Mbah Cert Saga: CSOs Affirm NYSC Position

…insist discharge certificate not issued by scheme

Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah’s discharge certificate was not issued by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), a group of civil society organisations and journalists has insisted.

The group said records from NYSC open correspondences, court documents, tribunal proceedings, among others have exonerated the NYSC and rendered Mbah’s certificate as fake.

The Save Nigeria Movement made this known at a press conference on Monday in Abuja in collaboration with Freelance Journalists Federation.

According to a statement jointly signed by Solomon Semaka and Oduma Abel King, the group said the presentation made by the Department of State Security Services (DSS)on the subject matter is immaterial and does not change the facts and glaring evidence on the ground.

“Let us be unequivocal in stating that the certificate being paraded by Governor Peter Mbah is a complete fabrication with absolutely nothing to do with the NYSC and this remains the position regardless of misleading reports in the media to the contrary,” the statement said.

“Records available to open sources which include from NYSC open correspondences, court documents, tribunal proceedings, and even the DSS findings, all confirm beyond any doubt that the particular NYSC certificate with registration number A808297 and been paraded by Gov Peter Mbah is undeniably fake and has no origin with the NYSC whatsoever.

“This fact, no matter how the parties beat about the bush doesn’t change the irrefutable point that NYSC did not issue the said certificate to Gov Peter Mbah at any point in time. We must also make it categorically clear that whether or not Gov Peter Mbah participated in the one-year mandatory service is immaterial to the question of the authenticity of the said certificate with registration number A808297. It is a different thing to start a process and a different thing to complete the process much more of an important program like the NYSC.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, let us examine these available records at our disposal. According to these records, Governor Peter Mbah was meant to complete his service year in September 2003, in Lagos State upon remobilization after his Law School. This is granted and nobody is contesting that fact. However, in a twist of events and apparent contravention of extant laws requiring the participation and completion of NYSC as a compulsory requirement for all graduates in Nigeria, Gov Peter Mbah was appointed as the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Enugu State on July 14, 2003, before September of the same year wherein he would have completed his service, with his office and residence in Enugu Government House accordingly.

“Can anyone in their right mind believe that he could have been a Corps member in a Law firm in Lagos and simultaneously be the Chief of Staff in Enugu within the same period? The contradictions are glaring and self-explanatory. The truth of the matter is that Gov Peter Mbah upon appointment on July 14, 2003, as chief of staff abandoned national service in Lagos ad evidence show and took up his new job, and went ahead to procure an NYSC discharge certificate for personal reasons of convenience. Otherwise, where did the said certificate emanate from?

“Without any bias or prejudice, it is apparent that Governor Peter Mbah might have participated in the NYSC program but failed to complete the full term, absconding to assume the role of Chief of Staff. This revelation, in and of itself, settles any lingering doubts or alternative narratives. Authentic available records before us indicate that if Mr. Peter Mbah had completed his NYSC and not absconded, he would have been issued with a certificate bearing registration number: A673517 and not the purported certificate with number A808297 the Gov is parading. He simply absconded and there’s no way anybody can change the facts.

“The presentation made by the Department of State Security Services (DSS)on the subject matter is immaterial and does not change the facts and glaring evidence on the ground which remain unchallenged.”

The group, therefore, urged Nigerians not to be deceived or misled by any attempts to obfuscate the truth.

The statement added: “We demand that Governor Peter Mbah must come clean and disclose the source of the counterfeit NYSC certificate with the registration number A808297, as it certainly did not originate from the scheme. Any other evidence or presentations brought forth are irrelevant when it comes to the authenticity of this certificate.

“It is important we support our institutions and build a culture of excellence in the upcoming generations than play politics with sensitive issues. NYSC as an agency has been impeccable in the discharge of its duties since inception with a dependable culture of record keeping. Mbah has questions to answer and he must not try to hoodwink Nigerians using the courts and other means within his reach. Gov Mbah couldn’t have been serving at Udeh and Associates as a corp member in Lagos and still be Chief of Staff in Enugu State between July 14 and September within the same 2003. Where was he between May and September 2003 ? Did he not same duty as Chief of Staff in July before September 2003 when his service year would have elapsed?”

