Jihadist fighters linked to the Islamic State group on Friday killed several security personnel in an ambush on the convoy of the Borno State governor, the Agence France Presse (AFP) reported Friday night quoting sources.
Sources told AFP that eight policemen, three soldiers, and four members of a government-backed militia were killed in the attack on vehicles carrying Borno state governor, Babagana Umara Zulum near the town of Baga on the shores of Lake Chad.
The insurgents opened fire with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades as the convoy was passing through a village close to the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force, a military coalition of troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameron
“The governor escaped unhurt but 15 security men on the convoy were killed in a fierce battle with the terrorists”, one source said.
Zulum was on an assessment tour of Baga in preparation for the return of thousands of residents displaced from the town by the jihadists in 2014, the sources said.
The governor flew on a helicopter into the garrison town of Monguno, 60 kilometres (40 miles) away, and headed to Baga in a convoy under tight security, one of the sources said.
All three sources were talking on condition of anonyonimity.
The IS-affiliated Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group maintains most of its camps on islands in Lake Chad and the region is known as a bastion for the jihadists.
The militant group has recently intensified attacks on military and civilian targets in the region.
In July Zulum’s convoy came under gun attack from ISWAP outside Baga, forcing him to cancel his trip to the town
As the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) mobilise for indefinite nationwide strike starting from Monday, unions in the aviation industry have thrown their weights behind the unions.
The unions; National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) in a circular signed by their General Secretaries, Comrades Ocheme Aba, Umoh Ofonime, Frances Akinjole and Abdul Rasaq Saidu, respectively, said that there was no going back on the impending strike.
They said the country’s airspace would be shutdown indefinitely until the government reversed its decision on the increased pump price and hike tariff of power supply.
The unions , therefore, directed all workers in the aviation sector to withdrawal their services at all the airports nationwide as from 00:00hrs on September 28, 2020.
The circular stated that ; “As you are aware, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have declared indefinite nationwide strike action with effect from Monday 28, 2020.
“Our unions as above named are in full support of the strike. As such, all workers in the aviation sector are hereby directed to withdraw their services at all aerodromes nationwide as from 00:hrs of 28th September, 2020 until otherwise communicated by the NLC/TUC or our unions.”
The closure of the airspace by the unions would affect airlines especially foreign carriers from coming in or departing of the country, thereby leading to chaos nationwide.
Also, it is anticipated that air travellers would be stranded nationwide as domestic flight operations would be affected.
Both NLC and TUV had on Friday said that there was no going back in its planed strike, following the failure of the Federal Government to reverse the increases in electricity tariff and fuel price.
The unions had met with the National Executive Council in Abuja, but both parties refused to reach a truce.
The labour had said that the decision to go ahead with the strike was unanimously taken by the chairmen of the 36 states and FCT chapters of the NLC.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has charged regulatory agencies to reduce the cost of doing business by checking exploitation of operators at seaports.
Amaechi gave the charge in Lagos at the 2020 World Maritime Day Celebration.
He pointed out that the objective behind the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA) has been defeated with the exorbitant charge of $1500 a vessel per day.
In a keynote address, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, said that it’s been five years since President Buhari, joined other world leaders at the 70th Session of the UN to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of 17 SDGs on universal call to end poverty, safeguard the planet and ensure peace and prosperity by year 2030.
She, however, called on stakeholders in the sector to capitalize on available local resources and invest in infrastructure and machinery that are economically and physically in line with the aspirations of the SDGs.
Meanwhile, the Director General, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashiri Jamoh, in his presentation assured International community that with the Anti-piracy Act, Nigeria is now repositioned to fight piracy and change the narrative following recent statistics by IMO that the country’s waters are the most dangerous to trade in.
Other presenters encouraged development and coordination of the Blue Economic policy, use of scientific and verified information for development of the maritime sector.
They further pointed out that the major threat to marine life emanates from land, adding that the country should consider turning the land wastes into recyclable and reusable energy.
The participants came out with a communique which among other things emphasised that SDGs are germane to the maritime industry and in this regard, urgent measures towards diversifying the economy away from oil revenue is apt.
They also reiterated the need to develop regulations for the implementation of relevant IMO instruments to forestall effects of climate change and pollution on marine environment.
Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnibe Mamora
The Republic of Korea donates 3 Smart Walk-through Booths for COVID-19 Sample collection to Federal Government of Nigeria.
Receiving the 3 Smart Walk-through Booths for COVID-19 sample collection, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora expressed appreciations to the Government of Korea for the donation.
While saying that, the 3 Smart Walk-through Booths for COVID-19 sample collection to fast-track the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
He said the gesture has shown that Republic of Korea is a true friend of Nigeria “because a friend in need is a friend indeed.”
The Minister of State said that these Smart Walk-through Booths are expected to provide medical staff with effective protection during sample collection, support mass screening for COVID-19 in a timely and efficient manner and reduce the usage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) during test sample collection.
Mamora told the gathering that the Booths will be put into effective use at the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja, the Central Public Health Laboratory, and the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research in Lagos. He charged the beneficiaries to ensure decency in the use and also cultivate maintenance culture for the Booths.
His Excellency, Maj. Gen. Lee In-tae (rtd), the Ambassador of The Republic of Korea, who was represented by Mr. Woochan Chang, the KOICA Country Director extended his deepest condolences to the families and victims of COVID-19 pandemic, and also commended all the frontline health workers and professionals for their resilience in the battle against COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ambassador stated that the donation of the 3 Smart Walk-through Booths for COVID-19 sample collection marks another milestone in the bilateral relations between his Country and Nigeria which has been established since 1980, adding that as a key bilateral partner, Republic of Korea have continually engaged in the advancement of existing excellent cooperation projects for Nigeria in maternal and child health, education, amongst others, and recently the COVID-19 response. “I believe the donation of the Smart Walk-through Booths has further consolidated the bilateral relations which marks the 40th Anniversary this year’’, he said.
He, however, explained some key features of the Booths which include High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filter, High Efficiency Bi-directional Fan Module, Air Conditioning and Heat System to make the environment conducive for Medical Staff to collect sample, Intercom System and LED Control Panel.
The Ambassador requested the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ensure efficiency and good maintenance of these Booths at the deployed locations in the country.
The earlier planned nation wide protest and strike on Monday 28th September, 2020 by the Organized Labour may not hold as earlier scheduled, due to the outcome of the bilateral dialogue meeting with the Federal Government.
The meeting which was held to arrest the looming strike by the labour unions lasted for over five hours.
Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, the Chief Reconciliator and Minister of labour and Employment Sen. Chris Ngige said Federal Government has made proposals on palliatives and other measures with labour to cushion the effect and alleviate the sufferings that might come with the hike in petroleum product and electricity tariff.
He said the meeting was fruitful and has been adjourned to Monday 28th September, 2020.
“Fruitful meeting, they are going back to their organs. When they consult their organs tomorrow, next tomorrow maybe they will take a new decision. We have appealed to them to shelve the strike.
The government side agreed proposals with them on the palliative to cushion the effect of the rise in petroleum products and electricity”
In a brief responds, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba confirmed that the meeting has been adjourned to 28th September, 2020 with the intent on meeting with its organs before then.
It would be recalled that organized labour recently declared its intention to embark on nation wide protest and strike following the recent hike in petroleum product and electricity tariff.
In a bid to prevent the organized labor from embarking on a nation wide protest and strike, the Federal Government Team is holding a reconciliatory meeting with the leadership of Nigeria Labor Congress.
The meeting which is ongoing, is taking place at the banquet hall of the presidential villa.
In his opening remarks, the Minister of Labour and Employment Sen. Chris Ngige who doubles as the Chief Reconciliator, charged both teams to be frank and genuine in their deliberations, while promising to be non partisan in his judgement.
While speaking, the President Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said, they are opened for dialogue, while appealing to the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to deregulation issues surrounding petroleum products.
Present at the ongoing meeting are the Secretary Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha, Minister of State For Petroleum Timipre Sylva, Minister of Power Sale Mama, Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Muhammed, Minister of Labor And Employment Senator Chris Ngige and Minister of State For Labor Mr Festus Keyamo.
It would be recalled that NLC recently declared it will embark on nation wide protest and Strike, if Federal Government fails to revert the recent hike in petroleum product and electricity tariff.
