The United Kingdom on Wednesday warned its citizens against non-essential trips to certain states in Nigeria over insecurity.
The advisory published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) followed the terror attacks along the Abuja-Kaduna train axis where an unspecified number of people were killed and many injured or abducted by the criminals.
The bandits had earlier killed one person during an unsuccessful plot to attack the Kaduna International Airport last weekend.
The bandits have turned the Nigeria’s North-West to a killing field, invading communities in Kaduna, Zamfara, Benue, Niger and Katsina States with little or no restraint from security agencies.
The advisory read: “The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises against all travel to the following Nigerian states: Borno State, Yobe State, Adamawa State, Gombe State, Kaduna State, Katsina State, Zamfara State, riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States.”
Other states classified as flash points in Nigeria are Bauchi, Kano, Jigawa, Niger, Sokoto, Kogi State, within 20kilometres of the border with Niger in Kebbi State, Abia State, non-riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers States.
More than 150,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United Kingdom since the pandemic began more than two years ago, the government said on Saturday.
Six other countries – the United States, Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico, and Peru – have exceeded the 150,000 mark on COVID-19 fatalities since the pandemic first hit the world through Wuhan, China, in 2019.
The victims, according to the UK Office of National Statistics, died within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test since the pandemic began.
A further 313 deaths were reported by the government on Saturday, taking the toll to 150,057.
In his address to the journalists, Prime Minister Boris Johnson described every death recorded during the pandemic as a profound loss to friends and affected communities.
He said: “The COVID-19 had taken a terrible toll on our country and our way out of this pandemic is for everyone to get their booster or their first or second dose if they haven’t yet.
The UK has also recorded 146,390 new cases, with the more transmissible variant, Omicron, driving the surge in infections.
Nigeria government may ban flights from the United Kingdom, Argentina, Canada, and Saudi Arabia from coming into Nigeria in a retaliatory move.
The decision may be announced on Tuesday, 14 December according to the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika.
The minister in a leaked video obtained by various media houses and seen by Ripples Nigeria, the Minister stressed that the decision to ban these countries was a retaliatory move and would be made public by the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC).
The UK had imposed travel restrictions on Nigeria, claiming that 21 cases of Omicron recorded in England were linked to travellers from Nigeria.
But the travel ban was trailed by global outrage with some national and international stakeholders describing it as racist and discriminatory.
The federal government had also condemned the decision of the UK, with the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, describing it as discriminatory, unfair, punitive, indefensible, and unjust.
In the Audio the Minister said: “Also, there is a case of Saudi Arabia, which put Nigeria on the banned list – no visa, no travel, et cetera. So also Canada. So, today, there was a meeting, I participated in a zoom meeting, COVID-19 task force, just for your information also.
We have given our input in aviation, it is not acceptable by us and we recommend that those countries – Canada, the UK, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina be also put on Red List, as they did similarly to us.
“If they don’t allow our citizens to go into their countries who are their airlines coming to pick from our country?
“So, I am very sure that in the next few days, between now and Monday, or perhaps Tuesday, at maximum, all those countries will be put on the red list from the PSC (Presidential Steering Committee) from the task force of COVID-19. Once they are put on the red list, which means they are banned, of course, their airlines will be banned.
“I’m so sorry, we are going through a difficult moment, but we have to do it in the interest of our country,” Sirika explained.
Britain’s Methodist Church on Wednesday announced that it will now allow same-sex couples to get married on its premises.
The decision came after debates on the topic at the Methodist Conference on Wednesday, where the proposals to allow same-sex marriages were passed with 254 votes in favor and 46 against.
With the votes, the Church has become the largest religious denomination in Britain to permit gay marriages.
However, following the development, a former vice-president of the Methodist Conference, Carolyn Lawrence, warned that a significant minority of Methodists were planning on leaving or resigning their membership.
Lawrence said: “Today is a line in the sand for many people and seen as a significant departure from our doctrine.”
However, the freedom of conscience clauses entails that ministers will not be forced to conduct such weddings if they oppose the move.
