The Osun State Commissioner of Police, CP Olawale Olokode, has assured residents of adequate security and a peaceful celebration of this year’s Democracy Day.

In a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Yemisi Opalola, the Commissioner said the Police is working with other security agents to guarantee safety of lives and properties in all parts of the State during this period and beyond.

The CP, while assuring residents of effective visible policing and constant vehicular patrols, appealed to members of the public to cooperate and collaborate with the security personnel detailed for this special assignment and vehicles on patrol duties put in place to curb any act of crime and criminality.

He enjoined members of the public to conduct and comport themselves within the ambit of the law and avoid all forms of rumours of insecurity being peddled, as the police in synergy with other security agents are ready and capable to deal decisively with any act of criminality that might arise.

Olokode advised parents and guardians to warn their wards against any unnecessary protest and procession in the State that could cause break down of law and order, adding that the Command will not tolerate any act of lawlessness.

He enjoined citizens to be vigilant and promptly report any suspicious movement or infraction of the law to the Police for immediate action through emergency lines: 08039537995 & 08123823981.

The Federal Government has declared Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th May, 2021 as Public Holidays to mark the year’s Eid el-Fitr celebration.

The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, while making the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government in Abuja, on Monday, congratulated Muslim faithfuls on successful end of the year’s Ramadan.

He charged Nigerians to seize the moment to pray for peace, stability and economic transformation in the country.

Aregbesola, who believes that development cannot thrive in a rancorous atmosphere, urged Nigerians to be law-abiding and embrace the spirit of love, self-discipline, kindness and tolerance, as taught by the Holy Prophet.

He also called on security agencies in the country to be more courageous and patriotic to surmount the ongoing battle against resurging insecurity and activities of criminal elements in Nigeria.

He assured that the resolve of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to end the scourge of crime and criminality in the country and restore peace to every nook and cranny of Nigeria was sacrosanct.

“This administration will not be deterred in its efforts, until every Nigerian and resident of the country, is free to move around without fear of any threat to his/her life and property. We are therefore putting necessary measures and strategies in place to strengthen the stability of the country as well as ensuring economic prosperity of our dear nation,” he emphasised.

The family of Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God Worldwide, has announced the funeral rites of their deceased son, late Pastor Dare Adeboye.

Dare died in his sleep on Tuesday, aged 42 years, at Eket, Akwa Ibom State, where he served as a youth pastor.

In a statement by the signed by Leke Adeboye, the younger brother of the deceased and also the Personal Assistant to the General Overseer, a special service would be held on Sunday, May 9, at the City of David Youth Church in Eket, Akwa Ibom in Dare’s honour.

It added that thanksgiving songs and tribute would be held on Monday, May 10, between 4pm and 6pm, at the RCCG House of Favour, Redemption Camp, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which will be followed by a farewell service on Tuesday, May 11, at the Youth Centre, RCCG Redemption Camp.

“With our hearts full of gratitude, we appreciate you, for standing by our family in this period of trial. We are consoled, no doubt, by the fact that our beloved son has returned home, to rest in the bosom to his maker and father.

“Our confident assurance is rooted in the life of selflessness and sacrifice our son lived for Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

“Thank you so much for your prayers and words of encouragement.

“Our prayer is that we will all make it to that glorious home, in Jesus mighty name,” the statement added.

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld an earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal which okayed the deregistration of National Unity Party and 73 others.

It was reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission last year deregistered the political parties over their inability to win any election during the 2019 general elections.

In the judgment delivered by Justice Adamu Jauro, the Supreme Court, on Friday, said the deregistration of NUP, one of the 74 parties, was done in line with the laws and compliance with the extant provisions of the Constitution and Electoral Act.

Details later…

The National Examinations Council, NECO, has released the results of the 2020 Senior School Certificate Examination for External Candidates.

This announcement is contained in a statement signed by Mr Azeez Sani, Head, Information and Public Relations Division of council in Abuja on Thursday.

The council Registrar, Prof. Godswill Obioma, during the announcement of results, said 41,459 candidates registered for the examination out of which 39,503 actually sat for it.

Obioma explained that a total of 26,277 candidates obtained five credits and above including English Language and Mathematics while 34,014 candidates also obtained five credits and above irrespective of English Language and Mathematics.

The registrar who reiterated the council’s zero tolerance for examination malpractice, noted that appropriate standards and excellence were maintained right from the planning stage to the release of results.

