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Tag: Shutdown

  • NFF shuts down activities including street football

    NFF shuts down activities including street football

    The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF on Wednesday announced the cessation of all forms of football activities in the country for the next four weeks, as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic.

    According to the country’s supreme football –governing body, the shutdown affects all on-field activities the various National Teams, the Nigeria Professional Football League, the other Leagues, youth football programs, and even street football.

    President of the NFF, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick said the cessation will be for four weeks after which the situation will be reviewed in line with events and trends worldwide.

    He also advised all members of the football family to observe the various safety precautions and conduct as advised by the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, such as hand-washing, the use of sanitizers and social distancing.

    Pinnick also stated that the only football activity that will be permitted is the work of the NFF investigation committee into the death of Chineme Martins, which was inaugurated yesterday in Benin City and will submit its report within the next 10 days.

  • #NYSC: See main reasons FG finally shutdown NYSC camps nationwide

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) management has shut down all the orientation camp nationwide over the spread of coronavirus.

    The directive as exclusively reported by TheNEwsGuru earlier today, which came from the NYSC headquarters in Abuja early Wednesday morning disrupted the orientation camp of the 2020 Batch A Stream 1, across the 37 centres in the country.

    The major reasons the NYSC camps were closed was contained in a statement sent to all the State Coordinators (SCs):

    The statement reads in full:

    To all SCs; I have received instructions to inform you to bring the ongoing Orientation Course to an immediate shutdown; effective tomorrow on account of the rapid-fire spread of COVID-19. Effect Primary Assignment postings this night. All necessary financial entitlements will be settled in the early hours of tomorrow.

    You are to, by any means, reach Corps Employers on this development; immediately.

    This obvious course of action is dictated by circumstances far beyond what can be controlled. The rapid changes in very many countries warranting social distancing between persons and isolation of persons on account of COVID-19 present no other option; but to close the camps because of the large aggregation of persons in close social contacts.

    With the abundance of caution, mitigation of errors is easily achievable. Further information/development shall be conveyed as directed. You’re to act with absolute dispatch, please,” the statement concluded.

    In compliance with the directive,the Lagos State NYSC Coordinator, Eddy Megwa, told corps members during morning meditation on Wednesday the parade ground to leave the orientation camp as soon as possible.

    “We have been asked to close down all orientation camps and discharged the corps members to their various places of primary assignment,” Megwa said.

    He said the abrupt ending of the camp was part of preventive measures taken by NYSC against the spread of deadly coronavirus in the country.

    The virus has killed over 7000 persons globally while three cases of the virus have been confirmed in Nigeria.

    Megwa told corps members that the directive was passed to all the state coordinators early this morning to indefinitely shut down all orientation camps across the country.

    “All corps members should avoid travelling, getting free rides from strangers, which could be detrimental to your lives,” Megwa told the corps members.

    “You are expected to go back to your different residential address pending the time when all dust will be settled over this coronavirus.

    “I want to believe it is to avert anything that could endanger the lives of the corps members and the staff of NYSC.”

    NYSC had on Thursday 12 March performed the swearing-in ceremony for the 2020 Batch A, Stream 1 corps members, who came into the orientation camps on Tuesday 10 and were expected to leave on March 30.

    The Stream 2 corps members were expected to resume camp on April 2.

    All corps members would receive their transport allowance and letters for their places of primary assignment, as well as their identity cards before leaving the orientation camps.

    They have also been told to report to their Local governments today.

    Upon hearing the news the corps members jubilated, as they won’t be subjected to the military drills, which a lot of them dread.

    A corps member, Esther Ajileye, said she was indifferent but happy that she did not have to undergo the stress of the military drills.

    Another corps member Titi Odebiyi, a corp member in Lagos orientation camp said she was happy with the camp closure.

    She said the reason for closing the camp showed the government has the wellbeing of the corps members at heart.

    Recall that trained health personnel had screened corps members and other persons with infrared thermometers at the point of entry into the camp to guard against the possible contraction of coronavirus and Lassa fever within the orientation camps.

    The Lagos State NYSC management also strengthened the preventive measures by putting water containers and hand sanitizers at various points at the orientation camp, while mandating all the staff, traders and corps members to wash their hands regularly.

  • Why we shut down AIT, Raypower indefinitely – NBC

    Why we shut down AIT, Raypower indefinitely – NBC

    The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has explained that it suspended the licence of Daar Communications, owners of Africa Independent Television and Ray Power radio, for failure to abide by Nigerian Broadcasting Code.

    The Director-General of NBC, Malam Is’haq Modibbo-Kawu made this known on Thursday in Abuja.

    Kawu said over the last two years, NBC summoned the management of the company to address issues regarding the operations of AIT and Raypower; particularly on the programmes called the Political Platform and Kakaaki.

