Hundreds of Nigerian nurses are stranded following the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, NMCN, continuous closure of its portal for verification of nurses’ certificates.

It was gathered that while many nurses are currently stranded in different countries abroad, others are on the verge of being deported.

Nursing boards in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK are said to have stopped accepting nursing certificates from Nigerian nurses because they can’t verify their authenticity.

DAILY POST reports that the National Assembly had twice urged the NMCN to open its site and commence verification of Nurses and Midwives based on its former guidelines pending the conclusion of an investigation by the House Committee on Health Institutions.

However, the council has yet to heed the resolution of the House.

The latest directive sighted by DAILY POST is a letter dated 13th August 2024, titled “Negative Portrayal of the House’s Resolution” and signed by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Sani Magaji Tambuwal, to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.

The letter came after Hon. Patrick Umoh had raised a motion of urgent national importance on the need to safeguard institutional integrity and address any misinterpretation of the previous House’s Resolution by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.

DAILY POST recalls that the House also had previously urged the NMCN through a resolution on Tuesday, 26th, February 2024, not to implement the revised Guidelines for Verification dated February 7, 2023, pending investigation by the House.

This came after some stakeholders in the health sector had raised their concerns over the new circular by the NMCN, revising the guidelines for requesting verification of certificates for nurses and midwives to foreign nursing boards or councils.

Many also called for a review of the circular’s contents to avoid a situation where nurses’ progress and development are subject to other professionals’ determination.

How it all started

In February 2024, the NMCN expressed worry that over 42,000 nurses left the country in the last three years to seek greener pastures in foreign countries.

According to the council, over 15,000 nurses left Nigeria in 2023 alone.

DAILY POST reports that the development is coming on the heels of poor healthcare infrastructure, inadequate funding, poor welfare, and working conditions in the health sector.

Seemingly worried by the imminent threat of brain drain in the nation’s health sector, the Council introduced revised guidelines for verifying nursing certificates to address the crisis.

DAILY POST reported that the NMCN, in the memo dated February 7, 2024, outlined the revised guidelines and requirements to be met by all applicants seeking the verification of certificate(s) to foreign nursing boards/councils.

It stated that applicants seeking verification of certificates to foreign nursing boards and councils must have two years of qualification experience and pay a non-refundable application fee.

The memo signed by the Registrar/Secretary General of NMCN, Dr. Faruk Umar Abubakar, was sent to the Commissioners/Secretary of Health Services; Chief Medical Directors/ Medical Directors; National President; Directors of Nursing Services; Heads of Department; Provosts & Principals; Coordinators; Zonal Officers; All States Ministry of Health & Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; University Teaching Hospitals/Specialist & Federal Medical Centre and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, National Headquarters, Abuja.

The circular was also sent to the Ministries of Health, Hospitals Management Boards, All States & Federal Capital Territory; All Universities Offering Nursing Programmes; Colleges of Nursing Sciences, Schools of Nursing & Midwifery, All Post-Basic Nursing Programmes; All Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria Zonal Offices.

It provided that, “Eligible applicants must have a minimum of two (2) years post qualification experience from the date of issuance of the permanent practising licence. Any application with a provisional licence shall be rejected outrightly.

“The Council shall request a letter of Good Standing from the Chief Executive Officer of the applicant’s place(s) of work and the last nursing training institution attended, and responses on these shall be addressed directly to the Registrar/CEO, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. Please note that the Council shall not accept such letter(s) through the applicant.

“Applicants must have an active practising licence with a minimum of six months to the expiration date. Applicants must upload Certificate(s) of Registration only. Notification of Registration is not acceptable.

“The applicant shall receive prompt notice via his/her email and dashboard on the status of the verification application.

“Please note: Processing of verification application takes a minimum of six (6) months. All applicants shall ensure that complete requirements are met before initiating verification application as incomplete documentation shall not be processed.”

Nurses kick against policy

However, nurses and other health workers kicked against the policy, insisting the guidelines and requirements were typical of a denial of human rights.

The health workers stressed that there had never been any occasion where regulatory bodies asked for work experience or mandated years of service as a condition for verification.

They are particularly uncomfortable with the provision in the guidelines which stated that a nurse seeking NMCN certification must have a minimum of two years post-qualification experience.

They are also opposed to the requirement that a nurse applying for NMCN’s certification must obtain a letter of good standing from the Chief Executive Officer of their place of work and the last training institution attended while the processing of application shall take a minimum of six months.

As a protest against the policy, the nurses, under the aegis of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, Abuja, and Lagos chapters, took to the streets to express their disapproval of the new circular.

The nurses converged on the NMCN’s offices in Abuja and Lagos to express their dissatisfaction.

They also threatened a nationwide strike, describing the new guidelines as an effort to hamper their freedom.

Meanwhile, some others took to social networks to protest against the policy.

A group of nurses also took legal action against the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and the Minister of Health, among others, challenging the recent revisions to certificate verification guidelines.

However, DAILY POST learnt that the litigation has since been withdrawn.

Reactions

A nurse in one of the nation’s foremost university teaching hospitals, who spoke anonymously to DAILY POST, for fear of victimisation, expressed worry that the controversy is taking so long to end despite the resolution of the House of Representatives on the matter.

“The portal is not yet open despite the order from the National Assembly that it should be opened.

“The excuse that the secretary of the NMCN is giving to us is that they are working with the IT people so that they can reset the portal to its previous setting.

“You know there’s a previous setting where you just did your verification with a few requirements until they brought this new policy that caused all those problems.

“We are also worried why it’s taking so long. The information I have just given you is what I saw on our platform. The secretary admitted he has received the letter from the clerk of the National Assembly, and that they are working with the IT people to reset the portal, that’s what he said.

“You know NMCN claimed that it was the National Assembly that told them to shut the portal, which was the controversy, but the lawmakers wrote back to the council saying that wasn’t their resolution.

“The lawmakers wrote clarifying that they asked NMCN to revert to the old verification guidelines, pending when all the parties involved will sit to look at the issue.

“Now it is just for them ( NMCN) to go back to the old verification guidelines but the secretary is claiming that they are working with the IT people,” she stated.

She said it was sad that health workers are leaving the country in droves, which according to her, was being caused by poor working conditions in Nigeria’s health sector.

The health worker urged the government to make a deliberate effort to fix the country’s health care system.

“We are not happy that people are leaving the country but the working conditions in Nigeria are crazy. I work in an institution where we are not sure of a 10-hour energy supply.

“In a teaching hospital, there’s no light, there’s no water, nothing to work with.

“Emergency comes and people just die like that. Not that you haven’t done your part but there’s nothing to work with. We are just stranded. Patients go out to buy everything that we use to work for them. And the hospital pharmacy doesn’t have everything that they need. So most of the time, the patients’ relatives go outside to buy what they need.

“I work in the maternity section. A mother may come to the hospital by 2am and she’s bleeding profusely. The laboratory people will be telling you there’s no light; of course there’s no light; they cannot work without light. They can’t do grouping and cross matching, they can’t give you blood.

