COVID-19

By Oluwabukola Akanni

The Oyo State Government says it has recorded two new COVID-19 related deaths as the death toll in the state hits 37.

The Oyo State COVID-19 Emergency Operation Centre disclosed this on Tuesday via its official Twitter account @covid19oyo_eoc.

It noted that the figure was the latest statistics released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

It, however, disclosed that no new coronavirus cases were recorded in the state on Monday.

#COVID19 OYO CASE UPDATE 24TH AUGUST, 2020.

NO NEW CASES CONFIRMED

Sadly, there has been 2 additional deaths as a result of complications from COVID19.

Please continue to stay safe.

#OwnYourAction #OYA #ProtectYourself, the centre tweeted.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the total number of COVID-19 confirmed cases is 3,050, while the number of active cases in the state is 1,330.

A total number of 1682 coronavirus patients have recovered from the highly contagious virus in the state.

NAN reports that the state continued to hold the third spot for total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, with Lagos and FCT leading in the first and second positions respectively. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Omar Al-Bashir

The trial of ousted Sudan leader Omar al-Bashir was on Tuesday postponed for the third time.

The court case is now scheduled for Sept. 1, Supreme Court judge Essam Ibrahim said in Khartoum.

The trial was initially set to start in late July, but has already been postponed twice for reasons including the lack of COVID-19 precautions.

Al-Bashir is facing charges of undermining the constitution, violating the Armed Forces Act and rebellion, Al-Moez Hadra, one of a group of lawyers who filed the criminal lawsuit, said.

The 76-year-old will stand trial with several co-accused, among them two of al-Bashirs former vice presidents as well as former ministers and governors.

If convicted, al-Bashir, who is already imprisoned for corruption, could face the death sentence.

Al-Bashir came to power in 1989 after he led a military coup against democratically elected prime minister Sadek al-Mahdi.

He was ousted in April 2019 after months of pro-democracy protests and mass sit-ins.

Al-Bashir was convicted in late 2019 on corruption charges.

The volatile nation in the Horn of Africa is currently run by a transitional government made up of military and civilians. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

GDP: Financial experts urge FG to suspend request for foreign loans

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Worried by the contraction in the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP), financial experts on Monday called on the Federal Government to suspend its request for external loans.

They spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, while reacting to the second quarter GDP figure released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

NBS had on Monday said that Nigerias GDP decreased by -6.10 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms in the second quarter of 2020.

According to the figures contained in the GDP report, the performance recorded in Q2 2020 represents a drop of 8.22 per cent points when compared with Q2 2019 (2.12%), and 7.97% points declined when compared to Q1 2020 (1.87%).

The decrease, it said ended the three-year trend of low but positive real growth rates recorded since the 2016/17 recession.

An Economist, Prof. Sheriffdeen Tella of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun, urged the government to suspend the request for external loans and seek for moratorium.

Government should suspend request for external loans, but seek for moratorium on its debts servicing and repayment in order to have money for intervention in the economy.

The contraction of the countrys GDP is expected.

The global COVID-19 stormed Africa, including Nigeria toward end of March, 2020, Tella said.

He noted that the contraction was expected, because the country was in complete lockdown during the second quarter.

Production in the formal sector was nearly at zero level.

Though by end of May, the service sector started picking up through online services, but not sufficient to build up the GDP.

There is the need for planned government intervention in the production sector to be orderly and devoid of bureaucracy, if third quarter will present better results.

Such intervention should be both monetary and fiscal; that is, provision of funds or credits at low interest rate (monetary), and the use of tax relief for both producers and consumers (fiscal).

This is not the time to impose taxes on consumers, because they must have the wherewithal to buy goods produced for producers to be in business, Tella said.

Also, Mr Ambrose Omordion, the Chief Operating Officer, InvestData Ltd., said insecurity, policy summersaults and lack of coordination among government agencies contributed to the contraction.

Omordion added that the two months economic shut down, low crude oil prices, low industrial productivity and high inflation affected the economy during the period.

He said NAN that COVID-19 outbreak had exposed weak economic reforms of the country.

