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Violators could spend 6 months in jail in new COVID-19 regulations  

Vincent Ufuoma
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Violators could spend 6 months in jail in new COVID-19 regulations  

WHEN convicted, violators of the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) Health Protection Regulations 2021 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday could spend six months in jail.

The regulations, which were signed yesterday into law, are part of government’s efforts to boost COVID-19 response in the country.

The guidelines state that any person that contravenes provisions of the regulations, upon conviction, risks a fine or a term of six months imprisonment or both in accordance with Section 5 of the Quarantine Act.

Buhari said the regulations, which would take immediate effect, were given urgent consideration to safeguard the health and  well-being of Nigerians, especially in the face of rising COVID-19 cases in the country.

He directed the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, and relevant local, state and federal governments’ agencies to enforce the regulations, warning that any officer that failed, neglected, or refused to enforce the provisions of the regulations would be subjected to disciplinary actions.

“Any person who, without reasonable cause, contravenes a direction given under Parts 1 and 2 of these regulations commits an offence. Any person who, without reasonable cause, obstructs an authorised official from enforcement of these regulations commits an offence,” he said, qouting the document.

According to the regulations, persons confirmed positive for COVID-19 by an NCDC-accredited laboratory may not refuse isolation and or admission to a designated health establishment for management of the disease.

The regulations also state that physical distance of no less than two metres shall be maintained at all gatherings between persons and no gathering of more than 50 persons shall be held in an enclosed space, except for religious purposes, in which case the gathering shall not exceed 50 percent capacity of the space.

Highlights of COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations 2021
Highlights of COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations 2021

The rules stipulate that all persons in public gatherings, whether in enclosed or open spaces, shall adhere to the provisions of the regulations, which may be varied by guidelines and protocol as may be issued, from time to time, by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 on the recommendation of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Others are that persons should not be allowed within the premises of a market, mall, supermarket, shop, restaurants, hotels, event centres, gardens, leisure parks, recreation centres, motor parks, fitness centres or any other similar establishment (hereinafter collectively referred to as ‘establishments’) except they wear face masks that cover their noses and mouths, wash their hands or clean their hands, using hand sanitisers approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Their body temperatures must also be checked.

READ ALSO: Despite Buhari’s mantra, Nigeria drops further in global corruption ranking

“Any person found to have body temperature above 38 degrees Celsius shall be denied entry and advised to immediately seek medical attention. Every establishment occupier shall make provision for regular hand hygiene for any person coming into the premises during opening hours. This includes a hand-washing station with soap and running water, or hand sanitiser approved by NAFDAC.”

In places of worship, the regulations state that all worshippers and users of places of worship shall comply with the provisions of Parts 1 and 2 of the Regulations and should, where and whenever possible, avoid sharing worship items such as mats, bottles, and hymnal materials, among others.

“It is the responsibility of the person in charge of a place of worship to ensure compliance with the provisions of these Regulations within the worship centre,” the Regulations states.

All persons are also required to comply with the provisions of Parts 1 and 2 of the Regulations in workplaces and schools.

Highlights of COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations 2021
Highlights of COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations 2021

It is the responsibility of the person in charge of a workplace or a school to ensure compliance with the provisions of the law.

On banks the rules stipulate that “All employees, customers and visitors of banks shall comply with the provisions of Parts 1 and 2 of the Regulations. All banks shall comply with the guidelines, mode and scope of operations issued by the Central Bank and Federal Ministry of Finance as it relates to the COVID-19 response. All banks shall develop a schedule for regular cleaning of buttons and surfaces of Mantrap Entrance Doors, ATM machines and other commonly used areas.”

All operators and passengers of public transportation vehicles (referred to as operators) shall comply with the provisions of Part 2 of these Regulations and ensure adequate spacing in between passengers, the new rules say.

Operators in the transport sector, according to the Regulations, shall ensure frequent cleaning and disinfection of parts of the vehicle frequently handled by passengers and drivers such as doors and window handles/buttons, steering wheels and dashboards.

Managers of hostels, boarding houses, nursing homes, correctional centres, remand homes, holding cells, military detention facilities, and other similar centres are required to ensure compliance with the provisions of the regulations.

Managers of such facilities are also to ensure that suspected cases of COVID-19 are promptly and appropriately separated from others and are reported to medical officers of the state ministry of health for necessary action.

State governors are to issue regulations on further steps as may be considered necessary, according to the Regulations.

 

JNI disagrees with CAN as US group ranks Nigeria among top 10 Christian-persecuting countries

IHUOMA Chiedozie
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JNI disagrees with CAN as US group ranks Nigeria among top 10 Christian-persecuting countries

THE umbrella body of the Nigerian Muslim community, Jama’atuNasril Islam, (JNI), has faulted Nigeria’s inclusion among the top 10 countries in the world where Christians are persecuted because of their faith.

The 2021 annual report of a United States-based Christian persecution monitoring group, Open Doors, ranked Nigeria as Number nine on a World Watch List comprising 50 countries where it is ‘most dangerous’ to be a Christian.

The report said more than 2,200 out of 4,761 Christians killed for reasons relating to their faith around the world in 2020 were murdered in Nigeria.

