Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs,

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, says paucity of fund is slowing intervention and evacuation of Nigerians in Diaspora affected by outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Onyeama spoke as guest at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja, while responding to questions on rating of governments evacuation of Nigerians to the Novel COVID-19.

According to him, government has to reduce the level of intervention and evacuation of Nigerians abroad due to lack of adequate funds in the wake of the pandemic.

We are expecting a lot more; I think that we experienced difficulty because there was no funding for that.

All the funding initially went into preparing to deal with cases within the country; after a while we began to see that there was large number of Nigerians wanting to come in.

We did not have the financial resources to think that there were expectations that the government would foot the bill, for bringing them back and that was not going to be possible.

Government did not have funding for that, so like every other country in the world, we had to put the cost on to the passengers.

We managed to pay the cost of enforced and supervised quarantine for 2-weeks, which was huge amount of money that we had to pay, he said.

He said that the process of supervising people for 2-weeks required the services of other persons, amidst various elements involved in the achievement of the target in the place.

He said although there was large number of people wanting to return home after six batches were brought-in, notable Nigerians contributed to the achievement of the target.

Bless him for it, Dangote and some of his colleagues generously put in place mechanisms for receiving and testing on arrival.

This also evolved within Nigeria; we had begun to have a much larger number of community infections, so the danger was not from outside any longer, but within Nigeria.

The imperative of ensuring those coming inside were supervised and quarantined under government supervision was no longer so great.

It made it easy in terms of number we could bring back, now we have a system of isolating yourself at home, you no longer need to go to a hotel.

So, more people are able to come back as a result of that; more or less we are moving ahead in an acceptable fashion, he said.

Earlier, Alhaji Biola Lawal, NAN Acting Managing Director, expressed appreciation to the Minister for featuring as guest at the forum.

Lawal said that the interview with the minister was sideline of activities marking the 5th anniversary of President Muhammadu Buharis administration since 2015.

In the wake of the COVID-19, the president marked his 5th year in office and the whole world needed to know what his administration has been able to achieved in the past five years.

So, our priority is to liaise with the Ministers, to disseminate information on achievements so far recorded, because the reach we have, no one has it.

We are present on ground in all 36 states of the federation, Lawal said.

Source: NAN News

NEPZA

By Emmanuella Anokam

Prof. Adesoji Adesugba, Managing Director of Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) has warned officials against violating financial regulations and engaging in inappropriate financial dealings.

Adesugba gave the warning on Wednesday in Abuja, while briefing the audit personnel of the agency.

The managing director, in a statement signed by Mr Martins Odeh, Head, Corporate Communications, NEPZA, said he would not tolerate tampering with financial regulations and corruptive activities.

Let me make this very clear, I will strictly enforce extant rules and financial regulations. I will not tolerate breaching of due process in procurement and other financial transactions.

I charge you to ensure proper records keeping and observance of the internal processes. Every transaction must be within the bounds of law.

If there is any infraction, I will act swiftly against culprits. There must be no excuse.

I am a stickler for transparency and accountability. Any official who breaches the financial protocols will be sanctioned, he warned.

Adesugba said that the agency would conduct governance audit to ensure that right things were done and also adopt and follow processes within the grounds of extant regulations.

He urged the staff to imbibe the culture of transparency and accountability, warning that he would not shield or defend any official engaging in corrupt practices.

Adesugba assumed duty as NEPZA boss on July 1, after President Muhammadu Buhari approved his appointment on June 26. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

7 die in NNPC explosion at Benin River Valve Station

By Edith Ike-Eboh

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has reported seven fatalities in an explosion incident which occurred at Gbetiokun, Oil Mining Lease (OML 40), operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), its subsidiary.

The corporation disclosed this in a statement signed by its spokesman Dr Kennie Obateru, in Abuja on Wednesday.

NPDC operates the OML on behalf of the NPDC/Elcrest Joint Venture.

He said the incident, which occurred on Tuesday during the installation of a ladder on a platform (Benin River Valve Station) for access during discharging of Gbetiokun production, unfortunately caused seven fatalities.

He added that investigation on the cause of the explosion had commenced, while the Department of Petroleum Resources had been duly notified and Form 41 was being prepared for the industry regulator as required in circumstances of this nature.

