Photo: Big Brother Naija season 5 premieres tonight

Big Brother Naija Season 5 premieres today and it’s even more exciting as MultiChoice Nigeria revealed a bigger grand prize of 85 million Naira for the winner and 30 million Naira for 30 lucky fans when they lock in their favourite housemates.

This season, Big Brother is ceding more power to the fans with the introduction of the tiered voting system which gives GOtv and DStv subscribers an edge and more votes to keep their favourite BBNaija housemates in the house.

“With your DStv and GOtv packages, you are entitled to more votes, and the higher your package, the higher your votes. DStv Premium customers will get 2,500 votes; Compact Plus will have 1,500 votes; Compact customers will get 750 votes while Confam and Yanga customers will get 500 and 200 votes respectively, For GOtv customers on Max, they get 350 votes and GOtv Jolli customers get 200 votes.

To qualify for tiered voting, fans must be active DStv or GOtv customers and download the MyDStv or MyGOtv apps from their app stores to access more votes for the housemate they want to win.

It is open to both new and existing customers. Voting on BBNaija season 5 will also be available via website, SMS and Mobi site.

Delayed salaries ticking time bomb, health workers warn

The National President of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, MHWUN, Comrade Josiah Biobelemoye has told the legislative and executive arms of government to prioritise the needs and demands of healthcare workers, warning that the delayed payment of deferred and adjusted salaries was a ticking time bomb.

Speaking when he paid a courtesy visit to tMHWUN, in Abuja, Chairman of the House Committee on Health Services, , Hon. Tanko Sununu said the National Assembly was still reviewing the manner of compensation that should be made available to the affected families.

He said that the House under the leadership of Femi Gbajiabiamila has set up a committee to interface and interfere in all pending issues concerning the payment and welfare of health workers.

The lawmaker urged the aggrieved workers who have been threatening to down tools over government’s unfair treatment, to consider the millions of lives such an action could put at risk.

He said the committee’s primary responsibility was not only to ensure all demands of health workers in the country were met, but to also promote harmony in the sector.

According to him, “We are not unmindful of our health workers in the frontline who paid the ultimate price. This is why we are working out a plan to compensate their families.

“A committee has been set up. We will call for a public hearing where the strategy and method to be used in disbursing the compensations will be agreed on. The families of the deceased will be located and we must ensure the money reaches them.

“Our aim is to ensure there is no disharmony anymore in the health sector. We are reaching out to major stakeholders and negotiating their demands to ensure health workers continue with their work with no hitches or grievances.”

The MHWUN President, Biobelemoye commended the efforts and concern of the National Assembly in the welfare of healthcare workers including the steps being taken to back the consolidated revenue provision of one percent by law.

He called for increased funding of the health sector and budgetary provision to fund the salary adjustments.

He said, “We are doing so much and our people are showing so much understanding within this period because its COVID time but you can’t expect people to be patient all through forever.

“Government said there is no money but they are planning to pay private school teachers who are not even under the employment of government. We that are in the forefront contending with the salvage how will you then explain to us government does not have the money to pay our deferred salaries of April and May 2018, and the withheld salaries in FMC Owerri, JUTH, LUTH and others. How will you convince us?

“We are not against government trying to help out private schools, but if you are helping the private schools why can’t you help us. Is it justifiable to keep the salaries of those who are in the war front?

“We are appealing to the executive; quickly address these matters because they are ticking time bombs and they should not allow them to be detonated before they come to the rescue because any detonated bomb does not have positive results, its always negative.”

Vanguard News Nigeria

Poverty knows no political party – Humanitarian Minister

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has enjoined less fortunate Nigerians to take advantage of the federal Conditional Cash Transfer aid programme, with the remark that ‘poverty has nothing to do with a person’s political party.’

The Humanitarian minister gave the advice in Gusau on Saturday while briefing journalists on the implementation of the CCT in Zamfara State.

‘The CCT was conceived to provide succour to the poorest of the poor regardless of political affiliation because poverty has nothing to do with a person’s political party. This programme belongs to the vulnerable in society,’ the minister said.

Sadiya explained that each CCT beneficiary would receive between N30,000 and N80,000, as she called on those handling the programme in the state to be transparent.

‘Any beneficiary who gets less than N30,000 should reject it and report to appropriate authorities to avoid being surcharged,’ she advised.

She said that though Zamfara State was added into the programme last year, the delay in initiating the programme in the state was due to the hitches encountered with a contractor who was supposed to handle and be responsible for dispensing the cash to beneficiaries in the state.

The minister had earlier flagged-off the distribution of 104 trailer loads of assorted grains and 29,800 bags of 50kg fertilizer donated by the Federal Government as palliatives to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown and for farmers affected banditry activities in Zamfara state.

