The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) spokesperson, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has said that no Nigerian leader would be worse than the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari.

Reflecting on eight years of the previous administration, Baba-Ahmed said the former president left the seat of power with more challenges than he met.

According to him, Buhari came into power with enthusiasm that he would fight corruption, insecurity and a bad economy. But that he things became worse under him.

Naija News understands that Baba-Ahmed said this when asked during an interview if he expect things to be different under the incumbent administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Eight years ago, when President Buhari came, he cleared all checkpoints, removed Service Chiefs, and ordered the military to relocate to Borno, then Boko Haram was chased and limited substantially. These were greeted by the same euphoria. There was enthusiasm that he would fight corruption, insecurity, and a bad economy. But look at where we are now after eight years. We are worse than when he came in. Certainly, the entire country had not been in the situation before. So, forgive me if the Northern Elders Forum has a different perspective on the euphoria as a result of the tentative action or salvo being released by President Tinubu against the economy, corruption and service chiefs, and others. I will rather exercise some reservations. It is good he is starting with some policies, but he has to be very careful, he should not rush into putting in policies just because he wants to be different from Buhari. Although by all means, any worst government will be better than Buhari’s government of misrule, indifference, and incompetence. I am sorry if I don’t share your enthusiasm (about Tinubu). I will rather advise him to be different from Buhari and address those issues that needed to be addressed with courage and sensitivity. Buhari had lowered the bar of governance and lowered our status of existence; insecurity and poverty are more pronounced,” the NEF spokesperson told Vanguard.

Tinubu Must Be Careful Not To Repeat Buhari’s Failures
Baba-Ahmed cautioned President Tinubu to thread carefully not to repeat the same mistake Buhari made while in office.

He warned Tinubu not to get carried away by the euphoria of actions and picking points.

The NEF leader also urged the President to be careful about policies. He said: “For me, I will not rush but I also will not hesitate to put a distance between Tinubu’s administration and Buhari’s. Tinubu’s administration must be infinitely better because this country cannot stand another eight years of misgovernance, indifference, and incompetence.”

Tension has enveloped Amaraku Market in the Isiala Mbano council area of Imo state, following the stealing of a seven-month-old baby by a suspected child traffic syndicate, last Friday.

It was gathered the incident caused pandemonium within the area as residents continued to assist in the search for the missing child.

An eyewitness, who is a trader but does not want her name mentioned, narrated the incident saying a suspected child trafficker targeted the crying baby wrapped on her mother’s back, while the mother was selling at her shop.

The suspect approached the woman and offered to assist her carry the crying baby. She even collected a wrapper from the mother of the child.

However, as the mother of the child was busy selling her wares, the suspected child trafficker disappeared with the baby.

According to the eyewitness, “I was buying some foodstuff at Amaraku Market when a woman started shouting, ‘My baby, my baby, where is my baby?’

“She had given her seven-month-old baby out to a stranger, while she was selling okro and other vegetables because the baby was crying and disturbing.

“The stranger carried the baby on her back but later disappeared into the crowd. When the woman realised the woman was no longer in sight, she started shouting and crying.

“Other traders around helped to search for the woman but could not find her. The woman may have been charmed by the stranger because no one in her right senses will release her baby in such an environment with over ten thousand buyers and sellers.

“What is she going to tell her husband?”

At the time of filing this story the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, was yet to respond to the inquiry.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to forward names of ministerial nominees to the Senate for confirmation less than one month before the expiration of the constitutionally-mandated 60 days within which the Federal Executive Council (FEC) must be constituted.

Since his swearing-in on May 29th, Tinubu has taken some tough decisions, including the removal of fuel subsidy, suspension of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, and Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Abdulrasheed Bawa, sacking and appointment of new security chiefs, among others.

However, the new amendment to the 1999 Constitution, mandates the president and governors to submit the names of persons nominated as ministers or commissioners within 60 days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or state House of Assembly.

Currently on a three-week break, the Senate is expected to reconvene next Tuesday, ahead of the possible screening of ministerial nominees.

Speaking to Saturday Sun, an ally of President Tinubu disclosed that the delay in announcing the names is as a result of the realities the President met on the ground when he took office in May.

He stated that the former Lagos State Governor would submit the names of the ministerial nominees to the Senate before the middle of this month.

