As the story of the non-guilty verdict of Benjamin Mendy fills the air today, down here in Nigeria, a Magistrate Court sitting in Kaura, Nasarawa state also today found one Josiah Moses not guilty of rape allegations he was accused of in 2019 after he had spent about four years in prison before he was found not guilty and released today.

Benjamin Mendy, the former Manchester City football star was in October 2022 accused of raping a 24-year-old woman, similarly, a 29 years old woman also alleged that the football star molested and attempted to rape her two years earlier. He was found innocent of the rape and the attempted rape allegations and was released today after months of being behind bars.

Well, Benjamin Mendy and Josiah Moses who were both found not guilty and released today were even fortunate enough to not have lost their lives from the ordeal, unlike one late Izu who could not take the framing and accusations and was forced to take his life in 2020. The story of Izu is always evergreen in my memory, a budding fashion designer in his early 20s. His name was added to the list of rapists that was circulated on Twitter. He reached out to the compilers of the list to clear his name, his accuser confirmed that Izu never raped or attempted to rape her but she won’t take his name off the list of rapists. Izu could not take it anymore and he had to commit suicide to end it all.

Understandably, it is a societal thing that when it involves rape everyone gets sentimental and emotional and sides with the accuser or the presumed victim while the accused person loses the benefit of doubt or the presumption of innocence as provided by the Constitution. Immediately you are accused of rape, there is the likelihood that everyone, including the investigators and prosecutors, even your family and friends will believe your accuser over you, even when you are framed.

As a lawyer, I cannot count how many persons I have encountered who are languishing in prison detention for false rape accusations. Some are still in prison because they are indigent and cannot afford a lawyer to help them out, in fact, Josiah Moses was not able to afford a lawyer, he was represented pro bono. Just imagine if our office had not come along to represent him free of charge he wouldn’t have been out yet.

People like the late Izu have lost their lives by being falsely accused of rape, people like Benjamin Mendy will forever have their lives and careers ruined, and people like Josiah Moses suffered and lost a whole four years of his life; all these incidents and many more poses the question, whether there is a punishment for false rape accusers, if there is, is it commensurate or stringent enough to deter mischief makers from falsely accusing persons of rape?

As the punishment for rape in most jurisdictions of the world is a life sentence, nobody cares if you are framed or not, if you are not able to prove that you didn’t do it you will be jailed for life for something that you didn’t do, the same way should the punishment for false accusation of rape attract a life jail term but no, that is not the case; in the UK the accusers of Benjamin Mendy is likely going to pay just £2000 as a fine and or some months in jail and that will be it while back home in Nigeria, there is no provision for any punishment not even monetary fine against the false accusers of Josiah Moses. The worst he can do is to seek monetary compensation from the state and not from his accuser since it is the state that prosecuted him.

Nigerian laws should be amended to provide punishment for false rape accusers, not just some punishment but a stringent one. Lying under oath to incriminate a person itself is perjury which is a crime punishable with at least 14 years jail term as provided in S. 118 of the criminal code act and if the perjurer lies to incriminate a person for an offense punishable with a death sentence or life sentence, the accuser is to be punished with life jail term. False rape accusers should be prosecuted under the provisions of section 118 of the criminal code since they lied under oath to incriminate another, but this is yet to be the case.

Aside from false rape accusers being prosecuted for perjury and sent to jail, they should as well be made to pay substantial monetary compensation to the accused, compensating him for the stain on his name and for the lost time. The name of a false rape accuser should as well be on public record so that anyone interested can access and see it.

Once people are aware that if you accuse someone of rape and it ends up being a false accusation, you will be made to pay heavily for it, there will be little or no false rape accusations and innocent persons won’t be losing their lives and be sent to jail for something they did not do.

