Professor of Law, Sam Amadi, has said the now withdrawn Counter Subversion Bill was intended to be used in controlling Nigerians’ freedom of speech.

The Director of Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, Sam Amadi, said it was bad that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, decided to invest time in drafting a bill that cannot contribute to the economic development of the country.

Amadi noted that under the current federal government, Nigeria is de-developing and stagnating economically and politically.

He stated this on Thursday while speaking on AIT’s Kakaki show. He argued that the language of the bill was embarrassing just like the intention.

He added that the reference made to China in the statement released by the Speaker’s aide on Wednesday was the same reference made by Aisha Buhari, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife.

He noted that China’s law on speech freedom could not be likened to the draft of the Counter Subversion Bill, now withdrawn. He said the bill was worse than Decree 2 of former military president, Sani Abacha.

Amadi said, “I was a little bit surprised, but not too surprised. I think that the contents of the bill, not just the intention, if you read the language, were too overbroad, even though the whole idea of the bill is problematic in terms of clear attempts to suppress freedom, basic freedoms, not even high-level freedom, basic ones.

“I was surprised at the point of the language, that was so broad, not legalistic as expected. I mean it, things like if you embarrass a public officer, not just at the level of president, they said local government, community leaders, if you embarrass them.

“And I was looking at the language of decree two under the military. This language was much harsher, broader, un-inclusive than even Abacha‘s language. It was horrible. How would anyone on planet Earth in Nigeria today that is under two lock trap, the lock trap of development?

“Nigeria is de -developing. We are not even talking about developing. Stagnant economic, stagnant social political structure. So you needed to unlock development. Why would such a country, its leaders, focus on very broad control of speech?

“Even in China, you know, let’s not forget that the former president’s wife talked about China’s regulation of speech as a model for us when they’re talking about hate speech. Sorry, when they talk about the social media view last under Buhari. They don’t have a kind of language, embarrass public officials.

“So it’s tragic that today a Speaker that has an array of very competent professionals around him would put his pen, his name, to such very disgraceful language of a deal.”

The former Imo State governorship aspirant under Labour Party emphasized that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been trying to impose authoritarianism on Nigerians. He said the bill was a response to the last #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria protest.

“Let’s not forget intentment, which is basically a reaction against protest. But the language was too broad. So I was surprised by the language and that level of dissent into very authoritarian language, even beyond authoritarians.

“I mean, some authoritarians are smarter and more restrained in the bill they bring, but this is unbelievable. But I wasn’t surprised, really, also because there’s been a trajectory. Unfortunately, the APC, a party whose name suggests progressivism, since 2015 has had this romance with authoritarianism,” Amadi added.

[NaijaNews]

The maker of M&M’s and Snickers, Mars announced on Wednesday that it plans to acquire the snacks food company, Kellanova.

The all-cash transaction would value Kellanova which is behind snacks such as Pringles and Pop-Tarts at $35.9 billion, including debt

“In welcoming Kellanova’s portfolio of growing global brands, we have a substantial opportunity for Mars to further develop a sustainable snacking business that is fit for the future,” said Mars chief executive Poul Weihrauch in a statement.

The announcement comes as consumers feel the squeeze from rising costs of living, putting pressure on companies to rein in price hikes.

The move could also attract scrutiny from the United States’ regulators who have taken a tough stance on consolidations.

CFRA Research analyst Arun Sundaram, said he expects anti-trust attention, given the size of the deal against the current backdrop of rising food prices.

“However, we think the deal will ultimately go through, given the limited category overlap between the two companies,” he added.

CEO of Kellanova, Steve Cahillane told CNBC that both companies were in contact with US regulators and expected no difficulties.

“We have a chocolate factory. A chocolate factory can’t make Pringles,” Weihrauch added in the same CNBC interview. “We’re not too concerned,” he said.

The acquisition for $83.50 per share in cash “accelerates ambition to double Mars Snacking in the next decade, in alignment with global consumer demand trends,” Mars said.

This would bring two new billion-dollar brands, Pringles and Cheez-It, into its business. Already, the company said it has 15 billion-dollar brands.

