Flowerbud News

Month: November 2023

  • Police arrest 53 suspects, recover arms, ammunition, others in Enugu

    Police arrest 53 suspects, recover arms, ammunition, others in Enugu

     

    By Flowerbudnews

    Enugu: The Police Command in Enugu State has arrested no fewer than 53 criminal male suspects for various offences while recovering firearms, ammunition and others exhibits in the state.

    The police covered the following items which included: 28 firearms of assorted calibers, 30 live ammunition, 66 live cartridges, 25 vehicles and 16 motorcycles from the suspects arrested in various parts of the state.

    Parading the criminal suspects on Tuesday in Enugu, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Kanayo Uzuegbu, said that the police operatives within the Command also rescued five kidnapped victims in the state.

    Uzuegbu noted that the state had remained relatively peaceful enough for all and sundry to go about their lawful businesses.

    According to him, this is not to mean that there are no pockets of crimes and criminality in the state, like every other state in the country and human society in general.

     

    He said: “It is on record that we have been able to drastically reduce incidences of kidnapping, particularly on some of our highways like the Opi/Nsukka and Ozalla/Udi Roads, which at some point were topical and challenging issues.

     

    “Unfortunately, we have recently intercepted some social media reports suggesting that there are still high incidences of kidnapping in the state.

    “Interestingly, after diligent analyses of the reports, most of which are basically unfounded and uncalled for.

     

    “We realised that what the peddlers of the reports do is to exaggerate and blow cases of night time abduction and carjacking most of which are not recent occurrences, out of proportion; thereby making it appears as if there were real-time occurrences that one should be worried about.”

     

    The commissioner said that the Command had found out that some of the criminal activities, particularly that of abduction during night hours, are mostly committed by secret cult members.

    Uzuegbu said that he had directed the officer in-charge of my Anti-Cultism Squad to put in more efforts and ensure that cult groups and their criminal activities are further reduced to the barest minimum.

     

    “In fact, I have the approval of Gov. Peter Mbah, to ruthlessly deal with and rid the state of unrepentant cultists and their criminal activities. We must ensured that this is carried out to the latter.

     

    “However, let me categorically make it clear that we remain focused in ensuring a more secured and safer Enugu State, and shall not be distracted by such narratives.

    “Especially now that the good and law-abiding people of the state are beginning to truly commend and appreciate our candid efforts in tackling crime situations in the state,” he said.

     

    The commissioner said that the “state is safe and peaceful enough for residents, visitors and investors to carry out their businesses, adding that residents should continue to be law-abiding, vigilant and promptly report criminal activities to the nearest Police Station.

     

    On the Christmas and New Year festivities being around the corner, Uzuegbu assured the residents especially those that would be coming back to celebrate the season with their loved ones, of adequate security.

    He said: “I use this opportunity to once again thank Gov. Mbah for all the support his administration has been giving to the Police, and his commitment to enthrone a peaceful, safe, secured and economically prosperous Enugu State.

     

    “I also wish to thank the Inspector-General of Police, Dr Kayode Egbetokun, for his sound leadership style and guidance, which have made our policing duties less cumbersome and more productive in the state.

     

    “I wish to appreciate other security agencies, the Neighbourhood Watch Group, Forest Guards and local vigilantes, as well as the law-abiding citizens for all their support and assistance, which have immensely contributed to our operational successes. I, therefore, urge them to remain supportive.” (Flowerbudnews)

  • NAFDAC urges nursing mothers to embrace exclusive breastfeeding

    NAFDAC urges nursing mothers to embrace exclusive breastfeeding

     

    By Sani Idris
    Kaduna:  The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) has advised nursing mothers to embrace exclusive breastfeeding to improve the health status of their newborns.

    The North West Director of the agency, Mrs Josephine Dayilim, gave the advise at a one-day workshop on the ban on promotion of breast milk substitutes on Friday in Kaduna.

    The workshop was organised by NAFDAC, in collaboration with the Carelink Resource Foundation.

    Dayilim, represented by Rahila Maishanu, NAFDAC Desk Officer in charge of breast milk substitutes in Kaduna, expressed the need for stakeholders to educate nursing mothers to maintain exclusive breastfeeding.

