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China under pressure to write off loans as countries grapple to repay debt during coronavirus crisis

Edozie Udeojo

…”Many countries under the (Belt and Road) initiative have borrowed heavily from China to invest in new projects, but the pandemic is disrupting economies and will complicate repayment plans,” said Kaho Yu, senior Asia analyst at Verisk Maplecroft.

…Yu said in a report that currently, low-income countries under the BRI are already asking China for debt relief.
China has had a track record of taking over assets when countries indebted to it go under.

…It will be “under pressure” to extend those loans or even write them off, analysts say.

China could find itself having to write off massive loans as countries that owe Beijing money under its massive infrastructure project struggle with mounting debts in the coronavirus fallout, analysts say.

China’s mammoth infrastructure investment plan — also known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — is highly controversial and widely criticized for saddling many countries with debt.

It is an ambitious project that aims to build a complex network of rail, road and sea routes stretching from China to Central Asia, Africa and Europe. It is also aimed at boosting trade. Chinese financial institutions have provided hundreds of billions in funding to countries involved in the BRI projects.

“Many countries under the BRI initiative have borrowed heavily from China to invest in new projects, but the pandemic is disrupting economies and will complicate repayment plans,” Kaho Yu, senior Asia analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, told reporters .

The coronavirus pandemic has spread to more than 180 territories and countries in the world, and has infected more than 4.1 million people so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. At least 282,694 deaths related to Covid-19 have been reported since it first emerged late last year in China.

Several major BRI projects — such as those in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan — have been stalled by lockdowns, according to Simon Leung, a banking and finance partner at law firm Baker McKenzie.

The outbreak has also led to disruptions in BRI projects which often depend heavily on labor and supplies — but both were prevented from reaching the sites as a result of the lockdowns, Leung pointed out.

“The drop in export revenues, coupled with increasing domestic spending as a result of the outbreak, have led to significant depreciation of local currency and in turn adversely affected the ability of borrowers to meet forex-denominated debts owing to Chinese banks,” said Leung, referring to increased spending in terms of stimulus packages. Less demand for a country’s goods typically also means less demand for its currency, causing it to weaken.

All that has affected the ability of debtor countries to repay their dollar-denominated loans from China.

More than 130 countries are under the BRI initiative, according to Beijing-based research firm Green Belt and Road Initiative Center. Many of those countries are in Europe, Africa, and Central Asia.

According to Yu, low-income countries under Belt and Road are already asking China for debt relief. That could come in the form of interest waivers, extension of payment periods or to suspend payments altogether in the medium term.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka could be among the worst-off, and may not be able to service their overall debt obligations this year as a result of the pandemic, analysts said.

Barter trade
Countries have also signed so-called “barter deals” with China, and they are “in an even more difficult position,” Yu said.

Some Chinese loans are reportedly denominated in barrels of oil — a practice the World Bank has flagged as opaque, because they mask the true payment amounts.

“Since the pandemic hit the oil prices, they will have to produce more oil to repay the loans. However, the pandemic has also disrupted all kinds of industrial activities, making it impossible for these countries to meet the required production level,” Yu said. “As a result, Chinese companies will likely be handed control over joint ventures or be repaid by assets.”

“There is, however, a growing likelihood that Chinese lenders will be forced into broader debt forgiveness, owing to force-majeure clauses or other arrangements.”
The Economic Intelligence Unit


“China’s loans to countries have been shrouded in secrecy, according to reports, with Beijing often demanding public-sector assets as collateral. Between 2000 and 2017, other countries’ debt owed to China soared ten-fold, according to a study last year.”

China has had a track record of taking over assets when countries cannot repay their loans. One high-profile example is Sri Lanka, which had to hand over a strategic port to Beijing in 2017, after it couldn’t pay off its debt to Chinese companies.

‘Pressure’ to write off loans

China will be “under pressure” to extend those loans or even write them off, according to research firm Economist Intelligence Unit. It has already “indicated some willingness” to offer debt-relief programs to certain low-income countries, said EIU.

