The Federal Government said the risk assessment conducted by the human health sector showed that the likelihood of an outbreak of anthrax disease in the country is high.

The FG also said that the potential impact of the disease on humans is high.

These were made known on Monday night in a joint press statement signed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr. Columba Vakuru, and the Director General of NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa.

The government, however, noted that it has activated the incident management system at level two with an incident manager appointed for effective coordination of the response.

Earlier, FMARD confirmed one case of Anthrax disease in a mixed livestock farm in Niger State.

This is the first animal case to be reported in Nigeria since the beginning of the West Africa outbreak in Ghana in June 2023.

FMARD said on July 13, 2023, the sudden deaths of livestock in this farm with eight mortality was reported and the animals who died were observed to have been bleeding from external orifices without blood clotting.

Following this report, samples were collected on July 14, 2023, from multiple species in this livestock farm and transported to the National Veterinary Research Institute, VOM, Plateau State for testing and the results were positive for anthrax.

The statement read in part, “Further investigation is also ongoing to trace the source of the infection and to identify the spread to other farms and humans. Though human exposure has been reported, there are no reports so far of human symptoms or mortality.

“The FMARD and the NCDC are currently working closely with the Niger State Ministries of Health and Agriculture to identify, isolate and follow up all exposed persons. The NCDC has activated the incident management system at level two today with an incident manager appointed for effective coordination of the response. The risk assessment conducted by the human health sector today remained HIGH for the likelihood of an outbreak and its potential impact on humans.

“The FMARD was able to diagnose anthrax and provide early intervention within 48 hours of notification of suspected animal deaths. The Government of Nigeria, through the FMARD and NCDC and other one-health stakeholders, have put measures in place to ensure any outbreak of Anthrax in Nigeria is quickly detected, controlled, and contained.”

Anthrax is a severe disease caused by the bacteria – Bacillus anthracis. It can affect both humans and animals, including wild animals and livestock such as cows, pigs, camels, sheep, goats, etc.

The bacteria, which exist as spores, can be found in the soil, wool, or hair of infected animals. Anthrax spores are resistant to extreme conditions and can survive in the soil or environment for decades, making controlling or eradicating the disease very difficult. The spores are brought to the surface by wet weather, by deep digging, or when eaten by livestock or wild animals when they graze.

Anthrax affects humans through skin infection, gastrointestinal, and inhalation.

[Punch]

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants who enter Canada annually are required to take a language test. But their scores expire within the next two years — one of many problems critics have with the test. 

The Canadian government invited 431,645 permanent residents into the country last year — a record high. Most are required to be proficient in either English or French. 

Applicants can attempt either of the two tests recognized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) — the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Both cost more than $250 and the results are only valid for two years. There are also French tests that have the same validity period and cost about the same.

Results from a language test are also sometimes required when immigrants enrol in university or apply for work permits. 

The price of the exam, and potentially having to pay to take it multiple times, is just one issue advocates and prospective residents have with the test. Some see it as an insufficient way of assessing someone's candidacy for residence in Canada. 

Language abilities 'being called into question'

Ukwori Ejibe, now an Alberta-resident, moved to Canada from Nigeria in 2020. She holds an undergraduate degree from the U.S. and two master's degrees — one from Paris and one from Singapore.

But before moving to Canada, she attempted the IELTS test twice in Nigeria, where English is the official language.

Language test scores are assigned a point value. Applicants also get points for things like education and work experience. The more points an applicant has, the greater their chances of becoming a permanent resident.

Ejibe's first scores in 2016 were not high enough to gain permanent residency. After her second attempt, she was invited to immigrate.

She says she was "quite upset" to learn she'd have to take the test a third time to gain admission to the university program she wanted to attend in B.C. 

"It's definitely an expensive process to move to Canada, and one of the reasons why it's so expensive is because the IELTS is not like other processes, that you, hopefully, just do once," she said.

When Ejibe took the test for the third time, she said she didn't prepare as much as she had before, but still got a great score. 

"You feel like you've gone through all the hurdles and your English abilities are being called into question, and this is for someone who went to school in the U.S. and got educated in Nigeria in English." 

Concern about validity period

Syed Hussan, the executive director of the advocacy group Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, says most people they work with have difficulty passing the test on their first try, even if English is their first and only language. 