    She said that nursing mothers needed to be sensitised on the dangers involved in using breast milk substitutes on their newborns.

    He said that there was a code that expressly banned the inappropriate marketing and advertising of breast milk substitute.

    She said that the code also banned the promotion of such products.

    Dayilim called on stakeholders to adhere to the code, while urging them to also step down the initiative to their communities.

    She appreciated their efforts towards sensitising the public on the importance of embracing exclusive breastfeeding.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants at the workshop cut across various organisations, such as National Union of Road Transport Workers, traditional leaders and health workers, among others.

    The participants promised to adhere to the code and implement it in their respective domains. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng) / Flowerbudnews

  • NMA Vows to Down tool, Confirms escape of abducted UNTH resident doctor

    NMA Vows to Down tool, Confirms escape of abducted UNTH resident doctor

     

     

    The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has confirmed the escape of abducted resident doctor attached to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, Dr Orockarrah Orock.

     

    It was learnt that Orock attached to the Anesthesia Department of UNTH was on Saturday night kidnapped within the hospital premises, while on call duty.

     

    The Chairman of NMA, Enugu State Chapter, Dr Celestine Ugwoke, gave the confirmation to newsmen in Enugu on Monday.

     

    Ugwoke said that Orock miraculously made his escape after the kidnappers felt satisfied with the offer to pay the ransom demanded by his wife and gone to have nice time with their weeds and spirits and fell into deep sleep.

     

    According to him, the abducted doctor gradually crawled away from the spot he was kept in the kidnappers’ den and later trekked and ran a distance before sighting human activities and then came out near the Four Corner Junction of Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.

     

    “He called his wife and the wife called the UNTH chief security officer that picked him up that mid-night of Saturday. We are profoundly grateful to God for his miraculous escape,” he said.

     

    The chairman, however, said that doctors had become endangered professionals in the state, as kidnappers always target doctors especially those working in tertiary health institutions in the state.

     

    “We are really in trouble as doctors are now their target and we are living in fear as the kidnappers now chase us as if they are chasing rats,” he said.

     

    The chairman also noted that “any more abduction of any doctor in UNTH again, doctors in the teaching hospital will totally down tool”, adding that this warning would be extended to other tertiary hospitals in the state.

     

    Ugwoke said that the association would be meeting with the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UNTH to mandate him to release security protocol for the hospital, to ensure safety of all doctors, management staff, staff and patients in the hospital.

     

    “We also want the hospital management to beef-up security within the hospital, ensure adequate perimeter fencing of the entire hospital and installation of Close Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) and its monitoring base within the hospital.

     

    “As an association, we have previously met the state’s Commissioner for Health and the Commissioner of Police on the spate of insecurity our members (doctors) face even in the discharge of their life-saving professional duties.

     

    “All efforts through official letters and other means to pay a courtesy call on Gov. Peter Mbah and intimidate him on the vital issue of doctors’ security in the state had proved abortive.

     

    “Maybe, the government wants doctors to leave their duty posts and carry placards to the Enugu Government House before listening to us. This will be very bad, if allowed to drag to this point,” he said.

     

    Efforts made to get the Spokesperson for Enugu State Police Command, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, to speak on the matter proved abortive as he did not pick several calls made to his cellphone. (Flowerbudnews)

  • NYSC swears in 1544 corps members in Enugu

    NYSC swears in 1544 corps members in Enugu

    By Flowerbudnews
    Enugu:  The National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) has sworn in 1,544 corps members of the 2023 Batch ‘C’ Stream one set, deployed to Enugu State for the one-year mandatory national service.

    The state Coordinator, NYSC, Mrs. Gladys Adama, disclosed this on Tuesday during the swearing-in ceremony at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Awgu Local Government Area in Enugu State.

    Adama said that the corps members comprised 812 males and 732 females.

    She said that the skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development had been reviewed in order to equip corps members with the requisite skill to excel in the ever changing and competitive digital economic environment.

    She commended Gov. Peter Mbah for his magnanimous steps taken to revamp the orientation camp.

    According to her, the government of Enugu State has commenced the renovation of the camp, all the toilets in the hostels have been changed.

    “Most of the toilets and bathrooms have been tiled while painting and re-roofing of some buildings are ongoing,” she said.

