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The Minister of Power , Sale Mamman , has insisted that the new increment on electricity tariff would take off in July.

He stated this at the Investigative Public Hearing on Power Sector Recovery Plan and the impact of COVID- 19 pandemic organised by the Senate Committee on Power .

Mamman said COVID- 19 pandemic had affected the laid, out plan for the repositioning of the electricity market towards financial sustainability under the Power Sector Recovery Programme.

According to him , the regulator , following the completion of public consultation on tariff review, has initially planned to conduct a tariff review in April 2020 .

However , he said due to the COVID- 19 outbreak and customer apathy , the proposed tariff review was delayed by three months.

He said , “ The impact of this means the subsidy being incurred in maintaining the current tariff level had to be maintained till July 2020 when the proposed tariff review will be implemented.

“ The challenge we are currently facing in the development and expansion of our transmission line is budget and release of Federal Government’ s commitment in the estimated sum of N32 bn primarily for right of way acquisition and environmental impact mitigation.

“The fund should be provided for in the 2020 , 2021 , and 2022 Appropriation of the Ministry of Power . ”

Mamman also said the COVID- 19 pandemic had had a great economic impact not just on the health sector but on the overall economy .

He said , “ Indeed , the prevalence of the pandemic has already reduced productivity due to the strategy adopted globally to contain it .

“This by default affects the purchasing power of consumers and the demand for electricity in general .

“The current situation in the Nigerian power sector is that a lot of capital investment is being made , most of which is dependent on donor funding, loans and budgetary allocations .

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mr Mohammed Adamu, has restricted operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, on the usage of the social media with a ban on police personnel from using pictures of themselves while dressed in police uniforms on their FaceBook, Twitter handles, WhatsApp or Instagram pages.

The Police chief also banned police personnel from making, sharing or commenting on any post that ridicules, maligns or disrespects any race, gender, ethnicity, tribe, religion or nationality as well as making controversial discussions bordering on politics and religion.

The IGP in a statement dated June 9th, 2020 warned that he is giving all police personnel in the country a grace of 30 days from June 10th for all operatives in the force to comply with the new Social Media Policy, SMP of the NPF by removing their pictures, videos in police uniforms, logos and insignias from their personal social media handles.

The statement which was personally signed by the IGP was also addressed to all Deputy Inspector General of Police, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Commissioners of Police and head of all respective police units in the country .

According to the statement, the policy is in appreciation of the need to safeguard the cooperate image of the force and uphold ethical standards to regulate the activities of all officers and men of the force in relation to the engagement of social media platforms.

Some sections of the policy according to the statement, states that all police personnel except the IGP, Zonal Command AIGs, State Command CPs, the force PPRO, Zonal and State Command PPROs, PPROs of police units and the officer in charge of the Complaint Response Unit, CRU, are prohibited from identifying themselves as police officers on their social media accounts.

The statement reads in part: “No police personnel shall use the social media or online platform to mobilize members of the force/police against the leadership, or policies of the force.

“Uploading of one’s official photographs on personal WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and all other social media handles, as display pictures or status is prohibited. Usage of social media platforms such as LinkedIn, WhatsApp groups, etc for professional and educational purposes is permitted to build necessary capacity and network for the force personnel.”

The statement further warned that any violation of the policy by any police personnel would attract appropriate disciplinary action.

Vanguard

The Federal Government has warned state governments that were planning to reopen schools to drop the plan .

The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID- 19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation , Mr Boss Mustapha , gave the warning during the PTF press briefing in Abuja .

Mustapha said it was not yet safe to reopen schools , television viewing centres , stadiums and other places where large gatherings could take place.

Last week, Kano State reopened football viewing centres . There were reports that Cross River State , which had yet to record any COVID- 19 case , was planning to reopen schools .

Mustapha appealed to state governments to embark on wider community testing and enforce rules on social distancing .

