Independent 20170816-readme.ng

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Osun Denies
Outbreak of
Lassa Fever
GBENGA FATUROTI
OSOGBO
Osun State government
has denied outbreak of the
dreaded Lassa fever in any
part of the state.
A statement issued and
signed by Mr. Sola Fasure,
Media Adviser to the Governor,
the government said
there is no confirmed case
of outbreak of the fever in
the state.
The government noted
that the case of a corpse
brought from Lagos, which
death was linked to Lassa
Fever, was subjected to
laboratory test and tested
positive to the fever but was
buried before the autopsy
report came out.
According to the statement,
the State’s Ministry
Of Health promptly put
the relatives of the corpse
on a 21-day surveillance but
none of them exhibited any
symptoms or signs of the
fever.
Government also said
that there is round the
clock surveillance going on
across all the local governments
in the state to make
sure that the people are protected,
prevented and safe
from the disease.
Government therefore
directed that the people
should be on red alert and
take necessary and proactive
interest in what goes on
around them so as to report
any strange symptoms to
the authorities on time.
Stop Sale Of
Unauthorised
Drugs, NAFDAC
Warns Dealers
DANIEL ABIA
P/HARCOURT
The National Agency for
Food and Drug Administration
and Control (NAF-
DAC) has called on Patent
Medicine Dealers in Delta
State to desist from selling
unauthorised drugs and
vaccines in their premises.
Jude Ndekile, the state
NAFDAC Coordinator,
stated this in Asaba while
displaying some unwholesome
products confiscated
by the agency.
“In course of our routine
inspection we have
observed that some patent
medicine stores sell drugs
that are beyond their mandate,”
adding that drugs
such as high dose tramadol
of 120ml, 200ml and 250ml
were being sold in patent
medicine stores while
banned drugs like anlagen
injections, gentamycin 20
injections and other injectables
were found in some
stores.”
/<strong>Independent</strong>ngr @independentngr www.independent.ng
Our Achievements In Office Are
Undeniable, PDP Replies APC
ROTIMI AKINWUMI
ABUJA
The war of words
between the ruling
All Progressives
Congress
(APC) and the opposition
Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) has refused to abate
as the opposition party
insisted yesterday that it
performed excellently in
office as against the abysmal
report the APC is ascribing
to it.
Since last Saturday
when the former President,
Goodluck Jonathan,
openly at the non-elective
convention of the PDP
gave pass mark to the administration
of the PDP
before the advent of the
APC government, both
parties have been firing
salvos at each other.
The opposition party
in response to the latest
diatribe by Garba Shehu,
Special Assistant Media
to the President, said that
the government of the day
is making efforts at undermining
its achievement in
office.
In a statement signed by
Prince Dayo Adeyeye, National
Publicity Secretary
of the PDP, the opposition
party said the attempt
by various members of
the APC to downplay the
achievements of PDP was
borne out of ignorance.
Faulting the APC further,
the PDP insisted that
the ruling party is obviously
being economical with
the truth because it has
not been able to make any
meaningful impact on government
over two years
into its four year mandate.
“We have read comments
made by the National
Publicity Secretary
of the All Progressives’
Congress (APC), Alhaji
Bolaji Ojo-Abdullahi, Mallam
Garba Shehu, Special
Assistant to the President
on media and other senior
members of the ruling
party such as former
Governor Segun Oni and
Dr. Osita Okechukwu, the
Director General of the
Voice of Nigeria where
they attempted to rubbish
the comments made by former
President Goodluck
Jonathan that his administration
performed well
during his term in office.
“It is our firm belief
that these statements were
INDEPENDENT WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2017
borne out of ignorance,
are lacking in depth and
are devoid of the sort of
critical thinking that one
would expect from highly
placed government officials.
“However, these officials
seem bent on continuing
what has become
an official position of the
ruling party to reduce
commentary on public issues,
and indeed the art of
governance, to comedy.
“It is shameful and embarrassing
that having
been in power for two and
a half years, the ruling
party is unable to point
to cogent, convincing and
data driven achievements.
“Instead, it has spent
the bulk of its time designing
and implementing
a communication strategy
around massive propaganda,
half-truths and outright
falsehood in an attempt to
continually deceive the Nigerian
people.”
