The Katsina State Government says it is investigating the causes of the unusual rise in deaths being recorded daily across the state.
Governor Aminu Masari stated this during a press briefing on Tuesday on the update on COVID-19 in the state.
He said that the government has trained pathologists who would do the investigation on the causes of the deaths in the state.
“The pathologists will investigate what is responsible for the massive deaths being recorded.
“Most of the people who died were elderly persons, without going to hospital.
“The pathologists will get samples of some of the dead persons to confirm whether it is as a result of COVID-19 or not,” he said.
On COVID-19, the governor said that the state government now has about 400 samples waiting for testing by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC.
He urged the security agents to continue to enforce measures taken to prevent the spread of the disease by enforcing restrictions on interstate movement and inter-local government movement.
The governor also urged residents to continue to be law-abiding as the measures being taken were in everyone’s best interests.
Mr Masari revealed that the mobile courts would continue to enforce compliance on the restriction of movements of people from one local government area to another.
He added that interstate movement would continue to be prohibited for now, until the situation improved.
....Urge FG to speed up 2nd Niger Bridge completion
Motorists plying the Niger- Bridge on Tuesday raised the alarm over the vibrations of the bridge even as the lockdown order by the federal government persists.
The commercial vehicle operators including private car owners plying the Onitsha bridge head, who spoke to our correspondent, said that the vibration of the bridge clearly shows that the situation may portend grave danger if steps are not taken to ensure that the situation returns to normal.
They also called on the federal government to expedite action towards the completion of the Second Niger Bridge to avoid major traffic congestion, adding that despite the lockdown order, the current situation had poses serious threat to the lives of those driving on the bridge.
According to the drivers, the bridge was currently vibrating due to the weight of heavy duty vehicles and other vehicles trapped on the bridge, warning that if nothing is done to ensure the completion of the Second Niger-Bridge, the bridge may some day collapse.
A driver, Francis Ikechukwu said that ” the bridge is weak due to the heavy traffic over the years and if nothing is done, it may collapse.
“There is always hold up on the bridge head and with many heavy duty trucks conveying goods, the situation may also lead to loss of lives and property. The bridge is vibrating each time vehicles drive on it and it is becomes disturbing.”
A civil servant in Anambra state, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, described the bridge as a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
He said: “Do you know that the Niger Bridge is vibrating now? If you are caught in traffic on the bridge, you will notice your car vibrating. The bridge is completely weak and can no longer withstand the pressure from vehicles.
“I go to Onitsha every day except this lockdown period for my work from Asaba, so I don’t know what will happen to the bridge if the vibration persist and there is no response.”
Mr. Philip Okafor, a commercial bus driver running the Asaba to Onitsha route, said: “The federal government should fast-track the construction of the Second Niger Bridge.
“In fact, each time I drive on the bridge, I will be praying hard inside me; the situation is terribly a bad omen. If nothing is done, it will spell doom one day.
“The bridge is vibrating now, it means it is very weak and cannot survive another test of time, hence the federal government should do something about it very urgently.”
Officials of the Federal Ministry of Works in Asaba, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, described the situation of the bridge as pathetic.
“The bridge is vibrating now and it is receiving the attention it needs. We are working seriously on it and we cannot speak further on the situation,” they stated.
A Presidential source has told P.M.NEWS that President Muhammadu Buhari did not cancel any appointment or approval made by the late Chief of staff Abba Kyari.
This is contrary to a report circulating in the social media.
The Guardian reported that Buhari directed his new Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari to cancel about 150 appointments or memos done by Kyari, without his principal’s acquiescence.
No fewer than 150 memos without the President’s authorisation may have been affected, according to the report.
But a spokesman of the President emphatically denied the story.
“The Guardian that wrote the report has amended it several times. There is no substance in it. It’s all fake news”, he said.
Abba Kyari died in Lagos on 17 April, from coronavirus complications. He was 67.
President Buhari issued a rare eulogy for his aide, describing him not just as a loyal staff, but also as a friend.
“Working, without fail, seven days each and every week, he acted forcefully as a crucial gatekeeper to the presidency, ensuring no one – whether minister or governor had access beyond another – and that all those representing and serving our country were treated equally”, Buhari said in his tribute.
“He made clear in his person and his practice, always, that every Nigerian – regardless of faith, family, fortune or frailty – was heard and treated respectfully and the same.
“Mallam Abba Kyari was the very best of us. He was made of the stuff that makes Nigeria great. Rest In Peace, my dearest friend”, Buhari added.
A pro-All Progressives Congress body, APC Mandate Defenders, has accused some ministers of the Buhari administration of carrying themselves like they own the federal ministries.
They raised the alarm while condemning some ministers’ violation of Nigeria’s Public Service Rules, including the arbitrary sack of parastatal heads.
The group expressed dismay on Sunday in a statement signed by the Publicity Secretary, Ifeanyi Emeka.
DAILY POST recalls a December 2019 instance when the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, sacked two senior officials within 24 hours.
They are Marilyn Amobi, Managing Director of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) and Damilola Ogunbiyi, former Managing Director of Rural Electrification Agency.
Interestingly, President Muhammadu Buhari overruled Mamman in both cases.
In canceling Ogunbiyi’s suspension, the presidency tweeted: “Her resignation effective 31 December 2019 has been accepted to enable her to take up her new UN appointment.”
In a strongly-worded complaint, the APC group recalled that Buhari himself directed that all executive matters be forwarded to him through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.
They noted that collaboration will enable the government achieve quicker results, but lamented that certain ministers and heads of agencies were working in contrast at the expense of efficient service delivery.
The group restated that the main duty of a minister is to articulate and guide the implementation of government policies as well as represent his/her ministry at the Federal Executive Council (EFCC) meeting.
“Some ministers now see themselves as lords over their subordinates instead of working together to achieve Mr. President’s vision and plans for the country.
“Just recently, the immediate past female managing director of an intervention agency of the Federal Government said she was removed by the minister in charge of her ministry simply because she refused to yield to the minister’s unpatriotic and irrational demands from her.
“We have seen several instances where unnecessary bickering and personal differences between a minister and a chief executive have brought embarrassments to the government, despite an existing public service rule which had already addressed the issue.”
The group condemned how Mustapha, who supervises and coordinates government programmes and policies, has been under attack for reminding ministers of an existing process to be followed before any chief executive is removed.
“Contents of the Public Service Rules were not written by Boss Mustapha but were formulated by the Government of Nigeria to ensure effective service delivery and prevent arbitrary removal of any chief executive who a minister does not like his or her face as well as to promote national interest over personal interest.
“Is it something that should warrant the barrage of attacks and campaigns of calumny against the SGF by some vested interests and influence peddlers in the power sector”, the statement asked.
More than three months after inauguration as the governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri is yet to appoint commissioners. Gov. Diri marked his first hundred days in office yesterday after being inaugurated as the fifth executive governor of the state on February 14, 2020, after the Supreme Court nullified the election of Chief David Lyon of the APC due to his running mate’s certificate scandal. Our correspondent reports that some of the commissioners who served under the immediate past Governor, Seriake Dickson, are still serving in their capacities under Diri’s government.
For instance, Dickson’s Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Maxwell Ebibai, is still serving in the ministry with the new nomenclature of technical assistant to the governor on finance, Dickson’s Special Adviser on Security, Mr. Buma Sparow-Jack, is also still functioning in his office with the new nomenclature, technical assistant on security, among others.
A civil rights activist, David West, queried the accuracy of the 2020 budget presented by the governor to the House of Assembly last month when there were no commissioners to prepare or defend the budget before the assembly.
The acting Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Daniel Alabrah, during a programme: “Democratic Watch” in a state-based radio, appealed to Bayelsans who were calling for the governor to form cabinet to be patient as the pronouncement would be made soon.
The police in Lagos have arrested a boy identified as Chima for allegedly setting his elder sister ablaze.
Victoria was alleged to be two months pregnant at the time the incident occurred at their residence around CAC Bus Stop in Okokomaiko, Ojo, on May 14.
The Nation gathered Chima had picked up a keg in the kitchen to hit his sister, Victoria, 20, for allegedly slapping their mother not knowing that the keg contained Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in it.
It was learnt that the trio was in the kitchen of their restaurant when an argument ensued between Victoria and their mother.
Trouble was said to have started after the woman chided her daughter for leaving their residence to cohabit with men.
Victoria, it was gathered, did not like the scolds and in no time raised her hand against her mother, which forced Chima to grab a nearby keg to hit.
But the content allegedly poured out with some of it touching Victoria, which ignited fire leaving her with severe burns.
It was learnt that the girl was initially taken to a nearby hospital on Kemberi road, Okokomaiko but doctors rejected her and referred them to Alimosho General Hospital, Igando where she was confirmed dead.
