BUHARI EXTENDS PHASE TWO OF EASED LOCKDOWN BY FOUR WEEKS: FG OPENS SELECTED CLASSES FOR SCHOOLS, INTER-STATE MOVEMENT OUTSIDE CURFEWS

President Muhammadu Buhari has extended phase two of eased lockdown by another four weeks with effect from tomorrow Tuesday, June 30 through midnight of Monday, July 27, 2020.

Chairman of Presidential Task Force  and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha in his statement received by KBJOJO.com announced  on Monday resumption of inter-state movement, reopening of schools for students in graduating classes.
Details are as follows:
“You will recall that the PTF had in previous briefing stated that the aim of Phase Two was to sustain the gains from earlier steps taken for pandemic control and to enable additional sectors of the economy restart activities. Given the challenges and the visible danger ahead occasioned by skepticism, poor public perception both leading to lack of compliance, it has come to the inevitable conclusion that the extension of phase two of the eased lockdown will be needed to:
consolidate the gains in the areas of the economy that have restarted,
ensure better compliance with the health-based response;
support the states in enforcing guidelines and protocols as well as strengthening the LGAs build community level structures for ownership and effective risk communication; and
help to better achieve the balance between saving lives and ensuring that wellbeing and livelihood of citizens are protected.
“I am pleased to inform you that Mr. President has carefully considered the 5th Interim Report of the PTF and has accordingly approved that, with the exception of some modifications to be expatiated upon later,
–the Phase Two of the eased lockdown be extended by another four weeks with effect from Tuesday, June 30, 2020 through Midnight of Monday, 27 July, 2020.
-“Specifically, however, the following measures shall either remain in place or come into effect:
Maintaining the current phase of the national response, for another four weeks in line with modifications to be expatiated by the National Coordinator;
– Permission of movement across State borders only outside curfew hours with effect from 1st July, 2020;
-Enforcement of laws around non-pharmaceutical interventions by States, in particular,
– the use of face masks in public places;
-Safe re-opening of schools to allow students in graduating classes resume in-person in preparation for examinations;
-Safe reopening of domestic aviation services as soon as practicable;
-Publication of revised guidelines around the three thematic areas of general movement, industry and labour; and community activities;
-Provision of technical support for states to mobilise additional resources for the response;
-Strengthening partnerships with States, Local Governments, traditional rulers, community/religious leaders and civil society to ensure increased public awareness and compliance with preventive guidelines;
-Encouraging State governments to empower Local Government Authorities to intensify contact tracing efforts and ensure stronger grassroots mobilisation to support the response;
-Encourage States and Hospital authorities to ensure continuity of other health services to prevent fatalities from other life-threatening conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic;
and
-Deepening of collaboration with other mandate groups at States/Federal levels to harmonise the country’s COVID-19 response in the short, medium and long terms.
“The National Coordinator will in due course announce and publish the details of the revised guidelines while relevant MDAs including Education, Transportation and Aviation will respectively consult further with stakeholders and issue guidelines for their sectors.”
Within the Month under review, the PTF continued to monitor developments and consistently admonished Nigerians to change their behavior in view of the fact that the spread of the virus had entered the community phase. It is the considered opinion of the PTF that Nigerians, though aware of the existence of the virus, have generally misunderstood the objectives behind the reasoning of government in gradually relaxing the restrictions.
“As we are all aware, the PTF in conjunction with sub-national entities, the organized private sector, put in places a number of measures. The PTF also escalated its activities around risk communication to Nigerians but we have observed with growing concern the non-compliances with these measures designed to prevent transmission and protect vulnerable segments of the population. We hold the strong view that if such actions do not abate, experiences of resurgence of the virus from other jurisdictions including China, the United States of America, Brazil and across Europe may emerge in igeria and we run the risk of erasing the gains made in the last three months.
“By way of a reminder, there is presently no known vaccine for the virus and that all over the world non-pharmaceutical measures still remain the most effective fighting opportunity we have for overcoming this pandemic.
“To further strengthen our National Response, the PTF in the intervening period vigorously built partnerships locally and internationally. Similarly, we fully have decentralised the National Response with State Governments and communities taking ownership and more responsibility. These efforts have greatly improved our ability to maximally detect, trace, isolate and treat nationwide successfully.

