Prof. Tijani Muhammad Bande with UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres

By Harrison Arubu

Top officials of the United Nations have decried rising armed attacks on education, with a call for immediate and strong preventative actions.

UN Secretary-General AntnioGuterres and the President of the General Assembly, Amb. Tijani Muhammad-Bande made the call on Wednesday.

They spoke at a virtual event commemorating the first International Day to Protect Education from Attack.

In his speech, Guterres emphasised that education, besides being a fundamental human right, is fundamental to peace and development.

He said in spite of this, armed attackstargeting teachers, students and education facilitieswere on the rise.

According to him, no fewer than 11,000incidentswere reported between 2015 and 2019.

In addition to depriving millions of vulnerable learners from accessing education, this violence has serious adverse effects.

They include increased drop-out rates, prolonged educational disruption, child recruitment into armed groups, early pregnancy and sexual violence.

These attacks simply must not continue, he said.

The UN Chief urged all Member States to honour their commitments under existing international agreements and initiatives aimed at protecting education from attacks.

One of such initiatives is the Safe Schools Declaration, which also seeks to prevent schools and universities from being used for military purposes.

While noting that 104 countries have endorsed the declaration to date, he called for more endorsements.

In his remarks, Muhammad-Bande said violent conflict had resulted in the displacement of no fewer than 30 million children.

The threat of disruption of education, according to him, has in turn triggered displacement.

We are witnessing the military occupation of schools, which causes the campus to lose civilian status, thus facing threats of attack as a lawful military target.

Furthermore, proximity to weapon-bearers places students at risk of forced recruitment, sexual violence, and abduction.

It is most disturbing that 70 years after the Geneva Convention came into being, we must continue to remind the world that students, teachers, and schools are protected as civilians and civilian objects under international humanitarian law.

We must take urgent action to protect and uphold the rights of children in all circumstances.

No one is above the law, and all perpetrators of attacks on education should be held accountable, Muhammad-Bande said.

He also urged countries that have yet to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration to do so, while also soliciting support for UNICEFs Change Agenda.

The International Day to Protect Education from Attack was established by the UN General Assembly through Resolution 74/275 on May 28, 2020.

In the resolution, member states reaffirmed the right to education for all and the importance of ensuring safe and enabling learning environments in humanitarian emergencies. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Primary school pupils

By Aderogba George

The National Association of Seadogs (NAS) Pyrates Confraternity has urged governments to review Nigerias education system before the end of 2030.

The NAS Capoon, Mr Abiola Owoaje who made the call in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday said that governments should prioritise welfare and training of teachers and allied staff.

Owoaje said that there was the need to review every element of the education system including assessment and standard.

He called for deployment of appropriate resources and strategies including the use of technology, for greater efficiency.

According to him, governments must ensure that quality education would not be a privilege for only few people.

He added that students should have access to books and literacy programmes printed or digital by 2030.

He also urged governments to ensure students access to online delivery platforms.

Owoaje said that libraries must be made available, urging that governments should support, defend and promote intellectual freedom as provided for by the UN Declaration on Human Rights and its convention on the rights of a child.

NAS strongly believes that education is the right of the child.

It is the responsibility of governments, the private sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and citizens to ensure that every child receives the education he deserves.

It is necessary that our students have access to well-rounded education that must include exposure to a variety of classes from humanities, computer skills and reading to science and mathematics.

We urge the federal, state and local governments, private sector, international agencies, NGOs and all citizens to work it out, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Makinde promises to complete 351 primary healthcare centres before 2023

By David Adeoye

Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has promised to complete no fewer than 351 model primary health centres across the state before the end of his administration in 2023.

Makinde, who made the promise on Wednesday in Saki town during the inauguration of the Saki Specialist Hospital, said that one primary healthcare centre would be built in every ward.

He reiterated his administrations commitment to improve healthcare facilities in the state, saying. quality healthcare delivery is a cardinal objective of this administration

According to him, the Saki Specialist Hospital is to be an observatory, isolation and treatment centre in support of efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

We also had the long-term goal of ensuring that the centre fits into our overall plan to improve the healthcare system in the state.

