Written by Mark Itsibor, Bukola Idowu and Olushola Bello


In spite of declarations by the government of President Bola Tinubu that it will not continue with the massive borrowings of the previous government to fund its budget deficits, there are early indications that the new government is sticking to the controversial policy.

In the coming days, the Debt Management Office (DMO) is planning to raise up to N1.2 trillion in debt through re-issuance of federal government (FGN) bonds. It had spent N1.195 trillion on paying interests on the FGN bonds in the first six months of this year.

The DMO, in its bond issuance calendar for the last quarter of the year, said it plans to raise between N960 billion and N1.2 trillion in three months. The amount is expected to be raised between October, November and December this year.

The DMO had raised N742.557 billion for the rehabilitation and construction of 4,000 kilometres of road projects and bridges across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory through the issuance of Sovereign Sukuk.

However, officials of the Tinubu administration are yet to come with an economic road map of their own and are instead relaying a message that the current budget was presented and signed by the Muhammadu Buhari government, which had initially projected some N8.8 trillion in borrowings to fund the deficit in the 2023 Budget.

LEADERSHIP Sunday recalls that the Buhari administration had borrowed about N23 trillion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which was later converted to long term bonds. At a time under Buhari, over 90 percent of national revenue was spent on debt servicing.

The debt service to revenue ratio is also close to 75 percent, raising serious questions about Nigeria’s fiscal stability should the present government fail to put a cap on government borrowing.

The total federally distributable revenue in the 2023 budget is estimated at N11.09 trillion, while total revenue available to fund the 2023 federal budget is estimated at N9.73 trillion. This includes the revenues of 63 government-owned enterprises.

The total fiscal operations of the federal government was expected to result in a deficit of N10.78 trillion. This represents 4.78 percent of estimated GDP, above the three percent threshold set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.

An official of the ministry of finance who spoke with LEADERSHIP Sunday under the condition of anonymity justified the new borrowings by insisting that they were continuing to implement a budget from the previous government, pointing to a speech by former President Buhari while presenting the 2023 budget in late 2022.

Buhari said, “As envisaged by the law, we need to exceed this threshold considering the need to continue to tackle the existential security challenges facing the country.

“We plan to finance the deficit mainly by new borrowings totalling N8.80 trillion, N206.18 billion from privatization proceeds and N1.77 trillion drawdowns on bilateral/multilateral loans secured for specific development projects/programmes.”

Officially, the current administration has not said anything to the contrary. Even though it promised to cut borrowings, the federal government has gone ahead with borrowing to fund the deficit through the Debt Management Office.

At the presentation of the budget breakdown earlier in the year, former minister of finance, budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed, said the removal of gasoline subsidy would free up the revenue space for government.

The current administration said it removed the subsidy because it was no longer sustainable. It also said it did so to confront the subsidy scam, taking cognizance of the need to provide safety nets to cushion the attendant effects on some segments of society.

Oil revenue is projected at N1.92 trillion, non-oil taxes are estimated at 2.43 trillion, while FGN independent revenues are projected to be N2.21 trillion. Other revenues total N762 billion, while the retained revenues of the GOEs amount to N2.42 trillion

The budget has an oil price benchmark of $70 per barrel. Since the passage of the budget, oil prices have averaged $90 to $100, making more oil revenues available to the government to finance fiscal liabilities.

In the first month of the subsidy removal, the government announced a record oil revenue of N1.9 trillion.

And with an exchange rate of N435.57/$1 in the budget, the government is also making over 100 percent gain in the exchange rate differential. The green back currently trades for between N900 and N1000/$1.

With the dual challenge of escalating debt servicing obligations and the urgent need to augment its revenue streams, the mounting debt burden is raising concerns about the country’s fiscal stability.

To address this, experts and officials are calling for an expansion of the tax net and improved revenue management.

In the first six months of 2023, the federal government, through the DMO, had spent N1.195 trillion on paying interests on bonds, bringing the total domestic debt service to N1.44 trillion in the six-month period.

Total domestic debt stood at N48.34 trillion as of June 30, 2023 with FGN bonds accounting for 86.87 per cent of the total figure. FGN bond obligations as of the first half of this year stood at N41.972 trillion.

According to the latest report from the DMO, Nigeria’s total debt servicing expenditure reached N2.34 trillion over a six-month period. In the second quarter of 2023, Nigeria’s spending on debt servicing slowed down, amounting to N849.58 billion. This marked a notable 43.04 per cent decrease from the N1.49 trillion spent on debt servicing in the first quarter of 2023.

DMO data reveals that, in the first quarter of 2023, Nigeria allocated N874.13 billion for servicing its domestic debt and $801.36 million (equivalent to N617.35 billion) for servicing external debt, totaling N1.24 trillion.

However, during the second quarter of 2023, Nigeria’s expenses for domestic debt servicing amounted to N565.88 billion, while external debt servicing costs reached $368.26 million (equivalent to N283.7 billion), resulting in a combined total of N1.24 trillion, based on data obtained from the debt office.

The DMO applied an exchange rate of $1 to N770.38 for external debt servicing.

Unlike the previous quarter when Nigeria allocated approximately $131.13 million for servicing Exim Bank of China loans, there were no funds dedicated to servicing Chinese loans in the first quarter of 2023, as reported by the DMO.

In the previous administration of President Buhari, Nigerians often raised concerns over its massive borrowings, but it replied that it was borrowing within acceptable thresholds.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also expressed concerns over Nigeria’s rising debt servicing costs. Escalating borrowing costs and uncertainties in the global economic environment have made it challenging for Nigeria and similar nations to secure financing from international markets.

IMF deputy divisional chief, Wenjie Chen underscored the need for increased taxes to boost revenue and reduce debt. Chen pointed out that Nigeria, along with other frontier markets, had been largely excluded from the Eurobond markets since the spring of 2022, restricting its access to international funding sources.

As highlighted in the IMF’s April 2023 Fiscal Monitor report, entitled “On the Path to Policy Normalisation,” Nigeria’s debt is projected to continue rising, underscoring the urgency of implementing measures to enhance revenue generation and ensure fiscal stability.

In 2022, Nigeria spent a staggering 96.3 percent of its revenue to service its debt, a figure that sent shockwaves throughout the nation’s financial sector.

The director-general of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, highlighted the alarming situation, noting that Nigeria’s borrowing capacity was dwindling rapidly due to its inability to meet its debt servicing obligations.

Akabueze’s warning was clear: when a country’s debt service ratio surpasses 30 percent, it enters a precarious financial territory. Nigeria, unfortunately, appears to be hurtling toward a debt service ratio approaching 100 percent, signifying an acute financial crisis.

Past president of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Adeshina Adedayo, stressed the need for the expansion of the tax net in the country in the quest for expanding the revenue base of the country.

Noting that expanding the tax net would help with the generation of more revenue, he said utilisation of the revenue gathered and productive accounting is also important.

He also stressed that tax education will have an ample effect on tax compliance.

For the CEO of Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr Muda Yusuf, the federal government budget had further amplified the troubling fiscal outlook for the economy, saying expenditure continues to accelerate amid consistent weak revenue performance.

According to him, a number of issues need to be addressed to achieve the nation’s fiscal sustainability aspiration, like government owned enterprises managing huge economic assets justifying the value of assets at their disposal and oil revenue performance doing much better given the prevailing global oil price.

“New funding models need to be urgently explored for adequacy and sustainable funding. Current budgetary provisions need to be augmented from new innovative funding windows. The same is true for road infrastructure financing. The road fund bill needs to be revisited to ensure sustainable funding of road infrastructure across the country. Budget funding for roads cannot guarantee quality road infrastructure for a country of over 200 million people,” Yusuf said.

He stressed the need for the country to operate as a true federation which it claims to be, saying the unitary character of the country is making it difficult to unlock the economic potential of the sub-nationals and perpetuating the culture of dependence on the federal government.

“It is necessary to scale down the size of government and cost of governance. Fiscal sustainability is driven by both cost and revenue. Therefore managing the major drivers of cost and revenue is imperative. As far as possible, the government should push back in sectors or activity areas where the private sector has capacity to deliver desired outcomes.

“We should see more concessioning and privatisation at all levels of government. This would allow for the infusion of more private capital into the infrastructure space. We need to address the fuel subsidy conundrum at some point as it clearly is not sustainable,” he said.

Speaking on the debt situation, the director-general of Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), Dr. Chinyere Alumona, explained that the exclusive use of debt to finance deficits got Nigeria into a situation where it cannot keep the revenue it is earning today as it uses the bulk of the revenue to cover interest payments.

Alumona advocated massive equity financing as the federal government’s best way forward.

“Nigeria should henceforth use equity financing as an exclusive way of funding budget deficits. If we embrace equity financing, we do not have to make huge interest payments, and we can use some of the proceeds of our equity issuance to make the fiscal situation more sustainable and rekindle much-needed confidence in our economic and fiscal resilience,” she said.

On his part, a stockbroker with Calyxt Securities Limited, Tunde Oyediran proposed the capital market provides a variety of financing instruments and investor categories which could lead to a larger pool of funds than other financing options.

“They can also offer funding for riskier activities, and by doing so, contribute significantly to innovation in an economy,” he said, adding the capital market is a critical pillar to long-term fund mobilisation needed for capital formation to fast-track economic growth and development in the country.

In negotiating new minimum wage next year, what are the things labour will be considering while fixing the new wage?

Everything that was discussed that led to the current minimum wage has changed. Now, if the people coming from government side can be objective and realistic, we can negotiate in one day. We can look at the exchange rate; if it was N300 the last time and now it is about N1,000, you situate the percentage and fix it.

If you look at a bag of rice then, if it was N7, 000 and it’s now N40, 000 to N50, 000, we can look at the percentage and fix it. If you look at the price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, if it was N145, and now it’s N600 to N700, we will look at the percentage and fix it.

Whether under cost of living index either using inflationary rate or whatever, we can look at these things and plug it there scientifically. And then by the time we do it and any other cost we can look at, by the time we fix it, everybody, it doesn’t need much argument, will know the percentage we can work on and, within a day, we can tidy up. But it’s only when we go there to deceive ourselves and start arguing unnecessarily like the people you called economists to say ‘no, don’t pay anybody, let them die’, that’s where we are going to have problems.

Ordinarily, things like these are supposed to be looked at objectively. So, I think that will be those things we are looking at, the index, it’s clear, the parameters have always been there. You look at the parameters and then you look at what had happened between that time and now, if we do that, that will be good for us.

And then we are supposed to project… If we are having inflation in the last four years, in this trend, the upcoming four years, if all things being equal and inflation goes this way, we can now, if we decide to put the opener clause to say each time inflation moves at this rate, salary will be self-adjusted to this rate, but if it continues to move like this before the next four years, what you got will be made mess of as we are passing through now.

Going by the current economic realities in the country, what would you suggest the least paid worker in Nigeria should get?

The least paid worker in Nigeria should get a minimum of two hundred dollars. It’s not even up to ten dollars a day. I am not talking of ten dollars per hour , it’s not up to ten dollars a day. So, if you even put it at seven dollars a day, that was at the international… But even if you bring it to the cost of living index and then you decide to situate it; look at transportation, if we assume that a worker doesn’t have a car, we assume he will enter three drops to work, we assume that he will enter three drops back, N2,000 is settled minimum if he doesn’t enter bike to get to where he is living because none of our workers lives in the city centre.

Now, if you look at this N2,000 for thirty days, you are seeing almost N60,000 or even N50,000 if you want to remove the weekend. You look at his accommodation. Since he’s living in the fringes, you can give him close to N20, 000, if he must live in two two-room apartments or whatever in a decent place for him and his family, that one is settled. Now you look at feeding. Even if you put him on one loaf of bread, husband and wife with four children, one loaf of bread in the morning, no tea, no sugar, situate it about N1,000. You look at their lunch, even if you give them N200 per lunch, you are going to get another N1,000. You can equally look at their dinner at N200 without meat, for thirty days, that is almost N3,000.

For thirty days, you have about N90,000. If you add N90,000 to almost N60,000 we already have about N150,000. Now, I am not talking about school fees. If you look at school fees for four children, even if they are in kindergarten, there is no way you will not have almost N200,000. Now if divide that N200,000 by three months and that makes up a term, you will be having about N65,000.

You have already passed N200,000. You are doing all these things that the children and the wives and others are not even entering motor to anywhere, you are doing this thing because they will not be sick throughout that period, you are doing this thing that they will not even eat meat or any diet.

You are doing all these things that they will not wear clothes whichever way. So, if you go to the cost of living index, you will discover that N200,000 cannot even sustain that family. But it will sustain them by the time you do one or two things.

If what we are pushing, the CNG or even electric whatever, if you bring down transportation cost, if you have an effective transport system, you bring down transportation cost, then you are talking. If you have a school system that guarantees free education, it will bring down that cost, if you have a healthcare facility, that would have taken care of the health of such people, then N200,000 can work.

But if you don’t have any of these, even that N200,000 will be a mess. But we are equally looking at that N200,000 based on what the mysterious economists are talking about that you need to bring inflation and whatever down. So, all things being equal, that’s the only way you can do it without creating unnecessary inflation but, at least, they could be able to go to the market.

These things I mentioned, there is no soap for them to bathe, there is no toothbrush, there are no clothes, there is nothing.So, you can see that that is the actual projection, plus or minus. So, that’s what is going to inform our decision. So, whether you are going to look at it from an inflationary trend or the cost of living index, the reality cannot bring it less than N200,000.

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja


On Monday, the Organized Labour suspended the proposed indefinite strike over the removal of petrol subsidy and disagreement with the government over palliatives to cushion the effect of the policy. The strike suspension triggered a backlash from some Nigerians who accused labour of selling out to the Tinubu administration.

