As domestic flights set to resume operations in Nigeria amid Coronavirus pandemic, experts have called on relevant agencies to ensure adequate measures are put in place to avoid escalation of covid-19 cases.
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Nigerian Military reviewing strategy in fight against banditry, terrorism
The Nigerian military authorities say they are reviewing their strategy in the fight against banditry, terrorism..
The Coordinator of Defence media operation, Major General John Eneche says the spike in banditry is as a result of the palliative given to a section of the bandits.
He explained that a good number of the bandits know no other trade other than banditry which is why there’s a pool for recruitment.
General Eneche added that the bandits and insurgents use human shields making it difficult for troops to attack. He said this constraint will be addressed in the new operations strategy the military is adopting in the present battle.
BREAKING: Buhari slams Service Chiefs, says your best not good enough
President Muhammadu Buhari has criticized the Service Chiefs over their strategy in tackling insecurity, warning them to be alive to security problems bedeviling the country.
Buhari during the security meeting in Aso Rock told the head of the Armed Forces that even though they were trying their best to tackle the issue of insecurity in the country, their best is not good enough.
He has therefore declared that excuses will no longer be tolerated, even as he said he expects everyone to live up to expectations going forward.Addressing State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting, National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen. Babagana Mungonu (rted), the President also ordered him to meet with governors of the north west state including that of Niger State, in other to know what the problems are and find solution.
The meeting held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where Buhari was briefed on how the increasing security challenges across the country are being tackled.Details later…
Police record 42 rape cases in Kano
The Police Command in Kano State said it has recorded 42 rape cases in the state between January and May.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abdullahi Haruna, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday in Kano.
Haruna disclosed that the command investigated 42 alleged rape cases within the period, adding that the suspects had been charged to courts in the state.
He said statistical analysis of the cases indicated that 33.3 per cent of the rape incidents were committed in uncompleted buildings and 17.7 per cent at farmlands.
“15.6 per cent in shops; 15.6 per cent at the suspects’ residents and 8.9 per cent in schools, while 6.7 per cent and 2.2 per cent of the cases were committed at the victims’ residents and market places, respectively.
“The police is dealing with all reported rape and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases in the state,” he said.
Haruna noted that the number of rape cases had drastically dropped as against what was recorded within the same period last year.
While calling on the residents of the state to report cases of molestation and other forms of abuse to the police, Haruna reiterated the commitment of the command to address the menace.
The spokesman added that: “Keeping quite without reporting rape cases will encourage the perpetrators to further commit the crime.
“Our doors are open for advice; in this era of community policing, the Command incorporates community problem-solving approach in handling issues in the state.”
Twitter introduces voice recording as new feature
Twitter on Wednesday introduces a new feature that will allow users to tweet using their voice.
The social media platform said it has started testing a new feature that will add a more human touch to the way we use Twitter.
According to a post by product designer Maya Patterson and senior software engineer Remy Bourgoin.
“Sometimes 280 characters aren’t enough and some conversational nuances are lost in translation,” Patterson and Bourgoin said.
Each voice tweet will be no longer than 140 seconds of audio. If people speak longer, what they record will be parsed into a series of tweets posted as a threaded message, according to Patterson and Bourgoin.
“People will see your voice tweet appear on their timeline alongside other tweets,” the pair said.
“There’s a lot that can be left unsaid or uninterpreted using text, so we hope voice tweeting will create a more human experience for listeners and storytellers alike.”
According to finance.yahoo.com, Twitter did not indicate when voice tweets might be available in the version of its application tailored for Android-powered mobile devices.
The new feature is, however, available on iOS and launching today for “a limited group of people,” according to the company.
Twitter also said that tweeting with your voice will not be too different from tweeting with text. Should the feature be live for your iPhone now, you’ll see a new icon with wavelengths flash inside the tweet composer.
Your voice tweet will appear on other people’s timeline just like any other regular tweet.It will be easily distinguishable from regular tweets since it will have your profile photo at its centre, literally calling out to them to press, play.
If someone decides to hear it, they need to tap on the image and playback will start in a new window docked at the bottom of their timeline so they can listen as they scroll through other Tweets. Moreover, it will also be possible to keep listening to these voice Tweets while doing other things on your phone or on the go.
Telecoms Subscription base rises to 190.8m in Nigeria
Subscriptions across all telecommunications networks in Nigeria have maintained a steady growth pattern in one year, reaching 190,806,067 in April.
