Two brothers from Nigeria were sentenced to 17 1/2 years in federal prison Thursday after pleading guilty to sexually extorting teenage boys and young men across the U.S., including a 17-year-old from Michigan who took his own life.

A federal judge sentenced Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, after hearing emotional testimony from the parents and stepmother of Jordan DeMay, who was 17 when he killed himself at his family's home in Marquette, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

The Ogoshis, both from Lagos, Nigeria, had previously been extradited from Nigeria to stand trial. The brothers each pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to sexually exploit teenage boys.

They were accused of running an international sextortion ring in which they posed as a woman, a scheme which resulted in DeMay's March 2022 suicide. The siblings were accused of inducing DeMay to send a naked picture of himself and then extorting him. Federal prosecutors said their sextortion schemes targeted more than 100 victims, including DeMay.

“Today’s sentencing of Samuel and Samson Ogoshi sends a thundering message,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement. “To criminals who commit these schemes: you are not immune from justice. We will track you down and hold you accountable, even if we have to go half-way around the world to do so."

Sexual extortion, or sextortion, involves persuading a person to send explicit photos online and then threatening to make the images public unless the victim pays money or engages in sexual favors. The offense has a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years.

U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker, who also sentenced the Ogoshis to five years of supervision following their release, said he would decide what restitution the brothers must make once he receives additional information.

Before sentencing the brothers, Jonker said the case called for long sentences. He said both of the defendants had shown a “callous disregard for life," while noting that the siblings had continued their sextortion scams even after learning that DeMay had killed himself.

“The continuation of the overall scheme even after there was certain knowledge that one individual, the individual in this case, took his own life points to the need for a high sentence,” the judge said during Samson Ogoshi's sentencing hearing.

DeMay’s mother, Jennifer Buta, told the court during Samuel Ogoshi's sentencing that her son's death had left her “shattered to the core, infuriated and trapped in grief.” She said the last text her son sent her was “Mother I love you” — a text she awoke to and thought was endearing until she learned that Jordan had killed himself in his bedroom.

“What I thought was an endearing message from Jordan was his goodbye and his reassurance of his love for me,” Buta said. “I would never have imagined that while I was asleep both of the defendants hid behind their screens and tortured Jordan for hours while he was alone.”

DeMay's stepmother, Jessica DeMay, said during her tearful testimony that she and Jordan's other relatives will “never again experience pure joy” because every happy moment would be tainted by “a small cloud of sadness around it” that comes from Jordan's death.

The teen's father, John DeMay, told the court he is haunted by the image of "my son laying on his bed dead with a gunshot wound to his head."

“Jordan was an amazing young man. He was resilient, he was smart, he was educated, he was an athlete. He was my only son. And you got to talk to him for the last time in his life. That's horrifying to me,” he said.

Samuel Ogoshi’s attorney, Sean Tilton, said his client has cooperated with authorities and has written a letter of apology. He said Samuel Ogoshi is remorseful “and feels a tremendous sense of guilt of the loss of life in this case.”

Samson Ogoshi’s attorney, Julia Kelly, said during his sentencing that her client is “very remorseful” and that he was 18 when he began taking part in extortion and scam attempts. She said such scams are common in Lagos, Nigeria, and he saw those as a quick way to make money.

Kelly wrote in a court filing that “hundreds of people just like him were involved in similar scamming.”

“He was told who could get him a hacked account, how to make a fake profile, how to boost accounts and, because English is not his first language, was given a script of what to say," she wrote.

[ABC News]

A Kaduna State-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has said politicians are not funding the unrest in the northern part of the country.

In recent times, insecurity has continued to increase in the region, particularly the North-West.

Many, including the monarch of Gobir in Sokoto State, have been killed by bandits and other criminals.

In 2021, the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, alleged that politicians were sponsoring the banditry being witnessed in parts of the country. 

However, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Gumi dismissed the allegations that politicians were behind the unrest in the region.

He said, “This is an unintelligent allegation. No politician is sponsoring these people. We are all victims. The opposition is not even behind this. This is a natural reaction of people neglected for centuries without education.

“Now they are exposed to the world and they want education. These people are exposed to the Internet and they see how much they are deprived. They want to fight back. This act is not by anybody.”

He further stated that the people were expressing a strong desire for a better future for their offspring.

