World Travel and Tourism Council (WTC) Regional Director Andrew Brown has said over 770,000 jobs were lost in the travel and tourism sector in Nigeria as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He spoke during a forum organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) for Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment, Creatives and Sports as a business (THECS).

Speaking on the theme:  Repositioning Nigeria’s Tourism and Hospitality sectors for Sustainable Growth and Profitability, Brown said pre-COVID 19, travel and tourism accounted for 330 million jobs worldwide and that figure is expected to grow to 440 million by 2030.

Read Also: Sterling Bank pledges support for Lagos tourism masterplan

He, however, noted that about $4.5 trillion were lost by the tourism and hospitality sectors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide and over 770,000 jobs were lost in the sector in Nigeria alone.

Co-chair, THECS Policy Commission and board member of the NESG, Mr Udeme Ufot, said Nigeria was uniquely positioned as an all-year-round tourism destination with a strong domestic tourism sector; rich natural resources; and a variety of associated attractions including music, entertainment, sports, religion and a very rich cultural heritage.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Dr. Ifeoma Anyanwutaku, while delivering a presentation on Tourism & Hospitality Sectors as Catalysts for Nigeria’s Economic Recovery, said tourism has tremendous growth opportunities for the Nigerian economy and that the sectors continue to have potentials for growth.

The Lagos State government has announced that the COVID-19 vaccination will resume today.

The state also announced that it has acquired a sequencing machine to identify COVID-19 variants and improve its response to the pandemic and other pathogens.

A statement by Mr Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, Director, Public Affairs in the Ministry of Health, said the state acquired an MGI DNBSEQ-G400 sequencing machine and a complete workstation for sequencing of COVID-19 variants and other pathogens.

“This critical health infrastructure, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria and Sub Saharan Africa, is geared toward improving the diagnosis, research and outbreak investigation capacity of the Lagos State Biobank (LSB).

Read Also: Obaseki to kick-start vaccination second phase today

 

“It will also assist in promptly detecting and understanding the genomics of pathogens of high consequences and infectious diseases,” Ogunbanwo said.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in the state now stands at 70,729.

Abayomi made the disclosure through his Facebook account @ProfAkinolaAbayomi, on Tuesday, while giving the state’s COVID-19 update for August 22.

He said 2,009 tests were conducted on the reported date, out of which 166 new COVID-19 infections were confirmed in the state.

According to him, the new infections increased the state’s total COVID-19 infections to 70,729.

The Ekiti State government said it had received 46,000 doses of Moderna Covid-19 vaccines from the Federal Government.

Commissioner for Health and Human Dr. Oyebanji Filani yesterday said vaccination would commence soon in line with stipulated guidelines of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency.

Read Also: COVID-19 vaccination resumes with Moderna

 

Filani reiterated the commitment of the Governor Fayemi-led administration in ensuring that all residents have access to the vaccines, saying that the current government will leave no stone unturned towards ensuring the safety of all and sundry in the state.

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) said NAFDAC had approved Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV COVID-19 vaccine, to step up efforts to battle a third wave of infections in the country.

The Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, said this on Tuesday, in Abuja, at the National Vaccines briefing.

The BBIBP-CorV, also known as the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine or BIBP vaccine, is one of two inactivated virus COVID-19 vaccines.

He said it was developed by Sinopharm’s Beijing Institute of Biological Products “sometimes written as Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products,” resulting in the two different acronyms BBIBP and BIBP, for the same vaccine.

“It completed phase 3 trials in Argentina, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru and United Arab Emirate (UAE), with over 60,000 participants. BBIBP-CorV shares, similar technology with CoronaVac and Covaxin, other inactivated virus vaccines for COVID-19.

“Its product name is SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine ‘Vero Cell’ not to be confused with the similar product name of CoronaVac,” said Shauib.

 

He added that the approval was recently granted by NAFDAC and the vaccine had also received the World Health Organisation (WHO) certification.

The NPHCDA boss said, “NAFDAC has approved Sinopharm vaccine, the approval was done three days ago; and yes, Sinopharm vaccine has also received WHO certification.