“Snacking is a large, attractive, and durable category that continues to grow in importance with consumers,” Mars added.

Kellanova had net sales in 2023 of around $13 billion, and it is present in 180 markets with some 23,000 employees.

Shares of Kellanova closed 7.8 percent higher in the United States.

“The acquisition of Kellanova unlocks a significant opportunity for Mars to meaningfully compete with iconic brands in the growing category of salty snacks,” said analyst John Oh of research firm, Third Bridge.

Neil Saunders of GlobalData added that Mars has “virtually no presence” in the savory snacks category. But sales in the segment are growing at a faster pace than in confectionery, where Mars has a strong presence.

“With a 13.3 percent share of the worldwide confectionery market, it will become increasingly difficult for Mars to eke out further gains over the years ahead,” Saunders said. “The business needs to diversify.”

The Mars statement added that most of Kellanova’s snack brands outperform competitors, especially among Gen Z and millennial buyers.

The company added that the combined portfolio would also be suited to meet demand in fast-growing markets such as Africa and Latin America, given their supply chains and local operations.

The plan, according to Mars, is to grow Kellanova’s brands further.

The deal, which is anticipated to close in the first half of 2025, will need the green light from Kellanova shareholders and also will require regulatory approvals.

Mars plans to fully finance the acquisition via a combination of cash-on-hand and new debt, it said, adding that commitments have been secured.

Family-owned business Mars said it employs about 150,000 workers and has over $50 billion in annual sales.

In addition to its snacking and food products, the company is also active in the pet care industry. In 2022, Mars announced it had acquired Tru Fru, a whole-fruit snacking brand. Two years prior, it had completed the purchase of Kind North America, known for its healthier snack options.

[Leadership]

Indications have emerged that the total monthly pay of 99 non-principal officers of the Nigerian senate is above N2 billion.

One of them, Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano), on Wednesday, confirmed that he receives about N21 million monthly as his perquisite for representing the people of Kano South Senatorial District in the 10th National Assembly.

The revelation by Kawu puts the total monthly package for all the 99 non-principal officers of the Senate at N2.079 billion.

The 10 principal officers of the 10th Senate are: President, Godswill Akpabio; Deputy President; Jibrin Barau; Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele; Deputy Majority Leader, Lola Ashiru; Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno; Deputy Chief Whip, Nwebonyi Peter Onyeka; Minority Leader, Abba Moro; Deputy Minority Leader, Akogun Lere Oyewumi; Minority Whip, Osita Ngwu and Deputy Minority Whip, Rufai Hanga.

The earnings of the presiding officers of the National Assembly have been still not been known, with several other lawmakers in the past saying they do not know what those officers receive monthly, and that even the number of aides statutorily allowed for those category of officers were unknown to them.

Efforts by Daily Trust to get the breakdown of their monthly earnings yesterday were not successful as the Senate’s spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, neither answered calls nor replied to messages inquiring about the earnings of the principal officers, where were sent to his mobile telephone line.

There have been controversies in recent times over the actual salaries and allowances of federal lawmakers in the country.

Some former members of parliament like Senator Shehu Sani and representatives Muhammad Sani Zoro and Sergius Ogun had recently quoted different figures as emoluments of lawmakers, and also challenged those who are serving in the 10th National Assembly to make public what they earn.

Ogun, who represented Esan North-East/Esan South-East Constituency from 2015 to 2023, had disclosed last week that each member of the House of Representatives received N8.5 million monthly as running costs while he was in the parliament.

Sani Zorro, who had represented Gumel/Maigatari/Sule Tankarkar/Gagarawa Federal Constituency of Jigawa State in the House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019, however, challenged those currently serving to make public their entitlements. 

Senator Sani, who was in the Senate from 2015 to 2019, had said each senator received a monthly running cost of N13.5 million in addition to the monthly N750, 000.00 prescribed by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

Also, former  President Olusegun Obasanjo recently criticised the federal lawmakers for allegedly fixing their salaries, describing the practice as “immoral.”