According to sources, the deceased’s cry and smoke that billowed from the kitchen attracted neighbours who assisted in putting out the fire.
Chima was said to have attempted fleeing the scene after realising the harm he had done his sister but was restrained by youths in the community who later handed him over to the police.
According to a resident, Sunday Ezekiel, the altercation between them did not warrant the use of fuel, adding that all they heard was the girl’s distress cry and then the thick smoke from the kitchen.
It was learnt that their mother who tried to put out the fire also sustained burn injuries on her legs.
Contacted, police spokesman Bala Elkana confined the incident, adding that the suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Yaba for further action.
Elkana said he was not aware the deceased Victoria was pregnant.
A former deputy editor of Brittle paper, Otorisirieze Obi-young, who was sacked under controversial circumstances, has gotten a new job.
The journalist, who was axed over editorial concerns trailing a controversial post about Kaduna State’s first lady, Hadiza El-Rufai, and alleged insubordination, has been named the editor of Folio.ng, a pan-African platform for cultural and literary advancements.
His appointment was contained in a statement by the management of Folio Group, publishers of Daily Times Newspaper, issued in Abuja.
The newspaper’s statement read: “We are proud to welcome a great talent on-board. Otosirieze Obi-Young is an award-winning writer and editor.
“He won the inaugural The Future Awards Africa Prize for Literature in 2019 and was among Avance Media’s 2020 list of the 100 most influential young Nigerians.
“His short stories and literary commentary have appeared in The Threepenny Review and Transition.
“In 2018, he was named a judge for The Gerald Kraak Prize. In 2019, he joined the judging panel for The MilesMorland Foundation Writing Scholarship. He is (was) an editor at 14, Nigeria’s first queer art collective, and is the founder of the Art Naija Series anthologies.”
Controversial sack
Mr Obi-Young, who had been deputy editor of Brittle Paper since 2016, was dismissed following disagreements with the paper’s publisher after he wrote a scathing piece on Mrs El-Rufai.
His post chided Mrs El-Rufai for issuing a controversial tweet after her son, Bello El-Rufai, posted a tweet filled with rape innuendos on Twitter.
The younger El-Rufai has since apologised publicly.
The paper’s publisher, Aniehi Edoro, had expressed concerns about Mr Obi-young’s criticism of some Nigerian papers on the issue and also faulted the use of the term, ‘gang rape’ in the article’s title.
She then asked him to re-edit the piece. Although Mr Obi-Young agreed to effect some changes, “he refused to change the headline – which led to the misunderstanding,” she had explained.
Ms Edoro, later defending the sack, said Mr Obi-Young, “after flouting editorial guidelines of the company was unwilling to make changes in the report.”
“Unfortunately, this all occurred at a time I had to prepare time sensitive lectures for my students, and without sufficient time to edit the post. The time difference between Nigeria and the U.S. also left me with little time to act quickly, so I pulled the post down as the exigent thing to do.”
She added that “the ex-deputy editor hung up the phone when she attempted to have a conversation (with him).”
Elated
The young editor said he had no regrets about leaving his former employment.
“I do not regret that I did the right thing. Not at all. I think that everyone should look back at their roles and responses to what happened and decide what they want to feel; and no matter what they decide, there’s only one right side,” he said.
Sharing his excitement about his new post, he said “his vision for creative freedom allies with the Times Multimedia’s vision for Folio NG.”
“I am excited that Times Multimedia’s vision and mine for Folio NG are in full alliance. My sense of urgency is always, when I am not doing much, on an 8. Now it’s on the roof because we are looking to build a pioneering platform.
“I’ve always thought of how to do things differently and with greater significance, but because I have worked mostly in literature; I am also familiar with feeling helpless in terms of execution— no funding.
“So this is the first time that I have the necessary creative freedom, and the full backing of TMM, to pursue the collective vision I was hired to realise,” he said.
The Enforcement Team of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has discovered and dismantled a first-ever Indian hemp clandestine laboratory for the production of hashish oil in Lagos State.
The laboratory is located at 7 Imam Augusto Close, Victoria Island, Lagos State. Spokesman of the NDLEA, Jonah Achema, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said the lab was managed by one Oladapo Ifedayo Oluseyi Adedayo, a graduate of the University of Southern Denmark with a degree in Electronic Engineering.
He said Adedayo is a half-caste, whose late Nigerian father was a Professor from Ondo State; and that the suspect runs the lab with his Danish mother, Dr. (Mrs) Jyetter Marie (Nee Roug).
Achma said that in the course of the operation code-named Hash-Caste, the Agency arrested Mr. Adedayo, the suspected owner of the laboratory which engages in the indoor growing of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) and processing same into Hashish oil through clandestine laboratory extraction.
“Aged 42, Adedayo claimed to have been pushed into the hydroponic cannabis growing and Hashish Oil extraction following the collapse of his inverter, metering and solar installation company in 2019.
“He said he noticed that there is so much money to be made in view of the high demand for Hashish oil in the international market as a curative medicine for cancer.
“Adedayo’s expansive premises is well fortified with protective dogs and himself well-armed, ostensibly to put up resistance from the suspected onslaught of law enforcement agencies.
“In the course of the operation, several drug exhibits were recovered including 911 grams of Cannabis seeds, 21 Kilograms of Cannabis-infused Ethanol, 83 grams of Hashish Oil 123mg THC-70 CBD, 1.127 Kilograms of Cannabis Cream, 80 grams of fresh Cannabis plant and 25 grams of dried Cannabis plant,” Achema said.
He listed other items found in the active laboratory as: 500 grams of Potassium Hydroxide Pellets, Propyl Alcohol, 500 grams of Sodium Hydroxide Pellets, Distilled water, Water Aspirator Vacuum Pump, Round bottom Flasks, Citric Acid, PH Meter, Retort Stands, Distillation Flasks, and Printer. Also recovered from the laboratory are wireless wifi, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Pipes, Wooden base for Hydroponic System of Cannabis growing, LED floodlighting for Photosynthesis purpose for the Cannabis indoor planting and one product of Berreta 92 Pistol (a short gun) with 13 rounds of live ammunition.
He said that while two vehicles belonging to the suspect were seized as they were suspected to have been acquired from the proceeds of the illicit drug trade, also detected were two bank accounts belonging to the suspect and one jointly operated by the suspect and his mother.
The NDLEA spokesman quoted the agency’s Chairman/Chief Executive, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (Rtd.), to have noted that the drug trade is “assuming a hitherto unthinkable dimension for somebody to turn his premises into a cannabis farm and also establish in the same premises a laboratory to process the proceeds into bye products such as Hashish.”
Abdallah was also said to have urged all stakeholders to deploy all means “to contain this daredevilry because Nigeria cannot afford a dangerous brew of Hashish Oil and that of methamphetamine which the Agency has been working assiduously to put an end to its local production.”
Ahead of governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress, the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has sought audience with the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The primaries is scheduled to hold next month.
Sources said Obaseki made the move to see Tinubu after the National Working Committee of the party announced the adoption of direct primaries and waiver for a new entrant into the party and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last election in the state, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
Both steps were believed to have been taken in order to put Obaseki at a disadvantage following his face-off with the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, which had remained unresolvable.
Oshiomhole, a former Governor of Edo State, is believed to be backing the candidacy of Ize-Iyamu for the governorship poll.
Though it could not be ascertained when Obaseki would visit Tinubu, it was learnt that the meeting will likely take place in the home of the former Governor of Lagos State in his Ikoyi home in Lagos.
Primero Transport Services Ltd., operator of the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) may withdraw its services on May 25, due to logistics problems and other issues, an authoritative source disclosed on Friday.
The source said that the company might likely run out of diesel and other supplies that would likely disrupt BRT operations.
“Primero is planning to withdraw all its buses from the road from May 25. The company is running out of diesel.
“Suppliers have not been supplying diesel fully because the firm is owing them. The company is currently running at a loss.
“Primero will run out of the supply of diesel and other supplies by Monday. So it is not likely the buses will run,” the source re-stated.
Efforts to talk with the Managing Director of the company, Mr Fola Tinubu, on the development was not successful.
On May 15, NAN reported a shortage of BRT buses across various routes, presence of long queues and an increase in awaiting time at BRT stations in Lagos.
BRT users have been complaining over the shortage of buses since the easing of the current lockdown on May 4.
On May 15, Tinubu said: “the way we are operating now is as if we are just running a social service for the people.
“Twenty passengers in the bus on the same old fare is not sustainable. We are piling up losses that we need to address urgently.
“Creditors are calling us. We need to address that urgently. The way it is right now is not sustainable.
