By Edith Ike-Eboh

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) says it is strategising to ensure that N69.5 billion and 5.31 billion dollars statutory revenue yet to be paid to government coffers are fully recovered.

Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, the new Executive Secretary, disclosed this at a maiden news conference in Abuja, on Tuesday.

He said that the amount was revealed on its 2018 audit report and that the agency would focus on remedial issues disclosed in most of its audit reports.

The Current NEITI Management under my leadership is already evolving policies and strategies that would ensure that the recommendations in our reports are followed through.

And Statutory recoverable revenues due to government which is put at N69.51 billion and 5.31billion dollars as revealed by the 2018 audit reports are recovered into government coffers.

These recoverable revenues consist of payments on oil royalty, gas royalty, gas flare penalties, petroleum profit tax, company income tax, education tax, withholding tax, value added tax and NNDC levy, he said.

He said that NEITI was no longer comfortable by just releasing reports adding that its emphasis would be on recoverable revenues due to government.

Orji noted that NEITI would also ensure that companies were treated fairly and given the opportunity to grow.

NEITI will unveil a framework that will involve stakeholders in this process. Joint committee between NEITI and respective covered entities will be established to look at the issues as they affect individual agencies.

The joint Committees will be similar to the one established between NEITI and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and is without prejudice to the revitalisation of the inter ministerial Task Team on remediation as a multi-sectoral approach, he added

According to him, the approach will create opportunity for NEITI to appreciate their locations, peculiar nature of their operations and workflow.

Orji noted that NEITI would also focus on the Mining sector giving the global conversation on energy transition.

Since inception of NEITI Audit of solid minerals sector, there has been a steady increase in revenue accruable to the federation account from the sector.

From a paltry N8.19 billion recorded in 2007 audit to over N67 billion earned from the sector in 2018 shows 900 per cent increase.

(It is) a mere 0.18 per cent contribution of the sector to the GDP; shows that a lot more needs to happen in the Nigerias mining sector.

We will therefore conduct fresh scoping studies on Mining paying particular attention to investment opportunities in the sector, he said

He assured that NEITI would take the lead in assisting government to have a fallback position as renewable energy and its attendant consequences got underway.

He further assured that NEITI would continue to be fully committed and responsible to the principles and standards of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (EITI) in the implementation of the 2019 EITI standards and the emerging issues.

Let me assure the EITI community of a stronger NEITI built on our core values of Legitimacy, Integrity, Partnership, Courage, Openness and Team Work.

We will also remain committed to the full implementation of the emerging issues in the areas of contract transparency, Beneficial ownership, Mainstreaming, Commodity trading, environment and Gender, he said.

He also, solicited the support of the Media and Civil Society Group as their role remained central to the EITI process. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, says from June 1, 2021, all bankers in the country must declare their assets in line with the Bank Employees Declaration of Asset Act.

Bawa stated this when he fielded questions from State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday.

According to him, assets declaration by bankers and financial institutions is part of the measures meant to ensure that the country is free of financial crimes.

He said: We are doing our best to ensure that this country is free of financial crimes.

We understood that the tail end of every financial crime is for the criminal to have access to the funds that he or she has illegitimately gotten, and were worried about the roles of financial institutions.

We hope that all financial institutions, particularly the bankers, will declare their assets as provided for by the law, in accordance with the Bank Employees Declaration of Asset Act.

And that the EFCC, come June 1, 2021, will be demanding for this asset declaration forms, filled by the bankers so that the line that we have drawn from the first of June is really complied with by bankers in particular.

The EFCC boss, who met with the president for the second time since his appointment last two weeks, revealed that he updated Buhari on the ongoing reforms being carried out by the new management of the commission.

We reviewed a lot of things that we want to do towards eradication of financial crimes in Nigeria.

As you are aware, I was here about two weeks ago before my taking over.

He (Buhari) is happy with what he has heard so far with the reforms we are working on with the new EFCC going forward, in terms of the way we investigate, prosecute and the way we are generally executing our mandate, he added.

Bawa described the menace of cybercrime as a huge challenge to the country, saying about 300 cyber criminals were apprehended by the commission in the last four weeks.

He, therefore, appealed to parents, guardians as well as religious and traditional leaders to redouble efforts in educating the younger people on the danger of cybercrime to the nations economy and the society.

In the last one month, we have arrested about 300 cyber criminals across the country and it was reported in the media.

It is something that I am particularly worried about.

