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PTF Advise Governors To Suspend Interstate Movements Of Almajirai

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The Presidential Task Force, PTF also advised governors to suspend interstate movements of Almajirai so as not to frustrate efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Northern Governors’ Forum, in a statement issued after its meeting on April 21 unanimously decided to ban the Almajirai system of education.

They decided that the children should be sent back to their parents or states of origin.

States, which have been repatriating the Almajirai back to their states of origin include Kano and Nasarawa.

But some of the children have been diagnosed with COVID-19. For example, On May 2, the Kaduna State Government said 21 out of 61 Almajirai deported to the state from Kano tested positive for the virus.

Besides, some of the children are being hidden in vehicles carrying food and brought to the South, a development southern states have frowned upon.

Read Also: Nigerians Pick Face Masks From Dumps And Sell Them – PTF

Expressing concern about the development, the SGF said, “This is not the time for the interstate movements of Almajirai because of interstate lockdown.

“If you say interstate movements are banned, I don’t think that movements of Almajirai are essential movements.”

Mustapha urged state governments to align their actions and enforcement with the guidelines provided by the PTF.

“The virus does not respect boundaries neither does it respect status.

“All state governments are, therefore, urged to strengthen their monitoring and enforcement machinery in collaboration with the security agencies,” he stated.

Nigerians Pick Face Masks From Dumps And Sell Them – PTF

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The Presidential Task Force, PTF on COVID-19, has raised the alarm over an unhealthy practice of some Nigerians who pick face masks from rubbish dumps and sell them.

The Chairman of the task force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, who raised the alarm at the PTF press briefing in Abuja, warned that such a practice would worsen the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

He said, “The unhealthy practice of picking disposed masks for whatever purpose is harmful to both the individual picking them and whoever procures them later.

“The PTF has become aware of the ongoing practice of sharing masks and picking of masks for recycling from dump sites. This places a lot of responsibility on all of us to be self-educated and to educate others.

“The following points are emphasised: ​Except for fabric masks, every disposable used mask is a​ hazardous medical waste and should be disposed of properly, preferably by burning.

He also said northern state governments, which had been evacuating the Quranic school pupils, popularly known as Almajirai, to their states of origin should suspend it.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanaire, also at the press briefing, said pathologists from Sokoto, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina and Kano had been trained, adding that they were investigating deaths in the states.

Read Also: In Africa, We Marry For Children Not Love – Enugu North Senator

The task force, shortly after the President, Muhammadu Buhari, in his national broadcast on April 27 ordered the gradual reopening of the economy, gave guidelines that would assist in flattening the COVID-19 curve in the country.

Among the guidelines are the compulsory use of face masks and maintaining social distance in public places.

The government also banned a gathering of over 20 people and interstate movements.

Bio-Data Of Buhari’s New Chief Of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari

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Professor Ibrahim A. Gambari, CFR, OCORT, a scholar-diplomat, is the Founder/Chairman of the Board of Directors of Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, a non-governmental think-tank on research, policy studies, advocacy and training on the nexus between conflict prevention and resolution, democratization and development in Africa.

He has had an illustrious career, spanning academia, government, and international diplomacy, culminating with his appointment as the first United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa (1999-2005). He was the Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid (1990-1994) and on Peace-Keeping Operations (1990—1999). He was Head of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs (2005-2007) and also operated as UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Cyprus, Zimbabwe, and Myanmar and Special Representative in Angola.

Also Read: BREAKING: SGF Announces Prof. Gambari As New Chief Of Staff To President Buhari

Earlier, he was Minister of External Affairs (1984-1985) and subsequently Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations (1990-1999). Professor Gambari also served as Joint AU/UN Special Representative in Darfur and Head of UNAMID (2010-2012). He is currently a Chairperson of the Panel of Eminent Persons of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

Professor Gambari attended the Provincial (now Government) Secondary School, Ilorin before proceeding to the Floreat Collegium Kings College, Lagos. He received his BSc (Econs) degree from the London School of Economics (1968) and his MA and Ph.D. in Political Science/International Relations (1970, 1974) from Columbia University, USA. He has taught at universities in the United States, Nigeria, and Singapore and has to his credit the authorship of a number of books.

Also Read: House Of Representatives Approve Buhari’s N850bn Loan

He has received several academic and national honours, including the “Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria” (CFR), and the “Order of the Champion of the Oliver R. Tambo” (OCORT) of South Africa. He is the Pioneer Chancellor of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Ilorin, Nigeria, as well as the current Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Bayero University, Kano (BUK). He is married with children and grandchildren.

