1. NMA, NUT knock FG over order to reopen schools.
The Nigerian Medical Association and the Nigeria Union of Teachers, on Tuesday, took a swipe at the Federal Government over its “safe reopening of schools.’
The apex organisations of medical doctors and teachers in the country told The PUNCH that the directive that graduating classes should resume was not only badly thought-out, but also could expose both teachers and pupils to the deadly coronavirus.
The NMA President, Prof Innocent Ujah, who spoke to one of our correspondents in Jos, said that given the current low level of compliance by Nigerians with COVID-19 safety protocols, it was risky to ask pupils to resume.
The NUT General Secretary, Mike Ene, said government was playing politics with the directive. He wondered how teachers, who had not been paid salaries in some states, would get money to buy personal protective equipment.
Ujah and Ene spoke just as the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Tuesday became the latest prominent Nigerian to test positive for the virus.
Following the governor’s disclosure of his COVID-19 status, the state government ordered commissioners and other aides of Akeredolu to compulsorily go for the coronavirus test.
But as concerns mounted over the spread of COVID-19, the NMA faulted Monday’s pronouncement by the Federal Government on the reopening of schools.
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, at its briefing in Abuja, said the government in what it called “safe reopening of schools,” had approved resumption of pupils in graduating classes including primary six, the Junior Secondary School 3 and the Senior Secondary School 3.
The government also lifted the ban it placed on interstate travels and domestic flights.
2. Mohammed promises to complete N11bn Bauchi road projects.
The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has vowed to complete three road projects abandoned by his predecessor at the cost of over N11bn.
Recall that the three projects were part of the over N20bn contracts awarded by Mohammed Abubakar in September 2016.
While the construction and dualisation of Awalah Round –Miri was awarded at the cost of N6.6bn, the rehabilitation of Misau – Bulkachuwa Road and that of Bulkachuwa –Udubo were awarded at the cost of over N4.8bn.
Mohammed said all the projects had been reviewed, adding that the completion of all abandoned projects was in fulfilment of his campaign promises.
He said, “As a responsible government, we are doing all these with percussion and negotiations and I pledged to provide them with the necessary resources for immediate mobilisation to site.
“All these projects were awarded since 2016 and my administration will set up funds to pay them what they require for the completion of the projects.”
3. Lagos records 200 new COVID-19 cases.
Lagos State recorded another higher daily toll on Tuesday as Nigeria’s COVID-19 jumped to 25,694 with 561 new cases.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), on Tuesday, registered 561 new cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the national tally to 25,694.
The NCDC disclosed daily figures on its verified Twitter handle with Lagos leading with 200 cases.
Edo followed with 119 cases, Kaduna and FCT recorded 52 each.
Others are Niger-32 Ogun-19 Ondo-16 Imo-14 Plateau-11 Abia-8 Oyo-8 Bayelsa-7 Katsina-6 Kano-5 Bauchi-3 Osun-3 Kebbi-3 Borno-2 Jigawa-1.”
Seventeen people have also died in the various isolation centres in the last 24 hours. The death toll was the highest single-day record in recent weeks.
4. COVID-19: Lafia motorists, passengers violate protocols.
Drivers and passengers in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, do not adhere to NCDC protocols meant to check the spread of COVID-19.
At the crowded Lafia Central Motor Park, our reporter observed that nobody was observing social distancing, washing of hands and very few wore face mask.
A passenger at the park, John Ogah, said using face mask in Lafia was a burden as the town was hot.
Ogah added that many villagers came into the town for shopping and that they usually forgot about the COVID-19 protocols.
Another passenger, Mamman Bukar, said, “Travellers try to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols, but the economic downturn has forced them to only wash their hands, but when boarding vehicles, social distancing is not observed because four passengers sit on a row.”
An official of NURTW said some educated and rich passengers chartered cars in order to observe social distancing.
He said on market days most commercial vehicles did not observe social distancing as they were overloaded with people and goods.
This is happening even as the Governor of the state, Abdullahi Sule, recently expressed worry over the spread of COVID-19 in Lafia.
Gov. Sule said this during the weekly State Executive Council (SEC) meeting at the Government House, Lafia.
He lamented that Lafia with 35 positive cases had overtaken Keffi LGA which had 31 and that Karu LGA had the highest recorded cases, with 78, in the state.
He decried the manner in which some residents ignored regulations put in place to contain further spread of the virus, stressing that government was concerned because Lafia was the seat of power in the state.
Gov. Sule, therefore, called on members of the SEC and the state COVID-19 task force to step up awareness campaign with a view to educating residents of the city on the urgent need to observe and keep all regulations to stop the spread of the virus.
Chioma Business Blog 