As a young man, I am appealing to all young Nigerians to desist from these cybercrime activities.

It is bringing bad image to our country, it is giving bad name to our country.

It is also chasing away a lot of foreign investment that we need.

I call on all parents, guardians, and, of course, elders in the community, in the society to be able to talk to these young people to desist from these crimes, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger has advocated the establishment of state police in the country to provide security at the lowest level of the society.

Bello stated this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mrs Mary Noel-Berje, on Tuesday in Minna.

He made this known when he received delegation of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), led by David Alabi at the Government House, Minna.

Bello said the establishment of the state police would complement the efforts of the Federal Police who are grappling with inadequate manpower and other logistical challenges.

Now I strongly believe state policing is necessary because we have to take the security down to the lowest level as the Federal Police cannot do it alone.

So, it is time to allow for the state police that will grow from the bottom-up so that there will be presence of security personnel even at the unit.

Hopefully, when that is done we will get some peace and more so, that the police will be employed from the communities they know everyone, he said.

The governor said he did not expect the establishment of the state police to be complicated, adding that even the local governments should have their police too.

We must break the responsibility from Federal-to-States, and from states-to-local governments.

Even at the local governments level, they should have their police so that, at all levels, there are some measures of control and, in any case, it shouldnt be complicated.

He challenged the leadership of National ALGON to ensure that all chairmen provide robust administration because of their proximity to the people.

According to him, his administration had given financial autonomy to the local governments in the state and was pushing for them to have their allocations directly.

He decried a situation where only about nine local councils could comfortably pay salaries of staff, attributing the failure to over blotted salary pay roll with higher number of ghost workers.

Alabi said they were worried about the unprecedented attack and banditry activities across the country.

You will agree with me that the panacea for a safe community is this call for the state police and for community policing.

It is necessary that we should have state police and also the need for the review of allocation sharing formula in favour of states and LGAs when the state police its finally approved because there will be lots of money required for its take-off, he stated.

He commended Bello for the various road constructions across the 25 LGAs to bring about the desired growth and development of the state.

Alabi called on local government chairmen to be vigilant in their various areas and ensure that there are no security breaches and challenges.

Source: NAN News

By Victor Adeoti

The Federal Government on Tuesday inaugurated its N20, 000 cash grant for each of the 3, 270 rural women drawn from 30 local government areas of Osun.

Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, said at the inauguration in Osogbo, that the programme was introduced in 2020.

Farouq, represented by Dr Matthew Dada, Director of Finance and Account in the Ministry,said it was to sustain the social inclusion of President MuhammaduBuhari-led administration.

She said the cash grant programme was also designed to provide a one-off grant to some of the poorest and most vulnerable women in rural and peri-urban areas of the country.

The minister said the grant would be disbursed to no fewer than 125,000 poor women across the 36 states of thefederation and FCT.

She said: Our target in Osun is to disburse the grant to over 3,500 beneficiaries across the 30 local government areas in the state.

In line with President Muhammadu Buharis social inclusion, up to five per cent of the total number of the beneficiaries is allocated to persons with disability.

We encourage the state government to take a cue from this and other provisions in the Discrimination against Persons with Disability (Prohibition) Act, 2019.

The grant is expected to increase income and productive assets of the target beneficiaries.

It is our hope that beneficiaries of this programme will make good use of the grant to generally contribute toward improving their living standard.

On other social intervention programmes by the Federal Government, Farouq said that more than 12 million households had benefitted from the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).

The minister said the NSIP was one of the largest social protection programmes in Africa.

According to her, over one billion dollars was earmarked annually to cause positive change in the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable in the country.

Farouq said that since inception of the programme in 2016, it had impacted positively on the lives of the poor and vulnerable in Nigeria.

In his remarks, Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun, commended President Buharis commitment to combat poverty through various social intervention programmes in the country.

Oyetola, represented by Prince Wole Oyebamiji, Secretary to the State Government, saidthat every effort to take care of the vulnerable was a vote for peace, security and prosperity of the nation.

We must acknowledge that no society is truly secured, until there is a proper plan put in place to take care of the most vulnerable.

It is on this note, therefore, that we must commend this initiative, especially coming in the wake of the novel Coronavirus pandemic that has disrupted economic activities globally.

I congratulate all the beneficiaries and urge them to make good use of this grant to improve their wellbeing, Oyetola said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Sade Akpan

Mr Chidi Izuwah, the Director-General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has died.

A reliable source from the organisation confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Izuwah passed away on Tuesday morning after a protracted illness.

