Ekiti Governor, Fayemi seeks support of transport unions to curb inter-state travels

The Ekiti State Governor,  Kayode Fayemi  has called for the support of the road transport unions in the state in enforcing the ban on inter-state travels to prevent further spread of the Coronavirus.

He made the call at a meeting between the members of the Ekiti State COVID-19 Task Force and the leadership of the various transport unions in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday.

Fayemi, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Biodun Omoleye, expressed government concern at the frequent violations of the ban on inter-state travels.

He warned that government would no longer take kindly with anyone who sabotage government orders.

The governor said this was imperative, in view of the latest confirmed positive case, involving the wife of a military officer, who succeeded in travelling from Katsina State to Ekiti State, in spite of the lockdown.

Speaking on behalf of the transport unions, the state Chairman of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Mr Rotimi Olanbiwonnu, pledged the cooperation and support for government in reducing further spread of the pandemic.

He said the leadership of the unions had agreed that the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic was a collective one and promised to help put a stop to the illegal routes and travels, once they get the Governor’s order.

He said the unions had knowledge of all illegal routes being used to access the state by some drivers, saying they would help shut them down working with security agencies.

In attendance at the parley were the leadership of NURTW, RTEAN, NACT, OKADA and Tricycle Riders Association, among others.

We’ll Feed Schoolchildren At Home, FG Insists

The Federal Government, has insisted on feeding schoolchildren in their home, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, announced on Wednesday.

Speaking on Wednesday at the Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja, Umar-Farouq said the government had overhauled the school feeding programme in a way to ensure that schoolchildren were fed at home despite the lockdown.

She said, “We have made progress in the overhauling of the homegrown school feeding programme and sensitisation has already begun in the three frontline states of Ogun, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory for implementation.

“The overhauling was sequel to a March 29, 2020 directive by Mr President to identify modalities and continuation of the school feeding programme during the COVID-19 pandemic in the lockdown states as of then.”

She noted that following the directives, her ministry in the collaboration with state governors worked out modalities for the implementation home feeding programme, adding that the initiative was set to commence.

“The plan has been adopted, with implementation now set to begin. The programme will therefore be carried out based on data provided and structures put in place by participating states with support from partners that include the World Food Programme.”

The minister had explained that the food would be distributed door-to-door, as vouchers would be allocated at specific collection times to avoid overcrowding.

She explained that the vouchers would be redeemed at designated distribution sites.

This came as the Federal Government on Wednesday handed food items to the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for vulnerable women across the country.

Umar-Farouq presented over the items to the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Pauline Tallen, in Abuja

Fuel price to reduce further as NNPC announces 17.9% reduction in depot price

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Wednesday announced a 17.94 per cent reduction in the ‘ex-depot’ price of petrol.

The price was reduced from N113.28k per litre petrol was sold to marketers in the previous month to about N108.00K per litre.

Ex-depot price is the ceiling price at which petroleum products depot owners or terminal operators are expected to sell to marketers. The marketers, through their various filling stations, then sell to the end users.

With the reduction of the ex-depot price, a new retail price of petrol is expected to be announced by the appropriate agency, PPPRA.

The new ex-depot price is coming almost a week into the new month, following the promise last month by the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, that a new pricing template for petroleum products would be released every first of a new month.

The latest review is expected to further bring down the retail pump price at NNPC filling stations in line with the new spirit of competition among marketers under the recent partial deregulation policy announced by the NNPC GMD for the country’s downstream sector.

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), responsible for price modulation and regulation, is expected to unveil a new fuel pricing template across the country for the month.

At the previous ex-depot price of N113.28 per litre, the PPPRA announced the current fuel price band of N125 per litre (Upper limit) and N123.50 per litre (Lower limit) within which the marketers could sell their products.

The spokesperson of the NNPC, Kennie Obateru, quoted the Managing Director of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Musa Lawan, as saying the new ex-depot price reflects the company’s market strategy to make more sales.

Mr Lawan said the NNPC, which is in charge of many mega filling stations operating in some state capitals across the country, will still comply with a new pump price approved by the PPPRA.

The pump price is the amount the consumers of petroleum products pay at the fuel stations or retail outlets across the country.

The PPMC chief explained that the new price regime would enable PPMC to boost its sales volumes from the billions of litres of petrol in its storage, while providing affordable products to millions of customers.

He said the new price was arrived at after extensive review of market realities by the PPMC’s internal price review unit.

He, however, explained that the price of diesel, which was fully deregulated years ago, will still be determined by market forces.

On March 18, 2020, the NNPC reviewed its ex-coastal, ex-depot and NNPC retail pump prices for petrol.

