The police command in Bayelsa State has arrested a suspect linked to the destruction of voting materials in some wards in the Ogbia LGA, Bayelsa.
While voters converged at the Ogbia wards 2, 3, 4 and 5 for the House of Assembly election, suspected political thugs reportedly hijacked and destroyed voting materials meant for the wards.
The State Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Dankwara, said a suspect had been arrested and stated that efforts were ongoing to apprehend other suspects linked to the incident.
The commissioner of police stated that the state command was working in synergy with other security agencies to secure other areas in the state to maintain peace and calm as elections take place.
Gamboru market, which stands as the biggest perishable goods market in Maiduguri has been razed by fire.
Although the remote cause of the fire remains unknown, goods worth millions may have been destroyed in the incident. This is sequel to another fire outbreak in the early hours at the Biu Market in Southern Borno.
More information on this will be shared as the story unfolds
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections in 10 polling units at the Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lekki area.
Segun Agbaje, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, made the announcement while addressing reporters at the VGC.
According to him, corps members deployed as ad hoc staff were hesitant to enter the VGC estate alleging that they were held hostage in the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Agbaje said the commission’s ad hoc staff set up voting materials in front of the estate on Saturday but estate residents claimed hoodlums might disrupt the process and did not feel secure hence they could not cast their votes.
He further stated that the sensitivity of the situation compelled he and his team had to come to the area.
“After due consultation and further directive from the national headquarters that we should remobilise here tomorrow (Sunday) morning by 08:30am to conduct the elections.”
The chairman of the security committee of the estate had assured the commission of the safety of corps members and INEC staff as well as the safety of voters. Some of the polling units affected include PU 032,033, 119 -124.
The governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Tunde Doherty, whose polling unit is in the VGC called out INEC for poor arrangement, labelling the situation as “unfortunate
In Delta State, where voters are prepared to cast their votes for Gubernatorial and House of Assembly offices, ten Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) cards have been stolen. In a video making rounds online, a member of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed the change and indicated that they are still trying to examine the affected units because of the missing BVAS.
The INEC official had asked security workers at the center to bring out the machines for counting in the presence of the journalists when he noticed that each unit which should have Twenty Three (23) BVAS machines, only had fourteen (14).
He asked the authorities to look into the problem while also stating that the backup BVAS for units 2, 5, 6, 19, 8, 20, 9, and some others were still working.
19 Ad-Hoc staff members of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, who were abducted in the State early on Saturday morning have been rescued by Imo State Police Command men.
Chinenye Chijioke-Osuji, a spokesperson for INEC in the State, verified the news stating that after receiving a distress call, the abducted were rescued and the security personnel informed of the situation quickly swung into action.
The abducted Ad-Hoc staff members were enroute seven separate polling units in Ugbelie, Ward 06 of the Ideato South Local Government Area. The INEC spokesperson further revealed that some election-related materials, such as the BVAS amongst others were not recovered afterwards.
Three individuals have been reported dead and a number of others hurt in an accident involving the convoy of Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari on Friday night.
The convoy experienced an accident along the Jikamshi Bridge in the Musawa Local Government Area of the State where two police officers connected to the convoy – Kabir Adamu and Nura Sufiyanu – lost their lives.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Gambo Isah, verified the occurrence although he chose not to reveal the citizen who was harmed.
He said the incident happened while the governor was on his way to Masari, his hometown in Kafur Local Government Area of the state, adding that their corpses have been taken to a General Hospital mortuary.
Nigeria’s gubernatorial and state assembly elections have begun in several regions of the country.
In addition to setting up sensitive and non-sensitive voting materials in the 176,606 polling locations spread across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) arrived at polling units across the nation with voting materials.
Most voting units opened for registration and voting at 8:30 am. 87 209 007 Nigerians hold Permanent Voter Cards, according to INEC
Police officers and other security personnel are also seen at the voting locations.
The elections has moved to the states since the Independent National Election Commission announced the results of the February 25 presidential and national assembly elections, amidst legal wrangling.
The governorship elections, are scheduled to take place in 28 of the Federation’s 36 states and a total of 18 political parties have fielded eligible candidates. Eight states’ governorship elections—Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun, and Ondo—are held off-year because of legal disputes and judicial rulings, nonetheless, there will be elections for state legislators in each of the 36 member states of the Federation.
For the 993 seats in the State Houses of Assembly, there are thousands of contenders. In alphabetical order, the 28 states where governorship elections will hold are: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara.
Restriction of movement to aid the National Assembly Elections is not seriously observed in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital as residents go about their daily activities in the popular market, Okesa.
Residents at the market lament cash crunch and other painful challenges pervading the country and affecting them.
The Revillagigedo Archipelago, officially known as Revillagigedo Islands and locally as Islas Revillagigedo, is a group of four volcanic islands that are located in the Pacific Ocean, about 390 km (242 mi) to the south-west of the resort city of Cabo San Lucas, within the western part of the United Mexican States.
Even though historically the archipelago belonged to the State of Colima, so the state would be establishing a penal colony, the islands nowadays are under Mexican federal property and jurisdiction.
Comprised of four main islands, Socorro, San Benedicto, Roca Partida, and Clarión, the Revillagigedo Archipelago boasts a remarkable and unique ecosystem that is regarded as one of the most significant biodiversity hotspots in the world.
