President Bola Tinubu, on Friday, approved the appointment of Adewale Adeniyi as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service.

The appointment was disclosed in a statement released by the Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Willie Bassey.

According to the statement, the President tasked Adeniyi with bringing his wealth of experience to bear on his new assignment.

The statement reads, “His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the confirmation of the appointment of Adewale Adeniyi (MFR) as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service.

“The appointment takes effect from 19th October, 2023 and his tenure is in accordance with the extant provisions of the Public Service Rules (PSR). The President tasks him to bring his wealth of experience to bear on his new assignment.”

Taking over from former CG, Hameed Alli in June, the new Customs boss had been in an acting capacity.

The Federal government has disclosed its plans to build 34,500 houses across the country in a move aimed at addressing the housing shortage in the country.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, stated this when the Executive Governor of Taraba State, Agbu Kefas, paid a courtesy visit to the Ministry, in Abuja.

Dangiwa mentioned that as part of the first phase of the ‘Renewed Hope Cities Project’, the Federal Government aims to construct approximately 34,500 houses across the country.

This initiative will be carried out via a combination of the Federal Mortgage Bank, Federal Housing Authority, and Private-Public Partnerships (PPP).

He said,

• “With this project alone, we aim to create over 240,000 jobs at 7 per housing unit. This is in line with Mr. President’s goal to create jobs, lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty and grow the economy.
• In doing this, the government was building for the 80% of Nigerians who fall within the non-income, low-income and medium-income brackets. We are focusing on affordability but without compromising quality,”

Nigeria needs 55,000 new houses per annum

He further mentioned that the Ministry was collaborating with the National Population Commission (NPC) to determine the actual housing deficit in the country.

He said,

• “Our in-house estimates show that for us to meet the housing needs of Nigerians, we need to build about 550,000 new homes per annum over the next ten years,”

The minister also disclosed that the Ministry had communicated with State Governors, requesting approximately 50 hectares of land at no cost for Renewed Hope Cities.

According to him, this approach would enable the Ministry to offer the houses at a price that Nigerians could afford.

Revision of 1978 Land Use Act

He also sought the Governor’s support as the ministry intended to revise the Land Use Act of 1978 to streamline land administration and facilitate access to land, making it a more efficient, rapid, and cost-effective process with the enactment and adoption of the model mortgage foreclosure law that establishes mortgage registries.

 [Nairametrics]

Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has called on the Federal Government to permit individuals to legally buy and possess weapons such as AK-47 rifles and RPGs for self-defense purposes.

During a media chat in Abuja on Friday, the governor argued that if bandits, who are causing widespread havoc in the country, have access to the weapons market, then individuals should also be granted the right to protect themselves.

He stated, “If a bandit can easily buy AK-47, RPG, and various other weapons from the market, why shouldn’t ordinary people be allowed to do the same in order to confront the challenges they face?”

The governor emphasized the difference between holding weapons illegally, as the bandits do, and seeking legal ownership for self-defense purposes. He stressed that the government should enable individuals to hold arms and confront the security challenges.

Regarding negotiations with bandits, Governor Radda expressed his strong reluctance, stating, “From my perspective, negotiation with bandits is a no-go area. However, if I find myself in a position of advantage where the bandits surrender their arms and request a dialogue, we may consider reintegrating them into society.”

He also shed light on the limitations faced by governors in addressing security issues, explaining that though they are called chief security officers of their states, they lack the authority to command the military, police, or civil defense, as they receive orders from higher authorities.

Describing their efforts to tackle the security challenges, he mentioned the establishment of an intelligence unit within the Katsina Community Watch Corps. This covert unit operates separately from the corps members and serves to monitor and control any potential abuses within the organization, as well as gather vital information.

President Bola Tinubu has given his approval for a N35,000 wage award to be given to civil servants to alleviate the impact of fuel subsidy removal

This information was revealed in a memo issued by Ekpo U. O. Nta, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.

The memo states that all Federal Civil Servants will be beneficiaries of this wage award, which will take effect from September 1, 2023.

