29TH JUNE IN NIGERIAN HISTORY: Negotiations resumes between Lagos State Government and striking workers over minimum wage

In year 2000, many state governments refused to pay the Federal government recommended minimum wage leading to many industrial actions. 

The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) on the strikes by labour and actions of State Governors in 2000 reports that the country was gripped by a strike wave over the level at which a new minimum wage should be set. 

The action began with a strike by civil servants in Lagos state, and quickly spread throughout the country, in which Forty-seven thousand public sector workers were on strike for two weeks in Lagos, with refuse dumps not cleared, water taps running dry and health services collapsing. 

Civil servants in at least 12 states also joined the indefinite strikes before it was called off in July, 2000.

 

29TH JUNE IN NIGERIAN HISTORY: Obasanjo abolished Petroleum Trust Fund on 29 June, 1999

Following elections and transfer of power to democratically elected government in 1999, the then administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo focused on ensuring political stability, strengthening democratic practices, and tackling corruption.

On 29th June, 1999, exactly one month of assuming office, President Obasanjo abolished the Petroleum Trust Fund, a body which had been tasked with allocating the revenue from oil production.

29TH JUNE IN NIGERIAN HISTORY: Boko Haram killed 51 in Chibok and Biu Local Government Areas of Borno State on 29th June, 2014

On this day in 2014, Gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram Islamic sect, attacked some communities in Chibok and Biu local government areas of Borno State, killing no fewer than 51 people.

Those killed were mostly Christian worshippers. Five churches including Cocin, EYN and Deeper Life Bible Church in Kwada village, about 10 kilometres from Chibok were also burnt down when the gunmen laid ambush on them during church service. The attacks were carried out on a day the then Jonathan’s administration, said the previous week’s bomb attack on Abuja was meant to intimidate the government and that it is a struggle for power.

It would be recalled that Boko Haram had two weeks earlier written to Chibok communities threatening to carry out further attacks. The attackers, according to report from locals in Chibok, made good their threat at a time the people were all in Church for the Sunday worship.

A resident of one of the affected communities, Amos Bulus who spoke with newsmen disclosed that, “the attackers killed and burnt houses after attacking worshippers in five churches in Kwada, before moving to Kautikari less than 8 kilometres to Chibok town, killing and burning down people’s houses and property. The security operatives were not on ground to defend us. In fact, those who ran into the bush were pursued and killed by the murderers.”

Presidential Committee on Football concludes Masterplan assignment

By Daniel Oluwole

The 16-member Committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2021 to chart innovative directions that would emphasise governance, grassroots, infrastructure, professionalism and more roles for the private sector in  the development of football, said it has concluded its assignment.

The Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima said this in Abuja on Tuesday in a statement made available to journalists.

Galadima, who is also a former Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association stated that the document was ready and awaiting formal presentation to the Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Sunday Dare who was unavailable due to other official engagements.

Galadima said, “The Presidential Committee on the 10-Year Football Development Masterplan have finished the assignment, we are waiting to submit the report.

“There were speculations whether the Committee was still working or when it would conclude its assignment. We have conclude the assignment,” he stressed.

Galadima who refused to give details of the report said, the report is detailed, grounded on practical solutions to issues across football and its sustained development.

He disclosed that government was in the best position to tell the public details of the reports, saying being a masterplan, its focus is not only in the immediate.

Katsina CP meets council chairmen behind closed-door over insecurity

The Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, Idris Dabban, on Tuesday, held a closed-door meeting with chairmen and community leaders from four Local Government Areas in the state over the security challenges they face.

The councils are Jibia, Batsari, Batagarawa, and Kurfi.

The meeting took place in Katsina, the state capital, and lasted over three hours.

Although he did not elaborate it, Dabban disclosed to journalists shortly before the meeting commenced at about 11am that it (the meeting) was about security generally.

The Command’s Spokesman, SP Gambo Isah, however, explained after the meeting that new strategies to combat crime were discussed.

He added that the CP assured of the Command’s determination to ensure “maximum security of lives and property” in the state.

“Today Tuesday, 28, June 2022, the Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, CP Idrisu Dabban Dauda, psct+, fdc, held a town hall meeting with stakeholders from Jibia, Batsari, Batagarawa, and Kurfi LGAs and discussed areas of security challenges affecting the communities.

