The Federal Government is set to spend N3tn on the new minimum wage and the payment of pensions and gratuities, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, disclosed this on Friday during a meeting with the Senate Committee on Appropriations, chaired by Olamilekan Adeola.

The minister presented the general principles of the newly amended 2024 budget to the committee at the meeting.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu had, after a meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress on Thursday, approved a new minimum wage of N70,000 for Nigerian workers. The president also pledged to review the national minimum wage law every three years. 

The National Assembly, in both chambers, had on Wednesday passed for first and second readings an amendment of N6.2tn to the 2024 budget, increasing the budget size to N33.7tn.

 In a letter to the Senate, read in plenary by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu sought the withdrawal of N3.2tn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for capital expenditure. Additionally, he requested another N3tn for additional recurrent expenditure for the year ending on December 31, 2024.

For expeditious consideration, the Senate gave the requests presented as executive bills, first and second readings, and mandated its committees on Appropriations and Finance to inject more legislative inputs and report back within a week. In his lead debate on the Appropriation Amendment Bill, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said the amendment sought to authorise the issuance of N3.2tn for capital expenditure and N3tn for recurrent expenditure from the consolidated fund. He explained that this would help fund capital infrastructure development, education, healthcare access, and public welfare initiatives.

 Senator Adamu Aliero supported the bills, citing the need to fund the expected minimum wage for workers. Senator Adams Oshiomhole emphasised the necessity of funding the personnel costs arising from the minimum wage adjustment. He stressed that the increase in personnel expenditure must be legally backed to prevent financial shortfalls.

During the Friday meeting with the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the minister noted that the new budget additions would not be funded by loans but by an already reserved profit.

Bagudu explained that priorities were given to projects that would open up roads for investments and emergencies, while other road projects would be addressed in subsequent batches. He highlighted the country’s historical underinvestment in infrastructure as a root cause of recent problems and commended President Tinubu for addressing the infrastructure deficit.

Bagudu assured that the Federal Executive Council would continue to approve funding for other road projects as funds become available. He provided a sectoral overview of the N3.2tn for the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Projects and the N3tn increase in the recurrent component of the budget.

Senator Adeola affirmed the government’s capacity to finance the 2024 budget and requested a detailed breakdown of the N6.2tn approval.

This breakdown, to be submitted next week, will be debated by both chambers of the National Assembly. Senate Spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, confirmed that ministries, departments, and agencies would defend their budget allocations before the relevant Senate committees.

The recurrent budget of N3tn will fund the minimum wage, pensions, and gratuities, while the capital component of N3.2tn will augment existing road projects on state and federal routes, including coastal roads, the Sokoto-Badagry road, railway construction, and dam irrigation.

Acceptance of N70,000 minimum wage act of solidarity — NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress on Friday night stated that its acceptance of the N70,000 minimum wage proposed by Tinubu was an act of solidarity.

The congress made this known in a statement released at the end of its National Executive Council meeting. The statement, which was signed by the National President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, affirmed that the NLC would continue to defend the rights of Nigerian workers at all times.

The statement read, “NEC-in-session concluded that this decision, though challenging and far from our initial demand, was made in the spirit of solidarity and sacrifice for the Nigerian masses to avert a threatened further hike in the price of petrol, which would inflict more hardship on the already suffering masses.

“Once again, NEC-in-session restates the commitment of the NLC to continue standing resolutely in its mission to defend and advance the rights of Nigerian workers and the Nigerian people at all times.

“It therefore calls on all Nigerians to unite in this cause and to hold our leaders accountable to the same standards of sacrifice and service.”

N70,000 can’t sustain workers in Lagos, says labour 

Also, the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress has urged the state government to consider the peculiarities of the state when the new N70,000 minimum wage comes into effect.

The state chairman of the NLC, Mrs Funmi Sessi, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Lagos that the N70,000 minimum wage approved by President Bola Tinubu could not sustain workers in the state.

“We, in Lagos State, still need to negotiate further with the government on issues such as rent, transportation and feeding. The government needs to look critically at our wage and add the ‘Lagos factor’.

“We know that if Ogun, Oyo, Edo, and Ekiti are paying the N70,000 stipulated by law, for Lagos, Kano, Rivers, and Abuja, there will always be that special factor for their allowances.

“So, we use this medium to appeal to our loving and good Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who is always willing to appreciate the good works of workers and alleviate their sufferings.

“We want to tell the governor that the ‘Lagos factor’ should be considered for the workers in the state. N70,000 is not sustainable for workers residing in the state.

“We will, however, continue to engage and dialogue until what we feel will be best for the workers is achieved,” she said.

[Punch]

The joint committee of the House of Representatives investigating arbitrary rise of cement price in the country, has asked major producers in the industry to tender documents on cost production to justify the price of cement in the market.

The committee resolved to visit production plants of the companies after going though their books to ascertain the cost of production with a view to determine a fair price of cement for all Nigerians.

The Chairman of the joint committee, Jonathan Gaza (APC-Nasarawa) made the demand on Friday at a public hearing while quizzing Dangote Cement Company and Lafarge Africa Plc in Abuja.

