Television Nigerian

Pope Francis said the coronavirus pandemic may be nature’s response to people’s failure to take climate change seriously.

His comments came in an interview posted by The Tablet on Wednesday. He was asked if he saw the crisis as an opportunity for ecological conservation.

He said: “There is an expression in Spanish: ‘God always forgives, we forgive sometimes, but nature never forgives.’ We did not respond to the partial catastrophes.

“Who now speaks of the fires in Australia, or remembers that 18 months ago a boat could cross the North Pole because the glaciers had all melted? Who speaks now of the floods?

“I don’t know if these are the revenge of nature, but they are certainly nature’s responses.”

And he was critical of certain unnamed political personalities and their responses to the coronavirus pandemic.

“This crisis is affecting us all, rich and poor alike, and putting a spotlight on hypocrisy,” he said. “I am worried by the hypocrisy of certain political personalities who speak of facing up to the crisis, of the problem of hunger in the world, but who in the meantime manufacture weapons. This is a time to be converted from this kind of functional hypocrisy. It’s a time for integrity. Either we are coherent with our beliefs or we lose everything.”

The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has concluded plans with state governments to continue the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme using a door-to-door voucher distribution system.

The minister of the ministry, Sadiya Umar Farouq, announced that the programme will give priority to Lagos, Ogun and FCT but will extend to all states currently participating in the program for a period of 30 days.

President Muhammadu Buhari had said his government will continue the school feeding programme despite the closure of school and declaration of complete lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun states.

“Vouchers will allocate collection time to avoid overcrowding. The vouchers will be redeemed at designated distribution sites,” Farouq said in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.

“Existing aggregators will provide the food items. Distribution sites will be situated within the communities and in some States within the schools by hand washing ports. Safety and hygiene precautions will be observed,” She further added.

A Port Harcourt Chief Magistrates’ Court has ordered the remand of 10 passengers who flew into the Air Force Base in Port Harcourt on board the Twin-Otter Caverton Helicopters on Tuesday.

Chief Magistrate D. D. Ihua-Maduenyi gave the order on Wednesday after the Rivers State Government said the flight contravened paragraph 8 of its Executive Order RVSG-01 2020.

The governor had ordered a closure of the state’s borders as part of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The court had, however, on Tuesday remanded the pilots of the flight – Samuel Ugorji and Samuel Buhari – for operating the alleged illegal flight.

The pilots pleaded not guilty to a four-count charge preferred against them by the state.

The court ordered that they be remanded at any government facility to enable medical personnel from the state carry out test to determine their coronavirus (COVID-19) status.

They are to stay in prison custody until May 19.

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Rivers State, Prof. Zacheus Adangor, led the prosecution team.

The 10 passengers were arraigned on a four-count charge.

According to court documents, their names are Nwogu Chibuna, 39; Peter Michael, 43; Ajagba Iheayin, 35; Ekperewechi Oguguo, 43; Nsikan Pius, 38.

Others are Abanobi Chinoso, 27; Udoh Hagan, 28; Okachukwu Chuks, 41; Goddy Chuku, 42; Oomerurike Chijioke, 43.

However, Caverton’s management, in a statement on Tuesday, said the company has not violated any law.

“At the start of the COVID -19 lockdown, we received a letter from our client stating that they have been given approval/ exemption to fly and continue operations.

“We (Caverton along with three other companies) also received approval from the Minister of Aviation to fly only essential services, mainly in the Oil and Gas industry.

“Lastly, we got another approval from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to fly for this same oil and gas sector. We have been flying along with these guidelines for the past seven days.

“Today, we were informed that the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike was coming to address the operators in Port Harcourt and our people waited. But on arriving, the governor directed two of our pilots to be taken to CID where they were told to write statements.

“Despite all pleas by our lawyers who showed all the relevant documents, they were taken to the magistrate court and charged.

“At the court, our lawyers also presented all the documentations approving us to fly by the federal government but the case was closed and the pilots have been remanded in Port Harcourt prison till the 19th May,” the company said.

By Bukola Olasanmi

As part of preventive measures to tackle the dreaded coronavirus, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has announced that effective 12 midnight Thursday April 2020 to 11 pm of Wednesday 15th April 2020, the state will be on lockdown.

This is to carry out a state wide fumigation exercise which will cover his Bukuru metropolis and all the 17 local government areas of the state.

Governor Lalong stated this at media briefing on the progress report on the fight against the coronavrus, added that during this period, there will be no movement of any kind except for staff on essential duty which include security agencies, medical and health workers, power and energy Staff, fire Service, media, Telecom Operators and fuel tankers.

Governor Lalong said as the Chairman of the COVID-19 task force, his administration has set ground rules for the general observation for the public to follow on Sanitation and general hygiene.

