By Ikenna Uwadileke

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), on Tuesday said that Nigeria exported over 4. 146 million metric tonnes of non-oil products, worth 2.593 billion dollars from January to June 2022.

The Executive Director of NEPC, Dr Ezra Yakusak, said this while presenting the first half year 2022 progress report to newsmen in Abuja.

According to Yakusak, the figure represents 62.37 per cent increase as against 1.59 billion dollars for the first half year in 2021 and 2020 which stood at 981.442 million dollars, respectively.

He said, in spite of the global economic recession that affected most businesses in 2021, the sector recorded a significant growth in non-oil export.

A total of 4,146,534 metric tonnes of product worth 2.593 billion dollars were exported between January and June 2022.

These figures were culled from the non-oil export performance reports of various pre-shipment inspection agents who are appointed by the Federal Government to determine the volume, value and destination of Nigerian non-oil export.

The analysis from returns of these pre-shipment inspection agents indicates that the January-June 2022, export performance was the highest half year non-oil export performance since 2018.

Yakusak said that over 200 different products, ranging from manufactured, semi-processed, solid minerals to raw agricultural products were reported to have been exported in the period under review.

He said that unlike what was applicable in the past, the trend of products exported from Nigeria was gradually shifting from its traditional agricultural exports to semi-processed/manufactured goods.

This can be gleaned from the following product classification as contained in the PIAs report as manufactured products are 36.28 per cent, raw agriculture product 33.35 per cent, while precious stones are 13.22 per cent and others 17.15 per cent, he said.

The NEPC boss said that of the top 15 exported products in the first half year of 2022, urea/fertilizer recorded 32.49 per cent of total export.

In the same vein, cocoa beans, sesame seed and aluminum ingots contributed 12.65, 7 and 5.07 per cents, respectively.

He added that 572 companies participated in exporting the products in the period under review.

This is an indication that Nigerian businesses are gradually embracing the diversification campaign of the NEPC by venturing into nonoil exports, he said.

While explaining that there was no incidence of export rejections, Yakusak said that during the period under review, different Nigerian products were exported to 112 countries.

According to him, some of these products were exported to the Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania regions and Africa.

Of these figures, Brazil, United States of America (USA) and India were the top three export destinations based on the value of imports.

Regrettably, of the top 10 export destinations of Nigerian products, none is an African country.

Only Benin and Niger Republic made it to the top 15, he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

Source: NAN News

By Rukayat Moisemhe

Experts at the American Business Council (ABC) forum on Tuesday advocated for Nigerias total digitalisation by equipping its citizens with the requisite digital capabilities to bridge the digital divide concept in the country.

They gave the advice at the 2nd ABC Economic Update with the theme: Multi-Sectoral Impact of Emerging Technologies and Best Options for Their Adoption in Lagos.

Mrs Olayinka West, Professor, Information Systems, Lagos Business School, said the advice was important, especially seeing how the COVID-19 pandemic pushed many businesses and organisations to become technology dependent.

According to her, Nigerian need not wait for another global external event to jolt them into accepting emerging and dynamically evolving technologies as a country.

West said that to achieve technological inclusiveness, efforts must begin from the grassroot level and then work its way up, reaching the nooks and crannies of the country.

She, however, stressed the need to innovate by building data and technological products for the Nigeria of today and in view of the projected population increase by 2050 to reap the transformational benefits of digital technology.

She explained this could be achieved by producing more multilingual technology products to accommodate the various rich language dynamics of the country.

We can harness our human resources to a digital Nigeria to reap the big macroeconomic benefits, which the country has to offer.

Tech can be a main source of foreign exchange as opposed to leaning on just oil for that.

Theres however the need to take technology education to the grassroots, ensure data affordability for small businesses and then invest in requisite infrastructure to address cyber insecurities.

Collectively, we can do more with technology for a more nourished ecosystem across all sectors of the Nigerian economy, she said.

Mrs Oluwafunto Olasemo, Vice President, Financial Market, AFEX, noted that the country as an agrarian society had about five per cent as funding to the agricultural sector, and was without adequate data to drive agricultural information science.

Olasemo stressed that investments in agriculture technology was crucial to enable the country generate more viable foreign exchange from exports of agricultural produces.

