Following the demise of the Senator representing Lagos East, Senator Bayo Oshinowo on Monday, silent agitations have commenced for his replacement, Daily Trust can report.
Oshinowo died after a brief illness suspected to be COVID-19 at the age of 64.
His death has therefore created a vacuum in the upper chamber of the National Assembly. Though the process for his replacement has not started, names of possible replacement are already flying within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is also said to be warming up for the yet to be announced rerun to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Within the ruling APC, five names have already emerged.
They included Dr. Tola Kasali, a two-time commissioner and the APC leader of the Lagos East constituency; the immediate past governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, Senator Oshinowo’s predecessor, Gbenga Ashafa, Rep. Jimi Benson, who is currently in the House of Representatives and Hon Abike Dabiri, the current Director-General of Nigeria in Diaspora Commission and a former ranking member of the Federal House of Representatives.
Sources said that in the PDP, a former governorship candidate, Mr. Babatunde Gbadamosi who recently returned to the party is being popped up to take a shot in the election.
A Public Affair Analyst, Segun Adegoke, said any of the five APC chieftains could emerge as favourite of the party.
He said Dr. Kasali is an arch loyalist of the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Tinubu and his performance as commissioner remains one to be admired.
Abike Dabiri, he noted, has played a non-confrontational politics and enjoys the respect of most of the leaders in the party. He said, “At the moment, though, the people of Lagos East and the entire Senate are still mourning the loss of their representative and colleague, but sooner or later, a replacement is imminent.
“The question, however, is who is most likely to replace the late Senator especially now that a fresh election will have to be conducted. “It is safe to rule out the chances of the PDP going by their performance in the last Senatorial election, except of course the party is willing to consider one of their new entrants, Mr. Babatunde Gbadamosi.
“And while Gbadamosi could put up a better challenge than Princess Abiodun Oyefusi did at the last senatorial election against Senator Oshinowo, all indicators still point to a potential electoral success for the APC when eventually a by-election is conducted.”
Cynthia Obieshi, a female undergraduate of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri, Imo State, who died after a sex romp with her boyfriend, Samuel Osuji, was on Thursday buried, The PUNCH has learnt.
The 25-year-old was buried amidst tears at her father’s compound in the Umuaro community in the Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of the state.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the two undergraduates were on Sunday morning found dead in a hotel room after they had indulged in a sex romp.
The police spokesperson in the state, Orlando Okeokwu, had told our correspondent that the remains of the deceased were deposited at the morgue.
“It was revealed that the said Cynthia visited her boyfriend late Samuel on June 13 and passed the night but unfortunately both of them couldn’t wake up the next morning.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that the above-diseased persons may have died as a result of drug consumption.
“Meanwhile, the corpses have been deposited in the morgue, while investigation is in progress,” Okeokwu had said.
Expelled Edo APC Guber Aspirant’s Father-in-law Murdered
Prof. Christopher Ogiehor, father-in-law of the expelled governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, has been gruesomely murdered in Benin, the state capital.
Ogiehor, 80, an Orthopaedic Surgeon, the Medical Director of City Clinic, Benin, was murdered at his residence: No. 13, Egbor Avenue in the Government Reservation Area (GRA) in the state capital.
The deceased was found dead with a broken head and his hands tied, in his house in the early hours of Thursday.
Edo Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Chidi Nwabuzor, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the murder via phone, while adding that investigation into the dastardly act was ongoing.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of 12 new Permanent Secretaries (PS) in the Federal Civil Service. The Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF), Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, made this known on Tuesday, in Abuja.
According to a statement on her behalf by the Director, Communications Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), Mrs. Olawunmi Ogunmosunle, the swearing-in and deployment of the new permanent secretaries will be announced in due course.
The newly appointed PS and their states are Akinlade Oluwatoyin, Kogi; Alkali Bashir Nura, Kano; Anyanwutaku Adaora lfeoma, Anambra; Ardo Babayo Kumo, Gombe; Belgore Shuaib Mohammad Lomido, Kwara; and Ekpa Anthonia Akpabio, Cross River.
Others are Hussaini Babangida, Jigawa; Mahmuda Mamman, Yobe; Meribole Emmanuel Chukwuemeka, Abia; Mohammed Aliyu Ganda, Sokoto; Tarfa Yerima Peter Adamawa; and Udoh Moniloja Omokunmi, Oyo.
Daily Trust reports that the 12 newly appointed were part of the 41 federal directors shortlisted for oral interview penultimate Monday in Abuja to fill the 16 vacant federal permanent secretary positions.
It was also observed that while 16 permanent secretaries were expected to be appointed, based on the circular announcing the vacancies, only 12 appointments were announced. Kaduna, Kebbi, Rivers and Zamfara states were omitted and no reason was given for such.
It would be recalled that the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (HoCSF) in a letter dated June 6, by the Director overseeing the office of the Permanent Secretary, I. A. Mairiga, had announced that 16 permanent secretaries were to be appointed.
Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai has said that Nigerian government appointees are more likely to suffer mental issues after or during political appointments.
El-Rufai, a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) made the disclosure at an interview with Funmi Iyanda on Public Eye Live.
“I think Government officials are more likely to suffer mental issues after and sometimes, during the office than other people….,” El-Rufai said.
“Because they are under greater pressure and they are more likely to face all the evil sides of human nature, like betrayals, double-crossing, and so on… That is why you see that many people when they leave office, just collapse literally.”
El-Rufai, during the interview, gave insights on many topics relating to governance, Kaduna’s response to COVID, his COVID-19 recovery journey, banditry and violence in Northern Nigeria.
The governor also spoke on how the Shiites leader, El-Zakzaky, being ‘lawfully’ detained despite protests by members of his Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) group.
“Today, El-Zakzaky is being in prison on the orders of Kaduna state High Court, not Federal High court,” El-Rufai said.
“So if you want to ask why El-Zakzaky was not released at the time, please ask the Federal Government and the Attorney General of the Federation, we are not part of it… Right now, he is in lawful custody under the direction of the court.”
Also on the virtual show was human and democratic rights activist Mrs. Hafsat Abiola-Costello, who shared what June 12 means to her having lost her dad, MKO Abiola and mom, Kudirat Abiola to the struggle of Nigeria’s democracy.
“June 12 is a very emotional day for me, but having it being Nigeria’s democracy day, it has been beautiful and affirming, because it makes it feel like it wasn’t for nothing,” Abiola-Castello, the executive president of Women in Africa Initiatives (WIA) said.
Supported by MacArthur Foundation, Public Eye Live with Funmi Iyanda airs 8 PM every Friday on Instagram Live.
COVID-19 : Cross River public schools to resume June 16 as government mass produces PPE
All public schools in Cross River State will resume June 16 as the State government plans a special protective measures for children and others.