These islands, renowned for their abundant marine life including whale sharks, manta rays, humpback whales, and various species of dolphins and seals, are also home to endemic species of birds, reptiles, and insects, rendering them a singular and valuable ecosystem.
Throughout their history, there are no clear indicators that are showing human presence up until the arrival of the Spanish colonial forces, where the Spanish captain Hernando de Grijalva and his crew discovered Socorro Island on 19 December 1533, and named it Santo Tomás, and nine days later they discovered Isla de los Inocentes, which nowadays is known as San Benedicto.
Since then, the islands were used for fishing and hunting, and they have been also visited and rediscovered several times by other ships.
On 25 July 1861, the then Mexican President Benito Juárez signed a decree awarding territorial control over the four islands to the State of Colima, and as previously mentioned, the State of Colima planned on building an offshore penal colony, although these plans never saw the light of day.
Later, at the beginning of 20 century, several scientists started promoting the islands, and they slowly started getting much needed attention they deserve.
Nowadays, one of the most famous attractions of the Revillagigedo Islands is the large aggregation of giant manta rays that gather in the waters around Socorro, and this site is considered to be one of the best places in the world to encounter these magnificent animals.
In 2016, the Mexican government established the Revillagigedo Archipelago National Park to elevate and protect the unique ecosystems and biodiversity of the islands, but despite its status, the Revillagigedo Islands still face several threats, including over fishing, plastic pollution, and climate change.
These threats can have a significant impact on the delicate ecosystems of the islands, and steps must be taken to protect and conserve these valuable habitats.
Sadly, visiting the islands is not permitted, and the only option is to do one of the most amazing diving experiences a person can have, even though there is a naval station on Socorro and another small garrison on Clarión.
As the islands provide critical habitats for a range of wildlife and are of particular importance for seabirds, since 2016 they were listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, making them even more popular around the world.
In conclusion, the Revillagigedo Islands are a unique and important part of the world’s biodiversity, where with their rich marine life and unique ecosystems, they provide a valuable resource for scientific research and offer a breathtaking experience for visitors.
Nigeria remains among the high-burden countries for Tuberculosis globally, the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme has said.
The National Coordinator, NTBLCP, Dr. Chukwuma Anyaike, disclosed this while speaking on activities lined up for World Tuberculosis Day 2023 with the theme: “Yes! We can end TB”.
World Tuberculosis day is celebrated every year on March 24 to inspire hope and encourage high-level leadership, increased investments, faster uptake of new WHO recommendations, adoption of innovations, accelerated action and multi-sectoral collaboration to combat the Tuberculosis epidemic.
Anyaike said there is a need for continuous awareness towards putting an end to preventable and curable diseases like Tuberculosis and to address the needle deaths and infirmities in the country.
Tuberculosis, he said, remains a huge burden in the country which can be prevented, diagnosed, treated and cured.
Anyaike called on media practitioners to extend the word ‘TB’ to ‘Tuberculosis’, noting that most Nigerians were unaware of the enormous burden of the disease and its symptoms.
Also speaking, Dr. Bethrand Odume Executive Director, KNCV Nigeria, said:” teachers play a crucial role in educating the community about Tuberculosis and its prevention.
“We plan to organise training sessions for teachers in schools to increase their knowledge about Tuberculosis and to help them educate their students,” he said.
Odume, who is also the Chairperson of the 2023 National World Tuberculosis Day Planning Committee, said that there would be a Road Show; Taking off from the Wuse Market on March 22.
The chairperson also said campaigns are being planned for the six area councils to increase the awareness of the public about Tuberculosis, promote early diagnosis, and encourage people to seek treatment.
A Ministerial news conference, the chairperson said, will be held March 24.
He said that similar activities would also be supported across the 36 states of the federation.
“This year, in the 36 states and FCT, the Tuberculosis Programme working with the implementing partners will be supporting a special TB Testing week” to drive daily community active Tuberculosis case-finding activities.
“By working together, we can make progress in the fight against tuberculosis and help to create a Nigeria free of Tuberculosis,” he said.
TB, a disease caused by a bacterium, often affects the lungs and is identified as the number one infectious killer disease in the world and also among the top 10 causes of death worldwide.
It is spread from person to person through the air. When people with TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the Tuberculosis germs into the air.
A person needs to inhale only a few of these germs to become infected.
LN247 reports that recent estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed TB killed 156,000 Nigerians and afflicted 452,000 in 2020.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said: “Tuberculosis is preventable and treatable, and millions of lives have been saved.
”Africa has so far made good progress against tuberculosis and we cannot afford to lose focus on what is needed to ease the burden and save lives.”
The African region is home to 17 of the 30 high-burden Tuberculosis countries globally.
The estimated 2.5 million cases in the region in 2020 accounted for a quarter of the global burden, with more than half a million African lives sadly lost to this curable and preventable disease.
Under the WHO End Tuberculosis Strategy, countries should aim to reduce Tuberculosis cases by 80 per cent and cut deaths by 90 per cent by 2030 compared with 2015. The strategy also sets key milestones that countries should cross by 2020 and 2025 if they are to end the disease.
The 2025 milestone seeks a 50 per cent reduction in cases and a 75 per cent decline in deaths. Tuberculosis cases should drop by 10 per cent every year to meet the 2025 target, yet the current rate of decline in cases stands at two per cent. From 2025 to 2030 countries should reduce cases by 17 per cent every year.
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