As a disclaimer, I as an individual and also as a legal practitioner condemns rape in its totality and I believe that no punishment melted on a rapist is enough but my submission is while rapists are being punished, false rape accusers should as well be punished, with that we can minimize the case of false rape accusations which are most times concocted as a vendetta by scorned lovers or angry exes. The side effect no doubt is that it may discourage genuine rape victims to come forward but as a principle of natural Justice postulates that it is better and more satisfactory for ten guilty persons to go free than one innocent person to be punished, we can live with rapists going scot free than innocent people falsely accused being punished for the offence they didn’t commit.

Stan Alieke is a legal practitioner. 

Speculations have emerged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other senators, including Adeola Yayi, allegedly padded President Bola Tinubu’s palliative budget with over N200 billion.

According to SaharaReporters, the Senate President and some of his colleagues allegedly took advantage of the amendment of the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act to pad the budget by over N200 billion.

Naija News recalls that the Senate on Thursday approved Tinubu’s request to appropriate N500 billion for palliatives to cushion the effects of the removal of the petrol subsidy on Nigerians.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), who sponsored the motion which was given accelerated passage by the Senate, had said, “Mr. President, my highly esteemed colleagues, permit me to lead the Debate on this very important Bill which seeks to authorize the issuance of the sum of Five Hundred Billion (N500, 000, 000, 000.00 Naira only

“This sum has been extracted from the 2022 Supplementary Appropriations Act of Eight Hundred and Nineteen Billion, Five Hundred and Thirty-Six Million, Nine Hundred and Thirty-Seven Thousand, Eighth Hundred and Fifteen (819, 536, 937, 815.00) Naira only for the provision of Palliatives to Nigerians to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.”

The Senate followed an earlier approval by the House of Representatives, to amend the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act.

The N500 billion will be taken from the N819 billion Supplementary Appropriation Act.

However, sources have disclosed to SaharaReporters that Akpabio (Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District), Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau (Kano North Senatorial District), and Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly called Yayi (Ogun West Senatorial District) were the significant architects of the budget padding.

One of the sources said, “Akpabio and Adeola Yayi inserted over N200 billion into Tinubu’s palliative budget. They padded in more than N200 billion in the amended 2022 supplementary budget.”

Another source also revealed that some senators, including the Chief Whip, Ali Ndume (Borno South), opposed the act

“Senator Ali Ndume and others opposed it vehemently. Many senators walked out, but Senator Akpabio still went ahead and passed the fraud.

“Akpabio, Senator Jibrin Barau, and Senator Adeola Yayi are the major architects of the budget padding,” another source said.

Documents obtained by SaharaReporters show how funds were allocated under the column -2022 supplementary amendment (New amount) for projects that hitherto had no allocations under column – 2022 supplementary bill (Amount).

For instance, N1 billion was suddenly earmarked for the “supply of Tricycles (Keke NAPEP) to the underprivileged in the society,” N2 billion was allocated to the “construction of public buildings in various communities and villages,” N4 billion was earmarked for rehabilitation and construction of selected critical roads while N2 billion was allocated for the “construction of block of 3 classrooms with furniture and toilet, construction and furnishing of skills acquisition centres and construction of primary healthcare centres with furniture in some selected communities and towns”.

Other include N500 million for the construction of Edi Road, Sabo Market and Ilaro Township Road, Yewa South, Ogun State; N1 billion for the construction of roads in Imeko, Afon, Iwoye, and Obada, Ogun State; N1 billion for the construction of Ilashe-Agbara Road, Agbara Ado Odo-Ota in Ogun; N1 billion for the construction of market square -Fadama Ring Road, Imasayi, Yewa North and Ota Lafenwa Road section 1, Ota, Ogun State.

N800 million for police barracks, Old Baggage Link Road, Ode Ogun Idiroko, Ogun State

-N700 million for the construction of some rural roads in Ikot Ekpene LGA, Akwa Ibom, to enhance agricultural output

-N1.25 billion for the construction of some rural roads in Essien Udim LGA to improve farm produce

N1.25 billion for the construction of Afama Ikot Ebak, Ikot Akpan Essiet, Ura Kpan Ikot Ukpang, and Ikot Ebie OkonRoads to boost agricultural output N1.25 billion

-N400 million for the construction of Ibi Akpan-Not Akan/Old Federal Government College Roads to boost farm produce.

