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The Government of Delta state will not task communities on schools reopening- Patrick Ukar

Delta State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has stated that it will not task communities on the reopening of schools in the state warning Chief Inspectors of Education (CIEs), Principals and Heads of Schools to desist from sending wrong signals that does not portray the intention of the state government.

Commisioner in charge of the ministry, Chief Patrick Ukah,

This warning is coming on the heels of insinuations in some quarters that the ministry has directed communities to clean up public schools within their jurisdiction or pay a certain amount of money and failure to do so, such schools will not be allowed by the state government to reopen.

A statement signed by the Commissioner in charge of the ministry, Chief Patrick Ukah, in Asaba today (15/07/2020), stated that any CIE, Principal or School Head foisting the cleaning of schools on communities do not have the backing of the ministry and those found to be involved and those propagating the misleading information will be severely sanctioned in accordance with extant rules of the state civil service and laws on the spread of fake news.

Chief Ukah disclosed that having known that the government alone cannot do everything in the school system, the ministry’s Public Private Partnership unit is currently engaging relevant agencies, partners, organisations, philanthropic and well-meaning individuals to see how government’s efforts can be complemented.

According to the statement, the Federal Government recently released guidelines for the reopening of schools after Covid-19 pandemic closures and the ministry has commenced the harmonisation of the document with that of the state schools reopening strategy.
The Basic and Secondary Education Commissioner therefore appealed to parents and the general public to be patient as the ministry is in consultations with both internal and external stakeholders including relevant ministries, all Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Public Secondary Schools, Association of Primary School Heads of Nigeria, Private School Owners Association, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Management of State Universal Basic Education Board and Post Primary Education Board with a view to building alignment on the strategies for school reopening.

Chief Ukah emphasised that the ministry will also increase communication and advocacy with the Ministry of Information, Civil Society Groups and Delta State Orientation Bureau as well as building synergy with School Based Management Committees (SBMC), Advocacy and Mentoring Committees, Parents’ Teachers’ Associations (PTAs), Transport Unions, Traditional Rulers and Faith Based Organisations, including Christian and Muslim leaders, to help educate our students on social distancing.

The statement noted that it is pertinent to state that government is alive to its responsibility and is already taking steps to ensuring that all schools are well prepared, hygienic and adequately provided with water and health facilities as demanded by the covid-19 preventive protocols as we look forward to schools reopening soon.

Chief Ukah added that as a responsible government, the health, safety, and security of learners, teachers and families are priorities, stressing that the state government will guarantee the public, especially parents, of the safety of schools before, during and after covid -19 pandemic.

News

Fahim Saleh, founder and Chief Executive Officer of ride-hailing company Gokada, is dead.

Saleh’ s dismembered and decapitated remains were found in his home on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on Tuesday afternoon, according to The New York Times.

His dog, Laila, was, however, found alive in the apartment at 265, East Houston Street near Suffolk Street.

The 33-year-old technology entrepreneur was murdered by assailants who scattered his body parts in different locations within the apartment.

Politics

Governor Wake storms Ex NDDC managing director Nunieh house, takes her away to the Government’s house.

The Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, who rushed into the residence of a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Joy Nunieh, following alleged police harassment , has taken her to the Government House.

Joy Nunieh
Ex NDDC managing director

Wike was said to have arrived the house, which was surrounded by over 15 armed policemen, in the morning.

Ex NDDC Managing director Joy Nunie

He reportedly bulldozed his way into the building and zoomed off with the embattled ex-NDDC managing director.

Governor Wake at former NDDC managing director Nunieh house

Sources said the Governor relocated Nunieh, who was supposed to be in Abuja to testify before the ad-hoc committee of the House of Representatives investigating alleged corruption in the NDDC, to the Government House in Port Harourt.

News

Ramon Abbas, known as Hushpuppi was denied bail in America

Suspected Nigerian fraudster Ramon Abbas a.k.a Hushpuppi has been denied bail in the United States in spite of his lawyer, Gal Pissetzky insisting that his job as an Instagram celebrity paid for the $10,000 monthly rent on his luxury Dubai flat.

His lawyers had applied for him to leave jail with an electronic tag and live with the uncle of a woman with whom he has a child with, but US prosecutors opposed the bail application. UAE’s The National reported that prosecutors said he could commit crimes with just a smartphone and an internet connection, and that he posed too much of a flight risk.

Huchpuppi

Reacting to prosecutors’ argument, Pissetzky said his client had too much to lose if he flees from the United States.

He told a judge in Chicago by videolink;

“He is loved and respected. He is a celebrity.
“I don’t see the reason why he would want to ruin his credibility in the world and his status rather than stay here and face this allegation.
“Anywhere he goes, people will know. Having grown up very poor in Nigeria, Mr Abbas is now paid to pose with high-priced items such as Louis Vuitton bags that people would buy after seeing his posts on Instagram.
“He is an influencer. That’s a job today, as much as it is hard to imagine. That’s a full-time job.”

