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Predictably, there is disquiet in the South-West after the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement, led by Prof Banji Akintoye and Chief Sunday Adeyemo, alias Sunday Igboho, sent an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, seeking a peaceful breakaway of Yoruba people from Nigeria.
The letter came on the heels of the failed attempt by some armed agitators to seize Oyo State Government House and the state House of Assembly in Ibadan.
29 of the agitators have been taken before a magistrate’s court in Ibadan which ordered that they should be remanded in prison custody.
Akintoye and Igboho dissociated themselves from the violent action.
The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and socio-political organization, Afenifere, immediately responded to the call, last week, describing it as undesirable, self-serving and unnecessary “at the moment at least”.
The National President of Soludero Hunters’ Association, Oba Ajijola Akintola Anabi, toed the path of the Afenifere when he took exception to the call for the exit of Yoruba from Nigeria.
A former governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Mr Tunji Light-Ariyomo, on his part, said it was doubtful that Akintoye and Sunday Igboho would take that route at this time.
But an octogenarian, Pa Dele Aladekomo, Mr Adeola Fehintola, an Oyo State-based legal practitioner, and the Convener, Yoruba Commitment Forum, Otunba Tayo Onayemi, lauded the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement letter to the president.
In the open letter, dated April 17, 2024, and signed by Akintoye, Igboho and one Ola Ademola, the group said, “We have the honour to send to Your Excellency this important letter on behalf of the many millions of Yoruba people at home in Yorubaland in Nigeria and in the Yoruba Diaspora in almost all countries across the world.
“We send this letter as a follow-up to our earlier letter, dated August 06, 2022, which we delivered to your predecessor, President Muhammadu Buhari, in his exalted position then as President of Nigeria.
“Since 2015, the Fulani have been killing widely among the other peoples of Nigeria, including us Yoruba, destroying farms, villages and other assets, kidnapping men, women and children, extorting large amounts of money as ransom from friends and family of the kidnapped, and repeatedly asserting their intention to seize the homelands of all the indigenous peoples of Nigeria to turn all into a Fulani homeland.”
It said in the Middle Belt, horrendous blood-letting was going on with many families forced into Internally Displaced People Camps while many of their villages were seized by the Fulani and renamed as Fulani villages.
“In our Yoruba homeland, our people are resisting somewhat better, but the Fulani attacks and killings and kidnappings are unrelenting and are coming daily, leading to horrific instability, and forcing most of our farmers to abandon farming altogether, thereby dooming Yoruba people to years and years of famine”, the group said.
It further alleged that an unofficial estimate showed that Fulani had killed as many as 29,000 Yoruba people since 2015 till date, adding that the aforementioned reasons were enough for them to seek breakaway from Nigeria. “All these actions by the Fulani are, to us Yoruba, a sufficient reason for our seeking to separate our Yoruba Nation from Nigeria. Most of us, Yoruba have no confidence in the ‘restructuring’ that some of our most respected Yoruba leaders (such as our fathers in our highly exalted Afenifere) are advocating.
“And our reason is that we know that restructuring cannot keep the Fulani marauders away from our homeland. Since, after restructuring, the Fulani would still be Nigerians like us, and would still have full citizens’ rights to come in large numbers, and with weapons and intent to kill and destroy and seize land, to our homeland.
“The Fulani elite seem to be saying in effect that they intend to make Nigeria ungovernable for President Tinubu, and that they would never accept any official action of his.
“We are acting for and on behalf of our 60 million Yoruba people of the Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo State, respectively, plus the Yoruba Local Government Areas of Kogi and Kwara State, and the Itshekiri homeland of Delta State, all together constituting the Yorubaland in Nigeria, hereby most humbly place our crowning request before Your Excellency as follows:
“That the Nigerian Federal Government shall, within the next two months, but not later than June 15, 2024, inform us Yoruba Self-determination Movement that the Nigerian Federal Government has graciously agreed to our proposal for negotiation and that they have set up a negotiation team that will meet and have a dialogue with our Yoruba Nation’s negotiation team.
“That the Nigerian Federal Government shall invite the United Nations, African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, to send observers to the negotiation meetings.”
It, therefore, promised to forward the list of its negotiation team to the government as soon as it received a message in response to its request for the negotiation.
Perceived marginalization
Afenifere faulted the group’s position on many grounds.
First was the reason adduced for the request to exit Nigeria which was based on the perceived marginalization that the Yoruba are suffering in Nigeria.
It maintained that the problems bedevilling Yorubaland and Nigeria as a whole “are not merely because multi-ethnic groups make up the country”.
Rather, Afenifere, according to the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, the country’s multifarious problems can be traced to a lack of good governance.
The group went on, “There is no doubt that the lot of Yoruba can be better than it presently is. But whatever deprivation Yoruba may be experiencing today in the Nigerian nation is not due mainly to the fact that they are Yoruba.
“The deprivations they are suffering could be traced to the general misgovernance that corporate Nigeria had been subjected to over the years if not decades.
“Meaning that marginalization, deprivation, injustice, misgovernance etc that Yoruba may be experiencing today is, if truth is to be told, not peculiar to Yoruba alone.
“We are not, by this submission, claiming that Yoruba are getting the best or should not be better served.
“Far from it. What we are saying is that it would be unfair to use the excuse of the deprivations in the land as an alibi to want to leave Nigeria. “What we should clamour for is good governance that will enable every segment of the society to have a better lease of life”.
Doubtful call
Tunji Light-Ariyomo, a former APC governorship aspirant, told Sunday Vanguard at the weekend, “l was under the impression that it was a woman, Mrs. Onitiri-Abiola, that made the call in a widely circulated video.
“Many reliable news channels also featured stories about some Yoruba Nation agitators, purportedly acting under her instructions, storming Agodi Secretariat in Ibadan with dane guns, pump action rifles and charms to declare the Republic of Oduduwa.
“It is doubtful that Prof. Banji Akintoye and Chief Sunday Igboho would take that route at this time. If indeed they have, it would be most unfortunate.
