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Official: ICPC investigating cases of coronavirus fraud
File Photo The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it is investigating alleged cases of corruption in the management of COVID-19 funds and palliatives. The commission’s Director of Operations, Mr Akeem Lawal, disclosed this during a virtual meeting of stakeholders on the topic, “COVID-19 Funds Management and Monitoring”, on Thursday. In a presentation titled, “ICPC Monitoring Obligation and Strategy Re: COVID-19 Emergency”, Lawal said the cases include alleged fraud by some participating public institution in the release and distribution of grains from strategic food reserve. Others, according to him, include alleged infractions in the procurement of COVID-19 palliatives and logistics and community enlightenment activities. The ICPC official, who...
Nigeria releases new guidelines for international flights operations
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority , NCAA, Thursday, released new guidelines for international flights operations during the current Covid-19 pandemic for Nigerian based crew. Under the new rules, Nigerian crew operating international flights must now wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and observe Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) measures for the duration of the flight. This is just as the flight crew will now undergo mandatory testing for Covid-19 every 14 days at cost to the Air Operator upon return to Nigeria , instead of the current quarantine in an isolated place they are currently subjected to. Also, any of the crew members who test positive for Covid-19 will be taken to a treatment centre for further management. The new release with reference NCAA/DG/AIR/11/16/120 , dated...
Loans request: Nigeria now on the auction market – PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alarms that with the volume of foreign loans being accumulated by President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC), our nation and her people have been placed on the international auction market. The party said President Buhari’s moves to take a fresh $5.513 billion (N2.1 trillion) loan in addition to an earlier $22.79 billion (N8.5trillion), the size of 2020 budget, without operable repayment plans, will totally compromise the fiscal integrity of our nation and open her up for economic annexation by foreign creditors. This is in addition to N850 billion from the capital market. It is more alarming that the Buhari government, in this fiscal year, cannot muster the capacity to harness the huge resources available in our country to generat...
NDDC HQ shut over ‘coronavirus outbreak’
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has ordered the immediate shutdown of the headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission in Port Harcourt following the sudden death of the Commission’s Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Chief Ibanga Etang. Chief Etang, whose death occurred in the early hours of Thursday at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital in Port Harcourt, was suspected to have died from complications arising from coronavirus disease. To this ends, Senator Akpabio has directed all staff of the Commission currently exhibiting symptoms not to panic but to report to the nearest NCDC centre in Port Harcourt for evaluation. The ministry in a statement by its Director, Press & PR, Mrs Deworitshe Patricia said the “Minister of N...
PTF decries continued refusal by hospitals to treat patients for fear of coronavirus
The Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 (PTF) has decried the continued refusal by medical institutions including federal tertiary institutions to receive and treat patients for fear COVID-19. PTF lamented that this development has resulted in several unfortunate and avoidable fatalities. Meanwhile, the PTF will conclude its assessment on the impact of the measures put in place and further recommendations would be submitted to the President for a decision within the next seventy hours. Chairman of PTF and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, who disclosed this at the daily Press Briefing in Abuja, noted that Nigeria is having more deaths from non-attendance to other diseases than even COVID 19 adding that the reason for the greater emphasis on COVID 19 is ...
U.S. economy shrank at 5% annual rate in Q1
The downward revision to first quarter GDP reflected weaker investment by businesses in their inventories which was partially offset by slightly stronger consumer spending. Economists believe the lockdowns that shut wide swaths of the economy and triggered the layoffs of millions of workers will send the GDP sinking at an annual rate of 40% in the current quarter. That would be the biggest quarterly decline on records that go back to 1947. It would be four times the size of the previous decline set back in 1958. Many forecasters believe growth will rebound sharply in the July-September quarter with the Congressional Budget Office predicting GDP will rise at an annual rate of 21.5%. Still, that gain would not be nearly enough to make up for the economic output that was lost during the first...
