President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence

U.S. President Donald Trump has been nominated to contest for a second term in office at the 2020 Republican National Convention (RNC) in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The convention held on Monday was scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump arrived at the Charlotte Convention Centre where more than 300 delegates met in person for a roll call vote to formally nominate him and Vice President Mike Pence for the 2020 Republican presidential ticket.

I felt an obligation to come to North Carolina, Trump told the delegates inside a ballroom during the unannounced trip.

Its a place that has been very good to me.

In rally-style remarks, the president touted achievements of his first term, focused on his administrations response to the pandemic, again attacked mail-in voting, and lashed out at Democrats who held their national convention virtually last week and some media outlets coverage of the RNC.

He also touched upon a series of policy priorities for the next four years if he is re-elected, including creating jobs, cutting taxes, lowering drug prices, and continuing the military buildup.

The nomination was part of the four-day RNC themed Honoring the Great American Story, with each night having a sub-theme.

On Monday, it is Land of Promise, which a Trump campaign official said honors the promises President Donald J. Trump has kept since his first presidential campaign.

Speakers for the RNCs opening night will include former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, and the presidents eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.

Trump, who is expected to make an appearance on each of the four nights at the RNC, will deliver an acceptance speech on Thursday night from the White House South Lawn.

On Monday, a group of Republicans opposing Trump is holding Convention on Founding Principles in Charlotte, a gathering that organisers claimed would be an alternative to the RNC.

More than two dozen former Republican members of Congress, including former Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, endorsed former U.S. Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for president on Monday.

Today, given what we have experienced over the past four years, its not enough just to register our disapproval of the president, Flake said in a live video on several social media platforms explaining his decision.

We need to elect someone else in his place someone who will stop the chaos and reverse the damage.

Biden, who formally accepted the Democratic Partys 2020 presidential nomination on the final night of its convention last week, leads Trump by 7.6 percentage points nationally, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.

Trump, however, has repeatedly dismissed polls showing him falling behind. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

APC Logo

The Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of all the 18 chairmanship seats in Saturdays local government election in the state

Announcing the election result on Sunday evening, the commissions Chairman, Prof. Yomi Dinakin, said that the party also won 194 councilorship seats out of 198, while the results in the four remaining wards were declared inconclusive.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that only seven of 14 registered political parties participated in the exercise.

NAN also reports that there was no contest in five local governments.

Dinakin, who declared the APC candidates winner of the election in the five local government areas, said it was in line with the Electoral Act.

Source: NAN News

APC Logo

By Emmanuel Mogbede

The All Progressives Congress (APC), UK chapter, says it has launched a website to celebrate President Muhammadu Buharis achievements in the last five years.

Ms Edith Nwachukwu, the Chairperson, Membership Committee of the chapter, said this in a statement issued by Mr Jacob Ogunseye, the APC UK Publicity Secretary on Monday in Abuja.

Nwanchukwu said Nigerians could access the website via https://presidentbuhariachievements.com, to keep abreast with the administrations completed and ongoing projects across the country.

She expressed gratitude to Nigerians for being patient and keeping faith with the Buhari-led administration in the last five years in spite of challenges.

Nwachukwu said that the APC was not unmindful of the patience of Nigerians and assured that the party would not let them down.

Thank you for your patience thus far; we are not where we should be, but we have made considerable progress under the APC-led administration, together we can make Nigeria great again, Nwachukwu said.

She, however, noted that in spite of the developmental strides of the president, the social media had been awash with fake news.

According to her, the administrations Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) has made available more than N200 billion in funding to more than 1.5 million smallholder farmers of 16 different commodities.

She said they include rice, wheat, maize, cotton, cassava, poultry, beans and groundnut.

Nwachukwu said the programme had substantially raised local production of rice, doubling the production of paddy as well as milled rice between 2015 and 2019.

She said that between 2016 and 2019, more than 10 new rice mills came on stream in the country, while many of the existing mills had expanded their capacity with several new ones under construction.

Nwachukwu said the administration had launched a series of funding and capacity development initiatives designed to support small and medium scale businesses in the country.

