COVID-19

By Nicholas Obisike

Enugu State recorded 115 new cases of COVID-19 cases within two days to reach 675 cases on Saturday.

The state Health Commissioner, Dr Emmanuel Obi, said in a statement on Sunday in Enugu that 35 cases were recorded on July 17 and 80 cases on July 18.

According to him, there are 298 cases on the treatment table while the death toll had reached 17.

The commissioner said that the state had so far discharged 360 patients as of July 19.

He advised the citizens to stay at home and follow all the COVID-19 protocols.

He further urged them to practice good hygiene when coughing or sneezing and clean the surfaces around them regularly with bleach and water.

Wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds under running water as often as possible, or use alcohol-based hand sanitisers where handwashing facilities are unavailable.

Endeavour to call the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in case you developed symptoms, Obi said.

The commissioner said that the state government has also rolled out an assessment platform for the public to self-examine themselves individually for coronavirus.

He said that the new application, known as Enugu State COVID-19 Assessment Platform, is not diagnostic.

Rather, he said, it is meant to help people to determine their risk of exposure to the disease.

For individuals, who do not have access to the internet or a smartphone, there is a telephone line and a USSD code which can be used.

The telephone line also has options for English, Pidgin and Igbo Languages.

Obi said that responses were being monitored on a dashboard at the State Ministry of Health and would be promptly followed up by the states Emergency Operation Centre.

We are urging the public to take advantage of the assessment platform, as Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is putting measures in place to contain the disease, the commissioner said.

He outlined the internet line as https://enugu-covid19.eclathealthcare.com with the telephone numberas 014400037 and the USSD code as 72319*12#. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared N651.18 billion Federation Account Revenue to the federal, states and local government councils and relevant agencies for the month of June.

Mr Henshaw Ogubike, Director Information, Press and Public Relations of FAAC announced the figures in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Ogubike said the monthly meeting, which held by virtual conferencing, was chaired by Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris.

He explained that the gross statutory revenue available in June was N524.52 billion while the gross revenue from the Value Added Tax (VAT) was N128.826 billion and the revenue from the Exchange Gain was N42.832 billion.

This brought the total revenue for the month to N696.18 billion.

The director said that from this total, the sum of N45 billion was saved in the excess non-oil revenue account and the balance of N651.184 billion was shared to the three tiers of government and relevant agencies.

Giving the breakdown, he said the Federal Government received N266.13 billion, the state governments got N185.77 billion and the local government councils received N138.97 billion.

According to him, the oil-producing states received N28.49 billion as 13 per cent derivation revenue while N76.80 billion was given to revenue and relevant agencies.

He said in June, import and excise duty, VAT, companies income tax, oil and gas royalty recorded significant increases while petroleum profit tax declined.

Source: NAN News

By Chiazo Ogbolu

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), says it will go tougher with untrained and uncertified boat skippers, who often ignored safety procedures and endanger the passengers lives.

ItsDirector-General of NIMASA,Dr Bashir Jamoh, made the assertion while receivingMr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel,General Manager, Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), in his office.

Jamoh, in a statement in Lagos on Sunday, after the latters visit, said the directive was against the background of recent fatal boat mishaps on the nations inland waterways.

The general manager also suggested the development of cohesive safety enforcement guidelines and regulations for implementation across the littoral states.

He said the harmonisation of standards and procedures for safety in the territorial waters would go a long way in minimising unsafe practices by operators of non-conventional vessels, which were not subject to international standards, but rely mainly on national regulations.

We have a number of boat skippers that are not trained and not knowledgeable enough and they do not have certification. They only know how to maneuver the boat and risk peoples lives.

We will now start to check that. The issue is important, that is why I will start to take it more seriously, because charity begins at home.

If we have enforcement officers and they are laid back, they will continue to watch what is happening without doing anything.

I am glad to see the synergy and collaboration that is developing with the Lagos State Waterways Authority, because we all have, as our common mandate, the job of ensuring safety on our waters, he said.

Jamoh said the Federal Ministry of Transportation was also in the process of building unified enforcement guidelines for safety in the countrys waters.

He said that the synergy between NIMASA and the Lagos State Government would help to fast track the process.

He urged greater supervision of officers engaged in the enforcement of safety standards.

Our responsibility is to ensure that we monitor and supervise the staff members that are given the responsibility of enforcing the issue of safety at sea.