In this interview, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, dismisses the criticism, saying Labour got about 90% of its demands through negotiations that proceeded the strike suspension. Ajaero also explains how the NLC arrived at N200,000 it proposes as new minimum wage expected to be negotiated next year. He speaks on other national issues. Excerpts:


How did you end on the same page with the Federal Government and aborted the planned indefinite strike?

The essence of every negotiation is to reach an agreement that is enforceable and implementable. So when negotiations start, unless there is any stalemate, its whole essence is for an agreement. When we started, we had our demands, it’s not by force that demands must be met hundred percent. I know that we got ninety percent of our demands and there was nothing left for us than to sign an agreement. To negotiate without signing an agreement makes the agreement incomplete. So, that was it.

Explain what you mean by getting up to ninety percent of your demands…

We demanded for CNG as an alternative to petrol, we have plans towards attainment that because it can’t be achieved the following day or in one week. So, plans were laid down for it, we insisted that the refineries must work.

We are aware the refineries won’t work the following day, plans were on ground for us to even go and inspect what’s happening in the Port-Harcourt refinery to make sure that it is completed and come into stream by December. We asked for wage award, the President offered N25, 000 for the least-paid worker in Nigeria for just six months and we said no, we got for every person across board.

We got the six months ceiling removed and we equally moved the N25, 000 the President announced in a nationwide broadcast to N35, 000. That one has gone beyond what you may think is hundred percent and almost all other issues.

The other one is in the pipeline, the issue of interference with the National Union of Road Transport Workers, we opened discussion on the issue of tertiary institutions workers. And then for the first time in history, we suspended our strike for only 30 days. So, when a strike is suspended for that period to enable you do monitoring and evaluation, you know that it’s work in progress.

And then we got this whole agreement to be registered in court as a terms of settlement. Any breach of it, of course I don’t want to go into the legality of it but the intendment of the drafters of that agreement was clear on this.


You had described the government offers as promissory note. How sure are you that something concrete will be achieved?

They are promissory note in the sense that they are not converted to Naira and Kobo or to action immediately. Even as at today, as I am talking with you, it remains promissory note but there is time- frame attached to them now and there is time-frame attached to our MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for which these things are supposed to take effect. You can see that this action is suspended for one month; now those are the signs to show you that it was not embraced fully, it was embraced with some elements of suspicion that it may or may not be completed by the end of 30 days, that was it.

Yes, it remains promissory note as we talk but some elements of benefit of doubt have to come in, but there was no way you will compel them to pay that wage award that day or the following day, it’s not possible, you have to look at the practical aspect of it.

Some critics alleged that the leadership of labour movement sold out and that was why they suspended the strike…

Well, you see people use some words because nobody is taking them to court. What is the meaning of sell out? Those critics were not there when we started and they are not the people that have our mandate.

What we have are people who have no business, and who are illiterate in terms of labour issues. In every labour issue, there is always a demand. When a demand is met, an agreement is signed. I have never heard where Labour continuing an action after agreements are signed.

Mention one critic there that is schooled in either labour or industrial relations practice anywhere in the world. So, when they say sellout, what did you sell out, how much did they buy it, who is the person that bought it? So, these are some of the careless statements that portray some people as illiterates on the subject matter.


How will states, local government areas and even the private sector benefit from this new arrangement?

Well, the Nigeria industrial relations climate stands on a tripod. When people bring this as a new question, it becomes laughable because states, local governments and the private sector have all been getting their wages not by an imposition from national negotiations, never. So, the same way they have been getting from the beginning of the earth is the way they will get now.

To a very large extent, negotiation is decentralized to such areas so that the benefit of democracy and peculiarity is enshrined in all that we are doing. Even in minimum wage negotiations, what we do is to get a framework for people to negotiate, that is what happens in states. Some states have even gone up to pay in the case of the minimum wage before now more than even the agreed minimum wage figure. So, that is the situation, it has been happening, this one won’t be an exception.

Workers in the private sector in most cases get more than what is agreed. Most organisations in the private sector pay better salaries than what was agreed as a minimum wage. So, when we get this framework, they go back, some banks operating in the private sector had always given hundred percent more than that of minimum wage. So, we can’t tie their hands and negotiate for them but we give them a framework to operate in most instances, looking at the issue of availability and affordability.

What is the position of the palliative committee headed by Kebbi State governor?
I think that question should be directed to the Governors Forum because there was no meeting point between the palliative committee, government and labour. So, to a very large extent, we may not be able to speak for them on what they did or what they are not able to do, the extent of the palliative committee set up by government and headed by one of the governors. Now, if they had called for a meeting for us to discuss with them or for the committee to be merged, maybe we have our own people there and then we can discuss what happens to the palliative committee.

But after our discussion, I discovered that the issue of palliative seems to have been domiciled in the Ministry of Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation. That is why we made our observations clear to the ministry and the Minister at a meeting. So, if government has another committee headed by a governor, when they call for a meeting, we will discuss.


What are your thoughts on the new national minimum wage and why is it taking too long to have it in place as a viable solution to the pains of petrol subsidy withdrawal?

Well, I don’t think that the time for review of a new minimum wage has even elapsed. The minimum wage is supposed to expire by April 2024 and it’s a law of the National Assembly. But we have called for the committee to start negotiations early enough because experience has shown that it could take up to three months or more to finish negotiations on the new minimum wage, it’s not something that is done in a hurry.

All facets, the Bureau of Statistics, all ministries , the sub nationals, governors, everybody comes to the table when this is negotiated. We will look at the cost of living index, we look at inflationary trend, we look at all those issues and agree. So, we still have about six months and that is why the Federal Government was talking of six months when the provisional wage increment will expire but we still have about six months and I pray that we conclude all the matters within the next six months so that a new minimum wage will come into force.


What happens to pensioners in Labour negotiations with the Federal Government? Are they being carried along?

Let me get in full what they meant by being carried along because if I get it, that will enable me to respond because I do know that in the agreement signed, they were talking about palliative, and we were able to bring in pensioners that fall within certain brackets in the cash transfer process. That wasn’t in the calculation before when they were talking of the poorest of the poor.

Then it was from our own initiative, we then said that there are pensioners that fall within this bracket.

Two, we don’t go to negotiations and say pensioners will get this, those in the power sector will get this, those in the ministry will get this, those in the parastatals will get this. So, it is not in our character to negotiate. Pensioners know that if the wage is increased and a percentage is given to them, we can only be involved if that is not affected and, as one of our affiliates, they need to get us involved and they equally have been having their meetings with PTAD and other agencies of government where negotiation goes on and what happens to their wages.

I am not sure they have equally asked us to witness such a negotiation so that we know whether they are being taken care of by those agencies or not. So, one needs to find out what they are actually asking for because what we went for was wage negotiation and not pension negotiation. But each time you get a wage, the element of pension in the implementation process comes in, we didn’t go to this negotiation to now say people that retired people should get this or that, no. When you announce a figure like this, all the ministries, the Head of Service, and all other agencies will now know what happens, maybe state pensioners, federal pensioners, military pensioners, police pensioners, and all these other areas are looked into. If they are now saying we leave the negotiation thing to them, I think they have a forum to negotiate on the issue of relativity, and how it affects them.

We didn’t discuss the issue of relativity, how it will affect active and non-active whatever. When we had a forum with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, we sent for them and there we urged them to get their own statistics and their own data on the people that fall within this bracket. And on the issue of being carried along, we want to know whether from the time the NLC came into effect, whether they are the people who negotiated for the NLC.


Some economists are telling President Tinubu that wage increase isn’t sustainable because of the country’s dire economic situation occasioned by huge debts and that he should not enter into any agreement with Labour on new minimum wage. What is your reaction?

Are you sure those people are economists? If you can give me their data and where they studied their own economics, I will find out whether they are economists or not because unless they are wicked economists, unless they are operating in another realm and not in the present day Nigeria… Any good and sound economists will tell you about the effect of purchasing power in an economy and that where there is no purchasing power, there is no economy that can grow, where workers salary is not enough for him to go to work, no economy can grow and then where the cost of living index is just wiped out and anybody says he is an economist, is he saying it as a punitive measure that it’s the worker that destroyed the economy? Now, in every society, even as we talk now, in America, all over the world, workers are paid per hour and it is based on productivity, based on what is sustainable for them, all these issues are put into place.

Now N30, 000 is about thirty dollars in a month, that is what an average worker or professional is getting. Some get fifteen dollars per hour and you see somebody who says he is an economist saying you should not pay wage.

Those people are not in this climate, those people are quacks and I challenge any of them to come out. And that is the same economists that advised that we should continue to import petroleum products, that we should sell all our crude and buy refined products; those economists are not as versed as my own grandmother who harvests cassava, sells part of it and keeps part that she will use with her children and grandchildren but these economists are the ones that will tell you to sell the whole cassava and buy garri at a high cost and then the problem that besieges Nigeria is how to get the difference between that cassava and the refined garri, and those economists are still opening their mouths to talk nonsense and misadvise this government. Even under primitive economy, nobody gives this type of advice. So they are not economists.

Marketers of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) petrol have raised the alarm over the lightness of the product in some retail outlets, noting that it is inferior to the quality the Nigerian Midstream and Upstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) approved.

They described some of the products imported to Nigeria as evaporating and undurable.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), National Vice President, Mr. John Keke Ocha, broke the news at Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA) National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja.

According to him, lack of adequate legitimate domestic refining of petroleum has paved the way for the importation of all manners of products to meet consumer needs.

Explaining that absence of in – country refining has led to the importation of different grades of petrol, he lamented that the consumers have no choice.

He advised the Federal Government to look inward to ensure the national and private refineries are functional.

His words: “The prayer of this house is that government must look inward to ensure our refineries are put to use to create room for reduction of these high petroleum products importation as we are saying today.

“A lot of people don’t use their vehicles again. If you put N20,000 or N30,000 fuel in your car, before two days the thing is gone. I don’t know whether it is evaporating. “Sometimes, I ask myself what has happened to the N30,000 fuel that I bought yesterday. The thing (fuel gauge) has started showing red.

“I don’t know if the type of product we have is no more like the original product that we used to get.

“This is because the competition has made it convenient for importers to get very light and all kinds of product to the country. And we accommodate it because we don’t have alternative.

“But if we produce it in this country, we will have choice. If we produce in this country, we will select. If we produce in this country, it will make it even more competitive and cheaper.
“That is the prayer of this house: the government must look inward and make life easy for people by making sure refineries are put in place to function.”

But the NMDPRA Corporate Communnications General Manager, Mr. Kimchi Apollo was not reachable on phone to state the Authority’s side of the story.

He did not respond to the text message The Nation sent to him as of press time.

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and former Deputy National Publicity, Yekini Nabena, on Friday, mocked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar whom he urged to start preparations in earnest ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The development is coming barely 24 hours after the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party denied betraying President Bola Tinubu over the allegation of certificate forgery he levelled against him at the court.

Rather, he said the former Lagos State governor abandoned him as well as the Action Congress of Nigeria and supported Umaru Yar’Adua of the PDP in the 2007 presidential poll.

Atiku also recalled how he saved Tinubu by not allowing former President Olusegun Obasanjo to take over Lagos State in the 2007 general election.

But Nabena insisted all the noise over the Chicago State University certificate of the President was a pre-election matter that had been forgotten.

In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, the former APC deputy spokesman urged Atiku to concentrate on preparing for another contest in 2027 instead of attempting to drag the nation backward.

Nabena also called the attention of Nigerian justices and the Supreme Court to the contempt of court by Atiku on the matter already in the court of law.

He said: “Let me use this medium to tell the former Vice President to start preparing for another election in 2027 as usual. Heating up the polity over pre-election matters will not make him President of Nigeria. The registrar of Chicago State University, Caleb Westberb, never said President Tinubu forged the certificate he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission in Nigeria.

“Atiku Abubakar should know by now that Nigerians have moved on. The country is now enjoying good governance because this administration is responsive and responsible. See what is happening across the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. Nigerians will no longer wait for months to get their passports when they apply. Over 204,000 backlogs have been cleared within three weeks.

“Think about the welfare packages for the elderly by the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry. The bold step to remove the fuel subsidy that has held the country hostage for a long time has seen government intervention in all sectors including aviation, health, transport, economy, agriculture, and security among others. This Renewed Hope Agenda is already working and Nigerians won’t allow anyone, including Atiku or Peter Obi to drag the nation back to the desert.”

There is a renewed hostility and acrimony in the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the two warring factions have both visited the party’s national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, with different claims.

A faction of the party loyal to the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, has claimed that a former governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi had struck a deal with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 poll, Atiku Abubakar, prior to the election and directed APC members during a meeting to campaign and vote for the former vice president.

Leader of the APC faction, Tony Okocha, made the claim on Thursday when he led top party leaders including key members of the state working committee and other leaders of the party across all the local government areas in Rivers State on a courtesy visit to the APC national chairman, Dr Ganduje in Abuja.

Recall that Amaechi came second at the APC presidential primary which produced Tinubu as candidate. Also, his camp recently met with the APC national chairman, Ganduje, in Abuja, where members ventilated their grievances over their non-inclusion in the scheme of things, especially, appointments into key positions by the Tinubu-led administration.

Addressing Ganduje and other APC bigwigs on the essence of the visit at the party’s headquarters, Okocha said Amaechi had announced his support for Atiku during a stakeholders’ meeting prior to the election and insisted that party members in the state must not be allowed to vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was APC’s candidate in the election.

He also appealed to the Ganduje-led National Working Committee (NWC) that whatever appointment or benefit the party wishes to allot to Rivers APC should pass through Nyesom Wike, a former governor of Rivers State who is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but now minister of the FCT.

He said, “In Rivers State, the leader of the slant which Cole and Dakuku, et al, belonged, had helmed up alliances with the PDP presidential candidate, HE, Atiku Abubakar, that Atiku and not Tinubu should be voted for in the presidential election.

