FG Mandate 5% employment of PWDs into Ministries and departments across the country

The Federal government has ordered Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government across the country to employ five per cent of their workforces from among persons with disabilities.

Vice President Yemi Osibanjo who was represented by the Minister of special duties, George Akume, stated this at the 1^st National Disability Summit held in Abuja on Thursday.

 

FG Begins Administration of COVID-19 Booster Shots 

Nigeria on Friday started the administration of COVID-19 booster shots, days after the Federal Government approved the decision. 

The Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, during the flag-off of vaccination for Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps, said that due to the detection of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Nigeria, the Federal Government reviewed the country’s vaccination programme and resolved to introduce the booster dose using the Pfizer Bio-N-Tech vaccine across the country, which will take effect from Friday the 10th of December 2021.

The time interval before the booster dose is at least six months for these vaccines, except the Johnson and Johnson which is at least two months.

 

NDLEA, MDCAN, call for comprehensive approach to curb drug abuse

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) have called for a comprehensive approach to curb drug abuses in the country.

They made the call at the Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of MDCAN, FCT Chapter, on Friday in Abuja.

Retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, who was represented by the Assistant Commander of Narcotic, the agency, Oluchi Nweke, noted that the dangers inherent in drug use and other psychoactive substances were very enormous and emphasized that the consequences are grievous to ignore the call for joint efforts to fight against the trend.

He said that the unhealthy act had moved from the normal adult age groups to underage, noting that drug use should not be handled lightly and that there was a paradigm shift in the age bracket of partakers in the unhealthy act.

 

IN BUSINESS

NASU wants unions to focus on businesses, financial empowerment to support members

 The General Secretary, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Peters Adeyemi, on Friday said unionism should be used to raise funds through businesses to support members.

Adeyemi said this on the sidelines of the inauguration of NASU, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) branch secretariat in Ilorin.

He said that unionism had now gone beyond collective bargaining into small-scale ventures, saying that it now entails venturing into financial generation through businesses that will in the long term support the members.

Adeyemi further lamented the delay in paying the minimum wage arrears and the sharing formula of the recently approved twenty-two thousand, one hundred and twenty-seven billion Earned Allowances for the four universities-based unions.

 

ON THE FOREIGN SCENE

30,000 flee to Chad after Cameroon violence, says UN

The United Nations refugee agency on Friday said that over thirty thousand people in northern Cameroon have fled to Chad after ethnic clashes erupted at the weekend, which claimed at least 22 lives.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in a statement issued from Geneva said the violence broke out in the border village of Ouloumsa on Sunday following a dispute between herders, fishermen and farmers over dwindling water resources, which spread to neighbouring villages.

The UN figures for those seeking refuge, and the death toll, were higher than numbers given earlier by other sources, but some have found refuge in the Chadian capital N’Djamena and villages along Chad’s bank of the Logone River.

The UNHCR said at least 10,000 have fled to N’Djamena from Kousseri, a town of 200,000 people whose cattle market was destroyed in the fight. 

 

IN SPORTS

Martial Wishes To Leave Man United In January’  – Agent Reveals 

Anthony Martial’s agent, Philippe Lamboley has revealed that the French forward wants to leave Manchester United in the January transfer window after struggling to get game time this season.

The 26-year-old, who joined United from Monaco in 2015, has started only two Premier League games this season and has scored just once and still has at least three years left on his contract at Old Trafford, having signed a new deal in 2019 that includes an option to extend for a further year.

The United interim manager, Ralf Rangnick also hinted there could be departures in January when he was asked about the bloated size of his squad on Friday.