Nigeria: Press zooms in on Abuja Declaration in tackling terrorism by African leaders, others

The report that African leaders, including Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Defence, National Security Advisors, representatives of regional organisations, UN and others, have adopted the Abuja Declaration to tackle terrorism in Africa is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Wednesday.
The Vanguard newspaper reports that African leaders, including Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Defence, National Security Advisors, representatives of regional organisations, UN and others, have adopted the Abuja Declaration to tackle terrorism in Africa.
The declaration made at the end of the High-Level African Counter-Terrorism Meeting, held on Monday and Tuesday in Abuja, was presented by the National Coordinator, National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka.
The event has the theme “Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Institution Building to Address the Evolving Threat of Terrorism in Africa.” The declaration, among other things, recognised the continuing relevance of the instruments adopted by the African Union, including the communiqués of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council, as well as relevant normative frameworks of all participating Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms.
These, according to the declaration, are aimed at addressing the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism on the African continent.
They recalled, in particular, the desire of the AU to silence the guns on the continent by the year 2030 and noted the fact that the spread of terrorism and violent extremism in different parts of Africa poses a significant threat to its peace, security, and stability.
They also acknowledged that terrorism had hindered progress being made towards the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and African Union Agenda 2063.
According to the declaration, African leaders acknowledge that the growing activities of terrorist groups and the lethality of their attacks, particularly in parts of West Africa and the Sahel, Central, Eastern, and Northern Africa, is exacerbating insecurity in these regions.
The newspaper says that the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has expressed support for the ongoing banking recapitalization exercise saying it will empower banks to lend more to the economy.
CIBN President, Dr. Ken Opara stated this yesterday while speaking at the annual lecture of the institute in Lagos, with the theme “Improving Availability of Credit in the Nigerian Real Economy: The Critical Importance of Liquidity.”
Okpara noted that the volume of credit to the real sector activities namely agriculture, manufacturing and services is low compared to their critical role in driving economic growth. Consequently, he called for more credit to the real sector, saying, “I propose that we consider offering more credit to these key sectors and particularly the agriculture sector. It is for this reason that the Recapitalization exercise is a welcome development.
The recently announced upward review of the Minimum Capital Requirements of Nigeria by the Central Bank of Nigeria would further empower banks to extend more credit to the economy’s productive sectors.”
To address these factors impeding credit to the real sector, Okpara suggested that, “The government needs to improve further the ease of doing business and infrastructural development, such as power, roads, rail networks, etc.
“Setting up industrial centres where these companies can co-habit and share common infrastructure.
Harmonize and reduce the various taxes and levies, including locating them in a single hub.
“Banks need to be deliberate in de-risking these companies via capacity building programmes and advisory services.”
The Punch reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission may prosecute 300 forex racketeers trading on a peer-to-peer platform outside the financial regulations.
The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, who gave this indication during an interactive programme with editors and bureau chiefs in Abuja on Tuesday, revealed that the accounts were frozen following a court order on Monday.
He disclosed that one of the accounts traded over $15bn in the past year.
Recently, the Federal Government through the Nigerian Communications Commission blocked the online platforms of Binance and other crypto firms to avert what it considered continuous manipulation of the forex market and illicit movement of funds.
He disclosed that one of the accounts traded over $15bn in the past year.
Recently, the Federal Government through the Nigerian Communications Commission blocked the online platforms of Binance and other crypto firms to avert what it considered continuous manipulation of the forex market and illicit movement of funds.
It also detained two senior executives of Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange amidst efforts by the government to rein in speculation on the naira by cracking down on cryptocurrency exchanges.
The newspaper says that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has announced the reopening of Runway 18L/36R at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, following a temporary closure caused by a Dana Air plane skidding off the runway on Tuesday
This was disclosed in a press release signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, FAAN, Obiageli Orah, on Wednesday.
The statement read, “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria is pleased to notify the public and all stakeholders that Runway 18L/36R was reopened for flight operations at 19:58hrs.
“This development follows the earlier closure of the runway this morning due to an incident involving a Dana Air aircraft, with registration number 5N-BKI, which overshot the runway during its landing sequence.
“Prompt actions were taken by our emergency response team to evacuate and recover the aircraft from the site. Subsequently, comprehensive clearing operations were conducted to ensure the runway was free of any Foreign Object Debris that could impede flight safety,” Orah added.
According to the statement, the FAAN Operations Division and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency have jointly inspected the runway surface and deemed it safe for the resumption of operations.
GIK/APA