COVID-19

By Victor Adeoti

Osun has recorded 18 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of the infections in the state to 281.

Dr Rafiu Isamotu, the States Commissioner For Health, in a statement on Wednesday in Osogbo said 13 patients were also discharged from the states isolation centre.

Isamotu said the new cases were contacts of previous confirmed cases in the state.

The Commissioner said with the fresh cases, the number of confirmed cases in the state was 281 with 140 active cases.

He said the state had successfully treated and discharged 134 patients, while seven deaths were recorded.

Isamotu appealed to residents of the state to always observe all the precautionary measures laid down by the state against the spread of the virus. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile,

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has announced the death of Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, who died on July 14, as a result of head injuries sustained from a road traffic accident at NAF Base Kaduna.

Late Arotile was the first female combat helicopter pilot in the NAF.

Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAFs Director of Public Relations and Information, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

It is with great sorrow that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) regretfully announces the unfortunate demise of Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, who died on July 14, as a result of head injuries sustained from a road traffic accident at NAF Base Kaduna.

Until her death, Flying Officer Arotile, who was commissioned into the NAF in September 2017 as a member of Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 64, was the first ever female combat helicopter pilot in the Service.

During her short but impactful stay in the Service, late Arotile, who hails from Iffe in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, contributed significantly to the efforts to rid the North Central States of bandits and other criminal elements by flying several combat missions under Operation GAMA AIKI in Minna, Niger State.

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on behalf of officers, airmen, airwomen and civilian staff of the NAF, commiserates with the family of late Flying Officer Arotile over this irreparable loss.

We pray that the Almighty God grants her soul eternal rest, he said.

Source: NAN News

Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra

By Lucy Osuizigbo-Okechukwu

The Anambra State Post Primary Schools Service Commission (PPSSC) generated N507 million in 2019 through tuition fee and sports levy.

The Chairperson of the PPSSC, Mrs Ifeoma Okaro, made the disclosure while defending the commissions financial transactions in 2019, before the state House of Assembly Committee on Public Accounts.

Okaro said: Education from Primary I to Junior Secondary III is free in Anambra State, but Senior secondary students pay N3,000 for both tuition fee (N2,970) and Sports levy (N30).

According to our records, we have about 261 secondary schools and a total of 70,991 senior students in the state.

The students pay directly into the governments account.

Okaro advised students to keep safe during the COVID-19 pandemic by observing the safety precautions.

She also urged them to continue reading their books and listening to radio and online teachings to keep up with their academic syllabus.

According to her, examinations can be scheduled at anytime and students should not be found wanting, but prepared to excel.

Also speaking, Mr Somtochukwu Udeze (Ogbaru Il), Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, commended the commission for accurate records of financial transactions.

Udeze urged the commission to organise more extra curricular activities for students to nurture their talents in sports, crafts and arts.

Source: NAN News

Europes second-highest court on Wednesday rejected an EU order for Apple (AAPL.O) to pay 13 billion Euros (15 billion dollars) in Irish back taxes, dealing a blow to the blocs attempts to crack down on sweetheart tax deals.

In its order four years ago, the European Commission said Apple benefited from illegal state aid via two Irish tax rulings that artificially reduced its tax burden for over two decades, to as low as 0.005 per cent in 2014.

The General Court annuls the contested decision because the Commission did not succeed in showing to the requisite legal standard that there was an advantage for the purposes of Article 107(1) TFEU1, judges said, referring to EU competition rules.

The defeat for European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager could weaken or delay pending cases against Ikeas and Nikes (NKE.N) deals with the Netherlands, as well as Huhtamakis (HUH1V.HE) agreement with Luxembourg.

Vestager, who has made the tax crackdown a centerpiece of her time in office, saw the same court in 2019 overturn her demand for Starbucks (SBUX.O) to pay up to 30 million Euros in Dutch back taxes.

In another case, the court also threw out her ruling against a Belgian tax scheme for 39 multinationals.

While 14 billion Euros, including interest, would have gone a long way to plugging the coronavirus-shaped hole in Irelands finances, Dublin appealed against the Commissions order alongside Apple because it wanted to protect a low tax regime that has attracted 250,000 multinational employees.

