Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources

By Edith Ike-Eboh

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has reiterated that the federal government is no longer fixing the pump price of petroleum products in the country.

Sylva made this known while briefing newsmen on the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirt (PMS), also known as petrol.

Recall that the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) had on Wednesday announced a new Ex-depot price of N151.56 for petrol.

Ex-depot price is the price marketers buy products from depot owners.

An increase or decrease in ex-depot price has effect on the pump price of petrol.

Government is no longer in the business of fixing prices for petroleum products, we have stepped back.

Our focus now is on protecting the interest of the consumers and making sure that marketers are not profiteering,he said.

Sylva said it was unfortunate that people were blaming government, noting that the deregulation of the sector was imperative for the economy.

He said that it was also a consensus among stakeholders for such strong policy direction.

According to him, the well-being of Nigeria remains paramount to government.

You all know that that President Muhammadu Buhari aligns with ordinary Nigerians, especially the poor.

Left for him, he will never allow increase in pump price; for this to happen, it means that it is an inevitable decision.

COVID-19 took the price of crude oil to zero zone, the minister said.

He said that government cannot fund subsidy, hence would not adopt that as an option, noting that current happenings were for the economic survival of the country.

Sylva said that government had cut crude production from two million barrels to 1.412 million barrels per day.

This, he said, was affecting revenue generation in the country.

He said that it was unfortunate that the deregulation of the sector was politicised, urging Nigerians not to listen to any advocacy for subsidy payment.

Deregulation will definitely come with few pains, but survival of the country is paramount, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva

By Edith Ike-Eboh

Chief Timipre Sylva, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resource, says two regulatory bodies in the oil and gas sector will be merged as one regulator in the new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

Sylva disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.

The two agencies are Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF) and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

He said that the two would be merged under the name: The Authority as regulator in the industry.

He said that the agencies would still be relevant to serve as regulators in the industry, noting that without PPPRA and PEF, it would be difficult to deal with profiteers.

PEF and PPPRA will emerge as one under a name The Authority and will be helping to police the pump price of petrol so that nobody will profiteer, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while PEF deals equalisation of petroleum products to ensure price uniformity, PPPRA deals with petroleum products pricing and monitoring of compliance. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Motor park

By Edith Ike-Eboh

The Federal Government will in October inaugurate the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for motorist as alternative to use of petrol in the country.

Chief Timipre Sylva, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, made this known while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.

Compressed Natural Gas (methane stored at high pressure) is fuel that can be used in place of gasoline, diesel fuel and liquefied petroleum gas

He said that introduction of CNG, LPG and others would help to reduce the impact of the high cost of premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol on Nigerians.

He said that since the Federal Government was no longer in the business of fixing the price of petroleum products, its focus was to protect the interest of Nigerians.

He said that CNG and LPG was cheaper, cleaner and globally accepted.

The solution to reduce the pains with increase in petrol is to create another source that is cheaper, cleaner and global friendly.

Introducing LPG, CNG is creating a toll gate and alternative route for people that may not be comfortable to have a choice.

The introduction of the new products will be cheaper and better, in the end Nigerians will be happy for it, he said.

On how it will be rolled out across the country, he said that all the Nigerian National Petroleum corporation (NNPC) petrol stations would be used for the project.

He said that an LPG and CNG skid to dispensed the products would be fixed in all the NNPC stations across the country.

He said some private marketers had also requested to be admitted in the programme.

Going forward, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) will request marketers to upgrade their station to accommodate LPG and CNG or their licenses will not be reviewed, he said.

Sylva said that the introduction of the alternative products would help in creating jobs, especially with conversion of cars with LPG and CNG kits.

He said that a company had approached Nigeria for establishment conversion centre in the country.

I believe that with time, people will start importing cars that use LPG, CNG among others. Conversion of cars to use the products will be for a few period, he said. . (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By David Adeoye

The Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force, headed by Gov. Seyi Makinde, has announced the cancellation of the 10 p.m. curfew imposed on the state in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Taiwo Adisa, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, said in a statement that the curfew had been abolished after series of reviews.

The task force, however, specifically warned night clubs operators to desist from accommodating persons in closed areas within their premises, adding that research confirmed that the virus spread faster when people clustered in closed venues.

According to the statement, an advisory will be sent to night club owners by the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) arm of the task force, which will warn operators not to allow guests into their enclosed areas.

The statement further indicated that the task force issued another warning to residents of the state to continue to follow the OWN YOUR ACTION initiative as the state is not completely out of the woods with regards to COVID-19.