“There is, however, a growing likelihood that Chinese lenders will be forced into broader debt forgiveness, owing to force-majeure clauses or other arrangements,” the EIU said. A force majeure event occurs when unforeseeable circumstances — such as natural catastrophes or in this case, a pandemic — prevent one party from fulfilling its contractual duties, absolving them from penalties.

“Widespread debt write-offs could generate a negative feedback cycle that would discourage future Chinese lending activity over the remainder of 2020 (and into 2021),” the research firm said.

Much of the lending is done through two policy banks — the China Development Bank and Export-Import Bank of China, both of which are “closely linked” to the Chinese government, said Baker McKenzie’s Leung.

“Those banks enjoy government backing and support and therefore the debt renegotiations may involve political dialogue,” he said.

More importantly, Beijing could be motivated to write off debts due to the BRI’s significance to China. “We suspect that China will eventually come around to rescheduling and forgiving some of the debts to BRI countries, especially for projects that are strategically important,” said Homin Lee, Asia macro strategist at Swiss private bank, Lombard Odier.

“Debt problems will be highly idiosyncratic, especially since China has strategic stakes in many of the transnational projects and also economic interest in ensuring the long-term success of the program,” he said in a press release.

Back home, Chinese banks are already preparing for a growing pile of bad loans, as consumers and companies alike suffer the brunt of the pandemic. Earlier this year, China’s central bank said state lenders will have to tolerate higher levels of bad loans to support firms affected by the coronavirus.

https://premiumreportersonline.com/2020/05/11/china-under-pressure-to-write-off-loans-as-countries-grapple-to-repay-debt-during-coronavirus-crisis/

Exclusive!
ORJI UZOR KALU CASE: HOW I MADE MY PREDICTION.

By DPA Rambo
Boston, Massachusetts

It was really a challenging task to try to unravel what could have happened in the case of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu(OUK) that suddenly landed him in prison on December 5, 2019. I had been virtually neutral or indifferent over Senator Orji Kalu until he was convicted and jailed. I had already forgotten that he was facing a trial. But once convicted, I decided to analyze his case. I was shocked by the following discoveries:

1) Justice Mohammed Idris who convicted Orji Uzor Kalu was already promoted to the court of appeal and he had been sworn in as a Court of Appeal judge before he started taking evidence in the case of OUK. Many people will think that Idris was already in the middle of the case when he got promoted to the court of appeal and he was only trying to finish what he had started. But no! Idris had not started the case when he was promoted. It was after his elevation that he started the case and began to rush it. Why? Why?

2) Justice Kolawole was another Federal High Court judge that was promoted to Court of Appeal at the same time as Idris. Kolawole was asked if he would continue with Federal High Court cases assigned to him. He declined, saying that it would be unconstitutional for him to be a Court of Appeal Justice and be hearing a High Court case. Would he be signing as Kolawole J (as he had ceased to be) or as Kolawole JCA (as he had since become). Kolawole did what was right because he had no interest in any case. Idris did the opposite because he had a personal interest in Orji Uzor Kalu's case.

3) Justice Idris is the" rogue judge" that as penciled down and determined to nail Orji Kalu at all cost and he was ready to violate the constitution to achieve that outcome. (And now look at what he did to Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and to the country. He wrongfully put a man in jail for 6 months (which is equivalent of 9 months by prison calendar). He destroyed businesses and many peoples employment. He wasted the time and resources of the Supreme Court spent to correct his mess).

4) When Idris insisted on continuing with Senator Kalu's case after his promotion to the court of appeal, an objection was raised. But he stubbornly insisted. Why, Was there a hidden agenda ?

5) As a court of appeal judge, you do not get any new credit for any case you go back to handle at the High Court. Why would Idris be wasting his time with a High Court case that could not be recorded toward his future credit? Because he was a rogue on a mission.

"Then I studied Orji Uzor Kalu closely. I saw he was a perfect target for the worst kind of manipulation".

Below are the reasons;

(a) Orji Uzor was an unquestionable viable presidential candidate if rotational politics allocated the presidency to the Igbos in 2023.

(b) Orji Uzor Kalu is the only Igbo man who is also a publisher and owner of newspapers publishing company (The Sun) that is known nationwide. This is a strategic asset so I was not surprised when justice Idris targeted Sun Newspaper for destruction.

