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Dangote Cement completes issuance of N50 billion bond programme
Dangote Cement Plc has announced the successful issuance of N50 billion series 1 fixed rate senior unsecured bonds, under its new N300 billion multi-instrument issuance programme. In a statement on Tuesday, the cement producer said the bonds were issued on May 26, 2021 at coupon rates of 11.25 percent, 12.50 percent and 13.50 percent for the three, five and seven-year tranches respectively. The bonds will be listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited and FMDQ Securities Exchange. Dangote Cement said that the proceeds of the bond issuance will be deployed for the company’s expansion projects, short-term debt refinancing and working capital requirements. “Aside from this first issuance of a traditional bond under the new Multi-Instruments Programme, Dangote Cement has registered a programme ena...
Official: PDP focused on taking over government in Anambra
File Photo The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra, Ndubuisi Nwobu, said the party remains focused to take over the state in the upcoming governorship poll. Nwobu said this in an interview with newsmen in Awka on Tuesday, adding that he would not be distracted by those trying to destabilise the party in the state. He lauded the National Executive Committee of the party for organising successful ward congresses in the state which he said was a sure step to the party’s free, fair and credible primary election. “We want to conduct our primary election, where party people will freely vote and produce a candidate that will be acceptable to Anambra people at the November 6 poll. “This is not (the) time for distractions. We are focused on taking over the government from the ...
Mr. Macaroni: President Buhari’s supporters have lost their humanity
Nigerian Comedian, Debo Adebayo, better known as Mr. Macaroni, has stated that those supporting President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had lost their humanity. Macaroni disclosed this on his social media page as he lamented the killings and oppression of Nigerians in the nation. The comedian stated that peaceful protest was a Fundamental Human Right and would not change because of “General Buhari’s tyranny.” His tweets read: “Peaceful protest is a Fundamental Human Right. That won’t change because of General Buhari’s tyranny. Anyone who supports this dictatorship has lost their humanity. “Nigerians are being killed, dehumanized and oppressed daily. This is not the Country we pray for!” The comedian tasked youths not to relent in asking for a better Nigeria and good governance. He adde...
Canada’s premier says he discussed border with Joe Biden, but no deal
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday he has spoken with U.S. President Joe Biden about how to lift pandemic-related border restrictions between the two countries but made clear no breakthrough has been achieved. U.S. and Canadian business leaders have voiced increasing concern about the ban on non-essential travel in light of COVID-19 that was first imposed in March 2020 and renewed on a monthly basis since then. The border measures do not affect trade flows. The border restrictions have choked off tourism between the two countries. Canadian businesses, especially airlines and those that depend on tourism, have been lobbying the Liberal government to relax the restrictions. Canada last week took a cautious first step, saying it was prepared to relax quarantine protocols fo...
UK: Some countries are using coronavirus vaccines as a geopolitical tool
British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Friday there was no doubt some countries were using vaccines as a diplomatic tool to secure influence but Britain did not support so-called vaccine diplomacy. Raab was speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Cornwall, southwestern England, that was likely to be dominated by the West’s attempts to reassert its influence as the world looks to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic. Western diplomats fear Russia and China are using their vaccines to gain influence across the world, especially in poorer countries that do not have their own production or the means to buy shots on the international market. Asked whether he was concerned that China and Russia could use vaccines in exchange for influence, Raab said: “There’s no doubt there’s...
Rapid spread of Delta variant throws England’s re-opening into doubt
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s hopes of ending England’s coronavirus lockdown on June 21 hung in the balance on Friday as data showed a further rise in cases of the rapidly spreading Delta variant. Johnson is due to announce on Monday whether the planned lifting of restrictions, which would see an end to limits on social contact, can go ahead on time. But the rapid spread of the Delta variant, officially a “variant of concern”, has thrown those plans into jeopardy, prompting speculation that the June 21 date will be pushed back, or that some restrictions will remain. “We have to be really careful. We had a very big opening on the 17th of May where people could meet friends indoors, in a restaurant, in a pub, and socialise indoors as well,” COVID-19 vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi t...
