The ruling All Progressives Congress has stated that the persistent attacks on the legacy of the party’s National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, in Kano State may have cost the presidential candidate of New Nigerian People’s Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, a position in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu.
Prior to the unveiling of Tinubu’s ministerial nominees, there were suggestions that Kwankwaso might get a position in Tinubu’s government, given the fraternity between the duo after the presidential election.
However, Kwankwaso did not make the list of Tinubu’s ministerial nominees, while a former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, got a slot.
Speaking with our correspondent on Sunday, the Director of Publicity of the APC, Bala Ibrahim, said he believed the attacks on Ganduje’s legacies in Kano State by Governor Abba Yusuf of the NNPP and Kwankwaso’s political godson was why Tinubu decided against giving Kwankwaso a ministerial position.
Ibrahim said, “Kwankwaso is a force to reckon with in the politics of Kano. But the way and manner his Kwankwasiyya movement goes about conducting itself has made the support for Kwankwaso to wane gradually. This is because of the brigandage the movement is bringing into the politics of Kano, and by extension, Nigeria.
“The President must have felt the pulse of the public and weighed the relevance and implementation of his policies, particularly his effort to win the hearts of Kano people. There is no way you will dismiss the political maturity, sagacity and experience of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje when it comes to the way he plays politics in Kano.
“If you weigh the two on a good calibrated scale, the political weight of Ganduje is by far higher than that of Kwankwaso. I believe the President must have listened to people who will give him honest and sincere advice, people who read the political temperature of the state very well, not those who are misguided by the hullabaloo of commotion caused by the brigandage of the Kwankwasiyya movement. It is that direction I think the President took the decision not to treat Ganduje lightly.”
But the Kwankwaso camp knocked the APC for trying to taint its principal.
The NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Major Agbo, told our correspondent that the APC did not deserve a response.
Agbo said, “Some of these issues are things the party is not supposed to be reacting to now. He (Kwankwaso) has spoken directly on the issue you talked about. He is the one who opted out. What else do you want?
“If Ganduje is saying what he is saying and wants to continue to be behaving like a garrison commander, it is his business, not ours.”
The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has clarified its earlier statement where it alleged that unnamed persons were calling on the military to interfere in the country’s democracy.
The DHQ, through its spokesperson, Tukur Gusau, had also frowned at reports claiming that the armed forces were having welfare challenges.
“The report’s call on the military to interfere in our democracy is highly unpatriotic, wicked, and an attempt to distract the Armed Forces of Nigeria from performing it’s
constitutional responsibilities.
“…we detest any attempt by any individual or group to instigate the law abiding Armed Forces of Nigeria to embark on any unconstitutional change of government in our country,” the Defence Headqaurters had warned.
But clarifying on Sunday, Gusau said at no time was the military instigated or asked to overthrow the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“We want to use this opportunity to reiterate that the AFN never received nor made such declaration at any time to anyone or any group…” Gusau said.
“The AFN is very comfortable with democracy and remain loyal to the President, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. The military is always willing and ready to defend the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he added.
The Nigerian military made the clarification in the wake of the recent coup in Niger Republic where a group of soldiers led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani overthrew the government of President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, 2023.
As the negative effect of the fuel subsidy removal bites harder on the people, overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as the Latter Rain Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to tackle the problem of corruption embedded in the nation’s fuel subsidy regime rather than implementing ‘anti-people’ economic policies that are strangulating Nigerians.
The Lagos fiery preacher who spoke in his Church auditorium on Sunday in Ikeja, Lagos, on the theme ‘Vice, virtue and time: The three things that shall never stand still’, noted that the suffering and hardship being faced by the people since fuel subsidy was removed by the federal government were excruciating.
Bakare however expressed optimism that God will move into Nigeria after his state of the nation broadcast, saying, “We must share what the Lord has said to us and what he has shown to us.”
The cleric stated: Today’s state of the nation broadcast is a by-product of what we have seen and what we have heard. You are going to see God’s move in our nation after this state of the nation broadcast. Today will mark the time, day and season that God intervened in Nigeria’s affairs.”
Shedding more light on the hardship faced by Nigerians as a result of fuel subsidy removal and its harsh economic impact, he appealed to the president to tackle corrupt practices in government instead of imposing hardship on Nigerians.
“Mr President, kill corruption and not Nigerians. No economy can thrive on impunity,” Bakare said.
