With a more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking root in Chicago, city officials on Tuesday expanded a home vaccination program to all residents 12 and up while dangling $50 GrubHub gift cards as a reward.
Starting Tuesday, people can book appointments at 312-746-4835 or chicago.gov/athome to register for a team to visit their home and vaccinate them and their families, public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a news conference. The $50 Grubhub gift card incentives will be given out starting next Monday, to be usable with any restaurant that is available on the app.
“Let’s make it an event,” Arwady said. “Let’s get vaccine to their house, and let’s have a Grubhub meal as a result.”
Throughout the state, 84 cases of the Delta variant have been detected, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, meaning Chicago contains most of the reported cases.
Arwady added the Delta cases are geographically spread out across the city but are “very, very, very strongly concentrated” in unvaccinated residents.
“We are seeing all cases — not just the variants — really landing in unvaccinated neighborhoods and especially social networks, so that’s where we are continuing to put our primary focus,” Arwady said.
About 54% of all Chicagoans have received at least a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the latest city data. That number is 65% for all adult residents, 71% for those 65 and up, and 38% for children 12 to 17 — the fastest growing vaccinated population.
The at-home vaccination program, which began in March for only homebound individuals before expanding, offer both the Pfizer vaccine, currently approved for those 12 and older, and Johnson & Johnson, which is for adults only. Up to 10 people can be vaccinated per household, with each family qualifying for one $50 gift card. A total $100,000 was donated from the food delivery company to support the gift cards.
Although anyone 12 or up is eligible, Arwady said the city hopes to especially reach Chicagoans 65 and up, a population whose vaccination coverage is behind the national average, she said. For younger adults, she noted, they might be more drawn to the free Lollapalooza passes offered this weekend.
To register for a Johnson & Johnson vaccine in exchange for one of 1,200 free single-day tickets, people can go to pcmslolla.juvare.com. For those already fully vaccinated, a link to free Lolla passes will be posted on the public health department’s social media pages and website on Sunday.
For the past couple of months, Chicago and Illinois officials have rolled out vaccine incentives to entice hesitant residents to get the COVID-19 shot. The state launched a vaccine lottery last week offering $7 million in cash and $3 million in college scholarships for all Illinois residents with at least one dose, while the city has focused on smaller prizes such as free haircuts and vaccine-exclusive concerts.
The firehose of vaccine rewards began around the end of April as officials noted the most eager residents already have gotten the vaccine and the next challenge was reaching everyone else.
Arwady on Tuesday said door-knocking campaigns have found many residents in under-vaccinated neighborhoods are still unaware the COVID-19 shot is free, and that the only entities with access to their vaccination records are their health care providers and the public health system. But she said both incentives and conversations are effectively chipping away at vaccine hesitancy.
“We know that we are working a lot harder to get every vaccination at this point than we were previously, and we also know a lot of people are tired of talking about COVID,” Arwady said. “Let’s really get rid of any barriers we can think of to access.”

A new study estimates that life expectancy in the U.S. decreased by nearly two years between 2018 and 2020, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And the declines were most pronounced among minority groups, including Black and Hispanic people.
In 2018, average life expectancy in the U.S. was about 79 years (78.7). It declined to about 77 years (76.9) by the end of 2020, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal.
"We have not seen a decrease like this since World War II. It's a horrific decrease in life expectancy," said Steven Woolf of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and an author of the study released on Wednesday. (The study is based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics and includes simulated estimates for 2020.)
Beyond the more than 600,000 deaths in the U.S. directly from the coronavirus, other factors play into the decreased longevity, including "disruptions in health care, disruptions in chronic disease management, and behavioral health crisis, where people struggling with addiction disorders or depression might not have gotten the help that they needed," Woolf said.
The lack of access to care and other pandemic-related disruptions hit some Americans much harder than others. And it's been well documented that the death rate for Black Americans was twice as high compared with white Americans.
The disparity is reflected in the new longevity estimates. "African Americans saw their life expectancy decrease by 3.3 years and Hispanic Americans saw their life expectancy decrease by 3.9 years," Woolf noted.
"These are massive numbers," Woolf said, that reflect the systemic inequalities that long predate the pandemic.
"It is impossible to look at these findings and not see a reflection of the systemic racism in the U.S.," Lesley Curtis, chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, told NPR.
"This study further destroys the myth that the United States is the healthiest place in the world to live," Dr. Richard Besser, president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (an NPR funder), said in an email.
He said wide differences in life expectancy rates were evident before COVID-19. "For example, life expectancy in Princeton, NJ—a predominantly White community—is 14 years higher than Trenton, NJ, a predominantly Black and Latino city only 14 miles away," Besser said.
Life expectancy in the U.S. had already been declining — albeit slowly — in the years leading up to the pandemic. And the U.S. has been losing ground compared with other wealthy countries, said Magali Barbieri of the University of California, Berkeley, in an editorial published alongside the new study.
The study estimates that the decline in life expectancy was .22 years (or about one-fifth of a year) in a group of 16 peer countries (including Austria, Finland, France, Israel, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) compared with the nearly two-year decline in the United States.
"The U.S. disadvantage in mortality compared with other high income democracies in 2020 is neither new nor sudden," Barbieri wrote. It appears the pandemic has magnified existing vulnerabilities in U.S. society, she added.
"The range of factors that play into this include income inequality, the social safety net, as well as racial inequality and access to health care," Duke's Curtis said.
So, what's the prognosis going forward in the United States? "I think life expectancy will rebound," Woolf of Virginia Commonwealth said.
But it's unlikely that the U.S. is on course to reverse the trend entirely.
"The U.S. has some of the best hospitals and some of the greatest scientists. But other countries do far better in getting quality medical care to their population," Woolf said. "We have big gaps in getting care to people who need it most, when they need it most."

For the first time since February, 2020, when the index case of coronavirus was recorded in an Italian traveller in the country’s commercial hub city, Lagos, Nigeria on Sunday reported no single case of the pandemic.
However, Nigeria’s ban on the microblogging site, Twitter, is taking its toll on the reportage of the updates on the disease, as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, which is responsible for the update, has consistently delayed the process since the government suspended the operation of the site in the country.
The latest update by the NCDC was only posted on its website on Monday afternoon, more than 12 hours after its usual time when its Twitter handle was active.
Zero case
The new development of recording no single case across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory has been described as a huge success for the country by health experts.
They said it is a milestone in Nigeria’s battle against the deadly disease.
The number of new cases dropped from 51 on Saturday to zero on Sunday, NCDC said in an update on its site on Monday afternoon.
Nigeria has seen a sharp drop in infections and deaths since March, adding to signs that it has managed to stamp out the latest wave of the disease.
No new death from COVID-19 has also been reported in more than two weeks.
But health experts have cautioned against letting the guards down on safety, warning that poor testing in many states could be masking the reality about the pandemic in some states.

