The Nigerian mining sector is bedevilled by a number of problems, chief among which are shady practices that have been identified by various stakeholders and in previous Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) audit reports. This report analyses the 11-years (2007 - 2018) audit of the sector and identifies ways…

Kehinde Ayoola, the Oyo State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resource, is dead. He was 55. A member of his family confirmed the death to PREMIUM TIMES Thursday afternoon. Taiwo Adisa, the spokesperson to Governor Seyi Makinde, also confirmed the death. The cause of his death is yet to be…

The Nigerian government earned ₦416.32 billion from the solid minerals sector from 2007 to 2018, an analysis by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism [PTCIJ] and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has revealed. Over half of that amount was earned between 2015 and 2018. The figure emerged from…

The Nigerian government may have lost about N4 billion in three years, owing to illegal practices and corrupt activities of companies operating in the mining sector in Nigeria, two separate solid minerals audit reports by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative have revealed. The many schemes through which these companies have defrauded…

With fake news becoming a global threat to effective circulation of accurate news, Factcheckers from around the world will hold the global fact checking conference at the University of Cape Town’s New Lecture Theatre, from June 19-21. The annual summit, which started in London in 2014, is an opportunity for…

Nasarawa, in North-Central Nigeria, has one of the highest rates of out-of-school children in Nigeria. Africa's most populous country currently has 13.2 million out-of-school children, the highest rate anywhere on earth, according to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). The rate -- about 47 per cent -- means…

An examination of public schools in Nasarawa State has shown some of the facilities to be unsuitable for learning despite the huge amount of money the state says it has spent in the sector in recent years. Fifteen schools examined by PREMIUM TIMES were in a poor state, posing risks…

The Programme Director at the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), Joshua Olufemi, has departed for the United States to participate in this year’s Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship Programme of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Mr Olufemi, who also doubles as the Knowledge and Innovation Lead for PREMIUM TIMES…

With official results in from 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory, President Muhammadu Buhari is leading in the presidential election with over three million votes. The results showed that Mr Buhari has so far garnered about 13,563,977 votes to clearly move ahead of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic…

In the last fifteen years, the Nigerian government has spent at least $107.4 billion (the equivalent of N15.46 trillion) from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) under the administrations of Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. A Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ)…

In the second part of this investigation, Akintunde Babatunde reveals how billions of naira worth of water projects awarded between 2012 and 2016 for over N5 billion as part of capital projects in the South West (Osun, Oyo and Ogun states) have failed to materialise or are in bad shape…

For residents of Abata Karuma in Ilorin East, Kwara State, life with erosion has been a hell they contend with daily. A gully which stretches for metres has not only claimed the only motorable road in the community but has already eaten into the foundation of their houses. “They will…

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, December 19, presented the 2019 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly. In his speech, he made a number of claims and quoted statistics, while reviewing economic developments over the past three and a half years. Most of the figures claimed are…

Billions of naira worth of water projects in Osun and Ogun states have failed to materialise or are in bad shape after being abandoned or poorly excuted, an investigation by UDEME, an accountability project of the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, has shown. The projects were awarded between 2012…

Many accidents have occurred on the Ero Omo Kilanko community road but that of July 15 is still fresh on the minds of residents of the area. It was night, and rains had flooded the newly constructed road. Before the Toyota mini bus could manoeuvre to avoid the ravaging water…

Although about N6.6 billion was allocated for 160 projects between 2015 and 2018 in various communities in the three senatorial districts and six federal constituencies in Ekiti State by lawmakers, PREMIUM TIMES and UDEME reports the poor execution of these projects and abandonment of others. After a series of budgetary…

About N3.5 billion was misappropriated in 2016 by the management of the National Assembly, an audit report has revealed. The monies were siphoned through various schemes such as failure to retire advances, financial documentation irregularities, excess payment for goods, controversial purchases and diversion of funds. These findings were contained in…

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Saturday, October 27, said Nigeria's debt was $73 billion, a $10 billion increase from $63 billion the present administration inherited in 2015. He made the disclosure in Ibadan on Saturday during the 9th Public Lecture of Sigma Club at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan. THE CLAIM “In 2010 our debt…

Two top players, Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo, will literally be seeking the downfall of their former clubs tonight. Manchester United playing host to Juventus at Old Trafford in one of the Match Day 3 games of the UEFA Champions League and the star attractions are indeed Pogba and Ronaldo.…

The management of Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority (LNRBDA) failed to provide credible evidence of financial expenses amounting to N1.3 billion, an audit report shows. The monies were used to buy 'non-existent' vehicles, pay for uncompleted and abandoned projected and spent on other controversial purchases. This was contained in the 2016…

The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has revealed his new wife. She is Naomi Oluwaseyi. The monarch who is quite active on social media made the surprise announcement on Instagram on Thursday night. “I waited patiently upon the Almighty the King of kings, he eventually did it in the midst…

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday said the federal government has spent N1.7 trillion on capital projects in two budget years. He made this claim while addressing participants at the 9th Presidential Quarterly Business Forum held at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja. The vice president said infrastructure development was crucial in…

At least N200 billion has been 'injected' into various Nigerian communities in the past three years to implement 6399 'constituency projects' proposed by federal lawmakers, an investigation by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism [PTCIJ] under its UDEME project has revealed. After three months of rigorous field reporting, budgetary…

The Auditor-General of the Federation, Anthony Ayine, has berated the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) for its notoriety in disregarding issues bordering on accountability. The condemnation was contained in the recently released annual report of the Auditor-General for the Federation on the accounts of Nigerian agencies for the…

Oyo Global Forum, OGF, a Nigerian grassroots organisation, has partnered with the Centre for Enterprise Innovation, CEI, at the De Montfort University, the United Kingdom, to provide a platform, tagged Enterprise Bootcamp, to improve the entrepreneurial competencies of over 60 young Nigerians. The programme which was implemented in Oyo between…