“This is because the issues at stake are all-encompassing and every Yoruba person, from Ijumu in Kogi State and parts of Niger State to the creeks of Ilaje and even Itshekiri, to Idiroko in Ogun State and the lands of the Egun people in Badagry, is a bonafide equal stakeholder.
“If they intend to opt out of Nigeria, the majority of those people will express their concurrence. But I am very sure that most Yoruba only came across this news just like that.
“More importantly, the majority of the Yoruba believe in the leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is the current President of Nigeria.
“They believe in the leadership of the elder statesman, Pa. Reuben Fasoranti, the current de facto head of the Yoruba race as leader of Afenifere.
“I don’t think any of these two leaders are in support of the quest to exit Nigeria. This is also applicable to our traditional rulers. Is the Oonirisa in support? The Ewi of Ado Ekiti, is he in support? The Alake of Egbaland or the Deji of Akure Kingdom, are they in support?
“I concur that this is not the Nigeria of our dreams.
“I concede that our country has foundational structural flaws that continue to hamper growth and development.
“Amos 3:3, a prominent verse in the holy book, says ‘Can two walk together except they agree?’
“Hence, I agree that Nigeria needs to fix its fundamental problems, agree to a template for equitable and egalitarian coexistence among its ethnic nationalities and tribes, and embrace a model of governance that does not condone wastages and profligacy or impose the will of one ethnic group upon others. We can look at models of governance in other countries – nations with more than one primary ethnicity like the United Kingdom etc.
“The UK is officially four countries with each having its relative autonomy. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland even attend international sporting events in their names!
“The consensus forged in support of appalling evil today in Nigeria derives its strength from identity politics.
“If an Ijaw woman steals billions of Naira, you could suddenly see many Izons rallying in her support.
“If an Igbo man steals billions, you could easily see many Igbo youths rallying in his support. Ditto the Yoruba, the Hausa etc. “Ethnicity is a powerful sentiment, just like religion. If we however evolve a model of governance that ring-fences ethnicity, it would no longer be an issue. It would then stop being a weapon that could be conjured at will by looters of our common patrimony.
“So, my counsel is that we work with other regions across Nigeria to evolve a model for the country of our dreams”.
‘Drop the issue for now’
Also speaking on the letter, the National President of the Soludero Hunters’ Association, Anabi, said he took exception to the call for the exit of Yoruba from Nigeria.
He said, “I will implore Prof Akintoye to please drop the issue for now because the current president is a Yoruba man and the best thing for us is to support him to make the country surmount its numerous challenges.
“But I will call on all our leaders to look into the complaints of Professor Akintoye and Sunday Adeyemo and tackle them because no one is blind to the evil that Fulani herders continue to perpetrate.
“President Tinubu should please help us to empower local security men like hunters so that we comb all forests and flush out all criminal elements that make it difficult for our people to farm.
“We should drop this call for our good so that it doesn’t lead to another bloodshed because it’s not all that easy to exit a nation without violence”.
Meanwhile, Fehintola, an Oyo State-based legal practitioner, on his part, noted that
Akintoye deserves attention.
“First, we have to consider his antecedents as an academic and a veteran politician with rich ideological clout”, he said.
There are strong indications that workers will wait for a longer time to receive a new national minimum wage as negotiations have stalled amid excruciating economic hardship and mass suffering in the country.
In fact, the delay is allegedly caused by the Federal Government.
This came as Abia, Taraba and Zamfara states are allegedly still in breach of the 2019 National Minimum Wage Act which fixed minimum wage at N30,000 from the previous N18,000.
The implication of the stalled negotiations is that workers’ hopes for a pay rise ahead of the 2024 May Day scheduled for Wednesday have been dashed.
The new minimum wage ought to have taken effect on April 1, 2024, the old regime having expired on March 31.
Meeting
Sunday Vanguard’s checks revealed that the last meeting of the Tripartite Committee on the New National Minimum Wage, TCNMW, tasked with fixing the new wage, was held in the first week of April where stakeholders received the reports of the public hearings across the six geographical zones held on Thursday, March 7, 2024.
It was, however, gathered that the subcommittees have been meeting on other issues as directed by the TCNMW.
According to findings, at the first week of April meeting, members of the committee, that is, the government, labour and private sector employers, were directed to submit their written proposals to the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, NSIWC, which serves as the secretariat to the TCNMW.
Sources informed that while Organised Labour, comprising Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and its Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart, has sent in its demand of N615,000 minimum wages, the Organised Private Sector, OPS, has equally sent in its proposal.
However, it could not be confirmed if the government has sent in its proposal.
Reports
Sunday Vanguard gathered that after the TCNMW received the reports of the public hearings, the NSIWC fixed April 16 and 17 as meeting dates for a review of the reports and probably commence negotiations, but, unfortunately, the dates turned out to be public holidays for Sallah celebrations.
Since then, Sunday Vanguard learnt that it (NSIWC) has not fixed a new date for a meeting where the actual negotiations would start.
Blaming the government for the delay, one of the labour leaders, who is a member of the TCNMW, said until the government through the NSIWC summons a meeting, nothing could be done.
He said: “The last meeting was in the first week of April when we met to receive the reports of the zonal public hearings.
“It was essentially to collate reports from the zones. We as Organised Labour, that is, the NLC and TUC, have sent in a joint proposal or demand if you like.
“We are aware that the OPS has equally sent in its proposal. We are all waiting for the reconvening of TCNMW meeting to know what the government is putting on the table for us to begin negotiations.
“But that is not to say we have been doing nothing or we have been idle. The various subcommittees, in line with the mandate of the main committee, have been working. We have a lot to discuss and negotiate about.
“The hike in electricity tariff is now an important factor. We had sent in our demand before the increase in electricity tariff.
“To worsen matters, the increase was done without stakeholders’ inputs contrary to the enabling Act. In other words, we were not consulted as required by law.
“All these issues will determine when and how long the negotiations will last. One thing is clear, no matter how long the negotiations take, the new minimum wage will definitely take effect by April 2024. Meaning the law will be backdated to April 2024. The implication is that a new minimum wage can’t be announced on May Day.”