As the world makes progress with its vaccination efforts, many countries are beginning to relax restrictions around international travel.
This week the European Union announced that the United States is to be added to its list of safe countries, making it easier for Americans to holiday in Europe. While many popular holiday destinations continue to welcome Brits, such as Spain and Portugal.
However, most countries are still on the UK’s amber list meaning travel for leisure is not allowed, and as Covid cases soar here the future of international travel for Brits is looking uncertain.
It is hoped that the vaccine rollout will save Brits’ chance for international travel, as more young people are invited for their jab.
Many people are eager to once again enjoy the freedoms of international travel, but with so much uncertainty it is unclear when this will be.
Here is the latest Foreign Office travel advice for the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The USA has spent much of the last year making headlines for its high Covid cases, and high number of deaths.However, continuing along this pattern, they were now making headlines around the world thanks to their successful vaccine rollout, with a high number of Americans vaccinated.
This success has meant that the EU has allowed non-essential travel from the USA to Europe once again, after previously being banned.
However, travel between the UK and the USA is not back quite yet.
Travellers from the UK were banned from entering the US in March 2020, excluding American citizens and permanent residents.
A new transatlantic travel taskforce has recently been set up to explore ways to reopen UK-US travel.
Until then the country remains on the UK’s amber list which restricts non-essential travel, and means arrivals back into England will need to isolate for 10 days.

Nigeria's apex capital market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has granted NG Clearing Limited (NG Clearing) registration to perform the function of a central counterparty (CCP) with effect from 7th June 2021. This registration now permits NG Clearing to clear and settle Exchange-traded derivative products - making NG Clearing the first CCP in Nigeria.
Speaking on the issuance of the license, the Chairman of NG Clearing, Mr. Oscar Onyema, OON said "NG Clearing will deliver an unparalleled CCP experience for the Nigerian financial and capital markets and will optimize the deployment of its resources to achieve long-term value creation for its stakeholders using a state-of-the-art risk management framework, which complies with global best practices for mitigating settlement risk".
He added that the company's main role is to improve the soundness and safety of the Nigerian financial market by delivering best-in-class post-trade services that manage counterparty credit risk and reduce systemic risk by interposing itself as a guarantor to both parties in a transaction, thus ensuring the successful execution of derivatives and other trades from various trade points in Nigeria.
The Managing Director of NG Clearing, Mr. Tapas Das said "NG Clearing shall be playing a key role in the financial market ecosystem in the region, upholding stability and safety of the marketplace, through efficient and timely settlement of derivative trades. The aim is to strengthen the country's investment environment through solutions that systematically reduce risks, enhance operating efficiency, and minimize costs for all market participants, thereby serving as a catalyst to national development."
Mr. Das stated that the company has sufficient financial resources, including settlement guarantee fund, to cover participants' risk exposures. He noted that members will have access to a wide range of financial reports that equip them with extensive knowledge and enable them make informed decisions, as well as access to NG Clearing's bespoke clearing and settlement software application which will support the clearing and settlement of derivative instruments across various asset classes i.e., futures and options contracts on indices, equity shares, commodities, currency, rates etc.
NG Clearing - Nigeria's premier CCP - was incorporated on May 24, 2016 to facilitate derivatives trading in the Nigerian Capital Market. The company is promoted by the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc and Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS) along with key stakeholders including Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Access Bank Plc, Consonance Kuramo Special Opportunities Fund I, Coronation Merchant Bank Limited, Greenwich Merchant Bank Limited, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc (Union Bank), United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) and Association of Securities Dealing Houses of Nigeria (ASHON).

The U.S. government has halted new shipments of the Johnson & Johnson JNJ, +0.90% Covid-19 vaccine, according to state and federal health officials, one of several steps federal agencies are taking that could help clear a backlog of unused doses before they expire.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped making available the one-dose shot to states, the state and federal health officials said. The stoppage is believed to be temporary, some of these officials said.
Health officials from Maryland, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Michigan, Illinois and other states said they haven’t been able to order new supplies of J&J doses in recent weeks. Some also said they have sufficient supply of the vaccine.
“It just hasn’t been included in our weekly allocations, from the feds, which means it is not available to order,” said Oklahoma State Department of Health Deputy Commissioner Keith Reed.

California may take action to end certain COVID-19 masks and worker distance regulations

The California Workplace Safety Commission is scheduled to decide on Thursday whether to further relax the physical distance and mask regulations for workers across the state.
The proposal is being considered at the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Committee meeting starting at 10 am, and the proposal reflects the recent possible relaxation of proven technologies to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

In public places, we must actively cooperate, and be vaccinated and wear masks, do a good job of protective measures, so that the vast majority of people can ensure safe protection.

The African COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Access Strategy of the African Union (AU), yesterday, admitted that its target of vaccinating at least 60 per cent of the continent’s population (about 750 million people) or the entire adult populace by end of 2022 had suffered a setback, as only less than two per cent of Africans had received the jabs.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said the vaccines available to the continent represent a small portion of global supplies, even as purchase, delivery and administration of the doses remain significant.
The African COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Access Strategy of the African Union (AU), yesterday, admitted that its target of vaccinating at least 60 per cent of the continent’s population (about 750 million people) or the entire adult populace by end of 2022 had suffered a setback, as only less than two per cent of Africans had received the jabs.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said the vaccines available to the continent represent a small portion of global supplies, even as purchase, delivery and administration of the doses remain significant.


Africa is now the most difficult period, the major epidemic of the epidemic and the shortage of vaccines, are now facing great difficulties and we should go hand in hand.

The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu (PDP, Delta), has said the ongoing Constitution alteration will not entertain ‘debate on unity of Nigeria.’
The lawmaker, who represents Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency of Delta State, said the House will rather focus on devolution of powers and restructuring.
He stated this at the South-south zonal public hearing on the review of the 1999 constitution in Asaba, Delta State, on Thursday.
There have been increasing agitations by some parts of Nigeria to secede from the country.
In the South-east, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been demanding a referendum on breakaway.
The group, which has been proscribed by the federal government, has already established a militant wing known as the Eastern Security Network (ESN) to further its agitation.
In the South-west, the call for the creation of Oduduwa Country is currently being championed by Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho.
Mr Elumelu said the legislature would not consider any proposal on the unity and corporate existence of the country.
“It is however imperative to state that nothing in this exercise gives room for any question on the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria as one indivisible nation,” the lawmaker said.
“The public hearing and desired amendments, rather than detract from our national cohesiveness, are aimed at consolidating our national unity by ensuring a stronger federal system with greater participation of citizens in governance at all levels.
“I, therefore, urge all stakeholders and participants to come up with progressive submissions and recommendations that will engender stronger national unity and greater productivity.
The minority leader said the public hearing would welcome suggestions on restructuring and devolution of powers and other issues that enhance good governance and development of the country.


