General News
Ebola Epidemic ‘Out of Control’ – Doctors
Doctors Without Borders, global medical charity has given warning that the Ebola crisis in West Africa is “unprecedented, absolutely out of control”, as states across the world took steps to prevent its spread.
This is coming as the federal government claimed that there has not been any reported case of Ebola virus outbreak in Nigeria.
But Bart Janssens, the charity’s director of operations, warned there was no overarching vision of how to tackle the outbreak, in an interview with Belgium’s La Libre Belgique newspaper.
Aljazeera reported that Doctors Without Borders said that the outbreak can only worsen, as Nigeria tries to trace 30,000 people linked to first victim.
“This epidemic … can only get worse, because it is still spreading, above all in Liberia and Sierra Leone, in some very important hotspots,” Janssens said.
“We are extremely worried by the turn of events, particularly in these two countries where there is a lack of visibility on the epidemic. If the situation does not improve fairly quickly, there is a real risk of new countries being affected.
“That is certainly not ruled out, but it is difficult to predict, because we have never known such an epidemic.”
According to Aljazeera, more than 670 people have died of Ebola in the outbreak, the largest on record since the disease was detected in the 1970s.
Meanwhile, the International Civil Aviation Organisation has met global health officials to discuss measures to stop the disease from crossing borders.
The pan-African airline ASKY suspended all flights to and from the capitals of Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The EU allocated an extra $2.7m to fight the outbreak, bringing total funding to $5.2m.
“The level of contamination on the ground is extremely worrying and we need to scale up our action before many more lives are lost,” said the EU’s humanitarian aid commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva.
The bloc has deployed experts on the ground to help victims and try to limit contagion.
The warnings came as Liberia ordered the closure of all schools across the country and the quarantine of a number of communities in a bid to halt the outbreak.
Security forces have been ordered to enforce the new measures, part of a new action plan that included placing all non-essential government workers on 30-day compulsory leave.
In Nigeria, health authorities announced they were trying to trace more than 30,000 people who could be at risk of contracting Ebola after Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian, died from the disease in Lagos on Friday.
Sunday Omilabu, a professor at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, said: “We’ve been making contacts. As I’m talking, our teams are in the facility, where they’ve trained the staff, and then they (are) now asking questions about those that were closely in contact with the patient.
“We’re actually looking at contacting over 30,000 people in this very scenario. Because any and everybody that has contacted this person is going to be treated as a suspect,” said Yewande Adeshina, a public health adviser.
Nigeria’s government has implemented a state of “red alert” at all border crossings and initiated a media campaign to alert the public.
Labaran Maku, minister of Information, speaking at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, said that “The FEC was briefed by the Federal Ministry of Health on the alleged outbreak of Ebola virus in Nigeria. FEC was informed that the health ministry experts, within the week, checked out the reports of purported outbreak of the disease and found none to be true.”
He said the health ministry has assured it is prepared to contain the virus in the advent of an outbreak in the country.
“Citizens are reassured that there is no Ebola fever in the country and all the checks so far undertaken declare clearly that we don’t have it. Yes, there are some cases in two or three West African countries but the ministry has assured that should there be anything like that within our boundary it will be quickly tackled,” he said.
Federal government has temporarily suspended the controversial annual dues imposed on public interest enterprises by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) after fierce opposition from businesses.
Jumoke Oduwole, minister, Industry, Trade, and Investment, announced the decision during a Ministerial Consultative Meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
The move follows mounting pressure from private sector groups, including the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), who slammed the Financial Reporting Council (Amendment) Act 2023 for burdening companies with excessive fees.
The Act mandates cumulative annual charges for non-listed entities and imposes a harsh 10% monthly penalty on unpaid dues, compounding until full payment, a provision that sparked widespread backlash.
At the meeting, major industry players like NECA, MAN, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce (NACCIMA), oil producers, and telecom operators warned that the fees would cripple businesses already struggling in a tough economy.
Oduwole clarified the suspension, stating, “The government has decided to direct the Financial Reporting Council to pause in the implementation of the new annual dues. You know that I am a lawyer, and a suspension request by the organised private sector would be in contravention of legislation duly passed by the National Assembly. A pause is an administrative process simply to review, in line with what we discussed today.”
She assured stakeholders that the halt would last no longer than 60 days, with a technical working group—including FRC officials and private sector representatives—set up to reassess the policy.
“We are a listening administration. The private sector has requested a range from three months to an indefinite suspension. We are not going to do that. So, at the most, 60 days is in my estimate. We are going to set up a technical working group comprised of the FRC and the organised private sector who have formally written in, and this will be reviewed,” Oduwole emphasized.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) says it is intensifying efforts to standardise locally manufactured products, including Made-in-Aba brands, in order to enhance both local and international acceptance.
Aharanwa Chuks, Director of Region (South East), SON, communicated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
Chuks said through the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP), SON ensured that all Nigerian-made products conformed to the relevant Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS).
According to him, MANCAP involves direct engagement with manufacturers to certify that their products meet established quality benchmarks.
“This process includes inspecting production facilities, sampling products and testing them against NIS requirements.
“Successful compliance results in the issuance of the MANCAP certification, signifying adherence to quality standards.
“In Aba, SON has been proactive in educating manufacturers about standardization.’’
The director said SON also conducted stakeholder interactions; gathering manufacturers from various sectors to provide guidance on producing goods that met both local and international standards.
“For instance, leather manufacturers in Aba have been sensitized on standardization practices to enhance the global competitiveness of their products.
“Manufacturers are encouraged to collaborate with SON to obtain MANCAP certification, ensuring their products are not only marketable within Nigeria but also competitive internationally.
“This initiative aims to boost consumer confidence and promote the acceptance of Made-in-Aba products globally,” Chuks said.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has busted a Ponzi Scheme Academy and arrested 133 suspects in Abuja.
They were arrested at the Compensation Layout in Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, following actionable intelligence on the existence of the Academy.
The Academy, named Q University (a.k.a Q-Net) is in the business of recruiting gullible young Nigerians who are trained to recruit more gullible citizens into the scheme with the promise of getting unrealistic profit returns.
The suspects are enrolled into a training codenamed: “Special Training for New Generation Billionaire” and brainwashed to believe that they would graduate into the league of billionaires.
They got into the training by obtaining a form the promoters called “Independent Representative Application Form” with promotional slogans such as: “I’m a Champion” “I’m Unstoppable”, “I’m Infinity”, among others.
The EFCC carried out the operation in collaboration with officers and men of 176 Guards Battalion, Nigerian Army.
Items recovered from the suspects include phones, computers and other electronic gadgets.
They will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.
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