NEWS
Makinde Seeks Investors’ Collaboration on Tourism Development in Oyo
Mr Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State Governor, has called on investors to join the state government in promoting tourism. Makinde made the call on Monday in Iseyin, while playing host to stakeholders in the tourism sector at the popular 246 steps Ado-Awaye Hills in Iseyin Local Government Area, Iseyin.
The governor, represented by his Special Adviser on Tourism, Mr Ademola Ige, said that tourism was a viable alternative to oil and other sources of revenue generation in the country. He urged all stakeholders in the tourism industry to partner with the state government to make the sector a catalyst for positive change. Makinde said that stakeholders in the tourism industries were expected to be part of the tourism development efforts in the state. According to him, the 2021 World Tourism Day with the theme: “Tourism for Inclusive Growth” is apt, as the state government is set to work with investors on a Public Private Partnership scheme to develop the sector. In his remarks, the Chairman, Iseyin Local Government Area, Mr Osuolale Abilawon, said that his local government was ready to expand the tourism potential of Ado-Awaye. Abilawon said that the site had placed Oyo State on the World map. “We need to make our tourism sites attractive for the people and that is the reason we have decided to promote our domestic tourism. Our philosophy is to promote our tourist attractions,” he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the event was hosted by the Alado of Ado-Awaye, Oba Olugbile Ademola, who conferred Ambassadorial Awards on 29 recipients. Also, 40 government functionaries and tourism promoters were awarded for their roles in promoting tourism in the state. The occasion also witnessedmountaineering at the Ado-Awaye suspended Lake, which is one of the two lakes of such, in the World.(NAN)NEWS
Customs Intercept Contraband Worth N510.92m in Two Conths
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit Zone C, says it intercepted contrabands with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N510.92 million between July 15th and September 15th, 2024.The zone covers the six states in the South-South geopolitical zone and the five states in the Southeast geopolitical zone.
This is contained in a statement signed by Jerry Attah, Public Relations Officer, NCS, Zone C, and made available to journalists on Wednesday. According to the statement, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, NCS, Zone C, gave the statistics while showcasing the seized contraband to relevant regulatory agencies at the Government Warehouse in Edo.Ugbagu said that the zone also recovered the sum of N25.57 million from demand notices raised based on some infractions noticed, making a cumulative sum of N536.49 million recorded within the months under review.“The DPV was derived from our seized goods, which include 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without an NAFDAC number.“1,015 sacks of dry donkey meat and skin, 75 jumbo bales of second-hand clothing, 463 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 269 pieces of used pneumatic tires, and 56 cartons of smuggled foreign tomato paste.“More worrisome is the interception of 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without NAFDAC registration numbers.”He noted that the cough syrup with codeine and tramadol without NAFDAC registration numbers, if not intercepted, could have had adverse effects on youths.He added that the items were mostly intercepted along the Ewu-Okada/Benin expressways based on credible intelligence. (NAN)NEWS
APC Forum Decries Deplorable Condition of Federal Roads
The Forum of Stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has decried the deplorable condition of some federal roads in Nigeria. Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the North-Central Chairman of the forum, said this in an interaction with newsmen on Wednesday in Jos. Zazzaga described some of the federal roads as ”death traps”, particularly those within the north-central region.
He said that some of the deplorable roads in the region include Jos-Akwanga, Makurdi-Oturkpo-Otukpa, Makurdi-Ankpa, and Jos-Saminaka. Other roads that needed urgent attention, he said, included Suleja-Minna, Ejule-Otukpa, Ganawuri-Manchok, Lokoja-Abuja, Lapai-Agaie-Bida, Birnin-Gwari-Bokani-Mokwa, Minna-Zungeru-Tegina-Kontagora. ”Currently, the north-central region has the most deplorable roads and highways in the country. ”These deplorable roads have brought severe hardship on the people and lost lives and property through preventable road traffic crashes. ”We call on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure the rehabilitation of these roads because good roads are vital enablers of development,” he said. The chairman also called on governors of states within the region to reconstruct the dilapidated roads and seek refunds from the federal government. ”Though these are largely federal roads, they are located within states, and the beneficiaries are the people of these states. ”So we call on state governments to reconstruct these roads and seek refunds from the federal government,” he added. (NANNEWS
Yuan Strengthens 7. 087 Against Dollar
The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 160 pips to 7.087 against the dollar on Wednesday.This is according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.In China’s spot foreigners exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by two per cent from the central parity rate each trading day.
The central parity rate of the yuan against the dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day. (Xinhua/NAN)