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  • Export committee targets $150bn revenue

    Export committee targets $150bn revenue

    The National Committee on Export Promotion ( NCEP ) says it is targeting 150 billion dollars revenue through Zero Oil Plan (ZOP) initiative.

    Mr Olusegun Awolowo, Executive Director of Nigerian Export Promotion Council ( NEPC ) and member of the committee disclosed this to newsmen at the end of the committee’s meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

    Awolowo said that the revenue would be earned in a period of 10 years and would be used to strengthen the country’s foreign reserve.

    He said that the committee had the task to aggregate all issues affecting export in the country and make recommendation to the Federal Government.

    “The constitution of the committee seeks to replace oil as the source of foreign exchange earner by growing non-oil exports from present five billion dollars to 30 billion dollars by year 2020.

    “The objective of the plan is to further add extra 150 billion dollars (minimum) to Nigeria’s foreign reserves cumulatively from no-oil exports over the next 10 years.

    “We will create at least 500, 000 additional jobs annually due to increase in productive and export activities as well as lift at least 10 million Nigerians out of poverty,’’ he said.

    According to Awolowo, the committee is expected to submit an initial report on Nov.16, 2017.

    He said that the committee’s terms of reference were to aggregate all the issues and recommendations as highlighted in the various initiatives on diversification of Nigeria’s economy.

    Others are to consult with the states for their input on the subject and draw up a workable plan to enhance export promotion.

    On his part, Gov. Mohammed Abubakar of Jigawa, who is the Chairman of the committee, said that the committee would work with state governments to actualize it objectives.

    According to him, all issues currently facing the country’s export will be adequately addressed.

    “Non-oil export growth is the only way forward for a sustainable development,’’ he said.

    Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President and Chairman, National Economic Council ( NEC ), inaugurated the committee a few days ago at the 80th meeting of NEC in Abuja.

    NAN

  • El-Rufai presents budget of N216.5bn for 2018

    El-Rufai presents budget of N216.5bn for 2018

    Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Thursday presented an Appropriation bill of N216.5 billion for the 2018 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly.

    El-Rufai, in the budget tagged, “Budget of Consolidation”, explained that N131 billion was earmarked as capital expenditure, representing 60.5 per cent, while N85 billion was set aside for recurrent expenditure, representing 39.4 per cent.

    According to him, capital expenditure is allocated 60 per cent because of the administration’s resolve to spend more and invest in the people.

    “Under capital expenditure, the Social Sector received the largest chunk of N51.4 billion; Economic Sector, N38 billion; General Administration, N26 billion; and Real Sector, 14 billion.”

    He said that the Social Sector, comprising education, health and social development took the lion share of 39.2 per cent of the budget so as to promote social justice through human capital development.

    “We envisage starting the year with an opening balance of N10 billion with internally generated revenue of over N42 billion and statutory allocation from Federation Account of over N34 billion.

    “The recurrent expenditure estimate for 2018 are projected to be broken down as, public desk charges, that is payment of loans and other facilities estimated at over N4 billion with consolidated revenue fund charges at over N1 billion.

    “Others include, personnel cost, N40 billion; overhead cost, N44 billion; and 10 per cent statutory transfers from the state to local government areas, totaling over N85 billion.

    “The breakdown of the capital account for 2018 as projected would be transfers from the recurrent budget surplus of over N2 billion and over N13 billion from value added tax.

    “Others are over N800 million as internal loans as well as N89 billion as external loans, internal grant at over N9 billion while external grant stands at over N4 billion.”

    He added that the state would raise over N11 billion from sales of government quarters.

    Receiving the budget estimates, the Speaker of the assembly, Alhaji Aminu Shagali, assured of the assembly’s commitment to diligently scrutinise the document for the benefits of the people of the state.

    Shagali said that legislative arm would support the executive in ensuring peace and social justice in the state.

    He added that the House would ensure that the budget meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people.

    The government had earlier proposed N201 billion as 2018 budget, but N15 billion was added after receiving inputs from citizens during a town hall meeting.

    NAN

  • NAF partners NASENI on training, maintenance

    NAF partners NASENI on training, maintenance

    The Nigerian Air Force ( NAF ) has completed the training of its 55 personnel in various fields at the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure ( NASENI ).

    The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

    Adesanya said the training, which took place at the seven centres in NASENI, was aimed at further raising the level of technical manpower in NAF through collaboration with relevant local institutions.

    The director added that the personnel were trained in various specialties, such as Lather Milling Operations and General Maintenance, Laser Cutting, Oxyacetylene Welding.

    They were also trained in Networking Tools and Techniques, Repairs of Electronics Circuits, Electronics Testing and Diagnostics, Cabling and Looming Techniques.

