NEMA

TheNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in May, a communal conflict erupted in Tingno, Tito and Wadugu villages in Lamurde local government area.

NAN reports that during the conflict many people lost their lives and over 270 houses and other properties were destroyed.

Distributing the materials, in Tinguo and Tito villages,the Director-General of NEMA, AVM Muhammadu Muhammed (rtd), said that the intervention was a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari, to bring succour to affected communities.

Muhammed, was represented by Mr Iliya Midala, the agencys operations officer in charge of Adamawa and Taraba.

Today, we are presenting these relief materials for intervention under the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to the victims of recent communal conflict in Tingno and other affected villages.

President Muhammadu Buhari sympathised with the affected communities and called on them to live in peace with one another.

The relief intervention was targeted to reach out and bring succour to over 5,000 people affected by the conflict, Muhammed said.

He noted that no meaningful development could take place when communities cannot live in peace with another.

He urged the beneficial communities to effectively use the relief materials to improve their livelihoods.

Responding on behalf of the communities, Chief Richard Anjelo, village head of Tingno, thanked the President Buhari for the intervention.

Anjelo noted that the people of the area were living in peace and harmony with one another until recentconflict.

He attributed causes of the conflict to lack of parental good upbringing to their children, adding that drugs addiction played a vital role in the conflict.

We are appealing to the Federaland State Governments to establish security outpost in Tingno town.

We have over 60, 000 people under Tingno District but we have only four policemen in charge of about seven villages under Tingno, Anjelo said.

NAN reports that six trucks of building materials, food and other household materials distributed to the communities.

Source: NAN News

Medical Lab

The Lagos State Ministry of Health on Saturday said it had sealed a private medical laboratory conducting COVID-19 tests inside a pharmacy at Banana Island in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The ministry, through its Twitter account, said that the lab; Acouns Medical Laboratory and Diagnostic Centre, situated inside a pharmacy,
was carrying out COVID-19 tests without required government approval.

It advised residents to desist from patronising health facilities not accredited by the state government for testing or management of COVID-19 cases.

According to the ministry, it poses danger to the community and staffs of such facilities.

It is illegal to manage COVID-19 cases outside of an accredited facility.

We implore the public not to go for test or treatment in a private facility that has not been accredited by government.

It is dangerous and it might put you at more risk, it said.

The ministry said that the laboratory was sealed through one of its agencies- Health Facility Monitoring Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA).

It said that the ministry would continue to do its best to ensure that health facilities in the state adhere strictly to standards that guarantee the health and wellbeing of Lagos citizens.

Source: NAN News

A total of 925 patients have recovered from the coronavirus infection in Oyo State, following the recovery and discharge of 91 more patients.

Gov. Seyi Makinde announced this via his official Twitter account on Saturday.

However, the state has recorded 85 new COVID-19 cases following tests carried out on suspected cases.

Ninety-one confirmed COVID-19 cases received their second NEGATIVE test results and have been discharged.

This brings the number of discharged cases in Oyo State to 925.

Also, the COVID-19 confirmation tests for 85 suspected cases came back POSITIVE.

The cases are from Ibadan N (17), Ibadan SW (13), Oyo E (9), Ido (8), Lagelu (7), Oluyole (6), Orelope (3), Akinyele (3), Egbeda (3), Ibadan NE (3), Ona Ara (2), Atiba (2), Ogbomosho S (2), Iseyin (2), Ibadan SE (1), Ogbomosho N (1), Oyo W (1), Ibadan NW (1)

The killings had stood out as Europes only atrocity since World War Two constituting genocide.

Grieving families stood by green-draped coffins of nine newly identified victims who will be buried at a flower-shaped cemetery near the town, where tall white tombstones mark the graves of 6,643 other victims.

About 1,000 victims of the massacre in the eastern town during Bosnias 1992 to 1995 war are still missing.

World leaders addressed the solemn ceremony by video link, unable to attend because of coronavirus epidemic.

