Stakeholders laud security agencies role in managing COVID-19 pandemic

By Sumaila Ogbaje

Stakeholders have commended security agencies in the country for playing important roles in the management of national emergencies such as the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

They gave the commendation at the National Conference on The Roles of Nigerias Security Agencies in the COVID-19 Pandemic Environment, organised by the National Defence Collage (NDC) on Wednesday in Abuja.

The conference was organised in conjunction with Africa Global Empowerment and Development Network (AGED Network), a Non-Governmental Organisation.

The Commandant, NDC, Rear Adm. Mackson Kadiri, said the conference was organised to raise awareness and understanding of how the security community should engage with the citizenry in managing national emergencies like the COVID 19 pandemic.

Kadiri said that the security agencies had exhibited professionalism, accountability and restraint in their engagement with the civil populace.

He said that there was a need to enhance and infuse new thinking by stakeholders towards promoting good relations between members of the security agencies and the general society.

According to him, the NDC has recognised the need for this and has been at the forefront of promoting best practices for Nigerias security sector.

How the security community should engage with the citizenry, especially when it comes to managing national emergencies, like the COVID 19 pandemic, he said.

The President, AGED Network, Dr. Bala Kotangora, said the conference was apt in view of the fact that the nations security equipment and personnel had been stretched beyond the elasticity of human capacity.

Kotangora said the advancement of COVID-19 had disengaged more security operatives from their usual and daily schedule of duties, adding that the situation had in-turn led to increase in crime rate.

While commending the efforts of security services in ridding the society of crimes and criminalities, he urged them to show doggedness and embrace the new challenges as they evolve.

He explained that the networks core mandate was to assist security agencies in the area of provision of modern equipment as well as supporting to enhance the welfare of the personnel through its welfare programmes.

He said the organisation had signed a memorandum of understanding with the NDC with the primary purpose of advancing security sector reforms and synergy.

The Country Representative, International Crisis Group, Mr Nnamdi Obasi, said that the roles of security agencies were expanded as a result of the global health challenge occasioned by the COVID-19.

Obasi, who delivered a paper titled; Security Agencies in Global Response to COVID-19 pandemic, Roles and Issues, said the security agencies acted beyond their normal mandates.

He said that their roles that included providing planning support to local administration, facilitating enabling responses like logistics, repatriation of nationals and boosting health services as well as enforcing containment protocols and regulations.

According to him, there were issues in involvement of security agencies in the management of the pandemic such as reallocation of human resources from their core mandate among others.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference has participants drawn from the security agencies, civil society organisations and government agencies among others.

Source: NAN News

NAN Logo

By Deborah Akpede

Mr Adeleye Ajayi, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council, on Wednesday inaugurated new Executives (Excos) of the NUJ, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Lagos Chapel.

Ajayi, who led the Lagos State Council executives of NUJ to the inauguration at NAN Lagos office, urged the new executives to work as a team in order to promote the welfare its members.

NAN reports that the newly inaugurated excos of NUJ NAN chapel include Mr Yunus Yusuf as the Chairman, Stellamaris Ashize, Vice Chairman; Moses Omorogieva, Secretary and Dapo Udom as the Auditor.

Others are Henry Oladele, Financial Secretary; Abiodun Azi, Treasurer and Adeyemi Adeleye, Assistant Secretary.

According to Ajayi, the team should prioritise service, while imbibing the culture of patience.

You need to work together in unity to improve the welfare of NAN journalists, he said.

He advised the excos not to be confrontational with the management, saying that issues must be resolved through dialogue.

There is need for a roundtable discussion in order to resolve issues.

When an issue is not solved within the chapel, it can be brought to the state council and if state council cannot also solve it, then it can be taken to the national level, Ajayi said.

He urged members of the new excos to be patient and good listeners while deliberating on salient issues that concern the chapter.

With patience and understanding, you can together bring about solutions to move the chapel forward, he said.

Ajayi said he was confident that the new NAN excos, led by Yusuf as the chairman, could deliver the expectations of members.

Yusuf, in his acceptance speech, promised to pursue the interest of the members and prioritise their welfare.

Together, we shall promote ideas and innovations to improve our welfare as well as better our lot, he said.

The new chairman said the excos would unveil programmes of action that would be in the interest of all.

The excos, in unveiling programmes, will involve and carry everybody along in our activities.

We covet the counsel of all, and together we can make the greatest achievement, he said.

