COVID-19 test

By Abujah Racheal

The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, has threatened to sanction travelers who refused to present themselves for a mandatory in-country Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test.

The Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, made the disclosure in a media briefing on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mustapha said that the need had arisen to activate the sanctions which included the suspension of passports of such defaulting individuals for a period of six months minimum or outright visa cancellation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PTF had earlier urged individuals traveling to Nigeria from any country to take a COVID-19PCR test and have a negative result before traveling.

He also urged them to stay in self-isolation for seven days on arrival in Nigeria and take another COVID-19 PCR test on day seven.

Mustapha raised alarm over failure of some Nigerians who arrived from abroad to present themselves for the in-country PCR test which they signed up to and paid before arrival.

It has, therefore, resolved to revoke passports of travellers that fail to conduct the mandatory COVID-19 PCR test, he said.

According to the SGF, only one out of three Nigerians who arrived have complied.

Recall that on Sept. 18, the Federal Government had announced that it required a negative COVID-19 PCR test within five days (120 hours) before departure.

The PTF had also in September said while Nigerians will get six- month passport suspension, foreigners face outright visa cancellation.

The PTF had said Nigeria placed travel bans as part of the global lockdown measures to contain the spread of the pandemic in March 2020.

It had stressed that it was mandatory that travellers have the PCR test done on day 7th upon arrival.

It had also said all returning travelers to Nigeria must have tested negative for COVID-19 through PCR testing in the country of departure.The PCR test must now be administered no more than 120 hours before departure.

Nigeria resumed International flights on the 5th of September and the update followed the announcement by Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA,) that the maximum number of passengers of each incoming international flight must be 200 passengers.

Mustapha said that the PTF was highlighting these issues repeatedly because they remained at risk of importation, having opened the airspace and massive spread as a result of the protests.

The next week or two remain critical. The PTF has noted with sadness the failure of Nigerians who arrived from abroad to present themselves for the in-country PCR test which they signed up to and paid before arrival.

Statistics emerging from our records show that only one out of three passengers have shown up for the in-country test.

As you may recall, the PTF announced the guidelines on the reopening of the airspace and the obligations of arriving passengers.

The SGF said as part of the strategy of the PTF to deepen community engagement, he addressed an emergency session of the National Executive Committee of the National Council of Traditional Rulers Tuesday.

He noted that the contributions of traditional rulers to the successes so far recorded in the National Response could not be overemphasized.

Accordingly, I acknowledged and thanked all our traditional rulers for their support and urged them to continue to do more especially in the areas of risk communication and community engagement.

Adherence to the Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions measures and the need for people to come out for testing were emphasized.

Finally, I wish to inform you that the PTF has revised its meeting and briefing frequency to once a week, to allow members carry out other functions and activities.

This does not preclude the need to call for emergency meetings and briefings when the need arises. With effect from Thursday, 5th November, 2020 therefore, the national briefing will only hold once, weekly. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Police IG Mohammed Adamu

By Oladapo Udom

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, on Tuesday said that 1,590 suspects have been arrested across the country in respect of the EndSars protest which turned violent after it was hijacked by hoodlums.

Adamu said this while addressing police officers and newsmen at the Lagos State Command Headquarters, Ikeja, during a courtesy visit to burnt police formations and injured police officers in Lagos.

The police boss commended his officers for showing professionalism during the protest by showing restraint and not engaging the protesters violently.

When they campaigned against SARS they came up with five demands and after about four days protest, the authorities acceded to those demands because they were demands that could lead to reforming SARS.

Our expectation was that after that, the protesters will all go back and leave the streets, but then they didnt.

Every security agent knows that when people come out to protest without observing the protocol, there is always a tendency for the protest to subsequently turn violent, he said.

Adamu said that 14 states in the country were badly affected as a result of the violent protest with Lagos State the worst hit.

We witnessed the destruction of public properties as well as police stations and businesses.

The attack by hoodlums in this manner has the tendency to provoke the police and when we are provoked we have the capacity and strength to repel these people.

However, we have shown restraint by not using maximum force to repel the hoodlums and criminals that went about destroying properties and killing people.

So, that resilience that you have in showing restrain has shown that no amount of provocation will lead you to give credence to what they have been preaching on police brutality, he said.

