From L-R: Musa Suleiman, Vice Principal, Administration, Government Day Secondary School, Abaji; Alhaji Yakubu Mohammed (Ciroma of Abaji) and representative of Onna of Abaji, Alhaji Adamu Yunusa; Adamu Masud (beneficiary); Ms Victoria Uwadoka, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Nestle Nigeria Plc and Mrs Adamu Amina (beneficiarys guardian) at the Nestle Community Scholarship Scheme award ceremony in Abaji, Abuja, on Thursday. Photo Credit: NAN

By Emmanuel Afonne

Nestle Nigeria Plc has awarded full scholarships to three university undergraduates and 20 senior
secondary students in Abuja, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The scholarships were announced to the students and undergraduates on Thursday by a delegation of Nestle Nigeria, led by Ms Victoria Uwadoka, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, at the Abaji Area Council Secretariat.

Uwadoka said the gesture was part of the companys CSR in its area of operation, but most importantly was for the children of the host communities to get quality education.

She said the scholarship scheme in Abaji was a replica of what the company did a few days ago in Ogun State community where the company also has its factory.

We are doing this because we established technical training centres and our desire was to distribute the benefit to the communities that are closest to our operations but we couldnt find the right talent
within the communities to take these opportunities.

The plan was for only people from this community, but people are coming from everywhere to take advantage of it because we dont have the right skills.

However, we felt that we cant just say there are no skills, so, we decided to do something about it and what we found good to do was to help the children get quality education focusing on the science field.

Our technical training centre was designed for sciences and that is why we have put this scholarship scheme in place focusing on children who are already interested in science subjects to encourage them to
complete their education.

Eventually, they will be a part of the technical training which opens all doors of opportunity to them and it is not just to say bye-bye, you have done the training, we prepare them for the city and
guild global technical certification which qualifies them for work in any international organisation.

Vocational, mechanical, electrical, structural and the children go through the training for 18 months that include theoretical, practical and five of the best students go to Switzerland for a further three
months to intensify their studies.

The end is not just to say bye-bye, you have done the training, we prepare them for the city and guild global technical certification which qualifies them for work in any international organisation,
Uwadoka said.

According to Uwadoka, the company absorbs some of the trainees, while the rest get jobs in other big organisations that are always waiting for them to come out.

I can tell you that 100 per cent of them are gainfully employed and we want those within the community to be the first beneficiaries, she added.

She, however, urged the beneficiaries to ensure they maintained the baseline and criteria for their selection in order not to lose the scholarships.

Uwadoka noted that the scholarship scheme would now be open to more beneficiaries annually.

The Chairman, Abaji Local Government Council, Abdulrahman Ajiya, who was represented by the Secretary, Kamal Suileman, appreciated Nestle for uplifting the rural people through the scholarship scheme.

He congratulated the beneficiaries and schools that their wards benefitted from the gesture and urged them to sustain the scholarships.

The selection process was very open and as politicians, we didnt have any input whatsoever.

We only helped to sensitise parents to ensure their children participated in the exam and selection process; no influence attached to it, if not you would have seen my child there. The process was so
transparent, Suileman said.

One of the beneficiaries, Jeremiah Iganga, a first year undergraduate of Benue State University, said the scholarship would propel him to a greater height.

Knowing that I could lose the opportunity if I lower the standard, I will have no option than to be more serious with my studies and with the scholarship, I will get my material and resources to achieve the
success I desire.

I am studying Biochemistry and I hope to specialise in toxicology or pharmacology.

I encourage my peers to work hard to be selected in the next batch because this is an opportunity they have to excel in life and those in secondary school should start preparing for next years scheme, he
said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo

By Chijioke Okoronkwo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged Nigerian businesses and the entire private sector to tap into the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which comes into force by Jan. 2021.

Osinbajos spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, said the vice president spoke at the opening session of the 52nd Annual National Conference of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM).

The theme of the conference is, Nigeria and Manpower Preparedness for the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The vice president said there was need for the private sector and businesses to become conversant and knowledgeable with the rules of AfCFTA which would be required so as to benefit from the treaty.

According to Osinbajo, it is imperative for Nigerian businesses to also familiarise themselves with AfCFTA rules because they will have to assist in providing the evidence to trigger action on trade remedies by government.

