The Edo State Government has voiced significant concerns regarding the current socio-economic state of the nation under the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.

In a recent address, Hon. Chris Nehikhare, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, outlined the challenges faced by Edo residents and Nigerians at large, despite state-led interventions.

He stated that the Edo State Government has implemented several initiatives to alleviate the hardships faced by its citizens.

Despite these measures, Nehikhare emphasized that Edo residents continue to suffer due to what he described as the “gross mismanagement of the economy” by the APC government over the past nine years.

Criticism of Federal Policies

Nehikhare specifically criticized the federal government’s abrupt removal of fuel subsidies on May 29, 2023, which he claims plunged the economy into disarray and heightened the risk of starvation among citizens.

Additionally, he highlighted the negative impact of the policy to unify the exchange rate, which he argues has devalued the currency, spiked inflation, and stifled business growth through increased taxation and burdensome regulations.

Rising Insecurity

He also touched on the escalating security concerns, noting a resurgence in terrorist activities, including suicide bombings.

Nehikhare attributed these issues to the APC’s failure to effectively manage national security.

Political Landscape in Edo State

Nehikhare accused the APC in Edo State of being disconnected from the prevailing hardships.

He criticized the party for allegedly spreading misinformation and engaging in propaganda, including baseless fraud allegations against the state government.

The Commissioner also took aim at the APC’s gubernatorial candidate, Monday Okpebholo, questioning his literacy and ability to articulate a clear vision for Edo State.

“The governorship election in Edo State is around the corner and just the way they fooled the entire nation into bondage, they are hoping to replicate the same in Edo State, parading a hardly literate candidate, who finds it difficult expressing himself in public fora and without the verve to share his vision for the people.

“But you, our Edo people are wiser than that. We know who our friends are and who are oppressors are and cannot submit ourselves to them again to inflict the pains and sufferings of these last few years on our people the second time.

“Our people are determined to break from this bondage come September 21, 2024 by sustaining the leadership of the PDP at the State level. They know that the PDP is the best choice for the continued progress and prosperity of the State and will not allow lies and propaganda by their oppressors to cloud their judgment and stop them from making informed decisions for a better future for themselves and their unborn children,” he said.

With the governorship election in Edo State scheduled for September 21, 2024, Nehikhare expressed confidence in the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) continued leadership.

He urged Edo residents to reject the APC’s tactics and support the PDP for the state’s progress and prosperity.

“Come September 21, it is PDP or nothing, and there is nothing the APC can do about it,” Nehikhare declared, reflecting the government’s resolve to maintain its leadership in Edo State.

The Nigerian Senate, on Tuesday, engaged in an urgent debate addressing the widespread hunger and economic hardships faced by citizens, fearing potential backlash and unrest from the increasingly desperate populace.

The debate was spurred by a motion titled “Urgent Need to Address Food Insecurity and Market Exploitation of Consumables in Nigeria,” sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi of Kogi West and co-sponsored by Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South.

Senator Karimi highlighted the escalating prices of food and basic goods, citing factors like high inflation and currency devaluation. He referenced recent data from the Bureau of Statistics showing food inflation had surged to 40.66% year-on-year, up from 24.82% in May 2023.

Karimi noted that prices of staples such as beans, maize, rice, yam, tomatoes, and onions had increased dramatically, in some cases by over 100% to 300%, exacerbated by the removal of petroleum subsidies.

He also condemned a prevalent “get rich quickly” mentality, where traders exploit market conditions for profit, paralleling corruption seen among political and corporate elites.

Senator Ndume emphasized the severity of the situation, referencing a report by Action Against Hunger World Food Program predicting over 32 million Nigerians could face critical hunger crises between June and August.

Senator Ndume said, “I don’t know about some other countries, but there in the north, or here in the north, we have started seeing it visibly. People are hungry, very, very hungry.

“Many cannot go to their farms. All of us know this. In the North Central, the North East, and the North West. Even in the South East, we still have crises among the farmers and the herdsmen.

“Even in the South West, we still have this crisis. As it is now, a bag of rice is selling at about 100,000. A bag of maize, the same thing. Even prices of tomatoes, onions, and other basic food are high”

Former Senate President Ahmed Lawan warned that Nigerians’ patience was wearing thin, and without swift action, there could be severe repercussions.

