A bill seeking to include Anambra among States in the Niger Delta Development Commission was on Wednesday, February 28, thrown out by the senate.
The Bill titled: A Bill for an Act to amend the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Act to make provision for the inclusion of Anambra State as one of the member state and for other connected matters thereto, 2024” was sponsored by Senator Tony Nwoye of Anambra state.
He stated that Anambra deserves to be a member of NDDC States having been collecting 13 per cent derivation since 2021 on account of oil production in the state on yearly basis.
Some senators debated against the bill by pointing out that states like Kogi and Lagos are not covered by NDDC operations despite being oil- producing States.
Senator Jibrin Isah popularly known as Echocho also noted that NDDC by its name, is more of a regional or geographical intervention body and not just an amalgam of oil producing states.
Nwoye responded by saying:
“Mr President and distinguished colleagues, Anambra as an oil producing state has been collecting 13% derivation from oil exploited from her wells by the federal government since 2021 and eminently deserves to be included in the operational radius of NDDC.
“Kogi State was also declared as an oil producing state but has not been collecting any 13% derivation.”
This was countered by Senator Isah who asked Senator Nwoye to limit his argument to Anambra State and allow the Senate to decide the fate of his bill.
He said;
“Senator Nwoye with all due respect, please stop dragging Kogi State into your argument for membership of Anambra State in NDDC. Kogi State is an oil producing State and has also been collecting 13% derivation since October 2022.”
Senate President Godswill Akpabio who intervened, stated that if the argument of Senator Nwoye on proposed membership of Anambra State in NDDC is to be accepted by the Senate, then Lagos State which has two oil wells in Badagry, will also advocate for membership of the commission.
He also said that if NDDC is considered to be a geographical or regional interventionist body, Anambra State is qualified to be a member on account of its proximity to Niger Delta area. The Senate President further stated that the National Boundary Commission should be allowed to so decide.
Senators at the plenary voted against the bill when it was put to voice vote and it was subsequently threw away.
The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force, Muyiwa Adejobi, says the security situation in Nigeria is getting better.
“The security situation is getting better; I don’t agree that it is getting worse. It is improving,” Adejobi told newsmen in Ibadan on Wednesday.
He stated this in Ibadan for the presentation of awards to the overall winner of boxing and archery competitions in the 14th Biennial Nigeria Police Game (BIPOGA 2024).
He said that most of the unfortunate incidents of insecurity being circulated on social media were old stories.
“They are being recycled to make people believe they are new or current incidents. Actually, they are not.
“You cannot see any conventional media house publishing these stories the way we have them on social media.
“The security situation in Nigeria is not bad. Let us always analyse the situation based on empirical facts and not just on speculation,” he said.
Adejobi said that the Nigeria Police Force collates data and has information on the security situation from all its offices.
“We shall tell Nigerians if the security situation is worrisome.
“We have issued statements to tell Nigerians that most of the kidnapped cases were fake and have given instances and even paraded some suspects for Nigerians to know.
“It is not in all situations that these incidences are real; some people fake and plan kidnappings to get ransom from their families.
“Let us always differentiate between the real and staged kidnapping,” he said.
Adejobi said that the force was not denying the fact that there are isolated cases of incidences of insecurity, but pointed out that the force had arrested and neutralised many kidnappers.
He said that the police and other security agencies in Nigeria would continue to collaborate towards securing the country. (NAN)
President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, appealed for patience from Nigerians over the current economic hardship in the country, giving the assurance that there was light at the end of the tunnel.
The President said he was fully aware and took responsibility for the difficulties Nigerians had been subjected to on account of government policies.
He said he would not complain but welcome all criticisms since he was the one who asked to be Nigeria’s President.
The President spoke in Akure, the Ondo State capital, during his visit to the leader of the pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organisation, Afenifere,
He also paid a condolence visit to the family of the late former Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who passed on in December following a protracted battle with cancer.
The fuel subsidy removal and other economic reforms instituted by Tinubu have attracted public censure following the high costs of living, food inflation and other side effects.
The situation compelled the Nigeria Labour Congress to hold a nationwide protest on Tuesday.
The congress also threatened further mass action if the government failed to address the economic crunch within two weeks.
However, addressing public concerns over his economic policies, the President said, “Nigeria will survive the current economic challenges. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I requested the job, and I am not complaining about it. I take full responsibility.”
This was contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, titled, ‘President Tinubu: I take full responsibility for the nation; we are building an efficient Nigeria that is inclusive and fair to all Nigerians.’’
Tinubu emphasised his commitment to leading Nigeria towards economic and social prosperity, saying, “We are meeting our obligations to the international community. To lenders, we have not defaulted, and we are not going to default. We are navigating the twists and bends on the road to Nigeria’s prosperity.”
