ECOWAS Secretariat

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it plans to name and shame countries who have not regarded the decisions and rulings of the Community institutions.

This is coming in view of the flagrant disregard for the rulings and decisions of the Community Court of Justice by member states since the establishment of the court.

President of the Court Justice Amaoko Asante told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday that he has sought to make presentations at the Summit of Heads of State where he can name such countries that are in violation of the court.

Asante who spoke on the sidelines of a valedictory session in hounor of members of staff who were retiring from service, said that the disregard for the courts ruling had remained a cause for concern.

The issue of implementing the courts judgments is an issue which leaves a little more to be desired.

We are pushing them, writing to them, reminding them, reminding the commission.

It is the Commission Presidents duty to ensure that they are done.

Therefore, judgments are normally served on him and served on parties and the countries that are to do the enforcements; some are very adamant but we are still pushing them.

We have presented to Council that it should let the court present its report at the summit.

When the President of the Court stands there to present his report, he is going to name and shame countries who are not complying to the judgments of the court.

We feel that if they are able to accede to this request of ours and they do it, things will change.

NAN reports that the retiring staff members include: Chief Registrar Mr Tony Anene, Principal Legal Officer Mrs Franca Ofor, an Accountant Mr Apenteng Takyako, a Translator Mrs Mariama Gouro and a secretary Mrs Elisaberth Ashalley.

NAN also reports that retirement at the court is upon the attainment of 62 years of age or 35 years in service whichever comes first.

Source: NAN News

File Photo : Infrastructure

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

The Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) on Sunday urged the Federal Government to leverage investment opportunities in the capital market for medium and long-term capital to bridge infrastructure deficit.

The CIS President, Mr Olatunde Amolegbe, said this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.

Amolegbe said that the Nigerian capital market would definitely help in bridging the infrastructure deficit and funding gap of the country.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the nations fragile economy.

The sharp drop in government revenue has made it more difficult for the government to weather the crisis.

This resulted to a decline in consumption, aggregate demand, investment, net export and increasing government spending. The Federal Government had to review the budget downwards to N10.8 trillion.

We believe even with the 29 per cent allocation to capital expenditure about N3.4 trillion, is not sufficient to bridge the gap, given the neglect in the past compared with about billion annual requirement.

So, the capital market via the private sector can provide this support, Amolegbe said.

He noted that the capital market provides a better funding options in terms of cost and tenor, relative to bank loans.

On the 2020 Stockbrokers Conference, Amolegbe said that it would provide direction for both fiscal and monetary authorities to deploy expansionary policies for sustainable growth and development.

He said that the conference scheduled for Nov. 4 and 5, was designed to address some of the fundemantal economic challenges in Nigeria.

According to him, the conference will also examine investment options for diversification of portfolios across asset classes and beyond the traditional asset classes.

We plan to examine how the proposed CAMA 2020 will benefit the capital market, as well as provide context on how the Nigerian Stock Exchanges Demutualisation shall benefit the capital market stakeholders, he added.

Amolegbe said that the institute had invited seasoned speakers from within and outside the country to provide their perspectives on the focus areas.

The conferences Theme is: Navigating through the Storms-Reenergisng the Economy through the Capital Market. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Victorious Los Angeles Lakers squad

The National Basketball Association (NBA), which was the first pro league to suspend play amid the COVID-19 pandemic, made .5 billion less than it projected last season due to the pandemic and other factors, according to an Associated Press report.

The league shut down March 11, then returned to finish a shortened season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.

That restricted access, all-inclusive bubble, which was run at an estimated cost of million, was one of the factors that hit the NBAs bottom line.

Other factors were the initial shutdown, the loss of 171 regular-season games, the lack of attendance for games in the bubble and Chinas decision to not show games after an October tweet by former Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey in support of Hong Kong.

The leagues Board of Governors is currently meeting to discuss the start date for the 2020-21 season, potential fan attendance and possibly a shortened schedule, with a push to start the 2020-21 NBA season by Christmas apparently gaining momentum.

The Athletic reported Friday that the NBA is targeting a Dec. 22 start date and a 72-game regular season that would finish before the start of the 2021 Summer Olympics, which are set to begin on July 23 in Tokyo. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Para-soccer championship

By Georgina Adegbie

James Lalu, The Executive Secretary of National Commission for Persons with Disability, said the commission would work with the Nigeria Para-Soccer Federation (NPF) to make the sport an international game.