In Africa, We Marry For Children Not Love – Enugu North Senator

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Chukwuka Utazi, senator representing Enugu North, says in Africa, people do not marry for love, but to have children.

Utazi made the comment while contributing to a debate on a bill seeking to prevent, control and manage sickle cell anaemia in the country, on Tuesday.

The bill is being sponsored by Sam Egwu, senator representing Ebonyi north.

While making his point, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator said it is painful to realise that an individual cannot marry his or her choice because of blood group.

“This bill is taking me down the memory lane because I’m an AS carrier and when I was about getting married, several years ago, I moved into this orbit and I know what I went through because I was in love. I knew the trauma. After that incident, for five years I didn’t come out of it,” he said.

Read Also: Princewill Osarojiji: PDP Expels Youth Leader Whose Hotel Was Demolished By Wike

“So I am speaking from experience and I know how it pains that you have made a choice and you discover that the choice can’t work. Because in Africa, we marry for children, we don’t marry for love.”

At this point, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan interrupted, saying: “Senator Chukwuka Utazi, I think you should be speaking for yourself.”

Continuing, Utazi said: “In the developed world, particulars of a child’s blood group is given at birth.

“A test is done to show the blood group, the genotype before leaving. In the birth certificate of the child, all those things are put in place.

“We should not be waiting for when people want to go and marry, that is when they will start checking their genotype and their blood group, it shouldn’t be.”

Also speaking on the subject, Biodun Olujimi, senator representing Ekiti south, asked Nigerians to look at ways of addressing health needs.

“The time has come for us to look inwards to solve some of these health needs and also support institutions that are doing so. Going forward we need to take serious blood testing for intending couples,” Olujimi said.

“We will not allow love take away the best part of our marriages.”

The bill passed second reading after it was put to a voice vote by Lawan.

Princewill Osarojiji: PDP Expels Youth Leader Whose Hotel Was Demolished By Wike

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Princewill Osarojiji, owner of one of the hotels demolished by the Governor of Rivers State on Sunday has been expelled by the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Princewill Osarojiji is the Youth Leader of the party for Eleme Local Government Area.

Recall that Wike had also declared Osarojiji of Eleme Alode Ward 2 wanted with N5 million bounty placed on his head.

Osarojiji was accused of alleged criminal activities that led to the demolition of the Prodest Hotel at Eleme.

A statement from the office of the outgoing PDP State Chairman, Felix Obuah, said Osarojiji has been expelled.

The PDP further accused him of insubordination, flagrant rascality, disobedience to the directives of the State government on COVID-19 and acts of criminality.

Read Also: 22-Year-Old Mother Drowns 2-Year-Old Daughter In Bucket Of Water 

The statement also claimed that the Osarojiji carried out a criminal action against the state’s task force.

He said: “It’s very unfortunate that the Eleme youth leader took his position as a party executive for granted to flout the authority of the governor and orders of the state government by attacking members of the task force on COVID-19.”

The PDP alleged that the former youth leader organised a party in a hotel in Eleme to rubbish the efforts of the government to contain the pandemic.

“I believe this will serve as a deterrent to others who may wish to engage in similar activities to test the sincerity and political will of the state government to deal decisively with such recalcitrance.”

22-Year-Old Mother Drowns 2-Year-Old Daughter In Bucket Of Water

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A 22-year-old mother, Oluwafunmilola Adisa, has been arrested for drowning her daughter, Oluwanifemi, to death at their place of residence on Plot 221 Gowon Estate, in the Ipaja area of Lagos State.

The incident, which happened on Monday, also saw the 22-year-old mother dropping a note for her sister, Damilola, chronicling how she perpetrated the crime.

She blamed Oluwanifemi for the hardship she had been facing after she gave birth to her 21 months ago, adding that the daughter’s arrival cost her an admission to study law.

In a bid to alleviate her suffering, Oluwafunmilola said she drowned her baby in a bucket of water, adding that after committing the crime, she went to the Gowon Estate Police Station to report herself.

Explaining the events leading to the baby’s death, the 22-year-old mother stated, “I turned myself in after killing my daughter on Monday, May 11, 2020.

“At first, I was thinking of strangling her, later I thought of suffocating her with a pillow, but my sister warned me to keep Oluwanifemi away from water after she had a dream and that gave me the idea of drowning her.

“On the day of the incident,  around 2 pm, Oluwanifemi was assisting me to dress up, because she thought that I would take her out with me.