The bodies of casualties have been deposited in a morgue in Sapele, while families of the personnel involved are being contacted by their employers: Weld Affairs and Flow Impact, which are consultants to NPDC, he said.

He noted that all personnel on board the platform had been fully accounted for adding that the NNPC Group Managing Director, Malam Mele Kyari, had commiserated with the families of the bereaved.

He noted that Kyari prayed that God grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss of their loved ones. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

crude oil

By Okeoghene Akubuike

Mr Micheal Abah, a Public Affairs and Economic Analyst, says Nigerian needs to diversify and reverse its overdependence on oil, especially with the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

Abah made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja.

He said that almost 60 years after independence, Nigeria was at a crossroad economically and needed urgent reforms.

Abah, also an Associate Chartered Accountant decried that the Nigerian economy was not growing fast enough to create jobs that would carter for its teeming population.

He said Nigerias GDP growth was about 1.87 per cent annually, which was expected to fall with the outbreak of the pandemic.

Abah saidto stop this trend from getting worse, the country needed policies that would drive job creation, unleash the potential of Nigerians and take more people out of poverty.

He said such policies should be aimed at developing the economy of the states to achieve their full potential.

These policies should advocate greater fiscal federalism with states taking on more responsibilities that will drive business growth including the creation of industrial clusters in the states.

Fiscal federalism creates an incentive for states to take up the responsibilities for wealth creation rather than wait for monthly hand-outs from Abuja.

We would be looking at instances where even though oil is mined in the South-South, it is refined in the North-West, ensuring that the benefit of crude oil endowment is felt in the North-West.

That as a country we add value to our natural resources before we export same, therefore creating wealth for our countrymen.

He said every state in Nigeria needed to work at full capacity as a catalyst of growth with healthy competition among states on how best to push the frontier of Nigerias industrialisation for the benefit of citizens.

According to him, no state in Nigeria Ioi8s not viable as a stand-alone entity with the resources that abound within them, both human and natural that could be tapped into.

The best time to plant the seed of Nigerias industrial revolution was 60 years ago, the second-best time is now.

Rather than only Abuja working for Nigerians, we need to leverage the uniqueness of each state with a vision of not exporting any item until we have added value to it, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Dr Raji Razaq, the Kwara Commissioner for Health, has begun advocacy visits to community leaders in Ilorin on the forthcoming 2020 Net campaign in the state.

The commissioner, who was represented by Alhaji Abdullahi Nageri, the Programme Manager, Malaria Elimination Programme, assured the traditional rulers at a meeting in Ilorin of the state government commitment to curbing Malaria to a minimal level.

He stated that all relevant funds to make the exercise a successful one has been released and that the state was set to kick-start the distribution of Long Lasting Insecticidal Net.

Razaq urged the traditional leaders to help sensitise the people of their communities on the importance of the insecticide treated nets and the need to use the nets as directed.

According to him, malaria still constitute great threat to people, particularly pregnant women and children in the community.

Razaq also commended the traditional leaders for taking their time to attend to the health team for the sensitisation.

Mr Femi Olatunbosun, the Chairman of the Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation Core Group, explained that this years net campaign would be conducted house-to-house.

Olatunbosun appealed for the full support and cooperation of the traditional leaders and members of their communities for the success of the campaign, adding that serious monitoring is needed from the traditional leaders for a smooth exercise.

Responding, Alhaji Adebayo Mohammed, the Balogun Gambari of Ilorin, commended the efforts of the health team in reducing malaria in the communities and assured them of the traditional institution support.

Mohammed said that they would commence the mobilisation of their communities on preventive measures.

Also speaking, the Magaji Are of Ilorin, Alhaji Aremu Suberu, appreciated the Abdulrazaqs administration for the net campaign and reiterated the commitment of the traditional leaders to ensure the success of the programme.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other traditional rulers who declared support for the programme included the Balogun Ajikobi of Ilorin, Balogun Alanamu, and Balogun Fulani of Ilorin.

Source: NAN News

Federal Road Safety Commission

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Rivers has arrested a total of 236 traffic offenders within one week, the command said on Tuesday.

