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FG Relaxes Nationwide Curfew, Re-opens NYSC Orientation Camps
By Martin Paul, Abyja
The Federal Government has reviewed the nationwide curfew imposed to checkmate spread of COVID-19 in the country. The restriction will now commence from 12.00AM – 4.00AM.
National Coordinator of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, disclosed this during a briefing at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday.
“I will first of all start with general movement.
We are modifying the curfew to commence from 12 midnight to 4.00AM nationwide, effective from 12:00 tonight “This does not apply to people on essential services and international travellers that might be returning from abroad”.Similarly, the Federal Government announced the reopening of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camps nationwide.
“For the National Youth Service Corps, the NYSC is to consolidate on safety measures currently being put in place and start preparing for the reopening of orientation camps when educational institutions open.
“We are in the process of developing strict guidelines to ensure there is no outbreak of COVID-19 when the process starts”, he said.
A nationwide curfew was imposed on May 4, 2020 from 6.00PM- to 8.00AM. It was later reviewed from 10pm-4.00AM on June 1.
Int’l Flights Resume at Abuja, Lagos Airports
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed that only Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja would be opened September 5 for international flights.
NCAA, which issued advisory to airlines in conjunction with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), stated that other airports would be informed when to re-open.
It stated this in a circular to all Aviation stakeholders and the foreign airlines flying into Nigeria..
The ‘All Operators Letter’ with reference number NCAA/AIR/11/16/225, signed by the Director-General, Captain Musa Nuhu reads:
“Following the announcement by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 on the partial resumption of international flights, we wish to inform the industry of the following: Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, (DNMM) and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja (DNAA) will resume international operations effective 00.01z on 5th September 2020.
“Other international airports in the country will not be reopened immediately for international flights resumption as the NCAA circular further said.
“ Other International Airports, namely: Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano (DKNN), Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa (DNPO) and the newly reopened Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu (DNEN) will remain closed to international flights until a new date is determined and announced.”
Meanwhile, NAMA, Managing Director, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, while speaking about the ‘Notice To Airmen’ (NOTAM) issued to airlines said: “The NOTAM was issued immediately we received the circular from the NCAA yesterday. The NOTAM takes effect from the hour 0001 UTC on the 5th of September”.
COVER
281 Inmates Missing from Custodial Centre after Borno Flood
By David Torough, Abuja
Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has declared 281 inmates missing from the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Maiduguri, Borno State.
NCoS said this followed an evacuation after the flood that engulfed the state capital.
A statement onby the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO), Mr Abubakar Umar yesterday in Abuja said seven other inmates had been recaptured.
Umar said that the service was in custody of the details of the missing inmates, including their biometrics.
“The flood brought down the walls of the correctional facilities, including the medium security custodial centre Maiduguri (MSCC) as well as the staff quarters in the city.
“Upon the evacuation of inmates by officers of the service with support from sister security agencies to a safe and secure facility, 281 inmates were observed to be missing.
“However, it is important to note that the service is in custody of their details, including their biometrics, which is being made available to the public.
“The service is working in synergy with other security agencies as both covert and overt deployments have been activated to look out for them.
“Presently, a total of seven (7) inmates have been recaptured and returned to custody, while efforts are on ground to track down the rest and bring them back to safe custody.“While this effort is on, the public is assured that the incident does not impede or affect public safety,” he said.
COVER
NNPCL Lifts Petrol from Dangote at N898 Per Litre
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
After controversies, trucks from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) yesterday lifted petrol from the Dangote Refinery.
NNPCL revealed that Dangote Refinery sold the fuel at N898 per litre.
The national oil company began loading yesterday after moving about 300 trucks to the 650,000 capacity refinery Dangote Refinery located in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State.
Its spokesman, Olufemi Soneye was quoted as saying, “We successfully loaded PMS at the Dangote Refinery today [Sunday].
”“The claim that we purchased it at N760 per liter is incorrect.
“For this initial loading, the price from the refinery was N898 per liter.
”At least, over 70 trucks had loaded at the time of this report.
This marks an end to the month-long debate over the quality and sale of the Dangote petrol.
Speaking to newsmen at the refinery, the Vice President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Devakumar Edwin described the commencement of the petrol lifting moment of pride to every Nigerian.
He said, “My President has been showing presentations that 52 years ago, we were trying to see how to solve the problem of PMS supply and the queues. Now, after 52 years, we have a solution.
“And the solution is local production of PMS and it is from a Nigerian oil company. And as EPC contractor, it was constructed by a Nigerian company.
“So, it’s a matter of pride that a Nigerian oil company, constructed by a Nigerian-owned company, is able to generate PMS from the local crude and daily will not only to meet the entire requirement of Nigeria, but can also have surplus to export. So, it is a time and moment of great pride to every Nigerian.”
Edwin said 44 percent of the PMS production from the Dangote refinery can meet the requirement of the entire country.
“If you look at the refinery as a whole, PMS alone, every day, 650,000 barrels of crude if we’re processing, we can generate more than 54 million litres of PMS.
“And, of course, the refinery has the capacity to produce various other products too. 44% of the production can meet the entire requirement of the country, 56% of the production has to be exported. “So, it is a huge refinery. So, it is not only going to be doing import substitution, but it is also going to make Forex generation through export revenue.
“The gantries are actually 86 and they can load 86 trucks at a go,” he said.
Last Friday, in Abuja, a member of the Presidential Committee on the Sale of Crude Oil and Refined Product and Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji confirmed that the NNPCL remains the sole buyer of petrol from the Dangote refinery while willing off-takers are free to lift diesel and other products from the refinery.
According to Adedeji, the NNPCL would further distribute to other independent marketers after lifting from the refinery.
He said the nation’s oil company will commence the sale of crude oil to the Dangote refinery in naira from October 1.
COVER
CBN Issues 30-day Deadline to Payment Service Providers on PoS Transactions
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued a new directive to Payment Service Providers (PSPs), requiring them to comply with enhanced routing guidelines for Point of Sale (PoS) transactions.This move is aimed at strengthening the monitoring of electronic transactions across Nigeria.
The directive issued on Wednesday aims at strengthening the monitoring of electronic transactions across Nigeria following CBN’s initiative to diversify the Payment Terminal Service Aggregator (PTSA) structure, which previously operated through a single aggregator. In a circular signed by Oladimeji Yisa Taiwo on behalf of the CBN Payments System Management Department, the apex bank mandates that all PoS transactions from merchant and agent locations—whether physical or electronic—must now be routed through any CBN-licensed PTSA.The directive is part of efforts to decentralize PoS transaction routing and address concerns over the centralization of such transactions under a single entity.In Aug. 2011, the CBN initially granted a PTSA license to the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) Plc to serve as the sole aggregator of PoS transactions.However, to promote competition and enhance service delivery, the CBN awarded a second PTSA license to Unified Payment Services Limited (UPSL) on April 19.This development aims to reduce the dependence on a single aggregator for the management of PoS transactions, promoting transparency and operational efficiency in Nigeria’s growing electronic payments landscape.