The Nation Newspaper

Tag: restriction

  • Isese Day: Group frowns at movement restriction

    A group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has expressed concern over the planned celabration of Isese Day in Lagos and other Southwest states, today by some traditional worshippers.

    MURIC said the traditionalists have restricted movements in their areas.

    The day is expected to be celebrated in Epe, Ikorodu, Iyana-Ipaja in Lagos State as well as in Ibadan (Oyo) and some parts of Osun today.

    In a statement yesterday, MURIC Director Prof Ishaq Akintola criticised the restriction of movements at a time Muslims, would be marking Eid-el-Kabir on Tuesday. Muslims, he noted, would be moving from one part of the country to the other.

    The group described the restriction as illegal, unlawful, illegitimate and unconstitutional, adding that it is calculated to cause a breach of the peace.

    Akintola said: “Only the state government on the advice of the Commissioner of Police can impose curfew on a town. Even then, such imposition must be based on adverse security report.

    “Traditionalists are taking the law into their hands. They have become another government on their own. This is unacceptable. Traditionalists have frequently usurped this power without being challenged. Worse still, the police and other law enforcement agents have adopted a lackadaisical attitude towards the excesses of traditional worshippers.

    “We assert the right of Muslims to freely move around anywhere in this country. The Federal Government has declared Tuesday and Wednesday as holidays. Nobody has the right or the power to make it impossible for people heading towards their various towns to reach their various destinations.

    “For the avoidance of doubts, MURIC is not averse to the declaration of a day for traditionalists. We made this clear in our statement issued on May 10 that we believe in equal rights. What we oppose is a situation whereby one religious group lords it over another. Traditionalists must respect the law.

    “Traditional worshippers need to be told that they have limits. Christians and Muslims have never restricted the movements of adherents of other faiths.

    “We call on the governors of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states to call traditional worshippers to order.”

  • Assembly seeks restriction of tankers’ movement

    •Group holds safety training

    Lagos State House of Assembly has called on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to restrict the movement of heavy duty vehicles to between 9pm and early hours of the day.

    In a motion, with reference to last week’s tanker explosion on Otedola link bridge on the Lagos-Ibadan-Expressway, Leader of the House, Sanai Agunbiade called for a review of issues surrounding trailers’ movement in the state.

    The House urged the governor to direct the Commissioner for Transportation Dipo Lawanson to ensure that long vehicles did not ply the roads until 9pm.

    It urged the government to sanction long vehicle owners who did not ensure that their vehicles were road worthy.

    The House called for regulations on the type of vehicles to ply Lagos roads to avert a recurrence of such incident.

    Speaker Mudashiru Obasa said: “Our traffic law should be reviewed to reduce loss of lives on our roads. If the Otedola Bridge incident had happened at night, the casualty would have been minimal.”

    He directed the Clerk of the House, Mr. Azeez Sanni, to write to the government on the matter.

    A group, Safety Advocacy Empowerment Foundation, will hold an intensive training tomorrow for professionals and emergency response teams to prevent a reoccurrence of the incident.

    The training, tagged: “Technical safety action session on tankers and articulated vehicles,” is being organised in collaboration with All Safety Professional Organisations, as part of efforts to ensure safe movement of flammable products.

    The event will hold at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and industry in Alausa, Ikeja. According to the organisers, participants will learn modern techniques in fighting multiple fire and explosion.

     

     

  • Govt faults restriction of movement in Itire

    Govt faults restriction of movement in Itire

    •’It’s illegal’

    The Lagos State Government yesterday faulted the restriction of movement in Itire as part of traditional rites following the passage of Onitire of Itire, Oba Lateef Dauda. It described the declaration as illegal.

    According to a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello, the curfew was imposed without due consultation.

    He said no individual or group has the right to infringe on the rights of citizens to freedom of movement and association as enshrined in the constitution.

    Bello said the government was alive to its responsibilities of protecting the citizens, adding that it is collaborating with security agencies to guarantee safety of lives and property in every part of the state.

    He said: “While the state government commiserates with the royal family, Onitire Chieftaincy Family Council and the entire people of Itire over the demise of the monarch and highly revere our tradition and customs, it would not condone any act that tends to infringe on the right of its citizens which it has sworn to protect.

    “The Lagos State Government is saddened by the demise of our ever-supportive Oba, but wishes to assure that government will not fold its arms and allow a few individual or group of people to deny citizens of their right to movement or commune anywhere around the state.”

  • Zika virus: FG issues travel restriction to Latin America

    •Says no case of the virus in the country

    The Federal Government yesterday warned Nigerians against travelling to Latin America on account of the outbreak of Zika virus infection in the region.

    Pregnant women were particularly asked to steer clear of the region and the restriction will subsist until further notice.