Building productive capacity is only the first step; the ability of our businesses and entrepreneurs to integrate successfully into the opportunities of the AfCFTA also depends a great deal on strengthening our domestic ability to facilitate trade.

Our logistics chains, port processes, and customs procedures must be dynamic and efficient and it is obvious that the capacities of the operators and workers in these areas need to be rapidly upscaled through training including on the use of technologies.

This is why we are paying particular attention to the rapid implementation of the National Single Window project which we expect to radically improve trade facilitation.

Given the size of our economy, it is also clear that Nigeria must play a leading role in the harmonisation and integration of border management, regulatory cooperation, and the formalization of informal cross-border trade in the continent.

These actions are necessary to assist and support our MSMEs to be able to make use of the opportunities afforded us by the AfCFTA.

The Vice President said that Nigeriamust strengthen domestic capacity to produce, disseminate and use reliable trade statistics to be able to measure the impact of AfCFTA on the economy.

He said that such capacity was important not only for monitoring progress but also for establishing safety nets as it implemented the AfCFTA.

Osinbajo also spoke on the Federal Governments efforts to ensure that Nigeria benefited maximally from the policy.

The creation of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiation (NOTN) was a deliberate decision by this government to change our approach to trade negotiations by ensuring that our participation is underpinned by top-class technical knowledge and adequate preparations.

It is imperative that Nigeria continues to lead on AfCFTA negotiations as we move into the second phase that will focus on intellectual property, competition policy and investment policy.

This will require the scaling up of our official negotiating capacities and the private sector must support this process by bringing its interests, concerns, and understanding of the practical dynamics of international trade to the attention of government.

The vice president said that aside prioritising trade negotiations, the Federal Government was also paying attention to the agreement on free movement of persons.

He said that for Nigeria, the protocol on free movement of persons was crucial as it had comparative advantage in very skilled and competent personnel.

The vice president said that the opportunities could not be realised without the protocols being passed.

The 3-day conference will feature presentations by Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and Mr Peter Cheese, the Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.

Mr James Quinn, President of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), among others will also make presentations. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Laycon entertaining fans and customers at OPPO Market Storm at SLOT, Ikeja on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020

By Babajide Awoyinfa

Global smartphone brand, OPPO Mobile Nigeria, in collaboration with SLOT, a mobile phones, computer and accessories retail company, has flagged off a massive combo discount sales on all its smartphones during an #OPPOMarketStorm.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event which held at SLOT, Ola Ayeni and SLOT, Medical Road, Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday had attendees treated to non-stop entertainment, including a surprise
performance from Laycon.

NAN also reports that Laycon, born Olamilekan Moshood Agbeleshe, is a Nigerian reality TV personality, rapper, singer and songwriter.

He is the winner of Big Brother Naija Season 5 and currently the youth Ambassador of Ogun State, Nigeria since Oct. 6, 2020.

Customers also enjoyed multiple discounts, including an instant N10,000 discount when they purchased an OPPO A93 and an Enco W31.

The customers also got N5,000 discount when they bought an OPPO phone with an Enco W31 and a N4,000 discount when they purchased an OPPO phone alongside an Enco W11.

On the OPPO market storm, Marketing Manager, OPPO Mobile Nigeria, Nengi Akinola, said: We decided to embark on this market activation with Laycon so that smartphone enthusiasts and fans can relate one on
one with the brand.

With Laycons unique talent displayed today (Wednesday), unforgettable moments have been created and we want fans to anticipate what the brand has in store for them in the coming weeks.

She said that for the rest of November, customers would be able to get a 10 per cent discount on the OPPO A12 and OPPO A93 smartphones if they bought from SLOT, 3CHub or Finebrothers nationwide.

OPPO is an innovative smartphone brand and with entertainment initiatives, and it further cements the brands position as a key player in the smartphone industry in Nigeria. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Poultry farm

By Felicia Imohimi

The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has threatened to shut down the industry by Jan. 2021 if the Federal Government fails to halt exportation of maize, soybeans and soymeals.

Mr Ezekiel Mam, President of the association said this on Thursday in Abuja at a news conference tagged Crisis and the survival of the Nigeria poultry industry: A critical moment.

Mam who described the present atmosphere and scenario of things as very alarming and critical noted that immediate halting of exportation of the products would protect the local food systems and security.

