NEWS
Nutrition, World’s Most Critical Health, Human Dev. Challenge – CS-SUNN
From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State government has been charged to provide the needed leadership for the implementation of food and nutrition related policies through the timely release of allocated funds for nutrition in the state.
These were part of resolutions reached at a One Day Policy Dialogue on the extension of paid maternity leave from three months to six months in a stakeholders meeting organised by the Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) and government officials in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
CS-SUNN Former Steering Committee Chairman Ifedilichukwu Innocent noted that malnutrition is one of the world’s most critical health and human development challenges hence there is a need for proper funding of nutrition as it contributes to health improvement.
“Good nutrition is the key to economic growth and development in any state or nation, so we must mobilize resources, gets partners, philanthropists, corporate organizations in our state to support nutrition policies”
Coordinator, CS-SUNN, Bayelsa State, Ekinabhari Unity Ototo pointed out that the essence of the dialogue was to secure the commitment of policy makers for the extension of maternity leave and to ensure the increase of funding for nutrition in the state.
“We are soliciting and dialoguing for women to go on six months maternity leave also there should be paternity leave of at least one month for the men to support their women”
However, she commended the state government for supporting the activities of CS-SUNN in the state to achieve its objective of improving nutrition.
The group also solicits government efforts in creating a conducive environment for the establishment of Creche Center in the Ministry of Health to enable working class mothers to have intimacy with their mothers.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Felix Asingbi who appreciated all those present at the meeting gave assurance that the state government is working through all the relevant ministries, departments and agencies to ensure that there is sustainable funding for nutrition in the state.
In their separate goodwill messages, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Children Affairs Empowerment and Social Development, Stephanie Ekinabhari and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Oluwatoyin Azebi said they would support CS-SUNN to achieve their set objectives.
The group has earlier paid a courtesy visit on the commissioner of Budget and Economic Planning Hon. Flint Ekpotuatein George to solicit for quick release of funds for the implementation of Nutrition activities in the state.
NEWS
Customs Intercept Contraband Worth N510.92m in Two Conths
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit Zone C, says it intercepted contrabands with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N510.92 million between July 15th and September 15th, 2024.The zone covers the six states in the South-South geopolitical zone and the five states in the Southeast geopolitical zone.
This is contained in a statement signed by Jerry Attah, Public Relations Officer, NCS, Zone C, and made available to journalists on Wednesday. According to the statement, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, NCS, Zone C, gave the statistics while showcasing the seized contraband to relevant regulatory agencies at the Government Warehouse in Edo.Ugbagu said that the zone also recovered the sum of N25.57 million from demand notices raised based on some infractions noticed, making a cumulative sum of N536.49 million recorded within the months under review.“The DPV was derived from our seized goods, which include 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without an NAFDAC number.“1,015 sacks of dry donkey meat and skin, 75 jumbo bales of second-hand clothing, 463 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 269 pieces of used pneumatic tires, and 56 cartons of smuggled foreign tomato paste.“More worrisome is the interception of 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without NAFDAC registration numbers.”He noted that the cough syrup with codeine and tramadol without NAFDAC registration numbers, if not intercepted, could have had adverse effects on youths.He added that the items were mostly intercepted along the Ewu-Okada/Benin expressways based on credible intelligence. (NAN)NEWS
APC Forum Decries Deplorable Condition of Federal Roads
The Forum of Stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has decried the deplorable condition of some federal roads in Nigeria. Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the North-Central Chairman of the forum, said this in an interaction with newsmen on Wednesday in Jos. Zazzaga described some of the federal roads as ”death traps”, particularly those within the north-central region.
He said that some of the deplorable roads in the region include Jos-Akwanga, Makurdi-Oturkpo-Otukpa, Makurdi-Ankpa, and Jos-Saminaka. Other roads that needed urgent attention, he said, included Suleja-Minna, Ejule-Otukpa, Ganawuri-Manchok, Lokoja-Abuja, Lapai-Agaie-Bida, Birnin-Gwari-Bokani-Mokwa, Minna-Zungeru-Tegina-Kontagora. ”Currently, the north-central region has the most deplorable roads and highways in the country. ”These deplorable roads have brought severe hardship on the people and lost lives and property through preventable road traffic crashes. ”We call on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure the rehabilitation of these roads because good roads are vital enablers of development,” he said. The chairman also called on governors of states within the region to reconstruct the dilapidated roads and seek refunds from the federal government. ”Though these are largely federal roads, they are located within states, and the beneficiaries are the people of these states. ”So we call on state governments to reconstruct these roads and seek refunds from the federal government,” he added. (NANNEWS
Yuan Strengthens 7. 087 Against Dollar
The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 160 pips to 7.087 against the dollar on Wednesday.This is according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.In China’s spot foreigners exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by two per cent from the central parity rate each trading day.
The central parity rate of the yuan against the dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day. (Xinhua/NAN)