Mr Boss Mustapha

The Federal Government on Monday extended the Phase II of the eased lockdown by another four weeks with effect from Tuesday June 30.

Mr Boss Mustapha, the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) said this on Monday at the daily briefing in Abuja.

I am pleased to inform you that Mr President has carefully considered the 5th Interim Report of the PTF and has accordingly approved.

That with the exception of some modifications to be expatiated upon later, the phase two of the eased lockdown be extended by another four weeks with effect from Tuesday, June 30, Mustapha said.

He stated that this would run through midnight of Monday, July 27, 2020, adding however that the following measures shall either remain in place or come into effect:

Maintaining the current phase of the national response for another four weeks in line with modifications to be expatiated by the National Coordinator;

Permission of movement across state borders only outside curfew hours with effect from July 1, 2020, enforcement of laws around non-pharmaceutical interventions by states.

He added that in particular, the use of face masks in public places would be mandated.

According to him, safe reopening of schools to allow students in graduating classes resume in-person in preparation for examinations.

Safe reopening of domestic aviation services as soon as practicable and publication of revised guidelines around the three thematic areas of general movement, industry, labour and community activities.

He listed others to include provision of technical support for states to mobilise additional resources for the response and strengthening partnerships with States, Local Governments and traditional rulers.

Others are; community, religious leaders and civil society to ensure increased public awareness and compliance with preventive guidelines.

Mustapha said it would encourage state governments to empower Local Government Authorities to intensify contact tracing efforts and ensure stronger grassroots mobilisation to support the response.

He added that it would also encourage states and hospital authorities to ensure continuity of other health services to prevent fatalities from other life-threatening conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The chairman said it was necessary to deepen collaboration with other mandate groups at States and Federal levels to harmonise the countrys COVID-19 response in the short, medium and long terms.

Source: NAN News

Malawi president-elect, Lazarus Chakwera, 65, took the oath of office, on Sunday, following his victory in the Tuesday fresh election.

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson, Justice Chifundo Kachale, declared Chakwera, leader of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), new Malawi President on Saturday night after a thorough count and scrutiny of the vote from the countrys 28 districts and 5,002 polling centres.

Chakwera, who contested in the Tuesday poll with the countrys Vice President, Saulos Chilima as his running mate, pledged a better government for all Malawians, including those who did not vote for him.

With your help, we will restore a new generations faith in the possibility of having a government that serves, not a government that rules; a government that inspires, not a government that infuriates; a government that listens, not a government that shouts; a government that fights for you not against you, he said.

Chakwera, who was born in the colonial era and raised up in the era of Malawis founding leader, Kamuzu Banda, expressed gratitude for the blessing of growing up in a well-governed Malawi.

He pledged to run the country well to the expectation of all Malawians.

For those who did not vote for him, Chakwera said the new Malawi is for all and he asked for their support.

Give Dr Chilima and I a chance to earn your trust and make this win a win for all of us, that is how we will fulfil a dream of a new and better Malawi for all of us, he said.

Chilima, who was Chakweras running mate in the Tuesday poll, also took the oath of office of the Vice President.

Chakweras party has been out of power since 1994 when Malawians voted out Kamuzu Bandas one-party government and ushered in democracy.

In the Tuesday fresh election, the MCP leader beat incumbent President Peter Mutharika.

A few hours before the official announcement of the fresh poll results, Mutharika held a press briefing where he urged all Malawians to respect the presidency and remain peaceful after the results are announced. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19

The number of coronavirus cases confirmed worldwide rose to 10 million on Sunday, according to a tally collated by Johns Hopkins University.

The United States, Brazil and Russia are listed as having the largest number of cases in real terms, with their caseloads recorded as 2.5 million, 1.3 million and 634,000, respectively.

The U.S. has seen its caseload rise at the fastest rate in recent weeks.

The novel coronavirus, which causes a potentially deadly respiratory illness called COVID-19, has affected the vast majority of countries, and responses have varied greatly, depending on national income, health care system and other factors.

As a result, the death toll in relation to the overall caseload has varied greatly from country to country.

Johns Hopkins has recorded just shy of half a million deaths, with the U.S., Brazil and Britain ranking the highest in terms of mortality rate. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Taliban fighters

Ten militants were killed as warplanes struck a Taliban gathering in Afghanistans eastern Ghazni province on Sunday, provincial government spokesman, Wahidullah Jumazada, said.

Acting on tip-off, the aircraft struck a gathering of Taliban insurgents in Tawsang village of Dehyak district at 2.30 p.m. local time on Sunday, killing 10 militants on the spot and wounding three others, the spokesman added.

A car and four motorbikes of the insurgents were also destroyed during the air raids, he said.

The security forces also captured six more militants from Ghazni city, the provincial capital and its surrounding areas over the past couple of days.

