The Sagi of Lokoja Hajiya Hawakulu Ndambabo felicitates with the FCT Minister Hajiya Dr. Ramatu Tijanni Aliyu (RTA) on the celebration of sallah.

In her words, she said “may Allah continue to guide you as you pilots the affairs of the federal Capital Territory”. According to her, the Minister has demonstrated a high sense of exemplary leadership in moving the FCT to the next level in line with the president Muhamadu Buhari government.

The Sagi has also commended the minister for the continual sense of belonging she has given the Nigerian women especially the FCT women. According to her, every part of the FCT now refers to the minister as mama palliative Considering how she ensured all the area councils under the FCT get the required covid 19 palliative.

By M Idris Alawo.

El-HamdulilLah ! El-HamdulilLah !! El-HamdulilLah !!!

Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse RTA (1900/1975) Today Make Exactly 45yrs Of Your Demise 26 July 1975
@ Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital In London

El-HamdulilLLah Your Fayda Is Growing Every Day

Let The Whole World Remember The Keeper Of Tijjaniyya
May ALLAH Continue Elevating Your Blessful Rank Beloved Master Niasse Goumba AbduLLahi Radiyallahu An’hu & His Blessful Household,Disciples, Lovers & Followers .

Aameen Ya Rabbi Bijaahi SAYYADIL WUJUUDI S.A.W.

In line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda in mobilizing youths to plant 25 million trees in Nigeria, FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has tasked youth in the nation’s capital to ensure the beautification of the territory through planting of trees to achieve improved and sustainable environment.  

The minister who made the call at the flag-off of tree planting project by Nigerian youths in commemoration of the World Youth Skills Day organised by the FCT Social Development Secretariat, also called on the youths to key into skills development as a panacea to reducing unemployment and poverty in the country.  

Aliyu stated that the Sustainable Development Goals No13 emphasized the need for urgent action to combat climate change and its impact, noting that all nations of the world are committed to focus attention of the huge population of youths to tree planting to promote greening and aesthetics of the environment by adoring it with ornamental plants, shrubs, and trees for a sustainable environment.  

“The role of youth in environmental protection cannot be over emphasized. The youth constitute a larger part of the world’s population and young people will have to live longer with the consequences of current environmental decisions than the elders.  

“Future generation will also be affected by these decisions and the extent to which they have addressed concerns such as the depletion of resources, biodiversity loss, and long-lived radioactive waste. It is therefore very significant that we ensure the beautification of the FCT through planting of trees, to rid the FCT of waste to achieve an improved and sustainable environment.  

“The president has therefore charged every Nigerian youth to be committed to the protection of the environment by getting involved in such unique activities like tree planting to propel the green economy and increase citizens’ health,”Aliyu stated.  

The minister therefore urged all youths to imbibe the right attitude that would support government to promote policies on youth development and mainstreaming of youth in all the sectors of development for the actualization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

Aliyu used the occasion to commend the youth in the sensitization of residents on the outbreak of COVID-19 and youth support in the equitable distribution of palliative items to the vulnerable in rural communities.  

Earlier in her remarks, the Ag. Secretary of Social Development Secretariat, Mrs. Dili Onyedinma, noted that engaging youths in environmental protection would not only create direct impact on their behaviours, but also influence their immediate communities, since they have the potential to change the society with their courageous behaviours, stressing that youths are in the heart of sustainable green economy.  

She, therefore, advocated for adequate funding to develop a more robust action plan to expand the scope of the nation’s sovereign green bonds in line with global commitment to achieving a better future for all..  

Austine Elemue
S.A Media To FCT Minister of State
July 16, 2020.

Kogi CJ, Ajanah, Did Not Die Of COVID-19 – Gov Bello 

Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello  has disagreed with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC’s) claim that the late Kogi State Chief Judge, Justice Nasir  Ajanah died of COVID-19, declaring that the legal luminary died naturally.

Justice Ajanah died on Sunday from complications suspected to be from Covid-19 at Gwagwalada Isolation Centre.