“So, it is a potential vaccine that we could use.

Read Also: Why eight States are yet to get vaccines – by FG

 

“There are so many vaccines out there, but one thing that we are very clear about is that we are not going to use all the available vaccines in Nigeria.

“At some point, we are going to draw a line in terms of the number of vaccines we would use, so that we can keep a close watch on the number of vaccines we are utilising in Nigeria,” he said.

NAN also reports that the Moderna vaccines donated by the United State of America, to step-up efforts to battle a third wave of infections in the country had been deployed to 29 States.

The 29 states, out of the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, were said to be prepared to receive the vaccines.

According to NPHCDA, “Readiness here means that the states’ ultra-cold chain equipment are fully functional and able to store the vaccines at the required temperatures.

“Also, the states must have back-up storage facilities such as Walk-in cold room, Walk-in freezer or chest freezers with reliable 24-hr power supply.

“Additionally, the 29 states had trained their health care workers who will monitor the equipment and the vaccines, which was one the immunisation requirement by states to access the vaccines.

“The agency is also calling on the 29 governors to continue to provide the needed oversight and resources, to ensure that the vaccines are secured and maintained in the required temperatures.

“And that all eligible persons are mobilised to access the vaccines to protect themselves, their families and their communities against COVID-19,” Shuaib said. (NAN)

The spread of entertainment channels and programmes offers an opportunity to disseminate knowledge to millions of farmers within a short time. Hence, the moves to boost farming productivity through entertainment, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Various radio and television shows are broadcast weekly to help small- scale farmers to improve productivity. Presented by popular broadcasters, the programmes are engaging, entertaining, and yet informative.

In the last five years, Nigerians have witnessed the growth of entertainment intended primarily for education. They also seek to improve people’s knowledge about agricultural practices and link them to get support.

The Managing Director, OCP Africa Fertilisers Nigeria Limited, Mohammed Hetitti, has seen how information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been deployed  to produce  the greatest impact in agriculture in Morocco and is convinced that this can be replicated in Nigeria.

His organisation has been providing services to farmers such as information on market prices, agricultural tips and practices.

One of the challenges experienced by smallholder farmers, he noted, is the lack of information about farm management.

Hettiti and his team have been working on developing a content base that would enable farmers, extension officers and other practitioners to share vital knowledge on agriculture, which can help improve yields in farms.

Having realised that Internet access could be a challenge in the rural areas, where most farmers carry out their activities, he decided to use radio and television as avenues for disseminating knowledge among farmers.

Building on its work to boost food security in Nigeria through technology-driven agricultural services, OCP Africa Fertilisers Nigeria has launched Farm&Fortune TV Show, which promotes good agricultural practices through various formats, including documentaries, interviews with experts as well as games, and sharing of simple tips and tricks viewers can use in their farming and agribusiness journey.

The company has helped over 50,000 farmers increase their capacities to produce food for domestic and export markets.

A consultant, Dr. Bamidele Rasak Olajide, believes leveraging technology would help  to create better livelihoods for smallholder farmers across Nigeria.

Delivering a faculty lecture entitled: “Entertainment-Education strategy: Potent but grossly underutilised driver of development agenda”, at the University of Ibadan, Olajide noted that special broadcast  programmes could help farmers improve productivity.

His words: “In 2014, HarvestPlus Nigeria, in partnership with Nollywood, produced a movie entitled: Yellow cassava to sensitise Nigerians on the benefits of producing and consuming Vitamin A cassava (also known as yellow cassava), a highly nutritious biofortified breed of cassava.

In Yellow cassava, Vero, an agricultural extension worker, is assigned to Amuro village to sensitise the inhabitants on the superior yield and health benefits of the yellow cassava. Her fiancé, Dan, did not support her decision to go and this led to conflicts in their relationship.

In Amuro, Vero is confronted with opposition from some of the leaders but received support from Dr. Zack, which helped her fulfill her assignment. Yellow Cassava was produced in English and three major Nigerian languages [Yellow cassava (English), Dada Onipaki (Yoruba), Ebiyebi (Igbo), Sakani (Hausa)] to reach as many Nigerians as possible (Harvest Plus, 2014).

