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Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, and retired judges, yesterday said the Nigerian Police Force, NPF, ought to handle investigations into the recent murder of 17 soldiers, and an unconfirmed number of villagers at Okuama in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The legal luminaries, who faulted the handing over of the traditional ruler of Ewu Kingdom, Delta State, HRM Clement Ikolo, one of the eight persons declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, Abuja, over the incident, by the Police to the Army, said it is not the constitutional duty of the Army to investigate the murder.
They advised the Army to return the monarch to the Police for proper inquiries into, and prosecution of the the murder cases.
Among those who spoke to Vanguard were former chairman of the Special Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Okoi Obono Obla, SAN, Cosmos Enwelizor, SAN, Chief Magistrate E. O. Eferakoro, retd, former Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State, Uwemedimo Nwoko, SAN, a retired President of the Delta State Area Customary Court, Miakpor Emiaso, and Hon. Justice Jonathan.E. Shakarho, retired Judge of the Federal High Court.
Police should handle investigations – Enwelizor, SAN
Cosmos Enwelizor, SAN, who spoke on the phone in Rivers State, said: “My take is that the Army should allow the Police do the investigation and punish whoever is found culpable in the crime committed.
“Every criminal matter should be handled by the police as enshrined in the constitution. Our constitution does not give power to the Army to declare any Nigerian wanted. The constitution does not also empower the Army to arrest and prosecute anybody. It is not their responsibility. It is only in Nigeria that you see the Army doing everything and this is not good for our constitution.
“The Army should refrain from committing a constitutional breach by declaring citizens wanted for criminal offences. It is only the Police that has the constitutional right to arrest, prosecute, and or declare anybody wanted and not the Army. If there is any crisis anywhere, the Police have the power to wade in and arrest the situation, not the Army.
“If you go to other countries, even in Africa, you can never see a soldier on the streets. The role of the Army is to protect the country’s territorial integrity, not to declare citizens wanted. How can the Army invade a community, Okuama, destroy everything, and then declare a king wanted?
“While I sympathize with the families of those 17 soldiers killed by hoodlums, I want to say that the killers of those soldiers might not necessarily be indigenes of the community.”
Army not empowered to probe murder – Obla, SAN
Also reacting yesterday, constitutional lawyer and former aide to ex-President Muhammdu Buhari, Obono Obla, SAN, told Vanguard in Cross River State: “The Army has no scintilla modicum of constitutional or statutory duty to investigate a case of murder.
‘’The constitutional or statutory responsibility of the Army is to defend the country against external aggression or anything that would compromise the country’s territorial integrity.
“The allegation against the suspects is that they murdered 17 soldiers. The army can arrest them. However, after that, they have to hand them over to the Nigeria Police Force which has the constitutional and statutory responsibility to detect and prosecute those who have committed crimes.
“Section 4 of the Nigeria Police Force Act 2020 lists the duties of the Police force to include prevention and detection of crime, apprehension of offenders, and preservation of law and order.
“The Army is part of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Section 3 of the Armed Forces Act 2004. By section 3 (3), the Armed Forces shall be charged with the defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by land, sea, and air and with such other duties as the National Assembly may, from time to time, prescribe or direct by an Act.
Army has no right to declare anybody wanted – Eferakoro, retired judge
Speaking in Delta State, a retired Chief Magistrate E. O. Eferakoro, said it is an aberration for the Army to have declared the king wanted, advising his lawyers to file for fundamental human rights applications.
His words: “The Army does not have the right to declare anybody wanted. It is a function of the Police. Then, the Police in Delta State should not have handed the king over. The best they could have done is to hand him over to the Inspector-General of Police, and not the Army.
“At this stage, the king’s lawyers should go to court and file fundamental human rights applications. Ordinarily, as a citizen, since he heard that they declared him wanted, he did the right thing by submitting himself to the Police in charge of civil authority, not the army.
“I believe the lawyers should go to court. If they can be rehabilitating riff-raff in the north, why will they be declaring our own dead or alive and then putting a bounty on their head?
“Then, what was the Army’s mission to that place? There are conflicting stories. They should investigate these things; the Police should do the investigation. There are allegations by the youths that the Army came for an illegal operation and that some persons were using the Army. I believe they should investigate these issues.”
