Despite the Supreme Court judgement of July 11, 2024, granting financial autonomy to the country’s 774 local government areas, state governors across the federation are yet to abolish the controversial state/ LG joint accounts.
Consequently, the third tier of government still gets its federal allocation through the joint account as against the direct payment ordered by the apex court.
However, investigations conducted by LEADERSHIP Weekend in the nation’s six geopolitical zones showed that most state governments have initiated moves to obey the Supreme Court judgement.
While some state governors have directed their LG chairmen to activate their treasury system to implement the ruling, others have adopted what they described as “guided implementation,” citing the councils’ lack of capacity to go full swing.
A top LG administrator in one of the North Central states told LEADERSHIP Weekend that the local governments have been given three months to perfect certain account documents before they can receive direct allocations.
He said, “We have been given a grace period of three months to link the local government accounts with the National Identification Number (NIN) and the Treasury Single Account (TSA). After meeting these criteria, we can get our allocations directly from the federation account. In July, we received our allocations through the state/LG Joint Account.”
He added that the local governments are ready to utilise the autonomy granted them.
In Kwara State, the problem of local government administration started in the administrations of President Muhammadu Buhari and former Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed when there were zero allocations to both the states and local government areas.
During that period the local government areas could not even pay staff salaries in full, not to talk of executing any developmental projects.
But when the administration of the incumbent Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq came on board in 2019, it injected life into the local government administration.
The AbdulRazaq administration not only cleared the backlog of salaries owed local government staff by the former administration, but also ensured the regular payment of their salaries in full.
However, the government’s inability to conduct local government elections since 2019 due to legal obstacles was a major setback for the local government administration in the state, as it was administered by unelected officials who were not accountable to the people.
LEADERSHIP Weekend observed that the local government areas in the state have structures that could aid good governance at that level and support the autonomy recently granted to them.
The local government areas have their respective secretariats: administration, works, finance, and health departments.
The chairman of Kwara State Local Government Service Commission, Alhaji Umar Shero, said the local governments are fully prepared for autonomy, adding that “this is what they have been longing for.”
On structures, Shero said the local government areas have their secretariats and various units and departments just like the state governments.
He said the legislative arm of government will oversee the financial activities of the local government administrations at that level and by the Office of the Local Government Auditor General.
In an interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend, an assistant chief planning officer of the Kano State Ministry of Local Government Affairs Garba Bello said the state is prepared for the financial autonomy of the LGAs.
He said the state has put financial memoranda on the ground for financial regulation to ensure checks and balances.
According to him, the memoranda spelt out how expenditure should be incurred or spent, with limits for local government chairman’s expenditure not exceeding N500,000. Where it exceeds, the councillors would have to give their approval.
The Ekiti State government has said there is no cause for concern over the financial autonomy recently granted to the local government.
The commissioner for local government affairs, Chief Folorunso Olabode, told LEADERSHIP Weekend in Ado Ekiti that the councils had always been autonomous.
Olabode said, “We don’t have issues with financial autonomy. The local government areas in Ekiti state are autonomous in terms of their finances.
“The governor has nothing to do with it, and due process is always followed in their spending”.
He said the state was recently commended by the national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees for its openness in managing and administering local government.
All 774 Councils Are Prepared For Financial Autonomy – ALGON President
Meanwhile, the national president of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Aminu Muazu Maifata, has declared that the 774 LGAs in the country are prepared for full autonomy granted by the Supreme Court.
He said the issue of autonomy is not new to the councils; it existed before its eventual breach.
According to him, shortly after the judgement, the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) met in Nasarawa State in July to brainstorm on strategies ahead of implementing the verdict.
“We are fully aware of the responsibility and the weight of our mandate as spelt out in the constitution, and I can assure you that the third tier of government is prepared and ready for the independent it has consistently clamoured for and got.
“And one thing we have going for us is the calibre of persons manning the councils as executive chairmen. They are persons who have vast experience in their various fields and left legacies of service where they previously worked, be it in public and private sector. So, they are ready to bring these experiences to bear now that there will be no meddlesomeness in their activities,” he assured.
He said the chairmen during the NEC vowed to prove skeptics wrong by working assiduously to transform the grassroots while efficiently using resources that will come their way.
On whether there are strong structure at the councils to leverage on, he explained that ALGON as a body is initiating capacity building for all actors and stakeholders to drive the process, beginning from the legislative arms and civil servants.
“Beyond that, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission displays our allocations on their website. Given that situation, we must ensure that every kobo is accounted for,” he said.
Nigeria winger, Samuel Chukwueze has revealed the reason behind his decision to snub a move to Saudi Arabia last summer.
Chukwueze was approached by a number of clubs in the Asian country after the end of the 2022/23 season.
The 25-year-old however decided against accepting the tempting offer despite plea fron his manager.
Instead, the talented winger joined Serie A giants, AC Milan ending his five-year stay with LaLiga club, Villarreal.
