By Ekemini Ladejobi

Grammy award winning rapper Kanye West, says he may be coming to Lagos as part of his tourist schedule for 2024.

Kanye shared some screenshots on Wednesday via his social media platform which contained a spreadsheet listing all the countries he would be touring in 2024 and 2025.

The Grammy-winning artist shared a screenshot of a text conversation detailing the proposed tour routes, sparking speculation and anticipation among fans worldwide.

The screenshots depicted Lagos and Nairobi as having the venues Eko Energy City and Nyayo Stadium, respectively.

According to the outlined schedule, on his instagram, Kanye West’s tour is set to begin in Canada in June, with subsequent shows scheduled across the United States until August, culminating in Mexico.

The travel plan encompasses visits to several countries worldwide, including Spain, Egypt, the UK, the UAE, Nigeria, Australia, Japan, and notably Kenya.

Recall early 2023, Nicki Minaj also hinted at a potential concert in Lagos. (NAN)

Edited By Ekemini Ladejobi

By Lucy Ogalue

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to provide access to funding and reduce the cost of doing business for Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, said this while inaugurating over two million small businesses registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) on Wednesday in Abuja.

“We will provide our support to get cheaper funding and intervention grant, to get more people in and reduce the cost of funding for the MSMEs.

“We heard your prayer about how we can reduce the business registration cost for the MSMEs. It is also part of the things we can intervene on.

“And these are the things President Bola Tinubu’s administration is excited about, to create jobs, ensure financial inclusion, poverty alleviation; and all these add to economy development,” she said.

According to the minister, many people have ideas but are not able to implement them because they lack access to the right education, finance and learning environment.

“So, we are happy to collaborate with you to support what you are doing.

“I know there are many more people like you (moniepoint) and we are willing to support them to bring more people into the financial sector and help the government to achieve its mandate.

Also speaking, CAC’s Registrar-General, Hussaini Magagi, said the giant stride the commission had achieved so far was due to the support and guidance of the Minister of Trade, Uzoka-Anite.

“What is happening today is a groundbreaking ceremony that has never taken place in the history of Nigeria, we have never witnessed such.

“And this happened under the watch of the current Minister of Trade, because of the free hand given to us to ensure compliance of the Company and Allied Matters Acts (CAMA).

“We are registering two million small businesses through our partner moniepoint, and we are targeting to register over 20 million this year.

“And this will attract revenue to the government, create jobs among other things,” Magaji said.

Earlier, the Managing Director of Moniepoint, Mr Babatunde Olofin, said the company had a lot of customers who were into small businesses but were not included in the formal sector.

“We help small businesses to grow their businesses. During the cash crunch, when people were not able to transact their businesses, we aided the provision of Point of Sale (POS) terminals.

“We provided financial services to these businesses, came up with a slogan that says “trade in the business you like” and they all rushed in and in a short time we had over two million customers.

“Now we decided to form an alliance with CAC, to enroll the over two million customers that we have into CAC boot.

“And in a matter of five years, we plan to have about 30 million businesses registered with CAC which is going to be a ground breaking event in Nigeria,” Olofin said.

He said the plan of the organisation was not only to register the businesses but also to provide them other financial support to them.

He said: “the best way to execute things in mass is to introduce technology, that is why we are also partnering with Norebase, a technology company.

“So, as people open account with us, we send the transaction through Norebase to CAC and the people are registered. At the end of the day, it will be a win-win for us all.”

According to Olofin, the bank also intended to woe the over 10 million businesses trading on platforms such as Instagram, to be included in the formal sector. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Emmanuella Anokam

The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has called for effective legislative framework for utilisation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) allocated to Nigeria by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Acting Executive Director, ANEEJ, Mr Leo Atakpu, made the call on Wednesday at a three-day Capacity Building Workshop for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Media on SDR in Abuja.

SDR is a form of financing instrument that a country gets from IMF as a member country in times of global financial crisis like COVID-19.

Atakpu said that ANEEJ, a CSO, organised the workshop in partnership with AFRODAD and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to track SDR funds and raising citizens’ voices to end debt crises in West Africa.