Army shouldn’t be involved – Emiaso, retired Customary court president
Similarly, a retired President of Delta State Area Customary Court, Miakpor Emiaso, said: “I do not think it is much of a constitutional issue, it is simply what the law is. It is not everything go to the constitution; there are things we do in our common world that are regulated, not necessarily on direct provisions in the constitution.
“We have different sources of law, the constitution is one of them. Of course, we have judicial precedence and then we have statutes.
“We run a country governed by law and the law spells out the limit where each person belongs, where your authority lies, and where it stops. We need to straighten out these things in the country.
“The military getting involved in the Okuama thing is in itself against the cannons of natural justice because here, they are the accusers and the prosecutors and apparently, they are going to be the judges.
“They are aggrieved, they are the ones that have been hurt. It is bad, it is terrible that people should kill our soldiers, persons who are in military uniform, raised hands against them, not just hit them, but kill them, snuff life out of them; it is highly condemnable.
“But we are saying that having happened that way, the military who are aggrieved are the accusers, they are now investigating what has happened, they have taken over the whole scene of the crime in Okuama, not allowing any other person to come into the place, not even the Police. You can, of course, predict the outcome of whatever investigation they are carrying out.
“Their decision eventually would match their preconceived notion of who did what in Okuama. In this situation, an independent neutral body stands some chance of being objective in what they do, and the outcome of what they would do, l align myself with that position. You cannot be a judge in your case.”
What the military is doing is illegal- Justice Shakarho, retd
On his part, Hon. Justice Jonathan. E. Shakarho, a retired Justice of the Federal High Court, said: “It is the Police that have powers to investigate and prosecute, all the Army is doing is illegality from beginning to end. If people come to my house to attack me, then I will bring my family people to fight them.
“You do not do that, you report to the Police, they will investigate, and those found culpable will be arrested and prosecuted. The Army is taking laws into its hands. They have killed civilians in so many states.
“The king did the right by saying, look I am innocent, let me hand myself over to the police, and he did that. Police were wrong to have handed him over to the Army. The Police hierarchy was wrong to allow it; the Inspector-General of Police should stop it. That is anarchy.
“You kill a naval officer, you give him a warrant to go and attack, you kill Air Force personnel, Air Force will go and attack, you kill an Army officer, and Army will go and attack? It is not done like that. Police should retrieve the king and carry out their investigation; they should be the ones to charge the matter to court.
“If they feel it is a murder case, then they will file information through the Ministry of Justice in the necessary High Court, not the Army. The Army has no right to prosecute any matter. Holding the king is illegal, even from the start of destroying Okuama and everything, it is illegal.
“Two wrongs do not make a right. Holding the traditional ruler in Abuja in military custody is an illegality, there is no justification in law.’’
Hand Delta monarch back to police after interrogation –Nwoko, SAN
Also reacting, former Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State, Uwemedimo Nwoko, SAN, advised the Nigerian Army to hand the traditional ruler of Ewu Kingdom back to Delta State Police Command for proper investigation and prosecution.
Nwoko, who admitted that the constitution empowered only the Police to investigate murder cases, noted that the Okuama incident is a little bit complicated because it directly affected the Army, as the Police were not on the ground.
His words: “It is not as simplistic as people would like it to sound. First, they killed soldiers when they went for an operation. Whatever the name of the operation; whatever took them there is another issue, they were soldiers who were murdered.
“Since the soldiers are the direct victims of the attack, and being that they were the security team on the ground, there is nothing wrong with soldiers stepping in to take preliminary steps to apprehend the culprits or persons suspected to be involved.
“After apprehending suspects, they should immediately, after preliminary findings, hand them over to the civil authorities, the police, to now investigate because it is multiple murder cases that are being alleged. It is not within the powers of the Army to investigate murder or punish or prosecute.
“It is within the powers of only the Police to do that. Since the soldiers saw what happened, if they can arrest one or two persons, they should hand them to the police which represents civil authorities for proper investigation and prosecution.
“As of the time that Ewu traditional ruler surrendered himself to the police, do not forget that the army had cordoned off the scene of the crime, they had barricaded the entire community. The police do not know anything that happened there.
“The man that goes out to hand over himself to the police did the right thing. The Police, on the other hand, do not have access to the scene of crime, it is for them to say, soldiers, you were the people on the ground, what happened?
