It’s the beginning of another wonderful day. It is important that you don’t miss out on important happenings that have been covered in the news.
- FG to list Ojude Oba as UNESCO approved festival
- Tinubu pushes for international cooperation on maritime security for blue economy
- Nigeria ranks 88th out of 141 countries in Logistics Performance Index
We have highlighted the five most important developments in the news today, Wednesday, June 19, and present them below.
5 issues in the news that should matter to you today
1. FG to list Ojude Oba as UNESCO-approved festival: The federal government on Tuesday, June 18, disclosed its desire to activate plans to list the annual Ojude Oba festival, as one of the of the festivals backed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Minister of Culture, Art and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa-Musawa, who said this at the annual Ojude Oba festival, held at Awujale’s pavilion, Ijebu-Ode, noted that the annual festival is in tune with the President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda mandate for the ministry, which seeks to take revenue generation from tourism to over $100bn by 2030.
The global festival which showcases the rich cultural heritage and endowments of the people of Ijebuland is celebrated every third day of Eid-el-Adha. The theme for this year’s celebrations is “Ojude Oba: Unity and Harmony, Our Gift”
The Minister described the annual festival as a platform that fosters the unity of the country in diversity, as well as one of the country’s tourism potentials that can be tapped into to diversify the economy from oil and generate more resources for the country.
2. Tinubu pushes for international cooperation on maritime security for blue economy: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by the Vice President, Kashimi Shettima, has emphasized the importance of international cooperation on maritime security to unlock the vast potential of Africa’s blue economy. The President spoke at the 2024 International Maritime Conference in Lagos, held to commemorate the Nigerian Navy’s 68th anniversary, at the Naval Dockyard Limited, Victoria Island, Lagos. The President acknowledged the transnational nature of maritime threats and the need for greater international collaboration to address them.
The conference with the theme, “Promoting the Blue Economy in Africa through International Cooperation on Maritime Security,” according to him, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, the Vision of Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050, and Africa’s Agenda 2063.
3. Tinubu arrives in South Africa, Putin congratulates Ramaphosa on re-election: President Bola Tinubu has arrived in South Africa to attend the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa. He arrived at Waterkloof Air Force Base on the outskirts of Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital, on Tuesday, June 18 evening.
“South Africa regards Nigeria as a strategic partner in the context of bilateral relations, the West Africa region, and the continent in the pursuance of the African Agenda, South – South cooperation, and in the promotion of a rules-based international system,” the South African presidency said.
4. WHO, UNICEF hold emergency meeting on cholera outbreak: As Nigeria battles cholera outbreak in 30 states, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the International Organisation for Migration held an emergency meeting on Tuesday, June 18, in Lagos State.
The WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Mulombo, disclosed this on his X handle.
Experts have also warned ahead of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camping across the country which will open for thousands of graduates for a three-week-long orientation exercise on June 26, 2024. Medical experts expressed that poor sanitary conditions, lack of clean water, and cleaning supplies can predispose corps members to a cholera outbreak.
5. Nigeria ranks 88th out of 141 countries on Logistics Performance Index: Nigeria currently ranks 88th position out of 141 countries on the World Bank Logistics Performance Index, LPI, indicating a minimal improvement in the global logistics ranking of 91st in 2022. The LPI is an interactive benchmarking tool created to help countries identify the challenges and opportunities they face in trade logistics and what they can do to improve their performance.
On the Logistics Performance Score, Nigeria recorded 1.9 points out of the overall score of 5.0, while on the Customs score, it recorded 2.6. On the Infrastructure score, Nigeria recorded 2.4 as against another 2.4 recorded for the International Shipping score. For the Logistics competence score, it recorded 2.5 as against 2.3 in the tracking and tracing score. For the timeliness score, Nigeria recorded 2.7.