“That was why we have limited buses on the roads. Every bus that is going up and down now is incurring so much loss.”
The Lagos State Government had directed the 70-capacity buses to carry only 21 passengers.
The Lagos State Executive Council has approved review of the state’s 2020 Budget by 21 per cent.
The state Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Sam Egube, made this known at a press briefing on Thursday in Lagos.
Egube said that this was to help mitigate the economic and social headwind precipitated by the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the state.
He said that the budget would be reduced to N920.5 billion against N1,168.6 trillion, hitherto approved by the State House of Assembly.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Lagos Assembly passed N1.169 trillion as the 2020 Appropriation Bill for the state.
The approved budget contained N457 billion recurrent expenditure and capital of N711 billion, showing a strong preference for capital projects by 60 per cent.
The commissioner listed some of the factors that necessitated the review of the 2020 Budget to include: fall in crude oil prices with deleterious effects on statutory allocation expectations, downward pressure of IGR and devaluation of the Naira.
He added that reduced public and private investment, increased inflation, decline in demand for goods and services and reduction in manufacturing activities portended increased unemployment and lower GDP growth.
Egube said that part of the state’s holistic approach to COVID-19 shock already adopted by the state government included, maintaining a strong pandemic response, restarting the state economy and re-imagining the way of the state’s operations.
He explained that with the strong pandemic response, the state government would engender food security and safety net, provide economic stimulus, and ensure society was run by assuring public safety and wellbeing.
“To restart the economy, we are going to optimise the state’s budget for investments in jobs and priority sectors through jobs creation, economic stabilisation and fiscal consolidation.
“While to re-imagine the state economy, we will prepare the state to operate and thrive within the new reality with digitisation, business environment reforms and economic diversification,” the commissioner added.
He gave the breakdown of the budget as follows: the total budget size is reduced by 21 per cent from N1,168.6 trillion to N920.5 billion with the financing deficit increasing slightly by 11 per cent from N97.5 billion to N108.1 billion.
Recurrent expenditure (Debt and Non-Debt) declined by 10 per cent from the initial N457.5 billion to N411.61 billion and total capital expenditure reduced by 28 per cent from N711.033 billion to N508.9 billion.
The revised total revenue, according to Egube, represented a drop of 24 per cent from the projected N1,107.03 billion to N812.5 billion. (NAN)
An 18-year-old housewife, Salman Hassan, from Itas Gadau in Bauchi State, has stabbed her husband, Mohammed Mustapha, to death allegedly over sex, just after 11 days of marriage.
Speaking with Daily Sun at the Bauchi State Police Command headquarters, Bauchi, on Thursday, where she was paraded with other suspects, Salma said she stabbed her husband on the chest because he insisted on sleeping with her on that fateful night.
“We were married. We loved each other. After 11 days of our marriage he came to sleep with me but I refused. He hit me and I took a knife and stabbed him. I never meant to kill him. I only wanted to threaten him on the chest.
It was a small stab and I did not know he would die” Salam, who was emotional, said she regretted her action “I am in great suffering. I am in great bitterness. I don’t know what will happen to me”
The Commissioner of Police, Phillip Maku, disclosed that, Salma committed the crime on 24th of April, 2020.
He said one Hauna Musa reported at the Itas-Gadau Police Division after which she was arrested. Maku said that Mustapha sustained serious injury and was rushed to the General Hospital, Itas-Gadau for treatment where he was certified dead.
“The suspect was arrested and confessed to the crime. Exhibit recovered from the suspect was one knife,” the Commissioner of police, said.
Following the dwindling revenues occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said it may not be able to pay full salary of staff as from May 2020 until the industry returns to normalcy.
The agency however assured that as soon as the revenue situation improves, the balance would be paid. Daily Trust reports that there has been fear over salary payment by FAAN following the suspension of both local and international flights in April.
Daily Trust learnt that with the flight suspension, the main source of revenue of the agency has been shut.
The authority announced the decision to cut staff salary in an internal memo with reference number FAAN/HQ/ADMIN/2020O5 dated May 19, 2020 and signed by General Manager, Administration, FAAN, M.D. Musa. Titled, “Notice on payment of staff salary” addressed to all staff, the memo stated that the measure was to ensure the survival of the organization.
It was learnt that Junior staff would be paid their full salary while Senior staff from levels 10 and above would take between 30 to 50 per cent pay cut. Daily Trust reports that the aviation industry has faced a downturn with the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent flights restriction as part of the measures to contain the spread of the virus.
Many airlines had since April cut salary staff by as much as 80 per cent in addition to asking their workers to proceed on compulsory leave without pay. Similarly, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) was said to have held meetings with representatives of its workers over plan to pay half salary for the month of May.
Sources said the three unions rejected the proposal as talks are still ongoing to reach a compromise. Earlier in April, some stakeholders in the industry have advocated urgent grant for Aviation agencies like FAAN especially which runs its 22 airports including salary payment entirely with its internally generated revenue (IGR).
An industry player, Fortune Idu had earlier warned that FAAN might not be able to pay salary unless the Federal Government urgently intervened.
He said the effect of COVID-19 has taken a toll on the airports authority following the ban on local and international flights which has eaten deeply on the revenue generation of the authority. Idu, Chairman, NIGAV Centre and Airport Business Summit, said the COVID-19 has had negative impact on the authority which he described as the strongest player within the aviation industry.
More worrisome, he noted, was the fact that out of the 22 airports under the purview of FAAN, only two – The Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja generate the revenue to maintain other airports and pay salaries.
With the extension of flight ban for another one month, it means the revenue of the authority maybe reduced to zero with fears that the agency might find it hard to meet its monthly obligations especially payment of salaries to its over 12,000 workers nationwide.
Idu however suggested that Federal Government should assist the agency in the recovery of outstanding debts currently owed it by airlines, agencies and states. More so there should be a state intervention to keep the airports running amidst the COVID-19 pandemic while charging the authority to also look inward and close wastage gaps.
“It must be emphasized here that the critical position of FAAN as the pillar of the fragile and slowly developing Nigeria aviation sector requires that careful consideration be made by government in taking decision concerning the organisation and as such, retrenchment of staff cannot be considered in this circumstance but serious effort should be made to reposition FAAN to save the industry.”
He also stressed the need for the organization to begin to run like a private sector-like business model to make at least 10 out of its 22 airports viable and self-sustaining. He advised the agency to drastically reduce all operational and overhead cost emanating from non-critical mission services; close all areas of procurement wastage so as to recoup up to 20% of its revenue from streamlined operational procurements in fire and other department.
Idu added: “Efforts should be made to optimise the land rental services through a collaborative effort by stakeholders which will see land allocation within airports serve as quick revenue generation to allow for five per cent returns on turnover.
“FAAN should consider direct involvement in retail concessions through part ownership of retail outlets under PPP agreement to create bigger retail shops. Implementation of full automation of the revenue collection system in all revenue points especially the parking lots and the Toll gates and others.
"The dilemma of FAAN is that it whereas has 22 airports in its kitty, the burden of paying both salaries and running costs of the entire airports sadly rests on the revenue generation of just two of the airports.
"It is rather unfortunate to note that in the aviation industry, FAAN is the only airport authority with such a peculiar business model of airport subsidization.”
The Vice Chairman, Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases, Senator Sadiq Umar, has said that the COVID-19 pandemic has made some stubborn husbands to behave properly with their wives.
He said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the 34th joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19. He was speaking on a question on the outdated Mental Health And Illness Bill.
Umar said, “We have demonstrated that enough and I tell you something, even if you don’t want to do that, you know there is a new Sheriff in town now, it is called Oga Corona, COVID-19. Even stubborn husbands have been made to behave now with their wives and families.”
Speaking on the bill, the Senator said, “I can tell you authoritatively that this Senate is aware of how antiquated mental illness laws are so as at today, Distinguished Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe has sponsored a new robust Mental Illness Bill that has passed the First Reading, it has passed the Second Reading and it is referred to the Committee for the final preparations for passage.
“Unfortunately, with COVID-19 we can’t have public hearing, but as soon as we can have public hearing, this law will be passed expeditiously. Interestingly, mental illness is also important to us in the Senate that another Distinguished Senator, Senator Shettima brought another bill on mental illness.
It’s passed the First Reading and about to go for the Second Reading. “Be rest assured that mental illness concerns will be robustly taken care of by this National Assembly. However, let me say that laws alone will not solve our mental illness problem.
Mental illness is a multidimensional issue: emotional, economic and superstitions and society has a role to play, good governance has a role to play in it.”
He said the Senate at their meeting resolved that the nation need to be more aggressive, need to be more courageous in dealing with COVID-19 because the virus is here and it is going to be around for a long period. He added, “We can’t continue to run away, we have to take courageous decisions.