So far the state remains the only state in the county without the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and poised to maintain that standard, the State government is braising the trail again as it has commenced the mass production of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for trial resumption of public schools
The State governor, Senator Ben Ayade announced this in a statement made available to some newsmen in Calabar yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Christian Ita as he (Ayade) unveiled the PPE made at the state owned garment factory.
The protective gears, which include face shields and PPE overalls, according to Ayade will be deployed to schools free of charge for the use of students and medical personnel in the state.
Ayade said, “perhaps, we have to adopt a new lifestyle that will integrate coronavirus as part of our lifestyle. And so for Cross River State, we have a strong commitment that our children cannot continue to stay at home, the more they stay, the more the moral decadence, the more indiscipline, the more they become lazy of getting back to school and getting started because for every stage in life there is time where you have to be in class and once the children miss that delicate phase, it becomes very difficult. “I think it is wise for the kids to go back to school and I have seen this happen in China where kids are back to schools with their nosemasks and shields. So you wear your nose mask and you wear your face shield when you get to school you drop the mask and wear only your shield to allow for more ventilation and more breathing.”
He said, “we believe it is time for the federal government to also show love and support to Cross River State. We have always led from the front and we think the mass production of PPE is an added advantage for which all health practitioners from nurses to radiographers must be equipped with PPE for them to work.
“Because we care, we want to support our public schools with free distribution of PPE. But our PPE for schools is limited only to the nose masks and face shield. But for the health workers in Cross River State, they will be provided at no cost because the government has to borne the cost.
“ We have invested massively in the mass production of nose mask and face masks but in the course of time, it became obvious that the PPE is even far more critical because we realize that without the PPE our health workers, our front line workers are at risk and so there is a need for the production of PPE.
“Recently, doctors in Nigeria issued strike notice and their major reason was that their colleagues are dying in their numbers occasioned by the lack of PPE as they have direct contact with patients with confirmed cases” .
In view of this, he said “Cross River State had to invest seriously into the production of PPE. And we have gone out of our way to get the best quality of materials and brought in people who specialize in mass production from India. They are here with us today and they’ are working very hard producing thousands of face shields. These face shields will be the first and major shield production here in Nigeria”.
The governor used the occasion to appeal for federal government for patronage, saying that the production of the protective gear was part of his administration’s effort to fight the global pandemic.
He said, “I think that the federal government will be excited to encourage the resumption of schools because obviously the coronavirus has come to stay with us and the reality is that countries that have attempted to resume schools have had to contend with the increase prevalence of the virus but obviously how long can we wait as a country”?
On his part, the State Commissioner for Education, Mr. Godwin Amanke said a trial resumption of schools will commence on June 16th of June, 2020 and ” students will wear face masks and face shield to school. Once at the school gate the children will wash their hands and legs. Hand sanitizers will also be used. When the children enter the class room, they will remove the face mask and use only the face shield so as to get enough ventilation.
“Upon closure, they will wear back their masks and wear the shields and go back home. Teachers will wear same and under go the same coronavirus protocols in the class room.”
If this special strategy works, the state will be the first state in the county to resume since the pandemic and forced closure of schools in March.
Mrs Julie Okah-Donli, Director-General (DG), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has cautioned Nigerians to desist from justifying rape or get arrested as suspects.
Okah-Donli said this while answering questions from newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.
She queried parents for not doing enough to take care of their wards and children, explaining that 90 per cent of rape cases were committed by uncles, fathers and relations.
According to her, many careless acts by parents are responsible for rape cases across the country.
She, therefore, said that the agency would approach the Ministry of Justice to push for the establishment of special court to try rapists.
Okah-Donli also called for life imprisonment instead of capital punishment for convicted rapists, adding that there was need to educate Nigerians, especially neighbours on rape issues.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the agency’s toll-free lines to call during distress, especially as it concerns rape are – 07030000203, 0802255627847 and 08077225566.
The NAPTIP boss said that cases could also be reported on social media platforms such as the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, among others.
She, however, said that there was no national template of victims’ trauma response to share pain, adding that the duration of psychological trauma varies from individuals. (NAN)
Coronavirus patients are being treated by doctors wrongly, a new research has indicated. The researchers said the doctors are prescribing the wrong treatment because they understand the virus infection to be a respiratory disease.
But doctors involved in the new research said the coronavirus is also a blood vessel disease, which explains why COVID-19 patients have experienced heart attacks, blood clots, and other ranging symptoms.
COVID-19, the official name for the disease caused by the new coronavirus, has been commonly described as a respiratory disease – one that primarily affects the lungs, and kills in a similar way to pneumonia.
But as doctors became more familiar with the disease, many noticed that COVID-19 patients suffered damage to a worrying range of vital organs across the body including the heart, brain and kidney.
Now, doctors say that the evidence is growing that coronavirus is also a vascular infection – one that can infect blood vessels – which would explain the range of symptoms it causes.
“All these Covid-associated complications were a mystery. We see blood clotting, we see kidney damage, we see inflammation of the heart, we see stroke, we see encephalitis [swelling of the brain],” said Dr. William Li, speaking to Medium’s Elemental+.
“A whole myriad of seemingly unconnected phenomena that you do not normally see with SARS or H1N1 or, frankly, most infectious diseases,” added Dr. Li, who is the president of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a nonprofit organisation that studies how to fight disease through the process of developing new blood vessels.
Dr. Mandeep Mehra, medical director of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart and Vascular Center, told Medium that these symptoms suggest that the virus is probably a “vasculotropic virus, meaning that it affects the [blood vessels].”
Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) in Akwanga, Nasarawa State police command, DSP Francis Onugha, was found naked and dead in his bedroom at a police barracks after a sex romp, The Nation learned.
A source told our correspondent that the late police officer’s doors were found open when they met his body in his room.
The source said an unknown lady slept with him but sneaked out when she discovered he was dead.
A version of the story said the unknown lady deleted her contact and communications with the late police officer from his phone.
Read Also: Nasarawa mulls e -procurement “He used to wake up very early and go round duty posts to supervise police officers on duty, but that early Sunday, he couldn’t come out; we suspected something must be wrong, so when we rushed in we found him dead” the source said.
Police spokesman Nansel Ramhan confirmed the incident, but denied the officer died after a sex romp.
DIVISIONAL Crimes Officer (DCO) 1 attached to Akwanga Division of the Nigeria Police Force, Nasarawa State command, DSP Francis Onugha (aka Dangote), was found dead and naked in his bedroom, after sex romp, at the Police Barrack in Akwanga.
An eyewitness account told our correspondent that the late DCO’s doors were discovered to be opened and his lifeless body with fumes on his nose and mouth was found.
According to the source which alleged that “an unknown lady slept in the room with the late police officer, but sneaked out when she discovered that the man died.”
