File Photo of Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu
The Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led Lagos State Government has announced dates for the resumption of public and private schools after the closure, resulting from the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic a few months ago.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement on Sunday by Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo, explained that his administration is adopting a phased approach to the reopening of public schools in Lagos State in order to observe the COVID-19 safety protocols.
The statement said the present set of JS3 and SS2 students in public schools in the state would resume classes from September 21, so as to allow JS3 students who are already in an exit-class to revise and prepare adequately for their forthcoming Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) organised by the Lagos State Examination Board and scheduled to hold between October 6 and 12.
The commissioner added that the resumption would also afford the present SS2 students the opportunity to prepare effectively for their transition to SS3.
Regarding the resumption of private primary and secondary schools in the state, the statement said the schools are permitted to resume from September 21, reaffirming the need for school owners to institute all necessary safety protocols as well as resume in phases similar to the plans for public schools.
“Phased opening includes strategies for staggered resumption in the mornings, classes on alternate days during the week and teaching through various distance learning methods.
“Schools must also comply with safety protocols and hygiene guidelines as instructed by Lagos State Government, through the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), which will also continue to monitor and evaluate Schools’ preparedness,” Adefisayo said.
She emphasised that pre-primary classes in both public and private schools would remain closed until further announcements are made, reiterating that the pandemic still exists, urging all stakeholders to prioritise the safety of the children, teachers and parents as well as the whole community.
She added that the scheduled dates and venues for the Entrance Examination into Lagos State Model Colleges would soon be announced by Lagos State Examination Board.
Assuring parents that announcements relating to the resumption of other classes would be made as soon as the government is certain of safety, Adefisayo disclosed that the students belonging to the yet-to-resume classes in public schools would continue their lessons on the various distance learning platforms created by the state government.
Federal government agencies in the Presidency have held consultations for the 2021 budget.
According to a statement by the State House Deputy Director of Information, Attah Esa, the permanent Secretary, State House, Mr Tijjani Umar, led the 2021 budget bilateral meeting between Government Agencies under the Presidency and officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning which held virtually on Saturday, September 12, 2020, at the conference room of the State House administrative block.
The State House Permanent Secretary said: “the preparation of the 2021 budget estimates takes into consideration the policies and strategies contained in the 2021-2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP), which is the Federal Government pre-budget statement.”
Umar also explained that in line with the directive issued by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the annual budget is being prepared using the Zero-Based Budget (ZBB) approach and in compliance with the government’s policy thrust as articulated in the MTEF/FSP and Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP).
Citing a September 1, 2020 circular issued by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Zainab Ahmed, the Permanent Secretary, State House, said MDAs have been directed to work assiduously to conclude the budget bilateral meetings as scheduled in order to get the 2021 budget ready for transmission to the National Assembly (NASS) by President Muhammadu Buhari this month.
The latest budget circular issued by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning put the expenditure ceiling of the 2021 pre-bilateral proposal for the Presidency at N10 billion compared with N15.3 billion of the revised 2020 budget passed by the National Assembly.
Participants at the virtual meeting include Chief Executives and key budget, finance and accounts staff of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Sunday joined the fray to market the credentials of President Muhammadu Buhari, but berated the administration of former president Olusegun Obasanjo and other critcs, saying their reckless elocution could not foster peace and unity in Nigeria.
The minister said it’s a cruel irony that those who frittered away a great opportunity to put Nigeria on a sound socio-economic footing, at a time of financial buoyancy, and those who planted the seed of the insecurity in some parts of the country today, are the same ones pointing an accusing finger at a reformist government of Buhari.
He noted that Buhari’s assumption of office in 2015 prevented Nigeria from becoming a failed state, after a long stretch of rapacious and rudderless leadership.
Mohammed, in a statement in Abuja, said Buhari came into office at a time that a swathe of the country’s territory was under occupation, a period when many Nigerian towns and cities, including the capital city of Abuja, were a playground for insurgents and a moment that the nation’s wealth had been looted dry, with little or nothing to show for the nation’s huge earnings, especially in the area of infrastructure.
