The debt profiles of four Nigerian states of Lagos, Edo, Kaduna and Cross River and the police order on foreigners operating mining sites in Zamfara State to vacate the locations dominate the headlines of Nigerian newspapers on Monday.
The Punch newspaper reported that four states Lagos, Edo, Kaduna and Cross River dominate the list of governments indebted to foreign bodies.
The report said that the statistics obtained from the Debt Management Office showed that the four states have combined foreign debt of $2.12 billion, out of the $4.23 billion owed by the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory Administration as of December 31, 2018.
The Vanguard newspaper said that the Federal Government on Sunday ordered foreign miners to vacate mining sites in Zamfara States and its environs with immediate effect.
It added that the Federal Government also announced the suspension of mining activities in the state so as to curtail the activities of the armed banditry that have been terrorizing the people of the place.
The Leadership newspaper reported that Samsung Heavy Industries Nigeria Limited (SHIN) has been recognised by the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) for most impactful contribution to local content development since 2017 to date at the NOGOF 2019 awards ceremony held in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
According to the report, he award was presented by the Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, Barrister Kemela Okara, to the representative of SHIN, Mr. Chul Jeong on 4 April 2019.
The Nation newspaper said that the federal government has signed a $523,823 (about N185, 957,165 million) Technical Assistant (TA) Agreement grant with the Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) Group, in Marrakesh, Morocco.
The newspaper quoted a statement issued and signed by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance on Media and Communications, Mr. Paul Ella Abechi, as saying that the TA agreement grants would be used to address capacity building/equipment and logistics upgrade in the Hajj Commission and for the improvement of cotton, textile and garment value chain in the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment..
The statement added that “the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) will get $243,823.0, for capacity building/equipment and logistics upgrade while the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment will receive the balance of $280,000 for the improvement of cotton, textile and garment value chain.”
According to the report, Nigeria’s Minister of finance Zainab Ahmed signed on behalf of the Federal Government, while President of the ISDB Group, Dr. Bandar M. H. Hajjar, signed on behalf of the Group, at the 44th ISDB Group Annual Meeting held in Marrakesh, Morocco.
The Sun newspaper reported that the Nigerian Government said that the country spends over $60 million on fish importation annually.
It said that the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Audu Ogbeh, disclosed this when he played host to the Ambassador of Netherlands, Marion Kappeyne.
GIK/APA