It explained that the decision by the Makinde-led task force to abolish the curfew was premised on the need to reduce the burden on business owners, whom, it said, had been affected by the curfew, especially since the COVID-19 situation had begun to improve in the state.

Though it appeared that COVID-19 cases are coming down in the state, the confidence interval cannot be determined yet, it said.

It warned residents of the state not to jettison the guidelines on the prevention of the virus, including washing of hands, social distancing and use of nose masks.

The statement said that Makinde had directed the EOC not to relent in data gathering and analysis in order to appropriately situate the context of the virus within the state.

According to the statement, the governor has also approved the conversion of the Aawe Isolation Centre to a Level 3 Primary Health Care Centre (PHC), directing that the facility should be decontaminated and handed over to the Hospitals Management Board.

Similarly, the statement confirmed that the task force approved that except for the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo, Ibadan, other isolation centres in the state could be converted to Level 3 PHC.

It, however, stated that whenever a spike in COVID-19 cases was noticed in the location where any of the facilities was situated, such a facility would be re-converted as an isolation centre or a part of it would be so utilised as an isolation centre.

The statement also indicated that the task force directed the Oyo State Hospitals Management Board to identify a Primary Health Care Centre around Olodo axis of Ibadan, which would be upgraded to take care of residents in that axis.

In its briefing at the meeting, the EOC reported that it had, in collaboration with the Information Communication Centre of the state, developed a portal for the registration of NCDC-licensed private laboratories for the conduct of COVID-19 tests.

In all, the task force noted that a total of 15,700 COVID-19 tests had been conducted, with 3,118 confirmed cases and 37 fatalities.

The Special Adviser to the governor on Health, Dr Funmi Salami, also hinted that there had been a spike in the cases of stroke among the elderly in the state, largely due to being confined to their various homes in order to avoid COVID-19 infections.

The task force, therefore, approved that advisory messages on how to avoid stroke would be rolled out through designated media outlets.

The statement further said that the state was already designing an advisory guideline on voluntary compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

On his part, the Commissioner for Education, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, reiterated that concerted efforts had been made to ensure that schools complied with COVID-19 safety protocols upon resumption.

The statement concluded that so far, the state had received donations in cash, agricultural goods and health equipment to the tune of N1.273 billion since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the state.

The governor therefore appreciated everyone who supported the state in different ways during the pandemic.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Police IG Mohammed Adamu

By Monday Ijeh

The Inspector General of Police (I-G), Mr Mohammed Adamu, has directed nationwide registration and capturing of all retired police officers for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr Frank Mba, said in a statement on Thursday in Abuja that the directive followed approval by the Federal Government to enroll retired police officers on the NHIS.

He said the registration would be effective between Sept. 7 and Sept. 23.

With this development, all retired police officers, irrespective of their rank on retirement along with a spouse, will have full access to all NHIS services.

The retirees will also have access to the benefits covered by the Police Health Maintenance Organization (Police-HMO) Code-073, the force spokesperson said.

He said that the registration and capturing would be in three batches and would take place at various police area commands in the country.

According to him, all retired police officers are therefore, required to visit any area command closest to them with the National Identity Number, letter of retirement and retirees identity cards.

He said that the exercise would hold in the North-West, North-East and part of North-Central, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Nasarawa State, between Sept. 7 and Sept. 9.

Mba further said the exercise in the South-West and part of North-Central, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger and Plateau would hold between Sept. 14 and Sept. 16.

He also said the exercise would hold between Sept. 21 and Sept. 23 in the South-South and South-East.

He noted that the I-G expressed appreciation to the federal government for extending the NHIS to retired police officers.

He added that the development would help to address the age long quest for affordable healthcare services for police retirees.

He advised the senior citizens to take optimum advantage of the scheme. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

NYSC

By Abujah Racheal

The Federal Government has given the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) the green light to start making plans to reopen its orientation camps nationwide.

The National Coordinator of the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, made this known during a briefing at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), reports that the orientation camps across the country were shut in March as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Aliyu said the task force was in the process of developing strict guidelines to forestall the outbreak of infections when NYSC camps reopened.

The NYSC is to consolidate on safety measures currently being put in place and start preparing for the reopening of orientation camps when educational institutions open.

We are in the process of developing strict guidelines to ensure there is no outbreak of COVID-19 when this process starts, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Lucy Ogalue
Mr Hassan Bello, Executive Secretary, Nigeria Shippers Council(NSC) has said that diversified means of transportation would reduce the cost of transport and port gridlock in the country.

