As the Nigerian passport continues to decline in global ranking compared to those of neighbouring countries such as Ghana and Benin, former envoys have explained why the situation persists. According to the Henley Passport Index 2024, which ranks passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa, Ghana is ranked 72nd with 68 visa-free destinations while Benin is ranked 76th with 64 visa-free destinations. However, Nigeria is ranked 92nd with 45 visa-free destinations. The latest index places Nigeria significantly lower than Ghana and Benin, which have shown notable improvements in their passport rankings. The…
Author: UZDO Media
The World Bank Group Finances has revealed that the Federal Government is still repaying $10.6bn in loans obtained under former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, late Umaru Musa Yaradua, and Goodluck Jonathan. Recall that in June 2024, the Debt Management Office said as of March 31, 2024, Nigeria’s domestic and external debts stood at N121.67tn ($91.46bn). The domestic debt was put at N65.65tn ($46.29bn), while external debt stood at N56.02tn ($42.12bn). Saturday PUNCH gathered that part of the foreign debt was the $4.95bn in loans obtained by the current administration in its first 12 months, just as the Central Bank of Nigeria…
Two years after the attack on the Kuje Medium Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory, over 400 escaped inmates remain at large, including several terrorists. Despite ongoing efforts, security agencies have been unable to recapture the fugitives. According to data on the Nigerian Correctional Service’s website, over 400 inmates who fled during the jailbreak on July 5, 2022, are still unaccounted for. The figure includes Boko Haram terrorists. The jailbreak, claimed by the Islamic State in West Africa Province, saw over 900 inmates break free from the facility. In response, Nigerian authorities launched a manhunt, recapturing 421 inmates in…
World record holder Tobi Amusan still has a slim chance of running in the women’s 100m hurdles final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, but that depends on any of the eight finalists electing not to run the race due to injury or any other reason, Saturday PUNCH reports. Amusan narrowly missed out on a spot in the final after finishing third in the first semi-final with a time of 12:55s. She lost the chance to automatically qualify for the race in the process, and her hopes of qualifying as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers were dashed after France’s Cyrena…
The Federal High Court in Kaduna has dismissed a suit filed by the immediate-past governor of the state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, seeking to set aside the ad-hoc committee report of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, among other declaratory reliefs. In a ruling delivered on July 30, 2024, and a copy of the Certified True Copy obtained by our correspondent on Friday, Justice R. M. Aikawa held that the applicant failed to prove any of the circumstances that would warrant setting aside the proceedings of the court. El-Rufai had approached the court, seeking an order to set aside the proceedings…
A chieftain of the People Democratic Party, Bode George, has called on President Bola Tinubu to come out and tell Nigerians the truth about fuel subsidy. George, a former deputy national chairman of PDP said Nigerians deserved to know if the Tinubu government was still paying subsidy on fuel through the back door or not. There have been speculations that the Federal government had returned fuel subsidy with the former governors of Bauchi and Kaduna States, Isa Yuguda and Nasir El-Rufai accusing the government of now paying more for fuel subsidy than before. Recall that the Minister of Finance and…
The World Health Organisation has listed more than 30 pathogens that are likely to cause the next pandemic in the African region. This was revealed in its latest report titled, ‘Pathogens prioritisation: A scientific framework for epidemic and pandemic research preparedness.’ Among the viruses and bacteria are Lassa fever, Mpox, Ebola, dengue fever, respiratory virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and Chikungunya virus, among others. Lassa fever is endemic in Nigeria and the annual peak of Lassa fever cases is typically observed during the dry season (December–April). Thus, the number of infections is expected to rise further until the end of…
The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has reiterated that the killers of a popular cross-dresser known as Abuja Area Mama must be arrested and made to face justice. A senior police officer attached to the FCT Command, during a WhatsApp chat with our correspondent on Friday, said investigations into the case were ongoing, adding that the perpetrators of the crime must be brought to book. The officer said, “Nigerians should not be afraid. It doesn’t matter who he is or what he is engaged in. He was a human being that was killed in such a gruesome way. The CP…
Three yet-to-be-identified passengers on Thursday lost their lives following a multi-vehicle crash on the Kara section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Saturday PUNCH gathered that an unidentified truck driver transporting sugar, lost control and collided with another vehicle, triggering a chain of collisions around 7 pm along Isheri-Olofin, outward bound from Lagos State. Our correspondent learnt that the other vehicles involved in the accident included an SF3000 truck, a Toyota Camry car with the number plate EPE 200 GK, an Isuzu mini truck with the number plate T-1079 LA and a Honda Accord car. A fuel attendant at a nearby filling…
The Base Operations Officer of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base in Bonny, Lieutenant-Commander Gideon Gwaza, has lost his life during a rescue operation in River State. The Director of Naval Information, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, in a statement on Friday, said the operation led to the rescue of 59 persons from a dredging vessel, MV AMBIKA 4, that was on the brink of sinking while operating at the Okpobo Field, near the Okpobo River. Adams-Aliu said the operation was conducted in collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force. He said, “In response, the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base in Bonny deployed…