“We went to a village between Abuja and Kaduna and we built schools for herdsmen. To our surprise, over 600 of them with their families have started schooling there. They told us that they do not want their children to be like them. Imagine if we did that all around the country.”

[Punch]

•Suffering to even continue beyond that unless . . .
•Say economic recovery dependent on key factors
•Recommend what govt must do for a turnaround

However, they also indicated that such recovery and the time frame may still fail if the government does not take certain measures to stem the tide of hardship currently pervading society.

The petroleum sector authorities had earlier in the week effected a fresh hike in the pump price of fuel amidst a seven-week-long scarcity which appears unending as of the time of filing this report.

With the current pump price at between N900 and N1,200 per litre, many analysts are predicting a further round of economic downturn leading to further hardship for the citizens.

The key economic pain points include inflationary pressures, rising unemployment, declining purchasing power, rising utility bills and cost of living all of which have combined to create a steady decline in standard of living.

Looking into what the future holds for Nigerians, the analysts noted that the economic recovery would largely depend on key factors such as oil sector recovery, foreign exchange and interest rate stability, and agricultural productivity.

However, they also said that on all the factors odds are stacked much higher than positive expectations.

As if in confirmation of this grim reality, Nigeria’s key economic power base, the crude oil export, suffered a significant setback during the week when the price of its crude oil grade, Bonny Light, tumbled to $73 per barrel, the biggest drop so far this year.

Nigeria’s budget implementation is threatened at the current price as the budget revenue was based on $77 per barrel. The crude oil price slump is an added headache to the persistent difficulty in reaching the budgeted oil production benchmark level of 1.7 million barrels per day (mbpd).

The country has been struggling to produce an average of 1.4 mbpd since this year. The combined impact of these circumstances in the oil sector is an abysmal performance of the fiscal plan in 2024, less than four months to end. This also means that the economic recovery target for the year is already lost.

The significance of the oil sector performance is that it determines the performance of the economy which is about 80 percent oil dependent. In particular, the drop in oil revenue means a blow to the external sector, especially the foreign reserves which had just lost over $500 million in the last week of August 2024, slipping back to $36.3 billion.

This also puts significant pressure on the exchange rate with the Naira falling to N1,630 to a Dollar this week, against an average of N1,570 recorded in August 2024. Connected to this development is the impact on inflation where the external sector is now piling much pressure on the imported inflation component of the composite consumer price index.

With these developments, analysts believe short to medium-term recovery is difficult, while some of them said it is difficult to predict the exact time frame for the economic recovery as this will depend on the successful implementation of reforms, global economic trends, and domestic stability.

However, for most of them typically, significant improvements may begin to manifest within two to three years if the government effectively addresses key issues such as infrastructure development, inflation control, currency stabilization, and boosting local production. But the turnaround, according to them, will likely be gradual and not provide immediate relief.

Economy will take quite some time to fix —Prof Uwaleke

Prof. Uche Uwaleke, President, Association of Capital Market Academics of Nigeria, ACMAN, expressed the view that no turnaround should be expected in the next two years.

He stated: “I am afraid it will take quite some time to fix. Certainly not in the next year or two years. The inherited legacy challenges are humongous, especially in the power and petroleum sectors which are compounded by insecurity. Until these structural constraints are dealt with, inflation and exchange rates will remain elevated over the short and medium term.”

Pains may extend beyond normal timeline —Highcap Securities boss

Providing his own insight into the current economic hardship, David Adonri, Analyst /Executive Vice Chairman, of Highcap Securities Limited, a Lagos-based finance and investment house, believes the government’s approach to economic reform is wrong-headed.

He stated: “There are short-term pains associated with demand management reforms. However, FGN is approaching the situation wrongly such that the pains may extend beyond normal expectations. FGN is not extending the reforms to public spending which ought to be in austerity mode so that inflation can reduce. Additionally, there is no seriousness on the part of FGN to eliminate excruciating rural insecurity in order to close the supply gap in agriculture and other rural-based production activities. Now, rural communities in parts of the country are embarking on self-defence to prevent their extermination since FGN has left them to their fate. So far, FGN has failed to mobilize the country’s idle factors of production to domestically create wealth and generate productive employment. As a result of these lapses, it may be difficult to predict economic revival even in the next 5 years.”

