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Gov. el-Rufai approves N200m for women empowerment, says Commissioner
Gov. Nasir el-Rufai has approved N200m fund for the Kaduna State Women Empowered Programme (KADSWEP) to support women at the grassroots in their entrepreneurial activities.
Hajiya Hafsat Baba, Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Kaduna State, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.
Baba said that the programme, established in 2017, was specifically designed to improve financial inclusion and provide women access to low-interest loans to begin new or expand existing business.
She explained that the ministry was working on the guidelines and modalities for the disbursement of the money to new beneficiaries.
The commissioner added that the state was working with the Central Bank of Nigeria to deepen financial inclusion among women, adding that about 14,000 women have recently opened bank accounts.
According to her, the women will be thoroughly screened to ensure that only new beneficiaries access the money.
“We will use Bank Verification Number to screen existing beneficiaries out so that others can benefit,” she said.
The commissioner said that over 7,000 women benefited from the programme in 2019, noting that individual received N20,000 while association of 10 members got N200,000.
She said that while others have paid back, the ministry was working with the remaining beneficiaries to pay back the soft loan to provide opportunities for others to benefit. (NAN)
June 22, 2020
NCC to unveil new management strategy tomorrow
The Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) will tomorrow, Tuesday June 23, unveil a new management to help the organization achieve optimum results in the next five years to be known as ‘2020-2024 Strategic Management Plan’ (SMP).
The NCC said the new plan is in line with the objective of creating a seamless strategy to augment its effective management and regulation of the telecommunications sector.
It said the SMP will leverage the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) as well as the new National Broadband Plan (NBP) 2020 2025 Roadmaps. It will cover the guiding principles and act as the operations manual for the Commission towards actualising the digital economy agenda of the Federal Government in the next five years.
According to NCC, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, will unveil and launch the NCC Strategic Management Plan (SMP) 2020-2024 supported by the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the NCC, Professor Adeolu Akande and the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta. All members of the Board of Commissioners of NCC will be in attendance.
The Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has since extended invitations to all the Heads of Parastatals under the Ministry and all Stakeholders to virtually witness the once-in-five-years launch that is expected to move the sector to the next level, especially now that the stakes are getting higher in terms of services provided and the quality expected by the consumers.
June 22, 2020
Four feared dead in Lagos tanker fire
A huge fire on Sunday engulfed three petroleum tankers and one articulated truck at the Kara Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
However, updates indicate that four people may have been killed by the fire caused by the explosion which occurred at about 1:30a.m that Sunday. One tanker carrying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol had collided with another carrying gas on the outward Lagos lane.
The fire also extended to another tanker and an articulated vehicle.
Witnesses said two of the victims were burnt to their bones. The four articulated trucks were also burnt beyond recognition as the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) attributed the incident to reckless driving of the driver of one of the articulated vehicles.
The incident caused serious traffic jams on the expressways as many road users were stranded until the intervention of traffic officials. Although the incident happened after midnight, a lot of vehicles were on the bridge as a result of the curfew imposed to check the spread of coronavirus.
June 22, 2020
Gov. Uzodinma adopts 9-year gospel singer found on Facebook
Luck has continued to follow Master Joseph Oluomachi Opara who was discovered on Facebook singing Catholic gospel songs while hawking coconut in a Imo State as the state Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma has announced his intention to adopt and send him to school.

On Sunday, two former Aviation ministers, Femi Fani Kayode and Sen. Stella Oduah had posted on social media their intention to offer scholarship to the boy up to university level while Oduah promised to admit him, free of charge to her music school.

Uzudinma said he adopted the boy as his child and undertook to personally sponsor him from primary school to Catholic priesthood, if that is the career he wants to pursue.

Announcing the development to the Opara family home in Nekede mechanic village in Owerri Sunday, state commissioner for information and strategy, Declan Emelumba, said the governor sent him to inform the family that he has adopted their son as his own child and will personally take over full responsibility for training him until he becomes a Rev. Father which he said is his ambition

“His Excellency Dist Sen. Hope Uzodimma was so excited after listening to the video of Master Opara that he directed me to locate you and inform you that from today Joseph is now his child and that since he wants to become a catholic priest he will take up the responsibility of training him from his present primary 4 class until he is ordained a priest” Emelumba announced to the family.

