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FG declares Tuesday 19 public holiday

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The Federal Government has declared Tuesday October 19th, 2021 as Public Holiday to mark this year’s Eid-ul-Mawlid Celebration in commemoration of the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who made this declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulates all Muslim faithful both at home and in the Diaspora for witnessing this year’s occasion.

He admonishes all Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of love, patience and perseverance which are the virtues of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), adding that doing so would guarantee peace and security in the country.

Ogbeni Aregbesola enjoined Nigerians, particularly Muslims, to refrain from violence, lawlessness and other acts of criminality. As the indisputable leader of our race, we must show responsible leadership in Africa.

While calling for a stop to all divisive tendencies across the country, the Minister urges all Nigerians and the youth in particular, to embrace the virtues of hard work and peaceful disposition to fellow humans, irrespective of faith, ideology, social class and ethnicity and cooperate with President Muhammadu Buhari’s led-Administration in its effort to build a progressive and enviable nation that all citizens would be proud of.

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HealthNews

COVID-19: FG announces date to ban unvaccinated civil servants from office

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The Federal Government has said it would ban civil servants who fail to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination from accessing their offices as from December 1.

Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee PSC on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, confirmed this at Wednesday’s briefing of the committee.

The workers will be required to show their vaccination card or a Polymerase Chain Reaction PCR test done within 72 hours.

“With effect from 1st December, 2021, Federal Government employees shall be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result done within 72 hours, to gain access to their offices, in all locations within Nigeria and our Missions.

“An appropriate service wide advisory/circular will be issued to guide the process,” Mustapha said.

He said statistics generated over the last four weeks on testing have shown that the trend of infection is going down in some states while in others, the trajectory is upward.

“The combined total for testing by PCR and RDT now stands at about 3.141, 795 million persons.

“The Aviation authorities in collaboration with the diplomatic sector have made reasonable progress in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Discussions are still ongoing with the UAE Authorities to resolve the impasse”, he said.

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News

Nigeria@61: FG stops radio station from interviewing human rights’ activist

by Editor
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Nigeria’s broadcast regulating body, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has instructed a Lagos State-based radio station, Grajos 89.3fm, not to grant an interview to a human rights’ activist, Mr Temitayo Oyekunle.

The incident occurred at about 10.50am on Saturday.

Oyekunle, also an author, had been scheduled for an interview by 11am at the radio station on national issues bordering particularly on Nigeria’s 61st Independence Anniversary.

The NBC, however, called the Grajos management minutes to the programme, warning them not to grant an interview to the human rights’ activist.

Oyekunle said on Saturday that the Chairperson of the station got a call from the broadcasting regulator.

He said, “It was a programme on Grajos 89.3fm billed to start at 11am today. I was there at 10:50am waiting in the studio for the interview. I was shocked to be informed that the owner received a call from NBC not to grant any interview on Nigeria’s Independence.”

NBC has been notorious and thus faulted by the public under the Muhammadu Buhari regime for its clampdown on media platforms for reporting and airing criticisms of the Nigerian government.

It also slammed N3million each on these media houses and also again imposed a N5million fine on Channels TV in May for granting an interview to the Media and Publicity Secretary of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Emma Powerful.

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HealthNews

COVID-19 Vaccination: FG reveals plans for civil servants

by Editor
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The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has said the Federal Government would not make COVID-19 vaccination compulsory until there was enough to go round. This is as he added that vaccination would soon be made compulsory for civil servants.

Mustapha stated this during a meeting with the state’s Commissioners for Health in Abuja.He said, “The vaccine mandate will obviously come. Before now, simple yellow fever vaccine, you couldn’t travel without the card until Nigeria exited from the list of endangering countries.

“The world is gravitating towards that direction. By the time the western world vaccinates its people, you won’t be able to get to any of the western countries without the vaccine certificate. It is happening.

In the EU dispensation now, they have created some waivers for people that have been vaccinated. It is better we begin to prepare our people at home.

“One of the reasons we want to do that with the federal civil servants is because they will be travelling to perform roles on behalf of the Federal Government.

“The United Nations General Assembly will be starting soon. We will need our people to go there. Assuming the American Government says you can’t come into the US unless you are vaccinated and we have not vaccinate our people; how will they go to prepare ground for the meeting that will be attended by the President and other top government officials?

“It is a sequential thing. We are taking one step at a time. We realised that we don’t have sufficient vaccines; we will able to impose such mandate on an automatic basis until we make sure that vaccine is available and deployed in appropriate places and people we have opportunities to get the vaccines. Then we will now impose the mandatory nature of whether you must have the vaccine or not before you can access government facilities.”

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HealthNews

Oni tasks Buhari over Doctors’ strike

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The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has charged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to end the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD), without further delay.

Ooni Ogunwusi made the call on Thursday at his Ile Oodua palace, Ile-Ife, during the inauguration of the SouthWest Traditional Leaders’ Committee on Public Health Delivery, by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire.