He said, “We desire suggestions that will bring clarity to the concept of restructuring as being demanded. What items should be devolved from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List? What is acceptable resource control and revenue sharing prescription with regard to the agitations of sub-national units under a fiscal federalism?
“Are there items that should be under the exclusive control of the state and even local government? What provisions are more appropriate for resource producing communities?
“On elections; what type of decentralised electoral system is desirable in a federal system like ours. Which elections should be under the state and which should be under federal purview? What is the role of the armed forces in our elections?
“Furthermore, what are the practical modalities for state creation, acceptable state policing, civil service system, land use, control and ownership; judiciary jurisdiction, taxation and other subjects of agitation among sub-national units? What statutory recognition can be accorded to the traditional institutions and what appropriate roles can be prescribed for traditional rulers?
“These and many more are serious issues that require concerted consideration.”

The Biden administration on Thursday announced a plan to share the first 25 million Covid-19 vaccine doses with the rest of the world and an overall framework of distributing at least 80 million doses by the end of June.
At least 75% of these donated vaccines will be shared with the global vaccination program called Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access, or COVAX, and 25% will be shared directly with countries in need, the White House said.
"We are sharing these doses not to secure favors or extract concessions. We are sharing these vaccines to save lives and to lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic, with the power of our example and with our values," President Joe Biden said in a statement.


Jointly fight the epidemic and be vaccinated safely to ensure that more people can be vaccinated safely and effectively.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia should negotiate with the US to purchase Covid-19 vaccines from its excess stockpile to expedite the country’s vaccine distribution, said former prime minister Najib Razak.

In a Facebook post, he said aside from the US, the United Kingdom is also expected to have an excess stock in vaccines as it reaches its vaccination target.

He said Malaysia must attempt to negotiate with these countries so that vaccine rates can be increased.

The US will announce in the next two weeks how it will sell and distribute 80 million Covid-19 vaccine doses it has pledged globally.

US President Joe Biden is expected to focus on equitable distribution of immunisation, without any political strings attached to the process.

His administration will send at least 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. This is on top of 60 million AstraZeneca doses he has already planned to give to other countries.

Najib said Malaysia was eligible to be given priority for these vaccines from the US.


He noted that Thailand had already announced that the US had agreed to help them get the vaccines despite the nation’s less dire Covid-19 situation.

Vaccination rates in the US had fallen to one million doses a day yesterday, even though those wanting to get vaccinated no longer need to schedule appointments.

Science, technology and innovation minister Khairy Jamaluddin previously blamed Malaysia’s slow vaccination rates on low supplies due to the “vaccine inequity” by advanced countries.

“Some rich countries have bought enough vaccines for their citizens three to five times over.

“Many pharmaceutical companies give preference to rich countries for obvious reasons,” he had reportedly said.


I think it should be reasonably arranged and can effectively ensure the current epidemic, and the phenomenon of insufficient supply should end as soon as possible.

Mass administration of medicines in Nigeria. Photo Credit: The END Fund/Yagazie Emezi
LAGOS, Nigeria, 2 June 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The END Fund, a private philanthropic initiative solely dedicated to ending the five most common neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), today announced their partnership with IHS Nigeria, the leading telecom infrastructure service provider company, to tackle prevalent neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Ekiti state, in the Southwest part of Nigeria.
The generous planned donation from IHS Nigeria will enable the END Fund to deliver thousands of treatments to those most affected by Onchocerciasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Schistosomiasis and Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis; reducing the suffering, disability and poor health caused by these diseases, and significantly improving the quality of life of the recipients.  
“The END Fund is delighted to collaborate with IHS Nigeria, in tackling these diseases that cause cognitive impairment, physical ailments, social isolation, and economic regression. Through the financial commitment of this partner, we will make good strides in reducing the burden for these diseases in Ekiti state. This is in support of the state government’s drive to enable a healthier populace, and also feeds into the national framework for supporting the sustainable progress of Nigeria, especially in the areas of health and economic advancement. In addition, tackling the NTDs is directly correlated to attainment of UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 on good health and wellbeing; while contributing to meeting other SDGs, including SDGs 1 and 2 – alleviating poverty and hunger respectively, and SDG 4 – enabling people to pursue an education,” said Oyetola Oduyemi, Director of Public Affairs, at the END Fund. 
The END Fund announced its partnership with IHS Nigeria on the occasion of its multi-stakeholder webinar being hosted under the aegis of its African NTD Leadership Initiative on June 01, 2021. The event was supported by many critical stakeholders who are committed to both building and expanding a sustainable and locally driven movement to end NTDs on the continent. 
Speaking at the multi-stakeholder webinar, and taking the opportunity to announce the partnership between the END Fund and IHS Nigeria, Dapo Otunla, the Chief Corporate Services Officer, IHS Nigeria said,  
 “Today we are pleased to take this significant step in collaborating with the END Fund to tackle these debilitating diseases. Our robust program in Ekiti state involves funding preventive treatment for endemic NTDs, supporting the effective deployment of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) measures, and working to end open defecation and its detrimental impact on the people of the state – including the contribution of this unhealthy practice to the state’s NTD burden.”
Otunla added, “As a business, we have invested in improving WASH practices across Nigeria in which thousands of households across the country have been impacted so much so that last year, the Vice President of Nigeria, through the Honorable Minister of Water Resources, awarded our Nigeria CEO, Mohamad Darwish a WASH Ambassador status under the Clean Nigeria Campaign. We know that addressing NTDs is only a logical step in the right direction and this will enable our impact to go further.”
According to the World Health Organisation, more than 134 million Nigerians require treatment for one or more NTDs, with 48 million children and adults affected by intestinal worms, and 25 million people affected by schistosomiasis – in terms of impact this disease is the world’s second most devastating parasitic ailment after malaria. The country bears approximately 40 percent of Africa’s NTD burden. The END Fund has been a key partner for the Nigerian national framework for tackling NTDs, and continues to support the country’s plans to eliminate endemic NTDs. In order to achieve this goal, a multi-stakeholder engagement strategy is crucial – with the private sector playing a fundamental role. The partnership with IHS Nigeria, is supporting the safe delivery of life-changing treatments to affected communities in Ekiti state.

Leadway Pensure PFA has demonstrated that the welfare of its customers is of utmost priority, with the just-concluded health and wellness seminar for retirees.

The seminar which was held virtual, was tagged: 'Maintaining Good Health at Retirement,' and anchored by a medical practitioner at Leadway Health, Dr. Olumuyiwa Odugbesan. He educated the retirees on the benefit of having a meal plan, exercising, mental wellness, and maintaining mental balance.

He also spoke on the need for managing and preventing sicknesses associated with advanced age.

Odugbesan highlighted the need for mild exercises and simple medical practices that the retirees could practice at home to enhance their health.

In her remarks, the Managing Director, Leadway Pensure PFA, Mrs. Ronke Adedeji said customers are Leadway Pensure PFA's most prized stakeholders, adding that they would continue to push out initiatives that reassure them of this value.

This sentiment was emphasised by Tade Gbadebo, Head of Benefits Processing at the organisation who mentioned that, "the Leadway Pensure Brand goes beyond paying pensions to retirees; we are committed to making retirement and living better for them."

