Headlines News Today Monday, 22nd June, 2020

 Nigeria records 436 new Corona virus cases, as total reaches 20,244





Nigeria’s COVID-19 cases have exceeded 20,000 as the country recorded 436 new infections.

The Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed this in a tweet on Sunday night.

It said “On the 21st of June 2020, 436 new confirmed cases and 12 deaths were recorded in Nigeria

No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours.”

Till date, 20,244 cases have been confirmed, 6879 cases have been discharged and 518 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory.


The 436 new cases are reported from 19 states- Lagos (169), Oyo (52), Plateau (31), Imo (29), Kaduna (28), Ogun (23), FCT (18), Enugu (18), Bauchi (17), Bayelsa (14), Rivers (8), Osun (6), Kano (6), Edo(5), Benue (5), Adamawa (3), Borno (2), Abia (1), Ekiti (1).



 APC, Edo State set for showdown as governors primary holds today















The All Progressives Congress and the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration in Edo State are set for a showdown over the APC primary election holding today (Monday) in the 192 wards of the state.


















The Edo State APC governorship election committee headed by the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, which on Sunday released guidelines for the party primary election, insisted that the exercise would hold in all the 192 wards in the state.




But the state government said, in compliance with its COVID-19 law, the APC must apply for a waiver before organising a political gathering in any part of the state.




It alleged that the APC had imported thugs into the state with the aim of causing destruction of lives and property.




The state government had on May 28 gazetted regulations aimed at preventing the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.




Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media, Mr Crusoe Osagie, had on Monday last week, explained the law to one of our correspondents. He said any party that wanted to organise a gathering must apply for a waiver from the state government and that such must be held in one location.




APC insists on holding primary in 192 wards




But on Sunday, the APC committee said its guidelines were in compliance with the state government’s COVID-19 regulations.




A statement by the Secretary of the APC committee, Dr Ajibola Basiru, said voting would commence simultaneously at 8am at the 192 wards in the state.




It insisted that not more than 18 persons would be allowed to gather at the same time from the commencement of voting till the end of the exercise when results would be announced.




The party said, “That the process of the election of the candidate of the party shall commence at 8am on Monday, June 22, 2020 at the various wards in all the local government areas with strict compliance with Edo State’s extant law prohibiting gathering of more than 20 persons.




“Not more than 18 persons including Presiding Officers and Independent National Electoral Commission observers shall be at ward voting centre at any point in time.

 Airports and airlines not ready for operation, says NCAA







Airports and airlines in the country are not yet fully ready to resume operations, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has said.

It was gathered on Sunday that while airlines were about 70 per cent prepared for resumption, domestic airports were 57.83 per cent ready.

Latest statistics from NCAA also showed that air navigation service providers were about 80 per cent prepared.




Ground handlers were adjudged the readiest operators in the sector.




Eight airlines were collectively rated 70 per cent prepared by NCAA. They are Aero Contractor, Air Peace, Arik Air, Azman Air, Dana airlines, Ibom air, Max Air and Overland Airways Limited.




The eight airlines were evaluated on the following processes: restart plan, public health corridor concept, operational safety, personnel licensing and aircraft operations, aviation security, safety management system amongst others.




The government made it clear on Thursday that it was not feasible to open the country’s airspace for commercial operations from June 21.




Also, officials of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and the NCAA stated that the airworthiness of about six airlines did not automatically mean that the carriers had been cleared to start transporting travellers within Nigeria.




It was gathered that the decision to resume commercial flight operations on June 21 was rescinded because the aviation sector was not ready yet.




The General Manager, Public Relations Department, NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, told our correspondent that the regulator was still engaging operators in the sector, as there were still issues that must be sorted out before flights resume.




Adurogboye, however, noted that the issue at the moment was not about who had been cleared or not, rather the focus was on being fully ready for flight resumption within Nigeria.


 Workers are paid peanuts, senators earn luxury wages says Ndume













A former Senate Leader, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Army in the 9th National Assembly, Senator Ali Ndume, declared on Sunday that federal lawmakers and other highly placed public officers were earning luxury wages to the detriment of Nigerian masses.




