A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking the disqualification of Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo as the governor-elect of Anambra State.
Justice Taiwo Oladipupo Taiwo, in a judgment, described the suit as frivolous, irritating, and lacking in merit.
The judge awarded a punitive cost of N2 million against the two plaintiffs to be paid to Soludo and his deputy, Ibezim.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige revealed that Federal Government will take its final decision on the proposed new hazard allowance for health workers next week.
Ngige disclosed this in his office during a meeting of the Presidential Committee on Salaries with the leadership of the Nigeria Medical Association and its affiliates on Monday.
The meeting deliberated on the review of the hazard allowance, the NMA position on the retention of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria and Medical and Dental Doctors in Academics members on the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure and removal of National Youth Service Corps doctors/interns from the scheme of service and the presentation by the Federal Ministry of Health and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation on the upward review of retirement age for medical/health workers.
Addressing the participants, Ngige said the government had a good interface with the medical association, though the issue prolonged for nine months.
He described the review of the hazard allowance as part of the efforts of the government to make people in the medical and health system happy and have confidence in the sector, thereby stemming the tide of brain drain.
According to him, with all the materials now at their disposal, they have decided that the government would come out with a position in the next one week, to lay the matter to rest.
He said, “We have collected all the raw materials needed to do the work. You have been very supportive. You have given us positions. The Joint Health Sector Unions covering other professional unions in the health sector has done same and over time, we have had various associations write us at one time or the other, which is allowed in Collective Bargaining Agreements.
“Even CBAs can be changed over time. What you people did is in consonance with the social dialogue on fixing wages and allowances. On the government side, we are giving you our commitment that this is the last meeting on this matter. After this meeting, the government will study the proposals and make our recommendations, which will go to Mr. President for final approval.”
A statement by the spokesman Ministry of Labour and Employment, Charles Akpan titled, FG to decide on hazard allowance for health workers next week, added that “Ngige reiterated the earlier position of the government that the present hazard allowance of N5,000 was not meaningful for people working in a hazardous environment, such as health workers.”
Former Super Eagles player, Kalu Uche hit headlines in Spain on Tuesday following his goal for Aguilas FC in the Spanish Copa del Rey duel against Almería.
Unfortunately for the Nigerian player, his forth-tier LaLigaÁguilas closed the night with sadness. The match ended 1-1 but the LiLiga 2 Almería prevailed 5-3 in the penalty shoot-out.
He was in the Super Eagles team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He currently plays for Aguilas FC at the fourth league tier.
Kalu Uche, known for his performances in Wisła Kraków, scored in the 58th minute to level scores after the visiting Almeria had taken the lead in the 32nd minute.
Uche was one of the pillars of the “White Star” led by Henryk Kasperczak, who successfully competed, among others in the UEFA Cup, eliminating Schalke Gelsenkirchen and being one step away from the sensation on aggregate against Lazio Rome.
The 39-year-old Uche later played for Levante and Almeria. In the current season,Uche has made a total of 11 appearances and scored one goal.
The Association of Resident Doctors in the Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCTA), have urged the Nigerian government to proffer a lasting solution to the health crisis in Nigeria to enhance effective health delivery.
The President of the Association, Dr Nnamdi Nd-Ezuma made the call at a press briefing to mark the beginning of the 2021 Annual Health Week of the Association in Abuja Nigeria’s capital. He said that various activities have been lined up for the weekend event.
The events which are with the sole aim of projecting the image of the association in various capacities by giving back to the society are: free medical care, rural developmental projects, health talks, continued medical educations and personal developments.
According to the president, the year 2021 commenced with adaptations to the new perceived way of life from compulsory use of face mask to social distancing and less crowding, it also exposed the lacuna in Nigeria’s health systems.
He said that the lacuna has ultimately culminated in agitations from different health bodies that led to a national strike by NARD.
The theme for this year’s 2021 annual health week “The unresolved crises in Nigeria healthcare sector” was identified and chosen with the aim of discussing the different source of this crises and also proffer possible solutions to the long lasting problems, the lecture will be delivered by Dr Ahmed Danfulani, the Program Director, Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA health insurance scheme.
The president encourage members of the Association to take the week seriously as it would be for their interest and the interest of the people in the Federal Capital Territory.
He also appreciated the Minister of FCT for his keen interest in the plight and welfare of health care workers in FCT, and also implore him to kindly look into the demands of the association and Health Care Providers at large.
Adding that the irregularities in salaries from IPPIS , Medical residency Training fund , promotion arrears, and other issues affecting ARD, needed to be addressed as ” this will go a long way in maintaining the industrial harmony enjoyed over the years”.
