The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has released guidelines for the operationalisation of its R200 policy.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the apex bank recently initiated the R200 policy in an effort to reduce exposure to volatile sources of foreign exchange and to earn more stable and sustainable inflows.

The policy is aimed at raising 200 billion dollars in Foreign Exchange (FX) earnings from non-oil proceeds over the next five years.

Ozoemena Nnaji, Director of Trade and Exchange Department of the CBN, in a circular on Monday, said that a major anchor of the programme was the Non-Oil Export proceeds repatriation Rebate Scheme.

Nnaji said that the rebate scheme was designed to incentivise exporters in the non-oil export sector to encourage repatriation and sale of export proceeds into the FX Market.

She said that only exporters of finished and semi-finished goods were eligible for the incentive.

It is borne out of the need to develop new strategies aimed at earning more stable and sustainable inflows of FX, in order to insulate the Nigerian economy from shocks and FX shortages.

Exporters shall qualify for the rebates only where repatriated export proceeds are sold at the Investors and Exporters (I

By Grace Alegba

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on Monday appealed to Lagos residents to protect road drains and other infrastructure from all forms of abuse and damage.

Fashola made the appeal during an inspection tour of the ongoing Apapa-Oshodi-Ojota-Oworonshoki Expressway reconstruction project in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Fashola had an interactive meeting with the leadership of theUnited Berger Motors Dealers Association near Mile 2.

After extensive deliberation, the car dealers agreed to the terms of relocation off the highway.

Fashola said to the dealers, the most important thing that has happened here today is an agreement that you will move, that is a big step forward. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Sumaila Ogbaje
Egypt-Nigeria Joint Military Cooperation Committee on Monday visited the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, in Abuja, to strengthen existing military cooperation between the two countries.

The visit was part of international collaboration towards routing insurgency and terrorism.

Maj.-Gen Mohammed Salah, Egyptian Assistant Minister of Defence for International Relations, who led the delegation, said the officials were in Nigeria for the second meeting of the committee.

He said the military cooperation would cover many fields, including training, production and co-production of military hardware by both militaries.

Salah said the two armed forces were also working towards enhancing trans-boundary military collaboration to deal with threat such as insurgency and terrorism.

According to him, the two countries are going to work together on trans-boundary cooperation, because the threats are mostly trans-border.

So our cooperation should also allow us follow suit; national security does not start and end at your borders, it extends way beyond your borders.

So this cooperation is going to be beneficial in enhancing the national security of both countries, he said.

The Director of Policy, Defence Headquarters, Maj.-Gen. Usman Yusuf, said the Nigerian military was going to draw lessons from Egyptian experience in fighting insurgency.

Egypt is having a good experience fighting Islamic jihadists in the Sinai and other parts of its country and we have been having crisis in the North Eastern part of the country for some time now.

On the part of Nigeria, we are looking forward to how to derive maximum benefit from Egypts experiences in fighting insurgency and other crimes.

So, we are going to be sharing experiences and training on how to surmount our problems, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Boboye Oyeyemis Impressive Strides in Road Safety Management

By Ibironke Ariyo, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

To state that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has witnessed impressive strides under the leadership of its Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, would be stating the obvious.

His legacies, achieved through dint of hard work and ingenuity in management, would always remain a part of the soul of the FRSC.

His attitude has always echoed the spirit and ethos of the Corps in road safety management and this is exemplified in the laudable footprints he has made in the agency.

About 34 years ago, the founding fathers of the FRSC sat down and conceived the idea of a road safety lead agency for the country; an Organisation characterised with modernity to address road safety issues.

A situation where its personnel would be willing and ready to render selfless service that bring sanity on the road, reduce road traffic crash with its attendant fatalities and injuries as well as bring succour to all road users.

These are the ideals that the FRSC represents and to which the successive leaderships of the Corps have been committed in order to ensure its attainment and sustenance.

Today, though it might not yet be Uhuru, in terms of having a completely crash-free nation or fully realised the vision of creating a safe motoring environment, but every discerning Nigerian is convinced that FRSC has done a lot.

This is so, considering its modest achievements and Boboyes giant stride in the agency has contributed in bringing it to where it is today.

Amazingly, the Corps has been able to significantly scale down the number of road traffic crashes from 28, 215 in 1987 to 13, 027 as of 2021, representing a 54 per cent reduction.

Taking over the daunting task of steering the agency towards greater heights seven and a half years ago, Oyeyemi had brought a lot of innovations to bear.