According to him, “In one of the most difficult moments in the nation’s history, Nigeria is fortunate to have at the helm a leader who is not only dedicated, selfless and patriotic, but one who is globally acknowledged for his discipline, integrity and vision. Those who genuinely love Nigeria will support, rather than subvert, this committed leadership.
“Nigeria today faces a lot of challenges. But whatever situation the country has found itself in, things would have been much worse but for the deft management of resources, unprecedented fight against corruption, determined battle against insurgency and banditry as well as the abiding courage of Mr. President in piloting the ship of state.
”Nigeria today is not a failed state, but a nation that is courageously tackling its challenges and building a solid infrastructure that will serve as the basis for socio-economic development, a nation that is unrelenting in battling insecurity and working hard to ensure greatest prosperity for the greatest number of people.”
He said no government in the history of the country has done so much with so little, as the Buhari administration is doing presently, adding that with 60 per cent less national income, the administration is making progress on all fronts and setting the country on the path of sustainable growth and development.
The minister said while naysayers are hyping the instances of insecurity in the country, they have conveniently forgotten that the country could have been overrun by insurgents and bandits if Buhari had not rallied regional and international allies to tackle, headlong, the Boko Haram insurgency that saw bombs going off like firecrackers before his assumption of office, and an estimated 20,000 square miles of the nation’s territory occupied by insurgents.
”They tout the downturn in economic fortunes without putting things in context. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing a global shutdown and a drastic fall in global oil demand, Nigeria lost 60 per cent of its earnings, yet the administration has ensured that not a single worker has been retrenched, has paid salaries as and when due and has continued to build infrastructures like roads, rails, bridges and power, among others, that will serve many generations.
”They aggravate the national fault lines with their angry and unguarded actions and rhetoric, forgetting that while national fissures are amplified at a time of dwindling economic fortunes, what is needed to foster peace and unity is not reckless elocution but responsible and responsive leadership, the kind being offered by President Buhari,” he said.
Mohammed said Nigeria is on the road to greatness, despite the challenges confronting the nation, citing the hard push towards food sufficiency; the modernisation of the rail system; the nationwide construction of roads and bridges; the reform in the oil and gas
sector; the unprecedented anti-corruption battle, the diversification of the economy and the renewed effort to ensure a steady power supply, anchored on a three-phase project that is expected to deliver 25,000MW of electricity in the next few years.
The minister thanked Nigerians for their perseverance and understanding, especially against the backdrop of the stifling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, and appealed to them to continue to support the administration, as it seeks to lift 100 million people out of poverty in the next 10 years.
File photo of Spokesman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbodiyan.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has, again, cautioned President Muhammadu Buhari to come down from his high horse and listen to advice from eminent Nigerians, who have been advising him against allowing the country to tumble from the cliff under his watch.
PDP said the Buhari Presidency “is worsening the sorry state in which it has plunged the nation by choosing to haul insults on Nigerians including former president like Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and other well-meaning leaders, who are patriotically calling on his administration to end its divisive, suppressive and insensitive style of leadership that has ruined our nation.”
The opposition party implored Buhari to pause, think of Nigeria and her people and heed wise counsel to save our nation from an imminent collapse, which his alleged idling administration has foisted on the people.
“From its reactions to patriotic counsel, it is clear that the Buhari Presidency has become bereft of the fundamentals of governance as well as overwhelmed by its own failures and burden of guilt for the disunity, bloodletting and anguish that have enveloped our nation in the last five years.
“It is incontrovertible that the Buhari administration is leading Nigeria into a failed state, where citizens are not guaranteed of their safety; cannot afford the basic necessities of life and where governance has been crippled by incompetence, unbridled nepotism, promotion of injustice, executive high handedness, abuse of human right, disobedience to court orders, brazen violation of constitutional provisions, acute corruption and violent muscling of elections.
“Under Buhari, all sectors of our national life are in shambles; the productive sectors have been crippled; the nation has been pushed into the reverse gear; bandits, insurgents and marauders are freely ravaging communities and our citizens live in constant fear and extreme poverty.
“Indeed, never in the history of our nation has the situation been this pathetic.
