Headlines
Nigeria Records 404 New COVID-19 Cases, Total Now 42,208
Nigeria’s confirmed coronavirus cases exceeded 42,000 on Wednesday, the country’s disease control centre said, as the virus continues to spread in Africa’s most populous country.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), in its daily update posted on its website, said there were 404 new cases taking the total number of recorded cases to 42,208. NCDC said the fatalities have increased to 684 after five deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours.
The country of 200 million inhabitants has, like many other African nations, so far avoided the high death rates of the United States, Brazil and parts of Europe. But health experts fear a lack of reliable data means the virus could be spreading unchecked in Africa.
According to the NCDC, out of a total of 42,208 infected persons so far, 19,004 have recovered and have been discharged after treatment in the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The NCDC in a post on its microsite, said the new cases were reported in 19 states: “Lagos-106 FCT-54 Rivers-48 Plateau-40 Edo-29 Enugu-21 Oyo-20 Kano-18 Ondo-15 Ogun-10 Ebonyi-9 Ekiti-8 Kaduna-6 Cross River-5 Kwara-4 Anambra-3 Delta-3 Imo-2 Nasarawa-2 Borno-1”.
On Monday, the federal government added an additional one week to the current phase of eased lockdown.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who announced this at the bi-weekly Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing on Monday, said the additional week will be effective from July 29 to August 6 and all existing protocols will be retained throughout this period.
Nigeria is Africa’s third most impacted behind only South Africa and Egypt. The federal and state governments are working to increase testing as authorities stress that cases definitely far exceed the current tally.
In the month of June alone, Nigeria’s coronavirus cases grew by over 15,500 cases.
Over 250,000 of the over 200 million Nigerian populace have been tested for the virus.
On April 28, the Nigerian government announced its target of testing at least two million people within the next three months.
The ambitious target elapsed on Wednesday, yet the government was not able to test up to 20 per cent of the two million target.
The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (NWC) has suspended the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; Deputy Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha; and National Organizing Secretary, Umaru Bature for one month.
The suspension comes on the heels of the judgement of the Federal High Court On Friday, which stopped the party’s planned national convention.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, told journalists in Abuja on Saturday, that the decision followed an emergency meeting of the national working committee, which was held in Abuja.
President Donald Trump of the United States on Friday designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), in response to allegations of widespread persecution and genocide against Christians.
Writing on his Truth Social account, Trump stated that Christianity faces a serious threat in Nigeria.
The US leader also added Nigeria to a State Department watch list.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote.
According to the US president, he was placing Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation, on a “Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations the US deems to have engaged in religious freedom violations.
According to the State Department’s website, the list includes China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Pakistan, among others.
Trump said he had asked US Representatives Riley Moore and Tom Cole, as well as the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, to look into the matter and report back to him.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has removed Hon. Abubakar Gummi from the House of Representatives after he left the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress.
The lawmaker represented the Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency in Zamfara State.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu delivered the ruling, holding that Gummi’s defection breached the Constitution.
The court said the seat does not belong to any politician but to the political party that sponsored the election.
According to the judgment, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, is barred from recognising Gummi “as a member representing Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency.”
The judge also instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission to “conduct a fresh election” for the vacant seat within 30 days.
The case was instituted by the PDP and its Zamfara chairman, who insisted that Gummi’s move to the APC had no legal justification. They argued that there was no division in the PDP to support his defection, as required by Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution.
Gummi, through his counsel, claimed he left the PDP due to internal crises which he said made it “impossible” to serve his constituents effectively. The judge, however, dismissed his arguments and granted all the reliefs requested by the plaintiffs.
Justice Egwuatu, in a firm comment, warned politicians against what he described as reckless party hopping.
“Political prostitution must not be rewarded,” he declared, adding that lawmakers must not transfer votes won on one party’s platform to another party.
The court also ordered Gummi to refund all salaries and allowances received from October 30, 2024, until the date of judgment. He is also barred from earning any further benefits as a member of the House.
Additionally, the judge imposed a N500,000 cost against the defendants in favour of the PDP.