According to the source, Tinubu would find a way to balance the political equation in many states where there are conflicting interests in order not to face a rebellion from his allies.

He said Ogun, Kano, Delta, Kaduna, and Lagos, are among the key states where the President is facing serious headaches over conflicting interests.

Another ally of the President revealed that lobbyists angling for ministerial positions have been harassing close friends and allies of the President.

He accused some of the lobbyists of offering money to secure appointments as ministers, or heads of departments and agencies, including Federal Boards.

The source, a former governor, said some of the lobbyists have also reached out to traditional and religious leaders from the South West, who are believed to command the respect of President Tinubu.

While in power, the former President, Muhammadu Buhari GCFR sited the following projects in Daura, his hometown in Katsina state. The Federal Polytechnic Daura, Airforce Reference Hospital, Daura, Women and Children Hospital, Daura, University of Transportation, Daura, Kano-Maradi rail line will pass through Daura, School for People with Special Needs, Daura, Nigeria Airforce Response Air Wing, Daura, Nigeria Army 171 Battalion Base, Daura and the Forwarding Operating Base, Daura, National Directorate of Employment Centre, Ganga, Daura, Upgrade and Expansion of Daura Mini-Stadium, Sustainable Development Goals Skills Acquisition Centre, Zango Road, Daura, Completion of the Sabke Dam, Daura supplies 1m litres od water to Daura and neighbouring communities, Several SDG School Projects in Daura, 73km 132KVA line from Katsina to Daura and two 30 and 40 MVA transformers to boost power supply, Dualization of the 72km Katsina-Daura road, 50 bed maternity Centre at the Daura General Hospital built under the name of the First Lady, Sir Emeka Offor E-Library, Daura, 400,000 litres capacity solar powered water system by NNPC and Belema oil in a joint venture with Jack-Rich Tein Foundation, NDE Cosmetology training and distribution of Cosmetology packs to 1000 women in Daura, 330KV /132KV power substation, Daura, among others.

He sited these projects in the spirit of nepotism. Since 1999, many of our governors have done the same. Former President Buhari GCFR did not take this action because he is a Fulani man. I know of many Fulanis both powerful and ordinary who do not practice the act of nepotism but who are fair, generous, considerate and objective. Former President Buhari did it because he is Muhammadu Buhari. He was not acting the script of any religion or tribe. No Nigerian leader has been worse in terms of nepotism than President Buhari. It is my hope that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR or any future Nigerian leader will not follow the path of General Buhari.

I am always guided by the conclusion of Mr Paul Kenyon, a BBC Correspondent, who wrote a book titled “DICTATORLAND- THE MEN WHO STOLE AFRICA”. In the book, he wrote on Nigeria, “this was a vast country of 200 million people, home to 300 tribes jigsawed together by British to create an artificial nation. To many of its inhabitants, Nigeria didn’t exist. There was no such country. The tribes themselves were the nations. The newly drawn borders were just an expression of imperialism. And now all these tribal groups, many of them hostile towards each other, were expected to govern themselves, peacefully and fairly, without the glue of national identity, in a federal republic.”
It should be the responsibility of our leaders to find that glue. It is important.

Every Nigerian leader must try to promote the Nigerian nationhood. We must all attempt to promote unity in all our actions. There is beauty in unity instead of divisiveness and the burden falls on our leaders to make unity and nationhood their watchwords. No leader must be allowed to promote ethnicity and division. It just does not pay.
Daura is a city of population with less than forty-five thousand people. I have visited Daura several times. It is a border post between Nigeria and Niger Republic. Daura is the spiritual home of the Hausa people. The emirate is referred to as one of the "seven true Hausa states" (Hausa Bakwai) because it was, (along with Biram, Kano, Katsina, Zazzau, Gobir, and Rano), ruled by the descendants of Bayajidda's sons with Daurama and Magira (his first wife). The University of California's African American Studies Department refers to Daura, as well as Katsina, as having been "ancient seats of Islamic culture and learning.