“If money were a problem, I would have signed in Saudi Arabia. They wanted me a year ago,” the 25-year-old was quoted by Football Italia.
” My mind was set only on Milan. My agent told me, ‘Hey, look, there’s this money…’ But I said no: ‘I don’t want to go anywhere else.’
“So he gave up. If that money comes, it comes. The most important thing now is to believe in myself; I’m still young, I want to make it, I need to stay in Europe.”
Chukwueze scored once in 24 league appearances for AC Milan last season.
Despite inactive status, idle Ajaokuta workers got N38.9bn salaries in 10 years – Investigation
AFOLABI
The Federal Government has paid workers of the moribund Ajaokuta Steel Company the total sum of N38.9bn as salaries and allowances in 10 years, Saturday PUNCH reports.
This is despite the inability of the company to produce a single sheet of steel since its inception.
The Ajaokuta Integrated Steel Complex, conceived in 1979, was developed to establish a Metallurgical Process Plant alongside an Engineering Complex and various auxiliary facilities.
The complex is meant to generate important upstream and downstream industrial and economic activities that are critical to the diversification of the economy into an industrial one.
On its website, the company said it directly employed about 10,000 workers at the first phase of commissioning while the upstream and downstream industries that would evolve all over the nation would engage no fewer than 500,000 employees.
Ajaokuta Steel Plant, aptly known as the Bedrock of Nigeria’s industrialisation, is more than just a rolling mill—it’s an Integrated Iron and Steel Plant.
It boasts four distinct rolling mills: the Billet Mill, the Light Section Mill, the Wire Rod Mill, and the Medium Section and Structural Mill.
The plant utilises blast furnace technology, which is the most prevalent method for steel production, representing about 70 per cent of global liquid steel production.
By 1994, the plant was estimated to be 98 per cent complete in terms of equipment installation.
While some units of the plant were operational at various times, 40 out of the 43 planned units had been constructed.
However, due to mismanagement, the project remains incomplete over 45 years later.
At the Russia-Africa Summit in 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on a revitalisation of the steel mill with Russian support and project funding from the Afreximbank and the Russian Export Centre.
But it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the agreement was abandoned.
In January 2024, Tinubu opened discussions with a Chinese steel company, Luan Steel Holding Group, to revive the Ajaokuta Steel Company.
That discussion has not yielded any results.
Despite its inactive status and reports of an ineffective workforce, the company continues to receive substantial annual budget allocations from the government.
Furthermore, the salaries of its employees are still accounted for in the government’s annual budget.
A breakdown of the company’s annual budget between 2014 and 2024 showed that it paid a total of N29.11bn in salaries and wages, and N9.8bn in allowances to its staff.
Further analysis revealed that the government disbursed N3.82bn for personnel costs in 2014, reduced marginally to N3.8bn in 2015, N3.55bn in 2016 and N3.84bn in 2017.
In 2018, an unverifiable number of workers at the company received a total sum of N3.76bn for salaries and allowances, N3.2bn in 2019, and N3.5bn in 2020.
The cost increased to N3.89bn in 2021, and N3.94bn in 2022 but dropped significantly to N1.22bn in 2023.
The company didn’t announce any retrenchment exercise during this period. The cost, however, increased by N3.07bn to N4.29bn in 2024.
At an investigative hearing recently, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, took up the Sole Administrator of the Steel Company, Summaila Akaba, on several workers collecting salaries from the N4.2bn appropriated for personnel costs in the 2024 budget.
She said being an indigene of the area and desirous to get the steel company revamped and working, she made unscheduled visits to it and hardly found 10 people.
The lawmaker lamented further that despite spending money on personnel costs, no steel had been manufactured and no mill rolled.
She said, “The sum of N4.2bn was appropriated for personnel cost in 2024, but from several visitations I’ve made to the complex, hardly were 10 people sighted to be around or doing anything.
“So, who are the workers collecting monthly salaries from the appropriated N4.2bn?”
In the 2024 budget, the National Assembly increased budgetary allocation from N4.45bn in the proposed 2024 budget to N5.18bn in the approved version for the dormant Ajaokuta Steel Company.
This is an increase of N730m as the Federal Government plans to revive the moribund steel plant, which has been dormant for over 42 years.
At a briefing three months ago, the Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu, stated that the government was at an advanced stage of raising more than N35bn required to restart the Light Mill Section of the Ajaokuta Steel Company.
He also said data on technical analysis and evaluation by experts indicated that the government required between $2bn and $5bn to revive the Ajaokuta steel company within three years.
However, experts insisted that the best option was to privatise the company for effective maximisation of its potential.
Waste of resources – Economist
Reacting to the payment of workers, an economist and researcher, Paul Alaje, said it amounted to a waste of the country’s resources, calling for a public-private partnership to revamp the company.
Alaje, who is the chief economist at an economic development research firm in Lagos, SPM Professionals, said, “It is wastage. But the truth is that labour has to be paid. It is not their fault that the place isn’t working. It is the government that doesn’t have work to give them.
