The Ahmadiyya Muslim Hospital in Kano state has treated free, no fewer than 201 persons suffering from various eye defects. Out of the number, 76 were selected for Cataract surgery. a statement from the hospital said that many of those who benefitted from the programme came from other parts of the country.
The Head of the team, Dr. Mudassar Ahmad said the programme is part of the hospital’s corporate social responsibility to the people of the state. Ahmad said that the Hospital had organized medical camps in parts of the state to meet eye needs of the people, mostly aged men and women. He said that the hospital had, in December, organized a free medical camp at Garun Mallam Local Governed Area of the state where the team gave succor to some visually impaired persons. “The patients received consultation and drugs free of charge while those with Cataract were selected for surgery. “Fifteen patients who were earlier selected in previous camps also benefitted from Cataract surgery.”
A cross section of the beneficiaries expressed appreciation to Ahmadiyya Muslim Hospital for the gesture, saying that they had been battling eye problems but could not effort the treatment until the hospital came to their aid. [myad]
The Federal Government has declared December 26 and 27 as public holidays to mark the Christmas and Boxing Day. The Government also declared January 2, 2017 as public holiday to mark the New Year. The Minister of Interior, retired Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazau, made the declaration in a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday. In the statement signed by the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido, the minister called for peace and unity in the country. He enjoined all Christian faithful and Nigerians in general to remain committed and supportive of the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari in his sustained efforts toward building a peaceful, united and prosperous nation. Dambazau also urged Nigerians to use the occasion to pray for peace, unity and peaceful co-existence across the country. The Minister wished all Nigerians at home and abroad, a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year 2017. [myad]
Embattled Gambia President, Yahya Jammeh, has condemned the West Africa economic bloc, the Economic Community Of West Africa (ECOWAS), for dabbling into the internal problem of his country by asking him to step down following his election defeat.
Speaking at a meeting with members of the African Bar Association (ABA) that was televised in Gambia, President Jammeh said that the position taken by the regional body had violated its own principle of “non-interference in the affairs of a sovereign state.”
“They told me to send a representative only for the representative to be told that… Jammeh must hand over and that on the 19 of January all ECOWAS heads of states will be in the Gambian capital, Banjul to see the inauguration of the president elect,” he said.
“This is violating one rule that says non-interference in the internal affairs of countries…,” he added.
He spoke about the court case where he has challenged the election result.
“Knowing that we have a strong case, they said we should not go to the court and irrespective of the court decision if you proceed – they know that I am going to proceed – they will enforce the December election results.
“Let them enforce it today and see. What are they waiting for? I will not be intimidated by any power in this world.”
Gambia was plunged into a crisis on December 9 after Jammeh rejected the results, a week after conceding defeat to a little known property developer, Adama Barrow.
The term of the long-standing ruler is set to expire on Jan. 19.
Leaders of the ECOWAS had called on Jammeh to step down during its meeting in Nigeria on Dec. 17. They also vowed “to take all necessary action to enforce the [election] results”, without spelling out what those measures might be.
Jammeh, who continues to cling to power, has ruled Gambia with an iron fist for 22 years. Gambians got only “a week of democracy” between the president first declaring he accepts the election result and when he claimed there have been irregularities in the process.
On Dec. 2, Jammeh surprised everyone when he extended a helping hand to his successor on national television. With smiles and jokes, a style uncharacteristic of Gambia’s tough-talking military ruler, he had telephoned Barrow to express his readiness to offer any advice that might be needed.
However, a week later on Friday, Jammeh announced in a nationally-televised address that he was rejecting the outcome of the election in its “totality”, citing irregularities in the process, creating a new political crisis in the country.
Jammeh said he initially accepted the results because he thought it was the “verdict of the Gambian people” before he discovered that “unacceptable irregularities” had taken place, including the alleged disenfranchisement of voters in some cases.
He called for a fresh election that would be supervised by a “completely independent electoral commission and make sure that every Gambian votes.”
He said the ECOWAS delegation had met him and the opposition, and then came back to him to say that the result reflected the will of the Gambian people.
“I said: ‘how the hell do you mean by this is the will of the Gambian people when 360,000 voters have not voted, 40 percent of the registered voters didn’t vote, for the first time’,” he said.
“I made it very clear that I will not accept it and that is where I stand up to today… All I want is to go back to the Gambian people and this is where I stand today, tomorrow and a day after tomorrow for a billion years.”
