government
Lagos doctors begin warning strike Monday
Doctors employed by the Lagos State Government will on Monday begin a three-day warning strike. The Chairman of the Medical Guild, Lagos, Dr Oluwajimi Sodipo, at a briefing on Sunday, said the doctors were embarking on the strike after the ultimatum given to the Lagos State Government had expired. He said, “Following the emergency congress of the Medical Guild held on June 27, we resolved that the previous 21 days ultimatum given to the state government be extended by a further two weeks during which representative council meeting should be held to review the resolutions of the congress and activate the three-day warning strike if 70 per cent of the Guild’s demands are not met.” Sodipo said the demands of the Guild include the wage disparity between the federal and Lagos doctors. “The issu...
Delta SSG discharged from isolation centre
The Delta State Government has announced that Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chiedu Ebie, has been discharged from the isolation centre in Asaba where he was being treated for COVID-19. According to Olisa Ifeajika, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebie, who had been at the isolation centre for 21 days, was discharged on Sunday after testing negative for the virus. He said that the SSG’s discharge brought the number of discharged cases of the virus so far in the state to 583. Ifeajika added that as at Sunday, Delta had recorded 1,359 confirmed cases of the pandemic, with 745 of them active, while 31 lives had been lost to the virus. He said that Ebie thanked Deltans and other Nigerians who prayed for him and had continued to pray for other patients of the virus, includin...
Ex-SSG: I’m not leaving APC, but won’t support Governor Akeredolu’s re-election
Former Secretary to the Ondo State Government, Honourable Ifedayo Abegunde, said he would not defect to another party and would also not support Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s reelection. Abegunde, who resigned his appointment today (Monday) said he would remain in the APC but support another governorship aspirant. He said that he would not be joining his friend the defected deputy governor Hon Agboola Ajayi in the opposition PDP as mist people in the state would want to believe. Abegunde said: “I will remain in the APC. I won’t support governor Akeredolu in his second term bid but will throw all my weight behind Dr Olusegun Abraham. According to him, Olusegun Abraham is the messiah that Ondo State needs now. Meanwhile, governor Akeredolu will Tomorrow (Tuesday), July 7, 2020, swear in the ne...
Former Enugu SSG Samson Ukpabi passes on
A former Secretary to Enugu State Government and former Rector Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna Prof Samson Ukpabi is dead. Until his death he was the traditional ruler of Okpanku community in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu state. The revered traditional ruler who was one of the leading figures in the state died on Sunday morning. He died at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu after a brief illness. Sources close to the family said that Ukpabi spoke with his family members at about 6:15 am on Sunday before he left for the hospital where he died. He was also said to have attended the burial of his nephew on Saturday. Ukpabi, a professor of Military History had held many prominent positions in Nigeria. He was the first Provost of Anambra State University of Scienc...
PTF: Schools to reopen only for graduating pupils
The Federal Government on Thursday insisted that schools have not reopened in the country. The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, stated this in Abuja during a briefing. He maintained that President Muhammadu Buhari only approved the resumption of schools for graduating pupils to take revision classes and write their examinations. Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, explained, “The Presidential Task Force similarly announced some limited measures for the educational sector. Specifically, we pointed out that it was still not safe to reopen schools. “However, in order not to truncate the progression of pupils and students not in critical classes, the President approved that arrangement be made for those who need revision b...
Nigerian government activates all FCT public hospitals for coronavirus sample collection
The Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), has said that all government hospitals in FCT would become COVID-19 sample collection sites so that walk-in cases could have samples taken for testing. The Minister of Health, Mr Osagie Ehanire, who announced this during the PTF briefing on Thursday in Abuja, said that the move was geared towards scaling up the number of daily tests conducted in the country daily. “This assures users and caregivers of reduced bottlenecks and improved efficiency in our response. We intend to scale this up to other states of the federation,” he said. Ehanire said that all health workers would be trained and retrained on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and issued PPEs and materials required for discharge of their duties. The minister also directed the deployment a...
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...
Niger governor, deputy take 30% salary cut as coronavirus hits economy
Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger on Tuesday ordered a 30 per cent slash in the salaries and allowances of all political officers in the state. Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Matane, in a statement in Minna, said that the directive was “with immediate effect”.“Those to be affected by the order include the governor, his deputy, commissioners, special advisers and all other political appointees,” the statement said. It said that the “temporary” slash was in view of the economic situation occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic. “Government will transparently resume full payment of salaries and allowances when the economic situation improves,” the statement stated and quoted the governor as regretting the inconvenience the reduction might cause affected persons. Get more storie...
Private labs take over coronavirus testing in Lagos
Lagos State Government has announced the take over of COVID-19 testing by a consortium of health professionals and private laboratories. Commissioner for Health Prof Akin Abayomi, who made the disclosure during a press conference today at Alausa, Ikeja, added that that test for the novel coronavirus disease remains free of charge at various government centres. While putting the cost of the test at government facilities at between N40,000 and N50,400, Abayomi said the inclusion of the private consortium in the testing infrastructure was part of the moves to expand the state government’s COVID-19 response capacity. He added that the accreditation of seven private laboratories will boost its testing capacity and three private hospitals for case management. According to him, the government com...
Abia gives EFCC seven days to issue apology for sealing state property
The Government of Abia State on Monday issued the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) a seven-day ultimatum to remove what it described as ‘offensive’ notices placed on some of its property, saying they are assets of the state government. The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Uche Ihediwa, who issued the ultimatum while speaking on the recent sealing of some property in the state by the EFCC, said some of the property purported to belong to a highly placed politician in the state are owned by the state. Ihediwa, according to a release by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of the state, Mr Onyebuchi Ememanka, demanded that the EFCC tender an unreserved apology to the state within seven days in view of the inconvenience its action has caused the st...
Ekiti to inaugurate human rights action plan committee July 1
The Ekiti government will, on July 1, inaugurated a committee saddled with the responsibility of developing a human rights action plan. Newsmen report that the inauguration of the committee is sequel to the directive by Gov. Kayode Fayemi to the state Ministry of Justice to that effect. The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Olawale Fapounda, in a statement issued on Monday in Ado-Ekiti, said that the governor had stressed the need to put measures in place to protect and promote human rights in the state. He announced the composition of the advisory and technical committees for the development of the State Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Right (SAPHR). According to him, the action plan is aimed at auditing the human rights situation in the state. Fapo...
Brazil education minister resigns over plagiarism, CV ‘lies’
Brazil’s education minister resigned Tuesday only five days after he was appointed, amid accusations that he lied over his academic record. Carlos Alberto Decotelli was the first black person to be appointed to the government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Decotelli handed in his resignation to Bolsonaro in Brasilia, said a spokesman, Paulo Roberto, capping several days of controversy. Bolsonaro named Decotelli last week as replacement for Abraham Weintraub, who resigned in mid-June after becoming embroiled in a series of controversies, including making racist anti-Chinese comments on Twitter. Decotelli had claimed he held a Master’s degree from Brazil’s Getulio Vargas Foundation, a doctorate from Argentina’s University of Rosario and a post-doctorate from Germany’s Wuppertal Unive...