Joseph’s Father Berneth Opara, said he was very grateful to the governor for his magnanimity.
“Please thank our performing governor, ONWA Oyoko for me. God has used him to bless my family,” he said, just as Joseph himself was full of gratitude to the governor.
June 22, 2020
GT Bank in trouble over N550 Million deposit
The sum of N550 Million deposited in the account of a primary school teacher by her son living in Malaysia has landed Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB) and three of its workers in trouble.
The money was paid into the GTB account of Mrs. Roseline Uche Egbuha by her 24-year-old son which led to her arrest for money laundering.
During interrogation, the primary school teacher said the money found in her account belonged to her son, Chidozie Fabian Ejeaka whose whereabouts could not be established.
She was arrested alongside three bank staff and her lawyer, Fredinard Isa due to their connivance in lifting the restriction placed on her account and the subsequent transfer of N550m (principal sum and interest) into the GTB account of FBI Legal, a company owned by the lawyer.
According to the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) which is handling the investigation, Mrs. Egbuha, a teacher with Ozala Primary School, Abagana, Anambra State, was earlier arrested in 2019 by the Commission and granted bail, after an investigation into her financial transactions consequent upon the receipt of a petition on her involvement in money laundering.
The GT Bank officials arrested are Compliance officer, Beckley Ojo, an Operations Manager, Chisomaga Daly-Okoro and a staff of the legal dept. of the bank, Sarah Ugamah as well as a lawyer to GTB Nsikak Udoh all of who were alleged to have connived with the sch. teacher to perpetrate the fraud.
June 22, 2020
Total value of loans from Chinese as at March 31, 2020, $3.121bn – DMO
Debt Management Office DMO has states that the total value of loans taken by Nigeria from China as at March 31, 2020, was $3.121 billion.
This represents only about 3.94% of Nigeria’s total public debt of $79.303 as at March 31, 2020. Similarly, in terms of external sources of funds, loans from China accounted for 11.28% of the external debt stock of $27.67 at the same date.
This shows that China is not a major source of funding for the Nigerian Government.
DMO also explained that the afore-mentioned loans are concessionary loans, with interest rates of 2.5% per annum, tenor of 20 years, and a moratorium of 7 years. The terms and other details of the loans are available at the DMO website.

The terms are compliant with the provisions of section 41 (1a) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007. In addition, the low interest rate reduces the interest cost of government, while the long tenor enables the repayment of the principal sum of the loans over many years. These two benefits, make the provisions for debt service in the annual budget lower than they would ordinarily have been if the loans were on commercial terms.
The $3.121 Chinese loans are project-tied loans. Some of these 11 projects as at March 31, 2020, are Nigerian Railway Modernization Project (Idu-Kaduna section), Abuja Light Rail Project, Nigerian Four Airport Terminals Expansion Project (Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt), Nigerian Railway Modernization Project (Lagos-Ibadan section), and Rehabilitation and Upgrading of Abuja-Keffi- Makurdi Road Project.
As stated by the DMO, the impact of these loans is not only evident but visible.
For instance, the Idu-Kaduna Rail line has become a major source of transportation between Abuja and Kaduna.
Also, the new International Airport in Abuja, has improved air transportation for the populace, while the Lagos-Ibadan rail line when completed, will ease traffic on the busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
The principal process and requirements for borrowing by the Government are expressly stated in the Debt Management Office Establishment ETC Act, 2003 DMO Act and the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