    The coordinator called on governor Mbah’s attention to the road leading to the orientation camp as it needs urgent repair.

    “I wish to also remind your excellency that the road to the camp is in a deplorable state, movement in and out of the camp is becoming very challenging as vehicles find it difficult to ascend to the camp, please come to our aid,” she pleaded.

    In his welcome address, Mbah represented by the state Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr Lloyd Ekweremadu urged the corps members to draw maximum benefits from the skill acquisition training in order to be equipped for self employment after service.

    He assured them that their welfare was already receiving priority by the state government, adding that the allowances of corps members were paid as at and when due.

    He urged the corps members to always obey camp rules and regulations so that they would have a peaceful and successful orientation course.

    The governor commended the state coordinator for her passion towards the development of NYSC in all ramifications.

    “It is her enthusiasm that has moved my government to sink a second borehole in order to provide adequate water supply in the camp,” Mbah said.

    Administering the oath of allegiance to the corps members earlier, the Enugu State Chief Judge, Justice Raymond Ozoemena, who was represented by Justice Anthony Onovo, said it was an oath to serve the country, which is by law mandatory.

    Ozoemena added that it was a legacy, which the country had left for its citizens to go to other parts of the country to see various parts that made up the country.

    “One thing is that the one year mandatory NYSC programme opens your minds to what the world is, to see what you are not used to see in your own environment.

    “It opens your minds to various things you m heay not have thought as people’s ways of life,” he said. (Flowerbudnews)

     

     

  • NAFDAC to enhance capability of Agulu, Kaduna laboratories

    NAFDAC to enhance capability of Agulu, Kaduna laboratories

     

     

    By Franca Ofili

    Abuja:.  The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said on Monday that it would enhance the capability of the Agulu and Kaduna NAFDAC laboratories for the quality of medicinal products.

    Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director General of NAFDAC, said this in Abuja on Monday at a news conference.

    Adeyeye said that the laboratories would be used for risk-based approach for ascertaining the quality of medicinal products.

    According to her, the mandate of the agency is to safe guard public health by ensuring that food and drug products made available to the public are safe and effective.

    “We are proud to announce the significant strides we have made in enhancing the safety and quality of pharmaceutical products in Nigeria.

    “This has been through the implementation of pharmaceutical traceability, pharmacovigilance, post marketing on the field, checking for substandard falsified medicines, and other system strengthening interventions,” she said.

    Adeyeye said that the endeavour had been made possible through vital support from the Global Fund’s Resilient and Sustainable Systems for Health (GF-RSSH) grant, with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) as the principal recipient.

    According to her, the Global Fund is an international financing institution dedicated to combating HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

    She said that the fund provided support to countries in their efforts to address global health challenges and strengthen health systems.

    “NACA is Nigeria’s main organisation for the control of HIV and AIDS and it is responsible for coordinating the country’s response to HIV and AIDS and provides strategic guidance for the national response.

    “Part of their activities is strengthening NAFDAC’s role and capacity in pharmacovigilance and ADR monitoring and reporting,” she said.

    Adeyeye said that several budget lines were being implemented by NAFDAC during Grant Cycle 6, under the GF-RSSH grant.

    The NAFDAC boss said that the agency had successfully built the capacity of 76 staff members across the nation on Pharmacovigilance of AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (ATM) commodities.

    She said that in addition, GF (BL 106) supported NAFDAC to acquire a mobile app for ADR reporting and monitoring Pharmacovigilance activity.

    Adeyeye said that the implementation of a mobile app had streamlined the reporting and monitoring of adverse drug reactions ADR and improved the overall responsiveness of the healthcare system.

    “To ensure that the medicinal product is the right medicine which the label carries, Global Fund (BL36) supported three NAFDAC state offices with three field devices (Truscan®) for rapid on the spot check for product quality.

    “NAFDAC’s state offices have been further equipped with some devices for rapid screening of product quality, ensuring that unsafe and substandard products are swiftly identified and removed from circulation.

