The report of the new travel advisory of the United Kingdom to its citizens has excluded Abuja but listed 22 states in Nigeria and the advice to motorists to brace up to buy petrol above N200/litre at filling stations are some of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Tuesday.
The Punch reports that the United Kingdom has advised its citizens against travelling to 22 states in Nigeria.
This was as it cleared the Federal Capital Territory from the list, though with caution.
It may not be unconnected to the security situation in the country.
This was contained in a press release by the British High Commission, Abuja, on Monday titled, “Updated Foreign Commonwealth Development Office Travel Advice to British Nationals Traveling to the FCT.”
According to the High Commission, the purpose of the travel update is to help its nationals make better-informed decisions about international travel and plan for a trouble-free trip.
The statement read, “FCDO travel advice exists to inform British nationals so they can make decisions about travelling abroad. There continues to be a number of states in Nigeria where we advise British Nationals against all but essential travel. These include: Bauchi, Kano, Jigawa, Niger, Sokoto, Kogi, Abia, Plateau, Taraba, within 20km of the border with Niger in Kebbi State and non-riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers States.
“We also advise against all travel to: Borno State, Yobe State, Adamawa State, Gombe State, Kaduna State, Katsina State, Zamfara state, and the riverine areas of Delta State, Bayelsa State, Rivers State, Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State.
The newspaper says that the cost of petrol has risen to as high as N200/litre at depots, which means that motorists should brace up to buy PMS above N200/litre at filling stations.
It was learnt on Monday that petrol cost, which was about N178 to N185/litre recently, had been jerked up by private depot owners due to the drop in supply by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, among other operational concerns.
This came as both the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Petroleum Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria told our correspondent that tankers were now spending more than one week on queues for petrol at depots.
This, they said, had led to empty filling stations nationwide, a development creating chaos among motorists at some of the few outlets dispensing petrol in Abuja, Nasarawa, Niger and neighbouring states on Monday.
The National Vice President, IPMAN, Abubakar Maigandi, confirmed the reduction in supply by NNPC and the hike in the ex-depot price of petrol at depots in Lagos and Warri, Delta State.
NNPC has remained the sole importer of petrol into Nigeria for several years running. Other marketers halted petrol imports due to their inability to access foreign exchange without hassles.
The Guardian reports that as part of measures to improve the state of broadband in the country, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has inaugurated an industry-wide committee to facilitate the deployment of broadband infrastructure under a project named, National Communications Backbone (NCB).
Chaired by NCC’s Director of Digital Economy, Dr. Augustine Nwaulune, the committee has Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos), and Tower Companies (TowerCos) as members.
The Committee, christened the National Broadband Infrastructure Joint Committee (NBIJC), is saddled with the responsibility of supporting the drive towards the realisation of the NCB targets, as outlined in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025.
The Committee, in collaboration with the Commission, is expected to organise an NCB financing workshop and invite all the major financial institutions, MNOs and InfraCos, and present the project, estimated at N800 billion, for adoption and financing.
Director of Legal and Regulatory Services at NCC, Josephine Amuwa, who presided over the inauguration on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, in Abuja, said the emergence of the Committee was informed by the need to inject a broad-based industry approach to address challenges impeding the actualisation of broadband targets.
Danbatta said the Committee is expected to drive the targets set by the NNBP, including deployment of 120,000 kilometer of fibre across the country; deepening of broadband penetration to 70 per cent by 2025; and connection of 60 per cent of Communication towers with fibre; among other targets, as stipulated in its approved Terms of Reference (ToR).
The EVC stated, “I appreciate your willingness and readiness to make a considerable investment of time and talent to participate in this Committee. We appreciate that you will provide an invaluable perspective as we seek to address gaps impeding the actualisation of the NCB and NNBP initiatives.”
“The depth and scope of experiences represented by the broad spectrum of this Committee’s membership will, no doubt, provide the Commission with much-needed insight and drive to overcome the challenges facing broadband infrastructure deployment in the country, and even exceed the current set targets.”
The Committee’s six-point ToR include: enhancing collaboration between MNOs and InfraCos towards achieving target of the NCB of the NNBP 2020-2025; and to design an NCB network architecture and harmonized comprehensive plan that will create a more viable business case that will attract investors, establish synergy between the MNOs and the InfraCos, and facilitate infrastructure deployment.
Equally, the Committee is mandated to initiate engagements with identified sources of funding including Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Infrastructure Corporation of Nigeria (InfraCorp), Africa Development Bank (AfDB), and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) among others.
The newspaper says that almost eight months after shutdown of Abuja/Kaduna rail services, the Federal Government, yesterday, announced resumption of operation before end of this month.
Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, made the announcement at the second President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration scorecard (2015-2023) series in Abuja
The rail service, which gained much acceptance and patronage, was closed following bandits’ attack on March 28 this year that left many died and others kidnapped.
Sambo pledged that necessary steps had been taken to forestall future occurrences. Entertaining questions on several rail projects across the federation, the minister assured citizens that government was in the process of linking the Itakpe/Delta rail service from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Earlier, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) slammed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for allegedly saying the current administration has nothing to campaign in the run-up to the 2023 general elections.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, described the remarks as “absurdity and a cruel irony.” He regretted that an “opposition party that presided over the affairs of Nigeria at a time of plenty, yet, could not complete a single modern rail line, could accuse a government that has completed at least, three standard gauge rail-lines of lacking in achievements.”
Mohammed continued: “Indeed, the Buhari administration is spoilt for choice in celebrating its achievements. As I said, we have completed the Abuja-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri Standard Gauge Rail Lines.
“We have commissioned brand new airport terminals in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt. We have completed housing projects in 35 states and constructed or are constructing road projects in every state.
“They are quick to point to some economic indices like the Naira exchange rate and inflation, but the truth is that if they were the ones confronted with having to fight a once-in-a-century pandemic, two economic recessions and low oil prices, Nigeria would have had no economy to even talk about.”
GIK/APA