32 BUSINESS DAY C002D5556 Tuesday <strong>17</strong> <strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2018</strong> Live @ the Stock exchange Prices for Securities Traded as of Monday 16 <strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2018</strong> Company Market cap(nm) Price (N) Change Trades Volume Company Market cap(nm) Price (N) Change Trades Volume PRICES FOR MAIN BOARD SECURITIES (Equities)
Tuesday <strong>17</strong> <strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2018</strong> C002D5556 BUSINESS DAY 33 Buhari meets May, British Primie Minister … Gets an invite to meet Donald Trump on <strong>Apr</strong>il 30 TONY AILEMEN, Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in London at a meeting with British Prime Minister, Theresa May said his main preoccupation now is how to tackle the challenges posed by the economy and insecurity. President Buhari met with May on Monday at 10, Downing Street, London, where he said that that while other politicians are busy with preparations for the 2019 polls, his main preoccupation is how to fix the economy and tackle insecurity. Buhari, at 75 years, has announced his intention to seek a second term in office on <strong>Apr</strong>il 8, the same day he flew out of the country for a two-week official trip to the UK, the longest official trip outside the country by any Nigerian leader. “We campaigned on three major issues, to secure the country, revive the economy and fight corruption,” said the President. “We have elections next year, politicians are already pre-occupied with the polls, but I am bothered more about security and the economy,” he stressed. A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adelina, said President Buhari who recalled the long history between Nigeria and Britain on several fronts, also commended Britain for the support Nigeria had enjoyed over the years. “People ought to know how they arrived where they are, if they would move forward. It was a mistake for us to have stopped the teaching of history as a subject in schools, but we are returning it to the curriculum now.” The President also commended British companies such as Unilever, Cadbury, and many others, “who have stood with Nigeria through thick and thin. Even when we fought a Civil War, they never left. “But like Oliver Twist, we ask for more investments. We are encouraging more British companies to come to Nigeria. We appreciate the support you have given in training and equipping our military, particularly in the war against insurgency, but we want to also continue to work with you on trade and investment.” Buhari later took time to brief Prime Minister May on the strides in agriculture, which he said has put Nigeria firmly on the road to food self-sufficiency. “I am very pleased with the successes in agriculture,” he said, adding: “We have cut rice importation by about 90%, made lots of savings of foreign exchange, and generated employment. People had rushed to the cities to get oil money, at the expense of farming. But luckily, they are now going back to the farms. Even professionals are going back to the land. We are making steady progress on the road to food security.” On education, President Buhari said more investment was being made, because “people can look after themselves if well educated. In this age of technology, education is very important. We need well-staffed and well-equipped institutions to move into the next generation.” Climate change and environmental issues also came up for discussion, and President Buhari brought up the necessity of interbasin water transfer from Congo Basin to Lake Chad. According to him: “The Lake Chad is now about 10% of its original size, and it is perhaps one of the reasons our youths dare both the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean, to get to Europe. But if there is inter-basin water transfer, about 40 million people in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and other countries stand to benefit. I made the case during the Climate Change Summit in France. If Lake Chad is recharged, it will reduce the number of youths coming to Europe to increase social problems. We brought back about 4,000 people from Libya recently. Almost all of them were below 30, and Libya was not their final destination. They were headed to Europe.” Illegal refineries causing soot in PH belong to security agencies - activist … says Rivers has no blame IGNATIUS CHUKWU A Port Harcourt-based activist says most of the illegal refining outposts causing soot in Port Harcourt and other parts of Rivers State are owned by security operatives sent to police the region. Mishack Uyi, who is also an environment manager, also indicted officials of environmental and petroleum regulatory agencies for the prevalence of soot in Port Harcourt. “The security agencies in Rivers State, in unmistakable terms, are the owners of the illegal refineries we see in Rivers State and around the creeks of the Niger Delta. The security agencies are so deeply involved to the extent there is no incentive for them to stop illegal refineries. They are profiting from them,” Uyi said. In a press report by the Rivers State Government House issued by Simeon Nwakauda, the governor’s special adviser on electronic media, said as a result of the wide profit margins for some security agencies in illegal refineries, they would never cooperate with the state government to end the soot. The Government House in Port Harcourt quoted Uyi to have said: “They will never pull down their own business. They are eating from the illegal refineries. Unfortunately, they don’t even stay in Port Harcourt. That is why they have refused to police the pipelines. “You ask yourself; what has happened to the surveillance contracts? Why are the pipelines not being policed? What is the source of the crude for the illegal refineries? “Illegal refinery operators are not the producers of crude. They only tap from existing sources and their suppliers. Stop