COVER
COVID-19: Second Wave Grips Nigeria
By Chika Otuchikere, Orkula Shaagee and Laide Ogunboade, Abuja
Not long after the world finally discovered vaccines to eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria has begun to witness a rise in the incidence. The infection figures at the states are fast escalating thereby increasing the national figures as released by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
In the last couple weeks, not only has the figures of infected persons risen, more Nigerians have died from ailments complicated by the coronavirus.
This has given the handlers of the pandemic at the federal and state levels serious cause for concern. Already, states have begun to adopt measures to nip the COVID-19 second wave in the bud. The Presidential Taskforce on COVID -19 has mooted imposing another nationwide lockdown and restrictions to curtail the rate of infections. Many Nigerians have, however, kicked against the idea saying it would not be to the country’s interest given the current economic recession and the hardship being experienced by Nigerians. As a result some State Governments have begun to take the bull by the horns to tackle the second wave.Kaduna Directs Workers to Work from Home
Kaduna State Government has directed all civil servants below Grade Level 14 to work from home as from Monday, 21st December 2020, subject to directives or summons by their supervisors who may require their presence in the office.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye yesterday, the government said that the Head of Service will issue service-wide updates as required.
Adekeye explained that Governor Nasir El-Rufai signed and authorised new regulations to contain the spread of Covid-19 in Kaduna state with effect from Monday.
According to him, ‘’it is mandatory to wear facemasks outside the house. Organisations and individuals that allow people into their premises have the responsibility to enforce the ‘no mask, no entry mandate.’ Facemasks should be worn to cover both the nose and mouth.
The statement which prohibits large gatherings, also mandated that ‘’businesses must provide thermometers for temperature checks, and sanitisers or hand-washing equipment and physical distancing measures within all facilities.
‘’Places of worship must enforce facemasks, provide sanitisers and ensure physical distancing. The number of worshippers will be capped. Congregational worship should not exceed one hour,’’ Adekeye added.
The Special Adviser further warned that ‘’transport operators must reduce capacity to not more than two passengers per row and not more than 50% of capacity.
‘’Supermarkets and providers of personal services such as hair dressing and barbing salons can remain open, but service providers and customers must use facemasks and limit the number of persons they admit and serve at any time,’’ he added.
The statement reiterated that ‘’hotels can remain open, but their restaurants and bars can offer only room service. Event centres, Night clubs, gyms and bars and lounges are to close until further notice.’’
‘’Restaurants are restricted to takeaway services only. All schools will remain closed until it is deemed safe to reopen,’’ Adekeye further said.
187 Health Workers, 15 Corps Members Infected in Enugu
Enugu State has recorded no fewer than 187 health workers and 15 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members currently at the orientation camp at Awgu, Enugu State testing positive for the Coronavirus.
The State’s Commissioner for Health Dr. Ikechukwu Obi made this known during a news briefing, adding that the state has so far, recorded 9,591 cases since the outbreak this year.
According to Obi, 7,489 cases have been treated and discharged, saying there are presently 30 active cases, including the 15 Corps members.
He warned residents that the pandemic was yet to be over and advised them to take advantage of the sample collection centres in the state’s 17 local government areas.
Niger State Speaker, Clerk test positive for covid-19
Niger State has been thrown into panic as the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Barrister Bawa Wuse, the Clerk, Alhaji Mohammed Kagara and some members of the House have tested positive for Coronavirus.
A female member of the House, two weeks ago, tested positive to the virus which necessitated other members, including the Speaker to embark on routine check.
The medical check saw most of the members testing negative except the Speaker and Clerk of the House. Both of them have since gone into isolation.
About two weeks ago, the state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello personally announced that he was positive for COVID-19. That was his second time of testing positive to the virus since the outbreak of the pandemic few months ago.
Just last week, the state government directed all Civil Servants to remain at home indefinitely to stem the spread except those on essential duties. Government also announced the immediate closure of all private, public Schools and Tertiary Institutions in the state from last Friday for one month to further curb the spread.
FCT in Crisis of COVID-19 Second Wave
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is presently in crisis of Coronavirus (COVID-19) second wave as cases are becoming alarming, it was learnt at the weekend.
