The centre said that for the reason, Nigerians must continue to observe non-pharmaceutical measures against COVID-19.

The Director-General of NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said at a media briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 on Monday in Abuja that Christmas carols and other gatherings which could spread the virus should be avoided this Christmas season.

Ihekweazu said: “As the year rounds off, we can take necessary actions now to make 2021 a hopeful and successful year and bring about a move back to the way of life that we miss so much.

“Before we get there, we have an intervening period, the month of December with the associated festivities that mark the end of the year.

“Many of the traditional meetings that we engage in at this time of the year, whether it is Christmas carols or festivals, trips or family gatherings, can end up being super spreader events.

“We must take this into consideration as we make our choices.”

He said that although there had been some encouraging news about COVID-19 vaccines, mass production of the vaccines might still take time.

“We are even very far from having one with a licence; so, we have to tighten our belts and get through this month of December.

“Everyone should be vigilant, disciplined and abide by the general protocols that we have advised throughout the year.

“This is the best way that we can keep our loved ones safe and transit safely into 2021.

“This is particularly important for the elderly in our country who we may want to go and visit as we do by this time of the year,” he said.

The NCDC boss said that a travel advisory had been issued by the NCDC, noting that it detailed why travels both locally and internationally must be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

He said: “The NCDC issues this public health advisory for all members of the public to increase awareness about the continued risks relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures that need to be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the upcoming Christmas and New Year periods.

“Across the world, Christmas is a time for celebration and increase in religious and social gatherings.

“During Christmas and New Year celebrations, we recognise that people want to travel and be with families and friends.

“However, this has been a difficult year and the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our usual way of living; we all have to make adjustments in our lives to the new reality we are faced with.”

Ihekweazu said that Nigerians must continue to take necessary measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.

“Since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Nigeria, over 67,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported with over 1,000 deaths.

“Most of the confirmed cases and deaths have been in urban/semi-urban cities and towns, and the risk of spread remains.

“The COVID-19 virus do not spread on its own, it spreads when people move around.

“This means that by travelling across countries and cities, there is a higher risk of transmission, especially to rural areas where the existing health infrastructure is already weak.

“It is, therefore, advisable to limit all non-essential domestic and international travel. This is especially important for intending travellers from countries recording a high number of COVID-19 cases.”

He urged that the vulnerable groups – people aged 60 years and above and people with pre-existing medical conditions – should avoid non-essential outings and visitors.

According to him,NCDC advisory can be seen on https://covid19.ncdc.gov.ng/media/files/AdvisoryforVulnerableGroupsV2June2020.

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He said this on Monday in Abuja, while declaring open the 26th Nigerian Economic Summit with the theme: “Building Partnerships for Resilience’’.

The summit was organised jointly by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

Buhari, who was represented by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, said that the decline in the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) came after 12 successive quarters of positive growth.

He said the downturn caused by the pandemic included lockdowns, disruption in global supply chains, business failures and rising unemployment.

“We can all recall that during the lockdown, farming did not take place, businesses were closed; schools were closed as were hotels and restaurants.

“Also, airlines stopped flying, while inter-state commerce was disrupted.

“The economy only began to recover when these activities resumed and if we are able to sustain the nearly three percentage point increase from the second quarter decline of minus 6.1 per cent, the performance in the fourth quarter could take us into positive territory,” he said.

Buhari said that it was to mitigate such impact that the Federal Government introduced the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP).

According to him, all the programmes in the ESP are reliant on the private sector playing a key role in creating and conserving jobs and the production and delivery of services in agriculture, housing, solar power and digital technologies.

He added that the speedy pathway out of the current recession was to quicken the implementation of the ESP.

“Of course, an improvement in global economic conditions, including the restoration of global supply chains and resumption of exports and remittances, should enable a V-shaped recovery.

“We expect, in the same spirit of partnership, that the private sector will complement these efforts by making maximum use of the provisions of the ESP and the Finance Bill when it is passed by the National Assembly and also by retaining and creating jobs so as to keep people at work.

“In a similar spirit of partnership, private sector enterprises should also pay their due taxes,” he added.