FG should rejig economic team — ASBON boss

Commenting on the hardship and the outlook for a turnaround, President of the Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), Dr. Femi Egbesola, noted that the degree of poverty and hardship is deepening by the day, and called on the federal government to re-jig its economic team.

His words: “People’s disposable income is being eroded, many are hungry and angry, local businesses are closing down, international businesses are relocating out of Nigeria, so many avalanches of challenges. This is a direct indicator that something is wrong with our fiscal policies, macro economy and largely our policymakers.”

Conflicting events have undermined reforms – CEO, Emerging Africa Capital

Speaking to Vanguard on the outlook for the Nigerian economy, Mrs Toyin Sanni, Group CEO, Emerging Africa Capital Group, said though the current hardship being experienced by Nigerians was induced by ‘bold reform initiatives’ of the present administration, she stated that promised turnaround is, however, filled with several conflicting events that have continued to mar progress of the initiatives.

She stated that the expectation for a turnaround is contingent upon various factors aligning and projected a 2025/2026 timeframe for any visible impact and changes in the economy.

She said: “In recent times, the economic landscape of Nigeria has been shaped by bold reforms initiated by the new administration. These reforms, though necessary, have resulted in significant economic hardships for the average Nigerian. The government’s stance remains one of perseverance, urging citizens to endure the current challenges with the promise of a brighter future.

“However, the path to this promised turnaround is fraught with complexities as several conflicting events and structural challenges have continued to undermine the progress of these initiatives.

“For example, while the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has taken an aggressive stance against inflation, raising interest rates from 18.5% in June 2023 to 26.8% in June 2024, inflation has continued to rise, touching 33.4% as of July 2024, a 28-year high. This is due to persistent challenges such as insecurity in food-producing regions, high logistics costs, inadequate transport infrastructure, and the ongoing depreciation of the naira. These factors have limited the effectiveness of the monetary tightening measures.”

Continuing, she stated: “The expectation for a turnaround is contingent upon several factors aligning effectively. Studies have shown that the impact of monetary policy changes, such as interest rate hikes, takes time to filter through the economy—often between 12 to 24 months. However, in Nigeria’s context, this period could be extended due to the underlying structural issues that amplify economic vulnerabilities. Therefore, a tangible turnaround in economic conditions might not be evident until late 2025 or early 2026, provided that complementary fiscal policies are also implemented effectively.”

Immediate realities remain difficult —Egbomeade

Responding to the economic hardship in the country, Clifford Egbomeade, Public Analyst & Communications expert said: “The economic hardship in Nigeria has been exacerbated by certain government policies, and while the government urges citizens to be patient and anticipates a future turnaround, the immediate reality remains difficult. It is difficult to predict the exact time frame for economic recovery, as it depends on the successful implementation of reforms, global economic trends, and domestic stability. Typically, significant improvements may begin to manifest within 2 to 3 years if the government effectively addresses key issues such as infrastructure development, inflation control, currency stabilization, and boosting local production. However, these changes will likely be gradual and not provide immediate relief’’.

Recommendations for a turnaround

For Nigeria to witness a lasting turnaround in its economic fortunes and improvements in the lives of the average citizen, Mrs Toyin Sanni, Group CEO, Emerging Africa Capital Group, highlighted the need for the government to strengthen security in agricultural regions, invest in infrastructure development, enhance policy coordination between government agencies, encourage private sector investment, support the development of technology and economic inclusion of women and youths.

She also emphasised the need for general societal and socioeconomic cohesion, strengthening of sociocultural ties and long-term economic diversification among others.

She stated: “The government must prioritize security in key food-producing areas. Addressing insecurity will not only boost agricultural output but also help stabilize food prices, which is crucial for controlling inflation. The government should fast-track investments in critical infrastructure, particularly in transportation and logistics. Improved infrastructure will reduce the cost of doing business, enhance competitiveness, and support economic growth.

“Effective policy coordination between the monetary and fiscal authorities is essential for a successful economic turnaround. The CBN’s efforts to control inflation must be complemented by government policies that promote growth and stability. This includes ensuring that fiscal measures do not counteract the effects of monetary policy. The government should create an enabling environment for private sector investment, particularly in critical infrastructure sectors. Public-private partnerships could play a vital role in addressing some of the infrastructural deficits and driving economic growth.

“Nigeria must accelerate efforts to diversify its economy away from oil dependency.

