As Nigeria’s headline inflation retreated for the second time in May, dropping from 18.12 per cent reported in April to 17.93 per cent, the realities in the markets in terms of food prices and consumer goods, continue to pose challenges to many Nigerians whose disposable incomes have weakened.
From a month on month perspective, inflation accelerated across all parameters, underscoring the fact that inflation remains a major challenge to investors and citizens. The new figure is contained in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures changes in price levels over time, as released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) yesterday.
Inflationary pressures have not abated since government announced a shutdown of Nigeria’s porous land borders in October 2019 in a move to spur mass production of food as well as curb smuggling. However, attacks on farms, forex scarcity and naira devaluation have contributed to seeing local food demand outweigh production, causing food prices to steadily rise.
According to members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS), inflation is perhaps the biggest poverty accelerator because of its weakening of purchasing power. “It weakens real income, erodes purchasing power, puts pressure on operating costs, aggravates production costs, reduces sales and negatively impacts profit margins across sectors,” the Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Muda Yusuf, said.
The position of LCCI was re-echoed by the World Bank in its Nigeria Development Update (NDU), noting that surging inflation is undermining the recovery of Nigeria’s economy, pushing at least seven million Nigerians into poverty and encouraging criminality as rising prices deplete already meager incomes.

As part of efforts to significantly improve access to affordable quality healthcare in Nigeria through health insurance and ensure universal health coverage in the country by 2030, MTN Nigeria (MTNN) and health FinTech company, CarePay Nigeria have signed a partnership agreement.
FinTech is undoubtedly shaping the face of the healthcare industry. FinTech companies leverage powerful innovations blockchain, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to eliminate inefficiencies and knowledge gaps endemic to most healthcare payment plans.
According to a joint statement by the companies, the partnership will connect MTNN’s subscribers to CarePay’s digital “healthcare marketplace” and over the next few weeks, both parties will collaborate with accredited health insurers and healthcare providers to roll out a digital healthcare marketplace accessible via web and app, for distribution and administration of a wide range of retail health schemes encompassing innovative bundled health schemes as well as traditional health insurance plans.
Until now, only less than five per cent of Nigerians are on any form of health insurance as over 90 per cent still pay-out-of pocket for medical services.
It has been shown that many Nigerians lack awareness about the benefits and importance of health insurance coverage and the distribution of health insurance products in Nigeria is inefficient and costly, which leads to millions of Nigerians, mostly those within the informal sector, having no health coverage whatsoever – relying mostly on cash payments at point of care, consequently delaying access to care, or resorting to poor quality substitutes due to lack of resources. Furthermore, millions of Nigerians are pushed into poverty each year due to catastrophic healthcare expenditure.”
According to the statement, the partnership will leverage CarePay’s health benefits management platform, which is already widely used by over five million users and over 4,000 healthcare providers in Nigeria and Kenya, and MTNN’s “last mile” capabilities as a leading mobile network operator, to achieve improved awareness and efficient distribution of health insurance products to all Nigerians, and effective administration of health schemes by healthcare providers and health insurers.
Executive Chairman, CarePay Nigeria, Amaechi Ndili, said: “We consider this important partnership as fundamental to improving Nigeria’s health indices by improving access to affordable quality healthcare for all Nigerians.
With the convergence of various technologies including mobile telephony, cloud, Internet, data and AI, it is inevitable that these convergences will work to the benefit of the entire healthcare ecosystem. MTNN’s strong brand and reach combined with CarePay’s proven healthcare technology provides the perfect, trust-based platform that allows seamless transactions between patients, healthcare providers and health insurers.”
Speaking about the partnership, Chief Enterprise Business Officer, MTN Nigeria Plc., Lynda Saint-Nwafor, said: “It gives us so much joy to make quality healthcare affordable and accessible to millions of Nigerians through this partnership. By simply dialing a short code, our customers can now access a plethora of health services. Also, stakeholders within the healthcare ecosystem can extend their services across the country, in an affordable and efficient manner. This is indeed a great leap forward.”

This, when completed, is expected to bolster integration of Nigerian businesses with African peers and support the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The AfDB confirmed this development in a statement on Tuesday, saying  that it was part of its investments in West Africa which currently stood at $16 billion.
President of the African Development Bank Akinwunmi Adesina said this in a speech at the 59th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African Authority of Heads of States and Government in Ghana, according to the statement.
“We expect the construction for the corridor to commence within 24 months,” Adesina said.
He explained that the highway would link 85 per cent of the trade volume in ECOWAS through the corridor, a step industry experts said would deepen trade integration, especially now that the AFCTA), targeted at boosting a combined gross domestic product of $3.4 trillion,  had commenced.
Nigeria’s trade volume to Cameroon was $888.58 million in 2019, according to the United Nation’s COMTRADE database on international trade.
Industry experts have expressed optimism that the trade volume between Nigeria, Cameroon and other African countries at the trade corridor will improve upon the completion of the road.
“These are the kinds of initiative that offers more opportunities for our people, especially with the coming in of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement. There should be more of these initiatives to help our people move their goods around Africa since our trade pattern is still largely informal,” Associate Consultant to the British Department of International Development  Celestine Okeke told The ICIR.
Notably, the Enugu-Bamenda Highway is part of the Trans-African Highway conceived over 30 years ago as a transcontinental link from Lagos to Mombasa. Today, the highway stretches 6,300 km, traversing Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Kenya.
Industry experts emphasise the importance of infrastructural development in intra-African trade, noting that with road improvement,  transport costs and poverty levels along this economic corridor would be reduced dramatically.
“Infrastructural advancement is key in advancing Africa’s trade integration, and with the level of progress recorded so far by the government, it is only proper that the organised private sector gradually begin to take the lead in advancing the progress of the trade pact to grow investments in the country,”Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice in Nigeria and a former President of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry Adetokumbo Kayode said.

