• Council boss faults NHRC, Ebonyi Information Ministry over killing of a youth in Ebonyi
• We are yet to receive any support from FG—Abia govt
• Stockfish Market employs nurses and other health workers
• FUTO begins mass production of sanitizer

By Innocent Anaba, Peter Okutu, Ugochukwu Alaribe & Chimaobi Nwaiwu

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, weekend, directed security personnel to arrest violators of the ongoing dusk to dawn curfew declared in the state last Saturday.

Following the curfew, the state government has put on hold, all forms of movements and night activities as nobody is expected outside his or her residence between 7pm and 7am each day.

He added that plans were underway to also install CCTV cameras at the border locations to be getting daily videos of happenings at the borders areas of the state.

Umahi who  stated this during the statewide broadcast held at his office, Centenary City Abakaliki, ordered a total lockdown throughout the state. He however, exempted those offering essential services such as health workers, security agents, media workers and others involved in anti-coronavirus activities who must have pass or permit.

He said: “I hereby direct a total lockdown of the entire state from 7a.m to 7p.m and anybody found outside within this period must be arrested and prosecuted. Only those offering essential services such as security agents, health workers, media workers, and those involved in the anti-coronavirus activities,who must have pass are exempted”.

Umahi further annnounced the rejiging of security at the borders with seven check points to forestall incidences of smuggling of people into the state.

Council boss faults NHRC, Ebonyi Information Ministry over killing of a youth in Ebonyi

Also, the Council Chairman of Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Dr. Eni Uduma Chima, weekend faulted the reports by the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC and that of the Ebonyi Ministry of Information and State Orientation over the recent killing of a youth (names withheld) in the area.

Giving insights into what happened on the fateful day, the Council boss explained that the killing of the youth had no connection with the curtailment of burial ceremonies resulting from the outbreak of COVID-19, Ekoli Edda youths, communal  youths conflict  nor violent clash of the youths as posited in some quarters.

According to him,  “What actually happened was that suspected robbers armed with rifles and machetes mounted roadblocks along  Nguzu/Ekoli-Edda Road on 27th March, 2020; molesting, maiming and robbing commuters on vehicles and motorcycles to Ekoli-Edda.”

In a statement issued in Abakaliki, the Council boss added that: “The luck of the suspected armed robbers ran out when they robbed and maimed a Civil Defence Officer, who contacted a detachment of soldiers in a nearby military checkpoint.

“The soldiers went after the suspected armed robbers, who in a chilvaric display of drunken bravado unleashed volley of gunshots on them. The brave soldiers wasted no time in returning fire for fire, killing one of the suspected armed robbers in the shoot-out and overwhelming the rest with superior fire power.

“The suspected armed robbers finally fled with two of them sustaining bullet wounds. The soldiers recovered the gun of the dead suspect and took his corpse to Ekoli Edda Police post and later to  Afikpo-South Divisional Police Headquarters, Owutu-Edda, from where it was deposited at the  General Hospital mortuary, Owutu-Edda. The matter is under investigation  at the  State Police  Criminal Investigation Department, Abakaliki.

We are yet to receive any support from FG — Abia govt

Similarly, Abia State government has said it is yet to receive any support from the federal government in the fight against COVID-19.

Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, who disclosed this in a statement, explained that no single grain of rice or any other food stuff has been received by the state from the federal government.

He stated that the state government procured the rice and other foodstuff distributed to the needy through the churches and added that Abia has procured more than 8,000 bags of 50kg rice and other items such as beans, yam, face masks and hand sanitizers.

The Commissioner who is a member of the State Management on COVID-19, also dismissed reports that the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC,  is constructing the new isolation center at Ogbor Hill, Aba, stressing that the project is 100% funded by Abia State Government.

