Month: June 2020

4,000 school pupils Impregnated In Kenya during COVID-19 lockdown – report

ADEOLA YUSUF

  Over 4,000 primary and secondary school pupils in Kenya’s Machakos County have been reportedly impregnated during the period of lockdown for COVID-19 pandemic. This sudden surge in reported teen pregnancies within Machakos County, a data released during the commemoration of the Day of the African Child showed, is threatening to cut short the pursuit for education by vulnerable girls “with latest statistics now showing 4,000 school-going children had been impregnated since mid-March.” There is an obvious surge in “the number of newly reported teen pregnancies with coronavirus-related restrictions top…

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Fear rocks Ghana’s Ashanti region as rape, mysterious death cases surge

ADEOLA YUSUF

Serious apprehension has rocked the Ashanti region in Ghana as suspected cases of rape and mysterious death of women surged. The residents of Kubease near Ejisu in the Region, a report by Ghana-based Joy Online rsad, have, were gripped by apprehension and rage as two women were allegedly raped and killed in separate incidents within one month. “In the second and more recent, a 24-year old trader Abena Nintiwaa was found dead and half-naked in her bedroom on Monday morning. It comes after another woman was earlier allegedly raped in…

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COVID-19: Nigeria-based lender, Access Bank loses Manager, shuts oil-rich Onne branch

ADEOLA YUSUF

A Nigeria-based lender, Access Bank, has lost a staff at its branch in an oil-rich town of Onne, quarantined over 20 others and shut down the branch for disinfection. The bank, which stated in a statement that it mourned the staff, assured the public of its commitment to the fight against the dreaded infection. “We have received unfortunate confirmation of the loss of our staff who until his death worked at our Onne Branch, Rivers State. “Our thoughts and prayers are with our deceased colleague’s family at this time as…

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How thunderstorm struck, killed three Nigerian road safety operatives

ADEOLA YUSUF

Three officials of the Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) died mysteriously after a thunderstorm occurred in their office in Ilese area of Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. The News Agency of Nigeria, which reported this, added that the incident occurred about 10am on Wednesday during a prolonged rain accompanied by the thunderstorm. The office is located at the FRSC premises in Old Toll Gate area of Ilese town in Ijebu North East Local Government Area of Ogun State. It was gathered that the thunder struck while the FRSC officials were planning…

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FACT CHECK: 4 fake news about DRC Nobel Laureate Mukwege’s resignation from COVID-19 team

ADEOLA YUSUF

Platforms Africa fact checks fake news flying around across the continent on reasons the DR Congo Nobel Laureate Mukwege left COVID-19 team.   Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Nobel laureate, Dr. Dennis Mukwege, resigned his appontment from a Covid-19 team through a statement last Wednesday, June 10 2020. As much as the resignation of this gynaecologist who shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for his work against sexual violence in war, generated interest across Africa, the news has also been greeted by fake news, lies and misinformarion across the…

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Nigeria’s Wema Bank shuts regional, branch offices as 54 staff, customers contract COVID-19

ADEOLA YUSUF

About 54 staff and a few customers of Wema Bank in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, have been sent to the Lagos State isolation centres for the treatment and management of Coronavirus Disease. A Lagos-based online medium, The Eagle Online, which reported this quoting impeccable sources, noted that this followed the outbreak of the virus at a Lagos State office of the bank, which serves as both regional and branch offices. The affected office, The Eagle Online gathered, was the bank’s office at Oba Akran Avenue in Ikeja, which serves…

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COVID-19: FirstBank staff tests positive, 24 others quarantine 54 days after losing manager in Kano

ADEOLA YUSUF

FirstBank has redeployed a full team of fresh staff to a branch in Lagos after the facility was disinfected due to confirmation that a member of the old team was tested positive  for COVID-19 while other were put on compulsory isolation.   The COVID-19 scare rocking the First Bank of Nigeria Limited degenerated on Tuesday as the financial institution announced that one of its staff at a branch in Marina, Lagos, Nigeria, has tested positive for the dreaded infection . This came barely 54 days after the bank mourned a…

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African oil producers move Secretariat away from Nigeria to Congo

ADEOLA YUSUF

The Ministerial Council of African Petroleum Producers’ Organization, APPO, has moved the group’s Headquarters from Abuja, Nigeria, to the permanent Headquarters in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. The Ministerial Council, said in a statement signed by Eng. Bakary TRAORE from APPO Secretariat, and made available to Platforms Africa, that it approved the recommendation to move the temporary Headquarters at its 38th Session concluded on Monday 15th June 2020 where the far reaching decisions on the future of the Organization were taken. “It also approved the new Host Country Agreement between the…

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Lagos, Nigeria’s COVID-19 hub, makes U-turn, suspends Mosques, Churches’ re-opening

ADEOLA YUSUF

The Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos, has made a U-turn on its plan to reopen worship centres including Mosques and Churches. The state, which is the epicenter for COVID-19 in Nigeria, has recorded over 6,000 cases of the dreaded infection. Governor of the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who announced the suspension of the re-opening of churches, mosques, noted that the closure is indefinite. The governor made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon. He said the decision was informed by increase in index cases in Lagos. Lagos has been the hub of Coronavirus…

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Why Nigeria’s minister sacked Electricity Trading boss twice in six months

ADEOLA YUSUF

For the second time in six months, the Minister of Power, Mamman Saleh, has announced the sack of Dr. (Mrs) Marilyn Amobi, as the Managing Director/CEO of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, PLC (NBET). His action, he declared, was in furtherance of the reorganization/ realignments in the Power Sector. He also replaced her with Dr. Nnaemeka Eweluka, the company’s General Counsel and Secretary. Amobi, was first sacked on December 24, 2019 but was recalled by the Presidency. Mamman in a statement signed its Special Adviser Media & Communications, Aaron Artimas,…

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