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Doctors, Nurses Always Abandoned Us At The Isolation Center, I Saw Two People Died; Some Fell Into Depression — Lagos COVID-19 Survivor

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A survivor of the COVID-19 pandemic in Lagos State has asked the government to pay more attention to the welfare of coronavirus patients being isolated at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba.

The female survivor, who asked to be identified simply as Bimbo, said after the admission of patients, many of them were left to cater for themselves, adding that in the process, some patients fell into depression.

She noted that the doctors and nurses complained that they ran out of personal protective equipment and hence could not endanger their lives.

It was learnt that Bimbo’s father had died a day after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Health workers were said to have conducted tests on members of his family, as 26-year-old Bimbo and her sister tested positive.

Speaking with PUNCH Newspaper, Bimbo said she was then admitted to the IDH, where she spent over two weeks.

“When I first got there, the nurses were coming to take our vitals, temperatures and all. But suddenly, they stopped and said they did not have PPE. Since I got there, it was just once they shared nose masks. No nose mask for anyone.

“Also, our drugs sometimes, they would just drop them and we would have to share ourselves. There was a point the doctors also stopped coming to see us.

“Whenever we had emergencies, we would scream out for help and there would be no one to attend to the patient. If such an emergency happened at night, you might not get help until the following morning,” she added.

Bimbo lamented that whenever the doctors came around to talk to the patients, they did not respond to questions on their health conditions.

“The doctors just came, took samples and left. We didn’t even have anyone to ask questions or explain anything. Nobody was saying anything. There was no emergency phone number that we could call even if we had issues.

“The nurses would drop your food and leave. They did not want to know if the patient ate or not. At least if you dropped food in the morning and you still meet it, are you not supposed to ask? They did not care whether you ate the food or not,” she said.

Bimbo was put in the ward where the patients had not started exhibiting symptoms of the infection.

However, those with critical cases were said to have been admitted to an adjoining ward.

Bimbo said because of the poor welfare in the ward, most patients talked and encouraged one another.

“Before I left, for five to six days, the nurses did not do any vitals. The battery of the blood pressure machine in our ward was low. So, anytime the nurses came, they told us that the battery was low and they could not do any vitals; that was how they stopped checking vitals and temperatures; they could not even request new batteries,” she said.

Bimbo, while saying COVID-19 was real, said she witnessed the death of two patients: a male and a female.

The female was said to have visited the IDH for the COVID-19 test and died on the chair while awaiting the arrival of the officials.

Bimbo said she saw the deceased gasping for breath as she held to her chest.

Upon her death, she was put in a body bag for burial.

For the male, the 28-year-old said he was already admitted.

“The man was in bad shape; he was brought in a wheelchair. Around past 9 pm, everybody in Ward B ran out and started shouting for help because the guy had started vomiting blood. I don’t know if help came on time or not.

“Around 10 pm, he was stable. By 1 am, however, we heard them shouting again for help. But there was nobody to help.

“In the morning, doctors came and started running around and looking for oxygen. Later in the day, we saw them carrying his corpse out of the ward,” she added.

She urged the government to enlighten residents on COVID-19, saying some of those admitted with her did not believe that the virus was real because they were not showing symptoms.

Bimbo also appealed to the government to improve patient-doctor communication in the various isolation centres.

“Throughout the time I spent there, I was tested twice. But the funniest thing is, they didn’t tell us our results. Nobody said anything. What they will just tell you one day is that you have been discharged.

“Now, the new method is that as long as you have spent 14 days and taken medication, you will be discharged. That is the new rule.

“For the period, we just knew that we were in isolation, eating. The ones that wanted to talk would talk, others consoled each other and some played,” she said.

The Commissioner for Information, Lagos State, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, denied the allegations, saying doctors, nurses and patients at all isolation centres in the state were well catered for.

Omotosho noted that while there was no perfect system, the situation at the IDH had received wide applause for the excellent treatment of patients.

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National Assembly Passes Life Imprisonment Bill For Nigerian Drug Traffickers

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In a bid to tackle drug-related crimes, the National Assembly has amended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act, introducing life imprisonment for drug offenders and traffickers.

