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Did EFCC arrest former NDDC man, George Turnah?

Opeyemi Kehinde
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Did EFCC arrest former NDDC man, George Turnah?

A REPORT which claims that the South-South zonal head of Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ishaq Salihu, addressed a group of protesters in its Port-Harcourt office, Rivers state recently over the trial of George Turnah has started spreading like wildfire on WhatsApp.

Turnah, a lawyer, is an aide to a former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Bassey Dan-Abia.

The report, shared on WhatsApp on Tuesday, June 2, and published by a few online news platforms in Nigeria, was titled: “Youths in Niger Delta protest EFCC arrest but were shocked to hear…”

THE CLAIM

The report claimed that youths stormed EFCC’s South-South office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, “describing Turnah’s arrest as an act of injustice, saying he is a good man with a good heart. They stayed there demanding his unconditional release. The EFCC South-South Zonal head, Ishaq Salihu, instead of pushing away the protesters, called them together and began to educate them.”

It added:  “If I tell you all how this young man has contributed to the underdevelopment of your region, you will be ashamed to be here…

“Next time, before you join this kind of protest, ask yourself what his source of income is as compared to his flamboyant life. I will leave your conscience to communicate with you.”

The report further noted that “Immediately the EFCC South-South head ended his speech, the protesters were all cold, they could not utter a word again, one by one, they started dropping their placards, and before you know it, even his close associates who were all there, were shocked at the revelations, they too threw away their placards, everybody went back home.”

THE CHECK

Verification of the claims by The ICIR shows that George Turnah was neither rearrested by the EFCC nor was there any recent protest by any Niger Delta youth group on his case with the anti-graft commission.

EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, confirmed this in a text message to The ICIR Nigeria on Tuesday.

“We are still in court against George Turnah. His trial started in 2016. He was never re-arrested, please. Thanks,” Oyewale stated.

Also, several Google searches revealed that the claim is at least three years old as the exact content of the report was first posted online on Nairaland, a popular Nigerian blog, on June 1, 2017, and subsequently published word for word on several online websites including Thenigerialawyer.com, Echonigeria.com and blogs such as Ajisamvoice.blogspot.com .

Facebook pages such as Daily Crime Reporters and InfotrackNaija had also shared the same report in the last four days. An online news platform, Observertimes.com, also posted the same report as an exclusive on its website on June 1, 2020.

Findings by The ICIR indicated that several protests were held between May and July 2017 regarding Mr. Turnah’s case, but no mainstream media reported that EFCC’s Salihu addressed any group of protesters during the period.

According to an EFCC release of May 26, 2017, some protesters, under the aegis of Niger Delta Volunteer Services Scheme, and Celtic Pride and Event Limited (employees of Turnah), visited EFCC office in Port Harcourt, on that day but they were not addressed by EFCC zonal head, Mr.Salihu.

Rather, the press release said that “the protesters were received by Mrs.Akpos Ekisowei of the Public Affairs Department on behalf of the EFCC, who promised to convey their message to the appropriate authorities.”

The Punch newspaper’s report of July 1, 2017, also confirmed another protest by youth groups “from nine states of the Niger Delta” who visited the zonal office of the EFCC in Port-Harcourt on Friday, June 30, 2017. However, the newspaper only reported that an unnamed “top officer of the EFCC, promised the protesters that the commission would ensure justice was made in the matter.”

Our findings also revealed that a picture of Mr. Turnah’s arrest which has been circulating online since about four days ago, especially on Twitter and Facebook, alongside the report, first emerged online early 2017 when he was first arrested by the EFCC. The same picture reposted on May 31, 2020 by one Twitter account user, @Gen_Buhari, had over 1,000 likes and over 1,100 retweets as at Wednesday noon.
A call to Mr. Turnah’s mobile phone number by The ICIR to verify if he was rearrested was not connecting as his line was unreachable at the time of filing this report.

The resurfacing of a 2017 post might be connected to a current controversy over financial mismanagement at the NDDC, which has led to an investigation by Nigeria’s National Assembly.

It will be recalled that the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of NDDC headed by its acting Managing Director, Kemebradikumo Pondei, and the Executive Director of Projects, Cairo Ojougboh, had recently engaged Nigerian lawmakers in a brawl of accusation and counter-accusation.

While the lawmakers accused the IMC of alleged financial misappropriation, the commission had accused members of the Nigerian parliament of allegedly padding the 2019 budget of the NDDC.

The Senate and House of Representatives had on May 5, 2020, resolved to investigate how the IMC of the NDDC allegedly squandered N40 billion within three months and thereafter set up an adhoc committee headed by Senator Olubunmi Adetunbi (APC, Ekiti North) to look into financial transactions carried out by the IMC on behalf of the commission within the period and present a report this June.

