Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Saturday 7th November 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 07/11/20
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WTO Postpones Meeting To Pick New Director-General
The World Trade Organisation has postponed a meeting next week where members were to pick a new Director-General, AFP learnt on Friday.
The WTO’s 164 member states had been due to gather on Monday to choose between two Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and South Korea’s Trade Minister, Yoo Myung-hee.
But the head of the selection committee set up to help with the process told members on Friday that the meeting would need to be postponed.
“It has come to my attention that for reasons including the health situation and current events, delegations will not be in a position to take a formal decision on 9 November,” General Council chair, David Walker, said in a communication seen by AFP.
“I am therefore postponing this meeting until further notice during which period I will continue to undertake consultations with delegations,” he added.
The WTO selection committee, known as the troika, has held months of consultations with members towards finding a replacement for Roberto Azevedo, who in August stepped down as DG, a year ahead of schedule.
After gradually whittling down the initial list of eight candidates, the troika last week tapped Nigeria’s former finance and foreign minister, Okonjo-Iweala, as the one most likely to obtain the needed consensus to take the helm.
But hopes that the final stage would be a simple rubber-stamping exercise were dashed when the United States announced it was intent on backing Myung-hee instead.
The US announcement threw the WTO leadership into uncertainty.
In recent days, many observers have stressed that member states had little chance of agreeing on a new DG as long as Donald Trump, perhaps WTO’s most fervent critic, remains in the White House.
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E2%80%99s-college-lagos-pupils-test-positive-health-officials EXCLUSIVE: COVID-19 Hits Queen’s College Lagos As Pupils Test Positive, Health Officials Collect Over 200 Samples
Some pupils of the Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos State, have tested positive to COVID-19 while a few symptomatic others have been isolated at the school bay, according to information reaching SaharaReporters from multiple credible sources.
On Friday, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, led other health emergency officials to the school to collect the samples of about 200 pupils for COVID-19 tests, according to school teachers who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“Some of our pupils were exposed to the virus, and they have symptoms. So, the state officials were called in to collect their samples. About six pupils had tested positive to the virus earlier, and they have been taken to a treatment facility in town,” a female teacher explained.
“All the pupils are the target for sampling. There are about 600. But on Friday, over 200 pupils’ samples have been taken by the officials. I don’t know how many pupils tested positive initially, but there are quite a number of them,” another top staff of the school added.
The Queen’s College, Yaba, founded in 1927, is one of the oldest elite schools in the state, often referred to as the girls’ version of the King’s College.
The Lagos State Government confirmed in a statement on Friday that pupils of “a public school” tested positive to the virus, although it chose not to name the school.
The statement reads in part, “Lagos State Government has confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in a secondary boarding school on the mainland. A member of the school’s staff was confirmed positive for COVID-19 on November 2.
“The staff member fell ill for a few days and received first aid at the school clinic. She subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, November 2 at the Lagos State Biobank. Steps are being taken to contain the spread within the school and reduce exposure to the outside community. All parents are being contacted first through the PTA, and a family zoom call is being arranged to allay their fears further.
“Students who test positive are to be isolated in the school premises and, if unwell, will be admitted to one of the accredited isolation centres in Lagos. Students are discouraged from going home to avoid infecting members of their families.
“Members of the Emergency Operation Center Lagos, NCDC and our counterparts in the Ministry of Education have been deployed in the school to provide strategic interventions and support. These include psychosocial support, infection prevention control, medical monitoring and risk communication experts to enlighten further affected people.”
The Queen’s College is not the first school where many pupils have been found positive to COVID-19 in the state.
On October 16, the government confirmed COVID-19 cases in a private boarding school in the Lekki area.
The health commissioner, Abayomi, had disclosed that 181 students and staff members at the private school tested positive to the virus, out of a total 441 school population.
After weeks of observed reduction in cases in Lagos State, the state had in the last week ben experiencing a surge, fuelling fears that a second wave of the virus was imminent.
The Lagos State Government only on Wednesday stressed the need for residents to strictly adhere to precautionary measures against COVID-19 infection to prevent the much-feared second wave.
The socio-economic implications of the virus, such as another lockdown are primarily the worry of most residents of the state.
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E2%80%99s-request-freeze-bank-accounts-endsars-protesters Court Grants CBN’s Request To Freeze Bank Accounts Of #EndSARS Protesters
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has obtained a court order freezing the accounts of 19 individuals and a public affairs company linked to the #EndSARS protests till January 2021.
