Daybreak, Politics, Entertainment, Sport

Author: Alpha Maidawa

FCT solicits private sector support to end open defecation
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is soliciting the support of the private sector to end open defecation in the territory, FCT Minister Mohammed Bello has said.
Bello said this on Friday during the FCT Special Day at the ongoing Enugu International Trade Fair.
The minister, who was represented by the Head, Business in FCT, Mrs Ikwubiela Adom, said that the FCT administration was focused on making the area clean and healthy through increased waste management strategy.
Bello said that the administration had the commitment to eradicate open defecation thus, inviting the support of the private sector to achieve that.
He said that the strides in the provision of infrastructure had made the FCT one of the safest and most secure investment destinations in the country.
“The FCT is investing in the provision of further infrastructure such as link roads between the urban and rural centres of the territory.
“We have also intensified efforts in ensuring easy vehicular movement within the territory through the introduction of planned bus routes.
“This is an area we are soliciting private investors to complement us,” he said.
Bello said that the industrialisation of the country could not be achieved through a mono-economy adding that the administration was making efforts to diversify the FCT economy.
“This includes the opening up of new districts with the attendant infrastructural development in districts of phases three and four of the FCT.
“We have ensured that roads into the Area Councils are maintained for seamless movement of farm produce, goods and services,” he said.
Bello said that the FCT would continue to collaborate with the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA) through participation in the annual fair.
Earlier, the President of ECCIMA, Mr Emeka Nwandu, said that the participation of the FCT in the fair would provide opportunities for investors in the South East to get the necessary information about the area.
Nwandu said that such information would ensure that investors from the zone followed due process and guidelines in their investment drives, especially in land acquisition for property development and others.
The president said that the participation of the FCT in the trade fair was reassuring and would need to be sustained. (NAN)
March 20, 2020
BPE set to carry out 19 transactions in 2020, says DG
The Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr Alex Okoh, has reiterated the Bureau’s plan to carry out 19 transactions in 2020.
A statement issued by Mrs Amina Othman, Head, Public Communications, BPE, on Friday quoted Okoh as disclosing this when he received members of the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation in Abuja.
The committee which was led by its Chairman, Chief Theodore Orji, was on an oversight visit to the Bureau.
He said the transactions would be carried out in health, education, energy and other sectors of the economy.
According to him, the transactions are expected to impact on Nigerian economy, especially in the areas of infrastructure development, improved power generation and supply, food security and job creation.
He expressed the Bureau’s willingness to work closely with members of the committee to ensure that BPE delivered on its mandate for benefit of the nation.
Okoh listed some of the challenges facing the privatisation agency in the discharge of its mandate to include: budgetary constraints, non- enactment of some important reform bills, for instance, National Transport Commission Bill, Roads Bill among others.
Responding, Sen. Orji stated that the committee had been anxious to visit the Bureau to know about privatisation and other reform activities of BPE.
He pledged the committee’s commitment to work with the Bureau to overcome the challenges facing the privatisation programme of the Federal Government and deliver the benefits to Nigerians. (NAN)
March 20, 2020
BOI raises €1bn from international capital market
Toward revitalising Nigeria’s industrial sector and creating 10 million jobs, the Bank of Industry (BOI) says it has raised €1 billion (approximately $1.11billion) from the international capital market.
Mr Kayode Pitan, Managing Director of BOI, in a statement on Friday in Lagos, said that the fund was in line with the focus of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Pitan said that the fund would leverage Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan and the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan to achieve its target.
He said that the transaction was aimed at improving the capacity of the bank to effectively support Micro, Small, Medium and Large enterprises across key sectors of the economy.
According to him, it will help key sectors with affordable loans of medium to long-term tenor, alongside moratorium benefits.
“With the conclusion of the €1 billion medium term syndicated facility, BOI owned by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Finance Incorporated, is poised to catalyse domestic production and job creation on a transformational scale.
“It will also enhance local industry competitiveness, attract domestic and foreign investments as well as integrate local industries into domestic, regional and global value chains,” he said.
The managing director said the fund would also grow export earnings and positively impact the overall economic development of Nigeria in line with its mandate.