“It is the work of the employer to provide what labour will do. But when the employer is laid back, there is an issue.
“That is why the Federal Government needs to engage in public-private partnership immediately or allow the foreigners who started the projects to partner with the Federal Government for the completion of the Ajaokuta steel mill.
“The billions of naira spent were not just in Ajaokuta, I imagine they are spending tens of billions to pay salaries in four refineries that are not working. How can you pay people for not working?
“We lose hundreds of millions of naira at different offices of government to people not working. It is not that they don’t want to work, but there is no work for them to do.
“I will not support a total disposal of the Ajaokuta steel mill. I will support a situation where we partner with the private sector. We can do 60-40, or partner with the foreign company that started it.
“The best thing to do is to move the workers at the company to agencies in need of workers, but that will also mean that there are no more eyes on Ajaokuta steel mill. Some of the fixed equipment will disappear overnight. Why can’t we make it work? Some people are in the steel business in Nigeria. Can’t we give part of the shares to them?”
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, a professor of Economics at Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State, Abayomi Adebayo, said paying such an amount would translate to throwing the country’s scarce resources into the drain.
He added that the Federal Government should rather terminate the workers’ appointments and stop paying them salaries for work not done.
He said, “Anytime you are paying a worker that is not producing anything, you are throwing your money into the drain. It’s simply a drain on the Nigerian economy and a manifestation of absurdity in governance because if you know that the place is not functioning, why not terminate the appointment of the workers there?
“They have to rationalise the staff. You can’t continue to pay people who are not working because so many issues about that job are not yet resolved. I can’t understand why somebody will continue to pay like that.
“It’s a show of irresponsibility. It’s a show of the fact that they don’t have the love of Nigeria at heart and some of the workers would have found their way out of the country and be working elsewhere. It shows how much we love our country.”
We Facilitated 29 Million Barrels Of Crude To Your Refinery - NUPRC Counters Dangote’s Claims
AFOLABI
… Refutes Dangote’s Weak Enforcement Claim
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has refuted claims by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals and other players in the industry that it has been weak in the enforcement of the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO) to local refineries.
The NUPRC took the position following revelations that it has facilitated the supply of over 32 million barrels of crude oil to the Dangote Refinery and other refineries despite the country’s weak oil output.
The NUPRC made the disclosure in a statement on Friday which was obtained by THE WHSTLER.
THE WHISTLER reported that Dangote group chief commercial officer, Rabiu Umar had claimed that the NNPC supplies only 33 per cent of crude to the Dangote Refinery. He had claimed that the refinery sources the remaining 67 per cent elsewhere.
Despite NUPRC’s efforts to enforce the crude oil obligations through the development of the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO) framework, the Dangote Refinery also accused the NUPRC of weak enforcement of the DCSO in a letter which was obtained by THE WHISTLER.
The firm, however, retracted the claim in another statement signed by the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina.
Chiejina said, “Our attention has been drawn to media reports alleging that the Dangote Refinery has backtracked by acknowledging that NNPC supplied about 60 per cent of the 50 million barrels we lifted.
“To clarify, we have never accused NNPC of not supplying us with crude. Our concern has always been that NUPRC is pushing but IOCs are not following the instructions to enforce the domestic crude supply obligation and ensure that we receive our full crude requirement from NNPC and the IOCs.”
Meanwhile, an earlier letter issued by the Dangote Refinery to the Commission Chief Executive (NUPRC) Gbenga Komolafe, dated July 24, 2024, commended the regulator for its enforcement of the DCSO.
“Let me once again commend you and your team for the successful development of the domestic crude supply obligation (DCSO) framework. This framework will lay the foundation for ensuring a stable and reliable supply of crude oil to local refineries,” the Chairman of Dangote Refinery, Aliko Dangote said in the letter.
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But the regulator said that to ensure the enforcement of Section 109 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, it has developed and gazette regulation of the Production Curtailment and Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligation (DSO) Regulation 2023.
The regulator said it took an additional step to ensure that crude producers furnish the Commission with copies of all crude oil sales and purchase agreements entered or any security interest entered, that is tied to crude oil production.
“For effective implementation of the DCSO, the NUPRC established a working committee comprising of NUPRC, Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), Crude Oil Refinery-Owners Association of Nigeria (CORAN) and NUIMS. The NUPRC has facilitated domestic supply of crude oil to Dangote Refinery and other Refiners using the monthly Production curtailment platform.
“These strategic commitments to Nigeria’s energy security have led to the facilitation of the supply of 32 million barrels of crude to Dangote Refinery and other local producers in the first half of 2024,” NUPRC said.
A breakdown showed that nine refineries have benefitted from the 32,088,122 barrels of crude as Dangote alone enjoyed 29,047,098 barrels out of the total supply between January to June 2024.
The Warri Refinery received 949,670 barrels; NDPR-NDPR Refinery got 823,395 barrels of crude; the Port Harcourt Refinery received 471,123 barrels; Seplat-WPSOL Refinery was allocated 419,541 barrels while Waltersmith-WSPOL Refinery got 296,353 barrels.