“While President Buhari recedes in the comfort and safety of the Presidential villa and reneged in his promise to lead from the front, Nigeria is being pushed to the fringes by marauders who are pillaging our citizens in various parts of our country, including Mr. President’s home state of Katsina.
“Furthermore, it smacks of shamelessness for the Buhari administration to be talking about corruption in PDP’s subsidy regime, when it has been caught neck-deep in unprecedented oil corruption that had ruined our economy, turned our nation into the poverty capital of the world and put our citizens in a dire strait.
“Nigerians know it as a fact that before he was elected President, General Buhari, as he was then known; a former minister of Petroleum Resources, had publicly told Nigerians that subsidy was a fraud and that it never existed. Five years down the line, trillions of naira have been discovered to have been stolen under the subsidy regime of an administration over which he presides.
“Today, life has become traumatising for Nigerians as resources from the sale of crude oil have either been wasted or stolen by officials of the Buhari administration.
“Furthermore, it is undebatable that the biggest achievement of constitutional amendment in modern administration of our country is the entrenchment of a credible electoral process, which enabled President Buhari to win election in 2015 from an opposition standpoint. Unfortunately, this noble achievement is being washed away in five years under the watch of President Buhari.
“It therefore amounts to pretending to sanctimony for President Buhari to be preaching on term limit, whereas, his administration has done everything possible, broken all known democratic norms and rules to debase credibility in our elections,” PDP said, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.
Media and Publicity aides to President Muhammadu Buhari: Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s two Media Aides, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, Sunday launched double-barreled attacks against former president Olusegun Obasanjo with a spate of one hour over his recent assessment of incumbent President’s leadership style.
Launching the first counter-attack on Sunday, Shehu, in a statement titled: Obasanjo is Nigeria’s Divider-in-Chief,” advised the former president to once again “sheathe the sword and rest the pretentiousness about the Messiah that has (mis)led him to pronounce often wrongly, as he disastrously did in the 2019 elections, about the life and death of Nigerian governments.”
Comparing Buhari to Obasanjo, the presidential media aide said the “difference is clear.”
Unlike Shehu, Adesina appeared diplomatic, explaining that Buhari has been focusing on nation building and unity of Nigeria.
Throughout his statement titled: “President Buhari focused on nation building and unity of Nigeria,” Adesina highlighted the achievements of incumbent Nigerian leader and never made direct reference to Obasanjo.
But in what seemed to be an indirect line of attack on Obasanjo, the presidential media aide said: “However, what is sad, and most reprehensible is the conduct of those who should know better and should be seen to be playing a leading role in bridging and or mediating these fissures that we have lived with, who now invest their time in trying to deepen those fault lines and stoking ethnic embers in very subtle and manipulative ways that eventually find their way to the public sphere.”
It would be recalled that Obasanjo, while recently delivering a speech titled: “Moving Nigeria Away from Tipping Over” at a consultative dialogue attended by various socio-cultural groups including Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum, Northern Elders Forum, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo and Pan Niger Delta Forum, lamented that he had never seen Nigeria so divided.
According to him, “I do appreciate that you all feel sad and embarrassed as most of us feel as Nigerians with the situation we find ourselves in. Today, Nigeria is fast drifting to a failed and badly divided state.
“Economically our country is becoming a basket case and poverty capital of the world, and socially, we are firming up as an unwholesome and insecure country.
“And these manifestations are the products of recent mismanagement of diversity and socio-economic development of our country.
“Old fault lines that were disappearing have opened up in greater fissures and with drums of hatred, disintegration and separation and accompanying choruses being heard loud and clear almost everywhere.
“It will amount to dangerous and destructive self-delusion for anybody to claim that all is well in Nigeria today.”
But, Shehu, a Senior Special Assistant to the President, described the Buhari administration as a pro-business administration that has used diplomacy to unlock bilateral trade and investment.
With so much to show and many more coming, he advised Obasanjo and other politicians to stop making Buhari their subject of attack.
According to him, “In his most recent statement former President Olusegun Obasanjo attempts to divide the nation while President Muhammadu Buhari continues to promote nation building and the unity of Nigeria.
