The commitment of the Nigerian government to ensure the emergence of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as the director-general of the World Trade Organisation and the resumption of new electricity Tariffs from next week are some of the leading stories in Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
ThisDay reports that the federal government yesterday committed itself again to the emergence of Nigeria’s nominee, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as the director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Nigeria would continue to engage stakeholders to ensure that Okonjo-Iweala emerges the successor to Ambassador Roberto Azevêdo, who stepped down on August 31, a year ahead of the completion of his four-year second term in office.
But for the opposition of the United States, Okonjo-Iweala would have been announced on Wednesday as the first female and African to lead the global trade body.
In the race for the post, she had garnered the votes of 163 of the 164 members of the trade organisation, to be named the preferred candidate for the job compared to her challenger, Ms. Yoo Myung-hee of South Korea, backed by the US.
By WTO regulations, the director-general should emerge by consensus.
The newspaper says that the Nigerian government has approved the resumption of the collection of Service-Based electricity Tariffs (SBT) from next week, after sealing a deal with organised labour, THISDAY learnt yesterday.The government was forced to suspend the implementation of the new electricity tariff regime in September, following a threat of industrial unrest by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), its affiliates and allies.
However, the federal government and organised labour have resolved that the tariffs for certain categories of power consumers should be reviewed downward.
While the tariffs for customers in A and B bands were reduced by 10 percent, the tariff for C band customers was reduced by 30 percent.
The Guardian reports the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has said officers of the Nigeria Police Force acted professionally, exercised commendable restraints and some paid the supreme price for peace during the recent #EndSARS protests in some parts of the country.
The IGP made this observation following report by Amnesty International that Police personnel shot at peaceful protesters. He described the Amnesty report as untrue and misleading .
Adamu, in a statement signed by police spokesman Frank Mba, noted that during the protests, officers of the Force used legitimate means to ensure that the protests were carried out in a peaceful manner and in most cases, physically protected and walked side-by-side with the protesters.
He reiterated that even when the protests turned violent in some parts of the country, the officers still maintained utmost restraint and did not use excessive force in managing the situations.
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The Punch reports that free distribution of electricity meters to Nigerians will commence today (Friday) with the simultaneous inauguration of the scheme in Kano, Kaduna, Eko and Ikeja electricity distribution companies’ franchise areas.
A source in the Presidency, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday.
According to him, the free distribution of meters is in fulfilment of the promise of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to ensure mass metering in the country and in the process put an end to the menace of estimated billing in the electricity sector.
He said the free distribution would be carried out under the National Mass Metering Programme. He listed the locations to receive meters to include Bawo Road and environs in Kano metropolis (KEDCO); Governor Road/Tudun Wada in Kaduna (Kaduna Electric); Oshodi Business Unit in Ikeja (Ikeja Electric); and Yaba and Surulere (Eko Disco).
The newspaper also reports that the Transmission Company of Nigeria on Thursday announced that the nation’s power industry attained another all-time national peak electricity generation of 5,459.5 megawatts.
It said this quantum of electricity was efficiently transmitted through the nation’s transmission grid at a frequency of 50.26Hz by 8.15pm on October 28. “This milestone in generation is higher than any peak ever recorded in the nation’s power industry as at date,” the General Manager, Public Affairs, TCN, Ndidi Mbah, said in a statement issued in Abuja.
She added, “The new peak surpasses the 5,420.30MW achieved on 18th of August, 2020 by 39.2MW.” The Acting Managing Director, TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, commended all the players in the power sector value chain for the feat.
He attributed the gradual but steady improvement in the quantum of power delivery to the collaboration by the sector players.
The Sun says that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released guidelines for implementation of the proposed N75 billion Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF).
The CBN, in a statement by its Development Finance Department, said the fund was a built-in strategy to effectively respond to the challenge of youth employment in Nigeria.
The Fund, an initiative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, is to be managed by NISRAL Microfinance Bank. It stated that the major objective of the plan was to address fragmentation of youths initiatives that prevent assessment of impact. `
The Federal Executive Council on July 22, approved N75 billion for the establishment of the NYIF from 2020 to 2023. “It will provide Nigeria youths with investment inputs required to build successful businesses that can become sustainable employers of labour and contributors to the country’s development.
The newspaper reports that the Nigerian Government, yesterday, announced a two-day total closure of the Third Mainland Bridge for a concrete work on some sections.
The Federal Controller of Works in the state, Mr Olukayode Popoola, said the closure would begin from midnight of October 30 and end at midnight of November 1.
“We are planning to cast two number expansion joints, and we shall close the Third Mainland Bridge from midnight of Oct. 30 until midnight of Nov. 1,’’ he said.
The controller said there was the need to shut both bounds of the bridge – from Adeniji Adele to Adekunle – in addition to the closed bound of the bridge, to complete the work.
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GIK/APA
