Metro

Tinubu on course to becoming Nigeria’s worst President after Buhari, APC chieftain says

Published

3 months ago

August 27, 2024

A former National Vice Chairman of Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has expressed fears that with way President Bola Tinubu is going, he is on course to becoming the worst president in the history of the country, even worse than his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.

Lukman, who fell out with the party over its non-progressive policies, noted that with the growing deterioration of governance in the country, each successive administration had become progressively worse than its predecessor.

In a statement on Monday, the political critic said while the Buhari administration was worse than that of President Goodluck Jonathan, it was saddening that the President Bola Tinubu administration was on track to becoming worse than that of Buhari.

“As Nigerians, we are witnesses of how governments at all levels progressively become worse. With all the confidence many of us had in former President Muhammadu Buhari, arguably his performance failed to meet public expectations, perhaps worse than former President Goodluck Jonathan. Certainly, President Asiwaju Tinubu is on track of becoming worse than former President Buhari,” he stated.

He further stated that though it is a shared concern among leaders that the situation in the country has deteriorated and is still further deteriorating, there is hardly any definitive engagement with the clear objective of mobilising Nigerians to effect a change in 2027.

“Acknowledging that there are isolated ongoing discussions about what needs to be done in 2027, it is very worrisome that those discussions are yet to graduate to structured political engagements on the platforms of any of the existing opposition political parties.

“Unfortunately, if anything, it is almost a case that all the existing registered political parties are decidedly in support of President Tinubu and to that extent therefore working covertly for his second term victory in 2027.

“So far, arguably, none of the parties, which ordinarily should be leading the opposition to government is making any effort to recruit and unite opposition political leaders in the country.

“Instead, all the leading opposition political parties are embroiled in some embarrassing internal crisis, which has pitched leaders of the parties against each other.

“It is quite appalling, for instance, that PDP leaders are antagonistic to Alh. Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi is in the midst of a helpless survival leadership battle in LP and Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is oversighting a directionless NNPP whose roof is being torn apart by no other than its own so-called leaders. And all the other parties, including SDP and PRP have adopted a monarchical behaviour, sitting in their comfort zones waiting for disgruntled and aggrieved opposition political leaders to come to them for some ‘royal’ covers.

“Perhaps, it could also be a case of waiting to harvest good political businesses through dealmaking in 2027, which is the standard political practice in Nigeria since the commencement of the current Fourth Republic.

“All these have contributed to embolden President Asiwaju Tinubu and his APC. Insensitive and reckless decisions, which further worsen citizens’ conditions of living are being taken on daily basis.

“On a scale never imagined in the country, Nigerians across all divides are living in agony on account of harsh living realities created by avoidable circumstances due to reckless policy decisions of the government.

“And with hardly any sense of humility or remorse, President Tinubu and people in government audaciously continue to ask Nigerians to be patient while the government continues to indulge in some illogical luxurious public expenditure without recourse to due processes. Yet, all that opposition leaders could do is to issue individual press statements. This is quite unacceptable”, he stated.

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Metro

Morocco’s Mpox test gets African CDC endorsement

Published

9 hours ago

November 17, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A major step forward in Africa’s response to the continuing epidemic was taken Thursday when the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) revealed that it had endorsed Morocco’s locally created mpox test.

A “major milestone” for African public health systems, the new real-time PCR test can identify mpox pathogen DNA in tissue, saliva, and blood samples, improving the continent’s capacity to address new health risks.

The Africa CDC announced the clearance on X (previously Twitter), highlighting the validity and effectiveness of Morocco’s mpox test.

The support is in line with the African Union’s overarching goal of enhancing public health self-sufficiency in order to anticipate and effectively address disease risks.

This development follows three months ago when the Africa CDC declared the mpox epidemic to be a public health emergency.

Previously known as monkeypox, mpox is a disease that infects animals and people by intimate personal contact. Symptoms include fever, muscular pains, and characteristic skin lesions.

Alongside the CDC’s work, Abbott Molecular Inc.’s Alinity m MPXV assay, the first mpox diagnostic test, was authorised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last month.

This diagnostic tool provides an additional means of monitoring and managing the virus by identifying mpox from swab samples.

Approximately 1,100 people have died and over 50,000 instances of mpox have been recorded throughout Africa this year, with Central Africa experiencing the highest number of cases and fatalities.

Metro

Mpox immunisation scarcity slows Kinshasa’s epidemic fight

Published

10 hours ago

November 17, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A lack of mpox vaccine doses has prevented the Democratic Republic of the Congo from starting a campaign in the capital, Kinshasa, the response commander has confirmed. However, the number of cases nationwide is still rising, particularly among youngsters.

In mid-August, a new strain of pox started to spread from the Congo to neighbouring countries, prompting the WHO to declare a global health emergency. However, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, donors have been hesitant to turn their pledges into cash and vaccines.

The head of operations for Congo’s mpox control program, Cris Kacita, stated on Tuesday that the country needed more than 162,000 doses of vaccine to start a vaccination campaign in the capital, but that 53,921 doses were still available for use in prisons, where inmates are at greater risk because of unsanitary conditions.

The capital, which is home to about 20 million people, has so far been less impacted than other parts of the nation. In six other provinces, vaccination campaigns are now underway.

Along with additional shipments from Germany and the African Union, France has committed to providing 100,000 doses.

He added the arrival of vaccines was also delayed by the administrative process, which includes sending an official request, manufacturing, creating documentation and gaining import authorisations.

“As long as we don’t have the necessary quantity, it’s going to be complicated to launch (vaccination) in the 14 health zones,” Kacita told Reuters, referring to areas of Kinshasa.

According to a health ministry study, from October 28 to November 2, 1,017 new suspected cases were registered nationwide in Congo, including 45 confirmed cases and 16 fatalities.

Since children are almost four times more likely than adults to die from the new strain of mpox, the charity Save the Children warned on Wednesday that targeted vaccines were necessary to halt the virus from spreading quickly among children.

“Children are especially vulnerable to mpox – they explore by touch and taste, don’t always understand health guidance, and have weaker immune systems than adults,” Katia Vieira de Moraes LaCasse from Save the Children said.

According to Africa CDC data, there have been over 42,000 suspected cases of Mpox in the continent, with 1,100 deaths reported so far this year.

The Mpox virus can spread from person to person via intimate contact and also from place to person through objects and surfaces that a person infected with Mpox has touched.