-N1.25 billion for the construction of some rural roads in Abiakpo Ikot Essien-Ikono to ease the movement of farm produce.

N1.25 billion for the construction of some rural roads in Abiakpo Ikot Essien-Ikono to ease the movement of farm produce-N1 billion for enhancing agricultural output by constructing all-in-one solar street lights on some roads in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, Abak LGA and Essien Udim.

N2 billion for the repair of flood-prone sections along the Abuja-Keffi expressway (Abuja bound) from Km 0+000 – Km 9+400 and construction of township road in Bare-Bari Bauya and Lailai in Yobe State-N1 billion for the supply of brand-new Toyota/Lexus Jeeps-N1 billion for the supply and installation of 300 KVA/500KVA transformers and electrification in selected towns and villages-N2 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of critical roads in south-south and southeast of the country-N2.5 billion for the construction and maintenance of critical roads linking selected towns-N2.5 billion for the provision of 3 x 300 KVA solar mini-grid and solar streetlights in selected communities-N3 billion for mini-grid and other solar-powered installations on selected locations and roads

-N3 billion for the construction of roads and other infrastructure in some selected areas -N3 billion for the reconstruction/construction of classrooms and provision of furniture in areas affected by flood and some selected areas-N2 billion to repairs on flood-prone sections along Abuja-Keffi Expressway-N900 million for the rehabilitation of Dan Fodiyo Teaching Hospital Annex Argungu Phase 1 in Kebbi State-N1 billion for the construction of Section I of Iyin-Ilawe Ekiti State-N1 billion for the construction of Section II of Iyin-Ilawe Ekiti State-N1 billion for the construction of inner roads in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State-N1 billion for the construction of inner roads in Ijero Ekiti, Ekiti State-N70 billion for the provision of operational vehicles for members, office equipment, furniture fittings and other capital items for the 10th National Assembly.

The First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, on Friday, urged wives of the 36 state governors to use their positions meaningfully.

Mrs Tinubu urged the governor’s wives to use the position they are in to positively impact not only the lives of people in their states but also that of other Nigerians.

The First Lady gave the advise when she hosted the wives of the 36 state governors.

Her meeting with the governor’s wives was to formally introduce and acquaint them with the objectives and the mission of the Renewed Hope Initiative.

This was contained in a statement signed by Mrs Tinubu’s spokesperson, Busola Kukoyi, titled, ‘First Lady Sen Oluremi Tinubu CON meets with Wives of Governors on Renewed Hope Initiative’.

While congratulating the wives of the governors on the successful conduct of the 2023 elections which brought their husbands to office, Mrs Tinubu reminded them that it is time to keep promises made during the elections.

She said she would require the support of the wives of the state governors to reach every nook and cranny of the country.

The First Lady assured the governors’ wives that the RHI will not interfere with their personal programmes and projects, adding that their support would be impactful.

She said, “I wish to remind each of us that the exalted positions we are in today should be seen as an opportunity to impact more meaningfully, not only in the lives of people in your states but Nigeria as a whole”.

While speaking with journalists after the meeting, the wife of Kwara State Governor, Amb. Olufolake Abdulrazak assured Tinubu of her willingness and commitment of the wives of the governors to support RHI.

She said they would go back and elect zonal coordinators to ensure that the grassroots are reached.

She also confirmed that RHI will not in any way affect their individual projects in their various states but instead complement their efforts.

The Renewed Hope Initiative is a pet project of the Office of the First Lady.

A bill seeking to establish a Federal University of Information and Communication Technology in Lagos State has passed its first reading in the House of Representatives.

The bill was sponsored by Hon Philip Agbese (APC-Benue), representing Ado/ Okpokwu/ Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, on Thursday, July 13, 2023.

