Metro
COVID-19: NCAC to Launch Campaign on Use of Face Mask
Having successfully produced and kitted select frontline service providers and various care givers in the forefront of the battle against covid 19 pandemic, the Director General National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC ), Otunba Segun Runsewe, has disclosed that the next stage of the culture agency focal agenda is to launch a nation wide campaign to encourage Nigerians to brace for the use of facemask in public places.
The NCAC boss had last week produced and kitted security agencies, the media and a select group of professionals in the front line of the covid 19 pandemic with branded facemasks made exclusively from adire and Ankara fabrics, and also gave out sanitizers made from the natural resources sourced locally in order to promote home grown efforts to the pandemic and also open certain cultural economy.
Explaining the need and exigency for the #protectnaijafacemask campaign, Otunba Runsewe stated that there are imperical facts that wearing facemask has about 100% capacity to prevent the spread of the micro droplets, usually transmitted through the mouth and sneezing through the nose.
“We at NCAC is the firm believe that a population wide facemask wearing is very important and essential to the suppression and prevention of the communial transmission of the covid 19 pandemic, hence the frontal awareness efforts by NCAC to prepare and positively change the attitude and minds of nigerians to facemasks lifestyle” he stated further.
Drawing key example from the Czech republic which successfully adopted facemask strategy and thereafter, with the consequent low covid 19 impact in the entire European countries, the NCAC boss who had in the past drove the national campaign to diversify the nigerian economy through tourism, with” oil is good but tourism better and sustainable” campaign, further disclosed that the nation wide awareness drive on the use of facemasks, will help create a post covid 19 cultural economy that will see the nigerian women, widows and youths producing facemasks as part of NCAC intervention.
” We are already grounded in providing skill acquisition as part of our cultural mandate and with this campaign in focus, we can through our various offices in the six geopolitical zones empower the rural women and unemployed youths to take to tailoring and produce an average of ten million facemasks in three days, made from local fabrics and according to our standard.
” This campaign is a must do and not talk and no action. This cultural agency of government is on strong footing to deliver on this expectations” Runsewe assured, noting that as much as covid 19 protocols of social distancing, strict hygiene are important, the desirability and importance of wearing facemask cannot be overemphasized.
“Indeed, the spread of the disease across our nation with a population of 200million people is a bit scary and despite the the great intervention of the National Center for Disease control, we must be seen to be culturally supportive through this campaign which also is not in any way the scientific solution to mitigating the scrouge but as a knowledge and awareness based effort from NCAC to empower Nigerians to wake up and live with reality of facemasks wearing in public places as a new way of life.
On getting a national musical and entertainment response to the #protectnaijawithfacemask campaign, the national and cum pan African cultural influncer, noted that the possibility would be exploited and be given the face of “we are the world” musical extravaganza of the 90s to raise fund and awareness about mitigating poverty in the world.
“You can bet we shall adopt that musical effort but it shall be cultural in content and context and we may request musical and cultural troupes to come up with something unique that will appeal to national unity and consciousness.
“The artistic community shall be part of this campaign and we are definitely looking beyond the covid 19 situation to the next level of truly responding and creating a new culture entrepreneurs that can challenge our collective national strength for a better cultural economic tomorrow, to project Nigeria to the world as a nation conscious of it’s richness in culture and with a people with strong resolve to overcome any challenge of life” He explained further.
A stray bullet has allegedly killed a student who was heading to the examination centre to sit for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination being organised by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The incident happened on Gbagi market road in the Egbeda Local Government Area of the state when a stray bullet allegedly fired by a police officer in pursuit of a suspect hit and allegedly killed the student on Tuesday.
Investigations revealed that the boy was on a motorcycle with his father and twin brother when the incident struck.
The student, according to multiple eyewitnesses, was on his way to the examination centre.
One of the sources, simply identified as Ajani, said, “A police officer opened fire while chasing a fleeing vehicle. One of the bullets reportedly hit the student. The student was riding on a motorcycle with his father and twin brother.