Speaking also, the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, Adewale Smart-Oyerinde said a new minimum wage cannot be announced on May 1.
“We have not actually started real negotiations. The last meeting we had was when we received reports of the public hearings”, he told Sunday Vanguard.
“We were asked to send our proposals to the secretariat of the committee. We have done that as an Organised Private Sector, OPS. We believe others have sent in theirs. We are waiting for the reconvening of the committee for the negotiations to start. We are ready for the negotiations.”
Data
It was gathered, however, that parties are busy collating data across states, sectors and socioeconomic trends ahead of the commencement of negotiations.
A member of the OPS, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he foresees very robust and interesting negotiations because of the socioeconomic realities on the ground.
He said “As the socioeconomic realities affect workers, so also they affect employers. Nobody is immune to the hardships and socioeconomic realities including the recent hike in electricity tariff. So, the negotiations will be very interesting and robust.”
On his part, the immediate past President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, who spoke on the delay in concluding the minimum wage negotiations and non-implementation of the minimum wage by some state governments and private sector employers, said “The Minimum Wage Act of 2019 made clear provision on when negotiations should start and be concluded, which is six months to the expiration of a prevailing national minimum wage.
“Also there was a clear provision for enforcement in a court of law including payment of interest rate to the workers that have been denied payment of minimum wage.
“Before I left office in 2023, we had contacted Mr Femi Kuti, SAN, to prosecute Taraba, Zamfara and Abia states that refused to start implementing the N30,000 national minimum wage to any of their employees.
“I am sure they have not implemented as we speak.”
According to him, the process for taking these states to court was stalled because the affected state councils failed to provide the requirements especially pay slips of not less than 10 workers to prove non-implementation.
He added “Then-governors of the three states deliberately refused to implement and we were ready to engage them and test the law.
“We need to test the law to enforce implementation. In fact, we had to sack our state council chairman in one of the states when we discovered that he was conniving with the state government to stall implementation.”
Labour mulls upward review of proposal
Meanwhile, Sunday Vanguard understands that Organised Labour may present a new minimum wage demand following the recent hike in electricity tariff by the Federal Government.
According to sources, the 300 per cent jerk up in electricity tariff has made nonsense of its earlier N615,000 benchmark wage demand.
The Labour centres, NLC and TUC, had, last month, presented a joint minimum wage demand to the TCNMW through the NSIWC.
The joint presentation is contrary to what they (NLC and TUC leaders in the zones) proposed during March 7, 2024, zonal public hearings organised by the TCNMW across four of the six geo-political zones of the country.
One of the sources said: “The recent hike in electricity tariff has made nonsense of the demand we presented to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission which is the secretariat of the minimum wage committee.
“Both centres had met in March to harmonise our different demands as seen during the public hearings and made a joint demand.
“But with the 300 per cent increase in electricity tariff, our demand is no longer realistic. Therefore, we plan to adjust our demand to accommodate the new tariff hike.
“As you are aware, our demand was based on the socioeconomic indices on the ground at the time we made the demand. But things have changed as typified by the 300 per cent hike in electricity tariff by the government.
“So, we have to adjust our demand by 300 per cent in line with the electricity tariff hike.”
N850,000 wage
Recall that while the TUC demanded almost a uniform figure of N447,000 across the zones, the NLC demanded different figures for each zone with the highest being N850,000.
In the South-West, whereas leaders of the NLC proposed N794,000, those of the TUC proposed N497,000.
In the South-East, the NLC said it preferred the new minimum wage to be N540, 000 and the TUC suggested N447,000.
However, NLC leaders in the South-South proposed N850,000, with their North-West counterparts angling for N485,000 minimum wage.
I prefer celebrating people while alive. I have done this for decades. I will continue to celebrate the living. The dead hears no tributes or eulogies. Where death however steals a match on us, clanging its filthy manacles as a hideous monster, we must conquer and mock it by remembering our dead heroes. Dr. Christopher Ogbonnaya Onu was such an hero. I mourn him. He was a distinguished Statesman of rare breed who espoused the ideals of democracy in his private and public life.
News of the transition of Dr Onu, the first civilian Governor of old Abia State, Dr. Christopher Ogbonnaya Onu, came as a rude shock to millions of ordinary Nigerians. It was just his political associates, friends and family that were shocked; I was one of them. And with good reason too. Dr. Onu was an uncommon sagacious politician with a difference. He was an advocate of politics without bitterness – in the mould of one of the most principled leaders of the 2nd Republic, the late Alhaji Ibrahim Waziri, the erstwhile presidential candidate of the defunct Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP). To that extent, the late Dr. Onu was exceptional, as there has been few of his kind in the violence-prone political landscape of Nigeria. Not for him the cut-throat methods and win-at-all-costs mentality of the average Nigerian politician, especially at his level. No. By all accounts (from the deluge of encomiums showered on him), Dr. Onu was a gentleman par excellence who loved people and humanity. He played by the rules of the game of life with love towards all and malice towards none.
I have never heard anyone speak evil or any unkind word about this renowned engineer and man of Spartan-like discipline and high rectitude. He was an exemplar of a human being; an excellent role model and indeed, something of an avatar. Debonaire, suave and graceful, with a smile perpetually planted on his feminine face, Onu meant many positive things to different people. Beyond all that, Dr. Onu was a very brilliant mind and an outstanding academic, researcher and scholar. This was amply demonstrated when he graduated with a first-class degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos in 1976. He followed this four years with a doctorate degree in the same field from the famous University of California, at Berkeley, USA. Upon his return to Nigeria, Dr. Onu lectured at the University of Port Harcourt, where he became the pioneer head of that institution’s Department of Chemical Engineering. He subsequently acted as the Dean of the University’s Engineering Faculty.
But, it was outside academics – in politics – that Dr. Onu spectacularly made his mark and excelled. He emerged as the pioneer Governor of the old Abia State in 1992. On the return to civil rule under the present dispensation, Dr. Onu was elected the Presidential candidate of the erstwhile All Peoples Party (APP); but he calmly conceded it to the party’s eventual flag bearer in the election, Dr. Olu Falae. This was sequel to the horse trading between the then APP and the Alliance for Democracy (AD). Onu was not embittered. He was not the type to flex muscles over a mere political office.