But the NDDC management, who has since denied the allegation, however, accused Senators and members of the House of Representatives of allegedly inserting over 500 projects into the 2019 budget of the commission and were arm-twisting the Interim Management Committee (IMC) from carrying out a forensic audit as directed by President Buhari. Mr Ojougboh also said the House of Representatives “vandalized and raped” the 2019 budget by adding ₦85 billion to the budget.

The ICIR reports that the forensic audit of the NDDC was ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2019, following alleged corruption by the interim management.

A statement by the Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to President Buhari, Femi Adesina, said the president gave the directive after receiving governors of the states that make up the NCDC, led by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State. The president had said what was presently on ground in the South-South region did not justify the huge resources that had been made available to the agency.

 

THE VERDICT

There is no evidence to support the claim that Mr. George Turnah was recently rearrested by the EFCC. Similarly, there was no recent protest by any Niger Delta youth group regarding his case with the anti-graft commission, which is already before the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt.

With 55 per cent slash in Education, 42 percent in Health, Executive undercuts development priorities

Editorial
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With 55 per cent slash in Education, 42 percent in Health, Executive undercuts development priorities

By, Paul ADEYEYE

A REVIEW of the Revised 2020 Budget exclusively obtained by DATAPHYTE indicates that the Federal Government has reduced the total budget size by only ₦84.71 billion. Against the background that the government initially proposed a ₦1.5 trillion budget cut (over 14 percent reduction of the total budget size), the new cut is low. 

On a close look, the revision proposes less than one percent reduction to the initial budget size. With less than one percent budget reduction, one wonders the real essence of the whole budget review attempt. In addition, the budget review dampens the hope of many the Nigerians optimistic of a reduction of the enormous cost of governance. Budget for the National Assembly only reduced by 10 percent while the budget for the Presidency reduced by only 9.75 percent.

Revised 2020 Budget across Main Expenditure Items

 

 

The composition of the revised budget implies more dilemma for Nigeria’s development aspiration. Across Nigeria’s four main expenditure items, only the budgetary provisions for statutory transfers and capital expenditure have been reduced. While statutory transfers decreased by 28.9 percent, capital expenditure reduced by close to 10 percent. Against the background that budgetary provision to development propellants continue to be low, the reduction is not satisfactory.

But the bigger dilemma bothers on Nigeria’s priority. While budgetary allocation to the National Judicial Council, National Assembly, Independent National Electoral Commission, and other agencies of government have been reduced only by about 10 percent respectively, budgetary provision for education reduced by close to 55 percent. Similarly, provision for basic health care fund reduced by over 42 percent.

With the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, reduction in budgetary share for education and healthcare does not reflect the prioritization of the citizen’s real needs. With the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the country, an increase in budget share to the health sector is expected. To expand education access to the teeming Nigerian school children who are deprived of education during this period, additional budgetary commitment is also required. This is to cover up the cost of setting up virtual learning alternatives.

Revised Budgetary Allocation to Statutory Transfer

Increased Recurrent and Debt Servicing Expenditure

Contrarily, budget share for recurrent expenditure as well as debt servicing has increased. By implication, spending on recurrent items will continue to suppress Nigeria’s aspirations for development this year. But there are even bigger questions on the items that have increased the recurrent expenditure figure. For instance, insensitive recruitments like that of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation would have added to these expenditure burdens. Also, the increasing budgetary commitment to debt servicing over health and education may affirm that Nigeria indeed cares more about its debt profile than the citizens.

Conversely, Nigeria’s revenue realities continue to expose the need for stiffer revenue management measures. In fact with the realities presented by the Addendum to the 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP), the proposed budget revision appears like a mere child’s play. As at Q1 2020, gross oil and gas revenue was short by over 28 percent of the anticipated revenue.

In addition, the net oil and gas revenue inflow to the Federation Account was ₦940.91 billion. This represents a shortfall of ₦425.52 billion (or 31.1 percent of the pro-rata amount). Similarly, non-oil tax revenue was only ₦269.41 billion by the end of the first quarter of 2020. This is a shortfall of about 40 percent of the predicated non-oil revenue earning for 2020.

From the revenue earnings in Q1 2020, as well as the existing realities on oil trade and the ongoing global pandemic, hopes for increased revenue earnings may be blurry. The continued lockdown is expected to impact on tax revenue from Nigeria’s business community. Thus, the revised budget may be somewhat impracticable without a corresponding increase in Nigeria’s debt.

Counting on the National Assembly To Do Better

At this point, the National Assembly must step in to show solidarity to the Nigerian people. Therefore, it must use its oversight powers to ensure the proposed budgetary revision is jettisoned and replaced with a more realistic and citizen-focused budget. Increasing commitment to capital investments will show Nigeria’s commitment to the course of development. DATAPHYTE’s recent occasional paper provides a guide for the budget revision.

