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Friday, March 29, 2024

Nigerian Newspapers headlines Thursday morning

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NNPC will no longer run refineries – Kyari [LEADERSHIP]

….Says we’ll hand them over to private firm on contract

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that it will no longer be involved in the management of the nation’s refineries after their rehabilitation.

This was announced yesterday by the NNPC’s group managing director, Mallam Mele Kyari, during an interview on Arise TV breakfast programme, The Morning Show.

Kyari said that upon completion of the ongoing rehabilitation of the refineries, the services of a company world be procured to manage them on an “Operation and Maintenance (O&M) basis.”

“We are going to get an O&M contract, NNPC won’t run them. We are going to get a firm that will guarantee that these plants would run for some time. We want to try a different model of getting these refineries to run. And we are going to apply this process for the running of the refineries,” he stated.

He explained that the plan, ultimately, is to get private partners to invest in the refineries and get them to run on the NLNG model where the shareholders would be free to decide the fate of the refineries going forward.

Kyari stated that this model, which is totally different from previous approach, would guarantee the desired outcome for the refineries.

While also featuring yesterday on a Channels TV breakfast talkshow, Sunrise Daily, the NNPC’s boss said that the decision to end the fuel subsidy regime is in the interest of ordinary Nigerians as it will free up funds for the various tiers of government to develop basic infrastructure in the education, health, transport, and other sectors for their benefit.

He said: “Subsidy is elitist because it is the elite that benefit from it. They are the ones that have SUVs, four, five cars in their garages. The masses should be the ones to benefit. There are many things wrong with under-recovery because it makes us to supply more than is needed. This makes the under-recovery to be bloated because we unwittingly subsidise fuel for the whole of West Africa. That has to stop,” Kyari stated.

He further explained that the removal of subsidy would automatically correct the distortions it created in the market such as product arbitrage and smuggling, stressing that it would also provide the impetus for the NNPC to establish retail outlets in neighbouring countries.

On agitations in some quarters for a reduction in the price of kerosene, Kyari said that the corporation’s focus was rather on how to migrate all those who were still using kerosene for domestic cooking to the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), which is popularly referred to as cooking gas.

According to him, apart from LPG being a cheaper fuel than kerosene, it is also safer and more environment-friendly.

He said that the minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, was championing policies to deepen the adoption of LPG for domestic consumption, adding that widespread adoption of LPG usage was the best solution to kerosene supply challenges in the long-term.

On the situation with global crude oil price and supply, the NNPC GMD said things were shaping up.

Kyari said: “Crude oil price is improving by the day. Last week, it was $15 per barrel. Today, it is $32.79 per barrel. We believe the ongoing engagements between global oil producers will bring back demand and once that happens, the market will balance and fully recover by year-end.”

On the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Kyari, who put the current total donations by players in the oil and gas Industry at N21 billion, said that the sector was obliged to support the federal government in its efforts to bring relief to Nigerians.

He maintained that the donations were in kind and were designed to address three key areas: provision of hospital consumables (face masks, test kits, etc.); provision of support services and facilities for patients (beds, ventilators); and provision and upgrade of health infrastructure that will outlive the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

15 Chinese doctors arrive in Nigeria to battle Coronavirus [LEADERSHIP]

Amidst protest and disapproval by professional bodies in the health sector, 15 Chinese medical personnel yesterday arrived in Nigerian to assist in the battle against Coronavirus.

The 15-member medical team from China landed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on a chattered Air Peace aircraft at about 5:18pm.

The medical team comprising of trained physicians in infectious diseases, respiratory illness, intensive care, cardiology, neurology, general surgery and anesthesiology will be in the country in the next 30 days.

Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Zhou Pingjian;  Nigeria’s minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; executive director, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, Mr Jacques Liao, senior officials of the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health were at the airport to receive the medical personnel and the medical equipment.

The minister of State for Health, Dr  Olorunnimbe Mamora, who represented the minister at yesterday briefing of the presidential taskforce said the experts were in Nigeria with the equipment and other medical items needed to curb the virus.

Health minister, Ehanire, had earlier announced that the Chinese medical team would be coming into the country to play advisory role, considering the progress in the fight against COVID-19 in their country.

“The Chinese medical experts, comprising doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians and public health managers will share their knowledge, skills and real-life experience of fighting covid-19 with Nigerian personnel to strengthening management of COVID-19 cases, especially with regard to critical care,” the minister stated.

The minister also listed the donations being made by some Chinese companies in Nigeria to include PPEs, medical consumables, over 1 million surgical masks for health workers and even ICU ventilators, valued at over $100,000, all sourced in the face of global scarcity of the items.

The initiative, Ehanire said, will greatly build the capacity of hard-working and resourceful Nigerian health care workers at the forefront of fighting coronavirus, adding that the much needed PPEs and masks will protect the country’s frontline workers and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the line of duty.

On confirmed cases in the country, he said, “As of 8th of April, 2020, Nigeria has recorded 254 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Lagos remains the epicentre with 130, with 50 cases in FCT, 20 in Osun, 11 in Edo, 11 in Oyo, 6 in Bauchi, 5 each in Akwa Ibom and Kaduna, 4 in Ogun, 2 each in Enugu, Ekiti, Kwara and Rivers, and 1 each in Benue, Delta, Katsina and Ondo.