“You go to the pharmacy, they will tell you they can’t work because there’s no light to power their system. You see patients’ relatives going outside the hospital at 2am, you just lose patients. It’s painful.

“It’s not that we are enjoying all these. Nigerian nurses are still overworking themselves outside the country but it’s still better.

“The working condition and the pay too is far higher than what we are receiving in Nigeria. In Nigeria, they only pay attention to one particular profession. Until they do something, people will keep traveling.

“Just like I have explained, the government should make a deliberate effort to fix our health care system. If you go to the rural areas you will see what people are passing through.

“The experience I have just shared with you is where I work. Nigeria is tough for everybody. If I tell you my salary, you will just smile. I can’t buy a bag of rice. Let them see how they can reduce inflation. Even if they increase our salary, things are so expensive, we can no longer meet up with our basic needs,” she lamented.

She also lamented the inability of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, to fight for the interest of its members.

“Personally, I am so disappointed with the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives because they didn’t handle this matter the way they ought to.

“If this kind of thing happens in our sister organization, they won’t take it likely. NMCN infringed on our fundamental human rights and we were so pissed.

“That’s even what led to the young nurses taking the matter to the court. NANNM didn’t come up as an organization to fight for us. And by the time we went to court, just like the ‘Nigerian system’, they kept adjourning the case.

“Another group also went to the NANNM to find out why they weren’t doing anything about the matter, and they said they will meet the registrar and all that. At the end of the day, they said they can only intervene if we withdraw the case from the court. That’s what led to the withdrawal of the case from the court.

“You know a lot of Nigerian nurses are stuck because you can’t travel without verification, you can’t do anything. A lot of people were already on their way out before the portal was shut down,” the concerned nurse further stated.

Graduate Nurses Association of Nigeria – GNAN

Also speaking to DAILY POST about the matter, the President of Graduate Nurses Association of Nigeria, GNAN, Mr Ojo Opeyemi said his association has been working underground to ensure the issue is resolved amicably.

Opeyemi said the stalemate in verification of nurses’ certificates is having a serious effect on their members as some people are stranded abroad.

According to him, GNAN formed a coalition with other groups under the Director of nursing services in Abuja following the total shutdown of the portal to negotiate with the registrar of the nursing council.

He said he’s extremely positive they will have good feedback because the coalition had honoured its own part of the agreement earlier reached with the registrar.

Opeyemi said the deal saw the withdrawal of their case against NMCN and the registrar from the court.

He said: “When it was initially suspended, our association went to court to sue the NMCN, including the registrar. Then after the total shutdown of the portal, a coalition was formed when it was really having negative effects on our people.

“We decided to form a coalition under the Director of nursing services in Abuja. We formed a coalition that negotiated with the registrar.

“Well, last month, we had a meeting in his office in Abuja. And part of the agreement we reached from the meeting is to withdraw the case from the court. Then we will come back for another meeting, where those issues causing controversy will be sorted out in-house.

“We have played our own part. Fortunately during the time of withdrawing the case from the court, another group went to the National Assembly. The National Assembly deliberated upon it and said the NMCN should revert to the old guidelines for verification of nurses and open the portal.

“The letter has been sent to the nursing council as I read online and some people have also informed me that the letter has been delivered to the NMCN.

“Those at the nursing group administration, we are working together. We believe that we have honoured our own part in all honesty. As I speak to you, one of our representatives in Abuja is going to meet the registrar today to chart the way forward on our agreement.

“Actually the agreement wasn’t signed but we believe that they are the government and we are an association, so based on mutual understanding, we will resolve the issue in-house. We believe that the registrar will also honour his own part of the deal.

“So by the close of the day, (Tuesday) we are actually anxious to get feedback if we are going to go for a meeting or there will be automatic reopening of the portals, since the National Assembly has passed a resolution for them to reopen the portal.

“That’s why we ensured the complete withdrawal of the case from the court so that the House resolution would not be stepped down. We have done our own part.

“At the end of today, when our representative meets the registrar, we are going to know if our initial understanding and agreement is honoured or otherwise.

“I am extremely positive we will have good feedback being that we have been the one championing the coalition under the director of nursing services at the federal Ministry of health because she is the one mediating between the group, the registrar and the nursing council.

“I don’t want to say anything negative or be pessimistic. We are believing that today we shall have feedback. And I also believe that the registrar is making contact with necessary people at the Ministry of health for the portal to be reopened.

“Many of the people don’t know about these negotiations because they are extremely anxious. We are working underground to make sure that this thing gets resolved amicably so everybody could move forward. That is the position of things at the present.

“We are extremely worried. In fact, we had wanted to pursue the case to a logical conclusion, because of the excruciating pains on our people and the effects the total lockdown of the portal was having on our people.

“Let me correct one wrong impression, verification does not mean that everyone wants to ‘japa’ or seek greener pastures. We have people who want their certificates verified because they want to further their education.

“We also have people who are outside who want to move to other countries, they will still ask them to get verification from where they studied, where they originally practised or got their license to practice as a nurse. So they will also refer them back again to Nigeria.

“There are many that are stranded and I also have a report that next month, some people will be deported massively from Saudi Arabia, UK, Canada, etc.

“So because of this, it is having a serious effect on our members and we have decided after our SWOT analysis of the whole scenario to remove the case from the court and have a negotiation to solve the issue in-house.

“As I speak to you some people are already stranded in the US, UK and others.”

Efforts to hear from the NMCN, as well the President of the NANNM didn’t yield any result as they didn’t respond to calls put to them.

However, DAILY POST did contact the Rivers State chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Mr Madonna Wichendu.

Wichendu on getting to know the subject of the interview said he was in a meeting and not disposed to comment on the matter.

[DailyPost]

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed the leaders of its 54 affiliate unions to accompany its President, Joe Ajaero, to the office of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) today over alleged terrorism financing and other infractions.

The umbrella labour union asked Central Working Committee (CWC) members in Abuja to assemble at the Labour House by 8 a.m today to accompany its president for the police questioning.

The NLC gave the directive in a circular by its General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, and copied to all affiliate unions, state chapters, and national officers.

The police, last week, invited Ajaero to its office over allegations of terrorism financing, cybercrime, subversion, criminal conspiracy, and treasonable felony.

The circular reads: “In Abuja: All CWC members resident in Abuja and other members are expected to assemble at the national headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress by 8 a.m. on Thursday, August 29, to accompany the President to the police for the scheduled interaction.

“In state capitals: Members should gather at their respective state secretariats of congress. From there, they will embark on a peaceful procession to their state police command headquarters where they will hold a prayer session until the President’s interaction with the police is concluded.

“This peaceful march is a united stand against the unjust actions aimed at intimidating our leadership and stifling the voice of Nigerian workers. We urge all members to remain peaceful and orderly throughout the procession and prayer session.

