A Nigerian woman based in Canada, Amaka Sunnberger, is under probe for threatening to poison Nigerians of Yoruba and Benin extractions.
A representative of the Toronto Police Service, Sergeant Bassey Osagie, said investigation had begun into the matter.
“This incident has been reported to the Toronto Police Service and is currently under investigation,” Osagie said.
The House of Representatives and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission had petitioned the Canadian authorities, demanding an investigation and prosecution of the woman.
Nigerians woke up on Wednesday to a viral video of the woman, who was on a TikTok live with some other persons, threatening to ensure mass killings of the Yoruba and Benin people living in Canada.
Sunnberger, who boasted that she lived in Ontario, Canada, said she would begin to poison the food and water of Nigerians immediately after she got to her place of work.
Hours after the threat went viral, the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, revealed her identity with her photo.
She further sent a petition to the Mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown, to call attention to the threat.
Reacting to the video, the House of Reps, in a letter to the Canadian government, requested that Sunnberger be prosecuted.
The letter, addressed to the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Jamie Christoff, said Sunnberger’s inflammatory statements constituted a direct threat to Nigerians.
The letter read in part, “In the light of the seriousness of these violations, we respectfully request the following actions: Investigation: an immediate and thorough investigation should be conducted into Ms. Sunberger’s actions by Canadian law enforcement and appropriate authorities.”
Reacting to the lawmakers’ demand, Sunnberger, in another video, dismissed the request for her arrest, affirming that she held a Canadian passport.
She said, “Somebody just sends me a message, say them arrest me, say them wan deport me, with passport? I be Canada pikin.
“See am now, I dey house, why I go dey lie?”
While speaking in Pidgin, Sunnberger had said she hated the Yoruba and Benin people.
She said, “It is time to start poisoning the Yorubas and the Benin. Put poison in all your foods at work. Put poison in all your water so that you all will begin dying one after the other.
“You all will not die one day. You will start falling sick for a long time. I will put Otapiapia (rat poison) inside your waters and foods. You people will never recover from the poison.
“This kind of hatred I have for you people will last forever. In all your foods, I will put Otapiapia,” as others at the meeting reminded her of other poisons including Eat and Die, Sniper.
She added, “I will put them in all your foods. If I go to work tomorrow, I will put it (poison) in Yoruba people’s food. Go and tell the government that I’m in Canada, I’m in Ontario. Hurry up, go fast.
“I will put Otapiapia, I will put Ogbomosho inside your foods. You will start hearing that Yorubas have died, Benins have died. I’m the one saying it.
“I want Igbos to have a heart of wickedness. You people are too quiet. You are too cool. Enough is enough. If you have a means of killing them, kill them out of the way, because they are too foolish. They are of no use to society. Lots of prostitutes and everything.”
Amid prolonged delays in the appointment of ambassadors to oversee Nigeria’s diplomatic missions, the Federal Government disbursed an approximate sum of N14bn to no fewer than 16 foreign missions in July 2024, findings by Saturday PUNCH have revealed.
Nigeria has 109 missions: 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates globally.
Recall that on September 2, 2023, President Bola Tinubu recalled all career and non-career ambassadors operating the country’s diplomatic missions, embassies, and consulates globally.
The envoys, which include 41 non-career ambassadors and 42 career ambassadors, were directed to return to the country on or before October 31 by Tinubu, having been appointed by the President’s predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, in July 2020.
Since last year, the lack of appointed ambassadors has continued to elicit public concerns over the country’s diplomatic representation and the effectiveness of its foreign missions.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, attributed the delay in the envoys’ appointments to financial and economic challenges being faced by the current administration.
Tuggar, who disclosed this during a ministerial sectoral briefing in Abuja in May, said the ministry had not been receiving the necessary funding to operate effectively.
“The whole idea was to stop subsidising consumption and focus on subsidising production. However, the government has faced various other challenges. When the microeconomic reforms began showing benefits, platforms like Binance and the rise of crypto currencies began undermining those gains,” Tuggar stated.
He noted that it was pointless to appoint ambassadors without the financial resources to support their travel and the effective running of missions abroad.
However, checks by our correspondent using GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks and analyses the Federal Government’s spending, showed that the government disbursed the sum of N13.7bn for the personnel costs of 16 foreign missions.
The overseas missions are those located in The Hague (Netherlands), Tokyo (Japan), Vienna (Austria), Washington (United States), Berlin (Germany), Brasilia (Brazil), Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France), Beijing (China), Geneva (Switzerland), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), London (United Kingdom), Madrid (Spain), Moscow (Russia), New York (USA), and Ottawa (Canada).
The funds were wired through the FGN Treasury (TSA Settlement Centre) on Friday, July 19, and Monday, July 29, 2024.
On the last day, The Hague received N504,071,400, Tokyo N761,253,100, Vienna N505,361,900, Washington N1,115,260,900, Berlin N813,678,400, Brasilia N564,693,300, Brussels N593,438,800, UNESCO Paris N545,086,850, Beijing N657,566,000, Geneva N830,278,500, and Jeddah N527,993,000.
Others include London N1,233,706,800, Madrid N803,821,400, Moscow N516,013,500, New York (CG) N915,844,500, New York (PM) N1,523,174,400, Ottawa N631,663,800, and Paris N611,712,300, while New York (PM) also received N576,147,689 on the first day.