While the JNI objected to the report, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) endorsed the findings made by the US organisation.

CAN said the report was an ‘obvious’ fact that cannot be disputed.

Representatives of the JNI and CAN reacted to the development in separate interviews with The ICIR.

  • Nigeria ranked alongside North Korea, Afghanistan, others as top 10 Christian-persecuting countries

Open Doors, which had monitored Christian persecution worldwide since 1992, ‎ranked North Korea as Number 1 in the watch list. North Korea has consistently ranked Number 1 for 20 years, since Open Doors started publishing the watch list in 2002.

Communist and post-communist oppression were cited as the sources of persecution for Christians in North Korea.

Other countries in the top 10, listed in order of ranking, are Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, Nigeria and India.

*Report says Nigerian Christians face ‘Islamic oppression’

‘Islamic oppression’ was the source of Christian persecution in Nigeria, according to the report, which also observed that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari appoints Muslims to ‘key’ government positions.

The Open Doors report, which was the subject of featured reports by the Voice of America, The Christian Post and Christianity Today, noted that violence against Christians in Nigeria accounted for a large proportion of the 60 percent increase in the number of Christians killed worldwide in 2020.

In a profile on Nigeria, Open Doors stated that “More Christians are murdered for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country”, and specifically identi‎fied violent attacks by Boko Haram, Hausa-Fulani Muslim militant herdsmen, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an affiliate of the Islamic State group, and other Islamic extremist groups in the North and Middle Belt as common examples of Christian persecution.

It also noted that the attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria are spreading ‘farther South’.

The report added that several Christians who were driven out of their villages and away from their sources of livelihood ended up becoming internally displaced persons (IDPs), often living in informal IDP camps.

Open Doors said Nigeria entered the top 10 of the watch list for the first time due to the effect of the worsening state of insecurity in the country on Christians.

“‎Nigeria has risen several places on the World Watch List, and persecution has worsened in all areas of public and private life. Violence against Christians perpetrated by Boko Haram, Fulani militants and ISWAP – as well as other unidentified armed attackers – has led to tremendous suffering among the Christian community.

“Nigeria entered the top 10 of the 2021 World Watch List p‎rimarily because this violence has increased and began to spill out into other parts of Nigeria, and the government seems unable or unwilling to protect its Christian citizens,” parts of the report said.

The report said Christians in some parts of northern Nigeria, particularly Borno State, were discriminated against in the sharing of COVID-19 palliatives. The report observed that extremists capitalised on the pandemic, which it said had weakened governments, to further oppress vulnerable Christian populations.

Although Nigeria was ranked Number 9 overall on the watch list, the country, which has the largest number of Christians in Africa, came second behind Pakistan in terms of sectarian-related violence, and first in the number of Christians killed because of their faith.

The report also observed that several Christian women and girls have been raped as part of the attacks.

Open Doors said Sudan left the top 10 for the first time in six years after the country’s government abolished the death penalty, while India remained in the top 10 for the third year in a row due to a continuing increase in violence against religious minorities as a result of what the report described as ‘government-sanctioned Hindu extremism’.

China joined the top 20 for the first time in a decade due to “ongoing and increasing surveillance and censorship of Christians and other religious minorities”.

  • Comprehensive list of ’50 countries where Christians face persecution’ according to Open Doors

‎The comprehensive list of the 50 countries on Open Doors’ World Watch List of countries where Christians face persecution, by order of ranking: North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, Nigeria, India, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Egypt, China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Mauritania, Uzbekistan, Laos, Turkmenistan, Algeria and Turkey.

Others are Tunisia, Morocco, Mali, Qatar, Colombia, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Tajikistan, Nepal, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Mexico, Jordan, Brunei, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kazakhstan, Cameroon, Bhutan, Oman, Mozambique, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Kenya and Comoros.

  • Report mirrors US Department of State’s designation of Nigeria as ‘Country of Particular Concern’ for violations of religious freedom

Efforts to get the federal government’s reaction to the US faith-based organisation’s report were not successful. Calls to Mr Lai Mohammed, minister of information ‎and culture, could not go through and an SMS sent to his mobile telephone was not replied.

However, in 2020, Mohammed had faulted the US State Department for design‎ating Nigeria as a country of ‘particular concern’ because of religious freedom violations, following a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Read Also: Again, US names Nigeria, others as perpetrators of religious persecution

  • JNI says US group’s report on Christian persecution in Nigeria was biased, baseless

Abubakar Khalid-Aliyu, secretary of the JNI, in an interview with The ICIR, said Nigeria’s inclusion among the top 10 countries in the world where Christians are persecuted was another example of the bias shown by the US against the Nigerian Muslim community.

Khalid-Aliyu, who stressed that the report by Open Doors lacked merit, said Muslims are victims of persecution in parts of Nigeria.

He told The ICIR, “It is not true that Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria and depending on context and location, you will notice that Muslims are being persecuted.”

