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Match Day 20: Warri Wolves Claim a Point at Sporting FC

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Area News Nigeria
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Warri Wolves claimed a priceless point at Sporting FC of Lagos on Matchday 20 of the Nigeria National League, NNL, on Wednesday.

The keenly contested tie had ended in a 1 – 1 draw, but it will strengthen the Seasiders’ resolve to press on in their promotion quest to the NPFL.

The early exchanges in the first half indicated that the tie was delicately poised for a long walk, as the two teams could not create clear cut chances to score.

The home team opened scoring through Gbolahan Mustapha four minutes after kick off the second half.

Warri Wolves’ defender Simon Segun had missed his clearance when Mustapha pounced on the loose ball to put Sporting FC 1 – 0 ahead.

With their zeal not dampened, Warri Wolves got their own equalizer 26 minutes later.

Tega Ebetomame, pushed by sheer determination, dispossessed one of the Sporting FC defenders of the ball and quickly released a precise pass to Philip Archibong on the edge of the box.

Archibong struck the ball against the body frame of the Sporting FC goalkeeper, Ekoi Agbor.

Racing from midfield, substitute Falolu Azeez hit the rebound to the bottom left corner.

Six minutes later, Sporting FC almost rattled the Seasiders, as Gbolahan Mustapha saw his well drilled set piece hit the woodwork.

The home team three minutes thereafter came calling again with another opportunity to race into the lead.

Mustapha played the ball beyond Wolves’ goalie, Joshua Oladeji, but Simon Segun stood firmly on the goal line and headed the ball out for a corner kick.

In the 86 minutes, Oladeji was called to duty when Sporting FC skipper Raji Usman’s effort drew an acrobatic save from the Warri Wolves’ goalkeeper.

A final push from a corner kick execution in the 88 minutes was dealt with by Oladeji, who made a low dive to parry it.

Warri Wolves will take the positives from the 1 – 1 draw with Sporting FC to their Matchday 21 encounter at home on Sunday, June 26, as the seasiders will play Ottasolo FC of Lagos.

Hope for people co-infected with visceral leishmaniasis , HIV

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Area News Nigeria
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its guidelines for the treatment of people co-infected with visceral leishmaniasis and HIV, to recommend better treatments based on the results of two studies conducted by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and their partners in Ethiopia and India.

In Ethiopia, the new treatment strategy was shown to have an 88% efficacy rate at the end of therapy (after 58 days), whereas the efficacy of the current standard treatment was 55% in the trial. In India, the new treatment regimen was efficacious for 96% of cases after 210 days, while a lower rate of 88% was observed for cases receiving the standard treatment.

‘These are outstanding results, considering the difficulties to achieve treatment response in patients affected by both visceral leishmaniasis and HIV. The new WHO guidelines are a significant step that will greatly improve the lives of patients who are affected by both diseases and who are suffering from stigma, ostracization, loss of income, and repeated relapses,’ said Dr Fabiana Alves, Director of NTDs (Neglected Tropical Diseases) Leishmaniasis and Mycetoma at DNDi.

People living with HIV are 100 to 2,300 times more likely to develop visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar, a neglected tropical disease that is transmitted by the bite of a sandfly and causes fever, weight loss, and intense fatigue. It is often fatal if left untreated.

‘It is often hard to treat people living with these two diseases, because their weakened immune systems do not respond well to standard treatments. These patients have more frequent and more severe side effects from the treatment, higher risk of having another episode of visceral leishmaniasis in the future, and higher risk of death. The new treatment, now included in WHO guidelines, greatly increases their chance of being cured during a visceral leishmaniasis occurrence,’ said Dr Rezika Mohammed, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Gondar, who was the Principal Investigator of the study in Ethiopia.

In Ethiopia, young seasonal migrant workers, who work in large farms and are exposed to sandflies bites, are some of the people most at risk of co-infection. Apart from the low efficacy of the standard treatments for this patient population, they also often relapse, stay in hospitals for long periods, lose their income, and fall deeper into poverty. They may also be ostracized by their co-workers and communities and sometimes even by their own family members.

