Daily Trust’s 9 Most Impactful Stories of 2023
As the year 2023 comes to an end, Daily Trust presents some of its exclusives and investigations that made impacts in the respective areas of coverage.
Investigation: Inside Maiduguri juvenile sex trade
The story, published on April 8, was an investigation into the sex trade by underage girls at the Shagari low-cost housing area of Maiduguri, Borno State.
Following the report, the Nigerian military, on April 13, raided the underage brothels at Kasuwan Fara, Shagari low-cost area of Maiduguri.
devalues
Exclusive: CBN Naira to N630/$1
Daily Trust reported on June 1 that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) devalued the naira to N631 from N461.6 it earlier sold at the Importers and Exporters (I&E) window the previous day. The newspaper said the naira devaluation came 48 hours after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced his administration’s plans to unify the country’s exchange rate to stimulate the economy.
Despite initial denial of the report by the CBN, it eventually came clean and officially announced the devaluation on June 15.
How litigations make Nigeria’s elections expensive
The Daily Trust report published on June 18 explained that the billions of naira spent on election litigations by political parties, candidates and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) raised concerns that the country might have acquired the status of one of the most expensive democracies in the world.
Following the report, INEC was, on October 24, through its director of Legal Drafting and Contracts, Toyin Babalola, expressed concern about the consistently litigious nature of elections held in Nigeria since the advent of the democratic era in 1999. It blamed the litigious culture in political culture in the country.
‘I’ve spent 20 years fixing potholes pro bono’
This story was published on July 1 narrating the efforts of Daniel Davou Dachung, 58, popularly known as ‘Road Man’, who had been involved in fixing roads’ potholes for free in parts of Nasarawa State, particularly along the Karu/Jikwoyi axis of the FCT since the 1990s. On July 22, a group of Nigerians gifted him a brand new Hijet truck. Public-spirited Nigerians, led by one Godwin Adoga, aka OOG on social media, and CEO of OG Capital Finance Limited, raised funds for him.
Organ exploitation: How Abuja syndicate lured minor for kidney harvest
Daily Trust, on August 19, revealed the organ harvesting syndicate operating in Mararaba, Nasarawa State and luring young persons to part with their kidneys through black-market sales.
Following the report, the Legal Aid Council instituted a civil suit before an FCT High Court seeking the sum of N700 million compensation for the victim. The first hearing of the suit was reported by Daily Trust on December 12.
Tinubu yet to reconvene FEC 44 days after inaugural meeting
Daily Trust reported on October 12 that there were concerns that President Bola Tinubu had failed to convene the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting 44 days after the inaugural cabinet session held on August 28.
Four days after the report was published, the president convened a FEC meeting.
Meet Gambo Haruna, Kano widow pushing wheelbarrow to feed 6 children
Daily Trust, on October 14, published the story of one Gambo Haruna, a middle-aged widow who had been surviving through wheelbarrow pushing for the past two years and selling water to fend for her six children. The woman lived in a rented single room thatched house, where she paid N12,000 per year at Gadar Katako, Rimin Kebe area of Ungogo Local Government Area of Kano.
She, following the report, got a lifeline as she received a new apartment and N50,000 cash, cartons of macaroni and spaghetti from well-meaning Nigerians, including from the member representing Ungogo and Minjibir Constituency in Kano State.
Investigation: Driver’s licence: How Abuja VIO, driving school compromise standards
The report on October 14 unmasked how some law enforcement agents and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC)-designated driving schools within Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT, were conniving to compromise driving standards, thus contributing to road accidents.
The report, Daily Trust on
October 19 reported that: “After Daily Trust investigation, Driving Instructors’ Association Vows to Expose Erring Members”, with the Association of Driving Instructors of Nigeria (ADIN) through their president, Alhaji Umar Musa, vowed to investigate and expose any of its members involved in cutting corners during the process of obtaining driving school certificates.
Inside Abuja’s kidney ‘market’ where the rich prey on the poor
An investigation by Daily Trust, which was published on December 10, exposed how kidney donor brokers and agents set up deals for kidney sales at satellite towns of Abuja as well as the complicity of a hospital.
Following the report, the Minister of Health, Dr Aliyu Pate, announced plans to introduce stricter regulations on organ donation and management in the country. Also, the Federal Ministry of Health condemned the alarming report on kidney trafficking within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) through the Director of Media and Public Relations, Patricia Deworitshe. The ministry described the acts as a” barbaric and inhuman criminal practice of kidney trafficking.”