Bello told newsmen in Abuja that transport drives the economy and the President Muhammadu Buharis led administration was working at ensuring diversification of the countrys transport system.

We have been having challenges in our Nigerian ports because of some distortions.

I will give some examples to the road, our dependence on the road has cost us a lot, or has stiffened and made it impossible for transportation to make expectant contribution in terms of revenue, in terms of employment and infrastructure.

But the government is trying. Like I said, if not for COVID-19, we will not be having gridlock, we would have connected the rail to the ports.

Now connection of the rail to the port is significant, because it will do two things, for every trip the rail makes, 38 trailers are removed from the port.

Before now the monopoly is on the road traffic, it is only the dominant, maybe 90 per cent of connection that is dropping cargo to the port.

You cant rely on one mode of transportation. Nigeria Shippers Council has now encouraged rail employment and also evacuation from the ports and that will be at a cheaper rate, Bello said.

He said the various stakeholders in the maritime sector were collaborating to strengthen the standard operating procedure for the rail.

He said: that will mean two things, we have an alternative to road, we remove a lot of trucks and we give the truckers a run for their money.

There will be competition, so this will mean prices of transportation will crash very soon in time to come and that is one of the achievements.

According to Bello, the NSC is also looking at a very important aspect of access to the ports which is the batches inland water ways.

According to him, the diversified means of transportation will give room for competition, the law of demand and supply will apply, thus, there will be reduction in transportation cost.

Besides the Federal Government has made a policy statement that all ports and I hope this will include dry ports would be linked with rail. As I have said if not for COVID-19, the Chinese will have linked not just Apapa but Tin Can with rail.

The moment we have inland connectivity, the gridlock in Apapa will disappear that is apart from infrastructural efforts the federal government has made.

The NSC boss however noted that infrastructure was not enough to manage traffic , adding that the various stakeholders were working at developing an electronic system that would ensure this.

On high cost of doing business, Bello reiterated that the NSC had made it impossible for shipping companies to bring out arbitrary or unilateral charges which would increase cost of doing business in the country.

He said the council was also working with the Nigerian Customs Service to ensure speedy clearance of cargoes at the ports.

Because of lack of scanners , cargo is cleared after 100 per cent physical examination, now this is a primitive way of doing things and it causes so much delay.

So scanners will be redeployed very soon we have been at it with Customs, it takes five hours for a container to be examined physically and then cleared but when we have the scanners it will take five minutes.

So you can see we are all making our ports efficient, we have the structure, infrastructure superstructure as a matter of fact and the clearance will be simpler, faster, more economical, Bello said.

Source: NAN News

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messis father and agent met Barcelona Club President Josep Maria Bartomeu on Wednesday to discuss the players wish to leave the club but the talks ended in stalemate, Spanish media reported.

Earlier, Jorge Messi said it would be difficult for his son to remain with Barcelona, the only club he has ever played for professionally.

The meeting lasted one-and-a-half hours and was held in a cordial atmosphere, according to media reports including sports dailies Marca and Mundo Deportivo.

They said Bartomeu sees Messi as a key part of Barcas plans to rebuild under new coach Ronald Koeman. There was no comment from the club.

Six-times world player of the year Messi, unhappy at his teams failure to win any silverware last season and humiliated by an 8-2 Champions League thrashing by Bayern Munich, told the club last week that he wanted to leave.

The Argentine insists he has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave on a free transfer.

It is a claim disputed by Barcelona and La Liga, who say he can only leave if a rival club is willing to pay a 700 million euro (830.20 million dollars) buyout clause.

I dont know, I know nothing, Messis father told Spanish TV channel Cuatro after flying in on a private jet.

Pressed if it would be hard for him to remain, he said yes, and asked how he sees Messis future at Barcelona, he replied difficult, difficult.

Messi missed a medical on Sunday and did not show up on Monday for the first training session of the season. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19 updates by NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced four deaths and 216 fresh cases of COVID-19, taking the total infections in the country to 54, 463.

The NCDC made this known on its official twitter handle on Wednesday.

The health agency said that a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at Level 3 had continued to coordinate the national response activities across the country.

It disclosed that the new infections were recorded in 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The NCDC stated that of the 216 new cases, Plateau had the highest number with 59, followed by Rivers, Abia, and Lagos which had 27, 22, and 20 respectively.

Others were Oyo 18, Enugu 17, Kaduna 11, FCT 11, Ogun 10, Ebonyi four, Osun four, Ekiti four, Delta three, Edo three, Akwa Ibom two, and Bauchi one.