Speaking to Saturday PUNCH, a former Nigerian ambassador to Singapore, Ogbole Ode, said even though paucity of funds had hindered the appointment of the envoys, the heads of missions at the consulate level had been deployed.
He noted that in the Foreign Service accounting system, there were different subheads, one of which were for personnel, adding that the free fall of the Nigerian currency often increased the naira value of the funds the government disbursed to the overseas missions.
In its ongoing efforts to combat terrorism within the nation, the Department of State Services (DSS) has successfully obtained a fresh order from the Federal High Court in Abuja to freeze 13 bank accounts associated with a suspected terrorist, Henry Okocha.
Naija News understands that the accounts held across seven different banks will remain frozen for 60 days, allowing the agency to conduct thorough forensic investigations into the alleged terrorist activities linked to the individual.
In a ruling on an ex-parte application supported by various exhibits, Justice Peter Lifu authorized the DSS to impose a freeze on the accounts for the specified duration to facilitate the investigation.
According to an eight-paragraph affidavit accompanying the ex-parte motion, the DSS accused Okocha of receiving substantial sums of money into these accounts, which are believed to be proceeds of terrorism.
After his arrest, Okocha was placed in the security agency’s custody for further investigation.
The DSS’s application was presented by its attorney, Yunus Ishaku Umar, who informed Justice Lifu that the freezing order was necessary to prevent the suspect from utilizing the funds for unlawful activities that could harm innocent citizens.
The attorney further explained that the account freeze would assist the DSS in identifying the individuals involved and ensuring their prosecution in court.
The ex-parte application, FHC/ABJ/CS/1036/2024, was filed under sections 5 and 81 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act of 2022.
The banks involved in this matter include United Bank for Africa, Guaranty Trust Bank, Union Bank of Nigeria, First Bank of Nigeria, Providus Bank, Palmpay Limited, and Resolut Limited.
Justice Lifu denied the request for a 90-day freeze, granting only 60 days, which will automatically expire at the end of that period.
It is noteworthy that a similar order was previously issued against a suspected female terrorist, Aisha Abdulkarim, whose 20 bank accounts were also ordered to be frozen for 60 days by the DSS.
Amid calls by Nigerians for a lower cost of governance, the personnel costs of the 36 states in Nigeria for the 2024 financial year have hit N2.76tn, an analysis of the budgets by The PUNCH has revealed.
In 2023, the wage bill of the states according to their approved budget documents available on Open States powered by civic-tech innovation platform, BudgIT, stood at N2.26tn indicating that about N901.88bn had been added to the wage bill in two years and N501.16bn in one year.
The analysis of the data showed that most of the states have consistently increased their wage bill over the years. However, the increase made by Taraba State to its wage bill in 2023 was significant.
The sum of N37.62bn had been budgeted as personnel costs in 2023, however, the final budget showed a jump to N109.65bn. In terms of actual budget performance from January to September 2023, it was N28bn, which was far below the originally budgeted amount. The wage bill for 2024 stood at N54.47bn.
In 2024, the wage bill for Imo State surged by 134.12 per cent to N61.18bn from N26.13bn. The 2023 budget performance (January to September) stood at N20.35bn. About N30.19bn had been expended on wages in 2022 in Imo State.
Rivers State was another subnational whose wage bill nearly doubled in 2024. The approved budget for personnel cost in 2024 in the oil-rich state rose to N252.89bn higher than N128.78bn in the 2023 revised budget indicating about 96.36 per cent increase.
On the flip side, both Bayelsa and Ekiti States reduced their budget for personnel costs in the 2024 budget. Bayelsa’s wage bill dropped to N69.12bn from N81.77bn in 2023; a 15.47 per cent drop. Ekiti’s wage bill was marginal at a 1.21 per cent decline to N31.02bn from N31.40bn.
States with a wage bill above N100bn include Oyo (N132bn), Ogun (N122bn), Delta (N164bn), Akwa Ibom (N127bn), Lagos (N302bn) and Rivers (N252bn).
Meanwhile, about 12 state governors have appointed no fewer than 4,385 aides since assuming office in 2023, according to a recent report by Saturday PUNCH.
While some of the new governors hired fewer than 50 aides, others, especially the governors of Taraba, Ekiti, Niger, Enugu, Adamawa, Kano, Plateau, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Borno, Yobe, and Kogi States, have so far appointed a combined 4,385 aides since coming into power last year.
While these governors go on their aide-hiring spree, their domestic and external debt profiles increased greatly within the first six months of their administrations.
According to the data published by the Debt Management Office recently, the domestic debt of Niger State increased from N121.95bn to N139.80bn in the six months between June and December 2023 under Governor Mohammed Bago.
Similarly, Plateau State’s domestic debt surged to N173.93bn from N157.62bn within the same period under Caleb Mutfwang.
The same is true for Cross River State, as its domestic debt moved from N204.05bn to N220.20bn in six months under Bassey Otu over the same period.
Also, about eight states incurred a total of $89,747,901 in external debts within the first six months of the new administrations, according to the DMO.
Cross River recorded the highest foreign debt increase during the period, as it moved from $153,168,738 in June to $211,125,104 in December last year. It was followed by Ekiti, whose external debt stock rose from $103,479,209 to $121,049,293.