The party insisted that
its achievement are visible
and should be accepted so
by the ruling party.
For the sake of emphasis,
we reiterate our
position that the administration
of former President
Goodluck Jonathan
performed well during its
term in office.
“There are no indices
anywhere in Nigeria, or
indeed in the world, by
which the administration
of President Muhammadu
Buhari can be measured
as performing better than
any PDP administration
since 1999.
“For the avoidance
of doubt, some of the
achievements of our party
while in power include: As
at May 29th, 2015 Nigeria
was the largest economy
in Africa valued at over
$500 billion. A combination
of the incoherent
policies and the incompetence
of the ruling party
have significantly shrunk
the size of the Nigerian
economy since the inception
of the current administration.”
“As at May 29th, 2015
Nigeria was the No 1 destination
for Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) in Africa.
Up to that point, investors
responded to the policies
designed and implemented
by the Jonathan administration
by investing
billions of Dollars in the
Nigerian economy.”
Godwin Obaseki, Governor, Edo State, addressing intending pilgrims, during his visit to the hajj camp in Dumez Road,
Benin City, Edo State on Tuesday.
U C H E N W O S U
UMUAHIA
Ude Oko Chukwu, Abia
State deputy governor,
has asked journalists to
be objective, fair and unbiased
in their reportage
in line with the ethics of
their profession, even as
he urged them to collaborate
with government
to enthrone a durable democracy.
In a statement signed
by Orji Francis Okpe, his
Personal Assistant, the
Abia number two citizen
explained that journalists
as the conscience of the
society, must focus on development
journalism, ensure
factual reportage by
investigating their sources
of news thoroughly and
balancing stories before
going to press.
Oko Chukwu, who was
reacting to reports linking
him with the arrest and
detention of one Prince
Dan Iyke, a critic of the
state government in Ohafia,
Abia State, condemned
the incessant attack on
public office holders by
media practitioners who
publish without verifying
their stories.
He lamented that several
public office holders
had been condemned in
public without having
the opportunity to react to
allegations made against
them and urged media
practitioners to resist the
urge to vilify public office
holders and strive to verify
their reports before
going to press.
“My attention has been
drawn to reports making
the rounds that I masterminded
the arrest and
UPP Suspends
Chidoka, Others
For Anti-Party
Activities
CHUKWUJEKWU ILOZUE
AWKA
Anambra State chapter
of the United Progressives
Party (UPP) has
suspended indefinitely
two of its governorship
aspirants, namely former
Aviation Minister, Chief
Osita Chidoka; and Chief
Chudi Ofodille for alleged
anti-party activities.
The party also announced
the suspension
of the party’s National
Treasurer, Mr. Flint Obiekwe,
and National Assistant
Secretary, Nwabueze
Anyichie, following its
emergency meeting in
Awka on Monday.
The state chairman of
the party, Dr. Sylvester Igwilo,
addressing the press
said their suspension subsists
pending the determination
of their case by the
party’s disciplinary committee
of seven members
set up in line with Article
21, Paragraphs 3 and 4 of
its Constitution.
He stated that Chidoka
and Ofodille who defected
to UPP from the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP)
did not show documentary
evidence of their resignation
from their former
party as required by Article
7 Paragraph B of the
UPP Constitution.
According to him, both
aspirants introduced
money politics into the
party as well as inducing
members to gain advantage.
Reeling out their infractions,
he said that the
duo “introduced money
politics by inducing members
with cash donation,
which tends to bring the
image of the party to ridicule;
going to Abuja to
deposit illegal N5 million
without consent and approval
of state Executive
Committee; appearing
for a purported screening
without the approval
and authority of the state
Executive Committee outside
the provision in the
party’s constitution Article
16(d).”
Be Objective In Your Reportage, Abia Deputy Gov Charges Journalists
detention of one Prince
Dan Iyke. This allegation
is unfounded. The purveyors
of such information
went to the public without
verifying their reports. I
have no hand in his arrest.
“Those accusing me of
masterminding his arrest
should rather contact the
Police to ascertain why he
is being detained. I have
no hand in his arrest,”
he said.