The health agency said that this brought the total number of infections in the country since its first index case in February, 2020 to 54,463.

It noted that those who had lost the their lives to the virus in country increased by four, raising the death toll of infections to 1,027.

The health agency also said that the number of recoveries in the country increased to 42,439 after 429 more patients were successfully treated and discharged from various isolation centres in the country.

It added that as at Monday, Nigeria had a total of 10,997, recoveries.

NCDC stated that this represented 20.19 per cent of the total confirmed cases with 77.92 per cent recoveries and 1.88 per cent deaths recorded.

Meanwhile, the health agency noted that the success of the public health response to COVID-19 was not dependent only on the efforts at the national level.

It said it was also dependent on the actions of various communities and individuals to adapt the messages and solutions to their local context.

One good thing from Nigerias polio experience is a well developed vaccine delivery mechanism.

What we now need to do is ensure we have the right data on immunity levels of our population to guide decision making around prioritisation within our context, it said.

Source: NAN News

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says sample collection for the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country decline in August.

A report data made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday night by NCDC, showed a decline in sample collection for six states from May to August.

The report indicated that all states analysed showed a significant decline in sample collection in August, with Federal Capital Territory (FCT) having the least sample collection.

FCT hadone of the leading COVID-19 testing performing locations in the country, it said.

The public health agency noted that Plateau recently stepped up its testing.

Plateau has the highest polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), laboratory capacity utilisation and operational efficiency in the country at the moment.

The NCDC said that Edo sample collection also declined significantly but appeared to be in recovery mode, as from July 8 to July 21.

The state collected 2,713 samples and from Aug. 5 to Aug. 18, it collected 1,230 samples.

The agency stated that Lagos state accounted for 24 per cent of all COVID-19 test in the country.

Sample collection has declined significantly as data showed that from July 8 to July 21, a total of 22,714 samples were collected while 9,877 samples were collected from July19 to Sept. 1, it said.

Oyo State had performed reasonably well in the past regarding COVID-19 testing but unfortunately, sample collection declined significantly of recent.

Data from July8 to July 21 showed 4,776 samples and July19 to Sept. 1, showed 919 samples collected.

The health agency said that Kano State was a leading state for COVID-19 tests with five PCR laboratories and a low percentage of transmission.

Kano accounts for over 10 per cent of all COVID-19 tests in the country.

Unfortunately, the sample collection dropped significantly in August.

July 8 to July 21 showed that 11,834 samples were collected while 1,364 samples were collected from July19 to Sept. 1.

NAN reports that as at Sept. 2, there were 216 new COVID-19 cases bringing the total number of reported cases to 54,463 in Nigeria.

A total of 42,438 patients have recovered and dischargedwhile 1,027 deathsrelated to the virus were so far recorded.

Source: NAN News

FAO

World food prices rose for a third month running in August, led by coarse grains, vegetable oils and sugar, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)s food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar, averaged 96.1 points last month versus 94.3 points in July.

The Rome-based FAO also said in a statement that worldwide cereal harvests remained on course to hit an annual record in 2020.

The agencys cereal price indexrose 1.9 per cent in August from the month before and seven per cent above its value a year earlier.

Among the major cereals, sorghum, barley and rice prices rose the most, FAO said.

Maize also climbed strongly, pushed up by concerns over U.S. production prospects following recent crop damage in Iowa.

The vegetable oil price index climbed 5.9 per cent month-on-month, returning to around the levels registered when the coronavirus crisis hit the world at the start of the year.

Palm oil was buoyed by expected output slowdowns in major producing countries, which, combined with firm global import demand, were expected to result in lower inventory levels.

Average sugar prices rose 6.7 per cent from July, reflecting forecasts of a reduction in production due to unfavourable weather conditions in the European Union and Thailand.

Strong import demand in China also helped push prices higher.

By contrast, the dairy index was little changed on the month, with falls in cheese and whole milk powder offset by stronger butter and skim milk quotations.

The meat index was also largely steady, with bovine and poultry prices in retreat while pig meat prices rose after four consecutive months of declines, as Chinese imports jumped.

FAO revised down its forecast for the 2020 cereal season by 25 million tonnes, largely due to expectations of a lower maize production in the U.S.

However, despite this reduction, the agency still expected a record harvest this year of almost 2.765 billion tonnes, up three per cent on 2019 levels.

Record maize harvests are forecast for Argentina and Brazil while global sorghum production is expected to grow by six per cent from the previous year.