“We started the project by conducting a research on the SDR funds utilisation in Nigeria and Ghana including other countries but have course to invite stakeholders to validate the research findings.

“When we assembled the result, we have every reason to agree that the content of the research was good for us to work with advocacy. Now, we are engaging the media and CSOs to deepen their understanding,’’ he said.

Presenting a paper titled “Utilisation of SDR in Nigeria, Dr Terfa Abraham, an Economist and Public Policy Analyst, recalled that Nigeria received the SDR from IMF in August 2021 equating 3.4 billion dollars to increase external reservation.

Abrahim, who is a Senior Research Fellow, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, said, “The CBN Act 2007, section 8 provides that CBN Governor briefs the National Assembly always with regards to its policies and activities.

“Section 24(g) of CBN Act 2007 provides that CBN shall all times maintain the reserve of external assets consisting allocations of SDR to Nigeria by IMF.

“As a sovereign country, Nigeria has the right to use SDR as it deems fit but should ensure that CBN, Ministries of Finance and Industry, Trade and Investment produce data and avenue for the usage as seen in other climes.

“The funds may end up being used in a manner that may not benefit the public and above all escape oversight watchful eyes of the legislators.

“The SDRs came into the country through the CBN; at that point the funds were not appropriated. But the funds were to be used in specific sectors like social investment, education and others which the National Assembly must oversight,” he said.

He said in the study conducted by ANEEJ, some stakeholders shared diverse opinion regarding current update on SDRs utilisation for Nigeria.

He said the study revealed that generally other countries used their SDR to support budget deficit and strengthening of foreign reserve.

Abraham said evidence showed that Nigeria also used its funds in that direction, stating that the CBN and other agencies needed to explain how SDR funds received in 2021 were used to cushion the effect of COVID-19.

This, he said, would help Nigeria to track the process and come up with advocacy and entry points that could be used to shape and direct how future SDR or related funds from development partners would be utilised.

In his remarks, Mr Mohammed Attah, National Coordinator, Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative, ANEEJ, said for a long time many countries have been benefiting from the IMF’s SDR without adequate awareness of the citizens, the end beneficiaries.

According to him, at times, the leadership of every county tends to misuse the SDR to the disadvantage of the people. So, there is a strong need to create awareness for people to know their rights concerning utilisation.

“Poverty can be traced to it, it is our common wealth deposited by IMF and in getting it back, we expect that apart from settling our debts at least we should have some kind of social interventions,” he said.

Also speaking, Prince Chris Azor, President, International Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre, a CSO, who described the SDR as an asset coming to the Federal Government, said Nigerians needed to know how resources were managed, thereby seeking for accountability.

“We have seen the windows from other countries like Ghana, Uganda among others, our government should be transparent and showcase processes of utilising the funds for our benefits,” he said.

NAN recalls that Nigeria received its first SDRs in the 70s when there was oil glut, recording second SDR in 1979 during gulf war, economic meltdown in 2009 and in 2021 due to COVID-19. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Deji Abdulwahab

By Gregory Mmaduakolam
An Economist, Mr Abba Adaudu, has urged the Federal Government to constitute Cooperative Farming for successful businessmen in the six Geo-political Zones to curtail the current high prices of foods in the country.
Adaudu, a financial consultant, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to him, forming cooperative farming will assist to cushion the effects of food shortage and high prices of food in the country.
He noted that by empowering successful businessmen in the six geo-political zones would help to address the current food crisis in the country.
Adaudu added that if this policy was implemented with adequate supervision and security to protect these farmers in these zones; more food and employment opportunities would be created.
He noted that the Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention was for a short term solution, adding that there was a need for the government to adopt long term measures to alleviate the current situation.
The economist and financial consultant noted that the release of grains from food silos through the Strategic Food Reserve across the country would not meet the current food demands.
He said once the economic and food challenges were addressed, the current insecurity in the country would be no more, adding that many people were hungry and would do anything to survive.
Adaudu urged the Federal Government to give tax waivers to these farmers so that they could import all the machinery they needed to do their farming also make fertilisers cheaply available to them.
He said when this was done, more food would be produced and the government would have more foods to feed the masses and excess would be exported to earn foreign exchange for the country.
On the issue of corruption, he said ethnicity; religion and were the major causes of corruption in the country.
“We should do more on national interest and gradually play down ethnic interest that has been raised above the national interest.
“People are going into politics (leadership) not for national interest but on the basis of religious and tribal interests’’.
He said insecurity is witnessed where there are economic activities such fishing, good fertile land and mining activities, listing Lake Chad area, Niger delta and middle belt areas where much of this insecurity were witnessed.
Adaudu, the politicians on ostentatious display of their wealth in the midst of many poor people, said this breeds envy, which could cause protest in the society.
He advised that the government should assuage the suffering of the people by providing basic amenities to them and stop ostentatious displays of wealth by politicians in the midst of many poor people.
He said this ostentatious display of wealth by the elite could breed envy which could lead to protest in the country.
Adaudu also called on the Government to evenly distribute the nation’s natural resources and ensure that minority ethnic groups were carried along in the developmental process.
According to him, this will enable the smaller minority to have a sense of belonging and check ethnic agitations threatening national unity.
He opined that national rebirth was possible when all Nigerians forget their political, religious and regional differences and work together for the unity of the entire country.(NAN)