Adamu commended police officers for this quality, saying it turned the table around against the protesters.

I am happy to note that not everybody in the country agreed with the violence not everybody agrees that police are bad.

Every organisation and institution in any country breeds few bad eggs just like we have a few in the police that are bad, however, the majority of Nigerian Police officers are good, he said.

The IGP said that President Muhammadu Buhari, in support of the police, said that the vast majority of men and women of the force are patriotic and committed to protecting the lives and livelihood of Nigerians.

We will continue to support them to do their jobs, so, the Nigeria Police have support from the highest authority in this country.

In spite of the fact that we have been attacked, hospitalised and some of our formations burnt, we will still remain committed to our constitutional duties, he said.

Adamu said that the federal government has decided to specially treat policemen through reform initiatives that will enable them to continue to do their constitutional responsibilities across the country.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, requested that the IGP should consider and approve posthumous special promotions for the police personnels who lost their lives during the protest.

This will give sucour to their families and boost the morale of the serving officers and men of the NPF, he said.

Odumosu said that Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had promised to take full responsibilities of the bills of police personnel that sustained various degrees of injuries.

The governor also promised to pay compensation to the family of police officers who lost their lives as well as replace police operational vehicles that were burnt during the crises.

He also offered scholarships to the children of police personnel killed until graduation from university, he said.

Odumosu said that provisions had been made to ensure that security is adequately provided for during the ember months in the state.

Source: NAN News

Police IG Mohammed Adamu

By Salisu Sani-Idris

Abuja Grassroots Youths Forum (AGYF) has urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to arrest the alleged sponsors of the recent EndSARS protests in the country.

Spokesperson for the group, Mr Akoshile Mukhtar, who gave the advice at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja, said this is for their roles in misleading youths into looting and destructions.

Mukhtar noted that youths across the country were lured through Social Media and other platforms to embark on the EndSARS protests.

He said that the protest, however, took an ugly turn and was on the verge of throwing Nigeria into another lockdown.

He stated that members of the forum support any peaceful demonstration by any group, but frowns at unruly behaviour of some unscrupulous characters in the guise of agitation.

While we support any progressive and peaceful demonstration by any group, we are at the same breath adverse to unruly behaviour of some unscrupulous characters in the guise of agitation.

He said that certain identified individuals who are connected with the protest should be arrested to serve as deterrent to others and forestall future.

He maintained that it was hypocritical and deceitful to have informed Nigerians that the protest had no leaders, Even as some persons have come out today to lay claim that they are leaders of the EndSARS protests, which led to loss of many lives and properties.

It is indeed a matter of urgency, that they should be arrested forthwith and held liable for the chaos and mayhem witnessed during and after the protests.

On his part, the leader of Indigenous People of FCT Youths Representatives, Mr Yunusa Yusuf, alleged that the EndSARS protests was hijacked by those who are not happy with the present leadership in the country.

He said that the same set of people have began another set of protest in the territory.

Yusuf maintained that the perpetrators of the EndSARS protests should be brought to book, to account for the destructions during the protests.

He urged the youth not to allow themselves to be deceived by people who are not interested in the in the progress of the country. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Nigeria Police logo

By Emmanuel Antsen

The Police Command in Benue said on Wednesday that no flag of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was hoisted in Ado Local Government Area of Benue.

The commands spokesperson, DSP Catherine Anene, via a text message to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said no IPOB flag was hoisted at Ado.

NAN reports that the Chairman of Ado Local Government Area, Mr James Oche, had told newsmen that a group hoisted the proscribed IPOB flag at Ekile in the council area on Sunday.

The command spokesperson, however, insisted that no IPOB flag was hoisted in Ado or any part of the state.

Oche had alleged that some politicians plotting to destabilise his administration instigated some people to hoist the IPOB flag in the area.

Oche also alleged that the group invaded a market at Ekile, beat up revenue collectors, claiming that the Nigerian Government and by extension, the council could no longer collect revenue from the market.

They said the revenue from the market will be put into IPOB purse.

When this happened, I sent policemen but they took advantage of the #EndSARS protest, beat up the officers and almost took away their guns but they managed to escape with their lives intact.