For now, same-sex marriage is not allowed in the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church, while the Scottish Episcopal Church, United Reformed Church, and Quakers in Britain have already embraced same-sex marriages.
With about 164,000 members and more than 4,000 churches, the Methodist Church is Britain’s fourth-largest Christian denomination and now expects the first same-sex weddings in its chapels to take place in the autumn.
Chair of the Dignity and Worth campaign group, Rev Sam McBratney, described the development as a momentous step on the road to justice after many years of painful conversations.
According to him, some have been praying for the day to come for decades, and can hardly believe that it is now here.
He said: “We are so grateful to our fellow Methodists for taking this courageous step to recognise and affirm the value and worth of LGBTQ+ relationships.
“We reassure those who do not support this move that we want to continue to work and worship with you in the Church we all love.”
Meanwhile, a couple, Ben Riley and Jason McMahon, who have been together for 12 years but have waited until they could have a church wedding, said the decision means so much, as they now hope to marry in their local Methodist church in Preston.
Also, Jason, who is training to be a Methodist minister, described it as a very emotional day.
Jason said: “To be told by the Church that you are worthy, that we accept you, and that you can be married in the eyes of God in the church you call home with friends and family – it means a great deal.
“It has helped me feel truly at home within a Church that can embrace anybody.”
President Muhammadu Buhari said on Thursday he is currently taking “a short rest” in London, United Kingdom.
The President, according to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this in a letter he sent to the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Abdullah ll Bin Al-Hussein, following the resolution of a recent rift in the royal family.
The Presidency had said last month that President Buhari would travelled to the UK for a routine medical check-up.
Buhari wrote: “While here in London taking a short rest, I was profoundly disturbed to read from international news agencies of attempts to destabilise the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Your exemplary leadership since ascending the throne has attracted worldwide admiration.
“Relations between Nigeria and Jordan have been excellent and I thank you for the part you have played in this relationship.
‘‘Your Majesty, I am much heartened that matters have now been resolved and I pray that the Hashemite Kingdom continues to not only remain peaceful but also a major beacon of hope for the region under Your Majesty’s wise guidance.”
The National Association of Seadogs (NAS) also known as Pyrates Confraternity has berated President Muhammadu Buhari over his latest trip to the United Kingdom for a routine medical check-up.
In a statement titled “President Buhari’s Foreign Medical Trip: Symptom of a National Malady”, issued on Sunday, and signed by the NAS Capoon, Abiola Owoaje, the organisation said the trip was unethical and embarrassing, noting that the President was publicly signalling a vote of no confidence in the healthcare system of the country he presides over.
The group maintained that millions of Nigerians were left to the weak and inefficient healthcare system that the “President so visibly disdains”, since they cannot have foreign medical trips paid for from the public treasury.
“The timing of this latest medical tourism is tragically poignant, coming the same week the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) commenced an indefinite strike over the failure of the Federal Government to implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed with the association and meet other demands which include payment of entitlements as basic as hazard allowance for routine professional hazards and the extraordinary demands of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement read.
Owoaje slammed President Buhari for not being able to fulfil his campaign promise to revamp the country’s health sector and put a halt to medical tourism.
“In the six years that he has been in office, President Buhari has abysmally failed to make hospitals in Nigeria functional to the extent that it can be entrusted to handle his health and that of other top government officials.
“It is even more disappointing that the Aso Rock Clinic, the object of inexplicably huge budgetary allocations is demonstrably incapable of meeting the demands of the most senior resident of Aso Rock Villa,” Owoaje said.
He challenged Buhari to use the remaining years of his tenure to work for the improvement of the nation’s healthcare delivery system.
“He should as a matter of priority put efforts in motion, leading the charge and galvanising state governments across the country to ensure the upgrading of public healthcare facilities in the country in line with global best practices. His administration should summon the required will and mobilise the needed funds to address the structural problems in Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem.
