Ebonyi Gov. Dave Umahi

By Uchenna Ugwu

Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has reduced the 24-hour curfew earlier imposed in the state to 8:00p.m. to 8:00a.m.

The Governor gave the directive on Friday in Abakaliki through the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Mr Uchenna Orji.

Umahi said that the new directive is with effect from Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, from 8p.m to 8a.m across the state.

He had earlier imposed a 24-hour curfew in the state from 7p.m on Oct. 21, to forestall further breakdown of law and order by protesters.

There shall be an 8p.m to 8a.m curfew across the state, starting from Oct 23, Umahi said.

He urged all stakeholders, security agencies and residents of the state to do everything possible within the ambit of the law to protect the citizenry from any form of violent protest, destruction of lives and property in the state.

The governor assured the people of his commitment towards the protection of their lives and property. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Niger gets acting Chief Judge

By Rita Iliya

Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger has appointed Aisha-Lami Bwari, as acting Chief Judge of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that Bwari was sworn-in during the valedictory court session in honor of Aliyu Mayaki, the outgoing Chief Judge.

The Governor described the outgoing chief judge as someone with integrity and impeccable character, who worked selflessly to improve the judiciary and welfare of judges.

I want to congratulate you on your retirement and the good work to see that the state judiciary attain greater height.

The governor said that steps have been taken to improve the welfare of judges, with the approval of renovation of magistrate courts and provision of vehicles to judges, to enable them function efficiently and effectively.

He reiterated his commitment to judicial autonomy to enable the judiciary carry out its major responsibilities without hindrance.

Bello assured the acting chief judge of government support, and urged her to discharge her to ensure that offenders of the law are prosecuted and punished.

In his address, Mayaki, lauded the cordial relationship between the judiciary and executive arm of government, adding that the relationship had led to speedy dispensation of justice.

He disclosed that during his tenure, three high courts were built in Kuta, Kutigi and Rijau, while vehicles were procured for judges across the state.

Mayaki appealed to the state government to give full autonomy to the judiciary to enable it discharge and perform its duties effectively.

In her remark, Bwari lauded the achievement of the outgoing chief judge, and thanked the state government for the opportunity given her. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

NAWOJ President, Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole

By Justina Auta

The President, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole, has called on female journalists in the country to prioritise their safety as they carry out their duties.

Omowole made the call on Friday in Abuja, following the recent violence in some parts of the country over the #EndSARS protest.

She advised journalists to be vigilant and prioritise their safety while discharging their duties.

The NAWOJ president also appealed to Nigerians to unite and pray for Gods mercy and intervention to avert further bloodshed that would affect the peace and development of the nation.

According to her, youths in Nigeria had sacrificed their comfort to protest peacefully on the streets, while demanding for a better life, as the older generation had failed them.

She expressed sadness over the turn of events, especially the reported killings, arson and vandalism of properties.

Omowole, therefore, appealed to the protesters to sheath their swords and remain calm as their demands had been made known to the world. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Emmanuel Udom

By Isaiah Eka

Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom has extended the curfew imposed on the state to 7,a.m., tomorrow (Saturday) in order to ensure full return of normalcy.

Emmanuel announced the extension in a statement issued on Friday in Uyo by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Ini Ememobong, and made available to newsmen.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the curfew declared earlier by the governor was to elapse by midday Friday.

The governor said the extension followed the unlawful activities of the #EndSARS protesters, which led to the disruption of economic activities in the state.

This extension has become necessary because of the overriding interest of the public and the inevitable need to protect lives and property of the citizens, he said.

Emmanuel directed total cessation of movement during the period, saying, Only those on essential duties, who must show proper means of identification will be allowed to move.

All law abiding citizens are to remain at home, security agencies have been briefed to strictly enforce this order, he said.

NAN reports that the #EndSARS protest in Akwa Ibom took a violent twist on Thursday, leading to the disruption of law and order.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Flood

By Patricia Amogu

The Director-General, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Mr Clement Nze, says the Federal Government has provided a lot of relief items to cushion the effects of flooding in the affected states.

Nze told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja, that the relief followed the setting up of a Presidential committee on flood relief and rehabilitation by the Federal Government,

He said that in the committee, many corporate bodies, philanthropists, banks and some Nigerians contributed resources such that states that were badly affected by the floods do not bear the burden alone.

