Dr Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy

By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

Federal Government says it is considering a new National Policy for zero rating on educational websites to allow for consumption of contents without charges, to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, on education sector

Dr Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, said this while delivering an address at a webinar organised by Lead Inspire Network and monitored in Abuja.

The theme of the webinar was Enhancing Virtual Learning and the Challenges of Internet Penetration in Nigeria.

Pantami, represented by Dr Usman Gambo, Director, Information Technology Infrastructure Solutions, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) said the policy would contain appropriate incentives for mobile network operators and internet service providers.

The minister agreed that sufficient access to the internet was essential for the development of an informative society and thatvgovernment was also working to increase the broadband penetration from its current level.

Currently, broadband penetration stands at 40.18 per cent and the plan is to make it 70 per cent by 2025. This is the target we set for ourselves in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan.

This will be of great benefit to the education sector and we would focus more on enabling appropriate contents, infrastructure, capabilities for learning and teaching, he said.

He added that few agencies under the ministry had established digital centres, capacity training centres, e-accessibility centres, school knowledge centres, e-Libraries, ICT Hubs and innovation parks across the country to propel broadband penetration.

In just one year, we have deployed over 200 of these centres across the country and they are mostly situated in rural areas, equipped with at least 25 computers, back-up power supply and free internet service.

In addition to providing free internet services, the centres also serve as innovation hubs and learning centres for the local community, Pantami said.

He said that NITDA had issued Framework and Guidelines for Public Internet Access to regulate government approach to deepen internet penetration and bridge the digital divide.

Prof. Umar Danbata, the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission stated that COVID-19 had created a new level for education that required a new approach.

Represented by Dr Henry Nkemadu, a Director with the commission, Danbata acknowledged that high cost of Right of Way, multiple taxation, operating expenses and economic downturn had affected internet penetration but reiterated that government was putting measures in place to ease the challenges.

Mr Sope Afolayan, Co-Founder, Lead Inspire Network, said the event was aimed at providing equal access to children at all levels and redirect the thinking of policy makers on the need to see acquisition of education beyond the four walls of the classroom.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

DHQ says 13 Boko Haram terrorists alongside six women and 17 children from Kodila village, have surrendered to troops in Borno.

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Defence Headquarters. says 13 Boko Haram terrorists alongside six women and 17 children from Kodila village, have surrendered to troops of 151 Task Force Battalion at Banki Junction in Bama Local Government Area of Borno.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Enenche said the terrorists surrendered due to sustained aerial bombardment and aggressive intensive clearance operation by troops of Operation Lafiya Dole in the North East.

He said the suspects and their family members who surrendered on Saturday, had been receiving medical attention at a military medical facility.

According to him, the suspects are currently undergoing thorough profiling and investigation in line with global best practices in handling such cases.

The Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies remain resolute, determined and committed to sustaining the tempo of the operations, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

AGF Abubakar Malami

By Muhammad Lawal

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has announced a donation of N11 million to flood victims in Gwandu Emirate in Kebbi.

Dr Umar Jibrilu-Gwandu, Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, made the disclosure in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday.

Malami said that the money will be channelled through his two NGOs: Khadimiyya for Justice and Development and Kadi Malami Foundation.

The minister announced the donation while on sympathy visit to the Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammadu Ilyasu-Bashar.

He said flood victims in Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area are to receive N2 million, while N1 million each will be shared to the flood victims in the remaining nine LGAs.

Malami also condoled with the Emir of Gwandu over the death of some traditional title holders in the Emirate, including the Ubandoman Gwandu, Alhaji Halidu Saadu, Tafidan Gwandu; Alhaji Yahya Bawa and District Head of Aliero.

Responding, the Emir of Gwandu, Ilyasu-Bashar, thanked the minister for what he termed as home-coming.

The Emir called for more unity, obedience to the rule of law and respect for constituted authorities.

He said, already, relevant authorities had predicted the occurrence of the flood, which he said, should serve as a pointer to the imperatives of respecting the authorities. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Oil palm growers commend Buhari, CBN for empowering small holder farmers

By Mustapha Sumaila

The Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for empowering smallholder farmers under the Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP).

The newly-elected President of the association, Mr Joe Onyiuke made the commendation during a stakeholders forum on investment and funding opportunities in the oil palm value chain for oil palm growers in Abuja.

Onyiuke explained that the current administration had so far demonstrated strong zeal and commitment as well as readiness to elevate agriculture to boost the economy.

He said various associations in the agricultural value chains had been accessing CBN interventions and hence had taken the sector to certain level.