It was not, however, clear when filling this report as a different version of the story had it that the unknown lady threw the deceased’s two phones into the water, while another version had it that the unknown lady deleted her contact and communications with the late police officer.
“He used to wake up very early and go round duty posts to supervise police officers on duty, but that early Sunday, he couldn’t come out, we suspected something must be wrong, so when we rushed into the house, we found him dead,” a source said.
Those who knew him in and around Akwanga town described him as a disciplined police officer who knows his job, and a no-nonsense officer’ the source said.
When contacted, the Police spokesperson, Nasarawa Command, Nansel Ramhan who confirmed the death of DSP Onugha on phone, however, denied if the officer died after s3x romp.
According to the PPRO, the corpse had been deposited at Akwanaga General Hospital for an autopsy to be conducted to ascertain the reason for his sudden death.
He said an investigation had already commenced to unravel the cause of his sudden death.
Content streaming service providers, Netflix and Amazon, as well as pay television channels, iROKOtv and Africa Magic are considering halting further investments in the Nigerian content industry, Vanguard has learnt.
The four platforms, Vanguard exclusively gathered, have been forced to consider discontinuation of investments in Nigeria because of the 6th Broadcast Code recently released by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
Creative and broadcasting industry sources disclosed that four platforms, which have invested enormously in local content production that are exclusive to them, are convinced that the new broadcast code is a huge threat to their investments, as it seeks to end exclusivity to broadcast properties and compel re-sale or sub-licensing to other broadcasters, including direct competitors.
Sources told our correspondent that the new code makes exclusivity illegal, compels content sub-licensing and aims to regulate the prices at which content is sub-licensed.
According to an industry source, the broadcast platforms view Sections 9.0.1 to 9.0.3 of the broadcast code represent a direct assault on investors, as it erodes the possibility of reaping dividends on their investments.
“These sections prohibit broadcasters from entering into rights acquisition agreements that do not allow the sub-licensing of such rights in Nigeria. The implication is that any such agreement entered into is void,” she explained.
An Enugu-based industry source also reasoned that Sections 9.1.1.8 to 9.1.1.11 of the Code are most injurious to investors in the industry.
The sections provide that a broadcaster must sub-license a programme in any genre if such enjoys massive viewership among Nigerians.
The implication of this, explained the source, is that investors, who fund the development of hit movies, series and shows, will be forced to sub-license that programme irrespective of whether or not they have recouped their investments.
“This isn’t just silly, but also wicked. It amounts to uncompensated use of intellectual property. The proper thing is for a broadcaster to freely bid for, negotiate or acquire rights at prices dictated by the market and on terms acceptable to channel suppliers,” he said.
He further explained that forced sub-licensing will inhibit investments, especially by foreigners in the content creation and broadcasting industry.
“I wasn’t surprised to learn that Netflix and Amazon are fretting. They should fret because they have invested heavily in the acquisition of Nigerian content.
“They are yet to recoup their investments, but you’re saying they must sell to competitors. Do you think other investors will be encouraged to come and invest? No.
“AfricaMagic has spent tonnes of money buying and creating local content. They are right to panic. So is Irokotv,” he said.
A former content producer explained that the broadcasting industry is already a difficult terrain to operate and has been made worse by the new code. He stated that NBC is seeking to turn private enterprise into state property and be the one to determine the scale of dividends an investor should reap on his investment.
He argued that broadcasters will invest only if they are certain that the content on their platforms will help differentiate their offerings and they are able to sufficiently recoup what they invested. He warned that NBC’s interference in broadcasters’ freedom to trade will discourage investment in the broadcasting industry.
This, in turn, he said, will have a negative impact on the production sector and the wider economy.
Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, said his Edo State counterpart, Godwin Obaseki, will overcome the political challenges in the State’s chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and emerge the party’s flagbearer in the forthcoming governorship election in the State.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, Nigeria’s electoral body, had fixed the governorship election in Edo for September 19.
Fintiri, who is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Chairman of Ward Congresses Committee for Edo 2020 election, made the prediction about Obaseki while speaking to journalists Monday on arrival at the Benin Airport.
According to him, Obaseki is a democrat and has behaved as one by creating the environment for the PDP to have a successful event, by providing the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium for the use.
“Obaseki is a democrat; he has given us a venue for the event and we didn’t expect less from him. “He will also lodge me in the Government House Quarters, which is normal.”
Fintiri added: “I believe Obaseki will overcome, and we will also overcome our challenges and meet at the election.” He assured of fair process in the emergence of a candidate for the PDP in the Edo 2020 election.
“As chairman of the Committee, We will ensure a level playing ground and see that the best candidate emerges to contest with the APC candidate”.
Also, some governors, who are members of the APC, have thrown their weight behind Governor Obaseki. Obaseki’s many battles Obaseki and his predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who is the national chairman of the APC, have been at loggerheads over the governor’s second term bid and other issues.
The feud between Obaseki and Oshiomhole has polarised the party in Edo State. Last Tuesday, the faction loyal to Oshiomhole endorsed Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as its consensus candidate for the June 22 governorship primary election of the party.
Daily Trust reliably gathered that there is a plot to disqualify Governor Obseki ahead of the June 22, 2020, APC governorship primary in the state has been activated.
The party has fixed the screening of the six aspirants that have purchased, filled and submitted nomination and expression of interest forms for Wednesday and Thursday.
The six aspirants are Gov. Obaseki, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Rt. Hon. Dr. Pius Odubu, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi, Hon. Osaro Obazee and Hon. Matthew Aigbuhuenze Iduoriyekemwen.
A member of the NWC of the APC said “dangerous” discrepancies had been uncovered in the forms submitted by Obaseki to the party’s secretariat in Abuja.
The party chieftain, who did not want to be named, said those who were against the candidature of the governor were going to capitalise on the discrepancies to disqualify him.
HOUSE of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila has said prison experience for any politician is a “badge of honour”.
The Speaker, who was represented by Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase, spoke when he led Principal Officers of the House on a visit to Senate Chief Whip Orji Uzor Kalu, who was recently released from the Nigeria Correctional Centre in Kuje, Abuja.
Wase said the leadership of the House was in Kalu’s home to sympathise with him over his incarceration.
The Deputy Speaker urged the former Abia State governor to take his experience as a life’s lesson and put everything before God.
He said: “We are here to sympathise with you on what happened and your incarceration. As a politician, I want you to take it as one of those things.
“First, we congratulate you and urge you to put everything before God and believe it is part of destiny.
“My Leader, the late Chief Solomon Lar, told me not to fear, as a politician, to go to prison. He told me that going to prison is a badge of honour.
“If you are a good politician, you should be willing to taste prison experience because it will come to you in very many dimensions.
“That happened to us sometime in the past when we were being chased and humiliated, and he asked us to be resolute and face the issues as they were.