On reforming Nigeria, the President said his task would be to ensure fiscal and true federalism, as well as the broad-based manifestation of the philosophy of “what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.”
He acknowledged the understanding and support of all Nigerians in the face of the harsh but temporary economic conditions, assuring them that their patience and perseverance will not be fruitless.
“But, through perseverance, Lagos emerged as the fifth largest economy in the entire continent of Africa. We must manage this moment with wisdom and grow Nigeria responsibly.
“I campaigned for this office to serve Nigeria’s interests and I was elected. Some said I would not last in the tribunal and came up with all sorts of predictions, but even when in court, I remained focused.
“We cannot allow Nigeria’s economy to be exploited. We cannot abandon our economy to marauders. I am determined to re-engineer our finances and curb selfish interests permanently,” he stated.
Speaking on behalf of Afenifere, Pa Olu Falae, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who read the address of Pa Fasoranti, commended Tinubu for his commitment to Nigeria’s progress and expressed support for his administration’s efforts.
“You have kept your word to return to this place where we all prayed for you, and this shows that you are a man of your word,” the elder statesman stated.
Pa Fasoranti asked President Tinubu to be fair and courageous, declaring that such traits were the hallmark of the Afenifere family.
“Today, you are carrying our flag. We are noted for integrity, competence, fairness, and courage. Your performance so far has shown that you understand the full gravity of your mandate, which is to show the Nigerian people that a good government is possible,” he said.
Fasoranti also charged the President on institutional reforms, saying, “Mr President, please also seek institutional reforms that would strengthen our federation and make Nigeria safer and more prosperous. Try and balance the budget and execute capital projects that would create more employment. We thank you for welcoming the idea of state policing.’’
He added, “We want each of the geopolitical zones to have greater responsibilities for security, food production and infrastructural development. Since the removal of fuel subsidy, which was costing Nigeria $10bn yearly, the state governments have been receiving hefty allocations from the Federation account.
“Mr President should persuade the governors to allow this change of fortune for the states to reflect at the grassroots so that life can be better for our people. They should not just buy rice and yams for the people. They should create employment, improve education and build new infrastructures. Today, life is truly challenging for most people and the state governments have an important role to play to transform society.”
Fasoranti received the President in the company of some Afenifere leaders, who included a former governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, Chief Sehinde Arogbofa, Deji of Akure, Oba Aladelusi Aladetoyinbo, Chief Kole Omololu, among others
Earlier, the President paid a condolence visit to Akeredolu’s family in Owo also visited the palace of the Olowo of Owo Kingdom, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III.
Speaking at the palace of the monarch, Tinubu eulogised the late Akeredolu as a statesman and a distinguished legal luminary who served his people with unwavering dedication.
“We lost an illustrious son. Akeredolu was very close to me and an ally. He was a son of the soil, and I have come to pay homage,” the President said.
He extended his prayers for the good health, progress, and prosperity of the traditional ruler and the community and thanked the people of Owo for their support to the bereaved family.
Accompanied by the Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Tinubu also commiserated with the Akeredolu’s widow, Betty, the children, and other family members.
Addressing the widow and the family members, Tinubu said, “God will be with you. Your children will do well in life. May you all end well. May God be with you and uphold you,”
The wife of the late governor expressed appreciation for the President’s visit, describing Tinubu as a good friend and brother to her late husband.
She also thanked the South-West governors for their contributions to the burial of the late governor. She particularly thanked Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for single-handedly repatriating the remains of Akeredolu back to Nigeria.
She said, “On behalf of my family, I appreciate Mr. President. We understood he couldn’t attend the burial ceremony due to the dictate of Yoruba culture. He couldn’t have attended the burial of his younger brother.
“Coming today (Wednesday ) is a big deal because we are in a better atmosphere. I also express my profound gratitude to the southern governors for their immense financial contributions to the burial, most especially, Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who singlehandedly brought Aketi’s remains back to Nigeria. We appreciate this huge show of love and we are grateful and forever indebted to him.
“I requested that Mr President see where Aketi has been laid to rest and he followed me. We are deeply grateful to Mr. President for coming. He is indeed Aketi’s brother and friend.
“I told Mr. President, yes, Aketi has left but he lives because he left behind legacies. It is our wish that those legacies continue and are built upon where necessary.”
Special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has warned that cryptocurrency trading platform, Binance will destroy the country’s economy if it is allowed to continue to arbitrarily fix the country’s foreign exchange rate.
Making this assertion on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Onanuga argued that Binance was capable of destroying the country’s economy if the government dues not take decisive actions against the platform.