However, we will not take decisions so quickly without considering science and data and as scanty as data is so far, what is available is good enough for our scientists and we have a lot of them working with this team. “They should play around with the data and tell us what’s going on. We know what the morbidity and mortality are saying so far.
We need to open this country, but slowly, carefully and scientifically and we will do that so that the damage that COVID-19 is causing, economically nobody can quantify it, may be the morbidity and mortality we experiencing in Nigeria.
"Even if the government opens, the enforcement can best be carried out by taking responsibility. Citizens, you wash your hands, you social distance, you wear face masks. This is a life we’ll have to live for a long time to come. “I expect a cultural revolution.
COVID-19 should bring that culture revolution, which is for example like say social distance. We love parties, wedding ceremonies and these cost us billions of naira. Please let’s stop this for some time and reinvest that money in education and health.
Those who are rich and powerful already have enough money for their education and health. Please, reinvest that for the masses,” the Senator said.
The Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) office has accused university administrators of providing a payroll list containing dead staff for salary payment.
The government was reacting to accusations by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that IPPIS paid dead staff and generally cut its members’ salaries by as much as 50 per cent.
In a statement issued on Monday by Director of Information, Press and Public Relations, Henshaw Oguike, IPPIS explained why staff of tertiary institutions were paid less than what individual universities were paying them.
“On the alleged payment to dead university staff. It means the institutions deliberately forwarded to IPPIS the list containing dead ASUU members as being part of their personnel to get more personnel fund.
“It is the responsibility of the institutions or agencies to inform the IPPIS office about death, resignation or exit from service before due date. We sent payroll analysis to the tertiary institution bursars for review of any omission or names to be excluded,” the statement said.
IPPIS noted that prior to migration to IPPIS, institutions were not deducting correct rates of taxes and other deductions like PAYE, NHF deductions and contributing pension from their staff.
“The request by the tertiary institution unions to formalise tax evasion through IPPIS is not only untenable, but unpatriotic request to violate extant laws on tax,” it added.
The office described the complaints as “cheap propaganda by ASUU to denigrate IPPIS for obvious reasons.”
It also explained that payment of allowances was based on the salary structure as approved by Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (SIWC).
“Any other salaries and allowances approved by any other agency in Nigeria which are not formalised by these two agencies will amount to illegal payment.”
It added that IPPIS had forwarded pay slips for February, March and April 2020 to the mail boxes of bursars of the tertiary institutions to enable them generate such pay slips and distribute to their staff while the institutions have been advised to furnish IPPIS with active emails of their staff to enable IPPIS forward individual pay slips to their various emails in addition to bulk release of pay slips to the various institutions.
Twenty-year-old Margaret Ikumu, has come out of hiding after her family petitioned the Lagos State Police Command over her alleged death.
The family had on May 15, 2020, petitioned the police after the news of her death was announced on Facebook by her friends, Marvellous Mary and Nneka Buddy, whom Margaret allegedly connived with over her disappearance.
The family, who urged the police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged death of Margaret, stated that she ‘died’ under controversial circumstances and accused her friends of burying her without their consent.
According to one Tony Iji, who signed the petition on behalf of the family, Marvellous and Nneka were contacted by the family through Facebook and they told them that Margaret had instructed them not to allow members of her family to know anything about her death; hence she was buried without the family’s consent.
The petition read in part, “Since then, all efforts by our family and our community here in Lagos to know the cause and circumstances surrounding Margaret’s death have been rebuffed by Marvellous and Nneka, who are the only persons with information about her death. They later sent a chat message on WhatsApp to a member of our family with a picture of a casket showing that Margaret had been buried.
“All efforts by members of the family to get more details about the death and eventual burial of Margaret from Marvellous and Nneka Buddy have proved abortive due to their refusal to co-operate with us. Miss Marvellous Mary has threatened to discard her phone number 07040869026 after the burial as a way of blocking us from further reaching her and all efforts to call Margaret’s phone number, 0811377322, have not yielded any result as the phone is permanently switched off.
“We, therefore, appeal to the police authority under your leadership to intervene by investigating the incident with a view to establishing the facts and circumstances surrounding her death and eventual burial without the knowledge and consent of her family.”
However, in a twist, Margaret was said to have come out of hiding after the petition to the police went viral on the social media.
According to the family, although the whereabouts of Margaret are still unknown, she has communicated with her mother to tell her that she is alive.
In another statement by Iji, Margaret claimed that she was not aware of her obituary announcement on her Facebook wall.
The statement read in part, “To our surprise, in the evening of May 16, the unexpected result from the massive media publicity happened; Margaret, who was purportedly deceased, was forced out of hiding when she was noticed online through her Facebook page, which was offline throughout the period.
“When contacts were made with her on Facebook, she responded and later received phone calls from her mother and few of her uncles, and she told them that she did not know the reason for the obituary announcement on her Facebook wall.
“Our findings showed that the whole thing was a deliberate conspiracy by Margaret in connivance with her friends to stage-manage a fake story about her death to confuse her immediate family and the larger society for whatever reason that is best known to them.
“Till now, we have not been able to extract from her the reasons for her action, because she is still largely incommunicado even though she has affirmed that she is alive.”
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, who confirmed the receipt of the petition, said the police had been able to locate Margaret’s whereabouts.
“I am aware of the petition. We have been able to identify the location of the girl; she’s alive. We will investigate the report of her being dead and the reason behind it,” he stated.
•NAMA denies abandoning AIS, exposing staff to COVID-19
One of Nigeria’s domestic carriers, Air Peace, is expected to leave for China today to evacuate Nigerians willing to leave the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A source in the airline confirmed that the flight would take off today and may return early Tuesday morning, making it the first domestic carrier to be deployed in the evacuation of Nigerians since the pandemic started.
The Federal Government last week designated Air Peace to carry out evacuation flight on Thursday, May 14, to bring Nigerians who were stranded in Canada with the flight plan to airlift passengers from Toronto and Cagliari back to the country but the Canadian authorities refused to give it landing permit, causing the entire operation to be postponed.
But informed source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that the Canada High Commission had already opened talks with Ethiopia Airlines, which has been airlifting Canadian citizens from different parts of Africa to Canada to deny a Nigerian carrier the opportunity to airlift its own citizens.
But the Federal Government,through the Ministry of Aviation and Foreign Affairs, insisted that all evacuation flights should be conducted by Nigerian carriers. A document sourced from the Canada High Commission directed that passengers should pay $2, 500 to Ethiopian Airlines; while Air Peace charged $1, 134 and 319 passengers already made payment to it.
The directive from the Canada High Commission asked the would-be passengers to pay for Flight ET3900 from Lagos to Addis-Ababa that would depart from Lagos by 1:00 pm Nigerian time on May 18, 2020.
The directive asked the passengers to use the booking code: ”LOSYYZ”, valid only for May 15, 2020. Aviation experts like Dr. Gbenga Olowo, President of Aviation Round Table (ART), commended the Minister of Aviation, Captain Hadi Sirika, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Godfrey Onyeama, for insisting that a Nigerian carrier should be allowed to airlift the evacuees.
“The ART strongly supports the FG for maintaining its position that a Nigerian carrier should evacuate Nigerians from Canada and any other country. This is not a commercial flight; this is emergency flight operated under a force majure situation. This does not require commercial agreement or Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA). But what they want to do is to intimidate Air Peace and deny Nigeria the opportunity of its own airline to evacuate Nigerian citizens.
The Nigerian carrier is using a very good aircraft, a Boeing 777 ER (extended range), which is very good for the operation,” Olowo said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has denied reports that it has abandoned the implementation of Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) automation and exposed its personnel to the COVID-19
Responding to a statement from the Aeronautical Information Management Association of Nigeria (AIMAN) alleging that NAMA management has neglected the implementation of the AIS automation, thereby exposing personnel to Covid-19 pandemic, the General Manager, Public Affairs, Khalid Emele, said the allegations are false.
He said the joint pilot briefing offices where the AIS automation will operate from are simultaneously being installed with eight offices fully completed as another batch of equipment for installation landed on the seaport and is being cleared in Lagos.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) top echelon has commenced consultations toward remodelling the party’s manifesto as part of strategies ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Credible sources told our correspondent on Sunday in Abuja that the planned reform of the PDP manifesto was sequel to intense pressure on the party to meet the exigencies of the time.
Some members of the National Executive Committee (NEC), which is the second-highest decision-making organ of the PDP, confirmed to Daily Trust on Sunday that the National Working Committee (NWC) would soon constitute a committee to work on the reform of the manifesto.