“If for any reason, the President is detained, all workers nationwide shall proceed on an indefinite strike. Your unwavering support and solidarity at this critical time are crucial to defending civic rights and the integrity and rights of the labour movement.

“Together, we shall overcome these challenges and continue to uphold justice, fairness, and democracy in our dear nation.”   

[TheNation]

On Sunday, the police and the Shiite religious group had another violent encounter in Wuse district, the Federal Capital Territory. As is all too common to these their frequent confrontations, people died. The police confirmed the death of two of their officers, and three others were also reportedly hospitalised due to critical injuries they sustained. Three police patrol vehicles were also said to have been set ablaze. The police issued a press release stating the attack on them was “unprovoked,” while the Shiites, on their own part, maintained that they were going about their own business of peaceful procession when the police appeared and began shooting indiscriminately.

Definitely, one party—or both—is not telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I find it hard to accept that the Shiites attacked the police without any provocation whatsoever, and I doubt the police would be so crazy that they would instigate the attack that left their men dead for no reason. Something had to have happened, and whatever it was, certainly preceded their Sunday encounter. Since neither side will admit any fault, the truth remains locked up somewhere in the middle of both accounts, frustratingly unreachable. It would be a waste of time and effort trying to decide right and wrong between the two sides.

The story of both is always about the police suspecting the Shiites of being up to mischief and the Shiites pushing back. In April, the police claimed they received an “intelligence” warning that the “armed wing” of the Shiites movement was planning to attack police operatives at locations such as hotels, beer parlours, black spots, residences, and checkpoints, among other locations. The Shiites, of course, denied the intelligence of that “intelligence” report. Just a week before the intelligence was received, the Shiites had also alleged the police killed five of them and injured 25 others during their pro-Palestinian demonstration in Kaduna.

Also, in July, the police announced a ban on a planned procession by the Shiites to mark the 2024 Islamic Ashura day ceremony saying they would use the occasion to foment trouble. April last year too, another clash between them reportedly left 20 injured. A month before then, the Shiites had also accused the state government of killing five of their members. I could keep going on and on about the tension between the Shiites and the police, but you already understand.

But it is not only the police that have problems with the Shiites. In 2014, another deadly showdown with the military claimed the lives of 34 members of the group, including three of the sons of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, the leader of the movement. Goodluck Jonathan was the president at the time, and he reportedly called to apologise to El-Zakzaky. In a country where people do not treat their laws as mere suggestions, murders are not resolved through futile apologies but through the justice system. But, this is Nigeria.

Compared to his successor, Muhammadu Buhari, Jonathan’s “sorry” at least demonstrated his humaneness. “Buhari” and “humane,” used in the same sentence, is oxymoronic. In 2015, months after his inauguration, the Shiites were attacked in their communities by soldiers after a confrontation where some of them blocked the then Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, from using a highway that runs through their Zaria headquarters. It was not enough that the soldiers dispersed them with gunshots at the scene, but they also returned to commit a massacre that left 347 people— please note these are official figures—dead.

El-Zakzaky was arrested following the invasion and incarcerated for a long time. The Army deployed heavily armed soldiers, bulldozers, and excavators to demolish the headquarters in an operation that lasted two days. Despite the result of the judicial panel that gave us the tally of 347 deaths, there was neither justice nor closure. One can only imagine the trauma that those who went through that incident still experience, and how it clouds their relationship with the police.

When Buhari was asked on national television about the incident, he did not think the killings warranted as much as compassion let alone justice. A subhuman mongrel, he not only dismissed the massacre, but also later made Buratai an ambassador. Meanwhile, following the massacre, Buratai embarked on various image-refurbishing projects to project himself as what he was not, to cleanse himself of the blood of the Shiites splattered across his face.

In dealing with the Shiites, Buhari allowed his religious prejudices to get in the way of his responsibility to them as the leader of a diverse and complex country. It is the same prejudice, still held by top-ranking officers in the various bureaucratic units of national administration, that percolates into the agencies that constantly clash with the Shiites.

In the wake of the Sunday incident, the Shiites are accusing the police of going to the hospitals to arrest and detain their members. That is a serious accusation, one that the police will likely never respond to, either out of professional haughtiness or simply because the structures of accountability that can compel a response are virtually non-existent. Either way, the Sunday incident and its aftermath are already setting out the basis of another round of violent encounters when next they meet. That is the unfortunate way people and institutions get caught in an unending loop of destructive behaviours to which they become so habituated that they cannot imagine any other possibility of being. There is a need for a rethink in their relationship and approach to each other.

It might sound radical—and even naïve—to suggest they come to a truce, but there are no better alternatives. Also, I do not think the endless cycles of killings and destruction exhaust the possibilities of the relationship between the police and the Shiites. Issues between them are seemingly intractable, but the deaths and destructions are unacceptable. From Kaduna to the FCT, there is hardly ever a time that they are not at loggerheads; their histories are complicated. Nonetheless, it is not so hopeless that this is all there can ever be. There must be a way Shiites can have their numerous processions in peace, and police lives and scarce resources are not needlessly expended. All it takes is moral imagination and the summoning of the right political will.

If there is anything to learn by now, it is that no amount of violence can stop the Shiites from doing their thing. Despite everything they have gone through, they are still not giving up on existing. They are extremely resolute people; nothing the Nigeria police or the military do will stop these people. Their resolve seems unbreakable, and the antagonism strengthens it. In that case, there must be another way beyond the constant clashes: a truce. Rather than the constant clashes that claim lives and property, they should be allowed to believe what they believe, express it as they want to express it, and do so without infringing on the rights of others to live and exist freely. There should be a way for both parties to get to that point—perhaps by seeking mediation. Like I said, given their complex history, it will take a lot of imagination and will to achieve a less tense situation, but it is not impossible.

Finally, this is not to say that the Shiites are guileless, or that they are always the innocent party in every encounter. Nothing is ever that uncomplicated, especially for a group who have had numerous brushes with enforcement agents—many of them which left the trademark “sorrow tears and blood” in its wake. There will be mutual suspicions, and their issues will not magically blow over, but at least there will be fewer deaths and destructions.

A 36-year-old Nigerian, Olukayode Ojo, is facing a five-year jail term in Texas, United States, after being found guilty of making false statements to obtain a certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration.

US Attorney Robert Troester, announced Ojo’s conviction on Monday through a statement on the FAA’s official website, revealing that Ojo had been attempting to obtain a medical certificate necessary for piloting a commercial passenger aircraft, which led to his conviction on August 16, 2024.

Troester noted that the case was part of an investigation by the Transportation Security Administration—Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jackson Eldridge and Matt Dillon.

He said, “On June 4, 2024, a federal jury returned a two-count superseding indictment against Ojo, charging him with two counts of making a false statement. On August 16, 2024, a federal jury found Ojo guilty on both counts.

