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Post Date : December 25, 2020

PTF Insists 12am-4am Curfew Remains, Announces New COVID-19 Protocols

The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has insisted that the 12am-4am curfew remains in force amid the second wave of coronavirus in the country. Dr Sani Aliyu, who is the National Coordinator of the PTF, stated this on Thursday while briefing reporters in Abuja. He also announced new protocols as part of measures to curb the spread of the disease, including the closure of bars and clubs in various parts of the country. The PTF coordinator called on the security agencies to enforce the protocols on the use of face masks and physical distancing. He echoed the directive that civil servants on Grade Level 12 and below should work from home and asked the permanent secretaries in the respective ministries to enforce the order. Among other protocols, Aliyu called on state authorities to delay the resumption of schools until at least January 18, 2021. He also gave an update on what the Federal Government was doing about the new strain of COVID-19 discovered in the United Kingdom and South Africa. The PTF coordinator disclosed that from Monday next week, all passengers coming in from the UK and South Africa would be compelled to provide their details on the online portal. According to him, they will also be made to pay for PCR testing on arrival and must test negative and be presented a permit to travel before they will be allowed into Nigeria. Aliyu noted that a register would also be opened for all passengers from the two countries and the government would ensure that they take the test after seven days. He gave an assurance that the Federal Government would ensure that those who evade the process were severely dealt with. The PTF Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, also gave an update on the pandemic at the press briefing. Others who briefed reporters were the Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, and the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu.

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Post Date : December 25, 2020

Court Restrains NMA From Collecting Dues, Levies From Members

A Federal High Court sitting in Enugu has granted a perpetual injunction stopping the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, from collecting dues, levies from one of its members, Dr. Awkadigwe Fredrick Ikenna. The court also restrained the association from “continued placing of the building levy, on the online of or offline platforms of Awkadigwe and ordered the association to issue him with all such necessary receipt and annual practicing license for which the plaintiff had made payment vide the remita platform” The court presided over by Justice I. N. Buba also the sum of N250, 000 as cost in favour of the applicant. This followed a suit filed against the NMA by Dr. Ikenna where he is asking for the sum of N500 million as general and exemplary damages. Awkadigwe, sued the association for suspending him because he instituted a suit against it at the Federal High Court, Enugu Division, and National Industrial Court in 2019. The two suits, FHC/EN/CS/02/2019 and NICN/EN/26/2019 are still pending. The applicant is also querying the association for suspending him while the two separate matters subsist. In the suits, he is challenging the use of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, the regulatory body for all the medical doctors and dentists in Nigeria, for the collection of NMA building levy from doctors across Nigeria. According to him, anybody who refuses to pay the levy was denied access to the renewal of the medical license in Nigeria, an action; he described as illegal and has also caused a lot of pain to doctors in Nigeria. In the order, Justice Buba held that NMA is not empowered by law in Nigeria to enforce collection of funds, fees, dues, levies and like collections as prescribed by another body or association from the applicant. Consequently, the Judge gave an order of “perpetual injunction restraining the association and its privies from the use of its instruments whatsoever and howsoever, online or offline for the purpose of collection or enforcement of collection of funds, dues, levies or another body and association from the plaintiff”. In the suit at the National Industrial Court, Awkadigwe is challenging the powers and authority of the NMA branches and affiliates to invade the salaries of doctors to deduct the association dues and levies without the consent of the doctors.

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Post Date : December 25, 2020

Gunmen kidnap Oyo lawmaker’s sister, demand N20m ransom

.….Man still held as abductors release wife, daughter in Anambra Tejumade Babalola, a sister to Oyo State Deputy Majority Leader at the House of Assembly, Sunkanmi Babalola, has been kidnapped in Ibadan. Tejumade was abducted at Monatan area of Ibadan on Monday while returning home from her shop. It was gathered that the victim was on a commercial motorcycle when the gunmen in a vehicle double-crossed them, shot sporadically into the air and forced her into their car. A family member, who pleaded for anonymity, said the kidnappers had reached out to the family and demanded N20 million ransom for her release. He added that efforts were in progress to secure her release, which could not be disclosed publicly. Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, Mr Olugbenga Fadeyi, when contacted yesterday, said he was not aware of the incident as it was not reported to the police. “I am not aware of the incident. It has not been reported to the police. You know that there is no way they can report to the police because the police station in the area has been burnt.” But the victim’s brother, Babalola, when contacted, confirmed the abduction of his sister. Babalola said three men in a Toyota car kidnapped his sister on Monday night. “It is true. I was not there when the incident happened. They called me and they told me that three gunmen kidnapped my sister. They forced her into the waiting car, a Toyota car, with ash colour.” MEANWHILE, tension has heightened in Anambra State following the kidnap of a man, his wife and daughter on Tuesday night on Enugu-Agidi-Nawgu road, in Dunukofia Local Government Area. It was gathered that the woman and her daughter were, however, released at 3:00a.m. on Wednesday, while the man is still being held. President-General of Enugu-Agidi community, Mr Ndubuisi Obijiofor, confirming the incident, said the victims were taken into the bush after the hoodlums shot sporadically into the air. Police spokesman, Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the incident. He said a distress call was received in the area and a team of Rapid Response Squad was sent there. Culled from Guardian Nigeria

