Author: The Nation

Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of at least one oxygen plant in each state of the federation to aid gas available for life support for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients.

Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, disclosed this on Tuesday during the task force’s media briefing in Abuja.

The SGF also disclosed that the Private Sector Coalition in the fight against COVID-19, (CACOVID) had committed to supply 100 cylinders of oxygen daily, until the end of March 2021, to critical care centres in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

According to him, all the efforts had been in a bid to save more Nigerian lives from the pangs of the dreaded infection.

“In the last two weeks, a lot has been discussed on case management and in particular, the availability of oxygen to save lives. We are pleased to inform you that the private sector – CACOVID has commenced supporting our response with 100 oxygen cylinders per day till the end of March, 2021, for distribution to critical care centres in Abuja.

“Furthermore, approval has been given to rehabilitate five oxygen plants across various tertiary health institutions in Abuja. The President has also approved that at least one oxygen plant should be established in each state of the federation immediately,” he said.

He noted that the unusually high turnout of number of infections in the last few days had come out to show the effect of the activities during the Christmas festivities, noting particularly that the highest number ever recorded since the national response commenced, was 1,204, which was published on Monday, January 4, 2021.

He, however, expressed the hope that the numbers, the way they had been coming out in recent times, would not escalate beyond the control of the national response.

“Closely associated with that is the increasing daily numbers that we are recording. Yesterday 4th January, 2021, we recorded 1,204 infections. This was the highest daily number ever recorded since we commenced the national response.

“From our analysis, we are beginning to see the effect of activities carried out during the Christmas festivities. We can only hope that numbers will not escalate beyond control. We however, still appeal to all citizens to take full responsibility through compliance and vigilance”, he said.

He, however, lamented the low testing rates, especially in most states of the federation, the provision of financial and other resources as support to all the state notwithstanding.

Read Also: Oxygen shortage hits isolation centres – PTF

“As we have always maintained, testing is a key strategy under the national response. To this end we can report that there are about 100 laboratories across the country. These are 71 public labs; 22 private labs and 7 corporate labs. Collectively, they are to help improve testing in the country.

“Regrettably, however, there is still very low testing in a number of states. For clarity, the DG NCDC will elaborate on the spheres of responsibility in testing and the Federal Government has sufficiently supported the States to enable them support surveillance and IPC”, he said.

He also bemoaned the spread of doubts about the existence of COVID-19 among a section of the public, calling on all Nigerians to join in the public enlightenment move.

“To overcome some of these challenges, the PTF will intensify the risk communication and community engagement to create awareness. The share level of doubts about the virus is alarming and I call on every one to become advocates in support of the National Response,” he said.

On federal government’s resolve to prevent an importation of the virus, including its new difficult strains into the country, Mustapha said the PTF had started sanctioning violators of international flights protocols in the country, adding that not less than 200,000 inbound passengers, who had violated the protocols had been penned for sanctions, adding that their identities would be published weekly going forward.

“Finally, I wish to confirm that the PTF has commenced the sanctions on passengers who defaulted on day-7 post arrival tests. Their passport numbers have been published and travel restriction imposed for a period of six months effective 1st January, 2021.

“Let me categorically state that the PTF has generated over 20,000 inbound passengers that have also defaulted. The publication will continue weekly till it is exhausted.

“Nigerians should be aware that every defaulter is a threat to public health which is unacceptable to us and represent a draw back to the National Response. We have a duty to advise our relations, friends, associates to comply with laid down rules. The DG (NCDC) and the National Coordinator will update you on this,” he said.

 

 

Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

 

 

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State presented before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday series of documents, including the original copy of the Bachelor of Arts certificate he claimed was issued to him by the University of Ibadan (UI) in 1979, to support his claim that he graduated from the school

Also, a senior official of the University of Ibadan was in court to tender more documents for Obaseki and confirmed that the certificate the governor submitted was the actual copy issued to him by the university.

Obaseki opened his defence on Tuesday in the case brought against him, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its member, Edobor Williams.

