The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad , has ordered the Chief Judges of the judiciaries of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to take urgent steps towards ensuring speedy trial in criminal cases and prison decongestion .
He urged them to , for instance , “ consider conditional or unconditional release of Awaiting Trial Persons who have spent 6 years or more in custody. ”
The CJN , in his capacity as the Chairman of the National Judicial Council , gave this directive in a memo with reference number, NJC/ CIR /HOC /II / 662 , and dated May 15 , 2020 .
The memo addressed to the Chief Judges of the various states and the FCT was posted on the NJC ’ s website .
He said his directive was in line with the call by the United Nations on countries of the world “ to consciously reduce the population of prison inmates since physical distancing and self – isolation in such conditions are practically impossible ” during the ravaging COVID- 19 pandemic .
The CJN expressed worry over the overwhelming proportion of awaiting trial inmates in the various prisons across the country.
He noted that of the 74 , 127 persons held in the prisons , 52 , 226 of them were awaiting trial .
He stated, “ From available records , the inmates population at various custodial centres across the country presently stands at about 74 , 127 out of which 52 , 226 are Awaiting Trial Persons .
“ Most of these custodial centres are presently housing inmates beyond their capacities and the overcrowded facilities pose a potent threat to the health of the inmates and the public in general in view of the present circumstances, hence the need for urgent steps to bring the situation under control . ”
He , therefore , asked the Chief Judges “ to embark on immediate visit to all custodial / correctional centres within your respective states to identify and release deserving inmates, where that has not been done already . ”
He urged them to consider releasing inmates who had spent six years or more awaiting trial in prison.
He also urged the Chief Judges to consider discharging awaiting trial persons who had no confirmed criminal cases against them, the aged , and terminally ill.
The House of Representatives has faulted the Nigerian Governors ’ Forum for asking the federal parliament to step down the controversial Quarantine Act ( Repeal and Enactment ) Bill 2020 .
The NGF had earlier on Wednesday asked the House to withdraw the bill and engage stakeholders on formulation of a popular one .
Reacting to the call , Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs , Mr Benjamin Kalu , in a statement , stated that the federal parliament does not legislative for states .
The statement partly read , “ It has come to the attention of the House that the NGF has , through a communiqué at the end of its virtual meeting held on Wednesday , May 13 , 2020 , asked the House to step down the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill , 2020 , which public hearing is already scheduled.
“ In the communiqué , the NGF noted that , ‘ Following an update from the Governor of Sokoto State and Vice Chairman of the NGF, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal , on the proposed Control of Infectious Diseases Bill, 2020 , introduced by the House, governors raised concern with the lack of consultation with State governments who are at the forefront of the epidemic . ’
“ The NGF said it ‘ resolved that the bill should be stepped down until an appropriate consultative process is held , including a public hearing to gather public opinion and concerns. ”
Kalu stated that contrary to the impression given in the NGF’ s communiqué , the House had since subject the bill to a public hearing, where Nigerians from all walks of life would have the opportunity to make their inputs towards the draft legislation .
“ The NGF’ s position is coming rather belatedly , ” he stated .
The statement further read , “ However , the House wishes to state clearly that whilst it legislates for the Federal Republic of Nigeria , including being the parliament for the Federal Capital Territory Abuja only , the NGF is recognised by members of the House as leading lights in the task of nation building .
“ It is rather surprising that the NGF , in arriving at its decision, relied on ‘ an update from the Governor of Sokoto State ’ who , apart from being a lawyer , is a former Speaker and an ex – ranking member of the House, who should know better and guide the forum accordingly. We assume that his position was informed by his well -known personal and partisan opposition to the emergence of the current leadership of the House, considering his obvious stance in 2015 and 2019 .
“ Unlike in a constitution amendment matter where state Houses of Assembly have a defined constitutional role to play in effecting any review to it, bills such as the Control of Infectious Diseases are not by our constitution , subject of concurrence of state Houses of Assembly or state governors . We do believe that our respected governors are aware of this lawful processes of legislation and should not be misguided by a biased position of a former speaker . ”
Kalu added , “ Let it be known that the House, and indeed the National Assembly , are independent of the control of any state governor or former speaker , except if we want to change that now . Even at that , it has to be by a constitutional amendment sponsored by the citizens and not by the personal view of one governor and former speaker .
Namibia ’ s president has slapped a five- year ban on buying new cars for top politicians and government officials in order to channel funds into fighting coronavirus , his office said .
