The authorities must do more to stem the grave perils on our roads
Nigerian roads are now considered too dangerous to ply by many global agencies within the transport sector. Even the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola recently expressed his concerns. More people, according to Fashola, died from road accidents than from Malaria and COVID-19 combined in January this year. To highlight the gravity of the situation, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently revealed that no fewer than 41,257 deaths were recorded on our highways in the last eight years.
Hardly any day passes without report of a road accident that leaves on its trail grisly tale of fatalities, horrific injuries, wrecks, traffic hiccups and loss of productive hours. Multiple causes are responsible for the rise in road carnage in the country. The factors range from faulty road design to poor road quality, insufficient safety features in vehicles and speed limit
China s factory activity growth slows slightly in June - PMI
06/30/2021 1:39
BEIJING (Reuters) - Growth in China s factory activity dipped to a four-month low in June, weighed by higher raw material costs, a global shortage of semiconductors and a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the major export province of Guangdong.
The official manufacturing Purchasing Manager s Index (PMI) eased slightly to 50.9 in June versus 51.0 in May, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Wednesday. It, however, exceeded analysts forecast for a slowdown to 50.8.
It remained above the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis.
The world s second-largest economy has largely recovered from disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Chinese manufacturers are grappling with new challenges from higher raw material costs to global supply chain bottlenecks.
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BEIJING Activity in China’s services sector grew at a slower pace in June, official data showed on Wednesday as COVID-19 curbs from a resurgence in cases in Southern China restrained a rebound in consumption.
The official non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 53.5 in June from 55.2 in May, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed. The 50-point mark separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis.
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Analysts say China’s economic recovery is moving in a more even direction, as the consumption and service sectors are catching up to exports and manufacturing.
Olaoluwa Awojoodu
Four out of every 10 Nigerians, more than 82.9 million people live in poverty according to a 2020 report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The World Poverty Clock estimated the figure to be 86.9 million in 2018, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reported in 2019 that 98 million Nigerians are living in multidimensional poverty. No matter the source, the indication remains that an alarming number of Nigerians are poor, one needs no reminder that in 2018, Nigeria overtook India, as the poverty capital of the world, and with the outbreak of COVID-19 making matters worse, many Nigerians lost their source of income or experienced income cuts. Given these circumstances, the World Bank predicts that an additional 15-20 million people could be pushed below the poverty line by 2022. This is an issue that deserves significant national attention and that should be dominating public discourse because of the sheer scale of the problem and the implic