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The ECOWAS Parliament has called for more precautionary measures to prevent the spread of a new COVID 19 variant in the region.

The Community Parliament has also stated that it will work to build consensus against terrorism and military incursions into public space.

Dr. Side Mohamed Tunis, the speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, said this in a speech at a seminar organized by the parliament in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital. He also noted that hospitalizations and deaths caused by Covid-19 have decreased significantly.

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“Our Seminar is taking place at a time when our region, and the rest of the world, is marked by a persistent health crisis linked to Covid-19, as well as a constant threat to peace and security,” says Dr. Tunis.

“We cannot deny that the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over, and as a result, we must remain vigilant and anticipate the emergence of yet another variant, as is typical of any pandemic.”

“However, vaccination has been shown to play a significant role in mitigating its effects.”

“Fortunately, we’ve seen a significant reduction in Covid-19-related hospitalizations and deaths, as well as the disease’s virulence.”

“This is why we’ll keep urging our people to get the vaccine and believe in its providential efficacy because it works.”

Dr. Tunis stated that West Africa faces governance and security challenges, and that it is critical that the parliament debates openly the issues that threaten the region’s peace and democracy.

“That is why we have devoted the upcoming session to specifically discussing the political and security situation in the region,” Tunis concluded. “Hopefully, at the end of the day, we will be able to build a broad-based consensus around the necessity of stamping out the threat of unconstitutional takeovers, terrorism, and insecurity.”

The ECOWAS Parliamentary Seminar in Monrovia, Liberia, concluded with the theme ECOWAS Vision 2050: Formulation Process and Implementation Challenges.

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Meanwhile, from March 08 to March 12, 2022, the parliament will hold its First Extraordinary Session in Monrovia, Liberia, to discuss the security and political situation in the region, particularly in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.

President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that his absence from the country will not affect the functioning of the government, as Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will be in charge, with assistance from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.

According to NAN, Buhari stated this while fielding questions from State House correspondents shortly before departing the Presidential Wing of Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport for London on Sunday.

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The president had planned to fly to London from Nairobi, Kenya, after attending the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 50th anniversary celebrations there on Friday.

“Well, I cannot claim to be doing the work alone,” Buhari said of the London trip.

“The government is fully represented – when I’m away, the Vice-President is in charge, as is the Secretary of the Government, and then the Chief of Staff.” So there’s no problem.”

Recall that Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, said in a statement on March 1 that the President would fly to London for “routine medical checks that will last for a maximum of two weeks” after arriving in Kenya.

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Buhari, on the other hand, returned to Abuja on Friday around 1 p.m. before departing for London on Sunday.

Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the governor-elect of Anambra State, has urged Anambra residents to get ready for work as soon as he is sworn in on March 17.

The former Central Bank Governor (CBN) spoke over the weekend after receiving a comprehensive report from the transition committee led by Dr Oby Ezekwesili, which serves as a blueprint/roadmap for the incoming administration.

Soludo, who spoke to the over 80-member committee, expressed his strong belief that Anambra will be great, but acknowledged that there was still much work to be done, just as there was still war to be fought.

“To the best of my knowledge, this is the first transition committee we’ve had since 1999.” We’ve always had a handover team in place. For the first time, we have a handover and transition committee working together to cover both the outgoing and incoming governors.

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“I received feedback about how hard you all worked, and it shows that this is Anambra’s moment, and you’re all ready to serve the people of Anambra.” I overheard madam chairman (Ezekwesili) say that your job would be done after the swearing-in, but I want to assure you that the work you have done is only 5%. I’ll speak with madam chairman to see if this committee can transition into my advisory body after the swearing-in.

“If all of you who are here spend just five minutes coming up with ideas that we can put into action, Anambra will be fantastic.” We have brains in Nigeria and in Anambra, and we’ve decided to use the brains we have in Anambra,” he said.

“Politicians believe that campaigning and winning elections is work, and governance is the time to eat,” Soludo continued. That was one of the reasons why some people chastised us for appointing you as a transition committee after they had worked so hard to win the election. The process of gaining power, I always say, is only 5% of the job; the real work begins after you’ve been sworn in.

“Let me assure you that everyone has a part to play, that there is a lot of work to be done, and that you must all be prepared. There is work to be done as well as a war to be waged. We will appeal to our constituents to restore the social background between the people and the government.