As part of efforts to significantly improve access to affordable quality healthcare in Nigeria through health insurance and ensure universal health coverage in the country by 2030, MTN Nigeria (MTNN) and health FinTech company, CarePay Nigeria have signed a partnership agreement.
FinTech is undoubtedly shaping the face of the healthcare industry. FinTech companies leverage powerful innovations blockchain, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to eliminate inefficiencies and knowledge gaps endemic to most healthcare payment plans.
According to a joint statement by the companies, the partnership will connect MTNN’s subscribers to CarePay’s digital “healthcare marketplace” and over the next few weeks, both parties will collaborate with accredited health insurers and healthcare providers to roll out a digital healthcare marketplace accessible via web and app, for distribution and administration of a wide range of retail health schemes encompassing innovative bundled health schemes as well as traditional health insurance plans.
Until now, only less than five per cent of Nigerians are on any form of health insurance as over 90 per cent still pay-out-of pocket for medical services.
It has been shown that many Nigerians lack awareness about the benefits and importance of health insurance coverage and the distribution of health insurance products in Nigeria is inefficient and costly, which leads to millions of Nigerians, mostly those within the informal sector, having no health coverage whatsoever – relying mostly on cash payments at point of care, consequently delaying access to care, or resorting to poor quality substitutes due to lack of resources. Furthermore, millions of Nigerians are pushed into poverty each year due to catastrophic healthcare expenditure.”
According to the statement, the partnership will leverage CarePay’s health benefits management platform, which is already widely used by over five million users and over 4,000 healthcare providers in Nigeria and Kenya, and MTNN’s “last mile” capabilities as a leading mobile network operator, to achieve improved awareness and efficient distribution of health insurance products to all Nigerians, and effective administration of health schemes by healthcare providers and health insurers.
Executive Chairman, CarePay Nigeria, Amaechi Ndili, said: “We consider this important partnership as fundamental to improving Nigeria’s health indices by improving access to affordable quality healthcare for all Nigerians.
With the convergence of various technologies including mobile telephony, cloud, Internet, data and AI, it is inevitable that these convergences will work to the benefit of the entire healthcare ecosystem. MTNN’s strong brand and reach combined with CarePay’s proven healthcare technology provides the perfect, trust-based platform that allows seamless transactions between patients, healthcare providers and health insurers.”
Speaking about the partnership, Chief Enterprise Business Officer, MTN Nigeria Plc., Lynda Saint-Nwafor, said: “It gives us so much joy to make quality healthcare affordable and accessible to millions of Nigerians through this partnership. By simply dialing a short code, our customers can now access a plethora of health services. Also, stakeholders within the healthcare ecosystem can extend their services across the country, in an affordable and efficient manner. This is indeed a great leap forward.”
Founded in 2015 in Kenya and incorporated in Nigeria in 2018, CarePay provides a proprietary digital “health marketplace”, accessible via web and app, for distribution and administration of a wide range of retail health schemes encompassing innovative bundled health schemes as well as traditional health insurance plans. Furthermore, CarePay provides a health benefits management platform, which allows seamless data and payment, flows between healthcare payers (insurers, Health Maintenance Organisations/HMOs and corporates), healthcare providers and consumers.
The CarePay platform improves the efficiency and transparency of health benefits utilization and payments enabling health insurers to grow into new market segments, and for healthcare providers to receive their payments promptly. Based on mobile technology the CarePay platform allows consumers to view and access their contracted benefits 24/7 without delay, dispute or additional payments at accredited healthcare providers such as clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, laboratory service points etc. The platform currently connects over five million subscribers; 4,000 healthcare providers and 21 payers across Kenya and Nigeria.
MTN Nigeria is one of Africa’s largest providers of communications services, connecting over 71.5 million people in communities across the country with each other and the world. Guided by a vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world, MTN Nigeria’s leadership position in coverage, capacity, and innovation has remained constant, since its launch in 2001. MTN Nigeria is part of the MTN Group – a leading emerging market operator, connecting more than 250 million subscribers in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. To learn more about MTN Nigeria and its various initiatives, visit www.mtnonline.com

The national coordinator of the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), Dr Omale Joseph Amedu, says Nigeria needs about 2 million units of blood annually.

Speaking in Abuja during the commemoration of this year's World Blood Donor Day, he called for voluntary blood donation among Nigerians.

According to him, out of the 500,000 units of blood donated annually in the country, 95 percent comes from commercial donors.

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said less than 5 percent of all blood donations in the country came from voluntary unpaid donors.

He said every country must have a strong base of voluntary unpaid donors to ensure that everyone who needs safe blood has access to it.

He urged health workers and health institutions to align with the NBTS' mandate to help the agency achieve the 1 percent estimated blood need target as recommended by the World Health Organisation.

WHO Country Representative for Nigeria, Walter Kazadi Mulombo, said over the past year, blood stocks decreased in the African Region as movement restrictions and fears of infection hindered people from accessing donation sites.

The partisan divide over the country's pandemic response has reinvigorated the anti-vaccine movement nationwide, with mostly Republican lawmakers in nearly 40 states backing bills to restrict Covid-19 vaccine mandates or vaccine passports.
Anti-vaccine fervor that was previously concentrated in specific communities — like Orthodox Jews in New Jersey and New York, and Somali immigrants in Minnesota — spread more widely during the pandemic as the U.S. government urged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
At least six states — Arkansas, Florida, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah — have enacted legislation to limit Covid shot mandates, giving vaccine opponents some of their most prominent victories in recent memory. At least 11 states have banned the use of vaccine passports, according to the National Council of State Legislatures, and another 31 states at minimum are considering similar legislation.
The wave of opposition to Covid-19 shots, and efforts to curb public-health authorities more generally, have alarmed health experts. They say the new legislation will make it harder to quell the pandemic and prevent future outbreaks of Covid-19 and other illnesses. Many families now emerging from isolation have delayed routine immunizations during the pandemic, and two dozen states have dispensed Covid-19 shots to fewer than 50 percent of eligible residents.
“We're very concerned about that because it really undermines everything we do," said Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. "And things I think the public take for granted for safety" — such as health departments' ability to react quickly to outbreaks of food- and waterborne-illnesses — "are not going to be so safe anymore.”
The anti-vaccine movement saw an opportunity at the pandemic’s onset to bring more people into the fold by shifting its message from the shots themselves to governments’ often-unpopular promotion of masks and social distancing, said Erica DeWald, director of strategic communications and partnerships at Vaccinate Your Family, a vaccine education group co-founded by former first lady Rosalynn Carter.
“This is the first time that they’ve been able to attach themselves to an issue that has successfully passed,” she said.
The efforts have taken hold in states like Texas and Oklahoma, where anti-vaccine political action committees have grown in power and influence in recent years. The Republican governors of Arkansas and Montana already have signed into law measures ensuring Covid-19 vaccination status can’t be made a condition of employment in certain settings. Other governors and legislatures have banned the use of “vaccine passports” for travel or other services, despite the Biden administration’s vow not to pursue a national document.

American defender Mark McKenzie was subjected to racial abuse on social media following his team's 3-2 victory over Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League final.
“The amount of racial abuse and personal attacks on myself and family from ‘supporters’ and ‘non supporters’ just ain’t it,” McKenzie, who is Black, wrote on his Instagram Stories late Monday.
The posting included an example of the abuse.
“The racial abuse and attacks on myself, my teammates and our families just isn't acceptable — not as athletes, not as HUMANS,” McKenzie added on Twitter on Tuesday night, capitalizing for emphasis. “There's no denying it wasn't my greatest performance in a massive match. I accept that. Mistakes aside, the remarks DURING and AFTER the match have no place in the beautiful game we love or in spaces supposed to unite. Supporters or non supporters, fans or not ... it's about having respect for your fellow brothers and sisters from various corners of the earth because our diversity is what makes us so powerful. We as a people MUST do better and the organizations and corporations with the power to hand out repercussions NEED to step up and be held accountable as well. No more lip service — your either for positive change or part of the problem.”

Rural communities outside America's cities are falling further behind in the race to vaccinate against COVID-19 as President Joe Biden's Fourth of July goal to reach 70% of American adults looms over the horizon.

Alaska is the sole state where average rural rates of fully vaccinated people have grown faster than urban rates since April 19, when every state opened shots to anybody 16 and older, according to NPR's latest analysis of county-level vaccination data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Everywhere else, rates in urban counties have outpaced those in rural counties.

Over a dozen states where rural rates were actually beating urban ones seven weeks ago have flipped, so they now trail their urban counterparts. Those include Oregon where rural places now trail urban by 9 percentage points and Maine where they're now behind by 7 points.

Florida, Massachusetts and Nebraska have the largest disparity, with rural counties lagging by 14 percentage points. For Florida and Nebraska those gaps are about double what they were in mid-April.

Though stark, these gaps may hide a more complex story of vaccination rates, as the data reveals plenty of rural counties well above average and urban areas dragging their feet.

"There's a lot of, let's call it judgment of rural communities and a lot of blame that's being placed on them for masks, for vaccinations," says Mark Holmes, a professor at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. "There's a continuum overall, and it's not as simple as all the large areas are doing great and all the rural areas are not."

Indeed, a CDC report from mid-May included one detail that caught Holmes by surprise: The suburban counties ringing his state's largest cities, Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., had significantly lower vaccination rates than their urban cores.

