APC Chieftain, Mr Osita Okechukwu

By Naomi Sharang

An All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain, Mr Osita Okechukwu, has hailed the defection of Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the party, describing it as a welcome development.

Okechukwu, in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, said that the governor had made a bold move by joining the ruling APC.

Okechukwu, who is also the Director- General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), said that he (Umahi) had activated the Zikist Eagle Alliance in the South-East geopolitical zone.

I congratulate His Excellency, David Umahi, for flying the pragmatic Zikist Eagle Alliance, which governed the First and Second Republics in Nigeria.

It is a welcome development, especially given the fact that he is leading the squad of his colleagues and other prominent Igbo leaders to reinforce the revived Zikist North and East Alliance, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Umahi had announced his defection to APC, alleging that PDP was unfair to NdIgbo in spite of their years of loyalty and investment of their electoral advantage on the party.

Okechukwu said: I agree with the governor entirely, because if you remember that His Excellency, Dr Alex Ekwueme of blessed memory, who was the founder of PDP, was treated shabbily.

Apart from individual appointments, what did the South-East get in return?

Personal important appointments in the face of regrettable dilapidated physical infrastructure have contributed nothing to the zone.

But, the current APC-led Federal Government is carrying the cross of infrastructural development to the joy of our people.

Okechukwu said that Umahis move would guarantee the popular agitation for Nigerias president of Igbo extraction, come 2023.

It will be more than any alchemy; it will facilitate it, more so when he (the governor) is the pilot of gale of defections we are expecting from the zone to APC.

As the chairman of South-East Governors Forum, Umahi is opening the gate for his other brother-governors, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)

By Emmanuel Afonne

Abuja-based lawyers, Messrs Pelumi Olajengbesi and Henry Kelechukwu, have appealed to the National Assembly (NASS) to ensure that the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), 2020 was tailored to strengthen the policy arm of the petroleum industry and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

The lawyers made the appeal in a memorandum on the PIB they jointly signed and addressed to the Senate Committee on Gas Resources, and seen by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

Olajengbesi and Kelechukwu, both Senior partners at the Law Corridor, an Abuja-based law firm, stated that the bill should be properly structured to harness the proficiency of the non-pool professionals engaged in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

We strongly recommend that the bill should create and establish the National Petroleum Directorate, as a professional arm of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. This is to immediately absorb all the non pool staffs/professionals already engaged in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to address issues like the lack of proper delineation, composition and operation of the policy arm of the Oil and Gas sector.

Specifically, the bill should be structuring the Ministry of Petroleum Resources into two departments, the Administrative Department and the National Petroleum Directorate.

The Administrative Department of the Ministry should be composed of the Civil Servants as is the case presently, and to be tasked with the day to day running and general functionality of the Ministrys administration to ensure a seamless implementation of its policies and directives.

The National Petroleum Directorate, on the other hand, will be tasked with the development of policies and instruments for the effective coordination and operation of the Oil and Gas industry, Olajengbesi and Kelechukwu explained in the memorandum.

They also called for a review of the situation where external consultants were procured to carry out roles that can be handled by professionals in the ministry.

Such external consultants discharge their brief only to exit upon the appointment of a new Minister, resulting in a break in the chain of policy development, continuity and sustainability of the Ministrys policy directions.

The redundancy of these professionals in the ministry has resulted in a colossal waste of human and intellectual resources garnered over the years, which was purposively directed at the service of the ministry but left unharnessed till date, they said.

They also called for the renaming of the Office of the Minister in the Proposed Petroleum Industry Bill 2020, because the Minister derived his functionality and structure from the Ministry.

It is imperative to state that all Ministries of the Federal Government statutorily have the Office of the Minister as a component part of its entity and administration. Hence, the office of the Minister cannot be recognized in isolation of the Ministry as the Minister derives his functionality and structure from the Ministry.

The Ministry is, in fact, the foundation and bedrock from which the Minister derives purpose and intent to perform optimally by maximising the Ministrys structural and professional existence for the growth and development of the petroleum sector.

The resultant and implicit effect of the use of the Office of the Minister, rather than reference of same as the Head of the Ministry, could invariably necessitate the usurpation of the role and functionality of the entire Ministrys stake in the sector. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

APC logo

By Victor Nwachukwu

All Progressives Congress (APC), Imo chapter, has congratulated Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi on his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

The party congratulated the governor in a statement by its publicity Secretary, Mr Cajetan Duke, in Owerri on Wednesday.

Duke described Umahis defection as forthright, timely, calculated political move, and a true reflection of selflessness.

He said that the defection would serve the collective interest of the people of Ebonyi, the southeast, and Nigeria at large.

The publicity secretary called on other political leaders in the PDP to toe Umahis path to make Nigeria a progressive country.