“The spike in Osun is linked to the arrival of Nigerians to that State from Ecowas countries. Several groups of Nigerians have made similar intentions known to return.

“Those discharged from treatment are 44, of which seven are from the UATH center. We unfortunately have 6 corona related fatalities in total. There are presently 204 active cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria. The DG of NCDC will give further details”.

But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday asked Nigerians to hold President Muhammadu Buhari responsible should there be any upsurge in the rate of COVID-19 infection and death in the country following what it described as the importation of doctors from China, the epicenter of the scourge, by the federal government.

PDP said it was alarmed that President Buhari ignored the protests by Nigerians and professional bodies, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and allowed the importation of the Chinese doctors despite warnings that bringing in doctors from the hotbed of the plague will expose citizens to further risks.

The party said this was even as Nigerians across board have continued to question the status, identity and interest of the Chinese doctors as well as the safety of kits and equipment from that country, particularly following scary reports of escalation of the scourge in certain countries reportedly after the arrival of Chinese medical personnel in those countries.

A statement by the party’s national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, noted: “Moreover, our doctors and nurses have been on top of the situation with records of recoveries and less casualties, thus raising questions about the real intentions of bringing in doctors from China.

“The situation is even more distressing as the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 had been making frantic effort to exonerate itself from the decision to bring in the Chinese doctors into our country.

”The PDP wants President Buhari to note that Nigerians already know the pace, intensity and trajectory of COVID-19 statistics at the time the Federal Government, which he leads, gave passage to these Chinese doctors.

“Nigerians are aware that since the index case was reported till date, our nation’s COVID-19 data stands at 254 confirmed cases, out of which 44 have been successfully treated by our doctors with 6 deaths, which reportedly had other underlining ailments.

“Our party therefore calls on the entire world to hold President Buhari responsible should there be any sudden upsurge in COVID-19 infection and deaths in our country, now that the Chinese doctors have been brought in despite protests by Nigerians”.

 

Insurgency: FG acquires 17 armoured tanks, artillery vehicles [LEADERSHIP]

The federal government has acquired 17 new armoured tanks and artillery vehicles to tackle insecurity and insurgency in the country.

Army Chief of Policy and Plans, Lt-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun, disclosed this to journalists in Lagos. He said that the sophisticated machines and equipment were facilitated by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) through the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) in Lagos.

Adeosun said that the process of acquiring the equipment had been on for long, saying that the process had been accomplished with the delivery of the armament to the country.

He said: ”We are here to witness the receipt of the armament, which the government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Defence has procured for the Nigeria Army.

“You can see how serious the government of Nigeria is in making sure that not only is the Army re-equipped as necessary, but to ensure that the insecurity problem we are having all over the country are tackled not only with trained personnel, but the required equipment.

“We can see for ourselves, this is just a tip of the iceberg and many others are still coming, but it is important that we all see that both the military and the government are really very serious in tackling the security problems across the nation,” he stated.

According to him, the equipment acquired from China, are heavy and light tanks and two types of artillery heavy guns.

“They are new ones, the latest technology in tank and artillery armament is what you are seeing. Before today, the first set of 15 40-feet containers offloaded from the sea, made up of spare parts and accessories, for all these equipment. Those ones are already on their way to their various destinations,” he stated.

91 begin quarantine as more returnees take land borders [PUNCH]

  • Immigration hands over 67 returnees to LASG, 24 arrive today
  • Private hospitals to get treatment licence
  • 22 new cases recorded, total hits 278

More Nigerians living in West African nations have started returning to the country through land borders following the rise in COVID-19 cases globally

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, at a press conference organised by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja on Wednesday, said 67 persons had already arrived at the country’s land border.

The minister, who did not indicate the land border the returnees were, stated that  24 more would come today (Thursday).

The minister stated that both batches (91) of returnees would be isolated for 14 days and put under surveillance for possible COVID-19 symptoms before they could proceed to their different destinations in the country.

The Nigeria Immigration Service, in a statement later on Wednesday, confirmed that the 67 Nigerians had arrived at the Seme border in Lagos State.

Osun 58 indigenes top list of  67 returnees

The Comptroller General of the NIS, Muhammad Babandede,  said the service officials received the 67 returnees and after thorough profiling, handed them over to the Lagos State Government.

In a statement by the NIS Public Relations Officer, Mr Sunday James, the comptroller general said 58 of the returnees were from Osun State

He said the NIS  “handed them over to the Lagos State Government, represented by the Special Assistant Health to the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Dr Tunde Ajayi, after thorough profiling with the following details: Osun State, 58; Lagos State, four; Oyo State, two; Ondo State, one; Edo, one; Ogun-one, total 67 returnees.”

The PUNCH gathered that the Lagos State Government had accommodated the 67 returnees in some hotels in Badagry, where they would be quarantined for two weeks.

A source, who confided in one of our correspondents, said they would be joined by 24 people who would arrive on Thursday.

Last month, 127 Nigerians, mostly from Osun State, arrived in the country through the Idiroko border in Ogun State.

