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  • FEC approves N2.3trn to address disruption of economy by COVID-19 pandemic

    FEC approves N2.3trn to address disruption of economy by COVID-19 pandemic

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday approved N2.3 trillion stimulus package to support the Nigerian economy in the face of the disruptions and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, who disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the Council meeting in Abuja, said the package was part of the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP) as recommended by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajos led committee.

    According to her, the goals of the NESP is to create jobs, put money into the economy, as well as stop the economy from slipping into recession, support small businesses and prioritize local content (Made-in-Nigeria).

    The Minister revealed that the NESP was a 12-month ‘Transit’ Plan between the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and the ERGP-successor-plan currently being worked upon.

    “The total package that we presented today is in the sum of N2.3 trillion, N500 billion of this is a stimulus package that is already provided for in the amended 2020 Appropriations Act. These are funds that we have sourced from special accounts.

    “We also have N1.2 trillion of this funds to be sourced as structured low cost loans which are interventionary from the Central Bank of Nigeria as well as other development partners and institutions.

    “We have N344 billion that will be sourced from bilateral and external sources and also additional funds that we can source locally.

    “There is a strategy that has been adopted and this whole plan is to enable us respond to the triple problem of low exchange rate, youth unemployment as well as negative growth which is facing us now.

    “The plan has to also support small businesses that have suffered severe impact of COVID-19 as a result of lock down. Specially, the hotel (hospitality) industry, private schools, restaurants as well as the transport sector have been very well impacted by this.

    “We have also seen a significant impact on the poor and the vulnerable and even people that were okay as small traders, have been hard hit by standstill that we witnessed as a result of lockdowns,’’ she said.

    She stated that the Council endorsed the adoption of direct labour intervention process in the execution of agricultural, housing and road construction projects to create jobs, using labour intensive methods.

    She said: “Council was able to take our reports and the interventions in the plan is that we prevent businesses from collapsing and also to infuse liquidity around the Nigerian economy, to create jobs using labour intensive methods such as agriculture, facility management, housing, construction, direct labour interventions that will create a lot of jobs very quickly.

    The minister said the Osinbajo committee also proposed in the plan the need to undertake growth enhancing jobs, creating infrastructure investments in roads, bridges, solar power, communications technology and several others.

    “We have promoted in the plan manufacturing and local production at all levels, we are advocating for the use of made in Nigeria in all of these public works that we will be doing as a way of cresting jobs opportunities to enhance jobs sufficiency.

    “So, we expect for road construction for instance, we expect the minister of works not buy bitumen but to consider the use of gemstones and cement or other materials that can be used here, that way we converse our resources and will also be able to ignite other sectors within the economy,’’ she added.

    On housing, the minister revealed that 300,000 houses would be built by the federal ministry of works and housing, using standard designs that will be done by the ministry, using strictly low cost materials.

    “On the building sites, the plan is to have carpenters and others that will have multiplier effect on the economy.

    The Minister of Works and Housing, Babtunde Fashola, also told the correspondents that his ministry presented memorandum for the award of seven road projects across the country at the cost of N122billion

    He said: “There are seven roads in all. The roads were valued at a total sum of N122. 280 billion expected to generate employment for about 2564 people.”

    The roads, according to him, are the dualization of Akure to Ado Ekiti road connecting Ondo and Ekiti states at the sum of N23. 751 billion; construction of Ukana-Akpautong-Ikot Ntuen road in Akwa Ibom State, for N1. 538 billion and construction of Iluke-Aiyetoro Kiri-Abugi-Eggan road in Kogi State for N25.352 billion.

    Others are the rehabilitation of Odo-Ona Elewe Idiayunre-Marou – Ogun State border road in Oyo state for N4. 6billion; construction of Tamawa-Gulu road in Kano state phase three and Maigar-Guru section for N1. 5billion.

    He disclosed that N59.7billion was approved for rehabilitation of Potiskum-Fika-Bajoga-Gombe road linking Yobe and Gombe states while N6.7billion would be expended on the construction of Kachako-Danbazzau road in Kano State.

    According to the minister, the Council approved the award of these roads for implementation under the 2020 Appropriation.(NAN)

  • COVID-19 in Nigeria: Confirmed cases exceed 22,000 as NCDC announces 649 new cases

    COVID-19 in Nigeria: Confirmed cases exceed 22,000 as NCDC announces 649 new cases

    A total of six hundred and forty-nine cases of coronavirus were recorded in Nigeria.

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, announced the figure on Wednesday.

    NCDC said Lagos State recorded 250 cases, while Oyo State followed with 100 cases.

    The two states have recorded high figures for the past two days.

