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Kaduna civil servants below level 14 to work from home
The Kaduna state Government has directed civil servants below grade level 14 to work from home starting from Monday 21st December 2020 following increased infection rates of COVID-19 in the state. The state Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai tweeted on Sunday that the measure was part of the Covid-19 containment strategy announced last week by his administration. He appealed to all residents to see COVID-19 prevention as a personal responsibility. “It is mandatory to wear facemask outside the house, organizations and individuals that allow people into their premises have the responsibility to enforce the no mask, no entry mandate, facemask should be worn to cover the nose and mouth,” he said. Daily Trust reports that the state recorded 179 positive cases as at Saturday, from 639 samples tested...
Akwa Ibom bans large gatherings as coronavirus surges
As a precautionary measure against the second wave of COVID-19, the Akwa Ibom State government has announced the cancellation of “all state government events requiring large crowds”. The Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government, Emmanuel Ekuwem, who disclosed in a statement on Friday, said “test results from our PCR laboratory clearly indicate a sharp increase in the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our state”. The statement said Governor Udom Emmanuel has directed strict enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines and protocols at the Christmas village in Uyo, the state capital. The government said large political meetings are to be discouraged until the current spike of COVID-19 infections is reduced. It said the use of face mask and adherence to other COVID-19 guidelines and proto...
Senate summons minister, service chiefs over Kankara kidnapping
The Senate, on Tuesday, invited the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd.), service chiefs and heads of other security agencies to brief it on measure being taken to rescue the abducted students of Government Science School, Kankara Katsina State. This followed a motion by Senator Bello Mandiya (APC, Katsina South), who noted that the abduction is coming on the heels of yet to be resolved abduction of 270 girls at Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State in 2014, and abduction of about 100 school girls at Government Girls Science and Technical School, Dapchi, Yobe State in 2018. He expressed concern that like the other incidents of school children abduction that took place in Chibok and Dapchi, if no immediate action was taken to rescue Kankara School boys, their fate...
Nigerian government commences N30,000 grants to Uber drivers, Keke NAPEP riders
The federal government has commenced the disbursement of N30,000 grants for transporters as a measure to support those affected by COVID-19 pandemic under its economic sustainability plan (ESP). This was disclosed in a statement signed by Laolu Akande, senior special assistant to the vice president on media and publicity, on Sunday. The funds are being disbursed under the federal government’s micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) survival fund scheme for artisans and transporters. The transport support track opened on November 30, 2020, after the artisans’ support track launched on October 1, 2020. According to the statement, the artisans track is under federal government’s survival fund, while the transport track is a different scheme also under the same fund. Those to benefit from th...
Nigerian governors to meet with President Buhari to address security challenges
Governors of the thirty six states under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF have resolved to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari to address the security challenges with continued cases of armed banditry, terrorism and kidnapping across the country. The governors are meeting with President Buhari especially to discuss last week’s gruesome beheading of about 43 Farmers in Zarbamari near Maiduguri, Borno State by Boko Haram Insurgents while they were working in their farmland without any form of resistance. The decision was part of the resolutions reached at the end of the 22nd NGF teleconference meeting. In a Communique signed by the NGF Chairman and Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, said, ” Members of the forum resolved to meet with Mr. President as soon as possible to ad...
INEC expresses readiness for saturday bye-elections in 11 states
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has expressed readiness for the conduct of bye-elections across 11 States this Saturday. INEC disclosed this in a statement issued Tuesday night in Abuja after a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, from the affected states. National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye, in the statement said the Resident Electoral Commissioners briefed the Commission on the level of preparations in their States and the Commission is satisfied that preparations are going on very well. “All the States have received all the non-sensitive materials, trained their staff, and received all the funds for the bye-elections. Most of the States have also had their sensitive materials deli...
President Buhari mourns deceased former Malian leader
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, commiserated with the government and people of Mali over the death of the country’s former President, Toumani Toure. Buhari’s condolence message was contained in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, titled ‘President Buhari condoles with Mali over passing of former leader, Amadou Toumani Toure’. The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari sends heartfelt condolences to government and people of the Republic of Mali over the passing of former President, Amadou Toumani Toure. “The President commiserates with family of the departed Malian leader, whose ten-year reign in the country contributed to the strengthening of political institutions, and measure of stability, starting with his presiding over a peac...
Traders burn 10-year-old boy for ‘stealing’ food
A 10-year-old boy, Ifeanyi, was on Saturday thrown into a fire for allegedly stealing a small measure of uncooked rice in a market at Inikiri Benard village, Effium community, in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Newsmen gathered that the lad’s mother was late, while his father was mentally-challenged. A community source said, “The boy was thrown into a fire by two traders who accused him of stealing rice from a shop at the market to cook for himself and his father.” The Chairman of Human Rights Defenders, Ebonyi State chapter, Mr Sam Nweke, condemned the inhuman act meted out to the kid. He said, “HURIDE got a call from one Mr George Etamesor, on the grave abuse of this poor boy. This was because he was caught trying to steal some rice in their village market. They tied h...
