Category Archives: National Vanguard

By Owei Lakemfa

IN the war against the Coronavirus, Covid-19, the television screens show various countries fumigating public places and streets. I have neither seen nor heard of a single case of fumigation in our country. I commuted between the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja last week. They are the gateways into the country and therefore, the main places the virus can infiltrate the country.

In fact, it was through the international airport in Lagos the virus is known to have seeped in. Subsequently, there have been confirmed cases through Nigerians who came in from the United Kingdom, Germany and France. There have also been alarm raised about suspected victims coming through Abuja. So I expect that at least both airports will be constantly fumigated.

Therefore, at both airports I enquired from the staff and security agents if there had been fumigation or a systematic cleaning of the airports, the answer was in the negative. One staff at the Abuja airport observed that although suspected victims of the virus were not allowed into the arrival hall, the gangway and sections of the airport they passed through before being stopped, were neither fumigated nor cleaned. It was just business as usual.

To add to my anguish, I saw a video on Wednesday which went viral. It showed dozens of school children in a single file on an excursion to the Lagos International Airport, the epicentre of the Coronavirus attack in the country!

Even if this had been long scheduled, why didnt our aviation administrators realise that by permitting such a visit, they were exposing the children to possible infection? It took a public outcry before the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, suspended all further school excursions to airports in the country.

As part of the war against the Coronavirus, government advertised emergency lines Nigerians can call. One of them is the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, with a 24/7 toll-free line on 080097000010. The African Independent Television, AIT, in a salutary piece of investigative journalism, called the line. In the first call, the AIT reporter informed that her cousin was showing symptoms.

In response, the NCDC told the caller to take the patient to any random hospital. Which meant the staff, patients and visitors to such hospital would have been exposed to the virus. In a second call, the NCDC told the caller to take the supposed patient to a general hospital, adding that there are limited test kits to go around. Again, putting at risk people in our generally over crowded public hospitals. In a third call, the NCDC told the caller to self-isolate the supposed patient.

The station further reported: We requested where the supposed patient should be taken to get tested, but was told the patient cannot be taken to the lab. From AITs investigation, it came out clear that there is no reference centre where a suspected case can go to get tested. There was also an indication that those in charge of the call centre were not adequately equipped with information for callers.

Yet, the National Coordinator of the NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, had boasted that the country is more than capable of dealing with the virus: We successfully managed Ebola and we manage outbreaks all the time and are currently managing Lassa fever. We have a strong team that is used to doing this.

Back on February 2, the Buhari government claimed it had equipped the country to take on the virus and defeat it. That day, at a stakeholders forum in Abuja, Health Minister Osagie Ehanire boasted: While the risk of importation exists, we can assure Nigerians of the nations capacity to detect, assess and respond to this and any other public health threats at the point of entry.

As it turned out, these were empty boasts that have exposed the country to serious risks. Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State had told the country last week that the samples of a suspected case of the virus in his state was sent to Abuja for testing. As it turned out, only Abuja, Lagos, Osun and Edo states have laboratories where Covid-19 can be tested. It means that 33 of the 36 states have no laboratory the virus can be tested! That none of the 19 states in the North or those in the East, have places Covid-19 can be tested.

Yet in parts of the world like the United States, individuals can self-test at home! In various laboratories like in China, a Covid-19 test result can be available in 15 minutes.

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, a normally reticent man had exposed the administrations falsehood about the country being being prepared to take on the virus. On a visit to the Coronavirus national isolation centre in Abuja on March 4, he found the structures under construction. The temporary isolation centre was also not ready. He also found the NCDC unprepared. More shocking was the fact that the entire N620 million allocation to the NCDC to combat the outbreak of the virus, was being withheld by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed and her officials.

The Presidency might have been unhappy that what should be a rubber stamp Senate was being critical. So when with the increasing cases of the virus, the Senate on Wednesday, March 20, urged the President Muhammadu Buhari to address the country on the situation of the pandemic, the clearly irritated Presidency responded that it was a blackmail. It added: Populist advocacies such as the one accusing the President of complacency simply because he has not made a television address by ranking members of our respected parliament are cheap and sensational. These are not the times for populism and cheap politics.

But in truth, it is the Presidency, not the Senate that is politicising a straight forward health issue that is a matter of life or death for Nigerians. Given its very poor and pathetic preparations for the Coronavirus, the Buhari Presidency seems incapable of understanding that you do not store water because you are thirsty, you store water in anticipation of thirst. Its gross incompetence may cost us many lives.

One reality about the Coronavirus is that not even the rich is immune; this is not a conflict in which the powerful and the rich can fly themselves and their families to safe havens abroad leaving the mass to carry the can. As we say in Pidgin English, all of us go die there.

Peter Tosh sang: Downpresser man. Where you gonna run to You gonna run to the sea. But the sea will be boilingYou gonna run to the rocks. The rocks will be melting You can run but you cant hide.

VANGUARD

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Nigerians are in this together - Vanguard

Igbo-chiefsBy Henry Umoru, Assistant Political Editor

THE Senate, on Thursday, under a tense atmosphere, approved the 2016-2018 External Borrowing Plan to the tune of $22.7 billion as requested by President Muhammadu Buhari to be spent by the Federal Government on key infrastructural projects.

Prior to the approval, it was very clear that some senators, especially those in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were not comfortable with the approval as exemplified by the Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia South, who vehemently kicked against the process and procedures the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan, wanted the lawmakers to follow.

The issue was that while Lawan preferred that the matter be treated by voting according to the recommendation of Senator Clifford Ordia (PDP, Edo Central) Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, many senators wanted all issues raised in the loan request considered and debated in detail to allow Nigerians know why the loan must be approved.