    He explained that in one of its meetings with the company held on June 2, 2017 the commission expressed its disappointment with the way and manner hate speech, divisive and inciting comments are applied in discussion of national issues in breach of the provisions of the NBC Act and Broadcast Code.

    According to Kawu, Daar Communications has over the years turned itself into a bad example of how a professional broadcast outfit should not be run.

    “In their relationship with the NBC, Daar communications carry on as if it is beyond the regulatory direction of the commission.

    “They don’t pay their licence fees as and when due and its broadcast is patently partisan and one sided and deliberately inciting and heating up the polity.

    “The management of the Company has created the habit of using the channel to fight its personal battles contrary to the statutory requirements of the law.”

    The D-G said on June 6 AIT and Raypower embarked on use of inflammatory, divisive, inciting broadcasts, and media propaganda against the government and the NBC for performing its statutory functions of regulating the broadcast industry in Nigeria.

    “Recently, NBC monitoring reports on AIT and Raypower indicate the use of divisive comments accredited to the segment of “Kakaaki”, tagged, “Kakaaki Social”,

    “Where inciting comments like, “Nigeria is cursed, “we declare independent state of Niger Delta”, “Nigeria irritates me”, “this country is gradually Islamising” and other similar slogans are used without editorial control in breach of the broadcast Code.

    “Consequently, after several meetings with management of Daar Communications Plc and many letters of warning, the NBC, today June 6, 2019 took a decision to suspend the licence of
    Daar Communications Plc for failure to abide by the commission’s directives, the provisions of the NBC Act Cap N11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

    “This decision is based on the provisions of Section 10 of the Third Schedule of the NBC Act Cap N11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which states that where in the opinion of the commission the station has been used in a manner detrimental to national interest.

    The NBC act also empowers the commission to wield the stick where there is wilful or repeated failure to operate substantially as set forth in the licence, where there is wilful or repeated violation or wilful or repeated failure to observe any provision of this Act or any rule or regulation of the Commission authorised by this Act or by a treaty ratified by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where there is violation of or failure to observe any cease and desist order issued by the Commission and where a provision of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code has been seriously breached.

    Kawu said the shutdown order is until further notice.”

  • 2019: NSA speaks on alleged plans to shutdown internet during elections

    The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has dismissed the allegation by the governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyelsom Wike, that there were plans by the ONSA to rig the forthcoming general elections by shutting down the nation’s internet system.

    The NSA, Major Gen. Babagana Monguno(rtd), in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, said there was no iota of truth in the allegation.

    He advised Nigerians to disregard the allegation entirely.

    The statement reads :”The attention of the Office of the National Security Adviser has been drawn to the allegation making the rounds in the media that the Federal Government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to work with internet service providers to shut down internet access during the forthcoming elections to facilitate rigging of the 2019 elections.

    “The office wishes to advise the general public to disregard the allegation which is disinformation.

    “This office wishes to state that the internet and associated communications infrastructure are major components of the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) which the ONSA is mandated to ensure its security.

    “Accordingly, the office, in collaboration with relevant ministries, departments and agencies of government, makes continuous efforts to protect them and improve service delivery to Nigerians.

    “Furthermore, every single national security platform in the country rides on the same internet to function. Therefore ‘shutting down’ the internet is akin to shutting down national development and security.

    “The Office of the National Security Adviser remains committed to protecting the rights of the public to access Information and Communication Technology facilities. The office also remains non-partisan and committed to ensuring that Nigerians freely exercise their civic rights.”

  • US embassy, consulate in Nigeria shutdown indefinitely

    US embassy, consulate in Nigeria shutdown indefinitely

    The United States of America embassy in Abuja and its consulate in Lagos have shutdown indefinitely, TNG can authoritatively report.

    Consequently, the shutdown will affect thousands of Nigerians who might have a pending visa appointments as the embassy in Abuja and Consulate in Lagos.

    This implies that persons who have applied for tourist, study, business visas, immigrant visas or any other travel document will have to cancel their plans.

    The embassy said in a Facebook post that the development was caused by the government shutdown in the US.

    The statement read, “Due to the current US government shutdown, the American centres located in the embassy, Abuja and Consulate-General, Lagos are unfortunately closed. They will re-open once the US government shutdown is resolved. Sorry for any inconvenience to our valued patrons.”

    Recall that the executive arm of government led by President Donald Trump and the legislative arm have been at loggerheads for nearly two months over Trump’s attempt to build a wall along the Mexican border.

    Building a wall was one of Trump’s major campaign promises as part of efforts to curb illegal migration and crime.

    He had boasted during his campaign that the Mexican government would pay for the wall.

    However, with the refusal of the Mexican government to fund the wall, the President approached the US legislative, asking the bi-cameral institution to provide $5bn which would be used in funding the wall.

    The Congress, however, rejected Trump’s proposal.

