Aso Villa Reads for 24/08/2020
Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria
The Federal Government on Monday has begun the evacuation of about 241 Nigerians who had been trapped in China. The President of Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (East China), Elijah Odii, stated these in a short message to The Punch in Abuja. He also sent a statement from the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing, China entitled ‘Re: Evacuation of Nigerians from the People’s Republic of China’. The statement reads, “Further to our press release of June 4 and July 24, 2020, and communications with prospective evacuees, on the above subject matter, the Embassy wishes to inform that the scheduled date of departure from Guangzhou to Lagos via Air Peace Flight 5N-BWI (B777–300) is Monday, August 24, 2020. In this regard, prospective evacuees are advised to conclude all arrangements, including taking COVID — 19 tests and securing necessary exit visas against the date. Travellers are further advised to arrive Guangzhou at least a day to the journey to avoid complications. Warm regards.” Odii said there was a possibility that not all those currently at the airport would be allowed to board as some were yet to complete checking in. He said, “Our embassy here in China is executing evacuation of stranded Nigerians today, August 24. The evacuees will leave Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on Air Peace.”
The Federal Government has said that a minimum of three information and communications technology projects were either ongoing or already completed in all states in Nigeria, Punch reports. For the 36 states, a total of 108 ICT projects or more are being constructed or already completed across the country. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, who disclosed this in Abuja, also stated that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) had ordered the communications ministry to organise a virtual council of state meeting. Pantami stated this during the recent virtual inauguration of 12 ICT projects built by his ministry in various states. He said, “As I am talking to you, there is no single state in Nigeria that we don’t have completed or ongoing projects, a minimum of three. There is no single state that we don’t have this number, a minimum of three ongoing projects. In some states we could even have more than that. This three is the minimum number and we ensure that whatever we provide, we provide sustainability model on how the projects can be maintained.” Speaking on some of the gains caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pantami said the widespread acceptance of virtual meetings and conferences was one of the benefits. He noted that aside from the virtual Federal Executive Council meetings of government, the President had also ordered his ministry to organise a virtual council of state meeting.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Sunday announced that it made $4.6bn as total crude oil and gas export receipts from June 2019 to June 2020. It also stated that the total crude oil and gas export receipt of $378.42m was posted in June 2020 as against the $133.16m recorded in May 2020. It attributed the marked improvement in revenue earnings to the ease of the COVID-19 pandemic global lockdown and the subsequent increased demand and firmer prices for crude oil in the international market. According to Punch, the NNPC said the petroleum receipts for the month (June 2020) reflected crude oil earnings of $230.65m, with gas and miscellaneous proceeds standing at $75.97m and $71.80m respectively. Details of the earnings were contained in the June 2020 Monthly Financial and Operations Report of NNPC. In the downstream sector, the corporation said 1.34 billion litres of white products were distributed and sold by the NNPC’s downstream subsidiary, the Petroleum Products Marketing Company. It said the figure was significantly higher than the 950.67 million litres of white products sold and distributed in May.
Chief Timipre Sylva, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, said the Federal Government had approved the establishment of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), oil and gas logistic Centre in Akwa Ibom. Sylva gave the hints at a Gala night organised by the Akwa Ibom Government in honour of a delegation of Stakeholders in the oil and gas industry retreat in Uyo on Saturday. According to Vanguard, he said the FG would partner the State Government to build a base and the base would be the first in Akwa Ibom. He urged the governor to set up a team to work with the NNPC in drawing up modalities for the collaboration. “I have the full support of NNPC to announce to you that we are very interested to partner you to build a base here. It will be the first here. “It has also approved the immediate establishment of an oil and gas logistics facility in the state,” Sylva said.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has restated its resolve to increase the attractiveness of the Nigerian capital market and ensure investor protection by riding the market of fraudsters. The Commission also revealed plans to reverse the current demography of participants in the market, hitherto comprised of aging investors, to include more millennia. The Director General of SEC, Lamido Yuguda, stated these at the virtual post-Capital Market Committee (CMC) media briefing, saying that the Commission would work towards simplifying the transaction process by ensuring timely and affordable access to the market. He said: “In order to increase the visibility and attractiveness of our market, we shall work towards maintaining an environment that is enabled by the appropriate regulatory framework, timely and affordable access to the market, zero tolerance for infractions, heightened investor confidence and awareness, innovative product development and good governance practices.” He assured that the Commission would continue to implement the ongoing initiatives of the Nigerian Capital Market Master Plan and other related initiatives targeted at developing the capital market. He said that SEC would continuously seek ways to improve on the initiatives, while efforts are made to introduce new ones to the benefit of market stakeholders. Vanguard reported.
