Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Monday 23rd March 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 23/03/20
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BREAKING: Atiku’s Son Tests Positive For Coronavirus
Son of Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has tested positive for Coronavirus.
Atiku confirmed this on his verified Twitter handle on Sunday.
He said, “My son has tested positive for Coronavirus.
“@NCDCGov has been duly informed and he has been moved to Gwagwalada Specialist Teaching Hospital in Abuja for treatment and management.
“I will appreciate it if you have him in your prayers. Stay safe, Coronavirus is real.” My son has tested positive to coronavirus. @NCDCGov has been duly informed, and he has been moved to Gwagwalada Specialist Teaching Hospital in Abuja for treatment and management. I will appreciate it if you have him in your prayers. Stay safe, coronavirus is real. -AA— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) March 22, 2020
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the Nigerian Center For Disease Control confirmed that the number of cases in the country had hit 30.
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JUST IN: Enyimba Player, One Other Person Abducted In Ondo
Dayo Ojo, a football player with Enyimba Football Club of Aba, has been abducted by gunmen in Ondo State.
Ojo was kidnapped on Sunday alongside a friend identified as Benjamin Iluyomade of Abia Comet.
SaharaReporters learnt that the two footballers were waylaid on Benin-Owo Road in Ondo State.
Another player identified as Emma James, who escaped the attack, confirmed the kidnap to journalists.
He said, “We were traveling on the road when the gunmen came out from the bush and attacked us.
“They shot sporadically before abducting some people in the vehicle including the two players but I managed to escape.”
It was gathered that the gunmen had reached out to Enyimba coach for ransom payment.
Tee-Leo Ikoro, Ondo State Police Command spokesperson, confirmed the incident.
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EFCC To Arraign Former Head Of Service, Oyo-Ita, Eight Others
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will on Monday, March 23, 2020 arraign the immediate past Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita.
She will be arraigned before Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Others to be arraigned along with Oyo-Ita are Frontline Ace Global Services Limited; Asanaya Projects Limited; Garba Umar and his companies, Slopes International Limited; Gooddeal Investments Limited; Ubong Okon Effiok and his own company, U and U Global Services Limited and Prince Mega Logistics Limited.
They will be arraigned for fraud in relation to duty tour allowances, estacodes; conference fees fraud and receiving kick-backs on contracts.
During investigation it was discovered that Oyo-Ita used her companies as well as Effiok’s and Umar’s companies as fronts to receive kickbacks from contractors of various ministries and parastatals where she worked.
The former Head of Service in collusion with Effiok, who was her Special Assistant, along with one Titus Okunriboye Tomsin made bogus claims of fictitious DTA, estacodes, conference fees, which were paid by the government to the accounts of the suspects.
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German Chancellor, Merkel, In Quarantine Over Coronavirus
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is currently quarantined after a doctor, who administered a vaccine on her, tested positive for Coronavirus, according to NY Daily News.
Merkel’s spokesperson, Steffen Seibert, said the 65-year-old was informed about the doctor’s test shortly after holding a news conference on Sunday to announce new measures to curb the spread of the virus, including banning gatherings of more than two people.
Seibert said Merkel had received an anti-pneumonia vaccine.
Merkel will undergo “regular tests” and work from home for the upcoming days, Seibert said.
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JUST IN: Coronavirus Cases Hit 30 In Nigeria As Lagos Confirms Three More Infections
The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control has confirmed three more cases of Coronavirus in Lagos.
This was confirmed on Sunday evening via the agency’s Twitter handle.
It said, “Three new cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in Lagos.
“Two cases are returning travellers and one is a contact of a confirmed case.”
The latest discovery brings to total 30 confirmed cases of the virus in the country.
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E2%80%94can-president Sin, Arrogance And Disobedience Responsible For Coronavirus —CAN President
President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, on Sunday said arrogance of humans against God, sin and all sorts of wickedness were responsible for the Coronavirus outbreak in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
Ayokunle made this assertion in his sermon on a cable television on Sunday.
The cleric identified ungratefulness among other factors as responsible for the outbreak and spread of the pandemic.