Investing in agriculture, manufacturing, and technology sectors will create more resilient and sustainable economic growth. The government should actively support the growth of the technology sector through the establishment of industrial parks, provision of subsidies, and funding opportunities for technology founders. These initiatives will foster innovation, create jobs, and position Nigeria as a hub for technological advancements in Africa,” she said.

Mrs Sanni added that, “Women and girls make up nearly half of Nigeria’s population, and citizens under 35 years old account for at least 70% of the population. However, the full potential of these groups is often constrained by unequal access to power and resources, along with exclusionary norms, practices, laws, and policies. To harness the full potential of Nigeria’s population, the government must prioritize the empowerment of women and youth by ensuring equitable access to education, resources, and opportunities.

“Nigeria, with its rich diversity of over 250 ethnic groups, has long faced challenges related to tribal tensions and ethnic divides. This has contributed to a lack of unity as well as insecurity in some regions of the country. To achieve national unity and foster economic progress, it is crucial to strengthen societal cohesion and sociocultural ties through shared prosperity across regions. The government must prioritize policies that promote inclusivity, reduce inequalities, and encourage dialogue across different communities to build a more harmonious and prosperous society,”

On recommendations for a possible turnaround, President of the Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), Dr. Femi Egbesola, said: “My immediate recommendation will be for the government to rejig the economic team if really we expect different results. There is also a need for the government to prioritize the immediate and remote welfare of the citizens, particularly in the areas of their immediate needs. The government should be intentional about fighting corruption headlong as it is the root cause of the other many challenges we now contend with and is the monster fighting against some of the laudable policies of the government.

“Fighting corruption will also make the government more transparent. When the government is transparent and its citizens are able to see and understand the workings of government, they will also be able to contribute to the government’s development agenda and will naturally be more cooperative. The government must focus heavily on improving the ease of doing business and developing the key economic sectors, one mainly is the MSME sector which creates 96! of businesses and employs 84% of the workforce. This sector which also includes agriculture, must be supported to grow and scale up to the point of not just sustaining our local production demands but should be able to actively export to earn enough forex to the country. We just must improve and support non-oil exports.”

On his recommendation to fix the economy, Prof. Uche Uwaleke, President, Association of Capital Market Academics of Nigeria, ACMAN, said: “Going forward, what has become obvious is that the energy sector requires urgent reforms beginning with the NNPCL. I also think that fiscal and monetary authorities must acknowledge that the Agric sector holds the key to lower inflation, job opportunities and inclusive economic growth and should join hands to tackle the challenges. On its part, the CBN should reform and resuscitate targeted interventions in the Agric value chain while at the same time rethinking the current monetary policy stance that over-relies on blunt traditional tools.”

In his recommendation, Clifford Egbomeade, Public Analyst & Communications expert said: ‘‘To facilitate a turnaround, the government should focus on policy reforms that prioritize economic diversification, job creation, and social safety nets to cushion the impact on vulnerable populations.”

Vanguard News Nigeria

The political commission of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says it was not consulted before the national caretaker committee of the Labour Party (LP) was constituted.

On Wednesday, the 29-member committee chaired by Nenadi Usman, a former minister, was set up following a stakeholders’ meeting of the party convened by Alex Otti, governor of Abia and the most senior elected government official of the party.

Earlier, Julius Abure, a factional chairman of the party, rejected calls for the stakeholders’ meeting.

Also, Callistus Okafor, another factional national chairman of the LP, declared the Usman-led caretaker committee illegal.

Okafor said Otti should provide a letter issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that recognised the meeting that he convened.

However, in a statement, Theophilus Ndubuaku, acting chairman of the commission, said the NLC acknowledged the committee.

Ndubuaku said the commission was not involved in the formation and selection of caretaker committee members, “especially such critical officers as chairman and secretary”.

Ndubuaku said the commission initiated the push for the removal of the Abure-led national working committee (NWC).

“Even though the commission and its NTC were not consulted, the commission believes that Peter Obi and Alex Otti are reasonable leaders who desire the unity, harmony, and rancour-free cohesion of the Labour Party,” the statement reads.

“We demand that the commission and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) be given the right to ratify the appointment of the chairman and secretary of the caretaker committee, as well as the composition of the remaining proposed 27 members of the committee.

“We also believe that if there is a need to expand the proposed national caretaker committee beyond their present proposed 29-member mark, they will do so.

