The Federal Government has summoned seven banks that are responsible for disbursing N20,000 stipends to 774,000 participants in the Extended Special Public Works (ESPW) program.
The administration fine-tuned methods for payment of program recipients during a meeting that lasted several hours on Monday.
Festus Keyamo, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, gave an update following the meeting, directing all participants who have no difficulties with their bank accounts to immediately go to their banks and clear issues.
According to him; “For those who do not have problems with their BVNs but have not received payments, they should go to the banks that registered them to clarify the issues.
“The banks are mandated to issue ATM cards to all participants. Participants are therefore encouraged to collect their ATM cards from the banks so that they can access their payments from various cash points without necessarily going to the banks.
“Participants are assured that their stipends would be paid as soon as all issues are resolved.”
The minister explained further that the meeting agreed that banks are no longer restricted to their initially allotted Local Governments.
According to him, “Consequently, selected participants are at liberty to approach any of the seven selected banks nearest to the Local Government where they were selected. The Banks are Access, FCMB, Fidelity, Heritage, UBA, Yobe MFB and Zenith.
“So far, the NDE has authorized the payments of one-month stipends to all those that have been verified. As shown above, all parties are making strenuous efforts to resolve issues of those yet to receive the first month stipends before the commencement of the second tranche of payments.”
The meeting had in attendance, representatives of the office of the Minister of Labour and Employment, the National Directorate of Employment and banks.
Africa is collaborating with the European Union and other partners to help build regional vaccine manufacturing hubs in Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, and Rwanda, according to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“We have now seen that over-centralization of vaccine manufacturing capacity is incompatible with equitable access in a crisis situation,” WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said at a virtual meeting on Monday.
“Regional production hubs, when combined with open supply chains, present a more promising road to future health crisis preparedness.”
Meanwhile, the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA), in partnership with the Igbinedion University , Okada, has launched a task team for the manufacture of vaccines in the continent.
CoDA is an independent international initiative of the African Union, African Development Bank (AfDB), African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
Speaking during the launch of the task team in Okada, Edo state, on Monday, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria and Chair of the Board of Directors, CoDA, said the initiative has the potential to positively change the vaccine and vaccination landscape across the continent .
“If we carefully nurture the initiative through to maturity, we would have laid a good foundation for a healthier Africa using, largely, resources from within the continent.
“Through initiatives like this one, Africa will be able to encourage and retain its talents and support them in finding solutions to its age-long healthcare challenges,” he said.
Represented by Abdoulaye Bathily, Co-Founder and Board Member of CoDA, he said Africa’s main challenge is not the lack of funds or resources, but inability to harness available resources to provide customized home-grown solutions needed to address the challenges across the continent.
Dr Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission said “It is essential for the African private sector to be involved in public health research that will help find solutions to the health problems on the continent, particularly the limited access to vaccines and vaccination.
“Strengthening Africa’s health systems requires a convergence of the private sector, policymakers, the community, the civil society, and healthcare practitioners.
” I am very much delighted that Igbinedion University Okada is taking up the challenge to champion this new initiative that will help increase research, development, manufacturing, and distribution of vaccines in Africa.
“I am confident that the platform that will be created by the initiative will help bring relevant stakeholders together to dialogue, consult and come up with great ideas and actions that will raise public health profile in Africa to a whole new level,” she said
She said the task team which is also launched in partnership with the Pan-African Manufacturers Association, and other partners is a wake-up call to other private universities and businesses in Africa to contribute towards strengthening healthcare services across the continent.
Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, called for strengthened primary healthcare facilities in the continent , and increased efforts in addressing vaccine hesitancy.
Deputy Chancellor, Igbinedion University, and former Edo state governor, Lucky Igbinedion, said Africa could build on the current progress in vaccine research, development and manufacturing to solve the problems of infectious diseases on the continent.
He said the initiative is not meant to duplicate what is already being done by the African Union, Africa CDC, the World Health Organization, and other partners across the continent, but will complement all other efforts to ensure that Africa becomes self-sufficient in vaccine development and production.
Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, said the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be receding in wealthier nations with easy access to COVID-19 vaccines; but vaccine coverage in African countries has been off to a slow start, due to inequitable distribution and fiscal constraints.
He said the supply is outstripped by global demand, especially in low income countries, “Africa being worst hit with barely 2% of the population vaccinated, compared with 30% to 60% in developed countries,” he said.
