Author: straightnewsng.com

Nigeria has recorded 170 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 2,558. This is as the leader of the Presidential Task Force Committee on Covid-19, Dr Nasiru Sani Gwarzo on Sunday said coronavirus pandemic is responsible and the cause of the waves of mysterious deaths recorded in the Kano State. In its Twitter handle on Sunday, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said fatalities from coronavirus-related complications have increased to 87. The 170 new cases of #COVID19: Lagos-39, Kano-29, Ogun-24, Bauchi-18, Kaduna-15, FCT-12, Sokoto-12, Katsina-8, Borno-7, Nasarawa-3, Adamawa-2, and Oyo-1. Of all, 2,558 are…

By Akanimo Sampson A month after escaping death, 11 young migrants have now agreed that it’s a miracle they survived. Since being rescued, the magnitude of their life-threatening experience and the dangerous journey is just now dawning. It was a tragedy that shook the African continent when remains of 64 migrants from Ethiopia were found locked in a container at the back of a truck, discovered on March 24 near Tete, Mozambique after crossing over the Malawi-Mozambique border. Last week, the 11 youthful survivors returned to Ethiopia, thanks to coordination by the governments of Ethiopia and Mozambique, assisted by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM)…

No fewer than 200 households in Ikot Mbonde Itam in Itu local government area of Akwa Ibom benefited from foodstuffs worth millions of naira from a Non-Governmental Organisation in the Netherlands. Presenting the foodstuffs- garri, rice and beans- on behalf of the group on Friday to beneficiaries, Mr. Mfon Effiong, said the donations were sent by Akwa Ibom and Cross River indigenes resident in the Netherlands in Europe as a palliative to the community. Effiong said that the donation was borne out of sincere love and feelings the group has for the people during this coronavirus pandemic lockdown. “The criteria…

Unlike other years, the 2020 World Press Freedom Day arrived amidst the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the world. Marked on May 3, the theme of this year’s celebration is Journalism without Fear or Favour. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in a statement, said “As the [COVID-19] pandemic spreads, it has also given rise to a second pandemic of misinformation, from harmful health advice to wild conspiracy theories. The press provides the antidote: verified, scientific, fact-based news and analysis.” Guterres harped on the importance of the press in playing a significant role during the ongoing COVID-19 situation, and how their contribution by the provision of…

Despite the resumption of duty by members of National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo unit, the bone of contention between the hospital authority and the union is still unsettled. The nurses had suspended duty in the hospital for two days when the corporal policeman assaulted one of their members over the suspicion that the nurse might have contributed to the death of his wife. The deceased’s condition was said to have worsened in the University Teaching Hospital, Uyo, after she was scheduled for a dialysis examination on account of post-caesarian acute kidney…

Nigeria has recorded 220 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 2,388. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control made this known via its Twitter handle on Saturday. It also announced that fatalities from coronavirus-related complications have increased to 85. A breakdown of data from the NCDC showed that 17 patients died of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours in Nigeria. The data also showed that no new state reported a case in the last 24 hours. It tweeted, “220 new cases of #COVID19: Lagos – 62, FCT – 52, Kaduna – 31, Sokoto…

The former Minister of State for Environment during the administration of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Ime Okopido, is dead. Okopido, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria is said to have died last week, a close family source confided in Straightnews. A close family source told Straightnews that until his death, he was living in his house, Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo. The deceased is survived by a wife, children and a brother- Ini Okopido, the state Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC). An indigene of Ikot Akpan Anwa in Ika local government area of Akwa Ibom State, he…

By Akanimo Sampson Significant levels of lockdown-related disruption over six months could lead to a projected seven million unintended pregnancies. It could also leave 47 million women in low- and middle-income countries unable to use modern contraceptives, and result in an additional 31 million cases of gender-based violence. These are the outcome of a new analysis by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and partners. Going by the analysis, a clear view of the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic is only beginning to take shape. But, experts estimate the human cost could be extraordinary. Without a doubt, the economic and…

By Akanimo Sampson Over the next six weeks, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is expecting to transport an equivalent of 37 Boeing 747 planeloads from China and Malaysia to 130 countries around the world. Once the service is fully up and running, as many as 350 cargo and another 350 passenger flights could fly every month. This is because the UN agency is setting up a logistics backbone for global COVID-19 efforts. This is happening as Nigeria’s zooming tally raced to 2,170 confirmed positive cases on Friday. The founder of DAAR Communications Plc, Raymond Dokpesi, and some of…

ExxonMobil has swung to a loss for the first quarter after a writedown of almost $3 billion (£2.4b) on the value of its oil reserves because of a collapse in US oil prices. The US oil company reported a loss of $610 million for the first quarter of the year following the outbreak of coronavirus, compared to a profit of $2.4 billion in the same months last year. The financial slump includes a $2.9 billion writedown to the value of its oil reserves after oil prices tumbled by more than 70% this year due to the sudden drop in demand…