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     SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, DISTINGUISHED SENATOR AHMAD IBRAHIM LAWAN, PhD, CON, AT THE RESUMPTION OF THE SENATE PLENARY, April 28, 2020, AT THE SENATE CHAMBERS, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, THREE ARM ZONE, ABUJA. PROTOCOL Distinguished Colleagues, it is a great pleasure to welcome you back to this hallowed chamber. The world has been on lockdown in the last couple of months because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has unsettled economies, affected the way we relate to each other and disrupted calendars of activities across different sectors. Government has responded well under the recommendations of scientists and experts. Our sessions have been interrupted, but we have sustained our interventions and collaborations with other arms and agencies of government in the concerted bid to mitigate the damage from the pandemic. We will continue in our efforts in the interest of our good health, the well-being of our people and the sustainable...

     Nasarawa State has recorded its index case of the novel coronavirus with a woman who recently returned from Kano. Governor Abdullahi A Sule announced this during the COVID-19 Task Force Committee meeting held in Government House Lafia on Tuesday. The Governor maintained that the lady who returned to Kokona from Kano was among the five samples tested out of which four turned out negative adding that she has since been isolated and is presently receiving medical attention at the isolation center in Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital Lafia. Governor Sule added that "Just yesterday, five tests have been conducted and four are negative and with one positive case in Kokona. The index case traveled from Kano to Kokona". While appreciating the people of the state, COVID-19 Task Force Committee and the security agencies as well as the traditional institutions, the Governor said his appreciation will not be complete without thanking Local Government authorities, media and o...

     ...says Nigeria must prevent massive outbreak ... establishes strategic response team ...House set to pass law on SIP, fresh economic stimulus The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila has said that the palliatives provided by the Federal Government at this time of lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic must reach all Nigerians in need. Gbajabiamila said although the government has done its best to reach as many Nigerians as possible, evidence showed that many Nigerians in need are yet to get any form of palliative. "The commendable palliative schemes initiated by the administration have helped alleviate the sufferings of some of our most vulnerable populations. "However, many of our people have not benefited from any of the implemented measures. It is necessary that we act to ensure that as many people as need help, are reached. We must also ensure that the distribution of interventions across the country is inclusive and equitable,...

      TEXT OF REMARKS BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED, AT THE DAILY NATIONAL PRESS BRIEFING BY THE PTF ON COVID-19 IN ABUJA ON TUESDAY, 28 APRIL 2020 President Muhammadu Buhari today had a phone conversation with President Donald Trump, at the request of the American President. The conversation centred on Nigeria's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. President Buhari used the opportunity to brief the American President on the steps that Nigeria is taking to contain the spread of the disease. For his part, President Trump assured that the United States stands in solidarity with Nigeria in this difficult time and promised to send ventilators to support the country in its fight against the pandemic. President Trump also extends his best regards to the people of Nigeria.

    President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday afternoon received a telephone call from American President, Donald Trump, during which the two leaders commiserated with each other on fatalities in their countries, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. They also shared ideas on how to successfully combat the health emergency. President Buhari expressed condolences to the government and people of the United States over the fatalities recorded, and equally expressed worry at the high rate of deaths recorded across the world. The associated negative impacts of the pandemic on the world’s economy also came up for discussion. The Nigerian President lauded his American counterpart for the various initiatives adopted by his government to contain the further spread of the virus across the United States. He indicated Nigeria’s readiness to cooperate with the United States to fight this common unseen enemy. President Buhari informed that Nigeria had taken a number of proactive measures...

      A Facebook user has disclosed that they "freed an unidentified man from spiritual bondage", after they found his photo in a bag containing a moulded image and other voodoo items... According to Asuquo Asuquo Udoma, the items were found after a bag which was forgotten in a Keke Napep was thrown out by the driver. He said all the items were subsequently set on fire. He wrote; Who knows this man Nyome should tell him to thank the Most High, we found a bag containing his picture, moulded human image, a lot of mystical items this morning along the road and we burnt them. Someone forgot it inside Keke and the driver threw the bag out. Thank God for him...More photos below.

     A suspected oil thief, Mallam Julius Obi has been remanded in the Port Harcourt Custodial Centre pending the perfection of a N10million bail granted him by the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt. . . Obi was arraigned on April 24 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Port Harcourt Zonal office before Justice H.I.O Oshomah of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt on one count charge bordering on illegal dealing in Petroleum Product without license. The alleged offence is contrary to Section 1(1) (a) and punishable under Section 1 (17) (a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, CAP M17 of the Reverse Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria), 2007 and punishable under Section 1 (17) of the same Act.

