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  • FG adopts new automotive industry development plan 

    FG adopts new automotive industry development plan 

    The Federal Government has approved for implementation, the first-ever Nigeria investment policy (NInP), while adopting a new National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NADIP) that will span through 2023 to 2033.

    The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, said this in a statement by Mrs Oluwakemi Ogunmakinwa, Deputy Director of Information at the ministry.

    Adebayo said both the national investment policy and the automotive industry development plan were given the necessary approval at the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday.

    He explained that trade and industry moguls over time agreed that there was a need to have an investment policy which would give confidence to investors in the country.

    Adebayo said: “What has been operational over the years is just investment-related regulations of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) acting as a guide.

    “This harmonised policy will develop rapidly through industrialisation, and then snowball into a sustainable investment climate to attract the kind of investment we desire.

    “The primary focus of the investment policy is on investment promotion, facilitation and sustainable development and it would promote responsible investor conduct for sustainable development.

    “By influencing investor behaviour in compliance with globally acceptable standards relating to the environment, human rights, health, labour, safety, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and anti- corruption.”

    According to Adebayo, the 2023-2033 automotive development plan, will help the country migrate seamlessly from combustible engines into electric solar-powered engines.

     “This is an improvement on the 2013 automotive industry development plan, which was in place before,” said the Minister.

    “The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) developed the new plan to aggressively build on the successes that have been achieved so far in the Nigerian Automotive industry.

    “The new NAIDP will strategically provide outstandingly competitive fiscal and non-fiscal incentives needed by automotive industry manufacturers/producers, investors, developers and all relevant stakeholders”

    He said the newly approved NAIDP was aimed at enabling the exponential increase in the local production numbers of vehicles, reaching 40 per cent of local content.

    The minister said it would help attain 30 per cent locally produced Electric Vehicles, generate 1 million jobs, and enforce patronage of locally produced vehicles by the government and companies working on government contracts.

    He said it would also boost research and development and technology transfer.

    According to Adebayo, the country will soon start running a National Trade Policy that will guide trade in Nigeria from 2023-2027.

    He said this was basically a review of the old Trade Policy that was in place.

    He said the aim was to have a policy that would improve Nigeria’s trade within the World Trade Organisation and increase Nigeria’s capacity to GDP to bring in more revenue for the country.

  • Police arrest ‘one-chance’ syndicate in Lagos, rescue victim

    Police Command in Lagos State says it has arrested two members of a syndicate, who specialised in robbing unsuspecting passengers with their cars.

    The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest on his verified Twitter handle on Thursday.

    Hundeyin identified the suspects as Folashade Sholagbe 36, a female and Seun Oke 29, male.

    He said that the suspects were arrested on Thursday at the Ikeja area of the state, after their victim raised an alarm.

    “Eagle-eyed officers of Iju Division arrested the suspects following their victim’s scream for help,” he said.

    The image-maker said that the suspects used to pick up unsuspecting passengers with intent to rob them of their valuables.

    “The suspects specialised in picking their victims with their Corolla car at 7up by Toll gate,” he said.

  • Mpox no longer public health emergency, says WHO

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that the multi-country outbreak of the Mpox virus, which began around a year ago was no longer a public health emergency of international concern.

    WHO Director General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said this while speaking to journalists in Geneva, a day after the emergency committee which made the emergency recommendation last July, advised the Director-General to declare it over.

    “However, as with COVID-19, that does not mean that the work is over. Mpox continues to pose significant public health challenges that need a robust, proactive and sustainable response,” Ghebreyesus said.

    He said there had been more than 87,000 cases, and 140 deaths worldwide reported to WHO, from 111 different countries.

    The virus, originally known as Monkey Pox, spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and causes flu-like symptoms, and also pus-filled lesions on the skin.

    Last July, it was spreading rapidly, but he said WHO “has been very encouraged by the rapid response of countries. We now see steady progress in controlling the outbreak based on the lessons of HIV and working closely with the most affected communities.”