Condemning the idea of going to war with Niger Republic, the cleric warned: “Local support for Nigeria by Nigeriens is at an all-time low. It is, therefore, counter-productive to engage in warfare. While we condemn the coup d’etat in West Africa, we recognize that the situation calls for deep, introspection on the part of African leaders.
“We call upon Nigeria at this time to provide good leadership. The real question is whether President Tinubu has the capacity to provide moral leadership even in the domestic context.”
He noted that despite the challenges facing the nation, he is optimistic that God will move Nigeria forward.
On the position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its popularity among Nigerians, he said the results of the 2023 general elections has revealed that Nigerians are tired of the ruling party.
Bakare, who contested the 2022 presidential primary of the APC, said he joined forces with others to form the APC but the party has deviated from the principles it was founded on.
He said, “At this juncture, I must also sound a warning to the APC. I was there when the APC was formed and the extent of my involvement is well documented.
“As a stakeholder and more importantly as a nation builder, I am more obligated to state without equivocation that this is not the APC we envisaged. The results of the last elections were clear indications that Nigerians are fed up with what the APC had become.”
Bakare explained that, the fact that the votes polled by the APC during the 2023 presidential election declined from what it had in 2015 and 2019, was an indication that there was a loss of support base for the party.
“If it were not for the divisions within the Peoples Democratic Party and the emergence of the Obidient movement of the Labour Party that split the traditional support base of the PDP, the APC would have convincingly lost the 2023 elections. Even now, the party’s victory as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC is being challenged in court”.
According to Bakare, the APC has now become a platform for politicians “with no ideology”, who moved from one party to the other to seek power at all costs.
“The APC stood for progressivism characterised by substantial positive investment in social sectors such as education and healthcare and it achieved inclusiveness and social mobility,” he added.
Bakare stressed that what the party stood for has changed over time, saying this has changed over time given the current economic hardship being faced by many Nigerians which he said is a result of “anti-people policies” of the government.
Oil marketers, on Sunday, indicated that the cost of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, would rise to between N680/litre and N720/litre in the coming weeks should the dollar continue to trade from N910 to N950 at the parallel market.
They also hinted that dealers seeking to import PMS were being forced to put the plans on hold due to the scarcity of foreign exchange to import the commodity.
The warning came barely one week after the local currency crossed the N900/dollar ceiling, with the naira selling at over 945/dollar at the parallel market on Friday.
Oil dealers said the CBN Importers and Exporters official window for foreign exchange, which boast of a lower exchange rate of about $740/litre, had remained illiquid and unable to provide the $25m to $30m required for the importation of PMS by dealers.
This, they said, had led to the suspension petrol importation by dealers who were initially eager to import the commodity.
Operators told The PUNCH that the only marketer, Emadeb, who imported the commodity recently, was now finding it tough to recoup its investment due to the depreciation of the naira.
Senior officials of major oil dealers, who spoke to The PUNCH in separate interviews on Sunday, said PMS price hike was imminent unless the local currency appreciates in the coming weeks.
Leaders of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria of Nigeria, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, and Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria said there was a need for the Federal Government to intervene to address the crisis.
The National Public Relations Officer, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, explained that the price of petrol was now driven by the fluctuations in forex, hence Nigerians should expect a hike soon.
Asked whether oil marketers were considering an increase in petrol price, he replied, “Once there is a slack in the naira against the dollar, there is going to be an effect. The demand and supply of forex is a key factor. We should also understand that it is not only petroleum products that use forex.
“Other manufacturers who import one thing or the other are also searching for dollars. So, the surge for dollars has continued to increase. So now that the dollar is hitting N910 to N940, and approaching N1,000, you should expect to buy PMS at the rate of N750/litre.
“It is simple mathematics, once the dollar is going up, have it in mind that the prices of petroleum products would definitely increase because the products are dollar-driven.”
Ukadike stated that oil marketers were still sourcing dollars from the parallel market, as the CBN’s Importers and Exporters official window was illiquid.
“Nigerians should brace for a price regime of between N680 to N720 if the exchange rate stays around N910 to N950/$, but the price is going to hit N750 once the dollar rises to N1,000.
“This is because marketers still source dollars from the parallel market, and not only marketers but virtually all importers in Nigeria. There is no subsidy any more on petroleum products, so you expect the cost to fluctuate with the dollars,” he stated.
The IPMAN PRO also stated that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited was still the major importer of petrol into Nigeria, though another importer, Emadeb, imported the commodity recently.
