Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Tuesday 26th July 2022
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 26/07/22
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International Agency, DFC Signs $280million Loan Deal To Boost Small Businesses In Nigeria
The International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has signed a $280million loan deal with the Access Bank to boost small businesses in Nigeria.The deal was signed on Monday by DFC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Scott Nathan and Access Bank Managing Director, Roosevelt Ogbonna, during Nathan’s visit to West Africa.
Confirming the deal in a statement signed by the U.S. Consulate General in Nigeria, the US commission said, “The loan will help address the financing gap for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and advance financial inclusion in Nigeria, including through the bank’s commitment to supporting women-owned and -led businesses.”The DFC boss said that “DFC’s investment in Access Bank demonstrates U.S. support for private sector-led development in Nigeria and throughout West Africa,” adding that “The $280 million loan from DFC will boost financial inclusion in Nigeria and empower women, bolstering the country’s economic growth.”Also speaking, the U.S. Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard, said, “We welcome the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation CEO Scott Nathan to Nigeria,” saying that “We look forward to discussing with the public and private sectors how DFC funding can be leveraged to unleash the full economic potential of Nigeria through support to the country’s small and medium-sized businesses, financial sector, and climate change-focused enterprises.”On his part, the Access Bank MD noted that “Access Bank is extremely pleased to announce this strategic partnership with DFC to support the multitude of businesses across Nigeria who stand to benefit from greater access to finance, especially in an environment that is in need of stronger economic diversification.“We look forward to utilizing the partnership with DFC in driving further economic expansion and inclusion in Nigeria, with a strong focus on non-oil sectors and women businesses.”Similarly, the Head of Emerging Markets Corporate Bank, Rizwan Shaikh, Citi EMEA, said, “We are delighted to have collaborated with Access Bank and DFC on this significant transaction, which will significantly boost SME corporate activity in Nigeria.“This is yet another milestone stride for Citi as it executes a focused local-economy development strategy based on solid partnerships with key clients and development agencies.”According to the deal, DFC financing for Access Bank will provide needed liquidity given the global economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The loan is expected to support at least 4,000 new SME loans in Nigeria.In addition, the loan proceeds will be on-lent across more than a dozen sectors in the Nigerian economy, with specific focus on women-owned SMEs, and on loans with longer tenors, which will provide more flexibility to borrowers.
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E2%80%93-peter-obi No Way I Can Work With Atiku, Every Presidential Candidate Is Contesting To Win – Peter Obi
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on Monday, said he entered the “match” of the 2023 general elections and his only aim is to win and not to work for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Obi while speaking on Channels TV on Monday evening, noted that he had all what it took to defeat Atiku.
The former Anambra State governor, Obi was running mate to Atiku in the 2019 general elections and despite his acclaimed eloquence, the duo lost to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.
In the buildup to the 2023 elections, Obi had “divorced” Atiku and opted to run on the platform of the Labour Party as its presidential candidate.
Atiku, however, said last Friday in an Arise TV interview that Obi could not perform any miracle to win the presidential election in 2023.
However, when Obi was asked on Channels TV about the possibility of him working with Atiku if the chance arose, he said he was in the contest to win, adding that he had all it took to win.
Obi said, “Nobody goes into a match thinking of what will happen. Everyone is going into it to win. I’m going into this contest to be the next President of Nigeria… I think I have all it takes to win.”
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E2%80%93-afdb-president-akinwumi 2023 Elections: Nigerians In Diaspora Should Be Allowed To Vote – AfDB President, Akinwumi Adesina
The President of the African Development Bank (ADF), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has made a case for Nigerians in diaspora to vote in the 2023 general elections to decide the leadership of the country.Adesina, who was Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, made the appeal in his speech at the celebration of Nigeria’s diaspora day, delivered virtually.