Dated October 19, 2023, the memo was addressed to the Chief of Staff to the President, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ministers and Ministers of State, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Chairmen of Federal Commissions, Federal Permanent Secretaries, Clerk of the National Assembly, Secretary of the National Judicial Council, and Secretary of the Federal Judicial Service Commission.

Other recipients of this memo include Directors-General and Chief Executives of Parastatals, Agencies, and Government-Owned Companies, the Auditor-General of the Federation, Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation.

The memo states, “I refer to the Memorandum of Understanding reached between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on Monday, 2 October 2023, as a result of the dispute arising from the withdrawal of subsidy on the price of premium motor spirit (PMS) and hereby convey the approval of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the grant of a wage award of N35,000:00 (thirty-five thousand Naira) only per month to all Federal Government workers with effect from 1 September 2023 pending when a new national minimum wage is expected to have been signed into law.”

NewsNow recalls that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other organized labor unions embarked on an industrial action due to the hardship caused by the removal of fuel subsidy.

The strike was later suspended for one month after the administration led by Tinubu offered the sum of N5 billion for the provision of palliatives to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has approved the release of letters to over 230 successful serving officers who sat for the 2021 and 2022 Upgrading examinations and were successful in extended interviews into higher cadres from the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the service.

The Chairman, Civil Service Commission, Engr. Tokunbo Odebunmi disclosed this in a release issued in Abeokuta, saying the successful candidates were officers who had obtained higher academic qualifications through self- development and sailed through the entire process of Upgrading.

Engr. Odebunmi, in a statement signed by Mrs. Funmi Onafowope, Press Officer, CSC, further revealed that those candidates who passed the three stages of the upgrading process and categorised into both professional and sub-professional cadres based on their certification, would have the opportunity of utilising their potentials in improving the civil service.

The Commission's Chairman emphasized that the purpose was aimed at gearing up workers in the service to develop themselves in their relevant fields for effective service delivery, adding that this would go a long way at ensuring progress in their chosen careers.

He therefore urged concerned officers to reciprocate the Governor's kind gesture through more dedication to duty and improvement in productivity, saying the present administration will leave no stone unturned to improve workers’ productivity and development in critical areas of needs.

I am deeply saddened by the passing of Bode Agusto, an outstanding accountant, banker, mentor and a true icon of Lagos State. His legacy as an eminent citizen of Lagos State and a distinguished Nigerian who was unrepentantly committed to our nation’s economic development will forever be etched in the annals of our history.

Bode Agusto was not only a financial maestro but also a dedicated public servant, who contributed significantly to the development of Lagos State and Nigeria. His contributions to the fields of accounting, finance and economics were quite remarkable and he played a pivotal role in shaping our nation's economic policies. His track record in the private sector and public service earned him the national award of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).

As Lagos State Governor in January 2017, I'd determined that Lagos State had reached a point where we needed to bring independent perspectives from the private sector to work with the government to jointly plan the future economy of Lagos State and re-engineer its business environment for global competitiveness and enhance opportunities for our people. I consequently set up the Lagos State Economic Advisory Committee, a 12-member private sector-dominated advisory body that comprised some of the best brains in our country and, in determining the chairmanship of the strategic committee, I turned to no other person than the late Bode Agusto and he graciously accepted unconditionally.

The Committee served out their assignment meritoriously without demanding financial compensation for themselves. Such was the patriotism and selflessness that defined the man Bode Agusto.

Lagos State and Nigeria has lost a true luminary and trail blazer. As we mourn his exit, I extend my deepest condolences to the Governor of Lagos State, his family, loved ones, professional colleagues and the entire people of Lagos State. Let us honor his memory by continuing his legacy of service, dedication and excellence.

Mr. Agusto has played his part in nation building and will forever live in our hearts. May his memory be a blessing that continues to inspire us to work collectively for the advancement of our nation.

His Excellency, AKINWUNMI AMBODE, FCA,

Former Governor of Lagos State.