“This wicked resolve against the APC in Rivers was openly announced in a meeting at the instance of the leader at his private residence in Port Harcourt, thickly attended by Mr. Cole, Dakuku, Chukwudi Dimkpa, et al, members of the innermost caucus.

“It was handed down that Tinubu must fail in Rivers State. They were thus, mandated to transport to their supporters in the 6868 polling units, 319 wards, and 23 local government areas in Rivers State.

“Was this obnoxious decision opposed by any of them either in words or actions?

Will they deny ever attending such a meeting and receiving such dastardly instruction? We have pictorial, visual, and individual testimonies to this.

“How did they contribute to the party’s presidential victory in Rivers State and were unable to deliver their members who contested National Assembly elections on the same day?”

“It is crucial to note that in all of that event that gulped several million, Neither Amaechi, Cole, Dakuku, et al now leading a delegation to the National Secretariat of our party, to belie the issues and make veritable their demand for compensation, contributed a split penny, neither did they contribute up to 10 genuine party members in the mammoth crowd that greeted that rally, for which the candidate, Asiwaju eulogised.”

He asked the Ganduje-led NWC not to recognise any other APC camp in Rivers, claiming they ceased to be members of the party a long time ago.

In his remarks, the factional state chairman, Emeka Bekee said, “As our leader has just said, before the elections, there was a directive and that directive was ‘go and vote Atiku.’ But we said no, we are party loyalists and we will vote for our party’s candidate, Asiwaju.”

Amaechi who spoke through his media aide, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze when Daily Trust sought his reaction to the allegations said, “That statement is not only a lie from the pit of hell but one of those ploys to continue to witch hunt and present Amaechi in bad light before the APC leadership in order for him and his associates to continue to eat the crumbs from the table of Tinubu.

“During the 2023 general elections, Tony Okocha had ceased to be a member of APC as he, Magnus Abe, and others had refused to revalidate their APC membership cards. So if that is the case, Amaechi couldn’t have directed a non-member of APC to vote against the party.

“I will counsel Nigerians, particularly, you Journalists to disregard any statement about Rivers State APC from Tony Okocha and his likes. Amaechi is not only a respected member of APC but a great leader of the party in the South-South region until such a time it becomes imperative for him to change party.

“And let me reiterate that Wike, Okocha or any member of their misguided cohorts can not and will not be in a position to remove Amaechi from APC both as the leader of the party in the region and key member of APC no matter all their evil plots.”

Stop overheating system – Ganduje

Responding, Ganduje warned the two factions in the state to stop overhearing the system and allow the National Working Committee (NWC) to resolve the issues.

He said, “There is no doubt River State is a very important state in Nigeria; an oil-producing state with a reasonable population which is an asset for election and asset to any political party.

“Our party in Rivers State is highly fictionalised, that is a fact. Our party in Rivers State was killed by litigations, that one too is a fact. One important question to ask is ‘How come we won the presidential election and lost the state election?’ It is a miracle.

“So we have to congratulate you on that. But what we are saying, yes, there is confusion in the party, but we don’t want members to overheat the system; we are focused, we are organised, and we work scientifically in politics.

“Therefore, you give us an enabling environment; give us a chance so that we can put a round peg in a round hole, a square peg in a square hole so that we maintain our dignity as a party.

“We don’t want too much analysis because they say too much analysis leads to paralysis. So give us a chance so that we can consult, so that we look at the constitution of APC and then we wait and see how we can put things in order.”

States were split yesterday over the agreement the Federal Government reached with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, on Monday night to pay N35,000 wage award to federal workers to cushion the effect of petrol subsidy removal.

While some of the states said they would align with the Federal Government’s N35,000 wage award for its workers, others said they had already started paying their workers N10,000, even before the Federal Government award, and would therefore, not be bound by the central government’s move.

Recall that the Federal Government had, in the agreement, accepted to continue payment of the wage award until a new minimum wage is arrived at next year.

Kwara

In Kwara State, the government said it had already started paying N10,000 wage award to its workers, even before the Federal Government and promised to continue to pay but was silent on its readiness to upscale it to N35,000.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said yesterday: “KWSG started awarding extra N10,000 to every civil servant since July, apparently pioneering some sort of cash award.

He said: “This is to support them until a new minimum wage comes on stream. Some other pro-worker measures, including reduction of work days from five to three, have also been implemented in different sectors to strengthen the purchasing power of workers, with positive impacts on the larger economy.

“The government will continue with these measures and more, such as the N10,000 cash award to students of Kwara State origin, to bring more ease to the people.

“The Kwara State government commends the step of the federal government. It is, of course, expected that other states that do not already have such arrangements will follow suit with sustainable amounts that align with their own financial realities.”

Kebbi

In Kebbi State, the government said it would sit with cabinet members soon to determine what wage award to pay to its workers.

Special Adviser to Governor Nasir Idris, on Media and Publicity, Malam Yahya Sarki, said though it is still too early to comment on the issue as the agreement was only signed between the Federal Government and labour on Monday night, the governor, being a former unionist, will approve something substantial for the workers.

He did not, however, state whether the state government will pay up to the N35,000 reached between the Federal Government and Labour.

Enugu

But in Enugu State, the government agreed to replicate the federal government’s wage award of N35,000 for its workers.

Enugu State Commissioner for Labour and Employment, Chika Ugwuoke, told Vanguard that the state will definitely structure subsidy removal palliative measures in the format the Federal Government had designed to alleviate the plight of workers in the state.

Ugwuoke said that the state government had already started with smooth distribution of palliatives provided by the Federal Government.

“Enugu State was very prompt in the distribution of palliatives to our people and this wage award won’t be any different,” Ugwuoke said.

On his part the Enugu State Chairman of NLC, Fabian Nwigbo, said they were part of the team that negotiated wage award which he disclosed was meant for federal, state and local government workers.

“I can only speak for my state which is Enugu and we are confident that the governor here will implement it.’’

Niger

In Niger State, the Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Hajiya Binta Mamman, declared that the state government will not be hasty in taking a decision on what to add to its workers salary, based on the N35,000 increment announced by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

The commissioner said the council meeting which would be presided over by Governor Muhammed Umaru Bago, will deliberate on what she described as sensitive issue to arrive at a figure to pay, after reviewing the financial implication for the state.

“The declaration of President Tinubu on the issue was an increment specially for federal civil servants and not for state workers and so far, I have not seen or heard any state government making a declaration on what to pay their workers, except those who had announced an adjustment even before that of the President.

“We are talking of huge amount of money here and when our governor is back, we will all sit down to take a decision at the Council meeting because we have to know what is coming into the coffers of the state and what should be going out to implement this in order not to start what we cannot continue,” she explained.

Binta urged workers to be patient on the issue, adding that a declaration would be made soon.

Adamawa

In Adamawa State, the state government said it was ahead of the Federal Government in the provision of palliatives to cushion effects of the removal of fuel subsidy.

This, government said it had already approved and had started paying N10, 000 across board as transport allowances to all categories of workers in the state.

Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, Deacon Humashi Wounosikoh, told Vanguard that the N 35,000 approved by the federal government will be looked into by the state government.

He noted that a directive on the N35,000 agreement between labour and the federal government is yet to be communicated to the state.

“The moment the directive is received from the Federal Government, Adamawa will sit with labour at our level here to see to its workability,” the CPS said.

Ondo

In Ondo State, the government assured its workers that it would key into the federal government’s template to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy.

Speaking with Vanguard in confidence, a top government official who pleaded anonymity, said:

“Although the agreement is between federal government and labour, but our own state too will have to meet with labour to discuss and agree on what will cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy.

“The state government will soon be meeting with the labour leadership in a bid to look into the matter appropriately.

“The state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, is ready to do whatever is within the limit of the state to assist the workers.

“Our state has even put in place some palliatives, such as free buses for our workers and free shuttle buses for students even before this agreement was reached between federal and the union.

“We want to assure our workers that they would smile after the negotiation with the state labour leaders was finalized.

Oyo

In Oyo State, the Special Adviser to Oyo State Governor on Labour Matters, Mr. Titilola Sodo, said: “Oyo State Government will meet with the labour leadership in a collective bargaining process to arrive at a mutually-satisfying package for her employees.”

Ekiti

The state government expressed its desire to key-into the federal government’s measures to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal

Speaking with Vanguard, the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr Taiwo Olatunbosun, said: “Our state will not be an exemption, having seen what the Federal Government has agreed to do with labour and the workers.

“Our state will take it from there and we will make sure we continue to give the best to workers and populace well-being and welfare and it will be important at this point to say Ekiti has taken the welfare and well-being of our workforce to the front line of our policies, and we are going to continue to do that.

“We are not going to lag behind in ensuring that we do everything within our powers and the ability of the state to make everybody happy.

“What the FG has done is good and we have to look at it at the state level, we will all look at it and do the needful for our workers. The nitty-gritty will be discussed and fine-tuned to follow suit.

“We have done a lot of relief packages, we have done a lot. We have been doing alot of palliatives and reliefs that will make our people okay.

“Concerning the wage award which has just been announced, this is the upper level of discussion which everybody has been waiting for and I’m very sure that we will all follow what happened when the organised labour at the national level called off their proposed strike to give government time to be able to fine-tune some of these things.

“We are not going to lag behind. Ekiti is a welfarist state and we have a governor with compassion and a very good plan for our workforce. We will do everything possible to ensure our people are okay and happy.’’

Osun and Ogun state governments, however, promised to respond after due contultations with stakeholders in the states.

Plateau

In Plateau State, the government said the Federal Government cannot dictate what to pay as wage award to its workers

The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Musa Ashoms, said before the federal government made the announcement, the state had commenced the process of alleviating the plights of its workers and other citizens.

He said: “The federal government can’t determine what happens in the state but we have a government that is considerate. Before the federal government made that decision, we had made ours.

“Ours is that we will give palliative to civil servants, we have made plans to reduce school fees for our students, increase bursary to students by 100%.

“We will add N10,000 to the civil servants, even though we have not started implementing but before they announced theirs, we have our own intervention plan we will implement.”

Abia

In Abia State, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alex Otti, Mr. Kazie Uko, said the state government is yet to know the details of the agreement on the proposed wage increase between the federal fovernment and labour and how it will apply to states.

Uko explained that until the details are made clear, there is nothing much the state could do over the issue.

‘He said: “The proposal or offer is still between the federal government and labour unions. Nothing has been presented to the state government yet in that regard. Until such is done, there is nothing the state can do.”

Cross River

In Cross Rivers State, Governor Basey Otu, said the state is already paying N10,000 wage award to its workers but refused to state whether it would key into the federal government’s N35,000.

“We gave the federal government the example. We have paid our civil servants the sum of N10,000 every month. We are going to keep paying them that for now.”

Delta

Similarly, in Delta State, Festus Ahon, Chief Press Secretary to Governor
Sheriff Oborevowori, said: “The Oborevwori administration is committed to the welfare of all Deltans and in line with our M.O.R.E Agenda; we took the lead by approving N10, 000 across the board for all civil servants in the state for three months effective from August.

“The state government also directed the local government councils to replicate the same for their workers. As we speak, the workers have received two tranches — August and September.

“As a government, we will continue to take steps that will ease the sufferings of our people, caused by the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.”

Edo

In Edo, the state government said it will consider giving salary awards to its staff in due time but insisted that one way out of the present socio-economic crisis in Nigeria is the devolution of powers to free more funds and responsibilities to states and local government areas.

Andrew Okungbowa, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Godwin Obaseki, said: “Our state currently pays the highest minimum wage of N40,000.

“We have in place our support programme for our people — the free transport scheme and the N500m monthly to be distributed among the poorest of the poor, which will soon come on stream once we re-validate and update our social register.

“Our state will like to do more for our people, depending on the resources at our disposal. The governor will consider the correct response to the salary award by the Federal Government regarding the state workers when the time comes.

“He (the governor) will do more than that award as we are already ahead of the Federal Government and other state governments in our response to the present situation.

“But I must also draw attention to my governor’s insistence on the devolution of powers to both state and local governments to free more funds for development.

“Once that is done, our governor will be in a better position to improve the welfare of our people and development of the state more than he is doing currently.”

Akwa Ibom

In Akwa Ibom State, the Commissioner for Information, Ini Ememobong, and Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ekerete Udoh, did not respond to the calls and SMS inquiries by one of our reporters.

However, a senior Government House source told Vanguard: “What is the rush? The Federal Government only just made a pronouncement, we know the pressures, but it is not a competition that we must react to.

“Accepting or not accepting, declaring whether Akwa Ibom will pay is not the issue. As a state, we are not acting on impulse. Governor Umo Eno, like his counterparts across the country, understands the challenges of workers’ wages against the rising market prices.
“The state will work within the leverages available to do what she can do, working in agreement and understanding with the workers. That does not require that we play to the gallery on the pages of newspapers.

Rivers

The Rivers State government is yet to make its position known on the new national minimum wage of N35, 000 for workers announced by the Federal Government.

Though the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Boniface Onyedi, neither picked several calls or responded to a text message to his phone by our reporter, a source at Government House who did not want his name in print, said: “It is too early to seek the state government’s reaction to the decision.”

“There are 36 states in Nigeria. How many of them have reacted to the new wage award so far? It is just too early and I am confident that the governor will come up with something the workers will be proud of.”

He expressed confidence that the “state government will work for the overall happiness of workers by looking into their welfare.”

The source explained that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in the state would meet with state and local government workers to intimate them of the latest development, adding that there was need to find out the position of workers on the decision reached between the federal government and organized labour.

Bayelsa

In Bayelsa State, a senior government official who pleaded anonymity, said: “It is not a question for us yet. If labour is negotiating with the federal government, states are not negotiating with labour. Remember that states will decide what they want, based on their financial situation.”

