A report by Moody’s Investors Service says that Nigeria holds the key to the growth of the telecom’s sector in Sub Saharan Africa.Moody’s tipped Nigeria to lead the sector’s growth in Africa because of its large population and relatively low internet and mobile phone penetrations compared to its population.It also estimated that mobile subscribers in SSA would increase by 150 million over the next five years, with most of the growth coming from markets with large populations and low penetration rates.The report stated that African telecoms would benefit from strong growth but are faced with increasing sovereign risks.It added that growth would be highest in the SSA countries with large populations and relatively low mobile penetration rates such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Kenya.

President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the House of Representatives, urging it to confirm the appointment of Major General Farouk Yahaya as the Chief of Army Staff.Buhari also sent an executive bill to the House seeking to increase the retirement age of teachers from 60 to 65 years.The president says Yahaya’s appointment was in compliance with the provisions of Section 18 subsection 1 of the Armed Forces Act 2004.The speaker referred the request for confirmation to the Committees on Defence and Army.

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mallam Mele Kyari, called on International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria to be more accountable to Nigerians and not just to their shareholders and companies.Kyari says at the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) in Abuja that although oil companies plying their trade in the country were responsible to their home companies, they must also strive to incorporate the interest of the government and its people.He added that shareholders expect companies to deliver value, which is reflected in the dividends that they are able to deliver and beyond that, they expect that chief executives should act responsibly.He says acting responsibly means recognising that there are citizens of that country that have different expectations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described his country’s bilateral relationship with a superpower as one of nuptial bliss.Netanyahu says he wasn’t talking about Washington and arguably one of the most pro-Israeli US administrations in history. He was speaking about China.He says the value of trade between the two countries grew from roughly $1bn at the turn of the century, to a little over $11.2bn in 2019. He says China currently stands as Israel’s second-largest trading partner behind the US.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog Iran has failed to answer questions about the discovery of uranium particles at former undeclared sites in the country, calling on Tehran to provide information without further delay.Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been pushing Iran for answers on three sites dating back many years where inspections had revealed traces of uranium of man-made origin, suggesting they were once connected to Iran’s nuclear programme.Grossi is concerned that nuclear material has been present at the three undeclared locations in Iran and that the current locations of this nuclear material are not known by the agency.

Haiti has postponed a constitutional referendum scheduled for June 27 due to the coronavirus pandemic without giving a new date for the vote, further deepening the country’s political crisis.President Jovenel Moise has been ruling Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, by decree after legislative elections due in 2018 were delayed following disputes on the limits of his term.In addition to presidential, legislative and local elections in September, Moise had wanted to submit a new draft of the island nation’s constitution to a popular vote on June 27.He says he would go ahead despite international criticism that the process is not inclusive, participatory or transparent enough in a country plagued by political insecurity and criminal gangs.

The United States has imposed visa restrictions on people accused of inciting violence in English-speaking western Cameroon.Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the US was deeply concerned by the continued violence in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon”.He says they condemn those who undermine peace through engaging in or inciting violence, human rights violations and abuses, and threats against advocates for peace or humanitarian workers.He urged the Cameroonian government and separatist armed groups to end the violence and engage in a dialogue without preconditions to peacefully resolve the crisis.

A member of the House of Representatives, Isiaka Ibrahim lamented over the refusal of Heads of government to appear during the investigative hearing on recovered loots.Ibrahim lamented that the repeated absence of the Head of Governments is disrespectful to the National Assembly.Those invited to the hearing and refused to show up include, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele; the Inspector General Of Police, Usman Alkali Baba; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; and the Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency.Ibrahim added that the lawmakers have no business being in the parliament if agencies of government who are creations of the parliament refuse to respect the institution that created them.

Senator Kola Balogun has called on the Federal Government to grant the South-West Security Network codenamed Amotekun the license to bear arms. The lawmaker says they are not as equipped as these invaders who are savages and who go on the rampage.Senator Balogun appealed to the IG and the police to grant them the license to be well-equipped as long as what they are doing is in support of what the police is doing.

Analysts called on the federal government to address structural factors, which have jacked up the cost of production of goods, thereby encouraging importation over local production.The analysts urged the federal government to also narrow the trade imbalance by making exports more attractive than imports, adding that “though devaluation becomes a tool in achieving this.”They urged the government to invest in value addition to raw materials and agricultural products as well as create a conducive environment for manufacturers.The National Bureau of Statistics says Nigeria’s total external merchandise increased to N9.76 trillion in the first quarter of the year, representing a 6.99 per cent rise over the N9.12 trillion recorded in the preceding quarter.