The JNI scribe added, “That report is an unfortunate example of unbalanced reporting. Unfortunately the United States is not fair and only listens to one side on issues like this. They (US) act based on one source of biased information, listening to only the Christian groups without listening to Muslims. Sometimes the issue of persecution depends on majority and minority in different areas. There are areas in this country where Christians are the majority while Muslims are in the minority, and there are also areas where you have Muslims as majority and Christians are in the minority. In such situations you notice that all the complaints will be the same. In Christian majority areas you notice that Muslims are not allowed several things. For example during the #EndSARS protests many Muslims were killed and their property burnt and destroyed in Christian majority areas in the South-South and South-East. What did they say about that? It depends on from which perspective you are looking at things. So when anybody says Christians are being persecuted I just laugh because that is not true. The report is not balanced and we know that the US had already taken sides.”

Insisting that the US government and its agencies are unfair to Muslims in Nigeria, Khalid-Aliyu added, “I recall that during the time Ayo ‎Oritsejafor was CAN President the US committee on religious freedom invited him twice to the US to address the Congress but they did not invite any Nigerian Muslim leader. You can see how imbalanced that is. You also recall when former US President Donald Trump asked President Buhari to tell Muslims to stop persecuting Christians even when Islamophobia was going on all over the place in the US, with Muslim women in hijab being assaulted. I am tired of these unbalanced and lopsided reports coming out from the US.”

  • CAN says Christians are truly being persecuted in Nigeria

Joseph Ajujungwa, a bishop and director for ecumenism and inter-faith affairs, CAN, in Enugu State, said the Open Doors report captured the true situation of things in Nigeria.

Ajujungwa, in an interview with The ICIR, insisted that the persecution of Christians in Nigeria was an obvious fact and cannot be denied.

“There is no gain-saying that Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria. It is an obvious fact and anybody in Nigeria will know that it is the truth, especially in the North. In the North Christians hardly get any juicy appointments. Even at the national level you can see what has j‎ust happened, the major Christian states in the Southern part of Nigeria were excluded in the appointment of the new service chiefs. None of the South-East states which have large Christian populations got any appointment,” he told The ICIR.

Endorsing the Open Doors’ ranking of Nigeria among the top 10 countries in the world where Christians are persecuted, Ajujungwa added, “The persecution of Christians in Nigeria is quite obvious, it can’t be denied. Look at what is happening in Jos, look at what is happening in Adawawa, look at what is happening in Niger and especially in Southern Kaduna, a predominantly Christian area where indiscriminate attacks and killings have been going on. Those people being persecuted are Christians. They are being persecuted and humiliated, the women are raped by bandits, herdsmen and insurgents. This cannot be denied.”

Not True, Bill Gates did not suggest depopulation of Africa as claimed

Olayinka SHEHU
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Not True, Bill Gates did not suggest depopulation of Africa as claimed

ROBERT O. Young, a US naturopathic practitioner, recently surfaced online in Africa, claiming that Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, was planning depopulation of Africa.

Young had, in a 2019 video (now trending), suggested that vaccination was a means to depopulate Africa.

The video has been shared in Nigeria, South Africa, and some other African countries.

The claim is trending online amid African countries’ drive to acquire vaccines for its population against the coronavirus.

Young had said in the clip, “For the purpose of sterilisation and population control, there’s too many people on the planet we need to get rid of. In the words of Bill Gates, at least three billion people need to die.”

“So we will just start off in Africa. We will start doing our research there and will eliminate most of the Africans because they are deplorable, they are worthless. They are not part of this world economies. Their rights are taken away and suppress and experimented on.”

He further said, in a response to a panel member, “These are Bill Gates words. Just Google Bill Gates and depopulisation (sic) and sterilisation. You will hear out of his own mouth the plan.”

Young suggested that Bill Gates vaccination drive, which he claimed was a population control project, was zeroed in on Africans because “they are deplorable and worthless.”

The claim, which was shared by a twitter user @KhotsoSefatsa on the 11th of January, 2021, has generated 357 retweets, 44 quoted tweets and 550 likes.

His tweet read, “Mandating vaccines is part of depopulation plan. Check Dr Robert O. Young testimony https://youtu.be*** #BillGates #CovidVaccine.”

It was also shared on the @makumbi_k2 on the 12th of January 2021 generating 1.7K retweets, 80 quoted tweets and 3.1k likes.

His tweet read, “Everyone who is against the vaccines which Bill Gates and his puppet Cyril Ramaphosa want to impose on us, please like and retweet this Tweet so that they know what they want to do to us #BillGates #VaccineforSouthAfrica.”

The ICIR sent a mail to the media department of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation requesting its reaction to the viral claim. In response, it said in a terse mail that the claim was ‘false.’

Findings

Young made the claim while  speaking as part of a panel organised by the International Tribunal for Natural Justice (ITNJ) — a group that holds unsanctioned hearings on subjects ranging from child trafficking, vaccines, coronavirus and to the alleged effects of 5G.

On its website, ITNJ, founded by Sacha Stone, a former rock musician and artist in 2015, said it belonged to the people and was not controlled by any nation, state, corporation, or ‘special interests.’

The Daily Mail UK on the 12th of April, 2020, had exposed how this group falsely linked the 5G mobile phone network to coronavirus.

The ICIR had also, in a fact check published in April 2020, found no link between the coronavirus and the 5G mobile network.

The Video

A check by The ICIR showed that the video being shared online about the alleged Bill Gates depopulation plan was a part of a 98-minute video published on the ITNJ’s YouTube channel on November 20, 2019.