Instead of tens of thousands visitors who typically attend the annual commemoration, only a few thousand came after organisers banned organised visits.

During the Bosnian war, Bosnian Serb forces pushed non-Serbs out of territories they sought for their Serb statelet.

Fleeing Muslims took shelter in several eastern towns, including Srebrenica, that were designated as United Nations safe zones.

On July 11, 1995, the Serb forces commanded by Gen. Ratko Mladic attacked and overrun Srebrenica, which was protected by lightly armed Dutch peacekeepers.

They separated women and children from men and bussed them to territory controlled by the Bosnian army.

The men and boys were killed, while those who tried to escape through the woods were captured and executed.

Their bodies were dumped into mass graves and later exhumed by UN investigators and used as evidence in war crimes trials of Bosnian Serb leaders.

We grieve with the families that tirelessly seek justice for the 8,000 innocent lives lost, all these years later, said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Washington brokered Bosnias peace deal months after the massacre.

Most people at the commemoration were Muslim Bosniaks, showing that Bosnia has not achieved reconciliation almost 25 years since the end of its war, in which about 100,000 people were killed.

The UN war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted Mladic and his political chief Radovan Karadzic over Srebrenica genocide however remained heroes for Serbs, many of whom deny that genocide happened.

A non-government organisation called Eastern Alternative in the nearby town of Bratunac organised an event honouring July 11 as the Srebrenica Liberation Day, when killings of Serbs in the area by the Bosnian army stopped.

There can be no trust as long as we witness attacks on the truth, denial of genocide and glorification and celebration of executors, Sefik Dzaferovic, the Bosniak chairman of Bosnias tripartite presidency, told the commemoration gathering. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Oil rigs

Iran is determined to develop its oil industry in spite of U.S. sanctions imposed on the country, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said.

Zanganeh, who said this in a televised speech on Saturday, added: We will not surrender under any circumstances.

We have to increase our capacity so that when necessary with full strength we can enter the market and revive our market share.

The minister said this before the signing of a 294-million dollars contract between the National Iranian Oil Company and Persia Oil

Jessica Lu of CCRC, Wang Qiongyu of CRCC and Hassan Bello, Executive Secretary NSC

By Chiazo Ogbolu

Talks between Federal Government and China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) on the construction of the N43.24 billion Ibadan Inland Dry Port is nearing completion.

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) said in a statement on Saturday in Lagos that the 80,000 TEU capacity dry port would be built on the basis of Public Private Partnership.

Mrs Rakiya Zubairu, NSC Head of Public Relations, said in the statement that CRCC was the preferred bidder for the facility aimed at addressing congestion and gridlocks in Apapa ports.

Zubairu noted that the NSC would be the guarantor to the concession of the project.

She added that the facility would be designated as port of destination where cargo would be consolidated for import and export, especially in the South-Western part of Nigeria.

Among other uses, the dry port will provide a competitive cargo sorting centre, bulk breaking as well as cargo-tracking and truck management services.

The Lagos-Kano standard gauge railway currently under construction is aligned to the proposed dry port, making it easy to convey cargo from the seaports in Lagos and to all destinations along the route.

The negotiations emphasised the utilisation of local content at each stage of development and operation of the facility, she said.

According to Zubairu, an updated Full Business Case Compliance report will be produced at the end of the ongoing negotiations.

Afterwards, a draft agreement would be presented to the Federal Ministry of Justice and sent to the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, (ICRC) for vetting, after which the Minister of Transportation would present the agreement to the Federal Executive Council.

She said that the concessionaire would then be taken to the site for sod-turning and immediate commencement of construction with a completion timeline of 12 months.

The negotiation was moderated by the Federal Ministry of Transportation led by the acting Permanent Secretary and the Director, Maritime Services, Auwalu Suleiman.

The Director-General of ICRC, Mr Chidi Izuwa. Amb. Jummai Katagum, who represented the Federal Ministry of Finance was also part of the 4-day negotiation.

