Celeste Arantes, the mother of Brazilian football legend, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, popularly known as Pele, has died.

The family announced the sad development in a statement on Friday, noting that Arantes passed away at the age of 101.

“Rest in peace, grandma,” Pele’s eldest son, Edinho mourned Arantes via his social media page on Friday, attaching a photograph of him and his grandmother.

Naija News reports that the bereaved family has not made public further details regarding Arantes’ burial at the time of filing this report.

Arantes was said to be 17 years of age when she gave birth to her first child (Pele) on October 23, 1940.

Reports had it that at the time of her son’s death, Arantes had cognitive difficulties and was unaware her world-famous son had died.

Recall that Pele, who is considered by many as the greatest footballer of all time, died on 29 December 2022, at 82 years old.

Arantes, who married Pele’s father, Joao Ramos do Nascimento, at the age of 16, also had another son, Jair, who died in 2020 of cancer, the same illness that claimed Pele’s life.

“From a young age, she taught me the value of love and peace,” Pele wrote on Instagram on his mother’s 100th birthday, along with three pictures of them together at different stages in life.

Days after celebrating his mother, Pele was admitted to a hospital in Sao Paulo, where he later died of cancer.

His funeral procession included an emotional stop at his mother’s house.

Pele was the only player in history to win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970).

The naira depreciated to N1,495 per dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange (FX) market on Friday.

The current rate represents a drop of 0.33 percent from the N1,490/$ traded on June 19.

Speaking to TheCable in Lagos, currency traders, also known as bureau de change (BDC) operators, quoted the buying rate of the greenback at N1,460 and the selling price at N1,495 — leaving a profit margin of N35.

At the official window, the local currency depreciated marginally to N1,485.53/$ on Friday — from N1,485.36/$ on June 20.

According to FMDQ Exchange, a platform that oversees the official FX trading in Nigeria, the dollar exchanged for as high as N1,505 and as low as N1,401, during trading hours.

The daily FX market turnover stood at $193.50 million.

On June 14, 2023, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced the unification of all segments of the FX market.

Owing to the devaluation of the naira, there have been consistent fluctuations in the FX market.

The FX situation, according to Timi Bomodi, comptroller of Seme command, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on June 9, has made Nigerian goods affordable for African countries.

However, Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on May 29, said the devaluation of the naira accounted largely for the high cost of local medicine production.

Flynas, a Saudi Arabian airline, says arrangements have been concluded to airlift the first batch of Nigerian pilgrims back home on Saturday.

In April, the airline signed an agreement with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to airlift pilgrims in the 2024 hajj exercise.

Yasser Ajlan, Flynas director for business development, had said the airline airlifted pilgrims from Borno, Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, Yobe, and Zamfara states to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

In a statement on Friday, Umar Kaila, general sales agent (GSA) of Flynas, said pilgrims from Kebbi state would be airlifted from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport (SABIA) in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.

“We are happy to announce that Flynas is fully set to begin Phase Two of the airlift operation of Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria from Saturday, June 22, 2024, with pilgrims from Kebbi State,” the statement reads.

“Like we had a seamless airlift operation from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia during Phase One without any delay, we have made adequate arrangements to transport our pilgrims back to Nigeria seamlessly and efficiently.” 

Kaila said the airline has provided a smooth and seamless return airlift operation from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria.

He said the airline will conduct the return operation in 49 flights with five aircraft which will include pilgrims returning to Kebbi, Lagos, Sokoto, Zamfara, Yobe, Borno, Osun, Ogun, and Niger state.

An officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps, whose name could not be immediately ascertained, was on Friday injured by a driver along Osogbo/Gbongan Road, near Osun Government Secretariat in Abere.

The driver was said to be driving at top speed when FRSC officers at a roadblock near the Osun Sector Headquarters located along the expressway, waved him to stop.

It was however learned that the driver travelling in a Lexus Jeep, did not stop.