(c) Orji Uzor Kalu is one of the richest Igbo men.

Ibeto is rich, but nowhere as rich. Emeka Offor is rich, but lacks OUK's "strategic political powers".

Innoson is rich, but constantly vulnerable to harassment and intimidation by the EFCC and Customs. Orji Uzor Kalu was the ideal Igbo personality who needed to be contained and this case was the perfect opportunity and Justice Idris was the rogue to carry out the dirty job.

(d) Of all Igbo politicians, OUK as he is fondly called has the greatest level of support from the Northern part of Nigeria, making him a more viable presidential and nationally accepted candidate.

(e) This appeal that was decided on May 8 was an interlocutory appeal filed in 2018 when Idris refused to recuse himself from the case. (Many people, including people you thought would know better assumed that this was an appeal against his conviction in December of 2019. No, this was an interlocutory appeal filed in 2018 against Idris' insistence that he must remain the judge even after the Constitution disqualified him.

(f) When the appeal landed in the Court of Appeal, the Court of Appeal declined to hear the appeal. They kicked it up to the Supreme Court. Why? Why? So, I knew this was an important appeal. Of course, Judge Idris went ahead to convict OUK and to target his businesses.
If the issue was just 7.6 billion naira, why not allow the company to just pay it, since companies don't go to jail? But the judge wanted not only to jail OUK, but to also cripple his business empire such that if he eventually won on appeal, it would be of no use to him.

When I looked at all this, I carefully reviewed the case and I analyzed the 7-man panel of supreme court justices to sit on the appeal. I knew that the interests that controlled Justice Idris would not be enough to control those 7 Supreme Court justices. I also knew that after so many problems last year and this year, the Supreme Court was facing an image or reputational crisis and they are careful to avoid more mistakes or bad public opinion. I felt confident that they would quash the conviction of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.

https://abntv.ng/2020/05/orji-uzor-kalu-case-how-i-made-my-prediction-dpa-rambo/

NDDC: Senate to Summon IMC to Explain How It Spent N40 Billion in Three Months.

Edozie Udeojo,Abuja

The Senate on Tuesday resolved to probe the allegations of financial misappropriation by the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).


The Senate in a follow up set up an Adhoc Committee to probe the alleged financial recklessness by the Interim Management Committee.

The Adhoc Committee, chaired by Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (Ekiti North) is to among others unravel the alleged spending of N40 billion by the IMC in three months without due process.

Other members of the Adhoc Committee are Senators Jika Dauda Haliru (Bauchi Central), Mohammed Tanko Almakura (Nasarawa South), Abdulfatai Buhari (Oyo North), Chukwuka Utazi (Enugu North) , Ibrahim Hadeija (Jigawa North-East ) and Degi – Eremienyo Biobarakuma Wangaha (APC Bayelsa East).

The resolutions of the Upper Chamber followed a motion titled: “Urgent need to investigate alleged financial recklessness in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)” sponsored by Senator George Sekibo (Rivers East).

Sekibo in his lead debate noted that the Senate is worried that the accelerated development envisaged by the NDDC’s Act has not actually impacted on the region, 20 years after its establishment.

The Rivers East Senator bemoaned, that the operators of the commission’s policies and programmes have not only lost focus but have completely abandoned the initial desire of the people of the area and used the commission’s funds on programmes and policies that is not commensurate with funds so far injected into the agency by the Federal Government and other donors.

Sekibo said: “There have been a loud accusation of misuse of funds by previous management of the commission which portrayed the commission as a financial conduit pipe especially when the aspiration of the founding fathers have been forsaken.

“The visible recklessness may have prompted the President to set up an Interim Management Committee while ordering a forensic audit of the commission so as to reposition it for its intended mandate.

“While the President’s action of setting up an IMC and the forensic audit may have been conceived to forestall the financial recklessness of the commission and reposition it for fast-tracking of the development of the region, the IMC has been more bedeviled with the same financial misuse, misapplication, misappropriation or outright fraud in the management of the funds of the commission.

