The agitation against the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), 2020, by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the refinery deal between BUA Group of Nigeria and Axens of France to refine 200,000 barrels per day of crude oil in the country are some of the leading stories in Nigerian newspapers on Wednesday.
ThisDay reports that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday persisted in its agitation against the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), 2020, submitting a position paper to President Muhammadu Buhari, demanding the suspension of its implementation.
This is in spite of several official explanations that the law does not target the church, forcing social critics to conclude that church leaders’ opposition might have been fueled by their reluctance to accountability, which the law demands of every non-governmental organisation registered under the Act.
But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, who received CAN’s letter to Buhari at a ceremony in Abuja, allayed fears that the law was targeted at Christianity, Islam or any other religious organisations.
In the letter signed by CAN President, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, which was delivered by a former Chaplain of Aso Villa Chapel, Rev. William Okoye, CAN detailed its objections to the law, which has been buffeted by criticisms, especially from the Christian community.
The newspaper says that BUA Group, a Nigerian conglomerate concentrating on manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture, has diversified into the oil and gas business with the signing of a deal with Axens of France to refine 200,000 barrels per day of crude oil in the country.
The deal would see Axens, France’s largest hydrocarbons group, license key refinery technologies to BUA Group, one of Nigeria’s leading industrial conglomerates, in the contract that was signed between both parties in France yesterday.
The Chairman of BUA Group, Mr. Abdulsamad Rabiu, who signed on behalf of the company, said the viability of the project, which would be located in Akwa Ibom State, was assured, given the economics of fuel importation in the country.
“Nigeria imports 90 percent of its petroleum products. We spend 35 percent of our foreign exchange on importing petroleum products,” The Africa Report, quoted him as saying.
The Punch reports that electricity consumers, labour unions and key stakeholders in the economy on Tuesday kicked against increase in electricity tariff implemented by power distribution companies across the country on Tuesday.
Those that spoke to The Punch on the tariff adjustments included the Nigeria Labour Congress which vowed to resist the increase, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria which said the hike could precipitate recession in the third quarter of the year, the and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The NLC said the hike would further impoverish Nigerians. The congress argued that the implementation of the new tariff on Tuesday was despite the resolution of the Senate and the direct orders of the President, Muhammadu Buhari, that the decision by the electricity distribution companies on tariff should be suspended until further notice.
NERC and the Discos had said that the new service reflective tariff took effect from September 1 (Tuesday). The Discos said on Tuesday that electricity customers, except those receiving less than 12 hours of supply, would have to pay more.
The newspaper says that Nigeria’s Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite, has charged mining companies and other operators in the minerals and metals sector to operate within the operational guidelines in the Mining Act.
He made the call in Abuja when playing host to the Governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by Theodore Agbagwa on behalf of the public relations director of the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.
Adegbite told his guest that state governments would be carried along as the Federal Government worked towards sanitising the sector to make it viable for investment.
The statement stated that Ishaku visited the mines and steel ministry to seek clarification on developments in the sector and to know exactly what Taraba State was doing right or wrong in mineral exploration.
The Guardian reports that widespread congestion at the Nigerian ports is costing the nation about $55 million (about N20.8 billion) per day, going by the latest report by Dynanmar.
The Dutch consultancy firm said solutions to the persistent congestion at Nigerian ports are multiple, and must include a collaborative element.
Dynamar expressed worries that the congestion in Nigerian ports is persistent, but that stakeholders are all busy pointing fingers at others rather than developing solutions. Senior Shipping Analyst and Consultant at Dynamar, Darron Wadey, said: “This is a very joined-up problem, with no single cause and therefore no single solution.
The solution will, therefore, need to be joined-up and tackle all the issues raised.” The report stated that: “Services have been diverted from Lagos terminals at Tin Can and Apapa to ports as far as 1,500km south of Lagos, in Pointe Noire in the Republic of Congo, with transhipment back to Nigeria.
The Nation reports that the Dangote Fertiliser Limited is part of a larger effort to create jobs and drive economic growth, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono has said.
Speaking in Lagos during a facility tour of the Dangote Fertiliser plant in Lagos at the weekend, Nanono noted that it is a vital source of high-skilled jobs and that the investment will further development and spur growth.
He said Dangote Fertiliser Limited is important to the achievement of the government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda, aimed at boosting food security in the country.
Nanono called on the company to assist the Federal Government’s agricultural mechanisation scheme as well as extension services for small scale farmers.
GIK/APA