For Today’s Numbers to Ponder, 1.9 million people are displaced from their homes in the North-East. The figure reported by UNICEF, is another alarming figure, a day after NBS reported high numbers of poor people in the region. Away from Northeast, the country’s opposition party has challenged VP Yemi Osinbajo to defend himself in the alleged N5.8 billion NEMA scam. The Government is already looking for ways to weather a pandemic tsunami on the economy and may further review the crude oil price in the 2020 budget down to $20 per barrel. Another FG effort will start evacuating about 4,000 stranded citizens across the world as a result of COVID-19 from today.
N6bn NEMA Scam
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to “come out clean” on the alleged N5.8 billion National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) scandal in which he was allegedly fingered by an investigative committee of the House of Representatives.
4000 Nigerians
The Federal Government yesterday declared that the evacuation of about 4000 Nigerians from 76 countries across the world will begin on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 (tomorrow). Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama, who disclosed this at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing, said the exercise would begin with the evacuation of 265 Nigerians currently stranded at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and would arrive the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos tomorrow.
1.9m Displaced
The United Nations international Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) report has shown that there are 1.9 million people displaced currently from their homes in North-East. The Communications Specialist, UNICEF Nigeria, Mr Geoffrey Njoku, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday. The UN report warned that internally-displaced children in Nigeria were among the world’s most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.
N40b Reckless spending
The Senate on Tuesday setup an Adhoc Committee to probe alleged financial recklessness by the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The Adhoc Committee, chaired by Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (Ekiti North) is to among others unravel the alleged spending of N40 billion by the IMC in three months without due process.
$20 Per Barrel
The federal government says it is considering adjusting further, the benchmark crude oil price in the 2020 budget down to $20 per barrel. In the initially approved appropriation assented into law by President Muhammadu Buhari last December, crude oil benchmark price was put at $57 per barrel.
400 Staff Sacked
The American University of Nigeria owned by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday sacked over 400 staff. This comes three days after another of Atiku’s companies, Gotel Communication, a media outfit, sacked 46 staff on Workers Day.
15% Premium
Following its recent announcement, giving premium refunds to customers with active motor vehicle policies during the lockdown period, Wapic Insurance, one of Nigeria’s leading underwriters, has gone further to offer health workers across Nigeria a 15 percent discount on new policies taken up in 2020 to help cushion financial hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.[BUSINESS DAY]
Check out our recent articles here and here.