"It is important to recall that the organisation recently received an award for customer care excellence and this seems to be an opportunity to reiterate the achievement," she added.

The Nigerian government has again publicly declared a total of 132 travellers as “persons of interest,” for allegedly violating new protocols put in place to halt the spread of the dreaded coronavirus disease in the country.
A statement issued on Thursday night by the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 and signed by its chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said the listed individuals who recently visited or arrived from India, Brazil and Turkey, are potential health hazards to the society.
This newspaper had earlier reported the declaration of 90 travellers as health hazards for allegedly committing the same offence. The list had then comprised both Nigerians and Indians.
The PSC has, therefore, sought the whereabouts of the violators on the latest list, and asked them to urgently present themselves for appropriate evaluations.
The statement added that the alleged violators evaded the mandatory seven-day quarantine at port health facilities before they are allowed to move about in the country.
According to the statement, these persons who arrived in the country through the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, “have been declared Persons of Interest (POI) on account of posing considerable danger to overall public health and violation of Nigeria’s COVID19 travel protocol by evading the mandatory 7-day quarantine for persons arriving from restricted countries.”
The government has, therefore, said those on the new list “constitute an immediate health hazard to the society.”
“They must therefore transport themselves safely, to the nearest state public health departments within 48hrs of this notice for immediate evaluation and call the Port Health Services, Federal Ministry of Health on 08036134672 or 08032461990 for further directions,” the statement added.
The statement added that the concerned violators shall face regulatory sanctions including but not limited to, “disabling their travel passports for a period not less than one year; cancellation of visas or permits of foreigners that have abused our hospitality; and prosecution under the 2021 Health Protection Regulations.”

Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde has said that his administration will continue to protect the rights of Children in the state.
The governor who stated this at the 2021 National Children's Day Celebration, held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, added that the state government would enhance the operations of the Child Rights Law.
The who was represented by the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Hon. Seun Fakorede maintained that his administration would remain proactive in alleviating the problems of the less privileged, including orphans and other vulnerable children in the state through different intervention programmes.
He said: "It gives me great pleasure to be in your midst today at this auspicious celebration of National Children's Day, an event celebrated on May 27. It is a special day set aside in compliance with United Nations Resolution to raise awareness on the situation and needs of children and to promote interventions that will lead to an improvement in their welfare and development.
"It is a day when all Nigerian Children are celebrated and efforts are made to ensure that their rights to Survival, Protection, Development and Participation as enshrined in the Child Rights Law are enhanced.
"Let me, at this point, assure you that the state government, under this administration, will not relent in its efforts in protecting the rights of children and alleviating the challenges of the less privileged and other vulnerable in the state."
While wishing the children a happy Children's Day Celebration, the governor urged them to rededicate themselves to being responsible citizens by respecting their parents, teachers, elders and authority and shun all acts of social vices.

A nationwide strike of court workers in Nigeria is paralysing the justice system, resulting in extended prison remands for those awaiting trial or sentencing and lengthy delays for everyone else.
In March last year, Taiwo Ebun*, 27, was arrested for alleged armed robbery in Lagos. Since then he has been in detention.
He was held in a police station and then transferred to Kirikiri, a maximum-security prison just outside Lagos. His first court appearance was two months ago, one year after his arrest. The magistrate court set the trial for 21 April, but it was postponed to 5 May.
But both dates have passed without any movement in the case due to weeks of strike action by court workers belonging to the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
The union said the industrial action was to demand financial autonomy for courts, rather than relying on the often corrupt system of funding from state governors, who are regularly accused of misusing funds, with several convicted of fraud.
Nigeria’s constitution gives the judiciary financial autonomy from state governors and heads of courts access to a federal fund. But the government did not comply with this provision in the 1999 constitution until the union took action in 2014 – the second in three nationwide strikes by Nigeria’s court staff.
Last year, Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, signed an executive order to implement the provision at state level. But governors have refused to comply and threatened legal action.
The union said the dependence on the executive for funds has affected the day-to-day running of the justice system.
Shobowale Kehinde, chair of JUSUN’s Lagos branch, said: “If the executive arm of the government still pockets the [funds of the] judiciary, that means that for every piece of paper we have to buy, we have to go cap in hand to the executive arm of the government.”
Kehinde said that even though the strike had been primarily about the refusal of the state governors to stick to the law, the welfare of the court workers was also a union grievance.
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“For us as the staff, if the place of work is not conducive, it is our right to champion the cause of making our workplace a better place. When we have our autonomy, then the welfare of the staff would be better discussed with the heads of the court.”
As the strike has dragged on, Ebun and thousands of others awaiting trial have been stuck in prison.
Juwon Sanyaolu, 29, a political activist based in Lagos, was arrested with several others in January in Abuja for protesting against government corruption and detained for 11 days.
He has been released on bail but the government has brought a case against him and the other protesters. He was due to appear before magistrates on 5 May but the court closure has left him in limbo.
“I have just been stuck in Abuja since that day. I stay in Lagos, and this is affecting my work,” he told the Guardian.
Inibehe Effiong, a lawyer and activist, said: “The closure is a painful but necessary action that had to be taken because in the long run, if the judiciary is not functioning independently, access to justice is going to suffer.
“We cannot continue with the current arrangement, where state governors see the judiciary as an extension of the ministry of justice and chief judges [as] serving at their pleasure. They don’t allow the heads of the court to have the money they are entitled to.”
Lawyers and defendants are increasingly worried about the ever-rising backlog of cases. Even before the strike, it could take months to be allocated a court date. The strike has put more strain on an already underfunded and overwhelmed judiciary.
Effiong said he hoped the heads of the court would come up with a way to address the backlog of cases. But for those in prison awaiting their day in court, each day adds to their ordeal.
“It is frustrating knowing that I am inside for what I did not do, and it is more frustrating that I cannot even know my fate,” Ebun said.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department on Monday issued an advisory recommending its citizens not visit Japan due to the coronavirus pandemic, raising its travel alert to the highest level of 4 just two months before the start of the Tokyo Olympics.
The increase by one level came as Japan grapples with another wave of infections, with sources saying the government is considering extending the coronavirus state of emergency covering Tokyo, Osaka and other areas beyond the current expiration date of May 31.
The State Department said its latest assessment reflected the travel health notice by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which sees Japan facing a "very high level of COVID-19," the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.
"Because of the current situation in Japan, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Japan," the CDC said.
The department did not mention in its advisory the Summer Olympics, scheduled to be staged from July 23 to Aug. 8, but the heightened alert level could affect U.S. decision-making on whether to send its athletes to the games. Japan has already decided not to allow overseas spectators and volunteers to enter the country for the games.
U.S. President Joe Biden expressed support for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's "efforts to hold a safe and secure Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer" when the two met in mid-April, according to a joint statement released after their talks.
The Japanese government has been emphasizing that the games can still be held safely, saying it will ensure proper anti-virus measures are in place for athletes and staff to participate.
John Coates, an International Olympic Committee vice president, said Friday the Tokyo Olympics can be held as planned even if the Japanese capital is under a state of emergency.
In March last year, the State Department issued an advisory for Americans to avoid all international travel amid the worldwide outbreak of the virus.
The global advisory was lifted in August, and the country-specific guidance for travel to Japan had since remained at level 3, under which U.S. citizens are urged to "reconsider travel" to the destination.
Around 150 countries are currently subject to the department's level 4 warning.
The department has said it regularly assesses and updates the travel advisories, based primarily on the CDC's travel health notices and other factors such as commercial flight availability and restrictions on the entry of U.S. citizens.
The CDC issues a level 4 notice when the coronavirus incidence rate -- defined as cumulative new cases over the past 28 days per 100,000 population -- hits more than 100.
Japan met the level 4 criteria on Friday and its current incidence rate is 120 cases per 100,000, an official of the U.S. health protection agency said.
In Japan, more than 722,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with around 12,350 deaths have been reported, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
The United States remains the country to have suffered the most during the pandemic, with the number of infections totaling more than 33 million and deaths exceeding 590,000. But its situation has been improving amid a massive vaccine rollout.