READ ALSO: Covid 19: Delta govt releases 25 convicted inmates

“Our state has also not received any money from the social investment fund. All the palliative food distributions done in Abia State as well as the construction of new isolation centers are projects of Abia State government. The State government is investing all the resources required in preparing our isolation centers, provision of PPEs, ventilators, etc for the safety and protection of our people against COVID-19. It is also not true that the NCDC is constructing the isolation centre at Ogbor Hill, the project is 100% funded by the state government. No single living Abian is contributing one kobo to the construction and equipping of the new isolation center.”

Stockfish Market employs nurses and other health workers

Also yesterday, the Stockfish International Market  Onitsha, Anambra State, one of the markets exempted from the lockdown by the state government has employed the services of  nurses and other health workers to check the spread of  Coronavirus.

Addressing newsmen in Onitsha, the President  General of United Stockfish Dealers Association, the umbrella body uniting the traders in the market, Mr Celestine Ezewuru, said they also introduced other measures to check the pandemic.

He said his association adopted the measures in appreciation of Governor Willie Obiano’s consideration to allow them remain in business because of the nature of their goods.

Some of the measures according to him that were  introduced in the market, include subjecting all entrants into the market to undergo compulsory hand washing and application of hand sanitizers, scanning of every individual entering the market, including the market executive members with infra-red thermometers in order to detect anyone that had abnormal temperature.

“All these measures are being handled by expert medical workers including nurses newly engaged in the market for the purposes of maintaining high level of personal hygiene and proper check within the market environment.

Consider furniture manufacturers in N50bn CBN stimulus package—Egwuekwe

As the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, gets set to disburse the N50billion COVID-19 stimulus package for households and small businesses, President of the United Furniture Dealers Association of Nigeria, Prince Emeka Egwuekwe, has called on the Federal Government to include its members in the package to save the industry.

He disclosed that  furniture manufacturing industry has lost over N600million during the COVID-19 lockdown, noting that if care was not taken,  lot of companies would shut down after the pandemic.

Speaking in Abuja, where he distributed the COVID-19 palliatives to various communities in the Federal Capital Territory and his home community, Enugu-Agidi, Egwuekwe who is also Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Prince Interior Furniture and Furnishing Company LTD said, the palliatives was part of his corporate social responsibility and giving back to the society.

FUTO begins sanitizer production

In its effort to support the current battle against Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria, the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, FUTO, yesterday, commissioned hand sanitizers, produced by the Chemistry Department of the institution.

Speaking during the unveiling of the product, the University’s Vice Chancellor, VC, Professor Francis Eze, described the pandemic as “real and dangerously infectious”.

His words: “This Covid-19 pandemic is real and dangerously infectious. It is the prayer of FUTO management that the public should please, see the ravaging pandemic as a matter of life and death.

“We thought of how to help in the fight against the pandemic and commissioned the Chemistry Department to produce hand sanitizers. We are happy that  this has been successfully achieved.”

While saying that the university had gone on awareness campaigns to the host communities, the VC also disclosed that “FUTO hopes to donate 2,000 packs of 100mls of the hand sanitizers to Imo State Government tomorrow (today)”.

Professor Eze charged staff of the Chemistry Department to “immediately commence the production of the hand sanitizers in commercial quantities”.

Methodist Bishop tasks FG to publish method of sharing palliatives

In a similar vein, co-chair, Inter faith Dialogue Forum for Peace, Bishop Sunday Onuoha has called on the federal government to publish the method used in the distribution of palliatives among the vulnerable persons in all geo-political zones of the country.

The cleric who made the call in a statement, explained that the call had become necessary following agitations from several people who claimed they have been denied the palliative materials while others are being favoured.

In his words,”As questions continue to pour in concerning the formula used by the federal government in sharing palliatives to states, it has become imperative for them to make  public the method to assuage the various concerns and agitations.”

Onuoha , who is a Bishop of the Methodist Church,  noted that the suffering in the country  cuts across ethnic and religious divides, adding that all sections are affected by the Covid-19 pandemic

He urged the federal government not to leave out any section in the distribution of palliatives to avert  dissatisfaction in the land.

Vanguard