He said, “As in the case of the children of Israel in this passage, the arrogance of man against God and lawfully constituted authority led to God’s anger and judgment over the people.
“People say anything today against God and against the word of God.
“The Holy scriptures injunctions which are God’s commands no longer matter before us. We query the validity today of the word of God and equally deliberately act against it.
“All practices that would make us worship God we reject or abandon under the guise of fundamental human right.
“This pride and arrogance against God came because of advancement in technology. We feel we can do many things without God and thus become ‘god’ to ourselves.
“Technological advancement should make us to reference God the more because he is the revealer of knowledge.
“Sinfulness is an extension of my first point of arrogance against God.
“In Nigeria, violence has become a daily occurrence.”
On what can be done to overcome Coronavirus and other similar diseases, the cleric assured those, who are godly to nurse no fear of any pandemic.
He reminded them of how God used the blood of the lamb to protect His people in Goshen when the angels of destruction were killing the first born of the Egyptians.
Nigeria has announced 28 confirmed cases of the deadly virus with fears mounting of a further spread.
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BREAKING: Lagos Government Asks Civil Servants To Stay At Home For Two Weeks Over Coronavirus
The Lagos State Government has asked public officers to stay at home for 14 days as part of measures to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the country.
The stay-at-home order affects officers from Grade level 1 to 12.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu gave the order on Sunday during a statewide address.
Nigeria has recorded 28 confirmed cases of the pandemic, raising fears of a further spread.
The situation has forced several state governments to take stringent measures including closing schools and restricting public gatherings.
International flights into Nigeria have also been suspended to curb the spread of the virus.
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Nigerian Youth Have Gone To Sleep? By Tao Bakare
Woke up this morning to the unfortunate reality of the Nigerian state, the failure of her youth to take up responsibilities as the thread and wool that holds her fabric together. Flashback to the time when our past heroes, who were at the time youths, took up giant strides and went through the battles, upheavals, fights that ensured the liberation of the Nigerian state. In the nineties, Nigeria was lucky to have the likes of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Gani Fawehinmi, Femi Falana amongst others responsible for the many historical and ground-breaking achievement through measures of journalism, arts, literature and activism amongst others. Unfortunately, today, the reverse is the case, as we now have illiterates, educated hypocrites and mediocres that make up over sixty five percent of the Nigerian population. However, the blame cannot solely lie on the youths themselves, as it is loud enough that our leaders whom we entrusted our future unto have failed woefully to deliver in this respect. But also, it is noteworthy that the youths themselves have not helped to correct the anomalies, but have glaringly resolved to fold arms and watch their own future rubbed in the mud. In the Nigeria of today, youths have been relegated to the position of back benchers, applauding mammoth and mere on Lookers in the running of state affairs, which they ought to be at the fore front, as in the times of the West African Students Union, when students, youths, led liberation movements across Africa, and also saw to the independence of West African states. Obviously, it is crystal clear that youths, who occupy the largest percentage of Nigeria’s population now see themselves and thus submit to our doomed leaders, as election thugs, political hallelujah boys, political assassins and trash can. Instead of them to look ahead, beyond ethic bigotry and difference, it is unfortunate they now lead ethnic hate discussions and debates both online and offline, in turn, parading themselves as useless ‘ leaders of tomorrow’. I wonder how this country will pay it’s debts in the next twenty years, with this kind of bad debtors in town, the so called youths. In a sane society, the youths should be the ultimate institution of political accountability and policy partner to the government, thereby, holding erring leaders accountable. Also, youths should serve as the rebranding tool for a collapsing or collapsed entity, like ours. Recently, the chief of police, ordered for the disbandment of zonal SARS in Ogun State following the death of a promising young man, Tiamiyu Kazeem popularly known as Kaka, who until his death was the Vice Captain of Remo Stars Football Club. The order of the IGP, came, not only regarding the fact that the young man who was the victim of yet another SARS menace, was a known football star, but also because the youths in Sagamu community flaunted their power as youths! Moral of this recent case and it’s achievement, is that, so much can be achieved if youths wake up from their long mouth drooling slumber and take full responsibility for their own future. Nevertheless, if they fall to do this, I fear they may sleep and never wake up.
