A Commissioner under Governor Ademola Adeleke has appointed over 20 personal assistants to work with him.
The Commissioner, Bunmi Jenyo, who serves as the head of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry will be paying the appointed aides with his salary.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Sesan Adeleke on Saturday, said the aides will work with the Commissioner directly or indirectly.
It reads; “In his magnanimity to the people of Ila Local Government (main council) and Local Government Development Area (LCDA), Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Rev. Bunmi Jenyo, has donated his monthly salary to some of his constituents, tagged as personal aides.
“The aides numbering over twenty are to work with the Honourable Commissioner either directly or indirectly in specific assignments, in the interests of growth and development of the Local Governments and Osun State as a whole.
“It is also in his giant stride to cushion the effect of economic realities in his community and put smiles on the faces of masses at the grassroots”.
In Kano State, hundreds of Nigerien nationals have organized a peaceful demonstration to express their opposition to the recent coup in their home country.
Furthermore, they have expressed their endorsement of the sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Niger.
While condemning the military coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum’s democratically elected government, these residents also cautioned against any form of military interference in their nation.
Leading the peaceful protest on Saturday in Kano, Lawalli Mamman Barma, the group’s Chairman, appealed to the leaders of the military coup. He called for the unconditional release of President Mohamed Bazoum, his family, and all individuals who were reportedly taken captive during the military intervention that occurred on July 16, 2023.
He said, “We demand without condition, the release of the president of Niger Republic, as well as his family and all other kidnapped persons.”
The chairman, while calling for the restoration of democratic leadership in Niger Republic, also, urged ECOWAS to rescind its decision to enforce military forces in the country, stressing that dialogue is the best approach to resolving conflict than military confrontation.
In another development, WithinNigeria reported that the Police Commissioner in Kano State, Mr Hussaini Gumel, dismissed reports about protests by residents of the state over the planned deployment of military personnel by ECOWAS to restore constitutional order in Niger Republic.
Gumel told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview that the command was not aware of any protest by residents of the city against the proposed troops deployment.
“I am just hearing the report from you on the so-called demonstration by Kano residents because of the political situation in Niger Republic.
“You can see we are just coming back from the Passing-Out ceremony of graduands of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, where about 169 cadet officers were commissioned by President Tinubu.
“So, frankly speaking I have not given any person or group of residents permit to embark on demonstration because of the political happenings in our next-door neighbour, Niger Republic.
“You can see Kano is a peaceful State and we will continue to provide security to enable residents to move about their businesses without threats to lives and property,” he said.
Former Military Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), led a delegation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to Niger in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to reach a peaceful solution with Niger Junta.
Although the delegation was scheduled to meet with Niger Republic Coup Leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, it was Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine who received them.
According to BBC Hausa, the meeting with representative of the troubled West African Country lasted about 90 minutes.
It is unclear why Abdulsalami’s delegation could not meet with the junta but there are unconfirmed reports of mutiny by the presidential guard of Niger Republic.
A previous effort by ECOWAS delegation also led by Abubakar failed to meet Bazoum and the coup leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani.
Tichiani later apologised when some Nigerian clerics met with him last weekend, saying they did not meet the delegation out of anger.
See the pictures of the meeting with Nigerien Prime Minister below:
The new Prime Minister of the Niger Republic, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, has assured that the Military junta, which overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum during a July 26 coup will do him no harm.
Speaking on the fate of overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum, Zeine told the New York Times that, “Nothing will happen to him, because we don’t have a tradition of violence in Niger.”
He also insisted the Niger coup leaders had no intention of collaborating with Russia, or with the Kremlin-backed mercenaries of the Wagner group.
While praising the “extremely reasonable position” of the White House in trying to resolve the crisis through diplomacy rather than force, Zeine, who served as finance minister in a previous administration, said, “the moment will come to review” such military partnerships.
The New York Times reported that the coup leaders had cut off water and electricity to Bazoum’s house, where he has been confined since being ousted, and threatened to kill him if other African countries make good on a proposal to restore him to power through a military intervention.
President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria earlier warned on Friday that there will be “grave consequences” if Niger’s military regime allows Bazoum’s health to worsen under house arrest, a European Union official said.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York was questioned by reporters on the state of Bazoum’s health and if he was even still alive.
“I’ve spoken to someone who speaks to him regularly. And, yes, as far as we know and we have no indication to say that he’s not alive. So as far as I know, he’s alive,” she said.