He said that with the attendant fallouts and the grains supply situation in the country, the prices of maize went up from N95,00 per ton to N165,000 per ton in June.

The president noted that the government supported the industry with the release of 5,000 metric tons of maize at subsidized prices expecting that the price of maize will fall or stabilize during the harvest season.

Mam said that presently, maize is sold from N145,000 to N160,000 per ton as against the price of N85,000 per ton as at this period last year.

He said that if immediate actions were taken to halt exportation of the products, it would assist in salvaging the industry from collapse while securing the country further from hunger.

Mam said the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development should consider national food security first in any policy relating to export of agricultural produce. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Zamfara State House of Assembly

By Ishaq Zaki

Fourteen political parties participating in Bakura State House of Assembly by-election in Zamfara, on Thursday signed a peace accord ahead of the poll billed for Dec. 5.

The event took place in Bakura town, headquarters of Bakura Local Government Area of the state.

The ceremony which was presided by the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Usman Nagogo, had all heads of security agencies in the state in attendance.

Dr Asmau Maikudi, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, also attended the event.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and National Rescue Movement (NRM) were among the parties that signed the peace accord.

Other political parties involved in the peace pact included Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Grant Alliance (APGA) and Action Alliance (AA), among others.

Nagogo commended political parties in the state for conducting themselves in a peaceful manner during their primaries and campaigns.

The conduct of political parties is encouraging, we commend the leadership of both political parties, we hope this responsible attitude will continue up to end of the election.

As I said yesterday at the heads of security agencies in the state meeting on this election, we are highly ready to provide adequate security before, during and after the polls.

All security agencies have resolved to be apolitical, we are going to maintain our constitutional role to ensure protection of lives and property, we are here to sign an undertaking for the election to be conducted peacefully, he said.

He warned that anyone that flouted the law would be punished.

On her part, Maikudi thanked all stakeholders for cooperating with the commission in preparation for the conduct of the by-election.

The resident INEC commissioner who promised to conduct credible election, sassured that the electoral umpire was fully prepared for the exercise.

We have already got our non-sensitive materials here and will bring in the sensitive materials very soon. As the CP said, the conduct of political party leaders and stakeholders is commendable.

I urge Bakura constituents to be calm and support the commission to conduct free, fair and credible election; let us replicate conduct at the 2019 general elections in this state, she urged.

Maikudi also commended political parties for conducting peaceful primaries and campaigns, and promised them fairness. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Mr Yemi Kale, NBS Boss

By Folasade Akpan

The Federal Government generated N416.01 billion as Company Income Tax (CIT), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says.

The bureau said this in its Company Income Tax by Sectors 2015 Quarter Three (Q3 2020) obtained from its website on Thursday in Abuja.

It said that the amount was against N402.03 billion generated in Quarter Two 2020 and N520.89 billion generated in Q3 2019,representing a 3.48 per cent increase Quarter-on-Quarter and -20.13 per cent decrease Year-on-Year.

The bureau said that professional servicesincluding telecoms generated the highest amount of CIT with N55.52 billion generated and closely followed by other manufacturing which generated N42.03 billion.

This was followed by banks and financial institutions which generated N24.05 billion, while mining generated the least with N120.93 million and closely followed by textile and garment industry with N167.51 million and Local Government Councils with N321.72 million.

The NBS said that out of the total amount generated in Q3 2020, N244.70 billion was generated as CIT locally while N70.34 billion was generated as foreign CIT payment.

The balance of N100.97 billion was generated as CIT from other payments, the report said.

It added that thedata was provided by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and verified and validated by the NBS. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Akeredolu

By Ayodeji Alabi

Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State says the state government has concluded plan to pay the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) examination fees for students in public schools in the state.

Akeredolu disclosed this on Thursday in Akure during a courtesy visit by the national leaders of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) .

The governor said the decision to pay the fees was part of his administrations desire to alleviate the financial burden of parents in educating their children.

He explained that the resources at the disposal of the state at the moment were limited, but that his administration would endeavour to source the needed funds for the successful implementation of the policy.

Akeredolu said he was aware that quite a number of parents were finding it difficult to pay the terminal examination fees.

The Commissioner for Education and his team have met with me on the policy. I have told them to get prepared for its implementation.

In fact, we have to delay the announcement till now so that some people wont tag our genuine intention as a political ploy to curry the votes from our people, he said.