President Hage Geingob “ has directed that the vehicle fleet of the Namibian government will not be renewed for the period 2020 – 2025 , ” presidential spokesperson Alfredo Hengari announced in a statement .
“ No new vehicles will be purchased for members of the executive and public office bearers in the Namibian government . ”
He said the decision would save some 200 million Namibian dollars (US$ 10 . 7 million ) , which will be directed “ to urgent priorities , specifically at a time when the country is dealing with the health and economic implications of COVID- 19 ” .
The southern African country of 2 . 5 million people has so far recorded 16 cases of COVID- 19 , with no deaths .
Namibian ministers and their deputies each qualify for Mercedes – Benz vehicles upon their appointment .
The president also directed a limit on monthly fuel consumption for top politicians , the government said .
In 2002 , then – president Sam Nujoma had banned the use of Mercedes -Benzes , insisting that ministers should ride in Toyota Camry cars.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said the Office of the Accountant – General of the Federation used the controversial Integrated Payment and Personnel Information System platform to pay the salaries of university lecturers , without capturing their biometrics and other information .
ASUU argued that such step by the Federal Government confirmed its suspicion that the IPPIS was fraudulent and unfit for the university system , while urging the authorities to consider its alternative – the University Transparency and Accountability Solution .
The ASUU President , Prof Biodun Ogunyemi , stated this in an interview with news correspondent in Abuja , adding that if lecturers who did not register on IPPIS were paid through the system , it meant that anyone could be imported onto the platform .
The President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd . ) , had on April 21 ordered the payment of the February and March 2020 withheld salaries of lecturers in federal universities .
The salaries had been withheld because the lecturers had failed to register on the IPPIS – an ongoing matter of contention between ASUU and the government .
But a statement by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige , had said the payment was immediate and without condition .
The ASUU President , Ogunyemi , said on Thursday that the union had clear evidence that the controversial IPPIS platform was used in paying the lecturers ’ salaries without any biometrics or data capture .
He said , “ The first comment is that we wondered how they could have used the IPPIS platform when our members didn ’ t submit BVN or sign into IPPIS? The impression we were given before is that before the government could use IPPIS, people must submit themselves for data capture , biometrics capture and so forth . But that did not happen in this instance .
“ So if the government could go ahead and use the IPPIS to pay salaries , it means our suspicion is being confirmed which means they can manipulate that platform as they want . This is because if people who did not register on IPPIS are being paid through IPPIS, it means that anybody can be imported into that system and that has been our suspicion all along . We have said that the IPPIS is not waterproof as claimed.
“ Secondly, by using IPPIS to pay our members ( because in the alert , it was clearly stated there; the IPPIS was mentioned in the alert ) we have also seen the inadequacies of that platform .
“ When the government called us for a meeting in July 2019 , it said all the fears had been addressed . How come , this time round, by using the IPPIS, you distorted people’ s salaries ?
“ Our members are saying the government amputated their salaries . They removed from some people’ s salaries . The pay slips are nowhere and the cooperative deductions, union dues and all the third party deductions are nowhere to be found . You now start to wonder whether this is the system we need . As we have been saying, the alternative we have been working on is in progress and we will soon unveil it to Nigerians . ”
The Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, reminded states and security operatives that farmers are essential workers and should be allowed to access their farms in order to guarantee food security.
Speaking during the PTF COVID-19 briefing, Mustapha said; “You will recall that when the new measures were rolled out and published, we ensured that certain economic activities pertaining to food production and distribution were exempted.
“This, for the avoidance of doubts includes farming activities. We recognize the fact that we are in the planting season and the nation cannot afford to prevent our hardworking farmers from going to their farms.
“We, therefore, use this medium to reemphasize that farmers fall within the list of essential workers and urge State Governors, Local Government Authorities and security agencies to please allow them to carry out their activities. Our food security is critical to our national security.
“The PTF welcomes the resolution of the Nigeria Governors Forum to take steps to ramp up testing and provide the prescribed minimum number of bed spaces in their isolation/treatment centres.
“We in turn assure the States that the NCDC will continue to provide technical support and standardization guidelines. It will also continue to firmly pursue its surveillance activities nationwide.
“We urge the States to recognize the essence of a strong partnership and always allow overarching public interest to prevail”.
On the level of compliance with public safety protocols, Mustapha said a lot still needs to be done.
”I must, however, state that our initial evaluation point firmly in the direction of a high level of non-compliance which, as we have often warned, portend grave self-inflicted danger.
