Emmanuel onwa's Blog

Demonstrators stormed the Serbian Parliament after the President announced that a lockdown would be re-established this weekend. Thousands have gathered in Belgrade to protest against the announcement by President Aleksandar Vucic, despite the Balkan country recording the highest death toll from coronavirus in one day. The president called the virus situation in the Serbian capital "alarming" and "critical" as the city's hospitals neared capacity. Mr Vucic said the government would reimpose a curfew as of Friday. He said it will "probably" last from 6pm on Friday until 5am on Monday. He also said the groups of no more than five people would be allowed together. The country's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that 13 people had died in 24 hours in Serbia and 299 new cases were confirmed. That brought the total to 16,719 confirmed cases and 330 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic in Serbia, which went from having one o...

Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps officials NSCDC, Kaduna state command, arraigned on Tuesday July 7 a clergyman, Reverend Joseph Ma'aji, before the state 's chief magistrate court for allegedly raping his 16-year-old maid. NSCDC legal officer prosecuting the case, Yayayi Jauro, told the court that the state social welfare office in Kakuri, Kaduna, on July 1, received a report of alleged sexual harassment and act of gross indecency against the Reverend. Jauro said that Ma’aji was reported to have been unlawfully having sexual intercourse on several occasions with his underaged maid, who was entrusted to him by her uncle, at his residence in Barnawa, Kaduna, since 2015. According to Jauro, Ma’aji had been molesting the girl and requesting for sexual favours unjustifiably and had voluntarily confessed to have committed the crime during investigations. “Medical reports from Gwamna Awan hospital here in Kaduna had also confirmed commission of the alleged offenc...

On Monday, Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said, in a tweet, that despite being asymptomatic, she tested positive for coronavirus. "COVID-19 actually hit home. I didn't have any symptoms and had positive results," she wrote. COVID-19 has literally hit home. I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive. — Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) July 6, 2020 In an interview with MSNBC's Joy Reid Monday night, Lance Bottoms said that she had just received her test results. "My husband literally has been sleeping since Thursday, which is just not like him, so I decided that we should all get tested again. We were tested about two weeks ago, we were all negative, and our results came back positive today, and it’s a shock because what I’ve seen with him is not out of the ordinary for seasonal allergies, which are just about year-round allergies in Atlanta," she said. "It leaves me for a loss of words because I think it really speaks t...

Following their trial, the Police Service Commission (PSC) announced the dismissal of 10 senior police officers and the loss of ranks of 8 others for various cases of duty line misconduct. Though the identities of the affected officers were not disclosed in a statement released by PSC's Head of Press and Public Relations Ikechukwu Ani, it was however gathered that a Superitendent of Police (SP), five Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSP) and four Assistant Superintendents of Police were involved. The statement read;  “A deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) were reduced in rank, a decision which also affected four Superintendents of Police (SP), one Deputy Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Police. “The commission also approved the punishment of severe reprimand for 16 Officers, reprimand for 13 and letters of warning to four others. Two officers are to receive Letters of advice while eleven were exonerated. “...

On Tuesday, July 7, in Australia's second-largest city, nearly five million Melbourne residents were forced back into another lockdown after Coronavirus cases spike. From midnight on Wednesday, July, 8,  everyone in Melbourne will be required to stay home unless travelling to work, studying, shopping for food, or attending medical appointments. Restaurants, cafes, and bars will be able to provide takeaway service only, gyms and hair salons closed, household gatherings limited to two people and the current school vacation extended. Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews announced a six-week lockdown, warning "we can't pretend" the virus crisis is over. After the south-eastern city detected 191 of the 199 new cases reported nationally on Tuesday, the biggest one-day rise since early April, Andrews said there were now too many to trace properly, so restrictions were needed. "These are unsustainably high numbers," he said. "No-one wanted to ...