Zeine, a French-trained economist who was appointed Niger’s prime minister on August 7, was also questioned by the New York Times on the presence of 1,100 American soldiers and 1,500 French soldiers fighting against jihadists in anti-terrorist operations with the local Army.
Burkina Faso and Mali have deployed war planes in Niger Republic following the threat of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) troops that they were waiting for order to strike.
The regional bloc had given Niger junta a week ultimatum to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face possible sanctions, including possible military action.
The coupists had called the bluff of ECOWAS and vowed to resist foreign intervention.
Subsequently, ECOWAS Defence Chiefs were ordered to activate the region’s force for action to restore civil rule in Niger.
But Burkina Faso and Mali warned that any military intervention in Niger will be considered a declaration of war against them.
In a joint statement, the governments of Burkina Faso and Mali said, “The disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger could destabilise the entire region,” the statement read.
At the end of a two-day meeting of ECOWAS Defence Chiefs in Accra, Ghana capital, Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, said, “We are ready to go any time the order is given. The D-day is also decided. We’ve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention.”
However, he said the option for diplomacy was still available.
“As we speak, we are still readying [a] mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door.”
“Tomorrow there is the possibility of an ECOWAS mission going into Niger to continue to pursue the peaceful path to restoration of constitutional order. We are ready to resolve the issue peacefully but it takes two to tango.”
The latest move of Mali and Burkina Faso was disclosed by Niger’s national television.
In a report, the television station said the military leaders from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger convened Friday in the Nigerien capital Niamey to decide on “concrete measures” in case ECOWAS chooses to “escalate a war.”
Most of ECOWAS’s 15 member states are prepared to contribute to the joint force, except Cape Verde and those also under military rule – Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea.
The Spokesman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba has described the N5billion in palliatives and grant to the state government as shambolic and unscientific.
Muhammad-Baba, a Professor of Sociology, who expressed his view in an interview, said there is no basis for giving the same amount to Lagos, Oyo, Kano and Bayelsa states, as their populations and statistics of eligible people differ.
He said, “I am not happy about such blanket distribution of N5 billion to each state. In the first place, there is no basis for the distribution. I mean, if you are looking for poor people, are you allocating the same amount to Bayelsa, Lagos, Oyo, and Kano states, and you expect it to make an impact?
“This shows that we are doing things like what grammar people call ‘hunter’s pack’. You don’t plan, you don’t strategize, you just came out and made an announcement on that. There is no basis for sharing money to states on an equal basis.
“We are talking of poor people and poor people is a question of proportion, we know there are over 140 million poor people in Nigeria. The number of people suffering from poverty in Lagos, Oyo, and Kano will not be the same with those living in poverty in Bayelsa, Taraba, or Jigawa. So, what is the basis? What impact is it going to make?
“You are accompanying it with 30,000 bags of rice. How many people is that going to reach? Take a state like Sokoto, for example. They have over seven million people by the latest National Population Commission estimate. So, how many people are 30,000 bags of rice going to feed?”
He noted that the government is not working on a definite plan saying, “The government is implementing a shambolic policy, you need to come to the aid of the poor people, there is no doubt about it, that is scientific, but you need to do it in such a way that your intervention will not be a drop in the ocean.”
The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Non-remittance of the National Housing Fund (NHF) and the utilisation of the fund from 2011 has summoned critical stakeholders for its investigative hearing.
It set August 23 to begin hearing into the matter.
Rep. Dachung Bagos, the committee’s chairman, said this in a memo in Abuja on Saturday.
He said the speaker of the House, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, would inaugurate the committee on Wednesday.
Among the critical stakeholders invited were the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Auditor-General of the Federation.
Others include the chairman of ICPC, the acting chairman of EFCC and the Surveyor-General of the Federation.
He also urged the affected institutions and government officials to submit memorandums and other relevant documents to the committee’s secretariat.
(NAN)
The current administration of Bola Tinubu is expected to pay off a $3.4bn owed to the International Monetary Fund during his tenure.
Saturday PUNCH earlier reported that the Federal Government of Nigeria is expected to pay the IMF a total of $3.51bn between 2022 and 2026 to offset the $3.4bn loan.
However, according to information obtained from a webpage on the IMF’s website, titled ‘Nigeria: Financial Position in the Fund as of July 31, 2023,’ there is an outstanding of $3.19bn, which will be paid off during the current administration.