“This fact has made it imperative for me to re-echo our call for taking personal responsibility.”
The Federal Government has said it did not beg Madagascar to supply its Covid-19 syrup to Nigeria, explaining that the East African country donated the elixir to Nigeria and it accepted it in the spirit of African brotherhood.
This was as it announced that it has put in place measures to rethink its National Response to the Covid-19, saying emerging developments indicate that there is a need for a change in tactics.
These were disclosed in Abuja during the daily briefing of the Presidential Taskforce PTF on Covid-19.
Government added that while it would continue to look inwards to see how it can defeat the pandemic, it would however also look outwards as Covid-19 is not a Nigerian outbreak but a global disease.
It asked state governments and security operatives to also allow farmers access to their farms as the planting season begins, saying food security is critical to national security.
Also, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, told journalists to refrain from asking him about the whereabouts of a 15-member Chinese Medical Team whose entry into Nigeria on April 9 had generated a wave of backlash from Nigerians.
Elixir from Madagascar
Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha dismissed speculations that Nigeria might have asked Madagascar for a supply of its Covid-19 organic instead of promoting local researchers for a cure.
He said; “The issue of Madagascar. Let me explain that Nigeria did not ask Madagascar for any solution. That has to be very clear because I have seen some narratives out there giving credence to a line of story that, for me, I think is only distractive. Nigeria did not ask.
“The Madagascan government decided to airlift quantities meant for African countries and so that of West Africa was airlifted to Guinea-Bissau.
“So, all the members of ECOWAS have their commodities off-loaded in Guinea-Bissau and that was the one I referred to, that we were making arrangements to evacuate but the impression out there was as if we abandoned homegrown solutions and we were looking for Madagascan solution.
“We did not ask for it, but it was taken in the spirit of brotherly love, or African brotherly love to Guinea-Bissau and we have asked our Ambassador there to establish the location, the quantity etc.
“He has done that. We have to make an arrangement for its freighting out of Guinea-Bissau. There are no flights, so there are so many things we have to consider.
“If we are air-freighting through air cargo, that has its process. So, please can you help us explain to Nigerians that Nigeria did not ask for it. It was brought for West African countries, similarly for other parts of Africa.
“The consignment meant for West Africa was taken to Guinea-Bissau and every ECOWAS country was asked to go to Guinea-Bissau and pick. It is not our priority for now. It is not a focus.
“There are other things that we are dealing with to make sure that we contain the spread in our nation. We will do that, but that does not in any way downplay what we have asked our researchers and our scientists to do.
“In the last one or more weeks, I have consistently made this appeal and those in the medical community know the protocol to follow. I get letters on a daily basis with claims of inventions.
“This afternoon, I received one with even the consignment and so I was wondering whether I was going to bring it here to try it on some of you. That is not the protocol.
“The protocol is to submit these things to the appropriate organization that has the responsibility, that its role was established by government through an Act of Parliament for it to go through the processes of validation.
“It is not the responsibility of the Taskforce to validate these things. So, my appeal to our scientists and our researchers is: do not bother sending them to the Taskforce.
“Send them to the institutions that have been set up by government to do their job and we know the institutions. NAFDAC is there. It is a body acknowledged and recognized all over the world not only for homegrown cure but anything you want to bring into this country and that is why all such things carry NAFDAC numbers.
“If you send it to the Chairman of the Taskforce, will he give you a NAFDAC number? How? The Taskforce is a body that has been put in place to provide a National Response to the pandemic.
“We will not take over the responsibilities of the agencies of government that have existed in the last couple of decades, and who have the primary responsibility of doing what they ought to do,” he declared.
The coronavirus may never go away and populations will have to learn to live with it just as they have HIV , the World Health Organization has warned , as the global death toll from the disease nears 300, 000 .
There were also gloomy forecasts from the US Federal Reserve, which said prolonged shutdowns to stem the spread of the virus could cause lasting economic damage in America .
Washington ratcheted up tensions over the pandemic by accusing China of trying to steal research into a vaccine , while US President Donald Trump upped the rhetoric with a colourful phrase that could anger Beijing .
“ We just made a great Trade Deal , the ink was barely dry , and the World was hit by the Plague from China . 100 Trade Deals wouldn ’ t make up the difference — and all those innocent lives lost !” Trump tweeted.
The United States logged more than 1 , 800 deaths on Wednesday , bringing the nation’ s total to 84 , 059 .
The president has increasingly looked to pin the blame on China , where the virus first emerged late last year.
