Nigeria
Maternity leave now six months in Oyo – official
Oyo State Government has approved an upward review of maternity leave for pregnant women and nursing mothers in its service from four months to six months. The Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Prof. Daud Sangodoyin, made this known on Tuesday in Ibadan while briefing newmen on the outcome of the weekly State Executive Council meeting. Newsmen report that the 30th council meeting was presided over by Gov. Mr Seyi Makinde. According to Sangodoyin, the upward review by the council was to meet the World Health Organisation’s recommendation on Exclusive Breast Feeding. He, however, said that workers would be entitled to the leave four times while in the service of the state government. He said that the 2 p.m. official closing time for nursing mothers at work would no longer be effec...
Cancer Care: Consultant backs Nigerian government on palliative care, Chemosafe policies
Dr Isreal Kolawole, a Consultant Anesthetic and Palliative Care Clinician, on Tuesday commended the Federal Government’s review of the National Palliative Care and Chemosafe Policies. Kolawale, a consultant at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, told newsmen in Abuja, that the review would eliminate cancer patients’ challenges in Nigeria. Newsmen recall that the Federal Ministry of Health and stakeholders in the health sector reviewed the policies during the Cancer week, which held from Oct. 26 to Oct. 30. Palliative Care Policy has to do with cancer patients in critical conditions, while Chemosafe Policy has to do with the safe administration of medicine to cancer patients. The consultant described the review of the palliative care policy as a welcome development that would aid th...
IBEDC implements revised service tariff
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) says it has began implementation of the revised service-based reflective tariff as approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). IBEDC Head, Branding and Corporate Communication, Ms Angela Olanrewaju said this in a statement in Ibadan on Tuesday. She said that customers on the pre-paid platform would be the first to experience the revised new tariff which took effect from Nov.1. “Our post-paid customers revised tariff will reflect in the electricity bills they receive at the end of November 2020. “Kindly recall that the new tariff is divided into five bands and based on hours of supply to customers, measured by the daily average availability of supply over a month. “Customers on bands A, B and C will see some level of...
APC says it won’t trade words with PDP on national security
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that it will not trade words with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in its plot to score selfish and insensitive political gains from issues of national security. Mr Yekini Nabena, the APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja. The statement is in reaction to recent comments by the PDP on the swift operation by the United States to rescue its citizens held hostage by some bandits in Nigeria. The PDP, in an earlier statement by Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, its National Publicity Secretary, said that the development confirmed that the APC-led Federal Government could not secure the territorial integrity of the country. He also said that the development further confirms that the Buhari-led admi...
Governor Wike: Rivers government to replace properties destroyed by IPOB members
Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers says his administration will replace all the properties allegedly destroyed by members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) during the #EndSARS protest in parts of Rivers. Wike, who made this known on Monday in a statement by his Media Aide, Mr Kelvin Ebiri, expressed regrets that the damage done during the protest left a huge financial burden on the state. Speaking during a live television programme in Port Harcourt, Wike said IPOB members killed six soldiers, four policemen and destroyed all police stations and court buildings there’’, restating that the State government will compensate each family of the killed security personnel with N20 million. The governor also described the allegation that he ordered the Nigerian Army to kill Igbos in Oyi...
Governor El-Rufai: Killing of policemen evil
Gov. Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State on Monday described the killing of policemen by protesters in some parts of the country as evil. El-Rufai, who spoke to newsmen in Kaduna after the meeting of the Northern Governors Forum and traditional rulers as well as other key stakeholders in the region, said that the police must be supported to discharge their duties. He said that the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had briefed the meeting on the #EndSARS protest and its aftermath. “We support the police, we believe that there may be some bad eggs in the police just as there are bad eggs in any organisation, but it is no excuse to destroy or kill policemen. “We hope to expand the footprints and the effectiveness of the Nigerian police in accordance with their mandate. “We have discusse...