“For soldiers to give a packaged report to the civil authorities that would help in a proper investigation, they should also have the privilege of asking the suspects: who are you? Where do you live?”
Asked if a constitutional aberration is in the making, Nwoko responded: “The only problem we have is that the Army are the direct victims, so, they are the only people that can say this is what transpired.”
“If by tomorrow, that man or any other person arrested in respect of that matter is charged to court, any evidence given by any other person outside the soldiers that were on ground will be hearsay, and not admissible. The police that would prosecute him were not on the ground.
“Formally, since the man has reported himself, the Army should find out who he is and where he was on the day the incident happened, and then, package the report and hand him over to the police.’’
It’s in the army’s interest to hand over to the police- Afolabi, SAN
In Edo State, Olayiwola Afolabi, SAN, said: “The Nigerian Army is the complainant in this matter, so, the Nigerian Army, being the complainant, cannot investigate its case, they are working against themselves, it is wrong and in that way, the case will fail because the constitutional responsibility of investigating a crime is the police’s.
“The case in question is not a coup; it is not a coup plot. If it is a coup, the Nigerian Army has the right to investigate the coup plotters, but in this case, it is a criminal allegation of murder.
“They do not have the right to investigate it because by doing that, they are destroying the case against themselves. The police should investigate, and charge them to the court if found culpable.
“Now, you are the one that is alleging a crime, and you are the one that is investigating the same crime, it is wrong. It will be in their interest to hand over the investigation to the police and any statement they have obtained from those suspects. Constitutionally, it is wrong.
“Police will have to start afresh, there have been similar cases that the courts decided, and once this action by the army is continued, the case will fail from the onset.”
Govt ought to demand monarch’s release – Okpoko, SAN
Also speaking to Vanguard, Chief Thompson J. Onomigbo Okpoko, SAN, said: “The constitutionality of what happened when the police handed over the monarch to the army is neither here nor there. The duty to investigate criminal activities is that of the police, not the army.
“But because the army appears to be the complainant in the matter, the police ought to have been circumspect in handing him over to those who are complaining against the killing.
“The whole nation is complaining about the killing of our soldiers. The killing of the soldiers particularly touches me, if people cannot respect themselves, and do what is right, we should be able to say it.
“The monarch did what was right and surrendered himself to the police. The police ought to keep him and inform the army that the man has surrendered to them.
“Therefore, the police will have custody of the man, but you know the soldiers, they think force can resolve all disputes. If they go to the police and say this man who surrendered to you, we want him; if the police refuse to give him up, it may result in a crisis.
“To save the situation, the police handed him over to the army. The fact that they handed him over to the army is not a license for the army to humiliate the monarch, torture, or detain him beyond the period the constitution prescribes.
“It is a matter of compromise. As I said, the government should demand the release of the monarch and insist on an independent commission of inquiry to find out the truth.’’
Proclaiming monarch, 7 Urhobo natives wanted obnoxious – UPU
Meanwhile, the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, the apex group of the Urhobo ethnic nationality in Delta State, has expressed displeasure with the action of the Nigerian Army in declaring the traditional ruler of Ewu kingdom, HRM Clement Ikolo, and Urhobo natives wanted over the killing of 17 soldiers, recently, in Okuama community, Ughelli South Local Government Area.
President General of the group in a statement, Chief Ese Gam, said: “The Urhobo nation condemn in its entirety this unprovoked declaration of eight prominent Urhobo sons and daughter wanted by the Nigeria army .
“First, what is the condition for this unwarranted declaration? Did the police or the army invite them? Did they refuse to come? We should not do things to attract media attention…
“This is a country of laws, if a person is to be declared wanted, it should be seen that there was an invitation and if the invitation is turned down, there should be a repeat invitation, but from nowhere, you say a professor, a lecturer in Delta State University, and the president general of Ewu Kingdom is declared wanted
“The police is the only body in this country that is empowered statutorily to arrest, investigate, and prosecute an alleged crime, here is a king (Ovie of Ewu Urhobo Kingdom) because he knows that his hands are clean, surrendered himself to the police, now, the police on their own handed over our royal majesty to the army.”
[Vanguard]
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has apologised to Christians over its Easter message.
On March 31, in a now-deleted post about Easter, the FIRS wrote that “Jesus paid your debt, not your taxes”— a statement that sparked significant public outcry among Christians.