Two US security agencies piled further pressure on Beijing by saying Chinese hackers were attempting to steal intellectual property related to treatments .
“ China ’ s efforts to target these sectors pose a significant threat to our nation’ s response to COVID- 19 , ” the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ( CISA ) said .
Neither agency offered evidence to support the allegation .
A vaccine could allow countries and economies to fully re – open from lockdowns and potentially earn millions of dollars for its creators .
But the WHO said the virus may never be wiped out entirely .
“ This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away, ” said Michael Ryan , the global health body ’ s emergencies director in Geneva.
The Nigerian Governors Forum has asked the National Assembly to step down the Infectious Disease Bill to allow for wider consultations with stakeholders.
It also set up a three- member committee made up of governors Aminu Masari (Katsina ) , Aminu Tambuwal ( Sokoto ) and Simon Lalong ( Plateau ) to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly over the issue.
This was contained in a communique signed by the Chairman of the forum , Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State , after the 8 th COVID- 19 teleconference meeting of the NGF .
It read in part, “ Following an update from the Governor of Sokoto State and Vice Chairman of the NGF, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, on the proposed Control of Infectious Diseases Bill , 2020 introduced by the House of Representatives , Governors raised concern with the lack of consultation with State governments who are at the forefront of the epidemic .
“ The Forum resolved that the Bill should be stepped down until an appropriate consultative process is held , including a public hearing to gather public opinion and concerns.
“ In the light of this , the Forum established a Committee comprising the Governors of Katsina , Sokoto , and Plateau to lead a consultative meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly on the proposed Control of Infectious Diseases Bill, 2020 . The NGF Secretariat was also mandated to comprehensively review the Bill and its implication on States . ”
The governors , who also expressed concerns over the rising cases of COVID- 19 cases across the nation, resolved to among other things , work in collaboration with the Dangote Foundation to set up and train a volunteer health workforce and increase the tempo of setting up isolation centres .
They also resolved to make available additional warehouses to store palliatives donated by the private sector and ensure that such donations get to the most vulnerable people in each state .
The governors also agreed to take additional measures to strengthen their public financial management systems, including a revision of their 2020 budgets and the amendment of State procurement guidelines to support e – procurement and the participation of small and medium -sized enterprises .
Prof . Ibrahim Gambari , the new Chief of Staff to the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ) has promised to serve the nation to the best of his ability through his principal.
He spoke at a brief interview after he assumed duties at the Presidential Villa , Abuja .
Gambari said what Buhari needed most from him was his loyalty , competence , and support in the task of governance .
“ I will serve the nation, Mr President . He needs my loyalty , competence , and support. I will serve to the best of my ability ” , he stated while thanking the President for the honour offered him to serve as CoS .
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha , had announced Gambari ’ s appointment shortly before the start of the virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council .
The new CoS replaced the late Abba Kyari, who died in April of COVID- 19 complications .
The FEC meeting, which was chaired by Buhari , observed a minute silence in honour of Kyari.
The Lagos State Government has subjected its proposed lockdown to a vote on social media .
According to the state government , the decision was informed by the disregard for social distancing and other guidelines issued by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and health experts .
In a tweet , the state government wrote , “ Considering the level of compliance with government ’ s directives on limiting the spread of COVID- 19 in Lagos State , should the state government impose another lockdown or not ?”
The government asked residents to vote yes , no or neutral.
As of 12 pm on Wednesday , over 53 , 000 votes had been cast.
About 51 . 4 per cent of respondents asked the state government to issue a fresh lockdown order while 37 . 2 votes against it. The remaining 11 . 5 per cent of the responders were indifferent .
The state government had recently threatened to issue a fresh lockdown after videos emerged of how residents were not adhering to the health guidelines.
Bank customers were seen gathered at entrances , struggling to make their way into premises in contravention of the social distancing advice .
It was the same at several bus stops where stranded passengers gathered in their numbers .
Lagos State accounts for over 50 per cent of infections nationwide with nearly 2 , 000 persons testing positive as of Wednesday .
Some Twitter users , however , faulted the strategy of the state government , insisting that health issues should not be subjected to a vote .
Awesu Samuel tweeted, “Why should the government place a voting strategy to decide lockdown ? Anyway the answer is simple. Because the government can ’ t afford what it takes to lockdown its economy . It can ’ t provide for its citizens precisely . ”
Another Twitter user said using social media was not the best approach because most of the poor and vulnerable residents are not on social media .
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