Lalong signs N106.8bn 2022 Appropriation Bill into law
Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong has signed the 2022 approved appropriation bill of 106,807,267,642.12 passed by the State House of Assembly into law. While signing the appropriation bill into law at the Government House Rayfield Jos on Thursday, the Governor commended the Speaker of the State Assembly Rt. The people of Plateau State are proud of you” he said. Viral Voice Note On WhatsApp Billing FalseClaim: A viral WhatsApp voice note, purportedly made by the director and CEO of WhatsApp, claims users will have to start paying for WhatsApp services. Verdict: The viral WhatsApp voice note claim is a hoax.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
December 23, 2021 20:02 UTC
Plateau govt to create 20,000 jobs for youths in 2022
Plateau Government has affirmed its commitment to create 20,000 jobs in 2022 for youths in the state. The state government’s plan is contained in a communique issued on Wednesday in Jos by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Danladi Atu, at the end of a two-day retreat to review its policies. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the retreat was organised for members of the state executive council, permanent secretaries, chief executives of boards and parastatal agencies and special advisers to the governor. “All Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) must put all hands on deck to ensure that the commitment to create jobs that will take 20,000 youths out of the unemployment market between now and 2022″. Simon Lalong’s administration restated its determination to prioritise the completion of all critical projects and programmes before the end of his administration.
Source:Punch
December 23, 2021 14:01 UTC
NAFDAC declared COVID-19 vaccine safe, enhances immunity
THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), says COVID-19 vaccines are safe, promotes health and saves life as they had gone through complex production process. At the symposium with the theme: “Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines, and the sub-theme: Addressing COVID-19 Hesitancy -The Role of the Media., Adeyeye said Vaccines promote health, had expansive reach, rapid impact and can save lives and costs. Adeyeye however assured Nigerians of the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines, saying that the agency will continue to monitor the exercise as a regulatory agency. According to the former medical director, the Covid-19 vaccines are safe and the media need to report these facts to reduce vaccination apathy in the country. According to him Regenerative Medicine is a game-changing area of medicine with the potential to fully heal damaged tissues and organs in the body.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
December 23, 2021 12:03 UTC
Nigeria ranks 4th in Africa, retains 19th on global Internet affordability
Pantami, Danbatta assure of FG’s plans to bridge the broadband infrastructure gapThe Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI)’s 2021 Affordability Drivers Index (ADI) report has ranked Nigeria 19th out of 72 countries surveyed for Internet affordability in 2021. The Minister said, with the challenges thrown up by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for Internet services has increased dramatically. Pantami explained that the digital transformation strategy for Africa should be established on key foundational pillars which include an enabling environment, policy regulation, digital infrastructure, digital skills and human capacity, as well as digital innovation, and entrepreneurship. He said critical sectors such as digital trade and financial services, digital government, digital education, digital health, and digital agriculture, are also underlining pillars of the transformation. Additionally, he said the drivers of digital transformation include digital content and applications, digital identification, emerging technology, cyber security, privacy and personal data protection, as well as research and development.
Source:The Guardian
December 23, 2021 11:25 UTC
Why Cop26 coal power pledges don’t go far enough – visualised
At the same time, we’ve seen that it’s slow and difficult to change the status quo, no matter how compelling the economics of coal power are.”Global coal-fired power capacity Currently, the world’s total capacity for coal-based power is 2,068 gigawatts (GW). Only a small proportion of their coal power fleet — about 6% — is expected to be retired in line with Paris goals. On top of this, experts are concerned about new coal capacity that’s set to come down the pipeline in the coming years. Roberts pointed to how the increasing uncompetitiveness of coal is already driving coal power plants retirements nationwide. “Before China, with by far the world’s largest fleet of coal power plants, announces firm phase-out plans, we won’t be on track,” said Myllyvirta.
Source:The Guardian
December 23, 2021 11:16 UTC
Madagascar shipwreck death toll rises to 85
A shipwreck off the coast of Madagascar this week has claimed 85 lives, maritime officials said Thursday, after retrieving 21 more bodies a day earlier. Maritime authorities said 138 people were on the 12-metre-long (39-feet) vessel, which sank on Monday, adding that only 50 had been rescued. The dead include five children. The wooden vessel, a cargo boat not authorised to carry passengers, had set off from the village of Antseraka for Soanierana-Ivongo, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the south. Initial investigations suggested the vessel’s engine had a “technical problem”, according to Adrien Fabrice Ratsimbazafy of the River and Maritime Port Agency (APMF).
Source:The Guardian
December 23, 2021 08:49 UTC
Bandits abduct 70 traders on Kano-Kaduna road
Bandits reportedly abducted no fewer than 70 traders in Birnin Gwari-Kaduna, yesterday, just as the whereabouts of a police vehicle that was escorting the traders was not ascertained at press time. Besides, The Guardian learnt that the bandits attacked the traders’ convoy in the morning and were later seized and taken away into the forests. He said the bandits struck at a bend near Udawa after Buruku, abducted no fewer than 70 traders from the community and scores of others from neighbouring villages. He said the bandits answered calls made to the telephone numbers of some of the kidnapped traders, a development that confirmed that about one hundred traders were abducted. They are traders on their way to Kaduna, while some were heading for Kano.