Apart from claims on Bill Gates and Africa, Young also alleged in the video that viruses were not real and that vaccines were poison.

The ICIR sent a mail to Robert Young on the 13th of January, 2021, requesting he share with it proof to back up the claim made against the Microsoft founder.

Young, in reply to the ICIR request, said he was very concerned about the use of vaccinations for population control and especially in India and Africa.

Robert O. Young response to ICIR

His mail read, “Hi Shehu, Thank you for your email. I am very concerned about the use of vaccinations for population control and especially in India and Africa. You can find many youtube videos on this subject going to www.youtube.com Here is such an example: https://youtu.be/*** My outcome is for anyone concerned about the use of vaccines for population control needs to do further investigation for themselves. I believe each human on this planet has a right to life. All lives are precious and need to be protected. In love and healing light, Dr. Robert O Young www.***.com.”

Young shared a video link with The ICIR where he alleged Bill Gates made the claim.

The video shared by Young was a 3-minute, 34-second video published on YouTube on the 13th of April, 2020, by Kenya News Media.

The ICIR subjected the video to verification by using the Invid video verifier. It found out that the video published on the YouTube channel was a part of a 2010 Ted Talk video, ‘Innovating to zero,’ where Bill Gates discussed ways the world could reduce carbon emissions, vaccines and healthcare.

Also, part of the video was from a 2012 Bill Gates interview with Larry Cohen shared on GatesNotes titled, ‘A Conversation with Bill Gates: Population Growth.’

Bill Gates on Population growth

This was not the first time conspiracy theorists had made claims about Bill Gates’s depopulation project.

Lately, the outbreak of coronavirus has further pushed this claim by linking it with his effort towards combating the coronavirus pandemic.

The ICIR found a 2010 Ted Talk video, ‘Innovating to zero,’ where Bill Gates discussed ways the world could reduce carbon emissions and suggested ways in which global population growth would be reduced through improving healthcare as the root of where his speech was misinterpreted.

Gates had said in the February 2010 Ted Talk video that “First, we’ve got the population. The world today has 6.8 billion people. That’s headed up to about nine billion. Now, if we do a really great job on new vaccines, health care, reproductive health services, we could lower that by, perhaps, 10 or 15 percent. But there, we see an increase of about 1.3.”

The ’10 or 15 percent’ mentioned by Gates was about slowing global population growth (through improved health) to reduce carbon emissions, rather than reducing the population through the vaccines.

Also, a 2-minute, 2-second 2012 interview video with Larry Cohen published on Bill Gates YouTube channel titled, ‘A Conversation with Bill Gates: Population Growth,’ said by improving healthcare, population growth could actually be slowed down.

He also made mention of it in a video titled, ‘Does saving more lives lead to overpopulation?’ published on his YouTube channel in 2018.

Also in an article published by Reuters news agency in September 2018, titled, ‘Africa’s rapid population growth puts poverty progress at risk,’ Gates said population growth in Africa was a challenge and stated that the best ways of tackling the growing population and poverty challenge was by improving access to birth control, which should be combined with investment in young people’s health and education.

What to know about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation $10 Billion vaccine pledge

In 2010, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder and philanthropist, pledged 10 billion dollars over the next decade to develop and deliver new vaccines for the world’s poorest countries.

The donation was one of the biggest ever from a single charitable organisation.

He said the increased investment in vaccines by governments and the private sector could help developing countries dramatically reduce child mortality by the end of the decade, and also called for others to help fill critical financing gaps in both research funding and childhood immunisation programmes.

“We must make this the decade of vaccines,” said Bill Gates. “Vaccines already save and improve millions of lives in developing countries. Innovation will make it possible to save more children than ever before.”

“If additional vaccines are developed and introduced in this decade—such as for tuberculosis—even more lives could be saved. The new funding announced today is in addition to the $4.5 billion that the Gates Foundation has already committed to vaccine research, development and delivery to date across its entire disease portfolio since its inception.”

“Vaccines are a miracle,” said Mrs Gates. “With just a few doses, they can prevent deadly diseases for a lifetime.”

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Nigeria 

The Gates Foundation in Nigeria plays a leading role in healthcare provision in partnership with the Nigerian government, private sectors, and the World Health Organisation.

The foundation played a leading role in the eradication of polio in Nigeria, as well as in immunisation and other developmental issues. It focuses on improving family health, strengthening healthcare systems, improving nutrition, increasing agricultural productivity and enhancing access to financial services.

The chairman of the Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, during the expanded National Economic Council, NEC, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in March of 2018 said the foundation had committed over 1.6 billion dollars so far, with the intention of increasing his commitment in the country.

Who is Robert O. Young?

According to his profile on Wikipedia, Robert Oldham Young is an American naturopathic practitioner and author of alternative medicine books promoting an alkaline diet.

He is best known as the author of a bestselling book series called ‘The pH Miracle,’ which touts an alkaline diet as a cure for cancer.

In 2017, Young spent several months in jail after being arrested in January 2014 and convicted in 2016 on two out of three charges of theft and practicing medicine without a license.