    Some 90 per cent fewer cases were reported in the past three months, compared with the previous three.

    From the beginning of the international outbreak of the disease, which has been in circulation since 1970, and occurred primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa, WHO stressed that most of those infected, recover without treatment in just a few weeks.

    He praised the work of community groups, and public health authorities.

    “For informing people of the risks of mpox, encouraging and supporting behaviour change, and advocating for access to tests, vaccines and treatments to be accessible to those in need.’’

    Cases of the virus were concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners.

    Ghebreyesus noted that while stigma has been a driving concern in managing the mpox epidemic, and continues to hamper access to care, “the feared backlash against the most affected communities has largely not materialised. For that, we are thankful.”

    He said that inspite of the downward trend in cases, the virus was continuing to impact all regions, including Africa, where the transmission “is still not well understood.”

    There is a particular risk associated with those living with untreated HIV infections, he added, urging countries to keep testing capacity and be ready to respond promptly if cases rise again.

    “Integration of mpox prevention and care into existing health programmes is recommended, to allow continued access to care, and rapid response to address future outbreaks.”

    WHO will continue to work towards supporting access to countermeasures as more information on effectiveness of interventions becomes available.

    “While the emergencies of mpox and COVID-19 are both over, the threat of resurgent waves remain for both,” Ghebreyesus said.

    “Both viruses continue to circulate, and both continue to kill.

    And while two public health emergencies have ended in the past week, every day WHO continue to respond to more than 50 emergencies globally.”

    Ghebreyesus said that as the UN approached the upcoming World Health Assembly and three-level meetings on pandemic preparedness, tuberculosis and universal health coverage, there were many challenges ahead, but also unprecedented opportunities.

    “If real commitments can be made, then real benefits could result, “for generations to come.”

    Each meeting will be an opportunity to catalyse political commitment to drive progress, and to generate concrete action and financial resources.

    “To invest in expanding access to prevention, testing, treatment, vaccines and research for TB.

    “To strengthen the world’s defences against pandemics; and to strengthen health systems, especially primary healthcare, so that no one misses out on the care they need because of who they are, where they live or how much they earn,” Ghebreyesus said.

  • FIFA U-17 World Cup: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Mali to represent Africa

    Senegal, Burkina Faso, Morocco and Mali will represent Africa at the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup after Nigeria missed the opportunity with a 2-1 loss to Burkina Faso.

    The four sides sealed their places following the conclusion of the quarter-final matches at the U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Thursday.

    The 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup will be the 19th edition of the biennial international men’s youth football tournament.

    It is contested by 24 teams of the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA from six confederations.

    It will be held from Nov. 10 to Dec. 2 in a yet-to-be-decided venue (initially Peru).

    This edition marks the return of the tournament after a 4-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing FIFA to cancel the 2021 edition.

    The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria are the most successful team in the tournament having made eight appearances and winning a record, five FIFA U-17 World Cup titles (1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015).

    They were also runners up on three occasions (1987, 2001 and 2009).

    Nigeria are also two-time Africa U-17 Cup of Nations’ champions, having won their first title in 2001, with their most recent title at the 2007 edition.

    They were runners up on two occasions (1995, 2013) and finished third in 2003.

    Brazil are the defending champions, having won their fourth title in 2019.

    Africa has four slots at the tournament and with the U17 AFCON serving as the qualification, the teams that reach the semi-finals will represent the continent at the global event.

    Of the teams qualified, Mali is the most experienced, having qualified five times previously. This is their sixth qualification.

    Their best performance was in 2015 when they lost to African rivals Nigeria in the final. Their last qualification was in 2017 in India when they finished fourth.

    They reached the quarter finals in 1997 and 2001 and exited in the group stage in 1999.

    Burkina Faso are meanwhile going back to the global stage for the first time since their last qualification in 2011 when they exited in the group stages.