In response to Obasanjo’s accusation, however, the Senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu insisted that members of the National Assembly only receive what was allocated to them by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

But reacting to Senator Sani’s claim, the Chairman of RMAFC, M. B. Shehu, had, in a statement on Tuesday, said each senator earns N1,063,860 in salary and allowances per month.

The RMAFC boss, however, stressed that the commission does not have the constitutional powers to enforce compliance with the proper implementation of the remuneration package of lawmakers. “This lacuna is, however, being addressed by the National Assembly,” he had stated. 

I earn N21m monthly running cost – Senator Kawu Sumaila

But in what seemed to be a contradiction of the RMAFC’s position, Senator Kawu Sumaila, in an interview on BBC Hausa on Wednesday, said that he receives about N21 million monthly.

Kawu, a former legislative aide to former President Muhammadu Buhari, said: “The amount that salary that each senator receives per month is less than N1 million. If there are cuts, it comes back to about N600,000.

“In the Senate, each senator is given N21 million every month as the cost of running his office”, he said.

He said the N21 million each senator receives is for all the activities, including domestic trips, purchase of daily newspapers, among other functions.

Former President Obasanjo had, on Friday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while hosting six members of the House of Representatives, led by Ikenga Ugochinyere, who visited him, accused federal lawmakers of fixing their salaries and allowances; a claim both chambers had separately dispelled.

 “In your case, with all due respect, you’re not supposed to fix your salaries. But you decide what you pay yourself—the allowances that you give yourselves, including newspaper allowances.

“You give yourselves all sorts of things, and you know it is not right. It is immoral, yet you are doing it, the Senate is doing it, and you are beating your chests about it. In some cases, the executive gives you what you’re not entitled to. You all got N200 million (each),” Obasanjo had alleged.

Adjust your earnings with masses’ realities—SERAP, YIAGA, CHRICED

Reacting to the revelation by Senator Sumaila, some civil society organisations (CSOs) and analysts yesterday raised concerns over the “huge” pays being received by the legislators amidst the hardship in the land.

Executive Director, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Adetokunbo Mumuni, in a chat with Daily Trust, noted that Nigeria operates one of the world’s most expensive democracies without corresponding results.

“We cannot compare ourselves with any other nations in terms of the expenses incurred, whether annually or monthly. Legislators, especially senators, must reassess their earnings in line with the realities of the Nigerian nation,” Mumuni said.

He decried the huge disparity between the earnings of lawmakers and the average Nigerian, saying the N70,000 new minimum wage for Nigerian workers is a stark contrast to the N21 million received by senators.

“This situation needs urgent attention to prevent leaving future generations of Nigerians in a dire financial mess,” he added. Mark Amaza, Senior Communications Officer at Yiaga Africa, said even after 25 years of democratic governance, Nigerians still lack clarity on the earnings of their federal legislators.

He blamed the National Assembly for perpetuating “this opacity”, saying “Transparency and accountability are essential in a democracy, and the earnings of legislators should not be a closely guarded secret.”

Ibrahim Zikirullahi, Executive Director, the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), said the revelation by Senator Sumaila reinforced the need to reduce the cost of governance.

He said it was “unfortunate” that those entrusted with managing the nation’s resources appear indifferent to the needs of the people they represent.

“At a time when the majority of Nigerians are suffering from multi-dimensional poverty and severe hunger, it is disheartening to learn that such vast amounts are being spent on just 109 lawmakers while millions lack basic amenities like roads, electricity, and water,” Zikirullahi said.

He said the funds allocated to legislators could be better spent on public services such as schools and healthcare centres.

“Something drastic must be done to address social inequality in this country, starting with a significant reduction in the funds allocated to the lavish lifestyles of our political officeholders. The frequent calls by the government for citizens to make sacrifices amid Nigeria’s economic challenges will ring hollow if those in power continue to enrich themselves at public expense,” he said.

Some parts of Rivers and Bayelsa states will experience months of blackout after vandals destroyed thirteen Transmission Company of Nigeria’s towers along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuits.

Ndidi Mbah, General Manager of Public Affairs, TCN, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

The TCN urged the governments of Rivers and Bayelsa states to assist it in addressing the ongoing vandalism of its installations, which has become increasingly alarming and overwhelming.

