State Government
Bayelsa set to pay hazard allowances
The Bayelsa State Government has indicated its readiness to pay special allowances to frontline health workers combating the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic in the state. Mr Doubara Atasi, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Deputy Governor, stated this in a statement on Wednesday. It would be recalled that Gov. Douye Diri, had given the assurance to pay the allowances on Tuesday. He said it at a meeting with the representatives of the labour unions including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Association of Resident Doctors in Government House, Yenagoa. Other unions represented at the meeting include the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and Association of Medical Laboratory Sci...
Official: Oyo ready to conduct WAEC, other external exams
The Oyo State Government has disclosed its readiness to present students in the state for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) as well as other external examinations as the world prepared for post-COVID-19 realities. The Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr Nureni Adeniran, said this in Ibadan on Monday, while leading members of the board and management of SUBEB to Islamic Mission Schools 1 and II, Bode and UMC Demonstration Basic Schools I, II and III, Molete, Ibadan to warn owners of shanties and illegal structures around the schools’ environments. He said judging from the readiness of the state through the preparation of students in all terminal classes, students would now face any external examination, including WAEC and the Joint Admission Matriculati...
Ekiti bans traditional festivals in towns, villages
The Ekiti State Government has directed traditional rulers in towns and villages to either postpone or cancel for the rest of the year, all pending local festivals in their domains to curb the spread of Coronavirus. The State Coordinator of COVID-19 Task Force Response Team, Prof Bolaji Aluko, made the announcement in a statement in Ado Ekiti. He disclosed that Ekiti State had cumulatively recorded 78 positive Coronavirus cases, with 29 active, 2 deaths and 47 discharged, warning that the cases can rise dramatically if public assemblies continued unchecked. He said as the state was gradually entering the full blown season of Traditional Festival, therefore, travels from within Ekiti State and various parts of Nigeria by indigenes and visitors to the various towns and villages during this p...
Lagos government opens recruitment portal for doctors, health workers
The Lagos State Government on Wednesday, opened its portal for the recruitments of over 700 doctors and other health workers. It said that the exercise is in a bid to ensure adequate manpower in all its health facilities and the need to fill the vacant positions in the 27 General Hospitals across state necessitated the recruitment exercise for efficient and top-class healthcare delivery in all government health facilities. The State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said that approval was given for the Health Service Commission to employ over 760 health workers of which 400 would be doctors in line with the government’s commitment towards addressing the shortage of health workers across the state. He however disclosed that the exercise has been phased in batches to ensure compliance with coron...
NMA warns Lagos not escalate impasse with medical doctors
File Photo The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has appealed to Lagos State Government to speedily and holistically address the demands of the striking doctors, under the aegis of Medical Guild. The NMA made the appeal in a statement jointly signed by Dr Adenekan Adetunji and Dr Ramon Moronkola, the Lagos State Chairman and Secretary of the association respectively. The NMA leaders said that this was to prevent avoidable escalation of the issue. Adetunji and Moronkola had closely monitored the developments surrounding the ongoing industrial dispute between Lagos State employed doctors, under the auspices of the Medical Guild and the state government. “We are aware of the extension of the ultimatum set by the Medical Guild for the LASG to address its demands. “Indeed, we were optimistic t...
Bauchi upgrades child birth units, renovates health centres
The Bauchi government says it has renovated and upgraded 26 existing childbirth spacing units in seven local government areas in the state, in its efforts at ensuring safe child delivery. Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, the Executive Chairman of the State Primary Healthcare Developmental Agency, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi on Wednesday. He said that the benefiting birth units were located in Bauchi, Toro, Jama’are, Ningi, Zaki, Katagum and Shira local government areas. Mohammed said that the initiative was achieved in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He said that the units would facilitate safe delivery as well as guarantee good health to both the mother and the new-born child. “We are committed to promoting the health of our people. The Gov. Bala M...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Osun threatens fresh lockdown as state records 22 new coronavirus cases
Osun State Government on Friday confirmed the discovery of 22 new COVID-19 cases in the state. Coming barely 24 hours after the discovery of 17 cases, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Rafiu Isamotu, noted that government might be forced to impose another lockdown on the state if residents and citizens continued to flout the lockdown relaxation guidelines. Isamotu stated this in a press statement in Osogbo on Friday. The commissioner also revealed that 11 of the new cases were from the ongoing contact tracing within the Ede community, while the remaining are from the previous cases in Osogbo and its environs. “On Thursday, we announced the discovery of 17 new cases in our dear state. Sadly, today again, we have 22 new cases. Considering where we are coming from, this is worrisome. We must, t...