The plaintiffs, who want Obaseki disqualified as candidate in the last governorship election in Edo State,   alleged that the governor forged his first degree certificate; he claimed to have obtained from U. I. and which he submitted to INEC as part of his educational qualification.

They are contending that a photocopy of the degree certificate attached to nomination form submitted to INEC did not contain the signature of the Registrar of the university and the date the certificate was issued.

But, from evidence led on Tuesday, Obaseki demonstrated that absence of the Registrar’s signature and date of issue on the copy of the certificate he submitted to INEC because it was not properly photocopied, which made both features, contained in the original copy,  to be cut off.

The UI official, Abayomi Samuel Ajayi, (Deputy Registrar, Legal), who was in court confirmed that the university made a demonstration on being informed of the Obaseki case and confirmed that it was possible to have the signature of the bottom of the original certificate, containing the Registrar’s signature, date of issue and part of the Vice Chancellor’s signature, cut off where a photocopy is not properly done.

Ajayi, who testified as the second witness of the first defendant, said the Minister of State for Education had sent a copy of Obaseki’s certificate, which the plaintiffs claimed was forged, to the school in November last year for verification.

Shown some copies of the disputed certificate and asked by PDP’s lawyer, Razak Isenalumhe if the photocopies already tendered in court could be considered as forged, as claimed by the plaintiffs, the witness said no.

“I will not regard the photocopies as forged, but incomplete photocopies, because the certificate issued by the university is larger than the paper size on which the photocopy was done, and in the process the date of issue and the signature of the Registrar – S. J. Okudu were cut off. Also the last part of the signature of Prof Tekena Tamuno, the then VC, was cut off.

“I am not seeing these documents for the first time. The Minister of State for Education had sent the documents to the university in November for confirmation, we demonstrated it by making photocopy with an A4 paper and the same result was what we got,” he said.

The witness said different results came out when the university demonstrated, using A5 paper, A3 paper and a reduced format to photocopy a similar certificate in Classical Studies issued to Issac Adekeye Abiona, because “we did not have access to the original copy of the 1st defendant’s certificate.”

The witness tendered CTC copies of the same certificate demonstrated with different papers sizes – A4 (not reduced), A4 (reduced), A5 (not reduced) and A3 (not reduced)

Under cross examination by plaintiffs’ lawyer, Akin Olujinmi (SAN), Ajayi said he joined UI on May 2, 1995 and that he was not in the university during the period Obsaeki claimed to be a student of the school.

He added that demonstration by the university revealed that the photocopy, which cut off some information in the actual certificate was not properly done.

Read Also: We’ll defeat COVID-19 again, tough times don’t last —Obaseki

Earlier, while being led in evidence by Obaseki’s lawyer, Ken Mozia (SAN), Ajayi tendered other documents, including the first defendant’s application, addressed to the Registrar to collect his certificate, 5 March 1980 and proof that he collected.

He also tendered certified true copies (CTC) of the relevant pages of UI’s Congregation for Admission to Degrees, Award of Diploma and Certificates and 31st Foundation Day Ceremony, with the name of the first defendant indicated in page 2.

The witness also tendered UI’s Calendar containing admission requirements for 1976 to 1977 and Obaseki’s application that led to his admission.

He also confirmed as original, the copy of the Bachelor of Art degree certificate issued to Obaseki by the school, which was earlier tendered by the first defendant’s first witness, Charity Aiguobarueghian, a lawyer.

Testifying earlier, Aiguobarueghian, who said he is Obaseki’s Advisor, told the court that he accompanied the governor to the PDP secretariat in Abuja where he filled his nomination form and submitted to the party’s National Secretary, in whose office the documents were uploaded onto INEC’s portal.

The witness claimed responsibility for the error in the photocopied certificate and said he did not realise that part of it was not captured until the suit by the plaintiffs was filed.

He said the lower part of the certificate, containing the signature of the Registrar and the date of issue were cut off because A4 paper was used to make the photocopy, which was smaller in size than the original copy.

