Nigeria’s debt servicing cost has increased by 55.71 per cent to N1.24tn in three months, findings have shown. Data from the Debt Management Office shows that between October and December 2022, Nigeria paid N406.77 billion (about $312.27 million, or N143.74 billion) servicing its domestic debt, and N550.51 billion (about N550.51 billion) servicing its external debt. However, between January and March 2023, Nigeria spent N874.13bn on domestic debt servicing, while it spent $801.36m (N368.87bn) on external debt servicing, giving a total of N1.24tn. The exchange rate of the DMO, which was $1=N460.3 was used for the external debt servicing. The…
Author: meridianspy
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) reports that in the last six months, it has detained 136 drug dealers in Anambra. The state’s NDLEA commander, Daniel Onyishi, stated that the organization has convicted roughly 79 of the suspects apprehended for drug-related offenses on Saturday during an event commemorating the 2023 United Nations Drug Day in the state’s capital, Awka. He said the agency has so far seized 883.347 kilogrammes of illicit drugs, engaged youths across the 21 LGAs in the state and rehabilitated about 25 clients. He added that the agency recently carried out an enlightenment programme in higher…
The Enugu State Police Command has referred to a fictitious video clip that is now making the rounds as “untrue” since it claims to show that a particular area of the state is unsafe because of a number of kidnappings that have occurred there. “The first kidnapping incident took place around noon, another at 2 p.m., and another at 6 p.m.,” the video stated. The command’s spokesman, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement on Sunday in Enugu that the footage is highly misleading According to him, there was no such serial incident of kidnapping on the same day…
There are indications that the administration of Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is on a collision course with the 23 local government chairmen elected in March 2022 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The local government chairmen have vowed not to obey Alia’s directive that they hand over the reins of power and proceed on suspension as recommended by the state House of Assembly. They said this while addressing journalists on Saturday on the assembly’s resolution and the directive by the Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to suspend them on…
Why Naval Officer Slapped Me in US — Tinub President Bola Tinubu revealed that a naval officer once slapped him for overcharging him unintentionally when he was a taxi driver in the United States. This was revealed as he shared his humble beginning in a biography published on the back page of a national daily. The biography titled, ‘Tinubu: My life as gypsy cab driver in the US’, was authored by Mike Awoyinfa, a seasoned journalist. Tinubu, in the story, said he worked as unlicensed taxi driver in Chicago, the US picking passengers from the airport to their destinations. The…
The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers state has denied rumors that the state chapter of the party extended an invitation for Nyesom Wike, the state’s previous governor, to join the party. The Rivers APC labeled people making the allegations and requests for Wike to join their party as imposters. In a statement by the state Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju on Saturday, the Rivers APC said Wike is reluctant to join the same APC he had described as cancer. According to Nwauju said the disposition of Wike to the APC members during his administration was enough evidence to confirm…
The terrorists responsible for the kidnap of five students of the Federal University, Gusau in Zamfara State alongside the families of the kidnapped students have bargained the ransom payment to N1m for each student, Punch report, on Thursday. Report gathered said the terrorists demanded N5m each for each of the students. A family member of one of the victims who spoke to our correspondent under the condition of anonymity noted that the decision of the terrorists to bring down the ransom price to N1m for each student followed intense negotiations. Meridian Spy reports that students of the institution had protested…
The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, has given suspected killer herdsmen 48 hours to leave Imo state. The COSEYL, president General, Goodluck Ibem, stated this in a statement to newsmen in Owerri, on Saturday. COSEYL was referring to an attack suspected to have been carried out by herdsmen in Assa in the Ohaji/Egbema council area of the state. The group linked it to the failure to obey the ban on open grazing by herders. According to the Igbo group, “The attention of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, the apex sociopolitical youth group in the…
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said Saturday his troops are heading off to support the Kremlin against the armed uprising by the Wagner Group. “Fighters from the Ministry of Defense and the National Guard of the Chechen Republic have already left for the tense areas. We will do everything to preserve Russia’s unity and protect its statehood,” Kadyrov posted on Telegram. Earlier on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation, where he spoke of an armed “mutiny” and announced that he would punish those who rebel. “I support every word of Vladimir Putin,” Kadyrov said. Chechen fighters are currently…
In a little or no resistance from the Russian army, Forces led by Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin advanced in the direction of Moscow on Saturday, moving north from the Voronezh region to the Lipetsk region, which is roughly 250 miles from the Russian capital. President Vladimir Putin, citing a threat to his nation, said he had ordered the military to quash the “rebellion” led by Prigozhin, who on Friday called for Russians to join a campaign against Russia’s military leadership. Prigozhin claimed early Saturday to have taken control of the Russian military command base in Rostov-on-Don in the…
Why my Marriage Failed – Ini-Ed Iniobong Edo, a well-known Nollywood actress, recently talked about her failed marriage in an interview with Chude Jideonwo, a well-known media personality. She also revealed that she had second thoughts about being married in the first place. The stunning actor wed businessman Philip Ehiagwina on November 29, 2008, but their union lasted just five years before they separated in 2013. In the interview, Ini-Edo revealed that the marriage was forced upon her by her family and that she would only consider marriage with the right person. She said, “I regretted my decision to get…
A Niger Delta monarch, leaders, and stakeholders have asked the nation’s security agencies to carry out internal cleansing, and fish out officers and men involved in crude oil banditry, rather than challenging a citizen that spoke the bitter truth to name the complicit security officials. They asked President Bola Tinubu, to expose and punish all military personnel engaged in crude oil theft. Responding to the Nigerian Navy’s demand through its Spokesperson, Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vauguhan, that the leader of the Niger-Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, NDPVF, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, should name the military officers involved in oil bunkering, the stakeholders advised the…