These include the conducive working environment, improved infrastructure, tools, eliminating the ongoing brain drain, improving the welfare of medical and healthcare workers in the country as well as strengthening the organic link between primary, secondary and tertiary levels of healthcare,” he added.
“President Buhari’s preoccupation, as he enters the sixth year out of his eight-year tenure, should be how to develop Nigeria’s healthcare system such that no President after him would need to travel out of the country for a routine medical check-up. Nigerians want a leader who would inspire confidence in the country’s health facilities. President Buhari should strive to be such a leader if he cares about the verdict of history.”
Summer holidays overseas are “extremely unlikely” because of the risk of travellers bringing coronavirus variants back to the UK, a scientist on a government advisory body has said.
The UK faces a “real risk” if people travel abroad, Dr Mike Tildesley said.
Foreign holidays are currently not allowed and returning travellers have to quarantine.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it was “too early to tell” when holidays abroad would be allowed.
People can currently travel abroad for a limited number of reasons, such as education or work, with anyone who does having to fill in a “Declaration to Travel” form stating a valid reason for leaving the country.
A government taskforce will report to the prime minister on 12 April detailing when and how international travel can resume.
Friday was also a record-breaking day for jabs, Mr Hancock added.
Dr Tildesley, a member of the government’s Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, which feeds into Sage, said there was a danger holidaymakers could bring back variants, like the one that emerged in South Africa – which were less susceptible to vaccines.
Dr Tildesley told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think that international travel this summer is, for the average holidaymaker, sadly I think, extremely unlikely.
“I think we are running a real risk if we do start to have lots of people going overseas in July, for instance, and August because of the potential for bringing more of these new variants back into the country.
“What is really dangerous is if we jeopardise our vaccination campaign by having these variants, where the vaccines don’t work as effectively, spreading more rapidly.”
Future vaccination campaigns might need to be considered to tackle future variants, but “the longer that we can push that down the road… the better”, Dr Tildesley added.
image captionThe earliest date holidays abroad could be allowed under the current roadmap out of lockdown is 17 May
“I suppose one of the more worrying things about this resurgence is that in some parts of Europe the South African variant is beginning to creep up to higher levels,” he told Times Radio.
He said this variant was of “particular concern” because vaccine effectiveness against it was “quite low”.
Airlines UK, which represents UK-registered carriers, said it was “too early to say” what the state of Covid will be in Europe and the rest of the world in 10 weeks’ time.
“We have always said any reopening must be risk-based, but also led by the overriding assumption that as the vaccine rollout accelerates both here and abroad, a phased easing of restrictions is achievable,” Airlines UK said.
“We know that universal, restriction-free travel is unlikely from 17 May but under a tiered system, based on risk, international travel can meaningfully restart and build up, with minimal restrictions in time.”
Finnish telecoms giant Nokia is to axe between 5,000 and 10,000 jobs worldwide in the next two years as it cuts costs.
It is unclear where the bulk of the cuts will fall, but it said about 96 jobs in the UK were under threat as part of the €600m (£518m) cost cuts.
Nokia is playing catch-up on 5G, and also plans to invest in cloud computing and digital infrastructure research.
The company currently has 90,000 employees around the world, and has cut thousands of jobs since 2015.
“We currently expect the consultation process in the UK to cover an estimated 96 roles,” a Nokia spokesperson said.
“At this stage, however, these are only estimates. It is too early to comment in detail, as we have only just informed local works councils and expect the consultation processes to start shortly, where applicable.”
Last year, Nokia employed almost 40,000 people in Europe, 20,500 in the Asia-Pacific region, 13,700 in China, 12,000 in North America and 3,700 in Latin America.
In Finland, the company’s base, about 300 jobs are likely to go, mainly from its Helsinki headquarters, a union representative said.
France, where the company slashed more than 1,000 jobs last year, will be spared in the latest round of cuts.
Chief executive Pekka Lundmark said: “Decisions that may have a potential impact on our employees are never taken lightly. My priority is to ensure that everyone [that will be hit] is supported through this process.”
After taking the top job last year, Mr Lundmark has made changes after product missteps under the company’s previous management hurt Nokia’s 5G ambitions and dragged on its shares.