Kano’s debt was the third highest, moving from $101,319,905 to $107,920,953, while that of Adamawa increased from $100,919,509 to $103,196,881.
Niger State’s debt rose from $66,791,105 to $68,056,534, and Taraba’s debt moved from $21,918,173 to $23,427,411.
The PUNCH reported in July that at least 24 states of the federation would not be able to pay workers’ salaries this year without having to wait for federal allocations from the central government.
Only 11 out of the 36 state governments of the federation can independently pay their workers’ salaries without depending on federal allocations, according to an analysis of the state governments’ approved budgets for the 2024 fiscal year.
The states with robust internal revenue are Lagos, Kano, Anambra, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kwara, Osun, Ogun, and Zamfara.
The 24 states that cannot fund salary payments from their Internally-Generated Revenue, may have to rely on Federal Government allocations or borrowing from banks and related institutions.
The development also means that the respective wage bills of the affected states surpassed their various IGRs, raising concerns about workers’ productivity and state governments’ efficiency in internal revenue generation.
This plays out amid plans for a higher minimum wage. Although details of the new minimum wage are yet to be finalised, it is expected that it would bump the wage bill of states and even the Federal Government higher.
A recent report titled ‘The Nigerian New Minimum Wage: Implications For State Governments’ Budget Performance’ presented by the Managing Director/Chief Economist of Analysts Data Services & Resources, Dr Afolabi Olowookere, at a webinar organised by the Oyo State Chapter of the Nigerian Economic Society, ranked states according to their ability to pay a higher minimum wage based on their fiscal position.
The report indicated that states like Benue, Osun, Oyo, Yobe, and Kogi, which were in the bottom five, would struggle while states like Lagos, Imo, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Ebonyi would fare better.
In his presentation, Olowookere said the ability of states to pay a higher minimum wage was computed and ranked as a combination of the ratio of personnel expenditure to total expenditure, revenue, especially internally Generated Revenue, low debt profile, and the relatively high elasticity of personnel costs contribution to future revenue and expenditure.
The economist submitted that states need to improve their fiscal conditions to increase their ability to pay a higher minimum wage going forward.
Providing some of the ways that states can finance the new minimum wage, the report called for tax hikes but called for consideration of the “Current economic situation in which companies operate, many companies will also be struggling to increase wages, avoid over-taxing those already paying (raise tax base not rate), avoid multiple taxes to improve the business environment, invest in an efficient tax collection.
“Borrow funds, but consider the state’s current level of indebtedness. Note that interest rates are currently high. Borrowing to pay a salary is not a sustainable strategy. Seek aids and grants from FGN and development partners, but will need to use such assistance for development purposes to free resources for workers.”
Other proposals include the reduction of instances of ‘ghost’ and redundant staff, commercialisation of relevant state projects and facilities and tackling of corruption. Corruption needs to be significantly minimised with wastes and leakages avoided for States to be able to find resources to finance higher minimum wage sustainably.”
Speaking with The PUNCH, the economist said that some states that are struggling fiscally may decide to pay for political reasons.
“Based on the facts on the table, the more green you are, the more your ability to pay. The states that are tending towards red can pay, paying is political but this is an economic analysis to say that if you are spending a lot of your money on salaries, if your IGR cannot pay your salaries, it would be difficult for some states to pay a higher minimum wage unless they want to rely on federal allocation which is not stable. Lagos for instance can pay a higher wage from its IGR alone, Enugu too if you check the 2022 actual data but the other states cannot even pay.
“If the states who can’t pay decide to go ahead, their fiscal conditions would worsen because it is not even very good to start with except they can finance it through those methods proposed.”
Commenting on the need to reduce the cost of governance across the country, the Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors in the Lagos chapter, Olujide Oke, recently said cutting needless spending and pruning the size of government appointees would help state governments have more funds to channel into crucial areas for development.
Also, Professor Seth Akutson of Kaduna State University, pointed out that with the new minimum wage, the wage bill will go higher, hence a need to rightsize the workforce and block leakages.
He said, “We don’t have social insurance for workers. The only way you can give people survival is to employ them. Some people are earning salaries but not going to work. They have to do away with those. You must understand that political consideration got those people the job, not qualification. Some of the governors have more than 1,000 aides, so you can imagine the impact on the wage bill. There are a lot of allowances, estacodes, and expenses that need to be cut off.
“Also, the workforce needs to align with the budget and ability to pay principle. Now that the wage has increased by more than 100 per cent, that N2.79tn you are talking about may get closer to about N5tn. They need to begin to rightsize the workforce. To look at the cost of governance, to negotiate a percentage decrease in the pay of some of the political appointees. Also, they need to close all the leakages found around governance.”
A professor of economics at Babcock University, Segun Ajibola, said, “The states must do all they can to raise internally generated revenue without putting undue pressure on their citizens. Secondly, they must reduce the cost of governance, block wastages, do proper streamlining of ministries, departments, and agencies, shun profligacy, and ensure accountability and transparency in government.
A former chief economist at Zenith Bank, Marcel Okeke, pointed out that the increase in the ministries and governance at the centre would trickle down to the subnationals and impact their wage bill.
“Most of the things these governors do are done out of political considerations and not economic ones, from the location of companies to the appointments of aides; special advisers, senior special advisers, and so on. There are notorious cases of governors appointing hundreds or thousands of assistants. What are those people doing and they are paid money? Can they not do with a fewer number of them?