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According to the NUPRC, other beneficiaries were Edo Refinery that got 58,504 barrels of crude and Du-port Refinery that was supplied 22,438 barrels of crude.
The NUPRC said that the IOCs have also explained that they have pledged crude to their financiers, adding that the “whole transaction is guided by the ‘Doctrine of the Sanctity of Contracts’. The parties already agreed that the licensees would pay the cost of the development and they explained to the commission that most of the funding was provided by traders at a mutually agreed price.”
IOCs also highlighted some operational challenges on the part of refiners which the NUPRC as a regulator has consistently defended local refiners.
The regulator said that “In the pursuit of its mandate, if it becomes necessary for the NURC to withdraw licenses, the commission will do so but it will not resort to the ‘presumptuous and arbitrary’ withdrawal of licenses because of ‘Sanctity of Contract.’.
“However, the regulator as a subject matter expert is of the opinion that arbitrary revocation of licenses is not in the best interest of the country particularly in the era of low investment arising from the onslaught in energy transition.”
The NUPRC further gave Nigerians the opportunity to decide if extreme penal regulatory measures should be taken against IOCs.
NUPRC said, “While our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been vacating entry barriers to investment in oil and gas sector and introducing incentives to attract investments, it is now left for Nigerians to decide whether it is strategic for the NUPRC to apply ‘extreme penal regulatory measures’ in the enforcement of domestic supply obligations especially in the era of low investment, low production, low oil revenues and onslaught of energy transition with defunding of fossil fuel.”
A report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Friday indicated that the highest average Cost of Healthy Diet (CoHD) was recorded in the South West Zone at ₦1,545 per day, whereas the North West Zone reported the lowest average at ₦956 per day.
Naija News understands that the national average cost of maintaining a healthy diet for an adult has shown a consistent upward trend recently, reaching ₦1,241 per individual in June.
The NBS report shows that the cost of a healthy diet (CoHD) has risen by 19.2 per cent.
Since January of this year, the CoHD per adult has been on a steady increase, with figures of ₦1,041 in May, ₦1,035 in April, ₦982 in March, ₦938 in February, and ₦858 in January.
The NBS’s report on a healthy diet in June reads partly, “The National Average Cost of a Healthy Diet was ₦1,241 per adult per day in June 2024.
“At the State level, Ekiti, Ogun, and Osun states recorded the highest cost with ₦1,640, ₦1,599, and ₦1,557, respectively. Katsina, Kano and Jigawa accounted for the lowest costs, with ₦878, N926 and ₦937.
“At the zonal level, the average CoHD was highest in the South-West Zone at ₦1,545 per day, followed by the South-South zone with ₦1,376 per day.
“The lowest average Cost of a Healthy diet was recorded in the West Zone with ₦956 per day.
“The Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) has been steadily rising over the past six (6) months, since January 2024.
“In June 2024, the CoHD was 45% higher than it was in January 2024 (₦858). It was also 19% higher than the cost in May 2024 (₦1,041). The main drivers of this increase in CoHD are vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, and starchy foods.”
NBS explained that CoHD is the least expensive combination of locally available items that meet globally consistent food-based dietary guidelines, used as a measure of physical and economic access to healthy diets.
“In recent months, the CoHD has risen faster than general inflation and food inflation.
“However, the CoHD and the food CPI are not directly comparable; the CoHD includes fewer items and is measured in Naira per day, while the food CPI is a weighted index,” said NBS.
The Nigerian men’s 4x400m relay team has been disqualified from competing in the final of the event at the 2024 Olympics.
After the Nigerian women’s 4x400m relay team crashed out of the event on Thursday, most sports enthusiasts in Nigeria were expecting the men’s team to earn Nigeria its first 2024 Paris Olympics medal.
Recall that the men’s relay team, which comprised Emmanuel Ojeli, Ezekiel Nathanial, Dubem Amene, and Chidi Okezie, initially secured a spot in the final after finishing second in their heat behind France, achieving a season’s best time of 2:59.81.
However, their hopes were dashed when they were disqualified for stepping on the line during their heat. Reports claimed that South African athletes were the ones that made the official complaint, which was looked into and sanctioned against Nigeria by the Olympic committee.
As a result of their disqualification, Belgium has moved up to second position, and South Africa has stepped up to third position.
This outcome is a disappointment for the Nigerian team, who had aspired to replicate the success of the 2000 and 2004 teams that won gold and bronze in Sydney and Athens respectively.
The development happened before Nigeria’s best prospect for a 2024 Olympics medal, Tobi Amusan failed to qualify for the final of the 100m hurdles earlier today. Hence, Team Nigeria are still without a medal with less than two days to the end of the tournament.
The athlete who has sustained Nigeria’s aspirations for a medal in the current Paris Olympic Games, Tobi Amusan, has crashed out of the tournament.