Throughout his exemplary career, Dr. Onu was known for his deep love for equity, fairness, justice, national unity, cohesion, peace and progress. He also believed in youth empowerment and in nurturing another generation of leaders (the “Generation-Next”).
The handsome and calm, red-cap wearing politician was a technocrat in government. But, he never forgot nor forsook his friends. He demonstrated this to me in 2016. I had launched one of my books – “Zoning to Unzone: The Politics of Power and the Power of Politics in Nigeria”. He attended my book launch at the Yar’ Adua Centre, Abuja. He stayed on throughout the duration of the over 6-hour book presentation. Many of my supposed friends in the then Buhari government shunned the event. They did not want to associate with me – a die-hard critic of their Emperor-President Muhammadu Buhari government and its failing, wobbly, fumbling and dawdling style. Many of them were scared associating with me, lest they be upbraided and witch-hunted by the array of hovering hawks in the government. But not for Dr. Ogbonnaya. He stayed on. He showed undiluted friendship and brotherhood as a principled detribalized Nigerian, irrespective of possible adverse consequences to his office. Where are those dodgy bootlickers; fawners and ego masseurs who polluted the Buhari government today? They are gone with the wind and into historical oblivion. Ha! The ephemerality of power (Read Ozekhome –https://penpushers.com.ng /amp/nigerian-leaders-and-the-ephemerality-of-power/; June 6, 2023; https://realnewsmagazine.net/nigerian-leaders-and-the-ephemerality-of-power-part-2/July -31, 2023; https://www.tell.ng/magu-the-ephemerality-of-power-mike-ozekhome-san/?amp, July 8, 2020.
Dr Onu’s hard work, dedication, commitment and patriotism did not go unrecognized as he was appointed by President Muhammed Buhari in 2015 as the Minister of Science and Technology. He held this position until 2022, when he resigned to contest the ruling party’s presidential ticket. He lost to the eventual winner of the election, current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In leaving his comfort zone to stake that presidential claim, Dr. Onu was motivated not by personal aggrandizement, but by the desire to serve his people – to ensure that his highly marginalized ethnic group – the Igbos – were given a fair chance to seek the Presidency of this country. This is something that has all along eluded the Igbos. His sadness when he lost out prompted the emotion– tinged rhetorical question he asked on announcement of the results of the party’s primary election: “Where is the justice?” Let me join Onu in asking this all-important question: where is the justice in our electoral system today? Where is the justice in Nigeria?.
CONCLUSION
Dr. Onu has gone. But he would be remembered by Nigerians for being more than the sum of his parts. He was an uncommon human being who believed and espoused the nobility of man: a belief that we can transcend our differences and not be defined by them; that we can disagree without being disagreeable; that we are at our best when we sheath our swords – and, indeed, turn them into ploughshares; that there must be a handshake across the Niger and Benue rivers. Nigerians and Nigeria will miss his Nationalist. Let me bid Onu farewell till we meet again on resurrection day with the following quote authored by William Shakespeare in Julius Caesar (Act 5 Scene 5): “His life was gentle; and the elements so mixed in him, that nature might stand up And say to all the world, This was a man”. Fare thee well, my dear friend and brother. Sleep in the Lord’s warm bossom till we meet again to part no more. Amen.
Responding to former Senate President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara’s vow that any attempt by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, would be vigorously resisted.
In response, Mr Osita Okechukwu foundation member of APC, stated unequivocally that the blame game dished out to APC by Distinguished Senator Adolphus Wabara and Co who dug the grave of the PDP is misplaced in all materials particular.
He maintained that as long as the nemesis of Wabara and Co’s deliberate crass breach of presidential rotation convention between north and south, albeit PDP’s Constitution; namely Obi’s Labour Party, Kwankwaso’s NNPP and Wike’s Masquerade are alive and breathing, with open arms admitting defector-exits from PDP, there is no valid fear of one party state in Nigeria.
Wabara’s statement is coming as a former Governor of Imo State, Rt.Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Chuka Odom, and myriads of others resigned their membership from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Okechukwu maintained that blame game from BOT Chairman is no solution provider, therefore PDP should earnestly introspect on how best to pick the pieces of the party that is dangerously sinking.
He said that instead of careful introspection of its bleeding ailments and how to fix Obi and Kwankwaso’s exit and its troubled Wike’s Masquerade, plus imbibing the best tenets of internal democracy devoid of breach of the zoning convention, extant laws, planlessness and squandermania; the PDP most times arrogantly hauled unnecessary blame game on the APC.
“My understanding from our elder statesman’s vituperation is that PDP may not even recover in August after the ward, LGA, and State congresses and national convention; when they failed abinitio to embark on careful introspection to examine the root causes of Obi and Kwankwaso’s exit, especially Wike’s Masquerade which led a party that boasted of 60 years uninterrupted reign to woeful failure in 2023 presidential election. Truly PDP needs soul searching to make amends, rather than sweeping its troubled faction under the carpet.” Okechukwu quipped.
It could be recalled that the PDP after its much publicised NWC, National Caucus, BOT, Governors Forum and National Executive Council meetings at Abuja on Wednesday, 18 April, 2024, issued a blank communiqué and had been lambasting the APC.
In the last six months of 2023, the Federal Government of Nigeria received an additional N3.8 trillion in what appeared to be a fresh Ways and Means borrowing, according to a provisional data published in the latest statistics bulletin for the fourth quarter of the year recently released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
This is despite claims by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, that the President Bola Tinubu government had not borrowed money from the CBN.
The CBN’s provisional data showed that the total figure rose from N4.4 trillion at the end of June 2023, meaning that the cumulative Ways and Means balances due by the government grew to N8.2 trillion as at December 2023.
Total Ways and Means balances as at May 2023 when the Tinubu administration took over was N26.95 trillion. However, the balances were securitised as included as part of the federal government’s domestic debt profile.