NATO in Cold War dream undermines global peace, stability

By Huan Yuping, People’s Daily

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, which was held on July 11 and 12, once again revealed the organization’s Cold War mentality. It issued a communique that distorted China’s position and policies and deliberately smeared China, exposing NATO’s dangerous attempt to meddle in affairs beyond its geographical scope, create division, and foment confrontation.
This proved that NATO has never reflected on the troubles and disasters it has brought around the world, which plunged many of its member countries into security dilemmas. However, it is still in its Cold War dream, seeking further expansion and creating new troubles around the globe.
As a so-called defensive alliance, NATO “defends” itself by waging wars. After the end of the Cold War, it has repeatedly lit the fuse of confrontation and created wars around the world, from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Kosovo, from Afghanistan to Iraq, and from Libya to Syria.
According to incomplete statistics, the wars launched or participated in by NATO after 2001 have killed hundreds of thousands and displaced tens of millions of people.
The root cause for the current warfare and security dilemmas in Europe is NATO’s long-term addiction to expansion and confrontation. George Kennan, the former U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union noted that expanding NATO would be the most fateful error of American policy in the entire post-Cold War era.
NATO has unshirkable responsibilities for the Ukraine crisis. Before the crisis escalated, the Minsk Agreements reached by relevant parties and the efforts made by the international community could have had the opportunity to maintain peace. However, NATO kept provoking conflicts, which once again brought the European continent to warfare.
Since the full escalation of the Ukraine crisis, NATO took advantage of the situation and tried to expand and perpetuate the crisis, which made it more difficult to resolve the crisis through political means. Facts prove that the so-called defensive alliance is exactly a saboteur of global peace and stability.
Again, the NATO summit this time invited a few Asia-Pacific countries, with an aim to enhance its collusion with the latter. It even blatantly claimed that the “Indo-Pacific is important for NATO.”
However, NATO’s intention to move eastward to the Asia-Pacific region is all too clear. The claim that it remains a regional alliance and does not seek a geopolitical breakthrough is just weakly stated.
The scope of NATO’s activities is far beyond the North Atlantic region. Over the years, the organization has taken great pains to expand its so-called partnership network.
It meddles in the affairs of Eurasia with its Partnership for Peace program, interferes in the affairs of the Middle East and North Africa with the Mediterranean Dialogue, plans to enter the Gulf with the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, and expands toward the Asia-Pacific region with a global partnership program.
A trick frequently used by NATO to seek expansion is fanning up the so-called “security threat” and provoking value confrontation. At the NATO summit this time, the alliance arbitrarily sold the “China threat” theory and groundlessly claimed that China is a “systemic challenge.” Its true intention was to peddle security fear and seek excuses for its expansion into the Asia-Pacific.
To maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of the Asia-Pacific, regional countries need to respect each other, carry out open and win-win cooperation and properly handle their disputes. NATO’s eastward foray into the Asia-Pacific would only intensify regional tension and trigger bloc confrontation and even a new Cold War.
Asia-Pacific countries do not welcome NATO’s expansion to the region, and even many NATO states do not approve of it. The Asia-Pacific does not need an “Asia-Pacific version of NATO.”
Javier Solana, former Secretary General of NATO, noted that “global NATO” or “NATO plus” could divide the world into adversarial blocs.
The hot and cold wars of the last century indicated that expanding military blocs and creating bloc confrontation can never bring peace and security, but only lead to wars and conflicts.
NATO seemingly follows the principle of consensus-based decision-making, but it prioritizes the interests of the United States and its actions mirror American wills. The theory of the so-called “China threat” hyped at this NATO summit is highly identical to the false information about China spread by the United States, which fully revealed the intention of Washington to transform NATO into a hegemonic tool oppressing China.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright once stated at the end of the 1990s that U.S. support for greater European efforts would be contingent on avoiding “three D’s:” discrimination against non-EU NATO members, decoupling of European and North American security, and duplication of NATO’s operational planning system or its command structure.
In other words, it’s a must for the United States to keep its control over European security via NATO, and Europe’s goal of strengthening strategic independence and defense construction must make way for American hegemony.
Over the past more than three decades, NATO has shifted its strategic focus for times, from pushing for expansion in Central and Eastern Europe to interfering in other countries’ internal affairs around the world, and to buckling down to anti-terrorism after the war in Afghanistan.
Today, it refocuses on major-country rivalry and accelerates its eastward foray into the Asia-Pacific. These changes are highly consistent with the United States foreign policy adjustment.
However, a “NATO under the rein of the United States” is not consistent with European interests. Just as French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated, European countries need to develop more strategic autonomy lest the continent become a “vassal” in the event of a great-power confrontation. The top priority of Europe is not cooperating with other countries on agendas around the world, and Europe should not fall into bloc confrontation.
The world today is different from the one that was trapped in the Cold War. NATO should immediately stop smearing China and fabricating lies about China, abandon the outdated philosophies of the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game, give up its erroneous addiction to military expansion, stop seeking so-called absolute security, and stop troubling Europe and the Asia-Pacific. It must quit seeking excuses for its expansion and play a constructive role in maintaining world peace and stability.