This represented a marginal increase by 0.80 per cent or 1,523,271 as against the 189,282,796 recorded the previous year.
The latest data, obtained from Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) website yesterday, shows that in the past one year, there has been a proportionate increase in the number of teledensity, which is measured by the number of active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants living within an area and is expressed as a percentage figure.
However, the data revealed a sharp drop in the number inward porting from 16,046 in March 2020, to 7,148 in April.
According to the statistics, in June 2019, the number of telecoms subscriptions was 174,024,116 with a teledensity of 91.17 per cent, but the figure rose in July to 174,950,011 subscriptions with a teledensity of 91.65 per cent.
Last August, the figure rose again to 176,897,879 subscriptions with a teledensity of 92.67 per cent and jumped in September to 179,176,930 subscriptions with a teledensity of 93.87 per cent.
The figure continued to rise in October 2019 to 180,386,316 with a teledensity of 94.50 per cent and in November 2019, telecoms subscriptions rose again to 182.7 million with a teledensity of 95.7 per cent.
In December 2019, it reached 184,699,409 with a teledensity of 96.76 per cent, before rising to 186,023,609 in January, with a teledensity of 97.45 per cent; 187,435,841 in February, with a teledensity of 98.19 per cent.
According to the NCC statistics, the total number of subscribers that ported from one network to another, in search of better service quality, decreased.
Airtel had only 2,246 incoming porting in April this year, as against 5,594 incoming porting it had in March. 9Mobile, which recorded the highest number of incoming porting, had a total of 3,829 porting subscribers in April as against 8,225 incoming porting it had in March.
MTN had only 985 incoming porting in April as against 1,965 in March while Globacom, which recorded the least number of porting, had only 88 incoming porting in April as against 262 the previous month.
Nigeria elected member of UN Economic and Social Council
The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday in New York elected Nigeria along with 17 other countries into the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new ECOSOC members will serve for three years with effect from Jan.1, 2021.
Checks by NAN shows that this will be Nigeria’s third time of serving in the important council since 2012.
Considered the heart of the UN, the council ECOSOC drives the economic, social and environmental agenda of the UN.
While 14 seats are reserved for African countries in the council, only five were vacant for Wednesday’s election.
Madagascar, Liberia, Libya and Zimbabwe were elected along with Nigeria following their endorsement and presentation by their respective sub-regional organisations earlier.
Also elected are Indonesia, Japan and Solomon Islands to represent Asia-and Pacific states, and Bulgaria for the Eastern European Group.
Others include Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala and Mexico to represent the Latin American and Caribbean Group.
Austria, France, Germany, Portugal, the United Kingdom were elected to fill five vacant seats reserved for “Western European and other” states.
Nigeria’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Mr Samson Itegboje, told NAN that the country’s election within two years after its last term in the council underscored its diplomatic clout at the UN.
On why membership of ECOSOC is important to Nigeria, Itegboje described the council as a very strategic organ of the UN.
Under the UN Charter, it is responsible for promoting higher standards of living, employment and economic and social progress.
The council also identifies solutions to international economic, social and health problems, and facilitates international cultural and educational cooperation, among others.
Itegboje said as a member of the council Nigeria would be better placed to advance not only its interests but those of Africa as a whole.
BREAKING: President Buhari meet with servicechiefs over security challenges
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), is currently meeting with the nation’s service chiefs.
The meeting holding inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja is expected to afford the security chiefs the opportunity of briefing Buhari on how the increasing security challenges across the country are being tackled.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, is leading the service chiefs to the meeting while some presidential aides also joined Buhari.
Details later…
Niger to join oil-producing states in Nigeria
Niger State will soon joined oil-producing states as the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said it has commenced oil exploration activities in the Bida Basin.
This involved eight local governments in the state, just as it assured that the progress being recorded in an ongoing exploration of inland basins by the Corporation is capable of growing nation’s reserve to 40 billion barrels by the year 2023.
Group Managing Director (GMD)of the Corporation, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari revealed this on Wednesday during a visit to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello to unveil the 2D seismic data acquisition in the Bida – Sokoto basin.
The GMD was represented by NNPC Group General Manager Frontier Exploration Services, Abdullahi Bomai.
The GMD said an in-depth geological and geochemical studies showed that there are strong hydrocarbon-bearing indicators that have been confirmed as oil and gas-bearing formations in the eight local governments which extends to two other local governments in Kwara and 1 in Kogi states.