A NEC member who craved anonymity said, “We are going to inject new things into our manifesto before 2023. We need a more robust manifesto.” “For instance, in the health sector, we were building Federal Medical Centres and Primary Health Care Centres to bring healthcare closer to the people.
“But it has become clear that what is required in Nigeria today is bigger than what those medical centres can do. So the party will reform its manifesto to address that.
“On the economy, PDP reintroduced mortgaging. We introduced E-wallet for farmers, we introduced the Social Investment Programme which the APC has bastardised. We need to keep abreast with the demands of what is happening in the world today,” he said.
BoT, NWC, govs, others to form committee A member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) also told our correspondent that “the party will need to create a committee to look at our manifesto and reform it to suit the demands of the 2023 general elections.
“The PDP has done fantastically well in terms of gender sensitivity. So we must rebuild our manifesto in such a way that will capture the demography and further strengthen the participation of members,” he added.
He hinted that the committee members would be drawn from the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), Board of Trustees (BoT), National Assembly Caucus, PDP Governors’ Forum and National Executive Committee (NEC) among others. He explained that the party was putting structures in place and working assiduously to topple the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
Sister alleges LUTH officials conspired brother’s lover to hide, loot him
By Precious Igbonwelundu
A woman, Mrs. Ngozi Adenuga, has accused some medical and social workers at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) of conspiring with her mentally unwell brother’s lover to hide him while withdrawing millions from his accounts.
Mrs. Adenuga, in a petition to the Area C Command, Surulere, alleged all efforts by the family to take their brother, Solomon Akukwe, a former worker at Chevron out of the facility for proper medical attention has met brick wall as his handlers only took instructions from the lover, Mariam Seidu, 28.
Trouble, according to Adenuga, started after one of Akukwe’s aides alleged the lady moved the man to unknown destination and was making plans to evacuate his properties, including his cars.
She said the informant told her Seidu was also using the man’s Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) card to make alleged suspicious transactions while still at his residence in Lagos.
Adenuga alleged that her brother suffered periodic mental illness, which made them move him to a rehabilitation centre in Abuja for treatment where he met Seidu before they eloped to Lagos.
In the petition titled “obtaining by trick (OBT), conspiracy to deteriorate a man’s health and plans to hijack his wealth,” received by the Area Command on May 14, Adenuga urged the police to intervene in the matter to prevent breakdown of law and order or choice to resort to terminal lawlessness.
She said those involved in the alleged plot were her brother’s lover, Seidu, were a doctor at LUTH, Prof. Adeyemi, Matron, Alhaja Lateef and the hospital’s social worker Ms. Tade.
Chronicling how Akukwe started suffering from what she terned “Spiro-psychiatric” which altered the way he thinks and acts, Adenuga said it began when one woman made him chase out his first wife and only son.
She alleged he took in the “strange” woman she had for another man, claiming that the woman manipulated him in different ways such that he transferred funds to her to train two children she had for another man.
“She created a lot of chaos for my brother until he was almost totally retarded mentally.
“Under this situation, she made away with so much money after successfully ensuring no family member had access to my brother.
“When she eloped suddenly, another lady met my brother at a rehabilitation centre in Abuja where she eventually took him and became his new lover because she found that the man had some money.
“This latest strange lady lover had manipulated my brother. In Lagos, the lady violated our family instruction that Solomon Akukwe (my brother) should not be taken to LUTH, Idi-Araba but rather should be taken to Chevron Hospital or the Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba and took our brother to LUTH, Idi-Araba.
“She did this together with the officials at LUTH with the aim of keeping my brother in the hospital to siphon his resources.
“The hospital workers, acting on the instruction of the strange lady lover do not allow us to see our brother in Idi-Araba to know exactly how he is faring.
“On a certain day, I got to LUTH to discover that the hospital team was operating my brother’s phone. Before they moved him to LUTH, my brother was almost okay. There is no doubt that there is a dangerous conspiracy going on and our ultimate fear is that these parties aforementioned are out to kill my brother and confiscate his assets.
“We are worried that if nothing is done quickly their overt and covert desires may come to fruition and will lead to dangerous inter-families and social clashes,” she alleged.
But Seidu denied taking Akakwe to LUTH without the family’s consent, insisting she contacted Adenuga who asked her to contact Dr. Adeyemi who had treated him in the past.
Asked about allegations of hijacking the man’s finances and blocking the family access to him, Seidu declined comments and told our correspondent to contact Prof. Adeyemi or go through official channel to get further information.
“Go to LUTH and get the facts from there. Discuss whatever you want with the Professor in LUTH. I wouldn’t have acted on my own free will. It was the same sister that asked me to get in touch with LUTH so he can be managed because at one point, he was treated at LUTH.
“I will not answer any further question please. Make your enquiries from the Professor at LUTH or go through official channel to get information,” she said.
Contacted, Prof. Adeyemi said it was unethical to discuss issues pertaining to the patient without his authorisation, confirming that the hospital’s management already saw the petition and were investigating the allegations.
“Actually, it is wrong to discuss people we look after without their consent. It is unethical.
“The petition was brought to the attention of the hospital and management is addressing it.
“I am sure action will be taken in respect of that. It will be wrong to talk to the press about a patient we are handling without his authorisation,” said Adeyemi.
Ms. Tade told our correspondent to contact the hospital’s legal director, noting that the unit was in charge of the matter and the hospital would issue a statement to that regard.
Contacted for official response, LUTH’s spokesman Ngo Otuneme, said he was unaware the management was investigating the matter, claiming it was not an issue he would like to discuss on the phone.
“This is not an issue I want to discuss on the phone. I think the person alleging should come to the hospital for complaints and we can take it up from there.
” I do not know the management has seen the petition and is investigating. I am not aware,” he said.
ASABA – Some residents of Issele Uku, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State have been thrown into mourning over the untimely death of a middle aged man who was on Friday murdered by his wife over will.
The wife, simply known as Veronica, from Abakaliki, was said to have had three children for the late husband, Uwebunor, before the incident happened, apart from a son the man had before he met Veronica.
Trouble was said to have started immediately after the man, who is from Obonkpa Community, but resides in Issele Uku, bought a piece of land and built a house where both of them and the children were staying.
The wife was said to have approached the man on Tuesday to prepare his will in order to make sure her children benefit more from his inheritance, after sensing that the first son, 23, the man had from another woman may take over the building and leaving out her children.
It was also revealed that the man did not pay the bride price for Veronica, which was said to be another fear the woman nursed, which informed why she wanted the will done immediately.
The man, also said to have abandoned the idea of the will, did not take it serious and not knowing the woman had a plan to kill him over the matter.
A close family source told SUNDAY INDEPENDENT that, “Uwebunor was sleeping when the woman hit him with hard object on the head. She went further to stab him on the neck with a knife before she poured Kerosene on him and set him ablaze.
He did not get burnt because of the blood on his body.”
As at the time of filling the report, the corpse of the man had been deposited in the mortuary while Veronica had been arrested by security personnel.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya confirmed that the woman had been arrested while investigation was ongoing.
She said that the outcome of the investigation would confirm if the woman actually murdered the husband.
• PTF meets today, weighs options on FCT, Ogun, others
The Lagos State Government may convert more hotels and public places to isolation centres in the face of increasing cases of coronavirus in the state, according to indications on Friday.
Although the state currently has isolation centres at Yaba, Onikan, Gbagada and Eti-Osa and a seized property handed over to it on Friday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the facilities are proving inadequate to cope with the rate of infection in the state and the projection that as many as 120,000 cases may be recorded in the state by July, just two months away.
It currently has 2,278 cases of the total 5,445 cases in the country.
The development is already putting the state government under more pressure to declare a fresh lockdown.
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 which is coordinating the war against COVID-19 in the country is due to meet today in Abuja to consider whether to end the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The PTF is also looking at more treatment modes for positive patients, including alternative traditional medicine.
Another option is to leave each state to decide the best choice it likes on extension of lockdown or otherwise.
Investigation at the weekend showed that the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Lagos is causing the Federal and the state governments a lot of worries, particularly how to get sufficient care for infected people.
A top source said: “From the way Lagos is recording more cases daily, it may impose another one-week lockdown on its citizens to prepare adequate facilities for the rise in the number of cases.
“Experts have projected that Lagos may record as many as 120,000 cases at its peak. If the pandemic reaches this projected figure, all the facilities in the state will be overstretched.
“The state government is already acquiring hotels and private facilities as isolation centres to cope with the challenge. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has just handed over an asset to the state as a centre.”
Responding to a question, the source added: “Another lockdown may be painful but it is necessary to save the people of the state. The task before us is: how do you preserve life without destroying livelihood?”