According to a study by Ilona, Bouis, Palenberg, Moursi and Oparinde(2007), an estimated 35 million Nigerians were reached through screenings in cinemas, universities and villages.”

He added that musical artistes have joined forces to boost investments in agriculture.

“Through the song, Cocoa Na Chocolate, launched on March 31, 2014, the musicians hope to educate the youth about agriculture and the future that lay literally beneathe their feet and in their hands. While justifying the Cocoa Na Chocolate, D Banj said 70 per cent of Nigerians depended on agriculture for their livelihoods,’’ he added.

The federal agriculture budget has been trending downwards, and is at 1.47 per cent. This is a serious concern, especially because Nigeria spends billions of Naira on food import yearly. The artistes are role models who connect with youths. Their voices, in support of agriculture, are sending a message to the young generation: it’s time for African leaders to scale up public investments in agriculture and ensure policy interventions are targeted to benefits smallholder farmers who provide 80 per cent  of the food we eat on the continent.

For Ghana-based International Consultant, Dr Courage Besah Adanu, the shows provide benefit to the farm owner and offer entertainment.

Adanu noted: “What I would say is that, the concept is still being tested in Africa as a whole. However, the few programmes going on around the continent have proven to have great impact on knowledge transfer and happenings in the area of agribusiness, thereby paving way for many stakeholders to be aware of what is going on the sector. We, however, need to step up the game in the area to foster greater benefit in real time where such activities have been directly linked to growth and interest in agribusiness by young people as they see how others have benefited from it.”

UN’s top rights official on Tuesday said serious human rights violations had been committed since the Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan.

Michelle Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that the abuses included mass executions of civilians and former members of the Afghan security forces.

Bachelet cited “credible’’ reports stating that the movement of women had been curtailed in some regions and girls were being prevented from attending school.

Furthermore, Taliban militants were cracking down on peaceful protests and minors were being called to arms, she said.

Read Also: Taliban victory; Boko Haram surrender

Bachelet told the council “there are grave fears for women, for journalists and for the new generation of civil society leaders who had emerged in the past years.

“Afghanistan’s diverse ethnic and religious minorities are also at risk of violence and repression, given previous patterns of serious violations under Taliban rule and reports of killings and targeted attacks in recent months.’’

The comment came amid warning from rights and aid groups about the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country and concerns over human rights and in particular the rights of women.

The Taliban said they would respect the rights of women and girls.

However, human rights groups say the UN must create an independent body to investigate what is happening. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng )

The House of Representatives on Monday rejected the revenue projections of N1.3 trillion given to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) by the Budget Office of the Federation for the 2022 financial year.

The House Committee on Finance said at the resumed interactive session between the lawmakers and government’s Ministries, Department and Agencies, that based on new parameters created by the Finance Act, NCS  should be able to generate about N2.5 trillion next year.

The lawmakers also threatened to remove from the budget any government agency that failed to remit 100 per cent of their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation.

Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hamid Ibrahim Ali (rtd) had told the committee that they were projecting a revenue of N1.3 trillion for the 2022 fiscal year, down from the N1.6 trillion target it was given this year.

But Chairman of the Committee, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, queried the rationale behind the reduced estimate and demanded to know from the Budget Office why the target for the agency should be reduced rather than being increased.

Faleke (APC-Lagos) said at the beginning of every year, the Budget Office takes a critical look at expected revenue generation and set expected revenue target for agencies.

He said it is done to know  the gap and make preparation for borrowing, saying if more revenue is generated, the amount of money to be borrowed would reduce.

“We are saying no, that your gross revenue generation is low, given all the available opportunities that you have; when you also look at the your previous performance 2020 to 2021.

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“For us, as a Committee on Finance, we will not accept the N1.3 trillion, I am sure by the time our report comes out, you will be pleasantly happy,” he said.

