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The Federal Ministry of Education has said it is looking for the author of a fake statement which said primary and secondary schools nationwide will resume by November 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic .

The Director of Press at the ministry , Mr Ben Goong, said Nigerians should disregard the fake notice , adding that the author was believed to be mentally unstable .

Goong noted that the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu , could not have signed a statement where the Permanent Secretary, Sonny Echono , granted an interview , as shown in the fake statement .

Goong said , “The Federal Ministry of Education has disowned a press release circulating on multiple social media platforms insinuating that schools will reopen in November 2020 , describing the release as the handiwork of an illiterate , who , going by the content of his release , also appears to be mentally unstable .

“ The ministry is asking parents , students and the general public to disregard the release in its entirety, adding that there is no iota of truth about the release . Efforts are on to track the author , and he or she will be prosecuted .

“ We could have ignored the release but for the massive calls from stakeholders expressing concerns. ”

Kaduna State Governor , Nasir El -Rufai , has recovered from coronavirus .

He made this known via his Twitter handle .

El – Rufai , who said he had tested negative twice described his experience in isolation as a “strict medical regime” .

He said , “ I am delighted to report today , that after nearly four weeks of observing a strict medical regime , I have now received the all- clear after two consecutive negative test results . ”

Reports has it that El- Rufai earlier announced that he tested positive for the virus on March 28 .

The update on his recovery came a few days after the governor denied that he was in an Intensive Care Unit.

Six people were publicly flogged in Indonesia ’ s conservative Aceh province for breaking local Islamic law , despite widespread bans on mass gatherings over coronavirus fears.

Officials insisted they followed social distancing rules but vowed that the global pandemic wouldn ’ t stand in the way of doling out justice.

“ To comply with current conditions, we ’ re trying to cut unnecessary procedures like the usual opening speech , ” said Safriadi, the official responsible for Sharia punishments in provincial capital Banda Aceh .

“ We just carried out the flogging directly to make it simpler . Whipping will still go on , but we ’ re limiting the number of people involved , ” added Safriadi, who goes by one name .

Most of the offenders whipped were not wearing protective face masks, and images from the scene suggested some participants came into close contact with each other .

Aceh ’ s public whippings — widely criticised by rights groups — can attract hundreds of spectators .

But only about a dozen onlookers turned up at a building inside a public park to see four men flogged 40 times each for drinking alcohol.

An unmarried couple caught together in a hotel room were also given over two dozen lashes from a rattan cane .

Aceh , on the western tip of Sumatra is the only region in Muslim- majority Indonesia to impose Islamic law .

The province allows whipping for a range of charges including gambling , adultery , drinking alcohol , and having gay or pre- marital sex .

Despite the painful punishment , one man whipped for drinking alcohol — who also served a three- month jail term for the offence — said he was relieved to be free to join his family for the fasting month of Ramadan , which starts this week.

“ I got bored in prison and now I ’ m finally a free man , ” he said .

“ Ramadan is coming and I couldn ’ t imagine fasting in prison. ”

AFP

The Academic Staff Union of Universities says its ongoing strike would continue despite the order of the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd . ) , that February and March 2020 withheld salaries of lecturers in federal universities should be paid.

The Federal Government had previously withheld the lecturers ’ salaries over their refusal to register in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System .

The union , among other issues , embarked on an indefinite strike , arguing that the implementation of the IPPIS was against the FG- ASUU 2009 agreement .

Reacting to the payment of withheld salaries , the National President of ASUU , Prof . Abiodun Ogunyemi , insisted that the lecturers would not resume work because the strike was not only about IPPIS .

Instead , he told newsmen that the payment would pave the way for a meaningful dialogue with the government .

“ Now , we can discuss without an atmosphere of intimidation . This will lead to a meaningful dialogue . The ongoing industrial strike action by the union is still on . Our strike is not just about the IPPIS, ” he added .

He also queried the Federal Government’ s motive of asking Vice -Chancellors to pay lecturers with their Bank Verification Number.