Amusan finished third in the semi-finals of the women’s 100m hurdles.
The 27-year-old competed in lane six during the first heat of the event on Friday.
The reigning world champion and world record holder finished behind Alayasha Johnson from the United States, who clocked a time of 12.39 seconds, and Devynne Charlton from the Bahamas, who recorded 12.50 seconds.
Amusan’s time of 12.55 seconds was insufficient to qualify her for the finals.
This achievement comes amid Nigeria’s disappointing performance in the games, where Nigerian athletes have yet to secure a medal as the Olympics approach their conclusion on Sunday.
On Tuesday, former Super Eagles Coach Adegboye Onigbinde criticized Nigeria’s performance, attributing it to inadequate sports administration in the country.
The veteran technical sports director said: “You see, why Nigerian athletes are not performing well in the ongoing Olympics and other international sports competitions is not technical, but administrative. Is it technical that an athlete who qualified properly in her event will be ridiculed by not registering her for participation?
“Situations like this will continue if our administrators don’t separate politics from sports.”
He stressed that most of the administrators have forgotten the core objective of developmental programmes in sports which had earned the country some measure of success in the past.
The wife and two daughters of a Kogi-based journalist, Muhammed Bashir, were among 10 members of the same family kidnapped by gunmen in Kaduna State on Thursday.
Bashir’s wife and two girls came to Kaduna earlier on Thursday to spend the holiday with her family in a Kaduna suburb.
Bashir, a correspondent for the Nigeria Telegraph, told colleagues in Lokoja, Kogi State’s capital, on Friday, to pray for him.
“My dear colleagues, please, I need your prayers. My two daughters and their mother, including eight others, were kidnapped yesterday by unknown gunmen in Kaduna, where they went for a holiday.
“Please pray for me,” he wrote in the Kogi Correspondents’ Chapel WhatsApp platform.
According to him, his family left Abuja the same Thursday for Kaduna. But they got kidnapped at their residence on Thursday night.
He said that he had contacted the Police and the Department of State Services, DSS, and had been informed that actions were being taken to rescue them.
I Inherited Over ₦3.2 Billion Debt, ₦500 Million Unaccounted For When I Assumed Office — NAFDAC DG, Adeyeye
AFOLABI
The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye has disclosed that she inherited a debt of ₦3.2bn, while ₦500m was unaccounted for upon her resumption in the office.
She explained that if such a situation had happened in a developed country such as the United States, the company would have been declared bankrupt.
Adeyeye disclosed this on Channels Television’s Inside Sources on Friday.
According to her, “When I got to NAFDAC, I met ₦3.2b Debt, and ₦500m missing and there was no account for it before I came.
“I asked them if they had capital projects they used the money for. Bear in mind that at that time, ₦1 million was equivalent to $2000. So multiply $2000 by ₦500m. I was coming from the US where money was hard to get. You worked hard for your money. I could have given up but I saw an opportunity and I seized it.
“It was tough because if that had happened in the US, NAFDAC would have been declared bankrupt, and a financial house would have taken over the management of our finances. But I didn’t have money to hire a financial house.
“My point is that we have enough endowment in this country to make things better, and I am using NAFDAC as an example.
“I said I was going to cut to the bone. I am going to be using technology to ensure that our system moves on.
“We started Zoom meetings in 2018. Many people didn’t like because it they were used to getting travel allowances and DTAs. But we had to save.”
Veteran Nigerian entertainer, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, has said that the August 1 to 10 nationwide protest is simply a rehearsal for the main event.
According to the Maverick boss, the only solution to bad governance in Nigeria is revolution.
Naija News reports that Nigerian youths, displeased with the present administration’s policies, have taken to the streets to share their grievances.
The Nigerian youths have been on the streets since August 1 demanding an end to the ravaging hardship in the country.
The organizers of the protest have scheduled Saturday (tomorrow) for a one-milion man protest across the country.
Speaking via his X handle, Charly Boy argued that when the main revolution happens it would neither be announced nor televised.
He said if the Nigerian government fails to address the demands of the youths, the revolution may be destructive and bloody.
According to him, “It will take A Revolution To find A Solution to bad leadership. I see the August 1st to 10th as a dress rehearsal for the main event.
“The main event will be Unannounced.
“It will be madder than we ever Imagined.
“The REVOLUTION will not be Televised.
“Destruction and Blood will line in its wake.
“Hopefully, it will be The Outcome That Will Bring The SOLUTION”.
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Big-time traders and those managing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), as well as transporters in states where the #EndBadGovernance protest took place, are counting their losses, Daily Trust reports.
Violent demonstrations which accompanied the protest across the nation since August 1, have led to the imposition of curfew in some states to tame the activities of hoodlums that hid under the protest to loot.
The development also led to restriction of movement and closure of business premises.
Though the curfew has been relaxed in some states, many of those who spoke to our correspondents said they lost huge fortunes during the siege on their businesses by thieves.
Others said they lost revenue because they were forced to close their shops for fear of hoodlums who went about attacking businesses.