“Evidence presented at trial indicated that Ojo, an FAA-certified commercial airline pilot, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanour theft charges on February 8, 2023, in Kentucky state court in connection with a theft of passenger luggage from the baggage carousels at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

“Ojo then made false statements to the FAA in March 2023 and March 2024 while applying for an FAA First Class Medical Certificate to conceal his history of prior criminal convictions. A First Class Medical Certificate permits an airman to pilot commercial passenger aircraft.”

The convict faces a potential sentence of up to five years in federal prison, along with fines of up to $250,000 for each count.

[Punch]

The National Assembly yesterday waded into the controversy generated by the Federal Government’s plan to peg the age limit for students to write the West Africa Senior Secondary School Certificate, WASSCE, examination at 18 years.

It will be recalled that the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, announced plans on Sunday by the federal government to set the age limit for the examination to 18 years.

This is even as the government’s decision yesterday elicited more condemnations, as former Vice President Abubakar Atiku and civil society organisations, CSOs, described it as archaic and draconian.

They also asked the government to put it on hold and call a meeting of stakeholders in the education sector to deliberate on the matter.

It’ll be subjected to public hearing — Senate

Reacting to the development yesterday, the Senate said it would subject the issue to public hearing when it comes before senators.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), said: “The Senate will consider, through it’s relevant committee, public views on any government policy brought to our legislative notice. Whatever is brought to the Senate for constitutional and statutory stamps shall be subjected to legislative crucible which includes public hearings.”

We haven’t been briefed — Reps

On his part, spokesman of the House of Representatives, Akin Rotimi, said the Green Chamber has no position on the matter yet, as members have not been briefed.

‘’I cannot say anything for now. When the House resumes and the matter is brought before it, it will be looked into,” he said.

However, aside from the former vice president, others who reacted included founder of Concerned Parents and Educators Network, CPE, Mrs Yinka Ogunde; the National Coordinator of Education Rights Campaign, ERC, Hassan Soweto; Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, CHRICED; and Global Rights Nigeria, among others.

They were reacting to the statement by the Minister of Education, on Sunday night that the government had pegged the age at which candidates would sit for the examination at 18 beginning from next year.

The development would also mean that such candidates would not be able to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, for placement into higher institutions until they are 18, since candidates need WASSCE results to back up their admission processes.

Mamman had earlier in the year, suggested making 18 the admission age into higher institutions during a stakeholders’ meeting called by JAMB, but was opposed by most of the participants

Policy archaic, barrier to academic freedom — Atiku

Condemning government’s declaration yesterday, Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023 elections, described the policy thrust as absurd and a barrier to academic freedom.

Atiku aired his thoughts in a piece, titled “Tinubu’s policy on age limit for tertiary education admission belongs in the Stone Ages,” posted on his Facebook page.

He wrote: “The recent policy of the Federal Ministry of Education pegging age limit for entry to tertiary institutions is an absurdity and a disincentive to scholarship.

“The policy runs foul of the delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are practising, and gives a graphic impression of how the Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea.
“Otherwise, how is such anti-scholarship regulation the next logical step in the myriad of issues besetting our educational system?

“To be clear, the Nigerian constitution puts education in the concurrent list of schedules, in which the sub-national governments enjoy more roles above the Federal Government.

“Therefore, it is extra-constitutional for the Federal Government to legislate on education like a decree.

“The best global standard for such regulation is to allow the sub-national governments to make respective laws or rules on education.

“It is discouraging that even while announcing this obnoxious policy, the government inadvertently said it had no plan to cater for specially gifted pupils.

“The statement is an embarrassment to the body of intellectuals in the country because it portrays Nigeria as a country where gifted students are not appreciated.

“The irony here is that should the Federal Government play any role in education, it is to set up mechanisms that will identify and grant scholarships to gifted students, not minding their ages, before applying for admission into tertiary institutions.

“This controversial policy belongs in the stone ages and should be roundly condemned by everyone who believes in intellectual freedom and accessibility.”

FG should not act like a military regime —CPE

In her reaction, the founder of CPE, Mrs Yinka Ogunde, noted that the Federal Government has not considered many things before deciding on the policy.

“The Federal Ministry of Education cannot be run by making arbitrary decisions. It has created dilemmas and confusion all over the country. We need to start from the foundation. If stakeholders in the sector agreed that students should be at least 18 before seeking admission to tertiary institutions, among others, it is not something to be done by fiat.

“We will have to start from primary school where no pupil is allowed to be in primary one unless he or she is six years. Then we enforce such and if any private school defaults, the owner can be penalised and if it is a public school, the head teacher can be sanctioned too.

“But to wake up and say from next year, we would do this, is not realistic. We are not in a military regime and people should be consulted.

“If we are starting it this year, what becomes of millions of secondary school students who are not going to clock 18 before they graduate from their schools? We are not in a dictatorship and necessary consultations must be done and if we are starting now, it should be from the foundation, which is primary school,” she said.

No minimum age for marriage but education —Global Rights

Also reacting, Executive Director, Global Rights Nigeria, Abiodun Baiyewu, called on the Federal Government to review the policy.

Baiyewu said: “I think the policy needs to be reviewed, given the global competition Nigerian children will be confronted with, aside taking away their right to be self-determining, and right to development, which are fundamental human rights.

“Most advanced countries mandate that children remain in school till they turn 17 to ensure they get as much education as possible, given that in most systems, they can complete secondary education.

“In Nigeria, education is not compulsory. Nigeria has the most number of out-of-school children in the world (20 million).

“Barring children from accessing higher education till they turn 18 does not guarantee them the security of staying in secondary school till they turn 18. A break in their education might mean the end of their education.

“It is amusing that the government has a minimum age for accessing tertiary education but no minimum age for marriage!
“Thousands of girls are withdrawn from school and married off before they are equipped physically, psychologically and/or economically to contend with marriage and the responsibilities it comes with.

“Even in countries where there are minimum access age, there are exceptions for exceptionally gifted children to access tertiary education or their curriculum before they attain the minimum age.

Another retrogressive policy — ANEEJ

Executive Director, Africa Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, Rev David Ugolor, disagreed with the policy, describing it as retrogressive.

Ugolor accused policymakers of having their children school abroad and failing to consider children back home.

He said: “This is another retrogressive policy that will retard the progress of the country. Unfortunately, most of the policy makers have their families outside the country and they continue to release policies that have no basis for progress.

“The issue of age looks absurd, considering global best practice. I would like to see evidence why this policy will be a good option because the government hardly cares about data.”

Suspend policy immediately – ERC

Similarly, the National Coordinator of Education Rights Campaign, ERC, Hassan Taiwo Soweto, called for immediate suspension of the policy because the minister did not follow due consultation before making such a directive.

“We ask for the immediate suspension of this policy, pending democratic consultation by stakeholders in the education sector. Our call for suspension is based on the following.

‘’First and foremost, the sudden enforcement of this policy has negative implications for thousands of young people who have applied for admission into tertiary institutions and were supremely qualified to do so until the minister of education suddenly decided to enforce this policy.