We expect little improvement in Q3 with the injection of funds by way of government intervention to critical sectors to mitigate the effect of pandemic on the economy, Omordion said.

The latest GDP shows that Nigerias biggest revenue earner, oil sector, recorded 6.63 per cent (year-on-year) contraction in Q2 2020, a decrease of 13.80 per cent points relative to the rate recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2019. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

President Muhammadu Buhari

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday received officials of the United Nations (UN) working in Nigeria and pledged the countrys commitment in ensuring the smooth implementation of the global bodys programmes in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the delegation led by the Resident Coordinator of the UN in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, were on a thank-you visit to the president over the re-building of the UN House bombed by Boko Haram insurgents in 2011.

The president expressed satisfaction with the work the UN had been doing to improve the lives of women, children as well as vulnerable persons.

I listened to your comprehensive address, I thank you very much for what you have been doing for the country; for all of us in the country, especially for women and children.

Im very grateful that the United Nations has put up such a very formidable team that is dedicated in helping us and Im pleased you are working with our stakeholder ministries for the help you are giving to women and children especially.

We will continue to participate as much as possible to make your job visible and comfortable and please do not hesitate to inform us through the Minister of Foreign Affairs whenever there is any need for you in the course of your assignments here.

Im very, very impressed with the number of programmes you are executing and Im pleased that the stakeholder ministries are complementing your efforts, he said.

Earlier, Kallon had lauded Nigerias contributions toward the actualisation of the cause being pursued by the UN, saying that its commitment had always prompted the UN to work even harder for the good of Nigerians.

He also commended the government for the measures so far taken to stem the spread of Covid-19 and the ones taken to cushion its resultant effects.

The UN chief, however, urged the government to see COVID-19 as an opportunity to improve healthcare delivery in the country.

Kallon, who also congratulated the president and Nigeria on eradicating polio, expressed the UNs commitment to standing with the country to ensure it remained polio-free.

With the support of international partners over the past two decades, Nigeria has made great strides in addressing many of the killers and cripplers among us.

Under-5 mortality from diarrhea and respiratory infections, HIV, malaria, TB, and neglected tropical diseases are all in retreat.

Polio is no longer endemic congratulations on a job well done. This progress has been achieved through leadership and sustained investment in building human resources for health and strengthening health systems, he added.

Kallon urged the government to put into action bold and effective changes to restructure and reform governments health institutions to improve efficiency and cooperation across the board.

He described the United Nations as Nigerias first partner in this challenge, adding we are ready to do our part.

The UN Coordinator also commended the Buhari administration for its efforts to check insurgency and other violent crimes in the country.

He said: It is very clear to us that there is a lot that has happened already in controlling the level of insurgency in Nigeria.

I have been part of this endeavour for three and half years, from the time we had no access to the affected population, to the point where we had access to the affected population who are currently in IDP camps.

And that is due to the gradual improvement of security that was possible.

Most of you could remember at the beginning of this crisis, there was no access to the affected population because of insecurity, that element has improved over the years. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba Minister of State for Education

By Abujah Racheal

The Minister of State for Education, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, says no date has been fixed yet for full schools resumption even though the Federal Government had continued to engage stakeholders.

Nwajiuba said this during the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Monday in Abuja.

The minister, however, expressed optimism that the date for resumption was around the corner, adding, that we are not going to be brandishing dates.

He disclosed that he and the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, met some stakeholders in tertiary education earlier in the day on the issue.

Nwajiuba said about 78 privately-owned universities were insisting that they were ready for resumption while the response from government-owned universities was still 50-50.

He said that after aggregating opinions, he would return to the PTF to review the situation and then go ahead to make a pronouncement.

The minister urged students of tertiary institutions protesting the continued closure of their schools to be a little more patient with the government.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Afreximbank annual meeting 2020 opens for registration

By Jacinta Nwachukwu

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) says its Net Income in the first half of 2020, grew by 10 per cent from 137.63 million dollars in June 2019 to 150.75 million dollars in June 2020.

