Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, Acting NDDC MD

By EricJames Ochigbo

The Act for Positive Transformation Initiative, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), has requested President Muhammadu Buhari to freeze the account of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and suspend all further spending in the commission.

Mr Johnson Kolawale, the Head, Directorate of Research, Strategy and Programme, made the call at a news conference on Monday in Abuja.

He alleged that plans were ongoing to make fraudulent expenditures by top officials in the commission.

Kolawale revealed that the commission had continued to spend funds against due process and against the directive of the President.

According to him, the commission has squandered an additional nine billion Naira in the last one month.

We call on President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly and genuine security and anti-corruption agencies to immediately freeze the accounts of the commission and apprehend everyone involved in the continuous scandalous pillaging of the agencys treasury.

It gladdens the heart to note that some of the commissions officials are already refunding part of their loot to the governments recovery coffers.

The Presidency also pre-emptively disowned the commissions management over the latters impunity in extra budgetary spending yet ongoing.

However, decisive steps must be taken urgently to end the audacious and unprecedented looting under a government that professes to be fighting corruption.

After all, we all bear the consequences of the despicable actions of officials in government, he said.

Kolawale said that in addition to the N1.5 billion already spent on members of staff of the commission as palliatives for COVID-19, another N340 million had been spent for the same reason.

He stressed the need for every member of staff or appointee to refund the monies collected to the commissions account.

Kolawale said that a look at the nominal roll of the commission confirmed the alleged alarm on secret employment ongoing in the commission.

According to him, the management recently employed no fewer than 50 contract staff without following civil service rules and guidelines.

He said that some of the new intakes were alleged to be without required skills or experience and were placed on assistant director cadre without competence tests or needs assessment.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for the NDDC, Mr Charles Odili, has denied the allegations saying that they are not true.

Odili further described the allegations as a grand plan to inundate the public with a negative narrative.

The discerning public is already fatigued with this pattern of unending lies against the commission.

The NDDC is not recruiting, we are not in the position to do that because the 2020 Budget for the commission has not been approved, Odili said in a text message sent to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Source: NAN News

Flood ravaging a community

By Ishaq Zaki

The Emir of Gumi, in Zamfara, Justice Lawal Hassan, has said that over 100 houses have been destroyed by flood on Sunday in Gumi Local Government Area of the state.

The Emir made the disclosure on Monday in Gumi, when he led state government officials to assess the level of damages caused by the flood.

Hassan said that two bridges linking various communities with Gumi town also collapsed.

We are pleading to the state government to come to our assistance.

As you can see, the bridge linking Bardoki and Gayari communities with Gumi has collapsed, another one at Gwalli also collapsed, various villages are now cut off with Gumi town.

We are pleading to government to come to our assistance, so as to save our communities as they are cut off from other towns of the state , the emir said.

He cautioned residents against building on waterways and said government should take measures to stop the trend.

I think government at all levels, stakeholders should focus on the enlightenment campaign on communities to avoid building on waterways, he added.

The Special Adviser to Governor Bello Matawalle on Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Faika Ahmad, said the government was deeply concerned about the incident.

It is very unfortunate that the flood rendered various households homeless.

I led the state government team to Gumi to sympathise with the flood victims and assess the level of damage caused by the disaster.

We brought over five trucks of palliative comprising assorted grains and other essential goods to be distributed to the beneficiaries especially the flood victims.

Other beneficiaries of the gesture comprise the IDPs, Persons with Disability and other categories of the needy, she said.

The special adviser said that the items were donated by the Federal and Zamfara governments.

The Caretaker Chairman of Gumi Local Council, Alhaji Ibrahim Ibrahim, commended the government for the timely donation and assured judicious distribution of the items to the flood victims. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Zenith Labour Party banner

Mr Banji Okunomo, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in the 2020 Governorship Election in Ondo State, has resigned his membership from the party.

Okunomo, a former Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state, announced his resignation and planned defection to the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) on Monday in Okitipupa.

He told newsmen in Okitipupa that he would defect to ZLP officially with no fewer than 15,000 members across the 18 local government areas, at a later date.