Gov. Umahi has demonstrated rare strength of character and political dexterity as an uncommon leader with clarity of vision and tenacity of purpose.

He commended Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo for hisleadership capacity and disposition which has continued to attract goodwill for the party in the state and the southeast zone.

Duke expressed optimism that more southeast governors would soon join the party. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Folasade Akpan

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) says that in its Quarter Three 2020 (Q3-2020) reading of the Afreximbank African Commodity Index (AACI), its composite index fell marginally by one per cent quarter-on-quarter.

It made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday in Cairo, Egypt after the release of the AACI for Q3-2020.

The AACI is a trade-weighted index designed to track the price performance of 13 different commodities of interest to Africa and the bank on a quarterly basis.

The bank said the decline was mainly on account of a pull-back in the energy sub-index.

In comparison, the agricultural commodities sub-index rose to become the top performer in the quarter, outstripping gains in base and precious metals.

The bank said that the recurrence of adverse commodity terms of trade shocks had been the bane of African economies.

It added that in tracking the movements in commodity prices, the AACI highlights areas requiring pre-emptive measures by the bank, its key stakeholders and policymakers in its member countries and global institutions interested in the African market.

This was to effectively mitigate risks associated with commodity price volatility, it said.

Giving an overview of the AACI for Q3-2020, it said there were indications that on a quarterly basis, the energy sub-index fell by eight per cent largely due to a sharp drop in oil prices as Chinese demand waned and Saudi Arabia cut its pricing.

Also, that the agricultural commodities sub-index rose 13 per cent due in part to sub-optimal weather conditions in major producing countries.

It, however, said that within that index, sugar prices gained on expectations of firm import demand from China and fears that Thailands crop could shrink in 2021 following a drought.

According to the bank, cocoa futures enjoyed a pre-election premium in Ghana and Cte dIvoire in spite of the looming risk of bumper harvests in the 2020/21 season and the decline in the price of cocoa butter.

It said cotton rose to its highest level since February due to the threat of storm Sally on the United States of Americas cotton harvest, coupled with poor field conditions in the U.S.

It added that within that index also, coffee rose 10 per cent as La Nina weather conditions in Vietnam, the worlds largest producer of Robusta coffee raised the possibility of a shortage in exports.

Other indications are that base metals sub-index rose nine per cent due to several factors including ongoing supply concerns for copper in Chile and Peru and strong demand in China, especially as the State Grid boosted spending to improve the power network.

For precious metals sub-index, the best performer year-to-date rose seven per cent in the quarter as the demand for haven bullion continued in the face of persistent economic challenges triggered by COVID-19 and heightening geopolitical tensions.

In addition, Gold enjoyed record inflows into gold-backed exchange traded funds (ETFs) which offset major weaknesses in jewellery demand, Afreximbank said.

Regarding the outlook for commodity prices, the AACI highlights the generally conservative market sentiment with consensus forecasts predicting prices to stay within a tight range in the near term with the exception of crude oil, coffee, crude palm oil, cobalt and sugar.

Dr Hippolyte Fofack, Chief Economist at Afreximbank, said commodity prices in Q3-2020 had largely been impacted by COVID-19.

He said that the pandemic had exposed global demand shifts that had seen the oil industry incur backlogs and agricultural commodity prices dwindle in the first half of the year.

The outlook for 2021 is positive, however, conservative the markets still are. We hope to see an increase in global demand within Q1 and Q2 2021 buoyed by the relaxation of most COVID-19 disruptions and restrictions.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Afreximbank is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution with the mandate of financing and promoting intra-and extra-African trade. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Taiye Olayemi

The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) says films from unregistered, illegal producers and directors will no longer be registered from Jan. 1, 2021.

Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, Executive Director, NFVCB said this on Wednesday during a meeting with the creative industrys stakeholders on Enabling Laws and Strengthening of Professional Guilds and Associations.

Thomas said that such producers and directors who were not registered with recognised guilds or associations and the board were considered illegal and would be given a window period of one month to do so before January 2021.

He said every association or guild must also register with NFVCB as legal bodies, saying that this would be beneficial to them in terms of accessing some benefits in the long run.

According to him, the major problem facing the industry is that of unprofessional practitioners and quacks and this action is meant to strengthen associations and encourage professionalism.

No film will be censored from producers or directors who are not members of a recognised and professional association or guild.

We observed that most practitioners are not professional in their practices. This is our own way of sanitising the industry.

This morning we have 15 registered associations in attendance but in our database, we have over 2,000 associations.

I want you all to know that we are not compromising with our laws. For us to recognise you, you must register with us with an evidence of your Corporate Affairs Commission certificate, Thomas said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the NFVCB enabling law booklet were distributed to the stakeholders for proper evaluation and adherence to the law.

