IG Briefs Buhari, Says 799 Rape Suspects Arrested

•719 cases reported in five months

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, over the upsurge in rape incidents nationwide.
Briefing State House reporters after the meeting, the IGP said cases of sexual violence against women had been on the rise as a result of the lockdown caused by the outbreak of COVID-19, adding that 799 suspects have so far been arrested.

According to him, 717 rape cases have been reported in the last five months, 631 of them have been investigated and charged to court, while the remaining 52 cases are still being investigated.

Adamu also said the police and other security agencies as well as non-governmental organisations and civil society organisations had been collaborating to jointly check the scourge, adding that the federal government has joined the league with a view to stemming the tide.

“It has come to the public knowledge now that because of the COVID-19 restrictions, we have surge in cases of rape and gender-based violence. These are cases that are now coming up but we want to let members of the public know that rape and gender-based violence has been there.

“The law enforcement agents have been dealing with these cases. In most cases, members of the public are not aware of the actions that the law enforcement agents have been taking.

“The Nigeria Police so far from January-May 2020 has recorded about 717 rape incidents that were reported across the country. About 799 suspects have been arrested; 631 cases conclusively investigated and charged to court and 52 cases are left and under investigation.

“The police and other security agencies and other non-governmental organisations have been collaborating, to see to it that these cases of rape and gender-based violence are dealt with.

“The NGOs and CSOs that have the capacity to deal with this kind of offences have been cooperating with law enforcement agencies in capacity building, management of victims of rape and similar offences and procedures for collecting evidence, towards successful prosecution. The government has taken the matter to another level now because of the surge we have noticed,” he said.

Adamu appealed to Nigerians whose loved ones are victims of sexual violence and anyone who comes across any victim of the menace to promptly report the matter, saying failure to do so would only embolden rapists to continue with the nefarious acts.
He described rapists as wicked, saying they engage in the act for many reasons, including ritual purposes and mere urge for emotional satisfaction.
He added that the federal government is committed to addressing the matter.
Adamu, who was flanked by the Ministers of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Women Affairs Development, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, said they were also partnering international agencies involved in cases of sexual violence.
“I will call on every Nigerian that has, or comes across any victim of sexual offences or rape or gender-based violence, to quickly report to law enforcement agents because keeping it without reporting it will give room for the perpetrators to continue to commit the offences.

“It is a very wicked offence. It is a very serious offence. It is very wicked of an individual to engage in rape or defilement and there are a lot of causes. Some are doing it for ritual purposes. Some are doing it because they are within the family and they see the victims and have the urge to go into it and do it. But such people should not be allowed to go scot free.

“I am just here to inform you that government is doing something about it and you can see me with the Ministers of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed and Women Affairs Development, Mrs. Pauline Tallen.

“From now onward, national partnership with every stakeholder is what we are going into and not only within the country but within the sub-region. We have to partner with organisations that are involved in this. We know we have been working seriously with UNODC, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes and other civil society organisations. So, just to tell you that government is doing something seriously to curtail this type of offence,” Adamu explained.

Why Obaseki’s disqualification will not affect APC’s chances of winning

The All Progressive Congress, APC, may still win the September 16th Edo gubernatorial election despite the disqualifications of the incumbent Governor, Godwin Obaseki from participating in the governorship primary.

DAILY POST earlier reported that the APC screening committee disqualified Governor Obaseki from participating in the governorship primary of the party.

The disqualification of the embattled governor has been generating reactions.

However, political analysts believe the decision of the APC screening committee might not affect the chances of the party in winning the forthcoming election.

A Professor of political science at Osun State University, Bolaji Omitola, noted that the party has supreme power on its processes.

According to Prof Bolaji, Obaseki lost due to a defective certificate, he may have scaled through his first term but recent events in Bayelsa State could have contributed to APC’s decision.

Prof Omitola said, “APC has done what is best for it, and nobody can say what will come out of the election but Obaseki’s defection might not affect the party’s victory in the coming election.

“It has happened before in Lagos where an incumbent Governor didn’t win the party primary and the party still won the election.” He said.

Meanwhile, another Political scientist, Rasheed Rasheed explained that the APC as a party may not be affected because the overall decision to pick a candidate rests on the party structure.

