SHORTLY after President Muhammadu Buhari returned from the Seventh Tokyo International Conference for African Development, TICAD7, our land borders with Benin, Niger and Cameroon were closed on August 20, 2019.

TOWARDS the end of the October 2019 deadline for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, of the Federal Government to ensure their staff were enrolled in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari, the battle line is drawn between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

THE Creative Industry Financing Initiative, CIFI, of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee been working to improve access to long-term low-cost financing to entrepreneurs and investors in the Nigerian Creative and Information Technology sub-sector. Being part of efforts to boost job creation in Nigeria, especially among the youths, it is both timely and a step in the right direction.

ONE of the long-identified reasons our annual budgets are unable to improve our capital development at both the Federal and states levels over the years is inadequate funding. The annual budgets allocate roughly 70 per cent to recurrent expenditures while capital needs take about 30 per cent, most of which are not faithfully funded.

We note, with cautious delight, the general improvements in the anti-graft war of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, especially at this outset of his second term. There has been a general scaling-down of the blame game and greater inclusion in the anti-graft war as opposed to the perceived one-sidedness it was accused of during the highly politicised atmosphere of the first tenure.

President Muhammadu Buhari is known for his special regard for infrastructure development. From his days as the Executive Chairman of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, under the regime of the late General Sani Abacha, to his current one as Nigeria’s elected President, this much has been obvious, in spite of lean resources.

The prevalence of poverty in the land has led to the deterioration of the noble value systems which various Nigerians groups proudly upheld in the past. Where, for instance, our value system emphasised that human beings (especially children) were more valuable than money or material things, criminals now “sell” babies or steal (kidnap) people for money or ransom.

From all indications, we seem not to have fully realised it that cell phones, CCTVs, and the social media have changed our world in both significant and dangerous ways. With in-built high resolution cameras, high fidelity video and audio recording functions, the little smart phones we see nowadays in the hands of almost everyone have become cold evidence-gathering eyes and ears all around us.

The announcement by the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, last week Tuesday, October 15, 2019 that Nigerians seeking to replace their lost National ID Cards or “renew” existing ones are to pay fees has left concerned citizens wondering what the real intention of the Commission is with regard to the National ID Card scheme.

Still on the loopholes in the 2020 Appropriation Bill provisional revenue targets, we observe that oil revenue projection was lowered 29.7% to N2.6 trillion as against 2019 figure of N3.7 trillion, reflecting prudent adjustments in the wake of lower oil prices and weak oil production caused by the slow pace of oil and gas reforms.

President Muhammadu Buhari presented the Federal Budget for 2020 to the National Assembly on October 8, 2019. It is expected that this early submission should give ample time for deliberations and final approval, especially as the current leadership of the Assembly seems in sync with the Executive. Consequently, it can safely be assumed that the […]

Perhaps, nothing else can vividly demonstrate how far away Nigeria is from the centre of advancements in world affairs more than our near-absolute insulation from the worldwide rage of youth against climate change on September 20, 2019.

With the recent turn of events around the world, the relevance of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, Establishment Bill signed into law on June 30, 2017 by Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as the Acting President, has continued to be justified.

It is a known fact that everybody who is somebody in society was trained by teachers. The world takes the status of teachers very seriously. This is why  October 5 every year is set aside to celebrate the World Teacher’s Day through the partnership of the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF; United Nations Development Project, UNDP; United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO; International Labour Organisation, ILO and Education International.

At last, the administration of the new Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, has roused itself into action after months of anguish that residents have had to bear while commuting on roads across the city-state.