He said that the committee is interested in the cost of production from 2020 to date that justified the current price of cement which is over N10,000 in most parts of the country.

He said that the companies should give its average daily consumption of coal, gas, gypsum, limestone, clay, laterite and the average daily production of cement from 2020 to date.

Gaza said that the companies should provide details of all imported components for the production of cement and their prices from
2020 to date.

The lawmaker said that the companies should also provide details of local components for the production of cement and their prices in naira and dollars if any in the period under review.

He said that the companies should provide a summary of the monthly prices and guantity of cement produced from 2019 to date as well as their audited accounts of the company, bills of ladan and duties paid to customs within the period under review.

Gaza also said that the companies should provide details of tax waivers and other incentives enjoyed plus gas and explosives contract details.

Dabo Ismail (APC-Bauchi state) a member of the committee said that Dangote Cement Company had continued to make increasing profits in the country despite being able to source most of its raw materials locally.

He said that in 2022, the company declared a profit of N524 billion, N553 billion in 2023 and have so far made N166.4 billion in 2024.

The lawmaker said that there is no reason why the price of cement will keep rising in the market to the detriment of Nigerians while producers are smiling to he banks.

Earlier, the Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Company, Arvind Pathack, said that 95 per cent of production cost are either imported or linked to forex.

He explained that there had been between 100 to 333 per cent increase in the price of major cement input materials like gas, AGO, gypsum, imported coal, spare parts, new trucks, tyres, petrol among others.

Pathack said that company is made to pay in dollars some of its contracts to access gas and explosives saying that the provision made by the Central Bank of Nigeria was not enough to meet demand so the engage in international sales also sauce from the parallel market.

According to him, logistics issues such as deplorable state of key roads, creates several issues including longer time to deliver, increase in truck maintenance and delivery cost.

The GMD explained that lack of sufficient forex to settle trade obligations had resulted to huge forex losses to a tone of N150 billion a per annum while paying 30 per cent interest rate on loans.

He said between May 2023 and June 2024, there has been over 220 per cent devaluation of the Naira among many other challenges like insecurity and public power supply.

Pathack said that the cost building materials like reinforcement, granite and aluminum window had increased by 177 per cent to 283 per cent while cement had increase by 166 per cent between 2023 and 2024.

He said that cement was being sold at average cost of 7,200 saying that any price over N10,000 was the handwork of retailers which the company had no control over.

According to him, when converted to dollars a bag of cement is said at $7.8 dollars in Benin, $6.6 in Togo, $7.8 in Ghana, $4.4 in India while that of Nigeria is $4.43, making it one of the cheapest in Africa.

The committee admonished the companies to look into their policy and operations with a view to reduce the price of cement in the country.

In an interview with newsmen, the chairman of the committee expressed hope that the engagement will lead to a reduction in the price of cement.

He blamed high price of the commodity on the inaction of Federal Competition Consumer Protection Commission.

Gaza said that as an agency responsible for the protection of consumers, they failed to protect Nigerians against middlemen who sold the commodity for as high as N14,000 after purchasing it for N6,000 at the factory.

“We are extremely hopeful that this engagement will lead to a reduction in the price of cement.

“FCCPC has slept on their functions so far, their inactivity and none responsiveness to price is what has put Nigeria where we are today,” he said.

[NAN]

US President Joe Biden pledged to stay in the White House race Friday, defying a growing Democratic party revolt that raised speculation he could bow out as soon as this weekend.

“The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win,” the 81-year-old said in a statement from the Delaware beach home where he is in Covid isolation.

“I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week,” Biden added, as his doctor said the president was bouncing back from the symptoms of the disease.

But Biden’s political health appeared to be in far worse shape, with ten more House Democrats and two senators joining the list of lawmakers publicly calling on him to quit November’s election clash with Donald Trump.

A key donor, Silicon Valley investor Michael Moritz, also joined other supporters such as actor George Clooney who want Biden to make way.

“Sadly, President Biden has a choice — vanity or virtue,” the New York Times quoted Moritz as saying.

With reports that top Democrats have also expressed concerns, polls showing Trump on course for a return to the Oval Office, and fundraising drying up, the walls appeared to be closing in.

NBC News reported that some of Biden’s family had “discussed what an exit from his campaign might look like” although there was no final decision to do so.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the front-runner to succeed him as the Democratic presidential candidate if Biden does drop out, was holding an emergency call with donors on Friday.

Biden’s campaign however pushed back against reports that he would bow out, saying that while there had been some “slippage” in support, he was still the best candidate.

“Absolutely the president’s in this race,” campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon told MSNBC’s Morning Joe program. “Joe Biden is more committed than ever to beat Donald Trump.”

– ‘Dark vision’ –

Biden’s statement blasted his rival’s speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday, saying that “Donald Trump’s dark vision for the future is not who we are as Americans.”

But the split-screen between the two campaigns has been stark, with Trump receiving a triumphant reception from newly unified Republicans after surviving an assassination attempt on Saturday.

The pressure on Biden has soared in the last 48 hours, with reports that former president Barack Obama, ex-House speaker Nancy Pelosi and the party’s congressional leaders had all expressed concerns behind the scenes.

