Author: The Gazelle News

As countries across the globe mark the 2020 World Water Day, the State government of Osun has reiterated its commitment to providing potable water supply across the nooks and crannies of the State. The government disclosed its readiness to collaborate with relevant stakeholders and organisations to ensure improved and adequate water supply in the state. The state Commissioner for Water Resources and Energy, Dr. Amidu Tadese Raheem, said this on Sunday during a Press Conference in Osogbo, which was organised by his Ministry to commemorate the World Water Day. The Day is marked 22 March every year and this year’s…

Statement by His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State on COVID-19 pandemic Dear Kwarans: The welfare, security and well-being of all Kwarans are of utmost importance to our administration and, as such, we have embarked on a robust healthcare transformation agenda to give every Kwaran access to better quality and affordable healthcare.  At this moment, however, the world is faced with a viral pandemic caused by coronavirus. Coronavirus Disease 2019, or COVID-19, is a new strain of coronavirus to infect humans. It was first detected in China and has now spread around the world, including Nigeria. Currently, we have…

In its determined effort to stop the spread of the novel corona virus in the State, the Oyo State Task Force on COVID-19 has activated emergency Operating Centres (EOCs) in the State. The Task Force headed by the State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde also on Sunday named Dr. Taiwo Ladipo of the Ministry of Health as the Incident Manager in charge of the Operating Centres. In addition, a five-member committee of experts has been approved to act as sub-committee for the EOCs. A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, confirmed the above as…

The Coalition of Oodua Self Determination Groups (COSEG) has advised Yoruba sons and daughters to adhere to all precautionary measures put in place by government at all levels to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The Group gave this advice in a press statement released on Sunday, 22 March, 2020 signed by its Chairman and Publicity Secretary: Dayo Ogunlana and Dele Daramola respectively. The group said, “we have done our researches to really know the true nature and existence of this desease and we have come to the conclusion that it’s not only real but also deadly”. The group…

By Sanni Taofeek, Lagos Some members of the Victorious Army International Church, Acme Road, Ogba on Sunday, 22 March, 2020 attacked police personnel attached to the state Rapid Response Squad (RRS), The Gazelle News.com reports. The Gazelle News.com also reports that the TVC reporter, Ivy Kanu; and her cameraman attached to the team were also attacked by the church members. The Gazelle News.com reports further that the RRS Commander, Olatunji Disu, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, had led a team of the RRS personnel to the church to enforce the directive by the state government limiting gathering to a maximum…

By Dare Ojelade, Lagos The member of the House of Representatives representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, Hon James Abiodun Faleke, has commended the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his team on the steps taken to control and curtail spread of the deadly coronavirus in the state. The Gazelle News.com reports that the federal lawmaker gave this commendation in a press statement he personally released on Sunday, 22 March, 2020. Speaking on behalf of the people of his constituency, Faleke, also Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, was particularly impressed with the way the case of the index case was…

By Dare Ojelade, Lagos The Lagos State Government has ordered its staff from level one to 12 not to come to work for the next 14 days, The Gazelle News.com can report. The state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, The Gazelle News.com learnt, announced on Sunday, 22 March, 2020 that the measure was meant to control the spread of coronavirus. The Governor announced further that three more cases of the deadly virus were reported in the state on Sunday and being monitored apart from 19 confirmed cases in Lagos. The Governor called on residents to maintain social distance while calling on…

Following the confirmation of more cases of Covid-19 (Coronavirus) in Nigeria and it’s rapid spread across the globe, the Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), has called on the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to quickly collate data on Petty offenders and ensure that such persons are released from Custodial Centres immediately. On Saturday, 21st March, Nigeria 10 new cases of the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 22 across FCT, Lagos, Ekiti and Ogun states. Globally, some 276,600 cases have been confirmed with 11,419 deaths recorded and 91,954 recovered. PRAWA, also called for the…

As the nation fights its way through the present national security challenges as well as the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19), stakeholders have canvassed for more professionalism in crisis communications management in Nigeria. The calls were made in Abuja at the weekend at a book presentation on: ‘Award-Winning Crisis Communications Strategies’, authored by Mr. Yushau A. Shuaib, publisher of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential. Speaking at the event, the spokesperson of the Department of State Service (DSS), Dr. Peter Afunanya, noted that the book is not only timely but crucial to solving the emerging national crisis and security challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic.…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari urging him to use his leadership position to “urgently instruct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly track and monitor spending by federal agencies and state governors to combat coronavirus or COVID19 pandemic in Nigeria.” SERAP said this “would remove the risks of corruption and mismanagement in our healthcare systems that are already weakened by systemic corruption.” In the letter dated 20 March, 2020 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the…