“Alarmed that the IMC has inundated itself with undue gross misconducts in fraudulent contracts award without due recourse to due process and flagrant disobedience to the provisions of the Sections 19, 25, 41 and 42 of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

“Within the last three months, the Commission has spent over N40 billion of the commission’s fund without recourse to established processes of funds disbursement which has opened up further suspicion among stakeholders of the Niger Delta Region.

“The IMC is also alleged to be arbitrarily using executive power for wrongful sacking of management staff of the commission without recourse to established civil service rules and practices with the aim of concealing the fraudulent financial recklessness they have committed.

“Consequently, the IMC has lost credibility and is been seen as a financial conduit pipe based on opinions of stakeholders in the region, which therefore urgently calls for an intervention by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to install confidence in the people for whom the commission was primarily established.

“In particular, Section 88 of the Constitution (as amended), has conferred on the National Assembly and in this case the Senate, to ascertain whether the sum of N40billion so appropriated and in the coffers of the commission, has been properly applied judiciously and appropriately to programmes they are meant for.”

Sekibo called on the Senate to mandate the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs to carry out a wholistic investigation on all issues relating to but not limited to misapplication and misappropriation of the sum of N40 billion by the commission as well as all procurements and financial transactions of the commission in this fiscal year 2020 and any other matter that is not in accordance with the provisions of the NDDC’s establishment Act 2000.

Though during the general debate on the motion, Senators Bala Ibn Na”Allah (Kebbi South) and Ajibola Basiru (Osun Central) through different constitutional point of orders, tried to stop it from sailing through, but the motion was approved when it was put to voice vote by Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.

Senators Na’Allah and Basiru has kicked against the motion on the grounds of being driven by allegations.

But Lawan in his ruling countered by saying that at the level of investigation, the veracity or otherwise of the allegations would be established.

The Chairman Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, however objected to assertions that the Committee May have been negligent in its oversight duties.

Nwaoboshi said: “It will be necessary for me to place on the record because this is the house of record and whatever you say here, will always come out and you may be held responsible for that.

“My learned colleague in the Bar, Senator Na’allah raised a point of order and in the process, he said that the committee failed to perform its duties and it is on record. When the issue was raised again, he went over to say again that Sekibo did not bring it on behalf of the committee.

“First, Senator Sekibo is a member of the committee on Niger Delta Affairs and everything he did here was in consonance and approval of the members of this committee.

“For him to say that the committee is not part of it is a misnomer since motions are not brought in the names of a committee, it has never happened in this Senate unless a report is brought in the name of a committee.

“Secondly, he went further to say I have ‘stopped’, that we have relegated on our powers or our functions.

“That is not correct. The period under the investigation is three months. If you can follow the motion. Within the period of investigation, we have been, the chamber has been locked and this is the first time we are taking a motion on the floor of this Senate.

“To say that a member of the committee brought a motion and it was debated and you say that the committee has relegated on its powers, it is an affront on the integrity and personality of some of us in the committee.

“He is a lawyer, I am 31 years in the Bar, you cannot make such derogatory statement about me.”

On why the Senate choose yo carry out the probe through an Adhoc Committee and not the Senate Committee on NDDC, Lawan said: “I want to assure you that it was not the intention of the Senate to take away the responsibility of the NDDC.

“We believe that you have been doing your work. I know personally that you have been involved as far as the affairs of the NDDC is concerned.

“This is something that was put to vote. It is not strange to have an Adhoc committee when we have a standing committee.

“We in this 9th Senate sets up Adhoc committees. I recall that in 2011, I headed a committee to investigate privatization.

“There was a committee on BPE so this is just the workings of the Senate. All that we need to do is to ensure that our committees, whether Adhoc, standing or special committees do their work.

“I want to assure you that nothing affects the integrity of the committee. It is just to ensure that there is sanity in the NDDC.”



https://premiumreportersonline.com/2020/05/05/nddcsenate-to-summon-imc-to-explain-how-it-spent-n40-billion-in-three-months/

Nothing is wrong with Our health emergency bill – Senate

Edozie Udeojo , Abuja

The Senate has said on Tuesday that there are no controversial issues with the Senate health emergency bill. It said that the bill is designed to address the issues that pose public health emergencies around the world.