Most importantly Daura has the same identity with Gbadolite and Yamoussoukro. The three, are homes of former Presidents. I hope Daura will not share the same fate with Gbadolite and Yamoussoukro. I felt sad after watching recently the documentaries on Gbadolite and Yamoussoukro. The two documentaries have been trending on YouTube.
Yamoussoukro as of the 2014 census,is the fifth most populous city in Cote D’Ivoire, with a population of 355,573 inhabitants. Located 240 kilometers (150 mi) north-west of Abidjan, Yamoussoukro covers 3,500 square kilometers (1,400 sq mi) among rolling hills and plains.
Yamoussoukro became the legal capital of Cote D’Ivoire in 1983, although the former capital Abidjan retains several political functions. Prior to 2011, what is now the district of Yamoussoukro was part of Lacs Region. The district was created in 2011 and is split into the departments of Attiégouakro and Yamoussoukro. In total, the district contains 169 settlements. Yamoussoukro is a sub-prefecture in Yamoussoukro Department and is also a commune: since 2012, the city of Yamassoukro has been the sole commune in the autonomous district of Yamoussoukro.

In March 1983, President Houphouët-Boigny made Yamoussoukro the political and administrative capital of Cote D’Ivoire, as the city was his birthplace. This marked the fourth movement of the country's capital city in a century. Cote D’Ivoire’s previous capital cities were Grand-Bassam (1893), Bingerville (1900), and Abidjan (1933). The majority of economic activity still takes place in Abidjan, and it is officially designated as the "economic capital" of the country. Félix Houphouët-Boigny (18 October 1905 – 7 December 1993), affectionately called Papa Houphouët or Le Vieux ("The Old One"), was the first president of Cote D’Ivoire (1960 to 1993), serving for more than three decades until his death.
Yamoussoukro is the site of the largest Christian church in the world: The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, consecrated by Pope John Paul II on 10 September 1990. I visited Yamoussoukro twice, first in 1982 and later in 1986. When I watched the documentary on Yamoussoukro recently it brought me memories, especially the Presidential Palace now surrounded by the crocodile lake. At Present, judging by what I watched in the documentary, there are more than 3,000 crocodiles surrounding the Presidential palace today in Yamoussoukro. It is safe to conclude as of now; the glory of Yamoussoukro is gone.

In 1982, I accompanied Dr. Joseph Wayas, the Senate President between 1979 and 1983 to Gbadolite. The flight from Kinsasha to Gbadolite took us two hours. Kinsasha is a crowded city like Lagos. Gbadolite is the capital of Nord-Ubangi Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town is located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of the Ubangi River at the border to the Central African Republic and 1,150 kilometres (710 mi) northeast of the national capital Kinshasa. Gbadolite was the ancestral home and residence of Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, later self-styled as Mobutu Sese Seko where airport, colleges, malls, supermarkets and libraries were built by the President in a program of modernization. Gbadolite is where Mobutu led the summit that would produce the Gbadolite Declaration, a short lived ceasefire in the Angolan Civil War, in 1989.
Mobutu built Gbadolite into a luxurious town often nicknamed "Versailles of the Jungle". He built a hydroelectric dam on the nearby Ubangi River in Mobayi Mbongo, an international airport, Gbadolite Airport, which could accommodate a Concorde, and three large palaces.
President Mobutu hosted us in Gbadolite. At that time, he built a soft drink factory in Gbadolite. Mobutu also built a nuclear bunker that could house more than 500 people and was the largest in Africa; this was the only nuclear bunker in Central Africa. The bunker was connected to the Ubangui River by a secret tunnel, giving access to the military harbour at the village of N'dangi.

Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1971, and later Zaire from 1971 to 1997. He also served as Chairman of the Organisation of African Unity from 1967 to 1968. Mobutu was the object of a pervasive cult of personality. During his rule, he amassed a large personal fortune through economic exploitation and corruption, leading some to call his rule a "kleptocracy". He presided over a period of widespread human rights violations. Under his rule, the nation also suffered from uncontrolled inflation, a large debt, and massive currency devaluations.
In August 1997, Mobutu Sese Seko (14 October 1930-7 September 1997) flew from Gbadolite to Lome, Togo to be a guest of President Gnassingbé Eyadéma (26 December 1935 – 5 February 2005), Togolese military officer and politician who was the president of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005. And from Lome, President Mobutu flew to Rabat in Morocco. He died on the 7th September, 1997.