This comes after vandals had earlier destroyed the same Ahoada-Yenagoa transmission line.

“Additionally, a new contract was recently awarded for the reinforcement of towers 19-31 on the Ahoada-Yenagoa line, where tower members had been vandalized and stolen.

“Despite these ongoing efforts, the recent vandalism of the thirteen towers presents a significant challenge to TCN,” it said.

The company said that the thirteen vandalized towers are located in several communities, including Okobe in Ahoada East, Emezhi 1 in Ahoada West, and Mbiama in Ahoada West Local Government Areas of Rivers State, as well as the Igbogene community in Bayelsa State.

“Given the extent of the destruction to the towers and the ongoing work on previously vandalized transmission towers, it may take several months for TCN to complete the rebuilding and stringing of the towers to restore power supply to the state”, TCN added.

TCN called for collaboration among security operatives, and host communities to tackle rising vandalism of critical electricity facilities in the country.

[DailyPost]

Police and  youths have blocked the All Progressive Congress (APC) Secretariat  in Makurdi, Benue state capital .

It is the fourth time  the APC  Secretariat will be put under lock and key.

This is coming ahead of Comrade Austin Agada- led State Working Committee (SEC) APC caucus meeting scheduled for Thursday.

The Benjamin Omakolo- led APC State Working Committee (SWC) has also scheduled a caucus  meeting for today in Makurdi to find tune arrangement for Local Governments elections .

Benue State Independent Electoral Committee ( BSIEC) scheduled October 5 for the polls in Benue state .

Details Shortly…

[TheNation]

Some of the recurring problems of poverty, corruption, vices, and the perennial decay in our society can be attributed to a hope decline. When people are no longer driven by hope, they stop trying. When they become convinced that nothing they do ultimately matters, they imprison their own agency; they look everywhere else for survival except within themselves. When they cannot find what they are looking for, they let things decay and die. When a people no longer have hope, the wellsprings that enliven their societies dry up.

People can survive environmental disasters, nuclear bombings, setbacks, poverty, and whatever lousy hand fate deals with them, but no society can beat a loss of hope. Hope is a self-motivating essence, an ethic, and a prerequisite for a society to keep advancing.

Two recent incidents in the country got me thinking about how people act when this source of self-directing agency has been toxified. The first was the vandalisation and looting of government establishments, including the ICT centre in Kano scheduled for opening the following week. The second was the protesters flying the Russian flag and openly calling for a coup. Both incidents look disparate, but they are connected by the embitteredness of people who are missing a vital ingredient and happy to destroy what subsists, even if only for the perverse delight of watching it all burn.

You look at the photograph of the protesters cum looters, and you see young men for whom the ICT centre spelt nothing but just another space where the scions of the oppressive ruling class will deepen the privilege that will further deepen the divide among them. They do not see any connection between what will happen in an ICT centre and their own future—not because they are blind, no—but because they are well-informed enough about the state of the country to know that very little of what it represents concerns their future. Without the hope that the outcome of the gatherings that will take place in that Kano centre will have any material impact on their future, why should such a place be allowed to stand?

People who still have some hope protest differently. They are mindful to preserve the symbolic objects of the administrative state knowing that, for all its faults, it still has enough integrity contained within it, to do right by them. Even when they are angry enough to destroy things, they are strategic. People who have lost faith that anything can be better will burn things just to be tickled by the dancing flames.

We can say the same of those carrying the Russian flag and baiting Vladimir Putin to come to their rescue. Call them deluded all you want, but do not overlook their driving outlook. Their misbelief is coming from somewhere. If they want a breakdown of democracy, it is because its meaning no longer corresponds to their desire to thrive. Democracy no longer spells freedom to be; it has become a four-year carnival during which we renew the power of our regular oppressors. What we call democracy in this part of the world is an ever-increasingly expensive venture with little or no returns. The sum of money an impoverished poor country like Nigeria regularly wastes on conducting poor elections that will inaugurate poor leadership is enough to make one despair. You can take away the flags, incarcerate the tailor who sowed it for them, and even try these protesters for sedition, but their mindset to destroy a country that has become oppressive will remain.

