Hisbah police on patrol

By Bosede Olufunmi

The Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested 648 suspected beggars in Kano metropolis for allegedly violating the law on ban of street begging from February till date.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the board, Malam Lawan Ibrahim, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Wednesday.

Ibrahim said that the suspects were arrested at the Bata Area Murtala Muhmamed way, Nasarawa Hospital, Railway Station and Yahuza Suya junction in the city.

He said those arrested are 416 female and 232 Male.

Ibrahim said the board will continue to arrest beggars who refuse to abide by the law .

We will make Kano streets beggar-free.

Those arrested have been screened and those who were are first time offenders, will be handed over to their relatives.

Those who are not first time offenders would be charged to court, he said.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Health workers on duty

By Kemi Akintokun

Dr Benjamin Eniayewun, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Health Service Commission has charged health workers to be well acquainted with Basic Life Support (BLS) procedure.

Eniayewun said at a training workshop on Wednesday in Lagos that being acquainted with the procedure was necessary to curb the sudden death of patients experiencing spasms of cardiac arrest.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training, focusing on basic life support techniques, was attended by 500 health personnel across the state.

It is holding at the Island Maternity Hospital in Lagos.

The PS described the cardiac arrest as an unexpected loss of heart functioning, breathing and consciousness, often resulting from an electrical disturbance of the heart.

He added that if not medically check, the ailment could result in death.

As first responders, it is pertinent to be well acquainted with life-saving techniques to curb cardiac arrest episodes snuffling lives out of patients.

Some patients featured sometimes without apparent indications, but with underlying health challenges.

There is ample need for extensive acquaintance on BLS technique, through constant appraisal to ensure it is active, such that it could be deployed as often as possible when required to avoid untimely death of victims.

All healthcare providers should imbibe this knowledge as a habit, irreverent of cadre, whether healthcare attendant or clinical staff to set off a pace of preserving victims lives until help arrives, Eniayewun said.

The Permanent Secretary noted that associated illness in the society, often prompt cardiac arrest experiences, which could be salvaged from a deteriorating state if help on BLS were sought.

He urged participants to cascade the knowledge acquired from the training at their various hospital.

Also, Dr Shola Pitan, Deputy Director, Directorate of Medical Services of the commission said the initiative was part of moves at improving the capacity of the trainees to tend the increasing healthcare standard of patients.

There is need to improve the capacity of healthcare providers to tend the growing medical demands of the ailing public.

This programme schemed under American Heart Certified (AHC) standard, tentatively valued less than two years validation, which will be reviewed thereafter.

Clinical materials being used are in line with Standard International Instructors to train, using Mannequins and AED trainer ambo bags, aligned with strict COVID-19 protocols.

So, standard precautionary measures are observed closely without fear of cross-transmission, he said.

NAN reports that the five-day training ends on Friday. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Buki Ponle, MD NAN

By Adebola Adegoke/Mariam Akande

Mr Buki Ponle, the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Wednesday pledged his commitment to boost NAN multimedia unit to achieve its full potential.

Speaking at a meeting with NAN multimedia staff in Lagos, Ponle said that the unit could be turned to a gold mine with the cooperation of the entire staff.

He urged members of staff not to dwell on challenges facing the unit, but to think of ways to move the unit forward.

I want you to bear in mind that a positive change has come and we are going to concentrate on this unit without losing sight of others.

When you go for night assignment your comfort and welfare will be fully taken care of.

I am not making empty promises because we know.

Suppose I am with you, I want to be treated like a king because it demoralises me when I give my best and somebody gives me what is not commensurate in return, he said.

Ponle promised that all equipment needed to do the job effectively would be provided within the available resources of the agency.

He said that he was committed to training and retraining of multimedia staff to meet the growing trend of multimedia journalism.

Mr Silas Nwoha, the Head of Lagos Operations, assured the managing director that the entire staff in Lagos would be actively involved in boosting the operations of the multimedia unit.

Responding, the Head of Multimedia, Lagos, Mrs Omobola Akingbehin, expressed gratitude to the management and promised the teams readiness to deliver and live up to the expectations of the agency. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Magdi Batato, Executive Vice President Head of Operations, Nestl Global

By Simon Akoje and Augusta Uchediunor

Nestl, the worlds largest food

La Liga logo

The opening fixture of the 2020/2021 season in Spain is in doubt because of a dispute between La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

Various media outlets in Spain reported Wednesday that the match between Granada and Athletic Bilbao could be postponed because of RFEFs insistence that games should not be played on a Friday.

RFEF has a long-standing opposition to games being played on Friday orMonday nights because of the potential effects on attendances.

That was not a valid concern during the post-lockdown conclusion to last season, with games being played behind closed doors, and fixtures were therefore allowed on Friday andMondays.

The league believes this no longer applies even though fans are not yet allowed back in stadiums.(dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

The Mace, a symbol of authority

By Nefishetu Yakubu

The Edo House of Assembly has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and INEC to ensure that the Sept. 19 governorship election in the state is free, fair and credible.

The Speaker, Francis Okiye, who made the call during plenary on Wednesday in Benin, said any attempt to subvert the will of the people at the poll should be resisted.

Okiye said: We are therefore calling on all the agencies monitoring the election to be guided over the intended manipulation by enemies of democracy.

We are therefore calling on President Muhammadu Buhari, Inspector General of Police, INEC, observers, CSOs and other stakeholders to play their role to ensure credible election.