Moreover, the legislative arm needs to show it is truly not patronised by the executive arm of government. Especially as the Zonal Intervention Project budget and the National Assembly Library budget tied to the two chambers were untouched in the budget revision. Above all, a budget that allows for increasing provision for basic education and healthcare should be developed.

In an interview with a health advocate, Ms. Aanu Rotimi, the Program Manager at Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HEFRON), she said the current COVID-19 situation has revealed proper investment in the health sector is central to economic growth and development. “Nothing can be more important now than appropriate and focused investment in human development according to the current realities and the future needs of this country”, she further stressed. The health advocate said this is the time to push aside superfluity of a few for direct and impactful investments for all that can be tracked and validated. In conclusion, she nudged the legislatures to walk the talk, translate their commitments to actions and ensure there are no wastages as usual.”

Also reacting to the budget revision, Mr. Kolawole Oluwadare, the Deputy Director Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) said these cuts are not inevitable. He said the Nigerian government had a lot of choices as to what to cut but chose to balance the budget on the backs of the most disadvantage. “In the absence of concrete social protection for over 80 million poor Nigerians, these cuts (and what was left uncut) will not only worsen the plight of the poor but also deepen the trust deficit of citizens in government.” Mr. Oluwadare submitted.

In April, SERAP gave the President and leadership of the National Assembly 14 days to reverse the proposed illegal cut of N26.51 billion in basic healthcare budget and to cut the National Assembly and Presidency budgets instead, or face legal action.

This report was originally published by DATAPHYTE

Flair Aviation is German-based, not UK as claimed by Aviation Minister

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Flair Aviation is German-based, not UK as claimed by Aviation Minister

Impounded aircraft is owned by Flair Jet Limited, a UK company

CONTRARY to claim by Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation that the “impounded Flair Aviation” is a United Kingdom (UK) -based chartered aircraft, findings by The ICIR has shown that the airline’s operation base is in Germany.

The ICIR can also authoritatively report that the erring airline is not Flair Aviation as announced by the minister, but Flair Jet Limited, an airline company headquartered in the United Kingdom.

Flair Jet Limited, founded in 2008,  offers private jet charter, pilot training, aircraft acceptance, and management services. Flairjet serves customers in Europe.

“Flair Aviation, a UK company, was given approval for humanitarian operations but regrettably, we caught them conducting commercial flights…,” the Minister had stated.

The ICIR checked through the list of licensed airline operators by the UK Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) but Flair Aviation was missing in the three categories of license holders. The only airline operator that appeared close is Flairjet limited but again, it has a different corporate logo and also based in Oxford, UK.

But, several media organisations have reported Flair Aviation as a UK airline operator.

However, the Aviation Minister had earlier expressed disappointment at the airline for flouting the special flight arrangement it had with the federal government.

He said the airline was given approval by the federal government for humanitarian operations but was caught conducting commercial flights.

He thereafter threatened that a maximum penalty would apply.

“…This is callous! The aircraft is impounded, the crew being interrogated. There shall be the maximum penalty. Wrong time to try our resolve, “Sirika tweeted via his official handle on Sunday.

Moreover, it was gathered that the aircraft was chartered to evacuate foreign nationals out of Nigeria, but rather than stick with the agreement, it flew more passengers for commercial purposes.

As a result, the aircraft was impounded while its crew members are currently being interrogated.

The airline operates a fleet of Boeing 737-400 aircraft that is capable of conveying up to 156 passengers. Aside, it also operates on behalf of other Canadian airlines.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on 23rd March 2020 placed a restriction on flights into Nigeria for an initial one month as measures to curb the Coronavirus disease spread(COVID-19).

Following the one month completion, the airport closure was extended by two weeks.

On 6th May, Boss Mustapha, Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), announced an extension by another four weeks.

OUR ERROR:
The ICIR had previously reported that Flair Aviation is based in the United Kingdom. Our subsequent check has shown that this information is incorrect. Flair Aviation is based in Germany. We have also noted that the erring airline is not Flair Aviation, but Flair Jet, a UK-based airline. We have corrected these errors and updated the report. We regret the errors and apologise to our readers. 

Has FG implemented 14 of 15-point demand by JOHESU? No

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Has FG implemented 14 of 15-point demand by JOHESU? No

By Chikezie OMEJE.

Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, has claimed that the Federal Government has implemented 14 of the 15-point demand that prompted the strike by the Joint Health Workers Unions (JOHESU).

The minister claimed that the strike JOHESU embarked upon since April 17 has not been called off because the union is asking for equal pay with doctors.

“But what JOHESU is asking for is parity with medical doctors which is not practicable nor acceptable to the Federal Government,” Adewole claimed.

