Newscast - Africa

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, says though the World Health Organisation and other world health bodies had not informed Nigeria of any deadly flu from China, the Federal Government is on the lookout for any occurrence.
He says when there is an outbreak of any flu or disease anywhere in the world, WHO will announce it to the world and send an advisory on how it can be handled, but there is no such alert in the case of the strange flu.
The minister says that foreign media outlets were also silent about the flu from China, an indication that the news making the rounds is a fabrication.
He, however, says that the Federal Government is on the lookout for anything suspicious.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service generated a record N10.1 trillion in revenue in 2022.
Executive Chairman, Mr. Muhammad Nami, says this is the highest tax collection ever recorded in its history.
The Service disclosed this in a “FIRS 2022 Performance Update,” report that the FIRS, in the year 2022 collected a total of N10.1 trillion in both oil and non-oil revenues as against a target of N10.44 trillion,” the report added.
The report added that Company's Income Tax contributed N2.83 trillion; Value Added Tax N2.51 trillion; Electronic Money Transfer Levy N125.67 billion and Earmarked Taxes N353.69 billion.

President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Lekki Deep Sea Port, Imota Rice Mill, and Bestaf Lubricant at MRS Holdings Company Limited all located in Lagos State.
The projects are part of a series of facilities being commissioned by Buhari during a two-day visit to the state.
The Lekki Deep Sea Port which encompasses investment in excess of $1.5 billion is a joint venture between the Federal Government through the Nigerian Ports Authority, Lagos State Government, the Tolarams Group and China Harbour Engineering Company.
The President led Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State; the Minister of Transportation, Muazu Sambo; the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Ciu Jianchun; top government officials; and traditional rulers, to witness the overloading from the container ship, sailing under the flag of Malta.

New Zealand’s former minister for COVID-19, Chris Hipkins, has been confirmed as the country’s next prime minister.
Hipkins got the unanimous support of legislators from the ruling Labour Party on Sunday after he was the only candidate to replace the charismatic Jacinda Ardern, who shocked the nation last week when she announced she was resigning after more than five years as prime minister.
Hipkins immediately acknowledged Ardern’s leadership, who he called one of New Zealand’s greatest prime ministers and an inspiration to women and girls everywhere.

Spotify Technology, the Swedish audio streaming giant, is preparing to announce layoffs as soon as this week.
Bloomberg reports that the number of job cuts under consideration at the popular streaming service is not clear, citing unnamed people who are familiar with the matter.
Tech firms have cut thousands of jobs in the last year as slowing advertising revenues and recession fears prompt reassessments of headcounts that ballooned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The OPEC Fund for International Development, a development institution established by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' member governments, has raised $1 billion by selling its first-ever bond.
The three-year bond which will pay investors an interest rate of 4.5 percent, will also be classed as a 'sustainable development' bond.
The OPEC Fund's head of Funding, Martine Mills Jansen, says the bond pricing is a major milestone for the OPEC Fund and the culmination of several years of intensive work.
A breakdown of subscriptions showed that central banks from the Middle East, Europe, and Asia and other types of official institutions, including from the United States, accounted for 62 percent of the bond's buyers.

The government of Cameroon and different groups involved in the separatist conflict in the country have agreed to take part in a process aimed at resolving the situation, the Canadian government says.
Canadian newspaper La Presse quotes an anonymous source in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office as saying that there had already been three secret meetings.
The Canadian government announced that it had accepted the role of facilitator.

A Russian warship armed with hypersonic cruise weapons will take part in joint exercises with the Chinese and South African navies in February.
Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency reports that Admiral Gorshkov will call at the logistics base in the Syrian port of Tartus, following which it will participate in joint drills with the Chinese and South African navies.
South Africa's military announced it would next month hold joint military drills with Russia and China off its coast.
The drills will run for 10 days from 17 February to 27 February in the port city of Durban and Richards Bay.

The Nigerian consulate in Johannesburg has complained to the South African government after city authorities disconnected the consulate’s electricity supplies over unpaid bills.
City officials went to the consulate, in an upmarket northern suburb, to cut off supplies over 400,000 rand in outstanding charges, according to a city official.
The consulate denied the officials access, describing them in a statement as an invasion squad.
Supplies were remotely switched off.
South Africa’s foreign ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela says that the consulate has dispatched a diplomatic note to us.

Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria to extend the January 31 deadline for the phasing out of the old notes.
Buni however urged the apex bank to give a special concession and alternatives to Yobe residents for the change of the naira notes.
He explained that only four out of the 17 local government areas in the state have banks, making it difficult for people in the remaining 13 local government areas to access banking services.
He says CBN should also ensure commercial banks open branches in the local government council headquarters now that there is improved peace and security across the state.