He was said to have hit the FRSC officer and dragged him along the road until he (the victim) fell off the vehicle.

Two eyewitnesses, identified simply as Fatai and Ramota Olagunju, who were roadside traders, near the Osun Government secretariat, said the driver did not wait after the officer fell off, adding that the vehicle sped off towards Akoda Junction.

Fatai further said, “The incident happened between 9 am and 9:30 am today (Friday). The driver was coming from the Osogbo end of the road facing Gbongan end.

“Some road safety men who usually stay on the road near the corps head office had resumed at their duty post when the vehicle emerged and the driver was flagged down. But he didn’t stop 

“Rather than stop, he moved towards one of the officers and hit him. After hitting the officer, he dragged him on the road as the driver headed towards Akoda Junction.

“The badly injured officer eventually fell off the vehicle. His colleagues immediately mobilised and chased the vehicle that hit their colleague. But I can’t say if they eventually caught the perpetrator.”

When contacted for confirmation, FRSC Osun Sector Commander, Inyang Umoh, confirmed the incident, noting that the injured officer was in stable condition.

“The officer is in stable condition. We are making efforts to get him (the driver of the vehicle). He has not been arrested,” he told City Round.

The Kano State government and a legal practitioner, Abba Hakeem, have disagreed on the Federal High Court Thursday’s ruling regarding the claim to the Kano royal stool by Muhammadu Sanusi and Aminu Ado Bayero.

Naija News reported that Justice Abdullahi Liman of the Federal High Court, Kano, overturned all the actions taken by Governor Abba Yusuf after the State House of Assembly amended the Kano Emirate law on May 23, 2024.

Reacting, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abba Yusuf, Sani Bature, in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, alongside Hakeem, argued that the ruling was in their favour for several reasons and it affirmed the dissolution of the five emirates created in 2019.

Bature said, “People need to understand that yesterday’s judgment is in our favour because of several reasons. One, the judgment accepted the validity of the repealed law 2024, which invalidates the five emirates and also deposed the five Emirs in Kano.

“So, therefore, at the moment and based on yesterday’s judgment, Aminu Ado Bayero and the other four Emirs were officially deposed and they should remain deposed until the determination of the appeal that was filed by us.”

However, Hakeem countered the Governor’s CP, stating that the court set aside repeal of the law setting up the five emirates.

He said, “The ruling of the Federal High Court yesterday was very clear. In fact the certified true copy of that ruling is currently going round on social media and it is clear that the first order given by that court is that all actions taken portion to the 2024 Kano State repealed law are set aside.

“The second order was that that does not affect the validity or invalidity of the law because it is a subject of a substantive suit which is still pending before the court.”

Veteran Nollywood actor, Amaechi Muonagor, was on Friday, laid to rest at his Obosi country home in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State amid tears from family members, relatives and the Nollywood family.

Naija News reports that the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, Anambra State Commissioner for Culture, Tourism and Entertainment, Dom Onyenji, among others, were present to mourn the late actor.

While delivering his condolence speech, Peter Obi expressed sadness over the death of the Nollywood icon and urged the bereaved family to take heart as he prayed to God for the repose of his soul.

On his part, Onyenji noted that Nollywood had lost a creative personality in the late Amechi Muonagor.

The Commissioner maintained that the Anambra State government came to the burial ceremony to mourn with Nollywood as the legend played his roles well while alive and mentored stars in the industry.

Also, the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, Emeka Rollas, represented by veteran actor, Steve Eboh, urged the bereaved family to take heart as the deceased was a great man.

Eboh prayed that God, in His infinite mercy, would give them the heart to bear the loss.

In her speech, the state chairman of AGN, Chinyere Anyaegbunam, said they lost somebody precious to all, emphasising that the late icon was somebody people looked up to as a father figure in the industry.

Anyaegbunam said that the late Muonagor mentored many of them in the movie industry.

