Covid-19

Coronavirus Information Centre in Nigeria
 News

Facebook launches Coronavirus Information Center in Nigeria and 16 other African countries.

Facebook is expanding its Coronavirus Information Center to 17 more countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The Information Centers form part of Facebook’s effort to help the global fight against COVID-19 by providing people with the latest news and information from trusted health authorities as well as resources and tips to stay healthy and support their family and community.

Also Read: Covid-19: The world’s largest critical care unit unveiled in London.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information Center is featured at the top of News Feed, that provides a central place for people to keep informed about the Coronavirus. It includes real-time updates from national health authorities and global organisations such as the World Health Organization, as well as helpful articles, videos and posts about social distancing and preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Facebook users can opt in to follow the center to get notifications and see updates in their News Feed from official government health authorities.

The center has already launched in South Africa, it will now be expanded to the following new sub – Saharan African markets:

  • Benin
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cameroon
  • Cape Verde
  • Chad
  • Côte d’Ivoire
  • Ethiopia
  • Gabon
  • Guinea
  • Kenya
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Nigeria
  • Senegal
  • Seychelles
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
  • Togo

Facebook’s Head of Public Policy, Africa, Kojo Boakye comments about the expansion; “We’ve built the information centers, in collaboration with national health partners, to ensure that people can get access to information from trusted health sources. The launch of the COVID-19 Information Center on Facebook in more than 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa aligns with our commitment to making accurate, timely information about the pandemic accessible to all communities.”

Also Read: Places in the world with no case of the Covid-19.

There are now 1.5 million known coronavirus cases worldwide.  According to Africa News, In Africa, there’s Coronavirus in 52 African countries, 11,400+ cases, 574 deaths, 1,405 recoveries.

Major stats as at April 9
Confirmed cases = 11,440
Number of deaths = 574
Recoveries = 1,405
Infected countries = 52
Virus-free countries = 2

Countries in alphabetical order
Algeria – 1,572
Angola – 19
Benin – 26
Botswana – 6
Burkina Faso – 414
Burundi – 3
Cameroon – 730
Cape Verde – 7
Central African Republic – 8
Chad – 10
Comoros – 0
Congo-Brazzaville – 45
DR Congo – 180
Djibouti – 135
Egypt – 1,560
Equatorial Guinea – 18
Eritrea – 33
Eswatini – 12
Ethiopia – 55
Gabon – 34
(The) Gambia – 4
Ghana – 313
Guinea – 164
Guinea-Bissau – 33
Ivory Coast – 384
Kenya – 179
Lesotho – 0
Liberia – 31
Libya – 21
Madagascar – 93
Malawi – 8
Mali – 59
Mauritania – 6
Mauritius – 273
Morocco – 1,275
Mozambique – 17
Namibia – 16
Niger – 342
Nigeria- 276
Rwanda – 110
Sao Tome and Principe – 4
Senegal – 244
Seychelles – 11
Sierra Leone – 7
Somalia – 12
South Africa – 1,845
South Sudan – 2
Sudan – 14
Tanzania – 25
Togo – 70
Tunisia – 628
Uganda – 53
Zambia – 39
Zimbabwe – 11

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Funke and hubby
 Entertainment, Opinion

Opinion: Why The Conviction Of Funke Akindele Cannot Stand In Law | By: Inibehe Effiong

The trial and conviction of actress Funke Akindele and her husband are legally flawed. The fact that they pleaded guilty does not foreclose a discussion on the case because the flaws I intend to highlight are constitutional and jurisdictional in nature. Issues of jurisdiction can be raised at any time. I have read the following: The Charge Sheet filed by the office of the Attorney General of Lagos State against Funke and her husband; the Public Health Law Cap. P16 Vol. 9 Laws of Lagos State, 2015; and the Lagos State Infectious Disease (Emergency Prevention) Regulations 2020. I submit that Funke Akindele and her husband (the defendants) were convicted for a non-existent offence. The charge sheet shows that the two defendants were arraigned on a one-count charge for gathering with more than twenty persons contrary “to the social distancing directives of Mr Governor of Lagos State.”

