The Invisible Nigerians
The Invisible Nigerians
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Reports
SPECIAL REPORT: I Risked Fingers, Hearing to Make Plastic Bottles at Cascade Waters for N1,500 Pay
Data on workplace safety in Nigeria is hard to come by. In fact, the most recent statistics available are buried in a 2017 lecture delivered by Kemi Nelson, the former executive director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), at an International Labour Organisation conference. According to Nelson, between 2012 and 2017, Nigeria recorded over
Pharmacy in a Basket: Inside Lagos’ Insidious Roadside Medicine Trade
Lagos roads had woken up, and Second Rainbow was no exception. Traders flung the gates of their shops open. Others who had no shops took over the street corners under umbrellas, with wares sprawled in front of them. It was a regular day in Lagos, the city that never sleeps and where people sold everything
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INVESTIGATION: How Turkish, Chinese Mining Companies Devastate FCT Host Communities – Part 1
By National Record Three foreign-owned quarries are exposing Abuja rural communities to an ecological time bomb. Their mining activities pollute the environment and threaten the survival of their host communities, despite generating billions in revenue annually. In this report, ADEDOKUN THEOPHILUS narrates the story of the endangered communities threatened by profit-seeking mining companies. IT IS CLOSE to
SPECIAL REPORT: Battered By Banditry, Hard-Hit By Hunger: Benue, Nigeria’s Food Basket, Battles Malnutrition
By National Record Benue, a state in North Central Nigeria, is renown as a major hub of food production in the country. For this, the state is acclaimed to be the ‘Food Basket of the Nation’. In recent years, however, its vast farming communities have been under siege by bandits, with their inhabitants forced into either
SPECIAL REPORT: Misery And Penury In Benue As Gov. Alia Fails To Keep Promise Of Paying Salary And Pension Arrears
By National Record Like their counterparts in other states of the federation, Benue workers are at the mercy of the prevailing economic hardship marked by galloping inflation since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said ‘subsidy is gone’ and followed it with the policy of naira ‘floating’. While Governor Hyacinth Alia has remained faithful to the prompt payment
Menstruating women lament water, sanitary pad scarcity in Ogun
Observing menstrual period has become a nightmare for women and girls in rural communities in Ogun State due to lack of access to clean water and sanitary products, exposing them to infections associated with poor hygiene, SODIQ OJUROUNGBE reports Esther Ibukun strapped her two-year-old daughter on her back with a cloth wrapper, the familiar weight a
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SPECIAL REPORT: Despite laws, people living with Cerebral Palsy still face rejection, stigmatization in Nigeria
By Ripples Nigeria Each time Shola Owoyemi recalls the birth of her second son, Ayokunle, now a 17-year-old living with cerebral palsy, she sighs deeply in acceptance of what she says fate has chosen for her. Ayokunle’s birth has cost Owoyemi almost everything, including her job. After giving birth to the first of her
Scarcity of affordable housing options in Abuja traps poor Nigerians in slums
Scarcity of affordable housing options in Abuja traps poor Nigerians in slums by Sami Tunji It is the irony in its name that first strikes you when you get to the area called Kings and Queens in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory (FCT). There is nothing royal about the area as you will find a cluster of
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Cost Of Neglect: How Underfunding Of Healthcare Fuels High Mortality Rates In Ogun State
by Oyetunde Tobi One of the places this is evident is Ogun State, where a consistent underfunding of the health sector has led to alarming and tragic circumstances, resulting in the loss of numerous lives particularly vulnerable mothers and children mostly in rural communities. The healthcare system in Nigeria faces significant challenges due to inadequate funding,
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Promises unfulfilled: Kaduna residents still without clean water despite multi-billion naira mega projects
Kaduna State has battled persistent water shortages and poor sanitation for years. In 2015, with the backing of development partners like the World Bank, the government vowed to resolve these issues. However, eight years later, the promised improvements remain elusive, and communities continue to suffer. Enoch Oyedibu reports. At Unguwar Nasarawa, a community in Kaduna South
How unregulated mining poses threat to agriculture, security in North west state
Zage Zagi is a small agrarian community in Rogo Local Government Area (LGA), Kano State. The community is surrounded by a river known as River Tukurwa, it flows from neighbouring Makarfi, and Hunkwai communities in Kaduna state, and passes down to Zarewa, Zage Zagei, and Beli communities.
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SPECIAL REPORT: How shortage of teachers, non-payment of salaries, neglect undermined public primary schools in Okpokwu LGA
The 2024/2025 academic session for primary schools in Benue State has commenced; but for majority of pupils in Okpokwu LGA of the state whose only prospect of basic education is hinged on public primary schools, the holiday is far from over as there are very few functional schools to return to. Many of the existing
You will be my enemy forever’ — Bauchi Gov’s Son tells WikkiTimes Publisher
Shamsudeen Bala Mohammed, son of Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, has threatened WikkiTimes publisher, Haruna Mohammed Salisu, saying the latter will remain his enemy forever. The governor’s son issued the threats when the journalist contacted him via WhatsApp asking him how he would like to be reached for comment about an ongoing investigation. He stated that only
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Urgent appeal from Damaturu grain traders: Crippling road conditions threaten market stability
The once-bustling Damaturu Grain Market is now a shadow of its former self, as the poor condition of access roads has forced traders to threaten a boycott. The dirt roads leading to the market, rendered nearly impassable by recent heavy rains, are riddled with deep potholes, thick mud, and stagnant water-filled gutters. Traders, who are
Special report: Lagos State University’s accelerated calendar produces graduates in 3 years
The fast-paced academic calendar initiated by Lagos State University is squeezing a four-year programme into about 3 years thereby reducing the number of years students spend on campus to acquire bachelor degrees. While the set that resumed in August 2021 finished their final exams in September 2024, the sets after that may spend less if the
Special Report vanishing traditions: How climate change and security challenges are threatening Lake Chad’s cultural heritage
In the heart of the Sahelian belt, where the borders of Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria converge, lies one of the most extraordinary cultural landscapes on our planet – the Lake Chad Cultural Landscape. Once a vast expanse of freshwater, this region, currently covering just 17,000 square kilometres, is not only a unique ecological treasure
Exploring the vital roles of women and media in safeguarding cultural legacy in Borno, Yobe states
Borno and Yobe States, located in northeastern Nigeria, are repositories of rich cultural heritage that spans centuries. This heritage, woven into the fabric of daily life, is under threat from various challenges, including conflict, climate change, and resource limitations. In the face of these adversities, women have emerged as the backbone of cultural preservation, while
How the Lake Chad Basin rises from ashes to prosperity
Lake Chad Basin has faced numerous security challenges, including banditry, abduction, highway robbery, and cattle rustling. However, the most significant threat remains the Boko Haram crisis, which has weakened state functionality and human security in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. The insurgency has devastating consequences, including over 30,000 lives lost and more than 2.4 million
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Despite cholera deaths, Plateau prioritises cars, residences for Speaker over epidemic preparedness
Emmanuel Dati, a man in his 30s from Tabbat community, set out in August 2021 for a brief trip to Mikang Local Government Area (LGA) to visit family, just a short distance from his home in Langtang North LGA. He thought it would be a routine visit, but the following morning, he woke up feeling
Despite cholera deaths, Plateau state prioritises cars and residences for speaker over epidemic preparedness
Despite the cholera-related deaths ravaging Plateau State, the government’s spending priorities remain questionable. While citizens face deadly outbreaks and inadequate healthcare services, millions of naira are funnelled into luxury cars and residences for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. In this report, Ekemini Simon exposes the state’s failure to prioritise epidemic preparedness at the primary healthcare