He gave instances in the effort made by the Buhari-led administration to revive Cotton Textiles and Garments sub sector where some textile industries were now sourcing their cottons locally for production.

Onyiuke lamented the inability of the previous leadership to create solid structure and properly organise the association adding that such had limited members from accessing the oil palm development funds recently unveiled by CBN.

He said nonetheless the CBN governor held meetings with oil palm stakeholders recently but regrettably OPGAN could not organise itself as an association to access the funds.

According to him, the oil palm value chain has enormous potentials to bring Nigeria back to where it should be in the world of palm oil market.

He emphasised the need for the members of the association to come together and organise themselves.

Onyiuke thanked the board of trustees which had taken it upon themselves to reposition the association, expressed gratitude to the association for the trust reposed in the new leadership and promise not to disappoint the association.

The new president pledged to run a transparency and accountable association where financial transactions would be done in the best practices.

We need to bring oil palm back to the original status as it used to be a major foreign exchange earner for this country.

Imagine, other countries that came here to take our seeds today are doing much better than us and are even earning much more than we earn from crude oil.

So it is my desire to organise every smallholder farmer in Nigeria together and begin to do proper training and education he added.

He however called on the Federal Government to provide adequate funding for the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) adding that it was the bedrock for repositioning the sector for greater output. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19 disruptions and survival of MSMEs

By Chijioke Okoronkwo, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

One of the critical areas of global economy adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sub-sector.

The Federal government was proactive and reactive in mitigating the impact of the pandemic on MSMEs.

At the onset, President Muhammadu Buhari constitutedthe Economic Sustainability Committee (ESC), headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, to inter alia: develop a stimulus package and come up with measures to keep the economy afloat in the face of the COVID-19 economic disruptions.

Consequently, the ESC drafted and presented the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) which was approved by Buhari.

Embedded in the ESC are copious step by step interventions under the Survival Fund, which made provisions for succour to the MSMEs.

Some of these plans are: Payroll Support-to support 500,000 vulnerable MSMEs in meeting payroll obligations of between N30, 000 to N50, 000 per employee over three months.

Formalisation Support-to provide free CAC business name registration for 250, 000 new businesses.

General Grant-to support the survival of 100,000 businesses most affected by COVID-19 pandemic with N50, 000 each.

Artisan/Transport Support-to provide 333, 000 artisans and transport business operators with a N30, 000 operations grant to reduce the effects of income loss.

Guaranteed Off-take Scheme-for bulk purchase of products from 100,000 MSMEs to protect jobs and livelihoods.

Speaking recently on the interventions, Osinbajo said that the Federal Government remained deeply committed to creating a more business friendly environment for MSMEs to thrive, as they were the engine room of the Nigerian economy.

According to the vice president, the survival of MSMEs is a key component of the ESP.

He said that President Buharis approval of the implementation of the MSMEs Survival Fund as part of the ESP was to cushion the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.

Under the Survival Fund is a Payroll Support Scheme, which will provide up to N50, 000 in monthly salaries for up to 10 staff of a qualifying business, for a period of three months.

There is also a N50, 000 grant for 100,000 small and medium-scale businesses, while 333,000 self-employed persons working as artisans and transporters will benefit from a one-off grant of N30,000.

The president has also approved that the Federal Government bear the full cost of business name registration for 250,000 new businesses nationwide.

We are doing all these to support MSMEs across the country to maintain their staffing levels and keep their businesses afloat through these very challenging times.

The vice president said the Buhari administrations commitment to the success of small businesses was evident in its MSMEs Clinics initiative.

Mr Tola Johnson, Special Assistant to the President, Office of the Vice President,elucidated on thesmall businesses palliatives at the recent inauguration of the Implementation of Survival Fund and Guaranteed Off-Take Stimulus Schemes for MSMEs in Abuja.

The special assistant, who is also the Project Coordinator, said that the schemes would go a long way in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on businesses.

The scheme will be starting with the Payroll Support; the Payroll Support targets 100, 000 businesses; however the number of individuals that will benefit from this is 500,000.

The next scheme will be the 100,000 MSMEs grants; what the government has done is to say that there a lot of MSMEs that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown; so, what we are trying to do is to very quickly inject N50, 000 each to 100, 000 micro businesses.

Afterward, there is a N250 CAC free registration; it is free for the MSMEs, but the government is paying the CAC for this.

So, what the government has done is to say to the CAC, you do this regularly with the MSMEs at about N12,000 or there about; give it to us at half price, we will give it to the MSMEs free.

