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The executive director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Muhammad Ali Pate, has disclosed that Nigeria has had not less than 98% reduction in poliomyelitis in the last two years.

Mr. Pate, who made the remark in a recent interview with NEXT in Abuja, also said the country has witnessed a drastic reduction in measles, compared to where it was in the past.

“We have had more than 98% reduction in polio compared to where we were in 2008 when World Health Assembly passed a resolution condemning Nigeria. So you have renowned persons like Bill Gate and the DG of the World Health Organization, commending Nigeria, saying Nigeria has done very well.

“In the case of measles, we have seen drastic reduction compared to where we were in the past, but we need to maintain these gains; otherwise, these are infectious diseases that can come back again. We don’t want that to happen. So we are doing all that we can to ensure that they don’t come back again,” he said.

He maintained that the agency had made tremendous progress in its effort at controlling diseases that affect the children across the country.

“We have just completed the first phase of the campaign against measles, and routine immunisation coverage is going on between 2008 and 2010 based on the national immunisation coverage survey. We have seen the revitalisation of the primary health care system through the midwives service scheme and our effort at engaging the community health workers. So, that is an important beginning and we are very confident that if this country continues in this direction, overtime, we will see basic service becoming more available and people becoming more healthier,” Mr. Pate said.

On the just-concluded immunization programme, he said it was a successful one, pointing out that the End Process Data is being compiled.

He, however, said that more investment needs to be seen in prevention and guaranteeing immunisation, noting that financial support for the agency has always not been enough.

The executive director further said for the country to achieve its 20:20: goals in the health sector, everyone must be involved, as such demands a national effort.

More surprises
emerged from the official list of candidates released by the
Independent National Electoral Commission yesterday when the names of
the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and the
Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel were absent from the list.

The state’s
Resident Electoral Commissioner, Martins Okunfolami who confirmed this
also announced that Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, daughter of the former
President, Olusegun Obasanjo has qualified to contest for a seat in the
Senate. Mr Obasanjo has thus confirmed his supremacy in the state’s
politics.

Mr. Bankole lost to
Olusegun Alawode who is now the Peoples Democratic Party candidate to
the lower house of the National Assembly, while Mr. Daniel lost the
slot to contest for Senate to Muhammed Adetunji Toheeb. Lola
Abiola-Edewor, daughter of the late politician, Moshood Abiola lost to
Mrs Obasanjo-Bello.

Bankole’s chance

However, Mr.
Bankole may still be accommodated in the list, as the Olurin camp has
engineered an internal arrangement in which the candidate in Abeokuta
South, where he(Bankole) comes from, can step down for the speaker.
This opportunity is said to be possible under the electoral provision
which states that the name of a candidate can still be substituted
between now and February 15.

Gaffe

A bizarre twist was
added to the drama when it was discovered that the list of Niger State
House of Assembly candidates has been sent to Ogun State by the
electoral commission. This mistake was found when the Ogun State office
of the commission was collating its list. Mr Okunfolami said, ‘‘The
State Assembly candidates for Niger State was sent to me here, I just
connected with my colleague, I was thinking of faxing it to him, when I
told him, he said I should DHL it to him.’’

Later, when the
state’s authentic list was sent, Tunji Olurin was listed as the
governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while his
running mate is Tunde Oladunjoye, a journalist and former local
government chairman in the state. Ibikunle Amosun is the governorship
candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria {CAN}, and his deputy is Segun
Adesegun, a former Commissioner in the state. Also, a former deputy
governor under the administration of Olusegun Osoba, Sefiu Adegbenga
Kaka, was announced as the Senatorial candidate for the ACN in Ogun
East.

Phillip Umeadi, the
commission’s national commissioner in charge of legal affairs, had at
the weekend explained that the current list of candidates is not final
as substitutions may occur due to court orders and other reasons.

He added: “ If you
look at Section 31 of the Electoral Act, it says political parties
would submit to the INEC the particulars of candidate they intend to
sponsor for the election. They are not sponsoring them yet; it is just
an expression of intent.’’