“He reminded us of how he was sentenced to over 90 to 150 years in prison. He told us that as leaders, there is always a judgment that could be passed.
“As our leader, we want you to appreciate what God has done for you; use it for the positive development of our country’s judicial system; use it in the interest of humanity.”
Governors dare Buhari, Says No financial autonomy for state legislature, judiciary
Nigeria’s federal and state governments are set for a showdown as governors of the 36 states in the country have together, rejected the financial autonomy which president Muhammadu Buhari granted to state legislatures and judiciary. The governors say they needed to be allowed to work out their own modalities.
President Buhari had on May 22 this year signed an Executive Order granting financial autonomy to the legislature and the judiciary in the 36 states of the federation.
But the governors under the auspices of the NGF headed by Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, disclosed that they would convoke an emergency meeting to deliberate on the President’s action.
After their meeting, it was learnt that the governors have mandated their Chairman, Dr. Kayode Fayemi to meet with the President and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami to relate their concern
“We mandated the NGF chairman, Dr Kayode Fayemi to have an audience with the President and Malami to avoid recourse to legal tussle on the interpretation of Section 121 (3) of the 1999 constitution,” the newspaper quoted a governor from the north-central as saying.
“We prefer dialogue to confrontation because we consider Executive Order 10 as unnecessary and an over-kill of the existing constitutional provision. You can see that in the last few days, AGF Malami has been trying to justify EO 10.
“And the NGF chairman on Thursday had closed door sessions with the President, where all the defects in EO 10 were spelt out.
“In another meeting with Malami on Thursday, the two parties agreed that some of the autonomy modalities were constitutionally flawed. The session reviewed the reservations of the governors.
“There will be a follow up with the AGF and minister of justice by the NGF legal committee comprising the governors of Sokoto, Plateau and Ondo states.”
“For a federating nation, there are so many extraneous clauses in EO 10 which are in conflict with the 1999 Constitution,” another governor was quoted to have said.
“For instance, Section 7 7(a) of the order made provision for a Presidential Implementation Committee to ensure compliance.
“For instance, in some states, there is already appropriation law for the state legislature and the Judiciary. Of what use is this E0 10 then?
“In most states, we have a joint account allocation committee. Are we saying that EO 10 is superior to a state’s law enacted by the house of assembly?
“Instead of rushing to issue EO 10, the appropriate thing for the Federal Government is to sit down with the governors and agree on autonomy modalities in line with Section 121(3) of the constitution,” one of the governors said.
••Says I am the most investigated, denigrated person
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State on Saturday said he was battling with a gang-up by people he had worked with before clinching the governorship position.
Mohammed made the revelation in Bauchi during a chat with journalists as part of activities marking his first year anniversary in office.
”We are doing our best and we are not doing it to be praised; we are doing it because we have to do it so as to free resources.
“My commissioners are complaining but we have to make sacrifices because we are bogged down by a feeling of gratitude to God and the people of Bauchi for what they have done for me.
“I’m the most investigated and denigrated person but the people have faith in me. I’ve faced opposition; even now I’m suffering from a gang-up.
“A gang-up by even people that I have worked with to come to this level,” said Mohammed.
The governor further stressed that he had no ‘god-father’ and no liability on his head to service anybody.
Mohammed, who said he had no partisan consideration in discharging his duties, revealed that most of the projects embarked upon by his administration were kickstarted by N11 billion recovered by EFCC and handed over to his government.
The United States super oil major, Chevron Corporation, has slated 6,750 staff for sack in one of the biggest global mass disengagement of work force. The mass sack, the company with third biggest Joint ventures in Nigeria said, represents a cut of between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of its worldwide workforce as part of an ongoing restructuring at the second-largest U.S. oil producer.
Spokeswoman for Chevron, Veronica Flores-Paniagua, confirmed this, while maintaining that Chevron, which has 45,000 employees, expects to remove about 10 to 15 per cent of its global staff to “match projected activity levels.”
The oil producer previously disclosed a 30 per cent reduction in its 2020 spending and some voluntary job cuts amid this year’s sharp drop in oil prices and lower demand for oil and gas due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chevron has been widely seen as the standard bearer of financial discipline in the oil industry and was among the first to make significant budget cuts as oil demand plummeted. Last year, it abandoned a takeover bid for Anadarko Petroleum Corp rather than get into a bidding war with Occidental Petroleum Corp.
Chevron pocketed a $1 billion break fee while Occidental has faced investor wrath for its ill-timed deal. U.S. crude oil prices have nearly halved this year to about $33 a barrel as the COVID- 19 pandemic slashed travel and led to stay-athome orders that have cut oil demand by as much as two million barrels per day. Chevron this month said it would reduce planned U.S. shale output by about 125,000 bpd.
The about 4,500 to 6,750 job cuts envisioned are to “address current market conditions,” with varying impact on each business unit and region, said Flores- Paniagua. Most reductions will take place this year. “This is a difficult decision and we do not take it lightly,” she added. At its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, No. 1 U.S. oil producer Exxon- Mobil Corp said it had not yet taken steps to reduce its workforce.”
In a bid to curb the high rate of unemployment in the country, the Federal Government has rolled out a scheme which will see unemployed youths in rural areas earning N20,000 per month, The PUNCH reports.
The youths will be engaged in the clearing of drainages, sweeping markets, road maintenance, traffic control, and cleaning of public infrastructures like health centres and schools.
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), said this at a news conference on Thursday.
Keyamo said the scheme targeted 1,000 youths each from the 774 local governments across the country.
The minister said the programme is one of the biggest social intervention schemes to be carried out within a short period of time by any government in the history of Nigeria.
The PUNCH reports that the scheme, known as the Special Public Works Programme in the Rural Areas, is domiciled in the National Directorate of Employment for implementation and is expected to take off in October.
The minister’s speech read in part, “The pilot programme earlier approved by Mr. President was designed to mitigate lack of job opportunities in the rural areas through a short-term engagement of 1,000 unemployed persons per local government area for a period of three months.
“It is a dry season/off-season transient job programme and was originally designed for the rehabilitation/maintenance of public and social infrastructure. Participants were to be paid an allowance of N20,000 monthly and were to be recruited largely from the pool of unskilled persons resident in those rural areas.
“This pilot scheme was approved to be implemented in five local government areas in eight states namely: Adamawa, Borno, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Jigawa, Katsina and Kwara. Beneficiaries are engaged in: drainage digging and clearance, irrigation canals clearance, rural feeder road maintenance, maintenance of the Great Green Wall nurseries and orchards in Borno, Jigawa and Katsina states; traffic control, street cleaning, cleaning of public infrastructure like health centres, schools and the likes. A total of 40,000 direct transient jobs were expected to be created in the eight pilot states.”
