The report by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) that Nigeria has so far vaccinated over a million eligible people out of its target of 70 percent of the nation’s population is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
The Guardian reports that the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has announced that Nigeria had so far vaccinated over a million eligible people out of its target of 70 percent of the nation’s population.
The NPHCDA disclosed this on its official Twitter handle, on Thursday.
The newspaper quoted agency reports as saying that for the country to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19, it had set an ambitious goal of vaccinating 40 percent of its over 200 million population before the end of 2021, and 70 percent by the end of 2022.
The country kicked off vaccination on March 5, 2021, commencing with healthcare workers who are mostly at risk to the infections, being the first responders.
It noted that the vaccine roll-out would be in four phases, starting with health workers, frontline workers, COVID-19 rapid response team, laboratory network, policemen, petrol station workers and strategic leaders.
The immunization agency said that as of April 15, 2021, just 1,051.096 shots had been administered in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), representing 52.2 percent of the eligible people to be vaccinated in the country.
The newspaper says that foreign exchange (FX) liquidity crisis is eating deeper into the daily operations of the local airlines, causing airlines’ capacity to dwindle and hitting up airfares.
The Guardian, yesterday, learned that operators in the aviation sector have not received FX requests from the Central Bank since February, which explains why multiple airplanes are stuck in maintenance facilities overseas, and a lot more unserviceable and on the ground at airports.
The chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Obiora Okonkwo, who confirmed the dire straits, said local carriers might have to consider interlining or a codeshare arrangement to cut down the cost of operation and enhance survival chances.
But the effect is telling on air travellers, who have to pay more airfares for less than an hour travel time. Fact check yesterday showed that future flights still range between N35, 000 and N55, 000, on one-way Economy Class, and an average of N90, 000 for return tickets on most of the airlines. However, most sticky for travellers are today’s flights, currently billed by some airlines, over-the-counter, for between N100, 000 and N130, 000 for one-way Economy Class.
The Vanguard reports that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has countered the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for lambasting President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration over the decision of Twitter to cite the headquarters of its African operations in Ghana.
APC in a statement by the National Secretary of its Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee CECPC, Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe on Thursday in Abuja said Twitter’s action was purely a business decision by a private organization.
“Flowing from a statement by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), our response to Twitter’s decision to cite its African operations in Ghana is simple. The decision or rationale of private concerns, particularly businesses on where to cite their operations is their exclusive preserve.
It is a no issue! “However, for the PDP that mocks the country and its citizens over what it celebrates as missed ‘business prospects’, such political party does not mean well for the country and should definitely not be considered as a governance option. It is exhausting and depressing highlighting PDP’s ignominious past. The APC will rather consolidate and focus on how Nigeria is finally getting it right under President Muhammadu Buhari”, APC stated.
The Punch says that the Securities and Exchange Commission has said it is in discussion with the Central Bank of Nigeria on how to better understand and regulate the cryptocurrency market in the country.
SEC said on Thursday that it would continue to engage players in the financial technology space and support them to operate lawfully in a bid to ensure the delivery of safe products and services without stifling innovation.
The SEC quoted its Director-General, Mr Lamido Yuguda, in a statement as saying on Thursday that a recent circular was issued by the commission in its desire to ensure that only fit and proper persons continued to operate in the capital market.
“It became imperative for the commission to issue this notice for the protection of investors and to preserve the sanctity of the Nigerian capital market as only registered capital market operators are permitted to intermediate in the Nigerian capital market and only through approved channels,” he said in a press briefing at the end of the Capital Market Committee meeting.
He said, “We do not want any unregulated entity to participate in the market because if there are issues, it becomes very difficult to resolve. I therefore encourage fintech firms to approach the commission for due registration and desist from operating illegally.
The newspaper reports that the Nigerian Government on Thursday announced that it had commenced the process for the full commercialisation of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.
Part of the process was the inauguration of the Joint Technical Committee for the commercialisation of the bank by the Bureau of Public Enterprises.
A statement issued in Abuja by the Head, Public Communications, BPE, Amina Othman, stated that an eight-member committee, comprising four members each from the bureau and the FMBN were inaugurated to begin the bank’s commercialisation process.
The Director-General, BPE, Alex Okoh, who inaugurated the committee, said efforts to reposition the bank were targeted at bridging the country’s huge housing deficit estimated at 22 million as at 2019.
He said the terms of reference for the committee would include to conduct a diagnostic review of the bank’s existing institutional framework, organisational structures and operational modalities.
Okoh said the committee would review and harmonise all existing policies, law and regulations governing mortgage banking in Nigeria. This, he said, was in order to identify areas that would facilitate the implementation of full commercialisation and recapitalisation of the FMBN, among others.
He recalled that the bureau met with the FMBN management team on February 18, where discussions on the BPE’s proposed plan for the commercialisation of FMBN as approved by the National Council on Privatisation was held discussed.
GIK/APA