Not only that, these suburbs were worse off than even rural counties scattered across the state. Counties surrounding Minneapolis, Birmingham, Ala., Seattle, Denver and Portland, Ore., all repeated this pattern, with the suburbs trailing both urban and rural counties of their states, according to the CDC's analysis.

Pockets of lower vaccination rates are a problem for people everywhere, experts say. If COVID-19 flares up in any unvaccinated rural or suburban area, those outbreaks would likely ripple into nearby cities, according to Keith Mueller, director of the University of Iowa's Rural Policy Research Institute.

"If we've learned anything from 18 months of this pandemic, we've learned that it can spread from any place to any place. We're far too mobile a society," Mueller says.

As COVID-19 restrictions ease and the summer travel season heats up, more Americans will likely venture to national parks and other outdoor destinations in rural areas.

"You're stopping to get gas, and all of a sudden, that's your contact," Holmes says. "It's ineffective to look at our borders, whether those are national, state or county, and say that's over there. It's not coming here."

Socioeconomically vulnerable counties struggling more

A second CDC report from early June sheds light on the demographic and social factors linked to lower vaccination rates among all counties, whether rural or urban.

The CDC ranks over 3,000 counties nationwide using a social vulnerability index that measures 15 factors such as poverty, poor transit and crowded housing that weaken a community's capacity to respond to disaster.

Researchers divided counties into four categories — large urban, suburban, small-to-medium urban, and rural — and looked for which demographic profiles were linked to lower vaccination rates. Across all these categories, households with children, people living with disabilities and single-parent households were more likely to see lower vaccination rates. And researchers say these gaps are particularly pronounced in suburban and rural counties.

Counties with higher numbers of mobile home residents, as well as those with higher poverty and lower education rates, also lagged significantly behind other counties within their rural-urban category, according to the CDC report.

"Rural communities often have a higher proportion of residents over 65 years of age, lacking health insurance, living with underlying medical conditions or disabilities, and with limited access to health care facilities with intensive care capabilities, which may make them more likely to get sick or die from COVID-19," says Vaughn Barry, a CDC epidemiologist and one of the report's lead authors.

Battling hesitancy should be 'hyperlocal'

The CDC reports present vaccine hesitancy as the primary barrier to reaching rural areas and call for public health leaders to do more to overcome it. One in five rural Americans said they would "definitely not" get a vaccine, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll published in April. It found the most resistance among Republicans, white Evangelical Christians, essential workers in fields other than health care, and adults under 50.

Strategies to overcome that hesitancy will look different for the hundreds of rural counties nationwide, says White House COVID-19 Health Equity Chair Marcella Nunez-Smith, but they will likely share one critical aspect.

"Partnering with trusted, local community leaders is a must," Nunez-Smith said at a news conference in May. "Equity work is always hyperlocal. Communities are the experts in what they need."

Doctors on the Navajo Nation, once among the hardest-hit areas of the country, say constant communication with their tribal members about fighting the "monster" of COVID-19 has helped this remote region achieve some of the highest vaccination rates in New Mexico and Arizona.

Like most Native American tribes, the Navajo Nation has dozens of paid community health representatives who work with the Indian Health Service to reach into rural areas and forge relationships.

"They know their areas extremely well. They all speak the language," says Dr. Loretta Christensen, acting chief medical officer for the Indian Health Service and a member of the Navajo Nation. "They can take that one-on-one with the people that may be hesitant, and sometimes it has been because they're afraid to leave their home, by the way, but we have gone out to the homes and given those vaccinations."

Friends and family can be among the most influential in convincing a hesitant person, adds Dr. Chris Percy with the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, N.M.

Patients frequently recount to him what has convinced them to show up at recent vaccination events: "They'll just volunteer that 'My mom and my sisters have been ... on my case to get in here,'" Percy says.

Christensen and Percy say they can't beat anyone over the head with data or strongarm unwilling patients into taking the vaccine, but what they can do is seem welcoming and lower all barriers.

On May 28, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its guidance relating to employers' obligations and limitations in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the workplace. Most notably, the EEOC's newly revised guidance gave the go-ahead to employers seeking to incentivize COVID-19 vaccinations in the workplace.
In doing so, the EEOC clarified that offering vaccination incentives to employees who receive a vaccination on their own will not violate federal anti-discrimination laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), so long as the employees receive the vaccinations voluntarily and the employers maintain confidentiality of any employee vaccination records provided by their employees in conformance with the ADA. As such, an employer's request for documentation confirming that an employee received a COVID-19 vaccination is not a disability-related inquiry that would violate the ADA.
The EEOC's guidance clarifies that employers may provide employees and their family members with information to educate them about COVID-19 vaccines in an effort to raise awareness about the benefits of vaccination and can even administer vaccines to their employees.

After more than two months of relief, Nigeria on Monday recorded her highest fatality figure since the outbreak of the coronavirus infection in the country in February, 2020.
According to an update published by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on its verified Twitter handle on Monday night, Nigeria recorded 28 deaths in a day.
The new fatality figure toppled the previous record of 27 deaths recorded on January 30, 2021, and has now raised the country’s death toll to 2,099 in total.
Similarly, for the first time, Benue State, North-central Nigeria, has led in the daily infection tally with 178 cases out of the 203 reported across five states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The disease centre noted that Lagos, which usually habitually leads the chart, only recorded 10 cases on Monday while Ondo recorded six, and both Kaduna and the FCT recorded four cases each. Plateau State also makes the list with a single case.
With the new 203 infections and 28 deaths, experts fear a possible spike in the dangerous cases might already be here.

The new figure has raised the total infection in the country to 166,518.
Until Monday, infections had reduced significantly in Nigeria with an average of less than 100 per day in nearly one month. Also, only nine deaths had been recorded in the past 54 days until the latest fatality figure.
The news of the arrival of more than 200 travellers considered as “health hazards” for evading mandatory protocol, had raised fear of a possible spike.



Seeing these numbers, I feel a little sorry, even afraid, now in such a serious situation, we should really reflect on self-reflection and do the appropriate protection measures.

Migrant rights groups in Guatemala, the United States and beyond are calling on the White House to adopt a rights-based approach to migration ahead of US Vice President Kamala Harris’s upcoming visit to Guatemala and Mexico.
US President Joe Biden tasked Harris with leading diplomatic efforts in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to help stem migration to the country’s southern border after children and families arrived in large numbers earlier this year.
The Biden administration’s focus so far has been on addressing the “root causes” of migration from Central America, but migration advocates say prioritising the use of security forces and expulsions to block asylum seekers means that years of failed US policies are continuing.
“The focus so far has been militarisation,” said Silvia Raquec, migration programme coordinator at the Pop N’oj Association, an Indigenous-focused non-profit group in Guatemala.
“The focus needs to be on regularisation mechanisms and the safety and protection of migrants,” she told Al Jazeera.
Harris’s trip
Harris is scheduled to arrive late on Sunday in Guatemala, where she will meet with President Alejandro Giammattei and other parties on Monday. She will then travel to Mexico, meeting on Tuesday with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador before returning home.
Migration and its root causes will be central to Harris’s agenda on her first official trip abroad, but officials are also expected to discuss private sector investment, aid, and economic development. In Guatemala, talks will also focus on corruption.
Alianza Americas, a transnational network of 50 migrant-led organisations, and other regional and Guatemalan groups welcome Harris’s stated interest in addressing the structural root causes of migration.
At a press conference on Thursday in Guatemala City, they presented a series of recommendations concerning the rule of law, socioeconomic conditions, multi-faceted violence, climate justice and other issues that they say need to be tackled.
a public health directive that allows the US to immediately expel most migrants and asylum seekers at the border – is an urgent priority, said Abel Nunez, Alianza Americas’ vice president and executive director of the Central American Resource Centre in Washington, DC.
The administration of former President Donald Trump began using Title 42 last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Biden has continued to use it to expel most migrants and asylum seekers at the border. The policy prevents people from requesting asylum or accessing any other US immigration proceedings.
Title 42 expulsions to Nuevo Laredo, in northern Mexico, are increasing kidnappings and violence against migrants and asylum seekers, Human Rights First and other US-based rights groups reported last month. “They are using it as a wall. It is a virtual wall,” Nunez told Al Jazeera.

