The Nigerian government under President Bola Tinubu‘s administration has entered into 26 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with various foreign countries and agencies, securing commitments valued at more than ₦4.2 trillion.

These agreements span multiple sectors, including infrastructure, education, trade, investment, tourism, security, information technology, culture, energy, gas, and sports.

The agreements’ total value may be higher, as several MoUs did not disclose their financial details, according to a document from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

One notable agreement was signed with India in February 2024 to enhance trade between the two nations. In November 2023, Nigeria signed a $500 million deal with Germany focused on renewable energy and gas. Additionally, a significant MoU with Russia on nuclear energy was finalized on September 27, 2023.

Regarding infrastructure, Nigeria signed a $2 billion deal with China on October 20, 2023, to develop various projects. Another MoU with China, signed on December 9, 2023, involves establishing a $150 million Lithium-Ion battery manufacturing and processing facility in Nigeria.

In the education sector, Nigeria secured MoUs with Russia and Qatar on December 22, 2023, and March 3, 2024, respectively.

In trade and investment, Nigeria signed an agreement with India in February 2024 to further increase trade between the two countries. On March 3, 2024, an MoU was signed with Qatar to establish a Joint Business Council between NACCIMA and the Qatar Chamber.

Another MoU, signed on March 19, 2024, with Lab Four, aims to create 50,000 full-time business process outsourcing jobs in Nigeria over the next three years.

To strengthen national security, Nigeria signed two agreements with the United Nations Office on Counter-Terrorism on August 30, 2023, focusing on countering terrorism and violent extremism.

Additionally, on January 30, 2024, an MoU was signed with the United States to train commanders of the Police Special Intervention Squad in combating banditry and other crimes.

For cultural preservation, an MoU was signed with the United States on February 16, 2024, to focus on preserving a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site in Adamawa State.

In technology, Nigeria secured a $600 million I-DICE Financial Agreement with France on November 3, 2023, to support digital and creative enterprises.

Former Senator who represented Kaduna Central at the National Assembly, Shehu Sani, has replied the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) over claims regarding the earnings of Nigerian senators.

Naija News reported that RMAFC had faulted Sani’s claim that senators receive a monthly running cost of N13.5 million in addition to a N750,000 salary.

The commission insisted that senators get N1 million salary monthly only, stressing that some allowances are regular, while others are non-regular.

The commission said the clarification was “in view of the recent statement made by Mr. Shehu Sani, a former Senator of the Federal Republic who was reported to have disclosed to the public that each Senator collects a monthly running cost of ₦13.5 M in addition to the monthly ₦750, 000.00 prescribed by the Commission”.

However, in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, Shehu Sani said RMFAC specifically quoted the figure of the salary earned by the lawmakers without the total sum of the monthly running cost.

According to Sani, RMAFC danced around the figures, claiming that a senator receives N1 million in salary monthly, and he understands their fears.

He said: “The RMFAC specifically quoted the figure of the salary earned by the lawmakers and then danced around the figures for the total sum of the monthly running cost per legislator. Anyway, I can understand their fears.

“RMFAC refuted my statement, but I’m now vindicated by Senator Kawu Sumaila who confirmed that the monthly alert is N21million and not N1million.”

Women from Akoko Southwest Local Government Area in Ondo State staged a half-naked protest, voicing their outrage over the persistent kidnappings and killings allegedly carried out by armed herdsmen in their community.

The protesters, concerned about their safety, called for immediate action to curb the violence and restore peace in the area.

According to Saharareporters, the demonstration followed the killing of a 34-year-old farmer, Sunday Ayeni, in Uba-Oka Akoko by suspected herdsmen just a day earlier.

Dressed in various garments and without head coverings, the women marched to the palace of the Olubaka of Oka Akoko, Oba Adebori Adeleye, during a security meeting to express their frustration and demand justice.

Singing war songs, they condemned the recent violence and called for an end to the attacks. They also reported incidents of rape and crop destruction on their farmlands by the herdsmen.

The women vowed to resist any further harassment, torture, and kidnappings by the armed men.

One of the protesters, Abigail Ojo, explained that they were on the verge of abandoning their farms due to the ongoing violence. She urged state security agencies to find effective measures to protect them.

In response, Oba Adeleye assured the women that their concerns would be taken seriously and promised to escalate the issue to the State and Federal Governments for urgent intervention.