Consequently, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) condemned the Easter message by FIRS, demanding an apology from the agency.
CAN also described the message as “offensive and derogatory to the Christian faith”.
Responding to CAN’s statement, Dare Adekanmbi, special adviser, media to the FIRS, in a statement on Tuesday, said as a responsible agency of government, the service did not put out the flier purposely to denigrate Jesus Christ or “detract from the huge sacrifice He made for humanity”.
“We are acutely aware that the essence of the Easter period is to celebrate this huge sacrifice,” he said.
“The message was our way of uniquely engaging taxpayers and to remind them of the need to prioritise payment of their taxes as a civic obligation. Yes, we would say the message ruffled feathers in some circles.
According to the agency, the unintended meaning being read into the post was not what “we were out to communicate as an agency”.
“FIRS, as a responsible agency, has no religion and will not bring down any religion or offend the sensibilities of adherents of various faiths in the country,” FIRS said.
“Our goal is to assess, collect and account for revenue for the wellbeing of the Federation. We believe it is an investment in the progress of the country when citizens pay their taxes.”
FIRS apologised to CAN and Christians who felt offended at the unexpected consequence of the message on Easter Sunday.
[TheCable]
Bassirou Diomaye Faye has been sworn in as the fifth Senegalese President.
The 44-year-old Faye becomes Senegal’s youngest President.
DAILY POST reports that he took over from Macky Sall on Tuesday, April 2 in an event witnessed by African leaders in the new town of Diamniadio, near the capital Dakar.
“Before God and the Senegalese nation, I swear to faithfully fulfil the office of President of the Republic of Senegal,” Faye said before the gathered officials.
He also vowed to “scrupulously observe the provisions of the Constitution and the laws” and to defend “the integrity of the territory and national independence, and to spare no effort to achieve African unity”.
The formal handover of power with outgoing President Macky Sall will take place at the presidential palace in Dakar.
Ahead of the much-anticipated National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President and presidential candidate of the party in 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, has returned to Nigeria.
Atiku, who had been out of the country for weeks, returned in the early hours of Tuesday, a source told LEADERSHIP.
The Ambassador Illiya Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP was pressured into fixing the NEC meeting for April 18, having refused to hold the meeting for over one year. The NEC, the second most influential decision-making organ of the party after the national convention, is expected to meet every quarter as stipulated by the party’s constitution.
The anticipated NEC meeting, according to party sources, is shaping up to be a make or mar one for the party.
Atiku, who is regarded as de facto leader of the party, being the presidential candidate in the last elections, is expected to spearhead other meetings ahead of the NEC meeting.
This comes as agitations have mounted over the poor management of the party against the backdrop of allegations that the party was being controlled by external forces as alleged by former Benue State governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam.
Also, the North Central zone has called for Damagum to relinquish the acting national chairmanship seat and allow the emergence of a substantive national chairman from the region where the party originally zoned the position to in 2021.
Recall that former Senate President, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, from Benue State (North Central) emerged national chairman at the party’s last convention.
But Damagum, deputy national chairman (North), who hails from Yobe State (North East), was made acting national chairman in 2023 after a court order removed Ayu from office.
Although the agenda of the NEC would be defined by the NWC, sources told LEADERSHIP that the NEC meeting might also decide on what actions to take on “party leaders who have continued to undermine the party.”
Recall that some governors and party chieftains openly worked against Atiku as PDP presidential candidate in 2023 and also recently reiterated their resolve to support President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
[Leadership]
Why Is Bayo Onanuga, Reno Omokri, Daniel Bwala Only Attacking Peter Obi? Was He The Only One Who Challenged Tinubu In The 2023 Elections - Solomon Dalung Asks
AFOLABIFormer Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, has taken to his 'X' page to query Bayo Onanuga, Reno Omokri, Daniel Bwala and Bashir Ahmad for always launching attacks against the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi.
In a post, Dalung asked if Peter Obi was only one who challenged Tinubu in the 2023 elections.
He queried if there was something that they were trying to cover up with the frequent attacks.
He wrote;
‘’I have been praying to God to reveal to me why @aonanuga1956, @renoomokri, @BwalaDaniel, @BashirAhmaad only chose to attack @PeterObi, was he the only person who challenged @officialABAT in the 2023 elections? Or is there something they are trying to cover up? Something is amiss''
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has set a new 2024 base gas price for companies in the power sector and commercial users.
