Nation

Yellow Fever: Enugu Begins Vaccination Of LG Residents

Published

5 years ago

November 25, 2020

The Enugu State Government says it has begun mass vaccination in Igbo Etiti Local Government Area, where a single yellow fever case had been confirmed recently.
Disclosing this yesterday while addressing newsmen in Enugu, the Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), Dr George Ugwu, said that for Igbo Etiti council area, confirmed with yellow fever recently; “we have started vaccination targeting 269,030 residents’’.
Ugwu said that the state now had confirmed yellow fever cases in four local government areas.
He further explained that the state received the single confirmed yellow fever case from the samples sent to the National Laboratory, Abuja very early in the week; while it awaits other sample results.
He said that the state through the ENS-PHCDA had begun a robust multi-sectoral action to contain the disease in the council area.
According to him, “we treat a single confirmed case of yellow fever, as it is in Igbo Etiti, as an epidemic and that is why we have moved in quickly to check the spread and cut transmission”.
The executive secretary said that the target of 269,030 residents for vaccination, which represents 85 per cent of the population, would be for residents between the age range of nine months and 44 years.
“We are leaving no stone un-turned and we have moved in our health educators and mobilisers to further educate the locals as well as already running mass media and traditional media awareness and announcement concerning the disease in the state.
“We want them to ensure anybody sick is reported to the nearest health facility for proper diagnostic care in order to check self medication and superstitious beliefs that lead to health complications most times,’’ he said.
Contributing State Immu-nisation Officer, Mr Amaechi Nsodukwa, said that the ENS-PHCDA had trained the vaccinators for Igbo Etiti council area, adding that the ENS-PHCDA had trained and equipped 87 teams, made up of five vaccinators per team for the job.
“Among the 87 teams; 47 teams had been posted to fixed health posts such as the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) and 40 temporary fixed health posts, who can move within anywhere beyond the PHC centres.
“It is ongoing simultaneously in 20 wards within the council area and will last for 10 days commencing from today, November 24,’’ he said.
It would be recalled that Igboeze North, Nsukka and Isi-Uzo local government areas of Enugu State had recorded 30 deaths traceable to yellow fever recently.
The state government already started massive yellow fever vaccination of about one million residents in the initial three council areas affected by the disease.
Government equally fumigated the affected council areas. Initial symptoms of yellow fever include headache, jaundice, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. Serious cases may cause heart, liver and kidney conditions.

By: Canice Amadi, Enugu

Nation

Firefighters battle New Year Day inferno in Abuja, several states

Published

1 week ago

January 2, 2026

The Tide

Federal Fire Service FFS entered the New Year on full operational alert, tackling multiple fire outbreaks across the country from midnight into the early hours of January 1, 2026, in what officials described as one of the busiest festive-season deployments in recent years.

The intensified nationwide response followed a December 2025 directive issued by the Controller General of the Federal Fire Service, Olumode Samuel Adeyemi, who had ordered that no firefighter should proceed on leave throughout the holidays.

According to a statement by the National Public Relations Officer and Head of Corporate Services of the FFS, DCF Paul Abraham, the no-leave policy proved critical as the Service moved swiftly to contain fires in several states.

The Federal Capital Territory FCT recorded its first fire incident of the year barely twenty-three minutes after midnight when flames erupted at Cake Hot Restaurant located within River Plate Park, Wuse, Abuja.

Abraham said fire crews from the Federal Fire Service and the FCT Fire Service arrived promptly and were able to stop the blaze before it could spread through the popular recreational centre.

While a section of the garden area was destroyed, no lives were lost and no injuries were recorded.

Officials said property worth an estimated ?1.5 billion was saved, although losses were placed at about ?500 million.

“Preliminary findings suggested that the fire was triggered by objects thrown during New Year celebrations, reinforcing long-standing warnings over the dangers posed by fireworks during the harmattan season”, the Service said.

The Controller General had repeatedly urged Nigerians to avoid fireworks, candles and open flames indoors, warning that the dry winds characteristic of the season allow fires to spread rapidly.

He also warned the public about electrical faults and power surges and advised that electrical appliances be switched off and unplugged when not in use or when occupants leave their homes, stressing that overloading sockets and extension boxes remains a significant cause of domestic fires.

Nation

Enugu North LG chairman presents ?10.8bn 2026 Budget, prioritises roads …Security, Healthcare, Human Capital Development

Published

1 week ago

January 2, 2026

The Tide

Chairman of Enugu North Local Government Area in Enugu State, Dr. Ibenaku Harford Onoh, has presented a Ten Billion Eight Hundred Million Naira (?10.8bn) 2026 budget to the legislative council of the local government.

The budget, tagged “Budget of Continued Growth and Consolidation,” was presented on Wednesday during a plenary session attended by councillors, department heads, and other stakeholders.

Dr. Onoh explained that the 2026 budget is designed to consolidate achievements recorded in 2025 while scaling up development across the council’s 13 wards. Priority areas include road infrastructure, grassroots security, healthcare delivery, youth empowerment, and digital governance.

He also reviewed the 2025 budget performance, highlighting significant revenue growth and successful completion of key projects. Notably, the council’s internally generated revenue more than doubled, attributed to the introduction of digital revenue collection platforms and other innovative measures.

Among the 2025 achievements, Dr. Onoh mentioned the reconstruction of major roads at European Quarters, Hilltop, Coal Camp, and Ukwa Street, Ihewuishi, as well as the upgrade of the local security architecture through the reorganisation of the neighbourhood watch into “The City Watch.”

On the 2026 budget, the chairman stated that projected revenue would come from statutory allocations, VAT, internally generated revenue, and counterpart funding through public-private partnerships.

He noted that capital expenditure would take the larger share of the budget, with over half allocated to the economic sector. Planned projects include:

Completion of transport terminals at Aria Market

Construction and reconstruction of urban roads

Establishment of two sports centres

Healthcare interventions

Youth skills development programmes.

Dr. Onoh emphasised that the projects, policies, and programmes outlined in the budget are aimed at complementing the initiatives of Governor Peter Ndubisi Mbah, who is setting standards for local government councils to follow.

Responding, the Leader of the Legislative Council, Rt. Hon. Chizoba Nnamani, said the budget would be carefully scrutinised in the interest of residents before its passage.

Nation

Christians Convert To Islam or die As ISWAP burns down Christian village

Published

1 week ago

January 2, 2026

The Tide

Christians in Adamawa have been asked to Convert to Islam or die as commanded by the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).

.The ISWAP forcedly burnt down Christian village in Adamawa Nigeria as reported on January 1, 2026.

The Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP, has continued to wreak havoc on Christian communities in the Northeast, Nigeria.

This comes as ISWAP burned down a Christian village in Adamawa State.

A security expert, Brant Philip, disclosed this on Thursday in a viral video released by the terrorists.

“ISWAP released an image of one of the Christian villages in Adamawa State burning, alongside a statement saying that all Christians in Nigeria are legitimate targets, and they have an opportunity to “spare their blood” by converting to Islam or paying the jizyah tax to ISWAP,” Brant Philip wrote on X.

The move is perceived as retaliation for recent joint airstrikes by the Nigerian and United States military against a terrorist enclave in Sokoto, Nigeria.

Recall that five days ago, United States President Donald Trump announced that the US military launched airstrikes against terrorists in Sokoto State.