“As far as we are concerned, we do not agree that the lives and future of our young ones should be forfeited as a result of this policy, which has been dormant for years. Many of these young children and aspiring undergraduates knew nothing about it.

‘’They applied to primary school at an early age, completed this, and moved on to secondary school meritoriously. It is not their fault they graduated from secondary school at an age earlier than the standard prescribed in law, so they should not be punished for something they know nothing about.

“Two, the minister cannot suddenly wake up to remember a policy that has been dormant for years and begin to enforce it just like that. Where is the space for consultation? Where is the respect for the public?

‘’This policy has been routinely flouted by school authorities for decades. The greatest culprits are private primary and secondary schools, which admit pupils at ages earlier than what the standard prescribes.

‘’To make matters worse, the policy of double and triple promotions of brilliant students by these private schools has added to the distortion of educational standards by ensuring that many pupils jump over different stages of their education.

“These are the issues the minister should address first. Where is the inspectorate directorate of the Ministry of Education in all these? To us, what should be enforced first is the respect of school authorities for laid down educational standards.

‘’What the Ministry of education is trying to do now is to ambush students when the real problem is the irresponsibility of the ministry towards the discharge of its function as a monitoring and inspectorate agency for both public and private schools.

“The last reason we are calling for suspension is that this policy does not appear relevant to our reality at present, especially at a period when our understanding and conception of the age of adolescence and adulthood is evolving before our very eyes.

‘’Particularly, in this millennium, adulthood often comes earlier than 18 years. This is why many countries in the world are reviewing the legal framework for the age of adulthood in their respective jurisdictions.

“At the same time, we recognise the concern that many have, that children are being robbed of their childhood because of the demand and pressure of early and rushed education. This is a valid concern, but it is not something that can be imposed, especially by a Ministry of Education that has been brazenly irresponsible in the discharge of its functions.
“We need a middle point, and the only way to arrive at that is to subject this policy to a thorough discussion by stakeholders before rushing to enforce it.

‘’To this extent, we ask the minister to convene a summit of stakeholders in the education sector, including parents, unions, and civil society organisations, to have a thorough discussion that can link Nigeria’s national policy on education with current realities. In the meantime, this policy should be immediately suspended.”

Policy’ll lead to capital flight — Don

Also, a university lecturer, Dr Stella Aririguzuh, said the policy would lead to capital flight.

Aririguzuh, who is the Head, Department of Mass Communication, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sango-Ota yesterday.

“More parents will send their children to schools outside Nigeria, further depleting our resources,” Aririguzuh said.
She explained that the policy would kill the zeal of students to push themselves to achieve more in their younger days.
Aririguzuh, however, noted that the advantage of the policy was that the country would have matured students coming into the universities.

CHRICED, Northern Youths Blast FG over policy

In their reactions yesterday, the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, CHRICED, and Arewa Youth Assembly faulted the policy, describing it as absurd and unconstitutional.

According to Dr. Zikirullahi Ibrahim, Executive Director of CHRICED, the policy violates the 1999 Constitution which lists education as a concurrent responsibility of local governments, states, and the Federal Government.

Dr. Ibrahim noted that the federal government’s move was absurd and doubted anyone would comply with it.

He warned that the policy might lead to increased forgery and age falsification, undermining its intended purpose.
He stated: “I believe this is the problem we face with the current regime; the government continually makes ‘wrong’ decisions.

“Education is part of the concurrent list in the 1999 constitution, as amended. Local government councils and states also have roles to play in education. Is the Federal Government attempting to override that section of the constitution?

“If a state government decides not to comply with the Federal Government and the SSCE is conducted nationally, will the state be exempted?

“Therefore, the Federal Government’s move is absurd, and I’m not sure anyone will comply with it. Such actions may push Nigerians toward forgery of birth certificates and age falsification.

“Every child has unique potential and is endowed differently. Insisting that 18 years is the minimum age for WASSCE will not work; it is a flawed idea because Nigerians are unlikely to comply.”

Reacting in the same vein, Mohammed Danlami, Coordinator of Arewa Youth Assembly, argued that the policy will hinder Nigeria’s progress by stifling the intellectual growth of young prodigies.

He questioned whether rapid promotions due to natural intelligence or intellectual gifts should be halted because of age.

Danlami also raised concerns about its impact on Nigeria’s education system, already plagued by ASUU strikes and prolonged JAMB registration processes.

He stated: “Some students experience rapid promotions due to their natural intelligence or intellectual gifts. Are we going to halt their educational advancements because of their age? This is not the kind of law we need in Nigeria.
“If we can have university graduates at 18, it should be a source of pride for the nation. Do we want to be a country that graduates its youth at the age 30 or 35?

“If we want Nigeria to progress, we should focus on empowering our young people early in life. How do we harness their agility and idealistic perspectives? By educating them early and helping them graduate in their early twenties.
“With ASUU strikes and multiple attempts at JAMB before admission, many may not graduate before turning 30. In the job market, employers prefer graduates in their early twenties.”

Vanguard News Nigeria

Wale Edun, minister of finance, says the whistleblowing policy has helped the federal government to recover N83 billion, $609 million, and €5 million.

Edun spoke on Wednesday at a one-day sensitisation workshop on implementing the policy in Nigeria.

The policy was introduced by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016, but attempts to enact a legislative framework have failed repeatedly.

“The policy has already shown promise, with significant recoveries made since its inception in 2016,” Edun said.

“The whistleblowing policy has recovered funds totalling N83,019,178,375.86; $609,083,391.91; 5,494,743.71 Euros between 2017 and 2023.”

Edun, however, said more needs to be done to encourage Nigerians to own the fight against corruption and report financial misappropriation.

The minister said the bill is being prepared and will be presented to the national assembly soon.

He said the proposed bill seeks to provide a robust legal framework for protecting whistleblowers and ensure that reports are handled with confidentiality and prompt action.

Edun assured of the Tinubu-led administration’s commitment to ensuring that the policy is pursued with strict compliance with the rule of law to achieve transparency and accountability in governance.

‘POLICY PROVEN TO BE A TOOL IN UNCOVERING CORRUPT PRACTICES’

In his remarks, Okokon Ekanem Udo, the permanent secretary of special duties at the ministry, said the whistleblower policy, since its inception, has proven to be one of the veritable tools in uncovering corrupt practices within the public and private sectors.

Udo said it intends to empower citizens to report identified misappropriation of public funds and other fraudulent activities to the relevant authorities, thereby contributing towards the institutionalisation of transparency and accountability in governance.

The permanent secretary said the implementation of the policy has encountered some challenges just like other government policies.

“At the initial stage, there was widespread enthusiasm on the part of Nigerians about the introduction of the policy. The momentum and popularity that heralded its introduction need to be reinforced and sustained,” he said.

Udo said the sensitisation workshop was designed to deepen the understanding of the policy in Nigeria and also foster cooperation among the key stakeholders.