Transporters also spoke of the grounding of their activities due to fear of being attacked, or simply because there were no passengers.
Over N5bn worth of goods looted – Barakat Stores owners
The most pronounced private properties looted and vandalised in Kano include the retail outlets of Barakat Stores and Rufaidah Yoghurt.
Speaking on their experience, Barakat Stores’ General Manager, Muhammad Sani, popularly known as Alhaji Karami, said an estimated N5 billion worth of goods and properties have so far been destroyed.
“We have branches at Lodge Road, Korau Road and Rijiyar Zaki; then our warehouse inside Garba AD House, just beside the Government House. We share the same fence.
“On that day (August 1), I, alongside some of our supervisors, spent the night dispatching security operatives across the branches up till around 7am. When I went home to rest, my wife woke me up and told me that there is a problem with our store.
“Before I arrived, the store had been ravaged and looted.
“What we lost is estimated at between N4.5 billion and N5 billion, and it may even be higher. We have expensive things there. We have two containers from China, two and half containers from Turkey that came less than two months ago.
“About 1,000 cartons of vegetable oil were looted also. We did not even pay for it. We were billed to pay up later. There are other goods we brought from Lagos; about 30 vans.
“We have our distribution van, a Mitsubishi which we bought about two months ago at N15 million, they burnt it down,” he said.
He added that while security operatives had recovered some of the stolen items like flour, pieces of noodles, oil, among others, “We are trying to get the full estimate of the recovered items. We are currently using a rented store to compile that.
“We have written our reports and sent to the government and security operatives.
“On our part, we have forged ahead and business continues, but currently, we have over 300 Staff in our three branches and most of them are off duty. They are jobless because of what happened,” he said.
Ibrahim Bello Bayero, another property owner said: “They (miscreants) broke into my pharmaceutical shop at Court Road and stole two deep freezers and some medicines.”
He said his car valued at N3.5 million was burnt down at the Audu Bako Secretariat.
A Rufaidah Yoghurt plaza at Hotoro, Maiduguri Road, was also vandalised and looted by hoodlums.
However, efforts to speak with the owners or managers were not successful.
The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, said intelligence failure led to the attacks on public and private properties in the state during the #EndBadGovernance protest.
The emir, who spoke when he paid a visit to the Kano Printing Press, the NCC Digital Industrial Park and Barakat Stores, said the security agents were notified of the plans for the attacks on some of the properties days before the incidents.
He said, “Kano was billed to be destroyed but we pray that God will not let them succeed. May God return all that was lost; we can only pray.”
The Commissioner, Ministry of Science, Technology and ICT, Muhammad Tajo Othman, said the state government has the assurance of the federal government to restore the building.
The Kano State government’s Printing Press, which was also vandalised was established in 1938, and had been serving the state over the years.
The NCC centre was billed for commissioning but everything has been looted.
Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, who is the spokesman of Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf, said a commission of enquiry will soon be set up by the government to investigate the incidents.
“A workable solution will soon be charted so that the government can intervene,” he said.
The chairman of Singer Market Traders Association, Alhaji Junaidu Muhammad Zakari, said small business owners and service providers have lost huge sums of money to the hunger protest.
The market, which was closed since the commencement of the protest, remained under lock and key until Tuesday.
Traders like Abdullahi Ismail, Habibu Yusuf and Jamil Harisu, said though the market was not looted, traders lost income from the closure of their businesses.
“For almost five days, nothing was happening and this meant a lot of loss to all of us,” he said.
Singer is the wholesale market for rice, sugar, flour, noodles and other food items in Kano City. It attracts customers from within and outside Nigeria daily.
Similarly, business activities at Dawanau Grains Market, located in Dawakin Tofa LGA, were at a standstill for days.
The president of the market association, Alhaji Muntaka Isa, told newsmen on Monday that 800 security men were deployed to secure the market against theft.
He said hoodlums from neighbouring ‘Mil Tara’, Bachirawa and Rijiyar Lemo had attempted to loot shops in the market but were prevented by the vigilance of the security men deployed, including 400 vigilante members.
Our supplies were cut – Borno, Yobe traders
Traders in Borno and Yobe states said the protest had cut off their supplies from Kano and Jos, in addition to the losses incurred on the first day of the protest and during the curfew.
At the Monday Market in Maiduguri, which typically bustles with crowds of buyers from different parts of the state and beyond the borders with Niger, Chad and Cameroon, dealers, wholesalers and traders said they suffered from the disturbing incidents.
Malam Bashir Bakura, a dealer of various commodities, said he was grateful to God that no looting took place in the market, but said the losses for not transacting for two days were immeasurable.
“In a day, I make sales of nothing less than N30 million. Some would make up to N100 million or even higher, but we were forced out of the business by the protesters. But we thank God they didn’t invade the market. But, our goods were also trapped in Kano,” he said.
Garba Bunu, an interstate transporter, lamented that the curfew affected his business, citing low patronage.
