How Nigeria can defeat COVID-19 – Osinbajo

The challenge posed by the coronavirus pandemic can only be defeated through careful coordination and collaborative efforts of the government, public and private sectors, as well as philanthropists, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has said.

 

Mr Osinbajo said given the unprecedented nature of the global pandemic, both in its impact and severity, it was clear that it was a challenge the public sector alone cannot tackle.

 

“As the pandemic’s impact is unprecedented, so too is the commitment of Nigerians both at home and abroad, who have rallied to help one another and stand in solidarity against this deadly virus,” he said.

 

The vice president spoke on Thursday in Abuja at an event to announce the impending launch of a Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) to provide additional support for Nigeria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The fund is an initiative of Global Citizen, a global movement committed to ending extreme poverty by 2030, in collaboration with Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) to enable Nigerians at home or in the diaspora as well as international donors to contribute to Nigeria’s fight against the pandemic.

 

The event hosted by the NSIA and chaired by the vice president also had the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, in attendance.

 

Others present included the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NSIA, Jide Zeitlin, and the Managing Director, Uche Orji, with Global Citizen represented by the Chairman of Global Citizen Nigeria, Babatunde Folawiyo, and the Vice-Chairman, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede.

 

Mr Osinbajo noted the significant health, social and economic challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has presented across the world, adding that the Nigerian government instituted measures to contain the spread of the virus.

 

Despite efforts to increase access to testing, ensure contact tracing and isolation as well as implementation of social distancing to contain the potentially devastating impact of this deadly virus, he said more support was needed.

 

“The government of Nigeria is delighted that the NSIA, together with the world’s leading international advocacy organization, Global Citizen, and their partners, have embarked on a process to set up a new funding vehicle,” he said.

 

“The NSSF will provide support to our most vulnerable communities in the fight against COVID-19,” he added.

 

The NSIA Board Chairman, Mr Zeitlin, said the NSSF would be incorporated as a non-government charitable foundation to be managed professionally and transparently governed in line with global best practices.

 

He said the advisory board of the fund would comprise eminent and qualified men and women to ensure the funds are effectively used and properly accounted for, to the benefit of all Nigerians. (Premium Times)

COVID-19: EFCC Hands Over Property to Lagos State Govt for Isolation Centre

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, May 15, 2020, handed over a property forfeited by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke to the Lagos State government for use as an isolation centre for COVID-19 patients.

The property consisting six flats of three bedrooms and a boys’ quarter was forfeited by Mrs Allison-Madueke  following an order of Lagos State Federal High in 2017.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Lagos Zonal Head of the EFCC, Mohammed Rabo stated that the gesture was part of the Commission’s social responsibility efforts towards the fight against the spread of Corona virus.

“In addition to our mandate to fight economic and financial crimes, the Commission is committed and ready to render essential services that may be required of it in the fight against covid-19.

Therefore, Lagos State should not hesitate to call on the Commission anytime the need for such essential service arises,” he said. 

In his remarks, the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, thanked the Commission for the gesture, noting that it was a welcome collaboration between the Federal and Lagos State Government.

While assuring the Commission that the property would be put to good use, the governor thanked the EFCC for paying attention to the efforts of the state government at containing COVID 19.

He added that “part of the challenges we have been facing is getting isolation centres for COVID-19 patients. We will go round the facility to see what we can do to improve on it.”

(EFCC)

Tragedy As Missing Seven-Year-Old Girl Found Dead Inside Co-tenants Vehicle In Ekiti

Olujoda area of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital on Friday, was thrown into mourning when the corpse of a 7-year -old girl Olagoke Morire, was found dead inside a vehicle owned by a co-tenant.

It was gathered that Morire and her twin sister, Olagoke Mokore were with their cousin in their apartment before they went out to buy biscuits.

The mother of the deceased Kehinde Ajayi said her daughter got missing around 1:15 pm after Mokore left her in the compound to fetch the money she forgot in the room.

Ajayi said the deceased’s twin sister and her neighbors raised the alarm when she could not be found and the situation prompted them to conduct a search for the girl around the compound, which proved abortive until 8 pm when her corpse was found inside a co-tenant’s vehicle that was parked in their compound.

“When we woke up in the morning I took care of my children as usual. They are twins. I gave them money to buy biscuits and left them in the house with my cousin.

“Suddenly, I received a distress call from one of my neighbors around 3 pm that Morire was missing and that they have searched everywhere but they could find her. I quickly left what I was doing and rushed home. We searched everywhere to look for her yet we didn’t find her. We reported the incident to Ologede Police Division and we were told to wait for 24hrs before they could take any action.

“It was later around 8 pm that someone discovered her corpse inside a vehicle parked in our compound with her body peeled off”, she added.

When contacted, the Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, Abutu Sunday confirmed the incident, describing it as unfortunate.

“It was true that a teenager was declared missing and the parents reported the incident in our division at Ologede. So, all efforts to recover the little girl turned out unsuccessful until 8 pm. She was found lifeless in one of the cars parked within their compound”.

He said the corpse of the deceased had been deposited in the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital’s morgue in Ado-Ekiti, adding that autopsy would be conducted to unravel the cause of the teenager’s death.