PTF meets today, weighs options on lockdown
On its part, the PTF is weighing options on many issues including whether or not to put an end to the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and the FCT and diversifying modes of treatment.
Although PTF members met on Friday, they could not reach conclusions on available options to manage the community spread stage of COVID-19.
The PTF has done well on the first level of contact tracing.
A reliable source listed the options available to the PTF as follows:
° Retain the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun, FCT as it is for two more weeks
° End the lockdown; take the risk to expose people to more community transmission /spread
° Stop the lockdown, allow those infected to self-isolate at home for treatment
Leave each state to decide the best option suitable for it on lockdown but work with NGF on minimum template for COVID-19 management Immediate revival of Alternative (Traditional) Medicine
PTF to ask research institutes to relax protocols for the validation of local drugs
Allow or approve the use of local herbs for treatment
The source said: “We have not been able to reach conclusions on all the options before us. This is why PTF members will meet on Sunday. We will consider whether or not to end the Federal Government’s lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and the FCT.
“The worries of the PTF are that very little is known about the virus leading to assumptions and use of different drugs; there is high rate of increase in community spread in Lagos, FCT, Ogun, Kano Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kaduna, Gombe, Sokoto and Edo states; and Nigerians are observing all the guidelines on COVID-19 in the breach.
“There is an emerging pattern indicating that 80% of those with Coronavirus infections do not know because they assume that it is just cold. So, the PTF members are claiming that with all these indices, should it still go ahead to lift the lockdown?
“The PTF members are also saying that will it be proper for Nigeria to isolate itself from international community in managing COVID-19 and take a huge risk to expose Nigerians to the grave consequences of Coronavirus. The cases of the United States, Ghana and some countries that unlocked with a higher cost came into consideration at the last meeting.
“We have been working with the World Health Organization (WHO) and others which have been guiding us with data and trends on how to manage and contain COVID-19, including the lockdown.
“Although some state governors are easing lockdown in their states without any justifiable medical or health reasons than politics, the PTF believes it is a dangerous path which can boomerang.
“It is convenient for governors to be laying claim to the principle of federalism in managing COVID-19 with different Executive Orders but when they are cash-strapped or they have security challenges or epidemics, they rush to the centre for assistance.
“So another option on the table is to leave each state to decide the best option suitable for it on lockdown but work with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) on minimum template for COVID-19 management, including restrictions in high-risk areas.”
The source added that the PTF has been thinking of how to diversify the modes of treatment of COVID-19 and even preventive measures before ending the lockdown.
The source said the PTF was exploring ways of “taking a second look at many local remedies which are difficult to validate.
“Maybe, the PTF may instruct the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) to relax the protocols for the validation of local drugs for COVID-19.
“As part of immediate and long terms’ plans, Nigeria may rejig its Alternative Traditional Medical Council.
“These are the available options before the PTF. The meetings on Sunday and Monday will determine the direction we are going.”
The EFCC, in handing over the seized property to the Lagos State Government on Friday, said it was a demonstration of the agency’s support in curbing the spread of the virus.
The building was one of the choice properties confiscated from former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke by the EFCC.
The property comprises six flats of three bedrooms and a boys’ quarter.
It was received from the EFCC by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, on Friday, extended the COVID-19 lockdown in the state for the third consecutive week.
The new lockdown will lapse on May 24.
The governor cited non-compliance by residents with safety regulations and the community spread of the virus as reasons for extending the sit-at-home order.
Read Also: Lagos and second COVID-19 lockdown debate “In view of the evidence of community transmission and poor compliance with the lockdown measures, we are constrained to extend the lockdown by another week till Sunday 24th of May,” he told reporters.
“The current pattern of lockdown with relaxation windows from 7.00 am to 5.00 pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday continues.
“We will continue to monitor the level of compliance with the lockdown measures and incidence of community transmission and hopefully, there will be positive developments that will enable us further ease the lockdown at the end of this new lockdown period.”
Another source said: “The PTF is also being advised to draw a Roadmap for phased lifting of the restrictions (lockdown) in some parts of the country. Some nations have adopted this model.
“A test run was done about two weeks ago when the President relaxed the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and FCT.
“If the end of restrictions will be in phases, it will involve drawing a timetable which all stakeholders will religiously adhere to.”
A journalist with the Imo State government, South-East Nigeria, has been suspended indefinitely from her job for taking to Facebook to request her three months unpaid salary and the wages of her co-workers.
Officials said the Facebook post was an “embarrassment” to the Imo State government.
The suspended journalist, Vivian Ottih, is a lawyer and a senior editor with the government-owned IBC Orient FM radio station.
She is the chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), in Imo State.
Mrs Ottih, on May 4, posted a message on Facebook, appealing to Governor Hope Uzodinma’s media aide, Modestus Nwamkpa, to make a case to the governor on behalf of the workers in the government-owned radio and television stations who were yet to get their February, March, and April salaries.
Mrs Ottih described Mr Uzodinma as a “humble” and “performing” governor, and said the governor may not have been aware of the travails of the workers.
She said in the post that she was personally hard-hit by the situation because she just had a baby weeks earlier.
The journalist, in her subsequent post on May 7, thanked the Commissioner for Information in the state, Declan Emelumba for intervening on behalf of the unpaid workers. “God bless you, Sir,” she wrote.
On May 8, four days after, she was queried by the Imo Broadcasting Corporation.
The query, signed by the acting director-general of the corporation, Osuchukwu S. O, said to Mrs Ottih, “I am directed to let you know that this your attitude caused serious embarrassment to Imo State Government thereby ridiculing the government in the eyes of the public with the sole aim of sabotaging the government.”
Mrs Ottih’s response to the query was deemed unsatisfactory by the Imo government which went ahead to suspend her indefinitely from her job.
The state government queried the journalist again on May 15, accusing her of posting the previous query on social media.
The information commissioner, Mr Emelumba, told PREMIUM TIMES the government was not responsible for the delay in payment of the salary. He said the management of the Imo Broadcasting Corporation “refused” to submit the workers’ BVN and bank account details as directed by the government.
Mr Emelumba said the government wanted to pay workers’ salary centrally in order to eliminate “ghost workers”, instead of allowing the various establishments to collect money from the state government to pay their staff as was done in the past.
A journalist in Imo told PREMIUM TIMES that Mrs Ottih made the appeal for the payment of the workers’ salary because she was under pressure from fellow journalists who were also being owed by the state government.
Mr Emelumba said Mrs Ottih posted the Facebook message as an individual person, not as the NAWOJ chairperson.
“Even if she were to issue the statement on behalf of NAWOJ she would still be wrong because she could only speak for women journalists and not for all the workers of the IBC,” the commissioner said.
“RATTAWU (the radio Television Theatre and Art Workers Union of Nigeria) has the statutory duty to do that, but they didn’t do that because they were consulting (with government officials over the issue).”
The commissioner said the NAWOJ chairperson could have used other channels of communication instead of taking the issue to Facebook.
PREMIUM TIMES asked Mr Emelumba why the government did not sanction the corporation for delaying to send the bank details of their workers as requested by the government.
“If we did it as you would expect, people would accuse the government of being insensitive,” he responded.
The commissioner said he sent out a statement last week giving the parastatals a deadline to comply with the government directive.
“IBC has complied anyway; I think they are about getting their salary if they have not gotten it.”
A former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, says Nigeria is experiencing a shortage of Foreign Exchange due to the fall in international oil prices.
He said the dip in oil prices occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic has had a negative effect on the Federal Government’s revenue and its access to US dollars through oil exports.
This was contained in a piece by Campbell published on the website of the Council on Foreign Relations, a US nonprofit thinktank.
The PUNCH reports that oil closed at about $60 per barrel in December 2019 but has since plunged to about $25 per barrel in May 2020.
The former American envoy to Nigeria said, “Driven in part by the need for dollars, the government devalued the Nigerian currency, the naira, to 360 to the U.S. dollar, down from 306. That, apparently, was not enough. As of May 12, the naira is traded at 445 to the dollar on the street, and the one-year forward trading rate is 514 to the dollar, which means traders expect the exchange rate to fall even further.
“The Lagos stock exchange index is down about 12 percent since the start of the year. Because it is denominated in naira, and the naira has been devalued, the loss in value is even greater in terms of international currency. There are anecdotes (impossible to quantify) that rich Nigerians are getting out of the market and doing what they can to shelter their assets abroad—an old song in times of instability, whether economic or political.”
The German economy plunged into a recession after suffering its steepest quarterly contraction since the 2009 financial crisis as shops and factories were shut down in mid-March to fight the spread of the coronavirus, preliminary data showed on Friday.