He shared observations from his recent travels in the north, witnessing firsthand the struggles of those not engaged in civil service or business to secure even a single daily meal.

Lawan pointed out the need for immediate food imports, noting the nation’s empty silos and the requirement for foreign exchange to facilitate imports.

“Our constituents are facing real, real anger. I traveled to two states last week, in the north particularly, and I’ve seen firsthand how people, especially those who are not in the civil service, nor in any business, are suffering, fighting, and struggling to have food at least once in a day.

“Under normal circumstances, Mr. President, in the rainy season, from maybe June up to September or October, when there will be harvests of new foodstuff, prices of foodstuff are not expected to escalate, now we don’t even have that truth.

“If you come and tell us, they will distribute foodstuff from our silos. The silos are empty, Mr. President. So it means we have to import food. And if we have to import, it means we need foreign exchange.

“And that is because we have to engage with the administration. We have to help the administration. Mr. President, we are the most vulnerable in the leadership arrangements of this country.

“Members of the National Assembly, everybody looks up to Senators or members of the House of Representatives. In fact, people see Senators as Messiahs. Any problem, they say, go for your Senator.

“So if we don’t take immediate action, we will lose the power and our citizens under the situation of increased fuel price, increased electricity price, increased everything and we are yet to get the right measures to provide questions for our constituents.

“We wouldn’t like the kind of thing that we see in our streets and it is time that we take every possible action to get out of the arms of the government to ensure that food floods our country, the right food,” Lawan stated.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio attributed the current crisis to prolonged security issues, including herders’ attacks on farmers in the North Central, banditry in the North West, and Boko Haram insurgencies in the North East.

He stressed the necessity for government intervention to prevent the looming food shortage.

“My opinion was that there was calamity when herders were pursuing people from their farms in the North Central; when bandits were pursuing people in Katsina and all over the North West zone and after the attack the people were moved to IDP camp and abandoned there. In the South there was insecurity and this has been for the past nine years and that is why there is scarcity of food in the country.

“Nigeria is now included among the countries that will experience acute food shortage. There is no doubt that the government must rise to the occasion”, he stated.

The debate concluded with a call for urgent and coordinated efforts to alleviate the growing food insecurity and economic challenges facing the nation.

Professor of Political Economics, Patrick Utomi, has said the new policy on 150 days import duty-free window for rice, maize, wheat and other cereals by President Bola Tinubu is wrong.

Pat Utomi said the new policy announced by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, on Monday, was an invitation to famine.

On Tuesday, Utomi said the federal government was repeating mistakes made by previous governments that led many farmers to leave farming for oil-related jobs and construction as crude oil prices rose in the international market.

“Do we forget so quickly? How poor trade policy with the ascendance of oil income caused cash crop farmers to abandon the farms to the non-tradable goods sector as messengers and construction workers and when Oil price volatility resulted in construction firms not being paid on time triggering their retrenchment.

“They did not go back to farms and we became a mono-product economy. Now we want to make dependence on food imports permanent when we have not the money to pay for the imports. We are inviting a famine,” Utomi said.

Professor Utomi said had the federal government addressed insecurity and banditry, food inflation would have been brought down as farmers would have access to their farms.

He further accused the federal government of preferring luxury projects to factors that caused food inflation.

The Economist said the 150 days import duty-free window for rice, maize, wheat and other cereals would cause structural damage in the future.

“Months ago I pleaded that this food price inflation should be combated with forest rangers being deployed to fertile territories and farmers given input incentives managed by NGOs and not corrupt government officials so that they can focus on legumes that can be harvested in three months and the markets flooded with food.

“Instead, we focused on Presidential Jets, Lagos-Calabar Highway, SUVs for National Assembly and Presidential motorcades of 100 vehicles. The height of unwisdom. Now the chicken has come home to roost and we want to inflict long-term structural damage in panic incentives,” Utomi added.

Recall the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), called for measures by the federal government to protect farmers and local investors who may be affected by the import duty-free window.

On Monday, NACCIMA National President, Dele Oye, commended President Tinubu but called for monitoring of the policy’s implementation.

