#EndSARS protesters

By Mercy Osajiugo

The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has urged Nigerian youths to be patient with the Federal Government as their demands were being implemented by the government.

Abubakar made the call while commenting on the prevailing security situation arising from the #EndSARS protest in the country in Bida on Tuesday.

According to the monarch who is also the Chairman, Niger Council of Traditional Rulers, the initiators of the protests had good intentions, but it was eventually hijacked by the enemies of peace.

He admonished them not to allow egocentric, unpatriotic and disgruntled elements to use their initially peaceful protest to destablise the country.

People are free to protest; it is their democratic right but it should be a peaceful protest,he said.

They should not have allowed people with ulterior motives to hijack the protests. We do not have any other country than Nigeria,he said.

The Etsu Nupe urged youths to channel their energies towards positive things for the common good of the country.

The traditional ruler appealed to the youths to remain calm, law-abiding and give peace a chance, while government work out modalities for a way forward.

Government cannot make progress in an atmosphere of rancour, please give peace a chance.

I urge our youths to please leave the streets, sheathe their swords and monitor the responses from the government,he said.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his prompt and proactive response to the protests, saying that he was confident the country will soon come out of the current challenges.

Abubakar appealed to theadherents of the two major religions in the country, Islam and Christianity, to intensify fervent prayers for the return ofpermanent peace in Nigeria.

He maintained that, the current security challenges posed by the hoodlums that hijacked the good intention of the #EndSARS protesters would soon be overcome.

The traditional ruler urged religious leaders in the country to offer prayers for the Almighty God to provide solutions to the problems plaguing the country.

Prayers by our clerics at this pointin time will help our leaders and the security agents to overcome all these devilish acts that are bedeviling our country,he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. of Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal

By Habibu Harisu

Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has denied hoarding COVID-19 palliatives meant for citizens amid coronavirus pandemic.

Tambuwal stated this on Tuesday while addressing stakeholders on governments effort to quell any instigations on the nationwide EndSARS protests.

He said the protests had eventually snowballed into ransacking of many warehouses suspected to be hoarding the COVID-19 palliative across some states in the country.

Sokoto state has no case of hoarded relief materials meant as COVID-19 palliative.

Thestate never recorded both the protest and the attendant mayhem, Tambuwal said.

According to him, the state has received two categories of COVID-19 palliative since the pandemic broke out.

There was one by Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), which was a donation by an ensembles of philanthropists.

The distribution of this category was a bit delayed months ago because the donors wanted the donations to be pooled.

As soon as that was achieved, we distributed the materials under the supervision of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Alhaji Saidu Umar.

The other category were those items brought by the Federal Government through the office of the Minister of Disaster Management, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouk.

The items were received on the Oct. 17, precisely nine days ago. The little delay we had in distributing the FG palliatives was as at the instance of various requests by the minister.

She needed to be personally around when the exercise started. She made the requests five times before turning up.

So, it is not our fault that the items are still being distributed as we speak. It was the minister who said we should wait until she comes. And that was what happened. Tambuwal explained.

The governor appealed to the beneficiaries to cooperate with the distributors at all levels for a seamless and successful hitch free exercise.

He commended the people of the state for maintaining peace amidst all that had happened in someparts of the country since the EndSARS protests began.

The governor further appealed to the citizens to continue to live in peace and harmony and respect the individual rights of each other.

Tambuwal lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for sending ministers to their respective states to meet with their governors to discuss the way forward in maintaining peace in the country, in the wake of the violence that had trailed the protests.

He said the Presidents gesture would in no small measure assist in maintaining peace and unity of the country, stressing that on its part the state government was working hand in hand with the federal government to maintain peace and harmony in the country.

He thanked the youth in the state for not involving themselves in the crises and assured of his administrations commitment to continue to execute various programmes on empowering youths.

Also, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III, assured his continued fatherly role in preaching peace in the country.

Abubakar commended security agents in the state for efforts to maintain peace in the state.

Abubakar said the meeting was summoned in order to discuss the security issues confronting the nation.

The Sultan also thanked the Northern governors for the steps taken to maintain peace in their various states, urging youths not to harass anybody irrespective of their tribe or religion.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi had earlier held a news conference and interactive sessions with community and religious leaders.

