Category: News

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, has called off its ongoing strike and set to resume work activities on Wednesday.

Recall that the doctors, in August, embarked on strike following a disagreement with the Federal Government over some unresolved issues.

However, Godiya Ishaya, NARD president, in a statement, revealed that the ongoing strike had officially been called off.

He said that the decision was taken after a meeting with the delegates of NMA and NARD.

Ishaya noted that NMA mandated the National Officers Committee, NOC, to ensure the implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed with the federal government on August 21.

According to him, the association also asked NOC to report back to the National Executive Council of NMA periodically on the progress being made on implementing the memorandum of understanding.

“We’ve officially suspended the strike to resume at 8:00 am on Wednesday. We made the decision in the wee hours of today.

”We held an emergency meeting from 5:30 pm on Sunday to the morning hours of today, and the NEC decided that having reviewed the progress made so far, the strike should be suspended,” he said.

Nigeria spent N1.47tn on debt servicing payments in the first half of 2021, data obtained from the Debt Management Office have shown.

In the first quarter of the year, the country spent N1.02tn on both domestic and external debt servicing, while a total of N445.45bn was spent in the second quarter of 2021.

From January to March 2021, Nigeria spent N612.71bn on domestic debt servicing, while it spent $1bn (N410.33bn) on external debt servicing.

From April to June 2021, Nigeria spent N322.7bn on domestic debt servicing and $299m (N122.7bn) on external debt servicing.

The official exchange rate of the Central Bank of Nigeria ($1 is N410.33) as of October 4 was used for the external debt servicing.

For domestic debt, Nigeria spent N219.29bn in January, N125.09bn in February, N270.33bn in March, N258bn in April, N42.4bn in May, and N22.3bn in June.

In Q1, the government focused on principal repayments, while in Q2, the government focused on interest payments.

A breakdown of the statistics in Q2 shows that the Federal Government spent a total of N322.7bn on the payment of interest, with N50.3bn expended on the redemption of matured Nigeria Treasury Bills.

For external debt servicing in Q1, commercial loans had 76 per cent with a cost of $763.04m (N313.10bn), multilateral had 13 per cent with a cost of $134.04m (N55bn), and bilateral had 11 per cent with a cost of $106.33m (N43.63bn).

For external debt servicing in Q2, commercial loans had 53 per cent with a cost of $157m (N64.4bn), multilateral had 35 per cent with a cost of $103.7m (N42.5bn), and bilateral had 13 per cent with a cost of $38.2m (N15.7bn).

Economists have consistently condemned the borrowing rate of the government on the premise that the loans were being spent on consumption rather than capital projects that can generate revenue to service the debts.

A political economist and former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, had explained that the implication of government spending a major amount of its revenue on debt servicing was that the Federal Government borrowed to finance other expenditures that it incurred within the period.

He added that the trend of continuous borrowing would further worsen the economic conditions of the country.

The people of Igangan community have requested for compensation on the damages incurred during the attack which led to the death of fifteen residents by killer herdsmen.

The community is seeking N193 million compensation for over 70 properties, including houses, shops and gas refilling stations that were destroyed and looted when unknown gunmen suspected to be criminal herders descended on the sleepy community on the night of June 5.

The list, a copy of which was obtained by The Nation, showed that 11 indigenes were killed on the fateful night. Four members of the about 100-strong attackers, also lost their lives during the three-hour attack.

Waiting for the expected compensation, many of the shops and houses, including the palace of the Asigangan, were already being repaired through self-help when The Nation visited the town last week.

The attack was believed to be a reprisal to the forceful ejection of Seriki Fulani in the community Soliu Abdulkadir earlier in the year.

Popular Yoruba nation agitator Chief Sunday Adeyemo (aka Sunday Igboho) sent Abdulkadir packing by visiting Igangan on January 7.

The January 7 sack visit followed a previous visit to the Seriki during which Igboho ordered him to leave the community based on established claims that he was fronting for kidnappers who were alleged to be among herders of Fulani origin.

He gave him a seven-day ultimatum but the Fulani head refused to leave. He, however, fled on learning that Igboho was on his way to sack him on January 7.

Irate youths in the community used the opportunity of Igboho’s last visit to vandalise Abdulkadir’s palace to prevent him from returning.

The community believes that Abdulkadir was behind the attack. They insisted that he recruited Fulani in the neighbouring Benin Republic to avenge him. The community borders Benin Republic.

But the seriki denied involvement in the attack. He also said he was never involved in kidnapping, stressing that he was doing genuine business in the town

Lagos State Government, on Sunday, read the riot act to night clubs, bars and lounges, especially those in the Lekki axis, to desist from noise pollution or risk being shut.

A statement signed by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, said enforcement raids were carried out on some nightclubs in Lekki following repeated complaints by residents of the area and environs.

He stated that a visit by enforcement officers of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) to Prest Jazz Club on Admiralty Way, Lekki, following complaints of flagrant noise pollution, revealed the use of different giant speakers and musical instruments for stage plays and shows, necessitating its closure.

The Commissioner noted that many residents of highbrow Lekki, especially elderly citizens, have inundated his office with petitions and complaints about the adverse effects of noise pollution on their health every night until the early hours of the next day.

