The International Monetary Fund on Monday announced immediate debt relief for 25 poor countries to help them free up funds to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

“This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement.

The IMF board approved the debt relief for the countries, nearly all in Africa, but also Afghanistan, Yemen, Nepal and Haiti.

The fund together with the World Bank have called for rich nations to stop collecting debt payments from poor countries from May 1 through June 2021.

The debt relief will be funded by the IMF’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT), which was first set up to combat the West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2015 and has been repurposed to help countries fend off COVID-19.

The fund currently has $500 million, with Japan, Britain, China and the Netherlands among its main contributors.

“I urge other donors to help us replenish the trust’s resources and boost further our ability to provide additional debt service relief for a full two years to our poorest member countries,” Georgieva said.

Last week, the World Bank said it would roll out $160 billion in emergency aid over 15 months to help countries stricken by the virus, including $14 billion in debt repayments from 76 poor countries to other governments.

The European Union has given Nigeria €50 million to fight the coronavirus disease which has killed at least 10 people in the West African country.

The donation was announced when the President, Muhammadu Buhari, received in audience the EU Delegation at the Council Chambers, State House, Abuja on Tuesday.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, made this known via a tweet.

Adesina said Head of the EU delegation at the event, Amb Ketil Karlsen, who announced the donation, also commended Buhari for extending Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja lockdown.

Karlsen was quoted as describing Buhari’s address to the nation on Monday as “powerful”, adding that the retired general took bold and necessary measures.

“EU gives Nigeria a grant of 50 million Euro to fight COVID-19,” Adesina tweeted.

Also, the Personal Assistant on New Media to the President, Bashir Ahmad, said,

“The European Union has donated a grant of €50 million to the Federal Government, their contribution to Nigeria’s fight against #COVID19, the Head of EU delegation, Amb. Ketil Karlsen announces the donation at a meeting with President @MBuhari today in Abuja.”

ABN TV reports that Buhari on Monday announced the extension of the lockdown order in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.

This was after an initial lockdown order declared by the retired general on March 31 elapsed.

In a nationwide broadcast on Monday, the president extended the restriction by 14 days, saying the decision was a difficult one for his regime.

Buhari said the initial lockdown helped Nigeria in its fight against the coronavirus.

After the President’s address, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control announced that “20 new cases of #COVID-19 have been reported as follows: 13 in Lagos, two in Edo, two in Kano, two in Ogun and one in Ondo.

“As of 09:50 pm on the 13th April, there are 343 confirmed cases of #COVID-19 reported in Nigeria. 91 have been discharged with 10 deaths.

“Currently, Lagos has 189 new cases, FCT- 56, Osun- 20, Edo- 16, Oyo- 11, Ogun – nine, Bauchi – six, Kaduna – six, Akwa Ibom – five, Katsina – five, Delta – three, Enugu – two, Ekiti – two, Rivers – two, Kwara – four, Ondo – three, Benue – one, Niger – one, Anambra – one and Kano – three.”