FDA authorizes Pfizer’s Covid treatment pill (the first oral antiviral drug cleared during the pandemic)

 

Merck’s experimental Covid-19 treatment pill, called molnupiravir

The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization Wednesday to Pfizer’s Covid treatment pill, a major milestone that promises to revolutionize the fight against the virus.

The medication, which is recommended for people at a high risk of developing severe Covid-19, could be available to patients as early as this weekend. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told the press earlier this month the company has already shipped some of the pills to the U.S. so they can be prescribed as soon as the FDA authorization comes through. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to quickly follow suit with its seal of approval, authorizing its distribution.

The FDA cleared the pill for patients 12 and up with mild to moderate Covid who are most likely to end up hospitalized or not survive. The agency said it should be prescribed as soon as possible after diagnosis and within five days of symptom onset.

“Today’s authorization introduces the first treatment for COVID-19 that is in the form of a pill that is taken orally — a major step forward in the fight against this global pandemic,” Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. “This authorization provides a new tool to combat COVID-19 at a crucial time in the pandemic as new variants emerge and promises to make antiviral treatment more accessible to patients who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19.”

Federal University Wukari Announces Application into her Post Graduate School

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY WUKARI

SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
OFFICE OF THE DEAN

APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION INTO POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES FOR 2021/2022 ACADEMIC SESSION

Federal University Wukari (FUW) welcomes you to be part of our Post-Graduate Programme.

FUW is a 21st Century University with a vision to be a leader among world class Public Universities by:

·             Advancing knowledge through high quality ICT centric educational experiences for students;

·                 Encouraging entrepreneurship;

·              Conducting leading edge research and scholarship in all areas that promotes an intellectual environment that is anchored on the tenets of open dialogue and inquiry,

·                  A deep and abiding appreciation of the entire spectrum of human experience.

Suitably qualified applications are invited for admission into full-time Postgraduate Diploma, Masters Programmes and PhD Programmes in the Federal University Wukari for the 2021/2022 academic session.

(Note: for PDF Copy of this advertorial, click this clink → PDF Copy

 
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES

Department of Agricultural Economics & Extension

a.                  PGD in Agricultural Economics 

b.                 PGD in Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology

c.                  MSc in Agricultural Extension Communication

d.                 MSc in Rural Sociology

e.                  MSc in Agricultural Extension Programme Planning and Evaluation

f.                   MSc in Extension Administration and Supervision

g.                  MSc in Agricultural Finance and Project Appraisal

h.                 MSc in Agricultural Marketing and Agribusiness

i.                    MSc in Farm Management and Production Economics

j.                    PhD in Extension Communication

k.                  PhD in Rural Sociology

l.                    PhD in Programme Planning and Evaluation

m.               PhD in Extension Administration and Supervision

n.                 PhD in Agricultural Finance and Project Appraisal

o.                 PhD in Agricultural Marketing and Agribusiness

p.                 PhD in Farm Management and Production Economics

 

History is Made in Africa with Wakanda Inu

 

Wakanda Inu-$WKD (The African Dog)

$WKD is built as a charity-oriented meme token that is entirely for social good across the globe.

This is a project shaking the entire African crypto space in the past days. There is no doubt about it becoming the bedrock of Blockchain Technology in Africa. Wakanda is bent on heralding the sprouting of diverse astounding projects in the Black Continent.

Global exchanges will compensate African Crypto Community by listing it, sooner or later.

The project has shattered the doors of fear to undertake Initial Dex Offering (IDO) or raising up of crypto projects. The walls of limitations are broken and all African Projects are set loosed to launch.

Started as a community-driven meme coin and charity token, now leading the new crypto revolution in Africa that is going to change the lives of many for better.

The huge community acceptance of this project will cause its massive spread to other continents and subsequent growth. Community is everything and this ship will always and definitely sail through.

For the first time in History, Africans are now awake in the crypto market. This newly built ecosystem will create wealth and prosperity for many and even the black race at large.

For the Records

See what #Wakandainu has done in the last few days

1- Listed on Trust Wallet , Coingecko, Coin market cap, BSC scan verified, Certik audit done.

2- 76,932 wallet holders in few days excluding Cex exchanges not tracked on CMC and Coingecko

3 - Trending on twitter and Google for the last few days

4- Hit $41m market cap all-time high in its first 5 days for circulation supply from just $850k in BNB raised at presale.

5-A major exchange in Nigeria said Wakandainu made them to get over 50,000 signups in one week.

6-Brought more trade volumes to some exchanges that listed this token last week.

7- Created crypto awareness in Nigeria, and brought thousands of people into the crypto ecosystem.

Africa has gotten it right this time around. 

This is Wakanda Inu and yes, it’s just getting started ...

Best approach to buying and selling US stocks from Nigeria

If you have the desire to create a generational wealth, then follow the outlined steps below;

You can buy and sell US stocks from Nigeria and make a killing on the stock exchange. Investing in shares comes with risks, so take your time to study the market. Be driven by knowledge, not by greed. Greed based investment will bleed you, but knowledge based investment can elevate you. Often beyond your wildest imagination. 

So how can you invest in US stocks from Nigeria? It is easy, and I will show you how it is done in six easy steps. 

1. Create your account on investbamboo.com 

2. Fund your wallet using NGN transfer/ USD Domiciliary transfer or Barter. Note that funds might take 1-2 business days to appear in your account. 

3. Search for the particular US stock you are interested in and navigate to the stock's detail page. Tap Buy. Select your preferred buying option: Buy Now--Buy when price increases, or Buy when price decreases.

4. From the My Stocks section on the home page, select the stock you want to sell to navigate to the stock's information page. Tap Sell and select your preferred sell option and Input your sell details. 

