The Nigerian President’s marching orders to the security chiefs to go after insurgents, bandits and terrorists at the meeting of the National Security Council (NSC), saying they must not rest until all Nigerians sleep with their eyes closed is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
The Guardian reports that bothered by intractable security problems all over the country, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, for the umpteenth time, gave marching orders to the security chiefs to go after insurgents, bandits and terrorists, at the meeting of the National Security Council (NSC), saying they must not rest until all Nigerians sleep with their eyes closed.
The President also ordered security agencies to intensify surveillance and patrol activities along the Abuja-Kaduna Road. Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the meeting.
Aregbesola said the President expressed happiness over the free and fair gubernatorial election held in Anambra State, which saw the emergence of the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Charles Soludo, as governor-elect and the roles played by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He reassured me that nothing would threaten the 2023 general elections.
According to him, “the police and other security agencies had been mobilised to intensify surveillance, patrol and pursuit of criminals. And it is not only about Abuja-Kaduna highway.”
The newspaper says that Nigeria and Russia have sealed a pact to foster bilateral relations between both countries in the area of agriculture, oil and gas and security equipment sectors.
The move was geared to close infrastructural gaps, strengthen diplomatic relations and attract foreign direct investment (FDI) while promoting bilateral economic relations at the national level to eliminate bottlenecks in the ease of doing business.
Speaking at the Business Forum in Lagos, Nigerian Ambassador to Russia, Prof Abdullahi Shehu, said the improved trade ties would deepen partnerships between both countries, adding that the objective of the mission was to interact with Nigerian businesses and understand the market systems to mitigate risks and promote enduring relationships.
He posited that Nigeria’s position as the entry point for Russia and other businesses in Africa at Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would guarantee high returns on investments.
In addition, he noted that a key area of benefit to the trade relations is steel development; an important component of industrialisation of any country with significant contribution to Gross Domestic Product, and employment creation among others.
The Punch reports that the Nigeria Export Promotion Council has said its export promotion activities are beginning to make a positive impact, considering the rise in export revenue in the first six months of the year.
The council described the export figure in the period as the highest ever, saying cocoa topped the list of exportable agricultural products. NEPC Assistant Director, Product Development Department, Afolabi Bello, said these at a training programme for farmers to adopt best practices in cocoa bean processing and packaging for export.
The event, held in Ila, Osun state, was organised by the council in collaboration with Mr. Femi Fakeye, the House of Representatives member representing Boluwaduro/Ifeday/Ila Federal Constituency.
Bello said the country could further improve on the revenue from non-oil exports by improving the quality of the exportable products from the country, thereby reducing rejection at the international market.
“Based on the figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics, cocoa was even the number-one exportable agricultural product. We are seeing the impact of export promotional activities but we can do better because there are still some gaps and challenges,” he said.
The newspaper says that the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation has said that 467 banks have either been liquidated or undergoing the process of complete liquidation by the corporation.
The Chairman, NDIC, Mrs Ronke Sokefun, said this on Thursday during the 2021 NDIC retreat for members of the House of Representatives Committee on Insurance and Actuarial Matters in Lagos.
“Besides deposit protection, prompt resolution of bank failure in Nigeria by the NDIC in its over 32 years of its existence has succeeded in steering the banking sector off systemic failure and collapse of public confidence, thus safeguarding the role of financial safety net,” she said.
She said the bank resolution options applied so far by the NDIC included financial assistance, technical assistance, hold action, assisted mergers and acquisition, purchase and assumptions, as well as the application of the bridge bank mechanisms.
Sokefun said, “It is only when all these options could not rescue a bank that it is allowed to go into liquidation.
The Leadership reports that the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, has formally launched the Tertiary Institutions Entrepreneurship Scheme (TIES), with the presentation of checks to five beneficiaries of the loan facility.
Presenting the checks yesterday in Abuja, the Governor charge the beneficiaries to utilize the loans for the purpose it was meant for, just as he inaugurated an 11-member body of experts to oversee the screening of prospective beneficiaries of the scheme aimed at tackling unemployment and underemployment among Nigerian youth.
Performing the launch at the Bank’s head office on Thursday, Mr Emefiele disclosed that the formal launch of the TIES and inauguration of the body of experts (BoE) for the scheme’s developmental component underscored the critical roles youth play in building new blocks for economic growth, particularly as the country’s national growth was highly dependent on a strong and competitive businesses.
He said the scheme was developed in partnership with Nigerian polytechnics and universities, to harness the potential of graduate entrepreneurs by creating a paradigm shift from the pursuit of white-collar jobs to a culture of entrepreneurship for economic development and job creation.
GIK/APA