By David Adeoye

Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has received the official report of the Jan. 16 explosion that occurred at Adeyi Avenue in Bodija, Ibadan, in which five persons died.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Mr Fatai Owoseni, made this known on Wednesday while briefing newsmen shortly after the presentation of the report to the governor.

Owoseni said that three persons of interest have been identified in connection with the incident and that they
would face prosecution based on the investigation carried out.

Owoseni also revealed that the character of the explosive is known as ‘Water Gel Type Based Explosive’ and that the explosion was triggered by an electric spark.

He explained that a Closed Circuit Television in one of the affected houses gave footage of how the incident happened.

Owoseni, the former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, assured that the state government would bring the perpetrators to book.

He added that the government would also check the immigration status of all the people of interest since majority of the suspects quizzed were from Mali.

“We have been able to report that the swiftness with which security was deployed to the epicentre made the state to successfully secure the environment.

“And with the security that was provided, the state has also been able to prevent untoward happenings, especially opportunistic crimes that hoodlums always take advantage of such situations to carry out.

“We would recall that an emergency situation centre was put in place by the governor, and was located at the premises of Oyo State Housing Corporation, Ibadan.

“The EOC has so far collated information, data of things that happened there and some of the data collated include census of the respective houses and the fatalities that were affected including the extent of losses suffered.

“As at 6 p.m., Feb. 3, which was the 18th day of the incident, a total of 335 affected persons registered at the emergency situation centre.

“These include 16 companies or business operators, churches, mosques, three schools and the UCH also approached the centre to report on their losses.

“The losses reported also include fatality, injuries of various degrees, damages ranging from total collapse and submerging of houses, houses that suffered collateral damage and the ones that suffered minimal damages,” Owoseni stated.

The chairman, Nigeria Institute of Structural Engineers, Mr Mbim Okutinyang, who is also the lead coordinator of the team that carried out structural integrity test on the affected houses, also told newsmen that 282 houses were affected.

He however said that only four of the houses would have to be demolished due to the degrees of the damage.

Okutinyang added that the seismic report was still being awaited.

On his part, the Head of the Emergency Operation Centre, Prof. Temitope Alonge, said 80 victims were managed across various hospitals following the incident, but only five patients were on admission as of the time of the press briefing.

Alonge explained that four of the patients were being treated at the University College Hospital (UCH) and were at various levels of recovery, while one patient is at the Redeemers Hospital with a spinal cord injury.

He said that most of the cases at UCH would be discharged within the next one week.

The head of the EOC added that some of the victims that experienced medical disorder such as respiratory illness had been treated.

He also explained that those with symptoms suggestive of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder were being attended to by clinical psychologists from UCH.

Giving an update on the tests for radioactivity, Alonge said the site of the incident had been cleared in terms of radioactivity, as the EOC invited the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NNRA) to conduct another screening.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Bayo Sekoni

By Priscilla Osaje

The Minister of Tourism, Mrs Lola Ade-John, on Tuesday commended the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) for acquiring a ‘Mobile Training Kitchen Truck’ to empower local cooks, food enthusiasts and entrepreneurs.