Safety procedures, such as availability of adequate lifejackets, good condition of the boat, and time of use, must be verified by enforcement officers before a boat sets sail, he said.

In his remarks, the LASWA General Manager promised to intensify information sharing between his agency and NIMASA as part of the efforts to improve collaboration for maritime safety.

We have the database of small craft, which I believe that we will be ready to share with NIMASA, Emmanuel said.

On the importance of uniform enforcement procedure, the general manager said he was really excited that this was happening, because overtime what they generally tend to see on the waterways was an overlap of so many functions.

I am sure it is not news to anyone here the issues we have had over the years between LASWA and NIWA (National Inland Waterways Authority), and how that has affected the things that have happened on the waterways, he said.

Source: NAN News

General Commander NSCDC,Gana Abdullahi

NSCDC Spokesman, Emmanuel Okeh, disclosed this in a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

Okeh said that the Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbeshola, approved an extension of the tenure of the NSCDC boss for a six-month period and not five years as it had been speculated in some quarters.

He noted that the tenure extension would be effective from July 17, 2020 to January 2021 and not for another five years as speculated in the media.

It is therefore instructive to point out that the information, as being circulated in some sections of the media is untrue, incorrect and seriously misleading.

And a figment of the imagination of the writers in an attempt to cause confusion and disaffection in the system while at the same time projecting the leadership of the Corps in bad light, he said.

Okeh said that the Corps therefore wished to place on record that the Minister of interior had graciously approved an extension of the tenure of the NSCDC Commandant General for a six-month period.

This, he said, having been found worthy of the office, in the face of numerous successes the Corps had recorded in its assigned mandate under his leadership.

He also urged the general public, as well as all officers and men of the Corps to disregard the earlier publications in the media, describing it as biased, unfair and capable of rubbishing the integrity of the Corps.

Okeh also assured the government and all Nigerians that the added time for the NSCDC boss would be utilized very to further develop and grow the organization to the standard expected of an International organization like Civil Defence.

Source: NAN News

Kagame Paul

The Rwandan cabinet, on Wednesday, said places of worship could resume service upon approval by local authorities.

Only those who meet the conditions on preventing the spread of COVID-19 are allowed to reopen.

Residents in the capital city Kigali thronged into churches in the early morning, wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing norms, washing hands with clean water, soap and hand sanitisers.

Before entering the church, worshippers temperatures are measured before they are told to clean their hands and as well maintain social distance during praying.

We are very strict on COVID-19 preventive measures, Nathan Rusengo Amooti, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kigali, told reporters shortly after the first church service at St Etienne Cathedral.

Worshippers were registered at the church before starting prayers, said Amooti, adding that the church has limited the number of worshippers to enter in order to maintain social distancing.

Before and after prayers, the church will be cleaned thoroughly by using appropriate disinfectants or cleaning detergents, according to him.

We thank the government of Rwanda for permitting us to resume public worship.

We are very strict on COVID-19 prevention measures and our followers have been told to adhere to the new guidelines, Innocent Consolateur, Head Priest at Kigalis St Michael Cathedral, told reporters.

The Catholic Church has installed washing facilities where worshippers will be cleaning their hands, using water and alcohol-based sanitisers before entering the church.

Churchgoers, who are willing to make offertories, have to use digital payments, according to him.

We thank the government of Rwanda to permit us to gather and worship at our church.

Conducting prayers from home has been very challenging because of many interruptions, Esperance Mukamurenzi, one of churchgoers at St Michael Cathedral told Xinhua at the church.

The number of the COVID-19 cases in Rwanda has reached 1,539, including 819 recoveries and five deaths, Rwandan Health Ministry reported on Saturday evening.(Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19 updates by NCDC

It said the major reason for the delay of COVID-19 test results was not the testing per se, but the process of getting results to individuals.

f you have COUGH or FEVERand one of these symptoms: Loss of taste/smell, difficulty in breathing, diarrhoea, catarrh, fatigue, shivering, body pain, headache, andre throat, call your state hotline: covid19.ncdc.gov.ng/contact/, it stated.

, observe physical distancing and wash your hands frequently.

Source: NAN News

Coronavirus

Loss of Taste; Loss of Smell, Difficulty Breathing, Diarrhea, Catarrh, Fatigue, Shivering, Body Pain, Headache and Sore Throat.

