At least 1,076 people were killed in road accidents in Nigeria in the third quarter of 2020, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
According to reports of the official News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday, FRSC spokesperson Bisi Kazeem said a total of 2,656 road crashes were reported between July and September, adding that the road police agency had not relented in its efforts at reducing carnage on the highways.
Also, some 167,783 traffic offenders were arrested within the same period, as most of the offenders were arrested for “overloading, seat belt use violation, riding of a motorcycle without helmets, driving with shattered windscreen, driver’s license violations, among others”.
He attributed most of the road crashes and deaths that occurred along various routes in the country within the period to overspeeding.
Kazeem urged the motoring public to cooperate with the FRSC, saying that it would go a long way in preventing incessant crashes on the roads.
The spokesperson appealed to motorists to desist from buying used or fake tyres and opt for good ones to save lives and properties.
Kazeem encouraged drivers to obey traffic rules, regulations and cooperate with traffic officers, as it was in their best interests and that of other road users.
Deadly road accidents are frequently reported in Nigeria, often caused by overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Nigeria records over 1,000 road accident deaths in Q3
Concerns over polio resurgence in Nigeria
There are concerns over possible resurgence of Wild Polio Virus (WPV) in Nigeria as Pakistan has recorded increase in number of cases due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.
According to a study published online in the journal Public Health, a spike in the number of polio cases in Pakistan, the last refuge of the virus in the world along with neighbouring Afghanistan, is being attributed by health experts to disruption in vaccination services caused by lockdowns and restrictions against spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researcher in molecular biology and immunology at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad and lead author of a study, Misbahud Din, said: “The increase in polio cases could result in the global export of infections and healthcare authorities must intensify efforts to track and vaccinate unvaccinated children.”
Din told SciDev.Net: “80 cases of wild polio virus (WPV) and 64 cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) have been reported in 2020.”
Africa was on August 25, 2020 declared free from wild polio by the independent body, the Africa Regional Certification Commission. Polio usually affects children under five, sometimes leading to irreversible paralysis. Death can occur when breathing muscles are affected.
Twenty-five years ago thousands of children in Africa, were paralysed by the virus. The disease is now only found in Afghanistan and Pakistan. There is no cure but the polio vaccine protects children for life.
Nigeria is the last African country to be declared free from wild polio, having accounted for more than half of all global cases less than a decade ago.
The vaccination campaign in Nigeria involved a huge effort to reach remote and dangerous places under threat from militant violence and some health workers were killed in the process.
Meanwhile, according to the study, around 40 million children missed polio vaccination after Pakistan, on March 26, suspended a mass vaccination programme being carried out under the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
With support from United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO) and GPEI partners, the Pakistan government resumed polio immunisation late July and conducted the second of two sub-national campaigns in August as COVID-19 cases started declining in the country.
But enforcement of social distancing, vaccine supply disruptions and elevated shipment costs during the four-month break had caused a momentum loss in a concerted drive to make the country polio-free.
Two years ago, with only 12 reported cases, Pakistan had come close to becoming polio-free. But the number of cases rose to 147 in 2019. According to Din, the sharp reversal was due to “illiteracy, vaccine refusal by parents, poverty, conspiracy theories and rejection of vaccination by some local religious scholars”.
Concerted efforts early 2020 led to expectations that the year would see a halt in polio transmission by 2021. But the country was then hit by COVID-19, resulting in massive diversion of public health resources to tackle the new threat.
According to a UNICEF report, the suspension of immunisation activities and disruptions in other health-related interventions due to COVID-19 pandemic from March to mid-July has increased the number of unimmunised children, including close to 700,000 new-born per month, leading to widening immunity gaps.
“It could be concluded that diverting public health funds to fight against other outbreaks disrupted polio eradication plans, which could lead to the spread the of poliovirus in areas of low immunization coverage and immunity,” the new study noted.
Din added that it is “challenging for countries like Pakistan with limited health care facilities to deal with the current pandemic along with other outbreaks liked dengue, malaria and typhoid because COVID-19 overburdened the health care system. Staff already trained to handle polio vaccinations were directed to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic”.
WHO representative in Pakistan, Palitha Mahipala, commented on World Polio Day on October 24 that following the certification of the African region as free of wild poliovirus in August, his organisation is “working hard to ensure that Pakistan can be the next country on the journey to a polio-free world.
“The polio programme with its partners has now been able to ramp up activities with a revitalised resolve to end polio in Pakistan as recently done by Africa.”
Nigeria receives China-made armed reconnaissance drones
Citing a senior Nigerian Air Force official on Tuesday, Janes Defense Weekly reported on the same day that Nigeria has received a pair of Wing Loong II drones developed by Chinese state-owned arms firm Aviation Industry Corporation of China.
Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, the Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force Headquarters, was quoted by the report as saying that Nigeria has joined China and the UAE as the only countries operating the Wing Loong II unmanned combat aerial vehicle.
The two Nigerian Air Force Wing Loong IIs, which can stay airborne for 31 hours in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mode and 26 hours in offensive roles, will add significant value to counter-insurgency and anti-banditry operations, the official said.
A Chinese military expert told the Global Times on condition of anonymity that the arms sale will further open up the global military drone market for Chinese defense firms, particularly in Africa.