The state Sector Commander, Corps Commandant Salisu Galadunci disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt.

He said that the Corps was prepared to enforce and enlighten the people on the culture of traffic adherence in the state.

According to him, 278 offences were recorded out of the 236 traffic offenders apprehended between June 29 and July 4.

In the past one week, we have so far arrested a total of 236 traffic offenders and we have recorded 278 offences out of the record between June 29 and July 4, 2020.

Enforcement in FRSC is always the last resort, basically, I believe in educating the public using the various media platforms and even going to garages to talk to the public.

But the few persons that are bent on disobeying set rules are the ones that we bring to our office on daily basis, he said.

Galadunci said that the Corps has also stepped up its operations by taking public education to the various loading areas in the state to keep the public abreast of the covid-19 restrictions.

As the ban on inter-state movement was lifted since last week, we quickly keyed in by sending our men to the various loading bays in the state.

We are doing this to ensure that the covid 19 compliance level on the use of face mask and physical distancing rule were being upheld by the various transport companies.

Weve also been talking to the various fleet operators on the covid 19 compliance, right from the entry points of these loading parks.

In addition, weve also been checking to ensure that there are provisions for water, soaps and hand sanitizers for use at the garages, he added.

On the new number plate center set to begin in the state, Galadinci said its benefits cannot be overemphasized especially to the state government and stakeholders in the sector.

When we were operating under the old number plate registration system, the various state revenue centers simply registered vehicles without uploading the information to the data base of the National Vehicle Information System (NVIS).

The FRSC in its wisdom created the NVIS which has since creation served as a complete one-stop data base platform for every state of the federation including the FCT.

We established and equipped office centers at the various state headquarters of state revenue offices.

What the center does is to imput into the NVIS the records of all registration carried out on vehicles, motorcycle and tricycles in the various states.

The measure is one of the steps to promote accountability and also check possible fund leakages, Galadunci said.

Source: NAN News

FG to resume Third Mainland Bridge repairs

By Grace Alegba /Florence Onuegbu

Federal and Lagos State Governments announced traffic management plan towards partial closure of the Third Mainland Bridge for six months maintenance.

At a joint media briefing, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olukayode Popoola, said that the routine maintenance of the bridge, would be carried out from July 24 to Jan. 24, 2021.

Popoola said that the bridge was last rehabilitated in 2012.

Consequently, the Third Mainland Bridge will be partially closed and there will be diversion of traffic, he said.

Popoola said that the repairs would be done in two phases and the Oworonshoki bound carriageway would be the first to be shut to traffic for three months for rehabilitation.

He said that within the period, motorists would use the Island bound lane and alternative routes provided.

He said that in the first phase, the morning which would be from 12:00 midnight to 1:00p.m, the highway, would take the Oworonshoki to Lagos Island traffic only on the Lagos Island bound carriageway.

He said that from 1:00p,m to 12:00 midnight, the highway would take the Lagos Island to Oworonshoki traffic, only on the Lagos Island bound carriageway.

This will be in place for three months for repairs of the Oworonshoki bound lane, he said.

He added that the same process would be replicated on the Lagos Island bound carriageway upon completion of repairs of the Oworonshoki lane.

Motorists are advised to ply alternative routes from Carter Bridge through Iddo, through Oyingbo to join Adekunle ramp inward Oworonshoki.

From Ijora Olopa through Western Avenue to Ikorodu Road.

Traffic control will be in place to direct and help traffic movement. We regret the inconveniences this might cause the motorists, Popoola said.

The Special Adviser to Lagos Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs Aramide Adeyoye, promised that the state would rehabilitate access routes areas for use.

Adeyoye listed roads to receive urgent attention to include Herbert Macaulay way and Iddo/Oyingbo roads.

She said that Adeniji Adele Road contract had been awarded and its repairs would soon begin.

She warned owners of trucks not in good condition to stay away from the roads while warning against the habitual indiscriminate parking of trucks on roads and bridges.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Fredrick Oladeinde, said that the Vehicle Inspection Service had started checking trucks for road worthiness and those not fit would be confiscated.

