The Nigerian government says the 2020 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (TI-CPI)’s low rating of the country does not truly reflect the great strides by the country in its fight against corruption. This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. The minister said Nigeria’s anti-corruption agenda which had placed great emphasis on corruption prevention measures and the building of integrity systems remained on course. He said the implementation of the various reforms, especially in the Ease of Doing Business was expected to yield positive outcomes in the country’s corruption perception…
Author: Editor
Nigeria says the first batch of 100,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 is delayed because of “politics and logistics due to no fault of Nigeria.” The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who disclosed this in Abuja on Sunday, said the issue of vaccine was a serious one to government which had put every needed infrastructure in place for its storage. “The fact that these vaccines will now come in February is not due to Nigeria’s fault. “We are very ready to receive the 100,00 doses and we have the infrastructure, even when it is going…
In his autobiography, Long Walk To Freedom, first published in 1994, the revered Nelson Mandela wrote: “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw”. Even though not an absolute truism, this saying of the Madiba just about sums up the life of the renegade Fulani herdsmen and that of Southern Nigerian demagogues. But many times, a man has to be dissuaded from the life he believes in and is deliberately directed to the life he should live. This is what keeps the world improving, developing.…
By Muktar Aminu, Gombe The Akko branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, on Saturday condoled the member representing Akko federal constituency, Usman Kumo over the death of his uncle Malam Jauroji who died on Wednesday. Led by Rev. Isa Uba, the delegation eulogised late Jauroji for the benchmark he set in terms of promoting peaceful coexistence and understanding. According to Rev. Uba, “late Jauroji was indeed a man of the people that promoted peace and understanding in the community. “We pray his soul will rest in perfect peace as he departs this world to the great beyond.” Earlier…
The Editorial team of Telescope Magazine, has honoured the ex-commandant general of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Abdulahi Mohammadu with Food Security Award. Honouring Gana on Thursday last week, the team noted that he demonstrated a firm commitment to the principles of government on food security through the Agro-Rangers unit. According to the group, while in service and in line with the determination of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari on Food Security, the Agro-Rangers unit created by NSCDC former boss, protected agro-allied investments as well as curtailed disagreements between farmers/herders, thereby enhancing food security in Nigeria. If…
Egypt will re-nominate Ahmed Aboul-Gheit as Secretary-General of the Arab League (AL) for a second term, Egyptian Presidential spokesman, Bassam Rady, said on Saturday. President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi sent messages to Arab leaders to express Egypt’s intention to re-nominate Aboul-Gheit as the AL chief for another five years, Rady said in a statement. He added that Cairo was looking forward to the leaders’ support for the nomination. The spokesman explained that the re-nomination comes within the framework of the great interest that Egypt attaches to the work of the AL, which serves Arab peoples. This characterised the role of Aboul-Gheit during…
The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RPAN) has appealed to the Federal Government to criminalise the sales of foreign rice in the country. The Director General of the association, Mr Andy Ekwelem stated this while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Saturday over the influx of smuggled rice into the country. Ekwelem cautioned if the government did not take decisive action on smuggled rice, all the mills in the country would collapse and lead to many jobs losses. He stated that rice value chain sub sector had engaged about 13 million Nigerians on direct employment. He added that the number of people…
Kenya’s public debt rose by 1.3 trillion shillings ($11.8 billion) in 2020. This is as the east African nation stepped up borrowing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and implemented various infrastructure projects. The Central Bank, in its weekly update of the financial markets on Friday, noted that the debt rose to $66.1 billion, up from $54.3 billion in January 2020. Of the public debt, $34.4 billion is external and the rest is domestic, according to the apex bank. Most of the debt accumulated during the period was external and came from both multilateral and bilateral lenders like the World…
Ayomide Bello from Edo state, won four gold medals at the ‘2021 Admiral Porbeni Boat Race’ on Saturday in Abuja. Eleven states, clubs and individuals participated in the three days three-day events. The competition was organised by the Nigeria Canoe, Rowing and Sailing Federation at the Jabi Lake in Abuja. Bello is the number one in Africa confederation in the sport. She won her first gold in women race 1 C1 500m, first position and received N100,000 prize. The second position was won by Goodness Foloky, an individual athlete, who received N70,000 while the third position went to Esther Toko from Delta, with N50,000…
President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the nomination of Lt. Col. Yusuf Dodo as his Aide-De-Camp (ADC). The appointment of Dodo followed the nomination of Buhari’s out-going ADC, Col. Mohammed Abubakar to attend a five-month course in Santiago, Chile from March 8 to July 30. The course is a prerequisite for Abubakar’s next promotion to the rank of brigadier-general, expected to be carried out in the last quarter of this year. Abubakar will by the end of February be the longest serving ADC to a civilian president, having served in that position for almost six years. He is also the second…