Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)

By Jessica Dogo

Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), says active GSM subscribers in the country have increased from 184 million in December 2019 to 199.3 million in May 2020.

Danbatta made the disclosure at the virtual launch/award ceremony of the COVID-19 Research Grant presented to three startups, by the NCC, on Tuesday Abuja.

He further explained that internet subscription in the same period increased from 126 million to 147.1 million, while broadband subscription also increased from 72 million to 80.2 million, achieving a 42.02 per cent penetration in the country.

Danbatta explained that the startups participated in a 3-month virtual hackathon with the theme Virtual Hackathon: Adaptable Digital Solutions for Addressing the Present and Future Impact of Pandemic and Epidemic Diseases from Technology Hubs, Startups and Innovation Digital SMEs in Nigeria.

These may have given impetus to the possibility of holding virtual meetings and conferences on video technologies that are now providing social distancing solutions.

So, in whichever way we look at it, telecommunication has much more greater role to play than many other sectors of economy and the society.

Therefore, the challenge is for us to find a way to accentuate our local content solution, which is a blessing to us. We are pleased with the responses that we received on this initiative, he said.

Danbatta said that the NCC, has in the past two years managed similar ICT-based innovations and research competitions among tertiary institutions in the country, with potentials of improving local content solutions in the industry.

We should be bold enough as a country in adopting indigenous solutions. We must adopt and consume them. There should be less attention on imported goods.

It is evident that the entire globe is challenged about how best to tackle this pandemic. Telecommunications and ICTs have taken the centre stage in the provision or advancement of solutions.

We will all witness what digital solutions that todays winners are going to bring to the table. Each of the Startups, or tech-hubs with promising innovative digital solutions against the pandemic will receive a grant of N3 million.

We have encouraged ICT innovations among the Nigerian youths whom we have regularly sponsored to various competitions organised by the International Telecommunications Union, Danbatta said.

Dr Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, who presented a N9 million COVID-19 research grants to the three promising startups, stressed that there was the need to adopt indigenous solutions to challenges in the country.

Pantami also encouraged individuals to consume what the country produced and pay less attention to imported goods.

We need to produce what we need and consume what we produce, any country that remains a consumer nation will find it difficult to succeed, he said.

Dr Henry Nkemadu,NCC Director, Research and Development, said that there was the need to harness the potentials of technologies in order to address societal challenges and meet up to standard.

Nkemadu explained that the Hackathon was designed to engage the startups to compete in a healthy manner to improve innovations.

He noted that 298 submissions were received from startups of, which 56 qualified for the final stage of the evaluation process based on the selection criteria and later came up with three winners.

It is a national aspiration to spice some of these technologies with local content as a way of improving availability of local manpower and advancing ICT skills.

Technology has provided solutions to the challenge of weak public systems by providing solutions to the most challenges in education, health, financial and agricultural sectors, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that each of the Startups, or tech-hubs with promising innovative digital solutions against the pandemic will receive a grant of N3 million

The three winners included-Messers Primed E-Health, Messers Cyberfleet Intergrated Limited and Messers Elizade University. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met behind closed door with Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the State House, Abuja.

Speaking to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Gbajabiamila stated that he was in the villa to seek the blessing of the president over his planned trip to Ghana on Wednesday over the closure of shops owned by Nigerians in that country.

Gbajabiamila had last week said the closure of Nigerian shops in Ghana contravened Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) trade protocols.

The Speaker said, while in Ghana, he would engage with the Speaker of the parliament in Ghana with a view to finding solutions to the challenges facing Nigerian traders in that country.

He said: One of the issues we discussed today, Im leaving for Ghana tomorrow to meet with the Speaker of the parliament in Ghana to look at the issues on ground, as it affects our citizens, and to try and calm things down and see if theres a way forward.

Ill meet with the Speaker tomorrow (Wednesday), I informed the President and hes aware of every single step that we are taking, all the way and we hope that well come to an amicable settlement one way or the other.

Its called Legislative Diplomacy, if you remember very well, during the days when I was Leader of the House, I lead the delegation to South Africa during the crisis there with Nigerians and we were able to accomplish quite a bit, to simmer things down at that time.

On demands Nigeria is taking to Ghana, the Speaker said: No demands, we just going to discuss in the spirit of African Parliaments and well be looking at issues from time to time as they affect African countries and this is one of them.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria and Ghana have traded words over the closure of the shops owned by Nigerians in Ghana

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, had summoned the Ghanas Charge d Affaires to Nigeria, Ms Iva Denoo, to deliberate on the closure of the shops.