Dr Ehanire said the coming together of African countries to push, as one, for vaccine availability for the entire continent is an excellent approach, which Nigeria subscribes to under the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) and registered to access vaccines for 50% of the population.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has awarded oil major Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and its joint venture partner, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, a total of N81.9 billion in cumulative damages (NNPC).
In a ruling issued on Monday, Justice Taiwo Taiwo ordered that the money be paid within 14 days, after which an annual interest rate of 8% will be charged on the principal sum.
The ruling came in a case brought by oil-producing villages in Akwa Ibom State’s Ibeno Local Government Area against Mobil and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The Ibeno communities led by Obong Effiong Archianga and 9 others had through their lawyers, Chief Lucius Nwosu, SAN brought the action against NNPC, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and ExxonMobil Corporation seeking about N100 billion compensation for economic losses suffered from oil spillages caused by the defendants during exploration.
In the course of trial, the third defendant was deleted when the court established that their was no cause of action against the 3rd defendant.
The oil communities had gone to court to seek redress over oil spillage in the area, which they claimed had caused environmental degradation in their communities.
In his judgment, Justice Taiwo cited negligence on the part of the oil companies which led to oil spillage in the affected communities. The court described as ‘unreliable” some of the witnesses Mobil produced in court, and noted that they became evasive during cross examination by counsel to the plaintiffs.
Justice Taiwo observed that the oral and documentary evidence produced by Mobil oil company did not help the court as they were targeted at serving predetermined interest.
According to the court, some of the witnesses ought not to have come to the court going in view of discrepancies in the documents brought to the court. The judge stated the witnesses only embarked on guess research that “is not reliable”.
Justice Taiwo lambasted the NNPC for being interested in the revenue generations from oil exploration at the expense of the lives of the people in the communities.
More so, the court held that both Mobil and NNPC were negligent by failing to visit places of crude oil leakages that led to contamination of Rivers and creeks.
The court noted the claims by Mobil that it did clean up exercise but held that the American company did not address the compensation that would have reduced the economic losses of the people who are predominantly fishermen and farmers.
Justice Taiwo dismissed the claims of the NNPC that the suit was statute barred when it was filed 2012. The NNPC had argued that the suit was not instituted within 12 months as required by section 12(1) of the NNPC Act 2004.
It was the court’s opinion that the instant suit had to do with fundamental rights that could not be rendered “impotent by the statute of limitations”.
Section 11(5) of the Oil Pipeline Act, the court said, makes it mandatory for oil companies to monitor and repair their pipelines to avoid spillages and environmental degradation.
Consequently, he awarded the sum of N42.8billion as damages for intangible losses, N21.9billion special damages as annotated and N10 billion as general damages.
As the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) campaign kicks out on June 28,2021, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set a goal of registering 20 million more voters.
Prof Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of INEC, stated this during the commission’s quarterly Consultative Meeting with Media Executives in Abuja.
He claimed that the commission’s target of enlisting roughly 100 million voters ahead of the 2023 general election would be met with the upcoming introduction of the Online Voter Registration portal and the deployment of about 2000 mobile physical registration equipment.
Prof Yakubu, who praised the media’s collaborative work in INEC’s successful expansion of voter access to polling units, expressed optimism that the upcoming CVR exercise would receive the same support.
Remember that the commission recently announced the establishment of over 56,872 new voting units, raising the total number of polling units in Nigeria to 176,846, the highest number in 25 years.
The commission also took the opportunity to show off the INEC Voter Enrollment Device (IVED), which was created by INEC engineers and would be deployed in 2000 units to record data on potential voters.
Also, Engineer Chidi Nwafor, INEC Communication Department also demonstrated the online registration processes , saying that Nigeria may not need to queue endlessly to register to vote as they can undertake a pre-registration process in the comfort of their rooms .
The Nigerian Army says its forces from Operation Hadin Kai in the North East killed more than 20 Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists at the Lambom Forest in Borno state on Sunday.
Several weaponry, including antiaircraft guns and gun vehicles, were alleged to have been captured by the forces during the operation.
The action was carried out in collaboration with the Air Task Force, according to Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR) in a Monday update.
General Nwachukwu hinted; “Nigerian Army troops of Sector 2 Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI in conjunction with the Air Task Force on Sunday 20 June 2021 inflicted heavy casualty on Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) Terrorists groups who were camping around Wartek in the general area of Lambom forest.”
