Economy

Nov
20
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
A Daniel Has Come To Judgement: Schooling Obinna Oriaku On Public Finance, Transparency And Intellectual Honesty – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

A Daniel Has Come To Judgement: Schooling Obinna Oriaku On Public Finance, Transparency And Intellectual Honesty – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, Good Governance
A Daniel Has Come to Judgment: Schooling Obinna Oriaku on Public Finance, Transparency and Intellectual Honesty It is curious — almost tragicomic — that the same man who supervised Abia’s finances between 2015–2019 without publishing a single Quarterly Budget Implementation Report now seeks to interrogate Q2 and Q3 2025 documents with the zeal of a philosopher-king. But as Shakespeare warned in Measure for Measure, “Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.” In this debate, however, the irony is reversed: he who fell by opacity now pretends to rise by feigned transparency. Before we engage his questions, the stage…
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Nov
17
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Abia’s Q3 2025 Financial Report: Facts, Context And The Politics Of Manufactured Doubt – A Response To Obinna Oriaku – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia’s Q3 2025 Financial Report: Facts, Context And The Politics Of Manufactured Doubt – A Response To Obinna Oriaku – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, Good Governance
Abia’s Q3 2025 Financial Report: Facts, Context and the Politics of Manufactured Doubt — A Response to Obinna Oriaku Public commentary on Abia State’s finances is healthy for democracy, but it becomes dangerous when it is anchored on selective interpretation, exaggerated arithmetic, and an unfortunate attempt to weaponize public misunderstanding. Obinna Oriaku’s critique of Abia’s Q3 2025 Financial Report is a vivid example of how numbers can be stretched to create suspicion where none exists, and how nostalgia for opacity can be disguised as patriotism. His concerns sound weighty until they are placed beside verifiable data, constitutional accounting rules and…
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Nov
13
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Ponmo Consumption Threatens $5 Billion Leather Industry – FGN

Ponmo Consumption Threatens $5 Billion Leather Industry – FGN

Economy, Business, FGN, News Flash
Ponmo Consumption Threatens $5 Billion Leather Industry – FGN The Federal Government has warned that the continued consumption of hides and skins, popularly known as ponmo, poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s leather industry, currently valued at about $5 billion. Speaking at the National Campaign Against the Consumption of Ponmo held on Thursday in Abuja, the Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ikemounso, said the practice deprives local industries of vital raw materials needed for leather production and export. Ikemounso disclosed that the Nigerian leather goods market was valued at $2.79 billion in 2024 and…
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Nov
13
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
UN Lists Nigeria Among 16 Hunger Hotspots, Warns Of Looming Global Famine Threat

UN Lists Nigeria Among 16 Hunger Hotspots, Warns Of Looming Global Famine Threat

Foreign Affairs, Economy, News Flash
UN Lists Nigeria Among 16 Hunger Hotspots, Warns Of Looming Global Famine Threat Two United Nations food agencies have warned that millions more people could face famine as funding shortages worsen already dire humanitarian conditions around the world. In a joint report released on Wednesday, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) said that conflict and violence were driving acute food insecurity in most of the countries identified as high-risk. The agencies listed Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen as the worst-affected nations, “where populations face an imminent risk of catastrophic hunger.” Countries…
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Nov
10
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
EFCC Declares Ex-Bayelsa Governor Timipre Sylva Wanted

EFCC Declares Ex-Bayelsa Governor Timipre Sylva Wanted

Crime, Economy, News Flash
EFCC Declares Ex-Bayelsa Governor Timipre Sylva Wanted The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared Timipre Sylva, former Governor of Bayelsa State wanted for fraud. Sylva, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources was wanted over an alleged $14.8 million fraud. The EFCC said the former Governor is wanted in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of funds injected by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for the construction of a refinery. The announcement follows a November 6, 2025, warrant issued by the Lagos State…
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Nov
10
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
FGN Exceeds 2025 Borrowing Target By 55.6%

