Westernars

The Mufti of the Conference of Islamic Organisations (CIO), Sheikh Dhikrullah Shafi’I, has called on government nationwide not to toy with the idea of opening schools and religious centres. The cleric warned those who are operating partial lockdown to reverse to full lockdown. This, he said, was due to the increase in Coronavirus cases across the country. According to him, more stringent measures needed to curb the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. Sheikh Shafi’I faulted the lifting of the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by the Federal government. “I think President Muhammadu Buhari got it wrong by lifting the lockdown. Mr President, instead, should have declared a total lockdown in the whole federation. This would aid the containment of the pandemic,” he said. The scholar appealed to Nigerians to show understanding with the government on their efforts to contain the virus. “We need to learn from other countries. The index cases have go...

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Nigeria on the 27th of February 2020. Just a little over two months ago and, yet, it feels like a lifetime has elapsed. The world we lived in then, is so much different from the one we are about to be released into, as the lockdown restrictions are lifted. When the lockdown was announced by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 27th of March, there were 65 confirmed cases in the country and the President’s Chief of Staff had just tested positive for the virus. Today, we have confirmed over 2000 cases, and many of our beloved fellow citizens (more than 50) are no longer with us, having fallen in the wake of this novel coronavirus. May the souls of the departed rest in peace, and to those of us who remain on the journey of life, may God grant wisdom. We need it, desperately, at this time to navigate the complexities ahead. The month we spent sheltering in place was, without question, challenging; but in our isolation there was an odd sort of t...

Nigeria, on Sunday night recorded 170 new cases of Coronavirus. According to a tweet from the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, (NCDC), Lagos State recorded 39 cases, Kano State had 29 cases, Ogun State had 24 cases, Bauchi State had 18 cases and Kaduna state recorded 15 cases. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Sokoto State recorded 12 cases each, with Katsina State having eight cases, Borno State had seven cases, Nasarawa State had three cases, Adamawa State had two cases and Oyo State had one case. As it stands, 2558 persons have tested positive to Coronavirus in Nigeria, with 400 patients discharged, and 87 deaths recorded Details Shortly…….

CHLOROQUINE, an anti-malaria drug, has aided the recovery of six Coronavirus patients in Bauchi State, including Governor Bala Mohammed, Health Commissioner Dr. Aliyu Maigoro has said. Maigoro, who backed the governor’s stand on chloroquine treatment, addressed reporters yesterday in a telephone interview. He said five other patients who were discharged about two weeks ago after the governor’s recovery were also given a dose of the anti-malaria drug. The Nation reports that six patients had recovered and discharged since the outbreak of the pandemic. Maigoro said: “As the governor rightly stated at the briefing, the same chloroquine treatment was also applied as treatment for the other five patients who were discharged after the governor’s recovery…”

KADUNA State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said 50 of the almajiri children sent away from Kano State accounted for the 59 active COVID-19 cases in Kaduna State. The governor stated this yesterday in his verified Twitter handle. Kaduna State has 66 confirmed cases of the virus, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Out of the 66, six people, including Governor El-Rufai, who was the index case, have been treated and discharged, while one case, a retired civil servant who returned from Kano, was confirmed dead on Saturday. Giving details of the cases, El-Rufai said: “COVID-19 Update: The Kaduna State Ministry of Health, this evening (Saturday), confirmed receipt of 16 more positive results, 15 of them from almajiri. The state has now recorded 50 cases from repatriated almajiri. Active cases have risen to 59.” Also, Jigawa State government has hired a private firm to test about 700 almajiri sent packing from Kano and Gombe states. The state’s Chairman of...

Former Tottenham Hotspur star, Dimitar Berbatov, has urged striker, Harry Kane to make the tough decision to leave the club for Manchester United. The former Bulgaria international, who won two Premier League titles at Manchester United after leaving Tottenham to join the Red Devils in 2008, believes Kane may have to follow suit. WATV recalls that Kane has drawn interest from Man United in the past few weeks. The England international, who is yet to win any silverware at Tottenham, has scored 181 goals in 278 matches for Spurs over the past six seasons. “The final step for me was joining Man United, and I knew I would be making people disappointed, especially Tottenham fans, but I was following my own path,” Berbatov told the Football Daily podcast. “I knew if I missed that chance, another one might not come. “This is how it is in football. Sometimes you need to make tough decisions. “The same exact situation is happening with Harry Kane at the moment. “He is in the s...

No fewer than nine pastors of various denominations have been arrested by the Bayelsa State Task Force on COVID-19 in Yenagoa, the state capital. The pastors were apprehended for conducting Sunday worship activities in their various churches in violation of the lockdown order. Those arrested were Pastors P. B. Barima; Timi Aaron; Adaba Glory; and Chris Ezene. Others are Plus B. James; Prophet Alfred Munemune; Daniel Owi; Sardauna Oguta; and Tony Samugba. The task force said the pastors were being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yenagoa, and would be charged to court soon.