11 key moments of 2021
For many, the outgoing year cannot end quickly enough. 2021 was the year of firsts, even if many were unpleasant – a year of triumphs, happy surprises, and bruising pains. Below are some of the key moments of 2021 with significant social, economic and political implications for Nigeria.
Buhari declined signing Electoral Bill
NNPC says it can no longer fund FAAC
After 20 years, the Petroleum Industry Bill becomes law
Attack of the Nigerian Defence Academy and kidnappings
Flour Mills acquires Honeywell
Super Tucano fighter jets arrive
MTN delivers Nigeria’s first digital IPO
The arrival of Omicron
Afrobeat goes global
Twitter ban
Nigeria start-ups attract global venture capital
Electricity, banking, telecoms top 2021 complaints by Nigerians – FCCPC
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says complaints about electricity have again topped its 2021 consumer-related complaints chart just like in 2020. The Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Babatunde Irukera, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that banking-related complaints were second on the chart. Irukera explained that aviation and telecommunication related complaints followed the chart. He said that the commission received and completed the processes of no fewer than 32,000 consumer-related complaints in 2021, adding that 80 percent of complaints were resolved. “For the sectors that received the highest complaints, we have electricity, banking, then aviation is now competing with telecommunications on the third place. “The biggest problem with the airlines is not even the technical issues but their lack of transparency, responsiveness and being able to refund passengers when it becomes absolutely clear that flying at that time becomes pointless for them. “We are continuing that battle and then we are resolving many complaints,’’ he said. On the challenges faced by the commission, Irukera said that some businesses were yet to come to terms that the regulatory space had changed and that they had a responsibility. “Others include consumers who sometimes are very complacent and do not want to enforce their rights or those that criticise the commission even when their rights are being enforced. “The nature of our challenges are modifying themselves as we go. The new normal that we find ourselves in is one of the key challenges,’’ he said.
Key issues Nigerian businesses should worry about
Insecurity, inflation, and foreign exchange pressures are key issues Nigerian businesses – small and large corporates – should worry about in the New Year, Muda Yusuf, CEO, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), exclusively told BusinessDay.
The macroeconomic condition is a very important component of the business environment as it impacts a great deal on investors’ confidence. It has implications for cost, profit, competitiveness, and the sustainability of investments, he said. As of January 2021, headline inflation was 16.47 percent and rose to a peak of 18.17 percent in March, and decelerated incrementally to 15.40 percent in November 2021. However, headline inflation has been on the increase on a month-on-month basis from January to date, albeit at a reducing rate. Meanwhile, food inflation has been consistently higher than headline inflation and core inflation for the most part of the year. “They should worry about issues of security. They should worry about issues of exchange rate, about inflation, because there is nothing on the horizon to show that some of these problems will go away within the next one year,” Yusuf said. According to Yusuf, the challenge of forex to investors in the outgoing year was multidimensional. The forex challenge was a major predicament that investors had to grapple with in 2021. The dimensions of the dilemma are as follows: the sharp depreciation of the naira over the last one year, the liquidity crisis in the forex market, which manifests in the acute shortage of forex in the official window, and volatility of the exchange rate that creates considerable uncertainty and unpredictability for investors.
