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NEMA


The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA ) yesterday rejected the report of the House of Representatives committee which indicted it of poor management of relief items meant for 16 states.
In a statement last night, NEMA said:  “The House of Representatives, at its sitting of 8th November 2018 received the Report of the House Committee on Emergency and Preparedness Response on the alleged violation of public trust against the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
“We were shocked to hear some of the findings and conclusions presented by the Committee on the issues, which did not reflect the facts and documents placed before it by NEMA.
“While we shall in due course be making a more comprehensive response to all the points made, it is most important to clarify the following:
“On the Port Clearance and Transportation of Emergency Food Assistance by Chinese Government, the Federal Government received a total of 6,779MT of Rice for IDPs in the North East as donation by the Chinese Government. This amounted to 271 containers, which arrived Apapa Ports between June and October 2017.
“The processes of securing duty exemption, waivers and other related issues took several months, but the total quantity was subsequently cleared from the Apapa Port, transported and delivered to NEMA warehouses in the North East. It was thereafter distributed to the IDPs in the States of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe. Documents on the transaction, including distribution to the IDPs were made available to the Committee.
“The correct total value of the rice is about N2.25 Billion (50 Million Chinese Yuan) and the amount spent on clearing, demurrage and storage was about N450 Million, not the N800 Million as alleged by the Committee.
“On EFCC Investigation of the suspended staff (employees) of NEMA, the suspension of the Six (6) NEMA officers was a decision of its Governing Council based on the Interim Report of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which indicted them for financial misappropriation.
“The suspension was in line with Public Service Rules and the extant Guidelines on Appointment, Promotion and Discipline.
“On the approval of N1.6 billion granted by the Federal Government for the Procurement and Delivery of Relief Items to 16 States affected by Flood in 2017, due process was observed in the procurement of the relief items and all items meant for the 16 states were received and acknowledged by respective State Governments. Documents evidencing the acknowledgement of the items were made available to the House Committee.
“The evacuation of stranded Nigerians from Libya was a multi-agency operation. Two Thousand, One Hundred and Thirty (2,130) Nigerians were evacuated in the operation.
I’m the report, the House committee recommended the sack of NEMA Managing Director Mustapha Maihaja.
“Based on the investigation conducted by the Committee, it has been established that the Federal Government of Nigeria lost a total sum of over N33 billion as a result of mismanagement of funds occasioned by the actions or inactions of the Managing Director of NEMA.
” It is consequently recommended that the Director General be relieved of his duties by the President, Commander in Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria and be handed over to relevant authorities for prosecution,” the report of the committee said.
The House also resolved to launch a comprehensive investigation into the receipt and utilization of 20 per cent Ecological Fund to NEMA over the years.
While considering the Hon. Ali Isa-headed committee’s report on “Need to Investigate the Violation of Public Trust in the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),” also adopted the recommendations that:
“On the issue of donation of 6,779 metric tons of rice by Chinese Government for IDP’s in the North East, the House said the EFCC and ICPC should further investigate NEMA and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Budget and National Planning as it was never received by the beneficiaries.
“that the ICPC, EFCC and Police should ensure recovery of the payment of about N800m demurrage from the concerned officers of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Ministry of Agriculture and NEMA.
“that the suspension of six staff of NEMA by its management is an abuse of power, against the extant public service rules and a gross violation of Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“That the affected staff (employees) be immediately re-instated by NEMA and the appropriate authorities and all their arrears of entitlements paid: Mr.  Akinbola Hakeem -Director, Finance and Accounts, Alhassan Nuhu – Director Disaster & Risk Reduction, Mr. Emenike Umesi – Ag. Director, Special Duties, Mohammed Kanar -Deputy Director Welfare, Mr. Mamman Ibrahim  – DD Captain of the Air Ambulance and Yunusa Deji Ganiyu – Asst. Chief Administrative Officer.”
“That the ICPC and EFCC should further investigate the matter and recover the sum of N700m from Maihaja, who is the Accounting Officer of the Agency.”