Top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries was evasive on Friday, saying that the “ticket that exists right now is the ticket we can win on” but saying it was Biden’s “decision to make.”

The scene could now be set for the most crucial weekend of Biden’s presidency, with media speculation that the US leader is using his time hunkered down in Rehoboth Beach to consult family members and mull over the path ahead.

The NBC report said it could involve a “carefully calculated plan” to step aside based on his own timing, to give some dignity to what would be a historically late decision by a sitting US president not to run.

Any decision by Biden to step aside less than four months from the election would also have to try to avoid chaos in the Democratic Party over his successor as nominee.

Biden beat Trump in 2020, becoming the oldest president in US history in the process.

But a series of polls have shown him trailing Trump in the 2024 race despite his rival being a convicted felon, while some polls show Harris as more competitive.

AFP

•Urge FG to declare an emergency in food security
•Tackle insecurity caused by herders
•Initiate a national food production policy

NIGERIANS have said the distribution of palliatives by the Federal Government was not the solution to the food shortage facing the country.

They urged President Bola Tinubu to declare an emergency in food security, introduce a national food policy, and tackle insecurity caused by herders, which had forced farmers in different states of the country, especially in southern Nigeria, to abandon farming.

Misplaced priority– Adima, political activist

A political activist, Mr Blessing Adima, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard in Delta State, said “Buying grains and rice for distribution to Nigerians is a misplaced priority. It goes to show that the federal government itself does not care about food production and doesn’t know how to tackle the problems that we are facing in Nigeria today.

Herdsmen have chased farmers from their farmlands and now, we import the rice that Benue State alone could have produced for Nigeria, and we also import the rice that southern Kaduna, Zamfara, Ebonyi and Taraba could have made for Nigeria.

The federal government does not know what to do. The money they are spending to import rice could have been used to tackle insecurity, banditry, terrorism and herdsmen menace and the problem would be solved.

You are talking about the Ministry of Livestock; Nigeria is not one of the greatest exporters of cow meat and milk and the top 10 countries do not practice this kind of archaic open grazing system; it is ranching that they resort to. Let us come to the South, if they are importing rice, will they import garri from China too? Agricultural produce is scarce. When Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s administration introduced its agriculture revolution, we saw how he addressed it.

Today, fertilizer is not what the peasant farmer can afford and the government is not thinking in that direction. We want to see insecurity tackled in the rural areas, and let farmers go to their farms. We want to see tractors, fertilizers and farm implements distributed to the farmers.

That is what will solve the food crisis, palliatives will not cure hunger, rather they will increase hunger because the people who should have gone to farms are in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. How will food be produced when 30 percent, if not 40 percent are in IDP camps? The government should tackle the problem of insecurity.”

Encourage farmers to return to the farm – Akene, development consultant

A development consultant, Furoebi Akene, stated, “All efforts should be made for the farmers to return to their farms. Beyond that, how honest and patriotic are the people entrusted with the distribution of the rice to ensure they get to the targeted beneficiaries? The same dubious and fraudulent characters will play out.”

Palliatives offer temporal relief- Idi, Ndokwa youth leader

The Secretary of the Ndokwa National Youth Movement, NNYM, Comrade Presley Idi, said: “For us, we believe that the pathway to solving the food crisis bedeviling Nigeria right now is to ensure a secured environment for our farmers. Without providing the needed security for farmers to return to their farms, we will continue to experience food shortages. Not only are palliatives like the
distribution of rice and other food items temporary solutions, but it will always be difficult for the items to get to those who truly need them because of the high level of corruption amongst the political elite.

We reiterate the only way to solve the current food crisis is to provide better security, once this is done and our farmers are back to their farms, the prices of food items will come crashing down.”

Govt not addressing the problem – Wills, legal practitioner

A legal practitioner in Bayelsa State, Iniruo Wills, said, “Extravaganza is not governance, and public spectacle is no strategy. Whenever the government decides to start rational governance, food and other crises will start to subside. That is if it is not too late by then.”

Palliatives not sustainable – Ekerefe, ex-IYC spokesperson

Ex-spokesman of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Ebilade Ekerefe, asserted, “Sharing billions of trailer loads of rice and distributing money as palliatives is not the solution to our food security crisis in the country. Even if it is a temporary stopgap, it must be noted that the items and monies do not even get to the end users in most cases. Corrupt government officials at the federal, state, and local government levels divert and resell the items to market vendors and make huge profits. This is the reality and it is not good. Instead of distributing food items and money as palliatives, which corrupt government officials usually divert, the federal government should urgently declare an emergency in food security.

“The government should introduce a holistic national policy to address this challenge before it gets out of control. We know the problems that led to the high cost of living in the country.

Inflation and fuel hikes are some of the major causes. Insecurity, bad roads and lack of incentives provided by the government to farmers to become more productive and efficient is another.

Therefore, it is a whole gamut of issues and the government must be sincere enough to address the challenges holistically rather than just providing palliatives that are not sustainable and efficient. They should act now. The country is currently nose-diving and it affects all sectors of the economy. Hunger and starvation are pervasive and Nigerians are dying daily. It has not been this bad in our country.”