The time To Take It Back is now!
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JUST IN: Fire Breaks Out At Agboju In Lagos
There has been a fire outbreak at the Agboju area of Lagos.
This comes exactly one week after a deadly explosion hit Abule Ado, a nearby community, killing more than 20 persons and destroying over 50 houses.
The cause of Sunday’s fire is yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
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COVID19: Restrictions On Peaceful Assembly And Movement Without A Law Or State Of Emergency Is Unconstitutional By Inibehe Effiong
A follower on Twitter asked me on Saturday whether it is “constitutional” for the government to restrict religious and social gatherings because of Coronavirus?
By virtue of Section 45 of the 1999 constitution, the rights to peaceful assembly and free movement can be interfered with in the interest of public health and public safety. Is Coronavirus a threat to public health and public safety? The answer is obviously in the affirmative.
Section 14 (2)(b) of the constitution states that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”
However, I urge President Buhari to declare a state of emergency throughout the federation in line with Section 305 of the constitution.
Section 305 (3)(d) of the constitution, allows for a state of emergency when “there is clear & present danger of breakdown of public order and public safety in the federation or any part thereof requiring extraordinary measures to avert such danger.” COVID-19 is a clear and present danger to public safety.
Unlike in the United States, States in Nigeria cannot declare emergency. A governor supported by 2/3 members of the House of Assembly can only request the president to do so for them as stated in Section 305 (4) of the constitution. This is an example of the fraudulent nature of our federalism.
Since there is no special law to my knowledge, apart from laws establishing national and States emergency management agencies, to address public health crisis, it is necessary for the President to declare a state of emergency in Nigeria to address the outbreak of Coronavirus.
In the absence of a law enabling these restrictions to social and religious gatherings, the legality of these measures is questionable. This is because fundamental rights cannot be derogated from except as prescribed in a law that is “reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.”
It is either a law is urgently enacted across the volatile states or the President invokes the state of emergency clause. As at today, there is no strong legal basis for restricting gatherings. None of the governors or the President has issued even an ordinary ‘Executive Order’.
In the United States for example where we copied our presidential system, President Trump declared a national emergency, and at least 48 States in the US have also declared emergency due to COVID-19. The American Congress also passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
In Nigeria, we are resorting to our usual militaristic way of doing things by relying on arbitrary executive fiat to tackle COVID-19. Nations do not become great just by the “good intentions” of politicians. Nations become great principally by adhering to the rule of law.
In the light of the foregoing, I strongly urge the federal and state governments to urgently take steps to address the apparent legal loopholes in their efforts to tackle Coronavirus. It is obvious that Nigeria is not prepared for an outbreak. We are doing trial and error.
We need a legal framework; not only to give legal backing to the restrictions on the fundamental rights of Nigerians to religion, association, assembly, movement, etc., but to also provide for reliefs for families and victims of COVID-19.
We should not wait for the worst to happen.
I wish to draw the attention of the government to the decision of the Court of Appeal in the celebrated case of Okafor v. Lagos State Government (2017) 4 NWLR (Pt. 1556) 404 where it was held that disobeying the “order” or “directive” of a governor is not a criminal offence.
In that case, Lagos State issued an order restricting movement during environmental sanitation, Okafor was arrested for disobeying the order. The court declared the arrest illegal and unconstitutional since there was no law that criminalized violation of the governor’s order.
Without a law or a state of emergency, it is illegal to arrest anyone for violating a mere executive order. Emotions cannot change the law. If religious leaders whose places of worship have been closed decide to challenge the closure in court, the government will likely lose.
I hope the government at all levels will listen to the voice of reason and initiate appropriate legal frameworks to support the containment of COVID-19. It is either we are a country of laws or a banana republic.
We should not yield to authoritarian rule because of expediency.
Inibehe Effiong is a Lagos-based legal practitioner and human rights activist
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