The Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa, Canada, has shutdown its activities indefinitely.

A statement posted on the High Commission’s website said the development followed the abuse of a system it put in place to attend to a limited number of persons due to COVID-19 protocols. The commission said it had arranged a system in which citizens with emergency cases were attended to strictly by appointment, in compliance with the rules of physical distancing but that some citizens chose to abuse the system by showing up without an appointment.

“The High Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Canada wishes to inform Nigerian communities in Canada and the general public that the mission remains closed to the public,” the statement read.

“The special intervention arrangement whereby emergency cases were being handled on a discretionary basis is hereby suspended,” the statement added.

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NSIA commissions $5.5m Umuahia Diagnostic Centre

Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has commissioned its $5.5 million investment into the Umuahia Diagnostic Centre (NUDC) in Umuahia, Abia State.

The commission took place virtually on Tuesday; aimed at providing accurate and accessible diagnostic services for the South-East and South-South Regions.

Managing Director of NSIA, Uche Orji, declared in a statement “Our vision for healthcare is three-fold, which centres around reducing medical tourism, developing and investing in centres of excellence, which will provide world-class healthcare services domestically and lastly, providing tools which will ensure that our healthcare professionals are able to deliver at the highest level.”

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Protests rage as lawyers reject El-Rufai speaking at NBA conference

Over 500 people have signed petitions and some lawyers have demanded that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) withdraw its invitation to Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, from the list of speakers at the upcoming Annual General Conference of the NBA.

The petition, which was started by Usani Odum on change.org, was reported to be initiated due to El-Rufai’s leadership failure in the wake up of the killings in Southern Kaduna as well as his human rights record.

The summary of the petition read, “The senseless killings in southern Kaduna must stop. The political correctness of Governor El-Rufai on national TV is diversionary. It is a reversal to have him speak to lawyers on security, when Governor (Babagana) Zulum of Borno a better person can do so.”

“We may not be able to do anything to stop the killings, but we can stop the governor from speaking at the NBA-AGC to show our disapproval of the manner he has handled the situation!!”

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ECOWAS donate food items worth $4m to Nigeria, 3 others

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has donated food items worth four million dollars to four member states, including Nigeria, to mitigate impacts of their humanitarian needs.

ECOWAS Commissioner for Gender and Social Affairs, Ms. Fatima Jagne,  announced this development during the commemoration of the 2020 World Humanitarian Day on Wednesday, in Abuja.

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NCDC confirms 373 new COVID-19 cases

593 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Plateau-186
Lagos-172
FCT-62
Oyo-27
Delta-25
Rivers-20
Ondo-19
Edo-18
Kaduna-17
Enugu-12
Akwa Ibom-10
Ogun-7
Abia-6
Gombe-6
Kano-3
Osun-3

50,488 confirmed
37,304 discharged
985 deaths pic.twitter.com/GNVBb96U0E

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) August 19, 2020