Naija News reports that Onanuga encouraged Nigerians to stop patronising the parallel market for FX rates, saying the website of the apex bank is the only legal platform.
He said, “If we don’t clamp down on Binance, Binance will destroy the economy of this country. They just fix the rate, We have saboteurs. Look at what Binance is doing to our economy. That is why the government moved against Binance. Some people sit down using the cyberspace to dictate even our exchange rate, hijacking the role of the CBN. They just sit down and fix anything they like. It’s a sabotage and we are trying to prevent that from happening henceforth.
“The parallel market is not the real gauge of Nigeria’s economic health. The parallel market is an illegal market. I don’t even know why Nigerians and the media are feeding on the parallel market. That is not where we should go; what’s the CBN rate? As at Friday, the rate for the dollar was about N1600. Even in the so-called parallel market, the exchange rate is stabilizing there and that is what this needs. Our economy is too much dollarised. Importers are looking at the exchange rate and using it to fix prices, some of them arbitrarily, some of them actually profiteering.”
His comment comes as President Bola Tinubu led the government’s continued effort to revive the plummeting value of the country’s currency.
The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the frequent collapse of the national grid with a view to proffering a lasting solution for the recurrent power outages.
This was a sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Billy Osawaru (APC, Edo) at plenary on Wednesday.
The House insisted that sustainable energy is essential to any modern economy, and Nigeria is no exception, as stable electricity supply ensures that industries remain viable, powers homes, and facilitates significant economic growth and industrial progress.
Osawaru expressed worry that in a space of one week in the month of August 2023, Nigeria recorded three national grid collapses, the national grid collapsed twice within six hours and on the August 19, 2023, another system collapse was recorded.
“Also worried that frequent grid collapses this year have negatively impacted the economy, reducing industrial output and raising manufacturing expenses, Firms are forced to invest in alternate power sources, thus, raising operational costs and leaving end users with exorbitant prices, which citizens cannot afford, especially with subsidy removal effects.
“Recalls that the nation is currently facing its worst form of insecurity, including insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes, the collapse of the National grid will embolden criminal activities and security facilities such as the Vigiscope App, Police Situation room App, all Police Commands control rooms can be compromised during the dark hours, tracking devices that need power to reach telephone lines can be hampered.
“Cognizant that if the frequent national grid collapses are thoroughly investigated and solutions proffered, it will end the continuous system collapse, boost the economy and reduce the suffering of the citizens,” he stated.
Also at plenary, the House urged the Federal Government to improve on short-term food subsidies, assistance to farmers, especially those engaged in dry season farming, improved supply chain control to reduce wastage, and short-term price control.
This was as the House adopted the motion moved by Hon. Chike John Okafor, who acknowledged the spreading issue of food scarcity in Nigeria and the impending nutritional dangers that accompanies it.
“As we approach the farming season, it is imperative that we take immediate action to avert a worsening crisis and ensure the availability of food and well-being of our citizens.
“The current state of food scarcity in Nigeria poses a grave threat to the health and livelihoods of millions of our people. Insufficient access to nutritious food not only leads to hunger and malnutrition but also exacerbates existing health conditions and undermines the overall development of our nation.
“Worried that Nutrition and Food is the most important existential challenge in Nigeria today, because 24.9 Million Nigerians are presently in an acute/critical stage of hunger, and this is considered to be an emergency, while 85.8 Million Nigerians have insufficient food consumption and out of this number, 47.7 Million Nigerians have a crisis or above crisis level in terms of food-based survival margin.
“Also worried that peaceful protests is taking place now in some states with citizens groaning due to hunger and demanding immediate government intervention,” he said.
A former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central in the Senate, Shehu Sani, has blamed the ongoing economic hardship in the country on erstwhile president, Muhammadu Buhari.
Sani insisted that President Bola Tinubu never deceived Nigerians, adding that he had earlier informed the citizenry of his intention to remove subsidy when he comes into power.
He argued that if Buhari had implemented some of Tinubu’s economic policies, there would not be hardship in the country.
Sani insisted that the Buhari administration allowed the country to deteriorate to the present economic crisis plaguing the nation.
The former lawmaker shared his thoughts during an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Wednesday.
He said, “We must be very factual and realistic with ourselves; the problem we find ourselves today, originated, was engineered, fabricated and sustained by the Buhari administration.
“The Buhari administration, institutionally, fundamentally destroyed the Nigerian economy.
“When Tinubu took over, he knows there is not going to be subsidy and to be realistic, he was very frank during his campaign. He said, ‘I am going to remove subsidy and whatever protest that will come out of it I will not back down’ and then people went ahead and voted for him, so he has not deceived Nigerians.
“Now he is in power, we are paying the price for the mistake of the past, for the failure of the past and for what we have refused to do in the past, so this is the reality.”