“Do you know we have bloated staff? In some ministries that should only have about 100, they have 400 to 500, so a job that should be done by one person, you have about five persons hanging around. What some people do is to carry files and they have no job. When these states do staff audits, they report ghost workers. If they look into this area, they can reduce cost,” he said.
Also speaking on the development, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Ibrahim, faulted the governors’ appointments, noting that the governors had followed the step of the President who also expanded portfolios of aides.
“The governors are equally copying what the President is doing, but sadly, this is not a positive thing that should be copied or should be done at all.
“So this system has to be disrupted to bring sanity to how public officials are spending, wasting, diverting, and appropriating resources. No country can survive this kind of indiscriminate spending and borrowing that we are seeing now in Nigeria”, he said.
The Chairman of the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, condemned the development, urging the National Assembly to draft a legislation to curb such frivolous spending.
“It is part of the life governors are living by creating appointments for the boys. So it is unfortunate and it is unwarranted. It is not the right thing to do during this period.
“What we advised before now is to reduce the number of political appointees and to ensure they have optimal productivity. And what we are suggesting is the National Assembly should do a law that will peg the number of political appointees that the governors and other heads of MDAs can engage,” he stated
The Accountability Lab Country Director Country, Friday Odeh, criticised the Nigerian government for hiring more aides despite the country’s severe economic issues, including over 35 percent inflation.
Odeh argued that this decision exacerbates financial strain on state governors and worsens the economic hardships faced by citizens.
He believed that using limited resources for additional aides is imprudent and politically motivated, rather than addressing real development needs.
“Hiring more aides in an economy where the government claims there is no money and inflation is over 35 percent is insensitive and problematic.
“Nigeria government is facing financial difficulties, adding more aides is a strain on the lean allocations received by state governors (of which their revenue generation is not sufficient for the state) which is worsening the economic situation citizens are complaining about with bad governance and cutting down the cost of their luxurious lifestyle.
“Instead of using the limited resources on tangible projects and human development, expenses on aides is not a wise decision but for political reasons across all the states. the government is certainly not prioritizing the needs of the people they swore to serve but serving political interest,” Odeh noted.
The country director suggested that the government should focus on enhancing the efficiency of existing aides or investing in technology to streamline operations, rather than increasing bureaucracy and political patronage.
He added, “Adding more aides will not solve any development issues but rather increase bureaucracy.
“State government should explore other cost-effective measures, such as improving the efficiency of current aides or investing in technology to streamline operations that create unnecessary burdens for the states FAAC resources.”
Also, the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwagunma, lambasted Nigerian government officials for their lack of vision, sincerity, and patriotism.
Nwagunma pointed out that despite promises from the president to cut the cost of governance by reducing the number of appointees and ministries, the reality is the opposite—new ministries are being created, and a record number of appointees are being appointed.
He said, “The government at all levels in Nigeria is composed mainly of people who are visionless, insincere, unpatriotic, selfish, and insensitive to the suffering of the people they claim to serve.
“They do the opposite of everything they claim they will do. The president talked about reducing the cost of governance by pruning down the numbers of government appointees and ministries. But the president is busy creating new ministries and appointing the highest ever number of appointees, both as ministers and aides.
“The same thing is happening at the state levels. State governors appoint needless numbers of aides with almost every other aid having their aides. While the state of the economy continues to worsen, with government policies unable to alleviate the suffering of the majority of Nigerians who continue to groan in deprivation, poverty, and hunger, the same government officials continue to live in obscene and provocative opulence and extravagant lifestyles. And they ask Nigerians to be patient and to continue to make sacrifices.”
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it is seeking to engage reputable and credible operations and maintenance (O&M) companies to operate and maintain two refineries.
The refineries are the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC).
NNPCL, in a statement on its official X handle on Friday, said the decision is to ensure reliability and sustainability to meet the nation’s fuel supply and energy security obligations.
“The O&M tender for WRPC and KRPC will be treated as a single tender through a three stage tender process (expression of interest, EOI, technical and commercial) leveraging on all the possible opportunity costs associated with procurement of consumables, personnel/manpower management, utilisation of computerised maintenance management software (CMMS), warehousing management system (WMS) etc,” the statement reads.
According to NNPC, the O&M contract scope of work will cover, but not be limited to the following: long-term and short-term production and operations planning, production and operations execution, monitoring, reporting and optimisation of operation, maintenance planning (short-term), maintenance execution, and reliability and inspection.
Others include process and controls engineering, quality control, quality assurance and laboratory, specialist engineering, health and safety, environmental management, turnaround maintenance planning and execution, minor projects, non-contractor management, subcontractor management, inventory, and warehouse management.
The oil firm said for any bidder to be eligible for the tender exercise, they are required to “fill out and submit mandatory details through this link http://forms.office.com/r/kjSyVwz3Eg on or before 12 midnight Thursday 12th September 2024”.
“Individual bidders would be duly notified on their registration in NNPC LTD/NipeX tender process portal,” the NNPC said.
“Thereafter the bidder would have access to make their submission on the NNPC LTD/NipeX tender process portal.
“All submission bids should be titled; EOI for the provision of operations and Maintenance (O&M) services for NNPC Limited Refining: Warri Refining and Petrochemical company (WRPC) and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC)”.