Speaking during plenary, Agbese said the proposed institution, which will be the first of its kind in Nigeria, will be groundbreaking and revolutionary.

He said in a world now driven by information and communication technology, a corresponding citadel of learning is long-overdue in our nation.

Highlighting some of the benefits, Agbese said: “With ingenuity and drive, young Nigerians would invent fundamental technologies, launch new industries, and create millions of local jobs.

“The university would bridge the mastery and skill-set gap toward our march to a knowledge-based economy.

“This proposed institution will also advance knowledge in science, information, communication technology, and other areas that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

“It will provide quality educational programs to serve those seeking a solid foundation in skills to be competitive in the job market and to obtain successful employment involving the application of space-age information technologies.”

He, therefore, expressed confidence that the proposed university will “bring succour to many gifted Nigerians in the ICT ecosystem who are often denied admission into conventional universities.”

On the choice of its location, Agbese noted that Lagos as the economic capital of Nigeria is the most sophisticated and cosmopolitan state in the country.

He said most multinational companies and top ICT firms are domiciled there, adding that Lagos Island is the heartbeat of the state.

My wife and I vacationed in Jamaica for a week a few weeks ago both to decompress from our busy lives here in the United States and to explore and soak in the gorgeous, pristine beaches and rich, riveting history of Jamaica, the island nation of fewer than 3 million people, which nonetheless has an outsized global cultural influence that belies its modest size and population.

When we landed in Kingston, the Jamaican capital, it felt like I was in Nigeria, which I haven’t visited since June 2016. The sights, sounds, and smells of this brisk, bustling city struck me as distinctly West African, even Nigerian. Everywhere I turned, I saw people who reminded me of the family members, friends, and acquaintances I left in Nigeria.

I shouldn’t be surprised because it’s common knowledge that a little over 90 percent of Jamaicans trace ancestral provenance to West Africa.  The ancestors of most modern Jamaicans were enslaved to the Americas mostly from the Akan and Ashanti people in Ghana and from the Yoruba, Igbo, and Ibibio people of Nigeria. But it’s still astonishing how remarkably West African these people still are after hundreds of years of separation from their origins.

Kingston looks and feels like the stereotypical African city. The hustle and bustle of the city, the open markets, the street food, the ever-present, often needless, honks from the horns of motorists, the haggling over prices of most things, the uneasy co-mixing of spotless prosperity and grubby poverty, etc. remind you of a typical city in West Africa even though Jamaica is just a two-hour flight from Atlanta in the United States.

We went there as tourists, but we were indistinguishable from the locals—until we spoke, that is. I had never felt more at home in a foreign country than I did in Jamaica. It wasn’t only redolent of home, that is, Nigeria, it felt truly like home. Even the flora and fauna of the country evoked memories of my growing up in Nigeria because Jamaica is in the tropics.

 I saw weed, grass, flowers, and fruits that I grew up with in my hometown whose names I don’t know in English and that I have never seen in the United States. In some parts of the country, we encountered savannah vegetation. In other parts, we saw rainforest vegetation—like you would in many West African countries. This redounded to the sensation of familiarity we felt throughout our stay there. 

Afrocentrism is mainstream here. So are Rastafarianism and belief in African spirituality even for people who profess Christianity. For instance, Obiism, which we call juju or jazz in Nigeria, is rife not just in Jamaica but in the entire Caribbean islands. Juju men or medicine men are called “Obeah men.” Scholars have traced the etymology of Obeah to dibia, the Igbo term for medicine man.

 Skin bleaching is negligible. Race pride is sky high. People here embrace their Africanness with fierce pride. When people discovered we were Nigerians their attitudes changed toward us: they became exceptionally friendly and protective without expectation of reward.

For example, when we visited the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum, a Kingston neighborhood where Bob Marley grew up and which has the distinction of being the birthplace of reggae music, the head of the place called my wife and I “queen and king” because we said we were from Nigeria.