    They have qualified for the World Cup four times in total and their best ever performance was in 2001 when they finished third after beating Argentina 2-0 in the play-off.

    Morocco are meanwhile qualifying for the World Cup for the second time in their history, having made their debut in 2013 when they when they reached the round of 16.

    Senegal have qualified for the World Cup for the second time in their history, after making their debut in 2019 following Guinea’s elimination.

    In their maiden campaign, they reached the round of 16 after finishing second in their group. They lost 2-1 to Spain in the knockout phase. 

  • BESDA: Kaduna Govt to enrol 145,553 out-of-school children

    The Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (Kaduna SUBEB) has begun a campaign to enrol 145,553 out-of-school children in schools, under the World Bank-supported Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme.

    Mrs Esther Jibji, the Board’s Desk Officer Area I Lead, BESDA, made this known at the opening of a one-day stakeholders’ sensitisation on enrolment of out-of-school children in Kaduna.

    Jibji explained that BESDA, which began in the state in 2019 was specifically designed to address the menace of out-of-school children.

    She said that the board has enrolled over 500,000 out-of-school children in school in the first phase of the programme, of which 312,785 children have been verified by the National Population Commission.

    She added that the state has secured additional grants to return more out-of-school children to school, stressing the need for the stakeholders’ sensitisation.

    “This is why we organised the sensitisation to solicit the support of parents and caregivers, religious and community leaders to ensure that every school age child is enrol in school.

    “As you may have noticed, despite Kaduna SUBEB efforts to enrol all children in school, some children are still roaming the streets during school hours.

    “Education for all is the responsibility of all. We need the support of all stakeholders to ensure that no child is left behind,” she said.

    The desk officer identified some of the out-of-school children as children roaming the streets, children from poor and vulnerable households, children with disabilities, girl child, and nomadic children among others.

    She said that some of the children could be found on the streets, motor packs, farms, while others were hidden in their houses due to their disability.

    She also said that Kaduna SUBEB has established non-formal learning centres in some parts of the state.

    According to her, the measure is part of efforts to take learning opportunities to the doorsteps of children who could not attend formal schools.

    In her remarks, Hajiya Farida Ibrahim, Education Secretary Kaduna North Local Government Education Authority, described the BESDA programme as “crucial” to addressing the problem of out-of-school children in the state.

    Ibrahim urged parents and caregivers to enrol their children in school to acquire quality education needed to live a quality life and contribute to social development.

    Also, Kabiru Lawal, acting Director, Social Mobilisation, Kaduna SUBEB, urged religious leaders to sensitise their followers during sermons in Churches and Mosques.

    Lawal said that primary one to three pupils were being supported with learning materials including uniforms under the programme.

    Also, Malam Salisu Lawal, Director, Planning and Physical Development, Ministry for Education pointed out that the government needs the support of community stakeholders to succeed.

    Lawal urged community members and other stakeholders to contribute their quota in the efforts to take children off the streets to schools where they can learn.

    Malam Usman Sani, Chairman, School-Based Management Committee (SBMC), Kaduna South Local Government Area, said that the SBMC would work with community leaders to identify and enrol out-of-school children in school.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that BESDA, a Programme for Result (P for R) was initiated by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) with support from the Federal Ministry of Education.

    The programme began in 2019, with a 611 million-dollar loan from the World Bank, which the Federal Government gave 17 participating states as grant.

  • PENGASSAN tasks incoming govt on rehabilitation of refineries

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has urged the incoming government to ensure the completion of the ongoing rehabilitation of the nation’s petroleum refineries.

    President of PENGASSAN, Mr. Festus Osifo said this at the 7th Triennial National Delegates Conference of the association in Abuja.

    The theme of the conference is: ‘Equity and Social Justice; Advocacy for Equal Opportunities for all Workers”.

    Osifor said that completion of the ongoing rehabilitation of refineries and associated pipelines would be in the interest of the Nigeria’s economy.