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has lauded Federal Government’s upward review of the retirement age for consultants and health workers.
Prof. Kenneth Ozoilo, the National President of MDCAN, made the commendation on Wednesday in Umuahia during the group’s maiden Distinguished Medical Specialist Annual Lecture, tagged: “The Prime Unpredictable Pass: Preempting and prioritising the process professionally and proficiently”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Federal Government on May 12 reached an agreement with stakeholders in the health sector for a new retirement age for health workers.
NAN reports that the new retirement age for health workers was increased from 60 to 65, while that of consultants moved from 65 is 70.
Ozoilo, who was represented by the National Secretary, Dr Moses Chingle, appealed to state and federal governments to urgently address the discrepancies in the salary structure for medical and health workers.
He expressed dismay over the absence of TETFUND programmes in Federal Medical Centers and specialist hospitals.
He, therefore, called on the federal government to extend TETFUND projects to the health institutions.
He said the fund would serve as a veritable tool for stimulating the interest of medical and health workers to embark on researches in order to advance their practice in patient care.
In an address, Dr Godswill Ogbonnaya, the Chairman of MDCAN at the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Umuahia, said the lecture was conceived to celebrate the professional achievements of medical and dental consultants.
Ogbonnaya described the lecture as the first of its kind and a brainchild of the leadership of MDCAN in FMC, Umuahia meant to creat a platform for members to boost their proficiency in patient care.
Also, Prof. Onyebuchi Azubuike, the Medical Director of FMC, Umuahia, said that encouraging academic programmes in the health system would boost feedback needed to transform the health sector.
Azubuike said the hospital management was open to partnerships and ventures aimed at improving the output of its staff members in service delivery.
In a remark, Prof. Augustine Uwakwe, the Chairman of the lecture, commended the organisers of the event, describing the lecture as a welcome development.
Uwakwe also said the lecture would encourage increased academic researches among medical doctors and boost professional contributions to advancement in medicine.
The inaugural lecturer, Dr Enyinnaya Nduka, said the proficiency of a medical doctor remains a significant factor in achieving excellent patient care.
Nduka, who is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, said patient care, especially in the case of pregnant women, required great dedication, devotion and determination to provide premium medical care.

According to Nigeria’s national broadband plan (2020-2025), broadband penetration should hit 90% by 2025. It is an ambitious goal given that for years, broadband penetration has hovered around the 30% region. 
But there has been some recent progress. A tweet from the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, revealed that in 2020, broadband penetration increased to 43.3%. Analysts like Gbenga Sesan have noted that the figures the ministry claims are wrong and that broadband penetration is less than 10%.
Whatever the correct figure is, Nigeria still has some ways to go due to a mix of challenges, one of which is infrastructure and an inability to standardise fees. For broadband access to increase throughout the country, network operators have to dig up roads and lay optic fibre cables. 
They cannot install such hardware without a Right of Way (RoW) approval from state governments. But RoW fees are high and it is expensive to lay cables; so broadband connectivity suffers. 
While RoW is a source of revenue for state governments, the big picture is that if any of these states reduce the fees, they may attract telcos to make a significant broadband investment. In 2020, MTN requested approval from the Ekiti state government to lay 160km of fibre optic cables after reducing its RoW fees.  
Governors agree to slash Right of Way fees 
Standardising RoW fees is one way to encourage telcos to make investments in broadband infrastructure, so in 2020, Nigeria’s 36 governors agreed to an important step – a standardised RoW fee of ₦145/m. 
So far, only Kaduna, Ekiti, Katsina, Plateau, Ekiti, Kwara, Anambra, and Imo are implementing the new fees one year after the agreement. States like Benue, Ogun and Lagos charge N2,500, N4,000, N750 per Linear Meter. 
It is unclear why these states are not implementing the new fees, but stakeholders continue to mount pressure regardless. There are reports that the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) is looking at signing a Memorandum of Understanding with states to bring down RoW charges.
There have also been discussions on the floor of the National Assembly, but it has not translated into lower fees mostly because the governors reserve the right to fix these fees.
Regardless of this power, the governors of the remaining 29 states must play the long game and lower prices because deepening broadband penetration is a big win for Nigeria as a whole.

The Federal  government  says over 70 per cent of corruption cases in the country are perpetrated by persons who use anonymous companies.
It however, disclosed that  over $1 billion had so far been recovered by governments using beneficial ownership data.
The minister of Trade,  Industry and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo  disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the media presentation of Nigeria’s Road to Beneficial Ownership Transparency at the 2021 Open Government Partnership (OGP) Week, with the theme: ‘Re-engineering Government, Institutions and Society for Transparency, Accountability and Inclusive Citizens Participation”
The Minister assured that when the register of companies was completed, it would help government in decision-making, especially around awards of contracts, permit and licences.
“It will help decision makers to  quickly determine who benefits from the operations and profits of the company so as to avoid conflict of interest or manipulation,” he added.
The Minister,  who was represented by the permanent secretary, Dr Nasir Sani Gwarzo, m further disclosed that the journey to establish a public register of beneficial  owners commenced in 2016 at the London Summit on Anti-Corruption where  President Muhammadu Buhari  joined the Open Government Partnership (OGP).
At the time of this declaration in 2016, there was no legal framework to commence the implementation of the beneficial ownership disclosure in Nigeria. This necessitated the amendment of Companies and Allied Matters Act which the president signed in August 2020 paving way for the commencement of implementation of disclosure principles
“The Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 has provisions dealing with disclosure of persons with significant control (PSC) who have at least five per cent of voting equity holding or voting rights and who are ultimate beneficial owners of such registered entities to disclose such interest,” he added.
In his own remarks, Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, informed that the Global Support Unit of the Open Government Partnership through the Multi-Donor Trust Fund awarded a grant of $400,000 to Nigeria.
“This grant is managed by the World Bank and we are at the final stages of documentation for the release of this grant,”  Agba said.
The minister further noted that the OGP Multi-Donor Trust Fund Open Government Partnership with the support of development partners and working  together with World Bank,  established the OGP Multi-Donor Trust Fund (or the MDTF) to support “World Bank client countries and local entities that participate in OGP or intend to become eligible to participate in OGP.”
“With the support of French Development Agency, the Government of Canada, and the United Kingdom’ Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, the MDTF provides awards on a competitive basis to national and local participants with a multi stakeholder forum and to partners who will support the learning and building  of evidence of impact of OGP  commitments,” he stated.
He explained that the theme of this year’s Open Government week “focuses on how we renew or build again  governments, institutions and societies that are transparent,  accountable  participatory and inclusive.”
Presenting the keynote address, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, noted that with Nigeria as a leader in the Open Government Partnership, “it is clear that the rest of the world is looking with keen interest   at the process we employ in the development of this register and this presents us with the opportunity to share lessons from the process thus far with other countries.”
The SGF however, said there was still enormous work to be done on this Road to Nigeria’s Beneficial Ownership Transparency, adding that the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission “will provide further details about what has been done so far and what lies ahead.”