She was sitting comfortably in her easy chair when we were ushered into her office. She probably first assumed that we were Black Americans. The moment we said we were from Nigeria, she instinctively got off from her seat in a show of reverence that both discomfited and surprised me. She said we were their brother and sister from the motherland, “our queen and our king.” It later occurred to me that it wasn’t us as Maureen and Farooq that she was in awe of; it was what we represented to her. We symbolized her West African ancestors.

She wasn’t alone. Everyone in Trench Town, from the tour guide to random people in the streets who recognized us as Nigerians, treated us with noteworthy kindness and fraternal love. One man whom our tour guide told we were from Nigeria gave us his umbrella for free because it was drizzling as we walked toward a part of the town Bob Marley memorably described as a “concrete jungle” in one of his songs.

 When I asked how he would get his umbrella back, he said we could take it with us. He was overcome with emotions that we were Nigerians who came to visit Jamaica and connect with our long-lost cousins. It almost made me shed a tear. We gave the umbrella back to the tour guide to return it to him. 

It was an inexplicably surreal sensation when we walked the streets that Bob Marley walked as a child and sat on the bed he slept in for years after he left his mother in Delaware in the United States and returned to Jamaica. The room, which is just a few meters away from his guardian’s room in a multi-family, tree-studded compound that is reminiscent of a traditional West African home, inspired the famous “Three Little Birds” song. 

The dingy little room is located in a part of the compound that causes, even forces, you to rise up in the morning “with the risin' sun.” And the verdant, arboreal abundance of the compound invited, still invites, birds to perch on trees and descend on the ground to sing sweet songs. That was the sentiment Marley captured when he sang, “Three little birds/Pitch by my doorstep/Singin' sweet songs/Of melodies pure and true.” 

Our visit to the home Bob Marley built and lived in on 56 Hope Road in Kingston until his death (which has been converted to the Bob Marley Museum) was no less thrilling. In his bedroom, Marley created a special space for gifts he got from different parts of Africa, which is still carefully preserved. 

A major highlight of the tour of the Bob Marley Museum was an interaction with the warm, avuncular, and pleasant Bongo Herman, Bob Marley’s percussionist and contemporary. Herman, who is 79 and was born Herman Davis, spotted me in the crowd of tourists and motioned me to come. He asked if I was African. I answered in the affirmative and added that I was Nigerian. 

He said he suspected I was Nigerian but didn’t want to be wrong by being too specific. It turned out that he had visited Nigeria—and several African countries—many times and collaborated with scores of African, including Nigerian, musicians. I would also mistake him for a Nigerian if I met him anywhere. He looks every bit like an Igbo man from Umuahia!

We also spent some time in Montego Bay, which is the commercial nerve center of Jamaica. It’s saner, gentler, wealthier, and more beautiful than Kingston. Its serenity and marble splendor remind me of Abuja.

But in spite of its many similarities with Nigeria, Jamaica bests Nigeria in the human development index. It’s a higher middle income country. Nigeria is a lower middle income country. The Jamaican dollar is way stronger than the naira. And Jamaica’s infrastructure is more virile than Nigeria’s. Electricity is constant in the cities we visited. Only natural disasters cause power outages, locals told us. Unlike Nigeria, Jamaica has no natural resources. Tourism is its major source of revenue.

Nonetheless, Nigeria’s influence is growing in this island nation. Afrobeats is everywhere and is threatening to upend reggae. Early this year, Jamaican Opposition Leader Mark Golding lamented that "Afrobeats is eating our food," which is a reference to the progressively diminishing influence of Jamaican music as a direct consequence of the rise of Afrobeats.

In spite of this, everyday folks in Jamaica love Nigeria. For some reason, former President Goodluck Jonathan is hugely popular here. Most Jamaicans who discovered that we were Nigerians never failed to ask after Goodluck Jonathan. It was in Montego Bay that a taxi driver told us that Jamaicans love Jonathan because when he visited the country, he offered to sell petrol to the country at cheaper prices than they get from Venezuela but that their leaders spurned the offer.