She noted that the place of commodity as alternative assets for the country was crucial.

Government needs to channel the right policies to get to the grassroots to reap the benefits of shared prosperity if data of the sector is properly documented, she said.

Mr Oluwabankole Falade, Chief Regulatory and Government Relations Officer, Flutterwave, said the company was committed to providing data privacy programme around General Data Protection Regulation(GDPR) and localise same to the Nigerian context.

He said the company would continue to mandatorily train staff on data safety and engage firms to audit and hack its systems to test its vulnerabilities and address them.

Customers also have a role to play and we ensure that they are educated on basic data security infrastructure to ensure that their informations are not compromised, he said.

Responding, Dr Falilat Jimoh, Digital Architect Manager, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said that the agency is determination to build a flourishing digital landscape to reap the benefits of technology.

She noted the need for multi-sectoral collaboration for a seamless ecosystem to derive more values against drowning in the wave of of digital disruptions.

NITDA has its own strategic document roadmap which harps on the need for digital inclusion to accommodate those selling even plantain on the streets.

We want a Nigeria where everyone irrespective of who you are, where you are, the language you speak, ethnicity can derive value from technology.

This requires innovation to enable maximum participation at the grassroot level and also requires behavioural change and trust on the part of the people to drive the inclusiveness to success, she said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Mark Longyen/Olawunmi Ashafa

Source: NAN News

By Sarafina Christopher

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) office in Nigeria and its alumni association, SKICAN has donated school materials to pupils at Mawumadoka Children Waterfront School in Makoko, Lagos Nigeria.

Mr Minjae Kang, the Deputy Country Director representing the Country Director KOICA in a statement on Monday disclosed that the donation was aimed at encouraging and supporting the education of kids.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the materials include 400 school bags, books, and other writing materials which were given to underprivileged kids at Makoko waterfront community.

Makoko is one of the slum communities living on water under the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State.

The country director said the donations aim was also to support the education of the kids in the community towards the Sustainable Development Goals 4 of Free education for all.

In the last 10 years, through its Official Development Assistance Programme in Nigeria, KOICA has implemented various educational projects including training of over 2,000 Nigerians in Korea on Ph.Ds, masters degree and country specific short-term programs, Kang said.

He also encouraged the students to work hard for their future.

Chief Raymond Whehumi, the chief of the community expressed appreciation to KOICA and its alumni association for the visit and for providing support to the kids.

One of the highlights of the visit was when Whehumi led the delegation on a boat tour of the community. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Mark Longyen/Emmanuel Yashim

Source: NAN News

By Bridget Ikyado

Rev. Nkechi Nwosu, the first female Bishop of the Methodist Church Nigeria, says she will focus on helping women and youths to imbibe moral values that will advance the development of the church and society.

The Bishop, who has been posted to Jos Diocese, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday that her target was to bring about positive changes in the society.

I will embark on serious evangelism concentrating more on women, as they are the home managers, who play vital roles in the society and the nation.

We will preach peace, focus on self sustainability which curb societal ills.

I will ensure women seminars talk on how to sustain the family; women need to be strengthened, prayed for and cared for.

They need to be remembered, they should have virtues such as endurance, be peaceful, kind, forgiving heart and prayerful. These are values children should emulate from mothers.

She promised to keep close watch on the youths and facilitate more programmes for their development.

The youths need to be guided, they need to be led, monitored, supported and prayed for.

They need empowerment for self-reliance, so as to shun social vices for peace and national development.

Children and the vulnerable, the widows will be drawn closer to God for sustainability and the church will assist with the little we have, Nwosu said.

She pledged to improve on the programmes of the Church and initiate more positive self developing and empowerment activities.

I am so excited because I have been in the ministry since the year 1994.

I started as a Deaconess, then proceeded to become the first minister in training, after that I became the first Deaconess and now the first female Bishop of the Methodist Church Nigeria.

I am not afraid to venture into Gods work and be elevated to such a level, because God is with me.

Being a woman I can only say thank you God, its by His grace, its not by my power, its not that I am more anointed than others.

I believe that God who started with me, fulfilled His word that when He starts a thing, He does not stop halfway, He brings it to a perfect end, she added.

