News

China virus death toll passes 1,000, WHO warns of ‘very grave’ global threat

Published

6 years ago

February 11, 2020

The death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak surged past 1,000 in China on Tuesday as the World Health Organization warned that the epidemic poses a “very grave” global threat.

ALSO READ:Legal Aid Council receives 16 cases in January

The WHO is holding a conference in Geneva on combatting the virus as Beijing struggles to contain a disease that has now infected more than 42,000 and reached some 25 countries.

Another 108 deaths were reported on Tuesday — the first triple-digit daily rise since the virus emerged in late December.

“With 99 percent of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the conference, where scientists were discussing how the virus is transmitted and possible vaccines.

Chinese authorities have locked down millions of people in a number of cities, while several governments have banned arrivals from China and major airlines have suspended flights in a bid to keep the disease away from their shores.

The death toll has now reached 1,016, although the mortality rate remains relatively low at 2.4 percent.

But the case of a British man who passed on the virus to at least 11 other people — without having been in China — has raised fears of a new phase of contagion abroad.

– ‘Super-spreader’ –

Most cases overseas have involved people who had been in Wuhan, the quarantined central Chinese city where the virus emerged late last year, or people infected by others who had been at the epicentre.

But the Briton — dubbed a “super-spreader” by some British media — caught the virus while attending a conference in Singapore and then passed it on to several compatriots while on holiday in the French Alps, before finally being diagnosed back in Britain.

Of those infected, five were hospitalised in France, five in Britain and one on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

“The detection of this small number of cases could be the spark that becomes a bigger fire,” Tedros said on Monday, urging countries to seize on the “window of opportunity” to prevent a bigger outbreak.

Michael Ryan, head of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said it was “way too early” to call the Singapore conference a “super-spreading event”.

– ‘Imminent threat’ –

As the number of cases in Britain doubled to eight, the government called the novel coronavirus a “serious and imminent threat”, and said anyone with the disease could be forcibly quarantined if deemed a threat to public health.

The biggest cluster of cases outside China is aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship moored off Japan, where 135 people have been positively diagnosed.

The ship has been in quarantine since arriving off the Japanese coast early last week after the virus was detected in a former passenger who disembarked last month in Hong Kong.

More than 100 people were evacuated from a 35-storey Hong Kong housing block Tuesday after two residents in different apartments tested positive for the virus.

Residents were forced to leave as health officials in masks and white overalls scrambled to work out whether the virus had spread through the complex of some 3,000 people.

– Torrent of criticism –

Chinese authorities, meanwhile, dismissed two senior health officials from Hubei, the central province where some 56 million people, including in its capital Wuhan, have been under lockdown since late last month.

They also tightened restrictions in the city, forbidding people with fever from visiting hospitals outside of their home districts and sealing off residential compounds.

Local authorities in Wuhan and Hubei have faced a torrent of criticism for hiding the extent of the outbreak in early January. Most deaths and cases are in Hubei.

The death of a whistleblowing doctor from Wuhan has sparked calls for political reform in China.

President Xi Jinping, who has described the battle against the virus a “people’s war”, has largely kept out of the public eye since the outbreak spiralled across the country from Hubei.

But he emerged on Monday, pictured wearing a mask and having his temperature taken at a hospital in Beijing where he spoke with medical staff and patients.

He called the situation in Hubei “still very grave” and urged “more decisive measures” to contain the spread of the virus.

News

Dogara Celebrates Baba Jang at 82, Hails Him as a Visionary Statesman

Published

1 day ago

March 14, 2026

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Former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the National Credit Guarantee Company Limited (NCGC), Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has joined Nigerians in celebrating Former Governor Jonah Jang, fondly called Baba Jang, as he clocks 82 years.

In a glowing tribute, Dogara described Baba Jang as a visionary leader whose life and service remain a beacon of hope for generations. He noted that Jang’s tenure as Governor of Plateau State was marked by courage, foresight, and an unwavering commitment to peace, unity, and development.

“Baba Jang’s life is a testimony of service and sacrifice. He invested in infrastructure, strengthened institutions, and worked tirelessly to foster unity in Plateau State. His leadership was never about personal gain but about building lasting foundations for progress,” Dogara said.

He further emphasized that Jang’s integrity, resilience, and mentorship have shaped leaders across Nigeria, adding that his legacy continues to inspire beyond the boundaries of Plateau State.

“As he celebrates 82 years, we honor him not just for the offices he has held, but for the enduring impact he has made on countless lives. Baba Jang remains a statesman, a father figure, and a model of quality leadership,” Dogara added.

The tribute underscores Baba Jang’s enduring influence in Nigerian politics and governance, highlighting his role as a leader whose footprints on the sands of time cannot be erased.

News

Civil Society Coalition Raises Alarm Over Nigeria’s Maritime Boundaries, Oil Wells Allocation

Published

3 days ago

March 12, 2026

Becky Hassan

A coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), maritime experts and policy advocates has raised serious concerns over Nigeria’s maritime boundary management and the allocation of offshore oil wells, calling for urgent intervention by the Federal Government.

The concerns were presented on Thursday in Abuja during a civil society roundtable where the coalition leader, Dr. Gabriel Nwambu, addressed stakeholders and unveiled the communiqué issued after a recent verification mission to Nigeria’s offshore maritime corridor bordering Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

The communiqué followed a technical fact-finding and verification exercise conducted at sea on February 28, 2026, focusing on Nigeria’s offshore hydrocarbon blocks OML 114, OML 115 and OML 123 as well as the maritime boundary areas involving Nigeria, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

Dr. Nwambu explained that the mission involved maritime governance stakeholders, mapping professionals and public policy experts who undertook physical observation of the maritime corridor, technical mapping verification and consultations with relevant authorities.