The governor while speaking at the 3 days prayers for the repose of the soul of late Ajanah yesterday also called on the people of the state not to give in to fear, saying that COVID-19 was an importation into the country and forced on the people.

The governor  described the disease as worse than banditry, Boko Haram and genocide put together, adding that it was artificial but unfortunately sold to Nigerians.

Kogi CJ, Ajanah, Did Not Die Of COVID-19 – Gov BelloGovernor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello  has disagreed with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC’s) claim that the late Kogi State Chief Judge, Justice Nasir  Ajanah died of COVID-19, declaring that the legal luminary died naturally.

Justice Ajanah died on Sunday from complications suspected to be from Covid-19 at Gwagwalada Isolation Centre.

The governor while speaking at the 3 days prayers for the repose of the soul of late Ajanah yesterday also called on the people of the state not to give in to fear, saying that COVID-19 was an importation into the country and forced on the people.

The governor  described the disease as worse than banditry, Boko Haram and genocide put together, adding that it was artificial but unfortunately sold to Nigerians.

He said that the late Chief Judge, Nasiru Ajanah died a natural death,  urging the people not to attribute his death to anything other than natural as is being insinuated by certain persons for political and mischief purposes.

He advised citizens not to give in to fear and evil of  COVID-19 adding that “it is a diseases that has been imported,  propagated and forced on the people for no just cause.”

He pointed out that nothing kills faster than fear, urging the people not to accept “cut and paste, as COVID-19 is only out to create fear, panic, orchestrated to reduce and shorten the lifespan of the people.”

“Whether medical experts and scientist believe it or not, COVID-19 is out to shorten the lifestyle of the people, it is a disease propagated by force for Nigerians to accept”, he added.

The Senior Special Adviser to Kogi state Governor on Water Resources Hon. Bin-Ebaiya Shehu Tijjani (BEST) commended the Government of Kogi State led by his Excellency Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello for their commitment and unending support in the areas of solving the water challenges in Lokoja Local Government area and Kogi state at large.

Honourable Bin-Ebaiya made the statements today while addressing the Youths at up Garage, Lokoja. One of the site of the ongoing repairs and water reticulation.

Hon. Best described the support from the Yahaya Bello led administration as overwhelming so far and also the unending effort and support of Pharm Abdulkareem Jamiu Asuku the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Honourable commisioner for Water Resources Abdulmumin Danga and Engr Abdulsalam Sagir the General Manager Kogi State water board.

Hon. Tijjani while emphasizing on the need to carry out the repairs across the city said that “the problem of water in Lokoja can’t be solve if the pipes connecting all the streets together are not in good shape.”

He maintained that ‘leakages’ which has lead to water shortage and lack of proper water reticulation across the city is one of the biggest challenges the people of Lokoja are facing for some time now.

He stress the need for Community, Stakeholders and consumers partnership to bring the end to water scarcity in Lokoja the State capital.

As part of measures to assist the FCT Administration in the battle against the spread of COVID-19 pandemic Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has donated an ambulance to assist the Administration to flatten the curve in the territory.  

Presenting the ambulance to FCT Administration, the Ag. Director General of SEC, Ms. Mary Uduk, observed that since the country recorded its COVID-19 index case in February this year, the number of affected persons has been on the increase, leading to emergency situations and in some cases, death.  

Uduk, further noted that in view of the devastation of the virus, the Nigerian capital market community, led by the Securities and Exchange Commission, in April this year, set up the Capital Market Support Committee on COVID-19, to among other things mobilize the necessary resources and coordinate all efforts required in the battle against the pandemic.  

“While we acknowledge the various on-going efforts to combat this pandemic, both from the government and organised private sectors, the capital market recognizes the need to lend its support towards strengthening the available response mechanisms as well as ameilorating the burdens on those affected.  

“The committee has been mobilizing financial support and other resources from capital market participants and stakeholders for the purpose of providing medical and protective supplies as well as other palliatives”, she added.  

Uduk, revealed that the committee has studied relevant data on the pandemic and has identified critical areas of interventions, just as she revealed that in the first phase of the execution of this initiative, the centres with relatively high number of cases, including the FCT have been prioritized.  