Oye said importers and foreign companies may turn Nigeria into a dumping ground for substandard cereals with the policy in the next 150 days.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says only three of the 22 airports in Nigeria are profitable.

Speaking on Channels television on Tuesday, Olubunmi Kuku, FAAN’s managing director, said several states in the north and south-west are developing new airports.

She said the authority is cross-subsidising the other 19 airports and will continue to do so for some of the new airports being developed.

“I started off by saying that we have 22 airports which we own and manage,” Kuku said.

“We also have about six or seven airports that are either owned by state governments or private individuals or entity which we also support with either aviation security or fire and rescue services.

“We have a number of states in the north as well as in the south-west that are coming up with new airports.

“I would say that based on the stats today, only three of the 22 airports are actually profitable and contribute largely to the sustenance of the airport companies that we run.

“I would also say that we are actually cross-subsidising the other 19 airports today and in most instances, we will substitute or cross-subsidise for some of the airports that are coming on board as well.”

Kuku said the FAAN contributes 50 percent of its revenue to the federal coffers which is a major challenge, adding that the authority is in discussions with the various arms of government to seek some relief.

‘ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES DRIVE PASSENGER TRAFFIC, NOT NEW AIRPORTS’

The FAAN boss said passenger traffic is driven by gross domestic product (GDP) growth and economic activities rather than the construction of new airports.

Kuku said it is important to focus on key activities such as trade, manufacturing, and tourism to increase airport traffic.

“Rather than building new airports, we need to look at the bottom of the value chain to determine what activities can drive traffic into these airports,” Kuku said.

She said FAAN is collaborating closely with international organisations, including the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the federal ministry of aviation, to expand both domestic and international routes.

Kuku said there are initiatives in place to transform Nigeria and specific airports within the country into transit hubs.

“What that means is that we start to build a network of airports where we can push our feeders to some of the other states or to some of the other locations and start to utilise our airports,” she said.

The FAAN boss said nearly 4 million passengers currently travel internationally from Nigeria, stressing that the efficient use of infrastructure is essential for sustaining and maintaining the facilities.

The federal capital territory (FCT) police command says it has arrested a man identified as Shaibu Yusuf.

On Monday, Yusuf caused a stir when he climbed a broadcast mast belonging to the Aso Radio and Television, to protest the prevailing economic hardship in the country.

In a note left on the floor, Yusuf said he would only descend from the mast if economic hardship, insecurity, and the out-of-school children crisis are addressed.

He later alighted after several minutes of persuasion by Florence Wenegieme, acting general manager of the FCT emergency management department, who assured him that his message would be delivered to the FCTA, the president and the federal government.

In a statement on Monday, Josephine Adeh, spokesperson of the police command, said Yusuf was in police custody and in a “stable condition”.

According to Section 327 of the Criminal Code, anyone who attempts suicide in Nigeria is guilty of a misdemeanour and can be imprisoned for one year.

“Following a distress call from concerned citizens about a young man who climbed a very high mast with a placard at Aso Radio in Katampe at about 09:10 a.m, the operatives of the FCT Police Command swiftly mobilized to the location,” the statement reads.

“With much professional persuasions from the police operatives, the man later identified as Shuaibu Alhaji Yushau was prevented from taking his own life.

“He claimed to have been observing the mast for about a week before deciding to climb it. Suspect is  presently in police custody and in a stable condition.”

The budget office of the federation says the government spent N5.78 trillion on debt servicing in the first nine months of 2023.

In its 2023 third quarter (Q3) budget implementation report released on Monday, the office said the figure is higher than the prorated projection of N4.91 trillion in the 2023 budget.

This represents an increase of N869.38 billion (17.68 percent).

The budget office said interest on ways and means during the period amounted to N1.69 trillion.

“The sum of N2,901.60 billion was used for domestic debt servicing, a difference of 430.27 billion (17.41 percent) from the prorated projection for the period, while N1,189.32 billion was spent on external debt servicing during the period under review,” the office said.

“A total of N1,225.73 trillion was released and cash-backed to MDAs for their 2023 capital projects and programmes during the period.