The easiest thing is to look at these people and dismiss them as blindly ignorant. But what if they are not? They have eyes and can see that the African countries recently overtaken by a coup are not faring any better. Since 2020, Africa has turned into the world’s coup belt. Some have been successful, others failed. But when was the last time anyone heard anything about these countries thriving under their new military overlords? Those looking for a coup in Nigeria are also people who live in regions ransacked by Boko Haram and banditry; they know the weaknesses of the Nigerian military. They know that the golden age of the military has passed and what now subsists is an institution heavily diminished by the Nigerian factor. Yearning for a coup, backed by Russia or not, cannot be simply because they are stupid enough to believe it will bring a radical change in their conditions; they just want to see the existing order burn.

In the wise in which they are looking for a strong man who can use their power to override reality, they are not all that different from their southern counterparts similarly waiting for Donald Trump to win the US presidency so he can magically wave a wand over the crises in different world zones. Neither Putin nor Trump considers them relevant to anything, but that will not stop them from fantasising that a higher transcendental power can put an end to this present darkness. It is a loss of faith in the country and its bureaucratic systems.

Some have been content to point out the complacency of these same coup seekers under the administration of Muhammadu Buhari where they serially went through enervating policies, but which they patiently endured. While this prejudice might be true, it is not enough to merely point out the obvious. We must also go beyond the simple and satisfying answers. To dismiss these people as little-minded bigots who assume that political power in Nigeria must begin and end with them will satisfy our prejudiced instincts but leave us no clearer on why things came to be the way they are now.

Why would those who suffered under a leadership whose connection to them was merely symbolic be zombified by the mere vicarious pleasure of seeing him as a representation of themselves in power? Is it that shallow political representation is the only citizenship claim Nigeria presently extends us? Buhari offered them nothing, and in fact, took everything from them. Yet, they could hardly be motivated to act on their condition until he was replaced. That itself is telling of the meaninglessness at the heart of what we call the Nigerian nation.

Now that all is calm again, our leaders need to think deeply about seeking ways to offer people hope in themselves and the nation. It is worth noting that the All Progressives Congress 2023 campaign slogan was “Renewed Hopefulness,” alluding to the 1993 election that also promised hope. One year later, I do not think anyone looks around them and sees a basis for hope renewal. If anything, the APC has drained the little hope that mobilised people. And that is a problem.

When people do not have hope, they also have nothing to lose. When people have nothing to lose, they also gain nothing. Everything around them decays and dies. Hope is not just a feeling or a sense of anticipation; hope is an ethic, freedom, and progress. When Apostle Paul says the greatest of the triumvirate of faith, hope, and love is love, it is because love culminates faith and hope. Without faith, one cannot hope; without hope, there is no faith; without both, one cannot love. People cannot love their country if they lack the hope that gives faith.

The greatest calamity that can befall a nation is not corruption, poverty, sickness, or disease; it is loss of hope. How a society demonstrates hope reflects its relationship to time—the past and the present as a means of charting the path toward a more auspicious future. When people are no longer hopeful of the possibilities that can unfold through their reason and action, they deactivate their moral agency and start an uninhibited acceleration toward decay.

Former Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi has categorically stated that he will do his utmost to see compatriot Victor Osimhen sign for the London club, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The former Super Eagles captain, in a video posted on X, added that another club legend, Didier Drogba, was also in contact with the Napoli striker, as they hoped to convince him to make a switch to Stamford Bridge.

Osimhen’s future remains the subject of intense viral speculations ahead of the final weeks of the summer transfer window. The striker has asked to leave Napoli and has been linked with a transfer to Chelsea in a deal that would see Romelu Lukaku move the other way.

Chelsea have already signed a host of players this summer, including Pedro Neto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Marc Guiu, and Filip Jorgensen, but appear ready to continue their spending spree, with the 25-year-old ranking prominently on their wish list to lead their line during the 2024/25 season.

Just a few weeks before the close of the transfer window, Mikel revealed that he would try and help the club land their primary target, whom he believed would be an instant hit in the English Premier League.

“We want somebody who can finish, score goals, the tap-ins. Someone like Erling Haaland,” Mikel said.