In some districts of the Indian state of Bihar – India’s most endemic state – up to 20% of adults diagnosed with visceral leishmaniasis are co-infected with HIV. These co-infected patients serve as a reservoir for visceral leishmaniasis, which is hampering sustainable elimination efforts in the country.

The current standard treatment for visceral leishmaniasis/HIV co-infection consists of single injections of liposomal amphotericin B (LAmB). The new treatment course is a combination of the oral treatment miltefosine and LAmB; it was shown to have a significantly better efficacy rate in two clinical studies conducted in India by MSF and in Ethiopia by DNDi and supported by other partners.

‘For the first time, patients with visceral leishmaniasis/HIV co-infection will be treated with evidence-based treatment. This is an important step towards recognising these patients as highly vulnerable both from a clinical and social perspective; improving their management will benefit both patients and the visceral leishmaniasis elimination programme. However, there remains a lot to be done; these patients present with multiple complex medical issues that need to be addressed holistically, including a very high prevalence of TB,’ said Dr Sakib Burza, Medical Advisor and study coordinator at MSF.

India, Ethiopia, and other countries where both diseases are endemic are expected to adapt their own treatment guidelines in the future to include the new treatment recommended by the WHO.

‘This new treatment is excellent news, as it reduces the use of injectable drugs and significantly increases the chances for patients to be cured. It recommends intermittent administration over 14 days, which earlier was 38 days. We are proud of this achievement,’ said Dr Krishna Pandey, Director, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute and the Principal Investigator in the study.

Research to find an even better treatment will continue.

‘The new combination treatment still relies on miltefosine, an oral drug that can potentially affect the development of the embryo in pregnant women; and liposomal amphotericin B, a drug given as an infusion that can be delicate to administer and requires hospitalization and monitoring. Lengthy hospital stays or frequent ambulatory hospital visits can be challenging for some patients and may result in substantial loss of income for both patient and caregiver,’ said Dr Monique Wasunna, DNDi Eastern Africa Regional Director, in Nairobi, Kenya.

Patients with visceral leishmaniasis still need improved, safe, and efficacious treatments. That is why DNDi and its partners are continuing their efforts to develop a treatment that will be completely oral, safe, and efficacious – a drug that can be taken at the primary health care level, which will allow health workers to reach all people affected by visceral leishmaniasis.

The clinical trial in Ethiopia was financially supported by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through KfW, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, UK Aid, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), MSF International, and the Medicor Foundation. The trial in India was funded by MSF Spain.

Nigerian superstar, Davido gives 5 years scholarship to Ghanaian student

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Area News Nigeria
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Nigerian music star David Adeleke popularly known as Davido has given a Ghanaian student a five-year scholarship to Adeleke University.

The music star made this known via his Twitter page on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.

“We have contacted Suleyman who lives in Ghana and he has been given a full 4/5 year scholarship to Adeleke university .. accommodation and allowance included! God bless y’all .. #wrblo,” he tweeted.

This is coming hours after someone tweeted about the young man’s inability to further his education despite scoring all As at the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

 

In a tweet that went viral, it was reported that the young man has been unable to further his education because of his financial status.

 

 

Happy birthday to a great Achiever Hon. Chief Dr. Thomas Ereyitomi JP

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Area News Nigeria
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By: Celestine Ukah

Happy birthday to a great Achiever Hon.Chief Dr. Thomas Ereyitomi JP   

Hon. Chief Dr. Thomas Ereyitomi JP Member House of Reps/ PDP Candidate Warri Federal Constituency.

 

Over 60 thousand Nigerians to benefit from Rotary family health days free screening

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Area News Nigeria
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Over Sixty thousand Nigerians across the country are set to benefit from a two-day free health screening exercise tagged ‘Family Health Days’ organised by Rotary Action Group for Family Health Aids Prevention, Rotary International, District 9110 comprising Lagos and Ogun states.

The programme kicks off on Thursday, June 23 and ends on Friday, June 24, 2022.

The two-day event was flagged off by the District Governor, Rotarian Remi Bello at Rotary Centre, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
He said the whole exercise which borders on early detection of ailment thorough medical check-up and screening, had been successfully carried out for the past ten years by the District with adequate follow-up.