    “In addition to this, we funded the Yaba Central Drug Control Laboratory (CDCL) to conduct comprehensive analysis of ATM and other disease programme medicines,” she said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng) /Flowerbudnews

  • The fake news on Uzodimma

    The fake news on Uzodimma

     

    By Bayo Onanuga

    The people of Imo State should please disregard the fake news in circulation that Governor Hope Uzodimma is blocking the release by President Bola Tinubu of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

    The fake news is obviously designed to build some resentment against the governor who has done very well for his people and who deserves a second term via Saturday’s election.

    President Tinubu did not meet Igbo businessmen on Monday. He didn’t say what was ascribed to him. He didn’t blame Gov. Uzodimma for anything.

    Sahara Reporters did not report the fake news. The link provided did not lead to the fake news on Sahara Reporters platform.

    It’s all wicked lies by politically desperate people.

    “Gov Uzodinma Blocking Release of Nnamdi Kanu” – Tinubu

    Here is the fake news:

    President Almed Bola Tinubu has revealed that efforts by his government to release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from prison is been frustrated by the Imo state Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma.

    Tinubu maintained that he promised of his willingness to release Mazi Kanu from prison on assumption of office after addressing Igbo leaders during his electioneering campaign in Lagos state led by late President General of Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo, Prof George Obiozor, expressing surprise how Senator Uzodinma was opposed to the decision.

    He made this disclosure Monday at State House, Abuja while addressing Igbo business community who called on him to discuss tax increment on importation of goods.

    He said, “Uzodinma told me the dangers of releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu now that Governorship election of Imo state is at the corner. My intention was to order for his release few weeks ago when our brother, Igboho was released, but became surprise when the Governor of Imo state approached me to reverse my decision to do so. My reason to even attempt to release him is to enable the people of the South East geopolitical zone to have peace. The zone has witnessed major security challenges where armed security militia, ESN has killed several souls”

    Mazi Kanu has been facing charges of treasonable felony against the state after he was arrested in Kenya and repatriated to Nigeria for prosecution. (Flowerbudnews)

  • NAN MD pledges support for NAN Cooperative

    NAN MD pledges support for NAN Cooperative

     

     

    By Dorcas Jonah

    Abuja,  The Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Ali M. Ali, has promised to support the NAN Staff Multi-purpose Cooperative Society to better the welfare of members.

    Ali made the pledge when executive members of the cooperative, led by its President, Mr Stephen Igiewe, visited him on Tuesday in Abuja.

    He commended the executive members of the cooperative for managing the group properly for the betterment of members, and promised to also join as member.

    “I am delighted to have you here and I am happy to hear the things you have been doing for your members.

    “Your programmes are encouraging and that is the essence of cooperative. We will go to any length as management to give the cooperative the needed support.

    “I congratulate you for effective management of the cooperative, we will be willing partners in progress and my doors are always open for discussions,’’ he said.

    The managing director also promised to intervene to ensure that the cooperative was given the land allocated to it by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.

    Ali urged members of the cooperative to respect hierarchy in the agency, saying people should not by-pass their immediate officers to the top.

    “One must be a good follower to be a good leader,” he added, and further advised the cooperative to explore more areas of investment for the good of the members.

    Earlier, Igiewe welcomed the new managing director to the agency and briefed him on the activities of the cooperative society, which was formed in 2001.

    He said that the cooperative had enjoyed the support of the agency’s management over the years, adding that it supports members with loans and engage in other activities to secure its investments.

    “We bought land in Wase FCT, Nyanya Gwandara and Kuruku both in Nasarawa State which we sold to members,’’ the NAN cooperative president added.

    Igiewe solicited the intervention of the managing director to get the IPPIS to release the cooperative’s N17 million deducted from its members salaries but not remitted to it. (NAN) (Flowerbudnews)

  • Tinubu to launch birth, death, marriage registration portal

    Tinubu to launch birth, death, marriage registration portal

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Wednesday launch a birth, death, and marriage registration portal

    The registration system includes all civil registrations such as birth registration, stillbirth registration, birth attestation, adoption, marriage notification, divorce notification, migration and death.

     

    Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Kwarra, made this known at a pre-launch briefing on Monday.

    The launch of the e-CRVS by Tinubu marks the commitment of the current government and leadership to strengthen civil registration data capturing, collation, processing, dissemination and timely access to statistics on vital events in the country.

     

    “It aims to accelerate the improved civil registration and vital statistics systems in Nigeria over 10 years, from 2023 to 2030 in a bid to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal,” he said.