No clear policy direction – Rukevwe, educationist

A Warri, Delta state-based educationist, Mrs. Edna Rukevwe, said, “It has become clear that President Tinubu did not prepare for economic reactions to his removal of subsidy on petroleum. So no clear policy direction. Throwing money and food at the problem of hunger in the country is not a solution.

The government should work out modalities to redress insecurity so that farmers can return to the farms. Also provide fertilizers and allow tax-free importation of farm tools into the country. The government should also acquire farming tractors for the local government areas. The tractors should cultivate farmlands for farmers across the country and be monitored by the local government councils.

“The government should drop propaganda and focus on real governance. The condition that Nigeria is now, is not the time for propaganda. The All Progressives Congress (APC) is a party that thrives in propaganda, but sadly, this is not the time for such. The people are wary of the government’s lies.

Tackle farmers’ insecurity, distribution of palliatives alone can’t stop hunger—AFAN

Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, representing South East in the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, Chief Israel Amanze, also argued that “distribution of palliatives and trucks of food items to Nigerians is only a temporary measure and not a permanent one to address food insecurity in the country. The government missed it a long time ago. The way it’s going is not how to take Nigeria out of hunger. They promised to support farmers with inputs and the rainy season farming for Southern Nigeria is almost over.

Distribution of palliatives can only bring down the cost of food for a few months but it is not a lasting solution. They should first address the insecurity that drove away farmers from the farm. The government should subsidize fertilizer and farm inputs. In this way, they will encourage farmers to go back to farm.”

Saviour Akpan, Executive Director, of COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peacebuilding, said: “Instead of donating trucks of food to the citizens, the government subsidize and make available to the citizens organic seedlings and fertilizers. This will encourage self-reliance as production will be based on two folds namely Subsistence and Commercial production. The citizens should also be educated on the danger of living a wasteful life which includes purchasing commodities not based on their needs but according to their want which contributes to inflation and scarcity.

Furthermore, the Land Use Act of 1978 should be amended to make land more and readily available for all agricultural purposes without hindrances.”

Ogunbiyi Olajunwo is a rights lawyers based in Uyo said: ”The Federal Government doesn’t have its priorities right. The first thing the current administration should have done immediately it came to power was to open the borders. Nothing was hindering us from importing food. We are not self sufficient in food production. We are not even at war with our neighbours, so why are we closing the borders to food coming in? It’s common sense that the government opens the borders for food to come in. And they need to reduce tariffs on essential goods, not just rice and wheat.

They need to reduce it so that food can come and reduce the burden on Nigerians. The hardship Nigerians are facing is not natural, it is man made. Then government needs a clear plan to tackle insecurity that has not allowed the farmers to go to the farms. And they need to stop giving those stupid subsidies and palliatives. Even with fertilizers, the federal government needs to stop it, those are not solutions. There is need for purposeful investment into food chains. Same way they look for investors to come and farm our oil and gas, that’s how we need investors to develop agriculture.

Ten mega farms can feed this nation. It is about capacity, not the number of people struggling to farm. We need to move away from this crude, subsistence farming and move into real mechanised farming. That is how we can feed ourselves, not by sharing food or giving fertilisers that can’t reach even the common man. Some of the farmers they give fertiliser sell it. It goes back to those who are rich and they commit it to some other personal purpose.

In Jos, Plateau state, an Executive of Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria, SWOFON, Mrs. Mary Afan said, “Women should be encouraged to continue to put food on the table of every household. When we talk about food security, people look at big farms but what you find in the markets are what the small-holder farmers produce. The big farms target exports or industrial use.

Smallholder farmers produce vegetables, grains, tubers, and others. But when the government wants to support, you hardly see the smallholder farmers benefit. It is either the political farmers that will get it and resell it because they don’t have farms or it is the big farmers that would benefit. That is why we are facing food insecurity; small farms are neglected, the real farmers don’t get the needed support. Insecurity is also stopping women from going to the farms because some of them are raped and killed in the farms, so people are afraid.”

Another resident, Jamila Benzies-Buyengum said, “People should be encouraged to go back to the farms, and implements should be subsidized and made available. When the government at all levels do these, food will be available. Farming has evolved, the capacity of citizens should be built to engage in farming dynamically at homes using sacks and these will improve the availability of food.”

On his part, Adamu Musa noted that, “More youths should be trained and modern farming tools deployed to enable them to go to the farms. This will reduce insecurity, and promote food production and food availability.

To Daniel Dazang, “The grassroots dwellers should be actively involved and supported to produce food. When they have enough to eat, the leftovers will be taken to the market and others will buy them. The government giving out palliative measures is not sustainable and by the way, how many people have access to the palliatives? The best thing is to engage the people in farming and this will be possible when insecurity is curbed and farm inputs are provided by the governments at all levels.”

[Vanguard]

A federal high court in Abuja has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the national voter register for Rivers to the state electoral body.

Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, gave the order on Friday after a motion ex parte filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The INEC, Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), attorney-general of the federation (AGF), inspector-general of police (IGP), and Department of State Service (DSS) are 1st to 5th defendants, respectively.

In the application, the APC asked the court to restrain INEC from releasing the national voter register to RSIEC for the conduct of the Rivers LGA election.