    Health Minister Isaac Adewole, in issuing the travel advice, called for closer monitoring and screening at various ports of entry in the country, especially for those who visited Latin America recently.

    Adewole directed the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to include Zika virus diagnosis as part of ongoing effort to manage Lassa fever outbreak in the country.

    He assured Nigerians that there is no single case of Zika virus infection in the country and there is no need for Nigerians to panic, stressing that the Federal Ministry of Health will continue to monitor the situation and update Nigerians on further development.

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the disease has spread to about 23 countries in the Americas, especially Latin America.

    There is no cure or vaccine yet for Zika virus infection.

    It was discovered in Brazil in 2014.

    The virus is transmitted by a bite of mosquito vector.

    The manifestation of Zika virus infection include mild fever, rash (mostly maculo-papular), headaches, joint pain (arthralgia), muscle pain (myalgia), loss of weight (asthenia), and non-purulent conjunctivitis.

    The virus is also associated with higher risk of congenital malformations in newborn when pregnant women are affected. The diseases usually occurs between three to twelve days after the mosquito vector bite.

  • LCCI to CBN: lift forex restriction on 41 items

    LCCI to CBN: lift forex restriction on 41 items

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to lift the foreign exchange restrictions it placed on  41 items, saying the measure was no longer necessary, especially now that the regulator’s official forex window has been closed.

    LCCI’s Director-General, Muda Yusuf, in a statement yesterday, said the restrictions have caused considerable loss of jobs, insisting that “many more jobs are at risk as many firms run out of stock of their critical inputs for production,” adding,   “for the sake of economic policy coherence, any product that is not on the official import prohibition list of the Federal Government should have access to the autonomous foreign exchange market.”

    He agreed that import prohibition is a vital trade policy matter which should be undertaken in an integrated manner with inputs from other government agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, National Planning and the Nigeria Customs Service, among others, but cautioned however that  the consequences of import prohibition are far reaching and go beyond the narrow perspective of conservation of foreign exchange.

    “ The dimensions of  inter sectoral linkages, employment implications, Customs revenue implications, breaches of regional and other international trade treaties should be taken into account,” pointing out that  fiscal policy measures, such as taxation and import tariffs could be used, as and when necessary, to shape the behavior of economic operators as the policy thrust of government dictates.

    Yusuf stressed that the normalisation of the foreign exchange market is very crucial at this time to stem the current slide in the economy, factory closures, job loses, escalating prices, the waning Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and weakening investor’ confidence, stating that  the resultant impact is being felt across all levels of investments, including large companies, medium enterprises, small business, micro enterprises and the informal sector.

    The LCCI chief called for a proper understanding of the significance of the foreign exchange policy in the Nigerian economy, given the fact that the economy is not only highly import dependent, but also the fact that it is assuming greater integration with the global economy. In this regard, he called for transparency, and the need to ensure that there is adequate liquidity and stability in the administration of the foreign exchange market.

    ”It is very important to get it right!   A foreign exchange market characterised by transparency, liquidity and stability is imperative for rebuilding the economic growth momentum, boosting investor’  confidence, encouraging foreign exchange inflows and creating of jobs,” yusuf said.

    He urged the CBN “to urgently articulate a comprehensive framework for the autonomous market,” which he categorized as the “major forex market.”

    Yusuf called for a proper definition of the forex market, saying  foreign exchange from Diaspora remittances, Export Proceeds, Forex sales by foreign investors and multinational companies and Forex sales by Donor agencies and other NGOs,  should be allowed to be freely traded in the autonomous market.

    The LCCI critised what he termed, “excessive regulation and documentation,” saying that they should be avoided as in his opinion, they  “could undermine the development of a robust autonomous forex market.”

    He said: “ Current controls and regulations of forex inflows into the economy should be relaxed, without necessarily compromising the money laundering prevention measures of the relevant authorities.  Overregulation considerably hurts the economy.  It is paramount at this time articulate policies that would stimulate and unlock the huge potentials in diaspora remittances and other capital inflows into the economy.  Diaspora remittances to Nigeria were $21 billion in 2014, according to World Bank sources, “ he stated.

    The CBN had in July, 2015, restricted about 41 items, including vegetable oil, poultry products, cosmetics and plastic and rubber products among others from access to foreign exchange from its official window, arguing that the country has the capacity to produce those items locally.

  • Election: Police restrict movements on Bayelsa waterways

    Election: Police restrict movements on Bayelsa waterways

    The Police in Bayelsa said on Friday that movement of some water transportation facilities and river craft activities would be restricted during the governorship election in the state on Saturday.

    It also announced that movement of persons, motor vehicles and tricycles would be restricted from the hours of 6am to 6pm on the election date.