Earlier, Revd. Felix Omobude, National President, PFN, praised Akeredolu for the various life changing projects and policies in state.

The people of Ondo State voted for you for a second term in office as a result of your masses oriented policies. I therefore congratulate you, Mr Governor, Omobude said.

The cleric, who was accompanied by some members of the Advisory Council Members of PFN, enjoined leaders in positions of authority to continually lead with the fear of God and honesty of purpose. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Policemen on duty

By Carol Utulu

Delta State Government has appealed to youths to give peace a chance, as police return to duty in the state.

Mr Emmanuel Udoka, Senior Special Assistant (SSA), on Security Matters to Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, made the call while briefing newsmen in Asaba on Thursday.

Udoka admonished the youths to show understanding and welcome the security agents back to work.

He said it was in the best interest of all law-abiding citizens in the country that the police should be allowed to do their work.

According to him, the appeal became necessary against the backdrop of intelligence report that some youths are still infuriated seeing the police carrying out their functions.

He said that the government, police and every politician in the country had learnt a lesson from the #EndSARS protest.

The #EndSARS Panel of Enquiry is equally doing a great job which will bring peace, reconciliation and compensation to everyone that was unjustly victimized by SARS.

However, we must give peace a chance. The country belongs to us all; we are still trying to find our feet economically, therefore, we should not destroy the little we had managed to build.

Our youths have made their point, they should embrace peace and allow our leaders to learn from their mistakes and correct themselves going forward, said Udoka.

Th security aide disclosed that he had been on tour of the various local government areas, interfacing with security agencies and community leaders.

He said the tour was geared toward fashioning the best way to initiate peace processes and sustain it for economic growth. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

U.S. President Donald Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would leave the White House if the Electoral College declared Joe Biden the election winner.

He said he was not prepared to concede defeat and repeated false claims that he won.

The president said that he would certainly leave the White House if the Electoral College voted for Biden, telling reporters on a press call you know that.

But he also repeated claims of massive fraud in the election, without providing supporting evidence, and said an Electoral College appointment of Biden would be a mistake.

I know one thing, Joe Biden didnt get 80 million votes, Trump said, according to reporters who dialled in.

Its going to be a very hard thing to concede, Trump said when asked what he will do if the Electoral College elects his Democratic opponent.

According to forecasts by the U.S. media, Biden has secured 306 electoral college votes, significantly more than the majority of 270 votes necessary to win.

Each state must officially certify their vote tallies before deadlines in early December.

The Electoral College vote and the ultimate declaration of the winner by Congress on Jan. 6 are usually symbolic events, but since Trump has declined to concede, they may take on more significance this time.

In the national popular vote count a metric to gauge popularity but with no legal meaning Biden leads Trump, with about 80 million votes to some 73.9 for the incumbent.

Trump is pursuing numerous court cases to try to stop Biden from being declared the winner.

Source: NAN News

New sports policy, key to transforming Nigerian sports Dare

By Muhyideen Jimoh

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says the countrys new Sports Industry Policy will serve as catalyst for transforming sports into a big business sector when operational.

The minister said this in Abuja at a seminar organised by the Federal Capital Territory chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN).

Dare, who decried the lack of funds to properly run the over 36 sports federations and facilities in the country, stressed the need for private sector involvement.

We cannot continue to rely on budgetary allocation to run sports in the country, the private sector must come in.

The new Sports Industry Policy seeks to create the enabling environment for sports to thrive and for the private sector to come in, he said.

He said the policy when approved would address the four key areas of Infrastructure, Investment, Incentives and Policy to transform Nigerian sports.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new Sports Industry Policy is due to be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for final approval.

Dare said that the ministry was already partnering with the private sector to rehabilitate major stadia in the country among other projects.

He said modern sports had gone scientific and Nigeria must also plug in, especially in the area of data, statistics and modern equipment to compete globally.

The minister said he would continually work with stakeholders, especially the media, to transform Nigerian sports in line with international best practices.

Source: NAN News

UNFPA

By Cecilia Ologunagba
The Executive Director, UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr Natalia Kanem, has said Enough to All Forms of Violence against Women and Girls in a message to the launch of 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV) across the globe.