A breakdown of the data shows that the balance at the end of June 2023 was N4.36 trillion, indicating that the prior month balances may have been moved to the Debt Management Office.
However, from July 2023, the balances increase every month, first to N4.5 trillion in July, then N5.1 trillion in August, crossing the N5.1 trillion mark for the first time.
By September, the total was N6.4 trillion, representing the single largest additional borrowing for a month with about N1.3 trillion. It then climbed to N7.2 trillion in October before rising marginally to N7.6 trillion in November.
At the end of the year, in December, the total hit N8.21 trillion, suggesting that Ways and Means increased by 88 per cent in six months.
[DailyTrust]
The United States President, Joe Biden, has disclosed that he contemplated suicide after the death of his first wife and 13-month-old daughter in a car accident.
Biden disclosed this during an interview with radio journalist Howard Stern on Stern’s SiriusXM show.
The president’s first wife, Nelia, and one-year-old daughter, Naomi, died in a car crash in Delaware on December 18, 1972.
Recounting the pains of the past, Biden told Stern: ‘’You don’t have to be crazy to commit suicide if you’ve been to the top of the mountain and you think you’ll never be there again.
“For a brief moment I thought maybe I’ll just go to Delaware Memorial Bridge and just jump, but I had two kids.”
The President also said after his wife’s death, he used to take out a bottle of scotch and plan to get drunk, but could never make himself do it.
“I don’t drink, that’s not a virtue. I just never drank. And, I used to sit there and think to myself, I’m just gonna take out a bottle of scotch.
“We always had liquor in the house, and I was gonna just drink it and get drunk, and I can never bring myself to do it,” he said.
Biden has repeatedly talked about his reasons for abstaining from alcohol, once claiming ‘there are enough drunks’ in his family history.
Also, the US President expressed willingness to debate his Republican rival, Donald Trump, saying: ‘’I am, somewhere, I don’t know when, but I am happy to debate him.”
[DailyPost]
A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has discharged and acquitted a traditional ruler, Kelvin Anugwo, and 42 others standing trial for the murder of the late divisional police officer of the Ahoada East Division, Bako Angbashim.
The accused persons were standing trial on a four-count charge of cultism, armed robbery, murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.
Recall that over 50 persons were arrested and arraigned after SP Angbashim was abducted, killed and his body dismembered by a notorious cult leader, the late David Okpara, and his gang members in the Oduemude community in Ahoada East in September 2023.
When the matter came up in court on Friday, the Director of Public Prosecution, C.F. Amadi, told the court that the accused persons had no prima facie case established against them and therefore had no case to answer.
The trial judge, Justice Sika Aprioku, relying on the advice from the office of the DPP, discharged and acquitted the accused persons.
Speaking with journalists outside the courtroom, counsel to the 37th defendant, Ekashie Emehi, said the ruling shows the accused were innocent and could go about their normal duties, expressing dismay that his client was arrested in the guise of an invitation.
Emehi stated, “He was arrested in the guise of an invitation that the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations wanted to see him and he was arrested.
“Now, as far as this matter is concerned, what it means by a prima face case not being established is that the persons are not connected to that case. So on that note, he is free and he has his full liberty to handle his affairs and would no more come back to this matter.”
Also speaking, Anugwo, who is the Eze Ekpeye Logbo III of Ahoada Kingdom, described the ruling as justice for the people of the area.
He said, “All the allegations leveled against us have been thrown out today. So we give God all the glory. Our victory today is hinged on the hands of God, not human beings.
“What it means is that the kingdom should be happy that today God has vindicated us, and as such they can be proud that they have a king that stands by the truth.”
Okpara, popularly known as 2baba, who was the prime suspect in the murder of the late DPO, was killed during a joint security raid in one of his hideouts in Idu-Ekpeye community in Ahoada East.
The wanted cult leader’s body was later exhumed from a shallow grave in a forest where his gang buried him and was paraded before newsmen at the state police command headquarters along Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, by the Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, on February 23, 2024.
[Punch]
•Over newly set-up IDP mgt. c’ttee, army
The lead lawyer for Okuama-Ewu community, Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State, in the N200 billion suit against the Nigerian Army, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, has raised 17 posers for the governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori.
He posed the puzzles in a statement, “Okuama: Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Management Committee; Before the Jamboree Begins,” yesterday.
The statement read, “Before members of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Management Committee start cashing out and smiling to the bank; Before they start catching the cruise, and before the jamboree begins, it is imperative for the following questions to be answered.”
“Why has the Delta State governor not addressed Deltans, Nigerians, and the International Community on the Nigerian Army invasion, violation of the fundamental rights of the residents of Okuama, and the Nigerian Army’s continued occupation of the Okuama community, which started on March 14, 2024?
“Why did the Delta State government not set up an inquiry to find out what happened in the Okuama community?
“Why did it take the Delta State government over 44 days to inaugurate an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) management committee knowing the plight of residents of the Okuama community since March 14, 2024?
“Why was the Delta State governor, his commissioners, and the commissioner of police of Delta State, unable to enter into Okuama immediately after the Nigerian Army invasion of the Okuama community on March 14 to assess the level of the hideous crime against humanity committed by the Nigerian Army against the residents of the Okuama community until after 40 days?
“Why has the Nigerian Army cordoned off Okuama from the public, the press, and its residents until today?
“Why did the Delta State government fail, refuse, or neglect to act until some residents of the Okuama community went to court to seek redress for the enforcement of their fundamental rights?
“Why has the Delta state government up to date, failed, refused, and neglected to visit the residents of Okuama community in the bushes and forest where they fled to for safety from the Nigerian Army invasion?
“Why has the Delta State government failed and refused to provide food, water, medication, clothes, blankets, and other relief materials to the residents of the Okuama community living in the bushes and forest under inhuman degrading, and excruciating conditions?
“Why did the Delta state government fail and refuse to respond to the Okuama community letter of February 2, 2024, to the governor, asking the government to intervene in the crisis between it and the Okoloba community, which snowballed into the Nigerian Army’s invasion of the Okuama community?
“Who will pay residents of the Okuama community for the damages and losses they suffered because of the illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional Nigerian Army invasion of their community?