China successfully sends liquid oxygen-methane carrier rocket into planned orbit

By Liu Shiyao, Dou Hao, People’s Daily

China on July 12 successfully launched a new carrier rocket into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
The Zhuque-2 carrier rocket is the world’s first rocket powered by liquid oxygen-methane fuel and successfully entered its planned orbit, as well as the first liquid-propellant rocket entering its planned orbit independently developed by a Chinese private rocket company.
The successful launch marked that China’s first high-thrust liquid oxygen-methane engine has completed a flight mission, and a breakthrough in the new low-cost, liquid propellant application for China’s carrier rockets.
The Zhuque-2 is a two-stage rocket with a body diameter of 3.35 meters and a height of 49.5 meters. Its takeoff weight is about 219 tons, and its takeoff thrust is about 268 tons.
The stage 1 of the rocket is powered by four Tianque-12 engines each with a vacuum thrust of 80 tons, and the stage 2 by a single TQ-12 engine and four TQ-11 vernier engines.
Carrier rocket, as a launch vehicle, is the foundation of all space activities, and the engine is the “heart” of a rocket, while the propellant decides the key performance of a rocket.
Rocket propellants include liquid fuels and solid fuels. In particular, liquid fuels include liquid oxygen (LOX)/kerosene, LOX/liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen-methane, etc. Each of the fuels has its advantages and disadvantages. For instance, the LOX/kerosene fuel features low cost and high specific impulse, but it’s prone to carbon deposition and coking.
Liquid oxygen-methane is a mixture of liquid oxygen and methane. It is efficient, green, cheap and easily extracted. It comes with less carbon deposition, which reduces the workload in engine cleaning and thus lowers the maintenance cost of reusable rockets. That’s why it is considered one of the ideal materials for making rocket propellants.
According to Zhang Changwu, CEO of LandSpace, the company that developed the Zhuque-2, liquid oxygen and methane are widely applied in both the civil and industrial sectors, and they are very accessible and cheap.
The cost of this propellant, which is expected to become an industrial product in massive supply once the technology of liquid oxygen-methane engine matures, will be more controllable, Zhang added.
Aerospace is a technologically challenging industry with high risks. The world today has entered a rapid development phase of reusable liquid oxygen-methane rockets. Multiple such rockets are underway outside China. In the first half of this year alone, two other liquid oxygen-methane rockets were launched, but they both failed unfortunately.
The development of the Zhuque-2 carrier rocket was no plain sailing. At the end of the last year, it failed in its first mission. LandSpace established an investigation group to look into the reasons causing the failure and adopted multiple measures for improvement.
It was not easy for the company to achieve the success today after it experienced the failure in the first mission of the Zhuque-2. The development team did a huge amount of work, including launch tests, ground vibration tests, hydraulic tests and final assembly detection.
“What we achieved this time was not only a successful launch of a rocket, but also the capability of a private aerospace company in developing, testing, manufacturing and launching rockets. We’ll keep going toward our goal of massive and commercial rocket development and manufacturing, and prove our value with innovation,” Zhang said.
As the first Chinese rocket powered by liquid oxygen-methane fuel, the Zhuque-2 is expected to lower the cost of commercial rocket launching and bring a revolution to the market of commercial rocket launching.
Zhang said that the company will keep upgrading the Zhuque series to improve its performance and offer the market with low-cost, high-performance and high-thrust rockets.
The private aerospace sector has experienced rapid development over the past 10 years and become an indispensible force in China’s aerospace industry. It covers rocket launching, satellite and ground facility development, satellite operation, satellite application and other areas.
According to statistics, China is home to more than 400 private aerospace companies that operate over 350 in-orbit satellites. The private aerospace sector has released considerable economic potential, with a market size of over 1 trillion yuan ($139.59 billion).
Experts noted that China is seeing a significant increase in the frequency and number of space launches, as well as a huge demand for commercial launches. Private aerospace enterprises, featuring strong innovation capability, flexible commercial operation and clear market orientations, are injecting new vitality into China’s aerospace industry.

