The House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals says the country is losing N9 billion annually to illegal mining activities across the country.

This is as the Nigerian Army said it had arrested 387 suspects in connection with illegal mining activities in the last seven months.

Chairman of the committee, Jonathan Gaza Gbefwi who disclosed this on Monday at a public hearing organised by the committee to investigate issues of illegal mining in the solid mineral sector, said the menace had hampered the country’s ability to maximize the benefits from its mineral resources.

He lamented that only a paltry three percent royalty was being paid by the few licensed miners in the country.

According to him, the negative impacts of illegal mining have led to insecurity and conflicts over control of mining sites and their resources.

He said these conflicts had escalated into violence thereby exacerbating existing political and social tensions in affected communities.

“This public hearing is aimed to investigating illegal mining activities, under-reporting wins (extract E-Products) by mining and quarry licence operators, utilisation of financial interventions in the Nigerian solid minerals sector amounting to trillions of naira within the solid mineral sector and also the Nigeria minerals and Mining Act (Amendment Bill) and Nigeria Solid Minerals Development Company (establishment bill) respectively.

“Nigeria is losing N9 billion annually to illegal mining activities in the country. The leadership of the 10th House of Assembly has found it expedient and as a sense of duty to carry out these investigative hearings to necessitate transparency and accountability, public participation, policy formation and identify challenges and solutions that will ultimately lead to the revamping of our solid mineral sector.As we are all aware, illegal mining poses substantial risks to our nation’s economy, environment, and security.

“The unregulated exploitation of our natural resources jeopardises the sustainability of the mineral sector, leading to environmental degradation and revenue loss that could otherwise benefit our communities and nation as a whole.

“It is imperative that we take as a matter of urgency, decisive steps and necessary action to address this issue and ensure that our solid mineral sector operates within the framework of the law, protecting our natural resources for future generations”, he said.

This is just as the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa disclosed that those involved in illegal mining activities had links with top personalities who give them cover.

Speaking on why illegal mining continued to take place despite move by the federal government to curtail it, Director Of Operations, Air Vice Marshal Nnaemeka Ignatius Ilo, who represented the Chief of Defence staff, said that most people involved in the process had connections backing them up, adding that foreigners also came into the country to carry out the illegal act.

Speaking also at the hearing, the representative of the Nigeria Army, Colonel Tajudeen Lamidi, said that the Army had arrested 387 individuals in connection with illegal mining

While declaring the public hearing open,  the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas who was represented by the House Leader, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, noted that illegal mining was a growing socio-economic challenge in Nigeria, adding that it had led to loss of ecosystems and increased poverty level, especially among peasant farmers who depend solely on environmental resources for a living.

He said, “The rise in illegal mining highlights fundamental social, institutional and structural problems in the country, therefore today’s interaction is aimed to provide enough guidance on curbing the menace of illegal mining, and also assess the role played by the Regulators in the process of their regulatory functions in the particularly as it relates to mining practices.”

[DailyTrust]

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has announced that it has shelved the conduct of aptitude test for 2024 Direct Entry candidates.

The Board instead said that other placement criteria will be considered for Direct Entry admissions.

JAMB announced this on Monday in a post on its official X handle.

“Attention 2024 DE Candidates! This is to inform you that the Board has shelved the conduct of aptitude test for the year, other placement criteria shall be considered for your admission while adequate preparation goes into the exercise ahead of next year,” JAMB said.

[DailyPost]

Veteran Nollywood actor, Jim Iyke has stirred reactions on social media after he opined that a father is the only man who prays and genuinely wants his children to succeed more than he did in life.

The actor made this known during a recent podcast show where he shared his candid opinion about success in life.

According to Jim Iyke, only a father genuinely wants betterment for their children while removing other male figures like relatives, friends, and others.

He said: “The only man on earth that wants to see you succeed more than him in this life is not your best friend, brother, or relative; it is your father. The only man that is comfortable in this life, that prays it as a prayer is your father,”

Jim Iyke’s statement has however garnered mixed reactions from many who agreed with him, while others cited examples of fathers who failed the premises.

Reaction trailing Jim Iyke Posts:

thefoodnetworknig2 said: “I have heard a father say he doesn’t want his children to be better than him in life and his friends agreed with him! Anyone can desire to see you succeed, no formula!”

wendy_adammaaaaa noted: “Your parents are people who look at your success without envyyt$.”

mrucee_official noted: “God bless all fathers, we will continue preaching until fathers get their flowers .”

lazerclothings stated: “Speak for yourself, hearing things like this makes people more mean to each other, and makes them lose interest in rendering help..”

wale_astro quizzed: “Who comes to be Mohbad papa??”