In a decisive move to address the alarming rise in kidnapping incidents within Abuja, the Senate on Wednesday summoned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igwe.
The summons is part of a broader inquiry into the murder of Chris Agidy, a Senior Legislative Aide to Senator Ned Nwoko, who fell victim to kidnappers in November 2023.
The Senate’s action follows a motion put forward by Senator Nwoko, spotlighting the tragic kidnap and subsequent killing of Agidy, alongside 19 others, in the Galadimawa area of Abuja.
The motion triggered an extensive debate among the senators, culminating in a resolution that demands a comprehensive briefing from the FCT Minister and the police commissioner on measures to curb the escalating kidnapping crisis in Nigeria’s capital.
In addition to the summons, the Senate has issued directives aimed at bolstering security within Abuja and nationwide.
Key among these is a resolution calling on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to significantly enhance security patrols and surveillance efforts.
The legislative body also advocated for the strategic installation of CCTV cameras across Abuja, particularly along highways, to aid in monitoring and deterring criminal activities.
Further, the Senate has instructed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to ensure the operational readiness of dedicated emergency numbers.
These numbers are intended to facilitate prompt communication with the police, ambulance services, and fire departments, thereby improving the efficiency of emergency responses.
Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, indicated that the FCT Minister and the Commissioner of Police are to engage with the Senate in a closed-door session.
The specifics of this meeting, including the date, will be communicated to Wike and Igwe through an official letter of summons, to be dispatched by the Clerk of the Senate, Chinedu Akubueze.
Akpabio said, “The FCT Minister and Police Commissioner would appear before us in closed session on a date to be sent to them by the Clerk of the Senate.
“Their expected appearance before the Senate is to hear from them, measures and strategies being put in place to stem the ugly tide of kidnappings in the FCT.
“Incidences like kidnapping and killing of SLA of Senator Nwoko and some residents of FC are worrisome and must be stopped not only in the FCT but also in Nigeria generally.”
[NaijaNews]
Countering the minister, organised labour expressed outrage over President Tinubu’s approval for implementation of the Oronsaye’s report on public sector reforms, saying it will lead to massive job losses, among others.
While the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, directed members in the public sector to furnish the national secretariat with impact analysis report focusing on the potential consequences, including job losses, changes in workload, pay/compensation and the overall impact on workers, work, and trade unions, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, set up a three-member committee to monitor the implementation of the report to ensure none of its members loses his or her job.
Already, the Non-Academic Staff of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, has called on President Tinubu to review his stance on the report because of members’ job, querying: “Why did you think the former governments of President Goodluck Jonathan and President Muhammadu Buhari refused to implement the Oronsaye’s report? You think they are cowards?”
NLC, in a letter to the public sector unions, titled: “Request for impact analysis of Oronsaye’s report on public sector reforms,” its Acting General Secretary, Ismail Bello, said: “As you are aware, His Excellency, Bola Tinubu, the President of the federation, recently announced the initiation of public sector reforms, with particular reference to the Oronsaye report.
“This comprehensive report outlines proposed measures aimed at restructuring and streamlining various governmental agencies and institutions with the stated goal of enhancing efficiency, effectiveness, and service delivery.
“While these reforms hold the promise of improving governance and public service delivery, it is imperative that we, as representatives of the workforce, thoroughly analyze the implications of such changes on the lives and livelihoods of our members including its possible impact on trade unions. The potential consequences, including but not limited to job losses, changes in workload, pay/compensation and the overall impact on workers, work, and trade unions, need to be carefully assessed and addressed.
“In light of this, I kindly request that your esteemed union conducts a thorough impact analysis of the Oronsaye report on public sector reforms, focusing on the following key areas:
“Job losses- Evaluate the potential impact of the proposed reforms on employment within your sector, including projections of possible job losses and the sectors most affected.
“Efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery – Assess how the proposed reforms may affect the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery within your sector. Consider factors such as resource allocation, institutional capacity, and the ability to meet public demands and expectations.
“Workload of Staff: Examine the potential consequences of the reforms on the workload and working conditions of employees- Identify any risks of increased work pressure, burnout, or stress resulting from restructuring or downsizing measures.
“Pay/Compensation- Appraise its impact on Pay and Compensation structure to ensure that workers are not left with reduced Pay and Compensations during and after the transitions.
General Implications for Workers, Work, and Trade Unions – Analyze the broader implications of the reforms on workers’ and trade union rights, job security, collective bargaining power, and the role of trade unions in advocating for the interests of workers.”
National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) said the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) has agreed to review all the issues raised by the association following the revised guidelines and requirements to be met by nurses and midwives seeking the verification of certificate(s) to foreign nursing boards/councils.