Abaribe made frantic efforts to ensure that the Senate considered the report part-by-part and sector-by-sector to ensure that lawmakers had a clear understanding of the loan and how relevant it is to the boosting of the nations economy, but, at the end of the day, Lawan held fast to the saying that the majority has its way and the minority has its say.

Consequently, the Senate ignored all requests to allow for debate on the details of the loan and approved the document amid protest.

Though the request for the loan has been granted by the Upper Chamber, furore continues to trail the process, especially from people from the South-East who are kicking against what they called the total exclusion of the zone from a loan that will take care of Federal Government infrastructure.

Recall that Buhari had, on November 28, 2019, written to the Senate, requesting for the approval of 2016-2018 External Borrowing to the tune of $22.7 billion to be spent on key infrastructural projects across the country.

The letter was read on the floor of the Red Chamber by the President of the Senate during plenary.

Projects

In the letter, President Buhari had explained that it became imperative to re-present the request because the Eighth National Assembly approved only a part of the External Borrowing request forwarded to it in September 2016.

According to him, the loan will help Nigeria finance the capital components of the 2020 budget with special emphasis on infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, water supply, growth and employment generation, poverty reduction through social safety net programmes, governance and financial management reforms, among others.

Also recall that the 8th Senate under the leadership of Senator Bukola Saraki had, in November 2016, rejected the request when the Presidrnt wrote the Senate, seeking for approval of the loan.

Then-Senate threw out the request on the grounds that the letter that conveyed the message was not accompanied by a borrowing plan.

Ahead of Senates approval, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, while defending the decision of government to go for such borrowing before the Ordia Committee, said the loan would be spent to execute key infrastructural projects.

According to her, it became imperative to approach the China-Exim Bank for a $17 billion loan request since other lending institutions like the World Bank and the African Development Bank were not forthcoming.

The Finance Minister, who explained that the Eighth Senate had approved about $6bn out of the $29.96bn loan, leaving a balance of $22.8bn, said that the Federal Government and some state governments were jointly requesting the loan from various lending institutions.

Ahmed noted that the bulk of the loan, $17bn, would come from the China-Exim Bank while the rest would be sourced from Islamic Development Bank, among others, adding that the country had no issue with its current debt profile but with dwindling revenue which could not fund the various projects that are expected to have meaningful impact in the lives of Nigerians.

She added, The funds would be channelled to the funding of infrastructure which will enhance the productivity of our economy. Other projects are in the heath care, education. It also included projects for the rehabilitation of the North-East geopolitical zone.

Others are the Mambila Hydro Power project ($4.9bn), Lagos-Kano modernisation project $4.1bn), Development Finance project loan being provided by a consortium of World Bank and African Development Bank agencies ($1.28bn).

The facilities will support the setting up of the Development Bank of Nigeria through some development finance institutions in Nigeria to provide funds for small and medium size enterprises. This will make access to finance to SMEs easier, help them to grow and help more Nigerians to come out of poverty line.

Above all, the loan would help us to improve our electricity supply, reduce poverty, create jobs, ensure access to finance, agricultural productivity, guarantee food security, achieve high school enrolment, provision of clean potable water, rehabilitation of major roads and development of the mining industry.

On the debt profile of the country, the Minister explained, The 2016 2018 external borrowing plan is both for the Federal Government and the states. So, some states would be responsible for the payment of part of the loan.

On the sustainability of the nations debt portfolio, she said, Nigerias current portfolio ceiling as set by the fiscal Responsibility Act is 25 per cent of total debt to GDP.

The radio for December 2018 is 19.09 per cent but it reduced to 18.9 per cent by the middle of 2019.

The debt service to revenue ratio is however high and it provides us strong justification for us to drive our revenue. For 2017, the ratio was 5 7 per cent and 51 per cent in 2018.

Our debt level is low compared to other countries. For instance, the US, United Kingdom and Canada have debt rate to GDP ratio of 105 per cent while their debt to revenue service is 12.5 per cent.

Protest

On Thursday, the Senate, amidst confusion and protest, went ahead and approved the loan.

The approval was sequel to the consideration of the report of the Committee on Local and Foreign Debts as presented by Ordia.

In approving the loan, the Senate resolved that the agreement containing the whole terms and conditions of the loan from the funding agencies must be forwarded to the National Assembly prior to the execution of same for concurrence and proper documentation.

According to the approved loan, the South-West got $200,000,000 while the South-South, excluding Edo State, got $4,270,000,000.

North-West, which is Buharis geo- political zone, got $6,372,000,000 just as the North-East got $300,000,000 while the North-Central got $6,531,000,000 and $5,853,900,000.00 was reserved for general expenses.

According to the breakdown, the power transmission project in Lagos and Ogun states was allotted $200 million and $800 million was voted for the East-West Road in the Niger Delta.

The Coastal railway project (Calabar-Port Harcourt-Onne deep sea port segment got $3.47billion (Cross River and Rivers states.)

Projects covered in the North-East are the multi-sectoral crises recovery programme ($200m), North-East Nigeria integrated social protection, basic health, education, nutrition services and livelihood restoration project ($100m); and the Lake Chad Basin Commission ($13m, multinational).

In the North-West, the following projects are captured under the loan: Kano-Lagos railway modernisation project (Kano-Ibadan segment double track, $5.53billion; and vocational training in power sector ($50m: FCT, Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Plateau, Niger, Enugu, Kaduna and Cross River).