“Those in attendance include Local Government Chairmen, Districts Heads, Ward Heads, Religious Leaders, retired Senior Police officers among others,” Isah explained further

“The Commissioner of Police in his keynote address affirmed that the Police in partnership with other security agencies are scaling up measures aimed at decimating terrorism in the state.

“He assured the stakeholders of the readiness and commitment of the police and indeed other security agencies to nip in the bud any threat to life and property of citizens in the state.

“The Commissioner of Police urged participants to go back home and sensitize members of their communities to the need to partner and cooperate with the police and other security agencies by providing useful information on terrorists and their informants which will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.

“At the end of the meeting, a communiqué was issued, proffering solutions to the identified problems and action plans towards dealing with the security challenges bedevilling the communities.”

Aregbesola blames congestion in correctional centers on slow dispensation of justice

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has blamed the congestion of prisons across correctional centers in Nigeria on the slow dispensation of justice, saying it’s having a toll on the custodian centers and the available resources for the service. 

Aregbesola who lamented the surge inmate population, proposed that from the arrest of suspects to the conclusion of their cases in court, the period should not go beyond a year. 

He expressed confidence that this was possible, adding that it took him 42 months to reclaim his mandate in Osun State but now took less than a year to conclude election tribunal cases. 

Aregbesola who stated this on day two of the Nigerian Correctional Service retreat for senior officers in Sokoto on Tuesday, canvassed for a strong advocacy for rapid dispensation of justice. 

He said, “When I went to court to get my mandate that was stolen in Osun the process lasted 42 months. It was precisely six months to the expiration of the tenure that my mandate was returned. 

“It was that experience that forced the judiciary to say every litigation on governorship election must not last more than a year and since then they have kept to it. To reduce the number of inmates awaiting trial we must ensure that the time from arrest to conviction must not go beyond a year. 

“If this is done, we will reduce the large percentage of inmates in our correctional centers. We will also be able to reduce the humongous cost of feeding them and the lack of not having enough resources. 

“If we can reduce the number of awaiting trial inmates by cutting short the period of trial to a maximum of 12 months the amount we are going to save from feeding them will be enough to revamp the service and our centers.”

Aregbesola also lamented what he described as unbefitting status of some of the correctional facilities across the country, urging the personnel to mobilise community efforts to change the facial appearance of the facilities.

Soldiers allegedly gun down 27-year-old in Delta state

Palpable tension has gripped the Ogulagha community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State as soldiers attached to Forcados Terminal have reportedly shot dead a youth in the community, Endurance Kalaepele.

Report by The PUNCH narrated that the 27-year-old man was allegedly shot twice by the military men while picking snails with his team of snail hunters around 11:00 p.m on Monday.

Consequently, angry youths of the community have gone on rampages, destroying company vehicles and property just as they also took over the major roads in the community to express their anger.

Commenting on the incident, the youth president of the Ogulagha community, ThankGod Iyaragba, told journalists that the deceased was with six others hunting snails late Monday night when he was allegedly shot dead by soldiers.

The youth president said, “Around 10:00p.m yesterday (Monday), six of the community boys went to the bush behind Forcadoes Terminal, the Pipeline bush, for snail picking, but were intercepted on their way back by the military men.

“One of the boys, Endurance, tried to run out of fear but was shot twice at close range.

“This infuriated youths of the community who went on the rampage destroying company vehicles and property.

“They have also taken over the major roads in the community to express their anger”.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer for Delta State Command, DSP Bright Edafe said he was yet to get details of the incident as of the time of filing this report.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident, the Special Assistant to the Governor of Delta State on Political Matters, Comrade Ozobo Austin, described the killing of the 27-year-old youth by suspected soldiers in the Forcados terminal as “unprofessional, provocative, barbaric” which could incite unrest in the community.

In a statement personally signed by the governor’s aide and made available to newsmen in Warri on Tuesday afternoon, Austin sympathised with the entire Ogulagha community and the bereaved family.

He appealed to the aggrieved youths to calm their frayed nerves, and assured them that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa will investigate the incident and bring to book every soldier that is involved in the dastardly act.

