Tragedy was averted on Saturday as a cow ran into a road in Abia State with a couple driving on high speed.
While the car was on motion, the cow rushed to the road ‘from nowhere’ and jumped on the windscreen of the Toyota Camry car marked FF 923 ABJ.
The accident happened around 7UP area in the Aba area of the state.
The windscreen was destroyed but reports say the couple was rescued unharmed.
See photos below…
Abia State government, yesterday, said it would Monday, August 8, begin the enforcement of the ban on street trading in the state and advised traders to relocate to approved sites, even as it extended the operational hours of tricycle (Keke) operators in the state from 7pm to 9pm.
Chairman of the Abia State Market Development Committee, ASMDC, Mr. Solomon Nwaigwe, who stated this while addressing phone and accessories dealers at St. Michael’s Road, Aba, said the three months grace period given to the phone dealers to relocate to the Aba Mega Mall would not be extended as enforcement of the order would commence next Monday and warned that defaulters would be prosecuted.
Nwaigwe, who stressed the dangers of street trading, hinted that the state government had mapped out sites for all service providers in the city to have a central market as obtainable in other parts of the world.
He claimed the state government had provided conducive environment with regular power supply and security at the Aba Mega Mall and ensured that traders would pay a monthly rent of N5,000 and N120,000, annually, for bigger shops.
According to him, “Abia State government is not going back on its resolve to end street trading in the state. On this, we are appealing to the phone and accessories dealers at St.Michaels road to relocate to the Aba Mega Mall where a conducive business environment has been provided for them at affordable prices. My Committee will ensure that all dealers on phones and accessories relocate to Aba Mega Mall to ensure a centralized market in Aba.”
Meanwhile, the government has extended the operational hours of tricycle (Keke) operators in the state from 7pm to 9pm.
The Government had last year restricted their operation to between 6am and 7pm, accusing them of using their tricycles to commit crimes.
Before the restriction, crime rates in Aba and Umuahia rose astronomically and there cases when crimes, including kidnapping and robbery were linked to operators, prompting the Government to ban their operation beyond 7pm.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu who announced the extension in Aba at a solidarity rally organized in his honour by the Abia State Amalgamated Tricycle Operators Association, ASATOA,, said the initial restriction to 7pm was due to the increase in crimes linked to the operators.
The Governor, however, tasked operators to get rid of the bad eggs among them, promising that government would stop the imposition of multiple levies on the union.
December 2015 I made frantic calls home to reassess the true dollar exchange rate to the Nigerian Naira. When I left Nigeria in July 2015, the dollar: naira exchange was $1: N157 and in the black market, it was N196.
On the 29th of December, it was N300 at the Black market (varied prices) and the official rate a little over N200. Needless to say, this halted my effort at finalizing an international transaction initially quoted at reduced exchange rates.
The impact of oil on Nigeria’s economy has volumes of articles written on it. The impact could not be more noticeable than now. Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari faces a multi-pronged challenge in resolving the economic decline in Nigeria. Besides diversifying the economy, commitment to providing social infrastructure, corporate policies (taxes and reliefs) and recreating a business friendly environment that encourages investment are not only crucial but necessary in reinvigorating the struggling economy and sustaining it.
Nigeria has huge challenges ahead especially seeing the volume of public and social infrastructure requiring attention. These were a core part of the President’s campaign as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The President canvassed and campaigned on increased infrastructure and social welfare. I am not convinced of the need for a salary for the unemployed and it remains to be seen how viable or realistic or sustainable the program will be.
The economic focus and emphasis of President Muhammadu Buhari rest on wealth creation; from job creation and diversification of the revenue base while securing its borders and ensuring the country is viable for foreign investment. The belief is that economic growth premised on the successes of businesses, will hopefully spur economic growth and create mass employment. However, the ease of doing business in Nigeria still remains a difficulty given the challenging and prevailing socio-economic and political factors.
He also emphasized on a diversification of the economy (revenue base) during his campaign. However, while being the first President to embark on a non-oil budget, it is unclear, for instance, how much of the revenue accruing from taxes or this diversified economy will go to establish or rebuilding the manufacturing sectors (if at all.); manufacturing (and exports) represents a significant economic activity spurring economic development. The need to reassess and reevaluate industrial and trade policies or the focus of manufacturing has never been more important.
One important priority should be on export. Export will drive economic growth, both from efficient production capacity and mass employment. By export, I mean the export of finished products/ commodities and not raw materials. Increased government expenditure on infrastructure (roads, energy, customs, and others), improved ease of doing business or policy reform on tax incentives and other sustainable practices will lead to expansionary growth. To achieve this growth, clear direction on these parameters need to be communicated.
Many facts from UNECA point Africa in the direction of where it is missing (missed) the true opportunity to drive iconic economic growth: manufacturing. 16% of global cotton exports in 2012 came from Africa. Of this 16%, only 1% were finished cotton products: only 1% of the global export were already manufactured/processed from raw materials into final products.
Take Nigeria for instance. According to ECA, crude oil exports were $89billion in 2012 and, in turn, Nigeria spent $5billion importing refined oil back. Why? Nigeria’s comatose oil refineries.
Also, export of finished products from manufacturing of raw materials in Africa rather than export of raw materials will truly improve the rise of African economies. Truly, Nigeria’s renewed commitment to a diversifying source of economic growth is a welcome development but will it be enough?
Mining other resources will add the much-needed boost to economic growth. However, will Nigeria export the mined raw materials or start developing specific industries to turn them into final products for export?
Unfortunately, skewed Trade policies and African leaders’ handling of economic growth (lopsided policies, lack of will to fight for better trade policies, improve capacity for manufacturing, etc) and even institutionalized stealing (corruption) amongst other things; has led to the stagnation or in most cases, the decline of growth of African economies. I must salute the resilience of the government however in the pursuit of true justice especially on recent corruption cases that crippled the Nigerian state.
What trade policies will restrict Nigeria’s commitment to the export of finished products? If any, does the President have the necessary political will and leadership grit required to push an African trade (industrial) policy review that favours African export of finished products? Or will Nigeria (Africa) continually become the prey grounds for developed countries or dumping grounds of processed foreign exports?
Faced with pressing public concerns, some of the promises made could be delayed in order of priority. Nigeria’s economic realities require its leaders to be forthright, pragmatic, honest in helping to shape public opinion on its promised programs while employing precision-driven policies to address national challenges. In reassessing his promises, President Buhari needs to employ more direct communication strategies in speaking to Nigerians.
If Nigeria will truly rise, every citizen has a stake in making it so. It is, however, hard to make already frustrated citizens to participate or sacrifice in any rebuilding effort if they have no feeling of shared responsibilities. What Nigeria needs now are necessary reforms that will payoff on the long-term, accompanied by clear communication strategy from leadership; even if these reforms will attract intense criticism and derisory bipartisan attacks, rather than embarking on unsustainable populistic measures.
‘Seun Fakuade
Views expressed are solely that of author and does not represent views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates
Worried by spate of protests by pro-Biafra groups, seeking self determination for the people of South East and their neighbours, Imo State Governor and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum, Rochas Okorocha yesterday said he had taken steps to arrange a meeting of governors and chieftains of the Ohaneze Ndigbo “to discuss the matter.”
The move came on the heels of continued protest by pro-Biafra activists under the aegis of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Aba. The groups had staged a miniature rally on Saturday to protest the continued detention of the Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, by the Federal Government.
Credit: Guardian