Source: NAN News

Gov. Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti State

By Ariwodola Idowu

The Ekiti Government says it will begin to arrest those refusing to wear facemasks in public places from Monday.

The Attorney General and Commisioner for Justice, Wale Fapounda, on Sunday told newsmen in Ado Ekiti that there would henceforth be stiffer penalties for those who fail to comply.

The commissioner said Gov. Kayode Fayemi was particularly worried about the deliberate lack of compliance with most COVID-19 regulations in the state.

He said the governor had ordered full enforcement of all other COVID-19 regulations in the state.

The commissioner cited some of the precautionary regulations ignored by residents to include compulsory wearing of face masks in public places and observance of social distancing.

He explained further that mobile courts had been established to try offenders and impose adequate sanctions such as fines and community service.

The commissioner further explained that commercial motorcyclists as well as road transport workers whose passengers refused or neglect to wear face masks would be held liable.

He reiterated the commitment of the Fayemi administration to the protection of human rights while enforcing the regulations.

According to him, the Ministry of Justice has already issued a directive ordering security agents to respect the rights of residents while discharging their duties.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Mining site

By By Emmanuel Afonne

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Olamilekan Adegbite, says the Federal Government will soon ban the importation of barite to help the country save foreign exchange for other useful purposes.

Adegbite, who said this when he featured as a special guest on News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) programme: Forum, noted that about million was spent annually to import barite from Morocco.

Barite is a mineral consisting of barium sulphate, typically occurring as colourless prismatic crystals or thin white flakes used in the oil industry and also part of the drilling mud mixture.

The minister said a consultant had been engaged by the ministry to workout modalities for sourcing barite locally and also end its importation into the country.

Nigeria has been spending millions of dollars every year on barite. We import barite from Morocco, about 300 million dollars worth annually, and this is something we have in Nigeria.

We have barite all over the country (in Nasarawa, Cross River States); so, why cant we produce our barite. There are standards required by the industry and we have it.

The first thing is that it is measured by specific gravity; do we have the specific gravity that is required? We do, but the processing is what is missing.

When I came to office, I got a consultant to work with me on barite and we said we must take barite from the mind to the site and it is on course.

When you mine the barites it comes like big stones and you need to crush them; when you crush them, you mill for it to become fine particles, so there is a standard and specification of the milling. The last thing is bagging.

The bagging has to be right. Once we are able to meet that, nobody will have to import any barite in Nigeria again and we will save Nigeria the foreign exchange; we sell and as well create employment, he said.

According to the minister, efforts are being intensified to diversify the nations economy, from oil-based to non-oil based, to enable it survive the imminent world recession necessitated by Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

This, he said, was evident in the production and launch of the first gold bar by President Muhammadu Buhari on July 16 through the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI).

Adegbite said plans had been concluded, with a Canadian company, to enable Nigeria to begin to export gold by 2021 as part of the economy diversification plan of the present administration.

He explained that the country had a proven deposit of one million ounces of gold with a prospect of over 200 million ounces.

We have to first of all collect data about a particular mineral to know the quantity we have and that starts from what we call Aero Magnetic Survey carried out by specialised aircraft which fly very low to be able to gather data.

From our Aero Magnetic Survey, we know we have gold in many States Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna, Osun and now Kwara, even FCT- but it goes beyond that.

There is what we call proven deposit and you achieve this by drilling.

Now, as at today, the proven deposit that we have is over a million ounces but we believe that the prospect could be over 200 million ounces.

We have a Canadian company in Nigeria that is working out something in Osun; they already have at least one million ounces of proven deposit.

The plan is to start processing and exporting gold by the end of the year but, because of COVID-19, it might be in the first quarter of next year, Adegbite said.

Source: NAN News

Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have eliminated top commanders and members of Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in recent encounters in the northeast, according to Defence Headquarters.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Enenche disclosed that the troops had on July 17, killed six terrorists at Kolofata, a community on Republic of Cameroon border, in an attempt to cross towards Sambisa Forest axis.

He said that weapons and equipment recovered from the terrorists include three AK47 rifles, a Magazine with 48 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, one Honda car, one motorcycle and eight bicycles.

Other items recovered include three mobile phones with multiple SIM and memory cards as well as five copies of the Holy Quran, among others.