Others are Kaduna State economic transformation programme for results ($35m, Kaduna); National Information and Communication Technology Infrastructural Backbone Project (NICTIB) phase II ($328.1m (Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Akure, Maiduguri, Lokoja, Kaduna, Akwanga, Bauchi, Kano, Katsina); Health System Project ($110m, Katsina); Rural water supply and sanitation ($150m; North-East, and Plateau); and development of the mining industry ($150m, nationwide).

In the North-Central, the projects covered are staple crops processing zone support project ($100m, Kogi); Greater Abuja water supply project ($381m, FCT); Abuja mass rail transit project (phase 2) ($1.25b, FCT); Mambila hydro-electric power project ($4.8b; and Taraba integrated programme for development and adaption to climate change in the Niger Basin ($6m).

According to a source, only 60 per cent of the loan would be available for spending as 40 per cent is to be paid to those that offered consultancy services.

In the approved loan, the entire South-East geopolitical zone (with 15 of the Senate 109 senators) as well as Edo, the home state of the Chairman of the Local and Foreign Debts Committee, Ordia, did not benefit.

Against this backdrop, barely nine days after the Senate approved the 2016- 2018 External Borrowing Plan, the South-East National Assembly Caucus, on Thursday, kicked against the action.

The Caucus, comprising the Senate and House of Representatives members, who met separately with the President of the Senate, Lawan, and Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, took a swipe at the exclusion of the South-East from the loan and described it as humiliating and totally unacceptable.

Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, the Chairman of the Caucus and former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, said the injustice must be addressed in all its ramifications, saying the lawmakers had been assured by Lawan and Gbajabiamila that the matter would be resolved.

Ekweremadu, flanked by the Senate Minority leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; Deputy Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Toby Okechukwu; Deputy Whip, House of Representatives, Hon. Nkiru Onyejeocha; and Senator Rochas Okorocha, among other senators and House members, said, You recall that in the last National Assembly, there was a borrowing plan presented by the Federal Government. But for some obvious reasons, especially exclusion, it was not taken.

This has been returned in the present National Assembly. Regrettably, the Senate passed the borrowing plan last Thursday, which excluded the whole of the South-East.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank some of our colleagues who were in the chamber that day, especially Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who made spirited efforts to get the issue of equitable distribution addressed.

Most of us were not in the chamber that day. Like myself, I was attending the INEC retreat on electoral reforms in Lagos as a member of the Senate Committee on INEC.

We met as a Caucus last night after consulting with our people and getting their feelings on this issue. We decided that the best approach will be a constructive engagement with the National Assembly leadership.

So, this afternoon (Thursday), we had a very good conversation with both the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. They showed not just concern, but commitment to addressing these issues. And we are satisfied with those assurances. And we believe that the matter will either be revisited or, since it has not been passed in the House, the appropriate thing will be done so that our peoples fears could be assuaged.

We want to thank the Senate President and the Speaker for their assurances and their commitments to national unity and justice for all parts of Nigeria. We believe that equity should be the way for our country to make progress.

Opportunity

Speaking further, the former Deputy Senate President said, It is our thinking that since what the FG presented is a borrowing plan, there is still an opportunity for us to look at the distribution so that every part of the country will have a sense of belonging in the way the loan facilities will be managed.

We believe ultimately that every part of Nigeria will be part of the repayment. And if we are going to be part and parcel of the loan repayment, it makes every sense that we all also benefit from the utilisation of those funds.

We are concerned about certain facilities, including the Eastern Railway Corridor from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, access to the sea through dredging and developing of seaports in our area, power projects etc.

The other issues we raised with them is the issue of the distribution of the National Assembly bureaucracy.

If you look at the distribution, the South-East is excluded from the Clerk to the National Assembly to the Deputy Clerk, the Clerk of the Senate, Clerk of the House, Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), Chairman and the Secretary of the National Assembly Service Commission, and the same thing with the Public Complaint Commission.

Again, they showed concern and promised to address this once any vacancy occurs.

When asked on the assurances from the National Assembly Presiding Officers at the meeting, especially on whether they will now include some projects in the South-East as components of that loan, Ekweremadu said, Recall I said that it has not been passed by the House of Representatives. Secondly, I said that this is a borrowing plan.

It is not as if any money has been borrowed and, under the Fiscal Responsibility Act, you are required to get the approval of the National Assembly for you to borrow money.

So, that is tabled before the peoples parliament where every part of Nigeria is represented to have a conversation on it and ensure that it is evenly spread.

That is actually one of the major philosophies behind sending it to the National Assembly. And that is why we are using every legislative avenue to ensure that the proper thing is done.

Meanwhile, recall that the South-East has only 15 senators. It is part of the issue of marginalization we have been talking about and that is why we have been pushing for restructuring.

Even if you put all the 15 members of the Senate from the South East together at a sitting and you vote, definitely, you know what will be the outcome.

So it is not a matter of playing to the gallery. We are here to engage our colleagues in a way that they would understand our concerns and we will get results. That is what matters. Minority will have their say, but majority will have their way.

On the question of if the House of Representatives will find a way to include the South-East, he added, said, There is what we call harmonisation. The idea is that if we are able to get our colleagues and leadership of the Senate and the House to agree on accommodating the South-East and the House does that, then they will bring it back to the Senate for harmonization, which, again, will still passed in the House and the Senate. So, we are still on course.

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$22. 7BN LOAN: Reps will redress injustice to Igbo - Vanguard

Mohammed

The Federal Government has described as fake, the news alert on the audio recording being circulated on social media, that Nigeria was seeking to buy used protective gear from China.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who stated this at a news conference in Abuja, also refuted the claim on the same platform that Nigeria was waiting for money from the World Health Organisation (WHO), before taking drastic measures.