After due consultations with my followers, I wish to inform the public that I have resigned my membership from the PDP.

I will be joining the ZLP officially with 15,000 of my followers at a date that will be announced later.

I am appealing to my followers to be calm as my defection from PDP to ZLP is for the good of the people of Ondo South and the entire state, Okunomo said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Okunomo came fifth at the state PDP primary election held on July 22 in Akure.

The primary election produced Mr Eyitayo Jegede as the partys flag-bearer in the governorship election slated for Oct. 10.

NAN gathered that Okunomos defection might be connected with the choice of Mr Ikengboju Gboluga, Member representing Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, as Jegedes running mate. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Tennis court

The French Open will allow a maximum of 11,500 spectators per day to adhere to strict health protocols and curb the spread of COVID-19 when the Grand Slam begins later this month.

The French Tennis Federation (FFT) disclosed this on Monday.

The French Open, traditionally held in May and June, was postponed earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will now be held at Roland Garros from Sept. 27 to Oct. 11.

France has recorded nearly 31,000 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.

The FFT said a maximum of 5,000 spectators per day would be allowed to watch matches at both the Philippe-Chatrier and Suzanne-Lenglen showcourts.

It added that only 1,500 fans would be allowed at the smaller Simonne-Mathieu court.

Seating arrangements would have a gap of one seat on each row and no more than four people can sit side-by-side while wearing masks would be mandatory for anyone over the age of 11.

The qualifying rounds, which begin on Sept. 21, will be held behind closed doors.

The FFT had said in July it planned to allow up to 60 percent of the usual number of fans.

A record 520,000 spectators attended last years event, according to organisers.

Rafa Nadal and Ash Barty, who both skipped the U.S. Open in New York due to COVID-19 concerns, are expected to defend their titles at Roland Garros.

Tournament officials said that all players must stay in one of two designated hotels in order to respect the health and safety measures.

Serena Williams has opted to stay in private housing as she hunts for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open.

She said players should have the option to stay elsewhere if fans are attending matches.

Im super conservative because I do have some serious health issues.

So, I try to stay away from public places, because I have been in a really bad position in the hospital a few times, she told reporters at Flushing Meadows after reaching the quarter-finals.

Williams suffered blood clots and life-threatening pulmonary embolisms while giving birth to her daughter Olympia in 2017.

So I dont want to end up in that position again, she added. For me, I try to keep a 12-foot distance instead of six. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

U.S. President Donald Trump

By Harrison Arubu

President Donald Trump on Monday said the United States was not a fully developed country.

Trump stated this at a news conference outside the White House that coincided with the U.S. Labour Day celebration.

According to him, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) treats China as a developing nation, and the U.S. as a nationthat is fully developed.

He cited the U.S.-China trade agreement signed by the Obama administration under WTO conventions, describing it as one of the mostdisastrous trade deals in history.

We are not fully developed, as far I am concerned.

China didnt t play by the rules. One of the reasons WTO is so bad is because China didnt play by the rules.

We did, but their rules were easier because they are considered a developing nation.

So, their standards are much lower, but even at that they didnt play by the rules, he said.

Trump said the U.S. lost millions of jobs and billions of dollars to China under the deal, which his administration had renegotiated.

No country has ever cheated America like China did for many years and decades, the president said, adding that the U.S. was getting nothing other than losses.

But China was taking our money to build their military. You see they are building a very powerful military.

We are lucky I am building ours otherwise we would be dwarfed right now by China, he said.

Reiterating his claim that China would own America should Joe Biden wins the Nov. 3 presidential election, he said his administration was working towards decoupling the U.S. and Chinese economies.

So, when you mention the word decouple, its an interesting word.

Under my administration, we will make America enter the manufacturing super power of the world that will end our reliance on China once and for all.

Whether its decoupling or putting in massive tariffs like I have been doing already, we will end our reliance on China because we cant rely on China, he added.

Trump said the WTO had become much better following his rough stance against international organisations that were unfair to the U.S.

