President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the take-off of the Special Public Works Programme nationwide on Tuesday, January 5th, 2021.
Minister of State for Employment and Labour, Festus Keyamo, made the disclosure in a tweet Sunday night.
He also disclosed that all state structures of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) are “already in top gear for the take-off ceremonies.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the take off of the Special Public Works Programme (engaging 774,000 unemployed itinerant Nigerians) to begin nationwide on Tuesday, January 5th, 2021.
President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The scheme is engaging 1,000 artisans and unskilled workers from each of the 774 local government areas in the country. The target is to create 774,000 jobs for three months”.
“The commencement date has been changed several times. It was originally billed to kick-off October 1, 2020. It was later rescheduled to commence November 1, 2020 but it didn’t go ahead as planned. There was another failed take-off in December 2020”.
There was no communication on a new take-off date until Keyamo’s announcement on Sunday.
On December 15, 2020, the House of Representatives again called for the immediate suspension of the controversial scheme.
The lawmakers asked the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning not to fund the scheme.
The National Assembly and the Federal Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity had been at loggerheads over the recruitment of the workers for the scheme.
In July, both chambers of the National Assembly suspended the programme after alleging that they had been sidelined.
They had also sought to be actively involved in the recruitment of the beneficiaries, a move which Keyamo had opposed.
Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has extended the stay-at-home order for all State Public Servants on Grade Levels 14 and below to Monday, January 18, 2021, to stem the tide of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Head of Service (HoS), Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola, said this, on Sunday, in a signed statement, noting that the directive excludes staff on essential duty as well as First Responders.
Muri-Okunola urged all public servants to stay safe and ensure continued adherence to all COVID-19 protocols in order to rid the state of the pandemic.
The Oyo State government has announced the cancellation of staggered attendance of classes by students of public and private schools in the state.
This is as it directed all public and private schools (Nursery, Primary, Secondary and Technical Colleges) in the state to resume normal classes, from Monday, January 11, 2021.
A circular with ref. no. EDU.1070/vol.V/T1/24, signed by state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye, dated 24th December 2020, conveyed this directive.
Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde.
The latest circular particularly directed the management of schools to ensure the usage of all available infrastructure in the school to ensure required distancing.
It will be recalled that, as a measure to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in schools, the state government had effective September 21 ordered that schools open in order of morning and afternoon session.
The order was that pupils from primary 1, primary 3 and students in classes JSS1 to JSS3 will resume for morning shift from 8 am to 11 am while those in primary 4 to primary 6 and their counterparts in SSS1, SSS2 and SSS3 will resume afternoon shift from the hours of 12noon and 3 pm.
The latest circular had as recipients the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Board of Technical and Vocational Education (BOTAVED), Zonal Inspectors of Education, Local Inspectors of Education, Principals and Headteachers of Public and Private Schools.
The circular titled, Cancellation of Staggered Classes, read in parts,
“I wish to remind all stakeholders of the staggered attendance of classes during the first term and that the second term 2020/2021 academic session will commence from Monday 11th January 2021″. “Consequent upon the above, all public and private schools (Nursery, Primary, Secondary and Technical Colleges) in the state are to resume normal classes”.
“However, you are to use all available infrastructure in the school suitable for temporary classrooms to ensure required distancing as well as continue to strictly observe other conditions stated in the guidelines for resumption due to COVID-19.”
Obasanjo tells Nigerians that the past year, 2020, was a challenging one due to the coronavirus pandemic which claimed over a million lives . As for a former Nigerian leader, Olusegun Obasanjo, he is alive because God kept him and for that, he is very grateful . Obasanjo said anyone, especially Christians, who refuse to thank God will be failing in very significant every duty.
Olusegun Obasanjo
Ex-president , Olusegun Obasanjo has urged all who survived 2020 and made it to 2021 to show gratitude to God. According to the former president, though 2020 was a tough and challenging year, Christians will be failing in their duties if they refuse to give thanks to God. Obasanjo stated this at the second annual thanksgiving service of the Ogun state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Father Mbaka has prophesied said President Buhari’s administration may be facing extinction and can only be saved if action is taken . According to him, those in the political circle have looted so much and disgraced Nigeria enough. The cleric said God was angry with the leaders and what will befall them if they don’t change will be unbearable .
