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Post Date : October 15, 2023

Hospital sealed for transfusing patients with unscreened blood

  The Lagos government has sealed a private hospital at Ago-Okota in Oshodi-Isolo local government area of the state for collecting and transfusing unscreened and unlabelled blood to unsuspecting patients. Dr Bodunrin Osikomaiya, the Executive Secretary, Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS), said this in a statement signed by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, Director, Public Affairs, state Ministry of Health, on Sunday in Lagos. Osikomaiya said the LSBTS in collaboration with the state Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) sealed the facility following a tip-off from a concerned citizen. “Following the tip off, and after thorough investigations, the enforcement teams of LSBTS and HEFAMAA, during their joint monitoring exercise in the area, visited the facility and confirmed to be true, the unwholesome, unprofessional and unethical medical practices and conduct of the hospital management,” Osikomaiya said. She added that the facility was shut for contravening the blood transfusion service law and for unethical and unprofessional medical practice, as well as putting the lives of unsuspecting citizens at risk. The law states that no person within Lagos State shall transfuse blood into a patient unless such blood has been screened, tested, labelled by the state blood transfusion committee, and found to be negative for all transmissible diseases including HIV I and II, Hepatitis B and C, Syphilis and any other disease as may be deemed necessary by LSBTS,” she said. Osikomaiya said the details of the blood donors and transfusion recipients had been retrieved from the management of the hospital. She noted that patients who were transfused with the unscreened units of blood at the facility were being traced as part of protocol to ascertain their clinical health status and ensure their safety. Osikomaiya stressed that the management of the hospital and workers found culpable in the unwholesome act would be prosecuted in accordance with appropriate laws. She the agency had rejigged its strategies in sanitising the state against unethical blood transfusion practices and continued to wage war against unwholesome practice of transfusing unscreened blood in the state. Osikomaiya appealed to citizens to support the war against unwholesome blood transfusion service by reporting infractions and unwholesome practices when they see any. She also implored health workers and stakeholders involved in the blood transfusion chain, including blood banks, blood donation centres, and logistics firms to adhere strictly to WHO regulations and the state Blood Transfusion laws on blood donation, collection and transfusion. “This war against unwholesome blood transfusion practices involves and affects every citizen, and as a result, the LBTS will step up the tempo through continuous monitoring of all facilities concerned with blood transfusion,” she said. Osikomaiya said this would ensure a safe and wholesome blood transfusion chain and guarantee the safety of all citizens residing in the state. Editor’s Note; This photo is for illustrative purpose 

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Post Date : October 15, 2023

My Change Of Name Well Documented, Atiku Opens Up

  The People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s Presidential Candidate at the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar, has said he changed his name from Siddiq Abubakar legally. A statement released Sunday in Abuja by his media aide, Paul Ibe, said: “Contrary to Bola A. Tinubu’s forgery shopping allegation against Atiku, it is on record that the change of name of the former Vice President reverting to Atiku Abubakar from Siddiq Abubakar is well documented in an affidavit dated 18th of August 1973, spanning over a period of 50 years.” The Atiku Media Office said an attempt by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to drag the former Vice President into forgery must be seen as an effort to minimise allegations of forgeries against President Tinubu. The statement said: “The discovery of Tinubu’s records at the Chicago State University and the court-ordered deposition in the United States is only the tip of the iceberg. The attempt by Bola A. Tinubu to drag Atiku Abubakar into his drowning arena of forgery must be seen for what it is: an attempt to minimise the allegations of forgeries that he has to contend with.” While asking Tinubu and his handlers to desist from making any further attempt at comparing both the President and Atiku Abubakar, the statement said: “For the purpose of clarification, all the names that Atiku Abubakar bears are names that are traceable to his family tree. He adopted Atiku Abubakar as his official name while in the employ of the Nigeria Customs Service. Atiku’s life is an open book, and not the mystery or closed book that continues to define the life of Bola A. Tinubu,” he said.

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Post Date : October 15, 2023

