A foremost youth-focused non-profit in Nigeria, LEAP Africa, says over 300 EndSARS protesters are still being held in unlawful detention across the country, pointing out that the psychological evaluation and retraining of all SARS operatives remain unknown. The group also says investigations from the 2500 petitions of legitimate cases of police brutality and human rights violation, submitted to the judicial panel, conclude that governments across the affected states of the federation must pay N25 billion as compensation to victims. LEAP Africa is, however, a development organisation committed to raising leaders that will transform Africa; through interventions for young people, that…
Author: Akanimo Sampson
Despite the fact that more than half of Nigeria’s population are living below the poverty line, and Northern Nigeria suffering from the world’s third-highest level of chronic undernutrition among children Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is aiming to squander N11.36 billion on corporate dressing allowance and other administrative expenses on its 11, 300 staff in 2022. Action Against Hunger, a global group whose primary goal is to create a better way to deal with hunger, says the silent crisis in Nigeria is caused by lack of access to safe water and sanitation, rising food insecurity, the disruption of basic services…
President Muhammadu Buhari has been seriously attacked for his administration’s response to the agitation of ethnic groups or regional power blocs for self-determination in Nigeria, Buhari is being accused of always calling out the armed security forces that are not trained on handling issues of mass protest and agitation. ‘’Over the years, the aftermath of the country’s security approach to issues that could be talked over and even horse-traded, has been escalating the orgy of violence in the country’’, so says The Southern Examiner on its front page editorial on Monday. The online news portal says it is deeply worried with the…
Nigerians and businesses will continue to spend more on powering their alternative electricity sources as there is no hope for a better public power supply next year. Already, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has voted arould N104 billion for purchasing generators, fueling and servicing for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government. This is even in spite of the public showing, the Buhari administration in the area of improved power supply in the country. A report by The PUNCH says MDAs of the Federal Government will be spending that huge amount in 2022 despite huge amounts pumped…
The 7th World Investment Forum of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) that is taking place online till October 22, is focusing on investing in a speedy and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. The Forum is holding under the theme Investing in sustainable development, and addressing the key challenges facing the global investment-development community today resulting from the new industrial revolution, the sustainability imperative, the realignment of economic governance and the efforts for greater economic resilience. UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan, says “rebuilding an inclusive and speedy recovery from the COVID-19 crisis will not be possible without reigniting…
Three years after the defection of former Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State to All Progressives Congress (APC), the state wing of the party is yet to experience any peace. Akpabio who is currently Niger Delta Affairs Minister dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party that made him in August 2018, to APC where he is expecting to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023. Though he was able fo take some PDP members along to APC, he has not been able to build cohesion in the party since his defection more than three years ago. APC Interim…
President Muhammadu Buhari, House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, and numerous other eminent persons felicitating with the Muslim Ummah, Nigerians of all faiths and the followers of Islam worldwide on the occasion of the Maulud-Un-Nabiyy, the birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. In a message to mark the occasion which holds on Tuesday, 19th October, a public holiday throughout the Federation, President Buhari said, “I am delighted to send greetings of peace, unity and goodwill to the Muslim Ummah, fellow citizens and Muslims all over the world as they observe and celebrate Eid-ul- Maulud.”…
In his message marking the World Food Day on Friday, United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, clearly declared that the day was not only a reminder of the importance of what we eat to everyone on the planet, but also “a call to action to achieve food security around the world.” Commemorated annually on October 16, Guterres pointed out that currently, almost 40 per cent of humanity, some three billion people, can’t afford to eat healthily. And as hunger, undernourishment, and obesity are on the rise, the economic impacts of COVID-19 “have made a bad situation even worse”, he said, noting that…
Social Democratic Party (SDP) is currently very angry, and has openly expressed its deep anger at the propensity of money bags to rig elections in Nigeria. Ahead of the 2023 general elections, therefore, SDP says it has become imperative to advocate the death penalty for election riggers. Perhaps, this demand can help in giving greater credibility to election results in Nigeria. But, during the military dictatorship of 1966–79 and 1983–98, the authorities executed political opponents, most notoriously when the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, ordered the execution of the Ogoni Nine by hanging in 1995. That repressive act to the peaceful…
Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Chairman of Governors’ Forum, is urging 2023 power seekers and their sponsoring deep pocket godfathers, to shun politics of bitterness. He is equally calling on political circles with eyes on next year’s governorship poll in the state to do same. For Fayemi, no position is worth the blood of anyone in Nigeria. This call which re-echoes the familiar lines of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the buildup to the controversial 2015 elections that removed him from the Presidential Villa, is coming on the heels of reported cases of violence and protests that marred…