The acting chairman of the EFCC's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu Has been reportedly suspended by President Buhari. Magu has been suspended to allow him to face the probe in the allegations of corruption leveled against him by the Federation's Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, according to reports. In June, Malami wrote a letter to President Buhari asking for Magu's sack. He accused Magu of corruption, diversion of recovered funds, insubordination among other offenses. On Monday, Magu was invited before a panel probing the allegations. The panel is led by Ayo Salami, retired president of the appeal court. Some of the 22 allegations Magu is being investigated for include: Alleged discrepancies in the reconciliation records of the EFCC and the Federal Ministry of Finance on recovered funds Declaration of N539billion as recovered funds instead of N504b earlier claimed Insubordination to the office of the AG...

Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian president, has declared live on television that he has tested positive for Coronavirus but feels 'perfectly fine' and has only mild symptoms. 'I'm all right, normal. I even want to take a walk around here, but I can't do that because of medical advice, "Bolsonaro told a group of reporters on Tuesday, July 7, insisting that he had mild symptoms. The right-wing leader, 65, told supporters in Brasilia  on Monday July 6 that he had been tested at a hospital and that an X-ray showed his lungs were 'clean'. 'I can't get very close,' he said in comments recorded by Foco do Brasil. 'I came from the hospital. I underwent a lung scan. The lung's clean.' The test was his fourth Coronavirus test, having tested negative three times in March after meeting with US president Donald Trump in Florida. Bolsonaro has been widely criticized for his response to the Coronavirus outbreak in Brazil, wit...

Reverend Samson Ayokunle, the president of the Nigerian Christian Association (CAN), has described the continued closure of worship centers by some state government as "unacceptable and unreasonable." Several state governments closed worship centers as part of measures to contain the spread of Coronavirus in their states. While some states have reopened and issued guidelines for worshippers to adhere to, some others like Lagos and Ogun state governments are yet to reopens worship centers. In a statement released by his Special Assistant, (Media and Communications), Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the CAN boss said it is unacceptable for these state governments to continue to lockdown churches. “The President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), His Eminence, Rev Dr Samson ‘Supo Ayokunle, on behalf of the Association, has called on all State governments that are yet to reopen churches under their watches to do so now because the continued lockdown order on the place...

The Nigerians in the Diaspora Body, NIDCOM, responded to a Nigerian man's harrowing footage weeping and pleading that he had only days to live as a feared Pakistani gang tortured him because his "mate" owed them. According to reports, the man's brother named Andrew used him as a collateral for a business with the group. However, as Andrew didn't show up to pay what he owes, the gang tortured the human collateral he left behind and filmed it to serve as a warning. In the video (see here) the Nigerian man is seen begging his uncle to sell everything they have and pay a man called Nuruz otherwise he will be killed on July 10. Reacting to the harrowing video, NIDCOM said the Nigerian mission in Islamabad, Pakistan, has escalated the issue for investigation. NIDCOM tweeted: "Our attention has been drawn to this disturbing video of a Nigerian brutally beaten up and threatened to be killed by a Deadly Pakistani Gang after his brother ripped off t...

A Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), pastor Oluwafemi Oyebola 44yrs, of Ogo Oluwa parish in Ogun State, was arrested by state police officers on multiple occasions for allegedly raping his girlfriend, getting her pregnant three times and forcing her to go through abortions each time. The accused pastor was arrested following a complaint by his 24-year-old daughter. The victim had reported at the Owode-Egbado divisional headquarters that her father has been forcefully having sex with her since 2015 shortly after the demise of her mother. She told the Police that she got pregnant for her father three times but he took her to a nurse who terminated the pregnancies, each time . She told the police that after the third pregnancy was terminated, her father did family planning for her so as not to get pregnant any longer. She got tired of his evil act and summoned the courage to report an NGO, Advocacy For Children And Vulnerable Persons Network who led her to the police station. ...

