COVID-19: Nigeria records 196 new cases as total now at 1728
Nigeria has recorded 196 new Coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 1728.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control disclosed this in a tweet on Wednesday.
“As at 11:55pm 29th April, 196 new cases of COVID-19 reported,” NCDC tweeted adding that Nigeria now has “1728 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with Discharged: 307, deaths: 51.”
Of the new cases: 87 in Lagos, 24 in Kano, 18 in Gombe, 17 in Kaduna, 16 in FCT, 10 in Katsina, eight in Sokoto, seven in Edo, six in Borno, one in Yobe, one in Ebonyi and one in Adamawa.
COVID-19 unravels Nigeria’s failing electricity market
Nigeria’s electricity market was already comatose before the novel coronavirus, marked by rising debt, but the pandemic has hastened value erosion with power distribution companies (DisCos) reporting over 50 percent revenue loss as industries who pay the big tariffs are on lockdown.
With the increasing impact of rising foreign exchange on operating cost, anticipated gas shortage as the bulk of the commodity used in energy generation is associated gas which will fall as low oil prices drive down demand and production, the pandemic will leave the sector in worse shape.
MTN Nigeria leverage COVID-19 impact to post 59% surge in Q1 data revenue
MTN Nigeria, the country’s biggest mobile phone service provider, recorded a double-digit surge in data revenue in the first quarter of 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that saw businesses adopt remote working and individuals stay at home in key states.
Data revenue which makes up 22.6 percent of service revenue (N328.5bn) grew 59.2 percent year-on-year in the quarter and 12.3 percent from Q4 2019. The growth in data traffic (+130.4 percent y/y) was supported by the addition of 1.7 million active data users and increased 4G population coverage in the period.
Poultry farmers hurting as lockdown hits demand for eggs, birds
Poultry farmers are stuck with large quantities of eggs they cannot sell as the coronavirus lockdown erases the demand for their products from restaurants, eateries, hotels and confectioners.
The situation has forced farmers to sell their eggs and birds below their production costs.
There is currently low demand for eggs and birds due to the lockdown and restriction of movement policy across the country,” said Ezekiel Ibrahim, national president, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), in a telephone response to questions.
FG rolls out rules for gradual re-opening of businesses, offices
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID19, Sani Aliyu on Wednesday named specific businesses and companies, as well as government offices that would be allowed to operate after government lockdown measures are partially relaxed on Monday.
Those allowed to operate as the gradual, phased lock-down easing takes effect on Monday include financial institutions such banks, construction sites and food processing companies, as well as neighbouring markets and supermarkets.
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