He further said the national leadership were tactical and futuristic in their disqualification of Obaseki.

Mr. Rasheed said, “Obaseki got the message right. One, as he was disqualified, he knew if he should challenge it, it would open doors to more crises and make him lose focus on his second term bid. The APC too knew that once he is disqualified and he moves to another party, there is no way he will challenge his disqualification in court.

“The next line of action for Obaseki is so clear in the manner he decided not to challenge his disqualification and his determination to pursue his second term bid. This implies that he will move to another party to actualize his dream. And if all calculations are right, he will move to the PDP because that is the party with the second-largest structure in Edo state.

“It will be suicidal for him to move to a new party just five months into the election. A party without solid structure abinitio. It’s not easy to build a party in such a very short period.

“The chances of APC are very bright. Though the election in my own reading will be violent and tough owing to what we have witnessed so far in the past. Obaseki and the APC will fight tooth and nail with everything which may make the election bloody. But APC ‘s hopeful candidate Pastor Ize Iyanmu is loved by the people.

“He has his structure on ground and can match Obaseki in everything needed for the poll. Don’t forget Ize-Iyamu has been around for a while and was dropped by Oshiomhole for Obaseki in 2016. I don’t see Obaseki coming back though the election promises to be tough and interesting.” He added.

NATIONAL BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI ON DEMOCRACY DAY, JUNE 12TH 2020

Fellow Nigerians,

1. The 2020 celebration of Democracy Day marks 21 years of uninterrupted civil administration in our dear country. This day provides us an opportunity to reflect on our journey as a nation, our achievements and struggles.

2. It is a day to honour our founding fathers who toiled to establish our republic and every Nigerian who has worked tirelessly to sustain it.

3. We are celebrating this year’s Democracy Day despite the COVID-19 pandemic which afflicts our nation and the whole world.

4. It is indeed a very difficult time for everyone especially those who have lost loved ones to the virus and those whose sources of livelihood have been severely constrained by the stringent measures we introduced at every level of government to contain the virus and save lives.

5. The dedication of our health and other essential services staff towards containing this virus is a testament of our courage and resilience as a people and as a great nation, and I use this opportunity to say thank you to all of you for your service to the nation.

6. Sustaining our democracy thus far has been a collective struggle, and I congratulate all Nigerians and particularly leaders of our democratic institutions on their resilience and determination to ensure that Nigeria remains a shining example of democracy.

7. In my 2019 Democracy Day address, I promised to frontally address the nation’s daunting challenges, especially insecurity, economy and corruption. I therefore find it necessary to give an account of my stewardship on this day.

8. We have recorded notable achievements in the course of implementing our nine priority objectives and are establishing a solid foundation for future success.

9. On the economic front, our objectives have remained to stabilize the macroeconomy, achieve agricultural and food security, ensure energy sufficiency in power and petroleum products, develop infrastructure, fight corruption and improve governance.

10. We have witnessed eleven quarters of consecutive GDP growth since exiting recession. The GDP grew from 1.91% in 2018 to 2.27% in 2019 but declined to 1.87% in the first quarter of 2020 as a result of the decline in global economic activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

11. Every single economy in the world has suffered a decline. Ours has been relatively moderate.

12. In order to stabilize the economy, the Monetary Authority took steps to build the external reserves which resulted in improved liquidity in the foreign exchange market. The external reserves grew from $33.42 billion on April 29th 2020 to about $36.00 billion in May, 2020 which is enough to finance seven months of import commitments.

13. Agriculture remains the key to our economic diversification strategy. The Presidential Fertilizer Initiative programme continues to deliver significant quantities of affordable and high-quality fertilizers to our farmers. This initiative has also revived 31 blending plants and created a significant number of direct and indirect jobs across the value chain.

14. Government is also revamping the cotton, textile and garment sector via a CBN Textile Revival Intervention Fund that would considerably reduce foreign exchange spent on cotton and other textile imports.

15. Through the food security initiative, we are promoting “Grow What We Eat” and “Eat What We Grow”. I am also delighted that more and more Nigerians are taking advantage of the opportunities in the agriculture and agri-business sector. I assure you that government will continue to support the Agriculture sector through the CBN Anchor Borrowers Programme and similar schemes.