Some of the associations present for the meeting were: Actors Guild of Nigeria, Motion Pictures Association of Nigeria, Association of Movie Marketers and Producers, Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria, Directors Guild of Nigeria and more.

The stakeholders agreed with the management of NFVCB that all Guilds and Associations must have 50 persons membership strength, registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

It was also agreed that associations must pay registration fees to NFVCB and more.

Thomas told the stakeholders that the NFVCB laws had not been reviewed in recent times which would be done soon, urging them to look into areas that could be reviewed for the advancement of the industry. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

DPR Officials

By Solomon Asowata

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) says it shut down 85 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) plants in Lagos from January to October, for operating illegally.

Mr Ayorinde Cardoso, Zonal Operations Controller, DPR, Lagos, made this known while speaking with newsmen during a public sensitisation exercise on safe usage of LPG.

It was organised by the agency in some parts of Lagos Mainland on Wednesday.

Cardoso said the LPG (cooking gas) plants were shut down for not complying with international safety standards and operating without approval or licence from the DPR.

According to him, the move is to curb the occurrenceof gas explosion and fire incidents in the state.

He said the agency would continue to clamp down on such illegal plants while at the same time sensitising the public on the need for safe usage and distribution of gas.

Cardoso said: We are doing this sensitisation to tell the public that it is safe to use gas. It is an efficient and clean source of energy if used appropriately.

We want to bring gas sector to the citizens and deepen utilisation of LPG for job creation and national development which is the aspiration of the Federal Government.

We will be doing this exercise continuously in various parts of the state.

He said the government through the National Gas Expansion Programme was committed to making gas accessible and affordable for Nigerians.

We have a lot of people coming into the sector to invest and DPR is on ground to ensure that they follow the regulatory requirements.

We recently brought outnew guidelines to encourage investors and anybody that wants to operate in the sector should follow the guidelines, Cardoso said.

He said that the DPR was also collaborating with the Lagos State Government and other stakeholders to improve safety in gas storage, sales and distribution. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

The Federal Government says it plans to adopt geospatial technology towards boostingInternally Generated Revenue (IGR), in the country as parts of its efforts to diversify the economy.

Mr Samuel Adeniran, Surveyor General of the Federation, said this at the 2020 Geospatial Information System (GIS) Day celebration organised by the Geospatial Society of Nigeria (GEOSON) in Abuja on Wednesday.

The theme of the celebration was Driving Internally Generated Revenue with Geospatial Technology.

Human beings can only manage effectively their present and future when they can predict phenomena with substantial data of happenings in their environment.

Since money is an important factor for formulation, planning and execution of nearly all human endeavours, the issue of IGR has become fundamental in the modern world.

With the rising cost of governance and demands of various sectors of the economy on the government, there is need to continue to explore every means of enhancing our financial base.

Although, surveying and mapping, GIS and remote sensing are not end themselves, the nation cannot continue to subsist in self deception of making meaningful progress without geospatial knowledge and application, he said.

Adeniran added: The government is now focusing on the diversification of the economy to lessen dependence on the downstream sector and the use of geospatial technology to harness resources in mining, tourism, agriculture, transportation, land and housing among other engagements.

He called on stakeholders to provide the government with requisite geospatial data to ensure good decision making, planning and implementation of policies and programmes to improve the lives of Nigerians.

GEOSON President, Dr Matthew Adepoju said geospatial technology has been deployed in many climes by the media to handle COVID-19 pandemic and recently the U.S presidential election.

The 2023 is around the corner, we need to work together with the News Agency of Nigeria and other media organisations to have our reportage online with geoinformation technology around the world, he said.

He emphasised that geospatial technology was among the top 10 fields projected to become centre of emerging technologies development and among the 20 highest paid professions globally, hence the need for practitioners to upgrade themselves.

Most of traditional professions will be taken over by Artificial Intelligence and robotics in the next few decades.

This is a clarion call for all of us to acquire more skills and read extensively to be well positioned for the rapid development in the field of geospatial science and engineering, Adepoju said.

Prof Joseph Akinyede, Chairman, GEOSON Board of Trustee, said that the realisation of a countrys sustainable socio-economic development depended on availability of geospatial information.

Geospatial technology must be part of a nations infrastructure such as in transportation, healthcare, telecommunications and accorded same level of support and priority because it provides geographic information of the country in terms of asset and potential.

Increase in sharing quality data will lead to efficient management of the nations natural resources and environment resulting in quality life of the people, Akinyede said.

According to him, geospatial technology experts complement other professionals, so there is need to work in synergy to develop the country.

Dr Francis Chizea, Acting-Director of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), said geospatial technology will be useless without strong reliable dataset.

