The Brief: World Bank debtor; sex for grades; APC thugs

University of Calabar and College of Education, Akwanga are two peas in a pod. Both are worried about growing incidents of sexual harassment and extortion of students by lecturers.

Three members of APC in Enugu have been suspended for “anti-democratic” activities after political thugs invaded the party’s secretariat during ward congress. But the suspended members are not taking it.

Nigeria, having borrowed $11.7 billion (about N4.816 trillion) is the fifth highest borrower from the World Bank Group and among the 10 highest debt risk exposure globally, a report said.

The World Bank in the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) financial statement of the International Development Association (IDA), its subsidiary, said India is leading with $22bn debt, Bangladesh has $18.1bn, Pakistan has $16.4bn, Vietnam has $14.1bn, and Nigeria has $11.7bn debt. Nigeria’s $11.7bn or N4.816tr is nearly one third of the 2021 national budget, which is put at N13.6tr.

The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested 46 suspected cultists that have been causing unrest in the state in the last few months.

Parading the suspects at the Police Headquarters in Lafia on Tuesday, the outgoing commissioner of police who is now the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Nola Longe, said the suspects were apprehended based on credible intelligence gathering by the officers of the command.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has pleaded with the World Bank to continue funding the flood control project in the state. The World Bank had cancelled its funding support to the Second Pool of Long – Term Investment (PLT12) implemented under the Ibadan Flood Management Project (IUFMP) in Oyo State.

The contract was reportedly cancelled over the failure of the state government to conclude the contract award of the successful bidders for the four lots (3A,3B,4A & 4B) under the bank’s international competitive bidding process.

The University of Calabar (UNICAL) has decried the increasing rate of sexual harassment and extortion by some lecturers of the institution.

Similarly, the management of the College of Education, Akwanga, Nasarawa State, has vowed to track down lecturers who go against the institution’s rules by harassing female students for sex in a bid to increase their grades.

The National Industrial Court has ruled in favour of the Lagos State University (LASU) in a case involving the institution and a former lecturer, Dr. Udegbe Scholastica Ebarefimia.

Udegbe was dismissed in 2017 alongside 14 other academic staff for offences ranging from bribery, result/grades falsification and doctoring of certificates to defaulting on the conditions of their training leave bond and dishonesty among others.

Get access to all Daily Trust publications on your devices to read for as low as N1200 per annum.
Stop waiting. Subscribe here, now, right now, right here

Political thugs in their numbers on Tuesday stormed the Enugu State All Progressives Congress (APC) Secretariat at GRA, Enugu and disrupted the State Caretaker Executive Committee meeting.

This came as the party announced the indefinite suspension of a former speaker of the State House of Assembly, Eugene Odoh, and three other members of the party in the state for alleged misconduct during the last ward congress.

Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, says he no longer has interest to lead the ruling party. Oshiomhole was reacting to a statement credited to Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a chieftain of the party, who had spoken of a plot to bring back Oshiomhole as national chairman.

But Oshiomhole asked Eze to leave him out of the party’s leadership tussle. He said it is frivolous for any person to assume that Keyamo, who actively supported his removal, would want him to return.

With the recent increase in the cost of cooking gas, many Nigerians have started thinking about turning to charcoal or even firewood.

In this episode of Nigeria Daily, we look at how this development is affecting Nigerians and what alternatives are available to them. Click here to listen to or download the podcast.