Hushpupi

Judge Jeffrey Gilbert who watched the proceedings from a prison video link, denied Hushpuppi bail on grounds of him being a flight risk. Gilbert ordered that the suspected Nigerian fraudster be remanded in custody until he is taken to a court in California.

Politics

President Buhari African Anti-corruption champion won’t fail Nigeria’s- Gabar Shehu

President Muhammadu Buhari, who doubles as African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption Champion in Africa, firmly assures all Nigerians that he will not be deterred by baseless criticisms by the opposition in his determination to eradicate rampant, chronic corruption.

Fielding questions from State House correspondents on issues raised by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since the beginning of the interrogation of suspended acting EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the volume and reach of the anti-corruption crusade so far reflects what the PDP left behind.

Shehu said corruption became so normalized by the PDP that they had difficulty defining what is “corruption” and “theft”.

The presidential spokesman praised President Buhari’s determination to end corruption in the country as responsible for the number of highly publicized charges and cases.

“The large number of cases, new and old, may appear to be daunting but PDP, which is now heckling the President, has forgotten that the party bequeathed this to the current administration. They had large number of cases they did not investigate and prosecute,” he said.

Shehu also cautioned the PDP to allow the process of investigation and prosecution to work instead of being preemptive about ongoing cases and unduly agitating the public.

He expressed hope that the Judiciary would deal with the cases swiftly and satisfactorily, in a manner that would deter other would-be offenders.

“The current administration is handling many of the cases that the PDP should have dealt with and the new ones as they arise,” he said.

What’s your take on this?

Health

Covid-19: Corona virus vaccine tested successfully on Humans in Russia

Russia’s Sechenov University Successfully Completes Trials of World’s 1st COVID-19 Vaccine

The clinical trials of the world’s first coronavirus vaccine on volunteers at the Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University have been successfully completed, Vadim Tarasov, the director of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, told Sputnik.

The university began clinical trials of a vaccine produced by Russia’s Gamalei Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology on 18 June.

“Sechenov University has successfully completed tests on volunteers of the world’s first vaccine against coronavirus”, Tarasov said.

He added that the first group of volunteers would be discharged on Wednesday and the second on 20 July.

According to Alexander Lukashev, the director of the Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical, and Vector-Borne Diseases at Sechenov University, the objective of this stage of the study was to show the vaccine’s safety on humans, which was successfully done.

“The safety of the vaccine has been confirmed. It corresponds to the safety of those vaccines that are currently on the market”, Lukashev told Sputnik.

A further vaccine development plan is already being determined by the developer, including the complexity of the epidemiological situation with the virus and the possibility of scaling up production, Lukashev added.

“Sechenov University in a pandemic situation acted not only as an educational institution but also as a scientific and technological research centre that is able to participate in the creation of such important and complex products as drugs.

We worked with this vaccine, starting with preclinical studies and protocol development, and clinical trials are currently underway”, Tarasov noted

News

58 Nigerian Doctors Stopped At Lagos Airport, Were Promised Millions By UK Firm

The 58 Nigerian doctors who were prevented by the Nigeria Immigration Service from boarding a plane to the United Kingdom were expected to earn between £51,384 (N25.1m) and £98,112 (N47.9m) per year depending on the experience they have.

This is according to the advertorial by NES Health Care, a UK-based firm that helps over 150 private hospitals to recruit doctors from all over the world.

The advertorial reads in part, “Are you a doctor with ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and anaesthesia experience, looking for a better work/life balance?

“To apply you will need a minimum of three years post-graduate experience and have 18+ months of ICU and Anaesthesia experience. Salary is from £51,384 to £98,112 dependent on experience. Contract is for a minimum of one year. You will need to hold full GMC Registration with a licence to practice, or be eligible to apply.”

Hundreds of Nigerian doctors had applied for the jobs advertised by NES Health Care as far back as January. They had written the exams and were interviewed via Skype.

Many of them had also been offered employment in the UK and had processed their necessary documents through the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and obtained security clearance from the Nigeria Police Force attesting to the fact that they had no criminal record.

The doctors were also asked to pay £500 (N244, 500) to secure a seat on a chartered aeroplane that would fly from the UK to convey them from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, because Nigeria had not yet lifted the ban on flights due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was learnt that after the necessary payments had been made by about 58 of the doctors, they made their way to the MMIA but were stopped from traveling by the NIS.

The NIS Spokesman, Sunday James, said in a statement on Friday that the doctors claimed to be going for training but had no visas.

The chartered flight approved for landing in Nigeria was to carry 42 medical doctors for a training program but they were 58 with only two having visas for entry into the UK, a situation that calls for refusal of departure.”