More news👉 https://latestnewsupdates.news.blog/2020/04/22/just-in-buhari-orders-immediate-payment-of-asuu-members-salaries/

Ogunyemi said , “If they had not paid at this time, with what everyone is going through , it would have meant a declaration of war . The discussion will start when they pay . They have even attached a condition to the payment .

“ Our members weren’ t paid with BVN in the past. Why the sudden change ? They should go back to the old system which they have always used to pay . ”

The ASUU president said paying the lecturers was not a favour, adding that “ Members worked in February and we were still working in March before this coronavirus pandemic broke . It is expected that a labourer is paid his wages . Even as we are talking , people are supposed to be prepared to get their April salary . ”

A top official of ASUU , who is among the negotiation team in the FG- ASUU IPPIS crisis , however , told newsmen that top officials of the union would meet after the salaries are paid to determine the next line of action .

Punch

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs has called on Muslims to observe the practice of social distancing when looking out for the moon in the forthcoming Ramadan .

The organisation specifically advised that Muslim fateful should look for the moon at their residences without going out in groups .

The Deputy Secretary – General of NSCIA , Prof . Salisu Shehu , in a statement quoted its President -General and Sultan of Sokoto , Alhaji Muhammad Sa ’ ad Abubakar , as telling the Nigerian Muslim Ummah to search for the crescent of Ramadan 1441 AH immediately after sunset on , April 23 .

The statement partly read , “ Consequent upon the advice of the National Moon Sighting Committee , the President – General enjoins the Nigerian Muslim Ummah to search for the crescent of Ramadan 1441 AH immediately after sunset on Thursday , April 23 , 2020 , which is equivalent to 29 th Sha ’ aban 1441 AH .

“ If the crescent is sighted by Muslims of impeccable character on the said evening, then His Eminence would declare Friday, April 24 , 2020 as the first day of Ramadan 1441 AH . If , however , the crescent is not sighted that day , then , Saturday, April 25 , 2020 automatically becomes the first of Ramadan , 1441 AH .

“ At the same time , His Eminence also directs the Muslim Ummah to practise social distancing when looking out for the crescent and specifically advises that people should look for the crescent at their residences without going out in groups . ”

The federal government has made arrangements to ensure that prolonged power outages are reduced in the country throughout the period of the current lockdown as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In that regard, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) said it had set up a situation room to ensure that all cases are promptly resolved to relieve Nigerians of the discomfort occasioned by the restriction of movements.

Already, the regulatory agency, who said Tuesday that it received 3,225 cases, added that it succeeded in resolving about 1,433 complaints between April 4 and April 17, noting that majority of the complaints bordered on interruption of supply.

However, the NERC Chairman, Prof. James Momoh, noted that his team observed that many cases remain unsolved because some distribution companies (Discos) reported having infrastructural and technical constraints on some feeders which he said the commission is intervening to speedily resolve.

Of the 11 Discos, NERC said the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) had the highest number of complaints totalling 604 out of which 437 had been resolved.

It said that it constituted the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry ‘Situation Room’ to forestall prolonged power outage by the industry operators for the period of lockdown declared by the federal government to curb the spread of Covid-19.

“The ‘Situation Room’ adopted a three-pronged approach of surveillance of NESI during this period-System Operators Report Analysis/Monitoring, Customer Complaints Handling, and Transmission Company of Nigeria and Discos Interface Resolution.

“Complaints received from electricity customers through telephone/text messages, WhatsApp messages, and emails are tracked daily with relevant operators to ensure expeditious resolution.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate payment of the withheld February and March salaries of members of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, who have not registered on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information, IPPIS, platform.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said: “President Muhammadu Buhari has today (Tuesday) approved the immediate payment of the withheld salaries of February and March 2020 of the university lecturers, who have not registered on the IPPIS platform.

“He has also directed the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, and the Accountant-General of the Federation to effect the payments urgently by all means to cushion the deleterious effects of COVID-19 period on the lecturers and members of their family.