In April 2020, the IMF disbursed a $3.4bn emergency financial assistance to Nigeria.
The loan was approved under the Rapid Financing Instrument by the Executive Board of the IMF on April 28 to address challenges arising from the economic impact of COVID-19 in the country.
The loaned amount was disbursed on April 30, 2020.
A statement by the IMF on the loan read, “The IMF approved $3.4bn in emergency financial assistance under the Rapid Financing Instrument to support the authorities’ efforts in addressing the severe economic impact of the COVID-19 shock and the sharp fall in oil prices.”
It was also disclosed that out of four agreed loans, disbursement was made on only one loan.
Under a section titled ‘Overdue Obligations and Projected Payments to Fund’, a breakdown of how much Nigeria is expected to pay each year is provided.
The amount to be paid was provided in the Special Drawing Rights. The SDR is an international reserve asset, created by the IMF in 1969 to supplement its member countries’ official reserves.
SDR1 is currently $1.33 based on the exchange rate provided by the IMF on its website.
As a result, in 2023, Nigeria is expected to pay SDR373.81m ($497.17m), which includes principal (SDR306.81m/$408.06m) and interest fee (SDR67m/$89.11m) on the loan.
Nigeria is expected to pay a total of SDR1.32bn ($1.76bn) in 2024. This comprises a principal fee of SDR1.23bn ($1.64bn) and an interest fee of SDR94.76m ($126.03m).
In 2025, Nigeria is expected to pay a total of SDR650.58m ($865.27). This comprises a principal fee of SDR613.63m ($816.13m) and an interest fee of SDR36.95m ($49.14m).
The country is expected to pay a total of SDR25.56m ($33.99m) each in 2026 and 2027, which is only an interest fee. This is the least amount during the repayment period.
The PUNCH observed that repayment had been extended to 2027 from the initial 2026 earlier reported.
In total, the new administration is expected to pay $3.19bn to the IMF, which further suggests that the previous administration likely paid $320m on loan.
In its 2022 financial statements, the CBN made reference to the loan.
It stated, “In 2020, the Bank entered into rapid financing instrument’s arrangement with International Monetary Fund on behalf of Federal Government of Nigeria. The loan is a 5 years tenor facility, repayable after a moratorium of 2 years and the interest rate is 1% per annum.”
The CBN added, “Repayment of the IMF loans as well as charges is the responsibility of the bank.”
The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Joe Ajero, has noted that the N5bn palliative package per state as announced by the Federal Government won’t amount to N1500 per person when shared among over 133 million Nigerians who are multi-dimensionally poor.
Ajero, who made this known on Friday in an interview on the Politics Today show on Channels Television, argued that there was no way N185bn would amount to something impactful, when shared among 133 million Nigerians who are multi-dimensionally poor, according to statistics he got from the National Bureau of Statistics.
The Labour Union leader maintained that even if the funds were converted to the value of six trailers of rice, it wouldn’t amount to a cup of rice per individual when shared.
He added that from the time of the first increment of pump price for petroleum to the last one, more Nigerians had gone beyond the borderline and had slid into a very high level of poverty.
“Let us assume that it is a palliative and not a loan, you will agree that it is difficult to feel the impact of such an amount at a time like this when the Bureau of Statistics has come up to say that over 133 million Nigerians are multi-dimensionally poor.
“You start to wonder about the impact of N185bn to 133 million people by their admittance, who are multi-dimensionally poor.
“In fact from the first increase in pump price of petrol and the last one, a lot of people moved from the borderline to a very high level of poverty. If you calculate and do an arithmetic on that, you will discover that it won’t amount to N1500 per person and you ask if that’s the impact that we want to achieve,” he said.
The Edo State House of Assembly, on Friday, called on residents of the state to disregard the purported impeachment plan by the lawmakers against the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu.
The Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, who disclosed when the 24 members of the House of Assembly visited Governor Godwin Obaseki at the Government House in Benin City, said he never received a directive from Obaseki to commence an impeachment of Shaibu.
“We are here to clear the air on the insinuation of the impeachment of the Deputy Governor of Edo State. I want to let the people of Edo State know that there was nothing of such in the State House of Assembly.
“There was no time that the governor called me and instructed me that there must be an impeachment against the deputy governor. The rumour of impeachment is from the pit of hell.
“When I approached the governor, he asked if there’s anything like that. I told him there is no such plan. Nothing of such is going on. On my own, I called the deputy governor to tell him that there was nothing like an impeachment plan by the Assembly and what he heard was rumour.”