Steadily, an unintended pattern is fast emerging that every policy of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration turns out to be controversial: unleashing more pains and hardship on the citizenry and pushing the economy further into the woods. The latest in the series of these policies is the return of 43 items to access to foreign exchange (FX) through the official window, exactly eight years after they were banned (in 2015). In a release, announcing this policy reversal, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) re-stated its commitment to “Willing Buyer, Willing Seller” in the determination of the exchange rate of the Naira against the dollar (and others) in the FX market.

At the inception of the policy (ban of the 43 items) in 2015, perceptive observers of the Nigerian economy thought the initiative meant some sort of import-substitution industrialization strategy by the erstwhile Muhammadu Buhari administration. And really, the CBN policy at that time: denying importers of those items official access to FX implied strict discouragement of the continued importation of those items. The policy also implied an encouragement for local producers of those items to embark on ‘backward integration’, by sourcing their raw materials locally. Without a doubt, a number of astute and patriotic investors did key into the policy; and in no time, moved into local production of some of those items.

A cursory look at the list of those items vividly shows that their continued importation amounts to avoidable dissipation of our scarce foreign exchange. The list include: toothpicks, maize, tomatoes, kitchen utensils, clothes, plastic and rubber products, soap and cosmetics, cement, margarine. Others are: palm kernel/palm oil products/vegetable oils, poultry (chicken, eggs, turkey), Indian incense, tinned fish in sauce (geisha)/sardines, roofing sheets, furniture, security and razor wire, etc.

In economic history and international relations, no country ever opens its borders for all manner of goods and services to be imported. On the other hand, nobody advocates autarky; but some sort of protection through tariffs, import quotas and/or ban on select items is in order. Eight years ago, when the apex bank took the initiative to ‘creatively restrict’ the importation of those 43 items, it was seen as a bold signal for the encouragement of local manufacturing of not only those items, but also many others. The measure served as alert to all importers that their time could be up anytime the CBN decides to shut the official FX door against them.

Under that palpable ‘fear’ instilled by the CBN’s policy, not a few investors opted to produce some items locally rather than continued importation. And if anything had stalled or retarded the economic development of Nigeria over the years, it is the unrestrained importation of all manner of things. Hence, the country has ‘infamously’ remained an import-dependent economy—a consumption and not production economy. Foreign exchange inflow from crude oil sales in the past five decades or so, has rendered the country a mono-product economy. Petrodollar inflow has bestowed every Nigerian with the purchasing power; and taste and preference for imported products.

It was therefore quite politic that the CBN had to encourage local production in a very subtle way—by denying importers of the 43 items access to FX through the official window. Now, eight years down the road, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration decided to fling the door open to all and sundry (including the 43 items) to keep importing everything without let or hindrance. The implication of this policy somersault is manifold. Nigeria is virtually at the lowest ebb in terms of availability of FX because of the impact of a number of recent economic policies of the Tinubu administration.

Removal of petrol subsidy and licensing of more people to be importing the commodity is adding pressure in the FX market that is already facing acute shortage of forex. The floatation of the Naira or forex rates unification mid-June has implied massive devaluation of the local currency—with demand for FX far outstripping its supply consistently. It is against this background that the recall to official access to FX to importers of the 43 at this time is bad omen to the economy. The direct implication of this is that the move to begin to import those items will redound to rising demand for (the scarce) FX. Whatever happens, sooner than later, local producers of those items (in the past eight years or so) will begin to lose the market to imported (cheaper) brands.

This is an ineluctable fate because the Nigerian business environment has remained constricting for some time. Cost of doing any business in Nigeria is prohibitively high vis-à-vis other climes; and as such not a few firms have opted to shut-down their operations in the country. The country, no doubt, is a large market, and readily serves as a dumping ground for all conceivable imports. This is tantamount however to (un)willful asphyxiation of players in the real sector of the economy.

Thus, lamenting the latest policy reversal of the CBN, the Vice Chairman, Basic Metal, Iron and Steel Products sector of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Lekan Adewoye, said “for items that can be produced in Nigeria, such manufacturers ought to be encouraged. This directive by the Tinubu-led federal government through the CBN, will further kill the manufacturing industry that is already struggling to survive. The problem is about policy somersaults; some of our members who have invested in backward integration will now start to regret their move because everyone who can access FX will claim to be an importer, forcing sincere manufacturers to close shop; thus, increasing the number of jobless persons in the country.”

