No fewer than 13 farmers have been killed while several others are missing as suspected Boko Haram insurgents reportedly attacked rice farmers on their farms in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State Sunday evening.

It was gathered that the insurgents stormed rice fields and rounded up the farmers who were harvesting their farm produce in Karkut and Koshebe General Area, Mafa LGA, slaughtering them with knives.

According to Civilian Joint Task Force sources, 13 dead bodies have been recovered as search for missing people continues.

“We are sad this incident is happening again this year, we lost more than a dozen of our farmers from Zabarmari who were attacked on Sunday evening while working on their rice fields in Mafa LGA.

“The whole town is sad and we are mourning as we speak. Security agencies and CJTF are still searching for those who are missing but 13 dead bodies have so far been recovered,” a source said.

A top security source said the terrorists who were on motorcycles devided themselves into three groups before attacking the farmers.

The source said the assailants did not use their guns, instead they used cutlasses and knives.

“Nine bodies were recovered as at Yesterday (Sunday) night, while the search for others who fled the attacks are still ongoing,” he said.

The Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, has called on Nigerians to take pictures of any police personnel on election duty without a tag on.

He made the call while speaking on Channels Television’s and Kimpact Development Initiative’s joint People’s Townhall on Election Security on Sunday night, a few days before the November 11 off-cycle governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states.

When the anchor of the programme asked if Nigerians could take pictures of police personnel on illegal duty and send them to the management of the Nigeria Police Force for prompt action, the IGP responded in the affirmative.

Egbetokun said “no police officer is expected to provide an escort on Election Day”, adding that any personnel found escorting any politician to the polling stations on election day is on illegal duty.

He said: “Policemen who provide escort to VIPs are not supposed to provide that escort on the election day. Election day is an exemption from that duty for them. So, no VIP will be allowed to move around with a police escort on the day of election and anyone that does that is violating the electoral law and is liable to prompt arrest.”

The IGP warned that the Force would not spare any personnel caught breaking the law on election day, noting that allowances for security personnel on election duties had been approved.

He also warned criminals to steer clear of voting units, threatening that anyone caught violating electoral laws would be arrested and prosecuted.

The IGP assured that the police would reduce incidences of violence on election day as personnel have been adequately trained for the job at hand.

“We are ready for this election, we have been able to deploy adequately for this election. In Bayelsa, we will be covering 2,224 polling units and we have enough men and resources to cover those polling units,” he stated.

“We have also made adequate arrangements for both Imo and Kogi. We have done our threat assessments, and we already know how to carry out our deployments which we have already done.

“I want to assure you that the police and other security agencies are ready for this election and we are sure it is going to be hitch-free,” he said.

Naira has continued a downward slide in the West African sub-region trading at N2,010 per CFA1000 at the close of business last Friday.

Naira traded at N1,870 per CFA1000 at the open market at the weekend. While, as of Thursday, it was sold at N1,800 at one of the nation’s busiest and most popular land borders, the Seme-Krake border in the Badagry area of Lagos.

The continuous downward slide of the naira has forced most traders in the cross-border business to abandon their businesses.

This has also affected the market prices of commodities, with petrol now selling at an all-time high of over CFA 1000 (about N2,010) per litre, making smuggling of petrol now a lucrative business since the removal of subsidy in May.

CFA franc scarcity forces markets to transact in naira in Niger

Markets in Niger Republic’s communities bordering Nigeria are now carrying out cash transactions in naira due to the scarcity of CFA francs in circulation in the country.

According to residents and traders interviewed by our correspondent, the naira is in full circulation in provinces that border the Nigerian states of Borno Yobe, Kano, Katsina and Sokoto.

A resident of Diffa, Aminu Abdulkadir, who spoke to Daily Trust on the phone, said since the military coup in the uranium-rich country, the CFA Franc has become very scarce in the country.

“Now, before you see a single CFA franc in the Diffa market, you will see the different naira denominations in circulation. It’s what everybody is using here, including the government officials.

“The only area where we don’t transact with naira is at filling stations and in remittance of government revenues,” he said.

He said many POS operators from Nigeria have established business in markets around Diffa, Gigime, Boso, Kablewa, Jakori, Garin Wanzam, Kinchambi, Tumar and some parts of  Maradi province that border Nigerian states of Katsina and Kano.

