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COVID-19: UNICEF Provides Automatic Hand Washing Machine In Rivers
In continuation of the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus in Rivers State, the united Nations Children’s fund (UNICEF) has come up with a locally made washing machine, christened “Automatic water dispenser”.
At the hand-over of the machine, yesterday, to the State Government, represented by the Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Dr Tammunosisi Gogo-Jaja, the chief of field office, UNICEF, Rivers field office, Dr Guy Yogo said the machine” is one of the key areas of risk containment for COVID 19″.
Demonstrating how the facility can be put into use, Dr Yogo emphasized on the need to promote washing of hands as one of the key ways of checking the corona virus.
“One of the risks that we need to promote is, we need to wash our hands, we need to promote hygiene, and if we do that, we are sure that we’re going to stop the spread of the disease.
Yogo, who said the facility, which will be placed in different strategic areas of the state, said beyond the corona virus, it will also diminish the spread of other diseases that compromise the wealth of citizens.
“In addition to setting this(facility)in public places, it is also a call to individuals to ensure that every where we are, we will readily wash our hands with running water and soap, and to keep that practice in a resilient way, even after COVID-19.
“This is because, you’ll also diminish the spreading of other diseases that compromise the wealth of the citizens, and the economic growth of our nation.
“That is why UNICEF is here, either for health, for education, job protection, access to portable water, to social safety needs for developing countries.
“So, we always work and partner with Rivers State Government and the people of Rivers State to make things happen and to improve lives”. He said”.
As part of effort to ensure sustainability of the project, Yogo stated that “We will streamline our communication and community engagementt platform so as to work with the Council chairman in all the 23 LGAs of the State.
On his part, the Rivers State Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Dr Tammunosisi Gogo-Jaja, commended UNICEF’S innovation of providing such facility to enable people to wash their hands in public places, saying that it is a gesture that is in alliance with the state Governor’s standce for caring for the well-
being of Rivers people.
“Like the Governor( Nyesom Wike) says, for you to be part of Rivers State, you shouldn’t just be interested in the resource, natural resources, that come out of the soil of Rivers State. You should be interested in the well-being of the people.
“Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, UNICEF has shown enough interest in the well-being of Rivers people, having demonstrated this to our people in order to encourage hand-washing with running water. It goes a long way to say that you’re part of us,” he said.
The commissioner continued that the fact that concept of the facility was developed locally means that UNICEF is all also encouraging Rivers people to be creative in business.
“Let me say that for the fact that this concept is developed locally, and fabricated, it’s also the way of encouraging our people in doing business, because whatever money you’re going to spend, you are spending it within,” he stated.
While noting the leadership role the state Governor has played in the fight against the coronavirus in the country, he called on other international organizations, NGOs, and Oil Companies doing business in the state to borrow a leaf from UNICEF.
Sogbeba Dokubo
The Nigeria Immigration Service has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.
This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.
The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.
Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.
The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.
From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.
From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.
Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.
From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.
The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.
The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.
The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the Polytechnic, recently.
Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.
He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.
This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly, Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.
Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.
He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.
The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.
Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.
Chinedu Wosu
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