The report by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council that the Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment, has inaugurated a committee composed of the NEPC and other regulatory agencies to ensure the removal of Nigeria from the European Union’s (EU) restriction list is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
The Guardian reports that the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has stated that the Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment, has inaugurated a committee composed of the NEPC and other regulatory agencies to ensure the removal of Nigeria from the European Union’s (EU) restriction list.
The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, NEPC, Dr. Ezra Yakusah, on the sidelines of its advocacy programme on export trade house, Cairo Egypt, said the committee which has less than two months to go, was specifically set up to make recommendations on how to remove Nigerian products from the EU list.
According to him, the Council is also taking proactive measures to ensure that some of these products are removed from EU restrictions by ensuring these products meet stipulated EU requirements.
In his words: “Sometimes the problem is due to poor packaging and a lack of mandatory or voluntary certifications. So we decided to take the challenge by deploying our ‘go global, go for certification’ programme to train over 150 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) free of charge. We want to ensure that these products are removed from the EU list.
He said under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, the Council established the Export Trade House (ETH) in furtherance of fulfilling its mandate of promoting the development and diversification of Nigeria’s non-oil export base.
He noted that the ETH is an initiative of the Council to have a central location where Made-in Nigeria products can be shipped, displayed and distributed to different parts of the world.
The newspaper says that the currency market may have defied experts’ prediction that the informal segment would witness a momentary glut of dollars as political party delegates, who reportedly made a killing with hard currencies, would start offloading their foreign exchange holding after the crucial political events.
The Guardian gathered that two days after the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) held its presidential primary, illiquidity has worsened in the black market with major Bureau de Change (BDC) operators unable to meet the growing demand.
With politicians taking more than necessary from the market, there are concerns that the crowding out effect would hurt the economy severely in months to come and worsen the political risk.
Findings suggest that some currency traders cannot single-handedly raise as little as $1,000 as they have run out of liquidity following the massive mop up during the presidential nomination exercises.
The protracted currency crisis has taken a dramatic turn in the last three weeks, with reports that delegates of the two major political parties were mobilised majorly in hard currencies.
Reports of ‘dollar rain’ began to be widespread a week ago after the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) conducted its presidential primary in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Checks in the market showed that illiquidity has worsened in the past week with the naira selling between N600 and N610 to a dollar. The dollar peaked during PDP’s convention, trading for as much as N610/$ but retraced to about N602/$ last week.
Findings suggest that some currency traders cannot single-handedly raise as little as $1,000 as they have run out of liquidity following the massive mop up during the presidential nomination exercises.
The protracted currency crisis has taken a dramatic turn in the last three weeks, with reports that delegates of the two major political parties were mobilised majorly in hard currencies.
The Guardian also reports that the Federal Government says it is working with the National Assembly to initiate a legislation that will adequately address deforestation, industrial pollution and other climate change-related activities.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday at the commemoration of the 2022 International Day for Museums, Monuments and Sites.
The theme of the day is “The Power of Museums, Heritage and Climate’’
Muhammed was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Culture, Mrs Ifeoma Anyanwutaku.
The minister also expressed the government’s commitment to addressing the effects of climate change on the nation’s cultural heritage.
“As the effect of climate change bites harder on various material evidences of Nigeria’s cultural heritage, the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is working hard with the National Assembly to come up with a legislation that adequately addresses socio-economic activities.
“These activities are deforestation, industrial pollution and other associated activities that have the potential to negatively affect the already delicate native of our heritage resources,’’ the minister said.
According to him, Nigeria is collaborating with UNESCO convention state parties on global best practices information sharing on applied time tested monitoring, mitigation and adaptation practices.
He said the nation’s strategic engagement with traditional institutions, indigenous communities, security agencies foreign bodies and other relevant stakeholders had resulted in the safe return of the Benin artifacts from Museums across Europe.
The Punch says that the National Security Council, on Thursday, disclosed that the Islamic State for West African Province masterminded the Sunday attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, which claimed 40 lives.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the council’s meeting presided over by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
But security experts, in separate interviews with The PUNCH, urged the Federal Government to up its game in tackling security challenges.
Aregbesola, who spoke in the company of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, said security agencies are closing in on the perpetrators through their traces.
He said, “The council is quite concerned about the violent attack in Owo, Ondo State, and has been able to locate the perpetrators of that horrendous attack. From all indications, we are zeroing in on ISWAP, the Islamic State for West Africa. It is not an ethno-religious thing.
“The animals in ISWAP wanting attention, recognition, are suspected to have launched that attack. We have directed all the agencies concerned to go after them and bring them to justice.”
According to him, the council is concerned about spate of blasphemy-linked killings and has directed security agents to hunt those behind the killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto State and a more recent case in Abuja.
An expert, Timothy Avele, described the revelation as saddening, adding
The Nation reports that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said electricity customers rose from 6.99 million in 2015 to 10.37million in 2020.
Electricity Report 2015-2020, which the Bureau released, said in the period under review the number of metered customers increased consecutively on a year-on-year basis from 3.15 million in 2015 to 3.80 million in 2019 but declined to 3.51 million in 2020.
NBS said Customer numbers under the reviewed period (2015-2020) increased successively on a year-on-year basis, with the highest numbers recorded in Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
“Similarly, the number of metered customers increased consecutively on a year-on-year basis from 3.15 million in 2015 to 3.80 million in 2019 but declined to 3.51 million in 2020.
” In 2015, Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) recorded the highest number, while IBEDC stood top between 2016 and 2019. Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) recorded the highest in 2020.
“Estimated billing customer records also show a year-on-year positive growth rate consecutively from 3.85 million in 2015 to 6.86 million in 2020. In 2020, the customer numbers were highest in IBEDC with 1,282,136 and lowest in Eko Distribution Company (EKEDC) with 269,022.”
GIK/APA