The fiery priest warned that no one should attempt to attack this prophecy of his, else the person will become a victim . A Catholic priest, Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka, has prophesied the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime.
Speaking during the popular annual December 31 Crossover Night ministration, Mbaka, who is the spiritual director of Adoration Ministries, Enugu, Nigeria (AMEN), said this will depend on the president’s ability to act fast and save his government. The Nation reports that the cleric advised Buhari’s government to create employment opportunities before Nigerian youths embark on restiveness that may consume this administration.
Rev.Father Ejike Mbaka
Rev.Father Ejike Mbaka Adoration ministry Prayer Line Songs and Praises He stated: “The Holy Spirit of God asked me to warn the government of the day to be very careful; to change policies and take care of the youths without politicising their (youths’) condition.
That the government should rise and urgently create jobs and innovate opportunities that would benefit the youths of the nation because they have suffered so much. “Don’t politicise the condition of the youths, otherwise, they will arise and end the political system.
“Should the government fail to do so as soon as possible that time is coming when the youths will rise against the government”
The sudden deaths of two leading members of the Zazzau Emirate has gotten the attention of President Buhari – The presidency disclosed that Buhari is unhappy over the tragedy , Buhari has sent a condolence message to the Kaduna people over the occurrence.
President Muhammadu Buhari has described the deaths of two leading members of the Zazzau Emirate in Kaduna state as a double tragedy. The president in a message on Friday, January 1, said the death of the Iyan Zazzau, Alhaji Bashir Aminu and Talban Zazzau, Abubakar Pate came to him as a shock.The Guardian reported.
President Buhari said the recent deaths of the Zazzau Emirate is sad. According to a statement issued by a presidential aide, Garba Shehu, Buhari expressed sadness over the tragedy and condoled the families of the departed prices. He said: ”The death of such two prominent figures in Zazzau Emirate comes to me as a rude shock not long after the death of former Emir Shehu Idris.
President Buhari
Atiku hits Buhari again, says president’s ‘lazy leadership’ brought woes to Nigerians .“I wish to extend my deepest and heartfelt sympathies to the families of the two leaders, the Zazzau Emirate Council, the government and people of Kaduna State.”
The presidency stated that a ministerial-level delegation has been dispatched to visit the palace on behalf of Buhari. Meanwhile, President Buhari has promised to reorganise Nigeria’s security architecture in 2021. The president made the promise in his 2021 new year message to Nigerians on Friday, January 1.
The president, however, noted that his government needs to be more proactive and preemptive in ensuring that such incidents do not become a norm. In another news, the president’s New Year day national broadcast is not sitting well with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The opposition party, in its reaction to the president’s speech, released a statement titled: Buhari’s New Year Address, Empty, Directionless The PDP accused the Nigerian leader of presenting a speech that was “a script full of lame excuses and empty promises that addressed nothing.
The U.S. Congress has voted to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a $740.5 billion defense policy bill. The Republican-led Senate voted 81 to 13 in a rare New Year’s Day session on Friday to join the House, controlled by Democrats, in overriding Trump’s veto.
This made the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2021 a law. It is the first time one of Trump’s vetoes has been surmounted.
The activists were said to have written their statements but according to sources, the police claimed they were still studying the contents
The personal physician to human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has arrived at the headquarters of the Intelligence Response Team in Guzape, Abuja, formerly used as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad office.
The doctor arrived at the detention facility to carry out a medical examination on him following the injuries inflicted on him by the police. Armed policemen had on New Year’s Eve brutalised and arrested Sowore, alongside four others.
Sowore in police custody.
They inflicted injuries on him, with a deep cut on his nose bleeding profusely.
One of those arrested with him, Michael, was also injured in the mouth during the incident.
The activists were said to have written their statements but according to sources, the police claimed they were still studying the contents as at the time of writing this report.
It is not yet clear what offence the police are planning to file against the activists.
Many Nigerians have condemned the police for using brutal force in an attempt to arrest innocent and unarmed Nigerian citizens who chose to celebrate the crossover into the New Year with a candlelight procession.
Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has ordered the release of 12 convicts in celebration of the New Year 2021.
