[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, said Monday the Catholic Church in Nigeria had offered its 425 hospitals and clinics nationwide as isolation centres for COVID-19 patients.

Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, disclosed this at the PTF media briefing in Abuja.

He said the rising COVID-19 cases across Nigeria were due to the increased testing capacity in the country.

Mustapha said: “During the first week, the country generally recorded high cases. This is attributable to our expanded capacity for testing with the opening up of more testing centres and laboratories. As at today, there are 21 laboratories nationwide including private laboratories.

“We have encouraged states to have at least 300-bed isolation centres including intensive care units. However, with the increase in cases, we have begun to experience some shortages of bed spaces in the isolation centres.

“As part of efforts to support the states in the establishment of isolation and treatment centres, I wish to remind our state governors that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference has offered and volunteered all the 425 hospitals and clinics that belong to the Catholic Mission nationwide for adaptation and use as an isolation centres. Governors are encouraged to approach Catholic Bishops and Arch-Bishops in their states to access these facilities.”

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Socio-Economic Right and Accountability Project, SERAP, has reacted to the demolition of two hotels by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, describing the action as executive rascality.

The rights body condemned the demolition of Prodest Hotel by Wike, and vowed to take action.

“We condemn the reported demolition of Prodest Hotel by Gov Wike, Rivers State.

“Using COVID-19 to perpetrate human rights violations is executive rascality & Mr Wike must stop this now.

“We’re taking legal action to hold him & his govt. to account for illegal actions.

“The demolition of Prodest Hotel is forced evictions and in violation of article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party,” SERAP said on its twitter handle.

Wike had on Sunday supervised the demolition of two hotels in Eleme and Onne for violating the Executive Order 6 of the state government, which banned the operations of hotels amid the lockdown in order to check the spread of coronavirus.

“Government has no alternative but to apply the Executive order, which I signed before the lockdown of Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt. I called all the traditional rulers and council chairmen and told them to ensure that no hotel operates in the state,” he said.

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s Nigeria set to adopt the Madagascar herbal remedy as cure for COVID-19, the World Health Organisation( WHO)  has  advised governments to clinically test the herbal drink touted by Madagascar’s President, Andry Rajoelina, as a remedy against Coronavirus.

The COVID-Organics infusion is derived from artemisia – a plant with proven anti-malarial properties – and other indigenous herbs.

Rajoelina said the herb cures COVID-19 patients within 10 days.

Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and the Niger Republic have already received consignments of the potion. Others such as Tanzania have expressed interest.

But the World Health Organisation has repeatedly warned that there are no published scientific studies of the herbal tea and that its effects have not been tested.

“We would caution and advise countries against adopting a product that has not been taken through tests to see its efficacy,” WHO Africa Director, Matshidiso Moeti, said in a press briefing on Thursday, calling on Madagascar to take the drink “through a clinical trial”.

Moeti said that in 2000, African governments had committed to taking “traditional therapies” through the same clinical trials as other medication.

“I can understand the need, the drive to find something that can help,” Moeti said. “But we would very much like to encourage this scientific process in which the governments themselves made a commitment.”

Rajoelina defended his tonic during a Coronavirus screening campaign in Madagascar’s Eastern city of Toamasina  and promised  to submit the drink to clinical trials.

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]hief Ambrose Elofu-Dike,The Chairman of Umudike Farms Limited and Hotel De Espana,has commended the state government efforts for doing everything humanly possible to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic in the state.

Elofu-Dike, who was speaking in one of the Orphanage Homes in Warri on Friday,noted that the state government, under the watch of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, had been proactive by using the sensitisation machinery at its disposal through the bureau to educate and sensitise residents on the nature and preventive measures against the dreaded virus before it eventually manifested in the state.He said the effort was geared towards saving lives of residents from the virus, adding that government would continue to checkmate the spread of the virus in the state.

The farmer maintained that the lockdown order of the state government was not a punitive measure against residents, but a deliberate decision to curb the spread of the virus and enjoined residents of the state to complement the good intentions of government by complying with directives put in place to ensure the safety of the people from the dreaded pandemic.

Elofu-Dike spoke on the need for residents to appreciate the present situation in the state, adding that government alone could hardly win the daunting war against the dreaded virus, as no country in the world could feed the entire citizenry without the assistance of corporate organisations and public spirited individuals.