DEFENDANTS CHARGED FOR AN OFFENCE THAT IS UNKNOWN TO LAW:

The charge sheet against the defendants also states that the said social distancing directives contravened by the defendants were issued by the Governor in line with the regulations made by the Governor pursuant to the Public Health Law. In other words, the defendants were not charged under the Quarantine Act. They were charged under Section 58 of the Public Health Law of Lagos State. For clarity, Section 58 of the Public Health Law cited in the charge sheet provides as follows:

“For any contravention of the provisions of this Law or any regulation made under this Law for which no other penalty is provided, the offender commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000.00) or to any non-custodial sentence and if a corporate body, to a fine of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000.00).” The defendants were convicted for gathering with more than twenty persons. The material question is: is it an offence under the Public Health Law or Infectious Disease Regulations to do so?

There is no provision under the Public Health Law or Infectious Disease Regulations that makes gathering with more than twenty persons a criminal offence. The Infectious Disease Regulations purport to give the Governor the power to issue the social distancing directives. The legal defect in the directive on gathering is that it cannot be the basis for criminal liability. A subsidiary legislation like the Infectious Disease (Emergency Prevention) Regulations 2020 derives its authority and validity from a substantive law (the principal legislation). The regulations cannot extend such authority. Since the Quarantine Act and the Public Health Law of Lagos State specifically limit offences to the contravention of regulations made by the governor, it is outright illegality to charge Funke Akindele and her husband for contravening a directive of the Governor (which is outside the regulations itself). See Din V. Attorney-General of the Federation (1988) 4 NWLR (Pt.87) 147.

Also Read: Court sentences Funke Akindele and hubby to 14 days of community service.

An act or omission is only a crime if it is so prescribed in a written law. By virtue of Section 36 (12) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), every person is guaranteed the fundamental right not to be convicted unless the offence is defined and the penalty is prescribed in a written. It states as follows: “Subject as otherwise provided by this Constitution, a person shall not be convicted of a criminal offence unless that offence is defined and the penalty therefor is prescribed in a written law and in this subsection, a written law refers to an Act of the National Assembly or a Law of a State, any subsidiary legislation or instrument under the provisions of law.” Let me reiterate that the Governor’s social distancing directive that restricts gathering in Lagos State which the defendants purportedly contravened is not an Act of the National Assembly, or a Law of the Lagos State House of Assembly, neither is it a subsidiary legislation or an instrument under the provisions of the law.

Therefore, by the authority of Section 36 (12) of the Constitution, and the Supreme Court decision in Aoko V. Fagbemi & Ors. (1961) 1 All NLR 400, the conviction of Funke Akindele and her husband is unconstitutional. As I contended earlier, there is no provision in the Public Health Law of Lagos State or the Infectious Disease Regulations that makes a gathering of more than twenty persons or any gathering for that matter a criminal offence.

Regulation 8(1)(a) of the Infectious Disease (Emergency Prevention) Regulations 2020 cited in the charge sheet against the defendants provides thus:

8(1) “The Governor may – (a) restrict or prohibit the gathering of persons in the Local Area, such as conferences, meetings, festivals, private events, religious services, public visits, and such other events, save where the written approval of the Governor is obtained for such gathering.” The above provision does not codify any offence. It only empowers the governor to restrict or prohibit gathering. The Infectious Disease Regulations 2020 should have expressly and specifically prescribed that gathering is restricted and prohibited in Lagos State before it can be relied upon to convict a violator in line with Section 36 (12) of the Constitution. Since neither the Public Health Law of Lagos State nor the Infectious Disease Regulations have prescribed that gathering is an offence, the purported directive of Governor Sanwo-Olu remains an advisory. The Court of Appeal in the case of Faith Okafar V. Governor of Lagos State & Anor. (2016) LPELR-41066 (CA) made it abundantly clear that the directive or order of a governor is not a law & that violation of same cannot result in criminal liability. Read more

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FIFA
 Sports

Should clubs pay players during this covid-19 crisis? Here’s what FIFA thinks.