Lalu told newsmen on Saturday in Abuja at the closing ceremony of the eighth edition of the World Polio Para-Soccer Tournamentthat the sport needed to grow beyond Nigeria.

He added that this was what was needed to enhance the rapid development of the game.

We will by thismake sureall the 36 states have teams which will participate in the next edition of the championship.

We want to make the sport grow beyond Nigeria. It is fantastic and very beautiful to see these people playing their games with joy. Truly,there is ability in disability, Lalu said.

He said they would work with the Federation to make sure that the ninth edition of the competition would be more interesting than this years edition.

The commissions executive secretary also congratulated the founder andpresident of the federation for the success of the tournament.

I congratulate Misbahu (Didi). We are proud of you. Thenext edition will be better than this. We will ensure the ninth edition will be more glamorous.

I congratulate the winners of this years competition (Kano team) for the job well-done, Im very proud of you.

You demonstrated your skills, and we will work with the federation to look for people that will sponsor the subsequent editions of the competition, he said.

Didi, who is president of the federation, in his closing remarks thanked the ministry and the Minister of Youth and Sports Development for their support in the success of the tournament.

We started and ended well the eighth edition of the championship.We thank all the participants and their state governments for taking part in this historical event.

We thank the minister and the ministry for giving us this space to organise this event.

We equally thank our partners, the Nigeria Rotary International Committee for giving us their support and who have been our partners for good eight years.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the eighth edition of the World Polio Day National Para-Soccer Championship which started on Wednesday ended on Saturday. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Medics treat a patient

By Cecilia Ologunagba

Dr Okpako Okpikpi, Coordinator, National Cancer Control Programme, Federal Ministry of Health, says cancer is not a death sentence if detected early and presented to hospital for treatment.

Okpikpi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that early presentation of cancer cases was key to successful treatment and management.

The coordinator spoke against the backdrop of the 2020 Edition of the Annual International Cancer Week, scheduled to hold from Oct. 26 to 30.

Cancer is an abnormal growth of body cells which kills normal cells and stops them from functioning properly which might lead to death.

Cancer is not a death sentence but prevention is better than cure, particularly with the issue of cancer where we do not know the causes of many of them.

Cancer is not a death sentence but through early detection it can be managed. When people are informed, they become knowledgeable about it and that is one of the key things that the International Cancer Week seeks to achieve.

Awareness will be created to the public; they will be informed with respect to regular visitation to the clinic.

They are taught what to do and they can do self-examination or when they see some symptoms, they can quickly seek medical care.

Early presentation will save lives or presenting to the wrong places or taking things for granted or going to wrong places that can worsen the disease, Okpikpi said.

The coordinator, however, cautioned against presenting cancer cases to the wrong places such as spiritual and traditional herbal homes.

Okpikpi said spiritual and medical homes could work together but some people would decide just to go to spiritual houses or traditional houses, thereby presenting the case late to the hospital.

When we are talking about advancement of cancer, we are talking about when it would have spread to other areas, this is when it becomes an issue to manage, he said.

According to him, the Federal Ministry of Health has achieved a lot through an annual International Cancer Week by raising awareness on cancer and what could be done to prevent it.

We have achieved a lot as many of the cancer cases do not have cure, we do not also know their causes but there are predisposing factors and risk factors.

What the International Cancer Week seeks to achieve is to create awareness among the general public of possible disposing factor, Okpikpi said.

He told NAN that the event would also be a platform to bring researchers together, adding that the National Palliative Care Policy and Chemosafe Policy would be reviewed.

So, we want to provide them with care so that they have good quality life.

Since inception, there have been staggered activities here and there but there has not been any national policy that will guide the palliative care. It will be standardised across the country, he added.

Okpikpi said that the month of October was devoted to cancer, especially breast cancer, adding that the ministry would not limit the event to breast.

We will talk about other common cancers, cervical, colorectal among others; it is a forum for knowledge sharing and for awareness creation, he said.

He added that practical sessions such as screenings would have been part of the events for the cancer programme if not for the COVID-19 pandemic.

