By David Adeoye

Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has congratulated Christians in the state and worldwide on the occasion of the 2021 Easter celebration, urging them to embrace more love and forgiveness.

Makindein a statement issued in Ibadanon Saturday by his Chief Press Secretary, Taiwo Adisa, urgedChristians to, in the spirit of the season, continue to be their brothers keepers and to forgive others.

The governor expressed gratitude to God for sparing the lives of residents of the state, especially the Christian faithful to witness the Easter season.

He charged Christians in the state not to take lightly the price that Jesus Christ paid for their salvation and to continue to remain connected to Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ has paid the price for us. So, we should keep on supporting the government and should in the spirit of the season, be our brothers keepers.

If anyone has offended you, this is the period to forgive. This is the period also to get connected to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who died so that we may be saved, Makinde said.

The governor urged residents of the state to continue to support his administration and to remain steadfast. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Abujah Racheal

The Nigeria Center For Disease Control (NCDC) has re-emphasised the need to avoid non-essential travels during the Easter and Ramadan celebrations to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General, NCDC, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday that it was very important to adhere to public health and social measures required to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19.

As Nigerians plan to celebrate Easter and begin Ramadan, it is very important to remember the public health and social measures required to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19.

It is very important to remember the public health and social measures required to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19.

Chikwe also emphasised the need for sustained testing as an effective public health response to detect, isolate and treat cases of COVID-19.

Testing is one of the key components in Nigerias response to the pandemic.

The benefits of getting tested include ascertaining the incidence of COVID-19 in the community, opportunity to break the chain of transmission in the community and tracking of mutation of SARS-CoV-2 in the country.

He said that the number of collection sites and laboratories had increased in the country making testing more accessible and effective.

The capacity for testing has increased in Nigeria since the outbreak began, from four laboratories to 129 functional laboratories. Of these, 48 are private laboratories and eight are corporate laboratories.

Each state and the FCT have several sample collection sites with at least one molecular laboratory to test.

Samples are tested daily to ensure results are communicated to the clients, patients and/or managing team for optimum care, he explained.

The NCDC boss noted that it was, therefore, important that Nigerians to utilise these resources to enable control of the spread of COVID-19.

The symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, sneezing, loss of smell and taste among many others.

It is important to get tested when you have any of the symptoms in the case definition or if you are a close contact to any confirmed case.

If in doubt on how to get a test, call your state emergency line or call 6232, the NCDC Connect Centre toll free number.

Some individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, may never develop symptoms as in asymptomatic cases.

Others may have very mild disease pauci-symptomatic, or they may develop moderate to severe COVID-19 disease, he told NAN.

Ihekweazu added that it was also important to note that co-infections of SARS-CoV-2 with other pathogens have been reported, thus a positive test for another pathogen does not rule out COVID-19 and vice versa.

He noted that in the last two weeks, the number of samples collected and tested had reduced, despite the availability of sample collection sites and public health laboratories.

The NCDC boss, therefore, urged Nigerians who meet the criteria to get tested. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Igbaugba Ehigimetor

Isoken Omo, an official at the ongoing 20th National Sports Festival (NSF), on Saturday in Benin assured of accommodation availability for all athletes, officials and visitors throughout the games period.

Omo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however, that those not listed to be accommodated by the organisers would have for themselves pocket-friendly accommodation.

She disclosed that the committee was working in partnership with a number of hotels in the city for the purpose of the festival.

Omo, a Project Manager with the Accommodation Sub-Committee of the festivals Local Organising Committee (LOC), disclosed that visitors would enjoy a 30 per cent discount with LOCs partner hotels.

The Acommodation Sub-Committee for the festival, just like other sub-committees, is ready for the festival.

We have been ready for the games for over a year now, and we have been waiting for this day.

What we have done is to arrange for hotels close to the venues, so that people will not find it difficult commuting between their hotels and venues for games.

Though I cannot say for now the exact number of rooms we have ready for our visitors, but I can assure that nobody will face any accommodation issue. There is enough to accommodate all.

The games have national and international impact because we have those coming to see what is happening.

For instance, we got a call from some Koreans who are coming just to observe, she said.

NAN reports that the 20th NSF tagged Edo 2020, had suffered several postponements before it was finally fixed to hold from April 2 to April 14.

While the festivals opening ceremony has been scheduled for Tuesday, contingent from the states have however started arriving in Benin since Friday.

