322 Nigerian firms shut down in five years - World Bank

Harsh business environment in Nigeria forced about 322 organised private companies to close shop between 2009 and 2014, a report by the World Bank Enterprise Survey has shown.

The report also said out of 5,833 firms sampled in the country within the period, at least1,136 were reported to be at the risk of closing down.

A firm is considered to have closed down or exited if it is confirmed as ceasing operation.


The World Bank Enterprise Survey, which focused on emerging markets and developing economies, covered small, medium and large-scale enterprises in the non-agricultural formal private sector.

The study looked at the effects of factors such as trade, finance, labour, infrastructure, innovation, regulations, taxes and business licensing, crime, informality and corruption on business growth.

Results of the survey, which was published in a report by the African Development Bank, entitled ‘Creating Decent Jobs: Strategies, Policies and Instruments’, identified political environment and corruption as major obstacles to the survival of businesses in Nigeria and other African countries.

Senate proposes bill to create agency for hate speech

The Senate has introduced a  bill that seeks to ascertain a central agency to visualize hate speech within the country.

The bill, sponsored by a former Senate spokesman, who is currently the Deputy Senate Whip, Sabi Abdullahi,  passed presentation on the ground of the red chamber on Tues.

It is titled National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speeches (Estb., etc) Bill 2019.


A similar bill sponsored by Abdullahi within the eighth Senate prescribed among others, death by hanging for anyone found guilty of the offence.

Supply suspension: Petrol scarcity hits border towns, fuel now N600/litre

Residents of border communities in Ogun, Lagos, Adamawa, Katsina and Sokoto states  are groaning following the Federal Government’s suspension of fuel supply to areas  within 20 kilometres to  the nation’s borders.

On Thursday, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali, had directed that no petroleum products should be supplied to  any filling station within 20 kilometres to the borders.

 Investigations by our correspondents   in Ogun, Lagos, Adamawa, Katsina, and Sokoto states showed that the government’s order had triggered fuel scarcity and hike in the prices of petroleum products.

For instance, investigations by one of our correspondents  showed the Federal Government’s order had led to fuel scarcity in communities such as Ihunbo, Ilase, Ajegunle, Idiroko and Agosasa in  the Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Also, at the  Seme border in Lagos  on Monday, there were  fuel queues as only two filling stations were selling fuel.

Many filling stations shut in Ogun

The PUNCH learnt that  so many filling stations  within  20 kilometres  to the border in Ipokia, close to Benin Republic had been shut by the Federal Government’s task force on border closure.

 One of the residents of Ipokia, Elijah  Akinola, in an interview with The PUNCH,  accused the security agencies in the area  of sabotaging the economy of the country.

He asked,  “Can you imagine buying a litre of fuel at the rate of N600? Before we can get fuel for N145 in Ipokia, we will need to go to Owode, which is 28 kilometres  away. We don’t know what we can do to survive.

“Before the Federal Government’s order, they (security agents) used to take bribes from marketers  before allowing them to export fuel to Benin Republic. Now that the Federal Government has stopped supply of fuel  supply to border communities, we are the ones suffering.   Artisans, even medical personnel, are the ones suffering.

Punch

Cockroaches are evolving to a point where they'll be nearly impossible to kill

Cockroaches are being born impervious to bug sprays and it’s happening fast.

A Purdue University study found that the commonly found German species of roaches are being born with an immunity to toxins with which they haven’t yet been in contact. The shocking study, published on Live Science, concluded the evolution of the German cockroach, also called the Blattella germanica, develops an immunity to new poisons in as quickly as one generation of offspring.

“We didn’t have a clue that something like that could happen this fast,”study co-author Michael Scharf said. “Cockroaches developing resistance to multiple classes of insecticides at once will make controlling these pests almost impossible with chemicals alone.”

The study was conducted in various buildings in central Illinois and Indiana as well as at Purdue’s labs that had roach infestations. Researchers used various combinations of bug sprays and studied several generations of roaches to reach their conclusion.

German cockroaches, which reproduce quickly and scavenge among areas occupied by people, are described in the report as “the species that gives all other cockroaches a bad name.”

