The Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related
Offences Commission (ICPC), Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, on Friday, in
Lagos, bared his mind on the proposed creation of state police in
the country, saying it is only such policing arrangement that can
help tackle effectively, the internal security challenges
confronting the country.
He stated this on a sideline of a conference where he delivered
a keynote address on “Governance, Leadership and Ethics: How to
build a thriving economy.”
The programme, organised by the Integrity Organisation and held
in Lekki, has people in government and private sectors including
the media, business and civil society groups in the country, as
participants.
According to him, the truth must be told, it is high time
Nigeria created state police as such policing system alongside
adequate funding of the regular police force is the way forward to
combat the security challenges facing us as a country.
“Though, there is a need to create more wealth for people to
engage in meaningful economic activities, people who are
perpetrating crimes at any degree or level are not from the moon
but living within communities, villages and all that and preventing
them from criminal activities will be much easier with the state
police ” he stressed.
The anti-graft boss, who said corruption remained major
Nigeria’s problem in both the public and private sectors, noted
that the situation had (and is) really suppressing the development
across sectors of the economy.
“And all these are mainly because people across various
endeavours lack integrity,” he quipped.
Professor Owasanoye, while disclosing that ICPC is also being
financially incapacitated like every other government agency and
department to do much as people might be expected, said even at
that, and also that the agency could not prosecute everybody just
as applicable elsewhere around the world,, the agency still do its
best within its limited resources,.
“The only thing is that government should give more funding
priority to agencies like ours and the regular security agencies to
enable us to do better,” he said.
Owasanoye, who called on all Nigerians to jointly fight
corruption, however, berated particularly successive northern state
governors for what he called their failure to provide good
education and human capital development as well healthcare delivery
to the people in the region.
He said the situation draws the entire country backward and
therefore urged those in power to rise up to the task by making
live worth living for the people in the region.
Earlier in his address of welcome, Vice- Chairman, Convention on
Business Integrity of the group, Mr Osaro Eghobamien, said the
essence of the conference was to proffer workable solution to the
endemic corruption and unethical practices he said had pervaded the
land.
He reasoned that every business in government and private circle
irrespective of size can only thrive and sustain its development in
a society with a high level of integrity among its citizenry from
top to the bottom of the ladder.
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FG replace Old yellow Card with e-Version
The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced its plan to phase
out completely, all old versions of Yellow card and a new e-Yellow
card has been put in place in its stead with effect from July 1st,
2019.
Making the announcement in his office, in Abuja, the Permanent
Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Abdulaziz Mashi
Abdullahi, revealed that the new Card has enhanced security
features that could be verified anywhere in the world by scanning
the bar code or checking the card number on the Yellow Card
portal..
The introduction of the new e- Yellow Card, otherwise known as
International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP), is
to address the issue of fake Yellow cards which has hitherto,
constituted a source of national embarrassment.
Mr. Abdullahi stressed that with effect from July 1st 2019, the
new e- Yellow card would be the only valid documented proof of
vaccination against yellow fever.
Highlighting on the importance of the yellow fever vaccine for
which the yellow card is documented for, the Permanent Secretary
said that Yellow fever, a viral haemorrhagic fever, caused by a
virus transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito is a potentially
fatal illness but vaccine preventable.
Mr. Abdullahi, noted that some countries, including Nigeria were
endemic for yellow fever, as such, travellers to affected (endemic)
countries were at risk of exposure to infection by the yellow fever
virus; hence, the mandatory vaccination against the disease.
To this end, the Permanent Secretary informed that according to
the World Health Organisation’s(WHO), recommendation, all
international travellers, nine months of age and above, who were
visiting Nigeria must be vaccinated against yellow fever.
Also, additional measures have been adopted at points of entry
for the prevention and control of yellow fever, which involves
mandatory requirement of evidence of vaccination against Yellow
fever on arrival in Nigeria, Mr. Abdullahi added..
He further noted that some countries also require evidence of
vaccination against yellow fever as a condition for entry.
He stressed that from 1st July 2019, travellers arriving Nigeria
without proof of Yellow Fever vaccination would be vaccinated with
the yellow fever vaccine at points of entry and issued the Card,
after payment.
The Permanent Secretary therefore enjoined the travelling public
to cooperate with the Ministry through Port Health Services
Division, to prevent and control cross-border transmission of
yellow fever by complying with laid down measures at points of
entry and obtaining their e- Yellow Cards from the Division.
This makes us all a part of the global coalition/movement to
eliminate yellow fever epidemics by 2026, Mr. Abdullahi
asserted.
Boade Akinola,
Director, Media and Public Relations