This is an exercise of the powers conferred on him by Section 212 of the constitution and on the recommendation of the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, the pardoned convicts comprises of 10 people who were serving sentences of three years and above, with six months or less to serve.
Adekeye further said that the other two convicts that were pardoned “were convicts who were released on the ground of age.”
“Tunde Ikuenaya was imprisoned on November 16, 2017, for four years for criminal misappropriation, adding that he is 64 years old and he was expected to be released on March 16, 2021.’’
“Ifeanyi Chiebuike Nweke, Mohammed Mamman Santare, and Samaila Danjuma were convicted and sentenced at various times for culpable homicide,’’ the statement revealed.
The governor also commuted Joshua Yashim’s death sentence to life imprisonment, Adekeye said, explaining that the convict was sentenced to death by hanging for culpable homicide on June 9, 2011.
“He has been in prison custody since 2007 when the offence was committed and has spent 13 years there. He did not appeal due to a lack of funds.
Masquerade displays during the New Year celebration have been banned in Cross River even as churches are ordered to restrict cross over night activities to 10 pm.
A statement by Operation Akparakwu headed by Dr Walter Mboto, Permanent Secretary, State Security Advisers Office warned organisers of masquerades that if they dared to display on the 1st of January or within the period as planned.
Governor Ben Ayade
“This is a warning to organizers of Nyoro Ekpe 2021 in Efe Ekpe Iboku Utan, opposite Duke Town Presbyterian Church that they will be arrested and prosecuted should they go ahead with the planned public masquerade display during this period”.
The statement further stated that government has also banned public displays of Tin Koriko, Nnabor and any other gathering that fails the Covid-19 protocol. The government in the same vein warned churches not to exceed 10pm which is the stipulated time for movement in the state as the curfew imposed since the #EndSARS period is still in place.
Oyo State The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has approved the suspension of the 12am to 4am curfew earlier imposed on states by the Federal Government to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The suspension is to enable churches hold the traditional crossover service to usher in the New Year.
This was announced in a statement on Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Taiwo Adisa.
The statement indicated that the governor gave the directives in a brief endorsed by the chairman of the Technical Team of the COVID-19 Task Force, Prof. Temitope Alonge.
The statement added that other advisories, including the directive of 50 per cent occupancy for worship and event centres, ban of street carnivals and others, remained in effect. The statement reads partly, “Following a review of the pronouncement of the technical team of the Task Force on COVID-19 in Oyo State on December 29, 2020, the Governor, Seyi Makinde, FNSE, has magnanimously directed that the 12 midnight to 4am curfew be lifted.
Governor Seyi Makinde
“The governor has also warned citizens and residents of Oyo State to ensure strict compliance with the guidelines, protocols and advisories as laid down by the OYO State COVID-19 task force aimed at limiting the transmission of the disease in our communities.”
kogi State. Churches in Kogi State have been told that they can observe the crossover services without any hindrance if they wish.
The state chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, Bishop John Ibenu, stated this in Lokoja on Wednesday.
He said, “I have spoken with government officials, we shall observe our crossover service in our various churches on December 31 to January 1. “Let us keep the nation and Kogi State in prayers and have the trust that no plague will come near our state.
Governor Yahaya Bello.
Recall that the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, had consistently maintained that the COVID-19, even though it exists, had been exaggerated for political and economic purpose.
Observe COVID-19 protocols – FCTA
Also, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has admonished churches in the nation’s capital to comply strictly with the COVID-19 protocols during the crossover service holding on Thursday to usher in the New Year.
It said errant worshippers would be sanctioned and churches found violating the guidelines would be shut.
The Head, Media and Public Enlightenment of FCT COVID-19 Task Force, Ikaro Attah, said worshippers and churches must support government decision to promote progress and development of the FCT. He said, “We had discussions with religious leaders on the need to obey the COVID-19 protocols, so all those who will be attending the crossover service must adhere strictly to the guidelines. They should put on their face masks, wash hands, as well as keep physical distancing.”
“Those that failed to comply will be brought before the court for prosecution. Again, the centre where the protocol is flouted will be shut.”
Lagos State.
The Lagos State Government on Wednesday advised residents to comply with COVID-19 protocols, saying the cases were rising. The government in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, also commended religious organisations for the roles in fighting the pandemic.