The restructuring is intended to boost Nokia’s performance against rivals such as Sweden’s Ericsson and China’s Huawei.
Nokia was once the biggest handset manufacturer in the world, but it failed to anticipate the popularity of internet-enabled touchscreen phones such as Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy and was spectacularly knocked from its perch by rivals.
After selling its handset business to Microsoft, which the software giant later wrote off, Nokia concentrated on telecoms equipment. It also later went into a licensing deal for Nokia-branded handsets.
The United Kingdom has reiterated its commitment towards supporting the Federal Government to promote the growth of Nigeria’s tech ecosystem and close the digital divide in the country.
Ben Llewellyn-Jones, OBE, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, stated this on Thursday, March 11, in Lagos.
This was during a virtual technical conference facilitated by the UK’s Digital Access Programme on Digital Inclusion for Underserved/Unserved Communities and Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs).
“As our fight against the pandemic goes on, our focus is on supporting a sustainable and resilient recovery across Nigeria,” he told participants at the conference.
Llewellyn-Jones added, “Tech has the ability to help us tackle some of the greatest social challenges of our time – from protecting our environment and reducing carbon emissions, to transforming health systems, saving lives through diagnosing diseases earlier, to aiding economic inclusion by deepening access to underserved populations.
“To drive this growth, Nigeria needs a combination of increased access to faster and better quality internet connectivity infrastructure, and upskilled tech talent pool, a vibrant start-up ecosystem, access to investment, and partnership opportunities both regionally and internationally.”
Furthermore, the UK envoy explained that the conference was organised as a catalyst to aggregate views and develop quick-win strategies to resolve the issues of populations without access to digital, in order to bring poor and excluded people into the digital economy, reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth.
The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) on Saturday said it was looking at possible areas the United Kingdom (UK) Government could support its insurgency fight in the Lake Chad region.
The Chief of Military Public Information for MNJTF, Col. Muhammad Dole, disclosed this in N’Djamena, Chad.
He said that during a recent meeting with the First Secretary Political for Lake Chad Basin, Dr Katharine Brooks and the Deputy Defence Advisor at the British High Commission in Nigeria, Lt.-Col. Bobby GilBrooks, in Maiduguri, possible areas of interventions by the UK Government in furtherance of MNJTF efforts at ending terrorism in the region were considered.
Dole added that the MNJTF commander also used the opportunity provided by the meeting to give insight on the successes and challenges of MNJTF.
On the critical areas the UK Government could support MNJTF, he said Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC), Information Operations as well as Counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED) capabilities, were considered.
He said, “A follow-up meeting was held in N’Djamena on Friday between the commander and the Commander, Operation TURUS and British Military Assistance Training Team West Africa, Col. Nick Abram.
“The meeting was a build-up on earlier discussions in Maiduguri with emphasis on areas for direct operational support.
“The UK Government had supported the MNJTF in 2015 through the provision of vehicles, rough terrain motorcycles, power generating set of different capacities, dental equipment and communication equipment, among other items.”
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a United Kingdom energy firm, PowerDot, to provide adequate power supply across the state.
The Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Mukhtar Gidado, who disclosed this in a statement in Bauchi, said the UK company is expected to provide uninterrupted power through incineration of municipal solid waste at an affordable cost.
The company is expected to commence work in March.
He quoted the governor as saying that the agreement is a $70million investment that would provide 10 megawatts of electricity to the state.
Mohammed said: “Today is a very auspicious day. We welcome you to Bauchi and we extend our solidarity to your partners. We will do all the needful for you to operate effectively in our state.
“This MoU that we have signed to provide 10 megawatts of power through waste is key towards providing good governance.”
He said his administration in partnership with the Federal Government would continue to make good use of waste in the state.
Coronavirus: France extends overnight curfew as cases surge
France will extend an overnight curfew to dozens more areas in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus, Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced.
“The second wave is now under way,” he said, shortly before the country announced a record 41,622 new cases.