The national president of NANNM, Michael Ekuma Nnachi, disclosed this at the induction programme for newly elected state officers of NANNM, in Abuja.
He said, “The leadership of the association promptly engaged the NMCN through a series of meetings to address the critical issues and the council agreed to review all the issues raised by the association.
“Issue of letter of good standing to be handled by the Head of Nursing services of respective facilities.
“Issue of verification for six months was stepped down. Application fee remains status quo ante. Two years post qualification experience now to be post registration with the Council.
“All the agreed reviewed guidelines will be uploaded on the council portal from first week of March 2024.”
Meanwhile, the nurses have called on the federal government to implement the upward review of nurses salary, extend and include appointment of nurses into key positions as well as members of Federal Boards in order to address extreme marginalisation in the governance structure of the health facilities in the country.
Other demands made by the nurses include “Government to approve creation of a special separate salary package called Enhanced Nurses Salary Structure (ENSS) as a motivation to the nurses and midwives to reduce migration.
“Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) to direct the payment of 25 percent CONHESS adjustment to nurses and midwives working at the three tiers of government, effective from June 2023 as approved by the government, which the financial implication would erode due to the prevailing inflation and implications of removal of fuel subsidy.
“CMDs/MDs to objectively implement government approved policy replacement circulars by replacement of appropriate cadre of nurses due to brain drain syndrome as directed by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
“The FMoH is requested to approve the elongation of the retirement age of nurses from 60 to 65 years to improve on available workforce in the clinical and educational institutions in the country.”
[Leadership]
About 11.2 million active Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards yet to be linked to their owners’ National Identity Numbers (NINs) will be blocked today.
Telecom operators, who confirmed this to Daily Trust yesterday, said this was in compliance with the directive by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, had earlier yesterday reiterated the commission’s directive to telecom operators to block phone lines not linked to NINs by February 28, 2024.
He spoke in Kaduna at the NCC’s Special Day during the ongoing 45th Kaduna International Trade Fair.
Maida, represented by NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Mouka, said as a matter of critical national security, telecom consumers must link their SIMs to their NINs.
This is despite an injunction by the Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday banning telecom operators from deactivating or terminating any phone line or SIM card not linked to the user’s National NIN.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa inssued the injunction following an application by a Lagos-based lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, seeking to prohibit the respondents–the Federal Government, the Attorney-General of the Federation, MTN, NCC and Airtel from deactivating, barring or restricting SIM cards or phone lines on February 28, 2024, or any other scheduled date, pending a decision by the Appeal Court. The NCC and the telecom operators have yet to appeal the court decision.
The federal government had, on December 16, 2020, introduced the SIM-NIN synchronization with the assurance that it would enable security agencies to track criminals.
The synchronization involves validating the NIN with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and matching the subscriber’s NIN records with the SIM registration information (verification) to ensure proper subscriber’s identification.
Nigerians have raised posers on why the security agencies have not utilized the SIM-NIN linkage to track criminals, especially bandits and kidnappers, who often reach out, via mobile phone lines, to victims’ families who paid huge amounts of money as ransom.
At present, there are 224.7 million active mobile telephone lines in the country, according to the information released yesterday by the NCC on its website.
The spokesman of the NIMC, Kayode Adegoke, told our correspondent yesterday that a total of 104 million NINs had so far been registered as of last week.
The NCC had, last year, given February 28, 2024, as the new deadline for the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) to block subscribers without their NINs and those whose NINs had not been verified.
The NCC boss, Maida, on Wednesday reaffirmed that the deadline stood.
“The Commission has directed all telecommunication operators to bar phone lines of subscribers whose lines are not linked to their NINs on or before February 28, 2024.
“As a regulator of the telecommunications sector in the country, the commission carries out its functions to ensure service availability, affordability, and sustainability for all categories of consumers, who are leveraging on ICT/Telecoms to drive personal and business activities,” he said.
A reliable source at the NCC told Daily Trust last night that 11.2 million SIM cards were yet to be linked to their owners’ NINs.
“These 11.2 million lines will all be barred from either calling or receiving calls and will also be denied from accessing service by the telecom operators”, the official stated.
Blockage begins today–Telecoms operators
In a statement yesterday, the chairman of the Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr Gbenga Adebayo, said compliance to the NCC’s directive would begin today.
“We have directed all telecommunication companies, and also communicated to our members to implement full network barring on all MSISDNs for which the subscribers have not submitted their National Identity Numbers (NINs) and those without verified NINs.”
Adebayo emphasised that all the affected subscribers must be verified (biometrics and bio-data) before their lines would be unbarred.
