The report that the Nigerian Mission in South Africa and the Nigerian Doctors Forum South Africa (NDF-SA) have condemned attempts allegedly by the Independent Media Group (IMG) in South Africa, to drag the reputation of Nigerian doctors into the mud over the controversial South African decuplets is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Monday.
The Guardian reports that the Nigerian Mission in South Africa and the Nigerian Doctors Forum South Africa (NDF-SA) have condemned attempts allegedly by the Independent Media Group (IMG) in South Africa, to drag the reputation of Nigerian doctors into the mud over the controversial South African decuplets (10 babies born at the same birth).
A statement issued on Sunday to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, by Mr Abdul Malik Ahmed, Nigeria Consul General in Johannesburg, South Africa, said their reaction followed a media conference by the IMG on Oct. 27, 2021, pointedly trying to drag Nigeria’s name into the mud.
Ahmed, in the statement, said: the attention of the Consul General and NDF-SA was drawn to IMG’s conference led by Dr Igbal Surve, in respect to the Gauteng decuplets melodrama.
“At the aforementioned media conference, the IMG attempted in vain to smear the reputation of Nigerian doctors in South Africa and by extension the Nigerian community in the country.
“IMG alleged that a certain unnamed Nigerian doctor handled the alleged matter of the docuplets, insinuating that the disappearance of the babies might be due to the purported involvement of the unnamed doctor.
“It is apparent that the handlers of the alleged mother of the decuplets and her husband could not have handed-over the care of the woman, to a certain faceless or unknown Nigerian doctor, whose identity or place of medical practice they did not know.
“We, therefore, condemn in very strong terms this malicious and unsubstantiated attempt at smearing the name of Nigeria doctors and dragging their hard earned reputation into the mud, to feed into prevailing stereotypes against the Nigerian community in general.”
The newspaper says that uncertainty continues to trail the Nigerian Government’s plan to lift the ban placed on the micro-blogging platform, Twitter, in Nigeria, 150 days after, and exactly a month since President Muhammadu Buhari promised to unban Twitter.
However, sources monitoring development between the government and social media giant disclosed to The Guardian yesterday that the ban could be lifted this week.
When asked about the status of the ban, he said: “As of today (Sunday), both teams have made significant progress. FG is finalising it. The ban should be lifted this week.
“There has been major progress in the discussions. Out of the 10 demands by the government, only one is left, which is Twitter having a formal presence in Nigeria. If that is agreed and sorted, then no issue again.
“There is supposed to be a meeting today (Monday) with the Twitter team; if they finally agree to the remaining one request, I can assure you that the ban would be lifted the next day.”
ThisDay reports that Nigeria lost about 44.42 million barrels of crude between October 2020 and September this year, due to its inability to meet the production quota allocated to it by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), an analysis of data in the last one year has shown.
The OPEC data sub-themed: “Crude Oil Production in OPEC Member Countries: Deviation from Required Production Levels,” indicated that since 10th month of last year, the country’s capacity to fill its production vacuum has degenerated progressively from 30,000 barrels per day in October to 301,000bpd in August this year, culminating in 215,000 bpd as of September, 2021.
Nigeria’s deviation from actual required production levels which amounted to over a month of production wipe-out using about 1.5mbpd production limit, was, as indicated, 30,000bpd in October 2020; 47,000bpd in November of the same year and 103,000bpd in December.
The negative production figures continued in 2021, with 181,000bpd in January; 43,000bpd in February; 43,000bpd in March; 63,000bpd in April and continued to soar to 124,000bpd; 155,000bpd and 201,000bpd in May, June and July respectively, hitting its peak yet in August with a huge figure of 301,000bpd.
The newspaper says that the Nigerian government has hinted that it is set to install the digital security network to enable it know when there is an impact on the rail tracks following the recent explosion on the Abuja-Kaduna corridor.
The government, through the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, said what the explosion has done was to fasten the procurement process of a digital security system that will be put in place.
Amaechi, while on inspection to the scene of the explosion, said: “the request for the installation had gone to cabinet two weeks ago and it was returned so we will represent it to cabinet to ensure that we get approval, then we can install the digital security network. I think what is significant is that the repair was done by our own Nigerian engineers and completed in record time.”
The Punch reports that Central Bank of Nigeria has commenced the 100 for 100 Policy on Production and Productivity with the unveiling of an operational framework to guide interested companies in participating in the initiative.
The framework which was released on Sunday revealed the conditions interested companies must meet to qualify for the programme.
“This is the operational framework for a robust and transparent process for identifying and selecting high-impact companies and projects under the CBN’s 100 for 100 PPP.
“These are projects that must catalyse sustainable employment-led economic growth through increased domestic production and productivity in the near term,” the framework read in part.
“The projects for consideration shall be new projects in existing companies requiring new machinery and other support and must have the greatest potential to achieve significant scale in their in-country production and for domestic consumption and exports,” it added.
The Sun says that the Socio–Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari over his failure to probe allegations that over 880 billion of public funds are missing from 367 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), to ensure the prosecution of those suspected to be responsible, and the recovery of any missing or diverted public funds.
The suit followed allegations contained in part 2 of the 2018 annual audited report by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation that 880,894,733,084.811 was spent by 367 MDAs without any appropriation.
In the suit, number FHC/ABJ/CS/1281/2021, filed last week at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP is seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel President Buhari to promptly investigate the alleged missing N881 billions of public funds, and to ensure the prosecution of those suspected to be responsible, and the full recovery of any missing, mismanaged or diverted public funds.”
In the suit, filed by its lawyer, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP is arguing that: “complying with constitutional requirements and international standards on spending of public funds would ensure effective and efficient management of public resources, and put the country’s wealth and resources to work for the common good of all Nigerians.
GIK/APA