As a government, we leveraged on the outbreak of Coronavirus to rebuild and upgrade dilapidated healthcare infrastructures in the state, he said.

The governor stated that the hospital had a ten-bed Intensive Care Unit, two state-of-the-Art mechanical ventilators with humidifiers and patient monitors.

It also has a 12-bed High Dependency Unit with piped oxygen, 12-bed female general ward, 12-bed male general ward, an operating theatre and a recovery room.

We also have some high-end laboratory equipment capable of aiding research into infectious diseases. We have a parameter haematology analyser, clotting profile analyser, autoclave and biosafety cabinet, he said.

Makinde said the hospital had been equipped with two diesel generators to ensure constant electricity supply.

He said that the infectious disease centres built by the state government were the direct results of his administrations resolve to improve the healthcare sector.

The research that will be done at these centres will benefit our people, the centres will help to reduce the spread of infectious diseases such as Lassa fever, yellow fever, tuberculosis and others, he said.

The governor pledged his governments resolve to ensure proper maintenance of the facilities and the employment of qualified health personnel for effective service delivery.

Source: NAN News

Okowa with the Countrys Representative of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Mr Vladimir Kreck, and the Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Suleiman

Okowa with the Countrys Representative of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Mr Vladimir Kreck, and the Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar SuleimanGov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Wednesday blamed the high rate of poverty and geometric rise in population for the security challenges.

He said these were inhibiting the socio-economic development of the nation.

The governor stated this when the Countrys Representative of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Mr Vladimir Kreck, and the Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, paid him a courtesy visit in Asaba.

Okowa said that there was the need to look at the totality of the governance approach to security reforms and not just about security agencies.

Many a times, we blame the security agencies, rather than addressing the root causes of the challenges.

The nation must address the critical issues concerning poverty and unemployment as well as the growing family size as a way of tackling insecurity in the country, Okowa said.

The governor thanked the Countrys Representative of KAS for his promise to give support in the area of security sector reforms.

He said that the nation needed reforms in the security sector to mitigate its security challenges.

The security situation in the country is as a result of the multiplicity of challenges that we have.

The unemployment situation is high, there is no doubt; the level of education is low.

So, when there is a lot of ignorance, the poverty rate is high and when you have a combination of all these, and more importantly is the fact that the population size is high.

He said that when poverty is combined with high population, it would lead to a very big problem, because one would be giving room to families that would continue to breed more and more poverty.

It creates a situation that the country would find very difficult to manage and that is exactly where we are heading to.

So, it is important that we look into the entire foundation to ascertain where we had gone wrong.

As we address the reforms in terms of approach, information gathering and even going into modern architecture, we must address the issues concerning poverty and unemployment and the growing family size, he said.

He said that until Nigerians were able to address the root cause of security challenges which borders on poverty, unemployment and the growing family size,they might not be able to tackle security issues frontally.

As populated as Nigeria is, the more secure that we are as a country, the better for the world because if we are not able to secure ourselves, we will create problems not only for ourselves, we create problems for the world.

So, I pray that your assistance will help in one way or the other to help lighten the security burden that we have at the moment.

With the cooperation of both national and sub-national governments, I am sure that we will definitely be in a position to begin to carry out reforms that will gradually change the scenario as we see it as today, because it is not the best, he said.

Okowa applauded the NILDS and KAS for their unwavering commitment toward building a strong legislative capacity in the country.

I want to appreciate you, people, for offering the services that you offer. I must also appreciate the NILDS because you have upped your games in trying to reach out to improve legislative capacity across the nation, he said.

Earlier, Mr Vladimir Kreck said that the mandate of the German Foundation was to support democracy and good governance, adding that they were in the state to promote the capacity of the legislature through training workshops.

He, therefore, commended Okowa for sustained support to the state legislature, in order to build capacity through training.