[newtelegraphng]

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has mandated the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning to come up with an amendment bill to the 2024 Budget to be presented to the National Assembly for legislation.

The planned amendment to the national budget, it was explained, became necessary as a result of new fiscal developments, including the impending new national minimum wage.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this to journalists after the 8th FEC meeting of 2024, presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.

According to the minister, President Tinubu is expected to hold a follow-up meeting with leaders of the organised Labour on Thursday this week, after which the proposed amendment bill to the budget would be passed on to the National Assembly for consideration.

It would be recalled that President Tinubu had met with the leadership of the organized labour on Thursday last week over the minimum wage issue.

The Tripartite Committee of the new National Minimum Wage had submitted two separate figures to the President following the disagreement among the different stakeholders.

While the government team and the organized private sector had offered N62,000, the organized labour made a demand of N250,000.

President Tinubu upon the receipt of the committee’s report, had promised to meet with the relevant stakeholders to harmonize the figure before transmitting the executive bill to the National Assembly.

Details shortly…

[TheNation]

The Federal Government says it has dispatched 20 trucks of rice to each of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

It said the new move is part of measures to ease the economic burden of Nigerians.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Monday.

Idris said each state has received truckloads of rice, each containing 1,200 bags of 25kg rice for onward distribution to the most vulnerable persons and families.

He said the consignment is the first step by the federal government to provide support to all the sub-nationals.

The Minister noted that state governments are expected to distribute the commodity to bring down the current hardship in the country.

Details later…

[Punch]

THE Supreme Court on Thursday, July 11, 2024 made landmark judgements on local government areas, LGAs, in the country. First, it gave the salutary order that they must be run by elected persons. Its second order that LGAs be paid directly by the centre, seeks more or less, to de-link them from the states they are located. In other words, it gives powers for the centre to deal directly with the LGAs. This of course, strengthens the unitary system of government which military regimes imposed from 1966. Conversely, it is another defeat for federalism which the Constitution proclaims as the system in the country.

Given the LGAs new autonomy, who provides their financial shortfall in terms of salary and pension payments? What happens if a governor asks the LGAs to pay rents, ground rents or taxes? Why won’t an ‘autonomous’ LGA control the traditional ruler it pays 5 per cent of its statutory allocations?

The reality is that many governors cause headache by tampering with local government funds, but the needed medication is analgesics. However, what the Supreme Court has done is to administer psychiatric medications which would cause hallucinations and memory loss such that can make the country forget that it is a federation.

Exactly one month before the Supreme Court judgement, I had argued at a symposium by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, NILDS, Abuja that LGAs are not federating units. Rather, that they are administrative centres designed to bring governance closer to the populace. A participant had challenged my assertion by stating that under the Constitution, LGAs are the third tier of government. He also quoted Section 7(1) which partly states that “…the Government of every state shall ensure their (LGAs) existence under the law…”

But, I explained that a federation presupposes federating units and a centre; in Nigeria, the federating units are the states. So, LGAs which are administrative centres, cannot be federating units. They are also not federating units of the states because the states are not federations. Secondly, that LGAs are the third level of government, does not grant them autonomy.

In fact, in reference to Section 7(1) the Supreme Court has by its judgement, amended the Constitution without going through the amendment procedures.

Some have argued that the Supreme Court is supreme, therefore, even if it is in error, its decision is the law. So, if the Supreme Court were to pronounce the Constitution illegal, null and void, that becomes the binding law? If some adventurers were to hold a gun to the head of the Supreme Court and orders it to proclaim the Constitution void, we are supposed to accept that as the binding law?

It is tragic that the bulk of those who 20 years ago, danced when the Supreme Court refused to nullify the March 27, 2004 elections conducted by Lagos State under then Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu into the new local governments it had created, are those today, toasting the new Supreme Court judgement?

Lagos State, despite becoming a mega centre, had only 20 LGAs, whereas, the state government thought it needed more, and could fund them. So it created 37 additional LGAs and conducted elections into them. The Obasanjo administration rejected this and seized the allocations to Lagos State LGAs. But the Tinubu government went before the Supreme Court to say the seizure is unconstitutional. Its then Attorney General, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, argued that neither the Federal Government nor the President is a trustee of the funds due to the LGAs. Rather, it argued, it is the state governments by virtue of Section 162 (5) of the Constitution. He argued that by virtue of Section 162, subsections 5-8, a state government is not merely a channel for passing funds allocated to the LGAs, but is also the trustee of the funds. Governor Tinubu, as he then was, told the Supreme Court that it is the State House of Assembly that has the powers to create new LGAs and that once this is done, the creation stands. He added that the power of the National Assembly to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution to recognise such new LGAs, is merely consequential.