“The Christian Association of Nigeria has issued a statement on how Churches should conduct their watchnight services.
“The Sanwo-Olu administration has maintained a harmonious relationship with religious organisations and has confidence in the ability of its leaders to ensure compliance with COVID-19 protocols amid the clamour for crossover services,” the statement reads partly.
Enugu bans night service.
The Enugu State Government banned the crossover service. A public service announcement the state released on Wednesday, through the Office of the Chief Secretary to the Governor, said the ban became necessary following the second wave of the coronavirus disease.
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
It reads partly, “Due to the second wave of COVID-19, the conventional crossover activities on December 31, will not hold this year.”
Ban on crossover service not anti-Christian – Ondo
In a related development, the Ondo State Inter-ministerial Committee on COVID-19 said the decision of the government to ban crossover service is not targeted at Christianity.
The Chairman of the committee, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi, stated this during an interactive meeting with religious leaders and stakeholders in Akure on Wednesday.
Fatusi said there was the need for every stakeholder to key into the fight against COVID-19.“We are talking about a matter of life and death. People have talked about maintaining protocols in the markets and other places, but focus on churches and mosques is because by their designs they spread COVID-19 more than open places.
“It is an enclosed place and people are more active there. The likelihood of higher infection is very prominent. The decision to cancel crossover vigil is not about churches, you will recalled that the government cancelled Muslims gathering too; it is about subsisting order for prevention of outbreak of infection and reducing further spread of COVID-19”.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu
The Ondo State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria Rev. Ayo Oladapo called on the government to permit churches to celebrate the crossover service, stressing that churches had been educating the people on preventive measures against the pandemic.
Those of us who cannot part with anything are being treated without respect as if we are slaves. But those who paid are treated like kings and queens.
Workers handling the registration of national identity numbers in Delta State have resorted to extorting prospective registrants as they charged between N3,000 and N5,000 for the enrolment form which is supposed to be free.
Hundreds of applicants who besieged the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) office at Effurun in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State were asked to pay to get the forms which are being hoarded by the commission’s staff.
At Effurun, a person who monitored the exercise on Wednesday at the council secretariat observed that the forms were available as expected because the staff hoarded the enrolment forms to sell to desperate applicants.
A registrant said that the extortion was being coordinated by the manager of the NIMC in the area, adding that those who could not afford N3,000 or N5,000 were treated with disdain.
“Officials of the National Identity Management Commission are making a hell of money from this illegal sale of the forms to applicants,” the source said. “Those of us who cannot part with anything are being treated without respect as if we are slaves. But those who paid are treated like kings and queens.
“Do you know that here we are, we saw an officer of the commission receiving N40, 000 from a lady and she was handed a bunch of the enrolment forms. We noticed that the lady came with her entire family members who were tired of waiting on the queue to collect the form. We also saw that the commission’s officials are working hand in hand with some of the illicit business council officials.
“In some cases, some officials of the Uvwie council in connivance with the commission’s officials collect between N9,000 and N10,000 from desperate applicants who are not ready to wait for the enrolment of applicants. In Nigeria, nothing goes for nothing, and it isn’t good. You will be surprised that at the end of the day monies are remitted to some top-ranking officials of the commission,” the applicant said.
NIMC staff at the local government declined to comment on the sharp practices.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters after participating in a video teleconference call with members of the military on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020, at the White House in Washington.
The US Senate’s Republican leader has rejected calls from an unlikely alliance of President Donald Trump, congressional Democrats and some Republicans to boost coronavirus aid.
Mitch McConnell said hiking aid cheques from $600 (£440) to $2,000 would be “another fire hose of borrowed money”.
The Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives had voted to increase the payments to Americans.
Donald Trump
The outgoing president’s intervention has divided his fellow Republicans.
Congress agreed the smaller $600 payments in a Covid relief and government funding bill that Mr Trump sent back to Capitol Hill before Christmas, with the president seeking higher stimulus payments.
On Monday, congressional Democrats – usually sworn political foes of Mr Trump – passed the measure for $2,000 cheques that he requested.