China's drones have unique advantages on the international arms market, due to mature drone technologies, complete systems for setups, a variety of types and sizes of drones, much lower prices compared to Western products, and complete service chains including training and maintenance, the expert said.
Wang Ya'nan, a military aviation expert and chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Wednesday that China's armed reconnaissance drones have seen real combat in regional conflict.
In small scale conflicts, Chinese drones have carried out accurate reconnaissance and precision strikes on targets even in complicated terrain and weather conditions, Wang said, noting that this makes Chinese drones combat-proven.
Users of Chinese drones can rapidly boost their combat capabilities in domestic security issues and in regional conflicts, Wang said.
Developed by AVIC's Chengdu Aircraft Design & Research Institute, the Wing Loong II drone is a long endurance armed reconnaissance unmanned aerial system capable of firing dozens of weapons including missiles and bombs, the Xinhua News Agency reported. It is often compared to the US-made MQ-9 Reaper drone.
The Wing Long series also includes the original Wing Loong I and the upgraded Wing Loong I-D. As of December 2018, AVIC has exported 100 Wing Loong series drones since 2010, Xinhua said in a separate report at that time. More drones are believed to have been exported over the past two years.
By Liu Xuanzun
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Nigeria's First Feature-Length Animated Film for Release Dec 11
To help children and families deal with the challenges of 2020, Hot Ticket Productions, a Nigerian mass media company involved in the production of movies and other forms of entertainment, has announced the date for the premiere of Nigeria's first feature-length animation film, Ladybuckit and the Motley Mopsters (LBMM).
The movie will start showing in cinemas across Nigeria and internationally on Friday, December 11, 2020.
It will feature the voices of some of Nigeria's finest actors - Kalu Ikeagwu, Patrick Doyle, Bimbo Akintola, Bola Edwards, and others. It will also feature fresh voices of 11 and 13-year-old Jessica and David Edwards. Popular music producer and songwriter, Clement 'DJ Klem' Kponu and versatile film composer, Ava Momoh are the brains behind LBMM's original 14-tracker album.
The CEO/founder of Hot Ticket Productions and the film's Executive Producer and Producer, Blessing Amidu, who reiterated the importance of an exhilarating family-focused entertainment during this moment in history said: "This year has been a tough one for the world. Families have had to deal with a pandemic, economic challenges and civil unrests. As we approach the end of the year, it is important to provide some succour and means of escape and release for children and the entire family. We strongly believe that entertainment is a powerful tool for this.
"We hope the fantastic universe of Ladybuckit and the Motley Mopsters will serve as a source of joy and laughter for Nigerian families and millions of people around the world, during the festive season and for many years to come."
According to her, "it took 30 incredible talents and two years to make this movie. We are truly proud of the production and are privileged to have been able to tell a great Nigerian story."
LBMM is valued at approximately $1 million. Since the release of the first teaser in August 2020, interest for the movie has been steadily growing, especially among fans of animation, cartoons and Nollywood watchers.
"With scenes showing notable Nigerian landmarks and historical places such as Oloibiri, a community in Bayelsa State, where crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantity in 1956, it is expected that parts of the movie will serve as a flashback to Nigeria's early years.
Bisi Adetayo, the movie's Director also served as the lead animator. He referenced the power in the LBMM story, saying, "we want to take everyone's imagination on a ride. It was a thrill to have incredible actors voice a powerful story and just let our creativity run free."
According to PwC, the Nigerian entertainment and media industry will be worth $10 billion by 2023, while Forbes reports that animation is currently fueling the emergence of a creative economy across the African continent.
With the release of Ladybuckit and the Motley Mopsters, Nigeria and its abundant supply of extraordinary talents is taking its rightful place at the forefront of this creative explosion.
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Nigerian Billionaire Plans to Dig Platinum Mine in Zimbabwe
Bravura Holdings Ltd., owned by Nigerian billionaire Benedict Peters, has $1 billion available for the development of a platinum mine in Zimbabwe, its country manager said.
The 3,000 hectare (7,413-acre) concession where it plans to dig the mine is in Selous, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare and close to existing platinum mines.
“From where we are now, we will go to resource definition, after that we will go to resource modeling, after mine development and then mine construction,” Lionel Mhlanga, Bravura’s manager in the southern African country, said in an interview at the mine on Nov. 6. “Those are all things that should happen in the next 18 months.”
Bravura is one of a number of little-known companies that have secured platinum concessions in Zimbabwe as the government seeks to kick start its stagnant economy. Still, established platinum miners haven’t announced plans to expand their operations. While Zimbabwe has the world’s third-largest platinum group metal reserves, investors have been deterred by frequent changes to mining laws and currency policies.
In addition to Bravura, Russian and Cypriot companies have announced plans to invest in Zimbabwean platinum mines.
Peters owns Aiteo Eastern E & P Company Ltd., Nigeria’s biggest domestic oil producer, but has little experience in mining.
Still, the group also intends to explore mining lithium, rare earth minerals and tin in Zimbabwe, Mhlanga said.
It’s also seeking to mine cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, copper in Zambia, gold in Ghana and iron ore in Guinea, he said. Namibia and Botswana could also be options for the company, he said.