“But I told her that she was not going anywhere because she would die that day and I would be going to the police station after killing her.

“So, I opened a big bucket of water, threw her in and covered the bucket, but she was able to push away the cover.

“The water in the bucket was not much, so, I poured more water in it, but she was still able to push away the cover to breathe, so I turned her upside down, threw her in the bucket of water and closed it.

“After some time, I saw her floating and when I brought her out, she was still breathing.

“I put her in again and brought her out after some time, but she was still breathing and at the third attempt, I left her for some minutes till she died. I didn’t feel any pain-killing her, because I was desperate.”

READ ALSO: Lagos Hospitals Rejected My Brother Till He Died – Singer

After perpetrating the crime, Oluwafunmilola, 22-year-old mother stated that she wrote a letter to her sister, Damilola, to inform her that she had fulfilled the promise of killing her baby, adding that she took the action because of the shame the baby’s birth had brought to her and as a result of lack of money.

She stated, “The reason for the drastic decision is lack of financial help; I was tired and ashamed; when I gained admission to study law at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, I got pregnant and deferred my admission, which I later lost.

“So killing my baby and losing my admission have a connection. I felt I would be free if I kill her and would be able to go anywhere I like and no one would disturb me that I had a daughter outside wedlock.

“After she died, I removed her from the bucket of water, placed her remains on a pillow and covered her with a white cloth.

“I confirmed that she was dead because her legs and hands were very pale; her tongue also popped out in between her teeth.

“I also dropped the note I wrote to Damilola beside her corpse and the reason I wrote the letter was to let my sister know that I was the one who killed Oluwanifemi and that I was going to report myself at the police station.

“I had been telling Damilola of my plans to kill her, but she usually prevailed on me.

22 Year Old Woman Drowns Her Baby To Death In Lago... - All News ...

“I wanted to carry out my plan on Sunday, but Damilola started calling our parents and the pastor, so I postponed it till Monday when I was home alone with my daughter. Damilola had gone to work when I killed her.”

The letter that Oluwafunmilola, 22-year-old mother wrote to her sister read in part, “Good day Damilola, thanks for everything you have done for me and Mama (Oluwanifemi), for the fake love, real love, false accusations, lies, and everything.

“The purpose of writing this letter is because Mama (Oluwanifemi) is dead. I soaked her inside a bucket filled with water and I am telling you to know that I have fulfilled it.

“Extend my greetings to father, pastor, friends. Goodbye forever, don’t look for me, save your money and invest.”

She claimed that the father of her baby, one Folarin Yusuf, abandoned her after she got pregnant.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said Oluwafunmilola was in custody, adding that she would be charged.

Elkana stated, “When we got the report that a woman was suspected to have killed her daughter, our homicide detectives went there and found the baby dead on the bed.

“But the woman left a note beside the baby’s corpse that she was the one who killed her.

“She confessed that she dipped the baby in a bucket of water three times till she died and said she was frustrated and killed the innocent baby because she was tired of life.

“The State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department have commenced an investigation into the matter. The suspect will be charged for the crime.”

Lagos Hospitals Rejected My Brother Till He Died – Singer

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A Nigerian musical artiste/ singer, Bethamary Okey, has narrated how her brother, Sylvester, was rejected by some hospitals in Lagos over fears that he could be suffering from the coronavirus disease.

Bethamary said Sylvester, who had been suffering from collapsed intestine before the coronavirus pandemic, was referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, on April 27, 2020, by a private facility that was managing his condition.

However, LUTH allegedly rejected the victim on the grounds that there was no bed space.

According to the singer, her brother was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja after he was rejected at LUTH, but LASUTH also declined to treat him.

He was subsequently taken to several private facilities but was refused admission.

While fighting back tears, Bethamary said her brother lost hope after the rejection and asked to be taken home, where he died.

She stated, “I drove to LUTH and when we got to the accident and emergency section, a doctor came out, took his information, checked him in my car and went back inside.

“Another doctor later came out to tell us that there was no bed space in the hospital. I begged him to name any amount for us to pay, but the doctor just said my brother needed intensive care and they didn’t want to admit him in the hospital.

“I left LUTH for LASUTH and we met people outside the accident and emergency ward and asked for someone I could talk to but I was asked for a referral letter from the hospital that was treating him and I produced it.

“The moment they saw the letter, we were told to go and do a COVID-19 test and I took Sylvester to the Ikota Primary School for the test, but the person we met there said he did not know when the result would be ready but he took his samples.