The Speaker further said that the visit by the lawmakers to the governor to reassure him of their support to enable him to finish well.
“The 24 members of the EDHA are all here to let you know that we will join you to finish strong as Edo people must live a good life and you are already setting the pace,” Agbebaku added.
Responding, Obaseki said the focus of his administration was to continue with its developmental strides in the state as he would not be distracted from delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Edo State.
He said having done “so much” in Edo, the state should be noted for positive developments.
He added, “There is no crisis in Edo. No crisis in the government. No crisis in EDHA and those who benefit from crises, creating crises, or reporting crises should not be given the opportunity here.
“What should be of concern to us today is the failure of federal roads in the state which have almost incapacitated the State as the people are unable to move. That should be a crucial concern to us as Edo people.”
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The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has said the federal government was secretly paying subsidy on petrol to maintain the current pump price.
Naija News reports that presently, petrol sells for between N568 and N617 in different parts of the country, and the ex-depot price of petrol stood at N580 per litre in Lagos on Thursday.
After adding the cost of conveying it to filling stations and the marketers’ profit margin, it ought to sell for between N620 and N630 per litre.
It was gathered that the difference, however, represents the subsidy that the government is surreptitiously bearing despite the fact that there is no budget for that.
In a chat with The Punch on Friday, IPMAN National Secretary, Chief John Kekeocha, said the decision of the government to put a cap on petrol prices meant that subsidy on the product had been reinstated.
He said, “The government is not being very transparent with this issue. When you say you have removed fuel subsidy, you don’t come again and moderate prices. It is like speaking with the two sides of the mouth.
“Removal of subsidy means you have removed your hands, and the prices have to follow demand and supply. So if the NNPC says it is getting forex (foreign exchange) to import products and reduce prices for marketers, are they going to do the same for other importers? Remember that the government gave import licences to about seven marketers?
“Are they still going to moderate prices for those people when they bring in the product? No! You don’t blow hot and cold at the same time. There is no way they can bring in the product and reduce the price and peg it for marketers to sell at a certain level; it means they are indirectly bringing back subsidy.
“If they want to bring back subsidy, let them say it openly that we are going to come back to subsidy because of the pains the country generally is going through. This is because the initial things they are supposed to do they did not do. We have always been clamouring; let the refineries work.”
Also speaking, IPMAN Spokesman, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, insisted that the subsidy on petrol was being returned gradually.
He said, “You can also see the analysis that the Presidency made with the cost of the product in neighbouring countries, as well as in the international market. It said no country is selling non-subsidised petrol at N617/litre.
“But that is not a qualitative analysis. You will talk about the purchasing power of your own currency, as it were. In Ghana, a bottle of Coke is about N400, but it is about N200 in Nigeria. You won’t say because it is N400 in Ghana, Nigerians should also buy it at N400.
“So, that analogy by the Presidency in stating that petrol is cheaper here is not entirely correct. This takes us to the importance of domestic refining, which will enable us to check the demand for dollars and importation of petroleum products.
“If we actually want full deregulation, there must be local production that will check the rise in dollar. For once the dollar is rising, there’s nothing you can do to stop the simultaneous rise in petrol price.
“If not, it means the Federal Government is subsidising petroleum products, which implies that subsidy has indirectly returned.”
Veteran journalist, television host and newspaper columnist, Dr Reuben Abati was one of 102 people inducted as a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) on Thursday.
The Institute's 2023 Awards, Fellows, and Spouses' Day Luncheon was held at the MUSON Centre's spacious Shell Hall in Onikan, Lagos, with the customary pomp, pageantry, frills, and thrills.
Several prominent Nigerians attended the event, which had the theme "The Leadership Imperative for Managers in a Rapidly Changing World" and was widely attended by them.
The President of NIM, Dr. Christiana Atako stated at the Nigerian Institute of Management Chartered (NIMC) 2023 Awards, Fellows, and Spouses' Day Luncheon in Lagos that the institute's process of upgrading members to Fellows has always been thorough, which is why only those who are truly deserving of the award are honoured yearly.
The fellowship upgrade, according to her, is a call to greater responsibility and contribution to the institute, the management profession, and the country rather than a goal or an aim in and of itself.
In order to help NIM in its varied missions, Atako urged the inductees to put their skills and areas of expertise at its disposal.