Stopping the super scavengers from spreading bacteria and disease in the future will depend on traps and vacuums more so than chemicals, the report suggests.

A Female German cockroach can lay nearly 400 eggs in a lifetime, according to Orkin exterminators. They also note that despite having wings, this seemingly evolving breed of roach “very rarely flies.”

 New York Daily News

The more you give, the more God blesses you - Dangote

Dangote: The more you give, the

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, says some people find it difficult to give without knowing that “the more you give, the more God blesses you”.

Speaking at the 2019 Gold Gala of Florence Otedola’s Cuppy Foundation in Abuja, Dangote emphasised the importance of helping the needy.

The event was organised by the Cuppy Foundation to raise funds for Save the Children, the 100-year United Kingdom-based charity, which is the biggest children-focused organisation in the world after UNICEF.

Save the Children is currently targetting displaced children in the north-east.

Dangote, who made a donation of N100 million, said he would give away most of his wealth to charity before he “passes away.”

“I believe we have made more Nigerians to have a big heart to be giving back to the needy. Nigeria has been good to us. Despite our many needs, we need to also contribute and do our bit. We shouldn’t wait for the government to do every thing. The government has a lot of challenges as we too have ours,” Dangote said.

“Yet, I still think we need to give back. They say, ‘To whom much is given; much is expected.’ Philanthropy in Nigeria is not new. But people find it very difficult to give money away. But I think, the more you give; the more God blesses you and makes you richer.”

He commended Femi Otedola, who made a N5 billion donation, saying the act has shown that Otedola is not only rich but wealthy.

“Femi has declared that he’s not just a rich man but a wealthy person. Now, he has joined the clique of wealthy men who don’t eat their money themselves alone or through their families. They make sure they give to others. For me, one thing I keep saying is that I’ll give away most of my money before I pass on. You know, we have to die one day.

“I must congratulate Cuppy for having a big heart to go and visit those children in Borno. 90 percent of the people I invite from Lagos to follow me to Maiduguri refused. But Cuppy went there, played with them and spent the whole day there.”

Tam David-West dies at 83

Tam David-West, former minister of petroleum and energy, has died at the age of 83.

In a statement on Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari mourned the late statesman whom he described as his ally and friend.

We could not immediately confirm the circumstances that led to David-West’s demise.

He served as minister of petroleum and energy under Buhari’s military regime as well as minister of mines, power, and steel under former military president Ibrahim Babangida.

He was also a commissioner of education in the old Rivers state, and was described by the president as “a consultant virologist of national and international standing”.

A statement by Garba Shehu, Buhari’s spokesman, quoted the president as saying David-West had “an indomitable spirit, stood resolutely by whatever he believed in, and was in a class of his own”.

“He commiserates with the David-West family, the people of Buguma, Kalabari Kingdom of Rivers State, the academia, and all those who loved “the forthright Tam David-West”,” the statement added.

“President Buhari prays that God will rest the soul of the committed nationalist, urging all those who believe in the ideals he espoused to approximate same, for the betterment of Nigeria, and humanity.”

David-West wrote many books and was a social critic who spoke strongly on national issues.

VAR: Referees' chief Mike Riley to tell officials to use pitchside TV monitors

BBC Sport

Premier League referees are to be encouraged to make more use of pitchside VAR monitors, referees' chief Mike Riley is expected to tell clubs later this week.

All 20 top-flight clubs will be represented at a meeting with Riley in central London on Thursday.

Top of the agenda will be the ongoing controversies around VAR, which continued on Saturday when Sheffield United had a goal ruled out at Tottenham because of a marginal offside decision.

Riley will be quizzed about various VAR issues, including inconsistencies in decision-making and the time it takes for rulings to be made, which in some instances have been several minutes after goals are scored.

It is acknowledged that solutions are not straightforward. However, it is anticipated Riley will tell clubs the on-field referee will make more use of monitors.

It was envisaged that would happen from the point VAR came into use in the Premier League but Riley advised referees not to use them in order to prevent additional delays.

It is now felt the on-field referee is best placed to make marginal calls because they are more aware of the flow of the game and the atmosphere at the time.