A journalist in Niger, who preferred a single name said the scarcity of the CFA franc has compelled them to switch to the naira, which is easily available.

“We usually trade in both currencies before, but the scarcity of the CFA franc in the border communities has forced us to trade more in naira,” he said.

He attributed the scarcity of the CFA franc to the mop-up by government officials who suspected that France was behind the cash crunch.

“We were told that apart from the Niger Franc, they are stocking cash in the form of Chad and Burkina Faso CFA francs.

“However, other sources are blaming your people (Nigerians), of coming into Niger to pack millions of CFA franc, and return to Nigeria, where they convert it to dollars and make profit,” he alleged.

He said, recently, the value of the CFA franc has been appreciating against the naira. “I can’t explain why but the value of the naira against the franc kept falling. A few weeks back, the exchange rate was 1100 CFA franc to N1,200 but it’s now between N1600 to N1700,” he added.

Cross border business no longer lucrative – Traders

Similarly, a bag of 50kg of rice sold for between N9,000 and N12,500 has risen sharply to about N35,000 across the Seme border since the naira started a free fall.

A carton of frozen poultry products which was formerly sold at N8,000 is now sold at N28,000.

Nigerians who travel across the border to buy goods are now lamenting that cross-border business is no longer lucrative.

A trader at the Vespa market in the Ojo area of Lagos, John Ebube, who spoke to our correspondent said the naira started a downward slide in the last two months.

According to him, the naira was traded at about N1200 to CFA 1000 in August, but that between August and October, it crashed to N2,010.

As stakeholders in the business landscape express relief over the intervention by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the foreign exchange market in recent times, foreign airlines operating in Nigeria have disclosed that about 90 per cent of their trapped funds have not been cleared.

They spoke just as the domestic carriers hailed the CBN initiative, saying they also have their funds trapped before the CBN.

They spoke in Lagos during a stakeholders’ forum convened by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo.

The CBN was said to have started clearing the Forex backlog to commercial banks in order to ease pressure on the foreign exchange. The intervention has seen the naira appreciating by over 20 per cent since last week in the parallel market.

Part of the backlog was the trapped funds belonging to foreign airlines operating in Nigeria amounting to over $700m according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

But the Chairman of International Airline Operators, Mr. Chima Kingsley who spoke at the stakeholders’ forum at the weekend said, “As of Thursday, the international banks have received dollars from the CBN. But this accounts for less than 10 per cent of the trapped funds.

“The bulk of the blocked funds are with Nigerian commercial banks. The bulk of the money has not been paid,” he said.

From the perspective of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo said the domestic carriers also require enough forex to operate, saying their funds are also trapped in CBN.

“We are buying forex like smugglers,” he declared, adding, “We are happy with the news that the government is clearing the backlog. We also have trapped funds. For instance, my airline has $3m trapped in CBN.”

He said a Nigerian carrier has one of its aircraft parked in a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility abroad and it has accumulated over $3m in parking fees alone because it is unable to source forex to pay for the service.

The Minister who said the CBN’s intervention would continue in a matter of weeks assured both foreign and domestic airlines that efforts are ongoing to address the forex challenge.

“The process of clearing the money has started. The President gave a marching order to the CBN,” he said.

Also speaking, Area Manager, West and Central Africa for IATA, Dr. Samson Fatokun said there was the need to reduce the Nigerian aviation sector operating cost.

According to him, the aviation industry in Nigeria needs specific sector focused support.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has sacked Musa Ilyasu Kwankwaso of the All Progressives Congress and reinstated Yusuf Umar Datti of the New Nigeria People’s Party in the Kura/Madobi/Garun Malam Federal Constituency Election.

The three-panel led by Justice Tunde Oyebamiji Awotoye allowed an Appeal by Yusuf Datti and averred that the tribunal was wrong to have counted the date of the Appellant’s resignation on the date of his party’s primary election and that Section 77 of the Electoral Act was misapplied, saying no court has jurisdiction on the issue of membership of the party.

Details later…

Nigeria’s FIFA badge referee, Yemisi Akintoye, has been selected for the 2023 African Women’s Champions League taking place in Cote d’Ivoire from 5 to 19 November.
The University of Lagos graduate was one of the 17 referees shortlisted across Africa and one of the 12 selected after an intensive one-week pre-tournament course.