In an acceptance speech on behalf of the other inductees, Abati said that receiving the fellowship from the top professional institute was a source of tremendous pleasure and delight.
Mr. Anthony Arabome, former Director, Corporate Services, African Finance Corporation, and past President, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), presented The Leadership Imperatives for All Managers in a Rapidly Changing World.
In a dynamic, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, Arabome highlighted four traits that successful corporate leaders must exhibit.
The four habits were defined by the former president of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management as making decisions quickly and firmly, engaging for impact, adapting proactively, and delivering consistently.
He contends that high-performing CEOs and C-suite leaders are distinguished more by their increased decisiveness than by their constant ability to make excellent decisions.
"Once a clear course for the business has been set, chief executive officers and top leaders should secure buy-in among their employees and other stakeholders," he said.
The expert noted that leadership demanded initiative and calculated risk-taking to try new ideas, and management should deliver best practises to assure quality and customer satisfaction.
"Strong performers balance keen insight into their stakeholders’ priorities with an unrelenting focus on delivering business results.
"Chief executive officer candidates who scored high on reliability are twice as likely to be selected for the role and 15 times more likely to succeed in it because boards and investors love a steady hand and employees trust predictable leaders.
"Companies and individuals need to develop leadership and management capabilities and become adept at assessing when and how to use them.
"Whether you are in the public or private sector, if you are going to be influential and impactful, you need to have and deploy good management and leadership skills," he said.
See Pictures Below:
The Police Service Commission has said that police authorities have yet to bring before it the case of the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, for further action.
A Commissioner representing the media in the PSC board, Austin Braimoh, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent on Friday.
Kyari’s troubles started in July 2021 when he was indicted by Raman Abbas, widely known as Hushpuppi.
The Dubai Police in the United Arab Emirates had in June 2020 arrested Hushpuppi and his gang. They were later extradited to the US for prosecution by the FBI.
The FBI Special Agent, Andrew Innocenti, alleged that Hushpuppi contracted Kyari after a “co-conspirator,” Chibuzo Vincent, threatened to expose the alleged $1.1m fraud committed against a Qatari businessman.
In July 2021, the former Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, ordered ‘an internal review of the allegations’ against Abba Kyari.
In August 2021, Baba recommended Kyari’s immediate suspension.
The Police Service Commission ordered a fresh probe into the allegations against Kyari in January 2022, while in February of the same year, the PSC ordered further investigation of Kyari.
On February 14, 2022, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency declared Kyari wanted.
The NDLEA accused him of being a member of a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline.
On the same day, the police arrested Kyari and four others and handed them over to the NDLEA for prosecution.
Braimoh added that the details of Kyari’s alleged involvement in the case should have been forwarded to the commission for further action.
He said, “No report of him has reached the PSC. All that the PSC received from the former IGP was that he has a case to answer and should be suspended which is an interim thing when someone is being investigated.
“The police hierarchy has not forwarded his case to the commission. The only thing that was done is that when he was arrested, they informed us that he has breached the law and should be suspended.
“If his case comes to the commission, the commission will weigh them. As of now, details of his involvement in the alleged crime ought to be before the commission for the commission to act on the areas he breached professional ethics while the court handles the criminal aspects.”
Asked if the commission had reached out to the police authorities on the matter, he said, “You don’t go asking; it is automatic. It will look as if we have a secondary interest in the matter. As we speak, there is nothing before the commission to adjudicate on.”
However, efforts to get the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, to react on the matter proved abortive as he did not pick up calls to his line.
He has also yet to respond to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk has said that there was no legal basis for Niger’s military junta to prosecute deposed president Mohamed Bazoum for high treason.
Turk, also stated that the very notion of freedom in Niger was at stake.
On August 13 2023, the Niger junta said it will prosecute ousted Bazoum for high treason over his exchanges with foreign heads of state and international organisations.
Junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane said the military authorities had “gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute the ousted president…for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger.”
Reacting, the UN human rights chief as quoted by Reuters on Friday said, “This decision is not only politically motivated against a democratically elected President but has no legal basis as the normal functioning of democratic institutions has been cast aside.
“The very notion of freedoms in Niger is at stake.
“Generals cannot take it upon themselves to defy – at a whim – the will of the people. Rule-by-gun has no place in today’s world.”
The coup leaders have imprisoned Bazoum and dissolved the elected government of Niger, a major uranium producer and a Western ally in the fight against an Islamist insurgency.