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COVID-19 vaccination: NASS begs resident doctors to return to work

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National Assembly complex
National Assembly complex

 

The National Assembly has appealed to National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to embrace every opportunity presented on the way forward toward addressing their grievances so as to return to the hospitals as quickly as possible.

The lawmakers said on Monday in Abuja that the striking doctors should embrace all overtures toward industrial harmony as the rollout of phase two of coronavirus vaccination programme could not be effectively achieved without them.

Their position was presented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Sen. Ibrahim Oloriegbe.

He spoke at the official flag off of the rollout of vaccines involving the 4,000,080 Moderna vaccines doses donated by the United States of America.

Also rolled out was the 177,600 Johnson and Johnson vaccines doses, a single-shot vaccine under the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT).

“As we speak today, we have some sections of health workers who are not working. For ethical delivery of vaccines, we need health workers.

“Human resource is a huge challenge in our country. I want to call on our colleagues, who are on strike, to please avail themselves of all opportunities of negotiations that government has given.

“The resources they’re asking for have already been provided and are being processed, so I want to ask the resident doctors to please go back to work.

“I want to assure all Nigerians that the National Assembly is working collaboratively with the executive arm and other stakeholders to resolve these human resource challenges in Nigeria.

“It is a huge issue because if you have the money, if you have the materials, we need men to get healthcare delivered, and we assure Nigerians that we shall handle this.”

He also reiterated that the 9th National Assembly had been working together with the executive arm to ensure Nigeria produced vaccines locally since 2020.

He said that resources had been allocated to commence the process, adding that it was for such reason that the sum of N10 billion was allocated in the 2020 budget.

In a remark, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, Boss Mustpha, commended the health workers for their sacrifices toward tackling the pandemic.

According to him, Nigeria’s effective response to COVID-19 has been rated fourth in the world by the Global Normalcy Index.

“We remain eternally grateful to your services and I will lean my voice to the senator when he called on resident doctors to respond to every invitation of negotiation and discussions so that we can bring to an end the current strike action.”

Mustapha commended the leadership of the National Assembly for the support received by the then Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and now the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC), in crafting the COVID-19 response and its execution.

He also commended development partners for the solid support and confidence they exhibited to PTF, and now PSC, and in convincing their nations and agencies to grant Nigeria maximum support in its activities as it approached a virus that was novel to the entire world.

The SGF also commended the press for demonstrating patriotism and engaging in the response as they have never done before.

“The press has toiled day and might; you have been on the frontline, committed yourselves and some of you have made the supreme sacrifice,” he noted.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, enjoined Nigerians to embrace vaccination, assuring all that it was very safe.

Gbajabiamila, who was represented by Dr Haruna Mshelia, said: “This is the time for everyone to fully rally around the government. The vaccines being introduced in Nigeria are very safe and effective.”

He commended the executive arm for what they have done as regards the nation’s COVID-19 response which had been recognized globally.

He, however said that “if we are to move forward, and to keep this kind of intervention sustainable, Nigeria must begin to manufacture vaccines.

“The way forward is to start manufacturing vaccines so that we too can start donating vaccines to poorer countries like America has done,” he said. (NAN)

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General News

Clergy Urged To Put Members’ Welfare Above All Else

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Anglican Church logo

At a solemn ordination service in Abuja, senior church leaders have called on pastors to make the well-being of their congregations a top priority, following the example of Jesus Christ.

Speaking during the priesthood ordination and installation of a Sub Dean at the Cathedral Church of Advent, Life Camp, Abuja, the retired Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Okene, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Ajulo, described pastors as shepherds charged with the care of their flock. He urged them to shun worldly distractions and focus on meeting the spiritual and material needs of their members.

Bishop Ajulo also encouraged the newly ordained priests to remain faithful to their calling by teaching God’s word without compromise.

In his charge, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, urged the new clergy to preach the undiluted gospel and foster religious harmony wherever they serve. He expressed confidence that their new roles would help promote peace and unity in society.

The service also featured prayers for national leaders and divine intervention in addressing the current global economic challenges.

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1,000 Prayer Warriors Storm Ilorin for Tinubu, Nation’s Deliverance

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

In a dramatic show of faith and patriotism, over 1,000 fiery prayer warriors from across Nigeria will descend on Ilorin, Kwara State, this Saturday, lifting their voices in intense intercession for President Bola Tinubu’s success and Nigeria’s survival in the face of biting economic woes and mounting insecurity.

The spiritual siege, themed “Walking in Domini”, is the maiden convention of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), with its Kwara State Chairman, Evangelist Thomas Adeboye, vowing that “heaven will hear and respond to Nigeria’s cry.”

Aside from marathon prayers, the gathering will roll out free medical outreach to locals across Kwara’s LGAs, a gesture aimed at touching both body and soul.

Adeboye, lamenting Nigeria’s “troubling economic and security realities”, called for a nationwide prayer uprising, insisting that Tinubu has shown the will to revive the nation but needs massive divine backing to succeed.

“Banditry, a collapsing economy, and political tension demand we seek God’s face like never before,” he declared. “We will storm heaven for wisdom for the President and governors to steer Nigeria to safety.”

The convention will also feature awards to distinguished personalities, soul-lifting worship, fiery sermons, and unity-driven lectures—all capped with thunderous prayers for Nigeria’s redemption.

Adeboye urged the President to ensure every policy has “a human face,” stressing that Nigerians must not only endure but also enjoy the fruits of governance.

With the OAIC promising to reaffirm believers’ authority in Christ and rally spiritual boldness in the face of national challenges, Ilorin is set to become the epicentre of a powerful spiritual warfare for Nigeria’s destiny.

 

 

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Nigerian Anglicans Condemn Lesbian Archbishop of Wales, Deepening Global Anglican Rift

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…Church leaders accuse Welsh counterparts of “spiritual decadence” and “abandonment of faith”

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has issued a forceful condemnation of the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as the Archbishop of Wales. The move is the latest in a series of developments that have deepened divisions within the global Anglican Communion over sexuality and doctrine.

In a statement from Primate The Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, the church denounced the election as a “serious departure from biblical teaching” and a sign of “spiritual decadence” and “an outright abandonment of the faith once delivered to the saints.”

Archbishop Ndukuba warned that Bishop Vann’s elevation compromises the Anglican Church’s global mission and could obstruct evangelism. He compared the situation to the controversial tenure of Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, who also faced intense criticism from conservative Anglicans for her progressive views.

The Primate accused Bishop Vann of being complicit in the “ongoing crisis” around same-sex issues, stating that the election is a “clear revelation that many who claim to be members of the body of Christ cannot endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

The Church of Nigeria called on Anglicans worldwide to reject “rebels” and “apostates” and to instead support conservative bodies like the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).

“The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemns, unequivocally rejects, and will not recognize the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales,” Ndukuba declared. He concluded with a solemn warning that without repentance, the Church in Wales risks losing “complete relevance” and its leaders will face judgment.

 

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