Football governing body, FIFA has approved the extension of player contracts until seasons are able to finish and the movement of transfer windows in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This decision was reached in a task force led by the chairman of the FIFA Football Stakeholders Committee, working on recommendations and guidelines to address issues caused by the coronavirus crisis. Clubs, players, leagues, national associations and confederations were all represented in the meeting.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly changed all the factual circumstances around football for this season, So, FIFA, together with the stakeholders, has come up with some practical ideas and proposals to tackle these new circumstances. Whilst this will not solve each and every problem, it should serve to bring a measure of stability and clarity to football for the foreseeable future. We hope that this collaborative effort, under the leadership of FIFA, can provide a positive example of how football can come together and show unity, solidarity and a spirit of compromise in order to face the challenging times ahead.” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.

It was decided that contracts covering the 2019/20 season in England which are set to expire on June 30, 2020, will “be extended until such time that the season does actually end”. Also, transfer deals due to happen in the next campaign would be “delayed until the next season actually does start”

Also Read: Iker Casillas calls for an El Clasico charity match when football returns.

“Accordingly, FIFA will be flexible and will allow the relevant transfer windows to be moved so they fall between the end of the old season and the start of the new season. At the same time, FIFA will try to ensure, where possible, an overall level of coordination and will also bear in mind the need to protect the regularity, integrity and proper functioning of competitions, so that the sporting results of any competition are not unfairly disrupted.”

FIFA also  “strongly encourages clubs and players to work together to find agreements and solutions during the period when football is suspended”.

Also Read: Fair or not? Jerome Boateng fined by his club for visiting his sick son amid the corona virus pandemic.

On the problem of player remuneration during this covid-19 crisis, FIFA maintained that, “looking at all aspects of each situation in an even-handed manner, including what Government measures are there to support clubs and players, whether pay should be deferred or reduced and what insurance coverage may exist. If parties cannot agree and, as a consequence, cases come to FIFA, the factors to be examined will include the following: whether there was a genuine attempt by the club to reach agreement with the players; what the economic situation of the club is; the proportionality of any adjustment to player contracts; the net income position of players after any contract adjustment; and whether players have been treated equally or not. In this way, FIFA hopes that it will be able to find solutions that are fair and balanced for both sides.”

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 El Clasico, La Liga, Sports

Iker Casillas calls for an El Clasico charity match when football returns.

Real Madrid and Spain legend Iker Casillas has suggested that a ‘vintage’ El Clásico be arranged with former players of the two clubs, as soon as the coronavirus nightmare ends, and funds raised will be donated to charity. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?

“When this nightmare (coronavirus) is over, we should gather the past greats and play a vintage Clasico. Fundraiser for those in need.” He wrote on his Twitter page recently.

The World Cup winning captain who made his debut with Los Blancos in 1999 to become the youngest keeper to have played in the Champions League, and to have won the competition later that season suffered a heart attack during a training session with Porto in 2019 and retired in February this year.

Also Read: Footballing world is joining the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

He played 16 seasons for the Real Madrid first team, making 725 appearances, and won five La Liga titles and three Champions League titles.

I am certain the football world is up for this and we certainly can’t wait for it.

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 Entertainment

Funke Akindele and hubby to be charged to court.

Following a violation of the restriction orders in Lagos State, Nollywood actress Funke Akindele and her husband, Abdulrasheed Bello will be charged to court. This is coming less than 24 hours after the couple were criticised for holding a party in their house amid the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. You can read the initial report here.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Lagos, Bala Elkana, who confirmed the Nollywood star’s arrest on Sunday, revealed that the guests at the party were celebrating a birthday party organised by the couple in their Amen estate home.

Also Read: Mixed reactions trail actor, Desmond Elliot’s recent donation to his community.

Police detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Yaba were at the location where the actress was arrested. Her husband turned himself in after an order demanding that he makes himself available.

The couple who are the first to flout the recently passed law by the State Assembly and signed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu will be charged at the Magistrate Court 1 in Ogba.

They may be fined between N100,000 – N200,000, face one-month incarceration in the correctional centre or three-month community service.

Contrary to claims that the actress is an ambassador for antiseptic brand, Dettol and the NCDC, Dettol has come out to refutethe claims.

“We have been made aware through social media that Funke Akindele recently, acting in her personal capacity, had a celebration which is against the caution to the public on social distancing during the covid-19 pandemic. The NCDC partnered with Dettol on a public service message to educate our communities about preventive measures against COVID-19. Funke is not a brand ambassador of the NCDC. As a responsible organization and brand Dettol does not condone any breach of the guidelines on Covid-19. As an organization we are concerned at the turn of events. We will continue to support NCDC and the Nigerian govt to fight COVID-19” They wrote on Twitter.