According to him, the committee is a collaborative partnership between the Federal and State Governments for immediate intervention on flood prevention, mitigation and preparedness.

Nze said the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation (PCFRR) has erected several hostels across the states, to serve as temporary relief apartments to affected victims in the states.

The state governments should key into this initiative and provide alternatives and facilities because you cant just ask someone to move out when there are no alternatives.

During the peak period of the rainy season, the states should relocate people, provide them with food and clothing for about three months before the rising water will recede to enable them return to their homes, he said.

He stated that the Minister of humanitarian affairs, gender management and social development, Sadiya Umar Faruk, has been going round the affected states.

She was in Lokoja last week, was also in Jigawa and Kebbi where the damage was much, all these is to make sure that life is made easy for those who are in affected areas.

Nze further stated that the Federal Government is also providing palliatives through the minister who supervises national emergencies and building structures that will ensure that during the next rainy season, some damages done this year will not happen again.

According to Nze, Government is also seeing to it that farmlands lost bounce back and houses submerged and collapsed buildings are rebuilt. The government is supporting farmers in Kebbi with seedlings for two more planting seasons.

There is a direct link between flooding and food scarcity. So whatever natural phenomenon that is triggering flooding is reported to USAID and other relevant bodies that will take necessary actions to mitigate such disasters.

The national food security council is collating information to ensure that the effects of flooding can be cushioned and doesnt result to food insecurity in the country.

He urged states to build embankments along water ways, to stop rivers from overflowing when rain falls.

He said By our predictions, 102 local governments areas, cutting across 28 states, will be badly affected by floods.

Today, not less than 34 states have suffered severely from flooding, he added. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Nigeria Police logo

By Emmanuel Antswen

The Benue Police Command has commended youths of the state for conducting themselves peacefully throughout the EndSARS protest.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, gave the commendation in Makurdi on Friday.

The Command has already deployed officersat strategic areas within the state to ensure safety of lives and property.

You have the right to freedom of expression as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution as amended as you have successfully communicated to the government without breaching peace.

The command is committed to ensure that you express yourselves in a very peaceful and organised way to prevent breakdown of law and order.

To this end, there is a deployment of police officers at strategic points within the state to ensure safety of lives and property.

Members of the public are advised to give maximum support and information to prevent breakdown of law and order, Anene said in a statement.

She advised stakeholders including religious leaders, traditional leaders and youth leaders at various levels to continue to prevail on their wards and subjects to remain peaceful in all circumstances and prevent miscreants from causing mayhem.

Let me use this opportunity to commend members of the press for their professional and ethical conduct in positively reporting issues around the protest.

We must not forget that information is key in maintenance of peace, Anene said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano

By Rabiu Sani

Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has tasked Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to promote understanding and harmonious coexistence for peace and stability to reign in the state.

Ganduje made the call in a statement by Abba Anwar, his Chief Press Secretary on Friday in Kano.

The governor was quoted as giving the charge at a meeting with CSOs on Thursday night at the Government House, Kano.

Ganduje said that while genuine demands were ingredients of democracy, destruction was not a right step in democratic settings.

According to him, curfew was imposed in some states where demonstration is seen from various perspectives and depending on certain variables.

People should come to understand that we have just graduated from the lockdown occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic.

It is absolutely necessary to understand that anything that can cause another stay at home should be avoided, Ganduje was quoted as saying.

He said the state government had, through dialogue, resolved skirmishes caused by the protest at Kofar Mata area of the metropolis over the alleged murder of a teenager in police custody.

The state government also met with conveners of the Sabo Gari protest and deliberated over their demands, the governor said.

He added that differences could be address amicably through dialogue.

You as leaders of the CSOs, you are representing people, your opinion and interpretation is important, he added.

The statement also quoted Ismaila Hussaini-Kanye, Chairman, Youth Coalition and Advocacy for Development, as calling on government to compensate victims affected in the Tuesdays disturbances in Sabon Gari area of Kano.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Police Command in the state confirmed that 15 cars and several shops were vandalised in the protest. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Conoil

By Itohan Abara-Laserian

Shareholders of Conoil Plc have approved the payment t N1.39 billion dividend proposed by the board of the company for the year 2019.