ECOWAS Warns Against Post-Election Violence In Liberia

  The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has warned candidates in Liberia’s recent elections against any premature declarations of victory, saying it would crack down on instigators of violence. Liberians voted on October 10 on whether to re-elect football legend George Weah for a second term as president, as well as choosing their new parliament. The vote count is now underway, with the final outcome to be announced within two weeks of the vote. “The attention of the ECOWAS Commission has been drawn to attempts by some Liberian stakeholders to declare premature victories or put undue pressure on the National Elections Commission (NEC),” ECOWAS said in a statement published on its website on Sunday. While commending the people of Liberia for a peaceful voting process on Election Day, it reminded the political parties and their leaders of their commitments under the revised Farmington River Declaration on the peaceful electoral process, which was endorsed by the ECOWAS Commission and the United Nations. “The ECOWAS Commission admonishes all Liberian stakeholders to abide by the democratic tenets of a peaceful and credible electoral process as provided for by the Liberian Constitution and other relevant laws, as well as ECOWAS legal instruments, especially the Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. “The ECOWAS Commission further cautions all stakeholders, including political leaders as well as the National Elections Commission and the security services of Liberia that ECOWAS, the AU and the international community will hold them accountable for any actions that may lead to violence and instability,” the bloc said in the statement. If no candidate obtains an absolute majority in the election, a run-off will be held in early November. ECOWAS, an organisation of 15 West African countries, has since 2020 been faced with a series of political crises in the region, including military coups in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger.

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Post Date : October 15, 2023

Ugandan Police Foil Rebels’ Bomb Plot On Churches

  Ugandan police foiled a bomb attack on churches by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group Sunday about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the capital Kampala, President Yoweri Museveni said. The ADF made two bombs, which they “were planning to plant in churches in Kibibi, Butambala”, Museveni wrote on X, formerly Twitter. But the devices “were reported to police and defused”, he added. The ADF group has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. Earlier Sunday, Museveni, 79, who has ruled the country since 1986, said Ugandan forces had carried out air strikes against ADF positions in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. “It seems quite a number of terrorists were killed,” the president said on X, without elaborating. The ADF could attempt “to commit some random terrorist acts” in Uganda following the airstrikes, he warned. In September, Ugandan police said they had foiled another bomb attack on a Kampala cathedral, arresting a man suspected of trying to activate the explosive device among worshippers. In June, ADF militia members killed 42 people including 37 students in a high school in western Uganda near the border with DR Congo. It was one of the deadliest attacks in Uganda since the 2010 double attack in Kampala that killed 76 people in a raid claimed by the Somali-based Islamist group al-Shabaab. In its latest report in June, a United Nations expert panel on DR Congo confirmed ISIS had “provided financial support to the ADF since at least 2019”. AFP

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Post Date : October 15, 2023

Enugu Govt Begs Youths To Join Police

  Enugu State government on Sunday implored qualified people of the state to take interest and apply for recruitment by the Nigeria Police Force. The Police Recruitment Board had announced earlier that its online portal for recruitment would be open for application for six weeks, beginning from Oct. 15. Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Aka Eze Aka, said in a statement issued in Enugu that the government had noticed lethargy on the part of Enugu citizens to join the police. “The ministry advises interested and qualified persons from Enugu State to apply to get enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force as Police Constables. The need to have our people recruited into the Force cannot be overstated. “Interested applicants should visit www.apply.policerecruitment.gov.ng,’’ Aka advised. (NAN)

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Post Date : October 15, 2023

End activities of saboteurs, vandals in Niger Delta, COAS directs Troops

  The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, has directed the troops to go after economic vandals and saboteurs in the Niger Delta region and ensure that they are completely eradicated. This directive was conveyed in a statement made available to defence correspondents in Abuja by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig-General Onyema Nwachukwu. According to the statement, the COAS issued the directive over the weekend in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while addressing troops during his inaugural working tour to the 6th Division Area of Responsibility. Addressing the soldiers, General Lagbaja declared, “Go after economic saboteurs and ensure they are completely stamped out.” The statement emphasised that General Lagbaja reiterated the Federal Government’s main focus on economic recovery, security, and infrastructural development. He stated that the nation cannot experience meaningful economic recovery without having a firm grip on the oil industry, underscoring the critical role troops play in securing the nation’s oil industry.   Furthermore, the Army Chief charged the gallant troops to be loyal, disciplined, and committed to their constitutional responsibilities, emphasising that their loyalty is first to the Constitution and Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He used the platform to admonish troops not to violate the codes of conduct guiding the execution of their operations to ensure the safety and security of society. He emphasised that he wants to continually receive positive feedback about the troops of the 6th Division throughout the period of Exercise STILL WATERS III. The statement further explained that during the visit, General Lagbaja commissioned landmark projects and critical operational platforms needed to enhance amphibious operations in the Niger Delta region. He stated that the set of 10 gunboats procured was the first wave, with ongoing efforts to acquire more platforms to improve the operational capability of the Nigerian Army in the riverine domain. The COAS later visited the 6 Division Step Up Headquarters at Ahoada, where he stressed the importance of inter-agency collaboration, saying, “We brought you here together with the personnel of other security agencies so that you can work together in a multi-agency environment, essentially to consolidate existing interagency cooperation. You must work together; you must work as comrades.” Earlier at Ahoada, the General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Jamal Abdussalam, commended the COAS for the strategic, moral, and financial support to the Division. He clarified that Exercise STILL WATERS III will provide an opportunity for commanders and operatives to carry out effective operational planning, and logistics preparation, conduct Military Operations Other than War (MOOW), and tactical amphibious operations. It will also focus on the conduct of civil-military activities aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the local populace. Highlights of the visit included the flag-off of Exercise STILL WATERS III in Rivers State, a courtesy call on the Governor of Rivers State, Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara, and the commissioning of several projects, including 10 gunboats, a remodelled 6 Division Headquarters Complex reception, twin Regimental Sergeant Majors quarters, an Ordnance tailoring factory, a remodelled Corpers’ Lodge, and a new office complex to accommodate the Headquarters 26 Support Engineer Regiment, amongst others

