Humanity Watch

  The Federal Government has lifted the ban imposed on activation and registration of new SIM cards.  The ban was imposed late last year as government announced a policy linking National Identity Number to SIM cards. Dr Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to the Minister of Communications issued a statement Thursday explaining the whole gamut of the Revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration. The Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, Section 23(a), specifies the role of the Minister to include the formulation, determination and monitoring of the general policy for the communications sector. In line with this, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM coordinated and led the development of a Revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration in collaboration with all other stakeholders. An earlier Polic...

The U.S. and China escalated their acrimonious trade war on Thursday, implementing punitive 25 per cent tariffs on 16 billion dollars worth of each other’s goods, even as mid-level officials from both sides resumed talks in Washington. The world’s two largest economies have now slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on a combined 100 billion dollars of products since early July, with more in the pipeline, adding to risks to global economic growth. China’s Commerce Ministry said Washington was “remaining obstinate” by implementing the latest tariffs, which kicked-in on both sides as scheduled at 12.01 noon in Beijing (0401 GMT). “China resolutely opposes this, and will continue to take necessary countermeasures,” it said in a brief statement, adding that Beijing will file a complaint over the latest tariffs with the World Trade Organisation (WTO). President Donald Trump has threatened to put duties on almost all of the more than 500 billion dollars of Chinese goods exported to the U.S...

As Facebook stock plunged over 20 per cent in after-hours trading on Wednesday following a disappointing earnings report, CEO Mark Zuckerberg lost $17.6bn in net worth. The 34-year-old Facebook billionaire, who had been worth as much as $86.5bn when Facebook stock traded at an all-time high earlier in the day, now has a net worth of about $68.9bn, based on regulatory filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. That figure includes some $2.7bn in cash and real estate, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire index. That places Zuckerberg, who had been the world’s third-richest person, at Number Six, below billionaires including Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett, French business magnate Bernard Arnault, and Zara founder Amancio Ortega. Zuckerberg’s net worth had surpassed Buffett’s in June as shares of Facebook continued to climb and Buffett continued to give much of his wealth away in charitable donations. Today, Buffett is worth roughly about $82.3bn. Faceboo...

By Josephine Ella-Ejeh The Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) has recovered N65 billion wrong deductions and charges made from customers accounts by commercial banks. Acting Director, Corporate Communication of the CBN, Mr Isaac Okorafor, who made this known in Asaba, Delta State reaffirmed the resolve  of the apex bank to arrest and prosecute those hawking Naira notes. Speaking during a programme with the theme: Promoting Financial Stability and Economic Development, in Asaba, Delta State, he said the bank was determined to discourage people from hawking the Naira, stressing,N it was an abuse and a criminal offence to sell the Naira on the streets.  “The CBN is very committed to making sure that people do not hawk the Naira.  Hawking and selling the Naira on the streets is a criminal offence and punishable under the CBN Act of 2007,” Okorafor said. He said  the bank's staff have been to shun such practice, saying, anyone caught would be sanctioned appropriate...