An Italian man who arrived in Nigeria three days ago has become the African country’s first case of the new novel coronavirus, the health minister said on Friday, as infections spread rapidly worldwide.
The Health Ministry said on Twitter that the case was in the state of Lagos, home to the southwestern commercial capital of the same name. Lagos is the biggest city in Africa’s most populous country, with a population of about 20 million.
“The case … is the first case to be reported in Nigeria since the beginning of the outbreak in China in January,” the health ministry said in its post, adding that the infection was confirmed on Thursday.
The health minister Osagie Ehanire said in a statement that the case was an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and returned from Milan, Italy to Lagos Feb. 25.
His infection was confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
“The patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms,” said the minister, adding that he was being treated at a hospital in the Lagos district of Yaba.
“We have already started working to identify all the contacts of the patient, since he entered Nigeria,” said Ehanire.
The minister said authorities have been strengthening measures to ensure an outbreak in Nigeria is controlled and contained quickly.
There is no cure for the coronavirus, which can lead to pneumonia, and a vaccine may take up to 18 months to develop.
Radical quarantining measures have helped slow the rate of transmission in China of the virus, which can cause pneumonia, but it is picking up pace outside China.
Ehanire said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has activated its national Emergency Operations Centre and will work closely with Lagos State Health authorities to respond to this case and implement firm control measures.
Hopes that the virus would be contained to China vanished on Friday as infections spread, with countries beginning to stockpile medical equipment and investors taking flight in expectation of a global recession.
The virus has so far caused nearly 80,000 infections and almost 2,800 deaths, according official Chinese figures. It has spread to another 46 countries, where about 3,700 cases and 57 deaths have been reported, according to the WHO.
Global News
Friday, February 28, 2020
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Netflix Orders First Nigerian Original From ‘Vaya’ Director Akin Omotoso
The streamer has ordered an as-yet-untitled six-part series that will be directed by Akin, Daniel Oriahi and CJ Obasi.
Starring Kate Henshaw and Ade Laoye, the series is set in contemporary Nigeria and shot in Lagos. It tells the story of Kemi, a goddess reincarnated as a human to avenge her sister’s death. But first, she must learn how to use and harness her superpowers to defeat her enemies and save her family from destruction.
It is produced by Rififi Pictures, producers of Tell Me Sweet Something and Material.
Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said, “Movies like King of Boys, Merry Men and The Bling Lagosian have shown how much our members love Nigerian movies. So, we’re incredibly excited to be investing in Made in Nigeria stories – bringing them to audiences all around the world.”
Dorothy Ghettuba, manager of international originals, who oversees its African original push, added, “Our continent has a wealth of diversity, multiplicity, and beauty in stories that have yet to be told and we want to be top of mind for creators in Nigeria, especially when it comes to stories they haven’t had a chance to tell yet.”
By Peter White
Deadline
The artefact is from Nigeria's south-western Ife city, famous for works depicting royalty and deities of the once-powerful Yoruba kingdom.
The sculpture is of a man sitting cross-legged, wearing a head dress and holding an object.
Customs officers seized it at the main airport in Mexico City.
"A beautiful bronze piece, and being of Nigerian heritage, it should return to its home," said Diego Prietoa, the head of Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History.
The institute verified that the sculpture was of Yoruba origin, and it has been handed to Nigeria's ambassador to Mexico, Aminu Iyaw.
Mexico's foreign ministry said the artefact had been illegally exported.
"We oppose the illegal commercialisation of archaeological pieces, an important cause of the impoverishment of the cultural heritage of the nations of origin, since it undermines the integrity of cultures and, therefore, of humanity," said Julián Ventura Valero, the deputy secretary of foreign affairs.
Officials did not give details about who was behind the attempt to smuggle the sculpture into Mexico, or its exact origins.
BBC
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Video - Young Nigerians shy away from marriage citing economic woes
An increasing number of Nigerians are marrying later in life. A recent publication by a US-based journal suggests that many young adults aspire to be married but are afraid of marriage. Nigerian adults credit this fear to unfavourable economic conditions. CGTN's Kelechi Emekalam has the story.
Holding the wooden paddle in one hand, she stretches the other to take a photo of the church. She then enters the coordinates into her phone.
"I have lived here for all of my life and I still find places I have never seen," Hounkpe said.
Her trips around the floating community dubbed the 'Venice of Africa' are part of a project that seeks to put the renowned slum on the digital map.
A settlement for diaspora
Makoko has a diverse and colorful history and was established when fishermen from nearby Togo and the Republic of Benin settled there about a century ago.
Like much of Lagos, it is highly multicultural; conversations on the floating slum are usually in a language which is a peculiar medley of Yoruba, French, and Egun, a local dialect.