“The difference is clear. From the lofty heights of Commander-in-Chief, General Obasanjo has descended to the lowly level of Divider-in-Chief (to adapt the coinage of Time).
“Before responding further to the unfair attacks on President Buhari and his administration by the former President, it is important that we categorically state that contrary to the assertions by a few analysts, the recent speech in which President Buhari advised West African Presidents against tenure elongation beyond constitutional limits has been consistent with his long held views on the need to adhere to the rule of law.
“Even though he tried it and failed, the recent uptick in the number of such leaders proposing to do, or actually carrying on in office beyond term limits is sufficient to cause concern among democrats in the sub-region given its prospects of destabilising the states and the region.
“President Buhari’s advocacy is consistent with his principles and in line with the current policies of his administration and indeed that of the ECOWAS Charter which is that term limits must be respected and that the change of government is only permissible through the ballot box.
“Having cleared this misperception, we hope that Chief Obasanjo would once again sheathe the sword and rest the pretentiousness about the Messiah that has (mis)led him to pronounce often wrongly, as he disastrously did in the 2019 elections, about the life and death of Nigerian governments.
“As some commentators are already suggesting, Chief Obasanjo should, in accordance with his mantra as a statesman, get involved with problems solving, when and where they exist instead of helping the mushrooming of a poisonous atmosphere of ethnic and religious nationalism.
“Surely, he must have disappointed many of his local and foreign admirers by showering commendations on a few extremist groups who have vowed to shun the invitation to the National Assembly to participate in the process of constitutional amendment.
“No doubt, he must have left those admirers confused in announcing the support for the boycott of a democratic process of changing the constitution, at the same time calling for dialogue and engagement.
“The fact that the process he ushered in under his administration with the dubious intention of amendments that sought tenure elongation failed-as did two other attempts by the successor administrations of the same political party- does not in any way justify his dismissal of the exercise by the 9th Assembly as a another waste of time and resources.
“To the credit of the All Progressives Congress-led 8th Assembly, the process of constitutional amendment was kickstarted and carried through, paving the way for, among other benefits, the financial independence of local government councils, States Houses of Assembly and the country’s Judiciary. These changes have already been signed into laws by the President as mandated by the constitution.
“The recent decisions by the administration as they relate to subsidy withdrawal, helping to plug some of the most horrendous notorious holes and release of scarce resources for the more pressing needs of the people has also not escaped the ire of the former president.
“It’s a known fact that the withdrawal of subsidies had been on the wish list of the Obasanjo-led Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. They failed in achieving these measures because, one there was a shared greed. They plundered the treasury as much as anyone could in the name of either subsidy or waiver with reckless impunity.
“Two, is to say it takes courage and rare statesmanship on the part of a leader to do as President Buhari to shun populism and seek the best interest of the people and the state, providing the kind of reform and development that Nigeria urgently needs.
“This President has run an administration focused on infrastructure and development. He has repaired our damaged relations with neighbours and our traditional allies such as the UK, US, China, Russia, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the others with lots of benefits to the country.
“It is a pro-business administration that has used diplomacy to unlock bilateral trade and investment.
“He leads a government that has liberalised the investment climate and market access by achieving reforms that have placed the country in the list of the world’s top reforming economies.
“Nigeria, which other nations had mocked and ridiculed for so many things that were wrong is today progressing at a pace reflecting its size and potential.
“With so much to show and many more coming, it is little surprise that President Buhari would be the object of envy and harsh unfair challenges by politicians who failed to deliver, but continue to nurse ambitions of delighting the audience long after their curtain has been drawn.”
Adesina, who is Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, approached the matter differently.
He took his time to explain the peculiar scenario Nigeria has found herself and subsequent actions taken by Buhari to address emerging challenges.
Adesina said: “To state that we live in challenging times is perhaps an understatement and does very little justice in accurately capturing our current realities. Those realities include a world faced with a pandemic the scale of which hasn’t been seen in 100 years. The crisis has crippled economies, destroyed global supply chains and obliterated once productive and viable sectors of the economy.
“Our dear nation has not been spared in this difficult period and, indeed, has felt the impact of the global crisis. But as a responsive government, the Buhari administration has within limited resources designed responses that are targeted at mitigating the full impact of this scourge.
