The fear raised by a new report that about 39.4 million Nigerians may be jobless by the end of the year and the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country are the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
The Punch reports that the Federal Government has raised the fear that except something urgent is done, about 39.4 million Nigerians may be jobless by the end of the year as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also expressed the fear that millions more may slide into extreme poverty before the pandemic ends.
The report said that Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo painted the gloomy picture on Thursday while presenting the report of the Economic Sustainability Committee to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
The newspaper also says that the Federal Government on Thursday said it was concerned about the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country, which increased from 4,641 on May 11 to 14,554 on Thursday night.
The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, said at the PTF press conference in Abuja, that the 663 cases recorded on Tuesday, the highest in a single day, were disturbing.
The PTF chairman also disclosed that he would on Thursday night begin a series of video conferences with some governors appointed by the National Economic Council and that he would also meet security agencies towards ensuring compliance with guidelines aimed at checking further spread of the disease.
The Nation Newspaper reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the employment of 774,000 jobs for youths to mitigate the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on Nigerians.
Each local government across the nation, he said, would be allotted 1,000 slots to cushion the effects of economic hardship on Nigerians.
Buhari, who revealed these during his Democracy Day broadcast to Nigerians, said: “As part of the strategy to create jobs in reducing the effect of COVID-19 on our youths, I directed the employment of 774, 000 Nigerians.
“These youths will be engaged in Special Public Works Programme aimed at cushioning the effects of economic downturn.
“Each of the 774 local government areas in the country will be allotted 1,000 slots. I am pleased to report that this programme has commenced.”
The Guardian says that calls for the restructuring of the country resounded again yesterday as Nigerians reacted to today’s maiden celebration of June 12 as Democracy Day. The event marks 27 years since the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, widely believed to have been won by the late candidate of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Moshood Abiola.
Former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku noted that if Nigeria “is to face its serious current challenges effectively, it has to restructure its governance system. I am strongly of the view that, in order to live more effectively with the challenge of development, corruption and insecurity, we need to begin to build a truer nation of more viable federating units that would have responsibility for addressing these issues.”
He said: “Restructuring means a new constitution, adopting a constitution that would be truly people’s constitution, and a constitution that would aim to address these national challenges. If the Executive and the Legislature buy into it, they would take steps to organise a Constituent Assembly that would be genuine representatives of different sections of this country and the Assembly will discuss and agree on the new constitution.”
The Vanguard reports that President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said that the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has put humanity and democracy under threat.
Buhari also said that despite the challenges, Nigeria’s external reserves grew from $33.42 billion in the first quarter of 2020 to $36 billion.
“We have witnessed eleven quarters of consecutive GDP growth since exiting recession. The GDP grew from 1.91% in 2018 to 2.27% in 2019 but declined to 1.87% in the first quarter of 2020 as a result of the decline in global economic activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Every single economy in the world has suffered a decline. Ours has been relatively moderate,” Buhari said in his nationwide broadcast to mark the Democracy Day on June 12.
GIK/APA