Also present, was Mrs Olubamiwo Adeosun, Secretary to Government of Oyo State and the preferred bidder CRCC was led by Deputy Managing Director, Jacques Liao, Zubairu added.

She said that NSC Executive Secretary, Hassan Bello, expressed satisfaction with the proceedings as all parties expressed firm commitment to the actualisation of the project.

According to the NSC Spokesperson, facilitation of the meeting was enabled by the transaction advisors, Aminu Dikko and Mohammed Kumalia, adding that the negotiations would be concluded soon.

Source: NAN News

COVID-19 updates by NCDC

By Racheal Abujah

Nigeria has recorded 499 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the countrys coronavirus case load to 30,748, according to NCDC, according to the government health agency.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) made the disclosure on its official twitter handle late on Thursday.

The NCDC said that as at the July 9, some 499new confirmed cases and five deaths were recorded in the country, noting however, that no new state had reported a case in the past 24 hours.

Giving a breakdown, the NCDC said that till date, 30,748 cases had been confirmed and that 12,546 cases had been discharged with 689 deaths recorded nationwide.

The agency said that the 499 new cases were reported in 24 states as follows: Lagos (157); Edo (59); Ondo (56); Oyo (31); Akwa Ibom (22); Borno (21) and Plateau (19).

According to the agency, Kaduna has (18); Katsina (18); Bayelsa (17); FCT (17); Delta (14); Kano (11); Rivers (10); Enugu (8); Ogun (6); Kwara (4); Imo (3); Nasarawa (2); Osun (2); Abia (1); Ekiti (1); Niger (1) and Yobe (1).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NCDC startedfrom five testing laboratories in the beginning of the response to COVID-19 to 40 laboratories at present.

The NCDC said that it remained committed to working with every state to tackle the burden of COVID-19 across Nigeria.

Collective responsibility is key, it stated.

Meanwhile, the agency has restated that COVID-19is different from malaria.

Underlying medical conditions always put an individual at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, the agency explained.

It advised Nigerians to adhere to recommended measures, including physical distancing, hand hygiene and use of face masks.

Source: NAN News

Medical Lab test kits

Of 2,000,569 tests completed, 56,170 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, Mkhize said in his daily update.

This is an enormous achievement that we can all be proud of as South Africans, said Mkhize.

As mass community testing has been gaining momentum, South Africa also saw rapid rises in confirmed cases and virus-related deaths.

As of Thursday, a total of 238,339 cases were reported with 13,674 new cases recorded over the past 24 hours, the highest single-day surge since the outbreak in early March, said Mkhize.

Regrettably, we report a further 129 COVID-19 related deaths one from Northern Cape, 26 from KwaZulu-Natal, 28 from Eastern Cape, 37 from Gauteng and 37 from Western Cape, the minister said, adding that the nationwide death toll has reached 3,720.

Gauteng has overtaken the Western Cape to become the countrys hardest-hit province with 81,546 cases, said Mkhize.

The Western Cape was ranked second with 74,815 cases, followed by the Eastern Cape with 44,432, and KwaZulu-Natal with 19,630. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Crude oil prices,

Brent crude was down by 25 cents, or 0.6 per cent, at .10 a barrel by 0341 GMT, after falling more than two per cent on Thursday.

U.S. oil fell 33 cents, or 0.8 per cent, at .29 a barrel after a drop of three per cent in the previous session.

Brent looks set for a weekly decline of nearly two per cent and U.S. crude for a fall of more than three per cent.

Trading was quiet with Singapore on holiday for an election.

While many analysts are expecting economies and fuel demand to bounce back from the pandemic, record daily increases in coronavirus infections in the U.S., the worlds biggest oil consumer, raised concerns about the pace of any recovery.

I do not suspect many oil traders will be looking to place significant bids in the market today, suggesting prices may continue to wallow into the weekend, said Stephen Innes, Chief Global Markets Strategist at AxiCorp.

More than 60,500 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the U.S. on Thursday, setting a daily record, with Americans being told to take new precautions.