“The rate at which people seek early attention and diagnosis these days is better than what it used to be. This is proof that we had successfully created awareness and achieved our objective,” he said.

The National Coordinator, Rotary Family Health Days, Nigeria, Past District Governor, Rotarian Bola Oyebade, said there are 60 centres across the country, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with 36 across Lagos and the Ogun States where simultaneously, health checks and screening of prostate cancer, diabetes and glucose level, hypertension and malaria tests, among others would take place within the two days.A

ccording to Oyebade, more than one million Nigerians had benefitted from the exercise since it started in 2012.

ASUU Strike: FG Denies Planning Different Payment methodology

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Area News Nigeria
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The Federal Government Wednesday has denied planning different payment methodology platform for all the trade unions in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the weekly federal executive council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa.

He assured that efforts were on to resolving the ongoing face-off between government and ASUU and other university-based unions over payment platform soon.

He said contrary to insinuations that the government was not engaging with Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), there have been series of meetings between all parties with the next one coming up on Thursday, June 23.

Recall that ASUU had insisted on the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) it created, claiming that the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) was short-changing university teachers.

The Federal Government had in March said UTAS failed three integrity tests.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU) had also Universities Peculiar Personnel Payroll System (UPPPS), as their own payment platform..

10 Reasons Why I Support the Atiku-Okowa Ticket

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Area News Nigeria
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Dear citizens of Nigeria,

Our party has finally picked an able Vice Presidential candidate in Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. As it stands, we now have the most balanced ticket in Nigeria. It is Muslim-Christian ticket. It is a strong Northern-Southern ticket. We are for secularism, where religion is separate from government. We have a VP with one leg in the Southeast and the other in the South-South. Nigerians, we are ready, and we humbly beg for your votes.

So, why should you vote for Atiku as President on February 25, 2023? I will give you 10 reasons.

1. Support Atiku because he creates jobs. He co-founded INTELS, one of the largest oil and gas/ports logistics firms in Africa, in the 80s. His Priam group employs more people than most state governments. Creating jobs for Nigeria’s youth will end insecurity!

2. Support Atiku because he is a lover of education, who established the American University of Nigeria, Yola. Through that institution, he gave scholarships to indigent students, including #ChibokGirls. What that proves is that he loves education and would fund ASUU and ASUP!

3. Support Atiku because he personifies the brand of politics Nigeria has yearned for since Independence from Great Britain, which can be summarised as secular, free market based, and private sector led. He believes in meritocracy and wants to restructure Nigeria, bringing true federalism

4. Atiku is healthy. He plays football. He works out at the gym. He is social and cosmopolitan. He develops his mind and just finished a Master’s programme from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, The United Kingdom’. His age and health are not suspicious. He is ready to govern!

5. For Nigerian workers, you need to know that not only does Atiku employ more people than most state governments, he also plays them above minimum wage. If he pays his private workers minimum wage, he will look after you and pay minimum wage if you elect him!

6. Atiku has good experience. He served Nigeria for 20 years in the Nigerian Customs Service. Upon retirement, he went into private business and flourished. He fought Abacha and was exiled to London. He returned to Nigeria while Abacha was alive to fight for democracy on the home front. He became a democratically elected Vice President. He is tailor made to be President!

7. Support Atiku because he led the Economic Management Team that paid off Nigeria’s debt, and privatised the telecom sector, and cement industry, that exploded our GDP and created jobs. He did it before and he can do it even better again now Nigeria is broke.

8. Vote for Atiku because he brought in effective technocrats into government and led the Obasanjo administration’s efforts to restore peace, and reestablish law and order during the Sharia crisis of 2000. Nigeria needs technocrats and peace. Atiku is your man for the job

9. Choose Atiku because while he was Vice President, Nigeria paid off her foreign debts. Today, Nigeria is a heavily indebted nation, owing ₦46 trillion. We even borrow to pay salaries. We need someone like Atiku, who can create wealth to repay those loans.

10. Finally, Nigeria is a multi ethnic/religious nation. We need someone that understands the complex nature of our diversity and knows how to manage it. That person is Atiku, a Northerner who spent all his professional life in Southern Nigeria and married a Southerner.