“I left there and took him to some private hospitals, which also rejected him, and the last place I took him to treated us like trash.

“The doctor did not even come down to check my brother and he lied to the medical director that he had attended to us and I took my brother home.

“On Monday, May 4, 2020, he started struggling for life and called me; when I got to his room, he was in pain and requested Holy Communion, which I blessed and gave to him and he was okay

“What made my brother give up was the hospitals that turned him back without attending to him. He could not take it anymore. My brother fought for his life; he wanted to live but gave up because of the frustration and he died around 6 am on Tuesday, May 5, 2020.”

The Public Relations Officer, LUTH, Kelechi Otuneme, insisted that the hospital did not always reject patients.

READ ALSO: Imo Governor Signs Two New Bills Into Law

“We don’t reject patients. Sometimes, there may not be bed spaces immediately, which is not peculiar to LUTH; and if there is no bed space, we ask them to wait till there is bed space, but most times, the families are not patient enough, which we cannot blame them for, but to say that we reject patients is not true,” he stated.

The Director, Clinical Services and Training, LASUTH, Dr Ibrahim Mustafa, also said it was not in the hospital’s character to reject patients or request COVID-19 test results before commencing treatment.

“We don’t reject patients and we don’t ask for COVID-19 results as a pre-requisite for patients to receive treatment in LASUTH.

“Every patient that comes to our emergency is asked basic screening questions to know whether they are likely COVID-19 patient or not and when we suspect a patient to have COVID-19, we put such patient in our holding ward till the test result comes back; and if such a person is positive, we call for an evacuation, otherwise, we transfer the patient to the main ward,” he said.

SGF Announces Prof. Gambari As New Chief Of Staff To President Buhari

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The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, has announced Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari as the new Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The SGF made the announcement on Wednesday during the Federal Executive Council (FEC), which held virtually, with just a few council members physically in attendance.

Those physically present at the Council meeting were the Ministers of Finance, Budget, and National Planning; Transportation; Information and Culture; Power; Solid Minerals; Agriculture; and Commerce, as well as the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Mungonu.

Also Read: House Of Representatives Approve Buhari’s N850bn Loan

Meanwhile, before he was announced as Chief of Staff at the commencement of the FEC meeting, Professor Gambari had been welcomed into the state House premises by some Senior Presidency officials, led by the new State House Permanent Secretary, Mallam Tijani Umar.

Others who received him included the Director of Protocol, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs, Office of the Vice President, Amb. Abdullahi Gwari; as well as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garuba Shehu who all ushered him into the Aso Chambers of the State House.

Professor Gambari, an Ilorin Prince in Kwara State, would be replacing the deceased former Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, who died of complications from the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.

Gambari had held various offices in diplomatic fields and other governance roles over the years, including the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs during President Buhari’s military rule.

He was Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Under-Secretary-General of the UN, and Special Adviser on Africa and many other diplomatic assignments.

Also Read: Buhari Seeks Confirmation Of 42 Career Ambassadors [FULL LIST]

He is currently the founder/chairman of Savannah Center External link in Abuja, a think-tank for research, training, and public policy debate on the nexus between diplomacy (conflict resolution), democracy, and development in Africa.

His last assignment at the United Nations was as the joint special representative of the Secretary-General and Chairperson of the African Union Commission/Head of the UN and AU Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) from January 2010 to July 2012.

UNAMID under Gambari was the world’s largest international peacekeeping mission.

An official communication on the new appointment was still being expected from the State House at the time of filing this report.

https://youtu.be/WP7bn8fBBDg

Imo Governor Signs Two New Bills Into Law

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The Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, has signed two new bills into law which was passed by the State House of Assembly.

ABN TV reports that the two new bills are “Imo Waste Management Agency bill” and the “Consolidation of Property and Land Use Charges Bill”.

Governor Uzodinma while accenting to the bills at the Government House in Owerri, explained that the “Waste Management Agency Bill will regulate the activities of the agency, curb indiscriminate dumping of refuse within the state and prosecute offenders who are found guilty of violating the law.

Read Also: Sowore Condemns Appointment Of Gambari As Buhari’s New Chief Of Staff

He added that the bill will also enable the government to take a cue from civilised countries where waste is converted into wealth.

The second bill, which is on the Consolidation of Property and Land Use Charges and other matters will help bring sanity to land acquisition and identification of landowners in the state.

The governor further noted that the law will make it compulsory for recertification of all Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) in line with an automation process already in place.

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