From the deployment of body and vehicle cameras for officers, to the establishment of a control room for operations and the efforts toward the introduction of digital drivers license to curb theft and other related crimes, among others, the Corps Marshal has continued to strive to ensure a transformation of the agency for better.

Speaking at the unveiling of body cameras, operation monitoring and control platform, to improve the Corps field operations across the country late last year, Oyeyemi had said that the platform would improve transparency and accountability in the activities of the Corps nationwide.

He added that it was designed with the needs for the public uppermost in mind, as the Corps goes about the task of making the operation of FRSC more responsive.

Oyeyemi also said that it was evidence of a fostered innovation to tackle challenges in patrol operations and its strong commitment to surmount all obstacles in delivering on its mandate.

According to him, the platform is significant, due to its multiplier values to the corps and by extension, national security.

Also during a recent dinner to mark the 34th Anniversary of the Corps, he had assured that the Corps would remain focused to the attainment of its mandate of creating a safe motoring environment and achieve a country where road traffic crashes results in no death.

The Corps Marshal has never been about just talking as anyone who has ever worked with him can tell that he is more about action.

He had said as one of the pioneer staff who witnessed the emergence of the FRSC from scratch, I have worked with others as a team since I came on board in not only keeping it on course but have taken it to greater heights as is evident from the successful completion of all projects.

This feat remains the most credible affirmation that FRSC has come to stay and a testimonial that the Corps will justify the confidence reposed on it by Nigerians, he said.

Oyeyemi used the opportunity to pay tribute to the founding fathers of the FRSC and all relevant stakeholders for toiling day and night to give Nigeria an Organisation that has today not only transformed, but become the reference point in quality service delivery to the people.

This he said has made the Corps a best example of a Lead Agency in Africa as declared by the World Bank.

We must acknowledge their foresight for setting a goal that has showcased Nigeria with a world class organisation from which other nations takes a cue in matters of road safety management and traffic administration.

I must equally appreciate all successive leadership of the Corps for working hard to sustain the ideals upon which the Corps is anchored, he said,

The Corps became one of the few public service organisations in Nigeria to attain ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2013 and upgraded to ISO 9001:2015 in 2019.

In line with its commitment to continually improving its mode of operation, the Corps has just been re-certified on ISO 9001:2015 in January 2022.

The re-certification, back to back, among other strides, Oyeyemi said was a testament of a highly motivated workforce.

In its contribution to road safety management in Africa, the Corps championed the establishment of the West African Road Safety Organisation (WARSO). The Corps will continue to support other African countries to achieve their set objectives, he said.

Highlighting other developmental strides of which he played a major part, he said, The Corps also activated volunteerism in road safety administration through its arm of volunteers.

This he said today, has about 15,000 volunteer Special Marshals, excluding other variants such as Celebrity and Honorary Special Marshals.

Oyeyemi said that the Corps successfully sought for the infusion of Road Safety studies in the curricula of primary and post-primary schools in Nigeria.

He added that the Corps also introduced the concept of Road Safety Clubs in Primary and Secondary schools, as well as among members of the National Youth Service Corps.

The Corps has over 160,000 members of the Road Safety Club nationwide.

Also with the support of the Federal and some State Governments, Nigerian Road Safety Partnership (NRSP), International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), local and international donor agencies and individuals, the Corps has improved on its critical infrastructure and operational equipment.

From a modest five bedroom storey building at Bodija, Ibadan at inception of the Corps in 1988 and few staff, the Corps has rapidly grown with its Headquarters in Wuse, Abuja, he said.

The FRSC boss said that the Corps had expanded its operation with 12 Zonal Commands nationwide, 37 Sector Commands in the 36 States of the Federation and FCT for operational and administrative presence.

He said the Corps similarly has 7 Corridor Commands, 245 Unit Commands, additional 54 Outposts and 764 Station Offices (LGA offices) across the country to widen its operational, rescue and data coverage to enhance its service delivery.

The Corps has established four training institutions: FRSC Academy, Udi in Enugu State for the training of Officers, FRSC Marshal Inspectorate School, Owa-Alero in Delta State for the training of middle cadre manpower.

FRSC Training School Jos in Plateau State for the training of the Road Marshal Assistant Cadre and FRSC Command and Staff College (FCSC), temporarily located in Enugu State.

Some of the training institutions were built through partnership with some State Governments, while others were fully delivered by individual State Governments.

The institutions are designed to cater for the training needs of staff, State Traffic Agencies and other clients, he said.

Oyeyemi said that it was worthy of mention that FRSC Academy had received approval of the National Universities Commission to commence post-graduate degree programmes in affiliation with the Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri, in Imo State.