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Gerard pique joins others in la liga concert.
 Sports

Covid-19: La Liga’s online concert raises more than €1m.

Last week Saturday, athletes and musicians participated in an online global music festival organized by Laliga for the fight against the coronavirus crisis. Funds raised will be used for the purchase of medical supplies and to support fans confined to their homes.

The charity event which raised more than €1m had Barcelona’s Gerard Pique, Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos and tennis star Rafael Nadal and many others in attendance. The sports stars participated from their homes in the three-hour event shown live to 180 countries through the league’s international broadcasters and streamed via YouTube and Facebook.

Also Read How the footballing world is joining the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is something unique, with every league fan around the world, and anybody else, really, being able to contribute with their grain of sand, I’m happy to be able to participate in an initiative like this. It’s a very difficult situation, and for the league to be able to do something like this, it makes players, clubs and fans very proud, It’s nice to see that when people need us, we can unite. I’m proud to be part of something like this, It will be difficult, we will have to go through some difficult moments. People close to us will suffer, some of us will suffer first-hand, but together we have to overcome this, and I believe that together we are invincible. “Barcelona captain Pique said.

“Together we’ll succeed in convincing people about the importance of staying at home at this time, whilst raising money to buy medical supplies, which are in such high demand at times like these,” league president, Javier Tebas said.

“We are concerned with the disasters that we are seeing every day on TV, We are trying to adapt to this, everything is new. The reality is that we have to adapt. It takes time.” Nadal added.

Also Read Covid-19: The world’s largest critical care unit unveiled in London.

Donations from the festival will continue to be raised until Sunday afternoon.

 

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Corona Virus pandemic
 Health

Places in the world with no case of the Covid-19.

These are all the places in the world without a case of coronavirus and that’s good to know.

With the number of coronavirus cases worldwide passing 1.1 million and Italy, Spain and US recording the most deaths: 14,681, 11,198 and 7,064 cases respectively, it is important to know that there are still 19 countries across the world which have not reported cases of the pandemic.

Also Read: Covid-19: The world’s largest critical care unit unveiled in London.

Most of the unaffected areas are islands with no land borders and with few visitors. Infact, according to UN data they are seven of the world’s 10 least-visited places. There are still 19 countries across the world which have not reported cases. They include Comoros, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, North Korea, Palau, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Yemen.

Most corona deaths worldwide.

Italy: 14,681
Spain: 11,198
US: 7,064
France: 6,507
UK: 3,611
China: 3,322
Iran: 3,294
Netherlands: 1,487
Germany: 1,275
Belgium: 1,143
Switzerland: 604
Turkey: 425
Sweden: 351
Brazil: 327
Portugal: 246
Indonesia: 181
Canada: 178
Korea: 174

World: 58,433 (Source Twitter)

 

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 Health, News

Covid-19: The world’s largest critical care unit unveiled in London.

Completed in 10 days!

As part of its fight against the corona virus crisis, the U.K.today opened the world’s largest critical care unit. The Prince of Wales joined the opening ceremony of the NHS Nightingale Hospital, which was set up in London’s massive ExCel center in Docklands.

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HRH princes of Wales, Prince Charles, who is in self-isolation for a week after testing positive to the virus joined the ceremony via video link from Birkhall, Scotland and said the hospital was “an intensely practical message of hope at this time of national suffering.”

Headded, “let us pray, ladies and gentlemen, that it will be required for as short a time, and for as few people as possible, I need hardly say that the name of this hospital could not have been more aptly chosen. Florence Nightingale, the Lady with the Lamp, brought hope and healing to thousands in their darkest hour. In this dark time, this place will be a shining light. It is symbolic of the selfless care and devoted service taking place in innumerable settings, with countless individuals, throughout the United Kingdom.”

The hospital boasts of 500 intensive care beds which will be extended with another 3,500 beds as the need for intensive care for COVID-19 cases arises. Military personnel helped to build the 80 wards in the new hospital.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS staff stand on marks on the ground to help with social distancing at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London today

Members of the military stand outside the NHS Nightingale Hospital in East London yesterday

It has 175 internal fire doors, 6 emergency exit doors installed to industry standards in under 10 days.