“Why has the Delta state government failed to stand up for the residents of the Okuama community?
“Where is the culpability of the Nigerian Army in all these?
“Why must Delta State government pay for the wrongs of the Nigerian Army?
“Why is the Delta state government shielding the Nigerian Army and shying away from ensuring that the Nigerian Army is held accountable for her illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional actions to serve as a deterrent to her?
“What is the faith of the cases filed by the residents of the Okuama community at the Federal High Court, Warri, since the cases are subjudices?
“Is the inauguration of the IDP management committee not prejudicial to the cases filed by the residents of the Okuama community at the Federal High Court, Warri?
“What are the terms of reference of the IDP management committee for the displaced people of the Okuama community?
“It is imperative, in the interest of justice and posterity, that the above questions are answered before politicians turn the IDP management committee for displaced people of the Okuama community to a jamboree and money-making exercise.”
[Vanguard]
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says 34 suspected currency speculators have been arrested for foreign exchange (FX) fraud.
The EFCC, in a statement on Friday, said the arrest was carried out by its operatives attached to its task force on currency mutilation, dollarisation of the economy, and FX malpractice.
The anti-graft agency said the suspects were arrested in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, on April 26, in a sting operation following credible intelligence about illegal sales of dollars.
“Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, attached to the Taskforce on Currency mutilation, Dollarization of the Economy and Forex Malpractice, have arrested 34 suspected currency speculators for alleged foreign exchange fraud,” the EFCC said.
“The suspects are: Usman Mohammed, Abdullahi Nasir, Abubakar Saleh, Mohammed Kabir Ibrahim, Abubakar Ghadafi, Muktar Usman, Umar Abubakar Abba, Yakubu Sani, Aminu Abubakar, Muhammed Suleman Abara, Yusuf Tahir, Usman Lawal, Usman Lawal.”
The agency also arrested Usman Umar, Amina Garba Rola, Muhammed Aliyu, Murtala Haruna, Sani Mohammed, Umar Farouk, Muhammed Sagiuru, Aminu Salisu, Lawal Bello, and Munzali Hashim.
Other include: Jamilu Suleiman, Mustapha Umar, Mubarak Tanimu, Adamu Garba, Mohammed Usman, Bello Musa, Saleh Mohammed Naseer, Zaharadeen Yau, Musa Umaru Adamu, Usman Machido, and Abdulaziz Abubakar Abba.
The EFCC said the arrest occurred following its ongoing efforts to clean up and stabilise the FX market, adding that the suspects will soon be arraigned in court upon conclusion of investigations.
On February 24, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the office of the national security adviser (ONSA) sealed a partnership to investigate and penalise those involved in illicit activities within the foreign exchange market.
The decision was on the backdrop of the unending depreciation of the naira and its accompanying negative impact on inflation and economic instability.
Following the partnership, which also involved the EFCC, the commission froze over 300 accounts linked to illicit FX trading.
The EFCC had, on January 24, launched a probe on 52 companies over forex transactions.
[TheCable]
The Nigerian government has said the N50,000 Conditional Grant Scheme to Nigerians is ongoing as 150,000 of one million targeted citizens have received disbursement.
The Minister of Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, disclosed this in a recent statement through her official X handle.
“Grant disbursements are ongoing; 150,000 of the 1 million targeted payments have been issued as of this week.
“If you’re verified and awaiting funds, we appreciate your patience. For full transparency, a list of all beneficiaries will be released upon completion,” she said.
The grant disbursement, which commenced last week, is part of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s effort to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
The Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme announced a portal for registering interested beneficiaries in December last year.
More...
The media office of Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi state, has described claims that the American International School Abuja (AISA) intends to refund $760,000 of school fees paid in advance as a “mischievous narrative”.
On April 26, documents in which AISA asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to provide “authentic banking details” for the refund of fees paid for the children of Bello, made the rounds online.
In a letter addressed to the Lagos zonal commander of the EFCC, the school said the sum of $845,852 has been paid in tuition “since the 7th of September 2021 to date”.
AISA said the sum to be refunded is $760,910, because it had deducted educational services already rendered.
On April 23, Ola Olukoyede, the EFCC chair, had said Bello paid $720,000 in advance as fees for five of his children from the coffers of the Kogi state government.
However, in a statement signed by Ohiare Michael, the ex-governor’s media office said “Yahaya Bello’s children have attended the American International School, Abuja, since before he became Governor, and he has paid their fees as due without fail”.
The statement added that Bello did not use Kogi state funds to pay the fees.
“He did not pay USD720,000 or USD840,000 as alleged. The payment commenced in 2021, not when he was leaving office,” the statement reads.
“He did not use Kogi State Government funds to pay the fees.
“The EFCC’s attempt to recover funds from the school was unsuccessful, and the court mandated the school to continue providing services.
“The documents published online are public documents filed in court and show that Yahaya Bello has nothing to hide.
“The payment is the subject of an ongoing court case, and we await the EFCC’s proof in court.”
Michael added that Bello will not be intimidated by blackmail.
“We will not engage in prejudicial statements while the matter is sub judice,” the statement reads.
“We thank Nigerians who recognize the EFCC’s desperation as personal vendetta.
“We implore others not to be misled by mischievous narratives but to follow the case until justice is served.
“Yahaya Bello will not be intimidated by blackmail and will continue to follow due process.”
On April 17, EFCC operatives laid siege to Bello’s residence in Abuja in an attempt to arrest him over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud.
While the operatives were at the house, Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi, arrived at the property and reportedly whisked Bello away.
The EFCC has since declared Bello wanted, with the NIS placing the ex-governor on a watchlist.
By - ABDULRAHMAN ZAKARIYAU
From the build-up to the aftermath of the 2023 election, the primary opposition political entity, the People’s Democratic Party, has been mired in internal turmoil marked by leadership disputes, suspensions, and legal battles. Tranquility reigned within the PDP until the 17 presidential hopefuls of 2023 started voicing their intentions and pursuing their agendas, sparking internal discord within the primary opposition party.