Yusuf pledged that the excos will not compromise integrity and dignity but will ensure effective synergy between the management and union to achieve its goals. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege

By Kingsley Okoye

Deputy President of Senate Ovie Omo-Agege has declared that the National Assembly has no power to replace the current constitution with new one.

Omo-Ageges Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yomi Odunuga, in a statement on Wednesday said the deputy senate president made the remark when he hosted members of the Alliance of Nigerian Patriots led by Amb. Umunna Orjiakor.

Omo-Agege, who is Chairman, Senate Ad hoc Committee on Constitution Review, said the National Assembly had no powers to replace the current constitution, but could only amend it.

He cited advanced democracies, such as the U.S., where Nigerias presidential system of government was modelled after and sections 8 and 9 of the 1999 Constitution as amended to buttress his argument.

The lawmaker said what was only obtainable was a piecemeal alteration of the constitution by the National Assembly.

He, therefore, urged those calling for a new constitution to channel their energy toward participating actively in the ongoing amendment of the constitution by the Ninth Assembly.

He said: One of the issues you raised is the replacement of the 1999 Constitution.

I am not so sure that we as a Parliament have the power to replace the Constitution.

We can only make amendments and it is explicit in sections 8 and 9 of the constitution on how we can do that and the requisite number of votes required.

I say that because there are some top attorneys in this country, who for some reason, keep saying that we dont even need any of this, that we should just bring a new constitution, we cant do that.

What we are mandated to do by law is to look at those provisions and bring them up-to-date with global best practices, especially to the extent that it tallies with the views of the majority of Nigerians.

So we are not in a position to replace this constitution, but we can only amend.

But, like I said, most of the issues you have raised here, like zones replacing states, thats another euphemism for going back to the regions.

We will look into that if that is what majority of our people want.

You talked about devolution of powers. The preponderance of views we have received so far is that those 68 items are very wide and need to shed some weight and move them to the Concurrent Legislative List.

He also expressed his opinion on the call by some persons for the scrapping of the upper legislative chamber.

According to him, the country cannot practice unicameral legislature considering its large population.

One of the issues raised by #EndSARS protesters was that they should abolish the Senate and merge us with the House of Representatives.

We are not in a position to do that; Mr President is not even in a position to do that as well.

Because they believe that he can just by fiat say Senate bye bye, it will now be a National Assembly made up of only the House of Representatives.

But, as I said at a different forum, the President does not have such powers and I am not so sure that even we can legislate out the National Assembly, he said.

According to Omo-Agege; there are people who believe that yes, we had the 2014 confab report that has been transmitted to the National Assembly.

And there is the El-Rufai report on restructuring, that has been transmitted to the National Assembly and that we should just take them to Mr President for his assent and we have the constitution amended.

But, that is not how things are done here, we are a country governed by laws and the grand norm is the constitution.

And the constitution itself has spelt out what we can do and how we can do it.

He urged the group to reach out to other stakeholders across the country.

Earlier, Orjiakor called for the reconfiguration of the present 36 states structure into six zones as federating units, drastic cut in the Exclusive Legislative list and expansion of the Concurrent Legislative List.

He also called for a reform of the National Assembly to a hybrid Presidential and Westminster systems, abolition of security votes to be replaced by regular security budget allocations and electoral reforms to ensure a truly independent INEC.

Orjiakor also called for limited immunity for entitled public officers in the Executive branch of government, provision for independent candidacy in all elections, creating a consensual balance between meritocracy and federal character among others. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Col. Sagir Musa

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Nigerian Army says it will reinforce the role of religious leaders in the ongoing campaign against insurgency in the North East.

In a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, said the Chaplain and Islamic Directorates of the Nigerian Army commenced effort to reinforce the campaign in 2019 when it organised the first edition of Spiritual Warfare seminar to engage religious/spiritual leaders from across the country.

He said the second edition of the seminar has been slated to hold on Thursday in Abuja.

According to him, the programme is expected to sensitise and mobilise religious/spiritual leaders to enlighten and educate their followers on the true and correct tenets of Islamic and Christian religions.

He said the move is to ensure that youth are not easily brainwashed by the devilish and wicked teachings of Boko harams ideology.

The seminar is also intended to stimulate renewed vigour to finding ways of curtailing and tackling Boko harams extremism and recruitment drive using counter narratives.

This is due to the fact that terrorism is about the battle of the inner consciousness and the struggle for winning the hearts and minds of the people, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Electricity transmission powerline

By Mustapha Sumaila

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it has restored the collapsed electricity grid system across the country.

