COVID-19
NIOB, PSN, 28 others seek more roles for Nigerian professionals
Pool Photo Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) as well as 28 other bodies under the umbrella of the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN) have called for more patronage of indigenous professionals. Speaking during the Board Meeting of the Association, president of APBN, Surveyor Akin Oyegbola said it has been proven that Nigerian professionals can hold their own anywhere in the world. The NIOB which is the professional body for Builders in Nigeria as part of its roles act as body which the Government or other official or unofficial authorities or organisations in Nigeria can seek advice, assistance or the expression of views on any subjects of concern or interest, to the Building profession in Nigeria. Oyegbola also said the APBN wi...
Nigeria threatens to ban flights from UAE, Netherlands
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has threatened to ban flights from the UAE and The Netherlands as a reciprocal action. The task force said the Ministry of Aviation and its relevant agencies have been mandated to take the necessary reciprocal measures as may be permissible under the laws and other international obligations expected to be discharged against Emirates airlines operating from the UAE and other airlines from The Netherlands. Mr Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, disclosed this at the routine briefing of the committee in Abuja on Monday. Mustapha said: “For over a month, Nigeria has been engaged with the authorities of the UAE and The Netherlands over pre-departure testing requirements passengers should meet before ...
Protest as PDP sweeps Delta council polls
File Photo Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) on Sunday in Asaba returned all the 25 chairmanship candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as winners in Saturday’s local government elections. The PDP chairmanship candidates won the election in their respective local government areas, with landslide, according to the various returning officers. Declaring the announcement of results open, chairman of DSIEC, Mike Ogbodu said the election was conducted in observance of COVID-19 protocols, adding that the exercise was generally peaceful. Although, the All Progressive Congress (APC) which is the main opposition party, pulled out midway into the polls, the returning officers insisted that the elections were contested. Publicity secretary of the APC in the state, Sylvest...
British Festival Directors Want Government to Require COVID-19 Vaccination for Event Attendance
Tickets to live music events in Great Britain have sold like hotcakes since the British government’s recent rollout plan for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the plan is liable to change based on the assessment of its efficiency over time, fans are hopeful that normalized live music events will resume in June 2021. British festival directors and organizers are skeptical, however, and worried about the potential consequences of a restriction-free post-pandemic landscape. According to The Guardian, many of those organizers are petitioning for the government to mandate vaccination status in order for the public to attend in-person mass gatherings. “A lot of us want to urge government to follow the example set up already in other areas, like travel, where peop...
Nigerian government coronavirus vaccine has mild side effect
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has pointed out that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has a mild side effect. Ehanire explained that those vaccinated may experience “small pain” in the area it was injected. He disclosed this after the vaccination of President Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo, at the State House, yesterday. Ehanire, however, stated that the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be painless. He said: “The process itself is simple. We are using a narrow gauge syringe, which will be very painless, and it is a small quantity that is injected into the muscle of your upper arm. “The after-effects, as we know so far, are mild. There can be a small pain in the area where it was injected.” Meanwhile, Buhari after receiving the vaccine, had urged N...
ECOWAS suggests compensation for coronavirus vaccine adverse reactions
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Vaccine Taskforce has recommended compensation for citizens who suffer side effects or injury from the COVID-19 vaccination. Professor Stanley Okolo, the Director-General of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), disclosed this at the 5th Regional Steering Committee meeting of the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) project on Saturday in Abuja. Okolo said that the recommendation was one of the resolutions adopted by the taskforce and presented to the ECOWAS Ministerial Coordinating Committee to encourage citizens to receive the vaccine. He explained during the REDISSE virtual meeting that the issue of indemnity was being taken up by the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, the global initiative aimed at equit...
New York to Resume Limited Capacity Concerts in April 2021
Governor Andrew Cuomo is ready to relax restrictions on gatherings in New York, a decision that will allow for live performances to once again resume in the state, effective April 2nd. At a recent news conference, Cuomo stated that venues will be able to reopen at limited capacity. Gatherings will be limited to operating at 33% capacit, and will include a cap of 100 patrons indoors or 200 for outdoor events. The limits will be extended to 150 patrons indoors or 500 for outdoor events if all attendees provide negative tests prior to entering the events. Upon reopening, attendees will be expected to continue social distancing and wearing masks, according to The New York Times. In response, Actors’ Equity Association, a labor union representing actors and stage managers in the ...
Vaccinated Express Lanes Planned for Texas’ Ubbi Dubbi Music Festival
Disco Donnie, the organizer of Texas electronic music festival Ubbi Dubbi, has announced that he is planning to implement express entry lanes at the event’s 2021 edition for those who have been vaccinated for COVID-19. Donnie took to Twitter to share the news of the lanes, which he said are “100% part of the plan.” While they have not yet been confirmed as part of the event’s infrastructure, they could be in the near future. In a separate tweet, he also clarified that attendees will not need to be vaccinated to gain entry to the event, and that he has teamed up with CLEAR to instate health protocols and safely expedite entry procedures. It’s important to note that Disco Donnie is not violating any laws by moving forward with Ubbi Dubbi Festival’...
NPHCDA boss: Nigerian government ‘took more measures’ to secure right coronavirus vaccine
The executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, says the federal government took more measures than many countries to ensure the selection of the right COVID-19 vaccine for Nigerians. Shuaib said this on Friday at the launch of COVID-19 vaccination programme, held at the National Hospital in Abuja. He said even though there were concerns about the delay in getting the vaccine, it was more important to get the doses suitable for the country. “We’ve said it before now, that it is not how fast, but how well. It is not how fast we get the vaccines here, but making sure that we get the right vaccines for our environment; getting the right vaccines that are suitable for our cold-chain infrastructure,” he said. “We took all of the measures th...
Reps speaker urges Nigerians not to believe conspiracy theories about coronavirus vaccine
The speaker of the house of representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has advised Nigerians not to believe conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccines. Many Nigerians are wary about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine amid unverified claims that it contains microchips. Faisal Shuaib, chief executive officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), had recently dismissed the claims as false. The first shipment of the vaccines– 3.9 million doses– arrived in Nigeria on Tuesday and the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine was administered today. Speaking at the national flag-off ceremony for the COVID-19 vaccination in Abuja, Gbajabiamila urged Nigerians to rally behind the federal government to fight the pandemic. He also cautioned against playing politics with the vaccinati...
AfDB provides $400,000 grant for SEC
African Development Bank Group (AfDB) on Friday signed a $400,000 grant agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to strengthen securities market regulation and broaden market instruments. The funds, according to a statement from AfDB, will go towards strengthening the risk-based supervision framework, regulation of derivatives and green bonds, and build capacity for green finance. The grant will be sourced from the Capital Markets Development Trust Fund, a multi-donor fund administered by the Bank. “This collaboration further underscores our mutual goal to grow our markets and create viable avenues for sustainable economic development for Nigeria and the region,” said Lamido Yuguda, Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission at the virtual signing ceremon...
Governors reach decisions on coronavirus vaccine roll-out
The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has asked the federal government to take the necessary steps to support logistics and inoculation activities in states to ensure a smooth vaccine roll-out exercise across the country. According to a communique on Friday by Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, at the end of the 27th emergency teleconference meeting, the governors said efforts must be made to initiate the launch of the vaccination programme in all states from 10th March 2021. Kayode said the Forum received a briefing from the Executive Secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, in the company of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Tax Force (PTF) on COVID-19, ...
