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COVID-19: FG focuses on Communities in Nigeria
The Federal Government of Nigeria has said that its next phase of strategy is to focus on the community. This is due to available evidence of community transmission of COVID-19.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire at the Presidential Task Force briefing, yesterday as he confirmed a total of 407 cases of COVID-19. He said 99 patients had been discharged and 12 deaths had been recorded in Nigeria, all with comorbidities. He stated that the 34 new cases confirmed were distributed as follows: 18 in Lagos, 12 in Kano, 2 in Katsina, and 1 each in Delta and Niger States.
The Minister expressed his condolence to the family of the latest fatality, a medical professional and highlighted the risk to health workers in this COVID-19 response by stating that “patients with mild symptoms are still very highly infectious, mild symptoms in one person could be deadly infectious in another”. He further stated that, that was why there was a recommendation of the suspension of close contract between grandchildren and grandparents.
Speaking, Dr. Ehanire emphasized that there will be more community testing and social mobilization at the grassroots to ensure physical distancing and advisories on the use of masks or improvised face coverings like handkerchiefs or scarfs over the mouth and nose to reduce risks of transmission. He said the revised case definition includes:
- All patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome
- Contacts of people confirmed to have COVID-19, with fever and respiratory tract symptoms
- Persons with fever and respiratory tract symptoms of unknown cause
Dr. Osagie urged all health workers to adhere to government instructions and regulations by utilizing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), maintain a high index of suspicion for COVID-19 and protect themselves, loved ones and colleagues. He also advised health professionals against private or secret management of people who have COVID-19 outside of accredited health facilities saying “we cannot afford avoidable morbidity and mortality”. He said that private facilities must obtain accreditation to treat this highly infectious disease and that unauthorized practitioners engaging in treatment of COVID-19, run the risk for being shut down for decontamination.
The Honourable Minister commended the Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as they strive to enhance case findings by conducting house to house and cluster testing based on epidemiological assessments. This strategic scale-up of testing over the next two weeks, will go a long way in detecting, testing and treating people with COVID-19, he reiterated.
Dr. Osagie Ehanire informed that the national testing capacity had been increased to 3,000 per day in 13 molecular laboratories nationwide activated by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC). This he said is to increase the national testing capacity further as he also stated that two more laboratories are scheduled to come online in Borno and Sokoto states. He informed that the state had been supplied sample collection kits and are encouraged to develop innovative methods to improve testing capacity by engaging the private sector to outsource and diversify these collection sites and improve logistics support.
The Minister hinted that the disease had been labeled stereotyped, discriminated against and labeled poorly. Unfortunately, the Minister said, stigma can prompt social isolation of persons or groups and drive people to hide the illness, prevent them from seeking health care immediately, and discourage them from adopting healthy behaviours. He added that this could cause a situation where the virus is more likely to spread and increase the difficulty of controlling the COVID-19 outbreak.
Health Minister advised persons tested positive to COVID-19 enter into accredited isolation and treatment centers for proper management this not only gives them prospects of survival and recovery, but protects their family and friends, domestic and office staff and the community from infections. He encouraged citizens to cooperate with case managers who will meet all expectation of security, privacy and comfort.
He urged citizens not to stigmatize persons who had recovered from COVID-19, stay safe at home, if must go out practice physical distancing, wash hands regularly or use sanitizers and sanitize surfaces thoroughly.
Twelve inmates have escaped from the Federal Correctional Centre in Kotonkarfe, Kogi State, following an early morning jailbreak on Monday.
Confirming the incident, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, described it as “unfortunate” and assured the public that the government, in collaboration with security agencies, was taking measures to prevent a recurrence.
According to Fanwo, law enforcement officers have already re-arrested one of the escapees.
“The theory that the inmates escaped through the tower without causing any structural damage raises serious concerns. This calls for a thorough investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the escape, arrest the fleeing inmates, and identify possible saboteurs within the system,” he stated.
The commissioner further disclosed that Governor Usman Ododo has directed security agencies to ensure that such breaches do not happen again.