A statement on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Monday confirmed Akintoye’s participation alongside other referees at the 2023 African Women’s Champions League.

It said Akintoye would be officiating alongside Salma Musaganda of Rwanda who was the first African woman referee to officiate at the men’s World Cup.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akintoye was badged as a FIFA Referee in 2021.

She has been at a few international competitions which include, the WAFU Women Champion’s League and the Aisha Buhari Tournament, among others.

(NAN)

…until the Nigerian government begins to implement effective policies that strengthen the naira, Nigerian citizens are in for a hard time for the foreseeable future. Nigerians are already trying their hardest to adapt to these unreasonable costs of living. The government must play its part by providing targeted support for lacking populations and executing responsible fiscal management alongside viable monetary policies to stabilise the weak naira and lay a foundation for long-term economic development.

At the time of writing this article, the naira had risen to over N1,230 in exchange for a single US dollar, the highest ever recorded in Nigeria’s history. A few years ago, saying that the naira would ever trade at over a thousand to a single dollar would have sounded like a dream. No one could foresee it. Yet here we are. To say that the fast-rising deterioration of the naira has wrought untold hardship on Nigerians is understating the situation. With Nigeria being a state with very few exports outside crude oil and one that is highly dependent on imports, the ever-weakening naira has made trade and importation very difficult. The effect of all this is that an astronomically high cost of living has been forced upon all Nigerians.  

The rapidly rising costs of living have begun to force Nigerians to radically adjust the way they live and work. Every day, we are forced to develop innovative ways of cutting costs in this increasingly tough economy. So, for instance, owing to the sky-high prices of fuel, a lot of car owners have stopped driving their cars and now prefer to commute via public transportation or ride-hailing services. A number of companies are increasingly switching to hybrid or completely remote systems of work in order to cut costs. Not everyone is so lucky, as there is a significant number of Nigerians who are not fortunate enough to have the option of going remote, yet transport costs to their current jobs eat too deeply into their salaries. They are left with no option but to resign and begin the gruelling and uncertain process of seeking new employment.

So yes, we see how the ever-rising cost of living in Nigeria is forcing its citizens to develop coping mechanisms every day in order to survive. However, when it comes to the cost of food, the agony touches Nigerians on a different level. Just a month ago, a cup of rice cost about N500. Today, you can’t get it for anything less than N800. The same goes for a cup of beans. The reason this matters is that Nigerians already spend the majority of their incomes on food. Data from Picodi, an international e-commerce organisation, has revealed that the average Nigerian household spends 59 per cent of its income on food. According to data from a statistical analysis carried out in 105 countries of the world, aimed at discovering how much people spend on groceries, Nigeria ranked number 105 – the highest – in the world. To put this in better context, the global average for the percentage of household income spent on food is 11 per cent.

This gap between the global average and the local average is alarming. And what makes this fact only more worrying is that this report was from over two months ago. The cost of food has risen since then. Prices of foodstuff are still rising in a state that has already been eaten so deeply by food insecurity. When a state that is already plagued by record levels of poverty and hunger is threatened by even more poverty and hunger, the ripple effects cannot be anything but deadly.

In the absence of gainful employment for many Nigerian youth, as the suffering becomes unbearable, many will inevitably be pushed into crime. The lowest hanging fruit for many is cybercrime, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo. Cybercrime or fraud is already a widespread phenomenon in Nigeria. In fact, it is practically a staple of Nigerian culture at this point. From several songs celebrating it to the populace idolising those who practice it, cybercrime has sadly become a cancer that has devoured Nigerian society, particularly the demographic of the male youth.

From N150 to $1 to N500:$1 and N800:$1, Nigerians remained in disbelief as they watched the naira weaken and fall over several years and across different governments. And no matter how many governments have promised to turn the economy around, the downward trend has not stopped. Thus, it would be foolhardy to expect that the naira will suddenly reach a new record low, change its mind, and start climbing upwards. No! Unfortunately, it could still get much worse.