“That all the government officials involved in the approval, processing, release and diversion of the sum of N5.8billion for the emergency intervention of food security in the North East, which contravened the provisions of S.80(2) and 80(4) of the Constitution, infraction of due process for procurement and loss of government revenue, flouting of the terms of the Eurobond loan are hereby indicted and the relevant Security Agencies should take steps to recover the money from them;
“That the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) being a banker to the Federal Government should not be involved in giving loans to private companies. Consequently, the N2billion said to be given to four named companies is a fundamental infraction and should be further investigated.”
On the issue of release of N3, 153,000,000.00 to NEMA for food intervention to the North-East, the House recommended
“that ICPC and EFCC should recover N1,150,000,000.00 being subsidised cost of 5000 metric tons of rice from the present Director General of NEMA, Eng. Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja, who claimed to have donated same to World Food Programme (WFP) when they were ready to pay for it or import same;
On the question of unaccounted N17, 889,050,401 released from Ecological Fund to NEMA, the House recommended:
“That NEMA should submit through the appropriate authority all the Ecological funds accruing to it yearly to the National Assembly for Appropriation in order to meet the Constitutional requirements.
“That a comprehensive investigation into the receipt and utilization of 20% Ecological Fund to NEMA over the years be carried out by the House.”
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 Codeine


The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has shuts down three pharmaceutical companies, Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Limited; Bioraj Pharmaceutical Limited and Emzor Pharmaceuticals Ind. Ltd., that were implicated in the codeine syrup crisis.
The DG of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosing this in a statement stated that the action was due to insufficient evidence gathered and apparent resistance to provide needed documents during inspection at the pharmaceutical companies.
“Due to insufficient evidence gathered and apparent resistance to provide needed documents during our inspection on May 2, 2018 at the respective companies in Ilorin and Lagos, respectively, it has become necessary to shut down all product lines of the three companies – Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Limited. Plots 3 & 8, Adewole Industrial Estate, Lubcon Avenue, Ilorin, Kwara State; Bioraj Pharmaceutical Limited. No 405 Kaima Road, Ilorin, Kwara State and Emzor Pharmaceuticals Ind. Ltd., Ajao Estate, Lagos” she said.
“This is to allow for a full and comprehensive investigation. The three companies therefore remain closed. The reopening of the manufacturing companies will depend on the level of cooperation that is shown during the comprehensive investigation”.
The statement further read, “The Director General constituted a Task Force to be made up of NAFDAC Directors- Registration and Regulatory Affairs; Narcotics and Controlled Substances; and Drug Evaluation and Research”.
“Members of PMG-MAN in the Committee included the Executive Secretary of PMG-MAN, Fidson Healthcare; May & Baker PLC; and Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries. It was stated that on May 2-3, 2018 “A team of nine NAFDAC officers (2 from Drug and Evaluation Research – DER and 7 from Investigation & Enforcement – I&E) and ten mobile police officers were sent to Ilorin, Kwara state on May 2 2018 to carry out investigational inspection at the companies of the two different pharmaceutical companies that are licensed to manufacture codeine-containing syrup, and which were implicated in the BBC documentary”.
“The same investigational inspection by a different NAFDAC team took place on the same day and time as the Ilorin companies at the manufacturing facility of Emzor Pharmaceuticals Ind. Ltd., Ajao Estate, Lagos”.
“The focus of the assignment was to access and monitor from records the utilization, sales and effective distribution of the codeine containing cough syrups to the end users”..
“Meanwhile, meeting of the stakeholders mentioned above is being planned while the shut down and full investigation”
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Ebonyi State government on Monday confirmed the death of three Medical
Personnel in the state from suspected Lassa Fever infection.
Commissioner for Health in Ebonyi State, Daniel Umezuruike confirmed this at a
briefing in Abakaliki, the state capital.
According to him, two of the dead patients were Medical Doctors while the third
person is a Nurse.