Worldwide rice production in 2020 is also expected to reach a new record of 509 million tonnes, FAO said.

The forecast for world cereal utilisation in 2020/21 hit 2.746 billion tonnes, up two per cent on the 2019/20 level.

The estimate for world cereal stocks by the close of seasons in 2021 was 895.5 million tonnes, down 33.4 million tonnes since July. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

By Dorcas Jonah

The National Council of Womens Societies (NCWS) has called for prayers, especially among women, for Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to win her bid to be elected as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

A statement issued in Abuja on Thursday quoted Mrs Laraba Shoda, NCWS President, as pleading with all Nigerians to support Okonjo-Iwealas aspiration and seek divine intervention for victory.

It described the former finance minister as an industrious mother, wife and daughter of Nigeria who needs every support and prayers at this time.

The Muslim women should please offer special prayers during the Jumat on Fridays while Christian women should also offer special prayers on Sundays as they go to worship God.

Following her antecedents, Dr Okonjo-Iweala has proved herself, both locally and internationally, as an expert on trade, economics and governance.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala is a world-acclaimed economist, skilled in the workings of international financial and development systems.

As an innovative manager, she has a good grasp of the world economy and most importantly, trade, as a tool of development, the statement said.

It particularly noted that the candidates experience in financial systems and global trade had made her an expert consultant to governments across the globe.

Following Okonjo-Iwealas antecedents, she is very qualified to be the new head of WTO, especially at this critical period of global economic downturn caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, the statement said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Headquarters of EEDC in Enugu

By Stanley Nwanosike

The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has announced a planned electricity outage within the Enugu metropolis on Friday, Sept. 4.

The Head, Corporate Communications of EEDC, Mr Emeka Ezeh, said in a statement on Thursday in Enugu that the planned outage would last for four hours, from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.

Ezeh explained that the outage was meant to enable the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) engineers carryout maintenance on the secondary breaker to the TR2 60MVA power transformer at their New Haven station.

He said that the exercise would affect supply to Kingsway, Tunnel, Lomalinda and 9th Mile Injection Substations.

This would further affect the following step-down feeders at Abakaliki Road 11KV; Artisan 11KV; Hilltop 11KV; Coal Camp 11KV; Golf 11KV; Onitsha Road 11KV; GRA 11KV; Power House 11KV and Prisons 11KV.

Other feeders to be affected are Government House 11KV; Achara Layout 11KV; 9th Mile Industrial 11KV; Okwe 11KV; NTA 11KV; Abor 33KV; Ezeagu 33KV; Ajali 33KV and Government House 33KV.

The spokesman stated that consequently, the companys customers in Government House, Permanent Secretary Quarters, some parts of Independence Layout, Spar Mall, Kia Motors, Psalms Hotel, Rico Factory, Aarons Suites and Coal Camp will be out of supply during the period of the maintenance.

Other areas are Ngwo, Ngenevu, Old UNTH, Bunker, Kingsway and Uwani, some parts of Ziks Avenue, Okpara Avenue, 9th mile, Ezeagu, Udi, some parts of Ukehe, Abor and some parts of Achara Layout.

We regret the inconveniences this will cause our esteemed customers and assure them that supply will be restored once the maintenance is completed.

EEDC remains committed to delivering improved services to her esteemed customers, Eze stated. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Livestock market

By Felicia Imohimi

Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has urged the Federal Government to establish a livestock ministry to harness the full potentials in the sub-sector of the economy.

The National Secretary of MACBAN, Alhaji Othman Ngelzarma, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

He noted that such ministry had been established in other West African countries, adding that it will help address the enormous challenges facing the sub-sector.

According to him, a mere department under the Ministry of Agriculture will not be able to address the challenges and allow Nigeria benefit fully from the endowments of the livestock sector.

He listed some of the challenges in livestock development to include; cattle rustling, farmer-herder conflicts, kidnapping, banditry and neglect, especially with regard to demarcation of grazing reserves.

We are calling on the Federal Government to create a ministry that will squarely address all issues relating to the livestock sub-sector of the economy.

This is because the magnitude of the problem or crisis faced by the livestock sector is more than the one that can be handled by a mere department under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

Some of the enormous problems are farmer-herder conflicts, cattle rustling, neglect on the part of the government regarding grazing reserve, banditry, kidnapping, shrinking of Lake Chad that is housing millions of pastoralists and so many other natural and man-made factors.

We want an agency or ministry that can squarely handle this issue and resolve it permanently being the practice in most West African countries; they all have Federal Ministry of Livestock because of the essence they attach to livestock production.