“That’s something Victor Osimhen will bring to Chelsea. I hope that Chelsea fans will finally see him come to the club. I’ll make sure I send him those text messages and calls, making sure Chelsea is his top priority! But it seems like he loves the club and wants to come to Chelsea.

“I’m sure he has all the big clubs wanting to sign him. I think if we can secure his signature, it would be fantastic for the club. He’s somebody who will get us goals, and that’s something that we need right now.

“A fantastic guy, a fantastic human being, and I really do hope he comes to the club, and I’ll try my best to make sure that happens. Didier is also speaking to him, sharing his own ideas and what the club means to us. We all want to see Victor come to the club.”

Osimhen has emerged as one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe, having been linked with moves to Chelsea, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, and Liverpool, among others, following impressive seasons with Napoli.

However, his hefty €130m remains the stumbling block, with PSG, among other suitors, backing off, leaving Chelsea as the only European club still keen on signing him.

[Punch]

AFTER quelling what, to all intents and purposes, was a peaceful protest by economically challenged Nigerians over insufferable high cost of living, President Bola Tinubu has moved quickly to consolidate his grip on power. Taking a page from the archetypical fascist playbook, he summoned a meeting of the National Council of State, NCS, on Tuesday, to pass a vote of confidence in him and the Council obliged.

For those who may not know, the NCS idea, which was introduced by General Murtala Muhammed in a broadcast on July 30, 1975 after overthrowing General Yakubu Gowon, was to create an advisory body.  

“The structure of government has been re-organised. There will now be three organs of government at the federal level namely: The Supreme Military Council, The National Council of State, and the Federal Executive Council,” he said.

On return to democracy in the Second Republic, the 1979 Constitution enlarged the Council’s membership to include the President, Vice-President, former Presidents and Military Heads of State, former Chief Justices of Nigeria, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Governors and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation.

The Constitution gave the National Council of State the responsibilities of advising the President in the exercise of his powers with respect to national population census, prerogative of mercy, awarding of national honours, and appointment of members of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC; National Judicial Council, NJC; and National Population Commission, NPC. The Council also advises the President whenever requested to do so on the maintenance of public order within the federation or any part thereof and on such other matters as the President may direct.

While former Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan attended the meeting physically, and Generals Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalami Abubakar joined virtually, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and General Ibrahim Babangida kept their distance.

Kwara State governor, who also doubles as the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, obviously happy with the outcome of the meeting, crowed that the Council lauded Tinubu on the way he is governing the country.

“The high note of the meeting was a unanimous passage of a vote of confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian armed forces,” Abdulrazaq told journalists.

Really? How on earth could anyone say that Tinubu is governing Nigeria well and the country is headed in the right direction?

To be sure, I wasn’t surprised that Buhari decided to cut his political soul mate, Tinubu, some slack. It is tantamount to failure reinforcing failure. But what would make the other leaders binge on the same false narrative? Could it be lack of courage to speak truth to power – in the manner of the three wise monkeys of the Japanese pictorial maxim that “see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil?”

Tinubu drafted in some of his poster lieutenants – Ministers of Solid Minerals, Finance, Budget, Works, Trade and Investment and Agriculture – to make presentations. The National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, briefed the Council on the security situation in the country, as Dele Alake put it: “Especially on issues before, during and after the nationwide protests.”

Throwing more light on what transpired, Finance Minister Wale Edun said he updated the Council on the progress the Tinubu administration was making on the economy in terms of the macroeconomic policies and the “encouraging results”.

“In broad terms the economy is growing. The balance of payments, in particular, the trade balance and a current account balance are in surplus. The exchange rate is stabilising, and inflation, though high, uncomfortably high for the liking of Mr. President and his team, is slowing and it is set to fall,” Edun crooned.

“But in particular, there has been support for the economy from investors, foreign investors, by way of portfolio investors, domestic investors, who are participating in important private-public partnerships, particularly infrastructure sector and foreign direct investment, is beginning to recover, I would say so.”

Apparently they wowed the August body with their submissions, hence the confidence vote. But this is tiring and monotonous sing-song of the Tinubu orchestra since May 29, 2023. The government continues to claim, falsely, that the economy has turned the awful corner where the execrable Buhari government left it.