My name is Reno Omokri, and I support the Atiku-Okowa ticket, because I know from personal experience that they will provide Jobs, create Opportunities, and Secure Nigeria.

#Reno

2023: Mafiana extols Onyeme’s qualities as Deputy Governorship candidate to Oborevwori, says Delta in prosperous pace

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Area News Nigeria
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By: Celestine Ukah 

The Executive Assistant on Political Matters to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Mafiana has extolled the qualities of the PDP Deputy Governorship Candidate, Sir Monday Onyeme as a thorough breed and good choice by the party for the state.

Dr. Mafiana noted that with the kind of passion and dedication to duty as Chairman Delta State Internal Revenue Board has brought the state to better economic resources prudent management, thereby helping the government to channel resources where necessary for effective development project results.

He described the Delta PDP Deputy Governorship Candidate, Dr. Onyeme as a loyal party man, very dedicated, totally committed, well respected, and truly beloved in the PDP family, hence his emergence not surprising as he will deliver in the time ahead.

The Executive Assistant Political Matters to the Governor stressed that with the combination of Sir Onyeme to the Speaker Delta State House of Assembly and PDP Governorship flagbearer, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori signifies that Delta is in prosperous direction as set by Okowa administration in the state.

 

Dr. Mafiana congratulated Sir Onyeme and urged all Deltans to rally round PDP as PDP is Delta ruling party and hope for sustained development.

A strong advocate for good governance and social justice, Dr. Peretengboro

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Area News Nigeria
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A strong advocate for good governance and social justice, Dr. Peretengboro Klintin Bibaikefie has expressed his disappointment over what he termed a recurrence of violence against students by the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC).

This is coming on the heels of the unwarranted firing of live shots into the air and teargas at students whose only crime was to peacefully protest the extended delay in the disbursement of the 2019 DESOPADEC Bursery.

In his words; “We cannot continue to pay lip services to our love for education when government and her institutions at all levels only responds to education related matters as a last resort.

“One of us was short at and the Itsekiri Students’ President was axed in the head back in 2008, when we embarked on a similar protest over the delay to roll out the maiden version of the DESOPADEC Foreign Scholarship and Bursary Payment.

“We were forced to match to the governor office annex at Edjeba, to call for the desolation of the commission’s board, before the then Chairman, Chief Wellington Okrika budged, after Governor Uduaghan called him and his board to order.

“It is therefore very sad to hear that the same barbarism is still being perpetrated in this age and time.

“The leadership of the board must as a matter of urgency, rise to their responsibilities, apologize to the students for the delayed disbursement of the bursary and rash treatment netted out on them, pay all outstanding bursary and sundry payments, investigate who gave the order for the police to shoot and who was the policeman involved, and take necessary disciplinary actions.

As at today, a public statement on whether or not the commission is owing any such bursaries exists and what transpired on June 15, 2022 at their premises, is still being expected from the commission.

Atiku-Okowa ticket, focused on recovering Nigeria from abyss – Aniagwu

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Area News Nigeria
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Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa for the 2023 general election were focused on recovering Nigeria from the deep mess created by the seven years of rudderless leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

He said that the Atiku-Okowa ticket is a ticket for recovery aimed at bringing Nigeria back to winning ways, uniting the country and giving jobs back to the youths.

Aniagwu who stated this at a news conference in Asaba on Monday, lauded the media for their contributions to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s emergence as Vice-Presidential flag-bearer of the party.

He stressed that the party was devoted to building infrastructure which had suffered abysmally on account of the APC government not understanding what development was all about.

Flanked by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Olisa Ifeajika, the Information Commissioner remarked that “the honour done to the governor is not for the governor alone but the entire Southern Nigeria and the rest of the country.

“The Atiku-Okowa is a ticket that is going to restore our country to become a much more secured country and to restore the economy of the nation.

“They both understand economic issues and the need to bring in many persons on board irrespective of their political persuasions.

“The Atiku-Okowa ticket is already moving because while they are busy looking for a place holder, the PDP already have its candidate.

“INEC gave the timetable at the same time, while others are still searching for running mates, the PDP has shown that they are ready because they understand the issues,” he said.

