Author: tdpel

A Twitter user has announced that Davido has been fined £340,000 for passing 11pm curfew at O2 Arena.

He said “Davido was suppose to finish his concert at the O2 @ 11pm. The O2 have a strict 11pm curfew. For every minute you go past 11pm you have to pay £10,000. Davido said he don’t care. He finished the concert at 23:34. That’s £340,000 fine.”

See tweet below

Davido was suppose to finish his concert at the O2 @ 11pm. The O2 have a strict 11pm curfew. For every minute you go past 11pm you have to pay £10,000. Davido said he don’t care. He finished the concert at 23:34. That’s £340,000 fine. Mental! 😂😂#DavidoO2

— Marvin Abbey 📈 (@marvinabbey) March 6, 2022

By Abujah Racheal

The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) says its new campus in Abuja is meant to provide a platform for collaborative research and partnerships for quality health services for Nigerians.

The institute’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Patrick Dakum, gave the assurance in Abuja when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Sunday.

Dakum said that the newly completed campus, a seven-storey twin tower in Abuja that would house the International Research Centre of Excellence (IRCE), would promote care and treatment, capacity building and research into infectious and non-infectious diseases in Nigeria.

He added that the building was equipped with hematology, chemistry, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), microbiology, biorepository and gene sequencing laboratories, training centre and office spaces.

According to him, IHVN will continue to drive equitable access to health for both individuals and communities through innovative and evidence-based strategies.

Dakum recalled that the institute received support from partners and corporate organisations during its fundraising and ground-breaking ceremonies for the structure in March and November, 2016.

He added that “the structure represents the possibilities that are attainable in a public-private partnership with the health of Nigerians as the focus.

“The IRCE would encourage mentorship and training on global health methodology, epidemiology, scientific and medical ethics, clinical trials, among other areas.”

The chief executive officer said that the institute was committed to the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and other diseases across the country.

He said: “our efforts have continued to yield results since our establishment in 2004. We have tested more than 15 million individuals for HIV, enrolled over 540,000 clients on treatment for HIV, provided treatment for more than 50,000 individuals with tuberculosis and drug-resistant tuberculosis.

“We have also improved infrastructure of more than 300 health facilities, contributed to the establishment of national reference laboratories, as well as supported over 100 laboratories in the country.

“In the area of capacity building, we have trained close to 50,000 healthcare providers since inception, as well as carried out quality research. All these have strengthened healthcare practices and the system.

“With support of our funders like the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. National Institute of Health, among others, we have made giant strides.

“This tower reflects our commitment to do more,” he said. (NAN)

By Ikenna Osuoha

The Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) is fully indigenous and operating as an organisation, its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Patrick Dakum, says.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday that the institute, since inception in 2004, had remained indigenous for the provision of quality healthcare for Nigerians through collaboration with the University of Maryland in the U.S.

We are fully indigenous. We collaborate with the University of Maryland in the U.S. and other partners through memorandum of understanding.

“We will continue to get technical support from University of Maryland in the area of programme implementation and HIV surveillance.”

Dakum, who said that the institute had qualified virologists and reputable scientists from Nigeria as researchers, including Prof. Emeritus Umaru Shehu as Chairman of the board, noted that Shehu was one of the researchers at the forefront of the eradication of small pox.

He added that IHVN’s collaboration with the University of Maryland was quite wide.

By Ikenna Osuoha

The Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) has restated its commitment toward achieving a HIV-free Nigeria by the year 2030.

The Chief Executive Officer of the institute, Dr Patrick Dakum, gave the assurance when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Sunday.

Dakum said the institute was working in partnership with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the Federal Ministry of Health to achieve the global goal of 95-95-95.

Nigeria is striving to meet UNAIDS goal of 95-95-95 by 2030, which is a global target.

He explained that “it means that 95 per cent of persons should be tested; the 95 per cent who tested positive are placed on treatment and 95 per cent of persons achieve viral suppression, making the virus undetectable.”

According to him, the undetectable level of HIV depends on the kind of machine used, saying that the country has 1.8 million people living with the virus.

The IHVN boss, who commended the country in general and NACA for containing the spread of the virus, said “Nigeria has done pretty well and government has been providing coordinating mechanism through NACA.

“If you look at what we have done in placing people on treatment, it is close to half a million.”

The chief executive officer noted that the institute, in a bid to ensure a healthy Nigeria, tested about 13 million people.

“We have tested about 3.5 million pregnant women too, so it is wide.”

He affirmed the determination of the institute to support vulnerable groups, especially women and women.

By Abujah Racheal

The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has advised the Federal Government to convert the COVID-19 pandemic isolations centres across the country to Emergency Infectious Disease Centres for future outbreaks.