“NNPC is still the major importer for now. One other company, Emadeb, imported products recently, but because this product is being sold in naira, getting back their funds is another issue since the naira keeps depreciating, while PMS imports is in dollars.
“This is why it is often difficult to go back and buy again as an independent importer. That is the problem we are facing,” Ukadike stated.
On when Nigerians would start seeing the price increase, he said, “NNPC is like the sole distributor of petroleum products now, so once you see a change in the price of petrol at their outlets, then other marketers will implement it.”
Marketers not importing
The Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Clement Isong, alluded to the fact the dealers were not importing petrol despite the fact that the government recently issued licences to about six marketers to bring in products.
Asked to speak on the import of PMS by other marketers and whether they were sourcing forex from the I&E window or the parallel market, Isong replied, “The I&E window is illiquid. There’s no money there.
“To buy products, it costs you between $25m to $30m. You can’t find it in the I&E window. So it doesn’t work and that is why people are not importing.
“We can’t find dollar again, you can’t find it right now. Nigeria has to sort out the security issues in the Niger Delta so that we can increase our daily crude oil output. If we increase it to 1.8 or two million barrels per day, then there’ll be dollar in the market. So we need to stop oil theft.”
FG should intervene
On the apprehension of a possible hike in petrol price, Isong stated that this was inevitable if the dollar continued to rise against the naira, but noted that the government might have to intervene.
“Well, the President himself said in his speech that if they find petrol prices moving too high, they would intervene. We don’t want prices to move too high, nobody wants that.
“So if the dollar continues to climb, we are expecting some sort of intervention from the government based on what the President said,” the MOMAN official stated.
He further explained that PMS was different from diesel in terms of pricing because petrol was newly deregulated.
“The dealer that has bulk of the stock is the NNPC. So it influences the price in the market. Diesel, on the other hand, is different, because it has been deregulated for a very long time. So people will sell petrol depending on their cost structure, loans they took from the banks, forex, etc.
“Many things are put into consideration by dealers before coming up with their selling prices. There’s no one person who sets or controls the price. Nobody is controlling the price of PMS. Right now, NNPC, however, will continue to control the flow of the price. But after a while, that will stop,” Isong explained.
Earlier, the President, PETROAN, Billy Gillis-Harry, while speaking on the matter, had said, “So long as the naira is losing against the dollar, the price of petrol in our retail outlets will continue to increase. To address this, he called on Tinubu to make sure that Nigeria’s refineries were put back to use.
“We have requested that the President should declare a state of emergency on our refineries in order to speed up their repairs.
“That is the one sure way to go, in order to be able to predict the price of petroleum products, because for now, every PMS you buy in any retail outlet is dollarised,” Gillis-Harry stated.
Meanwhile, the CBN last week attributed the continued fall of the naira against the dollar to the diversion of Diaspora remittances to the parallel market.
The CBN Acting Governor, Folashodun Shonubi, spoke while delivering a lecture titled ‘Diaspora Remittances and Nigeria Economic Development’ at the National Institute for Security Studies in Abuja.
Shonubi said a lot of Diaspora remittances arrived in Nigeria in dollars and end up in the parallel market without being officially documented.
It is still unclear at what point the President Bola Tinubu administration plan to intervene in the market to arrest the unfolding crisis.
THE average cost of bus transportation within Nigerian cities rose from N649.59 in May 2023 to N1,285.41 in June 2023 as the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit rose, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
This means that the cost of intra-city bus transportation rose by 98 per cent or N636 within one month.
Figures obtained from the Transport Fare Watch report of the NBS for June 2023 revealed.
It said this included the breakdown of bus journeys within the cities per drop constant route; bus journey intercity (state route) charge per person amongst other means of transportation.
On a year-on-year basis, it said bus fares rose by 120.63 per cent from N582.61 paid by commuters in June 2022.
The average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity per drop rose to N5,686.49 in June 2023 compared to N4,002.16 in May 2023 indicating an increase of 42.09 per cent on a month-on-month basis.
The report read, “The average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city per drop increased by 97.88 per cent from N649.59 in May 2023 to N1,285.41 in June 2023. On a year-on-year basis, it rose by 120.63 per cent from N582.61 in June 2022.
“In another category, the average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity per drop rose to N5,686.49 in June 2023, indicating an increase of 42.09 on a month-on-month basis compared to N4,002.16 in May 2023. On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 55.25 per cent from N3,662.87 in June 2022.”
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, over plan to spend N40bn on 465 exotic and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials, and N70bn as ‘palliatives’ for new members.