“All vice-chancellors are to revalidate affected lecturers’ Bank Verification Number, BVN, and forward same to the Accountant-General of the Federation for the payments.”

Recall that ASUU had, last month, declared an indefinite strike over government withholding of the salaries of its members, who defied the order of government to enroll in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll System, IPPIS.

While ASUU declared an indefinite strike, the government closed down all schools as part of the measures to contain COVID-19.

Recall that the Union’s President, Biodun Ogunyemi, had said: “The Nigerian government has chosen to use hunger as a weapon of war against its academics and we are not going to sit and watch.”

Though the ASUU members included the age-old non-implementation of agreements reached with the Federal Government dating back to 2009 and aimed at fostering better conditions of service for its members and the upgrade of Nigerian universities, the main sticking point was the deadlock over IPPIS.

The Federal Government had enrolled everyone under its payroll into this scheme in order to fight ghost workers and arrest corruption at source.

But ASUU members had stubbornly refused to embrace this because, according to it, IPPIS is an “imposition” by the World Bank.

Vanguard

Candidates sitting for this year’ s West Africa Examination Council and National Examination Council examinations would know when they would be writing the papers after the COVID- 19 lockdown .

Minister of State for Education, Mr Emeka Nwajiuba , said this at the Presidential Taskforce on COVID- 19 daily press briefing in Abuja .

He said that WAEC and NECO examinations had been postponed indefinitely over COVID – 19 but added that the ministry would soon announce the time for the examination when the lockdown was over .

Nwajiuba said that the ministry was working on how schools would be reopened after the lockdown , adding that nobody could reopen school except it was coordinated by the Ministry of Education.

He said that students had been advised to learn via online platforms , stating that the ministry was working with Universal Basic Education and the State Basic Education Board to ease the process .

According to him , 15 states including Lagos and Anambra have already commenced learning through the radio in accordance with the approved standard, while also working with NTA and Radio Nigeria to provide educational content.

He said some tertiary institutions had commenced online learning , adding that the public institution must leverage on such to engage the students .

“ We are working with any stakeholders that can support our plans by providing platform for our students to learn , ” he said .

He allayed fear over the closure of the National Open University , adding that they would soon resume after the lockdown .

NAN

Members from the same family cannot receive money from the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme currently ongoing in many states , the Federal Government clarified on Tuesday .
It also stated that a total of 279 trucks of grains had been deployed to the frontline states that were put on lockdown by the President , according to reports .

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs , Disaster Management and Social Development , Sadiya Umar- Farouq , disclosed this at the daily briefing on COVID- 19 updates in Abuja .

She further said the government was focusing on digitalising the CCT scheme and was getting the Bank Verification Number of beneficiaries as well as their mobile phone contacts to improve on the transparency of the process .

On claims that two members of a family were paid N20 , 000 each recently , the minister said it was highly impossible for such to happen.

Umar – Farouq said , “ This is near impossible because the process involved is a very tedious one , where all critical stakeholders in the community are involved .

“ The faith – based organisations , leaders of the community and other stakeholders are the ones who came up with the list of those to benefit from the intervention in that particular community. ”

She added , “ And if you go through the list, every particular household must be captured in all three or four of the lists being managed by that community.

“ So it is almost impossible for the same members of a household to get this intervention . ”

A COVID-19 vaccine developed at the University of Oxford will be trialled on humans in the UK from Thursday this week.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was ‘throwing everything at’ the attempt to develop the first vaccine in the world.

The Government will give the scientists an extra £20million to help with their project, Mr Hancock said.

More news👉 https://latestnewsupdates.news.blog/2020/04/21/just-in-global-coronavirus-deaths-top-170000/

The vaccine, known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 will be trialled in conjunction with the University Hospital Southampton.

It is the first British-made vaccine to go into clinical trials and carries with it huge hopes that it will provide a key to getting out of lockdown and banishing COVID-19 from society.

The virus has now infected more than 125,000 people and killed 17,339 in the UK and the UK is on course to end up one of the worst-hit nations in the world.

Source: Daily Mail