“That will demonstrate that they are listening leaders who understand that every stakeholder, especially critical blocs like the NLC, TUC, and other entities of our party, should be carried along to have a sense of belonging for our overall membership growth, national expansion, and progress.”

[TheCable]

The EFCC on Friday, handed over 53 recovered vehicles and 180, 300 dollars to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on behalf of the victims of financial crimes in Canada.

Ola Olukoyede, Chairman of the anti-graft agency handed over the recovered assets to the representatives of RCMP in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that RCMP was represented by Nasser Sadiou, its Regional Officer, and Mr Robert Aboumitiri, First Secretary, Deputy High Commission of Canada, Nigeria.

Okukoyede said the vehicles were stolen from Canada and tracked to various car stands in Nigeria.

He said that nine of the vehicles were tracked to a customs port, where they were awaiting clearance.

According to him, 164, 000 U.S. dollars was recovered for a Canadian, Elena  Bogomas, in a romance scam, while 16, 300 U.S. dollars was also recovered for another Canadian, Sandra Butler.

He said one of the fraudsters used his proceeds to buy an estate and was later arrested, prosecuted and jailed, while the property was sold to recover the funds.

“It’s common knowledge that financial crimes have taken a new turn all across the globe.

“The people who perpetrate these crimes do it in such a way that we discover that their activities are quite borderless and barbaric,” he said.

 According to him, they employ all kinds of means to ensure that they move across various jurisdictions.

“That’s why it has become very necessary and imperative for us to collaborate with our friends across the world. People share the same objective and mandate with us.

“What the EFCC is doing today is doing on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“It is also demonstrating the fact that the President has given us the mandate to extend our hands to ensure that this particular problem is resolved and that is exactly what we are doing here today,” he said.

Olukoyede said the exercise was a demonstration of the EFCC’s commitment to inter-agency cooperation in the country.

He said it was also a demonstration of the fact that the Nigerian government does not tolerate financial crimes.

“Not only that, we are going to pursue it, because not only that, we will investigate, we will recover, we will prosecute and we will ensure that the victim is restituted.

“We have recovered money, financial assets, and also we have recovered vehicles on behalf of the victims in Canada.

 “As a matter of fact, the  53 vehicles were recovered on behalf of the victims.

“In one instance, we had 164,000 U.S. dollars given to a Canadian victim known as Elena Bogomas.

“Also, we have here, which we will present to you today, another sum of 16,300 U.S. dollars stolen from another victim known as Sandra Butler,” he said.

Sadiou, in his remarks after the signing of documents for the transfer of the recovered assets, thanked the Government of Nigeria and the EFCC in the fight against corruption.

“I am really happy to be here. I feel like being home. I am very happy with the recovery and we appreciate the EFCC on the job they have done.

“It is a testimony of your professionalism and commitment in the combat against financial crimes.

“EFCC is one of the key partners in the fight against financial crimes in the world and West Africa in particular,” he said.

Aboumitiri in his remarks, lauded the partnership between the Canadian government and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

He said the partnership had been yielding positive results 

Al Nassr of Saudi Pro League superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo fired a not-so-subtle message to archrival Lionel Messi after scoring his 900th career goal, saying Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph is ‘equivalent’ to winning a World Cup.

The 39-year-old iconic football star, who has had a near career-long rivalry with Messi, reached the remarkable milestone on Thursday’s night as Portugal opened their Nations League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Croatia.

It was a mixed night for Ronaldo’s former Manchester United team-mate Diogo Dalot in Lisbon, with the defender breaking the deadlock early on before directing the ball into his own net at the other end of the pitch.

Fortunately for Dalot, Ronaldo’s 34th-minute strike proved decisive and Roberto Martinez’s men held firm to secure maximum points from the heavyweight clash at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz.

Metro.co.uk reports that after volleying Nuno Mendes’ inviting cross beyond Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, Ronaldo dropped to his knees and broke down in tears, clearly overcome with emotion at his astonishing achievement.

Ronaldo and team will look to maintain their 100 per cent record in the competition when they play host to Scotland in their second Group A contest on Sunday evening.

Speaking to the media after becoming the first player in history to score 900 goals, Ronaldo insisted that ‘enjoying football’ was now his sole motivation – rather than winning the World Cup.

“Portugal winning Euros is equivalent to winning a World Cup,” the veteran attacker said.

