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UN encourages Africa to invest on digital transformation
The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has encouraged African countries to make right investments toward developing a digitally transformed economy. Mr Jean-Paul Adam, Director, Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources at UNECA, made the call on Tuesday during a webinar monitored in Abuja. The webinar was organised by Africa Information and Communication Technology Alliance (AfICTA) in collaboration with UNECA with the theme “Unlocking Africa’s Digital Potential Amid COVID-19”. Adam said that the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic had caused a disruption in activities, hence the need for a paradigm shift. “Africa needs to address issues that have limited their digital growth. There are issues of gender imbalance, speed of bandwidth, poor internet access. “When we get some of the...
Central bank reschedules MPC meeting over holidays
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has rescheduled it’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting from Monday and Tuesday May 25 and 26 to Thursday, May 28. The CBN Director, Corporate Communications Department, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Thursday. Okorafor explained that the rescheduling of the meeting was due to the declaration of May 25 and May 26 as public holidays by the Federal Government to commemorate the Eid-el Fitr. He said for the avoidance of doubt, CBN had put necessary machinery in place for the meeting to now hold for only one day on account of the ongoing COVID-19 national lockdown. He added that this step taken was also to align this meeting with the extant rules of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and advisories from other rel...
Oyo governor appoints retired general as Amotekun chairman
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has appointed retired general Ajibola Kunle Togun as the Chairman of the Oyo State Security Network, code-named Amotekun. A statement signed by Moses Alao, Special Assistant to Makinde on Print Media, also indicated that a retired colonel, Olayanju Olayinka, was appointed as the commandant of the security outfit. According to the statement, the two retired military officers will oversee the state security network which was put in place to check insecurity in the state. Newsmen recall that Makinde on March 10, signed the State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) Bill, 2020 into law. The governor remarked that the initiative was purely to complement the existing security agencies in tackling security challenges and not a replacement for the existing ones. Ve...
YCN, IPC warn Imo governor over suspension of journalist
The Young Citizens of Nigeria (YCN) has asked Imo State Government to reverse the indefinite suspension of a journalist, Vivian Ottih. This was contained in a statement on Tuesday by its Director of Media, Augustine Nwaobi. Ottih, also a lawyer, is a Senior Editor with Imo Broadcasting Corporation-owned Orient FM in Owerri, the state capital. YCN advised the Governor Hope Uzodinma and his administration to “thread cautiously on issues of public importance”. They condemned the suspension of Ottih, the Chairperson of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), over the request for payment of three months’ salary on Facebook. YCN noted that one of the characteristics of a progressive government is the ability to respond positively to issues affecting citizen’s welfare. “Imo Governor sho...
US coronavirus death toll exceeds 90,000 as Donald Trump urges reopening
The coronavirus death toll in the United States surpassed 90,000 on Monday as the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 1.5 million across the country, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. The grim milestones came as President Donald Trump tweeted to “REOPEN OUR COUNTRY!” and the White House attempted to shift blame, including onto its own scientists, for the high number of deaths. On Sunday, members of Trump administration disagreed on whether the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) let the country down with testing efforts. “Early on in this crisis, the CDC, which really had the most trusted brand around the world in this space, really let the country down with the testing,” Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade adviser, told NBC’s Meet the Press programme....
Morocco confirms 129 new coronavirus cases, total now 6,870
The Moroccan Ministry of Health on Sunday confirmed 129 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 6,870 in the country. Meanwhile, 192 people have died from the novel coronavirus so far, while 3,660 have recovered after 173 recoveries were added during the last 24 hours, Mohamed El Youbi, Director of Epidemiology at the ministry, said at his daily briefing. On April 18, Morocco extended the state of medical emergency until May 20 in an effort to strengthen preventive measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. Get more stories like this on Twitter
President Buhari urges stakeholders commitment as NLNG signs Train 7 project construction
Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), Bonny, Rivers state, says it has signed Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contracts for much-anticipated Train 7 Project with the SCD JV Consortium, comprising affiliates of Saipem, Chiyoda and Daewoo. The development signifies the commencement of the Detail Design and Construction phase of the project expected to increase the capacity of NLNG’s current six-train plant by 35% from the extant 22 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) to 30 MTPA. Tony Attah, Managing Director, NLNG, said, “The award of the EPC Contracts clearly demonstrates our Shareholders’ determination and resolve to sustain the economic dividends NLNG’s monetization of our vast natural gas reserves offers Nigeria” Group Managing Director (NNPC) and a Director on the NLNG Board, Mele Kya...
President Buhari appoints new RMAFC scribe, CMD chief
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Mohammad Bello Shehu as Secretary, Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) for initial first term of five(5) years with effect from 19th March 2020. He also has approved the appointment of Mr Bitrus Danharbi Chinoko as the Substantive Director General of the Centre for Management Development (CMD) Lagos, with effect from 27th April 2020. Until this appointment, Mr Chinoko was in an acting capacity at the CMD. According to a statement by Director, Information Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, the President congratulated the new appointees and urge them to bring their wealth of experience to bear on their appointments. Get more stories like this on Twitter
