The advice by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) for the country to prepare for possibly fresh and deadlier Lassa fever, Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and COVID-19 outbreaks is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
The Guardian reports that the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), yesterday, advised the country to prepare for possibly fresh and deadlier Lassa fever, Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and COVID-19 outbreaks.
Its President, Prof. Innocent Ujah, at the opening of the December National Executive Council (NEC) meeting (Caliphate City 2021) in Sokoto, expressed concerns over emerging and re-emerging infections.
He stressed the need to continually put together effective outbreak prevention and control measures that are culturally appropriate, relevant and feasible for communities to check unnecessary loss of life and minimise disruptions to essential services.
The obstetrician and gynaecologist canvassed uninterrupted community engagement, social mobilisation and communication for effective prevention and control of these emerging diseases.
Ujah said this is on the premise that every outbreak is unique and community understanding of diseases and their spread are complex, context-dependent and culturally mediated, hence the need for effective coordination.
The NMA chief said Nigeria has the opportunity of applying the World Health Organisation (WHO) outbreak communication principles geared at preventing exposure, stopping transmission and providing relevant public health information for an overarching goal before, during and after epidemics.
“This will help in building and maintaining public trust in the prevention and control of outbreaks,” he said.
The newspaper says that as Nigeria joins the rest of the world today to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), the over 31 million community of Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs) in the country has called on government at all levels to quit paying lip service to their plights and match words with actions by implementing the various domestic laws and international conventions.
The IDPD is a day set aside by the United Nations since 1992 to promote a better understanding of disability issues with a focus on the rights of PLWDs in every aspect of the political, social, economic and cultural life of their communities.
The theme for the 2021 IDPD is ‘Leadership and Participation of PLWDs toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world,’ with a focus on their empowerment for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In a statement, yesterday, to mark the IDPD, Executive Director, Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), David O. Anyaele, observed that this year’s event is the third commemoration of the day since the passage and assent by President Muhammadu Buhari of the disability rights Act that is designed to protect the more than 31 million citizens with disabilities.
He said: “We are worried that 36 months after the passage of the Disability Rights Act, only 13 states have demonstrated measures to adopt the Act. We commend states like Lagos, Anambra, Ekiti, Ondo, Plateau, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kogi, Niger, Kwara and Niger.
“We call on the state governments yet to adopt the National Disability Rights Act to do so without further delay. This is important because failure in this regard is an indirect endorsement of discrimination and other harmful practices against citizens with disabilities.”
The Sun reports that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has approved the opening of Anambra International Cargo Airport for flight operations with ‘light’ aircraft.
In a December 1, 2021 letter to Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State, entitled, ‘Approval for opening Anambra International Cargo Airport”, NCAA Director General , Captain Nuhu Musa, urged the state government to adhere strictly to safety, security and COVID-19 requirements at the airport at all times.
Nuhu said that the NCAA’s initial decision not to approve the airport for flight operations after commissioning, was due to adverse security reports which were conveyed to the Governor on October 28, 2021, vide letter with reference number: NCAA/AC/015/21/VOL/162.
He further stated that, in view of that and in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) Part 12.1.4.1 (C), that the Authority has granted approval to operate category B aircraft (Dash8-Q400 or its equivalent on rescue and fire category 5), with effect from December 2, 2021.
The letter states: “I am pleased to inform His Excellency that the Authority hereby grants Anambra State government approval to operate category B aircraft (Dash8-Q400 or its equivalent on rescue and fire category 5), with effect from December 2, 2021.
The Punch says that Nigeria’s revenue from crude oil sale may drop further in the first and second quarters of 2022 going by the latest projection of surplus oil supply in the period under review by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Industry analysts, as well as international organisations had explained that the surplus supply of crude oil globally had often led to a drop in the commodity’s price. Crude oil sale accounts for bulk of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings, but the commodity has seen repeated plunge in price lately, a development currently being heightened by the emergence of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus.
Global oil data obtained from Statistica on Thursday indicated that the average price of a barrel of Brent, the crude against which Nigeria’s oil is priced, moved up from $57.77/barrel in January 2021 to $83.54 in October.
But the price of the commodity has been falling since then, witnessing further plunged after the latest discovery of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, as it dropped to $69.33 at 5.46pm on Thursday.
ThisDay reports that analysts at Stanbic IBTC Bank Nigeria has stated that Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) increased to 55 index points in November from 54.1 in October to signal a solid expansion in business conditions, bringing the sequence of growth to 17 months.
They expressed that the output and new orders rise at quicker rates in November, stating that there was robust increase in inventories.
“Inflation of output prices and purchase costs hit new highs,” analysts at Stanbic IBTC Bank Nigeria added in their latest report.
According to the PMI report by Stanbic IBTC there was robust expansions in output and new orders that helped drive a pick-up in growth in the Nigerian private sector in the month under review.
The report stated that private sector performance was overshadowed by a record increase in overall costs amid ongoing global supply issues and unfavourable exchange rate movements.
According to the report: “Firms were nevertheless committed to raising their inventory holdings in a bid to protect against future shortages and price hikes.
The headline figure derived from the survey is the PMI. Readings above 50 signal an improvement in business conditions on the previous month, while readings below 50.0 show a deterioration.
GIK/APA