The witness said the document was not forged.

When asked by the PDP’s lawyer why he was the one sent to make the photocopy, the witness said “apart from being a political associate of the first defendant, I double an informal advisor on matters of this nature.”

Under cross-examination from Olujinmi, the witness admitted that the photocopy he made did not contain all the information in the original copy of Obaseki’s degree certificate.

When asked to confirm whether the copies of the certificate already tendered in court were the same as the one he referred to, he said “the documents are the same to the extent that the bottom is not fully captured.”

Earlier, while being led by Mozia, the witness tendered some documents including Obaseki’s Secondary School certificate issued in June 1973, his Higher School Certificate issued in 1976 and his Primary School certificate issued in July 1971

The witness also tendered the original copy of the Bachelor of Art certificate issued to Obaseki by UI in July 1979 and Masters of Business Administration certificate issued also to the governor by Pace University in New York in Sept 1994.

Isenalumhe and lawyer to INEC, M. A.Bawa did not object to the admissibility of all the documents tendered on Tuesday by Obaseki’s through his witnesses. But Olujinmi objected and said he will make his argument at the address stage.

At a point in the proceedings, Olujinmi informed the court that one of the plaintiffs’ witnesses, who testified the previous day as the fifth plaintiffs’ witness, Gabriel Iduseri, was attacked and shot his house in Benin City.

The trial judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, at the commencement of proceedings, drew parties’ attention to the fact that the case will lapse on Saturday and urged lawyers in the case to cooperate with the court by avoiding delay.

Obaseki is expected to continue his defence on Wednesday by 10am.

 

 

 

Agency Reporter

 

The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has revealed that 731 members of Batch B National Youths Service Corps (NYSC)   have tested positive for COVID-19.

The chairman, PTF on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, stated this at the national briefing on COVID-19 on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to him, in continuation of the NYSC engagement, the PTF has conducted the testing of batch B corps members using RDTs. Out of the 35,419 in the Batch B, 731 tested positive compared to the 108 recorded in Batch A.

“It is on record that cases were recorded from corps members from every state of the federation,” he said.

The PTF chairman said  “there is also a rising rate of infections among healthcare workers and this calls for the escalation of surveillance.

“In Africa, Nigeria has joined South Africa in reporting the highest daily infection cases.

“As at date, the statistics for Nigeria shows the following: Cumulative cases: 91,351; Cumulative Tests: 958,911; Deaths: 1,318 and Week 53 recorded 57 deaths which is the highest for any single week since we started,” he said.

Mustapha further stated that “We are pleased to inform you that the private sector – CACOVID has commenced supporting our response with 100 oxygen cylinders per day,  till the end of March, 2021, for distribution to critical care centres in Abuja.

” Furthermore, approval has been given to rehabilitate five oxygen plants across various tertiary health institutions in Abuja. The President has also approved that at least one oxygen plant should be established in each state of the federation immediately,” he said.

Read Also: Positive cases rose 100 per cent in one week, says PTF

On vaccines, he stated that ” the PTF is progressing on the issue of accessing vaccines for Nigerians and that  additional information would  be provided to Nigerians on accelerated vaccines introduction and deployment plan.

“What is currently confronting us is a critical phase of infections globally. We are constantly reviewing our strategy to emerging situations especially in risk communication, vaccine hesitancy, fake news/disinformation,” he further said.

On sanctioning of defaulting passengers, the PTF said it “has commenced the sanctions on passengers who defaulted on day-7 post arrival tests.

“Their passport numbers have been published and travel restriction imposed for a period of six months effective from Jan. 1,  2021.

” The PTF has generated over 20,000 inbound passengers that have also defaulted. The publication will continue weekly till it is exhausted.

“Nigerians should be aware that every defaulter is a threat to public health which is unacceptable to us and represents a draw back to the National Response. We have a duty to advise our relations, friends, associates to comply with laid down rules,” he added.

(NAN)