Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had a meeting with the Nigerian Association of Nurses and Midwives over the planned industrial action by its members.

The governor, during the closed-door meeting at the State House, addressed the grievances of the nursing workforce in the state.

“At the end of the two hours meeting, both the government and the union agreed on a number of issues that had been causing disaffection between the two parties,” a statement by the state government said.­

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“Governor Sanwo-Olu pledged the government’s sincerity in the implementation of all that was agreed on, to the delight of the representatives of the nurses.”

According to the statement, the Chairman of the Lagos State Council of the Nigerian Association of Nurses and Midwives, Olurotimi Awojide, thanked Governor Sanwo-Olu for acceding to most of their requests.

“He described the governor as a true leader and father who cares about his children,” it said.

Awojide promised to call an emergency congress of the association on Monday, where the union would announce its decision to call off the planned industrial action.

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Sanwo-Olu, Nurses Meet To Resolve Union’s Concerns

Former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, says he has no regret supporting Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to succeed him as the next governor of the state.

Senator Kwankwaso spoke about his relationship with Governor Ganduje in the past, as well as how they both worked together until 2015.

“I have no regret whatsoever because we are still strong, much stronger than 2015. Not only in Kano but across the country and beyond,” he said.

Kwankwaso was first elected governor of the north-western state in 1999 and was re-elected in 2011, completing his eight years allowed by the Constitution.

When Ganduje became governor, Kwankwaso was a Senator representing Kano Central Senatorial District in 2015.

Though elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his then deputy, Abdullahi Ganduje, succeeded him in 2015 as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“He (Ganduje) was my deputy from 1999 to 2003 and, of course, my SA when I was the Minister of Defence and thereafter in 2007, I lobbied the then President Yar’Adua and, of course, he got a job in the Chad Republic to be the Executive Secretary of Chad Basin,” the governor said.

“He was there when I got a ticket in 2010. I asked him to resign and come back to Nigeria to be my deputy. When I was going, I thought we should have an inclusive government by supporting him to become governor.”

Kwankwaso admitted that the first three years of exiting the Government House were tough because of the actions of his successor, a situation that forced him out of Kano despite being a member of the 9th Senate.

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Asked if he plans to dump the PDP, the former governor said he has not discussed the possibility of joining the ruling party as his focus was to work with the PDP to win the 2023 general elections.

“I have never told anybody that I have decided to go to the APC or any other party for that matter,” he said. “I am in PDP and I have seen so many speculations over a long period, especially from my brothers and sisters in the APC that I am planning to move from the PDP to the APC.

“I think it is just fake news, even though it makes me feel very happy. Many people in the APC, those who have worked together with me in that party are sending all these sorts of messages around.

“But I am happy to say that we are working very hard to ensure that we have success in the forthcoming elections.”

I Have No Regret Supporting Ganduje To Be Governor

Popular female rapper known as Cardi B has taken to her Instagram account to share with her fans that her four months old baby is talking.

But this may not be the case with Cardi B and Offset’s son, whose mother said can talk at just four months.

“I’m not exaggerating, this baby is talking”, Cardi claimed in a recent Instagram video.

The 29-year-old American rapper went on to mention that her husband, Offset, witnessed the magical moment.

“Yesterday, I was like ‘You love Mommy? Yeah?'”, the mother-of-two shared with her 121 million Instagram followers.

“Then I asked him again, ‘You love Mommy?’ And he replied back, ‘Yeah!”‘

The awestruck rapper continued: “I don’t know if that’s like the pandemic thing. I don’t know if this is normal.

“This sh’t is crazy. I need a camera in his room 24/7.”

Cardi and her Migos rapper husband welcomed their second child on September 4, 2021.

The superstar couple is yet to reveal his name or face, but Cardi loves to talk about him on her social media accounts.

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Cardi B claims four-month-old son already talking

Employees and schoolchildren juggled work and studies with weekly Muslim prayers on the first-ever working Friday in the United Arab Emirates as the Gulf country formally switched to a Saturday-Sunday weekend.

Some grumbled at the change and businesses were split, with many moving to the Western-style weekend but other private firms sticking with Fridays and Saturdays, as in other Gulf states.

The weekly day of prayer has always been a free day in the UAE, which had previously observed a Thursday-Friday weekend until 2006.

However, mosques appeared busy as worshippers carrying prayer mats arrived as usual before many of them later headed back to the office.

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“I’d rather take (Friday) off,” said 22-year-old Briton Rachel King, who works in the hospitality industry and has been living in Dubai for six months.