FGN Exceeds 2025 Borrowing Target By 55.6%

Economy, FGN, News Flash
FG Exceeds 2025 Borrowing Target By 55.6% The Federal Government (FG) has borrowed N17.36 trillion from domestic and foreign sources in the first 10 months of this year. This represents N6.06 trillion (55.6 per cent) in excess of the N10.9 trillion stipulated in the 2025 Appropriation Act on 10 months prorate bases. The total borrowing in 2025 approved budget is N13.08 trillion for the entire fiscal year. The breakdown of the 2025 borrowings so far shows a N15.8 trillion from domestic sources as at October 2025 and N1.56 trillion from the external sources as at first half of 2025. Meanwhile,…
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Nov
08
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Data-Driven Governance In Practice: Appraising Gov. Alex Otti’s Abia(2023-2025) Through Kassen’s Open- Data Lens – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Data-Driven Governance In Practice: Appraising Gov. Alex Otti’s Abia(2023-2025) Through Kassen’s Open- Data Lens – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Economy, Good Governance, Infrastructure
Data-Driven Governance in Practice: Appraising Gov. Alex Otti’s Abia (2023–2025) through Kassen’s Open-Data Lens Maxat Kassen’s Open Data Governance and Its Actors: Theory and Practice argues that credible reform happens when governments move beyond rhetoric to build “data value-chains”: publishing usable information, enabling intermediaries (media, civic tech, auditors) to interrogate it, and then translating that scrutiny into better policy. In this view, actors—not abstractions—do the work: executives who mandate disclosure, treasuries and CIOs who standardize formats, civil society that reuses data, and legislatures that codify norms. Judged against that framework, Abia State under Gov. Alex Otti shows many of the…
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Nov
08
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Dangote Refinery Slashes Ex-Depot Petrol Price

Dangote Refinery Slashes Ex-Depot Petrol Price

Economy, News Flash, Oil & Gas
Dangote Refinery Slashes Ex-depot Petrol Price The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has slashed its ex-gantry petrol price to N828 per litre. According to sources at the refinery, the price of the product was reduced by N49 from the prior price of N877 per litre. “The refinery reduced its petrol price to N828 per litre,” a source said. The development comes amid plans by the refinery to increase its output to 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd), a scale that would surpass the world’s largest 1.36 million bpd refinery in Jamnagar, India. On November 1, the Dangote refinery said the supply of…
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Oct
29
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Amid Debt Concerns, House Of Reps Approve Tinubu’s $2.35 Billion Loan Request

Amid Debt Concerns, House Of Reps Approve Tinubu’s $2.35 Billion Loan Request

National Assembly, Economy, Presidency
Amid Debt Concerns, House Of Reps Approve Tinubu’s $2.35 Billion Loan Request The House of Representatives has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to secure a $2.35 billion loan to help finance the 2025 budget deficit, despite growing concerns over Nigeria’s rising debt profile. The House also granted approval for the issuance of a $500 million sovereign sukuk on the international capital market to support infrastructure development and broaden the country’s funding sources. The lawmakers reached the decision after reviewing the report of the Committee on Aids, Loans, and Debt Management. This development comes amid heightened debate regarding Nigeria’s escalating debt…
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Oct
29
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Re-Measuring Productivity In Abia: How Data, Digital Economy And Leadership Are Rewriting Our Growth Story – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Re-Measuring Productivity In Abia: How Data, Digital Economy And Leadership Are Rewriting Our Growth Story – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, Good Governance
Re-Measuring Productivity in Abia: How Data, Digital Economy and Leadership Are Rewriting Our Growth Story Why I Embarked on the Table Research For too long, productivity discussions in Abia have focused only on roads, contracts, and budgets. But governance in the 21st century now lives where people work, learn, and trade — online.In Abia, thousands of young people, artisans, and traders already use WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok to sell goods, teach skills, and build livelihoods. Yet, traditional productivity models don’t measure these contributions. This gap inspired me to conduct a “table research” on the National Productivity & Digital Engagement Index,…
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