The Senior Particular Assistant on Development Control to Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Stanley Buba, is dead.
NAN reviews that the deceased died on the early hours of Friday at his resident at Akwanga Local Government Area (LGA) throughout a short sickness.
Reacting, the Governor in a press release by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Addra, on Friday in Lafia described Buba’s loss of life as a painful one and an enormous loss to authorities and other people of the state.
The governor described Buba as a dedicated group and youth chief, grassroots mobiliser, seasoned politician and a fearless lover of the state whose selfless service can be sorely missed.
He expressed his condolence to the rapid household of the deceased, the All Progressives Congress (APC) household and all the state.
Sule prayed God to relaxation the soul of Buba and provides all of the braveness to bear the loss.
Iran’s supreme leader on Friday banned the import of American and British-produced vaccines against COVID-19, saying they were “completely untrustworthy”.
“Importing vaccines made in the US or the UK is prohibited,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a tweet, accompanied by the hashtag #CoronaVaccine.
“It’s not unlikely they would want to contaminate other nations,” he added.
The Islamic republic has reported more than 1.2 million cases of the novel coronavirus, which have caused over 56,000 deaths.
Iran has accused arch-enemy the US of hampering its access to vaccines through a tough sanctions regime.
While food and medicine are technically exempt from the measures, international banks tend to refuse transactions involving Iran.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said last month that Washington had demanded that Tehran pay for the drugs through US banks, adding that he feared the United States would seize the money.
Khamenei also tweeted that “given our experience with France’s HIV-tainted blood supplies, French vaccines aren’t trustworthy either.”
That was a reference to a scandal in the 1980s in which blood infected with HIV was distributed in France, and later abroad, even after the government became aware of the problem.
Hundreds of people in Iran were among those infected.
France’s then-prime minister Laurent Fabius was charged with manslaughter, but acquitted in 1999, while his health minister was convicted but never punished.
Iran last month launched clinical trials of a vaccine developed in the Islamic republic, the Middle Eastern country hardest hit by the pandemic.
A screenshot circulating on social networks since at least April 2020 claims that Barack Obama has urged Africans to reject Covid-19 vaccines.
This is false: AFP Fact Check found no official trace of any such statement by the former US president.
In a recent tweet, Obama said in fact that getting vaccinated against Covid-19 was “one of the most important things” to do.
“Barack Obama is asking Africans not to accept the vaccines that will come from America and Europe,” begins the caption of a post that resurfaced on Facebook in December 2020. The claim has been making the rounds online since at least April 2020.
It features an alleged quote by Obama saying he would be “an accomplice” if he didn’t denounce “this evil act white people want to do to Africans”. Referencing his Kenyan background, Obama purportedly said his African descent would not allow him to let “white people kill Africans with their toxic vaccine”.
A search using CrowdTangle – a social media monitoring tool – revealed the same claim was shared on Facebook here, here, here and here.
Similar posts circulated in French on Facebook (here and here for instance) as well as on Twitter (here, here and here).
The online claim re-emerged after Western countries started rolling out Covid-19 vaccines in December 2020, as AFP reported here.
No proof of quote
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic a year ago, Obama has spoken on several occasions about the novel coronavirus which has caused the death of more than 1.84 million people including nearly 400,000 in the United States as of January 4, 2020.
However, there is no official evidence that Obama encouraged Africans to refuse vaccination in any of his public speeches.
His spokesperson, Katie Hill, also denied that he had made the comments, according to the American news agency Associated Press (AP) in April, 2020.
“With COVID cases surging worse than ever, getting vaccinated is one of the most important things we can do,” Obama also said on his Twitter account on December 21, 2020.
With COVID cases surging worse than ever, getting vaccinated is one of the most important things we can do. But until the vaccine is widely available, socially distancing and wearing masks will actually save even more lives, and alleviate the pressure on healthcare workers.
Obama and other former US presidents including George W. Bush and Bill Clinton said they were ready to be vaccinated publicly. The 78-year-old president-elect, Joe Biden – who beat Donald Trump in the presidential race in November 2020 – received the Pfizer vaccine live on television on December 21, 2020.
US President-elect Joe Biden receives a Covid-19 vaccination at the Christiana Care hospital in Newark, Delaware (Alex Edelman / AFP)
The initial appearance of the false Obama quote coincided with the viral broadcast of an interview in April 2020 of two French doctors saying that vaccines should be tested in Africa.
Their comments sparked outcry in France and French-speaking African countries, with critics accusing the pair of wanting to use Africans as guinea pigs.
The belief that vaccines cause illness is commonly trumpeted by anti-vaxxers, who have falsely linked vaccines to plans to harm or even kill Africans and to secretly implant microchips into people’s bodies.
In a case similar to the Obama one, AFP Fact Check debunked false online posts in April 2020 that French microbiologist Didier Raoult had urged Africans “not to take the ‘Bill Gates’ vaccine”.
Another claim circulating in October 2020 showed a doctored image of a medic holding up a sign dissuading Africans to take the vaccines.
AFP Fact Check shone a spotlight on the issue of anti-vaccine sentiment in Africa in this analysis piece.
South Africa – the hardest-hit country on the continent with more than one million cases as of January 7, 2020 – announced that it had secured access to vaccines by entering the Covax program, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) mechanism for global vaccine distribution. The government hopes to start vaccinations in February.
Some African countries, like Madagascar, have been more wary. “We are not yet taking a position on the vaccine. In other words, we are not on the list of future beneficiary countries,” government spokeswoman Lalatiana Rakotondrazafy Andriatongariv said in late November 2020.
