Suntai returns from foreign medical checkup

Category: News

Published on Tuesday, 11 November 2014 10:34

Written by Itodo Daniel Sule, Jalingo Hits: 1639

Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai of Taraba State returned from London to Abuja late last night after being away for medical checkup.

          A statement by Suntai’s spokesman, Hassan Mijinyawa said the governor arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja at about 10pm aboard a chartered flight in company of his wife, Hauwa, his medical team and security details on Monday.

"Governor Suntai remains grateful to the people of Taraba State for their strength of will and continuous prayers for him and the state," the statement added.

The statement however did not indicate whether Suntai will be coming to Government House, Jalingo this time around.

Suntai was involved in a plane crash on October 25, 2012, in which he was the pilot.
He has been in and out of hospital in Germany, United States of America and the United Kingdom since then.
He returned to Abuja from a UK hospital on September 13, 2014 and had remained in Abuja until he returned to London on November 2, 2014 for further medical checkup.
While Suntai was away, Taraba State High Court presided over by Justice Silas Haruna nullified the medical panel set up by the Speaker of Taraba state House of Assembly to investigate his health status.

Justice Haruna held that setting up a medical panel would amount to usurping judicial powers when an earlier suit filed by Suntai challenging the state lawmakers for refusing him to assume power as well as another suit by Mustapha Bello at the Supreme Court were yet to be decided.

Expert warns against consumption of cattle with nodules

Posted by: admin November 11, 2014 in News

A veterinary doctor in Akwa Ibom, Udo Obot, has warned against the consumption of cattle with nodules on their skins, saying it was dangerous to human health.

Obot, the Director of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture in the state, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo on Sunday.

He said that cattle with rashes contained bacteria that could cause tuberculosis and should not be slaughtered for consumption.

He advised veterinary doctors and other officers in charge of abattoirs in the state to be very vigilant and ensure that such cattle were detected and isolated.

He said “People should be very careful. Once you see rashes on the meat you want buy, call the attention of the veterinary officer.

“Cattle with tuberculosis nodules are not good for human consumption; it is very difficult to kill the bacteria by boiling. Such meat needs to be discarded.

So, I would advise that people should buy plain meat without rashes. They should consider the colour of the meat and ensure it is jelly-red and not dark-red.

Obot observed that some people ignorantly bought live cattle that they would not slaughter in abattoir for ceremonies.

He appealed to the people to always submit such cattle for inspection before killing them for consumption to avoid diseases.

Northern governors tell Jonathan to declare war on sect

Posted by: Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna in News

Governors from the North yesterday called on President Goodluck Jonathan to declare war on Boko Haram, the Islamic sect whose insurgency has killed thousands.

Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, Chairman of the Forum, spoke in Kaduna at the inauguration of Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Office building.

He said the North’s woes started with the assassination of the Sarduna of Sokoto in the January 15, 1966 coup.

He said Boko Haram members had declared war against Nigerians and they must be fought as enemies, adding:  “They are no more terrorists but rebels, who have declared war against their country and have acquired illegal territories; we must therefore crush them.”

“Unfortunately, our job is complicated by the present predicaments in the country – Boko Haram, insecurity and abject poverty, among others, Aliyu said, adding:

“Therefore, we must as leaders all come together on bipartisan or non-partisan basis to encourage Mr. President and the Federal Government to declare total war and eliminate Boko Haram in our midst before the 2015 elections.”

“I have heard many people saying that Boko Haram are Nigeriens; any Nigerian, and any citizen that picks arms against his country should be declared as non citizens.

“There is a limit to what the government can do. If being proactive, we have been doing that. But to declare total war is in the hands of federal government and the President. We must go back to our constitution. National conference has been held; we must go back and look at the issues raised with the aim to correct the difference between the federating unit and the federal government.

“Boko Haram is no more terrorists as it affects all of us. It not the issue of APC or PDP, we need to put our heads together,” he stressed.

Speaking on the state of Northern economy, Aliyu said, “We also need to come to terms with the reality that the nation cannot depend on the oil economy; we must continue to diversify into agriculture and solid minerals.

“We must also pursue the issue of state police so that we can have a stronger and rational say in the security of our states and account for our actions and inactions”. He said.

He however commended his colleagues, members of the NSGF and the Board of Trustees of the foundation for the unflinching support, cooperation and encouragement, making it possible for his chairmanship to record the monumental legacy in the annals of modern Northern Nigerian history.

“Like Sardauna, we must individually and collectively keep our date with history and write our own scripts for the appreciation of the unborn generations.

Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero called on the 19 states in the North to initiate a harmonised development plan that will ensure rapid economic growth and infrastructural development of the region.

Estimated billing: FG licenses 138 companies to provide meters

on November 11, 2014   /   in Energy 5:01 am   /   Comments
By Michael Eboh

The Federal Government has given approval to about 138 companies to function as Metering Service Providers in the Nigeria power sector.

Prepaid meters

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, in a document obtained by Vanguard, disclosed that the companies were certified after due inspection and consideration.

Specifically, five companies were certified as meter manufacturers; 13 companies were given government approval to import meters into the country, while 28 companies were certified as meter vendors.

Also, thirteen companies were approved by NERC as individual meter installers while 79 companies were certified as corporate installers.