It is a sad day for us at the ICRC. Chidi Izuwah, Director General of the Commission passed on today, he said.

He also said that details of Izuwahs death would be released later.

NAN reports that Izuwah, an engineer, joined the ICRC in 2009 as the pioneer Executive Director, Public Private Partnership Resource Department (ED P3RD) where he set up the Department from scratch.

In this role, he was responsible for catalyzing Public and Private expertise and resources towards putting in place a world class PPP pre-contract regulatory framework and guidelines for driving the preparation and development phase of Federal PPP Projects.

He became the Executive Director, Support Services Department (EDSS) in June 2016.

He was confirmed by the Senate as DG in 2019 after serving in acting capacity.

Izuwah holds a first degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Hydraulic Engineering from the University of New Castle Upon Tyne in the United Kingdom.

He was a Harvard, Wharton, Columbia University and Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad Executive Education Alumni.

He started his career as a lecturer in Fluvial Hydraulics and Water Power Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 1986.

Thereafter, he held several senior oil and gas asset management positions in a career spanning over 21 years with SPDC (Shell Nigeria).

He was at various times Project Manager and Contract Manager for the Deepwater Bonga Mooring and Installation Contract.

Izuwah also held the position of Corporate Pipelines Asset Manager responsible for Shells entire crude oi.

l evacuation network in Nigeria during the Niger Delta Militancy period. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Justina Auta

The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, on Tuesday, attributed the increasing cases of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in the country to inadequate and weak enforcement of law.

Tallen stated this during the presentation of report on the impact of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act and related laws in Nigeria presented by an international organisation, Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) in Abuja.

According to her, incidences of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria, particularly in rural areas has become a developmental concern because of its grave consequences on the health and security of rural women and girls.

She said GBV had contributed to minimal participation of rural and urban women in all spheres of life, increased poverty and other related diseases.

Tallen said incidences of GBV had been exacerbated amongst others by inadequate and weak enforcement mechanism of relevant laws; the lack of domestication of relevant laws at all levels, inefficient handling of GBV issues by security personnel and others.

The minister, while commending WFD and other stakeholders, called on states yet to domesticate and implement the VAPP Act to do so to eliminate GBV and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

She added that we would continue to appeal to the remaining states to do same to give credence to our demands for gender justice in the country.

I wish to reiterate that the domestication of the VAPP Act will ensure the elimination of discriminatory practices in Nigeria as we together work toward the achievement of the SDGs.

Mr Adebowale Olorunmola, the Country Chief of WFM, said the VAPP Act would promote citizen participation in both formal and informal process, encourage women, youths, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to be part of decision-making that affects their everyday lives.

The result will promote effective implementation of the VAPP Act and other laws in Nigeria to make the country safe, including women and girls.

Olorunmola stressed the need for inclusive and violence-free politics to encourage women to participate in electoral process.

We need to work with stakeholders, political parties and their chieftains to ensure that electoral process is free of violence to enable citizens, including women, to participate as candidates to be elected and electorate to vote people of their choice, he said.

He stressed the need for stakeholders to collaborate in the fight against GBV and the inclusion of women in the political process possible.

The Director General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said the agency had secured over 600 convictions since 2015 when the VAPP Act was signed.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim, who was represented by NAPTIPs Director of Legal and Prosecution, Mr Hassan Tahir, disclosed that the report of findings would serve as guide on best practices, successes and challenges that could be encountered in the implementation of the VAPP Act.

Presenting the report, the Lead Researcher, Mrs Bunmi Dipo-Salami, said the aim of the study was to assess the adoption, successes and challenges to the implementation of the VAPP Act since 2015, as well as other anti-violence laws against women.

Dipo-Salami said the research was undertaken in the FCT and selected states across the six geopolitical zones; Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Cross River, Edo, Enugu, Kaduna, Lagos, Osun, and Plateau.

The report provides evidence from quality data to understand the status of implementation, enabling factors and limitations of the VAPP Act in states where it has been adopted.

She explained that the findings revealed significant improvement in the implementation of the VAPP Act and related laws because of greater awareness due to enlightenment activities carried out by different stakeholders.

The lead researcher, therefore, called for collaboration among critical stakeholders and deliberate steps to ensure that prosecutors and counsel apply the VAPP law in charging cases of VAWG and not just the Penal Code.

