Author: Chronicle Editor

United Bank for Africa (UBA) held its Annual General Meeting virtually by proxy on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 – a first in UBA’s seventy-one year history. The meeting, which had in attendance shareholders, management and staff members, together with representatives of relevant regulatory bodies, was held using an Online Meetings Platform, in accordance with Guidelines issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission. Opening the meeting, UBA Group Chairman, Tony O. Elumelu noted this was a very special meeting, held in extraordinary circumstances. It was only right at the outset to express the Group’s deep appreciation to all the health workers across…

There is “clear-cut” evidence that a drug, Remdesivir, can help people recover from the coronavirus, say Dr Anthony Fauci. Remdesivir cut the duration of symptoms from 15 days down to 11 in clinical trial at hospitals around the world. The full details have not been published, but experts said it would be a “fantastic result” if confirmed, but not a “magic bullet” for the disease. A drug would have the potential to save lives, ease pressure on hospitals and allow parts of lockdown to be lifted. Remdesivir was originally developed as an Ebola treatment. It is an antiviral and works…

US President Donald Trump has said China “will do anything they can” to make him lose his re-election bid, stepping up his criticism of Beijing amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a White House interview with Reuters news agency, he said Beijing faced a “lot” of possible consequence from the US for the outbreak. He said China should have let the world know about the contagion much sooner. The US President himself is often accused of not doing enough to tackle the crisis. The coronavirus has ravaged a formerly humming US economy that had been the president’s main selling point for…

Former Civilian Governor of Borno State, Mohammed Goni has died from an illness, sources close to his family say. Governor Goni according some impeccable sources died on Wednesday night at a private hospital in Maiduguri after a brief illness. He served as governor of the state during the second republic, between 1979 to 1983. There is no official statement yet from Borno State Government but the social media is awashed with the news of the demise of the former Governor. According to his Wikipedia page, In April 1979, Mohammed Goni resigned from the National Supply Company and entered politics. Two COVID-19…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced the single highest number of COVID-19 cases even as Lagos, Ogun and Federal Capital Territory gets ready to reopen. The 196 cases announced by the Centre for Disease Control is one more than the 195 announced on Tuesday suggesting that lifting a lockdown might have come too early. The NCDC also reported more discharged cases and more deaths on Wednesday, taking the total number of discharged persons to 307 and deaths to 51, seven more than the 44 reported on Tuesday. “196 new cases of COVID-19 reported; 87-Lagos, 24-Kano, 18-Gombe, 17-Kaduna,…

*How Nigeria is responding to pandemic Though Nigeria’s massive population constitute a challenge in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic, the advantage of being able to manage the issues in smaller measure through the states and so develop best practices has enabled authorities to reassess responses across sub-nationals and adjust where necessary. Equally, providing support to small businesses in the informal sector should be a priority for all economies aiming at lessening any adverse effect of the pandemic on the economy. These views were expressed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, on Wednesday at a virtual conference entitled “How Africa’s…

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos has declared that all schools, churches and mosques in Lagos state will remain closed as the state battles coronavirus. The address which was the ninth update on coronavirus by the Lagos State Incident Commander also detailed activities that could partially reopen in the state. 1. It has become imperative for me to address you again today, following the culmination of the second phase of the Lockdown on Lagos, Ogun and the FCT, and the Nationwide Address by President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday. 2. It is now my duty to share a broader framework for the implementation…

Nigeria is only weeks into our fight against the invisible COVID-19 that, earlier this year, was unknown to almost every nation in the world. Only earlier this month Dr Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, made clear that ‘We are at the beginning in Africa’. There is much that remains unknown about this virus. What we do know is that global infections rates continue to rise each day – even when in some nations affected some time before Nigeria, the daily rate of infection is now slowing. We know too that there is a global shortage…

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos has opened commercial banks and restaurants as the state relaxes lockdown even as it continues to curb coronavirus. The state government however announced that its partial opening does not capture religious and worship centres. In his address Wednesday, Sanwo-Olu stressed that all places of worship remains closed until further notice. He however lifted the ban on eateries and restaurants. They are to open between 9am-3pm and are to do only takeout. “No eat in. Also 9am-3pm only! Take note! Must wear gloves and masks,” he said. He said commuters must wear masks and gloves when…

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq has countered claims made by National Agency for Food Drugs and Administration Control (NAFDAC) over the rice distributed in Oyo state. The Director-General of the National Agency for Food Drugs and Administration Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye had said her agency was not invited to test the rice distributed to Oyo state by the federal government. Adeyeye had said her agency was only invited to take samples of rice from Idi-Iroko, Ikeja, and Ogun state. NAFDAC clarified allegations by the Oyo state government that the 1800 bags of…