This is contained in a statement signed by Farouk Ahmed, the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
According to the statement, companies in the power sector will pay $2.42 MMBTU for wholesale gas purchases while commercial users will buy natural gas at $2.92 MMBTU.
Furthermore, the NMDPRA referenced provisions of the new Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) as the legal backing for its latest decision.
It stated,
- “The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 assented to by the President on the 16th of August 2021 and gazetted on the 27th of August 2021 provides a clear regulatory framework for the determination of a Market-based pricing regime for the domestic gas market in Nigeria.
- “in line with Section 167, the Third and Fourth Schedule of the PIA 2021, the Nigerian Midstream & Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) is mandated to determine the Domestic Base Price (DBP) and the marketable wholesale price of natural gas supplied to the strategic sectors”
- “Accordingly, after due consultation with key stakeholders and taking into cognisance the provisions of the PIA, as well as the gazetted Gas Pricing and Domestic Demand Regulations, the NMDPRA hereby establishes the Year 2024 Domestic Base Price as USD 2.42 / MMBTU”
Additionally, the NMDPRA set the floor prices for gas-based industries such as producers of ammonia, methanol, low sulphur diesel at $0.90 MMBTU while the ceiling prices is $2.42 MMBTU.
What you should know
- The increase in the base price of domestic gas purchase could likely led to an electricity tariff hike since about 70% of Nigeria’s electricity is generated from natural gas.
- In 2024, the federal government through the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) plans to pay N1.67 trillion to subsidise electricity– a 170% increase compared to the figure paid last year.
[Nairametrics]
Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has revealed what transpired between him and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the SNECOU Group Limited, Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu, who decried the demolition of his investment on 214 hectares of land in the Asokoro district of FCT.
Ukachukwu accused Wike of ordering the demolition without any court order despite pending valid two court orders from separate courts restraining him and the FCT administration from tampering with the property.
Speaking in a recent interview with Channels, the Anambra-born businessman called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and save the multi-million-naira invested in the property.
Ukachukwu claimed that the property was demolished because it was owned by an Igbo man, and not because the company violated any law.
Claiming that the demolition was done in bad fate, Ukachukwu said: “Wike called for a meeting over the land, we went with our documents after seeing what we had with our lawyer and other company, Sunrise which they gave part of that land. Wike said that there is nothing on this that the court should take its effect.”
Reacting to the allegation in a press briefing, Wike said the land allocated to Ukachukwu did not have the approval of any minister as his predecessor.
The FCT minister said the land-grabbing in Abuja is becoming rampant because some officials in the land department of his ministry have compromised.
Wike said, “I have been doing this before. I will continue to do it. And nothing will happen. Criminals are criminals. They may come in different ways.
“I have never seen people like land-grabbing people in this place. I came in, (I met) so many petitions. One company came with different petitions, with different owners of properties. I summoned all of them. They came with their lawyers, senior advocates.
“And I said look what is this? Companies presented their own cases. Company A presented their own case, company B presented their own, company C, company D, Company E, I said okay, I’m going to seek advice from external solicitors. I’m not going to take from insiders … because the biggest (fraud) is that the Land Department has been compromised. I sought the views of senior lawyers and told them, we need to do things differently…
“This land, by this so-called ethnic jingoist, talked about, was allocated when there was no minister. The minister left on May 29, 2023. By June the land was allocated by the director of lands.
“If I tell you so many things. We all met. Company D this, don’t do anything again until we are able to take a final decision. You know what happened, these guys thought they were too smart and went on.”
The minister said there was a time when he wanted to commission a Water Park, and he was informed he could not, saying, “The Pacco and its allies have gone to court stopping me from commissioning the water park.”
“You see these guys (some officials in FCTA) are colliding with the plaintiff against the FCTA. I’ve never seen people who are so fraudulent like this! What they do here. They sued you, they sued me as FCT minister. They have court judgments in their pocket. I told him you are wasting time. His brother sent me a text message. I have never met his brother but he sent me a message saying, “You told your Ikwerre brothers you will deal with Igbos in FCT’, Imagine such.
“Why do we behave like this in this country? We keep doing the same thing and expect different result. If you transfer a director, he would say, ‘Oh! It’s because I am Hausa! If you transfer another one, he would say, ‘It’s because I am a Muslim’, but why?” he added.