      ....Asks Nigerians To Look Beyond Palliatives ...Sanwo-Olu Praises Monarch's Local Solutions To Health Challenge The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi Tuesday presented 3 locally made motorized modular fumigator to Lagos State Government as his contribution in the fight against the novel coronavirus global pandemic. The monarch also handed over a large size drone sprinkler to the state Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The drone sprinkler-fumigator is meant for the aerial fumigation purposes. The Ooni described the activities of Governor Sanwo-Olu and other world leaders as commendable as they continue the battle against the global pandemic. He said this encouraged him and the palace to throw their hat into the ring by coming up with the disinfecting machines to help protect the environment. The monarch said the fumigators, which were locally fabricated are environmentally-friendly. He stated that the equipment converts the liquid sanitizer to fog, travels ...

     By Abdul Abdul April 28, 20200 The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that the use of non-medical face masks, which include self-made or commercial masks or face covers made of clothes only reduce and not prevent spread of the coronavirus disease. Director General of the agency, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, in a statement issued in Abuja, said these categories of protective masks are not of standard but essential to limit the spread of droplets. “Non-medical face masks include self-made or commercial masks or face covers made of clothes, other textiles or other materials such as paper. They are not standardised and are not intended for use in healthcare settings or by healthcare professionals. “They serve to limit spread of droplets and offer some measure of protection to those around you. “The material of construction is usually clothes (textile fabric), non-woven wadding, or paper-like materials. For these Barrier Ma...

     In the light of the presidential directive, during the nationwide broadcast last night, it is essential that attention be drawn to the reported large number of food trucks that are being delayed at various checkpoints around the country or prevented from crossing state borders, as a result of the various curfews and lockdowns in different states. The restrictions of movement as a r esult of the COVID-19 pandemic do not apply to vehicles transporting essential commodities, such as food. The country cannot afford a situation where agricultural products are being left to rot in trucks held at various checkpoints, when millions of Nigerians across the country need food. COVID-19 or no COVID-19, Nigerians need to eat. Other essential items that can be transported despite the ban on movement as prescribed by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) include: pharmaceutical and sanitary supplies, personal care items, agro chemicals and agricultural machinery, electrical pro...

     MAJOR MARKETS REMAIN CLOSED: All major markets, including Oja Oba, Oja Bisi, Shasha and major LGA market days, remain closed every day of the week. Residents are advised to patronize the neighborhood markets or sell their wares from home. Violators will be arrested, prosecuted and may forfeit their goods to the state government or have their stores shut down for 6 months even after the pandemic is contained. ------------------------- Monday April 27,2020.     

     A colorful image resembling a cosmic version of an undersea world teeming with stars is being released to commemorate three decades of viewing the wonders of space with the Hubble Space Telescope. In this Hubble portrait, the giant red nebula (NGC 2014) and its smaller blue neighbor (NGC 2020) are part of a vast star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, located 163,000 light-years away.

          Nearly 50,000 senior students of high schools in Beijing returned to campus to start their postponed new semester on Monday as the COVID-19 epidemic situation has been eased. Many schools have launched educational activities themed on epidemic prevention and control as their first class after reopening. According to the Beijing municipal education commission, there are 51,226 students in grade three in Beijing's high schools this year. They will take the national college entrance exam, also known as Gaokao, from July 7 to July 10.More photos below.

     The Ogun State Government has declared its COVID-19 Mobile Laboratory open for operations, as part of strategic efforts to contain the spread of the virus within the State. The State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun was represented at the launching by the Deputy Governor, Engr Noimot Salako-Oyedele at the intended 250-bed hospital which houses the laboratory in Abeokuta, the State Capital. According to the Deputy Governor, the laboratory which has the capacity to run 400 tests per day is housed in a 40ft container within the hospital premises. Engr Salako-Oyedele disclosed that the laboratory was powered by main and alternative sources, as solar panels have been installed alongside the container. The laboratory has been equipped with all necessary biosafety materials, test kits and PPEs that ensure that our health workers are not exposed to the risk of infection. The State Government expressed appreciation to partners in the private sector, including 54gen...

     COVID-19: NASARAWA STATE GOVERNMENT RECEIVES A DONATION OF FOOD ITEMS FROM ABUJA ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, THE ITEMS DONATED INCLUDE.. 100 50KG BAGS OF RICE 38 50KG BAGS OF BEANS 60 25KG BAGS OF SEMOVITA 40 25LITRES CAN OF PALM OIL... More photos below.

     Defying social distancing recommendations due to the coronavirus, authorities in El Salvador crammed prisoners - albeit some wearing maks - tightly together in prison yards while searching their cells over the weekend. President Nayib Bukele ordered the crackdown after more than 20 people were murdered in the country Friday and intelligence suggested the orders came from imprisoned gang leaders. The lockdown came amid fears over the spread of the novel coronavirus in Latin America's notoriously overcrowded, unruly prisons, threatening to turn them into an inferno. The Puente Alto prison in downtown Santiago, Chile, had the largest of Latin America's prison virus outbreaks so far, with more than 300 reported cases. The prison's 1,100 inmates are terrified. Social distancing is hard to practice in jail. "They are all in contact with each other," said prison nurse Ximena Graniffo, Al Jazeera. More photos below.