The Bishop said that she trusted that God will give her the grace to carry the extra responsibility that He has given to me even as a woman.

NAN reports that Nwosu studied Theology and was a professional microbiologist and health technology lecturer at the University of Jos, before she left everything to serve God. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

Source: NAN News

By Perpetua Onuegbu

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has lauded the National Economic Council (NEC) for endorsing the 750million dollars World Bank-backed State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) programme.

This was made known in a statement by Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business and Secretary PEBEC, in Abuja.

According to her, the 750million dollars financing amounts to 36 per cent of the two billion dollars Government SABER programme (2022 2025), which represents the aggregate recurrent expenditure of key ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) at federal and state level across the country.

The SABER programme is a three-year performance-based intervention jointly designed by the World Bank Technical team and the PEBEC Secretariat with support from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning (FMFBNP).

Home Finance Department and the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) Secretariat. It further gives expression to the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) mandate articulated in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

The programme was subsequently retained in the National Development Plan (NDP), aimed at generating 21 million full-time jobs and lifting 35 million people out of poverty by 2025, Oduwole said.

The PEBEC secretary further explained that the programme was designed to deliver concrete results across four reform areas with eight Disbursement Link Indicators.

These, Oduwole said, covered improving land administration and land investment process; improving business enabling infrastructure; increasing sustainable large-scale investments; and enabling firm operations.

All participating states and the FCT could potentially receive a maximum of 52.5 million dollars during the three-year period.

In addition to the already-existing PEBEC-NEC subnational intervention, the SABER programme seeks to provide additional incentives, such as using results-based financing targeted at improving the business environment and facilitating crowding in of private sector investments at scale.

The eligibility criteria for the programme include developing an annual action plan with private sector collaborators to be approved by the State Executive Council and published online.

Recommendations from the 2nd Subnational EoDB Report, due to be released in October 2022, are also expected to be considered.

The PEBEC had earlier presented the SABER programme at an expanded PEBEC meeting held on August 16, 2022, chaired by the Vice President with the chairpersons of the EoDB Councils from various states across the country in attendance. She said

Oduwole added that the council had been collaborating with the World Bank since November 2019 to develop the SABER programme.

She explained that the SABER programme consists of two main areas: 730 million dollars Programme-for-Results (PforR) and 20 million dollars Technical Assistance.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)teports that it was established in July 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari to remove critical bottlenecks and bureaucratic constraints to doing business in Nigeria.(NAN)

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Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

Source: NAN News

By Cecilia Ijuo

The Acting Chairman, Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) Mr Haruna Abdullahi says the service is working hard to exceed its 2022 revenue target of N200 billion.

He said this when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

Abdullahi said the service was leveraging on technology to create a centralised platform that would allow plug-in for additional tax generation.

According to him, the service is equally prioritising manpower development, and improved sensitisation campaign among others to actualise its projection for the year.

We are hopeful to achieve far beyond our target of N200 billion to as much as N500 billion because as we speak, we have additional people who have come into the tax net significantly.
Also, through the engagement we are having with the media and the general public, we believe people will begin to see payment of taxes as a duty.
When that is achieved, N500 billion will be insignificant.
So, we are putting processes in place and we are simplifying them as well as building internal structure for sustainability.
We are equally engaged in training and re-training of our members of staff and hopefully in the next one year, there will be no problem of human capacity gap, he said.
Abdullahi said that the huge economic activities that take place in the FCT was an added advantage for the service to generate huge income.
NAN reports that the FCT-IRS in 2021 generated more than N100 billion, which was above the target for the year.
On concerns of poor filing of tax returns in the FCT, the acting chairman said the agency would not rest on its oars in ensuring improvement.
He said that quite a good number of people do not file their tax returns, saying it was a serious area of concern.
We have been engaging in the last eight months with the general public and other relevant stakeholders on this and other tax matters.
Filing of tax returns is a civic responsibility that must be adhered to and of course in terms of penalty, the laws are very clear.
It is our intention to work within the confines of the law as well as engage administrators and other stakeholders that have a responsibility to assist taxpayers.
All these engagements we are having is to inform people that this is what they need to do.
It is also to let them know what the law says and this is also what the law says if you do not abide by your responsibilities as a citizen and a tax payer. he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

Source: NAN News

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Senior Pastor, Dunamis International Gospel Center (DIGC), Dr Paul Enenche, on Sunday prayed for the nations armed forces and other security agencies.