16. To protect our farming investments, we have deployed 5,000 Agro-Rangers and employed 30,289 in our para-military agencies.

17. We are also integrating rural communities to the formal economy by extending access to credit and inputs to rural farmers and building feeder roads.

18. Our efforts on growing non-oil exports have started to yield some results. For instance, in the past year, our revenue from Cocoa and Sesame Seed increased by $79.4 million and $153 million.

19. Africa presents a huge opportunity for our export base diversification and we are developing our strategy to grow intra-Africa trade through the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.

20. Nigeria has risen by 25 places on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking from 146th to 131st and is now rated as one of the top ten reforming countries.

21. This development is due to the Visa on Arrival policy, consistent promotion of initiatives that expand facilities available to Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, robust electronic registration and payment system, seamless processing of business registration and reduction of cost of registering business by 50%. We are confident that on-going efforts would result in further improvement of this rating.

22. We remain committed to expanding our mining sector. To this end, I have directed the resuscitation of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant based on Government-to-Government financing and a Public-Private Sector financing.

23. With foreign and domestic investments and the participation of Small Scale Miners, we are harnessing the supply value chain in gold production.

24. We would also be launching a fully digitized mineral rights management platform for quick processing of mineral rights application, digitization of records and plugging revenue leakages.

25. The Power Sector remains very critical to meeting our industrial development aspirations and we are tackling the challenges that still exist in the delivery of power through different strategies.

26. We are executing some critical projects through the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme including the:

a. Alaoji to Onitsha, Delta Power Station to Benin and Kaduna to Kano;

b. 330kv DC 62km line between Birnin Kebbi and Kamba;

c. Lagos/Ogun Transmission Infrastructure Project;

d. Abuja Transmission Ring Scheme; and

e. Northern Corridor Transmission Project.

27. Our agreement with Siemens will transmit and distribute a total of 11,000 Megawatts by 2023, to serve our electricity needs.

28. On transportation, another critical sector to improving our economic competitiveness, we are growing the stock and quality of our road, rail, air and water transport infrastructure.

29. Through the SUKUK-Funded Road Projects, a total of 412km of the targeted 643km road projects have been completed, representing 64%.

30. The Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund projects are also progressing very well. On the 2nd Niger Bridge, piling work has been completed and the approach roads are being constructed. 48% of work on this bridge has been achieved. We have constructed 102km of the 376km Abuja – Kaduna – Kano Road, representing 38%, and the 42.9km Obajana – Kabba Road is 87.03% complete.

31. Furthermore, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency has completed routine maintenance on over 4,000km of federal roads out of the 5,000km targeted.

32. We are extending and upgrading our railway network too. We are introducing more locomotives, coaches and wagons for the Abuja-Kaduna Rail Line. The Central Ajaokuta – Itakpe - Warri Line has been completed and is being extended from Itakpe to Abuja on one end and from Warri Town to Warri Port on the other.

33. The Lagos-Ibadan Rail Line is 90% completed and would be extended to the Lagos Port which would help address the long-standing grid-lock at the Apapa port.

34. The Kano – Maradi Single Track Standard Gauge Railway, Coastal Railway Project and Port Harcourt – Maiduguri Standard Gauge Railway, with its associated branch lines running through the South Eastern and Gombe States, industrial park and Bonny Deep Sea Port are all ready for concessioning.

35. Government continues to make investments in the Aviation sector to position it as a travel and trade hub in West Africa and the wider African continent.

36. Airport Terminals in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt are being expanded, while the rehabilitation of the Enugu Airport is almost completed. All our airports are being raised to international standards with the provision of necessary equipment, especially navigational aids, to guarantee world class safety standards.

37. For the first time in over ten years, Nigeria is conducting bidding process for 57 Marginal Oil Fields to increase revenue and increase the participation of Nigerian companies in oil and exploration and production business.

38. We continue to grow local content in other areas of the oil and gas sector with the disbursement of funds from the $200 million Nigerian Content Intervention Fund to indigenous manufacturers and service providers.

39. With sustained engagement of youths, opinion leaders and other stakeholders, we have restored peace in the Niger Delta Region and maintained our oil production levels.

