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  • Aka
  • Mar, Sat, 2020

Coronavirus: Catholic Bishop bans placing of holy water at church entrances

 

Churches

By Ifeoma Aka

Enugu, March 21, 2020 (NAN) The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Reverend Callistus  Onaga has ordered all parishes in the diocese to immediately stop placing holy water at the entrances of the church.

In a statement released on Saturday in Enugu, Enugu State, personally signed by him, the bishop said the action was part of measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

The cleric said it was also necessary as people touch holy water at church entrances to do the sign of the cross on their faces.

He urged priests to thoroughly wash their hands before distributing Holy Communion as well as avoid touching the tongue of recipients in the process.

Onaga advocated for constant washing of hands with antiseptic soap especially after using toilet, counting money, playing with a pet or visiting a sick person to contain the spread of the Coronavirus.

Onaga urged  the public to maintain clean environment and also observe personal hygiene at all times.

According to him, priests and religious groups visiting sick persons should exercise greater caution by wearing mouth covers and hand gloves while administering sacrament to them.

While appealing for God’s intervention in the situation, the Catholic Prelate added that more stringent measures might be put in place as the situation developed. (NAN)

IFO/CHOM/MNA

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Edited by Chioma Ugboma/Maureen Atuonwu

 

 

  • Aka
  • Mar, Wed, 2020

NDIC warns public against patronising wonder banks

NDIC

By Ifeoma Aka

Enugu, March 18, 2020 (NAN) The National Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has warned members of the public to stop patronising wonder banks that are offering mouth-watering interest rates.

The Managing Director of the Corporation, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, gave the warning at the ongoing 31st Enugu International Trade Fair in Enugu on Wednesday.

Ibrahim said the wonder banks were offering attractive interest rates just to dupe unsuspected people of their hard-earned income.

The managing director was represented by the South-East Zonal Comptroller of the corporation, Mr Veronica Ogbo-Ikwue.

He said that the wonder banks were neither licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) nor were they under the NDIC deposit insurance scheme.

Ibrahim advised people to rather patronise insured banking institution that displays the NDIC sticker in their banking premises.

She said that NDIC would continue to protect depositors through prompt operational responses to novel developments in the banking system as they evolve.

“People should desist from keeping their monies in homes or shops to avoid the dangers of fire, theft, armed robbery, flood or other forms of losses.

“The public policy objective of the corporation is to protect depositors of licensed banks as well as promoting public confidence in the financial system.

“The objective is derived from the NDIC mandate of deposit guarantee, bank supervision, distress resolution and bank liquidation.

“Since its establishment, over 30 years ago, the corporation had recorded numerous achievements in the discharge of its mandates.

“The NDIC has fully paid all the depositors of the 18 closed deposit money banks all their monies both insured and uninsured that were trapped in such banks,’’ Ibrahim said.

He said that the corporation had developed a framework for the extension of deposit insurance cover to the tune of N500,000 per depositor for depositors in banks.

“The NDIC, like other critical participants in the financial system, is fully aware of its obligations towards the fulfilment of the federal government’s policies on the growth and development of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

“We are aware the SMEs remain the major catalysts for employment generation and poverty alleviation.

“The middle class and small businesses will require safe and secured access to financial services.’’

In an address, the ECCIMA President, Mr Emeka Nwandu congratulated NDIC for the role it played towards building the confidence of bank depositors, which he said, “is helping to grow the Nigerian financial sector’’.

Nwandu encouraged the CBN through its regulatory framework to make the work of NDIC much easier by ensuring that the chances of bank failure were reduced to the barest minimum.

He commended the CBN and NDIC as key players in the financial sector for the stability and near tranquility in the banking sector. (NAN)

IFO/AIB/MNA

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/Maureen Atuonwu

 

  • Aka
  • Feb, Tue, 2020

Enugu LG election: Only female candidate urges electorates to vote according to conscience

Election

By Ifeoma Aka

Enugu, Feb.18, 2020  (NAN) The Peoples Democratic  Party (PDP) Candidate  for Igbo- Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, Mrs Nkechi Ugwuogu has urged people of the area to vote according to their conscience in the upcoming council election in the state.

Ugwuoju, who is the only female PDP candidate in the race across the state, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Tuesday.

The Enugu state local government area election is scheduled for  February 29.

She advised people to shun vote selling during the election as it would never do them any good, rather it would bring retrogression in the development of the area.

Ugwuoju, who was the immediate past party chairperson of the council, described those trying to influence people with money as non credible candidates.

She promised to embark on developmental projects that would be of interest to the entire council area if she emerged as the council chairperson.

She explained that she had been doing series of consultations and campaigns to stakeholders and masses in the council and was assured of their support.

The candidate said  they were three candidates contesting for the chairmanship position, adding that with God on her side, she would win the election.

She also said that she was the only woman among the 17 council areas in the state that emerged in her party.

The former party chairperson called on other candidates to take things easy as election was not a do or die affair. (NAN)

IFO/CHOM/MNA

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Edited by Chioma Ugboma/Maureen Atuonwu