He stated , “​ We have received reports that some states are contemplating the reopening of schools , television viewing centres , sports stadiums and other places where large gatherings could take place. The PTF re -emphasises that it is not yet safe to do so and that utmost caution should be exercised . The PTF guidelines should still be complied with while considering decision of this nature .​ ”

Mustapha added that the PTF, through its monitoring , had observed that Nigerians were not observing social distancing , wearing of masks in public places , sanitation and hygiene in markets , motor parks and places of worship

He said , “ We wish to re- emphasise that all relaxed measures are still subject to review and advisories issued are for personal and public safety purposes. The breach of the ban on inter – state travels is also a point of concern . ”

The SGF attributed the increase in the number of COVID – 19 to the increasing number of tests being conducted across the country .

He said the battle against COVID- 19 had reached the level of individual and collective responsibility .

“ The fact that restrictions have been lifted is not a license for carelessness . We may have returned to a new normal but not normal of the past . My appeal as I conclude is that where we are now is about individual and collective responsibility that will determine where we are heading to , ” he added.

He said COVID- 19 cases in the country would continue to rise in the country. The SGF , however , said the rate would depend on Nigerians ’ adherence to protocols.

On his part, the Minister of Health , Dr Osagie Ehanire , expressed concern that COVID- 19 patients who were not seeking treatment on time were dying of the virus .

The Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force said it has relaxed the curfew imposed on the state following the advent of the ravaging coronavirus pandemic.
It said the curfew would run from 10 pm to 4 am.

Taiwo Adisa, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, said other decisions reached include the resumption of classes for Primary Six, JSS3 and SS3 students from June 29.

All category of workers will resume at the state secretariat from June 22.

Mosques and churches are to operate at 25 per cent capacity; and the decision to limit public gathering to not more than 25 persons.

The statement reads: “The schools are to observe the COVID-19 protocols, ensure that stations for washing of hands are provided in all schools, while all students are to compulsorily wear face masks.

“Schools are to provide hand wash points with the support of their Parents/Teachers Associations (PTA).

“Mosques and churches are to reopen and operate at not more than 25 per cent capacity. The situation will be reviewed within the first two weeks. All worshippers are to compulsorily wear face masks.”

TheNation/Tribune

The Federal Government has said many neighbouring countries asked Nigeria for food during the lockdown occasioned by coronavirus pandemic .

Minister of Works and Housing , Babatunde Fashola , made this known during an Instagram Live Chat with City People Magazine .

The minister , who spoke on the COVID- 19 Economic Sustainability Plan recently submitted by Vice -President Yemi Osinbajo to the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ), said the plan contains diverse measures to fortify the Nigerian economy against any shock brought by the pandemic .

Fashola said , “ We are looking at constructing roads with more stones , more cement , more iron rods so that more people will be employed . For example , it will take 14 people to build a kilometre of road . So , if you are doing more kilometres , it will demand more labour and materials , so , these are some of the bolts and nuts of that plan.

“ Agriculture is another critical part of the Economic Sustainability Plan. We want to increase the cultivatable lands in the country. We are currently cultivating just about one – third and I stand to be corrected on that figure – the minister of agriculture knows the numbers than I do . But in his presentation, as I recollect it, we are not cultivating enough lands . We want to double cultivation , increase food output, not just for local use but for export .

“ I must say to Nigerians that because of the success of the agriculture programme which is still evolving , during this COVID exercise , many countries were writing to us from near and far , asking us to please supply them food . This is not in the public space but President Buhari ’ s priority was , tell them to wait, we must feed our people first before we send out food , we don ’ t know when this is going to end.

“ So , we want to see more value – added in the sector in terms of processing and cultivation . We are losing an unsatisfactory quantity of our agro produce to many factors – transport , cooling , heating and so on . These are some of the components that the Ministry of Agriculture will share in the next few months about how to ensure that we preserve many more of what we produce and lose less . ”

The former governor of Lagos State also noted that the National Housing Project which started in 2016 is still ongoing . He stressed that the Ministry of Housing understudied the type of houses Nigerians liked to live in because “cultural differences impact on the way people live ” .

