Germany to deport 12,000 Nigerians

German government has concluded plans to deport 12,000 Nigerians who are seeking asylum in the country.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on diaspora affairs, Abike Dabiri-Erewa hinted that the German embassy in Nigeria has intimated her office about the plans to repatriate 12,000 Nigerians who are seeking asylum in the country.

She describes the development as unfortunate, adding that 128 Nigerians also died while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. Dabiri-Erewa disclosed yesterday at the public presentation of two books “From Libya with Tears’’ and “Practical News and Feature Writing’’ written by former Managing Editor/Director of News Agency of Nigeria, Mr Dele Bodunde. “Just some days ago, 128 Nigerians died in the Mediterranean sea out of 576. Most of them were from West African countries and they were on their way to Europe.

“Now, this is an unfortunate incident and I think it is better to remain in Nigeria and keep struggling, instead of making desperate journeys that could take their lives,’’ she said Dabiri-Erewa, who was represented by her Special Assistant on Media, Mr Abdul-Rahman Balogun said some Nigerians had been trapped in Libya and were subjected to various inhuman treatments and that only the intervention of the Federal Government had ensured the return of many. 

The Presidential aide commended Bodunde for writing a book on the travails of Nigerians in Libya, saying the work could not have come at a better time. Also speaking at the occasion, a former governor of Ogun State and a veteran journalist, Chief Olusegun Osoba, said there was the need for journalists to constantly update themselves with the requisite skills of the profession. According to Osoba, the main problem to the development of the profession is a deficit in skills.

Vanguard

Video - 22 women and girls abducted by Boko Haram in separate attacks

Boko Haram terrorists have reportedly abducted 22 women and girls in two separate raids on rural communities in northeast Borno State in Nigeria. The insurgents reportedly raided Pulka community close to the Nigerian border with Cameroon and later attacked Dumba, a community near Lake Chad and made away with the women and girls as well as food stuff. But the Nigerian Army has denied both attacks.

Nigerian to start registering unemployed by April 5th

The Federal Government has said all is set for the commencement of online registration of unemployed persons in the country on Wednesday April 5th 2017.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Information & Public Relations, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Edmund Onwuliri on Monday.

According to him, the development was part of the federal government’s plan to develop and maintain a robust database of unemployed persons and for job provision.

He explained that the registration was in compliance with the third mandate of the NDE which required it “to obtain and maintain a data bank on employment and vacancies in the country with a view to acting as a clearing house to link job seekers with vacancies in collaboration with other government agencies.”

He said: “The online portal which goes live on Wednesday April 5, 2017, is designed to capture the relevant details of any unemployed person. It will equally serve as a job exchange portal that will link job seekers and employers.

“There will be a practical demonstration of the workings of the portal at the NDE stand at the on-going 28th edition of the Enugu International Trade on Thursday April 6, 2017. However, the portal can be accessed by logging on to www.jobsforall.ng.

“The Directorate sees this initiative as a bold step towards deepening the effectiveness of its employment creation strategies and a critical input into the process of designing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and schemes.

“The online portal will also serve as a meeting point for job seekers and employers thereby reducing the cumbersome process of recruitment among employers of skilled labour in the private and public sectors.”

Daily Post

Video - Nigerians in India concerned about their safety following recent attacks

African students in India continue to live in fear, and now lock themselves indoors, fearing a resurgence in violence. There has been a spate in attacks on African nationals in and around the capital New Delhi in the recent past. Just a week ago, four Nigerian students were thrashed in a shopping mall in Greater Noida. The mob accused the Nigerian community of supplying drugs to a pupil, who allegedly died from a drug overdose. There are currently 4,000 students from Africa studying in various colleges and private universities in Greater Noida. Some say they have been facing discrimination and racial prejudice, since landing in India.

Vaccine cost cripples response to meningitis outbreak in Nigeria

Nigeria does not have enough vaccine doses to deal with a deadly meningitis outbreak because they are too expensive, a senior official has said.

Each vaccine dose costs $50, and only 500,000 doses are currently available, Dr Chikuwe Ihekuwazu, head of Nigeria's Centre for Disease Control said.

The outbreak which is said to be spreading rapidly has already killed more than 300 people.

It is the worst to hit Nigeria since 2009 when it killed 156 people.

Since December, 2,524 cases including 328 deaths have been reported from across the country.

The predominant type of meningitis causing the outbreak is type C, which is unusual.

Nigeria, which lies on the meningitis belt, stretching from the Sahel region to the Horn of Africa, is used to type A meningitis outbreaks.

"The government has mounted a significant response which will culminate in a broad vaccination campaign in the epicentre of the outbreak which is Zanfara state in north-west of Nigeria," Dr Chikuwe told the BBC's Newsday programme.
More doses 'needed'

"For this meningitis C, there is no widely available vaccine globally and the one that is available is extremely expensive."

Nigeria applied to a global stock held by the World Health Organization and 500,000 doses were released to the country.

But the scale of the outbreak means more doses are needed, with an additional stock of 800,000 expected to be shipped from the UK.

Over the weekend, the government urged Nigerians not to panic, noting that the epidemic is not unique to Nigeria.

Cases are reported in neighbouring countries such as Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Togo and Burkina Faso, the health ministry said.

BBC