However, the government is likely to face strong criticism from opposition parties for not taking the cash, which could cover no less than half of a budget deficit forecast to balloon to as much as 10 per cent of GDP this year.

The defeated side can appeal on points of law to the EU Court of Justice, Europes highest court. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Nasir El-Rufai

The Kaduna State Government has reiterated its commitment to improve Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure in its tertiary institutions to boost education.

The Commissioner of Education, Dr Shehu Makarfi, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Wednesday.

Makarfi explained that the ICT upgrade will be met through the development and deployment of Enhanced State Education Management Information System (eSEMIS).

He said that the move was to leverage on ICT, to improve the education delivery system, with a view to provide quality education in line with global best practices.

Makarfi said that the eSEMIS, comprised of e-learning system, Student Information System (SIS), Human Resources Management System (HRMS), Digital Archival System (DAS), Integrated Library Management System (ILMS) and Clinic Management System (CMS).

He added that the eSEMIS and the ICT upgrade, which has been developed in partnership with Staunton and Lycett Nigeria Ltd. were at various completion stage in all the state-owned tertiary institutions.

Makarfi identified the institution as Kaduna State University; Kaduna State College of Nursing and Midwifery, Kaduna State College of Education, Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, and Shehu Idris College of Health Sciences and Technology.

The commissioner said that the project would leverage on online platforms to ensure that students were provided with qualitative education in the state-owned tertiary institutions.

It will also provide a mechanism for end-to-end running of all educational activities within the tertiary institutions.

It also aims to assist education managers and administrators both at the institutions and ministries, departments and agencies, to work optimally with a clear view of the institution operations within their domain, he said.

According to him, the e-learning system had been fully developed in all the tertiary institutions, adding that most of the lecture notes have been converted into e-courseware format.

Several digital contents have been included in the new courseware, including multimedia content and so far, the development of SIS, HRMS, ILMS, CMS and DAS in all the institutions have been completed.

The development of the e-learning systems in all the tertiary institutions are at the completion stage, while internet service in the institutions will be provided by Airtel Nigeria.

All students have been registered on the e-learning platform and the institutions will soon join Kaduna State University in delivering quality e-learning, he said.

Makarfi pointed out that when the eSEMIS was fully deployed, students would be able to log in to the system, read content, watch videos, complete short quizzes, and submit assignments.

He explained that the system was configured to automatically grade assignments, while plagiarism tools to ensure academic integrity would be installed in the coming weeks.

Mr Ola Ojajuni, Chief Executive Officer, Staunton, and Lycett Nigeria Ltd. told NAN that the project, which began in 2018, was designed to reposition the states tertiary institution to world class standard.

Ojajuni said that when completed, the project would not only change how students and lecturers interact, but also how education was being delivered.

According to him, all education institutions need critical infrastructure, both hardware and software to be able to develop its ICT to optimal level.

Therefore, under the partnership, every building and department in the states tertiary institutions will be inter-connected by fibre, including a total WiFi coverage as backup.

This will provide lecturers and students 24 hours access to fast internet connectivity at 155 megabyte per second, thereby, providing students time to research and study.

Also, every document in all the institutions would be converted into an electronic format, while a data centre will be developed for every institution with each of them serving as a backup to another.

He said that when all the ICT infrastructure were put in place, officials and relevant stakeholders would be able to access performance of each institution.

The stakeholders will be able to do this using various visualisation tools from the comfort of their offices, he added.

Ojajuni said that all the lecturers of the tertiary institutions were currently undergoing training on how to use the e-learning system.

Source: NAN News

COVID-19

The centre in its latest situation update issued on Wednesday said that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the continent rose from 594,841 on Tuesday morning to 612,586 as of Wednesday morning.

The Africa CDC also disclosed that the death toll from the pandemic surged to 13,519 as of the stated period.

The Africa CDC further said that 307,069 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have so far recovered from the infectious virus.

Amid the rapid spread of the virus across the continent, the highly affected African countries in terms of positive cases included South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria, Morocco, and Cameroon.

The Africa CDC also said that the Southern Africa region is now the most affected area across the continent in terms of positive COVID-19 cases, followed by the North Africa region.