So, 20 years ago, President Tinubu was on the correct path on the issue of LGAs, not only on fund allocation, but also on the more fundamental issue of LGA creation.

The fact is that the LGAs are the creation and imposition of the military. The number of LGAs depended not on the needs of the people or the ability to fund them, but the clout of each General in the then ruling military councils. The more number of coup plotters each state had in the ruling councils, the more LGAs it got. So, Lagos and Kano states, established on the same day, had 20 local governments each. Today, that old Kano State –including Jigawa – has a combined 71 LGAs while Lagos State still has 20. In 2023, Lagos State alone contributed N803.89 billion or 34 per cent of the total Internally Generated Revenue in the country. In comparison, Kano, Jigawa and 30 other states combined, contributed N900.39 billion or 38 per cent. So does it make sense for Lagos State to be forced in a democracy to maintain just 20 LGAs when it needs far more and can fund them?

Is it sensitive or commonsensical for Bayelsa State that produces a third of the wealth in the country to be forced to have a mere eight LGAs when a state like Oyo that contributes very little has 33?

The issue of LGAs has been reduced to mere financial allocation from free oil money and not their relevance, accountability or service to the people. If governors can fiddle with LGA funds, who says LGA Chairmen cannot? Does it make a difference if an overbearing governor is substituted by a dictatorial LGA Chairman? Do we pretend to be unaware that in most LGAs since the military era, the funds that get to them are mainly shared by the Chairmen, Councillors and traditional rulers after wages of council workers might have been deducted?

Some of the basic challenges we face are poor governance, impunity, insecurity, corruption and lack of vision at all levels of government, including the LGAs.

I supported President Tinubu’s campaign 20 years ago that LGAs are state affairs and that each state has a right to create and fund any number of LGAs it needs. Today, the compass of his administration points to the centre taking indirect control of the LGAs and strengthening the unitary system.

A fundamental difference President Tinubu can make in contrast to other governments since the 1966 coup, is to champion the return of the country back to the pre-coup federal structure.

A Kano State High Court, on Monday, granted a perpetual injunction restraining the 15th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado-Bayero, and four other dethroned emirs of Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye from parading themselves as emirs.

The applicants are the Attorney General of Kano State, the Speaker Kano State House of Assembly and the Kano State House of Assembly, who through their counsel Ibrahim Isah-Wangida Esq, filed a motion exparte dated May 27.

The applicants sought a court order restraining Ado-Bayero, and Four other dethroned emirs of Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye from parading themselves as emirs.

The respondents are: Ado-Bayero, Alhaji Nasiru Ado-Bayero Bichi emir, Dr Ibrahim Abubakar ll, emir of Karaye, Alhaji Kabiru Muhammad-Inuwa, emir of Rano and Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim-Gaya, emir of Gaya.
Others are the Inspector General of Police, Director of State Security Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and Nigeria Army.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, held that the Kano State House of Assembly had powers to amend and propose a bill for the peace and good governance of a state under section 4 rule 6,7(b) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

“The Kano State Governor has the right to ascent the proposed bill to law after being passed by the state assembly”

The court also restrained the Police and other security agencies from violating, disobeying or tempering the Kano State Emirate (Repeal) Law 2024.

“The deposed Emirs shall surrender all movable and immovable properties in their possession that belong to the Kano State Emirate Council to the state government” Adamu-Aliyu said
She held that the first respondent legal counsel withdrawal without notice to other parties is unprofessional and that moving their motion is as good as not filing it since it has been abandoned.

The judge said the act of the 6th to 9 respondent for smuggling the first respondent to Kano after the enactment of the Emirate Repeal Law 2024 disregards what they have sworn for the protection of life and property.

Earlier, Counsel to the applicant, Mr Ibrahim Isa-Wangida, urged the court to discount the respondent’s affidavit of facts under order 39 rules 1 and 2 of the Court.

Counsel to Ado-Bayero, Mr Abdul Muhammed SAN, informed the court that they have an affidavit of fact dated July 3, 2024, attached with a notice of appeal and a motion of stay of proceedings.
He urged the court to stay of proceedings pending the hearing and determination of the motion at the appeal court.