She said while the administration had done a lot for businesses to succeed such as fighting corruption and curbing insecurity, it had also created enabling environment to attract foreign investors into the country.

According to her, President Buharis achievements since elected are visible in most parts of the federation. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19 updates by NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced 322 new COVID-19 cases in the country, bringing the total number of infections to 52,227.

The NCDC made this known on its official twitter handle on Sunday.

The health agency indicated that 1,002 people have lost their lives to COVID-19 in the country.

According to it, five more people infected with the virus died in the last 24 hours.

The health agency said that till date, 52,227 cases had been confirmed, with 38,945 discharged and 1,002 deaths recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory(FCT).

The NCDC stated that the 322 new cases were reported from 18 states.

It noted that Lagos, the epicentre, recorded 130 cases, followed by Bauchi with 36 cases.

Others were FCT(25), Edo(17), Bayelsa(14), Ogun(14), Oyo(14), Anambra(13), Kaduna(12), Ondo(11), Abia(10), Osun(6), Plateau(5), Kwara(5), Kano(4), Ebonyi(3), Sokoto(2) and Borno(1).

The agency said that a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at Level 3, had continued to coordinate the national response activities across the country.

Meanwhile, the agency said that frequent hand washing with soap under running water was one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of diseases like COVID-19 that were transmitted via person-to-person contact or by touching contaminated surfaces.

Take responsibility to keep yourself and loved ones safe and healthy. Our IVR Self-Assessment Tool is active!

Dial 01-700-6232 for an automated call-back if you or someone in your household is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, it said.

The NCDC also emphasised the need for business owners to have a plan to reduce risk of COVID-19 spread in the workplace.

Our guide for business reopening is available on covid-19.ncdc.gov.ng for workplace safety in context of COVID-19, it said.

Source: NAN News

Prof. Akin Abayomi, Lagos State commissioner of Health.

By Oluwafunke Ishola / Florence Onuegbu

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has tested positive for COVID-19.

The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, made this known in a statement he signed on Monday in Lagos.

Subsequent to close contact with persons feeling unwell and testing positive for the COVID-19 infection, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has tested positive for the virus.

Prof. Abayomi became aware of his status following the required testing protocol of contact tracing procedures.

However, he is doing well with no symptoms.

Adhering to the protocol of the home-based strategy in Lagos State, the Commissioner will be isolated in his home for the next 14 days, Omotoso said.

He added that Abayomi would continue to discharge his duties both as the Deputy Incident Commander of the Incident Command System for COVID-19 and most especially, as the State Commissioner for Health.

Our prayers are with him and his family during his period of isolation, Omotoso said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Prof. Akin Abayomi, Lagos State commissioner of Health.

By Oluwafunke Ishola

The Lagos Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, says hes responding positively to treatment after testing positive to COVID-19 pandemic, and I remains committed to discharging my duties.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, had in a statement on Monday disclosed Abayomis COVID-19 status.

Abayomi, in a message posted on his Twitter account @ProfAkinAbayomi, said that he remains committed to discharging his duties to the state.

With utmost sense of responsibility, I am obliged to make it known to the general public that I have tested positive to #COVID-19.

Consequently, I have proceeded on 14 days self-isolation and treatment at home.

Nevertheless, I remain committed to continuing to discharge my duties as the Commissioner for Health and Deputy Incident Commander for #COVID-19 responses in Lagos State.

I am extremely enthusiastic and hopeful of overcoming this phase of our collective fight against #COVID-19, he said.

Abayomi said he has the full support of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the entire Cabinet of the Government of Lagos State, as well as his team at the state Ministry of Health, to put the incident behind as soon as possible.

I wish to, however, assure you all that my family members and I are fine and are responding positively to treatment, he said.

The commissioner urged Lagos citizens to continue to wear face masks, maintain physical distancing, as well as other established protocols for COVID-19 prevention.

Also, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), through his Twitter handle wished Abayomi speedy recovery.

I wish my dear brother and colleague @ProfAkinAbayomi, a speedy recovery.