A Nigerian boxer identified as Isaiah Olugbemi was shot dead by his neighbour, Nicholas Francis Xavier Giroux on Monday.

The unfortunate incident happened in Meadowmist Way and Stehlik Drive in Odenton, United States.

The victim who was reportedly shot multiple times, was a neighbour to the accused and an up-and-coming boxer.

Despite being rushed to Baltimore, he did not survive the incident.

Detectives obtained video surveillance footage showing Giroux, walking directly to Olugbemi with a handgun before shooting him multiple times and fleeing the scene on foot, according to court documents.

According to the Police, Giroux confessed to the shooting on June 18.

Abraham Olugbemi, the victim’s brother, was quoted as saying that Giroux was Isaiah Olugbemi’s neighbour.

He alleged Giroux threatened Isaiah Olugbemi at least two other times with a gun this year; once in January and a second time in June.

It was revealed that Giroux fired six to 14 shots at Olugbemi, paused and then fired at least three more times.

The commencement of the hearing in the case is set for July 17.

The accused is charged with first-and-second-degree murder in the Nigerian, Isaiah Olugbemi’s death.

As the death toll from the latest cholera outbreak hits 40, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control says the country does not have enough vaccines. According to the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Jide Idris, Nigeria has placed an order for more cholera vaccines from donor agencies, even though the date of delivery is still unknown.

The NCDC boss stressed the need for the country to embrace the use of vaccines and other preventive measures to curb the spread of the acute diarrhoeal infection.

Cholera is a food and water-borne disease caused by the ingestion of the bacterium, Vibrio cholerae, in contaminated water and food.

Cholera kills 4,364 in four years

No fewer than 4,364 people have died out of the 139,730 Nigerians suspected to have been infected with the disease across the country in the last four years, an investigation by Saturday PUNCH has indicated. The incidence rate was derived from an analysis of the weekly cholera situation reports released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control between 2021 and 2024.

Recall that the NCDC recently alerted the public to the increasing trend of cholera cases across the country as the rainy season intensifies. In a statement signed by Idris on Thursday, June 13, 2024, the agency said that from January 1 to June 11, 2024, a total of 1,141 suspected cases, 65 confirmed cases, and 30 deaths from cholera had been reported from 96 local government areas in 30 states of the federation.

The NCDC listed the 10 states that contributed 90 per cent to the burden of cholera as Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa, and Lagos. As of then, the Lagos State Ministry of Health said it had recorded 350 suspected cases of the disease in 29 wards across multiple LGAs with 17 confirmed cases and 15 fatalities attributed to severe dehydration caused by delayed presentation.

However, on Friday, the state Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, said the cholera incidence rate in the state had risen to 417 suspected cases, and 35 confirmed cases, with 24 deaths.

In a post made on his Instagram handle on Friday afternoon, Abayomi said, “The situation report as of June 19, 2024, indicated 417 suspected cases, 35 confirmed cases, and 24 recorded deaths.”

“Let’s adhere strictly to personal and environmental hygiene. Let’s stay safe #ForAGreaterLagos.”

He said the cases were reported from the Agege, Badagry, Ikeja, Mushin, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Epe, Ikorodu, Ojo, Alimosho, and Eti-Osa areas of the state.

Others he mentioned include Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Amuwo-Odofin, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos Island, Shomolu, Apapa, Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos Mainland, and Surulere.

Also, the Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, told our correspondent on Thursday that the state had recorded one death and 14 cases.

This implies that in the last 12 days, the incidence rate of the disease in the country for this year had hit 1,222 suspected cases, 88 confirmed cases, and 40 fatalities.

The NCDC, however, stated that a multi-sectoral National Cholera Technical Working Group, led by the centre and comprising the Federal Ministries of Environment and Water Resources, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and other partners, had been providing support to the affected states.

With the latest incidence rate from Ogun and Lagos, investigations by Saturday PUNCH showed that a total of 4,364 deaths had been recorded out of the 139,730 people suspected to have been infected by the disease across the country since 2021.