Also Read WHO concerned as COVID-19 cases accelerate in Africa

Natalie Grey, head of nursing at NHS Nightingale hospital (centre) is watched by Health Secretary Matt Hancock (right) as she unveils a plaque on behalf of the Prince of Wales at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital in London this morning

Figures from the British Department of Health figures reveals that a total of 163,194 people have been tested and 33,718 tested positive.

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Health Secretary Matt Hancock – who also recently came out of quarantine after contracting the virus said the construction of the hospital was “testament to the work and the brilliance of the many people involved”, and it showed the “best of the NHS. In these troubled times with this invisible killer stalking the whole world, the fact that in this country we have the NHS is even more valuable than before,” he said.

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 Sports

Fair or not? Jerome Boateng fined by his club for visiting his sick son amid the corona virus pandemic.

Bayern Munich defender, Jerome Boateng has been fined by the club for breaking the  government lockdown rules imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak and leaving the city without the club’s permission to visit his ill son. TVO television reported that, the 31-year-old  was involved in a minor road accident on his way Tuesday and according to the police report, Boateng did not suffer any injuries but the property damage amounts to around 25,000 euros.

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“Bayern defender Jerome Boateng left Munich yesterday without permission from the club, Boateng has transgressed the guidelines issued by the club by being too far away from his home. These guidelines govern the behaviour of the FC Bayern players in the current situation in line with government directives on restrictions on movement and the recommendations of the health authorities.” The club said.

“I know it was certainly a mistake not to inform the club of my journey, but at the time, I was only thinking about my son. He was not in good health. If a son calls his father, then of course I will go, whatever the time of day.” Boateng defended himself.

Was the punishment fair or unfair?

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 Health, News

WHO concerned as COVID-19 cases accelerate in Africa

With more than 6000 COVID-19 cases reported in Africa, the virus is threatening fragile health systems on the continent. Infections are increasingly spreading not only between African countries but within different localities in the hardest-hit countries.

For instance, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where COVID-19 cases were at first confined to Kinshasa, now a handful of cases have been reported in the easternmost regions of the country that were until recently in the grip of an Ebola outbreak. In South Africa, all provinces have now reported cases. The outbreaks in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Senegal are also widespread.

“It’s also crucial that the international community promptly provide the considerable funding needed to maintain and scale up assistance programmes.”

As well as ensuring basic needs are met, WHO is pursuing innovative solutions to the region’s pressing public health problems. On 1 April 2020, WHO hosted an online training session on the clinical management of COVID-19 cases. Nearly 500 attendees from across Africa logged in to learn about issues including case characterization and triage, treating severely ill cases, infection prevention and control, and how to quarantine and manage cases in the community. WHO also hosted a three-day ‘hackathon’, bringing together Africa’s brightest minds to find solutions to some of the problems COVID-19 has presented.

“Case numbers are increasing exponentially in the African region,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa “It took 16 days from the first confirmed case in the Region to reach 100 cases. It took a further 10 days to reach the first thousand. Three days after this, there were 2000 cases, and two days later we were at 3000.”

To contain COVID-19, many countries in Africa are implementing measures, which restrict gatherings and the movement of people. Nationwide lockdowns are in effect in Kenya, Uganda, the Republic of the Congo and elsewhere. However, governments must use these measures in a considered, evidence-based manner, and make sure that people can continue to access basic necessities.

As many people in the region live in crowded conditions or work in the informal sector and need to earn money daily to survive, it is important that countries make provisions to ensure that people can still access essential services. WHO is working closely with national governments and United Nations partners including the World Food Programme (WFP) to plan for these needs.

Dr Moeti and Ms Lola Castro, the WFP Regional Director for Southern Africa, addressed the restrictive measures during a virtual media briefing held today by the WHO Regional Office for Africa with the support of the World Economic Forum.

“For socially restrictive measures to be effective, they must be accompanied by strong, sustained and targeted public health measures that locate, isolate, test and treat COVID-19 cases,” Dr Moeti pointed out.

“It’s vital that ports continue to operate to receive food and other essential humanitarian cargo; that borders and roads stay open so it can be moved where it is most needed; and that distributions to vulnerable people are conducted safely,” said Ms Castro.

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