I called on Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) military operation, and they were able to make an arrest. I have visited the area and summoned a meeting of the elders of the area, the chairman had said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Flood ravaging a community

By Aminu Daura

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),has donated relief materials to 880 flood victims in Baure Local Government Area (LGA), of Katsina State.

NEMA North West Coordinator, Alhaji Abbani Imam, said this while distributing the materials to the beneficiaries on Wednesday in Baure, headquarters of the LGA.

Imam said that the materials included 880 bags of 10kg maize, 880 bags of 10kg beans,880 cartons of tomatoes paste,880 bags of 10 kg rice,880 mosquito nets,880 jerry cans of cooking oil and cartons of soap.

Other items include cement bags, roofing sheets, timber, nail, textile materials and blankets.

The donation is aimed at supporting the efforts of Alhaji Nasir Sani, lawmaker representing Baure/Zango at the House of Representative towards alleviating the suffering of the people.

We are here to distribute the materials made up of food and non-food items with the hope that the gesture will bring relief to the affected people, he said.

In his comment, Sani commended NEMA for the gesture.

I find it necessary to extend my sympathy to thepeople of Baure who were affected by the flood that damaged houses and farmland, he said.

Sani assured his constituents of more dividends of democracy.

He urged those in charge of sharing the items to be just and fair to all.

Malam Baban-gida Nasamu, Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), lauded NEMA for the donation.

He assured that the state government will also donate similar materials to the victims to further cushion the effect of the disaster. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Illustration: Ongoing Road Construction

By Abbas Bamalli

The Federal Government has embarked on the construction of 65 kilometre access roads in Rano, Kibiya and Bunkure Local Government Areas of Kano State, to encourage agricultural production.

Alhaji Kabir Alhassan-Rurum (APC- Rano/Kibiya/Bunkure Federal Constituency) stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Kano.

He said that the projects were being executed under the new Federal Governments agricultural intervention programme to achieve self-sufficiency and security in food production and availability.

The projects, he added, were designed to ease difficulties in the movement of farm produce and also to link farming communities in Kano State with their counterparts in Kaduna, Jigawa and Bauchi States.

He listed the projects to include the 31km Bunkure Road and the 34km Rano-Kibiya Road.

The road projects will ease transportation difficulties, encourage productivity as well as improve the social and economic wellbeing of the people in the areas, he said.

According to him, the Federal Government is supporting year-round farming through irrigation and the construction of 150 tube wells in the area.

Alhassan-Rurum added that the government had concluded plans to distribute water pumps and other inputs to farmers in the area.

The lawmaker urged the Federal Government to establish a Federal Medical Centre and a Federal Polytechnic in the Rano/Kibiya/Bunkure Federal Constituency. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

President Buhari

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari is currently presiding over the 22nd virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as Ministries of Transportation, Water Resources and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) make presentations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that others expected to make presentations during the meeting include the Ministries of Works and Housing; Health as well as Finance, Budget and National Planning.

NAN reports that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and the Chief of Staff to the Predsident, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari joined the president at the chamber for the virtual Council meeting.

Others at the chamber are the Ministers of Finance, Zainab Ahmed; Justice, Abubakar Malami; Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire; Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; FCT, Mohammed Bello and Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu.

The Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan and other ministers are participating in the weekly council meeting from their various offices in Abuja, online. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Ethiopia PM Abiy Ahmed

The Ethiopia Council of Ministers on Wednesday declared a six-month state of emergency in the countrys northern Tigray regional state.

The decision was made to maintain the countrys peace, the safety and security of its citizens and to prevent acts that may lead to further unrest and instability, the council said in a statement.

The council of ministers has decreed the state of emergency recognising that illegal and violent activities within the National Regional State of Tigray are endangering the constitution.

It is also endangering constitutional order, public peace and security, specially threatening the countrys sovereignty, seriously impeding the Federal Government from discharging its constitutional responsibility in the Region, violating decisions of the House of Federation.

We have to understand that this situation has reached a level where it cannot be prevented and controlled through the regular law enforcement mechanism, the statement said.

A State of Emergency Task Force, led by the chief of staff of the armed forces and composed of representatives from pertinent institutions and accountable to the prime minister, has been established, the statement said.