We are looking at WTO. They have become much better. They have been very nice to us lately, I would say that, amazingly.

We never used to win anything at the WTO, we were losing every case, but all of a sudden we won a lot of cases.

We just won seven billion dollars, and they are talking to us much differently than they used to, because if they dont shape up, we are going to shape out, thats all.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Students of a secondary school

By Joy Mbachi

The Ministry of Basic Education in Anambra has approved gradual reopening of schools in the state, in line with the ministrys approved timetable for the completion of the 2019/2020 academic session.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Nwabueze Nwankwo, announced this on Monday in a statement in Awka.

Nwankwo stated that though the third term would be short, schools were expected to make maximum use of the time, in addition to the various e-platform teaching.

We expect that the Anambra teaching on air will continue as a back up to cover all the lost ground in the last six months, he stated.

He added that through its various platforms, the ministry would continue with the phased reopening of schools, in addition to watching the health of the students.

The ministry urged parents to provide their children and wards with hand sanitisers and face masks to ensure their safety.

It also charged the managements of the schools to respect all the COVID-19 precautionary measures put in place to contain the spread of the deadly pandemic with the resumption of schools.

The ministry promised to publish a schedule for the state-organised examinations.

It stated that the Junior Secondary School Three students in all the schools in Anambra had resumed normal academic classes, adding that other classes would resume on September 14. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

File Photo: Oil spill in Niger Delta Region

By Nathan Nwakamma

The National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), on Monday confirmed that 45 barrels and not 45, 000 barrels of crude oil leaked from a well head in Bayelsa on March 17.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident occurred on a well head owned by Shell at Angiama community.

NOSDRA admitted on its official twitter handle that it erred in an earlier update that indicated that the spilled volume was 45,000 barrels and apologised for the error.

When contacted by NAN, Mr Musa Idris, the Director-General of NOSDRA, urged the public to disregard the earlier tweet on the 45, 000 barrels spill.

It will be recalled that on Friday, the agency announced that a Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) to the incident site indicated that 45,000 barrels leaked from the facility due to equipment failure.

JIV is a statutory exercise carried out by representatives of host communities, oil firm, state government and regulators to ascertain the cause and estimated volume of oil spill after a leakage is reported by operator of facility.

The JIV report No. 0478 indicated that the oil spill adversely impacted an area of 1.2 hectares, while the post spill impact assessment was yet to be carried out.

The report listed the incident as an operational spill and stated that recovery of leaked crude was completed on March 30. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Deji Abdulwahab

Fidelity Bank has announced N105.8 billion gross earnings in its audited results for the half-year ended June 30, in spite the economic challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bank in a statement in Abuja on Monday, said it had sustained the financial performance trajectory of recent years with another set of impressive financial results.

Details of the Audited Half Year results ending June 30, 2020 for the top Nigerian lender, released on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Sept. 3, show strong growth in profits and other indices.

The bank recorded a surge in Profit Before Tax of N12.0 billion from N9.8 billion in 2019, which translated to a 22 per cent growth.

Net profits forFidelity Bank grew by 33 per cent from N8.5 billion to N11.3 billion in the reporting period.

In other indices total assets rose by 13.7 per cent from N2.1trillion in 2019 to N2.4 trillion this year whilst total deposits rose by 14.8 per cent from N1.2 trillion to N1.4 trillion during the same period.

The statement quoted Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo as commenting on the results.

Okonkwo said the performance for the period reflected the resilience of the banks business model.

Due to the global and domestic headwinds witnessed in H1 2020, we proactively increased our cost of risk as the impact of the pandemic slowed down economic activities, whilst adapting our business model to the new risks and opportunities of the new normal, he said.

Okonkwo said Fidelity Bank re-stated its H1 2019 figures from N15.1billion to N9.8 billion to reflect the impact of IFRIC 21- Levies, which was adopted for the first time on the H1 2020 financials.

The key impact of IFRIC 21 was that our 2020FY AMCON Cost was recognised 100 per cent in our H1 2020 accounts rather than been amortised over 12 months as was done previously on our financials, bank CEO said.