Matters intensified when the former governor of Rivers State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was defeated by the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in the party’s presidential primary in 2022.
The situation in the party took a fresh dimension when Atiku announced former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate for the recent presidential election, going against the recommendation of ex-governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, and other influential figures who favoured Wike as the PDP’s vice presidential candidate.
As a result, the party splintered into two factions; the Wike G5 group and Atiku’s group, each pursuing its objectives. The G5 faction insisted on the resignation of the currently suspended PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, as a condition for supporting Atiku in the 2023 presidential election.
However, Atiku’s faction rejected this demand and instead reluctantly accepted the resignation of the Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin. Wike’s faction also opposed this decision and conducted several press conferences, divulging information that further tarnished the already tarnished reputation of both the party and the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate.
While other political parties were gearing up for the elections, the conflict between Wike and Atiku dominated discussions within the PDP. This resulted in conflicting strategies during the election, ultimately leading to its (PDP) defeat against President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress. Efforts to unite both factions ahead of the presidential election hit a roadblock, as the Atiku and Wike camps refused appeals from party leaders and members to mend their differences.
After the election, tensions between the Atiku and Wike factions escalated, leading to the suspension of some members and legal action taken against the party by others. The crisis peaked when Ayu was ordered by Justice W. I. Kpochi of the Benue State High Court to cease acting as the party’s chairman.
In the interim, the National Working Committee, by the court ruling and the party’s 2017 constitution as amended, appointed Ambassador Umar Damagum, the Deputy National Chairman (North), as the acting national chairman of the party. Damagum, who sought to maintain neutrality, also faced significant challenges in stabilising the PDP. The conflict between the Wike and Atiku factions has deeply impacted all facets of the party, including the NWC, PDP Governors’ Forum, National Executive Council, BoT, and others.
These obstacles, among others, have impeded the PDP’s capacity to present a cohesive stance on national issues. Additionally, the recent 98th NEC meeting was fraught with tension as the Atiku and Wike factions vied for dominance, failing to address key issues crucial for the party’s future direction.
Regarding these national issues, numerous state party chapters are also grappling with crises. In Kaduna State, disagreements involve former Vice President Namadi Sambo, ex-governor, Ahmed Makarfi, and the 2023 governorship candidate, Isah Ashiru. Similarly, internal conflicts plague Kano and Yobe state chapters of the party.
In the North-Central, the PDP chapter in Niger State is striving to reclaim its influence. Internal discord in Plateau State nearly resulted in the party losing its governorship position in court. Prolonged internal disputes have left the PDP seemingly inactive in Kogi and Kwara states.
The North-East region faces its challenges, with chapters in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, and Gombe encountering obstacles. Members and stakeholders from these states impede the party’s progress due to their vested interests.
In the South-West, Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo and Ademola Adeleke of Osun have succeeded in stabilising the party in their respective states. However, Ekiti, Ondo, Lagos, and Ogun states are experiencing significant crises.
In the South-East, aside from the recent disagreement over the position of PDP National Secretary, which sparked a conflict among party leaders, chapters in the five states of the zone are embroiled in internal strife and numerous legal battles. On Tuesday, former Imo State governor, Emeka Ihedioha, and 11 others resigned from the party.
Explaining why he dumped the PDP after 26 years of membership, he said, “Regrettably, in recent times, the party has taken a path that is at variance with my personal beliefs. Despite my attempts to offer counsel, the party is, sadly, no longer able to carry out internal reforms, enforce its own rules, or offer credible opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“It is in the light of the foregoing, that I am compelled to offer my resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party effective immediately. While the decision was difficult to take, I, however, believe that it is the right one,” he added.
Due to the prolonged internal crisis, the PDP is gradually losing ground in the South-East to former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi’s Labour Party.
The PDP chapters in the South-South have recently faced negative publicity. The crisis between Wike and Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, has destabilised the PDP, along with the defection of 27 state House of Assembly members from the PDP to the APC. Many party leaders are also defecting from the PDP to the APC and other parties. In Cross River and Edo states, the PDP is mired in internal conflicts.
Amidst all these challenges, the PDP continues to grapple with numerous legal battles with no end in sight. The Legal Adviser of the PDP, Kamaldeen Ajibade, stated that the party was currently facing multiple court cases.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, in a telephone interview with Saturday PUNCH, urged party members to exhaust the party’s internal conflict resolution mechanisms before resorting to court.
The SAN, who does not want his name mentioned because of the sensitive nature of the issues affecting the PDP, stated, “It is part of our constitution; it has always been part of the founding principles of the party that internal mechanism should be explored before going to court. Taking the party to court without exploring the internal conflict resolution mechanism is an offence.
“We have a record of cases in court. We have cases that are on internal issues aside from election and pre-election matters in all courts; Federal High Court to Supreme Court.”
Damagum, discussing his leadership approach recently, clarified that the party prioritised reconciliation and attracting more individuals into the party over penalising anyone for alleged anti-party activities, which, in his view, could harm the party.
He said, “They are always telling you these people are not doing the right thing. But when you are in a position of leadership, you are bound by a set of rules, and these rules, even though they are itching you, you don’t apply them; not because of anything, but so that you don’t destroy the house.”
The acting PDP national chairman added, “I am very proud to say that this party was started by me as a driver. Today, I am the acting national chairman by the grace of God. I have never calculated that I will be given this title. I believe in this party; I believe that this party is the best in this country.
Damagum, who admitted that many members were involved in anti-party activities at different levels, said, “If I say we should start suspension, I will end up suspending many people because they were involved in anti-party activities. So, please bear with us. We intend to keep this party together and to manage it. This is my mandate.
“When a substantive chairman comes, he can decide to suspend or dismiss anybody. But myself as somebody who loves this party, somebody who started this party, I think we need even those from the other side to come back and join.”
As Damagum leads the NWC of the PDP, the delay in making crucial decisions to address internal crises is a cause for concern. Political analysts worry that the party may lose members to the APC and the LP, and potentially diminish its influence in future Nigerian elections.
