NIGERIAN NOTCH

Dr.  Joseph Ugbaja is the Acting Chief Medical Director of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Nnewi. In this interview, he speaks on how Nigerians can manage the second wave of COVID-19, and his priorities as Acting CMD. As the chairman, taskforce on COVID-19 in the teaching hospital, what do you think is the best approach to tackle the second wave of the coronavirus, which they say, is deadlier? We handled the first wave of the pandemic effectively, and we are now experiencing the second wave. During the first wave, Nigeria did very well, leading to lower rates of death and mortality. All the key institutions did their best, starting from the ministry of health, the PTF, NCDC, and various others. But the second wave is a lot different in terms of severity, rate of infections, and rapid of evolution of symptoms. The second wave hit very hard because, it came at a time when we in the south east were in the Christmas and New Year festivities. For the past one month, a lot of people ha

Ajax’s Cameroonian international goalkeeper Andre Onana has been suspended for one year for doping, the Dutch club said on Friday. The club said in a statement Onana had “mistakenly” taken his wife’s medicine which had led to the banned diuretic Furosemide appearing in his urine. Onana posted on social media said that “everything was the result of a human mistake.” “I mistook a medicine containing a substance banned by WADA for a simple aspirin,” he wrote on Twitter and Instagram.  He said he considered the punishment “excessive and disproportionate as it has been acknowledged by UEFA that it was an unintentional mistake.” Onana and Ajax both said they would appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Ajax said they had hoped Onana would receive a shorter ban because the substance was “arguably” not a performance booster. “On the morning of October 30, Onana was feeling unwell,” the club said in a statement. “He wanted to take a pill to ease the discomfort. Unknowingly, how

Kenyan Peter Waweru Kamaku will officiate the final of the Total African Nations Championship (CHAN) between defending champions Morocco and Mali on Sunday, 7 February, 2021, at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, Yaounde. Waweru, a lecturer of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, will lead the team of match officials as the curtains on the sixth edition of the tournament, designed exclusively for footballers in their domestic leagues, fold up. Earlier, he officiated the quarter-final clash between Mali and Congo, which the former won 5-4 on penalties after a barren stalemate in regulation time. He will be assisted by compatriot Gilbert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and Cameroonian Carine Atezambong Fomo whilst Alioum Alioum, also from Cameroon, will serve as the fourth official. The Video Assistant Referees (VAR) team will be led by Bamlak Tessema Weyesa of Ethiopia, and supported by Janny Sikazwe (Zambia) and Elvis Guy Noupue Nguegoue (Cameroon). Following their triumph on ho

Nnewi, the industrial hub of Anambra state had it's own taste of Valentine Ozigbo WALK4HEALTH program on Saturday, February 6, 2021 under the platform of his  non-governmental organization- Valentine Chineto Ozigbo (VCO) Foundation, which is the third in a series of such health and fitness exercise programme tagged, “VCO Walk4Health”.  The well-attended event saw over one thousand residents of Nnewi indigenes gather to  walk a distance of about five kilometers, with Valentine Ozigbo taking the lead procession from  St. Andrew DCC in Nnewi, through a designated route before returning to the takeoff point. VCO Walk4Health is a health awareness initiative, aimed at promoting healthy living habits and the spirit of community, which is a program sponsored by Valentine Ozigbo, a gubernatorial aspirant under the platform of the PDP in the 2021 Anambra elections.  The event featured brisk walk, motivational talk from PDP leaders in the state, free medical checkup, and distribution of hand

The Anambra police command, has recorded another significant milestone by bursting a child trafficking syndicate specialized in stealing children in the state. Nigerian Notch gathered that on the 23/1/2021,police operatives attached to Ihiala Division arrested two suspects who allegedly stole a three years old child who was later rescued in Imo State and reunited with his parent. The PPRO Anambra state police command, CSP Haruna Mohammed in his press release made available to newsmen in Awka further stated that the suspects, following discreet investigation revealed that they usually lure their victims within the markets,Churches and Schools premises were the children play, using sweets or biscuits and take them to one Mrs Malvina Uju Uba, who pays them for the children ranging from one hundred to five hundred thousand naira only. Contiuning he stated that also on the 26/1/2021 police operatives attached to SIB and Area Command, Oraifite,in an operation coordinated by the Area Commande

The Supreme Court today Friday February 5th dismissed the appeal instituted by Sen. Ifeanyi Ararume challenging the judgement of the Appeal Court sitting in Owerri which reinstated Sir Frank Ibezim as the APC Candidate for Imo North Senatorial Bye-Election.  The Court of Appeal had on December 4th 2020 dismissed the judgement of the lower Federal High Court Owerri which had made consequential orders mandating INEC to replace Ibezim with Ararume as APC Candidate. In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court panel agreed with the Court of Appeal judgement that the lower court ought not to have made the consequential orders against Sir Ibezim. The lead and concurrent judgements read by Hon. Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba and Hon. Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim concluded that Ibezim being not a party or privy to the matter at High Court, his fundamental rights to fair hearing were abridged. The apex court stated that the lower court also erred in judgement not to have dismissed the case filed by