The minister added that: “a cursory look at the salary tables in the health sector before and after independence till date have always reflected relativity. The 2014 salary adjustment for medical doctors was to correct the anomaly of 2009 and restore relativity.”

The ICIR fact-checked these claims and found that 14 of the 15-point demand of JOHESU have not been implemented as claimed by the minister.

JOHESU comprises Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) and Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria.

JOHESU 15-POINT DEMAND

Here are the demands by JOHESU that the Federal Government agreed to implement.

  1. Internship: Immediate release of the harmonized scheme of service and circular on internship for nurses and midwives.
  2. CONHESS salary review: Government agreed to the request of JOHESU to adjust CONHESS salary structure upward. The need for recomputed cost implications of the salary adjustment was taken into consideration.
  3. Skipping of CONHESS 10: Immediate and full payment of arrears of salaries of CONHESS 10 skipping outstanding.
  4. Payment of promotion arrears: Both parties agreed that payment of promotion arrears should be carried out.
  5. Same scale promotion/redesignation: FMOH was directed to write a circular to all institutions to abolish further promoting people without advancement.
  6. Employment: It was agreed that government should prioritize employment in the critical professional areas. Since government regularly employed resident doctors, other core professionals should be employed to boost human resources development for health.
  7. Enhanced entry point: This was initially requested for radiographers and medical lab scientists based on enabling circular from the head of service. The agreement is that this should be done holistically to accommodate all other graduates of other health care professionals.
  8. Appointment of CMD/MD: It was agreed that the Federal government will henceforth do advertisements in the appointments of head of health institutions in accordance with the law that establishes the health institutions without prejudice to any particular profession.
  9. Heads of department: It was decided that universities of teaching hospitals cannot be separated from their teaching hospitals. The FMOH was directed to always accommodate the necessity of change in policy and guidelines as no policy should be seen as sacrosanct.
  10. Specialist Allowance: The FMoH is to enlarge the three-man committee that is considering the eligibility for specialist allowance to accommodate two members of JOHESU.
  11. Board appointment to Institutions: The final approval is being awaited from the President while HMoH should put more pressure to ensure board appointment.
  12. PPP: If Public Private Partnership is inevitable it must not be any measure to impoverish Nigerians and send workers out of the job. All stakeholders must be mobilized and involved in planning and execution of the program.
  13. Anti-corruption struggle at FMC Owerri: Those that are being punished as a result of strike action at FMC Owerri to be promoted to level up with their counterparts. The FMoH and Labour agreed to take up the issue of withheld salary to be discussed and settled internally.
  14. Retirement age from 60-65: It was agreed that retirement should be adjusted as done for their counterpart in the Education Sector
  15. Additional Demands: Need to urgently set up a collective bargaining agreement committee to look at the following allowances for JOHESU members, such as  headship allowance, administrative allowance, professional allowance, excess work load allowance, health and safety site allowance.

JOHESU DEMANDS NOT IMPLEMENTED

JOHESU claimed that the previous administration of Goodluck Jonathan agreed to implement these demands in 2015.

However, the Minister of Health insisted that there was no agreement between the Federal Government and JOHESU prior to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said what JOHESU brandished as 2014 agreement were minutes of meetings they had with the organs of Federal Government.

The implication of when the agreement was reached is that JOHESU wants government to pay arrears from 2014, and not September 2017 which the Buhari administration agreed to. This is one of the demands the minister brandish as implemented.

Furthermore,  the adjustment in the salaries of doctors have been implemented since 2014 and JOHESU is also demanding that the same measures should be applied to its members from 2014, rather than 2017 when Buhari’s administration agreed to review the salaries of JOHESU.

Despite the disagreement on when the implementation should start, some of the 15-point demand by JOHESU has not been implemented, contrary to claims by the Minister of Health.   For example, the government has not increased the retirement age of JOHESU members from 60 to 65 years.

Also the skipping of Consolidated Health Salary Scale (CONHESS 10) arrears has not been paid as well as the implementation of the scale to scale promotion, especially on CONHESS 14 to 15.

Other demands that have not been implemented include employment of health workers to address the shortage of manpower in critical professional areas.

CONCLUSION: The statement by the Minister of Health that all the 14 of the 15 demands of JOHESU have been met by government is false.

COVID-19: Nigeria ranks second out of 10 countries with highest confirmed cases in Africa

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COVID-19: Nigeria ranks second out of 10 countries with highest confirmed cases in Africa

By Damilola OJETUNDE.

NIGERIA, with a 16.4 percent infection rate is the second most infected country of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) out of the 10 countries with the highest number of confirmed cases in Africa, analysis by The ICIR reveals.

The infection rate of COVID-19 is calculated as the percentage of the number of confirmed cases as against the number of tests carried out by each country.