Onyeama had also met with representatives of Nigerian Traders in Ghana, led by Jasper Emenike, the National President of Progressive Ambassadors of Nigeria (PAN) and the organisations National Director, Hon. Ruth Ango over the issue.

NAN reports that Ghanaian government had also proposed a meeting between President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and his Nigerian counterpart, President Buhari, over the bilateral misunderstanding.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Coronavirus

By Abujah Racheal

Dr Sani Aliyu, Coordinator, Presidential Task Force (PTF), has said that Plateau is now tthe Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) hot centre as more cases are been confirmed in the state.

Aliyu, who spoke at the PTF daily briefing on Monday in Abuja, said that the state was leading in confirmed cases because it was testing more.

He advised other states to conduct more tests like Lagos and Plateau to be able to get the positive cases and treat them fast.

We are seeing a gradual shift in the areas of high infection burden, with Plateau reporting the highest number of confirmed cases.

Of course, this can be related to increased testing by citizens of the state.

However, we also need to look at the flip side that there are a number of highly undetected cases lying around which we need to discover and deal with early, he said.

On the planned resumption of international flights, he said that incoming passengers would be required to be certified COVID-19 negative very close to departure date.

He said that they would also be required to undergo another COVID-19 test eight days after arrival in Nigeria.

Aliyu said that the other requirements included registration on the Nigeria International Travel Portal where payment for the second test would be made, and filling of health declaration form online.

The coordinator warned that any passenger who would fail to comply with a second COVID-19 test in Nigeria would risk ban for six months.

He added that the person would be blacklisted by the Nigeria Immigrated Service and security agencies, and face some other punishments.

Source: NAN News

COVID-19 updates by NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported 143 new cases of COVID-19 in the country, bringing the nations total infections to 54,008.

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

The health Agency said that 143 cases were confirmed from 17 states and the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), taking the number of confirmed cases to 54,008 in the country.

It revealed that Plateau again had the highest number of infections of 35, while Kaduna had 21 with Lagos and FCT recording 19 and 13 cases respectively.

Others were Ebonyi (9), Adamawa (7), Enugu (7), Katsina (7), Edo (6), Kwara (5), Osun (3), Anambra (2), Kano (2), Niger (2), Ogun (2), Benue (1), Borno (1) and Sokoto (1).

The NCDC 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.

It stated that no fatality was recorded as at Monday.

The health agency said that till date, 54,008 cases had been confirmed, 41,638 cases discharged and 1,013 deaths recorded in 36 states and FCT.

It said even younger persons were at risk of COVID-19, especially those with underlying health conditions.

Lets continue to take responsibility; wear a face mask in public, practice hand/respiratory hygiene and maintain physical distance, it said.

Source: NAN News

Independent Assessment Committee members and the CGI

By Ibironke Ariyo
The Federal Government Independent Assessment Committee visited the Headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to access the performance of the service.

The NIS spokesperson, Mr Sunday James disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

James said that the visit which was an initiative of the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), was part of preparations for the ministerial performance retreat.

He added that the team which had Mr Rajeem Aremu and Mrs Ukaigwu Lilian as members, was taken round the headquarters of the service for visual assessment of the various tools deployed for monitoring and control of human mobility into Nigeria.

The following facilities were assessed: NIS Command and Control Centre, INTERPOL i-24/7 facility, MIDAS automation for passenger clearance at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Automated Visa on Arrival (VoA), Temporary Work Permit (TWP) facilities and Implementation tools for Border Management Strategy 2019 2023, he said.

The Comptroller-General, NIS, Mr Muhammad Babandede, while addressing the committee, emphasized the importance of the forensic tool and the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS).

He said that the adequate deployment of APIS would help in reducing reported cases of lost and stolen documents, forgery and cases related to identity theft.

This he said, would also aid the tracking of reported cases before re-issue or replacement.

While the APIS provides information to the receiving country before the embarkation of passenger from the country of origin or transit, i-24/7 helps in tracking lost and stolen document STLD.

The forensic tool is used to query real-time passport and visa issuance with the aim of ascertaining the officer that issued the station and the documents supplied for the process and whether it was approved or rejected.

Migration Information Data Analysis System (MIDAS) deployed to airports also serves the purpose of data collection by capturing the fingerprints and facial of the passengers being cleared.

The Command and Control Centre at the NIS Headquarters provides real-time on-the-spot view of control posts connected to it.