    “The intensive training in the various specialties lasted for various durations, ranging from 14 to 30 days.

    “The training has given the personnel the capacity to reproduce some spares locally as well as carrying out more in-depth repairs of electronics items that were hitherto shipped overseas,” he said.

    Accordingly, the partnership was expected to enhance the effectiveness of aircraft maintenance in NAF as well as boosting the Research and Development efforts of the Service.

    Adesanya explained that the training would have gulped huge resources in foreign currency, if conducted overseas.

    He explained further that the collaboration, afforded the service to complete the training of its 55 personnel with less than N6million.

    “The training is in tandem with one of the key drivers of the vision of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, which is “Strategic partnerships with MDAs for enhanced Research and Development”.

    “The training was completed last week and the trained personnel have been deployed as appropriate,” Adesanya said.

    NAN

  • FG to open privatised power sector to new investment process – Minister

    FG to open privatised power sector to new investment process – Minister

    The Federal Government  says  the  privatised power sector  will open up for new investment process to enable  new investors invest  further  in the development of the sector.

    The Minister of State for National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said this in Abuja.

    Ahmed said the plan by government became necessary given the challenges in the sector.

    “The power sector has been privatised, but I am sure that every Nigerian will testify that the privatisation has not worked out well.

    “What we set to achieve  in terms of the development of the power sector  has not yet happened.

    “We have now come to a point where  government, which is a share holder in power sector, and the investors  must come together and decide  to cede some of their holdings  to the fresh investors .

    “The ceding of the holding to the fresh investors will enable them to inject new funds and new expertise to enable us to grow the power sector the way that will serve Nigerians.

    She said the process would  involve  government negotiating with the existing owners  and  deciding  the right  level of holding that would go for another round of sale.

    She said that the opening of the power sector would also entail  the review of  tariff “to the extent that we said that the power sector will be opened up to a new investments process.

    “It is very clear that no new investor will be  coming without  having a satisfaction of the level of tariff that will  be attained in the industry.

    “That will be a discussion that will be heard with the new investors; it is very clear to us that the level of tariff that we have now is not sustainable.

    “But where the tariff  will go will be a subject of negotiation between government, existing investors, the new investors and the consumers; so we try to attain  an optimal  level, but there will be an impact on  the tariff.“

    She, however, said that the starting point for the review of the entire process would be  the Distribution Companies ( DISCOs ), adding that distribution of electricity was most pressing.

    On government borrowing, she said that government did not go and borrow at 21 or 22 per cent.

    According to her, the market actually  determines  the  point  of  government borrowing .

    “The point we are making is that because the government is borrowing heavily, the financial sector is now concentrating on borrowing to government,  and the private sector gets little or no attention.

    “So government must reduce its level of domestic borrowing  to free the space so that the financial sector is able to borrow to the  private   sector.

    NAN

  • Nigeria, Morocco signs MoU on agric insurance coverage

    Nigeria, Morocco signs MoU on agric insurance coverage

    The Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending ( NIRSAL ) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two Moroccan firms to expand agric insurance coverage in the country.

    The two firms are Mutuelle Agricole Marocaine d’Assurance ( MAMDA ) and MAMDA Reassurance (MAMDA-RE).

    The partnership would also cover the expansion of agricultural insurance products in the country.

    Signing the MoU in Abuja on Friday, the Managing Director of NIRSAL, Mr Aliyu Abdulhameed, said the partnership was a product of the bilateral agreement signed between President Muhammadu Buhari and King Mohammed VI of Morocco in December 2016.

    He noted that the MoU would cover `index based insurance products’ which included weather, pricing and yield to protect farmers’ investments in case of flood, fire or pestilence.

    Abdulhameed said the move was to de-risk agriculture, facilitate flow of finance to the sector to diversify the economy, attain self-sufficiency in food production and entrench inclusive economic growth.

    According to him, NIRSAL’s target is to move insurance coverage from about 0.5 million to 3.8 million agricultural primary producers to help reduce credit risks, increase lending and investments across the agriculture value chain.

    Abdulhameed said the partnership would involve advanced technical training on surveying aggregated farmlands, large commercial and plantations farms and loss assessment methods.

    Others are technical training on Geographic Information System (GIS), technology for agriculture and Remote Sensing application in Agricultural Crop Insurance.

    “This signing means a lot to the agriculture sector of the country.

    “As a risk management corporation for agriculture and agribusiness of the Central Bank of Nigeria, it is important for us to have capacity for risk analysis, management and mitigation.

    “For us to be able to deliver on our mandate of enabling the flow of finance and investment into the agriculture value chain, the capacity to do risk analysis, management is a second nature to us.