The Senate however declined to clarify if the new Senate bill was the same with the controversial House of Representatives Infectious disease bill.

The Senate made this known through its Senate Committee Chairman on Primary Health care and Communicable diseases and the Sponsor of the National Health Emergency Bill, Chukwuka Utazi.

The Enugu North Senator also dismissed fears that the bill makes vaccination compulsory for Nigerians.

The bill which was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday raised concerns that it has similarities with the controversial Control of Infectious Diseases Bill in the House of Representatives which scaled the first and second reading on April 26, 2020.

Speaking with journalists after plenary, Senator Utazi explained the purpose of the bill.

In his words “I don’t see any controversy about the bill that 102 members of the Senate sponsored. The bill is to address the issue that’s posing public health emergency around the world.

In Nigeria, we are making efforts to ensure that we have a law that will guide how we handle the issue.

There are so many things that are not covered under the Quarantine Act. These are the thing that are troubling the country today.

The bill is to amend the Quarantine Act and to take care of all the issues that have to with the management of pandemic.

In doing that, we want to ensure that instead of having firebrigade approach of solving the problem of this nature, we have a law that can handle all that. We want to put everything under a law to address health issues.

When asked if the bill was synonymous to the House of Representatives’ bill, he said:
“I have not read the House bill, but what I know is that we have a bill that will address the health issues connected with COVID-19 and beyond, so that such issues, whenever they occur in the future, we have a law to address them.

What we have in the Quarantine Act doesn’t cover all the protocols that we supposed to follow. If they were there, the Presidency and the PTF will not be coming up with one guideline or the other. We want to harmonize the approach on how to face the issue.”

On compulsory vaccination

He said “The bill does not make vaccination compulsory. When we have yellow fever, and if you want to travel outside the country, they will demand for yellow fever vaccination certificate at the airport. If you don’t have it, you will be vaccinated there.”

https://premiumreportersonline.com/2020/05/05/nothing-is-wrong-with-our-health-emergency-bill-senate/

Enugu Senators Oppose Each other over bill.

Edozie Udeojo,Abuja

The controversial bill seeking to repeal the Quarantine Act 2004 sponsored by the House of Representatives surfaced at the Senate on Tuesday under a different title which read “National Health Emergency Bill , 2020”.

The bill was introduced during Tuesday’s plenary and sponsored by Senator Chukwuka Utazi ( PDP Enugu North). However , the bill was vehemently opposed by fellow Enugu PDP Senator , Ike Ekweremadu (Enugu West)

Ekweremadu demanded for the draft copy of the bill , which made the Senate President, to order for distribution of copies to all Senators and ruled that the second reading would be taken next week Tuesday .

Details later …



https://premiumreportersonline.com/2020/05/05/breaking-infectious-disease-bill-enters-senate-under-different-title-passes-first-reading/

Usman Aliyu-Abuja

Nigeria recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases on the day the nation eased the lockdown regulations in major cities across the country with the figure for Monday at 245.

The new figure released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Monday night sums up the total tally for the country to 2,802, the agency disclosed..

“On the 4th of May, 245 new confirmed cases and 6 deaths were recorded in Nigeria,” it said.

An analysis of the new cases revealed that Lagos leads with 79 cases, followed by Katsina 37, Jigawa 32, Kano 23 and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with 19 cases.

On Monday, 16 states reported at least a case of the virus.

“245 new cases of #COVID19 reported; 76-Lagos, 37- Katsina, 32 – Jigawa, 23 – Kano, 19 – FCT, 18- Borno, 10 – Edo, 9 – Bauchi, 6 – Adamawa, Oyo and Ogun reported 5 cases , Ekiti, Osun, Benue, Niger and Zamfara reported one case each.

“As at 11 :46 pm 4 May – 2802 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria. Discharged: 417 Deaths: 93,” the health agency disclosed on its official social media handle.

The 245 cases on Monday brings the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 2,802 including 417 patients who have been discharged after recovery, and 93 deaths.