The 2.2 per cent first-quarter contraction was a foretaste of worse to come. Economists expect a deeper slump in the second quarter as the lockdown extended well into April and early May and sectors like tourism and in-door gastronomy, remain shut.
Germany still appears to be fairing better than neighbouring France and Italy, whose economies contracted by 5.8 per cent and 4.7 per cent respectively in the first quarter.
This is partly due to a decision by Germany’s 16 states to allow factories and construction sites to stay open, and an unprecedented rescue package by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government.
The package however includes state aid that allows employers to switch employees to shorter working hours to avoid mass layoffs. “Output data for the fourth quarter was revised to a contraction of 0.1 per cent from a previously reported stagnation, which meant Germany was technically in a recession after two successive quarterly output slumps,’’ the data showed.
According to Carsten Brzeski of ING, things will get worse before they get better. “To be more precise, incoming data will be worse, even though the worst might already be behind us. “If today’s data are the result of two weeks of lockdown, three more weeks of lockdown and a very gradual lifting of some measures do not bode well for the second quarter,” Brzeski added.
Seasonally adjusted figures from the Federal Statistics Office showed that gross domestic product in Europe’s largest economy fell by 2.3 per cent from January to March after a 0.4 per cent expansion in the previous three months. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected national output to shrink by 2.2 per cent quarter-on-quarter and a 2 per cent contraction year-on-year in seasonally adjusted terms. (Reuters/NAN)
Nigerian governors have raised concerns about the ownership and distribution of proceeds from recovered looted funds, demanding that they should be made shareholders.
The governors noted that following update on the rising trend of deductions from revenues accruable to the federation account available for distribution to the three tiers of government, recovered funds should be a part of the first-line charge from the federation account.
This is part of resolutions reached at the end of the 8th COVID-19 teleconference meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) chaired by Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State on Wednesday.
In the communique signed by Governor Fayemi and made available on Thursday, the governors agreed to engage with the federal government to ensure that the governance arrangement of all federation-funded investments recognises state governments as shareholders in the distribution of proceeds and decision making.
The governors also agreed to take additional measures to strengthen their public financial management systems, including a revision of their 2020 budgets and the amendment of state procurement guidelines to support e-procurement and the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises.
The agreement was reached after an update from the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, on the operation of the World Bank States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) project which is supporting a strong pro-poor fiscal response to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The governors said they would be adopting a Software as a Service (SaaS) model with the Kaduna State government providing the framework agreement that other states can leverage on to fast-track the deployment of e-procurement across States.
Demands stepping down of Infectious Diseases Bill
The forum resolved that the proposed Control of Infectious Diseases Bill, 2020 introduced by the House of Representatives should be stepped down until an appropriate consultative process was held, including a public hearing to gather public opinion and concerns.
The governors raised concern with the lack of consultation with state governments, who they said were at the forefront of the epidemic, following an update from the Governor of Sokoto State and Vice Chairman of the NGF, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, on the proposed bill.
The forum, therefore, established a Committee comprising the Governors of Katsina, Sokoto and Plateau to lead a consultative meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly on the proposed Control of Infectious Diseases Bill, 2020. The NGF secretariat was also mandated to comprehensively review the Bill and its implication on States.
The police authorities in Ghana have arrested a prostitute and her colleagues after she allegedly pushed a man with a condom on, from her room window during an argument.
Eleven sex workers were arrested by Asokwa District Police Command in connection with the death at Asafo in the Kumasi metropolis of the Ashanti Region.
The incident happened on Sunday, 10 May 2020.
The police said the sex worker had screamed after the deceased allegedly struggled with her in the hotel room, which attracted some of her colleagues to the room.
According to witnesses, the unidentified man who is believed to be in his 30s, fell to his death from the window of a hotel, called Anidaso Hotel where he had enjoyed the services of one of the prostitutes.
Superintendent Christopher Owusu Mpianin, the Asokwa District Police Commander, said they are investigating the matter to determine whether the rickshaw driver was pushed to his death by the sex worker, or he jumped out of the window to commit suicide.
The Federal Government has cancelled the planned evacuation of 200 stranded Nigerians from Canada, The Nation has learnt.
The 200 were billed for evacuation on Wednesday.
In a statement on Monday, the Nigeria High Commission in Canada stated that an arrangement had been concluded with a local airline for the airlifting of the pasaangers.
But the exercise has been cancelled following the Federal Government announcement that subsequent evacuation of stranded Nigerians abroad would be staggered due to lack of accommodation for the mandatory 14 -day isolation of returness.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama had on Monday said the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) on Covid-19 had reached its saturation point following the evacuation of 678 Nigerians from United Arab Emirate (UAE), United Kingdom (UK) and United States ((U.S) in the last one week.
He said further airlifting would have to wait until the current returnees in isolation centre are discharged.
He said the accommodation available to PTF was 600 coupled with medical advice against overstreaching the personnel at the isolation facilities.
Owing to these, the Federal Government announced the airlifting of Nigerians from Canada has been cancelled with a new date to be announced.
The cancellation was confirmed by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ferdinald Nwoye.
He said: “The planned evacuation has been cancelled with no new date to be announced.”
But for the cancellation, it said the plane would have picked the prospective passengers from two locations in Toronto and Alberta.
According to the flight schedule, the aircraft was expected to pick the first set from the Pearson International Airport, Toronto.
From there, it was to fly to the Calgary International Airport, Alberta, a distance of 2,915 km, to load the second set of passengers.
The aircraft was to depart Alberta for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja where the evacuees would be moved into isolation for 14 days.
The one-way flight will cost each prospective evacuee between $1,130 (N452,000) and $2,000 (N800,000) depending on the class.
The special evacuation exercise began on Wednesday with the return of 265 Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates.
On Friday, 253 were brought back from the United Kingdom, followed by 160 from the United States on Sunday.
This brings to 678 the total number of Nigerians evacuated by the Federal Government so far.
State, private hospitals in Lagos get coronavirus accreditation
• Panel deploys pathologists over Bauchi, Jigawa strange deaths
• Six days after arrival, Dubai returnee dies of COVID-19 in Lagos
Kamarudeen Ogundele, Leke Baiyewu and Olaleye Aluko
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has raised the alarm over an unhealthy practice of some Nigerians who pick face masks from rubbish dumps and sell them.
The Chairman of the task force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, who raised the alarm at the PTF press briefing in Abuja, warned that such a practice would worsen the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
He also said northern state governments, which had been evacuating the Quranic school pupils, popularly known as Almajirai, to their states of origin should suspend it.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanaire, also at the press briefing, said pathologists from Sokoto, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina and Kano had been trained, adding that they were investigating deaths in the states.
The task force, shortly after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in his national broadcast on April 27 ordered gradual reopening of the economy, gave guidelines that would assist in flattening the COVID-19 curve in the country.
Among the guidelines are the compulsory use of face masks and maintaining social distance in the public places. The government also banned a gathering of over 20 people and interstate movements.
Nigerians picking disposed face masks, PTF raises the alarm
Reviewing Nigerians’ adherence to the guidelines, Mustapha noted that people were still sharing face masks.
He said, “The unhealthy practice of picking disposed masks for whatever purpose is harmful to both the individual picking them and whoever procures them later.
“The PTF has become aware of the ongoing practice of sharing masks and picking of masks for recycling from dump sites. This places a lot of responsibility on all of us to be self-educated and to educate others.
“The following points are emphasised: Except for fabric masks, every disposable used mask is a hazardous medical waste and should be disposed of properly, preferably by burning.
“It is very risky to share masks as the virus is capable of remaining on surfaces for several hours and you could get infected.”
Suspend interstate movements of Almajirai, FG tells govs
The PTF also advised governors to suspend interstate movements of Almajirai so as not to frustrate efforts to combat the pandemic.
Northern Governors’ Forum, in a statement issued after its meeting on April 21 unanimously decided to ban the Almajirai system of education. They decided that the children should be sent back to their parents or states of origin.
States, which have been repatriating the Almajirai back to their states of origin include Kano and Nasarawa.
But some of the children have been diagnosed with COVID-19. For example, On May 2, the Kaduna State Government said 21 out of 61 Almajirai deported to the state from Kano tested positive for the virus.
Besides, some of the children are being hidden in vehicles carrying food and brought to the South, a development southern states have frowned upon.
Expressing concern about the development, the SGF said, “This is not the time for movement of Almajirai because of interstate lockdown. If you say interstate movements are banned, I don’t think that movements of Almajirai are essential movements.”
Mustapha urged state governments to align their actions and enforcement with the guidelines provided by the PTF.
“The virus does not respect boundaries neither does it respect status. All state governments are, therefore, urged to strengthen their monitoring and enforcement machinery in collaboration with the security agencies,” he stated.