Enenche prayed for successful operations of the security agencies against the enemies of Nigeria.

The Pastor tagged the Sunday service Special Preservation, Impartation and Empowerment Service to pray for the personnel of the military and the various security agencies who were involved in the ongoing fight against terrorism, banditry and other security challenges in the country.

He preached a message entitled: Accessing the Word of God with emphasis on how to access revelation from the word of God.

Enenche appreciated the officers and men of the nations security forces, saying they deserved a depth of gratitude from all Nigerians for defending and securing lives at the expense of theirs.

Reading from the book of Psalm 105:12-15, he prayed that the personnel be empowered to fight and defeat the adversaries of the country.

Today, you receive the oil of touch not, no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper.

He urged them to be courageous and not to be afraid wherever they were deployed, advising to see their assignment as a mandate to solve a problem.

Enenche also laid curses on those who sponsored or collaborated with the criminals to destabilise the peace and progress of Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a large number of men and women from the military, paramilitary and other security agencies attended the church service. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Benson Iziama/Chioma Ugboma

Source: NAN News

By Bridget Ikyado

Mr Olusegun Adeniyi, Head of Teens Development of Redeemed Christian Church of God, The Everlasting Arms Parish, has advised youths to embrace service to God in order to reap the rewards of imbibing virtues.

Adeniyi gave the advice on Saturday in Abuja at the Teens Career Conference 2022 with the theme Why Tomorrows Leaders Must Begin Today.

He urged youths to honour God with their time and talents to attract more blessings and wisdom.

The Teens coordinator called on youths to discard any relationship that was not of God and to disallow sin in their lives.

We have decided to invite youths in their 30s so that we can encourage them.

No matter the challenges they are going though, these were the same issues we went through and came out all right.

What we are trying to do is to get them involved and take ownership of the programme.

You can see that, today, there are no adults, the teens did everything. That is what we are trying to encourage; it is their programme, let them take ownership, Adeniyi said.

Mr Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, advised the teens and youths to use the Internet to impact themselves positively.

The social media is the most powerful tool that you may have.

This generation is the most networked generation; the things that you know, some of us do not even know it.

I just want to plead with you that as you use the Internet, use them to build yourself and do not use them to destroy your self.

Because, these same tools will be used to destroy you, if you dont use them effectively, Itodo said.

Mr Seun Onigbinde, a Nigerian entrepreneur, urged youths to build unique qualities to become good leaders.

At every point in time, the fundamental thing that should first come to your mind is, this place I am right now, how do I bloom?

How do I get to be fruitful, how do I get to be productive and how do I get to be useful, Onigbinde said.

Mrs Linda Ejiorfor-Suleiman, a model and Nollywood actor, advised youths to take up challenges and depend on God for results as He alone could bring perfect plans as desired.

Whenever you find yourself in a tough decision to make, take a moment, ask yourself, What Will Jesus Do?

Jesus is a very good example of a good leader, Ejiorfor-Suleiman said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event, which had teens and youths colourfully dressed, featured dance performances, talk shows, spoken words and song ministrations. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

Source: NAN News

By Sumaila Ogbaje

Some security and intelligence experts have advocated the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tackle the security challenges confronting the country.

They spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the 15th International Security Conference and Award (ISCA), organised by the International Institute of Professional Security (IIPS), on Saturday in Abuja.

Director General of IIPS, Dr Tony Ofoyetan said that deploying inanimate things like drones would give great push to the fight against insecurity.

There is need for more of technology in intelligence gathering and operational executions and the like.

They need to understand the essence of inanimate intelligence and that is actually the reason why we put on this conference, he said.

Ofoyetan also advised the government to look at the security challenges beyond the perspective of military actions.

He added that the government should interrogate the possibility of international sponsorship of the various security challenges bedeviling the country.

The D-G said international infiltration into the nations domestic terrorism was obvious and advised the government to review its relationship with neighboring countries.

We have porous borders with more than 2, 000 Illegal routes into the country today, and it is a major problem, he added.

