Amid the hardship in Nigeria, Deji Adeyanju, a sociopolitical activist, has slammed the religious leaders in northern Nigeria over their silence during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He was reacting to the remark by the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, that First Lady Remi Tinubu should tell the president that Nigerians are hungry.

Bayero spoke during the opening of the Faculty of Law at a private university on Monday in Kano State.

According to Bayero: “The hunger and starvation didn’t start with this government, but the situation has become more alarming and needs urgent attention.”

Reacting, Adeyanju posted on X: “Emir of Kano to Remi Tinubu: ‘Tell your husband Nigerians are hungry’. May God bless Sarkin Kano. But why did all the religious and traditional leaders in the North refuse to speak truth to power like this during Buhari’s eight-year disastrous regime? Not once did they speak truth to power. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi that tried, he was removed as king.”

The International Monetary Fund, IMF, says Nigeria’s foreign reserves dropped to a record low of $24 billion in 2024 from $33 billion last year.

The IMF’s latest country report for Nigeria disclosed this, signalling potential challenges for Africa’s largest economy.

It noted that the first half of 2023 witnessed a surplus in the current account, yet there was a notable decline in reserves.

“Through 2024–25, the financial account will likely deteriorate, with no projected issuance of Eurobonds, large Fund and Eurobond repayments of $3.5 billion, and portfolio outflows.

“Hence, despite a current account surplus, officially reported reserves are projected to decline to $24 billion in 2024 before increasing again to $38 billion in 2028 as portfolio inflows resume,” the report stated.

However, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, data showed Nigeria’s foreign reserves stood at $33.12 billion as of February 8, 2024.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) is partnering with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to probe the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Herbert Wigwe, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Access Holdings Plc, and five others.

The passengers included the GCEO’s wife, son, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group). All six individuals on board have been confirmed dead.

NSIB’s statement on Monday, as conveyed by Bimbo Oladeji, NSIB’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, highlighted the collaboration’s alignment with international aviation protocols under ICAO Annex 13.

Regrettably, the United States authorities have now confirmed that everyone onboard the aircraft lost their lives in the crash,” the director said.

“The deceased are two crew members comprising a pilot in command and a “safety pilot” and four passengers namely Dr Herbert Wigwe, his wife, son, and Mr Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, (NGX Group).

“In the aftermath of the accident, the Director-General, NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh, established contact with NTSB, in accordance with Chapter 5 subsection 27 of ICAO’s Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation-Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation, which grants a State (nation) special interest in an accident involving its citizens.

“This participation ensures access to relevant information and facilitates cooperation with the investigating authorities, towards ensuring the investigation reaches a conclusive outcome.

“The ongoing discussion between the NSIB and NTSB has highlighted the diligent investigation efforts of the NTSB.

“NTSB investigators were present at the crash scene in Halloran Springs, California, on Saturday to collect evidence and conduct initial on-scene documentation.

“The documentation process included aerial mapping of the wreckage with a drone, and site measurements.

“Correspondence between the NSIB and NTSB further revealed that the NTSB investigation into the crash is being led by Aaron Sauer as the investigator in charge, supported by Mark Ward as the deputy investigator in charge.

“Several other NTSB investigators will also be examining various aspects of the accident, including airworthiness and maintenance structures, operations, meteorology and air traffic control.”

Oladeji said the NTSB is already moving the wreckage to a secure location for in-depth examination and analysis.

Cote d’Ivoire youngster, Simon Adingra has said the Elephants’ win against Nigeria was one of the best moments of his career.

Adingra bagged two assists as Cote d’Ivoire defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the final.

The Brighton & Hove Albion star was almost unplayable in the game with his runs and dribbles causing problems for the Nigerian defence.

The winger was named Man of the Match after the game.

Adingra also won the Young Player of the Tournament award.

He also credited the effort of his teammates in winning their third tittle in history.

“We did it together, we’re Africa champions and it’s incredible. I’ve just experienced one of the most beautiful moments of my life, and that’s down to the effort of everyone in the team,” he told CAFonline.com.

Stanley Nwabali, Super Eagles goalkeeper, has apologised to Nigerians after the team lost to Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The Super Eagles were defeated 2-1 by the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in the final held at the Olympic Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan, on Sunday.

Nigeria took the lead in the match after William Troost-Ekong scored a powerful header in the first half, but Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller scored in the second half for the Ivorians.

The loss was a disappointing end to a tournament that had revived the interest of many Nigerians in the Eagles.

In a post on his Instagram page, Nwabali described the loss as a “frustrating end”, adding that the team takes full responsibility.