The West Africa region is the third most affected area in terms of positive cases, followed by the Eastern and Central Africa regions, respectively. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Clean-up: FG opens fresh contract bid for water projects in Ogoniland

By Desmond Ejibas

The Federal Government on Wednesday opened a fresh bid to select contractors to provide portable water in oil spill impacted Ogoni communities in Rivers.

Dr Marvin Dekil, the Project Coordinator, Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) said at the opening of the bid in Port Harcourt that the Project was initiative of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Report on Ogoniland.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that UNEP in 2011 recommended the provision of running water for Ogoni communities whose underground water got polluted by decades-long oil spills.

Dekil said that HYPREP, under the Federal Ministry of Environment would coordinate the water projects in Eleme, Gokana, Khana and Tai areas covering Ogoniland to ensure early completion.

So, today we are opening bids for six lots to six competent companies to provide portable water to various locations in the four local government areas of Ogoniland.

We are optimistic that we will secure contractors that will immediately be mobilised to sites within the next three to five weeks.

The water project will be done simultaneously with remediation works currently ongoing in 57 sites spread across the areas, he said.

Dekil said that no fewer than 40 companies had submitted their expression of interest to participate in the bidding for the project.

He said that the Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammed Abubakar and HYPREP had agreed to spread the project to communities not directly impacted by oil spillage.

In addition, the water that we are going to provide in Ogoni communities will meet the United Nations and World Health Organisation standards.

Ogali, Kpean, Nsisioken, Korokoro, K-Dere and B-Dere communities in Ogoni are the communities that UNEP identified for the water projects.

So, these communities will get the six lots in the first phase of the water project, while others will benefit from subsequent phases as we progress.

At the end, we will have a central borehole from which water will be reticulated to the impacted communities and many others our budget can carry, he added.

The project coordinator assured that the bidding process would be done in line with guidelines of the procurement act with collaboration from Rivers State Ministry of Water Resources.

According to him, the exercise will adhere strictly to protocols on COVID-19 to safeguard participants. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gunmen

By Sunday John

Unknown gunmen on Tuesday killed one and abducted two family members of Salisu Usman-Maku, elder brother to Labaran Maku, a former Minister of Information.

A family member, who preferred anonymity, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia that the gunmen stormed their house at Gudi village of Akwanga Local Government Area in the early hours of Tuesday.

The source said the gunmen killed their sister and kidnapped their brother and his wife.

It said the gunmen shot sporadically which led to the death of their sister and kidnap of their brother, who is an officer with the Nigeria Immigration Service and his wife.

When contacted, Comptroller of Immigration in the state, Zainab Lawal, confirmed the incidence of the kidnap of their staff, Salihu Usman-Maku and his wife.

She said: Nigeria Immigration Officer (NIS) Supt. Salisu Usman and his wife have been abducted at gun point.

All efforts to get confirmation from the Police spokesperson in the state, ASP Ramhan Nansel, proved abortive as he did not respond to calls and text message. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State

By Isaiah Eka

The Akwa Ibom Government has ordered striking health professionals in the state under the umbrella of Joint Health Workers Union (JOHESU),to resume work immediately or risk being relieved of their jobs.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Udoh on Wednesday.

Udoh said the strike embarked upon by JOHESU was ill-conceived and politically motivated.

He said that the demand for payment of 50 per cent of basic salaries as hazard allowance in the prevailing harsh economic climate byJOHESU was unreasonable.

The commissioner for information said that the action of the striking health workers in spite of concerted efforts by government to provide the best of working conditions was unnecessary.

He said that government had made payment of all due salaries and allowances, adding that the state was one of the best paying states in the health sector.

The efforts of the state government in this regard have continued to receive widespread commendations from various healthcare stakeholders in the country.

Against this backdrop, government is constrained to state that it is unreasonable and also unlawful for healthcare professionals to embark on any form of strike action during period of Coronavirus pandemic.

Therefore, full compliments of related healthcare professionals are expected at their duty posts unfailingly, as required by the terms and conditions of their employment.

Any staff member not found on duty will be considered to be no longer interested in the job and will be relieved of such duty with immediate effect.

The relevant health authorities have been mandated to conduct head count, Udoh said.

Udoh said government had made adequate arrangements to ensure that thoseinterested in performing their lawful duties were allowed to do so without disruption or molestation of any sort.