There must be a multi-prong approach to alleviate womens poverty which was identified as one of the factors that heighten the vulnerability of women and girls to all forms of sexual and gender-based violence, she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that other highlights of the day include the unveiling of the report on the Impact of the VAPP Act and related laws in Nigeria by the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Perpetua Onuegbu

The management of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has assured contractors handling its projects that they would all be paid latest by March 19.

Mr Kenneth Chigelu, of the Public Affairs Unit, FHA, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Chigelu said this came about as a fall out of a meeting with the contractors on Tuesday.

The management of FHA just rose from a meeting with our contractors, with a resolution that all contractors who have completed their jobs will be receive their payments latest by Friday, March 19.

Management did not deliberately withhold the payment to our contractors with whom the authority have long standing good business relationship.

The little delay in payment is as a result of managements stance on due diligence before payments are made.

It is good to note that this issue have been amicably resolved, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that contractors numbering over 200, who handled the construction of Abuja Mass Housing Project for the authority, on Tuesday, staged a protest against the agency over non-payment of N1.5 billion debt owed them.

The contractors, operating under the aegis of Federal Housing Authority Contractors Association, protested the delay in payment of funds after the projects had been completed.

They pointed out that they had not been paid for the Abuja Mass Housing Project in Zuba, totaling N1.5 billion as well as the Apo housing project awarded in 2011 and completed since February, 2020.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has offered sincere condolences to the family and friends of Chidi Izuwah as well the management and staff of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) on the passing of their Director-General.

In a condolence message by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Tuesday, the president paid tribute to the accomplished Engineer and Management executive.

He noted that the deceased held several positions in the oil and gas sector before joining the public service in 2009.

A very dedicated public servant who rose to the position of Director-General of ICRC in 2019, Izuwah was reform oriented and highly skilled, he said.

President Buhari acknowledged that the deceased played very important roles in advancing infrastructure financing in Nigeria with special emphasis on Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).

He will be missed, the president said.

According to the president, his thoughts and prayers are with the family, the Government and people of Abia as they mourn their illustrious son and a notable Nigerian. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

The World Bank (WB) Group has provided Tunisia with 300 million dollars to back its efforts in fighting poverty.

The Banks vice governor for the Middle East and North Africa, Farid Belhaj, made the announcement at the end of talks with Tunisian President Kas Saied.

According to a communiqu issued by the Tunisian presidency, this aid will benefit about one million families under a social programme to be implemented under the supervision of the president of the Republic.

The talks focused on Tunisias financial and economic situation and the means to help the country overcome the difficulties it is going through.

President Saied said the Tunisian authorities were in a process to recover the funds stashed abroad by former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his close associates but it faces several obstacles, essentially judicial.

Mr Belhaj expressed the readiness of the World Bank, through its expertise and experience, to help Tunisia regain the funds. (PANA/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Russia has donated 1,000 doses of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam, marking the first time the vaccine was being delivered to the South-East Asian nation, state media said on Tuesday.

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev arrived in Hanoi on Tuesday for a two-day visit, bringing with him the donated Sputnik V COVID-19 jabs a gift proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Feb. 26, Vietnams Ministry of Health approved Russias Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use amid a battle to contain a resurgence of the Coronavirus, a spread that has now been contained.

In August 2020, Vietnam registered to purchase between 50 and 150 million doses of the Russia-made vaccine, although it remains unclear exactly how many doses the country intended to buy.

The South-East Asian nation said it expected to receive at least 60 million vaccine doses in 2021, 30 million of which would be provided through the World Health Organisations COVAX equality mechanism.

Vietnam received its first COVID-19 vaccines in late February, when 117,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, approved for use in the country in early January, arrived at Ho Chi Minh Citys Tan Son Nhat Airport.

Vietnam began offering COVID-19 vaccinations in March, with front-line health workers and vulnerable citizens first on the list.

To date, Vietnam has officially recorded 2,557 Coronavirus cases and 35 deaths. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has decided to raise the minimum wages of government employees, according to Egyptian Presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady.

Rady said in a statement that Sisi gave the directive for the increment of wages at a meeting with the prime minister and finance minister late on Monday.

The Egyptian president ordered the cabinet to raise the monthly minimum wages of civil servants to 2,400 Egyptian pounds (153 U.S. dollars) from 2,000 Egyptian pounds, Rady added.

Sisi also decided to increase pensions by 13 per cent, the spokesman quoted the president as saying.

During the meeting, Sisi was as well briefed on the draft budget for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, Rady said.

