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Poor Nigerians Will Reach 100 Million By 2022 —– World Bank

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The World Bank on Thursday projected that the number of poor Nigerians will increase from the current 90 million to about 100 million by 2022 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s economy.

It stated that by 2022, about 11 million more Nigerians were expected to fall into poverty due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The World Bank also put the financing portfolio approved by its board for Nigeria at about $11.5bn.

The bank disclosed this during its Nigeria Development Update virtual event, which had the theme ‘Rising to the challenge: Nigeria’s COVID-19 response’.

In his presentation at the event, an economist with the bank, Marco Hernandez, stated that before the COVID-19 pandemic, about two million Nigerians were expected to fall into poverty in 2020 as population growth outpaced economic growth.

He said, “With the COVID-19, the recession is likely to push an additional 6.6 million Nigerians into poverty in 2020, bringing the total newly poor to 8.6 million this year.

“This implies an increase in the total number of poor in Nigeria from about 90 million in 2020 to about 100 million in 2022. Northern states are more likely to be affected.”

On factors that explain the increase in poverty, the bank said having vulnerable employment, receiving fewer remittances, and being close to the poverty line were some of the factors.

It said Nigeria’s economy had been hit hard by COVID-19, adding that in 2020, it recorded its deepest quarterly contraction since the 1980s.

The bank said job quality in Nigeria had worsened with more workers engaged in precarious work in the agricultural sector.

In terms of the portfolio size of the bank in Nigeria, the World Bank Country Director, Shubham Chaudhuri, said, “There are actually three different ways of looking at the size of our portfolio.

“The first is how much concessional finance. If you look at how much our board has approved in terms of this financing, at the middle of 2018, is about $7bn.”

He added, “Since then and up till now, they’ve approved another $3bn in terms of financing. So, that brings us to $10bn, and then with the $1.5bn that’s being considered in December, it will take it to somewhere around $11.5bn. That’s what the board has approved.”

On the $1.5bn loan which Nigeria is expecting from the World Bank, Chaudhuri said the facility was still in the works.

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Ogun Police Command File Six-Count Cyberbullying Charge Against Activist Just Adetoun

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The Ogun State Police Command has filed a six-count cyberbullying charge against Activist Adetoun Onajobi, popularly known as Just Adetoun, declaring her evasive after repeatedly failing to honour police invitations.

The charges, now pending before the Abeokuta Division of the Federal High Court, arose from allegations that Onajobi used social media and other internet-enabled platforms to publish what the command described as false accusations against the Ogun State Government and to bully Governor Dapo Abiodun, contrary to the Cybercrimes Act.

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Oluseyi Babaseyi, the command said the suspect was invited for questioning on January 2, 2026, but failed to appear.

“On 2nd January, 2026, the Ogun State Police Command invited Adetoun Onajobi for an interview to allow her to respond to allegations arising from her online bullying of the Ogun State Governor,” the statement read.

According to the command, Onajobi, through her lawyer, claimed she was medically indisposed and unable to attend the interview, attaching a medical report allegedly issued by a medical doctor.

“Rather than honour the police invitation, the suspect, through her lawyer, wrote to the Police claiming she was medically indisposed and unable to attend the meeting,” the statement said.

However, the command said investigations later showed that the medical report was false.

“Discreet investigations by the Police confirmed the falsity of the claims contained in the medical report,” the statement noted.

Babaseyi said the doctor who issued the report was arrested and admitted that the document was fabricated at the suspect’s instruction.

“The doctor subsequently admitted that the entire medical report was a ruse, crafted at the direction of the suspect, Adetoun Onajobi, during a phone conversation between them,” the statement stated.

Following the admission, the doctor was arraigned before a magistrates’ court in the state.

“Consequent upon this revelation, the doctor was arraigned before an Ogun State Magistrates’ Court for conspiracy, uttering a false document, and obstructing the course of justice,” the statement added.

Babaseyi said Onajobi has since avoided all efforts to reach her.

“The suspect, Adetoun Onajobi, has remained evasive and has rebuffed every invitation extended to her by the Police. Her current whereabouts are unknown,” he said.