Foreign companies optimistic about Chinese market

By Luo Shanshan, Yang Yanfan, Li Gang, People’s Daily

The first six months of 2023 witnessed foreign investors’ confidence in the Chinese market.
BMW Brilliance Automotive, BMW Group’s joint venture in China, announced to start producing its next-generation of electric vehicle (EV) models in 2026 in Shenyang, northeast China’s Liaoning province. A 10-billion-yuan ($1.39 billion) plant for BMW’s sixth-generation high-voltage batteries for the new EV models has broken ground.
German industrial giant Siemens announced a plan to increase investments in China, including an additional 1.1 billion yuan in fixed-asset investment for its industrial automation products smart manufacturing base in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan province.
Multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca signed an agreement with Qingdao high-tech industrial development zone in east China’s Shandong province. According to the agreement, AstraZeneca will expand its production and investment in China, set up a regional headquarter in the city, and build an innovation center focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases.
China, constantly providing new opportunities for the world with its own development, is a hot destination for foreign investment.
In the first five months of this year, the actual use of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Chinese mainland reached 574.81 billion yuan. A total of 18,532 new foreign-invested enterprises were established in China in the same period, up 38.3 percent year-on-year.
Since this year, China has been frequently visited by foreign government officials, heads of international organizations and executives of multinational corporations. Representatives of foreign companies joined trade fairs and visited industrial parks across China to seek cooperation opportunities with Chinese enterprises, demonstrating their strong confidence in China’s economic prospects and urgent demand for strengthening cooperation with China.
In the first five months of this year, the actual use of FDI in the manufacturing industry grew 5.9 percent to 147.08 billion yuan. The actual use of FDI in high-tech industries rose 7.5 percent year-on-year, of which high-tech manufacturing increased by 30.8 percent.
During the same period, the actual investment in China from France, the UK, Canada and Japan went up by 429.7 percent, 179.2 percent, 170.1 percent and 63.3 percent respectively.
A survey was recently conducted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, which covered over 600 foreign-invested companies. It said 97 percent of the surveyed foreign firms are satisfied with China’s policies on boosting foreign investment that rolled out from the fourth quarter of last year to date.
According to the estimation of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, the return rate of foreign investment in China stood at 9.1 percent in the past five years. The data in Europe and the United States was about 3 percent, and that in emerging economies was from 4 percent to 8 percent.
Against the backdrop of sluggish global economic growth, China is undoubtedly an important destination for foreign investors.
Driven by high-quality development, China enjoys prominent advantages as a super-large market with its domestic demand potential. Experts believe that China, amid accelerated upgrading of its energy structure, industrial structure, transport structure as well as production and lifestyle, will bring abundant opportunities for transnational investment.
Japan’s Panasonic Corporation is optimistic about China’s green and low-carbon development. According to executive vice president Tetsuro Homma, Panasonic has built five zero-carbon factories in China and this number is expected to hit 16 by 2024. All of Panasonic factories will achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2030, said Tetsuro Homma, who’s also the chairman of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China.
Panasonic will keep exploiting its technologies and applications in hydrogen fuel cells, and work with its Chinese partners to assist the development of the Chinese new energy industry, he noted.
Recently, Volkswagen Group announced to establish in China a new R&D company focusing on the development of advanced EVs and intelligent networked vehicles. The company is expected to become the second largest R&D center of Volkswagen following the one at its German headquarters.
Ralf Brandstatter, who heads Volkswagen in China, said that China is currently leading the transition to EVs. He believes that the annual sales volume of China’s automobile market will grow to between 28 million and 30 million units by 2030, and new energy vehicles will account for 74 percent and pure EVs over 55 percent, he said.
China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on July 5 held a roundtable for foreign-invested firms. Relying on the foreign trade and investment coordination service mechanism, MOFCOM has set up a higher-level roundtable system based on regular exchange mechanisms.
Through this institutional arrangement, regular meetings will be held to widen channels for collecting issues and comments, respond to and address business concerns in a timely manner and enable long-term and stable development of foreign-invested enterprises in China, said Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao.
To attract and utilize foreign investment, regions across China are actively optimizing the business environment and smoothening the flow of factors.
China boasts social stability, massive investment opportunities and considerable return on investment, which is very attractive for enterprises around the world.
As the country embarks on a new journey toward Chinese modernization, it will only open its door wider to the world with a better business environment and better services. An opening and developing China will definitely attract more foreign enterprises, share development opportunities with them and achieve win-win results.

China sees high value-added economic growth in H1

By Li Zheng, People’s Daily

China’s consumer market is thriving this summer.

Family trips and cross-province tours are recovering. A prosperous night economy represented by night markets, midnight snacks and night boating activities is enriching urban business forms. The booming consumption exactly mirrors the strong vitality of the Chinese economy.

The country’s macro economy is showing signs of recovery and growth. On July 17, the National Bureau of Statistics said that China’s GDP grew 5.5 percent in the first half of 2023, surpassing the 3-percent growth in 2022 and the annual average growth of 4.5 percent from 2020 to 2022.

This proves that the Chinese economy is gradually walking out of the shadow of COVID-19 and getting back to its normal track. The obvious rebound trend indicates the high value of the Chinese economy.

The high value comes from China’s tremendous development resilience, which can be well explained by the country’s optimized trade structure.

This year, the global economy has shown a weak recovery. The sluggish global trade inevitably hindered China’s imports and exports.