The slum which was initially just a place to fish has grown to be the home for generations of fishermen from neighboring countries.
It is hard to tell how many people reside in Makoko as there has never been an official census carried out there, however, locals estimate more than one million.
But the Lagos government would prefer that Makoko does not exist.
In 2012, the Lagos state government announced plans to demolish the slum and gave a 72-hour eviction notice to the residents.
The stilt structures in the fishing community posed a security risk and undermined the megacity status of the city, Lagos state authorities said in a letter served to the community, local chief Victor Panke told CNN.
The government came with the police and soldiers to evacuate the community and destroy their homes, according to Panke.
A community leader, Timothy Hunpoyanwha, was shot dead by police which led the authorities to pause on the eviction process, Panke said.
Since then, he says Makoko has received subtle threats of eviction and they are watching keenly as other waterside communities are demolished.
"We are still living in the fear of losing our homes and land," he added.
Lagos Commissioner for Physical Planning & Urban Development Idris Salako told CNN that authorities in the state was not behind the eviction of residents in waterfront communities but gave no further details or comment in his response to the allegations.
Fear of looming eviction
The digital mapping project is going some way to allay the fears of Makoko locals who are worried their land is at risk.
Launched in September 2019 by Code for Africa in partnership with Humanitarian OpenStreetMap is working to put Makoko on digital maps in a bid to drive social and financial inclusion.
"We want the community, like other communities in the world, to be available and navigable on maps. From there, new development plans might come" Jacopo Ottaviani, Chief Data Officer Code For Africa told CNN.
To take up this project, young residents of Makoko were taught to pilot drones and populate the map with images from the community. Hounkpe is one of the residents on the project that is also teaching residents how to fly drones.
"For years, Makoko has been ignored by governments of the state. This project is the first part of a conversation around inclusion. We are helping map out Makoko so that governments and other organizations can provide interventions and access to social services like electricity, healthcare, and education." Ottaviani told CNN.
Mass demolitions
In recent years, authorities in Nigeria have embarked on mass demolitions of prime waterfront slums citing safety and security concerns.
Rights activists, who fiercely oppose the decision, say the evictions are carried out often to appease property developers and to create luxury urban dwellings.
More than 30,000 families in Otodo Gbame were left with nowhere to live after they were forcibly evicted, a decision that was ruled unconstitutional by a Lagos High Court in 2017, although many of those who lost their homes are still awaiting justice.
According to Megan Chapman of Justice and Empower Initiative (JEI) the government does not have the right to evict residents from their communities without due process.
"A part of due process in an eviction process is making plans from compensation and resettlement. These communities are evicted without alternatives and the residents are expected to disappear, like they never existed," Chapman said.
Benjamin Aide is the administrator of a primary school - Makoko Dreams, which provides free education to over 200 children in the community.
Aide has also joined the local mapping team to put other landmarks in the community on the map. "I like the maps. It will show the world that we are here and make the government look at how they can help us develop this place." Aide says. But there are fears that the mapping project, while desirable, could attract unwanted attention and leave Makoko vulnerable to new eviction attempts.
Rather, they hope it will spur the authorities into action to assist them in development plans for Makoko.
"We hope this thing will help the government see that we are here and we are a lot of people that have been fending for ourselves for generations," Panke tells CNN.
Informal slums
Despite its status as the fifth largest economy in Africa, the wealth in Lagos remains stubbornly concentrated in the hands of a very few.
It's hard to know exactly how many people live in Lagos. According to the United Nations it is around 14 million people, while the Lagos State government says it's more than 20 million.
More than half of Nigeria's residents live in slum settlements, according to the 2015/2016 Slum Almanac. Nigeria's population, according to the US Census Bureau is growing at a rate of 3.2% a year and is estimated will be at more than 400 million people in 2050.
According to the UN-Habitat report from the United Nations Millennium Development Goals database, the population of Nigerians living in informal slums in urban areas has dropped to 50.2 percent from 77.3 percent in 1990.
Makoko is one of many settlements provides cheap housing alternatives for urban dwellers.
"We have asked that the government come help us out by providing healthcare, electricity, and schools, but we have not heard back from them on anything," Panke says.
An untapped community
The mapping project presents a lifeline for the people of Makoko.
Ottaviani, who is leading the project hopes the maps will help the government understand the social-economic need of residents in the community.
"Makoko has been untapped by the government and this means there is a lot of potential in trade, taxes, and development for the community and for the government."
For Hounkpe, the project has been an opportunity to learn about maps, drones, and her community, but it is a lot more.
"With this mapping project, I know I am fighting for my life and the lives of other people like me in Makoko.
CNN
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