Northern governors back social media regulation
The Northern Governors Forum on Monday expressed support for proposals to regulate the social media to check the spread of fake news in the country. The Forum expressed its support in a communique issued by its Chairman and Governor of Plateau, Mr Simon Lalong. This followed the governors meeting in Kaduna, which was attended by traditional rulers and other key stakeholders in the region. The meeting took note of the devastating effect of the uncontrolled social media in spreading fake news and called for major control mechanisms andcensorship of social media practice in Nigeria. It also expressed support for the reform of the police to strengthen their capacity. “Forum appreciates the major reforms going on in the Police Force and pledges to support Mr. President on this course. “The meet...
Ebonyi governor reduces university tuition fees
Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi has directed the reduction of the tuition fees being paid by students of Ebonyi State University Abakaliki (EBSU). In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SGG), Dr Kenneth Ugbala, Umahi directed the reduction of N10,000 from the fees being paid by every non-indigene student of the school while N20,000 was reduced from the fees of the students who are indigenes of the state. The statement said the Governor took the decision because of effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economies of every family. He stated that the new fees, which take effect from the 2020/2021 academic year, will be paid anytime from next year. “Ebonyi State Government is aware of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the world economies of which Ebonyi State is h...
#EndSARS: Groups embark on reconciliatory visit to affected states
African Children Talent Discovery Foundation (ACTDF), an NGO, in Collaboration with Nigerians in Diaspora Mentoring Corp (NidMeCorp) have began nationwide reconciliatory visits to some states affected by the EndSARS protest. Founder of the foundation, Mr Noah Dallaji made the disclosure while addressing newsmen on Monday in Abuja, Dallaji said that the visit was for the sake of nation and collective wellbeing and to avoid further damage to lives and properties. He said the group visited to Lagos State due to the Lekki Tollgate incidents and met with various groups to find a lasting solution to the issues that were played up as aftermath of the #Endsars protest. He also said that the group met with stakeholders in the entertainment industry focusing on social media influencers to with vario...
#EndSARS: Why Nigerian government didn’t shut down social media during protests – minister
File Photo Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has said the Federal Government had the option of shutting down the social media space during the #EndSARS protests but chose not to tread the path. Dare, who spoke on Monday while featuring on Channels Television’s programme Sunrise Daily, said the government did that to allow freedom of expression. He said other countries had taken certain measures to exercise some level of restraint over the cyberspace but Nigeria has not done so. The minister, however, said the internet and the social media have tremendous benefits but “as a country, we must start to think of how to curtail fake news. There must be some level of responsibility and some level of punishment to those that create chaos out of mischief in our country.” He sai...
BBC exposes European pyramid scam exploiting Africans, others
A new investigation by BBC Africa Eye has uncovered a global pyramid scam, run from Europe, that is using smartphones to cheat ordinary people across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Crowd1 describes itself as “the fastest growing crowd marketing company in the world” and produces social media videos which show members buying new cars and enjoying luxury holidays. Using nothing but a smartphone, Crowd1 claims, you can become a millionaire by promoting and selling a series of exciting digital products to your network. These claims have persuaded thousands of people across Africa to hand over the 99 Euros that buys an entry-level membership to Crowd1. But a six-month investigation by BBC Africa Eye reveals that, behind the slick marketing, Crowd1 is peddling a range of bogus products and fal...
US terminates virus cash transfer to Uganda’s poor
Pool Photo The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has terminated its Covid-19 cash transfer programme in Uganda. The US embassy there said the decision followed the Ugandan government’s indefinite suspension of GiveDirectly, a non-profit organisation that was conducting the programme. “In light of this indefinite suspension, it is now unlikely that the programme will meet its original objective, which was to prevent Covid-19 related economic backsliding of the most vulnerable Ugandans,” the embassy said in a statement. “Therefore, we are obligated contractually to terminate the program permanently.” The programme was to benefit 120,000 Ugandans who lost livelihoods because of the coronavirus pandemic. Each beneficiary was to receive 100,000 Ugandan shillings ($26; £20) every m...