The minister on Friday in the company of state government officials including commissioners also inspected four warehouses in Gusau, where the donated federal government items were kept before handing them over to the Zamfara State Government for onward distribution to the beneficiaries.

The food items provided to the state by the federal government through NEMA included 1,464.23 Metric tonnes (49 trailer load) of maize, 222.34 Metric tonnes (8 trailer load) of millet and 1,390.33 Metric tonnes (47 trailer load) of sorghum.

Popular Lekki Pastor, Omashola Involved In Ghastly Accident In Warri | Leadership Newspaper

A popular Lekki Pastor, Apostle Chris Omashola, who heads the Zionwealth Church was Saturday afternoon involved in a ghastly motor accident in Warri.

The accident, which occurred at about 3pm took place around a flyover, opposite Delta Mall, Warri in Delta State.

Close relatives to the pastor who confirmed the development noted that Omashola, who is also a Public Relations expert was driving alone in a Toyota Camry, when the incident happened.

Though the extent of the injury he sustained was not ascertain at the time of this report, it was gathered that Omashola has been rushed to Skyphon Medical Centre, along Refinery Road, Warri for emergency medical attention.

Catholic priest in Enugu dies of COVID-19 complications

The Catholic Diocese of Enugu has announced the death of its priest, Rev. Fr. Joachim Cabanyes, following COVID-19 complications at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) isolation centre.

Rev. Fr. Nkemjika Igweshi, Secretary to Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, Bishop of Enugu Diocese, made the disclosure in a statement issued to newsmen in Enugu on Saturday.

Igweshi said that Fr. Cabanyes was a Spanish priest of the Opus Dei Prelature who worked in the diocese and had served the Nigerian Church for about 28 years.

“He was such a nice, easy-going, cordial, generous, prayerful, and dedicated pastor.

“He hailed from Spain, but loved our people so much and always attended our diocesan functions.

“His body has just been laid to rest, following the NCDC guidelines.

“Please as we pray for his peaceful repose, let us know that COVID-19 is real and we will do well to observe all the necessary health precautions and safety measures,’’ he said.

Igweshi, who is also the Chaplain of St. Lucy Chaplaincy, Emene, near Enugu, prayed that  Fr. Cabanyes soul rest in perfect peace.

NAN

photo: 324 more stranded Nigerians evacuated from U.S.

Evacuation of stranded Nigerians

 Another flight evacuating Nigerians stranded in the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic has departed for Abuja.

The fully booked plane, with 324 passengers on board, left the Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, on Friday night.

It is expected to arrive at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Saturday afternoon.

This is the third evacuation flight from the U.S. arranged by the Federal Government in two months, bringing the total number of evacuees to 811.

The travelers were screened for COVID-19 symptoms and subjected to other monitoring requirements, including presentation of their coronavirus test results.

As usual, the departure operation was coordinated by officials of the Nigerian consulate in New York on behalf of the Nigerian missions in the U.S.

The Consul General, Mr Benaoyagha Okoyen, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that three persons were denied boarding for failing to present their COVID-19 test results.

NAN recalls that nine persons, including a family of five, were dropped from the last flight for the same reason.

Okoyen said arrangement had being made to accommodate them in the next flight scheduled for July 28.

COVID-19 test result is one of the requirements for evacuation under the Revised Quarantine Protocol of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

The U.S., which has been an epicentre of the COVID-19 crisis, is grappling with what experts call a second wave of infections, with a record 75,600 new cases on Thursday alone.

With the consular officials at the airport was Dr Philip Ozuah, a nationally-recognised U.S.-based Nigerian medical doctor and Chief Executive Officer of Montefiore Medical Centre, New York.

Ozuah told NAN he was there in solidarity with the consular officials for “the amazing evacuation operations”.

Some executive members of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Americas (NIDOA) led by their Treasurer, Mr Kazeem Bello, were also on hand to lend their support.

They distributed free safety kits, including masks and hand sanitizers, to the evacuees.

(NAN)

Rwanda unveils 57 suspected rebels arrested in DRC

The Rwanda Investigations Bureau (RIB) has paraded, through the streets, 57 suspected rebels recently arrested in the jungles of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The suspects, captured by the DRC military, were accused of terrorism and formation of armed groups to destabilise Rwanda, acting spokesperson of RIB, Dominique Bahorera, said shortly after the suspects were brought before journalists in the Rwandan capital Kigali.

They belonged to different terror groups based in the DRC, such as the National Liberation Front (FLN), the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda and the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change, Bahorera said

The suspects were handed over to Rwanda in the framework of security cooperation between the two countries, according to the RIB.

Last year, the DRC and regional countries met to deal with the armed groups operating in the DRC, which have been threatening the security of the region for decades.

NAN

Vanguard