The suit is coming on the heels of the statement by Akpabio that the Clerk of the National Assembly had sent holiday allowances into the various bank accounts of senators.
He had said: “In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the clerk of the national assembly.”
According to reports, each senator received at least N2 million.
In the suit number FHC/L/CS/1606/2023 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos, SERAP is seeking an order of mandamus to direct and compel Akpabio and Abbas to review and reduce the N40 billion budgeted to buy 465 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials.
About 137 million Nigerians are said to be facing extreme poverty.
The organisation is also seeking an order restraining both leaders of the National Assembly from demanding or receiving the N40 billion to buy 465 SUVs and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials until an assessment of the socio-economic impact of the spending on the 137 million poor Nigerians is carried out in the public interest.
SERAP further wants Akpabio and Abbas ordered to repeal the Supplementary Appropriation Act 2022 to reduce the budget for the National Assembly by N110bn to reflect the current economic realities in the country.
In the suit, SERAP is arguing that Nigerians have a right to honest and faithful performance by their public officials including lawmakers, as public officials owe a fiduciary duty to the general citizenry.
SERAP is also arguing that unless the reliefs sought are granted, “the lawmakers will spend the N110bn, and the travesty, and apparent conflicts of interest and self-dealing by members of the National Assembly would continue.”
According to SERAP, while N70 billion ‘support allowance’ is budgeted for 306 new lawmakers, only N500 billion worth of palliatives is budgeted for 12 million poor Nigerians.
The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Ms Blessing Ogwuche, read in part: “The plan to spend N110bn is a fundamental breach of constitutional and international human rights obligations.”
“The planned spending of N110bn is a breach of section 57 (4) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 which provides that: ‘All persons in whose hands public funds may be entrusted for whatever purpose should bear in mind that its utilization should be Judicious.’”
“It is also a grave violation of the public trust and constitutional oath of office for members of the National Assembly to unjustifiably increase their own budget at a time when over 137 million poor Nigerians are living in extreme poverty exacerbated by the removal of fuel subsidy.”
“Rather than exercising their constitutional and oversight functions to pursue the public interest by considering bills to improve the conditions of the over 137 million poor Nigerians who are facing the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy, the lawmakers appear to be looking after themselves.”
“According to reports, no fewer than 107 units of the 2023 model of the Toyota Landcruiser and 358 units of the 2023 model of Toyota Prado would be bought for the use of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives respectively.”
“The planned purchase is different from the official bulletproof vehicles expected to be purchased for the four presiding officers of the National Assembly.”
“The proposed spending of N110 billion by members of the National Assembly is apparently on top of the N281 billion already provided for the lawmakers in the 2023 National Assembly budget. The proposed spending is also different from the N30.17 billion budgeted for the ‘inauguration expenses’ for new members.”
The Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare said the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele must not be made a scapegoat by the Federal Government over the monetary policies made by the apex bank under his leadership.
Bakare stated this during a State of the Nation Broadcast, themed, “Vice, Virtue & Time: Three Things That Never Stand Still,” delivered at the church at Ikeja, Lagos on Sunday.
He noted that, even though the Emefiele, may have made wrong judgement in the management of Nigeria’s monetary policy, he must not be made a scapegoat by the Federal Government.
According to him, considering the provisions of the CBN Act 2007, there is every possibility that the erstwhile CBN governor did not act without presidential authorization.
Bakare said Emefiele should be prosecuted if found guilty of any crime, noting that the events before the 2023 presidential election points to the direction of political vendetta against the suspended CBN governor.
He said, “Mr Godwin Emefiele may have made the wrong judgement calls in the management of Nigeria’s monetary policy, but he must not be made a scapegoat.
“In the provisions of the central bank of Nigeria, CBN Act 2007, there is every possibility that the erstwhile central bank governor did not act without presidential authorization.
“If Emefiele is found liable for any crime, by all means he should be prosecuted. However, considering the dynamics of the preelection environment and the then candidate Bola Tinubu’s public allegation…
“… that the naira redesign policy was targeted at him, the optics of the president targeting Emefiele for prosecution after winning the election and being sworn in as the president could be interpreted as a form of vendetta far beneath such a distinguished office,” Bakare said.
The cleric, however knocked the Department of State Services (DSS) for their role in Emefiele’s arrest and detention, saying that their actions have raised concerns over professionalism and adherence to the rule of law.
