Late Sam Nda Isaiah, Publisher Leadership Newspaper

By Emmanuel Antswen

Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue says the death of Leadership Newspaper publisher and Chairman, Sam Nda-Isaiah is painful and shocking.

Ortom, gave his condolences in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Terver Akase on Saturday in Makurdi.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the media mogul, writer, politician and entrepreneur, died on Friday in Abuja, after a brief illness at the age of 58.

The governor described the late Nda-Isaiah as a true patriot who, though a pharmacist by training, made indelible contributions to the growth of the media industry.

He said that the late publisher also offered jobs to hundreds of Nigerians through his companies.

He condoled with the government and people of Niger, the Leadership newspaper and the Nda-Isaiah family in particular.

He prayed God to grant the deceased eternal rest and his family the fortitude to bear the unfortunate loss.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Skulls

Mexican Culture Ministry says archaeologists have found 119 more skulls that they believe are part of an Aztec ritual wall.

The ministry said they were apparently part of a large wall where the Aztecs inserted heads of sacrificial victims.

The structure was known as tzompantli in the indigenous Nahuatl language, a sort of showcase for the skulls of their decapitated enemies.

With the latest find, more than 600 skulls have been found in five years of excavations of the so-called Huey Tzompantli, the main ritual wall of the former Aztec capital Tenochtitlan.

Mexico City is built on top of the ruins of the ancient Aztec capital.

A circular platform 4.7 metres in diameter, the Huey Tzompantli was located near the capitals main temple, the Templo Mayor.

The wall or tower of skulls was consecrated to the god of war Huitzilopochtli. The heads of people captured in combat and beheaded in ritual ceremonies such as the ball game were placed there.

Human sacrifice in Mesoamerica was a commitment that was established daily between human beings and their gods, as a way that affected the renewal of nature and ensures the continuity of life itself, the head of the project, Raul Barrier, explained.

So far archaeologists have excavated to a depth of 3.5 metres below street level. The 119 new skulls found since March correspond to both men and women and at least three children, according to the first visual analyses.

According to specialists, the tzompantli was built in three stages, the oldest of which corresponds to the period 1486-1502, when Emperor Ahuitzotl reigned. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Old people

By Ikenna Osuoha

Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older Persons in Nigeria (COSROPIN) has advocated quality and accessible healthcare for older people in the country.

The President of the coalition, Sen. Eze Ajoku, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday on the occasion of the International Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day.

Officially fixed for Dec. 12 by the UN, the day was fixed to advocate for strong, equitable health systems that would leave no one behind.

It is also to ensure that all people, everywhere, get quality health services they need without financial hardship.

The president of the coalition, therefore, who said that older persons were faced with many underlying health challenges,urged government and relevant stakeholders to prioritise the health of older persons through health insurance policies and subsidised or free medicare.

He also called for available and accessible medical facilities in rural areas where most older people live.

Ajoku said records show that older people frequent hospitals more than younger people and usually present several health challenges. They, therefore, need regular check ups and geriatric care as a result of dementia, chronic lung issues, diabetes or heart disease.

Many older people are facing financial difficulties and as such, cannot afford the bills required to keep them healthy; they need health insurance.

He explained that affordable and accessible healthcare for older people was critical to leaving no one behind, in accordance with the aim of the UHC.

According to him, health for all should be targeted at all vulnerable members of the society, including the senior citizens.

He commended the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire and the Ministry of Health for inaugurating a 14-man Ministerial Committee chaired by former Permanent Secretary of Health, Linus Awute, on the provision of health insurance for retirees and the elderly.

Ajoku said that the measure was a step in the right direction toward provision of health insurance for the older people and called for more efforts to maintain Primary Healthcare centres (PHCs).

He appealed for functional PHCsin all the 774 local government areas of the country and engagement and training of geriatric personnel to guarantee quality healthcare for older persons.

He also called for the establishment of geriatric words in all Federal Medical Centres and state general hospitals.

He said that chronic stress, repeated exposure to infectious diseases like COVID-19 and chronic inflammation caused by harsh living conditions were threats to the lives of older people.

He noted that older people are the worst hit by COVID-19 globally because of underlying health challenges and the lesson learnt is to step up efforts in protecting and caring for the senior citizens in event of health emergencies.

The senator, who reiterated the imperatives of national commitment to UHC, said it was key to achieving the 16 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially with its slogan of leaving no one behind. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Nigerian soldiers

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Defence Headquarters says the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD) have eliminated nine Boko Haram/ ISWAP terrorists, intercepted their supplies and recovered cache of arms in different encounters in Borno.

Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Benard Onyeuko, in a statement on Saturday, said the troops had continued to exhibit doggedness and tactical superiority against remnants of terrorists in the North East theatre.

Onyeuko said the troops of Operation Fire Ball, a subsidiary of OPLD, had on Dec. 8, intercepted terrorists logistics from across the border towns to Sambisa Axis on Pulka- Firgi- Banki Junction road.

He said that four of them were killed during the encounter while two bicycles, two pushcarts, several bags of dry catfish, grains and large quantity of other food items were seized.

Onyeuko said that troops of 151 Battalion had a similar encounter with some marauding Boko Haram terrorists on Firgi- Pulka road, killing three while others fled with varying degrees of injuries.

He also disclosed that troops of 112 battalion with elements of Borno State Civilian Joint Task Force conducted a robust fighting patrol to a suspected Boko Haram criminals harbour area in Mogoniri village on Dec. 7.

According to him, the highly motivated troops made contact and immediately engaged the criminals with high volume of fire forcing the terrorists to scamper and fled in disarray.

In the aftermath of the encounter, one Boko Haram criminal was neutralised while one AK47 Rifle and nine rounds of 7.62mm Special Ammunition were captured from the fleeing criminals.

In another development, troops of 21 Special Armoured Brigade conducted an aggressive fighting patrol to the general area of Gonori vilage towards the fringes of Sambisa Forest.

Expectedly, troops made contact and engaged the criminals. In the ensuing gun battle, one Boko Haram criminal was neutralised while several others are believed to have escaped with gunshot wounds.

Items captured during the encounter include; one AK 47 Rifle, one empty magazine and one tecno phone, he said.

Onyeuko, while commending the troops for their determination to flush out remnants of the terrorists from their hideouts, also encouraged them to continue to build on the successes recorded so far.

He also gave assurance that the military high command was determined to rout the remnants of the terrorists from their enclaves.

They are also encouraged to avail the troops with credible information that will help in the execution of the operation, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Aminu Masari

By Zubairu Idris

Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State has ordered the immediate closure of all boarding secondary schools in the state.

The governor gave the directive in a statement by his Director-General on Media, Mr Abdu Labaran, on Saturday in Katsina on Saturday.

Masari, according to Labaran, gave the directive following the alleged abduction of some students of the Government Science Secondary School (GSSS) Kankara by bandits on Friday night.

The Governor spoke when he visited the school in company of his Deputy, Mannir Yakubu, other government officials, some parents, traditional and religious leaders as well as security officials.

Masari, who could not control his emotions, pleaded with the people to be patient, show restraint and understanding, assuring them that government would do every necessary thing to ensure the release of any abducted students.

He said that already, the military, the police and the Department of State Security had swung into action and were on the trail of the bandits.

Masari further assured them that both the Federal and state Governments were doing their bests to bring an end to banditry and other debilitating criminal activities in the state.

The government is very firm in its resolve to be ruthless in any engagement with the bandits, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

NDLEA official

By Monday Ajogun

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Edo says it has lost 93 vehicles, an office and other valuables to #EndSARS protesters.

Mr Buba Wakama, the State Commander of NDLEA, anniunced this in Benin when he led other members of the command on a courtesy call on Gov. Godwin Obaseki on Friday in Benin.

Giving the breakdown of the damages, Wakama said that 24 of the vehicles were completely burnt, 69 vehicles were vandalised while four of the vehicles destroyed were for operational duties.

He said that 82,000 kilogramme of assorted drugs were either looted, burnt or destroyed.

He said further that the destruction created a serious challenges in the prosecution of cases before the Federal High Court.

Operations in the state have been completely grounded and there is an upsurge in the report of indiscriminate use and sale of drugs, the command is handicapped due to lack of operational base.

Even the usual end of the year special operations have not held due to lack of command office.

I want to appeal to you your excellency for an accommodation, which will serve as an office space and other logistics for a smooth operations in combating crimes in this yuletide season.

Responding, Obaseki, sympathised with the command for the unfortunate losses incurred on account of the protests.

He said: I personally witnessed the protests, so, I understand how devastating and how extensive the destruction was.

You are aware that Edo government had its own share of the unfortunate incident.

We are now dealing with the issue of the escaped inmates from the correctional services, we are among the states that were so affected in the country.

While we commiserate with you, you have to also understand from the stand point that in terms of prioritisation; we have not recovered ourselves. Our medical stores were vandalised, all the vaccines were vandalised.

We will assist you with a temporary accommodation, I saw your request to that effect and we are looking into it, within a few days, a decision will be made and we will communicate same to you.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Dr Inyang Asibong

By George Odok
The Cross River Government has expressed its readiness in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 in the state.

