The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, has announced that the resumption date for public and private primary and secondary schools in Nigeria has been reviewed for the second time from October 13 to the middle of September.
Owing to the Ebola outbreak, the federal government had extended the summer holiday for schools nationwide from September to October 13.
However, Chukwu, while briefing journalists yesterday in Abuja after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, said the Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, had been directed by council to convene an emergency meeting with all states Commissioners for Education with a view to agreeing on a new resumption date nationwide.
Also giving an update of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country, Chukwu revealed that one more patient had been discharged in Lagos, bringing to eight the number of persons who had been given the all clear after contracting the disease.
He said the status since the outbreak of the disease in the country, shows that a total of 18 persons (including the index case) had been infected, out of which 14 are in Lagos and four in Port Harcourt.
With the discharge of one patient, the minister said two patients were undergoing treatment in Lagos, while one was undergoing treatment in Port Harcourt.
He added that eight patients had been successfully treated and discharged, while seven persons, including Patrick Sawyer, had so far died of the disease.
Giving a breakdown, the minister said those who have died of the disease are: One (1), the index case, whose death occurred in a private hospital in Lagos, four (4) in the Lagos isolation ward, one (1) in the Port Harcourt isolation ward (the female patient who was on admission in the same hospital where the late Port Harcourt doctor was also admitted), while another one (1) was the doctor who was infected by the ECOWAS Commission official in Port Harcourt and who did not come under the care and management of the Incident Management Committee.”
Out of the 361 persons who were under surveillance in Lagos, he said only 41 are still under surveillance, while 320 had been given the all clear.
In Port Harcourt, Chukwu said, 255 persons are under surveillance, restating that the corpse of the medical doctor who died in Port Harcourt had been buried after de-contamination.
On the fate of the staff of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) who evaded surveillance and travelled to Port Harcourt where he infected a doctor, the minister explained that government was working on three options to prevent a repeat.
He listed the options as strengthening the quarantine law, seeking advise from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on what action to take on the ECOWAS staff, as well as seeking legal advice from the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on what legal action could be taken against him.
On the reported cases of Ebola in some states and Abuja, the minister dismissed them as rumours.
According to him, after thorough investigation, the cases in the FCT and Cross River State were negative, just as he said that of Zaria in Kaduna State was still being investigated.
He appealed to Nigerians to guard against the spreading of unsubstantiated rumours, especially on the social media.
Meanwhile the FEC yesterday approved N144 billion for the power sector and N9.181 billion for tug boats. It also blacklisted a contractor alleged to have abandoned an electricity project in Ebonyi State.
FEC equally ratified the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP), adding that $305 trillion will be needed to roll out infrastructure spanning over 30 years.
President Goodluck Jonathan had in July 2012 approved that the National Planning Commission coordinate the preparation of the NIIMP for the country.
The plan, which will be implemented over a period of 30 years from 2014 to 2043, will be implemented in three phases.
The first phase of five years phase between now and 2018 will require $166.1bn for implementation.
However Messrs Techno Electric and Engineering Company was accused of collecting 15 per cent on December 1, 2010 from the federal government and thereafter abandoning the project.
Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil, at the briefing said the government had blacklisted the directors of the company.
Wakil said the contract for the engineering design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of 2X60MVA, 132/33KV at Amasiri and 2X132KV Line Bays Extension at Abakaliki for the Transmission Company of Nigeria, had been re-awarded.
“Council approved the re-award of the contract in favor of Messrs North China Power Engineering limited and NCEP Nigeria Limited for the sum of $5,835,368.47 payable at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of payment plus N505,788,083.58, inclusive of N67,211,298.58 for five per cent contingency with a completion period of 24 months.
“The project is designed to boost power supply to Ebonyi State and parts of Cross River and will enhance the socio-economic development of the state. The funds are available under the Eurobond loan, 2014 Appropriation Bill and in the unutilised letter of credit earlier established for the terminated project to commence implementation of the project,” the minister explained.
Also, the council approved the award of a contract for the design and construction of four 60 tonnes bollard pull marine tug boats in favour of Messrs Depasa Marine International (Nigeria) limited.
The contractual sum stands at €42,968,864.70 (N9.181 billion), inclusive of all taxes with a completion period of 24 months.
The project is expected to generate 97 job opportunities for both professionals and non-professionals during its execution and about 112 direct and indirect job opportunities when in full operation.
