Headlines News Today Monday 29 June 2020

1. Lagos State Government seals bars, nightclubs for flouting Coronavirus order






The Lagos State government, at the weekend, sealed various lounges, bars, spas and nightclubs across the state for flouting the governor’s order on closure of social clubs in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.


The Director-General, Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, disclosed this yesterday when he led the commission’s compliance and enforcement team to Lagos Island, Surulere, Abule-Egba and environs.


He declared that the state has zero-tolerance for breach of safety guidelines and protocols, as it was observed that from preliminary investigation, some bars, spas, lounges and nightclubs were not complying with the safety guidelines and closure order as directed by the governor.


According to him, a mass gathering of people in social clubs, spas and nightclubs during this pandemic negates safety guidelines.


The director-general stated that the commission has started issuing provisional safety compliance certificates to social clubs that have registered and have had their facilities verified.


He, therefore, urged centres that are yet to comply with the register-to-open initiative to do so, adding that facilities that had been registered, verified and issued certificates are remained closed until the stipulated guidelines and pronouncements to open is made by the governor.


2. Governor Sanwo-Olu commissions 150-bed Coronavirus isolation centre









Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday commissioned a 150-bed COVID-19 isolation and treatment centre in Yaba.


Sanwo-Olu said the facility would provide additional capacity to support the already existing isolation facilities, adding that the birth of the facility signifies a working and fruitful collaboration between the government and the private sector.


According to him, the launch of the isolation centre would strengthen the state’s COVID19 response and help minimise the spread of the virus.


The governor, who stated that the state is currently faced with the challenge of identifying critical and severe cases, however, assured that the state government would work tirelessly to detect and monitor those cases.


While the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, said the new isolation centre would boost the capacity of the healthcare system, President and Chief Executive of Dangote group and Chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), Aliko Dangote, who was represented by the Chief Executive Officer of ADF, Zouera Youssoufou, said: “We are very proud because this centre is a model of what we are going to be doing in the remaining states.”


Meanwhile, the state government has extended its special enforcement operations to Lekki to herald its zero tolerance for illegal building construction.


The state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, who led the operation at the weekend, disclosed the determination of the state government to make the menace of illegal buildings a thing of the past.


According to him, it had become necessary to stem the tide of building collapse and also protect the environment for posterity through enforcing adherence to planning.


“This explains why we must stop those who are bent on jeopardising the Operative Development Plans of Lagos State by not tolerating any form of illegal physical development in the state,” he said.


He said that the government would continue to seal erring property, enforce compliance and even go-ahead to prosecute where necessary.


3. Why President M. Buhari held APC virtual meeting in Aso Rock, by presidency









The Presidency yesterday gave reasons President Muhammadu Buhari held last week’s National Executive Committee, (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) virtually at the Council Chambers in the Presidential Villa.


A statement by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, yesterday sought to clarify wrong public perception on why the meeting held at the villa instead of the APC secretariat with party members physically present in spite of the ravaging coronavirus disease.


“The stubborn opinion held by the critics of the administration is that President Buhari had called a political meeting in the ‘hallowed’ chamber of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as if there is a law that says the president is barred from holding meetings in certain sections of the vast Presidential Villa,” Shehu said.


The aide, who said “since President Buhari lives in the Villa, no one can legally speaking, choose or dictate to him where he can sit to hold meetings”, asked if there was anything wrong in the president presenting himself before a camera and a TV screen in a digital conference at a given location within the villa.


According to Shehu, the meeting was not convened at the Council Chamber but held virtually and not physically.


“Why was it a virtual meeting? The idea was to observe social distancing in view of health concerns. Knowing how small the conference hall of the party is, social distancing would only have been observed in the breach,” Shehu said.


The statement disclosed that President Buhari was billed to address the meeting from any of his offices, and he chose the Council Chamber where the digital facilities are located, and other members, including the bulk of National Executive Committee (NEC) members, state party leaders and members of the National Assembly were all linked, using video conference calls.


Shehu affirmed that governors and leaders of the National Assembly joined the president from the Chamber from where he spoke, adding that the participants were all connected via video calls.


