A flyover in Kwara

By AbdulFatai Beki

The Federal Government has executed more than 30 projects across the three senatorial districts of Kwara from January 2019 till date.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the projects, executed by the Special Projects Unit of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, included health centres, blocks of classrooms, solar-powered boreholes and roads, among others.

Mr Ibrahim Bala-Usman of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing made the disclosure on Monday evening while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Babaloma during a sensitisation tour of the projects in Kwara.

According to Bala-Usman, who was the team leader for the sensitisation tour of the projects embarked on by the Federal Government to improve the wellbeing of the people of the state.

He expressed satisfaction with the way some communities were maintaining the projects, especially the blocks of classrooms, solar-powered and water scheme.

The team leader, while assuring communities in the state of more provision of projects, advised the benefitting communities to protect them from vandalized or stolen.

The Loma of Babanloma, Oba Mohammed Usman-Ayilara, while receiving the team at his palace, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for the provision of a comprehensive health centre and a block of classrooms for the community.

The traditional ruler solicited for the provision of medical personnel and hospital equipment for the health centre to further improve the wellbeing of the residents of the community.

The Etsu Tsaragi in Edu Local Government area, Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed-Kpotwa, also expressed appreciation to government for the provision of two 500 KVA transformers for the community.

He urged the government to provide more infrastructure that would aid further development in the community, thereby minimising rural-urban drift.

The Principal of Community Secondary School, Babanloma, Alhaji Agboola Mustapha, thanked the Federal Government for the provision of blocks of classrooms and solar-powered light for the school and Government Secondary School, Ilorin. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Heathrow Airport

Workers at Londons Heathrow Airport on Tuesday began a 24-hour strike following clashes over pay cuts.

Three socially distant picket lines have been set up at Hatton Cross tube station, in west London, where 350 workers gathered at 1100 GMT with the intention of remaining there for the following 24 hours.

A van will also tour around Heathrow and surrounding areas displaying a mocked up image of Heathrows chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, as Dr Seusss curmudgeonly anti Christmas creation, the Grinch.

Alongside the image will be the message: Heathrow Grinch CEO is stealing workers wages.

A total of 1,000 workers are involved in the targeted strike action, which includes firefighters, engineers, campus security, baggage operators, central terminal operators, land side and air side operators.

Only 350 of them will be appearing at the picket lines, however, due to conflicting shift patterns.

The workers union Unite has said the strikes are in response to brutal fire and rehire plans, which will see some workers be given annual pay cuts of up to 8,000 British pounds (around 10,600 dollars).

There will be further strikes on Dec. 14, followed by a two-day stoppage on Dec. 17 and Dec. 18.

Heathrow has suffered severe losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the nine months to September 2020, it reported 1.5 billion pounds (2 billion dollars) in losses as passenger numbers dropped by 84 per cent.

Heathrow remains open and operating with minimal impact from todays action, a spokesperson told dpa. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Arik Air

By Yunus Yusuf

The management of Arik Air says it has leased a Boeing 737-700 aircraft from Eznis Airways to boost its operations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Eznis Airways is a scheduled and charter airline based inUlaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The Chief Executive Officer of Arik Air, Capt. Roy Ilegbodu, said in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday that the leased aircraft arrived in Nigeria on Nov. 21.

Ilegbodu said that the aircraft, which would be deployed into service from Dec. 2,would enable Arik Air return to some routes which were suspended at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Itis expected that the aircraft will boost Arik Airs fleet in readiness for the yuletide season.

We are pleased to announce the additional airplane to boost our operations and ensure we provide seamless and efficient service to our customers in this season, Ilegbodu said(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Kano State Fire Service

By Bosede Olufunmi

Kano State Fire Service says it saved 125 lives and property worth N93.2 million in 69 fire incidents in the state in November.

Alhaji Saidu Muhammad, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Service, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Kano.

Muhammad disclosed that the fire incidents were recorded in the month of November in various parts of the state.

He said that 14 lives were lost and property worth N21.4 million destroyed by fire during the period under review.

The Service responded to 74 rescue calls and 17 false alarms from residents of the state, he added.

Muhammad attributed most of the fire incidents in the state to careless handling of cooking gas, use of inferior electrical appliances and poor wiring.

Meanwhile, the PRO said that the corpse of a 20-year-old man, Safiyanu Mustapha, was on Tuesday recovered from a river at Gaida in Kumbotso Local Government Area of the state.

We received a distress call from Kabiru Hashimu at about 7:50 a.m. that a body is floating on the water.

On receiving the information, we quickly sent our rescue team to the scene at about 8:02 a.m. to bring out the victim and found out that he is already dead.

Mustaphas corpse was handed over to the village head of Challawa, Alhaji Yahaya Zangina, on behalf of his parents, he said.

