Business News
Why COVID-19 is linked to 5G launch
There are studies and research that the Coronavirus outbreak may be linked to the launch of the 5G internet services in China, in November 2019.
There are studies and research that the Coronavirus outbreak may be linked to the launch of the 5G internet services in China, in November 2019.
Popular American singer, Keri Hilson took to her social media handles to say this in a series of posts on Sunday night.
She noted that the outbreak of the virus started shortly after the launch of 5G network on Nov 1, 2019.
She said in her tweet: “I’m saying there have been lots of studies & experiments that point to the possibility that the dangerous levels of electromagnetic radiation (5G) could be causing the contagious virus.”
READ MORE: COVID-19: Louis Vuitton to manufacture free hand sanitizers to combat virus
She disputed claims that the presence of melanin among people with black skin in Africa was responsible for the low spread in Africa, insisting that the low spread was traceable to the absence of 5G network in Africa.
A part of her Instagram post read:
“5G was invented in…you guessed it—CHINA. It launched Nov 1, 2019, in 50 Chinese cities with between 86,000-130,000 5G base stations by the end of 2019. The 3 largest network operators worked together in a race to be FIRST…only 5 months after retrieving 5G licenses. Those vids we saw of people in China literally dropping dead out of nowhere?? Eerily close to the Nov launch.”
She recalled that several experts had warned against the dangers of the 5G technology, and advised people to take measures to protect themselves, particularly from the towers which she described as dangerous.
“And to those like me who want to take any measures of protection against it—(although the towers are more dangerous)—you can protect your home & family by going to ur phone Settings to disable LTE under “Cellular Data Options,” which knocks your data speed down to 3 or 4G.
“Top right corner will show you which network ur on. Also, turn your phone on Airplane Mode or Power them off when not in use or while you sleep. And keep them away from your bodies as much as possible during the day. I’m not an expert on anything. This is a think piece. The post intrigued me & illustrates a possibility based on the facts above. And please watch in entirety before commenting. I’m sure we all got time today…😏🙇🏾♀️”
Nigerian Doctor dies in Canada
A Nigerian doctor, Olumide Okunuga has died in Canada after contracting the Coronavirus while on a visit.
According to Adeleke Mamora, the Minister of State for Health, this is an indication that Nigerians should not get too complacent.
Okunuga, a pathologist, was aged 63 and lived in Italy.
Vaccine not for sale, Germany tells US
As the search for a vaccine continues, Germany’s Foreign Minister said on Monday that the rights to the Coronavirus vaccine research were not for sale.
READ ALSO: Covid-19: Ghana restricts flights into country but Nigeria ignores measure
He said this in reaction to reports that Donald Trump wanted the US to buy exclusive access to a potential vaccine developed by a German biotech firm.
“German researchers play a leading role in drug and vaccine development and we cannot allow others to seek exclusive results,” Heiko Maas said in an interview with the media group, Funke.
Citing sources close to the German government, Die Welt newspaper had previously reported that Trump had offered “a billion dollars” to secure research into a vaccine by German biotech firm CureVac “only for the United States”.
Interior Minister, Horst Seehofer could not confirm this development when asked in a news conference and only said that it would be discussed in the crisis committee meeting on Tuesday.
Economy & Politics
Skills Africa needs for sustainable development
Over a billion people with 5 official working languages – Arabic, English, French, Portuguese and Swahili , will again celebrate Africa Day this year.
From Addis Ababa to Durban, Lagos to Cairo, from the Sahara Dessert to the Nile River, over a billion people with 5 official working languages – Arabic, English, French, Portuguese and Swahili – will again celebrate Africa Day this year.
A day to remember, reminisce and celebrate successes recorded against the struggles for independence, freedom from apartheid and colonization. Although, with the new normal brought about by Coronavirus, the 2020 celebrations would be quite unlike previous years.
The Africa Union (Formerly OAU) has recorded good milestones in terms of political independence and self-governance. So now is a good time for Africa to reflect on our independence.
On reading the objectives of the Africa Union (AU), words like independence, territorial integrity, human rights, security, cooperation are splattered across the pages. Significantly, none of the AU objectives seeks economic autonomy for Africa or her member states. This is a fundamental flaw which speaks directly to Africa’s issue of having a large population without the requisite skills for growth.
Our education is largely dependent on the western curriculum and narrative. There is hardly any major infrastructure, industrial or development project in Africa with 100% African content in manpower, materials or capital.
(READ MORE: Nigerian economy going into recession, might contract by -8.9% – Finance Minister)
It is now well established and more evident that political independence without economic independence is like a car without an engine. Economic empowerment is the nucleus of national development. No fewer than 14 West African countries currently use CFA Franc, with some having used the currency for at least 75 years. This goes beyond nameplate as the Bank of France holds half of those countries’ currency reserves. This is effectively cutting their growth capacity by 50%.
8 of those 14 countries will relinquish the CFA franc for the new ECOWAS currency, ECO (to be launched in July 2020). However, there is no indication that the affected African leaders would ask France for compensation for the years of economic sabotage to their countries. The introduction of the ECO was to bring a ray of hope, but we hope the real difference would not just be in the colour of the currency. This is because the ECO will not be autonomous but would be pegged against the Euro.