Enenche added that the troops also intercepted a letter written in Hausa Language, addressed to Abu Fatima, one of the top Boko Haram commanders, documents and other logistics.

Shortly after the successful operation, the enemy communication intercept confirmed killing of a top Boko Haram Commander named Sayinna and other fighters during the encounter.

The other slayed terrorists were suspected to be Imam and Mansur to Abu Fatima who hibernate in Sambisa Forest, he said.

According to him, troops continue their onslaught on the terrorists in the northeast, killing eight prominent leaders of the sect in their futile attempt to infiltrate Army Super Camp, Damasak.

Enenche noted that with troops doggedness, superior fire power and manoeuvring skills, the terrorists were devastated and the rest escaped in total disarray.

According to him, the successes of the military, since the turn of the year 2020 is causing confusion and disharmony in the insurgents camps.

This is evident by the frequent changes in ISWAP leadership within a short period of time, and this is largely due to the several losses inflicted on them by own troops in both men, weapons and equipment, he said.

Enenche said that top Boko Haram terrorists/ISWAP leaders were killed during the encounter at Damasak and buried by the terrorists at Goski village in the early hours of July 3.

He listed the commanders to include: Tumbun Dabino (Ba Issoufou), Tumbun Bororo (Amir Batam), Tumbun Jaki (Almustapha), Tumbun Bagaruwa (Modou Kollo), Dogon Tchoukou (Issah), Tumbun Rakke (Mustapha Woulama) Tumbun Dila (Boukar Kowa) and Tumbun Mita (Abou Aisha).

Enenche stressed that series of successes so far recorded had led to several of the insurgents surrendering in their numbers.

He revealed that the insurgents voluntarily admitted that the insurgency was driven more by quest for money, power, greed and criminality, and less of any ideology.

The spokesman said the military high command has commended the security agencies operating in the northeast for the sustained successful operations.

They are further urged to remain resolute and maintain the momentum of onslaught against the enemies of our country, he said.

Source: NAN News

Mr Olamilekan Adegbite,

By Emmanuel Afonne

The 2020 Nigeria Mining Week will hold virtually in October due to Coronavirus pandemic, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Olamilekan Adegbite, said.

The 2020 Nigeria Mining Week will hold virtually in October following the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Olamilekan Adegbite, has said.

Adegbite, who disclosed this in Abuja at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum said the event was usually part of the ministrys way of showcasing the country internationally.

He, however, regretted that the event which served as a channel for promoting the countrys mineral resources to the world would now be reduced to a mere conference meeting on zoom due to the deadly Coronavirus.

In October every year, we do Nigeria Mining Week and this is to showcase what we have in Nigeria internationally, unfortunately this year, we have postponed the physical aspect of the event following the Coronavirus pandemic but we are going to do it virtually.

The first time I witnessed the event was at the NAF Conference Centre, and I noticed that it was small for us, so I promised that we are going to have a bigger one this year, of course we secured the International Conference Centre as the venue for this years event.

However, we have written to them to keep the money against next year since we cant have a physical Mining Week again, but Nigerian Mining Week will still go on virtually on zoom; so, every day we are going to showcase things for Nigerians to see, Adegbite said.

The minister further said that the country was working towards achieving its full potential in the mining sector.

I was with the president in Russia in October last year, I went to London in January and was in South Africa in February and also in Canada in March before the lockdown and these were mining activities that we attended just to propagate the gospel according to Nigeria.

Essentially, what we were looking for were investors to come into Nigeria to mine some of these things. What most of the artisanal miners do in Nigeria is surface; mining goes deep down.

There is a mine site in South Africa where I went to, it goes in about four kilometers where they are mining and that needs technology because when you get to that four kilometers, it is like a city of its own.

This is very advanced mining; Nigeria is not into that yet. We are trying to get there and we need all the majors to come into Nigeria to access that; so we go about marketing the possibility in Nigeria for investors to come in, he said.

The minister pointed out that the ministry was collaborating with other ministries and agencies to ensure a robust strategy that would guarantee economic prosperity for the country.

Source: NAN News

Fishes _-..

By Cecilia Ijuo

The National Fish Association of Nigeria (NFAN), has called on the Federal Government to come to the aid of its members who are in distress due to losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National President of the association, Dr Gabriel Ogunsanya, made the call in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr Chidike Uko in Abuja on Sunday.