The tally was also the highest daily count yet for any country since the pathogen emerged in China late last year.

In Australia, the government on Friday will consider reducing the number of citizens allowed to return to the country from overseas, after authorities ordered a new lockdown of the countrys second-most populous city, Melbourne.

Oil inventories also remain bloated due to the evaporation of demand for gasoline, diesel and other fuels during the initial outbreak.

U.S. crude oil inventories rose by nearly six million barrels last week after analysts had forecast a decline of just over half that figure.(Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Acting EFCC Boss Ibrahim Magu

By Ebere Agozie
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate suspension of Ibrahim Magu as Ag. Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

This is to allow for unhindered inquiry by the Presidential Investigation Panel under the Tribunals of Inquiry Act and other relevant laws.

Dr Umar Gwandu, Special Assistant to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on Media and Public Relations, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had reported the replacement of Magu earlier on Wednesday https://portal.nannews.ng/1796275/efcc-picks-director-of-operations-umar-to-oversee-commission/.

According to Gwandu, the President also approved that the EFCC Director of Operations, Mohammed Umar, take charge and oversee the activities of the Commission.

Umar would be overseeing the commission pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and further directives in that regards.

Source: NAN News

President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President Ahmed Lawan and Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila

Friday, 10TH July, 2019

PROTOCOLS

1. It is my pleasure and honour to sign the Appropriation (Repeal and Amendment) Act, 2020 into law today. I thank the Distinguished Senate President, the Right Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, and all the Distinguished and Honourable Leaders, and Members, of the National Assembly for the prompt review and passage of the amendments to the 2020 Appropriation Act.

2. You will recall that I signed the 2020 Appropriation Act into law on Tuesday, 17th December 2019. However, it became necessary to revise the Appropriation Act 2020 in response to recent developments, in particular, the COVID-19 Pandemic. Crude oil prices in the world market declined sharply from a high of .20 per barrel in January 2020 to below per barrel in April 2020, and have since remained around per barrel.

3. Nigerias crude oil production quota has been reduced as part of the efforts of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to strengthen the oil market. Global trade has generally been disrupted as almost all economies were locked down for protracted periods in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

4. All these developments are plunging the global economy into recession, and Nigeria has not escaped the impact of this. In effect, the assumptions underlying the 2020 Appropriation Act are no longer sustainable.

5. It is therefore imperative to adjust our expected revenues, considering the widespread disruptions in domestic and international economic activities due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the containment measures taken in response thereto.

6. Understandably too, we needed to reallocate resources in the Appropriation (Repeal and Amendment) Act, 2020 to ensure effective implementation of required health and emergency measures, as well as to mitigate the negative socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

7. The 2020 Amended Budget, which I have just signed into law today, underscores our Administrations firm commitment to effectively contain the spread of COVID-19 and protect the lives and livelihood of our people. With these budget amendments, as well as our recently launched N2.3 trillion Stimulus Programme, we are well-positioned to safeguard the economy.

8. Considering recent budget implementation challenges, I have directed that efforts be made to ensure effective implementation of the Appropriation (Repeal and Amendment) Act, 2020 in order to realise its laudable objectives.

9. All Ministers are to ensure that their Ministries, Departments and Agencies intensify capital project delivery efforts and fully cooperate with the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to achieve the laudable objectives of the Budget.

10. We have, nevertheless, made some progress in the implementation of the Appropriation Act 2020. As at 31st May 2020, the sum of N253.33 billion have been released for the implementation of capital projects.

11. The Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning is in the process of effecting budgetary releases that will ensure that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies receive at least 50 per cent of their amended capital budgets by the end of this month.

12. The Appropriation (Repeal and Amendment) Act, 2020, that I have just signed into law, provides for aggregate expenditures of N10.81 trillion, which is an increase of N216 billion over the level of expenditure initially proposed in the 2020 Appropriation Act. The Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning will provide further details of the 2020 Amended Budget.