United Nations Children’s Fund revealed that, about 30 per cent of AIDS-related deaths in 2020 occurred in children in Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a report in commemoration of World AIDS Day.
UNICEF stated in its report that 20,695 children aged 0-9 years were newly infected with HIV in 2020 or one child every 30 minutes in Nigeria.
The report showed that only about 3.5 per cent of the 1,629,427 Nigerians receiving antiretroviral treatments are children, revealing a big treatment gap.
The UN agency added that Nigeria has the highest number of children and adolescents aged 0-19 years living with HIV in West and Central Africa, with an estimate of 190,000.
The report noted that globally, at least 300,000 children were newly infected with HIV in 2020, or one child every two minutes.
It said another 120,000 children died from AIDS-related causes during the same period, or one child every five minutes.
Press statement disclosed that “Alarmingly, two in five children living with HIV worldwide do not know their status, and just over half of children with HIV are receiving“ antiretroviral treatment. Some barriers to adequate access to HIV services are longstanding and familiar, including discrimination and gender inequalities.
UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, Peter Hawkins said children and adolescents continue to be left behind in the HIV response around the world.
Hawkins said “In Nigeria, teenage girls also bear the heaviest burden. We must increase and sustain HIV investments to ensure children are born free of HIV and stay HIV-free throughout childhood and adolescence.
South African state power utility Eskom sees an opportunity to emerge from years of crisis by shifting from coal-fired power generation towards natural gas and renewables, its chief executive correspondents.
Eskom has implemented power cuts for more than a decade in Africa’s most industrialised nation that have held back economic growth and deterred investment.
It has roughly 400 billion rand ($25 billion) of debt that it services through regular government bailouts.
Eskom operates 15 coal-fired power stations that generate more than 80% of the country’s electricity but regularly break down.
It also runs Africa’s only nuclear power station and a handful of smaller pumped storage, hydroelectric, backup gas plants and a wind farm.
But it is due to shut down about 22,000 megawatts (MW) of coal plants that are reaching the end of their life by 2035, close to half its 46,000 MW of nominal capacity now.
The plan is to replace some of that with gas and renewables, and allow independent power producers to make up the shortfall.
At a pre-election rally last month, supporters of Gambia’s main opposition coalition cheered the opening of the star attraction – a speech by former President Yahya Jammeh delivered over a crackly phone line from exile 2,000 miles away.
“(President) Adama Barrow destroyed everything good I left for Gambians to benefit from – the hospitals, agriculture and education,” Jammeh said to enthusiastic applause. “We should all unite and vote him out.”
Gambians go to the polls on Saturday and for the first time in 27 years Jammeh, who took power in a 1994 coup, will not be on the ballot.
He fled to Equatorial Guinea in 2017 after refusing to accept defeat to Barrow, ending a tenure marked by killing, torture, financial plunder and false claims of a homemade cure for AIDS.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his foes had been defeated and promised to recapture territory in the region of Amhara from rebellious Tigrayan forces after praising military victories against the Tigrayans in the region of Afar.
Footage from the front that aired on state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting on Tuesday showed Abiy wearing military jungle fatigues and cap and scanning the horizon with binoculars.
“The East Command secured an unimaginable victory in just one day of planning and adayand half long fighting,” he said. “Now we will repeat thatvictoryin this front.”Fana said he was addressing troops on the frontlines of the Ethiopian conflict, near Gashena in Amhara region. Reuters could not independently verify his location.
Abiy, whose army has been battling forces from the northern region of Tigray for more than a year, said he was headed to the frontline last week to supervise operations.
Nigerian officials have confirmed that nine more bodies from the Tuesday boat tragedy have been recovered on Wednesday morning.
This brings the death toll to 29 so far.
The search and rescue operation is ongoing.
It involves the police, the fire service and members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as local volunteers.
Hundreds of distraught parents and other relatives have gathered at the site.
Police at the location have told the BBC that the number of survivors rescued so far is still seven.
Victims of the boat accident were mostly Islamic school pupils – aged between six and 12 – travelling to a religious ceremony in the town of Bagwai.
Calls for a peace walk by Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu aimed at healing the city after the state government dismissed the Lekki report have been termed “disrespectful”.
The panel report that police intentionally shot protesters was dismissed by the Lagos government as “assumptions and speculations”.
Mr Sanwo-Olu said the city needed to heal, hence his proposal for a peace walk.
Nigerian entertainers Folarin Falana popularly known as Falz and Debo Adebayo also known as Mr Marcaroni rejected the governor’s invitation.
One of the panel’s recommendations was that victims of police brutality during the EndSars protests be compensated, a matter the governor said was being implemented.
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