68 NYSC members to repeat service year in Lagos
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) coordinator in Lagos, Eddy Megwa, says 68 corps members in the 2019 Stream I Batch B would have to repeat their service year in the state. The state coordinator made this known on Thursday, at the Ikeja Local Government Secretariat, one of the venues for the passing out ceremony of corps members. Mr Megwa said a total of 6, 196 received their Certificates of National Service, with three corps members distinguishing themselves during the service year. He said the three would be receiving state merit awards for their outstanding performance in their service year. The coordinator said that the Executive Governor of Lagos State would present the merit awards. Mr Megwa commended the outgoing corps members for performing well during the service year “We are ha...
Court to give accelerated hearing in Abia traditional stool tussle
A Customary Court sitting at Arochukwu in the Arochukwu council area of Abia state has vowed to give accelerated hearing in the Nde Akweke traditional stool tussle pending before it. One Mazi Okororafor Nkemakolam and Chima Nwafor had gone to court to challenge the coronation of Mazi Nwankwo Anicho-Nwosu, as the Eze-Ezi Nde Akweke compound in Obinkita Arochukwu. In a suit No CC/AR/9/2020, the plaintiffs sought for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant or any other member of his (Nde Okoro Anige) family from claiming or parading themselves as members of the royal family in relation to the Ezeship of Nde Akweke Compound. The plaintiffs claimed that the traditional stool of Nde Akweke Compound “is the prerogative of the 13 families in Nde Akweke Compound and not the sole prerogativ...
Nigeria invites bid for monitoring of spending of Abacha loot
File Photo The Federal Ministry of Justice on Thursday opened technical bids for Consultancy Service to monitor the implementation of Abacha loot III. Newsmen that the Consultancy Service is to undertake the monitoring of the implementation of the tripartite agreement on the Sharing, Transfer, Disposition, Repatriation and Management of the Abacha Forfeited Assets. Mrs Ladidi Mohammed, Head, Asset Recovery and Management Unit, Ministry of justice declared open the bidding process. Mohammed said the process is in tandem with the Asset Return Agreement of Feb. 3 by the Nigeria government, the United States and the Bailiwick of Jersey. ‘`This Agreement is based on international law and cooperation measures that set out the procedures for the repatriation, transfer, disposition and management ...
Oyo confirms two coronavirus cases
The COVID-19 Task Force in Oyo State has announced two positive cases in the state. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 252. Governor Seyi Makinde, who heads the state COVID-19 task force gave the indication via his verified Twitter handle, on Thursday. According to him, one of the suspected cases is from iSON Xperiences in Ibadan South West Local Government Council Area of the state. The governor wrote, “The COVID-19 confirmation tests for two suspected cases came back positive. One case is from iSON Xperiences and the other case is from Ido Local Government Area. So, the total number of confirmed cases in Oyo State is 252. “Please call the Emergency Operations Centre if you have any COVID-19 symptoms such as cough, fever, tiredness, body ache, and shortness of...
How We Work Now: NMPA President/CEO David Israelite
In a series amid the coronavirus pandemic, Billboard is asking individuals from all sectors of the music business to share stories of how they work now, with much of the world quarantined at home and unable to take in-person meetings, attend conferences or even go into the office. Submissions for the series can be sent to HowWeWorkNow@Billboard.com. Read the full series here. This installment is with David Israelite, the president/CEO of music publishing trade association NMPA. David Israelite: We’ve just been in a kind of holding pattern. We have a lot of of pending issues [for which] we’re waiting for decisions from government bodies or legal bodies. Right before the shutdown, on March 10, we had our oral arguments regarding the appeal of the copyright royalty board rates by Spotif...
Kogi gives conditions for coronavirus test
The Kogi State government has insisted the State is still free from the rampaging Coronavirus disease even as it has given condition for recognizing any Covid-19 test conducted outside it’s boundaries by it’s citizens. This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by Dr. Saka Haruna Audu, Commissioner for Health. He said the major interest of the government is to secure lives and not in politics. “Kogi State till this very moment is Covid-19 free. We have developed full testing capacity and have conducted hundreds of tests so far which have come back negative. “We have also continued to insist that we will not be a party to any fictitious Covid-19 claims which is why we do not recognise any Covid-19 test conducted by any Kogite outside the boundaries of the State except those initia...