Analysis

Nigeria has so far tested 18,536 persons since the beginning of the pandemic in the nation.

A breakdown of the 2,802 confirmed cases shows that Lagos State has so far reported 1,183 cases, followed by Kano – 365, FCT – 297, Borno – 100, Gombe – 96, Kaduna – 81, Ogun – 85, Bauchi – 80, Sokoto – 66, Edo – 62, Katsina – 83, Osun – 37, Oyo and Jigawa – 39, Delta – 17, Kwara and Akwa Ibom – 16, Rivers – 14, Yobe, Zamfara and Ondo – 13, Ekiti, Adamawa, Kebbi – 13,Nasarawa – 11, Enugu and Taraba – 8, Ebonyi and Baylsa – 5, Plateau – 3, Niger – 4, Imo, Benue and Abia – 2 while Anambra has one case.

The number of infected people in the country is expected to rise as the country has entered into the community transmission phase. The country has also increased its testing capacity.

Lockdown Ease

After five weeks of a lockdown of three major cities – Lagos, Ogun and Abuja – the government eased the lockdown on Monday and replaced it with a night curfew.

The government also announced mandatory safety precautions including wearing of face masks and social distancing.

However,situation reports revealed thae the regulations were largely flouted in the major cities as thousands converged at banks , bus stops and other major public places.

The government Monday evening admitted the violations and appealed to residents to comply with the directives so as to limit the spread of coronavirus.

https://premiumreportersonline.com/2020/05/05/may-4th-aftermath-nigeria-records-highest-daily-coronavirus-cases-as-fg-relaxes-lockdown/

500 Billion COVID Fund: Senate Bars Journalists From National Assembly.

The Senate of the National Assembly has barred journalists from gaining access to the National Assembly as it resumed today to deliberate on the 500 Billion COVID intervention fund request from President Buhari.

The Senate had in a statement issued by the clerk to the Senate Mr. Nelson Ayewoh announced the resumption of the Senate plenary today.

The clerk said the lawmakers are to be in the hallowed chamber at 10.00 am, staff of the National Assembly as well as legislative aides were to work from home.

It was learnt that the Senate may have resolved to pass the N500 billion intervention fund requested by President Muhammadu Buhari to settle expenses relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, the upper legislative resumed plenary today to address the issue.

Members of the Senate press Corps who arrived the national assembly complex on the early hours on Tuesday to cover the Senate proceedings in its usual practice met stiff resistance from the security personals at the National Assembly.

Asides the deliberation on the 500 Billion fund,the lawmakers will also consider President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for the downward review of the N10.594 trillion 2020 budget in view of the precipitous fall in the price of crude oil at the international market.

However, the members of the press are currently left standing outside the national assembly complex while the Senate plenary is in progress.

Details later ...
https://twitter.com/iamkennethcole/status/1255085360822071298?s=19

Just in!!!

COVID 19: Senate resumes plenary Tuesday 28th April 2020.

Staff and Senator's Aides to work From Home.

The Senators of the National Assembly will resume plenary this Tuesday 28th April 2020 after more than one month of forced adjournment occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

This disclosure was contained in a memo signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Mr Nelson Ayewoh directing the resumption last night.

According to the memo, COVID 19 safety guidelines would be made available to the members upon resumption.

Their aides were however mandated to operate from home until when it was safe to allow them to go to the office.

https://twitter.com/iamkennethcole/status/1254761061519147014?s=19

Maybe Femi Falana

Give that 10% to the poor around you, there are people that need that more than your pastor . The blessings you will get from those people will worth more than giving it to your already well fed pastor...

I know that boy one on one , he works as an SLA to Senator Uba Sani, on several occasions I have held discussions with him at his office and I can tell that he's a spoilt brat. Elrufai and his wife did a terrible job by not training that boy. He's totally mannerless and proud and he's also stupid as well. He brags a lot about his father and power.

Let me join this bus...

They all look cool.

Covid Containment:"You Are Doing Well"NCDC Commends Ugwuanyi.

The officials of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) who have been in Enugu State in the last one week in response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, on Tuesday, visited Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State at the Government House, Enugu.