The state Governor, Dapo Abiodun, handed the returnees over to his Osun State counterpart, Gboyega Oyetola, who isolated them in Ejigbo.  Eighteen of the returnees have tested positive for COVID-19.

The PUNCH had,  on Tuesday reported that  67 persons were stopped by security agents at the Seme border.

According to the report, the security agents notified the Lagos State Government, which insisted that returnees must be in quarantine for  14 days.

It was also reported that the Lagos State Government had made arrangements to accommodate the returnees in some Badagry hotels, which had no other guests.

At the PTF press conference on Wednesday, the minister of foreign affairs said the Federal Government contacted the governments of Togo and Benin, which allowed the 67 Nigerians to pass through their territories.

The minister said, “They are now at the Nigerian border and we got the authorisation for them to come into the country. They will be in isolation for the mandatory 14 days when they have come in.

“We have another 24 Nigerians in a hotel in Togo. They are going to be tested. We have also got the government of Benin’s approval for them to move through Béninoise territory to come into Nigeria, possibly by tomorrow.

“We’ve also arranged where they will all be confined when they come into the country. That has been going very smoothly and, for this, we are extremely grateful to the governments of Togo and the Republic of Benin, which have cooperated with us and made this possible.”

Onyeama added that there was a doctor who was part of the team “caught outside the country,” adding that the doctor had made his way to the Republic of Benin.

Why we put evacuation of Nigerians abroad on hold – FG

The minister further explained that with regard to evacuation of Nigerians abroad, the PTF had been deliberating on the issue since airports were shut.

He said, “The response is not as a result of letters that have been coming in from Nigerians in the Diaspora but something that was taken up by the task force from the beginning.

“But at that time, we did not have all our isolation centres and all the other arrangements in place. For that reason, we kept it in abeyance while we were putting all those things in place.

“Now that we have sufficient beds and so forth and the protocol is now well established, we now feel in a much stronger and better position to undertake this Herculean task of trying to see how we can bring Nigerians outside the country back in.”

200 Nigerians returning from US, others

He stated that almost 200 Nigerians, especially in the United States, had indicated willingness to return.

The minister stated, “The engagement of Nigerians should be with the embassies and high commissions and not with any other parallel agency, department of government or anything like that.

“It is with them that we are collating all the names and making all the arrangements.”

More community transmissions recorded

Also at the press conference, the National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu, said there were more recorded cases of community transmission of coronavirus and fewer imported ones.

He  said all public and private health care institutions should look out for patients presenting unusual respiratory tract infections, especially those that “cannot be explained.”

Aliyu said such symptoms had become important indicators for testing for the coronavirus infection.

He explained that from a public health perspective, one of the most effective ways of cutting transmission was to keep away from others.

The coordinator said, “More of our cases are now community-linked. We now have fewer cases that are linked to travel abroad or contact with people who have been abroad. Our health care services need to look out for this alert.

“At the same time, I would like to encourage the public, those that have suspicion that they have symptoms related to coronavirus, not to be afraid but to seek testing and treatment.”

The Chairman of the PTF on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, said the task force did not ask Nigerians for their bank verification numbers.

He also warned that the coronavirus infection was real and not a hoax, a scam or a joke.

Mustapha said, “A lot of people have lost loved ones.  There are some families whose loved ones are undergoing treatment.

“Let the spirit of our humanity guide our utterances and conduct. Coronavirus is not a joke, please take it seriously and listen to the government. Please stay safe and protect your loved ones. Nothing is more important.”

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,  denied reports that members of the task force received a daily allowance of N500,000.

Private hospitals to get treatment licence

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, at the press conference, said government would license private hospitals with relevant capacity to treat COVID-19 patients.

He said this was necessary to improve the nation’s response to COVID-19 treatment.

He said, “We are not just relying on public health institutions. We have started the process of accreditation for private hospitals where we are able to establish that they have the facilities for prevention, control and necessary personnel.

“We are engaging Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria and the Guild of Medical Directors.”

Mamora advised those who tested positive for COVID-19 to report to designated treatment centres for safe isolation.

This, he said, was because the danger of the disease was that those who did not have any symptom could infect others.

The minister appealed to health facilities not to reject patients without giving them advice on what to do on laid down guidelines by the  Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

He stated, “Additionally, all health facilities are reminded that coronavirus is an extremely dangerous pathogen which spreads very easily. It is not advisable to accept a person suspected of such infection for treatment if the facility is not accredited.”

On the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde’s claim of local remedies for the virus, Mamora said he was not aware of the claim.

He stated, “We do know that since this COVID-19 outbreak came, I have got a lot of telephone calls from various people laying claims to having some remedies.

“We have in the Ministry of Health, the Department of Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicine. I referred those people to the department. In collaboration with the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, a kind of assessment was done and there is a protocol for clinical trial.”

He said such claims must go through the protocol of clinical trial.

Mamora also advised Nigerians against giving false information on symptoms or their travel history to health workers.

 

Discos offer customers two-month free electricity [PUNCH]

Power distribution companies on Wednesday announced that they were in support of the proposal by the National Assembly and the Federal Executive arm of government that Nigerians should get two months of free electricity.