The move came after rising tension in recent weeks between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmeds Prosperity Party and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, with each side accusing the other of trying to destabilize the country.

Earlier, Ahmed ordered military operations in Tigray in response to deadly attacks by traitorous force on Ethiopian Defence Force personnel stationed in the region. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

NYSC members conducting election

By Fortune Abang

The Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa (NICASA), has underscored the need for Nigeria and other African countries to adopt the U.S. voting system in elections, to promote democratic growth.

The President of NICASA, Mr Ben Okoli, made this known in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Wednesday in Abuja.

Okoli commended the use of technology in the U.S. voting system, noting that it had contributed to electoral efficiency in that country.

According to him, the Federal Government can equally learn from such experience to achieve the much desired goals for its seemingly nascent democracy.

He said that the American election was a game changer that would define the future of the world, from politics and economy to foreign relations and the stability of the world peace.

Ikoli said; This election will also define the interests and fight against the Coronavirus with China and Russia in the bulls eyes.

It is important that the status quo remain and re-electing Donald Trump is the right thing to do.

The advancement in technology is put to use again by the world power during this election and the electronic mail voting is a testament to the beauty of technology.

Nigeria and Africa can learn from this to improve their voting system and safety during elections; African countries are still lacking peaceful democratic electoral transition.

If we take a look at Cote de voire (Ivory Coast), where Alhassan Quattara is seeking third term as President, we can only but conclude that we are not learning or ready to grow and deepen our democratic gains.

African countries and leaders can do better than what we currently have, therefore the need for fundamental reforms in voting systems to address democratic challenges, Okoli said.

He, however, said that electoral institutions, such as electoral commission, the Judiciary and other enabling laws, needed to be strengthened to produce quality election and leadership in Africa. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Ms Esther Agbaje

By Harrison Arubu

A Nigerian, Ms Esther Agbaje, has been elected into the Minnesota House of Representatives in Tuesdays U.S. general election.

She will represent District 59B in the 134-member House on the platform of the Democratic-FarmerLabor Party (DFL), an affiliate of U.S. Democratic Party.

Esther, 35, won by a landslide, polling 17,396 votes or 74.7 per cent of the total ballots cast.

Her closest rival, Alan Shilepsky of the Republican Party, secured 4,128 votes, representing 17.7 per cent of the total.

Elections to the lower chamber of the state legislature hold every two years, and there are no term limits for the lawmakers.

The daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Agbaje was born in St. Paul, the state capital of Minnesota.

Her father, Rev. John, an Episcopal Church priest, met her mother, Bunmi, a librarian, at the University of Minnesota where they were studying.

She graduated from George Washington University, Washington, D.C., with a degree in political science.

Esther holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, and also a law degree from Harvard University.

She currently works as an attorney in Minneapolis with focus on general civil litigation and medical malpractice.

She once served at the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Affairs Officer, charged with managing rule of law projects in the Middle East.

Her priorities as a lawmaker include affordable housing, environmental justice, police reform, public safety and racial equality.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Some social media logos

Turkey has imposed hefty fines on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and other platforms, for violating a new law that exerts greater control over social media.

The announcement was made, ironically on Twitter, by Deputy Transport and Infrastructure Minister Omer Sayan on Wednesday.

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Periscope, YouTube and TikTok, were each fined 10 million lira (1.17 million dollars), Sayan said.

They were penalised for failing to appoint a representative based in Turkey, within the legally mandated deadline.

The law, described as draconian by rights groups and free speech campaigners, was passed by parliament in July and went into effect in October.

It states that foreign social media platforms accessed by more than 1 million daily users in Turkey would have to appoint legal representatives based in Turkey.

Failure to do so would result in heavy fines, advertising bans and gradually having the platforms bandwidth slashed, rendering it unusable.

They will also have to store users data in Turkey, making it easier for the authorities to access.

Turkish authorities often target social media users over content deemed illegal.

In July, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for greater control over social media which he described as a source of lies.

Erdogans anger came after his grandsons birth announcement prompted attacks on Twitter.

Sayan, however, said he had confidence that the social media networks would comply and appoint representatives.

