TheNewsGuru

Tag: Sharon Ikeazor

  • See list of Buhari’s new Ministers and their portfolios

    See list of Buhari’s new Ministers and their portfolios

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday reshuffled his cabinet with newly-designated ministers given portfolios.

    Below is the list of the ministers’ new portfolios:

    1. Adeleke Mamora – Minister of Science and Technology (formerly Minister of State, Health)
    2. Mu’azu Jaji Sambo – Minister of Transportation (formerly Minister of Power)
    3. Umanna Okon Umanna – Minister of Niger Delta
    4. Sharon Ikeazor – Minister of State, Niger Delta (formerly Minister of State, Environment)
    5. Gbemisola Saraki – Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development (formerly Minister of State, Transportation)
    6. Umar Ibrahim EI-Yakub – Minister of State, Works and Housing
    7. Goodluck Nanah Opiah – Minister of State, Education
    8. Ekumankama Joseph Nkama – Minister of State, Health
    9. Ikoh Henry Ikechukwu – Minister of State, Science and Technology
    10. Odum Udi – Minister of State, Environment
    11. Ademola Adewole Adegoroye – Minister of State, Transportation

    What President Buhari told new Ministers

    Meanwhile, President Buhari on Wednesday charged the new ministers to serve the nation diligently, maintain unalloyed loyalty to the country and office of the President.

    Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony, which preceded the virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the president also announced the reassignment of portfolios in his cabinet.

    According to him, the new redeployment is aimed at reinvigorating certain sectors where the government desires to accomplish improved results, saying his administration is now on the home-stretch of its second term, more work still needs to be done in diverse areas of the economy and national life.

    Buhari urged the newest members of his cabinet to consult and collaborate with older cabinet colleagues and focus on driving key programmes already initiated by this administration.

    He also warned all members of the cabinet against corrupt practices, reiterating that public officers must be above board and those caught in corrupt practices would face the full wrath of the law.

    ‘‘I begin this address by welcoming on board, all newly sworn-in members of the Federal Executive Council. I also congratulate you because the process that you all passed through to reach this stage has been rigorous and meticulous.

    ‘‘The appointment of these new Ministers is in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which prescribes that the Federal Executive Council shall be made up of members from every state of the Federation.

    ‘‘I therefore urge you to consider your emergence out of millions of equally qualified Nigerians within the purview of selection from your State, as a call to duty which imposes the obligation to serve the nation diligently and presents to you the unique opportunity to work hard in service to the Government and the country.

    ‘‘At the valedictory session for six former Ministers that left to pursue other political careers, I promised that their replacement shall be a matter of priority so that the business of governance would not experience delays or setbacks.

    ‘‘This administration has been in the saddle since 2015 and is now on the home-stretch of its second term, as the nation prepares for the 2023 general elections.

    “All through, it has vigorously pursued the three main electoral objectives namely: Securing the nation; Diversifying & growing the economy as well as fighting corruption.

    ‘‘You are all coming on-board at this time with new energy, ideas, experiences and vigour, to join the existing team so that the implementation of policies, programs and projects associated with these electoral objectives would be escalated and accelerated.

    ‘‘There is still so much to be done for our country in the areas of infrastructure development, energy, access to finance, access to justice, technology and innovation, trade, agriculture, education and security. The list is inexhaustible,’’ he said.

    Buhari urged the newly appointed ministers to be conscious that time is of the essence as they assume office.

    ‘‘As I assign you portfolios, therefore, I expect you to carefully study your sectors, take wise counsel, reach out to key stakeholders, consult and collaborate with older cabinet colleagues and focus on driving key programs already initiated by this administration. Above all, be loyal to your President and your country.’’

    While underscoring the need for the old and new members of his Cabinet to work with common objectives of leaving indelible legacies for Nigerians and ending strongly with verifiable accomplishments, the president warned:

    ‘‘You must resist bad counsel, resist temptation and be circumspect in your utterances and conduct. You must totally eschew corruption and be above board because if caught there will be no sacred cows.’’

    The President told the newly appointed ministers to await further communication on their appropriate Ministerial Mandates from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

    Prior to the commencement of the FEC meeting and swearing-in ceremony, the Council observed a minute of silence in honour of the Secretary-General of Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mohammed Barkindo, who died on Tuesday in Abuja.

  • What causes 25% of diseases in Nigeria

    What causes 25% of diseases in Nigeria

    The Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, has said that 25 per cent of diseases in Nigeria are caused by mycotoxins.

    Ikeazor said this on Wednesday in Abuja at a two-day workshop on the prevention and control of mycotoxins in the food and the environment organised by the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON)

    Mycotoxins are toxic compounds that are naturally produced by certain types of moulds (fungi). They can grow on foodstuffs such as cereals, nuts spices and more.

    Ikeazor noted that there were increased adverse health effects of mycotoxins on occupants of residential, office buildings, schools, agricultural and non-agricultural settings including food and food products in Nigeria.

    The minister, who was represented by her Special Adviser Dr Priscilla Achakpa, charged environmental health experts to take sensitisation campaign to local communities on the danger of consuming food products contaminated with mycotoxins.

    She noted that the campaigns should be targeted at the farmers at the grassroots so they could be educated and informed on the occurrence and effects of mycotoxins in food and the environment.

    She explained that the exposure to moulds and their toxic mycotoxins in food and the environment posed a great risk to human health.

    “We must all be worried about the risk of environmental exposures experienced by those that consume or are exposed to food and food products that are contaminated with mycotoxins.

    “ The ingestion of mycotoxin through food and inhalation of mycotoxins and other contaminants in the air might result in lung damage, allergic reactions such as irritation in the respiratory tract, eyes, and skin, and sometimes headaches.

    “Exposure to all these contaminants could have harmful effects on vital organs and consequently on the overall human health and productivity,’’ she said.

    The minister, therefore, urged the environmental health officers to educate people on the negative effects of moulds and mycotoxins contamination in their environment.

    She further charged participants of the workshop to exchange ideas and come up with skills to monitor and detect safety risks associated with exposure to mycotoxin contamination and measure to containing it.

    Dr Yakubu Baba, Registrar, EHORECON, stated that mycotoxin was a public health responsibility accounting for about 25 per cent of diseases in the country.

    Baba said the council was preparing its practitioners to be sufficiently knowledgeable to be able to effectively enlighten the public on the negative effects of mycotoxins in food and the environment.

    The workshop, according to him will help reduce mortality and incidence of mycotoxins in the communities as well as providing the mobility of our farm products to the international market.

    “This will have value addition to service delivery as it will enhance our economy, tailored towards President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision of food security.

    “It will also provide platforms where the youths are going to be engaged and take them out of poverty. So, it also has security solutions.

    “The environmental health practitioners drawn from the sector of the food industry and food inspection will scale down this training to various communities so that people can be enlightened in the way to store their food and process the food for consumption in a safer way, ‘’ he said.