NFAN is an umbrella body for Fisheries and Aquaculture Sub-sector in Nigeria.

He said its members suffered huge losses during the first two months of the lockdown in the country because of the pandemic and were yet to recover from it.

He said that the transportation of fish and input supply services only started from late April after NFAN leadership made a strong case for exemption duty pass for its members.

Ogunsanya lamented that in spite of the fact that the exemption pass was eventually approved by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, so many losses had been incurred by the farmers and other players.

He stressed that unless something urgent was done to salvage the situation, it would be difficult to meet the huge local fish demand in the country.

We have serious concerns that in the midst of obvious inadequate fish supply, production challenges and personal sacrifices, our farmers are currently facing unbelievable fish glut.

They are equally facing abysmally low pricing and inability to harvest and evacuate ponds and other fish holding water bodies.

These challenges are therefore preventing restocking to break the production cycle.

In the same vein, thousands of fish farmers in the South South region, comprising Rivers, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states were thrown out of business not long ago.

This is as a result of government order for investigation
and thorough cleaning of alien poisoning incident that caused massive fish and aquatic life mortality in the creeks and coastline water bodies between March and April.

From records, NFAN has the capacity within established members facilities to off take mature fishes for processing from different farms in Nigeria.

This is to prevent post-harvest losses while making smoked fishes available in the markets and for national food bank. However, this requires intervention funding, he said.

Ogunsanya said the industry required strong government commitment particularly in terms of policy direction and funding for fish importation to be banned in 2022 as assured by the federal government.

As we carry on with the task to meet national fish demand threshold in two years, our farmers require palliatives and economic stimulus packages to remain in business as extended to others.

We therefore pray the Federal Government to consider declaration of a state of emergency and implementation of a structured plan to revamp the struggling fisheries and aquaculture subsector.

We urge ministries of agriculture and rural development and industry, trade and investment, to bring attention of government, MDAs and funding bodies to the plight of hard working fish farmers and industry operators.

Their assistance in letting relevant stakeholders know the huge challenges faced by the industry will go a long way in sustaining our contributions to national food security and income generation, he said.

The NFAN president said the association was open
to further discussion on issues raised and more prospects for purpose of ensuring national development.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, had on Feb. 4, said following Federal Governments effort to encourage local production, Nigeria may stop fish importation in 2022.

He said time had come for Nigeria to look inward to tap into the huge potential in fisheries and aquaculture for local consumption and export.

He assured that measures were already being put in place by government to actualise the plan. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

President Muhammadu Buhari

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with the former Minister of Police Affairs, retired Maj.- Gen. David Jemibewon, on his 80thbirthday on Monday, joining family members and associates to celebrate with the former military officer.

The president, in a congratulatory message by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Sunday noted that Jemibewon had played many pivotal roles in shaping the nations history in the private and public sectors.

He extolled Jemibewon for services to the nation, as a former governor of the defunct Western State and later Oyo State, and taking up strategic positions in the Nigerian Army as General Officer Commanding, First Infantry Division and AdjutantGeneral.

The president affirmed that the reforms instituted by the former minister of police had strengthened the Nigeria Police Force for better service, especially the setting up of the Police Service Commission.

He also lauded the former minister for initiating a process for the expansion of the security agency with more officers andmodelling of some global best practices in operations.

Buhari observed that Jemibewons interest in the country continued to soar after retirement as he contributed to the process of returning the country to democratic governance.

He also noted that the former governor had consistently played an active role in advocating good governance and development that directly impact on the people.

The president prayed that the almighty God would continue to bless the former governor with good health and strength to keep serving the nation.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Zubairu Idris

The Police Command in Katsina has rescued 14 kidnapped women and recovered 90 animals, Police spokesman, Mr Gambo Isah, said on Saturday.

Isah, a police superintendent, said this in a statement on Saturday in Katsina.

On Saturday at about 1:00 hours, the DPO Dutsinma, led Operation Puff Adder to Kwantawama village, Dutsinma Local Government Area(LGA ), based on report that bandits numbering about 40 on motorcycles armed with AK47, attacked the village.

The bandits kidnapped 14 women including children, and rustled a large number of animals.

The team engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel and succeeded in dislodging them, rescuing the 14 women and recovering 30 cows and 60 sheep, he said.

