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FG Considering Use Of Alternative Herbal Medicines For Treatment Of COVID-19 —- Boss Mustapha

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Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Wednesday, confirmed that the Federal Ministry of Health has received a number of claims on indigenous researches which could help the country fight coronavirus effectively.

To this end, the government has commenced the process of scientific validation of those researches, with a view to exploiting them in the treatment of COVID-19.

Mustapha who confirmed the latest development at the daily briefing session of the PTF in Abuja, said with the situation on ground, government was now open to all options for the good of humanity.

His words, “​I need to, at this point, mention the role of Research in this exercise. We must encourage our local scientists and deepen our capacity for research.”

“There is a huge role for all relevant Research Institutes to play at this time. The Federal Ministry of Health is coordinating the process in conjunction with the National Institute for Medical Research and the Nigerian Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development.

“We have received information on domestic and international claims about emerging inventions on COVID-19. These are most welcome but scientific validation process and protocols will have to be followed. We are open to all options for the good of humanity.”

The new approach being mulled by government is sequel to claims by some medical experts in Nigeria, claiming to have found scientifically proven cures for the virus, but were being ignored by the government in preference for foreign solutions.

One of such claims came recently from Dr. Ben Amodu, a lead researcher in phyto medicine.

Beyond being a fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and Alternative Medicine Practitioner Council, Amodu claims his herbal therapy which has successfully cured throat cancer could also provide potent cure for COVID-19, currently ravaging the world, including other emerging communicable diseases like Hantan and Toyota viruses.

Meanwhile, in view of plans to gradually ease the lockdown imposed in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory, which will come into effect on May 4, 2020, the PTF has developed sector specific guidelines to ensure a seamless process.

Boss explained that the gradual reopening of the economy will span a total of 6-weeks broken into 3 tranches of 2 weeks each.

According to the PTF chairman, the phased strategy has been designed to reduce the pains of socio-economic disruptions while strengthening our public health response, which would ultimately reduce the recovery of our economy and provide succour to the poor and vulnerable.

He said coordination would be streamlined with Sub-National levels of Government, which will in turn provide leadership in engaging relevant associations responsible for various sectors e.g. market associations and transport unions for orderly and effective implementation.

He also warned that security agencies must strictly enforce these new measures that have been put in place.

“Following the pronouncement of the President, it has become necessary to provide initial clarifications for Nigerians on some of the new measures such as the overnight curfew, inter-state travels and related matters. Specific details will be provided shortly by the National Coordinator.”

He said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the following clarifications, are provided:

The overnight curfew is applicable nationwide from 8.00pm to 06.00am daily, effective Monday, 4th of May, 2020; Inter-State travels are banned except for the movement of goods, agro-products, petroleum products, essential services, etc, as directed by Mr. President.

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US Court Sends British-Nigerian To Seven Years In Jail Over $5m Cyber Fraud

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Oludayo Adeagbo, a British-Nigerian, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar business email compromise (BEC) scheme.

According to the US Department of Justice, Adeagbo, who also goes by John Edwards and John Dayo, conspired with others to steal over $3 million from various entities in Texas, including local government bodies, construction companies, and a Houston-area college.

Adeagbo and his co-conspirators also defrauded a North Carolina university of more than $1.9 million.

The case began in August 2022 when Adeagbo and two other Nigerian citizens, Donald Echeazu, 42, and Olabanji Egbinola, 44, were extradited from the United Kingdom (UK), where they had been residing, to face charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering.

The US Department of Justice stated that the offences were committed in North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.

On April 8, Adeagbo pleaded guilty in two cases against him in North Carolina and Texas for participating in a business email compromise scheme, which is also referred to as a “cyber-enabled financial fraud” scheme.

A business email compromise scheme can be initiated by scammers creating fake accounts that mimic companies a business regularly deals with.

Court records revealed that Adeagbo and his co-conspirators gathered information about significant construction projects across the United States, including a multi-million-dollar project at a university in North Carolina.

“To execute the scheme, Adeagbo, Echeazu, and others registered a domain name similar to that of the legitimate construction company in charge of the university’s project and created an email address that closely resembled that of an employee of the construction company,” the Department of Justice said.

“Using the fake email address, the fraudsters deceived and directed the university to wire a payment of more than $1.9 million to a bank account controlled by an individual working under the direction of Adeagbo and his co-conspirators.”

Adeagbo and his co-conspirators employed the same tactics in Texas, targeting local government entities and universities by impersonating construction companies. They stole over $3 million from the scheme, bringing their total haul to $5 million.

Adeagbo has been ordered to pay $942,655.03 in restitution and will serve seven years in prison.

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Nigerian-American Oye Owolewa Re-Elected To US Congress

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Oye Owolewa, a Nigerian-American Democrat, has been re-elected as the shadow representative for the District of Columbia (DC).

Owolewa, a PhD graduate from Northeastern University in Boston, made history in November 2020 when he became the first Nigerian-American elected to Congress.

He secured 164,026 votes, or 82.84 percent of the total votes cast in DC.

His role, while not officially recognized by the US government as a full member of Congress, is to advocate for the district’s interests, particularly its bid for statehood.

On Thursday, Owolewa expressed his gratitude to DC voters via a post on X, thanking them for their continued support.

“Thank you DC again for giving me chance to serve. I also want to thank the organizations that have supported, partnered with and endorsed me,” he wrote.

While shadow representatives like Owolewa do not have voting power in the US House of Representatives, they play a key role in pushing for recognition and state-level advocacy for DC residents, who are otherwise disenfranchised at the federal level.

Owolewa has consistently championed the cause of DC statehood, which has become a central focus of his work.

The re-election took place on November 5, the same day as the US presidential election.

In that election, former President Donald Trump defeated Vice-President Kamala Harris, securing over 270 electoral votes to win a second term.

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Joe Biden Urges Americans To Accept Trump’s Victory, Promises Peaceful Transition

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United States President Joe Biden has urged Americans to accept the victory of Republican Party candidate Donald Trump in the presidential election.

On November 6, Trump won the presidential election after surpassing the magic number of 270 electoral college votes.

Trump defeated Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party, who received 219 electoral college votes.

Harris has congratulated Trump on his electoral victory.

During a speech on Thursday at the White House Rose Garden, Biden said, “We accept the choice the country made.”

“I know for some people, it’s time for victory to state the obvious. For others, it’s a time of loss,” the US president said.

“Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other.

“I’ve said many times, you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbour only when you agree.

“I will do my duty as president. I’ll fulfil my oath and honour the Constitution. On January 20, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.

“Remember, defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dream is calling for you to get back up.

“The America experiment endures. We are going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going. Above all, we need to keep the faith.”

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