He acknowledged that the Akoko communities were already grappling with significant security challenges.

Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has revealed that he and Didier Drogba are actively involved in persuading Victor Osimhen to consider a move to Chelsea from Napoli.

Victor Osimhen currently has a €130 million release clause in his contract with Napoli and it is highly anticipated that he will depart from the Italian club this summer.

Reports suggest that the 25-year-old has attracted interest from Chelsea, with a potential deal involving Romelu Lukaku moving to Napoli.

Mikel Obi has expressed his belief that Osimhen’s playing style, characterized by his goal-scoring abilities, would greatly benefit Chelsea.

He mentioned that Osimhen possesses the qualities of a prolific goal scorer like Erling Haaland, emphasizing that the Nigerian striker could bring a lot to the Chelsea team.

In addition to Mikel Obi’s efforts, Didier Drogba has also been actively engaging with Osimhen, sharing his perspective and the significance of joining Chelsea, according to the former Blues midfielder.

“We want somebody who can finish, score goals, the tap-ins. Someone like Erling Haaland. That’s something Victor Osimhen will bring to Chelsea”, Mikel Obi said according to Goal.

“I hope that Chelsea fans will finally see him come to the club. I’ll make sure I send him those text messages and calls, making sure Chelsea is his top priority!

“Didier is also speaking to him, sharing his ideas and what the club means to us. We all want to see Victor come to the club.”

The lawmaker representing Kano South senatorial district of Kano State in the National Assembly, Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, has revealed that Senators get ₦21 million naira monthly each as allowances and running costs.

He made the revelation in a chat with the BBC Hausa Service on Wednesday morning.

Sumaila, who was elected on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), narrated that his actual salary, as fixed by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), is less than N1m and comes down to about ₦600,000 after deductions.

The Senator, however, said the leadership of the Senate has made some increases in the take-home pay of the lawmakers, with each Senator getting up to ₦21 million in salary and allowances.

“My monthly salary is less than ₦1million. After deductions, the figure comes down to a little over ₦600,000,” Senator Sumaila said.

He, however, added that: “Given the increase effected, in the Senate, each Senator gets ₦21million every month as running cost.”

The revelation comes at a time when the controversy and secrecy over the earnings of lawmakers in Nigeria are taking the front burner of public discussions again.

Naija News recalls former President Olusegun Obasanjo recently called out the members of the National Assembly, accusing them of fixing bogus salaries and allowances for themselves in contravention of extant laws.

Also, a one-time Senator of Kaduna Central in the 8th Senate, Shehu Sani, had once publicly disclosed that each Senator collects a monthly running cost of ₦13.5m in addition to the monthly ₦750,000 prescribed by RMAFC.

In reaction to the fresh allegation by Obasanjo, the RMAFC Chairman, Muhammed Bello Shehu, explained on Tuesday that each member of the Senate collects a total monthly salary and allowances of the sum of N1,063,860.

The breakdown of the cumulative take-home pay, according to the commission, include; basic salary of N168,866:70; motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance allowance of N126,650; N42,216:66 for personal assistant; domestic staff – N126,650:00; entertainment – N50,660:00; utilities – N50,660; newspapers/periodicals – N25,330:00; Wardrobe allowance – N42,216,66:00; house maintenance – N8,443.33 and constituency allowance – N422,166:66; respectively.

The RMAFC chairman said some allowances are regular while others are non-regular. Regular allowances are paid regularly with basic salary while non-regular allowances are paid as of when due.

For instance, furniture allowance (N6,079,200 million) and severance gratuity (N6,079,200 million) are paid once in every tenure and vehicle allowance (N8,105,600 million) which is optional is a loan which the beneficiary has to pay before leaving office.

“A closer look at the monthly entitlement of Senators reveals that each Senator collects a monthly salary and allowances of the sum of N1,063,860:00 consisting of the following: Basic Salary- N168,866:70; Motor Vehicle Fuelling and Maintenance Allowance N126,650:00; Personal Assistant N42,216:66; Domestic Staff-126,650:00; Entertainment-N50,660:00; Utilities-N50,660:00; Newspapers/Periodicals-N25,330:00; Wardrobe-N42,216,66:00; House Maintenance -N8,443.33:00 and Constituency Allowance- N422,166:66; respectively,” the RMAFC chairman said in a statement he personally signed on Tuesday.