Section 21 (1) of the DMO Act, “No External loan shall be approved or obtained by the Minister unless its terms and conditions shall have been laid before the National Assembly and approved by its resolution” and Section 41 (1a) of the FRA, “Government at all tiers shall only borrow for capital expenditure and human development, provided that, such borrowing shall be on concessional terms with low interest rate and with a reasonable long amortization period subject to the approval of the appropriate legislative body where necessary,” are instructive in this regard.
In summary, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning works with MDAs under whose portfolio a proposed loan falls and also with the DMO. Thereafter, the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) is sought.
It is after the approval of FEC that the President sends the request to the National Assembly for approval, as required by Section 41 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007. It is only after the approval of the National Assembly that the loans are taken and Nigeria begins to drawdown on the loans.
The loan agreements are reviewed by legal officers of the Federal Ministry of Justice and the legal opinion of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice is obtained before any external loan agreement is signed.
June 22, 2020
Imo NUJ demands apology from state Assembly, NSCDC over assault on journalists
Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Imo State Council, has demanded an unreserved apology from authorities of the Imo State House of Assembly and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, over the rising wave of brutal attacks on journalists in the state by some overzealous security operatives and politicians.
The union declared that it would no longer tolerate any such cruelty in the future insisting that those supposedly aggrieved as a result of a news report, should not take laws into their hands by resorting to violent attacks on the reporters.
In a statement issued at the weekend by the council in reaction to the recent physical assault on its members, Mr Ike Nwosu of the Eastern Lead Newspaper and Mr Ndubueze Nwokoma of the Newspoint.
The statement signed by the state chairman, Comrade Chris Akaraonye and the secretary, Comrade Juliet Dim, decried the alleged brutal attacks and manhandling of Mr Nwosu and Nwokoma by aides to the member representing Oguta state constituency, Hon. Frank Ugboma and the Civil Defence.
Akaraonye, who hinted that the union was investigating the circumstances surrounding the separate attacks, particularly flayed the NSCDC operative who allegedly attacked Nwokoma with the butt of his rifle and thereby inflicted bodily injury on him.
The union described the attacks as unwarranted and recalled that Imo public still remember with pains the gruesome killing of a 2019 senatorial candidate of the Action Alliance, AA, Hon. Ndubuisi Emenike, by a trigger-happy operative of the NSCDC.
“It was alleged that aides to the member representing Oguta State Constituency, Hon. Frank Ugboma manhandled and inflicted bodily injuries to Ike Nwosu at the House of Assembly complex over a news report that did not go down well with the lawmaker.
“Also, we have been briefed of the physical assault on Ndubueze Nwokeoma by a security personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, for allegedly parking his car in a wrong place.
The leadership of NUJ, Imo State Council, wishes to state that we condemn any physical assault on journalists, especially our members by security agents or overzealous aides of anybody no matter the level of provocation.
“The leadership and members of the NUJ in Imo State will no longer tolerate any further attack on our members and other media practitioners no matter the level of grievances.
“In the interim, the leadership of the NSCDC and Imo State House of Assembly should take responsibility for the treatment of our colleagues while we seek for peaceful resolutions on the issues. We also demand an unreserved apology for the physical assaults on our members,” partly the statement read.
The chairman disclosed that the union had commenced a process to revalidate its members in the state, and assured of the continued cooperation of the union in moving the state forward.
June 22, 2020
Banditry: Sokoto State Govt pledges to sustain cooperation with Air Force
As part of its concerted efforts to combat armed bandits in Sokoto State, that state government has pledged to sustain the cordial relationship and cooperation with the Nigerian Air Force to continue to flush out bandits in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Muhammad Ali made this pledge while flagging off NAF three days free medical outreach to victims of banditry in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of the state.
The commissioner said the outreach was the second edition he would witness as Commissioner for Health in the state, where the NAF would bring its expertise and support to its various host communities.
According to him, “There is no better time than now to provide the medical support, considering the recent incidents that Sabon Birni LGA has witnessed. I believe that the medical outreach will go a long way in alleviating the sufferings of the people of the community.”
Dr Ali called on the people to take advantage of the free services being provided to meet their various healthcare needs.
Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daranola in a statement said the free medical outreach was part of its efforts to mitigate the hardships currently being experienced by Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in Sabon Birni community due to the activities of armed bandits.
The medical outreach, he explained, was an initiative of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, which is intended to enhance good civil-military relations between the NAF and the local community for improved information sharing.