He said the state government meant well with its palliative measures to cushion the effect of the earlier stay-at-home order, stressing that all hands should be on deck to ensure that the state government succeeded in its strong determination to curb the spread of the virus in the state.

He said that the coronavirus pandemic was impacting negatively on businesses adding consumption was not as high as it used to be because people were under the lockdown. The business leader said if the situation continued as it is quite a number of businesses would be unable to meet their obligations noting that the government should support the business sector.

He said the coronavirus pandemic was sufficient reason for most businesses to declare ‘force majeure’ in which they would be unable to meet their responsibilities. He has called for collaboration between different tiers of government to fight the spread of coronavirus. He called on critical stakeholders and opinion leaders in the communities to ensure that the right information on what the state government was doing to stem the tide of the virus in the state got to the public at all times.

[dropcap]N[/dropcap]yesom Wike, Executive Governor of  Rivers State has directed its attorney-general and commissioner for justice to auction all vehicles that were impounded for violating the state’s lockdown directive.

The government also warned residents of ward 20, Amadi-Ama in Port Harcourt local government area (LGA) and Mgbuosimini, Rumueme in Obio/Akpor LGA to desist from flouting the directives on lockdown.

In a statement by Paulinus Nsirim, the state commissioner for information and communications, the state government said it would “deal decisively” with any residents found guilty of such action.

It directed those interested in the auctioned vehicles to get more details in some selected newspapers.

“Government will deal decisively with the residents of these areas if they are found to default again,” it said.

“Anyone parading exemption letters except the one issued by the Governor is doing so at his or her own risk as such permits are invalid.

“The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice has been directed to auction all the vehicles that violated the lockdown order.

“Members of the public who are interested to buy the auctioned vehicles are to watch out for details in The Sun, The Nation and Vanguard Newspapers.”

Nyesom Wike, governor of the state, had earlier directed that any hotel or taxi found operating during the lockdown should be impounded and auctioned.

The state task force was ordered to enforce compliance with the regulation, including the closure of markets and pubs across the state.

The governor also said traditional rulers of domains where market activities continued would lose recognition and that shops opened during lockdown would be demolished.

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ecurity agents on Wednesday averted what could have turned into a bloodbath between hoodlums and traders at Abraka- Asaba market.

Trouble was said to have started in early hours of the day when suspected hoodlums disguised as taskforce members with Asaba Development Capital Terrority, engaged traders who have refused to relocate from the demolished market in fierce verbal altercations which subsequently resulted to a gun battle.

Delta state Police Commissioner, Hafiz Muhammed Inuwah who confirmed this to Journalists, said that the timely intervention of the police and other security agents saved the situation and calmed frayed nerves.

Though no lives were lost, Inuwah said 30 suspected hoodlums were arrested for interrogation.

Sources said that the return of the traders who were sacked from the demolished market few months ago, was informed by the partial lockdown by the state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa in the wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic currently ravaging the world.

An eyewitness, Umukoro James said that the traders, particularly the Hausa traders, have allegedly been at war with the officials of the taskforce who claimed to have relocated them to Oko Community in Asaba where they were expected to have commenced sale of their goods including food items.

An Hasua trader who gave his name Adamu Sulaiman, who spoke to Journalists in the area said “we were shocked this morning when some persons came into the premises of Asaba- Abraka market while we were hanging around to see how we could eke out living because of the Coronavirus Pandemic, suddenly they started shooting into the air, claiming they were taskforce of Mrakpor destroying makeshift stalls.

“They said we should move into Oko Community where they claimed to have allocated and relocated us to, but the environment is completely water, how can we do business in such a place? We will not go there the environment is terrible and full of water, water.”

Further investigation revealed that since the introduction of the compulsory use of face masks in public places, many of the Hausa traders have called it a bluff and do not bother about its use in spite of threats to Isolate violators by the state government; an observation made by the suspected hoodlums when they allegedly stormed the area and started shooting into the air to eject the traders from the premises.

The mayhem led to a long traffic holdup starting from Okwe Junction to the market.

However there was a heavy presence of Policemen, Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Immigration Officers and Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC) to maintain law and order and ensure free flow of vehicular movements towards the Asaba – Onitsha head bridge and other adjourning streets along the Expressway.