Participants
Nigerian government begins three-month special public works scheme in Jigawa
The federal government on Friday inaugurated the Extended Special Public Works (ESPW) programme in Jigawa with 1,000 unskilled youth benefiting from the 27 local government areas of the state. Each participant will receive N20,000 monthly for three months for the duration of the programme. The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, who made this known at the ceremony in Dutse, said that the extended programme was an outcome of the pilot SPW in rural areas approved by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020. Mr. Adamu said that the programme was introduced following the emergence of the novel COVID-19 pandemic, as a measure to cushion the adverse socio-economic effects on citizens. “It aimed at shielding the vulnerable from the ravaging effects of COVID-19 pandemic which included, but are ...
Russian coronavirus vaccine trials begin in UAE as cases rise
Abu Dhabi has started Phase III clinical trials of Russia’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine, known as Sputnik V, amid a surge in infections in the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi’s media office said on Thursday. The human trial, announced in October before the recent rise in cases, is initially seeking up to 500 volunteers to be vaccinated at a hospital in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Two doses of the vaccine will be given, 20 days apart, to volunteers, the statement said. Participants will have to be 18 years or older, have not previously been infected with COVID-19 or participated in other COVID-19 vaccine trials, it said. The UAE is also conducting Phase III trials of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm). The UAE has approved the vaccine and it is a...
Qatar to host FIFA Club World Cup 2020 across three venues
Qatar will host the FIFA Club World Cup 2020 from February 1 to 11, 2021, after it was postponed earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Six continental confederations, as well as the host nation’s league champions, will compete in the tournament, which will be held across three FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums — Ahmad Bin Ali, Khalifa International and Education City. The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, inaugurated just last week on December 18, will stage the opening match between Qatari champions Al Duhail and Auckland City of New Zealand on February 1, and the final will be played at Education City Stadium on February 11. Joining the two teams will be European champions and German side FC Bayern Munich, CONCACAF champions Tigres UANL from Mexico, Al Ahly SC, Egyptian side and winners ...
Report highlights impact of coronavirus on graduates
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted 47 per cent of graduates and their activities (including job search), a report has stated. Also 17 per cent of graduates lost their jobs due to the pandemic, a research by the Knowledge Exchange Centre (KEC) and BudgIT revealed. The Executive Secretary, KEC, Aghogho Akporido, disclosed this during the virtual graduation ceremony of 43 students in its Graduate Advancement Programme (GAP) network, recently. He said the programme was extended to three months as opposed to the previous six weeks. He also said during the selection process, training session, career counselling and mentoring session and even in some cases, the internship was done virtually (online). Akporido said for the first time there were participants from eight states and volunte...
ABU trains 500 head teachers of Kaduna public primary schools
The Institute of Education, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, on Monday began a five-day training to develop the managerial capacities of 500 head teachers and other officials on basic education in Kaduna State. Tijjani Abdullahi, the Executive Chairman of the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board, in his address, said that the training was funded by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). Mr. Abdullahi, represented by the Director of School Services, Aliyu Idris, said that the trainings were taking place simultaneously in Zaria, Kaduna and Kafanchan. He said the goal is to equip the head teachers with the necessary skills for effective and efficient management of basic education in the state. “This is part of Gov. Nasri El-Rufai-led administration’s efforts to improve ...
Thugs invade northern coalition meeting in Kaduna, attack members
Armed thugs on Monday, invaded the Arewa House Kaduna, where officials of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), were holding a security summit. A statement by Spokesman of the CNG, Abdulaziz Suleiman, said “We regret to announce that armed thugs numbering hundreds were unleashed on the Arewa House venue of the security summit hosted by the Coalition of Northern Groups on Monday, December 14. “The Summit aimed to discuss ways to achieve synergy between communities and government security and design a uniform approach to the current security situation in the North. “Participants at the meeting included retired military officers, Retired Police officers, religious leaders, traditional rulers, various women, youth and trade associations.” The CNG said just as the meeting was about to “kick o...
Nigerian government to implement NIPSS recommendations on population growth
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that his administration will look into the 12-point recommendations by graduates of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) on Population Growth and Human Capital Development in Nigeria, with view of implementing them. The President gave the assurance at the graduation ceremony of the Senior Executive Course 42, held Saturday at the Institute in Jos. The President, represented by Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, charged the graduates to live up to expectations of leading Nigeria out of its problems. “The times levy a demand on institutions such as this one and on its graduates for innovation and creative intelligence in addressing our national challenges. “It is my conviction that the elites both individually and collectively ...
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris jointly named TIME’s ‘Person of the Year’
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were jointly named Time magazine’s 2020 “Person of the Year” on Thursday, chosen from a list of finalists that included the man Biden vanquished at the polls – President Donald Trump. The Democratic former vice president and his running mate, a California senator whose election broke gender and racial barriers, together “offered restoration and renewal in a single ticket,” Time said in a profile of the pair, published online with its announcement. Following the most tumultuous U.S. presidential campaign in modern times, waged in the throes of a deadly pandemic, economic devastation and a strife-torn national reckoning with racism, Biden and Harris prevailed in an election that drew the highest voter turnout in a century....
FDA: Independent committee recommends authorization of coronavirus vaccine
An independent committee of experts recommended Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration authorize the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 16. Now, the FDA will decide whether to follow that recommendation. The agency could announce a decision within days. If they do authorize the vaccine, health care workers could begin receiving the shots almost immediately. The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) met all day to review data on the vaccine, discuss plans for distribution, and outline plans for continued research. FDA scientists published a report about the vaccine on Tuesday, which analyzed data from the pharmaceutical companies and found that the vaccine was safe and 95 percent at preventing symptomatic COVID-19. Data fro...
CIBN urges banks to strengthen cyber-security
The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has urged the banks to strengthen their cyber-security architecture in order to prevent attacks by fraudsters. President/Chairman of Council of the institute, Mr. Bayo Olugbemi, made the call while delivering his remarks at the 2020 CIBN Fellowship Investiture in Lagos, at the weekend. The CIBN at its investiture formally conferred its honorary fellowship awards on 19 distinguished bankers in recognition of their contributions to the banking industry and the economy; 77 associates as elected Fellows while 105 senior management staff of banks and the academia became Honorary Senior Members of the institute at the event with the theme: ‘Financial Services in a post COVID 19 Environment: Strategic Imperative’. Some that were conferred with ...
African environment ministers support green recovery plan
Ministers of Environment from Africa on Friday agreed to support a comprehensive green recovery plan to boost economies and social systems aimed at building back better from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This is contained in a ministerial statement issued at the end of the eighth special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Nairobi, Kenya. Representatives of the 54 African governments re-affirmed their commitment to enhance environmental resilience as well as protect and sustainably use natural resources for the region’s development. The high-level ministerial regional conference held virtually under the theme “Enhancing Environmental Action for Effective Post-COVID Recovery in Africa”, further called to accelerate the protection and restoratio...
eGovernment: NITDA begins capacity building for ministries, agencies
Commonwealth of Nations The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Wednesday began a two-day virtual strategic capacity building workshop for federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). The exercise is being carried out to hasten the implementation of the National e-Government Masterplan and inculcate the use of Information Technology in government activities. The training is in three phases for directors of ICT and heads of procurement, network administrators and domain managers, while the third batch is for the NITDA team driving the digital transformation agenda. The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, who was represented by the Director e-Government Development and Regulation, Vincent Olatunji, in his opening remarks said the training aims at e...