[DailyTrust]
Here are things to know about Senegal’s Youngest President
1. Faye was born on March 25, 1980, in Ndiaganiao, in the western department of M’Bour, Senegal.
2. He went to primary school in his village and undertook middle and high school in Mbour.
3. In 2000, Faye earned his baccalaureate (A university bachelor’s degree.)
4. He attained a Master’s degree in law in Dakar Cheikh Anta Diop University and subsequently cleared both competitive exams, enrolling at the National School of Administration of Senegal (ENA) and the magistracy in 2004.
5. He is 44 years old.
6. He is Senegal’s youngest President.
7. He took over from immediate past president Macky Sall.
8. He was the General Secretary of the banned party PASTEF.
9. He won the 2024 Senegalese presidential election in place of disqualified candidate Ousmane Sonko.
10. On 14 April 2023, Faye was apprehended as he exited his tax and property office on Rue de Thiong in Dakar.
11. Faye was among a group of political opponents freed from prison 10 days before the March 24 presidential ballot under an amnesty announced by Sall.
12. Faye’s campaign was launched while he was still in detention.
13. He was a former tax inspector
14. He is Senegalese fifth president since independence from France in 1960.
15. He is the first president to openly admit to a polygamous marriage.
16. In the election, Faye received over 54% of the vote, making him the first opposition candidate to have won an election in the first round since Senegal’s independence in 1960.
17. In his inaugural address, Faye pledged to fight corruption and reform the economy.
[TheNation]
A Deputy Commissioner of Police serving with the Force Criminal and Investigation Department, Alagbon, Lagos State, Gbolahan Oyedemi, on Monday, reportedly committed suicide in his private house in his hometown, Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
The PUNCH reports that Oyedemi was the Aide de Camp to the late former Governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala, during his 11-month tenure as defacto governor in 2006.
A source close to the family told our correspondent on the telephone on Tuesday in Ibadan, the state capital, that Oyedemi, who normally visited his hometown during the Easter celebrations, told his aides at the weekend to go to their various towns to celebrate with their family members.
The source said, “Yes, he committed suicide. His body was found hanging in his house yesterday (Monday). He stays alone, and he normally comes home for Easter celebrations.
“This time, he told his aides to go and celebrate with their family members in their various homes. Only God knows what could have prompted him to commit suicide.”
All efforts to get the reaction of the state Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso, were unsuccessful, as his mobile number was unreachable.
Details later…
[Punch]
Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra state, says N10 trillion is spent by the federal government on ‘unproductive’ debts.
Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, expressed his concern in a post on his X page on Tuesday.
“Last year, 2023, our total debt servicing for domestic debts stood at N4.4 trillion and that of external debt servicing was $3.5 billion, which is about N4.9 trillion. In effect, approximately N10 trillion is now spent on servicing unproductive debts,” he said.
According to Obi, the implication is what the country borrowed in a quarter is “about N10 trillion and what we spend on debt service, is also about N10 trillion”.
He said each of the figures is more than the combined budgetary allocation for the “four highest priority areas”, including defence (N3.25 trillion), education (N2.18 trillion), health (N1.33 trillion), and infrastructure (N1.32 trillion).
The Debt Management Office (DMO), on March 22, said Nigeria’s total public debt rose to N97.34 trillion, by N9 trillion, in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023.
According to DMO, the increase was primarily due to new domestic borrowing by the federal government to partly fund the deficit in the 2024 budget as well as disbursements by multilateral and bilateral lenders.
Speaking further, Obi said the country’s borrowings bother him, considering the rapidly increasing rate over the years, and its attendant effects on the economy.
“More worrisome is the fact that there has been no corresponding visible usage or investments as required by the law, to show their impact on the nation’s development,” he said.
“At the end of the second quarter, Q2, of 2023, our debt stood at N87.9 trillion, which was very disturbing to us, because we were at a loss as to what we did with the huge debt, especially the over N23 trillion ways and means borrowed by the last administration, which for me, would have been the end of borrowing without any visible and corresponding investment and benefit to the nation.
“But sadly and more worrisome is the fact that between the end of the third quarter, Q3, and the end of the fourth quarter, Q4, of 2023, about N10 trillion was added to our debt portfolio , which has now taken our debts to N97.3 trillion, again, without any corresponding visible and verifiable utilization.This is the highest ever borrowed in one quarter.”
