Reps investigate $10 million bribery allegation

 

The House of Representatives has opened an investigation into allegations of a ten million dollars bribe against its leadership.

  But the Coalition of Political Parties insists the committee does not have the moral ground to be a judge in its own case.  Joke Adisa reports that on the 4th of May, the Coalition of political parties in Nigeria issued a statement accusing the leadership of the House of Representatives of collecting ten million dollars to influence passage of the Infectious Diseases Control Bill.

 

The House described the claim as bogus and resolved not only to probe the authenticity of the allegation but to also challenge those behind it in court. Some of the newspapers which carried the report agreed due diligence was not done before using the story.

  The Spokesman of the CUPP, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who alleged that the group was privy to intelligence reports that suggested the House was acting a script of the international community on the bill, has refused to appear before the lawmakers. The legislators insisted the person who made the allegations must appear before them and declined to hear from his lawyers.

The Committee has adjourned sitting to Thursday, to enable spokesman of the CUPP, Ikenga Ugochinyere and other Newspapers appear before it but Ugochinyere’s legal team insists its principal will not honour that invitation.

TVC

Hospitals in Brazil’s largest city ‘near collapse’ as Covid-19 cases soar

 

   The mayor of Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo, has said its health system could collapse as demand grows for emergency beds to deal with coronavirus cases.

  Bruno Covas said the city’s public hospitals had reached 90% capacity and could run out of space in two weeks. He accused those who flouted lockdown rules of playing “Russian roulette” with people’s lives.

 São Paulo is one of the country’s worst-hit regions, with almost 3,000 deaths so far. On Saturday, Brazil overtook Spain and Italy to become the nation with the fourth largest number of infections. The health ministry reported 7,938 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total above 241,000. Only the US, Russia and the UK have higher numbers.

   The death toll in the Latin American nation over 24 hours was 485, meaning that the total number of deaths is 16,118 – the world’s fifth-highest figure. Health experts in Brazil have warned that the real number of confirmed infections in the country may be far higher than the official records, due to a lack of testing.

   Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro has been strongly criticised both at home and abroad for his handling of the country’s escalating coronavirus crisis. He defied global health advice on social distancing on Sunday when he posed for photographs with supporters and children in the capital, Brasília.

Trump threatens permanent freeze on WHO funding in 30 days

 

  President Donald Trump threatened Monday to permanently freeze US funding to the World Health Organization unless "substantive improvements" were made within the next 30 days.

  Washington suspended funding to the WHO in mid-April, accusing it of being too close to Beijing and covering up and mismanaging the coronavirus pandemic.

  On Monday, Trump tweeted images of a letter he sent to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, informing the director-general that "if the World Health Organization does not commit to major substantive improvements within the next 30 days, I will make my temporary freeze of United States funding to the World Health Organization permanent and reconsider our membership in the organization."

Almajirai: Let The Children Live, PAN Pleads

 The Paediatric Association Of Nigeria (PAN) says it is concerned at the news report of many children called the Almajiri, evacuated from some states in the north and being sent back by the receiving states.

In a communique on Monday, PAN said various reports suggest that most of the children have been treated unfairly, adding that certain measures said to be put in place to ensure proper care for the almajirai has seen the children become victims instead of beneficiaries .

The health body demanded that the children be given the appropriate tender care that they deserve, stressing that the governments of the states in north must not just see the children as mere humans, but as the most vulnerable in the society.

According to PAN, the almajirai are persons who play no role and cannot take responsibility of adults and leaders that have led to the current situation within the region.

PAN urged all concerned state governments to further engage and resolve any disagreement that may exist, with the view of putting the interest of the almajirai as top priority.

While commending all who have been involved in responsible exercises of moving the children, the PAN urged corporate bodies including non-governmental organisations, to assist the state governments in resettling the almajirai in their various homes and to provide them with optimal opportunities, decent and safe environment and quality education.

Nigeria Records 216 New Cases Of COVID-19, Total Infections Exceed 6,000

 

Nigeria has recorded 216 new cases of the novel coronavirus, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control confirmed on Monday.

In a tweet via its official handle, the NCDC said 74 new cases were found in Lagos, 33 in Katsina, 19 in Oyo, and 17 in Kano.

Other states with new cases include Edo with 13, Zamfara 10, the trio of Ogun, Gombe and Borno with eight each, the duo of Bauchi and Kwara with seven each, the FCT with four, Kaduna and Enugu with three each and Rivers state with two new cases.

The health agency also reported that 1,644 cases have now been successfully treated and discharged, while 191 persons have died.

 

216 new cases of #COVID19;

74-Lagos

33-Katsina

19-Oyo

17-Kano

13-Edo

10-Zamfara

8-Ogun

8-Gombe

8-Borno

7-Bauchi

7-Kwara

4-FCT

3-Kaduna

3-Enugu

2-Rivers

6175 cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria

Discharged: 1644

Deaths: 191 pic.twitter.com/FbcGTJ06iE

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) May 18, 2020