Kanem, who emphasised the UN organs position on GBV, said that is what we say today and always; enough to domestic violence against women, enough to rape, enough to harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation and child marriage, and enough to impunity to violation of human rights.

Women and girls everywhere have a right to live and right to be free from violence.

Today (Nov. 25) is international day to end violence against women. We remind the world against violence to women.

According to her, Nov. 25 marks the beginning of 16 days of activism on violence against women.

She added that COVID-19 had shown the world the way to think differently and act differently, stressing that let us say enough is enough to GBV.

Let us put issues against GBV on the top of the list. One word to transform our world is to say enough!.

The 16 days of activism against GBV, which runs from Nov. 25 till Dec. 1 is thelongest-runningwomens rights campaign in the world, with more than 6,000 organisations from approximately 187 countriesparticipating.

Since its launch by activistsat the inaugural Womens Global Leadership Institute at Rutgers University in 1991, the Centre for Womens Global Leadership had been leading the initiative.

The 16 days campaign initiallyaimedto connect GBV and human rights by falling during a period with several human rights advocacy days, such as the International Women Human Rights Defenders Day on Nov. 29 and the World AIDS Day on Dec. 1.

However, GBV occurs in developing and developed countries alike. Over a third of women (35 per cent) have experienced physical and/or sexual violence, and such violence impacts one in three women in their lifetime,accordingto the World Bank.

Consequently, failure to protect women threatens future generations, as children who grow up in households with violence aremore likelyto experience or perpetuate violence.

Source: NAN News

HIV self-testing

By Ikenna Osuoha
Faith communities across the country have united for elimination of stigmatisation against persons living with HIV/AIDS.

Mr Charles Usie, the Country Director, Christian AID,called for an end to stigma against persons living with HIV, which he said was imperative in reducing the spread of the virus.

Usie, who stressed the need for increased public concern and commitment on the trauma of stigma, called for urgent end to discrimination against persons living with HIV.

He emphasised the need to engage religious leaders in the elimination of stigma and discrimination against persons living with the condition.

The country director wondered why HIV/AID was not accorded the attention required by stakeholders as COVID-19.

Why is HIV not getting the general concern it deserves? Thousands are still living with the condition which has no cure as yet and killing people.

If we can get to a stage where stigma around HIV will be removed like COVID-19, where a big man or woman will publicly announce his or her status without fear of being stigmatised, it will be great.

Mr Gabriel Udelikwuo, the Representative of UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDs (UNAIDS) described stigma and discrimination as the biggest barriers to ending HIV/AIDS cases.

Udelikwuo said that stigma and discrimination were capable of hindering persons living with HIV the uptake of treatment services because of fear of marginalisation.

Mr Ikenna Nwakanma, the Monitoring and Evaluation officer of Nigeria Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV/AIDS (NINERELA) emphasised the need for an end to stigma and discrimination.

Nwakanma urged religious bodies to begin to de-emphasise the discriminatory acts or practices against persons living with HIV.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the faith based dialogue for elimination of stigma against persons living with HIV/AIDS was organised by NINERELA in collaboration with Presidents Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and UN Joint Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS).

Source: NAN News

Sport Minister Mr Sunday Dare

By Cecilia Ologunagba/Justina Auta
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development,Mr Sunday Dare,has described as worrisome that most public facilities do not offer youth-friendly services in the country.

Dare said this at the opening of two-day Nigerian Stakeholders Consultation Toward West and Central Africa Region Ministerial Commitment for Educated, Healthy and Thriving Adolescents and Young People in Abuja.

The forum was organised by UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in collaboration with ministries of education and health.

Dare, who was represented by Mrs Janet Angyu, an Assistant Director in the ministry,however, expressed optimism that the outcome of the forum would provide recommendations toward changing the situation.

The forum, he added, would also provide policy framework to strengthen and facilitate the scale up of National Reproductive Health Education programmes and services.

Dare said most of the health challenges of youths in Nigeria had behavioural roots and they were preventable, thus, the high level of health challenges among youths reflect the situation.

It reflects the situation, to a large extent, the inadequate response of the Nigerian health and related social sectors system to the health needs, concerns and challenges of the youth, he said.

Mr Alex Ogundipe, the Director, Community Preventive and Care Services, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) said adolescents were part of the HIV response of the agency.

Represented by Ms Hafsat Aboki, the Principal Programme Officer at NACA, he said a good number of young people do not know their HIV status.