The five companies approved as meter manufacturers are Elsewedy Electric Nigeria Limited, Momas Electricity Meters Manufacturing Company Limited (MEMMCOL), Uni Star Hitech Nigeria Limited, Electricity Meter Company Nigeria Limited (EMCON) and Mojec International.

However, Memmcol, apart from the approval given to it to manufacture meters, was also given approval to function as a meter vendor and corporate installer.

Also, EMCON, in addition to its meter manufacturing certification, also got approval to act as an importer, vendor and corporate installer.

Mojec International also got approval as a meter importer, meter vendor and a corporate installer of meters, while Uni-star Hitech got approval to also perform as an importer, vendor and corporate installer.

The NERC had, a couple of days ago, given electricity distribution companies (Discos), two weeks within which to provide electricity consumers whose meters are yet to be delivered months after payment with the products.

Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, said the Commission will view very seriously failure to meter these consumers.

According to him, the NERC will give Discos two weeks to make sure they fully meter all those who have paid because the order of the commission is 45 days.

He said, “After two weeks, we will be conducting public hearings to ascertain whether all those who have paid for CAPMI meters have been metered.

PLATEAU NLC LAMENTS PLIGHT OF RETIREES

Category: News

Published on Monday, 10 November 2014 05:00

Written by Lami Sadiq, Jos

Hits: 29

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Plateau State at the weekend alleged that retirees in the state are being coerced and short-changed in the computation of their retirement benefits.

State chairman of the union, Comrade Jubril Banchir, said the NLC was dismayed by what retirees are being subjected to by the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Banchir said the ministry’s attitude is without recourse to an agreement signed by the organised labour on the implementation of the national minimum wage.
“It is on record that an agreement for the full implementation of the national minimum wage was signed on January 11, 2012 and it therefore means that any retiree that falls within the ambit of the time when the agreement was signed is entitled to 100 per  cent retirement benefit and not the 55 per cent  the ministry is compelling retirees to go home with,” he said.
He said the union observed that since January 2014, the state government had removed salary payments and wages from first line charge and that monthly salary is not being paid as at when due.
 “Government is owing two to three months salaries and even when it is paid in arrears, the mode of its payment is discriminative,” he said.

Health workers to begin indefinite strike on Wednesday

Posted by: admin November 10, 2014 in News

Health workers under the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) have agreed to begin an indefinite strike on Wednesday, should the Federal Government failed to address some outstanding trade issues.

Already, the union has recorded a landmark in its struggle as its members have secured consultancy status from government.

According to the National President of the National Union of Allied Health Professional (NUAP), Felix Faniran, who is also the vice president of JOHESU, the government last Thursday formally issued a circular to that effect.

The circular, he said, gave  other health workers the right to become consultants in their various fields.

But he said the government and the unions in JOHESU had not agreed on some other issues.

The unions, Faniran added, had decided to go on an indefinite strike from Wednesday.

His words: “We held a meeting with the secretary to the Federal Government (SGF) on Thursday. The government only released one of the many circulars we told them to release. The one they release was the one in respect to consultancy status, which we say they should correct.

“Other healthcare professionals are recognised as consultants and that it is their professional bodies that have the right to dictate who should be a consultant or not, and not the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and that such people shall be qualified to receive specialist allowance. That is what we have gotten”.

On the indefinite strike by the union, Faniran said: “All other issues, particularly the circular on our salary, which was supposed to be adjusted in January, are yet to be released. Our colleagues – the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) members – have had their own adjusted and circulars have been issued. They are already enjoying a new salary package.

“We are in the same sector. But they are enjoying new salary while we have not gotten the circular yet, let alone implementing it.

“Also, this is already November and budgets have been prepared in all institutions and ours have been prepared on old rate. So, we can no longer wait”.

Health workers to begin indefinite strike on Wednesday

Posted by: Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja in News

Health workers under the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) have agreed to begin an indefinite strike on Wednesday, should the Federal Government failed to address some outstanding trade issues.

Already, the union has recorded a landmark in its struggle as its members have secured consultancy status from government.

According to the National President of the National Union of Allied Health Professional (NUAP), Felix Faniran, who is also the vice president of JOHESU, the government last Thursday formally issued a circular to that effect.

The circular, he said, gave  other health workers the right to become consultants in their various fields.

But he said the government and the unions in JOHESU had not agreed on some other issues.

The unions, Faniran added, had decided to go on an indefinite strike from Wednesday.

His words: “We held a meeting with the secretary to the Federal Government (SGF) on Thursday. The government only released one of the many circulars we told them to release. The one they release was the one in respect to consultancy status, which we say they should correct.

“Other healthcare professionals are recognised as consultants and that it is their professional bodies that have the right to dictate who should be a consultant or not, and not the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and that such people shall be qualified to receive specialist allowance. That is what we have gotten”.

On the indefinite strike by the union, Faniran said: “All other issues, particularly the circular on our salary, which was supposed to be adjusted in January, are yet to be released. Our colleagues – the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) members – have had their own adjusted and circulars have been issued. They are already enjoying a new salary package.

“We are in the same sector. But they are enjoying new salary while we have not gotten the circular yet, let alone implementing it.

“Also, this is already November and budgets have been prepared in all institutions and ours have been prepared on old rate. So, we can no longer wait”.