His corpse is yet to be exhumed and reburied in Democratic Republic of Congo—a land he ruled for over thirty-two years.
Democratic Republic of Congo has moved on without Mobutu where the mere mention of his name is now a taboo.
Gbadolite and Yamoussoukro got transformed by the power of the PRESIDENCY. Now the two towns are like ghost towns. What is happening to the two towns now is a clear example of the futility and vanity of this is our turn syndrome. It happens in some countries of the world especially in Africa where leaders personalise their offices.
Let us take a look at Iraq whose leader tried to impose his tribe on the other tribes in a united country. Such attempt is dangerous as it is only very short term. In this part of the world we call it nepotism and ethnicity. But nepotism itself is corruption. Nepotism refers to granting jobs to one’s relatives in various fields including business, politics, entertainment, sports, religion and other activities. The term originated with the assignment of nephews to important positions by Catholic popes and bishops. Trading parliamentary employment for favours is a modern-day example of nepotism. Criticism of nepotism, however, can be found in ancient Indian texts such as the Kural literature.
Nepotism refers to partiality to family whereas cronyism refers to partiality to a partner or friend. Favouritism, the broadest of the terms, refers to partiality based upon being part of a favoured group, rather than job performance.

The term Nepotism comes from the Italian word nepotismo, which is based on the Latin word nepos (nephew). Since the Middle Ages and until the late 17th century, some Catholic popes and bishops, who had taken vows of chastity and therefore usually had no legitimate offspring of their own, gave their nephews such positions of preference as were often accorded by fathers to sons.

Several popes according to the papal history elevated nephews and other relatives to the cardinalate. Often, such appointments were a means of continuing a papal "dynasty". For instance, Pope Callixtus III, head of the Borgia family, made two of his nephews cardinals; one of them, Rodrigo, later used his position as a cardinal as a stepping stone to the papacy, becoming Pope Alexander VI. Alexander then elevated Alessandro Farnese, his mistress's brother, to cardinal; Farnese would later go on to become Pope Paul III.
Paul III also engaged in nepotism, appointing, for instance, two nephews, aged 14 and 16, as cardinals, as well as making efforts to increase the territories of his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese. The practice was finally limited when Pope Innocent XII issued the bull Romanum decet Pontificem, in 1692.The papal bull prohibited popes in all times from bestowing estates, offices, or revenues on any relative, with the exception that one qualified relative (at most) could be made a cardinal.
The ancient Indian philosopher Valluvar condemned nepotism and ethnicity as both evil and unwise. In a larger world, nepotism could be applied to where you favour your tribe more than other tribes. That is enlarging the word in its interpretation.

Iraq has a population of over 40 million people. The country also has over 150 tribes. Some of these tribes include Arabs, Kurds, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Turkmen, Shabakis, Yazidis, Armenians, Mandeans, Circassians and Kawliya.

According to Wikipedia, the Al-Bu Nasir is one of a number of Arab tribes in Iraq. It is a Sunni Arab tribe comprising some 30,000 people who primarily inhabit the town of Tikrit and the surrounding area of northern central Iraq, as well as many other areas in south and center of Iraq. Although not very numerous, the Al-Bu Nasir nonetheless obtained a reputation of being "a difficult lot of people, cunning and secretive, whose poverty drove most of them to pervert the Bedouins' legendary qualities of being warlike and fearless. Like many Iraqi tribes, it follows the Hanafi fiqh and it traced its origins to the Arabian Peninsula and maintained cordial ties with other related clans and tribes.
The tribe rose to prominence in the 1960s, when one of its members, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, seized power in Iraq. Bakr's successor, Saddam Hussein, was also a member of the Al-Bu Nasir and the tribe became a crucial element of his hold in power from 1979 to 2003. Saddam drew heavily on the tribe to fill the upper echelons of his government and in particular to manage his security apparatus, notably the Intelligence Service and the Special Republican Guard. Most of the key posts in the Iraqi government were held by members of the Beijat clan group and Majid extended family to which Saddam belonged; some elements of the regime's security apparatus, such as Saddam's bodyguards, were recruited exclusively from the al-Bu Nasir.