    On December 11, Trump held a televised meeting with Speaker-designee, Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, in which he asked them to support $5bn in funding for the border wall.

    They refused and Trump said: “I am proud to shut down the government for border security … I will be the one to shut the government down. I’m not going to blame you for it … I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down.”

    Three days later, Politico reported that Trump was willing to sign a bill that delayed a government shutdown into 2019 and the new Congress.

    On December 19, the Senate unanimously passed a continuing resolution, the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019, lasting until February 8, 2019.

    Pelosi announced that House Democrats would support such a measure, meaning it would pass the House even in the wake of opposition from conservative Republicans. After increasing criticism from conservative media, pundits and political figures Trump completed a U-turn and declared that he would not sign any funding bill that did not include border wall funding.

     

  • NLC shutdowns MTN offices nationwide over alleged stringent policies

    NLC shutdowns MTN offices nationwide over alleged stringent policies

    The Nigeria Labour Congress on Monday disrupted activities of MTN Nigeria in protest against non-unionisation of its workers.

    The leadership of the union and other members barricaded the head office of the company in Lagos on Monday for about eight hours, preventing workers from carrying out their daily duties.

    The protesters, led by the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, gained access into the MTN office in Lagos around 6am and reportedly replicated the labour action simultaneously nationwide.

    Ayuba said the picketing was a follow-up to the Oct 7, 2017 picketing of MTN office in Abuja.

    “There are a lot of anti-labour practices which the company is practising among which is that they have denied the workers to freedom of association and denied them the right to collective bargaining. No violence was recorded; it was very peaceful,” he said.

    The Lagos State NLC Chairman, Idowu Adelakun, said the union would picket Glo, Airtel and 9mobile as well, for their refusal to allow workers to join the labour movement.

    He said the action at MTN offices would continue until workers in the company were allowed to join the labour union and new executive members elected.

    “Anywhere we see that workers have been denied their rights to be unionised, we know those companies are not prepared to negotiate any good wages for the workers. If MTN had responded, we would have stopped the action today. We will continue to be there until they listen to the voice of the people,” Adelakun said.

    MTN Nigeria, in a statement signed by its Corporate Relations Executive, Tobechukwu Okigbo, registered its displeasure at the destruction of its property.

    He added that the company was not against freedom of association as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution.

    He said, “Today’s violence and the needless destruction of property are deeply saddening. As always our primary concern is the safety and well-being of our employees, some of whom were attacked by supposed NLC operatives and have sustained injuries.

    “We do not prevent our employees from associating amongst themselves as they deem fit and owe our employees the obligation to ensure they are not compelled to join associations. MTN supports the freedom of association as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.

    “All workers have rights that should be protected. We work hard to not only ensure that this is done but also that our company is a great place to work. We will continue to champion our peoples’ rights, whether they are part of a union or not and work hard to minimise disruptions in service to our customers.”

     

  • Codeine saga: NAFDAC lifts shutdown on Emzor, two other companies

    Codeine saga: NAFDAC lifts shutdown on Emzor, two other companies

    The National Agency for Food, Drug, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Saturday lifted the shutdown order on three companies who were closed on May 7, for production of codeine cough syrups have been lifted and the normal company operations could resume.

    The companies include the Emzor Pharmaceuticals Ind. Ltd, Lagos, Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Limited and Bioraj Pharmaceutical Limited in Ilorin, Kwara.

    According to a statement from the agency, the Director-General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye gave the directive following meetings held with the companies and its directorates of Investigation and Enforcement (I&E), Drug Evaluation Research (DER) and Narcotics and Controlled Substances (NCS).

    According to NAFDAC, the production of codeine syrup is to be stopped immediately until further notice while investigations continue.

    “Therefore, the hold placed on the active pharmaceutical ingredient and the already made codeine syrups stands. NAFDAC will monitor the compliance.

    “All codeine products are to be recalled and the process verified through audit trail verified by NAFDAC.

    “Embargo has been placed on new applications for permit or renewals for the importation of codeine as an active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations, i.e., NAFDAC will not issue any permit until further notice

    “The companies have been charged with administrative fees that are commensurate with the respective violations,” the statement said.

    NAFDAC said that it would hold a stakeholders meeting on the codeine crisis in a few days to develop a roadmap for the supply chain distribution and the future of codeine syrup manufacturing.

    The agency also noted that the stakeholders meeting was in line with the Minister of Health pronouncements in his press release on the codeine crisis.

    Recall that NAFDAC clamped down on the three companies due to their inability to provide required documents for NAFDAC officials during an inspection of the facilities on May 2 and 3 at Ilorin and Lagos.

    Earlier, the Federal Ministry of Health had announced a ban on the production and import of cough syrup containing codeine.

  • MMM announces final shutdown over founder’s death

    …Says it initially warned participants of the risks involved

    Sequel to the death of its founder, the management of the global ponzi scheme, Mavrodi Mundial Moneybox (MMM) on Friday announced a final shut down of operations.