“The importance of the NIN cannot be over-emphasised. It is crucial for Nigeria’s reliable and sustainable national identity management system. It enables economic inclusion and access to government services and helps address security concerns.
“Supporting the NIN initiative is necessary for a thriving digital economy and a safer society.
“Therefore, our members are committed to implementing the directive as law-abiding corporate citizens who highly support the government’s objective to build a digital economy.
“We, therefore, wish to appeal to esteemed subscribers to kindly enroll for NINs or submit their NINs through the appropriate channel advertised by members to avoid full suspension of services by the set deadlines.
“This is part of an industry-wide directive that requires phone lines for which the subscribers have not submitted their NINs to be barred on or before 28 February 2024.
“About NINs that have been submitted but not verified, such lines are to be barred on or before 29 March 2024, where five or more lines are linked to an unverified NIN.
“Similarly, where less than five lines are linked to an unverified NIN, such lines are to be barred on or before 15 April 2024. All affected subscribers must be verified (biometrics and bio-data) before their lines are unbarred.
“The current directive is a follow-up to the NCC’s directive of April 2022 requiring operators to restrict outgoing calls (one-way barring) for subscribers whose lines are not associated with NINs.
“We encourage affected subscribers to submit their NINs for verification,” the statement said.
Subscribers’ association president seeks more time
Speaking to Daily Trust yesterday, the president of National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers of Nigeria,
Deolu Ogunbanjo, said the telecom operators should give subscribers more time to comply with the NCC’s directive.
Ogunbanjo, however, urged Nigerians to go and link their SIM cards to their NINs to avoid being barred
MTN explains network outage
Meanwhile, subscribers of MTN telecommunication service experienced network glitches for several hours yesterday.
The company said the network failure was caused by multiple fibre cuts affecting voice and data services.
[DailyTrust]
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A fresh crisis is brewing in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over the just concluded Edo State governorship primaries election following the insistence of Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, that he won the primaries and should be given a certificate of return. Shaibu, who emerged as winner of a parallel primary, stormed the National Secretariat of the PDP, yesterday, to demand the certificate of return.
His demand came barely 24 hours after the party’s Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum and the party leadership issued a certificate of return to Dr. Asue Ighodalo, who won the primaries recognized by the party. The deputy governor who was at the secretariat with a handful of his aides, did not meet any member of the National Working Committee, NWC.
He, however, insisted that the party must abide by its own rules or be prepared to face legal action. Speaking to reporters shortly after leaving the office of the PDP acting national chairman, Shaibu said: “Today is 28th of February, 2024. By the PDP guidelines approved by the NWC on the Edo 2024 governorship primary, today is the day set aside by the electoral guidelines that the certificate of returns will be issued. “I am here to receive my certificate of return because I won the primary in Edo where the authentic delegates voted. If you look at the board of the party office here, you will see the names of all the delegates that voted for me.
“Today is the presentation of Certificate of Return according to the party, so PDP must follow its rules and guidelines. This is what we are talking about.
“The process of producing a candidate has been compromised from the onset and we ask that those things be corrected. Even the committee that recommended the political solution is fully aware that there were abnormalities in the process that led to my emergence and whoever.
“But why I am here is to obey the guidelines to come and receive the certificate of return and I was told that somebody else came here yesterday and was given the certificate. “I think the court will tell us who between us is the real candidate, but I am here in fulfillment of the electoral guidelines of the PDP to receive my certificate… I told them that I was coming, but none of them had come to work, only the staff of the secretariat are here. I don’t know why they are not here. That is strange and that is in line with why they were in a hurry to give the certificate of return yesterday (Tuesday).”
Asked whether he was ready to give peace a chance following calls by both the party leadership and its recognized candidate, Ighodalo, for a truce, Shaibu expressed doubt over the sincerity of Governor Godwin Obaseki and his team. He said: “Maybe the acting chairman may be very honourable and mean what he is saying but the others talking about reconciliation don’t really mean what they are saying.
“They are intimidating us, and harassing us. As I speak, they are even threatening to impeach me and that is their way of dealing with people. They suspend, sack people, make phone calls intimidating people telling people, they will come after you.
“During the military, these were the kind of threats that we were getting and we cannot return to the era of intimidation and harassment, and that is the issue in Edo State.” Asked if he was considering seeking legal redress, Shaibu said: “When the party’s internal mechanism is followed and it is obvious that the party is not ready to listen, the next line of action obviously will be the judiciary, but I pray we don’t get there and that is why I came here today.
