In this post, we digest some top stories that make up the front pages of major Nigerian newspapers on Friday, 30 August, 2024, and provide key advocacy asks.
Nigerians paid N1.04bn ransom to kidnappers in 1yr – Report
Nigerians paid N1.048 billion as ransom to kidnappers between July 2023 and June 2024, a report has shown.
The report, released yesterday by the SBM Intelligence, showed that 7,568 people were kidnapped across the country within the period.
We urge President Bola Tinubu’s government to intensify efforts to combat kidnapping, ensure the safety of citizens, and urgently implement strategies to curb the rising ransom payments that have reached N1.048 billion in just one year.
Presidential fleet: 200 families displaced as NAF demolishes houses
Landowners of Nuwalege, Abuja ejected by the Federal Government, have called on the government for compensation, The PUNCH reports.
We urge the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Department of Resettlement and Compensation as well as the Nigerian Air Force to urgently address the plight of the 200 displaced families by providing immediate compensation and alternative housing to ensure justice and restore their dignity.
Exploitative pricing: Traders get one-month notice to crash prices
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) gave a month’s notice to traders and other market stakeholders involved in exploitative pricing to crash the prices of goods.
We urge the FCCPC to back up its directive with action and invoke the full weight of the law against those found culpable of exploiting consumers. We also call on citizens to report exploitative businesses to the authorities for action.
FG Threatens to Invoke ‘No Work, No Pay’ Rule on Striking Resident Doctors
The federal government yesterday warned members of the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) that it may be compelled to implement a ‘No Work, No Pay’ order on them should refuse to call of the ongoing warning strike.
We urge the government to take back this stance and attend to the demands of the doctors, instead of undermining the legitimate concerns of medical professionals.
Government Increases SUBEB Matching Grants to N3.5 billion
Federal government has approved an upward review of the statutory allocation of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) matching grants accessible by state governments for infrastructural projects to N3,554,642,584.46.
The federal government should instead consider a monitoring mechanism system and a results-based framework that provides additional resources to states that meet certain deliverables in educational outcomes.