Anyone found obstructing or disrupting healthcare operations anywhere in the state, under the pretext of an industrial action, will be apprehended and prosecuted.

It is criminal for anyone to obstruct health care workers from performing their legitimate duties in this period of emergency

Government is aware that the ill conceived industrial action and blatant act of sabotage by JOHESU is sponsored by political detractors with an underlying intent to vandalise healthcare facilities in the state, he said.

He added that security agencies in the state had been fully briefed to ensure the continued protection of lives and property, using all legal means.

The commissioner for information enjoined Akwa Ibom residents to continue to cooperate with government in the fight to curtail the surge of Coronavirus pandemic in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the JOHESU on July 14, embarked on indefinite strike to press for higher wages.

The unions demands include the implementation of 80 per cent of the National Consolidated Health Salary Structure as paid by the federal government and 50 per cent basic salary as hazard allowance. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19

By Ikenna Osuoha

Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) on Wednesday called
for more test kits to prevent deaths of pregnant women and babies as a result of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Coordinator of the network, Mr Abdulkadir Ibrahim, made the call in an interview with the News Agency
of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.

Ibrahim said only 44 per cent of pregnant women had access to Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) in 2019, describing
the percentage as poor.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the UN 90-90-90 Vision for 2030 entails 90 per cent test, 90 per cent
awareness of status, and 90 per cent treatment.

The national coordinator said mother-to-child transmission of HIV accounted for 90 per cent of new infections in children,
and reiterated the call for government to buy more test kits so that more pregnant women will be tested and adequate
measures taken to protect the unborn child.

Prevention of Mother to Child programmes in Nigeria are characterised with poor ownership and funding.

For elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV, especially within COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to achieve
high Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) coverage for positive mothers.

In 2019, it is only 44 per cent of positive pregnant women that started ART.

Ibrahim emphasised the need to procure test kits at this time of global health emergency, in accordance with the Saving One Million
Lives (SOML) initiative, supported by World Bank.

He tasked the Ministry of Health to rise up to the challenge by ensuring total prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, with the provision of test kits to
the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS, and called for rapid preventive response to HIV through provision of access to quality healthcare for pregnant women.

According to him, it is very important now in the era of COVID-19 pandemic for the Ministry of Health to provide test kits to prevent infection and death of mothers and babies. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

NLC president Ayuba Wabba

By Joan Nwagwu

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says 37.8 billion dollars will be needed as Global Fund for Universal Social Protection for the first five years to close financing gaps.

Mr Ayuba Wabba, NLC President made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

Wabba said this during an International Labour Organisation Virtual Summit with the theme: COVID-19 and the World of Work Building a better Future of Work.

There is now the urgent need to institutionalise a Global Fund for Universal Social Protection to enable the poorest nations to respond to the pandemic and to build resilience for future economic, health and climate shocks.

Already, some 10 trillion dollars has been pledged by governments and international financial institutions for economic recovery.

According to pre-crisis estimates, a Global Fund for Universal Social Protection will need some 37.8 billion dollars for the first five years to close the financing gaps.

This represents a small fraction of the total global funding to build recovery and resilience; and combination of both comprehensive contributory social security schemes and non-contributory social security guarantees, he said.

Wabba said that in Nigeria, over two billion workers were earning their livelihoods in the informal economy, which represented over 60 per cent of workers globally and 90 per cent of total employment in low-income countries.

According to him, ILO says 71 per cent of people globally have little or no access to social protection and COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerabilities of working people in every country in the world.

Job losses, loss of income and livelihoods, lack of paid sick leave and lack of access to healthcare during the pandemic have resulted in whole communities being vulnerable.

Also faced with lockdown measures, people are finding it very difficult to manage local and national uncertainties of health and socio-economic impacts, he said.

He said that the ILO Convention 102 on Social Security and Recommendation 202 on Social Protection Floors were complementary and mutually reinforcing providing a framework for comprehensive social protection coverage.

Wabba also noted that other practical measures to bridge the massive vulnerability gap included conditional wage subsidies and the extension of unemployment benefits.

He described other measures as universal access to health care, payment of sick leave allowance to workers, including casual workers, the self-employed, platform workers and workers in the informal economy including migrant workers.

