Foto and others go for the big score instead of just making a few bucks on a lot of people. Guarantee if they charged $5 for all the pictures with bib x, they would get tons of sales, more than making up the money lost.African countries are opting to import Madagascar’s herbal remedy touted as a cure for coronavirus by the country’s President Andry Rajoelina, even as the World Health Organization cautioned the public against it.
Rajoelina officially launched the remedy on April 20, to be used as preventive and cure for the novel coronavirus, arguing that it had showed encouraging results. As of Sunday, the country had recorded 149 coronavirus cases, of which 98 had recovered with no deaths.
Developed by Jerome Munyagi, a Congolese doctor, in partnership with the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research and branded COVID Organics, the remedy contains the artemisia plant, also known as sweet wormwood, the source of an ingredient used in the treatment of malaria.
“All trials and tests have been conducted and its effectiveness in reduction and elimination of symptoms have been provided for treatment of COVID-19 patients in Madagascar,” Rajoelina said during the launch, adding that the remedy had cured two patients.
In a statement to the BBC, the WHO said it had not recommended “self-medication with any medicines as a prevention or cure for COVID 19.” The global organization added that trials are ongoing to find an effective treatment for coronavirus.
Despite the WHO’s warning, African countries have expressed interest in the herbal remedy, while others have already imported it.
The Indian Ocean country donated a 1.5 tons of the herbal medicine to Equatorial Guinea, consisting of 1,500 curative treatment packets and 10,000 preventive packets, according to Turkey-based Anadolu news agency.
With a population of 1.3 million, Equatorial Guinea has recorded 315 infected cases, one death and nine recoveries.
Guinea Bissau received the herbal remedy on Saturday, while the Republic of Congo has also ordered it. Tanzania and Senegal have expressed interest..
In a televised address on Sunday, John Magufuli, the president of Tanzania, said he was in communication with the Madagascan authorities on the possibility of importing the herbal medicine and he will soon dispatch a plane to get the treatment.
In his Labor Day speech on Friday, Magufuli said he will not close down religious meetings and markets, a precaution that has been taken by neighboring countries. The country has so far recorded 480 positive cases, 16 deaths and 167 recoveries.
On a Twitter account, Thierry Moungalla, the information minister of the Republic of Congo, said the decision to import the remedy was reached following a three-way teleconference between the presidents of the two countries, as well as the president of Guinea-Bissau.
Azali Assoumani, the president of Comoros, ordered the product after a teleconference meeting with Rajoelina.
The National Academy of Medicine of Madagascar has warned against COVID Organics, saying it has not been adequately tested.
Previously, the US-based National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health warned against purported coronavirus remedies, including herbal therapies, teas, essential oils, tinctures and silver products, such as colloidal silver.
“There is no scientific evidence that any of these alternative remedies can prevent or cure the illness caused by COVID-19,” the center said.
As of Sunday, Africa had recorded a total of 43,060 infections, 1,761 deaths and 14,343 recoveries, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
South Africa is the most affected country with 6,336 cases and 123 deaths, followed by Egypt with 6,193 cases and 415 deaths. Algeria has recorded the highest number of deaths at 459, and it’s the fourth most affected country with 4,295 positive cases. Lesotho is the only coronavirus-free country in the continent.
The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun on Tuesday, February 27, 2018, survived the plot to remove him from office by some top leaders of the ruling party.
Among APC leaders believed to be the arrow heads of the chess game to unseat the Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee (NWC) were the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, state governors and National Assembly members loyal to him.
But at the party’s meeting in Abuja yesterday, the NWC received an overwhelming support from the National Executive Committee (NEC), which extended their tenure beyond June 2018, when it is expected to end.
While Tinubu and his loyalists intensified efforts to actualise their push for the conduct of elective congress of the party in June to elect the successor of Odigie-Oyegun and his team, the APC chairman, it was gathered stretched his lobby of party stakeholders to carry the day.
It was learnt that the Presidency joined the tenure elongation fray for Odigie-Oyegun, at the expense of Tinubu, who President Muhammadu Buhari recently appointed to head the APC Reconciliation Committee.
Last week, Tinubu showed his discontent for Odigie-Oyegun when he wrote a letter to President Buhari, accusing the APC chairman of frustrating him over his new assignment.
Political pundits had feared that Tinubu cannot undertake the task because he was part of the APC crisis.
Before yesterday’s meeting, Odigie-Oyegun had secured the endorsement of the party’s state chairmen in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The AUTHORITY learnt that Odigie-Oyegun polled 104 votes as against four to secure an additional one year in office.
The meeting was attended by Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Governors Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Sani Bello (Niger), Kashim Shettima (Borno). Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Nasir el- Rufai (Kaduna), Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Abdulahi Umar Ganduje (Kano), and Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo).
Others were some principal officers of the APC in the National Assembly.
The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, were however absent at the meeting.
Briefing the media after the meeting, Governor Yahaya Bello said that the decision to extend the tenure of the NWC was based on Article 113 of the APC’s Constitution, which empowers the NEC to carry out the functions of a convention.
He clarified that NEC decided to extend the tenure of the NWC and other executive committees at various levels for another 12 months, beginning from June 30, 2018.
Bello said: “We are all aware that the tenure of the current NWC and the executive members of this party both elected and appointed comes to an end June this year. Considering the time left for the party to conduct all the congresses and convention and considering that our leader Asiwaju Tinubu has been charged with the responsibility of reconciling all aggrieved members of our party, we cannot afford to approach the general elections with more dispute and crisis.
“So, relying on Article 13 of our constitution, which empowers the NEC to carry out the functions of the convention, the NEC has decided to extend the tenure of the current NWC and other executive committees at various levels for another 12 months, starting from June 30”.
Addressing party members, Buhari, expressed appreciation to the APC leadership in Abuja and the states for their stewardship, and commended the national chairman for effectively steering the affairs of the party since he won the presidential election in 2015.
He added that the APC had won elections in Edo, Kogi and Ondo as well as recording improved performance in the last Anambra State governorship election.
He also solicited for their cooperation with the Tinubu reconciliation committee to resolve the crises rocking the APC, ahead of the 2019 elections.
“I am happy to report that slowly and steadily, we have managed to stabilise the country and redirect the ship of state. We have restored prudence to the manager of resources and confidence in Nigeria has been restored.
“On February 23, Nigeria floated a 12-year and 20-year Eurobond in the international market which were both oversubscribed. The 12-year bond was, within days over subscribed by 332 per cent, while the 20-year bond was oversubscribed by 372 per cent.
“We have stabilised the naira and increase our foreign reserve from 20 billion dollars to 40 billion dollars. Inflation rate is down. With considerably less resources available to the country, we have improved all the indices towards a stronger economy,” he said.
Earlier Odigie-Oyegun thanked the President and Vice President, as well as the governors for doing them proud in their respective administrative functions, despite the challenges they encountered.
“I want to make a passionate appeal that everything be done to minimise the stresses within the party. We must do everything