Kano

In Kano, the state government said it is yet to take a decision on the federal government’s N35,000 wage award.

The Commissioner of Information and Internal Affairs, Baba Halilu Dantiye, said the state is waiting for details of the agreement between the Federal Government and labour.

“We are waiting for the details of the agreement and we will also study it to know the next line of action to take,’’ Dantiye said.

By Sami Tunji


•Access, Fidelity, Zenith lend states N46bn in six months as govs battle poor IGR

•Fiscal Responsibility Commission issues guidelines to banks on lending to states, MDAs

State governments borrow about N46.17bn from three banks to pay salaries between January and June 2023, according to findings by The PUNCH.

The findings were based on an analysis of the half-year 2023 financial statements of Access Bank, Fidelity Bank, and Zenith Bank Group.

The PUNCH observed that the states borrowed the most from Access Bank in six months, with a record of N42.97bn loan.

It was followed by Zenith Bank (N1.78bn borrowed) and Fidelity Bank (N1.42bn borrowed) within the six-month period.

According to the H1 2023 financial statement of Access Bank, the outstanding balance on the salary bailout fund was N58.84bn by June 30, 2023, from N101.81bn in December 2022.

“The amount of N58,842,651,795 represents the outstanding balance on the state salary bailout facilities granted to the bank by the Central Bank of Nigeria for onward disbursements to state governments for payments of salary of workers of the states. The facility has a tenor of 20 years with a 2 per cent interest payable to the CBN. The bank is under obligation to on-lend to the states at an all-in interest rate of nine per cent per annum. From this creditor, the bank has nil undrawn balance as at 30 June 2023,” Access Bank noted.

For Fidelity Bank, the H1 2023 financial statement showed that the outstanding balance on the salary bailout fund was N80.65bn by June 30, 2023, from N82.07bn in December 2022.

The bank noted “FGN Intervention fund is CBN Bailout Fund of N80.65billion (31 Dec 2022: N82.07bn). This represents funds for states in the Federation that are having challenges in meeting up with their domestic obligation including payment of salaries. The loan was routed through the bank for on-lending to the states. The bailout fund is for a tenor of 20 years at 9 per cent per annum.”

It added, “The bailout fund is for a tenor of 20 years at 7 per cent per annum and availed for the same tenor at 9 per cent per annum until March 2020, the rate was reduced to 5 per cent for one year period due to Covid-19 pandemic to March 2021 after which it was extended to February 2023. CBN on August 17 2022 further reviewed the rates in response to economic outlook and approved the following order; All intervention facilities granted effective July 20, 2022 shall be at 9 per cent per annum while all existing intervention facilities granted prior to July 20, 2022 shall be at 9 per cent per annum effective September 1, 2022.”

According to the H1 2023 financial statement of Zenith Bank, the outstanding balance on the salary bailout fund was N125.14bn by June 30, 2023, from N126.92bn in December 2022.

The bank noted, “The Salary Bailout Scheme was approved by the Federal Government to assist state governments in the settlement of outstanding salaries owed their workers. Funds are disbursed to banks nominated by beneficiary states at two per cent for on-lending to the beneficiary states at 9 per cent. The loans have a tenor of 20 years. Repayments are deducted at source, by the Accountant General of the Federation, as a first line charge against each beneficiary state’s monthly statutory allocation. This facility is not secured.”

The PUNCH findings show that the loans occurred despite the slight increase in the revenue allocation to states.

The PUNCH had earlier reported a N540bn increase in the amount shared between the Federal Government, states, and Local Government Areas.

This was according to an analysis of the communiqués issued by the Federation Account Allocation Committee between January to July for 2022 and 2023.

In 2022, a total of N4.96tn was shared for the first seven months of the year.

By 2023, a total of N5.5tn was shared for the first seven months of the year.

However, The PUNCH has also reported that about 25 states in Nigeria suffered a drop in their internally generated revenue and battled cash crunch in the first quarter of 2023.

Data obtained from the budget implementation report of each state showed that 25 states earned N182.26bn in Q1 2023.

This was a shortfall of 3.07 per cent or N5.77bn from the N188.03bn made in Q4 2022, based on a quarter-by-quarter analysis.

Although there are 36 states in Nigeria, Rivers and Sokoto have no data for Q1 2023 yet; Akwa Ibom has no data for Q1 2022, while Kwara, Edo, Kaduna, Lagos, Bauchi, Zamfara, Yobe, and Ogun have no data for Q4 2022.

Therefore, the figure for IGR was limited to 25 out of the 36 states in the country.

The PUNCH findings showed that the 25 states projected an IGR of N219.56bn for Q1 2023 but only made about N182.26bn, which means that they had a revenue performance of 83.01 per cent.

This also means that the revenue underperformed by 16.99 per cent as it failed to hit the states’ revenue target.


States debt

Also, The PUNCH had reported that state governments’ indebtedness to commercial banks rose to N2.2tn amid worsening revenue challenges.

This was according to data from the quarterly statistical bulletin of the Central Bank of Nigeria, which showed that states and LGAs owed banks about N2.21tn as of March 2023.

CBN data also revealed the states’ indebtedness rose from N1.97tn to the current figure, indicating an increase of about N240bn within the period under review.

Data from the Debt Management Office showed that the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory have N5.82tn domestic debt and $4.35bn external debt.

In its December 2022 edition of the Nigeria Development Update, the World Bank noted that states’ debts would rise above 200 per cent of the revenue generated in 2022 and 2023.

The report read, “Debt levels for an average state are estimated to increase from 154.6 per cent of revenues in 2021 to above 200 per cent of revenues in both 2022 and 2023.”


Borrowing for salaries

Economic experts, who spoke with The PUNCH on Wednesday, described borrowing for the payment of salaries as dangerous, cautioning states against this.

An economist and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof Akpan Ekpo, acknowledged the bad economic situation of the country, which has compelled states to do more borrowing.

He, however, advised against borrowing for recurrent expenditures, such as salaries.

“The situation is bad but most states do not have enough in terms of internally generated revenue. A lot of the states, even their federal government allocation, cannot pay salary, which is very dangerous. You should not borrow to pay salaries.

“You should borrow to finance capital projects. States have to think of new ways of increasing their IGRs. If they continue borrowing to pay salaries, it is not good for the economy,” Ekpo said.

He urged the states to look at what they have in their states in order to find a way to increase their revenue.

Ekpo also urged the states to increase service delivery, which will attract more revenue.

A development economist, Dr Aliyu Ilias, also acknowledged the economic difficulties that states are faced with but noted that borrowing to pay salaries is a problem.

“With the current hardship we have in the country, they may not have alternative than to resort to borrowing. But borrowing to pay salaries is becoming a problem. We must stop borrowing for recurrent expenditure. We can borrow for capital expenditure; that is okay. The consequence is that we are digging ourselves into more trouble,” he said.

He admitted that state governments might be unable to join in the Federal Government’s effort to increase allowance to workers.

He then advised, “Each state should look inward, find what they are good at and maximise it.”

Also speaking with The PUNCH, a Professor of Economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Prof Sheriffdeen Tella, said borrowing for consumption is worsening the country’s inflation.

“It is part of what was creating inflation. Most of the money borrowed were for consumption not production. It is unfortunate,” he said.

He urged the states to stop depending on the Federal Government and boost local production for more revenue generation.

A former President, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, Dr Sam Nzekwe, described the borrowing by states as bad.

“This is the bad borrowing we are talking about – borrowing for recurrent expenditure. That is a very bad one,” he stressed.

He further called on states to stop depending on the Federal Government, cut governance costs, and block revenue leakages.

“Most of them depend on the Federal Government. I will advise them to work hard to increase their internally generated revenue. When they do that, they have to look into the costs of governance – having a fleet of cars for themselves and aides.

“They should reduce the cost of governance and block leakages. Most of the money you see are being embezzled,” he told The PUNCH.

FRC engages banks

The Fiscal Responsibility Commission has said it is set for a stakeholder dialogue on how to implement sections of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 relating to lending by banks to governments and public institutions in the federation.

The agency, which is saddled with the task of promoting a transparent and accountable government financial management framework for Nigeria, disclosed this in a statement by its spokesman, Bede Anyanwu, on Wednesday.

The statement read, “The Fiscal Responsibility Commission has concluded preparations to hold a stakeholder dialogue on implementing sections of the Fiscal Responsibility Act that relate to lending by banks to governments and public institutions in the Federation.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 (FRA), which is Nigeria’s foremost legal framework for the promotion, monitoring, and enforcement of fiscal discipline and accountability in the management of public finances, stipulates that lending by banks to governments or their agencies in contravention of certain provisions of the Act shall be unlawful.

The statement added, “The Commission aims at using the stakeholder dialogue to refresh the attention of stakeholders to this provision of the Act and to engender stakeholder agreement on ways to enhance compliance and thereby improve the nation’s debt management practices.”

President Bola Tinubu has replaced Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, a former Ministerial nominee from Kaduna State with Balarabe Abbas.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced this while reading a letter from the president on Tuesday.

In the letter, the president sought the confirmation of Abbas, Jamila Bio and Olawale Olawande.

While Bio and Olawande have been assigned portfolios of Minister of Youths and Minister of State for Youths respectively, none has been assigned to Abbas.

The new nominee served as Secretary to the State government under El-Rufai. He also headed the transition committee of the state in 2015 and served as the vice-chairman of the committee in 2019.

He also led a 65-man transition committee for the swearing-in of Governor Uba Sani.

The Chicago State University, United States of America has released the academic records of President Bola Tinubu to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who is also the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate.

The CSU released the documents to Atiku on Monday in compliance with the order of a United States District Court in Northern District of Illinois.

SaharaReporters learnt that Atiku Abubakar’s lawyers are currently studying the documents obtained from the university and could make them public later in the day.

In response to Abubakar’s third request — which was to release a copy of the diplomas issued in 1997 — the university said the certificates match the format of the Tinubu replacement dated June 27, 1997.

“The documents responsive to this request which CSU, after diligent search, has been able to locate are produced herewith and Bates labelled CSU 0008 through CSU 0010. The students’ names on these diplomas have been redacted for privacy reasons. CSU is also producing, Bates labelled as CSU 0011 and 0012, diplomas produced for other CSU students (with their names redacted for privacy) which match the format of the Tinubu replacement dated June 27, 1997,” the university wrote.

Several samples of diplomas (certificates) awarded in 1979 to other students were released by the university as demanded by Abubakar.

Tinubu had previously claimed to have lost his original certificates but presented a replacement for his CSU diploma to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2023 presidential election.

On September 19, Jeffrey Gilbert, a US magistrate judge, granted the request and ordered CSU to release Tinubu’s academic records within 24 hours.

However, the president moved to block it by filing an appeal against the order.

Atiku intends to use the CSU academic record in pursuit of his appeal at the Supreme Court where he is challenging Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election.

But Tinubu’s legal team has argued that the documents would be of no use at the Supreme Court.

The Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, has said Nigerians should pray that the country’s refineries do not work.

Oyedele, who spoke at The Platform’s Independence Anniversary event, held in Lagos on Monday, said should Nigerian refineries produce petroleum, inefficiencies in the management might make a litre of petrol the most expensive in the world.

“Nigerians would say if only our refineries were working, then we’ll be fine. Nothing can be farther from the truth than that. In fact, Nigerians should come together and say please make sure that our refineries don’t work. We should sell them.

“The National Assembly said we have spent over N10tn maintaining our refineries even when they have not produced anything,” Oyedele said during the event tagged ‘Africa Rising Continent – Nigeria’s Strategic Role’.

“If Nigerian refineries process crude oil, unless we deal with our inefficiency, one litre of petrol will be the most expensive in the world. You would have succeeded in replacing the subsidy at the pump with subsidy of the refineries,” he added.

Delivering his speech titled ‘Making Nigeria the springboard for Africa through sound economic policies and responsible citizenship,’ the chairman said, “What is our vision? What is the Nigerian dream? Even I had to Google it, and when I did, I really couldn’t find anything.

“The closest thing I found was in the recent document called Agenda 2050, which was developed by the immediate past administration, it has the vision, the mission, and it has objectives.”

Speaking on policies that can help reform the economy, he said the naira redesign policy of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government went wrong.

“I know most people remember monetary policies and if not for anything, the recent naira redesign reminded all of us how bad things can get when you get just one policy wrong.

“Sometimes it’s not just about the economy, activities, values and financial losses but about lives which are irreplaceable,” he said.

He identified industrial policy, environmental and energy policies, among eight others, as policies that could help reform the economy.

He said, “When the fuel subsidy was removed, the pump price of PMS went up by 200 per cent. Do you know what happened? Traffic in Lagos disappeared. One of the reasons it disappeared was because a lot of people could no longer maintain buying fuel to be on the road and they parked their cars.

“Do you think those are the upper-class people? No. The upper-class people will just complain briefly and they’ll pay and still move on. They drove exactly as they drove before and after the removal. The lower and middle-class people who had Tokunbo (imported) used cars – those cars break down regularly, and they visit the vulcanisers regularly and the mechanic.

“Ssince those people are parking their vehicles at home, the vulcaniser is not finding jobs to do; so is the mechanic. It’s not just the vulcaniser, the apprentices and the family they support – life has become impossible, but we all agree it’s a necessary policy. But we need to react and respond in a way that is robust enough so we can take some of those pains off our people.”

Reacting to the sale of refineries’ comments, the National Controller, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mike Osatuyi, said it was best the country had its own refineries.

“The government that wants the refineries to work knows what they are doing. Having our own refineries guarantees energy security and would also create more jobs.

“You can’t control what you don’t own. So, it is good for us to have our own. The cost of importing petrol is now very high. I think government is moving in the right direction by making the refineries work very soon,” he said.

Also speaking on the issue, the Director-General, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, Wale Oyerinde, said the refineries should be sold.