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS
The oil company said applicants must present audited accounts for the past four years (2020 to 2023) that include balance sheet, income and cash flow statements.
“Provide evidence of your company’s latest credit ratings and the name of the rating agency,” the energy firm said.
“Demonstration of a minimum average annual turnover of at least $2 billion USD for the financial years ending: 2020, 2021, 2022, & 2023 respectively.”
TENDER SUBMISSION AND CLOSING DATE
The NNPC also said documents should be submitted online through the electronic NIPEX tender portal on or before 12 pm on September 26.
“The EOIs shall be opened virtually, following the deadline for EOIs submission at 12noon Thursday 10th October 2024 using the Microsoft Teams,” the oil firm said.
“Bidders who have submitted their bids and external observers shall be invited to attend the virtual live stream bid opening session.”
In the event of any unscheduled holiday on the bid submission date, the NNPC said the new deadline for submission of bids will be on the next working day.
Also, the EOI closing date and time will be extended to the next working day and time, the oil company said.
Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state for petroleum resources (oil), says the federal government has set up a committee to resolve the dispute on domestic crude supply to the Dangote refinery and other local refineries.
In a statement on Thursday, Lokpobiri said the committee will investigate the disagreements among industry stakeholders.
He directed the committee, headed by the permanent secretary, to provide a report between Monday and Tuesday.
The minister stressed that all stakeholders are responsible for enforcing the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), particularly concerning domestic crude oil supply obligations.
“We remain committed to promoting local refining and creating an enabling environment for players in the sector, fostering a sustainable and thriving oil sector, ensuring compliance with the PIA and safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders,” Lokpobiri said.
“In respect of this, I convened a crucial meeting to address the recent misunderstandings surrounding the regulation on domestic crude supply, which has sparked concerns among industry stakeholders.
“It became evident that a collaborative approach was necessary to resolve the issues at hand, and to this end, a committee has been set up with the task of reviewing the concerns raised by all parties involved.”
In recent months, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Dangote refinery were locked in a conflict over domestic supply.
On August 9, the NUPRC had denied allegations by the refinery of failing to uphold the PIA by not properly enforcing the domestic crude supply obligation (DCSO) regulation to ensure product availability to local refiners.
The commission said it facilitated the supply of 29 million barrels of crude oil to the Dangote refinery between January and June.
However, Anthony Chiejina, group chief, branding and communications officer of Dangote Group, said NUPRC did not facilitate any crude supply, noting that it did not receive 29 million barrels as claimed by the agency.
According to Chiejina, the regulator said it cannot implement its own Act because of the “sanctity of a contract”.
“Aside from the term supply we bilaterally negotiated with NNPCL, so far NUPRC has only facilitated the purchase of one crude cargo from a domestic producer. The rest of the cargoes we have processed were purchased from international traders,” he said.
“All we are asking for is for refineries in Nigeria to buy crude directly from the companies that produce it in Nigeria rather than from international middlemen.”
In July, the federal executive council (FEC) approved a proposal by President Bola Tinubu, directing the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) Limited to sell crude oil to the Dangote refinery and other refineries in naira.
The federal government, on August 15, inaugurated a technical subcommittee to ensure the smooth implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s directive to sell crude to local refineries in naira.
Wale Edun, minister of finance, had said the sale of crude oil to the Dangote refinery in naira will commence on October 1.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has commended the policies of Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, saying he has a listening ear.
Obiora Okonkwo, spokesperson for the AON and chairman of United Nigeria Airline, spoke during the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Nigeria and Boeing Company in Seattle, the United States.
“When the minister came on board, one thing we continued to see that is an influence is that he has a listening ear,” Okonkwo said.
The AON spokesperson said aviation stakeholders had always emphasised the need for policy “on the few occasions that we have met with him”.
Okonkwo said in those meetings, the AON consistently asked the minister to “remove the blocks, remove the clogs along our way and the rest will flow just easily.”
“We thought we were going to say what we have to say to one of those government officials but we didn’t know how much the minister took in and when he started running, his pace was fantastic,” he said.
“Honorable minister, we are happy that we are here.”
Okonkwo also extended his appreciation to Boeing for its ongoing support and partnership with Nigeria’s aviation sector.
He said at the end of Keyamo’s reforms, he would become “the father of the modern aviation sector in Nigeria.”
“By the end of this whole game, what the minister is doing with Boeing is over, what he is doing with the laws of Nigeria is completed, he eventually, at whatever time he will bow out as a minister, would have become the father of the modern aviation sector in Nigeria,” the AON spokesperson said.
Keyamo, on August 29, announced the signing of an MOU with Boeing to facilitate the acquisition of modern aircraft.
The minister led a delegation which included executives from major airlines under the AON and other key stakeholders in the civil aviation ecosystem.
Details of yesterday’s Police interrogation of the President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero, over alleged criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime by the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, arm of the Police, have emerged.
Recall that the Police had on August 19, invited the NLC President to appear at its headquarters for questioning on August 20, over the allegation.
Vanguard exclusively gathered yesterday that the Police “interview” with the NLC President was attended by human rights activists, Femi Falana, SAN, Maxwell Opara, Deji Adeyanju and the leader of IRT, DCP Sanusi Mohammed.
According to sources, operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, and National Intelligence Agency, NIA, were also at the session.
