Dr Lamido Yuguda,

By Ginika Okoye

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has called for a collaborative effort of Capital Market Operators (CMOs) and other stakeholders in the market community to drive capital market inclusion in the country.

Dr Lamido Yuguda, the Director-General of the commission, made this known at a Financial Inclusion Webinar organised by SEC in Abuja on Wednesday with theme: From Financial Inclusion to Capital Market Inclusion.

Yuguda, represented by Mr Temidayo Obisan, the Executive Commissioner, Operations of SEC said the webinar would facilitate the cross-fertilisation of ideas among relevant stakeholders to foster access to capital market inclusion.

He said that the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) indicated that there were about 13.4 million accounts in the system, out of which only about 564,000 accounts had traded in the last seven years.

Given the enormity of the task before us, it is necessary that we pursue a collaborative and coordinated approach toward providing the myriad of challenges impeding the rapid uptake of financial products and services, especially capital market products.

SEC is actively involved in wide financial sector initiatives in the financial inclusion landscape in Nigeria.

We will continue to engage and coordinate other regulators like CBN, PENCOM, NAICOM, NDIC, NCC, and others to foster access to financial products and services to all Nigerians, Yuguda said.

Mr Bolaji Balogun, the Chief Executive Officer, Chapel Hill Denham said that about 2.5 per cent of citizens of the country were investing in the capital market.

Balogun, also the Chief Investment Officer of the Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund, said that sound financial literacy would help to build a better understanding of risks and improve participation.

To make investing simple and accessible to every Nigerian, we need to build market wide commitment to financial education, she said.

Mrs Abike Dabiru-Erewa, the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) said the commission was working with about 17 million Nigerians in the Diaspora.

She said that the commission was committed to working with SEC to get the Diaspora population to facilitate domestic investment in the market.

Mrs Tope Omojokun, the President, Fund Managers Association of Nigeria stressed the need to invest in technology to promote capital market inclusion.

According to her, bringing the unbanked into formal finance is key to the development goal in an emerging market.

Mrs Toyin Sanni, the Chief Executive Officer, Emerging Africa Capital Group said that 36 per cent of women and 24 per cent of men were financially excluded.

Sanni listed some of the barriers to womens financial inclusion to include irregular income, unaffordable cost of financial services and financial literacy constraint, among others.

She suggested a capital market wide quota for women to be represented in boards to enable them contribute to decision making and participation.

Mr Hicham Elalamy, the Executive Director, Support and Development divisions, Moroccan Capital Markets Authority (AMMC) said the authority was producing small modules on capital market.

He said the modules were being given to university teachers in Morocco to foster capital market education among undergraduates, adding that it could be adopted in Nigeria. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Scene of a road accident

By Ige Adekunle

An accident, which involved a Mercedes Benz truck and a motorcycle near the Ota toll gate in Ogun, on Wednesday claimed a life.

Mr Adekunle Ajibade, the Sango-Ota Area Commander of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Ogun.

He said that apart from the commercial motorcyclist who died, his two passengers sustained injuries in the accident which occurred on Ilo-awela road at about 8:10 p.m.

He disclosed that the truck driver drove against the traffic and in the process hit the motorcycle which was coming from the opposite direction.

The corpse of the motorcycle rider had been deposited at the Ifo General Hospital morgue while the injured were taken to hospitals in Ota for intensive treatment, he said.

Ajibade said that both the truck and the motorcycle had been removed from the scene of the accident to ease the free flow of traffic in the area.

He advised motorists not to drive against traffic to avoid unnecessary loss of lives. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

President Donald Trump listens to Democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden clash in first presidential debate

U.S voters on Thursday will look to a handful of states still in play with the hope of getting a decisive result on whether President Donald Trump or Democratic challenger Joe Biden has won the 2020 election.

Biden has a lead in the race, and has multiple pathways to victory, while Trump, the Republican, is in a tighter spot.

Trumps campaign has launched legal challenges in three states and is demanding a recount in another.

