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Lagos Churches, Mosques Reopen Friday, Bars, Clubs Stay Closed —— Sanwo-Olu

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The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, says worship centres in the state will be allowed to reopen from Friday, August 7.

He said Muslim worshippers are allowed to begin their services from Friday while Christian worshippers could begin their Sunday services on August 9, noting that the permission applies to Churches that have their main worship days on Saturdays.

He, however, warned that the religious centres would only be allowed to operate at 50 per cent of their capacity, noting that the safety protocols released by the government must be strictly adhered to.

Worship centres in the state have been shut since March as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

In June after the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 approved the reopening of worship centres, the state government on June 4 asked mosques to reopen from June 19, and churches from June 21.

But, at a press briefing on June 16, the governor cancelled the plan due to increasing COVID-19 cases.

Speaking at a press briefing on Saturday, Sanwo-Olu said, “Places of worship in Lagos State will be allowed to open from Friday, August 7 for our Muslim worshippers, and Sunday the 9th of August for Christian worshippers, but only at 50 per cent of their capacity. Churches whose main worship days fall on Saturdays are permitted to hold their services on Saturdays.”

He stressed that worship centres would not be permitted to have other services or fellowships outside of their main weekly services that hold once a week, but that they could schedule multiple services on their designated worship days. He said vigil remained prohibited till further notice.

Among the conditions to be met by the religious centres planning to reopen, he said persons above 65 were strongly discouraged from attending services and that the ‘No Facemask, No Entry’ policy must be maintained throughout the duration of services.

He added, “Regular cleaning and disinfection of facilities must be carried out to maintain clean and hygienic environments before and after every service. Appropriate screening equipment for COVID-19 symptoms such as a contactless temperature check must be available for entrants into the facility.

“It is mandatory to provide hand-washing facilities and sanitisers at the entry and exit points; national emergency response phone lines must be displayed prominently on the premises and handshakes, hugs and high fives are not permitted at gatherings.”

He stated that the use of stationary collection boxes and electronic methods for collection of the offering must be encouraged and that the flow of human traffic in and out of the premises must be conducted in an organised manner.”

Sanwo-Olu said the number of cases had been decreasing over the past two weeks, adding that from August 14, restaurants would be permitted to open for in-dining services while social clubs and recreational centres would also be allowed to open, on the proviso that they maintain a 50 per cent occupancy capacity and obtain Provisional Safety Compliance Certificate from the government.

He added that the permissible capacity for public gatherings had been increased from 20 to 50 persons, warning that the closure of all spas, bars, lounges, night clubs, cinemas, games arcades remain till another review before the end of the month.

On the reopening of schools, the governor said secondary schools would reopen for only exit classes from August 3 as planned, adding that all standard precautions must be put in place by school authorities. “The Lagos State Government will make face masks available to all schools to which this reopening exemption applies, for the duration of the reopening,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Mrs Aderonke Odeneye, said the government had intensified the periodic fumigation/decontamination of all public secondary schools in the state.

A statement by the Director, Public Affairs, Kunle Adeshina, quoted Odeneye as saying that majority of the public secondary schools in the six educational districts, including all model colleges, had been reached.

It added, “The fumigation exercise which is ongoing, preparatory to resumption for terminal classes will continue after the West Africa Examination Council exams.”

While thanking frontline health workers; non-medical personnel like drivers, cleaners and attendants; monitoring and compliance teams and the private sector for their continuing sacrifice, support and courage, he said compliance with safety protocols remained important.

As of Friday, the governor said Lagos State had 15,150 confirmed cases, out of which 10,835 persons have been discharged and 194 persons have died as a result of the virus.

He added, “This leaves us with 1,813 active cases in community and 96 under management across various isolation centres in the state.”

He also said the Eti-Osa isolation centre had been shut down while the one in Agidingbi would soon be closed too.

“We now have two pathways through which confirmed cases are managed; either through our home-based strategy or in designated COVID care centres,” he added.

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JUST IN: Reps Reject Bill Seeking Single Six-Year Term, Zonal Rotation For President, Governors

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The House of Representatives on Thursday, November 21, rejected a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at instituting a single six-year term for the president, governors, and local government chairmen across the federation.

The bill, sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) and 33 co-sponsors, also sought to divide the country into six geopolitical zones and establish a rotational system for the presidency and governorship within these zones.