“The last time I said that people who had (revenue) window would no longer thrive with it, it went viral.” We must use the funds to improve the state, including roads, water, lighting, and traffic congestion.

“Pipe-borne water used to run in my village when I was a boy, over 50 years ago, but it no longer does.” We need to reintroduce all of them, and we’ll need government funding to do so. That’s why I say, “There’s work and then there’s war.”

Soludo stated that about 1,100 people applied to be commissioners in his government, despite the fact that the state only had about 20 ministries, and that he is pleased with the people’s willingness to serve.

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He acknowledged that not everyone will serve at the same time, and he expressed his gratitude to those who applied to be volunteers, working without pay but contributing their ideas to the betterment of the state.

Ezekwesili had earlier presented the committee’s report to Soludo, expressing her confidence that Anambra will once again be great under the governor-elect.

Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has stated that it is time for the Ukrainians to go on the offensive against Russia.

Ukrainians, Zelensky said, should keep fighting because they had “withstood the blow” of Russia’s invasion.

On Saturday night, he made the call while giving a speech in Kyiv.

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According to Zelensky, the time had come for them to fight back.

He urged Ukrainians to rid the country of evil.

He told them, “You need to go out and drive this evil out of our cities.”

This comes as US officials meet with Polish officials to discuss the possibility of providing Ukraine with a number of MiG fighter jets.

In the 11th day of the war, Russian forces have taken control of Kherson, a major Ukrainian city.

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Russian forces, on the other hand, continue to advance towards Kyiv.

The operation, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is “going according to plan.”

Mai Mala Buni, Governor of Yobe State and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, has approved the employment of 196 graduates of the College of Health Science and Technology Nguru in order to boost manpower in the health sector.

“Governor Buni said, the employment of the 196 graduates of the College would provide the professional skills needed in the health facilities across the state,” according to a press statement signed by Mamman Mohammed, the Director General Press and Media Affairs.

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Pharmacy technicians, medical laboratory technicians, dental surgery technicians, and health information management specialists are among those who have been approved for employment.
23 Pharmacy Technicians, 60 Medical Laboratory Technicians, 62 Dental Surgery Technicians, and 51 Health Information Management professionals have received approval.

His Excellency urged the recipients to devote themselves to their professions and to serve the people with dignity.

“Because the government has invested so much in training you and now employing you, you must justify the government’s large investment by serving our people diligently and efficiently to add value to our drive to improve healthcare delivery in the state,” Governor Buni said.

He promised that the government would continue to hire the personnel needed to provide effective and efficient service delivery.

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“This administration is dedicated to bringing accessible and affordable healthcare to our people’s doorsteps,” he stated.
To improve healthcare delivery in the state, the Buni administration has established at least one functional healthcare facility in each of the 178 political wards across the state, as well as more general and specialist hospitals.

Ali Muhammad, 44, was arrested by Kano State police for allegedly supplying motorcycles to bandits in Zamfara State.

DSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, the command’s spokesman, confirmed this in a statement.

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He said the suspect was apprehended on Friday with four brand new Honda ACE-125 motorcycles, also known as “Boko Haram” motorcycles.

According to him, a team from Operation Puff Adder arrested the suspect with the four motorcycles at around 1946 hours while working on credible information.

According to Kiyawa, the suspect admitted to conspiring with two others to transport motorcycles to bandits in Zamfara State, where motorcycles are illegal.

According to him, CP Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, the Commissioner of Police for Kano State Command, has ordered a discreet investigation, after which the case will be charged to court for prosecution.

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Kidnappings and attacks on communities are mostly carried out on motorcycles in Nigeria’s northern regions.

Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has promised to work with the Infrastructure Corporation of Nigeria Limited (InfraCo), relevant federal and state government agencies, as well as the private sector, to develop road infrastructure in the Lagos Free Zone to support the growing industrial activities along the Lekki-Epe axis.

He explained that this was necessary due to the expansion of industries in and around the Free Trade Zone, particularly Dangote Refineries and Tolaram Group, which have attracted economic activity and created heavy traffic.

Emefiele made the remarks during a tour of Tolaram Group’s industries in the Lagos Free Zone, which occupy 850,000 acres of land and have a $2.1 billion industrial investment.

