Author: The Gazelle News

Former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the West African Journalists Association President, Abdulwaheed Odusile has called on President Muhammad Buhari and other African leaders to treat journalists as deserved heros of COVID-19 era. Odusile on Saturday, 25 April, 2020, made the call while delivering a paper titled Media and Survival Strategy Post COVID-19 during an international virtual migration submit organized by the Journalists International Forum For For Migration, JIFORM. The three-day event also had as speakers the National Public Relations Officer of Nigeria Immigration Service, Deputy Comptroller Sunday James, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Communication Official…

Epitome of triple Bs of Beauty, Bold and Brain, Chief Dr. Mrs. Shade Okoya added another year to her industrious age on 25 April, 2020.  The sultry, brilliant and hardworking wife of Nigerian billionaire industrialist, Aare Rasaq Okoya was all joy and thankful to the Almighty Allah who opportune her to witness yet another fantastic year. Chief Dr. Mrs. Shade Okoya                                                                     As a lady who loves to…

FirstBank mourns as we confirm the loss of our staff, Abdullahi Lawal who until his passing worked at our Kano Main Branch. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time as we do all that is necessary to support them. We ask that all necessary courtesies be extended to the family so they can grieve privately.  As a responsible corporate organization, FirstBank has been at the fore-front of the concerted efforts against the coronavirus pandemic alongside others.  We have robust protocols in place including practicing social distancing, frequently disinfecting our buildings and locations even whilst ensuring services…

Lagos State Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Saturday, 25 April, 2020 said the state’s mortuaries are getting filled and congested, urging owners of corpses in the state morgues to pick them for burial in line with the protocol established in the management of COVID-19 in the country. The Governor who is the Chief Incident commander of COVID-19 pandemic in the state revealed this while giving the eighth update in the series on the management of the novel coronavirus in the state, saying owners of the corpses have two weeks to claim them or risk mass burial by the government. Sanwo-Olu stated emphatically…

The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has promised to investigate the allegations by a 70 year old woman, Mrs. Selma Ahmed about the death of her son in-law in Kano State. Ahmed, in a viral audio obtained by PRNigeria, complained about how both the NCDC and Kano State government abandoned her son in-law to die as a result of suspected COVID-19 Infection. But  the Head of Prevention, Programmes and Knowledge Management, NCDC, Dr Chinwe Ochu, noted that response to infectious diseases outbreaks such as COVID-19 at subnational levels are led by the states. Ochu stressed that NCDC supports states…

Though the COVID-19 Testing Centre in Kano State has been shut down since Wednesday, the death of an economic icon, Prof. Ibrahim Ayagi; Professor of Physiology, Prof. Aliyu Abdullahi Umar Dikko; the Regional Manager of First Bank in Kano, Abdullahi Lawal; erstwhile Managing Director (MD) of the Defunct Continental Merchant Bank; and Mallam Musa Ahmad Tijjani, ex-Editor of Leadership Sunday and Triumph newspapers, together with four other illustrious personalities have died after brief illness not necessarily linked to the deadly pandemic. It was gathered that not a few suspects that the eminent personalities, who just died, might have succumbed to…

By Timothy Alao, Osogbo The State Government of Osun says it has conducted fresh 167 Coronavirus tests, out of which 12 returned positive. The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Rafiu Isamotu who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, revealed that the 12 new cases were recorded in Osogbo, Ife, Ede, Ikire and Ejigbo. Isamotu said the fresh tests were carried out in the last two weeks of the lockdown, adding that the lockdown has proven effective in containing spread of the virus. He said this brings the number of active COVID-19 cases in Osun to 13. The Commissioner urged…

 The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, on Saturday, 25 April, 2020, donated two locally-fabricated modular fumigators and drones to the Oyo State government to assist the state in its effort to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus. Oba Ogunwusi, who was received at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, by the state Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, said the donations were his contribution towards assisting the state in the fight against the pandemic in the state. A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the governor received the donations, while also…

Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, disclosed on Saturday, 25 April, 2020, that his administration will allow civil servants on Grade Level 13 and above to resume work on Monday, 27 April, 2020.  The Governor however stated that the workers will only resume under strict conditions.  He said: “The State Secretariat will be reopened on Monday, April 27, 2020. Only civil servants at level 13 and above with separate offices will resume.  “The following guidelines are in place to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19 within the secretariat: There will be new security measures in place including having only…

A thirteen years old girl has been narrating how her bricklayer father has been having forceful sexually intercourse with since 2019. The girl stated that her father started raping her since last year. She first reported the case to her stepmother. “My stepmother confronted my father but he beat her and the woman had to run away from the home,” the girl narrated. Narrating her ordeal further, the victim, who broke down in tears, accused her father of forcefully having sex with her mainly in the night, and almost on a daily basis. She said that her father’s friend, one…

