Okowa signs Delta 2021 budget into law – Newstrends
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Okowa signs Delta 2021 budget into law

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Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has assented to the state’s 2021 Appropriation Bill.

He said the state government would strive to recover from the economic challenges engendered by COVID-19 pandemic.

Okowa, who signed the bill Monday in Asaba, commended the state’s House of Assembly for speedy passage of the appropriation bill.

He said that signing the budget with a month to the end of 2020 would avail the state government the opportunity to plan further towards the implementation of the 2021 budget from January, 2021.

He said, “You have just witnessed my signing into law the 2021 Appropriation Bill, and as I said on October 27, during the presentation of the bill, we are in very difficult times this year, no doubt both in this country and globally.

“And, with the second wave of the pandemic, it will create a further challenge for the recovery of the economy of our nation.

“However, we are optimistic that in the 2021 fiscal year, things will gradually improve and we will be able to get back to the levels of infrastructural development and the human capital development for our people.

“This is very necessary because there is a lot of pain; there is a lot of unemployment and our people are generally getting restive nationally and I pray that God will help us and this nation to rediscover ourselves and to commit every work of our people and our state and nation for the common good of all our citizens.

“The budget is termed ‘budget of economic recovery’ because we are very much aware of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, both on our health systems and the economy of the country, which is still largely dependent on the oil economy,’’ he said.

The governor said a lot was being done to grow the agricultural sector but stated that the programme would take time for it to begin to manifest meaningfully.

According to him, as long as the people are still dependent mainly on the oil economy with the global pandemic going, they will definitely have a lot of shortfall, both in the prices and the volume of oil being sold in the international market.

Okowa said, “This obviously impacted negatively on our budget in 2020 that we had to reduce our budget downward twice in the year.

“However, I want to use this medium to appreciate our various contractors who had continued to stay in their various sites to work even when it is becoming increasingly difficult to make payments on contractual agreements already made.

“We will continue to be very responsible as a state and we will continue to work with them to deliver on our projects.”

Business

CBN sells dollar to BDCs at N1,021/$1

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CBN sells dollar to BDCs at N1,021/$1

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced a $10,000 sale to each licensed Bureau De Change (BDC) operator nationwide.

The apex bank has made its second intervention this month.

The CBN detailed the action in a circular issued to the President of the Association of Bureau De Change Operators (ABCON).

BDCs can purchase dollars at a rate of N1,021 per dollar.

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They are, therefore, authorized to sell this forex to eligible end users at a maximum spread of 1.5 percent above the purchase price, translating to a maximum selling price of N1,036.15 per dollar.

On the 8th of April 2024, the CBN sold $10,000 FX to each of the 1,588 participating BDCs at a fixed rate of N1101 per US dollar at a spread capped at 1.5 percent above the purchase price from the CBN (approximately N1,116.15 per dollar). This limited the potential profit BDCs could make on each transaction

The latest circular has instructed all eligible BDCs to commence immediate payment of the Naira equivalent for their allocated $10,000 into designated CBN Naira Deposit Accounts.

CBN sells dollar to BDCs at N1,021/$1

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Dangote refinery further drops diesel price to N940/litre 

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Dangote refinery further drops diesel price to N940/litre 

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a further reduction in the price of both diesel to N940 per litre.

This is coming a few days after the refinery reduced diesel price to N1,000 per litre.

It also gave a new price for aviation fuel, pegging it at N980 per litre.

It disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the diesel price change of N940 is applicable to customers buying five million litres or more from the refinery, while those purchasing one million litres or more will pay N970.

It said this marked the third major reduction in diesel price “in less than three weeks when the product sold at N1,700 to N1,200 and also a further reduction to N1,000 and now N940 for diesel and N980 for aviation fuel per litre”.

Speaking on the new development, Anthony Chiejina, head of communication, Dangote Group, said the new price was in tandem with the company’s commitment to alleviating the effect of economic hardship in Nigeria.

“I can confirm to you that Dangote Petroleum Refinery has entered a strategic partnership with MRS Oil and Gas stations, to ensure that consumers get to buy fuel at affordable price, in all their stations, be it Lagos or Maiduguri,” he said.

“You can buy as low as one litre of diesel at N1,050 and aviation fuel at N980 at all major airports where MRS operates.”

He said the partnership would be extended to other major oil marketers.

“The essence of this is to ensure that retail buyers do not buy at exorbitant prices,” he said.

“The Dangote Group is committed to ensuring that Nigerians have a better welfare and as such, we are happy to announce this new prices and hope that it would go a long way to cushion the effect of economic challenges in the country.”

Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ajayi Kadiri, said the decision “to first crash the price from about N1,750/litre to N1,200/litre, N1,000/litre and now N940 is an eloquent demonstration of the capacity of local industries to positively impact the fortunes of the national economy.

“The trickle-down effect of this singular intervention promises to change the dynamics in the energy cost equation of the country, in the midst of inadequate and rising cost of electricity.”

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Aviation

Dana Air grounds plane after runway incident, 83 passengers on board

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Dana Air grounds plane after runway incident, 83 passengers on board

Dana Air says it has grounded its airplane that skidded off the Lagos airport runway on Tuesday.
The affected aircraft, a McDonald Douglas (MD-83) with registration 5N-BKI, had 83 passengers on board, it added.
Spokesman for the airline, Mr Kingsley Ezenwa, however, said all the 83 passengers and crew onboard the flight disembarked safely without injuries.
He said in a statement that the airline decided to ground the plane to allow for proper investigation into what caused the accident.
The statement read in part, “Dana Air regrets to inform the public of a runway incursion involving one of our aircraft, registration number 5N BKI, which was flying from Abuja to Lagos today, 23/04/24.
“We are relieved to confirm that all 83 passengers and crew onboard the flight disembarked safely without injuries or scare as the crew handled the situation with utmost professionalism.
“We have also updated the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on the incident, and the aircraft involved has been grounded by our maintenance team for further investigation.
“We wish to thank the airport authorities, our crew for their very swift response in ensuring the safe disembarkation of all passengers following the incident, and our sincere apologies and appreciation to the passengers on the affected flight for their patience and understanding.”

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