The increase in the death toll in the Lagos gas explosion, Nigeria’s plan to suspend its $22.7 billion loan and the appeal court’s ruling on the leadership of the ruling party are the leading stories in the Nigerian newspapers on Tuesday.
The Punch reported that the death toll in the Abule-Ado explosion in Lagos rose to 20 on Monday, as many families continued to search for their missing relatives.
The Leadership reported that as Nigeria battles to contain the deadly Coronavirus and its devastating effect on the nation’s economy, the federal government hinted that it may have to drop its plans to borrow $22.718 billion to finance infrastructure and other social development projects.
This Day said the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, unveiled a number of policy initiatives aimed at reducing the adverse impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.
The CBN’s interventions include an extension of the moratorium on the apex bank’s interventions programmes, interest rate reduction, creation of a N50 billion targeted credit facility and credit support for the healthcare industry.
Others are strengthening the CBN’s Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR) policy and regulatory forbearance.
This Day also reported that relief came for the embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, as the Court of Appeal granted his application for stay of execution of the ruling of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, which earlier this month suspended him from office.
The Nation reported that passengers from Spain, Germany and France are to undergo secondary screening at Nigeria’s ports of entry self-isolate for 14 days.
These were some of the measures put in place by the government because of the high-index and widespread community transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in those countries.
The Daily Trust said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has advised Nigerians to continue to observe hygiene advisories because the threat posed to Nigeria by the Coronavirus is not yet over.
The Sun said the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the result of 312,157 candidates that sat for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) last Saturday.
The Guardian reported that with many companies implementing a mandatory work-from-home policy as a precaution against coronavirus, widespread adoption could lead to global Internet connectivity issues, experts warn.
Similarly, demand for bandwidth continues to be on the rise following cancellation of many sporting events, with many switching to streaming services like Netflix.
MM/GIK/APA