He maintained that “these are not normal times in view of the effect of Covid-19 which made the President to place health and safety above courtesy to the party by not going to its headquarters.”


4. Group flays Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged victimisation of Ndigbo









The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) has decried the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly sealing property belonging to people of the South East, especially Abia State.


In a statement issued by President General, Goodluck Ibem and Secretary-General, Kanice Igwe, the group said the act amounted to regional victimisation, just as it argued that there was no court order that empowered the commission to embark on such mission.


COSEYL said it was alarmed at EFCC’s recent sealing of buildings and property of Abia State indigenes.


“It is only a prerogative of a court of competent jurisdiction, as by law empowered to seal a property or keep the public off buildings and property in public and state’s interest if it is proven that such property was acquired through unlawful means.


“On the contrary, there is no warrant from any court, as to why the buildings should be detrained to COSEYL’s knowledge,” it stated.


The group also expressed frustration that it was only in the South-East geopolitical zone that such actions were freely carried out, adding, “It is shocking and sad that of the six geopolitical zones in the country, only political leaders of South-East are being targeted for intimidation and prosecution.”


Citing the recent foreign loan for infrastructure development from which the Federal Government excluded the zone, the group said, “Recently, the Federal Government took a foreign loan of $22.7b for infrastructure development.


“Northerners living in the South-East zone, to the knowledge of COSEYL, got palliatives and cash transfers from Federal Government’s social investment programme (SIP), while the people of South-East got nothing from its palliatives. The marginalisation and intimidation of the zone are unacceptable.”


Meanwhile, the group accused the Federal Government of humiliating and victimising people of the zone because of 2023 politics.


Ibem said such victimisation of Ndigbo was not unconnected to the 2023 presidential race, noting that since the zone declared its interest for the presidency after President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, those close to the corridors of power have a been plotting various schemes to edge out the region.


He noted that such victimisation had resulted in harassment, investigation, detention and wrong conviction by the EFCC, stressing that Igbo youths would resist any further attempt to victimize politicians of Igbo extraction.


It urged President Buhari to intervene in the injustice being meted to the Igbo by EFCC, insisting that Igbo youths would not fold their hands and watch their leaders being humiliated.


5.Abia State Government uncovers 5,666 illegal workers as Imo plans to prosecute payroll fraudsters


The Abia State Government has disclosed that about 5, 666 of the 5, 853 workers employed in the state’s Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB) from 2018 to date were not approved.


This was revealed in a report of the seven-man committee set up by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to scrutinise all purported employments in the board from 2018 to 2020.


While submitting the committee’s report through the Chief of Staff (COS) to the governor, Dr. Anthony Agbazuere, its Chairman, Mrs. Kate Ndukuba, said of the 5, 853 persons employed within the period, only 187 were officially engaged, while 5, 666 were employed illegally.


She disclosed that from the 5,853 newly recruited staff, 5,000 appeared before the committee, while 853 did not show up, adding that the committee considered those who failed to appear before it as ghost workers.


She, however, stated that the majority of those employed were not yet being paid salaries.


Speaking after receiving the report at Government House, Umuahia, Agbazuere commended the committee for a job well done, saying the government would study its recommendations and act accordingly.


He stressed the need for government agencies to adhere to the rules guiding recruitment into public service.


Meanwhile, the Imo State Government disclosed that it was ready to prosecute, confiscate and recover all property acquired by payroll fraudsters in the state’s civil service.


Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, who stated this yesterday, while fielding questions from journalists in Owerri, said the state government had concluded arrangements to recover their illegally gotten wealth.


Emelumba said eight retirees were discovered to have been earning N330m yearly before the fraud was uncovered.


He said the alleged perpetrators manipulated and padded pensions and salaries of workers, leading to some persons earning income both as retirees and workers by using wrong Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) and account details.


The commissioner said the delay in the payment of pensions was as a result of the development and pleaded for patience from the pensioners.


He pointed out that the processes of sanitissing the system were almost completed, noting that Governor Hope Uzodimma’s administration owed only two months of arrears and not four months, as being speculated.