Abacha’s luck

In Kano State,
Mohammed Abacha, son of the late military dictator emerged the
governorship candidate of the Congress for progressive Change. In the
party’s governorship primary election held last month, Mr. Abacha had
led in 21 of the 44 councils of the state with over 144,000 votes as
against 78,000 scored by Lawal Jafaru Isa his opponent who was a former
military administrator of Kaduna State.

However, the
party’s board of trustees in Abuja had submitted Mr. Isa’s name to the
INEC. At the display of Mr. Abacha’s name yesterday hundreds of youth
took to the street of Kano in jubilation. Some of them shouted the
praise of Attahiru Jega saying that he is a man of integrity who has
just proved that by declaring Mr. Abacha the winner of the governorship
primaries.

The Ekiti State
list shows that former governor of the state, Ayodele Fayose is to
contest the Ekiti Central Senatorial District under the banner of
Labour Party, while Kayode Alufa is candidate of the PDP. However,
against all expectations, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
presented Kolawole Olagunju as its candidate for Ekiti Central. The two
aspirants on the platform of the party, Babafemi Ojudu and Opeyemi
Bamidele, the two contenders were not listed.

The ACN had
witnessed protracted crisis over who to field among Mr. Ojudu, Dele
Alake former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr
Bamidele and Bode Ola, who holds the post now. Mr. Ojudu in a telephone
interview claimed that Mr. Kolawole will fill a withdrawal form to
allow his (Ojudu) own name to be sent. A son-in-law to Bola Tinubu,
former governor of Lagos State, Mr Oye Ojo was listed as the candidate
for House of Representative in the Ekiti Central Federal Constituency 2.

South Sudan voted overwhelmingly to declare its independence in final results of a referendum made public on Monday, opening the door to Africa’s newest state and a fresh period of uncertainty for the fractured region.

A total of 98.83 percent of voters from Sudan’s oil-producing south chose to secede from the north in last month’s referendum, according to a video display of the vote seen by Reuters at the venue of the announcement.

The referendum is the climax of a 2005 north-south peace accord that set out to end Africa’s longest civil war and instil democracy in a country that straddles the continent’s Arab-sub Saharan divide.

Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir earlier said he accepted the result of the vote, allaying fears that the split could reignite conflict over the control of the south’s oil reserves.

“Today we received these results and we accept and welcome these results because they represent the will of the southern people,” President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said in an address on state TV.

Southern officials say the question of a name for the new state is unresolved but it could become just “South Sudan”.

South Sudan’s leader Salva Kiir added to the conciliatory mood by promising he would help Khartoum campaign for the forgiveness of the country’s crippling debts and the easing of international trade sanctions in coming months.

Both sides did avoid major outbreaks of violence over the past five years. But they failed to overcome decades of deep mutual distrust to persuade southerners to embrace unity.

Hundreds of people started gathering in the southern capital Juba on Monday to celebrate the results.

“Today I don’t fear war anymore, it is the past … Our leaders have made friends with the north, but for me, I can never forgive them for what I have seen. I don’t hate them now, but I never want to see them again,” said Riak Maker, 29, as men drummed and women ululated around him.

Civil war

Many southerners see the vote as a chance to end to years of northern repression, which they say stretches back through years of civil war to 19th century raids by slave traders. Bashir, who campaigned against secession, has surprised many commentators with a series of positive remarks about the south in recent weeks.

Washington has signalled it is ready to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism after a successful referendum, and help in easing crippling trade sanctions. The West’s hands may be tied by the continuing global uproar over Sudan’s separate Darfur conflict. Bashir is still living under the threat of arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court over charges he orchestrated genocide in Darfur.

Deep uncertainties remain over the economic and political stability of both territories over the next five months of intense negotiations over how to share their oil revenues and other unresolved issues.

Landlocked south Sudan is almost entirely dependent on oil revenues and has struggled to find other sources of income to support its economy, weighed down by the huge costs of its army and civil service wage bills.