While receiving the ambulance on behalf of FCT Administration, Minister of State FCT, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, identified the donation as an essential commodity, stressing that the ambulance would serve the Administration beyond COVID-19 pandemic.  

According to her, “today we have among us the great leadership of the Securities and Exchange Commission. We appreciate so much because a gift remains a gift, but big gift makes the difference.  

“We have received many gifts, but definitely we all know that ambulance will continue to last beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. This remains an essential commodity in the fight against the pandemic. For quick responses we need the ambulance, for efficiency we also need the ambulance. We will use it to move our patients from one place to the other with ease”.  

Austine Elemue
S.A Media To FCT
Minister of State
July 2, 2020.  

As the COVID-19 Incident Commander for Lagos State, I am glad to inform you that the index case the Italian gentleman is now negative.

Through a combined effort of Lagos State, Ogun State and Federal Health Authorities, we were able to limit the transmission if the virus to a single contact.

This involved aggressive contact tracing and containment strategies. However we now have several new imported cases and we hope we can apply the same contact tracing strategy along with social distancing to slow down the outbreak which may be brewing from these new cases.

The index patient consented to donating one unit of white blood (otherwise called plasma) before he was discharged today. The blood plasma is rich in antibody proteins that target #COVID19 virus.

The white blood plasma is frozen in our Bio-bank and will be useful in handling new cases.

The blood plasma will be beneficial for the treatment of new patients in the absence of a defined therapeutic drug for #COVID19 yet.

The index patient appreciated the exceptional care and support given to him by staff of the mainland infectious Disease Hospital,Yaba, all members of the EOC / @followlasg.

The EOC team was extremely happy to bid the patient farewell.

Once again, we like to convey the enthusiasm of our team to do the very best possible in handling incidents of Coronavirus.

*Special committee to coordinate FG, States’ response to Coronavirus pandemic set up

In what reflects a continuous and consistent confrontation of COVID-19 in Nigeria, State governors under the auspices of the National Economic Council (NEC) have set up a Special Committee to coordinate Federal and State governments’ response to deal with the fallout of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Committee which started deliberations immediately after the NEC meeting on Thursday is chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, with the Governors of Jigawa, Edo, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kebbi and Ogun States as members.

The establishment of the Special Committee mandated to coordinate the responses of the Federal Government and States especially as it relates to the socio-economic implications of the pandemic on Nigerians, was the major outcome of the Council meeting which featured several presentations on COVID-19 ranging from the economic to the financial and public health dimensions of the matter.

NEC also strongly recommended that public gatherings should be discouraged and the maximum numbers in any large gathering should be worked out by respective State governments, including schools, social gatherings and worship centres.

Briefing NEC on COVID-19 and Nigeria’s response, the Minister of Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunimbe Mamora and the Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, noted that as at March 17, 2020, 152 countries are confirmed with coronavirus.

The presentation disclosed that in Nigeria there were 53 persons tested, 12 confirmed cases, zero deaths, 1 case discharged, and 3 states with confirmed cases were Lagos, Ogun and Ekiti States, while the type of transmission showed six cases imported from Italy, United States of America and the United Kingdom.

Ehanire who led the presentation said the strategic objective of the response include early detection, confirmed cases and contact tracing, developing and maintaining capacity to effectively manage cases, coordination and communication with Nigerians, noting that about 80% of people recovered from the disease without the need for special treatment.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha who heads the Presidential Task Force also briefed Council on steps already taken by Federal Government to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

At the Council meeting, the following presentations on COVID-19 were made:

i. Briefing on COVID-19 pandemic and Control Measures by the Minister of Health

ii. Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the Nigerian Economy by the Chairman Economic Advisory Council

iii. Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the Nigerian Economy: What is being done, by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

iv. Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on Nigerian petroleum revenues: What is being done, by the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

v. Managing the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on monetary policy by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Also giving an update on the effect of COVID-19 on the oil and gas sector, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr Mele Kyari, said the pandemic has impacted negatively on crude oil production and consumption and is further complicated by the quantity of the crude oil available before the pandemic came in, stressing that this has led to a sharp decline in the price of crude oil to about $22 pb as today.