Isah further said the police also succeeded in arresting a suspected bandit (name withheld) of Tudu village in Dutsinma LGA of the state.

Source: NAN News

Galaxy Backbone

The Federal Government has approved the National Information Communications Technology Infrastructure Backbone (NICTIB II) for the extension of network to the northern part of the country.

Prof. Mohammed Abubakar, Managing-Director, Galaxy Backbone (GBB), made this known during a facility tour by the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu-Abubakar lll, on Saturday in Abuja.

Abubakar explained that NICTIB I focused on South-South, South-East and South-West, while NICTIB II focused more on the North East and North West of the country.

The farther network will provide a backbone, the GBB boss said.

Abubakar said that the network connectivity made it possible for organisations, enterprises and individuals to communicate and was best using the NICTIB II project.

He, however, gave assurance that the network would be equally distributed so that every city would have the same backbone and use the fiber comfortably.

Recently, there is an approval from the government to go on with the NICTIB II project.

When we bring the network, we will try to distribute it to all the cities so that anywhere you are, you can use the fiber.

We were able to pull the fiber cables from Lagos to some parts of the South South, we came to South East (Enugu) and we came to Calabar and Port Harcourt.

We came to Makurdi, Nasarawa State and Abuja. So, we now have our presence in terms of fiber optics along those routes.

The NICTIB II is focusing on the hinterland that is toward the northern part of the country.

We will rollout this particular backbone infrastructure to move from Abuja to Plateau, Gombe, Bauchi, Maiduguri, Kano, and the northwest.

That is what we are doing and it will cover most of the states in the north, apart from what we call the Metro Fiber Network in major cities, he said.

On e-commerce, Abubakar said that the NICTIB II would make lots of economic activities easier, by making people to buy and sell without necessarily travelling outside the country, when put in place.

There is e-commerce where you can request for what you want to buy and make payment. The goods will be supplied from any part of the world without spending money to travel.

This will reduce the cost and ultimately boost the issue of whatever kind of business transaction you are making.

It will bring a lot of economic activities when put in place.

The direction at which the world is moving is what we call fortran industrial revolution, this is mainly knowledge based such as the GSM and internet, Abubakar said.

In his response, the Emir, who was accompanied by his entourage, expressed delight, thanked the government and commended the GBB for going a long way with the NICTIB II project.

He said that the project would go a long way in helping people, especially in the rural areas in terms of communication, businesses and other things that required the use of the fiber.

We are very glad and we cannot wait to start enjoying this fiber in Gombe State, the Emir said.

Source: NAN News

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in collaboration with Muslim Council of Adamawa, has trained 75 religious leaders on how to prepare communities for peace-building and reconciliation in the state.

Prof. Mala Mustapha, CDD Senior Research Fellow, spoke during the training on Saturday in Yola.

Mustapha said that the aim of the training was to build capacity of participants to promote peace and justice.

To develop the requirements that make transitional justice and sustain peace in the communities devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Providing the relevant Islamic tenents for developing messages on specific themes on justice, fairness, peace, patience, repentance, remorse and forgiveness, the senior researcher said.

He called on the participants to pay attention on the training and contribute their part to bring lasting peace in their respective communities.

Mr Gambo Jika, Chairman Muslim council, said that the participants were drawn from 21 local government areas of the state, including council members of Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Jika said that the training was timely and at the end, participants would have the skills that could help in ensuring lasting peace in respective communities.

Mr Bashir Tahir, the training facilitator, said that it was significant, especially in the North East Sub region ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency and other violence.

Tahir said the introduction to the programme also assisted towards inclusion of repentant Boko Haram members into the community for onwards peace and peaceful co-existence in the communities.

Source: NAN News

COVID-19

Ariwodola Idowu

Ekiti Government has directed traditional rulers in towns and villages to either postpone or cancel for the rest of the year, all pending local festivals in their domains to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

The State Coordinator of COVID-19 Task Force Response Team, Prof Bolaji Aluko, made the announcement in a statement in Ado Ekiti.

He disclosed that Ekiti State had cumulatively recorded 78 positive Coronavirus cases, with 29 active, 2 deaths and 47 discharged, warning that the cases can rise dramatically if public assemblies continued unchecked.

He said as the state was gradually entering the full blown season of Traditional Festival, therefore, travels from within Ekiti State and various parts of Nigeria by indigenes and visitors to the various towns and villages during this period of the pandemic, had started to occur.