Vanguard

Death of Ponmo Seller Sparks Protests in Ekiti

A woman, Sefiat Useni, who lived at Oketoro area of Iyin-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun local government area of Ekiti State, was gruesomely murdered in her room in a mysterious circumstance at midnight on Wednesday, which has sparked protests.

It was learnt that the deceased, a ‘ponmo’ seller who lived alone, was hit on the head with a pestle and she died on her bed. It was further revealed that her body and the room where she was murdered were drenched with blood as a result of the severe head injury she sustained.

The death caused violent protest on Wednesday at Iyin, as Ebira people and the deceased kinsmen demanded that a man arrested in connection with the murder should be handed over to them for possible jungle justice.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti command, Mr. Sunday Abutu, said the cause of the death is being thoroughly investigated. “We have arrested a suspect in respect of this murder and he is being detained at the CID section,” he said.

Minister Flags Off Home Grown School Feeding Programme In Abuja

The Minister, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq has flagged off the modified Home Grown School Feeding Programme in the FCT.

Sadiya Farouq performed the commencement of the programme today in Kuje, Abuja.

She said that the Modified Home Grown School Feeding is a National Programme funded by the Federal Government but implemented by the states.

According to Farouq, '' the ministry is working hard with our partners both at National and International levels to mitigate the challenge posed by hunger especially during this trying period.''

The Minister disclosed that she was in Kuje to flag off the commencement of the modified programme in the FCT and to also conduct a spot check of the operations.

Farouq explained that hunger is a serious by-product of this pandemic crisis, which is why from the onset the Ministry has been evolving strategies to facilitate humanitarian interventions in the country.

She maintained that the commencement of the school feeding programme today was based on Mr. President’s directive to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to liaise with State governments to develop strategies on the continuation of the school feeding programme.

She further disclosed that the Ministry in consultation and collaboration with State governments identified the distribution of Take-Home Rations (THR) to the households of the children on the programme as a feasible method of achieving this directive after exploring several options, this according to her is a globally accepted means of supporting children to continue to have access to nutrient rich foods despite disruptions to the traditional channels of school feeding.

She highlighted that beginning from today in Abuja, this programme will target parents and guardians of children in primary 1 to 3 in public schools participating in the programme.

‘’We are working with the World Food Programme, who are providing technical support while other agencies of Government have been invited to provide an extra layer of monitoring. They include the DSS, EFCC, ICPC, Code of Conduct Bureau and a host of NGOS and CSOS. The Ministry is using the opportunity of the Programme to collect and verify data with the support of CSOs and NGOs’’, she added.

The programme will impact 3,131,971 households across the nation out of which the FCT has 29,609 households. The Take Home Rations will be distributed to parents and guardians of the children in six Area Councils in FCT- Kuje, Kwali and Abaji on Thursday and Friday while the distributions continue in Amac, Bwari and Gwagwalada on Monday and Tuesday next week.

Sadiya Farouq said Lagos and Ogun states are next ports of call before the programme moves to other states of the Federation.

In his remarks, the Nigeria Country Director, World Food Programme, Paul Howe, noted that everyone shares the aspiration for Nigeria to be a country with zero hunger but COVID-19 had really been a setback.

He said the WFP and other partners are in support of the Ministry's leadership in trying to address in a high quality, effective and timely manner the crises of hunger caused by COVID-19.

Howe encouraged more collaboration between the Ministry and other partners to achieve zero hunger for Nigeria. (CKN News)

Laylatul Qadr Is Not a Carnival Night

Laylatul Qadr Is Not a Carnival Night

The manner with which some of us observe the night is quite different from what is expected of us.

The night of power otherwise known as Laylatul Qadr is a prominent night in the month of Ramadan.

It is the night we are expected to seek from the 20th of Ramadan to the end of the holy month.

However, seeking the night requires Muslims to stay up all night observing vigil (Tahajud), remembering Allah (adhkar), reciting the Holy Qur'an and other forms of Ibadah.

However, the manner with which some of us observe the night is quite different from what is expected of us. Some people sees the night of majesty as some forms of entertainment.

This stems from the misconceptions we have about the night. In the Holy Qur'an Allah informed us about the night and its virtues.

Allah says:

"The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn."

Literally, this means worshipping Allah on this night is equivalent to 83.3 years. And is the reason why Muslims are expected to devote the whole of the last 10 days to the worship of their Lord.

However, this is not the case in most Muslim communities. Laytul Qadr has a different meaning in these communities as it comes with funfare and entertainment.

The night of majesty has no specific date. The prophet only enjoined us to observe it in the last 10 days and seek it within the odd days of the period. The night comes on the 21, 23, 25, 27 and 29 of Ramadan.

Laylatul Qadr in some communities has become more or less a praise jamz because it has some elements of carnival. It comes with drums, music and food to entertain the guest. Only few hour is spent for Ibadah.

That is not the version of the night of power Allah and his Prophet informed us about.

Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: I asked: "O Messenger of Allah! If I realize Lailat-ul-Qadr (Night of Decree), what should I supplicate in it?'' He (PBUH) replied, "You should supplicate: Allahumma innaka `afuwwun, tuhibbul-`afwa, fa`fu `anni (O Allah, You are Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness; so forgive me).'' [At-Tirmidhi].

It is a night to seek forgiveness, praise Allah, pray for ourselves, and repent from our sins. It is not called the night of majesty and power for no reason.