    The ponzi scheme made the announcement on its official global website on Friday.

    Recall that the founder, Sergey Mavrodi, died of heart attack on March 26.

    The scheme, which collapsed over a year ago in many countries including Nigeria, has been a subject of controversy globally.

    Mavrodi launched his controversial scheme in 2011 and crashed in Nigeria in December 2016; with millions of Naira belonging to Nigerians trapped in the scheme.

    Although the scheme announced a comeback in 2017, it could not launch operation before the renewed enthusiasm among its members fizzled out.

    On Friday, the scheme said continuous operation without Mr. Mavrodi made no sense.

    “Dear participants, after much deliberation, we have made the conclusion that continuing the System operation, without our leader and ideological inspire, is impossible and makes no sense,” the statement read in part.

    “We all carried out the tasks he assigned to us, since we had no doubt in his genius and rightness of the path he had chosen. We are firmly aware of the fact that none of us has a full view of his conception’s profoundness and sequence of all the actions to achieve a final goal, declared in the “MMM’s Ideology”.

    ”Sergey Mavrodi’s broadmindedness scale is unprecedented. Therefore any attempts to continue the System operation without him are bound to fail. We respect him immeasurably and cannot afford to allow that our unskilled actions may cause profanation of his concepts.”

    The scheme, which said members were aware of the risks involved initially, therefore announced final closure.

    ”In view of the above, with deep sadness, we have to announce the ultimate and irreversible MMM closure.

    ”We also remind (as a matter of form) that all initially were fully aware of the risks and read the WARNING and confirmed that by checking the relevant box when registering.

    ”Hoping for your understanding, Administration,” the statement reads.

     

  • #BBNaija: Shock waves as Big Brother broadcast shuts down

    Viewers of the ongoing Big Brother Naija reality show could not believe their eyes yesterday when suddenly the broadcast shut down and stopped airing around 3pm. As the anxious viewers were still ruminating on what the probable cause of the interruption could be, the show’s organisers came up with an apology message for the break in transmission.

    Yesterday was the first time since the commencement of the reality show that viewers were experiencing a disruption in the broadcast.

     

    The message on the show’s dedicated channel, 198 on DSTV, simply read: “Apologies for the break in Transmission. We will be back soon.”

    The broadcast later resumed after whatever caused the interruption was fixed.

     

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  • Trump signs deal to end US government shutdown

    Trump signs deal to end US government shutdown

    A brief U.S. government shutdown ended on Friday after Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law a wide-ranging deal that is expected to push budget deficits into the $1 trillion-a-year zone.

    The bill was approved by a wide margin in the Senate and it survived a rebellion of 67 conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives thanks to the support of some Democrats. Those conservatives were mainly angry about non-military spending increases.

    Trump’s signature brought an end to a partial government shutdown – or closure of federal agencies – that had been triggered in the early hours of Friday as Congress was still debating the budget deal.

    It was the second shutdown this year under the Republican-controlled Congress and Trump, who played little role in attempts by party leaders this week to end months of fiscal squabbling.

    In a Twitter post that acknowledged the misgivings of fiscal conservatives, the Republican president said after signing the measure, “Without more Republicans in Congress, we were forced to increase spending on things we do not like or want in order to finally, after many years of depletion, take care of our Military” with additional funding.

    Trump also wrote that negotiations will “start now!” on an immigration measure that he and Democrats have been battling over for months.

    The deal, the fifth temporary government funding measure for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, replenishes federal coffers until March 23, giving lawmakers more time to write a full-year budget.

    It also extends the U.S. government’s borrowing authority until March 2019, sparing Washington politicians difficult votes on debt and deficits until after mid-term congressional elections in November.

    The Republican Party was once known for fiscal conservatism, but congressional Republicans and Trump are now quickly expanding the U.S. budget deficit and its $20 trillion national debt. Their sweeping tax overhaul bill approved in December will add an estimated $1.5 trillion to the national debt over 10 years.

    Nearly $300 billion in new spending that is included in the bill approved on Friday will mean the annual budget deficit will exceed $1 trillion in 2019, said the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a private fiscal policy watchdog group in Washington.

    Friday’s budget deal allows for $165 billion in additional defense spending over two years, which will help Trump deliver on his promise to boost the military.

    That won over many Republicans, but some were furious over the $131 billion extra made available for non-military spending, including health and infrastructure.

    None of the added spending will be offset by budget savings elsewhere or revenue increases, relying instead on government borrowing. There also is no offset reduction for nearly $90 billion in new disaster aid for U.S. states and territories ravaged by hurricanes or wildfires last year.

    The U.S. Office of Personnel Management sent a notice to millions of federal employees Friday morning after Trump signed the measure, telling them to report to work.