“Available fiscal data revealed that only N962.84 billion (78.56 percent) of the total amount released and cash-backed was utilized by MDAs as at 30 September, 2023.”

The budget office said the revenue and expenditure outturn of the government resulted in a fiscal deficit of N4.4 trillion between Q1 and Q3 last year.

According to the office, this is N4.29 trillion (49.32 percent) below the projected N8.7 trillion deficit for the reviewed period last year.

“It was however below the N5,991.12 billion deficit that was recorded in corresponding period of 2022,” the office said.

“The deficit was financed through domestic borrowing of N3,430.0 billion thereby reflecting a negative net financing of N979.49 billion in the period under review.”

The budget office said the nation’s economy grew by 2.54 percent in Q3 2023, a sign that the Nigerian economy has continued to recover from the second recession in six years.

The agency attributed the positive growth performance in the quarter under review to the effect of some measures put in place to curtail the negative impact of external shocks and crude oil theft.

Other measures include the recent rise in global economic activities, the associated rise in international crude oil demand and price, as well as various incentive packages executed by the government.

The budget office added that the positive trend is expected to continue in the last quarter of 2023 and beyond.

The house of representatives has asked the federal government to suspend implementation of the Samoa Agreement.

The house has also resolved to investigate the agreement signed by the federal government on June 28.

The green chamber passed the resolution following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Sani Madaki, the minority whip, and 87 other lawmakers.

The agreement recently sparked controversy following reports that some lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) provisions found their way into the pact.

WHAT IS SAMOA AGREEMENT?

According to the European Council, the Samoa Agreement is the overarching framework for European Union (EU) relations with African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries.

The agreement serves as a new legal framework for EU relations with 79 countries, including African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries.

The agreement covers six priority areas, which are democracy and human rights; sustainable economic growth and development; climate change; human and social development; peace and security; and migration and mobility.

The agreement was officially signed on November 15, 2023, by the EU and its member states and Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) members in Samoa, a country in Oceania.

Nigeria did not sign the agreement initially, as the federal government said it was still studying the pact.

The new agreement replaces the Cotonou Agreement, which was signed in 2000.

The signing of the agreement has been dogged with claims that it seeks to compel developing nations to support LGBTQ agitations.

The claims have been established to be false.

Mohammed Idris, the minister of information and national orientation, clarified that the federal government ensured that the agreement did not contravene the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and other extant laws.

The government has also explained that the agreement is strictly for the economic development of the country — as against claims that it contains provisions for same-sex marriage.

THE DEBATE

Moving the motion, Madaki said the agreement violates the nation’s law on LGTBQ and same-sex marriage.

Supporting the motion, Ghali Tijani from Kano, said the house should reject the Samoa Agreement in its “entirety”.

Bello Kumo, majority whip, said the federal government should rescind the signing of the agreement and tender an apology to Nigerians.

Kingsley Chinda, minority leader who is a co-sponsor of the motion, said the movers of the motion were not approving or condemning the agreement.

He asked his colleagues not to be “judgmental”, adding that the motion was calling for an investigation.

The lawmaker said the federal government should have carried lawmakers along before signing the agreement.

“The problem is lack of information. We were not carried along,” he said.

Julius Ihonvbere, majority leader, told his colleagues that “there is no portion in the agreement that supports LGBTQ”.

As Ihonvbere spoke, his colleagues interrupted, shouting “no” in unison.

NIGERIA’S ANTI SAME-SEX LAW

Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA) passed in 2014 prohibits LGBT rights and criminalises marriage between people of the same sex.

Nigeria’s legal position on same-sex marriage was what fuelled the uproar that followed its signing of the Samoa Agreement.

Big Brother Naija reality show star, Doyin David, has stated that she goes into a relationship for companionship and not for marriage.

Doyin made the disclosure during her latest interview with media personality, Olufemi Daniel.

Speaking about her relationship and perception, she explained that marriage is not important to her.

“I never really date to get married but to have a good time and I date for companionship, whether it leads to marriage or not.

“I mean sex is part of companionship, but it is not the major reason I’m dating. I date for companionship and not for marriage, so I’m fine if it doesn’t lead to marriage, we had a good time. I’m fine with life partnership if a marriage does not come.