As more Americans begin their journey thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine, hotels across the United States are facing a labor shortage as they are in a hurry to accommodate the surge in visitors. , Workers are returning more slowly To increase employment more than guests, the hotel offers benefits such as signing bonuses.
“I was very busy. Many guests are coming to enjoy this beautiful weather where I had to sit in the pool, hike, play golf and relax.” In Scottsdale, Arizona. Resort.
The hotel has been flooded with guests since February, when more Americans began vaccination. COVID-19 (New Coronavirus Infection)However, many of the former hotel employees did not return. Some have left the city or state, while others have left the hospitality industry altogether after the coronavirus settled in the spring of 2020 and the business plummeted.
Today, Fairmont Resort is facing an unprecedented labor shortage, with 200 jobs in many sectors.
“I’ve never seen such a staffing need met,” John Grin, director of public relations at the resort, told CBS News Wendy Gillette.
Due to the high demand for employees, the hotel offers $ 500 not only to new hires, but also to current employees who refer successful applicants.
Neighboring hotels face similar challenges in hiring employees. The luxury Phoenician resort, also in Scottsdale, has 50 jobs.
Hotel spokeswoman Dennis Somin told CBS News, “We have a card to bring. If you meet someone,’Are you interested in joining the Luxury Collection and Phoenicians?
This labor shortage is occurring all over the country, and hotel managers are in charge of everything from cleaning up tables to financial oversight.
Ben McCarney, general manager of the Marriott-owned Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront in Savannah, Georgia, said he was working 24 hours a day, citing additional obligations.
“I love this industry, but we’re all tired. I’m working. I had two days off last month, but I closed the rooftop bar and spent many nights,” he said. Told CBS News.
Joseph Marinelli, president of Visit Savannah, who sells the area to tourists, recognizes the various hats that managers of these facilities are currently wearing.
“You might end up cleaning a room or rubbing the toilet, which is difficult for people who are also responsible for their ultimate bottom line and business management,” he said.
Hotels across the United States struggling to secure staff before the summer crash.

More than 120 million Americans are now vaccinated against the new coronavirus. Local officials across the United States are easing social distancing. And many are dropping measures that require people to wear nose and mouth covers, or masks.
However, not everyone in the country is ready to surrender their mask. They have become the most common and visible COVID-19 control measure.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, said recently fully vaccinated people no longer need to socially distance themselves. It also advised that this group can safely go without a mask in any outdoor activity and during some indoor events as well.
A fully vaccinated person is two weeks past their final shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Partly vaccinated or unvaccinated people, the health agency said, should continue wearing masks.
The guidance still calls for masks in crowded indoor settings including hospitals, prisons, airplanes and buses. But it clears the way to reopening workplaces, schools and other places that closed during the pandemic.
Rules and guidelines aside, people may not be emotionally ready to give up their masks -- especially after wearing them for a year. Others are more than ready to throw the face coverings in the waste container.
The Associated Press talked with people across the U.S. about their thoughts on masks.
First, let’s hear from Jan Massie. She is a retired teacher and lives in the southern state of Alabama. Now fully vaccinated, Massie does not have to wear a mask. Yet she does, even as temperatures rise in her home state.
She said, “I’ve worn a mask where it really wasn’t required.”
Why? She said wearing a face mask helped to protect her from infectious diseases in general. She not only avoided COVID-19 but also the flu and her usual yearly colds.
Massie said she has not faced any criticism for wearing a mask in public. But other Americans report that they have.
The spread of COVID-19 is slowing in the U.S. Almost 40 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. The CDC reports the disease has killed about 585,000 Americans. So, millions of people are deciding whether to continue wearing face masks. Others ignored, rejected or disputed CDC guidance on face covers from the start.
Denise Duckworth is among that group.
“I’ve always been against masks, and I think all their rules have been hypocritical, and they’ve been confusing,” said Duckworth.
Duckworth spoke during a visit to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she walked mask-free in the popular French Quarter neighborhood. Many other people on the streets were also maskless.
But some Americans remain concerned that the current vaccines may not protect against new, and future, versions of the virus.
Alex Bodell of Ithaca, New York, is one of them.
The fully vaccinated man was visiting New Orleans at the same time as Duckworth. But unlike her, he wore a mask in public.
He told the Associated Press that he felt more comfortable and was able to enjoy himself more being fully vaccinated and wearing a mask.
In Fargo, North Dakota, a college student went maskless during an outdoor event. Andrew Kodet said he has been vaccinated and will follow the CDC guidelines.
“If you’ve been vaccinated and you’ve put the effort into it to avoid spreading the disease, it’s about time to begin this rebuilding process,” said the 20-year-old Kodet.
Near Boston in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Vanessa Li spoke with the AP when she was not yet past the two-week point of her second vaccine shot. So, she still wears her mask outside, especially when around many people. Li said that she has been slow to take off the mask because “it’s been such a habit.”
The 25-year-old is an epidemiologist, a scientist who studies disease spread. She noted the different versions of the virus and risk levels around the world. As international travel returns to normal, she is not “sure how at risk everyone is at the moment.”
Removal of masks does not mean true "freedom". COVID-19 has not ended. You can’t remove masks because of your willfulness. Wearing masks in public places will help you restore "freedom" faster.

Nigeria’s biggest city imposed a new coronavirus law that carries strict penalties, including fines and imprisonment for violations.

Under the new law, the Lagos state governor can “quarantine anyone he deems fit and for any period of time, sanction erring individuals with fines of up to 500 000 naira or imprisonment of up to five years,” the state health commissioner, Akin Abayomi, said in an emailed statement. A 500 000 naira fine is the equivalent of about $1,220.

International passengers who provide misleading information or break protocols may be jailed for a year or pay fines, the commissioner said. People traveling from India, Brazil and Turkey who refuse to isolate will have their passports deactivated for at least a year. Foreign citizens may be deported.

The state has vaccinated 318 916 people with a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with a goal to inoculate 14 million in total. Nigeria’s commercial capital carried out about half a million Covid-19 tests and has recorded 356 deaths and 274 active cases as of Friday.

