• :11(4 i.rJA.« 6UlagiJ
Mondax November 12. 2012 ~
- -
- --
-
- ---
-
~-------------
---- - -- -
-
-
-
A723
-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
INews
development and prosperity of
the continent. Fa.hola, who at the 2012 Lagos Kuramo Conference in Victoria Island, said that the continent needed to look inwards (or Bntlw.:R to .orne of its economic challenges. The sovemor noted that
most African countncs preferred to do busineu with the West and Aa18, ..ymg the situallOn had not really helped
the economic development of the conUnc:nt. African countries need to lr'adc with each other in order lo optimally utilise the abundant natum! reaourcea
Mayo, an economist, expressed rqn:t that Africa, with 0Vf:r one bilUon people, controlled only two per cent of the global economy. She lmplored African leaders to begin to look (or creative ways of aolving the continent's age iong challengea, saying corruption had lo be confronted frontally if Africa must move forward. The New. Agency of Nigen.a (NAN} reports that the Lagos Court of Arbitration, which seeks to Intenoene In business and contractual disputes in the West Afncan sub-rqpon, was also inauKW'l'ted at the conference. Babajlde Ogundlpc. the president of the court, said the location of the court in Nigeria. particuJarly Lagos, would enhance the countly's investment climate and faat track adjudication of commcrdal disputea. The Lap Kuramo conference is a biennial international summit of multidisciplinary apcrta aimed at covering emerging legal and economIc issuea. address advocacy and policy required for shaping governmental decSIOD makIng.
on the conUflent and put her on the path of prosperity. Why can't.-e encourage a policy to compel African countnCII to trade lrilh onc another in Zambian copper, GhanlUan cocoa. CameroonIan corree,
Malian cotton and of course, Nigerian oil? Why don't we
promote the United Slates of Africa in trade? Why don't we support the idea of an M.rozone? The integration of Africa in trade ...n.I, no doubt, Impact poaitlw:ly on the economletl of African countries. This Is what we &bould be thinlang about; it is JOOd (or OUl" collective prosperity," he ,wd. Fashol. said Alrica was strategic to global economic development as Ita natural and hUman reaoUtte8 had ovu yean, been used to drive the development or "'''estern economiea. The~or~itwas
time for Africa to exploit its resourcea to develop iLsdf, ebargmg leaders to ereate the right atmosphere (or development on the: c:ontinenL Nobel Lau~le. Prof Wole Soymka. who chaired the conference, said the downturn in the economies of. number of devdoped countriea should serve as an opportunity for Africa to develop ita economy. He urged leaders to address some of the faclors responsible for the economic woes 0Vf:r the yean and begin to reposition the continent for greatness. Soymka said if China was able translonn its economy to b«:ome the second largest In the world, It ....as possible for Africa to do the same. AI., speaking. Dr Dambisa
Utomi identifies obstacles to cashless economy nror. Pat Ulomi has said
r
that if Nigeria" queat for a transition to a cashless economy is to succeed, the country must Identify and create a coalition of bcnefidariea and adl benefits of the scheme to them. Utomi slated this while deUvcing a pre-induction lecture of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) entitled " Communications Challenp in Nigeria'. Cashleas Economy" m Lagos He said that the (can of Nigerians arising from me lou of time from banking proce:sses and other challenges made them resistant to the idea of a ca.ahless economy. The profcssor said that the people who fean:d the transition to a cashless aodcty
were. however, those who were most likely to benefit from iL According to him. if the ~c6ciariea are identified and dealt with, people will accept the Idea. He aakt that Nigenanl should be made to see. that smaller African countries had gone cashlea.s. Utomi noted that the key i ..ue of communicabon, .... hieb the lecture dealt with, staned ....,;th advertising practitioners understanding lhe dcdston making procc1Is of buyers. " How do consumers behave? What Is their motivation in consumption transactions and how doca the use of cash versus cashless money exchange affect their transactions? " It is only with a clear understanding of that, that we can structure commumca.tion that can reduce resistance to this kind of challenge that we ace m the land," he .... d. Utoml observed that Nigcna was about to explode economically and embr-acing the cashless economy would place the country at a crompctitive advantage mat would favour its people. He said that lack of digital culture, poor banking processes in Nigeria and culture of conupuon or agencies that did not s:ive accurate reports of monetary transactions, discoUrqed people from imbibing the cashless economic culture. The profeaaor cautioned that if Nigerians aborted the opportUnity to make their markell; more competitive by going cashless at this time. they would be doing great disservice to their children. Utomi aI., called on the APCON to do something about the climate change challenge which was causing Hooding acroas the nation. Earlier. the chairman of the APCON, Laolu Akinwunml, aaid that the lecture would enable Nigerians to understand why they needed LO embrace the cashless culture. He said that as a people, Nigerians liked carrying cash but needed to be taught how to transit from a cash economy to a cashless one In order LO boost the nation's economic envirnnmenL According to him, the cashleas economy has come to stay and it can only be Improved upon as CDN moves the campaign from Lagos to other pans of Nlgen.. In his speech, the Chainnan, Broadc. .tmS Organlsabons of Nigeria (BON). AbubakarJijiwa, said that there had been aome growth in relationship bct'WeCfl advertisers and broadcasters. He said that advertiKrS needed outlets through broadcasters and broadcasters made revenue through
advertising. noting that the synergy was needed (or the progress of the bodies.
