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Lagos State Government Delays Resumption Of Civil Servants


As the ease of lockdown kicks off today, the Lagos State Government has hinted that not all its civil servants resume work immediately.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in a briefing on Sunday at the State House in Marina, said the delayed resumption of the State’s workforce is a deliberate attempt to prevent a development that may lead to a crowding of people on the roads and public places.
Only emergency workers and those on essential duties will be allowed to work on Monday, the Governor said.
Sanwo-Olu said the State’s civil service offices would be re-opened for business on Tuesday, but only officers from Grade Level 15 and above would be required to be in the office. If any junior-ranked officer must be at work, the Governor said the Accounting Officer of the Ministry must give clearance to the officer.
Sanwo-Olu said: “In amending the work guidelines earlier issued, which stopped members of the public service from Grade Level 1 to 12 from going to work; we have had to review this position and we are extending the directive to all civil servants, regardless of level. All civil servants must stay away from work on Monday.
“On Tuesday, only officers from Grade Level 15 and above have express permission to come to work. All other essential officers that may need to be at work will be informed by the Accounting Officer of each Ministry as may be required.
“From Monday on, there will be curfew from 8pm to 6am and all movement within these hours are prohibited, except for people on essential services, which are agro-products, petroleum products, relief materials and food supplies.
“We want to use this as a demonstration of our commitment to gradual easing of the lockdown. We do not want people to rush out tomorrow and see the easing of the lockdown as an attempt to believe that the spread of the pandemic is all over.”
As part of the moves by the State Government to prevent crowding in public places, the Governor directed all markets to open for three days weekly in alternation. Food markets across the State are to be opened only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9am to 3pm.
Non-food markets, Sanwo-Olu directed, shall only open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays within the stipulated hours. He said all traders must put on face mask and provide hand sanitizers in their markets.
It is compulsory for any resident that must be in public places to face mask, the Governor said.
Also, banks and other private firms must open businesses with 60 per cent of staff strength, while also operating within the hours of 9am and 3pm. The Governor enjoined the privately-owned companies and manufacturing firms to arrange for the transportation of their essential staff that would be at work.
Gov. Sanwo-Olu, however, extended the operating hours for eateries and restaurants from 9am to 7pm, due to Ramadan fasting. But the Governor said restaurants and eateries must not allow their customers to eat-in. Food must be served food only take-away packs and delivery, Sanwo-Olu directed.
All regulations initiated by the State Government must be strictly adhered to by public and private companies and members of the public, the Governor warned.
He urged members of the public to report any erring company to the Government through the State’s whistleblowing policy. Sanwo-Olu gave out three hotlines through the which whistleblowers can report those flouting the State’s guidelines. The numbers are: 09010513197, 09010513198, 09010513199.
Earlier on Sunday, Gov. Sanwo-Olu held a virtual meeting with 40 traditional rulers and 57 local council chairmen across the State, discussing the State Government’s guidelines on easing the lockdown. The Governor urged monarchs and the council chairmen to disseminate all advocacy messages and guidelines to residents in their domains, stressing that the grassroots must be adequately informed on regulations initiated to ease the lockdown.
“Today, I had a useful discussion with 40 paramount traditional rulers in the State and 57 LGA chairmen. I am satisfied with suggestions coming out of these meetings. It is really about collaborative efforts and using these leaders as champions to disseminate all information and advocacy to the grassroots,” the Governor said.
The Governor allayed the fear of residents on movement, urging them to keep to the hygiene tips. He said the State had opened a dedicated isolation centre for health and emergency workers infected in the line of duty.
Sanwo-Olu said the State will be embarking on aggressive testing in community, noting that the Government had collected 3,000 samples that were yet to be tested due to global shortage of reagent used for molecular testing.
He said: “We have 3,000 samples collected but we have not been able to carry the test because of global shortage of reagent for molecular testing. We are hoping that some of the reagents will be supplied tomorrow and Tuesday.
“We made order for more reagents because of cases we have seen and it would not be out of place to see positive cases in the range of 20 per cent out of the 3,000 samples collected. We are improving the capacity of our isolation facilities in preparation to take care of more patients.”
Starting from Tuesday, the Governor directed the release of all vehicles seized for flouting the lockdown to their owners free of charge. The vehicles in this category include those seized not later than April 14.
Sanwo-Olu said all decisions taken by the State Government were adopted in the belief to protect all residents from the ravaging pandemic.
“We will continue to do our very best and maintain high level of transparency in the disbursement of resources donated towards the fight against COVID-19,” the Governor said.
News
‘If You Want It Dirty, You’ll Get It Dirty’, Benue Diaspora DG Escalates Threat Against National Record Reporter
By Our Reporter


