₦airaland Forum

COVID-19: "Feed Your Congregation with Right Information" - LASG tells Religious Leaders

As part of efforts geared towards increasing public awareness about the COVID-19, the Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday, engaged religious leaders in a sensitisation session on precautionary measures required to keep the disease at bay.

The Honourable Commissioner for Home Affairs, Mr. Anofi Elegushi, while addressing the religious leaders, appealed to them to educate their members with the right information about the reality and severity of the disease, while also allaying fears that might have arisen from the identification of an infected person in Lagos.

He explained that the State government was exploring every available avenue to sensitise the public on personal hygiene and other necessary measures that would help nip the disease in the bud.

Elegushi said, "this discussion and sensitisation could not have come at a better time and like a responsible and responsive government, it behoves on us to bring our Religious Leaders up to speed on the dangerous Coronavirus, that is subtly creeping into the State."

While noting that "a stitch in time saves nine", the Commissioner maintained that the disease must be contained before it becomes endemic, emphasising that it must be kept at bay before it spreads among the residents.

He recalled that religious colourations and sentiments have been introduced to the health issue since its discovery, stressing that the religious leaders must be engaged to set the record straight.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mrs. Adebunmi Adekanye stated that firsthand knowledge of the causes, effects, prevention and possible treatment from experts who are drawn from various government agencies in the State is key in reducing the spread of the disease.

She disclosed that officials of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs as well as the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, among other relevant government agencies, would provide different perspectives on the Coronavirus for the participants.

Adekanye appealed to the religious leaders to pay close attention to the resource persons in order to transmit the information to their worshippers and congregation when they get back to their respective locations.

Responding, the State Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Lagos State Chapter, Apostle Alexander Bamgbola described the engagement as very timely, saying that the spiritual leaders need to sensitise their followers from a very informed point of view.

"We need to get back to our places of worship to educate our people; because the virus had already destroyed the economy of some nations of the world, we really need to rise up and prayerfully tackle this virus", Bamgbola said.

He stated that the prayers of believers are already manifesting in the State as the situation on the ground is already being contained, saying that as God stopped Ebola from wreaking havoc in the State some years ago, the Coronavirus will also die a natural death.

Also speaking, the Secretary-General of Conference of Islamic Organisation, CIO, Engr. Imam Balogun Luqman expressed the hope that the enlightenment session would go a long way in reducing the incident while calling for calm among residents of the State and advocating for precautionary measures on the part of every Lagosians.

The event, which witnessed the presentations by resource persons on the symptoms and prevention of the deadly virus, was graced by religious leaders from the Christian and Muslim communities among whom were the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Professor (Apostle) Alexander Bamgbola, the Grand Chief Imam of Lagos Central Mosque, His Eminence, Sheikh Suleman Abou-Nolla represented by Sheikh Gafar Mofesaye, other Christians and Muslim leaders from the five divisions of the State.

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... Moved To New Facility
... Patient Stable, Condition Improved

The Lagos State Government has debunked news making the rounds that the index case of Corona Virus Disease isolated at the Lagos Mainland Hospital tried to escape.

State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who debunked the news while giving an update on the index case at the Mainland Hospital, on Saturday, said the patient never expressed any desire to leave the facility to the Doctors and Nurses who took care of him.

“I have spoken to him myself, he is doing very well, he is comfortable; he was comfortable yesterday and he is comfortable today”, Abayomi stated.

The Commissioner noted that the patient was initially kept in a single isolation room for his privacy when he was brought in because part of the facilities at the Mainland Hospital was being renovated, adding that the patient has subsequently been moved to one of the newly renovated wards.

Abayomi said, “We were renovating part of the facility, so we kept him in a single isolation room for his privacy but we have subsequently moved him to one of our completed wards recently renovated with full complement of facilities, so he is right there now and he is comfortable”.

“As of this morning, his condition has improved, he hasn’t developed new symptoms but he still got a mild fever and we will be running tests to see what the situation is with the virus in his body and as soon as we get a negative screen, we will keep him for another two or three days and repeat the test to make sure that there are no more virus particles in his saliva and that means that he will not be contagious. Then, we give the OK for him to be released back into the community”, he added.

Responding to the news of an Uber driver who had contact with the index case and absconded, Abayomi described the news as fake and untrue, stressing that nothing of such happened.

On the vulnerability of health workers who work at the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, he stated that the staff at the facility have been specially trained to deal with patients who have pathogens of high consequence, stressing that “they are experts in infection prevention and control and they do not go into the isolation unit without full personal protective equipment. This is a specialist facility and there is no level of carelessness going on in this facility”.

“The staff here, as well as the staff in the bio-safety level laboratory, are well trained and certified biosecurity specialists, so there is no unprofessionalism in this environment”, Abayomi said.

On the issue of availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the Commissioner assured that a stock of several hundred kits are available at the Mainland hospital, adding that "PPEs have also been distributed to all the general hospitals and major primary health care facilities. So we are stocked up for now, if we need to buy more, we know exactly where to get it, so we are not worried about PPE supply".