The north is mired in its own economic crisis, marked by soaring inflation. A series of small street protests, part inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and neighbouring Egypt, has increased political pressure on Khartoum, as has the prospect of losing the south, seen as a matter of shame to some northerners.

The challenges were underlined over the weekend when soldiers in the southern town of Malakal mutinied, killing at least 50 people, after refusing to redeploy north with their weapons as part of preparations for the split.

Malakal has already seen north-south clashes since the end of the civil war, a conflict that killed 2 million people and destabilised the whole region, flooding it with refugees.

Other burning issues include the division of Sudan’s crippling debt, the position of the north-south border, the ownership of the contested oil-producing Abyei region and the regionally divisive share out of water from the river Nile.

Reuters

The Senate
committee on education has called on the government to allow the
education sector raise N500 billion bond to revitalise itself. The
committee’s new chairman, Uche Chukwumerijie (PDP Abia State), made the
appeal on Monday during the budget defence session of the education
ministry with the senate committee.

He said the federal
government recently bailed out the banking sector by the establishment
of Asset Management Company (AMCON) and that similar gestures should be
extended to the education sector which he said were in shambles.

“In my view,
dealing with the issues in our educational sector is equally a national
priority and we should allow the sector to raise a Bond of not less
than N500 billion to provide for the repositioning of the sector,” Mr
Chukwumerijie said.

He argued that
given the state of the country’s educational institutions, the goals of
achieving Vision 2020 and the need to lay a good foundation, it is
necessary to raise money for the sector “Indeed, our education sector
is not just deteriorating. It is in fact in shambles. It is a major
casualty of our decades of wrong prioritisation,” he added.

“The Education
sector, I must emphasise, requires a marshal plan,” he said. “The long
neglect of the education sector will sooner than later confront our
future with a grim of harvest. Nigeria is fast sliding into a class of
Philistines and glorified illiterates,” he added.

Insufficient funds

In the 2011 budget,
N339.481 billion was allocated to the education sector; a 25% increase
on the 2010 allocation. Of this sum, N279.314 billion will be spent on
personnel cost. N25.078 billion will be spent on overheads while
N35.088 billion will be spent on capital projects.

Further breakdown
of the budget showed that N7.248 billion is for the Federal Ministry of
Education and additional sum of N3.132 billion for capital projects.
Joint Admission Board (JAMB) got N2.228 billion while West African
Examination Council (WAEC) got N1.109 billion. Universal Basic
Education (UBE got the second largest allocation of N5.966 billion.
Those who attended the sitting however, said this was grossly
insufficient. Akingbade Agbaoye, deputy Executive Secretary of National
Universities Commission (NUC) said the NUC requested for additional N30
billion in the 2011 budget, he however lamented that money appropriated
for the institutions by the Executive have not been released. The
committee chairman, however, promised that the committee will give
adequate attention to the requests, this may lead to a possible
inflation of the proposed amount by the time it will be passed by the
entire National Assembly.

He also assured them that the amendment of the Education Trust Fund (ETF) will soon be completed.

Roadblocks posted across the country by the
Nigeria Police are there for specific purposes and not because of a
desire to defy an order banning them from the former inspector general
of police, Ogbonna Onovo, the Anambra state police commissioner has
said. Muhtari Ibrahim said this yesterday in Awka, the state capital,
at a media briefing to parade alleged suspects in response to a
question on why his men had continued to mount roadblocks.

Mr. Ibrahim said that roadblocks could be mounted
during “stop and search” operations arising from information that a
robbery or kidnap had taken place.

“There are no permanent roadblocks,” he claimed.

He further warned motorists against giving money to police officers when accosted on the road.

“If any policeman worries you, go to the nearest
police station and report such policemen and they will be tried and
dismissed if found guilty,” he said. “Tell the bus drivers and “okada”
drivers to stop bribing them. We should always protect our image. It’s
a crime to demand and give bribe. Let’s go out and fight it.”

