Television Nigerian

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged insurance companies in Nigeria to take advantage of the government’s ongoing efforts to grow the economy’s non-oil sector through innovation.

The president praised their role in encouraging medical practitioners to combat the spread of COVID-19 during the virtual opening ceremony of the 47th African Insurance Organization, AIO, Conference and Annual General Assembly.

According to him, the insurance sector will be critical to the economy’s diversification by providing needed stability, economic sustainability, revenue generation, job creation, and financial inclusion.

“The insurance industry in Africa has a bright future. All we need to do now is put in place the proper mechanisms for it to thrive. I can assure you that this administration has supported and will continue to support the growth of insurance in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

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“I applaud the AIO’s leadership for its foresight, perseverance, and resilience in ensuring that the African insurance market strives to meet its expectations in the global market, despite the current challenges,” he said.
Mr Buhari described the conference’s theme, “Rebuilding Africa’s Economy: An Insurance Perspective,” as “appropriate and well-thought out” in light of the current reality, in which many governments are scrambling to find innovative ways to manage their economies in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic has changed many perspectives, forcing leaders all over the world to think hard about solutions.

“I want to assure you that we in Nigeria are doing everything humanly possible to ensure a coordinated approach to the pandemic and reaching out to other African leaders on possible best options to fully revive the African economy,” he added.

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The president noted that the COVID-19 pandemic posed a global challenge, resulting in country-wide lockdowns, travel restrictions, and the issuance of numerous health protocols that impacted all human, social, and economic interactions, making the conference impossible to host in 2020.

“In many countries around the world, COVID-19 remains a serious challenge. Appropriate protocols have been put in place to slow the spread of the disease, and vaccination is underway.

“As a government and a nation, we recognize the need to address some of the social, economic, and health disruptions caused by the pandemic by putting in place sufficient measures that allow the system to function.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Nigerian insurance industry for partnering with the government in this fight by providing life insurance packages to frontline medical and paramedical personnel.

“In these trying times, your support and solidarity are greatly appreciated,” the president added.

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He congratulated the organizing committee on a job well done, noting that the conference’s subtopics were both relevant and critical in aiding Nigeria’s and Africa’s recovery.

“We are aware that the AIO’s Conference and Annual General Meeting are rotated among member states to provide a forum for the exchange of information and strategies on market developments, while also promoting regional knowledge and integration.

“We were delighted to learn of the AIO Executive Committee’s decision to award Nigeria the hosting rights for the 47th edition of the AIO Conference.

“As a country, we are confident in our ability to deliver the best conference ever in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic breaks out,” he said.

Mrs Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, said the AIO’s founders’ foresight deserved praise because it fostered the African integration agenda and how best to collectively address shortcomings.

She urged the insurance industry to design products that meet the needs of society, particularly low-income earners, noting that the only way to have a greater impact on development is to look at Africa’s uniqueness.

The conference was last held in Nigeria in 2000, according to AIO President Delphine Traore, who is also the Chief Operations Officer of Alliance Africa. She assured that innovation in the sector would help to complement government development efforts.

One of the lawyers for Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, has sued the Department of State Services in the Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly violating his fundamental human rights.

In his lawsuit, titled FHC/ABJ/CS/1018/2021, Opara is seeking N50 million in damages for the violation of his right to human dignity.

During a routine visit to his client, who was detained by the DSS, Opara claimed that the DSS interfered with his right.

As a result, he requested that the court order the DSS and its Director-General to issue a written apology and have it published in two national daily newspapers.

Opara is also seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the DSS and its agents from interfering with his right to human dignity and freedom of movement while on a routine visit to his client.

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He also wants “a declaration that the Respondents must respect citizens’ fundamental rights and abide by the provisions of Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, and the provisions of the Africa Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act while performing their duties.”

“A declaration that the actions of the men, operatives, and officers under the command commission of the Respondents on the 30th of August, 2021 during the Applicant’s visit to see his client in their detention facility, whereby they commandeered the Applicant to a particular room within their facility; for purposes of alleged bodily search, wherein they forced him to remove his medicated eye-glare, wherein they forced him to remove his medicated eye-glare, wherein they forced

“A declaration that the actions of the men, operatives, and officers under the command/commission of the Respondents on the 30th of August, 2021 during the Applicant’s visit to see his client in their detention facility, whereby they commandeered the Applicant to a particular room within their facility; for purposes of alleged bodily search, wherein they forcibly removed his belt, medicated eye-gauze, and other personal items; and wherein they forcibly removed his

The Director-General of the DSS has also joined the suit. The suit has yet to be assigned a date.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced yesterday that Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) will now be conducted in Anambra State’s wards.

