Press zooms in on president-elect’s promise to tackle insecurity, power crisis, others

APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The pledge by Nigeria’s president-elect to Bola Tinubu on Thursday to address the security and power crises, among other challenges confronting the country, dominates the headlines of Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
The Punch reports that President-elect, Bola Tinubu on Thursday pledged to address the security and power crises, among other challenges confronting the country.
Tinubu, who was handed the transition report by the President Muhammadu Buhari promised not to disappoint Nigerians.
He said this shortly after his investiture with the country’s highest national honour of Grand Commander of Federal Republic alongside the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, who was honoured with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger by President Buhari.
The investiture ceremony took place at the State House Conference Centre of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as part of the lineup of events for the 2023 Presidential Inauguration Ceremony slated for Monday.
The ex-Lagos State governor said he understood the honour conferred upon him and his VP-elect and the magnitude of the task ahead.
He appealed to Buhari to entertain “knocks” on his doors whether he retires to Daura or the Niger Republic.
The newspaper says that the United Bank for Africa Plc has announced that all its African subsidiaries are now on firm footing as they have been contributing maximally to the group’s profit margin.
Specifically, the bank’s African operations have contributed close to 50% of the group’s earnings, leveraging on digital offerings and products across the board to gain large market shares across the different regions of operations in Africa.
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, UBA Africa, Abiola Bawuah, who made this disclosure while addressing press men and journalists from across Africa during a hybrid media parley on Thursday, noted that notwithstanding the impact of devaluations and double-digit inflation in Nigeria and a number of other African countries where the bank operates, the subsidiaries have been performing well, contributing significantly to the growth and development of trade, infrastructure and finance on the continent.
She said, “As of last month, none of our African subsidiaries is making a loss. They have all been turning in profits, this is a testament to the fact that they have navigated successfully and have all found their footing.
Early this year, Bawuah, a Ghanaian national, was appointed as the first female CEO of UBA Africa, an appointment that further demonstrated the bank’s commitment to diversity. The group board now includes eight female Directors.
Bawuah also emphasised the necessity of government regulation in the private sector due to its current challenges.
Bawuah voiced her concerns about the current state of the private sector at the Africa Day/ UBA Conversations event, held in Lagos recently.
She said, “We need the government to regulate the private sector because the sector is struggling. However, the private sector needs to be strong, and that is where UBA comes in. There have been numerous facility programmes we have come up with for consumers in the corporate sector like the Small and Medium Enterprises, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises that are being supported by us.
“It is only in UBA that I know of that you can be an MSME, and once you are faithful to us and you have run the enterprise very well, we are ready to support you, even when you do not have collateral.”
The Guardian reports that with barely less than two days to the end of his tenure, President Muhammadu Buhari insists he is leaving a legacy of a free and fair election in the country.
Speaking Thursday in Abuja at the launch of the Biography of the mother of Emir of Kano and Emir of Bichi, titled “Maryam Ado Bayero: A Woman of Royal Virtue”, he maintained that the election that led to the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the President-Elect was free and fair.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, he said: “Mr President finishing his eight years term in office strong and well, leaving behind many legacies, which include the foundation of a free and fair election that has produced the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“It has also produced the legacy of achievements in the area of diversification of our economy, reforms of the petroleum industry and infrastructure.
“Few days ago, we saw him commission the second Niger Bridge, major parts of the Kano-Abuja expressway as well as several roads and bridges. And, of course, he is finishing strong and well in pushing back the enemies of Nigeria through insurgency and other forms of criminalities.”
The President noted that the late Nana Maryam Ado Bayero’s name deserves mention in the World Guinness Book of Records due to her unique qualities, an extraordinary mother full of compassion and love for all who came her way.
Buhari further described the late Maryam Ado Bayero as the embodiment of tradition and modernity, a thorough-bred royal who lived a life of a trailblazer, compassionate, human, generous and warm.
The newspaper says that to promote trade ties, Consul-General of France in Lagos, Laurence Monmayrant, has reaffirmed the French government’s commitment to the development of businesses and economic ties within Nigeria.
She stated this in Lagos when the President of the Franco-Nigerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Usman Mohammed, led her to the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) to perform the closing gong ceremony to officially close the day’s trading on Tuesday.
According to her, the French government is looking forward to working with NGX to have more brands listed on its platform in the coming year.
Monmayrant said: “I understand that a lot has been done since the demutualisation process. They have improved in many ways, whether on reutilisation and also finance which is a very interesting topic to us in France.
“It is very interesting for us to be here to see what is going on. You know we have 100 French companies in Nigeria and I came along with the Chairman of the Franco-Nigerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and his board members. They have over 400 French and Nigerian companies as members, so you can see that we have strong economic and business ties with Nigeria.
“We also have a lot of investment in Nigeria, nearly $10 billion. It is very interesting to us to see what is happening here at the NGX. We wish for more cooperation between France and Nigeria for business and finance, this is what we promote at the French embassy and consulate with all French agencies here in Nigeria. So, it is very interesting to see what is going on. We want to promote ties within Nigeria and France,” she said.
GIK/APA