The request, granted by Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja, was filed by the CBN on October 20.
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Some of the affected individuals include Bolatito Racheal Oduala, Chima David Ibebunjoh, Mary Doose Kpengwa, Saadat Temitope Bibi, Bassey Victor Israel, Wisdom Busaosowo Obi.
Others affected are Nicholas Ikhalea Osazele, Ebere Idibie, Akintomide Lanre Yusuf, Uhuo Ezenwanyi Promise and Mosopefoluwa Odeseye.
Others are Adegoke Pamilerin Yusif. Umoh Grace Ekanem, Babatunde Victor Segun, Mulu Louis Teghenan, Mary Oshifowora, Winifred Akpevweoghene Jacob, Victor Solomon, Idunu A. Williams, and Gatefield Nigeria Limited.
The banks where the accounts are domiciled include Access Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Fidelity Bank, First Bank, United Bank for Africa, and Zenith Bank.
The lawyers representing the CBN were led by a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa (SAN).
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“A mandatory order is made empowering the plaintiff/applicant to direct the head office of Access Bank of Nigeria Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc and Zenith Bank Plc to freeze all transactions forthwith on the 20 bank accounts listed for 90 days pending the outcome of investigation and inquiry currently being conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“It is, however, directed that the 90-day freezing order, when it lapses, may be renewed upon good cause shown by the applicant.
“It is also directed that any person, whether artificial or natural, that is affected by this order may apply to the court to have his grievance or complaint heard by the court. The suit is adjourned till February 4, 2021,” part of the order read.
DOCUMENTS: Court Grants CBN’s Request to Freeze Bank Accounts of #EndSARS Protesters by Sahara Reporters on Scribd
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#ENDSARS: Lagos Governor Rejects FOI Requests Of Lawyer To Release CCTV Footage, Executive Order On Curfew
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu
The Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led government of Lagos State has turned down the request by rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, to release footage of the Closed-Circuit Television capturing the shooting and killing of peaceful #ENDSARS protesters at Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos, on October 20, 2020.
In the Freedom of Information request, Effiong asked Governor Sanwo-Olu to make available to him the Certified True Copy of the instrument (official document) setting up the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Special Anti-Robbery Squad Abuses and Lekki Toll Gate incident.
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu
SaharaReporters had reported that Effiong also requested for the executive order or directive under which curfew was imposed on the state from 9:00pm on 20th October, as well as the CCTV records showing the attack on protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate.
Turning down the request, Governor Sanwo-Olu in a letter signed by a lawyer, Deyemi Bamgbose, for the Attorney-General of Lagos, said he cannot grant the request because the FOI Act was not binding on Lagos State.
“The laws of Lagos do not include the Freedom of Information Act which is a federal law that is not applicable to the state, as such your request cannot be granted,” the reply reads partly.
In backing his position, the governor cited a decision of the Edo Division of the Court of Appeal in EDOSACA V OSAKUE in support of his case.
Findings, however, revealed that in Alo V Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly & Anor (2018), the Ondo Division of the Court of Appeal held that the FOI Act was binding on states.
Commenting on the matter, Effiong said by virtue of Section 1 of the Tribunals of Inquiry Law of Lagos State, the panel of inquiry can only be created by an instrument; not by a press release or declaration in the media.
He said, “The inescapable implication is that except there is a legal instrument as required by law, we are wasting our time with the ongoing inquiry.
“The members of the panel, protesters and the public deserve clarification from the governor on this issue. This is a fundamental issue.
“It is also important for us to see the instrument under which the curfew was declared. Given the conflicting accounts by the state government, the military and other interested parties, it is essential for the instrument by which the curfew was imposed to be made public.
“The governor has refused to release the CCTV records to me. The issue here is not the conflicting decisions of the Court of Appeal.
“If the governor is, why has he refused to release these Instruments if they actually exist?”
Effiong stated that he will review this matter and take the appropriate action, adding that those who lost their lives and those whose properties were destroyed deserved justice.
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Government Links ‘Strange Deaths’ In Delta Communities To Yellow Fever
Amid growing concerns about the mysterious deaths ravaging two communities in Delta State, the state government has linked the development to Yellow fever.
Both Ute-Okpu and Idumuesah communities in Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta had been recording strange deaths since last week.