It is essential for the government to consider the creation of the Ministry of Livestock independent from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

Lets have a livestock ministry so that this entire problem can be addressed by an organisation solely charged with such responsibility, Ngelzarma stressed.

Ngelzarma also likened the livestock sector as next to petroleum in terms of revenue generation if fully exploited.

If it can be developed in a better way considering the value chain related to the sector it will create a lot of employment, bring a lot of wealth to the country and to individuals.

According to him, pastoralists who are the producers of livestock are gaining little or nothing from their products.

But if a particular ministry can be established and assigned to handle squarely any problem relating to livestock, it get the deserved attention it requires. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Illustration: Fuel Pump

By Chimezie Anaso

Members of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Anambra, have suspended their planned strike in the state scheduled to hold on Thursday over levy and other issues.

Mr Chinedu Anyaso, Chairman of IPMAN, Enugu Depot Community, who announced the suspension said that the government and the association had met and reached some agreements which addressed their demands.

The shutdown was to protest multiple levies by government agencies, police harassment and indebtedness by Transport Company of Anambra State (TRACAS), to Siluch Oil and Gas Limited.

Recall that IPMAN on Aug. 4, issued an ultimatum to shut down the state after 21 working days if the government did not revert to the unified annual levy agreed by both parties.

It also asked the government to withdraw all court cases against their members.

Anyaso said that the suspension was based on the communiqu jointly signed by the association and state government after a meeting.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Prof. Solo Chukwudebelu, the Secretary to the Anambra Government, represented the state while Anyaso signed for IPMAM.

Anyaso stated that at the end of the meeting, the following resolutions were reached:

That the Internally Generated Revenue Payable by IPMAN members which had been N100,000 per station since 2017 be continued untill Dec. 31.

The Anambra Internal Revenue Service will meet with the leadership of IPMAN to renegotiate the new rate(s) that will apply from 2021.

Those who had yet to pay for the subsisting levy of N100,000 for the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 must clear the arrears immediately, but not later than Sept. 30.

Anambra government will suspend all pending court cases against members of the depot community who are currently in default of payment of the levies, this suspension apples until Sept. 30.

The chairman further said that on the indebtedness of TRACAS to Siluch Oil and Gas limited, the parties agreed that the Commissioner for Transport would review the claims and send memo to the governor within seven days.

He said that the meeting, however, agreed that it was a private commercial transaction which should not be matter for industrial action.

He further said that the parties mandated the Special Adviser, Legal and Petroleum Resources to facilitate a meeting between IPMAN leadership and Commissioner of Police to understand the scope of IGPs monitoring team within one week.

Government will provide a suitable land within one month and a Certificate of Occupancy will be held in the name of Ministry of Transport, Anyaso said.

He added that the depot community on its part would provide a detailed business proposal on financing and management. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

INEC

By Nefishetu Yakubu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Thursday urged religious leaders to sensitise their followersto shun any form of violence as the governorship elections draw close in Edo.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr John Alalibo, made the call during a one-day stakeholderssensitisation meeting in Benin.

He noted that the commissions efforts at ensuring free and credible elections on Sept.19, might suffer a setback if religious leaders failed to douse the rising tension.

According to him, threats of violencecoupled with COVID-19 pandemic in the state can lead to voter apathy in the forthcoming electionsshould religious leaders fail to take responsibility as relevant stakeholders before, during and after the election.

It is on this light that I am appealing to you the religious leaders to help allay the fears of the voters.

The commission has put in place seamless processes that will enable the voter to vote without contracting COVID-19 if they follow the preventive measures and guidelines properly.

The commission is aware that some of you are role models and opinion leaders. Therefore, talking to you translates to talking to thousands of prospective voters in the forthcoming elections, he said.

According to Alalibo, 14 political parties are contesting the elections, stressing that the use of face mask is mandatoryfor all registered voters.

The REC assured the religiousleaders that the commission wouldprovide a level playing ground forall political parties fielding candidates in the elections, saying that it had no unholy alliance with any political party to rig the polls.

They should concern themselves with canvassing for votes because INEC will not award vote to any political party or candidate.

It is the number of vote scored that will be awarded them, he added.

However, Alhaji Suleiman Ojo, during question and answer session stressed the need for the commission to remain committed to delivering on its mandate of conducting free, fair, credible and transparent poll.

Ojo, former Deputy Chairman, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Edo chapter, recalled that the role of the commission in the previous elections was not entirely commendable.