Igbere TV reports that the NCDC team, led by Tajudeen Arowolo, after an interactive session with Gov. Ugwuanyi and the leader of the State Multi-Sectoral Rapid Response Team, Dr. Ifeanyi Agujiobi, expressed satisfaction with the proactive safety measures put in place by the Enugu State Government to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
The measures, according to the NCDC team, include the activation of three Isolation centres in Enugu and Nsukka, the ongoing massive reconstruction and rehabilitation of Colliery Hospital Enugu to be dedicated as an Infectious Disease Isolation and Treatment Centre, the closure of all educational institutions, markets, land boundaries, etc, to achieve the social distancing protocol as well as the decontamination and fumigation of the state.

The NCDC team commended Gov. Ugwuanyi for the tremendous support he is giving to the State Multi-Sectoral Rapid Response Team to effectively discharge their duties, pointing out that “they are in high spirit”. The officials added that what they met on ground when they arrived Enugu was also commendable.

The team promised to make recommendations to its National body on how to further support the State response team in the discharge of her duties.

Other members of the NCDC team are Prof. Kabir Sabittu, Deacon Chinenye Nwaekpe, Amedu Michael Onoja and Dr. Adeke Azuka.

Stay with Igbere TV. Africa’s No1 Community TV.

http://igberetvnews.com/1346577/covid-19-ncdc-commends-gov-ugwuanyis-effortsphotos/

You speak out of nativity and ignorance.

Nuzo1:
Well, most Igbos are happy with the conviction.

The problem the Igbos usually have with such conviction is that such justice doesn't go round.

We all know the hands of Western power brokers that plotted Kalu's downfall as result of the bullion Van master's ambition .

Take note additional vehicles...

I have no problem with utterances from all these fake Altar business Merchants that parade themselves as pastors but my major issue is using the name of God and what even pains me the most at the feeble and gullible minded known as their followers.

It's very easy to predict , you don't have to be a pastor to be able forecast that their is going to be another health pandemic, nations will still go to war , the Bible has said all these and more it's only that we don't read .

The biggest of the lies is this ;
*14) *Italy was sacrifice because the pope is part of it and that is why you saw very large cases in Italy.*
It was not a coincidence, it was a sacrifice.*

What does the shamless Adulterer know about the pope and the workings of the world ??

You have said it all. I am. No longer reading other comments.

Realmenlovetruly:
Back to the OP


Though am lazy to type but will try and give the original keypoint


When we are talking about being Nice, Please to be Nice Man is totally different from to be a Weak Man


Listen if you can not be real you when it comes to woman world then you are a weak man


A bad guy can be nice and also still wicked the wicked part is that the bad guy is always be real when it comes to ladies world


But the weak guy or over-nice guy always try to please the woman, even if what he is going to do is not that comfortable to him


He is always feel scared to says his opinion to the girl,scared of her leaving him


In which the real guy,popularly called Bad guy don't give a Bleep whether she leaves or she stays


He is always real and nice


We cant date for 2 seconds if you dont want me to be real with you


But i can still makes you pee in your pant with my jokes and attitudes

You are absolutely right Mr. Poster.

Just because of preek!!!

I don't see any issues here. Both of you are not related by blood so the issue of incest is totally out of it. For you guys to have been sleeping with each other it means you both love each other. So you guys should brace up and keep the baby . It's gonna be one big happy family .

Or you can ask your brother in law to talk to his elder brother, if he can raise good money then you can ahead with the abortion, but it must be a good hospital handled by a professional.

Kenneth Udeh, Abuja

A bill seeking to make election debates compulsory for presidential and governorship candidates has scaled second reading.

The senate voted in favour of the electoral act amendment bill at yesterday’s plenary session.

Sponsored by Abdulfatai Buhari who represents Oyo north, the bill also seeks to mandate vice-presidential and deputy governorship candidates to participate in such debates.

Candidates in elections in Nigeria are currently not mandated to participate in any. In fact, the two leading candidates in the last presidential election shunned the exercise.



The bill empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organise mandatory debates for the candidates to “help boost and strengthen he electoral process.”