“At the end of the day, what is marriage? Is it about signing papers? It is not important, and I am not trying to talk down on the marriage constitution.

“Companionship is important to me. So I just want to have someone who is my person for the rest of my life, so it’s not important to be legally married,” she said.

Music executive Ubi Franklin has revealed that he’s still in love with his estranged wife, actress Lilian Esoro.

The former artiste manager disclosed this during a recent interactive session with fans on Instagram.

A curious fan asked, “Are you still in love with ur son[‘s] mom, the most beautiful Lilian?”

Franklin replied, “Oh yes! We have a son together and love will always live there.”

He also revealed that he has plans of remarrying while responding to another curious fan.

The fan asked, “Do you have plans of remarrying?” to which Franklin replied, “100 per cent.”

Franklin and Esoro got married in 2015 and separated a year after welcoming their son.

Esoro first filed for divorce in a Lagos High Court, and it was denied. Franklin then filed in Abuja, and after years of back and forth in court, their marriage was officially dissolved on 28 January, 2021.

The Senate has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the food insecurity across the nation.

This prayer followed a motion moved by Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) and co-sponsored by Ali Ndume ( APC, Borno South) at the Tuesday plenary.

The motion titled, “Urgent Need to Address Food Insecurity and Market Exploitation of Consumables In Nigeria,” noted that in the last few months, the price of goods and household consumables have been on an abysmal rise in the country, leading to a high rate of inflation, weakened buying power, and general worsening of living conditions of the vast majority of Nigerians.

Karimi further noted that the latest data by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that “food inflation in the country skyrocketed to 40.66 per cent on a year-on-year basis, a significant increase from the 24.82 per cent recorded in May 2023.

“The current market price of food items such as beans, maize, rice paddy, yam, tomatoes, and onions which initially rose by about 40% after the removal of petroleum Subsidy has now increased to over 100% to 300% without any attributable reason for the increase in prices.”

He added, “Although insecurity in food-producing regions, bad roads, increase in the cost of transportation attributable to the removal of fuel subsidy and depreciation of the value of naira, are possible factors that have contributed to the increase in price of food items, household commodities, and consumables; the percentage of increase in cost of transportation and some under factors listed above, is significantly less than the percentage increase in the current prices of goods all ever the country.”

Karimi lamented that “there is a general attitude of ‘Get Rich Quickly’ or ‘Get Rich By All Means’ leading many Nigerians to jettison “being their brother’s keeper” and exploiting one another to make abnormal profits: This attitude has been justified on the basis that many political Class Technocrats, and Corporate Elites and Corporate Elites have helped themselves with Public Funds without any repercussions in law, Nigerian traders have thus resorted to Price Gouging to maximize profits.”

Karimi further stated that there are reports that farming communities in the border regions with other vountries, “prefer to sell their food items abroad (to these neighboring countries), rather than domestically(to the hinterland), thereby increasing local food insecurity.

“All efforts made by the current Federal Executive to arrest the consistent increase in food inflation have not yielded the desired results, there is a need to be more pragmatic about addressing food insecurity, curbing herder farmer crises, kidnapping for ransom, and Terrorism, and ensure the development of a viable National Commodity Board to regulate the price of grains and ensure the elimination of artificial contributions to food and commodity inflation in Nigeria.”

In his contribution, Ndume lamented that this was the first time Nigeria was listed as one of the countries battling food insecurity.

He said, “In their many publications, they say Nigeria is likely to experience the highest session of food insecurity globally.

“Currently, there are four countries including Sudan and some others that are facing very serious insecurity. Nigeria is added to this list this year by the International Rescue Committee as one of the spots for food insecurity action against hunger. World Food Program also indicated that over 32 million people are expected to face a critical hunger crisis and emerging levels between June and August.

“I don’t know about some other colleagues, but there in the North, we have started seeing it visibly. This is the first time we are experiencing this level of hunger. It’s the first time Nigeria is being listed as one of the countries with food insecurity.”

In his comment, the Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, noted that the food insecurity followed the insecurity that had ravaged the country.

The Senate, thereafter, urged the Federal Government to address the food crises across the country.