The relatively small size of the tribe was, however, an obstacle to Saddam's ability to fully "tribalise" the institutions of the Iraqi government. He recruited tens of thousands of supporters, whom he placed in command positions in the Iraqi Army, from a number of other tribes allied to the al-Bu Nasir. The resulting network of tribal alliances, centred on the al-Bu Nasir and bound to them by payment and patronage, provided the backbone of Saddam's regime.
Of all the accusations made against General Saddam Hussein none is greater than nepotism and tribalism. And it led to his downfall. When his trouble started his tribe Albu Nasri could not save him. When the western world led by the Americans waged a war on Iraq, Saddam Hussein was abandoned to his fate by other tribes because he excluded other tribes from his government. He lost out. Iraq lost out too. After Saddam Hussein Iraq has lost its momentum in the Arab world. Leaders must know that nepotism and ethnicity are no longer fashionable in the modern world. It strains growth. It is bad. Very bad.

One of the most important responsibilities of a leader is to promote unity. This does not mean that there is not disagreement or even periodic conflict on the team or within the organization. To be a unifier, the leader brings people together around a vision, a mission, or a project. Team unity drives results. Babe Ruth said in his paper “the way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”
The great calamity that has befallen most African leaders is that they are busy promoting their tribes instead of promoting unity within their countries. And that is why there is no development in African states. Instead of national leaders, all we have are sectional and tribal leaders who promote divisiveness. A leader’s behavior either promote unity or division.
Leaders who seek to divide, for whatever reason, may think they will succeed. After all, they are playing to their allies; but in reality, no one admires divisive behaviours and the leader will quickly lose much of their support.

City FM is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Programme: CITY TALKS WITH REUBEN ABATI

Time: 12:00pm

Guest: Dr. Nnaemeka Obiaraeri (Development Economist and Investment Banker)

Topic: Managing fuel subsidy savings

Date: 1ST JULY, 2023
                         
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Meeting ID: 928 7714 1732
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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made his first official visit as Nigeria’s President to France where he was between June 20^th 2023 and June 24^th 2023. He attended the summit on New Global Financing Pact in Paris, France’ capital.

At the time Tinubu was attending the historic summit, two masterstrokes had been achieved in Nigeria – the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the country’s exchange rates.

Oche Egwa in an op-ed in PM News had this to say about this highly strategic meeting where he wrote: “The two decisions taken on the nation’s economy made President Tinubu a toast of world leaders and financial institutions at the Summit. The ovation by economic and financial experts for the courageous steps revealed more for the future, with the World Bank projecting, after the meeting in Paris, that Nigeria will save about $3.9 trillion in 2023, and N21 trillion between 2023 to 2025. 

The seriousness and quick engagement of critical stakeholders in the economy, like trade unions, oil marketers, depot dealers, the NNPC Ltd by the administration was also taken by the foreign institutions as a deliberate attempt, and not political convenience, to take the country to a new height, as well as various initiatives and measures being out on the drawing board to alleviate the impacts. 

The two-day Summit, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, was aimed at repositioning the global financial architecture to reconsider less developed countries, who are dealing with debilitating debt hangovers, struggling through energy transitions, and still reeling from effects of climate change and Covid-19. President Tinubu seized the moment to start a new conversation about Nigeria. 

A plethora of sideline meetings were lined before he arrived in Paris, and the President was careful in making the right choices for Nigeria’s economic prosperity. President Tinubu met with French President, Macron at the Elysée, President of Swiss, Alain Berset, at Palais Brongniart, President of Benin Republic, Patrice Talon, Director General of World Trade Organization, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim), Prof. Benedict Oramah and President of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Odile Renaud–Basso.

The President also held meetings with Senior Vice President of Airbus/ATR, Public Affairs, Laurent Rahul Domergue, on aviation matters and a two-hour marathon interaction with the Nigerian community based in France, where he outlined his vision for the economy, starting with a roadmap on palliatives to soothe the burden of subsidy removal. He sought “family” support for more inclusive growth, especially with technical expertise.

Every speaker at the forum thanked the President for taking the bull by the horn, and getting the “elephant’’ out of the way.

“You have shown we have a committed and competent leader. You are the first President of Nigeria, who has no godfather. You are your godfather. We are impressed with the removal of subsidies and streamlining of foreign exchange. We will wait for the palliatives,’’ Prof. Emmanuel Iga, a Nigerian in France, said”.

While I am happy at the meeting because of the strategic importance of France as a world power and member of the elite G7, Tinubu must set the precedent of Nigeria relating with world superpowers on the basis of equality rather than the usual tokenism that has defined international relations since most African nations gained independence from their erstwhile majorly domiciled European former colonial masters.