He revealed that the index patient who was treated by one of the Doctors and
Nurse survived and has been discharged.
“Early last week there was suspected cases of Lassa and yesterday my attention
was drawn to it that a doctor died of suspected Lassa Fever. We sent twelve
samples and four came out positive”.
Read here: Lassa Fever kills three in Ebonyi
Mr Umwzuruike said the cause of the death of one of the Doctors has not been
confirmed to be Lassa Fever as he had Mobidity of Diabetes.
The Commissioner further said the victims presented late because they were self
medicating when the symptoms started showing.
“One was self medicating, he went to Mater Hospital in Afikpo. Two doctors he
saw later advised him to go back to FETHA he refused until it was advanced before
he came to the hospital’.
For the second Doctor, Mr Umezuruike said because he has Mobidity of Diabetes
his death has not yet been confirmed to be caused by Lassa Fever.
Mr Umezuruike debunked reports that the victims were taken to Irrua Specialist
Hospital in Edo state for treatment instead of the Virology Centre built by the state
government in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
“He was treated at FETHA. We built and donated the Virology Centre to FETHA.
The second case treated a woman who was bleeding after undergoing local
ovuloctomy and he was treated by the doctor to arrest the bleeding on 29th
December. They didn’t present to the hospital on time”, he added
He said the Ministry has commenced contact tracing in other to monitor anyone
who came in contact with the patients to ensure that no further deaths are
recorded.
He said this will help in tracing the source of the disease.

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Nigeria has authorised Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation to start the repayment of 76 million
dollars polio eradication facility to Japan.
The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, made
this known in Abuja on Tuesday when she
received a delegation of Japanese House of
Councillors Parliamentarians.
She said that the delegates were in Nigeria to
assess the level of usage of Overseas
Development Assistance (ODAs) extended to
Nigeria since 2014.
She added that the authority to trigger repayment
was given to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
following the eradication of polio in the country.
She noted that the eradication of polio was made
possible as a result of the ODA facility provided
by the Japanese Government valued at 76 million
dollars in 2014.
She recalled that the ODA was structured for
repayment after four years and that by this
development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
would start repaying the facility to Japan this
year.
Adeosun while marketing Nigeria to the Japanese
delegation noted that Nigeria was fast growing
and evolving from negative areas to positive
areas through its determined fight against
corruption.
She added that “because Nigeria is a middle-
income country, we will require the expertise of
Japanese companies for infrastructure
development.
“Nigeria is a good place to invest because it is a
rising investment destination.
“I promise that the government will make life easy
for Japanese investors wishing to do business in
Nigeria.”
In his address, the leader of the delegation, Mr
Kiyoshi Ejima, described Nigeria as a powerhouse
with rich natural resources with which Japan tried
to strengthen the relationship with.
Nigeria, he said, had set the target of becoming
one of the top 20 economies by the year 2020
and he assured that “Japan will support Nigeria
toward realising its 2020 target.”

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The Managing Director of Lagos State Water Corporation, Mr Muminu Badmus, on Friday appealed to residents in the state to stop molesting its officials on routine maintenance at their residence and neighbourhood.
Badmus made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
According to him, the corporation will no longer take the harassment of its officials on legitimate duty lightly.
”The corporation is concerned about the intimidation of its staff on routine maintenance or repairs in some residence.
”Our staff and contractors, especially in some high profile estates in the state, have been harassed and intimidated while on duty.
”The corporation is at present sensitising residents on the installation and use of pre- paid meters and the need to stop wastage of water.
”We are appealing to residents to cooperate with our staff as this will go a long way in ensuring efficient water service delivery,” he said.
Badmus said that it was the duty of the corporation to attend to report of burst water pipes and mains in any location.
While appealing for residents’ cooperation, he said that the corporation would no longer condole such behaviour.
”Our staff have been held hostage by the security personnel, their vehicles seized, and driven away with their tools and materials in some estates.
”In some areas, social miscreants have been hired to harass them.