While eulogising Nigerians in diaspora and their contributions to the development of the country, the AfDB president disclosed that in 2021, Nigerians in diaspora remitted $20billion to the country which represented four times more than the foreign direct investments in the same 2021 and half of the nation’s crude oil export.He said, “Today Nigerians in diaspora send home over $20 billion a year as remittances. Now to put this in perspective, you are going to think of the following – Nigeria’s foreign direct investment in 2021 was $4.8 billion according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTD). That means remittances by Nigerians in diaspora are four times the total foreign direct investment to Nigeria.”Nigeria export revenue from crude oil average is about $40 billion annually. Now that means that remittances by Nigerians in the diaspora are half of the crude oil exports of Nigeria, is like the new oil for Nigeria.”Without any doubt, Nigerians in diaspora are Nigeria’s second largest source of revenue after crude oil. Nigeria should therefore provide policies that support Nigerians in diaspora regardless of where we live or work; home is home.”Nigeria will achieve greatness if the diasporans will play a great part in our country’s greatness. That is why it is important for Nigerians in the diaspora to be allowed to participate in the political processes of Nigeria.”It is time that Nigerians in the diaspora are allowed to vote other nations do this. America allows its diaspora citizens to vote. Several African countries now allow their diasporan citizens to vote. Nigeria should do the same.””Then Nigerians at home and Nigerians outside the country, we can share in the shaping the future of their homeland Nigeria. May Nigeria thrives and prosper in peace unity and shared prosperity,” he added.
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E2%80%98discuss-security-rule-law%E2%80%99 Junketing Nigerian President, Buhari Travels To Liberia To ‘Discuss Security, Rule Of Law’
President Muhammadu Buhari, known for frivolous foreign trips, will on Tuesday depart Abuja for Monrovia, Liberia to, among other things, deliver a lectureBuhari, according to a statement on Monday, will also address issues bordering on West Africa’s security, free and fair elections and respect for rule of law.
He will also join other African leaders as Liberia marks a Special Independence anniversary, commemorating 175 years of self-rule; making it the oldest independent post-colonial African State.The Presidency disclosed these in the statement by Garba Shehu.Shehu noted that Buhari’s visit to Liberia, Tuesday, July 26, “signifies the importance attached to the security and wellbeing of Liberia and the rest of West Africa.”The statement read in part, “On this day, Liberia marks a Special Independence anniversary, commemorating 175 years of self-rule, with the country being the oldest independent post-colonial African State.“President Buhari is the Special Guest of Honour at the celebration and will deliver an address. The trip to Liberia comes at a time when political instability and the return of coups-d’état have upended two to three decades of democratic order in the sub-region.“Liberia, Sierra-Leone along with Nigeria are going into elections in 2023 and President Buhari is expected to emphasise to them the importance of free, fair and credible elections.”“In his address, the President is expected to stress the importance of the respect for rule of law rule throughout the sub-region. Without rule of Law and constitutional rule, there cannot be security, peace and development.” Further justifying the President’s trip, Shehu said “Peace and security of Liberia (and Sierra-Leone) is important to Nigeria given the enormous investments in men, material and resources expended by this country to secure the two states.“Without the leadership of Nigeria in the context of ECOWAS to secure these two, there would not have been a Liberia on the map in its present configuration today.“Bilaterally, Nigeria and Liberia may bring to the table issues of cross-border terrorism, bolstering defence and trade ties. The warmth of the relationship and personal chemistry between President Buhari and George Weah of Liberia is no less significant and will play a key role in the events of tomorrow.”
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Nigerian Police Detain Media Personnel In Abuja Over Petition By Senator Bwacha
Chief Executive Officer of Rock FM Jalingo, Ayodele Oloye
The Nigeria Police Force has detained the Chief Executive Officer of Rock FM Jalingo, Ayodele Oloye, at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Abuja.
It was gathered Oloye was detained because of a petition by the lawmaker representing the Taraba South Senatorial District, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha.
Chief Executive Officer of Rock FM Jalingo, Ayodele Oloye
Bwacha had earlier submitted a petition to the police to investigate the journalist in Taraba State over alleged cyber-stalling, defamation of character, and frustration of ambition among others.
Daily Post reports that Ayodele had, prior to his detention, raised an alert in a text message forwarded to media colleagues on Monday morning.
He said, “I’m Ayodele Samuel, Publisher of Taraba Truth and Facts Newspaper and CEO of Rock FM Jalingo, the first private FM radio station in Taraba State.
“I’m honouring a police invitation at the FCID, Abuja over a petition (I don’t know who the petitioners are or the content of the petition) but as a law-abiding citizen, I have honoured the invitation with a lawyer provided by the Media Rights Agenda, MRA.
“I feel it’s necessary to inform you and seek your support in case things go south.”
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Persons With Disabilities Storm Benue Government House, Defy Rain To Protest Unemployment, Non-Payment Of Bursaries By Ortom-led Administration
A group of people living with disabilities, under the platform of the National Association of People Living with Disabilities, Benue State Chapter, on Monday, stormed the Benue State Government’s House to protest the lack of employment opportunities and nonpayment of bursary allowances to their members.
