By Ramatu Garba

The Police Command in Kano State has rescued 126 workers allegedly held hostage for three months at a factory in Kano metropolis.

The workers were rescued at the Popular Farms and Mills Limited located in Challawa Industrial Estate, Kano.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, confirmed this in a statement in Kano.

Haruna revealed that on June 21, at about 6:00 p.m., a complaint was received from Global Community for Human Right Network, Kano, that some labourers were wrongly confined inside the said Popular Farms and Mills.

He gave the address of the firm as No. 54 Challawa Industrial Estate, Kano.

On receiving the information a team of policemen were deployed and when search was conducted, 126 labourers trapped inside the factory for three months were rescued, he said.

According to him, four officials of the factory have been arrested.

Haruna said that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Habu Ahmad, has ordered an investigation to unravel facts of the matter.

It was gathered the Farms and Mills company owned by Indian nationals is one of the major rice mill in Kano State.

Sources at the company said more than 70 per cent of the workers were engaged on casual basis and their salaries not harmonised in accordance with the National Minimum Wage Law.

The company engaged workers on a casual basis, only a handful of them are on a full time employment.

It is hard to comprehend the amount being paid as salaries to the workers.

Source: NAN News

President Muhammadu Buhari

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Thursday attend the meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) summoned by the court recognized acting chairman of the party, Mr Victor Giadom.

Malam Garba Shehu, the Presidents Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, confirmed this via his verified tweeter handle, on Wednesday.

According to the presidential aide, the president has received very convincing advice on the position of the law as far as the situation in the party is concerned and has determined that the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman.

He said: The President has received very convincing advice on the position of the law as far as the situation in the party is concerned and has determined that the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman.

He said the president would always act in accordance with the law.

The President will be attending the virtual meeting Giadom called for tomorrow afternoon.

We urge the media to stop promoting manufactured controversies and to not give any further room for mischievous interpretations of the law on this matter.

In addition to the President, the Giadom meeting will, hopefully, be attended by our Governors and the leaders of the National Assembly, he added.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

NSE

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Stockbrokers on the Nigerian Stock Exchange have called for more issuance of fixed income securities by the government to finance infrastructure deficit.

They described the recent over-subscription of Sukuk Ijarah, issued by the Federal Government, as a clear demonstration of the markets absorptive capacity.

The Federal Government recently floated a N150 billion Sukuk Ijarah, a financial instrument for ethical Investors that provides regular bi-annual tax-free payment with seven-year maturity and it was oversubscribed in excess of 400 percent.

Mr Olatunde Amolegbe, President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, in a statement on Tuesday, urged the Federal Government to leverage such an instrument to mobilise fund to revive Nigerias ailing industrial base.

Federal Government should increase the pace of issuance of such an instrument as the market has demonstrated its absorptive capacity given the over 400% over subscription letter of the last Sukuk, Amolegbe said.

Mr Babatunde Sobamowo, Managing Director, Global Asset Management, in a statement, also said that Sukuk was becoming famous for its structure as an investment vehicle being used by the Federal Government.

Sobamowo stated that the instrument can boost implementation of the governments Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

Sukuk confers on the subscribers ownership of the assets being financed, which in most cases are for ethical purposes.

In recent times, they are used to finance roads, railways and other infrastructure which are lacking in the country.

They will serve as catalyst to the much needed development to boost our industrial and agricultural growth which will impact positively on our GDP as clearly spelt out in the ERGP.

In order to ensure probity in the management of these underlying assets, it is advisable that Project Management Offices (PMOS) are opened in all the sites where these funds are being deployed, he said.

Sobamowo noted that it would afford all stakeholders to have an on-the-spot assessment of the projects and the expected cash flows to be generated in paying the rental incomes due to the subscribers.

On his part, Malam Garba Kurfi, the Managing Director, APT Securities and Fund, explained that the projects being executed with Sukuk proceeds were visible across the country and this enhanced the instruments patronage by investors.

The FGN Sukuk 111 was over subscribed by over 400 per cent which has not appeared in any public offer in Nigeria both in equity and bonds.

This confirmed the confidence people have in Sukuk. It can be attributed to the underlying structure of Sukuk which is based on the existing projects and people can see across the country as shown on the road network.