The World Bank today approved the Nigeria Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Program (SURWASH). The $700 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA)* will provide 6 million people with basic drinking water services and 1.4 million people access to improved sanitation services. The program will deliver improved water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to 2,000 schools and Health Care Facilities and assist 500 Communities to achieve open defecation free status. These will be implemented as part of the Government of Nigeria National Action Plan (NAP) for the Revitalization of Nigeria’s Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Sector.
In 2019, approximately 60 million Nigerians were living without access to basic drinking water services, 80 million without access to improved sanitation facilities and 167 million without access to a basic handwashing facility. In rural areas, 39 percent of households lack access to at least basic water supply services, while only half have access to improved sanitation and almost a third (29 percent) practice open defecation – a fraction that has marginally changed since 1990.
In recent years, the Government of Nigeria (GoN) has strengthened its commitment towards improving access to WASH services, spurred on by the need for Nigeria’s WASH sector to catch up with its regional counterparts. This led to the Government declaring a State of Emergency in 2018 and launching the NAP aimed at ensuring universal access to sustainable and safely managed WASH services by 2030, commensurate with the SDGs.
The program will support the NAP which is a 13-year strategy prioritizing actions within three phases: Emergency Plan, Recovery Plan, and Revitalization Strategy and also the Clean Nigeria; Use the Toilet Campaign which aims  to have Nigeria free of open defecation by 2025.
“Given that access to WASH is an important determinant of human capital outcomes, including early childhood survival, nutrition, health, learning, and women’s empowerment – all of which in turn affect labour productivity and efficiency; the Program’s centrality to the human capital agenda and its potential to influence key human capital outcomes cannot be overemphasized” says Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, “Participating States will be able to improve access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene which will help to keep more girls in school, create employment, and reduce open defecation, while developing greater resilience to the impact of climate change, as well as conflicts between different land and water users.”
The SURWASH Program, is performance based and participation is open to all states in Nigeria based on their commitment to specific reforms in the sector. The Program will support the GoN to enact necessary policy reforms and incentivize state and local governments, service providers, Technical Assistance providers, and community-based organizations (CBOs) to effectively deliver sustainable services in the sector. It will support a package of investments to expand access to and increase the use of WASH services in urban, small towns and rural areas. Specifically, the program will support the development of infrastructure to improve water supply service delivery, sanitation and hygiene in institutions (schools and healthcare facilities) and public places such as markets, motor parks and others.

The bosses of JP Morgan, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs were grilled during an appearance before US lawmakers.
"Wall Street profits no matter what happens to workers, because those profits now come at the expense of workers," one senator said.
But the bank bosses pointed to relief given out during Covid.
In his opening remarks Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, chair of the Senate Banking Committee, added that when employees get sick or lose their jobs, "they don't get a taxpayer bailout".
"And they all remember that Wall Street did," he said, referring to the 2008 financial crisis.
Sen. Brown also challenged chief executives over levels of pay: "Stock prices have soared, your own compensation is stratospheric, but workers are getting a smaller and smaller share of the wealth they create."
David Solomon, the boss of Goldman Sachs, said that it had given workers an additional 10 days of leave over the last year, as well as continuing to pay on-site staff such as cleaners or canteen workers even if they weren't working.
Jane Fraser, the chief executive of Citigroup and first female boss of a Wall Street bank, also pointed towards efforts to help small business owners.
She said the bank had issued $5bn (£3.5bn) in emergency Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans - with 80% going to firms with fewer than 10 employees.
Hostile exchange
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren also criticised the bankers for charging customers overdraft fees, even as regulators recommended that they should be waived.
In a hostile exchange with JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon, she claimed the firm had collected about £1.5bn in overdraft fees in 2020 - more than any other bank at the hearing.
"You and your colleagues came in today to talk about how you stepped up to help your customers during the pandemic. It's a bunch of baloney," she said.
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"This past year has shown that corporate profits are more important to your bank than offering just a little help to struggling families even when we're in the middle of a worldwide crisis," she added.
But Mr Dimon said he did not recognise those numbers and that the fees were cancelled for any customers who asked.
When each of the bosses were asked if they would refund the fees charged last year, they said no.
The executives also came in for criticism from Republicans at the hearing, wary of "woke-ism" and "left-wing attacks on capitalism".
Sen. Pat Toomey raised concerns over banks prioritising social causes, citing examples such as climate change, rather than clients' financial interests.
Each bank boss referred to efforts to reduce their carbon emissions, as well as their efforts to improve diversity in their organisations.

As Nigeria’s children mark their day on this very occasion, governments at all levels must find ways of addressing most of their nagging problems. Education today has seemingly moved from the known to the very remote considering all manners of policies unleashed into the system but which sadly appears to be doing untold damage to the whole sector.
Apart from the fact that the education planners in modern Nigeria seem bereft of ideas of how to move the sector forward convincingly in order for the nation to achieve its aim of building a virile education system that can compete favourably with other parts of the world, new policies being churned out only seem to show a clandestine move to destroy education from its very fabric.
To start with, nobody seems to be showing enough concern about the nation’s elementary section especially on the serious issue of the inability to read of most pupils of the primary schools being forwarded to the secondary schools. Year in year out, the situation has remained the same and even getting worse. Those in the second section also do whatever they can to justify their salary and then pushed their utterly poor product forward. Most of the nation’s public secondary schools are grossly understaffed and teachers therefore overburdened. Under such a condition, it will be unrealistic for anyone to expect optimum performances from the teachers.
Sadly, whenever the government chooses to recruit teachers, the process is thoroughly compromised and those with questionable qualifications find their ways into the system. Even the number of people recruited are always a far cry from the actual number needed and school heads can only complain at their own risk. Yet, all public junior secondary schools students are compelled to register compulsorily for all subjects including those in which they have no teachers perhaps to give the public a false impression that all is well. And miraculously too most of the schools often record a hundred percent pass in all their exams both internal and external, and the ‘miracle-favoured’ learners are pushed to the next level in a system akin to garbage in garbage out.
The greatest disservice done to students in junior secondary schools in modern times is the merging of the subjects they have to write in the exams simultaneously. How the education planners arrived at such a decision is difficult to understand because, in the years when students wrote the subjects separately, they still had many issues to contend with, how much more now that they are exposed to such a choking system? In the new arrangement, subjects such as Basic Science, Basic Tech, Physical and Health Education and Information Communication Technology are combined as Basic Science and Technology and the learners must sit for all of them at the same time. The same thing for the subject now called National Values studies involving, Social studies, Security education and Civics also written simultaneously. Prevocational studies include Home Economics and Agricultural science and students must also attempt them in one sitting.
The question one needs to ask is whether those who made this arrangement were exposed to the similar experience of writing exams in their own time, or what they hope to achieve by turning everything about the junior school into a mockery. Those in senior school do not fare any better. In spite of the fact their schools are without adequate teachers, they are hardly allowed to focus on their studies. There are just too many competitions they are compelled to take part in under the guise of involving them in co-curriculum activities and irrespective of whether or not most of those competitions have any bearing on the subjects the students offer. The modern government it seems is more interested in paparazzi to impress the public; no one actually seems to bother about whether or not the teeming Nigerians are acquiring proper education.
The question to ask is that if the competitions are truly good and helpful, why are those in the private schools not always involved? It is disheartening that in spite of the magnitude of laxity bedeviling public schools today, both parents and the government seem to be in agreement that all is well. Yet the result of failure to address the various forms of anomalies in the education sector is already staring everyone in the eyes. The number of unemployable graduates now roaming the streets will continue to increase unless Nigeria wakes up from its slumber and take the bull by the horns by putting its teeming children on the right path to excellence.

ABUJA, May 20 (Reuters) - Nigeria’s governors have called for a full deregulation of the country’s downstream oil sector so that pump price floats with global oil prices, as the West African nation cannot sustain a subsidy regime to keep fuel price stable, they said.
Kaduna state’s governor, Nasir el-Rufai, said at a meeting to discuss appropriate pricing for the petrol in Nigeria that an estimated 70 billion-210 billion naira ($170.6-$512 million) was spent every month to keep petrol at 162 naira per litre.
El-Rufai called the situation “unsustainable” in a statement issued by the Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum late on Wednesday.
Nigeria deregulated its downstream oil sector a year ago, after the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a collapse in the global price of oil, its main export.
That ended a system of fuel subsidies that had helped keep the lid on simmering social unrest for decades. But state oil firm, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) picked up the tab after the government made it the country’s sole petrol importer.
However, rising oil prices since last year have increased the cost of petrol imports, stoking inflation and creating some social unrest, issues that the government needs to agree with labour unions prior to increasing pump price.
The government announced last year that petrol prices will move with the market and eliminate subsidies but said it would maintain control through a pricing mechanism.
In March, NNPC said it is spending between 100 billion-120 billion naira a month on petrol subsidies for consumers, a burden that is becoming untenable.
Nigeria, Africa’s top oil exporter, has made producing its own fuel a priority for years but efforts to revamp its refineries have failed, leaving it almost entirely reliant on imports.