They gave the approval during the virtual 50th Annual General Meeting (AGM) attended by proxies.

The Chairman of the company, Dr Mike Adenuga (Jr.), said in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

Adenuga stated that the dividend payment was a promise kept to shareholders.

This meant that shareholders will get 200k on every 50k ordinary share.

He said that the impressive financial results recorded were from the execution of value-added products and services.

According to him, the company had set an ambitious growth strategy for the next five years, driven by innovation and market penetration.

The impressive results recorded by the company was in fulfilment of its promise to shareholders for better execution of value-added products and services, especially in the areas of marketing and growing the bottom-line.

This is against the background of the tough challenges that marked the operating environment of the downstream oil sector.

Thus far, significant investments have been made in strengthening the companys retail network and important progress recorded on all fronts for the benefit of all stakeholders.

We are proud of the attainments of the management.

It was a challenging year with impressive results, he added.

The chairman also assured shareholders that the company would consolidate on its achievements to deliver a strong and sustainable performance that would enhance juicy returns on their investment.

The company has strategically positioned its business to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the downstream oil sector.

Mrs Adebisi Bakare, the National Coordinator, Pragmatic Shareholders Association hailed Conoil for rewarding shareholders against all odds in the fuel marketing sector of the economy.

We congratulate the board for the impressive financial results and especially being able to reward shareholders when we consider the tough times faced by all fuel marketing companies in the country in the last financial year, Bakare said.

According to the companys financial report, the modest dividend pay-out was predicated on the need to consolidate its cash management effort vis--vis the liquidity squeeze in the economy.

It was also to ensure improvement in its overall performance in order to meet the expectations of the shareholders.

In its audited financial results for the 2019 financial year, Conoil Plc gross revenue grew by 14.4 per cent to N139.8 billion.

Profit before tax grew by 10.4 per cent to N2.83 billion while profit after tax also grew by 9.8 per cent to N1.97 billion.

Conoil also grew its total assets by 4.4 per cent to N63.6 billion while interest expense dropped by 26 per cent to N1.1 billion.

There has been a consistent drop in interest expense since 2017, which we hope to sustain, the company stated. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

NSE

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

The nations bourse on Thursday rebounded with a growth of N59 billion in spite of social unrest and curfew in major cities of the country.

Specifically, the market capitalisation which opened at N14.870 trillion rose by N59 billion or 0.40 per cent to close at N14.929 trillion.

Also, the All-Share Index increased by 114.38 points or 0.40 per cent to close at 28,563.87 compared with 28,449.49 achieved on Wednesday.

The upturn was impacted by gains recorded in large and medium capitalised stocks, amongst which are; MTN Nigeria Communications, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, UACN, Lafarge Africa and Dangote Sugar Refinery.

Market sentiment measured by the market breadth was positive with 21 stocks gainers against 12 losers.

UACN drove the gainers table in percentage table, growing by 8.33 per cent to close at N7.15 per share.

Union Diagnostic followed with eight per cent to close at 27k, while FCMB Group rose by 7.96 per cent to close at N2.44 per share.

United Capital increased by 6.44 per cent to close at N3.80, while Neimeth appreciated by 5.26 per cent to close at N1.80 per share.

Conversely, Wapic Insurance led the losers chart in percentage terms dropping by 9.09 per cent to close at 40k per share.

UACN Property Development trailed with 3.66 per cent to close at 79k, while GlaxoSmithKline shed 3.57 per cent to close at N5.40 per share.

International Breweries dipped 2.95 per cent to close at N6.25, while Fidelity Bank depreciated by 2.50 per cent to close at N1.95 per share.

However, the total volume traded decreased by 4.67 per cent with an exchange of 311.33 million shares worth N4.69 billion traded in 3,375 deals.

This was in contrast with a total of 326.58 million shares valued at N4.22 billion transacted in 4,367 deals on Wednesday.

Transactions in the shares of Guaranty Trust Bank topped the activity chart with 77.84 million shares worth N2.34 billion.

