COVID-19

By Nicholas Obisike

Enugu State recorded 115 new cases of COVID-19 cases within two days to reach 675 cases on Saturday.

The state Health Commissioner, Dr Emmanuel Obi, said in a statement on Sunday in Enugu that 35 cases were recorded on July 17 and 80 cases on July 18.

According to him, there are 298 cases on the treatment table while the death toll had reached 17.

The commissioner said that the state had so far discharged 360 patients as of July 19.

He advised the citizens to stay at home and follow all the COVID-19 protocols.

He further urged them to practice good hygiene when coughing or sneezing and clean the surfaces around them regularly with bleach and water.

Wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds under running water as often as possible, or use alcohol-based hand sanitisers where handwashing facilities are unavailable.

Endeavour to call the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in case you developed symptoms, Obi said.

The commissioner said that the state government has also rolled out an assessment platform for the public to self-examine themselves individually for coronavirus.

He said that the new application, known as Enugu State COVID-19 Assessment Platform, is not diagnostic.

Rather, he said, it is meant to help people to determine their risk of exposure to the disease.

For individuals, who do not have access to the internet or a smartphone, there is a telephone line and a USSD code which can be used.

The telephone line also has options for English, Pidgin and Igbo Languages.

Obi said that responses were being monitored on a dashboard at the State Ministry of Health and would be promptly followed up by the states Emergency Operation Centre.

We are urging the public to take advantage of the assessment platform, as Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is putting measures in place to contain the disease, the commissioner said.

He outlined the internet line as https://enugu-covid19.eclathealthcare.com with the telephone numberas 014400037 and the USSD code as 72319*12#. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared N651.18 billion Federation Account Revenue to the federal, states and local government councils and relevant agencies for the month of June.

Mr Henshaw Ogubike, Director Information, Press and Public Relations of FAAC announced the figures in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Ogubike said the monthly meeting, which held by virtual conferencing, was chaired by Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris.

He explained that the gross statutory revenue available in June was N524.52 billion while the gross revenue from the Value Added Tax (VAT) was N128.826 billion and the revenue from the Exchange Gain was N42.832 billion.

This brought the total revenue for the month to N696.18 billion.

The director said that from this total, the sum of N45 billion was saved in the excess non-oil revenue account and the balance of N651.184 billion was shared to the three tiers of government and relevant agencies.

Giving the breakdown, he said the Federal Government received N266.13 billion, the state governments got N185.77 billion and the local government councils received N138.97 billion.

According to him, the oil-producing states received N28.49 billion as 13 per cent derivation revenue while N76.80 billion was given to revenue and relevant agencies.

He said in June, import and excise duty, VAT, companies income tax, oil and gas royalty recorded significant increases while petroleum profit tax declined.

Source: NAN News

By Chiazo Ogbolu

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), says it will go tougher with untrained and uncertified boat skippers, who often ignored safety procedures and endanger the passengers lives.

ItsDirector-General of NIMASA,Dr Bashir Jamoh, made the assertion while receivingMr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel,General Manager, Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), in his office.

Jamoh, in a statement in Lagos on Sunday, after the latters visit, said the directive was against the background of recent fatal boat mishaps on the nations inland waterways.

The general manager also suggested the development of cohesive safety enforcement guidelines and regulations for implementation across the littoral states.

He said the harmonisation of standards and procedures for safety in the territorial waters would go a long way in minimising unsafe practices by operators of non-conventional vessels, which were not subject to international standards, but rely mainly on national regulations.

We have a number of boat skippers that are not trained and not knowledgeable enough and they do not have certification. They only know how to maneuver the boat and risk peoples lives.

We will now start to check that. The issue is important, that is why I will start to take it more seriously, because charity begins at home.

If we have enforcement officers and they are laid back, they will continue to watch what is happening without doing anything.

I am glad to see the synergy and collaboration that is developing with the Lagos State Waterways Authority, because we all have, as our common mandate, the job of ensuring safety on our waters, he said.

Jamoh said the Federal Ministry of Transportation was also in the process of building unified enforcement guidelines for safety in the countrys waters.

He said that the synergy between NIMASA and the Lagos State Government would help to fast track the process.

He urged greater supervision of officers engaged in the enforcement of safety standards.

Our responsibility is to ensure that we monitor and supervise the staff members that are given the responsibility of enforcing the issue of safety at sea.

Safety procedures, such as availability of adequate lifejackets, good condition of the boat, and time of use, must be verified by enforcement officers before a boat sets sail, he said.

In his remarks, the LASWA General Manager promised to intensify information sharing between his agency and NIMASA as part of the efforts to improve collaboration for maritime safety.

We have the database of small craft, which I believe that we will be ready to share with NIMASA, Emmanuel said.

On the importance of uniform enforcement procedure, the general manager said he was really excited that this was happening, because overtime what they generally tend to see on the waterways was an overlap of so many functions.