Keyamo said the Special Public Works in the Rural Areas is an employment- intensive technique acquired and adapted by the National Directorate of Employment from one of the capacity-building collaborations with the International Labour Organisation in the late 1980s to the middle of the 1990’s.
The minister said for the purpose of transparency and accountability in the process, the President has approved the use of select banks to register and collate data of the beneficiaries.
“The banks will open accounts for all beneficiaries and in the process obtain Bank Verification Numbers for those without accounts.
“All payments would be made from the Central Bank of Nigeria directly to the accounts of the beneficiaries,” he added.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) says Nigerians will now pay stamp duties on WhatsApp messages, SMS, and messages via any electronic platform acknowledging receipt of funds.
The revenue service also stated that stamp duties will be paid on “POS receipts, fiscalised device receipts, Automated Teller Machine (ATM) print-outs”.
According to an information circular published by the agency, and seen by TheCable, Nigerians will also be required to pay stamp duties on SMS acknowledging receipt of funds.
FIRS gave illustrations of situations where Nigerians are expected to pay stamp duties, one of them says: “ABZ Ltd’s chief accounting officer, after receiving a cash payment of N500,000 from Mr. XYZ on behalf of ABZ Ltd., composed a message which reads: ‘receipt of N500,000 is hereby acknowledged’ and sent same to Mr. XYZ via WhatsApp messenger”.
“In this case, the WhatsApp message acknowledging the receipt of N500,000 constitutes a receipt for which stamp duty is payable.
“Mr XYZ is required to make a disclosure of the details of the transaction using FIRS e-stamp duty platform or to the relevant stamp duties Commissioner. This will lead to assessment and payment of appropriate stamp duties and a consequential issuance of a stamp duty certificate or an acknowledgement.
“Such certificate or acknowledgement will suffice as evidence that stamp duties have been paid and that the electronic receipt has been stamped appropriately.”
The agency adds that “all electronic dutiable instruments or receipts”, including e-mails, short message service (sms), instant messages (IM), any internet-based messaging service, are subject to stamp duty.
The circular, issued in April, clearly stated that “all printed receipts” and “all electronically generated receipts and any form of electronic acknowledgement of money for dutiable transactions” are liable to duty payment.
PWC FAULTS ENFORCEMENT In its analysis of the circular, PwC Nigeria said a major issue with the Stamp Duties Act (SDA) in its current form is the “practicability of enforcing compliance”.
“The practical application of this is doubtful and even where the FIRS attempts to enforce this, taxpayers may challenge the FIRS’ definition of the term, as the Act itself does not provide a definition.
“While the Circular encourages the payment of stamp duties via the FIRS’ e-platform, there have been complaints that the platform does not facilitate bulk remittance of stamp duties, as the platform only allows individual stamping of documents. The FIRS should address this.
“In general, the SDA (enacted in 1939) needs to be repealed and re-enacted to be in tune with modern day business and economic realities.”
The Finance Act (FA) 2019 introduced some amendments to the Stamp Duties Act (SDA) which necessitated this recent circular by the FIRS.
In line with the amended SDA, a N50 stamp duty is payable on any bank deposit or transfer of N10,000 or more, except deposits or transfers between accounts maintained by the same person in the same bank.
Nwunelis become first couple to deliver the keynote at Harvard Business School class day
Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli and Mezuo Nwuneli have become the first couple to deliver the keynote address on Harvard Business School (HBS) class day.
The couple took the baton from Michael Bloomberg, the founder of Bloomberg LP and former Mayor of New York, who delivered the class day speech for 2019.
Mezuo Nwuneli is the managing partner, Sahel Capital Agribusiness Managers Ltd., which manages FAFIN, a private equity fund that manages over $65.9 million, and invests in mid-sized agribusinesses in Nigeria.
Ndidi Nwuneli is the managing partner of Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition Ltd., and the founder of LEAP Africa.
Speaking to the students virtually from Lagos, the couple shared personal stories on how they met at Harvard University and how they have gone on to build successful businesses and non-profit — despite the odds.
Mezuo shared a personal story on how he was shot in 2007 and almost lost his life. He said he feared he may never walk independently again, but through the crisis, he learnt immense lessons, which he shared with the class of 2020.
Ndidi told the graduates about how unsettling it was to leave LEAP Africa to begin again in Senegal, where she neither spoke the language nor had a job. In the midst of the crisis, she reconnected with agriculture and birth Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition Ltd.
MEZUO: SUCCESS EARLY IN LIFE CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE
Mezuo called on the graduates to use their “talent, time and treasure” to improve the lives of others. He advised the class to define their values early in life and stick to it.
“Define your values and stick to them. Your success early in life can be destructive if you have not clearly defined your values, rooted in integrity and humility,” Mezuo said.
“Character definitely has a currency; if people can count on you because they trust you, they would invest in you, support you, and call on you to serve as a trusted adviser and board member.
“Remain humble as you change lives and freely share the credit with others. This not only builds trust but enable a broader group of people to have ownership in your vision and eventually to lead the movement themself — freeing you up to take on the next challenge”.
NDIDI: DISASTERS SIFT OUT THE BRAVE
Ndidi told the class of 2020 how resilient, resourceful, and brave they are, calling on them to strengthen their relationships with family and friends while building a dedicated support network.
Citing an Igbo proverb, Ndidi said disasters help sift out the brave and resilient.
“HBS Class of 2020, no one would ever forget this year — not just because of the pandemic, but because of how humanity and members of the class of 2020 of the Harvard Business School were able to rise up to this challenge,” Ndidi said.
“An Igbo proverb states, ‘Mbelede ka eji ama Dike,’ which translates: ‘Disasters help to sift out the resilient, the resourceful, and the brave.’”
Mezuo and Ndidi met at the Harvard African Student Conference in 1993, while both were college students at different institutions, but returned to Harvard for their MBAs years later.
The couple co-founded AACE Foods, a food manufacturing company which sources from over 10,000 farmers and produces a range of packaged food products for local and international markets.
Ndidi has 25 years of experience in international development, and serves on the boards of the Rockefeller Foundation, Godrej Consumer Products India, Fairfax Africa Canada, and the African Philanthropy Forum.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Mezuo has worked for 25 years in corporate finance, investment banking, and private equity. He was selected as an Archbishop Tutu Fellow and is an Eisenhower Fellow.
He is on the board of directors of a range of companies in Nigeria, and he earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Claire Wagner (MD/MBA 2020) also made history as the student speaker for the class day celebration; she is the first Class Day speaker with a joint degree from the medical school, and the first Class Day speaker to become a mother while at HBS.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has suddenly shut down its headquarters for two weeks after the death of Ibanga Bassey Etang, the acting executive director of finance.
There are fears that he might have contracted the coronavirus.