The Chief Executive Officer of the institute, Dr Patrick Dakum, gave the advice in Abuja at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Sunday.

NAN reports that an isolation unit ensures that healthcare staff and the centres are equipped to deal with infectious disease outbreaks.

In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, the Federal Government, with the intervention of the Coalition Against COVID-19 and other partners, improvised and created the best possible equipped isolation centres across the country.

Dakum, therefore, said such centres could be converted to function as high-level isolation units for any infectious diseases even when COVID-19 was over.

He added: “I always give an example of the country doing this at the point where it had Ebola then.

“I went to the United States of America and decided to visit an Ebola isolation centre just to learn what they were doing. There was no Ebola then, they only had one or two cases.

“Suddenly, there was a demonstration on how to respond to Ebola outbreak in future, with personnel in their full Personal Protective Equipment.

“So I think the systems that we have developed for the response, the equipment that we have, I hope you know that the GeneXpert machine that we’re using for tuberculosis detection could be used for COVID-19 test also.

“Some of these equipment just need a change of cartridge so we now have a widespread deployment of that equipment.”

He explained that the GeneXpert machines were used in the country for tuberculosis detection “but more were procured and developed to be used for both tuberculosis and COVID-19 across the country.

“We also got ventilators that are not just for COVID-19 but for respiratory distress.”

Dakum also advised that “now that the country has a team for creating awareness on the COVID-19 pandemic, the team can also create awareness on other diseases.

“The methodologies used for behavioural change can also be used for other diseases.”

By Ikenna Osuoha

The Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) announced on Sunday that surveillance was a key component of the techniques used by the institute to collate data for cancer.

The Chief Executive Officer of the institute, Dr Patrick Dakum, made the announcement when he featured at the flagship interview forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Dakum said the institute had over time, applied surveillance in not only collating data but knowing the pendulum of cancer infections.

“We use surveillance to monitor cancer, to know whether it is going up or down and to know where it has more prevalence.

“This will help in planning. When we say we want to support in cancer prevention, we will be able to predict correctly where and what type of cancer we are talking about.”

The virologist, who reiterated the imperatives of surveillance in the fight against cancer, said the institute had capacity for providing information needed in allocation of resources for curative and preventive interventions.

According to him, in IHVN, one of the things we do is to train people that are manning registries in adequate collation of data.

“You go to the urologist to get data about prostate cancer.”

Dakum affirmed the determination of the institute to continue to work in synergy with the Federal Ministry of Health in streamlining cancer registries.

He assured that the institute had the capacity at the moment to give accurate data on incidences of cancer in the country. (NAN)

By Ikenna Osuoha

Dr Patrick Dakum, the Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN), has asserted the capacity of the institute to predict pandemics.

Dakum made the assertion at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

He also expressed the readiness of the institute to check the spread of any epidemic in partnership with relevant stakeholders through a multi-country research grant.

He said “we have a research grant to look at COVI-19. We are to predict pandemics; we don’t want pandemics to take us unawares.

“It is a multi-country research grant in collaboration with researchers in University of Maryland in the U.S and in Africa.”

Dakum, who also restated the commitment of the institute to ensure quality healthcare to Nigerians, said IHVN was more interested in the outcome.

According to him, the target is to reduce morbidity and mortality rate in the country.

He emphasised the benefits of stronger collaboration with relevant stakeholders for improved healthcare for Nigerians, saying “IHVN is a research centre of excellence, we have this kind of llaboratories hat will provide services from molecular pathology.

“We are currently housing researchers for the rest of West Africa, funded by the U.S Government.”

He explained that a research centre was not necessarily built around equipment but the quality of researchers.

He noted that the institute would continue to complement Federal Ministry of Health’s efforts toward achieving a healthy nation. (NAN)

By Racheal Abujah

A leading Virologist, Dr Patrick Dakum, has advised African countries that therapeutic interventions for COVID-19 should be specifically evaluated among children and adolescents with severe COVID-19.

Dakum who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN), gave the advice in Abuja on Sunday when he featured at a forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

A study conducted by researchers at the institute and the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria showed that children and adolescents in Africa, hospitalised with COVID-19 often experienced high death rates.

The study was entitled: “Assessment of Clinical Outcomes among Children and Adolescents Hospitalised with COVID-19 in six sub-Saharan African Countries.”

It was conducted in collaboration with AFREhealth (the African Forum for Research and Education in Health), a consortium of cross-disciplinary health personnel across Africa.

The study revealed that African children less than a year old and with pre-existing non-communicable diseases were more likely to have poorer outcomes, including intensive care requirement and often die eventually.

The study collected data from 25 health facilities across Nigeria, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

It sampled 469 African children and adolescents aged three months to 19 years hospitalised with COVID-19 between March and December 2020.