Speaking through their umbrella body, the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, the Discos stated that modalities for the free power would be worked on and made public in due course.

The Executive Director, ANED, Sunday Oduntan, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday night.

He said, “The electricity distribution companies recognise the challenging effects of the coronavirus on the economic and daily lives of our customers.

“In fulfillment of our commitments to the nation, we hereby align ourselves with the efforts of the National Assembly and the Federal Executive to mitigate the hardship that is currently being borne by our customers and other citizens all over the country.”

Oduntan added, “We are committed to working with them to ensure more efficient power supply within this difficult period, as the nation battles with the ravages of COVID-19.

“We are also completely aligned with the plans to ensure palliative measures, including free electricity supply to all Nigerians for two months, to make life easier, during the lockdown period. Details of implementation to come soon.”

He reiterated the commitment of the Discos to improving service delivery to the nation during the period of the coronavirus pandemic and thereafter.

Meanwhile, the management of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company on Wednesday said it had set aside N100m to support the fight against COVID-19 pandemic within its operational area.

The electricity company said this while donating food items worth N10m to the Oyo State Government as part of measures to combat COVID-19 in the state.

IBEDC also donated N5m to the University College Hospital Ibadan in support of the institution’s efforts at combating the deadly virus.

The Chief Operating Officer, IBEDC, John Ayodele, during the presentation of the relief items at the Ministry of Agriculture, Oyo State Secretariat, said the food items were part of the N100m earmarked to support the states in its areas of jurisdiction.

Ayodele, who was represented on the occasion by the Regional Head of IBEDC, Peter Oyelami, lauded both the government for measures taken in the fight against the scourge.

He said, “IBEDC, as a law-abiding corporate citizen and socially responsible organisation, has earmarked about N100m for relief items namely rice, noodles and semovita.

“This gesture encompasses the states we cover namely Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Kwara, and partly Niger, Kogi and Ekiti states.”

In a related development, the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution has donated four truckloads of rice to support the palliative measures in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers states.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, PHED, Dr Henry Ajagbawa, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday by the Manager, Corporate Communications, John Onyi.

He also promised regular supply of electricity during the period of the lockdown to enable the residents to live a comfortable life.

“The same donations taking place here are being replicated across all the states within our coverage.”

 

FG slashes budget, sends to National Assembly for review [PUNCH]

The Federal Government has revised downward the revenue projection for the 2020 budget by N3.3tn from the initial approved amount of N8.41tn to N5.08tn.

The revised revenue projection is contained in a proposal sent to the National Assembly by the executive.

The reduction became imperative in view of of the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which had led to disruptions to global supply chains, sharp drop in global crude oil prices, turmoil in global stock and financial markets.

These outcomes have had severe consequences on households’ livelihoods and business activities, resulting from drop in global demand, declined consumer confidence and slowdown in production.

Based on the revenue parameters underlying the revised proposal, the Federal Government revised downwards the oil price benchmark from $57 per barrel to $30 per barrel.

Similarly, the oil production volume was reduced from 2.18 million barrels per day to 1.7 million barrels per day.

The exchange rate was however raised from N305 to a dollar to N360 to a dollar based on the devaluation of the naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

An analysis of the revenue items showed that oil revenue suffered the highest reduction of N2.38tn from the initial approved amount of N2.63tn to N254.25bn.

Based on the proposal, dividend from the NLNG was reduced from N124.26bn to N80.37bn while non-oil revenue would witness a decline of N269bn from N1.8tn to N1.53tn.

In the same vein, revenue projection from signature bonus was revised downward from N939.3bn to N568.68bn, while revenue from stamp duty was reduced from N463.94bn to N200bn.

However, independent revenue from agencies of government was increased by N66.88bn from N849.96bn to N916.84bn.

On the expenditure side, the executive is proposing a reduction of about N321bn in spending from the initial estimate of N10.59tn to N10.27tn.

Based on the revised proposal, statutory transfers were cut by N152.67bn from N560.47bn to N407.8bn, capital expenditure was revised downward by N155bn from N2.78tn to N2.62tn while recurrent expenditure was reduced by N25bn from N4.49bn to N4.46bn.

A breakdown of some of the Nigerian expenditure items showed that anniversaries/celebrations were reduced by N3.08bn; computer software, N3.14bn; office buildings, N24.86bn; residential buildings, N479.6m; monitoring and evaluation, N10.8bn; land acquisition, N1.45bn; computers, N1.9bn; purchase of motor vehicles, N5.25bn and office furniture, N3.94bn.

Others are rehabilitation of office building, N49.52bn; repair of residential buildings, N1.07bn; research and development, N45.6bn; provisions of roads, N1.96bn; provision of water facilities, N650m; provision of waterways, N650m; repairs of public schools, N330.85m and purchase of power generating set, N555.96m.

There is also a reduction of N176.5m on purchase of motorcycle; computer printers, N151.48m; photocopying machines, N131.46m; purchase of trucks, N134.46m; purchase of buses, N485.78m and purchaser of scanners, N193.74m, among others.

A further analysis of the proposal showed that the drop in revenue has widened the fiscal deficit by N3.01tn from the initial approved about of N2.17tn or 1.29 per cent to N5.18tn or 3.43 per cent.