I am sure it is not news to anyone here the issues we have had over the years between LASWA and NIWA (National Inland Waterways Authority), and how that has affected the things that have happened on the waterways, he said.

Source: NAN News

General Commander NSCDC,Gana Abdullahi

NSCDC Spokesman, Emmanuel Okeh, disclosed this in a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

Okeh said that the Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbeshola, approved an extension of the tenure of the NSCDC boss for a six-month period and not five years as it had been speculated in some quarters.

He noted that the tenure extension would be effective from July 17, 2020 to January 2021 and not for another five years as speculated in the media.

It is therefore instructive to point out that the information, as being circulated in some sections of the media is untrue, incorrect and seriously misleading.

And a figment of the imagination of the writers in an attempt to cause confusion and disaffection in the system while at the same time projecting the leadership of the Corps in bad light, he said.

Okeh said that the Corps therefore wished to place on record that the Minister of interior had graciously approved an extension of the tenure of the NSCDC Commandant General for a six-month period.

This, he said, having been found worthy of the office, in the face of numerous successes the Corps had recorded in its assigned mandate under his leadership.

He also urged the general public, as well as all officers and men of the Corps to disregard the earlier publications in the media, describing it as biased, unfair and capable of rubbishing the integrity of the Corps.

Okeh also assured the government and all Nigerians that the added time for the NSCDC boss would be utilized very to further develop and grow the organization to the standard expected of an International organization like Civil Defence.

Source: NAN News

Kagame Paul

The Rwandan cabinet, on Wednesday, said places of worship could resume service upon approval by local authorities.

Only those who meet the conditions on preventing the spread of COVID-19 are allowed to reopen.

Residents in the capital city Kigali thronged into churches in the early morning, wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing norms, washing hands with clean water, soap and hand sanitisers.

Before entering the church, worshippers temperatures are measured before they are told to clean their hands and as well maintain social distance during praying.

We are very strict on COVID-19 preventive measures, Nathan Rusengo Amooti, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kigali, told reporters shortly after the first church service at St Etienne Cathedral.

Worshippers were registered at the church before starting prayers, said Amooti, adding that the church has limited the number of worshippers to enter in order to maintain social distancing.

Before and after prayers, the church will be cleaned thoroughly by using appropriate disinfectants or cleaning detergents, according to him.

We thank the government of Rwanda for permitting us to resume public worship.

We are very strict on COVID-19 prevention measures and our followers have been told to adhere to the new guidelines, Innocent Consolateur, Head Priest at Kigalis St Michael Cathedral, told reporters.

The Catholic Church has installed washing facilities where worshippers will be cleaning their hands, using water and alcohol-based sanitisers before entering the church.

Churchgoers, who are willing to make offertories, have to use digital payments, according to him.

We thank the government of Rwanda to permit us to gather and worship at our church.

Conducting prayers from home has been very challenging because of many interruptions, Esperance Mukamurenzi, one of churchgoers at St Michael Cathedral told Xinhua at the church.

The number of the COVID-19 cases in Rwanda has reached 1,539, including 819 recoveries and five deaths, Rwandan Health Ministry reported on Saturday evening.(Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19 updates by NCDC

It said the major reason for the delay of COVID-19 test results was not the testing per se, but the process of getting results to individuals.

f you have COUGH or FEVERand one of these symptoms: Loss of taste/smell, difficulty in breathing, diarrhoea, catarrh, fatigue, shivering, body pain, headache, andre throat, call your state hotline: covid19.ncdc.gov.ng/contact/, it stated.

, observe physical distancing and wash your hands frequently.

Source: NAN News

Coronavirus

Loss of Taste; Loss of Smell, Difficulty Breathing, Diarrhea, Catarrh, Fatigue, Shivering, Body Pain, Headache and Sore Throat.

Source: NAN News

Gov. Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti State

By Ariwodola Idowu

The Ekiti Government says it will begin to arrest those refusing to wear facemasks in public places from Monday.

The Attorney General and Commisioner for Justice, Wale Fapounda, on Sunday told newsmen in Ado Ekiti that there would henceforth be stiffer penalties for those who fail to comply.

The commissioner said Gov. Kayode Fayemi was particularly worried about the deliberate lack of compliance with most COVID-19 regulations in the state.

He said the governor had ordered full enforcement of all other COVID-19 regulations in the state.

The commissioner cited some of the precautionary regulations ignored by residents to include compulsory wearing of face masks in public places and observance of social distancing.

He explained further that mobile courts had been established to try offenders and impose adequate sanctions such as fines and community service.

The commissioner further explained that commercial motorcyclists as well as road transport workers whose passengers refused or neglect to wear face masks would be held liable.

He reiterated the commitment of the Fayemi administration to the protection of human rights while enforcing the regulations.

According to him, the Ministry of Justice has already issued a directive ordering security agents to respect the rights of residents while discharging their duties.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Mining site

By By Emmanuel Afonne

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Olamilekan Adegbite, says the Federal Government will soon ban the importation of barite to help the country save foreign exchange for other useful purposes.