According to the coalition, the mission sought to independently verify the status of Nigeria’s maritime boundaries, offshore hydrocarbon entitlements and the implications of administrative and regulatory decisions affecting the Cross River maritime corridor.

ICJ Judgment Clarified
Presenting the findings, the coalition noted that the 2002 judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) between Nigeria and Cameroon ceded only specific settlements in the southern Bakassi Peninsula — Atabong, Akwabana and Archibong Town — to Cameroon.

The coalition stressed that several areas often assumed to have been ceded were not included in the ruling.

“The Cross River Estuary and the western Bakassi peninsular islands of Dayspring I and II, Abana and Kwa Island were not ceded under the ICJ judgment,” the communiqué stated.

The group further emphasized that Nigeria still maintains maritime boundary continuity between the Cross River Estuary and the Akwayefe River Estuary based on the ICJ cartographic evidence and the physical geography of the region.

Dr. Nwambu also clarified that the Cross River Estuary remains Nigeria’s natural maritime gateway to the Atlantic Ocean and provides Cross River State with direct offshore access.

Questions Over Boundary Management

A major concern raised by the coalition relates to the actions of the National Boundary Commission (NBC) in implementing the Offshore/Onshore Dichotomy Abrogation Act using what it described as a temporary implementation map.

According to the communiqué, the baseline drawn from Tom Shot into the Cross River Estuary effectively closed the estuary’s mouth to the sea, thereby rendering Cross River State non-littoral.

The coalition warned that this development raises serious constitutional, economic and national security concerns.

It further criticized the NBC for failing to demarcate the Nigeria–Cameroon maritime boundary more than two decades after the ICJ ruling, stating that continued reliance on the temporary map could jeopardize Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

The report also alleged that the situation has effectively resulted in the ceding of about 780 hectares of maritime waters within the Cross River Estuary toward the Akwayefe River Estuary to Cameroon.

Oil Wells and Revenue Concerns

Beyond boundary issues, the civil society coalition raised alarm over oil revenue allocation and the management of transboundary oil fields.

According to the findings, the failure of relevant institutions to brief the President on key inter-agency reports could prevent Nigeria from exploiting 49 identified transboundary oil wells located within OML 114 in the Cross River Estuary.

The coalition also raised concerns over alleged financial irregularities relating to the Ekanga and Zafiro transboundary oil fields jointly developed by Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.

It alleged that more than ₦33 billion may have been approved from the Federation Account in favour of Akwa Ibom State without clear presidential authorization.

The group further questioned whether revenues from the Ekanga and Zafiro fields — estimated at over $8 billion — had been properly remitted into the Federation Account.

Call for Presidential Intervention

To address the concerns, the coalition recommended several urgent measures, including a presidential review of the 2024 and 2025 inter-agency oil verification reports affecting Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.

It also called for the proper demarcation of the Nigeria–Cameroon maritime boundary in line with the ICJ judgment and the establishment of a Presidential Special Investigation Panel to probe the alleged loss of Nigerian maritime waters.

Other recommendations include a forensic audit of revenues from the Ekanga and Zafiro oil fields, investigation into the alleged ₦33 billion payment approvals, and diplomatic engagement with Cameroon to develop transboundary reservoir agreements.

The coalition also urged the Federal Government to restore and recognize Cross River State’s littoral status based on the geographic and legal status of the Cross River Estuary.

National Security Implications

In its concluding remarks, the coalition warned that the issues uncovered during the verification mission have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s territorial integrity, maritime sovereignty, national security and oil revenue accountability.

Dr. Nwambu called on the President to treat the matter with urgency, stressing that transparent management of maritime boundaries and offshore resources remains critical to Nigeria’s economic stability and geopolitical standing.

The communiqué was jointly signed by representatives of the coalition of civil society organizations, maritime policy experts, technical observers and economic governance accountability groups.

News

Nigerian Youth Storm National Assembly Demands Access to Present Dishonourable Award to Senator

Published

5 days ago

March 10, 2026

milcah

Nigerian Youth under the leadership of Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI) on Tuesday stormed the National Assembly to present Senator Olajide Ipinsagba with the Most Dishonourable Senator of the year award.

EUYI previously threatened to present the Senator with the award, citing a plethora infractions and unwholesome dealings especially with his legislative aids and associates.

The group urged the Senate President to grant them access to the hallowed chambers to make the presentation as wake up call to other public servants.

Addressing the press at the National Assembly complex, Comrade Danesi Momoh Prince disclosed that they had gathered as early as 7 am at the National Assembly gate only to discover that the Senate is not sitting and that the embattled Senator was absent despite prior information.

“We’re angry that Senator Olajide Ipinsagba has refused to show up and collect his award for his dishonourable conduct especially as it pertains the exploitation and underemployment of Nigeria youth under his office

“How can a Senator be paying his legislative aid 30,000 naira when the national minimum wage is 70,000 Naira? Is he the only one that needs money? Is it not wickedness to treat unemployed Nigerian youth like that?”, he queried.

The group vowed to go ahead and present the award to the Senator in person, be it in the Senate Chambers or his house. We shall however not give the award to anybody but the senator due to the “seriousness of his offense”