“The Economic Sustainability Plan has earmarked N2.7 trillion in spending to create and sustain jobs and livelihoods for those who have been impacted the most by this crisis.
“Despite battling with low public revenues, and the hydra-headed monster of low oil price and a reduced production quota from OPEC, this administration remains committed to honouring the promises made to the Nigerian people across the key areas of security, economy and fighting corruption.
“At the just concluded Inter-ministerial Retreat, where the entire government apparatus was gathered under one roof to review performance over the last year; with a singular objective of identifying how to improve in those areas where successes fell short of target, and how to replicate those key elements that led to success in others.
“A frank conversation took place between the participants and independent assessors. Amongst the critical themes that emerged from the two-day session was the need to improve focus, coordination and collaboration amongst Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and the importance of rigorous execution, monitoring and evaluation of projects and activities against set targets.
“Regarding domestic policy actions, the last week has seen critical decisions around the economy being taken. These are decisions that for many years previous governments have shied away from, and as a result cost our country several billions of dollars.
“This was funding that could easily have been deployed elsewhere in support of millions of our citizens, as opposed to subsidising a small percentage of our population. If we continued along this path it would portend a very dark and uncertain future for our country.
“As most crisis managers state, ‘Never allow a crisis go to waste.’ Such periods present an opportunity to take stock and make difficult decisions. These domestic policy decisions were by no means easy, but are in the best interest of our nation.
“The impact of this decision is to have an improved allocation of very scarce resources, create an opportunity for private sector investment to return to sectors where government intervention had created distortions in various ways. The return of the private sector promotes job creation and provides for the entrepreneurial genius that is embedded in Nigerians.
“Leadership is about making tough and difficult decisions and not a popularity contest. President Buhari’s commitment to doing the right things in the best interest of our country should never be in doubt.
“In the regional sphere, Mr. President has not shirked from his responsibilities of promoting alongside other subregional leaders the principle of non-acceptability of change of government other than by constitutional means, and the values of democracy in places like Mali and ensuring that peace and security are maintained in neighbouring countries as they have a direct impact on our own security and territorial integrity.
“Mr. President is also fully aware that there are historic fissures that exist in various locations across the country, and has advocated for dialogue between key parties who are direct stakeholders in ensuring peace. An example is the recent peace dialogue that took place in Kaduna between warring groups that have been at each other’s neck for quite some time. Their efforts to sit across the table and dialogue on how best they can resolve their differences, is the pathway that needs to be charted in addressing our internal issues. Such peace moves, which would be deepened and extended to other parts of the country, are critical to our continued existence as a people and as a nation.
“However, what is sad, and most reprehensible is the conduct of those who should know better and should be seen to be playing a leading role in bridging and or mediating these fissures that we have lived with, who now invest their time in trying to deepen those fault lines and stoking ethnic embers in very subtle and manipulative ways that eventually find their way to the public sphere.
“Given the plethora of challenges that confront our nation, Mr. President’s attention is on how our growing youthful population can compete in a world that has no boundaries and barriers, given our very fertile land. Focus is on how we can best improve agricultural practices and increase yields per hectare, so our farmers benefit from their sweat and honest labour.
“Also under attention is how connectivity between markets and people can be improved so that commerce and movement of persons can thrive and flourish.
“How do we deepen technology penetration to ensure that we are not left behind in the digital race. These are a few amongst the things that occupy the thoughts of the President. All statesmen will be judged by their records long after they exit the scene, and President Buhari is focused on deepening Nigeria’s unity and laying a solid foundation for the transformation of our country so that future leadership can build on. Therefore, he will not be deterred by those whose singular objective, carried out through a veil of deception, is a cocktail of hate-inspired messaging and vitriol intended to distract and undermine our march towards prosperous nation building.”
Naomi Osaka has won her US Open Championship, making it her third Grand Slam title.
She has also set the record by becoming the youngest three-time major winner since Maria Sharapova captured her third crown in 2008.
She beats Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the US Open final on Saturday.
Beyond her superlative performance at the tennis court, Osaka assumed a new status as an activist and agent of social change.