Speaking on the theme of the summit, he said that partnerships remained essential to attract the resources for building a solid national infrastructural base.

Buhari said that as was evident when the nation was combatting COVID-19, partnerships were essential and also necessary for framing medium and long-term development plans.

He added that the government had always emphasised that the private sector had a key role to play in the efforts to build a more resilient and competitive economy as expressed in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

Buhari said that private companies in design, construction, logistics and finance were very much engaged in the nation’s infrastructural projects in power and rail as well as road and bridges.

“I am pleased to inform in this regard that we are working actively with the CBN, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority and state governments under the auspices of the National Economic Council to design and put in place a N15 billion Infraco Fund, which will be independently managed.

“The Infraco Fund will help to close the national infrastructural gap and provide a firm basis for increasing national economic productivity and growth,” he said.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed said that the current recession would be a short one, as government and key stakeholders were proactively working together to put in place sustainable measures to curtail and improve the situation.

She added that in spite of the recession, Nigeria had out-performed many economies in terms of economic growth.

Ahmed said that the Federal Government, in partnership with the NESG had been working together on the national implementation plans as well as the regional and local development plans.

“Since the inception of the NESG 25 years ago, it has become one of the largest annual gatherings dedicated to finding solutions to the challenges facing the Nigerian Economy.

“It has helped to shape government policies, reforms and sector transformations,” she said.

Mr Asue Ighodalo, the Chairman of the NESG said the summit must be different as it must emphasise the execution of endless dialogues.

He said that the summit was about building partnerships as sectors could no longer succeed independently.

“We come to the table each year with clear and defined obstacles in search of solutions. The NESG and the private sector must do more to address policy needs

“Let this 26th summit be the one where we collectively resolve to shun greed, nepotism and corruption.

“It is time that we are brave with facing our realities with strength, sense of purpose, and integrity.

“Our reflections would be incomplete if we did not also examine many more policy recommendations that have not been acted upon over the years and acknowledge those that have been actioned,” he said.

It was reported that the two-day summit ends on Tuesday.

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The measures, which are similar but not as comprehensive as those in place in the first lockdown earlier in the year, are to last until Dec. 2.

Restaurants, cultural facilities, sports centres and leisure facilities have to close, but schools and universities remain open.

Retailers will also stay closed for a month – apart from supermarkets and other stores considered necessary.

People may only leave their homes for good reason – for work, sports, recreation or to care for relatives.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are making their own rules to combat the virus.

England’s National Health Service was placed on its highest alert level on Wednesday as bosses said they were seriously concerned about the added pressure on health systems in particular overcrowded hospitals.

The number of daily deaths in connection with the virus rose to 492 on Wednesday, the highest toll since the start of the pandemic.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had introduced a three-tier system of restrictions for England in mid-October, but the move was criticised as insufficient.

Parliament had approved the current lockdown on Wednesday.

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The 35-year-old has missed one Portugal match and four Juventus games, including their UEFA Champions League clash with FC Barcelona, since he tested positive on Oct. 13.

“Cristiano Ronaldo has undergone a test today,” said Juventus in a statement. “The result of the test was negative.

“The player has therefore recovered after 19 days and is no longer subject to the home isolation regime.”

Juventus’ next match is away to Spezia in Serie A on Sunday.

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Mr Muhammad Usman, Chairman of the state Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD), disclosed this to newsmen in Dutse on Saturday.

Our correspondent reports that the items were part of the 94 trucks of 49,941 packages containing varieties of food donated to Jigawa by the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID).

Usman said the items would be distributed to PWDs across the 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

He listed the items donated as 1,500 packets of 5kg sugar, 1,500 bags of 10kg rice, 1,000 bags of 5kg white maize grills, 1,500 cartons of spaghetti and 1,500 cartons of noodles.

The chairman added that the items would be distributed among the hearing impaired persons, visually impaired persons, persons affected with leprosy as well as the physically challenged.

He that the assistance came at the right time for PWDs in the state due to their vulnerability during the lockdown period.

Usman, who commended the CACOVID and the state government for the gesture, pledged fair distribution of the items.