Hauwa Sani, a mother of two, has been stabbed to death by her husband of eight-years  Abdul Hassan, in the Jigawa State Local Government Area of Jahun. Confirming the incident to newsmen, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, Abdul Jinjiri, said Hassan stabbed Hauwa eight times with a knife which led to her death on July 3.  According to Jinjiri, preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect acted based on the influence of drugs as he has been addicted to substance abuse for a long time. Jinjiri said Hassan fled the scene after committing the crime but was later arrested and will be arraigned in court soon

In what an Italian hospital said was a first-of-its-kind operation, two-year - old conjoined twins have been successfully separated. The twins-Ervina and Prefina-were joined above their neck nape. They were born with a condition the Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù in Rome described Tuesday as “one of the rarest and most complex forms of cranial and cerebral fusion,” Agence France-Presse reported. However, surgeons succeeded in separating the girls and they are doing well. The hospital — whose name translates to Baby Jesus Pediatric Hospital — said it was the first time in Italy and likely the world that surgeons were able to separate twins who shared the back of their skull and its venous system. The two sisters were brought to Italy in September 2018 from Bangui, Central African Republic, after the hospital’s president met the babies and their mom where they were born, according to AFP. Medical tests showed the girls to be generally in good health, but o...

A Brazilian man, 35, who has been on long-term remission after being treated for less than a year with an enhanced multi-drug AIDS medicine cocktail has raised hopes of a potential breakthrough on Tuesday, July 7. The man who tested positive for HIV in 2012, was treated with a base of antiretroviral therapy or ART which was boosted with additional antiretrovirals, plus a drug called nicotinamide (a form of vitamin B3). His intensified treatment was halted after 48 weeks and researchers who unveiled their findings at this week’s virtual International Aids Society conference, said the patient has now gone more than 57 weeks with no HIV treatment and continues to test negative for HIV antibodies. Dr Ricardo Diaz of the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, who led the study said he was "trying to wake up the virus" and boost the immune system's ability to eliminate it once it's flushed out of hiding. Diaz said; "We can't search the entire bod...

The Kwara State Governor,Chief of Staff Aminu Logun, has died. Logun's death was confirmed on Twitter by Fafoluyi Olayinka, the Special Assistant, New Media to the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrasaq Abdulrahman. “Kwara State Chief Of Staff, Aminu Adisa Logun Is Dead.. Indeed, death is the next thing after birth. Black Tuesday here in Kwara.”Fafoluyi said The late Logun was appointed the Chief of Staff of the Kwara State Governor in 2019 few weeks after Governor Abdulrazaq was sworn in.

At some point we may have asked why doctors appear to wear green overalls during surgery. The idea may not have crossed their minds to other people, that some would want to see their doctors in white overalls. One of the scientific reasons behind the use of green overall is that surgeons (doctors in the operating room), may get blinded by the totally spotless white overalls once they move their eye from the dark red color of the blood to the white clothing of his or her colleagues. Moreso, Green, blue, and gray are the only satisfactory colors in the theatre. The theatre has a very bright light, these colors are non-reflective and doesn't change the color of patient organs. These colors also prevents eye fatigue, and gives comfort to the eyes during surgery. The eyes have to be kept open, due to this prolonged period, the eyes get tired. But if the green color is seen immediately, then the eyes get cold (more active). Because of this, the green and blue colors of their...

Following a new surge in coronavirus infections, Madagascar has placed its capital Antananarivo under a fresh lockdown, two months after the restrictions were eased, the presidency announced Sunday. "The region of Analamanga (under which the capital lies) is returning to full lockdown," the presidency said in a statement. “No traffic will be allowed in or out of the region starting Monday until July 20. A strict curfew will be imposed on street movement by people. “Only one person per household is allowed to go out into the street between 6:00 am (0400 GMT) and 12:00 pm (1000 GMT),” said the statement. The measures have been taken “because of the spread of the epidemic and the increase of COVID-19 cases,” it added. Madagascar has in recent days seen an exponential rise in daily numbers, jumping to a record 216 cases on Saturday The latest tally came after 675 people were tested. Nearly 24,000 tests have so far been conducted on the impoverished island. By...

France is establishing three beefed-up ministries to spearhead its recovery from coronavirus turmoil as Emmanuel Macron tries to recast his presidency less than two years before a possible bid for re-election. In a cabinet reshuffle days after voters punished Macron and his party in local elections, the president and his new prime minister, Jean Castex, are putting the focus on tackling the pandemic's social and economic fallout, and the environment. Macron, 42, swept into power in 2017 promising to cut corporate taxes and ease regulation to drive growth and create jobs, while protecting the most vulnerable. But the worst depression in decades has reversed some hard-fought gains and left Macron with 21 months to persuade voters that his reforms will leave them better off. On the eve of the reshuffle, Macron said his 2017 campaign promises remained central to his policymaking. But he said they must "adapt to international upheavals and the crisis we are living throu...

