Lekki port will attract investments –LFZ
Dinesh Rathi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Free Zone, said on Thursday that the newly commissioned Lekki deep seaport would grow the Nigerian economy by increasing the volume of trading activities and also attract more foreign direct investment.
Raith, who applauded the initiative to integrate the Lekki deep seaport with that of the Lagos Free Zone, said that this would make Lagos an ideal investment destination for any investor, especially given the number of quality infrastructures available at the zone.
He noted that the port would give unrivaled competitive advantages to investors at LFZ in terms of ease of doing business and trade efficiency.
“The commissioning of the Lekki Deep Seaport by President Muhammadu Buhari marks a significant milestone for the government and the people of the great country of Nigeria, as this project will greatly impact economic growth and development. Lekki Port and LFZ will evolve together by creating an ecosystem that is the first of its kind in Nigeria. We express our sincere appreciation to the Federal Government, the Lagos State Government, and all the relevant government agencies and parastatals, especially our regulator, the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority, for their support throughout this entire journey,” he said.
GE, Nigeria to partner on energy growth
Mohammed Mijindadi, the president of General Electric (GE) in Nigeria, said on Thursday, during an energy roundtable discourse held in Lagos, that the company is ready and willing to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to help Nigeria overcome its electricity supply challenge.
Mijindadi said that the abundant gas reserves in Nigeria can be fully utilized to help deal with the challenging power situation in the country, a situation that can help improve the living standard of Nigerians and the economy in general.
He noted that the large gap in the installation and operational capacity as well as the inadequate supply of electricity were responsible for the poor growth in the country’s industrial, economic, and societal sectors. He stated that the power sector actually needs around 30,000 megawatts of electricity to address this challenge.
100m SIMs produced locally — NCC
Aderonke Sola-Ogunsola, the Head of the Financing and Stakeholder Engagement Team, said that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said that over 100 million Subscriber Identity Modules (SIM) have so far been produced locally within a year of the first Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo.
Sola-Ogunsola delivered a speech on the theme “Mandate and Strides Towards Full Digital Economy in Nigeria” at this year’s AFRICANXT in Lagos on Thursday.
She said that through the Nigeria Telecommunications Indigenous Content of the NCC, the country could serve as a manufacturer of SIM in West Africa.
According to her, over 100 million SIM cards have been ordered by various telecommunications companies, putting an end to the importation of SIM and achieving a fully digital economy in Nigeria.
Sola-Ogunsola said that at the 2022 indigenous content expo in Lagos, the Federal Government banned the importation of SIM cards.
Naira, fuel crisis: TUC promises to protect workers’ rights
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) president, Festus Osifo, and the TUC secretary general, Nuhu Toro, issued a statement on Thursday on behalf of the organization, assuring its members and the working people that the organisation would defend and protect their interests as the country struggles to deal with the Naira and fuel crises.
“We pledge to the Nigerian populace that their interests will be the irreducible minimum for us.
“We appeal to Nigerians to be peaceful, focused, and resolute; they must refuse to be hoodwinked or allow themselves to be divided by lackeys of the state, agents of politicians, and provocateurs who would employ divisive tactics.
“Nigeria belongs to its people, not those holding political office who are mere caretakers,” the duo said.
US says China balloon could collect intelligence signals
The China balloon shot down by the U.S. was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals as part of a huge, military-linked aerial surveillance program that targeted more than 40 countries, the Biden administration declared Thursday, citing imagery from American U-2 spy planes.
A fleet of balloons operates under the direction of the People’s Liberation Army and is used specifically for spying, outfitted with high-tech equipment designed to gather sensitive information from targets across the globe, the U.S. said. Similar balloons have sailed over five continents, according to the administration.
A statement from a senior State Department official offered the most detail to date linking China’s military to the balloon that was shot down by the U.S. last weekend over the Atlantic Ocean. This is according to Associated Press.
