Germany looking to buy natural gas from Nigeria. The move is part of Germany's efforts to diversify its energy supplies.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Video - Germany looking to buy natural gas from Nigeria
Video - Experts share views on railway projects in Nigeria under BRI cooperation
Economic experts foresee a boost for Nigeria as China invests fresh funds in two crucial railway projects. Analysts believe the continuation of the projects that are part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will stimulate more investments and job opportunities in the west African nation.
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Over 70 people missing after latest deadly boat accident in Nigeria
More than 70 people were missing on Monday after a boat capsized in northern Nigeria, according to authorities who deplored the frequent deadly boat accidents in Africa's most populous country.
The boat was carrying traders returning from a fish market in Taraba state's Ardo-Kola district late Saturday when it capsized on the Benue River, which is one of Nigeria's largest, the national emergency services said.
More than 100 passengers were on board and 14 were rescued, while 17 bodies have been recovered and 73 people are missing, Ladan Ayuba, head of Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency, told The Associated Press.
Taraba Gov. Agbu Kefas called the accident a "monumental tragedy" and ordered the use of life jackets for boat passengers. "Our body of water, which is one of the longest in the region, should be a veritable source of wealth and not death," the governor said, according to a statement issued Monday by his office.
Boat disasters are common in remote communities across the West African nation. This is the third involving more than 100 passengers in just four months. Most are attributed to overloading. Good, accessible roads are often lacking in those areas.
Authorities were investigating the cause of this accident, said Taraba police spokesperson Usman Abdullahi. Locals and fishermen were helping rescue agencies.
Abdullahi said he feared that the operation could last for days because the river is flowing at its highest level.
"We don't even expect to get the bodies anywhere near here," he said.
Atiku says court ruling will erode trust in elections in Nigeria
Nigeria's main opposition leader Atiku Abubakar said on Monday last week's Supreme Court decision affirming President Bola Tinubu's election win would erode trust in elections and called for changes to the electoral laws to improve transparency.
The country's top court rejected a challenge by Atiku and Peter Obi, who came second and third in the vote, slamming the door on any legal challenge against Tinubu, who says he won fairly.
Reacting to the judgment for the first time, Atiku told reporters the court's decision would lead to "the erosion of trust in the electoral system and our democracy".
He criticised the judges for refusing to admit new evidence he said showed Tinubu had used a fraudulent university certificate to contest, which the president denies.
"As for me and my party this phase of our work is done. However, I am not going away," the 76-year-old Atiku said, hinting he may not be ready to retire from active politics.
Atiku, a former vice president between 1999-2007, said Nigeria's electoral laws should be amended, including making electronic voting mandatory and requiring a candidate for president to garner more than 50% of the vote to win.
In Nigeria, a candidate only requires a simple majority and at least 25% of the votes in three quarters of the country's 36 states to be declared president.
The Supreme Court judgment followed a pattern seen in previous presidential elections that have been challenged in court. None of the attempts to overturn results through the courts has been successful.
By Camillus Eboh,Reuters
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No evidence president of Nigeria forged college record
Rising Food Prices in Nigera Hit Nation’s Beloved Jollof Dish
Nigerians are being pinched by rising food prices where it hurts the most: Rice, the main ingredient for making jollof, a popular delicacy in many Nigerian homes, jumped 61% in September.
A kilogram of the local variety of the ingredient sold for 757 naira in September from 471 naira a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Monday.
Other ingredients used for making jollof are also up, a reflection of the cost-of-living crisis faced by many Nigerian households where about half of income is spent on food.
Vegetable oil rose 31%, onions gained 30% and frozen chicken – the preferred protein at the heart of a jollof rice, was 24% higher.
Food prices have surged in Nigeria as a result of higher transport costs after President Bola Tinubu in June announced the end of gasoline subsidies.
The reforms, as well as changes to the country’s foreign exchange regime that saw the naira weaken sharply, have been welcomed by investors and the International Monetary Fund, but they’ve been painful for ordinary Nigerians.
Annual food inflation quickened to 30.6% in September as headline inflation rose 26.7%, the fastest pace since August 2005.
Read more: Nigerians Left Cold by Tinubu Reforms as Investors Applaud
That’s leaving many households struggling to survive in Africa’s most populous nation, where at least 40% of the people live in extreme poverty.
Tinubu declared a state of emergency in July allowing the government to take exceptional steps to improve food security and supply. It later announced a 500 billion-naira ($625 million) package aimed at improving food supply, easing transportation costs and boosting manufacturing.
The International Committee of the Red Cross warned on Monday that acute food insecurity and malnutrition is worsening. Families are taking on higher debt to cover basic needs, the group said, citing an almost doubling in the price of maize in some parts of the country since the end of fuel subsidies.
Anthony Osae-Brown, Bloomberg
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