This comes after the Senate and House of Representatives adopted the harmonised report on the amendment.

Senator Tahir Monguno, Chairman of the Senate Conference Committee, presented the report, highlighting that the amendment introduces stricter penalties to deter drug-related crimes.

“Any person who unlawfully engages in the storage, custody, movement, carriage or concealment of dangerous drugs or controlled substances and, while doing so, is armed with an offensive weapon or disguised in any manner, commits an offence under this Act and is liable, upon conviction, to life imprisonment,” Monguno said.

The Senate approved the amendment through a voice vote during Thursday’s plenary, which was presided over by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin.

In addition, the Senate passed the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission Bill, 2024, aimed at replacing the 2004 RMAFC Act. Yahaya Abdullahi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs, stressed the need for the commission’s reform, citing Nigeria’s declining revenue and increasing population.

“The Act, last revised over 20 years ago, no longer reflects Nigeria’s evolving economic realities. This bill proposes additional funding and a restructured operational framework for the commission to improve its efficiency,” Abdullahi explained.

He further emphasised the need for adequate funding from the Federation Account for the RMAFC to effectively carry out its constitutional duties.

The bill, passed after deliberations and a majority vote, now awaits President Bola Tinubu’s assent to become law.

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UPDATE: We’re Ready To Provide Evidence For Trial Of Simon Ekpa — Enugu Government

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The Enugu State Government has expressed its readiness and willingness to provide evidence to assist in the prosecution of Simon Ekpa, who was arrested in Finland on Thursday over allegations of sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria.

Enugu State Government made this offer in a statement released by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, on Friday.

In the statement, the Enugu State Government also commended the Government of the Republic of Finland for the arrest of Ekpa, whom it described as “the Finland-based leader of the criminal gang, Autopilots.”

The Enugu State Government further referred to Simon Ekpa as “a common criminal, con man, and terrorist, who has no interest of Igbo people at heart.”

It added that Ekpa “is a murderer and fraudster, who delights in killing his people and living large off their misery.”

“Enugu State was ready and willing to provide evidence of Ekpa-sponsored atrocities against Ndigbo to aid his trial and conviction, whether in Finland or Nigeria.”

“The Enugu State Government welcomes the arrest of the Finland-based terrorist, Simon Ekpa.”

“His arrest and trial will no doubt go a long way in strengthening peace, security, and stability in all parts of the South East.”

“This arrest is in line with the demand of Governor Peter Mbah Administration, which has repeatedly made it known that Ekpa is a megalomaniac, common criminal, murderer, and fraudster, who takes joy in feeding fat on the manipulated emotions of Ndigbo and inflicting misery on the South East region.”

“Ekpa has for long, and unfortunately from Finland, made a living by creating a siege climate and mentality in the South East, destroying lives, property, and the Igbo trademark of entrepreneurship and hard work.”

“He thrives on manipulating, exploiting, and extorting the people on the pretext of fighting for their interest and for the restoration of Biafra,” the government said.

Ekpa was arrested and detained alongside four other suspects by the government of Finland on charges of sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria, according to local newspapers in the European country.

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Much Ado About Meddlesome Minions, And Messengers Of Misinformation — By Tayo Williams

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There is a growing phalanx of pseudo-intellectuals parading the social media space with faux and fictitious knowledge of the indigenous oil and gas industry, and it is scary because of the grave danger they portend and present for the average Nigerian.

From X (formerly known as Twitter) to Facebook and even the photos and videos-sharing site, Instagram, they abound, in their inglorious number, lending their platforms to deliberately distort facts and spread misinformation especially to favour the narratives propounded by popular Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote, owner of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

Since the refinery began operations earlier in the year, it has been one week, one controversy allegedly orchestrated by Dangote in a brazen attempt to arm-twist the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, into playing by his rules.

Those conversant with the modus operandi of Dangote and his refinery say the long-drawn warfare with every institution and individual in the oil and gas value chain is nothing but a self-seeking and mindless profit maximisation tactic.

