A senior Chinese epidemiologist says the U.S. should be the priority in the next phase of investigations into the origin of COVID-19. The investigation came after a study showed that the disease could have been circulating there as early as December 2019, state media said on Thursday. The study, published this week by the U.S. National Institutes for Health (NIH), showed that at least seven people in five U.S. states were infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, weeks before the United States reported its first official cases. A China-World Health Organisation (WHO) joint study published in March said COVID-19…
Author: Editor
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo presided over a virtual meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Under the Nigerian Constitution, the vice president is the chairman of NEC. The council’s meeting is held monthly to deliberate on the coordination of the economic planning efforts and economic programmes of the various levels of government. NEC comprises the 36 state governors, the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, minister of finance, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and other government officials whose duties hinge on the economy. At the last meeting on May 20, NEC…
The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, dismissed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s request to amend the criminal charge filed against former Group Managing Director (GMD), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Andrew Yakubu. Justice Ahmed Mohammed, in a ruling, held that granting the EFCC’s application would amount to breaching the decision of the appellate court. Justice Mohammed stressed that there was a subsisting judgment delivered on April 24, 2020 wherein the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, had ordered the defendant to enter defence on Counts 3 and 4 of the charge. The anti-graft agency had, on March 10, sought…
The Nigerian Defence Headquarters says security operatives have eliminated scores of criminals linked to the outlawed Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and their Eastern Security Network (ESN) counterparts. Acting Director, Defence Media Operation, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko told newsmen in Abuja on Thursday that the criminals were eliminated in the Southeast and parts of the South-South. He added that the criminals were eliminated in different operations between June 3 and 16. Onyeuko said that the military and other security agencies had contained several IPOB/ESN activities such as attacks on police stations, killing of security operatives and civilians as well as destruction…
A Lagos High Court has sentenced former managing director of defunct Bank PHB, Francis Atuche to six years in prison. Justice Lateefat Okunnu convicted Atuche alongside a former Chief Financial Officer of the bank, Ugo Anyanwu on six 27-count amended charge of conspiracy to commit a felony and stealing, which was brought against them before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. While Atuche who was found guilty on counts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 23 of the charge would serve a six-year term for each count, Anyanwu will serve a four-year jail term for counts…
Dr N. K. Arora said Biological E’s made-in-India vaccine is expected to have 90 per cent effectiveness against COVID-19 and would likely be a game changer in the fight against the pandemic. Arora, Head of India’s COVID-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), said this on Thursday. Arora in an interview with a local television news channel NDTV said the vaccine is entering Phase 3 trials and could be available by October. According to Arora, Biological E’s vaccine to be called Corbevax is similar to the Novavax vaccine. Biological E will be out likely in…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court (FHC), Justice John Tsoho, not to reassign Abdulrasheed Maina’s case to another judge. The EFCC also called on Justice Tsoho not to transfer the trial of his son, Faisal, and few other cases which matters had far been heard to a new judge. Justice Okon Abang was the presiding judge in the trial of the Chairman, defunct Pension Reformed Task Team (PRTT), Maina and his son, before he was transferred to Warri division of FHC. The Chief Judge, Tsoho, had, in a March…
The Presidency has reacted to the latest communiqué by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors’ Forum, asking Nigerians not to entrust the party with the national leadership of the country at any time. The presidency added that “What the governors are asking of NNPC is to “break the bank” for their own profligate political ends”. The PDP Governors had on Monday, had raised an alarm on the manner in which the NNPC carries out its operations, while decreeing the recent NNPC’s failure to make its statutory contributions to the Federation Account, an action the governors noted, that resulted in “starving…
The Sokoto zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, arraigned five management staff of the State Primary Staff Pension Board for alleged fraud of N500 million. The money was meant for the payment of retired pension and gratuities. The staff were arraigned before the Sokoto High Court on 28 count-charge bordering on forgery, criminal breach of trust and misappropriation, contrary to sections 92 (2), 311, of the Penal Code law CAP 89, Laws of Northern Nigeria and Sections 351, 353, 348 of the Sokoto Penal Code law 2019. Those arraigned include Abubakar Aliyu, Secretary; Hassana…
The world is inching towards becoming a global hamlet from its current status of global village. Thanks to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) that has made distance, no matter how long, immaterial and allow people from different continents participate in a common event in real time. ICT is saving cost and time for several people from not being physically presence in some events while partaking in such events effectively, thus, quadrupling their productivity. ICT platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Instagram and many other social media use Internet services to link and network people for effective communication in the…