     

    The chairman stated that the commission, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), developed the e-CRVS Operational Readiness Assessment Report, which showed the potential of digital technologies in providing transformative outcomes in CRVS and integrating data from multiple systems to securely store data at scale, in a cost-effective way in Nigeria.

    The NPC chairman noted that the system provides a digital certificate in all cases, an accessible verification platform to registered organizations, and a central management system (dashboard) that depicts and analyses collated civil registrations into vital statistics for proper decision-making.

  • Edu tasks NPC on accurate data to aid humanitarian plans

    Edu tasks NPC on accurate data to aid humanitarian plans

     

    By Ahmed Ubandoma

    Abuja:   Dr Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation has tasked the management of the National Population Commission (NPC) to come-up with accurate population data that would assist the ministry in planning humanitarian interventions across Nigeria.

    Edu made the call on Monday when shee met with leadership of NPC led by its Chairman Mr Nasir Kwara in Abuja.

    She said the data will help in planning and implementation of the ministry’s mandate of lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty and humanitarian crises through the renewed hope agenda.

    ”We have the chairman and the entire team from the NPC here in the ministry seeking collaboration.

    ”You are important to us in terms of data for the delivery of our mandate.

    ”And of course which is the renewed hope Agenda by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, they are strong partners in the implementation of our mandate.

    ”From them we will be getting the total number of Nigerians which will help us to plan as we carry out our interventions.

    She underscored the importance of population data that will help in delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration.

    Edu said the commission remained a critical partner towards the success of humanitarian response especially in areas of demography.

    “They will also be giving us specific data on the population of different demographics of the population.

    ”As well as persons who are below the poverty line and the dimension of the poverty, so that we can address them in our key interventions.

    “What is most important is that they are going to be working with us at the grassroot especially as it concerns implementation, monitoring and evaluation” she said.

    She also said, the ministry will be collaborating with the NPC to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the poverty alleviation and humanitarian response at the grassroot.

    ”They have staff on ground in various Wards, Local Governments and communities, and these staff are going to be collaborating with us.

    “We will be setting up a technical team between the ministry and the commission to really flesh out various aspects of this collaboration.

    “Beyond this, we’ll be working with their team on the geospatial digital mapping and statistics across the nation and this will help very detailed implementation of the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation.

    ”And of course, humanitarian issues in the entire country, so, for us, they are a very, very viable partner and we would be supporting them all the way through,” she said.

    In his remarks, Kwara assured the minister of his unwavering commitment to support the ministry’s efforts in providing humanitarian interventions to vulnerable Nigerians.

    Kwara expressed the federal government’s resolve to provide accurate population data against the current estimated 223 million.

    The NPC chairman promised to avail the Ministry with data from the forthcoming population and housing census,

    He said, the commission has identified 65 million houses during the trial census exercise conducted across the country.

    According to him, the commission has also identified special population who are not living in normal steady homes including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), fishermen, herders, those living under the bridges, among others.

    He also noted the commission has demarcated the 774 Local Government Areas across the country, and has maps of residential, offices, water bodies, among others.

    While responding to inquiry on the actual population of Nigerians.

    Kwara said: “Yes, she (Minister) did throw that question and I think it was a guiding question, to say that, as of now, we don’t have the actual number of people that we have.

    “What we have is just an estimate, and we have done a lot of projections, right from the last census to the current population that we believe we are estimated 223 million in Nigeria, it’s an estimate is a projection.

    “But to get the actual, we need to conduct census, we are able to provide in Nigeria, Nigerian public, Nigerian government, the global community with the actual population of Nigeria, its characteristics distribution and so on and so forth.

    “We need Nigerians to support us as we go through the preparatory processes for the conduct of the census.

    ”Like she mentioned, we are also warehouse a lot of geospatial data that we can use because it is obtained through the use of GIS, GPS and satellite images. So, it’s very correct.

    “With the proper coordinates of every building, every facility in this country even the water bodies that we have, the distribution of population, the household average size, and so on and so forth.

    ”There are things that once we conclude the census, we can use, but the geospatial data is already available, we can use it before the conduct of the next census” he said(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)./ Flowerbudnews