Leaders of 23 global travel companies sent a letter to President Biden Tuesday urging greater progress toward reopening international travel—as is successfully happening elsewhere in the world—and warning of dire economic consequences if U.S. borders remain shut.The letter notes that current science, the success of the U.S. vaccine rollout, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s own guidance allows for steps toward a safe resumption of international visitation.
“While U.S. borders remain closed to much of the world, the remarkable scientific advancements to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and the tremendous vaccine deployment achieved by your administration have allowed the safe resumption of many activities,” the letter reads.
“For all its economic and cultural contributions, international travel should be among them and it will hasten the economic recovery we all desire.”
The letter urges the establishment of a public-private task force by the end of May to develop a risk-based, data-driven roadmap for safely reopening international travel to the U.S.
The letter further states that efforts toward reopening should start by pursuing a “public health corridor” between the U.S. and the United Kingdom (U.K.), given its importance as a travel market and its similar pace of vaccinations and declining infection rates. On Friday, the U.K. categorized the U.S. in the “amber” middle tier of its new “traffic light” system for international travel.
The letter also urges the administration to utilize the upcoming G7 summit to seek commitments from other world leaders to develop and implement a global framework for reopening international travel.
“The U.S. must be a global leader in restarting international travel,” the letter says. “Using science and data as our guide, it is possible to reopen our borders and establish these important public health corridors.” 
The letter says steep declines in international travel in 2020 resulted in the loss of $150 billion in U.S. export income and 1.1 million domestic jobs, according to figures provided by the U.S. Travel Association. If nothing is done to lift entry restrictions, the U.S. is projected to lose an additional $175 billion by the end of this year.
Though positive signs for domestic leisure travel have been widely reported, international and business-related travel—which together comprised more than a third of direct-travel jobs in the U.S. in 2019—remain almost completely halted, with a recovery for both expected to take years without significant policy action.

A professor of virology, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, has revealed that the deadly Indian COVID-19 variant has already entered Nigeria.
Tomori, who revealed this to our correspondent, said Nigeria has recorded five cases of the Indian COVID-19 variant in Osun and Edo states.
“The NCDC has discovered the India strain in Nigeria, but nobody is telling you that. This is the kind of message we should be telling Nigerians, that the Indian strain of COVID-19 is here with us,” he said.
According to him, if Nigerians decide to observe celebrations like Sallah, the country may end up like India.
“Remember what happened in December 2020 when Nigerians decided to celebrate Christmas, traveling from one place to another and then in January we had a surge of cases and people started dying due to COVID-19. We need to learn from India. The people of India let down their guards and we all can see the consequences of their actions,” said Tomori.
The virologist further stated that Nigeria is not carrying out enough tests, hence the reason for the low figures of COVID-19 cases recorded in Nigeria.
“Imagine in a whole state, NCDC only reported one sample in a week. Also, in the 36 states of the federation, only three states are reporting or testing for the last two to three months. So the low figures of cases reported was because we are not testing.

“There is increasing cases of people who want to travel but could not because they are COVID-19 positive. This should tell us that COVID-19 is still very much with us,” he added.
Tomori, however, commended the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 for the re-introduction of the restriction of movement and gathering to curb the spread of the virus in the country.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has enjoined health workers and the public to regularly wash their hands in order to protect themselves from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
The Director General of NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, stated this during a lecture organised by the centre in collaboration with the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, Abuja, to mark this year's World Hand Hygiene Day.
Represented by Dr Chinwe Ochu, Director of Prevention Programme and Knowledge Management at the centre, Dr Ihekweazu said hand washing was an effective way of preventing diseases for health workers, patients and the general public.
While noting that COVID-19 had further underscored the need for hand washing, he said hand washing facilities or sanitisers needed to be provided at the points of care to ensure safety of health workers and patients.
The centre said it launched the "Orange Network" in 2019, a network of dedicated tertiary health facilities in Nigeria supported by NCDC, to become centres of excellence in infection prevention and control.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of FMC, Jabi, Prof Saad, described hand hygiene as a simple and costless procedure that reduced a lot of morbidity and mortality in the health sector.
Prof Saad said this year's Hand Hygiene Day commemoration was focused at the points of care - that is hospitals and health care workers.
He further said, "Here we look at three elements, the health worker himself, the patient and also the treatment or procedure that is being given. Within this circle, you need to break the cycle of transmission of infectious diseases, otherwise one can pick some diseases from the patient back to the health worker or from the health worker back to the patient; or even transmit from one patient to another patient.

"So it is essential that one should wash hands before treating any patient, and after examining one patient going to the next, do the same thing."
He added that his hospital had an Infection, Prevention and Control Committee (IPCC) that had trained staff and monitored compliance.


Paying attention to personal hygiene can prevent many diseases.

The Super Eagles are in Group C with Cape Verde, Central Africa Republic, and Liberia
The coronavirus pandemic continues to cause disruptions and havoc in sporting calendars and the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers are the latest to be postponed on account of the pandemic.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria and other African countries were meant to start their quest for a place at Qatar 2022 in June but FIFA and CAF have jointly announced a shift in the commencement of the World Cup qualifiers on the continent.
In a statement on the FIFA official website, the world football governing body explained the decision for the postponement was occasioned by the prevailing COVID-19 situation in Africa.
The statement read: "FIFA can confirm that in conjunction with CAF and taking into consideration the current disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to ensure optimal playing conditions for all teams, it has been decided to postpone the African qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™️ that were due to be played in June 2021.
"The qualifiers are now scheduled to take place in the existing windows of September, October, November 2021, and March 2022."
The Emergency Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) also released a statement on its official website on Thursday.
"The CAF Emergency Committee, in consultation with FIFA, decided to postpone the CAF qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 that were due to be played in June 2021 after taking into consideration the current challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need to ensure the optimal playing conditions for all participating teams.
"The qualifiers will now take place in the existing windows of September, October, November 2021, and March 2022.
"CAF is reassessing its protocols and processes to enhance the implementation of COVID-related protocols, including specifically focusing on pre-match testing which had been the source of some challenges in previous windows.
"Full details on the updated match schedule will be provided in due course."
The Super Eagles are in Group C with Cape Verde, Central Africa Republic, and Liberia.
The top teams in each of the 10 groups will go into a play-off stage to decide the five countries that will represent Africa at next year's World Cup in Qatar.

