The Lumine News

Author: The Lumine News

  • NCDC Releases 381 Fresh Cases Of Covid 19

    NCDC Releases 381 Fresh Cases Of Covid 19

    By Admin

    The continuous rise in the number of confirmed cases of corona virus in the country is debilitating, NCDC on Thursday recorded a total number of 381 new cases in the country.

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, made this known on its Twitter page on Thursday night.

    Lagos and Kano States recorded 183 and 55 cases respectively.

    Going by this figure as reported,  Nigeria has a total of 3526 cases of the disease.

    The statement reads “381 new cases of #COVID19;

    183-Lagos, 55-Kano, 44-Jigawa, 19-Zamfara

    19-Bauchi, 11-Katsina, 9-Borno, 8-Kwara, 7-Kaduna, 6-Gombe, 5-Ogun, 4-Sokoto, 3-Oyo

    3-Rivers, 2-Niger, 1-Akwa Ibom, 1-Enugu and 1-Plateau State.

    “3526 cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria

    “Discharged: 601, Deaths: 107.”

    Lagos is said yo have recorded the highest cases in a day having recorded 183 cases of corona virus.

  • Save Our Society Today While Contending Covid 19

    Save Our Society Today While Contending Covid 19

    By Ediomo Isung-Harmony

    Since the COVID-19 outbreak, humanity has been threatened to its core. The world is on pause and the global economy has nosedived.

    The Government at various levels have been putting in various measures to contend the invisible enemy. Health workers, Corporate bodies, Religious organizations, Security personnel, Individuals etc are not left out.

    One of the measures adopted by the Government was the total lockdown which was declared across the States.

    The pandemic which took everyone by surprise was followed by the declaration of total lockdown without adequate measures put in place to tackle its effects on the indigent.

    The lockdown has brought so much hunger and hardship to people mostly in the informal sector of the economy.
    These people include the petty traders, street vendors, loaders, e.t.c.

    Most of our young men and women who make their livelihood through daily struggle have become stranded and cannot plan for their survival.
    Even the palliatives given by the Government and those donated by Individuals still end up in the hands of the well to do, the politicians and their cronies.

    Would you blame the daily income earners obeying the devil’s call as the only means to survive?
    An idle man they say is the devil’s workshop and more or less now that survival is involved, everyone wants to live and deserve to live.

    Some of these persons have already turned to street robbers, house breakers, scammers etc as a means to survive, therefore increasing the rate of crime and making our society unsafe.

    Most of our communities which never experience criminal activities are now experiencing them.
    Some of our ladies including married women have also yielded to the satanic call by seeing sex as a lucrative source of surviving during this lockdown.

    Although COVID-19 is an invisible enemy which we must defeat, we should also know that putting all efforts in fighting this enemy will only make us the losers in the battle if our society is unsafe.

    More action plans to feed the common Nigerian most especially in the rural areas should be put in place with a very high level of transparency.

    If you were eating three times daily, there’s nothing wrong if you eat twice and save the other for your neighbor who has no food.

    By doing this, our society will be saved and the battle against COVID-19 would be won.

    Let’s save humanity.
    Let’s save Nigeria
    Let’s save our States
    Let’s save our society.
    Together we will defeat COVID-19.
    Cheers to Victory.

     

  • Covid 19 Palliatives: C’River Begins House-To-House Engagement To Update The Single Social Register

    Covid 19 Palliatives: C’River Begins House-To-House Engagement To Update The Single Social Register

    By Elijah Ugani – Calabar

    In compliance with the directives of Governor Ben Ayade to update  the Single Social Register to ease the distribution of relief materials to the poor and vulnerable people in Cross River State inline with the Federal Government policy,the State Ministry of International Development Cooperation has commenced the house to house engagement of citizens in the villages.

    The event which started at the “Urban Village” of Mekenge in Calabar Municipality Area Council, was led by the  Commissioner for International Development Cooperation, Dr. Inyang Asibong to monitor the index of the Community under appraisal and  examine the  verification exercise of the Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) progrqmme.

    Accompanied by the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Eric Anderson who isb a native of Calabar Municipality, Asibong said, the exercise served a dual purpose of updating the current register with details of household under the poverty threshold and also follow up on those previously registered to ensure that the previous interventions  are judiciously utilized.

    “Today we are here in Mekenge Community of Calabar Municipal Council to carry out a verification exercise to update the Single Register for Poor and Vulnerable Households (SRPVH).

    “We will also seized the opportunity to further sensitize your  community on the deadly coronavirus pandemic and the need to be very proactive in following the preventive measures of the State Government.” said Asibong.

    On his part, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism,Hon Eric Anderson urged the community to continue to support the State Government, especially as the State is working assiduously to mitigate against the containment of the coronavirus pandemic into the state.

    Some of the  potential beneficiaries who were identified base on the index verifications includes  Mr. Nsa Samuel William, Mr. Victor Udofia Ekpo and Mrs. Arit Edet Asuquo who expressed delight for being chosen by their community for inclusion in the register as they have been living in extreme penury before this intervention.