NAN reports that Ado-Bayero’s counsel on July 4, withdrew their legal services before the court.
Counsel to the 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents, Hassan Tanko-Kyaure, moved his application for an extension of time dated July 2 and counter affidavit in response to the originating motion.

He urged the court to set aside the Kano State Emirates Council (Repeal) law 2024, adding that due process were not followed and urged the court to dismiss the applicant’s application with a cost of N1 billion.

Counsel to the Inspector/General of Police, Mr Sunday Ekwe, told the court that he had nothing to present.

NAN reports that the applicants, 3,4and 5th respondents moved their applications, for extension of time, notice of preliminary objection, setting aside exparte order, joinder application, examining deponent, application for the Judge to recuse herself and originating summon.

NAN reports that the State House of Assembly on May 23, dissolved all the four newly created Emirate council’s in the state and Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf, reappointed Lamido Sanusi, as the Emir of Kano.

Vanguard News

Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, says Nigerians can now apply for and obtain visas to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Idris said the federal government has reached an agreement with the UAE to allow Nigerian passport holders to obtain visas for travel to the Arab nation starting today, July 15.

More to follow…

[TheCable]

I was one of the 102 senior journalists invited from all over the country to tour the Dangote Fertilizer and Petrochemical Refinery Complex last Sunday and it turned out to be an unbelievably humbling and revealing experience. Unmistakably visible to us was the power of vision, determination to succeed in the face of many hurdles one man’s love for country. We were reminded that it is only we, Nigerians, that will develop our; but not some mythical ‘foreign investors’ that our leaders have been looking for. The visit lasted 11 hours during which we went around every corner of the massive complex, occupying 2,635 hectares of land (seven times the size of Victoria Island, Lagos). It is located in the Dangote Industries Free Zone (different from Lekki Free Zone which is owned by the Lagos state government). In all, we probably covered most of the 112 km of road network crisscrossing the vast compound (some journalists termed it ‘The Dangote Planet’), walking and being driven. On hand to lead the tour were Aliko Dangote himself (Group President); Edwin Devakumar (Group Vice President, Oil & Gas) and Fatima Dangote (Group Executive Director, Commercial).

Dangote informed us that the fertilizer, petrochemical and refinery business would be quoted on the stock exchange on or before the first quarter of 2025 in what could be one of the biggest IPOs in recent years; that the NNPCL has only 7.2% stake in the refinery, not 20% as stated previously ‘’Although we had offered them 20%, they could not pay for all of that and so we had to reduce it to 7.2% which they paid for’’, he said matter-of-factly. He spoke on the politics and economics of crude oil supply from the NNPCL; the $100 million payment to Lagos state government; his encounters with shrines during construction and the role of Ooni of Ife; why he did not build the refinery in the Niger Delta region which is the nation’s hydrocarbon base and why Ogun State lost out as the initial location choice; why he has no home outside Nigeria and his plans to reconstruct the Lekki expressway. He also announced that the company will soon move into its 18-storey towers on Alfred Rewane Road, Ikoyi, not far from its current location.

We arrived the refinery complex about 9.30am after a two-hour ride from the corporate headquarters of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Falomo, Ikoyi. The first port of call was a facility called Land Fall Point (LFP). ‘’Twenty-five kilometers from here into the ocean, we have our three single point mooring (SPM) where ships discharge crude oil into our subsea pipes’’, Devakumar said. An SPM is a floating buoy anchored offshore that allows the handling of liquid cargo in areas where dedicated onshore facility for loading and unloading cargo is unavailable. From LFP we went to the port and quays constructed by DIL with a load bearing capacity of 25 tonnes/sq meters to bring heavy and large cargoes close to the site to handle liquid cargoes. Soon, we were off to the fertilizer plant where the pungent smell of urea welcomed us. The plant has an installed production capacity of three million tons/yr, but it’s currently producing at half the capacity due to inadequate gas supply - the same problem that is plaguing Nigeria’s electricity supply and impeding production at NLNG.

The fertilizer plant is the largest in Africa and the second largest in the world. Nigeria consumes one million tonnes of fertilizer per year; meaning that Dangote is able to meet local demand and while excess is exported to USA, Brazil and other places.

