Atiku Will Run For President Come 2023, Says Son

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June 8, 2020

Adamu, son of Atiku Abubakar, says his father will contest for president in 2023.

Atiku, a former vice-president, has been running for the highest office since 1993.

He was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019, losing to President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to The PUNCH, Adamu, while presenting his scorecard as commissioner for works and energy in Adamawa state on Ahmadu Finitiri’s first anniversary as governor, said his father had remained a master politician and there is nothing wrong if he contests again.

“Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with my father contesting for the presidency. In 2023, my father will be aspiring to the number one office in the land because he has been an astute, strategic, master politician for almost four decades,” he said.

He said his coming late into politics was as a result of the advice from his father who asked him to spend more time in the private sector to gather enough experience that would be crucial for him in public life.

“I am basically here to serve my people; if I am called by the people back home to run for the Senate, I don’t see anything wrong with that,” he said.

Atiku had challenged Buhari’s victory after the 2019 election, but the supreme court dismissed the case.

Coronavirus Not A Death Sentence – Abia Governor

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ABN TV EDITOR

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June 8, 2020

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Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has said testing positive for coronavirus is not a death sentence, ABN TV reports.

Ikpeazu made this known in a statement by the state Commissioner for Information, John Kalu, on Monday.

Kalu, while announcing that the governor tested positive for the virus, urged “all Abians to take the fight against COVID-19 serious as the disease is real but not a death sentence”.

Also Read: Ikpeazu, 66 Others Test Positive For COVID-19

The commissioner explained that on May 30, the governor volunteered his sample for COVID-19 test and subsequently directed members of the State Executive Council and those of the inter-ministerial committee on COVID-19 to submit themselves for the same test.

Ikpeazu’s test returned negative but a second test on June 4 returned positive.

“As a result, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has gone into isolation, as required by relevant NCDC protocols, and he is being managed by a competent team of medical practitioners with a view to nursing him back to good health.

“Consequent on the above, the Governor has directed his Deputy, Rt Hon Ude Oko Chukwu, to act on his behalf pending his full resumption of duties,” the statement read in part.

Rapists Should Be Castrated Says FCT Minister

By

Alex Enemanna

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June 8, 2020

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Ramatu Aliyu, minister of state for the federal capital territory (FCT), has called for castration of persons convicted of rape.

ABN TV reports that the FCT Minister, Aliyu made the call while presenting palliatives to the FCT chapters of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Nigeria Football Association of Coaches.

She said the punishment will serve as a deterrent to others, adding that the FCT administration is working closely with security agencies and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to push for a serious institutional framework that would ensure justice is served.

“We will involve every member of the community in this battle against rape,” she said.

“Just recently, we are in search of one offender, and definitely we will nip it in the bud. And in conjunction with all the security outfits, NAPTIP, in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, we are on the watch, and for any offender that we get, we will take it to any length to ensure that he is not fit to live.

“We are also pushing for a serious institutional framework that will ensure that justice is done. It is not enough to just jail such person, definitely punishment like castration will do.

“When we kill them, they die and do not remember anything. Therefore, they should be castrated and roam the streets and remain inactive.”

Aliyu also appealed to the leaders of the groups to ensure that the palliative items reach the vulnerable.

Ikpeazu, 66 Others Test Positive For COVID-19

By

ABN TV EDITOR

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June 8, 2020

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The Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has tested positive for COVID-19.

This is contained in a release signed by the state commissioner of information John Okiyi Kalu on Monday.

This is after the governor’s status dropped samples twice for the test.

Also Read: Abia Records 67 Cases Of COVID-19 In One Day

This is the fourth governor to test positive for the virus.

”Recall that on Saturday, 30th May 2020, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu volunteered his sample for COVID-19 test and subsequently directed members of the state Executive Council (EXCO) and those of the inter-ministerial committee on COVID-19 to submit themselves for the same test. On Tuesday, 2nd June 2020. The result of Governor Ikpeazu’s test returned negative,” Kalu said.

”On Thursday, 4th June 2020, the Governor submitted another sample at NCDC laboratory for confirmation and the result returned positive, he added.

”As a result, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has gone into isolation, as required by relevant NCDC protocols, and he is being managed by a competent team of medical practitioners with a view to nursing him back to good health.”

All the three governors – Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi – who tested positive for virus recovered within a month.

In March, the governor said COVID-19 would not afflict Abia because the state is mentioned in the Bible.

“Abia is the only state that is mentioned in the Bible. We have a promise from God that none of these diseases will touch God’s people. And I hold on to God’s promise,” he said.

“We saw Ebola, it did not get to us. We saw monkeypox, it didn’t get to us. Even this one (coronavirus) will also pass us by.”

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Sunday night announced 260 new positive cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to 12,486.

According to the health agency, Abia State recorded the highest number of infections for the day with 67 cases while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos State had 40 and 38 cases respectively.

A further breakdown of the new cases showed that Ogun State has 19 infections, Gombe (16), Edo (14), Imo (9), Kwara (8) and Katsina (8).

Others are Nasarawa (8), Borno (8), Kaduna (6), Bauchi (5), Ekiti (4), Niger (2), Ondo (2), Plateau (2), Kano (2), and Sokoto (2).

Of the number of positive cases in Nigeria, 3959 persons have fully recovered and discharged with 354 deaths, according to the latest figure from the NCDC.

Coronavirus Not A Death Sentence – Abia Governor

By

ABN TV EDITOR

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June 8, 2020

0

Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has said testing positive for coronavirus is not a death sentence, ABN TV reports.

Ikpeazu made this known in a statement by the state Commissioner for Information, John Kalu, on Monday.

Kalu, while announcing that the governor tested positive for the virus, urged “all Abians to take the fight against COVID-19 serious as the disease is real but not a death sentence”.

Also Read: Ikpeazu, 66 Others Test Positive For COVID-19

The commissioner explained that on May 30, the governor volunteered his sample for COVID-19 test and subsequently directed members of the State Executive Council and those of the inter-ministerial committee on COVID-19 to submit themselves for the same test.

Ikpeazu’s test returned negative but a second test on June 4 returned positive.

“As a result, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has gone into isolation, as required by relevant NCDC protocols, and he is being managed by a competent team of medical practitioners with a view to nursing him back to good health.

“Consequent on the above, the Governor has directed his Deputy, Rt Hon Ude Oko Chukwu, to act on his behalf pending his full resumption of duties,” the statement read in part.

COVID-19: Doctors On Duty, Others Begin Strike Next Week

By

ABN TV EDITOR

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June 8, 2020

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The National Association of Resident Doctors, the umbrella body of all doctors working in government health facilities, has issued a notice of strike effective Monday, June 15, 2020.

The association said the call to strike also includes doctors attending to COVID-19 patients and other emergencies.

The National President of NARD, Dr. Aliyu Sokomba, said this in an official letter with reference number NARD/SG/2019-2020/070620/246.

Also Read: Tension As Medical Doctor Tests Positive For COVID-19

The NARD President said the strike would be total regardless of the current pandemic.

Sokomba said the action had become necessary due to the failure of the government to redeem its pledges especially in the areas of salary arrears and working conditions.

The letter read in part, “The strike shall, therefore, be total and indefinite. No service of any kind, be it emergency, care at COVID-19 treatment centres shall be exempted and members including all resident doctors, medical officers below the rank of principal medical officer, and house officers are expected to be part of the strike.”

While sympathizing with Nigerians and patients as a whole, the doctors said they could no longer condone government neglect.

NARD said the plight of its members in state health facilities was sometimes worse than those at the federal institutions.