These stakeholders, he said, include the implementing team, the civil society organisations, as well as members of the media.

Also speaking, Lydia Shehu Jafiya, permanent secretary at the ministry, said it is important to focus on strengthening the protection of whistleblowers and safeguarding their identities.

This, she said, would encourage more individuals to come forward and contribute to the fight against corruption and misconduct.

Jafiya, who was represented by Olusola Dada, the ministry’s director of human resources, said there is a need to improve reporting mechanisms to make reporting channels more accessible, user-friendly and effective.

“It is essential that these mechanisms not only facilitate the reporting of concerns but also ensure that those concerns are addressed promptly and transparently,” Jafiya said.

She said the journey towards an effective whistleblowing regime is a collaborative effort.

According to the statement, with the reinvigoration of the whistleblower policy, the government aims to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public finances and preserve the country’s assets.

The ministry said the draft bill is a significant step towards achieving this goal and demonstrates the government’s commitment to fighting corruption and promoting good governance.

The Right Honourable Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker of the house of representatives, has recently blundered into one faux pas after another. These embarrassing social gaffes and transgressions are happening far too frequently. The latest ones give the impression that he is losing touch with the nature and psychology of his Igbo roots. Ndigbo are republicans and no one in authority at any level can sway them in any way against their will.

Simply because you are in a position of authority does not mean that you can dictate to Ndigbo, treat them shabbily, or force anything down their throat. When they do push back, they don’t take prisoners, and Honourable Kalu should avoid such a collision.

That was why when viewing the two most recent videos of Honourable Benjamin Kanu, in which he addressed Ndigbo both directly and indirectly or pledged allegiance to his political party or the president on their behalf, one had his heart in his mouth. With certain ethnic groups, it could be feasible to keep such pledges, but not with the Ndigbo. They will use their blood to resist it.

The first video was that Ndigbo shouldn’t participate in the End Hunger protest. Not only were the justifications he offered banal, but even more so, the method he delivered the message was demeaningly offensive. There was no appeal. It sounded more like an order or command as if he had the authority to choose when Ndigbo should protest and when not to.

The consensus was that Ndigbo should avoid the protest in the south-east and elsewhere before Kalu even spoke because some government officials and some e-rats had already labelled and gaslighted Ndigbo as the protest organisers thus setting them up to take the blame and they had to dodge the bullet.

So, it wasn’t really necessary for Deputy Speaker Kalu to speak at that moment, and he ostensibly did so in an attempt to claim credit for persuading Ndigbo not to get involved—which was untrue. This is a prime example of “eye service,” as we call it in local parlance, and a desperate attempt to appease the ‘Oga at the top’. A real Igbo leader does not yield, falter, or bow down to outside forces to appease their whims. True Igbo leaders speak truth to power and do not throw their people under the bus to get into any good book.

If there was any doubt about Benjamin Kalu’s true motivations and his desire to appease the Tinubu presidency, the second video dispelled it. Therein he warned Governor Alex Otti that he would be the final Labour Party governor of Abia state. He explained his strange and presumptuous reasons. According to Kalu, Tinubu provided the south-east with the South East Development Commission, and the president and the APC should get credit for it by winning control of the Abia government house in the next guber election. He didn’t explicitly announce that he wanted to conquer the entire south-east, but it was inferred that the president ought to be rewarded with control over all of the south-east’s states by the ruling party.

While warmly acknowledging that Governor Otti is doing a great job and “would do the needful at the appropriate time,” Kalu stated, “Monkey should not be working and baboons will be chopping.” The question then becomes: Given Kalu’s declaration that the Labour Party cannot survive past Otti’s current tenure, what must Otti do? In all logic, Otti has two options: he may either join the APC or lose the election by any means necessary, democratic or not, legal or extralegal.

It cannot be deemed a coincidence when one takes into account how Alex Otti became governor. The people of Abia state voted for change and succeeded in getting rid of the PDP’s bad governance in the state since 1999. Therefore, is the deputyspeaker saying that Abia cannot keep the Labour Party and Alex Otti in office even after he freely admitted that Otti is doing well?

The threat of Deputy Speaker Kalu simply means votes will no longer ensure the Abia people will keep Otti and the Labour Party in office come election time if they so desire. If so, it is a warning sign for democracy. Democracy is based on the majority’s right to rule while allowing the minority to express their opinions through vote. However, Kalu’s claim makes it quite evident that it won’t be the case this time since Otti’s hopes of using his good deeds to win back the governorship in the next governorship election cannot happen if he does not dump the Labour Party for the ruling party, the APC, as decreed by Kalu.

When Benjamin Kalu was chosen as deputy speaker, he held out so much promise. With the older Igbo leaders succumbing to the corrosion of time, many saw in him a new hope for producing a new generation of leaders. The Igbo people now need a great deal of new leaders with the deaths of men like Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, and Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu. Even the relatively young Arc Ferdinand Agu and Senator Ifeanyi Ubah have also joined their ancestors, leaving behind very large shoes.

The hope had been that Deputy Spreader Kalu, who is ranked sixth in the Nigerian polity’s hierarchy of protocol, has a great historical opportunity to emerge as one of the new Igbo leaders. However, the way he has been acting lately leaves a lot to be desired, which challenges the trust and optimism that people once reposed in him.

Kalu deserves praise for initiating the south-east security and development programme and for being instrumental in the passage and signing into law the South-East Development Commission legislation. He shouldn’t throw away his good works by undermining Ndigbo or believing that his position automatically grants him the authority to speak for the Igbo people. By the time he realises that he is mistaken, it will be too late.

Kalu is however free to make a case that the south-east needs to join the APC to have a bigger say in the party and the country, but he cannot insist that President Tinubu or the APC has the right to take over the south-east without working for it. Kalu also needs to remember that the mutual mistrust that existed between the Buhari government and Ndigbo could not be cured by his construction of the Second Niger Bridge or any other project of that nature.

A candid piece of advice would be that making sure the Igbo people receive their due share in Nigeria is the only way Kalu can win over the Igbo people’s hearts. Asking for this isn’t too much. Kalu’s current strategy is doing more harm than good because it is further alienating the south-east from himself and the Tinubu government.

The deputy speaker can, however, correct these errors by regaining perspective and by remembering that Ndigbo are republicans and will never yield to coercion or threat. Taa bu gbo, as Ndigbo would say, which means today is still early to begin retracing the missteps. For the wise, a word is sufficient.

Dr Law Mefor, an Abuja-based forensic and social psychologist, is a fellow of The Abuja School of Social and Political Thought. He can be reached via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Twitter: @Drlawsonmefor.

To say that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is enmeshed in a crisis of credibility is to put the situation mildly. For a man who got to office with a statistically narrow mandate of 37 percent of total votes cast, many expected Tinubu to rise above himself in order to establish an enduring legacy. That expectation now appears misplaced. Even more worrisome is that despite being in a ditch, the president and his handlers continue to dig by displaying a behaviour the Yoruba would describe as “tani o mu mi”. As I once explained on this page, it is the kind of impunity that carries a certain sense of hubris, not only for the perpetrator(s) but also for the larger society.