The Acting Managing Director of TCN, Mr Sule Abdulaziz, made this known while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.

Abdulaziz said the system which collapsed on Sunday evening was restored within 40 minutes of the incident.

He explained that the company immediately went into action and stabilised the system in Abuja, before other parts of the country.

According to him, there is nothing strange but it is normal for a system to collapse and that can happen in any country of the world.

Since I came on board, we never had any system collapse and this one that happened on Sunday was restored immediately which is the fastest system collapse recovery.

We are guarding the grid, we dont want the system collapse to happen, but when it happens, the most important thing is what was done and how it was done to restore the system.

In the last six months, there was no system collapse in the grid, he stated.

He said that in his last few months in office, he had reorganised the company to ensure power stability. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Electricity meters

By Ibukun Emiola

The Federal Government has said it would sanction any electricity distribution company or its representatives selling meters or asking Nigerians to pay money to get the item.

The Special Adviser to the President on Infrastructure, Mr Ahmed Zakari, gave the warning at a stakeholders engagement on electricity tariff, organised by the FGN/NLC-TUC Ad-hoc Committee.

Zakari said, We have made it clear through the regulators direct order as well as the intervention from the Ministry of Power that these meters are to be provided to Nigerians at no cost.

Even for meters that will be paid for through the MAP, there is a directive from the regulator to the discos that they need to find a way to reimburse citizens over time.

If we find any disco or its representatives selling these meters or exploiting Nigerians to be able to get them, we will sanction such disco.

According to him, the presidential directive is that meters should be made available to Nigeria free of charge and that they must be produced locally in order to create jobs and revive our industry.

Though it is our belief that everyone will be obliged to do the right thing, we will still be vigilant and monitor developments, Zakari said.

In his address, the Minister of State for Power, Mr Festus Keyamo, said that the committee had been working to achieve an equilibrium figure that would reflect the true price and value for the service of the electricity consumed.

We are not working from answer to question but from question to answer.

To ask if there will be an increase or a decrease is premature. What we are doing is a honest and open fact- finding. We want to question the rationale for the service reflective tariff, he said.

According to Keyamo, the aim is to ensure that consumers are not strangulated by unnecessary exploitative tendencies of the discos and that the discos too are kept afloat so that they can employ more workers and deliver quality service to Nigerians.

We are not saying service delivery will automatically mean price increase. We are only saying there should be an acceptable equilibrium figure that everybody will be happy about.

And that means that the discos can be kept afloat to deliver services without having to go and look for money to subsidise their operations.

It is also to ensure that the ordinary consumer is not cheated but is made to pay the actual price for the service being rendered and that is why it is called service reflective tariff, he said.

The minister further said that whatever consensus reached at the end of the day would form the agreement between the government and labour as far as electricity was concerned.

Also speaking, the representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Messrs Orohoomhen Ebhommhen and Joe Ajaero respectively, said that the committee would address issues raised by the consumers and ensure that issues on electricity tariff were resolved amicably.

In his remarks, Mr John Ayodele, the acting Managing Director of IBEDC, said that the issue of banding was being fine tuned, notwithstanding the current challenges.

Some of the electricity consumers, who spoke at the event, identified estimated billings and lack of meters as part of the major challenges facing the sector. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Kingsley Okoye

Senate on Wednesday at Plenary urged the Federal Government to allocate adequate fund in the 2021 budget for the reconstruction and expansion of the Kano-Dambatta-Kazaure-Daura road.

It also urged the Federal Ministry of Works to designate the road for immediate re-construction and turning into a dual carriage way.

Senates resolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Sen. Barau Jibril (APC Kano), and co-sponsored by Sen. Ahmad Kaita (APC Katsina).

Barau, while presenting the motion, noted that road infrastructure was very critical for economic and commercial development of any developing economy.

He said that Kano-Dambatta-Kazaure-Daura road is a very important gateway that connects the North Western part of the country with the neighbouring Niger Republic.

He said that the volume of traffic on the road led to congestion, thereby slowing down the free flow of vehicular movement.

According to him, the situation on the road has become a source of concern to commuters alike.

He said the travel time on the road had tripled owing to its narrow nature with its attendant traffic, resulting in slow-down of commercial activities and movement of goods.

He expressed concern that armed robbers were taking advantage of the narrowness and non-expansion of the road to becoming law unto themselves, ambushing, robbing, dispossessing and killing commuters at will.

