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Tuberculosis killed 300 in Ogun in 2023

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Tuberculosis killed 300 in Ogun in 2023

No fewer than 300 patients died of tuberculosis, out of over 6,000 cases recorded in Ogun State in 2023.

This is just as the state is said to have recorded a 100% rise in tuberculosis cases in recent times

The Senior Programme Officer of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, Ms Florinda Olawusi, disclosed this in Abeokuta, the state capital while speaking with journalists at the 2024 World Tuberculosis Day.

Olawusi expressed concern over a 100% rise from 2019, adding that according to data from the IHVN and USAID TB-LON 3 project for Ogun State, 3,000 cases were recorded in 2019.

She noted that 95% of the patients were already placed on treatment.

“Since the inception of the TB long 3 project in Ogun State which started in 2019, Ogun State was diagnosing a little over 3,000 cases annually but presently from 2019 till now for example last year in 12 months, they were able to diagnose over 6,000 cases which is a huge increment. It’s over a 100% increase in the number of cases diagnosed.

“The treatment lasts for six months. So, what that means is that after six months, once the duration of the treatment is complete, the patient leaves the programme As of last year, we were able to identify 6,000 cases and 95% of them were placed on treatment,” she said.

Responding to questions on the number of deaths, she said “There have been some TB-related deaths in the past year. A little over 300 patients died from TB-related causes last year in Ogun State.”

The State Programme Manager for TB and Leprosy Control, Olusola Taiwo, said, “One of the predisposing factors for TB infection is staying in an overcrowded environment, so people should stay where there is good ventilation, indiscriminate pit, they should try put on their coughing etiquette to prevent the spreading of TB germs.”

The World Health Organisation representative, Omotunde Ogunlaja, advised residents to speak out and contact the nearest health facility if symptoms are suspected

“We just like to tell the residents that TB is curable and we can end it so anybody that shows the signs, coughing for two weeks or more should go to the health facilities and get themselves accessed.

“The assessment is free, and treatment is free, and also, those on the treatment should not be set aside. They should use their drugs” she added.

Edo gets 40 new solid minerals licences

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Edo gets 40 new solid minerals licences

The Edo State Government has secured 40 new licences for solid mineral deposits in the state through Associates Mining and Investment Company, a special-purpose vehicle promoted by the state government.

The state Commissioner for Mining and Energy, Enaholo Ojiefoh, who disclosed this on Tuesday in Benin, said the state took the bold step to acquire the licences so that it is not shortchanged in the drive for industrialisation.

He noted that the state will rent the licences to interested private investors to exploit the mineral deposits in the state.

He said, “Upon getting the licences, we went back to the drawing board. We engaged with the Community Development Associations in the communities where these solid minerals are found. Between December and January this year, we have received not less than 14 visitors who are all interested in bringing their money in.

“The governor has asked that this has to be transformed into money. So, we are looking at industrialisation. A Commodities Trading and Mineral Analysis Centre is being completed in Dangbala in Akoko Edo. We have had to train our staff working with a research team from the universities.

“We have professors in Geology, Geophysics, Industrial Chemistry, and Biochemistry working with us on the project. We have staff across the state working on identifying more minerals also.

“We have deposits of kaolin in Ubiaja, in Edo Central Senatorial district of the state. We have gypsum in Warrake as well. The state is blessed, and we are looking to drive investment with these deposits.”

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Kano gov moves to create four new ministries

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Kano gov moves to create four new ministries

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, on Tuesday, wrote to the state House of Assembly seeking the creation of four new ministries.

According to the letter read on the floor of the Assembly on Tuesday by the Speaker, Jibrin Ismail Falgore, the creation of the new ministries is to, among others, enhance the development of the state and its growing needs.

The new ministries include Humanitarian Affairs, Power and Renewable Energy, Internal Security, and Solid Minerals Ministry.

Other letters received by the assembly from the governor include the approval for the dissolution of the Assembly commission, with the names of new members, four names as Commissioner nominees and members of the state executive council and replacement of the name of a member of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission.

Falgore subsequently adjourned the plenary till April 2, 2024.

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Deputy senate president, Osun monarch preach unity

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Deputy senate president, Osun monarch preach unity

The Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau, and the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, have harped on unity, saying the beauty and strength of the country are in her diversity.

Barau on Tuesday hosted the Oluwo of Iwo, a first-class traditional ruler in Osun State, in his office at the National Assembly, Abuja.

While interacting, the duo said Nigerians, irrespective of their places of origin, should promote unity and work for the development of the country.

Barau described the role of traditional rulers in promoting unity as paramount to the peaceful coexistence and development of the country.

He said, “Traditional rulers have key roles to play in national unity and development. As such, we implore them to always use every opportunity to promote unity and peaceful coexistence among all in the country. In and out of their domains, traditional rulers should continue to propagate the messages of unity, peace, and tolerance.”

Earlier in his remarks, the traditional ruler said diversity is the beauty of Nigeria.

Oluwo said, “Diversity is the beauty of Nigeria. This is why we can boast of over 200m population. Only Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa cannot boast of this number. Unity is our pride. We will live together forever.