Therefore, the investors are living testimonies of the projects, unlike a bond which cannot be directly attached to a project, Kurfi said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba Minister of State for Education

By Naomi Sharang

The Minster of State for Education, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba on Tuesday presented to the National Assembly a proposed date for the reopening of schools across the country as a post COVID-19 measure.

He made the presentation during a meeting with the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education on the ministrys plans for pupils who have been forced to stay at home following the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic.

While noting that government had said that schools for some categories of students would be reopened soon, Nwajiuba said that giving a tentative date would result to misrepresentation by the public.

We said we are going to experiment with some people and these are children from exit classes.

In the document we have provided, we have suggested how we can move our education sector forward in this pandemic period.

We dont want to make it known at this period so that some people will not take our proposal for guidelines for schools reopening.

This is because people publish fake guidelines every day which I always come on air to debunk. What we have now is a proposal.

Even if the Senate has not called us, we would have come to you to discuss with you because we have already discussed with the House of Representatives.

The documents were presented to you so that you can criticise and make inputs as major stakeholders.

He, however, expressed concern over the decision of Oyo State Government to reopen its primary and secondary schools in spite the current rising cases of Coronavirus infection in the country.

Nwajiuba wondered why the government of Oyo state which was currently battling with increase cases of new infections, should be eager to throw open the gates of its schools when its neighbouring states, were employing caution.

He said, Why is Oyo state talking of reopening schools when it has just started recording increase cases of Coronavirus infection.

Just beside Oyo is Ogun which was part of the three states under the FGs lockdown since April is not talking about schools reopening.

Vice Chairperson of the Committee, Sen. Akon Eyakenyi, who presided over the meeting, expressed the fears that the academic calendar could be distorted in public schools where no visible arrangement was being made to teach the children at home unlike their private schools counterparts.

She said public schools students were made to rely on educational programmes on radio and television stations whereas they tune to stations showing cartoons whenever there was no adult to guide them.

Eyakenyi said that children in public schools had no access to online classes like their counterparts in the private schools.

She noted that the arrangement regarding radio and television stations was not working.

Even when the students in the cities have access to education programmes on radio and televisions, what of those in the villages? What do we do so that we dont shut them out?

If government can give guidelines for the reopening of churches and mosques, stakeholders in the education sector could also hold a meeting with the government to agree on guidelines for schools reopening.

All we need to do is to come up with measures that would ensure the safety of both the students and their teachers.

We can design a plan that would make sure that not all the students resume at the same time. We could probably start with the exit classes.

We could have the numbers of students that would go to school in both the morning and afternoon sessions.

We have to be innovative in our approach to save our educational sector in this country because nobody knows how long the virus will be with us. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Soil Degradation

By Felicia Imohimi

The Nigeria Institute of Soil Science (NISS) says it is rolling out five years strategic action plan to address the challenges of soil degradation and food security in the country.

The Registrar of the institute, Prof. Victor Chude, and made this known in a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja on Tuesday.

Chude noted that the implementation of the action plan is geared toward addressing the challenges of soil degradation, protection of the soil, promotion of sustainable soil management, ultimately leading to food and nutrition security in the country.

According to him, the Action Plan, which its implementation will run between June 2020 and 2025, has been categorized into five thematic areas (Pillars one to five) for effective and efficient coordination and monitoring.

He listed the five pillars to include:
Promotion of sustainable management of soil resources for soil protection, conservation and sustainable productivity; Encourage investment, technical cooperation, policy, education, awareness and extension in soil.

Promote targeted soil research and development focusing on identified gaps, priorities and synergies with related productive, environmental and social development actions by assessing and prioritising soil related research gaps.

Enhance the quantity and quality of soil data and information: data collection and generation, analysis, validation, reporting, monitoring and integration with other disciplines.

The fifth pillar is harmonisation of methods, measurements and indicators for the sustainable management and protection of soil resources.

NAN reports that NISS is saddled with the mandate of regulating the profession of soil science as well as providing a scientific basis for enhancing and sustaining productivity of soil resources with minimal environmental degradation, especially with regard to food production in the country. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

CBN Headquarters

Mr Isaac Nkole, the National Chairman, Isun Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Umuahia, said at least 2,000 persons had so far benefited from the facility of CBN COVID-19 loan in the South-East and South-South,

Nkole stated this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia on Tuesday.

He further stated that the facility had provided succour to benefiting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and households in the two zones.

According to him, the loan has helped a number of households and SMEs to remain afloat, in spite of the harsh impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

This is the first time poor masses in Nigeria are getting interest-free federal loans without stress.

