File photo: Security men stand guard at the parliament gate in Abuja, Nigeria. (AP)The House of Representatives has resolved to temporarily ban visitors from the legislative complex to check the spread of coronavirus in Nigeria.
Experts have expressed dissatisfaction with the inadequacy of the GeneXpert test machine required for accurate and effective detection and diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Nigeria.
The GeneXpert test machine is the latest technology designed and recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), for accurate and timely Tuberculosis test.
According to the experts, early detection and accurate diagnosis is essential to winning the battle against the disease which is regarded as the world’s deadliest infectious killer.
Report has it that Tuberculosis kills nearly 3,975 people daily while Nigeria is ranked sixth among the 30 high TB burden countries and first in Africa with 18 Nigerians dying every hour due to TB.
The experts gave this indication at a Pre-World TB Day media conference organized to intimate stakeholders and members of the public with the activities planned to mark this year’s World TB Day 2020 which will come up on the 24th of March 2020.
National Coordinator, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) Dr. Adebola Lawanson, who gave an overview of the TB situation in Nigeria, said that out of the 398 pieces of the test machine available in the country, only two were procured by the government while the rest were procured by donor agencies and international partners.
Dr. Lawanson stressed that this was inadequate if Nigeria was to effectively combat the scourge of Tuberculosis, adding that the country require to have at least one of the test machine in each of the 774 local government areas, which means there is still a shortfall of 376 pieces of the test equipment required to start with.
Other experts who spoke at the conference also complained of inadequate funding by the federal government to fight the scourge, saying of the 278 million dollars needed for TB control in Nigeria in the year 2019, only 40 percent was available to all the implementers of TB control activities (8% domestic and 32% donor funds, leaving a 60 percent funding gap.
In his remark, Chairman House Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Hon. Sarki Dahiru, promised the cooperation and support of the national assembly to TB control in the country, saying the house will work with relevant agencies of government to ensure easy passage of budget for TB control as well as ensure 90 percent fund release by the budget office.
Hon. Dahiru added that he will encourage each of the 360 members of the Federal House of Representatives to procure at least one GeneXpert test machine for their constituencies in order to bridge the shortfall currently being experienced in the availability of the test machine.
The World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is marked every march 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic impact of TB and urge acceleration of efforts to end the global TB epidemic.
The theme for this year’s celebration is: “It’s Time To End Tb In Nigeria, with the slogan, “ Check that cough, time no dey!”
Murtala Muhahammed Airport, Lagos
The Federal Government of Nigeria has closed it’s doors on 13 high-risk Coronavirus countries, including the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Italy and China.
The Federal Ministry of Health has announced five new cases of coronavirus bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to eight.
According to the statemet, all the five new cases had a travel history to the United Kingdom and the United States, The PUNCH reports.
Three of the new cases arrived from the US while the other two arrived from the UK.
Four of the cases were Nigerians including a six-week-old baby while the fifth was a foreign national who came in through the land border.
This is the first recorded case of the infection through Nigeria’s land borders.
Details later…
Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole | Photo credit: Premium Times
The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole has promised to change his leadership style so as to get along with other leaders of the party.
Speaking today,March 17 at the opening of the party’s National Working Committee meeting in Abuja, Oshiomhole said that he would reconcile his style of leadership with that of other members of the party so that they can work together.
The APC strong man dmitted that he is not a perfect being but that his sincerity of purpose cannot be denied.
Oshiomhole insisted that conflict is natural in a party of the APC size, even as he claimed that the APC is united and not divided.
According to Oshiomhole, parties that are pro-people usually have more challenges than conservative parties.
He thanked the judiciary for overturning the high court ruling saying internal differences will be settled internally.
Boss Mustapha
Nigeria’s Federal Government has banned all government officials from embarking on foreign trips as the world continues to battle to COVID-19 disease.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, made the declaration on Tuesday after the inaugural meeting of the Presidential Task Force Team on the COVID-19.
He advised Nigerians coming in from outside the country to self-isolate themselves for 14 days.