Chairman, House Committee on Customs and Excise,  Leke Abejide, expressed disappointment with the Customs and Budget Office for the low estimate, which he said, was too small for the agency, considering the parameters which would enable them generate more revenue.

Abejide (ADC-Kogi) said with the recent devaluation of the naira, he expected that the proposal of the NCS should not be less than N2.5 trillion.

He said the exchange rate for 2021 was N381 to a dollar and the targeted revenue generation was N1.6 trillion, saying that the service should factor in the devaluation of the naira and increase its target.

The lawmaker said he was confident that the service would still surpass an upward review target, saying that the new Finance Act has empowered the service to generate more revenue from alcoholic beverages and tobacco as against this year.

In his contribution, Rep. Ahmed Muhktar (APC-Kaduna) said that customs should be able to generate more revenue following the ongoing deployment of technology in revenue collection.

He said with the number of training and retraining lined up in the NCS budget, the service should be able to generate much more than N1.33 trillion, saying that the committee would not accept anything less than N3trillion.

Earlier, Col.Ali told the committee that the service had proposed to generate the sum of N1.33 trillion in 2022.

Ali said the service came up with the figure after analysing the average revenue collection in the previous years and it was trying to be as realistic as possible.

He said: “We are expecting in 2022, N1.33 trillion, that is what we are proposing; we are hoping that things will improve, importation do fluctuate and we do not have any constant measurement so we take the average of what we collected in the previous year and compute it and come up with a figure that is realisable.”

“Whatever comes thereafter, it is our hope that we will surpass it by far but we are trying to be as realistic as we can in our proposal.”

Ali, however, said that should any extra money be generated, it will go straight into the federation account saying that the service has no intention to defraud government.

The Customs boss also told the Lawmakers that out of the N1.6 trillion revenue target given to them for the 2021 fiscal year by the National Assembly, the Service has generated About N1.2 trillion at the end of last month.

Responding to a suggestion by the Chairman of the Committee that the the Service should be able to generate about N2.5 trillion by the end of the year, Ali said “we are targeting about N2.3 trillion by the time end of the year.

He said the service had made several representations to government to approve the collection of excise duty on carbonated drinks which he said endangers lives.

He said: “We are collecting excise on tobacco and alcoholic beverages. The government approved excise for these products because they believe that they are dangerous to the health. I can tell you that these carbonated drinks are more dangerous to the health of Nigerians.”

The House, however, directed the Ministry of Finance to put in place modalities for implementing the Finance Act, which has given permission to the service to start collecting excise on carbonated drinks.

Meanwhile, the Committee has threatened to remove treasury funded agencies that fail to remit their IGR to the Federations Account from the federal budget.

The Finance Committee Chairman who frown at the attitude of Treasury funded agencies with holding money meant for government said the House will debit the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council all the money it illegally spent from its IGR since it was not appropriated for them by the National Assembly.

Faleke told the Accountant General of the Federation to take a decision on whether these agencies should remain Treasury funded or non Treasury funded, adding that “we can remove them from the budget so that they can fund themselves, if that is what they want.

“But if they are funded from the Treasury, they must abide by the law which require them to remit 100 percent of their IGR to the Treasury because it is from that Treasury they draw their operating cost.”

For his contribution to educational and national development, the Institut Superieur Bilingue Libre du Togo (IBLT) has conferred honorary Doctorate award on the Okere of Saki, Oba Khalid Oyeniyi Olabisi III.

The award was conferred on the Vice Chairman Oyo State Council of Obas for his outstanding qualities and philanthropic works.

Reacting to the honour, the monarch called on other royal fathers to continue to spread the kind of unity that will bring progress and development, noting that as custodians of tradition and culture of the people, royal fathers have a big role to play in ensuring unity in the country.

He also charged the graduating students to be active in their various chosen fields and be productive.

“It is a time to be active in your businesses, in your profession and prepare for life after retirement.

“You are a youth because you are vibrant and can contribute immensely to the development of the community and the countrywomen. Do not sit down to cause pain and mayhem to people,” he advised.