France is not alone in the economic sabotage of Africa, they are in the good company of the United Kingdom, the US and Belgium, to mention a few. However, are these foreign countries to blame? Africa got her independence, but African leaders refuse to be independent and the dependent mentality is also enshrined in the AU objectives.
One of the AU objectives states “to work with relevant international partners in the eradication of preventable diseases and the promotion of good health on the continent.” The statement looks good superficially, but it is enlaced with aid orientation, the lack of drive for self-reliance, and a beggarly mindset.
(READ MORE: Sahara Group donates medical equipment to support fight against COVID-19)
Let us educate Africa to pursue the development of its people, with core skills that are necessary to deliver the quality of the progress and growth that Africans desire. African construction companies should make African infrastructure and 100% African content should be the target in automobile engineering, healthcare, information technology,
Necessity is said to be the mother of invention. The need for Africans to lead Africa out of poverty, tyranny and underdevelopment is a matter of great importance, far beyond just necessity. Every African must desire to get skilled, and not just education, as we currently have it. We must have the competence to develop our agriculture system, mine Africa’s natural resources and add value by processing them locally.
Africa Day would only be truly worthy of celebration when African people and countries are skilled enough to accomplish our dreams of self-reliance and economic independence.
Article written by Olatunde Akintola. Olatunde is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria and alumni of Manchester Business School. He writes from Lagos.
Tech News
Tiktok’s In-App revenue surges amid lockdown
ByteDance Ltd’s brainchild, TikTok, together with Douyin ranking tops globally on mobile apps with the highest revenue generated for the month of April.
The meme-making business has proven to be worth all the fuss, with TikTok, as well as its Chinese twin app, Douyin, ranking tops globally on mobile apps with the highest revenue generated for the month of April.
Sensor Tower, notes that just in the first quarter of this year, ByteDance Ltd’s brainchild, TikTok, together with Douyin which caters to the Chinese market, generated 315 million downloads globally, from the 187 million it had just a year earlier.
The ranking, which was based on their in-app purchases, reveal a tenfold increase, as the companies garnered a whopping $78 million in revenue. The Chinese market is said to have contributed 86.6% of Douyin’s revenue, followed by the U.S market which contributed 8.2%.
This places them ahead of older names like Netflix & YouTube. As opposed to using subscriptions like these established brands, TikTok and Douyin allow users to purchase virtual currency to spend on their favorite content creators.
(READ MORE: Does YouTube stand a chance against TikTok?)
While ByteDance is exploring the world of online commerce, it continues to rely on advertising as its primary income source. However, Emarketer projects that more than 75 million US social network users will make at least one purchase from a social channel in the year 2020.
Business News
Sanwo-Olu to virtually inaugurate projects as he presents scorecard of first year in office
Some of the projects to be commissioned will be done virtually, while a few will be done on-site.
Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, will virtually inaugurate housing, education, and road projects on May 29, as part of activities to mark his first year in office.
According to a report by NAN, the projects are part of the government’s efforts to renew infrastructure in critical sectors and to make the commercial centre a smart city.
Some of the projects to be commissioned will be done virtually, while a few will be done on-site.
The projects
Lagos state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, listed some of the projects in an official statement. He said:
”In the education sector, Sanwo-Olu will conduct virtual inauguration of completed classroom blocks in Maya Secondary School, Ikorodu; Eva Adelaja Junior School, Bariga; and Saviour Primary School, Ifako-Ijaiye, among others.
“Virtual inauguration of completed works such as the Concrete Jetty in Baiyeku, Ikorodu, Aradagun-Ajido- Epeme Road in Badagry, and the Maryland Signalisation project also form part of the itinerary to commemorate the anniversary.”
(READ MORE: Lagos increases health workers’ allowances, commissions local production of face masks)
Omotoso also stated that the Governor would inaugurate the 360-unit Lagos Homes in Ikorodu, and then visit Igbogbo Baiyeku IIB Estate, Lekki, and the Courtland Villas on Femi Okunnu Estate during the week.
Plans for celebrating Children’s Day
In a related development, Governor Sanwo-Olu will deliver an address on Wednesday May 27 to mark the children’s day celebration, and the 53rd anniversary of Lagos state.
Omotoso, however, noted that all celebrations would be kept on the low in reflection of the current challenges and realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Presenting one-year scorecards
The activities for the week are expected to begin with press briefings at J.J.T Park in Alausa on May 27, where members of the State Executive Council will present their scorecards in line with the six pillars of the state’s T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda.
(READ MORE: Lagos Medical workers call off strike, as IG sends strong warning to security agencies)
According to the information commissioner, there will be two sessions of press briefings daily from May 27 to June 3, as the Governor considers it expedient to render a stewardship account of the last one year.
“Three special publications highlighting the achievements of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration and testimonies of beneficiaries of various initiatives of the government are slated for presentation to the public by the governor and his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat,” he added.
Daniel
April 6, 2020 at 4:32 pm
I think this is all cooked up, the issue of covid-19 is just a distraction so we won’t know what the main thing that is killing people is, which is the 5G. Anyways even if they want to keep it a secret come to think of it no secret can be kept forever, the devel is the Mastermind behind all these, he is trying to impose his 1 world govt, but God is greater than him, he is trying to move Ahead of his time, but God”s people are at alert” for he knows that the church is the only Restraining force against him, this is a sign that we need to be more prayerful, and steadfast in the lord.