As inflation worsens and costs of living rise, this disturbing cancer called fraud is only going to eat deeper into society. It was only last week when Justina Tiffany Otuene, a 300-level Biochemistry student of the University of Calabar, was killed by her boyfriend, who was a student of the same university. It has been alleged that the murder was a ritual killing. Again, on the 20th of October, robbers stormed three banks in Otukpo, Benue State, and killed seven people, two of who were security operatives. The three banks include Zenith Bank, First Bank Plc, and United Bank for Africa.

This ghastly wave of crime and scares is just a symptom of a deeply rooted illness in the Nigerian system. Fraud, ritual killings, kidnappings, robberies, organ trafficking, and child trafficking are the gruesome crimes that epitomise the Nigerian condition — a reflection of the new normal. As more and more people get thrown into poverty, more Nigerians will be forced into crime. And while we can spend all day debating whether poverty justifies people turning to crime or not, the fact remains that poverty makes it increasingly harder for men to survive. When men are forced to choose between harming others in order to survive and starving to death, between their survival and the survival of others, many will be forced to choose themselves.

At this juncture, it is critical to point out that this is not a justification for crime. Cyberfraud, ritual killings, kidnappings, and all other crimes and condemnable and are, in fact, mostly caused by greed. What this argument simply aims to point out is that when a government repeatedly makes poor decisions, it accumulates and creates a harsh environment that will inevitably enable the worst of human nature. Nothing justifies these wicked acts. People must always strive to earn an honest, crime-free living. But the government must not make this noble pursuit more difficult than it already is.

Sadly, the government has failed to ensure this. So we must now have a conversation about what the people themselves must do. It is often a customary Nigerian reflex to hold out hope. To hope that things will get better. Will the exchange rate rise to N1,300 naira to a single dollar? We all certainly hope not. But it is submitted that sitting on our asses and hoping is not the wisest thing to do. It is not even the wisest hope. If the past offers any reliable data to predict by, then the naira hasn’t yet hit rock bottom.

From N150 to $1 to N500:$1 and N800:$1, Nigerians remained in disbelief as they watched the naira weaken and fall over several years and across different governments. And no matter how many governments have promised to turn the economy around, the downward trend has not stopped. Thus, it would be foolhardy to expect that the naira will suddenly reach a new record low, change its mind, and start climbing upwards. No! Unfortunately, it could still get much worse.

For starters, it would seem that the ever-weakening naira has defeated the conventional wisdom of “delayed gratification”. If everything gets more expensive, waiting to buy automatically becomes a bad financial decision. For the foreseeable future, it is probably best if you purchase everything you want to buy as early as you can, rather than delaying and paying more for these down the line.

Thus, Nigerians must steel themselves and shift their minds from conversations about hope to conversations about how to prepare for the worst. And how do we prepare for the worst? Well, Nigerians have already started adopting several cost-saving measures, such as going remote and using alternative modes of transportation.

For starters, it would seem that the ever-weakening naira has defeated the conventional wisdom of “delayed gratification”. If everything gets more expensive, waiting to buy automatically becomes a bad financial decision. For the foreseeable future, it is probably best if you purchase everything you want to buy as early as you can, rather than delaying and paying more for these down the line.

Also, since the majority of our incomes are spent on food and non-alcoholic beverages, it is recommended that Nigerians start to make their purchases in bulk. Cutting down on unnecessary expenses, such as eating out, also helps to cut costs. Beyond that, Nigerians must take extra precautions with regard to their security and the security of their finances. Not only are ritual killings, robberies, and kidnappings going to go up, but the rate of fraud attacks as well. We must guard our financial details with utmost care and be careful with our movement.

In conclusion, until the Nigerian government begins to implement effective policies that strengthen the naira, Nigerian citizens are in for a hard time for the foreseeable future. Nigerians are already trying their hardest to adapt to these unreasonable costs of living. The government must play its part by providing targeted support for lacking populations and executing responsible fiscal management alongside viable monetary policies to stabilise the weak naira and lay a foundation for long-term economic development.

PS: This piece was written in Gboko, Benue State. I am grateful to Professor Zack Gundu, Vice-Chancellor University of Mkar, who generously provided the space and the inspiration.

Toyin Falola, a professor of History, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at The University of Texas at Austin, is the Bobapitan of Ibadanland.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order restraining the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from further denying issuing the Certificate being paraded by Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a judgment on Monday, held that evidence before the court showed that Mbah properly participated in the NYSC programme and that the NYSC issued him a certificate of completion.