Very grateful for your strong leadership of the #COVID-19 response in Lagos State.

We will #keeppushing, and urge Nigerians to adhere to all public health and safety measures, so we can control this outbreak, Ihekweazu twitted. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

NYSC

By Emmanuel Acha

Mr Ahmed Ikaka, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Southeast Area Director, says the scheme is renewed and better positioned to support the technological and economic development of the country.

Ikaka said this in Enugu on Monday during a courtesy visit to the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 82 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Lasisi Adegboye.

He said that the reforms in the scheme had led to the creation of six area offices in the country with the South East area office located in Enugu State.

On the recent expansion of the NYSC directorate, Ikaka said that the move was a deliberate attempt to decentralise administration with a view to making monitoring and evaluation more effective.

This will enable us to run the affairs of the scheme easily. The NYSC is now better positioned and more ready than before to support the growth of the nation, he said.

Ikaka called for greater collaboration between the NYSC and the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army.

The outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic justified the introduction of the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurial Development (SAED) programme of the NYSC.

The pandemic challenged the creativity of corps members across the country.

The response of the corps members in the production of protective equipment including automated sanitisers is an indication that the SAED programme has come to stay.

Currently, the SAED which was introduced to make corps members self reliant has been expanded to cover 12 different trades.

Responding, Adegboye congratulated the management of the NYSC for the decentralisation of its directorate, adding that such was long overdue.

The GOC said that the move would afford the NYSC the opportunity to provide better services to Nigerians and be more responsive to its mandate.

He, however, appealed to the management of the scheme to strive to restrict the movement of corps members.

Adegboye said that the call was necessary in order to reduce the number of road accidents and fatalities involving corps members across the country.

He said that corps members should be made to face and concentrate on their national assignments.

Adegboye said that the division would continue to support the NYSC programmes in the various states under its command.

The state directors should always liaise with us when there are issues and we hope that the cooperation between us and the scheme will continue, Adegboye said.

Source: NAN News

NEMA

By Ruth Oketunde

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has set a maximum 20 minutes target, within which to respond to emergencies and disasters across the country.

AVM Muhammadu Muhammed (Rtd), Director-General of NEMA, announced the target at a one-day retreat for Heads of Territorial, Zonal and Operations Offices of the agency on Monday in Abuja.

The theme for the retreat is: Effective and Efficient Service Delivery at Operational Level.

Mohammed said that the essence of the retreat was to rub minds with the field officers so as to improve service delivery at the operational level.

He added that as disaster managers, they must fashion out measures for intervention and initiate disaster risk reduction strategies suitable for their respective community.

Delivering effective and efficient service calls for serious commitment on our part.

We are, therefore, setting targets for ourselves, he said.

According to him, there would be an awareness campaign on reducing the risk of flooding and other disasters and the development of resilience among communities through the implementation of the Sendai Framework of Action.

Other targets are responding to all catastrophic disasters in the country, shortening the response time to emergencies and disasters to 20 minutes.

The agency would also ensure availability and workability of all rescue equipment for the country; implementation of the Humanitarian Development Nexus; supporting the provision of basic needs for IDPs in catastrophic disasters and supporting the coordination of safe and dignified return of IDPs in the country in collaboration with other stakeholders.

Muhammed said that a collective effort from all staff of the agency was needed to succeed in the set targets.

Hajiya Saadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development declared the retreat open.

Farouq charged retreat participants to represent the government well as they carry out their duties.

She said their roles as field officers, therefore, is not to wait for disasters to happen, but to go for assessment or make a report to the headquarters.

You must cascade the policies of the government into the local levels and improve the knowledge of the people in disaster risk reduction.

Disaster prevention education provides people with the knowledge and skills needed to systematically recognise hazards and vulnerabilities.

This is to reduce the physical risks in their environment, make use of capacities and resources, and protect themselves and others from hazard impacts, she said.

Similarly, Prof. Sam Tende, Guest Speaker at the event, said there must be a change in attitude in other to render effective service to humanity.

He charged the field officers to develop their abilities and become professionals by taking ownership of each task given to them.