The APC said releasing the register to RSIEC will contravene “Items 11 and 12 on the concurrent legislative list in Part II of the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, sections 28, 29, and 103(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022”.

The party also asked the court to restrain the IGP and DSS from providing security cover or participating in the Rivers LGA elections that would be conducted by RSIEC.

“AN ORDER directing the 1st to 5th Defendants to maintain the status quo ante bellum and not to do any act or take any further steps in furtherance of the conduct of the Local Government Elections in Rivers State that are, by virtue of Sections 13 and 20 of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law of No. 2 of 2018, in contravention, breach or violation of items 11 and 12 on the Concurrent Legislative List, Part II of the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and Section 28, 29 and 103(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, pending the hearing and determination of the Plaintiffs’ Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction,” part of the application reads.

The judge granted the prayers of the APC and restrained INEC from releasing the voter register pending the determination of the suit on August 2.

In the same vein, the judge also ordered that the defendants in the suit be served with court orders and processes via substituted means.

He directed that the service of the court process should be published in two national dailies.

In June, RSIEC fixed October 5 for the LGA election in Rivers.

One of the responses I got to last week’s column repeated a historically and sociolinguistically suspect claim about the supposed contempt Hausa people have for Ilorin people to justify why Kano State NNPP chairman Hashim Dungurawa’s sly disparagement of the Ilorin blood in Emir Aminu Ado Bayero was unsurprising. 

Hausa people supposedly called the people of Ilorin “masu zamba,” which translates as fraudsters or swindlers, and that “mesu jamba,” the slur Southwest Yoruba people habitually hurl at Ilorin people in moments of inflamed passions, derives from it.

I reproduce below a column I wrote in November 2018 to question the accuracy of this claim. Enjoy:

For those who are not clued in on Yoruba cultural politics, “mesu jamba” is a term of insult that Yoruba people deploy to demean Ilorin people. Its usage spiked exponentially in the last three years with the ascension of Bukola Saraki to the Nigerian Senate presidency. 

Yoruba people loyal to Bola Tinubu routinely slur Saraki as “mesu jamba” because of his Ilorin origins, which, incidentally, some reactionary, intellectually impoverished Ilorin nativists are now calling into question.

Interestingly, too, in a September 2018 tweet, former culture minister Femi Fani-Kayode extended the insult to Lai Mohammed, who is not from Ilorin but from Oro, a town in the Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State where people speak a dialect of Yoruba called Igbomina. Fani-Kayode taunted Mohammed as an ''ugly little mesu jamba parrot.''

I don’t know if this extension of the “mesu jamba” (sometimes spelled as “mesujamba”) insult to all Yoruba-speaking Kwarans is widespread among the Yoruba of southwest Nigeria. Nevertheless, “mesu jamba” is often said to be a Hausa loan in Yoruba to mean “fraudulent people.” (Since it is sometimes used even for a person, it can denote a “fraudulent person”). But this is a linguistic fraud, and here is why.

If the expression were to be written in Hausa, it would be rendered as “masu zamba,” which would mean the people of fraud—or simply scammers. “Masu” is the plural form of “mai,” which functions as what linguists call a “relater” or a particle. It is used in Hausa to introduce nominal (and sometimes verbal) phrases and to indicate possession of or close association with the noun (or verbal phrase) mentioned. So, a person who sells water is called a “mai ruwa.” Groups of people who sell water would be “masu ruwa.” Zamba means fraud in Hausa. So, one fraudulent person would be “mai zamba” and multiple fraudulent people would be “masu zamba.”

The expression “masu zamba” (which was supposedly corrupted to “mesu jamba” in Yoruba) reputedly stems from Hausa people’s experience with the widespread fraud among Ilorin people. The problem is that, historically, Hausa people have never had any untoward relationship with Ilorin people to warrant characterizing them as scammers. If anything, as I pointed out in my two-part series titled, “Ilorinis an Ethnogenesis: Response to Kawu’s Anti-Saraki Ilorin Purism,” Hausa people are integral to the founding of Ilorin in its current form.

“The Ilorin identity is the product of the fusion of Yoruba, Fulani, Hausa, Baatonu (Bariba), Kanuri, Nupe, Gwari, and Gobir ethnicities and influences,” I wrote. It is a relatively new ethnogeny that was birthed in the full light of history. As I pointed out in my article, a Hausa man by the name of Bako nearly became the first emir of Ilorin and, as I’ll show shortly, ex-Hausa slaves from Oyo were part of Afonja’s foot soldiers.

Phonological fraud

It is phonologically implausible that “masu zamba” would be rendered as “mesu jamba” in Yoruba. Yoruba does not have a “z” sound, and whenever it borrows a word from another language that has a “z” sound, it almost always substitutes “z” with “s.” That is why Aziz becomes Lasisi, why Zubair becomes Suberu, why Zakari becomes Sakari (and later Saka), why Zamfara is pronounced Samfara, etc. For more on the phonological and morphological domestication processes of Yoruba, read my July 13, 2014, column titled “Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names” and my May 13, 2012, column titled, “The Arabic Origins of Common Yoruba Words.”

