Featured – Page 5 – Platformsafrica

How Africa Reggae King, Majek Fashek, returned to drug, died at 57

June 2, 2020June 2, 2020 ADEOLA YUSUF

‘Rain Maker’ died during heavy rain “to meet his maker” – Manager His tough battle with drug addiction Nigeria-born African music legend and reggae king Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly called Majek Fashek, is dead. He was 57. His death was confirmed by his manager Omenka Uzoma, on the late singer’s official Instagram handle. “Today been having pressure calls, well it is true that the African No 1 Legendary ICON has gone to be with the LORD his Maker,” he said. “Let celebrate him, his achievements, and his family, whatever…

BREAKING: Nigeria relaxes 61-day lockdown of Churches, Mosques

June 1, 2020 ADEOLA YUSUF

Restrictions lifted for four weeks The Nigerian government has lifted the 61-day lockdown of Mosques and Churches as it lifted a ban on religious gatherings across the country. President Muhammadu Buhari, in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday March 29, ordered the lockdown of Lagos State, Ogun state and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) including a restriction on religious activities. This lockdown, which took effect on the midnight of Monday, March 30, was to check the spread of coronavirus. But at the briefing of the presidential task force (PTF) on…

COVID-19: Nigeria’s biggest city, Ibadan, bans ancestral Masquerades, orders stay-at-home rituals

June 1, 2020June 1, 2020 ADEOLA YUSUF

Masquerades live in heavens, only descend for annual rituals, according to African folklore The novel Coronavirus pandemic took a new twist in Ibadan, Nigeria’s biggest city, as ancestral Masquerades, believed by the Yoruba and some Africans’ folklore to come from heavens, were banned from annual dance to the Palace of the monarch and other chiefs. Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, who ordered the ban, declared a sit-at-home rituals for the masquarades popularly called “Ara-Orun” this year. Masquerades live in heavens, only descend for (annual) rituals, according to…

BREAKING: Nigeria slashes petrol pump price to N121.50 per litre

June 1, 2020June 1, 2020 ADEOLA YUSUF

Marketers insist on free market as PPPRA fixes N102.13 per litre ex-depot price Nigeria, Africa’s biggest crude exporter, on Monday released a new price band for retail stations across the country in which it slashed the least pump price for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol to N121.50, about $3, per litre. The country’s agency in charge of fuel price, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), in a memo with reference number A.4/9/017/C.2/IV/701 addressed to marketers but obtained by *Platforms Africa*, advised that the product must…

ADESINA: GUILTY AS CHARGED by Steven Ogboko

June 1, 2020 ADEOLA YUSUF

The African Development Bank’s helmsman, Nigerian-born and America-trained Akinwumi Adesina has been in the news recently._ Strangely, this time, there are unpleasant allegations being leveled against him. I say strangely because those who are knowledgeable about international development will readily agree that the name Akinwumi Adesina is synonymous with stellar accomplishments. So naturally, much more than an average level of curiosity will come to bear about the allegations against the AfDB President, whose first term is set to lapse in a few months. From a widely circulated Whistleblower complaint…

Aerospace giant, Boeing, fires 7,000 workers

May 31, 2020May 31, 2020 ADEOLA YUSUF

Plans to break bad news to workers before weekend Aerospace super major, Boeing, has fired about 7,000 employees as economic crunch in the global aviation industry worsened. The company, which announced this, said that it plans to notify the affected workers this week that their jobs would be eliminated as part of a 10 per cent companywide staff reduction that targets the aerospace giant’s commercial aircraft business. Flight Global reported that the layoff notice followed Boeing’s announcement last month that it would reduce its 160,000-strong global workforce by…

Hundreds defy Coronavirus, queue hours as brewery gives away beer it can’t sell

May 31, 2020 ADEOLA YUSUF

Hundreds of people defy lockdown for Coronavirus to queue hours as brewery gives away beer it could not sell. Unable to deliver to hotels and restaurants closed due to coronavirus restrictions, a German brewery on Thursday gave away some 2,600 litres (690 gallons) of beer. The people who thronged the venue despite the restriction of movement, stood in different dozens patiently in line outside a brewery, wearing masks and keeping to social distancing recommendations. Many took full buckets and boxes back home, a report by Reuters read. Rather…

Testing Tanzania: Another look at coronavirus kits after goat, pawpaw test positive

May 31, 2020 ADEOLA YUSUF

Dar Es Salaam – Coronavirus test kits used in Tanzania were dismissed as faulty by President John Magufuli, because, according to him, they returned positive results on samples taken from a goat and a pawpaw. Magufuli, whose government has already drawn criticism for being secretive about the coronavirus outbreak and has previously asked Tanzanians to pray the coronavirus away, said the kits had “technical errors”. The Covid-19 testing kits had been imported from abroad, Magufuli said during an event in Chato in the north west of Tanzania, although he…

Nigeria suffers highest single-day COVID-19 infections, reports 553 new cases

May 31, 2020May 31, 2020 ADEOLA YUSUF

Country nears 10,000 mark Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, suffered highest single-day COVID-19 infections on Saturday, May 30, with 553 cases reported by the country’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC). The new cases were confirmed by the specialist agency, the NCDC on Twitter on Saturday night. This takes the country near 10,000 mark. Already it has a total infections of 9,855, out of which 2856 have been discharged with 273 losing their lives. Data from the NCDC showed that the cases were spread across 14 states and the…

COVID-19: Brazil’s cases near 500, 000, deaths hit 27,787

May 31, 2020 ADEOLA YUSUF

Country behind US, has more coronavirus deaths than Spain Chris Asiogwu Brazil has now suffered more deaths from the novel coronavirus than Spain, according to new statistics released by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S. The Health Ministry said the total number of people who have died of the new coronavirus in Brazil has risen to 27,787. The total number of confirmed infections rose to 465,166, the second-highest tally globally, behind the U.S, reports dpa. The number of undetected cases and deaths is likely to be much higher…