Business News
Coronavirus: Airline Operators of Nigeria demand restrictions on travellers
The Airline Operators of Nigeria has demanded that the Federal Government restrict entry into Nigeria, limiting it to Lagos and Abuja.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria has demanded that the Federal Government restrict entry into Nigeria, limiting it to Lagos and Abuja. The group stated that Nigeria is the only country that hasn’t taken decisive measures to battle coronavirus.
The group said the restriction should include Nigerians and foreigners coming from countries with about 100 cases of coronavirus. Speaking on behalf of Airline Operators of Nigeria, the Chairman, Capt. Nogie Meggison, said Nigeria had been holding back in taking restricted measures like other countries.
Coronavirus
Nairametrics reported that the leaders of the United States, Canada, France, China, Uganda, Ghana, Chad and other countries had announced travel ban and placed restrictions on entry into their countries, limiting it to just few countries.
Just as the aforementioned countries did, Meggison said the Federal Government should put Nigerians first.
[READ MORE: Coronavirus forcing UK cinemas to shut down , as Nigerian counterparts record revenue loss)
“We can say for sure that if the situation escalates in Nigeria, other countries of the world would not hesitate to stop us from flying into their countries.
“We would like to appeal to the government to stand tall by putting Nigeria first at this time and take immediate action by restricting travel into Nigeria.”
He said this would enable effective deployment of critical medical support staff and utilisation of thermal scanners by the Port Health Services.
FG still ignoring travel ban calls: Despite demand that the Nigerian government should closed the border and place travel ban on flights from countries with high cases of coronavirus, FG said the time isn’t right for such directive.
Osagie Ehanire, Health Minister, Nigeria
Despite the spread of coronavirus forcing other world leaders to impose a travel ban on travellers coming in or going out their countries or limiting entry access, the Nigerian government said it has no plan to take such decision, thereby, opening Nigeria’s airspace to flights from countries with reported cases of coronavirus outbreak.
READ ALSO: Covid-19: Ghana restricts flights into country but Nigeria ignores measure
The decision of the Federal Government was revealed by the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire while providing updates on the coronavirus in Nigeria. According to him, measures were in place to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus in Nigeria, but a travel ban is not one of the immediate methods being considered.
Appointments
Dangote Sugar appoints Ravindra Singhvi as GMD/Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Ravindra Singhvi has been appointed as the substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc.
The Board of Directors of Dangote Sugar has appointed Mr. Ravindra Singhvi as substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, effective October 30, 2020.
This disclosure was made by the company in a notification of the resolution of its board meeting, to the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
The statement partly reads:
“Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc. wishes to notify the Exchange and the investing public that at the Board of Directors Meeting of the Company held today, Friday October 30, 2020, the Board approved (a) the Unaudited Financial Statement for the Quarter Ended September 30, 2020, and (b) the appointment of the current Ag. Managing Director, Mr. Ravindra Singhvi as substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc. effective October 30, 2020.”
What you should know
Prior to his new appointment, Mr Singhvi had been the ag. Managing Director of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc since 18th June, 2019, after serving as the company’s Chief Operating Officer.
The Board’s stance on the appointment
The Board has stated that it is “confident that he is a great asset to the Company, particularly at this time when it is on a rapid growth trajectory, in view of its recent acquisition and it’s several backward integration projects (BIP) to position itself for further job creation in local plantations and factories, import substitution and deeper contribution to national economic development.”
Mr. Singhvi is wished the very best in his endeavors.
About Mr. Ravindra Singhvi
He has over 39 years of proven experience in leadership positions in Manufacturing and Processes in Sugar, Petrochemicals, Cement, and Textiles products industries in India.
He is a Chartered Accountant with background in Company Secretarial Practice, Corporate Governance and Management, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in B.Com (Hons) and Law(I) from the University of Jodhpur, India.
Prior to joining Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Mr. Singhvi had served as the Managing Director & CEO of NSL Sugar Limited, Hyderabad, India, and Managing Director, EID Parry (1) Limited, Chennai, India, one of top three sugar producing companies in India.
ENDSARS
IGP says protesters attacked 205 public, private facilities
Data collated when the #End SARS peaceful protest started indicated that 14 states recorded major violence.
The Nigerian Police Force has stated that about 205 critical national security assets, corporate facilities and private properties were razed down and vandalized during the EndSARS protest, which was hijacked by hoodlums and arsonists.
This was disclosed by Mr Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector-General of Police, during a virtual conference of Senior Police Officers in Abuja, according to a news report by NAN.
READ: Buhari approves free business name registration for 250,000 SMEs
READ: #EndSARS: Our police reform agenda is a game changer to end impunity – Osinbajo
Adamu disclosed that data collated between Oct. 11, when the #End SARS peaceful protest started as a demonstration, and Oct. 27, after it was hijacked by the vandals, indicated that 14 states recorded major violence.
