December 2019

Police Yet to Rescue Lecturer 4 Months After Abduction

December 1, 2019 3:53 am

Security operatives in Kaduna and Katsina States have not been able to rescue a lecturer with Federal University, Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA), Abubakar Idris four months after he was abducted, THISDAY checks revealed.

Idris, an Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Languages and Linguistics, was abducted by yet-to-be identified gunmen on August 2 at his residence in Shagari Low-cost, Kaduna, Kaduna State.

Since his abduction on August 2, THISDAY checks revealed that the captors of the lecturers had neither called for ransom nor disclosed any reason for the victim’s abduction.

However, a family member yesterday said immediately after the scenario, they reported …

Revealing Owners Of Oil Firms Is Anti-Corruption Measure

December 1, 2019 3:53 am

The extractive industry in Nigeria is one of the most opaque industries, often shrouded in secrecy. A recent announcement by NEITI that it will make public names of big players in the oil and gas sector may put an end to the opacity by opening a beneficial ownership register. NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Waziri Adio, speaks to that in an interview with Nosa James-Igbinadolor

NEITI announced it will open a beneficial ownership register for the oil and gas industry as soon as mid-December. What exactly does the register entail?

The register is designed to ensure ownership transparency. The quest …

What Is The $30bn Fresh Loan For? Increasing Debt Portfolio

December 1, 2019 3:51 am

President Muhammadu Buhari seeks to increase Nigeria’s total debt portfolio to about $97billion by borrowing about $30billion from external sources to execute critical infrastructure projects. While the argument on the part of government has always been that Nigeria’s debt to GDP ratio remains low, experts are worried that paying back the burgeoning debt is a major concern, as generating enough revenue to meet its budgetary obligations is still a nightmare for the government.

President Muhammadu Buhari last week returned to the National Assembly to re-present the federal government’s request for a $29.96 billion fresh foreign loan. Buhari, in presenting the …

Abdulrasaq: Kwara Won’t Spare Public Funds Looters

December 1, 2019 3:49 am

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said his administration would not tolerate any attempt to create distractions in attempts to unravel the case of the N5bn alleged to have been shared among former lawmakers in the state.

Abdulrazaq also said no government official would be spared if proven to have committed infractions against the law.

“A few days ago, some former Kwara lawmakers were alleged to have shared N5bn of taxpayers’ money among themselves. This of course followed a pattern of systemic looting of the treasury which has been discovered since we assumed office,” the governor said in a statement …

World AIDS Day: Despite Efforts, Challenges Still Persist

December 1, 2019 3:48 am

Since the first two cases of AIDS, which sent panic, doubt and disbelief to the nation, was diagnosed in Nigeria in 1985 and reported in 1986 in Lagos, the fight by both the Federal Government and donor agencies to bring an end to the epidemic has been intensified, but achievement is still dragging in some aspect. Thirty years after, challenges such as stigmatization, lack of fund, access to drugs and others have not been fully tackled.

The spread of the infection over the past years has a great impact on health, welfare, employment and the criminal justice sectors; affecting all …

Why We Met Sowore — Garba Shehu

December 1, 2019 3:48 am

Presidential spokesperson, Mr Garba Shehu, on Saturday night gave an account of what led to a meeting with detained activist, Omoyele Sowore, and some personalities allegedly to discuss his freedom.

An online medium, Premium Times, had named Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina; Isa Funtua; ThisDay Publisher, Nduka Ogbaibena; and Shehu among a team that went to meet with Sowore at the Department of State Services headquarters in Abuja allegedly on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari to negotiate his release.

The publication said it found out Buhari sent teams to Sowore to pressure him …