13. I wish to acknowledge the efforts of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, particularly the Budget Office of the Federation, and everyone who collaborated and worked conscientiously to produce the Appropriation (Repeal and Amendment) Act, 2020 that I have signed today.

14. I thank all Nigerians for their understanding and unflinching support, especially during these difficult times.

15. Thank you and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Source: NAN News

NEMA warns of flood in 102 LGAs, 28 states

By Ezra Musa

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has warned of imminent flood in 102 Local Government Areas across 28 states during this years rainy season.

AVM Muhammadu A Muhammed, Director-General of the agency, said that the yearly Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP), and Annual Flood Outlook (AFO), that were released by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), predicted this in June.

He listed Kaura, Zaria, Kaduna North and Chikun local governments of Kaduna state as being within probable risk areas as some of the 102 local governments area with highly probable risk.

He advised governments to organise State Humanitarian Coordination Forum meetings in order to prepare stakeholders for mitigation and response to floods when they occur.

Mohammed called on State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA) and front line local governments to be prepared.

The director-general advised them to sensitise vulnerable communities to prepare for safe evacuation.

Mohammed further suggested that refuse, weeds, water hyacinths should be removed from drainage channels, water channels and all avenues for river run-offs so as to allow free flow of flood waters.

Source: NAN News

Farmers

By Mustapha Yauri

The Agro Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project has commenced the distribution of farm inputs to 10,000 farmers in Kaduna State.

Dr Yahaya-Aminu Abdulhadi, the Project Coordinator, made this known during the delivery of the farm inputs to farmers cooperatives at Biye, Giwa Local Government on Thursday.

Abdulhadi said that the intervention in Biye Community was for 985 farmers, while the target beneficiaries in the state were 10,000.

He said that the intervention farm inputs were fertilisers, improved seeds and herbicides, among others, adding that the second intervention would be mainly equipment.

He said that beneficiaries would receive thrashers, combine harvesters and tractors, adding that the support was demand-driven.

Abdulhadi said that the two phases of interventions were decided by the farmers themselves with the aim of boosting their farming enterprise.

He said the interventions were to ensure that the farmers were empowered to enable them make judicious use of the support.

He said that the project was a World Bank supported initiative with the mandate of Kaduna State Government to support the farmers from production, processing and marketing.

We want them to make use of the knowledge and the resources that was avail them under the APPEALS project, so that they can shift from being subsisting farmers to commercial and economically viable farming enterprises.

The coordinator said the support was an end-to-end intervention, the farmers who are receiving the intervention now had already signed agreement with up-takers before they could go to the farm.

He added that the farmers already had market for the products.

The Kaduna State Deputy Gov., Hajia Hadiza Balarabe, said that the state had done a lot in improving agriculture productivity.

The deputy governor said that the state had also improved agriculture sector toward diversifying the economic base of the state.

Balarabe was represented by Mal. Sabiu Ismaila, the Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Agriculture.

She said that the state government was working tirelessly to support the development of agriculture as a business so that farmers would be able to feed themselves and supply the products for the use of industries.

It is the wish of the state to see tremendous reduction in poverty, massive employment generation for the youths and women and general improvement in the wellbeing of the populace through the agricultural sector, she said.

The deputy governor said that she was impressed with the turnout of women and youths for the programme.

It also shows that Kaduna States policies and programmes on inclusion were working. A society cannot develop if half of its population was idle and are not included.

The efforts of the state toward bringing women to be part of economic development by enhancing their skills in various fields of endeavor is a worthy cause.

I can see here that the people of this community have accepted it; we are also happy that the men were understanding and cooperating. I pray that this level of commitment will result into improve productivity, she said.

The deputy government said that partners to the project were experts from National Agricultural Extension Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS).

Alhaji Adamu Shika, one of the beneficiaries, who spoke on behalf of others commended governments efforts on the project and for the timely provision of the inputs.

Shika said thatthe beneficiaries were earlier trained on new and better farming methods and processing of the farm produce to boost production.