He said that without implementing IFRIC 21, profit for the period would have been N17.9 billion compared to the N15.1billion reported in H1 2019.

Fidelity Bank has been implementing a digital-led retail strategy and digital banking gained furthertraction during the period with 87.3 per cent of the banks customers now transacting on digital platforms.

The figures areup from 82.0 per cent in 2019FY, while 51.2 per cent of the banks customers are now enrolled on the banks mobile/internet banking products.

Though digital banking income dropped by 29.1 per cent due to the downward fee revisions for electronic transactions in line with the new bankers tariff, we have continued to receive positive reviews on our digital channels.

IVY, the banks chat box is rated as the clear leader, among virtual assistants in the industry just as our flagship instant banking product (*770#) was also rated in the top tier category in the recently released 2020 KPMG Digital Channels Scorecard.

Retail banking in Fidelity Bank has continued to also deliver impressive results.

Savings Deposits in H1 2020 increased by 32.2 per cent to N363.9 billion with the bank on course to achieving the 7th consecutive year of double-digit growth in savings.

Savings Deposits accounted for 49.1 per cent of the total growth in customer deposits and now represents 25.9 per cent of total deposits compared to 22.5 per cent in 2019FY.

In reflection of the banks early conservative assessment of the sectors that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the banks Non-Performing Loans (NPL) ratio increased to 4.8 per cent from 3.3 per cent in 2019FY.

Regulatory Ratios however remained above the required thresholds with Capital Adequacy Ratio increasing to 18.8 per cent from 18.3 per cent due to the capitalisation of H1 2020 Audited Profits while Liquidity Ratio stood at 32.1 per cent.

Buoyed by the H1 performance, the bank is optimistic about the remaining part of the year.

We believe the new phase of normalcy will unveil some growth opportunities.

We will continue to monitor and pro-actively manage any evolving risks as the Nigerian economy gradually reopens and economic activities pick-up in key sectors Okonkwo stated.

Source: NAN News

Israel and the UAE announced in August they would normalise diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by Washington.

The UAE has since announced it was scrapping an economic boycott on Israel and officials from the two countries have said they were looking at cooperation in defense, energy, medicine, tourism, technology and financial investment.

A number of Israeli and Emirati businesses have signed deals since the normalisation accord was announced.

Within three to five years, trade between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will reach billion, Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen told Israels Reshet Bet radio station.

A spokesman for Cohen, Israels former economy minister, said the figure was annual and included defence trade.

Israeli carrier Israir said on Sunday it had reserved slots for commercial flights from Tel Aviv to the UAE, preparing for potential tourism.

The heads of Israels two biggest banks will travel to the UAE this month, the first such visits since the countries agreed to normalise relations. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

The anti-government demonstration was organied by Algerias Hirak opposition movement and the reporter is due to be tried on appeal on Tuesday.

Drareni, an Algerian journalist reporting for the French TV channel TV5Monde, is also a member of Reporters Without Borders (RFS).

He was arrested on March 7 during a protest organised by the Hirak movement, which has been calling for changes in the countrys political system since 2019.

On Aug. 10, the government sentenced the reporter to three years of prison for undermining national unity by his reports on the opposition movement.

Mobilisation in front of the embassy of #Algeria television presenters in Paris for journalist Khaled Drareni, a correspondent for RSF, sentenced to 3 years in prison for covering the demonstrations of #Hirak, the RFS tweeted on Monday.

Drareni has also been the subject ofa major international solidarity campaign called #WeAreKhaled.

The RFS said earlier in August that the situation regarding press freedom has deteriorated in Algeria, which the organisation put in 146th place out of 180 in its World Press Freedom Index 2020.

The Hirak opposition movement has carried out a series of protests since February 2019 to prevent the countrys former president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, from trying for a fifth presidential term.

The demonstrations, also referred to as the Revolution of Smiles, led to Bouteflikas resignation in April 2019 and have been calling for democracy in Algeria. (Sputnik/NAN)

Source: NAN News