According to the proposal, the fiscal deficit is expected to be financed through fresh borrowing of N4.43tn as against the initial borrowing plan of N1.59tn.

Also, the executive is proposing to raise N126.04bn from privatisation proceeds as against the initial projection of N252.08bn.

In the same vein, about N424.95bn is being projected to be raised from multilateral/bilateral project loans. This is about N96.83bn higher than the N328.12bn which had earlier been approved when the budget was signed by the President.

 

What experts say about 5G technology [THE NATION]

Technology has continued to evolve, redefining service delivery in both private and public sectors, finance, medicine, aviation, maritime and many more. With the evolution of technology has come the fifth generation (5G) too. The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has once again reopened anxiety over the harmful effects of the use mobile technology, LUCAS AJANAKU writes.

With the lockdown of Lagos State, the economic jugular vein of the country, Abuja, the political headquarters of the country and Ogun State on account of its proximity to Lagos, the social media space has been inundated with well written analysis, voice, text and even documentaries, tracing the origin of the rampaging coronavirus to the development of 5G technology by Chinese original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Huawei Technologies.

According to experts, the logical fallacies explained that the COVID-19 coronavirus was widely reported to have originated at a market in the city of Wuhan in China, around December last year. China also happened to have switched on some of its first 5G networks around November same year, so somehow, people, especially those who fear new technology and/or do not understand it, thought that there must have been some kind of causal relationship between the introduction of 5G and the inception of the new virus. It was even alleged that people feel down and died in the streets while some animals and plants also died as a result of the development.

Some analysts have blamed the resurgence in the campaign against 5G on the United States government (US) that has not hidden its aversion to the deployment of the technology because of the fear of its national security.

In a widely circulated video clip, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, had warned about the continued rise of China and the complacence of the US because the “policy makers were too busy arguing with each other and playing dumb ridiculous games on a regular basis. Meanwhile China was focused like a laser with a plan and they executed.”

He warned that soon, the US president might not be able to speak with another foreign leader without the Chinese eavesdropping the discussion because of the powers of quatum computing which he said makes nonsense of encryption. As the world moves close to autonomous cars which will be driven largely by 5G technology, Rubio warned that US may manufacture such cars but would need the approval of the Chinese authorities to put them to use, adding that there is need for balance of power.

How it started

Many of these arguments trace back to the discussions that pop up every year about the potential health impact of using cellphones at all.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation web sites, ongoing studies have yet to provide any clear link between what’s called non-ionising radiation that all forms of radio signals generate –everything from cellphones to TV transmissions to traditional radio signals – and human health.

These health organisations also don’t completely rule out the possibility of non-ionising radiation having some impact on human health. They say more science still needed to be done on long-term exposure to it. However, virtually all of their caution relates to the possibility of causing cancer after years (or even decades) of usage – not just one month.

Giving a background to mobile telecoms technologies, the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) said mobile telecoms technologies (mobile phones) transmit and receive radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMFs) in defined ways that allow communication to occur. “The specific method of utilising the RF EMFs is referred to as a “wireless standard”. For example, the wireless standard used for the First Generation of mobile telecommunication is referred to as “1G”. As technology develops, these standards are updated, and there can be a family of different wireless protocols that are collectively referred to as “1G”. For example, “UMTS” is a well-known protocol within the 3G family, and “LTE” is a well-known protocol within the 4G family. However, where a particularly large or important change is introduced to the standard, the overarching label for the wireless standard is updated accordingly. For example, where large changes were made to the 1G wireless standard, the new standard was then referred to as the second generation wireless standard, or “2G”. Similarly, “2G” was replaced with “3G”, “3G” with “4G”, and now that substantial developments are being implemented relative to 4G, a fifth generation of wireless standard has emerged that is known as “5G”,” the group said.

There are a number of differences between 5G and previous wireless standards. One of these is that, in addition to the EMF frequencies that are used for 3G and 4G standards, some 5G communication technologies utilise higher EMF frequencies (for instance 28 gigahertz (GHz) is currently used in the US). EMFs at higher frequencies produce relatively superficial exposure, with less power penetrating deep into the body; the restrictions in the ICNIRP guidelines account for this to ensure that exposure does not cause any harm. Different EMF frequencies also behave differently in the environment, and as a result, additional antennas are required to utilise the higher frequencies. “These are not expected to affect the exposure scenario appreciably, and initial measurement studies suggest that exposure from 5G antennas will be approximately similar to that from 3G and 4G antennas.

“A key feature of the 5G wireless standard is that it will use beam-forming technology, which allows for the RF EMFs to be focused to the region where it is needed (e.g. to a person using a mobile phone), rather than being spread out over a large area,” the group said.

RF effects, health implications

The group said RF EMFs have the ability to penetrate the human body, with the main effect of this being a rise in temperature in the exposed tissue.

The human body can adjust to small temperature increases in the same way as it does when undertaking exercise and performing sporting activities. This is because the body can regulate its internal temperature. However, above a certain level (referred to as the threshold), RF exposure and the accompanying temperature rise can provoke serious health effects, such as heatstroke and tissue damage (burns).