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuella Anokam

The World Trade Organisation (WTO), says it will work to deliver directly technical assistance, training and quality upgrade to unlock some bottlenecks confronting Nigeria.

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of WTO stated this on Monday in Abuja when she paid courtesy visit to Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and Minister of State, Amb. Mariam Katagum.

She described WTO as an economic institution which could work with other financial institutions to support investments and technical assistance to mitigate Nigerias economic challenges.

She said the WTO was created with World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), adding that these three institutions, by working together, could deliver a lot.

Okonjo-Iweala also noted that Nigerias share in world trade was 0.33 per cent which showed a small fraction of what Nigeria could do.

Our share in Africas trade is 19 per cent, which is below our share of Africas Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This means we can turn it around.

I like to look at the optimistic side, when I saw this I knew that there was potential for us to do much. And that is the message I want to convey to the country.

This means that we must step up our action on the economy, we must do better and harder in several ways because of our youth who are waiting for jobs.

Nigeria needs to focus on adding value on transitioning. We are an oil and gas-based economy; and that has sustained us and still will. But the world is moving away from fossil fuel, she said.

Okonjo-Iweala said trade negotiations on agricultural issues were very important for Nigeria adding that the country was active in agriculture and also in the Joint Statement Initiatives, ongoing prolateral negotiations.

According to her, Nigeria is equally involved in E-commerce, services domestic regulations, investment facilitation, micro small and medium enterprises and women in trade.

Okonjo-Iweala, while stating that Nigeria was 103 out of 167 countries in logistics, advised that it was a potential area Nigeria could invest in to improve its logistics.

She said the country can take advantage of trade within the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The WTO D-G also noted that WTO was being faced with many challenges and also needs its own reforms to deliver results.

She added that the organisation has not delivered a multilateral round of negotiations in quite a number of years and has the unique opportunity of delivering the fishery subsidy negotiations.

Okonjo-Iweala explained that supporting and finishing the fishery subsidy negotiations was important for the sustainability of our oceans.

Speaking on COVID-19, Okonjo-Iweala said the WTO must contribute more to the solutions of vaccines therapeutics and diagnostics, especially to the poor countries.

On its dispute settlement system that was paralysed, she said it had to discuss with all members including the U.S. on how to make it work again.

She said this was because the rules-based organisation could not continue to make rules if the dispute settlement system did not work.

Our vision for the WTO is to face these challenges. I hope that Nigeria will take a very active supportive role in helping me to deliver on some of the messages, she added.

Earlier, Adebayo intimated Okonjo-Iweala on some of Ministrys expectations regarding its engagement in ongoing negotiations as it prepared for the WTO Ministerial Conference, scheduled to hold in Geneva in December 2021.

On the ongoing agriculture negotiations, Adebayo said Nigeria was expecting balanced and equitable outcomes that would address the structural causes of insecurity in Net Food Importing Developing Countries (NFIDCs) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

On the fisheries subsidies negotiations, the minister noted that the ministry looked forward to outcomes that would result in reduction of overfishing and unsustainable development of the fishing sector of developing countries.

I also wish to draw your attention to our capacity difficulties which continue to undermine our effective participation in the multilateral trading system.

While we acknowledge with thanks the capacity-building efforts of WTO around training officers on international trade governance, the need for more targeted technical assistance from the WTO cannot be overemphasised, he said.

Adebayo appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari for according priority for Nigerias participation in the D-G WTO selection process and authorising the deployment of political, diplomatic and other resources.

He said this was to ensure Okonjo-Iwealas emergence from the three rounds of consultation as the candidate with the largest support of members to lead the WTO and your subsequent confirmation as D-G by WTO.

Similarly, Katagum urged the D-G WTO not to forget the commitment to sustain and enhance the ongoing dialogue and action on women in trade, as a firm believer in the power of trade to lift developing countries, including Nigeria out of poverty.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Okonjo-Iweala, who assumed duty on March 1, is in Nigeria to express appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari and stimulate economic activities. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Bukola Adetoye

The Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA), Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retired) on Tuesday ordered that the agency should completely wipe out drug cartels in Lagos State.

Marwa gave the order when he visited the agencys command in Lagos for an on-the-spot assessment of its facilities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NDLEA boss is on a three-day familiarisation and assessment visit to the various commands of the agency in Lagos state including other entities that are of strategic importance to the operations of the agency.

Marwa, who decried the high rate of illicit drug trafficking in Lagos State, said that the state is responsible for 30 per cent of the total drugs abusers in the country.