Mohammed said it was also incorrect, claims that the country had no funds to tackle the disease because its foreign reserves had been exhausted, funds had been stolen, and that the figure of those infected by Coronavirus was understated.

This is a most irresponsible, inaccurate and definitely orchestrated job by a charlatan and should be disregarded by all Nigerians.

It is obvious that this hatchet job is aimed at distracting the hard-working health officials and misinforming Nigerians in order to create panic.

The Federal Government will not be distracted in its efforts to fight this disease and keep Nigerians safe.

Therefore, we urge all Nigerians to disregard the senseless audio, he said.

Mohammed said that it was also fake and handiwork of scammers, the news being circulated on social media that government planned to pay N8,500 to each citizen to stay at home for one month starting from March 30.

He urged those seeking genuine and up-to-date information on Coronavirus to log on to the website of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The minister also debunked the myth by COVID-19 pundits prescribing Chloroquine (which has not been approved for treating Coronavirus), garlic, onion, hot bath, etc, all as a cure for the disease.

He also described as a farce, the claim that the disease could not affect Africans for one reason or another, or that the young were immune to it.

He said from what was known so far, no one was immune to the disease, and that the WHO had warned that not even young people were safe from infection by the virus.

Perhaps one thing that is as dangerous, if not more dangerous than the virus, is fake news/disinformation.

Our efforts to tackle Coronavirus are not being helped by the spread of fake news.

We implore Nigerians to shun these charlatans and follow directives from relevant authorities, he said.

Mohammed disclosed that Facebook was cooperating with the government and had asked Nigerians to report any false or misleading report on Facebook and Instagram pages, so they could immediately bring them down.

I can report that Facebook has been bringing down flagged posts in this regard.

Facebook is also taking preemptive action to remove any false or harmful messages about this pandemic and public health in Nigeria 24/7.

Similarly, WhatsApp is working with the NCDC to strengthen capacity, and keep the public informed on Coronavirus, the minister said.

Vanguard

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Covid-19: FG denies buying used protective gear from China - Vanguard

By Crescenzo VellucciVanguard Sacramento Bureau Chief

SACRAMENTO (2:11 p.m., Wednesday/March 18, 2020) Information obtained exclusively by the VANGUARD at this hour indicates that because of the coronavirus threat the Sacramento County Jail is now releasing scores of inmates and that all Sacramento County law enforcement officers are authorized to cite and release defendants on most misdemeanor warrants.

The orders are causing some havoc for defense counsel, who are attempting to contact their clients with this information, according to sources.

BY ORDER OF THE COURT AND EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, the Sacramento County Sheriff s Department is authorized to grant accelerated release of inmates. Releases can be no more than 30 (thirty) actual days early of an inmates sentence. This order includes misdemeanors and felonies.(this) shall remain in effect until May 31, 2020, reads one of the orders signed by Sacramento County Superior Court Presiding Judge Russell L. Hom.

Another order grants the Sheriffs Department permission to immediately grant the release of 46 misdemeanor inmates with a No OR and/or PC 853.6 condition as specifiednot to appear before June 1, 2020.

Yet a third order, good until May 31, 2020, immediately authorizes all law enforcement officersto cite and release defendants on misdemeanor warrants pursuant to Penal Code Section 853.6. This order includes misdemeanor warrants indicating NO O/R and/or NO 853.6 release comments. This order does not include arrests for misdemeanor warrants pursuant to PC 853.6(a)(2 PC 853.6(a)(3) or PC 853.6(i).

A statement released by the Sacramento Superior Court states:

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared a world pandemic and the federal government has declared a national state of emergencyDue to the increasing risks presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessity for additional and significant measures to protect the health and safety of our community, including court personnel, court operations shall be reduced to critical proceedings only as set forth in the General Order of the Presiding Judge, dated March 17, 2020.

The court shall continue to handle critical proceedings occurring in criminal, general civil, family, probate, juvenile delinquency and dependency and other identified areas. Judicial officers and minimum court staff required to perform critical functions shall continue to work. All other cases, including any other scheduled hearings and matters are continued to dates to be determined.

Our decision to cease court operations except those deemed critical has not been made lightly. We have made this decision with due consideration to the increasing measures necessary to protect the health and safety of our community and court personnel, as well as the importance for all courts to ensure access to justice, protect due process, and provide a forum for the orderly resolution of disputes under law.

We remain committed to serving the people of Sacramento County and through the uninterrupted handling of critical proceedings, the court will continue to serve the most immediate needs of the most vulnerable in our community including the elderly, children, victims of domestic violence, those whose life and liberty are at stake. We look forward to restoring our Court to full operational status as soon as possible.

StandingOrder_AcceleratedRelease1

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Exclusive: Court Authorizes Sacramento Jail Inmate Releases, and Police to Not Jail Some Arrestees - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis

The city council will hold a special meeting in which the council will likely to declare a local emergency. Staff notes, The speed at which COVID-19 is spreading across the world and regionally is unprecedented in modern times. As a result, guidelines are not only changing rapidlysome changed several times in a single day.

As a result, Local mitigation decisions must be made near instantaneously with changing health and safety conditions.

This requires the City take steps now to allow the City Manager, as the Director of Emergency Services, to take any actions necessary to address or mitigate impacts COVID-19 may have on City operations and services. It also allows the City Council to approve emergency regulations to prevent the spread of illness should that become necessary. Finally, it allows the City to take advantage of State and federal funding and other resources as necessary to address issues within Davis.