He said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Muhammadu Sanusi, had vindicated his position on the high cost of running a presidential democracy, which he insisted was no longer realistic.




Ndume stated this while reacting to the views expressed by Osinbajo and Sanusi during a webinar organised by the Emmanuel Chapel, themed, ‘Economic stability beyond COVID-19’, on Friday.




Sanusi had on the occasion, pointed out that the governance structure in the country had set it up for bankruptcy, and asked the Vice President what the current regime would do differently to address the perennial problem.




In his response, Osinbajo had said, “There is no question that we are dealing with large and expensive government, but as you know, given the current constitutional structure, those who would have to vote to reduce (the size of) government, especially to become part-time legislators, are the very legislators themselves.”




Ndume said, “We have a budget of N10tn and only 30 per cent is going to the majority, whereas 70 per cent will be spent on a few minority. The system we are practising now is not fair either morally or socially.




“In the current system, workers are not being paid living wages, whereas a privileged few are earning luxury wages. The National Assembly members, including me, for instance, are paid luxury wages.




“How can we live comfortably when only a few of us are living a life of luxury while the majority are living in abject poverty? The N30,000 minimum wage is too small; it can make workers engage in corruption in order to survive.”




The senator, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, insisted that the current cost of governance was too much.




CBN imposes N216bn CRR levy on all banks
















In a bid to mop up liquidity and prevent speculation in the foreign exchange market, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Friday deducted N216 billion from banks accounts as Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) .




In addition, the apex bank mopped up N80 billion through sale of secondary market (Open Market Operations, OBB) treasury bills.




These developments prompted the cost of funds to rise sharply on Friday with interest rate on Collateralised (Open Buy Back, OBB) lending rising by 740 basis points (bpts) to 15.17 percent from 8.3 percent the previous week. Similarly, interest rate on Overnight lending rose by 684 bpts to 16.67 percent on Friday from 9.83 percent the previous week.




In another development the apex bank returned N338 billion to bank customers for unsuccessful bids at its retail foreign exchange auction, a situation that indicates unwillingness to further use the nation’s declining external reserves to meet dollar demand from end-users.




Meanwhile, the external reserves declined for the second consecutive week, falling to $36.316 billion on Thursday last week from $36.446 billion on Thursday June 11th, 2020. This represents week-on-week decline of $130 million. Consequently the reserves had fallen by $256 million since May 29th, 2020 when it peaked at $36.594 billion.




Reflecting this development, the naira depreciated last week in the parallel market and in the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window.




In the parallel market the naira depreciated by N7.5 as the exchange rate rose to N455.5 per dollar on Friday from N448 per dollar the previous week.




In the I&E window, the naira depreciated by 75 kobo as the indicative exchange rate for the window rose to N386.5 per dollar from N385.75 per dollar the previous week.




Rebuild APC, PGF DG urges Buhari, other stakeholders.

According to reports, The Director-General, Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Mr Salihu Lukman, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to take urgent steps to rebuild the party.

Lukman, who made the call in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, attributed the APC’s current crisis to the inability of the leadership to manage disagreements and resolve conflicts within the party.


Coronavirus: Motorcycle unions set up joint task force to enforce directives in Ogun State


As part of efforts to enforce government directive in curtailing the spread of coronavirus pandemic in Ogun State, the three unions in charge of motorcycle operators in the State on Sunday inaugurated a joint task force to check the excesses of their members.

The unions which included, Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN), Articulate Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association (AMORAN), and the Riders and Owners of Motorcycles Organization (ROMO) agreed to inaugurate the taskforce during a meeting held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capial.


Why my deputy was stopped from leaving govt house – Akeredolu.

According to report this morning, Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has given reasons why his deputy, Agboola Ajayi, was stopped from leaving the government house on Friday.

It was reported earlier yesterday that Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Bolaji Salami, stopped the deputy governor when he wanted to vacate the government house with his aides on Saturday.