The approval of $2 million for the West African Power Pool and the continuation of anti-police brutality despite the disbandment of the notorious police unit are some of the leading stories in Nigerian newspapers on Thursday.
The Guardian reports that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved Nigeria’s contribution of $2 million to the 2020 budget of the West African Power Pool (WAPP).
Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, made the disclosure at the end of the meeting presided over yesterday by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja.
The pool covers 14 of the 15 nations that make up the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Addressing newsmen alongside his colleagues from Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, and Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Mamman said participation in the sub-regional market would generate immediate foreign exchange for Nigeria as oil revenue dwindles.
WAPP was created by a resolution of the 22nd Summit of the body’s Authority of Heads of State and Government in 1999.
ThisDay says that despite the approval of their five-point demand by a presidential panel and the creation of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, to replace the disbanded Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), the #ENDSARS protests entered its eighth day yesterday as protesters continued their nationwide demonstration, insisting on holistic reforms of the police.
The protest, which got the backing of the General Overseer of the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, yesterday grounded more cities, including Awka and Yenagoa even as demonstrators continued their agitations in Lagos and Abuja in spite of attacks on them by some hoodlums.
In Lagos, the protesters defied the heavy rain and gathered in different parts of the state to reiterate their demand for holistic police reforms that are beyond rhetoric.
They insisted that the creation of SWAT was not part of their initial demands for reform, saying, however, that if SWAT should be allowed to exist, only graduates should be recruited into the unit, and that no member of the disbanded SARS should be recruited.
One of the leaders of the protests and social advocate, Mr. Japheth Omojuwa, said part of their demands is that the government should identify and arrest the officers who shot and killed innocent protesters.
The Vanguard reports that Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has demanded for justice for a Nigerian who was burnt to death on Oct. 7 in Tripoli, Libya.
Dabiri-Erewa made this known on Thursday, after meeting with the Libyan Ambassador to Nigeria, Ayad Attayary, in Abuja.
The NiDCOM Chief stressed: “all we want is justice to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book”. Responding, the Libyan envoy gave assurances of an open and transparent Libyan legal system where justice is served on the three alleged killers.
The Libyan authorities have announced the arrest of three Libyans who are suspected to have killed the Nigerian migrant worker by setting him on fire.
The act has been condemned by the International Organisation for Migration, the United Nations and the Libyan Interior Ministry. Also, the United Nations has also described the killing of the Nigerian man as another senseless crime against migrants in the country.
The Punch says that the country’s external reserves dropped by $50.84m from $35.75bn as of October 2 to $35.69bn as of October 12, figures from the Central Bank of Nigeria have revealed.
The CBN disclosed that the reserves, which had continued to rise and fall in recent weeks, stood at $35.67bn as of September 1 and rose to $35.81bn as of September 17.
The reserves rose by $65m from $35.59bn as of August 20 to $35.66bn as of August 27. It had earlier lost $278.91m from $35.87bn on July 29 to $35.59bn on August 19 after which it returned to a growth path.
The CBN stated in its monthly economic report for May that, “Nigeria’s international reserves decreased marginally from $36.43bn at end-April to $36.19bn at end-May 2020.
The newspaper reports that the Nigerian Communications Commission says it is working in partnership with stakeholders to ensure the safety of 5G networks in Nigeria in preparation for the launch of the technology.
The Executive Vice President, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said the government had started working on a policy that would drive the deployment of 5G.
The EVC spoke at a tech forum themed ‘Multi-stakeholder approach to National Recovery Post-Pandemic’ on Wednesday.
Danabtta, who was represented by the Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity at NCC, Bako Wakil, said the commission would carry out an environmental impact analysis on the use of 5G and the electromagnetic fields impact on humans in Nigeria.
“Once this is done, Nigerians can safely utilise 5G and reap all the economic, human and material benefits of 5G,” he assured.
The Sun says that the National President of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Hajiya Saratu Iya Aliyu, has urged the Federal Government to be wary of unnecessary debt burden at this critical period as the debt servicing in the national budget soars.
The NACCIMA boss who gave the advice at a press briefing recently in Lagos at an event marking the 60th anniversary of the Association, noted that Nigeria must guard against sliding back to another recession on account of its borrowing and poor economic performance. Speaking on the theme:
“The Future of Business” Aliyu, maintained that the success of the 2021 budget was dependent on its prompt passage and rigorous implementation, while urging the National Assembly to promptly process and passage of the Budget.
She stressed that NACCIMA was already repositioning itself to continue to play advocacy role as the Voice of Nigerian Business in the new digitalised economy; which is part of the new normal.
GIK/APA