The member representing Ede North and Ede South in the House of Representatives, Hon Bamidele Salam (PDP-OSUN) on Wednesday lamented that over 40 million Nigerians who are carriers of the sickle cell gene have no easy access to quality health care in the country.
Hon Salam made the revelation in Abuja while speaking at a public hearing on five health-related bills before the House
The lawmaker whose bill which seeks to establish the National Agency for Sickle Cell disease and other heritable blood disorder for the treatment, prevention, control, management of and research on sickle cell disease and other heritable blood disorder in Nigeria said Nigerians suffering from the ailment deserved quality attention like others.
While quoting figures from the World Health Organisation, Salam also declared that at least 100,000 babies die from the disorder in Nigeria every year, making it the number one sickle cell endemic country in Africa and the country with the highest-burden of sickle cell disorder in the world.
He lamented that it was unfortunate that despite the large number of Nigerians carrying the gene, there was no single legal framework in Nigeria for the prevention, control and treatment of the endemic, while about 150,000 children were being born with the disorder in Nigeria every year.
According to him “Sickle cell disease is a group of blood disorder typically inherited from a person’s parents. The most common type is known as sickle cell anaemia. Sickle cell anaemia is a condition in which there are not enough healthy red blood cells to transport adequate oxygen through the body
“This leads to a rigid, sickle-like shape under certain circumstances. These sickle-shaped cells can stick to blood vessel walls blocking the flow of oxygen to organs, causing excruciating pains, popularly called crises
“Nigeria has the largest population of people with Sickle cell disease in the world, with over 150,000 babies born with it every year. Sadly, there is no single legal framework in Nigeria for the prevention, control and treatment of this endemic.”
He pointed out that the overall intendment of the bill was to improve the lives of people suffering from Sickle cell disease, recognize the disease as a serious and debilitating illness, and allocate new resources to monitoring, researching and treating it.
The lawmaker added that the Bill seeks to formulate and implement policies, guidelines and strategies on sickle cell disease and other heritable blood disorders; facilitate the engagement of all tiers of government and all sectors on issues of sickle cell disease and other heritable blood disorders prevention, care and support.
The bill he also said would also advocate for the mainstreaming of sickle cell disease and other heritable blood disorders interventions into all sectors of the country; promote, improve and support research and learning in sickle cell disease and other heritable blood disorders, create awareness on sickle cell disease and other heritable blood disorders; protect patients’ rights including the right to humane treatment and freedom from abuse; and promote and coordinate partnerships and collaborations with national and international organizations.
According to him, “despite being one of the most common generic and blood diseases, and the fact that we have known about it for several decades, Nigerians with Sickle cell disease continue to face a variety of barriers when trying to access care.
“Individuals with Sickle cell disease not only suffer from chronic, debilitating pains and are at the risk for other serious complications, many of them also lack access to the medications they need.
“This bill will provide a means of ensuring that we have the resources to better understand this disease and to maintain access to services for those affected by it.
“Other diseases that impact a similar or even smaller number of people receive more attention, and at times, more resources to help the patients.
“It is not out of place to therefore allocate necessary resources to monitor, research and treat it. The proposed legislation marks a significant step forward in our efforts to combat sickle cell on all fronts- research, surveillance, prevention and treatment.
We owe it to those suffering every day to do everything possible to find a cure”.
While declaring open the public hearing, the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila the reiterated the commitment of the House to ensuring improved access to healthcare, improved funding for healthcare research and training as well as providing for healthcare professionals in the country.
According to him, “when we resumed office in the 9th Assembly, we set out a Legislative Agenda that outlined the scope of our governing ambitions; the problems we intended to solve and the challenges we hoped to overcome.
“In that document, we made commitments to improve access to healthcare services for all our nation’s people, increase funding for healthcare research, and improve the mechanisms for training and providing for our healthcare professionals amongst other things.
“Our gathering here today, and tomorrow, is in partial fulfilment of these ambitions. We are here to review five bills currently under consideration in the House of Representatives”.
“Bills before the House are mere legislative proposals, for now, the primary purpose of the public hearing is to give stakeholders from across the country the opportunity to make contributions that will improve these Bills so that the ambitions that underpin them may be achieved in full.
He stressed that the success of the hearing would depend entirely on the quality of the contributions that would be made through the memoranda submitted to the Committee and the conversations that would be held during
the public hearing.

Nigeria’s Black Stallion player Azeez Oladipo has stated that players are distraught after the correspondence from Rugby Afrique placed Nigeria on suspension owing to what is interpreted as government interference.
Ladipo speaking in a chat with brila.net said it’s an unfortunate situation at the moment and that Nigeria will have to respond giving assurances that the NRFF is still been run by the President of the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation Kelechi Mbagu without which the ban will be upheld from mere suspension to full-blown ban by next week meaning Nigeria will not participate at the Rugby world cup qualifiers next month in South Africa.

Mississippi Will Be Third Southern Licensee for Steep Hill’s National Lab Network
Steep Hill, the United States’ first commercial cannabis testing lab, expands with a new licensee partner into the state of Mississippi. Mississippi is the 36th state to pass a comprehensive medical cannabis program when voters gave their approval this past November election. Steep Hill will be one of the first testing labs to license its technology in Mississippi.
Steep Hill, CEO, Nigel Stobart, made the announcement today, "Steep Hill Mississippi, our new licensee partner, is a sophisticated operations group. We are excited to partner with them to bring high quality, reliable compliance testing and customer service to Mississippi’s forthcoming medical market. Their group boasts an exceptional leadership team with deep experience in various industries within the state. They will seamlessly integrate the lab processes into the Mississippi state program to provide best in class support to their testing customers."
Leading the Steep Hill Mississippi management team will be Mark Henderson, founding partner & CEO. Mark is a native Mississippian, who has been committed to leading edge entrepreneurial work since 2005. Having started Mississippi’s first legal brewery, Mark has been actively engaged in the processing, analysis, and quality control related to moving raw materials from agricultural production to consumer goods for nearly 20 years. Mark Henderson announced, "Steep Hill has been a leader in developing analytical processes and procedures for ensuring the safety and quality of cannabis. It was critical for us to team up with a partner that is as committed to quality and consistency as we are and a partner that has been at the frontlines of this cannabis industry since the beginning."
Joining the Steep Hill Mississippi Board of Managers is cofounder Cliff Osbon, R.Ph. Cliff refers to Mississippi as his "adopted home state" having lived and worked in Mississippi for almost three decades. Cliff is a registered pharmacist and healthcare entrepreneur and has led several previous healthcare ventures successfully. Cliff currently consults for various healthcare industry stakeholders. He is a past president of the Mississippi Pharmacists Association and is a board member of the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association. Cliff said, "Having seen firsthand the suffering of patients who could not legally obtain medical marijuana, I am eager to help ensure a safe and reliable supply of this important product for the citizens of Mississippi."
Steep Hill Mississippi will be available to support production activities in the third quarter of 2021. "Our laboratory will be strategically located in central Mississippi giving us the ability to support cultivators and processors throughout the state with timely pickup and quick turnaround analysis," confirmed Mark.
For information, please contact Steep Hill Mississippi at: info@ms.steephill.com or call: (601) 910-3001.
ABOUT STEEP HILL
Steep Hill is a leading cannabis science company with significant footprints in lab testing and research and development. Steep Hill’s foundation was built on testing and analyzing medical and recreational cannabis to ensure compliance with current safety standards. In 2008, Steep Hill opened the first commercial cannabis lab in the United States. Steep Hill is currently expanding throughout the United States, and globally. With the goal of helping the rest of the world adopt "best practices" in cannabis testing, the company also provides expert consulting services to many regions around the world. Steep Hill: "Globally Driven. Locally Focused."