My worry is that France’s status as a so-called developed nation is largely predicated on her continued parasitism of the resources of her former colonies In Africa. Françafrique is the name of this unequal balance of power between France and the Francophone countries which have been a source of anguish and underdevelopment of the latter.

Let us go down memory lane: In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle commissioned his adviser Jacques Foccart to build up Françafrique. "Foccart built a network of personal contacts between the French leadership and the elites of the former French colonies.”

Foccart came up with the treaties that are still in force today. In exchange for military protection against attempted coups and the payment of hefty kickbacks, African leaders guaranteed French companies access to strategic resources such as diamonds, ores, uranium, gas and oil. The result is a solid presence of French interests on the continent, including 1,100 companies, some 2,100 subsidiaries and the third largest investment portfolio after Great Britain and the United States. France also retains the right of first refusal on all natural resources and privileged access to government contracts.

France also has a considerable military presence in Africa. It leads the Barkhane operation against Islamist groups in the Sahel region, in which around 5,100 soldiers from several countries are involved. According to the US daily "New York Times", in 2007, almost half of France's 12,000 peacekeeping troops were deployed to Africa. These troops have both military and advisory capabilities as well as supporting and stabilizing the regimes of the respective countries.

If France loses her ex-colonies to a possible rebellion by nationalist African leaders, its status risks being plunged to a similar one like Spain who largely depended on the plundering and looting of resources from abroad and when that stopped as a result of the loss of the Armada war against England in 1588 which saw the rise of the British Empire, the hydra-headed monster of poverty crept into the country which it is still yet to recover from.

France and eight members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had an agreement  on replacing the CFA franc with a new West African single currency called Eco.

According to the agreement, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) will no longer have to deposit half of its foreign exchange reserves with the Banque de France as was the case until now. However, the fixed parity with the euro will be maintained, allegedly to prevent inflation. At least this will put an end to remittances from Africa to France. But it will not enable an African independent monetary policy.

In the past, African countries paid up to 65% of their foreign exchange reserves into the French treasury.

Tinubu should beware of a country that has no respect for the Sovereignty of her former colonies as the tendency is that the nauseating paternalistic relationship may be extended to Nigeria which wouldn’t be in our national interest.

It is high time Africa with Nigeria leading the vanguard altered the terms of foreign policy from aid to trade so that we can sit at the negotiation table and deal with one another as equals.

Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream speech’ particularly rings true here. The time for the paradigmatic shift in trade relations is now and Nigeria like it did during the anti-colonial liberation struggle should spearhead this vanguard, especially in the impending post-fossil fuel era.

Gone are the days when libraries were Mecca to both young and old who craved and longed for knowledge. But unfortunately today, many contents on social media that do not conform with generally accepted standards of behavior have overtaken and overshadowed the libraries that were known, decades ago, as sanctuary of knowledge where information and enlightenment flowed like water.

In a noteworthy event on Friday, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, made a visit to his predecessor in office, Senator Ahmed Lawan, at his residence in Abuja to celebrate Sallah.

Retiring Chief of Defence Staff and service chiefs in Nigeria will be granted certain benefits upon retirement.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that these benefits, outlined in a confidential document known as the Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces, include bulletproof vehicles, personal assistants, guards, and generous medical allowances both in Nigeria and abroad.

Among the retirees set to receive these benefits are General Lucky Irabor, the former Chief of Defence Staff, along with other military leaders such as Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, and Air Marshal Isiaka Amao.

According to Section 11.8 of the revised HTACOS 2017 (a revision of the HTACOS 2012), the retirement benefits for the Chief of Defence Staff and service chiefs encompass several privileges. These include a bulletproof SUV or an equivalent vehicle, to be maintained and replaced every four years by the military service. Additionally, they will receive a Peugeot 508 or equivalent backup vehicle, along with five domestic aides consisting of two service cooks, two stewards, and a civilian gardener.

Furthermore, each retiree is entitled to an Aide-de-Camp or security officer, a special assistant of lieutenant/captain rank or equivalent, or a personal assistant of warrant officer rank or equivalent. Additionally, they will have nine soldiers serving as standard guards.