As at 8am, May 9, COVID-19 data from Worldometer reveals that Algeria sits first on the ladder with 82.60 percent infection rate after carrying out 6,500 tests with 5,369 confirmed cases. Nigeria, coming second had carried out 23,835 tests with 3,912 confirmed cases reported.

Other countries include Ivory Coast with an infection rate of 13.01 percent, Morocco- 9.54 percent, Egypt-9.42 percent, Senegal- 8.18 percent; South Africa 2.89, Ghana- 2.68 percent, and. Cameroon and Guinea have no record of their testing on the Worldometer platform at the time of writing this report.

The current rate of COVID-19 may be far from reality. This is because testing for the virus is yet to be comprehensive. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has increased testing by activating more molecular laboratory for testing.

However, Nigeria has dipped to the 34th position in Africa from 31st about a week ago in the area of tests per million.

The infection rate in Nigeria may continue to rise because the NCDC is scaling up testing across the country to detect cases that may arise from recent ease of the lockdown.

The epicentre of COVID-19 in Nigeria, Lagos state, may record between 90,000 and 120,000 cases between July and August.

Akin Abayomi, Lagos State commissioner for health made the prediction during a media briefing on the update of the virus on Friday in Lagos.

The number of confirmed cases in Nigeria keeps increasing by the day. As of 8th April, 276 confirmed cases were reported. Exactly one month later, May 8, the conformed cases in Nigeria has increased to 3,912, representing an increase of about 1,317 per cent in the last one month.

Nigerian Embassy debunks claim that US is set to give 5,000 Nigerians work visas for 2 years

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Nigerian Embassy debunks claim that US is set to give 5,000 Nigerians work visas for 2 years

By Amos ABBA.

A FACEBOOK post has been circulating on social media stating that the United States, US, government had made an announcement to grant 5,000 Nigerian passport holders free work visas for two years.

The claim is however false as the Nigerian embassy in the US has dissociated itself from the post.

The Facebook account impersonating the Nigerian embassy with the name “Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, America,” and  with 2,748 followers had on April 25, posted on its Facebook wall that the US was granting 5,000 American work visas to Nigerians for two years.

The phone number displayed on the Facebook page is +1 202-516-4277, as Nigerians who had been denied a visa in the past were urged to participate and abide by the guidelines by sending their passport biodata page for verification.

“You must not write any notes or attach any other credentials while sending your passport biodata page. No introduction is required. Therefore, only your passport must be submitted via our official email info@nigeriaembassyusa.org and not through any other medium,” a section of the message reads.

Checks by The ICIR showed that the Nigerian embassy on April 27, had released a signed statement debunking the claim and also clarifying that the embassy does not carry out engagements on Facebook.

“It has become imperative to set the record straight and inform the general public that the Embassy does not operate a Facebook account page. Thus, the Embassy could not have been mandated to collect any passports from Nigerian citizens on behalf of the US government. This is a fallacy,” the statement reads.

The Nigerian Embassy in Washington D.C also described the post as a “fabricated Facebook announcement” stating that there was no receipt of correspondence between the United States Presidential Task Force Briefing on COVID – 19 and Economic Reform and the Nigerian Embassy.

Also in another development, President Donald Trump of the US on April 22, in a Twitter post said he will sign an executive order to temporarily suspend all immigration to the US because of the coronavirus.

In March, the US suspended almost all visa processing, including for immigrants, because of the pandemic.

While emergency powers have been used to expel thousands of undocumented migrants from the US citing reasons associated with the pandemic. The public health measure allows officials to override immigration laws and expediting removal processes.

Therefore, the claim that America would issue e -visas to 5,000 Nigerians is false as the US government is not keen on receiving immigrants into the country anytime soon.

Was Abba Kyari flown to UK for treatment and cremated?

Editorial
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Was Abba Kyari flown to UK for treatment and cremated?

By ‘Kunle Adebajo

On Sunday, April 19, two days after the death of Nigeria’s former Chief of Staff Abba Kyari was announced, a Twitter user claimed, among other things, that prior to his death, Kyari was flown to the United Kingdom for medical treatment and his body was later cremated. Checks by The ICIR have, however, found this to be false.

The anonymous account, 99% OPPRESSED (@Truthfully83), wrote in a thread titled ‘The Mystery Behind His Death, And The Conspiracy Theories Ahead’ that a reliable source informed him that Kyari was flown to the UK, rather than Lagos as officially stated, for treatment.

“I got reliable information that the CoS was too sick, his condition was so critical, he was flown on an air ambulance abroad to London. And was admitted in the ICU of Wellington Hospital, St. John’s Wood, London,” the account tweeted.

The Twitter user continued: “Based on his medical history from Wellington Hospital, he was battling severe asthma, diabetes, and high blood pressure. His condition became complicated, and he died in the early hours of Thursday, 2nd of April 2020, at the Wellington hospital in London.