    The National Bureau of Statistics put the Poverty index in the country  at 40.1% with 82.9 million Nigerians living below the poverty line,while In Cross River State, it is  36.3%, which is better than the national average,But  Governor  Ayade said,the state index is still high and unacceptable ,hence his directive  to improve work to reduce the index to manageable percentage.

  • Orji Uzor Kalu Gate: EFCC Returns To Court, Files Fresh And Immediate Retrail

    Orji Uzor Kalu Gate: EFCC Returns To Court, Files Fresh And Immediate Retrail

    I

    Perturbed by the Supreme verdict which upturned the conviction of the former Governor of Abia State, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set for “a fresh and immediate retrial.”

    The attention of the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to the judgment of the Supreme Court nullifying the trial of a former governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited and Jones Udeogu, a former Director of Finance and Account of Abia State Government and ordering their fresh trial at the lower court.

    The apex court based its verdict on the grounds that Justice Mohammed Idris, who convicted Kalu and others had been elevated to the Court of Appeal before the judgment and returned to the lower court to deliver the judgment which it considered as illegal.

    The EFCC considers the judgment of the apex court as quite unfortunate . It is a technical ambush against the trial of the former governor. The Commission is prepared for a fresh and immediate trial of the case because its evidences against Kalu and others are overwhelming. The corruption charges against Kalu still subsist because the Supreme Court did not acquit him of them. The entire prosecutorial machinery of the EFCC would be launched in a fresh trial where justice is bound to be served in due course.

    The Supreme Court had on Friday nullified the trial of a former governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, and others, who were in December convicted and sentenced for a N7.1bn fraud.

    EyewitnessMedia gathered that Justice Mohammed Idris, who had been elevated to the Court of Appeal bench, had returned to the Federal High Court in Lagos to complete the case which started in 2007.

    The judge had sentenced the ex-governor to 12 years imprisonment for the fraud he allegedly perpetrated during his tenure as Abia State governor.

    But in a unanimous judgment of the Supreme Court led by Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, on Friday, the apex court nullified the entire trial, on the grounds that the constitution does not permit a judge elevated to a higher court to return to a lower court to conclude a part-heard case.

    Justice Ejembi Eko, who delivered the lead judgment also declared as unconstitutional the provision of section 396(7) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, on which the then President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa (retd), relied on to authorise Justice Idris to return to the Court of Appeal to conclude the trial.

    The panel unanimously directed the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to assign the case to another judge of the court for the trial to commence afresh.

    Kalu, who was in December 2019 judgment, sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment, was convicted alongside his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited, and Jones Udeogu, who served under him as the Director of Finance and Account at the Abia State Government House in Umuahia.

  • PDP Extends Tenure Of State Executive Committee By Three Month

    PDP Extends Tenure Of State Executive Committee By Three Month

    By Elijah Ugani – Calabar

    The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has extended the tenure of all State Executive Committee of the party.

    In the letter addressed to Ntufam Edim Inok-led state executive Committee of the party as sighted by Theluminenews, the tenure is extended by three months.

    The state executive committee is however, to function as a caretaker committee pending the state congress of the party where a new executive committee will be elected.

    The letter as signed by the National Organising Secretary of PDP, Col.Austin Akobundu, directed that the Cross River Exco of the party has now been reconstituted into a Caretaker Committee and its tenure extended by three months.

    The letter reads in part: “I wish to formally inform you that the National Working Committee NWC of our great party, on behalf of the National Executive Committee, NEC, in pursuant to section 29 (2)(b) and 31(2) (E) of our party’s constitution (2017 as amended) approved the reconstitution of the current state executive committee members of your state into state caretaker Committee.

    “Accordingly, the current State Exco Members upon the expiry of their tenure act as State Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of the Party until a new State Executive Committee is elected; provided that they shall not serve in such capacity for more than three months from May 10, 2020.”

     

  • Just In: Supreme Court Voids Ex Governor Kalu 12 Years Jail Term

    Just In: Supreme Court Voids Ex Governor Kalu 12 Years Jail Term

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  • PDP Rejects N108 Ex-Depot Fuel Price, Insists On N70 Pump Price

    PDP Rejects N108 Ex-Depot Fuel Price, Insists On N70 Pump Price

    By Elijah Ugani – Calabar

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has rejected Federal Government’s pinch in ex-depot price of fuel to N108 per liter, insisting on a new pricing template that must accommodate a pump price of between N60 to N70 per liter to reflect the crash in the price of crude oil and petroleum products in the international market.

    A release sighted by Theluminenews and signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, the party describes the N108 ex-depot price as fraudulent and a far cry from the appropriate pump price template that should not exceed N70 given the prevailing situation in the international oil market.

