DAILY RENDEZVOUS

Daily Rendezvous The attention of the Member representing Gombi/Hong Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives,Rt. Hon.( Dr.) Yusuf Buba Yakub,has been drawn to a piece of fake news dated December 27,2021, and captioned as below: _Terrorists Take Over Hometown of Buhari's SGF,Boss Mustapha, Residents Flee Homes Over Impending Attacks_. It is purported to have been published by a New York, United States-based online media outfit ,Sahara Reporters. The piece,in what did not go past two paragraphs,informed its readers that residents of both Dabna and Kwapre communities of Garaha Ward in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State have been taken over by terrorists and bandits such that the residents of these communities have now fled their homes for fear of attacks. While noting that this publication is yet again another instance of fake news against which the Federal Government of Nigeria has in the past few months continued to canvas to instil some form of reg...

Daily Rendezvous Christmas, is the time of the year when Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. As Christians in Nigeria and Adamawa join other faithfuls around the world to mark this holy season and to spend time with friends and family, I wish to felicitate with them all. The year 2021 globally and in Nigeria, and indeed our dear state, Adamawa, has been a year of uncommon challenges of insecurity, inflation and general economic downturn worsened by COVID situation which has continued to mutate.  This no doubt is making this Christmas a special one that despite our challenges, we would resolve as a people to be joyous as  Christmas signifies.  Christmas is undoubtedly, a time of joy, happiness, and a time for sharing and caring for one another as our brothers and sisters keepers. So, Let us open our arms, doors and hearts to reach out to friends and family and especially to those in need at this Christmas. Let us remember that the...

Daily Rendezvous Adamawa State Governor Rt. Hon Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has urged Nigerians to see the period of Christmas as an opportunity to rekindle acts of love and kindness to one another and especially to the vulnerable in the society.  "Do good this Christmas season by remembering the less privileged," he said. Governor Fintiri notes that it is in line with the spirit of Christmas to do good to all and to live every day in service of others.  "When we commit our hearts and our hands to making the world around us a better place for all, we are fulfilling the promise that began in the humble Manger in Bethlehem. I therefore urge you to take the festive season to reflect on the blessings and favour of the outgoing year, while at the same time preparing for a better 2022. It is a time to render service to others as Jesus did," the Governor added.  Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri reminded Christians that the true gift of Christmas are not material but rath...

Daily Rendezvous On Jan 1, 2022, Lamido Adamawa, Dr. Barkindo Musdafa, will turban Dr. Abubakar Abba Tahir as the official spokesman of the Fombina Kingdom. The Lamido Fombina sphere of influence extends to the Adamawa region covering parts of the Cameroons, Tchad, and central Africa. The Emirate Council conveyed  the Adamawa State government's approval of the appointment via an official letter to Dr Tahir in December 2020. At the pleasure of the Lamido, KaaKaaKey Adamawa title holder will oversee the public relations functions of the Emirate's administration. At various times, Dr. Tahir led the American University of Nigeria, Yola, in engaging with the host community. Dr. Tahir, who was overjoyed at the title conferral, says, “I can hardly quantify or qualify my excitement and appreciation and that of my family, friends, colleagues, and associates. And for singling him out of several qualified candidates, my gratitude to the 12th Lamido Fombina remains immeasurable...

Daily Rendezvous The Federal Government has declared Monday 27th, Tuesday 28th December 2021 and Monday, 3rd January 2022 as public holidays to mark Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year's Day celebrations respectively. Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, felicitates with Christians and all Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora on this year’s Christmas and New Year celebrations. Ogbeni Aregbesola enjoins Christians to practice the doctrines of Christ, which include but not limited to these – faith, hope and love. “We must emulate the life of Jesus Christ in His practice and teachings on Humility, Service, Compassion, Patience, Peace and Righteousness, that His birth signifies. This will be the best way to portray Christ and celebrate his birth”, he noted. He emphasizes that peace and security are two critical conditions for economic development and prosperity. He urges Christians and Nigeri...

Daily Rendezvous WHO advises against use of convalescent plasma   or covid-19 Current evidence shows no improvement in survival and other important measures Convalescent plasma (a transfusion of blood plasma from someone who has recovered from covid-19) is not recommended for patients with covid-19, says a WHO Guideline Development Group of international experts in  The BMJ  today. Despite its initial promise, current evidence shows that it does not improve survival nor reduce the need for mechanical ventilation, and it is costly and time-consuming to administer. As such, the WHO makes a strong recommendation against the use of convalescent plasma in patients with non-severe illness, and a recommendation against its use in patients with severe and critical illness, except in the context of a randomised controlled trial (RCT). The recommendations are based on evidence from 16 trials involving 16,236 patients with non-severe, severe, and critical covid-19 infect...

