Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The Federal Government has appealed to developed nations for technology transfer to help Nigeria stop gas flaring, as Nigeria produces more gas than oil. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, declared open the National Conference on Strengthening the Implementation of the Voluntary Principle on Security and Human Rights in Nigeria, while the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, reiterated its commitment to ensuring implementation of the dedicated 0.5% of Nigeria's GDP to research and innovation. Onyeama said the relationship between host communities and the extractive sector, particularly the petroleum sector, has been frosty due to pollution of the environment. He urged the international community to pause the bid to defund fossil fuel projects. The Co-chair, Nigeria Working Group on the Voluntary Principle on Security and Human Rights, Dr. Joel Bisina, said it is the obligation of the government to promote and preserve the well-being of its citizens. The co-chair concluded that the Voluntary Principles serves multiple purposes of promoting human rights, respecting the business environment, conflict de-escalation in the business environment and creating an investment-friendly country reputation profile. President Muhammadu Buhari had declared that a minimum of 0.5% of the GDP would be allocated to research and innovation in order to accelerate development. Nigeria is endowed with abundant natural and human resources, but is still underdeveloped.