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COVID-19: ‘I took black seed oil, black seed, alligator pepper, bitter-cola’ – Oyo commissioner narrates his isolation experience
Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun has expressed fear that despite unrelenting campaign to sensitize the people on safety regulations against the Covid-19 pandemic, many still went about without fear of contracting the virus.
Olatubosun stated this while answering questions on his experience during his self-isolation period at his office on Wednesday afternoon, saying the State’s Covid-19 Task Force toured over 600 communities in the State to sensitize people about the dangers of the virus and how to avoid contacting it.
He said the task force thereafter embarked upon community testing, which revealed that most people in the rural communities did not heed the warnings and have been infected already, as the results from communities showed.
“You would not believe that while I was on self-isolation at home, some people still came to my house on Sallah day to celebrate with me, they did not fear at all, I had to send emissary to them on phone with gifts and asked them to go home, it was that bad.
“We preached the dangers of Covid-19 at all nooks and crannies of the State, we toured 600 rural communities like the holy prophets did, but our people did not heed the warning in time, which led to the outburst of the disease in rural areas at a point, but thank God the curve has slowed and we now have insignificant numbers coming from the rural areas.”
Dr Olatubosun said the State government has perfected what he called risk communication approach to fight people’s apathy to the danger inherent in getting infected with Corona virus.
He said the approach would consider communicating major consequences of not following Covid-19 safety protocols, which he said will entail the use of visuals, voices and graphics to showcase testimonial cases of people that earlier showed apathy and later contracted the disease.
On how he survived the virus and psychological effects of the 56 days self-isolation, the ex-council boss said despite that he was asymptomatic of the virus and endured six tests before being certified to be negative.
He opined that although the world has not come out with a vaccine against the virus, the standard World Health Organization (WHO)’s medical recommendation for treatment was abiding, but for Nigerians, supplementing the orthodox medicine with local herbs helped him a lot to recover.
“I took 25 bottles of black seed oil, a bowl of black seed, a lot of alligator pepper and bitter-cola as well as different brands of herbal concoctions which I drank at interval and used for steaming after my normal drugs, but the utmost is prayer to overcome the trauma.”
Olatubosun praised Governor Seyi Makinde as a worthy war commander that never abandoned his soldiers no matter their conditions, adding that the governor would call him in the morning and in the evening everyday to know his condition throughout his self-isolation days.
He said the efforts of the State helped mitigate the spread of the pandemic and infection as the State had 95% recovery rate.
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has disclosed that 95 million Nigerians need to enroll for the National Identification Number (NIN) to meet its target of 200 million enrollments by 2025.
Kayode Adegoke, Head of Corporate Communications at NIMC, emphasised the importance of this enrollment during an interview on X over the weekend.
He stated, “For NIMC to meet the 200 million target by 2025, 95 million Nigerians need to register for the NIN.”
Adegoke revealed that over 105 million NINs have been issued to Nigerians and legal residents so far.
He assured Nigerians of the commission’s commitment, saying, “We want to assure Nigerians that within the next one or two years, we will reach our target of enrolling all Nigerians.”
“The NIN serves as a unique identifier for each citizen and has become increasingly important for various government initiatives aimed at improving security, governance, and service delivery.”
Adegoke highlighted the efforts to streamline the modification and enrollment processes under the leadership of Abisoye Coker, the director-general of NIMC. He announced the development of a self-service platform, allowing Nigerians to make necessary modifications such as changing names, dates of birth, email addresses, and phone numbers from anywhere, using different devices.
Emphasising the convenience of the self-service modification portal, Adegoke encouraged Nigerians to utilize this innovative solution.
He noted the evolution of the process, citing the past requirement for applicants to visit NIMC offices for data corrections.
Engr Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), has disclosed that the nation’s oil and gas reserves have risen to 37.50 billion barrels as of January 1, 2024.
This marks an increase from the 37.046 billion barrels recorded in May 2022.
Komolafe emphasised the implementation of robust policies aimed at enhancing and optimising oil and gas operations across the country.
Notably, gas reserves stand at 102.59 trillion cubic feet (TCF), with non-associated gas reserves reaching 106.67 TCF, culminating in a total of 209.26 TCF of gas reserves.
Addressing concerns during a press conference held in Abuja on Monday regarding crude supply regulation and enforcement, Komolafe underscored the importance of prioritising feedstock supply to local refineries while addressing grievances from oil producers and the Dangote Refinery within specified timelines.
This announcement follows recent reports of a decline in Nigeria’s crude oil production during February and March 2024.
According to data from the April 2024 Monthly Oil Market Report of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Nigeria’s crude oil production (excluding condensates) experienced its second consecutive monthly decrease, dropping to 1.231 million barrels per day in March from 1.322 million barrels per day in February.
OPEC attributed this decline, amounting to a reduction of 91,000 barrels per day, to factors communicated directly from Nigeria.
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Engr. Aderemi Oseni has commiserated with the senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari over the loss of his mother, Alhaja Buhari.
The matriarch, who passed away on Monday, April 8, has left a void in the family that Oseni described as irreparable.
In a condolence message released on Wednesday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, in Ibadan, and made available to newsmen, the lawmaker expressed his deep sympathy, praying for Alhaja Buhari to find eternal rest in the arms of God.
Oseni, who also represents Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency, urged Senator Buhari and his family to find solace in the legacy of achievements left behind by their late matriarch.
He emphasised the importance of cherishing the memories of her life and the successes attained by her children.
The statement read, “Distinguished Senator Buhari, I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Mama, Alhaja Buhari. Please accept my heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathy during this difficult time.
“Alhaja was a pillar of strength and a source of love and guidance for your family and community. Her legacy of kindness, wisdom, and resilience will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew her.
“May you and your family find comfort and solace in the cherished memories you shared with her, and may the love and support of friends and well-wishers provide you with strength and courage in the days ahead.
“Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as you navigate through this time of grief”, Oseni continued.
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