The study reported high overall mortality rate of 8.3 per cent, compared to one per cent or less, reported from Europe and North America.

Dakum explained that the high morbidity and mortality among hospitalised African children and adolescents with COVID-19 suggested that this population could be targeted for prompt COVID-19 vaccination when vaccines become available across the continent.

According to him, children and adolescents have previously always been considered to have less severe diseases and therefore, have not been prioritised in vaccination programmes.

“This study offers a new perspective on that notion,” he asserted.

The virologist noted that the study had therefore, called on governments across the continent to act fast, to prevent children from further having complications resulting to deaths as a result of the disease.

He said that the study had provided an important information about COVID-19 among African children that was not previously available.

“We now have evidence from multiple countries to show that African children also experienced severe COVID-19.

“They experience multi-system inflammatory syndrome, some require intensive care and some also die at much higher rates than outside Africa,” Dakum said.

While urging governments in the continent to act upon the study findings, he said this was to enable the continent protect children.

“We cannot leave children behind in our COVID-19 pandemic response.

“The data from Dr Sam-Agudu and AFREhealth collaborators puts science from Nigeria and the rest of Africa squarely on the map for pandemic-responsive research, particularly for young populations.

“We will continually work towards contributing to research discoveries in Nigeria, West Africa and beyond,” Dakum assured. (NAN)

By Racheal Abujah

The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) is utilising a multi-country research consortium to improve maternal and newborn health in conflict-affected areas in Nigeria.

The Chief Executive Officer of the institute, Dr Patrick Dakum, made the disclosure in Abuja on Sunday when he featured at the flagship News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum.

NAN reports that with funding by UK Aid and the UK Government, an 11.3-million-dollar contract will be led by the consortium, comprising the International Rescue Committee (IRC) alongside IHVN and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Others are the Johns Hopkins university-wide Centre for Humanitarian Health, the Somali Research and Development Institute and Université Catholique de Bukavu (Democratic Republic of Congo).

The partnership, tagged “Ensuring Quality Access and Learning for Mothers and Newborns in Conflict-Affected Contexts (EQUAL)”, would work to identify and fill evidence gaps that could ultimately improve policies, programming and outcomes for mothers and newborns.

The five-year project will focus its research around the day of birth and the first week of life — the time frame with the highest number of newborn deaths globally.

In 2019 alone, 2.4 million babies died in the first month of life, 75 per cent of which occurred in the first week.

Dakum said that the consortium would conduct research in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, North East Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan — countries and regions where maternal and newborn mortality rates rank among the highest globally.

He explained that “in Nigeria for example, 35 newborn babies die out of every 1,000 live births, a devastating statistic that is nearly 10 times higher than the risk faced by newborns in high-income countries.”

Dakum said that in addition to delivering cutting-edge research, EQUAL would invest in opportunities for partners and key stakeholders to share expertise and strengthen technical, research and operational capacities.

“This includes dedicated training and mentorship for female researchers as well as using the research findings to help inform national health policies and guidelines.”

He said that the five-year project would focus its research around the day of birth and the first week of life — the timeframe with the highest number of newborn deaths globally.

He said that in Nigeria, IHVN would collaborate with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, the Government of Yobe and the Faculty of Shehu Sule College of Nursing and Midwifery, to conduct research on the quality of midwifery education and practice.

“Specifically, we will conduct a five-year assessment of the recently implemented Community Midwifery programme, to examine the effectiveness these midwives have in addressing gaps in maternal and neo-natal health in Yobe State’s rural communities.

“Of particular interest are factors affecting midwifery workforce, participation, retention, performance and personal resilience during periods of increased insecurity,” he stated. (NAN) (www:nannews.ng)

The answer to the question of what is going to happen to Ukraine after the end of the special military operation lies in Russian President Putin has recently said.

It appears that Putin is anticipating the negotiations with the current government of Ukraine to fail.

After nationalist sentiments in Ukraine subside to the marginal level that is not going to spread beyond people’s homes, Russia, as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, will give “all peoples living on the territory of modern Ukraine an opportunity to freely, without being driven into the grip of Bandera psychology, determine their future fate.

The new government in Ukraine will then hold a number of referendums in all regions of the country, similarly to how it was done in DPR and LPR republics, but this is not going to happen in a year or two. It will most likely be possible when Russia rebuilds its economic ties with Ukraine.

This suggests that Russia plans on carrying on this offensive for as long as it takes.

“I once again appeal to the military personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine: do not allow neo-Nazis and Bandera supporters use your children, wives and elderly people as human shields!

Take power in your own hands! It appears that it will be easier for us to negotiate with you rather than with this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis, who established themselves in Kiev and took the entire Ukrainian people hostage,” Putin said on February 25 at an urgent meeting with members of the Russian Security Council.

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