According to the current “contentious” results of the country’s electoral authorities, Jammeh got 208,487 votes, while Adama Barrow received 227,708 votes and Mamma Kandeh 89,768 votes.
The total voter registration was 886,578 votes which means that 360,615 (or about 41 percent voters) did not vote, a point that Jammeh raised concern about though it was the same percentage of people who did not vote in the 2006 elections as well.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set up a high-powered, four-man Committee to investigate the role of its staff in the conduct of the Rivers National and State Assembly re-run elections which took place on Saturday, 10th.
A statement from the the Commission said that the Committee’s terms of reference are to:
-Review the preparations and deployment of personnel and material on the eve of the elections;
-Identify the factors leading to the apparent failure of processes in some Local Government Areas (LGAs);
-Determine the involvement and possible culpability of INEC officials in the conduct and outcome of the elections;
-Recommend appropriate sanctions against officials involved in any infractions and commendation for exceptional performance; and
-Advise the Commission on any matter considered relevant to the assignment.
Members of the Committee are:
Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu, Chairman
AVM Ahmed T. Mu’azu, (National Commissioner) member
Professor Jacob Jatau, (Resident Electoral Commissioner, FCT), Member
Omoloja Tajudeen, Deputy Director (Discipline).
The statement said that the Committee is to submit its report on Monday, 30th January 2017.
It said that in respect of INEC staff facing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over the conduct of the 2015 General Elections, it had decided that appropriate disciplinary action be meted out to them based on the INEC Staff Conditions of Service
The statement said that the Commission has also approved the promotion of 1,307 of its staff across the country and that the approval came after a meeting of the Commission held at the INEC headquarters, Abuja.
A breakdown of those promoted shows that 14 were officers promoted from Grade Level (GL) 16 to the rank of Grade Level (GL) 17 (substantive Directors) while 1,293 were officers from Grade Levels (GL) 7 to 16.
It said that all the staff promoted passed their promotion examinations and successfully met the rigorous criteria set by the Commission.
Meanwhile, four Directors of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the Headquarters, Abuja, who recently retired after meritoriously serving the Commission, were yesterday recognized and appreciated with gift items by Directors in the Commission’s headquarters.
In a ceremony organized in their honour, held at the Commission’s Headquarters, Abuja, Chairman of the occasion, The Director-General of the Electoral Institute, Professor Abubakar Momoh, said the occasion was held to honour the Directors whom he said had distinguished themselves in the service of the Commission and the country at large.
He said that retirement was not a death sentence but a time to open new vistas and explore new opportunities to serve in other capacities. He advised the retired Directors not to let their wealth of experience lie fallow but see themselves as assets to the Commission and the nation.
In his remarks, the Director, Human Resources Management (HRM), and Acting Secretary to the Commission, Musa Hamidu Adamu, said the nature of the job was a challenging one and to retire without blemish was a great achievement. He congratulated the four recipients and wished them well in their future endeavours.
In his remarks, the Director of ICT, Chidi Nwafor, expressed the Commission’s profound gratitude to the retired Directors and for their selfless service and contributions to the nation. He implored them to see themselves as part of the system.
Those who were honoured are:
Barr. Ibrahim K. Bawa (SAN)
Alh. Isa Lawal Wase
iii. Engr. Moses Udoh
Alh. Ishiaku Gali
Responding on their behalf, Alhaji Ishiaku Gali, expressed gratitude to the Commission for the kind and unprecedented gesture. He said: “I believe this is the first time this gesture is being done. It will go down in history as a remarkable event”.
He implored the Commission to continue recognizing hard work and selfless service. Alhaji Gali urged serving Directors to continue to do their best in serving the Commission and the country.