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Post Date : December 25, 2020

CBN Revokes Licenses Of 7 Payment Service Providers

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the operating licenses of seven Payment Service Providers (PSPs) and one switching company, the regulator announced yesterday. An official gazette of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, dated November 30, 2020 and signed by the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, which was posted on the apex bank’s website, listed the affected PSPs as, Easifuel Limited, Transaction Processing System (TPS), Grand Towers Limited, Paymaster Limited, E-Revenue Gateway Limited, Eartholeum Network Limited and Globasure Limited. It also named the PSP whose switch license was revoked as 3Line Card Management Limited. According to the gazette the affected companies lost their licenses for failing to comply with the obligations imposed on them by the CBN in accordance with provisions of the Banks and other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) Cap B3, Laws of the Federation 2004. Specifically, the gazette said the companies had failed to perform the role for which their licenses were issued, “for a continuous period of six months.” Analysts believe that the CBN’s action indicates that the apex bank is committed to ensuring that it achieves the 95 per cent financial inclusion rate by 2024 target that it set for the country in 2019. The CBN had, on December 10, unveiled new license categorisations for the country’s payments system, which, it said, “offers clarity for new and existing market participants given the significant evolution and innovation in the Nigerian payments system.” Under the new framework, payments system licensing was streamlined according to permissible activities in four broad categories: Switching and Processing; Mobile Money Operations (MMOs); Payment Solution Services (PSSs) and Regulatory Sandbox. The regulator stated that while all new licensing requests, including those with Approvals-in-Principle, are to comply with the new reon quirements immediately, “existing licensed payment companies are to comply with the new licensing requirements where applicable not later than end-June 2021.” It would be recalled that the CBN also, last month, revoked the operating licenses of 42 Micro-Finance banks (MFBs), a move analysts said, was part of the apex bank’s efforts to weed out technically insolvent operators in the industry.

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Post Date : December 25, 2020

Four die, 10 injured in Benin-Ekpoma road crash

Four persons were confirmed dead while 10 others sustained various degrees of injuries in a motor accident involving an 18-seater commercial bus and an articulated vehicle on the Benin-Ekpoma-Abuja expressway. The crash occurred about 11:30a.m. yesterday near Obagie community in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of Edo State. The 18-seater bus, it was gathered, was heading towards Ekpoma and was trying to avoid a pothole when it suddenly had a head-on collision with an articulated truck laden with baskets of tomatoes. A passenger who was travelling in a Sienna bus directly behind the ill-fated bus disclosed that their own vehicle narrowly escaped running into the wreckage. The eyewitness explained that following the crash, the bus fell on the driver’s side along the road. The Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Henry Benemesia, when contacted, confirmed the incident. The FRSC boss, however, attributed the crash to over-speeding and dangerous overtaking on the part of the commercial bus driver. Benamaisia warned drivers to be cautious while driving during this period, adding that the best way to avoid accident was to drive defensively. “Drivers should be patient when driving, especially this period. They should maintain the rules and regulations. One of the problems we have on highways is indiscipline. If you are disciplined while driving, you will not overtake wrongfully. “Let us be tolerant of this period. If you observe that a driver is wrongfully overtaking and approaching you, try to avoid that person. People should learn how to drive defensively. Always believe that the other driver is a ‘mad’ person and by so doing, you will be conscious,” he warned.

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Post Date : December 25, 2020

Gunmen kill two naval men at Kogi checkpoint

Gunmen, on Wednesday , attacked a military checkpoint in the Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State and killed two personnel of the Nigerian Navy . It was gathered that the naval men were attacked around 7pm while resuming for duty at the checkpoint in Okene . The gunmen, numbering about seven , got to the checkpoint and were said to have opened fire on the naval personnel on duty . The source said when they were done , they escaped from the checkpoint and sped off to avoid been apprehended . The Chairman of the local government council , Abdulmumin Muhammad , confirmed the incident in a statement . The statement , which was issued by the office of the Special Adviser to the Chairman , said the naval personnel were five in number and were just resuming for duty when they were attacked . “ Two officers have been confirmed dead and two were injured and currently receiving treatment in hospital . One officer escaped unhurt , ” the statement said . When contacted , the Public Relation Officer of the Navy , Aidi Simi , said , “ My command will get to you shortly ; we are trying to take charge of the situation . ” He had yet to get back to our correspondent as of the time of filing this report .

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Post Date : December 25, 2020

Kwankwaso’s father dies at age 93

The father of former Kano State Governor, Dr Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, Alhaji Musa Sale Kwankwaso, aged 93, is dead. Alhaji Musa Sale Kwankwaso who was the District Head of Madobi died on Christmas morning. The media aide to the former governor, Saifullah Muhammad, announced the death of the Makaman Karaye, on his Facebook page in Hausa. However, a statement issued by Muhammad Inuwa Ali, Principal Private Secretary to Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, state that the burial prayer for Senator Kwankwaso’s father will hold at Miller Road, Bompai, Kano by 3.00pm on Friday (today). The statement said Makaman Karaye left behind by two wives, 19 children (10 females and 9 males) and many grandchildren.