He pledged the commitment of beneficiaries to judiciously use all the farm inputs. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State

The National Economic Council (NEC) says it will hold further discussions with the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 (PTF) on reopening of the economy and schools.

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta made this known while briefing State House correspondents after the virtual NEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Okowa said the council took the report on the interface between NECs Adhoc Committee and the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 on the ease of the lockdown and reopening of the economy.

A lot has been done because we have had several meetings with the PTF and our inputs have been taken in the briefings to the president and the guidelines have been released.

Since we started the meeting on May 28, lots of decisions have been taken and these decisions have already started to impact on the economy.

Currently, both the formal and informal sectors of the economy have gradually been reopened apart from a few segments that still need to be discussed and we have also realised that the rural areas have also been opened to farming activities.

And we have also in the course of our discussion agreed on the need to open the interstate borders to travels which also means travels by both road and train services is now possible and domestic flights are suppose to have resumed from yesterday July 8.

According to him, there are still other sectors of the economy that may not be open until further discussions are held.

He said the interface also discussed the issue concerning the reopening of worship centres and in many states of the federation, including FCT.

Worship centres have been reopened with good protocols to be put in place which ought to be monitored by the various states and the FCT.

So, a lot is actually been done; we talked about the issue of opening up schools but this will be further be discussed later today following the press briefing that was given by the Minister of Education.

So, we will be meeting with the PTF on COVID-19 this evening at 8pm to further discuss issues surrounding the opening of schools but the economy is open now apart from restrictions to international travels and restrictions to sporting activities.

The other course that had to be stood down is the resumption of higher institutions and other classes aside the graduating classes and also in the work place.

In the work place, there are still some restrictions; not all civil servants are allowed to come to work because of the likelihood of crowding; so that is being further discussed in various states.

I do know that civil servants in various categories are allowed to come but not the totality of the workforce.

He said that the reopening of bars, night clubs and other entertainment centres was still on hold until further discussions were taken.

Okowa said that advice was being taken from consultants who were ac monitoring the rate of transmission in the country.

We have already entered community transmission and we are careful to ensure that as we open up the economy, we do not create a danger to the lives of Nigerians.

So, generally, we think the best we can do as a country is to open up the economy; the economy is actually opening and we have to do it in a manner that we do not cause further health hazards, he said.

Source: NAN News

GMD OF NNPC, MALAM MELE KYARI

By Edith Ike-Eboh

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has announced an increase of 19.14 per cent in the average daily natural gas supply to power plants in April 2020.

The Corporation disclosed this on its Monthly Financial and Operations Report (MFOR) for April released in Abuja on Thursday.

It said the increase translated to 788 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mmscfd), an equivalent to power generation of 2,873 megwatts (MW).

It noted that a total of 226.51 billion Cubic Feet (BCF) of natural gas was produced in April, translating to an average daily production of 7.786 BCF per day.

According to the report, the figure indicates an increase of 3.73 per cent at 226.51 BCF, compared to the output in March.

It added that out of the figure, a total of 136.44 BCF of gas was commercialised, consisting of 36.99 BCF and 99.45 BCF for the domestic and export market, respectively

Out of the 1.233 BCF per day of gas supplied to the domestic market in April, about 787.70 mmscfd, representing 63.88 per cent was supplied to gas-fired power plants.

The balance of 445.31mmscfd or 36.12 per cent was supplied to other industries, it said .

Similarly, the report revealed that for the period of April 2019 to April 2020, an average of 1.184 BCF per day of gas was supplied to the domestic market.

This, it said, comprised an average of 677.87 mmscfd or 57.24 per cent of total, as gas supply to the power plants and 506.42 mmscfd or 42.76 per cent, as gas supply to industries.

For the period of April 2019 to April 2020, a total of 3.0823 trillion standard cubic feet (TCF) of gas was produced, representing an average daily production of 7.857 BCF per day during the period, it said.