NAN reports that 8,000 athletes, a figure scaled down from the initial 14,000, are expected to participate in the two-week festival. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Igbaugba Ehigimetor

Thirteen States out of the 15 that arrived Benin on Friday for the 20th National Sports Festival (NSF), tagged Edo 2020, have passed the COVID-19 screening.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the festival, Mr Philip Shaibu, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Benin on Saturday.

He also revealed that two states, Oyo and Taraba, failed the screening as they did not adhere to the guidelines given to the states to qualify them to participate in the nations biggest sports fiesta.

Shaibu, who is the States Deputy Governor, said the guideline must be strictly adhered to to prevent the outbreak and spread of coronavirus at the games.

Shaibu also confirmed that two athletes tested positive to COVID-19 after the instant PCR test on arrival and have been taken to the Stella Obasanjo Hospital Isolation Centre.

According to him: The contingent of Oyo and Taraba stands disqualified from the 20th NSF unless the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 gives a counter directive as both states failed to meet with the COVID-19 guidelines of the games.

We have to be strick with the guidelines so as not to use the games as an avenue to spread COVID-19 in the state, which has already been flattened.

Even if the PTF gives approval for both states to be admitted, the teams have to go through strict COVID-19 screening and testing before they will be allowed into camp. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Olayinka Owolewa

Team Kwara on Saturday left for the 20th National Sports Festival in Benin with a 233-man contingent, 128 more than the states team to the 2018 festival in Abuja.

The contingent has 166 athletes, who will compete in 27 events, coaches, secretaries, protocol officers, cleaners, security, helpers, and other accompanying officials.

The officials are from the states Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, led by the Permanent Secretary, Iyabo Banire.

The 27 events include athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, chess, cricket (male), darts, scrabble, squash, tennis, para-tennis, karate, taekwondo, judo, wrestling, cycling and table tennis.

The rest are golf, volleyball, deaf and blind athletics, power-lifting, weightlifting, wushu kungfu, kick-boxing, para-table tennis and para-athletics.

While briefing newsmen before their departure for Benin, the Director of Sports, Atanda Alarape, said the 166 athletes across the 27 events were carefully selected, based on merit and strength.

Our target is to go to Benin and win medals, as we have mapped out our strategies to maximise participation, especially in areas of our strength.

By doing so, we cut down on some areas, as we are not going for a jamboree, and not to complete numbers, Alarape said.

He commended the Kwara governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, for raising the stakes, especially approving money for both open and closed camping, as well as for the festival proper.

Alarape also commended the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, coaches and secretaries and the other officials, for their understanding throughout their preparation for the festival.

He charged the athletes to put the interest of the state at heart, and be good ambassadors of the state by competing fairly for medals at the festival. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ishaq Zaki

Alhaji Sanusi Maradun, a former Commissioner for Social Welfare in Zamfara, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Maradun who announced his defection in Gusau on Saturday said he decided to join APC because of its efforts towards developing the state.

I am in politics because of development of my people. l decided to join APC base on the partys successes in retaining grassroots politics in the state.

Anybody who want to development in politics, must embrace APC under the leadership of the former governor of the state, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari.

I served in Yaris cabinet as a commissioner and I know the kind efforts he made during his tenure to promote the state in both human and infrastructure development.

The APC is the only vibrant political party in the state considering the fact that the party has more grassroots support in the state, Maradun said.

He commended the state APC caretaker committee under Alhaji Lawal Liman and partys stakeholders in the state for the recent reconciliation of warring factions in the state.

Maradun expressed optimism on APCs victory at the 2023 governorship election in the state. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Nathan Nwakamma

Bilabiri community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa has called on the state and Federal Governments to help in restoring normalcy after the sack of residents by criminals.

Mr David Bazigha, Chairman, Community Development Committee (CDC) for Bilabiri 1, coastline settlement, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Saturday.

Bazigha said that the call had become imminent following the rise in criminal activities in the area which led to the death of a former Council Chairman.

The development compels residents to flee the area. We are appealing to the state and Federal Government to salvage the Bilabiri Kingdom from criminal elements holding sway in the area and attacking residents.

We lost the former Chairman, Aliebiri Rural Development Authourity, Bilabiri Hon. Frank Seide and two others and this led to the entire settlement taking refuge elsewhere leaving the area desolate.

The community leadership as we speak are all in exile and the criminals have chased residents away while they engage in their nefarious activities, that is why we are sending a distress call to the government.