He said, acting on credible intelligence, the troops with close air support from the Nigerian Air Task Force component swiftly carried out a simultaneous land and air offensive, penetrating deep into Lambom forest in Borno state.
“The gallant troops over ran the position of the terrorists with heavy volume of fire from both land and air, killing over 20 insurgents.
“The troops also captured heavy fire weapons and arms, including three Anti Aircraft Guns, three AK 47 Rifles and two Gun Trucks, aside two other Gun Trucks that were destroyed by the troops.
“The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Major General Faruk Yahaya has congratulated the troops for the successful conduct of the operation.
“He enjoined the troops to sustain the ongoing offensive under Operation HADIN KAI, until the insurgents are completely surmounted.
“The COAS reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian Army under his leadership to bring terrorism and insurgency to an end in the North East”, the DAPR said.
Nigeria presently has the greatest burden of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in the world, ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo and India, according to the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, with an estimated 25% of the adult population carrying a faulty S-gene.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sickle cell anemia affects 2% of new-borns in Nigeria, resulting in a total of roughly 150,000 afflicted children born each year.
In his statement for World Sickle Cell Day 2021, Ehanire claimed that around 50–80 percent of the estimated 150,000 infants born with SCD in Nigeria die before the age of five years and those that manage to survive suffer end-organs damage which shortens their lifespan including stroke.
According to him, “Available record shows that Sickle Cell Disease affects nearly 100 million people in the world and is also responsible for over 50% of deaths in those with the most severe form of the disease (Hb SS). It is the most prevalent genetic disease in the WHO African Region. In many countries of the region including Nigeria, 10%–40% of the population carries the sickle-cell gene resulting in estimated Sickle Cell Disease prevalence of at least 2%.
“The situation in the region also indicates that national policies and plans are inadequate; appropriate facilities and trained personnel are scarce; adequate diagnostic tools and treatment are insufficient for the prevention and control of the disease.
“Sickle Cell Disease is among the top 5 non-communicable diseases (NCDs) significantly contributing to maternal, neonatal, infant and child disability, morbidity and mortality and one disorder that may negatively undermined the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 3 and SCD is frequently associated with problems such HIV/AIDS (especially in those with history of frequent blood transfusion) and stroke, other are failure to thrive in children, stunting, stigmatization, job discrimination and illness related absenteeism from school and work, depression and psychosocial illnesses, marital issues such as difficulty in getting married, recurrent and miscarriages.”
The Minister stated that the theme of the World Sickle Cell Day is :“Shine the Light on Sickle Cell” gives us a unique opportunity to raise awareness about the increasing burden of SCD and eliminate the negative notion associated with it as well as building synergy with civil society organizations, international institutions and development partners towards the prevention, control and management SCD in Nigeria.
In recognition of the huge burden of Sickle Cell Disease in Nigeria, the government of Nigeria over the years has instituted several strategic Interventions to address the challenges of the disease through the FMOH. These strategic interventions includes: Six centres of excellence for the control and management of Sickle Cell Disease were established across Nigeria one in each geo-political zones with each equipped with HPLC and other complementary equipment and staff to serve as a hub for newborn screening; National guidelines for the prevention, control and management of Sickle Cell Disease including protocol for newborn screening were produced. E-copies are available online; Integration of the Non-Communicable Diseases including Sickle Cell Disease care and services into the primary healthcare services was initiated. This is an ongoing initiative; and Draft Nigeria-PEN adapted from WHO-PEN included Sickle Cell Disease for Nigeria taking into account the genetic counselling, diagnosis, newborn screening and comprehensive care package for Sickle Cell Disease within the primary healthcare level with inbuilt cost-effective referral system.
More so, the establishment of the Multi-sectorial Action Program (MSAP) Technical Committee involving different MDAs in addressing the prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases in Nigeria; Advocacy and mass mobilization for awareness creation on Sickle Cell Disease and the importance of genetic counselling and testing for Hb genotype commenced in some parts of the country. This is an ongoing initiative; The Federal Ministry of Health ongoing validation study for the use of Point of Care Screening Test (POCT) kit for early identification and diagnosis of Sickle Cell Disease in of new-born, children and adult at all levels of care in Nigeria; and Harmonization of the various Sickle Cell Disease Bills pending at the National Assembly to increase Government attention for the prevention, control and management of SCD in the country within the framework of Non-Communicable Diseases control programme as part of UN-WHO strategy for the prevention, control and management of SCD.