‘I’ve already won two trophies for Portugal that I really wanted. I’m not motivated by that.

‘I’m motivated by enjoying football and the records come naturally.’ Ronaldo added: ‘Scoring 900 goals seems like any other milestone, but only I know how hard it is to work every day to score your 900th goal.

‘It’s a unique milestone in my career. ‘I don’t break records… they haunt me!,” Ronaldo said.

[Leadership]

Sheikh Bashar Danfili, a renowned cleric in Sokoto state, has sought financial assistance from the general public after bandits kidnapped six of his relatives on their way to an undisclosed village in the state.

In a short video posted on social media platforms, the cleric said the victims include a man, his mother, stepmother, two wives and sister.

He said the bandits had demanded huge amount of money which they could not raise,  adding that the deadline was fast approaching.

Danfili said: “The bandits have kidnapped my close relatives. I don’t want to disclose their names.

“They were on their way to a village when they were attacked and kidnapped.

“Their driver was killed on the spot and the bandits fed their dogs with his flesh.

“But the rest are still in captivity, including a husband, his mother, stepmother, two wives and his sister.

“The bandits have demanded a huge amount of money, which runs into millions of Naira. We cannot raise it.

“I am a scholar, I don’t have anything. My job is only to teach people with the books that you can see behind me.

“And they gave us deadline within which the money must be paid or they would kill all of them.

“I know they can do that, looking at what happened recently to a traditional ruler in the state, who was killed by his abductors.

“Therefore, I am pleading for help from the general public so that we can be able to pay the ransom and get them released.”

[DailyTrust]

The federal government has flagged off the sale of 30,000 metric tonnes of milled rice to public servants with duly registered National Identification Number (NIN) to curb racketeering. The move is parts of efforts to crash the prices of food in Nigerian markets.

President Bola Tinubu, who was represented at the flag off by Abubakar Kyari, the minister of agriculture and food security, said the intervention will be sold strictly “one man to one bag or one woman to one bag”.

He said the rice — which is to be sold at a flat rate of N40,000 naira only for 50kg — is the federal government intervention for the sales of subsidised milled rice to ameliorate the prevailing food crises in Nigeria.

“This food intervention can be said to be timely considering the times and challenges we are in as citizens of this great nation,” he said.

“As one of the numerous efforts of the present administration to cushion the effect of high cost of food commodities, kindly join me to applaud the immense efforts of the present administration such as the release of 42,000MT of Assorted Food Commodities (AFC) to vulnerable and the 30,000MT of milled rice which is being flagged-off for sales to Nigerians today 5th September, 2024.”

The minister blamed COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine war, climate change amidst other localized factors/challenges for the high cost of food prices.

“This has led to increase concern and risk of food insecurity and general decline in the standard of living globally. I therefore urge us to understand that the present challenges are not peculiar to our great country,” he said.

He added that the federal government being aware of the potential challenges associated with the sales of an important staple such as rice, at this critical period has deployed a multi-disciplinary machinery of Government, as well put in place certain processes and conditions to ensure the transparency, wider reach and success of this exercise.

“This includes one man one 50kg of rice, others are the verification of intending beneficiaries using relevant identification mediums such as the National Identification Number (NIN) and phone numbers to forestall multiple access to this food commodity by fraudulent individuals at the detriment of other citizens,” he said.

He implored citizens to cooperate with the relevant citizens to achieve the initiative.

“Let us work together to ensure that the dream of the present administration to upheld the fundamental right to food for all Nigerians is achieved. It is expected that with the injection 30,000MT (1000 trucks of 30MT each of this important staple into Nigeria food balance sheet, it will not only crash the price of rice but also other closer food substitutes and alternatives.”

He called on Nigerians to remain steadfast and be patient with Mr. President as his numerous efforts to enhance Food security will soon begin to pay off.

The director, food and strategic reserve of the ministry, Haruna Sule Abutu outlined the procedure to buy the subsidised rice.

“To qualify for the one person one bag, you must have National Identification Number, of course you have phone numbers and those in public service are all registered under the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) platform,” he said.

“Once you have any of these three, at the point of sale, with the NIN logged into the system, a code number and a Treasury receipt will be generated, and with that the buyer can get to the collection center and pick up his bag. The receipt will indicate, time and point of collection to eliminate stampede.”

[BusinessDay]