Director Public Health and Human Services Secretariat, FCT Administration, Dr. Josephine Okechukwu made this known through a video which she sheared on social media.
Okechukwu said came down with COVID-19 on December 3, 2020 and was discharged from a treatment centre within Abuja on the 19 December, 2020.
The medical personnel who is in charge of those treating COVID-19 carriers expressed worries that the cases in the FCT is getting alarming and may result to disaster if the spread is not checked in the nation’s capital.
Giving the breakdown of the cases, Dr. Okechukwu said: “In Nigeria especially in FCT, we were part of the states that had overwhelming number of cases. When we had our first wave, we noticed that the peak was in July, 2020.
“In that July we identified a total of 1, 940 cases of confirmed COVID-19. That was our peak. Suddenly, the cases went down.
“Now we are in the second wave. In November, we identified 717 cases of COVID-19. But now in December as at 18th of this month, we have identified a total of 2, 462 cases of COVID-19. Within 18 days we recorded or we confirmed a total of 2, 462 cases of COVID-19″.
From the FCT data Okechukwu said 73 percent of the cases are those who are spreading the COVID-19 pandemic without knowing.
Her words: “I am a COVID survivor. I came down with COVID on the December 3, 2020 and I was just discharged from the treatment centre today.
“My experience at the centre was not too palatable, that is why I am making this video to share, so that everyone will be curious and know that COVID-19 is real and it’s all over the nation.
“I thank everyone, that got concerned about my illness while I was in the hospital. From the FCT Minister, Malam Musa Bello, Minister of State, Dr, Ramatu Aliyu, every other concerned citizen that took their time to check on me. I thank the management and staff of the treatment centre where I was. God bless you all.
“We all know that this is festive period and as it is now COVID-19 is ravaging our country and the world. It is a pandemic and in Nigeria we are not left out. That shows us that we are in crisis. We are heading for disaster if we do not take precaution, if we do not take preventive measures seriously so as to cut down the transmission of this disease.
“The spread is overwhelming; a lot of people are coming down with COVID-19. When we look at the data we have, there was an increase of 127 percent in this December as compared to the peak we had in July during the first wave.
“We are having so many crises in this festive season. We have what we call super spreaders. They are the dangerous people that are moving around us. If they cannot identify themselves, that means it is going to be a problem for us this festive period.
“Now we have so many cases that we are identifying. We are going to have a lot of travel, internationally and nationally. Many of these people infected are bringing into Nigeria from other countries their own COVID-19 cases”.
For states that are rejoicing that they do not have cases of COVID-19, she said: “They are going to have imported cases. Everybody should get involved in the fight against COVID-19. The use of Face mask remains the key to prevent the virus. Do not huge people and avoid overcrowded places.”
Activist Donates Food Items to 200 Families in Edo Community
An activist, Mr Peter Esele, has donated food items to no fewer than 200 families in Ohordua community in the Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo.
The food items were handed over to the families yesterday by the veteran unionist.
The beneficiaries cut across widows, vulnerable people, low-income earners and some residents of the community.
Esele, a former President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria, while presenting the items said that he was not unaware of the effects of COVID-19 since February this year.
According to him, the pandemic has rendered many bread winners and families jobless.
He said that the multiplier effect of COVID-19 on society and the economy was such that some homes might not have anything to celebrate the upcoming Christmas and New Year.
“It is in view of this that in spite of the current recession and astronomical increase in prices of goods in the market, I decided to sustain that which we have been doing for more than six years running.
“At least, with this little gesture, I know the beneficiaries will be able to enjoy Christmas and New Year like other privileged people.
“Again, this is a season of love and sharing. So, there is no better time to reach out in love than now,” the former TUC chief said.
A physically challenged man, Mr Lawrence Inojie, who benefitted from the gesture thanked Esele for identifying with the poor.
Inojie said that he had given up hope of celebrating the yuletide, until God intervened using Esele to help out.
He said that until he was handed over a bag of rice and some condiments, he was doubtful how he and his family would celebrate the yuletide in a few days’ time.
