Category: Covid-19 - Page 2 - African News Today

Omicron: Sanwo-Olu Shelves Lagos Peace Walk

9Dec

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Omicron: Sanwo-Olu Shelves Lagos Peace Walk

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has shelved the Lagos peace walk planned for December 2021. The Governor, in an address on November 30, 2021, had invited some known faces of the EndSARS protest in the state in October 2020 to a peace walk for “the healing of Lagos” later this month. But in a press statement on Thursday, November 9, 2021, Sanwo-Olu said he is “constrained to stand down all preparations for the Walk for Peace” so as not to “endanger the life of any Lagosian” amid the outbreak of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. He said, “Between Tuesday 30, November 2021 that I made my address and now, we have seen a significant rise in cases associated with the Omicron variant of this pandemic. See Also: Why We Didn’t Stop Ramaphosa From Entering Nigeria – FG “Given th...

Why We Didn’t Stop Ramaphosa From Entering Nigeria – FG

8Dec

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Covid-19, Nigeria, Press Statement, South Africa

Why We Didn’t Stop Ramaphosa From Entering Nigeria – FG

The Federal Government on Monday demanded that Britain rescind the ban imposed on Nigerian travellers over Omicron variant of COVID-19, saying that putting the country on the red list is “unjust, unfair, divisive, indefensible and discriminatory.” Addressing a press conference in his office in Abuja, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, wondered why residents who travel to Britain will be allowed into the country to quarantine and test while Nigerians are not allowed the same treatment. He said it is wrong to impose such punishment on a population of 200 million people because of a few cases of Omicron variant that did not originate in the country. While leaving the decision on whether to respond in kind to the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, Moham...

National Assembly, NGF Fault UK Travel Ban, Demand Reversal

8Dec

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Covid-19, News, Nigeria

National Assembly, NGF Fault UK Travel Ban, Demand Reversal

The National Assembly and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum on Tuesday condemned the United Kingdom’s travel ban on Nigeria. The lawmakers and the NGF in their separate reactions to the travel ban imposed on Nigeria by the UK on Saturday, demanding a reversal of the travel restriction. At the plenary on Tuesday, members of the House said Nigeria and other African countries were being bullied by Western countries for failing to look inwards and develop their economies. The Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu, moved a motion of urgent public importance, titled ‘Need to Intervene in the Suspension of Issuance of Visitors Visa to Nigerians by the United Kingdom Government,’ which the lawmakers unanimously adopted after a long debate. Read Also: FG Faults British Travel Ban, Al...

FG Faults British Travel Ban, Alleges Most Infected Travellers From UK

6Dec

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Covid-19, News, Nigeria

FG Faults British Travel Ban, Alleges Most Infected Travellers From UK

The Federal Government on Sunday ruled out the possibility of restricting foreign travellers from visiting Nigeria despite travel bans on the country by Canada, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Singapore and Hong Kong. This is just as the government stated that most of the in-bound passengers that tested positive for COVID-19 were from the UK. The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said this on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme on Sunday which was monitored by The PUNCH. Ehanire described as unfortunate the knee-jerk reaction of some countries to the Omicron strain. He noted that even the World Health Organisation had said recently that countries should focus more on collaboration rather than shutting borders. “At the moment we have no plans restricting anybody...

Enugu To Launch Third Phase Of COVID-19 Vaccination On December 7

5Dec

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Covid-19, News, Nigeria

Enugu To Launch Third Phase Of COVID-19 Vaccination On December 7

The administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State says it has raised massive awareness on its up-coming month-long mass COVID-19 vaccination of residents from 18 years and above. Dr George Ugwu, Executive Secretary, Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, made the declaration when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Enugu. Ugwu spoke on the side-lines of actions by the state government to protect residents against the pandemic, especially its mutating and dreaded Omicron variant. The executive secretary said that the mass COVID-19 vaccination would run from Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021 to Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2021. It would be used to launch the third phase of COVID-19 vaccination in the state, he said. He said government had engaged...