“That has been our position, we have refineries that have not been running profitably for years now, it doesn’t make sense to keep pumping money into something we can’t handle.

“The government should transparently sell it off to Nigerians and let an average Nigerian who wants to buy into it do that and the government keeps a limited share of it. It has not worked before so why are we keeping it? I don’t know why Nigerians are sentimental about it.

“It should be sold to individuals who can run it as a business and then the government will play the role of a regulator rather than continue pumping money into it. It has been our position, the government should transparently sell it off to Nigerians or private individuals or experts that can run it.” Oyerinde said.

On his part, the Chairman, Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Niyi Yusuf, said, “The private sector has proven over time its ability to efficiently optimise assets for the benefits of all stakeholders.

“We have seen this in banking, telecoms, broadcasting, entertainment and other sectors where public assets have been transparently handed over to reputable private managers.

“Underperforming assets such as refineries should be privatised to allow private sector bring in needed capital, technology, technical capacity and management knowhow so these assets can stop draining public budget and consumers can start to benefit from their products and services.

“More than half of our population have not witnessed our refineries work at optimal capacity. Its about time we try new strategy and privatisation is a proven model” he said.

The Africa Rising Continent event, which was attended by Oyedele, also had other keynote speakers such as the Minister of Communications, Bosun Tijani, a Kenyan lawyer and activist, Prof. Patrick Lumumba, Dr Joe Abah, among others.

Written by Sola Adebayo


The managing director of Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC) Engr Ibrahim Onoja, and the acting managing director of Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), Mrs Usua Ofonmbuk Edet, are currently under pressure to meet the December deadline set by the federal government for the refineries to resume full production.

The federal government has said the December deadline for Port Harcourt and Warri refineries to resume operations remains unchanged.

The government has insisted that the deadline for the two strategic business units of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) to resume operations is sacrosanct.

The December timeline for the local refineries to resume operations was one of the promises made by President Bola Tinubu after he automatically cancelled the oil subsidy regime in his inauguration speech on May 29, 2023, causing the price of PMS to jump more than three-fold, from about N194 litre to N617 a litre, with the attendant hyperinflation and hardships among the masses.

There is unanimity of opinion that local refining would help reduce and stabilise the price of petrol and shield local consumers from the fluctuations and vagaries of the international oil market.

Consequently, the federal authorities said the helmsmen of the two plants would be held responsible if their establishments failed to meet the December deadline for local refining.

The two plants would kick-start operations in December by locally refining 160 barrels of crude oil per day.

LEADERSHIP learnt that while the Warri refinery would produce 100bpd by December, the Port Harcourt refinery would make an initial contribution of 60bpd during the same period.

These revelations were made when the minister of state for petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Loikpobiri, led top officials of the ministry and those of NNPCL to Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) on Friday.

Lokpobiri was accompanied by the group chief executive officer (GCEO) of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, other top management officials and managing directors of the strategic business units of the oil conglomerate.

Lokpobiri, after receiving briefing from Kyari, embarked on a tour of the moribund plant, especially to ascertain the extent of work done in the ongoing rehabilitation of the refinery by a Korean firm, Daewoo E & C.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the rehabilitation of the two plants were awarded by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari after many years of neglect.

The failure of the successive administration to authorise routine maintenance of the refineries, codenamed Turn Around Maintenance (TAM), led to their epileptic operations and eventual collapse.

This development halted the nation’s local refining capacity and consequential sole reliance on importation of petroleum products.

However, Lokpobiri after the facility tour of WRPC on Friday, pushed the
officials of WRPC and Port Harcourt to the media to seize the opportunity to intimate Nigerians on the level of readiness of their establishments to meet the December deadline.

The officials said the December deadline was irreversible, adding that the ongoing rehabilitation of the plants was almost completed to pave the way for test running and commencement of operations.

According to the construction manager, Femi Fagbuaro who spoke for the MD of WRPC, the plant would start with 100bpd, which represents about 60 per cent of its installed capacity in December, and progress to hit optimal production capacity afterwards.

On his part, the MD of PHRC, Engr Onoja, said the plant would commence operations with 60bpd by December and ultimately hit over 200bpd in December 2024.

Wrapping up the interview session, Lokpobiri said he was in the plant to assess the daily progress of work in the rehabilitation of the plant.

Lokpobiri said:”That is why I have come so that nobody will say I am in Abuja and making statements there, It is deliberate as I have called the MDs of the different refineries, who are there to be giving us daily reports about the progress made. You heard me when I said I am going to hold them accountable for the dates they have given to Nigerians.”

“For now, I want Nigerians to be optimistic that if this rehabilitation is completed, we will put them to the best use for the benefit of Nigerians.

“Government owns NNPCL and the government owns the refinery, and it is important to the government.

I want to see how this place can be fully rehabilitated so we can stop or reduce the quantity of products imported into the country.”

The minister further emphasized the inherent advantages of getting the nation’s refineries into full operations.

“If we have fuel, the more productive we will become for the betterment of the economy, especially the current forex crisis. We will need less forex to expend on importation of petroleum products.

“So the projects are very important, that is why in the steering committee, we decided that we are going to be rotating our meetings.

“Today we came here (WRPC) for our meeting; we have seen, the next one will be in Kaduna, the next one will be held in Port Harcourt.

But I will also come here again and, as much as possible, to ensure that we meet and keep to the timeline given to us by the contractors,” the minister said.

According to Lokpobiri, government is not carrying out the rehabilitation directly, but through contractors which had given a timeline, with staff on the ground also giving periodic updates.

The federal government says it has approved N35,000 as the provisional wage increment for all treasury-paid workers for the period of six months.

“Going from the meeting with Labour today, President Bola Tinubu has agreed to increase the provisional wage award for all treasury-paid Federal Government workers to N35,000 for 6 months,” a statement from the presidency on Sunday night reads.

An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation’s independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a military occupation, or after a major change in government.

Many countries commemorate their independence from a colonial empire.

Nigeria gained her independence from the British on the 1st of October 1960.

China, Cyprus, Palau, Tuvalu also gained their independence on the 1st of October 1960

Not all countries mark independence as a national holiday. Many, such as Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Ireland, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, and Turkey mark other dates of significance.

Here are Countries that gained independence in October

Nigeria – October 1

China – October 1

Cyprus – October 1

Palau – October 1

Tuvalu – October 1

Guinea – October 2

Germany – October 2

Iraq – October 3

Lesotho – October 4

Croatia – October 8

Uganda – October 9

Fiji – October 10

Taiwan – October 10

Equatorial Guinea – October 12

Spain – October 12

Azerbaijan – October 18

Zambia – October 24

Austria – October 26

St Vincent & the Grenadines – October 27

Turkmenistan – October 27

Czechia – October 28

Slovakia – October 28

Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has said Nigeria needs political office holders who have identity and authentic credentials.

Obi said this in the United States where there is an ongoing case on President Bola Tinubu’s academic record.

Recall that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who contested the presidential election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is digging for the academic and personal records of Tinubu, from Chicago State University (CSU).

A court ruled in favour of Atiku, ordering CSU to release Tinubu’s record, but the Nigerian president filed a suit against this.

Tinubu files fresh motion to stop Chicago varsity from releasing academic records

Speaking at the Chinua Achebe Symposium at Princeton University, US on Friday, Obi said Nigerians must start working towards a country driven by competence and commitment to fighting corruption.

He submitted that leaders in Africa’s biggest economy must be committed to the rule of law.

“We must have leadership that is committed to the rule of law… that has an identity and credentials that can be verified. We can start thinking of a new Nigeria with competence, and capacity that is committed to fighting corruption. Is it possible to fight corruption? The answer is yes!

“The trouble with Nigeria is self-inflicted. If Achebe was alive, he would have taken back the book. When he wrote it, there was no trouble. Now, there is real trouble in Nigeria.Rascality has become a measure of success in Nigeria. That must change.”

Obi is one of those who filed an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge the tribunal’s ruling that upheld Tinubu’s victory.

The state government also announced ban on erecting illegal structures on drainage systems and displaying of wares and other commodities on walkways.

The Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led Lagos State government has announced a total ban on street trading and hawking across the state.

The state government also announced ban on erecting illegal structures on drainage systems and displaying of wares and other commodities on walkways.

The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, who made the announcement on Friday on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, said that the move was part of the state government's renewed effort to ensure a cleaner, safer, and healthy environment.

According to Wahab, the ban is aimed at curtailing the multiple nefarious activities allegedly perpetrated by hawkers who disguise to rob motorists and street traders who disrupt the free flow of traffic on highways and streets in the state. The commissioner further noted that he has directed the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, popularly known as KAI to strictly enforce compliance to the environmental sanitation laws. The Commissioner also ordered the immediate closure of Ladipo Market in the Mushin area of the state for several environmental offences including reckless waste disposal, unhygienic premises and non-payment of waste bills.

Wahab said that the market would remain closed until the mandatory conditions of redress were met by traders and market stakeholders, adding that it was part of ongoing efforts at ensuring total compliance with the environmental regulations in markets across the state.

By Terhemba Daka, Abuja


Barely four days after he was sworn into office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on June 2, this year, appointed former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as his Chief of Staff. The Office of the Chief of Staff in any democratic setting is responsible for directing, managing and overseeing all policy development, daily operations and staff activities for the president.

This office coordinates and communicates with all departments and agencies of the administration. The staff of this office assists in that effort by organising the affairs of the Chief of Staff. This office is the primary coordinator of activities that seek to explain and promote the president’s policies.

In the United States for instance, this office communicates the president’s policies to the American public. The office also informs the president about the public’s concerns and interests by analysing and responding to the president’s mails, e-mails and telephone calls received over the Comment Line. In addition, the department performs individual casework and assists individuals seeking help from the Federal Government, oversees the White House Volunteer Programme, prepares presidential messages and proclamations and acknowledges gifts given to the First Family.

Thus, whoever is appointed as the Chief of Staff is usually seen as a trusted ally of the president, which Gbajabiamila actually is, having been in the inner caucus of Tinubu’s political family for over three decades. Unlike the late Abba Kyari and Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, who both held sway as Chiefs of Staff to former president Muhammadu Buhari, Gbajabiamila was active in the political arena before his appointment and seems to be at home with his roles in the Presidency. However, looking back to the Kyari and Gambari days as Chiefs of Staff, the tasks before Gbajabiamila appear to be huge and analysts are closely watching to see how he would address them.

Kyari, a Kanuri from Borno State, was first appointed as Buhari’s Chief of Staff on August 27, 2015. The appointment was renewed after Buhari won re-election for a second term on July 7, 2019. His office served as the engine room, providing routine checks and balances, and serving as a gatekeeper of some sort to the president. He was an influential figure within the Buhari administration and wielded so much power. No wonder he made quite a handful of political enemies, who even wished him dead.

Alas, Kyari contracted the ravaging Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and died on Friday, April 17, 2020, in a hospital in Lagos State. The remains of the late Kyari, a lawyer, journalist, banker and alumnus of both the University of Warwick and University of Cambridge were interred at the Gudu cemetery, Apo, Abuja, in a solemn funeral amidst tears from family members and admirers.

Before his sudden demise, Kyari would many of the time stop by to exchange banters with the State House correspondents and even acknowledge greetings from staffers he encountered along the corridor as he made his way to and fro Buhari’s office. He was always visible. He could not be missed in what became his uniform – a white agbada and wine coloured Kanuri traditional cap to match. He won’t be caught in any other attire or a different colour.

Writing about Kyari’s persona, a former State House correspondent, Lekan Adetayo, who covered the Presidential Villa for many years, said: “Despite being advanced in age, this presidential aide covers this distance as many times as possible in a day, crisscrossing his office and the president’s office, apparently because he does not want to leave anything to chance.”

In all of the short trips, Adetayo said, “Kyari was always accompanied by at least two security aides, one in front apparently to be sure no harm is coming near him from the front and the other in the rear to ensure that enemies contemplating coming from the rear are warded off. You will never see him release those closely clutched office files that may contain the nation’s top secrets to any of his aides.”

Kyari carried a tough and strict demeanour. These attributes notwithstanding, he found time to acknowledge greetings and sometimes cracked jokes with journalists whenever he found them at the corridor in front of the Press Gallery while on his way either to his office or the President’s office.

Sometimes he would be the first to draw the attention of journalists in the Villa by jokingly announcing “breaking news, breaking news” especially whenever he had a positive or favourable approval from his principal.

But once he noticed that newsmen tried to jokingly turn the encounter on the narrow corridor to an interview session, he quickly left the scene.

After Kyari’s death, Buhari appointed Gambari as his Chief of Staff. Gambari was received at the Presidential Villa by senior Presidency officials including the former Director of Protocol, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed, now an Ambassador in Doha, Qatar; the former Permanent Secretary, State House, Mallam Tijani Umar and the former Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, who ushered him into the Aso Chambers of the State House, Abuja.

Shortly after being presented at the Presidential Villa, Gambari told journalists that he would be reporting directly to the President in the course of carrying out his official duties.

“I thank the President of the Federal Republic for giving me the opportunity to serve him and of course, the country,” Gambari said.

On what Nigerians should expect from him as Chief of Staff, he said: “We have not started; I’ll have to find out. I don’t report directly to the nation. I report to the President.”

On what he would offer the President, Gambari said “my loyalty, competence and support,” adding that his guiding principle as Chief of Staff would be “to serve the President to the best of my ability.”

Gambari was almost every time, curiously too, sandwiched by suited security aides attached to him from the Department of State Services (DSS) as he walked through the corridor to see the president and back to his office. He acknowledged compliments without uttering a word, with his countenance always looking like a senior military officer inspecting a guard of honour mounted by troops. Villa staffers would, without prompting, give way along the corridor anytime Gambari passed by. However, whether Gambari acquitted himself well in the office is left to conjecture.