He said that the Corp was also partnering with African Development Bank (AfDB) to establish a Center of Excellence in Road Safety studies in Africa at the Academy.

In pursuit and sustenance of a world class status, permit me to mention that the Corps has established a functional 24hour ultra-modern FRSC Call Center.

This is to receive and route emergency calls through 122 Toll-free numbers for easy communication to the Call Center especially by first responders.

In addition, the Corps has established Field Operations Monitoring and Control Center (FOMCC) for real time monitoring of activities of our field operatives via body worn cameras deployed with field operatives.

In the same vein, Oyeyemi said that the Emergency Ambulance Service Scheme was established with 51 life-support ambulances for prompt emergency rescue services, reducing response time to 15 minutes.

He said that the Corps also had three (3) Main Number Plate Production Centers and six (6) Mini Number Plate Plants; one (1) Print Farm for printing of Drivers License and 225 Drivers License Center nationwide for capturing of Drivers license applicants.

Other installations of the Corps are: One (1) Signage Plant for production of road signs; 21 Staff Clinic, 28 Road Side Clinics and Medical Centers to service staff, road traffic crash victims and general public, Officers Mess; National Traffic Radio (NTR) on 107.1 FM for promoting better driving culture, he said.

The FRSC boss also expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for his support to the Corps, saying that the President in 2016 approved an intervention fund that led to the procurement of about 343 vehicles.

Oyeyemi added that there was yet another approval in 2020 to inject more vehicles to support the operations of the Corps which was currently being worked on.

He added that within the past seven and half years of his administration, the Corps had constructed, inaugurated and equipped 16 State Sector Commands and fully completed all uncompleted projects through the support of the Federal Government.

Oyeyemi had also shown good working relationships with sister agencies comprising the Military and Paramilitary organisations, which was part of efforts that had put the FRSC in good standing today.

According to him, for the 34 years of the Corps existence, they have extended good hands of fellowship in varied forms and stood by the Corps in molding and shaping an agency that today is the best example of the Lead Agency in Africa.

Oyeyemi had a fulfilling working career that has seen him operating in various capacities for the Corps.

They include O/C Comm. Corps Marshals Office, FRSC National Headquarters; Zonal Commanding Officer, RS2HQ Lagos; Area Commander (Plant

By Deborah Coker

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Dan Orbih, has charged politicians to play by the rules now that the Amended Electoral Act has been signed into law.

Orbih, National Vice-Chairman, PDP South-South, said in Benin on Sunday that it was the political actors that would determine whether or not the Act would impact on the 2023 general elections.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that there is no Constitution that is totally bad.

It is the operators that can be bad. The same applies to the Electoral Act when you think about it positively or negatively.

What is important actually is the politicians; the political actors. They must learn to play by the rules.

The PDP stalwart stressed that it was not what was in the Act that would determine the behaviour of people.

We have a whole lot that must be done by political actors themselves.

They must learn to take defeat in good faith. They must allow the process to take its course. Nobody should make any attempt to interfere with due process in the conduct of the elections, he said.

The PDP leader added that apart from signing the Electoral Act into law, the president should ensure adequate security of lives and property during and after elections.

Orbih also told NAN that the president must ensure that elections are conducted under very peaceful and secure atmosphere and equally ensure continuous improvement in the economy.

President Muhammadu Buhari signed the amended Electoral Act into law on Feb. 25. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Deborah Coker

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo, Mr Peter Esele, on Sunday in Benin advocated permanent, irreversible dates for elections in the nations calendar.

Esele, one-time governorship aspirant in Edo and former President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, said like Independence Day, marked every Oct. 1, election dates should be made permanent.

INEC rolled out a new timetable for the 2023 general elections on Feb. 26; hours after President Muhammadu Buhari signed a long-awaited Amended Electoral Bill into law.

INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, announced in the timetable that Presidential and National Assembly elections would take place on Feb. 25, 2023, instead of Feb. 18 announced earlier by the Commission.

Reacting to the new date, Esele declared: we cant be having elections dates tampered with. No.

If we have fixed dates, then political parties will also follow suit concerning delegates conferences and primaries. Everyone works and plans with such dates.

When you start playing with dates, you create room for distrust; you create room for lack of transparency and also manipulation of the process.

Esele also commended Buhari for signing the Electoral Act as amended into law and stressed that INEC should regard the new Act as an opportunity to improve on its processes.

He noted that areas of contentions had been addressed.

I think gradually with the Electoral Act, we are raising the bar for a fair electoral process.

