Agencies
President Buhari reads riot act to ministers, MDAs over discord with National Assembly
President Muhammadu Buhari has read the riot act to ministers, ministries, departments and agencies, warning that any disrespect to the National Assembly will not be tolerated. According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari issued the warning after meeting Senate President Senator Ahmed Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila at the State House, Abuja. Garba said the meeting, which lasted for almost an hour, was characterized by an engaging discussion on a range of key issues of National importance particularly the role of the Legislature as a critical component in supporting their common goal and commitment towards improving the lives of the people of Nigeria. The statement read in part: “In the course of their...
Benue Assembly suspends plenary for members to undergo coronavirus tests
The Benue House of Assembly has suspended its plenary sessions to allow lawmakers and members of staff to subject themselves to COVID-19 screening. Mr Tertsea Gbiseh, the Chairman House Standing Committee on Information and Orientation, announced this in a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Makurdi. The statement said the decision to undergo COVID-19 screening by members was arrived at after the noticeable spike in cases around the state. “Going by the nature of the Assembly’s functions which warrant us to interact closely with constituents at the grassroots on one hand and top government functionaries in Ministries, Departments and Agencies, on the other hand, it has become imperative to embark on regular COVID-19 tests due to the risk of exposure encountere...
Lagos Assembly urges governor to probe highway workers protests
The Lagos House of Assembly has urged Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to investigate the recent protest by street sweepers engaged by Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) over non-payment of their salaries. The resolution followed a motion, entitled; “Need to Enhance Waste Management In Lagos State,” moved by Mr Desmond Elliot (Surulere Constituency I) during plenary on Monday. Newsmen report that highway workers had on June 23 embarked on protest over non-payment of their three-month salaries. The sweepers also took to social media to express their grievance. In a video posted on Twitter, the sweepers were seen removing their uniforms and dumping them on the floor, which formed a huge pile. Elliot said the House condemned those behind the videos that went viral on the issue of non-payme...
10 Customs officers contracted coronavirus at Lagos ports – comptroller
File Photo The Controller of the Apapa Customs Command of the Nigerian Customs Service, Comptroller Mohammed Abba-Kura, on Thursday, said ten of his officers contracted the COVID-19 disease and were treated at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). This is even as the Controller stated that any vessel Red-Flagged for issues with health or safety concern will not be boarded by his officers until cleared by relevant government agencies. Addressing maritime journalists in his office, on Thursday, Comptroller Mohammed Abba-Kura explained that there is no way the Command can stop physical examination of cargoes for now because of the fear of COVID-19, that rather, it is important for individuals to observe physical hygiene while carrying out port activities. According to Abba-Kura, “Whe...
VP Osinbajo: Synergy critical in managing Nigeria’s border
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says renewed efforts will be channeled towards improving synergy among agencies involved in border management. Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said the vice president spoke at the virtual presentation of the research report of the National Defence College Course 28. The research report is titled “Border Management and National Development in Nigeria: The ECOWAS Protocol Relating to Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment in Perspective”. He said synergy was key as government and other stakeholders continued to seek solutions for a more effective border management in Nigeria. The vice president said that border management affected the economy hence the need to get all agencies involved in the sector together. ...
Kaduna reviews nutrition plan to include coronavirus response
The Kaduna State Government has started the review of the 2020 Operational Plan of its Multi-sectoral Strategic Plan of Action on Nutrition (KDMSPAN) to include Coronavirus (COVID-19) response activities. Mr Mahmoud Yamusa, Permanent Secretary, Planning and Budget Commission (PBC), said this at the on-going two-day Food and Nutirtion Co-ordination Meeting with Development Partners, organised by the Commission. Yamusa, who was represented by the Director, Development Aid Coordination, PBC, Mr Salisu Lawal, said that the review was necessary following the outbreak of COVID-19 and its effect on nutrition intervention in the state. He said that the review was also to enable the state implement nutrition activities in line with COVID-19 nutrition response. On his part, Lawal said that the objec...