In November 2018, according to the same Wikipedia profile, a San Diego jury awarded 105m dollars in damages to a former cancer patient he persuaded to forgo effective treatment in favour of his alkaline diet, resulting in her disease progressing to an incurable stage 4.

In 1995, Young allegedly drew blood from two women, told them they were ill, and then sold them herbal products to treat these illnesses. He was charged with two third-degree felony counts of practicing medicine without a license, but pled guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge.

CONCLUSION

The ICIR found nowhere through its search where Bill Gates made the claim alleged by Robert O. Young.

The video link shared by Robert O. Young to back up his claim was a misinterpretation of what Bill Gates said in his Ted Talk and the interview with Larry Cohen.

The Microsft founder in the 29-minute, 32-second video was discussing ways  the world could reduce carbon emissions and also suggesting ways by which global population growth would be reduced through improved healthcare and vaccinations. He was not speaking on the reduction of population, nay African population, as alleged by Young in the video.

False claim circulates online that NIMC is giving out 5GB free data

Niyi OYEDEJI
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False claim circulates online that NIMC is giving out 5GB free data

A post circulating on the social media claims that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)  is giving out free internet data.

The NIMC is an agency that operates and regulates matters of national identity in Nigeria.

The post retrieved from a WhatsApp group on January 27, 2021, directed people to claim the data via a link.

The post read:

NIN VERIFICATION Check: If Your Number have (sic) been chosen by NIN to receive 5GB As Part of Verification REWARD Program For Who have (sic) been using the SIM for more than three months FOR ALL NETWORK USERS  Deadline: 30-01-2021  Click:

THE CLAIM

The NIMC is giving  out 5GB of data to those who have verified their National Identification Number (NIN).

THE FINDINGS

Checks by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

The FactCheckHub observed that the website attached to the claim was different from the official website of the NIMC.

The official website of the NIMC is https://nimc.gov.ng.

The website in the claim sought to gain traffic by prompting people to share.

For instance, the first page of the website asked people to click a link to check if they had been selected for the 5GB NIN data.

The following page asked for mobile numbers, after which it directed people to another page, asking them to share the post in 12 WhatsApp groups before having access to the data.

The page directing people to share the post multiple times.
The page directing people to share the post multiple times.

The FactCheckHub also reached out to Kayode Adegoke, head of corporate communications, NIMC, who confirmed that the claim was false.

“This is fake,” he replied to The FactCheckHub’s enquiry via a telephone conversation.

In addition, the FactCheckHub had earlier fact-checked and debunked a similar claim asking people to visit a phishing website.

Such claims usually target topics and areas that a lot of people are interested in, such as relief fund, recruitment, free data, among others.

The objective is often to drive traffic to a website – as it often asks for a link to be shared multiple times.

It could also be a survey website getting people to fill out questionnaires under false pretense.

Sometimes such websites are set up to obtain people’s information for nefarious purposes.

In order to avoid falling victims to such false claim, it is important to verify the information by going to the government, institution, agency or company’s social media handles.

A number of such institutions that attract public interest are verified on the social media. Such social media handles usually have accompanying websites included in the bio.

Google searching information using keywords is another way of verifying claims like this.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the NIMC is giving out 5GB of data to those who have verified their NIN is FALSE.

This report was originally published by Factcheckhub.

How genuine are pictures of burnt houses in Igangan, Oyo State?

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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How genuine are pictures of burnt houses in Igangan, Oyo State?

ON January 23, 2021, several images depicting charred remains of burnt buildings were circulated online. The buildings were said to belong to the Seriki Fulani of Oyo State, Saliu Abdulkadir.

A Twitter user with the handle @MFaarees_also shared the photos while making a similar claim.

The tweet had over 2,000 likes and was shared over 772 times in less than 72 hours.

Read Also:

THE CLAIM

Viral images depict burnt buildings belonging to Seriki Fulani of Oyo State, Saliu Abdulkadir, in Igangan, Ibarapa North Local Government of Oyo State.

THE FINDINGS

In Southwest Nigeria, there have been multiple cases of killings and kidnappings for ransom on highways and farmlands. A number of the victims who regained their freedom had reported that their abductors were herders of the Fulani descent.

The governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, had ordered herders to vacate the forest reserve in the state. This was swiftly countered by the Nigerian presidency.

Amidst this, Sunday Adeyemo, a promoter of Oduduwa nation, had raised the alarm over continuous attacks on the Yoruba communities by persons alleged to be herders in the South-West.

Sunday Adeyemo, who is also known as Sunday Igboho, issued a seven-day ultimatum for the herders – who are mainly Fulani –  domiciled in Igangan community to vacate the state.

After his visit to Igangan community, the Seriki Fulani’s house was set ablaze.

This was reported by Sahara Reporters which shared the pictures in question.

In addition, Daily Trust newspaper on Sunday, January 24, also published similar photographs in a report about the crisis in the community.

By Monday, January 25, 2021, Channels Television, in a report on the crisis, showed footage of Ngozi Onadeko,  new commissioner of police, Oyo State Command, during her fact-finding visit to the town. Similar photos were shown in the report.

Three days after the incident, on January 26, Sunday Igboho’s house was set ablaze by unidentified hoodlums, said the police.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the images depict  burnt house of Seriki Fulani of Oyo State, is TRUE.