It is amazing and it has restored the hope of many homes today, Nkole said,

He said that each beneficiary in the household category got about N500,000 repayable after three years.

He advised the beneficiaries to invest the money wisely, in order to grow their businesses and economy, saying that this is a loan and not grant.

Nkole further spoke on the gains of the Federal Governments N-Power programme in poverty reduction and youth employment vis-a-vis the plan to disengage the beneficiaries.

He said that the initiative had justified its existence and should be strengthened for greater achievements rather than discontinuing with the programme.

He said, N-Power has made tremendous impact in some key sectors of the economy, like agriculture and education.

He said that the programme had brought significant improvement in the education sector with the deployment of university graduates to teach in the primary school system.

He said that the development had engendered quality primary education, especially in rural communities.

Nkole said: The introduction of N-Power stands out as one of the best policies of the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari.

A lot of graduates have been gainfully engaged through the scheme. Some of them are in N-Teach, N-Agro, N-Tax and N-build.

He argued that discontinuing with the programme would be counterproductive, saying, it will be like killing the bird that lays the golden egg.

NAN reports that the federal government had announced that the process of engaging the batch C of N-Power volunteer would begin on June 26, with the opening of the engagement portal at noon.

It also announced that those in batch A, engaged since 2016 and their counterparts in batch B, engaged in 2018 would exit the scheme on June 30, and July 31, respectively. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Dr Muhammed Pate, Former Minister of health

By Franca

Former Minister of State for Health, Dr Muhammed Pate has advocated the need for the Federal Government to build strong health delivery systems and properly finance them to achieve vaccine preventable diseases.

Pate, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, congratulated Nigeria for being certified polio-free by the Africa Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication (ARCC).

He said that building strong delivery systems was key to human capital accumulation and the great future possible for Nigeria.

Nigeria now needs to keep the promise of no child should die from a vaccine preventable cause, he said.

The former health minister said that the achievement was due to the collective efforts and continuity of the past and present government.

According to him, Nigeria can achieve amazing things, if it puts its collective mind to it.

Congratulations for achieving certification of eradication of poliomyelitis with tremendous effort and sacrifices by so many over so long and from all over the world, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19

By Maureen Ojinaka

The Enugu State Government has announced 68 new cases of the novel coronavirus disease thus, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 144.

The states Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ikechukwu Obi, made the announcement in a statement in Enugu.

Obi said that the Ministry of Health confirmed the 68 new cases inthe update by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The Enugu State Ministry of Health confirms 68 new cases of COVID-19 in the state.

The total number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Enugu State is now 144 cases, comprising of 110 active cases 29 discharged and five deaths.

The number of health-worker infested in the state stands at 49, he said.

According to him,some misconceptions over spread of the pandemic in the state is not out place.

It has become necessary to correct the impression and inform the public that Enugu has had its share of COVID-19 infections, just as it is happening all over the world.

No individual category has been spared by the pandemic.

Consequently, men, women, children, old and young, people of every profession and socio-economic class have been affected.

The state ministry of health COVID-19 response team continues to follow the protocol and public health advisories of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 as well as that of the Federal Ministry of Health, in responding to the pandemic. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Dr Chikwe Ikekweazu NCDC Boss

Source: NAN News

Gov. Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti State

Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State on Monday signed the Revised/Supplementary Appropriation Bill of N91.128 billion into law.

This was in response to the prevailing economic challenges occasioned by unprecedented fall in the price of crude oil and other prevailing economic indices.

Fayemi assented to the Revised/Supplementary Appropriation bill at the Conference Hall, Governors Office, in line with the COVID-19 protocol, which permits very few number of attendees with strict observance of physical distancing.

The bill, according to the governor, reflect the downward review of the initial budget of N124.724,869,355.85 to N91,128,996,482.1, representing a 27 per cent reduction in size.

The revised budget is made up of a recurrent expenditure of N59.63 billion and capital expenditure of N32.65 billion, representing a ratio of 55:35 per cent, Fayemi explained.

The governor explained that the revised/supplementary budget became expedient as a result of the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) which dealt a debilitating blow on our macroeconomic projections.

He said this made the initial budget which was prepared in the underlying assumption of relative stability of major macroeconomic parameters unrealistic.

He said: The pandemic rendered our economy prostrate with an unprecedented fall in the price of crude oil in the global market.