“The PTF has also continued to pursue the strategic thrust of “telling (communicate), tracing (identify) and treating (manage)” cases, with a stronger focus on precision interventions in high burdened LGAs within identified states of the Federation. This precision intervention will be signposted by:
Aggressive scaling up of efforts to ensure effective community protection and sensitisation; and
Increased provision of support and guidance to states in their response to the outbreak.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the focus on the important roles to be played by the States is underscored by the following considerations:
The spread has entered the community phase which only States and LGAs should drive;
The inaction of a particular State could endanger its neighbours and compromise the entirety of the response;
States will be encouraged to make considerable efforts to ensure a push for compliance within the guidelines issued by the PTF;
States must also take greater care in leading on public health measures in the LGAs under their jurisdiction, by working on surveillance, case finding, testing, isolation, tracing and quarantining contacts; and
FG will predicate its resource deployment to States on the level of compliance and the extent of collaboration received on this public health emergency.
“Notwithstanding the challenges faced in the last one month and the fact that Nigeria’s statistics have been on the rise, substantial progress has been made in the following areas:
Harnessing of data, which shows that 60% of the confirmed cases are in a handful of local governments in the country (18 out of 774 LGAs nationwide), and putting in place targeted interventions;
Increased capacity to detect, test and trace those infected with the virus,
through the activation of 38 molecular testing laboratories, resulting in raising the test count nationwide in excess of 130,000;
A shift in focus to a targeted community-based approach, enhanced risk communication;
Increased collaboration with the legislature, State Governments and the organised private sector;
Activation of a new, cost-effective policy on the evacuation of returning Nigerians;
Increased awareness of COVID-19 among the population;
Cushioning the socio-economic impact of the restrictions through the provision of palliatives to vulnerable members of various communities nationwide; and
Successful re-opening sectors of the economy despite initial challenges in areas such as the banking sector, industry and agriculture.
“Today, the PTF submitted its 5th Interim Report to Mr. President for his consideration. In the Report the PTF specifically reviewed the issues around the general level of compliance with prescribed measures, while taking note of the following:
Implications of the lack of general compliance with measures;
the global and domestic developments especially in the area of rising statistics; and
the continued restrictions in the education and transportation sectors as well as for activities that attract mass gatherings such as operations of markets, worship centres and entertainment.
“In doing the foregoing, the PTF considered the need for the continuation of the policy of striking the delicate balance between lives and livelihood as well as inputs received from different stakeholder groups.
“The PTF similarly identified the underlisted areas of concern that would require attention under the on-going restrictions:
International travel;
Entertainment activities;
Educational services/sector; and
Public and Private Sector offices.

Dwindling Oil Revenue: Oyo Lawmakers Donate 30-percent Monthly Income to Civil Servants' Salaries

As COVID-19 pandemic bites harder on the global economy leading to drastic drop in oil price, national revenue and subsequently about 60 percent drop in federal allocation to States, the Oyo state House of Assembly has agreed to a 30 per cent slash in their monthly allocation effective from April.

The 30 percent deduction includes both the lawmakers' salaries and other monthly allowances entitled to them as State honourables.

This sacrifice will be made by political office holders in Oyo State to ensure the regular payment of civil servants' salaries is not affected  irrespective of the economic situation of the State.

The agreement was reached when Governor Seyi Makinde met with the state’s lawmakers at government house, at the weekend.

At the meeting, Governor Makinde explained that the pandemic had resulted in about 60 per cent drop in the federal allocation and it is taking toll on the state’s economy.

Chairman, Oyo House Committee on Information and Media, Honorable Kazeem Olayanju said the lawmakers agreed to the slash in the interest of the smooth running of the state.

“Our income has been slashed by 30 per cent as our support towards COVID-19. The governor brought the idea and we agreed that effective this month, there should be the 30 per cent deduction.

“We were made to understand that the pandemic had greatly affected the economy of the country and the state as well as that the Federal Government has reduced allocation by 60 per cent.

“This situation could have affected regular payment of salary of Oyo State civil servants but the governor maintained that irrespective the economic situation of Oyo state, the salary of civil servants must not be affected. Hence, we agreed that political office holders should make sacrifices,” Olayanju said.

The World Will Not Be Destroyed By 5G Or Virus - My Weep For Journaliism In Nigeria | By Owei Lakemfa

READ AND WEEP FOR JOURNALISM IN NIGERIA!!!

The World Will Not Be Destroyed By Fire Or Virus.

By Owei Lakemfa

A veteran journalist called me on April 4 to confirm if indeed the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) issued a statement advising government against approving the Fifth Generation Mobile Technology (5G)    claiming  it is dangerous and linked to the outbreak of Covid-19. The NUJ  also  reportedly rejected the invitation of Chinese doctors in order to avoid: “… a situation where Nigerians will be used as a Guinea pig for any experiment” I told him it was an incredible and absurd  story but that I will make enquiries.

I immediately called the NUJ National  Secretary,  Mr. Leman Shuaib Usman who confirmed the union issued the statement. I asked whether the NUJ had investigated its  claims about 5G being dangerous to human beings, or made enquiries from the National Communication Commission (NCC) about it. The answer was negative.

 I then asked the basis on which the NUJ is officially  rejecting the 5G which will have tremendous effects on journalism practice. There was none based on knowledge, investigation or research. Next, I asked the basis on which the NUJ made a link between the alleged installation of  5G masts in  China and the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic; was it based on investigation, published research or verifiable information? It was none of these. 