According to Ozobo, the unlawful killing of the young youth in the Ogulagha community should be outrightly condemned by every well-meaning citizen of the State insisting that it was wrong that the military has always been going for soft targets in the Niger Delta region.

Such attitudes, he said, displayed deep parallel lines between the citizens and the security agents just as he advised security authorities to always educate their men to remain civil when dealing with law-abiding citizens in the country.

Portuguese President invites Buhari for National Honour, to participate UN Ocean Conference

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Tuesday, depart Abuja on a State Visit to Portugal at the invitation of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu on Tuesday, the President will be conferred with the country’s National Honour and decorated with the ‘Great Collar of the Order of Prince Henry’.

The statement titled ‘President Buhari to pay a visit to Portugal; participate in UN Ocean Conference’, Garba Shehu disclosed that, “The two Presidents are expected to chair an enlarged bilateral meeting and witness the signing of some agreements bordering on issues of mutual concern.

“President Buhari will also visit the Portuguese Parliament and hold discussions with its President, Dr Augusto Santo Silva, as well as the Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa.

“In the course of the visit, the President is scheduled to address a Forum of Nigerian and Portuguese businessmen and hold separate meetings with select Portuguese Chief Executive Officers and prospective investors to Nigeria.”

President Buhari will also participate in the United Nations Ocean Conference, which began in Lisbon on Monday, June 27, and runs till July 1.

The Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal and supported by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, aims to accelerate the adoption of science-based innovative solutions to challenges facing oceans and the global marine ecosystem.

He is also expected to engage members of the Nigerian community in Portugal on matters affecting them and developments at home.

The President will be accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo; Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare and Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.

Others are National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (retd); Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar and Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Honorable Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

The President will return to Abuja on Saturday, July 2.

Former Nazi camp guard bags five years imprisonment for aiding murder

A former Nazi concentration camp guard identified as Josef S has been given a five-year jail term for assisting in the murder of thousands of prisoners at Sachsenhausen near Berlin.

The oldest Nazi criminal ever to stand trial in a German court, had always denied being an SS guard at the camp.

He was found guilty of aiding and abetting the murders of 3,518 people.

He was complicit in the shooting of Soviet prisoners of war and the murder of others with Zyklon B gas.

The defence had called for his acquittal and is set to appeal against the prison sentence.

Tens of thousands of people died at Sachsenhausen during World War Two from starvation, forced labour, medical experiments and murder by the SS. More than 200,000 people were imprisoned there, including political prisoners as well as Jews, Roma and Sinti (Gypsies).

"I don't know why I'm sitting here in the sin bin. I really had nothing to do with it," Josef S said in his closing statement on the eve of the verdict in Brandenburg an der Havel.

Judge Udo Lechtermann told him that despite his claims to the contrary the court had found that he had worked at the concentration camp for around three years from 1942. "You willingly supported this mass extermination through your occupation," he said.

Putting Nazi camp guards on trial only became possible in 2011, when ex-SS guard John Demjanjuk was found guilty. That verdict prompted a search for individuals who were still alive.

Four years later, the so-called "bookkeeper of Auschwitz", Oskar Gröning, was given a jail term. And a 97-year-old former concentration camp secretary is currently on trial in northern Germany.

Josef S is not fully identified in Germany because of privacy conventions. Although his name and birth details were given on the documents of an SS guard, he claimed he had not been at the camp and worked instead as a farm labourer.

He is unlikely to serve any of his sentence as Germany's highest court will first have to rule whether to allow his appeal, and that will take several months.

Source: BBC News.

JUST INN: Lagos CP meets senior officers over security of Lagos residents

The Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abiodun Alabi, is currently hosting Area Commanders, Squadron Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, Tactical Commanders and Heads of Department in a meeting at the POWA Hall, Ikeja.

According to the Command's Public Relation Officer, SP. Benjamin Hundeyin on his Twitter handle said, salient issues relating to the safety and security of Lagos residents are being deliberated on.  

There was palpable tension on Monday morning in the Agbo Malu Agemoowo area of Lagos-Badagry expressway as two suspected herdsmen stabbed a commercial bus driver to death.

Two people said to be the herders have been arrested in connection with the incident by the police in the state.