The Czech Republic government, yesterday, donated medical equipment worth N194 million to Ogun State.
The equipment included 15 ICU beds, an incubator, children cribs, a generator and a phototherapy machine.
Czech Republic Ambassador to Nigeria, Marek Skolil, while handing over the equipment to the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, in his office at Oke-Mosan in Abeokuta, expressed his home government’s delight to support and partner the state government, particularly in the area of health development.
Skolil added that the Czech government was concerned about how Nigeria, being the centrepiece of the regional architecture of the African continent, was not developing not only in terms of infrastructure but also in terms of human and social well-being.
The ambassador, who noted his country’s industrial development, mechanisation of agriculture and the health sector, commended the state government for the role it played during the global pandemic.
In his remark, Abiodun commended the Czech Republic for donating the equipment to the state, saying: “I am glad that at a time when we needed you the most, you chose to support us as a state and a country by extension.
“I want to personally appreciate that gesture. We appreciate your kind gesture donating the equipment estimated at $47,000. This donation is deeply appreciated.”
Abiodun, while also calling for collaborations in the area of engineering and air surveillance from the Czech government, said his administration since it came on board had been able to remove all forms of administration bottlenecks through business-friendly policies.
“We know you are quite experienced in the areas of engineering, infrastructure and agriculture. I am so optimistic we can collaborate on that. We are looking to deploy air surveillance across the state in terms of using drones. We can also collaborate in this area, as we see security as an important part of our administration,” Abiodun added.
He disclosed that his administration was awaiting the donation of about six ambulances before the end of the week, saying his administration is also waiting patiently for the Czech government to deliver on its promise to donate ambulances to the state.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, commended the Czech Republic government for its numerous support to the state.
She said that the medical equipment would be installed in Ijebu-Ife, one of the local communities visited by Ambassador Skolil.

The nation’s healthcare ecosystem has attracted an estimated $195milion in the sector in the last five years, a report has revealed.
According to data obtained from Africa Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA) April report on equity and venture capital deals.
Of the 97 volumes of PE and VC deals reported worth $1.3 billion from 2015 to 2020, Nigeria accounted for 15 percent besting Morocco, Egypt, South Africa and Ghana.
The 15 percent share of deals amounts to about $195 million.
Morocco came in second as its healthcare accounted for 11 percent share of the PE&VC deals to Africa.
This was followed by Egypt with a deal volume of 10 percent as South Africa and Ghana made the top five lists with eight percent volume of deals each.
Nigeria’s growing population and seemingly low commitment by the Federal government on healthcare delivery has made the country a very attractive market for healthcare Investors.
“The demand for healthcare services in Nigeria is high and will increase with the growth of the population. Unfortunately this rising demand cannot be covered by Nigeria’s weak healthcare system today,” Anthony Abou Nader in June 2019 told a group of healthcare Investors inviting them to invest in Nigeria.
He also projected bigger investment in the next four years for Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
Also, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) estimated health financing gap of US$66 billion per annum in Africa.
The report noted that Nigeria along with many other African countries are yet to fulfil the agreement to allocate 20 percent of its national budget to healthcare, hence present a huge opportunity for private investors to rewrite the narrative.

Californians may not have to wear a mask in most circumstances beginning in mid-June, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in an interview Wednesday.
In a response to whether there would be mask requirements following California’s June 15 reopening, Newsom — citing the state's high vaccination rate and low Covid-19 infection rate — confidently responded “no."
The announcement, given during an interview with Los Angeles station KTTV, is the first significant indication of lifting the mask mandate in the nation's most populous state.
The primary exception would be for large indoor gatherings such as conventions, Newsom said.
“Only in those massively large settings where people around the world, not just around the country, are convening and where people are mixing in real dense spaces,” Newsom said. “Otherwise we’ll make guidance, recommendations, but no mandates and no restrictions in businesses large and small.”
Newsom is facing intense scrutiny as an effort to recall him became official last month when a petition received 1.6 million valid signatures. Candidates have already thrown their names in the ring against the Democratic for a likely fall election, including former Olympian and reality television star Caitlyn Jenner.
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation on Newsom’s interview comments.
The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention changed their mask recommendations last month, noting that people do not need to wear masks if they are alone outdoors or only with members of their household, regardless of their vaccination status. Fully vaccinated individuals can go a step further and forgo masks at outdoor gatherings or at outdoor restaurants, the guidance said.
The agency still recommends masking up for most indoor activities and any situation that might have a large crowd. New York, along with many other states, updated their own mandates to reflect the new guidelines. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not indicate that the state would remove mandates for indoor activity though he announced the state would have a major reopening on May 19.
Some Republican-led states, such as Texas and Florida, lifted mask mandates in March despite low vaccination rates and recommendations from public health experts.

Covid-19 is not recommended to remove the mask restriction without complete control. After all, not everyone is vaccinated.

Californians may not have to wear a mask in most circumstances beginning in mid-June, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in an interview Wednesday.
In a response to whether there would be mask requirements following California’s June 15 reopening, Newsom — citing the state's high vaccination rate and low Covid-19 infection rate — confidently responded “no."
The announcement, given during an interview with Los Angeles station KTTV, is the first significant indication of lifting the mask mandate in the nation's most populous state.
The primary exception would be for large indoor gatherings such as conventions, Newsom said.
“Only in those massively large settings where people around the world, not just around the country, are convening and where people are mixing in real dense spaces,” Newsom said. “Otherwise we’ll make guidance, recommendations, but no mandates and no restrictions in businesses large and small.”
Newsom is facing intense scrutiny as an effort to recall him became official last month when a petition received 1.6 million valid signatures. Candidates have already thrown their names in the ring against the Democratic for a likely fall election, including former Olympian and reality television star Caitlyn Jenner.
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation on Newsom’s interview comments.
The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention changed their mask recommendations last month, noting that people do not need to wear masks if they are alone outdoors or only with members of their household, regardless of their vaccination status. Fully vaccinated individuals can go a step further and forgo masks at outdoor gatherings or at outdoor restaurants, the guidance said.
The agency still recommends masking up for most indoor activities and any situation that might have a large crowd. New York, along with many other states, updated their own mandates to reflect the new guidelines. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not indicate that the state would remove mandates for indoor activity though he announced the state would have a major reopening on May 19.
Some Republican-led states, such as Texas and Florida, lifted mask mandates in March despite low vaccination rates and recommendations from public health experts.

Covid-19 is not recommended to remove the mask restriction without complete control. After all, not everyone is vaccinated.