The goalkeeper added he understands “how it feels giving you a disappointing night” while appreciating Nigerians for their support of the team’s AFCON campaign.

“A disappointing and frustrating end. I deeply apologise to Nigerians,” the post reads.

Nigeria’s vice-president, Kashim Shettima has eulogised the Super Eagles despite the team’s failure to win the title at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Super Eagles fell to a 2-1 defeat against hosts, Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the competition on Sunday night.

Shettima, who watched the game live at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan, stated that the players will be rewarded for their gallant effort in the game.

“We have tried our best and be rest assured that there is always the next time. You must have it in mind that the tragedy of life lies in not reaching your goal but the tragedy lies in not having a goal to reach,” the country’s number two citizen stated while addressing the players and their officials after the game.

“It is not a calamity to die with a dream, but it is a calamity when you don’t have a dream at all.

“A lot of countries, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and others exited the competition, two, three weeks ago.

“We have come this far, be rest assured that we will come back stronger in the next edition. There is cause for celebration. We are second best in Africa.

“You don’t have to be sad. We have every reason to celebrate. The nation is proud of you. You are the source of our unity. It is only when the Super Eagles are playing that we don’t talk about race or religion. You always unite the nation.

“The nation is in grief, but the nation is in solidarity with you. Be rest assured that your name will be written in gold in the history of football in Nigeria.

“I convey to you, the wish and regards from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There is no need for you to be sad. On Wednesday, we were celebrating and we came so close today. We lost the game within just 15 minutes.

“That’s what football is all about. We must understand that whichever way the pendulum swings, the trophy is still for Africa. It is the Africa Cup of unity and it came to West Africa.

“There is every cause for us to celebrate and rejoice. There is every cause for us to unite. Look at our mistakes and correct them in the next edition.

“Honestly, we are very proud of you and the nation will adequately compensate you for your sacrifice. You came close, there is no cause for you to be remorseful or sad. There is no reason for us to be sad or remorseful.”

Super Eagles on-field Captain, William Troost-Ekong, has been crowned the Best Player of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.

The Nigeria’s Captain outjumped Nottingham Forest’s Serge Aurier to score his third goal of the tournament and give the Super Eagles a 1-0 lead in the AFCON final on Sunday night.

South Africa goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, won the ‘Goalkeeper of the Tournament’ award after his heroics to power the Bafana Bafana to a third-placed finish ahead of Nigerian keeper, Stanley Nwabali.

Equatorial Guinea’s Emilo Nsue, who from the group stage nicked five goals, got the top goal scorer award.

Cote D’Ivoire coach, Emerse Fae, won the ‘Coach of the Tournament’ while South Africa won the Fair Play award.

Super Eagles defender, William Troost-Ekong, made bruising tackles, led the defence and team vocally from the back, and even scored for Nigeria, emerging as one of the more outstanding players in Super Eagles squad.

[Leadershtp]

Access Holdings has announced that its board will soon make public the replacement for the late Group Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe, who died alongside his wife and son in a chopper crash in California, United States, on Friday.

Abubakar Jimoh, Chairman of Access Holding, disclosed this on Sunday in a statement signed by the company’s secretary, Sunday Ekwochi, while confirming the deaths of Wigwe, his wife, and his son in the unfortunate crash.

“In line with the company’s policy, the board will soon announce the appointment of an acting Group Chief Executive Officer even as we remain confident that the Access Group will build further on Dr Wigwe’s legacy of growth and operational excellence,” the statement reads in part.

The company said Wigwe was a driving force with a larger-than-life personality.

DAILY POST reports that Wigwe, his wife and son, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo died on Friday in a chopper crash in the US.

Wigwe’s death attracted tributes from all quarters, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The International Monetary Fund, IMF, has warned that Nigeria is experiencing a deepening economic crisis.

IMF expressed concern that the stagnant per-capita growth, widespread poverty, and severe food insecurity have further intensified the persistent cost-of-living crisis in Nigeria.

This was contained in its recently published report titled ‘Review of Nigeria’s Post Financing Assessment by the IMF Executive Board.’

In line with the report, the inadequate collection of revenue has impeded the delivery of services and the allocation of resources towards public investment.

According to the report, the observed inflation rate for October stood at 27 percent compared to the same period last year (with food inflation at 32 percent).

The growth was attributed to the removal of fuel subsidies, the depreciation of the exchange rate, and the negative impact on agricultural production in the country.

The report read in part, “Nigeria faces a difficult external environment and wide-ranging domestic challenges. External financing (market and official) is scarce, and global food prices have surged, reflecting the repercussions of conflict and geo-economic fragmentation.