You should be ready to go through validation, PTF tells researchers
The SGF urged researchers to come up with home grown drugs and vaccines for the treatment of COVID-19.
He, however, said they must be patient to go through the validation process to establish safety of their drugs and avoid litigation
He said, “Since the recording of the index case, Nigerians have clamoured for research into home grown solutions to COVID-19.
“The PTF, as part of its mandate, has continued to promote research and wishes to repeat its appeal to all our researchers to go through the validation process so as to enable humanity to benefit from their hard work and they in turn benefit from the intellectual property rights associated with such research.”
‘COVID-19 vaccine won’t be ready until 2021’
He urged Nigerians to abide by the PTF guidelines to fight the virus.
Mustapha said, “Ordinarily, from the little literature I have read on COVID 19, we are not expecting any vaccine to be on the shelves until towards the end of 2021. That is for industries that have perfected the processes of manufacturing of this vaccine.”
The SGF also challenged the private sector to continue to support government in order to fortify the health system and infrastructure against present and future pandemics.
Responding to a question, the SGF said hotels accommodating Nigerians evacuated from abroad would be decontaminated after 14 days isolation of the returnees before receiving a new batch.
Also, the National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu, lamented that large movements of people across state borders were frustrating efforts aimed at containing the pandemic.
He appealed to security agencies to rise to the challenge and stop the trend, except for essential services.
FG approves hazard allowances for COVID-19 health workers
Also at the press briefing, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said the Federal Government had signed a deal approving hazard allowances for health workers involved in the COVID-19 containment.
He said the agreement had been forwarded to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed.
Ehanire noted that the Nigerian Medical Association and other stakeholders were present at signing of the deal, which had also been forwarded to the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
PTF deploys pathologists to probe strange deaths Bauchi, Jigawa, others
He said the Federal Ministry of Health assembled and trained pathologists from Sokoto, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina and Kano states who were thereafter sent to probe the strange deaths in the states.
He said, “With regard to the investigation in Kano (deaths), it is going to be a very scientific investigation and they will sit down to collate a report. They are trying to ensure that there is no room for error. I have not seen it yet, but it is in the pipeline.
“I have told the teams to bring pathologists to these states which are reporting these deaths. We have brought pathologists from Sokoto, Bauchi, Jigawa, Kano and others to develop a protocol and training by which they can now carry out this investigation.”
He said the ministry had developed a protocol for accreditation of hospitals, adding the protocol had been given to many states.
He also said some hospitals, including private and public facilities, had been accredited treat the virus.
The minister stated, “The team that was sent to Kano has already been to four other states. The Federal Government and state hospitals; some private hospitals in Lagos, have been accredited by the accreditation team.”
He appealed to each state government to provide at least 300 bed spaces as isolation centres.
Ehanire also spoke about a COVID-19 patient at the National Hospital, Abuja, who allegedly insisted on her tests being conducted by the World Health Organisation officials.
The minister said, “On the lady at the National Hospital whom we have been engaging with. The history is already known that she came from the United Kingdom and has had three tests. She is due for another test, which she has refused to take. We strongly believe that she is by now negative but we have to be able to document it because we also work with guidelines released from the WHO.
“So, I called her on the phone and persuaded her to let them take the test. First, she gave me conditions that they (officials) must give her all her tests from the past. I gave an instruction and they took all her results, photocopies and gave them to her.”
Bar northern govs from deporting Almajirai, Reps tell FG
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to stop northern governors from deporting Almajirai from their states.
The House made the call at the plenary on Tuesday following the unanimous adoption of a motion moved by Mrs Aishatu Dukku and Mr Shehu Kakale on the need to halt interstate movement of Almajirai.
Adopting the motion, the House resolved to “urge the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to enforce the interstate travel ban order (by the President) and direct the governors concerned to immediately halt the evacuation of the Almajirai.”
The House also urged the National Centre for Disease Control to “counsel the governors concerned on the threat posed by the evacuation of the children at this critical period.”
The legislative chamber further urged the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to “include the Almajirai children among the beneficiaries of palliatives being distributed by the Federal Government to the less-privileged.”
Also, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Health to examine the health condition of the Almajirai children.
It urged the Northern Governors’ Forum to “rescind their decision on banning the system of education until those already in the system are provided for in the Universal Basic and Technical Education System.”
Moving the motion, Dukku recalled that governors, under the aegis of the Northern Governors’ Forum, had on April 21, 2020, issued a statement where they unanimously decided to ban the Almajirai system.
Dukku said, “The House is worried that the evacuation of the Almajirai is jeopardising the fight against COVID-19 due to the high level of movement of the children from different places and its attendant high risk of infection. The House is concerned that the evacuation of the children is against their fundamental human rights of residing anywhere in Nigeria as guaranteed in Chapter IV of the Constitution.”
Chukwuka Utazi, senator representing Enugu north, says in Africa, people do not marry for love, but to have children.
Utazi made the comment while contributing to a debate on a bill seeking to prevent, control and manage sickle cell anaemia in the country, on Tuesday.
The bill is being sponsored by Sam Egwu, senator representing Ebonyi north.
While making his point, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator said it is painful to realise that an individual cannot marry his or her choice because of blood group.
“This bill is taking me down the memory lane because I’m an AS carrier and when I was about getting married, several years ago, I moved into this orbit and I know what I went through because I was in love. I knew the trauma. After that incident, for five years I didn’t come out of it,” he said.
“So I am speaking from experience and I know how it pains that you have made a choice and you discover that the choice can’t work. Because in Africa, we marry for children, we don’t marry for love.”
At this point, Senate President Ahmad Lawan interrupted, saying: “Senator Chukwuka Utazi, I think you should be speaking for yourself.”
Continuing, Utazi said: “In the developed world, particulars of a child’s blood group is given at birth.
“A test is done to show the blood group, the genotype before leaving. In the birth certificate of the child, all those things are put in place.
“We should not be waiting for when people want to go and marry, that is when they will start checking their genotype and their blood group, it shouldn’t be.”
Also speaking on the subject, Biodun Olujimi, senator representing Ekiti south, asked Nigerians to look at ways of addressing health needs.
“The time has come for us to look inwards to solve some of these health needs and also support institutions that are doing so. Going forward we need to take serious blood testing for intending couples,” Olujimi said.
“We will not allow love take away the best part of our marriages.”
The bill passed second reading after it was put to a voice vote by Lawan.
Despite the arrays of security personnel manning the offices and premises of the National Assembly, suspected hoodlums have broken into the office suites of Rep. Benjamin Kalu, Spokesman of the House Of Representatives.
The office is located at suite 1.53, House of Representatives (New Wing), National Assembly Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.
Aside Sergeant-At-Arm which forms the internal security architecture of the National Assembly; there are over 300 other personnel, comprising the Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Department of State Service (DSS); with the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, Immigration and Fire Service having Liaison Offices within the Complex.
Yet, insecurity, robbery, theft, burglary, oil bunkering, impersonation, extortions and other crimes have continued unabated.
In 2016, DAILY POST reported how a syndicate involved in oil bunkering within the National Assembly Complex was bursted and arrested.
There have also been reported cases of car thefts, vandalization, thefts of car batteries and looting of some commercial shops within the Complex.
Since the National Assembly resumed partial plenary on Tuesday, 28th April 2020, after a 6-week shutdown; the joint security of the National Assembly has made the entrance into the complex a watertight scenario, with even Journalists barred from accessing the premises, except the Lawmakers who only report for plenaries on Tuesdays.
Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs and Spokesman of the Green Chamber, Rep Kalu, while narrating how his office was burgled, said the doors to his office suites were all properly locked by his Aides last Tuesday, the 5th of May, 2020, when the Parliament last sat.
He said, “upon resumption of work at the above-mentioned office on the morning of Tuesday, 12th May 2020, my aide observed that electrical power in the entire suite had been turned off.
“Upon further investigation, we were shocked to find that the corridor entrance into my main office was
mysteriously unlocked, having been used to gain entrance into the suite.
“We also observed that a wooden cabinet previously used to barricade the entrance from inside had been forced aside and that several of the items hitherto occupying the top of the cabinet lay strewn across the floor, indicating signs of an unauthorised entry”.
Kalu, who provided picture and video exhibits of his vandalised office, insisted that his offices were “meticulously locked” last Tuesday and nobody was permitted to have access into the suite until this morning.
The Lawmaker said his office was “currently taking inventory of all items and documents in the office to ascertain which items are missing” while calling on the security agencies to conduct “a swift and thorough investigation” into the matter.
Health › Masari Investigates Causes Of Deaths In Katsina by Islie(op): 2:09pm On May 27, 2020