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Post Date : October 15, 2023

Why Forex restrictions on 43 items was lifted — CBN

  The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has stated that the restriction on forex for 43 import items led importers to resort to the parallel market, contributing to a surplus demand for forex and consequently weakening the parallel-market exchange rate, resulting in price increases. In a statement released over the weekend explaining the reasons for lifting the restriction, the CBN emphasised its intention to promote orderliness and professional conduct among all participants in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market. The goal is to allow market forces to determine exchange rates based on the willing buyer-willing seller principle. The CBN’s statement noted, “The Forex restrictions pushed importers into the parallel market, contributing to a surplus demand for FOREX. This weakened the parallel-market exchange rate, pushing up prices.” Addressing the implications of removing the FX restriction, the Apex Bank explained, “Monetary policy tools become more effective with the attainment of a unified, well-functioning market for FX, where pricing is based on a willing-buyer and willing-seller system. With this, the CBN’s core functions and mandates become realisable. The willing-buyer and willing-seller system will allow the exchange rate to adjust to clear the market and ensure a steady supply.” “In recent months, the widening premium between the official rate and the parallel market indicates that the rate has not been setting a clearing price. Importers of these products rely on the parallel market to source FX for importing these goods. This puts additional demand pressure on the parallel market, thereby widening the gap with the official rate and permanently segmenting the market. Removing these restrictions eliminates the need for importers of these products to go to the parallel market, thus reducing the pressure on the naira.” The statement also highlighted the benefits to local production: “Local production will benefit from cheaper imported inputs, and consumers will benefit from cheaper retail products. The policy is suitable for a unified FOREX market and is positive for inflation. It is expected that employment generation will be boosted as closed factories reopen. Price stability will benefit the economy and the standard of living in general.” Recall that the CBN, on June 23, 2015, issued Circular TED/FEM/FPC/GN/01/010, which listed 41 product categories as not eligible for FOREX in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange market. Two more product categories were added in subsequent years, bringing the total of imported product categories restricted from accessing FX to 43. The aim of the restriction was to reduce foreign exchange demand for products that could be locally produced, improve employment generation, and conserve foreign reserves. The 43 restricted items included Rice, Cement, Margarine, Palm kernel, Palm oil products, Vegetable oils, Meat and processed meat products, Vegetables and processed vegetable products. Poultry and processed poultry products, Private Airplanes/Jets, Indian Incense, Tinned fish in sauce (Geisha) or Sardine, Cold-rolled steel sheets, Galvanised steel sheets, Wheelbarrows, Head pans, Metal boxes and containers, Enamelware, Steel drums, Steel pipes, Wire rods (deformed and not deformed), Iron rods, Reinforcing bars, Wire mesh, Steel nails, Security and razor fencing and poles, Wood particle boards and panels, Wood fibre boards and panels, Plywood boards and panels, Wooden doors, Toothpicks, Glass and glassware, Kitchen utensils, Tableware, tiles (vitrified and ceramic), Gas cylinders, Woven fabrics, Clothes, Plastic and rubber products, Polypropylene granules, Cellophane wrappers and bags, Soap and cosmetics, tomatoes and tomato pastes, and Eurobond/foreign currency bond/share purchases.