With nearly 700,000 coronavirus infections, India has overtaken Russia to become the country with the world's third highest number of cases. The health ministry said it had now reported 697,358 cases, an increase of 24,000 in the last 24 hours, while Russia has just over 681,000 cases. India has reported 19,693 deaths from the virus, far less than many other countries badly affected. There have been almost 20,000 deaths in India since the first case was detected there in January. India is now the world's third worst-affected country, behind only the United States and Brazil. It has seen eight times the number of cases as China, that has a similar-sized population and is where the virus originated late last year. Officials said they had reversed a decision to reopen the Taj Mahal, India's most famous tourist attraction, in the city of Agra, 125 miles southeast of New Delhi, on Monday, following a spate of new cases in the area.  ...

The Federal Government has declared that the decontamination of schools against the spread of COVID-19 will begin on Tuesday in preparation for the resumption of class activities. The Minister of Environment, Muhammad Mahmood, disclosed this in Abuja at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. Mahmood also assured that it had enough hands on ground to carry out the disinfection exercise. He said: “Earlier I told you that we have sat with the Ministry of Education and we have the list of all the schools that need to be disinfected before resumption. “Well, what we plan to do now is to do (decontaminate) the centres that will be used.” Speaking on why the process was delayed, the minister said it was intentional, as the plan was to ensure that the chemicals were effective enough when the schools resume. “The delay is because it is better to disinfect and decontaminate within a short period of time, so that the kids will be going back into these classes ...

According to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center, Nigeria is currently the 2nd most affected country by the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa and 50th in the world after South Africa, which is the most affected country in Africa, and 16th in the world. On the 5th of July 2020, 544 new confirmed cases and 11 deaths were recorded from 19 states with Lagos recording the highest figure of 199,  bringing the overall total to  28,711 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 645 deaths, in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. South Africa, recorded 196,750 confirmed cases and 3,199 deaths while Ghana with 20,085 total confirmed cases and 122 deaths is 3rd in Africa and 55th in the world. With an estimated population of 206 million according to extrapolation of the latest UN data, Nigeria has so far carried out  a total of 151,121 tests, equivalent to 733 tests/million population. South Africa, with a population of 59,3 million has carried out 1...

Jair Bolsonaro president of Brazil said on Monday that he exhibited COVID-19 symptoms and was expected to undergo a coronavirus test on Tuesday. Many observers blame Bolsonaro's slow response to the coronavirus pandemic in Brazil to the country's high rate of positive cases. On Sunday, Brazil reported 26,209 new cases of the virus, making the cumulative total 1,626,071 cases of COVID-19 for the country's 65,556 fatalities that have been reported from the virus. According to CNN Brasil, Bolsonaro was suffering a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Bolsonaro also said an MRI had been performed. "I came from the hospital now, I did a lung check," Bolsonaro said in a Monday video. "The lung is clean. I'm going to do the COVID exam. It's okay." Bolsonaro was previously tested for the virus in March after a meeting in Florida with President Donald Trump. Upon returning to Brazil, members of Bolsonaro's entourage tested positive for the...

Rickey Smiley, an American stand-up comedian and TV host, revealed his 19-year-old daughter, Aaryn, was shot three times over the weekend during a road incident in Houston , Texas. Speaking on his Rickey Smiley Morning Show" on Monday, July 6, an emotional Smiley said:  "I wasn’t even going to say anything about this. I’ve been dealing with this all morning, sitting up here with butterflies in my stomach trying to do the show. My youngest daughter was shot last night. She’s in the hospital right now… I'm just so angry." The comedian explained that his daughter was going to Whataburger to get something to eat when she was caught in the crossfire on Sunday night, July 5. "I go to bed around 8:30 or 9 o'clock, and I woke up to text messages," Smiley recalled. "The fact that she's laying up in the hospital and probably going to have to go into surgery... She's just crying, she's scared, I can't get to her and I just hate...