“Another general characteristic of RF EMFs is that the higher the frequency, the lower the depth of penetration of the EMFs into the body. As 5G technologies can utilise higher EMF frequencies (24 GHz) in addition to those currently used (4 GHz), power from those higher frequencies will be primarily absorbed more superficially than that from previous mobile telecommunications technologies. However, although the proportion of power that is absorbed superficially (as opposed to deeper in the body) is larger for the higher frequencies, the ICNIRP (2020) restrictions have been set to ensure that the resultant peak spatial power will remain far lower than that required to adversely affect health. Accordingly, 5G exposures will not cause any harm providing that they adhere to the ICNIRP (2020) guidelines.

“The ICNIRP RF EMF guidelines have taken the above considerations into account and protect against all potential adverse health effects relating to exposure to RF EMFs from 5G technologies. This includes potential differences in the effect of RF EMFs as a function of age, health status, and depth of penetration, the effect of both acute and chronic exposures, and it includes all substantiated effects regardless of mechanism.

It is important to note that, in terms of the 5G exposure levels measured so far, the ICNIRP (1998) guidelines would also provide protection for 5G technologies. However, as it is difficult to predict how new technologies will develop, ICNIRP (2020) has made a number of changes to ensure that new technologies such as 5G will not be able to cause harm, regardless of our current expectations. These changes include the addition of whole body average restrictions for frequencies 6 GHz, restrictions for brief (6 minutes) exposures for frequencies 6 GHz, and the reduction of the averaging area for frequencies 6 GHz. ICNIRP closely follows the RF EMF related scientific research and any new outcomes relevant to health will inform the evolution of the guidelines,” the group said.

WHO

The World Health Organisation Global Health Observatory (GHO) data on Electromagnetic fields (EMF), said EMFs are present everywhere in the human environment. Electric fields are produced by natural sources such as the local build-up of electric charges in the atmosphere associated with thunderstorms while the earth’s magnetic field is used by birds and fish for navigation. Human-made sources include medical equipment using static fields (e.g. MRI), electric appliances using low frequency electric and magnetic fields (50/60 Hz), and various wireless, telecommunications and broadcasting equipment using high radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (100kHz-300 GHz).

“When properly used, electromagnetic fields greatly improve our quality of life, health and well-being. However, above certain levels, these fields can be harmful to health and affect the human body in different ways depending on their frequency. Therefore, countries have set standards to limit exposure to electromagnetic fields, either for specific frequencies and applications, or over the whole electromagnetic field spectrum.

It said 80per cent of countries around the world have developed regulations on standards in line with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) standards.

Similarly, a study by the WHO on Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) radiation from Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) and public health, said: “Considering the very low exposure levels and research results collected to date, there is no convincing scientific evidence that the weak RF signals from base stations and wireless networks cause adverse health effects.”

NCC

Nigeria, as a member of the ITU has developed standards and regulations around the deployment equipment to be used to offer services across the country by all its licencees through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) which regulates the telecoms sector.

Its CEO, Prof Garba Dambatta, has said the Commission does not regulate technology but ensures it first of all embark on trials of any new technology to know its strengths and weaknesses and to certify that it does not have any harmful impacts or hazardous effects on the health of the citizens.

The need to develop standards is not lost on Prof. Danbatta as the world moves into the world of emerging technology of artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), Augmented Reality and others which would be driven by 5G.

He said: “To achieve a resilient and robust future network, standards must be developed to accommodate the evolution of new and emerging technologies. The new frontier comes with great value and potentials for humanity and so, Nigeria and indeed, Africa cannot afford to be left behind.”

It was perhaps in the spirit of first testing the application of new technologies before going full blast that the Commission conducted trial of 5G last year with MTN Nigeria. The trials were done in three major cities of Lagos, Abuja and Calabar, Cross River State.  The essence of the trial were to ensure it met its expectation in terms of speed, capacity and latency, which help to ensure efficiency and improve the lives of the citizens.

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. Ibrahim Pantami denied the issuance of 5G licence to any operator in the country. Telecoms firms have allayed fears over the deployment of 5G in the country. Acting under the aegis of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the group said instead of destroying the human race, 5G will to improve the day to day lives of people

ITS President, Olusola Teniola, described the development as rumours.

A Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Covenant University, Otta, Ogun State, Prof. Francis Idachaba’s also shared his views on his Facebook Page.

He wrote: “The issue of radiation is also unfounded as if the transmit power of the BTS is increased tremendously to overcome the Pathloss and increase the size of the cells, the transmit power also of the mobile users would have to be Increased tremendously to ensure a 2way communication is achieved. This will mean returning us back to bulky and heavy phones as the transmit power relies heavily on battery power.”

 

Confirmed cases rise to 276 as 22 more test positive [THE NATION]

  • Another patient dies in Lagos

Twenty-two new Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases were on Wednesday confirmed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Of the positive cases, 15 were recorded in Lagos, four in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), two in Bauchi and one in Edo State.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 276

So far, 44 patients have been discharged and six deaths recorded.

But the Lagos State government announced the death of a COVID-19 patient on Wednesday. The death was not captured in the data released by the NCDC last night.