Going by one of the NCDC’s cholera situation reports for week 52, there were a total of 111,062 suspected cases of the disease with 3,604 deaths across 435 local government areas in 34 states of the federation in 2021.

Another Cholera Week 52 report published by the NCDC and analysed by our correspondent revealed that in 2022, the country recorded 23,763 suspected cases with 592 deaths across 271 LGs in 33 states of the federation.

In 2023, there was a reduction in the incidence rate of the disease as the country recorded 3,683 suspected cases with 128 deaths across 166 LGs in 31 states of the country.

The prevalence rate of the disease further went down in 2024 with 1,141 suspected cases and 30 deaths recorded across 84 LGs in 30 states of the federation.

There were 473,000 cholera cases reported to the World Health Organisation in 2022, which was a 100 per cent increase compared to the rate reported to the global health organisation in 2021.

More so, a further increase in cases by 700,000 was estimated in 2023, while the latest data from the WHO showed that a cumulative total of 145,900 cholera cases and 1,766 deaths had been reported from 24 countries across five WHO regions.

In the latest global rate, Africa recorded the highest numbers, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean region, the region of the Americas, the South-East Asia region, and the European region.

However, speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the NCDC boss said while it is the National Primary Health Care Development Agency that is dealing with the issue of cholera vaccines, he is aware that the health minister has requested more vaccines from donor agencies.

“I know that the minister has requested more vaccines. But, I don’t know when they will come, because other countries also make requests internationally. I know that when they come, NPHCDA will decide how to distribute or use them.

“We don’t have enough to prevent an outbreak, because we need to give these things before that time. The problem is that to get vaccines, we need to plan ahead, and we don’t have the funds. Most countries plan ahead. When it comes to health security, we are supposed to stockpile some things in anticipation of an emergency.

“We don’t manufacture vaccines. We get them from donor agencies, just like any other country does. Whatever they supply will not be enough for us to use and in any case, it doesn’t give long-lasting immunity, so it has to be a combination of all control measures.

“The minister has requested support for these vaccines. He told me that last week. When they will come, I don’t know. However, we don’t necessarily have to rely on all those things if we can adopt other control measures,” the NCDC boss said.

Dr Idris also noted that the demand for cholera vaccines outpaces supply, adding that to consistently have adequate vaccines to curb diseases, the nation must plan ahead. He also stressed that Nigeria must embrace a combination of preventive measures to curb cholera outbreak, noting that cholera vaccines are not long-lasting.

“Cholera vaccine demand is far ahead of supply so most people who need them place orders and plan ahead. It is the same thing with all vaccines, not just cholera.

“We also know that cholera vaccines are not long-lasting. They only work for some time, so a combination of vaccines where necessary and all other preventive measures are the mainstay of the effort to curb the infection.

“The mainstay is to treat people if they are dehydrated, so they can replace lost fluids, maintain personal, environmental and sanitary hygiene, etc. We talk about boiling water before eating, washing hands after using the toilet, and before and after preparing food. If anybody suspects contamination, they should boil water before drinking and using it. It is a combination of all these preventive measures that will go a long way in helping to curb the outbreak,” Idris said.

Also speaking during a recent programme on Channels Television, the NCDC Director General had said that prevention was key in fighting the disease in Nigeria.

Idris noted that as the rainy season intensified, there were possibilities of increasing cases of cholera in the country. He said, “The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has said that the rains this year are going to be heavier, and when you have rains, you’re going to have floods, and this leads to contamination of our water sources. So, the chances are that cholera cases will increase.”

The DG, who blamed the outbreak of the infection on poor sanitation, personal and environmental hygiene, and lack of access to clean water, noted that the agency was conducting a risk assessment, and had alerted all the states about the outbreak. He said the state governments must ensure access to clean water and toilets for their citizens.