The members of the association were seen gathering in large numbers in front of the state government house.
SaharaReporters gathered that the protesters were at the Government House since 10am and defied the rain to demand to see Governor Samuel Ortom for failing to address their needs for over seven years now.
“We are demanding to see the governor because none of the letters we wrote to him was approved. It is high time we took this move because he is not only representing the able persons, he also represents the disabled,” the group’s spokesperson told SaharaReporters.
He continued, “Among us, we have graduates, we have undergraduates. No job has been given to people with disabilities in Benue and we are finding it hard to cater to our families.
“If you can recall in 2018, 5% of jobs in Benue State were given to our members. But since then, nothing has happened again. Maybe he is not aware. So we decided to come to this gate to relate our challenges to him.
“The other one is disability commission; we want it to be domesticated in Benue. If he doesn’t do it, we don’t have the power to do it for ourselves. The students amongst us have not received bursary (scholarships) awarded to others since seven years back,” he added.
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Robbers Invade US Church During Live-streamed Service, Cart Away $400,000 Jewelry
A pastor in the United States of America, Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead, his wife and members of his church were robbed of jewelry that was worth $400,000 during a live-streamed church service on Sunday.CNN reports that three thieves were caught on tape barging into Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministry on Remsen Ave. near Avenue D in Canarsie about 11:15am on Sunday.
When the armed marauders appeared, the stunned Whitehead, who was wearing a clerical collar, burgundy vestments with gold trim and a long gold necklace, stopped his sermon and crouched down, saying, “Yo, all right, all right, all right” as he lay on the floor, video obtained by the Daily News shows.According to the video, only his legs and feet can be seen on the recording as he lay on the stage as the men bent over him and rifled his pockets.The armed men, who can be seen in the video dressed in black and carrying handguns, removed the expensive bling from Whitehead and his wife, police and the bishop said.Another man seen on the video sitting with what appears to be a prayer book watches impassively as the crime goes down.The robbers took off in a white Mercedes-Benz and are still being sought, police said.After they were gone, the pastor gets up, his collar askew, and walks out of frame in the video.Later, he took to social media to put the crime in context.“I was born without jewelry, jewelry don’t make me,” Whitehead said after the attack in a live video to his 1.3 million Instagram followers.He said on the broadcast that the congregation is “traumatised” after the incident.“I ain’t never scared, and I’m not up here being boastful or talking bad about nobody, but you have these women and children crying still,” he said. That’s not gangster. That’s a layup, like, ‘Oh, I robbed a church.’ You don’t get no points for that.”Whitehead said the robbery would not affect his preaching in the future.“We’re pushing, we’re still doing what we need to do,” Whitehead said. “I’m not a person from the suburbs; I’m from Brooklyn, I’m from the city. I understand the streets. This bishop, I’m not scared.”
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About 14million Nigerians Will Be Jobless, May Venture Into Crime If Buhari Government Bans Motorcycles – Association
File photo used to illustrate story
The National Commercial Motorcycle and Tricycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria has faulted the federal government’s plan to ban operation of commercial motorcycles popularly known as okada riding across the country.Speaking on a programme on Monday on Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), the President of the association, Usman Gwoza, said that if the Federal Government goes ahead to enforce the nationwide ban on commercial motorcycles, it will render millions of riders jobless and poor.
File photo used to illustrate story
According to Gwoza, the high unemployment rate in the country made many go into the business.Gwoza further noted that many members of the National Assembly channelled a large portion of their constituency projects to empowering their constituents with motorcycles, thereby increasing the number of okada riders in the country.He maintained that if gifting constituents with motorcycles amounted to empowerment, seizing these same motorcycles would be a form of disempowerment.Gwoza further argued that banning Okada because of the activities of a few bandits would amount to throwing away the baby with the bath water.According to the association’s president, the poverty rate is at an all-time high and Okada has become the saving grace for not just millions of riders but their families and dependents.“We have over 14 million riders. And we are all Nigerians. Those operating are over 20 million but those registered with us are over 14 million people. If you ban people from what they rely on for daily bread, are you increasing crime or reducing it?” he questioned.Speaking further, he said that “Okada has become the main tool of employment by lawmakers. Now this disempowerment will worsen crime. If you ban 14 million people, what alternative are you making for them? None.”He added that rather than ban Okada’s, the Association would rather work in parallel with the government and the security agencies to secure the lives of Nigerians.