Cerebral palsy is on Lennie Lane. His disability means he can not stand or walk alone-but he can know a song only by listening to it. A talented pianist, the eight-year - old has challenged himself to play 100 songs in a month to raise money for the school he attends. Keeping his family entertained through the coronavirus lockdown, the young musician has raised more than £10,000 so far and has had recognition from the stars - including footballer Marcus Rashford.

On their 21st wedding anniversary, retired Manchester United soccer player, David Beckham and famous fashion designer and former singer, Victoria Beckham paid tribute to each other. Both celebrities took Social Media to share with some throwback pictures a history of their relationship. 45 years old David Beckham gave a page of history from 23 years ago when he first met Victoria. “Who would have thought that all these years later we are celebrating 21 years of marriage and have 4 of the most beautiful and perfect kids… Thank you & Happy Anniversary I Love You ♥️ @victoriabeckham.” Meanwhile, Victoria also had a touching caption for her husband. Victoria’s caption reads: “Happy Anniversary @davidbeckham ❤️❤️❤️ I can’t believe it has been 21 years since we said, “I do”. Four children, four dogs, so much laughter, and I love you more each day.” The couple shared some beautiful throwback pictures to commemorate their anniversary. View this p...

On Monday, 31 fully recovered COVID19 Lagos patients; 15 females & 16 males, all Nigerians were discharged from Isolation facilities to reunite with the society. The patients; 13 from Agidingbi, 8 from Onikan, 8 from Gbagada, 1 from Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba and 1 from LUTH Isolation Centres were discharged after full recovery and testing negative to COVID19. With this, the number of Coronavirus cases successfully managed & discharged from Lagos Isolation Centres has risen to 1771. This was disclosed by Lagos State, through the the Lagos State Ministry Of Health official Twitter account, @LSMOH. #COVID19Lagos Update News Flash! *️⃣ 31 fully recovered #COVID19Lagos patients; 15 females & 16 males, all Nigerians were discharged from our Isolation facilities today to reunite with the society. @followlasg @jidesanwoolu @ProfAkinAbayomi @NCDCgov @DigiCommsNG @LUTHofficial @WHO pic.twitter.com/uTbTHLdrU2 — LSMOH (@LSMOH) July 6, 2020

On Monday the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 lamented the growing rate of COVID-19 cases among people in government, saying it had a direct impact on the country's governance and security. The PTF Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who stated this at the task force press briefing in Abuja, also said the possibility of ordering a fresh total lockdown to curtail further spread of the virus could not be ruled out. The SGF, who advised prominent Nigerians to take COVID-19 protocols seriously, said the virus does not respect status. Mustapha’s warning came amid rising cases of COVID-19 among state governors and other prominent Nigerians.  Recently state governors, including David Umahi of Ebonyi, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta  and their Ondo State counterpart, Rotimi  Akeredolu, contracted the virus. Warning people in authority, the SGF said,  “Of recent, we have witnessed a high rate of positive cases especially among...

On Monday, bandits killed no less than 15 farmers in Yar Gamji village in Katsina State's Batsari Local Government Area. Residents said the farmers were working on their farms when the bandits swooped and killed them at around 10 am. It was also learned that on motorcycles the bandits arrived at the farms and carried out the attack for about an hour. The residents said they sent distress calls to security operatives who subsequently mobilised to repel the bandits. The bandits were reported to have retreated to the forest after a shootout with security men. The spokesman for the Katsina State Police Command, SP Gambo Isah, confirmed the incident. He said, “About 15 persons were killed in the attack. The bandits, numbering over 200, came on motorcycles armed with AK-47 rifles, shooting and killing the farmers. “At present our people are on ground and  I am expecting a detailed report on their confrontation with the bandits.” Recall that another set of bandits...

Prof. Godwin Achinge, Benue State University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), has been confirmed dead days after testing positive for Coronavirus. The deceased who was also the vice-chairman of Benue State Action Committee on COVID-19, died on Sunday July 5, at an undisclosed hospital in Jos, the Plateau State capital. Vanguard reported that a member of the Action committee who spoke on condition of anonymity as he confirmed the death of Prof. Achinge to newsmen, said; “We lost our Vice Chairman, Prof. Achinge to the virus this afternoon in Jos, but we are still waiting for the family to be briefed on the development."