He added that 6,465 cases of examination malpractice were recorded in the 2020 SSCE External as against 17,004 cases in 2019.

He noted that the reduction in the level of malpractice was as a result of deepened monitoring of the examination by members of the Governing Board, Management and Senior Staff of the Council.

He further explained that in line with the council’s zero tolerance for examination malpractice, four supervisors who were found culpable of aiding and abetting malpractice had been blacklisted and would no longer be engaged in the conduct of NECO examinations.

Obioma said that the results of 256,000 candidates who missed some papers during the 2020 SSCE (Internal) due to the ENDSARS protests in some states and who sat for those papers during the 2020 SSCE (External) were being released alongside external candidates’.

“One examination centre in Ogun State has been derecognised for intimidation and several attempts to induce NECO officials as well as aiding and abetting examination malpractice.

“it is gratifying to note that the examination was at no extra cost to the affected candidates.

“A further analysis of candidates performance indicates that a total number of 29,918 obtained credit and above in English Language while a total number of 34,061 candidates obtained credit and above in Mathematics.”

The registrar stated that year 2020 ushered in very daunting challenges essentially occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic and ENDSARS protests in the pursuit of the council mandates.

He said that necessitated the rescheduling of the various examinations organised by NECO.

He said for instance, 2020 SSCE (External) which ought to have been concluded in November/December 2020 was conducted in February/March 2021.

According to him, “in spite of these, we were not deterred rather we remained resilient and resolute in the conduct of our activities.”

The registrar reiterated the council’s commitment to conducting credible examinations to improve the quality of education in the country.

“In view of the above, and based on approval of the Federal Ministry of Education, NECO has scheduled her public examinations for year 2021 as follows:

“National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) for admission of JSS 1 students into Federal Unity Colleges is scheduled for May 29.

“Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal is scheduled from July 5 to Monday, August 16.

“Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is scheduled for August 23 to Monday, September 6 in order to enable students at that level cover enough subject matter for the examination,” he said.

The registrar expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR for finding him worthy to be appointed to serve and contribute to the development of education in the country.

He, therefore, enjoined candidates to access their results on NECO website www.neco.gov.ng using their examination registration numbers.

The Governor, government and the people of the State of Osun received with pain and shock, the news of the demise of your son, Pastor Dare Adeboye, and wish to express our deepest and sincere sympathy on this sad loss.

Dare was one of your seeds who had chosen to follow closely in his revered father’s footsteps.

No parent deserves this kind of loss. We feel your pain. Our dear state has lost yet again another bright light. We just buried Yinka Odumakin and now we have to mourn the loss of another young one.

We take solace in the exemplary life of Pastor Dare Adeboye and the peaceful way he went to be with the Lord .

We pray that the Holy Spirit will comfort you, your wife, the entire family and indeed the Redeemed Christian Church of God flock. May the Lord make available the Balm of Gilead and see you through this trying period and grant every member of the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Signed:

Funke Egbemode

Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation

Rajendra Kapila, US- based world renowned infectious diseases expert, has died of Covid-19 in India. He was aged 81.

Kapila, who had traveled to India to take care of his family, was supposed to return to the US in the second week of April, but had to be hospitalized in Delhi after testing positive for the virus

However, the intriguing thing about the death of the University of Rutgers Professor who had practised medicine in the United States for 50 years and known for his extensive work on HIV/AIDS is that he and his wife Dr Deepti Saxena Kapila, had taken both doses of the Pfizer vaccine prior to his arrival in India.

Kapila’s colleagues confirmed his death on Twitter Wednesday, expressing their grief and applauding Kapila’s work.

“We have lost a giant in infection disease,” wrote Nancy Connell, Professor and Vice-Chair for research in the Division of Infectious Disease in the Department of Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, adding that Kapila “served as a leader in global infectious diseases” at Rutgers and the department “will be forever grateful for his contribution to global ID and remember his extraordinary diagnostic talent.”

Given Kapila’s age, he was within an age group that is vulnerable to complications from the virus. He also had diabetes and heart complications, his ex-wife Dr. Bina Kapila told ABC7.

“For the last one year I have been working at a Covid-19 lab in New Jersey and had ensured a safe environment at home. It is ironic that we came to India for two weeks and he contracted it here,” Dr Deepti, who specialises in microbiology, was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.

Still, Bina, to whom Kapila was married for 40 years before they divorced a decade ago, has expressed shock over his death, saying he had decided he would stay in New Delhi for one week to help his family and provide his expertise.