Dr Inyang Asibong, Commissioner for International Development Cooperation, gave the assurance on Friday during a sensitisation workshop.

The workshop was organised by the ministry in collaboration with United Nations Development Programmme (UNDP) and Office of the Senior Special Assistant to President on SDGs (OSSA-SDGs).

It was organised for Policy Heads and Legislators on the implementation of the SDGs.

Asibong said that her ministry was the coordinating ministry for the achievement and implementation of the SDGs which is divided into environmental, economic and social.

As a state, we need to achieve this goals. SDGs are everything we can think of and in Cross Ricer, we are already on the move, coordinating and working with other implementing Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

We have a wide range of MDAs here with us and our focus is to brainstorm and see how we can achieve this goals.

After this, we are going to set up a steering committee on SDGs. The committee will be known at the state, national and international level with a view to propel the state towards attainment of SDGs, she said.

Speaking, Dr Bala Yunusa, Senior Technical Adviser, Office of the SSA-SDGs, said that they were in Cross River to support the state in its effort to mainstream and integrate the relevant SGDs into their medium and long term development plans.

Yunusa said that following the expiration of the development goals in 2015, world leaders met to adopt the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.

He explained that the agenda envisioned the present and future that is economically sustainable, socially inclusive and environmentally resilient.

He said that the 2030 agenda is expressed through the premium of 17 Sstainable Development Goals, 169 targets and 230 key performance indicators.

These are universal goals adopted by world leaders by way of holding themselves accountable for their commitment towards international development.

We are in Cross River to also see the mechanism put in place to help strengthen the state to be able to do medium and long term development plan that is SDG based.

That means a plan and aspiration based on the development priorities of Cross River, but embedded within the SDG framework so that all the resources of the state will then be channelled towards the implementation of the relevant SDG that the state will choose to intergrate, he said.

In his remarks, Gov. Ben Ayade of the state, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Tina Agbor, said that the decision of the state to create a ministry for International Development cooperation in 2019 was well conceived.

He explained that his administration has given utmost priority to industrialisation and agricultural revolution in the state.

Mr Edward Ajang, a member of the Cross River House of Assembly and Chairman House Committee on International Development and SGDs, said that the state had witnessed massive development through the SDGs.

Ajang said that under the SDGs, Cross River has witnessed improvement in primary healthcare, access to basic education, reduction in infant and maternal mortality, improved sanitation among others.

Source: NAN News

Prof. Wumi iledare

By Edith Ike-Eboh

Prof. Wumi Iledare, former President, National Association of Energy Economies (NAEE), says that reducing the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, is a short term solution to the nations supply situation.

Iledare said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

NAN reports that the federal government after a meeting with the organised Labour on Dec. 7, agreed to reduce the pump price of petrol by five Naira, effective Dec. 14, 2020.

Our discussion was fruitful and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which is the major importer and marketers of petroleum product and customers have agreed that there will be a slide down of the pump price of PMS.

The price cut will get us about N5 per litre and the price cut will take effect from next Monday, (Dec. 14), the minister of Labour and productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, had said.

But Iledara said that the decision remained a short term solution to the situation in the country.

He also noted that the decision was also not in favour of the deregulation of the downstream oil and gas sector.

All things are lawful but not always expedient.

Reducing the price is economic populism and may seem okay in the short run but it may make the public more suspicious of and resistive to deregulation benefits, he said.

He further called for the speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to help the development of the oil and gas industry for economic growth and development of the country. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Journalist/Broadcaster, Mr Sunny Irabor, Corporate Communications

President Muhammadu Buhari

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday arrived in Daura, Katsina State, to begin a one-week visit to his country home.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the presidential aircraft carrying the president and some members of his entourage landed at Umaru Musa Yaradua Airport, Katsina at about 4.30 p.m.

NAN reports that the Nigerian Air Force helicopter, NAF 540, transported the president to Daura from Katsina Airport at 4.55 p.m.

Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State, Deputy Governor Mannir Yakubu, Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika and top government officials received the president in Katsina while members of the Daura Emirate Council led by the Emir, Faruk Umar Faruk, welcomed him at Daura.

NAN reports that the president last visited his country home on Dec. 2, 2019, when he inaugurated construction work on the N18 billion University of Transportation, Daura.

Buhari, while performing the groundbreaking ceremony, said the newly-established institution would bring rapid development to the transport sector and generate both academic and non-academic employment opportunities for Nigerians.

NAN reliably learnt that the president, who is expected back in Abuja on Dec. 18, might entertain both official and private engagements, including visits to his farm, during his one-week stay in Daura. (NAN)

Source: NAN News