Folarin Kehinde

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) on Friday launched a book documenting the COVID-19 Vaccination Experiences of Northern States in Nigeria to mitigate impact and response to vaccine acceptance in the country.

Executive Director, CITAD Dr. Yunusa Ya’u represented at the book launch by the Coordinator Public Education of COVID-19 Vaccine, Hamza Ibrahim stated the book is important to decipher the issues of disinformation and misinformation regarding response to vaccine.

Ya”u, noted that during the last COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the nation, people were reluctant to accept the vaccines due to rumors about its effect which was widely spread on social media.

He further explained that the issue of hesitancy is not only around COVID-19 vaccine, but it’s also around immunisation and a host of others hence the need to document
experiences regarding vaccination exercise in the 19 Northern states while taking into consideration various hindrances and challenges specific to the entire states.

His words:

“The prevalent misinformation or disinformation or hindrance to accepting the COVID-19 will be different from one state to another. And we think this, if documented, can help in future initiatives aimed at addressing the future pandemics.

“So these are experiences of vaccination exercises from nineteen to northern states. And they are beautiful experiences because they have been collated from the primary health care development agencies.

“There are many issues and this is the reason why we came up with this book, and we highlighted the number of strategies that different states developed and has worked for them in the vaccination exercises.”

He added that the book will serve as a learning tool and serve as a way for people to respond to vaccination issues in future.

“In case anything comes up in the future, this book really vital, it is well-detailed with several strategies that can help to respond to vaccination issues.

“Today we are happy to say that we are formally unveiling the book to be distributed to different states and libraries for people to read and benefit from what has been implemented”.

The Federal Government has announced a N5bn palliative for each state of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory to cushion the impact of the removal of the petrol subsidy.

The governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, made the announcement in Abuja on Thursday when he spoke to State House correspondents at the end of a National Economic Council meeting.

Vice President Kashim Shettima presided over the meeting.

The council is made up of the governors of the 36 states, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and other coopted government officials.

More to come….

With the appointment of former Governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, it marks the first time a southerner is appointed into such position in 47 years.

The first time a southerner to be appointed as FCT minister was in 1976 when former military head of state, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Mobolaji Ajose-Adeogun.

Ajose-Adeogun was appointed by a southerner into that position, so also is Wike, who was appointed by a southern president, Tinubu as FCT minister.

According to a former presidential spokesman, Reno Omokri, “it has taken forty-seven years for a non-Northerner to occupy that position again and coincidentally, just like in 1976, the person was appointed by a fellow Southerner.

“Sadly, the original indigenes of the area now known as the Federal Capital Territory have never been appointed minister.

“Hopes had been high that the President would appoint the first FCT indigene ever nominated as a minister, Zephaniah Jisalo, to that position. But we have seen the way the cookie crumbled.”

A suspected notorious terrorist, Dogo Gide, and his members have claimed responsibility for shooting down a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) helicopter near Chukuba Ward in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

Gide, and his group are little known to Nigerians before yesterday. The group sent out a viral video allegedly recorded at the site of Monday’s Air Force jet crash, claiming responsibility for the accident.

In the less-than-three minutes clip, the terrorists claimed they killed dozens of soldiers on the plane.

The video showed terrorists wielding AK-47s. The aircraft had the inscription NAF 582.

The narrator said: “These are bodies belonging to soldiers of the Nigerian Army who attacked us with the intention of causing us harm.

“They did this to see the downfall of Dogo Gide and by God’s grace, he is still alive and won’t die.

“These are dozens of soldiers as you can see them. This is their airplane. Repent, we have no business with anyone except those who try to come for us. This is God’s work. We used an AK-47 to bring down this plane.

“Take a look at them. Let this be a lesson. You all should repent. It is not our intention to kill but for everyone to be enlightened and have the fear of God. Leaders who sent these soldiers our way to be killed by us should repent.

“We won’t surrender from pressure or even an aeroplane. Dogo Gide, who is their target, won’t die now. He is still alive. These are the AK-47s we used to bring down this plane.

According to PDP candidate David Aderinokun for the Ogun Central Senatorial District, N2 million is too little for a senator in Nigeria to receive as a vacation allowance.

This was mentioned by Aderinokun on Tuesday in a post made using his verified X handle.

“The $2 million that was given to senators is not a big deal,” he said. Even a senator would find it inadequate. What can a family guy buy with $2,000? Why do we make a big deal out of it.

“But they ought not to have made it widely known. Making it public is a little inconsiderate to Nigerians’ plight, he continued.

Recall that the Senate President Godwill Akpabio, during a special plenary session of the screening and confirmation of President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees, had informed the senators that the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Magaji Tambuwal, had wired money into their individual bank accounts in order to enjoy their annual holiday.

Akpabio had said, “In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly…,”
The Senate President’s statement met with interruptions from the senators, who were apparently dissatisfied with Akpabio’s public disclosure.

Akpabio, however, took a pause as he withdrew the statement, while he rephrased the information.
“In order to enjoy your holidays, the Senate President has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return,” Akpabio said in the alternative to calm down frayed nerves.