“That is what we all know and love, having a Friday off and going to certain places that are open and we could do things. But now it is going to be Saturday.”

The UAE made the surprise announcement of the weekend switch for the public sector in December as it grapples with rising competition in international business from other Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia.

Government bodies and schools will operate four-and-a-half days per week, closing at 12 pm on Fridays for a fixed prayer time of 1:15 pm, whereas the Muslim prayer schedule usually depends on the position of the sun.

Out of 195 businesses polled by human resources consultancy Mercer, only 23 percent were preparing to follow the four-and-a-half-day week, but more than half would switch to Saturday-Sunday weekends.

“Luckily I have the same days off as my kids, but that’s not the case for my husband,” said Fati, who works in an international distribution company, asking not to give her full name.

“He works for a multinational that hasn’t changed its schedule for the moment. I hope they will do it quickly, otherwise, our family life will be ruined.”

Nearly a third of companies are worried about the impact of being out of sync with other countries in the region, the Mercer poll found.

“We work a lot with Egypt and Saudi Arabia,” said Rana, an employee of an events company who said some of her teams would have to work on Sundays.

Dubai’s financial district was unusually quiet on Friday with large numbers working remotely, especially at a time of rising Covid levels when many children are also doing online schooling.

“Today is the first working Friday, it feels a bit weird,” said Ahmad Bilbisi, 34, a banking employee.

“It makes sense to me, at least for the banking industry. We are now working on the same day as everyone else in the world.”

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The new arrangement was a major talking point on social media, with one Twitter user complaining “it just feels so wrong”.

“My body and mind have fully acclimatized to having Fridays off. I think today is going to be a long hard struggle,” the tweet reads.

Sharjah, an emirate neighboring Dubai, has found a simple solution: mandating Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as a three-day weekend.

On Thursday, the Ijaw Youth Council staged a protest in front of Dowen College, Lekki.

The protest comes after the Lagos state government failed to charge students and staff of Dowen college for the death of Sylvester Oromoni.

The placard-carrying protesters, dressed in Ijaw regalia, demanded justice for the late Oromoni and urged the Lagos state government to allow a court of competent jurisdiction to handle the matter.

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They also warned the school authorities not to reopen the school as scheduled.

Meanwhile, Oromoni’s father, in an interview with Channels Television, demanded the autopsy report conducted on his late son in Lagos be made public.

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Ijaw Youths Protests Government Failure to Charge Students and Teacher

Gunmen have raided six communities in Zamfara state, killing an unspecified number of people including women and children and displacing many others.

The communities are Rafin Gero, Laho, Wanu, Barayar Zaki, Lallaho, Kurfar Danya and Dutsin dan ajiya in Anka and Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Zamfara State Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara confirmed the attacks via a telephone conversation on Thursday.

The commissioner said he is still expecting more reliable information to give a more accurate report on the incident.

“Yes it is true, there was an attack in Anka Local Government yesterday but we are still filing reports, I wouldn’t want to quote anything that is not true, I want to have reliable information before I would be able to talk. Surely the attack was carried on some communities,” he said.

However, an indigene of the community Abdullahi Anka stated that most residents of these communities have fled the areas to Anka town for safety.

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He said the bandits numbering about 300 were armed with dangerous weapons and rode on motorcycles to launch simultaneous attacks on the communities.

He said 10 local vigilantes paid the supreme price while defending the communities in a fierce gun battle with the bandits

“Many residents have fled the affected communities and the fleeing residents in their hundreds are occupying public buildings like primary schools and hospitals in Anka,” the source said.

Gunmen Raid Six Zamfara Communities, Kill Many

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has said that Nigerians must salvage the nation from bad governance.

Wike stated this when he paid a New Year’s visit to his Enugu State counterpart, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, in his hometown, Orba in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State.

“You must join the rest of Nigerians. Nigeria is dying. Will you be here to see Nigeria die? Is it the kind of Nigeria that people like Nnamdi Azikiwe fought for?

“A Nigeria that when you wake up, what you will hear is 20 people have died, 42 people have been kidnapped, 100 people have been abducted. Everyday death, death,” Wike questioned rhetorically.

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While arguing that the APC-led Federal Government has failed Nigeria, Governor Wike urged the people of Enugu to speak out against the “poor governance” the country is experiencing.

Wike further advised them to join forces with other well-meaning Nigerians to save the nation from misrule.

To further buttress his point, the governor said it was hypocritical of President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the “heavily padded” and “unimplementable” 2022 budget passed by the National Assembly, but declined assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

According to him, the speed at which the president signed the 2022 budget, was curious and smacks of insensitivity to the plight of the masses.