We did screenings in 2019, we partnered the Women Affairs Ministry; we screened rural women for breast and cervical cancers but that will not happen this year because of the COVID-19.

Okpikpi said the event would open discussion on modern ways of managing cancer in the country and that the experts from overseas would also participate.

The theme for the week-long event is Cancer in Nigeria in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Personnel of NSCDC

By Mohammed Tijjani

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC) Kaduna State Command has appealed to residents of the state to obey the 24-hour curfew imposed on the state to forestall any breakdown of law of order.

The State Commandant of the Corps, Nuradeen Abdullahi, made the appeal in a statement made available to newsmen by the Commands Spokesperson, ASC Orndiir Terzungwe in Kaduna on Sunday.

Abdullahi said the call had become necessary in order to prevent a recurrence of what had happened in some states, resulting in loss of lives and property.

Already I have directed all Area Commanders, Divisional Officers, Head of Departments and Units to ensure full mobilisation of personnel and deploy them in the state to ensure full compliance with governments directive.

In response to a possible breakdown of law and order, Kaduna State Government has extended throughout the state the 24-hour curfew earlier imposed in some communities in Chikun and Kaduna South Local Government Areas, the commandant said.

According to him, the measure as explained by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, is to safeguard our communities, lives and property and contain criminal elements looting public and private assets.

The extension of the 24-hour curfew to all the 23 local government areas of the state is effective immediately.

Aruwan noted that the Kaduna State Government would keep the situation under review and regretted the inconvenience it might cause law-abiding citizens, Abdullahi said.

He appealed to all residents of the state to kindly bear with the state government as it took necessary action to maintain law and order and to protect the right of citizens to live in peace.

Abdullahi said the Commandant-General of the NSCDC, had directed all commands and formations of the corps to protect national assets, infrastructure and also protect lives and property.

He said the directive followed the wake of violence that broke out in view of #Endsars protests in the country. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

#EndSARS protesters

A news analysis by Mufutau Ojo, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

It started somewhat as a whimper of protest against the excesses of the police.

Today, the simmering #EndSARS protest has veered out of control and has assumed a life of its own, having been infiltrated by hordes of street urchins and hoodlums who set fire to critical public assets as well as private property.

Many states now are under one form of curfew or the other as rampaging youths pillage ware houses, shopping malls, markets and even private residences.

How did a largely peaceful protest by motley groups of youths turn to a national orgy of violence, destruction and deaths?

When the protests started, the amorphous # End SARS movement had outlined five demands to call off its action.

The protesters had demanded the immediate release of those arrested and justice for victims of police brutality.

The protesters also called for the setting up of an independent body to oversee the investigation and prosecution of all reports of police misconduct.

They further called for psychological evaluation and retraining of all disbanded SARS officers before redeployment and increase in salary of police officers.

To meet the demands of the protesters, Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on Oct. 11 dissolved the SARS outfits across the country and FCT.

President Muhammadu Buhari, while addressing the nation on Oct. 12 had said the dissolution of SARS was the first step in reform of the police.

The IGP on Oct. 13 also ordered all defunct SARS operatives to report at the Force Headquarters for debriefing as well as psychological and medical examination.

The examination is to be carried out by the new Police Counselling and Support Unit.

To further demonstrate the resolve to accede to the protesters demands, the National Economic Council on Oct. 15 directed the immediate establishment of state-based Judicial Panels of Inquiry across the country to receive and investigate complaints of police brutality.

The panels, which included representatives of youths, students and civil society organisations, would be headed by a respected retired state High Court judge.

The panels have six months to complete their assignments while governors and the FCT minister are to take charge of the interface and contact with protesters in their domains.

Even more instructive, governors are to immediately establish a Victims Support Fund to facilitate the payment of monetary compensation to deserving victims.

Responding to the urgency of the current situation, no fewer than 13 states had already constituted panels of inquiry in line with the directive of the National Economic Council while quite a number had set up the Victim Support Fund.

Paradoxically, rather than all these well intended measures, including a presidential apology from Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, assuaging the protesters, the violence raged on.

This eventually peaked with the Lekki incident on Tuesday in which some soldiers were accused of shooting protesters. The social media was literally on fire as figures were being bandid, further heightening tension.