“The Commission also wishes to use this opportunity to state that any allegation regarding other allowance(s) being enjoyed by any political, public office holder outside those provided in the Remuneration (Amendment) Act, 2008 should be explained by the person who made the allegation.

“To avoid misinformation and misrepresentation of facts capable of misleading citizens and members of the International Community, the Commission considers it most appropriate and necessary to request Nigerians and any other interested party to avail themselves of the opportunity to access the actual details of the present Remuneration package for Political, Public and Judicial Office holders in Nigeria published on its website: www.rmafc.gov.ng,” he added.

The RMAFC boss, however, said the commission does not have the constitutional powers to enforce compliance with the proper implementation of lawmakers’ remuneration packages.

He added that aside from the President, Vice President, Senate President, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, all public and legislative officers are no longer provided with housing, as was the case in the past.

The Federal government has frozen more than $37 million worth of cryptocurrency held in wallets believed to be owned by some organisers of #EndBadGovernance protests.

Premiumtimes reports that the freezing of the wallets followed an order granted by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 9.

The judge issued the order based on an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In the ex parte application filed on August 8 and heard by the court on the following day, the EFCC described the assets as proceeds of money laundering and terrorism financing.

There was no objection to the application during the hearing, which was proceeded like an exchange of views between the judge and EFCC’s lawyer, O.S Ujam.

“That an order of this honourable court is hereby made freezing the wallet addresses/accounts stated in the schedule below, which wallets are owned by individuals currently being investigated for offences of money laundering and terrorism financing, pending the conclusion of the investigation,” Mr Nwite ruled shortly after listening to the EFCC’s lawyer.

The wallet with the lion’s share of the assets has USDT37 million (USDT37,061,867,869.3) cryptocurrency, which equals the exact value in American US dollars.

Each of the three other wallets has USDT967, USDT90, and USDT443,512.37, respectively. The EFCC did not reveal the identities of the wallet owners in its application but the federal government however linked them to suspected organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protests.

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday took a swipe at the top echelons of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Nigeria Police Force and 12 others, saying they are frustrating the efforts of the National Assembly and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at making Nigeria better.

The chairman of the committee, Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu (SDP, Nasarawa West), told newsmen in Abuja, that the heads of these agencies have consistently refused to respond to queries raised against them over the 2019 audit report.

Daily Trust reports that the committee commenced the consideration of the audit report in October 2023, with a view to presenting its final report to the Senate committee of whole, but some agencies of government have failed to respond to its demands.

Senator Wadada said going forward, any agency that refused to honour invitations of the committee would be reported to the Senate committee of whole during plenary for appropriate actions.

The lawmaker listed other agencies frustrating the Senate and Tinubu’s agenda for Nigeria to include the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (former DPR) and Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment.

Others are the FCT Internal Revenue Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Defence and Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited among others.

He said, “The committee is not in doubt of the commitment of the present administration under the stewardship of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make Nigeria better. But with the attitude of the aforementioned chief executives, that will not be achievable unless and until we all do the needful.

“The committee is very displeased with the attitude of foot dragging by agencies that are by law, expected to respond to parliamentary invitations and account for their actions.”

The Anambra State Government, through the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare and Security Operatives, has apprehended a 34-year-old man, identified as Chukwudi Okoye, for defiling a 10-year-old girl.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the suspect said to be a seminarian in the Anglican Communion, committed the act in the Amanuke community, Awka North Local Government Area in the state.

A statement on Tuesday by Chidimma Ikeanyionwu, the media aide to the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, disclosed that the incident, which occurred sometime in July, was brought to the notice of the ministry in August, by a whistleblower.

Ikeanyionwu added that the commissioner, through the security operatives, launched a hunt for the suspect, apprehended and brought him for interrogation before the law enforcement agents.

The statement read in part, “The suspect, Chukwudi Okoye, 34, a native of Enugwu-Agidi, but resident at Amanuke, said he only fingered the survivor because his manhood could not enter her private parts.

“According to the 34-year-old suspect, he never intended to do such a despicable act but was lured into it when the 10-year-old lay on his bed. Although he denied penetrating the girl, he at the same time, pleaded for pardon because, according to him, it was the work of the devil.

“The suspect is said to be a seminarian in the Anglican Communion in Amanuke.

