The Nigerian Government has named airports where domestic flights will resume as announced by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
Musa Nuhu, Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, in a statement on Tuesday said flights will resume in five airports on June 21 and other airports will be added gradually.
Nuhu said the airports will remain closed to foreign flights until a resumption date was announced.
He said, “The closure of Nigerian airports to domestic flights has been extended to 2300 on June 20, 2020.
“The gradual start of domestic flight operations will commence on June 21, 2020, with Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport Kano, Omagwa International Airport, Port Harcourt, and Sam Mbakwe Airport Owerri. Other airports will be gradually added to the network after a review and assessment.
“All flights to any airport outside the five listed airports shall comply with the existing COVID-19 protocols for approvals.
“Emergency and essential flights are exempted from this restriction and shall comply with the existing COVID-19 protocols for approval.”
Bauchi Deputy Governor, Sen. Baba Tela, has tested positive for COVID-19.
Tela, who doubles as chairman of the State Task Force Committee on COVID-19, was said to have contracted the virus while discharging his responsibility.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Bauchi Governor, Muhktar Gidado, confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday.
According to Gidado, the confirmation was sequel to a test carried out on him by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) after he exhibited symptoms.
He said: “This is to inform the general public that His Excellency, Sen. Baba Tela, Deputy Governor of Bauchi State who is also the Chairman, State Task Force on COVID-19 was confirmed positive for coronavirus.
“He contracted the disease while discharging his onerous responsibility as Chairman of the Committee.
“Consequently, His Excellency, Baba Tela has gone into self-isolation in Bauchi and health professionals are properly managing his situation.”
The Governor’s media aide said the samples of all his primary contacts have also been taken to NCDC for testing .
The police in Edo State have arrested one person suspected to know about the killing of Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a 100-level student of the University of Benin, Edo State.
Vera was raped and killed inside a Redeemed Christian Church of God, Benin, while she was reading.
Spokesperson for the Edo Police Command, Chidi Nwabuzor, said the suspect was arrested after an analysis of the fingerprint on the fire extinguisher used in hitting her was done.
He added that the suspect was arrested within the neighbourhood where the act took place.
He said, “The item used in the assault, which was a fire extinguisher was recovered, immediately the operatives who were with some specialists screened the fingerprints which led to our suspect. The suspect was arrested around the place of the incident.”
The rape and killing of the young lady had sparked outrage across Nigeria with many calling for the immediate arrest and punishment of the perpetrators.
From the Federal Government on Tuesday came an advisory to Nigerians: If you are 55 years old and above, avoid churches and mosques.
Those with health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, HIV, among others, are also enjoined to stay at home to worship, the government added.
It noted that the advice was necessary because places of worship have been recognised as a major avenue of potential spread of Coronavirus.
The government stated this through the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 Control. It released the guidelines for states to follow in discussions with religious leaders before the reopening of churches and mosques for worshippers.
The government said the protocols made available would be the baseline which the states are not expected to go below while firming up agreement with religious leaders.
Nigerians have been pressuring the government to reopen worship centres in spite of the spike in COVID-19 positive cases, leading to easing of restrictions on religious centres.
The PTF National Coordinator, Dr. Aliyu Sani, who announced the guidelines said religious centres should keep a record of attendees.
Dr. Sani said this would allow for contact tracing in the case of virus spread.
He urged worshippers experiencing common symptoms of COVID-19 to stay away from churches and mosques.
He said: “We are strongly advising vulnerable individuals such as those with underlying conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, HIV, cancer and those above the age of 55 years to please stay at home and consider remote participation or non-contact attendance.
“When we look at the death rate for persons who have died from COVID-19 in Nigeria, the case fatality rate; more than half of those that died were above the age of 50.
“Secondly, the case fatality rate if you are above the age of 50, is 17 per cent. If you are above the age of 55, it is 18 per cent. It is almost a one in five chances of dying if you catch COVID-19 and you fall within that group.
“Worshippers should be reminded not to attend in person if experiencing common symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, cough and shortness of breath or have had close contact with an infected person in the last 14 days.
“All worshippers noted to have temperature or are symptomatic should be turned back and not allowed admission.
“Places of worship should ideally keep up to date record of their staff including contact details and if possible, a record of attendees of church services for instance or a even small mosque to enable contact tracing in the event that somebody comes up positive.
“Considering the dangers posed by the pandemic, we strongly recommend that religious visits to homes by religious clerics should be discouraged.”
The national coordinator said: “It is important to note that due to the nature of religious congregations, places of worship are particularly recognised to have a major potential for spreading COVID -19 infection among worshippers and this has been clearly demonstrated in several outbreaks globally linked to religious gatherings.
“Places of worship that are unable to comply with these measures should not be allowed to operate by state governments.
“Churches are to open from 5am and close by 8pm. Each service should be for a maximum of one hour with an interval of 20 minutes in-between services to allow time for disinfection.”
He said the task force will not hesitate to shutdown religious centres if they fail to comply with the protocols developed for their reopening.
“These guidelines provide a baseline for the states to then develop their own policies specific to their areas depending on the prevalence of COVID-19, depending on whether or not people are likely to follow and comply fully.
“But we will be reviewing these guidelines from time to time and we will definitely review them if it looks like we are having issues with regards to this relaxation and I plead with the public to understand with us but more importantly, continue to stay safe.
“It is better to stay at home and worship than to go into a place of worship,” he emphasised.
Sani reminded Nigerians of the dangers posed by the virus, noting that now is not the time to relax measures against the pandemic.
“Let me make some clarifications because I understand there has been a lot of concern nationwide about the opening of places of worship.