the sources of crude and the illegal refineries will disappear. Flood the market with kerosene and illegal refineries will reduce to zero.” He said the Rivers State government was not to blame for soot in Port Harcourt, as he said the state government had taken measures to check the soot within the limits approved for it by extant laws. He was quoted thus: “Those who are saddled with the onerous responsibility of policing the pipelines and ensuring that crude is not tampered with are the ones operating these illegal refineries.” He stated that the Rivers State Government, through the State Ministry of Environment and the office of the Senior Special Assistant on Pollution Control, has paid advocacy and enlightenment visits to security and regulatory agencies. NEWS EdoJobs: 50,000 youths for Microsoft, Tech4Dev digital literacy training To equip youths to exploit opportunities in Nigeria’s evolving technology eco-system and deliver on the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki’s promise to create 200,000 jobs, the state government has concluded plans to partner Microsoft and Tech4Dev in training 50,000 persons on digital literacy skills. EdoJobs, the state government’s job creation and skills development platform, is coordinating the training in the state and will, through its portal, supply participants as well as other logistics for the programme. Senior special assistant to the governor on job creation, Ukinebo Dare, in a statement, said of the 50,000 participants in the programme, 500 would be coached as master trainers, who would facilitate the step-down training for others. According to Dare, “We have reached advanced stage of preparation for the training programme to commence in Edo State. Microsoft and Tech4Dev plan to train about 500,000 persons across Nigeria. Of that number, 50,000 people will be trained in Edo State. While the two firms will be conducting the training, we are here in the state to coordinate logistics and other support structures to make the training possible.” She said the Edojobs portal, which has over 220,000 registered users, would supply some of the participants for the training programme, noting, “We are excited about the training. It serves as another addition to the series of trainings we are providing to Edo people and helping them build capacity to work for gainful employment or run businesses. Ogun Customs makes N300m on excise duty, intercepts N58m contraband RAZAQ AYINLA, Abeokuta Controller in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun State Area Command, Sani Madugu, says the Customs generates an average of N300 million on excise duty, monthly, saying the increase in number of manufacturing companies operating in the state are yielding results in terms of revenue being generated by government. Madugu, who addressed journalists at the state area command headquarters in Abeokuta recently, noted that revenue coming from manufacturing activities in form of excise duty to Customs could be more than N300 million monthly if all the manufacturing firms pay rightly and regularly. He lauded the Ibikunle Amosun-led government in the state for working on all economic parameters that improve on ease of doing business, which in return, attract more foreign direct investments on daily basis, saying the NCS would continue to combat all forms of importation that negatively affect Nigeria economy and investments in the country. Meanwhile, the Command has also intercepted The environment manager who claimed to be a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) said that it is the responsibility of the Federal Government and its security agencies to resolve the soot challenge. He particularly said that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has failed in its duty of checking the excesses of the multinationals and refinery operators. On the protests planned by some Garden City residents to press for government action on soot, Uyi said the focus should be on the Federal Government and its agencies who he said had neglected their constitutional responsibilities on the environment. He said it was mischievous to focus on Rivers State government that had limited role to play, noting that the action of protesters on the soot creates the impression that they were being sponsored to promote certain interests. “The question that I have asked the protesters, which they are yet to answer is; What is the Rivers State Government expected to do to stop the soot that it has not done within its limited responsibility. If you want to protest, protest against the federal agencies saddled with the responsibility by law to protect the environment. “But what is most impressive about this training is that it affords people to gain in-demand skills, especially as the world is moving towards tech-driven solutions to every-day problems.” The training programme is designed to train young people including those in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, foundational digital skills required to actively participate in the 21stcentury knowledge economy. The programme will take place offline and Microsoft will supply teaching aids to the educators who will train young people in schools and communities across the country. The module for the training includes introduction to computer, productivity tools, workplace essentials, big data and cloud technologies, cyber security and digital lifestyles. 1,963 bags of rice concealed in two trucks with duty paid value of N21.5 million and means of conveyance (the two trucks) with duty paid value of N37 million, the goods were seized because they were snuggled into the country in contravention of government extant laws and policies. The controller also stated that Customs seized Cannabis Sativa - Indian Hemp - carefully concealed in a sack and conveyed with motorbike, but said the Indian Hemp would be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
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