We need to make sure they are tested, linked to treatment if need be. This is time to act, he said.

The Emir of Garki, Alhaji Usman Kupi, commended the UNFPA and UNESCO for their interventions in addressing barriers to educating youth and adolescents on culture and reproductive health.

Kupi said that the difference between man and the lower animals was culture, and urgedtraditional rulers as custodians of culture and values to work harder toward imparting the values in youths.

He said we need to make sure that we do not allow our norms and values to be disrupted by western culture and values.

If you look at our ladies hairstyles these days, they are mostly western; so, let us cherish our culture, our foods, ourindigenous languagesand fashion; it is time to appreciate what we have.

The emir also appealedto the Federal Government and the FCT Administration that Gbagi indigenous language be used as one of the languages for learning in schools in the FCT.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the aim of the forum is to get Nigerias ministerial commitments toward healthy and thriving adolescents and young people.

The forum is a response to the Dakar Call to Action that will lead to a regional high-level commitment by ministers of education andhealth of 25 West and Central African countries.

It will be instrumental to changing the narratives for adolescents and young people as it relates to their education and health.

Source: NAN News

Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed,

By Rotimi Ijikanmi
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says the news of Nigeria entering recession marks a positive development for the nations economy.

The minister stated this when he featured on Nigeria Television Authority programme Good Morning Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria officially entered recession at the end of third quarter (Q3) after its Gross Domestic Product declined for the second consecutive quarter in 2020 (Q2 and Q3).

Speaking on the programme monitored by NAN in Abuja, the minister said the decline of -3.62 per cent in Q3 is much smaller than the -6.10 per cent recorded in Q2.

By comparison, South Africa recorded a decline of -50 in Q2 2020.

The economic conditions are actually improving, with 17 activities recording positive real growth in the third quarter, compared to 13 in Q2. Also, 36 of 46 economic activities did better in Q3 2020 than Q2 2020, he said.

The minister explained that the -3.62 per cent contraction recorded in Q3 2020 was better than the -6.01 per cent earlier forecast by the National Bureau of Statistics, adding that this outperformed several domestic and international forecasts.

He noted that before COVID-19, the Nigerian economy had been experiencing sustained growth that was improving every quarter until Q2 2020 when the impact of COVID-19 started to be felt.

According to the minister, the main reason for the recession is the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said Nigeria was not alone as dozens of countries, including economic giants like the US, UK and Canada, had entered recession due to the global pandemic.

The minister said other countries in recession included Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Russia and Spain.

Mohammed added that the oil sector was largely responsible for the slow-down in economic activity in Q3 2020.

He said the sector recorded a sharp contraction of 13.89 per cent in Q3 2020 year on year, the largest decline in that sector in 14 quarters.

The reason is the slow-down in global economic growth and oil demand due to COVID-19 pandemic as well as Nigerias obligations to meet OPEC cuts, he said.

The minister said although the non-oil sector also contracted in Q3 2020, the decline in the sector by -2.51 per cent year on year in Q3 2020 was significantly better when compared to the contraction of -6.05 per cent year on year recorded in Q2 2020.

He, however, said the the latest recession would be short-lived and the country would return to positive growth soon unlike the 2016 recession which lasted five quarters.

Mohammed explained that the recession would be short-lived because of several complementary fiscal, real sector and monetary interventions proactively introduced by the government.

He said the interventions were introduced to forestall a far worse decline of the economy and to alleviate the negative consequences of the pandemic.

Source: NAN News

Nigerians celebrating the countrys independence

By Rotimi Ijikanmi
The Federal Government says it will repackage its social intervention programmes to ensure it reached more people at the grassroots.

Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed disclosed this when he featured on Nigeria Television Authority programme, Good Morning Nigeria.

Speaking on the programme monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, the minister said the decision was sequel to the complaints by Nigerians that the social intervention programmes were not trickling down to the grassroots.

He said the reports from the ministers when they interacted with the people in their states as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari was that the programmes were not reaching as many people as they ought to.

The minister said the same complaint was made when the presidential delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, met with traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the geopolitical zones.

What we find out when we got home was that these programmes are not trickling to the grassroots and that is why we have taken a decision to see how we can repackage them.

Everywhere we went, even traditional rulers said they ought to be involved in the execution of these programmes.