The high point of the event was the presentation of plaques for meritorious service to the recipients and presentation of gift items by the D-G of The Electoral Institute and other serving Directors. [myad]
Following a firearm attack by a man who is now in police custody, at the US Embassy in Ankara main gate yesterday, the Embassy in Ankara has issued a statement saying that it mission to Turkey will be closed. According to the statement, an individual approached the US Embassy Ankara main gate and discharged a firearm. There have been no reported injuries and the individual is in police custody. The statement said: “due to this incident, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, and the U.S. Consulate in Adana will be closed for normal operations on Tuesday.” The US Mission also reminded US citizens to review personal security plans, ensure communication connectivity and maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance personal security. US Ambassador to Turkey, John Bass, twitted on Monday: “I condemn in the strongest terms the heinous attack on Ambassador Karlov,” The Arts and Culture Centre of the municipality of Ankara’s Cankaya district, where Russia’s Ambassador, Andrei Karlov was shot dead on Monday, was only 50 metres to the US Embassy. Meanwhile, the US Consulate in Adana informed US citizens that general demonstrations would take place between Ataturk Park and Adana’s Central Train Station. The participants were expected to demonstrate against recent violent terrorist attacks throughout the country and against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. Report said that previous such demonstrations in other cities also included anti-American messages, even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence. [myad]
The umbrella body of all registered political parties and political associations, known as Conference of the Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has asked that the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) be scrapped as it had outlived its usefulness.
A statement signed by its National Chairman, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu claimed that EFCC as the anti corruption agency, has become den of corruption, saying: “recent developments have shown that the EFCC as an anti-corruption institution, has been fingered in shoddy activities, which the commission is yet to provide satisfactory answers to.
“For us in the CNPP, the EFCC as presently established and constituted has outlived its usefulness. A situation where the EFCC is being accused of looting recovered looted funds is not only a dent on the anti-corruption agency but also a clog in wheels of the anti-graft efforts of President Buhari administration.
“No matter the sincerity of any President of Nigeria in the fight against corruption, if the head of the EFCC is rotten, there is nothing he or she can do to succeed.
“The CNPP strongly urges the Senate to be mindful of the antics of persons wishing to be immuned from corruption, who are working to ensure that its effort to strengthen the war against corruption by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, which its rejection of Mr. Ibrahim Magu as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) represents.
“The CNPP has observed that these enemies of Nigeria will stop at nothing to have their way, to the extent that they are now trying to manipulate the Department of State Service (DSS) to rewrite its security report that indicted Mr. Ibrahim Magu. This must not be allowed by all well meaning Nigerians, who wish this country well as the Senate’s rejection of Mr. Magu is in order.
“We wonder why a security report on Mr. Magu should be disputed why security report that indicted Justices of the Supreme Court and some other Judges should be relied upon.
“Does it not speak of double standard? Or are there spanners within the anti-corruption system working to undermine the anti-graft war?
“We warn the DSS not to allow itself to be used by corrupt politicians and corrupt officials of the EFCC, who are putting pressure on the Service to change its security report on Mr. Magu.
“We therefore refer the Senate to an independent investigation by Dr. George Uboh, which detailed the rot in the EFCC since inception. The efforts by the young man to get the eyes of the Federal Government opened on the extent of looting of recovered loots by some EFCC leadership since inception is yet to yield result.
“The Dr. Uboh’s findings and documents in his possession, which the CNPP has seen, will help the Senate a lot in further legislative work on anti-corruption war in Nigeria.
“It is time for the Senate to scrap the EFCC by repealing its establishment Act as the agency has become a den of corruption. If need be, a new anti-graft agency should be established with its members appointed by stakeholders outside the Executive arm of government if we must win the war against corruption in Nigeria.
“If the Senate is now the hope of rescuing the country from those who want to hijack the anti corruption war with the hope of continuing the looting of recovered loots by under-declaring how much they actually recovered from the looters. This has been going on for years and must be stopped.” [myad]
The Federal Government has designed a formula for rewarding any Nigerian that exposes corruption in any form, known as whistleblower.
According to the minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, who dropped this hint on Wednesday shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Aso Presidential Villa, said that the policy is aimed at protecting whistleblowers, adding that five percent of the recovered loot from corrupt public servants would be offered to such Nigerians.
The minister said that the Policy will provide whistleblowing mechanisms and a reward mechanism. She added that it is not only targeted at public servants but also private sector workers.
The Policy is also targeted at strengthening the government’s anti-corruption fight.
The whistleblowing policy is also designed to check fraud in both public and private sectors.
Adeosun said that the policy is to encourage anyone with information about a violation, misconduct or improper activity that impacts negatively on Nigerians and government to report it.
She said that the policy is aimed at:
increasing exposure of financial or financial related crimes;
supporting the fight against financial crimes and corruption;
iii. improving level of public confidence in public entities;
enhancing transparency and accountability in the management of public funds;
improving Nigeria’s Open Government Ranking and Ease of Doing Business Indicators; and,
recovering public funds that can be deployed to finance Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit.