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, warned that insecurity is the biggest threat to investment in Nigeria and urges the FG to provide security agencies with the necessary support to deal with insecurity.
The NESG disclosed this in its May 2021 report, titled ‘Sectoral reforms and Investments in Nigeria; A Focus on the Manufacturing Sector.”
What the NESG said about insecurity and Investment:
“The biggest threat to investment in Nigeria is insecurity,” the report said.
“The President and National Assembly must provide security agencies with adequate resources – equipment, finance, training, etc. – to tackle the insurgency, banditry, and other forms of social vices. There must be clear key performance indicators and heads of security agencies must be sanctioned when they fail to meet relevant goals,” it added.
The report also stated that “Nigeria has numerous favourable conditions for investment, especially in its manufacturing sector,” citing the following:
Large arable land.
Strategic location in Africa.
Large market and opportunities presented by the AfCFTA.
Import dependent–manufactured and agricultural goods account for 72.5% of total import in 2020.
Weak manufactured goods exports – share of manufactured goods to total exports was 7.7% in 2020.
Large population – Nigeria has a population of over 200 million people.
It went on to state that the FG must tackle insecurity, develop industrial policy in identified areas and provide targeted infrastructure to attract investment in the Nigerian Manufacturing sector.
What you should know
The African Development Bank also stated this week that Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, needs urgent economic diversification to move the country from a single income source (oil and minerals) towards multiple income sources.
“In pursuit of long-term recovery and sustainable development, Nigeria needs urgent economic diversification. Nothing is more poignantly demonstrative of the danger of over-reliance on a single or narrow range of commodities,” Prof. Oyelaran-Oyeyinka Oyebanji, Senior Special Adviser on Industrialisation at African Development Bank (AfDB) said.

NBC News’ Kerry Sanders joined passengers on the very first fully vaccinated flight, which departed from Florida to New York. For many, the flight meant a long-awaited reunion with family members they haven’t seen in more than a year.

When US president Joe Biden unveiled his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in February, Republicans accused the new president of profligacy.
“Wildly expensive” and “largely unrelated to the problem”, quipped Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, vowing to fight it “every step of the way”.
Democrats were nonplussed. Instead they used the contentious budget reconciliation procedure technique to push through the legislation in the Senate without the need for Republican support.
The package was signed into law by Biden in March and contained a range of measures including $1,400 cheques sent directly to Americans, expanded child tax credits and improved unemployment benefits.
Further, an emboldened Biden followed through with an infrastructure plan comprising two strands – $2.3 trillion for traditional infrastructure projects like roads, bridges and broadband, and $1.8 trillion focusing on more intangible aspects of the economy like childcare and education.
Though the infrastructure plan has yet to be approved in Congress, together the three spending packages represent one of the biggest investments in the US economy in years.
But on Friday, Biden’s economic agenda confronted its first serious hurdle with the publication of disappointing jobs figures. Economists were taken by surprise as the monthly numbers showed a much lower level of employment growth than had been expected.
The US economy added a modest 266,000 jobs in April, compared to 770,000 in March, undermining previous signs that the US economy was poised to rapidly bounce back as the country reopens from the coronavirus pandemic.
The unsettling figures sent Democrats scrambling for an explanation, and gave Republicans more fuel for their argument against the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.
Many had argued that the economy did not need the level of stimulus Biden proposed. They had also warned that the unemployment benefits – an extra $300 weekly bonus payment in addition to regular state unemployment benefits – were too generous and would disincentivise work.
For critics of the Biden plan, Friday’s unemployment figures appeared to bear this warning out. There have been widespread reports in recent weeks that some businesses are finding it difficult to hire workers, particularly in states that are well advanced in their opening plans like Florida.
In some cases, employers are offering cash bonuses or education plans to entice new hires. Some Republican governors have now said they plan to cancel the $300 federal unemployment payment in their states, amid claims of worker shortages.
Unusual hit
At a press conference on Friday, Biden was on the defensive. He said that the disappointing jobs data “just underscores, in my view, how vital the actions we’re taking are”. The plan should be judged over the course of a year, “not 60 days”, he said. “We never thought that, after the first 50 or 60 days, everything would be fine.” 
He also dismissed “loose talk” that Americans don’t want to work, though he said that some employers are finding it difficult to fill jobs.
Shortly afterwards treasury secretary Janet Yelen took questions at the White House. Digging down into the data, she said that the report was a little stronger than the headline numbers suggested and noted that monthly data is volatile.
She also said that other factors are affecting workers’ ability to get back to work, such as the fact that many schools have not returned to full in-person learning, with the result that many parents cannot return to work. Overall, she said the road back to economic strength will be “bumpy”.
“We’ve had a very unusual hit to our economy, and the road back is going to be somewhat bumpy. We have to expect that there are a variety of bottlenecks,” she said.
A similar message was delivered by commerce secretary Gina Raimondo on Sunday, who said that over-generous unemployment benefits were not the problem.
“It doesn’t seem to be that that is the major impediment,” she said, instead pointing to health fears concerning Covid-19, and lack of affordable childcare, which is impacting women in particular.
Asked if the administration was considering tweaking the unemployment package, however, she conceded that it was “something we are monitoring”.
Undoubtedly, Friday’s job figures were an unsettling surprise for the Biden administration. The development comes at a difficult time. This week, the president will host senior Democrats and Republicans for talks at the White House to garner support for his infrastructure plan.
Securing buy-in for more spending plans in the current climate promises to be a significant challenge for the Democratic president.

Previously, COVID-19 severely affected economic development and people’s work. However, with the development of vaccines, the COVID-19 situation in the United States has been controlled. However, due to various factors, most people are still out of employment, leading to the economy. The recovery has suffered a bumpy ride. The US government should consider adjusting its unemployment plan.

A practising Chief Consultant Family Physician, former President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), and President of the Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA), Dr. Osahon Enabulele, has been unanimously re-elected for a second term as Chairman of the Socio-Medical Affairs Committee (SMAC) of the World Medical Association and conferred with the highest award and honour by the NMA. Indeed, it was a time of glitz and glamour at the 61st Annual General Conference and Delegates Meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association holding in Jos, Plateau State, as the highest honour and award of the NMA was conferred on Enabulele.
President, NMA, Prof. Innocent Ujah, said the conferment of Fellow of the Nigerian Medical Association (FNMA) is a testament of Enabulele’s dedication to not just the medical profession and the Association but the health and well-being of the human race. “It is the celebration of excellence and dedication to duty,” Ujah said. Ujah said Enabulele is a leader par excellence who has distinguished himself not just within the NMA but also across the globe in the medical profession and administration. “Enabulele has mentored and still mentoring many leaders both within and outside the medical profession. He is truly a rare global citizen with great zest, unparalleled sagacity and leadership capacity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Enabulele’s re-election for a second term as Chairman of the Socio-Medical Affairs Committee (SMAC) of the World Medical Association (WMA) took place during the 217th Council Session of the Association attended by delegates from over 50 countries including Nigeria, United States (U.S.), United Kingdom (U.K.), Germany, Japan, China, among others and hosted in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, April 22, 2021.
Before his election, the representative of the German Medical Association, Dr. Ramin Parsa-Parsi, had earlier nominated Enabulele for the position, stating that Enabulele had dutifully executed all his previous responsibilities with distinction to the admiration of all and sundry.
Following his nomination, there were calls for further nomination but no further nominations were advanced. Enabulele was therefore unanimously affirmed with a loud ovation, and elected as the Chairman of the Socio-Medical Affairs Committee to serve a second term.
The Socio-Medical Affairs Committee is one of the only three standing committees in the World Medical Association, the others being the Medical Ethics Committee and the Finance and Planning Committee.
The Socio-Medical Affairs Committee is responsible for attending to all health issues outside medical ethics, such as universal health coverage and health system strengthening.
By virtue of his re-election, Enabulele retains his position as a member of the Executive Committee of the World Medical Association.
Enabulele became the very first Nigerian to be ever elected as a Committee Chairman and Executive Committee member of WMA since the WMA was founded in September 1947,when he was first elected as the SMAC Chairman in far way Chile in 2019.