I recently wrote a memo to our colleagues that we want the list of all the programmes so that we can also periodically publish them and let them know where they can be accessed.

It is not that there is no information on the programmes, it is the execution that needs fine-tuning.

We need to involve other tiers of government in the execution of some of these programmes, he said.

According to the minister, the social intervention programmes predated the #EndSARS protest because the administration is concerned about the wellbeing of Nigerians.

He said they were designed to create jobs for the youths and alleviate poverty among women and vulnerable groups.

The minister cited the N75 billion National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) initiated by the government and aimed at providing opportunities for youths.

He said the Fund is part of the N2.3 trillion Economic Sustainability Plan to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the most vulnerable Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country.

The minister also cited the MSMEs Survival Fund as part of the administrations initiative at ensuring job sustainability.

He described the Fund as a cluster of grants to support MSMEs to meet their payroll obligations and safeguard MSMEs jobs from the shock of COVID-19 pandemic.

One highlight of the MSME Survival Fund, according to the minister, is Payroll Support for businesses in health, education, hospitality and food production sectors targeted at 500,000 beneficiaries.

Another, he said, is payment to support self-employed individuals like mechanics and drivers, hair dressers, Keke Napep and Okada riders, plumbers and electricians with a one-time payment of N30,000 for 333,000 beneficiaries.

Mohammed said other initiatives targeted at the youths included N-POWER which had engaged 500,000 beneficiaries with 400,000 more in December.

He also said 10,000 youths had been trained and had benefitted under N-TECH and N-AGRO initiatives.

The minister said the Federal Government FINTECH had created an enabling environment for growth of businesses which use technology to enhance or automate financial services and processes.

He said more than two million farmers and traders, who were mostly youths, were empowered under FARMERMONI, TRADERMONI and MARKETMONI.

Source: NAN News

EU-China

The trade between China and Russia will surpass 100 billion dollars by the end of the year, in spite of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a top-ranking Chinese official.

He Zhenwei, the secretary general of the China Overseas Development Association (CODA), disclosed this in an interview with Sputnik.

We are expecting the overall trade volume between China and Russia to exceed 100 billion dollars at the end of the year. I have a positive view on that matter.

Although the trade between the two countries is currently being affected by the pandemic, the trade between China and Russia will show significant growth, especially in the second half of the year, He said.

The CODA secretary general noted that the Chinese market has an increasing demand for agricultural products and food and that Russia has a number of advantages in that area.

The geographic proximity of the two countries, as well as the fact that Russia manufactures products without genetic modifications also work in favour of growing Russian food exports to China, He added.

According to the Chinese customs service, in the first 10 months of 2020, trade between China and Russia decreased by 2.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2019 and is now estimated at 88.1 billion dollars.

In 2019, the bilateral trade between the countries grew by 3.4 per cent to a record 110.7 billion dollars. (Sputnik/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Ethiopia PM Abiy Ahmed

The Ethiopian military is launching an assault on Mekelle, capital of the restive northern region of Tigray, after the local ruling party rejected an ultimatum that they surrender within 72 hours.

This is according to a communiqu released on Twitter on Thursday by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.

Earlier in the week, the government issued an ultimatum, giving the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) 72 hours to surrender.

The Ethiopian National Defense Forces have now been directed to conclude the third and final phase of our rule of law operations.

In this final phase, great care will be given to protect innocent civilians from harm.

All efforts will be made to ensure that the city of Mekelle, which was built through the hard work of our people, will not be severely damaged, the statement reads.

The armed conflict in northern Ethiopia broke out earlier in the month after the federal government had accused the TPLF of attacking a local military base and launched a security operation against it. (Sputnik/NAN)

Source: NAN News

India Flag

Police in New Delhis neighbouring state of Haryana on Thursday used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesting farmers who tried to reach the capital on foot, in buses, and tractors.

NDTV news channel reported that the farmers were moving to the Indian capital to protest against new laws they said would curb their earnings and benefit big corporations.

At one site the farmers retaliated by throwing bricks and pushing aside barricades.

The borders of the national capital have been sealed and metro services in several areas shut down with police saying no rallies were allowed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

Farmers have been protesting since September against the new laws, especially in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, known as the grain bowls of India.

Farmers groups from five states had called for the Dilli Chalo (Go to Delhi) campaign on Thursday.

