----Pa
We dn esday, J u ly 6, 2011
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GTHREE-- Fii~~
-----------COURTESY CALL. • • .-~----
Kerosene Scarcity: House SlUllrnons Allison~Ma dueke, Oniwon . The l-iousoe ofRi:prescnrali\'esTuodty, SlIf1111lOC1Cd the ~lk of Petroleum Resources, Mn; Oieznni Allison·MalJutl..e IIIXItheGroup Managing Din:aor, Nigt'ri3 N;iliooaI Petroleum Ccrpor.llion (NNPC), t. lr A~ID Ontllon ova ~ proIonpl ~i ty of I.:~, a peooIeWll podoo: usoJ as fud for cocI;U1&I by majorilY of Nigerians.
When the people ofl \lDbia lOOk 10 the suo:tS 10 ~ ag:llll>l their govmvnent nc:arty So:\'o::n months age, not a 'CfI a ~~ coold hal';: di\incd whaJ was to beoomc a winld' of rJii&:o;Ui!f)t in North Africa and lhe Middle East.
Twists and Turns in Race for PDP Top Job Nexl .... 'lrl:. the Board oiTJUSICCS (Don N:I1IOf1aI Caurus and
the Nalional ExeculJ\'e Conurune.:: (NEe) of the PtopJ~ Democr.ui.; [".my (PDP) WIll bir mceung 10 lIike a decl5iocl on some
oft/II! uucwl ISSlies oontronllng the party. On.: ot"slich i»""Ud is thl! choK-e ofl>.ho b«-omo tlte next iUll<3I\lI t/1:linnall ofthc pany.
Page 20
·PrtSitJml ami Chainlwn ofClX<ll(:il,Nig~rioIl/llSliJwl "''''(JJUJ;;~1I11111 (Chlur~rw/), Dr. smJ, Nbm Adukwu·801ujokIJ (riglu), H~Cllilf u('CluilT, 1-' NUI. Mr. MawlCl Lakm,U, durolg 111~ j/UlitUl~'s "wllllg~m~11I (~tlIlI 'l Inil fD TlIISIl·U' CrNpOfill~ 1fttJd411a/U~, UJgaJ_ yW~nJay
Jonathan Sees Agriculture ~ as Economic Booster (LeJTYllflt'd 10 ensun= thai the Nigerian ewnomy becomei leS5 dependent on the od und gas sector, Imldena Goodlud.: JOfIutlmu has s:aid that agricuhwc: holtJs II benoer promise in lhe mlrCh towards growmll the economy !han lhe oil and glI5 5eCUlI· lIS ;t pro,itk$ IJlDIl: employmau I!.S ....-ell as en~ food security. Speaking dU'OUgh Vice· Presidenc Namadi Sambo at ;1 tl>.o-Wy 5takeholders' IlleCting ot¥3t11liCd by the Cenlrnl Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Abuja yes. lerday, the. presidcm said the pursuit uf food security pro· gT".lInme would ensure liIal II rOOIdmap for the unplcmeUl2lion of go\·oemmc.nt programmes in the sector would be duly punued. Jonathan srud the ptOgJWTUTIC with the theme ·'Nigerill lnecmh·e·bas«! Risk Shruing System for Agricultural Lending (NTRSAL)", was upt and ~ Nigerians that most of the agriculnue programmes wert' yielding the desired resullS. ·'COmmcrci31 Agriculturoe Ik.\"dopmenl Programme, FADA.\'lA m, NERICA Rice Project nnd the IFAD-assisloo collUuunit)'-bascd N31urnl Re.source t.'IlIuagemeni [)e\'dopment Programme and
D
other ~ aochored by Fcdu.lI MiniStry of Agriculture
Iu!.\'e yielded some positive t¢SIJI15. ScctorttJ analylis shows that on the aver.age in !be last fi\'C: )·CMS, the agric:ulrural5CC1or cnntributed about 40 per OI:nl 10 the GOP wKl provided 60 per oall of employment," he said. He bo.....ever Idmilled that the desim:! o\"(:r.dl result of the progr.ullme was yoel 10 impaa on the lifoe of an [lVelllgc Nigerian whkh is the essence of the progrMlll'l'lt, by way of SlOpping the. high cost offood imporwion 10 the COtlntry. Roelin~ 01.11 SllItistks on the C05I of Importation of Sl3p1oe food lIems, he said the counuy
Adoke's Verdict on EFCC, ICPC crcc.
1"heic are 001 the beg of limes iOr !he JUSt when tItc agency W:IS srmrting frum a rcpnnwld by m.: Cluef Judge of t/te FNaal Iligh Court, JUSllOl: Ibrahim Alota, for bclung m ~1.Jn pruw~ re-nppointcd Anorlley. Gen::rn1 of tho: F.:dcr;uian and Mtnl>1O" of JIISlicc, Mr MohamrnaJ Delio Adoke tSAN), qlll:T tioned the COlltpcl.:ro:: oftitc :uuj.graflll8<-"'IlC)'.
• Nl.3 tr spent on food importation annually
.,....