“I’m sure in the coming days, the acting National Chairman and others will adhere to what brought me here today and when they do so, there will not be a need to go to court.” I will surpass Obaseki’s performance, if elected – Ighodalo Meanwhile, Dr Ighodalo has said he was committed to transforming the state and surpassing the achievements of outgoing Governor Obaseki if elected on September 21, 2024. He gave the assurance while addressing party supporters who thronged the Benin Airport to welcome him back from Abuja. Recall that Asue Ighodalo who was recently nominated as PDP candidate in a primary election many judged to be transparent, free and fair was on Tuesday in Abuja given the certificate of return by the party’s national leadership.
He said: “If elected, I will commence work from where Governor Obaseki would stop and even do more for the people.” He maintained that having been given the PDP return certificate, the real work has commenced and appealed to the people to help support his ambition. He said: “I want to thank you all for this show of love and support because we wouldn’t be where we are now without your support. “This is the time for the real work to commence and by the grace of God, we are going to work hard in order to achieve our target. “Where the Governor will stop in terms of development, we are going to continue from there and even do more”, he assured.
[Vanguard]
Two senior executives at Binance have been detained in Nigeria.
According to Financial Times (FT), a UK-based business news outlet, the passports of the unnamed Binance executives were seized.
FT gathered that the executives flew to Nigeria following the country’s decision to ban several cryptocurrency trading websites last week but were detained with their passports seized.
Officials did not provide details on why the Binance employees are being detained and it remains unclear on whether they have been charged with any violations of Nigerian law.
Recall last week Federal Government blocked the online platforms of Binance and other crypto firms to avert what it considers continuous manipulation of the forex market and illicit movement of funds.
Apart from Binance, other platforms such as Forextime, OctaFX, Crypto, FXTM, Coinbase, and Kraken, among others were also blocked.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday raised concerns over $26 billion that flowed through Binance Nigeria over the past year from “unidentified sources”.
CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, expressed worries over the significant volume of transactions passing through Binance Nigeria, emphasizing that the origins and beneficiaries of these funds are yet to be adequately identified.
“We are concerned that certain practices go on that indicate illicit flows going through a number of these entities and suspicious flows at best.
“In the case of Binance, in the last one year alone, $26 billion has passed through Binance Nigeria from sources and users who we cannot adequately identify,” he stated.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Wednesday, said the importation of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, into Nigeria has reduced by 50 per cent since the withdrawal of subsidy on the commodity.
During his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu declared that fuel subsidy was gone. Within 24 hours after that declaration, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Nigeria’s sole importer of PMS, withdrew subsidy on petrol.
This led to a jump in the price of the commodity from about N198/litre to over N500/litre, as it later moved up to over N600/litre and currently sells for between N620/litre and N700/litre depending on the area of purchase.
Speaking at the third edition of the ministerial press briefing series in Abuja on Wednesday, where the Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare addressed journalists, Idris stated that subsidy removal had led to the reduction of fuel imports by 50 per cent.
“Petrol importation has been reduced by 50 per cent since the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy,” the information minister stated.
He explained the continent lacked extensive traditional energy infrastructure, but stressed that this had presented an opportunity for leapfrogging in a more efficient way to renewable technology.
“Our aspiration in the area of energy security and energy transition will remain aspiration unless we have access to adequate funding resources that we control. With a lot of international banks withdrawing funding out of the oil and gas sector, the investment in the industry has become severely limited with the corresponding impact on exploration and production.
“Afreximbank has intervened in a big way, quickly becoming the largest financier of oil and gas deals in the continent. The support provided to the sector by the bank is in excess of $30bn. Nigeria has been one of the largest beneficiaries accounting for almost 60 per cent of the total funding of the sector.
“And it’s important to the point that afreximbank has been able to make those modest contributions in the oil and gas sector because the bank is predominantly African in ownership and control,” he stated.
Oramah disclosed that Afreximbank would be managing the proposed Africa Energy Bank to ensure its best chance of success.
“The strategic goal of the Africa Energy Bank is to play a leadership role in shaping the energy landscape in Africa through strategic partnership with proven African and international financial institutions and investors and also to provide sustainable financing in this area of the oil and gas sector.
“The Africa energy bank will need considerable support to get off the ground. We will need support from member states to achieve the level of capitalization that is adequate to support the energy sector,” he stated.
NNPCL partners OPEC
Also on Wednesday, NNPCL and the Organisation of the Oil Exporting Countries pledged to work together to achieve the Nigeria’s aspirations to attract investments and grow production.
The two organisations came to this accord when the Secretary-General of OPEC, Haitham al-Ghais, paid a courtesy visit to the Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, at the NNPC Towers in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, al-Ghais stated that OPEC was completely aligned with NNPCL’s vision as captured in its payoff line: “Energy for Today, Energy for Tomorrow”.
This, he said, was because of the oil firm’s inclusive view of energy as opposed to the view being pushed in some quarters that some sources of energy were bad.