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Panic In Delta State As Mysterious Death Toll Rises To 30
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There were reports on Thursday that no less than 30 people had been killed as a result of the strange disease including two siblings.
SaharaReporters had gathered that the victims were always between the ages of 18 and 25 years.
Speaking on Friday in Asaba, the state capital, Commissioner for Health, Dr Mordi Ononye, said some tests had been conducted to ascertain the real cause of the mysterious deaths.
Ononye explained that the results of the tests returned positive for Yellow fever disease.
The commissioner claimed that 22 deaths have so far been recorded in the two communities, stressing that seven other active cases were receiving treatments in hospitals across the state.
He also hinted that the state’s health authorities were awaiting the authentication of the government’s position from the Regional Test Centre in Dakar, Senegal, within one month.
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Police Dismiss Female Cadet Over Pregnancy, Hands Over Four Others To NDLEA For Dealing In Narcotics
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A female cadet at the Nigeria Police Academy in Kano State has been dismissed for getting pregnant.
Commandant of the Police Academy, AIG Zanna Ibrahim, disclosed this while addressing some matriculating cadets at the Regular Course 7 in the Wudil area of the state.
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Mr Ibrahim revealed that four other cadets in the academy were being detained inside the facility of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement for allegedly dealing in hard drugs.
He said the cadets were arrested and handed over to the NDLEA after an agent conveying their consignment containing the substance (hard drugs) was intercepted by the law enforcement officials at Kwanar Dangora, along Zaria expressway under Kiru Local Government Area of Kano State.
According to him, a total of 25 cadets had also been dismissed from the police institution over alleged indiscipline and gross misconduct.
He stated that the academy will introduce drug and pregnancy tests and conduct it on a regular basis on cadets to ensure that only those fit physically and morally go through the rigour of training.
He said, “We had an incident of pregnancy where a cadet has been dismissed and we don’t want a repeat of that.
“By the time the cadets go on holiday when they come back, we subject them to these tests to ensure they are fit and proper to continue with their academic programs.
“At intervals, we will subject them to those tests where we identify those who are into drugs or female ones with pregnancies we show them the way out.”
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E2%80%99s-victory-will-attract-700b-nigeria-other-emerging-markets-says-expert Biden’s Victory Will Attract $700b To Nigeria, Other Emerging Markets, Says Expert
Joe Biden
Renaissance Capital (RenCap) analysts have predicted that a win for U.S. Democratic Party presidential candidate, Joe Biden will attract $700 billion investments to Nigeria and other emerging markets.
According to RenCap Chief Economist, Charles Robertson, a Biden victory will, in the long run, shift trillions of dollars to Nigeria and other emerging markets.
Joe Biden
Robertson at the global investment and research firm said he expected Biden to clinch victory with Nevada due to give him six Electoral College votes.
In a report to investors titled: “Biden’s victory, trillions into E.M. and lockdown” released on Thursday, the Expert explained that if that happens, many people would wonder why this election race was tight.
On the outlook for Nigeria and other emerging markets, he argued that U.S. President, Donald Trump’s possible defeat is good for emerging markets. He said global investors would start re-allocating cash to emerging markets in a big way.
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He disclosed that already, Blackrock’s head of fixed income, who is responsible for $2.6 trillion of that firm’s $7.8 trillion in assets (Africa’s Gross Domestic Product is $2 trillion to put this into perspective), said they would invest more in merging market.
“The stock of Africa’s Eurobonds only topped $100 billion in 2018, and even if it is only Blackrock’s actively managed part of the business more like $2 trillion in all asset classes (perhaps $700 billion in fixed income), that starts to shift to Emerging Markets this could be very helpful.
“Our base case is that Foreign Direct Investment will stop being a net positive for the U.S. due to Trump’s defeat, and portfolio flows will also go to E.M., and together, these will drive the $ gradually weaker in coming years,” he said.
Robertson said this becomes a self-reinforcing cycle of emerging market forex appreciation giving good returns to dollar investors, which attracts more money to emerging market and in turn pushes emerging market forex more robust.
He predicted: “Georgia is also looking like another Democrat victory (Biden is 23,000 votes behind with two per cent of the vote, about 100,000, still to be done and they have been flowing his way).
“This gives Biden 270 electoral college votes with Nevada, which is what he needs to win and 286 if he does get Georgia. With Pennsylvania votes counted yesterday – and Democrats expecting a big win from remaining mail-in votes, Biden might well end up with 309 Electoral College votes to 229 for Trump (who is likely to win North Carolina).”