For effective control of the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on health and economic sides, the Country Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo has called for collaboration between his organization and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
He also called for continued vigilance from the populace until a vaccine is developed, saying, “COVID-19 is here to stay with us for some time until we find an effective vaccine.
He, however, commended the FCTA for its role in the eradication of polio in Nigeria which he said has paved the way for the entire African continent being certified as polio free.
While pledging the support of the WHO to the FCTA in its efforts at ensuring that as many residents as possible are enrolled in the FCT Health Insurance Scheme.
Mulombo made this known when he led a delegation of officials of the Organization on a courtesy visit to the FCTA, yesterday in Abuja
Acknowledging the effectiveness of the actions of the FCTA in the fight against the virus, he said “when I arrived on the 19th of June, I was surprised by the organization I saw at the airport, the way I was received, the way I went through all the processes and where I stayed in quarantine for 14 days, it was so perfect. It was really something that was properly done. So, I wish to congratulate you on that one”.
He also called for continued vigilance from the populace until a vaccine is developed. He said “COVID-19 is here to stay with us for some time until we find an effective vaccine. But until then, Hon. Minister, you need to remain vigilant. The only tool here is non-pharmaceutical intervention. I’m happy to see that we are wearing face masks. It’s very important that we continue to adhere to those principles of social distancing because the other tools are being experimented. So, we need to make sure that what we are seeing, the downward decline in cases actually translates the truth of what is going on in the communities.
He said , “we have your agenda as our preoccupation. Your priorities are our priorities. We want to continue to support the FCT until such a time that everybody benefits from universal health coverage”. He also called on the FCT to continue to pave the way so that its policies can be replicated in other states of the country.
The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, while welcoming Dr Mulombo as the new Country Director, said that the FCTA has always enjoyed a very close working relationship with the World Health Organisation and wished Dr Mulombo a successful tenure in Nigeria.
He said that whatever successes the FCTA had achieved in the sector was also due to the collaborative efforts with the WHO and remarked that the priority of the FCTA in the health sector was the development of the Primary health care system.
He, therefore, called on the WHO to assist in the areas of capacity building in ensuring that primary healthcare centers are self-sustaining with improved funding and better legislation.
Other officials present at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Mr Olusade Adesola, the Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister, Malam Bashir Mai-Bornu, The Ag Secretary for Health Dr Mohammed Kawu, the FCT WHO Office Coordinator, DR Fureatu Zakari and other officials of the FCTA and the WHO.
The Federal capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has hinted that, it had perfected plans to mobilize contractors back to site.
Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) Umar Jibrin said the aim is to ease the perennial traffic gridlock along the Bwari- Dutsen roads axis.
Jibrin gave the hint when he led some top management staff of the Administration on an on the spot assessment of the road, noted that the project was impeded by the incessant rain fall ,but has to be completed to relieve residents of the stress.
He noted that the projects, involving full dualisation of the roads, were not abandoned as speculated by residents, but suffered some set back, due to the COVID 19 and some other challenges.
According to him; “works would resume on the roads within the next three weeks and commitment would be made to ensure its completion.
” When we say complition, we are talking of the totality of what needs to be done here.e have some drainage works to be done and other complimentary works.
” But the one that will satisfy the traffic movement is something that can be done in then next two months. In the next three weeks the contractor will demobilize here. We can never do anything where the rain is here.
He continued” We are only coming to appreciate the level at which the rain has impacted on the road. Now that we are going down, the rain is subsiding, the contractor had to come back and do this work in a very short time. The project is not abandoned. Everything is on cause, the contractor is on-ground”.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire said it is important for the Federal Government to generate national and international confidence in our data by conducting more targeted testing before they draw conclusions.
He said, it means that all States and local government areas must cooperate with NCDC by raising sample collection rate, using criteria listed, to increase testing to a desired rate and to report promptly; as we are still far from the target of 2 million tests.
Ehanire made this known on Monday at Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 in Abuja, while saying that, we can support States with community volunteers for contact tracing, case finding and investigation.
According to him, stepping up surveillance and case finding, States can also ensure that suspected symptomatic covid cases are sent for treatment in time or supported before then with medical oxygen, to save lives and reduce fatalities.