The BOI boss said that African Export-Import Bank, Credit Suisse, Rand Merchant Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation were the joint mandated lead arrangers, underwriters and book runners of the syndicated medium-term facility.
He added that the investors include the lead arrangers, alongside 20 other international financial institutions.
Pitan further said that the management team of BoI presented its information memorandum to an audience of about 60 potential investors in London in December 2019.
“The investors were particularly impressed with the business model and corporate governance structures of the bank.
“The transaction was subsequently launched on Jan. 15, with an initial size of €750 million.
“Upon closing on Feb. 19, the deal was oversubscribed by 60 per cent. The deal size was thereafter upsized to €1 billion,” he said.
Pitan said the transaction was a further confirmation of the acceptance of BoI in the international financial market, following its first successful fundraising transaction in 2017, which raised $750 million from a syndicate of 16 international banks.
He said that factors that led to the success of the transaction include, the impressive credit ratings of the bank Long Term Issuer Default Ratings of B+, B2 and Aa from Fitch, Moody’s and Agusto respectively.
He noted that CBN’s backing assisted in making the transaction successful, adding that it supported BOI with technical advice, approvals and 100 per cent currency swap to mitigate the foreign exchange rate risk.
The BOI boss said that the facility would be disbursed in Naira at single digit interest rate to borrowers with bankable projects.
Pitan added that the bank in 2019, disbursed ₦234 billion to 10,145 enterprises, and thus created an estimated one million direct and indirect jobs. (NAN)
March 20, 2020
Shanghai records rapid growth in cross-border yuan use in 2 months March 20, 2020 3:17
Shanghai has recorded fast growth in the cross-border use of the Chinese yuan in the first two months of 2020, Central Bank data showed.
According to the bank, the record jumped 33 per cent year on year to 1.83 trillion yuan (about 259 billion U.S. dollars).
It said within January and February, cross-border yuan payment in the financial hub surged 51 per cent from the same period last year.
While cross-border yuan receipt went up to 19 per cent, according to the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) Shanghai Head Office.
“The cross-border payment and receipt of yuan in Shanghai accounted for 54 per cent of the national total in the two months.
“Its growth rate has outpaced the national pace of increase by 10 percentage points.
“Thanks to facilitating measures, the cross-border use of yuan on goods trade increased one per cent year on year in the reporting period.
“Bucking a broader declining trend as foreign trade weakened in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak,” the central bank said.
The bank, however, noted that the use of yuan in cross-border direct investment in Shanghai climbed to 46 per cent in the two-month period due to rising use of the two-way cross-border yuan capital pool.
It said that this helped domestic firms facing cash strain during the outbreak obtain funding support from their parent companies overseas in a timely and cost-efficient manner.(Xinhua/NAN)
March 20, 2020
Domestic investors executed transactions worth N165.14bn in January – Uduk
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), on Friday, said that domestic investors executed transactions worth N165.14 billion in the equities market in January.
Ms Mary Uduk, SEC acting Director-General, stated this at the Capital Market Correspondents of Nigeria (CAMCAN) forum, with the theme: ‘Strategies to deepen retail investors’ participation in the Nigerian Capital Market’.
Uduk said that domestic investors’ transactions during the period outweighed foreign investors execution by 40 per cent, which accounted for N70.32 billion.
According to her, breakdown of domestic investors transactions show that the domestic institutional transactions accounted for N83.47 billion, while domestic retail transactions stood at N81.67 billion.
Uduk, represented by Mr Okey Umeano, SEC Head, Office of the Chief Economist, said that the trend re-emphasised the need for increase retail investors’ participation in the market.
She, however, stressed the importance of not allowing uncertainties to dampen the resolve to attain the strong capital market of the nation’s dream.
“In spite of these trends, clearly, the fundamentals of our markets and economies remain solid and promising as astute investors know.
“I, therefore, urge retail investors to leverage on this and invest in the capital market, which is one of the avenues to build sustainable and long-term wealth,”Uduk said.
She said that the commission, in conjunction with other self-regulatory organisations (SROs), had continued to enhance the regulatory framework through various policy reforms and initiatives to boost investors’ confidence.