There is no instantiation I can find of a “z” sound from a donor language being substituted with a “j” sound when borrowed in the Yoruba language. I see no reason why “zamba” would defy the enduring phonological logic of the Yoruba language and become “jamba.” I welcome any Yoruba speaker with contrary information to challenge or educate me.

Interestingly, in my native Baatonu language, (which Yoruba people call Baruba, Bariba, or Ibariba), the Hausa “zamba” is domesticated as “samba,” and it means not just fraud but guileful fraud. Baatonu, like Yoruba, has no “z” sound and always substitutes “z” with “s.” So, what is true origin of the expression “mesu jamba”?

Etymology of “mesu jamba”

As I pointed out earlier, Ilorin is an ethnogeny that is synthesized from a multiplicity of disparate ethnic identities, among which are Hausa or Hausa-speaking people. When Afonja rebelled against the Alaafin of Oyo in the early 1800s, he assembled a multi-ethnic army he called “jama” (sometimes spelled as “jema” in the historical literature). Jama is the corruption of the Arabic jama’ah, which translates as “congregation” or “community” in English.

Professor Abdullahi Smith’s book titled A Little New Light, which I cited liberally in my “Ilorin is an Ethnogenesis” series, clearly shows that Afonja’s “jama” had in it Yoruba, Hausa, and Fulani foot soldiers who were notorious for their unfeeling ruthlessness. Afonja invited Alimi, the forebear of Ilorin’s contemporary traditional ruling family, to permanently settle in Ilorin and to become his spiritual guardian. Afonja later told Alimi to relocate his entire family from Sokoto to Ilorin.

But Alimi brought more than his immediate family. Several Hausa-speaking Muslims from Sokoto, who were not his blood relatives, came along as well. And since, according to historical records, Afonja’s jama was still active even after Alimi’s death, the newly arrived Hausa-speaking Muslims from Sokoto referred to Afonja and his foot soldiers as “masu jama’a,” which denotatively means people of the community, but which connotatively meant members of Afonja’s jama army. The singular form of “masu jama” would be “mai jama.”

These expressions—“mai jama’a” and “masu jama’a” are still active in the Hausa language. The nickname for Hon. Zakari Mohammed, the House of Representatives member from Kwara State representing Baruten and Kaiama local governments, is “Mai Jama’a,” which connotes “man of the people.”

But the “jama’a” in the original “masu jama’a” referred only to Afonja’s army, which, as I’ve pointed out, was literally called “jama” (or “jema” in the writings of Yoruba historians). Over time, “masu jama’a” came to mean the Ilorin people who were loyal to Afonja, who died in a battle with Alimi’s descendants in the 1830s. That’s the historical basis for the pejorative undertone of “masu jama’a.”

In the course of time, however, Yoruba speakers domesticated “masu jama’a” to “mesu jama” (and later “mesu jamba”). Phonological intrusion isn’t uncommon when languages borrow from another language, so the intrusive “b” in “jamba” isn’t unusual. The fact that members of Afonja’s jama were war-mongering mercenaries and bandits, not to mention non-Muslims, redounded to the semantic derogation of the term. Since the jama was disbanded and most Ilorin people pledged allegiance to the emir, “masu jama” went into disuse in Ilorin.

Nevertheless, the term was picked up by Yoruba people in the southwest, who have no awareness of the etymology of the term. They now use it indiscriminately as a catch-all slur for all Ilorin people. It’s a linguistic fraud that should get to the end of its shelf life now.

Isn’t it a supreme irony that a fraud is deployed to characterize people as frauds?

It was a gathering of who is who in the academic and educational sector in Nigeria as the maiden conference on Climate Justice and Just Energy Transition in Developing countries in honour of Prof. Chinedum Uzoma Nwajiuba at 60 took the centre stage at Coal City University, Enugu. The two days conference was organised by the former students and associates of Nwajiuba in collaboration with the Centre for Climate Change and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike, Ebonyi State and Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences of Coal City University, (CCU) Enugu, Nigeria. Dubbed the birthday with a difference, it was an honour due to an academic, erudite Professor of Agricultural Economics, climate resilience and advocacy of climate justice and former Vice Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi, State, Nigeria as he hits the milestone of 60. The event which took place at the state-of-the-art auditorium, Coal City University, Enugu witnessed a gathering of high profile academics from the National Universities Commission and many other universities across Nigeria as a mark of honour and respect for the foremost climate change ambassador and an icon. The chancellor, Coal City University, Sir (Dr.) Chinedu Ani was on hand to lend unflinching support to the man of the moment.

The highly rated academic event commenced with a courtesy visit to the Vice Chancellor, Coal City University, Prof Afam Ichia-Ituma, who doubled as the host of the maiden Nwajiuba conference at 60. The management, staff, students and indeed the entire university community were on hand to receive and identify with the celebrant. In company of Nwajiuba was his lovely wife Dr. Chinyere Nwajiuba, mni and other high profile academics from various universities across the country. The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Coal City University, Professor Sylvester Emeka Igwe, stood in for the Vice Chancellor, Afam Icha-Ituma who was unavoidably absent. He led other senior management staff of CCU to receive the celebrant and his entourage. 

