Category: Uncategorized

The National Association of Resident Doctors has given the Federal Government three weeks to address its demands or its members would resume their suspended strike on Monday , August 17 , 2020 .

While demanding the payment of COVID- 19 hazard allowance to members which , it said , was long overdue , NARD called on government and the National Assembly to probe the non – enrolment of healthcare workers for the Group Life Insurance and non – payment of death – in – service benefit to the next – of – kin of its fallen heroes , despite claims of payment to insurance companies.

The President of NARD , Dr Aliyu Sokomba , made this known in Abuja while reading to journalists a communique issued after its virtual National Executive Council meeting and scientific conference held at the Gombe International Hotel between July 20 and 25 2020 .

He said , “NEC resolved to extend the suspension of our strike action by three weeks to give the government time to address our demands , failure of which will leave us with no choice other than to resume the suspended strike on Monday , August 17 2020 . ”

The PUNCH had earlier reported that NARD had embarked on an industrial action on June 15 2020 following its Emergency General Meeting to protest against the lack of payment for COVID- 19 inducement allowance for frontline healthcare workers .

But on June 21 , NARD announced the suspension of its strike after its NEC meeting attended by over 300 members but , however , said its national officers would continue negotiations with stakeholders while progress made would be reviewed in four weeks during its next NEC meeting in July 2020 .

While suspending the action , NARD said COVID- 19 inducement allowance “ has only been paid to eleven federal health institutions and most state governments are yet to review the hazard allowance of health workers . ”

Other reasons for the strike were the lack of personal protective equipment to some hospitals; non – provision of medical residency training funding; salary shortfall for 2014 – 2016 ; disengagement of resident doctors at the Jos University Teaching Hospital and challenges of its members in LAUTECH Teaching Hospital , Ogbomosho.

Punch

The Minister of Information and Culture , Lai Mohammed , has asked the National Broadcasting Commission to halt the transmission of the TV reality show.

The minister said the need to stop the reality show, which entered its fifth season on July 20 , became imperative due to the coronavirus pandemic .

On Wednesday , Acting Director -General of the NBC, Armstrong Idachaba , told senior management members at a meeting that he had been directed by the minister to shut down the show, according to
TheCable.

Mohammed reportedly wanted the letter shutting down the show to come from the NBC because of the general opinion that he is bent on sending MultiChoice Ltd , producers of the show, out of Nigeria .

A director had told the meeting that the NBC had on July 1 sought explanation from Multichoice on a possible violation of COVID- 19 protocol with the airing of the show.

MultiChoice had replied with measures taken in collaboration to forestall such, adding that the Lagos State Safety Commission gave approval for the show.

The organisers also said housemates went through mandatory two – week isolation before the show and that the BBN House had been disinfected and rearranged to ensure physical distancing , in addition to the elimination of live audience .

Idachaba , was , however , yet to convey the minister ’ s directive to the organisers of the show.

When asked whether the commission would issue a statement to counter the report by TheCable, the official , who preferred not to be mentioned , said the commission was not thinking of doing that .

Punch

The Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) says nobody is above the law in the service, no matter the positions and ranks.

Ali said this while decorating newly promoted officers in Abuja .

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the NCS on Wednesday announced the dismissal of an Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) for serious misconduct and another ACG got compulsory retirement for the act of negligence.

Ali, while referring to those officers said that they were disciplined for various misconducts as there was no untouchable in the service.

He said those who were untouchable were the people who behave themselves and work in conformity with the rules of the service.

“Recently, we took disciplinary measures on members of management. This was done to ensure discipline is maintained in the service.

“As much as we reform ourselves, you won’t have a problem with the management under my leadership.

“In spite of our effort to do away with the bad ones, there are still some elements not conforming with the situation, it is incumbent on us to show them the way out.

“This is necessary because the action of those few still make the public to disapprove of what we do.

“We must collectively isolate and discipline them in the interest of the service,” he explained.

The customs boss said he was pleased that those who were promoted deserved the elevation.

He said the era of promoting officers for connection or influence was over in the service, adding that the personnel did not need to know him or any member of management before such got promoted.

He urged officers that wanted to be promoted to work hard and ensure he or she was of good character as well as passing the examination.

Ali also enjoined officers to live within their earnings, adding that any officer caught in any sharp practices would be severely dealt with.

Vanguard

BENUE State Security Council has approved the recruitment of 2,300 personnel for the immediate commencement of community policing in the state.

