The confusion over the terminal date for the border closure and further explanation dominate the Nigerian press on Monday.
ChannelsTV reported that the Federal Government has extended the duration of the ongoing ‘Exercise Swift Response’ across the nation’s borders till next year.
It reported that President Muhammadu Buhari approved the extension of the exercise until January 31, 2020.
But the Punch newspaper’s version quoted the Nigeria Customs Service as saying that January 31, 2020 contained in a leaked memo was not the terminal date for the border closure.
The newspaper said that the Public Relations Officer, NCS, Mr. Joseph Attah, confirmed that no terminal date had been set.
The Sun newspaper reported that Nigerians clamouring for the reopening of the nation’s borders with neighbouring countries may have to wait longer to realise their dream as President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday approved a policy extention to keep the corridors shut until the objectives of the policy are achieved.
ThisDay said business leaders and other stakeholders have expressed support for the decision by the federal government to extend the closure of all the country’s land borders to its neighbours to January 31, 2020.
According to the report, the Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) commended the federal government for the extension.
The Daily Trust reported that the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission said that oil and gas pollution caused by the activities of multinational oil companies puts over 16,000 infants living in Niger Delta region at risk annually.
The Chairman of the commission and Archbishop of York, England, Dr. John Sentamu, who disclosed this over the weekend while presenting the interim report on the Commission’s findings to Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, indicted oil companies operating in the region, describing their actions as ‘‘nothing less than environmental genocide’’.
The Guardian reported that some key government organisations have been avoiding the use of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in the last three years, thereby causing a huge loss of revenue to the country.
It also quoted the National Working Committee (NWC) of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) debunking the rumour that it had reached a conclusion on which part of the country its next presidential candidate would come from.
The Nation screamed that a serving Senator is single-handedly handling about 300 contracts for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The newspaper quoted the NDDC Acting Executive Director of Projects, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, that 120 of the contracts had been fully paid for.
MM/GIK/APA