The Deputy Executive Secretary Academics, Nigerian Universities Commission, Dr. Noel Saliu who represented the Executive Secretary, Ambassador Chris Maiyaki brought good tidings. He thanked CCU for her warm reception and for blazing the trail in university education in Nigeria. He added that, “we are here to celebrate an icon at 60 who has contributed to the body of knowledge and a national colossus in climate change. Prof. Nwajiuba thanked the Vice Chancellor and the university community for providing a fertile ground and support for the conference. He was elated and appreciated the University for encouraging a high number of students to participate in the conference. This conference is about the young ones and the university has the "temperament and emerging character for me to host the event." 

Responding, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sylvester Emeka Igwe, welcomed Prof. Nwajiuba and his team to Coal City University and thanked him for finding the university worthy of hosting the maiden edition of his conference. He noted that Prof. Nwajiuba is a mentor to many renowned scholars including the Vice Chancellor of the university. Adding that, the university is proud to be associated with the indefatigable spirit and character of the celebrant. 

The Vice Chancellor Prof. Afam Icha-Ituma whose address was streamed live welcomed in a special way, the Ag. Executive Secretary of National University Commission, Ambassador Chris Maiyaki, who chaired the opening ceremony of the conference. The Executive Secretary was ably represented the Deputy Executive Secretary of NUC (Academics), Dr. Noel Biodun Saliu, and the high profile team from NUC. The Vice Chancellor in his remarks commended, "the Executive Secretary of NUC for taking keen interest in every aspect of this Coal City University. I applaud him  for the giant strides being recorded by the Nigerian University System under his dynamic leadership. Our work in the development of Coal City University has been tremendously enriched by the unflinching support from NUC and we are profoundly grateful, he said"

Continuing the  elated VC said, "I am very delighted that our visionary Chancellor and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sir Chinedu Ani is present at today’s event. We are honoured by his esteemed presence and I thank him so much for all his contributions to ensure the success of this conference. It is with great joy that I heartily welcome our distinguished honouree, Professor Chinedum Uzoma Nwajiuba and his amiable wife Prof Chinyere Nwajiuba, mni and members of the Nwajiuba dynasty and so many colleagues,  friends from AE-FUNAI and other universities who have gathered to celebrate Professor Nwajiuba’s 60th birthday anniversary. Special appreciation to Professor Ikenna Uzuegbunam, from Howard University, US. Your presence at Coal City University today, and your contributions to what promises to be a highly engaging and impactful conversation on climate change, demonstrate the level of regard in which Prof Chinedum Nwajiuba is held, and the admiration and respect we all have for him."

Furthermore, "I most especially thank you all for coming to Coal City University to celebrate a remarkable milestone in the life of Professor Nwajiuba, an intellectual giant, and a globally recognised champion of climate justice. Professor Nwajiuba has done the academic community and broader society several admirable services through his institutional leadership, thought leadership, and numerous public services. I had the pleasure of serving in various capacities including as a Dean of Faculty under his dynamic leadership as the Vice-Chancellor of AE-FUNAI. There are different types of institutional leaders. Some cast long shadows in an institution, while others shine sunlight that helps the rest of us find our way and find the paths to make our contributions. My gratitude to Professor Nwajiuba lies here, and I know that many others can report similar experiences. His exceptional and special leadership abilities and charismatic personality were readily apparent in AE-FUNAI and beyond. As we converge on this auspicious occasion, we honour not only Professor Nwajiuba's 60 years of remarkable life but also his tireless dedication to the pursuit of a more sustainable and equitable world. His contributions to the field of climate justice and just energy transition have inspired generations, and his legacy continues to shape our understanding of the critical issues that face our planet. It is, indeed, befitting to host a conference in his honour."

"Indeed, the theme of this conference “Climate Justice and Just Energy Transition in Developing Countries” is very timely and apposite. There is a growing scholarship investigating the ways climate change has uneven impacts throughout the world. Research in the field of climate justice and political ecology addresses how we understand the structural forces shaping human and nonhuman responses to the climate emergency. It is not merely intellectually rewarding to discuss climate justice and related issues in developing countries, but a matter of profound policy relevance. And thanks to the network of Professor Nwajiuba, we are privileged to have many prominent speakers to offer their insights. I am delighted that distinguished experts, thought leaders and policymakers will be sharing their knowledge and experience at this conference. We look forward to hearing what the erudite keynote speaker and panelists have to say on the theme of the conference. I am fully confident that the speakers will go some way to equip us with the capacity to ideate, articulate and implement nature-preserving sustainable practices that will inspire positive change in developing countries, particularly Nigeria. As I end this opening remark, I applaud Professor Nwajiuba’s former students and members of the Local Organising Committee headed by Dr. Robert Onyeneke for having the presence of mind to organise this conference and for working conscientiously to ensure its success. Nwajiuba, an outstanding scholar, educational administrator, institutional builder, former Vice-Chancellor and former pro-chancellor of two universities. Humanity is Professor Nwajiuba’s dominant feature, and that is why beyond esteem, what we all have for him is affection."