BREAKING: NCDC Confirms Two Cases Of Omicron Variant In Nigeria

1Dec

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Covid-19, News, Nigeria

BREAKING: NCDC Confirms Two Cases Of Omicron Variant In Nigeria

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Wednesday morning confirmed the first case of the Omicron variant in the country. This was contained in a press release issued by the centre and signed by the Director-General, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa. The Omicron variant, a new strain of the coronavirus disease, was reported by South Africa and first detected in Botswana. Following the discovery, countries such as the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Israel among others placed travel bans on southern African countries. Read Also: COVID-19: Nigerian Government Vows To Bar Unvaccinated Workers From Offices By December Similarly, the government of Canada had also stated that it discovered two cases of the variant from two passengers from Nigeria. The Federal Government through the Presidential...

COVID-19: Nigerian Government Vows To Bar Unvaccinated Workers From Offices By December

20Nov

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Covid-19, Labour, News, Nigeria

COVID-19: Nigerian Government Vows To Bar Unvaccinated Workers From Offices By December

The Nigerian government has maintained that unvaccinated workers won’t be allowed to access their offices as from December 1 if they are unable to show proof of their vaccination against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee PSC on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Boss Mustapha, announced this Friday in Abuja during the national flag-off of the COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign. He said, “All federal government employees are, therefore, reminded that December 1, 2021 remains the deadline for all to show evidence of being vaccinated or a PCR negative test result done 72 hours before being allowed into their offices. Read Also: US Secretary Of State Visits Nigeria, To Meet Buhari Over COVID-19 Pandemic, Insecurity “I,...

US Secretary Of State Visits Nigeria, To Meet Buhari Over COVID-19 Pandemic, Insecurity

13Nov

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Covid-19, News, Nigeria, Security

US Secretary Of State Visits Nigeria, To Meet Buhari Over COVID-19 Pandemic, Insecurity

The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, will visit Nigeria, Kenya and Senegal between November 15 and 20, 2021. A statement by the US Embassy in Abuja on Friday noted that Blinken would, during the visit, advance US-Africa collaboration on shared global priorities, including ending the COVID-19 pandemic and building back to a more inclusive global economy, combating climate crisis, revitalising democracies and advancing peace and security. Read Also: We Trekked For Hours, Ate Like Slaves – UNIABUJA Kidnap Victims It stated that Blinken would begin his trip in Nairobi, where he would meet with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Raychelle Omamo. The statement added, “Secretary Blinken will then travel to Abuja, ...

Vaccination Not Compulsory For Civil Servants – FG

15Oct

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Covid-19, News, Nigeria

Vaccination Not Compulsory For Civil Servants – FG

Federal Government has explained that taking the COVID-19 vaccine is a choice and not a compulsory exercise, even though it is expected that every Nigerian should get vaccinated against the dreaded COVID-19 virus. The explanation came against the backdrop of criticisms that followed media reports that effective December 1, 2021, federal civil servants would be expected to present their vaccine cards or risk not being allowed into their workplaces. Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, at a press conference, yesterday, in Abuja, however, clarified that federal civil servants were not under obligation to take the vaccine, but that they must show negative COVID-19 PCR test. “The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC), on W...

COVID: FG Removes South Africa, Brazil, Turkey From Travel Restriction List

14Oct

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Covid-19, News, Nigeria

COVID: FG Removes South Africa, Brazil, Turkey From Travel Restriction List

The federal government says it has taken South Africa, Brazil and Turkey off the list of countries from which travellers are restricted from entering Nigeria. Boss Mustapha, chairman of the presidential steering committee (PSC) on COVID-19, disclosed this on Wednesday at a media briefing in Abuja. The federal government had, in June, added South Africa to the list of countries from which travellers are restricted from entering Nigeria — over the high infection rates recorded in the affected countries. Speaking at the briefing, Mustapha also said a revised protocol for international travel will be released within the next 24 hours. Read Also: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Drops After Six Months – New Study “Over several months, four countries were placed on high level...