“Look at Mr President the other day while he was signing the budget, he said the budget is unimplementable.

“But he went on and signed what is unimplementable. A budget that will determine the state of the economy, the progress of this nation, and the President knew this thing can’t work and he signed it.

“Then the Electoral Act, he said he will not sign it because direct primaries are too expensive.

“What concerns me with party primaries? What concerns the poor people with party primaries? The one that concerns poor man, businessman, how to grow the economy, you signed it, knowing too well that it will not work,” Wike stressed.

In addressing his host, Wike described Governor Ugwuanyi as one of the shining lights of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and admonished him to continue to remain steadfast and supportive of the party’s cause.

The governor, who was conferred with an honorary traditional chieftaincy title of Agunechemba by the Chairman, Enugu State Council of Tradition Rulers, Ambassador Lawrence Agubuzo, also urged the people of Enugu State to continue to stand by their governor and aid him to deliver democratic dividends to everyone within the state.

Governor Ugwuanyi in his remarks said Governor Wike has distinguished himself as a bold and courageous leader, adding that the Rivers State Governor’s leadership is one to be proud of.

We Must Salvage Nigeria From Bad Governance – Wike

Ten people died when a boat ferrying people to a funeral in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Zanzibar capsized, police said on Wednesday.

Another 15 people were rescued after the incident late Tuesday, and rescuers were still searching for others possibly missing.

“Rescue efforts are ongoing until we are satisfied that all people were removed from the water. There was no manifest in the boat and therefore it’s not clear how many people were on board,” local police chief Richard Mchomvu told AFP by phone.

The accident happened after the vessel encountered a mechanical problem as it was transporting people from Chakechake on the island of Pemba to the Kisiwa Panza islet, he said.

Pemba resident Ali Kombo said he suspected that overloading could be a cause of the accident.

“The ocean was clear yesterday with neither waves nor strong winds. Probably the boat (operator) had overloaded people because these boats normally do that,” he said.

Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania, lying to the north of the country’s economic hub Dar es Salaam.

Breaking News: 10 Lives Lost In Zanzibar Boat Tragedy

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will not need surgery, his doctors said Tuesday, a day after the far-right leader was rushed to the hospital with a partially blocked intestine.

“President Jair Messias Bolsonaro’s intestinal sub-occlusion has been eliminated, with no need for surgery,” the Vila Nova Star hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement.

“The patient is making satisfactory progress in both clinical evaluations and laboratory exams, and will begin a liquid diet today.”

There is no date set for his release, it added.

Bolsonaro, 66, developed abdominal pain during a New Year’s beach vacation in the southern state of Santa Catarina and was rushed to the hospital early Monday on the presidential jet.

It is the latest in a series of health problems since he was stabbed in the abdomen during the 2018 election campaign that brought him to power.

Doctors diagnosed a partially blocked intestine and said he could need surgery, nine months out from Brazil’s October elections.

However, lead surgeon Antonio Luiz Macedo, who has operated on Bolsonaro in the past, decided surgery was not necessary.

Bolsonaro has undergone at least four surgeries stemming from the knife attack that nearly killed him, perpetrated by a man who claimed he was following God’s orders, and who was later ruled mentally unfit to stand trial.

The president tweeted a picture of himself flashing a thumbs-up from his hospital bed Monday, his face fitted with a nasogastric tube — a device to carry food and medicine to the stomach through the nose.

Bolsonaro’s approval rating is at an all-time low as he prepares to seek re-election, with Brazil stuck in recession and reeling from one of the world’s worst Covid-19 outbreaks.

He currently trails far behind his likely top opponent, leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010), who recent polls indicate could win the election in the first round.

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Bolsonaro Will Not Undergo Surgery, Doctors Say

An EU ban on tattoo ink and permanent make-up containing chemicals feared to cause cancers or other health risks went into effect on Tuesday, officials said.

The prohibition covers hazardous substances such as certain azo dyes, carcinogenic aromatic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals and methanol.

“The restriction covers carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances, chemicals prohibited in cosmetics, skin sensitisers, skin and eye irritants, metal impurities, aromatic amines and some pigments,” the European Commission said.

“The protection of public health of European citizens is our primary concern, and hazardous chemicals in tattoo ink can represent such a concern,” a commission spokeswoman, Sonya Gospodinova, told journalists.

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Seven EU countries already apply the ban at national level.

The directive — agreed by all EU member states a year-and-a-half ago — now makes it applicable across the 27-nation bloc, including for imports coming from outside the European Union.

