By Abujah Racheal

Nigeria has recorded 87 new cases of the COVID-19, bringing the total infections to 1,182 , according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The NCDC, in a tweet via its official handle, said 33 of the new infections were recorded in Lagos, 18 in Borno, 12 in Osun, nine in Katsina, four each in Kano and Ekiti, three each in Edo and Bauchi and one in Imo.

“As at 11:55 pm April 25, there are 1,182 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Nigeria.  The country’s total deaths from the virus now stand at 35, while 222  have been treated and discharged,” it said.

The centre said as at 11:55 pm, April 25, Lagos has 689, FCT-138, Kano-77, Ogun-35, Osun-32, Gombe-30, Katsina-30, Borno-30, Edo-22, Oyo-18, Kwara-11, Akwa Ibom-11, Bauchi-11, Kaduna-10, Ekiti-8 and Ondo-4.

Others are Delta-six, Rivers-three, Jigawa-two, Enugu-two, Niger-two, Abia-two, Zamfara-two,  Sokoto-two, Benue-one, Anambra-one, Adamawa-one, Plateau-one and Imo-one.

87 new cases of #COVID19 have been reported;

33 in Lagos
18 in Borno
12 in Osun
9 in Katsina
4 in Kano
4 in Ekiti
3 in Edo
3 in Bauchi
1 in Imo

As at 11:55 pm 25th April there are 1182 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria.

Discharged: 222
Deaths: 35 pic.twitter.com/La5xzZZe2z

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) April 25, 2020

Sourced From: News Agency of Nigeria

By Taiye Elebiyo-Edeni.

Over 1000 workers will be employed for the Warri-Itakpe standard gauge rail corridor, Mr Fidet Okhiria, the Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) said.

“It’s about 320km, about 12 stations and we have to engage people that will maintain the tracks, people that will work in the stations and sell tickets.

“Also, technicians that will examine the train. So, we are going to engage close to over 1000 to maintain about 320km track, both junior and senior.

“New employees can’t just be sent there; they must be trained.

“In order for them to be trained, we will be moving people from the existing staff, but we have to replace them. So we have to fill up those positions before the new people will be trained and certify to be part of the train operations,” he said.

NAN reports that NRC operates one-year training programme for graduate staff and three months for the junior staff.

According to Okhiria, the 12 stations for the train service are still under construction, adding that temporary stations would be used pending completion.

He, however, assured that the stations would be completed by the first quarter of 2019, noting that some of the houses at the railway village were renovated recently for workers.

Okhiria said that a lot has been achieved, especially in the rail system under the current administration, with the purchase of more rolling stock and wagons.

Sourced From: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

By Jacinta Nwachukwu/ Bukola Adewumi

Mr Loveday Ogbonna, Head, Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says registration for the National Identity Number (NIN) is free of charge to all Nigerians.

Ogbonna, who made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja, said that the commission had never charged anyone for NIN registration.

Some residents in Kubwa, Abuja, had claimed that they were made to pay N200 for logistics before being registered at the ongoing NIMC registration.

But, Ogbonna said that it was not the responsibility of the enrollees to pay money to fuel generators at registration centres.

“The commission absolutely condemns this, it is not right for enrollees to pay money for fueling of the generators before being captured but people also react based on how urgent they need NIN.

“Our staff would have told them that there was no light which is not under their control; however, you know that electricity is not under our purview just like the internet.

“Therefore, if you come to a place that we don’t have electricity and people on their own volunteer to contribute money to fuel the generator, it is out of their own free will.
“Although we don’t encourage it, because that will lead to corruption, but if the people on their own decide to contribute we cannot stop them.

“All these issues are due to paucity of fund, if there is enough money available for the exercise or steady power supply all these things will not happen,’’ Ogbonna.(NAN)

Sourced From: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN

By Douglas Okoro.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Ebonyi chapter, has commended the national leaders of organised labour over its resilience in the struggle for a new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Mr Leonard Nkah, state chairman of NLC, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of (NAN) on Tuesday in Abakaliki.

According to him, the successful negotiation of a new wage for Nigerian workers by the leadership of organised labour is a demonstration of good virtues and strength of character.

He, therefore, called on the Federal Government and other relevant authorities to expedite action to get the new wage passed into law to enable Nigerian workers to enjoy a living wage.

“The organised labour in Ebonyi just ended its meeting this morning, whereby we extolled the virtues and strength of character exhibited by our national leadership, including the Trade Union Congress (TUC), United Labour Congress (ULC) and NLC.

“We commended them for holding on tenaciously on the new national minimum wage until the government came around to accept what had earlier been agreed upon.

“So, we are very happy and we praise the leadership of organised labour in Nigeria for being undaunted in the struggle,” Nkah said.

He opined that once the new national minimum wage was signed into law, that state governors were bound to pay.

“Once the new figure is signed into law, nobody not even the governors has the powers to say that they cannot pay.

“Anybody who refuses to pay will be going against the law and we don’t envisage that any governor will refuse to pay the new wage once it is signed into law.

“In our own state, the governor has stated his willingness to pay once any amount is agreed upon.

“Once it comes out, organised labour in various states will approach their various state governors for implementation.

“So, we are hopeful and we are not being negative that governors may not pay the new wage once signed, but if it happens we will rise to the occasion,” he added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that organised labour unions had suspended the nationwide strike initially scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 6, to press home workers’ demand for a new national minimum wage.

NAN also reports that the agreed figure for the new national minimum wage was yet to be officially made public.

Sourced From: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)