He said , “ We learnt from the previous National Housing Scheme during the Shagari era that not everybody liked the way the Shagari houses were built . Whilst it was a laudable initiative by that administration , it did not really respond fully to all the aspirations of Nigerians in terms of the type of houses they want to live in .

“ In all the 34 states which gave us lands , we have completed the houses . We have now started a second phase in many of those houses close to where the first phase was . ”

Beyond building houses , the Senior Advocate said his ministry was providing “ Site and Service Scheme ” for people who don ’ t want the government to build houses for them but want the government ’ s protection and amenities like potable water , steady power , amongst others.

“ All over the world , the truism is that not everybody will be able to own a home but they deserve some kind of shelter . Some people have to rent . So , the Federal Government provides Home Renovation Loan which helps some people subsidise their rent , renovate their houses and so forth .

Punch

You don’t hear men of God openly threaten to kill every other day, so when you hear the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye do so, you begin to wonder what must have caused it.

In a video shared on Instagram, Pastor Adeboye sent a warning to anyone nursing the idea of harming his wife in any way saying that anyone who does would face the wrought of all the power God has given him.

In what seemed like a response during a morning devotion session to the question ‘how much love must a man have for his wife’, Adeboye explained that every man must love his wife as Christ loved the church, stressing further that every man must love his wife to the extent of wanting to die for her.

He said “you must love your wife to the extent of being willing to die for her, and that is a big one. I’m sure you’ve heard me say before that you can do whatever you like to me. You can criticise me, insult me or trample on me, I will only pray for you, but if you mess around with my wife, I will kill you. I will kill you so thoroughly you won’t even be able to rise on the resurrection morning.”

“When some people ask how are you going to do that, I’ll tell my Daddy to send you to hell straight away and there will be no need for you to come up for judgement. Someone says how are you going to kill somebody, won’t the government kill you in return? Who told you I am going to shoot the gun? You can only arrest me if I use any human weapon. If you mess around with my wife then every power that God has given me will descend upon you.”

Vanguard

You don’t hear men of God openly threaten to kill every other day, so when you hear the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye do so, you begin to wonder what must have caused it.

In a video shared on Instagram, Pastor Adeboye sent a warning to anyone nursing the idea of harming his wife in any way saying that anyone who does would face the wrought of all the power God has given him.

In what seemed like a response during a morning devotion session to the question ‘how much love must a man have for his wife’, Adeboye explained that every man must love his wife as Christ loved the church, stressing further that every man must love his wife to the extent of wanting to die for her.

He said “you must love your wife to the extent of being willing to die for her, and that is a big one. I’m sure you’ve heard me say before that you can do whatever you like to me. You can criticise me, insult me or trample on me, I will only pray for you, but if you mess around with my wife, I will kill you. I will kill you so thoroughly you won’t even be able to rise on the resurrection morning.”

“When some people ask how are you going to do that, I’ll tell my Daddy to send you to hell straight away and there will be no need for you to come up for judgement. Someone says how are you going to kill somebody, won’t the government kill you in return? Who told you I am going to shoot the gun? You can only arrest me if I use any human weapon. If you mess around with my wife then every power that God has given me will descend upon you.”

Vanguard

The Federal Government says civil aviation authorities will determine the resumption of domestic flights in the country, according to reports .

The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID- 19 , Sani Aliyu , stated this during a briefing in Abuja .

Aliyu had on June 1 said that “ the aviation industry is requested to start developing protocols to allow for domestic flights to resume anytime from the 21 st of June onwards . ”

However , while giving an update , he said the PTF was yet to receive any update from the aviation sector on its preparedness to restart commercial flight operations.

The national coordinator said , “ What we said to the aviation authorities is; you need to let us know from the 21 st of June onwards if you are ready to start opening the skies . We didn ’ t say 21 st of June skies open .

“ We gave them a window of three weeks to prepare and I believe they are still preparing . We did not ask them for updates on how things are going but we expect them to get back to us .