Our intent is not to be in conflict with these providers, which serve billions of people around the world, he tweeted. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Aliko Dangote

By Solomon Asowata

The Dangote Group says its two billion-dollar granulated urea fertiliser plant located at Ibeju Lekki, Lagos will begin operation before the end of December.

Mr Anthony Chiejina, Group Head, Corporate Communications, Dangote Group, confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

Chiejina said: The project will be ready for take-off before the end of December.

The pre-testing has already been done and the delay in starting operations was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NAN reports that Mr Aliko Dangote, Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Group, had in February projected that the plant would begin operations in July.

Dangote had said that the project would be the largest fertiliser plant in the world with its three million tonnes per annum capacity.

He said it would make Nigeria the only urea exporting country in Sub-Saharan Africa, adding that the fertiliser and petrochemicals plants were capable of generatingbillion annually.

According to him, the amount is almost 10 per cent of what Nigeria is getting from home remittances, which is one of the highest in the world. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa

By Muhammad Adam

Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa has warned principals of Secondary Schools in the state against extorting parents over examination and school fees.

Fintiri gave the warning on Wednesday in Yola while addressing religious, traditional and community leaders from Adamawa South Senatorial Zone who paid him a sympathy visit over the recent ENDSARS protests that led to vandalism in the state.

Fintiri said his administration had already paid for WAEC and NECO examinations for students of public schools that sat for the 2020 examinations and therefore no Principal should demand for such payment.

I received a report that WAEC on Monday 2, October, 2020 has released the 2020 examination results, but Adamawa state results were withheld for alleged non payment of 2017 Supervisors allowances.

He said that there was no justification for WAEC to punish the students who sat for the 2020 examination for the offence committed in 2017, adding that government had already released money to settle the alleged supervisors allowances for WAEC to release the results.

I want to make it categorically clear that no Parent or guardian whose children are in public schools across the state should pay a dime to any school principal.

Government had already paid NECO and WAEC Examination fees for all students and our administration has declared free education in the state, Fintiri said.

Commenting on the ongoing selling of Teachers recruitment forms, the governor directed that all the forms should be given free and anybody found selling the forms would be dealt with accordingly.

On the ongoing Teachers recruitment, we are going to give equal opportunity and treatment to every local government area, he said, addingI have directed that the teachers recruitment forms be given free of charge to all interested applicants across the state.

Speaking on behalf of the communities, Mr Ganggurun Gesselembe, from Ganye Local Government Area , said that the visit was to sympathize with the governor over the recent violent youth protests.

Gesslembe expressed shock over the level of devastation recorded in the state as a result of ENDSARS protest, while assuring the governor of maximum support from the people of the states Southern Senatorial district. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Mining site

Seventeen miners at a coal mine in southern Zambia survived gas suffocation while working underground, a mining official said on Tuesday.

The accident happened in the early hours of Monday at Collum Coal Mine situated in Sinazongwe district, at shaft 6 underground when suspected carbon monoxide gas filled the underground passage as the miners were working.

Acting Mine Manager Oliver Kabango said the incident resulted in some of the miners fainting although there were no fatalities, according to the state-run news agency, the Zambia News and Information Service.

He said the miners were taken to a local hospital where they were treated for gas suffocation and later discharged.

Safety officers have since been dispatched to the accident scene to ascertain the source of the carbon monoxide, he added.

District Commissioner Sheena Muleya, who visited the mine, expressed concern over the accident and urged management to ensure maximum safety in the operations. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

AEDC effects revised service tariff on Nov. 1

By Desmond Ejibas

The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) on Tuesday commenced the implementation of the new electricity tariff regime earlier suspended by the Federal Government.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government had suspended the initial take-off of the new tariff following the outcry that greeted its earlier launch on Sept. 1.

Mrs Chioma Aninwe, an official in the Corporate Communications Unit of PHED announced the launch of the new tariff regime in a statement in Port Harcourt.

PHED notifies its customers and members of the public in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers states that it has commenced the implementation of the revised service-based tariff.

PHED implemented the revised service based tariff as approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) which took effect from Nov. 1.

The revision stems from the consultative review meetings held among the Federal Government, labour unions and other stakeholders, following concerns raised by customers on the MYTO 2020 SRT tariffs.