He also urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the items in order to ameliorate the unbearable socio-economic hardship brought by COVID-19 pandemic.

It was recalled that Jigawa commenced the distribution of CACOVID palliative to 42,312 households across the 27 LGAs of the state n Sept. 15.

The items were expected to be shared among the indigents in the 3,526 polling units of the state.

Twelve households, consisting of nine men and three widows with orphaned children, were also expected to benefit from each of the polling units.

No political appointees, civil servants or salary earners were allowed to benefit from the items.

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“Hi everyone, I wanted to let you know that I tested positive for COVID-19,” the 29-year-old Romanian said on Twitter on Saturday.

“I am self-isolating at home and (I) am recovering well from mild symptoms.

“I feel good … we will get through this together.”

The former world number one did not travel to New York for this year’s U.S. Open Grand Slam due to health concerns over the pandemic.

Halep, who won the French Open in 2018 and is the reigning Wimbledon champion, made the trip to Paris for the claycourt Grand Slam.

But she went down to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the fourth round at Roland Garros this month.

The Women’s WTA Tour has a tournament scheduled in Austria from Nov. 9 but Halep had said her 2020 season was over following her French Open defeat.

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Fauci, who is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stated this during a live Facebook chat on Thursday.

He said Americans would know in December whether or not they would have a safe and effective vaccine, citing leading vaccine developers, Pfizer and Moderna.

The comments came as the country reported no fewer than 74,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.

The U.S. coronavirus caseload currently stands at no fewer than 8.9 million, including 228,194 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Fauci said the first preliminary COVID-19 vaccine trail results should be out within the next few weeks.

According to him, the first vaccine doses will likely be made available to individuals considered most in need “by the end of December or the beginning of January.”

He was, however, quick to warn that it would take time for normalcy to return to the country even with an effective vaccine.

The U.S. Government has since pre-ordered millions of promising vaccine candidates with Pfizer and Moderna, whose final stage of clinical testing began in late July.

Reports quoted Moderna as saying on Thursday that it was “on track to deliver interim data from its large, late-stage trial next month”.

Pfizer was expected to release its interim results in October, but has missed the target, and expectations are that it would do so in early or mid November.

After release, the data will then be reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

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The anti-graft agencies are the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Mr Hamzat Lawal, Founder of “Follow The Money”, an initiative under Connected Development (CODE), an NGO, made the call in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

Lawal said that the call for investigation became imperative following the discovery of government storehouses for COVID-19 palliatives and the looting spree of these food and material resources across the country.

“It should be recalled that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic early this year, the Follow The Money team across the 36 States had been tracking intervention funds and materials disbursed to State Governments to cushion the impact of the pandemic.

“A total of 57 Freedom of Information letters were received by 27 State Government agencies, requesting details of COVID-19 funds and the distribution of palliatives but only six states responded.

“They assured that palliatives were distributed accordingly, even though they refused to provide details of distribution and evidence of the same.

“The discovery of palliatives hideouts further indicates a systemic failure in governance and a distrust in leadership.’’

Lawal said that there was no reason the distribution of the items should have been delayed knowing that the coronavirus pandemic worsened the country’s economic situation and increased poverty level.

He said that the discovery further exposed the rot and persistent corruption in the Nigerian system.

“The Nigerian government continues to thwart the possibility of gaining the trust of its citizens, especially with its opacity and poor accountability, which have now materialised in a mob action and heavy looting of COVID-19 palliatives,’’ he said

Lawal said that there was an urgent need for the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 to prioritise addressing the lapses identified ranging from operational mistakes to gross mismanagement of logistics, leading to the recent palliatives looting.

He said that the EFCC and the ICPC should thoroughly investigate procurement fraud and mishandling of COVID-19-related funding and resources at State and Federal level, bringing culprits to justice.

He added that the National Assembly should also hold public hearings on the Palliatives looting and citizens properly briefed on outcomes.

He added that public officials should be held accountable for the lapses in efficiency adding that Nigerians deserved better public service delivery.

Ms Kevwe Oghide,Communications Director, CODE, said that the Follow The Money movement under CODE was initiated to advocate, visualise and track government spending and international aid.