He asked the the federal government to de-accelerate borrowings and re-evaluate what has been achieved with previous funding.
Obi said the evaluation would help the government make better decisions for the good of the nation.
[TheCable]
More...
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that it has uncovered over 1,665 fake A’level results during the 2023 Direct Entry (DE) registration exercise.
The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed the alarming figure when he received the leadership of the National Association of Nigeria Colleges of Education Students (NANCES) in his office in Bwari, Abuja.
He said the A’level results verification regime was occasioned by the endemic corruption associated with the admission system and was intended to restore the integrity of the admission process.
Prof. Oloyede also revealed that out of the figure, 397 were from Colleges of Education, 453 were University diplomas, and the rest were other A’level certificates.
He pointed out that it should be of grave concern if no one respects the certificate one is holding, hence, there was the need to safeguard the integrity of A’level certificates that are used to secure admission through measures that would stand the test of time.
In its weekly bulletin released on Tuesday, the registrar recalled that in the past, when a candidate applied for DE, the Board would simply ask awarding institutions to do the necessary screening and due diligence.
He stated that JAMB was dumbfounded by the startling revelations from Bayero University, Kano (BUK), whereby out of the 148 Direct Entry applications to the institution, only six of the certificates forwarded for processing were genuine.
The Registrar added that it was the discovery of the monumental fraud that prompted the meeting of critical stakeholders, who met to chart ways of combating the menace.
Part of the measures suggested, he said, was the constitution of an A’level result verification task force as well as the creation of a common platform for the verification of A’level results and certificates. He said the platform is reliable and user-friendly, as it only takes five minutes to verify any certificate.
Oloyede further disclosed that, to underscore the importance attached to the exercise, the Board has put in place a “no verification, no admission” policy.
While listing 15 institutions that have not sufficiently complied with verification requests from the Board, he stated that the affected institutions, with more than 20 unverified candidates, would have to pre-verify candidates applying for admission with their certificates before the candidates can complete their DE registration process.
Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu stated this on Sunday while speaking with the press following a gathering with various All Progressives Congress, APC, members at the Oyo State party headquarters in Oke-Ado, Ibadan.
He assured that the government of President Bola Tinubu is ready and determined to change the face of things in the power sector and “to change the game in the power sector.”
“This is why we are addressing the root cause of the power sector problems.
“We are addressing all the problems associated with all the segments of the power sector value chain – from gas supply to generation, to transmission, to distribution and to the customers themselves. There are a lot of things that we are doing that Nigerians will soon start seeing.
“Yes, there are pockets of improvements here and there, but that is not where we are going. We are still going to Eldorado whereby every Nigerian will be able to enjoy adequate, stable, functional and reliable power supply.
“But let me tell you that it is a journey and not a destination. We will start seeing this improvement as we are seeing now to improve. This is because when you are repairing, you will still suffer some damages, you will still suffer some pains.
“When they were repairing the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for 10 years, people were having traffic jam and getting held up in serious traffic until they finished the road.
“So, while we are repairing, people must help us to bear the little pains that will come with it. But at the end of the day, we will make gains. For you to make an omelet, you must break eggs. This is the period of breaking the eggs. Very soon, we will start eating our omelet.
“I am determined to solve the problems in the power sector and Nigerians will start singing our good songs very soon,” he said.
The naira, on Monday, appreciated to N1,250 per dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange (FX) market.
The FX rate is a 0.43 percent increase from the N1,280 recorded on March 29.
Currency traders in Lagos, also known as bureau de change (BDCs) operators, quoted the buying rate of the greenback at N1,230 and the selling price at N1,250 — leaving a profit margin of N20.
“The dollar keeps declining and it is affecting business but business is picking up gradually,” a currency trader named Aliyu said.
At the official section of the FX market, the local currency depreciated by 0.69 percent to N1,309.39/$ on March 28 — from N1,300.43/$ on March 27.
Meanwhile, Aminu Gwadabe, president, Association of Bureau de Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), on March 31, said the recall of members into the FX market has led to stability in the exchange rate.
“The reconsideration of the BDCs into the mainstream foreign exchange market has not only cleared illegal economic behaviours of hoarding, rent-seeking, round tripping and FX holding position, and led to the emergence of exchange rate convergence,” Gwadabe said.
