NSCDC – The Commerce Africa https://thecommerceafrica.com African Reneissance Thu, 28 Dec 2023 19:10:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9 NSCDC arrests 22 suspected illegal miners in FCT https://thecommerceafrica.com/nscdc-arrests-22-suspected-illegal-miners-in-fct/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/nscdc-arrests-22-suspected-illegal-miners-in-fct/#respond Thu, 28 Dec 2023 18:40:04 +0000 https://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=15969 The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Capital Territory Command, has arrested 82 suspected vandals and 22 illegal miners from August till date.

The FCT Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr. Olusola Odumosu, gave the figures during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja

Odumosu said that 20 suspects were arrested in connection with manhole cover theft and vandalism of critical national assets and infrastructure.

He said that five suspects were arrested in September for alleged vandalism of electrical cables, 14 for alleged vandalism of other public property and two others for alleged television theft.

The commandant said that the other suspects include 28 persons nabbed for alleged railway vandalism and destruction of other critical national assets.

“Eleven were apprehended in October for illegal mining. December recorded parade of 11 illegal miners and two vandals,” he added.

The commandant said that the other suspects include 28 persons nabbed for alleged railway vandalism and destruction of other critical national assets.

“Eleven were apprehended in October for illegal mining. December recorded parade of 11 illegal miners and two vandals,” he added

Odumosu said that the command, under his leadership, had sanctioned three Private Guard Companies for various offences including operating without licence and refusing to renew licence.

He said that the command was prepared to intensify efforts in 2024 to clamp down on vandals, illegal PGC operators and miscreants within the FCT.

There were media reports that the Minister of Solid Mineral, Dele Alake, on December 12 blamed unnamed ‘Powerful Nigerians’ for the illegal mining activities and acts of terrorism going on in different parts of the country.

Alake made the allegation on Tuesday when he led a delegation of top officials of the ministry to defend the 2024, budget estimates before the House Committee on Solid Minerals at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

As part of the effort adopted to curb illegal mining across the country, the Federal Government, Alake had disclosed has put up inter-ministerial measures to fight the menace to protect the nation’s endowed natural resources.

NAN

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COVID-19 Tests: How NCDC Made N6.54bn for Private Labs from Travellers in Nigeria https://thecommerceafrica.com/covid-19-tests-how-ncdc-made-n6-54bn-for-private-labs-from-travellers-in-nigeria/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/covid-19-tests-how-ncdc-made-n6-54bn-for-private-labs-from-travellers-in-nigeria/#respond Sun, 24 Jan 2021 17:24:17 +0000 http://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=3170 With Billions of Naira spent in Nigeria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including on health facilities, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has made private laboratories richer to the tune of over N6.54bn for conducting tests on international travellers.

Findings by PRNigeria reveals that the NCDC mandated travellers to carry out COVID-19 tests only in private laboratories rather than government health facilities, thereby a passenger spends an average of N85,000 for departure and post-arrival tests.

Meanwhile, the cost of COVID-19 ‘PCR test’ varies across approved private laboratories. Currently, it ranges between N36,000 to N50,400 naira, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed in its Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) portal.

NCDC said all payments go directly to the private laboratories and not to the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Port Health Services, or the Federal Ministry of Health.

About 35 private laboratories would have realized at least between N6,547,1258,000 from 7,025 inbound travellers who made payment for post-arrival testing captured on the federal government’s portal as of December 21, 2020, PRNigeria investigation has revealed.

Some travellers and medical experts have raised concern over NCDC’s insistence for travellers to patronise private labs for COVID-19 test.

According to them, the rationale for approving the private facilities for testing incoming travellers may not be unconnected with the ‘huge’ sum to be generated as COVID testing fee.

They argued that the Federal Government has finally dug a grave for the nation’s dysfunctional and comatose public health facilities.

Some passengers who spoke to PRNigeria expressed dismay as to why FG will approve some private labs, at the expense of public labs, which would have done the testing at a cheaper fee.

An international traveller and media executive with offices in Abuja and Dubai, Alhaji Ismail Sani berated NCDC for promoting private healthcare service against government facilities for covid-19 tests.

Sani said: “The amount of money spent by travellers would have been a huge opportunity for the government to generate revenue instead of leaving it to private Labs. In fact, when one tests positive for the virus, they are not taken to private facilities but either Gwagwalada, National Hospital or other public facilities funded by the government.

“So why should the government fall short of provisioning for testing facilities? Why must we spend so much money in equipping the Government hospitals for emergencies and then we don’t have facilities to just test passengers, why must we go to private who are mere consultancy clinics.”

Recalled that Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), at a briefing convened by the Presidential Task Force in Abuja, had disclosed that out of the 163,818 incoming travellers (then), 77,025 (47%) made payment for post-arrival testing.

“64,405 (84%) of the number are due for a post-arrival test, but only 44,189 (59%) of them got tested,” he added.

He said 20,216 travellers would be sanctioned for shunning COVID-19 test upon arrival.

His words: “20,216 (31%) have not shown up for post-arrival test thereby endangering members of the community and breaching the protocols they signed up to. The PTF has concluded arrangements with the Nigeria Immigration Service to impose sanctions on these defaulters for breaching the public health protocols, within the ambit of the law.”

PRNigeria gathered that Anambra, Edo, Enugu, Imo and Kano States each has one laboratory earmarked for testing inbound air passengers, while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos State, has nine and 20 laboratories, respectively.

Some of the fee-charging private labs include Synlab, 54Gene, E-clinic Diagnostics, Clina Lancet Laboratory, Accunalysis Medical Diagnostics, Biologix Support Services, Clinix Healthcare and Lily Clinics Hospital.

Others include E-Health Africa (EHA) Laboratory, Medicaid Laboratory, DNA Labs FCT, Everight Diagnostics, Health Africa (EHA) Laboratory, Zaine Lab, Arrive Alive Diagnostics, Medilag Consult Laboratories and LASUCOM Molecular Biology Laboratory

Though the NCDC, while answering one of the FAQs, explained that the resources available to Public Health Laboratories are to support testing for the general public, and not for the travelling contingent. Hence, the government okayed some private labs to be carrying out the COVID test.

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NSCDC Dismisses Officer Illiya Ibrahim for Looting COVID-19 Palliatives https://thecommerceafrica.com/nscdc-dismisses-officer-illiya-ibrahim-for-looting-covid-19-palliatives/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/nscdc-dismisses-officer-illiya-ibrahim-for-looting-covid-19-palliatives/#respond Wed, 28 Oct 2020 10:14:48 +0000 http://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=2461 The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it has dismissed an officer, Illiya Ibrahim, from the service for participating in the looting of COVID-19 palliatives warehoused in Gwagwalada, Abuja.

A statement issued by the Media Assistant to the Commandant General of NSCDC, Ekunola Gbenga, disclosed on Tuesday.

“The Commandant General, Abdullahi Gana, has approved the recommendation of the Junior Staff Disciplinary Committee for the dismissal of Illiya Ibrahim of the Gwagwalada Division for joining hoodlums in looting Covid-19 palliatives discovered in a warehouse in Gwagwalada, Abuja,” the statement reads.

According to the NSCDC statement, the recommendation was given after the officer was charged under the public service rule which is related to unbecoming conduct of officers.

“This disciplinary measure was taken after a series of investigations and deliberations by the junior disciplinary committee and recommendations were made to the management,” Mr Ekunola was quoted to have said.

“The CG appreciates officers and men of the Corps including members of the public for providing useful information that has continued to assist the Corps in identifying unfit individuals within the ranks for appropriate action. ”

He tasked the personnel to remain committed, resolute and firm in the discharge of their duties.

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