It added that from the period-to-date, production from Joint Ventures (JVs), Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) and Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) contributed about 69.57 per cent, 21.46 per cent and 8.97 per cent respectively to the total national gas production.

On the downstream sector, it noted that a total of 0.94 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol, translating to 31.37 million liters per day, was supplied for the month under review.

It added that the corporation had continued to diligently monitor the daily stock of petrol to achieve smooth distribution of petroleum products and zero fuel queue across the nation.

In the period under review, it revealed that 65 vandalized pipeline points were reported, a marked increase from the 19 points recorded in March 2020.

It said that the Atlas Cove-Mosimi stretch accounted for 55 per cent, while Mosimi-Ore recorded 22 per cent and other locations make up for the remaining 23 per cent.

The MFOR indicated that in April, NNPC remitted the sum of N219.16 billion to the Federation Account, reflecting the naira proceeds from the sale of domestic crude oil and gas.

In terms of dollar receipts, an export receipt of 193.05 million dollars was recorded in April.

The NNPC remains committed to sustaining effective communication with stakeholders through publication of its Monthly Financial and Operations reports on its website and in national dailies.

This is in line with the concept of Transparency, Accountability and Performance Excellence (TAPE) agenda of NNPC Management. It added. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

President Muhammadu Buhari

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Friday sign into law the revised 2020 budget passed by the National Assembly in June.

The Personal Assistant on New Media to the President, Bashr Ahmad, confirmed this on his tweeter handle in Abuja on Thursday.

TheNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two chambers of the National Assembly, Senate and House of Representatives, had on June 10 and June 11 respectively passed the revised 2020 budget of N10,805,544,664,642.

NAN recalled that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had on May 13 approved a revised budget of 10.523trillion.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, who disclosed this, said the Council approved the reduction of oil benchmark price from the initial 57 to 25 dollars per barrel, crude oil production from 2.18million to 1.94million per day.

She said: The council has approved our recommendations and the approval has these key parameters.

The crude oil price is approved at per barrel, crude oil production is at 1.94 million barrels per day and then an exchange rate of N360 to .

The revised budget is now in the total sum of N10.523 trillion, a difference of just about N71.5 billion when compared to the approved budget.

This is because, as we cut down the size of the budget, we also have to bring in new expenditure previously not budgeted, to enable us adequately respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government in this budget will have direct revenue of funding the budget of N5.158 billion. The deficit to this budget, N5.365 trillion and this will be financed by both domestic as well as foreign borrowing.

The foreign borrowing we are doing for 2020 are all concessionary loans from the IMF, which has already been approved and has crystallized, from the World Bank, Islamic Development Bank as well as Afro EXZIM bank.

There will also be some drawdown of previously committed loans for major ongoing projects that we will be drawing from both existing facilities as well as some special accounts with the approval of Mr. President and the National Assembly, she said.

However, the legislators increased the budget from the initial N10.5trillion submitted by President Buhari to N10.8trillion.

The figure shows that the sum of N2,488,789,433,344 is for capital expenditure and recurrent non-debt expenditure rose to N4,942,269,241,984.

Others are N2.6 trillion for debt service and N2.9 trillion for sinking funds. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Ebonyi Gov. Dave Umahi

Declaration that only the 1st and 2nd defendants, being, parastatals of the Federal Government of Nigeria, possess the sole right, duty and obligation to regulate, manage, control, investigate. administer and supervise the activities of the plaintiff, being a quarry company duly licensed by the 1st defendant.

Declaration that any law enacted by a state government in Nigeria (including the 3rd defendant) which purports to supervise, control, administer or manage quarry activities is null and void to the extent of its inconsistency with the provisions of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act. CAP A479, 2007.

Declaration that it is only the 1st and 2nd defendants that have the sole right and responsibility to demand for royalties and duties from the plaintiff, to the exclusion of any other agencies and level of government in Nigeria, including the 3rd to 6th defendants.