From A hamefrlln Dg bu spends N63S.5 billion on wheat. N3S6.5 billion on rkc,N217 bil· lion on sugar and N969 billion on fWl yearly which was noc good for the ecooomy as il rontinuously d.-pIoetc; the cotIRU)"S extmU1l rtsel''CS . TIle president comllll:nded the CON for the design of NIRSAL as il looked se! 10 gcner.lIC employment, CrcaJe wealth and usher in the much .expected good life for lhe country in accoru.1IlCe with the u-.. nsforma· lion agenda of the pre:scnl
adminiSltD1lon. To complemel1t the gains in the agriculnnl Sf:Clor, he saW the admifltSlr.ltion was rlXillg the
critic:1I infrolStructurc: needed for the 101al tum around. cuing n:hnbi litallCln of the abantIoned Jail IrnfISpof1 sysaem and cooWUClion of new SIW1darU g!IUge OCrOSli lhe country, complele imgation projeclii and pawn- as examples, The CON Q)\'emCIf, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who spoke al the occasion, said NIRSAL hod a mo.::hanism for the holWic It:lIlSformation of the NiKcri:m agricullW".iI 1:lI1dsaapc as a technical facility of N93 billion had b.!cn givcn OI.It 10 build b;mks' capacities to lend 10
Invesbnent in Govt 56% Securities Weakdonand
fanners.
Cheques to Clear in 2 Days s prut of efforts 10 CIlSUI'e thai: ilSocwcash wi th:lr.!wlll policy SIII:tt.xls, tI~ Centrul Bank of Nige:riol (CON) has Wd it i5 working seriously IOWards nnlCing the nwubo· of
A
liiIys It lakes 10 clear 0 dw:q1lC in the c:oonuy fiom four1/) lWOWys.
D<pwy """""". """,""". CBN,MI. Thode Lemo,droppcd !his him in a ~ posk'd 0Cl the ap.:x bank's website yester.
"'y.
AI pn:.scnt, the cheque clearing C)'cle in the cowury is T + 3. "I11.aI is, the date of iodgcmetll plus ~ otha WOIting cloys. One can a.."'tl.Ially l.iruw 0Cl thlI fourth
"'y.
But LentO !e\·eaIed ihiU enforccment of the T+2 clearing cycle
WQ.!;
being stepped up ,
adding that effc:ns wen: oo-going 10 ruiuce the r:yck funhtt ID T+ I. He said: 1bday, the ~ is avaibble 10 make paylnrots of up 10 NIO million tIuw&h the clear· ing syaetn. We are prepan!d 10 en5UJe disci~ in the usage of chequc:s and we shall give Ix:cessary wi.sulncc 10 the Ecooomic: Wld Fmancial Crimes C(lIJlf1Iissioo (EFCC) in pRl!IIlCUI. ing issuers of dud cheques.
By Dbimlll Chima ~ of dud cheques is a fmon:ial ailne. The CON has set up a Consumcr Protcaion Offia: 10 address users' rornplainls especially in respoct of these alternath'e bIInlr:ing and payment ch:ln-
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.1..asI year, the CBN isso.:d approvills in principle 10 16 mobile payment providers for which the pib was ~ c0ncluded, lIS put of the efforts ID pro\·ide effccth'c and dfkient alternatives 10 cash in the ec0nomy. TItecVWIual licensccs Will be bdd 10 suict saviI::e ~iry and roll out ~. The Imlrlgt:mClll for priorillsing payments ~ araffic over the Lelccooumutic:atioos nctworl: will also be exlCndcd 10 cover mobil.e payment
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The OJ!W ClSh poIicv, which oommcnocs fiun June 1,20 12, stipu.llllcs th:u ever the ~ cash tnmsaaions above NISOjXX) and N I,IXX),(XXI -for indi\iduaJ and corp:!OIIe organi. S3lions respectively will anr.lCt a " , -. Tho _ 01 th.: policy will <UllIl1CIlOe rUlil in Lagos, and gradually move over
10 Port HtUalWt. Kana, Aba and Abuja. lenD Slated tim the txulking WllIl:hkIg was mindful of the need for Cli1:fu1 irr1Jletu01CJrion of the policy. ·'tn fact, we have obtained the: UIllbslanding of the Pn:ro::nI and the &ecuti\·c Governor of Lagos SUie 10 CIrJY OUI II pilei: rommellcing January 20 12 10 demoostrote the feasibili ty of the policy. We have a dear plan of IlCIim over the nr;I:l sU months 10 c:om.ifu.Ie ctrcru 10 tnstW that aJlOT1:Ilive paymcru modes are
effective IlJId efficient fOf andLx:ting busiras rransactions. -Wc are c:oovinccd thal the low level of Iiterucy is noc a poccru linutation 10 t/te adoption of inoovlUion and ~ in pII)'II'IeIl1i. M illions of the so cnIlcd iJlilCtates use mobile ~ effectively and even send tex t rncssagc5. Nevcrtheless, the CON b comnUI..xl 10 a robust grassroots aw.armcM and alocatiM Clrnpaign SIr.lICg)' 10 aid the uodetotaniling, adoption and IIS3ge of Poiru: of Sale (PoS) 10". minals and AUlOmated Teller Machines (ATh1s)," the CON Deputy Go\'mIOr Died.
STILL-A-DAZZLE I-Iost.s Rivet S~'s male 1C:1m,a&lhcd1CSS('\'CfU ofthc: fcstj\'lll, took a leap 10 the top of the male mting 01 the on-gotng Nalional Spms ~ yc>IO'da.y :U1tt 3D O\'etYo'hclming \;""1Ory against booslful Team Lagos. The q~ of Maduagwwu Emmanuel, Tony ll.:orougu, Gift NWII and Muuu Salawu secun:d a per. fea sare win over lheir l..agos I:OlIIlIO)XIrtS 10 IOOI'C: to the top spot with 21 points.