“We call on the public to report any suspicious individuals in their communities. Anyone found harbouring an escaped inmate will be held accountable,” Fanwo warned.
Reassuring residents, he added: “There is no cause for panic. We encourage citizens to go about their daily activities as normal, knowing that the security of lives and property remains our top priority.”
Authorities have yet to disclose further details about the escapees or ongoing efforts to apprehend them.
The United States has announced the termination of legal status for over 500,000 immigrants, ordering them to leave the country within weeks, as President Donald Trump pushes forward with what he calls the largest deportation campaign in American history.
The sweeping directive, issued on Friday, affects approximately 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who arrived under a programme launched by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, in October 2022 and later expanded in January 2023.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the affected immigrants will lose their legal protections 30 days after the order is published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. This means they must leave the United States by 24 April, unless they secure another immigration status permitting them to stay.
Welcome.US, an organisation that supports asylum seekers, has urged those impacted to “immediately” seek legal counsel regarding their options.
A Reversal of Biden’s Immigration Policy
The Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) programme, introduced in January 2023, allowed up to 30,000 migrants per month from these nations to enter the United States for two years. The initiative was designed to offer a “safe and humane” alternative to the dangerous crossings at the US-Mexico border, which had seen a surge in arrivals.
However, the DHS reiterated on Friday that the programme was never meant to provide permanent residency.
“Parole is inherently temporary, and parole alone is not an underlying basis for obtaining any immigration status, nor does it constitute an admission to the United States,” the agency stated.
Mass Deportations Under Trump
Trump, who has made immigration control a cornerstone of his presidency, has vowed to crack down on migrants—particularly those from Latin America.
Last week, he invoked rare wartime legislation to deport more than 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador, a country that has controversially offered to imprison both migrants and U.S. citizens at a discounted rate.
The latest order signals Trump’s intent to follow through on his hardline immigration policies, raising concerns among human rights advocates about the humanitarian impact of such mass deportations.
Tens of thousands of malnourished Nigerian children face a dire future as lifesaving food supplies are set to run dry, the United Nations Children’s Agency (UNICEF) warned on Friday, attributing the crisis to a funding shortfall exacerbated by U.S. foreign aid cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration.
The agency said that within the next two months, 80,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Nigeria could lose access to vital treatment, while a total of 1.3 million children under five in Nigeria and Ethiopia remain at risk of starvation this year.
“Without new funding, we will run out of our supply chain of Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic-Food by May, and that means that 70,000 children in Ethiopia that depend on this type of treatment cannot be served,” UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Kitty Van der Heijden, said in a video press briefing from Abuja. “Interruption to continuous treatment is life-threatening.”
The situation in Nigeria is even more urgent, with UNICEF warning that food supplies for malnourished children could be exhausted as early as the end of this month. Van der Heijden recounted a harrowing experience at a hospital in Maiduguri, where she saw a child so severely malnourished that her skin was peeling off.
U.S. Aid Suspension Escalates Crisis
UNICEF’s funding crisis follows a significant drop in international donor contributions in recent years, compounded by the U.S. government’s decision to halt all foreign aid for 90 days upon Trump’s return to the White House in January.
According to Reuters, the U.S., a major donor to UNICEF, implemented sweeping suspensions on USAID programmes worldwide, disrupting the delivery of essential food and medical aid. The impact has been catastrophic, with global humanitarian efforts thrown into disarray.
“This funding crisis will become a child survival crisis,” Van der Heijden warned, adding that the abrupt nature of the cuts left UNICEF unable to cushion the impact.
Health Services Crippled in Ethiopia
Beyond food shortages, UNICEF highlighted the devastating effects of the funding crunch on health services in Ethiopia. Programmes providing nutrition and malaria care for pregnant women and children have suffered, with 23 mobile health clinics shut down in Afar, leaving only seven operational.
As the crisis unfolds, humanitarian organisations continue to urge global donors to step in and prevent a full-blown catastrophe. Without urgent intervention, tens of thousands of children in Nigeria and Ethiopia may not survive the coming months.
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