Similarly, Mrs Grace Okotor, a widow, said that Esele had become like a messiah to many indigent people in the community.
“For six years now, he has consistently ensured that many families in the community celebrate Christmas without any cause to feel the pain of the absence of breadwinners.
Avoid ‘Nationalistic Footrace’ – WHO Official Warns
As countries move to secure COVID-19 vaccines for their citizens, choosing these treatments should not be viewed as “some kind of nationalistic footrace”, with some countries winning and others losing, so says a senior official with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Director of Emergencies, Dr. Mike Ryan, was responding to a question about public concern over governments deciding to acquire certain vaccines over others.
A UN statement said he warned against comparing national approaches in a competitive fashion, while calling for patience, tolerance and solidarity.
“I don’t think we should be seeing this as a game of winners and losers right now. We’re at the beginning”, said Dr. Ryan in Geneva.
“I think it could be very destructive for us all to turn this into some kind of nationalistic footrace to who does what. We all have to get there together. We simply have to finish this race in a line together. And someone getting there first doesn’t necessarily help everybody else.”
Dr. Ryan explained that vaccines can have properties that make them more suitable for particular settings, which can influence government decision-making.
WHO announced on Friday that nearly two billion doses of current and candidate COVID-19 vaccines have been secured through the COVAX Facility, a global partnership working to ensure equitable access for all countries.
While existing COVID-19 vaccines are limited and costly, many more are under development, including ground-breaking jabs that combine treatment for influenza or measles.
WHO Chief Scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said the UN agency wants to support as many candidates as possible to go through clinical trials.
“Ideally, one would like to see a vaccine that’s a single dose, that can be stored at room temperature, that gives long lasting protection, that’s safe, effective, and is also manufactured easily and can be scaled and is affordable,” she said.
Director of Immunizations, Vaccines and Biologicals, Dr. Katherine O’Brien, added that having a variety of vaccines is important, stating “because of the supply situation, most countries are likely going to have to use more than one product”.
WHO has established criteria for vaccines to come to market, including benchmarks for efficacy, safety and quality, which also align with the standards of regulatory agencies across the world.
Senior Advisor, Dr. Bruce Aylward underscored that a candidate will only be endorsed once criteria are met.
“The general public should have great confidence in products that have been looked at by stringent regulatory authorities and the WHO process because it goes through all of those measures systematically: the efficacy, the safety, the quality of the product, but also the programmatic suitability to make sure these are something that is going to suit the circumstances in which these are going to be used,” he said.
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Development Bank of Nigeria Plc (DBN) has launched DAWN: DBN Action for Women in Nigeria, unveiled its Impact Report and presented MSME Data Assets at the seventh edition of Annual Lecture held in Abuja.
DBN, in a statement on Thursday, said while delivering a welcome address, its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tony Okpanachi, said the central challenge was no longer reforms themselves but ensuring benefits reach businesses at end of the chain.
He asked how to make sure benefits reach traders in Onitsha, fabricator in Aba, farmer in Kebbi and young founder in Yaba, noting that MSMEs accounted for about half of Nigeria’s GDP and more than eight in every ten jobs, adding that when reform works for MSMEs it works for most Nigerians.
He explained that reform becomes prosperity only when entrepreneurs can act on it whether through long tenor loans to buy equipment, banks willing to take risk or skills and records needed to grow.
He said working through Participating Financial Institutions DBN provides longer term funding, partial credit guarantees through subsidiary Impact Credit Guarantee Limited and capacity building including Entrepreneurship Training Programme.
He disclosed that as at December 2025 DBN had disbursed a cumulative N1.4 trillion to MSMEs through 84 Participating Financial Institutions creating about 1.6 million jobs nationwide.
Under the new five year strategy, the Bank aims to reach more than two million MSMEs with deliberate targets for women led businesses, youth led businesses and underserved states.
On DAWN, Okpanachi said finance alone had not enabled enough women-led businesses to scale.
He said initiative brings together financing, guarantees and credit support, technical assistance, outcome linked grants and market linkages delivered through banks, microfinance institutions, fintechs, aggregators, cooperatives and direct channels.