But these claims are far from the reality that stares Nigerians in the face. The same policies that Edun is touting have not only triggered the worst cost of living crisis since 1960 but also pushed millions of already impoverished Nigerians deeper into poverty and unmitigated misery. There is hardly any Nigerian, except those in government and their rent-seeking partners-in-crime outside who thrive on government patronage, that can claim to be better off today than 15 months ago.

Tinubu’s macroeconomic policies have wiped out Nigeria’s middle class, literally. Hunger is stalking the land even as the spectre of corruption continues to haunt the country to perdition. Nigerians have never been hungrier. Of course, that was the reason for the 10-day #EndBadGovernance protest. But expecting members of an elite club of serving and retired government top guns, most of who live on government rent, to complain may be expecting too much.

But the really embarrassing thing is the fact that Gowon, Abdulsalami and Jonathan agreed with Tinubu that the hunger protest was a movement to effect a change of regime by force. We can excuse Buhari because he and Tinubu are birds of the same plumage. In 2020, Buhari levelled the same allegation against #EndSARS protesters.

Alake, who claimed that “the Council thanked Nigerians at large for resisting any unconstitutional move to change the government,” further said, rather hubristically that “if anybody is not satisfied with the government, there is always an election coming, so you wait for an election and cast your vote” as if the votes will ever count.

It is sad that these statesmen never cared a hoot about peaceful protesters, fellow Nigerians, who were killed in cold blood by trigger-happy security men for no crime other than asking for good governance. Hundreds of youths have been rounded up and clamped in prisons by a regime that is bent on using them as a war trophy to scare aware any would-be protesters in the future.

Meanwhile, even as the police and DSS are busy quelling the protest and making sure that no protester ever raises his head again while Tinubu is on the saddle, the NCS didn’t even raise as much as a whimper over the noxious campaign to expel Ndigbo from the South-West starting August 20. Beside the very feeble and hypocritical protestations from Tinubu, who claimed he was offended by the campaign, there is no investigation into the matter. Of course, the government knows those behind the campaign, the chief instigator being Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s top media adviser.

Nigeria has become a police state with the government devising means to exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. Public officials are so disrespectful of the citizenry. The legislators continue to legislate their vexatious and toxic personal ideas, wishes and preferences as Tajudeen Abass, Speaker of the House of Representatives, wanted to do with his obnoxious counter subversion bill. Those in the judiciary have absolutely no respect for the Constitution they say is their prerogative  to interpret and chieftains of the executive arm of government continue to talk down on the people as the National Security Adviser, NSA, did on Wednesday when he warned Nigerians not to mistake Tinubu administration’s “commitment to peace for weakness.”

As I noted here last week, Tinubu is not a democrat. He is an autocrat who believes in and fervently craves power absolutism. If unresisted, by the time he is done with Nigeria, the so-called General Sani Abacha dictatorship will pale into insignificance. Nigerians have a patriotic duty to resist the creeping dictatorship otherwise we are headed for the notorious “Heil, mein Führer!” (‘Hail, my leader!’) saga as Germans did under Adolf Hitler. Nigeria can ill-afford a “Dear Leader,” an authoritarian leader who demands unquestioning loyalty.

The Ogun State Police Command has alerted members of the public of a notorious one-chance gang operating within Sagamu, Ijebu Ode, and Mowe areas of theUK economy slows slightly in second quarter state.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Omolola Odutola, who disclosed this in a statement obtained late Wednesday, night, said the command had received numerous complaints from residents, one of which involved a victim, who was robbed of N700,000 at gunpoint after getting into a car from Kajola on Wednesday. 

Odutola, while warning traders and business owners not to risk travelling with huge cash, advised commuters to record and send a video to the police media if they were unsure about a boarded vehicle.

She said, “The Ogun State Police Command has become inundated with complaints of a notorious gang operating within Sagamu, Ijebu Ode, and Mowe areas of Ogun State.

“Commuters on that axis should make a video of your next trip and upload it to police media when in doubt of the vehicle.