The council also approved the recruitment of another set of 460 youths into the state’s Community Volunteer Guards, also known as Vigilante Group, to complement services of the conventional security agencies in the area of intelligence gathering.

These were part of the decisions reached at the end of the council meeting held , in Makurdi, which also directed the immediate suspension the District Head of Mbatser/Mbamusa in Konsisha Local Government Area, LGA, Zaki Mbanongun Gbakera, from office for alleged complicity in the crisis in his area.

Governor Samuel Ortom, who presided over the council meeting while reading out the resolutions, said the decision to embrace community policing was in line with the decision reached at the North Central Security meeting held in Lafia, Nasarawa State in January, which was at the instance of the Inspector General of Police.

He explained that 100 community policing personnel and 20 Community Volunteer Guards members would be recruited from each of the 23 LGAs of the state.

The governor said: “As stipulated in the law, activities of Community Volunteer Guards would be supervised by the Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Internal Affairs and coordinated at the state level, while council chairmen and district heads would coordinate same at the local and council ward levels respectively.”

Vanguard

In accordance with the decision of state governors in the South-West geopolitical zone to reopen schools, primary and secondary schools in Lagos State are set to reopen on August 3, this year.

However, only learners in primary six, junior secondary school 3, and senior secondary school 3 are to resume.

This, it was gathered, followed a meeting held in Ikeja with some stakeholders in the sector by officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Education.

During the meeting, the Department of Quality Assurance in the ministry mandated all schools, whether public or private to fill an online assessment form, stating their preparedness to meet conditions stipulated for school reopening by the Federal Ministry of Education.

Each school will later be issued clearance for it to reopen.

Speaking on the development, the Lagos State President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, Chief Olawale Amusa, said his association had also set up a Quality Assurance Committee to go round schools and assess the readiness of members.

He expressed optimism that most of his members would meet the requirements for reopening schools.

Also, despite the discordant tunes that have greeted the conduct of this year’s WASSCE by the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, South-West states are working on the possibility of partaking in the exam come September.

The decision by the states to partake in the exam is hinged on the need to allow final year secondary school students to be apart of this year’s admission into tertiary Institutions.

Recall that only on Thursday, the Minister of State, Education, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, said if the Federal Government could not meet up with WAEC’s timeline of conducting WASSCE in September, Nigerian candidates could take the exam in November/ December this year.

Vanguard

The Federal Government said N- Power beneficiaries were demanding a cumulative grant of N300 bn.

It, however , made it clear to the beneficiaries of the scheme that government cannot afford to make such amount available as grant.

The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs , Disaster Management and Social Development said it observed that there was a rally at the National Assembly on Thursday by some N -Power beneficiaries.

It said the rally later proceeded to the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja , as the protesters claimed to be representatives of the Federal Government’ s N- Power beneficiaries who were about to be exited .

The ministry ’ s Deputy Director, Press, Rhoda Iliya, said in a statement issued in Abuja that the protesters requested the Federal Government to employ all the 500 , 000 N – Power beneficiaries as well as pay them a grant of N600 , 000 each .

She said , “ The ministry wishes to state that this demand was not part of the agreement of engagement they signed with the Federal Government, which clearly stipulated that they will be exited after two years .

“ Furthermore, the government cannot afford the N 300 bn they were asking for as grant . ”

The ministry said it was noteworthy to state that the Federal Government had expended hundreds of billions on N -Power beneficiaries during the last four years .

It stated that the ministry was currently liaising with the Office of the Accountant – General of the Federation , the agency responsible for the payment of N- Power beneficiaries’ stipends , to ensure that any outstanding legitimate claim was settled .

It insisted that the Federal Government could not afford to continue to pay the exited N – Power beneficiaries stipends indefinitely , more so that the process of engagement of new beneficiaries had already commenced .

The ministry argued that even though it was not a lending agency , it was contacting other ministries, departments and agencies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria to see if the exited beneficiaries could key into their empowerment programmes .

Punch

The Federal Government has asked civil servants based in Abuja to go for COVID- 19 testing .

The directive was contained in a circular by the Permanent Secretary , Service Welfare Office in the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation , Dr Evelyn Ngige .

Ngige signed the circular titled, “ Conduct of COVID- 19 testing for civil servants ” on behalf of the HOSF , Dr Folasade Yemi – Esan . The circular dated July 17 , 2020 , was addressed to all federal permanent secretaries .