The PRO said the Service has began investigation into the cause of the incident. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

HIV and AIDS

By Abbas Bamalli

Dr Sabitu Shanono, the Director-General (DG), Kano State Agency for the Control of AIDS (KSACA) says over 35,000 HIV patients are currently receiving treatments in the state.

The DG disclosed this at a workshop for journalists, as part of World AIDS Day commemoration on Tuesday in Kano.

We are still looking for more by ensuring that the test is free and those that show they are positive are also placed on drugs, the DG added.

Shanono explained that the prevalence rate of HIV infection had dropped from 25 per cent to 0.5% in Kano State.

He explained that The essence of organising this workshop is very clear.

The role of the media is indispensable towards the fight against AIDS. In this years celebration, we have achieved a lot and the media has contributed a lot to the achievement.

We feel that the media has a great role to play in HIV response.

That is why we decided to organise this workshop to re-equip the journalists in their reportage of HIV and see how we can improve on the information we give out to the community.

The kind of information that we disseminate and how effective it is to change the behavior of the people, he said.

According to him, one of their targets is to enlighten the public and to ensure that by 2030, there will be no new cases.

Earlier in a remark, the State Commissioner for Information, Malam Mohammed Garba, reaffirmed the commitment of the government to provide necessary facilities needed by HIV patients and the general public.

Garba said that the state government was fully committed to ensuring total eradication of HIV/AIDS, pointing out that the seminar was timely as journalists play a vital role in the development of every society. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Policemen on duty

By Stanley Nwanosike

The Police Command in Enugu State says it has arrested three armed robbery suspects that specialises in attacking residents at gun-point and also vandalising street/traffic lights within Enugu metropolis.

The Commands Public Relations Officer, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement on Tuesday in Enugu that the suspects were arrested on Nov. 27 at about 5 a.m.

Ndukwe said that items recovered from the suspects included one pump action gun with two live cartridges, a dagger, assorted phones, an LG TV set, electronic cables, car batteries and cash sum of N41,750, suspected to be stolen.

Following credible information received at Abakaliki Road Police Station that hoodlums, suspected to be armed robbers, were vandalising street/traffic lights near Shoprite Shopping Mall, Enugu, police operatives raced to the location.

The police operatives successfully arrested three of the five-man armed robbery gang, while two others were fatally wounded.

Preliminary investigation reveals that on arrival, police operatives were engaged in a gun duel by the suspects operating in a yellow mini commercial bus, and two of them sustained bullet wounds and were later confirmed dead in the hospital, while three others were arrested.

Furthermore, the suspects all confessed to the crime, while some of their armed robbery victims have been able to identify them and the items they robbed from them at gun-points, he said.

The police spokesman said that the states Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdurrahman, had directed the transfer of the case to the state Criminal Investigation Department for dispatch completion of discreet investigation and prosecution of the suspects.

Ndukwe further called on residents of the state to remain vigilant, law-abiding and promptly report suspected criminals and acts of criminality to the nearest police station.

They can also call the Commands hotlines on: 08032003702, 08075390883, 08086671202 or 08098880172, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

NSE

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

The nations bourse closed for the last trading day in November with a growth of 0.45 per cent following price appreciation posted by Airtel Africa and 16 other stocks.

Specifically, the All-Share Index on Monday rose by 156.63 points or 0.45 per cent to close at 35,042.14 compared with 34,885.51 achieved on Friday.

Also, the market capitalisation which opened at N18.227 trillion inched higher by N82 billion or 0.45 per cent to close at N18.309 trillion.

The uptrend was driven by price appreciation in medium and large capitalised stocks, among which are; Airtel Africa, MTN Nigeria Communications (MTNN), AIICO Insurance and FCMB Group.

AIICO Insurance and Airtel Africa led the gainers chart in percentage terms with 10 per cent each to close at N1.10 and N588.50 per share, respectively.

Tripple Gee

MSMEs

By Christian Ogbonna

The Federal Government on Monday in Abakiliki launched the Transporters Track programme for the South-East zone.

The programme is under the National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Survival Fund and Guaranteed Off-Take Stimulus Scheme.

A member of the Board of Trustees of MSMEs, Mr Ubadigbo Okonkwo, who performed the launch, said that no fewer than 4,400 persons in Ebonyi would benefit from the programme.

Okonkwo said that beneficiaries, including commuter bus and taxi drivers, tricycle operators, commercial motorcyclists and mechanics, would get N30,000 grants as survival fund.

This is a federal governments initiative to alleviate the sufferings of transporters and reduce the effect of income loss in their business, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown, he said.

In a remark, Mrs Ann Aligwe, the Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Monitoring in Ebonyi, lauded the federal government for choosing the state to launch the scheme.

Aligwe expressed happiness that the initiative would go a long way to boost the business of transporters and allied trades generally in the southeast.

The State Coordinator of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Mr Chigozie Asochukwu, said the beneficiaries were selected from 13 local government areas, transport associations and cluster groups in the state.