All eyes will be on Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania to see if any are solid enough to be called for a candidate.

If Biden can hold a lead in Arizona, which is also set to report more results, any other state coming in for him will likely push his campaign over the line.

The election has been a nail-biter, with the Democrats having failed to deliver the repudiation of Trump that they had promised.

The Republicans look set to hold a slim majority in the Senate, while the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives shrunk.

Trump does not appear ready to concede the election, as he has even claimed victory in states that are still up in the air and even Michigan, one that clearly went for Biden.

It is highly unusual for a candidate to make such a move.

Several of Trumps posts on Twitter and Facebook have been affixed with warning messages, including ones claiming fraud without proof, amid concerns they were designed to spread misinformation.

A candidate wins the White House by securing 270 electoral votes.

Each state in the union gets a number of Electoral College votes based on population.(dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Botswana President, Mokgweetsi Masisi

Botswana has issued private charter flights protocols, following a decision to allow international travelers into the country through chartered flights.

The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism on Wednesday said that upon arrival all tourists would be treated as a cohort and stay in their lodging facility for quarantine.

All tourist and handling staff shall be swabbed for COVID-19 on the fifth to seventh day of their stay in Botswana, said Onalenna Mokgachane, spokesperson for the ministry.

She said payment for COVID-19 testing for the tourists would be borne by the tour organisers, as part of the tourism package.

The protocols further highlight that once a tourist tests negative, the tourist shall be free to move around the country subject to local health protocols and applicable laws.

Mokgachane said the tourists with negative results would be allowed to conduct expeditions during their stay, as long as they do not separate.

The private charter protocols also include pre-travel requirements such as having a negative COVID-19 test and travel insurance covering COVID-19 disruptions.

It states that only tourists booked for a minimum of seven days will be allowed into the country and must meet visa requirements before departure.

In October, Botswana announced that the country is ready to receive private charter flights into the countrys resort towns starting from November.

Source: NAN News

Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu

By Auwalu Birninkudu
The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has approved two new programmes for the Bauchi State Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic.

Malam Abdullahi Adamu, Registrar of the institution, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Thursday.

He said the new programmes are National (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Crime Management and Control.

Adamu said that the two new programmes would begin in the 2019 to 2020 academic session.

The programmes will expose the students to the nature and dimension of crimes especially how they are being committed and the possible preventive measures against crimes, he said.

The registrar commended the NBTE for granting the approval to the institution.

We are the only institution granted such approval out of the 112 existing polytechnics nationwide.

We are proud to be the pioneer institute to begin these courses nationwide, he added.

Adamu said only applicants with the prerequisite academic qualifications would be admitted to pursue the course.

The institute will not compromise its standards. Applicants must have five O level credits and pass in English language and Mathematics, Adamu said.

NAN reports that the polytechnic, popularly known as ATAP, is a state-owned tertiary institution in Bauchi State.

It was established by Edict No. 1 of 1988.

The institution offers National Diploma and Higher National Diploma courses at undergraduate levels.

Source: NAN News

COVID-19 Vaccine Research

An Indian government-backed COVID-19 vaccine could be launched as early as February -months earlier than expected as last-stage trials begin this month, a senior government scientist said.

The studies have so far showed it is safe and effective, a scientist added.

Bharat Biotech, a private company that is developing COVAXIN with the government-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), had earlier hoped to launch it only in the second quarter of next year.

The vaccine has shown good efficacy, senior ICMR scientist Rajni Kant, who is also a member of its COVID-19 task-force, said at the research bodys New Delhi headquarters on Thursday.

It is expected that by the beginning of next year, February or March, something would be available.

A launch in February would make COVAXIN the first India-made vaccine to be rolled out.

Indias cases of coronavirus infections rose by 50,201 cases on Thursday to 8.36 million, second only to the U.S.

Deaths rose by 704, with the total now at 124,315.

The daily rise in infections and deaths has slowed since a peak in mid-September.

Kant, who is the head of ICMRs research management, policy, planning and coordination cell, said it was up to the health ministry to decide if COVAXIN shots can be given to people even before the third-stage trials are over.