Oghide added that the initiative lets Nigerians to know how effective these funds had been in the rural communities.

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NERC made this known in the First Quarter Report 2020 which was obtained by our reporter in Lagos from the website of the electricity regulatory agency.

The commission said out of the combined invoices of N185.08 billion for energy and administrative services received from Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) and Market Operators, only a total of N60.20 billion (representing 32.53 percent) of the invoice was settled.

It said this created a total deficit of N124.88 billion (including tariff shortfall).

NERC said: ”The commission notes with concern the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on collection efficiency, DisCos’ remittance to the market and its attendant impact on the liquidity challenges in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

“Low remittance adversely affects the ability of NBET to honour its financial obligations to Electricity Generation Companies (GenCos).”

The commission said service providers such as Market Operators and NERC also struggle with the paucity of funds impacting their capacity to perform their statutory obligations due to the low remittance.

It said the individual remittance performance indicated that only Jos and Enugu DisCos recorded a slight increase in their remittance performance in the first quarter of 2020.

The commission said: “The aggregate combined invoice settlement rate for all DisCos fell to 32.53 percent.

” Ikeja DisCo, though underperformed in its remittance as compared to 2019/Q4, recorded the highest remittance rate of 43.92 percent during 2020/Q1 while Kaduna DisCo recorded the lowest remittance rate of 14.16 percent during the same period.”

NERC said all DisCos were therefore being steered continually to rapidly improve on their revenue collection from customers in order to fulfill their remittance obligations and mitigate financial distress in NESI.

The commission added that it had written to NBET to exercise her contractual right on the payment security cover provided by DisCos in order enforce payment discipline and compliance with the minimum remittance.

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The state Acting Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe said in a state-wide broadcast on Sunday.

She said that security agencies had already arrested some of those involved.

“There can be no other word but theft for describing the looting of food items donated by CACOVID,” she added.

“We have met community leaders and made it clear that what happened yesterday will not be tolerated. There can be no excuses for the crimes we have witnessed.

“The state is obliged to find and prosecute those involved in the criminal actions that unfolded yesterday.

“For the sake of every law-abiding and hardworking citizen, we cannot indulge those who think they are exempted from the obligation to respect the law and the right of others to their lives and property.

“Those who instigated these actions and who sadly persist in incitement should also expect to hear from the law,” the acting governor stressed.

Balarabe warned that “much of the looted property is a threat to public health, including the expired and dangerous drugs that were taken from NAFDAC and the 8000 tons of chemically treated soybeans stolen from a private feeds processing company.”

She thanked security agencies for averting the spiral of violence and arresting some of the persons involved in the looting.

“I call on all the people of Kaduna State to uphold law and order, and to cooperate with the security agencies as they enforce the curfew.

“We call on citizens to remain vigilant as security reports indicate that persons desperate for bloodshed and anarchy continue to seek avenues to shatter the state, using rumours, fake news and incitement.

“We call on traditional rulers, community and religious leaders to assist security agencies to fish out the criminals involved in the regrettable spate of looting.

“We acknowledge the citizens who have been active in verifying information and combatting fake news.”

The acting governor explained that the 24-hour curfew imposed on the state was to prevent criminal elements from undermining the law and placing lives and property of the people in danger.

“We commend the vast majority of the people of Kaduna State for being law-abiding and for not allowing criminal actions in their communities.

“We regret the inconvenience that this statewide curfew might have caused for such persons. The curfew is a difficult but necessary step for containing the violence and preventing it from infecting peaceful communities.”

She assured that the curfew will be reviewed based on the security situation in the state.

On the looted CACOVID palliative, the acting governor explained that the items were not hoarded by the government or any of its officials.

“Rather, the government was ready to commence distribution in all the local government areas, after taking pains to arrange a fair and efficient system.”

According to her, arrangements for distributing the items at ward level had been concluded, when the looters stole the items.

“The items looted do not belong to the persons that stole them. They were meant to support the most vulnerable in our midst.

“Mob action cannot replace the methodical steps taken to identify these persons and arrange for them to safely receive the items,” she added.

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