APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The report that the Supreme Court, on Thursday, ended the 171-day legal tussle to nullify the election of President Bola Tinubu with the rejection of the election appeals filed by the Peoples Democratic Party standard bearer, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party dominates the headlines of Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
The Punch reports that the Supreme Court, on Thursday, ended the 171-day legal tussle to nullify the election of President Bola Tinubu with the rejection of the election appeals filed by the Peoples Democratic Party standard bearer, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
Atiku and Obi’s appeals commenced on May 8 and were concluded on Thursday, October 26, with the Supreme Court effectively ending their dreams of overturning Tinubu’s election victory.
In the lead judgment delivered by the Chairman of the seven-man panel, Justice Inyang Okoro, the apex court refused to consider the academic records of the President obtained from the Chicago State University, which Atiku sought to tender as fresh evidence to prove his allegation of certificate forgery against the ex-Lagos State governor.
The other justices on the panel-Uwani Aji, Mohammed Garba, Ibrahim Saulawa, Adamu Jauro, Abubakar Tijjani, and Emmanuel Agim, agreed with the lead judgment dismissing Atiku and Obi’s appeals.
An elated Tinubu welcomed the Supreme Court verdict and sought the support of Nigerians, promising to exceed expectations in service delivery in the remaining years of his administration.
The President lauded the judiciary for withstanding “the fusillade of pressure and attempts at intimidation by some political actors.”
In a statement he signed, Tinubu said, “The victory of today has further energised and strengthened my commitment to continue to serve all Nigerians of all political persuasions, tribes, and faiths with honour and total respect for the diverse opinions and uniting values of our citizens.
The newspaper says that key players in Nigeria’s coffee segment are optimistic that the industry has the potential to earn $2bn in the next two to three years.
This buoyant outlook is underpinned by the growing demand for coffee emanating from developed economies, a trend that industry insiders are keen to capitalise on.
Data from the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade revealed that Nigeria’s exports of coffee, tea, mate, and spices amounted to $38.63mn in 2021.
Against this backdrop, industry leaders are strategically positioning themselves to tap into the burgeoning global appetite for coffee products.
Africa, as a continent, plays a pivotal role in satisfying international coffee cravings, supplying a remarkable 80 percent of the United States’ coffee imports.
“In the next 2 to 3 years, by aggregating our cultivation capacity, we aim to generate $2bn in coffee revenue,” the President of the West Africa Specialty Coffee Association, Lanre Segun, told The PUNCH at the World Coffee and Tea Expo in Lagos.
Segun said the industry with huge potential is gearing up for expansion, tapping into international demands for Nigerian coffee, especially from markets like Japan.
The President said, “There is significant international interest in Nigerian coffee; currently, some are exporting to countries like Japan and Canada. Africa supplies 80 per cent of the US coffee imports, and Nigeria can tap into this market.
However, Segun said to achieve this, Nigeria must stimulate interest among Nigerians in coffee cultivation.
According to him, proper dissemination of information is crucial. “Many people confuse coffee with cocoa, and some even consider coffee a byproduct of cocoa. Securing land is a key challenge.”
The Guardian reports that the Senate has mandated its Committees on Petroleum (Upstream), Downstream, and Gas to investigate implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) with regards to potential exit of international oil companies (IOCs) from Nigeria.
Section 257 (2) of the Act, which came into effect in August 2021, stipulates that oil and gas companies are expected to remit three per cent of their yearly operational expenditure to affected host communities.
But two years later, none of the oil-producing companies has complied, prompting complaints from stakeholders in affected host communities.
The resolution followed adoption of a motion on ‘Urgent need for enquiry into implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 with regards to potential exit of international oil companies from Nigeria: Case of ExxonMobil in Akwa Ibom State’.
The motion was sponsored by Aniekan Etim Bassey (PDP, Akwa Ibom North East).
In his lead debate, Bassey noted how discovery of gas and oil in commercial quantities in Nigeria led to the entry of IOCs, with the intention of advancing the sector’s exploration, development, and production.
He said PIA was passed to solve numerous issues facing the industry, which is the foundation of the nation’s economy, and to provide legal governance, regulatory, and fiscal framework for the Nigerian petroleum sector.
He lamented lack of clear implementation plans for circumstances like current trend of IOCs exit and PIA’s failure to address in a comprehensive manner, issues that concern protection of the interests of host communities, producing states, and the Federal Government.
The Vanguard says that for Nigeria to attain her Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, leaders in both private and public sectors must collaborate in the implementation of the set goals.
This comes as the Federal Government, FG, estimates the funding requirements for the goals to be attained at about $10 billion annually.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki said there was too much wastage in government, especially at the federal level stressing that unless waste is eliminated the nation will be in deeper trouble.
Speaking at the just concluded 29th edition of the Nigeria Economic Summit, NSE#29, in a panel session, titled, ‘Half Point to 2030: Rethinking the Strategy Towards Achieving the SDGs’, leaders in both private and public sector, advocated for strict adherence to fiscal responsibility and application of innovative ideas to achieve success.
They said it is imperative to assess the nation’s strategy, find out progress made towards the SDGs and also ascertain the various challenges hindering success.
To ensure meaningful advancements, Nigeria, they said, must priorities poverty reduction, quality education, healthcare access, and sustainable economic growth.
They were of the view also that data unification across all levels of government with digital tools would help in easy implementation and project tracking.
The Senior Special Adviser to the President on SDGs, Mrs. Adegoke Orelope-Adefulire, disclosed that the biggest challenge to the goals attainment is how to raise the $10billion funding required to finance the SDGs annually because, according to her, the budget of both Federal and sub-national governments put together can’t match the half of the said fund needed to implement SDGs in Nigeria.
To attain the set goals, she said it is important to start implementing the Addis Ababa agenda which is hinged on financing the SDGs.
GIK/APA