Due to concerns by customers, the tariff which was earlier implemented on Sept. 1 was later suspended on Sept. 28, Aninwe said.

She explained that the new tariff classification was based strictly on service parameters, including quality of service measured by the average availability of power supply in a month.

Others are interruptions, frequency and duration of electricity supply as well as voltage levels that are not limited to infrastructural investments.

Aninwe also disclosed that PHED had decided to maintain the already categorised billing system that is structured on five bands on hours of availability of power supply.

To this end, customers on Band A category on a minimum of 20 hours power supply per day are expected to pay N53.02 per kilowatt.

Category B with a minimum of 16 hours power daily supply will now pay 52.59 per kilowatt, while Band C customers on minimum 12 hours power supply daily will pay 46.15 per kilowatt.

In addition, customers on Band D and E categories receiving a minimum of eight and four hours power supply per day respectively, will maintain the old tariff structure.

Consequently, Pre-paid metered customers on Band A to C and Post-paid metered customers bill for November billing cycle in their band categories will charge the new tariff from Nov. 1, Aninwe said.

Aninwe appealed to customers in the PHED coverage states to ensure prompt payment of their electricity bill to enable the company to expand its networks. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

The capsized boat in Indonesia

Three people were killed and four missing after a boat carrying candidates for a local district election sank off Indonesias Sulawesi island, a search official said on Tuesday.

The boat was said to have capsizednear Banggai island on Monday after it was engulfed by big waves,said Haris Sapardi, the head of the local search and rescue agency.

It was carrying 11people, including acandidate for Banggai Laut district chief,Rusly Banun andhis running mate Asgar Badalia, who were on a campaign trip to the nearby Masoni island, he said.

Rusly was among the four people rescued but his running mate was found dead, Haris said.

A search operation for the missing four has continued, he said. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Facebook and twitter

Social media companies Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc on Monday outlined plans for placing warning labels on posts from U.S. election candidates and campaigns that claim victory in advance of official results.

The moves come as social network platforms brace for what has been an unusual election cycle due to a high number of mail-in ballots that may cause a delay in final results.

Beginning on election night through the inauguration, Twitter said it would place warning labels such as official sources called this election differently, or official sources may not have called the race when this was tweeted.

Facebook will add specific information in news feed notifications in its apps and in the labels on posts if a candidate or a party declares premature victory, and will continue to show latest results in its Voting Information Centre, it said in a separate statement.

Facebook said it will also monitor a range of issues in real time on Election Day, including reports of voter suppression content, and will remove any attempts to suppress participation or intimidate voters.

U.S.-based accounts with over 100,000 followers and a significant engagement will also be considered for labeling, Twitter said.

Social media companies are under pressure to combat election-related misinformation and prepare for the possibility of violence or poll place intimidation around the November vote.

In an updated blog, Twitter said it would consider state election officials and national news outlets such as ABC News, Associated Press, CNN and Fox News that have independent election decision desks as official sources for results.

Their official Twitter accounts will be exempted from labeling, the company said. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Cancer awareness creation by members of Project PINK BLUE

Dr Isreal Kolawole, a Consultant Anesthetic and Palliative Care Clinician, on Tuesday commended the Federal Governments review of the National Palliative Care and Chemosafe Policies.

Kolawale, a consultant at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, that the review would eliminate cancer patients challenges in Nigeria.

NAN recalls that the Federal Ministry of Health and stakeholders in the health sector reviewed the policies during the Cancer week, which held from Oct. 26 to Oct. 30.

Palliative Care Policy has to do with cancer patients in critical conditions, while Chemosafe Policy has to do with the safe administration of medicine to cancer patients.

The consultant described the review of the palliative care policy as a welcome development that would aid the growth of palliative care in the country.

Without the Palliative Care policy, there will be no strong government backing and support for the service but once there is a policy, it will give the government direction on the cause of action.

Before now, the growth of palliative care in Nigeria has been very slow because there has not been strong government support, especially in the area of budgetary allocation.

We hope that once the policy is in place, government will see the need in making budgetary provision for the service because palliative care policy is all encompassing.