The image maker in charge of the state police command, Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the death to newsmen but could not confirm the identity of the dead person.

A commercial LT bus was said to be on a high speed in the area when it crashed into one of the cows, crossing to the other side of the road.

An argument was said to have ensued between the commercial bus conductor and the herdsman which resulted in the herdsman stabbing the driver to death.

The incident created an instant reaction from residents of the area, who blocked the expressway and threatening to avenge the death of the deceased man.

Details later…

Court grants Reps Dagogo bail after 62 days

A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has granted bail to the embattled lawmaker representing Degema – Bonny Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Farah Dagogo.

Dagogo, a Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirant in the state for the 2023 elections, was granted bail on Tuesday after been incarcerated for 62 days.

Dagogo was granted bail to the tune of N20 million or a surety in like sum with a landed property worth the same amount.

Justice Chiwendu Nworgu granted Dagogo bail after listening to all arguments by his counsel and counsel to the Rivers State government.

Dagogo was arrested by a team of policemen on April 28, 2022, at the venue of the screening exercise for the PDP’s governorship aspirants in Port Harcourt, less than four days after Governor Nyesom Wike had reportedly declared him wanted for allegedly hiring suspected cultists to disrupt a screening exercise at the party secretariat.

BREAKING: Court rejects fresh bail application for IPOB leader, case adjourned till November 14

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed a fresh application for bail by the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

The application was filed pending the determination of the treasonable felony charge against him by the Federal Government.

Kanu, who is currently facing a seven-count charge, had in the application he filed through his team of lawyers led by Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), also challenged the revocation of the bail the court earlier granted to him.

He asked the court to set aside the order it made on March 28, 2019, which not only issued a bench warrant for his arrest, but also gave FG the nod to try him in absentia.

The IPOB leader told the court that contrary to FG’s allegation that he jumped bail, he fled for his life after his home town at Afaraukwu Ibeku in Umuahia, Abia State, was invaded by soldiers, which he said led to the death of 28 persons.

While contending that he was denied a fair hearing before his bail was revoked, Kanu attached eight exhibits that included photographs, as well as an affidavit he deposed from Isreal, after he fled from the country.

Meanwhile, dismissing the bail request on Tuesday, Justice Binta Nyako said she was not satisfied with the reason the IPOB leader gave for his failure to appear in court for the continuation of his trial.

The trial judge noted that from records of the court, Kanu was represented by his lawyer on the day his bail was revoked, likewise his sureties.

“In fact, he sureties told the court that they did not know the whereabouts of the Defendant and even applied to be discharged from the matter.

“Therefore, Defendant was not denied a fair hearing”.

Justices Nyako also held that though a court could vacate a previous order when confronted with a cogent and verifiable reason, “in the instant case, I have not been given any, neither have I been given any reason to set aside the order.

“The present application amounts to an abuse of court process for attempting to relitigate an issue already decided by the court.

“If the Defendant is dissatisfied, he has the Appeal Court to go to. This application is accordingly dismissed”, Justice Nyako said.

The Judge had earlier on March 18, declined to release the embattled IPOB leader on bail.

The court maintained that Kanu must explain the reason why he breached the previous bail that was given to him, before he could enjoy another favourable discretion from it.

“Until the issue of the absence of the defendant for his trial, with all the bail conditions breached, is determined, the instant application of the defendant for bail will at best be premature and it is refused.

“However, the defendant is at liberty to re-file the application”, Justice Nyako said.

Meanwhile, the case has been adjourned till November 14 for mention, to await the outcome of Kanu’s appeal.

Source: The PUNCH

Parents blame school for negligence as JSS one student dies in Akwa Ibom

There was a mood of gloom and despondency at Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state on Monday, as Rita Emmanuel, a student of JSS One died, which the parents blamed on the negligence by the school management.

It was gathered that Rita died after she had earlier been taken to the school’s Sick Bay, which allegedly lacked facilities and specialists to handle her case. She was later referred to a hospital.

She was said to have been released to the parents, who took her to a referral hospital where medics could not save her from a condition the school management had described as “complicated.”

The parents of Rita who reacted angrily to the death of their daughter on Monday evening, blamed Rita's death on negligence by the school management.