Responding to the allegation by the Ovie Omo-Agege campaign organisation in Delta, Aniagwu urged the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege to concentrate on what he intends to do if elected and stop chasing shadows.

“We read in some quarters of the media that he is alleging that Okowa betrayed Southern Nigeria by accepting to be running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

“The quest of the Deputy President of the Senate to govern our state is within his constitutional rights to aspire and we do not begrudge him just as it is the right of every other Deltan to want to contribute to the development of the state.

“But you will recall that we told him to tell Deltans what he is going to bring on board. So for Ima Niboro to constantly progress in error is to say the least unbecoming of some persons who think he wants to govern a sate as cosmopolitan and as advanced as Delta State.

“The last time I checked Senator Ovie Omo-Agege belongs to a political party called the APC, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa belongs to the PDP.

“By our constitution for you to aspire to hold any political office, particularly at the elective level you must belong to a political party because our constitution at the moment does not recognise independent candidacy.

“The political parties are governed by both the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the rules of engagement that are very well stated in these political parties.

“Those rules defines how an aspirant can emerge a standard bearer. You cannot be in Leventis and determine how they are paying salaries in UAC. It does not follow the same rule,”

Aniagwu said the Director of Communications of the Ovie Omo-Agege campaign organisation was a failed presidential spokesman hence he was replaced in 2011.

“Our brother, Ima Niboro who couldn’t help his former principal, the former president of Nigeria to canvass what the man was doing between 2010 and 2011 which is why he was replaced when the man won election.

“If he was doing so well am not too sure if he would have been replaced then as presidential spokesman so I wonder why Senator Omo-Agege would want to elevate a man who failed woefully in projecting his boss.

“He is already failing again because I have not read anywhere he has put forward what Senator Omo-Agege intends to do if elected as governor and I think that should have been his responsibility.

“Betrayal of who? The PDP as a political party met at the NEC level and resolved that given the circumstances of the party in opposition that they were going to leave the ticket of the presidency open to everybody to contest.

“Nobody kicked against that as both Northerners and Southerners contested but somebody won in this case Former Vice-President, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar won fair and square creditably.

“Delegates of the party chose him from across the country and by the provisions of our laws once you win and you become a presidential candidate, your candidacy cannot be validated until you nominate a running mate for that ticket to be complete,”

Aniagwu further averred that leaders of the party and the flag-bearer examined a whole number of persons in the southern part of the country and found our governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa very well qualified to be able to bring a whole lot of value to that ticket.

“He is bringing on board values in terms of the developmental initiatives, values in terms of his presidential disposition and his appreciation of the many challenges that confronts us as a country.

“The Vice-Presidential ticket is not a position of contest, Okowa didn’t buy form to contest for Vice President.

“If Omo-Agege and his campaign organisation does not have what to tell Deltans as to what they are bringing to the table, they should leave Senator Okowa alone.

“We know they are already intimidated by the rising profile of Senator Okowa. Okowa’s selection as Vice-Presidential candidate is a product of the appreciable progress and the many milestones we have achieved in the last seven years,” he added.

On the alleged N25 billion naira loan, Aniagwu mocked the APC for lacking knowledge of governance, adding that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have assisted a number of persons across sectors.

“The role of the state government is to guarantee the farmers and to assure the CBN that the farmers are credible enough to pay back at the appropriate time.

“To ensure that the individuals the funds would be given to will be able to use it judiciously for the CBN to get back its funds.

“Delta State Government being a responsible government decided to guarantee our farmers so that the CBN can make the funds available for the farmers to increase their yield.

“How does that become a wrong decision of government? The fund is coming from CBN, they only need the state to have a buy-in to agree that once the money gets to the farmers it would be used for the purpose it was meant for.

“Is the APC in Delta expecting that we will keep quiet because they don’t understand governance and allow the funds to go to other states and farmers in those states would be making progress and ours we have to fold their hands?

On the N150bn bridging finance, the Information Commissioner said the state government was yet to access the facility because Federal government was yet to commence the process of repatriation of the funds.

He urged the opposition to stop talking about the N150 billion in isolation and also be concerned about the projects the funds were earmarked for, adding that “until the refunds starts coming in, we will not proceed to approach the bank.”

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