Tende said that for an operational manager to be effective and efficient, he or she must demonstrate trust, share information, provide opportunities for everyone to win, provide feedback and admit mistakes. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Yemi Kale NBS Boss

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says Nigerias Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decreased by -6.10 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms in the second quarter of 2020.

This is according to the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report (Q2 2020) published on the NBS website on Monday.

The report said that the decrease in GDP ended the three-year trend of low but positive real growth rates recorded since the 2016 and 2017 recession.

The decline was largely attributed to significantlylower levels of both domestic and international economic activities during the quarter, whichresulted from nationwide shutdown efforts aimed at containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The domestic efforts ranged from initial restrictions of human and vehicular movement implemented in only a few states to a nationwide curfew, bans on domestic and international travel, closure of schools and markets, among others.

These efforts, according to NBS, affected both local and international trade.

The efforts, led by both the Federal and State governments, evolved over the course of the quarter and persisted throughout.

When compared with the second quarter of 2019, which recorded a growth of 2.12 per cent, the second quarter of 2020 growth rate indicated a drop of 8.22 per cent points.

The rate also showed a fall of 7.97 per cent points compared to the first quarter of 2020 (1.87 per cent).

Consequently, for the first half of 2020, real GDP declined by 2.18 per cent year on year, compared with 2.11 per cent recorded in the firsthalf of 2019.

Quarteronquarter, real GDP decreased by 5.04 per cent.

Furthermore, only 13 activities recorded positive real growth compared to 30 in the preceding quarter.

In the quarter under review, aggregate GDP stood at N34,023 million in nominal terms, or -2.8 per cent lower than the second quarter of 2019 which recorded an aggregate of N35,001,877.95 million.

Overall, the nominal growth rate was 16.81 per cent points lower than recorded in the second quarter of 2019, and 14.81 per cent points lower than recorded in the first quarter of 2020.

According to the report, the Nigerian economy has been classified broadly into the oil and non-oil sectors.

An average daily oil production of 1.81 million barrels per day (mbpd) was recorded in the second quarter of 2020.

This was -0.21mbpd lower than the daily average production of 2.02mbpd recorded in the same quarter of 2019, and 0.26mbpd lower than thefirst quarter of 2020 production volume of 2.07mbpd.

Real growth of the oil sector was 6.63 per cent (year-on-year) in the second quarter of 2020 indicating a decrease of 13.80 per cent points relative to the rate recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2019.

Growth decreased by 11.69 per cent points when compared to the first quarter of 2020 which recorded 5.06 per cent.

Quarter-on-Quarter, the oil sector recorded a growth rate of 10.82 per cent in the second quarter of 2020.

The oil sector contributed 8.93 per cent to total real GDP in the second quarter of 2020, down from figures recorded in the corresponding period of 2019 and the preceding quarter, whereit contributed 8.98 per cent and 9.50 per cent respectively.

Furthermore, the non-oil sector declined by 6.05 per cent in real terms in the second quarter of 2020 which was the first decline in real non-oil GDP growth rate since the third quarter of 2017.

The recorded growth rate was 7.70 per cent points lower compared to the rate recorded during the same quarter of 2019, and 7.60 per cent points compared to the first quarter of 2020.

Nevertheless, non-oil sector output was driven by financial and insurance (financial institutions), information and communication (telecommunications), agriculture (cropproduction), and public administration which moderated the economy-wide decline.

On the other hand, sectors which experienced the highest negative growth included transport and storage, accommodation and food services, construction, education, real estate and trade, among others.

In real terms, the non-oil sector accounted for 91.07 per cent of aggregate GDP in the second quarter of 2020.

The figure is slightly higher than the share recorded in the second quarter of 2019 which was 91.02 per cent and also the first quarter of 2020 which was 90.50 per cent.

Source: NAN News

By Itohan Abara-Laserian
Shareholders on Monday called for collaboration of capital market operators involved in the e-dividend value chain to tackle the high rate of unclaimed dividends in the market.

The shareholders in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, urged all players in the value chain to play their part in driving the initiative effectively.