He disclosed that in spite of the pushback on oil and gas, the world would require about $14tn investments from now till 2035 to be able to meet global demand, and urged NNPCL to do everything to tap into that opportunity to raise its production.
“We will continue to ensure that the market is stable. The global market has to be stable in order for Nigeria to be able to attract investors. If there’s volatility, if there’s no stability in the market, it will only create havoc for everybody, whether it’s a producer or consumer country.
“So, we will continue to do that in OPEC. We count on Nigeria’s support,” the OPEC helmsman stated.
In his remarks, Kyari said NNPCL was working very hard to recover lost production and provide the right fiscal environment to attract investments.
He expressed appreciation to OPEC for its support to Nigeria, adding that NNPCL would continue to support the organisation in whatever way it could.
Nigeria reaping
Meanwhile, at the briefing series by the information minister, which was initiated to provide a platform for public officials to reel out their achievements and apprise Nigerians of the challenges of governance, Idris said Nigeria had begun to reap the benefits of the reforms being spearheaded by President Tinubu.
He said that the Nigeria’s gross domestic product grew by 3.46 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2023, as against 2.54 per cent recorded in the third quarter of 2023.
He also said capital importation rose to 66 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2023, reversing a 36 per cent decline in the third quarter.
“The Nigerian Stock Exchange All Share Index crossed the 100,000 mark – its highest ever, mainly due to the pragmatic reforms initiated by the President, which inspired investor confidence in the Nigerian economy.
“It is also encouraging to state that oil production has risen from 1.22 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2023 to 1.55 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter of 2023.”
President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of petrol subsidy during his inaugural address on May 29, 2023, saying, “Subsidy is gone.”
Idris notes that President Tinubu has also given a directive for the design of a Social Security Unemployment Programme to cater for the unemployed graduates.
“This is in addition to setting up of a Social Consumer Credit Scheme to boost the purchasing power of Nigerians, as they make adjustments in view of the temporary economic hardship.
“As the government rejigs the National Social Investment Programme, the direct payments of N25,000 to 15 million households will resume immediately.
“The government is equally tackling insecurity headlong and more success stories are coming in on daily basis. Without any doubt, we are winning the war against insecurity,” he said.
[Punch]
Federal government investigation has revealed that some parody non-governmental organisations (NGOs), within West Africa are being used to fund terror organisations.
The commandant of the National Defence College, Abuja, Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Olotu, disclosed this at the opening session of a five-day workshop organised by the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).
GIABA is a specialised institution of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, responsible for facilitating the adoption and implementation of Anti-Money Laundering, AML, and Counter Financing of Terrorism, CFT, strategies in West Africa.
Nigeria was represented at the event by the National Counter Terrorism Centre, NCTC, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, National Defence College and the Department of State Services, DSS.
In his remarks at the workshop which provided a platform for ECOWAS member states to brainstorm and create curriculum and training modules to counter terror financing within the region, which was read by Dr. Adam Abdullahi, said efforts were on to block all the sources of funds open to terrorist organisations in the country.
He, however, decried that some of the terror groups had resorted to seeking funds through various less suspectable means.
“The moment we are able to interrupt the financing of terrorist groups, about 50 per cent of our problem is solved. Majority of the sources of funds for these criminal elements are unconventional means, such as kidnapping for ransom and illegal declaration of taxation in the Lake Chad Basin.
“The moment we are able to seal off these unofficial sources of income and identify ways of blocking them, as well as some official sources as religious organisations and other parody NGOs who are supporting terrorism, the better for us,” he added.
Also at the event, the director-general of the DSS, Mr Yusuf Bichi, described terrorism as one of the most significant threats to global peace.
Bichi, who was represented by Mr. A.S. Adeleke, said there was need to dismantle “the subversive funding mechanism” that sustain terrorist networks within West Africa.
He said the effort would require a comprehensive and coordinated response aimed at undermining the capacity of terror groups to cause harm in the society.
“At the heart of our effort to counter terrorism lies, is the need to disrupt and dismantle the financial network that enable its operation.
“Terrorist organisations rely on a steady flow of funds to recruit, train and equip their operatives to propagate their extremism ideology and carry out their heinous acts of violence.
“By targeting their financial lifelines, we can undermine their capacities to function. However, combating terrorism financing is not task that only one agency of government can undertake. It requires close cooperation and coordination among law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, civil society organisations and international regulatory community at large. It demands shared commitment on information sharing, capacity building and the implementation of our robust legal and regulatory frameworks,” he added.
On his part, the coordinator, NCTC, Real Admiral Y.E. Musa, lamented that activities of various terrorist groups had persistently increased, despite the sustained efforts and cooperation among national governments within the region.