It all began with a report in TheCable, which supplied the proof for what most already suspected or knew: The federal government has been spending trillions of Naira to pay for fuel subsidy even when officials continue to parrot the presidential deceit that “subsidy is gone.” Then, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar released a scathing statement that Nigeria “has been effectively mortgaged to President Bola Tinubu, his family, and associates,” citing how the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) allegedly put its retail arm under the control of OVH, which he claimed (it has been disputed by NNPC Ltd) is controlled by Wale Tinubu’s Oando.

These issues were still playing out when Nigerians got to know that a new presidential jet had been surreptitiously purchased by a government that has been doubling down on policies that make life difficult for the ordinary Nigerian. “The new plane, bought far below the market price, saves Nigeria huge maintenance and fuel costs, running into millions of dollars yearly,” was all the explanation from the villa, even when Nigerians still don’t know the cost of this plane and how it was acquired. And we probably would not have been informed about it had the Chinese firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co Limited, not impounded three presidential aircraft in Paris, following the order of a French court on their dispute with Ogun State. It was the court that included one ACJ330-200, 5N-FGA (msn 1053), “recently bought from AMAC Corporate Jet (AMK, Zurich) and still stationed at Basel” while authorising the bailiffs “to go any place where the aircraft registered 5N-FGU, 5N-FGT and 5N-FGA are located and seize them.”

That was how Nigerians got to know that we have a new presidential jet. The aircraft, we would later learn, was released as an act of benevolence to our president by the Chinese company so that it would not affect his travel plans, including to China next week for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit. Incidentally, I am currently in Chengdu, Sichuan Province of China for the 2024 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road where I was among the speakers yesterday on the theme, ‘Enhancing media cooperation for common development.’ I will also be attending the 3rd Belt and Road News Network (BRNN) Council meeting today before heading back home on Sunday.

In his column last Sunday explaining how Tinubu’s fuel subsidy reform efforts unravelled, Waziri Adio concluded that for the administration, “an open acknowledgment” that subsidy is still very much with us “is a necessary starting point, for you cannot address what you haven’t even accepted exists or is a problem.” And “after coming clean, the government needs to level up with Nigerians about how it plans to manage the subsidy in a transparent and accountable way.” But that is precisely where the problem lies: This president is exhibiting a contempt for transparency and accountability in the conduct of government business. We saw that with the award of the contract for the multi trillion Naira Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project and the manner several budgets are running concurrently.

So much has been said about Tinubu’s political acumen and the fact that he plotted his way to power without being beholden to any interest. That may well be true. But a leader must embody not only political skills to secure power but also the right values that would enable him to govern in the interest of the public good. When a president calls citizens to a greater national purpose or makes decisions that are broadly seen as driven by good impulses, according to Michael Hogue, they can drive extraordinary results. “He’ll have the public on his side, even when many people disagree with his policies if what he is pursuing is fair, instils pride in national action, or serves laudable goals.” While Hogue’s thesis may be on the American presidency, the moral authority he canvasses is indeed true of all presidencies.

Due to the policy choices being made by the Tinubu administration – which may not necessarily be wrong but have been implemented in a cavalier manner, Nigerians have had to bear an unprecedented hardship occasioned by astronomical costs of goods and services in the past 15 months. Effectively, local air travel has been placed beyond the reach of most Nigerians as can be glimpsed from industry statistics. We pay several times more at the pump than at any time in history. Electricity tariffs have gone through the roof, regardless of whether one is categorised under Band A, B or F. Parents have had to withdraw their children from schooling abroad following the collapse of the Naira. And any middle-class professional who doesn’t know the prices of basic foodstuffs like garri, rice, tomatoes etc. in the market must belong to the Godswill Akpabio exclusive club of those who are “eating”.

Unfortunately, the president believes he can continue to live like an emperor and revel in ostentatious lifestyle at a time millions of Nigerians are attempting to cope with harrowing times. I saw this quite early, in fact within the first month of the administration and I warned in a column, ‘My convoy is longer than yours’, following his first official visit to Lagos. “What was on display is a metaphor for profligacy and abuse of public resources that have come to define officialdom in Nigeria,” I wrote in response to the video of his long convoy of vehicles, which was posted on social media by a bragging supporter of the president. “The real issue is whether a government that preaches sacrifice can continue with such indulgence, especially at a period when many people are going through hard times.”  

I then stressed the need for President Tinubu and his handlers not to misread the public mood. “That he has used his honeymoon period to strike when the iron is still hot on two critical policy issues may have earned him momentary applause on decisive leadership. But there are no predictable outcomes for those choices in an environment where several variables are beyond his control. So, there is a need for caution,” I counselled in what has turned out to be prescient before I concluded: “While human nature predisposes people to act mostly in pursuit of self-interest, the essence of government is to subordinate the personal convenience of individuals to the imperatives of the common good. Yet, the crisis of present-day Nigeria is that there is little in our code of public conduct that encourages moderation or sacrifice. Rolling back conveniences, no matter how little, are usually some of the first steps public officials take when their country battle economic downturns.”

The times we are in call for a different leadership template than the one currently on display. Public expectations of leaders who seek sacrifice from the people are enormous and no president in contemporary history has demanded more from Nigerians than Tinubu with the policies he has initiated. He must therefore begin to embrace transparency if he wants to earn the trust and respect of Nigerians. He must also begin to set high standards for himself and take responsibility for mistakes. On that score, he should own up to the fact that we continue to commit enormous resources to paying fuel subsidies. Nigerians also want to know how much was paid for the newly acquired presidential jet and the process through which it was procured. When citizens see leaders being honest and open, trust and loyalty flourish. And that creates a sense of ownership without which no reform measures can succeed.

Meanwhile, it would seem the administration thrives on announcing policies by whims, with little thought to implementation. In February, an eight-man committee headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume was given a 12-week deadline for the full implementation of the Oronsaye Report through mergers, scrapings, and relocations of some agencies. That, of course, was after Tinubu had created more ministries than any previous administration. It is therefore no surprise that more than seven months after that sensational announcement, nothing has happened. Now, the Chief of Staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila, is saying there is no timeline for implementing the Oronsaye Report!

The president and his handlers must understand that public officials who believe in their invincibility are poor students of history. Malcom Gladwell, famous American journalist and author made that point rather poignantly in his book, ‘David and Goliath’. Power, according to Gladwell, has an important limitation. “It has to be seen as legitimate, or else its use has the opposite of its intended effect”, which may then come with dire consequences. I stated earlier that Tinubu has elevated himself to the status of ‘Ta ni o mu mi’. But the danger with ‘Tani o mu mi’—a strange place where both the codes of morality and the boundary between right and wrong have simply disappeared—is that it is a two-edged sword.