The Taliban group, which has escalated attacks on Ghazni city over the past week, has yet to make comment on the airstrikes. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama

By Emmanuel Afonne

The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Archdiocese, His Grace, Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has appealed to the Federal Government to site agricultural projects on disputed Tiv/Jukun lands to check the rate clashes and killings in the area.

Kaigama made the appeal at the Saint Luke Catholic Parish in Kubwa, Abuja, on Sunday while delivering a homily on the need for Nigerians to show hospitality and love to one another.

He said that the establishment of agricultural projects on the disputed lands would automatically end the crises and foster economic progress, social integration and peaceful coexistence.

The Archbishop regretted that Nigerians that were welcomed in other countries were the same people that tagged one another as foreigners at home.

He said: A man of Kenyan route rose to become the president of United States (U.S.); it can and should happen in Nigeria whereby Nigerians of Southern, Northern, Eastern or Western origin will be greeted well and not given second class treatment because they are different.

According to him, Nigerians should always reflect on how to exhibit hospitality just as Abraham did in the Bible record to the three men that passed through his neighbourhood.

He noted that Abrahams hospitality was the key that opened the womb of his wife Sarah who eventually gave birth to Isaac even when she had grown past the age of childbirth.

If we have the spirit to graciously welcome and support one another and equitably distribute our God given resources, our burdens in Nigeria will become lighter and the violence we witness will be greatly minimised.

Hospitality means that you welcome others with love and dignity because they are made in the image and likeness of God.

It means that if you are a Hausa man from Kano, you can welcome and integrate with respect and love somebody from Enugu or Ibadan or Calabar, and if you are Igbo from Enugu, you do the same to someone from Sokoto, Katsina, Markurdi or Zaria.

A Nigerian should be able to work in a hospitable and safe environment in the North, South, East or West of Nigeria, without suffering discrimination; unfortunately, because of the indigene syndrome, neighbours some times fight dirty.

Nigerians most at times identify their states in terms of tribe and we know that tribes in Nigeria see other tribes as opposition or competitors and so, parochial ethnic interest always prevail rather than the common goal, Kaigama said.

He further said that politicians, religious leaders and most prominent Nigerians were not doing enough to unite Nigerians and as most of them usually become sentimental and almost confrontational when issues affecting their ethnic group are up for discussion.

They have failed the test of hospitality as far as tribe and religion are concerned, he said.

He called on the Tiv and Jukun to shun the jaundiced stereotyped perception of one another and embrace peace to enable them do what they are best known for which are crop and fish farming.

The archbishop urged Nigerians to cultivate the kind of peaceful environment that prophet Isaiah described in the Bible as hospitable climate where the lion can live with the sheep.

Also speaking, Rev. Father Innocent Jooji, Parish Priest of Saint Luke Catholic Church, Kubwa, urged Nigerians to learn to love one another as their living together was by divine providence.

We never applied to be Nigerians or applied to be a Tiv man or Jukun man or any ethnic group but if we see that as a source of division then its unfortunate.

It means we have agenda different from that of God because unity of purpose is very important; united will stand and divided will fall. We need to cooperate and work together, Jooji said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that social distancing, wearing of face masks and other government directives on safety measures against COVID-19 were observed during the Mass. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

U.S. President Donald Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted and then deleted a video in which his supporters could be heard repeating a white power slogan, in the latest instance in which the president was accused of inflaming racial tensions.

The phrase is often used by far-right white nationalists and prompted a backlash from within the presidents own Republican Party.

The tweet came as the country is going through an intense national conversation about race and discrimination, in the wake of police violence and the death of George Floyd.

There have been protests around the country for weeks under the BlackLives Matter banner.

The video shows Trump supporters shouting the slogans.

Trump attached a comment saying:Thank you to the great people of The Villages, referring to a retirement community in Florida where the scene was filmed.

Senator Tim Scott, the only black Republican member of the Senate, was quick to denounce the president.

He should not have retweeted it and he should just take it down.

The entire thing was offensive, Scott said onCNN.

The White House later explained the deletion of the tweet, which had been up for nearly four hours, saying the president was unaware of the audio content.

President Trump is a big fan of The Villages. He did not hear the one statement made on the video.

What he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a brief statement.

The president has been accused of worsening racial tensions in the country over the course of his time in the White House, while failing to promote a reconciliation programme.

In recent weeks he pushed for a tough crackdown against the sometimes violent protests against injustice and police brutality. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Malawis opposition alliance leader, Lazarus Chakwera, the winner of the countrys presidential election re-run.

The alliance won the re-run five months after the first vote with 58.57 per cent of the total votes as declared by the countrys electoral commission.

Buharis congratulatory message was conveyed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday.

The Nigerian leader said: Greetings from the government and people of Nigeria.

I congratulate you and the alliance on your impressive victory in the elections.

I look forward to working with you for the advancement of peace, security and development of the entire continent.