“Considering the claims of the DSS that its actions were in reaction to order from above, handling of Emefiele case has sent a signal to the world that the current president disposition to the war against corruption is primarily motivated by the clampdown on the perceived political adversaries, while various other enemies of Nigeria remain untouched,” he said.
Recall that the embattled CBN governor has been in the custody of the DSS following his arrest on June 10 hours after he was suspended by President Tinubu.
Emefiele is being prosecuted by the Federal Government on two counts of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
After the court granted Emefiele bail, the Federal Government had on Aug 3rd filed an application seeking leave to appeal against the order granting bail to the suspended CBN governor.
The suspended CBN Governor has responded with an appeal seeking to stop the Federal Government from further remanding or prosecuting him on the charge of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunitions or on any other charge for that matter.
But, the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has adjourned the case till Tuesday, Aug 15th, for further hearing.
In a bizarre and unexpected event, a British Airways flight from Lagos, Nigeria, to London on July 29, 2023, witnessed an incident that left both passengers and crew astonished. An overweight passenger found himself trapped in a first-class seat on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft during the 6-hour journey.
Seated in the capacious 1A first-class seat, known for its luxurious amenities including 78 inches of legroom and a generous seat width of 22 inches, the passenger unknowingly became ensnared by the seat’s structure.
The flight touched down at London’s Heathrow Airport at approximately 05:00 local time. However, it was upon arrival that the passenger discovered the problem, prompting swift action from flight attendants who helped him out of the seat while keeping him calm.
As the situation proved more challenging than anticipated, an unconventional engineering solution was devised to facilitate the passenger’s extraction. The decision was made to remove the door of the suite housing the first-class seat and employ a hoist mechanism to carefully disentangle the passenger from his snug but inconvenient position in seat 1A.
An airline spokesperson revealed, “The passenger was mortified. It’s astonishing because the seats are the most spacious available. It was as embarrassing as it can get for him — especially when a door in the cabin had to be removed.”
[airlive]
The Obi-Datti Campaign Organisation has described the three months administration of President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress, APC, as 76 days of gross darkness.
Director General of the Obi-Datti Campaign Organisation, Balogun Akin Osuntokun,.said this in a lengthy article, in Abuja, on Sunday.
According to the organisation, Nigerians have over this period been at the receiving end of an i’ll prepared leadership which has unleashed a series of i’ll-thought out policies that have led to the loss of livelihoods, business, jobs and increased poverty.
He said, “After over seventy-six days in office, what are Nigerians getting and how are they faring: unplanned and ill-thought removal of fuel subsidy and unification of exchange rates; uncoordinated and confusing policy announcements; exponential increase in the prices of all goods and services especially food and other basic consumables; decline in National Savings Rate and erosion of disposable incomes of Nigerians, increasing poverty and insecurity.
Osuntokun argued that all this was happening along side “unimaginable extravagance and exponential increase in the cost and waste of governance exemplified with interminable appointments of litany of ministers and aides, and then a most unexamined desire to go to a clearly avoidable war with our very close neighbor and brother, Republic of Niger. “
According to him, the list is unending, confusing, most unfortunate, and lamentable.
He stressed that there is a clear lack of grasp of the undergirding ethos of good governance predicated on short, medium, and long-term stimulus strategies and policies.
Nigeria, he pointed out can ill afford this experimental leadership approach and foray into governance by stealth with no imagination, deep thinking, substance, and concrete ameliorative policies.
The DG stated that, “In their own words, the APC-led government admitted their error of declaring subsidy removal and currency unification without adequate plans to mitigate the potentially huge consequences, as Nigerians are now witnessing in anguish.
“For APC and their leaders, who claim to have long been prepared for the job of presiding over Nigeria’s administrative affairs, to commit such a blunder, at this critical troubling period of our nation’s history, is inexcusable.
“The magnitude of such mistake which has debased and threatens to wipe out businesses with unprecedented worsening of the living conditions of Nigerians cannot be wished away with mere promises without adequate plans.
“Given their unrelenting lies and blame games, some clarifications are imperative. Do Nigerians deserve to have subsidies?
“ Yes, they do as governments all over the world including in advanced countries offer subsidies to their citizens in various ways. Should the subsidy be removed in Nigeria?
“Yes, it should because it has been grossly mismanaged in an organized crime cartel manner with unparalleled corruption, official malfeasance, and embezzlement of taxpayers’ money. “
Our plan on petrol subsidy removal
He explained that the Labour Party and its candidate, Peter Obi, campaigned and promised to remove subsidies with a clear cut plan on how to go about doing so.