    Nigeria now has a total of 22,020 confirmed cases and 542 deaths.

    The tweet reads, “649 new cases of #COVID19;

    Lagos-250
    Oyo-100
    Plateau-40
    Delta-40
    Abia-28
    Kaduna-27
    Ogun-22
    Edo-20
    Akwa Ibom-18
    Kwara-17
    FCT-17
    Enugu-14
    Niger-13
    Adamawa-13
    Bayelsa-7
    Osun-6
    Bauchi-6
    Anambra-4
    Gombe-3
    Sokoto-2
    Imo-1
    Kano-1

    “22,020 cases. 7,613 discharged. 542 deaths.”

  • APC crisis: Buhari backs Giadom, dumps Oshiomhole

    APC crisis: Buhari backs Giadom, dumps Oshiomhole

    President Mohammad Buhari may have finally stepped into the leadership crisis rocking the ruling All Progressive Congress. APC and may have thrown his weight behind the Deputy National Chairman South South Victor Giadom to take over the leadership of the party.

    Presidential spokesman Garba Shuhu said the President has received very convincing advice on the position of the law as far as the situation in the party is concerned and has determined that the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman.

    It noted that Buhari would always act in accordance with the law, the President will be attending the virtual meeting Giadom called for tomorrow afternoon. He said.

    He advised the media to stop promoting manufactured controversies and to not give any further room for mischievous interpretations of the law on this matter.

    In addition to the President, the Giadom meeting will, hopefully, be attended by our Governors and the leaders of the National Assembly.

  • Nigerian Postal Service headquarters on fire

    Nigerian Postal Service headquarters on fire

    The Nigerian Postal Service Headquarters was on Wednesday hit by an early morning fire, Our , reports.

    The Federal Capital territory Fire Service personnel were, however, on hand to contain the fire, which attracted a large crowd at the busy Area 10, Garki, in Abuja.

    Efforts by Our correspondent to get information from officials of the service, on what led to the incident, were abortive.

    A security officer, who pleaded anonymity, told Our Correspondent that the fire started at about 8:40 a.m.

    An eyewitness, Mr Adamu Bala, said he drew the attention of the security officers guarding the building when he saw smoke coming from the back of the building.

  • 292 Nigerians arrive in Abuja from Saudi Arabia

    No fewer than 292 Nigerians have arrived in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, from Saudi Arabia, The PUNCH reports.

    It was gathered that their flight arrived late Tuesday at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.

    Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, confirmed this on Wednesday via his Twitter handle.

    He said a chunk of the returnees were nursing mothers and children, adding that they have been camped in hotels to observe the 14-day compulsory quarantine supervised by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

    “We received 292 evacuees stranded in Saudi Arabia yesterday. The Saudi Government transported them to Abuja. A large number are nursing mothers and children and they are all comfortably settled in hotels under the mandatory 14 days quarantine,” he wrote.

    Meanwhile, the minister has said Nigerians in France, who plan to fly to Cotonou in Benin Republic and then access the country via its land border can do so.

    He stated this during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja on Tuesday evening.

    Onyeama, however, said the country would absorb evacuees based on the resources available for their 14-day mandatory quarantine.

    “If they have already bought their tickets and have boarded or about to board the flight, when they get to Cotonou, we will as in the past liaise with our Charge d’Affaires, and look at the capacity available to process them from Cotonou. But there’s certainly no guarantee that they would’ve immediate access to the country until such a time as they can be absorbed,” he stated.

  • Buhari condoles with Diya over wife’s death

    Buhari condoles with Diya over wife’s death

    The President, Muhammadu Buhari, condoles with former Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya (retd.), over the death of his wife, Folashade.

    The Presidency said Buhari prayed that the almighty God will comfort the family.

    “The President joins family members, friends and associates of Chief Folashade Diya, particularly members of the United African Methodist (Evangelical) Church, in mourning the devout Christian, who dedicated her time on earth to serving God and working for the good of others.

    “President Buhari affirms that the wife of the former Chief of General Staff lived to encourage and inspire many on faith in God, demonstrating love, kindness, and generosity through focus on helping the underprivileged, and counselling many.

    “The President prays that the soul of the departed will find rest in God”, a statement by Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said on Wednesday.

  • Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead in his home less than a week after Pompeo visited Jerusalem

    Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead in his home less than a week after Pompeo visited Jerusalem

    China’s Ambassador to Israel, Du Wei, was found dead inside his official residence Sunday morning, a spokeswoman for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNN.