The documentation has commenced and thereafter disbursement will start.

This involves all transporters from community to community and the disbursement will be done through their associations.

The state Chairman, Okada Riders Association, Mr Paulinous Atam, described the scheme as a welcome development and urged members to make judicious use of the fund.

A beneficiary, Mr Nwancho Alo, expressed gratitude to the federal government for the gesture and promised to invest the money wisely. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

President Muhammadu Buhari

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday dispatched a high powered government delegation to Maiduguri to deliver a message of condolence and solidarity with the government and people of the state over the killing of 43 farm workers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 43 farmers were murdered while unspecified numbers of others were unaccounted for when Boko Haram insurgents attacked rice fields at Koshebe village, near Zabarmari, on Friday.

NAN gathered that nine of the victims were believed to be settlers in search of greener pasture from Zamfara, seven from Kebbi and eight from Sokoto state while the remaining were indigenes of Zabarmari town.

NAN also reports that the victims were buried on Nov. 29.

A statement by Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, said members of the high level officials were drawn from the Executive and Legislative arms of government.

He stated that the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan spoke for the team and the Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari representing Buhari presented a joint message, on behalf of the President, the government and people of Nigeria.

Shehu said the presidents message was delivered to the state governor, the Shehu of Borno, and the bereaved Zabarmari community, describing the massacre of the farm workers as the worst form of senseless, barbaric and gruesome murder.

In the message, Buhari gave strong assurances of his continuous commitment to fighting insurgency and all forms of insecurity in Borno and across the country.

The president committed himself to making more resources available to the military to prosecute the war.

According to him, he will work closely with neighbouring countries on bilateral and multilateral levels to ensure that there is no hiding place for the terrorists.

Nothing is more important than ensuring the security of lives and property of the people. Everything is secondary when security is at stake.

As we mourn the loss of our sons in Zabarmari, the Armed Forces have been given the marching order to take the fight to the insurgents, not on a one-off, but on a continuous basis until we root out the terrorists, he said.

Buhari commended Gov. Babagana Zulum for his leadership in running the affairs of the state.

In his response, Zulum thanked the president for ensuring relative peace since his assumption of office; saying that the situation is much better than he met it.

The governor presented a number of requests on behalf of his people, including that the youths of the state should be enlisted in military and paramilitary organisations to play their roles in the defence of the nation.

He called on the federal government to assist in the repatriation of Borno indigenes in camps in neighbouring countries and requested the National Assembly to hasten the draft budget now before them to allow better allocation of resources for the Northeast sub-region.

At the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Umar Ibn Garbai, the traditional ruler described as madness, the gruesome killings and urged his subjects to pray and offer useful information to the security agencies.

He thanked Buhari for his efforts in returning normalcy to the state.

Before this administration came, all 27 local councils and the Emirs had migrated to Maiduguri.

We had no power from the National Grid, Telephone services were discontinued and the airport was closed, he said.

He commended the president for changing all that for the better.

The presidential aide further disclosed that the delegation was also in Zabarmari, Jere Local Government where the incident took place.

The local Imam, Alhaji Idris who responded on behalf of the community, said they were touched by the presidents gesture, saying, we are happy that the President is with us in our moment of grief.

Other members of the delegation included the House Majority Whip, Tahir Monguno, the Ministers of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammed Bello, Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, Agriculture (State), Mustapha Shehuri and Works and Housing (State), Abubakar Aliyu.

Others are National Security Adviser, retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Abujah Racheal

Ahead of the Yuletide and its accompanying festivities and travels, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) has advised Nigerians against unnecessary travels and gatherings.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, who gave the advice in Abuja on Monday explained that it was to curb the possible spike in the spread of COVID-19.

He spoke during the Joint National Briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.

Travel over the upcoming holiday period should be restricted and all associated social activities, curtailed.

Nigerians are advised to cut off all travels, especially international travels, most especially travels to high burden countries except it is very urgent.

This is particularly important given the threat posed by the spiraling rate of infection in countries with which Nigeria has strong political, business, social and family relations.

There is correspondingly high volume of travel between Nigeria and those countries, which is what also determines the risk

This is a sacrifice we must make to preserve lives. The elderly and persons with delicate health should best not travel or mix in crowds.

The experience from Thanksgiving celebration in the U.S. indicates a serious COVID-19 spike from the travels and specialisations that went with the holiday.

This should be a lesson for us, he advised.

The minister reminded Nigerians that COVID-19 was not over yet.

According to him, all Nigerians have a responsibility to work with government to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is, therefore, more realistic that we adopt preventive measures which have been proven to be successful in controlling the pandemic.

Observe physical distancing and respiratory hygiene, wear your face masks appropriately especially in public places and regular hand washing and use of hand sanitisers, Ehanire advised. (NAN)

Source: NAN News