Friday, October 28, 2016
Video - Nigerian labour unions protest sacking of oil workers by foreign operators
Labor union officials in Nigeria are calling on the government to file a protest with foreign oil operators who they say have sacked about 3,000 oil workers. President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Igwe Achese says the government has 21-days to order multinationals to stop the exercise. The unions are threatening to down tools unless the matter is resolved within the period.
Nigeria to spend $10bn in ending conflict in Nigeria Delta
Nigeria will invest $10bn (Ј8bn) in its oil-rich south to end an insurgency by militants, the oil minister has said.
The money would be used to build infrastructure, including roads and railways, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu said.
Militant attacks have severely disrupted oil production, fuelling a recession in the West African state.
The militants have been demanding that the government spend more of its oil wealth on tackling widespread poverty in a region, known as the Niger Delta.
They also accuse multinational firms of polluting the environment, destroying the livelihoods of farming and fishing communities.
Mr Kachikwu said that President Muhammadu Buhari would meet the militants and community leaders next week.
"Our target is to ensure zero militancy in the area," he said.
"This planned meeting shows the level of interest the president has to ensure peace in the area."
The $10bn would "not necessarily" come from the federal government, but from "oil companies, investors, individuals", he is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
A new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), emerged after President Buhari, a northerner, took office last year after winning elections.
It has carried out a spate of attacks on oil plants and pipelines, causing a sharp fall in oil production and worsening the financial crisis in Africa's most populous state.
Mr Buhari's predecessor Goodluck Jonathan came from the Niger Delta, and managed to broker a peace deal with militants in the region.
The militants accuse Mr Buhari of reneging on the deal, an allegation he denies.
Oil is the Nigerian government's main source of income.
The money would be used to build infrastructure, including roads and railways, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu said.
Militant attacks have severely disrupted oil production, fuelling a recession in the West African state.
The militants have been demanding that the government spend more of its oil wealth on tackling widespread poverty in a region, known as the Niger Delta.
They also accuse multinational firms of polluting the environment, destroying the livelihoods of farming and fishing communities.
Mr Kachikwu said that President Muhammadu Buhari would meet the militants and community leaders next week.
"Our target is to ensure zero militancy in the area," he said.
"This planned meeting shows the level of interest the president has to ensure peace in the area."
The $10bn would "not necessarily" come from the federal government, but from "oil companies, investors, individuals", he is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
A new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), emerged after President Buhari, a northerner, took office last year after winning elections.
It has carried out a spate of attacks on oil plants and pipelines, causing a sharp fall in oil production and worsening the financial crisis in Africa's most populous state.
Mr Buhari's predecessor Goodluck Jonathan came from the Niger Delta, and managed to broker a peace deal with militants in the region.
The militants accuse Mr Buhari of reneging on the deal, an allegation he denies.
Oil is the Nigerian government's main source of income.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Video - Nigeria is adopting policy interventions to address maternal and child health
Nigeria - Africa's most populous nations, with nearly 180 million people -- is adopting policy interventions to address maternal, new-born and child health.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Video - Warning sounded over fate of Nigeria's Hausa language
Language experts in Nigeria warn that one of Africa's leading languages is losing its creativity.
Every week, dozens of books are published in Hausa but many Nigerians complain that they are not well researched and that it is difficult to find classical writing.
Video - Young Nigerian advocates for the 'Buy Made in Nigeria' campaign
A young Nigerian is taking the fashion industry in that country by storm. Adebayo Bankole Thomas only started out in the fashion business just three years ago after earning a degree in Economics. Today, his Bankole Thomas brand is one of the positive stories propelling the Buy Made in Nigeria campaign, aimed at getting Nigerians patronize locally made products more.
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