Africa on cusp of the third wave of coronavirus facing a vaccine shortage
Africa is heading into a third wave of coronavirus infections as the least-inoculated continent faces a shortage of vaccines. African nations reported 94,000 new cases in the week through June 6, a 26% increase. South Africa announced the most new cases, followed by Tunisia, Africa Centres for Disease Control & Prevention Director John Nkengasong said in an online briefing Thursday. “Fourteen or so of our member states are now heading toward the third wave, and aggressively so,” he said. “It really highlights the need for us to roll out vaccines at speed and at scale.” Only 2.8% of Africa’s population is inoculated, compared with a global average of 14.5%, according to Africa CDC and Bloomberg Economics data. The program has slowed because of interruptions to supply from India, where m...
Euro 2020: Germany still need some work ahead of France opener – coach
Germany still need to work on parts of their game before the start of the European Championship, coach Joachim Loew said on Sunday at the end of their nine-day training camp in Austria. The Germans, starting their tournament against world champions France on June 15, play their last warm-up match against Latvia on Monday. The Euros open on Friday. “I cannot fully draw conclusions from our camp just yet because our preparation continues and after the game tomorrow we have a week in Duesseldorf to prepare for France,” Loew, going into his final tournament as Germany coach, told a news conference. Loew has been in charge since 2006 and will be succeeded by his former assistant and former Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick after the tournament. The Germans also play European champions Portugal as...
Bukayo Saka wins Arsenal Player of the Season award
Bukayo Saka has capped a dream week by being named Arsenal’s Player of the Season. Saka began the week by being named in England’s Euro 2020 squad on Tuesday, making the final 26-man cut for this summer’s tournament despite stiff competition. On the same day, Saka was also nominated for Premier League Young Player of the Season following an impressive 2020/21 campaign with Arsenal. On Wednesday, it got even better for Saka as he started for England in their Euro 2020 warm-up friendly against Austria, scoring his first senior international goal to earn a 1-0 victory at the Riverside Stadium. Saka was also nominated for the PFA’s Young Player of the Season award the same day, while on Friday the 19-year-old was named Arsenal’s Player of the Season. Arsenal fans voted for the award, with 51 p...
Minister: Nigeria’s earlier break-up prediction failed, others will
Information minister Lai Mohammed says a prediction that Nigeria would break up in 2015 did not materialise, asserting that current predictions by individuals and organisations will also fail. A former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, and one other expert had suggested that Nigeria had become a failed state calling on the U.S. government to step to salvage the country from total collapse. Mr Mohammed stated, “This declaration is merely the opinions of two persons, former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations John Campbell, and the President Emeritus of World Peace Foundation, Robert Rotberg. “Declaring any nation a failed state is not done at the whims and caprices of one or two persons, no matter their status. Just because Nigeria is ...
PDP optimistic ahead Lagos council polls
File Photo The Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State on Sunday said that its fortune remained bright in the forthcoming July 24 local government election in the aquatic state. The PDP Chairman in Lagos, Adedeji Doherty, expressed this optimism in an interview with newsmen. He, however, said that there was the need for a constitutional review that would take away the conduct of grassroots election from state apparatuses. According to him, the step has become imperative to bring democracy to grassroots elections, being the most important election that is closest to the people. “The fortune of PDP is bright, but the main thing is that the party in power usually takes control of all the apparatus to win grassroots elections. “There should be a constitutional amendment to make sure that the c...
‘Patriots rule Hong Kong’ as sweeping pro-Beijing electoral rules passed
Hong Kong’s legislature approved the biggest overhaul of its political system in the quarter century since British rule on Thursday, in a decisive step to assert Beijing’s authority over the autonomous city. The changes will reduce the proportion of seats in the legislature that are filled by direct elections from half to less than a quarter. A new body will be empowered to vet candidates and bar those deemed insufficiently patriotic towards China from standing. “These 600-or-so pages of the legislation come down to just a few words: patriots ruling Hong Kong,” said Peter Shiu, a pro-Beijing lawmaker. Most of the changes were announced by China in March, though Hong Kong authorities later contributed further details, such as redrawing constituency boundaries and criminalising calls for bal...
