NIGERIAN NOTCH

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IYCON Group,Chief Ifeanyi Ekwulugo  (Okaonye Egbunaya)has given out food items and cash to the four quarters of Nnewi North LGA in Anambra State. The Lagos based businessman was one of the first to empower his people with food items and cash so that they can observe the stay at home directive from the federal and state government. It would be recalled that Chief Ekwulugo was at the forefront of providing relief materials to the Igbo community in Lagos during the explosion that rocked the state. The CEO, IYCON GROUP, a silent philanthropist has always been empowering the less privileged persons in the society without noise. A sixty years old beneficiary of the latest humanitarian gesture, Mr Chinedu Okafor thanked the IYCON boss for his intervention at this critical period of staying at home. He said the philanthropist has not only written his name in marble in sand of time but has always touched the people in a way he can

-------warns against use of brute force to enforce lockdown The Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Senator Uche Ekwunife has condemned the reported killing at Nkpor by officers of the Nigerian Police. In a statement on Wednesday, Ekwunife expressed shock over reports of the killing of unarmed citizens by men of the Nigerian Police who were said to be enforcing the State government's lockdown order. Her words: "It is with disbelief that I received the reports of the death of two youths during an incident which occurred this afternoon at Nkpor New Tyre, where a police team went to enforce the State government's lockdown order". "While we encourage citizens to obey the government and stay at home, it is completely counterproductive and most condemnable for lives to be lost while attempting to keep citizens safe during this time the country and the world at large are facing a huge health challenge". Continuing, she said: &quo

It was a bad day for the residents of Nkpor near Onitsha Anambra state, as two youths were allegedly killed by a police patrol team on duty, for the enforcement of the lockdown order by Anambra state government in the area. The PPRO SP Haruna Mohammed, said that frantic efforts is ongoing to restore sanity in Nkpor and its axis and that the commissioner of police CP John Abang has ordered a discreet investigation into the remote and immediate cause of the protest by the youths in the area. The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Haruna Mohammed, in the state, however revealed that the incident was caused by an unprovoked attack on Police patrol team, by irate youths with substance, suspected to be acid, while the youths  tried snatching some rifles from the police operatives. He further stated that the police on patrol to enforce the lockdown order around New Tyres by UBA, Nkpor in Idemili North LGA of Anambra State suddenly encountered youths, which as a result of the squabble,

Senator Uche Ekwunife, the Senator representing Anambra Central senatorial district at the National Assembly has called on  Anambrians to obey government’s directives on COVID-19. She stressed that the actions being taken by the state government especially the total lockdown announced by the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano, was to prevent the spread of the novel virus in the state. Senator Ekwunife, who was visibly pained by the harsh economic impact coronavirus pandemic has unleashed on the people, however, called on Ndi Anambra and other residents in the state to obey government’s directive as it’s in their best interest. “My dear people of Anambra, I beg you to obey government’s directives and stay at home. Our governor, Chief Willie Obiano, has extended the stay-at-home directive by two weeks. Please obey the governor and stay at home. “This is meant to forestall the spread of coronavirus in our dear state. If we are not careful and observe safety measures as stipula

Imo state governor, Hope Uzodinma, has directed that all pensioners in the state be immediately paid their March pension allowances but warned that his government will insist on paying salaries and Pensions only to those legitimately entitled to it and not to  ghost workers or pensioners.  This was just as the Leadership of the Pensioners revealed that the use of Consultants by the sacked administration of Emeka Ihedioha was a conduit pipe for fraud and corruption . The governor's directive came on Tuesday after a closed door meeting with the Leadership of the Pensioners association in the state A statement yesterday by the commissioner for information and strategy, Declan Emelumba, explained that the governor  made it clear to the Pensioners that  the delay in the payment of March allowances was caused by the government's determination  to flush out fraud from the system and not for lack of money The commissioner said the government  has saved over N300M in pension

From Dr Uche Diala As usual when we mix science and a potpourri of varied other things, the result is confusion and fear. But God is not an author of confusion. Vaccines are used to prevent diseases and they have been with us for ever. #BriefHistoryOfVaccines It is known that the process of inoculation against smallpox was used by Chinese physicians in the 10th century. It was Edward Jenner, a Doctor in Berkeley in Gloucestershire who started work on vaccines with his famous Small Pox vaccine in 1796. He established the procedure by introducing material from a cowpox vesicle on Sarah Nelmes, a milkmaid, into the arm of a boy named James Phipps. Two months later he inoculated the boy with smallpox and the disease did not develop. The term vaccination was coined in 1800 by the surgeon Richard Dunning in his text 'Some observations on vaccination'. Since then vaccination campaigns have spread throughout the globe, sometimes prescribed by law or regulations. Louis

The Federal Ministry of Education has urged Nigerians to disregard false news making the rounds that the Federal Government had directed the reopening of schools soon. The ministry of Education Director of Press, Ben Goong, said on Sunday that there was no such directive from the minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, as everyone had been instructed to work from home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Goong stated that parents, guardians and stakeholders must not be misled by fake news but should continue to abide by the Federal Government’s regulations to tackle the ravaging pandemic. He said, “On the issue of reopening of schools, the ministry has not directed the reopening of any school at any level. The purported press release by the minister to that effect is a clear forgery as it did not emanate from the minister" “Parents, students and the general public are advised to please disregard the fake release as it did not emanate from the Federal Ministry of Education. Ther

BY PRINCE MACDONALD ENWERE Religion they say is the opium of the masses. Man is a religious being who seeks for explanations on phenomenal happenings on Earth through religious inquiry. The development of human embryos in a woman's womb and the orderly systems of the universe are evidences of the miseries  and superiority of the supreme power of God. When we ponder on God's artistry of creation and the  miseris of the sunrise and sunset we are filled with awe.  These are the convictions   of millions of people on Earth on the supremacy and the reality of the existence  of God. In Nigeria, we have atheists who do not believe in the reality and existence of God. Nigeria is also made up of religious people who believe that there is a transcendent and invisible being that controls the  universe. Nigerians are predominantly Christians and Muslims, however, there are also practitioners of the African Traditional Religion who are custodians of our native culture and traditio