Daily Rendezvous GENEVA  – Inequities have been widely acknowledged as barriers to achieving global and national goals and targets in HIV, TB and malaria programs. However, the magnitude and extent of underlying health inequalities have remained poorly documented and understood. Until those inequalities are better identified, and their consequences better understood, it will be hard for programmes to meet people’s real health needs. Now, for the first time, a  new report  from the World Health Organization and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, systematically assesses the global  State of inequality: HIV, tuberculosis and malaria . The report represents an important step forward in understanding how inequalities are hindering the fight against the three diseases. Using the latest available global data for 32 health indicators up to 186 countries, it shows that while national averages of HIV, TB and malaria indicators have generally i...

Daily Rendezvous 10th Global Conference on health promotion. Today, we also celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and the 10th anniversary of the Political Declaration on the Social Determinants of Health adopted in Rio de Janeiro. The theme of this year’s conference is well-being, equity and sustainable development. The Constitution of WHO, written more than 70 years ago in the aftermath of the Second World War, famously affirms that “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. What does that mean? It means that health does not begin in a hospital or clinic. It begins in our homes and communities, with the food we eat and the water we drink, the air we breathe, in our schools and our workplaces. Since then, that affirmation has been reinforced by the commitment to “Health for All” at the Alma-Ata Conference of 1978, the Astana Declaration in 2018, and most rece...

Daily Rendezvous President Muhammad Buhari has declined assent to the much awaited Electoral Act Bill citing cost, violation of the political parties rights to choose their mode of primaries,  among other reasons, as the basis for refusing accent to the bill. In declining assent to the bill, Buhari has just floated a confusing narrative from his 2019 position when he claimed there was not enough time to consider the bill. In a letter to the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, the president said that prevailing situation in the country would not allow him to sign the bill. Among other reasons for rejecting the bill, the president cited high cost of conducting direct primaries, the security challenge of monitoring the election, violation of citizens’ rights and marginalization of small political parties. Buhari said he had received informed advice from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Government, and had also carefully reviewed the Bill in light...

Daily Rendezvous The NCDC has confirmed that about 80 persons of the 434 confirmed cases of Lassa Fever in Nigeria have died. This means that the homorrhaging disease has about 18% mortality rate. NCDC says, since January 2021, a total of 434 confirmed cases with 80 deaths have been reported from seventeen (17) States and sixty-three (63) Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria. This contained in a press statement issued by the NCDC and made available to Newsmen, Wednesday. The NCDC says it has intensified activities for Lassa fever surveillance and response following outbreaks of cases in Nigeria. The Center for Disease Control called on Nigerians to maintain a high level of environmental sanitation, dispose waste properly and to keep food stuffs like rice, beans, garri, maize, corn/maize, etc in a tigtly closed containers.   The statement reads, "On the 8th of December 2021, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was notified of the death of two p...

Daily Rendezvous A member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly representing Giwa West Constituency, Rilwanu Gagadau, has been killed by bandits. Rilwanu was the chairman of the House Committee on Local Government. He was among those recently attacked by the bandits along Zaria-Kaduna Highway, leading to his death. The Kaduna State House of Assembly confirmed the incident through the house clerk. Also confirming the incident, the Speaker of the Assembly, Yusuf Zailani, described the lawmaker’s death as tragic. In a statement on Wednesday, he revealed that Gadagau died during the attack by bandits along the highway and his body was recovered two days later. “This is tragic and painful. We are in deep grief over this sad incident,” said Zailani, who condoled with the lawmaker’s family and members of the legislature over the incident. “Our prayers at this time, go to his immediate family. Honourable Gadagau was a young and dynamic lawmaker, who had a passion for hi...

Daily Rendezvous Nigeria's senate President, Ahmed Lawan, has showered praises on the senator representing southern Adamawa, Binos Dauda Yaroe, for his consistency in funding a medical outreach that is now in its seventh stage since assuming office in 2019. Lawan said, Binos's focus, vision and enterprise, exemplifies how spirited individuals in Nigerian communities can add value to government and governance by making available to their constituents the overall essence of constitutional goals of public good. Ahmed Lawan made this known in a speech he delivered at the seventh edition of the medical outreach in Jada local government of Adamawa state. Lawan who was represented by Senator Bulus Amos said, the  A free medical outreach which is estimated to have reached over fifty thousand persons in Adamawa state, exemplifies the spirit of the ninth senate in its resolve to improve the lot of Nigerians. Lawan said electing good leaders like Senator Binos, is ...

Daily Rendezvous Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has showered priases on the outgoing local government chairmen in the state describing their two-year term in office as outstanding. Gov.Fintiri commended the chairmen for their positive contributions in strengthening democracy in the state and also charged them to take advantage of the positive impact they made while serving, in order to seek for a smooth return to office. Fintiri made the remarks in a press statement issued by his press secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, Wednesday. The governor while commending the local government officials, used the occasion to reiterate his government's commitment to the welfare of the people of the state. Fintiri said, "Your services to the people and the State is commendable. PDP and my humble self are proud of you. You'll go down in history as part of the success story of our social re-engineering process in Adamawa especially our rural and urban renewal drive. "You are em...