Most of the lawmakers agreed making the debates mandatory for candidates will help in their assessment, and improve Nigeria’s electoral process.

Buhari, the sponsor, said it will also be used to sample the candidates’ readiness on a wide range of burning issues, “as is being done in other developed countries”.

“Voters learn from the debate, and are more accurately able to judge candidates and get additional information about them,” he said.

“It also helps the candidates to speak on a wide range of issues as the national assembly is doing with ministerial nominees.

“If the ministers can be assessed, it is logically imperative for the president and others to be adequately assessed also.”


Shedding more light on the bill during Thursday's plenary Buhari emphasized, that if eventually passed into the law the bill will strengthen the nation's democracy in conformity with the practice of other renowned democracies of the world.



Citing the United States as an example, Buhari noted that it had become customary for the main candidates of the two largest political parties; the Republican and Democrat to engage in debates.



In his words "What we have presently as Nigeria Election Debate is an effort in futility as participants find pleasure in boycotting it at will."



Buhari pointed out that a mandatory election debate will offer Nigerians a chance to evaluate candidates so they can vote along policy or ideological lines instead of ethnic allegiance and that it will equally lead to the development of strong democratic institutions that would neutralize the patronage system that makes ascending to power so cumbersome.



Speaking in support of the bill , Senator Gobir Abduallahi (Sokoto East) rallied his colleagues to back the passage of the bill, he expressed that amended Act would end "Godfatherism" in the nation's politics.



He said " this would do away with quacks and all those bad people are not even qualified to be appointed. But I differ is with the electoral body because of the corruption that is embedded within the electoral system. We need an independent body that will assess the quality of the candidates who participate in the debate and they would be scored according to their performance".



While expressing support for the bill Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe (Kwara Central) called for an independent debate body which would consist of civil society groups. He also advocated that the debate shouldn't be an all comers affair.



He said "Majority of the current electorates are younger , better educated and informed. Contesting an election is like a taking up a job and appearing for interview is compulsory".



Expunging INEC from organizing the debate was re-echoed as

Senator Aisahtu Dahiru (Adamawa Central) was of the opinion that it would increase expenditure burden of the Federal Government.



She said " It is an avenue to provide outstanding performers. Considering the number of parties we have , it will put more burden on INEC and the main election is very hard. The federal government funds INEC so we have to avoid another thing that will bring extra expenditure. In America we have debate organizers , their commission is independent and non partisian, they have nothing to do with politics.



Like majority of his colleagues Senator Smart Adeyemi gave the bill a pass mark he also advocated for the Media and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to be empowered to organize the debate.



Senate President Ahmed Lawan, stated that INEC being a government body would discourage candidates from participating in the election debate most especially those in the opposition. He advised those interested in being part of the proposed Independent Debate Body to stay away from politics early enough in order not to be tagged as partisian during the selection process.

The Bill was referred to the Senate Committee on INEC to report back within four weeks.

https://www.sunnewsonline.com/senate-endorses-bill-to-make-election-debate-mandatory-for-president-governors/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

This is very serious!!!

...and you would be the last and only person to use it.

Oga please don't transfer any aggression to me , I'm not the one that brought Corona virus to Nigeria. I just my little contribution. Make yours and heaven will not fall. Soon you will understand that Nigerian politics is beyond the media , if you know you know if you don't know you will never know .

seunmsg:
There is nothing interesting in the nonsense spewed by the pastor. A convicted criminal cannot even contest for president not to talk about wining. This is another case of fake prophecy from a fraudulent pastor.

This is getting very interesting...

When it comes to results, OAU shows no mercy . No blocking No sorting it's either you read and pass or you forget it . But no matter what suicide is not an option. I had two extra years , finished with a 3rd class but I got a very good job before my NYSC got posted to sitting Governors office.

I had a younger colleague who had a similar issue using my experience, I engaged him into something meaningful and a bit lucrative which kept his mind busy while he battled his academic problem. He had three extra years I took time to engage him seriously today he has graduated and has even been promised a job even before nysc.

Suicide is never an option.

Look at the small small yams !!! Mtcheew!!! The whole tubers are not even worth up to 10k . We are talking about Benue state , they can do better .