Additionally, the bill proposed that all elections be conducted on a single day.

It aimed to amend Section 132 of the Constitution by inserting a new subsection (2), deleting the extant subsection (4), and renumbering the entire section accordingly. The proposed amendment would have stipulated that elections to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be rotated between the North and South regions every six years.

The bill also sought to amend Section 180 of the Constitution, replacing “four years” with “six years.”

Furthermore, it proposed altering Section 76 by inserting a new subsection (3), which would read: “(3) For the purpose of Section (1) of this section, all elections into the offices of President, Governors, National Assembly, and State Houses of Assembly shall hold simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission in consultation with the National Assembly and in accordance with the Electoral Act.”

When the bill, which was scheduled for a second reading, was put to a vote, the majority of lawmakers voted against it. This is not the first time the House has rejected a bill seeking a six-year single term for the president and governors.

In 2019, a similar bill, sponsored by John Dyegh from Benue State, also failed to progress to the second reading.

Dyegh’s bill had also proposed a six-year term for Members of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly. He argued that a six-year term would allow members of the National Assembly to gain more experience, as opposed to the current four-year term.

According to Dyegh, re-election for the president and governors costs three times more than the first election and is often marked by violence. He believes a single term of five years would help curb the irregularities associated with re-election.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had also proposed a further amendment to the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, advocating for a six-year single term for the president for each of the six geopolitical zones.

He added that the law must mandate electronic voting and the collation of results, and require the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to verify the credentials of candidates, among other reforms.

The governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, also backed calls in June this year for a single term for elected politicians.

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I Appointed Aides On Garden Egg, Yam, Pepper To Boost Food Production — Enugu LG Chairman

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Eric Odo, chairman of Igbo Etiti LGA in Enugu state, has defended the appointment of aides for yam, pepper, and garden egg.

On Tuesday, Odo announced the appointments of Ezeugwu Ogbonna as senior special assistant on agriculture (yam and pepper) and Nwodo Ugonna as special adviser on garden egg and pepper.

The appointments attracted criticism from many Nigerians, who viewed the positions as an anomaly.

In his defense on Wednesday, Odo explained that the appointments were designed to increase the production of these crops in large quantities, aiming to meet local demands and support export.

The chairman emphasized that the Igbo-Etiti area is particularly well-suited to cultivating these crops and holds a significant comparative advantage.

“Their appointments are to ensure that local farmers receive adequate attention, needed resources, support, and expertise to enhance production, improve market access, and increase income for farmers,” NAN quoted Odo as saying.

“In essence, the appointment, which is wrongly misunderstood by disgruntled individuals, bad losers, and opposition, reinforces my determination to create a thriving local economy based on the strengths and potentials of Igbo-Etiti’s agricultural landscape.”

Odo explained that the decision was part of a carefully considered plan aimed at boosting productivity, creating jobs, and improving the livelihoods of farmers within the LGA’s communities.

He called on the public to disregard any online or offline comments intended to discredit the appointments, asserting that the council is committed to massive food production and sustainable development.

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JUST IN: Simon Ekpa, Four Others Arrested In Finland Over Terror-Related Activities

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Finnish-Nigerian separatist agitator, Simon Ekpa, and four other individuals have been arrested in Finland over terror-related activities.

A local report in Finland stated that Ekpa, the self-declared “Prime Minister of Biafra Republic Government In-Exile,” was remanded in custody by the district court of Päijät-Häme on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

In a Thursday statement published on its website, the Central Criminal Police in Finland said it had arrested five people on suspicion of terrorist crimes.

The police said the main suspect was arrested “on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent,” while four others were arrested “for financing a terrorist crime.”

The police added: “Claims will be heard in Päijät-Häme district court today, November 21.”

The statement reads: “The detention demands are related to the preliminary investigation, in which a Finnish citizen of Nigerian background, born in the 1980s, is suspected of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.”

“The police suspect that the man has promoted his efforts from Finland by means that have led to violence against civilians and authorities as well as other crimes in the region of South-Eastern Nigeria.”

The statement quoted the head of the investigation, Crime Commissioner Otto Hiltunen from the Central Crime Police, as saying that “the man has carried out this activity, among other things, on his social media channels.

“Four other persons are suspected of financing the aforementioned activity. All five suspects of the crime have been arrested during the beginning of the week.”

“International cooperation has been carried out during the preliminary investigation,” the statement added.

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