The governor applauded corporate organisations and individuals for their contributions to the Plateau COVID-19 Endowment Fund both in cash and kind and urged citizens to obey the lockdown order to avoid arrest.

By Bukola Olasanmi

More than 600 Iranians have died from the consumption of high-concentrated alcohol believing it protects against the coronavirus.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted a spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary, Ghulam Hussein Ismaili, as saying that the number of deaths due to drinking neat alcohol had reached a disturbing figure, adding that more than 3,000 people had been poisoned after drinking toxic beverages in an effort to treat the disease.

He pointed out that many alcoholic drinks that were produced illegally in Iran lack the required standards, adding that a number of people have been arrested as a result of this.

As of Tuesday afternoon, as many as 3,872 have died of the coronavirus in the Islamic Republic while the number of infections reached 63,589.

By Bukola Olasanmi

Journalists were on Wednesday prevented from covering the trial of Nigerian singer Fashola Azeez popularly known as Naira Marley.

Marley is being tried for alleged violation of the lockdown order in Lagos State.

The Lagos State Government charged the musician before the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court in Ogba for attending a crowded birthday party in violation of the social distancing directive.

The birthday party was organised by actress, Funke Akindele, popularly known as Jenifa, for her husband, Abdul Rasheed Bello.

The two were sentenced to three-month community service on Monday.

By Bukola Olasanmi

The Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Mr Muhammad Babandede has directed the disinfection of all operational windows of the service where the public patronises it.

Babandede disclosed this in a statement by the Service Public Relations Officer, Mr Sunday James, on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that the service was taking advantage of the lockdown and movement restriction to carry out this work.

The service had suspended operations at its passport offices and migrant e-registration centres nationwide in compliance government orders to curtail the further spread of the COVID-19.

“The service is taking this opportunity to appreciate all and sundry for their concern and prayers.

“We are assuring Nigerians that all passport and other service delivery units are doing their best to clear the backlog of applications submitted for passports.

“Including other NIS facilities before the government directive to enable a smooth resumption at the end of the period given by the government,” he said.

Lagos State Government has withdrawn charges against singer, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, and former governorship candidate, Babatunde Gbadamosi, and his wife.

The aforementioned persons were meant to be arraigned on Wednesday before the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court in Ogba for attending the birthday party of JJC Skillz, husband of actress, Funke Akindele.

The party had more than 20 persons in attendance, a violation of the government’s social distancing directive to check the spread of the coronavirus.

However, one of the prosecution counsels, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, told reporters on Wednesday that the four-count charge filed against the three defendants had been withdrawn.

Journalists were barred from covering the court proceedings.

Mr Adegboruwa said the defendants would tender an apology to President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos as condition for withdrawing the charges.

Funke and her husband were on Monday sentenced to 14 days of community service and a fine of N100,000 each for holding the party.

A Briton has died of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lagos, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has said.

Abayomi announced the death on Twitter on Wednesday.

He also confirmed that cases of coronavirus had increased to 130 in the state.

“Lagos recorded another #COVID-19 related death: a 66-year-old Briton, who travelled from India via Dubai to Lagos on 17th of March, 2020,” the commissioner wrote.

“As of 7th of April, 2020, there are 10 new cases of #COVID-19 confirmed. The total of #COVID-19 cases in Lagos rises to 130.

“Another #COVID-19 patient was discharged after full recovery. This brings the number of discharged patients to 32.”

The Briton’s demise takes the number of dead persons from the coronavirus to seven.

A man has been remanded in prison over alleged breach of public peace and disobedience to the stay-at-home directive in Osun State to curtail spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ile-Ife Magistrates’ Court on Monday tried Amolese Afeez, 20, on a four-count charge of disobedience, breach of public peace, possession of cannabis sativa and assault.

The Prosecutor, Insp. Sunday Osanyintuyi, told the court that the defendant committed the offences on April 1, about 10:30 am at Gantry Area, Olode, in Ife South Local Government Area of Osun.

Osanyintuyi said that the defendant disobeyed the order of the state government for residents to “Stay-at-home” to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He alleged that the defendant also conducted himself in a manner that caused breach of public peace by instigating members of the public to disobey the government directive.

He said Afeez at Gantry Area, Olode resorted to announcing to the public that Osun State government had no right to order a “Stay-at-home” directive.

The prosecutor told the court that the defendant unlawfully had in his possession a substance suspected to be marijuana, which weighed 15Kgs.

He alleged that the defendant assaulted one Femi Adebayo, a Vigilante personnel, by punching his face, which caused Adebayo an injury.

Osanyintuyi stated that the offences contravened sections 3, 4, 203 and 249(D) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun, 2002.