The U.S. is supporting discussions about waiving vaccine patent rights in order to help increase vaccine production globally as a new wave of coronavirus cases, particularly in India, is causing concern.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement Wednesday the country would engage in text-based negotiations with the World Trade Organization.
But Tai also tempered expectations, noting that, "Negotiations will take time given the consensus-based nature of the institution and the complexity of the issues involved."
The negotiations center around the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, known informally as the TRIPS Agreement. Both India and South Africa pushed for waivers in October.
Many health and policy experts, however, believe the move, while unprecedented, is unlikely to have any real impact.
"I don't see what this move gets us in terms of getting more vaccines," said Craig Garthwaite, director of health care at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Garthwaite told Yahoo Finance it appears more of a symbolic gesture to signal that the U.S. is taking the surge in India seriously.
But if the Biden administration were taking the crisis more seriously, it would have already sent tens of millions of stockpiled AstraZeneca (AZN) doses to India, he said.
The Biden administration has faced stark criticism over its hoarding of AstraZeneca doses, especially after Chief White House Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said the U.S. would not need them.
One vaccine expert, Dr. Peter Hotez at Baylor College of Medicine, said the U.S. doses would be a "drop in the bucket" of what India needs.
Manufacturing bottleneck
Experts like bioethicist NYU Langone's Dr. Arthur Caplan say the patent waivers are no more than a red herring, "because no one is going to get a vaccine by next month."
The issue hasn't been the technology, but rather the manufacturing process, Caplan told Yahoo Finance. So a patent waiver and technology transfer is useless, he added.
Pfizer (PFE) CEO Albert Bourla recently told Yahoo Finance that the process to manufacture the vaccine involves 19 countries already — signifying a global effort for sourcing and production— for a technology that didn't exist at scale before the pandemic.
"Right now, the bottleneck is related with the ability to ramp up manufacturing at the levels that the demand is. The issues are with raw materials that are in limited supply. These are highly specialized raw materials ... It's not simple chemicals," Bourla said.
Which is why, even if a company were to get the technology and try to produce more vaccines, they wouldn't be able to sustain regular production, and it would take them at least two years to scale up, Bourla said.
Garthwaite echoed Bourla's comments, noting that making a vaccine, "is not like trying to make a cheesecake."
Meanwhile, Moderna (MRNA) had already voluntarily waived its patent enforcement in October, but so far has had no takers.
Even if it did, CEO Stéphane Bancel told Yahoo Finance that they company doesn't have resources to allocate to bring in a new partner.
"Because we are still a small company, you know Moderna is 1,300 people ... the tech transfer would take resources away this year, to prepare for next year if we were to outsource the technology. That will limit our ability to make as many doses as we can this year," Bancel said.

Philadelphia is experiencing a surplus scare. With thousands of coronavirus vaccine doses expiring on Thursday, the city is scrambling to ship them to other distribution sites so it won't be forced to discard them. 
"The city has a lot of vaccines in cold storage that do have to get used in a very short timeline," said Charlie Elison, a FEMA spokesperson. 
Philadelphia officials are hoping to vaccinate more people by keeping sites open later to attract walk-ups for those who don't have an appointment. 
Meanwhile, more shots are sitting unused across the country.  
For the first time since March 22, the U.S. is averaging less than 2.5 million vaccinations a day. Vaccinations are down nearly 25% after peaking on April 11. 
Oregon is experiencing a new COVID-19 surge, triggering restrictions that include a ban on indoor dining. 
In Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee tweeted that "COVID-19 is no longer a health emergency in our state" because of "a widely available vaccine." But less than 25% of the state's population is fully vaccinated. 
In Lubbock, Texas, the city's director of public health Katherine Wells said there are a lot of empty chairs at a mass vaccination site. Vaccine hesitancy remains high and turnout is low. 
"This is going to be an uphill battle," Wells said. "I really kind of see us in this time crunch of trying to get people vaccinated before we see some of these other variants." 
A nationwide coalition of health care providers is targeting those hesitant to get the vaccine by running an ad with the message: "This is our shot to save lives." 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unveiled new findings Wednesday showing the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 94% effective in preventing hospitalizations among fully vaccinated adults 65 and older. 
The global distribution of vaccines is extremely inequitable, and there is no way around it; only when countries are strong do they have more say.

The index rankings were based on seven pillars, which included: leadership and foresight, robust laws and policies, strong institutions, financial stewardship, attractive marketplace, global influence and reputation as well as helping people rise.
According to CGGI, the points ranged from zero to one, zero being the lowest and one the highest, Nigeria, which is the most populated African nation, did not score up to 0.50 in any of the indices.
Nigeria has more than 200 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) but it was ranked 0.19 in Strong Institutions. Lack of accountability and transparency, corruption and other negative vices have characterised government agencies.
The 2019  report of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federal (OAGF) had indicted several government agencies of non-remittance of revenue, illegal withdrawals as well as other disregards for financial rules.
In Leadership and Foresight, Nigeria scored 0.24, a reflection of how the country has been torn in ethnic crises and clashes while the government is unable to proffer a solution that would unite its over 200 million population.
Frank Umeh, a civil society leader based in Enugu, South-East Nigeria, explained that the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had been unable to show leadership in fighting insurgency and uniting a deeply divided nation.
Most of Buhari’s appointments have been one-sided, with the North occupying the majority of critical positions. The ICIR reported how the North occupies 60 per cent of NNPC senior positions.
Nobel Laurette Wole Soyinka has consistently complained that Buhari had not showed leadership in the face of farmer-herder crisis and other security threats.
The CGGI report also scored Nigeria 0.35 on Robust Laws & Policies. The ICIR had reported how several Nigerian laws had become obsolete, including those that were critical to the development of the country.
A team of consultants under the auspices of the Department for International Development (DFID) led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria Paul Idornigie had recommended to the 8th Assembly that 54 Nigerian laws were obsolete and needed amendment, but no changes have been made hitherto.
Others are: Attractive Marketplace, 0.40; Global Influence & Reputation, 0.35; and Helping People Rise, 0.33.
According to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) titled ‘2019 Poverty and Inequality in Nigeria,’ 40 per cent of the total population, or almost 83 million people, lived below the poverty line.
On Financial Stewardship, Nigeria was scored only 0.37. The country has spent billions on financially unsustainable projects, including the just awarded $1.5 billion on the Port Harcourt Refinery Company (PHRC) which has recorded several years of losses.

THE Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the Inter Regional Coordination Centre, ICC, Yaoundé, Cameroon, have formed a partnership to galvanise regional and international efforts to counter the menace of sea pirates and general insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, GOG.

Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum,  GOG-MCF/SHADE, was floated after meetings between Director General of the NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, representing Nigeria, and the Executive Director of ICC Yaoundé, Admiral Narciso Fastudo Jr.
A joint statement by NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy and ICC Yaoundé, said GOG-MCF/SHADE, which was purposed to facilitate shared awareness and de-conflict activities in the Gulf of Guinea, “will be open to all GOG countries with similar capacities to join on a voluntary basis.”
Part of the statement reads, “GOG-MCF/SHADE will focus on counter-piracy and armed robbery by bringing together regional, international, industry and NGO partners to advance and coordinate near term maritime activities with a view to working toward a set of common operational objectives in order to protect seafarers and ships operating off the coast of West and Central Africa.”  
Jamoh and Fastudo agreed to hold the first virtual meeting of GOG-MCF/SHADE as soon as practicable, saying modalities would be announced later.
Commenting, Jamoh said, “The new maritime security framework speaks to our own integrated approach to security in the country’s waters and the Gulf of Guinea. 
We have always believed in bringing all maritime stakeholders on board in the search for security, and we have proffered that as a solution at various forums with our regional and international partners.
“I am confident that cooperative efforts and shared capabilities are the best approach to success in our collective quest for maritime security