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Strange disease kills 40 in Enugu community
A strange disease has reportedly killed not less than 40 people in Igbo-Eze North Local Government area of Enugu State within a period of one month.
Three residents told TheCable on Thursday that the deaths were recorded from across three communities — Umuokpu, Ete and Ogwurugwu — in the last one month.
It is not immediately clear the cause of the deaths but the residents said victims were mostly youth and reported weakness, fever and headache before passing on.
Emmanuel Obi, the state commissioner of health, did not respond to calls made by TheCable, while Louis Amoke, spokesperson for the governor, said he could not confirm the incident.
An official at the local government, who pleaded anonymity, as he is not authorised to talk to the media, told TheCable they had just received reports of strange deaths from the communities but added that the cause is not known yet but ‘they become weak and suddenly die’
Onoja Boniface, a resident of Umuokpu, told TheCable via phone that at least five people have died from the community while Ete, where the development started, has recorded “more than 40 deaths.”
He said: “It started more than a month ago from Uni Ete, a village in Ete which has common boundary with Umuokpu. There were deaths of youths who might just have headache and before you rush them to hospital, they have died. Sometimes they vomit and die.
“Three days ago, in Ogwurugwu, a young man in the night complained of fever and before he was taken to the hospital, he stopped talking and the next thing, he died. Most of them are reporting fever, headache and weakness.
“My friend in Igogoro also told me about a lady who left Umuokpu and on reaching Igogoro, she started developing symptoms the same day and died.”
He added that there are rare cases of two people dying from the same community as “those dying are from different areas.”
Solomon Onu, a resident and convener of Concerned Igbo-Eze North Youths (CINY), also told TheCable that the communities had suspected a deity when the deaths began but now fear the existence of an unknown disease.
“Why people are raising now and not since is because we were initially attributing it to a deity but now, it has transferred to Umuokpu which has a border with Ete,” he said.
“We are suspecting some kind of diseases because with the way they are dying, it has come from Ete and Umuokpu and both have the same border while another.”
In a statement earlier issued on Wednesday, CINY lamented that health authorities “have not taken control of the situation as at the moment.”
“We, therefore seize this opportunity to urgently call on Igbo-Eze North Supervisory Councillor for Health, the Executive Chairman and Enugu State Ministry of Health to come to the rescue of our people whose lives are being threatened, to stem the spread before further deaths ensue,” the statement read.
When TheCable contacted Obioma Ogiri, the LGA public relations officer, she said she was busy and could not comment on the situation.
A message was later sent to her but no response yet.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is yet to respond to questions about the strange disease.
-TheCable
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Canadian mayor praises Lagos under Tinubu at event honouring Peter Obi
Brampton is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, with a high population of Nigerian immigrants.
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Fubara: I have moved on with governance despite political pressure
Fubara: I have moved on with governance despite political pressure
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has asserted that despite the political turmoil in the state, his administration remains steadfast in providing focused leadership and governance.
During a recent meeting with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, led by Chairman Hon. Mike Etaba, at the government house in Port Harcourt, Fubara emphasized that, as far as his administration and the people of Rivers State are concerned, there are no significant political issues to address.
Reflecting on the challenges posed by the political crisis, Fubara drew inspiration from a movie he watched, “Devil’s Advocate,” where he cited a quote by Al Pacino.
He said, “As far as we are concerned, there are no political issues. I saw a movie many years ago, entitled, ‘Devil’s Advocate.’ I believe some of you must have seen that movie too.
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“One of the starring characters, Al Pacino, said that pressure makes some people retreat or fail, and to others, it makes them focus on succeeding. We have chosen to be focused under this pressure.
“That is why we are moving ahead, making a positive impact on the lives of our people. Governance is about the people, not about self.
“Governance is about touching the core needs of those we are leading, and by the special grace of God, we are doing it.”
“Yesterday, by the special grace of God, we observed the credit line of over 3,066 persons empowered. You can imagine what that will do for the economy of the masses and the state. That is touching the lives of our people. It does not support them for selfish reasons. It does not give a contract because I want somebody to fight somebody in my community. No. This is empowering the economy of the masses and the state.
“Our focus is that, no matter what anybody is doing anywhere, we will not lose focus. We want to leave here better than we met it. And we want to also leave here without fear of anything.”
Fubara: I have moved on with governance despite political pressure
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FG begins disbursement of N50bn grant to small business owners
FG begins disbursement of N50bn grant to small business owners
The Federal Government, FG, says it has started disbursement of N50,000 grants to nano business entrepreneurs.
Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister for Industry, Trade, and Investment, verified this over the weekend, stating that no fewer than 200,000 small business owners have received the payment.
According to her, 800,000 others will receive their incentives before the program ends on May 31.
This will raise the total number of beneficiaries to 1,000,000 Nigerians, split across 774 local government areas.
She explained that about 3.6 million applications were received out of which the beneficiaries were selected randomly from among those who met the conditions.
The minister said N50 billion is available in the 2024 budget for disbursement.
The programme is one of the palliative measures announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in a broadcast on July 31, last year to cushion the pains of petrol subsidy removal.
The President, in the broadcast, said: “Our administration recognises the importance of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the informal sector as drivers of growth. We are going to energise this very important sector.”
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In the broadcast, the President also announced that 75 manufacturing firms will be given N1 billion single-digit interest loans each to reflate their businesses.
Dr. Uzoka-Anite, in response to enquiries by our reporter, said: “The application portal was closed at midnight on April 17. The portal had to be closed due to an overwhelming number of applications totalling over 3.6 million.
“The Bank of Industry is ensuring transparency and accountability in the N50 billion disbursement using NIN, BVN and bank account details for verification to prevent duplication.
“They will also perform physical enumeration to re-verify information, including taking photographs of beneficiaries.
“The time frame for disbursement is the end of May 2024. The requirement for determining the beneficiaries is not based on particular criteria. The goal is to reach 1,290 beneficiaries per local government area across the country totalling one million people.”
On why many of the beneficiaries have not been reached, she explained: “We acknowledge that some of the beneficiaries are getting alert while others are not.
“The disbursement is subject to verification of NIN, which became mandatory after the initial application phase which required only BVN.
“The selection is random and without human intervention from those who have passed their NIN and BVN verification.
FG begins disbursement of N50bn grant to small business owners
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