Currently, Lagos has 145; FCT (54); Osun (20); Oyo (11); Edo (12); Bauchi (eight); five each in Kaduna Akwa Ibom states; Ogun four (four); two each in Enugu, Ekiti, Rivers and Kwara states. Benue, Ondo, Delta and Katsina states have one each.

The Lagos Ministry of Health announced the death of a 66-year-old Briton, making him the third COVID-19 patients to die in the state.

The ministry through its verified Twitter account said that the deceased travelled from India via Dubai to Lagos on March 17.

 

Why Chinese doctors are in Nigeria, by envoy [THE NATION]

Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian, said his country decided to assist because Nigeria was at the “most demanding stage of its outbreak response.”

He spoke when he received 12 Chinese doctors and three other technicians.

It was also learnt that the team will engage in technical sessions with Nigerian doctors and other health workers on how to contain COVID-19 pandemic.

The medics were airlifted into Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja by Air Peace at about 4.20 pm.

The flight was said to have left Beijing on Monday with a stop-over in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before coming to Nigeria.

Pingjian said China’s intervention was necessary because “a friend in need is a friend indeed.”

He also said the help was in line with “international humanitarianism and vision advocated by President Xi Jinping of building a community with a shared a future for mankind.”

He said: “The COVID-19 outbreak is the public enemy number one worldwide, for now. Our most powerful weapon to defeat the pandemic is solidarity and cooperation.

“A friend in need is a friend indeed. China will always remember the invaluable support it received from the Government and good people of Nigeria at the most demanding stage of its outbreak response.

“The Chinese are grateful people. As a Chinese saying goes, “give a plum in return for a peach”.

“Helping Nigeria at the latter’s request is one way to reciprocate its kindness and friendship. It is also in line with international humanitarianism and vision advocated by President Xi Jinping of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

“China would never stand by and leave its friends in difficulty. The help China offers does not involve any selfish interest.

“We have full confidence in Nigeria’s determination, capacity, and capability to defeat the virus ultimately. And we believe Nigeria will continue to treat the Chinese nationals here in Nigeria as its own.

“Despite the daunting task of epidemic control remaining at home, China firmly supports Nigeria’s fight against the outbreak and stands ready to assist, if needed, to the best of its capacity.

“We will continue to share experience and try our best to provide medical supplies to Nigeria in a bid to prevail over the outbreak together. In this regard, we encourage Chinese companies like CRCC, CCECC to do more within their means to fulfil corporate social responsibility.

“China will continue to prove itself as a good friend, partner, and brother of Nigeria through concrete actions. This joint battle against the COVID-19 pandemic will surely strengthen trust and cooperation between China and Nigeria.”

On its part, the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), through its subsidiary China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), gave insights into the technical assistance being offered Nigeria.

It unfolded plans to build two COVID-19 response facilities in the FCT for free as of its Corporate Social Responsibilities.

 

Senate warns FG over stimulus package [SUN]

  • Vows to monitor funds, donations, other spending

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has urged the Federal Government to ensure equity and fairness in the distribution of monies and other COVID-19 stimulus package across the country.

Lawan who warned against the mismanagement of the Social Investment Programme (SIP) said the National Assembly would monitor every dime spent by the government in ameliorating the sufferings of Nigerians  following the outbreak of  COVID-19.

“We must ensure that these interventions have very clear and definite measurable targets. We shouldn’t just throw money here and there and then we don’t see anything because the National Assembly will ensure that it monitors every single kobo,” Lawan said.

He gave the warning, yesterday, during a meeting between the leadership of the National Assembly and  members of the Presidential Committee on COVID-19. The senate president said all parts of the country should be considered in the intervention initiatives of the Federal Government.

“We must ensure that there is equity. That there is fairness in the interventions. Every part of this country should have something to ameliorate the situation whether it is coronavirus infected or not. In fact, some of our states have been in a very difficult situation before the outbreak of Coronavirus and such interventions will definitely help,” Lawan said.

At the meeting  were the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed; Minister of state for Petroleum, Mr. Timipre Sylva and Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele.

The senate president tasked relevant agencies of government to ensure that they streamline their activities along the provisions in the 2020 budge and to avoid needless duplication of projects. In our stimulus package, we need to ensure provisions that will streamline with what is already in the 2020 budget so that we don’t do duplication. In our last meeting, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning indicated very clearly that the executive is proposing a N500 billion stimulus package. While this is a very good proposal, how we wish you could even have more than N500 billion, but my belief is that we don’t duplicate what is already in the 2020 budget. And of course, there is utmost need to streamline what the Federal Ministry of Finance is proposing and what the CBN is also proposing because some of the proposals may have a spill over effect on some projects.

“So there is the need for the Federal Ministry of Finance and the CBN to have their intervention streamlined in such a manner that what someone loses under the stimulus package of the Federal Ministry of Finance, he gains in the stimulus package of the CBN,” Lawan said.

He said the meeting presented an opportunity to have all the facts regarding thesituation on Nigeria’s crude oil and the amendment being contemplated as regards the Medium Term and Expenditure Framework(MTEF) and 2020 budget.

