Efforts
Zimbabwe president gets coronavirus vaccine dose, urges citizens not to hesitate
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa and some opposition politicians received China’s Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine in the tourist resort of Victoria Falls on Wednesday as part of efforts to encourage citizens to get inoculated. Zimbabwe has registered vaccines from China, India and Russia for emergency use but none so far from Western manufacturers. In a country where suspicion and scepticism often trump facts, Mnangagwa’s vaccination at a public event, together with opposition leaders, was meant to assure citizens that the vaccines were safe. The southern African nation had planned to administer the Sinopharm vaccine to 53 000 health workers and selected security forces when it rolled out the first phase of its programme on 18 February, but only 44 135 people had been vaccinated by Tuesday...
Oyo rolls out coronavirus vaccination programme
The Oyo State Government on Wednesday joined other states across Nigeria to rollout the COVID-19 vaccination exercise. The state flagged off the exercise in Ibadan with the first consignment of 127,740 doses it received from the Federal Government. Gov. Seyi Makinde was inoculated with Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine at exactly 12.20 p.m. During the flag-off, Makinde said that the state had made decision on a sterility test of the vaccine as precautionary measure to ascertain its safety and efficacy. “I have very low tolerance for physical pain, but when duty calls you have to do what you have to do. “I am getting vaccinated today as a show of leadership and to let the people know that they have to be protected. “I ordered for sterility tests because when I asked questions about the origin of t...
Niger community embark on protest over lack of electricity supply
File Photo The Hausawa community in Sabon-Dikko, Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State yesterday protested against the lack of electricity and other basic social amenities in the area. The community claimed that for one year after the transformer they bought through community efforts got burnt beyond repairs, and requests made to the Abuja Electricity Development Company (AEDC) for its replacement, the area has remained without electricity. The community, which claimed to have one million population, also decried the absence of educational institutions, health facility and potable in the area. In a protest letter sent to the state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, the Senator representing the area in the National Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Musa, and the AEDC, the community la...
Abia governor promises delivery of more road projects
Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia on Tuesday expressed the readiness of his administration to facilitate the delivery of more road projects in Aba and the state. Ikpeazu said this while inspecting the ongoing reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road, as part of the resumption of a statewide-project-inspection programme, tagged “Kinetic Abia Project Tour” in Aba. He said that the government would deliver high quality roads as part of its efforts to rebuild Aba and improve the wellbeing of its residents. He appealed to the residents to support the government to achieve its goal of transforming Aba by assisting the contractors handling the projects and protecting the infrastructure. The governor said that he would remain irrevocably committed to changing the narratives of Aba in the area of infrastruct...
MTN donates 300,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines to Nigeria
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 said it received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from MTN Nigeria. Speaking at the National briefing, the Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha said: “Yesterday, Sunday, March 21, 2021, the PTF received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from MTN Nigeria. “This is acknowledged with thanks as we encourage other partners to contribute towards the fight against COVID-19.” Recall that the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, had said that the first part of the 1.4 million doses promised to be donated to Nigeria would be delivered by end of February, while the remaining balance would be delivered by end of March, 2021. Mustapha also said: “The disclosure that Nigerian...
NPA suspends export receipts at Lagos ports
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Monday announced the suspension of export receipts at Lagos ports for two weeks. The NPA Spokesperson, Ibrahim Nasiru, said in a statement that the suspension was part of efforts to improve access to, and service delivery at Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports. “The authority hereby announces a 14-day suspension of export receipts at both ports and all satellite truck parks, with effect from March 22. “This development is necessitated by the need for consultations with export cargo stakeholders and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) on the harmonisation of procedures required of owners of this category of cargo. “Stakeholders should please note that this suspension does not affect export refrigerated cargo and trucks whose operators have secured c...
