The report that the Christian Association of Nigeria has blamed the almajiri system in the North of the country for the increasing cases of banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and armed robbery in the country is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
The Vanguard reports that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has blamed the almajiri system in the North for the increasing cases of banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and armed robbery in the country.
The chairman of CAN in Imo State, Rev. Dr. Eches Divine Eches, stated this in an interview with journalists in Abuja, ahead of the organisation’s 45th anniversary and Founder’s Day billed to hold today in Owerri, the Imo state capital.
According to him, banditry and kidnapping are increasing because the authorities have failed to pay more attention to the critical factors behind the widespread insecurity in the country.
Eches also expressed concern over Sheikh Ahmed Gumi’s links with the bandits terrorising the Northwest and the alleged helplessness of the government to arrest and caution him for his many ‘unguarded utterances’ about their activities.
He said: “You can’t have Almajiri system for life and government in the last 40 years in our nation kept bringing up people without any trace to families, hometowns or nationalities.
‘’They are scattered all over the street, without you knowing that someday, they will leave the streets and go to the bush where they will begin to do the trade of kidnapping.”
The Guardian says that President Muhammadu Buhari declared yesterday that his administration is committed to using football for the development of the girl-child and also inspire young people to have rewarding careers in the game.
Buhari spoke when he received FIFA delegation led by its president, Gianni Infantino, and the President of Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, at State House, Abuja. The President called on the top echelon of football’s world governing body to see Nigeria as one of its greatest assets when it comes to the development of football.
On women’s football, Buhari expressed delight that Nigeria has produced excellent role models to inspire the next generation of stars to take up the sport.
“Our National women’s football team, the Super Falcons, are a force to reckon with both on the continent and internationally.
“Some of our women footballers, such as Asisat Oshoala, who only recently became the first African to win the women’s European Champions League with her club Barcelona, Rasheedat Ajibade, Rita Chikwelu, Onome Ebi, who is the only African to have played in five FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals, Desire Oparanozie and before them, Perpetual Nkwocha, Mercy Akide-Udoh, Nkiru Okosieme and Ann Chiejiene are globally recognized stars,’’ he said.
Buhari urged the leadership of FIFA to consider Nigeria for support and investment. The President also told the visiting FIFA president, who is in the country for the six-nation Aisha Buhari Invitational Football Tournament, that since 2017 his administration had adopted football as a national asset.
On the Aisha Buhari Cup (ABC), with the theme ‘Playing for Good’, which is on-going in Lagos, Buhari said the tournament could not have come at a better time.
The newspaper reports that varying travel protocols that were put in place by some countries have thrown international travellers into confusion.
The safety protocols, as part of measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 infections, are in conflict from one country to another, especially in Europe.
While some countries are getting silent on some COVID-19 requirements for outbound travellers, others insist on the same protocols for inbound travellers, with transit passengers caught in-between.
Most affected by the confusion is the European Union, where the requirements vary from one country to the other.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), yesterday, warned that free movement within Europe was being compromised by the failure of EU member states to harmonise COVID-19 entry regulations.
ATA’s research has found significant differences in how EU member states are managing travel. Around 30 percent of states using the EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate (DCC) are not accepting rapid testing.
19 percent of states are not exempting children from testing requirements, while 41 per cent of states are not allowing vaccinated travellers from non-EU ‘White-List’ countries to enter. For the Passenger Locator Forms, 45 percent accept it online, while 33 percent accept paper and online submissions.
But 11 percent only accept paper, and a further 11 percent have no locator forms at all.
The Punch says that of the 85,264.8 Metric Tonnes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas consumed in the country in August, 38,040.46MT were imported.
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency stated in a statement made available to our correspondent on Thursday.
The statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Abdulkadir Saidu, said that in August, a total of 85,264.803 metric tonnes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas was supplied nationwide.
Saidu said while 38,040.457MT of the total volume supplied was sourced locally, 47,224.346 MT was imported. This means that 55.39 per cent of the LPG consumed in the country was imported, leaving 44.61 per cent for local producers.
The statement said, “The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency report of LPG supplied in August 2021, indicates that a total of 85,264.803 metric tonnes of LPG was supplied nationwide.
“A breakdown of the supply report shows that 38,040.457MT was sourced locally by Ever Oil, Stockgap, Nigerian Independent Petroleum Company Plc, Greenville Natural Gas, PNG Gas Ltd, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company and Ashtavinayak Hydrocarbon Ltd, while 47,224.346 MT was imported by NIPCO, Matrix, Algasco, Techno Oil, Prudent, A.A Rano, Stockgap.”
Additional analysis of the data on importation in August, shows that 21,606.301 MT was imported from the United States, while 13,044.266 was imported from Algeria and 12,573.779 MT was brought into the country from Equatorial Guinea.
ThisDay reports that President Mohammadu Buhari has directed all government data and biometrics collating agencies to harmonise their data collation before the end of his second term in 2023.
He gave the directive, Thursday in Abuja, at the third National Identity Day celebration, with the theme “Identity, a Tool for Sustainable Digital Economy and National Security.”
The president, who was represented by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami was quoted as saying: “I have instructed the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Prof. Ibrahim Pantami and and all other government agencies that collate data and biometrics to harmonise all the data they have collected, so that Nigeria can have a central data base before the end of my tenure.
“With the right database in place, it will guide government to plan and take take critical decisions on education, health agriculture and data also will guide government to come up with effective national policies with the issue women, children and unemployment.
“As a country, we seek to use efficient ways to deploy national identity trust systems not only to deliver government services in areas such as social welfare, taxes, voting, health administration, security, and education but also to build an indigenous digital economy that will stimulate the private sector and make it thrive.”
GIK/APA