This report was originally published by Factcheckhub.

Appointment of new service chiefs not enough, Buhari must show leadership -NEF

Vincent Ufuoma
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Appointment of new service chiefs not enough, Buhari must show leadership -NEF

THE Northern Elders Forum (NEF) says that Tuesday’s appointment of new service chiefs by President Muhammadu Buhari is not enough to prosecute the ongoing war against Boko Haram in the North-East and rising insecurity in the country.

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, spokesperson for the forum, who stated this while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, said the president must provide the necessary leadership needed by the new commanders to thrive.

“The key is the president. He has to change his attitude to the defence and security of this country. You cannot run this country with all these security challenges and maintain the distance with what is going on. You listen to the president and his spokespeople are telling you the situation is better than it was in 2015. It is a very disturbing thing when you hear this.

“There are no suicide bombings now but the population of Nigerians living under Boko Haram is large, huge and unacceptable.”

On Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari announced that he had accepted letters of resignation of the nation’s long-serving service chiefs after many months of ignoring pleas and calls by both chambers of the National Assembly, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, social-cultural organisations and well-meaning Nigerians that they be sacked owing to the growing insecurity in the country.

Buhari yesterday announced the appointments of Major-General Leo Irabor as chief of defence staff;  Major-General I. Attahiru, chief of army staff; Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, chief of naval staff; and Air-Vice Marshal I.O Amao as chief of air staff.

Read Also: PROFILE: Meet Buhari’s new service chiefs

Commenting on the appointment, the NEF said it hoped the president didn’t just react to yearnings to bring in new hands. He added that it was important that there should be change in leadership but the new chiefs must brace up to the onerous task ahead of them.

“At last, it appeared that the president has considered that it is time for him to appoint new service chiefs.

“Our hope is that he is not just responding to public opinion but he himself acknowledges the fact that all service chiefs have run out of steam. Their leadership did not produce the results it was intended to produce.

“But we don’t want the nation to be carried away. It is important that the armed forces have a new leadership, but they have a huge task and it has to start from the president.

“We have a Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The president has responsibility to lead the new service chiefs in a better way than he did in the past. He needs to recognise the fact that he has a role.

Baba-Ahmed stressed that the president needed to have a closer eye on what was going on and hold the new service chiefs accountable to make sure that the changes were brought into the military in terms of conduct, professionalism, integrity, morale of the fighting forces and change in tactics.

“If these new service chiefs are led in the same manner the president exercised the distance between him and the conflict that the military is fighting, we are going to have the same problem,” he added

CBN retains interest rate, warns against second lockdown

Odinaka ANUDU
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CBN retains interest rate, warns against second lockdown

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on Tuesday, retained the monetary policy rate (MPR), which is the benchmark interest rate in the country, at 11.5 percent.

The MPR was first reduced from 12.5 percent to 11.5 percent after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in September 2020.

Rising from the first MPC meeting in 2021 on Tuesday, Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor, announced the retention of the liquidity ratio at 30 percent and cash reserve ratio (CRR) at 27.5 percent.

Conveying the position of the MPC, Emefiele said the committee dissuaded the federal government from having another total lockdown, stressing that such would be damaging to the Nigerian economy.

Godiwn Emefiele, CBN Governor

He noted that the MPC advised the federal government to deploy fiscal stimulus to facilitate economic recovery and put Nigeria on the growth path.

“Japan provided stimulus package valued at 66.9 percent of its 2019 GDP. The UK was 45.04 percent; the USA, 28.4 percent; Brazil, 27.6 percent; South Africa, 12.6 percent; China, 11.5 percent; India, 10.0 percent; and Russia 7.1 percent, compared with Nigeria’s paltry 4 percent,” he said.

Emefiele insisted that the CBN would continue to finance the federal government through ‘Ways and Means.’

The phrase ‘Ways and Means’ is a mechanism by which a central bank provides credit to the government to plug its budget deficit.

According to Emefiele, there was nothing wrong with providing support for the government (by this means) to enable it fulfill its obligations.

He said it would be “irresponsible on the side of the CBN as the lender of last resort not to support the government” if it could not finance its obligations, stressing that the apex bank would continue to fund manufacturing, agriculture and other development initiatives.

Through Ways and Means, the CBN supported the federal government to the tune of 2.8 trillion naira as of the end of 2020. Critics say the apex bank is breaking its own rules and simply prints money to plug the government’s budget loopholes. But the CBN government dismissed the criticism, saying that it was not unusual to do so.

A  Global rating agency, Fitch, had last week said that the CBN was jeopardising Nigeria’s macroeconomic stability by repeatedly providing Ways and Means support to the federal government, pointing out that it was making inflation control and naira stability difficult. But Emefiele said it unfair and unfortunate to hold such views.

According to Vetiva research analysts. the MPC decision to hold rates and all parameters would bolster the equity market, enabling it to “be positively patronised in the short- term, as investors’ continue to channel funds to attractive counters while seeking alpha returns.”

As of the close of the stock market on Tuesday, Airtel, Flour Mills, WAPCO, MTNN and Fidson had pushed the market higher by 260 billion naira.

