President Joe Biden will on Wednesday propose a $2 trillion infrastructure plan aimed at modernizing the United States’ crumbling transport network, creating millions of jobs and enabling the country to “out-compete” China. The first phase of Biden’s “Build Back Better” program, which he will unveil in a speech in Pittsburgh, will detail massive investment spread over eight years. It plans to inject $620 billion into transport, including upgrading 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) of roads and highways, repairing thousands of bridges and doubling federal funding for public transit. The president, whom Donald Trump tried to caricature as “Sleepy Joe” and a…
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United States’ Soft drink giant, Coca-Cola is reportedly planning to exit the African market which includes Nigeria. The company is considering the exit option after holding talks with potential partners. Bloomberg reports that Coca-Cola is considering a sale or initial public offering in the Sub-Saharan market but the specific location, if at all the company will go public has not been stated. However, persons close to the beverage manufacturer’s internal operations said a sale and initial public offering is on the table. If either of the exit plan is considered, the company’s operations in Africa reportedly worth $6 billion. The insider cautioned…
The Chairman of Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Oladotun Olakanle, has been impeached. Olakanle was removed from office on Tuesday after he was accused of misappropriating funds. The majority leader of the legislative arm of the LCDA, Kayode Opayemi, moved the motion for impeachment and was supported by the chief whip, Adebayo Daudu. The impeachment process was said to have held at the LCDA council chamber, and four out of the six members present voted in favour of the motion. Others at the plenary include the house leader, Adeseyi Lawal; deputy leader, Olusola Isiaka; deputy majority leader, Gbenga Adedeji;…
The United States of America has stated that there is no concrete evidence that anyone died from the shots fired by Nigerian Army during the #EndSARS protest at Lekki Tollgate in Lagos State on October 2, 2020. This was conatined in the newly-released: ‘2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nigeria.” It said: “On October 20, members of the security forces enforced curfew by firing shots into the air to disperse protesters, who had gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos to protest abusive practices by the Nigerian Police Force’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). “Accurate information on fatalities resulting…
The Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in the Diaspora (AESID) has called on the federal government to immediately declare a state of emergency in Ebonyi State to put a stop to the ongoing killings defenceless citizens in Effium community, a suburb in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state. According to AESID, another group of hired militia yesterday (Tuesday) stormed an Ezza-dominated village surprisingly adorning fake military uniforms. The Ebonyi group said the world may not know that in reality “about 500 natives of the once-sleepy and peaceful community have lost their lives with properties worth several millions of naira…
Leading health experts from around the world warned the slow roll-out of vaccines and unequal distribution could mean the shots become ineffective as new coronavirus mutations appear within the next year. Seventy-seven scientists – from leading academic institutions from around the globe – participated in the survey with about 30 percent suggesting second-generation vaccines will be needed as soon as in nine months, unless vaccines become more widely produced and distributed around the world. Nearly 90 percent of the researchers said more vaccine-resistant mutations are likely because of extremely “low vaccine coverage” in many countries, mostly developing ones. At the…
President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical trip to the United Kingdom has returned to the front burner the need for Nigerian hospitals to be equipped in line with global best practices, a foremost virologist and infectious disease expert, Prof. Olawale Tomori, and other health professionals have said. Their intervention comes as THISDAY’s investigation shows that the federal government budgeted N2.55 trillion for the health sector from 2015 to 2019. However, the figure is below the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s recommendation, which is nine per cent of the country’s N59.660 trillion for the six years, amounting to N5.4 trillion. This is despite the…
Authorities in Berlin and Munich are again suspending the use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for residents under age 60 due to new reports of unusual blood clots in people who recently received the shots. The action was taken as a precaution ahead of a meeting later Tuesday of representatives from Germany’s 16 states and further recommendations expected from national medical regulators, said Berlin’s top health official, Dilek Kalayci. The decision came after the country’s medical regulator announced that it had received a total of 31 reports of rare blood clots in recent recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Nine of the…
The legislative arm of Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area in Lagos State on Tuesday impeached the Chairman, Oladotun Olakanle, over allegations of gross financial misappropriation. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the motion for Olakanle’s impeachment was moved by the Majority Leader, Kayode Opayemi, and seconded by the Chief Whip, Adebayo Daudu. A NAN correspondent who witnessed the proceedings at the LCDA Council Chamber reports that four out of the six members present voted in favour of the impeachment, while two voted against. The members at the plenary were: House Leader, Adeseyi Lawal; Deputy Leader, Olusola Isiaka; Opayemi; Daudu;…
Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has assured that the state is determined to make this year’s National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) a memorable experience. He spoke at the inauguration of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for NAFEST 2021 at the Government House, Ado-Ekiti, yesterday. Ekiti will host the festival between November 13 and 20. Fayemi said Ekiti was the most suitable state to host such a national programme, adding that it is one of the most peaceful and hospitable places in the country. While urging members of the LOC to put in their best and write their names…