Details later…
Saudi Arabia has banned all forms of congregational prayers, including Friday (Jum’at) in Mosques across the country as one of the measures to control coronavirus.
A team put together by President Muhammadu Buhari to advise him on how to run the nation’s economy has advised him to revise the 2020 budget in the face of the recent fall in oil price across the globe.
China has announced that Favipiravir, influenza drug which was approved for clinical use in Japan in 2014, can cure the currently raging coronavirus.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu has said that in the last six months of the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) sector has helped to create over 900,000 jobs.He said that this was even as data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that Nigeria saved over N1 trillion in the importation of raw materials in both 2017 and 2018.
The minister made this known today, March 16, at the opening of the 2020 Science, Technology and Innovation Expo with the theme: ”Enhancing The Growth Of A Diversified Economy Through Science And Technology.”
The minister, who said that data for 2019 is yet to be released, said that patents from scientists and engineers, who passed through the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), an agency under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, have continued to increase.
”In 2015, the first year of the Buhari administration, it was only six. In 2016; it was 16, 50 in 2017, 55 in 2018 and 57 in 2019.”
Ogbonnaya Onu said that the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus crisis across the globe is a wake-up call to Nigeria to intensify efforts to manufacture goods locally and patronize made-in-Nigeria products.
“The Presidential Executive Order No. 5 and the National Strategy for Competitiveness in Raw Materials and Product Development in the country already passed by the Federal Executive Council will help in realizing this noble objective.”
The minister commended President Buhari for the many efforts he has made to promote STI, including making the sector the centre of all economic activities under the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017-2020.
Meanwhile, President Buhari has granted full scholarship up to the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree level to three secondary students who emerged winners at the year 2020 Young Nigerian Scientists Presidential Award Competition.
The scholarship is in any science-related discipline of their choice at any university in the country.
The President commended the creativity and competitive spirit of the three young scientists who emerged tops in the competition tagged 774 Young Nigerian Scientists Presidential Award (774 YONSPA).
The students are Masters Akintade Abdullahi Akanbi of Osun State from Osogbo Government High School Osogbo, Osun State, who came first; while the second positions went to Uwakwe Nelson Kamsiyochukwu of Anambra State from British Spring College, Awka and Aimofumhe Eshiobomhe Sigmus of FCT from the School of the Gifted, Gwagwalada, Abuja, respectively.
President Buhari noted that Nigeria’s greatest resource is its human capital, assuring that his administration would continue to support human resource development.
“This is richly embodied in our youth who make up tens of millions of incredibly talented persons, constantly pushing and striving towards greatness. The future of Nigeria belongs to our youth.
“This Administration will therefore continue to create the enabling environment for them to develop to the fullest, their potentials.
“We will harness their energy and their talents to make Nigeria achieve true greatness.”
The President reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to partner with the private sector on science, technology and innovation sector development towards ensuring that the sector plays the very important role in advancing the frontiers of knowledge for nation building.
“Government will continually support the creation of intervention funds to strengthen research and development, human capacity building programmes and collaboration with the organized private sector.
“We will continue to work towards the realisation of the National Research and Innovation Fund. I am aware, this Fund will help promote research activities in our country.”
The President directed the minister of science and technology to create the needed opportunities to ensure that Nigerian scientists work towards providing solutions to the nation’s challenges of insecurity, unemployment, poverty, healthcare delivery and power, among others.
The President said that if Nigerian potentials in the Science and Technology Sector are properly harnessed, with the enabling environment created, 100 million Nigerians will be taken out of poverty in the next ten years.
“This remains my aim for Nigerians,” he stressed, noting that Nigerians at home and abroad have always demonstrated remarkable ingenuity and inventiveness and with the right environment, and policy framework, there is no limit to how far Nigerian innovation can go.
“A prime example of an outstanding Nigerian is Mal. Jelani Aliyu, who is now Director-General of the National Automatic Design and Development Council.
“Malam Jelani designed the General Motors of America’s leading auto brand the Chevrolet Volt. Now he is assuring Nigerians that all the cars that took part in Argungu Motor Rally were assembled in Nigeria.”