    “What you have seen today is symbolic, NISRAL leveraging the experience of MAMDA, the number one agriculture insurance company of Morocco, to learn the tools and skills of risk management in agriculture.’’

    Mr Khalid Abdellaoui, the Deputy CEO of MAMDA and MAMDA-RE, commended the Federal Government and NISRAL for the MoU.

    He said the companies were committed to assisting Nigeria to expand and move agriculture insurance forward in the country.

    Also speaking, Mr Moha Ou Ali-Tagma, the Morocco Ambassador to Nigeria, said that agriculture was a very important sector in Morocco, contributing over 20 billion dollars annually to the economy.

    “For our countries, it is important to develop the agriculture sector. This is a very important step in the long way of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

    “It correspondents with the interest of the King Mohammed the VI and President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “Nigeria can count on Morocco and Morocco can count on Nigeria,’’ Ali-Tagma said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that MAMDA, through its subsidiary MAMDA-Re launched in 2014 enables African partners to have access to global reinsurance capacity for agricultural risk.

    NAN

  • NDLEA advises Enugu residents against self medication

    NDLEA advises Enugu residents against self medication

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA ) has advised Enugu residents to desist from self medication to avoid drug abuse.

    The State Commander of the agency, Dr Anthony Ohanyere, gave the advice on Friday in Enugu in an interview.

    Ohanyere observed that some residents of Enugu took delight in patronising open drug shops, especially chemists, to buy drugs without due consultation with a physician or pharmacist.

    He noted that out of ignorance, the people indulged in taking controlled drugs, which from medical authorities should be duly prescribed by a health expert.

    The commander said that these controlled drugs could be taken only on prescription as they were high risk drugs, which can cause monumental health problems immediately or later to the user.

    According to him, some of the effects of abuse of controlled drugs include illusions and hallucinations.

    Other effects, he added were; poor perception of time and distance, depression and anxiety, violent behaviuor as well as longer and more intense “trip’’ episodes.

    He also identified other effects as slurred speech, disorientation, fatigue, paranoia, shallow respiration, euphoria, and psychosis, drunken behaviour, clammy skin, dilated pupil and well as weak and rapid pulse.

    He said drowsiness, respiratory inhibition, increased pulse rate and irritability, blood pressure complications, sleeplessness, coma and finally death could also occasion through drug abuse.

    “Our people should stop self medication because of its costly consequences, especially the buying and use of controlled drugs.

    “All over the world, it is doctors, dentists and appropriately qualified medical personnel that can dispense controlled drugs due to its adverse effect, if used or applied wrongly.

    “On the other hand, only qualified and certified pharmacists that can dispense this category of drugs, because they are knowledgeable in the chemistry and properties of drugs,’’ he said.

    It had been a public knowledge that some residents, especially youths, on their own buy some of these controlled drugs especially Tramadol.

    NAN

  • BudgIT: Nigeria needs N712bn to bridge healthcare delivery gap 

    BudgIT: Nigeria needs N712bn to bridge healthcare delivery gap 

    Nigeria needs about N712 billion annually to bridge healthcare financing in the country, a civic technology organization, BudgIT Nigeria has said.
    BudgIT, which is interested in ensuring transparency in government budgets, said this at the presentation of a report on Health financing analysis in Ebola affected countries: the readiness of primary healthcare centres ( PHCs ) to tackle diseases, in Abuja on Thursday.
    The report looked at financing of healthcare in five Ebola affected countries. The countries include; Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone.
    BudgIT’s Lead Partner, Oluseun Onigbinde, said Nigeria can achieve tangible investments if it increases its budget for the health sector.
    He said the 15 per cent budgetary provision for the sector was not enough to cater for the health was not big enough.
    Onigbinde said: “The budgetary allocation to health should be increased to cater to the needs of Nigerians as the health per capita is relatively low when compared to other African countries.
    “If Equatorial Guinea could do $663 per citizen, then Nigeria can improve from $118 to at least $300.
    “If the health budget is made to attain at least to 15 per cent of the national budget, as declared by the African Union, an additional sum of N712 (USD 1.9bn) will be needed to give the goal sum of N1.09 tn (USD 3.03bn), and Nigeria can achieve more tangible investments in the sector.”
    He urged the Federal Government to spend more money on capital expenditure.
    Onigbinde called on state governments to equip PHCs to cater for the needs of citizens in rural areas.
    “The federal government should spend more on capital expenditure, as the difference between recurrent and capital is wide. If Nigeria seeks to fund the health sector through borrowing, then transparency and accountability should be adopted.
    “Primary Health Centres should be adequately equipped, as these centres are often visited by citizens in rural communities. This will also help to reduce congestion in the tertiary health institutions.
    “State governments should strengthen primary healthcare to build resistance.. More advocacy in states because they are responsible for primary health care.
    “Teaching hospitals should be equipped with modern equipments to meet the needs of medical practitioners to tackle diseases,” he said.
    Onigbinde called on the National Assembly to activate the law which says one per cent of consolidated revenue fund should be allocated to the health sector.
    “The National Assembly should put an end to the power play by unreservedly activating the law stipulating that 1 per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund must be allocated to the health sector.
    “The political will to end health tourism will help the nation grow,” he said.
  • If I weren’t a girl

    If I weren’t a girl

    If I weren’t a girl, heavens knows what would become of me.