Osuntokun said, “In line with our belief and promise to create and lead a New Nigeria, That is Possible, the Labour Party campaigned for the removal of petrol subsidies principally to end the criminal appropriation of our national resources by a privileged few and their connected cronies.
“This was to be achieved through a gradual process including the effective repairs and functioning of our refineries and activation of compressed natural gas (CNG) opportunities to avoid dramatic increases in fuel prices, inflation, and pains for Nigerians.
“Nigerians should recall that the genuine efforts to remove the subsidy and end the associated embezzlement of our common resources in 2012 by the then government of President Goodluck Jonathan were strategically thwarted and stopped by the current APC Chieftains in their characteristic deceit to endear themselves to Nigerians and attain power.
“Lamentably even after deceptively and most unfortunately taking power from PDP in 2015, the then APC government refused to remove the subsidy and even used it to sabotage the 2023 elections thus affirming their unwillingness to stop the looting of Nigeria as they are part of the looting cartel themselves.
“Not only did they fail to stop the looting through the removal of the subsidy, but they also expanded it through all kinds of expenditures leading to our current debt crisis of over N77 trillion naira up from about N15 trillion when Buhari took over.
“As they were looting Nigeria dry in the guise of subsidy and other frauds, our dear Nation, Nigeria, acquired the dubious distinction of becoming the poverty capital of the world with over 135 million Nigerians now classified as multidimensional poor, unemployment skyrocketed to over 35%, insecurity escalated to a frightening level never seen before in Nigeria and all other socio-economic development variables all negative and heading south.”
APC rigged itself back to power
The campaign DG further said, “Most unfortunately again, even after being rejected by the majority of Nigerians in the 2023 elections, they egregiously colluded with INEC and rigged themselves back to power being naturally unfit and unprepared for effective and good governance, they most recklessly and suddenly announced the removal of subsidy and unified the exchange rates, consequently causing Nigerians a most avoidable traumatic pain and misery with unprecedented resultant fuel price hike of over 300%, a dollar exchanging for almost a N1000 and exponential increase in the price all goods and services especially food.
“If the APC gang had not been inordinate for power and had allowed the petrol subsidy to be removed in 2012, Nigeria would have saved over N50 trillion that would have been used as a safety net and cushion but also used to eradicate poverty, improve education, health and security, create jobs, build an efficient transport system and make Nigeria truly the giant of Africa through a shift from consumption to production. These are the real subsidies Nigerians truly and urgently need.”
What Tinubu, APC should do
He also demanded that the ruling party should apologies to Nigerians and at least provide good governance while it still had little time to do so.
Osuntokun stated that, “With their continued failures in providing the required leadership, the appropriate thing APC led government should do is to apologize to Nigerians particularly President Jonathan and members of his 2012 economic team as advised by many Nigerians.
“After apologizing, they should (in their temporary stay in power), at least seek to provide good leadership and governance by engaging the people, especially the workers, and fashioning out a clear strategy to manage their inconsistent, confusing, and annihilating policies.
“In addition, they should launch an investigation into NNPC management of the subsidy regime, the huge oil theft, and corruption that have caused Nigeria a serious financial crisis with a determination to effectively prosecute all those involved in the subsidy perfidy and fraud.”
[Vanguard]
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The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says its investigation into the Point of Sale (PoS) operators’ service charge price increase is not a collaborative or coordinated.
Mr Babatunde Irukera, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
Irukera said the commission came to that conclusion after its surveillance and spot checks on members of the Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria (AMMBAN).
According to him, what we have learnt is that this coordinated approach to proceed increase did not occur.
NAN reports that FCCPC had threatened to prosecute members of AMMBAN over collaborative price fixing in accordance with the FCCPAct 2018.
The commission also entered an Order and Notice to AMMBAN to desist from the conduct that constituted an infringement of the law.
”I understand price increases are not uniform or coordinated with each other which is what we insisted on.
”We met with the association some days ago, and our people have been embarking on aggressive surveillance and spot checks.
”What we have learned is that this coordinated approach to proceed increase did not occur.
”National executive members of the association also noted that they did not and would not engage in that conduct.
”It will be interesting to discover if this really happened,” Irukera said.
On protecting bank customers from incessant bank charges, Irukera said Banks and other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA), empowered only the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to regulate banks.
”Under BOFIA, CBN regulates banks to the statutory exclusion of FCCPC,” he said.