They noted that “the medical facility in the school is completely dysfunctional to take care of some serious cases involving the about 5,000 students of the school.”

A parent, Mayen Ekanem who spoke to the newsmen said, the children, as young as 10 years, are going through lot of pains from poor medication because unavailability of quality drugs with only two nurses, poor feeding, with cooks and teachers always in the habits of carting foods away, leaving the children malnourished and water crises all the time in the school.

 Another parent, Enobong Bassey lamented that, “Rita’s death is a clear case of avoidable death. The school is lacking in everything including discipline and security because young children have traumatic experiences almost every day with the seniors brutalising them, stealing their things and raping some innocent girls.”

“My late brother-in-law’s son by name Emediong Akpan, was admitted into senior school one, and that same term, a senior student hit him on the chest and he started vomiting blood. When my husband tried to arrest the student, the school management promised to handle it. Since that day, Emediong’s life has never been the same until he graduated,” another parent said.

“My son was wounded by his bunk in the dormitory, all they could do at the clinic was to administer ointment, not minding the rust on the bunk,” Mfoniso Essien said.

Explaining the circumstances surrounding the little Rita’s death, the Chairman of the Parents Teachers Association of the school, Dr. Itoro Ikoh, appealed for calm after meeting with the school management on the matter.

Her words, “Miss Rita was a JSS one student. I was told she felt pains in her stomach at night. The following morning, while her house mistress was on routine check, she ordered that Rita be taken to the Sick Bay. She was attended to, but on cross examination, she was observed to be in a complicated condition which required referral.

“Umbilical hernia was diagnosed and the attention of Rita’s parents were required. When we spoke to the mother, she told us that she usually gave her vinegar to calm down, but was later taken to the hospital where she died.”

Police nab suspected killer of APC chieftain Gulak, others in Imo

Police authorities in Imo State say they have arrested one of the suspected killers of a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Gulak.

The Public Relations Officer of the Imo state Police Command, Mike Abattam, disclosed this while briefing journalists on Monday in Owerri, the state capital.

The suspect identified as Anosike Chimobi from Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area (LGA) of the state was apprehended one year after Gulak’s death.

Gulak, a former aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, was murdered by a group of armed men on May 30, 2021, during a visit to Imo State.

He was reportedly trailed from his hotel room to the spot where he was killed around Umueze Obiangwu in Ngor-Okpala LGA, close to the Sam Mbakwe Airport Road in Owerri.

Parading the suspects alongside others, Abattam said Chimobi had been on the trail of the command since the killing of Gulak last year.

He stated that the suspect escaped during a gun battle between police personnel and his gang members at Aboh Mbaise shortly after the murder of the APC chieftain where five of the suspects were killed.

Chimobi, who also spoke with reporters, claimed to be a commercial bus driver and not a member of the criminal gang.

He said Gulak’s killers approached him to convey them in his vehicle and he attempted to resist, but later gave in after they threatened to kill him.

The suspect admitted that he drove the criminals to the spot and blocked Gulak’s vehicle which was on its way to the airport.

According to him, they shot the APC chieftain after he resisted the demand by the gunmen that he should come down from the vehicle.

Chimobi explained that the assailants later ran into a team of security operatives who shot repeatedly at the other vehicle conveying them until it somersaulted and caught fire.

The command’s spokesman said that the police have also arrested other suspected criminals who have been terrorising communities in Imo.

He explained that among those paraded were members of the gang who burnt the home of the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor George Obiozor.

Some of the items recovered from the suspects paraded by the police include guns of different calibre, assorted charms, and a live snake, among others.

Source: CHANNELS TV

Amid running mate controversy, Tinubu departs for France

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Monday, departed Nigeria for France.

It was gathered that Tinubu left the country shortly after he held a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday morning.

This was contained in a statement issued by Tinubu’s Spokesman, Tunde Rahman, in Abuja.

The statement partly read, “He is off to Paris, France to hold some important meetings. The APC standard-bearer is expected back in the country shortly.”

The development is coming in the wake of Tinubu’s statement on Sunday that he was still searching for his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.

Although Rahman did not state how long the former Lagos State Governor would be away, there were insinuations that his travel must have something to do with the consultation for his running mate.