Declaration that the forceful serial demands for payment of haulage fees, royalties and compulsory performance of community services, foisted and imposed on the plaintiff, in respect of the mining activities of the plaintiff by the 3rd to 6th defendants, being a state government, and its functionaries, are arbitrary, unlawful, wrongful. illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.

The plaintiff also asked the court to declare that the act of the 5th defendant, under the authority of the 6th defendant, to illegally enter into, viet armis, seal up and forcibly shut down completely the quarry site amounts to trespass and violates Sections 1, 60, 61, 68, 146 and 147 of he Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act.

The firm, therefore, sought court order mandating the 3rd to 6th defendants to immediately unseal its quarry site and allow it to carry out its lawful business.

The plaintiff, which sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining them from further sealing up its quarry site, urged the court to mandate the 3rd to 6th defendants to pay a N500 million as damages for the illegal shutting down of its business.

However, at the hearing of the matter on Thursday, 3rd to 6th defendants Counsel, Abdul Ibrahim, SAN, urged the court to transfer the case to Abakaliki, Ebonyi, at the division of the court, being the place where the alleged wrongdoing took place.

He based his argument on the grounds that the Chief Judge, Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, on June 24, released a circular directing that cases should be heard where the cause of action aroused.

Source: NAN News

FRSC

By Christian Ogbonna

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Command in Bayelsa has confirmed ten persons dead in a road traffic accident along Tombia-Amassoma road in the state.

Mr Robert Ogom, the Sector Commander, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Yenagoa that three persons were injured in the incident which occurred on Wednesday night.

The incident was a head-on collision involving a truck and a 14-seater bus that had 13 persons on board.

The impact was heavy on the bus and it caught fire, burning all the occupants. The incident occurred at about 9 p.m.

Eight of the passengers were burnt to ashes on the spot, two others died at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital in Okolobiri.

By the time our personnel got to the scene, the driver of the truck had run away, he said.

Ogom blamed the crash on bad lighting system and speeding by both drivers.

Drivers should always ensure that their vehicles are in order before entering the road. They should also avoid speeding and dangerous driving, he advised. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

WHO

By Cecilia Ologunagba

Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Director General, World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday announced the initiation of Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPR) to evaluate worlds response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ghebreyesus announced this at a news conference at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the decision to initiate IPPR was reached at the historic 73rd World Health Assembly in May.

Member states adopted a landmark resolution that called on WHO to initiate an independent and comprehensive evaluation of the lessons learned from the international health response to COVID-19.

In his speech, Ghebreyesus said the panel would be co-chaired by former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark and former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Prime Minister Clark woukd lead the United Nations Development Programme and President Sirleaf is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Operating independently, they will choose other panel members, as well as members of an independent secretariat to provide support.

Clark and Sirleaf were selected through a process of broad consultation with member states and world experts.

I cannot imagine two more strong-minded, independent leaders to help guide us through this critical learning process, he said.

According to him, this is time to look at the world we live in and to find ways to strengthen our collaboration as we work together to save lives and bring this pandemic under control.

The magnitude of this pandemic, which has touched virtually everyone in the world, clearly deserves a commensurate evaluation, he said.

The director general also proposed that a Special Session of the Executive Board be called in September to discuss the panels progress.

In November, the panel will present an interim report at the resumption of the World Health Assembly.

In January 2021, the Executive Board will hold its regular session, where the panels work will be further discussed; and in May next year, at the World Health Assembly, the panel will present its substantive report, he said.

He said that the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergency Programme would also continue its existing work.

Even as we fight this pandemic, we must be ready for future global outbreaks and the many other challenges of our time such as antimicrobial resistance, inequality and the climate crisis

COVID-19 has taken so much from us. But it is also giving us an opportunity to break with the past and build back better, the director general said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19 updates by NCDC

Nigeria COVID-19 cases has jumped to 30,249 cases as it recorded 460 cases on Wednesday, the

no new state had reported a case in the last 24 hours.

It advised that Nigerians should continue to protect themselves and others by observing physical distancing , wearing face masks and washing hands frequently.

Source: NAN News