Now, Gbajabiamila is in the saddle and has started creating his own impressions. Currently, there is this perception among observers within the seat of power that he is the head of the new cabal. There are even talks that he played a major role in the selection of members of Tinubu’s cabinet. While these remain in the realm of speculation, whether he will leave a positive or negative impression in the minds of Presidency watchers and Villa officials would be seen in due course.

However, many Nigerians who have institutional knowledge of the workings of the office of Chief of Staff to the President in a democratic setting said no two persons are alike in style, adding that the characteristics of Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff were still unfolding.


Analysing the days of Kyari, Gambari and the few months of Gbajabiamila in office, Chesa Chesa, said: “From the viewpoint of a correspondent, one would say that Abba Kyari was quite powerful and seen to be powerful. It was obvious. And despite that, he was very friendly, he related well even though he brooked no frivolities. Ambassador Gambari on the other hand was quite friendly too, but the circumstances of his arrival made him take a little while to get used to the Villa unlike his predecessor who stayed quite long.

“Nonetheless, he also exhibited friendliness towards other staff members; probably because there were things he could not take on before the government left.

“Gbajabiamila has started well. He is a known ally of the president. While it might appear too early to judge, he has taken a few steps and if he continues in that trajectory it will be good. But one cannot really conclude for now; it’s just about two months, but with those few steps things might just go down well for the government.”

For Mrs. Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, the office of the Chief of Staff is a sensitive one that requires the assistance of some experts to acquit oneself well.

“Abba Kyari had the ears of Mr. President and his principal had confidence in him. The President allowed him free hand to operate. The way things ought to be done was strictly adhered to. You will see him always interfacing with the president; he was strict but approachable.

“For Prof. Gambari, I really did not understand his style. But he had two aides that were seconded to his office and those people did very well by projecting the president’s work. Under him, they had a lot of media interaction. It was courtesy of those aides. But honestly I don’t think I truly understood his style.

“He had no relationship with the media. The only time he had interaction was the day of his farewell. But I will give it to his aides who worked with him; they tried.

“As for Gbajabiamila, the advice I have for him is to carry the media along. I want him to retain that interaction we used to have with ministers. Particularly, I will advise that he works with the Minister of Information so that there will be synergy of purpose,” she said.

A veteran, Johnbosco Agbakwuru, also said: “The current Chief of Staff, having been a seasoned politician, having been a Speaker of the House of Representatives, he appears to be a man of the people. He has that disposition that tells staffers that he relates cordially.

“I remember Abba Kyari. He used to exhibit a
friendly disposition towards staff members. Coming from the background of journalism, he tried to associate with everybody. Sometimes he may crack jokes with you, but then he is serious with his job.

“When he (Kyari) left, there was a diplomat and professor as his successor, Prof. Gambari. He was someone that looked withdrawn. He looked strict and shrewd in his role and disposition to duty.

“Many times he would crisscross the corridor as he goes to see the president and returns to his office without uttering a word to anybody when he passed by.

“People may say that Gbajabiamila has started very well. But what many do not know yet is whether he would continue the way he has started. Currently, he is friendly with everybody. If he continues like this, it’s going to be a plus to the government.”

The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) on Thursday directed its members to commence full mobilisation to ensure compliance with the directive of the Nigerian labour unions to embark on an indefinite strike.

Members of NUPENG include the influential Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) whose members drive the petrol and diesel tankers that distribute the products from Lagos, where they are imported, across Nigeria. Virtually all the diesel and petrol used in Nigeria are imported and then distributed by road with tankers.

A NUPENG strike could thus cripple the distribution of petrol and diesel across Nigeria and thus lead to a crisis in the sector and cripple the economy.

NUPENG’s strike notice was contained in a statement jointly signed by its President, Williams Akhoreha, and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale, on Thursday.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had on Tuesday said they will embark on an indefinite strike from 3 October over the prevailing hardship due to the removal of subsidy on petrol.

The TUC said, “The strike is to demonstrate our resolve for a truly independent Nigeria; to take our destinies in our own hands and rescue our nation.”

In a statement on Thursday, NUPENG said the government had demonstrated a high insensitivity and lack of respect and regard for organized labour and the Nigerian masses.

“Consequent upon the joint resolution of the National Executive Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress as the outcome of the joint National Executive Council meeting of the two Labour federations, held on 26 September 2023, we wish to inform all our members in the formal and informal sectors of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry and alert the general public that the rank and file members of our union are hereby directed to commence full mobilization and ensure unwavering compliance with the directive of the two Labour Centres to all affiliate Industrial Unions to embark on a nationwide industrial action from midnight of 3rd October 2023,” it said.

It explained that the leadership of NUPENG found it so disturbing and unfortunate, that the federal government of Nigeria and other tiers of governments “are so insensitive to the excruciating and debilitating socio/economic pains Nigerians are passing through as a result of very harsh and sudden economic policies taken by this administration without any accompanying socio/economic policies to ameliorate and cushion the immediate effects and impacts those difficult and harsh policies are having on the citizenry.”

It added: “Further worrisome to us is the apparent lack of regard and respect to the cries and yearnings of Organised Labour, Civil Society Organisations and the general public by this administration.

“It appears the administration is arrogantly taking the goodwill and the tolerance level of the workers and Nigerians in general for granted. This arrogance is demonstrated clearly and loudly by the ways and manners of meetings with organized labour and outcomes of such meetings are taken with levity and disrespect.

“The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) is aware of the huge impacts a 24-hour industrial action by organized labour can have on businesses and the socio/economic lives of the nation, unfortunately, the government’s actions and inactions are inextricably forcing the organized labour to take this very hard and painful route of last resort to demand for needful socio/economic policies to ameliorate and cushion the debilitating and dehumanizing living conditions of Nigerians generally.

“Beyond any reasonable doubt, the government has demonstrated a high insensitivity and lack of respect and regard to organized labour and the Nigerian masses.

“Therefore, it is in the light of the above, that NUPENG as a responsive and responsible affiliate Union of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), will fully comply with the resolution of the joint NEC meeting and we hereby direct the leaders in the four (4) Zonal Councils of our great Union to mobilize all our members in the formal and informal sectors to shut down services effective 3rd October, 2023.

“All NUPENG members, including the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), Petrol Stations Workers (PSW), Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers (LPGAR) and all other allied workers in the value chain of petroleum products distribution must comply with this directive from midnight of Tuesday, 3rd October 2023.

“All Branches and Units of our Union are to take note and ensure full compliance by setting up Compliance and Monitoring Teams in all operational locations. Our Solidarity remains constant, for the Union makes us strong.”


Background

President Bola Tinubu had on 29 May announced the removal of fuel subsidy. The development led to hardship for many Nigerians with its attendant increase in the prices of goods and services.

On 2 August, the NLC and TUC led Nigerian workers in protests across the country over the increasing cost of living due to government policies, especially the removal of subsidies on petrol.

Also, on 5 and 6 September, the NLC embarked on a warning strike. It gave the government a two-week ultimatum.

The congress said the warning strike was meant to demonstrate its readiness for the indefinite strike which will now commence on 3 October.

The Federal Government is planning to overhaul the nation’s tax system to shift more of the burden to wealthy citizens while cutting corporate taxes.

The move — part of President Bola Tinubu’s reforms to overhaul the beleaguered economy – aims to lift the country’s tax take to 18 per cent of Gross Domestic Product within three years from 11 per cent now, according to a Bloomberg report.

A tax amnesty to encourage compliance is also under consideration.

The plan is to make “the rich pay what is fair and those who are too poor can be protected,” said Taiwo Oyedele, who is leading a panel appointed by Tinubu to drive the changes.

“We also envisage a reduction in the corporate income tax rate,” to below the current effective rate of more than 40 per cent to help boost business, he told Bloomberg in a recent interview. The new rate should be benchmarked against Nigeria’s peers, he said.

In Africa’s most populous nation, where a tiny minority enjoy vast wealth while two thirds of its 200 million people live in extreme poverty, the numbers suggest widespread tax evasion.

Nigeria’s tax revenue as a share of GDP is a third of the 34 per cent average for members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Among four million registered firms, less than 250,000 actively pay tax, while fewer than a quarter of the 41 million registered people pay income tax, Oyedele said.

The country’s tax system is bedeviled by overlapping local, state and federal jurisdictions, which helps the wealthy to slip through the cracks. The high number of different taxes, which he put at almost 70, also adds to complexity.

“We will find a way to create structures and systems around what taxes can be imposed, how it can be collected, who can collect it and how it should be accounted for,” he said. The goal is to slash the number of taxes down to single digits.

“We just identified the top eight giving us 99% of the taxes, so we keep them and the rest we get rid of,” he said.

Boosting tax collection is vital for a country which, despite its immense oil wealth, has had to borrow heavily to fill the gap between government spending and the revenue shortfall.

Since 2015, the nation’s public debt has increased almost eight-fold to 87.4 trillion naira ($112.6 billion), according to the debt management agency. Servicing those obligations consumed 96% of government revenue in 2022.

A tax amnesty will be introduced to provide a relief on old debts and prepare the mind of the people to meet future obligations.

“If people know that government knows their income, where they are; if they haven’t been paying their taxes, if we declare an amnesty they will show up,” he said.

by Christian Appolos


The Federal government through the Ministry of Labour and Employment, has refuted media reports that it plans to unveil wage awards for workers on Independence Day, 1st October.

A press statement made available to journalists stated that the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment who was quoted in some sections of the media to have informed of the wage award announcement is not a Spokesperson to the President and, therefore could not have made the statement.

Signed by Olajide Oshundun, Director of Information, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, the statement said; “The attention of the Ministry of Labour and Employment has been drawn to reports circulating online and also published by the Punch Newspaper of 27th September 2023 claiming that the President will announce wage awards and palliatives to workers during his October 1st Independence Day speech.

“The report which is said to have emanated from a purported “interview” with the Director of Information at the Ministry also claimed that a last-minute meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday between Federal Government and Labour to avert the proposed strike.

“We wish to categorically state that the report is false and misleading as at no time did the Director of Information make such disclosure of either announcement of wage awards or a scheduled meeting to the Punch reporter during their interview, which basically centred on the previous engagements between the Ministers of Labour and the Labour, including the release of NURTW officials granted bail due to the Minister’s intervention.

“Members of the public are enjoined to ignore the report as it is a total fabrication of an interview by the reporter to suit the narrative of the interests best known to the newspaper.

“For the benefit of doubt, it is important to stress that the Director of Information at the Ministry of Labour does not speak for the President nor is he involved in writing his speech to warrant him making any categorical statement on its content.

“If and when the Minister schedules a meeting with Labour, the public will be adequately notified through verified channels.

“The said newspaper is advised to retract the story and maintain professionalism in its reportage to avoid misleading the public.”

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), have been said to have arrested two women suspected to be supplying bandits with arms and ammunitions in Kaduna, Niger and environs.

The suspects identified as Rashida Umar and Rukaiya ladan, were arrested in Fadan-Karshe, Sanga Local Government Area in the Southern part of Kaduna.

The Nation gathered that, the DSS operatives nabbed the two women who were suspected to be conveying the ammunitions to bandits in Kontagora Town of Niger State.

A security source told our correspondent that, the suspects were apprehended with 1,000 live rounds of AK-47 ammunition.

Arrest of the two suspects was coming barely five day after troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) uncovered a gun manufacturing factory in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government in Southern Kaduna.

The discovery followed a week-long intelligence operation that finally led to the capture of a wanted gunrunner Napoleon John who has been on the wanted list of OPSH.

The suspect who confessed to the crime led troops to a concealed factory where arms of different calibre were sold by another miscreant identified as Monday Dunia, who confessed to having been in the business for more than five years fuelling the crisis in Southern Kaduna and neighbouring Plateau State.

A thorough search of the factory led to the recovery of 22 different weapons including 7 pistols, 2 locally fabricated AK 47 rifles, 2 military grade AK 47 rifles and 9 revolvers.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to present the 2023 supplementary as well as the 2024 Appropriation Bills to the House of Representatives in the coming days.

The speaker of the House, Hon Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed this in his welcome address to members on resumption from the two months recess at plenary, yesterday.

Abbas said though the time to consider the budgets will be short, lawmakers must roll-up their sleeves and get to work immediately and ensure the speedy consideration of the Appropriation Bills that will encapsulate the yearnings of the people.

He also said the 10th Assembly will maintain the tradition established by the 9th House in terms of speedy consideration of the appropriation bills and the lawmakers must diligently consider the budgets to ensure that they meet the needs of their constituents.

“We have to put in extra work hours to ensure that the budget is passed in good time to enable its implementation from the first day of 2024. Our nation and indeed this 10th House of the People does not have the luxury of time in the face of profound national challenges.

“We must therefore do everything within our powers to champion causes towards addressing the yearnings of our people. On this score, our goals are clear, our determination unrivalled.

“We must key into the Legislative Agenda of this House as a roadmap towards navigating our numerous challenges. Our bills, motions, resolutions, actions and more should mirror the Legislative Agenda being a joint product between the House and citizens,” the speaker said.

Abbas also noted that the country’s economic challenges remain daunting as evident in the cost of living crisis occasioned by high cost of energy, cost of food which is skyrocketing daily, lack of livable wages, amongst others.

The speaker therefore appealed to the organised labour to shelve plans to embark on nationwide strike in consideration of the various actions being taken by the federal government to alleviate the current hardship faced by Nigerians.

He said, “On account of these economic challenges, the organized labour under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) seems to have lost patience with the painstaking effort of the government to plan and provide sustainable minimum wage and palliatives to citizens.

“The organised labour it appears would embark on a nationwide strike by this midnight following the expiration of a 21 days ultimatum issued to the government. As the peoples’ representatives, we feel and equally share in the pains of our people at these very difficult times.

