Five things to know to start your Wednesday

FG set to commission second Niger Bridge on May 15

The Federal Government, through the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has said that the second Niger bridge will be commissioned for vehicular movement on May 15.

Fashola disclosed this on Tuesday while inspecting the completion of the Loko-Oweto Bridge and link roads between Benue and Nasarawa States.

He made it clear that the N336 billion major project of President Muhamadu Buhari was undergoing finishing touches such as lane markings, adding that the flag-off ceremony will be officially carried out by the president.

Africa Fintech hub project gets $525,000 grant from AfDB

Lamin Barrow, the Director-General of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Nigeria Country Department, said on Tuesday that AfDB had signed a $525,000 agreement to support Africa Fintech Network’s (AFN) Hub project.

Barrow said that the project would boost the fintech industry on the continent.

“This grant of $525,000 will support the operationalization of an online digital hub to serve as a repository of knowledge for fintech entities across the continent and globally.

“The Digital Hub, which is to be delivered through a strategic partnership between the Africa Fintech Network and Cenfri, will help to strengthen the fintech ecosystem across Africa and boost the industry’s competitiveness.

“The grant is funded by the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFI), inaugurated by the AfDB Group, together with its partners, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

“Other partners are the Ministry of Finance of Luxembourg and Agence Française de Développement in 2019, with the Ministry of Finance and Economy of France and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) joining in 2020 and 2022, respectively.”

Why Nigeria’s human capital development drive must be sustained—Osinbajo

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, says Nigeria must accord attention to Human Capital Development (HCD) to drive the desired economic growth.

Osinbajo said this at the Peer Review Meeting of the HCD State Focal Persons held on Tuesday in Abuja.

Maritime operators to get $700m for vessel acquisition –FG

Bashir Jamoh, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), in a maiden annual lecture of the Institute of Maritime Studies at the University of Lagos on Tuesday, said the operators in the maritime sector may get about $700 million to acquire new vessels.

Jamoh said that the Federal Government had already penciled in around $700 million for the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund.

He also explained that each ship owner is expected to get at least $25 million from the fund.

“I didn’t say we will acquire 25 vessels; I gave you an average of $25 million per vessel that is according to the guideline, and I told you we have about $700 million for the purpose of CVFF. And we expect that each owner will get no more than $25 million,” he said.

Hours after arraignment, Trump claims election interference

Former President Donald Trump said on Tuesday night, hours after being charged in court, that he was the victim of election interference and he lashed out at New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg for bringing criminal charges against him.

“I never thought anything like this could happen in America,” Trump told supporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach, Florida. “The only crime that I’ve committed has been to fearlessly defend our nation against those who seek to destroy it.”

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, as Manhattan prosecutors accused him of orchestrating payments to two women before the 2016 U.S. election to suppress publication of their sexual encounters with him.

Trump accused Bragg of being out to get him “before he knew anything about me.” He said the judge in the case, Juan Merchan, is “a Trump-hating judge.” (Reuters)