Perhaps more than any single incident in the last two weeks of protests, the Lekki violence and its reportage on social media have triggered the current wave of blood letting by hoodlums across the country, latching on the peaceful protests.

In the light of the revelations on Wednesday by Gov. Babajide San-Wolu of Lagos State on the Lekki incident viz-a-viz what was reported on social media, many Nigerians believe the regulatory authorities must take more than a cursory interest in the operations of this genre of the media.

There have been several false information that we have seen over the incident and we will appeal to people to show more restraint in posting information that cannot be verified, the governor had told a television house.

One such false information, he said, was the allegation that the state government was aware of the use of soldiers to disperse the peaceful and unarmed #EndSARS protesters.

The governor also insisted that no protester died in the incident, stressing that he and officials of the state government had gone round private and public health facilities across the state without being able to identify bodies of those allegedly killed in the incident except one that died from blunt force trauma and another corpse that was recovered by the police in the Victoria Island area with bullet wounds.

To lend credence to his claim that no death was recorded in the Lekki incident, Sanwo-Olu urged members of the public with credible information on anyone or group of persons killed in the incident to come forward with the claim.

As yet, no claim has been reported inspite of the bloodshed and destruction that had trailed the reportage of the incident.

The Lekki incident again offers a sobering reminder of the immense potential of the social media for good or for ill, especially in a polity where many are gullible.

Perhaps, much more than any time in the nations chequered history, the call for regulation of the social media has become ever more strident.

Only some weeks ago, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had advocated a national policy on use of social media to curb the excesses of users.

The minister made the call at the National Defence College, Abuja, while delivering a lecture on The Impact of Fake news and Hate Speech on National Security.

The minister underscored the need for government to also deploy technology to monitor the social media and stop purveyors of fake news and hate speech in their tracks.

He said lack of a national policy and relevant technology have made the government to be handicapped in tackling the menace of social media.

The need to act fast is made more urgent by the fact that the extremism being promoted by anti-state groups remains one of the biggest challenges to Nigerias national security.

Let me quickly state that the veritable tools of choice for extremists to propagate their dangerous and subversive ideas include unrestrained propaganda, fake news and hate speech.

These are very potent tools in the hands of extremists, whether they are secessionists, ultra-nationalists, religious extremists or even insurgents.

Of course, social media is the platform of choice for these malcontents. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Boko Haram terrorists have resorted to the use of social media to propagate the ideas in their depraved minds, the minister said.

Stiff as opposition is in some quarters to the regulation of the social media in the country as exemplified in the ill-fated journey of the social media regulation bill initiated by Sen. Muhammad Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), many Nigerians are resolute on the need for such checks, drawing inferences from the West, said to be the bastion of democracy.

Apart from the European Union that has promulgated laws on the usage of social media, China, Russia, France, Singapore, Malaysia, Sweden, Liberia, Indonesia, Turkey, UAE, Kenya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda and Italy among others have all put in place various regulations to check the excesses of social media users.

At a time when citizen journalism has become the new most sought after frontier in media practice, a perplexed Nigerian, Ibrahim Garba, aptly captures the worries of every right thinking compatriot:

Why will someone sit in the comfort of the sitting room to fabricate lies and post videos, audios or messages that is a hoax and veiled under the cover of freedom of speech through social media?

How many of us will be happy if lies are fabricated against our sisters, wives, daughters and relatives of crimes they did not commit?

Who among us will love to see our communities engulfed in crisis, courtesy of fake news?

Who among us will love their businesses being ridiculed or crippled courtesy of fake news through hoax video or audio messages on social media?

Answering conscientiously these questions posed by Citizen Garba may be the very first step in the quest for national redemption. (NANFEATURE)

Source: NAN News

fakenews

By Kayode Olaitan

Unarguably, fake news has resulted in stampeding the uninformed public to unpatriotic and destructive actions, especially as it happens in the protest against the alleged police brutality known as #EndSARS.

On Oct. 3, #EndSARS protest began with a viral message broadcast on social media.

The message suggested that men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) gunned down a Nigerian youth, snatched his car and ran away with it.

The video spread on social media and the #ENDSARS started to gain prominence as more young people demanded an end to police brutality.