In terms of transportation, the former Chief of Defence Staff and service chiefs will have access to three service drivers and one service orderly. They will also be provided with escorts by appropriate military units or formations when required. Furthermore, the retirement benefits include free medical coverage within Nigeria and abroad.

Retirees will have the privilege of retaining their military uniforms and accoutrements for ceremonial purposes, as well as personal firearms. However, it should be noted that such firearms will be reclaimed by the relevant services upon the beneficiaries’ demise.

Section 11.19 of the HTACOS 2017 specifies the retirement benefits for Lieutenant Generals in the Nigerian Army, Vice Admirals in the Navy, and Air Marshals in the Air Force. These benefits include two Peugeot 508 cars or one Toyota Land Cruiser, two cooks, two stewards, four residential guards, one service orderly, two service drivers, and free medical treatment in Nigeria and abroad, amounting to $20,000 per year.

For Major Generals in the Army, Rear Admirals in the Navy, and Air Vice Marshals in the Air Force, who hold the rank of two-star officers, retirement benefits consist of one Peugeot 508, a cook, a steward, two residential guards, one service orderly, one service driver, and free medical coverage within Nigeria and abroad, up to $15,000 annually.

Brigadier Generals, Commodores, and Air Commodores, who are one-star officers, will be entitled to one Peugeot 408, a service driver, two residential guards, one service orderly, and free medical coverage in Nigeria and abroad, totaling $10,000 each.

As for Colonels, Captains, and Group Captains in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, respectively, their retirement benefits include a Peugeot 301 or a vehicle of similar value, as well as free medical coverage within the country.

It’s worth noting that the document underwent a review in 2022 after a five-year period. However, it remains unsigned due to concerns regarding unequal distribution of benefits. In order for the revised terms to take effect, the Chief of Defence Staff requires permission from the President to sign the document.

The current HTACOS, which is in effect, specifies that the Chief of Defence Staff and service chiefs must hold the rank of four-star Generals and serve in these positions for a continuous period of two years. The Commander-in-Chief has the authority to extend these appointments for an additional two-year term following the initial expiration.

Despite the detailed provisions outlined, the duration of the Chief of Defence Staff and service chiefs’ tenure ultimately rests at the discretion of the President. This has raised concerns about potential unfair extensions, as was the case under the previous administration when President Muhammadu Buhari extended the tenure of service chiefs appointed in 2015 until their replacement in January 2021.

[PoliticsNigeria]

A former chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Tunji Oyebanji, has cautioned Nigerians and marketers against speculations over the pump price of petrol.

Oyetunji in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Lagos said in a deregulated market, prices would be determined by market forces, noting that it was a needless speculation to project that a litre of petrol would sell for N700.

Oyebanji was reacting to a recent statement by the National Controller, Operations, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr Mike Osatuyi, who said the pump price of petrol could hit N700 per litre, especially in the North once independent marketers started importing the products from July.

Oyebanji said no marketer could predict the pump price until importation of the product commenced.

Oyebanji, who is the Managing Director, 11 Plc, said, “It depends on the exchange rate. If those factors are changing, prices of those products will also change. As you know, at a time, diesel went up significantly at above N800 per litre, but now it has come down to within N600 to N620 per litre.

“So, once you are in a deregulated environment, that is how it is, especially when you are importing the product. I cannot predict the price of petrol for now until we import the product.”

“Not until you order a cargo and know the exchange rate before you can predict the price. Those projecting the price are just saying this on a sensational basis to get marketers excited. I do not think anybody needs to do that. If you are observing the exchange rates, you will see that it is getting worse. If the price at the international market is also going up, then, you see how those things are being affected and that is how the price comes in.”

He said people would “have to adjust their spending accordingly and prioritise their choices”.

Oyebanji, however, added that the price could drop depending on the exchange rate, adding that it would create a healthy competition among marketers.

He noted, “The bottom line is that there will be an adjustment in price. Yes, it may go up and can also drop, depending on the exchange rate. But the good thing is that products will be everywhere. If people see that yours is more expensive than those of the filling stations around them, they will not patronise you. Then, you will be forced to bring down prices.

Osatuyi told NAN that fuel being sold by marketers such as DAPPMAN, IPMAN and MOMAN were old stock

He added, “Nobody has imported new products from the new foreign exchange regime and the new deregulation. Marketers are just planning to import, so everybody is in a transition pricing to the new regime.”

[Punch]