The Okere of Saki emphasised the importance of the award to his descendants who had great relationship with francophone countries across the West African sub region

The monarch, who identified youths as the engine of growth and development, urged them to specialise, stay focused and grow.

“Being young is not a profession. Some people think that when you are a miscreant and exhibit the notorious actions that you are a youth. But that is wrong.”

Being youthful, he said, “is to be productive at a young age and not to be misused or indulge in all forms of crimes and delinquencies.”

Akakpo Ablamvi Abraham Secretary General of IBLT described Oba Khalid Olabisi as an outstanding traditional ruler and a great philanthropist who has contributed immensely to development of not just his domain but also to the country.

Abraham expressed satisfaction with the peaceful atmosphere in Saki town, praying that he hoped other towns and communities would learn from Oba Kahlid and also promote peace in their various domains.

Institut Superieur Bilingue Libre du Togo (IBLT) was established in 2010 to contribute through technical and professional training and scientific research, to the realization of expected results aimed at African States.

For decades, language of instruction and differences in education policies continue to breed disparities and constitute barriers to intellectual advancement and the march to African integration.

IBLT is bridging the gap by provision of English speaking programmes of instruction.

Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has described Governor Udom Emmanuel’s led massive economic development and infrastructural transformation in Akwa Ibom State as commendable and worthy of emulation.

The former Vice President stated this on Tuesday, when he paid a visit to the state as part of his tour across the nation to ascertain the state of affairs in the country.

The 2019 PDP presidential candidate appreciated the level of economic development in the state and commended previous leaders for their selfless contributions which laid the foundation for rapid economic and industrial growth.

In his words, “Quite a number of things have endeared me to Governor Udom Emmanuel, the infrastructural development in the state, the other sectors of the economy in the state particularly the industrialization policy of the governor and couple with social sector development health care and education these are very key areas of human development and he has not left them untouched. He has made a very remarkable impact so that actually impressed me”.

Read Also: Again, Atiku talks the talk

“I used to come to this state when it was barely nothing, and I want to pay tributes to Governor Victor Attah who laid the foundation this state today. We are here today to further cement that relationship, that brotherhood so that we can further take this state to the next level and the country also to the next level. We want to commend your brotherly welcome and hospitality extended to us which we acknowledge Akwa Ibom is at the top”, he said.

Atiku who decried the downward economic situation of the nation, however said, comparatively, Nigeria fared better under the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) saying.

Hear him, “Just compare the economic indices during the PDP and also the APC reign, the growth in GDP and industrialization and other sectors of the economy, we did extremely well and we also promoted the growth of the private sector”.

Also speaking, former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu Muazu, described Governor Emmanuel as a silent achiever.

According to Muazu, “Governor Udom Emmanuel has done so well with little noise in Akwa Ibom State, and has also succeeded in taming those that do not know that their tenure ends in eight years. He is one of the few with the ability to ensure that our party the PDP remains united”.

Receiving the guests, Governor Udom Emmanuel welcomed the former Vice President and his entourage to Akwa Ibom State, describing him as a detribalized leader who is committed towards the growth and progress of the nation.

’You are someone that we admire, today if you check the leaders of this country there are few leaders like you who are highly detribalized”, he noted.

Governor Emmanuel stated that Akwa Ibom though richly endowed with mineral resources has not been given a fair share of its resources, lamenting the deprivation of the state evident in the near absence of federal government projects.

In his words, “You are one of the leaders I believe if God had given you an opportunity earlier than now, probably, Akwa Ibom wouldn’t have been where we are now, we have been badly cheated. A state that sits on 36.5% oil and gas reserves of this nation let them tell you what the federal government’s presence is, every single dual-carriage way you drive here is done by the state government, every single structure you see in the state outside the Police they posted to me they have not given me anything.

“I don’t even have a depot to store downstream petroleum product, I am developing one of the smartest and modern airport development in this continent, the simplest appreciation I would have gotten from the federal government would have been to give me a fuel Jet A1 dump as an Oil and Gas producing state”.

He thanked the team for commending his strides in the state, and restated that he is committed to making  life meaningful to people in the state through efficient management of the resources accrued.