Source: NAN News

Dr Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment

By Joan Nwagwu

The Federal Government has approved additional N8.9 billion to pay up the large chunk of the June 2020 COVID-19 allowance to all Medical Health Workers in the country.

Sen Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment disclosed this during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the end of the meeting between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Wenesday in Abuja.

It would be recalled that NARD had embarked on a total and an indefinite strike in all Federal and State hospitals in the country to press for its demands.

NARD demands include payment of the Medical Residency Training funding to all members as approved in the revised 2020 Budget, provision of genuine Group Life Insurance and Death in Service Benefits for all health workers.

Others are payment of outstanding April/May and June COVID-19 inducement allowance, determination of revised hazard allowance for all health workers as agreed in previous meetings with relevant stakeholders, immediate payment of salary shortfall of 2014, 2015 and 2016, among others.

Ngige said that implementation of the payment of the Special Hazard and Inducement Allowance has been concluded.

According him, the meeting was satisfied that the N20 billion already appropriated in 2020 COVID-19 budget has been exhausted.

He said the meeting, therefore, commended the Federal Government and Mr President for approving additional N8.9bn to pay up the large chunk of the June 2020 COVID-19 allowance to all Medical Health Workers.

He added that this has been cash backed and the mandate sent to the Central Bank of Nigeria for payments to start with effect from Sept. 9.

According to him, this will bring the total disbursement to about N288 billion.

Ngige noted that discussion for review of a Permanent Hazard Allowance for Health Workers would commence as soon as possible after consultation by the Minister of Labour and Employment with all stakeholders in the health sector.

He noted that based on the principles of ability to pay, this would cover all health workers in a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and that the meeting would be convened as soon as possible in that regards.

The minister also said that on the Provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), NARD had agreed that the Hospitals and Isolation Centres, have sufficient PPE.

He also said that on the provision of Group Life Insurance for Doctors and other Health Care Workers and payment of death-in-service benefit to next of kin/beneficiaries, that the government had paid the total sum of N9.3 billion (Nine billion, Three Hundred Million Naira) to Insurance Companies for Life Group Insurance and payment of death benefits for Health Workers.

Ngige also said that the enrollment for the Group Life Insurance would be by the submission of nominal rolls by the various Health Institutions, which NARD had been mandated at previous meeting to accomplish.

He said meeting also decided that NARD should submit copies of claims already made to the Insurance Companies through the hospitals to the Ministry of Health for onward transmission to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation that would ensure that the Insurance Companies pay the claims.

He added that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment should also be copied in that regards.

Ngige, however, said that on the issue of the Universal implementation of the Medical Residency Training Act in all Federal and State Hospitals, that the 2020 Appropriation Act was revised due to COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that the N4 billion appropriated for Residency Training under a wrong heading for Medical Residency Training was to be vired before expenditure.

He added that the process of amendment is therefore ongoing and is expected that this process and cash backing would be through in two weeks.

According to Ngige, on the payment of outstanding 2014, 2015, and 2016 arrears, the meeting recalled that it had been agreed that the issue will be further discussed post COVID-19 and therefore, no agreement was breached.

He also noted that on the issue of Consequential Adjustment of the National Minimum Wage that government would pay all owed arrears to members of the association and would also implement such in States Tertiary Health Institutions.

It was noted that those affected were the Youth Corps Members and House Officers, who are regarded as ad hoc staff and for State Hospitals, the Federal Government can only be persuasive.

It was recalled that NARD had been assigned the responsibility to submit a list from the defaulting hospitals to the Federal Ministry of Health for onward transmission to the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, he said.

The minister further said that on the issue of domestication of the Residency Training Act by State Government, it agrees to recognise the autonomy of states within the Federation.

He added that the meeting agreed that the issue would be tabled at the National Economic Council and National Council of Health to persuade the states to domesticate the Act.

He also noted that on the issue Health Workers in the Medical Centres attached to Universities that the meeting agreed that workers had been tied with the ongoing strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and negotiations concerning them would be on a different platform involving Federal Ministry of Education.