Gwadabe also said the increase in FX inflows through the CBN’s monetary tools boosts foreign reserves, granting the apex bank the power to defend the local currency.
The federal government’s subsidy reforms, rather than the expansion of money supply, are a major driver behind the persistent core inflation in Nigeria.
This is according to a study by Eric Ismail Otoakhia of the Department of Economics, Faculty of Business School, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, which was published in the latest edition of Bullion, a publication of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Titled ‘Do Fuel Subsidy Shocks Prolong Price Instability in Nigeria?’, the study delves into the economic repercussions of Nigeria’s approach to handling fuel subsidies. The paper rigorously examines the ripple effects that follow the removal of fuel subsidies on the nation’s price levels from December 1996 to August 2023. By adopting a dynamic autoregressive model, the study aims to quantify the impacts of these changes on economic stability.
Subsidy reforms counterproductive to cost of living stability
The findings pointed to the counterproductive effects of subsidy reforms on the cost of living, highlighting the challenges faced by fiscal and monetary policy coordination in ensuring economic stability.
The study read:
- “The removal of such subsidies, when accompanied by income redistribution and increased government spending on public investments, inevitably leads to a persistent increase in the price level.
- “The findings of this paper have shown that government actions in handling fuel subsidies are counterproductive to fiscal and monetary policy coordination in ensuring a stable cost of living.”
The study, however, noted that fuel subsidies have been a double-edged sword, offering relief against the rising cost of living by stabilizing fuel prices, yet posing sustainability challenges amidst Nigeria’s significant infrastructure needs and escalating debt levels.
The money supply effect
Nigeria’s broad money supply (M3) surged to a new historic high of N95.56 trillion as of February 2024 despite the hawkish tightening stance of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). This figure represents a staggering 79.29% surge from the N53.3 trillion recorded in February 2023, showcasing a substantial year-on-year growth of N42.26 trillion.
The study, however, noted that increase in the money supply does not trigger significant and prolonged rises in inflation, suggesting that phasing out fuel subsidies introduces greater risks to economic balance.
The study added:
- “The results reveal a prolonged increase in inflation rates following a positive shock to the positive semivariance of fuel prices, indicating that fuel subsidy reforms disrupt price levels and impede fiscal-monetary policy coordination to achieve price stability.
- “In contrast, a positive shock to the money supply does not result in a significant and extended rise in inflation rates. This suggests that eliminating fuel subsidies poses a greater risk to price stability.”
The weakness in cash transfers
The World Bank recently said that cash transfers can help save Nigerians from intergenerational poverty traps as inflation and low economic growth adversely affect the poor. Also, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) emphasised the need for the Nigerian government to prioritise the full implementation of its cash transfer program to aid vulnerable households. This step is crucial before the government takes on the task of revaluating the costly fuel and electricity subsidies.
The paper, however, warns against depending solely on income transfers as a solution to the adverse effects of subsidy removal, given the government’s fiscal constraints. It recommends exploring alternative subsidy approaches, like agricultural subsidies, to promote food security and support the agricultural sector, offering a more viable and sustainable solution for economic stability.
The study noted:
- “If the current administration successfully eliminates fuel subsidies, relying solely on income transfers will not provide long-term stability in the cost of living.
- “These transfers are unsustainable given the current fiscal constraints of the government. Instead, an alternative subsidy approach, such as agricultural subsidies that encourage farmers and promote food security, may be more viable.”
The fuel tax option
The research proposes a novel approach to manage the economic implications of subsidy removal. Rather than erratic withdrawal of fuel subsidies, it suggests the implementation of a fuel tax targeting non-commercial vehicles. Such a measure would not only foster energy efficiency but also contribute to reducing CO2 emissions, aligning with global environmental objectives.
The study concludes that removing fuel subsidies leads to unmanageable increases in the inflation rate, with core inflation especially sensitive to such governmental energy reforms. The analysis criticizes the government’s recurrent attempts to remove subsidies as detrimental to the broader goal of macroeconomic stability.
Proposing a shift in subsidy strategy, the research advocates for funding subsidies through direct taxes on private, non-commercial vehicles. This strategy could expand the government’s tax revenue and correct the market failures associated with prolonged energy subsidies.
[Nairametrics]