“The recommended criteria for tetsing are: persons who have been in contact with a covid positive patient or are associated with a cluster of persons of interest, those who have any of the 4 classical symptoms of fever, persistent cough, loss of sense of taste or smell and breathlessness; anyone facing surgery, as well as for any other compelling reason. Testing for travel is assigned to private laboratories.
“The distribution of oxygen concentrators and ventilators to various health institutions commenced with training of about 176 intensive care specialists, and biomedical engineers, who will use or maintain them in the hospitals. The ventilators and training are courtesy of the United States government and shall complement what we have at our ICUs.
With regard to COVID-19 and growing complacency, it is important to stress that, even though adults, especially those 60 years and above are more vulnerable, complications do occur in all age groups. Records show that 10% of all positive cases we have treated are below the age of 19 years.
“They are also the same mobile group that can be without symptons, but can easily spread the disease. Therefore, as schools begin to reopen in some areas, I urge caution and adherence to the protocols and advisories for reopening schools, in order join us to prevent covid surge.
He continued; “Nigeria has today recorded, 57,242 covid-19 positive cases out of 479,628 samples tested. Patients treated and discharged from hospital are 48,569, while 1,098 citizens have sadly been lost to the disease.
The daily figures of the past few days seem to show a downward trend in numbers of covid19 positive cases as well as fatalities, but we unfortunately cannot afford to rejoice or speak of success, for many reasons. International news media shows scenes of upsurge in covid cases, called the 2nd wave in several high income countries, many of which had been thought to have defeated COVID-19 and which now see threat to their health systems. This is a situation we must endeavor to avoid, and for that, all steps must be taken.”
The Minister also commended fellow health workers in JOHESU, for putting an end to their industrial action. It is my desire to work with them to resolve issues of concern.
He, however, reminded everyone that COVID-19 is with us for the foreseeable future, as DG of WHO has advised, with no definitive cure in sight. People are still being infected and are dying from it. Some countries are imposing or considering new lockdowns or other restrictions because of the second wave.
He further stated that, as we reopen our economy, it is time for us to take preventive measures even more seriously. I have directed all our hospitals to be alert and watch for unusual increase in number of persons reporting at our hospital as emergency Center.
We all must take responsibility for each other by wearing our simple face masks, especially in public places, ensuring physical distancing and respiratory hygiene. Those with preexisting illness and covid-19 evocative symptoms should report for treatment as soon as possible, he stressed.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Nigeria Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and their partners are conducting household surveys in four states in Nigeria to better understand the burden of COVID-19 infection in Nigeria.
These seroprevalence surveys will be carried out in Gombe, Enugu, Nasarawa and Lagos States will provide the best evidence yet, on the extent of COVID-19 infection in Nigeria.
Thus was made known in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the NCDC media team.
Seroprevalence surveys are used to identify the occurrence of disease in a population by estimating the presence of antibodies in individuals who have had the disease.
The statement reads in bits; “This is done by testing blood samples in randomly selected households in selected states. For Nigeria’s COVID-19 seroprevalence survey, household members will answer a brief questionnaire, be tested for the presence of COVID-19 antibodies, as well as for acute COVID-19, if they consent. In addition to this, study participants will also have a rapid malaria test and receive treatment if the test is positive.
“This is the first set of household surveys to be conducted for COVID-19 in Nigeria and as part of ongoing public health research activities. The surveys will increase the current understanding of COVID-19 transmission patterns, the burden of infection in the population, and the age groups most affected.
“This information will help inform COVID-19 response decisions by the Government of Nigeria and partners as part of measures towards ending the pandemic.”
The statement further stated that; “surveys will also estimate the proportion of people who have COVID-19 but are not showing any symptoms i.e. asymptomatic. Through this, the country can identify risk factors for infection and measure the transmission of COVID-19 within households. By administering rapid malaria tests, the surveys will also assess malaria infections and their possible relationship to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
“The results from these surveys will inform the response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria.
T”he United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC) and the University College London (supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) are supporting NCDC and NIMR in implementing these surveys. The US CDC’s implementing partner, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), will also support the State Ministries of Health with implementation.
“The surveys will be conducted between September and November, and preliminary results are expected to be released by December 2020″, the stated reads.
The Federal Ministry of Health, its agencies NCDC and NIMR as well as the PTF-COVID-19 remain committed to strengthening Nigeria’s response to COVID-19 and controlling the outbreak.