Ade-John said this while unveiling the ‘Mobile Kitchen Training Truck’ in Abuja.

She said that the truck would assist in delivering hands-on culinary training to aspiring local cooks, food enthusiasts, and entrepreneurs in urban and rural areas.

According to her, NIHOTOUR has succeeded in acquiring and enhancing a ‘Mobile Training Kitchen Truck’ that will significantly contribute to the advancement of trade and catering services in communities, where its campuses are not yet established.

“The initiative aligns seamlessly with our vision to leverage the potential of our rich culinary heritage, cultivating skilled professionals that can significantly contribute to the growth of the tourism sector.

“Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, the mobile kitchen ensures that our trainees receive top-notch education and practical experience.

“Mobile training truck serves as a continued beacon in promoting Nigeria’s prosperity and culinary brilliance for generations to come,” she said.

The minister called on the private sector, culinary schools and industry stakeholders to collaborate with
the government to ensure the success of such initiative.

Earlier, the Director-General of NIHOTOUR, Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, said that the institute would continue to promote professionalism through training and re-training as well as certification of personnel in the tourism sector.

“NIHOTOUR as an apex institute saddled with the responsibility of training and developing human capacity in the hospitality and tourism industry, will continue to play a significant role in this direction.

“The Mobile Training Kitchen Truck will not only contribute significantly to achieving our goal of taking training closer to the stakeholders, but also enhance our market presence and expand our reach within the industry.

“Youth unemployment remains the socio-economic concern. It poses a lot of challenges to the social, political and economic development of all countries around the world, as well as in Nigeria.

“It is no wonder that job creation is one of the key areas in which the President Bola Tinubu’s administration hopes to leave an indelible mark.

“Tourism and Hospitality has the vibrancy and potency to help the government achieve this goal,” he said.

Mr Folorunsho Coker, the Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), commended NIHOTOUR boss for coming up with such initiative.

He called for stakeholders’ collaboration to improve culinary skills and promote tourism in the country.
(NAN)(WWW.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Deji Abdulwahab

By Emmanuel Afonne

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) has urged the Nigerian Government to intensify the fight against corruption and ensure it does not end up only as mere proclamation of statistics.

Mr Umar Yakubu, Executive Director, Center for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CeFTIW), made the call on Tuesday at the report presentation of the Civil Society’s Monitoring Mechanism for Nigeria’s Implementation of the UNCAC in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Yakubu is the sub-Saharan Africa representative on the board of UNCAC, which has over 350 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).

“UNCAC wants the Nigerian Government to implement the provisions of corruption reduction measurement in the country and that is what we are doing through the Anti-corruption Strategy,” he said.

Yakubu said that Nigeria made a commitment to uphold the UNCAC charter and as such it behooved on the country to take action on corruption especially in all the areas provided in the agreement.

According to him, Nigerian Government needs to start measuring its achievements in the fight against corruption in terms of statistics rather than proclamations.

“It is about measurement; we should be able to measure our progress or lack of it; we are trying to dispel narratives to say that we are doing well or we are not doing well.

“If you have reduced corruption, let us be able to say we have reduced it by 10 or by 20 per cent; that is the kind of mechanism we are bringing into play,” Yakubu added.

Dr Musa Aliyu, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), explained that Nigeria had made tremendous progress in the fight against corruption.

He emphasised that the commission was now focusing on prevention to nip the menace in the bud.

‘’We are doing our best to ensure that we encourage and also direct all the MDAs to comply to all extant rules.

“We are also doing our best to reduce to the barest minimum the corruption in the public sector.

“Where we feel there is need for prosecution, we will do it. We are trying as much as possible to ensure that the best way to tackle the problem is through prevention,’’ he said.

Stakeholders from critical sectors of the economy, who participated in the programme, said that implementation and not the laws had always been the challenge of the fight against corruption.

The UNCAC is the most comprehensive and universal anti-corruption instrument, covering a wide range of issues such as prevention, criminalisation, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance.

It also recognises the vital role of civil society in promoting transparency, accountability and participation in the fight against corruption. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chijioke Okoronkwo