Dozens of House Republicans, reluctant to defy Trump, sided with Democrats to approve the package. Trump begrudgingly signed the original bill with the lower payments into law on Sunday, but has continued to demand more money.
“Unless Republicans have a death wish, and it is also the right thing to do, they must approve the $2,000 payments ASAP,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
But McConnel rejected Senate Democrats’ calls for the upper chamber to vote on the $2,000 cheques package passed by their counterparts in the House.
“The Senate is not going to be bullied into rushing out more borrowed money into the hands of Democrats’ rich friends who don’t need the help,” he said on the chamber floor.
Instead he offered to roll the proposal for $2,000 cheques into another bill to include other measures that have been requested by Trump but raised objections from Democratic leaders.
One would end legal protection for tech companies, known as Section 230. The other would set up a bipartisan commission to investigate Mr Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of systemic electoral fraud.
Democrats said McConnell’s proposal was merely a legislative poison pill designed to kill higher stimulus payments.
Liberal Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who votes with Democrats, said on the Senate floor: “All we are asking for is a vote. What is the problem?
“If you want to vote against $2,000 checks for your state, vote against it.”
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said: “What we’re seeing right now is leader McConnell trying to kill the cheques – the $2,000 cheques desperately needed by so many American families.”
And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: “These Republicans in the Senate seem to have an endless tolerance for other people’s sadness.”
The Republican party usually professes an opposition to government spending as an article of faith, but some of its top conservative senators have rallied behind Trump’s call for $2,000 cheques.
They include Marco Rubio of Florida and Josh Hawley of Missouri, both considered possible presidential contenders in 2024.
So have Georgia’s Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who are fighting for their political lives in a 5 January election against two Democratic challengers. The vote will decide which party controls the Senate next year.
But other Republicans have argued the relief bill already provides a wider safety net once its jobless benefits, rental assistance and loans to small businesses to keep workers on their payroll are taken into account.
Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said he opposed “blindly borrowing” billions of dollars to send cheques to “millions of people who haven’t lost any income”.
Abdullah, who spoke from Kaduna State, stated that the First Lady was entitled to her privacy and she could decide to answer such questions or not.
The Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, the Office of the First Lady, Mr Aliyu Abdullah, has parried questions demanding Aisha Buhari’s whereabouts during an interview on television.
While speaking on a Channels Television programme, Abdullahi had been asked the whereabouts of the First Lady, but he tendered an apology and said he was not on air to discuss such issue.
Abdullah, who spoke from Kaduna State, stated that the First Lady was entitled to her privacy and she could decide to answer such questions or not.
Bloggers had exclusively reported on December 15 that Aisha had been in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, since September after the wedding of her daughter, Hanan, and she had therefore not been involved in any government activity.
First lady of Nigeria , Aisha Buhari.
It was gathered that the First Lady was not in a hurry to return, despite spending over three months, as she reportedly stated that the Aso Rock Villa was not secure for her family.
This came especially with a shooting incident in June which caused panic among the Villa occupants.
The last public event the First Lady held in the country was on September 4, when a flamboyant wedding was held for President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter, Hanan, and Mohammed Turad.
When asked during the television interview where the First Lady was at the moment, Abdullah said, “I am sorry. This is not part of what I was invited here to discuss in your studio.
“I would not be speaking on that because it is not part of what we agreed for me to come and discuss. So let us leave that issue out of the interview, please.
“Let me say it this way again, the First Lady, although married to the President, nevertheless is a citizen of this country, who is entitled to her right to privacy.
“So, I think if she chooses not to speak on a particular matter, she is entitled to her privacy and that is where I wish to leave the issue as of now. It is her right and she did not choose to speak on it.
Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, on Monday signed the 2021 Appropriation Bill of N141.6 billion into law.
Bagudu had on November 27, presented the budget of N141.6 billion for 2021 to the state House of Assembly.
The budget had over N92.2 billion as capital expenditure while N49.5 billion was for recurrent expenditure, representing 65 per cent and 35 per cent respectively.
While signing the budget in Birnin Kebbi, the governor noted that the budget was graciously approved and passed by the state’s house of assembly.
Bagudu, who prayed that the 2021 budget performance would be better than 2020, described this year as a tough one globally because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Governor Atiku Bagudu
“But locally, it is also tough for us because of other factors, particularly the flood disasters that affected the state,” he added.