So, I think we have confiscated over 90 vehicles between June and today. So we will continue to do that. We will have more VIS on the roads to ensure that only roadworthy trucks come into Lagos.

We are doubling our efforts just to make sure that we dont have any breakdown that would further cause congestion.

The last time we did a traffic count, we had over 60,000 trips going from the Mainland to the Island and those going on the other side is just about 20,000.

A lot of traffic goes to the Island in the morning and goes back to the Mainland in the evening, he said.

The Lagos Sector Commander, Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Olusegun Ogungbemide, said that the traffic management was going to be tasking but the security agencies, both the state and Federal, would collaborate.

The LASTMA, the Federal Road Safety Corp and other agencies that have to do with maintenance of traffic in Lagos State are well prepared and we have mapped out the deployment of our men.

Even when the road is good, the traffic situation in Lagos is enormous and the challenge is enormous.

The major task will happen when the downpour is on and we have enough accessories and equipment that are already prepared for our operatives, that even under the downpour, we are going to be visible all over.

So, I just want to plead with members of public that the issue of enforcement is going to be fully enphasised on.

We are not going to compromise that, because we will do everything to remove whatever will create unnecessary pain for Lagosians, he said.

NAN reports that the Third Mainland bridge was shut in August 2018 for a three days investigative maintenance check.

Thereafter, some components needed for the completion of the repairs, were sourced abroad because they were not available locally.

The 11.8km third Mainland Bridge, is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland.

The bridge begins from Oworonshoki to link the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island.

It was constructed in 1990 and was the longest in Africa until 1996 when the 6th October Bridge in Cairo was completed.

Source: NAN News

Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal, Sadique Abubakar

By Doris Esa

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has destroyed some bandits camps and neutralised several bandits in a fresh air interdiction operation in Sokoto State.

Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Daramola quoted the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, as saying the operation was launched on Monday through the Air Component of Operation: HADARIN DAJI.

Abubakar said the operation was part of efforts to rid the North West of bandits, cattle rustlers, kidnappers and other criminal elements under the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) led Operation ACCORD.

Abubakar, who expressed satisfaction with the mission, said the operation was to smoke out the bandits from their camps within the Kagara Forest area of Sokoto.

He noted that, while sustaining the air offensive, the Air Component worked closely with ground troops to ensure that the armed bandits that escaped the aerial bombardments were mopped up on the ground.

Abubakar said that because the Kagara Forest extended into Niger Republic, there was also a synergy with the Nigerien Authorities to ensure that the bandits do not escape through the international borders.

Abubakar noted that the massive deployment of air assets to Sokoto was to add impetus to operations in the state and its environs with a view to bring the spate of criminal activities to a decisive end.

With the number of platforms deployed for operations in Sokoto as well as the ones operating in Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger states, you can be assured that our society is secured and our people can go about their businesses without fear, he said.

He assured the people of Sokoto and indeed all Nigerians of the NAFs unalloyed commitment towards ensuring a secured and stable environment.

The CAS reiterated that every Nigerian had a role to play to ensure peace and prosperity of the nation and expressed gratitude to the state government for the development of communities for quick resettlement of the people.

The air chief urged the Air Component to sustain the momentum of its operations in synergy with sister organisations to bring about the total defeat of the criminal elements.

Abubakar also thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, National Assembly, especially the Senate and House Committees on Defence and Air Force, for their support and understanding towards the needs of the Service.

Source: NAN News

farmers

By Ariwodola Idowu

The Ekiti Government, in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is to empower 1,000 farmers to accelerate cultivation of cassava in the state.

Speaking on Tuesday at the launching of the programme in Ado-Ekiti, Gov Kayode Fayemi, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Folorunso Olabode, said that the cassava production value chain would speed up industrial development of the state.

Fayemi released over 6,000 hectares of land to the Cassava Growers Association in the state to ensure the smooth take off of the programme.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Fayemi stated that the state government had secured N1.9billion to prepare lands across various locations in the state.

According to the governor, this is to encourage farming for massive employment and availability of raw materials for agro-allied industries.

The value chain in cassava is inestimable and have over 50 products.

Cassava has graduated from the ordinary famous garri to high-grade starch, syrup, flakes, fufu paste, cassava bread, biofuel, in fact, it has transformed into a golden crop that can transform any economy.