While restating that the State government is prepared to contain and break the circle of transmission of the virus, he explained that the State Government has been building capacity for any biosecurity threats to Lagos since the Ebola virus incident of 2014.
“We have been preparing since the Ebola incident of 2014 and as soon as Lagos was certified Ebola-free, we have been building capacity. This is evident in the level of sophistication in some of the facilities here at Mainland hospital. We have not been sitting down or relaxing, we don’t want to experience what happened in 2014 again, so we are ready and we will continue to build that capacity year by year”, Abayomi stated.

The Commissioner disclosed that the reformation plan for the Mainland hospital is a step by step process but very advanced, noting that new facilities are being designed for the hospital with the ultimate goal of making it a center of excellence for infectious diseases with a large capacity for isolating patients if there is any major outbreak.

“The facilities here are world-class standards. We have a biosafety level-3 laboratory, which is one of the very few on the continent of Africa, very modern design, specially designed to handle very dangerous pathogens so that we can make the diagnosis on-site and the staff there are specially trained. So we are ready for any biosecurity threat to Lagos State”, Abayomi stated.

Restrictions are temporary and will be continuously reviewed by the health authorities

Saudi Arabia has placed a temporary ban on Umrah pilgrims in an attempt to ensure public safety by preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

Most foreign pilgrims often visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah before or after the completion of their religious duties in Makkah, this has also been halted.

It is one of a number of precautionary restrictions announced early on Thursday as health authorities in the Kingdom closely monitor the spread of the virus. Tourist-visa holders from countries judged to pose a particularly high risk of spreading the virus will also be denied entry.

In addition, Saudi nationals and citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council nations will not be able to use a national identity card to travel to and from the Kingdom for the time being. Exceptions to this shall be granted to Saudis returning home, and citizens of GCC countries who are in the Kingdom and want to return to their home countries provided that they left or entered the Kingdom using a national identity card.

Health authorities at entry points will verify which countries travelers visited before arriving in Saudi Arabia and apply all necessary precautionary measures.

Saudi officials stressed that the restrictions are temporary and will be continuously reviewed by the health authorities. They reiterated the Kingdom’s support for and implementation of international efforts to limit the spread of the virus, and the Foreign Ministry urged citizens not to travel to the countries worst affected by the coronavirus.

Nearly 7 million Umrah pilgrims visit the Kingdom each year, the majority of whom arrive at airports in Jeddah and Madinah.

Earlier, it emerged that seven Saudis are among the latest coronavirus cases in Bahrain and Kuwait. The Bahraini Ministry of Health on Wednesday said six Saudi women have tested positive for the virus.

They had arrived at Bahrain International Airport on a flight from Iran. The total number of confirmed cases in the country stands at 26. Studies at schools and universities have been suspended for two weeks in an effort to limit the spread of the virus.

Kuwait announced the first case of a Saudi citizen infected by the virus. The man, who had arrived in the country from the Iranian city of Mashhad, has been placed in quarantine for 14 days. There have been 26 confirmed cases of the virus to date in Kuwait.

The Saudi Ministry of Health has been providing neighboring Arab countries with advice and guidelines for controlling infectious diseases such as the coronavirus and dealing with health emergencies.

Dr. Hani bin Abdul Aziz Jokhdar, the deputy minister of public health, said that the guidelines were based on Saudi Arabia’s experience of protecting the health and well-being of pilgrims during Hajj season.

He led the Kingdom’s delegation at a meeting of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Ministers for Health on Wednesday at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono has stated that the tractors, fertilisers, chemicals and other inputs would be distributed to farmers under a soft loan scheme designed to boost agricultural mechanization.

The Minister made this statement during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Dutse , Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi, in his palace over the weekend.

Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono informed that the Federal Government has concluded plans to distribute over 10,000 tractors and inputs to farmers in the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria.

The Minister explained that each of the Councils would be allocated Tractors worth N150,000 million each and inputs as soft loan to be repaid in an 11 year plan, " what we need is that the beneficiaries must be genuine farmers and INDIGENES of the participating Local Government Councils".

Nanono noted that the gesture is to assist farmers to boost their production capacity so that the government could mop up excess produce for strategic reserves. According to him," the Federal Government would commenced implementation of the programme in the second quarter of the year 2020".

He reiterated Federal Government's ’s commitment to accelerate cotton, paddy and livestock productions to enhance job creation, food security programme and Internally Generated Revenue in the country.

In his remarks, the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi, represented by Alhaji Basiru Sanusi lauded President Muhammadu Buhari over his commitment to reinvigorating the Agricultural Sector.

The Emir informed that the council had set up a committee to mobilize participation in the agricultural transformation programme of the Government, “when we heard about the federal government's plans to give soft loans to farmers in the 774 local government areas, we set up an awareness creation committee to mobilize participation in the programme".

He also pointed out that the committee would identify suitable crop in each of the seven local government areas under the Dutse Emirate Council and pledged support to the Federal Government's policies and programmes.