Lassa fever: Case toll jumps to 92, as new deaths recorded in Bauchi, Ebonyi
The death toll from Lassa fever in Nigeria from January 2021 has jumped to 92, with Bauchi and Ebonyi states recording new deaths. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed this on Tuesday in its latest situation report on the outbreak of the disease in the country. According to the NCDC, week 50, which covered December 13 to 19, revealed that three more deaths were reported in the week under review. While Bauchi reported two new fatalities, Ebonyi recorded one new death from the disease. “Cumulatively from Week 1 to Week 50, 2021, 92 deaths have been reported with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 20.3 percent, which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2020 (20.7%),” it stated. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Lassa fever is an acute viral illness and a viral haemorrhagic fever first reported in the Lassa community in Borno when two missionary nurses died from an unusual febrile illness. Since then, Nigeria has continued to report cases and outbreaks and the disease is increasingly recognised to be endemic in many parts of West Africa such as Benin Republic, Ghana, Mali and the Mano River region (Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea). The agency noted that a total of 190 new cases were suspected in 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), but just 10 cases were confirmed in four states. Among others were: Edo – two, Ondo – four, Bauchi – three, and Ebonyi – one, and two of them are healthcare workers. The number of new confirmed cases, the agency stated, is the same as the figure reported in the previous week
Desmond Tutu honoured with special 10minutes bells toll
Residents of Cape Town and the Anglican community of Saint George’s Cathedral honoured Archbishop Desmond Tutu with bells toll at midday Monday December 27. According to the Associated Press, Thabo Makgoba, the incumbent Archbishop of Cape Town stated that the bells at the cathedral, where Tutu encouraged South Africans to work in unity against apartheid, will toll for 10 minutes at noon for five days to mark Tutu’s life. “We ask all who hear the bells to pause their busy schedules for a moment in tribute to Archbishop Tutu,” Makgoba said. Several other events in South Africa are being planned to honour Tutu’s life.Makgoba explained that the body of the late clergyman will lie in state at the cathedral in Cape Town on Friday before a requiem mass is held Saturday. Besides, an ecumenical service will be held for him on Wednesday in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria. South Africans are laying flowers at the cathedral, in front of Tutu’s home in Cape Town’s Milnerton area, and in front of his former home in Soweto. Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa in a national broadcast said Tutu knew that that apartheid would end, that democracy would come. Ramaphosa encouraged all South Africans to pay respects to the departed and to celebrate life with the exuberance and the purpose of the beloved clergyman. “May we follow in his footsteps. May we too be worthy inheritors of the mantle of service, of selflessness, of courage, and principled solidarity with the poor and marginalised,” he prayed.
Ten most rated Nigerian movies on Netflix in 2021
For this list, we ranked the movies based on high acclaims by a broad cross-section of the best critic websites and social pages, and the number of times these movies have appeared on the top ten ranking on the Netflix top 10 website. Omo Ghetto- The saga, directed by Funke Akindele and JJC Skillz debuted on Netflix, on 10 September 2021 after getting its theatrical release back in 2020. King of Boys – The return of the king was released on Friday, August 27, 2021. The film, produced and directed by Kemi Adetiba starred Sola Sobowale as the lead character and antagonist. Namaste Wahala, which translates to Hello Trouble is a 2020 Nigerian cross-cultural romantic comedy film produced, written, and directed by Hamisha Daryani Ahuja on her directorial debut. This lady called life is a 2020 Nigerian romance drama written by Toluwani Obayan and directed by Kayode Kasum. A Naija Christmas is a 2021 Nigerian Christmas film that was positively received for its good acting directed by Kunle Afolayan and starring Abayomi Alvin, Kunle Remi, Efa Iwara, and the late Rachel Oniga who passed away weeks before the film was released on Netflix on December 16, 2021. Gone, made in 2018 and recently acquired by Netflix, was screened at Calgary Black Film Festival and selected Nigerian cinemas in 202. One Lagos Night is a 2021 Nigerian crime comedy film set in Lagos. It was directed and produced by Ekene Som Mekwunye. Oloibiri, released in 2015 to the cinemas, got the attention of the relevant governmental authorities for its depiction of the plight of Niger-Deltans abandoned by the government and oil multinationals. Fine Wine is a 2021 Nigerian romantic comedy film directed by Nigerian American filmmaker Seyi Babatope and written by Temitope Akinbode and Diche Enunwa. Kambili: The Whole 30 Yards also shortly known as Kambili is a 2020 Nigerian romantic comedy film written by Ozioma Ogbaji, and directed by Kayode Kasum. The film stars Nancy Isime and Toyin Abraham in the lead roles.
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