EDITED FRANK MEKE
*** The merry go round xtmas and new year celebrations are over and Nigerians are beginning to take stock of how to navigate 2024. While some Nigerians are hitting the ground praying and fasting, others are beginning to line out survival strategies as inflation refused to abate.
Still on tight belt agenda for 2024, removal of fuel subsidy Still tops the anxiety metrics for Nigerians, followed by fear of insecurity and expected hike in electricity bills.
** The fifty per cent free transportation offer to Nigerians by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ends today. The xtmas gesture, though initially met with operational hiccups and randomly profiled, was part of government efforts to cushion the effects of subsidy removal and avail Nigerians to visit their kits and keens in the hinterlands.
** Though the New Year celebrations were over, do you know that some countries in the world celebrated the new year an hour ahead of other countries? Pacific Islands of Tonga, Samoa, and Kiribati danced to New Year music ahead of other nations. The year 2023 is adjudged as one the most turbulent, divisively lapping climate change crisis, wars in Gaza and Ukraine. In Nigeria, the blood bath in the plateau spoilt New Year celebrations for many Nigerians. Will the world ‘s eight billion population get any socioeconomic reprieve in 2024? Time will tell.
*** Picturesque and marine tourism city of Venice has announced plans to arrest the negative impact of mass tourism. The city administrators says “Beginning, from June 2024, the use of loudspeakers to guide tourists will be banned to avoid generation of disturbances and confusion. Over tourism, that is recreational opportunities overused, has been a major drawback for the canal city, Europe’s most visited destination where visitors, cough out an entry fee five dollars, 35 cents daily to access the city’s 7.6 Square kilometres, which few years ago broke global visitors record with about 13 million tourists yearly with residents planning to relocate because of the heavy presence of nature lovers. Available tourist bed space has risen to 50, 000, more than local residents.
*** Nigeria has become one of the most attractive investment destinations in Africa for investors from the United Arab Emirates despite the visa ban against Nigerians. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, investments from the businessmen from the moderate Arab country surged to 375. O1 million dollars, despite the closed border entry into Dubai against Nigerians.
*** While the United Arab Emirates shut its doors against Nigerians, the United Kingdom has improved its visa profiling for Nigerians visiting the UK for leisure and tourism. Its new visa policy takes effect January 31st, 2024, and empowers holders its visitors visa to engage in business additional activities , so as it’s related to the employer who has office in the UK. However, the primary intent of the holders of the UK visa must be for tourism, visiting family, and participating in non work related activities.
*** Greater lagos Fiesta has come and gone, so how did it pan across the five divisions of the city of aquatic splendour? Join us next week as we discuss its impacts and noticeable areas for future improvement.