Justice Ekwo held that the NYSC misrepresented facts in its claim that it did not issue the certificate Mbah submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the last governorship election.

The judge faulted the NYSC for not producing before the court, two files containing information about Mbah’s participation in the programme, noting that the corps handled the case with levity.

Justice Ekwo, therefore, awarded N5 million in damages against the NYSC, and in favour of Mbah.

Recall that the Enugu governor was alleged to have forged his NYSC certificate to contest for the governorship election on March 18, 2023.

Mbah had, before his inauguration on May 29, sued the NYSC and its Director, Corps Certification, Ibrahim Muhammad, for publishing a disclaimer denying the issuance of a discharge certificate to him on January 6, 2003.

Justice Ekwo had, on May 15, restrained the NYSC, Muhammad and any of their agents from, henceforth, engaging in such publication pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter.

A group of young individuals from the northern region of Nigeria has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to steer clear of what they deem as biased appointments, reminiscent of those made by his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.

These youths, operating under the banner of the Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF), have acknowledged that northerners may not have a legitimate basis for protesting against Tinubu’s perceived uneven appointments. However, they have expressed their viewpoint that the nation should persist differently.

Certain northern leaders have criticized President Tinubu, alleging that he has shown favouritism toward the southern part of the country in his selection of appointees. For example, Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi has claimed that Tinubu appointed more Southern Christians to key positions while disregarding northerners who purportedly assisted him in gaining power.

Speaking to the media in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, on Sunday, the National President of NYLF, Elliot Afiyo, stated that Tinubu is perpetuating the alleged imbalance in appointments inherited from Buhari.

Afio revealed that from 2015 to 2023, Buhari established an appointment imbalance of 80 percent favouring the north and 20 percent favouring the south.

Nonetheless, he has implored Tinubu not to replicate Buhari’s approach when choosing his appointees, emphasizing that “the nation must not persist in making the same mistakes.”

He pointed out that past Nigerian leaders, since the country’s independence, have engaged in biased appointments that favoured their regions at the expense of others.

The youth leader asserted that former President Olusegun Obasanjo attempted to rectify the imbalance when he assumed power in 1999.

“However, Buhari came in and widened the gap to 20/80. Even the northerners appointed by Buhari were not purely northerners. We now observe that President Tinubu’s appointments are leaning towards the South West.

“I would say that northerners may not have the grounds to protest against the perceived imbalance in appointments. But as enlightened citizens, I pose this question: Can we continue in this manner? Where is our nation headed? Therefore, there is an urgent need for us to restore balance,” he emphasized.

Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum (oil), has told Nigerians who to blame should the refineries in Port Harcourt and Warri fail to resume operation in December.

He said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited should be held responsible if the deadline for rehabilitating Port Harcourt and Warri crude oil refineries is not met.

The Minister disclosed this to journalists after the recent ministers’ retreat in Abuja.

Speaking on the completion of rehabilitation of the refineries and the December 2023 deadline, he stressed that NNPCL had assured him that phase 1 of the work would be delivered.

He added that other phases of the refinery rehabilitation would be achieved by next year.

He emphasized the need to boost crude oil production capacity in the country.

“Yes, the refinery’s rehabilitation, if you remember, was started by the previous administration and as part of the President’s directive. I have gone around all the refineries, and from what they have briefed me, Port Harcourt has three phases.

“So Phase 1 will be ready by the end of this year. I am not the one who is directly in charge of rehabilitation; it is the NNPCL, and they have told me, and I am holding them accountable.

“For the Warri refinery, they said Phase 1 will be ready by the end of the year. Phases 2 and 3 in Port Harcourt will be ready next year, and the whole Kaduna refinery will be ready by the end of next year.

“That is what they said, and I am holding them accountable for their words. I believe that those refineries, if we can achieve some level of rehabilitation by the end of this year, will also improve our domestic refining capacity.

“That’s why I said unless we produce sufficient quantities, even if the refineries are rehabilitated, there will be no feedstock. So, my challenge is to ramp up production to see how we can feed not only the big refineries but also the modular ones. These are the real employers of labour, and they will do the magic,” he said.

The Minister and NNPCL have consistently insisted that December 2023 is the deadline for the resumption of operation of Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC) and Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC).