By Ijeoma Okigbo

The Nigeria National League (NNL) has embarked on a partnership programme with the Police Command in the FCT to forestall violence at match venues.

Sajo Mohammed, the Chief Executive Officer of the League, led a team on a visit to the Commissioner of Police, Mr Bala Ciroma, on Tuesday.

Mohammed said that the visit was necessary following incessant reports of attacks in match venues especially in the FCT since the commencement of the 2020/2021 league season.

We have four Abuja teams playing in the league: the EFCC FC, NAF FC, FRSC FC and Oyah Sports FC.

We noticed that as the league progressed, we were having security challenges. There are some elements that are trying to destroy our efforts.

Some people have no intention of watching the games but to come and disrupt the league.

This is a huge cause of concern for us as football is not a game of violence either to spectators or match officials but we have been experiencing that.

We preach zero tolerance to hooliganism in football and that is the reason we are here to seek partnership with the police to help curb the situation, Mohammed said.

On his part, Ciroma assured the NNL team of the support of the police.

I can assure you that we are willing to work with you to ensure that all venues are adequately secured.

But we will need a time table of the league matches and venues to be able to plan and do some risk assessment with your personnel.

That way we can know the kind of deployment to put in place in the various venues so that adequate security measures can be made to checkmate hooliganism in these areas, Ciroma said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Christian Ogbonna

The Ebonyi Police Command on Tuesday declared 18 suspects wanted for allegedly promoting intra-communal war.

This is contained in a statement issued to journalists in Abakaliki by the Commands Spokesperson, DSP Loveth Odah.

The statement noted that the suspects were wanted also in connection with murder, arson, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

Their names are as Nwankwo Godwin, as known as (AKA) Nkwo Motors); Hope Nwankwo, Chibueze Nwifuru, as known as Big Meat and Daniel Nwangwoto.

Others are Osondu Mgbada (AKA stain), Okechukwu Nwanga (AKA Ezza), Chukwudi Nwite (AKA Last Born), Ernest Aduma, Chukwudi Okefi (AKA Malaika), Oliver Okefi (AKA Malife), Osondu Okefi and Elom John.

Paul Elom, Odinaka Idu, Monday Idu, Solomon Okefi, Chinedu Ilor and Garba (from Inikiri Bernard), were also on the wanted list.

The command enjoined the public to assist in apprehending the suspects.

You can as well report to the nearest police station or call the police emergency numbers, which 07064515001 or 07034232125.

The wanted persons are all indigenes of Effium/Ezza-Effium Community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi, the statement said.

It said anyone with useful information will be handsomely rewarded by the police. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ishaq Zaki

The Zamfara State Commissioner for Security Matter and Home Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Dauran, has commended the military for fighting bandits in the state.

Dauran gave the commendation on Tuesday in Gusau while speaking to newsmen.

He said the performance of the military in tackling security challenges facing the state deserved commendation, considering the various successes recorded.

The effort of the military is appreciated by the state government and entire people of the state.

The success recorded by the operation has increased our hope and confidence that peace and stability will return to our dear state, North-West and entire country, he said.

Dauran further said that the operational skills and experience exhibited by the troops clearly indicated the good determination by the military to clear all the bandits and their camps in the state.

He praised President Muhammad Buhari for the prompt action taken and for the deployment of troops to the state.

We also appreciate the recent visit to the state by the Chief of Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs, as part of the Federal Governments efforts to end banditry in the state, he added.

Dauran appealed to the people of the state to continue to support the state government and the ongoing security operations in the state aimed at ending banditry. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Kingsley Okoye

The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Mr Haliru Nababa as Controller General (CG), Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS).

The confirmation followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Interior at plenary on Wednesday.

Presenting the report, the Chairman, Sen. Shettima Kashim(APC-Borno) said the committee found the nominee suitable to occupy the position of controller general of NCS.

He said there was no petition against him, adding that the nominee also displayed high level of intelligence in the discharge of his responsibilities in his previous positions.

Shettima said the nominee was not affiliated to any political party and has a high level of personal integrity.

He, therefore, urged the Senate to confirm his appointment. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Desmond Ejibas

The French Government on Wednesday expressed willingness to offer the Nigerian Navy its full cooperation, to tackle piracy and other forms of insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.

France Defence Attach to Nigeria, Col. Nicolas Rambaud made this known when he met with officials of the Nigerian Navy Hydrographic School (NNHS) in Port Harcourt.

He said the Nigerian Navy being the dominant navy in the Gulf of Guinea had what it takes to secure the regions waters, with support from France.

France has a very big interest in good bilateral cooperation between our two great nations.

Going by the fact that both countries have navies, then it is logical that we have a lot to do in common to improve the security in the Gulf of Guinea.

Nigerian Navy is doing a lot, and we are convinced that thanks to our friendship that we can improve security in the region

So, the French Government will welcome more robust bilateral cooperation between both countries, he said.

Rambaud commended the Nigerian Navy for having acquired about 17 warships from French companies in the last few years.

He said the country would in the coming weeks take delivery of a state-of-the-art hydrographic research and survey vessel from France.

The ship, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Lana, is a high-tech modern hydrographic vessel and will depart French shores on April 16 to Nigeria according to plan.

The NNS Lana on arrival would enable the Nigerian Navy to better chart its waters for greater security.

So, the reason for our visit to NNHS is to anticipate the ships arrival; discuss our bilateral cooperation and understand better the direction the Nigerian Navy desires assistance from the French Government, he added.

Speaking, the Commanding Officer of NNHS, Capt. Mahmud Fana said that NNHS was the only naval hydrographic school of its kind in the entire West African Sub-region.

He sought France assistance in the establishment of a mini weather observatory station, to boost training of personnel in the school.

We also demanded among others the French Government assist us to commence a French (language) training programme in the school by Alliance Francaise.

We also discussed the possibility of assisting the NNHS with a small survey launcher boat, which will greatly enhance the practical aspect of our hydrographic training.

Fourthly, we requested for capacity development especially in the areas of Oceanography and Cartonography.

We also appealed for training on maritime safety information which we have already started with the French Naval Hydrographic and Oceanography Service (Shom) in France, Fana said.

The commanding officer said the Franceattachassured of the French governments willingness to look into the navys requests.

According to him, the requests when granted would greatly enhance the Nigerian Navy capacity to produce charts for the nations maritime environment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NNHS was established in 1983 to train naval forces in charting the nations territorial waters. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Collins Yakubu-Hammer

The Federal Government and the Switzerland government have inaugurated a Blue Bus Project in commemoration of the countries 10th anniversary in migration partnership to control irregular migration in the country.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq disclosed tis at the inaugural ceremony on Tuesday in Abuja.

She expressed pleasure on the uniqueness of the decade-long exemplary relationship between Nigeria and Switzerland on migration.

Farouq said that it was a celebration of success, stressing that there was no time in the history of international relationship that the management of migration across international borders had been easy or free from numerous and diverse challenges.

She explained that the situation was even worse with the alarming increase in the volume, complexity and threat in international migration.

Nevertheless, in spite of the difficulties in logistics and politics, empirical record shows that with right policies and partnerships, migration can always bring about positive economic and development impact to both the destination and origin countries as well as migrants themselves.

In all of this, the Nigeria/Switzerland bilateral partnership is outstanding and enjoys a unique kind of strategic relationship based on mutual trust and respect for each other.

The partnership has over the years expanded to provide a number of laudable projects targeted towards better management of migration in Nigeria and mainstreaming migration into development.

We look forward to a stronger partnership ahead in order to consolidate the successes so far made, Farouq said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Farouq was represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Bashir Alkali.

Speaking, Ms Karin Keller-Sutter, the Federal Councilor and Head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police, Switzerland, said she was pleased with the 10th anniversary celebration.

Keller-Sutter said themigration partnership between Nigeria and her country was an ideal example of how bilateral relations could be use to address common challenges in a positive and dynamic way.

She maintained that Switzerland was determined to continue to Foster the dialogue within the framework of the migration partnership and remained a close partner to Nigeria and Nigerians.

I praise the resilience of the Nigerian people. Our relationship has become a corner stone of trade and other profitable ventures.

I am also impressed by the ongoing projects to support Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons and I would be able to see some of the projects as we inaugurate the Blue Bus Project today.

The Blue Bus Project is a good source of counselling and enlightenment on the dangers of illegal and irregular migration to people in all parts of the country. And this would help to control the surge, Keller-Sutter said.

Also, Ms Prestage Murima, who represented the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) under the UN in Nigeria commended the efforts of both countries in tackling migration using evidence base strategy.

Since 2001, IOM has been supporting the Nigerian Government on migration through technical assistance, capacity building, relief materials and many others.

The UN is committed to fighting against illegal migration and trafficking in persons. As a partner we shall continue to provide capacity building to Ministries, Departments, Agencies and supports returnees.

The Blue Bus Project is a one stop shop for enlightenment and information sharing about migration and dangers of illegal migration, Murima said.

Also speaking, Mr Gabriel Aduda, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the migration partnership agreement between Nigeria and Switzerland was signed on Feb. 14, 2011.

Aduda said the agreement was to partner against smuggling of illicit drugs, migration, promotion of border control, reintegration of returnees and migrants, adding that both countries are on track.

Meanwhile, Alhaji Basheer Mohammed, The Federal Commissioner in charge of Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, solicited support on desensitisation of returnees.

Imaan Sulaiman, Director-General of National Agency for the Prohibition of trafficking in Person (NAPTIP) said the Agency had benefited from the relationship in terms of capacity building and relief for returnees.

She said the Green Bus Campaign would help in taking messages on migration to the grassroots.

In the Green Bus, there is a provision for counselling, education and other services to ensure that the mentality of wanting to illegally migrate to other countries by Nigerians is addressed.

Sulaiman was represented by Mr Godwin Mouka, a senior officer from the Agency.

Similarly, the Director-General of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Buba Marwa, represented by , Mr Shedrack Haruna. solicited more support on intelligent gathering to success on their mandate.

Marwa restated the commitment of NDLEA to checkmate the activities of drug peddlers and destroy their cartels, adding, winning drug war is not negotiable.

Also, the Comptroller General of Nigerian Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede represented by Comptroller Ngozi Akalonu, gave assurance that the service would continue to fight against illegal migration.

NAN reports that high point of the event was the inauguration of the Blue Bus with three compartments for counselling and information sharing.

Source: NAN News

By Angela Atabo

Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has urged the Federal Government to set up a legal framework for the management and utilisation of recovered looted assets.

Executive Director CISLAC Auwal Rafsanjani said this at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja.

Rafsanjani said that the delay in setting up the framework had greatly undermined asset recovery and management process in Nigeria.

He said that the delay had cost Nigeria billions in lost opportunities as international partners refused to be involved in recoveries.

This, he said was because the international partners were not convinced that recovered assets would not be re-looted.

He said in order to ensure transparency, government needed to establish a database that would contain details of recovered assets including details of persons from whom they were recovered and how the assets were utilised.

This database should be publicly accessible and should be containing all interim and final forfeitures of different types of movable and immovable assets seized by different agencies.

We are yet to see some concrete results after many years of extensive international and domestic effort.

It is important that independent civil society organisations, including victims, groups or representatives, are enabled to participate in the asset recovery process especially in the process of monitoring and deciding how recovered assets are utilised.

The media has in this process played a crucial role in investigating the gaps in the current system and explaining who profits from the status quo; that is the reason we all agreed on solutions but we continue failing to implement them, he said.

Rafsanjani said that international financial intelligence from Ministry of Finance, showed that around 18 billion dollars was lost abroad yearly to tax evasion, laundering of money and other stashing of illegal proceeds out of Nigeria.

He said that unfortunately, the amount put the country at the forefront in Africa as the worst illicit financial flow offender.

To be fair, some success has been achieved in recent years in regards to the recovery of assets.

Only two weeks ago, the millions Ibori loot was returned by the UK; while the Nigerian authorities have made some commendable gains, its advocacy for the speedy return of recovered assets has lost the moral high ground.

The lacuna in the management of recovered asset was seen glaringly in the recent arguments between the federal Gyvernment and the Delta Government as to who owned the repatriated Ibori-loot, he said.

Rafsanjani said that foreign assets recovered by government can not be compared with the number of assets seized domestically which included buildings, vehicles and others.

He therefore, encouraged the media to investigate what happened to the hundreds of assets seized domestically which were worth billions of naira.

This is because international recoveries made headlines but domestic recoveries were not transparently managed, he said.

The executive director said that it was difficult to ascertain the level of success in Nigerias asset recovery due to lack of transparency and because there was no central database for all recovered assets.

Rafsanjani said that Nigeria lacked a proper legislative framework for monitoring, managing and utilising recovered assets and from proceeds of crime, adding that something needed to be done on that. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Jessica Onyegbula

The Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Mr Dasuki Arabi, has called for stronger collaboration with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) for cheaper and more organised services to the public.

Arabi made the call when he paid a courtesy visit to the Managing Director of NAN, Mr Buki Ponle, on Wednesday in Abuja.

The director-general stressed the need for both organisations to ensure that Nigerians had efficient and quality services at all times.

He noted that in spite of challenges hindering parastatal agencies from achieving their set goals, they must collaborate to succeed.

Arabi added that parastatal agencies were important institutions because most Nigerians experienced governance and service delivery directly through them.

He said that the mission of the BPSR was to facilitate the building of Nigerias Public Service into a highly functional, professional, customer-focused and result oriented institution.

We are ready to reform and the BPSR will continue to work with NAN in the area of information dissemination for better public services, he added.

In his remarks, Ponle said that with organisations such as BPSR, there was a great hope in reforming and rebuilding the nation.

He noted that the country might be going through a very rough time, but with unity it would overcome its challenges.

The NAN boss added that Nigeria under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was doing well, because change was a gradual process and nation would definitely get to a greater height.

We must always be guided by our ethics and values, there are so many people to mentor and be mentored, we must take advantage of our position to leave a great legacy behind.

We must lead by example by being accountable, patriotic and honest civil servants, he said.

Ponle urged the Bureaus chief to consider pensioners when reforming the reforms, adding that pensioners were being left behind when reforms were carried out. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Dangote Cement Plc on Tuesday released its audited reports for the financial year ended Dec. 31, 2020 and is proposing a dividend of N16 per share to its shareholders.

The company disclosed this in its audited financial reports released by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Tuesday.

According to the cement groups audited reports released on the floor of the exchange, the company will pay a tax charge of N97 billion during the period in review over the sum of N50 billion recorded in 2019.

Dangote Cements Nigerian operations during the period sold 15.9Mt for the full year 2020, compared with 14.1Mt in 2019.

This includes both cement and clinker sales, which implies a 12.9 per cent growth for the full year 2020. Looking at the domestic sales alone, Nigerian operations sold 15.6Mt, up by 14.3 per cent year on year and resulting in an increase in market share.

Revenues for the Nigerian operations increased by 18 per centto N720 billion, owing to demands in the domestic market.

The company said volume growth was enhanced by a successful innovative national consumer promotion Bag of Goodies Season 2 and lower rains in the third quarter compared to the previous year.

It posted a strong earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of N421.4 indicating a margin of 59 per cent.

Dangote Cement posted a record high Pan-African EBITDA of N71.3 billion, which went up by 49.0 per cent. Within the period under review, the cement group commissioned its gas power plant in Tanzania.

The Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Cement Plc, Michel Puchercos, in his comments on the results, said: 2020 was a good year for Dangote Cement across board.

Several firsts made 2020 a productive year such as our maiden clinker shipment, maiden bond issuance and successful buyback programme.

We increased our capacity by 3Mt in Nigeria, commissioned our two export terminals and commissioned our gas power plant in Tanzania.

All these were achieved whilst we focused on protecting our people, customers and communities from the impact of the pandemic.

Dangote Cement recorded strong top-line growth supported by strong cement demand. Profitability was further bolstered by our disciplined cost control measures in what we believed to have been a highly inflationary and volatile year.

These measures resulted in a 37.7 per cent increase in profit after tax to N276.1 billion.

I am delighted to report that Dangote Cement experienced its strongest year in terms of EBITDA and strongest year in terms of volumes.

In spite of a challenging environment, Group volumes for the year were up 8.6 per cent and Group EBITDA was up 20.9%.

Looking ahead, we have strengthened our Alternative Fuel initiative which focuses on leveraging the circular economy business model and reducing exposure of our cost base to foreign currencies fluctuations.

We continue to embed Dangote Cements seven sustainability pillars into every aspect of our operation and culture.

We remain committed to keeping safe our staff and communities by being fully compliant with health and safety measures in all our territories of operation.

We are focused on adapting to the rapidly evolving markets in which we operate.

Dangote Cement Plc is sub-Saharan Africas largest cement producer with an installed capacity of 45.6Mta across 10 African countries and operates a fully integrated quarry-to-customer business with activities covering manufacturing, sales and distribution of cement.

Dangote Cement has a long-term credit rating of AA by GCR and Aa2.ng by Moodys due to its market leading position, significant operational scale and strong financial profile evidenced by the companys robust operating and net profit margins relative to regional and global peers, adequate working capital, satisfactory cash flow and low leverage.

The company is a subsidiary of Dangote Industries Ltd, a diversified and fully integrated conglomerate as well as a leading brand across Africa in businesses such as cement, sugar, salt, beverages, and real estate, with new multi-billion dollar projects underway in the oil and gas, petrochemical, fertiliser and agricultural sectors. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

The Chief Executive Officer, United Capital Plc, Mr Peter Ashade, has expressed optimism that 2021 would present the company with greater opportunities for enhanced returns and service delivery.

Ashade said this to shareholders at the companys 2020 Annual General Meeting by proxy due to the COVID-19 pandemic held in Lagos.

Our financial performance, in what was a year of protracted disruptions, is a testament of our unwavering commitment to our clients needs, come what may.

For us at United Capital, we are optimistic about the year 2021 as it presents greater opportunities for innovation, growth and expansion beyond our current ecosystem, he said.

Ashade said that profit before tax stood at N7.95 billion, from N4.95 billion posted in the comparative period of 2019.

Similarly, profit after tax rose by 57.14 per cent to N7.81 billion in contrast with N4.97 billion recorded in the preceding period of 2019.

Also, net operating income rose to N12.49 billion in 2020 from N7.90 billion in 2019, representing an increase of 58 per cent.

The shareholders at the meeting approved proposed dividend of 70k per share, amounting to a total of N4.2 billion declared by the company for the 2020 financial year.

Also speaking, the companys Chairman, Mr Chika Mordi, noted that in spite of the macroeconomic pressure, it reported an outstanding financial performance in 2020.

Mordi said that total revenue was up by 50 per cent year-on-year to N12.87 billion from N8.59 billion earned in 2019.

Profit before tax grew to N7.95 billion in 2020, up 61 per cent from N4.95 billion in 2019, signifying solid growth in the overall profitability of the Group.

The Groups Return on Average Equity for the 2020 financial year stood at 35%, one of the highest among listed financial services institutions, highlighting strong value creation for our shareholders, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Vivian Emoni

Xploit Consulting Ltd in collaboration with Access Bank Plc, says it has donated 20 hand washing facilities to schools in Kano State to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

The organisations Communication Officer, Mrs Grace Taiwo, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday.

Taiwo said that the two organisations also trained 110 youths on computer and handset repair, bead and soap making.

She said that the trainees were drawn from Kumbotso and Kano Municipal Local Government Areas of the state.

She said that the 20 hand washing facilities were donated to 10 schools in the two local government areas to support efforts in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

According to her, Xploit Consulting Ltd and Access bank are committed in ensuring that the spread of COVID-19 is prevented in the country.

The organisations have donated hand washing facilities in various states and are ready to do more.

The organisations are not only fighting the pandemic but also ensuring that young people are engaged in vocational skills acquisition.

All these efforts are to support the government in reducing poverty and unemployment as well as promoting development in the country, she said.

Taiwo advised the beneficiaries to use the facilities judiciously.

According to her, those trained should ensure that they also train other youths and utilise what they learned to enhance their livelihood. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Gabriel Agbeja

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), on Monday in Abuja, advised farmers in the North-Central zone against hasty planting to avoid losses due to the false onset of rains recorded.

Its Director-General, Prof. Mansur Matazu, in a statement by Mr Muntari Ibrahim, General Manager, Public Relations, listed Nassarawa, Niger, Benue, Abuja and neighbouring states like Kaduna, to adhere strictly to the advice.

According to him, the recent rainfall activities recorded over the central states, as well as Kaduna in the North-West between March 12 and March 20, is a false onset as captured accurately in the 2021 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP).

The recorded rainfall is as a result of the forcing functions namely: Mid-latitude wave and the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) that led to the Northward pull of the inter-tropical discontinuity (ITD) and increased moisture into the country.

The above, coupled with the abundant energy in the atmosphere, resulted in the recent rainfall events in and around Kaduna, Nassarawa, Niger, Benue and the Federal Capital Territory.

Onset of the rains in the South-South of the country has been established as predicted in the 2021 SCP, that is, March 1 to March 20, 2021, he said.

According to him, the forecast for the South-West and South-Eastern part of the country are gradually being established in line with the predicted date of March 13 to April 25.

The agency, however, recommended other preparatory planting activities such as clearing, purchase of inputs by farmers to commence as scheduled.

However, the earlier predicted onset of rains for the rest of the country remains valid, with the central states witnessing the rains in late April to Mid-May, while the Northern states would experience theirs in late May to June ending.

In line with its statutory mandate, NiMet will continue to issue update as the need arises, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

A female aspirant, Sen. Uche Ekwunife (PDP- Anambra) has joined the race for the Nov. 6 Anambra governorship election under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ekwunife, speaking with journalists after submitting her nomination form at the partys national secretariat in Abuja, said she was convinced of beating other aspirants.

She, however, pledged not to leave PDP even if she failed to secure the partys ticket.

I am a sitting senator of PDP and my tenure will be coming to an end in 2023.

If I dont get the partys ticket, am not defecting to anywhere but am very optimistic and also believe that I will get the ticket to run for the governorship, she said.

Ekwunife pledged to reform the security architecture in the state, if given the mandate.

If elected governor, I will reform the security architecture. I will partner with security agencies to make sure they are equipped with sophisticated weapons, she said.

Ekwunife ruled out the idea of a consensus candidate among PDP aspirants, saying it was too late.

I dont see how a consensus arrangement will play out now, considering the galaxy of men and a woman in the race. I am running to win, so I dont see how consensus arrangement will work, she said.

The senator pledged to continue to empower women if elected as governor.

I ran for the House of Representatives in 2007 under a very stiff competition and by the special grace of God, I won to represent the good people of Anambra central.

I was not a governor and you know that in that position, there is a limit to what you can do in terms of may be giving a woman a ticket.

But I worked with a lot of women and empowered a lot of them. I was the first that took women to Dubai to establish businesses for them but I cant give a woman ticket to go and run an election.

I encouraged a lot of women and in fact, a lot of women are under my watch and they have tried their bests to get into elective positions, she said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Kamal Tayo Oropo

African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Eevelopment on Tuesday decried slowness in accessing COVID-19 vaccines and funding for vaccine equity.

The ministers expressed their disappointment in a communique issued at the end of the 53session of Conference of Ministers organised by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

The hybrid event, under the theme: Africas sustainable industrialization and diversification in the digital era in the context of Covid-19, ended on Tuesday.

It was hosted by Ethiopia and monitored in Lagos via a webinar by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday.

Participants said without rapid access to vaccines, the tidal wave of coronavirus will overwhelm Africas fragile health systems, decimate limited human resources and set back its recovery.

They noted that by March 18, the continent had crossed the grim milestone of 4.1 million coronavirus infections, with a case fatality ratio in excess of the global average.

The ministers expressed deep concern over the impact of the pandemic on the health of African citizens, economies, as well as on the continents prospects of achieving the African Union 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063.

According to the ministers, the impact of the pandemic on Africas economies has been devastating.

For the first time in a quarter century, Africas economies are in recession, as real GDP growth contracted by 2.4 per cent in 2020.

They noted that 30 million people lost their jobs and slipped into poverty, as revenues plummeted while expenditures soared in response to the pressing needs of the crisis and the exigencies of climate change.

African countries are now allocating significant proportions of their budgets to implement policies that respond to the impact of extreme weather events, including droughts, floods, crop failures, and infrastructure destruction.

In some cases, up to 10 per cent of GDP has already been diverted towards climate-change adaptation. Our fiscal buffers are now truly depleted.

These developments have undermined the economic outlook of several African countries, triggering credit rating downgrades in at least 12 African countries.

Six African countries, including Sao Tome and Principe, the only African country set to graduate from Least Developing Country (LDC) status, are now in debt distress.

For those African countries that have been successful in regaining access to capital markets, the yield spreads on their sovereign bonds are excessive, ranging from 890 to 1,710 basis points for South Africa and Uganda, respectively.

These premium rates will increase debt burdens and threaten the future debt sustainability of our nascent economies, the communique read in part.

Earlier, the Executive secretary of the ECA, Vera Songwe, stressed on the need for a swift, bold and positive response on Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).

She also pointed out that SDR, in the range of 500 billion to 650 billion, is now needed to arrest the devastating impact of Coronavirus on the continent.

According to her, most of the advanced countries who benefit more from SDR because of the quota system, do not need the money in the immediate.

She said most of these countries had already given themselves stimulus, but African countries need the SDR to purchase all the vaccines they need.

It is important that the SDR goes to everybody in an equitable manner. Many countries have not been supporting as much as they should be doing, she said.

Similarly, the ministers pointed out that based on Africas current IMF quota share, a new issuance would provide a maximum of SDR 33.3 billion in additional resources to Africa if 650 billion of new SDRs were issued.

They said this would barely be adequate to meet the continents financing needs.

To supplement these resources, the ministers requested the G7 to support an on-lending mechanism that channels, on a mutually agreed basis, SDRs to low-income and middle-income countries.

The IMFs Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) should be considered for this purpose.

Funding the PRGT with SDRs will facilitate additional financing for urgent country priorities in light of this crisis, including the acquisition of vaccines by low-income countries.

The SDRs can also be used to acquire vaccines and increase market re-entry access for eligible countries.

We are conscious of the fact that new issuances of SDRs are infrequent and often contested events.

To this end, we believe that, it is imperative that we seize the moment by leveraging these resources to power catalytic investments in Africas recovery.

The SDRs must be transformative for Africa and help the continent to access the trillions of dollars needed for a green recovery. This is within reach.

Market-based instruments, such as the proposed Liquidity and Sustainability Facility(LSF), combined with intruments like the Policy- Based Guarantee of the World Bank Group can play an important role in this respect.

This they can do by catalysing investments, creating jobs and supporting African countries in building forward better, they said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Chiazo Ogbolu

The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) handed over a case file of a vessel carrying cocaine into Nigeria to the NDLEA on Tuesday in Lagos..

Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Mba Musa, told a news conference that the cocaine was contained in a vessel MV SPAR SCORPIO which also carried 42,000 tonnes of raw sugar from Brazil.

He said the vessel discharged two bags of forty packages suspected to be hard drugs at one of the terminals at the Tin Can Island Port on Feb. 8

The vessel came in with a crew list of 20 and had visited eleven ports including Brazil, USA, Panama and South Korea before it came into Nigeria. It did not report carrying any drug.

The terminal operators promptly alerted the Nigerian Ports Authority of their find and the latter notified the NDLEA which took possession of the substances.

The vessel was subsequently detained and the suspects confined to it as investigation continued, he said,

Mr Smart Akande, NCS Legal Adviser, said that the essential part of the event was to demonstrate NCS collaboration with sister agencies,

We are mindful of the fact that the mandate to prosecute and investigate for drugs is expressively preserved for NDLEA.

When we discovered these drugs and investigation commenced, we did our part and now we are handing over to the NDLEA, the suspects and the ship.

In his remarks, Mr Adeofe Adeyemi, Director of Operations and General Investigation at the NDLEA, thanked the NCS for the handover and the synergy with the anti-drug agency. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Oladapo Udom

The Nigerian Army, 81 Division, on Tuesday started a two-day workshop to educate officers on Human Rights and Humanitarian Laws to boost the image of the security group.

Maj.-Gen. Lawrence Fejokwu, the Divisions General Officer Commanding (GOC), who spoke at the opening of the workshop in Lagos, said that the training would help to support the strategic vision of the Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Gen. Leo Irabor.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sensitisation workshop was taking place as a fallout from the events of the #EndSARS protest in 2020.

Fejokwu, who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Brig.-Gen. Nsikak Edet, said that the COAS vision was to build a Nigerian Army repositioned to professionally defeat all adversity in a joint environment.

For instance, the case of EndSARS which we handled as a Division brought about a lot of issues bothering on proper management of social media space.

So, this lecture will instill high quality character on how officers should comport themselves when on duties.

People are watching, taking videos and recording and this can be used against such an officer in a negative form, he said.

The GOC said that officers would be educated on how to ensure that their troops do not take and send unauthorised videos, recordings or pictures to the wrong set of people.

So many photographs that are not supposed to be on the social media space are there and some of them were taken by our own troops.

So, it is necessary to ensure that when conducting operations, officers should not be allowed to do the things that can jeopardise the instinct of the strategic directive of the command.

Such an officer will be arrested, investigated and court martialed when caught, he warned.

Fejokwu further said that another key lesson to be learnt from the protest would be the legal status of a soldier and the justification of the use of force.

According to him, a soldier should know when to use force and the degree of the kind of force to be applied to conform with the principle of use of minimum force.

One of the principles of the international security treaty is the use of minimum force.

So, the troops need to know how to apply force, what will make them apply that excessive force or minimum force as the case may be.

Therefore, the officers and soldiers will be sensitised on these laws to guide them in all their operations to work in accordance with the law, he said.

The Divisions Training Officer, Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Nuhu, said that the workshop would educate officers on the importance and challenges of having a next of kin.

Nuhu said that there had been cases where at the demise of an officer dies in the course of duty, several family members would come to claim the officers benefits.

The workshop, therefore, serves as a platform to educate on professionalism, responsiveness in the Nigerian Army through appropriate awareness of human rights and humanitarian laws.

We want to make sure that everything we do is transparent by engaging our officers to have mastery of the laws so that they will not take laws into their hands, Nuhu added. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ibrahim Bello

The Police Command in Kebbi says it has arrested three suspected kidnappers and rescued a two-year-old victim.

This is contained in a statement issued by the commands Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Nafiu Abubakar, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Birnin Kebbi.

Abubakar said that the two-year-old victim was kidnapped at Ambursa town in Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area of the state.

He said, On March 20, one Hussaini Muhammad of Ambursa town, Birnin Kebbi LGA, reported that on March 19, his two-year-old daughter (name withheld) got missing.

Later, an unknown person, who claimed to be a kidnapper, called him (Muhammad) and demanded payment of N500,000 ransom, failure of which the child would be killed, he stated.

Abubakar added that the police operatives immediately swung into action upon receiving the report.

During the course of investigation, the victim was rescued and a 21-year-old neighbour to the victim was arrested.

In the course of further investigation, the suspect confessed to have conspired with two others to carry out the kidnap, he said.

The police spokesman added that one of them, also a neighbour to the girl, kidnapped and took her to the other person residing in Gulumbe village in Birnin Kebbi LGA.

He said that all the suspects, arrested in connection with the case, would be charged to court after the completion of investigation.

Abubakar, however, said that the victim had been reunited with her family.

The PPRO quoted the Commissioner of Police in the state, Adeleke Adeyinka-Bode, as urging the people of the state to be vigilant andbe wary of criminals.

He advised them not to entrust their children with their neighbours and relations. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria will continue to stand with all her neighbours in the fight against terrorism.

The president stated this in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Tuesday.

The presidential aide said Buhari was reacting to the recent killing of 137 Nigeriens by Boko Haram and Islam in West Africa, (ISWA).

President Buhari called his Nigerien counterpart, Mahamadou Issoufou, on phone, to sympathise with him and citizens of the neighbouring country over terrorist attacks.

The Nigerian leader condemned the terrorists attacks, describing it as heinous.

Our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of victims and people of Niger Republic. Nigeria stands with all her neighbours in the fight against terrorism, he said.

Shehu revealed that Buhari and Issoufou had agreed to strengthen sub-regional security as a way to push back against Boko Haram and Islam in West Africa, ISWAs worrisome assertiveness in sub- Sahara and Sahel regions. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Idowu Gabriel

The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.- Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, on Tuesday warned politicians to stop harming corps members during elections.

Ibrahim said a continued harming of corps members would mean that they would not be taking to work at polling units again.

The D-G gave the warning during an on-the-spot inspection of a corps member, Saidu Mohammed, who sustained gun shot injuries at Omuo Ekiti during last Saturdays bye-election held in part of Ekiti.

I want to appeal again; whenever there is an election, dont touch my corps members. Nobody should touch my corps members during election period, he said.

The NYSC boss who spoke with journalists at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, (FETHI) where the corps member was receiving treatment, described the situation as worrisome.

What happened to Mohammed on Saturday during the bye-election in Omuo-Ekit is not a good one.

I want to appeal to Nigerians, election is not a do-or-die affair, it is service to humanity.

Politicians should sell themselves to the electorate and win in a free, fair and violence-free election.

Let the process of election be seamless; free and fair, it should not get to the extent of harming innocent people, Ibrahim said.

He said that Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti had assured him that the law enforcement agency had arrested some suspects.

But government must ensure that the perpetrators are dealt with in consonance with the laws to serve as deterrents to other like minds, he said.

I know involving in electoral matters is voluntary, so for corps members to volunteer to participate in election, shows that such corps member is patriotic.

I can assure you that where there is security issue, we will not take our corps members to such places again, he said.

The Chief Medical Director of FETHI, Dr Adekunle Ajayi, informed the D-G that the corps members condition was stable.

Ajayi said: We are monitoring our patient, his condition is now stable. I assure you that in few days time he will be discharged.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mohammed, a Veterinary Doctor, serving in Ikole-Ekiti, is among the victims of Saturdays bye-election violence. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Aisha Gambo

A 43-year old businessman, Salisu Ibrahim, on Tuesday dragged his wife Basira Adamu before a Sharia Court sitting in Magajin Gari, Kaduna, for allegedly committing an abortion.

The complainant said through his counsel M.M. Dahiru, told the court that the defendant also trespass into his house and took away some of his belongings.

She travelled to Kano with her sister in-law without my permission, claiming that she had a miscarriage due to a motorcycle accident, he said.

The counsel noted that Ibrahim divorced his wife under duress.

My client upturned the divorce because of the love he had for her, he said.

In her defence, Adamu through her lawyer Murtala Idris, said that the miscarriage she had was not planned.

My client is no longer his wife because he granted her divorce and she has completed her waiting period (Iddah), he said..

The judge, Malam Nuhu Falalu, said that a man and his wife are one in statutory law and as such, their is no criminality between them.

He urged the two parties to try to settle the matter out of court and adjourned the matter untill April 26 for report of settlement. (NAN)

Source: NAN News