Author: Chief Editor

•Probes N10bn, $28m expended on project, loan disbursement Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke has directed the immediate suspension of the project consultant for the Ilesa Water Project, Mrs. Tawa Williams over her questionable handling of $106 million loan for the project. The governor in a statement issued yesterday, by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, also ordered full scale probe of the entire project and disbursed loans especially as there had been no progress on the project despite the reported disbursement of N10 billion and another $28 million on it. The governor equally suspended the project coordinator to allow…

A Consultant Nephrologist at Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre, Abuja, Dr. Ade Faponle, has disclosed that Nigeria has only 250 specialists in the area of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Faponle said this yesterday in Ilorin during a paper presentation at the 2022 Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Association of Resident Doctors, University of Ilorin (ARD-UITH) branch. The expert spoke on: “Kidney Protection: Evolving and Emerging Threats – Call to Action”. He lamented the dearth of CKD specialists in the country, adding that they are not enough to man the growing number of people with the disease in Nigeria. He rated…

At the recently concluded 28th edition of the annual Nigerian Economic Summit, which was supported by the leading ICT company, MTN Nigeria, panellists discuss transformational leadership that will attain inclusive prosperity for the nation, Vanessa Obioha reports Leadership means different things to different people and this often depends on the level of leadership or the nature of the organisation. To some, leadership is the product of the utilisation of authority, while to others, it is the ability to influence people towards a common goal. The influence of leadership models, citizen quality of life, GDP, and regulatory policies are only a few of…

Rebecca Ejifoma, who takes a look at the nation’s healthcare system, writes that it survived the unending challenges that ravaged it and attained universal health coverage for her citizens, as well as wound down on COVID-19 infections. However, incessant strike actions and brain drain on the sector happened in torrents this year, thus weakening an already feeble institution Nigerians – both medical professionals and the end receivers – have had it not-so-good in the healthcare system in the last year. This is courtesy of the many hiccups that overwhelmed, overstretched and endangered its feeble status. They range from the most popular…

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has concluded plans to conduct sale of properties, which are subject of Final Forfeiture Orders. The Commission had, on Saturday, December 24, 2022, publicly announced commencement of the auction exercise with advertorial in major newspapers, inviting bids for the properties. According to the Commission, interested persons or organisations have until 12:00 p.m. Monday, January 9, 2023, to submit their bids. EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday. According to him, the properties consisting of 61 units of luxury apartments, plots of lands and apartments across the country are being offered for…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the time had come for it to organise the freest and fairest election in Africa. The National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mr Festus Okoye, said this on Wednesday at the 2022 Calabar Carnival, while sensitising Nigerians on the upcoming General Elections. Okoye, therefore, urged officials of the commission “to show Nigerians that they have the capacity to do so. He said that the commission decided to participate in the carnival to sensitise and encourage Nigerians to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and vote in the elections. Okoye said…

The House of Representatives has urged the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) to suspend its planned auction of the oil mining licence (OML) 11 asset. This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance by Rep Victor Mela (APC-Gombe) at plenary in Abuja on Wednesday. Moving the motion, Mela said that the oil field under oil mining license 11 was formerly operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) joint venture. He said the field had been idle since the company was forced out of Ogoniland in 1993. Mela said that a court of appeal judgement of Aug.…

The Nigerian economy will continue to slump in 2023 due to activities leading to the general elections next year, but would likely pick in 2024, with growth rising to 3.3 per cent, a Fitch Solutions Country Risk & Industry Research report has predicted. An affiliate of Fitch Ratings, the Fitch Solutions report estimated that economic growth in Nigeria slipped to a six-quarter low of 2.3 per cent in quarter four of 2022, predicting that the country’s economic growth would ease further in 2023. “We expect that the country’s economy will expand by just 2.5 per cent due to disruptions associated…

Gbajabiamila: Tinubu’s Records Stand Him Out •Atiku’s victory sure at first ballot, says campaign council Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar remains the best among the men seeking to Nigeria’s presidency in next year’s election that have the capacity to transform the country. Obaseki disclosed this in an exclusive interview with THISDAY. This was just as the Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has said the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, stood out from other candidates, because of his track…

The South Africa Chapter of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) recently held its election into executive positions. A statement made available to THISDAY said the election saw the emergence of Hon. Oluwatoyin Oyekanmi as Chairman of the Chapter, alongside other notable members of the executives. The election, which was preceded by the composition of a Five- Member Electoral Committee under the Chairmanship of Otunba Femi Jaiyesimi at the instance of Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, His Excellency, Amb. Muhammad Haruna Manta, has brought to a close the substantial leadership vacuum in the chapter. The statement also noted that the election, which…