Ebola: Canada offers 1000 dose of experimental vaccine to Africa

Click banner for more info

The Canadian Public Health Agency has offered to release 1000 dose of a made-in-Canada experimental Ebola virus vaccine known as VSV-EBOV which has never been tested on humans but has shown to be effective in the treatment of the disease in animals.

In a statement released yesterday August 12th, the Canadian Health Minister Rona Ambrose said the World Health Organization's Director general, Margaret Chan, has approved of the donation. 

The Minister also revealed that Canada will be donating $185,000 to the World Health Organization for the prevention and control of the deadly virus in Africa. Canada has only 1500 of the experimental vaccine and would be sending 1000 of it to Africa. Continue...

Liberia to give two doctors trial drug

Click banner for more info

Liberia said on Tuesday it would treat two infected doctors with the scarce experimental Ebola drug ZMapp, the first Africans to receive the treatment, while authorities in Spain said a 75-year-old priest had died of the disease, Reuters reports.

The death toll from the worst ever outbreak of the highly contagious disease has climbed to 1,013 since it was discovered in remote southeastern Guinea in March, according to the World Health Organisation.  It said ZMapp doses were very scarce, raising ethical questions of who should have priority.  Spanish authorities said a 75-year-old Spanish priest who contracted Ebola in Liberia had died. The government had announced on Sunday that Miguel Pajares, the first European infected by the strain, would also be treated with ZMapp manufactured by California-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical.

Untested Ebola drugs ethical, says WHO

Click banner for more info

The first two doses of an experimental serum created to treat Ebola went to American missionaries.

Then the drug was sent to treat a Spanish priest.

The two Americans, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, appear to be recovering. The priest, Miguel Pajares, died Tuesday morning.

That’s the problem with experimental drugs that have never been clinically tested in humans: No one knows whether they’ll work — and if they do, in whom.

Man kills & burns the body of his 65yr old mother over witchcraft claims

Click banner for more info

The Anambra state police command yesterday August 11th arrested and paraded 28 year old cobbler, Ekene Ucheagwu for kiliing his 65-year-old mother, Agnes in her home at Ogbunka in Orumba South Local Government Part of Anambra State over claims that she was using her witchcraft to hinder his progress in addition to that of her three other children, Vanguard.

Addressing newsmen, Ekene said he killed her because she didn't permit the spirit of God to rain in their family

Continue..

Ebola Death toll hit 3 in Nigeria as another man dies in Nigeria

Click banner for more info

Nigeria has recorded another death from the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. This time it is a staff of the Lagos Liason office of the Economic Community of West African State - ECOWAS headquarters, Mr Jatto Abdulqudir. Confirming his death in a statement, ECOWAS management said the 36 year old man was among those who assisted the late Liberian Patrick Sawyerr when he came to Lagos for a regional meeting and was quarantined after Sawyerr died of the deadly disease. This brings to three the number of deaths from the deadly virus in Nigeria. The first two being Sawyerr and a Nigerian nurse.

Find the full text of the ECOWAS statement after the break...

GEJ reacts to Northern Elders ultimatum over missing Chibok girls

Click banner for more info

President Jonathan has reacted to the October ultimatum handed to him by the Northern Elders Forum to return the missing Chibok girls to their families and end insurgency activities in the north. They made this demand at a press conference yesterday August 11th, alleging that the sect activities are politically motivated with a grand agenda to weaken the political and economical interest of the North, with a view of exploiting this weakness in the 2015 elections.

"We are convinced that most of these conflicts are being engineered to weaken the North politically and economically by interests, which intend to exploit such weaknesses for electoral benefits. In the light of our firm conviction that the insurgency and related security challenges pose threats to the 2015 elections and the survival of our nation, we strongly advise President Goodluck Jonathan to bring an end to the insurgency in all its manifestations and produce the Chibok girls before the end of October 2014. 

 Continue..

2015: Tambuwal in secret meeting with Obasanjo

Click banner for more info

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, had a secret meeting with the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, at his Hilltop home, Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State on Tuesday. Tambuwal who arrived the former president’s residence around 5.30pm left around 6.18pm. Our correspondent gathered that the visit might not be unconnected with the speaker’s ambition in 2015.
Continue..

Photo: Police arrest fake Assistant Commissioner of Police

Click banner for more info

46 year old Alexander Ilesanmi (pictured above), an indigene of Akure, Ondo state has been arrested by the Lagos State Police command for parading himself as an Assistant Commissioner of Police and receiving stolen vehicles from robbery suspects.

According to police reports, Illesanmi, who goes about dressing in police uniform with the rank of a Deputy police commissioner displayed on his shirt, was arrested after an apprehended notorious car snatcher and supposed pastor of a church, Gabriel Asaolu, identified him to be one of those who bought stolen cars from him. Continue...

Politicians offered us ₦14m to compromise Osun elections – DSS

Click banner for more info

The spokesperson, Department of State Security, Marilyn Ogar, has stated that some politicians in Osun State offered operatives of the service N14 million bribe to compromise the just concluded governorship election.

Ogar who didn't name the politicians, explained that the service rejected the bribe which she said was agreed to the DSS Director, who supervised the August 9,2014 election.
Continue..