    The PDP noted that “the N108 ex-depot price with a projected additional N9 per liter Expected Open Market price is therefore completely unacceptable to Nigerians. Moreover, the Federal Government has continued to shroud the indices and parameters it is using in determining domestic prices of petroleum products in secrecy. Such parameters obviously cannot be in tandem with the appropriate situation in the global industry”

    The PDP lamented that “the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government has continued to shortchange unsuspecting Nigerians since the beginning of the year by refusing to end its corrupt interferences and allow market forces to determine pump price of fuel to reflect current global prices. Our party insists that the Federal Government has no reason to continue to fleece Nigerians particularly in the face of worsening economic crisis occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic which it had also failed to effectively handle.

    “The PDP demands that the APC Federal Government should immediately reduce both the ex-depot and pump price as well as surrender the billion of naira accrueable as overcharge from the inappropriate fuel pricing since the crash in crude oil price and channel the funds as palliatives to Nigerians”

    The party  further charged “the NNPC not to waste further time in addressing Nigerians on its confession of sleazy and over-bloated oil subsidy regime in the last five years which included a hazy under-recovery for unnamed West African countries, running into trillions of naira.

    “Indeed, Nigerians must not continued to be fleeced with high fuel prices while stolen subsidy and accrueable overcharges are looted by a few individuals operating as a cabal in the APC-led administration”

    Signed: Kola Ologbondiyan National Publicity

  • Efik Leadership Group Expresses Relief As Buhari Addresses Concerns Of Cross Riverians

    Efik Leadership Group Expresses Relief As Buhari Addresses Concerns Of Cross Riverians

    By Peter Uzoho, This Day Newspaper

    The Efik Leadership Foundation (ELF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has expressed relief with the swift response given to its letter by President Muhammadu Buhari, whom it wrote on Monday to intervene in the “deplorable state of COVID-19 response” in Cross River State.

    ELF in a statement yesterday by the Chairman of its Board of Trustees, Mr. Richard Duke, thanked Buhari for heeding to its requests and directing among other things, that an expert delegation visits the State.

    The foundation added that the President’s decision to formally incorporate federal medical institutions across the country into the COVID-19 response was an added boost to the national COVID-19 response.

    ELF said: “Today, two days after we submitted our letter, we are greatly relieved and pleased that Mr. President, through Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, heeded our requests and directed not only that an expert delegation visit the State but also that federal medical institutions across the country will be formally incorporated into the COVID-19 response in the states, including Cross River State.

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    “This latter decision is a most welcome added boost to the National COVID-19 response of which ELF can be justifiably proud.

    “The ELF wishes to express its deep and most sincere thanks to Mr. President, the Minister of Health, the PTF on COVID-19, the NCDC as well as the many men and women of goodwill in and outside the State who commended and expressed support for our efforts.”

    However, ELF said it was “surprised and deeply saddened, however, that our sincere and completely apolitical act of concern and love for all the dear people of our State was grossly misunderstood and our NGO maligned by individuals who obviously have a very dangerously limited understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic and the grave dangers it presents to us all”.

    It added that it looked forward to the visit by the Federal Government delegation and continued to look to the State Government for a much more robust, comprehensive and all-inclusive response to this pandemic.”

    “May we continue to have the courage to speak truth to power when necessary,” the foundation noted.

  • Breaking: Officials Of NCDC Left Kogi State Having Refused To Be Tested For Corona Virus

    Breaking: Officials Of NCDC Left Kogi State Having Refused To Be Tested For Corona Virus

    By Elijah Ugani – Calabar

    Drama ensued  yesterday as officials of the Nigerian Center for Disease Control NCDC, left Kogi State after they refused to be tested for corona virus.

    The delegation was sent to boost the capacity of the state in the fight against covid 19.

    The team returned to Abuja after Governor Yahaya Bello asked them to be isolated and be ready to be tested.

    A statement by the Kogi state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, inquired if NCDC has something hidden.

    The statement reads in parts “NCDC will have a lot to explain as to why its officials refused to be tested for covid 19. How can we be sure of their status? What are their fears? Why did NCDC send people who are afraid of tests to our state? What was their intentions? The officials that came has done an integrity blow to the works of the NCDC. Is there something they are hiding? It is high time NCDC open up and apologize to the good people of Kogi state. How will they encourage people to do test and their own officials are afraid of test”

    Recall also that Kogi and Cross River States are the only two states in Nigeria without confirmed cases of corona virus.

  • NCDC Has Tested 22,000 Nigerians For Corona Virus

    NCDC Has Tested 22,000 Nigerians For Corona Virus

    By Elijah Ugani – Calabar

    The Director General of the Nigerian Center for Disease Control, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu has stated that 22,000 Nigerians has been tested for corona virus .

    The DG made the disclosure on Thursday in Abuja during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on Covid 19.

    Ihekweazu stated that those infected are made to undergo a series of tests which are not counted and updated in the system.

    His words “The data shared is on people that tested not test done. The data we share when we say we have about 22,000 tested, those are on people tested, we don’t include all the series of tests.

    “Every individual that is positive will have to be tested every three, four or five days. And some would have stayed in the hospital for about four weeks, so all those tests were being done as well and all of that are in the lab.

    “So, the numbers are really not fully representing the work being done in the labs across the country. We are not reflecting those numbers in the number we share everyday”