In view of these Understandings, NARD will consult with her Executive Council within the next 24hours with a view to calling off the strike by September 10, 2020.

Nobody will be victimized for any activity connected with or for participating in the industrial action, Ngige said.

Dr Sokomba Aliyu, NARD National President said that the meeting was successful as a lot of pledges and agreements were reached with timeline.

Following the outcome of this meeting, we are hoping that all of that will address the concerns of our members, so we shall be convoking a meeting immediate with our members on the way forward, he said.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that government agencies present at the meeting were representatives from Ministry of Health, Finance, Budget and National Planning and National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.

Source: NAN News

By Olanrewaju Akojede

A two-day non contact Invitational Open tagged Sports is back with eight games will hold at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), in a statement by its Director of Public Relations, Titi Oshod-Eko on Wednesday, said that the invitational tournament was to demonstrate the rebirth of Sports in Lagos.

This is coming after the lock-down to curtail the spread of novel Coronavirus and recent gradual reopening of sporting activities by the Lagos State Government.

The event will be held under a controlled Crowd/ Spectator management with Officials to enforce social distancing.

The sporting events to be competed for are: Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Dart, Abula , Ayo, Chess and Monopoly, she said.

The Chairman, LSSC, Sola Aiyepeku said everybody, not only in Lagos or Nigeria, but all over the world, needed sports to survive.

We are going to observe all the protocols for COVID-19 as approved by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 during this two-day event.

We will also demonstrate how to manage Sports, post COVID-19 to other States of the Federation.

We want to show that Lagos is always ready when talking about Sports.

Lagos State is the sporting hub in Nigeria and we must continue to demonstrate that, he said.

Aiyepeku disclosed that the two-day competition was meant for Athletes in Lagos State.

I want to assure that the championship will be a very exciting one, he said.

Source: NAN News

NCDC DG, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu

By Abujah Racheal

Plateau state topped the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) announced 296 new infections in the country.

Other states were Ogun, 16, Oyo, 7, Ekiti, 6, Kwara and Ondo, 5 each, Anambra, Imo and Nasarawa, 3 each, Rivers, Gombe and Edo, 2 each and Akwa Ibom, 1.

(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Samuel Ortom offers education support to Chibok, Dapchi girls

Gov. Samuel Ortom on Tuesday in Makurdi confirmed the arrest of Benues most wanted criminal, Terwase Akwaza, alias Gana, by soldiers of Operation Whirl Stroke on the outskirts of Gboko.

Ortom disclosed the arrest to newsmen at a news briefing at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi.

He said Gana, who had surrendered to the Amnesty programme of his administration, was being escorted to Makurdi on Tuesday when troops of the operation whirl stroke arrested him at a security check point on the outskirts of Gboko.

He said Gana was on his way to the state capital in company of the Chairman of Katsina -Ala Local Government Council together with some of his gang members.

Ortom also disclosed that he had received 42 ex criminals from Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala who had denounced criminality and surrendered their arms in Makurdi.

He said that the Force Commander, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), Maj. Gen.Adeyemi Yekini, had confirmed to him earlier that they were carrying out an operation and were in possession of the wanted militia leader.

News Agency of Nigeira (NAN) reports that OPWS is the Federal Governments joint military operation mandated to flush out all criminal elements in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa States.

NAN reports that the Benue Government had in 2015 granted amnesty to over 500 persons including Gana, but most of them had relapsed into criminality, including Gana.

The governor said that following the interception of the military, Gana and several others were whisked away together with the arms, adding that only 42 arrived Makurdi.

Gen. Yekini has confirmed to me that they are carrying out an operation and that he will brief me when they are done and that they are with Gana. So,I am waiting to hear from him, he said.

He said the State Government would exercise patience until the military briefed him on the matter.

Ortom said a total of 172 people left the three local government areas of Katsins-Ala, Ukum and Logo for the amnesty programme in Makurdi, but that only 42 arrived there.

He said Gana was driving in a Hilux van belonging to the Katsina-Ala local government chairman, Mr Afred Atera, his security officer, at the time he was arrested by the soldiers and taken away.