Hopefully, we will no longer have cases in court for years and courts will no longer decide our elections, he said.

Speaking on amendments to the Constitution at the National Assembly, Esele opined that personal interests were involved.

He decried any attempt by the National Assembly to include immunity clause for its principals in the Constitution as enjoyed by presidents, governors and their deputies.

Esele said while the Executive has fixed tenure of maximum of eight years at a stretch, lawmakers could remain in office for as long as they kept winning elections and should, therefore, not be entitled to Constitutional immunity. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Nathan Nwakamma

An environmentalist, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, has urged oil firms in the Niger Delta to clean up polluted onshore sites before moving their activities offshore.

Bassey made the call in Yenegoa, on Friday at an oilfield dialogue with the theme, Building Community Resilience against Fossils Extraction.

The event which was organsied by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) for oil communities in Bayelsa was held at the banks of Taylor Creek, Agbia, Yenagoa.

The environmentalist noted that the Niger Delta region enjoyed clean and natural environment before the discovery of oil about 60 years ago.

He said oil firms gradual shift to offshore posed greater danger to the fishing vocation of people.

Bassey said Niger Deltas rich biodiversity with freshwater and marine ecosystems such as rivers, lakes, streams and creeks had become more threatened.

According to him, no fewer than six million persons may be pushed out of their fishing occupation due to the activities of the oil firms in the region.

It is of national interest to protect the artisanal fishing industry. It is, however, regrettable that most fresh water bodies have been lost to oil pollution, he said.

Bassey further expressed worries that many international oil firms were already divesting from their onshore assets and moving their operations offshore.

Their claim is that the Niger Delta no longer suits their business model. They are trying to avoid responsibilities arising from their environmental misbehaviour.

They are leaving after sucking the region dry and destroying the environment, if this pollution is replicated offshore, the impact will be very tragic, he said.

Also speaking at the event, Mrs Alas Talani, described the damage on the freshwater bodies as colossal.

I started fishing at the Taylor Creeks as a young girl, I got married and continued fishing with my husband, we used to have bountiful catches.

Fishing was rewarding before the oil pipelines were laid, all one needed was to throw the net and tie it across, a few hours later you have a full net.

Things have changed, as the oil leaks continued, fishing activities here at Taylor Creeks produced little or no catch, we are endangered, Talani said.

Also speaking, Chief Washington Odoyibo, a community leader and fisherman, accused oil firms of indulging in unfriendly environmental practices.

Oil spills have rendered us unproductive, the pollutions from oil exploration and production did not also spare our farmlands, Odoyibo said.

In her contribution, Chief Ayibakoro Warder, a woman leader, commended HOMEF for organising the dialogue, describing it as well intended.

We commend you for organsing this event, it has educated us on how to deal with the environmental challenges that have been affecting us for a long time.

The call for the cleanup of polluted sites on the land and the need for stiffer penalties to conserve the environment is in order, Warder said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Naomi Sharang

Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State on Friday matriculated 1, 376 students for the 2020/2021 Academic Session.

The Vice-Chancellor of the Institute, Prof. William Qurix, who administered the Oath of Matriculation on the students, noted that the event was the 16th since the inception of the school.

Qurix said that a total of 2, 364 candidates applied to the university to study various courses out of which 1, 376 were granted admission.

In the same vein, today (Friday) also marks the matriculation of 387 of our postgraduate students into various postgraduate programmes offered by the university, he said

He said that since the commencement of academic activities in 2006, the university had maintained a steady academic calendar and continued to churn out high-quality graduates into the nation and world labour market.

The vice-chancellor said that the institution currently operated 64 academic programmes with 46 established in the last three years.

On the rate of insecurity in the country, Qurix called on the Federal Government to pay special attention to schools to curb the menace of kidnappings.

We pray that they will pay special attention to schools to enable normal academic life to continue.

Security measures are not measures you tout around in the open. We are conscious of the happenings around society. We are also doing our best to secure the students, he said.

In a paper presentation, Prof. Raymond Bako, Faculty of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria urged the students to reflect on their lives and make a renewed commitment to serve God and make the right decisions that would make them succeed in life.

He spoke on the topic Balancing your academic, social and spiritual life on campus.

Bako also called on the students to shun all social vices including sexual immortality and get-rich-quick activities.

One of the students, Tuta Joseph, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) appreciated God for leading him through primary, secondary and now university.

