By Wale Odunsi

 

The Federal Government has said it will support the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) on researches for coronavirus vaccine.

Health Minister, Osagie Ehanire, spoke at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 joint briefing on Thursday in Abuja.

He said Nigeria participated in a World Health Organization (WHO), African Regional Conference, held virtually and chaired by the Minister of Health of the Congo.

The conference centered on COVID-19 vaccines and implementing the African region sickle cell strategy.

The minister assured that Nigeria will sustain interest in vaccine development and liaise with countries and organizations investing in new knowledge.

“NAFDAC is trying to reach the maturity level to assure that the processes and products that come out of research work in Nigeria are realizable and that they meet the required standard.

“Our safest, easiest and cheapest option of achieving a balance between saving livelihood and saving lives remains adherence to non-pharmaceutical measures, as we have preached so many times.”

Ehanire appealed to Nigerians not to relax in observing the COVID-19 preventive measures.

He warned that coronavirus would remain for the foreseeable future until a vaccine is available.

Source:NewsNow.

The security agency in Sudan has granted freedom to all political detainees, following the ouster of Omar al-Bashir, President of the country, from office.
Al-Bashir, who has been President of Sudan since mastering a coup d'etat in 1989, stepped down on Wednesday.
A brief statement by the National Security and Intelligence Service announced the freedom for political detainees but did not expressly indicate when the release would take place.
Nevertheless, this will be welcome news to tens of thousands of Sudanese who are celebrating al-Bashir's outster on the streets of Khartoum.
Washington Post, though, quoted Sudanese activists behind months-long protests against al-Bashir as saying hundreds who were detained over the demonstrations have already been freed.
The activists spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
Two senior Sudanese officials said the Army forced al-Bashir to step down but the circumstances of the apparent ouster remain unclear.

Source:News Now.

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algerian protesters rejected the interim leader named Tuesday to replace former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, shouting “out with the system” as they demonstrated for the dismantling of the political hierarchy that has led Algeria for two decades.

The north African country’s influential military stayed silent on the appointment, saying only that it would work to ensure the “tranquility” of the country.

A student protest had been timed to coincide with the Algerian Parliament’s decision to designate the upper chamber’s leader, Bouteflika ally Abdelkader Bensalah, as interim president.

Within an hour of the announcement, police moved in on the demonstrators, dousing them with pepper spray, shooting bursts from a water cannon and using batons to break up the crowd of thousands on a central avenue.

The tensions, which continued into the afternoon, were unusual for the Algerian pro-democracy movement.

Weeks of overwhelmingly peaceful protests forced Bouteflika to step down last week after 20 years in office. That is giving new hope to millions of young Algerians frustrated by corruption, unemployment and repression — even as it has raised concerns about what’s next for this energy-rich country that’s a key partner in the international fight against terrorism.

“We are against the nomination of Bensalah. The people has stated its will many times, we will stick to this and won’t change our minds. We are not going to stop, to rest or to give up at all,” said protester Mohammed Bouraoui.

The protesters held creative signs, including one woman carrying a sign reading “I’m a student in oceanic studies, and my nation is drowning in a sea of corruption.”

As called for by the Algerian Constitution, Bensalah was appointed to an interim post for a maximum of 90 days until a new election can be organized. He can’t run for president himself when the election is held. Members of the opposition abstained from Tuesday’s vote.

“I am required by national duty to take on this heavy responsibility of steering a transition that will allow the Algerian people to exercise its sovereignty,” Bensalah said.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the army will work to ensure “the Algerian people’s legitimate right to enjoy total tranquility for the present and the future.”

The much-awaited but inconclusive statement suggests the army will wait to see if there are new mass protests on Friday before deciding whether to throw its support behind Bensalah or not. The statement didn’t specifically address Bensalah’s appointment.

Algeria’s powerful army chief, Gen. Ahmed Gaid Salah, turned against Bouteflika last week and sided with the protesters, leading to the president’s departure. However many protesters have shown frustration with the army, too.

With Bouteflika out, protesters are mainly focusing their anger on other key figures, dubbed the “three Bs”: Bensalah, Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui and the head of the Constitutional Council, Tayeb Belaiz.

“Out with Bensalah, Belaiz and Bedoui!” shouted protesters at Tuesday’s rally in Algiers, which converged at the plaza in front of the main post office, a symbol of the country’s pro-democracy movement.

Bensalah, 77, has cultivated a low-key profile despite holding numerous positions over the past quarter-century. With a career as a devoted public servant, he has no political weight, and his powers as transitional leader are reduced.