He said that the conduct of some Electoral Officers in the previous elections left much to be desired.

Responding, the INEC, Administrative Secretary, Mr Etim Umoh, dismissed such allegations against the EOs, saying that politicians were in the habit of making unfounded allegations if the EOs declined to play ball.

Umoh said, if you find any EO wanting in any way, please come with evidence. I can assure you that strict actions will be taken against that person.

The commission has its own internal mechanism for dealing with such issues, he said.

The participantsurged INEC to ensure that polling materials were deployed to their various locations on time and the voting also done in time.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Motor park

By Solomon Asowata

Vehicle owners and commuters in Lagos on Thursday decried the increment in pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), following the new ex-depot price announced by Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PPMC, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporations (NNPC), had on Wednesday announced a new ex-depot price of N151.56k for PMS, also known as petrol.

A NAN correspondent who monitored the development in Ikeja, Agege, Maryland, Egbedaand Iyana Ipaja axis of the state, observed that some major marketers were selling fuel at N161 per litre.

However, some filling stations owned by Independent marketers dispensed the product at between N162 and N164 per litre, depending on their location.

A vehicle owner, Mr Victor Olaniyi, told NAN that the increment caught him unawares and had left him frustrated.

He said: I usually fill my tank once a week and I was supposed to fill it on Tuesday but I was unable to and I had to buy fuel at N162 today.

I believe the increment is much, because last week I bought fuel at N148 per litre. Government should please look into this because it will affect everybody, he said.

Another motorist, Mr Taiwo Balogun, said as a private cab operator, he increased his fares to meet with realities in the country.

He said he usually picked people from Ikeja to G.R.A for N150 but increased the fare to N200 per passenger due to the fuel increment.q

A businesswoman, Ms Joy Ibe said she paid N500 from Iyana Ipaja to Oshodi, a journey that usually cost between N300 to N400 depending on the time of the day.

My fear about the fuel increment was that bus drivers would take advantage of it to hike fares and that is what they have done.

This is going to affect the cost of goods and services, unless something is done quickly, she said.

Another commuter, Mr Michael Bamidele, said his plan was to commute with the BRT buses because they were cheaper than the commercial ones.

He said: I leave very early to work now and join BRT. This morning, they (commercial buses) were carrying Iyana Ipaja to Oshodi at N400 while BRT which is faster is N300.

The queue is now very long because everybody prefers waiting than being exploited by the commercial buses, he explained.

NAN reports that the oil marketers had attributed the increment of the ex-depot price from N138.62k in August to N151.56k in September to market forces due to the deregulation of PMS by the government. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Prof. Wumi iledare

By Edith Ike-Eboh

Prof. Wumi Iledare, former president, Nigerian Association for Energy Economics (NAEE) says the new price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol is in line with development in the global oil market.

Iledare disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja, on Thursday.

NAN reports that the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) had on Sept. 2 announced a new Ex- depot price of N151.56 for petrol.

Ex- depot price is the price marketers buy products from depot owners.

An increase or reduction in ex-depot price determine the pump price of petrol.

He said that going by the prevailing market fundamentals, the cost of petrol could be as high as N200 per litre in the country.

The reality on the ground is not pretty at all with respect to what the price ought to be.

At the current official exchange rate of one dollar to 385, 200 is about right price because of the level of demand driven by population and quality of life.

Keep in mind that any attempt to invoke subsidising petroleum has unintended consequences, he said.

Iledare, a professor of Petroleum Economics said that it was unfortunate that the country missed the opportunities when there was lower crude oil price.

We suggested not to set the price then, but fear of unrest predominate government action then.
The economy is highly dependent on oil revenue. Salaries are low and not paid.

It is a double whammy for petrol to go up. But no budget to subsidise, he said.

He advised that Nigerians must adjust and government on its part should pump more money to the economy and invoke patriotism

Nigerias exchange rates call for at least N200 per litre in Nigeria.

In Ghana, a litre is about N325 -N350 per litre of petrol. Like Nigeria PMS consumed are imported, lessons can be learnt from Ghana.

If Ghana is surviving, we need to learn from them, he added.

Meanwhile, a check by NAN in some petrol stations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) revealed that the pump price was between N158 and N162 per litre.

Apart from Total filling station in Tipper Garage, along Kubwa Expressway selling at the old price of N148.8, others had already adjusted their pumps to the new price.

Oando filling station, Gergu oil and Eterna station along the expressway were selling at N160, N159, and N158.1 per litre respectively.