On Monday, huge swaths of northern California have been ordered to shelter in place starting at midnight on Monday night.

These counties include: San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, and Santa Cruz counties.

This isnt a time for half measures, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said on Monday. History will not forgive us for waiting an hour longer.

Indeed, Santa Clara has become one of the epicenters of the pandemic with at least three deaths and dozens of cases. This is not the same as the imposition of martial law where the National Guard would be sent out. Notably, grocery stores, banks, gas stations, and pharmacies, as well as police and fire departments, will stay open.

You can even take your dog for a walk, said Matt Willis, the health officer of Marin County. We are not expecting empty streets. Social distancing does not mean disconnecting from each other.

But they warn that non-essential travel, including on foot, scooter, bicycle, car or public transportation, as well as any gatherings of any size, are banned.

The key hereslowing the spread of the virus is urgent in order to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.

Some individuals who contract the COVID-19 virus have no symptoms or have mild symptoms, which means they may not be aware they carry the virus, the order said. Because even people without symptoms can transmit the disease, and because evidence shows the disease is easily spread, gatherings can result in preventable transmission of the virus.

One of my questions was why not simply attempt to test everyonein part because people without symptoms can transmit the disease.

I asked former Davis Mayor Robb Davis that question and he said, I dont think there is such a thing as blanket testing. He noted even South Korea is not doing that.

He said, I AM in favor of providing testing for those with a given set of symptoms.At this point it is a numbers game: enough kits need to be available.If people have influenza like illness, I think they should be eligible for a test and be able to easily get one. That would help them self-isolate more effectively and catch those at greatest risk. I am in favor of that type of aggressive testing.

Is the federal government doing enough at this point?

Robb Davis said that we expect that each level of government will operate to mitigate the crisis based on its own unique role. For example, macroeconomic issues are not the purview of local governmentobviously. But the same holds for sick leave, unemployment insurance, etc. For the most part states and local governments cannot provide this for citizens. We expect the federal government to deal with large scale infrastructure needs, and county health agencies to provide guidance to local businesses on safety precautions.

He added that this goes back to the Federal Governments responsibilities.They are not meeting them in my viewBut that is because we have a fractured health care system.We do not have a national health system.

How long can we expect to live like thisin separation from friends and the community?

Experts dont know.

What we hear: Its going to get worse before it gets better.

As the Boston Globe notes: No, its not reassuring. But thats the message from epidemiologists, biostatisticians, and infectious disease doctors, who have been sounding the alarm for weeks about the growing threat of the novel coronavirus and the dire consequences the United States will undoubtedly face if the spread of the disease, Covid-19, is not aggressively tamed.

This virus will not be conquered until we have a vaccineperiod. Its just so unstoppable, said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C. Were in this tough spot for the long haul.

And optimism isnt there eitherwith the belief being that, despite prioritization of efforts to develop a vaccine, it will take at least a year, probably closer to 18 months.

So how long will we live like this?

Unfortunately, the answer is not one most people want to hear: We dont know, said Bill Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvards Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics. Were not trying to come up with long-term plans to stop the pandemic. What we are doing now is trying to stop it from destroying us.

Furthermore, The answer also depends on how we respond over the next few days, said Samuel Scarpino, an assistant professor at Northeastern Universitys Network Science Institute, and if we increase the amount of social distancing, remote work, school closures, et cetera, or blithely ignore the advice of public health officials

Some warn that if the US goes the way of Italy, within two weeks there would be 150,000 confirmed cases and about 12,000 deadthat is adjusting for population.

Can we avoid that with these drastic measures? Maybe.

The goal as we have heard it many times over is to flatten the curve through social distancing. It was just a week ago I was warning the consequences of it. On the other hand, the consequence of not doing this is hundreds of millions infected and millions dead.

The challenge right now is we dont really have anything to combat the disease, said Natalie Dean, an assistant professor of biostatistics at the University of Floridas Emerging Pathogens Institute. Certainly, if we can find a highly effective therapeuticsomething that reduces mortality or something that reduces the severity of illnessthat would be very valuable. And that might give us some reassurance in relaxing some of these strategies.

For now, were buying ourselves time for a vaccine to be evaluated, manufactured, and deployed, Dean added. It is possible that this will be a new way of life for a stretch thats longer than any of us would like.

Ouch.

David M. Greenwald reporting

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Commentary: City to Declare Emergency as Region Is Sheltering in Place - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis

ONCE again, death and massive destruction of property came calling in Lagos in the morning hours of Sunday, March 15, 2020 when an explosion with an impact of epic proportions tore through Abule-Ado district in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area.

About 25 people lost their lives with scores more injured, while over 50 houses and vehicles were either levelled or badly damaged.

That was the second major tragedy to visit the state this year. Abule Egba area had also on January 20, 2020 suffered an explosion which killed at least two people, with several houses and dozens of cars destroyed.

The above incidents were linked to pipeline explosions. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, had only hours after the Abule Ado explosion, said it occurred after a truck hit some gas cylinders in a gas processing plant located near the Corporations 2B pipeline right of way.

Speculations are, however, rife that there could be more insidious things going on. For instance, the scale and character of the Abule Ado blast, some opine, is reminiscent of the impact of a high-powered military-level ordnance.

According to Akinbode Oluwafemi, the Deputy Executive Director of the Environmental Rights Agenda/Friends of the Earth, ERA/FoEN: There is something suspiciously different about this explosion. The scale of destruction is nothing like any of the pipeline explosions we have monitored and documented for several decades.

The Sunday incidents scale of destruction could only be likened to military grade explosions or aerial bombardments. We cant treat this casually as an accident caused by a truck.