”The management will not allow such scenario to continue.”
Badmus said that staff were presently carrying out enumeration for the purpose of obtaining accurate data of customers.
He said the exercise would ensure that every household in the state had access to potable water.
The managing director said that the corporation would carry out the assignment without inhibition, adding that the establishment would not allow some residents to thwart the efforts of the staff.
Badmus said that anybody or group involved in molesting its staff on legitimate duty would face the wrath of the law.
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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday morning led hundreds of people on road walk  for diabetes awareness in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, saying  “diabetes kills only careless people.”
Obasanjo  who was joined in the road walk by the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrasheed  Adewale Akanbi (Osun State) and Commissioner of Health in Ogun State, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, added if one took care of oneself, one would discover that “diabetes is not a killer disease.”
The Ebora Owu who noted he is now  well above 80 and could walk  with agility despite being diabetic(covering a distance of 1km  uphill of the distance on foot during the walk), lamented that many of the nation’s youth rarely exercise.
“Diabetes is not a disease that should kill, I was diagnosed to be diabetic more than 30 years ago but rather, I am growing strong, if you don’t believe I am growing strong and you didn’t witness this walk, come and see me at night, you will know I am growing strong, come and see me in the morning, you will know I am growing, even in the afternoon, you will know I am growing strong.
“What is necessary is a management of diabetes. Some people said some diseases are incurable, but diabetes is manageable and compliant.
“My headmaster in primary school was diagnosed at the age of 50 and died at age 85, you will agree with he tried.
“What to do is that if you’re diabetic, don’t be nonchalant about it and don’t eat carelessly. Three things are important, the food you eat, regular exercise and prescribed medication, those are the three most important things.
“You can be diabetic and still lives till 100, I don’t know when I would die but I am above 80 and many of the youth could not catch up with my pace during  the exercise this morning, many of them were running after me.
” This is my message. Whether you’re diabetic or you have a family or friend with diabetic, diabetes is not a killer disease or it should not be a killer disease unless you are careless,” Obasanjo said.
The about two kilometre walk which began at the Marque within the sprawling Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library(OOPL), Abeokuta, coursed through MKO Abiola Way and had 15 minutes stop – over at the premises Sunny Yinka Oil on same before turning to end it at the take off point.
The road walk was organized by the Southwest zone of the Diabetes Association of Nigeria(DAN) in collaboration with OOPL to mark the 2017 edition of World Diabetes Day.
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At least seven people died on Wednesday and more were missing after a strong overnight downpour flooded three towns in Greece, officials said.
The flooding struck the towns of Mandra, Nea Peramos and Megara, a semi-rural area west of Athens where many warehouses are located.
“Everything is lost, the disaster is biblical,” Mandra mayor Ioanna Kriekouki told state TV ERT.
“We have people who are trapped… we need machinery to get them out of their homes,” said Kriekouki, who was also immobilised in her home.
Five people were found inside and outside their homes, the fire department said. Another two bodies were found in the coastal areas of Aspropyrgos and Elefsina, the coastguard said.
State TV ERT said at least three more people were missing.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said the deaths had been caused by “disastrous flood” and expressed deep sorrow.
TV images showed large vehicles such as tanker trucks, buses and lorries nearly completely submerged in the muddy torrent.
The fire service said it had received over 300 calls for help and dispatched over 120 firemen to the area.
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The Chief Medical Director, Prof. Temitope Alonge, has said that the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State has fulfilled its mandate to train the best specialist doctors and health professionals in Nigeria.
Alonge spoke on the various achievements of the teaching hospital during a walk organised as part of the activities to celebrate its 60th anniversary in Ibadan on Monday.
The CMD also said the hospital was set to improve on its achievements and reverse medical tourism in the areas of neurosurgery, nuclear medicine, cardiac and orthopaedic surgery so as to encourage more Nigerians and Africans to seek medical treatment at the premier hospital.