“There is, therefore, the need for increased participation of local (retail and institutional) investors in the market and for foreign investors to have higher confidence concerning the safety of their investments,” the acting DG said.
Uduk said that the 10-year Capital Market Master Plan (CMMP) was developed in 2015 to map out strategies for improvement of the Nigerian capital market in areas such as investor protection and education, professionalism and product innovation, among others.
She said that the commission this year would drive several market initiatives in a bid to restore investors confidence, thereby increasing participation in the market.
The acting DG listed the initiatives as deployment of Real Time Automated Market Surveillance System; driving the growth of Collective Investment Schemes (CIS); capital market literacy and completion of the infusion of capital market into schools’ curricula.
Uduk added that SEC would ensure robust engagement with sister agencies like the Central Bank of Nigeria, PENCOM, National Insurance Commission and others to ensure consideration of the capital market in policy making.
She said that the commission would leverage the success of the e-Dividend initiative to drive Direct Cash Settlement and solve the multiple subscription problem in the market.
“Notwithstanding the numerous initiatives and strategies being implemented, the commission realises that more still needs to be done.
“Our market’s performance is reasonably influenced by activities of foreign investors such that their instantaneous exit poses a challenge.
“This is a problem faced by many other countries, but efforts are continually being made by the commission to increase retail investors’ participation in the Nigerian capital market.
“The commission believes that there is a nexus between increased market participation and market efficiency,” Uduk said. (NAN)
March 20, 2020
‘Look out for each other’ – England boss Southgate writes to fans
England boss Gareth Southgate has urged fans to “look out for each other” in an open letter on Friday as Britain continues to battle with the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has closed all schools and cancelled forthcoming exams for students with many businesses also closing in a struggling economy.
In football terms, England should have been preparing to face Italy and Denmark in now postponed friendlies at the end of month and this summer’s Euro 2020 has been delayed by 12 months to 2021.
“For everyone in our country, the primary focus of the present – and the coming months – is undoubtedly to look after our families,” Southgate writes.
“In the way you’ve all come together to support our team, we must now work together to combat a virus that is causing physical and emotional issues to so many.”
“Look out for each other,” Southgate added.
“Please don’t suffer alone, and remember that our great country has come through these enormous challenges before – and, together, we will do so again.”
Southgate’s letter continued to praise hospital staff and medical workers as “heroes.”
“They won’t receive the individual acclaim,” he wrote. “But we all know their importance is beyond anything we do on the pitch.”
In summary, Southgate said this summer’s postponed Euros should be forgotten but added that every member of his squad will have their chance next year.
“We shouldn’t spend another moment thinking about the postponement of the competition,” Southgate said.
“I feel sure that, when that moment comes, I will never have been prouder to be the leader.”
March 20, 2020
COVID-19: Ajunwan-Opara commends FG for postponing EDO 2020 NSF
A Nigerian gold medallist, Chioma Ajunwan-Opara, has commended the Federal Government for postponing the National Sports Festival (NSF) tagged: `Edo 2020’ over coronavirus pandemic.
Ajuwan-Opara made the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday while reacting to the postponement of the event and other issues relating to athletics in Nigeria.
The gold medalist, who is also an Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Human Trafficking, Alagbon-Ikoyi Lagos, said COVID-19 was fast spreading to different parts of the world.
According to her, every country must be interested in safety of its citizens and I thank God for what my country has done, (postponing the NSF). Is what they were supposed to do and they did it fast in order not to put the citizens in danger.
“We know that the coronavirus is everywhere now and Nigeria is taking the right steps by postponing the date of the National Sports Festival,” she said.
Ajunwan-Opara, however, expressed regret over the participation of Nigerian international athletes at the NSF, which she said was a platform to groom upcoming athletes that would replace the international ones when they retired.
She said the issue had bothered her mind for long without having answer as to why such should happen.
She noted that NSF was supposed to be a competition to identify, groom the new athletes to represent Nigeria in future international competitions.
“What confuses me here is that NSF has now become a competition where all our international athletes are coming to take part.