Source said the interrogation which did not last up to 30 minutes, was essentially on the operator of the Iva Valley Bookshop on the second floor of Labour House.
One of the sources told Vanguard that in response, Ajaero said the suspect was only a tenant of NLC and that their relationship was that of landlord-tenat.
Ajaero was also said to have told his interrogators that the suspect doses not consult for the NLC, neither was there any telephone co0nversation or written communication between them.
“At some point, Comrade Ajaro was almost infuriated because they (interrogators) were just calling Joseph Ajaero without reference to his official position as NLC President.
‘’In a normal situation, the Police ought to have just called the NLC president for the invitation and not write him. They failed to do so because of their sinister motives. In all, it was like a friendly chat that did not last up to 30 minutes,’’ the source said.
Invitation, a distraction, baseless
Meanwhile, addressing journalists at Labour House on his return from Force Headquarters, Ajaero said the whole thing was a distraction because the allegation was baseless, declaring that the labour movement could not be intimidated..
He said: “Comrades, I want to thank every one of you in various state commands who have been praying since the last four days and can now break their fast.
“Comrades, the labour movement is worth dying for because of its patriotism and commitment. Labour movement is one of the biggest pan-Nigerian organizations. Our patriotism from the days of colonial government till even the period of the military was unshakable.
“We are more patriotic than any other institution you can think of in this country and we are going to continue to be that.
“We have gone there (Force Headquartres) and we are back. I just want to confirm to you that as a citizen, I have gone there and we are back here. You can’t do this job (trade unionism) we are doing without this type of hazard, it is expected.
“This is the highlight of the job. Even at the unit level, some of us experience this. As far back as 1997, 1998 I was telling Falana, we were equally together in the cell enjoying ourselves during the time of Abacha.
“Comrades what is important is the circumstances that took us to that place. But whatever the case is, we are out to continue the struggle. We have got minimum wage but it has not been implemented. So we have to press for its implementation as soon as possible.’’
We can’t be intimidated, he says
He also declared that the union would not be intimidated by external pressures, following his appearance at the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, headquarters in Abuja.
“We can’t be intimidated. The allegations against us are baseless and we have nothing to hide,’’ he stated emphatically.
Ajaero explained further that his appearance before the Police was in the interest of transparency and to clear the air on the unfounded accusations levelled against him and the NLC.
He noted that the union would continue to fight for the welfare of workers and stand firm in the face of challenges.
“Our resolve is stronger than ever. We will continue to champion the cause of workers across the nation, no matter the obstacles,’’ he said.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Afam Osigwe, has taken his oath of office and has been inaugurated as the 32nd President of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Osigwe will lead the association alongside other newly sworn-in national officers of the bar for the next two years.
He takes over from the immediate past president of the association, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yakubu Maikyau.
In his inaugural speech delivered at the swearing-in ceremony in Lagos on Thursday, Osigwe commended his opponents, Tobenna Erojikwe and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chukwukwa Ikwazom, for their decorum during the electioneering process and extended a hand of fellowship to them to join him in moving the association forwards
He promised to run an all-inclusive bar that keeps the association not only united but moves the NBA forward.
Osigwe also gave the assurance that under his watch, the NBA will hold the federal and state governments accountable and make sure that their policies deliver good governance to the people.
As of the time of writing this report, Osigwe is still delivering his inaugural speech.
The inauguration of the new President and National Officers of the NBA will bring to a close the week-long annual general conference of the association which began on August 23rd
Seven Polish nationals arrested for allegedly waving Russian flags during the #EndBadGovernance protest in Kano have been released.
They were arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on August 5, 2024.
Some tailors accused of sewing Russian flags for #EndBadGovernance protesters were also arrested.
The seven Polish nationals were accused of playing a “suspicious role” in protests against government policies and economic hardship, the DSS said upon their arrest.
However, Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Andrzej Szejna, said the nationals are six students and their lecturer who came to Nigeria from the University of Warsaw for an African studies exchange programme at Bayero University in Kano.
In an X post on Wednesday, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, announced that the arrested nationals had been released.
The post read, “Polish students have been released and are in Kano. The Minister @sikorskiradek spoke today with the representative of parents, Mr. Jacek Półrolniczak, and thanked the students’ families for the good cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thank you to everyone involved in the release of citizens!”
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Olumide Akpata, Labour Party (LP) candidate in the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State, says he can’t be remote-controlled by any political benefactor or godfather if he wins the forthcoming poll.
The former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said he is only answerable to the people of the state.
“I have no strings attached. I am not answerable to any godfather. I am not answerable to any political benefactor.
“That is one reason they (Edo people) can trust the Labour Party government because we are answerable to the people,” he said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday.
The forthcoming governorship election in the state has top contenders including Akpata, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Akpata said unlike the other candidates attached to former and serving governors, he is not answerable to any political godfather.
The LP candidate also said his campaign is not funded by Governor Godwin Obaseki whose anointed candidate is PDP’s Ighodalo.
“Initially, I was said to be the agent of Governor Obaseki, we were able to debunk that. Today, I was said to be sponsored by the APC. I think it is conspiracy theorising that is most stupid.
“I am funding myself and I have friends who believe in me and that we can do much better in Edo,” he said.
Akpata said the performance of Obaseki in the last eight years has been underwhelming.
“There is a gulf between myself and Governor Obaseki; it’s night and day. I cannot and will not be associated with his government. His performance has been underwhelming.