“There is no doubt that COVID-19 is still around, there is no doubt that it is safer for you to stay at home and there is also no doubt that it is safer for you to worship at home.
“The PTF is providing safety advisory or guidance in the event that you need to upgrade your spiritual needs and you cannot do it at home but we are not making recommendations that people should go to places of worship but if they chose to, we are providing advisory to enable them to do so safely.
“COVID-19 has not gone away. You only need to look at the numbers. We are in the exponential stage of the illness. We have moved as a country right up to the third position in Africa and because of our population we could also move to the second position or even the first.
“So now is the time to continue to take precautionary measures. Now is not the time to relax. I hope I have made that clear.
“In view of the widespread community transmission of COVID -19, it is important that places of worship operate in a safe manner to ensure the protection of public health, avoid outbreaks and safeguard the health of vulnerable members of the population.”
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Tuesday, met with the President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, behind closed-door in the State House.
The PUNCH reports that whistleblowers had petitioned Adesina, accusing him of 16 breaches of the bank’s code of conduct, some of which include private gains, impediments to efficiency, preferential treatment, and involvement in political activities, which Adesina has continued to deny.
Upon an investigation by the ethics committee of the board of directors, the allegations were found to be frivolous, unsubstantiated, lack merit.
The chairman of the board of governors being satisfied that the committee had done a thorough job, having followed all known rules and procedures of the bank in handling such cases, exonerated Adesina on all 16 allegations.
But the United States’ Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, in a letter to the Chairperson of the bank, Niale Koba, rejected the verdict of the committee and called for an independent investigation into the allegations against Adesina.
The House of Representatives has approved President Muhammadu Buhari’s request to borrow $22.7billion from external sources.
The House Committee on Supply approved the loan request following the consideration of the report by the House Committee on loans and debt management.
It would be recalled that the report was slated for consideration earlier in February, however, the Southeast protested the composition of the projects, alleging exclusion of the Southeast.
The Speaker in a statement in March said the consideration of the report, which had been passed by the Senate was suspended because of agitation from the Southeast.
“I know there has been a lot of agitation about (the) South-east not benefiting from the loan. It is one of the reasons we haven’t considered the loan in the House. I’ve discussed with the Finance Minister and the DG Budget,” the statement read.
Speaking on the report, the chairman of the House committee on loans and debt management, Ahmed Safana said the committee is recommending the inclusion of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Rail line in the next list loan request.
The total loan approved by the House is $22,798,446,773 and to be sourced from the following: World bank; 2,854,000,000, Africa Development Bank: 1,888,950,000, Islamic Development Bank (IDB); 110,000,000, German Development Bank; 200,000,000, China Eximbank; 17,065,496,773, AFD; 480,000,000.
Speaking on behalf of the southeast caucus, the Deputy Whip of the House, Nkirukah Onyejeocha said the approval of the loan is a bitter pill to swallow for her and the southeast.
Also speaking on the loan, the Chief Whip said the Northeast will support the loan based on the agreement that the Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line will be in the next project.
The speaker in his reaction said his attempt to correct the defect proved abortive as the request is based on agreement.
The Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday ordered the release of a former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, from prison.
Kalu was jailed for 12 years on December 5, 2019, after he was convicted of N7.1bn fraud alongside his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited, and a former Director of Finance at the Abia State Government House, Jones Udeogu.
However, the Supreme Court, in a May 8, 2020 judgment, nullified the trial and conviction of Kalu and others on the grounds that the judge who handled the case lacked jurisdiction.
The Supreme Court’s judgment followed an appeal by Udeogu, contending that the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, concluded the 12-year-old trial and gave judgment after he had been elevated to the Court of Appeal and ceased to be a judge of the Federal High Court.
On Tuesday, Kalu’s counsel, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), urged Justice Mohammed Liman to the release of the ex-governor from prison custody, based on the pronouncement of the Supreme Court in Udeogu’s appeal.
“Our application is brought pursuant to Section 159 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
“This is a fallout of the Supreme Court decision delivered on the 8th of May,” Fagbemi said.
In response, the prosecuting counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), the anti-graft agency would not, in principle, oppose Fagbemi’s application for Kalu’s release from prison.
“But we are also urging the court that the order made by the Supreme Court for trial de novo should be complied with by all parties; so that Your Lordship will give us a date when arraignment will be done.
“We want the trial to go on; losing more time will be dangerous for us,” Jacobs added.
The Federal Government says the date for the resumption of international flights in the country will be announced soon, The PUNCH reports.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, made this known on Monday during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.
Responding to a question about the likely date for the resumption of international flights, the minister said, “The (date for) international (flights) will follow. Before the end of the day (Monday), we’ll be receiving directives or suggestions, practices, and standards from the International Civil Aviation Organisation. We’ll factor that in.
“Currently, I am the Chairman of the Logistics and Transport Committee of the West African Ministers to advise Mr President who is Champion of the COVID-19 within West Africa. Today, we held a meeting on how the industry will start up all over again.
“Some countries will run faster than others but I can tell you that huge countries with huge population and huge aviation activities such as Nigeria will definitely need caution which has to reflect on safety and efficiency of the industry.”
Earlier, the PTF National Coordinator, Sani Aliyu, asked the aviation sector to begin to develop protocols that will lead to the resumption of domestic flights any time from June 21.
“The aviation industry is requested to start developing protocols to allow for domestic flights to resume anytime from the 21st of June onwards.
“Airlines must ensure physical distancing by reducing passenger capacity and ensure the provision of sanitisers and personal protective equipment as well as carrying out temperature checks at the point of entry and departure and ensuring that airports are not congested by either travellers or airports staff,” he said.