The volatility in the oil price coupled with the reduction in oil production and devaluation of the Naira to the Dollar made our revenue projections for 2020 Budget unrealistic.

To mitigate the effect of the pandemic on our economy, it becomes imperative to review our 2020 budget and prepare a supplementary budget which would be responsive to our time and circumstances.

Consequently, 2020 budget was put together to ensure that our meager resources was committed to critical areas of the economy, to include Health and Environmental Response, interventions.

This is with a view to improving the standard of living of the people, ensuring food security in the Agricultural sector, improved the ease of doing business and other multi-sectoral responses, Fayemi said.

The governor disclosed that the budget was designed to also focus on critical legacy projects, after taking into cognisance of the dwindling revenue accruing to the state from the federation account.

He revealed that the revised/supplementary budget incorporated the guidelines for the State Fiscal Transparency and Accountability (SFTAS) Programme-for-Result,

Fayemi stressed that the current economic situation does not give room for frivolities but sacrifice, charging all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and other stakeholders to maintain budget discipline in the execution of the budget.

The governor commended members of the state House of Assembly for expediting action on the passage of the financial bill, saying that the budget is the outcome of a wider community and public engagement.

Earlier in his address, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr Funminiyi Afuye, said the revised/supplementary budget was passed by members of the legislature following due consultation with relevant MDAs and other stakeholders in cognisance of the current economic reality of the country as affected by the outbreak of COVID-19.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the brief ceremony was witnessed by the Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi; Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr Funminiyi Afuye; Deputy Speaker, Hakeem Jamiu; Members of the state House of Assembly; Secretary to the State Government, Biodun Oyebanji; Head of Service, Mrs Peju Babafemi, among other stakeholders.

Source: NAN News

The British government, on Monday, unveiled a package of measures to support businesses for the agriculture, food and drink industry, which have been greatly suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dubbed as bounce back plan, it introduces a new programme of physical and virtual events that have been tailored to help a variety of businesses and exporters, including an overseas virtual buyer trial, a Smart Distance Selling Process and a package of Ready to Trade exporting masterclass webinars.

Jointly launched by the Department for International Trade (DIT) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the plan will offer immediate support to help businesses in the industry develop their trade activity overseas, said an official statement.

Leveraging DITs existing E-exporting Programme, the department also launches a new SME (medium-sized enterprise) e-commerce accelerator pilot to increase the level of international e-commerce backing for SMEs in the food and drink industry.

The plan will provide unprecedented help for small and SMEs and allow them to capitalise on trade agreements being negotiated by DIT with Japan, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, it said.

The plan will also see the introduction of Defras first agri-food counsellor serving the Gulf, read the statement.

The measures introduced today will support producers, manufacturers and agri-tech companies across the food supply chain.

More trade is absolutely critical to helping the UKs agriculture, food and drink industry recover from the impact of coronavirus.

It will also get the industry ready to capitalise on the opportunities that are being opened up by the series of free trade agreements that my department is negotiating around the world, said Graham Stuart, Minister for Export in the DIT.

According to official figures, the agriculture, food and drink industry contributed 121 billion ( billion) to Britains economy in 2018, supporting around four million jobs.

In 2019, Britains food, feed and drink exports were worth 23.7 billion (.4 billion), up 4.9 per cent from 2018. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

The African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) has singled out the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for recognition in the industrys fight against the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

A statement issued by Mr James Odaudu, Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of Aviation, on Tuesday in Abuja, quoted a letter sent to NCAA by the Regional aviation regulatory body as saying that NCAA excelled over others.

According to the letter, NCAA is the only state civil aviation regulator recognised for its significant contribution to the African Union Commission High Level Task Force (HLTF) on COVID-19.

AFCACs Secretary General, Tefera Mekonen, on behalf of the commission, recognised and thanked the Director General of the NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu.

The commission further thanked the Authoritys General Manager of Aeromedical Services for its significant contribution to the work of the AUC Task Force, it said.

The letter said NCAA DG chaired the ECOWAS experts committee on transport, trade and logistics that developed a report, submitted to the ministerial committee chaired by the Nigerian Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika.

It said HLTF was set up in recognition of the need to have a strategic and coordinated response to COVID-19 impacts on the African aviation sector, under the leadership of the African Union and coordinated by AFCAC.

