Is Amnesty International Flinging For Anarchy In Nigeria?

By Carl Jordan It’s all too easy to underplay how social media and other online platforms have altered the advertising and marketing landscapes over the past 15 or so years. It’s given businesses of all sizes the ability to reach and engage with their customers in ways that simply wouldn’t have been possible previously. Moreover, it’s given those organisations’ marketing teams a greater sense of certainty that they’re reaching their intended target audiences. Rather than simply hoping that they reach those audiences through things like billboards and television ads, they can see and measure it in the data. But simply

By Jerome-Mario Chijioke Utomi It is pedestrian information that the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Western Zone, comprising Delta, Edo and Ondo States, in a recent media statement signed by the trio of Comrade Doubra Collins Okotete (Zonal chairman), Comrade Olu Derimo (secretary) and Lugard Izoukumor (Information Officer), specifically called on Governor Oborevwori to commence work on the long-awaited Ayakoromor bridge project, the Ogulagha-Odimodi road project, the permanent site of the School of Marine Technology, Burutu among other critical projects. Indeed, while there exists glaring evidence that Oborevwori has, in the last 100 days of his administration in the state, demonstrated

Africa is a continent of contradictions. The scars left behind by its many nations’ storied histories, as well as the new wounds opened by recent social and economic upheavals such as the global recession, the pandemic, climate change, and geopolitical tensions, mean that the continent continues to contend with challenges such as inequality, poverty, and other socio-economic issues. Yet, in the midst of these challenges, a quiet revolution is underway. Africa, often overshadowed by outdated stereotypes, is emerging as the next frontier for impact investing – a realm where profit meets purpose and where opportunities to catalyze positive change are

By Franco Macchiavelli The 15th BRICS Summit, hosted by South Africa in Johannesburg from 22 to 24 August, culminated in the widely anticipated announcement of a soon-to-be expanded BRICS bloc, with the admission of six new member countries to this economic grouping from January 2024. In the build-up to this year’s BRICS Summit, there has also been some speculation that the grouping might discuss the issuance of a joint currency to compete with the dollar as the reserve currency with world hegemony. However, this issue was not addressed during the event. South Africa’s representative stated that such an approach was

By Dipo Olowookere Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has reiterated his administration’s commitment to back the entertainment industry in the state, by providing the support structure and enabling environment for the industry to thrive. Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in the state, Mr Toye Arulogun, made this known on behalf of Mr Ajimobi when he received members of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN) at the State Secretariat, Ibadan on Thursday. Mr Ajimobi pledged government’s support and commitment to the development and growth of the arts, culture and entertainment industries, noting that, their

By Adedapo Adesanya Almost two years after Africa identified its first case of COVID-19 (February 14, 2020), the World Health Organization (WHO) has disclosed that, if current trends continue, the continent can control the pandemic in 2022. It, however, warned that continued vigilance is key. Over the last two years, WHO said that the continent has witnessed four waves of COVID-19, each with higher peaks or more total new cases than the previous one. The surges have been mostly driven by new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus—which were highly transmissible though not necessarily more fatal than prior waves. According to

By Adedapo Adesanya The federal government has approved another extension of the deadline for National Identity Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data verification to October 31, 2021. This was disclosed by Mr Ikechukwu Adinde, Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission and Mr Kayode Adegoke, Head, Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission, in a joint statement issued on Sunday. According to the statement, the decision to extend the deadline was made after a request by stakeholders to accommodate registration in hard-to-reach remote areas, foreigners and diplomatic missions, diaspora and address low enrolments in schools and hospitals, as evidenced by enrolment statistics.

By Adedapo Adesanya The federal government has been criticised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) for threatening to close broadcast stations. This development comes after the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) said it would shut down broadcast stations found culpable of using their platforms to undermine the peaceful coexistence of Nigeria. Following a meeting between NBC’s Director-General, Mr Balarabe Ilelahand, a host of broadcast stations on the coverage of the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections, the commission said it would not hesitate to revoke the license of broadcasters threatening the peace of the country. It also warned

By Adedapo Adesanya LeapFrog Investments (LeapFrog) and Tana Africa Capital (Tana) have invested in Interswitch, one of Africa’s technology-driven companies focused on the digitisation of payments. In a joint statement from both companies, the exact amount was not disclosed, but it was stated that the investment will assist in supporting the company’s drive to advance the payment ecosystem across the continent. A portion of the investment has been acquired from existing shareholders, with Ignite Holdco Limited, made up of Helios Investment Partners and TA Associates, remaining the largest shareholder in the business following the transaction. Interswitch Group CEO, Mr Mitchell

By Modupe Gbadeyanka On Monday, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) piled the foreign exchange forex market with an additional $255 million as intervention. An analysis of how the money was disbursed showed the wholesale segment getting $100 million for both spots and forwards, while the invisibles segment, which covers BTA, school and medical fees, receiving $50 million. Also, the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME) segment of the market was allotted $55 million. All these efforts are geared towards easing pressure on the Naira, which is currently traded at N381 to the Dollar at the parallel market. Spokesman of

By Dipo Olowookere A marginal growth of 0.02 per cent was recorded at the Nigerian stock market on Friday on the back of a sustained bargain hunting in consumer goods and industrial goods equities. This pushed the consumer goods and the industrial goods sectors higher by 0.13 per cent and 0.11 per cent respectively, while the insurance, energy and banking counters depreciated by 0.57 per cent, 0.12 per cent and 0.01 per cent apiece. At the close of transactions, the All-Share Index (ASI) grew by 8.82 points to 39,261.01 points from 39,252.19 points, while the market capitalisation increased by N5

By Adedapo Adesanya Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has assured residents of Badagry more dividends of democracy, noting that he will continue to fulfil the promises he made to them during his campaigns in 2019. Mr Sanwo-Olu gave this assurance when he commissioned three projects in the area on Saturday. The projects commissioned were the Lagos State Affordable Public Housing Scheme in Idale, the flag-off of the reconstruction of hospital road, and the Maternal and Childcare Centre and School of Anaesthesia, Badagry. At the inauguration of the 252 two-bedroom bungalows at Idale, Governor Sanwo-Olu reiterated the commitment of his