He also lamented the inability of the state to get the expected internally generated revenue, making it difficult for the government to deliver on its promise of providing citizens’ basic needs.
“Our inability to collect the revenue has been a major challenge, and no matter how noble the executive wished to be, it could not deliver the much expected dividends to the people.
“But in spite of the limited resources, we have been able to still deliver on some of those promises we made to the people.
“I am glad President Muhammadu Buhari has led us very well, and we have been able to deliver to a certain extent, but obviously there is need for more resources to support the bigger dreams and opportunities,” he said.
He, however, said the state had recovered from the flood, and had procured fertiliser to be distributed to farmers who had been affected by the disaster by first week of January, 2021.
“We want to do more than we did in 2019 in agriculture, we are encouraging the executives at other levels to encourage local government areas to guide us on how to do more than that.
“The experience we had from the flood disaster has shown that we need to invest in the upland rice production, and we need to start early because the production begins in the dry season.
“And to do that, we have to secure seedlings and ensure they are are distributed much earlier before the start of the rainy season,” he said.
The governor also commended the house of assembly for the speedy passage of the budget and for its support to the state government in order to deliver on the people’s mandate.
Earlier, Speaker of the house, Alhaji Abdulmumuni Kamba, commended the governor for his commitment towards developing the state.
“We had worked tirelessly; day and night, in order to fulfill the promise we made to ensure a speedy passage of the budget, and it was passed on Dec. 26, and we are delighted to present it for your assent into law.
“We pray God Almighty to bless your efforts and those of the house for our dear state to move forward,” Kamba added.
President Trump on Sunday announced plans to hold a rally in Georgia to garner support for the Republican candidates the day before the state’s two Senate runoffs.
The president tweeted on Sunday that he will head to Georgia on Monday, Jan. 4, for a rally backing Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) before the runoffs that will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.
Donald Trump
“On behalf of two GREAT Senators, @sendavidperdue &@KLoeffler, I will be going to Georgia on Monday night, January 4th., to have a big and wonderful RALLY,” Trump posted. “So important for our Country that they win!” The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced it will host the “Victory Rally” in Dalton, Ga., at 7 p.m. on Jan. 4. The RNC noted that all attendees will have their temperature checked and be provided with access to hand sanitizer and masks “which they are instructed to wear.”
Loeffler and Perdue will also speak at the rally at the Dalton Regional Airport.
The two senators are facing off against Democratic candidates Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, respectively, in the Jan. 5 runoffs. The two Senate races were sent to a runoff after no candidate in either election won a majority of the vote.
If the Democratic candidates win both seats, the upper chamber will be split 50-50, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris being the tie-breaking vote. If either Republican senator reclaims their seat, the GOP will retain control of the Senate.
Trump campaigned for the two Republican senators last month, claiming during a speech that the election had been “rigged” against him. Vice President Mike Pence has also spent time in Georgia rallying support for the two Republicans.
In the meantime, the president has refused to concede to President-elect Joe Biden after Biden’s election win, promoting claims about widespread voter fraud without presenting supporting evidence in court. Democrats are hopeful they can turn the Senate seats blue on Jan. 5 after Biden became the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the Peach State since 1992.
Biden has campaigned for the Democratic contenders, encouraging Georgia voters to put Warnock and Ossoff in office to give him the Senate majority, in addition to the slim House majority for the Democrats.
The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Professor Innocent Ujah, says social distancing has failed in the country, thereby, urging the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to develop new strategies to curb the spread of the virus. The NMA president spoke on Monday on a television programme in Abuja.
Ujah said there was the need for the PTF, which has the mandate of the President to coordinate the country’s response to the pandemic, to improve on its research arm to enable it to understand why Nigerians disregard some of its protocols.
He said, “The issue of compliance with the NCDC (Nigeria Centre for Disease Control) protocols – the use of face masks, hand sanitisers, and social distancing – is a very big challenge. The issue of social distancing has failed in Nigeria. It is not likely to succeed and therefore we need another strategy, other ways we can improve the compliance to the NCDC protocol.