Dingyadi said the purpose of the meetings was to engage the people who meant well for the country in order to fashion out a way forward to ensure peace and security in the country.

The minister assured that messages received at the meeting bordering on peace, unity, progress and well-being of all Nigerians would be delivered to President Muhammad Buhari.

He said before the EndSARS protest, President Buhari had demonstrated his commitment to the reformation of the Nigerian Police, by enacting the 2019 Police Trust Fund.

He further said in addition, the president had signed into law the 2020 Police ACT and taken other measures to improve the services of police sector, some which hitherto neglect, had sparked the protests. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Petrol Queue

By Edith Ike-Eboh

Long queues are still being witnessed on Tuesday in most petrol stations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

A survey by a NAN correspondent showed that while some petrol stations were shutdown, others were dispensing with few of their nozzles.

Some of the stations not dispensing the commodity included Gegu Filling Station, AA Rano Oil, Mobil and Conoil, all located along the Kubwa expressway.

At Eterna Oil, Dan Oil, MRS and NNPC on the same axis, motorists were seen in queues, waiting for their turn to buy the product.

At the Central Business Disitrict, massive queues were seen at the Conoil and Total Fulling Stations opposite the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Towers.

Also, long queues were seen at the NNPC Mega and Eterna Filling Stations at the Wuse Zone 1 axis.

At Mbora District by Lifecamp and Idu industrial areas, minimal queues were seen at the AYA Ashafa Petrol Station, while in Lugbe, along the Airport Road, there were long queues at some of the petrol stations.

Some of the motorists told NAN that they had to store petrol in their cars and Jerry cans for future use, in case the queues persist.

One of them, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: We are in uncertain times in Nigeria; I want to fill up my car while I wait to see how things unfold.

Our leaders need to sit-up, we need good governance at all levels, he said.

Another motorist, who simply identified himself as Charles, stated that he was held in the traffic because of the fuel queues.

This is crazy; I have been in this traffic for almost an hour; and as you can see, everywhere is completely blocked.

I dont even understand why we are having this scarcity at this point in time, he said.

Meanwhile, the NNPC had cautioned motorists against panic buying of the commodity, assuring of normalcy in the supply of petroleum products.

Dr Kennie Obateru, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, said that the long queues currently being experienced were due to the curfew, imposed in some states over the #EndSARS protests.

He said that the curfew affected the free movement of vehicles for the supply of products, but assured of normalcy in a couple of days.

The disruptions and curtailment of free flow of vehicular movement occasioned by the #EndSARS protests, the attendant curfews, restrictions and vandalism affect the supply situation.

Normalcy is expected to return to the petroleum products supply chain in the next couple of days.

There is no need for panic buying, be rest assured that supply will soon return to the entire country, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Ganduje presents N147.9bn budget for 2021

By Bamalli Abas

Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state on Tuesday, presented the 2021 budget of N147.9 billion to the state House of Assembly for approval.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ganduje said that the budget tagged Budget for Economic Recovery and Sustainable Development will focus on education and infrastructure development.

He said that N74 billion of the budget was for capital expenditure, representing 55.5 per cent, while N72.2 billion was for recurrent expenditure, representing over 40 per cent.

Ganduje said that the total recurrent revenue for the state for 2021 was estimated at N106 billion.

He said that the amount included N24 billion Internally Generated Revenue(IGR), N52 billion from federation account and N28 billion Value Added Tax (VAT).

According to Ganduje, over N37.8 billion, representing 25 per cent of the budget is allocated to the education sector, while N11.8 billion is allocated to the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.

He said N25.5 billion was allocated to the health sector, while the Ministry of Environment was allocated N1.1 billion.

We proposed N2.5 billion for the information sector, over N9 billion for water resources, N5.2 billion for judiciary, while religious affairs was allocated N557 billion.

The budget reflects our vision for diversification of sources of revenue with a view to laying solid foundation that will guide the administration to pursue its development objectives.

Also to enable us built on our operational principles, aspirations and priorities geared towards the continued leadership position of the state, he said.

Alhaji Abdulazeez Garba-Gafasa, Speaker of the house, promised that the lawmakers would speedily consider and pass the budget.

He, however, said that the lawmakers would properly scrutinise the budget and follow due process before its passage.