For her seven matches at US Open Championship 2020 in New York, Osaka wore seven different face masks, each sporting the name of a victim of violence, including Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Tamir Rice.
Shortly after her third Grand Slam win, Osaka explained that her desire for wearing those special face masks was to further highlight the racial challenge in the United States of America and beyond.
“What was the message you got, is more of the question. I feel the point is to make people start talking. I feel that I’m a vessel at this point in order to spread awareness and hopefully it won’t dull the pain, but help with anything that they need.
“For me, I’ve been inside of the bubble, so I’m not really sure what’s really going on in the outside world. All I can tell is what’s going on on social media. For me, I feel like the more retweets it gets — that’s so lame — but the more people talk about it,” said the 22-year-old tennis champion.
Headquarters of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Abuja, Nigeria's capital.
Just like some other African countries, Nigeria has indicated plans to completely phase out the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages in sachets, small volume glass and PET bottles.
Justifying its decision, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government said uncontrolled access and availability of high concentration alcohol in sachet and small volume PET or glass bottles has been identified as a factor contributing to substance and alcohol abuse in Nigeria with its negative impact on the society.
Varieties of sachet alcoholic beverages popular in Nigeria
The government, in a statement by the Director-General of the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye, over the weekend, explained that it has been engaging and sentising major stakeholders on the matter, adding that several interventions have been jointly agreed upon.
These include collective decisions that no new products in sachet and small volume PET or glass bottles above 30 per cent ABV would be registered by NAFDAC; and that effective January 31, 2020, producers of alcohol in sachets and small volume PET and glass bottles were to reduce production by 50 per cent.
The statement noted that the overall goal was to completely phase out high concentration alcohol in sachets and small PET and glass bottles.
Thus, the government pointed out that NAFDAC was in the process of monitoring and enforcing all agreements jointly reached between the Federal Ministry of Health-NAFDAC, alcohol producers and other stakeholders.
The agency advised the general public to exercise caution in the consumption of alcoholic beverages and avoid unregistered alcoholic products which could have deleterious effects on people’s health.
“NAFDAC under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Health, once again, wishes to bring to the attention of the general public, concerns relating to the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages in sachets, small volume glass and PET bottles.
“These concerns relate to negative effects of irresponsible alcohol consumption on public health and on the safety and security of the public, alcohol being a toxic and psychoactive substance with dependence producing properties.
“Uncontrolled access and availability of high concentration alcohol in sachet and small volume PET or glass bottles has been put forward as a factor contributing to substance and alcohol abuse in Nigeria with its negative impact on the society.
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that alcohol consumption contributes to three million deaths each year globally as well as to the disabilities and poor health of millions of people.
“NAFDAC with full support of the Federal Ministry of Health has continued to exercise its regulatory responsibilities by ensuring that all alcoholic beverages and other regulated products approved by the agency meet set standards of quality, safety and wholesomeness.
“The Federal Ministry of Health is concerned about the high incidence of substance and alcohol abuse in the country and NAFDAC, being the competent authority and working with relevant stakeholders, is increasing efforts to stem this.
“With regard to alcohol, major stakeholders have been engaged at the highest level and are already sensitised to the issue.
“To this end, several interventions jointly agreed upon by major stakeholders are being undertaken and as a first step, no new products in sachet and small volume PET or glass bottles above 30 per cent ABV will be registered by NAFDAC.
“Furthermore, to reduce availability and curb abuse, effective January 31, 2020, producers of alcohol in sachets and small volume PET and glass bottles are to reduce production by 50 per cent of capacity prior to January 2020.
“The overall goal is a complete phase out of high concentration alcohol in sachets and small PET and glass bottles in line with the agreed roadmap or earlier.
“NAFDAC is in the process of monitoring and enforcing all agreements jointly reached between the Federal Ministry of Health-NAFDAC, alcohol producers and other stakeholders.
“The general public is hereby advised to exercise caution in the consumption of alcoholic beverages and avoid unregistered alcoholic products which could have deleterious effects on health. NAFDAC is committed to preventing easy access to alcohol by young people and other vulnerable and high-risk groups,” the statement noted.