Inuwa Abdulkadir, Former National Vice Chairman North West of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has died at the age of 54. Abdulkadir died at Usman Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto in the early hours of Monday, July 6, after a brief illness. Abdulkadir was a member of APC’s national working committee that was dissolved recently. Until his death, Mr. Abdulkadir was the chairman Governing Council of the Sokoto State University.

A Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) official who was posted to Zamfara to oversee Coronavirus spread and control was confirmed dead. The deceased identified as JJ Shalanga died on Sunday July 5, days after he fell ill and was taken to the specialist hospital Yariman Bakura in Gusau. Yahaya Kanoma, the state commissioner of health who confirmed the death of the NCDC official said his samples which were tested revealed he had the virus. Kanoma added; “His remains have been taken to his home town in Plateau State for burial." Katsina state has so far recorded 76 cases of COVID-19 and 5 deaths. 71 patients have been discharged in the state after recovering from the disease.

The ever-busy 3rd mainland bridge in Lagos will be closes for a period of six months beginning from July 24, the federal ministry of works has said. Announcing this to newsmen on July 6, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olukayode Popoola, said consultations are currently ongoing for another phase of repair works to begin on the 11.8 km bridge. According to Popoola, the repair works would start on the outward mainland section of the bridge. He said the Ministry is already working with relevant agencies to ensure the free flow of traffic during the period. The bridge has gone through a series of repair works and was last shut in August 2018 for a three-day investigative maintenance check.

Ondo state Governor Rotimi Akeredolu recuperated from COVID-19. This was announced at a press conference on Monday, July 6. The governor, who tested positive for the novel virus on June 30, said that another test carried out on the novel virus returned negative today. ''I tested positive for the virus and immediately went into isolation with supervised home management. Those days in isolation were defining periods for me. After some days in isolation, our team of doctors decided to take my sample and I was tested again in accordance with the treatment protocol of COVID19. The result came earlier today. I tested negative'' he said

Emeka Nwajiuba, Minister of State for Education, has announced that the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) 2020 will be held from 4 August to 5 September. The examination, which was scheduled earlier this year for April, was postponed because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at the daily press briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID19, Nwajiuba said the new dates were ratified after a meeting earlier today, July 6. He also announced that registration for National Examination Council NECO will continue. From the 4th of August to the 5th of September. Parents please take note. Last week, the chairman of the PTF announced that school facilities will be available for those who want to go into revision classes. As soon as we conclude WAEC, we will take up the NAPTEP and NECO exams. The idea here is that we have a month from now till . The states who are willing should make their schools available for their children to revise. We have d...

The minister doe Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has announced that food will no longer be served aboard domestic flights. The Minister made the announcement during the daily briefing of the presidential task force on COVID-19 on Monday July 6. Sirika said; “For this domestic operation, there will be no food. No food will be given to reduce contamination level and we will allow you to come with your mask. “Like the MD of FAAN had said the other day, we see it as your private thing. So it is you bring your mask, they don’t have to be the fancy ones. “Remember I told you on this platform that the cabin crew’s job is not to offer you tea. “They came into the industry because of people who were getting air-sick so we thought we would be putting nurses in the airplane to look after those people who are sick. “Since then, they metamorphosed and they became something new. They want to now give you tea because many people don’t get sick anymore, they give will either give you co...

The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) Health Agency responsible for disease prevention and control in Nigeria has released a new set of rules and guidelines for the safe conduct of state and local government elections in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 600 people in Nigeria. According to the NCDC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties, politicians, need to adhere strictly with the guidelines and lead by example to control the virus spread. The NCDC urged all parties and stakeholders in forthcoming elections in the country to use protective measures, reduce or limit mass gatherings, promote hand washing hygiene and ensure physical distancing of at least two meters. Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director-General of the NCDC, disclosed this during the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja on Monday, July 6. He said, “Today we are announcing and launching a new guideline for the con...