He also said that the state of the road required immediate reconstruction and expansion to reduce the unacceptable level of accidents and robbery on it.

Barau also noted that the road was a major route for evacuation of agricultural and industrial produce that were in abundance in the neighbouring cities. (NAN).

Source: NAN News

By Salisu Sani-Idris

FAME Foundation, an NGO, has launched the first-ever sports books for Internally Displaced Girls to boost their participation and interest in sports.

The launch was to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child and #Footballpeople weeks.

Mr Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, while unveiling the book at the virtual launch on Wednesday in Abuja, said it would encourage girls to actively participate in sports.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that book is entitled: Success Tips for Internally Displaced Girls in Sports, a Play it, Dream it Initiative.

Dare, represented by his Special Assistant and Olympian, Ms Mary Onyali, said that the book was one of the stepping stones to empowering women and girls in the society.

The minister said that the book would be very useful for every girl in sports, serving as a point of support and encouragement.

Ms Aderonke Ogunleye-Bello, Executive Director of the foundation, in her opening remarks, said the book would serve as a guide for every girl interested in building a career in sports, noting that the book would be helpful for young internally displaced girls in sports, grassroot teams, academics, physical and health education.

She also cited the book as being useful to games masters in schools and as an important tool for displaced and refugee girls to understand the basics of sports upon which to lay their foundation

On her part, Esther Russell, Head of Policy and Social Inclusion at FARE Network, an NGO, advocated against violence and promotion of social change.

Russell said that sport was a brilliant tool for engaging and empowering people and bringing them together through a common language of football.

The UN Women Country Representative, Ms Comfort Lamptey, stressed that UN women had a strong emphasis on engaging youths in sport development, while looking to ensure sports advocacy as a tool to enhance gender equality.

The book, compiled by Ms Anna Mambula, Programme Manager of the foundation, was a manual compilation of success nuggets.

The book was delivered at the 2020 edition of the PLAY it, DREAM it Conference, where different sports professionals from around the world, many of whom have over 10-years work experience, participated in. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Maureen Okon

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday celebrated the growing cooperation with Nigeria as it marked the countrys 49th anniversary in Abuja.

Dr Fahad Al Taffaq, its Ambassador to Nigeria, while addressing guests and friends of the UAE at a ceremony to mark the National Day,said that he was excited to see the growing bilateral relations between both countries across all sectors.

Today marks the importance of unity and coming together to celebrate our achievement in 2020 even though it has proved to be challenging for many reasons.

I am proud to see the growing bilateral relations we enjoy with the good people of Nigeria across all sectors.

This relationship is nurtured, developed and reinforced by the wise leadership of both friendly nations who have continued to forge strategic partnerships for prosperity of both countries.

As of 2019, the total volume of non-oil bilateral trade between Nigeria and UAE stood at .4 billion, but just yesterday, Dec. 1, I, alongside the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, on behalf of our respective governments,signed an MoU for the establishment of a Joint Commission for Cooperation.

This huge stride will, no doubt, further expand bilateral relations between Nigeria and the UAE to wider prospects, he said .

He added that throughout 2020, the Embassy in Abuja carried out several initiatives across several sectors that positively impacted over 32,000 Nigerians.

According to him, the initiatives ranged from sinking boreholes to providing clean water to communities and schools,distribution of food, relief items, masks and hand sanitisers to the most vulnerable communities, especially those in IDPs camps.

He said that the UAE-based charity organisation, Noor Dubai Foundation, that was launched in Katsina state in 2019, had provided eye care services, performed over 1,000 cataract surgeries, treated over 8,000 people and recruited two ophthalmologists and two optometrists.

He applauded the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and Sheikh Khalifa Al Nahyan, President of UAE, and Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, for making the cooperation a reality.

In his remarks, Mr Zubairu Dada, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said that UAE had come a long way in achieving developmental strides with countries like Nigeria seeking to emulate its achievements.

He said that such was the reason Nigeria had maintained a very cordial relationship with the UAE.

According to him, Nigeria has maintained close ties with the UAE over a period of four decades.

We are hoping that the relationship will be taken to another level, for the mutual benefit of all.

The MoU signed earlier is for the promotion and diversification of the two countries in various fields such as economy, agriculture, education and Consular issues, among others, he said.

Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, in a remark, said that the economic relationship between the two countries had progressed steadily since diplomatic relations was established.

He added that such was evidenced in the improvement of the bilateral non-oil activity between both countries and the show of both medical and conventional tourism activities.