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Post Date : December 25, 2020

Christmas: Be at alert , CAN tells churches

The Christian Association of Nigeria has asked churches to be security conscious as they celebrate Christmas . CAN President , Dr Samson Ayokunle, gave the advice in a press statement on Thursday titled, ‘ The Power of His Presence, Our Hope of Tomorrow ’ . He encouraged Christians not to be weighed down by the adversities experienced in the year 2020. Ayokunle said , “ Christmas is not a myth, not a tradition , not a dream . It is a glorious reality. It is a time of joy. The fact of the cross illuminates Christmas day and hallows it. “ Christmas is also a season to advocate peace in the world that is full of wars , strives , terrorism, banditry , kidnapping, armed robbery and other criminalities . “ It is painful that many people are mourning due to the demise of their loved ones as a result of COVID – 19 pandemic , terrorism, kidnappings and other criminalities . We should remember that Jesus was also born during the darkest time in Israel’ s history . Israel was under the tyrannical rule of the Romans. Yet the Angel announced the birth of Jesus as the glad tidings to the world . “ So , I urge those who are mourning to rejoice in hope that they too are still alive. I pray for the comfort of the Holy Spirit for all those who lost their loved ones for one reason or the other. “ May the Lord help our governments to rise up competently and stop the menace of insecurity occasioned by the terrorists , killer herdsmen , bandits and kidnappers in Jesus ’ name. “ As we rejoice and celebrate , let us be security conscious and observe the COVID -19 protocols in our places of worship or in any public gathering for our general good. ”

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Post Date : December 25, 2020

PHOTOS: Ex-PDP Spokesman, Olisa Mutuh Released From Kuje Prison

A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, has been released from prison after about 10 months of serving a jail term. Pictures of Mr Metuh, leaving the Nigerian Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje in Abuja, the nation’s capital, were shared on Twitter by a PDP chieftain, Mr Ayodele Fayose. Fayose, who is the immediate past governor of Ekiti State, congratulated the former spokesman for the opposition party, saying, “Welcome back home Olisa Metuh, tough time don’t last…” Metuh was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), along with his company Destra Investment Limited, before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja. He was charged with seven counts of illegally receiving monies to the tune of N400 million from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), under Colonel Sambo Dasuki. On February 25, 2020, Justice Abang convicted and sentenced the former PDP spokesman to seven years imprisonment. Dissatisfied with the decision of the court, Metah approached the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal with an application seeking to set aside the ruling of the lower court. December 24, 2020. Photo: Twitter- @GovAyoFayose In his argument, he alleged among others that the trial Judge was biased and failed to accord him a fair hearing. About 10 months after the judgement of the Federal High Court, the appellate court agreed with the appellant that the trial judge was biased and quashed the judgement. In its judgement delivered on Wednesday last week, the panel of three justices, led by Justice Stephen Adah, ordered a retrial of the case. After reviewing the judgement of the appellate court, the EFCC said it would approach the Supreme Court to challenge it. A week after the appellate court delivered the judgement, Metuh was released from the correctional facility in Kuje, Abuja.

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Post Date : December 25, 2020

RACISM: Fresh Outrage Erupts In US As Policeman Kills Unarmed Black Man

The killing of an unarmed African-American man by police in the US city of Columbus, Ohio sparked a fresh wave of outrage this week against racial injustice and police brutality in the country. Andre Maurice Hill, 47, was in the garage of a house on Monday night when he was shot several times by a police officer who had been called to the scene for a minor incident. Bodycam footage shows Hill walking towards the policeman holding a cell phone in his left hand, while his other hand cannot be seen. Seconds later, the officer fired and Hill collapsed. The footage has no sound and it is not clear why the officer, Adam Coy, fired. Hill was not carrying a weapon. Coy and his colleague waited several minutes before approaching the victim, who was still alive, but died later. According to local media reports, Coy had previously received complaints of excessive force. A wake will be held Thursday in memory of Hill, the second African-American killed by police in Columbus in less than three weeks. Casey Goodson Jr, 23, was shot several times on December 4 while returning home. His family say he was holding a sandwich in his hand which law enforcement mistook for a gun. The killings come after a summer in which the US was rocked by historic protests against racial injustice and police brutality, sparked by the May killing of African American man George Floyd. Floyd, also unarmed, suffocated beneath the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis. Horrified passers-by filmed his death, with the footage swiftly going viral. “Once again officers see a Black man and conclude that he’s criminal and dangerous,” said lawyer Ben Crump, who defends several families of victims including Floyd’s, on Wednesday. He denounced a “tragic succession of officer-involved shootings.” Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said he was “outraged” by Hill’s death. He “known to the residents of the home where his car was parked on the street,” he said Wednesday at a press conference, describing him as a “guest… not an intruder.” Ginther said he was “very disturbed” by the fact that the two police officers present did not give first aid to Hill. He called for the “immediate termination” of Coy. AFP

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