Having achieved presidential power and the unlimited privileges that go with it in Nigeria, the dominant school of thought is that Tinubu has reached the destination he longed for. That may well explain why he is courting authoritarianism with the acquiescence of a pliant National Assembly and the seeming resignation of a docile populace. But I still want to believe that we are misreading the president. He must know what he is doing, and I therefore expect he will end up on the right side of history. From 1992 when he was a Senator during the aborted Third Republic of General Ibrahim Babangida to his period as Lagos State Governor and then as a private citizen, with enormous political clout, I have had the privilege of close personal interactions with Tinubu. And if those experiences count for anything, it is that Tinubu is empathic and is interested in the welfare of the people and the broader good. But if I am wrong, and all his exertions in the last two decades were to become president of Nigeria as an end in itself, or simply to enjoy the trappings of the office, then there can be no greater tragedy. For him, as well as our beloved country.

• You can follow me on my X (formerly Twitter) handle, @Olusegunverdict and on www.olusegunadeniyi.com  

We have been watching with trepidation, great angst and baited breath, the unfathonable macabre dance exhibited by the nation's Police Force against the leadership of Nigerian workers, most notably, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero.

Our seeming silence was observed in the hope that the Police would beat a hasty retreat from their actions and tread the path of caution and civility.

We have no bones to grind with the Police authorities and as citizens of this greatly beloved but much beleguered country, we are ever willing to cooperate with the authorities whenever demanded by national imperatives and exigencies, the Police included, but it must never be at the expense of our Union, our people and our country.

The importance of fighting for and defending our nation state, Nigeria, cannot be over-emphasized. We are patriots, we are Nigerians and we love our country, inspite of deeply inherent socio-economic contradictions that are threatening our very existence as a nation.

Let it be very clear to all, that the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, is in full solidary with the national President of Nigeria Labour Congress, its entire leadership structures and affiliates nationwide at all times, especially at these trying moments.

We urge the Police and security forces to exercise maximun restraint in their engagements and interactions with Nigerians, who hold views that are different from those of the status quo; free speech and the right to hold opinion are fundamental to our liberty as a free people.

We are in this wise, putting all our Councils and members across the federation on notice, over the unfortunate attacks on the labour leadership.

Be prepared!

The NUJ FCT Council is by this wise, especially enjoined and directed to fully mobilize in concert with other affiliates of the NLC to accompany the NLC President as he goes to honour the invitation of the Police by 8a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, August 29, 2024.

Achike Chude
National Secretary, NUJ.

Financial experts and economists have told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that Nigeria’s 3.19 percent Gross Domestic Product growth rise in the second quarter of 2024 has failed to reflect on the living conditions of citizens.

This comes as the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday disclosed that the services sector pushed Nigeria’s economy to achieve two consecutive GDP growth of 3.19 percent in Q2 up from 2.98 percent recorded in the preceding quarter.

The GDP growth rate is higher than the 2.51 percent recorded in the corresponding quarter in 2023.

According to the NBS data, the industry and services sectors contributed more to the aggregate GDP in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the corresponding quarter of 2023.

Only the services sector contributed 58.76 percent to the total GDP.

A further analysis showed that while the non-oil sector contributed 94.30 percent in real terms to the Nation’s GDP, the oil sector was 5.70 percent in Q2 2024.

Meanwhile, despite the GDP growth, economists query why the two consecutive rises in economic activities have not impacted the living conditions of Nigerians.

This collaborates with the Director General of the World Trade Organization, WTO, and Nigeria’s former Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s recent statement that the country’s economic fortunes recorded a reversal since 2014 with steady GDP growth decline.

Recall that NBS July’s data indicated that inflation slowed down to 33.40 percent from 34.19 percent in June 2024.

Meanwhile, prices of goods and services have remained high for the majority of Nigerians despite policy interventions by President Tinubu’s government.

Speaking with DAILY POST on Monday on the development, Prof Segun Ajibola, a renowned economist and former President and Chairman of the Council of Chartered Institute of Bankers said that Nigeria’s macroeconomics variables have yet to have the desired impact on the living conditions of Nigerians.

According to him, macroeconomic indicators such as GDP must touch the micro indices to change the narrative.

He urged that the government needed to gear towards transmitting the mechanisms between the macro level such as GDP and the micro level such as household income, and consumption.

He added that the country’s rate should be holistic and all-encompassing across the primary (such as agriculture, mining); secondary (manufacturing) and tertiary (services) sectors to have a balanced, fully integrated growth trajectory that can more easily translate to development.

“The truth however is that the macro variables may not have the desired impact on the living conditions of the people unless the macro performance is cascaded down to the populace, especially the masses that are eking out a living.

“The macro must touch the micro to change the narratives. It is the end that justifies the means.

“The improved growth rate is good news no doubt. As a country, we need to work on the transmission mechanisms between the macro level such as GDP and micro level such as household income and consumption, so as not to be entangled in the trap of growth without development, which is ravaging many developing nations.

“It is also important for growth to be driven across the primary (such as agriculture, mining); secondary (manufacturing) and tertiary (services) sectors to have a balanced, fully integrated growth trajectory that can more easily translate to development”, he told DAILY POST.

On his part, a financial analyst and the Chief Executive Officer of SD & D Capital Management, Gbolade Idakolo said that the latest GDP growth is not a pointer that the economy is out of the woods.

Idakolo stressed that the figure is at variance with reality.

In his words, “The economy, in reality, is shrinking and needs a drastic measure to bounce back”, he told DAILY POST.

“The NBS GDP is at variance with reality just like the inflation rate decline. The statistical data used by NBS does not take into cognizance the declining productivity in the economy.

“Most businesses are closing while some are downsizing or relocating because of the harsh economic environment.

“The CBN has continued to increase the interest rates while the Naira continues its downward slide against the US dollar.

“The government needs to rejuvenate the economy by implementing policies that would increase the capacity of SMEs, big businesses and the manufacturing sector.

“The single-digit interest rate loan facility promised by the Federal government should be jumpstarted, as well as the plans for the agricultural sector.

“The GDP figures are not a pointer that the economy is out of the woods. The government should be comparing NBS data with independent sources to have a fair idea of how the economy is performing”, he added.

Also, Prof Godwin Oyedokun, a don at Lead City University in Ibadan said the growth rate might differ across different regions of Nigeria.

“To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the factors driving the industrial sector’s growth, it would be helpful to analyze: Regional Variations: Growth rates might differ across different regions of Nigeria.

“Sector-Specific Data: A breakdown of growth rates within the industrial sector (e.g., manufacturing, construction, mining) would provide more insights.

“Business Surveys: Surveys of businesses in the industrial sector can reveal their experiences, challenges, and expectations.

“By conducting a more in-depth analysis, it would be possible to identify the specific factors contributing to the growth in the industrial sector and assess its sustainability in the face of ongoing challenges”, he told DAIlLY POST.

[DailyPost]