HLTF brought together all African aviation stakeholders including ICAO, AFRAA, Airports Council International-Africa, IATA-Africa, CANSO-Africa, Africa Centre for Disease Control, RECs, UNECA and AFI group.

In order to address the different evolving phases of the pandemic to the African aviation sector, the HLTF addresses the short, medium and long term restart and recovery of the aviation sector.

Source: NAN News

Coronavirus

By Oluwabukola Akanni

Temitope Alonge, the Deputy Chairman of Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force, says higher Vitamin D levels due to constant exposure to sunlight may be responsible for the lower death rates and severity of COVID-19 in the country.

Alonge said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on treatment protocol adopted by the state in management of COVID-19 patients.

Alonge, a former Chief Medical Director, University College Hospital, Ibadan, said that there was a link between levels of vitamin D, which plays a role in our immune function, and respiratory health.

According to him, the task force has also started a study that discovered that Vitamins D level played a major role on severity and complications of COVID-19.

Vitamin D has been looked at, it has two major functions, one is called endocrine and the other one is called autocrine.

The endocrine function assists in the absorption of calcium which helps build the immune system and keeps you strong, thats what most people think Vitamin D is for, but in fact Vitamin D receptor is expressed on immune cells.

The autocrine function of Vitamin D is that it stimulates the cells to produce antibodies as required.

So the abilities to produce these antibodies are already inside of you and your cells have it.

But they wont produce it until they have a trigger by Vitamin D3, the active form which forms from when the natural ultraviolet (UV), light interferes with a product in our skin.

In our study on micronutrients status of some patients at the Olodo Infectious Disease Centre, we discovered that when a few patients did not turn negative quickly, when we added Vitamin D 100,000 to 200,000 International units, within five days they became negative.

So in effect, a Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased autoimmunity, as well as an increased susceptibility to viral infections, he said.

Alonge said that they were beginning to isolate and analyse the genetic composition of Coronavirus strain that was circulating and causing infection in the country in order to know if it was different from others.

So the question is that are we actually being protected from the high deaths experienced in the Western countries by the Vitamin D we have in abundance in Africa.

Ordinarily what the western world was saying was that we were going to be picking dead bodies from the streets.

The damage that we have seen in other parts of the world is monumental and we are now beginning to sequence the genome of this particular ribonucleic acid (RNA), single strand virus to find out whether the strain we have is different.

We are also looking at what you call antibody mounting; you will be amazed that what we saw from the patients at the ISON experiences place, a testing centre in Ibadan, was that a lot of them already had antibodies.

We need to start thinking of the autocrine function of Vitamin D which is freely available because of our warmer climate and take cognisance of the fact that we have some inherent immunity against COVID-19 due to the abundance of sunlight.

We are working on this hypothesis and hopefully we will be able to sequence the particular strain of coronavirus in various localities in Nigeria and at the same time look at other co-factors that give us some degree of resistance to the virus, he said.

According to him, while the skin manufactures the Vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, elderly people should consume Vitamin D fortified foods.

For the younger people you should be able to take enough Vitamin D from the sun, maybe by spending an hour or two in the sun before 12 noon.

Salmon is a very rich source of vitamin D apart from the one you get in the sun.

A lot of people from low income communities eat more of salmon and they are probably going to survive this much more than those who out of sophistication have taken themselves off Salmon, he said.

Speaking on the states treatment protocol for COVID-19, he said, that the anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), Zinc, Vitamins D and Vitamin C are being used for COVID-19 patients.

According to him, Zinc, Vitamins D and Vitamin C are also used as pre-exposure prophylaxis drugs for healthcare personnel handling COVID-19 patients.

We are doing the best we can and we are having what we call a coherent and cohesive management protocol, it is not one man knows it all, it is a collective reasoning between infectious disease experts and expertise.

What Hyroxychloroquine does is to reduce inflammation; it is not that we are using it to treat the virus like many people think, no antiviral drug has been proven to be foolproof.

All we are doing is to reduce inflammation and make sure our patients dont get to the point where they will have respiratory failure.

We were very blessed that an 83-year-old man whose computed tomography (CT), scan showed features of COVID-19 recovered completely and went home without need for oxygen, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Akeredolu of Ondo state

By Ayodeji Alabi

Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has relieved Mr Allen Sowore, Special Assistant on New Media to the embattled Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, of his appointment with immediate effect.