According to him, the attendant incidents of virus transmission in these crowded and boisterous situations, where social distancing is practically impossible, and mask wearing, which is also required, may be impractical for prolonged times.

Consequently, the wise course is to seriously discourage these festivals at this time.

In fact, they are effectively banned by current government guidelines requiring social distancing and limited-number assemblies.

Therefore, we are appealing to all Obas, Council Chairmen, Councillors and community leaders for the cancellation of the public celebration of all upcoming festivals and cessation of ongoing ones in all part of Ekiti until further notice.

These festivals should be observed in the quietness of homes. Some Obas have already been commendably proactive and announced cancellation for the rest of the calendar year, he said.

The State COVID-19 Coordinator, informed that government order against crowded assemblies, lack of social distance, and non-wearing of masks would, and must be enforced by the security forces.

We ask for your cooperation because Ekiti State currently has cumulatively recorded 78 positive COVID-19 cases, 29 of which are active, with 2 deaths and 47 discharged, but the cases can rise dramatically if public assemblies continue unchecked.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that prominent among traditional festivals to be affected by governments position are: Annual Egungun, (Masquerade) festival, Ogun, (god of Iron) festival and celebration of Annual Cultural Days, by various towns among others.

Source: NAN News

Gov. AbulRahaman AbdulRazaq

By Olayinka Owolewa

The Kwara Technical Committee on COVID-19 arrested 50 persons at a night club in Ilorin, the state capital, for violating the ban on night clubbing.

The Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee on COVID-19 in the state, Dr Femi Oladiji, disclosed this on Saturday in Ilorin at the states quarantine centre where the suspects were kept.

Oladiji explained that the operation was led by the states Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Technical Committee on COVID-19, Mr Kayode Alabi.

Around 1:00 a.m., we got information that some people were clubbing at Kwara Hotel.

The deputy governor, accompanied by some security officials, raided the club and we arrested so many boys and girls within the age range of 20 and 30.

Around 2:00 a.m., we brought them to the Hajj Camp (quarantine centre). We made them comfortable overnight, and early this morning, we took their samples for COVID-19 tests.

The arrest, which may lead to prosecution, is to send the signal that we cannot tolerate such a conduct. Violations will henceforth attract strong response from government, he said.

He said that the ban on night club activities remained in force in the state to prevent further spread of the virus.

Oladiji added that the clubbers violated the Kwara State Infectious Diseases Regulations, 2020, as well as governments subsisting ban on congregation that is beyond 20 people, except in places of worship.

Government is considering other measures, including enforcement of the use of face mask in public, to flatten the curve of transmission of the virus.

Government will take appropriate actions against any official of the hotel found to have authorised the violation of the existing ban.

This is to send the signal that such behaviour will not be tolerated, he added.

Source: NAN News

Sadiya Umar Farouk

Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, gave the assurance in Gusau while inspecting the storage of the items donated to the state.

The Federal Government brought 104 trailers laden with food items and 29,800 bags of fertilisers to be distributed to communities affected by armed banditry in the state.

The minister said that a committee comprising both State and Federal Government officials would be set up to monitor the distribution exercise.

We are very optimistic that these interventions will get to the targeted beneficiaries.

As you can see, the Federal Government is very committed to supporting states affected by either armed banditry or insurgency in the country.

One of such support is what we have currently brought to Zamfara. We have just brought palliatives for onward distribution to the affected communities.

We brought these palliatives and other interventions to cushion the effects of banditry and insurgency on the poor and vulnerable people in the state, the minister said.

Source: NAN News

President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has joined the United States Government and citizens, and other world leaders in mourning the passing of two iconic civil rights activists, John Lewis, 80 and Rev. Cordy Tindell C.T. Vivian, 95.

The presidents condolence messages were conveyed vis a statement by Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Saturday.

He affirmed that their courage and sacrifice in standing for the truth went beyond the borders of their country.

The Nigerian leader said:John Lewis and Rev. Cordy Tindell Vivian were transformative leaders who worked with others to change the unwanted situations of blacks in their country and the world over.

They left enduring legacies that will never be forgotten. We are all deprived by their passing.

The president prayed that the almighty God would receive the soul of the civil rights activists, and heal the nation of the deep pain of loss.

Source: NAN News