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Post Date : October 15, 2023

Israel not seeking war with Hezbollah in Lebanon — Defence Minister

  Israel has no interest in widening the current conflict with Hezbollah in lebanon, Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant has said. Gallant was speaking against the background of an exchange of fire across the country’s northern border with Lebanon. Speaking to Israeli troops on the edge of the Gaza Strip, Gallant said: “We do not want any escalation of the situation.” Gallant made direct reference to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia active in southern Lebanon. “If Hezbollah opts for war, they will pay a very high price,” he warned. “But if they restrain themselves, we will respect that and keep the situation as it is,” he added.   Turning to the expected ground offensive by Israeli troops deployed around the Gaza Strip, Gallant said that Israel had a job to do. The war in Gaza would be intensive, deadly, and precise, he said, adding: “And it will change the situation forever,” he predicted. Meanwhile, one week after the start of the latest conflict, the number of dead in the Gaza Strip has risen to 2,450, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Sunday. Around 9,200 others were injured in the territory, which is under the control of Hamas, it said. This means that the number of reported deaths on the Palestinian side in just over a week is already higher than during the Gaza war in 2014 when 2,250 people died in the coastal strip within 50 days. At that time, 66 Israeli soldiers and five civilians were also killed. The new conflict is thus also the confrontation with the most deaths since Hamas violently took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Hamas massacred Israeli civilians in border towns and at a music festival on Oct. 7. It was the worst bloodbath in Israeli history. So far, more than 1,300 people have died in Israel, including 286 servicemen and women. Israel responded with massive airstrikes on targets in the densely populated coastal strip.

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Post Date : October 15, 2023

Bayelsa teachers threaten indefinite strike

  Union of Teachers (NUT) has threatened to commence an indefinite strike in public primary and secondary schools in Bayelsa State over the N30,000 minimum wage and promotion arrears. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the union took the decision at an executive meeting on 12 October, after an earlier three-day warning strike failed to compel the Bayelsa State government to address their grievances. The teachers had given a 14-day ultimatum to the government and local councils to address the plights of teachers across the state or face industrial action. The grievances, according to the NUT, include the inability of both state and local governments to implement the N30,000 minimum wage and effect the promotion of primary school teachers in the state. The union said teachers were experiencing untold hardships due to the non-payment of promotion arrears to the teachers. NUT expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s continuous negligence of the plight of teachers who played critical roles in the state, despite engaging them at different fora in futility. The union said the attitude of the government had brought nothing but humiliation and frustration to primary and secondary school teachers in the state. It said the 14-day ultimatum took effect on 13 October after failure to address the issues within the limit of the ultimatum would force teachers in the state to go on strike. The strike notice was ratified by the NUT branches in the eight local government areas of the state. Signatories to the communique after the meeting included the chairmen of local government area branches of the union. Meanwhile, Gentle Emelah, Bayelsa Commissioner for Education, declined comments when contacted as he did not respond to telephone calls and messages requesting the government’s comments. NAN reports that schools in Bayelsa State went on vacation on 29 August due to an expected flood and are slated to resume on 13 November. (NAN)

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Post Date : October 15, 2023

Moroccans stage protest against Israel’s war in Gaza

  Tens of thousands protested in Morocco Sunday in support of Palestinians amid the Gaza war, the biggest demonstration in the North African kingdom since it normalised ties with Israel in 2020. According to AFP, crowds stretching for two kilometres (more than a mile) marched through the capital Rabat in the mass rally called by an alliance of Islamist parties and a left-wing coalition. “The people will liberate Palestine,” demonstrators chanted while others waved huge Palestinian flags, donned keffiyehs and voiced “unconditional support for resistance to the occupation”. “We apologise to the people of Gaza because we can’t do more than protest,” said university professor Sheherazade Bekkari, 50, who had travelled more than 200 kilometres from Fez with her children to join the protest. “Down with Zionism”, read some placards, while others declared that “Hamas is Palestine”. Israel’s new war was sparked when the Islamist group Hamas, which rules Gaza, attacked southern Israel on October 7 and killed at least 1,400 people. Israel has launched an intense reprisal, pounding the Gaza Strip with air strikes and killing more than 2,450 people. Some protesters in Morocco stamped on Israeli and American flags, denouncing Washington’s support for Israel. Other placards denounced “terrorism regardless of its perpetrators”. The protest, which was punctuated by prayers against “tyranny and oppression”, was the largest in Morocco since it normalised relations with Israel in December 2020 in a US-sponsored deal. “The people want to abolish normalisation” some protesters chanted, as well as the slogan “against occupation, against normalisation”. Until now, Morocco’s anti-normalisation movement had been able only to mobilise, at most, a few hundred people. The treaty with Israel has been of great importance to Rabat because it came in exchange for Washington recognising Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. Morocco maintains that the territory, a former Spanish colony under its control, is an integral part of the kingdom. The Polisario Front, which campaigns for Western Sahara’s independence with the support of Algeria, demands a referendum on self-determination. Israel and Morocco have strengthened their economic and security cooperation following the deal. However, Moroccan supporters of normalisation have been embarrassed by extreme right-wing parties entering Israel’s government and surging violence in the occupied West Bank over recent months.

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