“I don’t know what we seem to achieve in allowing international athletes who have been representing this country, competing all around Europe to come and participate with the younger athletes.
“The NSF is for new talents from youth games; those from the clubs that are trying to find their feet to start competing for the nationals.
“During my time, NSF was meant for people in Nigeria to get new talents and new breeds that will be able to participate in the open championship.
“It is only in Nigeria open championship that we normally bring in international athletes. To me personally, we are not giving the new breeds chance to grow,’’ Ajunwa-Opara said.
According to her, we allowed the international ones to over shadow them (national athletes).
The gold medalist advised the organisers of NSF to allow the event to be for national athletes and not internationals, stressing that NSF was the only event that states enjoyed participating in and hoped to win medals because they were locals.
“The country as a whole is not gaining anything. It is only states that want to win medals.
“Should we do the right thing at the right time, allow the new breeds to have their platform to showcase their talents and come to national level.
“Sometimes ago, they plan to abolish the festival, I am glad they brought it up this year.
“It is a welcome development for athletes from schools to grow,” she said.
On the part of international athletes participating in NSF, Ajunwan-Opara wondered what they intend to achieve by competing with local athletes from schools, when they were already competing with the best in the world.
She said such competition did not give them respect as international athletes, noting that many African international athletes did not participate in some continental championship, in spite of their countries desire for such.
“When you look at some of our African championships, some African international athletes do not come to participate, because to them, it doesn’t give them respect.
“Although, their countries would want them to represent them so as to have over all winning.
“The athletes themselves know that such championship does not add to their profile and they don’t have the needed challenge from such competition.
“They need competition that would challenge them to become world class athletes,” she said.
Ajunwan-Opara advised the ex- international and current international athletes to play the part of a role model to the upcoming athletes by speaking to them, encouraging them on what they need to do to become better athlete.
She noted that in other clans, ex-internationals played the role of mothers, fathers, mentors to younger athletes, including providing training kits, saying that in Nigeria, some internationals wanted to be known alone forever.
The gold medallist said no nation grows in sports with such mentality.
On the division in AFN, she noted that “any divided house cannot stand.
According to her, the people concerned should come together and resolve the issue.
“Crisis cannot grow sports in Nigeria. I believe the Minister of Sports is capable in resolving the crisis,” Ajunwa-Opara said.
She, however, said that athletics’ game was not progressing in Nigerian as expected, saying there was the need to always go to the drawing board and catch them young.
Ajunwan-Opara said when a nation had many upcoming athletes you are nursing for international level, you would be sure of champions who could represent the nation at all times.
“If you keep on looking up on the international athletes without replacement, the old ones will not be there forever. How many years can they stay before their retirement.
“That means, the moment the old athletes are out and we have no new champions groomed up, we are in trouble. What the minister is doing now is great; it is a right thing in the right direction.
“All events to get new champions must be organised yearly. Those with good programmes to develop our sports should present them to the minister.
“If he looks at them and he sees that they are good, he will approve it,” she said. (NAN)
March 20, 2020
COVID19: Gaya lauds Sports Ministry on suspension of sports activities
Godfrey Gaya, former Chairman, House Committee on Sports, has lauded the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development on the suspension of all sporting activities in Nigeria due to Coronavirus scare.
Gaya told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja that it was a right decision considering the effect of the disease on the nation.
“Coronavirus is real and its affecting human lives, so it is important that the government take steps to reduce the spread.
“Sporting activities is a gathering of so many people and at this point we are told to avoid crowdy places and reduce physical contact, so the suspension is in the interest of the country,” he said.
The 20th National Sports Festival scheduled to begin on Sunday in Edo was also postponed due to COVID-19 fears. (NAN)
March 20, 2020
4 men executed in India for 2012 Delhi gang rape, murder
Four men were executed on Friday for the brutal gang rape and murder of a young woman in the Indian capital in 2012.
The men were hanged to death in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, a jail official confirmed.
A lone hangman carried out the executions after courts rejected last-minute pleas by the convicts’ lawyers, with the hearings going till late Thursday night.
“Our daughter has finally got justice, I thank the judiciary, the government,” the rape victim’s mother, Asha Devi, said outside the jail, where a large crowd gathered.