    This is contained in a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Asinim Butswat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, in Yenagoa.

    It said that the restriction was from 7 p.m. on Friday to 7 a.m. on Sunday, adding that boats fitted with 200 horsepower engine and above was not permitted to move during the period.

    “Any person or group of persons who violates this order will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.

    “Likewise, movement of persons, motor vehicles and tricycles will be restricted d on the election date, from the hours of 6am to 6pm.

    “Only those on essential services will be allowed to move,” it said.

    It urged the electorate to go out and exercise their franchise “by casting their votes for candidates of their choice.”

    The statement warned that the command would deal with political parties and candidates who fomented trouble during and after the poll.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, had on Tuesday in Yenagoa, announced that 14,000 policemen had been deployed for election duty.

    The statement said that the police had increased patrols and intensive surveillance in all parts of the state.

    “All political parties and their contestants should desist from any act capable of disrupting the election process.

    “ They are advised to abide by the peace accord they had earlier signed and comply with the regulations guiding the electoral process,” it said.

    The statement said the police had synergized with other security agencies to ensure smooth and credible election.

  • No restriction on foreign investors repatriating funds, says CBN

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said it will not impose any restriction on the financial market’s regime of “free entry, free exit”, allying fears that the pressure from declining foreign reserves and devaluation of Naira might force the government to impose capital control measures.

    Foreign investors account for about 53 per cent of transactions on the stock market with transactions valued at more than N1.5 trillion in 2014.

    Concerns about political, currency, fiscal and monetary risks, among others, have seen a spike in foreign outflows. The resultant pressure on foreign exchange has exacerbated the depreciation of the Naira.

    But the CBN said in spite of the pressure, the apex bank would not resort to imposition of capital control, which last vestiges were removed in 2009.

    CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, said capital control is not an option in the bank’s fiscal and monetary management.

    According to him, Nigeria wants to maintain its status of a “free entry, free exit” market, where foreign investors will not be impeded in their legitimate decisions to invest their funds in the country and also to take profits, repatriate their dividends and capital gains or outright divestment.

    Emefiele was asked to respond to the question on capital control by President Goodluck Jonathan during the interactive session with stakeholders in the capital market at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). President Jonathan indicated that the Federal Government would not interfere with such position of the apex bank, noting that regulatory agencies are in the position to take the best decisions on their areas of control.

    The CBN Governor pointed out that the preponderance of foreign investors in the stock market was a reflection of the foreign investors’ appreciation of the flexibility of the market, among other factors.

    While acknowledging the continuing pressure on the foreign exchange and the decline in foreign reserves, Emefiele reiterated that capital control would not be an option for the government.

    Naira-Dollar exchange rate closed weekend at about N200/$1. Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves had fallen to $30.87 billion on March 4, a decline of 9.04 per cent from $33.94 billion recorded a month earlier.

    Foreign investors had taken out more than N154 billion in portfolio investments in 2014 as concerns over Nigeria’s risk profile saw many foreign investors opting for the sideline in spite of the attractive valuations of Nigerian equity investments.

    The latest Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) report of the NSE showed that Nigeria recorded a foreign portfolio investment deficit in 2014 as against surplus recorded in 2013. The report, obtained at the weekend, indicated that Nigeria recorded negative net foreign portfolio position of N154.14 billion in 2014 as against a positive net position of a modest N20.48 billion in 2013.

    The NSE report is regarded as a credible gauge of foreign portfolio investments in Nigeria as it coordinates data from nearly all active investment bankers and stockbrokers. Nigeria  operates a mono stock exchange, which makes the NSE the sole gateway to the nation’s stock market and the NSE’s benchmark indices, the country indices for Nigeria.

    The NSE report used two key indicators-inflow and outflow, to gauge foreign investors’ mood and participation in the stock market as a barometer for the economy. Foreign portfolio investment outflow includes sales transactions or liquidation of equity portfolio investments through the stock market while inflow includes purchase transactions on the NSE.

    The 12-month report showed that foreign portfolio outflow was N846.53 billion as against inflow of N692.39 billion in 2014, representing a net deficit of N154.14 billion. In 2013, total foreign inflow stood at N531.26 trillion compared with outflow of N510.78 trillion, leaving a positive balance of N20.48 billion.

    The report showed a notable spike in foreign transactions, although the negative colouration indicated that the propensity was towards divestment rather than investment. Total foreign transactions rose by 52.5 per cent to N1.54 trillion in 2014 as against N1.01 trillion in 2013.