This administration has been rendering helps to farmers. It has encouraged the citing of cassava mill at Ipao-Ekiti, that is producing 350 metric tonnes of cassava daily.

Dangote and Stallone Rice Mills are doing great in rice production. The production plants have been installed.

About 1,500 hectares of land has also been prepared across the state to boost food production, with close to N2billion to be spent on land clearing to help the farmers.

The government has facilitated about 6,000 bags of fertiliser that would be sold to farmers at subsidised rate.

The fact that Ekiti is one of the five pilot states showed that our efforts were being noticed at the national level, the governor said.

Fayemi said that Ekiti played a prominent role in the formation of the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun, to ward off destruction of farmlands by marauding herders and to discourage them from abandoning the farm, out of fear.

Also speaking, the CBN Branch Controller in Ekiti, Alhaji Ganiyu Atobatele, described agriculture as the largest employer of labour in the country, saying no effort must be spared to revamp the sector and return it as the mainstay of the nations economy.

The CBN official stated that the discovery of oil caused a major setback for the agriculture sector in Nigeria.

Inability to meet our agriculture local demands has affected our foreign reserves and foreign exchange, causing free fall of our currency in the international market.

Decreased production and increasing population forced the CBN to intervene to improve on a large scale farming, to give farmers access to funds and equipment at subsidised rate, for massive production.

The CBN is protecting the cassava value chain. The MoU signed include land utilisation, which specified five hectares per farmer, for higher production and to increase annual revenue and generate raw materials for industrial development

The apex bank will make credit available to farmers under five-star cassava project. The target is 30 metric tonnes per hectares and all activities will be mechanised.

About 47,406 metric tonnes of cassava was produced in 2014 with bulk of it consumed.

But with our intervention, it can be processed further to produce other products that will help the economy through employment generation, food security and foreign exchange earnings, he said.

In his address, the National President of the Nigeria Cassava Growers Association, Pastor Segun Adewumi, said that 25 tractors and other mechanised equipment had been mobilised to Ekiti, to begin the scheme.

Adewumi commended the CBN Governor, Dr Godwin Emefiele and the partnering bank, for keying into the dream for massive cassava production.

Source: NAN News

The red Chamber

By Edith Ike-Eboh

An energy law expert, Mr Israel Aye, has urged the National Assembly to speedily pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to resolve challenges in the oil and gas industry for the economic growth of the country.

Aye, a Senior Partner, in Primera Africa Legal, made the call at an online workshop for journalists on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

It will be recalled that the National Assembly (NASS) said it is expecting the new PIB soon for deliberations and debate to begin on the much-awaited piece of legislation

He said that the delay in passage of the bill had contributed in no small measure to slowing down investments in the Nigerian petroleum industry, adding that it had hindered the development of the countrys economy.

According to him, the country has lost billions of naira as a result of the delay in the passage of the bill.

He said that the opportunity cost of the delay in terms of industry, infrastructure and value addition to the economy was too high.

He called on the National Assembly to ensure passage of the bill for the benefit of Nigerians.

We believe that the Ninth National Assembly will break the jinx and pass the Petroleum Industry Bill, he said.

Aye called on the Federal Government to focus more on utilising immense opportunities in the midstream sector of the Nigerian petroleum industry to grow the economy.

He advised that the government should exploit the petroleum industry as a stimulant to develop the countrys economy.

The lawyer claimed that over the years, the policy and legislative framework of the industry had been more export-focused and made little impact on Nigerias economic growth and development.

He said that efforts should be directed at encouraging increased domestic utilisation of petroleum resources and it derivatives.

Aye added that priority attention should be given to resource governance, describing it as an effective means to eradicate poverty.

According to him, strong resource governance helps to mitigate environmental hazards and safeguard the future of a country.

Dividends from resource wealth can offer a path out of poverty, but without strong institutions and policies, countries are more likely to fall victims to the resource curse.

The results have become apparent as commodity booms have not contributed to growth and employment creation in non-extractive sectors.

Resource governance matters to the people who live close to extraction sites.

Competent management of oil, gas and mining can reduce environmental impact, he said (NAN)

Source: NAN News