He however called on trade unions to connect with civil society allies nationally and globally to promote universal social protection.

He added that a network of government champions for universal social protection should be established.

He said formalising the informal economy and moving decisively towards universal social protection coverage ILO Recommendation 204 on formalising the Informal Economy provides a very good road map for formalizing the informal sector.

He said other measures were to accelerate formalisation of the informal economy, especially for workers in Medium and Small Enterprises (MSEs) as extending Legal Coverage to SMEs and Operators in Informal Sector, among others.

Wabba added that many workers had faced and continued to face the unacceptable choice between continuing to work at risk to their health or falling into destitution and even starvation.

Therefore, Universal Social Protection is a necessary investment in human security, in building peace, in addressing gender and other inequalities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit discussed strategies for addressing the massive world-of-work vulnerabilities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Ms Henrietta Ukaigwe

By Olanrewaju Akojede

The Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) on Tuesday in Lagos announced the death of one of its board members, Ms Henrietta Ukaigwe.

The NWFL Chairperson, Aisha Falode, who disclosed this in a statement, said the respected journalist died during a brief illness.

Its a sad day for women football in Nigeria and indeed in Africa.

The management of the NWFL and the family of Ukaigwe, with deep sorrow and total submission to the will of God, announce the passing away of our board member and renowned sports journalist, Henrietta Ukaigwe.

She left us this morning after a brief illness. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been duly notified and we shall be sending further information, she said.

Source: NAN News

Lagos State Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

By Florence Onuegbu

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday inaugurated a 36-chamber morgue at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Yaba, donated by IHS Towers Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the morgue was donated to the Lagos State Government by the IHS Towers Nigeria, a mobile telecommunications infrastructure firm.

The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said at the inauguration that death was not something people prayed for, but would also fully accept its inevitability.

And we know that when it happens, it is absolutely necessary for the departed to be treated with care and dignity, until it is time to commit them to mother earth.

This is why we have morgues, and why we will never shy away from expanding our morgue capacity; not because death is palatable but because it is inevitable, Sanwo-Olu said.

He said that in recent months, there had been immense support and generosity of the private sector, especially to the health care sector in Lagos State.

Sanwo-Olu said that there had been significant donations of infrastructure and consumables, among others, to help strengthen the medical systems at a time when it was under great strain from the coronavirus pandemic.

According to him, this pandemic has no doubt brought all hands on deck to support the efforts of governments and not just in Nigeria, but globally as well.

Today, we are gathered for the handover and inauguration of a 36-chamber morgue donated by the IHS Towers to the Lagos State Government specifically the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Yaba.

I would like to express our deep gratitude to IHS Towers for this gesture.

I recall that in April, we experienced a congestion in mortuary capacity in Lagos State.

The fact that the COVID-19 lockdown coincided with the end of Lent, that month deprived many families of the chance to bury their loved ones.

We had to open a special window for funerals to take place to decongest the mortuaries.

Even though those were exceptional circumstances, it was clear from that experience that Lagos could do with an expansion in its morgue capacity.

Now, IHS has stepped up and very generously donated a state-of-the-art morgue facility to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, he said.

The governor said that the morgue would serve not just the IDH, it would be available to serve the entire Lagos State.

He called on other private sector players to emulate the generosity and good corporate citizenship of the IHS Towers.

Sanwo-Olu said that IHS Towers, over the last two decades, had created a significant business investment and philanthropic footprint in Nigeria

Source: NAN News

who

By Cecilia Ologunagba

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, says there are currently over 609,000 confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Africa.

The UN health agency gave the update on its regional official Twitter account @WHOAFRO on Tuesday.

There are over 609,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent with more than 305,000 recoveries and 13,000 deaths, it said.

The regional office stated that South Africa had 287,796 cases and 4,172 deaths, followed by Nigeria with 33,153 confirmed cases and 744 deaths, while Ghana had 24,988 confirmed cases and 139 deaths.

It added that Gambia, Seychelles and Eritrea were countries currently with the lowest confirmed cases in the region.

Gambia, the office said, had 64 confirmed cases with three deaths,Seychelles had 100 reported cases and zero death, while Eritrea had 232 reported cases with no death.