He said: In the country, an estimate of 15 million people belong to one or more aspects of illicit drug dealing.

This means about 4.5 million people in Lagos State are into illicit drugs, he said.

Marwa said some of the factors responsible for the illicit drug scourge in Lagos State include: the huge population, the presence of two seaports and airports and a huge number of unregistered medicine sellers.

According to the NDLEA chairman, there are about 1.58 million patent medicine stores in the country.

Out of the figure, only 58,000 patent medicine outlets are registered while about 1 million others remain unregistered.

This has really enhanced sales of illicit drugs in the state, Marwa said.

He, however, commended the agencys commandant in Lagos State, Mr Ralph Igwenagu on his efforts at ridding the state of illicit drug trafficking and abuse.

It is only through the combined efforts of all the officers that the agency can win the fight against drugs, Marwa said.

Marwa reassured officers of his commitment to improved conditions of service for enhanced effective service delivery.

I know this command needs a befitting edifice. This will be worked on as soon as possible, he said.

Igwenagu commended the NDLEAs boss for according Lagos States command utmost attention within his short time of assumption of office.

He said that the command would speedily intensify efforts to achieve his directive, to ensure a drug free Lagos State.

Igwenagu said that the command arrested 471 drug offenders in 2020 in spite of the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that the arrest comprised 424 males and 47 females and added that the offenders were arrested at various locations in Lagos.

This year, the command seized 11,798 kilogrammes (over 11 tons) of various illicit hard drugs and 722.31 litres of same illicit drugs (liquid) from dealers and joints in the state, Igwenagu said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Stanley Nwanosike

COVID-19

The event was witnessed by the Wife of the Governor, Mrs. Monica Ugwuanyi; Commissioner for Health, Dr Ikechukwu Obi; and Dr George Ugwu, Executive Secretary, Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), among others.

In his speech, Ugwu said that the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is safe and its efficacy remained highly reliable.

He noted that this event, where key stakeholders of the state took their jabs of the doses of the vaccine, further pointed to the efficacy and the credibility of the vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, secured and given free-of-charge and its efficiency and integrity are highly reliable and guaranteed, he said.

Ugwu applauded Ugwuanyi for supporting all efforts to ensure that the vaccine arrived the state, training for vaccinators and other provisions for the vaccine to residents notwithstanding their locations.

It would be recalled that the first recipient of the jab in the state, Dr Okechukwu Ogbodo, a front-line health worker at Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH) Isolation and Treatment Centre, Enugu, had encouraged residents to take the vaccine.

Ogbodo said: I can tell you that almost 30 minutes after taking the vaccine I am hale and hearty; no reaction. So, I want to encourage everybody in Enugu State to come and take this vaccine.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state received 65,400 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Abuja recently.

The state government through ENS-PHCDA had trained and prepared 102 vaccination teams for the first batch of the vaccination, which would cut-across all health workers, selected key/strategic leaders and some other highly vulnerable people. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Justina Auta

The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, on Monday assured Nigerian women of gender parity in the administration of the limited supply of the COVID-19 vaccine in the country.

Tallen gave this assurance while distributing palliatives to 93 women groups in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as Mothers Day celebration gifts,

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Nigeria received 3.94 million doses of the COVAX Astrazeneca vaccine on March 2, to be given freely to people willing to take it.

It was part of the 16 million doses to be delivered to Nigeria in the next few weeks from COVAX, a global scheme to procure and distribute inoculations for free, as the world raced to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

The minister said though the exercise was being handled by the COVID-19 Task Force and the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) women, particularly the vulnerable would not be left out in the sharing formula.

I am sure the President will ensure that there will be equal distribution between the men and the women, so gender parity will be properly addressed, she said.

On the palliatives, Tallen said that the distribution to various women groups in the FCT was part of activities to commemorate the International Womens Day celebration(IWD).

She, therefore, urged leaders of the groups to share the items judiciously and ensure it got to the target persons, which were the vulnerable, widows and persons with disabilities.

We are handing to these women organisations to be shared among their members and I appeal to them to concentrate more on the vulnerable and the needy, she said.

She revealed that similar gesture would be replicated across all the states with the support of state governors, their wives and other organisations.

A recipient, Mrs Salamatu Aliyu, Chairperson, Nigeria Labour Congress, National Women Commission, commended the efforts of the ministry for its support to women and children.

Aliyu, also enjoined all to continue to pray towards ending all the challenges affecting the peace and progress of the country.