 They also said he kept his promise to enable direct flights from Nigeria to Jamaica. I haven’t confirmed the accuracy of these claims, but Jonathan is by far the most popular Nigerian leader in Jamaica.

You can’t write about Jamaica without talking about Jamaican Patois, which shares historical and linguistic affinities with West African Pidgin English. I thought because I could make sense of written Jamaican Patois based on my knowledge of Nigerian Pidgin English, I wouldn’t have trouble understanding spoken Jamaican Patois. Wrong.

“Good night” means “good evening.” If you understand “good night” to be the conversational expression of goodbye, there will be a communication breakdown, like there was between my wife and our hotel receptionist. And if you don’t understand anything, just say, “Yah, man!” It’s an all-purpose interjection for almost everything—or so it seems.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has stripped Nigeria of the gold medal won in the women’s 4×100 meters event at Birmingham 2022.

The quartet of Tobi Amusan, Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma and Grace Nwokocha claimed gold in the 4×100 meters race during last year’s Commonwealth Games (CWG).

Nwokocha, who ran the anchor leg for Nigeria, however, failed a doping test during the competition after ostarine and lingadrol were found in her sample A urine.

Consequently, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) handed her a provisional suspension, banning her from the sport.

“The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) can confirm that the Commonwealth Games Federation Court has issued their decision regarding an in-competition sample provided by Ms Nwokocha, who competed in Athletics at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games,” the statement reads.

The federation added that Nwokocha’s case has been forwarded to AIU for further consequence.

Following the court verdict, England, which initially finished second, will get the gold medal, Jamaica will be upgraded to silver while Australia will have the bronze.

[TheCable]

The deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu, has said the N70 billion National Assembly (NASS) Infrastructure was not to be drawn from the N500 billion approved for palliatives by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.

Kalu gave this clarification when he led the principal officers of the House to meet journalists on the heels of the passage of a bill, amending the N819 billion 2022 supplementary budget to extract N500 billion for palliatives.

According to the components of the amended appropriation act, N500 billion was for palliatives and other capital expenditure to cushion the effect of recent subsidy removal policy and N185 billion for Ministry of Works and Housing to alleviate the impact of the severe flooding experienced in the country.

Others are N19 billion for Federal Ministry of Agriculture to ameliorate the massive destruction to farmlands across the country during the severe flooding experienced last year, N35 billion to National Judicial Council, N10 billion to Federal Capital Territory Administration for critical projects and N70 billion to National Assembly.

Kalu said, “What we did today was not just for the palliatives so that the narrative that will be out there will not be that we passed palliative bill to take care of the Judicial Commission, to take care of National Assembly.

“It is the National Assembly infrastructure that we are talking about when we mentioned component that has to do with National Assembly for infrastructure. But the major part of the whole bill we passed today was to help Nigerians who due to the removal of subsidy are feeling the impact.

“There are various components of that bill, that bill did not speak about one component. That bill which is about N819 billion was not only for palliatives and so the breakdown was not only for palliatives, discussion was not only about palliatives,” he said.

Nigerian banks are beginning to lift the embargo placed on the use of naira cards for international transactions almost a year after they suspended the service.

Wema Bank on Friday told its customers they can begin to use their naira master cards for international transactions.

“It’s time to enjoy seamless transactions and make purchases internationally. You can now use your Naira cards, including Mastercard, ALAT Mastercard, and Visa, for international spending.,” Wema Bank said in a message to customers.

But the bank maintained a monthly transaction limit of $500.

“You can now use your Naira cards, including Mastercard, ALAT Mastercard, and Visa, for international spending. For your international transactions, you can enjoy up to $500 per month,” Wema said.

Following Nigeria’s foreign exchange crunch that lingered for years, banks began to suspend the use naira card for international transactions.

First Bank of Nigeria Limited, had, on September 30, suspended international transactions on its naira Mastercard, citing “current market realities on foreign exchange.”