“Based on NHS standard policy in the UK over covid-19 bodies, his body was retrieved and cremated. After a series of failed diplomatic agreements, on returning his body to Nigeria for burial, Aso Rock cabals found themselves in between the devil, and the deep blue sea.”

The thread had been shared over 9,100 times and liked by over 6,700 Twitter users at the time of filing this report.

But when we reached out to the account owner for proof that Kyari was flown abroad and cremated, no response was given.

Wellington Hospital does not treat COVID patients

Wellington is the largest private hospital in the UK and part of the HCA International hospital group. According to the claim, Kyari was taken to the hospital likely between March 30 and April 1, was treated for COVID-19, and then passed away on Thursday, April 2.

Information on the healthcare provider’s website, however, makes it clear that it neither tests nor treats people who are suspected to have contracted the coronavirus.

“Please do not attend an HCA UK facility for any reason if you have a high temperature (more than 37.8 degrees) or have a new continuous cough or streaming nose or flu-like symptoms. If you do have these symptoms or anyone in your household does, please follow Public Health England guidance,” the company warns.

“We are not accepting direct admissions of patients that have coronavirus. If you believe you have coronavirus symptoms, please follow guidance from the NHS [National Health Service].”

It also states that it is unable to “offer testing for coronavirus to the public at any” of its sites. What it does, however, is to support the NHS by providing care to “patients whose care and clinical needs are considered time-critical”.

Emmanuel Adesuyi, a Nigerian staff nurse who works in England told The ICIR he does not think the UK “would have jeopardised all its rules and guidelines to take” a foreigner for treatment.

COVID fatalities not cremated against their wish

The Twitter user’s claim stated that standard policy in the UK is for COVID-19 victims who pass away to be cremated. He added that the UK insisted on doing this despite diplomatic pleas from the Nigerian government. But what does the “standard policy” actually say?

According to its Guidance for Care of the Deceased with Suspected or Confirmed Coronavirus (COVID-19), there is a little residual hazard in handling the bodies of deceased persons except during post-mortem examination or from droplets produced during artificial air movements during initial care.

It says that body bags are not deemed necessary except for other practical reasons but masks or other clothing may be placed over the deceased’s mouth.

About, cremation the UK government says it is “permitted where the deceased does not have a medical device that requires removal”. “Since there is a small but real risk of transmission from the body of the deceased, we strongly advise that mourners should not take part in any rituals or practices that bring them into close contact with the body of an individual who has died from, or with symptoms of, coronavirus (COVID-19) for the duration of the pandemic,” it says.

This means COVID-19 fatalities cannot be cremated against their wish and may be buried normally. The regulation accords with that of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) which states that “decedents [deceased persons] with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 can be buried or cremated as usual.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has gone further to say that cremation is a matter of cultural choice as well as available resources. “It is a common myth that persons who have died of a communicable disease should be cremated, but this is not true,” it stressed in its interim guidance of March 24.

WHO also particularly advised in 2017 with respect to the Ebola crisis that “deceased Muslims should not be cremated or placed in the body bag naked.”

A medical practitioner based in the UK informed The ICIR that most COVID-related deaths are currently in the mortuaries, and added that citizens, even before the pandemic, usually preferred to be cremated after death.

According to a poll conducted in 2016, up to 58 percent of Britons preferred cremation when they die compared to 17 percent who would rather be buried. So if victims of COVID-19 are cremated, it is because it has always been common practice, not because of scientific or legal reasons.

Conclusion

Abba Kyari could not have been treated at Wellington Hospital and cremated because the healthcare facility does not currently treat coronavirus victims and laws of the UK, contrary to what was claimed, do not mandate the cremation of deceased persons. The claims are therefore false and cannot be substantiated using available evidence.

Viral video on rice distribution shared by Dino Melaye was shot in 2019

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Viral video on rice distribution shared by Dino Melaye was shot in 2019

ON Thursday 16 April, Dino Melaye, a former senator shared a 30-second video on rice distribution to a large crowd in Nigeria, which has gone viral.

The video was passed off as a representation of how food is distributed to Nigerians  during Covid-19.

The video has garnered almost 81,000 views within a short time and generated more than 1,314 retweets and 3,277 likes.

Melaye, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) tasked the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to rescue his citizens from hunger as they observe the compulsory lockdown, mainly in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States.

“FG do something before something do us. Nigerians are starving,” Melaye stated in a caption to the video.

The President had initially ordered a 14-day lockdown three weeks ago in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 disease in the country. The directive was also extended by an extra 14 days on Monday, 13 April, in a national broadcast.

Meanwhile, the same video was uploaded on YouTube by a news platform known as MyNigeria and within 24 hours, it had over 10,000 views.