Prof. Benedict Oramah, President, Afreximbank, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja.

He said that that the performance was in spite of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,

Oramah attributed the increase to a strong growth in net fee and commission income, which rose by 134 per cent.

According to him, the net interest income for the period grew by 17 per cent to US.71 million from US.93 million in 2019.

Our financial performance in the first half of the year was pleasing and demonstrated that we remained focused on delivering value to shareholders, he said.

Oramah said that this was even as the bank pursued its development agenda and intensified its support to the continent, in its effort to contain the spread of the new coronavirus disease and its devastating economic consequences.

The Net Interest Margin improved from 3.3 per cent to 3.7 per cent, driven by lower costs of funds as interest rates declined globally.

Total revenues were strong, rising by 4.4 per cent compared to the first half of 2019,to amount to US.8million, he said.

The Bank president also said that fees and commission income supported the growth in revenues, reflecting continuing progress towards achieving the Banks goal of diversifying its revenue sources.

He said that total assets increased by 34 per cent from 14.44 billion dollars as at Dec. 31, 2019 to 19.35 billion dollars as at June 30, 2020.

Oramah noted that this was largely driven by a 26 per cent increase in loans to 15.20 billion dollars and a 76 per cent increase in cash and cash equivalents to 3.91 billion dollars.

The high liquidity level was in response to the uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Liquidity sources were well diversified by geography and products, with African sources accounting for almost 40 per cent, an indication of progress being made under the Banks Africa Resource Mobilisation Initiative.

Despite the growth in total assets, the Banks Capital Adequacy Ratio remained strong at 23 per cent in line with the Banks Capital Management Policy targets.

Oramah explained that the capitalisation level was supported by equity injection, internal capital generation and the nature of collateralisation of some of the loan assets funded during the period.

He said that the observed outcome reflected the wisdom of the COVID-19 response measures the Bank launched in mid-March which prioritised the health of its work force.

According to him, it prioritised support for the Banks member countries to manage the impact of the pandemic and the need to deliver an acceptable financial performance with minimal credit losses.

As with previous economic shocks, the Bank launched a key multibillion US dollar intervention tool known as the Pandemic Trade Impact Mitigation Facility (PATIMFA).

PATIMFA aimed at supporting sovereigns, financial institutions and corporates to deal with the economic and health impacts of COVID-19, he said.

Oramah added that funding under the facility had been made available to ensure continued access to international trade finance, procurement of vital COVID-19 containment material, food and agricultural input.

Funding also promoted manufacturing of medical and healthcare products in Africa.

He said that as at June 30, 2020, the Bank had disbursed more than 3.5 billion dollars under the PATIMFA.

The Afreximbank boss added that it provided a grant of three million dollars towards the COVID-19 Special Fund set up by the African Union as well as to the African Centre for Disease Control and other agencies.

He said that despite the adverse effects of the pandemic, the Bank remained well prepared to continue to support the continent while delivering development impact and value to shareholders.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

California Wildfires

More than 14,000 firefighters continue to battle over two dozen major fires including two of the largest in California history which have destroyed more than 1,200 homes and structures.

On Monday California fire authorities said a feared wave of lightning strikes largely did not materialise, and cooler weather has helped battle some blazes, but authorities say more lightning strikes are possible.

More than 13,000 lightning strikes combined with extreme summer heat caused many of the fires throughout the state, which have led to seven deaths and tens of thousands of people forced to leave their homes.

Firefighters have made progress in the two largest burn areas, the SCU Complex and the LNU Complex, which comprise multiple fires in counties around San Francisco, but the blazes are still largely uncontained and have burned over 282,065 hectares.

In the San Francisco area authorities are telling residents to stay indoors due to poor air quality. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Students in class

By Douglas Okoro

Education Today for Sustainable Development Initiative (ETSDI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has donated educational and COVID-19 preventive materials worth millions of naira to Ebonyi government.

Presenting the items on Monday in Abakaliki, the Head of Programmes of the NGO, Mrs Glory Brendan-Otuojor, said the gesture was intended to boost the states non-formal education and adult literacy programme.