FG asked to halt fuel scarcity Ladi lIlya, the National Prealdent of the Non·Acadennc Staff Union (NASUJ of Educational and AuoaaLed Institutions. has called on the Federal Government to expedite acuon aimed at ending rud scarcity. Ihya made the call in an intervie.... ....,;th the N~ Agency of Nigeria (NAN) In AbuJlllast Friday, saying the penis tent fud 8C8.rCity had brought untold hardship to.the people. She said government should do all in ill; power to end the crisis In the oil sector. stressing that ··the slightest interruption of fuel supply disrupts the various facets of the economy ··F\.Jelscarcity puta a queation mark on government's competence and credibility because it IS a problem that our countly shou1d never hav.:. ' "We, therefore. call on gottmment to wake up lo Ill; responsibility by taking all necessary steps to ensure uninterrupted rud supply without further delay .... Wya said it was dlshcanenmg that Nigeria, which is the world's sixth largest oil produdng country. relied mostly on the importation or refined petroleum products for ill; domeatic needs. The NASU bo. . said Nigena's Inability to tame conuption over the years had brought untold hardship to ill; ClllZenll. She said " conuption in Nigeria is embanauing. IC the country is to develop. there must be an end to corruption in all sectora. " It has given binh to underdcvelopment, unemployment. 1015s ofvaluea, ablJcnce or patriOtism and a lotal collapse of security.· lliya called ror a revie.... of the criminal law, which was impeding the suecea.sful trial of corruption and finanoal crimes.
Commissioner wants sugarcane farmers captured in flood recovery food production plan 'T'he Commissioner for 1 Agriculture in K081, Or Olufemi Bolarin. has appealed to the Federal Oovcmment to mclude sugarcane in the Hood recovery food production plan of the MInistry of Agriculture. Bolarin mllde the appeal in
an intervie.... with newsmen In on Friday in Abuja He said that sugarcane farmers in the state lost over 20,000 hcctan:s of land to the Hood and needed U~L intenoenbon of the government " We have small-holder sugarcane producers and we hav.: the conftl1ence sugar producers who have about 20,000 hectares or land s-wept away. ''In as much as we ...-dcome the Federal Governments' intenoenbon, we still appeal to the OllIUster to cnbcally look at the caae or su~e farmers In KogI •• he S8Jd The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Govenunent had put In place through the Mmistry or Agriculture. a F100d Recovery Food Production programme ror .tatea affected by the Hood The programme is to distribute food to ramilles affected directly by the: flood and also dlslobute seedlings and rarm fnputa to fanners whose rarmlands have been affected. NAN also reports that Dr Akmwunmi "desma, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. &aid that the distribution of seeds and fertilisers ror the farmers affected by the Hoods 1I.'Ouid start in the next two weeks Similarly. the Bauchi State Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Tasiu Mohammed, said plans by the State.Govcmment ~ underway to manage the effect of the Hood in the state. He said thaI rice farmlands had been affected dunng the Hood and therefore, wheat production would..n:ptaa: n«: production in orner to avoid 10" after plantmg. " We cannot plant rice this season because the _ther I. not ravourable; the Hood and the harmattan will be a double loss, ao we advise our farmers to plant wheat instead. " The State Government would make available the wheat aceds to them and possibly fru fertilisers or subllldJlIed rertilillenl. Lo encourage them," he saki G