    At this stage, the 57-year-old’s death is not being treated as suspicious.
    Police are outside the ambassador’s residence in Herzliya — to the north of Tel Aviv — as part of standard procedure, the spokeswoman said.
    His death comes less than a week after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Jerusalem, openly criticizing China’s actions during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as calling on Israeli leaders to stop signing major infrastructure and communications deals with Chinese companies.
    There has been no comment on the ambassador’s death from the Chinese embassy in Israel or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing.
    Ambassador Du assumed his current role in Israel in February 2020, according to the embassy’s webpage, as the coronavirus pandemic was sweeping across the globe. He wrote in an article in the Jerusalem Post in mid-March that he immediately had to enter two weeks of mandatory self-quarantine on his arrival.
    Ambassador Du was married with one son.

  • As Trump Halts Funding for WHO

    As Trump Halts Funding for WHO

    By Austin Maho P.h.D

    In 64 AD Emperor Nero raised down the city of Rome in order to calm his problem of unpopularity and to rebuild the city according to his wishes.
    History records that Nero merrily played his fiddle while Rome burned.  To deflect attention from himself, Nero accused the Christians of having set the city on fire. As punishment, he mercilessly crucified them and feed them to lions, during gladiator matches.
    President Donald Trump of the United States is Nero’s historical double; mean calculating and only concerned about himself, he would burn down the World in a wimp to satisfy his personal ambition and shift blame from himself to others. He wants absolute power but absolutely no responsibility. It’s always someone else’s fault.
    It is the World Health Organisation’s fault that Americans are dying in their numbers and that the United States has become the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic.
    It is China’s fault and refusal to make full disclosure about the virus that has allowed its uncontrollable spread, in fact the WHO is inbed with China to deceive the world.
    On April 24, 2020, President Donald Trump eventually carried out his treat to pull out of the World Health Organisation and stop funding it in the middle of a global pandemic.
    A statement on the Twitter handle announced the withdrawal thus:
    President @realDonaldTrump is halting funding of the World Health Organization while a review is conducted to assess WHO’s role in mismanaging the Coronavirus outbreak. https://t.co/jTrEf4WWj0

    According to him at a White press conference “WHO failed in its basic duty and must be held accountable,” he said that “The outbreak could have been contained at its source” if the organization had correctly responded early on, he added. He accuses the WHO of being in bed with China and covering up the gravity of the coronavirus thereby allowing it to spread around the world when it could have been contained if WHO had shown more transparency in giving out information.

    Expectedly this has drew the ire of the international community and shows the double speak that has characterised Trumps administration and dealings.
    The same Trump who has now made a sudden vault face had a different position barely three months earlier at the beginning of the outbreak.
    Then he twitted:
    “China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi”
    Trump applauded China for its “transparency” and “thanked President Xi” for working hard to contain the virus
    What has changed in the last three months for Trump to now accuse the WHO of hiding the facts in concert with China?
    Evidently what has changed is that the coronavirus as at January 2020 was considered by Trump as a Chinese problem even when China was calling for a global effort to contain the virus and had to take unprecedented measures in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak totally locking down a city of over 11 million people.
    While the Chinese government was doing all it could to contain the outbreak in Wuhan and prevent it from spreading to the rest of the world, Trump ordered an air embargo on China and evacuated US citizens from the beleaguered city.
    With the sudden spike in coronavirus cases in America and the rest of the Western world as a result of carelessness and indiscipline and a laisser-faire attitude, Trump is looking for who to take the fall.
    In the confusing world of Trump, it is Chinese communist government and their puppet the WHO that lied to the people deliberately allow sick people from Wuhan to fly across the world & spread the disease.
    Trump is a master of name calling, and labelling to divert attention from himself and the real issue.  While Trump is whining and blaming others he should know that other countries responded quickly & aggressively to combat the spread of COVID-19.  He failed to do the same, he made it a campaign issue calling it a hoax! He has had open disagreement with the head of his CDC, Anthony Fauci on containment measures. Now the US has topped the records in death figures and cases.
    The rest of the World had the same information from W.H.O. and China. While they acted on it to protect their citizens Trump Choose to play Russian roulette with American lives.
    In January Trump withdrew I America’s CDC officials from China, according to some of his security aids as at then he already had all information patterning to covid-19 but did not do the needful. All through February when he could have put containment measures in place he was on the political trail stumping and calling the coronavirus a hoax, “not much worse than the common flu”. He golfed and his eyes were on the stock markets and the November elections.
    The US decision to suspend funding for the WHO at this material time is unfortunate and dangerous. Not at this time when it is the rallying point against the deadly pandemic. Trump is looking for a fall guy. WHO is not omniscient and all knowing. The US which prides itself and its intelligence network of knowing everything should have known if there was a cover up between China and WHO.
    They should have seen through whatever false data that was being put out by WHO under the alleged prompting of China.
    The excuse that W.H.O caused a delay in countries taking action because it advised that preliminary research didn’t indicate human to human transmission is too weak to hold W.H.O complicit in a cover up. At the initial stage they had to solely rely on data coming from affected countries especially as this had to do with a novel strain of the coronavirus.
    The W.H.O had been on this path before. In 1988 the U.S withheld its subvention and every other payment to the United Nations for five years when another African, Boutros Boutros-Ghali was the Secretary-General of the World body all because he refused to be pushed around by the U.S government at the time.

