles.
I read the articles. Two were on the arms procurement saga involving the private jet of a Christian preacher, who was a core supporter of the Goodluck Jonathan government. The remaining were a trilogy on My Next President of Nigeria.
In one of the articles, Oluwasanmi appraised President Jonathan, and Major General Muhammadu Buhari, who was candidate of the main opposition party then. He concluded thus: “So far, the two aspirants who are running in 2015 for the presidency, in my opinion, do not qualify of my next president for Nigeria.”
This one is not a Buharist, I told myself. But it didn’t matter. A newspaper is a marketplace of ideas. Wasn’t my Publisher then a top member of the ruling party, PDP, but he didn’t stop me from writing to support Buhari. All he wanted from me then was a fair, balanced newspaper, which I struggled keenly to produce, giving a voice to all sides.
In the final part of his articles, the aspiring columnist picked his preferred President and Vice President. Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, and Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin. I laughed and raised my two legs up. Was Nigeria ready for a female President at that time, with a female deputy, and with both of them coming from one part of the country? Ezekwesili, South-east. Joe Obiajulu Okei-Odumakin, though married to Yoruba, also originally from the South-east. He didn’t seem to understand what he was advocating, and in what kind of polity.
I eventually linked Oluwasanmi up with the editor of the paper by email, and I told that one to publish his pieces, and see if he could grow into being a regular columnist.
By May, 2015, President Buhari appointed me as his media adviser. I got goodwill phone calls in many hundreds, from within and outside the country. Oluwasanmi called from his base in Maryland, USA, a trend that continued for many months. Each time we traveled to America, he also called, praising President Buhari and the good work he had begun to do for Nigeria. I always thanked him, not suspecting that he had anything else up his sleeves.
On 14/8/2015, I got an email from Oluwasanmi. He said he was in the country on vacation, and would love to visit me at the Presidential Villa. I replied that I would give him time the following week, which I did.
He kept the appointment. A rather smallish man, who talked in a whisper. His person was contrary to the angry man I had always read on Sahara Reporters. No matter.
My visitor praised President Buhari to high heavens, and also lauded the work I was doing in superlatives. As he did, two thoughts crept into my mind: but this man is not a Buharist, judging by his position before the election, why now the praises? I also remembered my father, a great educationist, who always quoted John Plowman for we his seven children. “When a man makes too much of you, he either needs you, or he wants to cheat you.”
I didn’t have to wonder for too long. Oluwasanmi whipped out his CV, and pleaded with me to find a place for him in the Buhari government, which he said was God-ordained for such a time as this.
Now, let me make something clear. There’s nothing wrong in seeking to serve your country, if you believed in the government of the day. If you also worked to enthrone that government in one way or the other, there’s nothing wrong if you aspired for any position. Angels are not the ones to come down from Heaven to serve. Human beings, with all our strengths and weaknesses, will still do.
But Oluwasanmi didn’t believe in Buhari. He had written as much. Why then was he seeking a position, and so desperately? Has he changed his mind? If so, all well and good. He was almost prostrating as he gave me the CV, and pleading that I should help. I remember making it clear to him that the Buhari Administration was product of a political coalition, and thousands of people were waiting to be compensated. He pleaded once again that I should help, and we said goodbye.
On September 25, 2015, we were in New York for the 70th edition of the UN General Assembly, when by 12.51 p.m, a message popped in by email. It was our dear friend.
“Welcome to the U.S. Please let me know if I could be of help during your stay. I wish the President successful deliberations in his engagements.”
I replied, and thanked him.
On October15, 2015, by 12.50 p.m, another message popped in. “Great job on the pictures posted on Facebook. Anyway, just touching base with you.”
Many phone calls did I receive regularly from Oluwasanmi, as he touched base with me, and reminded that he wanted to serve in the Buhari government. I always took his calls and tried to be as civil as possible.
On December 30, 2015, by 2.08 p.m. Another pop. Yes, from you know who.
“With the legion of corruption cases in the docket of EFCC, I believe the agency would need additional hands to successfully prosecute the scoundrels. I’ll be very useful and effective in the areas of information and research. Please use your connection to hook me up. I really want to be part of the Buhari Revolution that ‘will kill corruption before corruption kills us.’”
It was just four days after I had lost my elder sister, a professor of Dramatic Arts, in an auto crash. I was sorrowing deeply, but I still managed to reply the email, saying I would let him know, if EFCC was recruiting.
Later, Oluwasanmi read of my bereavement, and sent me a condolence message. I thanked him very much, and still thank him today, despite the ill will he now bears, even to the point of wishing me evil after public office.
He says President Buhari is a tyrant. The women who support him are hypocrites. And me, I have failed like all my predecessors in the office I am holding. So, all my predecessors failed? So, who will succeed as media Adviser to the President. Maybe an underwhelming man called Bayo Oluwasanmi. And what happened to all the encomiums he had poured on me? “When a man makes too much of you, he either needs you, or he wants to cheat you. “ So right was John Plowman. And very right was my father. God rest his soul.
What happened to the Buhari Revolution, which he had labored so much to be part of, bending very low (in fact, almost prostrating as he gave me his CV?). Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, is what Shakespeare wrote.
Oluwasanmi has refined that saying. Hell hath no fury like a columnist scorned. He will come back with a vengeance, like a fiend out of hell.
But Oluwasanmi was not scorned. Thousands of faithful Buharists have not found space in government, but they remained faithful in 2019, just as they were in 2015. Why then should an American-based writer, who never ‘believed’ be the first one to be given an appointment over them? Fair is fair.
The scoundrel has called the President, the women, and myself all sorts of names. If it was me only, I wouldn’t have replied. I would simply have joined Paul the apostle in saying “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. The Lord reward him according to his works.”
But because of President Buhari and those faithful women he took an axe after, Bayo Oluwasanmi has got this comeuppance. I hope it serves him right.
Adesina is Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Buhari