Already taking action in north-east Nigeria since 2009, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL now intervenes in the north-west which is affected by growing insecurity and massive displacements of population.
NEW AREA OF INTERVENTION
North-west Nigeria has sadly been making the headlines at the beginning of the year, after a series of mass kidnappings. Including the one from the Jangebe boarding school, in Zamfara state, during which 317 girls were abducted. These abductions for ransom add up with village attacks, murders and pillaging that the local population already has to face.
These acts of violence are led by criminal groups, mainly consisting of breeders and farmers condemning the increasing scarcity of arable land due to global warming. These groups of « bandits » (name given to these groups in the area) now also include idle youngsters who joined because of the lack of livelihood, leading to great poverty.
Community tensions have quickly resulted in criminal actions. In addition, these bandits operate next to big corridors of various kinds of trafficking, that are used by many radical armed groups active in the area.
The resulting extreme violence has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their villages and seek refuge in host communities, obligated then to share already scarce resources.

The concept, ‘Africa as the centrepiece of Nigeria’s foreign policy’ originated in the First Republic as the Tafawa Balewa government gave Africa a pride of place in the newly independent Nigeria’s foreign policy formulation.  
In line with the policy, Nigeria had overwhelmingly given both solicited and unsolicited support to African countries, intervened positively in their internal crises, provided humanitarian services, doled out billions of naira as charity, and sent out Nigerian professionals as technical corps. Nigeria also provided invaluable military support.
Checks by The ICIR show that, since 2015, Niger Republic, a neighbouring West African country, has received more attention from the Nigerian government and enjoyed a more special, closer relationship with Nigeria than other African countries.
The ICIR highlights developments and events which underscore the special relationship between Nigeria and Niger Republic under the Buhari administration.
Currently, the Nigerian government is constructing a $2 billion railway that will run from Kano State to Maradi in Niger Republic. Maradi, the second-largest city in Niger Republic, is regarded as the centre of the country’s developing oil industry. Buhari performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the new rail line on February 9, 2021.
A Portuguese construction company, Mota-Engil, was awarded the contract to build the 284 kilometres standard-gauge line with 12 stations from Kano in northern Nigeria to Maradi in landlocked Niger Republic.
Speaking at the virtual ground-breaking ceremony, Buhari said the new rail line would generate more revenue for Nigeria while also enabling the people of Niger Republic to enjoy affordable transportation.
About a month after the commencement of the construction of the railway, a member of Buhari’s cabinet, Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, revealed that he travelled to Niger Republic to beg the government of the West African country to allow Nigeria to build a railway for them.
“To even get to Maradi, I had to travel to Niger Republic even to beg them. They are not bringing their money. It is our money. But I am begging them to allow me access into Maradi,” Amaechi said.
The minister noted that the railroad would enable Niger Republic to import and export goods through Nigeria. According to him, Niger Republic preferred making imports and exports through Benin Republic, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Togo.
Eyebrows were raised when, in November 2020, the Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the government of Niger Republic for the importation of petroleum products from that country.

Seeking in the words of one governor to put “the long Covid nightmare behind us”, several US states on Saturday resumed use of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.
US health officials said on Friday they were lifting an 11-day pause, advisers having decided the shot’s benefits outweighed a rare risk of blood clot.
Indiana, New York, Virginia, Missouri and Michigan were among states to move first.
“The state of New York will resume administration of this vaccine at all of our state-run sites effective immediately,” Andrew Cuomo, the governor, said on Saturday.
“The vaccine is the weapon that will win the war against Covid and allow everyone to resume normalcy, and we have three proven vaccines at our disposal. The sooner we all get vaccinated, the sooner we can put the long Covid nightmare behind us once and for all.”
The federal government uncovered 15 cases of a highly unusual blood clot out of nearly 8 million people given the J&J shot. All were women, most under 50. Three died and seven remain hospitalized.
Ultimately, federal officials decided J&J’s vaccine was critical to fight the pandemic – and that the small clot risk could be handled with warnings to help younger women decide if they should seek an alternative.
Indiana announced on Saturday the resumption of a mass clinic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, offering the J&J vaccine to anyone 18 or older. The clinic will operate at least through 30 April, when there will be a family day at which 16- and 17-year-olds also can be vaccinated.
“I can’t think of a better way to welcome the month of May in Indiana than getting your vaccine this week at the Yard of Bricks,” said Dr Chris Weaver, chief clinical officer for Indiana University Health, partnering with the state in running the speedway clinic.
Virginia officials told providers to immediately resume use of the J&J vaccine.
“This extra scrutiny should instill confidence in the system that is in place to guarantee Covid-19 vaccine safety,” said Dr Danny Avula, the state vaccine coordinator. “As with any vaccine, we encourage individuals to educate themselves on any potential side effects and to weigh that against the possibility of hospitalization or death from Covid-19.”
Avula received the J&J vaccine on 1 April.
Missouri officials said providers could begin administering the J&J shot and that shipments would resume next week. Just over 105,000 doses of J&J were administered in Missouri before the pause.
Later, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the US had administered 225,640,460 vaccine doses by Saturday morning and distributed 290,685,655.
The agency said 138,644,724 people had received at least one dose while 93,078,040 had been fully vaccinated. The tally included two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech and the J&J shot.
A total of 7,789,075 doses had been administered in long-term care facilities.

As a nurse in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, Linda Banda is at the front of her country’s queue for a covid-19 vaccine. But she is wary. “I’m not sure it’s a safe move,” says the 26-year-old.
Such attitudes are complicating Malawi’s plans. The country received its first vaccines on March 5th. Seven weeks later it has used only about half of its 512,000 doses, most of which came via covax, an alliance co-led by the World Health Organisation (who). About 16,000 doses are set for the incinerator after expiring last week.