    He said the union will also continue to advocate for the adoption of the NLNG model in the running of the Nation’s four Refineries when fully revamped.

    The union also called for the creation of an enabling environment for the establishment and operation of modular and private Refineries.

    “We are happy that the current NNPC management is favourably disposed to such. With the Dangote refinery, there will be a significant impact on the fuel supply dynamics.

    “This will also ease pressure on the economy, especially when combined with the ongoing revamping of the three refineries in the country.

    “The incoming government must do all within its reach to see to the conclusion of the current rehabilitation effort and initiatives that are currently in place so that our nation’s refinery will come up in no time,” he said.

    He charged the incoming administration of the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu to ensure that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was comprehensively implemented.

    He added that, as the new government comes in, the union urged it to fast track the implementation of different sections of the act to the benefit of Nigerians.

    “The provision of the act that will further deepen the development of the midstream sector of the Nigeria oil and gas industry should be aggressively implemented.

    “This will lead to the provision of gas infrastructure that will in turn aid gas development and help in harnessing the vast gas reserves in the country.

    “We warn that the implementation of the PIA must not be made to pass through arm-twisting tactical bureaucratic monsters that bedeviled the PIB. The Host Community Development fund and trust should be immediately constituted,” he said.

    Also speaking, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Joe Ajaero called for greater solidarity and collaboration between PENGASSAN and other unions under in the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

    He said that this would enable the NLC and TUC to forge a stronger front in fighting for workers’ rights and welfare in the country.

    Also, the Chairperson of the event and an Executive Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mrs. Zainab Gobir called on everyone not to project Nigeria in a bad light.

    ”This will de-market our country. It is therefore important for us not to wash our dirty linens in public.

    Gobir said that people should find better ways to raise issues with the government, with a view to addressing them.

  • Falz seeks prayers after undergoing knee surgery in UK

    Popular Nigerian rapper, Folarin Falana, better known as Falz, has undergone knee surgery in the United Kingdom.

    The songwriter took to his Instagram page to narrate how he sustained an injury on his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

    Falz said he was playing football in November 2022 when he sustained the knee injury.

    He added that the surgery was conducted on May 2, 2023, at a medical facility in London.

    “Current situation. It’s a whole journey to being 100% back. Say a prayer for me,” he wrote in the caption.

    “26th of November 2022. I am walking with a little bit of a limb. Few days ago, on the 23rd, I went to play football and I sustained a knee injury,” he said in the video.

    “This is November 30, 2022. About a week since I tore my ACL. To be honest I didn’t know what the hell happened on the day. I just knew it felt really painful. MRI (magnetic resonance imagine) result came back and it showed that it is a complete tear on my ACL. I have been advised to go into surgery to fix it.

    “About 1.5 hrs later. ACL reconstruction done under local + general aesthetic.

  • MTN mulls price increase over ‘elevated inflation’

    Telecoms group, MTN, has disclosed that it is planning to increase prices in some African markets due to the elevated inflation in the operating environment.

    Nigerian Anchor reports that the telecom company operates across 19 countries, including South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana.

    MTN disclosed this in its first quarter report filed with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on Thursday.

    “We anticipate that trading conditions across markets will remain challenging for the remainder of 2023 and we will continue to execute on our proactive measures to manage the near-term challenges and risks.

    “Within this environment of elevated inflation, implementing selective price increases across the portfolio remains a critical priority to ensure that operations generate sufficient cash flows to fund future capital expenditure needed for building world-class networks.

    “We will continue to have the necessary engagements with the regulatory authorities on such needed increases,” it said in its outlook for the rest of 2023.

    The telecom company said that the blended inflation across its footprint remained elevated and averaged 18.5 per cent in Q1 2023, compared to 11.5 per cent in Q1 2022.

    Interest rates increased during the period as central banks acted to curb inflation.

    Higher inflation and interest rates weighed on consumers’ spending power and impacted business activity, the company said.