Source: NAN News

CBN

The apex banks Director of Corporate Communications, Mr Isaac Okorafor, raised this alert in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Okorafor said fake messages relating to the banks N50 billion Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) have been posted on the twitter handle with the intent of wooing unsuspecting loan seekers and owners of small-scale businesses to enter into correspondence with the owner of the fake handle.

He, therefore, warned unsuspecting members of the public not to have anything to do with the said twitter handle.

Although the CBN, through the NIRSAL Microfinance Bank (NMFB), has indeed disbursed loans to successful beneficiaries under its COVID-19 Targeted Credit Facility, none of the banks officials engages in direct interactions with prospective or successful applicants.

We, therefore, find it embarrassing that Mr Yusuf has continued to be inundated with personal calls relating to messages from the impostor handle.

For the avoidance of doubt, our Director, Mr Yusuf, does not currently own a twitter handle, he stated.

The director, therefore, enjoined members of the public, particularly households, micro enterprises and owners of small and medium-scale businesses to desist from interacting with the said handle @YusufPhilipYila.

He added that the massages were fake and that anyone, who enters into correspondence with them, does so at his or her own risk.

He advised prospective applicants to approach the NIRSAL Microfinance Bank or CBN branch nearest to them or tweet at @cenbank or @NirsalMFB for clarification on the procedure for accessing the TCF or any of the CBN-related loans.

Source: NAN News

COVID-19 updates by NCDC

By Abujah Racheal
Nigeria on Saturday recorded 779 new cases of COVID-19 as its total infections hit 24,077, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced this on its official Twitter handle.

NCDC said that the 684 new confirmed cases were reported in 22 states, with four deaths.

The NCDC said that Lagos reported the highest number of cases with 285 new cases and Rivers was second with 68 new infections.

Among others were FCT (60), Edo (60), Enugu (56), Delta (47), Ebonyi (42), Oyo (41), Kaduna (19), Ogun (18), Ondo (16), Imo (12), Sokoto (11), Borno (9) Nasarawa (8), Abia (5), Gombe (5), Kebbi (5), Kano (4), Yobe (3), Ekiti (3) and Osun (2).

The NCDC said that till date, 24,077 cases have been confirmed, 14,115 active, 8,625 treated and discharged, 127,158 samples collected and 558 deaths recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NCDC offered the following guidance to Nigerians on the appropriate use of face masks and face shields:

Face masks are very important in helping to limit the spread of COVID-19, especially in situations where physical distancing may be difficult, such as on public transportation, markets and in areas where there is a significant amount of community transmission.

For effective protection, face shields are used in combination with an appropriate face mask in healthcare settings. There is currently limited no evidence on the effectiveness of face shields to prevent COVID-19 when used alone by the general public in non-healthcare settings.

There is currently no guidance provided by the WHO or other relevant public health authority that recommends the use of face shields in non-healthcare settings to prevent COVID-19, it said.

The health agency said that given the limited evidence on the effectiveness of face shields in protecting people from COVID-19 infection in community settings, and the absence of recommendations on their use, by WHO and other public health authorities, face shields alone should not be used in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 infection.

It said that when used, it should be done in combination with an appropriate face mask.

The agency said that it was important to remember that currently, no single intervention even when properly used, provides complete protection from COVID-19 infection.

NCDC, therefore, said that the use of face masks or face shields with face masks should be combined with other public health and social measures as announced by the Federal and State Ministries of Health and the NCDC.

This includes maintaining a distance of two metres between you and the next person, frequent handwashing with soap and running water or use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and avoiding public gatherings.

The NCDC will continue to update its recommendations as knowledge about COVID-19 evolves, it said.

Source: NAN News

Mr Babatunde Irukera, DG FCCPC

By Ginika Okoye

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says the collaboration of all regulatory agencies will guarantee a vibrant consumer protection activities in the country.

Mr Babatunde Irukera, the Director-General of the commission, made the call when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Abuja on Sunday.

Irukera noted that the poor regulatory alignment was one of the commissions greatest challenges in ensuring effective consumer protection.

The greatest challenge that I have experienced there is regulatory alignment.

It is gaining the appropriate alignment with other regulators as far as prioritising consumer protection because almost every other regulator is technical in their space and my position is that consumer protection is not ancillaries.

It is not a department, it is the focus. It is the whole core and the point of whatever these businesses are. So getting that alignment to prioritise it above everything else; its being time taking.

It is almost like in a marriage, if children see that mum and dad are not on the same page about something, they will exploit the crack.

But you see that it is changing because they are now seeing that the regulators are now talking a little more. I understand my space, I understand the law.

But the lack of it does not incapacitate us to the point that consumers are so exposed that we are unable to do anything, he explained.

Irukera who noted that the commission had in 2019, received over 30,000 complaints bothering on consumer protection through its automated system, said they were resolving issues as they came.

The director-general said that the system had helped the commission to improve on its data gathering.

He said the commission had filed criminal charges against supermarkets and pharmacies, adding that impunity was the only direction people would travel without an appropriate policies implementation. (NAN)

Source: NAN News