“That is why I married my wife from Kano, the Northern part of the country to promote national unity. We still need that unity and we will stay together forever and ever.”

Commending the Deputy Senate President for his various intervention and empowerment programmes, he said he was endeared to Barau by his leadership style.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the pride of Lagos and the South, I pray Almighty God to make you the pride of Kano and the entire North,” he said.

Delta police rescue three kidnapped sisters

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Delta police rescue three kidnapped sisters

The Delta State Police Command, on Monday, rescued three sisters who were said to have been kidnapped in Egbudu-Akah, Aniocha South Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a post on his X handle on Tuesday.

His caption read, “The command yesterday, March 24, 2024, rescued three sisters who were allegedly kidnapped in Egbudu-Akah, in Aniocha South LGA, and arrested one of the suspected kidnappers.

“The sisters have since been reunited with their families. This feat was achieved when a concerned resident of the community sighted the kidnappers dragging the girls to the bush.”

He added that in a stop-and-search duty on the same day, the operatives of the command also apprehended a suspected cultist and recovered a locally made cut-to-size double barrel gun.

He wrote, “On the same date in Agbor, a suspected cultist was intercepted during w stop-and-search duty. When searching, a locally made cut-to-size double barrel gun was recovered.

“CP Abaniwonda Olufemi has directed that the suspects be transferred to SCID for further investigation.”

According Online reports how policemen in Benue State rescued a 50-year-old kidnap victim at Tine Nine, Zaki Biam, in the Ukum Local Government Area of the state.

The victim was said to have been discovered in a coma after his abductors abandoned him. He was later taken to the General Hospital, Zaki-Biam, where he was relieved.

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Ekiti gov pays N1.2bn gratuities to ex-LG workers, teachers

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Ekiti gov pays N1.2bn gratuities to ex-LG workers, teachers

 

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, said on Tuesday that his administration had released N1.2bn gratuity arrears to retired local government workers and primary school teachers in the last 15 months.

Oyebanji, who bemoaned the plight of the categories of pensioners waiting for their gratuities for years, said his administration would correct all such by ensuring speedy payment of their gratuities.

The governor, who spoke in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, while presenting gratuity cheques to retired local government workers and primary school teachers, assured the pensioners that more of them would soon get their dues following his increase of the money for monthly gratuity from N50m to N100m.

He said, “It is important to place on record that we have paid N1.214bn as gratuities to 377 retired local government and primary school teachers since the beginning of this administration. Our target is to get everyone covered; and with God on our side, we will not rest on our oars until it is achieved. Rest should, indeed sweet after labour.

 

“As regards the March to September 2018 arrears of your pensions, we are closing in on settling them. We have so far cleared three out of seven months. I am assuring you that the remaining four will soon be cleared.”

Oyebanji said the government was making efforts on peace and security to boost the attraction of the state to investors for sustainable economic development in the areas of industrialization, employment generation and wealth creation.

He advised beneficiaries to expend the gratuities on things that would add value to their welfare and well-being to compensate for the long period of waiting.

The Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Chief Folorunso Olabode, who said that the Oyebanji administration had been paying N580m as pension monthly since 2022, lauded the governor for increasing the monthly gratuity payment to LG and primary school retirees from N50m to N100m.

The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Ekiti State Chapter, Mr Joel Akinola, who lauded Oyebanji for his love for pensioners, expressed confidence that the backlog of arrears of retired LG and primary school teachers would soon be cleared.

Akinola appealed to retirees to embrace the free health services specially designed for pensioners by the current administration, saying this is a way of elongating their life expectancy and putting their health in proper shape.

The NUP chairman said, “Our members have passed through the valley of the shadow of death. I have never seen any state where governor released cheques to pensioners every month for gratuity payment. This gives us a lot of hope. We especially thank the governor for his concern about us”

Brutality: Nigerian Man Demands Court-Granted Compensation From Togolese Navy

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Brutality: Nigerian Man Demands Court-Granted Compensation From Togolese Navy

A Nigerian businessman has called on the Togolese Navy to obey a court order after compensation was granted for brutalizing him.

Narrating his ordeal, he stated that some officers of the Togolese Navy stopped them while on a business trip and shot passengers on the bus he was on.

In this documentary, he shared with The According his ordeal and his fight for justice.

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Spain police detain 18-year-old for promoting terrorism online

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Spain police detain 18-year-old for promoting terrorism online

Police said Tuesday they had arrested an 18-year-old Spaniard of Moroccan origin who had engaged in “intensive (online) efforts to encourage terrorism” and had ties with other radical jihadists abroad.

The youth was arrested in Barcelona on March 16 on suspicion of links to the Islamic State (IS) group, with a Guardia Civil police statement indicating he had “extensive connections” with other extremists in Asia, Europe and North America.

Police began investigating the teenager, who lived at home with his parents and siblings in Barcelona, early last year after noticing he was “using encrypted instant messaging platforms to express support for IS” and engaging in an “intense propaganda effort to encourage terrorism”.

They decided to arrest him after Swedish police rounded up four people with extremist ties who were preparing an attack and with whom he had been in contact, a police source told AFP.