He said that under the National MSMEs Clinic, the vice president and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment have been to no fewer than 26 states.

Johnson said that in the course of the clinics, it was discovered that very creative businesses were not registered.

They will tell you they dont have N10,000 to N12, 000 to register their businesses.

So, the government had promised that at some point, we will assist, I think the opportunity has come now; the opportunity cannot be better than now.

He said that under the Survival Fund, the last strap would be the Transport and Artisans Support.

According to him, no fewer than 333,000 beneficiaries will get a one-off N30, 000 grants, adding that the government will be working with associations, individuals and the Ministry of Transportation to implement the scheme.

After that, we move to the Guaranteed Off-take; we will be rolling out the schemes weekly; we plan to do that for four weeks in a row, if we can, and God permits, put a smile in the face of MSMEs across all board; that is our plan; if things change, we will let you know.

We are working with states because we do not want to get to a stage where the states will say how come 35,000 people are benefitting from our state and we do not know, he said.

Johnson said that the website for the Survival Fun is.

On her part, Mariam Katagum, Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, said that the two schemes were targeted to impact about 1.7million entities and beneficiaries across the country.

According to her, the MSMEs Survival Fund is a special grant to support vulnerable MSMEs in meeting their payroll obligations and secure jobs from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said that the scheme was estimated to save nothing less than 1.3 jobs across the country, while targeting an average of 35,000 individuals per state.

Katagum said that under the Guaranteed Off-Take, it was expected that about 300,000 jobs and 100,000 MSMEs would be saved by guaranteeing off-take of priority products.

The minister said that N75 billion will be put into the interventions.

Sharing similar sentiments at the event, Mr Okonkwo Obadigbo, a representative of the Orgamised Private Sector, described the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as a true friend of MSMEs.

He said that since 2015, the policies of the current administration had been favourable to MSMEs in spite of security and infrastructure challenges.

A true friend is that person who has your back when times are good and when times are tough.

In my humble opinion, this Federal Government of Nigeria led by President Buhari, since 2015 has been a good friend of MSMEs.

Notwithstanding the challenges of insecurity and infrastructure, MSMEs have benefitted from many policies implemented by the Federal Government.

The Secured Transactions and Moveable Assets Act of 2017 established a national collateral registry which has eased the requirement from MSMEs in assessing bank credits.

The Bank of Industry (BOI) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have executed several programmes and intervention funds for MSMEs in Nigeria.

The Finance Act of 2019 reviews the taxation of MSMEs, he said.

The portal for the registration of prospective beneficiaries for the Survival Fund opened at 10 p.m. on Sept. 21.

According to the Project Delivery Office, the portal will have educational institutions as the first category of beneficiaries to register.

Nigerians interested in the Payroll Support scheme are to note that the site for registration will be open at 10 p.m. on Sept. 21.

In order to ensure seamless registration process, the Project Delivery Office, has designed a registration schedule.

Registration for Payroll Support will start with educational institutions on Monday and will be followed with businesses in the hospitality industry on Sept. 25 beginning at 12 a.m.

The portal will also be open to other category of small businesses from 12 a.m. on Monday Sept. 28.

Small businesses, indubitably, are key drivers of economic growth; hence, keeping them viable should be given great attention.(NANFeatures)

**If used, please credit the writer as well as the News Agency of Nigeria

Source: NAN News

World Bank spent N90bn on community projects in 11 years official

The Community and Social Development Project (CSDP), an initiative of the Federal Government with support from the , spent N90 billion on community projects in 30 states from 2009 to date, an official has said.

Dr Abdulkarim Obaje, National Coordinator of the CSDP, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday that the goal was to reach out to poor communities so that development would flourish.

He spoke shortly after the presentation of the Community-Driven Development Policy (CDDP) held in Abuja.

Obaje said that the policy would provide a framework for organising poor communities and vulnerable groups together to access development resources from the government or donor partners to address their own peculiar needs.

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Obaje also disclosed that CSDP had more than 17,000 micro projects across 30 states that had been designed, implemented and sustained by members of the community.

He added that the projects, which were community-driven, were conceived, implemented, managed and sustained by the members of community themselves.

The major plan for the implementation of the projects in all the 30 participating states, where over N90 billion had been expended from 2009 to date, is community development.

State offices of Community and Social Development Agencies facilitate the projects by helping the communities to identify and prioritise what their needs are, and help them to elect officials that will manage the Work Bank resources that come through the Federal Government.