Access Bank followed with 57.66 million shares valued at N442.78 million, while Zenith Bank traded 39.58 million shares worth N813.77 million.

FBN Holdings sold 21.75 million shares valued at N131.58 million, while United Bank for Africa transacted 18.16 million shares worth N122.81 million. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

The Commons Project logo

By Oluwafunke Ishola/Yunus Yusuf

For global travel and trade to return to pre-pandemic levels, travellers will need a secured and verifiable way to document their health status as they travel across borders.

Paul Meyer, Chief Executive Officer, The Commons Project,a non-profit public trust,made this known at a virtual meeting announcing the first successful transatlantic trial of CommonPass.

Commons Project is a non-profit public trust established with support from the Rockefeller Foundation to build global digital services and platforms for the common good.

It is working with a broad coalition of public and private partners around the world to develop and launch a standard global model to enable people to document their certified COVID-19 status to facilitate international travel and border crossing while keeping their health information private.

Also, CommonPass isa digital health pass aimed at enabling safer travel and reopening of international borders.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Commons Project Foundation and the World Economic Forum (WEF) had launched the CommonPass and CommonPass Framework for Health Status Verification for safer travel and accelerate border reopenings.

Also, Common Trust Framework for Health Status Verification enables governments to set and verify their own health criteria for travellers, while allowing laboratory results and vaccination records to be certified across borders.

Meyer said that the CommonPass would allow travellers to securely share their COVID-19 status across international borders while protecting their privacy.

In the absence of being able to trust health data created outside their borders, many countries insist on testing on arrival or simply close their borders.

In their haste to close borders, efforts have often been disparated and uncoordinated.

As a result, there are a myriad of approaches to COVID-19 regulations and restrictions and almost as many different quarantine measures as there are countries.

To avoid these situations, the world needs a unified digital infrastructure and health trust framework, where health data can be shared securely across borders, as well as with airlines and other stakeholders.

Otherwise, people will not dare to sit on a plane, and not because they worry about the flight, but because they dont know what will happen before or after their flights, he said.

Meyer said that only a common ground for recovery and bringing health records across borders could restore trust again.

This is why there is such an urgent need for solutions like CommonPass to make international travel safer, through trust in health data and transparency of entry requirements.

The aim is to put a digital infrastructure and trust framework in place to accommodate vaccine records before vaccine distribution begins.

Without a common shared platform for sharing health information, the confusing range of uncoordinated regulations and restrictions will continue, even, if a vaccine or several vaccines become available, he said.

The project executive officer said that the successful inaugural trial enabled transatlantic travellers on United Airlines on Flight 15 from London Heathrow to Newark Liberty International Airport.

According to him, this is to share their COVID-19 test status across borders using a trust framework for the first time.

Meyer said that this would be followed with the rollout of CommonPass in flight routes across Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East in November and December.

He said that 50 countries had been integrated into the framework with more countries to follow soon.

Also, Christian Wolff, Head of Mobility, World Economic Forum, said that safe border reopening would not be possible without mutual trust and recognition among countries for testing results and vaccine records.

Wolff said that the CommonPass framework would enable trust among governments, instill confidence in travelers and help to stimulate the worlds economy back on track.

Commenting, Dr Bradley Perkins, Chief Medical Officer, The Commons Project, said that the CommonPass would assist countries to remove travel bans and mandatory quarantine.

Perkins said that it would give travelers and governments confidence that everyone travelling had been certified to meet global standard.

Also, Omorhode Ukudolo, Project Team Lead, Webplusmore Ltd., official integrator of CommonPass in Nigeria, said that CommonPass would fast track airport screening and reduce the challenges of falsification of COVID-19 test results.

Ukudoloadded that the laboratories would be connected to the framework, and laboratory results and vaccination records of travellers could be accessed through existing health data systems globally.

He noted that efforts were being made to partner with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to have the CommonPass in Nigeria toward easing travelling.

Commenting, Mr Timi Bomodi, Project Adviser, Webplusmore, said that CommonPass and the CommonPass framework would provide governments a more reliable means of accessing health status of incoming travellers.

Bomodi added that it would allow them to adapt their entry requirements, policies and laboratory tests or vaccination requirements as the pandemic evolves. (NAN)

Source: NAN News