Silas Anyawu, who signed the memo shutting down the office on behalf of the management, wrote: “I am directed to inform all staff that management has approved that the commission be shut down for two weeks from today 28 May 2020.
“Consequently, all activities in the commission including ongoing matters are hereby shut down for the time being.
“Members of staff are to ensure that all electrical appliances in their offices are switched off before leaving the premises.
“The head security is by this memo directed to work out modalities to ensure the safety and security of the commission while director, the administration is requested to fumigate and decontaminate the entire offices and premises in the Headquarters during the period.
“Meanwhile staff are enjoined to go into self-isolation for two weeks as they await further directive from Management.”
The director’s death is coming during the forensic audit of the commission’s activities as ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In October 2019, the president that the commission’s activities from 2001 to 2019 should be probed.
On Wednesday, the senate set up an ad hoc committee to probe the interim management committee of the NDDC over alleged mismanagement of N40 billion.
Some parents in Lagos State have kicked against reopening of schools in view of the continued spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The parents who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews agree that it was important for the federal and state governments to continue to safeguard children from the pandemic.
NAN reported that the Federal Government on Wednesday said that it was considering reopening of schools based on morning and afternoon shifts method.
The Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, made the disclosure in Abuja during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
A civil servant, Mrs Ayobami Ojo, who resides in Ikotun, urged the government to allow children to remain at home until containment of the pandemic.
“There is no need of considering any morning and evening classes for now; let the children continue to stay safe at home as the virus is increasing everyday.
“Children will naturally not be as cautious as adults; schools cannot be compared to markets.
“Reopening of schools should be considered when confirmed cases drop very well,” Ojo said.
Also, a businesswoman, Mrs Abiodun Aina, living at Ayobo, said that children’s lives could be jeopardised by hasty school resumption.
“It is difficult to control adults, let alone children, we should not risk the lives of children.
“A two-shift option for classes may not stop the spread of the virus.
“It is better for them to remain at home until COVID -19 subsides or vaccination is found.
“Nigerians should stop putting pressure on government to reopen schools. Why are we in a rush? We need to be patient,” Aina said.
A businessman, Mr Kayode Jacob, who resides at Iyana-Ipaja, said that governments should not consider reopening primary schools at the moment.
According to him, doing so at the moment would be dangerous.
“University and secondary schools students can be cautioned.
“They can observe social distancing and other precautions, but these will be difficult for nursery and primary school pupils.
“The lives of our children should be paramount because they are the leaders of tomorrow,” Jacob said. (NAN)
About 500,000 persons engaged in Nigeria’s social investment programme N-Power will have to look elsewhere for means of livelihood as the government is set to terminate their existing engagement.
Their current engagement, spokesperson for the humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development ministry Rhoda Iliya, said in a statement has contributed to “the administration’s vision of lifting 100 million people out of poverty by creating opportunities to enhance the productivity of the Nigerian youth.”
The programme has enrolled 500,000 beneficiaries thus far – 200,000 from Batch A which started in September 2016 and 300,000 from Batch B which kicked off in August 2018.
The beneficiaries were supposed to spend 24 months on the programme but Batch A beneficiaries have spent over 40 months.
“Both Batches will soon be terminated according to the (press) release for the reasons given in the (press) release,” Salisu Na’inna Danbatta, the special adviser on media to the minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development minister Sadiya Farouq told The Guardian on Monday.
The statements were signed by Iliya.
Iliya said in one of the statements that the current beneficiaries have overstayed in the programme “thereby denying other Nigerians an opportunity to access the programme and gain skills for entrepreneurship and employment.”
When eventually disengaged, the number of people that will be rendered jobless will compound Nigeria’s already bad unemployment figures.
The last official figures released by Nigeria’s statistics office put the unemployment rate at 23.1%. Labour minister Chris Ngige said that figure could rise to 33.5 this year.
Several beneficiaries in Lagos told The Guardian that there were rumours that Batch A may be exited any time after May and Batch B will be exited shortly after.
Although Illiya confirmed that the government is working on the exit for the beneficiaries, she did not give a specific date or month.
“The first and second batch, they are still working on their exit,” Illiya told our correspondent, “There is no specific date.”
The Underlying issues
N-Power beneficiaries have not been pleased with the administration of the programme since the management of the programme was transferred to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in 2019.
They said all was well with the programme initially and that the former managers of the programme have started putting in place an exit strategy for them.
However, about 24-months after N-power’s launch, the sweet stories soon became sour to tell for these beneficiaries after Buhari announced major shifts in the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) which N-Power is part of.
The beneficiaries through a group named the 36-states N-power Representative Forum in a letter to in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on May 22, said the minister has “inflicted enough pain” on them since the programme was transferred to her ministry.
They advised Buhari to remove Farouq as a minister and replace her with someone else that is “more competent, proactive and youth-friendly.”
“She is just not competent,” the forum president Kabiru Pelemi told our correspondent on phone. “She should be removed.”
In an April 13 letter addressed to Senate President Ahmed Lawan, Pelemi claimed the minister did not have “administrative control over the runnings of the N-Power Programme.”
“The two batches of the graduate category have experienced frequent late payment of monthly stipend compared to when the programme was under the Vice President’s Office.”
When contacted about the allegations, Danbatta simply said, “They can remove her.”
Incompetence?
President Buhari during his national broadcast to commemorate Nigeria’s 59th independence in May 2018 announced that all SIPs will be institutionalised to the newly created Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development ministry where Farouq heads as a minister.
Buhari assured Nigerians that his government’s N500 billion Special Intervention Programme continues to target these vulnerable groups, through the Home-grown School Feeding Programme, Government Economic Empowerment Programme, N-Power Job Creation Programme, loans for traders and artisans, Conditional Cash Transfers to the poorest families and social housing scheme.
Prior to this, activities of SIPs were coordinated by a government Steering Committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo which comprises Finance, Education, Health, Agriculture, Trade and Investment, Youth and Sports, Women Affairs, Labour and Productivity, Information ministers to implement government’s agenda.
Nigeria’s budget and national planning ministry was NSIPs secretariat.
Buhari’s assurance was not enough to keep the running of these programmes as it was earlier as N-Power beneficiaries had to resort to writing open letters and holding protests before their stipends could be paid.
“The 500.000 beneficiaries nationwide will always have to protest before our 30,000 naira stipends is paid. Sometimes by the 3rd week of new/following month, since she (Farouq) took over power from the office of the vice-president,” Pelemi said.
Another crisis is brewing in the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following alleged clandestine moves to expel former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, from the party.
THISDAY reliably gathered that leaders of the party in the state loyal to the former Governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, are putting pressure on executives of the party in his Ward two and Saki West Local Government Area to expel him. It was gathered that events leading to this began when four APC local government chairmen, representing Forum of APC Local Government Chairmen in Oyo State, paid a visit to the former minister about a month ago preaching the need for reconciliation in the party which he did not object to.