The Editor-in-Chief of National Record, Iduh L. Onah, has raised alarm over what he described as ‘grave threats’ issued against one of the online newspaper’s reporters, Mr. Amos Aar, by the Director-General of the Benue State Directorate of Diaspora Linkages and Investments, Professor Abraham Tartenger Girgih.
In a letter dated June 25, 2025, addressed to Prof. Girgih and made available to the press, National Record condemned what it called “unwarranted threats” following the publication of a report on the funding challenges being faced by the Directorate under the DG’s leadership since its formation in 2024.
According to Onah, while the publication welcomes robust engagement in the form of rejoinders on stories perceived to contain among other things misinformation, misrepresentation or distortion, no one has the right to issue threats.
“While it is within your right to respond to perceived misinformation or misrepresentation and distortion or outright fabrication, in any publication, it is, however, beyond that right to issue a threat as grave as “dire consequences”, Onah stated.
The Editor-in-Chief further noted that the situation escalated after the publication of a follow-up report when Prof. Girgih called the correspondent and made what the paper considers to be a further threat.
“After the publication of the threat and other claims in your rejoinder, you again went ahead to issue what we deemed to be further grave threat when you stated: “…if you want it dirty, you will get it dirty”, among other words perceived as veiled threat, in a telephone conversation you had with our correspondent shortly after you may have read our follow-up report,” stated the Editor-in-Chief.
The management of National Record expressed deep concern for the safety of its correspondent and other staff, especially given the hostile tone of Prof. Girgih in his conversation with the reporter.
The media organization said it is taking steps to notify security agencies, the Benue State Government, and professional journalism bodies about the threats, while also demanding a written assurance from Prof. Girgih that no harm will befall Mr. Aar or any member of the newspaper’s staff.
“We demand from you a written assurance of Mr Aar’s safety from harm and that of our other staff, and a further commitment to desist from harassing, heckling, intimidating or bullying us in whatever manner,” Onah wrote.
While no official response had been received from Prof. Girgih as at press time, National Record expressed hope for civility going forward and reiterated its commitment to its constitutional mandate as a stakeholder in the Fourth Estate of the Realm.
The letter reads in full:
Professor Abaham Tartenger Girgih
The Director-General
Directorate of Diaspora Linkages and investments
Makurdi, Benue State.
Dear Prof. Girgih;
THREATS ON OUR PERSONNEL AND ORGANISATION
On behalf of the Management of Contest Communications Limited, publishers of National Record, I bring you warm fraternal greetings.
We wish to express our dismay and concern over your threat on our Benue State Correspondent, Mr Amos Aar, in particular, and generally, our entire organisation, as contained in your rejoinder to a report we had published on challenges being faced by the agency which you head.
While it is within your right to respond to perceived misinformation or misrepresentation and distortion or outright fabrication, in any publication, it is, however, beyond that right to issue a threat as grave as “dire consequences”.
After the publication of the threat and other claims in your rejoinder, you again went ahead to issue what we deemed to be further grave threat when you stated: “…if you want it dirty, you will get it dirty”, among other words perceived as veiled threat, in a telephone conversation you had with our correspondent shortly after you may have read our follow-up report.
While we intend to take steps to formally note these threats before the appropriate security agencies, the Benue State Government under which you are serving, as well as our professional organisations nationally; we wish to inform you that the life of our Benue State Correspondent, Amos Aar, and our entire personnel, remains insecure in the context of your threats.
In that regard, we demand from you a written assurance of Mr Aar’s safety from harm and that of our other staff, and a further commitment to desist from harassing, heckling, intimidating or bullying us in whatever manner from carrying out our constitutional mandate as key stakeholders in the Fourth Estate of the Realm.
As we look forward to relating with you in formal, civilised manner, and prompt action on our demands, please, accept the assurances of our esteemed regards.
Iduh L. Onah
Editor-in-Chief
National Record (https://nationalrecord.com.ng)
News
Gov Mbah Inaugurates Committee to End Gender-Based Violence in Enugu


The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.


Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
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