 

PROFILE: Meet Buhari’s new service chiefs

Vincent Ufuoma
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PROFILE: Meet Buhari’s new service chiefs

ON Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari announced the acceptance letters of resignation of his service chiefs after he ignored pleas and calls by both chambers of the national assembly, the Nigeria governors’ forum, social-cultural organisations, and well-meaning Nigerians that they should be sacked owing to the growing insecurity in the country. terrorism

Buhari immediately announced Lucky Irabor, Ibrahim Attahiru, Awwal Gambo and Isiaka Amao as replacements for Gabriel Olonisakin, Tukur Buratai, Ibok Ekwe Ibas, Sadique Abubakar as chiefs of defence, army, navy and air force, respectively.

The ICIR profiles the new service chiefs in this report.

Lucky Irabor

Major General Lucky Irabor, the 55-years old newly appointed chief of defence, was born in Delta state in 1965. He gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Kaduna as a 34 regular course member in 1983. He was commissioned a second lieutenant on 28 June 1986 into the signals corps of the Nigerian Army.

He was trained at the armed forces command and staff college (AFCSC) for his junior staff course in 1995 and Ghana Armed Forces Staff College, Teshi, Accra Ghana for senior staff course in 2000/2001, amongst other several military courses. Also, he attended National Defence College in Bangladesh in 2010 and Harvard Kennedy School of Government, the USA in 2012 and 2017 respectively. Irabor, who holds two Masters Degrees from both University of Ghana, Accra and Bangladesh University of Professionals, Dhaka, also graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University  (OAU), as a trained engineer.

In its bid to confront Boko Haram’s activities in the Northeast, the military-appointed Irabor as the theatre commander of operation Lafiya Dole in 2016. As theatre commander, he was responsible for the capture of Alargano forest –the acclaimed spiritual base of Boko Haram. He also planned and executed the conduct of operations Crackdown 1 and 2, Rescue Finale and Deep Punch, which led to the clearance of Sambisa forest, destruction of terrorists camps and enclaves, the capture of several weapons, vehicles and equipment belonging to the group as well as rescued well over 20,000 civilians abducted by BHT, including 2 Chibok Girls. Furthermore, the impact of the operations he conducted forced the BHT to release a total of 103 Chibok Girls in two instances.

Shortly after the end of his tenure in the theatre, he was appointed as the head and field commander of the multinational joint task force (MNJTF), where he planned and conducted Operation Amni Fakat within the Lake Chad Basin area, which led to the clearance and domination of Gashigar, Arege and Metele as well the destruction of several terrorists’ camps and IED making factories in the basin. The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) is a combined multinational formation, comprising units, mostly military, from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. It is headquartered in N’Djamena and is mandated to bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency. As Force Commander MNJTF, he successfully planned

Until he was appointed Nigerian chief of defence, Irabor was the force commander of training and doctrine command (TRADOC), Minna.

Read Also: Appointment of new service chiefs not enough, Buhari must show leadership -NEF

Ibrahim Attahiru

Ibrahim Attahiru from Kaduna state was born on August 10, 1966. Until he was appointed chief army staff, he was the general officer commanding (GOC) of the army’s 82 division in Enugu. He was fired as the theatre commander leading the war against the sects in 2017 for failing to deliver a marching order by Tukur Buratai, the immediate chief of army staff, to capture dead or alive within 40 days, Abubakar Shekau.

Isiaka Oladayo Amao

The Osun state born Air Vice Marshal was born on 14 Sep 65 at Enugu. He got enlisted into the Nigerian Airforce on 19 Jan 1984 as a NDA regular course 35 member and was commissioned as a pilot officer on 20 December 1986.

Amao, who has served in various NAF units, was actively involved in the ongoing prosecution of the war against terror in the Northeast as a fighter pilot of Operation Lafiya Dole from 19 Jul 2015 to 16 February 2016.

He also holds a master’s degree in defence and strategic studies from the University of Madras, India, and master of Military Science and Strategy (MMSc) and an advanced diploma in defence and strategic studies from NDU, China. He also has a post-graduate diploma in international relations and diplomacy from Kaduna Polytechnic. 

Until he was appointed air chief, Amao was air officer commanding, tactical air command (TAC).

Awwal Gambo

Born on 22 April 1966 and hails from Nasarawa LGA in Kano State, Awwal Gambo enlisted into the Nigerian Navy on September 24, 1984, as a member of regular course 36 and was commissioned sub-lieutenant on 24 September 1988.

He is an underwater warfare specialist with a sub-specialisation in Intelligence. He has attended several military courses, including a sub-technical course and officers long course at NNS QUORRA, Lagos. He also attended Junior Division 48/89 and Senior Course 26, both at AFCSC Jaji. Other courses attended include the national defence course at the South African National Defence College.

Gambo holds a Master’s degree in transport management from LAUTECH.

Until he was appointed the chief of naval staff, he was the procurement director at the defence space administration.

 

Move to stop Trump’s Senate impeachment trial stalled

Vincent Ufuoma
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Move to stop Trump’s Senate impeachment trial stalled

A move by Rand Paul, a Republican Senator, to stop the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, former US President, met a bipartisan resistance of 55 senators on Tuesday.

The motion, which got the backing of 45 Republican senators, was an indication that it might be difficult to convict Trump of inciting insurrection at the Capitol Hill on January 6.