The development is coming in the wake of controversy over Tinubu’s claims that he lost his academic certificates in his submission to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The national leader of the APC stated that he was still studying how the House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila and the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, had been working harmoniously, in his search for a running mate.

He said this at the presentation of a book titled ‘Mr Speaker: The Legislative Life, Service and Resilience of Femi Gbajabiamila and the unveiling of a Legislative Mentorship Initiative to mark the Speakers's 60th birthday.

Stampede at New York Parade as fireworks mistaken for gunfire

A stampede occurred at a Pride Parade in the city of New York, United States, on Sunday, with hundreds of people attempting to flee after mistaking the sound of fireworks for gunfire, police said.

“There were no shots fired in Washington Square Park. After an investigation, it was determined that the sound was fireworks set off at the location,” the NY Police Department said in a tweet shortly after the incident. 

Police told newsmen “there were no serious injuries” from the stampede.

Terrified people ran or walked briskly along a street adjacent to the square after the scare, videos on social media showed.

Tens of thousands of people attended Sunday’s LGBTQIA+ Pride parade, which wound its way through the streets of lower Manhattan under the blazing sun.

The atmosphere was largely festive, although the shadow of Friday’s US Supreme Court decision to abolish a constitutional right to abortion — leaving states to legislate on the matter themselves — loomed over proceedings.

New York’s Pride parade is the second-largest in the United States, after San Francisco, and Sunday’s gathering was the first time it had taken place since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Organisers also said the US Supreme Court decision on abortion was “devastating.”

“This dangerous decision puts millions in harm’s way, gives government control over our individual freedom to choose, and sets a disturbing precedent that puts many other constitutional rights and freedoms in jeopardy,” the organisers said. 

Many rights groups fear that the verdict on abortion could be the beginning of a broader push by the Supreme Court, currently dominated by a conservative majority, to curtail other freedoms won in recent decades, such as rights to contraception or same-sex marriage. 

Source: AFP

Nigeria to benefit from $18b Global Support Fund to end malaria

Nigeria, Kigali amongst other African counties are to benefit from the $18 billion support to end malaria as global change makers including David Beckham, Pierre Aubameyang, Yemi Alade, Eliud Kipchoge, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie came together with youth voices from across the globe to demand urgent action to end malaria.

Decision makers have the opportunity to put renewed momentum behind this fight, by building on the commitment to halve malaria across the Commonwealth by 2023, and by galvanising the record funds needed ahead of the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment in New York this Autumn, totaling US$18 billion to get progress back on track.

According to a statement, presented at the Summit by acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the petition is a rallying cry to wipe out the disease that now kills a child every minute and is the culmination of the multi-award-winning Draw. The Line creative campaign, created and executed by Dentsu who are activating mass media as a catalyst for global change.

Held on the side-lines of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the Kigali Summit is a milestone moment in the malaria fight, and one where game-changing political decisions are needed to save hundreds of thousands of lives, predominantly children, under renewed threat due to the perfect storm of economic, pandemic and political pressures.

World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros  Adhanom  Ghebreyesus says: “The World Health Organization welcomes a new host of scientists, youth, and champions to join the malaria fight at a crucial time when progress against the disease is lagging. Draw The Line provides a platform for Africa’s most powerful narrators to change this trajectory, disrupt political apathy, and lead the fight to end this treatable and preventable disease which kills a child nearly every minute.”

With close to three-quarters of Africans aged under 35, youth are vital and powerful agents of change. The ground-breaking Draw The Line campaign, first launched in early 2021, is the first global malaria campaign targeted at young people. Dentsu International are renewing their commitment to malaria at the Kigali Summit, unlocking $5 million worth of pro bono media support to help accelerate progress by inspiring action and commitment, and delivering an urgent appeal to leaders to improve the lives and futures of millions of people. 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chief Storyteller at the Summit, says: “Malaria has been a frequent and terrible scourge in my life and in the lives of so many people. It doesn’t have to be. Malaria is preventable and has no place in our world today, shackling the health and futures of the next generation. I ask leaders at the Kigali Summit to please be bold and make zero malaria and neglected tropical diseases their legacy.”