6. Armed Police seal Senator Sani’s neighbourhood over death of Coronavirus patient









Armed policemen have sealed the GRA neighbourhood of Senator Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th National Assembly, following the reported death of a suspected coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient, Alhaji Shehu Usman.


Other notable personalities also live in the Ahman Pategi road neighbourhood in Kaduna.


The detachment of police arrived in the area and took over the house and the road, after the death of a business mogul as a result of suspected COVID-19 complications.


Many people avoided the road, as fierce-looking security men blocked the residence of the deceased whose body was reportedly deposited at St. Gerald Hospital.


Personalities who live in the area include former First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Chairman, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab; Chairman of Dialogue Group Limited (DGL), Alhaji Shehu Mahdi; and former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate in Sokoto State, Alhaji Mahe Dange.


On the presence of armed police in the area, Sani told newsmen, “We were surprised to wake up and found out that the police have sealed up the house of a neighbour and the street, after the owner of the residents died.


“Apparently, it is as if everyone on the street is on quarantine. The police are still there at the frontage of the deceased’s house and on the street, Ahman Pategi road, by Muazu Abbas road, Ungwar Sarki, Kaduna.”


Some of the neighbours told journalists who visited the house of the deceased, “The deceased’s body is still at St. Gerald Hospital, Kaduna, and has not yet been released to the family for burial.


“Alhaji Usman, who is a businessman and philanthropist, recently organised a get-together in the house for friends.”


When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Muhammad Jalige, said, “I have not got the report on the issue. The DPO of the area called me on the phone while I was praying, but I missed his call. Please, let me call him to hear from him. I will call you back.”


Meanwhile, when The Guardian called St. Gerald Hospital, to confirm the report that the corpse was with them, the PRO, Sunday Ali, said, “Let us talk later, please.”


7. University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) doctors donate medical items to Borno State









Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) chapter, has donated medical items to support Borno State Government in the fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).


The president, Dr. Abubakar Kaka-Sanda, disclosed this in Maiduguri at the weekend while presenting the items to the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UMTH, Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo.


“The support to UMTH with medical items was also in line with Borno resident doctors’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR),” added.


The items include cartons of hand sanitisers, hand gloves and personal protective equipment (PPE).


He said the items, purchased with salaries of resident doctors and house officers working in the hospital, were mainly for use by medical doctors and nurses who were in the forefront of managing COVID-19 cases.


The hospital, he added, was undergoing rehabilitation and infrastructural development for effective clinical services.


In a related vein, Kwara State Government has expressed gratitude to corporate bodies and individuals who contribute to the fight against COVID-19 in the state.


The Deputy Governor and Chairman of Kwara State COVID-19 Technical Committee, Mr. Kayode Alabi, appreciated the donors yesterday while receiving two motorised modular fumigators from the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, to assist the government in the battle against the virus.


Alabi thanked the monarch for contributing to the fight and described him as illustrious, intelligent and selfless, given his decision to commit personal resources to help humanity.


According to him, the partnership and support of various individuals and organisations boosted the state government’s COVID-19 intervention in a significant way.


Speaking through the Asoya of Isoya Kingdom, Oba Muraina Adedinu, the Ooni commended the effort of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the fight against the pandemic.


Earlier, Head of Public Health Department, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, and Chairman of Ooni of Ife COVID-19 Response Team, Prof. Olapeju Esimai, explained that the locally-made fumigators were environmentally-friendly and efficient in fighting COVID-19 and similar viruses in the community.


Similarly, the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) has donated PPE worth millions of naira to help Katsina State in the fight against the pandemic.


The state, which currently has more than 500 confirmed cases of the disease, also has 239 patients on admission, with 267 discharged and 22 deaths.


Receiving the items yesterday at Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) isolation centre in Katsina, the Deputy Governor, Mannir Yakubu, lamented that the pandemic had posed a huge challenge to the state’s health sector.


Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Kabir Mustapha, the deputy governor assured that government was doing everything possible to make the state COVID-19-free.


Responding, the representative of CACOVID, Bello Mohammed, said the items were meant to help in the treatment of confirmed and suspected cases in the




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