We are reassured that the Lagos State Government is spearheading an investigation of this sad incident, with the Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat in charge. The panel has two weeks to unravel the mystery.

Though we commend this step, we prefer a forensic investigation which will go beyond merely sampling the opinions of eyewitnesses. We need to know if these are innocuous accidents or the nations economic capital is under security threat.

The N2 billion fund set up by the State Government is a step in the right direction. We commend Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for releasing N250 million into this fund and urge the Federal Government and all the state governments and public-spirited individuals to support it to assist the victims.

The greater work, however, lies in two directions. Number one is to ascertain the real causes of these pipeline blasts.

The second is to summon the political will to permanently keep people safe from pipeline accidents. This will definitely entail demolishing all structures situated within the pipeline and power line rights of way.

More importantly, we must address the intense criminality that is associated with our oil pipeline networks. These are major sources of danger to our people.

VANGUARD

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Accuses FG of indiscriminate deductions,non payment of members on sabbatical leave, othersBy Joseph Erunke

ABUJALECTURERS in the nations Colleges of Education have accused the federal government of engaging in indiscriminate deductions of their salaries following their enrollment in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll System,IPPS.

Besides,the lecturers said even as discussion with the IPPS on some issues which it feared in the scheme were yet to be concluded, government had stopped payment of members on sabbatical leave, deduction of salaries for the National Housing Fund, and non inclusion inthe Peculiar Allowances of the staff of the subsector, especially the Peculiar Earned Academic Allowance,PEAA.

The lecturers speaking in a statement through their umbrella union, College of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU,also said,Whereas FGN deducted its own statutory deductions, the non-statutory deduction of staff necessary for their well-being, especially Staff Cooperative Society contributions were not made.

To this end,they have in the statement released to the media, Sunday,through the President of COEASU,Nuhu Ogirima,threatened disruption of activities in the nations colleges of education.

It said the February salary paid by the federal government did not include the Peculiar Allowances of the staff of the subsector, especially the Peculiar Earned Academic Allowance (PEAA), adding that,Also not paid are staff on sabbatical leave. In addition, deductions were effected on all staff salary, indiscriminately, for the National Housing Fund (NHF), a voluntary scheme to which most staff did not subscribe.

The Union shall reconvene the Expanded National Executive Council meeting to deliberate on further necessary action on IPPIS and other lingering issues of industrial concern, including but not limited to the inconclusive renegotiation, the unfulfilled N15bn Needs Assessment palliative and the sum of N2.5bn unpaid arrears of Peculiar Allowances, the statement said.

COEASU noted that,Sadly, pension and the imposed obnoxious tax deductions were effected on gross earning of staff, which included non-taxable Allowances) as against the basic salary on which such deductions ought to be effected.

It added that:From the information available, it is quite evident that the peculiarities of the Colleges of Education subsector, which the stakeholders meetings with IPPIS office, prior to its implementation, harped on as the basis of rejection of the obnoxious pay platform, have not been reflected.

According to the union, the action of government was a breach of trust,saying the action was unacceptable to it.

The statement read in full:The attention of the National Secretariat has been drawn to the payment of February 2020 salary to staff of the Federal Colleges of Education by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN).

From the information available, it is quite evident that the peculiarities of the Colleges of Education subsector, which the stakeholders meetings with IPPIS office, prior to its implementation, harped on as the basis of rejection of the obnoxious pay platform, have not been reflected.

For the avoidance of doubt, the February salary paid by FGN did not include the Peculiar Allowances of the staff of the subsector, especially the Peculiar Earned Academic Allowance (PEAA).

Also not paid are staff on Sabbatical Leave. In addition, deductions were effected on all staff salary, indiscriminately, for the National Housing Fund (NHF), a voluntary scheme to which most staff did not subscribe.

Whereas FGN deducted its own statutory deductions, the non-statutory deduction of staff necessary for their well-being, especially Staff Cooperative Society contributions were not made.

Sadly, pension and the imposed obnoxious tax deductions were effected on gross earning of staff, which included non-taxable Allowances) as against the basic salary on which such deductions ought to be effected.

The Union views this as a serious breach of trust and,therefore, considers Federal Government of Nigeria betrayal not acceptable.

The impunity with which FGN has engendered this anomaly goes to further heighten our fears and reinforces our concern over the wanton neglect of the Colleges of Education subsector by successive administrations peaked with the current government.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Union, while reiterating the initial worries on the concern over the use of IPPIS in COE system, as a tertiary institution, calls on FGN, OAGF in particular, to, matter of urgent concern, capable of disrupting the smooth running of the Colleges of Education,take urgent steps to ameliorate the situation.

The Union shall reconvene the Expanded National Executive Council meeting to deliberate on further necessary action on IPPIS and other lingering issues of industrial concern, including but not limited to the inconclusive renegotiation, the unfulfilled N15bn Needs Assessment palliative and the sum of N2.5bn unpaid arrears of Peculiar Allowances.

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IPPS: COEASU threatens industrial action - Vanguard

FG drops petrol priceMarketers renew call for subsidy removalBy Prince Okafor & Ediri Ejoh

MORE trouble looms for the Federal Governments 2020 Budget as oil price yesterday dipped further on the global economic tension driven by Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It is also fuelled by Saudi Arabia and Russia oil price war.

Nigerias premium Bonny Light tumbled to $28.72, which showed a 2.18 percent decline from $29 on Monday.

At current price, the 2020 budget revenue estimate put at N2.64 trillion based on $57 per barrel has lost N1.3 trillion, about 49.6 percent loss.