Paul’s motion on the Senate floor would have required the chamber to vote on whether Trump’s trial in February violates the U.S. Constitution, but the Democratic-led Senate blocked the motion in a 55-45 vote.

Read Also:

 

Five Republican lawmakers joined Democrats to reject the move, far short of the 17 Republicans who would be needed to vote to convict Trump on an impeachment charge regarding Capitol assault that left six people dead.

“It’s one of the few times in Washington where a loss is actually a victory,” Paul later told reporters. “Forty-five votes means the impeachment trial is dead on arrival.”

Paul and other Republicans had argued that the proceedings were unconstitutional because Trump left office last Wednesday and the trial would be overseen by Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, instead of U.S. chief justice, John Roberts.

Leahy, 80, was hospitalised on Tuesday evening after falling sick, his spokesman David Carle said in a statement, which did not provide further details.

Some Republican senators who backed Paul’s motion, said their vote on Tuesday did not indicate how they might come down on Trump’s guilt or innocence after a trial.

“It’s a totally different issue as far as I’m concerned,” Republican Senator Rob Portman told reporters.

The senators voted after being sworn in as jurors for the impeachment trial.

Democratic Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, who moved to thwart Paul’s motion, dismissed the Republican constitutional claim as ‘flat-out wrong’ and said it would provide ‘a constitutional get-out-of-jail-free card’ for presidents guilty of misconduct.

There is a debate among scholars over whether the Senate can hold a trial for Trump now that he has left office. Many experts have said ‘late impeachment’ is constitutional, arguing that presidents who engage in misconduct late in their terms should not be immune from the very process set out in the Constitution for holding them accountable.

The Constitution makes clear that impeachment proceedings can result in disqualification from holding office in the future, so there is still an active issue for the Senate to resolve, those scholars have said.

Read Also: Prophecies gone wrong: ‘Men of God’ who falsely predicted Trump second-term win

Fellow Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who has been critical of Trump, rejected Paul’s move.

“My review of it has led me to conclude that it is constitutional, in recognising that impeachment is not solely about removing a president. It is also a matter of political consequence,” Murkowski told reporters on Tuesday.

She joined fellow Republicans Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Ben Sasse and Patrick Toomey in opposing Paul.

Trump is the only president to have been impeached by the House of Representatives twice and the first to face a trial after leaving power, with the possibility of being disqualified from future public office if convicted by two-thirds of the Senate.

He was acquitted by the then Republican-controlled Senate last February on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress arising from his request that Ukraine investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden and his son.

The House approved a single article of impeachment, the equivalent of an indictment in a criminal trial on Jan. 13, accusing him of inciting an insurrection with an incendiary speech to supporters before they stormed the Capitol which claimed the lives of two police officers and four others.

Saab: Falana writes ECOWAS over Cape Verde’s partial compliance with court order

Lukman ABOLADE
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Saab: Falana writes ECOWAS over Cape Verde’s partial compliance with court order

FEMI Falana, a human rights lawyer and counsel to Alex Saab, a detained Venezuelan special envoy, has written to notify ECOWAS registrar of Cape Verde’s partial compliance with its court ruling.

In a letter seen by The ICIR dated January 26 and addressed to the registrar, ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, Falana said Cape Verde had only partially complied with ECOWAS court ruling by placing his client, Alex Saab, on house arrest.

Falana, Jose M.P. Monteiro, Rutsel S. J Martha and Baltasar R. Garzon, who are legal counsels to Saab, had approached the ECOWAS court challenging the move to extradite their client to the US despite being a diplomat.

The ECOWAS regional court, in its ruling on December 2nd, 2020,had ordered the immediate release of the envoy from prison, including placing him under house arrest for health reasons.  The court also stayed the extradition process.

Falana said the attorney general of Cape Verde commented in a statement issued December 8th, 2020, that his country would not comply with the ruling because the Supplementary Protocol of 2005 had not yet been signed by the country’s prime minister, adding that a copy of the statement was submitted to ECOWAS on January 19, 2020.

Letter addressed to the registrar, ECOWAS Community Court of Justice by Femi Falana
Letter addressed to the registrar, ECOWAS Community Court of Justice by Femi Falana

He also said the attorney general, in a bid to avoid sanctions, on Wednesday, January 20, approached the Barlavento Court of Appeal of Cape Verde to order that Saab be placed on a house arrest.

 

 

 

 

Falana, while praying to ECOWAS court for further intervention, said, in direct defiance of the ruling, Cape Verde had not stayed the extradition process of Saab.

The ICIR had reported how Saab, who was alleged by the US government to have been involved in money laundering, was arrested and detained in Cape Verde.

The US government had requested Saab’s extradition over allegations of money laundering, a move the Venezuelan government faulted with claims that the businessman was its special envoy on a ‘humanitarian mission’ and was on a mission to get food and medical supplies before he was arrested by state security operatives.

Letter addressed to the registrar, ECOWAS Community Court of Justice by Femi Falana
Letter addressed to the registrar, ECOWAS Community Court of Justice by Femi Falana

The ECOWAS Court of Justice has slated the hearing of the case for February 2nd, 2020, to determine if the Venezuelan would be set free.

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