The spokesperson said the command would exhaust all lawful means to ensure she is brought before the court.

“Having reneged on her prior undertaking to honour police invitations, the Command will exhaust all lawful means to apprehend and produce her before the Court to answer the charges already filed against her,” the statement read.

The command also stressed that freedom of expression has limits under the law.

“Constitutionally protected activities such as free speech have lawful limits and do not grant immunity from criminal conduct,” the statement said.

It was earlier reported that the command confirmed inviting Onajobi following a petition over a series of videos she posted on her social media platforms criticising Governor Abiodun’s performance in office.

In the videos, the Ogun State-born activist accused the governor of abandoning victims of a road accident involving Nigerian-born British boxer, Anthony Joshua, who lost two friends and trainers when their vehicle collided with a stationary truck along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in December 2025.

Onajobi alleged that the state government had “no single functional ambulance” and claimed that while emergency medical services were lacking, the governor preferred “spending public funds on parties rather than addressing urgent public needs”.

She also alleged that although the state could not procure a functional ambulance, it was able to purchase SUVs for local government chairmen in December 2025.

The command said investigations were ongoing and that other suspects connected to the alleged dissemination of false information were being trailed.

 

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JUST IN: FCTA, FCDA Workers Begin Strike, Shut Down Offices

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Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the Federal Capital Development Authority commenced an industrial action on Monday, shutting down government activities across Abuja.

Our correspondent, who visited the FCTA Secretariat at 8:10 a.m., observed a heavy security presence at the entrance, with personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Police Force stationed at the gate. Workers were barred from entering the premises.

The strike is expected to affect all FCTA secretariats, departments, agencies, area councils and parastatals, effectively grounding official activities within the Federal Capital Territory.

A security personnel who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said, “Staff of FCDA, FCTA are not allowed into the office premises because of the strike.”

The action followed an earlier announcement by workers on Friday, in which they declared plans to shut down government offices across the FCT and its area councils.

The decision was taken by the Joint Union Action Congress, which directed workers in all cadres within the FCT to withdraw their services, citing what it described as the authorities’ “failure to address long-standing labour and welfare demands.”

It was gathered that the decision followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCTA management, which the unions said was met with silence despite a series of meetings held during the period.

The ultimatum, which took effect from January 7, 2026, was contained in a statement dated January 8 and signed by the JUAC President, Comrade Rifkatu Iortyer, and the Secretary, Comrade Abdullahi Saleh. Copies of the notice were also forwarded to the Minister of State for the FCT, the Chief of Staff, the Head of Service and the Director of Security Services.

According to the unions, unresolved issues include outstanding promotion arrears, stalled promotions and the continued extension of service for retired directors and permanent secretaries. They also alleged that the administration had failed to remit workers’ pension contributions and National Housing Fund deductions.

JUAC also raised concerns over the conduct of the 2024 promotion examinations, describing the exercise as a failure that reportedly affected most of its candidates.

Details later….

 

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JUST IN: Impeachment of Fubara, Deputy’ll Continue ——- Rivers Lawmakers

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Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have insisted that the impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, will continue, describing it as the only solution to the political crisis in the state.

The lawmakers made this known on Friday while briefing journalists, after the Assembly failed to reconvene on Thursday as scheduled.

Taking turns to address the media, the legislators maintained that the impeachment proceedings were constitutional and in line with their legislative responsibilities.

They dismissed criticisms of the process, insisting that the Assembly was acting within the provisions of the law to address what they described as a political impasse in Rivers State.

The briefing came a day after the Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, failed to resume plenary on Thursday, exactly one week after adjourning its last sitting.

The House had, at its sitting last week, initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara and his deputy over alleged gross misconduct.

The allegations included the demolition of the Assembly complex and spending public funds without legislative approval.

However, the impeachment move has faced political pushback, with four lawmakers between Monday and Wednesday formally withdrawing from the process and calling for an amicable resolution of the crisis.

Despite expectations that the Assembly would reconvene on Thursday, there was no indication that plenary held, fuelling speculation about internal divisions within the House.

The lawmakers, however, said on Friday that the impeachment process remained on course.

More details later…

 

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