He said that some of the states severely affected by this civil unrest are Lagos, Edo, Delta, Oyo, Kano, Plateau, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Rivers, Abia, Imo, Ekiti, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
READ: #EndSARS: Joe Biden issues press release on violent crackdown of Protesters in Nigeria
The violence had resulted in attacks on critical national security infrastructure, other corporate and private properties, as well as injuries or fatalities to civilians, the police, and other security agents.
READ: #EndSARS: IMF Links protests to economic difficulties
What you should know
- 71 public warehouses and 248 privately owned stores were looted in the course of the protests nationwide.
- 51 civilian fatalities with 37 injured, and 22 policemen gruesomely murdered with 26 others injured were recorded during the protest.
- 10 firearms, including 8 AK 47 rifles, were carted away during the attack on police stations, and a locally made pistol had been recovered from elements operating under the guise of the EndSARS protest.
- 1,596 suspects have so far been arrested in connection with the violence and widespread looting across the country.
Explore the Advanced Financial Calculators on Nairametrics
Macro-Economic News
Nigeria’s food Inflation rises by 110.5% in five years
Nigeria’s Food Inflation has risen by 110.5% between September 2015 and September 2020.
Nigeria’s food inflation has risen by 110.5% in 5 years, between September 2015 and September 2020.
A comparison of the Composite Food Index within the period under review indicated that food inflation rose from 181.8 index points to 382.7 index points.
This means that the price of food items has not only increased, but more than doubled in the last five years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
READ: UPDATED: Inflation rate jumps to 12.40%, highest in over 2 years
Explore the Advanced Financial Calculators on Nairametrics
Similarly, the All Items Index rose by 92.4% during the same period.
Food items that have witnessed significant increases
Data obtained from Nairalytics, the research arm of Nairametrics, revealed that:
- Foreign rice (Caprice) which sold for an average of N14,500 as of May 2019 is now sold for an average of N30,000.
- A 50kg bag of Ijebu garri that sold for N7,200 in May 2019, now costs N13,700.
- A 25-litre keg of vegetable oil sold for N9,750 in May 2019, now sells for N14,625.
- A piece of frozen fish which cost N417 in May 2019, now sells for N625.
READ: Buhari’s CBN policies may drag Nigerian economy into crisis – Fitch
READ: Debt servicing gulps N7.04 trillion under President Buhari’s administration
Why are the figures going up?
The hike in the cost of staple food items could be attributed to the border closure directive of the federal government that was announced in August 2019.
It is projected to hit 20% by the first quarter of 2021, when the effects of the increase in petrol and electricity prices are accounted for.
Also, yield per hectare for most farming is well below global standards, driving up the cost of whatever is left to be sold to Nigerians.
Farmers also face insecurity, flooding, and sometimes famine affecting their ability to plant and harvest. Even after harvesting, supply chain challenges still persist, leaving farmers to contend with middlemen, transportation, and storage. The result is far less farm produce reaching the final consumer.
READ: Sanusi declares Nigeria under Buhari a Bankrupt Nation
READ: Nigeria must keep inflation down to maximise full potential – IMF
What they are saying
Prof. Steve Hanke, an American Applied Economist at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, expressed his dissatisfaction over the performance of Buhari’s administration.
According to him, the Federal Government could do more than what it is doing; he described the administration as a failure over security of its citizens, unemployment, and inflation.
He tweeted, “President Muhammadu Buhari has failed. Nigeria is in the grip of chaos. Bandits control major highways.
“The government can’t protect its own citizens from Boko Haram or the corrupt Police. Unemployment stands at 27.1%, and Inflation, which I accurately measure every day and that soars at 30.37%/yr.”
READ: Nigeria’s inflation rate rises to 12.56% in June, as food prices surge
READ: More agriculture loans but longstanding bottlenecks remain
.@MBuhari has failed. #Nigeria is in the grip of chaos. Bandits control major highways. The government can’t protect its own citizens from #BokoHaram or the #Corrupt police. #Unemployment stands at 27.1%, and #Inflation – which I accurately measure every day – soars at 30.37%/yr. pic.twitter.com/LZOzHWkiau
— Prof. Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) October 28, 2020
READ: Northern States worst hit as Nigeria’s inflation jumps to 11.85% in November
What you should know
- On October 15, 2020, Nairametrics reported that Nigeria’s inflation rate rose to 13.71% (year-on-year) in September 2020, indicating 0.49% point higher than 13.22% recorded in August 2020. This was contained in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) about two weeks ago.
- According to the report, Nigeria has endured persistent increase in inflationary rate —growing from 12.13% in January to 13.71% in September—the highest recorded in 30 months.
- A closely watched component of the food inflation index rose by 16.66% in September 2020 — a 0.66% increase compared to 16% recorded in the previous month.
- On a month-on-month basis, the food sub-index rose by 1.88% compared to 1.67% recorded in August 2020.
- Meanwhile, the rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of bread and cereals, potatoes, yam and other tubers, meat, fish, fruits, and oils and fats.
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