This means, all activities of officers at control posts can be viewed real-time from the Service Headquarters when connected, the CGI noted.

NAN reports that the independent assessment includes verification by visual observation of some of the performances of MDAs.

The aim of the exercise is to obtain evidence on what ministries have accomplished or is in progress.

Source: NAN News

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba

By Joan Nwagwu

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to desist from further contemplation, discussions and arrangements to concession major airports in the country.

Mr Ayuba Wabba, the NLC President said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Wabba said that organised labour condemned the plans by government to concession Nigerias major airports.

It was with great alarm that we learnt of the renewed efforts by the Federal Government to concession Nigerias major airports.

The airports are the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos and the Port Harcourt International Airport to private sector interests.

Nigerians may recall that the current concession drive of the present government did not start today. It has been part of the neo-liberal predilection of successive governments in Nigeria.

It stretched from the military era up till the current democratic dispensation to deregulate, concession, and privatise critical national assets to their cronies and friends, he said.

Wabba said the organised labour had identified this approach to governance as reactionary, predatory and self-serving.

We rejected concession of our core national assets yesterday. We are rejecting it today!, he said.

Wabba said that the unwholesome and unpatriotic attitude of giving away the countrys prized national property to private sector operatives was not only unjust and immoral but also in ultra-violations.

The NLC president said that this violates Chapter 2, Section 16 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the Fundamental Objectives and the Directive Principles of State Policy.

The policy states that the Nigerian government must manage and operate the major sectors of the economy and ensure that our economy is not operated to permit the concentration of wealth or the means of production and exchange in the hands of few individuals or of a group.

It is important to note that when our airports, especially the ones earmarked for concession were in states of eye sore and dilapidation, private capital did not invest towards their rehabilitation.

It would be a grand insult to the collective intelligence of the Nigerian public for the Federal Government to invest a lot of public funds into the reconstruction and rehabilitation of our airports and then hand them over to private sector players for profit maximisation and at the expense of the tax paying public.

This is unjust. It is immoral. This cannot stand, he said.

Wabba therefore said that apart from the haemorrhage to government revenue that the concession portends, Nigerian workers were concerned over the security of their jobs.

Our experience in the past had been that of massive layoff of workers once private sector players get the concession on national assets.

He noted that the reason was to overt profit maximisation, saying that as very few workers would be engaged as slaves to do the work that many workers would ordinarily be required to do. Organised Labour would resist this.

As far as we are concerned, there is no compelling reason for the Federal Government to gift away our national airports to private companies to manage. We are sure that no responsible government wants to be seen in this light.

The failures of private sector intervention in our public electric and telephone services speak volumes of the inherent danger in using public assets to service private interests or massage the ego of those in the corridors of power.

The truth remains that once public workers are properly motivated, trained, capacitated and given the enabling work environment; there are no limits to what they can achieve, he said.

He further called on government to be committed to allowing the professionals do their job without undue interference and to ensure optimum maintenance standards.

He advised government to enforce rules in the public procurement process, adding that the workers were more than capable to maintain and manage our national assets.

Organised labour in Nigeria warns the Federal Government to desist from further contemplation, discussions and arrangements to concession our international airports.

We call for social dialogue between government and labour on this.

Organised labour and the entire Nigerian working class will resist any attempt to unilaterally concession any of our public airports.

Thus undermining the directive principles and fundamental objectives of our national constitution which is actually the fulcrum upon which our collective identity and aspiration rests.

We will not give up or surrender our public assets to a few well-connected Nigerians, regardless of how powerful they think they are, Wabba said.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Access bank urges Nigerians to embrace digital banking to prevent COVID-19 spike

By Lucy Osuizigbo-Okechukwu

Access Bank Plc on Tuesday urged Nigerians to embrace digital channels for theirmonetary transactions to ensure safety and reduce cases of COVID-19 in the country.

Mr Victor Etuokwu, the Executive Director, Retail Banking Division made the call at the opening of a new branch office in Awka, Anambra.

Etuokwu, who was represented by Mr Charles Oguibe, South East Regional Sales Director, said that digital financial services served as a preventive measure in the light of the global pandemic.

We believe in the safety of our customers, especially during this pandemic and so we encourage everyone to transact digitally via our USSD code *901#, mobile applications or the ATM.

Customers can bank from anywhere byutilising digital channels to easily access their bank accounts, make payments, transfer funds, process salaries and carry out other banking transactions without visiting branches.