NAN reports that e-Dividend is the payment of dividend due to a shareholder through a direct credit into his or her nominated bank account rather than issuance of cheques or warrant.

They lamented that some investors still find their names under the unclaimed dividends list even after enrolling for the e-dividend initiative meant to improve capital market activities.

The shareholders stressed the need for regular update of unclaimed dividends data by registrars and quoted companies to avoid misinformation.

Chief Timothy Adesiyan, a former President, Nigerian Shareholders Solidarity Association urged registrars to cross check unclaimed dividend lists to remove names of those already captured under the e-dividend.

Adesiyan said that shareholders were happy with the e-dividend initiative but there was still a lot to be done by the regulators in the space.

He also complained about the list of unclaimed dividends published in some national dailies which he considered illegible.

The enrollment for the e-dividend is not giving us any headache but rather it is a relief because once you are enrolled into the scheme, dividends will be credited directly into your account.

Another challenge is that when these companies publish the list of shareholders in the media, you find it difficult to read them.

They are not legible, you cannot see the names, so the purpose of which they are publishing the names is defeated, he said.

According to Adesiyan, it is a good initiative, we are enjoying it and we are cooperating with the initiative.

What the registrars should do is, when they are sending unclaimed dividend list, they should cross check some of those names that have been captured into the e-dividend format, if that is done, they will be helping us a lot.

Mr Moses Igbrude, the immediate past Publicity Secretary, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria told NAN that it was evident that there was a disconnect between the regulators, stockbrokers and others in the value chain.

According to Igbrude, shareholders in the hinterlands are facing challenges with the e-dividend scheme and wondered why newly listed companies in the stock market still have unclaimed dividends.

A lot of shareholders are having challenges with the e-dividends scheme, especially those in the hinterland, apart from the percentage of those who have keyed into it.

Those who have mandated their accounts still have unclaimed dividends in buying new shares on the floor of the exchange, it is a major problem to the whole process.

All the stakeholders in the value chain should take it seriously by fulfilling their own part of the chain, starting from the stockbrokers that collects the signature and transmits same to the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) and registrars.

The registrars will not know if an investor has bought shares after his account has been mandated, if the investor did not inform them, the system should be automated to capture this type of investments, the shareholder need not to go to and fro after an account has been mandated, he added.

Igbrude highlighted some of the steps to be taken by the regulators to ensure a smooth and hitch free enrollment in the initiative.

Each stakeholder in the value chain must and should genuinely carry out their individual roles effectively and efficiently. That is, the stockbrokers, the CSCS, registrars, the banks and regulators.

The registrars should develop and deploy modern technology in their system that can recognise and synchronise similar features as it concerns human identification.

Individual companies should engage SEC and develop ways to identify and trace their shareholders or their families who may have changed location because of exigencies of life.

After all, there is a regulation that state that all unclaimed dividends should be in a dedicated account and managed outside of the company.

The interest yield on these funds should be used in tracking and tracing the shareholders instead of the company just claiming the interest.

The most puzzling or surprising thing in this whole unclaimed dividends is that newly listed companies like MTN, Airtel and others still have unclaimed dividends, he said.

Igbrude appealed to the regulators and companies to work out ways around the e-dividend concept because modern technologies had made it easy to trace and locate people.

Alhaji Olatokunbo Gbadebo, a shareholders activist, lauded the e-dividend initiative and commended registrars for promptness in making sure shareholders were captured.

Gbadebo told NAN that shareholders must appropriately fill their e-dividend enrollment forms and submit with their passport photographs, including other details such as BVN for proper capturing.

Honestly, the e-dividend is commendable and shareholders are happy with the initiative.

Shareholders are, however, advised to ensure proper registration with the registrars. They will give you a form to fill and submit to them, now if you do not fill that form properly your enrollment is incomplete.

There is also the need to provide your other bank information during the registration process, shareholders who fail to do so, have not completed the enrollment for the e-dividend.

Gbadebo called on registrars to ensure that those already captured and enrolled under the e-dividend mandate, do not appear on the list of unclaimed dividends.

Source: NAN News