Dimensions to the report began to indicate that SARS officials stopped the young man, pushed him out of his vehicle, shot him and even went away with the vehicle.

With this, young Nigerians started recalling previous experiences and started agitation on various social media platforms.

Before long, persistent posting of unverified information and fake news resulted in one of the largest youth organised protests in the history of Nigeria that has marked the country negatively.

Observers of the unfolding events from this posting note that it is unfortunate that most people rely more on social media to get information notwithstanding whether or not such information is accurate or fabricated, and in spite of individuals level of education and exposure

In his view, Mr Bolaji Ayoade, a blogger notes that not all news on social media are accurate and objective.

He expressed concern about the ripple effects of the #EndSARS protest on economy, security of lives and property, infrastructure and the nations image and democracy.

There exists fake news everywhere; and the trouble is that the protest has been fuelled substantially by fake news believed by the public.

Fake news or misinformation isnt helping anybody. It is a deliberate evil engagement to cause mayhem: an unpatriotic attempt to cause deaths, undermine the government and deceive the public.

Although the #EndSARS protest was planned to be peaceful, along the line, fake news came, feeding the public with false information about peoples perceived dispositions, especially prominent Nigerians.

What happens next is direct attack on such accused, their property and family. People and indeed, the public ought to know how not to engage in such protest, he says.

After a virtual meeting with Buhari, the former leaders of the country observed that the #EndSARS protest was hijacked and misdirected by various interest groups to change the purpose of peaceful protest.

To engage the youth, the leaders advised the government to create jobs and provide incentives for the public.

Concerned citizens, however, observe that in situations such as #EndSARS protest, fake news and misinformation play fundamental roles in giving unexpected dimensions to events.

Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed believes that disinformation and fake news are capable of destabilising the system, inciting people to violence and weakening the peoples confidence in their government.

With the presence of social media, especially the Facebook news feed and other online media, fake news prevalence has increased.

For instance, in one of the online news platforms, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, recently had to deny a publication alleging that he prevented President Muhammadu Buhari from scrapping the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad ( FSARS).

Such a fake story was deliberately published or sent around to make people believe things or development that are not true, and in most cases, such news are on the negative side.

Concerned Nigerians observe further that fake news is dangerously taking new dimensions with the ease of falsifying online news content, presenting non-existent platforms, photoshopping images and imaginary video footages to achieve dubious aims of causing violence.

They note that the #EndSARS protest has had telling effects on the image of the country, the well-being of Nigerians, security, private and public property.

According to them, the protest has been hijacked and has become a threat to national unity.

Also, Mohammed explains that Nigeria is a country of ethnic and religious diversity that should be a source of strength, if the fault lines are not deliberately being exposed and exploited by those who are bent on setting the people against themselves, using their new-found tools of hate speech, disinformation and fake news.

This dangerous trend is threatening the very foundation of our national unity.

It is daily pushing the nation close to the precipice, perhaps more than at any other time since the end of the civil war.

What is the way out? We all must say NO to hate speech, either on our radio and television stations, newspapers, the social media, on our phones or in the public space.

We must be resolute in tackling the cankerworm of hate speech, disinformation and fake news, the minister warns.

He notes further that although the constitution allows freedom of speech and the present administration believes in it, freedom of speech must not be allowed to become freedom of irresponsibility.

Sharing similar sentiments with the minister, Alhaji Ayodele Jimoh, a critic of fake news, called for understanding among Nigerians of the ongoing #EndSARS protest.

He cautioned against violence among the youth, noting that such act act would drag the national development.

He also cited the Rwandan genocide that had a great setback for Rwanda nationals just because of hate speech and fake news.

According to him, Nigerians ought to know that when a demonstration is seen to compromise the peace and integrity of the country, there are suspicious activities of unpatriotic elements promoted by disinformation to destabilise the country.

He said news could be verified by searching for the author, the primary source and the objectivity of the information.

If the authors look suspicious, fact check the information and wait for some time to read same elsewhere before you share or comment.

Avoid sharing unverified information, try to go beyond the headlines, ask yourself questions and consider the implications.

By doing this, we can reduce the prevalence of fake news and prevent violence, he said.