Whilst nobody begrudges Dangote’s drive for profit as a businessman, perhaps he needs to be reminded that the NNPC has a mandate to ensure and provide energy security in a way that is affordable and sustainable for the generality of Nigerians. And, the NNPCL management has declared in very unambiguous terms that it would not pander to the din of the market whether orchestrated by Dangote, his rampaging minions or anyone else.

The truth, however, is that there is an increasing army of vacuous, vicious, and vile individuals strutting the social media space defending and propagating outright and outlandish falsehoods. Of particular concern is one Kelvin Emmanuel who has become the unofficial mouthpiece of the Dangote Refinery. Going from one media house to the other, he pulls figures out of the air and projects obnoxious untruths on hapless Nigerians. With the backing of his paymaster’s billions, it is no surprise that this otherwise irrelevant and fatuous character now commands appearances on major television stations.

But it is on X that he has made lying glibly and gratuitously the Holy Grail. He once premised Dangote’s inability to secure feedstock for his refinery on the government and the NNPCL. While peddling this untruth, he conveniently forgets that the refinery had a seven-year window, during its construction phase, to lock in feedstock supplies that could last a minimum of five years. Dangote did none of that. As it would later unfold, his game plan, which Emmanuel glossed over, was to monopolise equity oil and production quotas to serve his business interests.

Another deliberate misinformation from the Dangote camp was the allegation that International Oil Companies (IOCs) and other industry players were trying to sabotage his interests. Apart from being an investor in the Dangote Refinery, the NNPC still supplies gas to various Dangote companies across Nigeria. How can anyone or any institution jeopardise their investment? What further proof of faith does Dangote and his minions need to know that the NNPC is their cheerleader, and is here to make operating in the industry seamless and a win-win for all?

Echoing Dangote’s baseless stance, Emmanuel also called for the sack of Mr. Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), regulators of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream value chain. By Emmanuel’s warped reckoning, Ahmed had no locus to speak against Dangote or his enterprise because the latter questioned the quality of the product from Dangote Refinery and other local refineries in comparison with imported ones. Of course, Emmanuel’s was a lone voice in the wilderness because those who understand the invaluable role that the NMDPRA plays in the industry did not as much as dignify his tirade with a glance.

In a robust response to Emmanuel’s groundswell of egregious lies, Ibrahim Y. Kabo, a petroleum engineer based in Abuja, described him as “Someone who has not seen the inside of a refinery before Dangote built one, let alone understood the mechanism of the energy industry, …(yet) assuming the role of an authority in oil and gas matters.”

He went further to lampoon Emmanuel for stating that only Dangote Refinery’s products meet specifications while others are all sub-standard. “The obvious question is: whose specifications? For a refinery that has barely made four of seven pre-inauguration certifications, it sounds somehow laughable to suddenly assume the role of regulator in an industry you’ve barely entered,” Kabo said.

In the article, entitled, “The Hand of Aliko, the Voice of Kelvin: Inside Dangote Refinery’s Media Stunt Lab”, Kabo declared that from all Emmanuel’s interviews and pretensions to be an industry expert, one thing is obvious: “He lacks an understanding of both the mandate and the reach of NNPC as a national oil company.”

Kabo adds that, “Downstream is the least of NNPC’s business interests. The mandate, as per PIA (Petroleum Industry Act), is to facilitate both the extraction and commercialization of Nigeria’s oil and gas resources. 20 billion dollars may be a lot, but NNPC and industry regulators routinely handle projects of that magnitude. At best, Dangote and (Emmanuel’s) ranting are an irritation. I believe that’s why NNPC openly declared it was not interested in being Dangote’s off-taker.”

Like the Yoruba saying goes, derision does not stop the sweetness of the honey. The meddlesome minions and messengers of misinformation can continue dancing naked in the marketplace, but what is most important is that the NNPCL has assured that it will not cease doing everything in its capacity “to harness the possibilities of oil and gas, address energy demand and drive the national economy, and become the number one oil producer and supplier in Africa.”

 

Tayo Williams is a Lagos-based media executive

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