40. The Head office of the Niger Delta Development Commission will be commissioned shortly. The Funding of sections I–IV of the East-West Road shall be pursued with a view to completing the project by the end of 2021.

41. Furthermore, I am determined to ensure that development meant for the people of the Niger Delta get to them so I have authorised a Forensic Audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission.

42. Digital Economy continues to play an important role in our development agenda as we move into the age of Artificial Intelligence.

43. Since the creation of the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy has been launched. Steps have been taken to achieve a reduction of connectivity cluster gaps from 207 to 114 as well as increase the level of 4G coverage by 30%.

44. Nigeria remains committed to expanding access to quality education to enhance the productivity of its citizens and would continue to pursue the enforcement of free and compulsory basic education for the first 9 years of schooling.

45. In pursuit of this, we have launched the Better Education Service Delivery for All in 17 states, established additional 6 Federal Science and Technical Colleges and currently executing a pro-active Teacher Training Plan with all states of the Federation.

46. In our revision of the operations of specialized education funds and to implement reforms that would optimize their benefits to the sector, we have adopted a Public-Private Sector Partnership for provision of infrastructure and also collaborate with the private sector to create jobs.

47. Our pursuit of affordable housing for the low and middle-income earners has received a boost with the delivery of 1,200 housing units, provision of 520 service plots with infrastructure through a Public Private Sector partnership and the issuance of 868 mortgages totaling N7.7 Billion. Similarly, Home Renovation Loans totaling N16.2 Billion have been granted to 19,210 people.

48. To enable sustainable access to safe and sufficient water to meet the social, cultural, environmental and economic development needs of all Nigerians, we continue to expand our water supply, irrigation and dam facilities.

49. The Completion of Amauzari, Amla Otukpo and other 42 Earth Dams with combined job creation of about 43,354 direct jobs and 71,172 indirect jobs, would provide more support for irrigation agriculture and water supply.

50. To further institutionalize our effort in this regard, I signed the Executive Order 009 on Ending Open Defecation in Nigeria.

51. In order to improve our forest cover and in fulfilment of my commitment at the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2019, we have commenced the planting of 25 million trees. This initiative will also contribute to our effort to mitigate the effect of climate change.

52. In the area of security, we remain unshaken in our resolve to protect our national infrastructure including on-shore and off-shore oil installations, secure our territorial waters and end piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

53. Ending insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality across the nation is being accorded appropriate priorities and the men and women of the Armed Forces of Nigeria have considerably downgraded such threats across all geo-political zones.

54. All the Local Governments that were taken over by the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa have long been recovered and are now occupied by indigenes of these areas who were hitherto forced to seek a living in areas far from their ancestral homes.

55. The total collapse of the economies of these areas, which constituted a threat to our food security, has also been reversed with the gradual recovery of farming and other economic activities.

56. I regret recent sporadic incidents with tragic loss of lives in Katsina and Borno States as a result of criminals taking advantage of COVID-19 restrictions. Security Agencies will pursue the perpetrators and bring them to swift justice.

57. I must implore state and local governments to revamp their intelligence assets so that the Security Agencies can nip in the bud any planned attacks in remote rural areas. I send my heartfelt condolences to all the relatives and communities affected.

58. As part of the strengthening of our internal security architecture, the Ministry of Police Affairs was created.

59. Amongst others, Government has expanded the National Command and Control Centre to nineteen states of the federation, resuscitated the National Public Security Communication System and commenced the implementation of the Community Policing Strategy.

60. Government has similarly established a Nigerian Police Trust Fund as a public-private sector vehicle for alternative sources of funding security activities.

61. To reduce security challenges through our external borders especially smuggling of oil products out of the country, inflow of small arms and drugs into the country and equally protect our local manufacturers, we introduced operation “Ex-Swift Response” closing our borders from August 20th 2019, and have considerably succeeded in meeting its objectives as well as improving our national revenue.

62. Our Government has continued to work to reduce social and economic inequality through targeted social investment programmes, education, technology and improved information.

63. Our Social Investment Programme has continued to be a model to other nations and has engaged 549,500 N-Power beneficiaries, 408,682 beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme and 2,238,334 beneficiaries of the Growth Enhancement and Empowerment Programme. This is being done in collaboration with the States.