[DailyPost]
The Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, told his congregation on Sunday that he warned against the “Emilokan” kind of politics.
Emilokan, a Yoruba saying, meaning ‘It’s my turn,’ became very popular when it was used by President Bola Tinubu during his 2023 pre-election campaign.
Bakare, during a State of the Nation broadcast, at the church in Ikeja, Lagos, said ’emilokan’ was a tendency of authoritarianism.
During his speech themed ‘Vice, Virtue & Time: Three Things That Never Stand Still,’ the cleric said, “I’m reminded of the warning that I sounded to Nigerians in January 2023 in my address titled, ‘Bridging the gap between politics and governance.’
“I warned that the politics of entitlement; the ’emilokan’ type of politics would breed an imperium presidency, one that would slide towards dictatorship and would be intolerant of dissent.”
Bakare’s comments were regarding the arrest, detention and prosecution of the suspended Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, as well as the detention of the former boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, by the Department of State Services.
The DSS arrested Emefiele in June, which according to the spokesperson of the security agency, Peter Afunanya, “was on the strength of suspected fresh criminal infractions/information, one of which forms the basis for his current prosecution.”
The Federal High Court in Lagos, last Thursday, fixed August 15 to hear an application by Emefiele seeking to halt his trial by the Federal Government through the DSS.
Reacting, Bakare said, “The actions of the DSS have raised concerns about professionalism and adherence to the rule of law. The reported invasion of the premises of the EFCC and the handling of the case of Emefiele have sparked discussions regarding the need for due process and equitable application of justice.
“The handling of the Emefiele case has sent a signal to the world and the current President’s disposition to the war against corruption.”
The cleric said the war against corruption by the present administration was like making some people scapegoats by virtue of them being “political adversaries while various other major enemies of Nigeria remain untouched.”
He said Emefiele if found culpable, should be prosecuted, adding that the suspended CBN governor might have made a wrong call in the management of the monetary affairs of the country, but he should not be made a scapegoat because he could not have acted without presidential authorisation.
[Punch]
Export and transit cargoes between Nigeria and its West African neighbour, Republic of Niger, worth $180million are lurching towards a decline due to the sanctions placed on Niger by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), LEADERSHIP Sunday findings have revealed.
ECOWAS had sanctioned Niger Republic after its presidential guards toppled the government of President Mohamed Bazoum and announced Abdrahmane Tchiani as the new president.
Part of the sanctions slammed on that country by the regional body include border closure against Niger Republic and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), with security forces already ensuring strict enforcement of the directive by shutting the Nigerian-Niger Republic borders at the seven Nigeria’s northern states of Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina Jigawa, Yobe and Borno.
Following the closure of the borders, cargoes bound for Niger Republic as well as those bound for Nigeria are currently trapped at the borders of the two countries.
The acting comptroller general of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, also ordered officers of the Service to stop all transit cargoes heading to Niger Republic through all land borders and seaports across the country.
According to him, following the closure of the Nigerian- Nigerien borders, transit cargoes may be smuggled through other Land border posts in the country.
According to him, all transit cargoes headed for Niger Republic through the other land borders, including Idiroko, must be stopped.
He said, “We are monitoring what is happening in Niger Republic and I can assure you that implementation of that directive given by the ECOWAS head of states is 100 per cent and when that is happening smugglers will want to explore openings in other borders, and may want to use other routes. All transit goods heading for Niger Republic should be stopped.”
LEADERSHIP Sunday investigation has shown that transit cargoes headed for Niger Republic no longer come into Nigerian seaports.
Checks by our correspondent from container terminals during the week showed that Nigeria has no record of handling transit cargoes for the landlocked West Africa country.
Maritime experts, however, argued that Nigeria has been removed from the transit nations by Niger Republic.
But at the leading terminal operator, APM Terminals, Apapa, there is no cargo destined for Niger Republic brought into the terminal.
A source who craved anonymity said cargoes destined for Niger Republic are not in the terminal but it is possible they come and offload the cargoes on trucks at various warehouses and take them to the West African country by road.
Also, Port & Cargo terminal, Tin Can Island, said they have never received Niger Republic-bound cargoes.
The newly commissioned Lekki port also stated that Niger Republic-bound cargoes are not part of transit cargoes received in the port in July.
According to the https://oec.world/en, in 2021, Nigeria exported $180 million to Niger Republic. The main products exported from Nigeria to Niger were Electricity ($54.2 million), Rolled Tobacco ($45.1 million) and Cement ($38.3 mliion).