It read , “ I am directed to inform you that the Federal Government has provided facilities for the conduct of COVID- 19 tests for civil servants at the ThisDay Dome , Mohammed Kur Avenue, by Nanet Suites, Central Business District , Abuja (from 10 am to 4 pm daily ) as part of efforts to curtail the spread of the disease .

“ Accordingly , you are required to notify all staff of the testing facility to enable members of staff who experience COVID – 19 related symptoms and those wishing to get tested in your MDAs to take advantage of this opportunity .

“ Ngige also called the attention of civil servants to the updated guidelines on the control of the virus in offices which she said could be accessed on the website of the Office in the Office of the Head of Service or the Federation .

It also asked the MDAs to “ discourage workers from sharing work tools , equipment , and items like computers , phones etc .

” It further recommended frequent cleaning and disinfection of work surfaces , asking that close attention should be paid to high – contact objects like door handles , handrails , elevator buttons, keyboards , tools , toilets , and sinks among others.

According to the document , those feeling sick or have sick family members ( respiratory – related ) should not come to work . Such workers were advised to contact their supervisors with a view to obtaining necessary approvals in line with the Public Service Rule as well as contact the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control .

The Federal Government have said pupils in Nigeria might be forced to sit for the General Certificate Examination in November , if the country failed to meet up with this year ’ s timetable for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination .

The government explained that that might become necessary since the West African Examination Council could not shift its WASSCE scheduled to commence on August 4 .

The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, stated these while answering questions from journalists during the press conference of the Presidential Task Force on COVID – 19 .

He , however , said that should Nigeria be able to meet up with WAEC timetable , there was already a negotiated timeline to move local language subjects such as Igbo , Yoruba and Hausa as offered in Nigeria , behind as first written subjects , to allow all participating countries the needed time to write the general subjects at the same time .

Nwajiuba said , “ If you look at what the chairman of the PTF presented in June , he said he was not giving a date for schools resumption. He proposed that in view of WAEC’ s timetable , it would be advisable for those , who could , to try and make arrangements to make use of the available facilities and that is what is stated in the guidelines.

“ In the guidelines, there is a checklist of the requirements to be put in place and we have given a cut – off date , so we can know who needs help. We need to know if the teachers at your own location cannot be provided with masks; if the school is unable to do that we need to know ahead because states that have given date for resumption of schools are setting a timetable along the lines we have already explained and they are free to do this .

“ Many states have come to say they are unable to meet up with that date . That is why the minister ( of Education, Adamu Adamu ) requested that WAEC give us and the schools some time to meet up .

“ WAEC unfortunately, is unable to wholesomely move the exams , but we have also worked out a negotiated timeline with WAEC on what we call peculiar Nigerian subjects which in the language of WAEC are subjects that are only held in Nigeria such as Igbo , Hausa , Yoruba. The Ghanaians will take examinations peculiar to them

“ But they are all in the first part of the time table , so we will work out a domestication module that will take our peculiar subjects behind after we have done generals .

“ Nigeria is not moving away from it. The option would have been to go to November to take the GCE external exam; Nigeria is carefully studying that if in the event everything fails , we will may go to that . ”

Punch

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar has declared Friday the 31st of July as day to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir for Muslims.

The day, which is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijja will be held next week Friday.

The spiritual head warned district heads and Imams to conduct Eid prayers in Juma’at mosques instead of prayer grounds.

In a statement, Abubakar called on Muslim faithful to pray for peace, progress and development in the country.

“His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar CFR, mni, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has declared Friday, 31th July, 2020 as the 10th day of Zulhijja 1441 AH and the day of Eid – El – Kabir for the year.

“Furthermore, in view of the current situation caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Sultan hereby advises all the District Heads and Imams in Sokoto State, to observe Eid prayers at their Jumu’at Mosques in their respective towns and villages and not at Eid Grounds,” the statement read in part.

Dailypost/Punch

Over 90,000 applicants have so far been captured by the Teaching Service Commission in Oyo State in the ongoing process to check rising unemployment.

This was disclosed by the Chairman of the Commission, Akin Alamu in Ibadan during a private radio programme.

Those captured, he said, would soon be invited for a Computer Based Test in August.

Speaking further, he told newsmen that out of the 90,000 applicants, only 7,000 would be employed for the Oyo teaching jobs while another 2,000 would be employed as non-teaching staff.

Though, he didn’t say non-indigenes would be shut out, he stressed that more preference would be given to indigenes of the state.

Newsmen gathered that teachers would be employed in batches to fill vacancies in public schools in the state.