It has shown safety and efficacy in the phase 1 and 2 trials and in the animal studies so it is safe but you cant be 100 per cent sure unless the phase 3 trials are over, Kant said.

There may be some risk, if you are ready to take the risk, you can take the vaccine. If necessary, the government can think of giving the vaccine in an emergency situation.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in September the government was considering granting an emergency authorisation for a COVID-19 vaccine, particularly for the elderly and people in high-risk workplaces.

Several leading vaccine candidates are already in final-stage testing.

An experimental vaccine developed by Britains AstraZeneca is among the most advanced ones, and Britain expects to roll it out in late December or early 2021.

AstraZeneca has signed several supply and manufacturing deals with companies and governments around the world, including with the Serum Institute of India.

Other late-stage vaccines are developed by Moderna Inc, Pfizer Inc with partner BioNTech SE, and Johnson

King Salman of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is aimed at widely using artificial intelligence and fourth generation technologies in the countrys national industry over the upcoming years, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef said.

The industrial sector is one of the biggest for the introduction of modern technologies. It means that the kingdom is aspired to become a centre for the implementation of these technologies in the coming years.

We have a comprehensive plan to widely use the benefits of fourth generation industrial technologies in various fields.

And also to stimulate the national industry by adopting artificial intelligence solutions to improve its efficiency, output and automation, Al-Khorayef said.

Saudi Arabias ministry, which was established in August 2019, has started to search for ways to allow entrepreneurs and innovators to enter the industrial sector by introducing new technologies.

Saudi will also move away from those industries that rely heavily on their labour force, Al-Khorayef added.

With the use of emerging technologies, one job will create from five to 10 indirect workplaces in other industries, according to the minister.

Source: NAN News

Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire.

By Franca Ofili

The Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) says no fewer than 122 million people in Nigeria are at risk of getting Neglected Tropical Disease (NTDs).

Dr Chukwuma Anyaike, Director and National Coordinator of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Control/Elimination/Eradication Programme at the FMoH , made the disclosure on Thursday at a two-day media dialogue at Ibadan.

The dialogue was organised by the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF).

Anyaike said that NTDs are a group of 20 disease conditions that are common on tropical or sub-tropical regions and are closely associated with poverty, poor sanitation, lack of water sources, substandard housing condition and deficient health care access.

Some of the diseases include Lymphatic Filariasis ( Elephantiasis), Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH), Onchocerciasis (River blindness), Trachoma (Granular Conjuctivitis) and Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia).

The diseases are called neglected because they tend to affect the worlds poorest and received less attention than others diseases.

It is estimated that 122 million people in Nigeria are affected or at risk of getting NTDs.

Of the number, 20 per cent are pre-school age children, 28 per cent are school age children and 52 per cent are adults.

According to him, NTDs has great impact on economy growth and should duly be tackled in order to reduce poverty in the country.

Sustainable economic development cannot occur without addressing NTDs because we need to have a country free of NTDs.

The country needs to reduce the morbidity and mortality of the diseases to the barest minimum.

We need to control, eliminate and eradicate the diseases, Anyaike said.

On some of the strategies to tackle NTDs, he said they should include mass administration of medicines , innovation and intensified disease management, integrated vector management as well as improved water, sanitation and hygiene.

Anyaike called for more funding to address the disease.

The NTDs National Coordinator in Nigeria also emphasised the urgent need for government to strengthen ownership, advocacy and partnership.

The challenges of the diseases are poor funding, lack of information while some people have wrong ideas about the disease and dirty environment.

There should be enhanced planning for results resources, mobilisation and financial sustainability of national NTDs programme, Anyaike said.

Mr Geoffrey Njoku, Communication Specialist, UNICEF, said that the diseases have been forgotten and that if nothing was done, they might spread the same way COVID-19 did.

Njoku said that the objective of the dialogue was for the media to understand why those diseases are neglected.