“I have been attacked, my billboards have been pulled down. Everybody knows that I am not his choice; I am not his Plan Z,” he said.
“I am saying that Governor Obaseki has been a failure; an unmitigated disaster. In failure, there will always be flashes of positives here and there but we are talking about on the whole, in the sum,” he added.
Akpata said the people of Edo need a breath of fresh air. “The reason they (voters) should look at us is that we need a breath of fresh air, you need something different,” he said.
“For 25 years, PDP and APC have been running Edo State. In the last eight years, one man has belonged to both parties.
“It is an abject failure and so we must try something else and the Labour Party presents a different approach to the subject: a people-centric, people-focused, people-impacting approach.
“Every government must ask itself: whatever resources I have available, how will it impact the greatest number of the people? That is the approach of the Labour Party,” the LP candidate explained.
Akpata said if elected, he would start with electricity agriculture, education and healthcare. He said he would call for private-public partnerships to set up power plants around the state.
The former NBA president expressed optimism that he would defeat Ighodalo and Okpebholo at the poll despite that they are backed by Obaseki and former governor Adams Oshiomhole respectively.
Media
The federal government yesterday warned members of the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) that it may be compelled to implement a ‘No Work, No Pay’ order on them should refuse to call of the ongoing warning strike.
In a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the ministry said that it found the decision of the doctors to proceed on strike action, in the midst of ongoing discussions, deeply regrettable.
It said that over the past months, the ministry, in collaboration with relevant security agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) had been working tirelessly to ensure the immediate and safe rescue of Dr Ganiyat Popoola.
It further said High-level discussions and coordinated efforts are currently underway, adding that government remained confident that these measures will lead to a positive outcome.
The statement said: “The ministry finds the decision to proceed with this strike action, in the midst of these ongoing discussions, deeply regrettable. As we believe that continued dialogue is the best approach to resolving any outstanding issues.
“In view of this, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare wishes to bring to the notice of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), that in line with extant labour laws, the federal government will evoke the ‘No Work, No Pay’ for the number of days the strike was observed.”.
The ministry said the measure was not intended to undermine the legitimate concerns of medical professionals but to ensure that essential healthcare services were not unduly disrupted to the detriment of the public.
“We encourage all resident doctors to return to the negotiation table so that we can collaboratively find lasting solutions to the challenges facing our healthcare sector.
“As always, the ministry remains open to constructive dialogue and is committed to working together with all stakeholders to achieve a fair and sustainable resolution,’’ the statement added.
Doctors under the auspices of NARD had recently embarked on a one-week warning strike to protest the continued stay of one of their members, in the hands of kidnappers since December 27 last year.
Meanwhile, the leadership of NARD met with the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha late Thursday evening, with the minister pleading with them to call off their warning strike.
Addressing a peace meeting with the leadership of the doctors in Abuja, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Onyejeocha said that government is leaving no stone untouched in the effort to secure freedom for the kidnapped medical personnel.
She also assured that President Bola Tinubu has ordered that security be beefed up around hospital facilities in order to protect health workers and their patients.
The Minister said: ” I have to say here that the government has heard you clearly and Mr. President is feeling disturbed that these things are happening and it is not something he wished to continue.
“That’s why he has been engaging with security agencies every day, discussing issues of protection of lives and properties of the citizens. And so he told me to reach out to you to plead that he and the security agencies are working hard to make sure that this condition do not persist and that he is committed the protection of lives and properties that he promised Nigerians.
“In that stead, I plead with you that work is ongoing, that please rescind the decision to continue the warning strike because that as we speak people who are not kidnapped are dying. I know that you are passionate saving lives of your brothers and sisters who are in the hospitals”.
Earlier the NARD Resident. Dr. Dele Abdulahi Olaitan had recalled that on 27 of December, 2023, news broke that a lady doctor along with her husband and nephew were kidnapped from their house located within the hospital facility – the National Eye Centre in Kaduna.
He regretted that despite all their cries to the security agents to rescue the victim nothing came out of it.
He lamented that the mother of five kids and a breast feeding mother had been in captivity since December 27, 2023 till date.
According to him, though efforts got her husband released, all other efforts so far has yielded no fruit.
He said that the association had undertaken several engagements including protests and media advocacy but that it was when the association was not getting right responses that they decided to go on warning strike.
Nigerians paid N1.048 billion as ransom to kidnappers between July 2023 and June 2024, a report has shown.
The report, released yesterday by the SBM Intelligence, showed that 7,568 people were kidnapped across the country within the period.
SBM Intelligence is an Africa-focused market/security intel gathering consulting firm. Information from its website said it is Nigeria’s leading geopolitical research consultancy outfit, which is “particularly strong in the area of primary data gathering, and analyses of data that provides clarity relating to political, economic and social issues in Nigeria and West Africa”.
According to the report released yesterday by the firm, though abductors demanded N11 billion as ransom within the period, only N1.048bn was paid.
The report, titled ‘Grim Reaping’, highlighted the complex security situation and the rise in kidnapping for ransom in Nigeria.
According to the report, some of the security issues confronting the country include Boko Haram’s resurgence in the North East, armed gangs in the North Central and the North West, secessionist violence in the South East and gang-related issues in the South West.