Against such a backdrop, the total export value of China’s three major tech-intensive green products – lithium-ion batteries, solar batteries, and electric vehicles – soared 61.6 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2023. The value of general trade accounted for 65.5 percent of the country’s total.

New forms of foreign trade such as cross-border e-commerce were in rapid development, which not only offset the contraction of the overseas market demand, but also made the trade sector more diverse.

In fact, the willpower to conquer all types of risks and challenges, as well as the capabilities to flexibly maneuver and complete self-upgrade, is exactly what makes the strong resilience of the Chinese economy.

From a global perspective, China’s economic growth in the first half of 2023 was high among major economies around the world, and it provided important support for the development of the global economy.

The high value also comes from the vitality of China’s development.

Recently, the second domestically-developed large passenger aircraft C919 was delivered to China Eastern Airlines.

Also this year, China’s first domestically-built large cruise ship left the dock, and its Long March-2D carrier rocket set a national record for the most spacecraft transported on a single mission. The demonstration project of Hualong One, China’s homegrown third-generation nuclear power reactor design, passed the final acceptance tests.

Innovation-driven development is releasing new momentum for China’s high-quality development.

Structural optimization and transformation of development models can be observed in China’s economic recovery. In the January-June period, investment in high-tech industries grew by 12.5 percent year-on-year, the production of new energy vehicles jumped 35 percent, and final consumption contributed over 70 percent to the country’s economic growth.

This explains that the Chinese economy is growing with better quality and higher efficiency.

As the country builds stronger growth drivers and steadily improves its development quality, the Chinese economy will enter stages toward a higher-level form, a more sophisticated division of labor, and a more optimized structure.

China, currently at a key stage of economic recovery and industrial upgrading, is seeing cyclical contradictions and structural problems.

In the future, China needs to continue comprehensively deepening reform and opening up, accelerate the modernization of the industrial system, ensure smooth economic circulation and make more efforts to transform growth models, make structural adjustments and strengthen growth drivers.

The country should also issue and implement, in a timely manner, a batch of targeted, coordinated and synergetic policies and measures on stabilizing growth, ensuring employment, and guarding against risks.

Challenges build barriers for the time being, but they are a ladder to better development in the long run. China, witnessing recovery and growth in the first half of this year, has profoundly learned new situations and problems of its economy, and improved its policies and measures, to bring the full potential of its advantages and dynamism.

It is believed that China has the conditions and capability to achieve its full-year growth targets.

Public Assets:Clergy urges support for Tinubu in Safeguarding Public Assets

…Holds Sensitization Rally

The College of Bishops, Imams, and Clergy Councils (CBICC) has called on all well-meaning Nigerians to support the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration in safeguarding national assets noting that the country cannot attain development if its critical assets are not preserved.

To this end, the clergy council has announced its resolve to collaborate with the security agencies particularly the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in creating awareness on the need for all citizens to volunteer as vanguards for protection of public assets in the country.

Speaking at a rally on Saturday in Abuja to commence the sensitization campaign, Bishop Abel Kings, the National Coordinator, CBICC explained that the decision to support President Tinubu administration drive was reached after careful consideration of the need for religious leaders to contribute their quota in safeguarding public assets and infrastructure in the country.

Bishop Abel hinted further that in view of the importance the council attach to the initiative, the sensitization rally will be held in all the six geo-political zones to create the desired awareness on the role of the masses in the protection of national infrastructure and stressed the importance of safeguarding public assets for the well-being of all Nigerians.

“We have gathered here to announce a significant initiative aimed at raising awareness and promoting the protection of public assets in our great nation, Nigeria. The College of Bishops, Imams, and Clergy Councils (CBICC) is pleased to inform you of our readiness to support President Tinubu administrations drive to safeguard public infrastructure. With the commitment of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and far reaching reforms on public assets protection, this has become necessary”

“The decision to support security agencies particularly the NSCDC was reached after careful consideration of the need for religious leaders to contribute their quota in safeguarding our public assets and infrastructure in Nigeria.

“We believe that religious leaders, along with the wider community, play a crucial role in advocating for the preservation of these valuable national assets and infrastructure for the benefit of all Nigerians.

“The reforms and determination of President Tinubu administration in protecting and preserving national assets should inspire every well-meaning Nigerian to join the drive.

“No country can develop and function optimally if her national assets and infrastructure are looted, vandalized and stolen with impunity by her own citizens. Since security is a collective responsibility, we call on Nigerians to support the efforts of security agencies by sharing credible and actionable intelligence with relevant authorities”, the clergy men asserted.

They further lauded the efforts of the NSCDC that has seen to the sharp decline in oil bunkering, vandalism and other criminal activities in the oil producing areas in particular and the nation in general.