There is also the recent construction of the 300 mega watts renewable energy plant in Lagos by UAE.

We have also commenced engagement with the UAE toward a potential collaboration to help boost our Small and Medium Enterprises.

I will like to say that Nigeria is committed to working with the UAE and we are open to investment proposition to boost our trade competitiveness and to create job opportunities in the country, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, Executive Governor of Delta State

By Ifeanyi Olannye

Dr John Osuyali, Executive Secretary, Delta State Agency for Control of HIV and AIDs (DELSACA) on Tuesday, said no fewer than 45, 000 HIV/AIDS patients were placed on treatment in the state.

Osuyali stated this at a ceremony in Asaba to mark this years World AIDs Day with the theme, United to End AIDS in the midst of COVID-19.

He said with 45,000 people placed on treatment as at Nov. 30, the agency had covered over 75 per cent of HIV positive persons in the state.

He said that the result of the 2018 survey indicated that no fewer than 63,000 persons were HIV positive in the state.

Osuyali said that the agency attained th feat of 75 per cent coverage due to the commitment of the state government and support from partner agencies and organisations.

The executive secretary said the agencies and organisations worked assiduously during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown to achieve result.

He said that from the rate of the coverage, there would be no new cases of HIV in Delta by 2030, adding that before then, every person in the state was expected to have known his/her status.

Osuyali called on the people to explore the opportunity provided by the agency to get tested, adding that testing centres had been provided in all the 25 Local Government Areas of the state.

The executive secretary said that the agency and its partners adopted a proactive strategy which made it possible to test and treat people at home during the lockdown.

December 1, is a day set aside to create awareness among the population to remind them that HIV is still with us and to identify with people living with the virus.

On the theme, you are all aware of the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the world and is still ravaging the world this year. In the midst of it, we are still trying to survive managing the HIV/AIDs, he said.

He said that COVID-19 lockdown provided the agency the opportunity to reach people at their homes and adopt strategies that really worked for it.

Osuyali said DELSACA had exceeded the target set for it by Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa to find all the people that have contracted HIV in the state and place them on treatment.

As at Dec. 31, 2019, we have 22,700 people on treatment, it took us close to 15 years to generate this figure.

As I speak to you now, in less than 11 months (January to November 2020) we had 45, 000 people on treatmen., That is 100 per cent achievement.

The beauty of it is that all those on treatment now are all virally suppressed; they cannot transmit the virus to any other person, he said.

On his part, Dr Eugene Onu, State Team Lead, CARITAS, a partner organisation, said Delta was placed on red state with high HIV prevalence of about 1.9 per cent.

He, however, said that due to the support from the state government and other partners, a significant success had been recorded in checking the menace.

We are hopeful that the next survey in Delta state will witness significant reduction, he said.

Also, Hope Nwadishi, Coordinator, Koyenum Immalah Foundation, a partner, said despite COVID-19 pandemic, there was need to preach the message of prevention and to help those who already tested positive.

This is why we have all gathered here today united and in one voice to sensitise people to know the status not just here in Delta but across the world, he said.

Source: NAN News

HIV and AIDS

By Auwalu Birninkudu

The Bauchi State Government on Tuesday said HIV/AIDS prevalence in the state significantly dropped from 6.8 per cent recorded in 2001 to 0.4 per cent in 2019.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Aliyu Maigoro, made the disclosure in Bauchi on Tuesaday at an event to mark World AIDS Day, annually celebrated on Dec. 1 to raise awareness on the scourge and remember those who died of the condition.

Maigoro said 25,809 people were presently living with the dreaded virus across the 20 local government areas of the state.

He added that 20,961 of the infected people were receiving treatment at designated health facilities in the state.

The commissioner noted that of those receiving treatment,94 per cent had witnessed viral load suppression andexpressed satisfaction with the state government effort and collaborators effort, saying it was an excellent feat in the fight against the scourge.

He pledged the state governments readiness to sustain the effort on Voluntary Caunselling and Testing (VCT) for effective and wider coverage for a HIV-free generation in the near future in the state.

Maigoro advised couples to sustain the good culture of protective sex, while health workers should always sterilise all medical and other relevant equipment and adhere to the rules on blood transfusion.

The commissioner attributed the drastic reduction in the HIV/AIDS prevalence in the state to governments will and support from stakeholders.