Reiterating that the exercise will be a continuous one, Bello advised all clubs that engage in noise pollution to retrace their steps before it is too late, maintaining that apart from putting such clubs or bars under lock and key, the owners of the relaxation points would also be prosecuted according to the dictates of the law.

He stated that no one or organisation would be treated as a sacred cow in the latest campaign, pointing out that research has also shown noise pollution as one of the causative factors for reduced lifespan.

Bello restated that the second pillar of the six-point Development Agenda of the present administration is Health and Environment, which includes combating noise pollution.

ODUDUWA NEWS has just gathered that a popular factory, RABSIH IMEC NIGERIA LIMITED (Ile Isẹ Mogaji) said to have gutted by fire in Iwo, Osun State.

The popular factory caught in fire in the early hours today. Fortunately, the fire was suppressed by the people of the community who waded into the incident immediately the fire outbreak was discovered.

It was confirmed to ODUDUWA NEWS correspondent that fire fighters were later mobilized to the scene to curtail further spread.

Details later.

The residents of Ado Ekiti, on Friday, lamented the recent increase in the price of cooking gas, saying that the astronomical increase has taken its toll on the them while calling on government to address the development.

A resident, Segun Adekunle, said that the hike in the price of cooking gas was quite alarming, especially given the fact that no reason had been given for the increase.

He questioned how the price could have moved from N3,000 to N7,000 for a 12.5kg cylinder within the span of a few months, saying that the development had compounded the hardship in Ado Ekiti, as he now used firewood and charcoal for cooking.

“Cooking with firewood is dangerous to the health,” he, however, complained.

Another resident, Bunmi Ajisafe, a trader, expressed worry over the continuous increase in the price of cooking gas, noting that the hike had further worsened the economy of her family.

Mrs Ajisafe said she was surprised at the astronomical increase in the price of commodities these days, not only gas.

”It is so frustrating that you are not sure of the next price you would meet when you go to the market. I am really worried and surprised. I thought Nigeria is a country with an abundance of gas,” she said.

She appealed to the federal government to urgently intervene, otherwise, she may have to return to the use of a kerosene stove, charcoal or firewood.

A civil servant, Tope Ogunfowokan, said that Nigerians were yet to recover from the hardship brought on by COVID-19 which crippled many businesses and rendered many people jobless.

Mrs Ogunfowokan also said she remembered there was a time the federal government was campaigning for citizens to key into cooking with gas.

“Many people did nothing to that effect, but people gradually keyed into it. Then the present gas situation; it is frustrating and unimaginable and the government should intervene,” she said.

A gas dealer, Micheal Ogunsakin, said all he had to say was that the whole hike simply had to do with the government.

ODUDUWA NEWS has just gathered that Air Vice-Marshal Sikiru Smith, who was abducted on Monday in the Ajah area of Lagos State has regained his freedom.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, confirmed the release this afternoon while speaking on Channels Television.

He was released in the early hours of Saturday.

Air Vice-Marshal Sikiru Smith was abducted by masked men who bundled him into a standby boat, speeding off from the site where he was supervising work in the area.

He is a cousin to the former Inspector-General of Police, Musiliu Smith who is the Chairman of the Police Service Commission.

He is a trained military engineer who rose to hold positions in the military including the Chief of Logistics, Nigerian Air Force Headquarters and Chief of Defence Communications, Defence Headquarters, Abuja before his retirement.

The Director-General of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) Timothy Olawale slumped and died in Abuja on Friday night.

It was reported that the incident happened while Olawale was in a meeting with the board of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

It was confirmed to newsmen that Olawale was on his seat but could not get up and died before help could get to him.

However, the NECA Secretariat also announced Olawale’s death in a statement issued in Lagos on Saturday.

The statement said: “It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Timothy Olawale, our Director-General, which occurred on Oct. 1 2021 at a hospital in Abuja.

“He is survived by his wife, children, and other relatives; we pray the good Lord to grant his family and us all, the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss.’’

The statement added that the association was in contact with the family and more information would be communicated in due course.

The late Dr. Olawale was confirmed as the substantive Director-General of NECA in January 2019, after six months in an acting capacity.

He succeeded Mr. Segun Oshinowo, who retired in December 2018 after serving the association for 19 years.

By Adebayo Miracle

The Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment Lagos state, has planned to commence a digital entrepreneurship skills training and mentorship for unemployed youths in conjuction with the Digital Age Consultants Limited, combining he activity with community talent hunt in the 57 local governments and development councils within the area.

The development of the initiated programme  was disclosed by MRS. Yetunde Arobieke, the Honourable Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment at a PRESS conference organized to inform the public of the initiated program. She confirmed the activity to be part of the present administration’s drive to keep the youths busy by engaging them and also eradicating unemployment In Lagos state.

Emphasizing on the move being part of the lot of activities carried out by the administration of the state governor, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Mrs Arobieke stated that the main purpose of the initiated programme is to curb restlessness and all other social vices. Saying that there will also be talent hunt within the community which will help in the development of the youth populations.

According to the Commissioner, Mrs Arobieke, she said the activity will only cover 18-35 years. She also made use of the opportunity to appeal to the youths of the community to make effective use of the opportunity provided.