Also, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) retail outlet along the same axis was selling at N160 per litre. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

EPL

The Premier League on Thursday said it has cancelled its contract with Chinese broadcasters PPLive Sports International after just one season.

The broadcasters, part of retail group Suning, paid around 700 million dollars for three years of English Premier League (EPL) streaming rights from the 2019/2020 season.

The Premier League confirms that it has today (Thursday) terminated its agreements for Premier League coverage in China with its licensee in that territory.

The Premier League will not be commenting further on the matter at this stage, the league said in a statement.

It had been reported last month that the Chinese broadcasters had withheld payments due to the league in March.

In a statement posted on their official company Weibo account, PPLive Sports International said that it had held negotiations over the price of the rights with the league.

COVID-19 has brought many challenges, and its especially obvious during broadcasting rights negotiations, the statement said.

After rounds of meetings, PPLive Sports and the Premier League have a disagreement on the price of broadcasting rights. We regret we couldnt have an agreement with the Premier League.

The direction of PPLive Sports strategic development will not change. Broadcasting rights strategy adjustment is based on objective reality and strategic thinking.

PPLive Sports will continue to dedicate itself to providing high quality services to fans, copyright holders and partners.

The deal with PPLive Sports International was struck during the peak of Chinese interest in international football and marked a huge increase in revenue on the previous deal.

Beijing-based Super Sports Media was the previous rights-holder in China.

Local media reports have suggested they paid more than 1 billion yuan (145.13 million dollars) for a six-year deal until the end of the 2018/2019 season.

The ending of the PPLive Sports International deal is a further loss of income for Premier League clubs following the coronavirus outbreak, which forced a stoppage in play lasting several months.

The League resumed games in June and July without fans.(Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Oba of Benin, Oba Ewaure II

Igbaugba Ehigimetor/Monday Ajogun

As Edo residents prepare for the Sept. 19 governorship election, the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewaure II, has warned politicians against setting the state on fire.

The warning is especially for the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the monarch said at a peace meeting he initiated for critical stakeholders.

The meeting, held in Benin on Wednesday, was attended by the governorship candidates of the two political parties APC and PDP and two former governors of the state, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and Mr Adams Oshiomhole.

Oba Ewaure said he was worried about the violence across the state over the poll, and urged politicians to learn to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner.

While noting that election was not a do or die affair, he advised politicians to note that they had only Edo to call their own state and must, thus, do everything to protect it from disintegration.

He regretted that Edo had not only been in the news for the wrong reasons, but that the governorship election had pitted the people against themselves.

We are doing our bit internally; traditional prayers are being offered so that there will be peace during the election.

I want to appeal topoliticians to control the youths. I want the politicians to assure us that there will be peace. You do not kill yourselves over an office.

This is the worst scenario of all the politics that we have seen in Edo. Edo politics have been in the news for quite sometime now for all the wrong reasons.

I have had sleepless nights over this. My mind is burning up over this violence and shooting all over the state. Let the shooting stop and let there be peace and quiet in the state.

Dont kill yourselves over an office. Dont kill yourselves over votes. Let us have the working relationship that President Muhammadu Buhari had with Goodluck Jonathan; It is not a do or die affair.

The two candidates must tow the line of peace just like Jonathan did when he willingly announced his acceptance of defeat in 2015.

This singular act changed the prediction of international community that Nigeria will break up as a result of that election.

We are begging you politicians, particularly the two political gladiators. You must all do your bit to calm down the tension in the state, he said.

The monarch maintained that the traditional institution remained non-partisan, and warned the palace chiefs against making any political statement.

I have already sacrificed my franchise over this because if I do cast my vote in favour of a particular candidate, I would have already taken side.

If any of the chiefs makes any statement, they are only taking your money and cannot do anything beyond what the palace wants. They are not speaking for me or the palace; they are only speaking for themselves, he stated.

In their response, the candidates of both the PDP and APC, Mr Godwin Obaseki and Osagie Ize-Iyamu, gave their assurances to the monarch and promised to ensure that their supporters conducted themselves peacefully.

The governor, who commended the monarch for his fatherly role, said he took an oath to protect the people and it would be irresponsible of him to do otherwise.

He said he was as worried as the monarch over what was happening in the state, and assured him that he would do all within his power to ensure peace prevailed.

Similarly, Ize-Iyamu said he would ensure that his supporters conducted themselves in a peaceful manner throughout the remaining campaign and during the election.

On his part, Oshiomhole said he was a product of peaceful elections and would not deviate from that path. (NAN)

Source: NAN News