We had raised concerns earlier on the activities of these miscreants in a letter the CDC Chairmen of Bilabiri 1 and 2 wrote alongside the monarch to security agencies dated March 19, he said.

The chairman said the community appealed to the security agencies to wade in and sanitize the area by helping to flush out the undesirable elements amongst them, as things have degenerated.

The loss of lives would have been prevented and now those of us who championed to end criminality have become their targets and we have to flee, Bazigha said.

He recalled that the community leadership on March 19, written a letter to the security agencies and urged them to flush out criminals from its fold.

He noted that in a letter, the community appealed to the Joint Task Force deployed to protect oil facilities in the Niger Delta, to deploy its surveillance boats to the area to fish out miscreants.

The letter was signed by Chief Peter Pinne, Amananawei (Paramount Ruler) in Bilabiri 1 and Chief Minna Fun, Amananawei of Bilabiri 2.

Other signatories are Mr David Bazigha, Community Development Committee (CDC) Chairman, Bilabiri 1 and Mr Esau Joshua, CDC Chairman Bilabiri 2.

The letter stated that the community leadership had resolved to rid the area of pirates, militants, oil thieves and kidnappers who brought the name of the area to disrepute.

It added that the development is an expression of the people of Bilabiri to support governments efforts at maintaining a peaceful atmosphere for legitimate economic activities, Bazigha said.

When contacted, Spokesman for the state Police Command, SP Asinim Butwat, said he was awaiting details on the incident.

However, the Joint Task Force Headquarters in Yenagoa, declined comments and said that only the defence Headquarters had the mandate to comment on their operations. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Somali National Army (SNA) said on Saturday that relative calm has been restored in two bases after foiling a dawn attack by al-Shabab militants in the southern region.

Odowa Yusuf Rage, the Somali Army chief, told Somalia National Television that several al-Shabab fighters, including their leaders, were killed after launching simultaneous attacks on SNA bases in Awdhigle and Bariire in the Lower Shabelle region.

Rage said that the government forces were in control of the Bariire and Awdhigle regions and that the situation was calm in those regions.

He added that, although no casualties have been reported on the SNA sides.

Rage said the military forces defeated the terrorists who later fled with dead bodies and other equipment to nearby bushes.

He said the Somali soldiers pursued the terrorists who had engaged the government forces in daily attacks to areas where they could be hiding.

The militants had earlier claimed to have raided military bases in Bariire and Awdhigle, the two strategic agricultural areas recently seized from the terrorist group by the allied forces.

The militant group said it later bombed army bases in Janale, Sabiid and Anole villages following the attacks early on Saturday.

SNA denied the claims, saying its forces thwarted multiple attacks and killed several al-Shabab fighters while others escaped with serious injuries.

Al-Shabab often launches gun and bomb attacks on officials, Somali security forces andAfrican Union Mission inSomalia (AMISOM) facilities in an effort to topple the government and create its own brand of government in Somalia. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Joan Nwagwu

The Federal Government has faulted the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) rejection of the Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed on March 31 in spite of meeting the demands of the association.

The Minister of Labour and Employment,Sen. Chris Ngige said this in a statement by Mr Charles Akpan,Deputy Director,Press and Public Relations of the ministry on Saturday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the resident doctors had threatened to commence strike on April 1, alleging that the Federal Government had reneged in the agreements entered with the doctors.

The aggrieved doctors agitations include the non-payment of salaries of three to five months of some house officers and non-recruitment of house officers.

Others are abolishment of the bench fees for doctors undergoing training in other hospitals, non-payment of National Minimum Wage and hazard allowances.

Ngige said that government was faithful to the agreement entered with the aggrieved resident doctorsby the President of NARD, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesu

Ngige said that the Federal Government had substantially met the demands of NARD.

He explained that some of the demands by NARD were made in error as some of the issues were already conciliated and implemented hundred per cent.

He,however, said that the outstanding issues which came up at the last conciliation were time-lined along a month life span of implementation,adding that they were still work in progress.

The minister,however,faulted the unilateral repudiation of the MoA by NARDs President, describing it as unknown in labour negotiation.

He did not participate in most of the discussions last Wednesday because he fell ill not quite after the meeting started and had to excuse himself.

He handed over to his deputy, the Secretary-General and other officers of the association, who fully participated. We spent seven hours and by the time we put our signatures to the papers, it was eight hours.