Similarly, Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) tumbled to $28.13 and $23.71, which showed 7.50 percent and 13.25 percent decline respectively from $30.79 and $26.92 on Monday.

Meanwhile, The Federal government through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, MPR, has dropped the price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly known as petrol to N125 per litre, from N145 approved template in 2015.

Crude prices have dropped to its lowest levels in more than 17 years.

According to the Global Head of Currency Strategy & Market Research at FXTM, Jameel Ahmad, The Oil price has smashed through its previous 2016 support level around $27 and is now valued below $25 for the first time since at least 2003. Investor sentiment is in such a state of freefall that it is possible that Oil can fall to $20 within hours, if not by the end of this week.

Meanwhile, a statement signed by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, said: The drop in crude oil has lowered the expected open market price of imported petrol below the official pump price of N145 per litre.

Therefore Mr. President has approved that Nigerians should benefit from the reduction in the price of PMS which is a direct effect of the crash in global crude oil prices.

Because of this situation, based on the price modulation template approved in 2015, the federal government is directing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC to reduce the Ex-Coastal and Ex-Depot prices of PMS to reflect current market realities.

But the Major oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, said that the federal government should consider removing subsidy on petroleum products riding on the back of the current low price of oil in the global market.

In a statement sent to Vanguard, Chairman of MOMAN, Mr. Tunji Oyebanji, stated that the N450 billion set aside by the government for subsidy in the 2020 budget would not add value to the nations downstream sector and the lives of Nigerians.

He, therefore, advised government to use the amount to develop other sectors in order to impact positively on Nigerian economy.

Vanguard

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COVID-19: Oil price dips further to $28 - Vanguard

On Jan. 21, the first known case of coronavirus in the United States was discovered in Washington state. By March 13, the NBA, NHL, PGA, NFL, XFL, MLS, NCAA, FIFA and several other organizations had all delayed or canceled games and events, with many leagues suspending their seasons indefinitely as a precautionary response to the spread of the coronavirus.

The rapid rate at which these developments have transpired and progressed across sports is something few, if any, anticipated. A week ago, the idea of professional sporting events being played without fans seemed laughable. But with new information and policy changes emerging nearly every hour, what comes next is unknown.

What would have seemed an impossibility just a few days ago is now a reality, and it has raised a number of questions regarding the future of sports.

What happens to those senior athletes who were in the middle of or entering into their final season of collegiate sports? For players who have spent days, months and years dedicating themselves to their sport and the chance of making a championship runonly to have it taken away at the last momentis there anything that can be done to amend this lost opportunity?

For senior Sabrina Ionescu, point guard for the University of Oregon womens basketball team and potential number one overall pick in next years WNBA draft, this final season was all about unfinished business. The NCAA championship that eluded Ionescu through the teams first three seasons was within reach as they prepared for the 2020 NCAA tournament.

Now, for Ionescu, along with so many other seniors whose prolific college careers have been cut short, the unfinished business will remain just thatunfinished.

And what about the senior athletes who never even had the chance for their final season to begin? With the NCAA canceling all winter and spring championship competition, and many athletic conferencesincluding the Big Sky conferenceelecting to suspend all spring sports indefinitely, what can be done for the senior athletes whose seasons ended before they ever began?

University of Connecticut womens basketball coach Geno Auriemma joined a growing number of voices advocating for college seniors to be granted an additional year of athletic eligibility in order to make up for the seasons that have been cut short or canceled. The NCAA announced on March 13 that it will grant another year of eligibility to student-athletes who have participated in spring sports, but a number of questions remain surrounding how this will impact financial aid for each athletic program. The unfortunate reality is that for many college athletes, this season was their only shot.

Within the realm of professional sports, the revenue lost for these industries as a result of canceling games and suspending seasons will have a ripple effect for years to come, influencing contracts, salary caps and even league champions years down the road. ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski described the NBA as a league that is paralyzed following the indefinite suspension of their season.

While league commissioners and franchise owners are in disarray attempting to address these sudden changes, the group that is perhaps hit hardest by the fallout of the coronavirus is the hourly workers who rely on their income from working in and around arenas to get by.

The widespread cancellation of sporting events worldwide is unprecedented. As such, there was little to no preexisting protocol to address the needs of those who depend on hourly wages from sports arenas and franchises to survive.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was at the forefront of this discussion when news broke March 11 that the NBA would be suspending the remainder of its season.

In an interview broadcast during what would become the final NBA game of the seasonplayed between the Denver Nuggets and Dallas MavericksCuban said, I reached out to the folks at the arena and our folks at the Mavs to find out what it would cost to support, financially support, people who arent going to be able to come to work.

Weve already started the process of having a program in place. I dont have any details to give, but its certainly something thats important to me.

NBA players have already begun pledging support out of their own pockets. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love pledged $100,000 to aid arena workers displaced by the NBAs cancellation of the season. My hope is that others will step up, Love stated. New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson made a similar gesture, offering to cover the salaries of Pelicans arena workers for 30 days.

Throughout history, sports have served as an outlet and an escape for so many, theyve brought people together in a way few other things can. Now, it is precisely that coalescent quality of sports that necessitates their discontinuance.

The recent developments within sports leagues across the world have come as a shock and disappointment to many. However, it is a necessary sacrifice in order to ensure the safety of the athletes, their families, league employees and fans across the globe as the coronavirus remains a threat to public safety.

As it stands now, the coronavirus has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on March 13. It is unclear what the timetable will be for sports to return to their normal scheduling and how the continuation of each leagues season will proceed.