Large deployment of police and paramilitary could be seen at all entry points into Delhi.

Vehicles were checked and those with farmers were asked to turn back.

Indias Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, which also rules Haryana, insists that the laws passed by parliament in September will make it easier for farmers to sell their produce to big institutional buyers.

The government says this will fetch better prices and free farmers from traditional middlemen who dominate the trade.

Critics say the changes will end the purchase of grains at prices guaranteed by the government and leave farmers vulnerable to market forces. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Dr Boboye Oyeyemi

By Ibironke Ariyo
The Federal Government has expressed determination to put appropriate structures in place to mitigate child road mortality.

The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi said this at the stakeholders workshop on child road safety strategy for Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was jointly organised by FRSC and World Bank for stakeholders to deliberate on the use of roads.

The gathering offers great opportunity for the improvement of existing strategies as well as re-modelling some approaches to meet domestic and international expectations on child road safety.

Oyeyemi said that the Corps had in the last three decades sustained its emphasis on stategies, programmes and processing aimed at reducing the number of children killed or injured on Nigerian roads.

He said that the focus had been to consistently reduce exposure to mobility risk through dedicated measures that were cross-cutting, impactful and evidence-based.

He added that the Corps had specifically pursued child road safety through deliberate and targeted policy thrust and well cut out implementation guidelines.

In the series of interface with the World Bank and other development partners, some gaps were observed thus, necessitating the inclusion of the child road safety strategy in the reviewed Nigeria Road Safety Strategy II (NRSSII).

The identified concerns generated a new wave of engagements between representatives of World Bank and the Corps aimed at harnessing existing gains to secure greater fortunes in the promotion of child Safety Strategy in Nigeria.

We anticipate the final approval of the documents from Federal Executive Council (FEC).

No doubt, with the inclusion the child road safety strategy in NRSS II document, the stage is set for a more comprehensive approach that is expected to yield higher dividends, he said.

Oyeyemi noted that the global burden of disease study estimates that road traffic injury was the cause of death for children ages 5 to 14 years in Nigeria and 10th highest cause of disability.

He noted that World Health Organisation (WHO) had in 2018 said that road traffic injuries were currently the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5 to 29 years.

It was also estimated that in 2017, this figure must have caused Nigeria about .8 billion. Statistics from FRSC data base shows that between 2015 and 2019, 9, 809 children suffered various degrees of injuries from 1, 884 road traffic crashes (RTCs), he said.

The President, Fire Officers Wives Association, (FOWA), Mrs Larai Liman, said that the inclusion of child road Safety Strategy in the NRSS II would go a long way in addressing the problems with children.

Liman noted that most schools where built on the highway and had no signs to show that children were within such areas, saying that such had led to death of many children.

She said that most times the children used the road by themselves thereby causing more harm than good as nobody was there to help them cross the roads.

I will advise schools to ensure that they put road signs for children in order to help them avoid cars and stay off road accidents, she said.

Source: NAN News

FRSC personnel on duty

By Ibironke Ariyo
The Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) has reiterated the enforcement of speed limiting device on all vehicles as the end of the year celebration approaches.

The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, said this at the stakeholders workshop on child road safety strategy for Nigeria in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the FRSC introduced the use of the speed limit device in 2016 to reduce incidents of accidents and loss of lives.

Oyeyemi emphasised that over speeding, reckless driving and overloading were among the causes of road accidents in the country.

He said that the Corps was determined to confront negative driving behaviours that would lead to unwarranted loss of lives and property.

This he said was necessary to note as the traffic gradually builds up in the preparation for the end of the year celebration.

He said that the Corps would ensure enforcement of strict compliance with the use for speed limiting device and road worthiness standards.

The FRSC boss also said that fatigue was one of the causes of road traffic crashes and admonished drivers to observe adequate rest before embarking on any journey.

The Corps wishes to draw the attention of the motoring public to the increasing rate of road traffic crashes involving commercial vehicles especially mini buses, with attendant high fatality and injuries.

Investigation has shown that most of these cases were avoidable if road users complied with traffic regulations and observed safe driving rules.

Road users are encouraged to adhere strictly to all advisories on safe driving during the Yuletide seasons. Drivers are also expected to comply with speed limit specifications, avoid night journeys and fatigue, he said.

Source: NAN News