Then I enquired why the NUJ was rejecting the invitation of Chinese doctors to help us fight Covid-19. Mr. Leman told me it was based on the observation that while Wuhan was the epicenter of Covid-19, it did not devastate Chinese cities like Shangai and Beijing, which confirmed the hypothesis that it was a controlled Chinese virus. 

I told him that the logic of the NUJ leadership is that the Chinese should be condemned for being able to contain the virus, stopping it devastating  more Chinese cities and decimating  its population. I appealed that he reviewed the entire issue and if the NUJ had erred, it should have the courage to recall the statement. 

The co-signatory was the NUJ National President, Mr. Christopher Isiguzo who I called next. I  made my observations and   told him that he and Mr. Leman owe Nigerian journalists the duty of withdrawing the embarrassing statement which from my discussions with them is based on rumours, conspiracy theories and false news.  He listened and promised to call me the next day.

 He did not, but sent me a statement by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) rejecting the invitation of the Chinese doctors as if that in itself justifies the NUJ leadership’s violation of the ethics of journalism. 

Every rookie journalist is taught that while comments or opinions are free, facts are sacred; that a journalist must report only facts and if in doubt, spike the report or the portion he cannot confirm.

The NUJ President followed this up on Wednesday by sending me a video of   the   self-serving rantings of a transactional pastor whose commercialization of God’s words according to Forbes statistics, has earned him a hefty $30-$50 million  profit. The pastor who could not even define what theory is, could be heard in his usual sophistry, claiming that Covid-19 is a scam; the figment of human imagination and that what is killing people is the 5G technology not any virus. It is tragic the depths people can go in order to deceive and  profit off peoples’ lives.

The NMA appears ill-informed about the Chinese doctors whom it assumes are being employed by the Nigerian government. Based on this misinformation, it argues there are unemployed Nigerian doctors, and implied that the money government is going to pay the Chinese doctors can be better utilized providing  necessary medical equipment and facilities . 

However, the verifiable information is that these doctors are being  brought  in   by the  China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC)   as part of its corporate social responsibility. They are to spend one month in the country, and to share experiences with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and not to practice medicine in Nigeria. 

The fact is,  given the titanic battle China  waged against Covid-19,  Chinese doctors are some of the most experienced in fighting  the virus, and a drowning man   is not interested whether his rescuer is  Nigerian, Chinese, Yemeni or Dutch. 

The NMA went  low  when it wrote that: “The spike in cases and the death toll from COVID-19 in Italy coincided with the arrival of the Chinese in the guise of offering assistance.” This cynical and unsubstantiated claim gives  the impression that  Chinese doctors are going around the world spreading the virus and deliberately infecting non-Chinese. In this, the NMA without any empirical evidence or facts, is accusing its Chinese counterparts of betraying the physicians global ethical code (The Hippocratic Oath) which is basically, to respect and  save human lives.

The rejection of 5G or the false claim that it is the source of the Coronavirus is like people rejecting telephone on the basis that it is the cause of small pox.

The 5G network is basically an improvement on the high-speed mobile internet (4G) which was an improvement on the voice and mobile data (3) itself an advancement on the Digital Voice (2G) and the Analogue Voice (1G) In rolling out 5G which some countries like South Korea, Britain, United States, Switzerland, Finland and Germany have done, the   approving authorities put into consideration basic issues like health, security, labour, commercial and social implications. 

The 5G will not be decided by rancorous debates, rumours or fake news. It is the logic of science, the pull of technology, demands of knowledge and commerce and the inevitability of an idea whose time has come. It should be clear to all that 5G is global and not a Chinese invention.

Bodies like the NUJ and NMA need to start thinking and discussing the likely  implications of 5G on their members. Otherwise, it would be like the introduction of the internet when  the media was dragged by the ears  into the new world. Many media organisations which could not adapt, died while all parts including reportorial, sub-editing, photography and production underwent fundamental transformation.

Many of the purveyors of fake news on Covid-19 and 5G are pathetic victims of imperialist propaganda; mere repeater stations of foreign half-truths and falsehood. Africans and the underdeveloped world should focus on what benefits their people and how they can also contribute to human development and not be cheerleaders at the turf battles   for global leadership. They should not become disciples of Donald Trump, the archangel of vicious agitation, propaganda and fake news.

I am convinced that this is  a world without end, but if  creation were to be destroyed as in Biblical times, it will not be  by water, fire or virus; it will be fake news the next time.

MY WORDS:

I have repeatedly made the point that one of the abberations of the time we live in is that we have so-called organisations, unions, etc. issuing statements which the Nigerian media just enjoys playing up, for whatever reason.

The fact is that most of these statements are personal views of a few individuals, tainted by their ignorance and biases.  In some instances,  those organisations either do not legally exist or only function as pseudonyms for these individuals.

It is a shame seeing the quality of leadership at the helm of affairs of the NUJ, brimming with so much ignorance. What is there to expect anyway?  Is the man listed as President not the same one who used to publicly front for a political persuasion? 

Shame, everything now  is politics.