“Yes, by and large, many people now use face masks but unfortunately when you go to villages and markets, none of the protocols are practiced at all. Maybe the airlines and a few others like the churches obey these protocols.”
President, Nigerian Medical Association, Professor Innocent Uja.
He added, “I have always talked about the research angle of the PTF. We need to find out, we don’t need to speculate, we should have gone to town and gotten a quick response and analyse the data to know why people are not complying, and then we will navigate to see how they will comply.”
Ujah tasked all stakeholders on the need to work assiduously to curb the spread of the virus, especially as the country battles a second wave of the pandemic while seeking to prevent a new strain of the virus from the United Kingdom. “The doctors are ever committed to this cause and we charge them not to relent despite the harsh environment.
“The reality is that Covid-19 is with us and we need to up our game. The Nigerian stakeholders, the Nigerian people and the National Orientation Agency must also improve its own sensitisation and communication channels because we really are in trouble if we do not at very quickly,” he stated.
In a bid to strengthen the weakening security architecture of Oyo state, governor Seyi Makinde has disclosed his intention to station interior security checkpoints between 6 to 10 kilometers of the state roads, especially roads that link the state capital to other geopolitical zones and other parts of the country.
Governor Seyi Makinde, during a dinner in Saki also disclosed that he will begin the payment of 13th-month salary to Civil servants next week.
Governor Makinde who went on an inspection tour of the ongoing Rehabilitation of Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) Headquarters in Saki, and rehabilitation of the proposed Saki infectious disease center as well as the Saki Township Stadium, on Friday affirmed the need for stronger security in the state.
Governor Seyi Makinde
According to the governor, adequate security checkpoints on roads that connect the state to other parts of the country will assist in addressing insecurity challenges in the pacesetter state.
While giving his remarks on the projects inspected, Governor Makinde expressed dissatisfaction at the slow pace of work at the OYSADA Headquarters in Saki which is supposed to have been completed and handed over to the government on December 10, 2020, but is yet to be completed.
He, however, gave additional two months to the contractor in charge of the rehabilitation to complete the project, with the claim that he will re-inspect the project in March 2021.
Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, has terminated the appointment of education secretaries in all the 23 local government areas of the state.
The governor also terminated the appointment of Hussaini Jallo as general manager of Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA).
In a statement signed by Muyiwa Adekeye, special adviser to the governor on media and communications, El-Rufai noted that the decision is part of efforts to “reinvigorate governance and deepen reforms in the education sector in Kaduna state”.
Nasir el-Rufai
Saude Amina Atoyebi has been appointed as the acting general manager of the CSDA.
“Mrs Saude Amina Atoyebi has been appointed as the acting General Manager of CSDA,” the statement reads.
“She will combine this responsibility with her role as head of the State Social Investment Office until a new GM is recruited through a competitive, advertised process.
“Saude began working for Mallam Nasir El-Rufai in 2012 as a researcher for his acclaimed budget series. She served as secretary of the finance sub-committee of the 2015 Kaduna State Transition Committee before her appointment as the governor’s personal secretary and senior special assistant, administration.
“In these roles, she has provided support for the running of the Governor’s Office and has sometimes covered the duties of the principal private secretary.
“She has attended the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Programme on Adaptive Leadership and the Agha Khan University’s Voice of Leadership Programme.”
Meanwhile, the most senior officials in the education department of each of the 23 LGAs have been directed to act as education secretaries, pending the appointment of replacements.
The Academic Staff Union of University, on Wednesday, suspended its strike, ending the industrial action that started since March 2020.
ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi, made the announcement during a briefing of the union in Abuja.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, on Tuesday, assured Nigerians that the prolonged strike by the varsity lecturers would be called off before January 15.
Ogunyemi also said the lecturers sympathised with students who were also their children, adding that “no amount of sacrifice would be too much to get the matter resolved as long as the government is consistent with its commitments.”
While warning that the union would return to strike without notice if the government fails in meeting its part of the agreement reached with the university lecturers, Ogunyemi noted that the reopening of the schools, considering the COVID-19 pandemic, lies with the Federal Government and Senate.
ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi further stated;
“We did not go on strike because of salaries. We had key demands. We don’t see salary as a major issue because we know they’ll pay.”
“If government reneges, our members are not tired of withdrawing their services.”
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