Source:The Guardian
December 23, 2021 08:02 UTC
Why immunisations in adults ensure good health, protect from stroke
Immunisations prevent the spread of serious diseases that could result in poor health, missed work, medical bills, and not being able to care for the family. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says vaccination saves an estimated 2 to 3 million lives each year globally. Despite this fact, while many countries have robust childhood vaccination systems, less attention is been paid to adult immunisation, even in developed countries with strong public health infrastructure. As part of efforts to contribute to ensuring that adult vaccinations get more attention than what currently obtains globally, the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, launched its policy statement on adult immunisation. According to him, “it has been shown that flu vaccination has an anti-inflammatory effect and maintains the plaque that we have along the blood vessels.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
December 23, 2021 06:20 UTC
FG introduces digital tokens to replace NIN slip
The Federal Government has introduced a suite of digital Tokens to replace the aging NIN slip and polycarbonate card. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami said this at stakeholders workshop on the National Identification Number (NIN) Tokenization Solution organised by National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in Abuja. He said the tokenisation solution was customised to protect personal identifiable information and to protect the sanctity as well as sensitivity of the NIN issued by NIMC to registered individuals. Also speaking, the Technical Consultant of NIMC, Mr Tunji Durodola said the Digital Token was designed to replace the 11-digit NIN for every usage for everyday usage. “Some of the pre-requisite of tokenization, one needs a NIN issued by NIMC, mobile number registered in Nigeria and linked to your NIN,” he said.
Source:The Guardian
December 23, 2021 03:54 UTC
WHO predicts COVID-19 will end in 2022
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted that the priority must remain to get vaccines to vulnerable people everywhere rather than giving additional doses to the already vaccinated. “2022 must be the end of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking Wednesday at the organisation’s last planned briefing of the year on the coronavirus. Allowing Covid to spread unabated in some places dramatically increases the chance of new, more dangerous variants emerging, it argues. So far, 120 countries have begun implementing programmes to administer booster vaccines or additional doses, it said — but none of them are low-income countries. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO lead on the Covid pandemic, stressed that people now know what they need to do, from wearing masks to physical distancing.
Source:Punch
December 23, 2021 02:20 UTC
Nigeria destroys over one million expired COVID-19 vaccine doses
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the Abuja Environmental Protection Agency, have destroyed 1,066,214 doses of expired AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines were destroyed at the Gosa Dumping site on Tuesday in Abuja. This batch is said to be part of the 2,594,100 vaccine doses received on the 11th and 29th of October of which only 1,527,886 were administered. The batches of the vaccine destroyed got expired in November. Earlier in December, the NPHCDA had announced that it would destroy expired COVID-19 vaccines after they had been pulled from circulation.
Source:Punch
December 23, 2021 00:46 UTC
Fury over 110-year sentence for US driver whose brakes failed
More than 4.5 million people including Kim Kardashian have called for a US truck driver’s 110-year prison sentence to be reduced over a 2019 crash in which his brakes failed and he plowed into traffic, killing four people. Aguilera-Mederos was found guilty by a jury on 27 counts including multiple vehicular homicides, and last week a judge handed down a 110-year sentence, which he said was the mandatory minimum under Colorado law. “I will state that if I had the discretion, it would not be my sentence,” he said, according to The Denver Post. “Colorado law really has to be changed and this is so unfair. Some truck drivers have posted on social media that they will refuse to work in Colorado until the case is addressed.
Source:Punch
December 23, 2021 00:39 UTC
Help govt with school infrastructure, UI don urges old students
Oladosu made this call as guest speaker at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the 1967/1971 set of Ahmadiya Grammar School, now Anwar Islam Grammar School, Eleyele, Ibadan. Speaking, the professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies said his plea to old students stemmed from his observation that infrastructure in the Anwar Islam Grammar School needed serious attention. He tasked old students to devote percentage of their income to the sole purpose of helping to fix school infrastructure in the interest of current and future students. Fadairo argued that if sets of old students made their contributions to school a yearly affair, school infrastructure would be greatly improved upon. Aside from the old students, Fadairo also called on non-governmental organisations (NGO)’s to help government in fixing school infrastructure.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
December 23, 2021 00:38 UTC
Guinea coup leader returns after decade in exile | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News
The leader of a 2008 coup in Guinea arrived back in the country on Wednesday after more than a decade in exile, hinting he would face justice over crimes committed on his watch. He said he wanted a trial to take place for the stadium massacre because it would bring a “sigh of relief” to the families of victims. Camara was named the head of a junta that seized power in December 2008 after the death of long-time leader Lansana Conte. Guinea suffered another coup in September this year, and the current ruling junta approved the visit of Camara on humanitarian grounds. However, the current leaders have also said they are preparing to hold a trial over the 2009 massacre.
Source:The Guardian
December 22, 2021 21:23 UTC
Akwa Ibom varsity threatens strike
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU,Akwa Ibom State University, AKSU branch has threatened to reembarkon strike due to the government’s failure to honour its previous agreement on the payment of member’s Novembersalary and other arrears. He added that it is not a negation of the state government’s agreement with the unions. The statement reads in part “ASUU- AKSU categorically wishes to state that the content of the above-quoted memo, if implemented, will constitute a clear violation of the agreement freely and willingly entered into by the government of Akwa Ibom state, the Akwa Ibom State University Management and. JAC of all unions in the University and witnessed by the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly on the 8th of June,2021. They complained over the nonchalance of the university management towards staff welfare and asserted that they were willing to back their union except the impasse is resolved within the next 48hours.
Source:Punch
December 22, 2021 20:45 UTC