Another security and intelligence expert, Mr Kabiru Adamu, said the conference with the focus on intelligence was apt considering the nature of the security challenges being confronted by the military and other security agencies.

What this conference has done it to bring forward solutions using technology in managing insecurity in Nigeria.

The reality is that technology is a force multiplier in a situation where you have paucity of funds, where you dont have enough personnel, then technology is the natural fallback.

That is what this conference is proposing. All the papers that were presented discussed solutions around the use of technology, in particular, is the use of AI.

Looking at EndSARS crisis when Nigeria was caught unawares, its obvious our security agencies were not prepared for the kind of modernisation that took place in the cyberspace.

Now what this conference has done is to bring out all the solutions that are available within the technology space for solving security challenges.

Like I emphasised, it is absolutely important for Nigeria, because we are faced with a situation where we dont have enough personnel, we dont have enough money and AI or technology is the natural option for us, Adamu said.

The security expert said the nation had no choice but to adopt technology in intelligence gathering, in order to effectively tackle the security challenges.

Adamu also called for engagement of young people, especially those who are experts in different aspects of cybersecurity, to support the military forces.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

Source: NAN News

By Sumaila Ogbaje

Minister of Defence, retired Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi, says the Armed Forces have increased their strength, reviewed training and order of battle to curtail security threats across the country.

Magashi said this at the 15th International Security Conference and Award (ISCA) organised by the International Institute of Professional Security (IIPS) on Saturday in Abuja.

In the armed forces, we have increased our strength as much as possible, reviewed our training tactics and procedures and reviewed our order of battle, he said.

The minister was represented by the Chief of Defence Training and Operations, Maj.-Gen. Adeyemi Yekini at the event with the theme: Intelligence of Things: Working against Kidnapping and Terrorism.

Magashi said the renewed onslaught had started yielding results with the recent arrest of the terrorists behind the June 5 attack at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State.

He said there was also an enhanced synergy between the services and other security agencies which had led to the smoking out of criminals from their hideouts.

He said more than 70,000 terrorists and their families had surrendered to troops in the Northeast while hundreds of thousands of displaced persons had returned to their ancestral homes.

He added that troops had been deployed on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway on 24-hour patrols, while Operation Forest Sanity had been launched in the North Central and Northwest to comb the forests.

He said many camps belonging to criminals had been destroyed and many criminals and terrorists either arrested or neutralised.

Many kidnap victims were also rescued, he added.

Magashi also reiterated the determination of the military and other security agencies to rid the Southeast, South-South and Southwest of all forms of criminality.

According to him, the activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) are being checkmated, while crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and piracy are being tackled head on.

Terrorism as we all know is always enduring. Ending it may not be as quick as one may expect,

I can assure you, however, that we are on top of the situation and in the shortest possible time, all these challenges will become a thing of the past.

In his remarks, the Director-General, IIPS, Dr Tony Ofoyetan, said ISCA was an annual event designed to deliberate on security issues that would be of benefit to security professionals, industry and the nation at large.

Ofoyetan said the event also provided the opportunity for the institute to honour deserving professionals.

He noted that saboteurs within and outside of government and the country had continually frustrated the efforts of security agencies to end terrorism and banditry.

He noted also that but for the professional doggedness of security operatives the three-arm terrorism groups of Boko Haram, banditry and herdsmen would have overrun the country.

As we are aware, intelligence is said to be the main tool through which all forms of battles are won or lost.

For this years conference, we have decided to take intelligence out of the conventional box to look at it from the perspective and functionality of things.

This is done working in consonance with the expectation of its protagonists, he said.

The guest speaker, Dr Timothy Dakwat said in his lecture that deployment of Artificial Intelligence (Al) to fight terrorism was of strategic importance.

His lecture was entitled: Intelligence of Things: Countering the Threats of Insurgency and Terrorism.

Dakwat said that Al could facilitate autonomous operations, more informed military decision-making and increase the speed and scale of military action.

According to him, there are chances that application of AI in the fight against Boko Haram will provide the needed response that can dislodge insurgents from their enclaves.

It is possible to envision scenarios in which Al can provide much more effective early identification in protecting civilians as well as combatants from enemy fire, Dakwat said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Deborah Coker/Alli Hakeem

Source: NAN News