At 17 years, I feel honoured. Its a great privilege to be in Bingham University, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Jessica Onyegbula

Some prominent Nigerians attending a Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) organised symposium in Abuja have called for the resolution of the recurring indigene-settler crisis in the country, while reiterating that the unity of the nation was non-negotiable.

They made the call on Friday, at a two-day symposium jointly organised with the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN) and Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI), under the theme: Threat to the unity of the Ummah and the future of Nigeria, citizenship and nationhood.

The NSCIA President and Sultan of Sokoto, Dr. Muhammad Saad Abubakar III, represented by the Emir of Keffi, Nasarawa State, Alhaji Shehu Chindo Yamusa III, said that the unity and peace of the nation was important for its survival and the wellbeing of its citizens.

All deliberations must be harmonised without bias. All conflicting factors must be addressed and resolved. We must contribute in such a way that it would be positive for the development of the country, he said.

Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Baze University, Abuja, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, spoke on The Nigerian Federation and the management of our diversity: A critical evaluation.

Baba-Ahmed said that any responsible discussion on basic identity in Nigeria was bound to stumble around the irony that it is the one issue which today represents a major impediment to the nations progress beyond the precarious stage where it seemed to be stuck.

Which is that, virtually none of Nigerians chose his faith, ethnicity or region, is also the basis of much of the most damaging conflicts in which the citizens are engaged.

Violence and threats remind us that our politics have failed to engineer a citizen, and leaders who benefitted from exploiting identity politics are incapable of containing its expanding influence.

Indeed, they are riding harder on our weak points, and they leave many of us to wonder how they plan to govern a wrecked country, assuming that they even manage to keep the country together enough to have elections in 2023, he said.

Elder statesman and the candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, Alhaji Bashir Tofa, urged Nigerians to elect the right people in forthcoming elections.

Tofa, who was the chairman of the event, said, We have polluted ambitions, you know the ordinary Nigerian wants to live a life quietly and pursue their daily bread.

But politicians and elites are the problems of the country. We have to realise that and do something about it. Next time, elect the right people, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhamamdu Buhari says membership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Amaju Pinnick into the FIFA Council will provide benefits that will lead to the advancement of football in Africa.

The president stated this on Friday in Abuja, when he had an audience with the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare and Pinnick, at the State House.

He, once again, congratulated the NFF boss on his election victory into the strategic body that sets the vision for global football, assuring him of Nigerias support in his new position.

The position on the Council of the worlds football governing body, FIFA, comes at a time when Nigeria is determined to turn the fortunes of her sports development around through better infrastructure, more investment both public and private government incentives.

Without prejudice to the continental nature of your assignment at the Council, I urge you to use your position to ensure Nigerias sporting image receives a boost.

I know this position will assist Nigeria get technical and financial support from FIFA; and your position should create a platform for other Nigerians to enter into the FIFA family and other international Sports Federations, he said.

While emphasising his belief in the potential of sports to promote peace, unity, enhance good health and stimulate the economy, Buhari said: One of the greatest sports is football and Nigeria is a great football nation.

I am myself a keen follower of football.

On his vision for Nigerian football, the President told the minister and the NFF President:

I want to see Nigerias football develop and move in a more dynamic trajectory from football administration to youth and grassroots football, talent hunt and use of Nigerias home based talents.

Nigeria also needs a more privatized and better organised football regime that can rival others in Europe and America, he said.

The president, therefore, urged the NFF to work with the Sport ministry and football stakeholders to provide Nigeria with a 10-year Football Master Plan that would ensure youth football development, in line with FIFAs commitment.

He urged corporate organisations to invest in sports development, and pledged his administrations commitment to turn sports into business.

He added that the expected reviewed Sport Industry Policy will be the catalyst that turns football activities associated with it into key contributors to the national economy.

In his remarks, Dare thanked the President for his support for sports development in the country, and for approving the reclassification of sports as business, instead of mere recreation.

He promised that a new draft policy on the sports industry was almost ready, as well as a 10-year master plan for football at all levels.

The new FIFA Council member, Pinnick, equally lauded President Buhari for his support for football, saying: without you, I couldnt have won election into the FIFA Council. Your name is highly respected across the continent.

Pinnick pledged to be a worthy Ambassador of the country, adding I will use the office to build Nigerian football, in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

He was on March 12, elected into the FIFA Council after a landslide victory, defeating Malawian FA President Walter Nyamilandu by 43 votes to eight at the CAF General Assembly held in Rabat, Morocco.

He becomes the third Nigerian elected into the prestigious council after Oyo Orok Oyo (1980-1988) and Amos Adamu (2006-2010). (NAN)

Source: NAN News