GTBank suspended online and PoS transactions with naira cards, effective from December 31, 2022.

Standard Chartered Bank suspended international transactions on its naira visa debit card in July 2022.

Zenith Bank Plc informed its customers that it has temporarily suspended the use of Zenith Bank Naira cards for International Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cash withdrawals and PoS transactions.

Before the decision, banks had in March 2022 limited monthly card spending limit for web transactions from $100 to $20.

An Igbo interest group, Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) has condemned plans by President Bola Tinubu to pay N8,000 to 12 million households as subsidy palliative.

The N8,000 stipend is to be paid monthly within a duration of six months to homes of low income earners.

Speaking via a press statement signed by its President General, Goodluck Ibem, the group described the plan as a Greek gift.

They insisted that it is impossible for a meagre sum of N8,000 to thoroughly cushion the hardship caused by the fuel subsidy removal.

The group said: “It is a Greek Gift for President Tinubu to say he wants to pay 12 million Nigerians N8000 a month when he is the same person that makes it impossible to use N8000 just to cook a pot of soup for a family of three, by removing fuel subsidy which has been paid for till July 2023 by the former administration.”

Speaking further, they alleged that Tinubu’s plan was simply to siphon the resources of the nation.

They insisted that it was the same thing ploy the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Umar Farouq did under president Muhammadu Buhari administration.

“This was the same thing the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Umar Farouq did, under President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The said Minister was collecting N500 billion every month from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for the same purpose Tinubu wants to start now, but no household was seen benefiting from the said programme. It was just a conduit pipe used to loot the nation’s treasury dry.”

“Nigerians are not finding it easy to feed, pay transport fares and take care of other necessities as the prices of goods and services have skyrocketed because of the increased cost of fuel, diesel and other petroleum products.

“Nigerians are sick and tired of being deceived by those in power.

“We want programmes that will have a direct bearing on the people and not what will lead Nigerians into more suffering and abject poverty as is being experienced today because of the removal of fuel subsidy,” they added.

Prof Magnus Kpakol on Friday expressed support for subsidy on fuel production as opposed to consumption, citing Canada and the United States as economies implementing similar policies.

Kpakol’s remarks came on the heels of the Federal Government’s proposal to transfer N8,000 to 12 million poor households in the country, as part of its efforts to mitigate the economic pains brought on by the removal of fuel subsidy.

The six-month palliative plan was contained in a letter President Bola Tinubu wrote to the House of Representatives regarding an $800 million World Bank loan request of the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration for the social safety net programme.

This came barely a month after President Bola Tinubu declared in his inaugural speech that “fuel subsidy is gone” which was soon followed by assurances to millions of Nigerians.

Kpakol, who made a virtual appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, acknowledged the Tinubu administration for “trying” to end the subsidy regime, but highlighted the uphill battle.

“I admit we did not need the kind of fuel subsidy that we were getting. Even in Canada, where I am now, over 11 years ago, they made away with their own fuel subsidy programmes, although they still subsidise fossil fuels, but at the production level,” he said.

“So, in many countries, even the United States, there’s a subsidy at the production level, not so much at the consumption level. So, I understand that.

“But it is not easy for the (Tinubu) administration to tackle this problem, and then try to say they’ve left something that they could have done on the table. They are facing a very difficult situation and they’re attempting to try and resolve that by doing what they have done.”

A Reuters report published in March noted that calculating the cost of U.S. subsidies for the fossil fuel industry is complex because the incentives stretch across the U.S. tax code, but it added that estimates range from $10 to $50 billion per year.

In another report Friday, The Canadian Press indicated that Canada is set to fulfil a 14-year-old promise by G20 countries to wean fossil-fuel companies off of government subsidies that encouraged “wasteful” consumption and undermined efforts to slow climate change.

Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault also said new policy guidelines were underway dictating the circumstances under which future federal investments could still flow to Canadian oil and gas firms.

[Channels Tv]