INEC should never attempt to tinker with the process that will produce free and fair election.

We want to let the people know that the entire world is watching Edo state on the outcome of this all important election.

It should be noted that the credibility of this election should be a yardstick to measure subsequent elections organised by INEC, he said.

Meanwhile, a bill for a law to provide for financial autonomy for the Edo judiciary has passed through second reading. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

NAN Logo

The new Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Buki Ponle, on Wednesday pledged to revive the legacies for which the Agency is known in the media landscape.

Ponle gave the commitment during his inaugural meeting with staff in the Lagos office.

He said that he would work vigorously to get a better condition of service for workers, noting that the one currently being implemented bygovernment was due for review.

Ponle, a pioneering staff of the agency before retiring on Sept. 1, 2013, urged workers to renew their commitment to the agency and work toward actualising its vision for a better NAN.

The managing director commended his predecessors, especially late Mrs Oluremi Oyo, for giving their best, saying he would consolidate on their achievements.

All the unfinished lofty ideasof late Mrs Oyo, a former MD of the agency, would be actualised, he said.

He also assured workers of prompt payment of all their allowances.

All benefits accruable toworkers will get to them under my watch, he assured.

Ponle further assured that he would give priority to the improvement of work environment and provision ofnecessary tools for staff to operate optimally.

He said he would make training and retraining of the workforce, top on his agenda in order to build the capacity of workers and get more value.

He described acts of indiscipline as antithetical to progress and urged workers to shun it.

The managing director said assessment and promotion of workers would be purely on merit under his watch.

Also speaking, actingHeadof NAN, Lagos Operations, Mr Silas Nwoha, commended the managing director for articulating his vision and sharing it with workers.

He said Ponle was a thorough-bred professional, who did his best for the agency while in service.

Nwoha said Ponles robust engagement with workers had shown thathe had come to reposition the agency.

He urged workers to key into his vision for NAN and do all they could to promote it,

Nwoha also called for prayersfor Ponle to enable himachieve all his plans for the agency.

Source: NAN News

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says that professionalising Nigerian Football Development as being promoted by current reforms in the nations football will make Nigerian Leagues better to compete with others around the world.

Dare, who made the assertion on Wednesday in Lagos, said his desire was to see the Nigerian leagues grow beyond the current state with rapid transformation through proper licensing and financial control unwavering.

The step is critical for building stakeholder confidence following the reclassification of sports from recreation to business as part of President Buharis commitment to make sports business.

Other necessary steps involve running the leagues as businesses and not as recreation, he said in a statement by his media Officer, Kola Daniel.

We have a clear plan and vision. We are dogged in working to fulfil them leveraging on public and private financing to achieve our goal. We are committed to make changes that would position our league for the best, he said.

Dare said the leagues would not resume until basic conditions on club licensing control are enforced.

As a ministry, infrastructure renewal is our ultimate goal to ensure television-friendly output that will encourage investors to put their money in a product that is quite attractive.

This boils down to professionalism of all stakeholders, administrators, coaches, players and fans of the round leather game.

This is the only way we can attract sponsors and fans returning in large crowds to the stadium when all facilities are put in better shape ahead of the new season, he said.

The minister said that he was looking up to the licensing, infrastructure, incentives and better organised leagues when the season commences.

Dare expressed confidence that Nigeria will get it right and return to apex position in African football.

Source: NAN News

European Club Association (ECA) chairman Andrea Agnelli said on Tuesday that UEFAis repaying 575 million euros (680 million dollars).

He said this was because of the months-long suspension and the ensuing completion, with fewer matches than originally scheduled, of UEFAs Champions League and Europa League.

Agnelli told a virtual ECA assembly: That is all money that is not going to be distributed.

Under the original deal, UEFAwould have earned 3.25 billion euros in the past season, with 2.55 billion euros to be distributed among the participating clubs in both competitions.

It was not clear whether the full 575 million euros would be withheld from the clubs or whether UEFA would also suffer losses.

The Champions League and Europa League were suspended in March.

They were then completed in mini-tournaments in August - with two Europa League last-16 ties, all quarter-finals and all semi-finals played in one match instead of two.

Agnelli, the president of Italian champions Juventus, reiterated that European clubs would lose some four billion euros in the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons because of the pandemic.

Games behind closed doors have hit ticket sales income and Agnelli said he also expects less money from sponsorships and the transfer market.

He added that the upcoming season was going to be very, very challenging both on and off the pitch.

The ECA chairman also suggested that talks about Champions League reform for the new cycle from 2024 be postponed until 2021.

UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin said recently he could envision finals tournaments for the club competitions, as happened this year in Portugal and Germany for the Champions League and Europa League respectively.(dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

he Federal Government has approved the inclusion of Wondfo HIV I and II rapid test kits for use to stem spread of the scourge in the country.

(HCT) uptake in the country.

We are at 73 per cent in our testing and we still need to do more, Aliyu said.

said that the dissemination was coming at a time when the Federal Government of Nigeria was concerned about quality of care, effectiveness and efficiency in healthcare service delivery.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that results released in 2019 by the Federal Government indicate a national HIV prevalence in Nigeria of 1.4 per sent among adults aged 15 to 49 years.

Previous estimates had indicated a national HIV prevalence of 2.8 per cent.

UNAIDS and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS estimate that there are 1.9 million people living with HIV in Nigeria.

Source: NAN News