Omisore should accept defeat -APC

Click banner for more info

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday advised the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the August 9 governorship election in the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, to stop protesting the result of the election, saying “he suffered humiliating defeat.” In a statement by the Osun APC’s spokesperson, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, the party faulted Omisore’s post-election statement, in which he attributed his defeat partly to the damage done to him and his party by the former Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Amb. Rufus Akeju.
Continue..

Pres. Jonathan to inaugurate Akwa Ibom gas plant

Click banner for more info

President Goodluck Jonathan is to inaugurate a gas processing plant with 69km pipeline at Uquo, Esit Eket Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, on Thursday.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, in Uyo on Tuesday, said the gas plant is constructed under a public-private partnership arrangement between Septa Energy and the Akwa Ibom State government.

Umanah added that the president, who is paying a fourth official visit to the state, will during the one-day visit also inaugurate the Goodluck Boulevard on Ring Road III in Uyo.

FG, UNDP to train women on entrepreneurship skills

Click banner for more info

In an effort to reduce poverty in the country,the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday said that it is collaborating with the United Nation Development Programme to train 30 women on business development skills.

The Director General of SMEDAN Alhaji Bature Masari, made this known during a five day workshop in Minna organized by the agency for five women corporative groups from Niger, Katsina and Gombe states.

He said Niger and Katsina states have two women corporative groups with six representatives each while Gombe state has one corporative group with six representatives. Masari said the training is aimed at empowering the women owned corporative societies in the six geo-political zones of the country to enable them handle their businesses properly toward alleviating poverty.

Ex-President Obasanjo tasks govts on youth empowerment

Click banner for more info

A former Nigerian president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has said the various tiers of governments in the country should empower the youth for national development.

He said this on Tuesday shortly after a 2km health walk to mark this year’s International  Youth Day with the theme: ‘Youth and Mental Health,’ organised by the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Youth Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

In order to achieve national development, he  emphasised the need for the training, empowerment as well as employment of the youth.

Pastor arraigned for alleged rape

Click banner for more info

A 23-year-old Celestial Church prophet, Adewale Adeleke, on Tuesday in Lagos, appeared before a Yaba Magistrates’ Court for alleged fraud and rape.  Adeleke, who resides at No. 2 Ajibola Street, Agbado Ijaiye, Lagos was arraigned on a four count of stealing, obtaining by false pretext, impersonation and rape.  Prosecutor Chris Takim told the court that the accused committed the offences on July 26 at 6pm at the premises of Original Inn Hotel, Ebute Meta.

Continue..

Abuja designates Kuje General Hospital Ebola hub

Click banner for more info

The Abuja Minister, Bala Mohammed, has designated the General Hospital, Kuje, in Kuje Area Council, as Isolation Centre for possible Ebola-infected persons.

The minister also inaugurated a 25-member committee to work out modalities for responding to the threat of Ebola virus and create awareness on the nature and symptoms of the virus.

Mr. Mohammed made this known during a high powered stakeholder’s interactive forum in Abuja on Monday. Continue...

Lagos Shippers Association bemoan high cost of port charges

Click banner for more info

The Shippers Association of Lagos State on Tuesday attributed the high cost of cargo processing at the nation’s seaports to the multiple charges imposed on imported goods.

The President of the association, Mr Jonathan Nicol, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the five per cent Value Added Tax and the one per cent Pre-Arrival Assessment Report charge were some of the charges.

Chinese Ebola doctors arrive Africa

Click banner for more info

Nine Chinese disease control experts have arrived in West Africa to help fight Ebola after departing on Sunday evening and Monday, Sun Jiwen, spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce, said on Tuesday.

China announced on Sunday it would send three expert teams and medical supplies to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to assist in the prevention and control of the Ebola virus, with each medical team composed of one epidemiologist and two specialists in disinfection and protection.

Continue..

Emir of Gwoza resurfaces

Click banner for more info

The Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Mohammed Idrissa Timta whose whereabouts was a mystery after his town was attacked and captured by Boko Haram insurgents last week has resurfaced as he was able to escape from his abductors.  The emir, it was gathered was held hostage at one of the mountains of Gwoza by the insurgents alongside some of his subjects.

How Lagos nursing mother contracted Ebola virus – Doctor

Click banner for more info

A medical doctor has revealed how a nursing mother contracted the deadly Ebola virus at a Lagos hospital.  PUNCH Metro learnt that the woman was the patient who visited the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation staff clinic on Muri Okunola Street in the Victoria Island area of Lagos.  NNPC had issued a press statement on Friday, saying that the clinic would be shut due to a suspected case of Ebola reported in the clinic.

Continue..

Alcohol dealer sues police over seizure of goods

Click banner for more info

The owner of a company dealing in alcoholic drinks, Olaide Iyanuoluwa Nigeria Limited, on Tuesday dragged officers of the Nigerian Police before a Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged unlawful seizure of her  alcoholic drinks worth about  N38m.

The alcohol dealer who said the drinks, Baron Romeo, were imported from the Benin Republic,  told the court that the police seized them on the claim that they were stolen.