According to her, information that can be submitted include:
mismanagement or misappropriation of public funds and assets (e.g. properties and vehicles);
financial malpractice or fraud;
collecting/ soliciting bribes;
corruption; diversion of revenues;
fraudulent and unapproved payments;
splitting of contracts;
procurement fraud (kickbacks and over-invoicing etc.)
She defined a whistle-blower as any person who voluntarily discloses information in good faith about a possible misconduct or violation that has occurred, is ongoing, or is about to occur.
The minister said that there is a secure online portal where information could be submitted, adding: “if you have already submitted your information, you can also check the status of your report on the portal.”
She said that the policy does not apply to personal matters concerning private contracts or agreements, adding that whistleblowers could submit their information through the online portal by e-mail or by phone.
On whether a whistleblower is entitled to a financial reward, she responded: “it depends.
“If there is a voluntary return of stolen or concealed public funds or assets on the account of the information provided, the whistleblower may be entitled to anywhere between 2.5% (minimum) and 5.0% (maximum) of the total amount recovered.
“You must have provided the government with information it does not already have and could not otherwise obtain from any other publicly available source to the Government.”
Asked if there is protection from false or malicious claims, she said: “yes. A first level review will always be carried out to determine credibility and sufficiency of information received.
“If you report false or misleading information, it will be referred to the enforcement agents for investigation and possible prosecution.”
Adeosun said that government will set up a website and provide a phone number and email for people to use and assured that anonymity will be guaranteed.
The minister said that the new policy was developed by her ministry and that of Justice, saying that it would be presented to the National Assembly for debate and approval. [myad]
A former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi and also the pioneer and immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Professor James Professor James Ortese Ayatse, has emerged as Tor Tiv (paramount traditional ruler) of Tiv land in Benue state.
This came as even President Muhammadu Buhari congratulated him for clinching the coveted traditional rulership, which he said was an affirmation of his strength of character, integrity, and moral authority.
The President, who commended the new ruler for being upright over the years as a lecturer, erudite scholar and administrator, advised his subjects to rally round the new monarch to make his reign as Tor Tiv the fifth, a resounding success.
Buhari asked the paramount ruler to use his revered office as a veritable platform for conflict prevention, peace building and development in the grassroots.
He commended the transparent process that led to the emergence of the royal father after the demise of his predecessor, Alfred Akawe Torkula, Tor Tiv IV, last year, even as he wished the new monarch well as he prepares to ascend the throne of his ancestors.
President Buhari gave assurance that his administration will continue to recognize traditional institutions as key partners in progress in finding lasting solutions to sensitive issues in the country. [myad]
The Federal government has, on Wednesday, released the country postings of the 47 career The Ambassadors are currently undergoing a four-day induction which ends on Thursday.
Activities at the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, on Tuesday, were paralyzed as medical personnel and patients deserted the hospital after Lassa Fever claimed two lives in the hospital.
The victims were an assistant nursing officer, Abolanle Adesuyi and a serving Youth Corps member, whose identity could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
The resurgence of the viral disease, known as Lassa Hemorrhagic fever, came barely four months after the state government declared the state Lassa fever free.
The late corps member was said to be a patient who had been down with the viral disease and had been admitted into the FMC, Abeokuta.
Adesuyi was said to have attended to the corps member, from whom she contacted the virus.
Apparently startled by the death of the two, the hospital management carried out a test at the University College Hospital, Ibadan to determine the cause of death.
The result received on Tuesday confirmed that the victims died of Lassa Fever.
Many medical personnel in the department deserted the place immediately the news of the cause of the death of the the assistant nursing officer was received at the hospital.
Some patients in the hospital, were also said to have pleaded to be discharged.
A doctor and a nurse were reportedly being monitored currently at the intensive care unit of the hospital over the virus.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Segun Orisajo, confirmed that the FMC, Abeokuta, lost an assistant chief nursing officer, Bolanle Adesuyi to the virus.
He said when the virus broke out in the hospital, the hospital management placed Adesuyi and two other members of staff under surveillance.
He said, “Officers of the state Ministry of Health have embarked on a contact tracing exercise to ascertain the number of people that could have also contacted the disease.
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