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Reports: Governments ‘gender blind’ to coronavirus’ ‘greater impact’ on women
Governments are putting women and girls at greater risk of the health and socio-economic impacts posed by the coronavirus pandemic, two global studies released Wednesday show. They called on leaders to prioritise gender equity in their response to the health crisis. Two studies, one from a global research partnership led by the Global Health 50/50 Project in London and another by the Center for Global Development (CGD) in Washington, were released Wednesday to coincide with World Health Day that highlight major failings by national governments to consider sex or gender in their COVID-19 policies. Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, several studies have pointed to the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women. Many women have shouldered a heftier burden taking on more unpa...
IMF, World Bank advocate flexible fiscal support, debt relief
Against the backdrop of a pandemic impacted global and national economies, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have urged fiscal authorities to execute flexible and supportive fiscal policies to support economic recovery and cushion the long-term impact of the pandemic. In a paper that was titled: ‘Tailoring Government Support’, IMF staff said until the pandemic is brought under control, fiscal policy will have to remain flexible and supportive. It advised governments to prioritize certain policy measures that include targeted support to vulnerable households, investment in health system and more focused support to viable firms, warning that if the pandemic persists, widespread corporate insolvencies could result, destroying millions of jobs, particularly in contact-intens...
Nigeria to benefit as G-20 approves extension of debt relief
Finance ministers of G-20 countries have approved an extension of debt relief for the world’s poorest nations till December 2021. David Malpass, World Bank president, made the announcement at the virtual spring meeting, on Wednesday. TheCable had earlier reported that the G-20 countries will meet this week to consider an extension of the debt freeze. The G-20, is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 of the world’s largest economies, including those of many developing nations, along with the European Union. G-20 countries had established a debt service suspension initiative (DSSI) which took effect in May 2020. Nigeria had benefited from the initiative which delivered about $5 billion in relief to more than 40 eligible countries. The suspension period which was or...
Court urged to restrain Nigerian government on £4.2 million James Ibori loot
The Federal Government has been sued over its planned use of the £4.2million linked to former Delta State Governor James Ibori. The President, League of Ndokwa Professionals (LNP), Chief Tony Amechi and Legal Adviser, Evans Ufeli, on behalf of the people of Delta State, are challenging the Federal Government’s plan to deploy the funds to projects outside Delta. The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the Minister for Finance are the defendants. In their originating motion, the plaintiffs seek a declaration that the first and second defendants’ decision to deploy the yet to be repatriated sum of £4.2million belonging to Delta State government (when repatriated) for Federal Government’s projects is unconstitutional and repugnant to natural justic...
NBA urges judiciary workers to shelve strike
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Monday urged judiciary workers under the aegis of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to shelve their plan to begin a nationwide strike on Tuesday. The association in a statement signed by its President, Olumide Akpata, said although it believes in the battle for financial autonomy of the judiciary being waged by the workers, the timing of the planned strike would spell doom for the country considering the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in the last one year. Akpata stated, “However, as commendable and laudable as the proposed strike action may be, the NBA is concerned about its timing and the potentially devastating consequences it would pose for justice administration in the country, particularly coming on the heels of prolonged...
Niger governor decries level of corruption in Nigeria
The Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has decried the level of corruption in the country’s political and economic environment, insisting that corruption is endemic in all the facets of the nation’s life. Speaking at a two-day ‘Get involved leadership’ training in Minna Wednesday, Governor Bello said: “The problem with Nigeria today is enormous, every sector is corrupted. There is no country that can develop with the level of corruption we have. According to the governor, “When you have a system where only limited or few people are transparent, the system can never work.” He submitted that as a result of the high level of corruption in the polity, political positions either elective or those appointed have always gone to the highest bidder, a development he described as unac...
Minister: Nigerian government to establish micro enterprises in 774 local council areas
Dr George Akume, the Minister of Special Duties and Inter Governmental Affairs, on Wednesday said that micro enterprises will be established in the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the country. The Minister disclosed this in Abuja at the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) General Assembly with the Theme: Strategic Positioning for the Future: A New Era. “As a ministry, we have proposed the establishment of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises in the 774 local governments in Nigeria based on economic corridors. “We believe that this will create jobs and ensure improvement in the well-being of the local populace,’’Akume said. The minister, who was represented by Mr Simon Tyungu, Deputy Director, Office of the Minister, said that the establishment of the micro enterprise wa...
NPA suspends export receipts at Lagos ports
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Monday announced the suspension of export receipts at Lagos ports for two weeks. The NPA Spokesperson, Ibrahim Nasiru, said in a statement that the suspension was part of efforts to improve access to, and service delivery at Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports. “The authority hereby announces a 14-day suspension of export receipts at both ports and all satellite truck parks, with effect from March 22. “This development is necessitated by the need for consultations with export cargo stakeholders and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) on the harmonisation of procedures required of owners of this category of cargo. “Stakeholders should please note that this suspension does not affect export refrigerated cargo and trucks whose operators have secured c...
President Buhari appoints Adedeji Zacch as NSDC scribe
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Mr Adedeji Zacch as the Executive Secretary of National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) for an initial term of four years. Buhari made the announcement in a statement on Thursday by Mr Willie Bassey, Director of Information, office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. The statement said that Zacch’s appointment was in accordance with the provision of Section 5 (1) of the National Sugar Development Council (Establishment Act, 1993). Newsmen report that Zacch holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and Accounting and Masters degree in Accounting from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun. He also holds Executive Certificate in Economic Development from Harvard, Kennedy School of Government, Boston, ...
Véron Mosengo-Omba appointed CAF general secretary
FIFA has confirmed that Véron Mosengo-Omba will leave his role as Chief Officer of the FIFA member associations (MAs) division with immediate effect to take on the position of CAF General Secretary. Mr Mosengo-Omba initially joined FIFA in 2016 as Director MAs with responsibility for Africa and the Caribbean, and subsequently spent the past two years supporting all FIFA 211 MAs to implement the FIFA Forward development programme, as well as managing relationships with all FIFA MAs and continental confederations in his role as Chief Officer of the division. A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr Mosengo-Omba was particularly involved in supporting the 54 African MAs in their FIFA Forward projects, in the development of youth and women’s football throughout the continent, and i...
PDP advises federal government against increasing pump price of petrol
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday advised the Federal Government against increasing pump price of petrol. The party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja said any contemplation to increase pump price of petrol to N212 would worsen the economic and social situations of Nigerians. This was in reaction to a debunk report that the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulation Agency (PPPRA) on Thursday night released a template that a litre of fuel would now be sold for prices ranging from N209 to N212 per litre for March. Ologbondiyan said that the N212 per liter reportedly contemplated in the March pricing template was not in the best interest of Nigerians. “It is a barefaced fact that there is no way that Nigerians can survive such hike in fue...
Chelsea owner takes legal action over ‘Putin’s People’ book
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has launched legal action for defamation over the book Putin’s People. The Blues owner’s case relates to “a number of false and defamatory claims made about our client in the book published by HarperCollins.” The book was written by author Caterine Belton and contains a number of claims about Abramovich and others close to Russia president Vladimir Putin. Abramovich’s statement, published on Chelsea’s club website, says: “Today my legal representatives have issued legal proceedings in England in relation to a book that was published in the UK. The book contains a number of false and defamatory statements about me, including about my purchase, and the activities, of Chelsea Football Club. “Today’s action was not taken lightly. It has never been my ambition to ...