These are truly uncharted territories being entered within the world of sports. One can only hope that a return to normalcy exists in the not too distant future.

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The impact of COVID-19 on sports - Psuvanguard.com

NEW YORK, NY JANUARY 08: Harvey Weinstein exits the courtroom at New York City criminal court during his sex crimes trial on January 8, 2020 in New York City. Weinstein, a movie producer whose alleged sexual misconduct helped spark the #MeToo movement, pleaded not-guilty on five counts of rape and sexual assault against two unnamed women and faces a possible life sentence in prison. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

By Lisa M. Rea and Ailbhe Griffith

Most of us were not in the courtroom during the testimony of a multitude of women who came forward to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. We all waited expectantly for the sentencing of Weinstein by New York Judge James Burke. He received a sentence of 23 years in prison for rape and criminal sex act convictions. The maximum sentence could have been 29 years or a minimum of five years. What we know now is that women have felt for so many years that sexual assault and rape are not taken seriously under the rule of law. Today that changed. The sentence reflected the #Me Too movement but it is more than that recent movement. Are women empowered by this sentence and the trial itself? I would argue, no, they want more. Its restorative justice.

What is most interesting is Weinsteins public comments, his first in court. He said, We may have different truths but I have great remorse for all of you. Weinstein also stated, Im totally confused. I think men are confused about these issues. In the field of restorative justice many victims of crime and victims of violence would be more astounded by those comments than not. Its the lack of remorse thats expressed by Weinstein when apparently he was trying to express remorse. Perhaps he did not write those words himself, maybe his legal defense team did, but there is no remorse there at all. The comment about different truths sounds exactly like many high profile offenders who do not take responsibility for their actions after being called out for sexual harassment or worse convicted of sexual assault and rape.

The victims of violence Restorative Justice International (RJI) works with nationally and globally are asking for victims-driven restorative justice. This is a global movement of victims seeking something that so often our criminal justice systems does not offer: a way to heal but also a justice that seeks offender accountability. And it must be victims-driven.

RJI recently conducted a podcast with a victim of a violent sexual assault in Dublin, Ireland. Her name is Ailbhe Griffith. http://www.restorativejusticeinternational.com/2020/ailbhe-griffith-podcast-with-marie-keenan-dublin-ireland-feb-2020/

Ailbhe wanted what the justice system could never provide answers and the opportunity to reclaim her power in his presence. In her case her offender received a nine year sentence for the violent attack she endured in 2005. But Ailbhe realized that she wanted something else that she later learned had a name: restorative justice. Through a restorative justice dialogue with the offender, with the skilled assistance of Dr. Marie Keenan, a national restorative justice expert in Ireland, she would be empowered to ask questions and to tell her attacker to his face how the violent attack had impacted on her on her life. This process is more than the simple reading of a victim impact statement, something Ailbhe had the opportunity to do in court but still didnt feel it was enough. For Ailbhe this voluntary victim offender dialogue provided much more than the prison sentence her offender served. It would free her from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and allow her to move on with her life. In being afforded the opportunity to humanize the man who had behaved so violently towards her and in becoming a human to him, Ailbhe finally found peace and healing, something she feels she never would have been able to achieve via the criminal justice system alone.

While most of the victims of Weinstein, especially those who publicly testified, praised the prison sentence he received we wonder if each victim might want, in addition to the sentence, restorative justice. This seems quite possible; with some reporting in the New York Times soon after the guilty verdict, that one of the first well-known actresses to accuse Weinstein, Ashley Judd, indicated that she would love for Harvey to have a restorative justice process in which he could come emotionally to terms with his wrongs. The question of whether Weinsteins sentence was too severe is another subject worth debating. But from Weinsteins comments in court it appears he still does not understand the impact his actions had on his victim. Through restorative justice processes an offender would hear more directly from the victim(s) and not in a court setting.

It is RJIs position that victims of sexual assault and abuse need restorative justice as a right. That would mean that victims of violence would be asked by our justice system if they wish to choose restorative justice. Restorative justice would be explained to crime victims and could include, as in Ailbhes case, an option to participate in a direct victim offender dialogue, if both victim and offender agree. In those cases thorough preparation occurs with both victim and offender with a trained facilitator. A victims right to restorative justice is not a new concept and increasingly recognized and supported in many countries. This new right to restorative justice must be embraced in our laws and applied to criminal cases nationally and throughout our world.

There are other options when a victim does not choose direct dialogue including meeting with a surrogate offender (similar offense but unrelated cases). Such programs exist nationally and globally (e.g. Sycamore Tree Project, Bridges to Life, Insight Prison Project and others). But we need more such programs (in- prison and post-conviction), Those programs must be fully funded, including victim offender dialogues, to reach more crime victims and their offenders. This is a new way of responding to violence against women. It puts the needs of victims first in ways that urge offender accountability and seeks to restore victims/survivors as much as possible.

Weinsteins sentencing hearing (Associated Press) March 11, 2020

AP coverage: https://apnews.com/310554f06f644d41e1c0513600099ce1

Ashley Judd Responds https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/nyregion/harvey-weinstein-accusers.html

Lisa M. Rea is President, Restorative Justice International http://www.restorativejusticeinternational.com & Ailbhe Griffith is a restorative justice advocate, victim/survivor of violent crime and RJI Ambassador of Restorative Justice (Dublin, Ireland). Contact RJIto learn more about the work and how it evolves and expands daily from a national and global perspective.

To sign up for our new newsletter Everyday Injustice https://tinyurl.com/yyultcf9

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Guest Commentary: Weinstein Verdict: Restorative Justice Is Needed to Empower Victims - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis