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 Laide Akinboade, Abuja
As part of efforts to reposition the newspaper for optimum corporate performance, the management of Asset Newspapers Limited, Publishers of DAILY ASSET, has announced the appointment of David Torough as the Editor of the Abuja-based national daily.
A statement by the management said the appointments were part of the company’s new strategy to further penetrate the various states in the country and raise its readership and patronage.
“DAILY ASSET is widely acceptable across the country and to maintain our leadership position, we need to increase management presence, hence the need to create new Bureau offices in some locations outside Abuja and Lagos,” the statement quoted the Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief, Dr Cletus Akwaya to have said.
In a statement yesterday, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the fast-growing daily, Dr. Cletus Akwaya said the appointment was part of the new strategy to properly situate the paper for better productivity.
“DAILY ASSET has a commitment with the Nigerian people. We are determined to weather the storm and give Nigerian readers a Newspaper that satisfies their yearnings and reading pleasure and we can only do that with the right set of professionals,” the statement said.
Akwaya, a former Commissioner of Information from Benue State said the difficult times being faced by Nigerians posed a great challenge to the media as the people deserved credible information with which to make choices.
“We have a bond with the people, to offer credible information at all times in the best tradition of the Nigerian Press and on this scale of objectivity, truth and fairness, we pledge to remain steadfast no matter the challenges,” Akwaya was quoted to have said.
He said the newspaper will maiantin its daily print run and circulation to all states of the federation and urged advertisers to take advantage of the deep penetration of the Daily Asset brand to send their messages.
Torough, the new Editor has had a steady rise in the Newspaper in the last five years.
A graduate of Mass communication of the Benue State University, Makurdi, Torough joined the company in 2022 as Benue State Correspondent. He was spotted for his brilliance and redeployed to Abuja the following year and promoted to Deputy News Editor. He was subswuently named Deputy Editor of the paper, a position he held until the recent appointment.
Torough has attended several journalistic workshops and trainings to properly equip himself for the task ahead.
The statement also said the Management named Eze Okechukwu as Deputy Editor.
Before his elevation as Deputy Editor, Eze has been Deputy Politics Editor and DAILY ASSET Newspaper correspondent covering the Senate, having joined the organization in 2021.
Born on March 10, 1975, Eze holds a Masters Degree in Mass Communication from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology.
Eze began his journalism career with Daily Star, Enugu and later worked with Daily Trust Newspaper, Abuja as sports reporter.
Aside from his journalistic excellence, he has a great deal of passion for sports.
From Ngutor Dekera, Kaduna and Aliyu Askira, Kano
Northern governors and traditional rulers yesterday called for the suspension of mining activities across the region for six months, blaming illegal mining for worsening insecurity in many states.
The resolution was contained in a communiqué issued after a joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council held at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna. The meeting, chaired by the Gombe State Governor and NSGF Chairman, Muhammadu Yahaya, had in attendance the 19 northern governors and chairmen of the 19 states’ traditional councils.The Forum expressed concern over the escalating violence in parts of the North, including the killings and abductions recently recorded in Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kano states, as well as renewed Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe.“The Forum extends its deepest condolences and solidarity to the governments and good people of the affected states,” the communiqué said, noting that the attacks on schoolchildren and other citizens had become “unacceptable tragedies” that required urgent collective action.It commended President Bola Tinubu for what it described as the Federal Government’s “firm response” to recent abductions and insurgency threats, especially the rescue of some abducted pupils.The governors also saluted security agencies for their sacrifices on the frontlines.“We resolved to renew our support for every step taken by the President and Commander-in-Chief to take the fight to insurgents’ enclaves in order to end the criminality,” the Forum stated.A major highlight of the meeting was the North’s renewed push for the establishment of state police, with governors and traditional rulers insisting that decentralised policing had become inevitable.“The Forum reaffirms its wholehearted support and commitment to the establishment of state police,” the communiqué added, urging federal and state lawmakers from the region to “expedite action for its actualisation.”On illegal mining, the governors said criminal mining networks were fuelling violence and providing resources for armed groups.As a corrective measure, they asked Tinubu to direct the Minister of Solid Minerals to impose a six-month suspension of mining activities in order to allow for a full audit and revalidation of licences.“The Forum observed that illegal mining has become a major contributory factor to the security crises in Northern Nigeria. “We strongly recommend a suspension of mining exploration for six months to allow proper audit and to arrest the menace of artisanal illegal mining,” it said.To strengthen the fight against insecurity, the governors also announced the creation of a regional Security Trust Fund.Under the proposed arrangement, each state and its local governments will contribute ₦1bn monthly, to be deducted at source under an agreed framework.They said the fund would help provide sustainable financing for joint operations, intelligence-driven interventions and coordinated security responses across the region.At the end of the meeting, the Forum reaffirmed its commitment to unity and collective responsibility.“Only through unity, peer review and cooperation can we overcome the pressing challenges before us,” it declared.The Forum agreed to reconvene on a date to be announced.Meanwhile, Nigeria’s worsening security crisis took a grim turn on Monday as bandits launched fresh attacks in Kano State, abducting 25 villagers, even as the Federal Government raced to secure the release of more than 300 Catholic school children kidnapped in Niger State.In the early hours of Monday, armed bandits invaded Unguwar Tsamiya—popularly called Dabawa—in Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State, whisking away nine men and two women after shooting into the air and assaulting residents. The attackers also rustled two cows.A resident lamented the community’s helplessness: “We cannot do otherwise; most of us cannot leave because we have nowhere to go. This is our place, our land and everything is here.”The assault came less than 24 hours after a similar attack on Yan Kamaye in Tsanyawa LGA, a community along the volatile Katsina border.In Niger State, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has assured distraught families of St. Mary’s Co-Education School, Kontagora that the more than 300 students and staff abducted on November 21 will return home “soon.” Ribadu, who led a high-level federal delegation to the school on Monday, said the abductees are safe, though he offered no specifics on their location or the status of rescue operations.According to Daniel Atori, spokesman for the Catholic bishop overseeing the school, the NSA reassured officials: “The children are where they are and will come back safely.”The St. Mary’s attack is part of a worrying resurgence of mass kidnappings reminiscent of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction. Security analysts warn that banditry has evolved into a “structured, profit-seeking industry,” with hundreds of Nigerians abducted in November alone.The Kontagora school abduction occurred the same week 25 girls were kidnapped in Kebbi State—victims who authorities say have since been rescued through “non-kinetic” means. About 50 of the St. Mary’s hostages have also managed to escape.Ribadu’s delegation, which included the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), reaffirmed the government’s commitment to securing the freedom of all abducted citizens.As communities from Kano to Niger continue to bear the brunt of these violent incursions, the escalating spate of kidnappings underscores the urgent national demand for a more decisive and coordinated security response.
By David Torough, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said former Attorney‑General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, will face a team of interrogators at its office daily throughout December.
A credible source in the EFCC said on Monday that the daily appearance was part of an ongoing investigation into the whereabouts of an alleged 490 million dollars Abacha loot secured through a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLAT) request. The source said that Malami, who was summoned for interrogation by the EFCC on Saturday, was barred from leaving Nigeria for the next one month.According to the source, one of the conditions for his release on Saturday was that he should report daily to the EFCC Headquarters in Abuja for further interrogation.The source said Malami would have to appear daily at the anti-graft office due to the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him.”We seized his passport, it is the normal routine during investigation, but he has to report at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja every day for the next month.”He will be reporting for further investigation throughout December.”He will be reporting every day, starting from Dec. 1st to Dec. 31st.He will appear before the team of investigators for the entire month of December.”He will be reporting to EFCC for investigation for the period because of the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him,” the source added.According to the source, a fact sheet on the former minister revealed that Malami had several issues to clarify with the EFCC within the coming weeks.“We have asked him to explain the whereabouts of the $490 million Abacha loot secured through MLAT.“We didn’t say he stole money, but he should account for the loot. This is one of the issues he will clarify to our investigators.”The commission cited the large volume of documents he must review and the need for extensive interviews as reasons for seizing his passport.The source said EFCC would not engage in a war of words but would release its findings after a thorough investigation.Malami, in a statement by his media aide, Mohammed Doka, on Monday in Abuja, however, described the EFCC investigation as a political witch‑hunt.He confirmed he honored an EFCC invitation on Nov. 28, describing the engagement as fruitful and expressing confidence that the probe would vindicate him.Malami described the EFCC’s allegations as baseless, illogical and devoid of substance, insisting they collapse under factual scrutiny.
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