The police, in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said the investigation would “amongst other things seek to forensically establish the authenticity of the video, the true identity of the man in the uniform – whether he is in fact a policeman, an impostor or an actor in a movie scene.”
The statement added: “However, while not being prejudicial to the ongoing investigations, it is necessary to state that the character exhibited by the man in the uniform is not a true reflection of who we are as a regimented law enforcement agency – our trainings, discipline, norms and tradition.”
Captured image from a viral video showing a man seemingly wearing a Nigerian Police Uniform vaping “Shisa”
Members of the public with useful information that could assist police investigations are enjoined to provide same via: pressforabuja@police.gov.ng, or direct mesaage on Nigeria Police Force’s social media platforms.
Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has pledged technical support to Kogi State in its efforts to establish a robust waste management system.
LAWMA Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Ibrahim Odumboni, gave this indication while receiving Kogi State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Victor Adewale Omofaiye, and his team, who were on a fact-finding visit to the agency and its waste management facilities in Lagos.
Odumboni expressed LAWMA’s readiness to support the efforts of Kogi State to set up a proper waste management structure for the good of Kogi environment, its people and visitors alike.
The LAWMA chief noted that the visit offered the visitors from Kogi State an opportunity to witness the waste management processes and innovative ideas being adopted by the agency to tackle day-to-day challenges of waste management in Lagos State.
He informed the visiting team that the agency would soon launch an educational initiative called “LAWMA Academy” with the sole purpose of imparting waste management knowledge to the younger generation.
Odumboni advised the delegation to explore the idea of setting up recycling clubs and similar programmes in schools to lay a solid foundation for waste management in Kogi State.
While addressing the team, LAWMA Chief Technical Officer, Olohunwa Tijani, listed generation, collection and disposal as the key components of the waste management process in any geographical location, noting that proper management of those components is essential to having an effective waste management system.
He added that in order to achieve their goal of a cleaner and healthier state, the waste management system should be purpose-driven and devoid of political interference.
LAWMA Assistant General Manager, Waste Management Development, Essien Nsuabia, spoke on waste minimisation techniques, highlighting the importance of studying human activities in a particular geographical location for the formation of effective waste management plans and policies.
Earlier, Omofaiye had thanked the agency for a warm reception, noting that the purpose of their visit was to tap into LAWMA’s vast experience, which has made it a global brand.
Omafaiye submitted that the environment is a gift from God, which required collective preservation, attesting that the level of achievement attained by Lagos State in environmental sustainability did not just happen overnight, hence the delegation’s visit to discover the secrets.
The team, in the course of their visit, embarked on a tour of some of the agency’s facilities such as the Engineering Department, where LAWMA engineers fabricate double dino bins for waste containerisation, Olusosun Dumpsite and others, for a first-hand assessment.
A model of Lagos' N43 billion new ICT Park by Bridgeways Global Projects Limited concessionaire
Lagos State Government-approved developer for the new Information Communication Technology (ICT) Market at Katangowa, Bridge Ways Limited, has assured that the first phase of the project would be ready in the next 24 months.
Speaking on behalf of the developer, Jimmy Onyemenam said the completion of the project would facilitate the relocation of the ICT market (Computer Village) in Ikeja to Katangowa.
Onyemenam stated this during a visit to the new site by the executives of the Phone and Allied Products Dealers Association (PAPDA) in company of other stakeholders of the Computer Village.
Onyemenam explained that the relocation would not change what was being done at the Computer Village in Ikeja but rather, enhance it as it would house more facilities.
The new ICT market, he said, would have an industrial park where trailers and containers could be parked by major exporters, warehouses and an assembling plant for coupling handsets and computers.
The developer added that Katangowa would also house eight-floor innovation and technology hub, which would be the largest in Africa.
In his remarks, PAPDA President, Ifeanyi Akubue, said the stakeholders would go back home to tell the people on the reality of the new ICT market.
Akubue assured that the executives would sensitise their members to key into the project by acquiring the shop on time, so as not to be left out, pointing out that the movement was long overdue, as members were looking forward to a bigger and more conducive environment.
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