Adewoye who spoke on a TVC Business Program said: “Nigerian manufacturers don’t really have any competitive advantage over those in other developing economies; at best, what you have is competitive parity, because something has to be an advantage if your competitors don’t have it. And the little incentive that government has provided now it been removed by the directive from the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

Yes, the CBN’s directive is a retrogressive policy with the capacity to getting the Nigerian economy flooded with imported toothpicks, toilet soaps, vegetable oils, name it, in a matter of months. The policy amounts to direct elimination of not a few manufacturing concerns in the country in a couple of months. This is because such businesses cannot stand the impending stiff competition against imported (usually superior and cheaper) brands or substitutes. Infant industry protection principles alone should have guided the initiators of the policy reversal to stick to the status quo antebellum. Alas, the harm is already done; and the economy keeps rolling down the abyss. Unfortunately!

President Bola Tinubu’s decision to withdraw the appointment of Imam Kashim Imam, a 24-year-old first-class Mechanical Engineering graduate, as the Board Chairman of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has ignited criticism from some northerners.

President Tinubu had reconstituted the governing board and management team of FERMA for a renewable term of four years, naming Imam as the Board Chairman.

Imam, the son of prominent Borno politician, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, had gained attention for his academic achievements after his appointment, including a first-class degree from the University of Brighton in the UK and a master’s degree from the same institution.

But he had only completed his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in August 2022, prompting questions about his readiness for such a high-ranking government position.

Criticism of Imam’s appointment intensified as many Nigerians questioned whether his academic qualifications were enough to justify the appointment, given his supposed lack of work experience.

This sentiment was shared on the micro-blogging app, Twitter (now X).

Amid the criticism, President Tinubu ordered the reversal of Imam’s appointment, without offering any explanation for his action.

The President’s decision was met with criticism from some northerners who expressed their disappointment on social media.

While some had initially called on Tinubu to withdraw Imam’s appointment claiming he lacks the experience required for the position, northerners who reacted to Imam’s withdrawal on Thursday accused the president of marginalising the north by withdrawing the appointments of two young northerners who were appointed to key positions in his government.

They noted that Imam’s withdrawal was reminiscent of a similar situation involving Maryam Shettima, popularly known as Maryam Shetty, who had her ministerial appointment withdrawn just hours before her scheduled Senate screening.

Shetty, from Kano State, had arrived at the Senate and was waiting to be screened when news of the withdrawal broke.

It seems like Tinubu only listens when there's a certain appointment from the North that needs to be revoked, not when there's some big security or economic problem.

It first happened with Maryam Shetty's appointment as a minister and now Engr. Imam Kashim Imam.

Everything's… pic.twitter.com/PHIng0jLwv

— F A A R E E S ? ?? (@MFaarees_) October 19, 2023

The Lagos State Police Command has issued a warning that no gathering will be allowed at the tollgate in Lekki.

This announcement comes in response to plans by civil society organizations to hold a peaceful march commemorating the third anniversary of the incident that occurred on October 20, 2020, during the #EndSARS protest in Lekki, Lagos.

SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos State Command Police Public Relations Officer, made it clear that no gathering or convergence will be permitted in the vicinity of the toll gate.

In a statement on his official X handle (formerly Twitter), Hundeyin stated that the police will be present to ensure the security of all participants in the peaceful walk, as long as they do not disrupt traffic.

He stated, “Uses at/by Oriental Hotel suggest stopping/waiting of buses and gathering of passengers. For the avoidance of doubt, no gathering/convergence whatsoever would be allowed anywhere around the toll gate.

However, men of @LagosPoliceNG would be fully on the ground to ensure security for all persons participating in the peaceful walk as long as they are not obstructing traffic.

The #EndSARS protests were a public outcry against police brutality, extrajudicial killings, extortion, and abuse of power, particularly by officers of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The initial protests prompted the federal government of Nigeria to dissolve SARS.

Unfortunately, the protests later turned violent as hoodlums took advantage of the situation, burning police stations, public facilities, and attacking both officers and citizens.