“We note that the NSCDC, in recent times, under the leadership of Dr Audi Abubarkar has been at the forefront of various initiatives and reforms geared towards safeguarding public assets, notably in preventing oil bunkering in the Niger Delta and beyond. We appreciate the commitment of the NSCDC leadership in leading the initiative. This is commendable”

“The NSCDC, alongside with other security agencies has by this commitment in the protection of public assets earned our moral support. The joint exceptional performance in protecting critical national assets, ensuring the success of peace mission operations, and efficiently handling election duties have earned our nation a reputation worth sustaining.

“According to reports, there’s a sharp reduction on incidents of vandalism and theft of public assets. We firmly believe that increased inter-agency cooperation such as the one we are launching today and several others that might come will enhance the gains made by the NSCDC under its current leadership. Indeed, working together, we can maximise our efforts to protect public assets and create a safer society for all Nigerians.

“This partnership between the CBICC and President Tinubu’s administration on public assets protection exemplifies the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda of our organization. By this support, security agencies especially the NSCDC would be encouraged to do more.

“We emphasize the need for every individual to take personal responsibility for protecting public assets. Active engagement with the NSCDC and other security agencies will strengthen our collective commitment to the preservation of these assets. This awareness campaign is therefore an independent initiative to boost the morale of the relevant security agencies towards prioritizing public assets protection.

“Religious leaders in particular must domesticate and expand this awareness campaign in their places of worship so that the message will be internalized by the masses”, the group added.

Subsidy Removal: Revamp Refineries, Licence Local Artisans, NDYC Urges Tinubu

The Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC) worldwide has urged President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to urgently revamp the existing refineries in Warri, Port Harcourt, and Kanuda, while issuing local artisan refinery licenses as a step to tackle the economic challenges faced by the Niger Delta people and the entire nation,

The youth group at a press conference addressed by Engr. Jator Abido and Akowien Joshua, the National Coordinator and Director of Communications respectively at the Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital expressed concerns about the prevailing hardship caused by the subsidy removal and its impact on the people of the region and Nigerians as a whole.

They emphasized that, “the restoration of the refineries was crucial to mitigating the effects of the fuel price increase and naira devaluation which has negatively affected the economy. With the naira being exchanged at a staggering 860 naira to 1 US dollar, urgent and proactive steps must be taken forthwith.

“We do not seek mere palliatives, instead, we demand the swift restoration of our refineries, so that we can produce fuel at subsidised rates and alleviate the burden of exorbitant fuel costs on the citizens of this region and the entire nation.”

The youth leaders also reiterated their commitment to peaceful and constructive engagement with the government, eschewing any confrontational means to achieve their objectives, adding that they had been encouraging their people not to resort to old patterns of protest and unrest but rather to pursue constructive dialogue with the government.

“As an umbrella organisation for all the youth groups and ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta region, we can authoritatively say that there shall not be any unrest in the region. However, we urge Mr. President to establish a committee to investigate the usage of funds allocated for the revamping of the nation’s refineries for the past years and carry stakeholders and youths of the region along to assuage tempers and restore hope in the Nigerian project.

Most importantly, the youth group appealed for the issuance of local artisan refinery licenses, which have the capacity to refine fuel at significantly subsidised rates to qualified persons and companies, insisting that with these licenses, fuel can sell at a price lower than 100 naira per liter, thereby lessening the burden on consumers and creating significant jobs for citizens.

“Nigerians artisans and entrepreneurs have the technical know-how to refine crude oil into many products in large quantities and that’s what we’re advocating for, to ease the cost of fuel. In addition to the refinery licenses, we urge the federal government to establish a channel that would facilitate the purchase of crude oil at subsidised rates to drastically reduce the cost of production,” the statement added.

While expressing their strong commitment to contributing positively to the nation’s economy and also seeking to alleviate the hardships faced Nigerians, the youth group emphasised that their call for the revamping of refineries and the issuance of local artisan refinery licenses underscores their determination to be active participants in the economic recovery and growth of Nigeria.

Leadership Tussle : Nasarawa Assembly Resolves Crisis, Re-elects Balarabe Abdullahi as Speaker of the 7th Assembly

Members of the 7th Nasarawa State House of Assembly have elected Rt. Hon Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi ( APC- Umaisha/ Ugya)as the Speaker of the 7th Assembly.

They have also elected Hon Abel Yakubu Bala ( PDP- Nassarawa Eggon West) as the Deputy Speaker of the 7th Assembly.

Hon Ibrahim Musa, the Acting Clerk of the House announced this during the inauguration of the members of the 7th Assembly today in Lafia.

