Signature 30 Minutes: Enugu state govt warns against vaccination from unknown health personnel and facilities

Enugu state commissioner for health, Professor Ikechukwu Obi has asked that residents in the state avoid accepting to be vaccinated by unknown health personnel or in facilities that have no approval from the state authorities.

Professor Ikechukwu Obi gave the advice in an interview on the speculation that the Covid19 vaccine coming into Nigeria may be harmful and dangerous for human consumption.

Professor Obi insisted that no nation can deploy a poisonous vaccine to another country because the world is a global village.

Professor Obi acknowledged that there is no medical intervention without side effects but declared that the Enugu state government will accept any vaccine from the federal government.

He further narrated how people should identify the approved vaccine, as well as health personnel from the ministry of health

Our Correspondent Michael Ilediagu reports that convincing many people who believe there is no Covid19 in the country is the biggest setback to any successful nationwide vaccination campaign. #

 

The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to improving public facilities and emplacement of good working environment for officers and men of the Nigeria Immigration Service across the country to enable them to carry out their work in a safe and conducive atmosphere.

He made this statement at the commissioning of the newly completed ultra-modern Office Complex of the Kaduna State Command Headquarters in Kaduna. He commended the management of the Nigeria Immigration Service, on its firm resolve to ensure that Command office complexes are built in all the 36 State Commands of the Service and the FCT.

The Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, said the provision of a decent work environment is the least demand employees can make of their employers, hence, he has continued to ensure that a minimum of two Command Office Complexes is commissioned each year since 2017.

While thanking the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for their support, the Comptroller General assured of quality service delivery and enhanced security cover for the state. #

 

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) wants the Federal Government to compensate farmers in all the states where herdsmen invade farms with their animals.

MURIC has said that it has overwhelming evidence of destruction of farmlands by Fulani herdsmen across all the States of the federation.

The Islamic human rights group, in a statement released on Friday and signed by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, suggested that the compensation which may be in installments should be paid to farmers whose farms were destroyed in all states of the federation.

The group, however, warned against conflicts over the activities of herdsmen, insisting that wars have not yielded positive results anywhere in Africa.

MURIC had recently made a similar call, tasking the Buhari-led government to do more than it is doing presently to address the burning issue of insecurity in the country.

The Islamic group had also advised the apex Fulani socio-cultural group, Miyetti Allah to take responsibility and show good leadership by reorganizing its members into cooperatives and ask Federal Government for bailouts to buy huge portions of land where they can set up ranches and graze freely. #

 

 

The Federal Government has rolled over the sum of N66.801 billion of unspent 2020 capital budget of 27 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, MDAs, to March 31, 2021.

This is contained in a circular from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, dated January 26, 2021.

According to the circular signed by the Director of Funds, Sabo Mohammed, on behalf of the Accountant-General of the Federation, affected MDAs can continue to spend 2020 capital votes until March 31st, 2021, in accordance with the decision of the federal government to run both 2020 and 2021 budgets concurrently, until the first quarter ends.

The schedule of MDAs’ unspent capital balance as of December 31st, 2020, which was attached to the circular indicated that the Federal Road maintenance Agency had the highest unspent capital budget of N30 billion Naira.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has N19. 857 billion Naira balance in its account, as at the end of last year, which it can also continue to spend until the deadline while The Rural Electrification Agency has N6. 051 billion Naira. #

 

AND ON THE FOREIGN SCENE

 

South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee on Friday abandoned her bid to become head of the World Trade Organization, clearing the way for Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to become the global body’s first woman and first African director-general.

South Korea’s trade ministry said in a statement that Yoo had consulted with the United States — her prime backer — and other major countries and decided to renounce her candidacy.

The process to name a successor to Roberto Azevedo had been deadlocked since October when key WTO ambassadors tipped Okonjo-Iweala as the best pick to lead the organisation but the Trump administration maintained its opposition to her appointment.

The WTO head is normally chosen by consensus, leaving the process at a standstill. #

 

 

 

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced his intention to massively increase the cap on annual refugee admissions to the United States, which fell to a historical low under Donald Trump.

In line with a campaign promise, Biden said he would set at 125,000 the cap on admissions as part of the country’s refugee resettlement program, against the current 15,000.

The United States has an extensive history of welcoming refugees and is one of the world’s largest resettlement nations.

But after nearly 79,000 refugees headed to U.S shores in 2016, the numbers plunged, with just 6,740 arriving in 2020, according to resettlement data by the United Nations refugee agency.

The executive order “will raise refugee admissions back up to 125,000 persons for the first full fiscal year of the Biden/Harris administration,” which begins October 1st, the president said. #

 

 

IN ENTERTAINMENT

MTV Base, organizers of the MTV Africa Music Awards have postponed the event indefinitely. The ceremony was scheduled to hold in Kampala, Uganda this February.
The organizers of the award said that the postponement was due to the ‘current health and safety challenges which will significantly jeopardize the ability of the campaign to continue to achieve its objectives. #

 

IN SPORTS

European Football disciplinary body has suspended Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana for one-year over doping.

Ajax noted in a statement that after an “out of competition” check on October 30th last year, the goalkeeper found the substance Furosemide in his urine and his suspension is effective from today and applies to all football activities, both national and international.

The Amsterdam-based club explained that Onana had felt unwell on October 30th, 2020, and wanted to take a pill to ease the discomfort caused by the illness.

Unknowingly, however, he took Lasimac, a drug that his wife had previously been prescribed, the club added.

Despite the suspension, Ajax and the player will be pushing for a reversal at the Court of Arbitration for Sports. #

 

Please do well to stay safe, maintain physical and social distance, and wear your nose mask while going about your daily activities.