“Please alert our traders and business owners not to risk travelling with huge cash.

“Today, N700,000 was transferred from a victim who joined from Kajola, and at gunpoint, they drove her into a street and made the transfer into a POS machine.

She added that investigation is ongoing to apprehend the culprits.

[Vanguard]

In a bid to assuage protesters during the #EndBadGovernance protest, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu while addressing Nigerians in a live broadcast recounted the actualisation of half of its revenue generation target for 2024 as one of the major achievements of his administration.

According to the president, aggregate government revenues have more than doubled, hitting over 9.1 trillion in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023, due to efforts at blocking leakages, introducing automation and mobilising funding creatively.

Recall that the 2024 budget, which was tagged “the budget of renewed hope”, had an aggregate expenditure of 27.5 trillion naira, with a non-debt recurrent expenditure put at 9.92 trillion naira while debt service is projected to be 8.25 trillion naira and capital expenditure at 8.7 trillion naira. Out of the total sum of 27.5 trillion, the government was meant to realise 18.3 trillion naira from internal sources and to be left with a deficit of 9.18 trillion naira.

Judging from past trends, this feat is a welcome development because the past government under former President Muhammadu Buhari consistently failed to realise its revenue target, rather it incurred more deficit and resorted to funding the greater percentage of the budget with borrowings.  

Despite this achievement by the Tinubu administration, it is ironic that Nigerians cannot point to any evidence of positive developmental transformation or changes in the livelihood of people as a result of the revenue generated in the first half of the year. Such a quantum of money realised is expected to be deployed through budget releases to MDAs for the funding of critical infrastructural projects and programmes under the renewed hope agenda.

Unfortunately, there are no evidence of projects embarked upon by most MDAs. Upon enquiries, most of the MDAs have complained of a lack of budgetary releases to implement approved capital projects under their domain. Meanwhile, in the face of the current hunger plaguing families and homes in Nigeria due to the removal of fuel subsidy, the president had promised to utilise the budget to restore hope to Nigerians. 

Amongst the promises of Mr. President, is to provide massive social security programmes for Nigerians, implement critical infrastructural projects, reduce poverty and hunger by boosting food production, providing security in the farming areas, and investing in renewable energy, etc. Judging from these promises, little can be said to have been achieved because infrastructural projects across the country remain in a very critical state. Notable routes like the east-west road and roads traversing between Lokoja in the north central and the south-east to mention but a few, remain un-motorable.

On the social security programmes such as the presidential conditional grant scheme, where promises were made to reach one million businesses in the 774 local government areas, and other programmes, there is a lack of transparency and accountability on how the beneficiaries of these programs were selected.

Nigerians are very much aware that the current social register being utilised by the country to cater for the poorest of the poor cannot be trusted due to the corruption cases recorded and reported in the use of the register. There is no evidence of cleaning the register or producing a new one. 

Also, Nigerians are fully aware that the president has presented up to three supplementary budgets since assuming office to the national assembly, yet there are no visible projects to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal on Nigerians. It was only recently that the president launched the 33 powered CNG buses amongst high demand for CNG-powered vehicles in Nigeria.

It is the expectation of Nigerians that by now, the federal government would have established partnerships with investors to establish numerous CNG assembling plants across the country and facilitate the importation of CNG-powered vehicles to be distributed to Nigerians at subsidised rates. Nigerians also expected the federal government to deploy funds to fix our moribund refineries and get them to work at optimal capacity so that the country can stop the importation of refined petroleum products. 

Most worrisome is the fact that the budget office of the federation has been failing in its duty to upload budget implementation reports on its website; the last report on the BOF website is that of the third quarter of 2023. The failure of the budget office to account for a round of four quarters implementation report of the 2024 budget makes it difficult for well-meaning Nigerians to assess Mr. President’s performance based on his statement on revenue realised.  

In conclusion, as the nation forges ahead to attain its fiscal targets, the utilisation of these resources should be apportioned transparently in such a manner that would be evident in the social well-being and developmental outcomes of Nigerians.

Victor Emejuiwe is the monitoring evaluation/strategic communication manager at the Centre for Social Justice, Abuja