The Federal Government may consider the option of imposing a fresh lockdown on the country if the rising cases of COVID-19 infections recorded lately continue.
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Sani Aliyu, stated this during the PTF briefing in Abuja, on Thursday.
“If these numbers continue to go up and we start having significant deaths, we will have no option. If we do not want to lock down, now is the time to make sure that we follow the non-pharmaceutical interventions,” Aliyu said urging Nigerians to take COVID-19 safety guidelines seriously.
The PTF Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha also at the briefing said the increase in the number of infections daily is worrying and calls for concern.
“The Presidential Task Force is very concerned about the increasing daily numbers that we are recording.
“On 6th of January 2021, we recorded 1,664 infections. This is yet another all-time high in Nigerian and we must all take full responsibility through compliance and vigilance,” the SGF said.
The Federal Government had in March 2020 locked down the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as well as Lagos and Ogun States for over five weeks as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic.
Due to the order issued by the Federal Government to link National Identity Number(NIN) with SIM card, many Nigerians are naïve about the number of SIM cards allowed per subscriber.
Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has given a fresh update for that provision.
Most of the network subscribers in Nigeria were not informed about the number of Sim cards allowed by the FG to be used. Likewise, it rise fears amid this exercise, expecting disconnection to be conducted for several lines.
The NCC in a statement has urged Nigerians not to be fear for the said mass disconnection. Informing Nigerians that there’s nothing like mass disconnection of their Sims.
The spokesperson of NCC, Ikechukwu Adinde in a statement said, many Nigerians have already linked their SIM with NIN. Therefore there shouldn’t be a mass disconnection.
According to him, A recent survey conducted shown that on average, there are now approximately 4 to 5 SIMs for every subscriber. “Each subscriber is eligible to link up to 7 SIM cards with a unique NIN”.
He added that; the ongoing exercise is for the good of Nigerians in the area of budget, policy planning, social intervention and many more.
“Finally I know many Nigerians will be delighted about this development. 7 SIM cards will be quite okay for one person.
“I urged you to share this vital information on various platforms to others, because other people will be glad to hear this as well.”
Troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE, in the early hours of yesterday, 7 January 2021, successfully staged a daring rescue operation at Mararaba Udege general area in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, rescuing 3 kidnapped persons and neutralizing one armed bandit in the ensuing firefight.
The operation according to the Coordinator Defence Media Operations followed actionable and credible intelligence.
”The kidnapped victims were subsequently reunited with their respective families.
”The Armed Forces of Nigeria will not relent until all enemies of the Country are neutralised and normalcy is restored to all troubled zones.”
The Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has inflicted heavy casualties on Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno State and taken out their hideouts in Alagarno, including a compound housing some high-value BHT leaders.
According to the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, the compound, concealed under thick vegetation and located 2.3Km North East of KAFA, was being used by the terrorists to coordinate their nefarious activities.
”The destruction of the locations was achieved through multiple air strikes executed on 6 January 2021 as the ATF dispatched appropriate force packages of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets and attack helicopters to engage the target areas in day and night raids.
”The BHTs were spotted under the dense vegetation of the locations and the NAF attack aircraft took turns in engaging the targets, neutralizing several of them.
”The Armed Forces of Nigeria will not relent until all enemies of the Nation are neutralised and normalcy is restored to all troubled zones.” He added.
As Nigerians wrestle to acquire the National Identification Number (NIN) from offices of the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC) nationwide, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has stated some unscrupulous individuals are cashing in on the train to induce enrollees to sell their unique digits for a charge.
The agency’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, who made the disclosure yesterday in Abuja, defined that the buyers had been additionally reselling.
Clarifying that it’s unlawful to promote NIN, Uwujaren warned the vendor dangers vicarious legal responsibility for any act of criminality linked to the quantity.
“In different phrases, they threat arrest and prosecution for any act of criminality linked to their NIN whether or not they’re straight accountable or not for the crime.
“The fee warns members of the general public in opposition to promoting their NIN and to report anybody in search of to purchase their NIN to the closest workplace of the EFCC or different legislation enforcement agencies,” he added.
The Federal Government has given N52 million as a grant to 2,600 weak rural ladies in Nasarawa State. Every one of the ladies will get N20,000 below the federal government’s particular money switch, as a part of the poverty alleviation programme.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Catastrophe Management and Social Improvement, Sadiya Farouk, disclosed this whereas flagging of the programme in Lafia on Wednesday.
Farouk, represented by the Minister of State for Science and Know-how, Abdullahi Mohammed, said that the disbursement was a part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s poverty discount agenda.
“The grant is predicted to extend entry to monetary capital required for financial actions and to uplift, the socio-financial standing of rural women within the state,” minister explained.
The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency Faisal Shuaib, says President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be among the first set of people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria on live television, an official has said.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha will also receive the vaccine on live telecast in a move the government hopes will help drive awareness.
Shuaib stated this on Thursday at the weekly press briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.
He said: “On Tuesday, I mentioned that we will like to see a situation where Mr President, the Vice President, the SGF, critical leaders come and take the vaccine in full glare of the public to demonstrate that this vaccine is safe.
“So, we have to make provisions for those. But even in developed countries, what we have seen is that apart from the prioritisation of health workers, you have to also identify critical leaders that you don’t want them to be wiped off by the virus.”
Shuaib said the experience had shown that vaccines are always better than health immunity.
He said for COVID-19, it would take approximately 10 years for one to be able to achieve health immunity and many people would have died if health immunity is to be relied upon.
The vaccines are expected in the country by the end of January.