Meanwhile, the organisation advised people to keep to physical distancing to prevent the spread of the virus.

As lockdowns are easing, be sure that you are still protecting yourself and others from COVID-19; avoid large crowds and keep at least one metre distance from others, it said.

In addition, WHO said while much of the worlds attention was on the COVID-19 pandemic, measles remained a silent threat to young children.

WHO partners vaccinate 94,000 children in Aweil East County, South Sudan to protect them from this highly infectious disease.

Source: NAN News

NAFDAC DG, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye

By Aderogba George
The National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) safety test approval is not a stamp for verifying the producers claims.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC Director-General, made the clarification in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

She said that there are different stages of approvals that a medical or food product must pass through before final certification for general use by consumers.

Safety is the first phase of testing that a product goes through during the approval process.

It involves microbial content and toxicity testing, pesticides residue and toxicants evaluation.

If the product meets the specifications, it can be approved as safe to use and get a listing status registration for two years, she said.

Adeyeye explained that each stage of approval is made explicit for the consumers to discern from the labelling and warning assigned on the product by the NAFDAC.

The applicant is expected to go the next phase which is clinical efficacy testing which is essentially doing a clinical trial on the product.

That is why in the first phase, we put the disclaimer on the label that NAFDAC has not evaluated the product for the claim the client made.

It is at this second stage when the clinical trial is done that the claim can be proved or refuted, she added.

On the recent claim by a drug producer that it has got approval from NAFDAC, the director general said: NAFDAC approved the Paxherbal medicine for listing because it passed safety test.

But that does not mean it can do what the maker says it does immune booster, she said.

Source: NAN News

MSMEs

By Chijioke Okoronkwo

The 2020 edition of the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Awards will be held virtually on July 16, the presidency said on Tuesday.

Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

The event comes as President Muhammadu Buharis administration continues to roll out palliatives and other supportive measures for small businesses in the country amid the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.

The Secretariat of the National MSMEs Clinic, which organises the Awards started two years ago, has concluded arrangements for the 2020 edition of the event scheduled for Thursday, July 16.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be joined by state governors, ministers, heads of Federal Government departments and agencies, and private sector partners among other stakeholders, at the virtual event.

Live broadcast of the 3rd edition of the Awards will start at 2 p.m while guests including award recipients are expected to join from their respective locations across the country.

The National MSMEs Awards is an initiative of the National MSMEs Clinic Secretariat aimed at encouraging excellence, hard work and innovation in the sector, he said.

Prizes will be won in 12 categories namely MSME Award of Excellence in Agriculture, MSME Award of Excellence in Beauty, Wellness and Cosmetics, MSME Award of Excellence in Fashion and Style and MSME Award of Excellence in Creative Art.

Other categories include, MSMEs Award of Excellence in Leather works, MSMEs Award of Excellence in Manufacturing, MSMEs Award of Excellence in Technology Innovation and MSMEs Award of Excellence in Furniture and Woodwork.

In 2019, Olutayo Ifeoluwa won a brand new car for the MSMEs of the year award, while Norah Onwuasanya and Aminu Miko won the outstanding MSME participant in the female and male categories respectively.

Anambra State was awarded the most supportive MSMEs State.

Source: NAN News

COVID-19

By Oluwafunke Ishola

An NGO, Osogbo Affairs Forum (OSAF), has distributed food items to over 3,000 vulnerable people across seven major communities in Osogbo, to ease the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Rasheed Bolarinwa, Chairman, OSAF COVID-19 relief committee made the disclosure in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that OSAF is an NGO comprising Osogbo-born professionals in Nigeria and in the diaspora.

Bolarinwa in the statement, listed the benefitting communities as Ita-Olokan, Owo Ope, Ayegun-Gbonmi, Oke Baale, Isale Agbe, Isale Osun and Oke Popo.

As concerned professionals, we felt the need to collectively reach out to the vulnerable and impact our immediate communities, where many have suffered untold hardship due to the earlier lockdown to contain COVID-19, he said.

He said that the group adopted a community-based and direct distribution system using the existing zoning of the town into seven different communities for distribution of the food items.

This allowed for the bulk food items made up of bags of rice, beans and semovita to first be distributed to the community heads.

