Commissioner
Lagos targets scaling up coronavirus testing capacity to 2,000 daily
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has disclosed plans to scale up its testing capacity for COVID-19 from 850 to 1500 and 2000 daily. This is subject to the availability of COVID-19 extraction kits considering the acute global shortage. Sanwo-Olu, disclosed this among other measures, while giving an update on COVID-19 situation in the state, during a live broadcast, Saturday, 11th in the series. According to the governor, who is the Incident Commander, “Let me say, as I have said before, that the success of our efforts, at ramping up testing, is part of the reason why we are seeing a significant escalation in the number of cases in Lagos State. “Quite clearly, also, we are firmly in the community transmission stage of the infection, and the only way to be sure we are making all th...
Rivers governor splashes N5 million on community which reported unlawful entry of cattle, bearers
Governor Nyesom Wike on Friday rewarded Rumuigbo community, Obio Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers state, with N5 million for providing information which resulted in the arrest of trucks, cattle, and passengers who sneaked into Port Harcourt in breach of the state’s COVID-19 restriction orders. The Governor in a Friday broadcast on state of his administration’s fight against coronavirus also vented frustration on perceived Federal Government (FG) and security agents sabotage of efforts at containing the pandemic in the state. He said, “I commend Rumuigbo community vigilante for rising to the challenge, as any responsible community should do, by intercepting a lorry-load of livestock with 50 persons who illegally entered the State in violation of the lockdown orders. For this show of cour...
Official: Some coronavirus patients in Lagos on the run
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, said on Friday that many people who tested positive for coronavirus were running away from being taken to isolation centres for treatment. Mr Abayomi said this was one of the reasons the state still has unoccupied beds at the isolation centres despite recording more cases than its bed-capacity. He spoke at the state secretariat on Friday when responding to the question on the discrepancy between the occupancy of the isolation centres and the number of active cases in the state. “There is also a situation that we experience, when we test people, sometimes they find it difficult to find them. The ambulances will go into community, people will flee their homes, and they make it difficult for us to find them.” Speaking on the stress health...
Gombe discharges 20 coronavirus patients after testing negative
Gombe State has discharged 20 COVID-19 patients out of 109 cases in isolation centres across the state after they tested negative twice. Prof. Idris Mohammed the Chairman of the State Task Force on COVID-19, made the disclosure at a news briefing on Friday in Gombe. Mohammed, who was represented by Dr Ahmed Gana, the state’s Commissioner for Health, said that the 20 patients were discharged following directive from the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). “We are happy to inform the general public that NCDC has given us go ahead to discharge a total of 20 cases under our isolation facilities. “Ten from Kwadon Isolation facility and the second 10 were from Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) Gombe Isolation center,” he said. He added that more patients would be discharged in the next few...
Abia government intercepts trucks bringing 26 people
Abia State Government says it intercepted 26 people hidden in two trucks coming into the state. The Commissioner for Homeland Security, Dan Okoli, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Aba on Thursday. He said the 26 persons were concealed in two trucks that belonged to a Nigerian multi-industry company. Okoli said the interception took place at Ariam Community, a boundary town between Akwa-Ibom and Abia, in Ikwuano Local Government Area of the state. He said the 26 people were later moved into another vehicle and sent back to where they were coming from. He debunked stories making the rounds that Abia boundaries were porous and that people were freely coming in and going out. Okoli said that it took the painstaking surveillance by security personnel to intercept the 26 persons. H...
Cross River orders five truckloads of almajiris back to destination
Cross River State government on Thursday ordered five truckloads of almajiris including other passengers from the northern part of Nigeria back to its destination. Newsmen learnt that a border patrol team, comprising of Peace Corp members, civilian Vigilantes, Border COVID-19 Taskforce had intercepted the trucks yesterday night at the Gakem border town in Bekwara LGA of the state near Benue State. A source who pleaded anonymity told Vanguard that the team was led by a Commissioner who said it was the result of intensive search and blockade of interstate vehicular travels, which his team was poised to enforce. “After a thorough check on the five trucks we discovered that most of the passengers, aside goods, were almajiris who did not meet COVID19 protocols, we had to force them to return,” ...
Ogun residents disobeying governor’s orders – commissioner
The Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Abiodun Abudu-Balogun, has expressed worries that residents of the State do not obey the directives of Governor Dapo Abiodun on the compulsory use of face mask. Newsmen reports that Gov Abiodun has directed all indigenes of Ogun State, who must go out during the relaxation of the coronavirus lockdown, to wear a face mask. According to Abiodun, anybody who refuses to wear a face mask will be arrested and quarantined for 14 days. But, Abudu-Balogun, while speaking on Sweet 107.1FM Abeokuta on Wednesday, said many residents of Abeokuta were in town today without face masks. Abudu-Balogun said he decided to see what was happening within the metropolis, saying the people, around Okelewo, did not obey the regulations as they ignored social distancing ...
Kogi begins payment of April salary
The Kogi State Government has began the payment of April salaries to civil servants. In spite of the agreement to pay 80% salaries to workers, those in the grade levels of 1-6, were paid in full, while pensioners who retired before harmonization also got their pensions in full. Similarly, all political appointees and the legislators in the state were all paid 80% as salaries in line with the slash in salaries paid in April. The salary payment was confirmed by the Kogi State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Asiwaju Idris Asiru, who assured that the commitment to workers by the present administration would not be taken for granted. According to the Commissioner, the covid 19 pandemic has opened up new thinking and government has decided to remodel and equip the Special...
Anambra commissioner warns tricycle operators against peddling falsehood
The Anambra State Commissioner for Transport, Dr. Christian Madubuko, has warned Commercial Tricycle Owners and Riders Welfare Association of Anambra State, CTORWAAS, and their alleged paid agents to desist from peddling false allegations against his Ministry or face the wrath of the law. Dr. Madubuko also warned CTORWAAS, its Chairman, Comrade Sylvester Obiorah, Mr. Stanley Onunkwor, and others against peddling falsehood, mutinous and subversive comments against his person or face legal actions. Reacting to the allegation that he (Dr. Madubuko) was priming Tricycles operators, ‘Keke riders’ under the aegis of CTORWAAS, in the State, in other to remove their State Chairman, Mr. Sylvester Obiorah, the Commissioner said his Ministry is aware of some alleged inordinate conducts in the managem...