A commission spokesman, Eric Mamer, said that safer substitute chemicals existed for use in most pigments and colourations.

“Where there are currently no substitutes there is a grace period so the industry has time to find alternative solutions,” he said.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECA) said tattoo inks and permanent make-up contain chemical mixes that can be hazardous, causing “skin allergies and other more serious health impacts, such as genetic mutations and cancer”.

It noted that ink pigments can seep into the body from the skin, affecting organs such as lymph nodes and the liver — and that laser-treatment to erase tattoos can break the substances into smaller particles that circulate in the body.

“As chemicals used in tattoo inks and permanent make-up may stay in the body for life, there is also the possibility for long-term exposure to the potentially harmful ingredients,” it said.

The two main substances for which no substitutes are currently unavailable are synthetic beta-copper phthalocyanine dyes commonly used in tattoos: Pigment Blue 15:3 and Pigment Green 7.

German health authorities say both of those are feared to cause bladder cancer, although data is inconclusive.

The ECA said retailers and consumers would be unlikely to see price rises as a result of the EU ban.

EU Bans Cancer Threat Chemicals In Tattoo Ink

Kano Pillars defeated Enyimba 2-0 in a Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) game on Sunday, the second consecutive loss for the Peoples Elephants in the league.

Enyimba had lost by a lone goal to Rivers United in matchday 3 of the NPFL, after a sterling start to the new season that saw them winning their first two games.

Captain Rabiu Ali gave the Kano-based side the lead just before halftime after he converted a penalty.

In the 56th minute, Kokoette Udoh doubled the scoreline for the Sai Masu Gida. The defeat leaves Enyimba on ninth on the table with six points after four games.

On the other hand, Kano Pillars are now 13th having lost two games, drawn one, and won one.

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Another game on Sunday saw Remo Stars maintain their grip on the table despite a 1-1 draw against Dakkada FC in Uyo. The newcomers are on eight points after four games but Kwara United will leapfrog them if they beat Abia Warriors.

A Samuel Anakwe goal cancelled Dakkada’s early lead from Muritala Lawal to keep the Blue Stars at the zenith.

Nasarawa United also beat defending champions, Akwa United 2-0 in Lafia.

Elsewhere, Rangers International defeated Niger Tornadoes 4-0 in Nnewi thanks to a brace from Kenechukwu Agu, and a goal each from Aseigbu Shedrack, and Nnaji Christian.

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This was as Plateau United returned to winning ways when they dispatch Heartland 3-0.

Meanwhile, MFM’s poor run continued following a 3-0 defeat to Wikki Tourists in Bauchi. The Olukoya Boys have only three points from four games and are 17th on the table.

And in Port Harcourt, Rivers United could not replicate the form that saw them beat Enyimba on matchday 3. They managed a goalless draw against Sunshine Stars at the Port Harcourt Stadium.

Enyimba Loses Another Match As Remo Stars Maintain Lead

The former presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), who ran against MKO Abiola during the 1993 election, Bashir Tofa, is dead.

Mr Tofa who was also a businessman and an industrialist died in the early hours of Monday at the age of 74.

The report of his death was confirmed by a close relative of the deceased who confirmed that Tofa died at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital after a protracted illness.

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Born in Kano on June 20, 1947, Mr Tofa had his primary education at Shahuci Junior Primary, Kano, and continued at City Senior Primary School in Kano. From 1962 to 1966, he attended Provincial College, Kano.

After completing his studies at the Provincial school, he worked for Royal Exchange Insurance company from 1967 to 1968. He also attended City of London College from 1970 to 1973.

Tofa’s sojourn into politics started in 1976 when he was a councilor of Dawakin Tofa Local Government Council, in 1977, he was elected a member of the Constituent Assembly.

During the Nigerian Second Republic, Tofa was at various times the secretary of the Kano branch of NPN, he later became the party’s national financial secretary and was a national member of the Green Revolution National Committee.

During the Third Republic, he was part of the Liberal Movement which metamorphosed to the Liberal Convention when it was not registered as a political party, Tofa joined NRC in 1990.

In 1993, when the Babangida administration introduced the Option A4 system, Tofa was elected the presidential candidate representing Kano.

During the party primaries, he defeated Pere Ajunwa, Joe Nwodo, and Dalhatu Tafida to clinch the NRC ticket. At the time, he was an ally of Halilu Akilu, the security chief at the time. His running mate in the election was Sylvester Ugoh, an Igbo and a former governor of the now-defunct Central Bank of Biafra. Both were members of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

Bashir Tofa, Former Presidential Candidate, Dies At 74

Nigerian newspapers,on one page.