The 21:00 to 06:00 curfew will come into force at midnight on Friday, and some 46 million people will now be affected by the measure.
Countries around Europe are struggling with rising infection rates.
France, Italy, Spain and the UK are all hotspots.
“The coming weeks will be hard and the number of deaths will continue to rise,” Mr Castex told a press conference on Thursday. Over the last 24 hours France recorded 162 more deaths.
“If we fail to stop the pandemic, we will be facing a dire situation and we will have to mull much tougher measures,” he added.
“We still have time to avoid that but we don’t have much time,” he said.
The prime minister’s announcement came less than a week after the same curfew was applied to the Paris region and eight other cities, including Marseille, Lyon, Lille and Toulouse.
The restrictions will be extended to 38 more administrative departments as well as the overseas territory of Polynesia, and will remain in place for six weeks.
The overnight curfew has drawn complaints from restaurant owners, whose businesses are already suffering after the two-month lockdown in the spring.
But President Emmanuel Macron has said they are necessary to avoid the risk of hospitals being overrun.
France has reported more than 20,000 new cases over the past six days, and the total number of confirmed infections now stands at nearly one million
UK plan to be first to run human challenge Covid trials
The UK is pushing ahead to be the first nation to carry out “human challenge” studies where up to 90 healthy people will be deliberately exposed to Covid.
The trials, which could begin in January, aim to speed up the race to get a Covid-19 vaccine.
The government is putting £33.6m towards the groundbreaking work. Safety will be a number one priority, experts insist. The plans will need ethical approval and sign-off from regulators before they can go ahead.
Human challenge studies provide a faster way to test vaccines because you don’t have to wait for people to be exposed to an illness naturally.
Researchers would first use controlled doses of the pandemic virus to discover what is the smallest amount that can cause Covid infection in volunteers aged 18 to 30.
These human guinea pigs, who will be infected with the virus through the nose and monitored around the clock, have the lowest risk of harm due to their young age and good health.
Next, scientists could test if a Covid vaccine prevents infection.
Could human challenge trials speed up the development of a coronavirus vaccine?
Lead researcher for the project Dr Chris Chiu, from Imperial College London, said: “My team has been safely running human challenge studies with other respiratory viruses for over 10 years. No study is completely risk free, but the Human Challenge Programme partners will be working hard to ensure we make the risks as low as we possibly can.”
Prof Peter Openshaw, co-investigator on the study and director of the Human Challenge Consortium, said deliberately infecting volunteers with a known human pathogen was “never undertaken lightly”.
“However, such studies are enormously informative.
“It is really vital that we move as fast as possible towards getting effective vaccines and other treatments for Covid-19.”
There are hundreds of Covid vaccines being developed around the world and several front-runners already in the final stages of testing, including one from Oxford University.
While some of these could get results and start to be used before the new trial has chance to begin, researchers say the work will still be useful, particularly for head-to-head studies to compare which vaccines work best.
Experts say we will probably need a few different vaccines, as well as effective treatments, to defeat Covid. They will also need to be tested in those at highest risk from Covid – the elderly and vulnerable.
The first stage of the human challenge project will be delivered by a partnership between Imperial College London, the Royal Free Hospital’s specialist and secure research unit in London and a company called hVIVO.
After exposure to Covid, the young volunteers will need to stay in a biosecure facility until they are no longer infectious.
They will be financially reimbursed for their time, and monitored for up to a year after taking part in the study to check for any side-effects.
Purposely infecting someone with Covid does pose an ethical dilemma, especially since there is no treatment to cure patients, although there are ones that might make it less deadly.
Prof Julian Savulescu, an expert in ethics at Oxford University, said the trials were justified: “In a pandemic, time is lives. So far, over a million people have died.
“There is a moral imperative to develop to a safe and effective vaccine – and to do so as quickly as possible.
“Given the stakes, it is unethical not to do challenge studies.”
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “We are doing everything we can to fight coronavirus, including backing our best and brightest scientists and researchers in their hunt for a safe and effective vaccine.”
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