Its priority sectors are agriculture and exports, healthcare, arts and creatives, technology and green business.
He said DAWN is about moving gender focused lending beyond intention and turning access into opportunity.
On the sidelines of the lecture DBN and African Development Bank held a signing ceremony of AfDB DBN 61 million United States dollars Gender Line of Credit development that reinforces Bank commitment to women led enterprises.
Okpanachi urged Participating Financial Institutions to extend lending into sectors and states where access to finance has been limited, policymakers and regulators to measure reform by what changes for business at end of chain and MSMEs to formalise, keep good records and use support now available.
The Vice President as Special Guest of Honour was represented by Dr Fred Iklaga Senior Technical Adviser in the Office of Special Adviser to the President on Economy.
Keynote speakers were Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Dr Karl Toriola, and Chairman of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Dr Segun Ogunsanya.
Fireside chat featured Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank Abubakar Suleiman, manufacturing and trade entrepreneur Mrs Omoyemi Chukwurah and by video Kola Masha of Babban Gona.
The Secretary to the Government of Federation, represented by Augusta Warren Bekaredebo, said 2026 tax reforms would bring relief to many small businesses expressing optimism that a lot of businesses will be smiling by next year because they will be exempted from tax.
By Tambaya Julius, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened possible nationwide industrial action following the failure of talks with the Federal Government over workers’ welfare, petrol prices and other outstanding labour demands.
The warning came after a meeting between the government and organised labour at the Ministry of Labour in Abuja on Thursday, October 22, ended without an agreement.
The congress has given the Federal Government until Tuesday, October 27, to make meaningful progress on the issues, warning that its relevant organs would decide the next line of action if the next meeting fails to produce concrete commitments.
The NLC has also directed its affiliates, state councils and civil society allies to begin mobilising members for possible nationwide action.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the NLC Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, expressed disappointment over what he described as the government delegation’s lack of preparedness for the negotiations.
According to the congress, organised labour presented its demands in good faith but left the meeting without any concrete commitments from the government.
The demands include a reduction in petrol prices to 2024 levels, renegotiation of the national minimum wage, implementation of agreed tax relief measures and resolution of the terms of settlement involving the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
The congress also called for the resolution of issues raised by the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC) over peculiar allowances, wage awards and hazard allowances.
The NLC said the government delegation lacked the necessary authority to engage meaningfully on the issues presented by labour representatives.
“The meeting between the Federal Government and organised labour, convened at the Ministry of Labour in Abuja on 22nd October 2026, has ended without resolution,” the statement said.
It added that the Minister of Labour requested that the meeting be adjourned until October 27 to allow the government to prepare adequately for further discussions.
The preparations, according to the statement, would include bringing relevant ministers and heads of departments and agencies to the negotiating table.
The congress said it remained open to dialogue but would not accept continued delays in addressing workers’ concerns.
“We will report back to our organs, and if no meaningful progress is made on Tuesday, the relevant organs of the NLC will decide the next line of action,” it said.
The labour body urged workers and members of the public to remain calm while the negotiations continue, even as it directed its affiliates and allies to prepare for possible industrial action.
“However, we urge all affiliates of NLC and TUC; all state councils and our civil society allies to be alert and start mobilising for a possible action across the nation while we hope that the tenets of our demands are met by the government,” the statement added.
The October 27 meeting is expected to provide another opportunity for both sides to address the outstanding issues and prevent a possible escalation of the dispute.
However, the NLC’s decision to begin mobilisation suggests that tensions could rise if the next round of talks fails to produce meaningful progress.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has barred its personnel from escorting politicians during campaigns for the 2027 general elections.
Zonal Commanding Officer, RS6, ACM Abimbola Owolabi, gave the directive during her maiden visit to the Cross River Command in Calabar on Wednesday.
Owolabi said patrol vehicles and sirens must not be used for political activities or private engagements, including weddings and funeral processions.
She directed officers deployed to campaign venues to focus exclusively on traffic management to prevent congestion and road crashes.
The zonal head warned personnel against leading political convoys or providing escorts for politicians, stressing that official vehicles must not be used for unauthorised purposes.
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