2011 Human Development Report: Africa makes slow progress

Feb. 27 | By Kingsley Ighobor For some African countries, there is cheery news in the 2011 Human Development Report.* Published by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), it ranks countries according to three measures of human development: life expectancy, education...

FG pushes back electricity privatization plan

Feb. 21 | President Jonathan at the unveiling of Power sector reforms (road map) in 2010, in Lagos Nigeria has again pushed back the timeframe for selling off state-owned power assets, its privatization agency said on Monday, another setback for reforms which...

YouTube video shows Nigerian police officer killed in bomb explosion

Feb. 14 | NAL Staff writer It was a sad day for members of the Nigerian security services as they watched one of their own killed in the line of duty; his lifeless body torn apart and thrown around by a bomb explosion. The horrific video footage of a Nigerian Police...

Nigeria: Poverty rises six years in a row despite economic growth

Feb. 13 |  Reuters - Poverty in Nigeria is rising with almost 100 million people living on less than $1 a day, despite strong growth in Africa’s second largest economy, data showed on Monday. The percentage of Nigerians living in absolute poverty –...

Dangote Cement opens new $1 bln plant

Feb. 10 | President Goodluck Jonathan commissioning the Dangote Cement factory at Ibeshe, Ogun state, on Thursday. L-R: Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Gov. Ibikunle Amosun and Mr Femi Otedola. Photo: STATE HOUSE  Nigerian manufacturing group Dangote has opened a one-billion-dollar...

FG plans 74,000 jobs for vulnerable groups – Okonjo-Iweala

Jan. 31 | Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (M), National President Joint National Association of persons with disabilities (JONAPWD) Barrister Danlami Bashir, SEC-Gen JONAPWD Mr. Dandison Nwankpa Hart, and Media Consultant for JONAPWD Mr. Chike Okgwu...

Fomer House Speaker Dimeji Bankole cleared of fraud charges

Jan. 31 | AP – A Nigerian court has dimissed fraud charges against a top Nigerian politician and his deputy, both accused of diverting more than $244 million in bank loans. Justice Suleiman Belgore cleared former House Speaker Dimeji Bankole and his former...

Breaking news: al-Mustapha sentenced to death by hanging

Jan. 30 | AP – A federal judge in Nigeria on Monday sentenced to death the feared right-hand man to Nigeria’s former military dictator over the 1996 killing of an opposition candidate’s wife. Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha sat without expression, slowly...

African Union unveils Chinese-funded HQ

Jan. 28 | The newly commissioned Chinese-funded African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo Credit: African Union BY NAL newswire As China welcomes the Year of the Dragon to celebrate its traditional new year, far from its shore, the world’s...

Nigeria’s supreme court sacks five ruling party Governors

Jan. 27 | Liyel Imoke, Governor Cross River State. Reuters – Nigeria’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday to remove five powerful state governors from office because their tenures should have expired last year, replacing them with the speakers of the house...