During the last 26 years Nigeria’s exports to Niger have increased at an annualised rate of 6.05 per cent, from $39 million in 1995 to $180 million in 2021.
Also, Nigeria’s trade through Niger in 2020 was $1.3 billion, while trucks from Nigeria account for 40 per cent of the total daily traffic of 104,179 trucks per day along the trans-Saharan road corridor, data compiled by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development showed.
The trans-Saharan road corridor borders seven northern Nigerian states – Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe, and Borno. This is a vital trade route for Nigeria, connecting the country to its landlocked neighbours in the Sahel region.
However, the Zamfara/Sokoto command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said over 2.5million metric tonnes of export cargoes have passed through the Illela border, Sokoto State, into Niger Republic in the last six months.
According to data obtained by LEADERSHIP, commodities that are mostly transited through the corridor are Cement, Tobacco and Coal, with each truck usually carrying 1000 tonnes.
Speaking exclusively with LEADERSHIP Sunday, former executive secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Barr Hassan Bello, said 30 percent of Nigerien transit cargoes pass through Nigeria borders to Niger Republic.
According to him, the leadership crisis in the landlocked country will bring a setback to gains recorded by Nigerians to make use of its ports and trade corridors to deliver their cargoes.
Bello further noted that Nigeria is closer to Niger Republic than other African countries, saying Nigerien Shippers’ do incur additional cost by routing their cargoes through other neighbouring country than Nigeria.
He said, “It’s been our hope to have bulk of Niger Republic cargoes and the Nigerien Shippers’ have started believing in Nigeria’s ability to make the process seamless. Niger has its cargoes ship to Cote D’Ivoire, Benin Republic and some other neighbouring ports, and it doesn’t make economic sense because of the proximity and the affinity between Niger Republic and Nigeria.
“As a matter of fact, the Kano-Maradi rail line and the Dala inland dry port were all efforts by Nigeria to capture that transit cargoes, and the Customs are our partners as they have made some trade facilitation concession so that Niger Republic will transport cargoes. But the unfortunate incident may temporarily disrupt that plan. I think in the long run, there will be peace and there will be normal relationship. That is why war is destructive of international trade.”
Speaking on the tonnage, he said, “I know the tonnage is substantial and we ought to have captured all of it but maybe about 30 percent of transit cargoes move from Nigeria to Niger Republic currently”.
Also speaking, president of National Council of Managing Directors of Licenced Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero, said that the closure of the border has security implications, which he cannot comment on.
“For some time, Nigeria has been removed from the transit nations. We don’t even know if that transit has started. Negotiating transit is not an easy thing because we still have encumbrances when it comes to factors that limit our countries to these landlocked countries. I don’t know if those areas have been rectified,” he added.
He said it is an economic issue because Nigeria has been delisted from the list of transit nations, adding that negotiating for transit status would be an economic avenue to pursue.
“In a real sense of it, if it is done, it is going to affect Nigeria’s place in the transit nation. Transit module is not in persistence yet in the country. Ghana has its transit that is satellite driven while Nigeria’s own is still manual. Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have an edge over Nigeria. Becoming a transit hub is more than making noise about it,” he said.
[Leadership]
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has forecasted three days of cloudiness, rainfall and thunderstorms across the country from Saturday to Monday.
NiMet said there would be cloudy skies on Saturday, August 12, with intervals of sunshine over the northern region and chances of early morning thunderstorms in states such as Kebbi, Adamawa and Taraba.
Isolated thunderstorms are expected over parts of Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi and Gombe later on Saturday.
The agency predicted a cloudy atmosphere over the north-central region with prospects of rains and thunderstorms over parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasarawa, Niger and Kwara in the morning hours.
Cloudy atmosphere is expected over the inland states of the South and its coastal states in the morning with chances of intermittent rains over parts of Ogun, Oyo, Lagos, Enugu, Imo, Anambra, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Rivers and Ebonyi states.
Nimet also said there will be intermittent rains over parts of Lagos, Ekiti, Edo, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, and Delta and sunshine over the northern region with prospects of morning thunderstorms in parts of Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara. Thunderstorms are anticipated in parts of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Borno, Taraba, and Adamawa.
While airline operators have been urged to avail themselves of weather reports and periodic alerts from NiMet for effective planning of their operations, Nigerians have been advised to look out for moderate to heavy rainfall that could lead to flash floods.
Risk and disaster managers, agencies, and individuals have been asked to be proactive in averting the loss of lives and properties during the rainy season.