    “MTN’s resilient business model and operational execution enabled us to continue to successfully navigate difficult macroeconomic, geopolitical and regulatory conditions in Q1 2023.

    “Local currencies generally weakened against the dollar, and foreign exchange availability was limited in several of our key markets affecting the pace of capital expenditure and our ability to upstream dividends and management fees.

    “Over and above reduced economic activity in South Africa, MTN South Africa’s (MTN SA) network availability remained under pressure due to ongoing power outages across the country: there were approximately 90 days of load shedding in Q1 2023 compared to 14 days in Q1 2022,” the MTN Chief Executive Officer, Ralph Mupita, said in the statement.

    The Group spoke on the Nigerian market.

    MTN Nigeria drove strong commercial momentum in a challenging operating environment to deliver a strong financial performance in the period.

    “In addition to higher inflation and interest rates as well as challenges with the availability of hard currency liquidity, the Nigerian economy was also impacted by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s redesign and introduction of new naira notes from 15 December 2022. The limited availability of new notes resulted in cash shortages, which impacted customers’ ability to recharge through physical channels and transact within the MoMo agent network,” it said.

    MTN Group disclosed that in line with its Ambition 2025 strategy, it continuously assesses investments, to improve returns and reduce risk.

    Thus, MTN Group is evaluating an orderly exit of three operations in West Africa over the medium term; namely MTN Guinea-Bissau, MTN Guinea-Conakry and MTN Liberia.

    The Group has received an offer for our equity interests in these Opcos, from Axian Telecom, which is being evaluated.

    The company is also in the process of exiting Afghanistan through the sale of MTN’s entire shareholding to a wholly-owned subsidiary of M1.

    According to the report, MTN revenue rose 15.6 per cent to 53.83 billion rand ($2.8 billion) in the first quarter of 2023 compared to 45.69 billion rand in the first quarter of 2022, the company said.

    Total subscribers increased by 5.2 per cent to 290.6 million, active data subscribers up by 11.9 per cent to 140.4 million, Data traffic increased by 19.3 per cent to 3221.26 PB and fintech transaction volumes increased by 38.8 per cent to 4.1 billion.

  • 2023 Budget: We’ve nothing to hide, NDDC tells NASS

    Following concerns by the lawmakers in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly over the budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Commission has told the Senate it has nothing to hide.

    The Senate, on Wednesday, May 10 at its session, constituted an ad hoc committee to probe the financial activities of the NDDC for 2021 and 2022 Budget estimates. 

    The Senate also stood down consideration of the 2023 Budget of the NDDC for further clarification on the figures contained in the budget.

    While appreciating the concerns raised by the Senate, the NDDC, in a statement by its Director, Corporate Affairs, Dr. Ibitoye Abosede, said that the Commission would continue to respect its oversight functions.

    The NDDC said that it was ready to cooperate with the investigative committee insisting that it was committed to transparency and accountability in its operations.

    “It is important that we clarify that the Senate has not accused the Board and Management of the NDDC of corruption or misappropriation of N1.4 trillion.

    “The Senate only thinks that the funds were expended without approval or appropriation by the National Assembly. This misunderstanding can be quickly resolved by providing the necessary documents and explanations.

    “The NDDC also wishes to explain that the delays in submitting its budgets and audited accounts to the National Assembly were due to factors beyond its control, such as bureaucratic bottlenecks and frequent leadership changes. 

    “The Commission has, however, taken steps to address these issues to ensure timely compliance with all statutory requirements.

    “We appeal to the general public to refrain from making hasty judgments based on the Senate’s decision. The NDDC assures all stakeholders of its dedication to the development of the Niger Delta region and the welfare of its people,” the Commission said.

  • Electricity: Nigeria needs $3.5bn annually to generate 40,000mw by 2030- FG

    *As REA targets N7bn from investors

    Nigeria needs a $3.5 billion investment annually to generate 40,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity by 2030.