The Clerk of the House said that the inauguration was in line with Gov. Abdullahi Sule’s proclamation as well in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Hon Mohammed Adamu Oyanki ( PDP- Doma North) nominated Rt. Hon Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi for the position of the Speaker which was seconded by Hon Larry Ven Bawa ( APC- Akwanga North).

Hon Ibrahim Peter Akwe ( PDP- Obi 1) nominated Hon Abel Yakubu Bala for the position of Deputy Speaker which was seconded by Hon Suleiman Yakubu Azara ( APC- Awe South).

The Clerk thereafter, inaugurated the Speaker and Deputy Speaker whilee the Speaker of the House inaugurated other members.

In his acceptance speech, Rt. Hon Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, the Speaker of the 7th Assembly pledged to provide all inclusive leadership in the interest of peace and development.

” I want to congratulate Hon members on your inauguration and for elected me to serve as Speaker of the seventh assembly

” I have presided over the affairs of this Assembly in the last eight years with all sense of fairness and fear of God.

” I want to assure you that I will continue in that spirit.

” I will also continue to operate an open door policy as I have done in the last eight years,” he said.

Balarabe assured the staff of the assembly of his continued readiness to improve on their welfare.

The Speaker assured Gov. Abdullahi Sule of the House continued partnership and collaboration for the overall development of the state.

” We must join hands with other arms of government to achieve speedy development across the state,” he said.

The Speaker further appreciated Gov. Sule for renovating the House for effective service delivery.

It was reported that all the 24 members were in attendance.

China’s H1 foreign trade hits record high

By Du Haitao, People’s Daily

China’s total goods imports and exports expanded 2.1 percent year-on-year to 20.1 trillion yuan (about $2.81 trillion), according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
It marked the first time for China’s trade in goods to exceed 20 trillion yuan in the January-June period.
In particular, exports grew 3.7 percent year-on-year to 11.46 trillion yuan.
GAC spokesperson Lyu Daliang said that facing a complicated external environment, China adhered to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, steadily promoted high-quality development, and saw stable economic recovery and sustained growth.
In the first half of this year, China’s foreign trade has made breakthroughs with better structure, showcasing strong resilience, he said. Imports and exports kept stable with improved quality, which met expectations.
Noting the sluggish global economic recovery, the contractionary policies adopted by major developed economies, as well as various factors increasing market instability and uncertainty, Lyu said China’s foreign trade has withstood challenges, maintained its scale and improved its quality in the first six months this year.
Foreign trade entities demonstrated obviously stronger vitality. China had 540,000 foreign trade companies with export and import records in the first half of this year, up 6.9 percent year-on-year.
The general trade, which involves longer industrial chains and higher added value, recorded a higher growth rate than the foreign trade in total. The value of general trade accounted for 65.5 percent of the country’s total, up 1.2 percentage points. This indicated the country’s steady improvement in its capability of independent trade development.
Despite the pressure faced by the foreign trade sector, China vigorously expanded emerging markets, built high-level opening up platforms and fostered advantageous industries, continuously building new impetus. The imports and exports via the country’s pilot free trade zones and Hainan Free Trade Port grew 8.6 percent and 26.4 percent, respectively.
The total export value of China’s three major tech-intensive green products – solar batteries, lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles – soared 61.6 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2023. Together they contributed 1.8 percentage points to the overall export growth during the same period, driving the country’s green industry.
Since this year, the GAC has kept implementing the measures launched in 2022 to stabilize foreign trade. Last month, it adopted 16 measures to further optimize the business environment.
According to preliminary customs statistics, China’s cross-border e-commerce maintained good momentum and grew rapidly in the first half of 2023, with imports and exports jumping 16 percent year-on-year to 1.1 trillion yuan in total.
China has constantly expanded its circle of friends in foreign trade and further diversified the market. In the January-June period, its foreign trade with the ASEAN, Latin America, Africa and Central Asian countries increased 5.4 percent, 7 percent, 10.5 percent and 35.6 percent, respectively, all higher than the overall foreign trade growth.
China’s trade with other Belt and Road countries totaled 6.89 trillion yuan in the first half of 2023, up 9.8 percent year-on-year. In particular, China’s exports of auto parts, lithium-ion batteries, as well as parts of automatic data processing machines to these countries increased 39.3 percent, 34.3 percent and 28.9 percent, respectively.
During the same period, China’s imports of energy and agricultural products from its Belt and Road partners also grew 5.7 percent and 17.9 percent, respectively.
In the first six months, China’s trade with other Belt and Road countries via railway jumped 23.8 percent, maintaining double-digit growth for 12 consecutive months. Such transportation via roads surged 63.3 percent, with a growth rate of over 30 percent for five months in a row.
Over the same period, the trade between China and the ASEAN went up 5.4 percent year-on-year to reach 3.08 trillion yuan, accounting for 15.3 percent of China’s total imports and exports.
In particular, China imported 125.08 billion yuan of agricultural products from the ASEAN, up 7.5 percent, higher than the overall growth of China’s imports from the ASEAN by 6.4 percentage points. Fruit imports stood at 40.54 billion yuan, up 24.1 percent, and palm oil imports hit 10.91 billion yuan with an increase of 120.5 percent.
In the first half of 2023, China’s trade with other 14 members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) reached 6.1 trillion yuan, up 1.5 percent year-on-year and contributing over 20 percent to China’s foreign trade growth.
The release of the RCEP’s market potential will forcefully promote the free flow of production factors in the region and gradually shape a more prosperous integrated regional market, which opens new space for enterprises to expand international industrial cooperation, as well as economic and trade exchanges.
In the first six months of 2023, China exported 1.72 trillion yuan of intermediate goods to other RCEP countries, accounting for 54.4 percent of the country’s total exports to those economies.