THE infrastructure development agenda of the Kayode Fayemi-led administration in Ekiti State has received a major boost as the asphalt processing plant set up by the administration commences operations.

Speaking with newsmen after an inspection tour of the new asphalt plant in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, Governor Fayemi stated that the plant would enable the State Public Works Corporation effectively attend to road mending and reconstruction works.

The governor said the state government would no longer contract out all road maintenance works as the Public Work Corporation was now better equipped to carry out road maintenance even as the corporation has begun the rehabilitation of Ado township roads and fixing of drains in the capital city.

Fayemi noted that the leadership of the PWC has demonstrated drive and commitment as they are taking advantage of the dry season and the new 20-tonnes per hour asphalt plant to ensure that the roads are pothole-free.

He bemoaned the failure of the immediate past government to make good use of the equipment when he left office in 2014; saying that the abandonment of the equipment led to the loss of some crucial parts which his administration just procured again.

“We bought this equipment for a purpose. In JKF 1, we had a Public Works Corporation and that was expanded and was envisioned to take up huge responsibilities in terms of road mending and reconstruction in the State. There are things we don’t need to contract out in order to fix.

“You remember in JKF1, we had Operation no pothole and PWC was supposed to be in charge of that. But they were doing it with rented equipment. We later procured huge equipment but we didn’t have an asphalt plant. That was what informed the procurement of this 20-tonnes asphalt plant from China. But unfortunately, nothing happened during the four years of the last administration in the state”

“The brand new equipment was just parked at the old Direct Labour office even some of the items got lost. We were even lucky to retrieve the remaining equipment after four years of abandonment. Now we came back and we contacted the original equipment manufacturer and procured the items that got lost and now get it back to use.

“Public works Corporation is doing a lot of works in town now. We want to take advantage of this dry season. We are mending the potholes, fixing the drains and doing a lot. The leadership has demonstrated drive and commitment to making a difference,” he said.

The governor assured that his administration would support the PWC such that it could be a private sector on its own in order to ensure its sustainability; adding that “when the philosophy changes and it embraces not just modern equipment but modern ways of doing things because the government cannot always be a permanent problem solver”.

Fayemi disclosed plans to expand the plant to a 100-tonne asphalt plant in order to supply contractors handling various road projects in the State as well as contractors in neighbouring States.

He added that the State Transition law being put in place would help in guaranteeing its sustainability so that his successor could build on this rather than seeing it as a Fayemi project.

“My vision is that it will not produce asphalt just for our own local use. We will be able to make it a 100-tonne plant so that outsiders who are in the State to construct roads can get aggregates and asphalt from here. Sometimes they go as far as Delta to get asphalt. There is no reason going that far if we can produce from here and they can get it from us. That increases the sustainability of the Corporation itself.

“One of the reasons we put in place the transition law is to ensure that no matter who comes in future, should also see the need to build on what we have done rather than abandon it. It is State resources, not Fayemi’s resources that were used in putting this in place and that law should guarantee continuity in government business,” the governor stated.

Fayemi disclosed plans to construct ring roads totalling about 111km to serve as exit alternative roads for Ado Ekiti, which he describes as a growing urban city.

The ring roads, according to him, will link the proposed rail project, the knowledge city and the airport.

He also gave indications that the state government would revisit Omisanjana-Ajebamidele road which was abandoned midway as soon as state resources improve.

…65 New Buses For New, Old Routes Monday

…14 Ferries Join Waterways Tuesday

The government of Lagos State praises motorcycle and tricycle operators for complying with the restriction from six local government areas, major highways and bridges. The enforcement of the State Security Council’s order began on Saturday, February 1, 2020.
The level of compliance was over 90%. In fact, some of the ride hailing companies directed their riders to obey the directive. This is commendable. The high level of compliance has shown that Lagosians agree with the government on the need to stop the danger that commercial motorcycles and tricycles have become - a big threat to safety of lives and security of our people. They should stand firm in supporting the government.

The little discomfort experienced by commuters on some routes due to the absence of motorcycles and tricycles is noted. This will not last as alternatives are being rolled out.
A fleet of 65 buses will join the others on some major routes as from Monday , February 3, 2020: No less than 550 more buses are being expected. Besides, 14 ferries will be commissioned on Tuesday. This will further open up the waterways, reduce travel time on various routes and provide safe, dependable and comfortable alternatives for commuters.

The government is not unaware that enforcing this directive may lead to some job losses. The Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, plans to announce some measures to tackle the likely effects of the order, besides the programmes of various agencies, such as the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Office of Civic Engagement, Lagos State Parks and Gardens and others.

The government hereby warns all those who are planning to unleash violence on the state because of the ongoing enforcement to have a change of heart. Lagosians are peace loving and law abiding people, who will not embrace any disruption of their legal activities by failed politicians hiding under the evil of unwholesome activism. The law enforcement agents have been directed to ensure that nobody takes the law into his hands. The government places a very high premium on law and order in the interest of all Lagosians. It will not fail to act when peace is threatened.