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NCDC Boss in Self-Quarantine after China Trip As Reps Move to Suspend Plenary

Published

6 years ago

March 4, 2020

Eric

The fear of the coronavirus spread in the country grew on Tuesday as the House of Representatives resolved that the National Assembly should suspend plenary to prevent lawmakers from being infected with the disease.

The House took the decision as the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, who had just returned from China, was in self-isolation for 14 days.

Also, the Federal Government said it had deployed environmental health officers in public places such as motor parks, markets and schools to stem the spread of the disease.

But despite government’s efforts, fear of spread of the disease heightened as patients and their relatives in some hospitals, including the National Hospital, Abuja, were on Tuesday wary of people with symptoms such as sneezing and coughing, which are similar to coronavirus.

As the coronavirus panic increased, the Vice- Chairman of Senate Committee on Customs, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, raised the alarm that unrestricted smuggling of Chinese okirika (second hand clothes) into Nigeria through Onne Port in Rivers State could worsen the disease in the country.

Following the diagnosis of an Italian businessman with the disease on Thursday, no fewer than 58 people are currently being isolated.

The Italian, who arrived in the country on Monday last week, abroad a Turkish Airlines flight, went to Lafarge African Plc, Ewekoro, Ogun State, from where he was referred to Lagos, when he developed symptoms similar to coronavirus.

He was diagnosed with coronavirus and he is currently in isolation at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, Lagos.

The government, had on Monday raised the alarm that 158 people aboard the same plane with the Italian could not be traced, raising concerns that the level of the spread of the disease could not be ascertained.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives called for the suspension of the National Assembly plenary for two weeks.

The House said the management of the legislature should install screening and sanitation devices at the National Assembly complex during the period.

While they were making the call, the lawmakers were cautious in their interactions with one another for fear of being infected with the virus.

For instance, as the presiding and principal officers walked into the chamber, the Deputy Minority Whip, Adesegun Adekoya, was seen extending his legs to members on both sides of the isle to greet them.

Another member, Buba Yakub, after having a conversation with the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, also greeted the Clerk to the House, Patrick Giwa, with legs.

The Punch

Featured

Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

15 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

Featured

Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

20 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

Featured

DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

22 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.