Ahmed said the meeting was designed as a consultative forum to bring the National Assembly leadership up to date “on what we have been doing, but also to take your feedback, your guidance and advice as we move forward towards adjusting the MTEF, adjusting the budget as well as designing the N500 billion stimulus package.”

 

NNPC quits operation, management of refineries [SUN]

…Shuts down oil facilities

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), yesterday announced its decision to quit the management and operations of the nation’s refineries with immediate effect.

Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Mele Kyari, disclosed the Corporation’s plan to exit the midstream arm of one of its core businesses during a live interview monitored on Arise Television.

The move by the NNPC to quit refining arm of business comes several years after criticisms of its endless Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) which has gulped several billions of Naira with the country having nothing to show for it as it continues to depend on imported petroleum products.

He said the management of the NNPC under his leadership took a conscious decision to shut the refineries down because the country was better off doing so to know exactly what to do with them.

To replace the NNPC in the management and operation of the refineries, he said the Corporation has secured private funding for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery and an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) contract.

Kyari said the same process would be applied for the rehabilitation of the two other refineries in Warri and Kaduna.

‘‘Ultimately, the end result as we speak today is that the refineries are not working because we never got it right. And the decision we made is conscious. We said let us just get somebody to tell us what to do because you don’t just get somebody or call people to say let us do TAM. As you uncouple the plants, you then begin to think of what to do. Let us just know what is wrong and what we need to do.

And  in respect to Port Harcourt refinery today, we know exactly what is wrong which was never done. And on the basis of that, we have also secured financing to for getting it done. And on top of that, we are going to have an OEM contract. NNPC won’t run it.

We are going to get somebody who will give us a guarantee that this plant will run for a period of time on the basis of a fee to be agreed by both parties. Let us try a different model of getting these refineries to run. Once we are done with the fixing of Port Harcourt refinery on the basis of a full scoping, getting a private partnership to put their money into it and ultimately, we will allow the shareholders (Nigerians) to decide what they want to do with it.’’

He explained that upon completion of the process, the NNPC  prescription would be that we make it the kind of NLNG structure where there is clear ownership of the private structure of the refinery, while decision making does not rest with the NNPC and where the end forces that is world class are allowed to play.

‘‘As we speak today, we know that there are a number of obstructions in processes when it is maintained under the same structure.

We have seen it work in our plant that we sold to Indorama at Eleme and we have also seen it work in NLNG.’’

He acknowledged the several attempts by very many past management of NNPC, including Governments effort in the last 25 years to put the refineries to optimal use without success, adding that there was something fundamentally wrong with the refineries.

‘‘In arriving at that, a couple of questions came up which we asked ourselves as management. Do we  really know what we wanted to do with refineries. What kind of repairs, TAM or rehabilitation work, do we intend to carry out. Without properly scoping what we need to do which was never done in all the past attempts of TAM, it was actually a case of putting the cart before the horse.

All manner of decisions were made in the name of TAM which included calling contractors here and there. All these were aberrations which are not normal in refinery rehabilitation process that came into play.’’

 

Concerns as fire guts Treasury House in Abuja [SUN]

  • PDP calls for probe

Amidst concern by a cross section of Nigeria over an early morning inferno at the Treasury House, Abuja, Minister of State, Finance, Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Idris Ahmed, yesterday, said there was no cause for alarm.

Agba, who assessed the fire incident and submitted that there were no human casualties, just as all sensitive data and records were intact. He said a full-scale investigation involving forensic experts was underway to ascertain the real cause of the inferno that engulfed the fourth floor of the treasury building where the capital projects of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are processed.

According to him, the fire started at about 10 am in an office on the fourth floor.

“An officer came to the office, he put on the airconditioner and there was a spark. He noticed smoke and he immediately put it off but it was still smouldering and he had to rush out to get some help. The fire service men were called about 10:10am and they responded within four minutes with three fire trucks.”

On whether the inferno would not affect April salary payment, the minister said there was nothing to suggest a delay in salary payment since all the systems are working and are done electronically.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded a full-scale investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire.

The PDP in a statement by Kola Ologbondiyan,  said an investigation I’d necessary owing to apprehension regarding the time and the offices allegedly affected by the inferno.

The opposition party stated that it is shocked that the fire incident occurred shortly after its call for a forensic audit into the  oil subsidy regime of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, for which  has allegedly gulped trillions of naira.

“This is in addition to recent demands for an investigation into allegations of fraud and diversion of COVID-19 intervention funds as well as social investments program of the Buhari government since 2015.

“Already, the National Assembly, riding on the gale of demands by Nigerians and championed by the PDP, has raised queries on spending in respect of social incentives program.

“Nigerians are anxious  to know those behind this wicked arson because the fire outbreak reportedly occurred on the part of the building which hosts critical offices including the Treasury Single Account (TSA), Funds, Federation Account Allocation Committee and Revenue Department among others, relevant for the demanded financial inquests. Our party therefore calls for immediate investigation to determine the actual cause of the fire, as well as ensure that critical documents and data on government revenue and expenditure are immediately retrieved.

“The PDP also demands that the complex be immediately cordoned off to enable an uncompromised inquest into this ugly incident,” it stated.

 

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