He pledged the state governments readiness to collaborate with the organised private sector, civil society groups, philanthropists, as well as donor agencies for effective healthcare delivery to the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme for this years World AIDS Day isGlobal Solidarity, Shared Responsibility.

Source: NAN News

Bird flu in South Korea poultry farm

South Korea on Wednesday confirmed another highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) case from a local poultry farm, sparking further concerns over possible nationwide transmission of the disease.

A suspected case from an egg farm in Sangju, 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, earlier this week tested to be a highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs.

Local authorities said they are currently culling 188,000 chickens being raised at the farm, along with 120,000 quails.

South Korea plans to further slaughter 251,000 chickens within a 3-kilometer radius of the infected farm as well.

The authorities also plan to carry out tests on all farms within a 10-kilometer radius and issue a 30-day movement ban.

On Nov.28, South Korea confirmed a highly pathogenic AI case at a duck farm in Jeongeup, the first such case to be reported from a poultry farm since March 2018.

Authorities have culled around 400,000 domestic birds due to the infection from Jeongeup.

The ministry said there was a small creek around the infected farm, which can serve as a habitat for wild birds.

They are investigating whether the two separate cases from local farms were related.

Poultry farms nationwide are critically vulnerable to being infected with avian influenza, Vice Agricultural Minister Lee Jae-ouk said at a briefing.

There are also major overseas cases in Europe and Japan. As the number of migratory birds will increase here through January, another highly pathogenic case can be found anywhere, he added.

A transport ban has been imposed on poultry farms and related facilities, as well as their automobiles, in North Gyeongsang Province and Chungcheong Provinces, through Thursday.

South Korea has raised its guard against the disease since late October, when it found highly pathogenic bird flu near a creek in Cheonan, 92 km south of Seoul. It was the first confirmed case of avian influenza from wild birds in 32 months.

The ministry said earlier in the day that two additional cases from wild birds were confirmed, in Anseong, 77 kilometers south of Seoul, and Jeongeup in North Jeolla Province, raising the total cases here since October 12.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza is highly contagious and can cause severe illness and even death in poultry.

Considering that the country has confirmed 12 highly pathogenic AI cases from wild birds since October, we are in a critical situation, the ministry said. (Yonhap/NAN)

Source: NAN News

File Photo: Doctors,

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abuja, Prof. Saad Ahmed, has advised medical practitioners who had benefited from governments investment in the health sector to reconsider their decisions to leave Nigeria for practice in other countries.

Ahmed gave the advice at the Annual General Meeting and scientific conference of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), FMC Jabi Chapter, in Abuja.

He said that the rate at which the country was losing its professional healthcare providers to other countries was worrisome.

He urged medical practitioners who had benefited from government investment in the health sector to think about Nigeria and the wellbeing of the people.

When the country has invested so much in you by not paying tuition fee and other social services, even if you want to leave, I think you should think back on all those investments and see how you can give back to the country.

Preferably, one should stay here, serve the nation and the people.

We should think deeply that we are Nigerians and that Nigeria has invested in us. We should consider that we have people and relations living here. The moment we leave, the system here is going to suffer.

I know as a medical student, I was paying N95 out of which N90 was for accommodation and five naira for medicals.

Even up till now, I know of a university that medical students are paying N27,000 for a session and fee is not for tuition but for services, medicals, library, hostel maintenance and others, he said.

Ahmed said that if nothing was done to urgently address the issue of brain drain in the health sector, the countrys healthcare system would collapse.

There has to be adequate planning to address these monumental concerns.

Of recent, I have lost more than 10 staff of FMC to countries like Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and other places, Ahmed said.

He also advised medical practitioners in Nigeria to be watchful not to contract COVID-19 in the course of rendering their services to the nation.

Ahmed commended members of the ARD for their necessary support to the healthcare system of the country, especially at FMC Jabi, calling for continuation of such support to move the sector forward.

The President, ARD FMC Abuja, Dr Arome Adejo, said that the week-long AGM and conference was to discuss the issue of COVID-19 pandemic and brain drain, as well as proffer solutions.

Adejo stressed the need for Nigeria to look inward even when there had been a breakthrough with the vaccine for COVID-19. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

A petrol station in Mongolia

The Mongolian government on Wednesday decided to reduce the price of processed fuel by 50 per cent amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our peoples livelihoods have been badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the government decided to reduce the price of processed fuel by 50 per cent from Dec. 3 to April 1.

In order to support the livelihoods of residents of ger areas of the capital city Ulan Bator during the pandemic, said Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.