Government current plan for the immediate future includes the following:Revitalization and re-positioning of the six zonal Sickle Cell Disease centres for improved Sickle Cell Disease service delivery and access to care for those living with the disease; Implementation of the national guideline for the prevention, control and management of Sickle Cell Disease including the protocol for newborn screening; Integration of Sickle Cell Disease care and services into the maternal and child health services especially at the primary and secondary levels of healthcare in Nigeria to improve early identification of cases and enrolment into the comprehensive care for Sickle Cell Disease.
In addition, Scaling up of advocacy and mass mobilization of communities on Sickle Cell Disease across Nigeria including continuous advocacy for access to drugs and diagnostics for Sickle Cell Disease and mass mobilization for support for the newborn screening policy; Strengthening supportive supervision, monitoring and evaluation; Institutionalise early identification of cases through universal newborn screening at all levels of care; and Partnering with social, community, civil society groups, development partners and the private sectors to improve social impacts, initiate and enhance sickle-cell disease surveillance.
Finally, sickle cell disease though endemic in Nigeria is also preventable. We must all make concerted efforts in checking our genotype and key into this Initiative so that together we can halt this epidemic. This will ensure the reduction in the prevalence of sickle cell disease in our country.
Sickle Cell Disease is a genetic (hereditary) disorder that occurs when an individual has inherited two mutant (abnormal) haemoglobin (Hb) genes from both parents, at least one of which is HbS and the resulting symptoms and signs are due to abnormality in the shape of red blood cells. In sickle cell disease, red blood cells are deformed (taken the shape of “sickle”), rigid and fragile and by reason of this being unable to sufficiently carry out their normal functions, notably oxygen delivery.
A Teacher and Eight students abducted by bandits on Thursday at the Federal Government College in Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State, have been rescued, according to Rabiu Kamba, a Special Adviser to the Governor of Kebbi State.
Armed bandits on motorcycles, numbering around 150, stormed the college on Thursday around 12:30 p.m. and abducted an unknown number of students.
Kamba said the rescued abductees were currently in military custody, and that plans were in the works to hand the victims over to the government for reunification with their families.
He said, “A teacher and eight students were rescued by the military.
“They are at present in the custody of the military in Dirin Daji. The government will soon receive them for a reunion with their respective families.”
We had reported that troops had engaged bandits in a gun battle in an effort to rescue the students.
One of the students died during the fire exchange.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Force Commander of the Joint Task Force in the North-West Zone, Air Commodore Abubakar AbdulKadir, confirmed this to reporters in Zamfara State on Friday.
‘Rescue operation ongoing’ Meanwhile, the Police in Kebbi State have said the rescue operation was still ongoing for the missing students. This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen by the police spokesperson of the command, DSP Nafiu Abubakar. The police also denied the report that their van was used by the bandits in evacuating the abductees, saying the vehicle used in evacuating the yet to be ascertained number of missing students belong to a Kebbi State Judge.
According to him; “In view of the above, the command also wishes to make it clear and to make the record straight that yet to be ascertained of the students are still missing as the rescue operation is still ongoing. ” The white Hilux Van with registration number KBSJ 29, belonging to a High Court Judge, with the inscription of Kebbi State Judiciary, hijacked by the bandits along Birnin Yauri road, was the one used in perpetrating such a dastardly act and not the police vehicle as stated by some media stations.”
Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has fired 99 of his political appointees.
El-Rufai said that disengaged appointees make up 30% of political office holders during a media interaction with several Kaduna-based TV journalists.
He said that the state had begun to implement its rightsizing strategy, but that no state government servants had yet been laid off.
Only local government councils, SUBEB, and the Primary Health Care Board, according to the governor, have disengaged employees.
“So far, 99 political appointees have lost their jobs but we have not commenced rightsizing civil servants. We want to be fair with regards to civil servants. We had earlier promised that before we reduce the size of the civil service, we will start with political appointees and we have done that,’’ he said.
The governor, who spoke in Hausa, said the rightsizing of civil servants will still go on as planned because of dwindling revenues that is accruing to the state government from the federation account.
‘’However, civil servants with question marks on the veracity of their data have to be given a chance to clear the doubts before any action is taken on them,’’ he clarified.
The governor said his government has employed 11,000 more workers in the health sector, Kaduna State University as well as primary and secondary schools across the state.
The governor disclosed that it is a fallacy to allege that the salaries of political appointees account for the bloated personnel cost of the State Government.