This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday in Akure by Mr Olusegun Ajiboye, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and made available to newsmen.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Ajayi had been at loggerheads with his boss, Akeredolu, for some time before he finally resigned from the All Progressives Congress and joined the Peoples Democratic Party.

Ajayi, however,maintains that he remains the deputy governor of the state in spite of his leaving the All Progressives Congress.

The statement advised Sowore to submit all governments property in his possession to the Chief of Staff to the Governor. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

NAFDAC DG, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye

By Aderogba George
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) will collaborate with indigenous scientists in the development of drugs or vaccines against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC Director-General, said the agencys interventions would allow for documentation of such initiatives for global recording as potential vaccines or drugs that is in process or safety testing.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja, she said that the agency would open its doors to the team of Nigerian scientists that declared they are working on a vaccine for COVID-19.

It will be a great thing if Nigeria develops her vaccine, but all the steps stated above will have to be followed, she said.

According to her, it takes time to develop a vaccine and NAFDAC will be the first to be informed of any such developments in the country.

That testing will involve use of the virus and then animals. If all goes well, the researchers will then plan for clinical trial which will take a long time from 18 months to years.

NAN reports that a team of Nigerian Universities Scientists, under the aegis of COVID-19 Research Group, on Friday announced the discovery of the vaccine at Adeleke University, Ede, in Osun.

Dr Oladipo Kolawole, Leader of the team, said the vaccine was being developed locally in Africa for Africans.

Kolawole, a Specialist in Medical Virology, Immunology and Bioinformatics, however, said the vaccine would also work for other continents when unveiled.

He said that the group had been working extensively by exploring the SARS-CoV-2 genome from African countries to select the best possible potential vaccine candidates.

He said that after trying out some selected processes of vaccine development, the researchers were able to choose the best potential vaccine candidates for the SARS-CoV-2 and had made the possible latent vaccine constructs.

On how soon the unnamed vaccine would be unveiled to the public, Kolawole said that it would take a minimum of 18 months.

Source: NAN News

President Muhammadu Buhari

By Ismaila Chafe
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja cautioned that the ambition for Eco regional currency can be in serious jeopardy, unless member states complied with agreed processes of reaching the collective goal.

The president also expressed concern over the decision of francophone countries that form the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) to replace the CFA Franc with Eco ahead of the rest of Member States.

Mr Femi Adesina, the Presidents spokesman, in a statement, said the president delivered Nigerias position on the new regional currency at a virtual extraordinary meeting of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ).

According to Adesina, the meeting discussed the implementation of the ECOWAS Monetary Cooperation Programme (EMCP) and the ECOWAS Single Currency Agenda.

President Buhari said: Your Excellencies, you all are familiar with the history of the Eco thus far, so I will not bore you with that. We reverted to a single track approach, giving up Eco which is the original idea of the WAMZ so the ECOWAS-wide programme could thrive.

In this regard, we have made remarkable progress including the adoption of the Exchange Rate regime, the name and model of the common Central Bank and the symbol.

We have urged our Ministers towards an expeditious path to success. It, therefore, gives me an uneasy feeling that the UEMOA Zone now wishes to take up the Eco in replacement for its CFA Franc ahead of the rest of the Member States.

This is in addition to deviating from the Community Act on a consistent attainment of convergence in the three years running up to the introduction of the currency, and our subsequent reinforcing directives.

I am informed that the French Ministers have approved a bill to reform the CFA Franc and most, if not all of the UEMOA Member States, have already passed legislations in their various Parliaments to that effect.

It is a matter of concern that a people with whom we wish to go into a union are taking these major steps without trusting us for discussion.

The Nigerian leader assured ECOWAS leaders of Nigerias commitment to the ECOWAS single currency.

He urged them to critically consider the recommendations made by the Convergence Council and take a common position to safeguard the West African Monetary Zone from the pitfalls of a questionable union.

He affirmed Nigerias support for a monetary union with the right fundamentals, which guarantees credibility, sustainability and overall regional prosperity and sovereignty.

According to the President, Nigeria also believes that given the potential contractions and even losses from the global Covid-19 pandemic, member states cannot but be too cautious about ensuring compliance with the set standards.

We cannot ridicule ourselves by entering a union to disintegrate, potentially no sooner than we enter into it.

We need to be clear and unequivocal about our position regarding this process. We must also communicate same to the outside world effectively. We have all staked so much in this project to leave things to mere expediencies and convenience.

