Following Nigeria’s timely containment of the Ebola virus disease (EVD), which is awaiting the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) certification as an Ebola-free nation, the United States of America and Canada have dropped Nigeria from countries whose nationals will be carefully screened at their major airports while entering the country.
The exclusion of Nigeria from the list has been viewed by industry watchers as another affirmation of the country’s ability to effectively contain the deadly disease from escalating to a national outbreak as it has in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The US over the weekend commenced a detailed check out screening procedure for travellers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea at New York’s John F. Kennedy (JKF) airport and should extend the screening to New Jersey’s Newark, Washington’s Dulles, Chicago’s O’Hare and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airports, later this week.
The new checkout screening procedures for passengers from the Ebola-stricken nations which entails checking of passenger’s temperature and querying of passenger’s recent whereabouts, however, contradicts the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) advice that passenger screening is best done when departing a country, rather than when arriving.
Though there are currently few direct flights from Ebola-affected countries to the U.S, as many West African passengers arrive the U.S on connecting flights from other parts of the world, analysts predict that the new task might be challenging but certainly worth the stress.
Responding to Nigeria’s exclusion from the checklist, Olumide Ohunayo, an immigration expert, said: “It’s a refreshing news and absolute trust in measures that have been put in place by the federal and state governments in combating the EVD.”
The latest move by the US is expected to thoroughly scrutinise 150 travellers per day from the three most affected countries, with the five airports estimated to receive about 94 percent of West African travellers, JFK alone accounting for around 43 percent and Washington Dulles about 22 percent.
Business Day
Monday, October 13, 2014
NIgeria Super Eagles being sabatoged - Keshi
Read: Ex-SAFA vice-president to fight back
The Super Eagles look set to miss out on the chance to defend the title they won in 2013 after Sudan handed them a 1-0 defeat as they sit rock bottom of Group A after managing just one point from their opening three qualifiers.
And Keshi, who has come under intense criticism since Nigeria's failed 2014 World Cup campaign, says there are internal factors at work which have led to the side's downfall.
“There is a sabotage by some people, who I won’t mention their names but who know themselves. They want to run this team down," Keshi told African Football.
“Some people are ready to sell this country for a dime. They want to sabotage the Super Eagles.”
“It’s a shame. They don’t want this team to get to the AFCON, they want this team to lose outright. But they are not God."
“And this is not Keshi’s team. This is a national team. Keshi is a professional coach and after this (assignment), he will get another job elsewhere.”
Standings: (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points)
South Africa 3 2 1 0 5 0 7
Congo 3 2 0 1 5 4 6
Sudan 3 1 0 2 1 5 3
Nigeria 3 0 1 2 2 4 1
Group A Fixtures: October 15, Wednesday
Nigeria v Sudan, 18:00 (SA time)
South Africa v Congo, 20:00
Sports 24
Friday, October 10, 2014
Video - More women taking the lead in Nigeria's oil sector
The 2010 Content Development Act has improved Nigeria’s oil and gas landscape increasing the participation of locals and has empowered Nigerian women to take up more senior positions in the sector.
Okonjo-Iweala is Africa's finance minister of the year
The award was presented to her by the African Investor Magazine on the sideline of the ongoing annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC.
She thanked the organisers for the award and described it as an absolute honour and auspicious.
She called on all investors in Africa to join the fight against the deadly Ebola virus disease that is ravaging some countries in West Africa.
“What is happening in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra-Leone and the success we had in Nigeria and Senegal in containing this virus should not be allowed to set Africa back.
“You as private sector and friends of Africa need to send the message that we should not be so afraid of Ebola that we stigmatise the whole continent.
“I think that it is only with your own leadership, as African investors, that the rest of the world can see which way they should pass. So, I am really urging you to be ambassadors to the continent,” she said. Okonjo-Iweala said that in spite of the challenges facing the continent, African leaders should sustain the successes recorded in the past.
These challenges, she said, include infrastructure, governance, poor education system, employment, corruption, among others. “We are not shying away from these challenges but the turning point now is that we are in the continent where we have the political will and confidence to tackle these challenges.
“I think that we as Africans must always take the lead because if we don’t solve our problems, nobody can do it for us.”
Okonjo-Iweala called for continuous partnership with the private sector, donor agencies and non-governmental organisations.
Vanguard
Related stories: Video - Finance minister Okonjo-Iweala talks about alleged missing $20 million dollars
Video - Nigerian Finance Minister discusses situation on kidnapped schoolgirls
Okonjo-Iweala departs World Bank, resumes as Finance Minister next week
Why U.S. blocked arms supply to Nigeria
The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, has explained that the dismal human rights record is responsible for limiting the scope of the country’s assistance to Nigeria in its fight against Boko Haram.