“During the three days of the outreach, the NAF Medical team will undertake health education talks; free consultations and dispensing of medications; de-worming and immunization of children; distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets as well as visual acuity checks and provision of prescription eye glasses. Aside the healthcare services, some palliatives including food items, soaps, blankets and footwear were also distributed to assuage the sufferings of the IDPs,” the statement said.
The Director of Public Health and Humanitarian Services, NAF, and leader of the medical team, Group Captain Ali Tanko said the outreach was the initiative of the air chief, who was moved by the plight of the displaced persons in the Local Government and promptly directed the Team to take swift action to provide them succour.
The District Head of Sabon Birni, Alhaji Isa Muhammadu Bawa expressed profound appreciation to the NAF for the humanitarian gesture, describing the gesture as timely as it would further assuage the hardships of the people.
June 22, 2020
Wike declared fresh lockdown in Rivers
Former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside has called on Rivers State government to establish more testing centres across the state following the increasing number of people testing positive to coronavirus.
Peterside stated this following the temporary lockdown of Bonny Local Government Area and Onne in Eleme Local Government Area by Governor Nyesom Wike.
Governor Wike had declared a lockdown in both areas to check the spread of COVID-19 owing to a large number positive cases.
He pointed out that the state government had sufficient resources to provide such a critical facility for the citizenry.
“It won’t be out of the place for the Wike-led administration to provide more testing centers across the state; we have the resources and manpower to do so, especially as more countries in Europe are easing their lockdown. It means we can quickly reach manufacturers unlike before and get these equipment delivered to the state. Many states that are less endowed than Rivers are already investing in establishing test centers, as it is for the ultimate good of their people.
“All the federal constituencies in the state should have a testing center at their headquarters, while also encouraging people to have a walk in to be tested like it is being done in many places. The more we are able to test, the better for us as a people,” he stressed.
The former lawmaker, however, stressed that the lockdown would make no meaning if aggressive contact tracing was not carried out.
“I support the lockdown to ensure that we stop the spread of the deadly virus but doing so without aggressive contact tracing will amount to motion without movement. There must be conscious effort to track all contacts of infected persons, supported by massive testing,” he stated, noting that non-adherence to professional advice by the Rivers State government and the neglect of the two places in the previous lockdown of the state might have contributed to the outbreak, hence “we are paying the price.”
He appealed to Rivers people to take protocol advisory by health professionals seriously, saying that the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the state should be a source of worry and concern.
June 22, 2020
NDDC affirms distribution of medical equipment to Niger Delta States
Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei says the commission distributed sophisticated medical equipment as part of its contributions to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking during an audience with the leadership of the Niger Delta Youth Council at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Port Harcourt, Prof Pondei explained that the intervention of the NDDC in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, came in three parts; namely: supply of medical equipment, provision of palliatives and public enlightenment.
He stated: “Before the COVID-19 lockdown, we had applied for approval through the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for COVID-19 intervention. The major part of it was medical equipment, then the second part was palliatives (food items) the third part involved publicity.
“Approval was given by the Federal Executive Council, and the approval letter asked us to inform the Federal Bureau of Public Procurement, since it was an emergency. It clearly stated in the letter to expeditiously do that at the end of all this. We have distributed the medical equipment to all the nine states in the Niger Delta region.
“The medical equipment included ventilators, mobile x-ray machines and PCR machines which are the only things that have not been distributed due to the fact that we are trying to work with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC to increase the testing capacity in the Niger Delta region.”
The NDDC boss said the commission was supposed to calibrate and deploy the 54 PCR machines and mobile x-rays, which he said were not available in many hospitals in the region.
Pondei stated that the frequent changes of management was effecting the performance of the NDDC, noting that on account of the changes, payment to contractors were often delayed even when they have achieved agreed milestones.
“Frequent change of management cannot bring the kind of development we are looking for in the Niger Delta,” he said.
He stated that the Interim Management Committee, IMC, had not awarded any other contracts apart from the ones with presidential approval, explaining that “what we met was historical debts. The first payments we made for contracts were the ones the National Assembly asked us to pay. And most of these debts were historic debts. We have not done any illegal payments. We have paid people who were owed.”
He conceded that the National Assembly had the constitutional right to investigate the operations of the NDDC. He, however, appealed to the lawmakers to also extend their oversight function to helping the NDDC to get the oil companies to meet their statutory obligations to the Commission.
Addressing the issue of payments for the NDDC Permanent headquarters, Prof Pondei noted that the building was started by the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission, OMPADEC, and in 2010 the board of the NDDC decided to terminate the contract. To make this possible, N500 million was approved by the Federal Executive Council to buy off the previous contractor.
June 22, 2020