BEGONAIJA

Nigerian financial power house, Access Bank, annunciated the closure of more than 300 of its branches nationwide in a bid cut down running costs as a result of the outbreak of the deadly virus, COVID-19. This move comes in the wake of a statement made by the group managing director/CEO of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe who explained the reasons behind a planned mass retrenchment of its workforce, stating that some of its branches will be closed up until December of this year. Herald NG earlier reported that Wigwe made this disclosure via video conferencing in a town hall meeting with the bank’s staff that later leaked on social media platforms. Wigwe noted that those to be affected by the mass retrenchment are mostly outsourced staff and workers offering nonessential services. This group makes for about 75% of the Organisation’s staff strength in its branches nationwide. “We probably don’t need as much security as required; even to the fact that we are not gonna have all our branches o

The Emir of Rano, Dr Tafida Abubakar Ila II, is dead. He died on Saturday today at Nassarwa Specialist Hospital at about 4:45pm after a brief illness. His Rano emirate is one of four new emirates created in Kano in the wake of the balkanisation of the Kano emirate. He was reported to have been hospitalised on Friday though details of his ailment were uncertain. Confirming the death to Daily Trust, Turakin Rano, Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, said the late emir was admitted at the hospital on Friday. Rurum, who is a former speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, said the emir would be buried on Saturday, according to Islamic injunctions.

238 new cases of #COVID19; 92-Kano 36-FCT 30-Lagos 16-Gombe 10-Bauchi 8-Delta 6-Oyo 5-Zamfara 5-Sokoto 4-Ondo 4-Nasarawa 3-Kwara 3-Edo 3-Ekiti 3-Borno 3-Yobe 2-Adamawa 1-Niger 1-Imo 1-Ebonyi 1-Rivers 1-Enugu 2170 confirmed cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria Discharged: 351 Deaths: 68 Visit https://covid19.ncdc.gov.ng for a breakdown of confirmed cases in each state and other details

The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) says it is currently “struggling” for bed spaces for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in Lagos state which has the highest number of persons infected by coronavirus in Nigeria. There are 947 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lagos alone and 187 of these patients have been discharged after recovering from the disease. Speaking the briefing of the presidential task force on COVID-19 on Thursday, Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of NCDC, said efforts are being made to change strategy in order not to allow the inadequate bed spaces affect the fight against coronavirus. “Lagos is the only place where we are struggling with bed spaces for now. We will always tells Nigerians the truth. We are struggling with bed spaces in Lagos for now,” he said. As of Wednesday, Nigeria had recorded 1,728 cases of coronavirus.

The Federal Government has ordered civil servants from Grade level 14 and above to resume on Monday. In circular by Head of Service of the Federation Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, it said the Federal secretariat complexes have been decontaminated while efforts were ongoing to do same in other public offices. The circular reads: “Further to Mr President’s broadcast on a phased and gradual easing of the lockdown measures occasioned by COVID-19, officers on GL 14 and above and those in essential services are hereby directed to resume work with effect from Monday, 4th of May, 2020 in the first instance.“ Offices are to open three times a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday – and close at 2:00pm on each day.” The circular further advised affected officers to limit the number of visitors they receive while hand- washing facilities should be located at every strategic location within their office premises.

FG’s 740, 000 jobs: I’ll quit Buhari’s govt if politicians hijack process ― Keyamo Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has threatened to resign from the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration if the approved recruitment of 774, 000 people is hijacked by politicians. The Minister, issued the threat on Wednesday while inaugurating the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Extended Special Public Works Across the 774 Local Government Areas of the Federation. Mr. Keyamo who explained that the committee was set up to devise a strategy for the implementation of the job creation, said the pilot scheme was approved to be implemented in five local government areas in eight states of Adamawa, Borno, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Jigawa, Katsina and Kwara. The beneficiaries he said will be engaged in drainage digging and clearance, irrigation canals clearance, rural feeder road maintenance and maintenance of the great green wall nurseries as well as orchards. Others are traf