The spiritual and traditional head of the Aborigine Ogboni worldwide, Oba Olakisan Adetoyese has offered to perform rituals to appease to gods in bid to end the scourge of coronavirus in the country. Oba Adetoyese said that the federal government should tackle the pandemic disease with traditional and spiritual means. The head of fraternity made this known in a statement made available to journalists in Osogbo, Osun State on Saturday, 21 March, 2020. He said that coronavirus should be fought with spiritual power and not only scientific means. The statement read, “the disease is not an ordinary one and it…

Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, has recorded three cases of COVID-19, The PUNCH can confirm. The PUNCH learnt that the index case is an official of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and was one of the passengers on British Airways’ flight that landed on March 13, 2020. It was learnt that two other cases of COVID-19 were confirmed. A medical doctor told The PUNCH that the three patients had been moved to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital. He said, “The bad news is that three samples from the FCT (Federal Capital Territory)  suspected cases tested positive for coronavirus. We have got…

The attention of the Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Muhammad Nami and the Management of the Service has been drawn to the fake news making the rounds on Social Media that a member of staff at the FIRS has tested positive to COVID-19. The Service hereby states unequivocally that no member of staff at the FIRS has tested positive to COVID-19 as being peddled on Social Media. The Service can confirm that a member of staff who went to pick his wife from the airport following her return from a trip abroad is currently and voluntarily observing…

By Ayowole Akintayo We, the Concerned Stakeholders of the University of Lagos, comprising staff, old students, parents and students, have finally been vindicated on the current state of impunity and lawlessness which is actively backed by the university’s ASUU leadership on our darling Campus When the University Council under the able leadership of Dr. Wale Babalakin sought to call management to order from from its avowed path of financial recklessness, outright departure and flagrance disobedience to the University’s Edict, it was bullied and accused of seeking to hijack the authority of the Vice Chancellor. But the sequence of events as…

Lauds Sanwo-Olu, Fashola for concerns over the scourge A right group and political organization, Coalition of Oodua Self-Determination Group (COSEG), has urged residents of the Yoruba speaking states of the south-west to obey to the letter Government directives on CONVID-19 prevention to put an end to its potential spread. The COSEG’s Convener, Razaq Olokoba and the Political Secretary, Wale Balogun, in a statement said the South West remains a high risk zone given its population density and the bolstering industrial activities in the region. The South-West, according to the group, remains the preferred destination of people…

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has commiserated with the former lawmaker representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce over the demise of his wife. In a condolence message to the business magnate and founder of SilverBird Group, Senator Omo-Agege prayed God to comfort him and his family in this period of grief. He also asked God to give the family the fortitude to bear the loss. “I feel pained to hear of the transition of our dear Evelyn Murray-Bruce to eternal life. She was a great wife and companion to her husband and a great…

The Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) has confirmed 10 (ten) new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria; 3 (three) new cases in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and 7 (seven) new cases in Lagos State. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to 22 (twenty-two). All 10 (ten) new cases are Nigerian nationals; 9 (nine) of them have travel history to the Canada, France, Netherlands, Spain and United Kingdom. They returned to the country in the past 1 (one) week; the 10th case is a close contact of a previously confirmed case. The 3 (three)…

Amid growing concerns over the Coronavirus pandemic, the Government of Oyo State has declared an emergency by ordering the immediate closure of schools and the inauguration of emergency operation centres, among other measures. Governor Seyi Makinde, who addressed newsmen late on Friday, after the inaugural meeting of the State’s COVID-19 Task Force, held at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, said that schools in the state will remain closed till after Easter. The governor also declared that the state remained fully committed to the prevention, curtailment and control of the disease. A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor…

By AbdulWarees Solanke We surely will overcome this invasive infection that has locked down our world. With it, we now see how we all are helplessly vulnerable. In fighting it, we have followed all courses, tried every means, adopted all methods, from the bizarre to the ludicrous and the baseless; the scientifically rational, the speculative and the spiritual. What has emerged from this plague of our age is that we all love life; we love our world. But this same life and and world, we have all done incalculable damage. How? We have threatened our own survival. In what way?…

 A new medical study on the coronavirus in China found that blood type A patients were more susceptible to the infection and tended to develop more severe symptoms, while patients with blood type O seemed more resistant to the disease. Medical researchers from across China conducted a preliminary study on different blood groups and resistance to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Blood group patterns of over 2,000 patients infected with the virus in Wuhan and Shenzhen were studied and compared with that of local, healthy population. First reported on by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the study was led…