We pray that the almighty God take care of the challenges we have in Nigeria today, because if there are challenges we will not concentrate, she said.

Similarly, Felicia Onibon, President, 100 Women Lobby Group, expressed appreciation to the government for its supports to women.

NAN reports that food items such as rice, pasta, vegetable oil, wrappers and others were given to the group leaders to share for their members. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Vivian Emoni.

Clean-Up Nigeria (CUN) an NGO, on Tuesday urged all tiers of government and relevant stakeholders to engage in effective sensitisation for positive result on waste management in the country.

Mr Ene Baba-Owoh, CUNs National Coordinator made the call while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Baba-Owoh said that the sensitisation would go a long way to address environmental problems as well as improve waste management.

Waste management is a major problem that has affected significant number of people in the country.

I so much believe that something good can be done through sensitisation by government, individuals, groups, relevant stakeholders, to improve the quality of the Nigerian environment.

Waste management is one of my organisations mission, because we have discovered that it is a challenge that affects everybody and is supposed to be everyones problem.

We generate waste everyday so, the way and manner we generate waste determines the way we should tackle it.

We all have roles to play, part of it is to educate people around us, let them know the importance of ways and manners we dispose our waste.

Let them also know the importance of keeping waste bins around to enable them dispose their waste properly.

Also, we should educate people on three ways of disposing their waste; let them know that waste can be reduced, reused, and recycled.

In reducing, reusing and recycling the waste, you select waste such as plastic, papers, metals, nylon, among others.

These waste can be sold to recycling companies who will as well convert the waste to useful materials, thereby turning waste to wealth.

Meanwhile, there are other waste which cannot be used or converted; in this case, you gather them in a landfill, bury them.

In the process of burying them, you are trying to bring them to a usable position, thereby turning them to manure in future.

By doing this, you will discover that waste generates wealth and there is no waste that is a waste, he explained.

Baba-Owoh advised all tiers of government to commercialise waste management and ensure that experts were strongly engaged in the business.

The national coordinator said that the CUN was committed in ensuring that waste management was tackled effectively in the country.

Baba-Owoh said that the organisation decided to create a National Technical Study Group with thesupport of global project partners from Canada, USA, Germany, France and Australia.

He said that the group was conducting a study on waste management in the 36 states including the FCT.

Baba-Owoh said that the organisation had embarked on various environmental activities such as establishment of environmental clubs in schools.

We carry out sensitisation on waste management and other environmental activities across the country.

All these activities are part of our own effort to support the government in ensuring that environmental challenges are tackled in Nigeria, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Yunus Yusuf

Following a series of incidents involving Azman Air Boeing 737 aircraft, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the operations of all the Boeing 737 aircraft in the fleet of Azman Air Services Limited, with effect from March 15, 2021.

This is contained in a statement signed by Capt. Musa Nuhu, the Director-General of
NCAA, and made available to newsmen in Lagos on Tuesday.

Nuhu said that the suspension was in pursuant to Section 35 (2) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006 and Part 1.3.3.3 (A) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) 2015.

He said that the suspension was to enable the authority conduct an audit of the airline to determine the root cause(s) of the incidents, and recommend corrective actions to forestall reccurrence.

According to him, NCAA regrets the inconvenience this action may cause the public, particularly to Azman air passengers, but the need to ensure the safety of air
transport and protect the public interest, cannot be compromised.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority will continue to ensure airlines compliance to its regulations in the interest of safety and will view any violation(s) seriously.

Source: NAN News

By Zubairu Idris

Alhaji Usman Bello, District Head of Ketare Kankara in Katsina State, has lauded Federal Government for establishing Funtua free trade zone, saying it would help reduce unemployment and enhance economic activities in the area.

The district head said this when he spoke with newsmen on Tuesday in Katsina.

I just returned from Abuja after visiting Managing Director, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Prof. Adesoji Adesugba.

During the visit, Adesugba assured that the federal government was committed to using the free trade zone to reduce high unemployment rate in the country.

When the zone is operational, it will leverage on the cotton belt of the North West to commence active production of varieties of fabrics in commercial quantities, Bello said.

The district head said that such industrial hubs would assist in addressing root causes of security challenges bedeviling Nigeria.

He also commended federal government for appointing Adesugba as NEPZA MD.

The people of Katsina are eagerly waiting for the commissioning of the Funtua free trade zone.

The zone will no doubt boost commercial activities, production, employment, and income for our people of the area, he said.