‘Crisis may consume PDP’
Political analyst, Jide Ojo, and former national chairman of the National Democratic Party, Chudi Chukwuani, cautioned that the internal crisis currently plaguing the PDP might engulf the party if genuine efforts were not made to reconcile all aggrieved members.
In an interview with our correspondent, Ojo said, “The internal crisis may consume the PDP if not urgently addressed. In politics, the only permanent thing is interest. Part of the crisis is because there’s no peaceful transition from one NWC to another; you have people who were either removed or resigned.
“The PDP is still the main opposition party considering the number of states under its control, 13 out of 36. APC has 20; then you have the New Nigeria People’s Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, and LP having one under their control. So, in terms of structure and size, you will give it to the PDP as being the main opposition party, but the PDP is plagued with internal crisis.”
Ojo wondered why the party won’t be in crisis, saying, “It has been over one year since Ayu was removed. They still have an acting chairman. So, the NWC has not been able to perform at an optimal level. The internal crisis is affecting the growth of the PDP. So, there is an urgent need for the party to reconcile. The general election has been over since February, March 2023. Why couldn’t the PDP have a convention and appoint or elect a substantive chairman? There is an urgent need for the Damagum-led NWC to be active and be seen working towards genuine reconciliation. The NWC also needs to liaise with the 13 PDP governors to see how they can move the party forward.
“The PDP can choose to be different by the way they go about their task or responsibility. In their respective states under their control, at the leadership level in Abuja; how united are they? For them to be able to engage constructively with the ruling party, there are many distractions. The party needs to do things professionally so that when they organise party primaries, they are without rancour and contention. Due process is followed. When they go on campaigns they are united. Where there is a crisis, they reconcile because there is no political party without internal wrongdoings. So, having a leadership crisis is not unique to any party. Almost all the parties are involved. But how the party will emerge from that crisis and how it will manage it is very key.”
In an interview with our correspondent, Chukwuani told Saturday PUNCH that being plagued with a crisis would not make the PDP credible, adding that nobody would want to invest in the PDP because of the crisis. The political analyst urged the PDP to get the party leadership right for Nigerians to enable them to perform effectively as an opposition party.
He stated, “Yes, of course, when a party is in crisis, that party normally does not succeed. The party that succeeds is the party that can manage its affairs, avoid crises, and be united before elections. You need that unity to get the best of your political class along with you for elective offices and to come along with you and invest in you. Nobody will invest in a crisis-driven political party; that would amount to a waste of your time, energy, or money.
“So when a party is in crisis, it doesn’t augur well at all. And nobody will take the PDP seriously; the party cannot mount an effective opposition. The PDP can best be described as an empty shell divided into pieces. To reposition itself, the PDP has to put in place intact leadership; a party without a leader is no party. So, the leadership has to be put in place as quickly as possible. The leadership has to work together and be united. When they have that united leadership, then the PDP can build up all the other structures of the party.”
Reconciliation ongoing – Scribe
Reacting, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, who confirmed that the party was grappling with an internal crisis, revealed that reconciliation efforts were ongoing. Ologunagba explained, “Human organisation is not in a straitjacket. Some dynamics happen. As a party, we believe that even if we have issues before the election, we must continue to accommodate each other.”
He continued, “There are issues, but reconciliation is ongoing. As I always say, there are issues even in a family setting. There are issues in the PDP, but reconciliation in a human organisation like our party is constant because every step cannot meet the taste of everyone at the same time. So, reconciliation is ongoing.
“On a final note, I want to remind you that this party relies on its constitution, and we will obey it to the letter. I can tell you that this party is focused. We will lead the charge to sustain this democracy to ensure that we have a true federal system where fairness and equity, human resources, and management of the affairs of the nation exist; that is our vision. People come to parties and go. The PDP will remain strong and united to rescue and rebuild Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, one of the most notable outcomes from the 98th NEC gathering, which holds potential advantages for the PDP, is the establishment of committees focused on reconciliation, disciplinary actions, and constitutional amendments.
At the meeting, the NEC designated former Senate President, Abubakar Saraki, as the head of the Reconciliation Committee, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udoh Emmanuel, as the chair of the Disciplinary Committee, and the PDP Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, as the leader of the Constitution Amendment Committee.
Political pundits commended the NEC for these appointments, emphasising that while reconciliation and disciplining of errant leaders were crucial for promoting party supremacy, amending the party’s constitution could prevent the recurrence of many crises plaguing the party.
As a result, political observers hold the view that individuals appointed to these committees by the party, along with the approach they take in carrying out their duties, will dictate whether the party achieves the peace it desires or continues to struggle with crises that could lead to its downfall or extinction.
[STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE] President Tinubu Appoints Chief Executive Officers of Two Agencies
AdminPresident Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Innocent Bariate Barikor as the Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
The President has also approved the appointment of Prince Ebitimi Amgbare as the Managing Director/CEO of the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority (NDRBDA).
Dr. Barikor is an academic and politician. He was a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 2011 to 2015, while Prince Amgbare is a retired naval officer and former commissioner in Bayelsa State.
The President expects that the new heads of these important agencies will discharge their duties with utmost fidelity to the nation and unfailing adherence to the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and excellent service to the people of Nigeria.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
[STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE] President Tinubu Appoints Jim Ovia as Chairman of The Nigerian Education Loan Fund
AdminPresident Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Jim Ovia, CFR, renowned banker and businessman, as the Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Mr. Ovia is the founder of one of Nigeria's leading banks and a respected business leader, with a surfeit of efforts and benefaction towards nurturing and empowering young Nigerians.
He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Louisiana.
The National Student Loan Programme is a pivotal intervention that seeks to guarantee sustainable higher education and functional skill development for all Nigerian students and youths.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the implementing institution of this innovation, demands excellence and Nigerians of the finest professional ilk to guide and manage.
The President believes Mr. Ovia will bring his immense wealth of experience and professional stature to this role to advance the all-important vision of ensuring that no Nigerian student suffers a capricious end to their pursuit of higher education over a lack of funds and of ensuring that Nigerian youths, irrespective of who they are, have access to higher education and skills that will make them productive members of society and core contributors to the knowledge-based global economy of this century.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
April 26, 2024