"It is a massive money-making machine," he said, noting the fact that the tests have a two-year expiry date before they have to be taken again makes it apparent that the exams are cash grabs. 

"It just goes to show it's just a way to get money out of people and not really assess people's ability to work or live in Canada," he said. 

The application for permanent residency costs $1,365. Ejibe says she has spent roughly $1,000 on tests alone, and says they just add onto an already expensive process. 

Unlike permanent resident applicants, those seeking citizenship don't need to take the test again if they've passed it once. They can submit their test results even if they've expired. 

Ejibe wonders about the rationale behind this.

"If they can do this for citizenship, they should consider it for immigration purposes, too," she said. 

Elena Ashford, an Ontario-based immigration lawyer, says these English language test scores play a significant role in a person's eligibility to move to Canada and considers the cost of the tests to be an issue. 

"Many individuals have to retake the test and that's a lot of money. I don't understand why the test expires within two years," she said. 

Maintaining proficiency 'critical': IRCC

British Council, the U.K.-based organization that offers IELTS, recommends test results remain valid for a period of two years. IRCC says it has followed this recommendation in its policy since it first began using third-party language testing.

IRCC said via email that the two-year validity period is meant to take into consideration factors like how often people actually speak the language they're supposed to be proficient in, how recently they've had instruction in the language and if they've maintained their level of language proficiency.

"It is critical to ensure that their language proficiency does not deteriorate over time, prior to landing," the email said. 

In its emailed response, IRCC said language proficiency is strongly associated with positive economic outcomes and has been shown to have a direct impact on increased earnings and finding suitable employment. 

But some still say the language tests aren't a reliable indicator of how well a person will do after immigrating to Canada. 

When the temporary resident to permanent residency pathway was introduced in 2021, Hussan says traffic on the language testing sites was so heavy the websites crashed. 

He says using the language tests to determine a person's ability to thrive in a new country is baseless and thinks it would be better to update the assessment system entirely.

"If you've been working in Canada already, that should be proof enough, if you've been studying here, that should be proof enough."

[cbc]

Sheriff’s authorities on Tuesday reported that a three-year-old baby shot and killed a one-year-old sibling with a handgun that had been left unsecured in a home in San Diego, California.

It was not immediately clear who reported the shooting or where the children’s parents were at the time of the incident.

Authorities said deputies in Fallbrook arrived and found the one-year-old girl, who had sustained “head injury.’’

The child was taken to Palomar Hospital where she died an hour later. The Sheriff’s department did not release the name of the child who was fatally injured.

Investigators, however, said the department’s Homicide Unit was working to gather more information about the incident.

NAN

One is that they are obligated by section 14 (4.2) of the APC Constitution to present the quarterly reports of their activities to NEC. Quarterly reports of activities are as we have zones, state chapters and departments. All those should have been compiled. Issues such as what has happened, what are the challenges and then based on that we go to the NEC with a fair idea of how to address those challenges for the NEC to approve and not to approve.

•Two, by the provision of Article 13 (4.4) of the APC Constitution, we are obligated by the constitution to present quarterly reports of the income and expenditure of the party. I want to say this for the records. Since we came, we have never been presented, even at the last NEC of April 2022; we have not been presented with financial reports till today. I challenge both the national chairman and the national secretary; they have never presented to the NWC any financial statement.

•The third issue is that we are expected to present a proposed national budget to the NEC for approval by the provision of Article 13, 3A.14 of the APC Constitution. I felt embarrassed when I heard the National Secretary say the budget of the party had been sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). INEC is not the approving authority of the budget of the APC. The approving authority is the NEC. Till today, we don’t have a national budget. Yet we made over N30 billion from sales of forms. Till today, as a member of the NWC and majority members of the NWC, maybe except the Financial Secretary, Treasurer or Auditor who may have inside knowledge of how much was expended on the renovation of the national secretariat of the party, we do not know what is being expended.

Talking of the national budget, we are just coming out of elections whereby we are not able to sustain past precedence. What was the past precedence? Under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in 2019, every candidate of the party received something from the national secretariat. In this last election, no candidate of the party received a dime from the party.

Regarding finances in our constitution, the NEC is supposed to approve some form of sharing formula. I am aware that each state chapter has received about N20 million out of the N30 billion, put together that is about N700 million less than a billion which is less than three per cent of the total income that has been earned. Yet, we want to sweep this under the carpet. We are having states, zonal, local councils and ward levels that are left on their own. The whole question of funding the party has not been addressed.

•The fourth issue which I have raised is that in our constitution, article 12 (19, 20 and 21) created the women, youths and persons with disability wings. The whole idea is that these wings would have their own rules and officials.

Till today as a party, we have not sat down to even discuss or give guidelines to them in terms of how they go about doing all these things. And these are very critical because they are categories of people considered venerable groups that need to be strengthened. And we are going to NEC and that is not going to be on the agenda. It is not what the national chairman and secretary want to be on the agenda that should go to NEC and National Caucus. It should be what the NWC has approved. And I am saying till this moment the NWC has not approved any agenda. I am also saying till this moment there is no proper notice to any person who is supposed to be at that meeting. For goodness sake, we are dealing with a category of people like the President, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and his Deputy. These are very high-level people and you want them to come to the meeting without telling them what the agenda is. That is not right.

•The fifth issue is by the provision of Article 18 of the APC constitution, five standing committees have been provided-Establishment, Finance, Intergovernmental and Conflict and Reconciliation committees. Till today, we have not formed those committees. I was told at a meeting though I wasn’t there, that some proposals about membership of these committees have been presented, I am aware as of today we have not been properly notified by the leading NWC that this is the proposal going to NEC.

Yesterday, I reported to Senator Omisore that I don’t attend meetings. I challenge him to produce the attendance of all the meetings. If I had been absent from meetings throughout our tenure maybe three times. I attend the meeting. I raised issues with them because I tell them that I am a zonal officer based in Kaduna. If I was going to attend any meeting, I will give at least give eight hours’ notice. You don’t give four hours’ notice and you expect me to abandon what I am doing in the zone.

•The sixth issue is that we are just coming out of elections. A lot happened, including the dynamics that played out which we are all aware of.
There are currents within the party that didn’t want us to win the election. Anti-party activities took place in many places. For goodness sake this second-highest highest organ of the party. We should spare time and review what happened during that election and properly take decisions on how to prevent reoccurrence. We have four years. Four years is short. We have to start pig from now.

•The seventh issue is not just the case of Osun State. Osun was a disaster and that was where the national secretary hails from. I saw him yesterday shamelessly talking about a winning team. If we are a winning team, why prevent us from replicating the feat in our base? We did not only lose the governorship seat, but we also lost all the seats for the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly seats.

Osun is the only state we have that case. It is only the national secretary that is in denial of that reality. The first mark of progressive behaviour is the humility to accept your shortcomings.

I saw the national secretary talking brazenly as if he is a champion. We can’t celebrate those internal mechanisms to address the issues that are available. I didn’t make a blanket apology as is being presented.

•The other issue is the election of the presiding officers of the 10th National Assembly. You are my witness that the national chairman and national secretary said I should apologise when I sued the party.

Rather than developing guidelines as directed by the provision of Article The Section 13 (4.6) of the constitution that would guide the emergence of the leadership of the National Assembly was approached with a blanket cheque; there were no guidelines. As a result, if not for the intervention of the President, we would have walked into a disaster.

Soul-searching

Even in the meeting where governors passed a vote of confidence on the nation chairman, I am not against him or Omisore but we must have the humility to accept our failures.

This NEC and national Caucus should be used to review all the developments to prevent reoccurrence. We don’t have a situation in which we sit, the National Assembly would take decisions and then the secretariat of the party we are sending to or Tinubu would take decisions and the secret of the Nation are divulged.

•The other issue which I keep insisting on is why are we debating whether we should have meetings or not. It baffles me. My knowledge of politics is that it is about meetings. Why should politicians be afraid of meetings?

•I called for the resignation of Sen Abdullahi Adamu based on pure moral appeal, based on the dynamics that played out in the elections. But I can say, assuming we want to mutate to become a conservative party even with that kind of aspiration, I don’t think Abdullahi Adamu and Omisore are committed to leading the party based on the provision of its constitution. This is where we need soul-searching.