The current debt profile of Nigeria and the existence of fake Oral Cholera vaccine circulating in Bangladesh dominate the headlines of Nigerian newspapers on Tuesday.
The Punch newspaper said that Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo stated on Monday that Nigeria’s current debt burden, when compared to the size of the economy, is among the lowest in the world.
Osinbajo said at the 50th convocation of the University of Lagos that inflation in Nigeria had stabilised at 11 percent over the past six months.
The newspaper also reported the Chief of the Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, has said 14 forests and game reserves in the country have become “sanctuaries for kidnappers, bandits and terrorists”.
The report added that the army had commenced Exercise Harbin Kunama IV to flush bandits and insurgents out of forests in Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara states.
The Daily Trust said that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has alerted the public, especially healthcare providers, on the existence of fake Dukoral Oral Cholera vaccine, circulating in Bangladesh.
According to a statement by Prof. Moji Adeyeye, the Director-General of NAFDAC, the packaging of the falsified Dukoral vaccine displays texts in English and French language and that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had quarantined some quantities of the falsified vaccine.
The SUN newspaper reported that history was made in Lagos yesterday as Diamond Bank finally fused with Access Bank to create a colossal financial powerhouse. The mega bank now boasts of 592 branches, 27,000 staff; 29 million customers, the highest on the continent, and over 3,000 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) onshore and offshore, spanning three continents and 12 countries.
The Vanguard newspaper said that the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, says Nigeria is on the path of taking its place among the comity of nations with various developmental programmes ongoing in different sectors of the country.
Osinbajo, who spoke at the 2017/2018 50th Convocation Lecture of the University of Lagos on Monday in Lagos said that the most crucial pillar of any government’s economic policy should be the improvement of human resource.
The Leadership newspaper said that the National Population Commission (NPC) has said that the current overall life expectancy of Nigeria stands at 52.2 years.
The report quoted the Acting Chairman of NPC, Alhaji Hassan Bashir, as saying in New York while delivering Nigeria’s statement at the 52nd Session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development that Nigerians who are “60 years and over currently represent less than five percent of the entire population, while overall life expectancy is 52.2 years”.
The Nation newspaper said that the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) says that it has begun verification of the 2018/2019 Federal Government’s projects in the northeast of the country.
It said that Ms Grace Michael, the Principal Communication Officer of the commission, stated in a statement in Maiduguri, that the exercise was designed to ensure that the projects were executed in line with the budgetary provisions.
“FRC embarks on the verification to ensure that budgetary provisions as appropriated to the Federal Government’s Projects across the six geo-political zones are well spent,” she said.
The Guardian reported that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday said the appointment of principal officers of the National Assembly must be free from marginalisation along religious lines.
The group, whose call is coming ahead of the inauguration of the ninth Assembly, stressed that the placement of officers must be done in the interest of equity, justice and fair play as enshrined in the nation’s constitution.
The newspaper also reported that Super Eagles’ defender, William Troost-Ekong believes the young players in the Nigerian team can win the 2019 African Nations Cup in Egypt this year.
Ekong, who wore the captain’s armband for the first time in the recent international friendly game against Egypt, says the Nigerian side need to keep playing together and remain positive minded to make a mark in the AFCON.
ThisDay newspaper said that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received another batch of 180 stranded Nigerians from Libya.
It added that the Coordinator, Lagos Territorial Office of NEMA, Alhaji Idris Muhammed, who confirmed the development to newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos, said that the Nigerians arrived at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at about 9.30 p.m. on Monday aboard a chartered Buraq Air aircraft with registration number 5A-DMG.
GIK/APA