The commissioner announced that several kidnap and robbery suspects
were arrested between December 12, 2010 and February 4, 2011 and said
the state police command was more than ready to deal with criminal
elements in the state. “I want to assure the people of Anambra that my
command is ready to maintain the existing peace,” he said. “We only ask
for your cooperation.”

The Southwest
secretariat of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday,
reassured that President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to Ibadan, the Oyo
State capital, to flag-off his presidential campaign in the zone will
hold as scheduled.

Tajudeen Oladipo,
the national vice chairman of the party for the zone, said this while
briefing the media on the activities lined up for the event at the
party office yesterday. Mr Oladipo called on the party members in the
zone to disregard news of a purported indefinite postponement of the
visit.

Text messages and
electronic media adverts yesterday claimed that the visit has been
postponed. The Ogun State television station, Gateway Television, also
aired announcements of the “postponement” repeatedly giving party
members reasons to worry as Governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State was
the zonal coordinator of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation,
before it was dissolved last week.

Mr Oladipo added
that the President will lead other members of the party in the region
to flag-off the campaign at Mapo Hall at 10.00 am today. He said the
crisis in the Ogun State chapter of the party has gone beyond the
regional leaders and has been handed over to the national secretariat
of the party.

The two opposing
camps of Governor Daniel and that of former President Olusegun
Obasanjo, have been slugging it out on whose candidates will make the
final list of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for
the 2011 general elections in the state, having held different
primaries to produce two separate lists of candidates for the elections.

Though the INEC eventually accepted the list from Mr Obasanjo’s
camp, Mr Oladipo noted that the matter has become a subject of
litigation and the Commission will be guided by a court decision on
which list will finally feature at the elections. Mr Oladipo also
informed that the party will use a political solution to calm frayed
nerves in the crisis, arguing that the party could produce two lists
because it has many qualified people for the available elective posts.

Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba, the deputy
secretary-general of the Commonwealth, will lead a team to Nigeria from
February 6 to February 9, to deliberate with political stakeholders on
the forthcoming April general elections.

This was contained in a statement
issued by the Commonwealth Communications and Public Affairs Division.
According to Mrs Masire-Mwambe, “Nigeria was a key and valued member of
the commonwealth family and the manner in which the elections were held
was of much interest to the association” she said. The leader of the
delegation also noted that any election is a complex and challenging
undertaking, and requires the cooperation and support of all
stakeholders. “The election management body must show the necessary
technical capability, and integrity, political leaders and parties must
display political will and the electorate needs to show faith in the
democratic process.” It added that all must reject violence and respect
the rule of law. The statement charged Nigeria to ensure that both the
process and outcome of the elections meet Commonwealth values as well
as international and regional electoral benchmarks.

The Commonwealth reaffirmed its support and expectation for a peaceful and credible electoral process in Nigeria.

There are indications that former two-time governor
of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion will be arraigned at the Federal High
Court, Benin today by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) to face a 26-count charge of alleged unlawful conversion and
criminal diversion of 25 billion naira state government shares in two
banks.

Mr Igbinedion who ruled Edo State between 1999 –
2003, had earlier been convicted and sentenced to three months
imprisonment following charges of corruption brought against him by the
EFCC.

He was however given an option of fine after a plea bargain.

Patriarch of Igbinedion family and father of the
former governor, Gabriel Igbinedion early yesterday morning with
several former associates of Governor Igbinedion who served in his
administration were sighted at the Edo State government house,
allegedly having consultation with the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole.

It was however not clear what he discussed with the
governor, but his visit to Government House yesterday fuelled strong
speculations making rounds in Benin City that the visit may not be
unconnected with the pending EFCC case against his son.

A Government House source who spoke on condition of anonymity said
“My brother, we are also surprised that the big man is in government
house this early. Mind you his son is due to face EFCC again, I guess
he is doing all he can to prevail on the state government to do all it
can to save him from going to jail, like he did at his first charge in
Enugu.”