Each community is expected to open an account and get registered with the Local Government Area.

This is the whole concept of the community-driven development approach. This has been experimental for the past 11 years and it has shown spectacular results.

The desire of the Federal Government now is that since we have done these projects so well, we should come up with a policy that will regulate the relationship of all the major stakeholders that are involved in delivering these services to poor and vulnerable groups.

Apart from our own local experience with the support of World bank, we have undertaken study tours to sister countries in Africa like Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Indonesia and India to learn how they address the challenges of poor communities.

The lessons we have gathered have directly helped us to put the policy together.

So, the policy we have is an advocacy tool or a delivery mechanism for bringing development to poor communities.

We are hoping that the policy will be approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and, subsequently, we will engage the National Assembly to enact a law.

For instance, in Indonesia, there is a law on villages and Ministry for Village Affairs and it is an offence punishable by law for any development partner to undertake a project in any community without consulting members of the community, he said.

Obaje expressed optimism that the policy would fast track the attainment of President Muhammadu Buharis vision to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty over the next 10 years.

He said that the major challenge of poverty was that it manifests largely in lack of access to basic social services such as water, education, health and nutrition.

Also speaking to NAN, Dr Nasir Mahmood, Special Assistant to the President on Social Investment, commended the CSDP team for drafting the policy document.

Mahmood said that he would submit the policy document to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, for onward presentation and consideration by FEC for approval.

Task Team Leader for CSDP at the World Bank, Prof. Foluso Okunmadewa, told NAN that the policy document was a veritable tool to tackling poverty.

Source: NAN News

Chelsea recover from 3 goals down to draw at West Brom

Striker Tammy Abraham struck a late equaliser as Chelsea battled back from three goals down to draw 3-3 at West Bromwich Albion in their English Premier League (EPL) clash on Saturday.

An error by Marcos Alonso led to Callum Robinson opening the scoring for West Brom in the fourth minute.

The Irish striker made it two when Chelseas new signing Thiago Silva, who was given the captains armband, miscontrolled the ball.

Kyle Bartley was left unmarked to add a third in the 27th minute with a close-range finish to send Chelsea three goals down at the break.

However, Mason Mount threw the Blues a lifeline with a goal 10 minutes into the second half.

Callum Hudson-Odoi made it 3-2 in the 70th minute and it took until the third minute of stoppage times four minutes before Chelsea could find an equaliser.

This was when Abraham pounced on a loose ball in the box and slammed it home to snatch a point for Frank Lampards side.

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We had a few chances in the first half, and they scored from every shot.

We knew we had to come out in the second half and keep going, not drop our heads, and thats what weve done, Abraham told reporters.

The 22-year-old striker described his side as a work in progress and said they would continue to improve.

We need to cut out the mistakes as a team - not just defensively. So, we dont concede. We need to be strong together and keep encouraging one another, Abraham added.

Chelsea manager Lampard was disappointed his side left themselves with a mountain to climb.

You cant legislate for pure mistakes, which they were today. Then it gives you a really difficult game to get back into, Lampard said.

Source: NAN News

Shelve economic shutdown, Buhari deserves commendation Group appeals to labour unions

The No Alternative to Buhari Osinbajo 2019 (NATBO 2019) has pleaded with labour unions to shelve their planned strike, stressing that shutting the nations economy now will be catastrophic for the nation.

Vincent Uba, National Coordinator, NATBO 2019, said in a statement that rather that protest, President Muhammadu Buhari deserved great commendation for his economic policies since 2015.

He stressed that Nigeria, like many other nations around the world, had suffered economically due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shutting the economy would further complicate issues.

Nigeria, like all other countries of the world, is facing serious economic crises occasioned by the current COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the entire world.

There is no nation on the globe that its economy is not in a turbulent state, and the citizens not crying over the excruciating hardships.

Dealing with these economic crisis is the responsibility of every responsible government under the support and understanding of the patriotic citizens.

Those who are economically informed know that Nigeria, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, is doing what it must do to keep the country moving.

The recent policies and actions of government are not punitive measures, but remedial in nature to prevent the country from collapsing economically and socially.

Uba argued that since the advent of this administration, there had been global unforeseen events that could only have been managed by prudent, disciplined and courageous leadership such as the one demonstrated by President Buhari.

He added that from 2015 till date, there had been a glut in crude oil price, coupled with the challenges of corruption and insecurity, which only a leader like Buhari could have been able to handle.