With the active collaboration of the federal and state governments, he claims that InfraCo will decongest the environs of the Lagos Free Zone by assisting with road construction.

He specifically stated that the establishment of the Lagos Free Zone will aid in the alleviation of the Apapa-Tincan Island port congestion.

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Emefiele also stated that the apex bank would work with the federal and state governments to determine how InfraCo could ensure cargo evacuation from the port area, which he described as a major problem.

He claimed that the CBN had raised about N23 billion to fund road infrastructure so that cargo could be evacuated smoothly from the port.

“The whole idea is that with this Lagos Free Zone Port, we should be able to see a complete decongestion of Apapa and Tin Can Island Port simply by diverting traffic away from Apapa.”

“We also fear that the situation will worsen with the single road we have, which is the Lagos-Epe-Lekki road, which is already congested with traffic, even with Dangote Refinery.” Yes, it’s something we’re seeing, and I’m here today because I’ve been to Dangote Refinery several times and know how long it takes to drive there by road.

“What I’m trying to say is that we’ve identified the issue.” Fortunately, InfraCo is chaired by the CBN; the InfraCo board has been formally constituted; InfraCo has a CEO; and I will be calling on InfraCo to begin the engagement as soon as we leave this meeting. I’ll also be working with the Lagos state government and the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Works to see what can be done about evacuating out of Lagos, as well as how we can decongest traffic for those who live near this axis.

“I want to reassure you that this is something that will be addressed.” “This would be the middle of a long-term strategy,” he explained.

The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) urged entrepreneurs and business owners to take advantage of the apex bank’s various interventions, saying that the CBN was keen on promoting industrialisation through long-term single-digit loans.

“For any entrepreneur wishing to do business in Nigeria, we will provide both Naira and dollar funding, and I will always advise against taking out dollar loans, especially if your revenue stream is in naira.” Take out low-cost Naira loans with low-interest rates and a two-year grace period. I doubt you’d ever come across something like this again. I always encourage people to take advantage of it because it is available, especially since we want to drive industrialisation in Nigeria and resurrect the manufacturing sector.

“We would support not only the Tolaram Group, the Dangote Group, or the BUAs; we would give you all the support you need if you mean well and want to do business in Nigeria,” he explained.

The Tolaram Group, according to Emefiele, has made immediate plans to evacuate their products through the port to Ikorodu, Festac, and Warri via trucks, which will not cause road congestion for the time being. Road expansion, he claims, is a much-needed investment that will also help with exports.

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“We are pleased that this port infrastructure has arrived; it will address our problem of ease of doing business,” he said. One of our issues with ease of doing business, or in this case, ease of export, is that when Nigerians want to export, they can do so through the Lagos Tin Can or Lagos Apapa ports. People prefer to transport their products and goods by road to neighboring countries and then ship them out of those countries, implying that Nigeria loses the benefit of being referred to as “exported from Nigeria.”

“I believe with this port, and we will be engaging them, I’m glad the Customs and the Nigerian Ports Authority are involved; we would also seek to work with the Lagos Free Zone by having a dedicated export desk that would make it easier for goods to be exported out of this port.” That is a very important issue that we must address because, again, in a selfish manner, we require foreign exchange. We earn foreign exchange if we export, and I’m going to start working with them to ensure that the Lagos Free Zone is designated as an export zone,” he added.

“Certainly, over N100 billion has gone from CBN intervention under CRR or through agriculture credit route to the Tolaram Group,” Emefiele said when asked how much the CBN has helped the group. Remember that this project costs around $2 billion, or about N1 trillion, and N100 billion is only 10% of that. As a result, we’ve also planted a seed. At least N1 trillion has been invested in this project, and we have contributed about N100 billion, or about 10%,” he said.

The CBN governor also stated that the bank would do everything possible to make the environment conducive to the growth of companies and businesses.

“So, we’re looking into how we can ensure that the policy regulations are reviewed; we have concerns about how free trade zones operate in terms of tax exemptions, duty free exemptions, and other things.”

“We’d like to collaborate with you to see how we can establish a clear line of demarcation between companies that operate as free trade zones or in free trade zones and those that will not.”

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“However, a company may want to operate as a free trade zone while also operating in the opposite direction. As a result, we need to define how this will work so that revenue is not lost,” he said.