Chizea, represented by Dr Godstime James, said the agency is championing the GRID3 programme to provide demographic, geographic and settlement data of the country.

The agency is pushing for the revatilisation of National Geospatial Data Infrastructure to have uniform fundamental dataset which we can build geospatial data required for IGR.

Geospatial Technology is an emerging field of study that includes GIS, Remote Sensing (RS) and Global Positioning System (GPS), that enables institutions to acquire data referenced to the earth and used such for analysis, modeling, simulations and visualisation. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Sen. Okorocha

By Peter Amine

Sen. Rochas Okorocha, Chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, will chair the 2020 edition of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) holding in Jos, Plateau, from Nov. 22 to Nov. 28.

Mr Dan Manjang , Chairman, Publicity Sub-Committee for the festival, disclosed this on Tuesday when he led members of the body on an advocacy visit to the leadership of the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Manjang, who is also the State Commissioner for Information and Communication, also said that Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe would be the Special Guest of Honour at the event.

He also said that Gov. Simon Lalong who would be the Chief Host, would declare the event open.

He gave the Theme of the festival as Post COVID-19 and Cultural Dynamism.

The commissioner said that the State would use the festival to change the negative narrative about Plateau.

If all the 36 states are coming here, we will let them understand that the state is conducive for them to live in despite the negative publicity we have had in recent times.

This is particularly in terms of security challenges we have experienced from time to time, which is a global phenomenon.

We are here to let journalists know formally that an event of this nature is coming up in the state and to seek NUJs collaboration because governance in itself is media.

All that you do if it is not put in the public domain through the media will be like you have not done nothing, and that is why we are here to seek collaboration for the coverage of the event, he said.

According to him, the event will start on Nov. 22with cultural shows at Langfield Leisure Park, while the opening ceremony will hold on Nov. 23 at Rwang Pam Stadium.

Manjang added that the event would be rounded off with a golf tournament, saying that all the golfers would appear in cultural costumes.

Mr Paul Jatau, Chairman of the Council, assured the committee that journalists would do their best to promote the festival.

Jatau added that journalists were ready and willing to change the negative narrative about the state for the benefit of all. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

National Sports Festival, EDO 2020 logo

By Obinna Unaeze

Baba Sheshi, Director of Sports in the Niger Ministry of Youths and Sports, on Tuesday said the state would feature in 23 events at next months National Sports Festival (NSF).

Sheshi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna that the state contingent would have 132 members, made up of 98 athletes and 34 officials.

We will compete in 23 events, namely athletics (eight events), badminton, beach volleyball, chess, scrabble, golf, hockey, handball, squash, taekwondo, wheelchair tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, kick-boxing, deaf athletics and para-athletics.

NAN reports that the state had finished 21st at the last edition of the NSF held in December 2018 in Abuja, after winning four gold and six silver medals.

The 20th NSF tagged Edo 2020 will hold in Benin from Dec. 3 to Dec. 18. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Buhari and service chiefs

By Ismaila Chafe
President Muhammadu Buhari says that he will do whatever it takes to ensure that there is no repeat of EndSARS protests in Nigeria again.

Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Dingyadi, quoted the president to have said this during the meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) at the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday.

He said the president reassured that the Federal Government would continue to dialogue with relevant stakeholders in ensuring peaceful and harmonious socio-economic environment across the country.

What we are saying is that government will continue to dialogue, it will continue to listen and will continue to carry all stakeholders along in ensuring that there is no repeat of what happened that destroyed a lot of property, public and private, individuals in this country, the minister quoted the president to have said.

Dingyadi further stated that the NSC meeting was convened to brief the president about security situation in the country.

He said the meeting stressed the need to pay greater attention to the police in the discharge of their functions to maintain peace in the country, in the areas of equipment and modern technology.

According to the minister, the president thanked members of the Council for their efforts in maintaining peace and assured them that he will do whatever it takes to support security agencies in providing peace in the country.

He added: The meeting noted with concern the increasing cases of armed banditry particularly in the North-West and North Eastern parts of the country.

The meeting agreed to be more proactive in dealing with the situation in a more decisive manner.

The meeting thanked the president for the concern which he has shown in repositioning the police to perform more effectively.

President reassured that all stakeholders will be involved in the process of maintaining peace in the country, particularly the youth, community leaders, traditional rulers, politicians, public servants, religious leaders etc.

The minister said the federal government would continue to maintain its bureaucratic, humane and just postures in handling security matters in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those in attendance at the meeting included the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

Others in attendance were; Ministers of Defence, retired Maj. Gen. Bashir Salihi Mahashi; Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama and Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi.

Service chiefs in attendance included the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar.

Other members of the security community who attended the meeting were; Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai and the Director-General of the Directorate of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi. (NAN)

Source: NAN News