“Four individuals were arrested in Sweden on suspicion of planning an attack, believed to be imminent, and he was linked to them,” the source said.

On March 7, Sweden’s Sapo security service said it had arrested the four in Stockholm for preparing attacks “linked to violent Islamist extremism”.

“He had been touch with them for some time, mainly online, exchanging terror manuals and discussing possible targets,” the source said.

Through his online profiles, the teenager spread “a great deal of jihadist content about terrorist activities and about materials for making explosives,” the police statement said.

Canada suspect also arrested

The suspect had been in touch with an individual in Canada “who was also planning an attack,” but was arrested about a year ago.

“It was the same sort of relationship as with the Swedes, they were in touch online and exchanged terror manuals and discussed possible attacks,” he said.

Police did not find any evidence of similar contact with people in Spain.

The youth observed “strict security measures”, using tools that let him operate anonymously online, offering other jihadist sympathisers “training and instruction in terrorism”.

Investigators also found he was using cryptocurrencies, saying they “did not rule out his involvement in funding terror activities”.

He was brought before a Spanish court on March 19 and remanded in custody.

Police believe he was radicalised in isolation with material he found online.

“It’s quite common. Nowadays many young people become radicalised through jihadist propaganda on various websites, without anyone encouraging them,” the source said.

“They self-radicalise and that’s what we think happened to him.”

The police operation was carried out in collaboration with Spain’s CNI intelligence agency, Sweden’s Sapo, France’s domestic intelligence agency DGSI, and the European policing agency Europol.

Spain police arrested 78 suspected jihadists last year, the highest number since 2005, according to a report published Tuesday by the Collective of Victims of Terrorism (COVITE) and the International Observatory for Terrorism Studies.

The age of the suspected Islamic extremists who have been arrested in Spain is getting increasingly younger, according to the report, which said six of those arrested last year were minors and 21 were between the ages of 18 and 24.

AFP

Osun police recover headless corpse, begin probe

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Osun police recover headless corpse, begin probe

The Osun State Police Command has said its operatives have commenced an investigation into the circumstances around the headless corpse of a woman found opposite Osogbo Local Government Secretariat in Okebaale, Osogbo on Tuesday.

The command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, who confirmed the presence of the corpse in the area during an interview on Tuesday, said relevant authorities have been contacted to evacuate the body.

Opalola, however, said operatives have commenced an investigation into the development to unravel the mystery around how the body got to the spot it was found.

She said, “Concerning the dead body of a headless and armless woman that was found opposite Osogbo LG secretariat, Oke Baale, I want to inform you that the police are aware.

“The necessary authority has been contacted for the immediate evacuation of the Corpse, while discreet investigation is ongoing.”

Meanwhile, the presence of the corpse in the area caused panic, as the residents gathered to discuss circumstances that could have led to the mutilation of the deceased.

A few residents of the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, while commenting on the development, said the head and arms of the deceased were cut by some yet to identified assailants.

According to them, the woman was a well-known face in the neighbourhood, adding that she used to walk around the area since she was homeless.

They also said they were able to identify the deceased with the clothes she had on and called for a discreet investigation to fish out the perpetrators of the crime.

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NUT knocks state govs over non-payment of primary school

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NUT knocks state govs over non-payment of primary school

The National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Titus Amba, has condemned the non-payment of primary school teachers, which, according to him, is running into several months by some state governments.

He also called on the Federal Government to make basic education a core responsibility of the state governments.

Amba made this known at the delegates conference of the federal wing of the NUT, which was held at the Teachers House, Abuja, on Tuesday.

“I urge the Minister of Education to lend his executive voice through the Federal Executive Council, by urging them to cause an amendment in the 1999 Constitution, whereby the first nine years of basic education be made a core responsibility of the state governments instead of the local government councils.

“It is only when the funding of basic education is made a core constitutional responsibility of state governments that the toxic phenomenon of non-payment of primary school teachers salaries will be a thing of the past across the states of the federation,” he said.

While lamenting the backlog of salaries and promotion arrears owed both federal and state teachers, the NUT president insisted that welfare of teachers must be given priority in the policies and programmes of all the tiers of government in the country, if the vision for the future of education in Nigeria would be meaningfully realised.

He underscored the role that teachers play as agents of change and the cornerstone of educational development in any progressive clime.

Chairman of NUT, Federal Wing, Alex Okonta, on his part, lamented that teachers of Federal Government Colleges (Unity Schools) are being owed accumulated arrears.

He called on the Federal Government to ensure payment of these arrears without delay.

Okonta also demanded the establishment of the Federal Teaching Service Commission, saying a functional teaching service commission would remove the bottleneck affecting promotion and restore the lost glory of federal schools in Nigeria.

He further called for the implementation of the new Teachers Salary Scale approved in 2020 by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, noting that the Federal Government had announced the new salary teachers structure and other packages to boost the moral of teachers.

He said a lot of federal teachers have been stagnated for several years because of “no vacancy”.

He demanded that teachers should get their promotion as and when due given the nature of the job they do.

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