The commencement of the fasting month of Ramadan today by Muslims in Nigeria and the alarm raised by the Nigerian Government yesterday over the planned attack on some major airports across the country are some of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Tuesday.
The Guardian reports that the Sultan of Sokoto, Alh. Muhammad Abubakar Sa’ad III, has directed Muslims across the country to commence the fasting month of Ramadan today.
The Sultan, who gave the directive in a nationwide broadcast yesterday evening, revealed that the decision followed the confirmation of the lunar moon of Ramadan, which was earlier sighted by trusted Islamic leaders in various parts of the country.
The President-General, Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Nigeria, urged Muslims to devote the season of Ramadan to pray for political stability and economic challenges in the nation.
The monarch equally sought prayers for the country to overcome the prevailing security challenges and guide the political leaders to lead justly.
The newspaper says that the Nigerian Government, yesterday, raised the alarm over the planned attack on some major airports across the federation.
The Ministry of Aviation, in a memo to airport security chiefs, stated that criminals were planning to strike gateways in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Sokoto, and Kano.
The notice dated April 9, 2021, and signed by FAAN’s Deputy General Manager, Administration, and Logistics, S.M. Mamman, read: “I am directed to convey a warning from the Ministry of Aviation regarding security threats by criminal elements against airports in Nigeria and to request the immediate enumeration of appropriate counter measures for the safety of airports/facilities under your purview.
“Airports in Kaduna, Maiduguri, Sokoto, Kano, Abuja, and Lagos are at the top of the list for which criminals are considering carrying out attacks. Both airports, however, are being notified and asked to operate at a higher threat level.
“Submit a list of current and additional countermeasures to combat the risks, along with their cost consequences where applicable.”
They are also required to call an emergency meeting of airport security committees to “study the current state of airport security, jointly recommend corrective steps and share responsibility for successful implementation”.
The Vanguard reports that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, has told the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the Purchase, Use and Control of Arms, Ammunition and Related Hardware by Military, Paramilitary and Other Law Enforcement Agencies in Nigeria to invite his predecessors to shed more light on the arms procurement.
Attahiru stated this on Monday, in Abuja when he appeared before the Ad hoc committee investigating arms purchase in the last ten years.
Though he did not mention any name, his predecessors during the year under review included, Lt-Gen Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd) who was the COAS between September 2010 – January 2014, Lt-Gen Kenneth Minimah (rtd) who was the COAS between January 2014 – July 2015 and Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai (rtd).
Attahiru said he was earlier invited before the Committee but was unable to make it due to exigencies of duties, adding that he was either in the North-east or South-east or South-south trying to ensure stability within Nigeria.
The Punch says that 32 refinery project licences issued to private investors in the country have become invalid in the past three years, according to the Department of Petroleum Resources.
The DPR said on Monday that the number of valid refinery project licences stood at 23 as of March 2021, down from 44 in April 2018.
An analysis of the agency’s new list of valid refinery project licences and that of April 2018 showed that 32 licences had become invalid while 11 new licences were granted between May 2018 and March 2021.
As of April 2018, there were 38 proposed modular refineries with capacity ranging from 5,000 barrels per stream day to 30,000bpsd, and six conventional plants with a total capacity of 1.35 million bpsd.
The DPR had said then that 20 of the licences were active, adding that 24 of the licence holders were still sourcing funds, although most of the licences had expired as of April 2018.
The agency’s updated list showed that the construction of four modular refineries, with a total capacity of 23,000bpsd, had been completed.
ThisDay reports that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, has stressed the need for Nigerians to migrate from the use of Internet Protocol version four (IPv4) address system to Internet Protocol version six (IPv6), in order to diversify Nigeria’s economy and prepare it for a digital economy transformation.
The Minister who spoke as a special guest of honour at a recent webinar on the state of IPv6 deployment in Nigeria, organised by the IPv6 Council Nigeria, in collaboration with the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), said there was need for migration from IPv4 to IPv6, saying IPv4 was fast depleting in numbers, while the population of internet users in Nigeria is on the rise.
Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are assigned numbers on the internet, which are part of the underlying infrastructure of the internet. The former IP version four, which Nigerians are connected to, is fast depleting and the world is fast migrating to a newer version known as version six (IPv6).
The newspaper says that the Nigerian government has highlighted some of the secondary benefits of the N140 billion solar power programme that is aimed at providing electricity to 25 million Nigerians through off-grid connections to five million homes.
The Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, who joined the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo at the launch of the programme in Jigawa State, recently, said the programme when fully implemented will generate additional N7 billion in tax revenue per annum and $10 million in annual import substitutions.
Mamman, who was quoted in a statement signed by the Head of Communication and Public Relations, Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), Mrs. Olufunke Nwankwo, said the ministry would supervise the programme and would ensure the expansion of off-grid connections across the country.
Speaking earlier, Ugbo said the company had already provided 20,000 units of solar home systems to households across the country. “Those 20,000 are working as we speak and then the government asked us to do another five million solar connections, that will include solar home systems and mini-grid, off-grid solutions”, he said.
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GIK/APA