The heads will in turn package and deliver the food packs to the vulnerable in their communities under the supervision of the OSAF COVID-19 relief committee, he said.

The statement also quoted Dr Mujidat Salawu, member of OSAF COVID-19 relief committee, as saying that the distribution approach was to enable the package get to the targeted members of the communities.

Salawu said that the heads of the zones were in the best position to identify the vulnerable among them.

It further said that leaders of some of the benefitting communities in Osogbo, commended the organisation for the palliative

Chief Aliu Sonibare, head of Ayegun-Gbonmi community, said the gesture would go a long way to ease the economic burden of the people in this trying time.

Similarly, Chief Gabriel Oparanti, leader of Isale-Agbe community, expressed delight over the gesture saying,

We are happy that successful sons and daughters of the land spread across the globe are giving back to their ancestral home at this time of need.

We pray that God Almighty will continue to replenish the purse of everyone who contributed to make this possible, Oparanti said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Dr Chikwe Ikekweazu NCDC Boss

By Oluwafunke Ishola

The number of COVID-19 cases in Lagos State now stands at 12,583, according to data released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Tuesday.

The NCDC announced the figure in its COVID-19 Situation Report for July 13.

It said that Lagos accounted for 156 new COVID-19 infections out of the 595 cases reported from 20 states on July 13.

This brings the states total number of infections to 12,583, NCDC said.

According to NCDC, Lagos recorded one death on Monday and discharged 19 patients on the reported day, making 1,916 COVID-19 patients that have fully recovered from the disease in the state so far.

As it stands, Lagos remains the epicentre of the pandemic in Nigeria, with 12,583 of the 33,153 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country.

Also, data by the World Health Organisation Africa Region shows that there are 609,888 confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent, with over 305,000 recoveries and 13,474 deaths. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

FG Evacuates stranded Nigerians from UK, Dubai

By Lizzy Okoji

The Federal Government said it has successfully evacuated 895 stranded Nigerians from the United Kingdom (UK) and Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

They are expected to arrive Abuja and Lagos on Tuesday.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama Onyeama disclosed this in his twitter handle @GeoffreyOnyeama, on Tuesday, as he gave an update on the evacuation process.

The minister confirmed the evacuation of 590 Nigerians from the UK and 305 others from Dubai, via Emirate Airline.

The evacuees from Dubai are reported to have arrived the country through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

590 Nigerian evacuees have departed Gatwick North Terminal, #UK on Air Partner UK.

261 passengers departed at 1.00 p.m for Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while 329 passengers departed at 1.30 p.m. for Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

All evacuees will then proceed on the 14-day self isolation, Onyeama twitted.

Onyeama also gave an update on the fifth evacuationof Nigerians stranded in the United States in a statement signed by the Consulate General of Nigeria in Atlanta, United States.

According to the statement, Ethiopian Airline Flight Number ET 507, will depart George Bush International Airport, Houston, Texas on Friday, July 31, 2020 at 4:00pm.

It stated that the flight would be expected to arrive the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, on Saturday, August 1, 2020, at 8:00 p.m.

Source: NAN News

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva

By Deji Abdulwahab

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, has expressed optimism that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will reclaim its mandate in the Sept. 19 Governorship Election in Edo.

Sylva said this on Tuesday shortly after the inauguration of the Contact and Mobilisation Committee of the APC National Campaign Council for Edo Governorship Election at the partys National Secretariat in Abuja.

The minister, who chaired the committee, said the partys South/South stakeholders had agreed to reclaim the state in the upcoming poll.

He said that the Edo was taken from the party through the back door and it would be recovered.

All of us in the South-South believe that this election must be won.

It is our stronghold in the region, and therefore we are all geared up, we will all go to Edo State.

We want to assure you that you should not entertain any doubt that Edo will be an APC state very soon, come the election in September.

Election is not all about finance. First, if you say the power of incumbency, it is an APC incumbency that has been stolen by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

So, that kind of incumbency has coma, and that is why we believe that such incumbency will not work.

The Edo people know that the state is for APC and I want to assure you that we are in touch with our people in Edo.

We know that we are the dominant party in Edo and we are going to win this election, Sylva said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News