The speaker pledged that the house would continue to work together with the executive for the development of the state.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Illustration: Fuel attendant

By Nana Musa

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has warned motorists against panic buying of its products, assuring that there is enough fuel on ground.

Alhaji Suleiman Yakubu, IPMAN National Public Relations Officer, said that the long queues in some parts of Abuja were due to fear of attacks by hoodlums.

Yakubu told the News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja that, there is no fuel scarcity; just that some fuel station owners are scared of their property being damaged.

People should not fear and do panic buying as there is enough fuel on ground.

Yakubu also advised the masses to shun violence and embrace peace for a better economy.

NAN reports that most filling stations along the Kubwa expressway have long queues with motorists trying to buy Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Chiazo Ogbolu

Mr Hassan Bello, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), on Tuesday suggested that port terminal operators should adopt the Nigerian Export Proceeds (NXP) number to smoothen export transaction.

Bello, speaking when he visited some port terminals in Lagos, said operators should take advantage of the 90-day transaction period offered by the Central Bank of Nigeria to enhance their operations.

Bello said he appreciated the terminal operators for the removal of demurrage charges on cargoes last week covering the period of the EndSARS protest.

The terminals visited are APM Terminal (APMT), Maersk Nigeria and the Tincan Island Container Terminal (TICT).

We are visiting to see the challenges confronting terminal operators after the disruption of services. We also want to ensure that there are no spillover that will affect the economy as it will have adverse consequences.

Shippers were not able to remove their cargoes so there is need to think about it and come up with incentives so that they can do so, he said.

Bello added, to also aid transactions at the port, government is investing in infrastructure to tackle problems of transportation, institute an electronic call-up system and by March, 2021, link the terminals by rail.

He noted that the NSC, Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency are working to ensure tax incentives and for terminal operators to have 98 per cent independent power supply.

He urged the management of the Tincan Island Container Terminal to come up with solutions to ensure the decongestion of people operating at the port by ensuring that operations are done digitally.

Mr Yemi Adenaike, Customer Experience Manager, Maersk Nigeria, lamented their inability to validate the NXP numbers, urging the executive secretary to find a temporary solution until the portal is up and doing.

We anticipated the rush due to the disruption of last week and we have extended the dues of customers till the end of the month.

Due to our inability to validate the NXP number, we have stopped loading exports and this is not good as it will impact negativity on the terminal, road and others and so we seek your help, he said.

Also, Mr Greg Sipe, Operations Manager, TICT, said that they have sent notices on their removal of rent on cargoes for the said period.

He noted that they are having issues with customers as they do not want to patronise their online services, adding that the issue of taking peoples cargoes to bonded terminals has been addressed. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Senator

By Florence Onuegbu

South-West Senators on Tuesday visited the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to commiserate with him and Lagosians on the mayhem arising from the EndSARS protest.

Addressing the media, the lawmakers, led by Sen. Ajayi Boroffice, said that the Senate was pained by the level of damage and sued for peace for the progress of the state and the nation at large.

We are concerned about the gravity of the damage to life and property in Lagos and other places.

We are going to move a motion in the Senate to urge the Federal Government to come to the assistance of Lagos State because the burden of the damage will be too much for Lagos alone to bear, he said.

According to him, the Senate is in support of the demands of the youths and will do all within its power to actualise them.

We are working with government to ensure that those demands that require constitutional approval will be done by us expeditiously.

We are here today on a courtesy visit to the Executive Governor of Lagos State, to solidarise with him and to commiserate with him on the recent experience of Lagos State.

We are indeed very unhappy that at this stage in our history, that this type of damage have been done to Lagos State.

We pray that this type of thing will not happen again. Those who are in governance and those who are out of governance, all have a role to play to ensure that this country moves forward.

We are aware of the role the media can play, and we want to plead with you that in the discharge of your duty, you put Nigerias unity first, Boroffice said.

The South-West Senators on the visit included Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo North), Ayo Akinyelure (Ondo Central), Nicholas Tofowomo (Ondo South), Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central), Adeola Solomon (Lagos West), and Amosun Ibikunle (Ogun Central).

