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Nigerian Newspapers: Headlines that will interest you today, Monday
Good day good citizens of Nigeria, here are headlines from Nigerian Newspapers that may interest you today, Monday, January 10, 2022.
1. Yewande Sadiku: I Was Hounded By Anti-reform Elements for Paying N5.8bn to Govt [ThisDay Newspaper]
In Nigeria, it’s almost impossible for a public official to be investigated by security agencies over allegations of fraud and malfeasance, and nothing was found, especially if the individual was a marked man/woman. But Ms. Yewande Sadiku, the immediate-past Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Nigeria’s foremost investment promotion agency, broke that record. In her five-year tenure, devoted to institutional reforms, Sadiku was faced with petitions that saw her being investigated by seven agencies of government, which are the Code of Conduct Bureau, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the Accountant General of the Federation, the Auditor General of the Federation, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Bureau of Public Procurement and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). She also had petitions investigated by the Presidential Villa, including those from some staff of NIPC against her. But the ICPC in a letter dated December 16th, 2021, and addressed to the CEO, NIPC, cleared her of all the allegations levelled against her and the ICPC closed the case.
2. Nigeria’s Stock Market Gains N1.33tn in First Trading Week [ThisDay Newspaper]
The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) kicked off the first trading week of 2022 on a positive note as its market capitalisation gained N1.33 trillion. This followed foreign investors’ and high net worth investors’ demand for Airtel Africa Plc, BUA Foods, Lafarge Africa Plc, and FBN Holdings Plc, which pushed market capitalisation to N23.628 trillion from the N22.296 trillion the stock market opened with trading on the first day.
Notably, the demand for Airtel Africa gained 10 per cent to close at N1,050.50; bargain hunting in BUA Foods appreciated by 9.9 per cent to close at N53.20; Lafarge Africa gained 7.7 per cent to close at N25.80; and FBN Holdings added four per cent to close at N11.85, and spurred the weekly gain.
The stock market benchmark, the NGX All-Share Index, also advanced by 2.7 per cent on its Week-on-Week (WoW) performance to close at 43,854.42 basis points, from the 42,716.44 basis points it closed in 2021.
3. Enforce compulsory vaccination for LG, state workers, FG tells govs [Punch Newspaper]
The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency has urged state governments to step up mass vaccination against COVID-19 as part of moves to combat the virus.
The agency, in its latest advisory obtained by one of our correspondents in Abuja, also urged state governors to enact and enforce vaccination mandate for local and state government workers.
This came to fore as the percentage for fully vaccinated Nigerians stalled at 4.2 per cent while those that had taken their first dose remained grounded at 9.8 per cent as of Sunday, January 9, 2021.
4. Don’t hike VAT, stop excise duty comeback, OPS tells FG [Vanguard Newspaper]
THE Organised Private Sector of Nigeria, OPSN, through the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, weekend, urged the Federal Government, in the interest of Nigerians and the economy to suspend the reintroduction of excise duty of 10/litre on carbonated drinks and further hike in Value Added Tax, VAT.
It also called for urgent initiatives by government to deepen engagement with critical stakeholders, including employers and organised labour with the view to arriving at a more realistic strategy to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal on workers, employers and generality of Nigerians.
5. BULLETS, BLOOD AND LOADS OF CASH (I): Upsurge in deadly bank heists in Southwest Nigeria; Osun bankers working in fear, anxiety [NewsWireNGR]
Nigeria is battling insecurity in the Northwest and Northcentral regions, with banditry the prevalent challenge. The insurgent group, Boko Haram and its splinter, Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), have continued to unleash mayhem in the northeast. In the Southwest, apart from occasional kidnappings, armed attacks on commercial banks is the new face of terror. In the last one year, several financial institutions have been raided: in Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states.
Investigative journalist Ridwan Yusuf spent 18 days digging into this fresh threat in southwestern Nigeria.
In the first of this three-part series, he expounds on the criminal act of bank robbery and its effects on Osun-based commercial bank employees, locals and security operatives, especially the police. Read more.