“What can go wrong in one week? So he was only going to go for one week,” she said. She also said her ex-husband was a uniquely gifted medical professional. “He was so brilliant when we were in college, in medical school, that the professors of medicine after they gave a lecture, they would come to him and ask him, ‘did I cover everything?’” she told ABC7.

Kapila’s death has not only sent shock waves across the world but has also raised concerns over the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccines against the new double mutant variant first found in India. Although there is no direct evidence showing reduced efficacy of Pfizer vaccines, previous studies show their efficacy against other variants is not guaranteed.

However, according to what Tao Lina, a Shanghai-based vaccine expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday there is no direct evidence showing whether the Pfizer vaccine is effective on this variant or not, while noting that China-developed inactivated vaccines might be more effective against the double mutant than mRNA ones.

“Technically, Pfizer vaccine uses human cells to synthesize S protein in the human body to produce antibodies, whereas China-developed vaccines, including Sinovac and Sinopharm, use inactivated viruses as antibodies, which may cover more variants than Pfizer does,” Tao said.

Tao added that while the efficacy of Pfizer against the new double mutant remains unknown, previous medical studies suggested a reduced efficacy rate of Pfizer shots against other Covid-19 variants.

“The human body develops resistance to vaccines, and the variants may need even five or six doses of vaccine instead of merely two to produce enough protection,” he noted.

Still, according to a press release on its official website, Pfizer said its vaccines show a 95.3 percent efficacy rate against severe COVID-19 cases, which has been defined by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Osun government has announced that the next phase of the ongoing recruitment exercise for teachers in the State will commence on Monday, 17th May, 2021.

In a statement signed by the Coordinating Director of the Ministry of Education, Mrs C.K. Olaniyan, Osun government said the next phase will involve an oral interview for those who made the cut-off mark in the first round of the screening.

The statement read in part: “The interview will be in two stages. For Senior Secondary School Recruitment, applicants (whether First Degree or NCE) who scored 40% and above will be attended to between Monday, 17th May and Thursday, 3rd June, 2021.

“For Basic School Recruitment, applicants with MAXIMUM QUALIFICATION OF NCE, who scored between 35% and 39%, will be interviewed between Monday, 7th June and Thursday, 24th June, 2021.

“Candidates are required to bring to the interview the following credentials: Degree Certificate, NYSC Certificate, PGDE Certificate, NCE, TRCN Certificate (where available), Basic Education Certificate (JSS 3 Certificate), Local Government of Origin Attestation, Birth Certificate or Court Declaration of Age, One National Identification Card (Driver’s License, Voter’s Card, International Passport, etc.).

“In furtherance of the above, Time, Date and Centre will be communicated via SMS. Candidates can also check their portal for the above information”, the statement read.

As part of the social benefits of the Osun Food Support Scheme, the government of the State of Osun has said the Scheme is proving useful in the evaluation of the available database of the poor and vulnerable households in the state.

The Chairman of the Osun Food Support Scheme and Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, Eng Olalekan Badmus, during the meeting of the Scheme’s Steering Committee, disclosed this on Wednesday, at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Information, while responding to questions and feedbacks from stakeholders at the review meeting of the scheme.

“We are using scheme as a model for evaluating the currency and validity of the social register that is available in the State.

“In the process of distribution, we are beginning to identify those who are deceased, those who have relocated, and others who should not be on the list again.

“This is proving to be a critical advantage of the Osun Food Support Scheme, and our committee will communicate its observations to the appropriate quarters for further verification and necessary action”, Badmus stated.

He also revealed that civil groups, traditional and religious leaders, among others have been critical in performing the role of identifying the poor and vulnerable in their communities thereby assisting the State Government in the implementation of the Scheme.

…. NAFDAC warn Nigerians.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against the use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers imported from Mexico.

The Director-General, NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, who gave the warning explained that the US Food and Drug Agency (USFDA) had placed all alcohol-based hand sanitisers from Mexico on a countrywide import alert.

The NAFDAC BOSS said the products were labeled as containing ethanol but were found to have methanol contamination, which is toxic and could be life-threatening if absorbed through the skin into the body system.

She reiterated that USFDA said until it is able to review the products’ safety, it will be on its watchlist.

Information has it that this marks the first time the Agency was issuing a countrywide import alert for any category of drug product to further safeguard the healthy living of all.

NAFDAC said substantial methanol exposure could result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system, or death.

It also warned those in possession of such products to discontinue its usage in their own interest.