The current price of processed fuel is 150,000 Mongolian tugriks (about 52.8 U.S. dollars) per ton.

Mongolia replaced low-grade coal with processed fuel in Ulan Bator in 2019 to curb air pollution.

In other words, the processed fuel is currently used only in the capital city, which is home to over half of Mongolias 3.2 million population.

Around 220,000 households live in Ulan Bators ger (yurt, or round-shaped dwelling) districts, with no running water, central heating or sewerage systems, according to government data.

As of Wednesday, Mongolia has reported 812 COVID-19 cases, including 380 locally transmitted cases.

The Asian countrys nationwide lockdown, imposed on Nov. 12 after reporting its first locally transmitted case, expired on Tuesday.

However, the Mongolian government has extended the lockdown in Ulan Bator and the provinces of Selenge and Arkhangai by 10 days until Dec. 11. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

New Zealand Parliament

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared a climate emergency on Wednesday, telling parliament that urgent action was needed for the sake of future generations.

The declaration was based on the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that global emissions need to fall dramatically to avoid more than 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming.

New Zealand joins 32 other countries, including Canada, France and Britain, who have declared a climate change emergency.

This is a declaration of science, Ardern told parliament.

This declaration is an acknowledgement of the next generation. An acknowledgement of the burden they will carry if we do not take action now.

The symbolic step was made at the same time the government announced it would require the public sector to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025.

Agencies would need to measure and publicly report on their emissions and to offset any they cant cut, Ardern announced in a statement.

Requiring the public sector to be carbon neutral within five years highlights the Governments commitment to leadership on climate change and the urgency of the action required, Ardern said

She said it was an important step forward in New Zealands plan to be carbon neutral by 2050.

This policy, alongside todays declaration of a climate emergency, serves as a message to the public sector to get our own house in order, she said.

Labour, Greens and the Maori Party voted for the declaration which was more than enough for a majority, while ACT and National voted against it. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

COlVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer and BioNTech on Wednesday became the first vaccine developers in the race to alleviate the COVID-19 pandemic to get regulatory approval after completing all stages of clinical testing.

The companies a U.S. pharma giant and its once relatively unknown partner in the German city of Mainz announced that Britains regulatory authority for pharmaceuticals had issued emergency use approval for their vaccine.

The go-ahead from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) paves the way for Pfizer and BioNTech to begin delivering doses immediately to the country, they said.

The companies have already signed an agreement to supply a total of 40 million doses to Britain over the course of 2020 and 2021.

Regulatory approval is still pending in the European Union and the United States, after requests were submitted to the relevant authorities there earlier this week.

This constitutes the first emergency use authorisation following a worldwide phase-3 trial of a vaccine to help fight the pandemic, Pfizer and BioNTech said in a statement.

Pfizer chief executive hailed the British regulators emergency approval as a historic moment in the fight against CO|VID-19.

The vaccine has been found to be 95 per cent effective against COVID-19.

In a final analysis of clinical trials released in November, based on tests involving tens of thousands of volunteers, Pfizer and BioNTech said it worked almost equally well across different demographic age groups and that no safety concerns were noted.

The drug protects against the COVID-19 lung disease caused by the novel Coronavirus. It remains unclear whether the vaccine also prevents the carrier from passing on the virus.

BioNTech chief executive Ugur Sahin said the vaccines approval for emergency use in Britain will reduce the number of people in the high-risk population being hospitalized there.

Britain has counted one of the worlds highest national death tolls in the pandemic, with almost 60,000 people having died after catching the virus, according to the Department of Health.

A spokesperson for the ministry said that the government had accepted the MHRAs recommendation.

This follows months of rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA who have concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness, the spokesperson added.

The BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine is also the first vaccine with regulatory approval to use mRNA technology, which draws on the virus genetic code to train the bodys immune system to create antibodies against it.

In Russia, China and most recently Bahrain, vaccines have already been made available and some of the population has received the jab.

However, it remains unclear how effective these vaccines are and what side effects they could have. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

A dangerous snake in a hidden terrain

By Amina Ahmed

Mr Adamu Suleiman, Secretary, Duguri Ward Development Committee (WDC), in Alkaleri Local Government Area (LGA) of Bauchi State says the community witnessed about 42 snake bites from May to November 2020.

Suleiman said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Duguri.

He noted that snake bites had become rampant in the community, threatening the daily existence of the people.

Suleiman attributed the existence of snakes in the community to its closeness to the Yankari National Park.