“Per-capita growth in Nigeria has stalled, poverty and food insecurity are high, exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis. Low reserves and very limited fiscal space constrain the authorities’ option space. Against this backdrop, the authorities’ focus on restoring macroeconomic stability and creating conditions for sustained, high and inclusive growth is appropriate.”

In the midst of Nigeria’s ongoing economic challenges, the report highlighted that on January 12, 2024, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund completed an evaluation of post financing and approved the Staff Appraisal without delay.

Additionally, it emphasized that Nigeria possesses sufficient capability to repay its debts to the IMF.

[DailyPost]

Federal civil servants in about 90 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are yet to receive their January salaries, Daily Trust can report.

The affected MDAs include the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHoCSF), the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Education, the National Population Commission, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Voice of Nigeria, among others.

In separate interviews with Daily Trust and Premium Times, the workers lamented and said their December 2023 salary delay experience ought not to have been repeated.

“As I am talking to you, myself and three of my colleagues have not been paid. The situation is not fair not with the current situation of the daily increment of prices of food items and other things in the country,” one of the workers said.

Others alleged that the delay in the payment of their salaries was an indication that  the government was insensitive to the sufferings of the masses.

The delay in the December salary payment had been attributed to technical issues relating to upload and harmonization of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The delay in the payment of January salaries was blamed on the technical glitch on the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS) platform by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF).

GIFMIS is an IT-based system for budget management and accounting put in place by the federal government to improve public expenditure management processes and enhance greater accountability and transparency across ministries and agencies.

A January 31 memo titled, ‘Delay in the Payment of January 2024 Salary’, from the bursary department of the National Mathematics Centre, Abuja, to all its staff, signed by the acting bursar, Pius Ukwah, said, “We wish to inform you that January 2024 salaries will be delayed beyond normal.

“As of today, the OAGF is still working on finalising the 2024 appropriation on the GIFMIS platform and as a result, the personnel warrant for January is yet to be released”.

The memo, which copied the Director/CE, the Registrar and pasted on all notice boards, stated further, “The same situation applies to all MDAs and not just the centre. We regret the inconvenience caused by this delay.”

In Ekiti State, some of the workers who spoke with Premium Times included staff of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti; Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN); National Orientation Agency (NOA), and Federal Ministry of Information, among others.

An official of FUOYE, Wole Balogun, said with the hardship being faced by the people, it was inconceivable that salaries could be delayed longer than necessary.

Balogun, who blamed the delay on an unnecessary bureaucratic bottleneck associated with the payment platforms, urged the federal government to expedite action on the payment, “because the situation is becoming unbearable.”

A staffer of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Folashade Daramola, also lamented the delay. She noted that many members of staff have loan obligations that they ought to have paid as at when due, which have remained pending.

Also, Owoeye Ilesanmi, who is a staffer of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), said that in addition to delay in the payment of January salary, the federal government has reneged on the payment of the wage award.

In Katsina State, many federal workers spoken to also said they had not been paid their salary and palliatives support from the government.

Some of the affected workers told Premium Time that the delay was affecting their work schedule, as they now find it difficult to go to work, especially those living in areas far from their offices.

“I work in a department that requires me to go to the office every day, but I’ve finished my savings and I’m finding it difficult to travel to Dutsin Ma to undertake my responsibility,” Faruk (surname withheld), who is an engineer with the department of Physical Planning and Works at the Federal University, Dutsin Ma, said.

Another non-academic worker of the Federal Polytechnic, Daura, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, said the delay in salary payment was affecting her activities, especially because she travelled daily from Katsina to Daura.

An official of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in Edo State, Jude Abugu, described the delay in payment of salaries as commonplace in recent months.

A memo from the Accountant-General’s Office said work was ongoing towards finalising the 2024 budget on the GIFMIS platform.

When contacted last night, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, told Daily Trust that about 90 offices across the MDAs were affected, including some universities and polytechnics.

He, however, said many of the workers had started receiving their salaries on Thursday; while others did on Friday and at the weekend.

“The issue was attributed to issue of uploading the 2024 budget and making it current because the salary was paid from the 2024 budget instead of the tradition where they overlap the budget,” he explained.

“All has been finalized on Friday. They are supposed to have started getting since yesterday (Saturday). If they don’t get, maybe it is from the banks, from tomorrow (Monday) morning, definitely they will get it”.

A top official in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, who insisted on not being named, said the delay in salary payment was not a punishment for workers.

He confirmed receiving his salary, but said he was aware that some of his “superior officers and some junior workers are yet to receive theirs.”

 [DailyTrust]