A source at the meeting, however, said Shittu told the chairmen that to achieve genuine reconciliation, there are conditions which must be met in order for the aggrieved members to have a sense of belonging.
The first condition which the former minister gave, according to the source, was that members of the party, particularly those who belonged to the Unity Forum group, who purchased nomination forms during the last state congress but not allowed to be part of the party primaries, must be refunded their money.
Other condition was the dissolution of the party executives at all levels and to be reconstituted at the ratio of 50/50 between members loyal to Ajimobi called SENACO and the aggrieved members, who belonged to Unity Forum, which Shittu insisted were the only ones who bought forms during the last state congress.
The former minister also said the state chairman of the party must come from the Unity Forum, noting that the SENACO group has continued to produce the chairman since the formation of the party in the state.
The source added that the party chairmen then assured Shittu that since they had the blessings of the leadership of the party in the state for their meeting with him, they would deliver his message which they agreed to in its totality to the right quarters.
“It was a candid discussion that the former minister had with the party chairmen, who told him that the meeting had the blessings of the leadership of the party in the state and that the conditions he gave were important and necessary for genuine reconciliation in the party.
“They then assured him that they would get back to him after reporting back to the leadership of the party with a promise that the meeting with him was a step in the right direction,” he source said.
However, THISDAY gathered that trouble started when the party chairmen reported back to the leadership of the party in the state, which accused them of trying to hand over the party to Shittu and his group in Unity Forum, with the conditions that they agreed with him at the detriment of members in SENACO group.
It was learnt that to stop further agitation for genuine reconciliation by Shittu, a marching order was given to the executives of the party in his ward-Ward two and Saki West local government area-to expel him from the party which the executives resisted, insisting that the former minister is an important and reliable member who has contributed immensely to the growth and development of the party.
A taxi driver in Owerri, identified as Anayochukwu Njoku, from Umuakagu, Agbahara Nsu in Ehime Mbano council area took to his heels and abandoned his wife when he realised that she gave birth to conjoined twins.
Njoku’s wife, Chidinma, was said to have given birth to the conjoined twins on March 11, 2020, but their sight was not something that Njoku could behold.
Unfortunately, the conjoined twins, Goodluck and Rejoice Njoku were said to have lost their mother three hours after their delivery. The plight of the infants was subsequently brought to the attention of Imo Foundation, the humanitarian organ of the Imo State government, where efforts are being intensified to separate them.
Director General of the Foundation, Mrs. Beulah Chukwuma, who spoke to newsmen while highlighting the plight of the children, said that after the burial of their late mother, the conjoined twins were brought to them.
Chukwuma said apart from the efforts made by the state government towards the survival of the twins, the foundation has made representations to various organisations to support their separation. Chukwuma said, “Presently, we have a family with conjoined twins.
Their mother, Mrs. Chidinma Njoku died on 11th March, 2020 three hours after giving birth to them in a maternity in Umuokoto Nekede in Owerri West Local Government Area.
“Their father, Mr. Anayochukwu Njoku, was helping his late wife in her tailoring shop to earn a living to support their poor family of six before the arrival of the conjoined twins, after he lost his job two years ago as a driver.
“By the special grace of God, as soon as the case got to the desk of Governor Hope Uzodimma, he gave an urgent directive for the twins to be brought to the Foundation for their adequate welfare and survival.
“So currently, we are reaching out to quickly get their surgery done so that they can begin to live a better life. Chukwuma said that in spite of the assistance from the state government, there was the need to go beyond government.
“We need to reach out to organisations, individuals that are public spirited to come to our aid in addition to what the government is doing for us.”
A former Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, on Friday, expressed shock over a ‘crazy bill’ of N29,000 brought by officials of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company to her office for the month of April despite not using power for the month.
The woman disclosed this in her twitter handle, saying her company, which she did not name, and which apparently was not using a prepaid meter, has shut operations since the end of March due to the lockdown imposed by the Federal Government on Lagos State over the coronavirus pandemic.
This made her to ask all her staff to stay at home for the entire month of April while main power source to the office was switched off, indicating that the company was not on public power supply for the month of April.
But to her surprise, Mrs Johnson, who served as a minister under President Goodluck Jonathan, said when she came to the office on Tuesday this week, she was shocked to meet a bill of N29,000 from the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, adding that the company went ahead to disconnect her office.
According to her: “Got back to my office on Tuesday after six weeks of lockdown to see April bill from @EKEDP for N29k! Not even a light bulb came on in the whole month. Then they had the audacity to disconnect the power because I refused to pay! This estimated billing nonsense really has to stop.
“Yes there is a minimum amount. My monthly electricity bill is between N20k and N25k. This April bill is the highest I have received in four years!”
United States President, Donald Trump said Thursday that he has sent 1,000 ventilators to Nigeria to help save lives from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Questioned on his claim of enough ventilators to share with other countries, after touring Ford Motor plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, refitted to produce Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), he said: “We were just talking about we have a very big stockpile right now, and we building a bigger…we are helping a lot of other countries.
Nigeria, we just sent a thousand. We have various countries – France, Spain, we have a lot going to Italy, we have a lot going to probably 15, 18 countries. They’re calling us. We have the capacity to do this. Nobody else did.
“So, every state now has more than they need and our stockpile is totally full. We have a tremendous amount.
“So, now we’re really helping other countries where they’re losing a lot of people because they don’t have ventilators.”
Trump in a phone call to President Muhammadu Buhari, last month offered to assist Nigeria with some ventilators to tackle coronavirus.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this during a briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19.
…Demands written statement on status of essential workers from police
By Chioma Obinna
The Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA has directed doctors in state to proceed on an indefinite sit-at-home order to protest what they described as ‘conflicting directives by the government and incessant police harassment’ on medical doctors and other health workers in the state.
In a press statement made available to Vanguard, and jointly signed by the State Chairman of the NMA, Dr Saliu Oseni and the Secretary, Dr Ramon Moronkola, the sit-at-home order is expected to begin today, (Wednesday), 20th May 2020 from 6 pm.
The medical doctors maintained that it was no longer safe for their members to continue to provide healthcare services under the present confused arrangement.
They said the development became necessary as a result of the numerous complaints of police harassment from their members who were either going home after close of work, and some on transit to heed to emergency calls at the various hospitals.
They lamented that, whereas the directives by President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Presidential Taskforce on COVID 19, was clear on the exemption of essential workers including doctors and other health workers, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, has been issuing conflicting directives that essential workers, including doctors and other health workers were not exempted.
“As a direct result of the conflicting directives of the government and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the NMA was inundated yesterday (Tuesday, 19th of May, 2020) evening of several cases of harassments and intimidation of doctors and other health-workers by officers and men of the Lagos State Police command.
“The healthcare workers were either resuming duty, returning home, or on-transit to heed an emergency call.
“There was a most disturbing case of an ambulance conveying an injured patient which was prevented from moving to destination while the attending health-workers were harassed and temporarily detained.
“You will recall that this same ugly situation had occurred sometimes in the early phase of the ongoing lockdown/restriction of movement based on similar conflicting directives from the State Commissioner of Police.
“It took the intervention of the Governor of the State, following a petition by the Association, for normalcy to be restored.”
The Lagos NMA further said that until the Government and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Hakeem Odumosu will wish to operationalise the lockdown/restriction of movement directive, vis-à-vis the status of essential workers, NMA has resolved that it is presently unsafe for her members to continue to provide healthcare services under the present confused arrangement.
They further demanded a written statement, signed by Government and the appropriate Police Authorities, with clear terms on the status of essential services, including healthcare services and its providers.
The medical doctors insisted that the statement must be issued and advertised in the social and mainstream media, as well as a copy submitted to the Secretariat of the Lagos State Branch of NMA before they will call off the sit–at–home order.
The Federal Government has said that the pilots of the impounded aircraft owned by a British company, Flair Aviation, have been placed in quarantined for 14 days.
The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said this on Monday in Abuja, at the 33rd joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.
This is as he said that government has been able to secure 80 percent demurrage waiver for the affected parties in the lingering crisis between SAHCOL, NAHCO Aviance. He also apologized for referring to the British airline involved as Flairjet as against Flair Aviation that he tweeted on Sunday.
He said, “There is a company called Flairjet. I want to apologise that I tweeted in the afternoon (on Sunday) when the fasting was biting harder and we verified this as Flair Aviation. The correct name is Flairjet and it is a UK registered company.
“They have an aircraft, Legacy 600, and the registration number of the aircraft is GPRFX. Their business address is Business Aviation Centre, Terminal Road, Birmingham International Airport, West Midlands and their code is B26QN.
“This company applied severally as to operate humanitarian flights and we did approve. It is very clear at the beginning of this exercise that we defined what those flights should be: essential flights basically – cargo, medical evacuation, medical supplies, and so on and so forth.
“Unfortunately, this company decided to become commercial in their service, charging money and flying people in and out. In the first place, the whole essence of a lockdown is to ensure there is no movement of persons freely because this COVID-19 we are all spending sleepless nights,” Sirika said.
He said the government is currently investigating the matter and would soon conclude on it soon. He said, “The crew is British nationals. The pilots are subjected to 14 days quarantine at the moment while the investigation goes on. Whatever is there in our laws will be applied to the fullest.”
The minister added that there has been a slight change in the procedure as regards flights approval.
He said, “This time around once we receive any requests for a flight, we are to get in touch quickly with the full purpose of the point of entry to see whether quarantine Space available before that flight is given approval, those details I’m sure will come in the briefing by the national coordinator, but this will be done electronically as usual through WhatsApp or email and they need to be a speedy as it is to be certainly don’t have any significant time lost.”
The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II announced on Monday the birth of a baby boy into the Benin royal family.
The news was disclosed to the public at a press briefing at the palace of the Benin monarch by the Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe.
The Oba, while thanking God and the ancestors for the newborn baby, said mother and baby are alive, hale and healthy.
The royal statement reads:
‘By the grace of the Almighty God and the benevolence of our ancestors, the Benin Traditional Council on behalf of His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin and the Royal Palace of Benin Kingdom, joyfully wish to announce that Her Royal Highness, Queen Iyayota of Benin Kingdom has been delivered of a bouncing baby boy.
‘The infant Prince and his mother are in excellent health and good spirits”, the monarch said.
‘His Royal Majesty prayed for his newborn child to grow in good health and should also be blessed greatly.
‘It is our prayers that the Prince will grow in good health, excellency and grace and that he shall be blessed immeasurably by the Almighty God and, the great Royal Ancestors with the wisdom, kindness and generosity, knowledge and courage of his illustrious father, His Royal Majesty, Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II.’
He congratulated the Queen, Her Royal Highness, Queen Iyayota, for her safe delivery and prayed that this happy occasion should birth more blessings for her, the palace and for the entire Benin Kingdom.
An army general has been arrested in Kaduna for flouting the lockdown order.
In a statement on Monday, Aisha Dikko, commissioner of justice, said the army general, who was in full uniform, was arrested while driving in from Abuja with three other passengers who had no face masks.
“The general identified himself and said he was coming from Abuja and on a official duty,” the commissioner said.
“However, the court tried and convicted the other three passengers, for not complying with the stay at home order and wearing face masks.”
She added that Yusuf Rigachukun, an Islamic cleric, and his son, were also arrested for flouting the state COVID-19 lockdown order.
She said the duo were arrested at the Kaduna State University (KASU) junction on Tuesday without face masks.
The commissioner said the cleric told the court that he left his home because he was invited by the Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC) for a radio programme.
“Rigachukun and his son were however both charged for not wearing facemasks and were fined N5000 each,” she said.
In addition, the court asked the cleric to perform community service, by informing the public on how to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
The commissioner added that 75 culprits have been convicted out of the 105 people who violated the ban on inter-state travel.
Dikko warned residents against violating the COVID-19 lockdown order, saying offenders will be fined and undergo community service for seven days.
In a rather unpleasant story, Kenyan residents of Murang’a were duped into wearing female panties, which were fashioned and presented as facemasks by unscrupulous dealers.
A section of the residents were now moving around wearing panties disguised as facemasks.
Some of the residents who spoke to television channel, Inooro TV confirmed this con and said they had been lured into buying the masks because they were cheap.
The flimsy masks cost Ksh.20 a piece which is very little money in Kenya.
The residents are not confident that the masks will suffice in protecting them from catching the coronavirus.
The conned residents said they only realized they were wearing panties, long after they had already bought the masks.
The residents have now appealed to the government to supply them with the proper and appropriate masks, as they fear the ones they have will not protect them.
The government however intervened and made sure the proper face masks were freely distributed to Murang’a residents.
This follows after the Kenyan Government ordered all Kenyans to wear facemasks at all times in the public.
According to the new law, if you fail to wear a mask in public you risk Ksh.20,000 fine or 6-month jail term
The Kenyan government also said any supermarket which serves customers who are not wearing protective masks, would be closed down upon discovery.
All Kenyans were ordered to wear protective masks all the time whilst using public transport.
So far Kenya has 225 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and the Ministry of Health has set out stringent directives, which include wearing protective masks, frequent sanitization and social distance observations.
Politics › Ambode, Ashafa, Abike-dabiri Tipped To Replace Late Oshinowo by 2mercy(op): 7:47pm On Jun 18, 2020
