Author: Olukayode Oke

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has blamed the poor state of development in the country on the huge population of unemployed people in the land. This is even as the Minister called for a review of the nation’s model of federalism to enable the federating units to unlock their various potentials for the benefit of the country and its people. Aregbesola dismissed the perception in some quarters that once elected, politicians do not care about fulfilling the electioneering promises they made, noting that as a governor of Osun State, he regularly monitored his performance based on set targets. Why is…

The Debt Management Office, DMO, yesterday announced plans to raise up to N1.2 trillion through FGN bonds in the first quarter of the year 2023. The DMO disclosed this in its FGN Bonds issuance calendar for Q1 2023. Among other things, the calendar shows that the DMO will sell between N320 billion and N400 billion worth of FGN bonds in each of the three months in Q1 of 2023. The FGN bonds come in four different maturities and interest rates namely 13.98% FGN FEB 2028, 12.50% FGN APR 2032, and 16.2499% FGN APR 2037. The DMO also disclosed that the FGN…

The Force headquarters on Tuesday night said it is unaware of any deployment of police personnel to the Abuja home of the governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele. Reacting to reports that policemen were laying seige on the CBN governors, Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi said, “I am not aware”. There had been reports that police officers had been sighted laying siege at the Maitama home of the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele Tuesday night. The armed police officers were said to have mounted at No. 8 Colorado Street, Maitama, Abuja which is the CBN governor’s abode.

Kenneth Okonkwo, the spokesperson to the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has replied former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who recently claimed that Obi cannot make it if elected as president without having members in the national assembly. Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, Saraki expressed the fear that if Obi is elected president in 2023, his administration will be characterized by disaster. The former lawmaker said the Labour Party has no candidates to fill up the parliamentary seats, which according to him may not go well if the party wins the presidential poll. But…

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that expansion and diversification of involvement in international trade and global value chain by African countries is pivotal for wealth creation, generation of employment, poverty reduction as well as the growth of African economies. Buhari, who stated this in a keynote address at the opening of the 9th African Shippers’ Day held in Lagos, said the global economy is a source of growth that African economies cannot afford to ignore. He noted that while African exports of goods and services have seen their growth in the past decade, the volumes have remained low at just…

A civil society group, Peoples’ Advocates has expressed worry over the SBM Intelligence report ranking Osun as top State with highest political violence in Nigeria. This was contained in a statement signed by its Chairman, Bayo Alade while assessing some new policies of Governor Ademola Adeleke-led government. SBM Intelligence, a research organisation, in its recent report, ranked Osun as the State with the highest number of cases of election related violence in 2022. According to the report, a total of five people were killed in 11 politically motivated violent attacks in Osun. SBM stated that election related violence included the attack…

The FCT Police Command has denied reports making the rounds that an Uber driver who had an altercation with another colleague over parking space and got shot, is dead. Spokesperson of the Police Command, DSP Josephine Adeh in a statement said the Uber driver who was evacuated to a hospital in Garki from the scene of the incident is responding to treatment. The statement reads, “The news in circulation that armed robbers killed an Uber driver in the Garki area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been found to lack basic facts. Hence, the need to disabuse the minds…

Dr. Edak Okwong, a Neuropsychiatrist at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Calabar, has disclosed that one out of every five Nigerian has experienced depression, adding that women are twice more vulnerable. Okwong gave the explanation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Calabar. NAN reports that depression, which may be classified as major depressive disorder or clinical depression, is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It affects how a person thinks and behaves and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. Patients may also…

The Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi on Monday said replacing the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Governor Godwin Emefiele will not address the level of fiscal rascality fueling inflation and other economic woes. He made this disclosure while speaking at the Chatham House in London. He stated that Nigeria’s exchange rate challenge will not go away if Emefiele is removed. Peter Obi has backed Emefiele amid rising inflation, chaotic foreign exchange regime, high interest rate, among other glaring economic challenges. “People are talking about the Central Bank Governor, first let me assure you that the CBN governor will maintain his…

China’s population shrank last year for the first time in more than six decades, official data showed Tuesday, as the world’s most populous country faces a looming demographic crisis. The nation of 1.4 billion has seen birth rates plunge to record lows as its workforce ages, in a rapid decline that analysts warn could stymie economic growth and pile pressure on strained public coffers. The mainland Chinese population stood at around 1,411,750,000 at the end of 2022, Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics reported, a decrease of 850,000 from the end of the previous year. The number of births was 9.56…

Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp has insisted he will not resign from the position. Klopp’s men are struggling for form this season and have already lost six times in the Premier League. The Reds were only beaten four times in 63 matches in all competitions last season Liverpool are also 10 points off Champions League places and their poor run of form have seen calls for Klopp to either resign or be sacked. But the German, speaking ahead of a FA Cup replay against Wolves on Tuesday, said: “I will be here for as long as I am wanted. If no…

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will on Monday depart Abuja for Monrovia, the Liberian capital, to attend the ‘Emerging Young Leaders Forum’, where he is the special guest of honour. This is according to a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, titled ‘Osinbajo features today in Monrovia at emerging young leaders’ forum.’ Osinbajo’s one-day visit is at the invitation of his Liberian counterpart, Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor, who is marking her 60th birthday January 17. At the forum tagged ‘Conversation with the Vice President and Young People’, Osinbajo and other West African…