Five years down the line, Nigeria is still existing as a nation, as against certain predictions before the 2015 general elections that the country would disintegrate and cease to exist as a nation.

All thanks to the astute leadership qualities of President Muhammadu Buhari, despite the sustained unpatriotic activities of IPOB and its allies.

When the price of crude oil, which is the mainstay of Nigeria economy, crashed globally from over per barrel to below in 2015 and plunged Nigeria into a recession, President Buhari and his team were able to manage the situation and steer the country out of recession.

Should we not be applauding the president that we are no longer in such a dehumanising era of the past? Should we not also thank him that we are no longer in the era of epileptic power supply. he queried.

Uba, while acknowledging that some areas still experienced problems, stressed that the government should be encouraged rather than chastised.

He noted that the ban on importation of rice had exposed how the so-called foreign rice was not as good as the local ones, adding that the new tax reforms had also improved the nations revenue generation.

Even though we know some areas still experience problems of power but it is not the same compared to what we were used to in the past.

We should encourage the president and his team to continue with result-oriented reforms that would turn around the Nigeria economy today for a better tomorrow?

This president was courageous enough to ban the importation of foreign rice and close the land borders to check the smuggling of the product.

Under the prevailing dwindling oil revenue and the current effect of COVID-19 on the economy, government has to embark on alternative sources of revenue.

Tax reforms, removal of subsidy on fuel and electricity tariff increase have become imperative at this time.

If government should listen to the organised labour and reverse these actions already taken for fear of labour going on strike to shut the economy, then the economy will eventually be shut and the same labour will turn around to blame the government for doing nothing, Uba said.

He called on the Nigeria Labour Congress, its allies and the citizenry not to judge the government unfairly on these current economic remedial measures.

He stressed that all Nigerians must be patriotic and show understanding in the spirit of sacrifice and embrace the good policies of government geared towards laying a solid economic foundation. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Scores of terrorists killed in massive airstrikes on hideouts in Borno DHQ

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole under subsidiary Operation Hail Storm 2, has eliminated scores of terrorists in massive air strikes on their camps in Borno.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

Enenche said the latest success was the massive destruction of Boko Haram camps at Tongule on Sept. 24 as well as those at Bone and Isari B Musa on Sept. 25.

He explained that the air strike on Tongule was undertaken after surveillance missions revealed continued assembly of the terrorists within the settlement at nighttime.

According to him, the Air Task Force dispatched Nigerian Air Force (NAF) helicopter gunships for a night attack on the location, with their barrage of rockets neutralising several of the terrorists.

At Bone, a settlement along the Yale-Kumshe axis, on the other hand, was attacked by a force package of NAF fighter jets and helicopter gunships after credible intelligence reports established that the location served as a staging area from where the terrorists launch attacks.

The NAF attack aircraft engaged the location in multiple bomb and rocket runs, destroying several of their structures and neutralizing scores of terrorists.

Similarly, at Isari B Musa several terrorists, who were observed both within and in bushes surrounding the settlement, were taken out as the NAF attack aircraft took turns in engaging the target area, he said.

Source: NAN News

A military transport plane, carrying air force cadets, crashed and burst into flames near a highway in north-eastern Ukraine on Friday evening, killing at least 22 people on board, officials said.

The Antonov An-26 aircraft crashed while trying to land during a training exercise, the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Ruslan Khomchak, said in a statement.

Khomchak added that at least two more people were critically injured.

A video posted by Deputy Interior Minister, Anton Gerashchenko, on Facebook showed the plane in flames lying near a road and smoke billowing upwards in the night sky.

Pictures taken later showed rescue workers inspecting the wreckage near the town of Chuhuiv.

An investigation has started on what caused the crash.

One pilot reported failure in the left engine of the twin-engine plane, said Oleksiy Kucher, the governor of the Kharkiv region, according to Interfax Ukraine.

Kucher added that this would not have been a critical situation for an experienced pilot.

Citing preliminary information, Kucher said that some of the people on board managed to jump out of the plane when it was at low altitude.

An eyewitness cited by the Ukraine 24 news channel also said people had jumped out.

The crash happened around two kilometres (1.2 miles) from a military airport, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said in a statement.

It said 27 people had been on board the plane, revising that figure from an earlier estimate of 28.

The cadets were from the Kharkiv University of Air Force, which is run by the Defence Ministry.

A state commission is being created to identify all the circumstances and causes of this disaster.

Search and rescue work continues on the spot, President Volodymyr Zelenskiys office said.

Zelenskiy will travel to the area on Saturday. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News