“My vehicles were packed for three days, which is a big loss to me. Things are difficult for us, but Insha Allah, we will survive it,” he said.
In Yobe, business activities have returned to Damaturu, the state capital, unlike in Potiskum and Nguru towns where the protesters looted shops leading to the imposition of curfew.
Also, traders in the state capital complained about a decline in sales and supplies.
Abare Balume, a trader at Damaturu Main Market, said many people refused to open their businesses even after the protest.
“Curfew has been lifted but many traders refused to fully open their businesses for the fear of the unknown,” he said.
Another trader, Alhaji Bukar, said his consignments were trapped in Jos, and prayed for normalcy to return.
Huge losses suffered in Gombe
A trader, Alhaji Sani Muhammad Yawale, said the closure of the Gombe main market during the protests led to significant losses.
He said before the protests, he was making over N1 million in sales daily.
He added that there was still an atmosphere of uncertainty in the market because many traders have refused to reopen their shops for fear of another attack by hoodlums.
Najib Ishaq Saleh, a shop owner at the Gombe Old Market, said he used to make sales of between N200,000 to N300,000 a day, but since the protests began, the business had stopped.
Businesses slowed in Lagos
Also, commercial vehicle operators in Lagos lamented a decline in patronage since the commencement of the protest.
One of the leaders at Ojota Motor Park, which is close to Freedom Park, one of the venues of the protest, said patronage had declined.
“We are hoping that full life will resume after the 10th day. This is because, even though not much is happening around the protest, people are still sceptical to move around,” he said.
We lost a lot of income in Kwara
In Kwara State, a cement distributor, Mrs Latifat Abdullahi, said though there was no serious security breach in the state, cement manufacturers stopped their trucks from going to the state.
“Our business was grounded and money is not coming in. We lost a lot in terms of income,” she said.
‘We were caged in Jos’
Jamilu Kabiru, who sells electrical equipment in Jos, the Plateau State capital, said they were negatively impacted by the protest.
“The protests have disrupted the supply chain, making it difficult for us to restock our shops. We could not bring goods from Lagos because owners of heavy trucks were afraid to drive on the roads. This is really a set back to the business,” he said.
Ibrahim Aliyu, a phone seller and repairer, said it was tough because the curfew imposed on Jos and Bukuru grounded everything.
“We were caged, honestly,” he said. “May we not see this kind of protest again,” he added.
Shortage of bread, others in Kaduna
Businessmen in Kaduna have also been counting their losses.
This is just as scarcity of bread, rice and other essential commodities hit communities as many shops were closed and the few that were open ran out of stock following the curfew imposed by the state government to curtail the escalation of violence.
A provision shop owner in Kadaure area of Kaduna, Aisha Musa, said she was forced to close her shop because many people came looking for goods that she did not have.
“Since the protest started on Thursday, I have been unable to go to the market to re-stock my shop for fear of being lynched,” she said.
Curfew relaxed in northern states
Eight northern states that had imposed curfew when the #EndBadGovernance protests degenerated into violence have now relaxed the restriction due to improved security conditions.
The Kano State government has modified its 24-hour curfew to 12-hours – from 6pm to 6am.
In Bauchi State, the 24-hour curfew in Azare, Katagum LGA, has also been adjusted to a 12-hour restriction.
The Borno State government has completely lifted the movement restriction that was previously imposed following various security incidents, including protests, IED explosions, and culpable homicide.
Katsina State has eased the 24-hour curfew in Dutsinma LGA to 12 hours, from 7pm to 7am, similar to the rest of the state.
Jigawa State has fully lifted the 24-hour curfew in 19 local government areas and reduced it in eight others. In Babura, Birnin Kudu, Dutse, Gumel, Hadejia, Kazaure, Kiyawa and Roni LGAs, the curfew now runs from 6pm to 5am.
The Plateau State Government has also relaxed the 24-hour curfew in Jos-Bukuru metropolis. Residents can move freely between 12noon and 6pm daily.
Kaduna’s 24-hour restriction of movement has also been eased. After a review of the security situation in Kaduna and Zaria towns and environs, the state’s security council relaxed the curfew, allowing movement between 8am and 6pm.
In Yobe State, the 24-hour curfew in Potiskum, Gashua and Nguru LGAs has also been relaxed.
[DailyTrust]
- ’Govt: allegation false
Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State has accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of making moves to repackage and rebrand palliatives sent to the state by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
It said the governor delayed distribution of the palliatives because of plans to repackage and rebrand them for distribution to members and supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Director of Media and Publicity of Ondo PDP, Leye Igbabo, in a statement in Akure, said Governor Aiyedatiwa planned to use Federal Government’s palliatives to promote his governorship ambition.
“This we consider duplicitous and an insincere approach to service and governance, a consistent disposition of the Ayedatiwa administration since he accidentally became governor, otherwise the delay in the distribution of an interventionist action as this will not ordinarily have arisen.