‘’In March 2021, the salaries of these political appointees amounted to N259 million , while civil servants were paid N3.13 billion, aside from costs related to state contributions to pension, accrued rights and other personnel costs. So, it is false to insinuate that political appointees are the ones that guzzle most of the state’s resources,’’ he said.
Justifying the rightsizing of the public service, he said that all states and the federal government are affected by the shortfall of revenue and some states have even reverted to paying the old monthly minimum wage of N18,000.
The governor, however, promised that Kaduna state will not reverse the N30,000 minimum wage that it has started paying.
“We are the first government, federal or state, to pay the minimum wage. We will retain the minimum wage of N30,000 and the consequential adjustments that gave most of our civil servants a 66% salary increase. We will also retain the minimum pension of N30,000 monthly.
“The unified Local Government Service continues to pay the minimum wage, even though they varied the consequential adjustments for their workers below the level for state civil servants,’’ he added.
In an exchange of gunfire between troops and bandits, one of the students seized from the Federal Government College in Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State, has perished.
Air Commodore Abubakar AbdulKadir, the Deputy Force Commander of the Joint Task Force in the North-West Zone, confirmed this to reporters in Zamfara State on Friday.
During the operation, he added, four students and a teacher were rescued.
“In the early hours of this morning, we came across the kidnappers. They came to our blocking point, and we engaged them,” Abdulkadir said.
“At that point, they abandoned five of the students and one of the teachers. Unfortunately, I think we have lost one of the students.”
AbdulKadir did not comment on whether the bandits or troops recorded casualties.
Meanwhile, the Police in Kebbi have said rescue operation is still ongoing for the missing students. DSP Nafiu Abubakar, spokesperson of the Kebbi Police Command, announced this in a statement made available to newsmen. “In view of the above, the command also wishes to make it clear and to make the record straight that yet to be ascertained of the students are still missing as the rescue operation is still ongoing.” “The white Hilux Van with registration number KBSJ 29, belonging to a High Court Judge , with inscription of Kebbi State Judiciary, hijacked by the bandits along Birnin Yauri road, was the one used in perpetrating such a dastardly act.” Bandits stormed the college around 12:30pm on Thursday and abducted many of the students.
According to a video statement from its supposed new commander, Nigeria’s Boko Haram terrorist group has reported the death of its chief Abubakar Shekau, who reports believe perished during infighting with a rival Islamic State-allied cell.
Top Boko Haram commander Bakura Modu, also known as Sahaba, asked his faction’s commanders to remain loyal after the loss of their historic commander in a short video in Arabic.
Though Islamic State in West Africa Province, or ISWAP, has recently emerged as the main force in Nigeria’s more than decade-long Islamist insurgency, Shekau’s death was considered as a dramatic turn in the battle in the country’s northeast.
The video, provided to AFP by a source close to Boko Haram and confirmed to be Bakura Modu by another local source, illustrates that jihadist infighting is far from over in Africa’s most populous nation.
Shekau, who gained notoriety after kidnapping nearly 300 schoolgirls in 2014, killed himself last month rather than surrender after IS-allied rivals attacked his base camp in Nigeria’s northeast Borno state, security sources said.
In an audio, ISWAP commander Abu Musab Al-Barnawi had already claimed Shekau killed himself while on the run from ISWAP fighters.
The undated Boko Haram video shows Bakura flanked by scores of armed fighters in formation as he addresses the camera, in what is traditionally a jihadist group’s way of presenting a new leader.
Commanders of Jama’atu Ahlu Sunna Lidda’awati Wal Jihad. Be steadfast and draw your swords, spreading your jihad, decapitating the enemy,” he said, using the official name of Shekau’s Boko Haram faction also known as JAS.
“Don’t allow what befalls you these days to weaken your resolve on the jihad your are waging, because Allah has not forsaken your efforts.”
He also urges Boko Haram commanders to reject ISWAP commander Barnawi.
Soon after the initial reports of Shekau’s death last month, infighting between Nigeria’s two rival jihadist factions intensified. ISWAP fighters moved against Boko Haram commanders who refused to surrender and join their ranks, intelligence sources have said.
The two factions have skirmished in the past since ISWAP split from Boko Haram in 2016, objecting to Shekau’s indiscriminate targeting of Muslim civilians and use of women suicide bombers.
Bakura’s faction is one of the Boko Haram elements operating in the Lake Chad area where they have access to porous borders with Chad and Niger. (AFP)