    Meanwhile, foreign investors remained the dominant bloc at the Nigerian stock market. Foreign transactions accounted for 52.52 per cent of total transactions in 2014 while domestic investors accounted for 42.48 per cent. In 2013, foreign investors had accounted for 50.80 per cent while Nigerian investors accounted for 49.20 per cent. Domestic investors traded N1.137 trillion in 2014 as against N1.009 trillion in 2013.

    Market analysts said investors were anxious about Nigeria’s macroeconomic and monetary outlook in the light of the declining global oil prices and rising economic risks. They also cited the increasing political risk. However, analysts were positive on the outlook for the Nigerian market noting that the attractive valuation, resilience of the market fundamentals and the commitment of the government to pull through the global crude oil price challenge.

     

  • Restriction in UK airspace, passengers stranded

    A computer failure at the United Kingdom’s (UK) air traffic control centre has left UK bound passengers facing widespread flight.

    The BBC Nats confirmed a “technical problem” at its Swanwick control centre in Hampshire and said airspace remained opened but restricted.

    It said “every possible action” was being taken to resolve the issue.

    Heathrow reported delays and Gatwick said all its departing flights had been grounded. Other UK airports reported knock-on effects.

    They said:

    • at Heathrow Airport flights are “currently experiencing delays” and planes could be turned away
    • Incoming flights to Gatwick are continuing to land and all departing flights grounded
    • Stansted say it is currently working with Nats to find out how it will affect the airport

    Manchester Airport said it was unaffected by the incident and was ready to accept diverted flights.

    Thus, many UK bound passengers have remained stranded at various airports around the world as EasyJet confirms being affected by the restriction.

    Passengers are therefore advised to contact their airliners for specific details as regards their journey.

  • Lagos clears air on restriction of Hijab in public schools

    Lagos clears air on restriction of Hijab in public schools

    The Lagos State Government yesterday said female Muslim pupils will not be allowed to wear hijabs in public schools.

    Commissioner for Education Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye spoke during a ministerial press briefing marking the sixth anniversary of the Governor Babatunde Fashola administration.

    Mrs. Oladunjoye said pupils are only allowed to wear conventional uniforms to school, adding that the government will not tolerate the use of religious materials in public schools.

    She said: “The issue generated a lot of debates. I summoned a stakeholder’s meeting that was chaired by the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Alhaji Oyinlomo Danmole. Muslim pupils and lawyers were represented. We discussed the issue at length and reached an agreement.

    “We agreed that pupils could use hijabs when they want to go for prayers during school hours; when they want to read the Qur’an and when they are going for Jumat prayer on Fridays. We agreed that no pupil should wear hijab on her uniform, as doing so will cause confusion and a break down of the law. They can put on their berets, when it is not prayer time.

    “Whoever wants his daughter to wear hijab to school should send her to a Muslim school.”

    The commissioner said the government is committed to overhauling the education sector, adding that it had spent over seven billion naira on the upgrading of the Lagos State University (LASU).

    She said the government has initiated various educational programmes, such as the Eko Project, Support Our Schools Initiative, specialised development programmes for teachers and administrators in 20 specialised areas.

     

  • Okada restriction must stay!

    Okada restriction must stay!

    SIR: I see no reason for blaming the government of Lagos state for making a policy restricting the operation of Okada on some Expressway in the State. If not for political enmity against the ruling party, then the brouhaha is a display of mere ignorance by antagonists of the policy.

    When a policy or law is made, it is the responsibility of good citizens that crave for a progressive and also decent society to abide by it at least in the first instance then work towards redress in the court of law. Why should we blame the policy maker and the law enforcement agents that apprehend violators of the law? Why can’t the Okada riders obey the law by restricting their operations from the restricted areas? Why can’t we blame the passengers who still patronize them on the highways instead of condemning the policy unfoundedly? Going by the havocs caused on our highways in Lagos, I think a right thinking person would have been long ago expecting such policy and embrace same when it eventually came to fore.

    When the policy on the restriction of Okada on major highways in Lagos was announced with the punishment for culprits, I had expected a kind of punishment for the passengers that patronize them on the restricted roads as well. But unfortunately, there is no such and that is why some of the Okada riders still go against the law. If the Okadas are not patronized on the highways due to the policy restricting the passengers as well, the policy would have been strictly adhered to.

    The Lagos citizens should know that even if the policy may be somehow hard on them, it is more advantageous in the long run and far from being stringent or cruel. The core unbiased dwellers in Lagos state would understand the policy better and would have felt its effects while acknowledging it.

    While I imploy the Lagos state government to sanction passengers too, I would also imploy Lagosians to see the policy as a beneficial one and abide by it to the fullest. Let us not blame the policy maker but the Okada people who have no respect for the authority and the law. If anybody is not pleased with the policy, let them go to the court of law and see if they will win.

     

    • Lawan Jibril

    Surulere,Lagos.