The Commission stated that it is working in tandem with the governorship election on November 6th.

Festus Okoye, INEC’s Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, said that preparations are proceeding according to the election’s detailed Timetable and Schedule of Activities.

He claimed that eight of the 14 activities had already been completed successfully, including party primaries, candidate nominations, and the start of political party campaigns.

The Commission has approved the devolution of the CVR to the state’s 326 Wards to ensure that new voters and those who wish to transfer their registration to Anambra State or from one part of the state to another have the opportunity to do so and complete the process before the election.

“The exercise will begin on Monday, August 30th, 2021, and end on Sunday, September 5th, 2021,” Okoye said. This is in addition to the 21 existing Local Government Area offices and the State Head Office, where physical registration is currently occurring. The total number of registration centers in the state now stands at 348.”

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“Voter registration shall cease not later than 60 days before an election, in accordance with Section 9(5) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended),” he added. This means that by September 6, 2021, the exercise in Anambra State will be over. This will allow the Commission to clean up the data, compile the register, distribute copies to political parties, print the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) for registered voters to collect, and prepare two copies of the register for each of the 5,720 polling units ahead of the election.”

As a result, in addition to our Local Government and State offices, those who wish to register in person or physically can now do so from August 30 to September 5, 2021, at the Registration Area (Ward) level throughout the State. If they want to vote in the upcoming Governorship election, those who completed the online pre-registration must also complete the physical registration within those dates. From September 6, 2021, until after the governorship election, the Commission will suspend physical voter registration in Anambra State.

The Commission has identified 580 pre-registrants from online voter registration who have scheduled appointments to complete their registration after September 5, 2021. We’ve emailed each of them and rescheduled their appointments within the devolved exercise’s timeframe. If the date we proposed is not convenient for them, we have also given them the option of choosing another date within that time frame. They may, however, reschedule for a later date if they do not wish to vote in the Governorship election on November 6th.

We are deploying 652 trained staff, two for each of the 326 wards, as part of the Commission’s commitment to continue to provide a pleasant experience for Nigerians during the CVR exercise. Furthermore, sufficient voter registration machines and technical support will be available for the duration of the exercise, which will take place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily, including weekends. Our Anambra State office has begun stakeholder engagements and extensive publicity for the exercise.

The Federal Government should expand the powers of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria in its debt recovery process, according to a senior Nigerian lawyer.

Mr Oluwakemi Balogun of Oluwakemi LP, speaking at a training for solicitors, receivers, and receiver/managers in Lagos, said debt recovery in Nigeria would continue to be a burden on AMCON and the financial sector as long as the system allowed some “brazenly walk into banks to borrow money with no intention of repaying the loan obligation.”

According to a statement released by AMCON on Sunday, the lawyer said the government must take drastic measures to save the country from debtors who, according to him, have perfected the art of borrowing money from various banks and serially defaulting on repayment agreements because the country had no policy to protect them.

“We need a national law that will assist lenders,” Balogun said. A national debt collection law is required. This law should not only apply to AMCON as a government agency, but to the entire country.

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“This is one of the methods we can use to reduce bad behavior. You can’t borrow money and then refuse to pay it back in some other economies and get away with it. As a result, Nigeria should not let recalcitrant debtors off the hook.”
Mr. Benedict Daminabo, group head, asset management, represented AMCON Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Ahmed Kuru, who stated that the agency would continue to emphasize the dangers of not recovering the debt due to its grave implications.

“We have repeatedly made the point at every opportunity that the AMCON mandate must be viewed as one of serious national importance by all stakeholders,” he said.

“If AMCON is unable to recover the massive debt of over N5 trillion by sunset, it becomes the debt of the Federal Government of Nigeria, which will be paid with taxpayers’ money.

“The implication is that the public will be made to pay for the irresponsibility of a small number of people who continue to exploit loopholes in our laws to avoid their moral and legal obligations to repay their debts.”

He went on to say that AMCON had reached a point where all stakeholders needed to band together to combat the common enemy of massive debt.