Siemens has allayed the fears that local companies may lose out it in the proposed Presidential Power Initiatives (PPI) as the German company said any Nigerian firmed that has proved itself worthy and capable would be carried along. The company said the concern expressed by local contractors as to whether they would be not involved in the project is a very valid one stating however that the success of this type of work would depend on collaboration with local contractors. Speaking exclusively to Business Day Oladayo Orolu, head of Business and Government Affairs, Siemens Energy Nigeria and also the coordinator of Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), said even though the President, Muhammadu Buhari has given the company the permission to select the EPC contractors it would want to work with, local companies would certainly not be left out when considering the companies in the course of the project. He said the government has given the company the opportunity to do the selection because it wants to make sure that the project is executed from an end to an end. “We do not want a situation whereby Siemens manufacture their equipment, shipped to Nigeria and when it gets to the port it remains stranded, nobody to takes it up, nobody to takes it to the site or receive it at the site. We want everything to be done seamlessly”. The company, he said, has interviewed many Nigerian firms that have brought proposals on account of this project. There are several opportunities in this project for Nigerian engineers either individuals or groups. Also in terms of installation, commissioning, civil works, site investigations, and all of that, these are the opportunities ahead for Nigerians.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has activated 112 free emergency call numbers in Kogi State, The Nation reports. This was confirmed in a statement issued on Friday in Lokoja by the private firm managing the emergency numbers on behalf of the NCC in the state, SOLSAN Technology Ventures Ltd. Mr. Shola Ajayi who signed the statement said that the emergency code which can be dialed from any telephone or mobile hand device was activated in March. He said that 112 is a short code assigned by the NCC for all manner of emergencies, including armed robbery attacks, kidnapping, accidents, fire outbreak, flooding, banditry and vandalisation. “When calls are received by the 112 agents, they are usually escalated to the correct agency responsible for such emergency. The emergency communication project is a non-commercial collaboration project between the Federal Government, through the NCC, state government, telecom companies, security agencies and power companies,” he explained.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved an increase of the National Research Fund (NRF) grant managed by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), from an initial amount of N3 billion to N7.5 billion for the year 2020. The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Prof. Suleiman Elias Bogoro made this known while speaking at the 2020 TETFund Board of Trustees (BOT) Retreat held in Abuja recently. Prof. Bogoro stated that the latest approval by President Buhari makes TETFund the largest holder of research grants in Nigeria. The Executive Secretary further stated that President Buhari also approved the establishment of six medical simulation, research and training facilities in six Colleges of Medicine, with each of the six geopolitical zone in the country playing host to one. The approval, he said, provided an opportunity for TETFund to provide 12 Covid-19 and related infectious disease molecular laboratories, two in each geo-political zones, thus making TETFund the highest single provider of Covid-19 test centres in Nigeria.
As part of efforts to maintain Wild polio free status and improve immunisation coverage in Nigeria, the federal government has supported low performing states with 912 motorcycles and laptops, for frontline routine immunisation officers. Speaking during the commissioning of the 456 motorcycles and 456 laptops, supported by the World Bank and the World Health Organisation (WHO), at the weekend in Abuja, the executive secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, noted that the support came at the right time, saying that the lock down, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had affected all primary health care services, including immunisation. As reported by Leadership, he expressed optimism that the provision would boost routine immunization in remote communities across the low performing states. “We experienced a situation where the lockdown prevented people from being able to access primary healthcare centres. So, there was a decline in practically all primary health care services. “As at the last time we checked our data, we have now started to see that primary health care (PHC) services, especially routine immunization, is going back to the levels that they used to be before the COVID-19 pandemic. Never before in the history of Nigeria have we seen more than a doubling of routine immunisation coverage within such a short period. Today, as we try to improve and get even beyond where we are today, we are donating these motorcycles and laptops to frontline workers.”
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