5. Bamboo charges a 1.5% commission when you trade (buy and sell shares) on the U.S market. Other charges/fees are displayed on the review order page before orders are confirmed. 

6. To withdraw. From your Bamboo app, navigate to your profile page and click the Withdraw button. Next, select the account option and fill in the necessary details. 

 

Poetic lines--Muse Grazing

Deep blue with emotions

Your eyes tell mysteries of the oceans.

Vast blue with craving

Your face reflect the glory of heaven.

Down the wild field of your curvaceous

Body, I go for muse grazing.

Up the clear heaven of your vivacious

Face, I look for stargazing.

(c) 2021. Francis Otole

Bitcoin crashes again as China declares crypto businesses illegal

 

Bitcoin is currently trading below the $42,000 trading mark, just after the price traded $45,000 yesterday.

This new bearish move is a result of an announcement from China’s central banking, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), declaring cryptocurrency-related businesses illegal.

Today, China strengthened its anti-crypto stance and as a result, the gains bitcoin made in the last two days have been completely erased off. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) stated that bitcoin, ether and stablecoin tether (USDT) do not qualify as legal tender and cannot be used in the country’s currency market.

Biden appoints John Dabiri to US advisory council on science and technology

 

John Dabiri

John Dabiri, a Nigerian-American aeronautical engineer, has been appointed as a member of the US President’s council of advisors on science and technology.

The appointment was disclosed in a statement issued by the White House on Wednesday.

Dabiri, who is currently a professor of aeronautics and mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), was “born to Nigerian immigrant parents in 1980”.

According to his profile published by the White House, he is an engineer who “designs next-generation wind turbines with the potential to reduce cost, size, and environmental impacts while maximizing the amount of electricity generated”.

 “Discoveries on the ideal placement of wind turbines were shaped by his cross-disciplinary research into how jellyfish and schools of fish move throughout the ocean efficiently,” it reads.

NCDC boss, Chikwe Ihekweazu, gets WHO job

Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu

Director General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, has been appointed Assistant DG of Health Emergency Intelligence at the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Ihekweazu and other members of the new global WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence were inaugurated, in Berlin, Germany, by Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Angela Merkel.

Ghebreyesus, in a statement, said: “I am pleased to welcome Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu as an Assistant Director-General for Health Emergency Intelligence from November 1, 2021.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala named first female, African boss of WTO

 

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Director General, WTO)

The World Trade Organization has appointed Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as its new Director-General, making her the first woman and first African to hold the role. Dr Okonzo-Ijeawala served as Nigeria's finance minister and worked for 25 years as a specialist in development economics at the World Bank. She says she can be a "clear set of eyes" for the global trade body.

On Monday, the WTO’s 164 members unanimously selected the 66-year-old development economist to serve a four-year term as director general. Okonjo-Iweala will take over the institution, with its budget of $220m and staff of 650, at a critical time.

After four years of bruising battles between Washington and Beijing over protectionist tariffs and import quotas that badly damaged global trade, Okonjo-Iweala is expected to set about bridging a growing divide between the administrations running the world’s first and second largest economies.

Speaking after her appointment, Okonjo-Iweala said her top priority was to ensure the WTO does more to address the coronavirus pandemic, saying members should accelerate efforts to lift export restrictions slowing trade in needed medicines and supplies, and warned of the danger posed by “vaccine nationalism”.

“No one is safe until everyone is safe,” she told Reuters. “Vaccine nationalism at this time just will not pay, because the variants are coming. If other countries are not immunised, it will just be a blow-back. It’s unconscionable that people will be dying elsewhere, waiting in a queue, when we have the technology.”

Korean Candidate Ends WTO Bid, Paving Way for Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala

South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee withdrew her bid to lead the World Trade Organization, leaving former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the only remaining candidate for the job and setting up a key decision by WTO members to approve her appointment.

Yoo decided after discussions with the U.S. and other major nations, and took various issues into account including the need to revitalize the multilateral organization, according to a statement from Korea’s trade ministry on Friday.

“There was no consensus,” Yoo said. “So we needed enough time for in-depth consultations with important members, including the U.S.”

The withdrawal comes after dozens of former U.S. government officials urged President Joe Biden to endorse Okonjo-Iweala after the Trump administration blocked her selection in 2020, making the U.S. and Korea the only holdouts favoring Yoo. That opposition was enough to halt the selection process because WTO decisions are made on the basis of a consensus of its members.

By quitting the race, Yoo would appear to be clearing Okonjo-Iweala’s path to secure the leadership of the Geneva-based institution. But as the Biden administration forms its trade team, few clues have emerged publicly about whether it will lift U.S. opposition to Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy.

MSMEs Survival Fund reopened for 30 states

 

Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Mariam Katagum, yesterday said the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Survival Fund payroll support portal would be reopened for the remaining 30 states that have not met their quota.

Katagum also explained that Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are not eligible to participate in the reopening exercise, as they had already met their quota.

The Steering Committee said in a statement that the portal would be reopened from January 27th to February 2nd, 2021 and the payroll support portal would cut across education, hospitality and general sector.

“The public is reminded of the following qualification requirements: businesses must have CAC registration; businesses must have a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 50 staff; business must be owned by Nigerians; must have verifiable BVN.

“The Scheme provides for 45 per cent female participation and 5 per cent Special Needs participation. The payroll Support Track of the MSME Survival Fund Scheme is a component under the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan, which was flagged off on the 21st of September 2020, is aimed at supporting vulnerable MSMEs in the payroll obligations of over 500,000 employees for a period of 3 Months. Kindly note that registration for this scheme is FREE. Beware of Fraudsters.”