Others were Odebiyi Tolulope (Ogun West), Bashiru Ajibola (Osun Central), Fadahunsi Adenigba (Osun East), Oriolowo Aderele (Osun West)and Folarin Teslim (Oyo Central),

Also on the courtesy visit were Buhari Abdulfatai (Oyo North), Balogun Kola (Oyo South), Adetunmbi Olubunmi (Ekiti North), Bamidele Opeyemi (Ekiti Central) and Olujimi Abiodun (Ekiti South). (NAN)

Source: NAN News

A teacher with his pupils in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is to fill staffing gaps at public schools by recruiting new teachers while intensifying daily assessments of teacher attendance amid faculty strikes.

The majority of teachers on strike have not been reporting for duty since schools opened for public examination classes on Sept. 28, demanding a review of their salaries.

Public Service Commission Secretary Ambassador Jonathan Wutawunashe on Sunday urged the striking teachers to go back to work as wage negotiations are underway under the National Joint Negotiating Council.

The negotiations will not be for teachers only but the whole civil service sector.

Other civil servants are going to work, so it is important for teachers unions to tell their members to be at work until finalization of the negotiations.

Taungana Ndoro , Communication and advocacy director at the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education said the government would assess staffing gaps and determine areas where additional educators are needed to cover the vacancies left by those not reporting for duty.

We seek to establish gaps in terms of human resources so that regulations such as social distancing can be properly implemented. However, in terms of preparations, schools are ready to open on Monday.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Cain Mathema said that schools would be equipped with the requisite personal protective equipment and that the safety of learners, teachers and support staff is guaranteed.

The teachers, who earn their salaries in local Zimbabwe dollars, want the government to pay them in U.S. dollars at a level of 520 U.S. dollars per month for the least paid worker.

The Zimbabwean government is currently paying its workers in local currency after the country in June 2019 discarded the use of U.S. dollar that had been in place since 2009, and re-introduced the Zimbabwe dollar.

Source: NAN News

Motorists driving pass the Admiralty Toll Gate, Lekki Phase 1 on Monday

By Esenvosa Izah

Normalcy has returned to the Lekki-Ajah area of Lagos State, as commuters and residents now ply the road with little or no obstruction.

The New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Correspondent reports that commuters were seen driving through the Admiralty and Ikoyi-Link Bridge Toll Gates to their various destinations.

NAN reports that protests over a now-disbanded police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), took over the area for about two weeks, with demonstrators using the social media hashtag #EndSars to rally crowds.

The protesters had blocked the toll gates, while protesting against police brutality and an end to such, calling on the government to accede to their demands.

However, on Oct. 20, the protesters were dispersed by alleged shootings that caused many injuries following a 24-hour curfew imposed by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on the state.

Some residents, who spoke to NAN, expressed gladness that the crisis was over, calling on the state government to ensure safety of its citizenry.

They also called on the government to dialogue with the youth and give them the opportunity to thrive.

One of them, Mrs Theresa Benson, said: We hope incidence such as this protest that got so bad does not occur again.

We need peace and stability in our country, and that can be achieved through dialogue with the parties involved.

Another resident, Emmanuel Afiawari, advised youths to be educated and improve themselves on how to engage government meaningfully.

Afiawari said, The youth are our future, and they need to be given the opportunity to contribute their quotas to the development of our nation. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19

By Cecilia Ologunagba

The World Health Organisation (WHO), Regional Office for Africa located in Brazzaville, Congo, says there are over 1.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent.

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

WHO stated on its dashboard that there were over 1.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent- with more than 1.3 million recoveries and 41,000 deaths cumulatively.

South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia were countries with highest number of reported cases.

According to the dashboard: South Africa reported 714,246 cases and 18, 944 deaths; Ethiopia 92,858 cases with 1,419 deaths, while Kenya had 48,790 reported cases and 896 deaths.

Meanwhile, Dr Belinda Herring, Virologist at WHO Africa Region Office, in a video spoke, about the deployment and rollout of the new COVID-19 rapid diagnostic tests in Africa.

Rapid diagnostic tests are more efficient, affordable and easy to use and will be a game changer for testing and diagnostics in the region, she said.

According to her, countries will be able to increase the number of testing they do from hundreds to thousands.

Rapid test kits are cheaper and easier to use than the PCR, with rapid diagnosis test kits; you can get a result within an hour and you will be able to test more people.

WHO is going to support countries to procure and use the kits. (NAN)

Source: NAN News