    This was even as the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) was targeting additional N7 billion revenue from its first investors’ matchmaking for Solar Naija Programme (SNP).

    Speaking at the investor match-making event, which the REA organised in Abuja, the Minister of Power, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, disclosed that it would cost Nigeria an annual investment of $3.5 billion to attain 40,000MW by 2030.

    With 23 power generating plants connected to the national grid, Nigeria has the capacity to generate 11,165.4 MW of electricity.

    As at last January, Nigeria’s available power generation capacity in the First Quarter of 2022, according to a Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) First Quarter 2022 Report published on January 6, 2023, decreased to 4,712.34MW from 5,465.72MW in the Fourth Quarter of 2021.

    It stated that in the First Quarter of 2022, the average hourly generation of all available units decreased by 190.58MWh/h (-4.44 per cent) from 4,294.02MWh/h in 2021/Q4 to 4,103.11MWh/h.

    The Commission attributed the decrease to incessant technical faults, gas constraints, as well as undulating load demand patterns that have continued to affect the amount of energy generated by power plants.

    Represented by the Ministry’s Director of Investment, Mrs. Eyo Babalola, Aliyu noted the Ministry was the fulcrum of the actions with which the government is transforming the industry from a public to a private sector-driven one.

    He said that, with the recent legislation that has empowered state governments to generate and distribute electricity, there are limitless investment opportunities in the sector.

    The Managing Director of REA, Engr. Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, informed the Rural Electrification Fund (REF) is undergoing some slight reforms to work with private investors for impact financing.

    He explained the essence of the reform was to ensure there is a revolving fund that could suffice when there are non-viable areas.

    Meanwhile, the REA is targeting additional N7 billion revenue from its first investors’ matchmaking for SNP.

    The Programme aimed at providing the opportunity for potential investors to pitch their financial offerings to developers, clearly stating the selection criteria and key terms.

    In a statement by the Agency on Thursday, the Agency hinted that the event would facilitate networking and matchmaking forum that brings together key investors and high-performing developers (pre-evaluated by the SPN team) in the power sector.

    The event was organized in collaboration with the Power Africa Nigeria Power Sector Program (PA-NPSP, USAID).

    The Solar Power Naija Programme was launched as part of the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) to achieve the roll out of 5 million new solar connections in off grid communities.

    It stated that program is expected to generate an additional N7 billion increase in tax revenues per annum and $10 million in annual import substitution.

    The objectives of the programme is to expand energy access to 25 million individuals (5 million new connections) through the provision of Solar Home Systems (SHS) or connection to a mini grid, Increase local content in the off grid solar value chain and facilitate the growth of the local manufacturing and assembly industry and Incentivize the creation of 250,000 new jobs in the energy sector.

    Speaking during the event, Ahmad encouraged partnerships like these to boost energy access in communities.

    “As the implementing agency for Nigeria’s off-grid strategy, the REA has been working to support private developers by creating an enabling environment to facilitate investments in various ways, including access to data, policy support, grants, capacity development, stakeholder management, and most importantly financing for Developers,” he said.

    The Acting Deputy Missions Director, USAID Nigeria, Stephan Menard, in his remark, encouraged private developers to key into the project. 

    “I encourage the private developers to take advantage in accessing financing towards improving the lives of Nigerians by delivering sustainable energy access,” he said.

    The Head, Solar Power Naija Programme, Barbara Izilien, looked forward to better days.

    “We hope, with this approach, we will be able to build quick partnerships that would lead to new connections, and further count towards our target of electrifying a minimum of five million households, serving a minimum of 25 million Nigerians,” he said.

    The Solar Power Naija Programme, implemented through the REA, is actively working on catalysing access to financing for developers in the off-grid sector to achieve the programme targets.

    The event witnessed the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the REA and Chapel Hill Denham through the Solar Power Naija Programme.

    The MoU is aimed to facilitate financing to developers for off grid electrification projects.