“However, I would like to appeal to the Nigeria Labour Congress to consider the various actions being taken by the Federal Government to alleviate the current hardship faced by Nigerians. As promised earlier, this House remains committed to getting a survival wage to all Nigerian workers,” he stated.

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has called on over 17,000 of its members, allegedly delisted from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), to remain calm.

ASCSN national president Etim Okon, who disclosed this on Tuesday at a news conference in Abuja, said measures were being taken to address the situation.

Mr Okon was reacting to a report stating that over 17,000 core civil servants were said to have been delisted from the IPPIS portal. Mr Okon said the affected workers should remain calm as measures were being taken to address the situation.

The ASCSN leader expressed concern that most genuine civil servants feigned ignorance of the verification exercise while it lasted.

“We received information that over 17,000 workers in the core civil service did not carry out the online verification, which was done by the office of the head of service of the federation,” Mr Okon explained.

He added, “Quickly, we swung into action to interface with the government through the HoSF, and by that singular act, there was need for us to talk to our members. This is because we have seen a lot of apprehensions from our members.

“We went deep into the document where we also realised that even in some government agencies, we realised that names of personal assistants, special assistants and some ministers were included in the IPPIS portal.”

The association’s president said a committee had already been constituted in the HOSF to handle such cases.

“We call on those with genuine complaints who have initially done the online verification on the portal of the IPPIS to submit a scanned copy of their documents to the email that has been provided,” Mr Okon stated.

Mr Okon mentioned that the HoSF gave a one-week deadline to fully comply with the verification exercise and appealed to the government in its magnanimity to extend the deadline because of the rigours involved.

(NAN)

The minister of state for environment, Kunle Salako, says the decision by President Bola Tinubu to remove fuel subsidy has reduced Nigeria’s consumption rate by about 33 per cent.

Mr Salako said on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York that the action has reduced the emission generated by petrol.

“The singular action has reduced Nigeria’s consumption of petrol by 33 per cent, reduced the level of emission generated by Nigerians,” the minister explained. “The courageous decision to remove subsidy from petroleum is furthering climate action by Nigeria.”

Mr Salako added, “I had highlighted this development in some of the meetings I attended or represented the President and at the meeting of Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change and at the meeting of Commonwealth Ministers of Environment and Climate.”

Nigeria participated in the meeting where Mr Salako represented the president “to pass a resolution to adopt the Nairobi Declaration for final vetting” by the meeting of AU.

“The first meeting of Commonwealth Ministers of Environment and Climate in which the Ministers decided to approach the 28th Conference of Parties in Dubai come late November to early December with common front of pushing for better financing for climate action,” the minister explained further.

Mr Salako stated, “I represented Nigeria at the meeting, and I established that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, by taking the courageous decision to remove subsidy from petroleum, is furthering climate action by Nigeria. It has also focused the attention of Nigeria at corporate and individual levels to renewable energy.”

He revealed that Nigeria would urge other countries to increase their efforts on this issue.

“This is our vision for the future, and we invite everyone to act and envision solutions that will preserve nature for future générations,” he said.

The minister said Nigeria was doing its best to promote transformative actions commensurate with the biodiversity crisis scale, “exerting these efforts within our own country in addition to supporting countries in our sub-region to increase their capacity in this regard.”

(NAN)

The fear of imminent blackout of telecommunication services in some parts of the country looms large again as some state governments have sealed or threatened to close down Base Station Transmission (BTS) sites over unpaid taxes allegedly being owed by telecoms operators.

Telecoms operators over the past few years have unsuccessfully persuaded state governments from imposing extra taxes and levies on their operations because they increase the cost of doing business, can indirectly impact on quality of service and may trigger a rise in the cost of voice and data services for subscribers.

Kogi State is one of the states where the government, about two years ago started taxing telcos operating in the state and has at various times sealed base station sites for non-payment of telecoms levies by service providers.

The Oyo State government a few weeks ago, also announced that it had sealed some telecom masts and the premises of some commercial banks in Ibadan, the state capital, over non-payment of taxes.

The Osun State government recently contracted a private consulting firm to conduct a telecoms infrastructure installation audit, an exercise which is expected to generate N500m revenue for the state government.

Worried by these developments, the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene, stating that indiscriminate shutting down of telco facilities could disrupt services and adversely impact quality of service.

The operators said telecoms infrastructure are part of the critical national infrastructure that must be protected, and that sealing telecom masts and other facilities as a punitive measure to enforce collection of taxes would distort the flow of voice and data communication from the affected BTS sites.

Chairman of ALTON, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, decried indiscriminate imposition of multiple taxes and levies on telecom operators as a disincentive to the growth of the telecom sector despite its significant contribution to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.

He maintained that governments at all levels should rather strengthen collaboration by ensuring the protection of telecoms infrastructure as telecommunication is a key enabler of socio-economic development, in particular job creation, digital economy and financial inclusion.

Adebayo added that base stations are significant hardwares that should not be tampered with as they are critical for accelerating data and voice transmission from one location to another, and for enhancing effective communication and financial transactions across all sectors of the Nigerian economy.

The telco operators called on President Tinubu for urgent intervention and also advocated for the formulation and implementation of a policy that will protect telecoms infrastructure from theft, willful destruction, and undue interference and overlapping of regulatory functions by multiple government agencies.

The ALTON Chairman insisted that the audit of telco infrastructure in Osun State including imposition of a levy on operators was double taxation, stressing that it would further increase the current 46 telecoms taxes that telecoms operators across the country are paying.

“Telcos are still facing challenges from the Kogi State government that has imposed all manners of taxes on telecoms operations and has gone ahead to seal base stations in the state, without recourse to quality of telecoms services in the state and its environs,” he lamented.

Adebayo appealed to the federal government and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to prevail on state governments to stop arbitrary sealing of BTS sites and other practices that harm the growth of the telecoms sector.

He warned that the impunity in Kogi, Oyo and Osun states could spread to other states of the federation and impact adversely on service quality, if not checked urgently.

The ALTON chief further described the prevailing situation, noting that infrastructure services and support systems for telecommunications are joint capital-intensive investments by telecoms infrastructure companies and telecom network operators. He alleged that the actions of the state governments were a threat to the huge investments.

Making further case for designating telecoms infrastructure as critical national assets, Adebayo called for a stoppage to the theft, vandalism and destruction of telecoms infrastructure by social miscreants and construction companies.

He said telecom infrastructure such as fibre optic cables cost so much money to acquire and install, and advised that care must be taken to protect them during road construction because if damaged, voice and data services would be impaired.

Vice-president Kashim Shettima says the current lawmakers should count themselves among the luckiest and undeserving crop of Nigerians given that his former classmate, Usman Oladipo, who got awarded “the best-graduating student” of his 1991 masters degree programme was now “languishing” in a mediocre financial institution.

At the 10th National Assembly retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa-Ibom state on Friday, Mr Shettima made the remark, cementing his reputation as a politician who lacks tact in communicating an opinion without denigrating others, even when they are not political adversaries or threats.

“We are the luckiest among Nigerians; we are not better than our next-door neighbour. Yesterday, I hosted my classmate from the University of Ibadan, the MSc class of 1991,” the vice-president said at the event.

In an attempt to make legislators understand the privilege of their positions and why they must work for the country’s progress, the vice president demeaned a former classmate and went as far as to divulge his identity.

“The best-graduating student in my class was Usman Oladipo. Oladipo is languishing as a DGM in one mediocre bank. He was the best-graduating student, and that goes to show that we are here not because we are the best of the best,” he added.

Peoples Gazette could not immediately ascertain the financial institution with which the purported Mr Oladipo is affiliated.

The unguarded utterances by the vice president have drawn heavy criticism and regarded as uncouth for Nigeria’s second citizen.

Mr Shettima’s condescending remarks have so far run afoul to his claims of finding power to be an “humbling” experience.

“Power is a gift from God. We are going to spend more of our lives outside power than in power. Power to me is a humbling experience. Power should be used for the good of the people,” Mr Shettima, who has a notorious history of denigrating political colleagues and ordinary citizens, said.

Last year, as campaigning intensified for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary election, Mr Shettima flayed his predecessor Yemi Osinbajo as “a nice man” who “should be selling pop-corn, ice-cream” as he was not presidential material.

Additionally, he disparaged former Senate President Ahmad Lawan as a tomato trader who had no business running for president.

Although Mr Shettima later apologised for his crass remarks, many believed the apology was only an insincere afterthought following the heavy backlash from his party members and critics.

At the retreat in Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa-Ibom state, he urged the lawmakers to do their parts in making Nigeria work as a nation, given that the country’s progress was a win for the black folk.

“We are the representatives of our people, we are the representatives of the black men; that is the burden we carry. If Nigeria fails, the black man has failed, let us make Nigeria work,” he said.

Marcus Rashford crashed his £700,000 Rolls-Royce near Manchester United’s Carrington base after his team’s 1-0 win at Burnley.

Footage was posted online by witnesses of the forward’s white luxury car looking badly damaged, with a traffic island toppled nearby.

Rashford and his team-mates had returned from Turf Moor on Saturday night on a team coach to collect their cars.

One driver who witnessed the aftermath said Bruno Fernandes had pulled up to assist Rashford as police attended the scene.

A source aware of the situation told Telegraph Sport: “Marcus was involved in an accidental collision with another vehicle on his way home from Carrington last night. Both drivers walked away unhurt. No ambulance was required.”

Rashford was described as “shaken” after his Rolls Royce was left strewn sideways across the road as traffic was halted while the scene was attended to by officers.

Marcus Rashford's Rolly Royce is badly damaged


No ambulances were called and no arrests were made. A Fernandes goal had secured United a much-needed win, with Rashford saying ahead of kick-off: “One good result, one good performance, can be a game-changer at this club.

“It’s a difficult position and I’m not as happy as I’d like to be, but there’s only one way to get back this happiness is to seek results,” he said.

“We know the effect that a victory can have on the team and then it’s up to the players to show consistency.”

Rashford reportedly owns three Rolls-Royces – the Black Badge Wraith involved in the crash, a £390,000 Black Badge Cullinan and a £560,000 Cullinan Blue Shadow.

On the field, United were in desperate search for a win following three straight defeats. They secured it on 45 minutes courtesy of captain Fernandes, who brilliantly volleyed home a first-time finish from Jonny Evans’ lofted pass.

It was United’s third win from six league games this season, leaving Vincent Kompany’s side bottom of the table with only a point so far.

State chapters and affiliate unions of the Nigeria Labour Congress are already gearing up for a possible declaration of a nationwide strike following the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum given the Federal Government to provide palliatives to cushion the pains associated with the recent fuel subsidy removal.

The organised labour had earlier embarked on a two-day warning strike to press home its demands.

After the warning strike, the NLC gave the government a 21-day ultimatum within which to meet its demands.

With the expiration of the ultimatum on Friday, the NLC has scheduled an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council for Tuesday at noon.

The council’s next line of action is expected to be decided at the virtual meeting.

In a notice of the meeting dated September 22, 2023, seen by Sunday PUNCH, the congress’ General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, told the Presidents, General Secretaries and Treasurers of its affiliates that “Your attendance (at the meeting) will be of utmost importance.”

Ahead of the meeting, however, state chapters of the NLC told Sunday PUNCH on Saturday that they were ready to mobilise full participation if the NEC declared a strike on Tuesday.

This is just as Sunday PUNCH learnt on Saturday evening that as part of its last-minute moves to prevent a strike, the Federal Government may meet with labour leaders again this week.

“Yes, the government delegation will meet with them maybe on Monday. The idea is to ensure that we prevent the strike. The nation cannot afford a shutdown of its economy at this time,” a government source said.

Another government source told Sunday PUNCH that the FG will continue to appeal for understanding from the labour leaders.

“The government has just increased the salaries of junior lecturers by 23.5 per cent. There is the need for an understanding,” the source said.

When contacted, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said, “I am not yet back, I am airborne now to London. No update yet.”

Ekiti

The Ekiti State Chairman of the NLC, Kolapo Olatunde, told one of our correspondents that workers in the state would participate fully if the NEC resolved to declare a strike.

Olatunde said “NLC NEC’s decision supersedes any other decision. If the decision up there in NEC is that we should go on strike, we have no option.

“We will also come down and decide the State Executive Council level, but the decision of the NEC supersedes any other decision.

“If the NEC says we are going on strike, everybody will go on strike, that is the implication.”

Gombe

The situation is the same in Gombe State where the state Secretary of NLC, Ibrahim Fika, said the chapter would comply fully with the industrial action should the NEC order such.

Fika said, “We will comply 100 per cent by God’s grace. There is no doubt about that.

“It’s after the Tuesday meeting that we will know when to proceed, and whether the people will be given time to prepare but Gombe NLC is fully ready 100 per cent.”

Sokoto

A similar scenario is playing out in Sokoto State where the state chapter said it would join the strike whenever the national headquarters decides.

The state chairman, Abdullahi Jungle, confirmed this while speaking with one of our correspondents.

He said, “We are waiting for the decision of the national headquarters. Once a decision is taken on the strike, we will join.”

Plateau

Also in Plateau State, members of the NLC vowed to comply if the union decides to go strike.

The state chairman, Eugene Manji, said, “We are a democratic union. Our NEC meeting scheduled for Tuesday is going to be via Zoom. So, if the majority decides that the union is going on strike, workers in Plateau State cannot disobey the decision of NEC but will comply.”

Benue

The matter is not different in Benue State where the chairman, Terungwa Igbe, said the chapter would comply with any directive from the national secretariat.

“If it’s a national directive to go on strike, we will surely join,” he said.

Kano

Kano State is not different as the state chapter expressed its readiness to comply with any directive from the national headquarters.

The state chairman, Kabiru Inuwa, said, “The NEC may decide to go on strike and may decide not to go. But whatever decision is taken, the Kano State chapter will abide by it.