Robertson explained that if that happens, many people will wonder why this election race was tight.
He explained that talk of recounts in Wisconsin had been dismissed by a former Republican governor Scott Walker as having no chance of changing the results – previous recounts have changed voting tallies by a max 300 votes, but Biden is 20,000 ahead.
Robertson said that even if challenges in any states get to Supreme Court, the suspicion was that Trump would find that his appointees do not owe him a personal favour to come down on this side.
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EXPLAINER: What A Joe Biden Win Will Mean For Nigeria, Africa
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Airspace Restricted Over Biden’s House As Secret Service Assigns More Operatives To Him
Secret Service agents hold the door as Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden arrives at Hank’s Hoagies in the Green Ridge section of Scranton, Pa. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
More US Secret Service agents have been sent to Wilmington, Delaware, in anticipation of a Joe Biden presidential win.
According to CNN, the extra Secret Service agents were sent to Delaware Thursday.
Secret Service agents hold the door as Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden arrives at Hank’s Hoagies in the Green Ridge section of Scranton, Pa. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
Christopher Dolan / The Times-Tribune via The Associated Press
Upon a presidential win, the USSS detail for a president-elect would get larger and mirror the size and scope of a president’s. Additional airspace security measures are also implemented, a source familiar with USSS protocols said.
A team for Biden has been on standby since last week, the source said.
“This is as expected. It’s a little bit delayed. It’s not telegraphing any specific concern,” a senior law enforcement official said.
The bolstering of security typically happens on election night, the official said. Still, USSS has played it “cautiously” as the agency does not want to be seen as deciding on the election.
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Delaware News Journal also reported that flights are temporarily restricted over Biden’s Wilmington home and the Chase Center in the city.
The Federal Aviation Administration listed the restriction over the Chase Center where Biden has delivered speeches for “VIP movement,” while the one over Biden’s home is for “special security reasons.”
Only flights arriving or leaving the New Castle Airport and those on active firefighting, law enforcement or ambulance duties are allowed to enter the restricted air space.
The zone over the Chase Center which is set to expire on Friday extends three nautical miles from the surface to a 2,999-foot altitude.
The one over Biden’s home which expires on Saturday, November 7, spans one nautical mile and an altitude of 1,000 feet. Violators face an up to 12-month prison sentence and $100,000 fine and could have their pilot’s license suspended or revoked.
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Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Expected To Give Speech Tonight
Plans are underway for Democratic candidate in the United States of America presidential election, Joe Biden, and his Vice President nominee, Kamala Harris, to deliver a speech at primetime on Friday.
They are both expecting what is being anticipated as a victory speech.
NEW: Joe Biden to give televised broadcast.Biden is currently leading in battleground states of Pennsylvania and Georgia which would cement his victory.#Elections2020 #USElection2020 #USElectionResultsFOLLOW LIVE UPDATES: mdash; Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) November 6, 2020
Biden is currently leading in crucial battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, coasting him closer to clinching America’s top job. His running mate Harris would make history as the first female vice president of the US — also the first black person to achieve this feat.
At the moment, Biden leads with 73,708,884 popular votes and 264 electoral votes while Republican candidate Donald Trump maintains a static 214 electoral votes and 69,772,306 popular votes.
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It is expected that the votes from Pennsylvania which will solidify his victory with 20 additional electoral votes would come in before the broadcast.
Biden’s wife, Dr Jill Biden, and Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff, are also expected at the event.
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Concerns Grow Over Whether Trump Would Concede Defeat As Joe Biden Inches To Victory
Donald Trump
There is a growing concern on whether the United States’ President and Republican candidate in the 2020 presidential elections, Donald Trump, would concede to Joe Biden if he emerges as president-elect.
Trump is trailing Biden with 69,772,306 popular votes and a static 214 electoral votes. In comparison, Biden leads with 73,708,884 popular votes and 264 electoral votes having gained the edge in battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada and Arizona.
Donald Trump
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Trump has made several statements to discredit the elections, alleging that it was being stolen from him without any evidence. Most of the court processes filed by his legal team in states where Biden has the lead has been dismissed for lack of merit.
Two campaign advisers and one source close to the President said Trump would exhaust his legal avenues for fighting the results in several key battleground states before giving any consideration to conceding, CNN reports.
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