Cholera vaccine can help – Experts

Meanwhile, public health expert, Prof Tanimola Akande; and consultant physician, Kenechukwu Igwegbe, have urged Nigerians to consider taking the cholera vaccine as preventive vaccination to provide cover against the acute diarrhoeal disease.

The medical experts said cholera vaccines were not as popular as other vaccines, because they were often given to targeted populations, such as travellers to countries that have active transmission of cholera or given during cholera outbreaks, or to some populations that are at risk.

Due to the yearly recurring outbreaks, Prof Akande suggested that “preventive vaccination could be done in anticipation of cholera outbreaks.”

The World Health Organisation identified three WHO-prequalified oral cholera vaccines as Dukoral®, Shanchol™, and Euvichol-Plus®. All three vaccines require two2 doses for full protection.

But, Akande added that each of them conferred different levels of protection. “The protection varies from 65 per cent to about 89 per cent, depending on the type of vaccine. Most of the vaccines give protection for two years. There is however a type of cholera vaccine that gives protection of over five years when given in two doses,” he said.

Igwegbe noted that cholera vaccines were uncommon, because they were considered special vaccines that are paid for to obtain.

He however encouraged people to take the vaccine even with the outbreak. “Even now there is an outbreak, if a person tests and is negative, they can get the vaccine. When there is no outbreak, people can still take it.”

Unregistered tiger nuts drink caused Lagos outbreak

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has said that it has traced the latest cholera outbreak in the state to an unregistered tiger nut drink.

Speaking with our correspondent, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, said the officials of the Environmental Health Services from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environment, were able to trace the cholera outbreak in the Eti=Osa Local Government Area to a particular brand of unregistered tiger nut drink.

“When we noticed an increase in cases in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos specifically, we went there to investigate. We carried out a survey and found that the common denominator, which was one of the deadly factors, was a tiger nut drink. People who came to the hospitals all identified that they had drunk tiger nut drink.

“We couldn’t just take their word for it, so we had to take that drink and test it to see what was in it. We immediately sent people out to look for those selling it, so we could take a sample. We found empty bottles with a name on them, but we discovered that it wasn’t even registered with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, the regulatory body that ensures the safety of consumables,” she said.

NCoS preventive efforts

Meanwhile, in a decisive move to safeguard the health of inmates and staff, the Nigerian Correctional Service has intensified its efforts to prevent a cholera outbreak across its facilities.

The proactive stance came amidst rising health concerns.

The spokesperson for the NCoS, Abubakar Umar, who spoke to our correspondent on Friday highlighted the service’s rigorous measures.

“Our primary mandate includes the secure and humane custody of inmates, ensuring their welfare in all aspects, including health,” Abubakar stated.

He emphasised that due to proactive measures, there had been no cholera outbreaks or similar epidemics in any NCoS facilities.

“Due to our proactiveness, we have not recorded any outbreak of cholera or any such epidemic in any of our custodial centres. Therefore, no inmate or staff is affected,” he added.

Abubakar outlined the comprehensive healthcare system in place, which included a variety of medical professionals and consistent medical supplies.

For severe cases, inmates were referred to government hospitals.

Cholera vaccine not routinely available – NPHCDA

Also speaking with Saturday PUNCH, a source in the NPHCDA who spoke anonymously because he was not authorised to speak said the cholera vaccine was not routinely available in Nigeria.

“Cholera vaccine is not one of our routine vaccines. So, it is not routinely available. But, there are global stocks from which any country could draw in the event of outbreaks.

“Previous attempts at stockpiling cholera vaccine have led to expiry of the stock due to improved hygiene practices. But, it makes sense to have a stockpile of the vaccine for rapid response before applying for global support during an outbreak. We have done that, and will continue to do it,” he said.

Cites Non inclusion of his picture in 2024 Calendar

Urges Unity, Quality Service Delivery

The Rivers state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has sacked the chairman of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, RSTRC and paramount ruler of Emohua local government area, Eze Ohna Sergeant Chidi Awuse for not putting his (governor) picture and that of his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, in the 2024 calendar. In his stead, the Governor appointed the Paramount Ruler of the Apara Kingdom, Eze Chike Worlu Wodo, as the new Chairman of the council.