    If I weren’t a girl, I would have probably come as a boy, an animal or even as an insect…these would have been disappointing!

    If I weren’t a girl, just how do I become a virtuous woman?

    If I weren’t a girl, there won’t be chances of becoming a mother nor a home builder.

    Yes, I am a girl, bold and beautiful. Girls, never allow anybody bring down your self-esteem. Your playing small does not serve the world; there is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that the next person wouldn’t feel insecure.

    If anyone does rise up again and build it. Though you’re prone to much negativity like domestic violence, trafficking and all sorts, it doesn’t change your being. Stand up for what’s right, fight for what’s good.

    What a man can do, a woman can do better. In other words, what a boy can do, a girl can do better. So don’t let nobody tell you that your education ends in the kitchen because it never started there and won’t end there.

    Women around the world are becoming Presidents, Ministers, Senators…yours shouldn’t be an exception. Heads up, chin up, and be ready to go up.

    She is very productive with whatever is in her care; give her a house and she gives you a home, give her semen, she gives you children, groceries and she turns it to food. You’re a nation builder; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

  • Woman docked for stealing clothes

    Woman docked for stealing clothes

    The police on Thursday, arraigned a 55-year old woman, Mrs Ngozi Biosah, before  an Asaba Magistrates’ Court for alleged stealing.

    The police said Ngozi, who allegedly stole some cloths worth N15,000, the property of one Mrs Juliet Ojie, committed an offence punishable by law.

    The Police Prosecutor, Mrs Blessing Okafor, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept. 19 at DLA road Asaba.

    She said that the offence was punishable under Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap, C21 Vol 1 Laws of Delta State of Nigeria 2006.

    The accused pleaded not guilty and she was granted bail in the sum of N100,000 and a surety in like sum.

    The magistrate, Mrs Okonkwo Akanume, who gave the ruling, ordered that the surety must provide evidence of employment and must reside within the jurisdiction.

    Akanume also ordered that the surety must own a landed property and should provide two passport photographs.

    She adjourned the case to Oct. 18 for hearing.

    NAN

  • I am proud to be a girl

    I am proud to be a girl

    A girl is a female human; she goes through stages of life from childhood, adolescence until she becomes a woman.

    Well, as a girl child I am a proud lover, wife, daughter, mother, sister and of course a proud citizen.

    I am that girl, because I believe that I deserve to feel proud of my achievements and not deliberately reduce my light and shine because someone else feels insecure.

    I have a brilliant mind and a beautiful heart. I am me…yes perfectly flawed but beautyFULL work in progress.

    There are a lot of things only a girl can do that will make everyone around so so proud!

    Most people (especially in this part of the world) consistently undermine the value and relevance of the female child; they would prefer a male child who is capable of “preserving” the family name.

    In this century, ladies still choose to use their father’s name combine with their husband’s name which makes it a compound name.  For instance, Mrs Bimpe Adekoya-Moses.

    The ‘Adekoya’ is the father’s name while the ‘Moses’ is the husband’s name.

    Let’s not get it twisted, we know the saying that “what a man can do, a woman can do better”, this is a FACT!

    We are fragile, we are a jealous, we get hurt very easily, however, in all our seeming weaknesses, we are stronger than you think.

    We are very creative, innovative and persistent especially when we want something; even if sometimes we hardly get what we want.

    Being a girl isn’t easy, especially in this time and age. We are sensitive to pain, we get heartbroken easily.

    As we celebrate the international day of the girl child, we recognize the importance and strength that she portrays and expresses. This celebration isn’t just about fundraising and raising awareness, it is about collection of data to learn as much as we can.

    Forget that boring song “This is a man’s world”, it’s time we started to dance and sing to more interesting songs like “who runs the world…girls!!!”.

    We are in a world where adolescent girls have unfettered access to sexual and reproductive health information and services; they possess the knowledge and confidence they need to make the right choices for a healthy life.

    I am a girl and I am proud of myself.

    I am pretty, cool, soft-hearted.

    We are all beautiful and are the masterpiece of the greatest sculptor ever – God! Little wonder he made us from a finished product (that is, from the man), and not directly from dust.