Describing the strike action as highly unfortunate, the Ooni who is the Co-chairman of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, noted that health workers are essential service providers who should not abandon their duty posts no matter what what.

“I am aware of your relentless efforts towards ending the strike as quick as possible but Nigerians cannot wait any further. The strike action has brought a lot of hardships to Nigerians especially the poor and other vulnerable persons who cannot afford privately owned health facilities which obviously is now the alternative.” Ooni admonished.

Speaking further on roles of traditional rulers in efficient Public Health delivery, Ooni Ogunwusi noted that the relevance of Kings and chiefs across the country particularly can be attested to by their roles in the fight against Ebola virus disease, polio and others.

“We are the closest to our people, palaces have no door and that is why it is easy for information to reach all of our subjects immediately we send them. They believe us so much too by the virtue of our tradition and we are upholding these good traits.

“The newly inaugurated Southwest Traditional Leaders’ Commitee on PHC Delivery is indeed going to formalize the enormous works of traditional rulers across Yoruba land and I can assure you that Nigerians are going to benefit immensely from this initiative.” The Ooni added.

In his response, The Minister of Health promised that efforts would be doubled to ensure that the current industrial action being embarked upon by health workers would be brought to an end.

“This is a time when we face different challenges in the health sector due to the adverse effect of Covid-19, it is not the best time for doctors to be going on strike. We are working to ensure that they resume soonest and I want to assure Nigerians that this would be achieved very soon.” The Minister said.

While inaugurating the committee, Dr. Ehanire explained that in providing quality health services to Nigerians as priority of the President Buhari-led administration, the government recognizes the indispensable roles of traditional rulers.

“As a takeoff plan, I wish to promise that a standard Primary Health Centre will be built and made functional each in all states across the SouthWest as a model and the location would be decided by this commitee.

“The facility will be equiped with standard Staff Quarters, Solar-Powered Borehole, a Keke Ambulance and other basic facilities. We are proud to be working with you and we hope to achieve a lot together.” The Minister added.

In his speech, Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, called for more support from Nigerians, particularly the traditional institution.

“We are aware of your might as leaders and we want you to support you with this in order for us to serve Nigerians better. You did it in creation of awareness against Polio virus till we swept it off the shores of Nigeria and even now with Covid-19, it is evident that you can do it again.” Dr. Faisal said.

In the same vein, the country Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Peter Hawkins pledged the organization’s commitment quality public health delivery in Nigeria especially in the areas of routine immunization for the children and other vital areas.

The event which was attended by health experts and political leaders across the country including representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Rotary among others, equally played host to traditional rulers across Yoruba land including the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Soliu Adetunji, Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe and the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi among others.The Ooni rounded it off with the presentation of symbolic artworks to the Minister and representatives of UNICEF, WHO and others.

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COVID-19: FG reveals number of Nigerians that have been fully vaccinated

by Editor
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The Federal Government through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency has disclosed that so far 2, 897, 201 eligible persons had taken the jab across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, disclosed this on Tuesday, in Abuja, at the National Vaccines briefing.

He said about three million people in Nigeria have received their complete dose of the coronavirus vaccine as of August 30, 2021.

The country, which now has three COVID-19 vaccines that had been approved for emergency use by the World Health Organisation, had commenced its phase two vaccination in 35 states and the FCT, according to Shuaib.

“For clients who have not had any vaccination, the Moderna Vaccine is available and is being administered currently in all designated health facilities in the country, while those who have had their first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine are encouraged to visit their designated health facility to get their second dose,” he said.

The NPHCDA boss disclosed that the UK government had donated an additional 592,880 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, which was received on August 26, 2021, through the COVAX Facility.

“The total quantity of vaccines donated by the UK Government stands at 1,292,640 doses. The additional doses would be included in the second dose vaccination exercise currently ongoing for clients, who have already taken the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the first phase.

“I, therefore, use this opportunity to once again call on those who received the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine before July 8, 2021, to go and get their second dose, to be fully protected against all strains of the Coronavirus,” he added.

Meanwhile, Nigeria recorded 626 new cases of COVID-19 with 14 casualties on Tuesday, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

The public health agency, on its official website on Wednesday morning, said that the surge in infections was driven by the third wave of the pandemic.

It gave the total number of deaths from the pandemic as 2,469, with the total haul of active cases rising from 10,858 reported on Monday, to 11,203 on Tuesday.

It added that the fresh infections were reported from nine states and the FCT, with Lagos State recording 334 followed by Rivers with 134 cases.

Further details revealed that Oyo reported 60; FCT, 41; Osun, 20; Plateau, 14, while Ogun, Ekiti, Kwara and Benue had nine, seven, six and one cases respectively.

The NCDC disclosed that about 2.7 million persons had been tested with a total of 192,431 results turning positive since the first case of the pandemic was reported on Feb 27, 2020.

It added that 178,759 COVID-19 patients had recovered and were discharged as a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre activated at Level 2 continues to coordinate the national response activities.

(NAN)

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