    The US waged an atrocious war against him and did everything to undermine him. After the expiration of his first term (January 1992 to December 1996), they blocked his re-election and pushed for Kofi Annan, another African, to gain African sympathy.
    What was the Egyptian’s offence? He was the first UN scribe who refused to be the puppet of America. He won’t just bow to America’s interest whenever, wherever. He refused to fight America’s wars nor inherit America’s enemies. The man openly asked US to block his re-election and told them he cared less.
    That America is the largest contributor to the W.H.O does it means the body must kowtow to America’s bidding always. It is called a “World Health” Organisation for a reason not “American Health” Organisation. Its primary purpose is to serve all countries of the World when it comes to global health issues.
    By taking the extreme measure of cutting W.H.O funding at this crucial time, Trump may simply be passing the buck of his own failings.
    However in the prevailing circumstances the rest of the world especially China, must step in and show greater commitment by bridging the funding gap occasioned by the U.S withdrawal.

  • All PHCs remain open across the country inspire of lockdown- NPHCDA

    All PHCs remain open across the country inspire of lockdown- NPHCDA

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
    Executive Director of the National Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib has announced that allPrimary Health Care across the country remain open inspire of the lockdown order.
    In a statement signed by Shuaib yesterday the lockdown should not affect routine services provided by the PHCs across the country.
    According to the statement, the three tiers of govrnment have put in place measures for safe delivery of all PHCs.

    Shuaib said, ‘ I therefore urge parents and caregivers to continue, as usual, to take their children to the PHCs closest to them for immunization, growth monitoring, ante natal care, child birth and all other PHC related service delivery. ”
    All caregivers, health workers and Nigerians are advised to obey all government guidelines on social distancing, frequent hand washing with soap and water, self isolation, etc throughout the period of COVID-19 outbreak, he noted.

  • Stay at Home, More Intervention Is Coming, Buhari tells Nigeria

    Stay at Home, More Intervention Is Coming, Buhari tells Nigeria

    COVID-19: PRESIDENT BUHARI APPEALS TO NIGERIANS TO STAY AT HOME, ASSURES OF MORE INTERVENTIONS

    President Muhammadu Buhari wholeheartedly thanks all Nigerians for their patience, resolve and strong determination to defeat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

    The President said:

    “We realize that today, there will be sons and daughters unable to visit their parents, and elders that are isolated from young ones. And there will be those who live day-to-day, eating as they earn, who face real and present suffering.

    “No elected government could ask more of the citizens of the country that elected them than today we ask of you. But we must ask you – once more – to observe restrictions on movement where they are in place, and follow the instructions of our scientists and medical advisers: stay home, wash your hands, save lives.

    “The freedoms we ask you to willingly forsake today will only last as long as our scientific advisers declare they are necessary. But they are essential – world over – to halt and defeat the spread of this virus.

    “For those who suffer most egregiously, the Government has announced multiple measures to assist: 70,000 tonnes of grain is being released from the National Strategic Grain Reserves for distribution to those in most need; distribution of small cash payments are also being made, and will continue to be made by the federal government in the states and local government areas.

    “We ask you to listen and follow public announcements via the mass media for instructions as to how to receive this government support – and learn of more public assistance in the coming days.

    “All that the Government is asking you to endure is because nowhere in the world today is there any known way of defeating this pandemic. There is no vaccine. And that means there are choices to be made: between continuing as usual, or accepting the restrictions even when they come with unintended consequences.

    “But at this darkest hour, it remains our duty to offer you the full and unvarnished truth: This is a global pandemic. 210 countries and territories across the globe are affected. We cannot expect others to come to our assistance. No one is coming to defeat this virus for us.

    “Instead, the defeat of the virus in our country will be in our hands, alone. We cannot wait for others. We can only depend on ourselves now. And so we must – and we will – end this outbreak ourselves as Nigerians, together”.

    Garba Shehu

    Senior Special Assistant to the President

    (Media & Publicity)

    April 11, 2020