APC must not disintegrate, Buhari tells APC members

President Muhammadu Buhari has advised members of the governing party, All Progressives Congress (APC), to withdraw all pending litigations against one another, and settle for internal conciliation.

The president, who gave the advice at an emergency virtual meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NEC), in Abuja on Thursday

warned that the mutating disagreements could lead to self-destruction, with dire consequences.

He further warned that the gains of the party could be reversed as conflicts overshadow the primary objective of service to the people, urging members to refocus on the larger picture and place more emphasis on uniting the party.

The Nation

Obama raises $7.6 million at fundraiser for Biden's campaign

 

Former President Barack Obama warned Democrats against being “complacent or smug” about the presidential race at a grassroots fundraiser Tuesday for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, calling on viewers to learn the lessons from 2016 and not take the election for granted.

Referencing what he called a “great awakening” going on among younger Americans pushing for reforms, Obama said that “just because this energy is out there does not mean that it assures our victory and it does not mean that it gets channeled in a way that results in real change.”

“There’s a backlash, that is fierce, against change,” Obama added.

The former president referenced the division among Americans that he said President Donald Trump “exploits,” as well as new challenges to voting rights in recent years.

“We can’t be complacent or smug or suggest that somehow it's so obvious that this president hasn’t done a good job because, look, he won once, and it’s not like we didn't have a good clue as to how he was going to operate the last time,” Obama said.

He implored the audience to get engaged with Biden's presidential campaign, declaring that “whatever you've done so far is not enough.”

The fundraiser marked Obama’s official return to the presidential campaign trail and underscored his unmatched popularity within the Democratic Party. Biden, who appeared virtually alongside Obama at the event, said it raised a record-breaking $7.6 million from more than 175,000 individual donors.

Trump’s Dallas fundraiser earlier this month raised north of $10 million for the campaign, Republican National Committee and the Trump Victory Fund.

Tuesday's event was a kickoff of what Obama’s team says will likely be a busy schedule heading into the fall, as he looks to help elect not just Biden but Democrats running for House and Senate. And his comments suggest Democrats are taking very seriously the possibility that their base could grow too comfortable this fall, with a number of state and nationwide surveys showing Biden with significant, often double-digit leads over Trump.

AP, Associated Press

FG briefs Senate on school’s reopening

The Federal Ministry of Education Tuesday briefed members of the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education on its plans to reopen schools which have been shut as part of measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minister of State for Education, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, during the meeting expressed concern over the decision of the Oyo State Government to reopen its primary and secondary schools in spite of the rising cases of coronavirus infection in the country.

Nwajiuba wondered why the government of Oyo State which is currently battling with an increase cases of new infections, should be eager to throw open the gates of its schools when its neighbouring states, were exercising caution.The Minister was reacting to a question from the Senator representing Oyo South, Lekan Balogun, who wanted to know the views of the Federal Government on the plan by the Oyo State Government to reopen its schools.

Nwajiuba said, “Why is Oyo State talking of reopening schools when it has just started recording an increase cases of Coronavirus infection.

“Just beside Oyo is Ogun State which was part of the three states under the FG’s lockdown since April is not talking about schools reopening.

“That’s part of the country’s problem, education is on the concurrent list, so every state takes decisions that pleases it on it. Also everybody is a big man. When you call them on phone, they will not answer you.

“As we speak, Kogi and Cross River states are not on the same page with the National Centre for Disease Control on the issue of testing while all their neighbouring states are conducting tests.”

The Nation

Nigerian researchers announce COVID-19 vaccine

A team of Nigerian scientists has announced the discovery of a preventive vaccine against the novel coronavirus, local media reported Saturday.

"It is our passion to be a solution provider to such a global pandemic, and we are ready to throw our weights behind the team and make the vaccine a reality," news website Leadership quoted the leader of the COVID-19 Research Group, Dr. Oladipo Kolawole.

"The vaccine is real. We have validated it several times. It is targeted at Africans, but will also work for other races. It will work. It cannot be faked. This is a result of the determination. It took a lot of scientific efforts," Kolawole told reporters at Adeleke University in Nigeria's Eda state Friday.

"The population of those that need vaccines is more than those that need drugs. That is why the research focused on a vaccine," he noted.

The study that the vaccine was based on was initially funded by the Trinity Immunodeficient Laboratory and Helix Biogen Consult, Ogbomosho, with roughly 7.8 million Nigerian nairas ($20,000), according to the report.

Kolawole went on to say that his team had worked extensively on the virus's genome from samples across Africa to select the best potential vaccine candidates.

The researchers of the team had made the possible latent vaccine constructs, Kolawole revealed, without naming naming the vaccine.

He added that it would take a minimum of 18 months to release the vaccine for widespread use, due to a large amount of research, analysis and approvals required by medical authorities.

The highest death toll on the continent has been reported in Egypt with 2,017 fatalities, followed by South Africa with 1,831 deaths, Algeria with 825, Sudan with 506 and Nigeria with 475.

The countries with the highest number of cases were South Africa with 87,715, Egypt with 52,211, Nigeria with 18,480 and Algeria with 11,504.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.

The pandemic has killed more than 460,000 worldwide, with more than 8.6 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 4.2 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.

Source: TVC

The Spread of COVID 19 has Reached a state of Emergency- Ondo State Governor

ONDO State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Monday declared that the spread of COVID-19 has reached a state of emergency.

Akeredolu’s statement came after 80 new cases and nine deaths were recorded within one-week.

'No govt, no nothing, just anarchy' - Trump stings Somalia at rally

US president Donald Trump renewed his attacks on Somali-American congresswoman Ilhan Omar over the weekend during a campaign stop in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

But the latest attack targeted at his Democratic contender Joe Biden went as far as tearing into Ilhan’s native Somalia. According to Trump the Horn of African country was an anarchic, lawless state and Ilhan wanted America to degenerate to those levels.

“Ilhan Omar is going to be very much involved in a Biden government. They will put this hate-filled America bashing, socialists, front and center in deciding the fate of your family and deciding the fate of your country, I don’t think so.

About Somalia he said: “She (Ilhan) would like to make the government of our country just like the country from where she came, Somalia. No government, no safety, no police, no nothing, just anarchy. And now, she is telling us how to run our country, no thank you.

“And I think we are going to have a big victory in Minnesota,” he added. Ilhan represents Minnesota’s 5th District in Congress.Trump tears into Ilhan Omar:

“She would like to make the government of our country just like the country from where she came. Somalia. No government, no safety, no police, no nothing. Just anarchy. And now she is telling us how to run our country. No thank you.”

source;africannews.com

Wike attacks police for allegedly harassing Ondo deputy governor

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has lambasted the police for the alleged harassment of the Ondo Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi.

Wike in a statement signed by his Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim said it was wrong for the Commissioner of Police, Ondo state to dabble into politics by denying Ajayi access to his residence based on his defection to another political party.

He described the act as unfortunate and condemnable in a democratically elected government.He said: “The Nigeria Governors’ Forum should rise to the occasion and  demand that  those behind actions that  bother on the infringement of constitutional rights be brought  to book.

“I will continue to say the truth,  it does not matter which political party is erring. Look at the police reducing themselves to a level where politicians will now send them to infringe on the right of a deputy governor without regards to the fact that he has immunity.

“They removed a Commissioner of Police in Rivers state because of the Calverton Helicopter saga which had to do with persons whose COVID-19 statuswere not known during the lockdown in the State.  So, what should happen to commissioner of police who stopped a democratically elected deputy governor from entering his house simply because of the rumour that he wanted to defect to another political party

The Nation