The report also blamed the rising kidnapping for ransom on economic stagnation, noting that kidnappers increasingly target a broader range of people, starting with high ransom demands that are eventually lowered to what families or social organisations can afford.
It said ransom paid reflected the purchasing power of Nigerians rather than the negotiating skills of the victims’ families.
It further pointed out that amid these diverse threats, kidnapping for ransom had emerged as a pervasive and unifying concern.
The report said the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) recorded the highest ransom demands in the country, with Lagos and Kaduna closely trailing.
An analysis of geopolitical zones showed that the South East leads in both the amount of ransom paid and the rate of successful collections.
It further highlighted a new form of payment demanded by kidnapper-in-kind payments from victims’ families, which vary by region.
In the South, these demands often include food, drinks and cigarettes; while in the North, motorcycles are frequently requested.
The report said: “Also, between July 2023 and June 2024, our research uncovered that at least 7,568 individuals were abducted in 1,130 incidents across Nigeria. The states of Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina reported the highest numbers of both incidents and victims. Zamfara experienced 132 incidents with 1,639 victims, Kaduna had 113 incidents involving 1,113 victims and Katsina recorded 119 incidents with 887 victims.
“These states also recorded the highest number of civilian deaths. Over the past year, kidnapping has become increasingly lethal, resulting in 1,056 deaths across 1,130 reported incidents. On average, every attempted kidnapping now results in a fatality,” the SBM Intelligence report pointed out.
“In that same period, kidnappers demanded at least the sum of N10,995,090,000 (approximately $6,871,931) as ransom but received N1,048,110,000, a mere 9.5% of the money demanded, indicating that kidnappers have become less targeted in their victimology.
“Of the 1,130 reported kidnapping cases, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina have the highest numbers of incidents and victims”, it further revealed.
The report also said that Zamfara recorded the highest incidents with 132 cases and 1,639 victims.
“Zamfara recorded 132 incidents with 1,639 victims, Kaduna had 113 incidents with 1,113 victims, and Katsina reported 119 incidents with 887 victims”, it said.
“These three states also have the highest number of civilian deaths. In the year under review in this report, kidnapping has become more lethal, with 1,056 people killed in 1,130 reported kidnap incidents. On average, someone is killed each time there is an attempted kidnap”, it added.
Gombe also recorded the lowest incidents with one case, Jigawa two cases, Bayelsa 3 cases, Kano recorded 4 cases, while Osun state had six cases.
The SBM researchers also said women are more often targeted for kidnapping than men. While the South has witnessed only a modest increase in kidnapping incidents from 2022 to 2024, the North has seen a sharp escalation.
Trend dangerous – Former DSS director
Meanwhile, in an interview with one of our correspondents last night, a retired director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, described development as “dangerous for Nigeria’s economy”.
Ejiofor stressed that even though the lives lost during the period that ransom was paid were more important than the money, it was time for the president to declare a state of emergency on insecurity.
According to him, manning Nigeria’s land borders properly will go a long way in checking the cross-border movement of the kidnappers and other criminals engaging in the activities.
“If that report is anything to go by, that is very dangerous, both for our economy and for our other spheres of life. It is a danger that must be checked.
“Money raked in is not even the problem, what about the numbers of lives lost? We should not be talking about money but the numbers of lives lost first. It is high time the government did something quickly.
“The way forward is the citizens’ participation. People must be involved. We shouldn’t be waiting for our security agencies alone to do it.
“Government should also prioritise or declare an emergency on security, and give proper funding, training, among others to security agencies, and collaborate with other foreign interests and groups because what is going on now is that, we have this trans-border crimes and trans-border movement.
work. It is painful and a disgrace for any government to admit it is paying ransom. It is an abnormality we are going to live with for sometime. We need to invest more and restructure our intelligence architecture”, he said.
[DailyTrust]
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, yesterday, urged the Federal Government to allow graduates performing their mandatory one-year programme in the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC, to serve within their geopolitical zones.
Afenifere advised the Federal Government given the increasing rate of kidnapping and banditry across the country.
While commending the Federal Government and security agencies for rescuing kidnapped NYSC members who were on their way from Akwa Ibom to Sokoto State, the organization urged the government to equip security agents better for optimum performance.
Afenifere, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Jare Ajayi, reiterated its advocacy for enrollees to the NYSC scheme to serve within their geopolitical zones rather than going from one part of the country to the other.
The association further observed that these pockets of ‘achievements’ appear to be dwarfed by the avalanche of security challenges people are facing in different parts of the country.
Alluding to recent incidents, Ajayi noted that fear of kidnappers and attacks by bandits including cattle rustlers, are now rampant.
The Afenifere spokesman, who observed that kidnappers now seem to go for groups and high-profile individuals, called the attention of those concerned to factors responsible for banditry and kidnapping.
The organization stressed that attention should be given to the prevalence of ungoverned or under-governed spaces where the government’s control is ineffective.
Afenifere added that absence or paucity of government presence in such areas makes people of the area vulnerable to exploitation by terrorist groups, traffickers and other criminal elements.
He said: “The porosity of the borders has increased the influx of small arms and light weapons from the Sahel region – thus heightening the incentives for crimes and banditry.
“Illegal mining has created room for poor governance in the areas affected – resulting in poor service delivery, displacement of the local people, increasing unemployment as farmers and youths are forced out of their farmlands – a situation that is making these set of people to be ready recruits for banditry.”