The World Health Organisation, WHO, has sounded the alarm bells on the rampaging effects of the COVID-19 Delta strain that has now seen it spread across 104 countries. Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, made this known at a media briefing on COVID-19 at WHO headquarters in Geneva on Monday. The DG on WHO’s website, raised concerns about the COVID-19 variant saying, “Delta and other highly transmissible variants are driving catastrophic waves of case, which are translating into high numbers of hospitalisations and death.” He drew the attention of members to the false hope of vaccines as being a quick fix to the…
Author: Editor
The Inter-parliamentary Relations Committees of the Houses of Assembly in the South-West have assured of their commitment to strengthen democracy in Nigeria. The Chairman of the Osun House of Assembly Committee, Mr Adewunmi Adeyemi, gave the assurance on Tuesday, when some of its members from Oyo, Osun and Ondo states paid a visit to the leadership of Ekiti House of Assembly in Ado-Ekiti. Adeyemi said that the aim for establishing the Inter-parliamentary Relations Committees of the Houses of Assembly was to avail members opportunities to share ideas to strengthen good tenets of legislation across the western region. “Our visit is…
The National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Center (NTLCP), says it has targeted 21,000 persons for treatment under its leprosy preventive campaign in six states in the country. Dr Tahir Dahiru, the Director-General of the programme, stated this at the inauguration of the National Leprosy Control Programme tagged: ‘Ready 4PEP project,’ on Tuesday in Misau local government area of Bauchi. Dahiru said that persons with suspected leprosy cases would be administered a Single Dose Rifampicin Post Exposure Prophylaxis (SDR-PEP) under the Ready 4PEP project across the six selected states. He said that project was a four-year pilot programme to be implemented…
The Jigawa State House of Assembly on Tuesday approved N20.44 billion supplementary budget to fast track the completion of viable projects in the state. Governor Badaru Abubakar, on July 12, submitted a proposed supplementary budget of N18.99 billion to the House for approval. The proposed bill was to facilitate the completion of the ongoing roads, electrification and health sector projects across the state. Other areas to be covered by the appropriated funds include commerce and industry, water supply, agriculture, women affairs, among others. However, while deliberating on the bill in the Committee of the Whole, a legislator, Muhammad Abubakar, drew…
The Vice-Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye in Ogun, Prof. Ganiu Olatunde, says the institution generated more than N3.4 billion revenue between January and June, this year. Olatunde disclosed this while presenting budget performance of the institution before the Ogun House of Assembly Committee on Education, Science and Technology, on Tuesday in Abeokuta. Represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Deji Agboola, Olatunde explained that the revenue generated represented 44 per cent of the entire projection for the fiscal year. The Vice-Chancellor added that the revenue was generated from payment of school fees, acceptance fees and subvention, among others.…
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, says the house is working toward amending the National Health Act to address gaps in accessing healthcare, including funding for gunshot victims. He said this at the opening of the 44th/45th Annual General and Scientific Meeting (AGSM) of the West African College of Physicians (WACP), Nigeria Chapter in Abuja. Gbajabiamila, who was represented by Rep Tanko Sununu, the Chairman, House Committee on Health, said that in the amended act, provisions were made for healthcare service providers to claim funds used to treat gunshot victims during emergencies. He said the consideration was important…
The Police Command in Niger on Tuesday, said it arrested 16 students of Ibrahim Babangida University Lapai, during cult initiation. The command’s spokesperson, DSP Wasiu Abiodun disclosed this in a statement issued in Minna. ”On July 7 at about 2100 hours, acting on a credible intelligence, Police operatives attached to Lapai Division arrested the suspects. “They were arrested for being suspected members of Black Axe cult group at Gwaranyo lodge, State Low Cost area of Lapai while conducting their annual celebration in a room rented by one of the suspects. “Items recovered during the celebration and initiation ceremony include one…
By Justina Auta The “100 Women Lobby Group”, an NGO, on Tuesday, said the increased limit for campaign expenses for political aspirants in the proposed Electoral Bill would exclude women from participating in the political space. The group made this known in Abuja at the “National Strategic Advocacy on Women’s Participation in Politics and Governance Press Conference 2023.” Its President, Felicia Onibon, said that the final version of the proposed Electoral bill, “which increases the limit for campaign expenses, will further promote gender inequality and poor representation of women in governance and politics. “In the final version of the proposed…
My contemporaries within the age group of “goodbye 50, welcome 60”, who started schooling in the late 1960s/early 1970 have seen a lot of transformation in our school system, albeit, a horrible one, a kind of transformation from good to bad. A mixture of Nigerians, Europeans, Indians, and even Ghanaians was managing most secondary schools in the 1970s. Yes, things were so rosy, educational standards very high, examination cheating was unknown culture and all hands were on deck maintaining discipline and value system. Then, merit had no comparison with any other consideration; it was the first point of contemplation when…
An audit report of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, says the country earned a total of N79.9 billion from the solid minerals sector in 2019. The report was presented to the Media and Civil Society Organisations by Dr Dieter Bassi, Director, Technical, NEITI on Tuesday in Lagos. The report showed that the revenue was 13.02 per cent higher than the N69.5 billion realised in 2018. It said the royalties received increased from N1.96 billion in 2018 to N2.50 billion in 2019. The 2019 report covered 74 entities, an increase from the 69 captured in 2018, while production volume…