Brendan-Otuojor lauded the developmental strides made by the present administration in eradicating illiteracy in the state through its adult and non formal education programme.

She said that the initiative had received immense support from the state government since it started promoting adult literacy programme in 2019.

She also said that the materials were part of ETSDIs efforts to support Ebonyi in the war against illiteracy.

Brendan-Otuojor said: We are here today to handover materials to support the programme that you already have on ground.

We are happy to present these materials to the state government and believe that they will enhance the learning process.

We also believe that the girl-child and indeed every woman deserve to be educationally empowered, hence we came up with the programme.

Because we are in COVID-19 pandemic, which has restricted most of our activities, we considered it appropriate to include protective materials to enable adult learners protect themselves when they go out to learn, she said.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items donated included exercise books, instructional manuals, face masks, hand sanitizers, non-disposable sanitary pads, pens, among others.

The Special Assistant to Gov. Dave Umahi on Adult and Non-formal Education, Mrs Stella Nwagu, who received the materials on behalf of the government commended the initiative and synergy between the NGO and state government.

Nwagu hoped that the materials would facilitate teaching and learning in the education sector and also help to enhance the teaching of family life and health education component of the programme.

She commended the group and assured it that the materials would be put to adequate use.

We are happy that you are in our state to support our efforts by donating books and other materials to help our people, the governors aide said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

President Alassane Ouattara

Cote dIvoire President Alassane Ouattara on Monday submitted his application to run for a third term in office after more protests by opponents who say the constitution forbids him to contest the October election.

Over the weekend several shops and a timber truck were torched during ethnic violence between Ouattara supporters and opposition in the southern city of Divo, a cocoa-growing hub, according to images shared on social media.

It is not yet clear what casualties the latest unrest may have caused.

Five people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in clashes between protesters and police since Ouattara who has been in office since 2011 announced his re-election bid earlier this month.

Tensions were running high even before his decision to run again.

The election is seen as the greatest test yet of the tenuous stability achieved since a brief conflict killed about 3,000 people following his first election win in 2010.

I have a vision for our country. A vision of stability, a vision of security, a vision of peace for all Ivorians, Ouattara said outside the Independent Election Commission (CEI) in Abidjan where he filed his application.

The West African states constitutional court will make the ultimate ruling on Ouattaras candidacy.

His opponents say the two-term limit in the constitution bars him from running again, but he has said his first two mandates do not count under the new constitution adopted in 2016.

Regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said it was extremely concerned about the latest clashes, calling in a statement for all Ivorian political actors to avoid violence and turn to dialogue.

On Sunday, opposition leader Guillaume Soro called on all opposition parties to unite against Ouattara in the spirit of a collective fight. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

President Muhammadu Buhari

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the composition of the Governing Council of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities as well as the appointment of an Executive Secretary.

Presidential aide, Femi Adesina, who confirmed this in a statement in Abuja on Monday, said the appointments were in line with the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2019.

According to the Act, the commission shall be headed by a part-time Chairman and six members who shall be persons with disabilities representing the geo-political zones of the federation subject to confirmation of the Senate for a four-year term of office in the first instance.

The Act further stated that they may be reappointed for a second term of four years and no more.

Adesina further quoted the Act as saying the Executive Secretary, who shall be responsible to the Council for the implementation of the policies and administration of the daily affairs of the Commission, shall also be a Person with Disability with a five-year tenure in the first instance, and may be reappointed for a second term and no more.

The presidential aide gave the names, designations and geo-political zones of members of the management of the commission as:

1. Dr Hussaini Suleiman Kangiwa Chairman North West

2. Oparaku Onyejelam Jaja Member South East

3. Philomena Isioma Konwea Member South South

4. Omopariola Busuyi Oluwasola Member South West

5. Amina Rahma Audu Member North West

6. Mrs Esther Andrew Awu Member North Central

7. Abba Audu Ibrahim Member North East

8. James David Lalu Executive Secretary North Central (NAN)

Source: NAN News