It is very important, it is holistic; it addresses challenges for those in life threatening diseases; both cancer and non-communicable life threatening diseases, he said.

According to him, the palliative care policy will address challenges of cancer patients that have been neglected in the current medical care in Nigeria.

Kolawole also commended the Federal Government for addressing the problem of inadequate supply of morphine, adding that the medicine was core in managing pains in cancer patients.

Morphine is a drug used to treat moderate to severe pain; it binds to opioid receptors in the central nervous system and some other tissues.

We used to have inadequate supply of Morphine but the problem is being addressed because there is now a budgetary allocation for it.

When there is no Morphine, you can hardly practice palliative care; it is core because pain is the core problem of cancer.

Morphine is the strongest analgesic known today that can take care of the pain. When there is no morphine, patients suffer unduly, he said.

Kolawole added that the Chemosafe policy would address the issue of availability and affordability of cancer drugs and also its genuineness.

According to him, the Chemosafe policy will ensure that chemotherapy drugs that are used for chemosafe as well as make the chemotherapy drugs available at a cheaper rate.

Right now, the drugs are very expensive. The policy harmonises the drugs commonly used for cancer and purchase them in bulk.

Once it is purchased in bulk, the final price to patients is reduced. It could be reduced to 50 per cent of the original price.

It also ensures that the drugs that are being purchased are from the original manufacturers, because there are lot of fake drugs in the market, he said.

Source: NAN News

French Police make arrests in Nice

Four people were arrested north of Paris on Tuesday in connection with last weeks deadly knife attack in a church in Nice, a judicial source said.

One of the people arrested, a 29-year-old from Tunisia, was suspected of having been in contact with the attacker, the source said.

The other three were in his home when police came to arrest him.

Three people were killed in the attack on Friday, which President Emmanuel Macron described as an act of terrorism.

The main suspect, a 21-year-old Tunisian who had recently arrived in France via Italy, was shot 14 times by police and hospitalised in a critical condition.

It was the second deadly attack in a month, after the beheading in a Paris suburb of a schoolteacher, who had used controversial cartoons of the prophet Mohammed in a class on the freedom of expression.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Monday that he would be visiting Tunisia and Algeria later this week.

The according to him is to persuade those countries to accept the return of citizens with extremist views that France wanted to expel.

France has also intensified a planned crackdown on militants activists after the attacks, with a big mosque in a Paris suburb and a prominent Islamic charity both closed down. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire.

By Abujah Racheal

Mr Steve Adepoju, a Public Health Expert, has appealed to the Federal Government and other stakeholders not to neglect Tuberculosis (TB) sufferers as more attention and funding had been given to COVID-19patients in the country.

He made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

He added that too much attention was being given to
COVID-19, forgetting about TB and other Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

He expressed worry that temporary disruptions of TB treatment could cause long-term increase in TB incidence and mortality.

He added that patients who do not consistently take the full dose of medication can spread drug-resistant tuberculosis, which is resistant to common medication.

Routine services for TB are being disrupted by stringent lockdown at the heat of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Nigeria should seek to estimate the potential long-term epidemiological impact of such disruptions on TB burden in high-burden states, and how this negative impact could be mitigated.

According to the expert, COVID-19 pandemic threatens to reverse recent progress in reducing the global burden of TB disease in the country.

He explained that TB starts with a mild fever and malaise, followed by a painful cough and shortness of breath.

The infection spread to people in close reach. Containing an outbreak requires contact tracing, as well as isolation and treatment of the sick for weeks or months.

This disease has touched every part of the globe. It claims 1.5 million lives each year.

As COVID-19 spreads around the world, consuming global health resources, perennially neglected adversaries are making a comeback.

The public health expert noted thatthe ideal estimate of the seriousness of infection were in its fatality risk.

He added that before we claim that HIV/AIDS and TB are worse than COVID-19, we must prove that their case fatality ratios are higher.

He stressed that COVID-19 and TB posed a deadly and dual threat.

He suggested that tremendous catch-up work, advocacy, and funding be done to get back on track, even as the COVID-19 pandemic was pushing millions of people into extreme poverty.

This is not good for TB because poverty and TB are inter-related. (NAN)

Source: NAN News