Oyo HoS urges workers to comply with coronavirus guidelines
The Oyo State Head of Service, Mrs Ololade Agboola, has called on civil and public servants in the state to comply strictly with the COVID-19 guidelines, as they resumed work on Monday. Agboola, in a statement issued on Monday in Ibadan by her Media Officer, Mr Abiodun Atilola, listed wearing of facemasks, regular washing of hands/use of sanitisers and observance of social distancing as some of the precautionary measures. She further stated that the workers were restricted from moving from one office to another, except for very important official purposes. Newsmen report that workers from grade level 12 downward resumed duties on Monday to join their counterparts on grade level 13 and above who had resumed work after the March 27 closure of the secretariat due to coronavirus. Agboola furth...
Flood: NESREA tasks Gombe residents on waste management
Agence France-Presse The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has urged Gombe State residents to imbibe the culture of proper waste management to prevent environmental degradation like flooding. The NESREA Coordinator in the state, Mr Adamu Saurayi, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Gombe on Monday. He said that the call became necessary because many residents were in the habit of dumping solid waste in the drains, especially during the rainy season. According to him, the spread of COVID-19 in the state is an additional reason residents need to properly dispose waste like used face masks to avoid putting others at risk. Saurayi cautioned residents against using the rains as way of sweeping away wastes through drains, adding that such coul...
Katsina urges villagers to expose fleeing bandits
Katsina has called on villagers and rural dwellers to expose fleeing bandits and their informants to quickly end the spate of banditry attacks in some parts of the state. The Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Masari on Security Matters, Ahmad Katsina, told newsmen the ongoing bombardment of the forests by the joint security operatives has forced a few of the remnants of the bandits who escaped to seek refuge amongst villagers. He appealed to communities to be courageous enough in reporting such suspected movements to security agencies for prompt actions. According to him: “Fighting banditry should be a collective effort between the citizens and the security forces, the security forces without the collaboration of the citizens, would find it difficult, so the best approach is the collaborat...
Rivers monarchs accuse IGP of reversing presidential lockdown order
President Muhammadu Buhari has been asked to reverse the order of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on the movement of agricultural produce, livestock, goods and services in Rivers State. The call was made on Saturday by the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, which noted that the IGP had set up a Joint Technical Task Force at the instance of the Federal Ministries of Agricultural and Rural Development, Defence, Environment as well as various security agencies, to ensure free and unhindered movement of food, livestock, agricultural inputs and others into the State. The State Chairman of the Council, King Dandeson Jaja, speaking on behalf of the council in Port Harcourt wondered why the IGP would unilaterally lift the ban on the Presidential order restricting interstate movement...
Kwara blames rise in coronavirus cases on influx of travellers from Lagos, North West
Kwara state government has attributed the increase in COVID-19 cases in the state to the influx of people from Lagos and North Western states to Ilorin, the state capital despite the ban on inter- state travels. The state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said this while speaking with newsmen during an inspection visit to the Sobi Specialist Hospital’s Isolation Centre in Ilorin. The governor was at the centre to monitor health personnel’s compliance with safety protocols. He disclosed that 11 of the index cases at the isolation centre are travellers from Lagos and north- west states who were intercepted by security operatives deployed to enforce the ban on inter – state travels. “Its disturbing that our new index cases were imported, they were people from Lagos and north western states who...
National Assembly leadership meets finance minster over 2020 budget amendment
The Leadership of the National Assembly on Thursday met with the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to be briefed by the latter on the plan by the Federal Government to amend the N10.59 trillion 2020 budget passed by the National Assembly in December last year. The meeting which had in attendance principal officers from both chambers, was presided over by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. The Senate President, in his welcome address told the Executive arm of Government to ensure that the interest of Nigerians remains protected in the proposed cut to the 2020 national budget. Lawan also expressed the willingness of the Federal lawmakers to expeditiously consider the proposed amendment to the 2020 budg...
