Category News

UBA to Provide N5 Billion(U$14 million) to COVID-19 Relief Support Across Africa

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UBA House

United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) today announced a donation of over 5 billion Naira (USD14 million), through the UBA Foundation, to catalyse a comprehensive pan-African response to the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic.

The donation will provide significant and much-needed support to Nigeria and 19 other African countries, by supplying relief materials, critical care facilities, and financial support to Governments. The UBA support programme will be allocated as follows:

  • N1 billion (USD2.8 million) to Lagos State Government in Nigeria
  • N500 million (USD1.4 million) to Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja
  • N1 billion (USD2.8 million) to the remaining 35 states in Nigeria
  • N1.5 billion (USD4.2 million) to UBA’s presence countries in Africa
  • N1 billion (USD2.8 million) for Medical Centres with equipment and supplies
  • Free Telemedicine call centre facility

The pan-African bank will fund a medical centre immediately in Lagos, Nigeria, with beds for isolation and ICU facilities, managed and operated in partnership with Heirs Holdings’ healthcare subsidiary, Avon Medical Hospital.

In addition, UBA is providing a free telemedicine platform, that is physician-led, to provide direct access to medical advice to citizens, in compliance with social distancing requirements.

UBA Group Chairman Tony O. Elumelu, stated ‘This is a time when we must all play our part.  This global pandemic must bring citizens, governments and business leaders together – and quickly. As we see a rapidly increasing number of cases of the coronavirus in Nigeria and Africa, the private sector has to work hand in hand with various Governments, in stemming the spread of the global pandemic.

We commend the efforts of governments and we are keen to partner and contribute our resources to the collective effort, that will ensure the response to the pandemic is swift and effective’.

Operating in 20 African countries and globally in the United Kingdom, the United States and France, the United Bank for Africa has a strong record of supporting its communities, through challenging times. 

India death toll rises after worst violence in decades

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Days after India experienced its worst violence in decades – the death toll is still rising.

At least 47 people lost their lives and more than 350 were injured during riots over a new citizenship bill seen as discriminatory towards Muslims.

Police are now being accused of enabling mobs and preventing wounded Muslims from getting help.

Al Jazeera’s Tony Birtley reports from New Delhi.

Qatar evacuates citizens from Iran over coronavirus fears

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No coronavirus cases have been reported in Qatar, according to the GCO [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Qatar has evacuated all its citizens in Iran over coronavirus fears and brought them back to Doha, the Government Communications Office (GCO) confirmed in a press release.

All those brought back on Thursday will be quarantined in a local hotel for 14 days.

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“A hotel has been set up as a quarantine facility to be used by the Qatari citizens for a 14-day period and will be cared for and monitored by medical. Additionally, they have also been provided with all necessities,” the statement read.

The GCO reiterated that no cases of the novel coronavirus had been diagnosed in Qatar and “encouraged individuals to refer to official information and to not rely on or distribute unconfirmed or unofficial information”.

The coronavirus has steadily spread in the Middle East over the past week, with Iran reporting the highest number of cases – 388 confirmed cases and 34 deaths as of Friday.

Coronavirus in Middle East

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the first country in the Middle East to register a case of the disease, known as COVID-19.

On January 29, the UAE’s health ministry said four members of a Chinese family, who arrived from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicentre of the outbreak, tested positive for the virus. Another nine cases have since been confirmed. 

Egypt reported its first case – a foreigner who did not show serious symptoms – on February 14, according to the health ministry in Cairo. 

On February 24, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq and Oman reported their first cases – all patients had been in Iran before being infected.

Globally, at least 80,000 people have been diagnosed with the illness, an overwhelming majority of them in China.

Saudi Arabia stops foreign pilgrims due to coronavirus

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Blazers And CJ McCollum To Host Celtics At Moda Center

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Blazers and CJ McCollum to host Celtics At Moda Center. The Blazers are coming off a 107-104 home win over the Detroit Pistons. Carmelo Anthony ended last game with 32 points (11-of-16 shooting) and 5 threes made. CJ McCollum was solid with 41 points (15-of-30 from the field), 12 assists and 9 rebounds.

The Celtics will want to move on from an 112-114 loss to the Los-Angeles Lakers in which Jayson Tatum was solid with 41 points (12-of-20 FG), 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Carmelo Anthony delivered the goods last game sinking 32 points and driving his team to a win against the Pistons. Can he do it again?

This will be the first time these teams meet this season. The Blazers have won just 2 games of their last 5 contests. Both teams will be featuring their full lineups with no crucial players sitting out the contest.

Related: Blazers And CJ McCollum To Host Pels At Moda Center

The Celtics are averaging 8.304 steals, while the Blazers are averaging only 5.947. Limiting this gap in defense will be key for the Blazers to win.

Both the Blazers and the Celtics had 2 days to rest before this game. The Blazers have 3 road games until returning home. Get all the Blazers tickets with no fees at TickPick. Top seats to Portland Trail Blazers vs. Boston Celtics at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter starting from 21 dollars!

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Asset declaration: Why court struck out case against Ekweremadu

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Senator Ike Ekweremadu

The Federal High Court, Abuja struck out charges of non-declaration of assets instituted against former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, by the defunct Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property because the former lawyer handling the case for the panel disappeared with the case file.

The dissolved panel was then led by Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla. The panle had in 2018 instituted the case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/62/2018 against Ekweremadu, alleging that, “without reasonable excuse”, the serving senator refused and neglected to declare his assets upon being served the panel’s “notice to declare”.

The AGF office took over the case and other suits being handled by the SPIP upon a presidential directive dissolving the panel in 2019.

But on Monday, Justice Binta Nyako struck out the case against Ekweremadu after the prosecuting counsel from the AGF office, Mr Pius Akutah, said the former lawyer handling the case for the panel had disappeared with the case file.

He appealed to the judge to order the former counsel to release the file to the AGF office but the request was declined by the judge.

The PUNCH reports that Ekweremadu’s lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), urged the judge to strike out the case.

Justice Nyako dismissed the prosecution’s request, saying that “You are attorney general (referring to the lawyer as representing the AGF), you should know what to do. You should not be waiting for me to make an order against an individual.

“So, as it is today, you don’t know the case against the defendant since you don’t have the file. I am going to strike out the case, when you are ready you can come back. The case is hereby struck out for want of diligent prosecution. The prosecution is allowed to come back whenever they are ready to proceed with the case,” Jusrtice Nyako said.

Improve the Business Environment to Drive Industrialisation, Wealth Creation in African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries, Elumelu Tells ACP Presidents in Kenya

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L – R: Tony O. Elumelu, CON, Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and Chairman, Heirs Holdings and UBA Group; H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya; at the 9th ACP Business Summit in Kenya on December 8, 2019 as Elumelu Presents the Keynote Speech

L – R: Tony O. Elumelu, CON, Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and Chairman, Heirs Holdings and UBA Group; H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya; at the 9th ACP Business Summit in Kenya on December 8, 2019 as Elumelu Presents the Keynote Speech

Tony O. Elumelu, CON, Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and Chairman, Heirs Holdings and United Bank for Africa Group, urged African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Heads of State to improve the business environment in their countries to drive industrialisation and wealth creation in ACP member states.

He said this while presenting the keynote speech on the theme “Industrialization and Private Sector Engagement for Economic Transformation of ACP States” at the Presidential Dialogue of the 9th ACP Business Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.

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