By Suleiman Dogara If there’s one thing some newspaper editorials and analyses by some self-appointed commentators promise is uncourted controversy – and some shocking revelations of unprofessionalism and intellectual poverty while you are at it. Case in point: a piece of junk analysis simply credited to “editor” and published on March 21, 2021 edition of Thisday newspaper. The writer or commentator or analyst talks about Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, has been playing “stupid and constituting humongous nuisance since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.” One is rather shocked that a public affairs commentator would choose to deploy…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine performed better than expected in a major late-stage trial potentially paving the way for its emergency authorisation in the U.S. and bolstering confidence after numerous setbacks in Europe. The drug maker said on Monday that trials in Chile, Peru and the U.S. found the vaccine, developed in conjunction with Oxford University, was 79 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and crucially, posed no increased risk of blood clots. It intends to request U.S. emergency authorisation in coming weeks. More than a dozen European countries, including Germany and France, had halted use of the AstraZeneca vaccine earlier…
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 said it received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from MTN Nigeria. Speaking at the National briefing, the Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha said: “Yesterday, Sunday, March 21, 2021, the PTF received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from MTN Nigeria. “This is acknowledged with thanks as we encourage other partners to contribute towards the fight against COVID-19.” Recall that the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, had said that the first part of the 1.4 million doses promised to be donated to…
Connected Development (CODE) says it is developing a website to assess the social gaps and challenges faced by citizens affected by COVID-19 pandemic in some African countries. The CODE’s Project Lead, Dr Onyekachi Onuoha made this known when he led a delegation to the Federal Ministry of Health, in a statement in Abuja. Onuoha said the organisation was seeking partnership with the ministry to assist it in countering fake news and misinformation about COVID-19. He said that the website would also help to give credible information about the pandemic and what the governments had spent to fight it. “A website…
Water has many values that are just not priced, Sasha Koo-Oshima, the Deputy Director, Land and Water Division, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), told Xinhua ahead of the World Water Day on March 29. The official highlighted that with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a large part of the world population still lacks access to hand washing facilities at home. “This is the first line of defense against this virus and the value of water is very evident in this progression. “The first thing we realised is the hand washing. Many countries just don’t have clean water to even just…
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Monday urged governments at all levels to consider multiple values of water which should be incorporated into decision making for water development. Mr Dimitri Sanga, Officer-In-Charge (OIC) UNESCO Regional Office, Abuja, made the call at a news conference which held concurrently with the organisation’s presentation of the UN World Water Development Report 2021. The event was in commemoration of the year’s World Water Day (WWD) and the news conference was organised by the Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with Action Against Hunger (AAH) and other partners. WWD, established by the UN in…
The Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, has pledged the commitment of the Federal Government toward improving access to potable water for all Nigerians. Adamu said this at a news conference in commemoration of the 2021 World Water Day with the Theme: “Value Water’’ on Monday in Abuja. According to him, the essence of World Water Day, which is usually celebrated on March 22, is to galvanise action towards active response to water crisis. He said it was also to seek out innovative measures to improve access to potable water supply, all in the aim of achieving the Sustainable…
By Justina Auta The Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) has advocated that 40 per cent constituency funds should be channelled to provision and sustenance of safe water in rural communities. The National Amirah, FOMWAN, Dr Halima Jibril, made the call while briefing newsmen in commemoration of the World Water Day celebration in Abuja on Monday. According to her, lack of access to safe water has led to increase in maternal and child mortality, increased number of out-of-school-girls, poor sanitation, food security and climate change. She, therefore, stressed the need for government at all levels to make available…
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday received former Gov. Gbenga Daniel of Ogun state and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The chairman, Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC, and governor of Yobe, Mai Mala Buni, accompanied by governors of Jigawa, Badaru Abubakar and Kebbi, Atiku Bagudu presented Daniel and Bankole to the president. Daniel was governor of Ogun State from 2003 to 2011 while Bankole was Speaker of the House of Representatives (2007–2011), all on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Bankole…
Vera Songwe, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), says between 49 million and 161 million Africans may have fallen into COVID-19 induced poverty. Songwe stated this in her presentation on Monday at the opening of the 53rd ministerial session of the ECA and the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, holding in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference drew participants from across Africa and other development partners across the world. They included Mr Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia; Ms Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados; and Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of…