A Non-Governmental Organisation, Envision Global Care Foundation, has commissioned its newly-built Ante-Natal Care, ANC, section of the Lugbe Primary Health Care Centre in Abuja, designed to promote maternal, newborn and child health, MNCH.

The author told the story of how the late former president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, chose the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme as Vice President – a nomination that made many party members angry, especially the late Dr. K.O Mbadiwe who had hoped to clinch it. The creativity with which the media captured the nomination and the indignation in a headline was amazing: “Shagari Picks Ekwueme but KO is not Ok.” Today, let’s see how the same Dr. Alex Ekwueme as VP helped to create more states for Nigeria:

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, which acquired about 13,800 non-performing loans from banks in 2010 eventually had N5trillion debt to recover from the debtors nationwide. Some notorious deadbeats are indebted to more than one bank. The N5 trillion involved is more than double the loans the Federal Government will be incurring this year to support the 2019 budget.

NIGERIA is a country some talk about in the past tense. Like the famous author, Chinua Achebe titled his last book on Nigeria: There Was A Country.

AS the frenzy over the delay, the rigmarole and the eventual assent to the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, AfCTA, dies down, we draw attention to the task ahead given its implications to Nigeria’s economy.

Managing Director, MD, Investment Banking at the United Capital Plc, Babatunde Obaniyi, in this interview speaks on fund raising from Nigerian capital market to finance infrastructure deficits, mergers and acquisitions to meet capital requirements of corporate entities, apathy for equities, need for diversification to fixed income instruments, power sector challenges, among other issues. Excerpts:

A FEW days ago, President Muhammadu Buhari forwarded names of 43 ministerial nominees to the Senate for confirmation. Among the 43 nominees are 12 persons who were ministers in the president’s first term in office, while the remaining 31 nominees, when cleared by the upper legislative house, would become ministers for the first time under the current political dispensation. For many years, what has been the usual practice in the country is for the president to forward a list of ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening without their corresponding portfolios.

THE discourse, this week, relates to the implications of the CBN Governor’s plan for banks “to increase their capital base above the present N25bn”, which incidentally, was equivalent, to $195m (N127-N130=$1) in 2004, but has become seriously eroded to barely $75m today! Notwithstanding, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele did not reveal how the inexplicably, battered Naira Exchange Rate, which is actually, the prime cause of the sliding value of the capital base of Nigerian banks will be rescued.

ABUJA—The Oil & Solid Mineral Producing Area Landlords’ Association of Nigeria, OMPALAN, an elite NGO inaugurated its ‘Committee for Harmonization of relations between Herders and Farmers’ called  CHREBHAF.

DELTA State Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has said all politicians are in leadership positions and are expected to do the right things at all times.

THE immediate past governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, yesterday, said a member of the recovery committee set up by Governor Emeka Ihedioha slapped his daughter, Uloma Nwosu, on Friday during one of their recovery operations of government properties at All-In furniture store linked to Okorocha’s wife, Nkechi.

NEWSPAPER distributors in Awka, Anambra State Monday withdrew their services over frequent harassment, intimidation and extortion by officials of the controversial Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra State, alias OCHA Brigade.

The human liver is a special organ. It has some hundreds of critical jobs. It works very hard but gets little credit.  Your liver is the second-largest organ in your body.

Despite efforts by the government to rid Apapa and its environs of gridlock, the traffic situation particularly on Apapa/Oshodi Expressway, has remained unabated.

THE Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, yesterday, declined an invitation by former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd) on a roundtable on national issues and security scheduled to hold in Minna, Niger State.“