Source: VANGUARD

FG urges medical directors to involve in health reforms

The Federal Government of Nigeria through Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, had impressed on the Guild of Medical Directors to involve in the health reforms in the country

Dr. Ehanire who stated this during the inaugural leadership and business summit of the guild held in Abuja, urged the guild to invest in sustainable collaborations and networks that will attract funding in and outside the country to scale their medical businesses.

The minister noted that there is a need for a permanent and continuous communication link between the Federal Ministry of Health and the guild as key stakeholders in health care delivery in the country.

He added that Federal Government should review the issue of actively leasing out some of its facilities to be managed by the private sector in the Public-Private Partnership arrangement.

This was contained in a communique signed by the GMD’s National President, Dr Raymond Kuti, and the Assistant General-Secretary, Dr Abimbola Silva, and made available to newsmen in Abuja.

The guild quoted the minister as saying that “Although the Federal Ministry of Health as the policy-making body, may not directly offer financial aid to private medical facilities, there needs to be a permanent and continuous communication link between the FMOH and the GMD, as key stakeholders in Health care delivery in Nigeria.

“In order for the NHIS (now NHIA) to be successful, the key providers of health care need to be effectively involved with the operational guidelines of such Health Insurance.

“The FMOH should engage the private sector by encouraging the aforementioned innovative services and by being the greatest advocate of the GMD to lead to the reversal of medical tourism.”

On his part, the GMD's National President, Dr Kuti said to attain Universal Health Coverage, the guild must be involved and must be active team players in the health care reform in the country.

JUST INN: Justice Tanko Mohammad resigns as Chief Justice of Nigeria

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, has resigned his appointment on Monday.

According to Channels Television, Justice Muhammad resigned on Sunday night, citing ill-health as the reason for his decision.

Information also has it that arrangements are ongoing to swear in the next most senior justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria.

According to reports, a formal announcement will be made shortly.

Until his resignation, reports had it that Justice Muhammad was seriously ill.

Only last week, 14 justices of the Supreme Court had written him a letter to lament the decrepit state of affairs in the apex court.

Source: Channels TV

Nigerian Academy of Engineering mull improved funding, infrastructure for education

The Nigerian Academy of Engineering, have advised the Federal Government and other tertiary institution administrators to improve funding and infrastructure facilities in schools.

The group made this call through its former president, Prof. Rafiu Salawu, at the recent investiture of Prof. Azikiwe Onwualu as the new president of the Academy, held at University of Lagos.

Prof. Salawu noted that the practical approach to engineering education that was obtainable during the early days had been eroded by the present teaching modules.

Speaking on the theme, ‘Engineering Education in Nigeria: Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow’, Salawu said, “As of 2019, Nigeria had 168  universities. Government approved 10 about two months ago and we learnt that the national assembly says it has 100 still awaiting approval. We are establishing universities without funding them. Government and establishers must fund universities very properly and provide equipment for learning, and pay teachers.

“Nigerians are sending their children abroad, enriching other countries at our own expense. No one comes here because we don’t have facilities and Nigerian universities have been on strike for many months.”

Addressing the forum, the new President of the Academy, Prof. Onwualu, said the academy was ready to collaborate with the government and other stakeholders to generate advice on knowledge and get policymakers in government and industry to implement them.

He pledged to carry on the laudable plan already set out by the academy, provide critical knowledge inputs to public policy and chart a new path for implementation.

“We must develop new ways of advocacy that can make the relevant authorities seek and use the knowledge generated by the academy. We need to work more with other academies globally and nationally. All members of the engineering family must close ranks and complement each other,” he further said.

“We need to interface more with the executive arm of government both at federal and state levels to be more proactive. Rather than reactive interface with relevant committees of the national and state assemblies to provide inputs into policies and development plans, work more on promoting academia-industry collaboration to drive innovation in all sectors of the economy using technology innovation hubs to promote the industrialisation of Nigeria and revitalisation of critical infrastructure.”

He urged fellows of the academy to work with government and industry to save the education sector from complete collapse, revive skills, technical, vocational and entrepreneurship education to prepare future graduates of colleges and universities for the future of work and work of the future, which he said was very dynamic.

The investiture also featured the induction of 10 new fellows into the academy as well as the presentation of lifetime awards to some of its deserving fellows.