My dear colleagues, Heads of State and Government, It is obvious that we are at a crossroads.

We must proceed with caution and comply with the agreed process of reaching our collective goal while treating each other with utmost respect. Without these, our ambitions for a strategic Monetary Union as an ECOWAS bloc could very well be in serious jeopardy, he said.

In the light of the caution raised by Nigeria and some other West African countries at the meeting, ECOWAS leaders resolved to convene an enlarged meeting of the regional bloc on the single currency issue.

Source: NAN News

By Ifeanyi Nwoko
The President of the ECOWAS Court, Justice Edward Asante has said that the lack of political will on the part of member states to enforce its judgment was limiting its effectiveness,

Briefing newsmen during a virtual news conference on Tuesday, Asante said that aspect of enforcing judgments of the court does not rest with the court but with member states.

According to him, the Member states were yet to play their part enshrined in the protocol, noting that even those who have met the requirements still disregard judgments of the court when they are served.

The enforceability aspect of judgments has not been given to the court, it has been given to member states and member states have to have the political will to be able to enforce the judgments.

Initially, by the amended protocol they have to appoint representatives in their various countries who will have to receive the judgements of the court and make sure they enforce them within their countries.

It is only five member states who have appointed the representative, even then, those who have appointed, judgment is served on them and it still depends on the political will of the government, he said.

He expressed worry that if the precedence continues, there may be no need for the court to continue existing if its judgments are not obeyed by member states.

As a way out, he proposed that the protocols be amended such that judgement creditors are allowed to enforce the judgment in their countries through the local courts.

He also called on the media and civil society groups to also play their part to advocate in the countries for the effective implementation of the rulings of the Community Court of Justice.

The way out is for them to amend the protocols and rules of the court such that a judgement creditor can enforce it in the country by filing the judgement in the court system of his/her country and then proceed to enforce it.

So it is also the duty of the journalists and civil society in our countries to rise up and ensure that their ministers who pass these laws and recommendations to the president are upheld.

You have to let them know that people are getting disillusioned by the judgement of the court because if the court gives judgment and it cannot be enforced then what is the use of the court.

Source: NAN News

By Francisca Oluyole

The Ministry of Environment says it will collaborate with Australian Government to address some environmental issues affecting Nigeria.

Mrs Sharon Ikeazor, the Minister of State for Environment made this known while receiving the Australian High Commissioner, Ms Claire Ireland on Monday in Abuja.

Ikeazor said that the Australian high commission had being working closely with the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Mines and Steel where they share ideas on environmental and mineral resources issues.

Bear in mind that Australian and Nigeria are common wealth Nations, we come together to tackle climate change crisis and come up with solution.

The Australia High Commission has done a documentary about mentoring and having young girls in leadership position, so that the young girls can take over from us when we expire, she said.

Speaking, Ireland said that both countries have similarities on environment, climate, soil and natural resources, such as minerals, saying both countries have a lot to share with each other.

I am the first female high commissioner in Nigeria and environment is an area I have passion for, I am looking for opportunity to work together and also support women.

Australian has large coastal line and we have mangrove issues like Nigeria but we have the experience in restoring mangrove, which we will also share with Nigeria, she said.

Source: NAN News

By Grace Alegba

The Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LSMTL) on Monday began Non-Destructive Test (NDT) on government-owned school buildings.

Dr Afolabi Abiodun, LSMTL General Manager led a delegation of government officials and other stakeholders to Omole Senior Grammar School, Ojodu where the test took off.

NAN observed that engineers from the laboratory used a pundit machine and other equipment to test the structural integrity of the beams and pillars of the school.

Abiodun, in his speech, said the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administrations T.H.E.M.E.S agenda placed priority on education.

He said that the evaluation of structural stability of the school buildings to ensure safety in schools and the built environment was a reflection of the place of education.

The general manager said that the first phase of the exercise includes Non-Destructive Test (NDT) test on 25 selected primary and secondary schools across the state for two weeks.

Abiodun, while listing schools from all divisions in the state to benefit from the exercise, said it would also be extended to private schools.

Government is starting with a target of 50 schools in Ikeja alone, the general manager said.

He said that the initiative would be extended to all the five divisions in the state.

The non-destructive test we are conducting is diagnostic in nature and will reveal structural defects, if any, in the school buildings.

The report of our findings will be forwarded to Mr governor for necessary action.