In his welcome address, the Chairman, Conference Organising Committee, Dr. Robert Onyeneke said, “today we gathered not only to deliberate on pressing issues but to celebrate a remarkable individual whose work has significantly shaped our understanding of climate justice and energy transition.” Prof. Nwajiuba’s contribution have been both timely and impactful. From his rigorous academic research to his dynamics policy engagements, he has been a vanguard in the environmental discourse. His work with the Building Nigeria’s Response to Climate Change and Africa Adaptation Projects, Nigerian Environmental Study Action Team (NEST), and his pivotal role in delivering the national Adaptation Strategy and Plan of Action on Climate Change for Nigeria (NASPA-CCN) have laid foundational strategies for national resilience.”

The conference witnesses an array of renowned academic presentations and well researched topics on climate change. The keynote lecture entitled “Climate Act: Implication for Climate action in Nigeria.” was delivered by Hon. Sam Onuigbo, a former member, House of Representatives, who represented Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal constituency. Hon. Sam is regarded as the father of Nigeria’s Climate Change Act, 2021, for sponsoring the bill which was assented to by President Buhari on November 17, 2021. The Act led to the establishment of the National Council on Climate Change. His lecture dwelt on the role of legislation in climate change, comparative review of some climate change laws, key provisions of the climate change act and government action in line with the provisions among others. 

Dr. Noel Saliu, the Deputy Executive Secretary Academics, Nigerian Universities Commission, who represented the Executive Secretary, delivered an outstanding piece entitled, “The Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards: The Role of NUC in Mainstreaming Climate Change Migration and Justice in University education in Nigeria.” His lecture focused on the effects of climate change, the need for climate justice, climate change mitigation in the university education, climate change mitigation education among others. 

Reacting to the presentations, Prof. Nwajiuba noted that the lectures though technical simply  points to the direction the world is going and drums up support for active involvement of government and the people of Nigeria on energy transition from the fossil fuel to renewable energy.  He emphasised that Nigeria cannot be left behind as the school is the right place to begin the plantation of the idea. The right place to begin with is Coal City University for it has the right spirit and culture of educational excellence. Goodwill messages poured in from Delta State University, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University, Imo State, University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Umuagwo, Imo State. Major highlights of the event featured cutting of birthday cake by the celebrant and entertainment of the guests by Coal City University Cultural troupe.

Sunday Onyemaechi Eze, Lecturer Department of Mass Communication, Coal City University, Enugu

President Bola Tinubu on Friday in Abuja commended international energy company, ENI, for its proposed new investment in Nigeria, reiterating his vision of making the nation more globally competitive and an investment destination.

The President said that by exploring the possibilities of innovative thinking, strategic planning, new technology, and research into best practices, his administration's reforms will reposition the nation’s economy.

Receiving a delegation from ENI led by the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Claudio Descalzi, at the Presidential Villa, President Tinubu said the vision of his administration remains to turn the country into an investment destination, with strategic thinking, planning, and implementation.

“ENI, we welcome your team again. Claudio, it is an honour for me to welcome you back to your second home, Nigeria. 

“Welcome back after many years. Nigeria has improved, and I am glad that you noted that we are making changes, not because of anything else but because of a very long-term vision on our investment strategy.

“Gone are the days when we feel like the captain in several ships. We have seen conflicting strategies around the world, and we are determined to champion these changes or take ourselves ahead of those changes and make reforms a priority. 

“We cannot grow today’s seed with yesterday’s belief system. We have to continuously be intellectually inquisitive and reform ourselves and our way of doing things. We count on your efforts. 

“And we see the effect of your belief in our partnership, not for exploitation, but for investable development. Africa is not in a begging mode but in an accelerated mode to compete and take its place with the rest of the world,’’ the President stated.

President Tinubu also said the reforms will be sustained for the mutual benefit of investors and Nigerians. 

“I have seen the need for us to continue to be leaders in this reform and create opportunities for attracting investments because the basket is getting bigger, and the participants are getting larger and more resilient. The fossil fuel problem is there; science and technology is taking over.

“We will still continue to assure you that we are going to be the global investment destination and I will encourage you, as one of the progressive leaders in the industry, on what our reforms have achieved. 

“Please, put a timeline on that investment strategy. It will be a stimulant for the rest of the world when you put a timeline on it,’’ the President added. 

President Tinubu commended ENI's confidence in the country for many years and for diversifying into other areas like agriculture.

“We are open; we are ready. We are working hard on infrastructural development and to make arable land available for planting, and we are ready to partner you in every aspect of that and in innovative research,’’ the President stated. 

In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of ENI said the energy company will invest more in the country, particularly in the agricultural sector. 

"First of all, there are lots of reasons to thank you. The first is that after 9 years, you allowed me to come back to my country. It is quite emotional. Secondly, not only because you found time to stay with us, but especially because you promoted a new era for Nigeria.

“You want us to attract investment, and I think that you are following the right track with your leadership. We want to come back and demonstrate that what somebody in Europe says about Nigeria, that everybody is leaving, is not true. We want to be the champion of this new era. 

"We want to stay close to you; to learn and to help you in your endeavour and renew our efforts to create again a new Nigeria for everybody and I think that we trust you, and we want everybody in Europe and in different countries and everywhere to trust you and your leadership. You know that we work everywhere. And we can be a good ambassador of Nigeria, not just in Europe, but in other countries,’’ Mr. Descalzi said

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President 

(Media & Publicity)