Daily Rendezvous Nigeria's permanent secretary, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gabriel Aduda has met with his counterpart from Algeria,  the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ramtane Lamamra and the Minister of Transport, Mr. Bekai Aissa where they discussed strategies for deepening bilateral relations between the two countries. The top government officials noted that it has become imparative to strengthen intra-African economic integration through road, air and rail transport systems connectivity across African countries. This was made known in a joint press statement issued by Nigeria-Algeria embassies, Wednesday. The press statement reads, "In continuation of his official visit to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria for the third Session of Bilateral Consultations, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ambassador Gabriel T. Aduda, separately met the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria, H.E. Mr. ...

Daily Rendezvous The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed three (3) more cases of COVID-19 with the B.1.1.529 SARS-CoV-2 lineage, i.e., the Omicron variant, in Nigeria. In addition to the three cases announced earlier on 1st December 2021, this brings the total number of confirmed cases of the Omicron variant detected in Nigeria to six (6).  All the Omicron cases so far were detected in persons with recent travel history to South Africa in November.   The NCDC through the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) continues to coordinate genomic surveillance activities across the country to sequence all positive COVID-19 samples from international travellers arriving in Nigeria. This includes sequencing of positive samples from international travellers from October 2021 to date.  The Delta variant remains the dominant variant and so far, we have not seen the replacement of this variant by the new Omicron variant as observed elsewhe...

Daily Rendezvous  The Adamawa state governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has proscribed the activities of Professional Hunters Association of Nigeria, banning their activities in the 21 local governments of Adamawa state over security concerns the group is reported to have been causing. Fintiri said, the Hunters Association has been working contrary to the essence of its creation, as the group is reported to have been showing total disregard for security agencies and for traditional authorities in their localities. This is contained in a press statement issued by the press secretary to the Adamawa state governor, Humwashi Wonosikou, and made available to Newsmen, Monday in Yola, Adamawa state. The statement further states that security operatives should ensure compliance of the directives especially in the five Adamawa state local governments of Numan, Demsa, Lamurde, Shelleng and Guyuk. The statement reads, "The Adamawa State Government has banned the operation...

Daily Rendezvous Canada, Tuesday, banned travellers from Nigeria, Egypt, and Malawi over fears of the spread of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, bringing to 10 the number of African countries targeted by Ottawa, according to AFP. “Foreign nationals who have transited or stayed in these 10 countries cannot enter Canada if they have been in those countries in the last two weeks,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said at a press conference. He also said all air travelers arriving from outside Canada, apart from the United States, would now need to be tested for Covid-19 at their point of entry, “Whether they are vaccinated or unvaccinated,” and that those travelers will need to isolate until their test results are available. First reported to the World Health Organization less than a week ago after being detected in southern Africa earlier in November, the Omicron variant has already appeared in several countries, stoking global fears about a coronavirus pandemic that has ...

Daily Rendezvous The Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed two cases of the deadly Omnicron COVID-19 variant, Daily Rendezvous reports. Thus, Nigeria has joined the expanding list of countries that have confirmed cases of the new COVID-19 variant called Omicron. The Omicron variant was identified in two travellers from South Africa last week through genomic sequencing of positive samples by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The World Health Organisation (WHO) had labelled the new variant a Variant of Concern (VOC) after it was seen to be more transmissible with increased risk of re-infection. The Director General of the NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, urged States to ensure strict compliance with preventive measures while ramping up sample collection and testing, especially with approved Antigen-based Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT). Adetifa also called on Nigerians to get vaccinated and adhere to the proven safety measures such as wearing ...

Daily Rendezvous The Lagos State Government has released the White Paper on the #EndSARS Panel of Inquiry report. According to the government, 11 out of the 32 recommendations made by the panel, have been accepted, six others were accepted but with modifications, while one was rejected. The document also says 14 of the recommendations fall outside the powers of the state and will consequently be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration. A leaked version of the report had indicted the Nigerian Army and the Lagos State Government in the killing of unarmed protesters and a subsequent cover-up of the incident at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020. But after the panel submitted its findings to Governor Sanwo-Olu, he set up a four-member committee led by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), giving them two weeks to raise the White Paper on the reports submitted by the panel. After a press briefi...

Daily Rendezvous WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE).  This decision was based on the evidence presented to the TAG-VE that Omicron has several mutations that may have an impact on how it behaves, for example, on how easily it spreads or the severity of illness it causes. Here is a summary of what is currently known.   Current knowledge about Omicron   Researchers in South Africa and around the world are conducting studies to better understand many aspects of Omicron and will continue to share the findings of these studies as they become available.   Transmissibility: It is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible (e.g., more easily spread from person to person) compared to other variants, including Delta. The number of people testing positive has risen in areas of South Africa affected by this variant, but epidemiologic s...