Snake bites are becoming too rampant in Duguri because they migrate to the community due to its closeness to Yankari.

From May to November 2020, five persons died after they were bitten by snakes but arrived late at the hospital, while 37 persons were diagnosed and treated in hospitals in Gombe and Plateau.

Other cases were treated by traditional healers.

Farmers have resorted to using rain boots, hand gloves and eye glasses to protect themselves while on the farm and residents are vigilant at home, he said.

He said that although the authorities have been fumigating the area with chemicals, the problem had persisted.

We sprayed the environment, but that has not yielded any result, he said.

Suleiman expressed sadness over the cost of treatment, adding that the residents were mostly peasant farmers with little income.

Victims of snake bites have to travel to either Plateau or Kaltungo in Gombe state for treatment, he said.

He said that the WDC has always advocated for an harmonious relationship between medical personnel and traditional healers in the community for prompt first aid treatment.

He called on the State Government to commence clinical services on snake bites in the area.

Speaking to NAN, 20 year old Miss Rabi Duguri, a victim of snake bite described the situation as terrible.

I was in the farm and something bit me not knowing that it was a snake until after three days, by which time the venom had circulated in my body.

So far, we have spent N200,000 for treatment within eight weeks, but the venom is still much in my system.

I am calling on the government and good people of Bauchi state to help me as my leg is already peeling away, she said.

Also, Mr Ado Saleh, another victim said that he spent N38,000 for treatment in Plateau.

NAN reports that Duguri is 61 kilometers from Bauchi City. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Soap making

By Muftau Ogunyemi

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has trained 400 women and youths in soap and candle making, and allied products production in the three senatorial districts of Ondo State.

Dr Nasiru Ladan, Director General (DG) of NDE made this known at the launch of cosmetology intensive training for women and the youth on Wednesday in Akure.

Ladan, who was represented by the State Coordinator of NDE, Mr Dare Awokoya said the gesture was part of the directorates efforts to meet ever increasing challenges of job creation and generation in the country.

According to him, NDE had initiated a series of programmes and schemes that were of immense benefit to the unemployed with a view to create skills that would have a far reaching impact on the lives of millions of youths.

The vocational skills development department of NDE has carefully selected a total of 400 women across the three senatorial districts in Ondo State.

The training is to address unemployed women and youths in soap making and allied products like insecticides, Dettol, Izal, perfumes, shampoo pomade and candle making, Ladan said.

He said that no fewer than 100 trainees had earlier benefited from the directorates sustainable agricultural development programme.

Ladan said the participants were trained on modern agricultural practices especially in the area of raising broiler chicks.

Also,the special public works department of the directorate has launched its Graduate Attachment Programme in which 50 unemployed youths benefited from the internship programme, he announced.

The DG promised that more programmes would be on board for the youth across the state.

He urged beneficiaries of all the schemes in the state to take their training seriously in order to have value for the money spent so that the training programme could be sustained. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Interpol personnel on assignment

The Interpol global police co-ordination agency on Wednesday warned that organised criminal networks could be targeting COVID-19 vaccines, and could look to sell fake shots.

Interpol, with headquarters in France, said it had issued a global alert to law enforcement agencies across its 194 member countries.

This was to alert them to prepare for organised crime networks targeting COVID-19 vaccines, both physically and online.

As governments are preparing to roll out vaccines, criminal organisations are planning to infiltrate or disrupt supply chains.

Criminal networks will also be targeting unsuspecting members of the public via fake websites and false cures, which could pose a significant risk to their health, even their lives, said Interpol secretary general Juergen Stock. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Femi Fani-Kayode

By Taiye Agbaje

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, asked the Federal High Court, Abuja, to revoke the bail granted to the former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode.

EFCCs Lawyer, Mohammed Abubakar, who prayed Justice John Tsoho to grant his plea, said that Fani-Kayode had continued to be absent in court for his trial lately.

Abubakar, who enjoined the court to issue a bench warrant on the defendant, also urged the court to summon his surety to show cause why the bail bond should not be forfeited.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ex-minister was, on Nov. 10, 2016, admitted to N50 million bail bond with a surety in the like sum.

EFCC alleges Fani-Kayode diverted N26 million he had received from the embattled National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) during former President Goodluck Jonathans administration.

However, the defence counsel, Mr Wale Balogun, urged the court to dismiss the EFCCs oral application.

As at the time of filing the report, the case is still ongoing. (NAN)

Source: NAN News