Director-General of World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has explained why the United Nations health agency is working with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and other partners to reduce risks in communities. According to him, the best defence against emergencies and disasters of all kinds, is a strong and resilient health system, pointing out, this is why WHO is working with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and other partners to reduce risks in communities. Adding, he said, “the COVID-19 pandemic has caused so much loss, pain, and grief. But if we learn the lessons it’s teaching us, we can together…
Figures from National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) are showing that the country’s headline inflation rate moderates 38 basis points in September to 16.63% year on year from 17.01% year on year in August. According to the data agency, stock market recorded large gain as investors wealth expanded by more than N192 billion amid a slowdown in inflation worries. This is the fifth consecutive weekly gain as strong buying interest in FBNH (+29.6%), Okomu Oil (+8.2%) and GTCO (+3.5%) drove the All-Share Index 1.4% higher to close at 41,438.15 points. As a result, the month to date and year to date…
This Sunday, October 17, is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. International days and weeks, according to the United Nations, are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilise political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the global body. But, it has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. In his message to mark this year’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, says for the first time in two decades, extreme poverty is on the rise. As…
With the worsening gender-based violence in Nepal occasioned by the rampaging COVID-19 pandemic, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Global Fund for Women are currently rallying support for abused women and girls in the country. They are providing support and funding to eight local groups in Nepal, including Women’s Rehabilitation Centre (WOREC), to enable the groups to design locally appropriate interventions to support women and girls in the community. Many of those organisations provided personal protective equipment, food, health services, as well as mental health and psychosocial support. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought misfortune to millions around the…
Backstage schemes for the 2023 presidency is currently taking a dangerous dimension in the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari’s party, with some internal foes targeting Bola Tinubu, a stalwart of the party for a political slaughter slap. Menas Associates, a political risk consultancy says there is the possibility that Tinubu’s opponents could use the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to try and prosecute him because he is probably the Nigerian politician with the deepest pockets, for alleged corruption. In its latest Nigeria Politics & Security, a weekly intelligence report on Nigeria, the political risk consultancy says…
Global transport is currently a major source of severe headache for leaders at all levels. As a result, government leaders, industry experts, and civil society groups are meeting in Beijing, China, for a United Nations conference to chart the way forward to a more sustainable future for the sector, and greater climate action overall. The three-day UN Sustainable Transport Conference, which opened on Thursday, examined how transportation can contribute to climate response, economic growth and sustainable development. They are of the view that the world needs better and safer ways to move people and goods. Around the world, highways…
With tuberculosis (TB) claiming the lives of 1.5 million people around the world in 2020, Nigeria is said to be among 30 countries in the globe with the highest burden of the disease. For the first time in a decade, TB is now one of the top infectious killers in the world. World Health Organisation (WHO) says deaths from TB have increased as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The other 29 countries holding the world title on TB with Nigeria include Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, Central African Republic, China, Congo, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of…
Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), an international environmental justice nonprofit that works with tribal grassroots organisations to build the capacity of Indigenous communities says frontline Indigenous leaders from various fossil fuel fights from across Turtle Island, occupied the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington D.C. for the first time since the 1970s with a list of demands for President Biden. In a statement wired to this reporter, the group alleged that police acted aggressively with the water protectors and Indigenous leaders, tasing at least two people and hitting others with batons. An independent Indigenous media person was assaulted by the…
In Nigeria, industrial waste from sugarcane plantations is allegedly polluting the environment and damaging livelihoods. Last September, SaharaReporters reported that Dangote Sugar Company, owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, in Adamawa State, allegedly released industrial wastes which flooded farmlands in the host community, causing untold hardship to the people. According to the online news portal, the company’s industrial waste empties into the River Benue through a canal burst and submerged rice farmlands in Hoki village in the Lamurde Local Government Area of the state. Some of the affected farmers are claiming that their means of livelihood have been…
A prominent pro-democracy and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), and Defend Lagos Coalition do not appear to be on the same page on the planned EndSARS anniversary protest. While Falana wants President Muhammadu Buhari, to abide by his oath of office by calling on the police not to disrupt the protest, the Coalition rather wants the organisers of the planned EndSARS anniversary protest to have a rethink. Falana, currently the Interim Chairman of Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, said in a statement that Nigeria Police Force lacks power to ban public protests in the country. Commissioner of…