“Meanwhile, the 10-year-old victim stated that she was defiled on the day of her graduation ceremony when the suspect called her alongside her friend to come and wash plates for him.

“She explained that after she had finished washing the plates, he discharged her friend and asked her to play with him before taking her to the bed where he removed her clothes and had carnal knowledge of her.

“On why she did not tell anyone of the incident, the little girl said that she was seriously warned by the suspect never to tell anyone or he would deal with her.”

When interrogated, the grandmother of the victim said she only got to know of the incident after the girl became seriously ill, which was one week after the incident.

The statement added, “The grandmother explained that she took her granddaughter to the suspect’s house after she learnt that he was responsible for the act.

“She said it was in the process that the suspect decided to take the child to the hospital where they were subsequently referred to the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital, Amaku Awka for further treatment.”

As of the time of this report, the suspect had been handed over to the police for further investigation and consequently charged the case to court.

In Anambra State, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, which outlaws all forms of violence against women and girls, including rape, female circumcision and forceful ejection, was enacted in 2015 and offenders, on conviction, face life imprisonment or a maximum of 14-year jail term, depending on the age of the offender and type of violence committed.

Several persons have been arrested in Anambra on offences ranging from rape and defilement and many cases are at various courts waiting for prosecution

Bello Galadanchi, a skitmaker popularly known as Dan Bello, has said that Nigerians are dying of hunger because of President Bola Tinubu economic policies.

Dan Bello stated this during an interview on Trust TV’s Daily Politics on Tuesday.

He challenged the government to sue him if it was not happy with his works.

The skitmaker said that he was not affiliated to any political party in the country, saying he was not working for anybody.

Bello said, “If what I am doing is not good for them, that means that it is automatically good for the people. If what they are doing is good, then no one will feel that the content is creating significant chances. That automatically is saying what they are doing is not enough. What they are doing is causing all these issues we are facing.

“The ruling party has enacted policies that are making people hungry. People are dying. People are eating grass right now. People drinking contaminated water. People go about knocking doors and saying we have not eaten for three days.

“This is not a natural disaster, rainfall or a tsunami. These are from policies that can be avoidable. These leaders just put out those policies and closed their ears.

“And now they are unhappy because we are calling them out because of the policies. They just want us to keep quiet while people are dying. Really? Where is our humanity? What is the point of studying and seeing how things are done outside and people don’t go hungry in other countries? And we just keep quiet.

“Now they are unhappy because they are getting themselves billions of naira and doing all kinds of bogus projects. Yes, I want them to be unhappy. I want them to go to court. I want them to sue and do anything they can so that we can keep quiet. That means our work is getting better and better.”

A 33-year-old cleaner, Charles Sunday, was arraigned on Tuesday before the Ebute-Metta Magistrate Court in Lagos for allegedly stealing a gold chain and other items valued at N3.250,000 from his employer.

Sunday, who resides at No. 15, Orchid Road, Eleganza, Lekki, is facing a charge of stealing.

The Police Prosecutor, Inspector Cyriacus Osuji, told the court that the defendant committed the alleged crime while employed as a cleaner for the complainant, Mr Temitope Aremu.

He said the incident took place between July and August 2024 at the Horizon Court Estate, Ikate, Lekki.

Osuji informed the court that the stolen items included a gold chain valued at N3m, along with a hand bangle, bracelets, a face cap, and a jean jacket, all totalling N250,000.

The prosecutor emphasised that “The total value of the stolen items is N3,250,000, and these belong to the complainant, Mr. Aremu.”

According to Osuji, the offence committed contravened Section 287 (7), of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015. Sunday, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The defence counsel, Mr Ali Abah, pleaded with the court to grant his client bail on lenient terms.

“We humbly apply that the defendant be granted bail in the most liberal terms,” Abah urged the court.

The prosecutor did not oppose the bail application but noted that while some of the stolen items had been recovered, “The gold chain valued at N3m is still missing.”

In her ruling, the magistrate, Mrs Oluwatosin Erinle, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N1m, with two sureties in like sum.

She stipulated that the sureties must provide evidence of livelihood, with one being a blood relation of the defendant.

Additionally, Erinle ordered that the sureties must present six months’ bank statements, proof of income tax payment to the Lagos State Government, receipts for house rent, and their National Identity Numbers, with their addresses verified.

The case has been adjourned to August 29, 2024, for mention.