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COVID-19: Plateau Counters NCDC On Number Of Cases

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1 year ago

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Plateau State government has refuted a claim by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC that the State has five additional cases of COVID-19 disease as at Friday, the 15th saying it was only new case that was recorded as the remaining four were repeated cases which were mistaken for fresh ones.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Nimkong Lar who briefed journalists alongside the Secretary to the Government of the State, Professor Danladi Atu, and State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dan Manjang said so far Plateau has only 11 active cases of the disease and all patients are responding to treatment.

He noted that the attention of the NCDC has been drawn to the error with the belief that the needed correction would be effected.

He urged citizens to continue to obey safety directives stressing that although there has been no death and 10 patients, the of them being members of the same family had been treated and discharged, there is need for citizens to stay safe and avoid crowded places.

According to him, “Plateau recorded only one case of COVID-19 yesterday as against the five cases announced by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control NCDC as four of the results were repeated cases.

“We had only one positive case today (Friday) but the NDCD assigned five cases to Plateau, we have communicated them to correct the mistake. Right now, we have a total of 255 persons at the various quarantine centres in Heipang, Mangu, Shendam, Pankshin, Jos North and Bokkos.”

Secretary to the Government of the State, Professor Danladi Atu, however, expressed worry of continuous violation of government directives on border closure saying almost all cases in the State were imported from other places to the State.

Atu address that on Thursday alone, 46 were arrested for violating the restriction order as they were coming into the State from Abuja stating, “We are reinforcing capacity on border control because most of the pressure we are having is from the border. We are now going into aggressive enforcement to ensure compliance because we discovered motorcyclists are taking passengers into the State through bush paths.”

Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dan Manjang also reminded citizens to always use the face mask in public places and adhere to the federal government direction on daily curfew which the State has keyed into.

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NERC: Over 1m Electricity Consumers Have Received Prepaid Meters

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2 weeks ago

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July 15, 2021

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Reps Ask FG To Implement Pay-per-view Model For Satellite TV

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2 weeks ago

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July 14, 2021

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The house of representatives has asked the federal government to implement the pay-per-view model for satellite TV subscribers, to encourage “healthy competition” in the broadcast industry.

The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution on Wednesday, following the adoption of a report on the increment of tariffs by broadcast digital satellite service providers.

This was after Unyime Idem, chairman of the ad hoc committee, moved a motion that the report be considered.

“That the house do consider the report of the ad hoc committee on non-implementation of pay–as–you–go and sudden increment of tariffs plan by broadcast digital satellite service providers,” he said.

In March 2020, the house set up the ad hoc committee to probe complaints about high tariffs by broadcast digital satellite service providers.

At the investigative hearing in June 2020, the panel specifically tackled the Digital Satellite Television (DSTV), a South Africa-based company owned by MultiChoice, for high tariffs and restricting Nigerian customers to prepaid plans.

But during plenary session on Wednesday, the lower legislative chamber said the “visible absence of competitors in the industry was tacit approval of monopoly of the industry by the present operators”.

In their resolution, the lawmakers called for “expedited action on implementing the content of the National Broadcasting Code and the Nigeria information Policy of 2014 that would trigger healthy competition in the industry”.

“The entertainment industry has a wider spectrum with limitless opportunities for the teeming youths. The visible absence of competitors in the industry was tacit approval of monopoly of the industry by the present operators,” the house said.

“Timely application of these government regulatory intervention measures already articulated will revolutionise the
industry and meet the people’s yearnings on pay-as-you-go, pay-per-view and price reduction.

“Our extant laws that moderate operations in the industry is to be fine-tuned to meet the 21st century regulatory laws of the industry that is dynamic as the entertainment industry.

“The commission that has the power to license and regulate the activities of service providers must, as well, have the power to moderate in the protection of consumers. There is little or nothing a regulator can do if he is handicapped by laws that are not properly tailored to the needs of the society.”

The lawmakers added that “uncontrollable” market forces are responsible for the hike in the tariff.

“The recent increment of VAT by 2.5% by the Financial Amendment Act of 13th January, 2020, the fluctuating
foreign exchange rate in the country that affects the cost of content, broadcast equipment, experienced hire and technical infrastructure increase, increase in bouquets for a wider choice,
inflation on the cost of production and need to maintain workforce not throwing many young men and women who are gainfully employed by pay-tv into the labour market were some
necessary indices for price hike,” they added.

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FG To Regulate, Monetise Posting Of Police Officers As Escorts, Guards

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2 weeks ago

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July 14, 2021

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The federal executive council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the formation of the Special Police Services to regulate and monetise posting of officers as escorts and guards.

Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, said the new unit will formalise the deployment of police officers as escorts to VIPs and as guards to big corporations.

Speaking after the FEC meeting in Abuja, he said the approval was in the interest of transparency and accountability.

He said: “The minister of police affairs also had an important scheme which was approved at federal executive council meeting.

“It is the deployment of what they call Special Police Services. And this is about a new system that will formalise what has existed with us all the time.

“You know police provide escort and guard for big corporations, banks, and so on. Now, in the interest of transparency and accountability, the government is formalising this relationship. And there will be an introduction of tariffs and billing schemes. This will be using PPP (public private partnership) arrangement.

“The police projected the use of consultant that will help them to manage this. Part of the revenue will go to federal government. Part of it will go to the police. Part of it will go into police allowances. And part will go to consultants as their own fees.

“This is something that has been going on for many years. And it has happened virtually in all countries of the world. In our own case, it has remained largely, people will say, undocumented or non-formalised. Government is concerned about leakages in revenue and incomes which should be blocked.”

Shehu also said contracts worth N754,048,161 were approved for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for capital projects.

He said: “These are mainly for the supply of communications at the command and control centre. This is to enable EFCC comply with modern day investigative techniques, improve its operational efficiency, and support the administration of criminal justice system in the country.

“So, these are basically defensive and offensive cyber-security systems.”

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