Consequently, effective March 19, 2020, NNPC ex-coastal price for petrol was reviewed downwards from N117.6 per litre to N99.44 per litre, while ex-depot price was cut down from N133.28 per litre to N113.28 per litre. (Premium Times)

COVID-19: I did not recommend self-medication ― Bauchi governor

The Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammad, said by revealing the drug used while in isolation, he was not encouraging self-medication by people that contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) recalled that Gov. Bala Mohammad had on Wednesday, April 29, said that the state’s medical team had used chloroquine and Zithromax to cure him of the deadly novel virus.

The governor spoke while giving an update on the situation of the coronavirus disease in the state.

“I was a COVID-19 patient; I told the world and I have been asked to say how I got cured and I told them how I got cured.

“ I recommended that should be done to other patients too; I have no apology for saying that I used chloroquine, Zithromax, zinc, iron, and vitamin C to get cured.

“However, it was God that cured me, and to me, it is better to take something rather than sit down and die.

“If you have symptoms of fever, you can take chloroquine to cure it; if you have symptoms of infection, you can take Zithromax to cure it.

“You do not need a Doctor, but the Doctors are prescribing; I didn’t take these things on my own and I’m not recommending that people should go and use these without the recommendation of their case managers,” he said.

The governor, who said it was a common knowledge that Coronavirus had no vaccine or drugs, prayed God to heal all the patients in the state.

NAN reports that Bauchi state had recorded 83 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with six discharged so far, and 77 still active.

No death has so far been reordered in the state as a result of the pandemic.

[NAN]

Pinnick: FIFA’s $500m Donation Not Covid-19 Palliative

President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick says the $500 million donated by the Federation of International Football Association, FIFA, to member associations is not a palliative for COVID-19.

FIFA last month doled out $150m to member association and said the money is for immediate financial assistance to mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19 on football member associations.”

FIFA’s 211 member associations would receive $500,000 as well as any remaining entitlements for 2019 and 2020.

Pinnick insists the money is the yearly statutory allocation given to member federations by FIFA for the smooth running of football and maintained that the money is for sports development in the country.

“As part of our efforts to remain transparent with financial dealings and because I have seen a few enquiries about FIFA’s release of funds to member associations, I feel it’s my duty to update on how things stand,”reads a Tweet on Pinnick’s Twitter handle.

Covid-19: Ekiti to Prosecute Patient, Quarantines Seven Kano Returnees

The Ekiti State Government has vowed to prosecute a Covid-19 patient who brought the disease from Katsina State despite the lockdown order and prohibition of interstate movements in the state.

In a bid to prevent the importation of Covid-19 to Ekiti State, the government has also quarantined seven men who forcefully entered the state from Kano and three other females who came from Oyo State.

The woman, who came from Katsina to visit her husband, a military man working in Ekiti State, was discovered to have contracted Covid-19 after her husband alerted the task force when she started manifesting symptoms.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, who spoke in Ado Ekiti Wednesday, said the woman who came to visit her husband at a time there was a lockdown had committed an offence, which she said flagrantly violated the law of the state.

“Though, It was the husband who alerted us, but it was an offence against the state and the Ministry of Justice will take appropriate actions against her at the right time,” she said.

The commissioner added that the woman’s husband, who was the only main contact, has been quarantined for 14 days in line with the World Health Organisation’s guidelines.

“Let me also tell the public that all the patients in the isolation centre are stable and responding to treatment. And those who are persistently positive to testing are still being kept. With the level we have gone, we have nothing to worry about.

“The only fear we have is the fact that the curfew has been relaxed and people are not observing social distancing. People are still coming into the state through the borders via forceful and illegal means,” she said.

Yaya-Kolade said Governor Kayode Fayemi is liaising with the federal government for the building of a Covid-19 laboratory in the state.

Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Public Health, Dr. Jimlas Ogunsakin, revealed that seven people who returned to the state from Kano and three other females who forcefully entered Ekiti had been quarantined to contain the spread of the deadly scourge.

“We got several tip offs from people and we acted on them. The Kano returnees came to Adeparusi estate in Adebayo and some came to Atinkankan area. We got the information from the public and we got them arrested and they were quarantined immediately,” Ogunsakin said.

On the wellbeing of the patients at the isolation centre, he said: “Water facilities and others are freely provided. Before we started using the place, it was renovated optimally. We give food three times daily to all the patients despite that the protocols didn’t entail that.”

The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Muyiwa Olumilua, said government has constituted an Environmental Taskforce to monitor compliance with protocols at market places, religious centres, banks and by commercial motorcyclists.

Olumilua said starting from Friday, the security agencies have been given the matching orders to arrest those not using the masks, adding that such people will be prosecuted.(This Day)