Disowning the MOA duly negotiated is unknown to labour. The two parties to the negotiation signed the MOA. Four officers from government and three from NARD signed the document.

The president who was not at the meeting but fully represented by deputies went to NARDs NEC and disowned the paper because they were signed by his deputy and secretary general.

There is what is called transmission of power. He as the President fell sick and his deputies continued with the meeting. Thats allowed, he said.

Ngige saidthat it was wrong for NARD to impose a fait accompli on the Federal Government while negotiation wasongoing.

According to him, when a trade dispute has been apprehended, no party imposes on the other, a fait accompli.

We signed a memorandum that says NARD will go back to its members to educate them on what has been agreed, the timelines placed on them, with a view not to disturb the industrial milieu in the health sector.

We also agreed to reconvene after four weeks, the minister said.

The minister added that the four weeks was given to allow enough time to implement the issues in the timeline, some of which would take three weeks, before reconvening.

He further expressed disappointmentthat NARD made a detour and mobilised members into action on the Eastertide, whenChristians were observingthe holiest week in their universalcalendar.

He dismissed as untrue, allegation that doctorsin the public health institutions across the country, were not insured.

On this note, he said the Federal Governmentspent N13.3 billion in 2020, on Group Life Insurance not just for doctors and health workers but also for workers in the federal civil and public service.

He stated that the reason for the composite exercise was to stop a situation where ministries and agencies of government workedin silos in payment of death benefits to workers and with lapses in some cases.

This N13.3b was paid to thirteen insurance companies and brokerage firms to administer.

And this is not the first time that NARD and teaching hospitals have been told to send in names and make claims for memberswho have lost their lives.

It is an insurance that runs for one year and it is still on tillMarch that just ended and even at that,the new payment is now being processed, so that it becomes a continuous thing, he said.

The minister added that NARD was again remindedof the development while signing an MoA on March 31, 2012 toput up claims through the Ministry of Health to the Head of Service of the Federation.

This, he said was the only basis for payment of premium to the beneficiaries.

He further said that the procedure was for all health workers in the Federal Government employee, noting thatFederal Government fast-tracked the insurance cover last year in anticipation of casualties attendant upon COVID-19 outbreak.

He said that unionisation for the welfare of workersshould not be only for the purpose of strike, rather, going the extra miles toexploit all opportunities provided by government for the welfare of the workforce.

So, NARD should make claims for the seventeen of their members it confirmeddead as result of COVID-19.

They have the right to make a claim on behalf of their members. The insurance company only needs to verifythe claims and pay.

They can similarly make claim under the Employee Compensation Act for any of their memberswho has suffered injury in the course of his or her work or hazard in the course of work, he said.

Speaking on theMedical Residency Programme which is the major reason for fresh action by NARD, the Minister declared that the progrrammehas been working hitch-freesince it came up in 2019.

He said that the House of Representatives had to do a supplementary appropriation to accommodate it in 2020 COVID-19 budget and the funds, fully releasedby the Federal Ministry of Finance.

He therefore urgeddoctors to respect the Hippocratic Oath which makesthe wellbeing of patients cardinal. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuel Antswen

Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue has expressed optimism that Nigeria will overcome its current security and economic challenges and achieve the desired development.

The governor stated this in his Easter message issued by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Terver Akase, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Makurdi.

Ortomexpressed optimism that Nigeria would overcome its current economic and security challenges, thus paving way for unimaginable development.

According to him, it is only when citizens support the leadership in building a crime-free society that governments efforts at improving the standard of living can be fully achieved.

He urged Nigerians to continue to show love to one another, as Jesus Christtaught His followers.

As the world celebrates this years Easter, my administration will continue to place priority on the security of lives and general welfare of the people.

I am confident that the current economic and security challenges facing Nigeria will be overcome for the country to move to the next stage of development, the governorsaid.

He added that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as symbolised by Easter,was a period when Christians should draw closer to God so that they couldreap from His grace and mercy in the face of adversities.

Ortom encouraged the people of the state to sustain the support they had been giving to his administration to enable it provide greater development in various sectors of the economy.

He reaffirmed his administrations resolve not to surrender the state to criminalsand gave assurance that the long arm of the law would certainly catch up with bad elements.

Ortom wished the people of the state and Nigerians generally, home and abroad, joyful Easter celebrations. (NAN)

Source: NAN News