Further to this, Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed said in a forum that: Information managers must embark on a relentless campaign against these evil tendencies at our various levels, whether federal or state.

We must boycott any medium that engages in hate speech, incitement to violence, disinformation and fake news.

The regulators must also be alive to their responsibilities by promptly sanctioning the purveyors of hate speech, disinformation and fake news.

Sharing his experience, the minister said: On Wednesday, April 26, 2017, after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, I briefed State House Correspondents on what transpired at the meeting.

I said, among others, that President Muhammadu Buhari did not preside over the days meeting because he decided to work from home that day.

In reporting my briefing, one of the correspondents quoted me as saying the president would work from home henceforth, rather than on that day only.

The reporting generated a lot of uproar, until I issued a rebuttal. This is a clear case of disinformation which is defined as false information deliberately spread to deceive the people.

In view of this, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said that fake news, which had spread across social media, further caused chaos in the state.

He said several state and private-owned facilities were set on fire across Lagos state on Oct. 10, following the Lekki shooting.

Many police stations were also burnt by hoodlums and several attacks recorded in different parts of the state causing the death of many.

Lagos will be stronger. We will rebuild bridges and we will deliver on the good work we started on ending police brutality and providing justice.

We are working to stabilise things across the state as we look to rebuild. The state team is working with the hospitals and emergency services to verify the details of everyone involved in incidents across the state.

I understand that tempers are high but we are beginning to get a clearer picture of the things that led us to this point.

I want to ask us to be circumspect to avoid further losses and triggering other sentiments. Do not encourage thugs through parody and inciteful words.

We want to find justice and provide compensation for victims to the best of our abilities.

The governor called for calm across the state just as other leaders in the affected states across the country have taken proactive measures to guarantee peace. (NANFEATURES)

Source: NAN News

Dr Okpako Okpikpi, Coordinator, National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP)

By Cecilia Ologunagba

Dr Okpako Okpikpi, Coordinator, National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) at the Federal Ministry of Health,has urged Nigerians to undergo regular cancer screening to ensure early detection and treatment.

Okpikpi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday that it was equally important to undergo regular screening for cancer to reduce the number of deaths arising from the disease.

He was speaking in commemoration of the 2020 edition of the International Cancer Week.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that according to the National Cancer Prevention and Control Plan (2018-2022), cancer is responsible for 72,000 deaths in the country annually, with an estimated 102,000 new cases every year.

The NCCP coordinator urged women in particular to regularly examine their breasts, and undertake cervical cancer screening every three years.

We mean that women should examine their breasts often;cervical cancer screening should be done every three years, and men above 40 years should undergo regular Prostate Specific Antigen Test.

After undergoing the tests, you will be properly advised on what to do; whether by way of treatment or further tests, he said.

Okpikpi said that breast cancer was the commonest type of cancer in Nigeria, saying, this is followed by cervical cancer, while prostate cancer is the commonest among men.

It is very important to seek medical attention early, if a woman notices any lump in her breasts, she has to quickly see a doctor, he said.

The coordinator said that although some hospitals in the country offered chemotherapy, they faced limitations in radiotherapy.

It is capital-intensive and difficult to have radiotherapy in all hospitals, so government upgraded some teaching hospitals. They are called Oncology Centres of Excellence, he said.

The centres are located at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin; Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos and University College Hospital, Ibadan.

Others are at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria and the National Hospital, Abuja. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

John Enenche, Director Defence Information

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Defence Headquarters says the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole has killed several terrorists in massive air offensives on their hideouts in Northern Borno on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, in a statement on Sunday, said the attacks took place at Ngwuri Gana along the Gulumba Gana-Kumshe axis and Jumacheri near Damasak area of Borno.

Enenche said the air operations were conducted under a subsidiary operation code named Operation Wutar Tabki in continuation of the sustained offensive against terrorist elements in the North East.

He said the successes were achieved through separate air interdiction missions carried out by the troops.

He added that human intelligence and series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions had earlier revealed that several terrorists had assembled at the two locations in preparation to launch attacks against nearby troops positions.

According to him, the hits by Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets and helicopter gunships on the two target areas resulted in the destruction of some structures as well as the neutralisation of dozens of terrorists. (NAN)

Source: NAN News