The member representing Lagos Mainland Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Olajide Jimoh has distributed several bags and cartons of food items to serve as stimulus package to his constituents to assist them during the sit-at-home order by the Federal Government to curtail the spread of Coronavirus pandemic in the country. Jimoh, known for his generosity and philanthropy had earlier distributed food items such as: noodles, yam, packs of portable water,  bread,  hand sanitizer, wheats, farm produce, garri and rice. Again, In his swift response to cushion the effect as another weeks added to the lockdown, he distributed…

The Chief of Staff to Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Mr. Taiwo Akerele, has resigned. His resignation, The PUNCH gathered was not unconnected with the lingering crisis between the Governor and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. In his resignation letter dated 25th April 2020, Akerele said; “My decision to exit the government is based on administrative and governance grounds. “I am solidly with His excellency Mr Godwin Obaseki in his quest to transform Edo state. His mission and vision resonate with mine. “This is all I have to say, I will like…

Kwara State Government has commended the private-sector-led Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) for donating 100 beds to the state, urging other well-heeled individuals and institutions to rally round governments at this time.  The government also commended some other corporate organisations and individuals who have been donating to the state, including those earlier acknowledged for their humanitarian gestures to the counter-COVID-19 efforts of the state, according to a statement by Rafiu Ajakaye, spokesman of the Governor and the Kwara State Technical Committee on COVID-19. “We specifically thank the United Foam Products of Nigeria Limited (Unifoam) for the additional gift of 150 pieces…

By Ademola Akanni, Abuja Zamfara State became the latest to be infected with the Coronavirus pandemic delicate as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nigeria rose to 1095 in Nigeria with the reported cases of fresh 114 infection in the country on Friday, 24 April, 2020, The Gazelle News.com reports. The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported on its verified twitter handle on Friday, 24 April, 2020 at 11.30pm that of the 114 new cases reported, 80 were in Lagos, 21 in Gombe, five in FCT, two each in Zamfara and Edo and one each in Ogun,…

By Sanni Taofeek, Abeokuta A staff of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) got more than what he bargained for on Thursday, 23 April, 2020 while distributing the electricity bills for the month of March. The Gazelle News.com reports that the man, Ayorinde Olajide, was beaten black and blue by angry youths in Isale Igbein/Grammar School axis of the Ogun state capital, Abeokuta. The victim’s left eye was badly injured as a result of the beaten he took from the angry youths who apparently were not happy with the perceived insensitivity of electricity distribution companies in the wake of the…

The Lagos State Government has shortlisted 10 firms out of the 32 eligible companies that responded to the call for Expression of Interest (EOI) and applied for construction of the Lagos Fourth Mainland Bridge. This disclosure was contained in a joint statement issued on Friday, 24 April, 2020, by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye and the Director-General, Office of Public-Private Partnerships, Mr. Ope George. The statement read, “Following the issuance of a request for qualification to the 32 shortlisted and eligible respondents to the Expression of Interest, we are pleased to announce that…

Two Indians and a Filipino were along the 10 coronavirus patients discharged in Lagos on Friday, 24 April, 2020 after attaining full recovery from the virus infection, The Gazelle News.com reports.  The cheering news was broken by the state Governor and Incident Commander, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on his official twitter handle.  The Gazelle News.com gathered from the Governor’s tweet that those discharged are three females and seven males who were all discharged from the Infectious Disease Centre in Yaba and the Onikan Isolation Centre, Onikan.  Three were discharged from Yaba while the remaining seven were discharged from the Onikan Isolation Centre…

Residents of Ojokoro LCDA have been given cash palliative from the council authority to cushion the effect of the lockdown in the state. The Council Boss, Hon Hammed Idowu D. Tijani told newsmen at the presentation of the cash relief in different wards saying that, “there was a need to do more as the first round of palliative must have been exhausted by now”. The palliative was disbursed with the help of the Community Development Committee (CDC) members. Hon. Tijani said now is the time to show love to one another, as he thanked all those who have been assisting…

  Nigerian Afro-Fusion singer, Victor Akachukwu Maxwell, professionally known as ‘’ has released his debut single titled, ‘Paradise’. With ‘Paradise’, Maxxiebaby delivers an epic sound which encapsulates the power love possesses to transcend tongue and creed, and heal broken walls of scarred relationships. In a simple yet intoxicating blend of strings, he takes you on a journey without you knowing, and delivers his message of love and hope in a fresh out melody which gets you humming at the bridge of the song. One must recognize his use of falsetto which is a rare find these days, in the music industry;…

The Governor,  State of Osun, Adegboyega Oyetola, has announced a foremost human rights activist and Chairman, Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Comrade Amitolu Shittu, as the Director-General (DG) of the newly established Amotekun Corps. Similarly, he has named as the Director-General (DG) of Bureau of Social Services (BOSS), a trainer and management Consultant, Richard Tinubu, who spent the better part of his working career at an American company, Computing Solutions Outfit, NCR Nigeria Plc, where he rose to the position of Senior Manager, Marketing. BOSS was established by the State government to leverage premium human resources and technological innovation in…