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have been appreciated by Benue State Commissioner of Agriculture, Dr Timothy Ijir, for their efforts to make hunger history in the state. IITA in partnership with the IFAD-funded Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), flagged off a workshop in Makurdi, the state capital, tagged Training of Extension Agents and Advisory Providers under the Zero Hunger Project. This was done recognizing that agricultural extension agents serve as the critical drivers of information dissemination for farmers. The agric commissioner was full of praises for the two international agencies for…
Starvation is currently knocking on the door for more than 500,000 displaced families in the bleeding North-East axis of Nigeria. World Food Programme (WFP) has already warned that more than half a million people in the region are facing ration cuts unless urgent funding is secured. The cuts will come just as severe hunger reaches a five-year high in the country. But, to sustain humanitarian operations in the area until March next year, just five months away, WFP urgently needs $197 million. WFP’s Regional Director for West Africa, Chris Nikoi says “we must act now to save lives and avoid disruptions to this lifeline.” This follows years…
It is becoming clearer as the days passed by that those who are seeing President Muhammadu Buhari in his pre-IBB’s years garb may be right. Some of us had expected that his adventure into partisan politics in the early 2000s would have by now transformed Baba Go Slow into a democrat. Nearly two decades of his partisan political intercourse, the Nigerian leader does not appear to be concerned about growing a culture of political discipline in the country. He is rather, encouraging a culture of political indiscipline, and the continuous gyration of the country’s political masquerades. By the character of persons driving…
Rivers State Information and Communications Commissioner, Paulinus Nsirim, says Governor Nyesom Wike has disappointed the critics of his administration by his approach to the development of the state. Nsirim who is also a church pastor says his principal has been diligent in the manner he is approaching development projects, pointing out that Governor Wike’s achievements are driven by his commitment to making Rivers a centrepiece of development to Nigeria. Nsirim was speaking during the presentation of prizes to awards winners in the just concluded essay competition of the second phase of the Ministry’s #OurStateOurResponsibility advocacy campaign in Port Harcourt, the…
From the 17.01% rate reported last August, analysts are projecting Nigeria’s seeming out-of-control inflation to dip in September. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is expected to release the actual figure for the month this week. For those who know better, following a five consecutive month disinflationary trend, the estimated slowdown may be coming against reality on the ground in the country as households groan under increased prices of basic items. A development economist from a university in the country says Nigeria’s macroeconomic data differs greatly from reality in the local markets and among households including corporates as well as…
A 2019 presidential candidate and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, says a merger of some of the plural political parties is inevitable to rescue Nigeria from continued drift. Moghalu has been saying that with the enormous resources in the country, no Nigerian should be poor. For him, the country is suffering because of poor leadership. To, therefore, arrest the situation and consign All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the trash can of history in 2023, he is now pushing for the merger of parties of like mind. Though seven parties,…
Ahead of World Food Day, on October 16, World Food Programme (WFP) is warning that the world is facing an exponential increase in hunger fuelled by the climate crisis. The United Nations agency is pressing for urgent global action to help communities adapt to climatic shocks. WFP is, however, the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity and supporting a sustainable future for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. At the moment, its analysis is showing that a 2°C rise in average global temperature from pre-industrial levels will see a staggering 189…
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has explained why his administration is providing personal homes to judicial officers of the big oil and gas state. Accotding to him, the gesture will serve as good motivation to resist enticements of all forms capable of compromising the rectitude of their judicial functions. Wike was speaking in Port Harcourt, the state capital, after signing into law two bills passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly, and presented to him by the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Martins Amaewhule. While the two bills are Rivers State Judicial Institute Law No. 8 of…
After being initiatially very uncomfortable with electronic transmission of election results, the National Assembly is currently receiving praises for yielding to the popular wish of the electorate. Northern Youths Leaders Forum (NYLF) says the federal legislators have done well for embracing e-voting. The group’s President, Elliot Afiyo, in a statement said, ‘’the Senate has bowed to pressure from the public and NYLF on electronic transmission of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), where and when practicable as it has rescinded its earlier decision. “We want to thank all the lawmakers from the North, especially Senator Danjuma Goje…
United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres , has laid out a fundamental factor that will make the COP26 climate change conference “a turning point”. The UN chief said that will only be if countries are to limit global temperature rise in line with the Paris Agreement. Addressing members of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, he highlighted their critical role as the conference date fast approaches. He said in a video message to their latest meeting, held from Washington, DC, ‘’as Ministers of Finance, you hold the key to success for COP26 and beyond.” Adding, he said, “your decisions and actions…