Findings

The video shared by the former lawmaker was shot in 2019 during the campaign of Babajide Sanwoolu, as governor of Lagos State under the aegis of the All Progressive Congress (APC) political party.

The earliest date the video came up on the social media was 1 March, 2019.

 

The ICIR found out that the same video was shared by Olika reporters on Saturday 2 March, 2019. On 8 March, 2019, the exact footage was also shared by Naijagist.

Beyond the two gossip media outlets, a different online news organisation identified as Naija Daily also published the video on 1 March, 2019 through their respective Facebook page.

Contrary to Melaye’s claim, the President ordered the release of 70,000 Metric Tons of food from the National Grains Reserve. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), hence released the grains to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) from the silos spread across the country.

Therefore, the manner in which food was  distributed  in the video does not represent the federal government’s distribution palliative materials.

Bashir Ahmad, Personal Assistant to the President on New Media also faulted the claim attributed to the old video.

He described the viral footage as fake news meant to, “create more fears among Nigerians at a time of national emergency.”

However, Melaye had since deleted the video but the misleading footage is still trending on YouTube.

The former lawmaker has gradually gained some popularity for sharing false information.

In 2018, Melaye provided false information to the Police regarding a false claim of an assassination attempt by Edward David, former Chief of Staff to the Kogi State governor.

The claim eventually led to a lawsuit filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation against the lawmaker.

During 2019 election, Melaye was among notable social media influencers that shared false news. He tweeted a picture of a dead man covered in his blood, allegedly killed in Kano state due to electoral violence but the picture was of a 2017 incident that occured in Nairobi, Kenya.

Beyond these claims, Melaye had made other previous allegations believed to be untrue.

When he was being prosecuted at the Federal High Court, Abuja for the false information, he shared another false information that Ibrahim Idris, former Inspector General of Police wanted him dead.

He has also come under attack for his recent claim in the video about rice distribution which has turned out to be misleading.

 

Verdict

Based on the available findings, the video footage shared by Melaye is not a representation  of how food is distributed during Covid-19 in Nigeria.

It was shot far before the outbreak of the pandemic in Nigeria.

Ayade was wrong saying social distancing not effective control against Covid-19

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Ayade was wrong saying social distancing not effective control against Covid-19

By YEKEEN Akinwale.

BEN Ayade, Governor of Cross River State and also a professor of Microbiology stirred controversy recently when he said the practice of social distancing might be ineffective to control the spread of coronavirus.  

“Social distancing presupposes that things are so equal, that you stay in an isolated room, it is completely wrong because in natural circumstances, in our own cultural habit people are used to interacting, we are not electric poles, we are not trees, we are interacting by nature,” Ayade said in a video that went viral on the social media.

“Social distancing gives a false impression of security because I know that if you and I stand together and I sneeze, that two metres distance, the factors that govern the transmissivity are things that are beyond your own control. Variables like humidity, wind speed, wind direction, how do you control those factors?” he questioned.

He said science has backed the use of nose masks as an option;  that social distancing is not as effective as some people have argued.

Consequently, the governor whose state is yet to record any case of Covid-19, directed all civil servants from grade level 10 and above in the state should wear a face mask and resume work on Tuesday, April 14.

The governor’s position has generated controversy, but not many of his critics have invalidated his position with evidence. But is the governor right in his estimation?

Social distancing according to WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently reeled out some public health guidelines for public safety. In an article titled, “Basic protective measures against the new coronavirus,” the world health body listed frequent washing of hands and maintaining social distancing among others as preventive measures.

According to the WHO, everyone who has not contracted the virus should maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

The guideline explains that when someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus.

If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the Covid-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease, it said.

What Centre for Disease Control says about social distancing

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDD) says social distancing which is also called “physical distancing,” means keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home.

To practice social or physical distancing, the Centre says someone must stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) from other people, and people should not gather in groups as well as stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings.

It emphasised that in addition to everyday steps to prevent COVID-19, “keeping space between you and others is one of the best tools we have to avoid being exposed to this virus and slowing its spread locally and across the country and world.”

“When COVID-19 is spreading in your area, everyone should limit close contact with individuals outside your household in indoor and outdoor spaces,”CDD advises.

“Since people can spread the virus before they know they are sick, it is important to stay away from others when possible, even if you have no symptoms. Social distancing is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.”

Why practice social distancing?

The Centre explained that Covid-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a prolonged period.

It said spread happens when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, and droplets from their mouth or nose are launched into the air and land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.

“The droplets can also be inhaled into the lungs. Recent studies indicate that people who are infected but do not have symptoms likely also play a role in the spread of COVID-19,” it explained.

The CDD added that it may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes.

However, this is not the only way the virus spreads. Covid-19 can live for hours or days on a surface, depending on factors such as sunlight and humidity.

It emphasised that social distancing helps limit contact with infected people and contaminated surfaces.