Wondering why many people still prefer to travel abroad for treatment, even as a majority of the medical services offered in foreign hospitals are available in the country, he urged Nigerians to trust their local hospitals.
“We must know that many Africans are now coming to Nigeria for surgery and treatment. So, medical tourism is not only outward. We have attended to presidents, kings, ambassadors, technocrats and diplomats from different parts of Africa in the UCH. I vividly remember that the father of a former President of Gambia had treatment here.
“People have come from the Gambia, Sierra Leone for treatment in the UCH. People are going to foreign hospitals not because Nigerian hospitals don’t have the facilities or the expertise, but because travelling abroad is an ego thing for them. Some Nigerians travel abroad because they get estacodes. I once offered to do a surgery that won’t take me more than 35 minutes, but the patient opted to travel abroad for it.
“We must also let Nigerians know that these people are not going to public hospitals for treatment. Instead, they go to private hospitals abroad because it used to take 18 months to get an appointment for  knee replacement in the public hospital where I worked in the UK.
“There is also the lack of information because we are not allowed to advertise our services but that we are working on.” Alonge explained.
 According to him, the hospital has beefed up its expertise in nuclear medicine, palliative, geriatric care  and was now performing awake craniology,  a type of brain surgery whereby the patient is awake.
He added that the UCH doctors were consolidating and acquiring more surgical skills and training in the area of foetal surgery to reduce the number of newborn babies dying of congenital defects or diseases.
“We want to start operating on fetuses that will not survive outside the womb. We have the equipment and expertise in our radiology department to pick these conditions early. So, we don’t have to wait till the baby is born before we operate. We can reduce the number of new-borns dying.”
Also, speaking at the event, the Chairman, UCH 60th Anniversary Committee, Prof. Ope Adekunle, said the hospital would be leveraging on its relationship with philanthropists, traditional rulers and its alumni to establish a cancer centre at UCH.
The professor said it was shameful that Nigeria, with a population of over 170 million, did not have a designated cancer centre.
Adekunle said, “India has over 200 cancer centres and we cannot boast one. We are calling on philanthropists to contribute towards this initiative. We will also enlist the help of traditional rulers to provide some funds and facilities which would be named after them. We hope they will help us to realise the projects lined up to commemorate UCH at 60 years.”
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Patients and members of staff of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, experienced difficulty in gaining entry into the hospital premises on Monday morning after security men and cleaners at the facility embarked on strike, locking the two gates leading to the hospital.
Our correspondent learnt that the workers were protesting against the non-payment of their 11 months’ salaries by the hospital.
There was a gridlock at both ends of the hospital as motorists were unable to move freely as a result of the buildup of the hospital’s workers’ vehicles at the gates.
As early as 7am, both roads became impassable with hundreds of other road users, including workers heading to the state secretariat nearby, trapped in the congestion.
Many patients who had early appointment at the hospital lamented the situation.
One of the workers, who pleaded anonymity, accused the Chief Medical of the hospital, Prof. Temitope Alonge, of deliberately withholding the funds meant for their salaries.
She said, “We have endured 11 months without salaries. Can the CMD endure a month without salary? But we are considered lowly in the ranks of members of staff of the hospital so our money can wait. We are vulnerable too because we hardly have any voice in the day-to-day running of hospital.
“However, we are responsible for their security and hygiene. We open and lock the gate and clean the toilets and the wards. When they sleep at home, we look over the security of the hospital at night, daring the danger.”
But that is what we agreed to do when we applied so there is no problem with that. Our line of work is difficult but highly important to the hospital. We deserve better than what we get. We call on the Federal Government to prevail on the hospital management to have pity on us.”
Our correspondent learnt that the hospital’s CMD explained to the striking workers that their salaries were not paid directly by the hospital but through an agency which the FG contracted the two departments to.
It was learnt that Alonge promised to pay one month salary to the workers from the hospital’s Internally Generated Revenue while effort would be made to ensure that the agency involved facilitate speedy payments of the money.
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