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Terrorists Release Three Of Abducted Kaduna Train Passengers After Torture
Terrorists have released three victims, two males and a female, of 62 hostages who are the Abuja-Kaduna train passengers, abducted since March 28 on Monday.The victims were released by the terrorists at a location inside the forest along the Kaduna–Abuja highway. From there, they were picked up by their relatives, Channels TV reports.
This brought the total number of victims that had regained their freedom to 22, which means about 40 people are still in the custody of the terrorists.Recall that terrorists had on March 28 blown up the rail track, killing some and abducting scores of passengers, a situation that called for serious concern about the safety of the nation’s train.Due to the attack, the Nigeria Railway Corporation temporarily suspended activities, with President Muhammadu Buhari directing security agencies to rescue the victims.SaharaReporters had reported on Sunday that the terrorists, via a viral video were seen flogging their hostages and also threatened to abduct President Buhari and the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.The presidency reacted to the threat hours after, accusing the insurgents of using propaganda to compel the government to yield to their demands.In a statement, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, claimed that the security forces were not helpless in stemming the tide of insecurity confronting the country.In his usual rhetoric, Shehu had said, “The Presidency, in the meantime wishes to reassure the public that the President has done all, and even more than what is expected of him as Commander-in-Chief by way of morale, material and equipment support to the military and expects nothing short of good results in the immediate.”
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Court Restrains Ondo Government From Forcefully Evicting Idanre Forest Reserve Farmers
An Ondo State High Court sitting in Idanre, on Monday, granted an order restraining the state government, “its agents or whoever” from a forceful eviction of Idanre Forest Reserve Farmers pending the hearing and determination of motion notice before the court.Justice S. Olorundahunsi gave the order, sequel to a motion ex parte of over 10,000 farmers in the Ofosu Axis of Idanre Forest Reserve (OA5), who are the applicants in Suit No: HID/14/2022, filed before the court through their lawyer, Tope Temokun, seeking the court protection of their investments.
The farmers told the court that they had farmed in the said land for over 20 years, cultivating permanent crops like cocoa and others.They noted that they had been at loggerheads with the Ondo State government for some time now over the sale of their farmland of cocoa plantations to “SAO GROUPS,” a private consortium owned by Ayo Sotinri, after they paid rent for the use of the land for over four years now and thereby enjoy a right to lawful occupation of the land.They told the court that on Sunday, July 17, the government drove bulldozers into the farmlands preparatory to grading, uprooting and destroying their permanent crops, their life investment of decades, to forcefully eject them from the land and that there had been peaceful protest.They said the action of the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu-led government is already generating unrest in Idanre and its environs.Through their Counsel, the applicant’s prayed the court for the following orders;”An Order of Interim Injunction restraining the Defendants/ Respondents, their privies, servants and/or agents from forcefully ejecting or evicting the claimants/ applicants from the land subject-matter of this suit, their farmlands at Idanre Forest Reserve (OA5), Ofosu Onisere Axis, Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State or from taking over or grading the claimants/ applicants’ farmlands, subject-matter of this suit, occupied by the Claimants/ Applicants as cocoa farmers, containing their grown cocoa plantations, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.”Those sued as Respondents; are Capital Management Limited, Ondo State Government, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Ondo State, Ministry of Agriculture Ondo State, Honourable Commissioner For Ministry of Agriculture Ondo State, Mr. Akin Olotu (Chairman Ondo State Agribusiness Empowerment Centre & Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Ondo State on Agriculture And Agric-Business), State Board Of Internal Revenue, Mr. Tolu Adegbie (Executive Chairman Ondo State Internal Revenue Service), Ondo State Security Network Agency(operating under the code-name “Amotekun Corps”).Justice Olorundahunsi after listening to the applicant’s argument and supporting affidavit, granted the prayer of the farmers restraining defendants.Those restrained by the order included, “the Ondo State government and its agencies, including its security network, Amotekun, from forcefully ejecting or evicting the claimants/applicants from the land subject-matter of this suit, their farmlands at Idanre Forest Reserve (OA5), Ofosu Onisere Axis, Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State or from taking over or grading the claimants/ applicants’ farmlands, subject matter of this suit, occupied by the Claimants/Applicants as cocoa farmers, containing their grown cocoa plantations, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.”The court adjourned the case to August 3, 2022.
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