According to him, the dialogue will also enable the media create more awareness on the diseases.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Lizzy Okoji

The government of the Netherlands has returned a unique terracotta head to the Nigerian Embassy in the Netherlands in compliance with the 1970 UNESCO Convention of prohibiting and preventing illicit import, export of cultural property.

The unique and rare terracotta head, believed to be from Ile-Ife in Nigeria, was intercepted by Dutch Customs at Schiphol Airport in 2018 in a package addressed to a Dutch national with forged accompanying import documents. Nigerian authorities confirmed the authenticity of the object and formally requested for its return.

The Embassy of Nigeria in the Hague in a statement signed by Mr Kabiru Musa, Charge d Affaires at the Embassy, andmade available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja, said Mrs Maryan Hammersma Secretary -General of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science handed over the terracotta head to the embassy in a ceremony on Nov. 2 in the Hague.

Musa said that the handing-over of the Ife terracotta head by the Netherlands was a watershed event in the existing cordial relations between the two friendly countries.

He said that both countries re-affirmed their commitment to the provisions of the 1970 UNESCO Convention and also pledged to enhance and strengthen cooperation on cultural matters.

The Ife terracotta head is the first formalreturn by the Netherlands to a State Party to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property.

The intercepted Terracotta object, which is approximately 16 cm tall, depicts a girl or young woman with her hair tightly braided in a several buns.

A bump on the top left-sided of her head possibly represents an amulet braided into her hair. It is clear from the style of the object that it originates from Ife, Nigeria, Musa explained, saying that It is expected to be returned to the country soon.

He noted that Ife terracotta objects are vulnerable cultural heritage and therefore subject to legal protection and trade in these objects is, therefore, prohibited.

Artifacts of this kind may be unearthed during archaeological excavations or when foundations for new building are being dug, but are sometimes stolen from museums or illegally dug up and exported.

In particular, Terracotta artifacts found in Ife date back to between 12th and 15th century AD and it is believed that they were used in altar rituals or as grave goods.

NAN quotes the statement as saying that the artistic and traditional characteristics of the item recovered in the Netherlands, in combination with the patterns on the face, are typical of Ife heads. Objects of this quality are exceedingly rare.

Source: NAN News

INEC

By Kingsley Okoye

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says it will begin another round of voter registration in the first quarter of 2021.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, told newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday after appearing before the Senate Committee on INEC to defend the Commissions 2021 budget.

He said the voter registration exercise would run till six months before the 2023 general elections.

We will resume voter registration in the first quarter of 2021. And once we resume, it will be continuous for one and half years, at least until six months to the next general election.

He also revealed that the commission was currently involved in about 1,700 pre-election and post-election court cases from 2019 general elections.

He, however, said the Commission was not paying huge legal fees but applying Federal Ministry of Justice scale of fees.

For instance, if we have a case for governorship election before the Supreme Court, it is a maximum of N4.5 million, but because of the number of cases, we are almost getting close to 1,700 pre-election and post-election cases in 2019 alone.

Every day you hear people going to court and joining INEC, but we will continue to do what we can within available resources, he said.

Earlier at the budget defence, Yakubu said the Commission planed to withdraw N5.2 billion from its N10 billion fund to augment its 2020 budget.

He said the commission had not spent from the fund since it was established in 2010, noting that the withdrawal was occasioned by the reduction in its 2020 budget.

What has happened now is, our budget for 2020 dropped to N40 billion from N45.5 billion in 2019.

As a result of the 10 per cent COVID-19 cut, it further dropped to N36 billion in the middle of the year when we had already made preparations for expenditure.

Therefore, since that fund is made for the rainy days, I informed the committee that the rainy day has come

So we are taking part of the fund to balance our budget for this year, he said.

On diaspora voting, he said the Commission is desirous to give Nigerians abroad the right to vote, noting that the actualisation requires amendment to the constitution and the Electoral Act.

We have already worked out the document, once the law is amended, we can roll out.

We are ready, we have had several meetings with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) but we cant go beyond what the law provides, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News