This exercise also positions the state government as a model in the post-construction audit culture and I, therefore, urge all the stakeholders in the built environment to emulate this to ensure safety, he said.

Abiodun urged the public to patronise the LSTML to ensure that they test their construction materials to guarantee integrity to avert building collapse.

The General Manager advised residents whose buildings were over five years to use the services of the laboratory to reduce incidence of building collapse in the state.

He thanked the principals of the Omole Senior and Junior Grammar Schools for their support to ensure the inauguration took place in their school in spite of the short notice.

Mrs Bosede Adelaja, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, who represented the Commissioner, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo, thanked the governor for the initiative.

Adelaja said that the governor had demonstrated that he was a caring father to authorise testing of schools as part of his zero tolerance for building collapse in the state.

I know it is going to cost the state government a lot of money to get these tests done. This is another giant stride for us in education, she said.

She thanked the general manager for reducing the levies for private schools to ensure they get their buildings tested for the overall good of children and Lagos residents.

Also, Mr Olujimi Hotonu, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry Infrastructure of Works and Infrastructure, said that the state placed high premium on quality control and assurance of roads and buildings in the state.

Hotonu said that the ministry would not hesitate to take action to ensure rehabilitation or demolition of defective buildings, depending on the state of the facilities, to ensure safety.

He said that the tests would be extended to other private and public buildings across the state to reduce incidence of building collapse.

The National President, Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Mr Kunle Awobodu, called for urgent action against some buildings found to be defective during a previous exercise some years ago.

Awobodu, the immediate past President of the Building Collapse Prevention Guild, said that several buildings that failed structural integrity tests on the Lagos Island were still standing.

He said that NIOB was committed to prevention of building collapse in the nation and would join in monitoring the tests of schools.

The Executive Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB), Mr Wahab Alawiye-King, also commended the governor for the exercise, aimed at providing conducive environment for learning.

Also, Permanent Secretaries of all the education districts in the state present at the event took turns to share their thoughts on the exercise.

Source: NAN News

By Funmilola Gboteku

The British Government says it has donated a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Machine to Nigeria Government to speed up testing for COVID-19 in the country.

The British High Commission to Nigeria made this known in a statement on Monday in Lagos.

The commission said that the machine was presented to theDirector-General,Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, and the Immunisation Team Lead and current Officer-in-Charge of WHO Nigeria, Dr Fiona Braka.

An official of the commission, Karl Holmes, said in the statement that the machine was procured using some of the 661,000 Pounds UK Aid funding commitment that the British Government made to the Nigeria branch of WHO in 2020.

According to Holmes, the PCR machine is the most accurate laboratory method for detecting, tracking and studying the Coronavirus.

Holmes said that the machine would enhance the NCDCs COVID-19 testing capabilities in Nigeria, and increase the nations capacity to carry out at least three thousand tests per day.

The official said that the UK Government and the Federal Government had been collaborating closely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria since January.

Holmes said that UK had also been working closely with authorities across Nigeria, including the NCDC to support preparedness, planning and wider public health response efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

The official said that the UKs response was aligned with the government of Nigerias efforts at both the national and state levels.

According to the Holmes, UK has been supporting Nigerian authorities with technical assistance, direct financing and by flexing existing health portfolio to help with Nigerias planning to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The procurement of this new PCR machine complements the UK Governments ongoing financial and technical support to Nigeria for the provision of diagnostic reagents.

It also shows our support on Biosafety training and certifications through our International Health Regulations (lHR) Strengthening Project led by Public Health England.

We hope this machine and other support will contribute to the wider efforts to strengthen testing in Nigeria.

These efforts have been steadily expanding over the last few weeks and we welcome this progress. The UK remains committed to supporting this and other pillars of the response, Holmes said.

The statement also quoted the NCDC Director-General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, as saying that the tool would enable the country to test millions of people within few months.

We are glad to be getting such huge support and technical advice from our partners, including the UK Governments Department for International Development (DFID).

This new PCR Machine, which is a small part of our bigger testing strategy, will help us drive toward our goal of testing over two million people in the next three months, Ihekweazu said.

He said the country would now be able to play an even bigger role in meeting its target.

Ihekweazu said Nigeria would work with international colleagues to address the current pandemic as swiftly as possible and ensure health and prosperity for Nigerians, especially the vulnerable.

Source: NAN News