Governor Fubara announced at a special meeting he had with members of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers at the Banquet Hall of Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday.
Eze Chike Worlu Wodo is the Paramount Ruler of Apara Kingdom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the State.

Governor Fubara pointed out that, under Eze Sergeant Awuse, the council produced a calendar for the year 2024, and insulted the State Government by deliberately refusing to include the photographs of the Governor and the Deputy Governor.

Such posture, Governor Fubara noted, among others, clearly demonstrated that the council under that kind of leadership had not, and would never live up to expectations.

“I want the council to live up to its responsibility. From my observation, the council is moribund. So, I can feel that the council, for a while now, has been very inactive.

“I am not talking about other things that have been happening. But I feel there are responsibilities of the chairman, and so far, I have not felt it and you can also attest to that, that you are not seeing that leadership that you expect.

“I would like to draw your attention to a special insult that was meted to this government. The council produced a calendar for the year 2024, and the Governor’s picture, and the Deputy Governor’s picture were not in the calendar.

“I want to ask you: does it show any sign that, that leadership is working with this government? Does it show that your chairman is working with this government?

“So, I have decided today, we have to move forward. By the special grace of God, the administrative life-span of the chairman is one year, which is renewable. So, at this particular time, I have to say that with the power vested on me, I announce that the tenure of Chief Sergeant Awuse has been terminated.”

The Governor pointed out that there was need to have a more competent and diligent traditional ruler with the presence of mind, and ability to carry everybody along, stressing that Eze Chike Worlu Wodo most appropriately fits into that cap, with a fatherly personality, mature character, integrity and pedigree.

Governor Fubara clarified that Eze Apara Kingdom can also access every traditional ruler, elicit their cooperation and be able to provide the needed direction that the council dearly needed. “So, going forward, there is need to have a leadership that will accommodate everybody and move this council forward.

“Let me, before saying other things, announce here that the new chairman from this particular moment will be Eze Chike Worlu Wodo, Eze Ohna Apara, Paramount Ruler of Apara Kingdom. He will be the chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, and I believe strongly that he is going to do better and accommodate everyone.”

In his acceptance speech, the new Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Chike Worlu Wodo, the Eze Ohna Apara, Paramount Ruler of Apara Kingdom, pledged that he will foster unity, devote his time and energy to the assignment given to him, and work in synergy with every member of the council to ensure that there was peace within their various domains.

He also assured the readiness of the council to synergise with the State Government to maintain peace and harmony in the communities so as to fast track the development of the entire State.

The Federal Government has described as false, allegations that the Binance executive, Tigram Gambaryan currently on trial was being held in unsavory prison conditions in Nigeria, or that his health was deteriorating. The government said Tigram Gambaryan rather has access to quality medical care.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, in a statement yesterday, said; “It has become necessary for the Federal Government of Nigeria to address claims that Binance Executive, Tigran Gambaryan is being held in unsavory prison conditions in Nigeria, or that his health was deteriorating. We would like to state that these allegations are false and should be ignored.
“Gambaryan is being held in lawful detention and has access to quality medical care whenever required. He also has full access to consular services from his home government.

“The Federal Government will not do anything to jeopardize his fundamental rights to lawful trial, and to quality care, including healthcare, even as he undergoes trial by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is worth reiterating that his detention is a court-ordered one, and only the court can alter the terms or direct his release.

The Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to follow due process in its quest to bring Binance to justice – a legitimate sovereign quest that is similarly being pursued in several other countries around the world.

“This adherence to legal and diplomatic standards underscores Nigeria’s dedication to upholding justice and maintaining the integrity of its judicial processes. The executive is being treated with the utmost fairness, and his legal and human rights are being protected throughout the judicial proceedings”.