Fire destroys shops, property worth billions of naira at Katsina central market
Hundreds of shops were burnt to ashes following a fire outbreak at Katsina Central Market on Monday, newsmen report. The fire started at around 8 a.m., on Monday, from some shops located at the centre of the market, before it spread to other parts. The fire is still raging as at about 12:30pm, in spite of efforts of firemen to contain it. The inferno had destroyed property worth billions of Naira, mostly belonging to traders selling clothings, shoes, kitchen utensils, carpets, plastics among others. Some of the traders affected said they had no idea how the fire started, but added that they had lost everything in their shops to the fire. Alhaji Harisu Abdullahi, whose shop was among those destroyed, said it was difficult to ascertain the cause of the fire, and has left everything in the ha...
Police: Whereabouts of abducted Ogun monarch unknown
Ogun Police Command has said it is still searching for a traditional ruler, Oba Tajudeen Omotayo of Imope land, in Ijebu Igbo area of Ogun State who was abducted by gunmen on Saturday. Spokesman of the Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi said that operatives from relevant units have been drafted to Ijebu-Igbo in Ijebu North local government area to rescue the monarch but have neither located the abductee nor the abductors. Abimbola, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the “search and rescue” task by the operatives would continue until the captive is rescued unhurt. It was learnt the monarch was returning from Ijebu-Ode in his vehicle marked W 3J9 when gunmen accosted him at Oke-Eri area of Imope, pulled him out and took him away to an unknown destination, leaving his vehicle on the Ijebu-Ode-Oru...
Enugu community lament over dilapidated school classes
Residents of Aguobia-Nomeh, a community in Enugu state have expressed concern over the dilapidated conditions of the Community Secondary School. The school in Aguobia is a public junior and senior secondary located in Aguobia-Nomeh in Nkanu East local government area of Enugu State. Residents have on several occasion lamented the chronic state of the Community Secondary School calling for urgent repairs of the school class rooms but all efforts yielded no result. According to an indigene of the community, Michael Chigbo, the school was largely known as one of the best in the area before now. He recounted: “Community Secondary School, Aguobia Nomeh used to be one of the dream learning places most indigenes of Nkanu East LGA had wished to attend. “But today, it has become a different story. ...
#EndSARS: Lagos assembly committee commends council chairmen’s resilience
Member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr AdbulSobur Olawale, has commended the Executive Chairman of Ajeromi Local Government, LG, Mr. Fatai Ayoola, management and staff members for the resilience to rebuild the Secretariat that was destroyed during the aftermath of the ENDSARS protest. Olawale, who is also the Chairman of, House Committee on Local Government and Community Relations, disclosed that the Secretariat was among those government facilities that were destroyed by hoodlums during the aftermath of the ENDSARS protest. In the same view, the lawmaker applauded Council Chairman of Ifelodun Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Mr Shaibu Ajidagba for building the legislative chamber during his tenure in office. Speaking with journalists, after the oversight function to both Aje...
Katsina approves 5,000 hectares of land for ranching
The Katsina State Government has approved 5,000 hectares of arable farmland for ranching as part of efforts to curb the herders and farmers’ clashes in farming villages and communities across the state. Governor Aminu Bello Masari, who disclosed this during the 46th annual conference of the Nigerian Society for Animal Production held at the Federal University Dutsin-ma (FUDMA), Katsina, said ranching system will enable the children of herders to have qualitative education. He said that the only solution to the herdsmen and farmers crisis bedevilling some parts of the country is the establishment of ranches in the states, hence the provision of the 5,000 hectares of land. Masari, represented by his Special Adviser on Livestock and Grazing Reserve, Dr. Lawal Bagiwa, explained that apart from...
Ogun government sets up coronavirus vaccination centre for journalists
The Ogun State Government on Thursday said it will begin to vaccinate journalists against COVID-19 on Friday, which it said was part of efforts aimed at ensuring that the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine is brought nearer to the people The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kunle Somorin, disclosed this in a statement, adding that the facilitation centre was set up to main-stream journalists into the vaccination process because they are frontline workers. “Journalists are frontline workers and deserve to be treated specially because their profession exposes them so much to the ravaging virus. They, like health workers and security people, were on the road when everyone else stayed at home at the height of the pandemic,” the statement said. ‘Therefore from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Frid...