The ambassador made the disclosure at the American University of Nigeria in an interaction with journalists shortly after delivering a lecture at the institution as part of activities lined up by the university to mark its 10th year anniversary.
He also had a brief meeting with the former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is the founder of the university on the campus.
Entwistle noted that it would be wrong of the US to extend help to the Nigerian military in the face of gross human rights abuses.
He was responding to the question that the US was not forthcoming in its support of Nigeria in the war against Boko Haram.
There had been reports that the US was stifling acquisition of high tech military hardware in the country’s quest to contain the activities of the dreaded sect.
He said one of the ground norms for the US assistance on procurement of sophisticated military hardware was for the US to look at the human rights record of that country.
The ambassador said that for Nigeria, there had been instances of human rights abuses across its borders, especially in the North-East, stressing that it would be wrong for the US to extend help to the Nigerian military in the face of gross human rights abuses.
Entwistle, however, explained that much as the US would have loved to assist Nigeria, it realised that “if you don’t take care of the soldiers on the ground, even if you buy hi-tech equipment, it doesn’t help the situation because it won’t work”.
He said it was this concerns which made it difficult for the US to be a little circumspect in Nigeria’s acquisition of military hitech military hardware.
The ambassador, however, stressed that the notion that the US was not sharing equipment with Nigeria was not true because so far the US and Nigeria had enjoyed “fantastic relationship which include the sharing of military intelligence and equipment support from the US to their Nigerian military counter-parts”.
Entwistle said that the best was yet to come for Nigeria, noting that even though there were challenges being faced by the Nigerian state, he saw hope in the ability of the country to surmount this challenges to lead Africa.
He added that “even so every country at one time or the other has faced one challenges or the other” and pledged the support of the American people.
“Our commitment to help your country in these struggles has not changed it is growing every day.”
The ambassador explained that the US military left Nigeria when it became clear that the government did not require the US military specialty in the government’s quest to release the Chibok girls from their Boko Haram captors.
He added that nonetheless the US support for the Nigerian government in its effort to secure the release of the girls still remained.
National Mirror
Related stories: Nigeria threatens South Africa over arms deal
Another secret arms deal between Nigerian and South Africa goes awry - $5.7 million seized
$9.3 million in cash seized in South Africa traced to Nigerian intelligence agency
2 Nigerians attempt to smuggle $9.3million into South Africa
The ambassador made the disclosure at the American University of Nigeria in an interaction with journalists shortly after delivering a lecture at the institution as part of activities lined up by the university to mark its 10th year anniversary.
He also had a brief meeting with the former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is the founder of the university on the campus.
Entwistle noted that it would be wrong of the US to extend help to the Nigerian military in the face of gross human rights abuses.
He was responding to the question that the US was not forthcoming in its support of Nigeria in the war against Boko Haram.
There had been reports that the US was stifling acquisition of high tech military hardware in the country’s quest to contain the activities of the dreaded sect.
He said one of the ground norms for the US assistance on procurement of sophisticated military hardware was for the US to look at the human rights record of that country.
The ambassador said that for Nigeria, there had been instances of human rights abuses across its borders, especially in the North-East, stressing that it would be wrong for the US to extend help to the Nigerian military in the face of gross human rights abuses.
Entwistle, however, explained that much as the US would have loved to assist Nigeria, it realised that “if you don’t take care of the soldiers on the ground, even if you buy hi-tech equipment, it doesn’t help the situation because it won’t work”.
He said it was this concerns which made it difficult for the US to be a little circumspect in Nigeria’s acquisition of military hitech military hardware.
The ambassador, however, stressed that the notion that the US was not sharing equipment with Nigeria was not true because so far the US and Nigeria had enjoyed “fantastic relationship which include the sharing of military intelligence and equipment support from the US to their Nigerian military counter-parts”.
Entwistle said that the best was yet to come for Nigeria, noting that even though there were challenges being faced by the Nigerian state, he saw hope in the ability of the country to surmount this challenges to lead Africa.
He added that “even so every country at one time or the other has faced one challenges or the other” and pledged the support of the American people.
“Our commitment to help your country in these struggles has not changed it is growing every day.”
The ambassador explained that the US military left Nigeria when it became clear that the government did not require the US military specialty in the government’s quest to release the Chibok girls from their Boko Haram captors.
He added that nonetheless the US support for the Nigerian government in its effort to secure the release of the girls still remained.
National Mirror
Related stories: Nigeria threatens South Africa over arms deal
Another secret arms deal between Nigerian and South Africa goes awry - $5.7 million seized
$9.3 million in cash seized in South Africa traced to Nigerian intelligence agency
2 Nigerians attempt to smuggle $9.3million into South Africa
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)