“ The aviation industry is highly regulated . There are certain things they have to do before they start flying such as retraining of pilots , recalibrating the aircraft , and ensuring safety at the airports to make sure people are safe .

“ We don ’ t have an update on that yet but we expect them to come to us by the 21 st of June . If they come back to us by the 21 st of June and they say , ‘ we are ready’ , we will open the skies for domestic travellers and that ’ s when we will address the issue of interstate restrictions and curfew but at the moment, there is no plan right now to say , 21 st of June , here we go . It’ s aspirational if anything . ”

The Senate has confirmed the appointment of 42 ambassadors -designate , according to reports .

This was just as the Upper Chamber confirmed the nomination of James Jiya John Kolo as Commissioner of the Federal Character Commission .

The confirmation of the nominees was sequel to the consideration of the reports of the Senate Committees on Foreign Affairs ; and Federal Character and Inter – Governmental Affairs .

The President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (Retd . ) , in a letter dated May 6 , 2020 , said the appointment of the nominees was in accordance to section 171 ( 1 ) , ( 2 )( c ) and subsection ( 4 ) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended .

A statement from the senate listed ambassadors – designate as C. O Nwachukwu, Abia ; A . Kafas , Adamawa ; R. U. Brown , Akwa – Ibom ; G. A . Odudigbo, Anambra ; O . C. Onowu , Anambra ; Y . S . Suleiman , Bauchi ; E S . Agbana, Bayelsa ; B. B. M . Okoyen Bayelsa ; G . M . Okoko Benue ; A. M . Garba , Borno ; M. l . Bashir , Bomo ; M. O . Abam , Cross River ; A . E . Allotey , Cross River ; G. E . Edokpa , Edo; and A. N. Madubuike, Enugu .
Others are Adamu Lamuwa, Gombe ; Mr . Innocent A. lwejuo , lmo ; M. S . Abubakar , Jigawa ; Y . A . Ahmed , Jigawa ; S . D. Umar , Kaduna ; A. Sule , Kano; G. Y . Hamza , Kano ; N. Rimi , Katsina ; L S . Ahmed – Remawa , Katsina ; M . Manu , Kebbi ; l . R. Ocheni , Kogi ; l . A . Yusuf , Kogi ; M . Abdulraheem , Kwara; Mrs. W . A. Adedeji, Lagos ; and A. U. Ogah , Nasarawa .

Also among career ambassadors -designate confirmed are A. A. Musa , Niger; N. A. Kolo , Niger; S . O . Olaniyan , Ogun; A . R. Adejola, Ogun, E . Awe Ondo; O . Aluko, Osun ; I . A. Alatishe , Osun ; V . A. Adeleke , Oyo ; M . S . Adamu , Plateau ; l . N . Charles , Rivers; Z M. lfu, Taraba ; and B. B. Hamman , Yobe .
Meanwhile , the Senate on Thursday adjourned plenary till Tuesday , June 23 , 2020 .

The announcement was made by the Senate President , Ahmad Lawan, after the adoption of the Votes and Proceedings for Thursday , June 11 , 2020 .

Punch

The Nigeria Governors Forum has agreed to declare a state of emergency on sexual and gender- based violence against women and children .

They also renewed commitment to ensuring that offenders face the full weight of the law .

This was contained in a communique signed by the Chairman of the NGF , Dr . Kayode Fayemi , after the forum ’ s 10 th COVID- 19 teleconference meeting .

Governors agreed to , “ Declare a State of Emergency on Sexual and Gender -based Violence . Governors strongly condemned all forms of violence against women and children and committed to ensuring that offenders face the maximum weight of the law ;

“ Call on State Governors that have not already domesticated relevant gender -based protection laws to domesticate the Violence Against Persons ( Prohibition ) Act , the Child Rights Act and the updated Penal Code to increase protection for women and children and ensure speedy investigation and prosecution of perpetrators in addition to creating a sex offenders register in each State to name and shame . ”

Punch