This is part of efforts to ensure physical distancing which will help to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

The opening of this new branch in Awka is to get closer to our customers, provide comfortable and conducive environment where customers can feel safeand transact with ease, he said.

The Igwe of Awka Kingdom, Dr Gibson Nwosu said that banking promotes rural development, enhance rural productive activities and improves economic status of small-scale businesses.

Nwosu, who was represented by the traditional Prime Minister of Awka Kingdom, High Chief Benjamin Okoye urged the bank to continue to contribute to the development of the host community.

Mr Jude Emecheta, the Managing Director, Anambra State Signage and Advertising Agencyurged the bank to initiate loan products to help business owners affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transport

By Lucy Ogalue

Dr Magdalene Ajani, newly posted Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transportation has assumed office in Abuja.

This was contained in a statement signed by Mr Eric Ojiekwe the Director of Press and Public Relations of the ministry on Tuesday, in Abuja.

Ojiekwe said that Ajani took over from Acting Permanent Secretary, Dr Husseini Adamu at a ceremony in Abuja.

He quoted her as saying that good service delivery was critical to Nigerias socio-economic development, calling for efficient and effective service delivery in the transportation sector.

The Ministry has a critical role to play, as a service provider we either provide or fail to provide, Ajani said.

She, however, enjoined all staffto operate towards realisation of the ministrys mandate and urged Directors of the ministry to gear up for hard work.

It is time to think outside the box, do things differently and achieve better results, Ajani said.

She also emphasised the need for all staff in the Ministry to be computer literate.

Earlier, Adamu said Ajanis assumption of office would provide the direction needed to move the ministry forward.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),reports that Ajaniwas the Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategy, Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation before the new posting.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19

Russian authorities announced on Tuesday that the countrys COVID-19 caseload had exceeded one million, the worlds fourth largest, according to international statistics.

Russia has regularly reported a daily rise of several thousand cases in recent weeks.

Tuesdays caseload rose by more than 4,700 from the previous day to reach 1,000,048, according to official statistics.

While Russia has one of the worlds highest caseloads, its recorded death toll has been relatively small, with about 17,300 deaths reported as of Tuesday.

Russia only includes deaths directly linked to the disease in that statistic.

Patients who tested positive but died from other factors have not been included in the death toll.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said this week that the country would begin large-scale provision of its COVID-19 vaccine in September.

Russia was the first country to introduce a vaccine for the novel COVID-19 that it says can be used by the general public.

Medics around the world have expressed skepticism over the vaccine, which they say has not yet undergone necessary testing procedures.

About 40,000 volunteers are in a phase 3 trial of the vaccine, state media have reported.

The vaccine has been named Sputnik, in honour of the first man-made satellite to achieve orbit, a feat accomplished in the late 1950s by Russias predecessor state, the Soviet Union, in the space race with rival superpower the U.S.

Endorsing the vaccine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that one of his daughters has used it successfully, without any side effect worse than a slight, temporary fever. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

school Children

By Victor Adeoti

The Osun Government says Sept. 21 has been tentatively fixed for the reopening of schools shut down due to coronavirus pandemic in the state.

The Commissioner for Information and Civic, Mrs Funke Egbemode made this known in a statement in Osogbo on Tuesday.

Egbemode said stakeholders were expected to continue to put protocols in place toward the reopening of schools.

This should be in accordance with the guidelines set by the Federal Ministry of Education, she said.

The commissioner also said that all schools in the state were to resume in phases with effect from Sept. 21, for an abridged third term of the 2019/2020 academic session.

Having conducted an assessment of schools within the state to ascertain the level of preparations for reopening, the government has scheduled schools to resume from the COVID-19 break on Sept. 21 for an abridged third term of the 2019/2020 academic session, which is expected to end on October 30, 2020.

To make up for lost grounds caused by the COVID-19 induced lockdown, a new academic session (2020/2021 session) is scheduled to commence on Nov. 9.

Because of the Yuletide, schools will be expected to take a brief recess from Dec. 24, to resume on Jan. 4, 2021, for the concluding part of the first term of the new session which is scheduled to end Jan. 22, 2021.

The resumption date for the second term is set for Feb. 1, and scheduled to end April 9, 2021.

The third term of that session commences on April 26, and runs till July 23, she said.

Egbemode explained that the announced schedule applies only to primary and secondary schools, adding that tertiary institutions were also expected to reopen on Sept. 21, but required to plan their schedules.

She said stakeholders were to continue to fine tune their preparations in the coming days toward ensuring a seamless enforcement of the announced schedule.(NAN)

Source: NAN News