He said, “further exploration activities based on the need for exploration in the Bida Basin, NNPC management has graciously approved the award of contract to Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL) and their alliance partners (BGP/CNPC International Nigeria limited to embark on immediate Seismic Data Acquisition to further unravel the presence of hydrocarbons in the Bida Basin. We are indeed delighted for the opportunity of today’s visit to inform you of the activities of NNPC/FES and also to solicit for your support”.
According to Kyari, significant progress is being made in the ongoing exploration of inland basins, with a realistic and achievable target of growing the nation’s reserve to 40 million by year 2023 adding that “today we are glad to inform you of the commencement of hydrocarbon exploration in the sedimentary section of Niger state”.
He solicited for the support, cooperation and participation of the state and local governments, traditional rulers and community leaders towards achieving the national mandate, adding that the deployment of light and heavy machineries will soon commence in the state.
He listed the local government areas where exploration activities will commence to include Mokwa, Lavun, Gbako, Bida, Katcha, Agaie, Edati and Lapai, adding that in the course of conducting these operations, a lot of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers will be engaged.
In his remarks, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello said expressed happiness over the realization of the project, stressing the need for the Corporation to pay adequate compensation to the people who would be affected by the exportation.
He said, “we are all excited over the good news of the oil exploration. As you know, research in the development of the Bida Basin has been on for some times. We are however happy that the NNPC is seeing to the success of the project. We are hopeful that Niger state will join the oil producing states”.
He said his administration will work with NNPC to ensure that communities are carried along and to compensate adequately communities which are going to be affected the oil exploration activities.
Nigeria’s inflation jumps to 12.40%, highest in 25 months-NBS
Nigeria’s inflation rate has risen for the ninth consecutive months to 12.40 per cent in May from 12.34 per cent in April, a consumer price index report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shown.
The hike in the inflation rate is coming on the heels of the country battling economic implication of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest inflation figure indicates the highest in 25 months, April 2018, when the CPI recorded was 12.48 per cent.
According to NBS, on month-on-month bases, the headline index increased by 1.17 per cent in May 2020, a 0.15per cent point higher compared to 1.02per cent recorded in April 2020.
Food inflation, a closely watched component of the inflation index rose by 15.04per cent (year-on-year) compared to 15.03per cent recorded in the previous month. A rise which was caused by increases recorded in process of Bread and cereals, potatoes, yam, and other tubers, oils and fats, fruits, fish, and meat.
Also, on a month-on-month basis, the food sub-index increased by 1.42 per cent in May 2020 from 1.18% recorded in April 2020, which indicates a 0.24 per cent rise.
Core inflation, the “All items less farm produce” or Core inflation which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce stood at 10.12 per cent in May 2020, up by 0.14 per cent points when compared to 9.98 per cent recorded in April 2020.
However, on a month-on-month basis, the core sub-index stood 0.88 per cent in May 2020. This was down by 0.05% point when compared to 0.93 per cent recorded in April 2020.
The highest increases were recorded in prices of pharmaceutical products, medical services, repair of furniture, hospital services, passenger transport by road, motor car, bicycles, maintenance and repair of personal transport equipment, passenger transport by sea and inland waterways, paramedical services, motorcycles and hairdressing salons, and personal grooming establishment.
In May 2020, Rivers (14.69 per cent) states recorded the highest all-items inflation on a year-on-year basis, followed by Bauchi states, which recorded 14.31 per cent and Ebonyi state with 13.87 per cent. Kogi and Plateau state also recorded an inflation rate of 13.87 per cent in May 2020.
On the other hand, Kwara state recorded the lowest rate of 10.58 per cent, followed by Adamawa (11.1 per cent), Benue (11.13 per cent), Kaduna (11.28 per cent) and Enugu (11.4 per cent).
With respect to food inflation, Abuja recorded the highest with 18.13 per cent followed by Osun state with 17.4 per cent. Closely followed are Rivers, Imo with 17.19 per cent, and 17.13 per cent food inflation rate respectively.
The latest inflation report implies a fast rise in the prices of overall goods and services in the economy, caused by the partial restriction in trading activities across the country.
It should be noted that the latest increase in the inflation rate means that the purchasing power of consumers to buy goods and services deteriorated in May 2020 compared to the previous month. That is, the ability of consumers to buy the same quantity of goods with a fixed income level has worsened within the period.
The trend is feared to continue into the month of June as Nigeria still continues to grapple with the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic, even as the country embarks on phase two easing of lockdown.