Bello, a former Public Relations Officer of Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) was a course mate of Adesugba, having joined the service in 1982.

He urged the NEPZA MD to use his wealth of experience to reposition the organisation towards attaining its mandate.

Source: NAN News

Idris Olukoya

Some residents of Epe community, Lagos, on Tuesdaydecried the constant violation of traffic light by motorists and commercial motorcycle operators, resulting in fatal accidents.

The residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Epe, said the situation if not checked, would lead to loss of lives within the coastal town.

They identified Ita-Opo area of the town as the location where the violation usually occurred.

Mr Afeez lawal, a resident, said the violation was due to ignorance of motorists, which was a challenge to other road users.

According to him, a situation where motorists no longer obey traffic rules be it light or sign is gradually making life difficult for other road users.

This is the first time the town is witnessing installation of traffic light, a development that seems strange to vehicle owners.

Some drivers here have not traveled out of Epe, therefore, they may not know the rules and usefulness of traffic light, he added.

Mr Yusuf Atoyegbe, a businessman, appreciated the development but called for more enlightenment and sensitisation on the proper usage of the traffic light by motorists.

He said some of the road users are not used to traffic light; hence, they dont know the importance.

The government or ministry of transportation needs to educate drivers on the importance of traffic light, he said.

Also, Mr Ayogbode seriki, a youth leader in Epe, commended the efforts of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos in ensuring infrastructural development across the city.

We really appreciate the governments efforts and we commend his sagacity in giving the people of Epe dividend of democracy.

Epe people appreciate his Excellency and pledge more support throughout his administration, he said.

Mrs Olushola Alade-Raji, a civil servant, urged the state government to deploy traffic wardens to address the incessant abuse of traffic light.

I have observed over time that the working of the traffic light is confusing users. It took the grace of God for multiple accidents to be averted as motorists were not obeying the traffic light.

The confusion experienced is scary, therefore, urgent intervention of appropriate authorities is required to deploy traffic officials with immediate effect, she said.

Alade-Raji said there was need for the quick intervention of traffic officers and Personnel of Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) at the traffic light point.

She called on the government to install more traffic lights and caution lights across the town, and that there was need for more training on the proper usage of the technology. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Chimezie Anaso

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has advised Nigerians to ensure regular check of their health status in order to reduce the possibility of sudden death.

The NMA Chairman, Anambra branch, Dr Jide Onyekwelu, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Tuesday.

Onyekwelu expressed concern over what he called rising cases of sudden deaths, which he attributed to lack of attention to health.

According to him, it is worrisome that a seemingly healthy person will suddenly slump and die.

He said that studies had shown that the most common cause of this type of sudden death was cardiovascular, that is, the heart and blood vessels.

The commonest thing that can affect the workings of heart and blood vessels without any sign is hypertension. That is why high blood pressure is called a silent killer.

An individual may not know that he has hypertension. It rarely shows any symptom. You can see somebody moving around, thinking that he is healthy but he is not, because he has high blood pressure.

When blood vessel bursts in the brain, which is called cerebro-vascular accident or there is a similar burst in the heart, which is called heart attack, it is a sudden thing that does not give the patient enough time to get medical attention.

Before you know it, a seemingly healthy person would have died. So hypertension, with its cardiovascular complications, is the most common cause of sudden death, as the patient may not know that he has the problem, he said.

Onyekwelu also warned against the use of electronic blood pressure checking devices, saying that they could give misleading result, even as he urged people to always allow professionals to do the checks for them for accurate information.

The medical practitioner, who said that there was no known scientific link of the sudden death phenomenon with COVID-19, however, advised Nigerians to engage in physical exercise for, at least, 20 minutes per day or minimum of four days a week.

Although COVID-19 is infectious, it is not lethal. It may be a cause of morbidity but not of mortality. So I dont see its relationship with sudden death.

Let all adults ensure that they check their blood pressure; even those who are normotensive, that is, those who do not have hypertension.

Let nobody not relax that he/she is alright. It is advised that everyone checks his/her blood pressure, at least, twice a year, even when he/she is seemingly healthy, he said.

The NMA chairman advised those with hypertension to follow their doctors instructions, adding they should ensure that somebody else checks it for them and that it is not the electronic device, because it can be misleading.

He also stressed the need for regular physical exercise, saying that it could reduce blood pressure and obesity, and that it could keep individuals in good state of health. (NAN)

Source: NAN News