“Our party views this posture of Mr Governor as not only insensitive, but also wicked, inhuman and unbecoming of a governor, who should, as matter of fact, exhibit empathy, love and compassion for the people that are already challenged, hopeless, devastated and ravaged by hunger, anger and disease.
“We had thought the resolve of Ondo State people not to join the national hunger protest would have spurred the governor to, more than ever before, consider the awkward predicament of the people and go to any length in alleviating the avoidable hardship.
“We even consider the desire to politicise palliative distribution at the expense of the general populace as not only distasteful and reprehensible, but equally absurd and brutal.”
Spokesman for Ondo APC, Alex Kalejaiye, lambasted PDP for ‘’resorting to lies with awful recklessness.’’
He said Aiyedatiwa had handled the issue of palliatives with transparency, sincerity and the fear of God.
Kalejaiye said the items received from the Federal Government had been distributed to the 203 wards in the state, through closely-monitored local government representatives.
He said: “Governor Aiyedatiwa, out of concern for the people, has directed the state Food Security Agency to work out measures to cushion the effects of the current harsh economy that is a global phenomenon.
“Aiyedatiwa’s package that will soon be unveiled at six major centres, at the first instance, will witness reduction of 25 per cent reduction in the core food items.
“Food security is one of the core targets of the current government, for which adequate deal, commitment and seriousness are being deployed by its agents to actualise this lofty plan.”
[TheNation]
Former president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Issa Hayatou, has passed away at the age of 77.
The football administrator, who was a key figure in African football for decades, died in Paris on Thursday, August 8, 2024, a day before his 78th birthday.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino described the late Hayatou as a ‘passionate sports fan” in a post on Instagram on Thursday evening.
He wrote: “Saddened to hear of the passing of former Caf president, former Fifa president ad interim, Fifa vice president, and Fifa council member, Issa Hayatou.”
“A passionate sports fan, he dedicated his life to sports administration.
“On behalf of Fifa, condolences go to his family, friends, former colleagues and all who knew him. Rest in peace.”
Hayatou was in charge of African football from 1988 to 2017 and served as interim FIFA President from 2015 to 2016 when Joseph Sepp Blatter was suspended amidst a corruption scandal.
It was also under his tenure that South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010, becoming the first-ever African nation to host the tournament.
The Borno State Police Command said it prevented hoodlums who hijacked the #endbadgovernance protest in Maiduguri from looting and vandalising private businesses during the August 1 protests which led to the death of four persons and left 34 others injured.
However, while the Borno Police gives its officers the thumbs up for a job well done, Hadjia Halima Ali, the mother of Habilu Ali has accused the Police of indiscriminately shooting at innocent citizens; the result which is the fatal shooting of her son who is currently recuperating at the state specialist hospital where other victims are also receiving free medical treatment.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, had narrated to Arewa PUNCH during an interactive session on Thursday in Maiduguri how the police in the state botched the attempts of hoodlums to loot and vandalise private homes, businesses and other properties.
According to him, security operatives tried to prevent the destruction of public facilities, but the high number of violent protesters destroyed several properties worth millions of naira belonging to the state government
He said “The properties destroyed included the Crossover bridge in Bulumkutu road, flower vessels from Malakachala round-about down to Airport Roundabout downward, street lights on Lagos street, vandalisation of interlock from Gwange down to UMTH Junction”
The PPRO continued, “They destroyed four vehicles belonging to BOTMA in Mechanical Quarters and ransacked the office, they also looted properties from the office of UNHR and attempted to break into warehouses; a move which was foiled by proactive measures of the police.”
Daso said he witnessed private vehicles and tricycles of non-protesters, which were on the verge of being destroyed by the hoodlums, but the attempt was thwarted by the physical presence of security operatives.
Speaking also on how the Police saved private homes, houses and businesses from being looted and the properties vandalised, he said, “As of now, we haven’t heard of any private store or shop which was completely ransacked, although, there were attempts. However because the state was in chaos, many people left their businesses. As I mentioned earlier the proactive measures of the police who were very much on the ground, prevented such attacks.”
Corroborating the Police, a resident of Maiduguri, Mohamed Abba said it was Allah and the effort of the Police that helped him as he would have become financially ruined because his shop was located in the Bulumkutu area where the protest escalated.
Abba narrated to Arewa PUNCH, “Walahi, I was at home praying that what was happening in other places as regards looting should not happen here because if it did, where will I start from? He queried.
“I have a kiosk here in Bulumkutu. All thanks to Allah and the Nigeria Police,” a visibly elated Abba said.
Meanwhile, Arewa PUNCH had reported that the Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum had visited the state specialist hospital where the victims are receiving free medical treatment and are also being with the sum of N30,000 each.
However, Halima Ali, the mother of Habilu Ali, one of the Victims disclosed to Arewa PUNCH that his son who is still receiving treatment was shot by the Nigeria Police Force, even though the state Commissioner of Police, Yusuf Lawal had attributed the shootings to Boko Haram elements.
[Punch]