64. Similarly, “Marketmoni” and “Tradermoni” Programmes have provided affordable loans to small and micro scale enterprises to grow their businesses. Under the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, over 9,963,729 children are being fed to keep them in school and improve their nutritional status.

65. Fellow Nigerians, the year 2020 has been like none other. In January 2020, the COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. The number of global infections has risen from less than 8,000 shared between China and eighteen other countries to over 7million spread over 216 countries and on all continents.

66. Nigeria recorded its first case of COVID-19 on February 27th 2020 and within the first 100 days, I have had cause to address the nation on three occasions within one month, which underscores the gravity of this pandemic.

67. There is no doubt that this pandemic has affected the global economy and all known socio-economic systems. It has also brought grief and pain to families that have lost their loved ones. Like many Nigerians, I feel the grief and pain not only as your President but also as someone who has lost a close member of my staff and some relatives and friends.

68. In order to have a robust National response, I approved a Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to provide guidance and leadership in tackling the pandemic nationwide.

69. State Governments also constituted their own COVID-19 Task Forces. Complementing this was the establishment of a National Emergency Operations Centre responsible for providing technical and professional guidance in the National Response.

70. The overall objective of the PTF COVID-19 is to ensure that the pandemic does not overwhelm our health systems, while ensuring that we maintain an effective Case Management System to help in containing the spread of the virus.

71. The impact of the pandemic has disrupted our economic system and to ensure its functioning while still addressing the spread, the Federal Government put in place a number of various non-pharmaceutical measures to slow down the spread of the virus, in addition to a progressive re-opening of the economy.

72. As part of the strategy to create jobs in reducing the effect of COVID-19 on our youths, I directed the employment of 774, 000 Nigerians. These youths will be engaged in Special Public Works Programme aimed at cushioning the effects of economic downturn. Each of the 774 local government areas in the country will be allotted 1,000 slots. I am pleased to report that this programme has commenced.

73. I receive regular briefing from the PTF on COVID-19. I note that the National Response relies on Science, Data and Experience in taking decisions. This informed my approval for the ease of lock down phase to ensure a balance between lives and livelihoods.

74. I am confident that the steps being taken by the PTF would result in flattening the COVID-19 curve. I, therefore, implore all Nigerians to abide by the approved guidelines and protocols. There is hope for us all if we take individual and collective responsibility.

75. Government is determined to turn this COVID-19 challenge into a motivation to action by building a nation-wide public health care system that will help us overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for any future outbreak.

76. Already, we have begun to look inward and I charge our inventors, researchers and scientists to come up with solutions to cure COVID-19.

77. Government has continued to implement accountability and transparent policies through the Open Government Partnership and the transparency portal on financial transactions. Similarly, we have strengthened auditing and accountability mechanisms so as to ensure that rules and regulations are followed strictly.

78. Anti-Corruption Agencies have secured more than 1,400 convictions and also recovered funds in excess of N800 billion. These monies are being ploughed into development and infrastructure projects.

79. The Public Service of Nigeria remains the bedrock for the formulation and implementation of policies, programmes and projects in the country. This accounts for why it continues to evolve especially as new socio-economic challenges emerge for Government to address.

80. I will continue to give all the necessary support for the on-going reforms designed to return discipline, integrity and patriotism as the hallmark of the public service.

81. In the face of dwindling resources and rising cost of governance, I have authorized that the White Paper on the Rationalisation of Government Parastatals and Agencies be reviewed for implementation.

82. Our youth population remains a source of strength in achieving development objectives. In this regard, we would continue to concentrate in developing their skills, providing them with opportunities to express their entrepreneurial, research and industrial capacities as well as ample opportunity to take leadership positions in the service of the nation.

83. The commitment of this Administration to the well-being of people living with disabilities remains unwavering. Government recognises their contributions to development. I have directed that all relevant Government agencies pay special attention to the peculiarities of persons with disabilities in the formulation and implementation of their policies and programmes, and where suitable their employment.

84. Nigerian women remain a particular treasure to this nation and for this reason this Administration has continued to give them a place of pride in the affairs of our country.

85. I salute your courage, enterprise and resilience as well as your contributions to national development. I wish to assure all our women of this administration’s determination to fight Gender Based Violence through the instrumentality of the law and awareness creation. I am particularly upset at recent incidents of rape especially of very young girls. The Police are pursuing these cases with a view to bringing perpetrators of these heinous crimes to swift justice.

86. Government continues to recognize and harness the power of the media for positive development. The reforms of the broadcast and advertising industries including digital switch over and continuous engagement through town hall meetings remain central to accurate and credible information dissemination.

87. Our culture provides the basis for our existence as a people and a nation. In preserving iconic aspects of our national culture, this government has been pursuing the recovery of artefacts removed from Nigeria, promoting heritage sites and festivals and working towards designating some of our heritage sites as UNESCO World Heritage Centres.

88. This administration is focused on ensuring that Nigeria would always be governed by the Rule of Law and I would do my utmost to uphold the constitution and protect the lives and property of all Nigerians.

89. Government has initiated a number of policies and programmes designed to promote the legal rights of Nigerians, facilitate the institutionalization of a responsive legal system, provide support to all constituted bodies in implementing their mandates and improve our custodial system of justice.

90. The National Assembly has been an important partner in our quest to sustain our democracy and achieve our development objectives.

91. I therefore greatly thank the leadership and members of the Senate and the House of Representatives for their invaluable support at all times.

92. I will also like to convey our deep appreciation to members of the Press for your doggedness in the struggle for attainment of democracy since the beginning of our nationhood.

93. I must admit that the relationship between the media and successive governments has not always been perfect. But there is no denying the fact that you have been an effective watchdog for the society especially in holding public officers to account. It is sad that in the course of securing our democracy, some of your colleagues have had to pay a heavy price.

94. We will continue to guarantee freedom of the Press as we place high premium on responsible journalism that is devoid of hate speech, fake news and other unethical professional conduct.

95. Fellow Nigerians, as we celebrate this year’s Democracy Day, let us remember that, notwithstanding our aspirations, humanity and indeed democracy is under the threat of COVID-19. Nigeria has survived many crises before and came out stronger. I am confident that by God’s grace we shall overcome this one and emerge stronger and more purposeful.

96. Thank you for listening. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

schools to remain shut

Pupils and students will stay longer at home because schools cannot reopen soon, the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 said on Thursday.

The government cited the need to protect the vulnerable and halt the spread of the virus in communities as reasons.

Besides, the government is worried about the rising cases of the virus pandemic in the country.

School children were sent home in March to prevent Coronavirus spread.

PTF chair Boss Mustapha said: “Nigeria witnessed a spike in number of confirmed cases when the number of recorded cases jumped to 663 on  June 9. This number gives us cause for concern as a Task Force and as a nation.

“The PTF will re-emphasize its appeal to governments at the sub-national level as well as our security agencies to enforce the guidelines and protocols firmly.

“The PTF would also be meeting with the heads of these agencies to further fine-tune strategies to ensure compliance,” he added.

“We must ensure that our goal is to stay alive and remain COVID-19 free.”

Mustapha described school resumption as delicate since Nigeria had entered the phase of community spread of the virus.

He said Nigeria should pursue a strategy that will aid the sustainable control of the spread of the disease, adding that communications and community engagement should remain top priority, while precision approach to containment and management should be adopted.

He said the PTF had put in place measures to fight against COVID-19, including the application of science and data to guide the targeting of areas of on-going high transmission, mobilisation of all resources at State and Local Government levels to create public awareness on COVID 19 and improve compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions within communities and sustenance of key non-pharmaceutical interventions that would apply nationwide and include among others.

Mustapha spoke during the daily briefing by the PTF in Abuja.

Also on Thursday, PTF Coordinator Dr. Sani Aliyu, said Nigerians had not reached the peack of infections. He described the fight against the virus pandemic as long-drawn.

Dr Aliyu added that the decision to restrict gathering in churches and mosques was because most of those who got to places of worship are those within the vulnerable group of Nigerians who may have underlying illnesses.

He said the PTF was working closely with the Ministry of Education to work out a resumption plan for schools since majority of students may be living with the vulnerable group of Nigerians.

He said the plan may be to allow those who are supposed to write examination to do so, saying “we don’t want what has happened to affect the next academic session”.

He said 20 per cent of Nigerian have underlying ailment, adding that the government had a responsibility to protect them against infection, hence the suggestion by government for people to stay at home.

He said the global epicenter of the pandemic had shifted from China to Europe, then to the United States and is now showing significant impact in South and Central America.

He said the shift to South America with virtually similar climatic and demographic similarities with Africa, is a cause for concern considering the earlier projections pointed to Africa as likely to be the worst-hit continent.

Mustapha said over 800 frontline health workers involved in the COVID-19  fight had been infested by the virus.

He said: “It is the consideration of the PTF that while Nigeria’s confirmed cases have increased in the period under review, majority of the confirmed cases have been found to be in a handful of local governments in the country, adding that 20 out of the 774 LGAs nationwide account for 60% of the cases with Lagos accounting for 11.

Senate threatens to order arrest of Lai Mohammed, Timpre Sylva, others over audit reports

Henceforth, heads of MDAs who fail to honour the invitation of the Senate public accounts committee will be compelled to do so “through issuance of warrants of arrest against them,” the committee chairman has said.

Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo) gave this warning on Thursday after the absence of all six MDA heads invited for an investigative hearing on the audit queries issued by the office of the auditor-general.

Culpable for this, Mr Urhoghide said, are the ministers for information, petroleum resources, power, women Affairs, solid minerals and the head of the National Population Commission (NPC).

“Over a month ago, we wrote to them to come and answer the audit queries raised against them by the auditor-general of the federation in its 2015 audit report,” Mr Urhoghide said.

“But they have deliberately and irresponsibly failed to honour our invitation. Their failure to appear before this committee amount to outright disobedience to constituted authority.”

He noted further that rather than coming, the ministers and heads of the affected agencies gave different reasons which are “are absurd, untenable and not serving any public interest” for their nonappearance at the investigative hearing.

“For example, while the ministry of information gave flimsy excuse of contractors who handled 2015 projects not being around, other ministries like power, women affairs said they are seeing the copies of the queries for the first time,” Mr Urhoghide explained.

This, he said, is wont among public officers in the country and is a blight on public accountability which they should uphold.

“Ministers that even supposed to come ran away. We won’t tolerate this any longer, because the infractions observed in the accounts of their various ministries run into billions of naira.

“They will surely be compelled to appear before this committee through issuance of warrants of arrest against them when next they fail our invitation in line with section 89 of the constitution,” the lawmaker said.

COVID-19: Buhari warns ECOWAS leaders, says the worst is yet to come

President Muhammadu Buhari has lamented that the covid-19 pandemic was yet to reach its peak in the sub-region and warned against laxity in the fight against it.

He called on ECOWAS member-states to continually sensitise their citizens on preventive measures.

The Nigerian leader also charged the ECOWAS Commission to come up with an economic recovery plan to help member-states to recover from the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking Thursday at a virtual meeting with the President of the Commission, Jean Kassi-Brou, President Buhari, in his capacity as the ECOWAS COVID-19 Champion, agreed to provide logistic support to enable the sub-region receive and distribute procured and donated medical equipment using Abuja as the hub for the distribution.

The President expressed appreciation on behalf of ECOWAS member-states for the “swift interventions made to the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) and the Africa Centre for Disease Control by the Jack Ma Foundation,” while also commending the support so far received from “development partners such as the European Union, African Development Bank, France and Germany for their financial contributions in the procurement of medical supplies.”

He urged member-states to work closely in order to overcome the pandemic in the sub-region.

In his report to President Buhari, the President of ECOWAS Commission advocated additional strategies to assist the sub-region in fighting the health and economic impact of COVID-19.

According to Kassi-Brou, these include, the need for advocacy at continental and global levels particularly with the G20, World Bank, United Nations and the African Development Bank among others, for support to negate the health and economic damage to the ECOWAS sub-region; and mass awareness campaign to achieve behavioural change among the citizens of the community with effective customs, security and health protocols put in place throughout the sub-region.

The President of the ECOWAS Commission used the occasion to condole with the government and people of Nigeria on the latest Boko Haram attack on Gubio Local Government in Borno State during which scores of innocent Nigerians were killed.