“The victim was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Another witness said, “The deceased was on his way to the examination centre alongside his twin brother when the tragedy happened.”
Meanwhile, irate youths took the student’s lifeless body to the state Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, to demand justice and called on Governor Seyi Makinde to intervene.
The deceased body has been deposited at Adeoyo Hospital morgue.
As of press time, authorities have not released an official statement on the incident.
The Punch
The Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU)and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have condemned the recent distribution formula for the N50 billion earned allowance approved by the Federal government for university-based unions.
The unions expressed their displeasure in the sharing formula in a jointly signed statement by the President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, and the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi on Sunday in Abuja.
The Federal government last month approved the release of N50billion to universities as earned allowances.
The N50billion is to be shared between the Academic Staff Union of Universities; NASU, SSANU and National Association of Academic Technologists.
The statement said: “We wish to make it clear that this is not a contest of supremacy among unions. Rather, it is about fairness, recognition, and the equitable treatment of all workers who form the backbone of the Nigerian University system.”
The unions further demanded a review and reversal of the allocation formula, which they describe as “grossly unfair” and “totally unacceptable.”
The unions argued that the distribution was capable of creating industrial disharmony and accentuating the teaching/non-teaching dichotomy in Nigerian universities.
They vowed to stand united in demanding justice, fairness, and recognition of their rightful place in the university community.
They warned that going ahead with the unfair distribution will breed resentment and trigger widespread industrial disharmony.
“Non-Teaching staff of Nigerian Universities are not second-class citizens but are critical stakeholders who contribute immensely to the day-to-day functionality, administrative efficiency, research excellence, technical operations, and overall development of the Nigerian Universities system.
“A harmonious and productive academic environment can only be achieved when all stakeholders are treated with respect, dignity, equity, and fairness,” the statement added.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police incharge of Zone 2 Command, Onikan (comprising Lagos and Ogun States) on Saturday led Police officers on a fitness walk to enhance their physical wellness, mental health, and emotional well-being. The Walk which stretched from the Zone 2 Headquarters in Onikan to Eko Atlantic City turning on Ahmadu Bello Way, to Adeola Odeku and back to the Zone 2 covered about 10.2 km, the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP) can report.
The exercise, which was undertaken to complement the job of police officers as it demands high level of fitness and health, was to avoid breakdown and collapse, while in and out of duty.
Police officers are known to be on constant move throughout the day, standing for long hours under the rain and sun, and are always under intense pressure in the cause of performing their duties, hence the need for the walk.
Addressing a cross section of NAOSNP members after the tasking but refreshing fitness walk, AIG Adegoke Fayoade stated: ‘This walk is a strategic instruction of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun that we need to be healthy for the job. The Police job is a very tasking job and we require fitness and health to do the job. That is why we decided to do this Walk on a regular basis, it helps us to perform our job effectively which is round the clock.’
‘My charge to our Police officers is that we need to be fit for the job. During leisure, take out time to engage in exercise. It lowers blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Today we did about 10.2km, last time we covered 8.5km, maybe next time, we will do 15km.’
The Zonal Police PRO, Zone 2, CSP Umma Tunni Ayuba added: ‘This Walk plays a vital role in mental fitness which impacts what we do on a daily basis. It is also a means to unite us as officers and engage with members of the public. You can see that some members of the public join us because it goes a long way in the health of an individual.’
‘I didn’t know we did as much as 10.2km because it was fun and enjoyable with good music, like they say, ‘music is life’. I encourage officers to continue to engage in exercise, don’t wait for something to happen to your body before you look for what to do.’
The walk was spearheaded by the Zonal Sport officer, SP Mattias and Lagos State Command Sport Officer, ASP Abayomi Sonaike, SP Mattias and Supol Alex of Zone 2. ‘We thank God that we have an agile AIG who is concerned about our fitness and health. Our AIG Adegoke Fayoade knows that walks will help our agility to do the job better,’ ASP Abayomi Sonaike remarked.