China sees rising demand for drone pilots

By Shi Zhipeng
“Go forward and turn direction. Lightly press on the left rudder!”
“Make the right angle and direction. Pay attention to the height of your drone.”
At the LTFY drone training school in Changping district of Beijing, Wu Haining, in a black sweatshirt, was instructing trainees to control their drones.
After the drones landed smoothly, they walked to a flight simulation training device and started analyzing the flight paths.
Wu, 30, is a drone pilot. He calls his line of work “flying aircraft on the ground.”
In 2019, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pilot was listed as a new profession in China’s occupational classification. In recent years, drone pilots have been in strong demand due to the rapid development and wide application of drone technologies. It is estimated that China needs nearly 1 million drone pilots by 2025.
In 2019, the human resource and social security bureau of Beijing’s Yanqing district started free drone training for young people. Wu, an enthusiast of remote-controlled model cars since childhood, registered for the training.
He never expected at that time that the training would bring him into a whole new life.
“Piloting drones is a cool thing,” said Wu. He was fascinated by the “flying machine” just after a few classes. He worked hard to understand the theories, applications and maintenance of drones, and kept improving his skills of piloting.
After the training session, he became one of the first licensed drone pilots in Yanqing district.
Wu shared with People’s Daily a story about rescuing two backpackers lost in the wild mountains of Changping district with drones.
According to Wu, it was too slow to search the large mountainous area by manpower alone, so relevant departments in Changping district came to his team and asked them to assist ground rescuers with thermal imaging drones.
“We located the lost backpackers with drones and guided the rescuers to go down the mountain,” Wu recalled. This experience made Wu realize that he must improve his drone piloting skills to bring out the full potential of the machines.
Wu was always on business trips these days due to the increasing demand for pilot training as more application scenarios of drones were developed.
Today, drones have been widely used in multiple areas including emergency rescue, agriculture and forestry protection, meteorological observation, electric power inspection, aerial mapping and filming.
At the drone training school in Changping, a man surnamed Yao was operating a drone controller.
Yao, in his fifties, came from northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region and works in the communication industry. During his 12-day stay at the training school, he had acquired the basic operating skills of drones, but there was still room for improvement from what was shown on the flight simulation training device.
“Drones equipped with communication devices can rapidly establish temporary communication networks. They are very important in emergency response,” Yao told People’s Daily.
Wang Shiyu from the ecology and environment bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps also joined the same training session.
“My routine work is to monitor pollution discharge in industrial parks, inspect discharge outfalls, patrol water sources and nature reserves,” Wang said, adding that ecological monitoring is now multi-dimensional thanks to drones, which has significantly improved his work efficiency and quality.
“Safety” and “standard operation” are frequently mentioned by coaches and trainees at the school. These are vital for the healthy and orderly development of a new profession.
The development of civil drones once led to disorderly conduct. One of the biggest headaches was unregistered and unapproved flights.
Recently, China unveiled a set of provisional regulations on UAV management. As the first specialized administrative regulation on UAVs in China, it strengthens the management of drones and pilots, sets airspace that is open to drones, and normalizes flight activities.
The regulation is conducive to the sustainable and healthy development of the industry, Wu said.
He told People’s Daily that a drone license only helps a pilot get a foot in the door, and what a drone can do depends on its performance and the mission assigned.
“We are more than drone pilots. We must dig deep into specific areas. For instance, we should know photography if we join a mission of aerial filming; we should have agricultural knowledge if we want to do better in plant protection missions,” Wu said.
As drones are widely used in more and more industries, the demand for pilots is rising. The profession will be subdivided into different fields, Wu told People’s Daily, adding that more and more people will realize their flying dreams through drones.