He explained that the officers also took several of the repentant criminals and the surrendered arms.

According to him, the decision to grant another round of amnesty for the people of Sankera was that of the traditional rulers, stakeholders from the area, including Sen. Gabriel Suswam.

The governor assured the repentant criminals that government would support them where necessary and that no condition was attached to the amnesty programme.

He urged them to remain committed to the amnesty programme and denounce criminal acts.

I welcome you all and thank you for denouncing criminality. This is the last time we are granting amnesty to you.

There is no condition attached to this amnesty like the 2015 one. Government will support you where necessary but it is not a condition,he said.

Ortom said that this was the last round of amnesty programme that would be granted to criminals in the State. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Military

By Sunday John

The Nigeria Army has confirmed the killing of Mr Terwase Akwaza, alias Gana, the most wanted criminal in Benue state.

The Commander, 4 Special Forces Command, Doma, Nasarawa state, Maj. -Gen. Moundhey Ali, told newsmen on Tuesday.

He said that Gana was killed at a roadblock mounted by the Army along Gbese-Gboko-Makurdi road following exchange of gunfire.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Benue state government had in 2015 granted amnesty to over 500 persons including Gana, who were terrorising parts of Benue and Taraba states, but most of them relapsed into criminality.

Gana was later in 2017, declared wanted by the Police while the Benue state government placed a N10 million bounty on him.

According to Ali, the army has recorded another breakthrough in their efforts to rid the country of the activities of bandits, terrorists and other criminal elements.

He said: At about 12:00 hours today (Tuesday), we received strategic information on the movement of the dreaded bandit Terwase Akwaza Agbadu AKA Gana along Gbese-Gboko-Makurdi road.

Troops of Operation Ayem Akpatuma III moved swiftly and mounted snap roadblocks along the routes.

At about 13:00 hours, there was a meeting engagement with the convoy of Gana, a shoot out ensued and the bandit was killed.

The Commander also said that 40 armed members of Ganas gang were captured during the operation.

He said the captured gang members were in Army custody and would be handed over to the appropriate authority for prosecution.

Ali also disclosed that several rifles, pump action guns, ammunition, charms and explosives among other items were recovered from the gang.

He said Ganas corpse had been deposited in an undisclosed hospital mortuary. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

The Cross River Government says it has diversified its revenue generation from crude oil to cocoa.

Dr Oscar Ofuka, Special Adviser to Gov. on Cocoa Development and Control, made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

Ofuka said the state governments decision followed the dwindling earnings from crude oil.

He said that the state government had made huge investments in cocoa, adding that thousands of jobs had also been created in the process.

Our governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, was quick to realise that cocoa is the gold of Cross River.

This gold was relegated in the past when crude oil was discovered, but now we plan to ensure that the state takes the lead in cocoa production.

We have acquired 3,800 hectares of land for that purpose, and our youths have been sensitised and are ready to key into the cocoa initiative, he said.

The special adviser assured that Cross River had one of the best species of cocoa, which is easy to cultivate.

The brand of cocoa we cultivate is organic. It takes 18 months to germinate.

Between 2015 and now, the cocoa sector has employed more than 5000 youths in the state.

With the ceding of 776 oil wells to Akwa Ibom state, and Bakassi to Cameroon, the cocoa sector is now the major funder of infrastructural development in the state.

I am urging all Nigerians to go back to agriculture; Nigerians should think cocoa and dream cocoa because it comes with huge economic benefits, he advised.

He said that the government of Cross River had distributed improved variety of cocoa seedlings to farmers in the state as incentives.

We have raised 10 million improved varieties of cocoa seedlings for the rehabilitation of encroached areas and regeneration of moribund cocoa trees in government owned cocoa estates.

We have also expanded the Small Holders Scheme with more private sector participation in cocoa farming, which has led to the opening of mass cocoa farmlands across the state, he said.

He added that an ultra modern cocoa processing factory had been established in the state to further boost revenue from the sector.

Source: NAN News