 

Scientific basis for social-distancing interventions against COVID-19

Joseph A. Lewnard and Nathan C. Lo in an article published in Lancet Journals on March 23 gave both a scientific and ethical basis for social distancing against Covid-19. The Lancet is an independent, international general medical journal founded in 1823 by Thomas Wakley.

Lewnard is is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, University of California who uses mathematical and statistical modeling to study infectious diseases, Nathan C Lo is a Resident physician and public health scientist, at the School of Medicine, University of California.

In the article, they both agreed that, by all scientifically meaningful criteria, the world is undergoing a Covid-19 pandemic.

Writing on the ways to prevent the spread of the virus which has no cure at the moment, they said: “In the absence of any pharmaceutical intervention, the only strategy against COVID-19 is to reduce mixing of susceptible and infectious people through early ascertainment of cases or reduction of contact.

Under the Lancet Infectious Diseases, Joel Koo and colleagues assessed the potential effect of such social distancing interventions on SARS-CoV-2 spread and COVID-19 burden in Singapore.

They concluded that the effectiveness and societal impact of quarantine and social distancing will depend on the credibility of public health authorities, political leaders, and institutions. It is important that policymakers maintain the public’s trust through the use of evidence-based interventions and fully transparent, fact-based communication.

In another article titled “The effect of control strategies to reduce social mixing on outcomes of the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan, China: a modelling study” published on March 25 in Lancent Journals, researchers concluded Restrictions on activities in Wuhan, if maintained until April, would probably help to delay the epidemic peak.

According to them, the research was aimed to estimate the effects of physical distancing measures on the progression of the Covid-19 epidemic, hoping to provide some insights for the rest of the world.

At the end of the exercise they summarised their findings: “Our projections show that physical distancing measures were most effective if the staggered return to work was at the beginning of April; this reduced the median number of infections by more than 92% (IQR 66–97) and 24% (13–90) in mid-2020 and end-2020, respectively.

“There are benefits to sustaining these measures until April in terms of delaying and reducing the height of the peak, median epidemic size at end-2020, and affording health-care systems more time to expand and respond. However, the modelled effects of physical distancing measures vary by the duration of infectiousness and the role school children have in the epidemic.”

While interpreting their findings, they said: “Restrictions on activities in Wuhan, if maintained until April, would probably help to delay the epidemic peak. Our projections suggest that premature and sudden lifting of interventions could lead to an earlier secondary peak, which could be flattened by relaxing the interventions gradually. However, there are limitations to our analysis, including large uncertainties around estimates of R0 and the duration of infectiousness.”

Verdict

It is safe therefore to say that Ben Ayade, Governor of Cross River was not right about his dismissal of the social distancing as an effective measure against the spread of Covid-19. He has also not provided empirical evidence to support his claim.

Has ex-Police Inspector Olalekan Ogunyemi charged with killing Kolade Johnson been released?

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Has ex-Police Inspector Olalekan Ogunyemi charged with killing Kolade Johnson been released?

By Seun DUROJAIYE.

A RECENT post shared on Twitter by a lady identified as ije12002, claiming that ex-Police Inspector Olalekan Ogunyemi charged with killing Kolade Johnson has been released, is raising dust in the Twittersphere, as many commentators question the value of justice in Nigeria.

In the post, the Twitter user announced that Ogunyemi has been released from prison and currently marked his 50th birthday in style.

“Late Kolade Johnson’s Killer Olalekan Ogunyemi aka Omo Eko Regains Freedom, Marks 50th Birthday, while the families of late Kolade Johnson are still mourning. Here are some of the outfits he rocked on his 50th birthday few days ago,” the post read.

The post has garnered over 2,000 retweets and over 800 likes. But the claim is false

The ICIR reached out to ije12002 but all messages sent to via Twitter direct message was left unanswered.

At the time of filing this report, messages sent to the Head of Nigeria Police Force Complaint Response Unit, Markus Ishaku Basiran, were yet to be responded to.

But, according to Citizen Gavel, a civic tech organization aimed at improving the pace of justice delivery, that has been monitoring the case, Ogunyemi has been in prison since the case was last heard and adjourned on March 19.

It was gathered that the court is to reseat on April 16, to determine the fate of Ogunyemi, who remains in Ikoyi prison and has not been given a bail option.

45-year-old Ogunyemi served in the Anti-Cultism Unit of the Lagos State Police Command before he was discharged from his duties.

He was remanded in prison after being charged for the murder of 36-year-old Kolade Johnson at Onipetesi Estate, Idi-Mangoro, Lagos, on March 31 2019.

During a court sitting in April 2019, the prosecutor, Kehinde Olatunde, told the court that Ogunyemi used his AK-47 rifle to shoot dead Johnson, while the deceased was watching a football match.

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