He said “the price of production now is higher than the selling price of oil, making it very difficult for oil producing companies and nations.”

He however noted that it is not a hopeless situation for Nigeria as measures are being taken to curtail the negative impact it may bring such as reducing the cost and increasing the production “even though budget level for crude oil is $57pb and when the reality of $30pb comes to play, we will still fulfill our obligation to FAAC.”

The NNPC boss also noted that the drop in the crude oil price has significant impact on the price of petroleum products and as a result of that change the price of petroleum products particularly PMS has been brought down to N125 on Wednesday and all NNPC service stations have been directed to comply.

NEC also got update on the balances of the Excess Crude, Stabilization, and the Natural Resources Development Fund, accounts.

The Excess Crude stood at $72, 220,756.74 as at 17th March, 2020, while Stabilization account was put at N35, 806,389,699.67 during the same period. Natural Resources Development Fund account stood at N109, 360,903,475.60 during the period under review.

Laolu Akande’
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity,
Office of the Vice President.
19th March, 2020.

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has urged Muslims to adhere to the directives of the authorised agencies such as Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to curtail the spread of Coronavirus.

In a statement on Thursday by the NSCIA Deputy Secretary General, Prof Salisu Shehu, Sultan Abubakar described Coronavirus as the most virulent the world has had to deal with in recent times.

He said: “Islam is not just a religion in the narrow sense of the word, it is a comprehensive and complete way of life. It has provided guidance to humanity in all aspects of our life. Prophet Muhammad had given us universal guidance on how to conduct ourselves in a pandemic situation like the one in which the world has found itself today. He says ‘whenever you hear of epidemic, do not travel to the affected place, and those already in the place should not travel out to other (unaffected) places’. It is pertinent to point out that if countries had complied with this teaching of the Prophet, the disease would not have quickly and easily spread to other parts of the world like wild fire. However, it is clear that measures taken at quarantining infected persons, prohibiting indiscriminate crowding and banning travels are all in line with the teaching of Prophet Muhammad.

“It is important for everyone to take necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the disease. Such precautions include frequent hand washing with soap, limiting physical contact by giving verbal salutations instead of shaking hands and hugging, observing proper hygiene when coughing or sneezing among others.”

Sultan Abubakar urged Imams, preachers and organisations to sensitise their members on these precautionary steps.

He advised Muslim to desist from spreading false news about the virus.

“Thus, there should be no circulation of rumours, false and misleading information; only official statements from appropriate agencies should be relied upon”.

He urged intending pilgrims to adhere to all directives by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which are geared towards ensuring the well-being and safety of all.

He advised mosques and Islamic centres to discourage members from attending any mosque activities even if they are only experiencing mild symptoms. “The symptoms include respiratory problems, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. It is obligatory for you to keep away and self-isolate if you have been diagnosed with Coronavirus in order to prevent the virus from spreading. Preventing harm, especially to the lives of others take precedence over the benefits of attending mosque activities. Self-isolation, quarantine and social distancing are all integral parts of prevention of harm in these critical times,” he said.

The Muslim Congress (TMC) urged President Muhammadu Buhari to close all land, air and sea borders immediately.

TMC Amir (President) Dr Luqman AbdurRaheem said Nigeria must not be complacent or over-confident that we can deal with the Coronavirus just as we did with the Ebola virus.

“The usual method of asking people who have been in contact with the infected to self-quarantine and report themselves to the health authorities is not that effective since they may also spread the virus to others without knowing. Isn’t it better then to close the borders so that people are not even coming in with the virus in the first instance? This is what will prevent us from recording further infections since the number of confirmed cases in the country has risen to 12,” he said.

According to him, banning government officials from foreign travel is commendable but insufficient to tackle the problem at hand.

The strategy for combating this contagious virus, AbdurRaheem said, must be wholesome and all-inclusive.