Adegbite, who said this when he featured as a special guest on News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) programme: Forum, noted that about million was spent annually to import barite from Morocco.

Barite is a mineral consisting of barium sulphate, typically occurring as colourless prismatic crystals or thin white flakes used in the oil industry and also part of the drilling mud mixture.

The minister said a consultant had been engaged by the ministry to workout modalities for sourcing barite locally and also end its importation into the country.

Nigeria has been spending millions of dollars every year on barite. We import barite from Morocco, about 300 million dollars worth annually, and this is something we have in Nigeria.

We have barite all over the country (in Nasarawa, Cross River States); so, why cant we produce our barite. There are standards required by the industry and we have it.

The first thing is that it is measured by specific gravity; do we have the specific gravity that is required? We do, but the processing is what is missing.

When I came to office, I got a consultant to work with me on barite and we said we must take barite from the mind to the site and it is on course.

When you mine the barites it comes like big stones and you need to crush them; when you crush them, you mill for it to become fine particles, so there is a standard and specification of the milling. The last thing is bagging.

The bagging has to be right. Once we are able to meet that, nobody will have to import any barite in Nigeria again and we will save Nigeria the foreign exchange; we sell and as well create employment, he said.

According to the minister, efforts are being intensified to diversify the nations economy, from oil-based to non-oil based, to enable it survive the imminent world recession necessitated by Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

This, he said, was evident in the production and launch of the first gold bar by President Muhammadu Buhari on July 16 through the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI).

Adegbite said plans had been concluded, with a Canadian company, to enable Nigeria to begin to export gold by 2021 as part of the economy diversification plan of the present administration.

He explained that the country had a proven deposit of one million ounces of gold with a prospect of over 200 million ounces.

We have to first of all collect data about a particular mineral to know the quantity we have and that starts from what we call Aero Magnetic Survey carried out by specialised aircraft which fly very low to be able to gather data.

From our Aero Magnetic Survey, we know we have gold in many States Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna, Osun and now Kwara, even FCT- but it goes beyond that.

There is what we call proven deposit and you achieve this by drilling.

Now, as at today, the proven deposit that we have is over a million ounces but we believe that the prospect could be over 200 million ounces.

We have a Canadian company in Nigeria that is working out something in Osun; they already have at least one million ounces of proven deposit.

The plan is to start processing and exporting gold by the end of the year but, because of COVID-19, it might be in the first quarter of next year, Adegbite said.

Source: NAN News

Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have eliminated top commanders and members of Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in recent encounters in the northeast, according to Defence Headquarters.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Enenche disclosed that the troops had on July 17, killed six terrorists at Kolofata, a community on Republic of Cameroon border, in an attempt to cross towards Sambisa Forest axis.

He said that weapons and equipment recovered from the terrorists include three AK47 rifles, a Magazine with 48 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, one Honda car, one motorcycle and eight bicycles.

Other items recovered include three mobile phones with multiple SIM and memory cards as well as five copies of the Holy Quran, among others.

Enenche added that the troops also intercepted a letter written in Hausa Language, addressed to Abu Fatima, one of the top Boko Haram commanders, documents and other logistics.

Shortly after the successful operation, the enemy communication intercept confirmed killing of a top Boko Haram Commander named Sayinna and other fighters during the encounter.

The other slayed terrorists were suspected to be Imam and Mansur to Abu Fatima who hibernate in Sambisa Forest, he said.

According to him, troops continue their onslaught on the terrorists in the northeast, killing eight prominent leaders of the sect in their futile attempt to infiltrate Army Super Camp, Damasak.

Enenche noted that with troops doggedness, superior fire power and manoeuvring skills, the terrorists were devastated and the rest escaped in total disarray.

According to him, the successes of the military, since the turn of the year 2020 is causing confusion and disharmony in the insurgents camps.

This is evident by the frequent changes in ISWAP leadership within a short period of time, and this is largely due to the several losses inflicted on them by own troops in both men, weapons and equipment, he said.

Enenche said that top Boko Haram terrorists/ISWAP leaders were killed during the encounter at Damasak and buried by the terrorists at Goski village in the early hours of July 3.

He listed the commanders to include: Tumbun Dabino (Ba Issoufou), Tumbun Bororo (Amir Batam), Tumbun Jaki (Almustapha), Tumbun Bagaruwa (Modou Kollo), Dogon Tchoukou (Issah), Tumbun Rakke (Mustapha Woulama) Tumbun Dila (Boukar Kowa) and Tumbun Mita (Abou Aisha).

Enenche stressed that series of successes so far recorded had led to several of the insurgents surrendering in their numbers.

He revealed that the insurgents voluntarily admitted that the insurgency was driven more by quest for money, power, greed and criminality, and less of any ideology.

The spokesman said the military high command has commended the security agencies operating in the northeast for the sustained successful operations.

They are further urged to remain resolute and maintain the momentum of onslaught against the enemies of our country, he said.

Source: NAN News