From the fertilizer plant, we dashed to the conference room where Dangote gave detailed and comprehensive briefings on his businesses, right from its inception, detailing his transition from commodity trading in 1978 to a well-diversified conglomerate comprising cement, crude oil and gas exploration, agriculture, fertilizer and petrochemical refinery. He appeared disarmingly simple; mild-mannered and convincing. His voice was gentle and there was no iota of indication that this was Africa’s richest man. I sat close to him, with Kayode Komolafe of Thisday (we call him KK), sitting between us. Even though I knew what the answer might be, I asked Dangote why he didn’t site the refinery in the Niger Delta. He said that would have made the investments less expensive, but he was frightened away by the volatility in the region. ‘’But Sir, Akwa Ibom State is peaceful. There’s no violence there. You should have come Akwa Ibom’’, I pushed. Others chuckled, but Dangote contemplated my pitch briefly and said, ‘’Yes. I know your governor. I saw him last week in Lagos …’’.

We left the conference room to tour the refinery, the labs and the control rooms. I didn’t know what to expect, but suffice it to say that the refinery is just a labyrinth of big pipes, running overhead in the open skies, without roofs, and on the ground and beneath the ground. It is a network of big and small pipes bending, twisting and contorting all over the place from its beginning at the Single Point Mooring 25 km offshore to the loading bay where refined products are pumped into tankers. As we walked around, I tapped Mr. Devakumar at a point and asked, ‘’Do you have an idea of the total lengths of all these pipes. I’m sure they’d run into thousands of kilometers. ‘’Yes’’, he answered. ‘’We are inviting Guinness World Records to register it’’. Dangote chipped in, ‘’They will have to come and audit it before they register and announce it’’. We continued walking. This is the world’s largest single-train refinery with capacity to process 650,000 barrels of crude per day. It will meet all of our needs for refined products with enough for exports. ‘’It is a game changer’’, exclaimed Devakumar.

After the refinery, we returned to the Conference Room for more briefing, Q & A and lunch. There were questions on varied topics, including impact of energy transition on the sustainability of the refinery; title documents from Lagos state and NNPC shareholding. One cheeky journalist asked if the Dangote Refinery will also undergo the kind of turn around maintenance that government-owned refineries have been experiencing and another queried if Dangote knew why the Port Harcourt refinery has refused to work despite the billions of dollars pumped into its overhaul. The underlying mischief behind the two questions were obvious and we all had a good laugh. I asked two questions on the politics of supply of crude oil to the refinery by the NNPCL and whether he will take the refinery to the capital market. I had earlier made a note to ask Dangote about his relationship with the Tinubu administration given the dramatic and embarrassing visits from the EFCC last year. But I changed my mind and dropped the question. Dangote addressed the questions one after the other. He said fossil fuels will be around for sometime to come despite the drive for renewable energy and explained that the need for NNPCL to supply domestic refineries with crude. He is optimistic that the guidelines recently announced by the NNPCL on crude supply will make a difference, adding, ‘’I hope the IOCs will respect the guidelines. Right now, we are paying $6 premium on every barrel we buy from them, but luckily, our refinery was designed to refine different grades of crude and so we can actually buy from everywhere. But importation brings in poverty and ships out jobs’’.

He said that Lagos State government had insisted on being paid for the land in dollars and he willingly paid the $100 million price. Although the government promptly issued the title documents, construction was delayed because of community issues. ‘’You know they have a lot of shrines here…’’, he said. We laughed heartily. ’But I must thank the Ooni for his kind interventions which quickly resolved the issues’’, he added. The delay cost him $60 million in interest charges from the banks. The refinery was initially scheduled to be sited in Ogun State, but the state government had delayed in providing the land because the governor then was making unethical demands. Dangote walked away and approached Lagos State government. But the delay cost the company about $500 million in interest payments. That’s one of the negative outcomes of corruption.

By now we were all tired, but nobody complained. The mood was convivial and the conversation was interesting. The refinery currently employs 30,000 people, of which 97% are Nigerians. The figure will go up to 100,000 as productions ramps up. The plant will meet all of our domestic demands for liquid products (gasoline, diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel). Currently, it is producing diesel and aviation fuel; petrol will be pumped out next month, Dangote assures. The Group President says his refinery has been able to bring down diesel price and may also moderate petrol prices at the pump, depending on variables like source and price of crude and exchange rate. The event closed with a passionate vote of thanks from Ms. Fatima Dangote. She praised her father’s energy, commitment and love for Nigeria and thanked Nigerians for their unceasing love to daddy. We rushed back to our hotels to watch the England-Spain Euro final football game!