They broke into cheers as news of the hanging was confirmed.
The 23-year-old medical student was gang-raped and heavily injured on a moving bus in the Indian capital on Dec. 16, 2012, sparking mass protests and an international outcry.
She died nearly two weeks later at a Singapore hospital.
“It has been a long fight for justice. I dedicate this day to all daughters of this country, we will continue the battle,” Asha Devi added.
Nirbhaya’s father Badrinath Singh said his family would be meeting lawyers to identify grey areas in the trial procedure that came up with this case and push to address them.
The death warrants were issued for the first time on Jan. 7 and were deferred four times as lawyers used various legal options to delay the hangings.
Nirbhaya – “fearless” in Hindi – was the name given by the media to the physiotherapy student by the Indian media as a rape victim cannot be named under Indian law.
Six men, including one who was a juvenile at the time of the crime, were accused.
Ram Singh, who was the bus driver and one of the perpetrators, allegedly committed suicide in Tihar jail at the beginning of the trial.
The juvenile was let off in 2015 after three years in a reform home. This is the maximum punishment permissible for a juvenile.
The others – Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh were sentenced to death by a trial court in 2013. This was upheld by higher courts.
Mukesh Singh was bus driver Ram Singh’s brother and Akshay Thakur was his assistant. Vinay Sharma was a gym assistant and Pawan Gupta a fruit vendor.
All of them lived in the Ravi Dass slum in south Delhi. They were aged between 20 and 30 at the time of the crime.
According to jail procedures, the bodies are to be taken for post mortem and then handed over to their families.
The jail authorities will make arrangements for cremation if relatives do not want the bodies, Tihar Jail spokesman Raj Kumar said earlier.
A death sentence is very rare in India and the sentence being carried out is even more infrequent.
Five men have been executed since 1995, three of them terrorists.
Despite stricter laws and measures to increase security for women since the Delhi gang rape, a high number of such crimes continues to be reported in India.
According to the latest government data available, 33,356 women and girls were raped in India in 2018.
Activists say many more rapes go unreported. (dpa/NAN)
March 20, 2020
NYSC members laud FG on agricultural training
Some members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have lauded the Federal Government for providing them platforms to become self employed, especially in the agricultural sector.
The corps members, who participated in the Agricultural Value Chain Commodities training in Ibadan, spoke on Thursday at the end of the three-day programme.
The programme was organised by the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute as part of the 2019 Federal Government capital projects on capacity building for youths.
Speaking on the impact of the training, one of the participants, Kausarat Abdulrasak, said it taught her new innovations on value addition and widened her horizons.
“This is something I would love to practise at the end of my service year by having my own product in the market and becoming an employer of labour,”she said.
Another participant, Omotoke Odunore, said the training had aroused her interest in agribusiness.
Others counted themselves fortunate to have learnt about value chain opportunities in agriculture and promised to turn the knowledge into a good venture that would make them self-reliant.
Mrs Sandra Kolade, Assistant Director, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), commended the Federal Government for providing opportunities for the corps members to be self reliant.
She, however, charged the participants to be faithful stewards of the knowledge and opportunities they have to make economic gains.
“At this time where getting white collar jobs are becoming a big problem to the nation, the training has opened their eyes to be able to use their hands and brain to be self employed as well as become employers of labour.
“This will go a long way to take our children off the road and boost our economy at this time,” she said.
Dr Grace Otitodun, NSPRI Zonal Coordinator, in her remarks, said the participants could harness the services of the institute at a lower cost to start up their businesses.
“Our Executive Director at NSPRI had said that those who had intention to go into value addition business at the end of their service year should prepare a proposal.
“Those with good proposals will be assisted and given NSPRI starter pack with required technical support to motivate them,”Otitodun said.
Certificate of participation was presented to the 40 participants.
The participants at the training were corps members drawn from four local governments in Ibadan– Ibadan North 1 and ll, Ibadan North West and Ibadan South East.
The training included value addition in agricultural commodities such as Poundo Yam, Rice Flour, Beans Flour, Tomato Paste and Smoked fish among others. (NAN)
March 20, 2020