“So, we have to wait and see what will be the outcome of the meeting.”

Niger

The Niger State chapter also said it was ready to comply with any directive from the national leadership of the NLC.

The state chairman, Idrees Lafena, said, “We don’t have an option than to comply with the directive of our parent body. The Federal Government has been given enough time to rethink and retrace its steps but it is adamant. It is not finding a lasting solution and does not want to do the needful.

“The two-day warning strike which was hugely successful in Niger State and Nigeria at large was an opportunity for the Bola Tinubu administration to do serious thinking and retrace his steps. Nigerian workers can no longer bear the hardship when there is no termination point for the hardship. We don’t have an option.

“We will ensure that the Federal Government is compelled to do the right thing. Niger State will be shut down by the strike once we get the directive from our national leaders.”

Zamfara

The Zamfara State chapter of the NLC also said it was ready to embark on a strike action if the national body of the union gave a directive to that effect.

The state chairman, Sani Halliru, said, “We in Zamfara State are only waiting for the directive and I am assuring you that, as soon as we receive it, we will join the strike.

“We will shut down the state as soon as we are given the go-ahead to embark on strike action.

“I was part of the meeting and I came back on Friday. So, I see no reason why I should not join the strike if I receive a directive from the national body of our great union.”

Yobe

Workers in Yobe State have also expressed readiness to embark on strike if the national headquarters of the NLC calls for the action after its Tuesday meeting.

“We are ever ready to participate in the strike if the national body of NLC directs all states to do so.

“We will join the strike because all the issues at stake concern every worker in Nigeria, including you, journalists. We will comply with whatever decision is taken at the Tuesday meeting,” the state chairman of NLC, Mukhtar Tarbutu, told Sunday PUNCH.

Rivers

The Rivers State chairman, Alex Agwanwor, said the state chapter would comply fully with the national directive in the event of a declaration of strike.

When our correspondent asked Agwanwor if the state chapter would comply fully if a strike was declared, he simply replied, “Yes.”

Bayelsa

The Bayelsa State chapter said it would mobilise its members to participate in any strike action declared by the national leadership of the body.

The state chairman, Simon Barnabas, said, “NLC anywhere is NLC, so we will not do anything different. That’s how other state councils will be part of the event.

“The strike is not targeted at the state government but the Federal Government. What we are doing is to attract the attention of President Bola Tinubu and the need for something to be done to get us out of this untold hardship meted out to us as a result of fuel subsidy removal.

“The only thing we see that he can do now is he can revamp our refineries to functional status so that the Naira will have value. Otherwise the one-one naira they think they want to give to people will not go anywhere.”

Akwa Ibom

Akwa Ibom State chairman of the NLC, Sunny James, said there was no way the chapter would shun the strike.

“There’s going to be an official meeting to determine that but if there is going to be a strike, there is no way we will not join. Are we not the state council of NLC?” he asked.

Adamawa

The Adamawa State chairman of NLC, Emmanuel Fashe, said, “If we are not comfortable with the system, we should give support to labour leaders so that whatever that is being decided, we as Nigerians will comply and give them all the necessary support.

“You can see people suffering but when you call them out to join forces, to demonstrate and cry out to the government, they will shy away from it. This unfortunately is the Nigerian reality for you as we speak today.

“Things are hard but even for people within the community to organise themselves to come out and cry against the repressive economic policies of government is very hard. Labour leaders don’t have separate markets, we all go to the same market and it is the support of the public that we require to be successful in our agitations for a responsive system.”

Kaduna

The Kaduna NLC chairman, Ayuba Suleiman, said, “We are not outside the NLC. We shall be part of the NEC and every decision taken is binding on all state councils.”

Abia

The NLC in Abia State said its members would join the strike.

The state chairman, Pascal Nweke, said, “We are under them. If they decide to go on strike after Tuesday’s NEC meeting, the Abia State chapter will join them.”

Kebbi

The Kebbi State chairman, Murtala Usman, said, “I am sure that no state chapter of NLC will refuse to join the strike if the decision is reached by the national headquarters of the union.

“We are the ones that called for the meeting and by the time NEC briefs us on the outcome, the decision will be taken and we shall abide by it.”

Taraba

The Taraba State Chairman, Peter Jediel, said, “Yes, we are ready to join the strike but we are waiting for an official communication.

“I just returned from a meeting of the union where the issue of the strike was discussed and we are willing to comply with the directive if the national union sends us a notice of strike.

“We are expecting that notice between tomorrow (Sunday) and Monday and we will fully comply.”

Oyo

However, the Oyo State chapter said it would not pre-empt the outcome of the Tuesday meeting.

The state Chairman, Kayode Martins, said, “We have not heard from the national secretariat of the NLC so we can’t pre-empt them. Let’s see the outcome of the NEC meeting, then we will call our state meeting as well.”

Ondo

The Ondo State secretary of the NLC, Akin Sunday, said, “ I cannot say anything much about the strike because my chairman is preparing to go to Abuja for the NEC meeting. The decision of the NEC at the meeting would determine what would happen next.”

Katsina

The Katsina State Chairman of the NLC, Hussaini Hamisu, said, “We should not jump the gun. The NEC of the union is meeting on Tuesday. We would rather wait for its decision on the strike. Let us await the decision of the NEC. “

Lagos

The Chairman of the NLC in Lagos State, FunmI Sessi, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, also said the outcome of the meeting scheduled for Tuesday will determine if the congress in the state will join the strike.

“They have called us for a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, so it’s on that day that we will know our stance. Let us leave everything till that Tuesday. We will know the outcome then,” she said.

Edo

The Edo State chairman of the NLC, Odion Olaye, said he was yet to receive a directive on the matter.

“I am yet to receive any directive concerning the strike action,” he said

Delta

The Delta State chairman of the NLC, Goodluck Ofobruku, also said the council would comply with the decision of the NEC.

“Yes, but there’s a NEC meeting on Thursday where a decision will be taken,” he said.

The Nigeria Police Force on Saturday confirmed that its operatives have arrested and detained a Nigerian woman, Peace Ekom Robert, saying she is wanted for fraudulent activities.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, stated this in a release, adding that the woman would be charged to court at the end of police investigations.

SaharaReporters had on Friday reported that operatives of the Nigerian Police stormed her residence, and had been harassing her relatives and close friends and had stationed at strategic spots surrounding her house.

She had said, “They have been calling my family members since this morning. They are harassing my friends and the people that I am close to. They surround everywhere. They want to pick me up. And this is because they want to silence me.”

SaharaReporters reported on August 19, 2023 that Robert sued the Acting Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, the Police Service Commission, three police officers, and one Ifenyinwa Anthonia Olua (Ugo) to the Akwa Ibom State High Court in Uyo.

Ekom is seeking N520 million in damages for the alleged violation of her fundamental and constitutional rights.

Ekom had also alleged that the Commissioner of Police, Admin Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Abuja, CP Ibrahim Baba Zango, has been making attempts on her life, sending police personnel to kidnap and kill her despite the pendency of court action against him and police authorities.

Ekom categorically stated that she at no time revolted against the officers of the NPF over the proper conduct of investigation on this offshore transaction that was initiated by Ifeyinwa Anthonia Olua and her partners.

Meanwhile in the release on Saturday, Adejobi, the police spokesperson said, “The Nigeria Police Force wish to provide clarity on the ongoing investigation involving Ms. Peace Ekom Robert, who is suspected of engaging in serial fraudulent activities, which have affected numerous individuals, including the petitioner.

Despite multiple requests for her cooperation and the presence of substantial evidentiary material, Ms. Robert consistently declined to engage with the Police, and was subsequently declared a person of interest.

“It is essential to correct any misconceptions regarding allegations of police misconduct. The assertion that the police surrounded and threatened Ms. Robert's life is categorically false. Police Operatives acted upon credible intelligence on her whereabouts received from a concerned member of the public, enabling them to locate and apprehend Ms. Robert.

“At present, Ms. Robert is in custody, and the investigative process will continue with the utmost diligence and impartiality. Ms. Robert will be given the opportunity to present her perspective during the course of this investigation, ensuring a fair and comprehensive assessment of her involvement or lack thereof in the alleged fraudulent activities. Meanwhile, we urge members of the public who have been defrauded or have any pending case with the suspect to show up and relate with the police operatives investigating her alleged serial fraud, impersonation, and cyberstalking cases, at the Police Special Fraud Unit, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja, for diligent disposition of the case accordingly.

“Upon conclusion of Police investigations into more available credible evidence, Ms Peace will be charged to court.”

Parents are devising various ways to keep their children in school as a result of a hike in school fees and transportation costs, findings by Daily Trust Saturday revealed.

As most public and private schools reopen for new academic sessions, parents said they were in pain as they struggle to take their wards back to school, in addition to handling other basic necessities of life.

It was observed that while some parents change the schools their children attend, others secure apartments closer to where their children attend classes, all in an effort to cut costs.

Some parents said they were compelled to move their wards to public schools even as they claimed that private schools were better.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu announced the total removal of the fuel subsidy on May 29, a development that sparked a ripple effect on the cost of everything.

Kano

Malam Bello Auwalu, a civil servant with the Kano State Government, said he had made adjustments in the study pattern of his children.

“I have moved three of my four children to a public school, but my problem is the quality of education there. But do I have a choice?” he queried.

He said that before the latest development, his children attended different schools, costing him N45,000 every 20 days for their transportation, apart from school fees.

He explained that with the economic hardship caused by the subsidy removal, the four kids now need N55,000 in 20 days as transport, which he said he could not afford.

“One of my children is in the state polytechnic, two in secondary school and one in primary school, but due to the oil subsidy removal, I have calculated that I will now be paying N55,000 instead of the N45,000 I used to spend as their transport fare.”

Amina Musa, a widow and mother of three children, said she had concluded all necessary arrangements for transferring her children to the nearest public school.

“I can no longer afford my children’s school expenses that range from transport fare to school fees under this situation. My children are going to be transferred to public school, may God help us,” she said.

‘We share burden with our neighbour’

In an interview with some parents in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, it was learnt that some parents are finding it difficult to pay school fees for their kids.

Ali Muhammad, a civil servant said, ‘‘I have 6 children; one is in federal government college while five are in private schools. As we are struggling to cope, just recently the federal government increased the school fees for federal government college students to at least N100, 000, so things became very difficult for me.

‘‘My friends advised me to consider changing the school of my kids by looking for cheaper schools and I agreed. They are cheaper even though the standard is less,” he said.

Abubakar Yunusa, a former reporter with NTA, Damaturu told Daily Trust Saturday that, ‘‘I used to take my children to school daily, but following the removal of petrol subsidy, I set up a plan with my neighbour. While I take our children to school in the morning, he picks them after closing hours. With that arrangement, we minimise our expenses.”

The secretary of the Al-Audah Collage of Qur’Anic Science, Mallam Musa S. Tasha, lamented that more than 40 per cent of pupils were yet to pay their school fees. He said most parents had outstanding bills from previous terms.

The financial secretary of Al-Qalam Memorial Academy, Damaturu, Malam Muhammad Garba Dapchi, said some of their students had stopped coming to school because their parents could not pay their tuition.

‘‘Some students are no longer coming to school because their parents cannot pay their school fees. They said things were difficult for them. They have to think about feeding them first before settling school fees,” he said.

Daily Trust Saturday also observed a decline in the enrolment of pupils into private schools in the state capital.

“I think this is a blessing in disguise,” an official of Local Education Authority (LEA) in Gashua said.

“I am saying this because we, I mean all those who can afford it, have abandoned public schools in favour of private schools. This is basically why the system is rotten.

“However, with this development, I am sure our public primary, secondary and tertiary institutions might likely have a new lease of life,” he said.


Taraba

Garba Adamu, a trader in Jalingo main market told Daily Trust Saturday that he withdrew his four children from a private school because he could not afford to pay the school fees.

He said although private schools offered good teaching compared to some public schools, he had no option than to withdraw his children and take them to Yamasala Primary School, which is a public school.

Mr Bulus Yakubu, a father of four children, said he enrolled his last child into a public school because he could not afford a private school, where he was asked to pay N42,000.

Daily Trust Saturday observed that this has led to an increase in enrolment at public schools, especially as the state government has announced free and compulsory primary and secondary school education.

Finding revealed that most government-owned primary schools in Jalingo, the state capital, recorded over 500 fresh enrolments this term.

At Yamasala Primary School, all classes were filled with pupils following high enrolment and transfer from private schools.

The headmaster of the school, Mallam Aliyu, told Daily Trust Saturday that more than 500 new pupils had been registered in the school.


Parents mull moving family out of Abuja

In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, some parents said they were weighing various options to see how they could secure the future of their families.

Ismail Yunusa, who works in a federal ministry, said he had perfected plans to move his family to Keffi.

“I live in Wuse 11 and was paying N130,000, N115,000 and N95, 000 for each of my three children who are in JSS 2, Primary 5 and Primary 2. Sadly, the proprietor of the private school has increased the fees by 50 per cent. They also doubled the cost of transportation and this is practically not sustainable. I am moving them to Keffi in Nasarawa State,” he said.

Jeffery Simon, who works in a private company, said he had moved his family to Kaduna.

“I have no option but to take them back to Kaduna where my parents live. I can’t afford the hike in schools fees and rent.

“Sadly, I took this decision at a great cost because I would have to live alone now. May the Almighty touch the hearts of our leaders to do what is right,” he said.

A trader at Dutse market in Abuja, Paul Njoku, said the increase in fees came at a time his income was dwindling.

“They have increased fees and the cost of books, and everything about school has gone up,” he said.

Many of us cannot send our children to school again. Some parents are thinking of changing their children’s schools and take them to where school fees are less although the quality may not be too good.

“The number of school drop-outs will increase and we hope that this does not lead to an increase in crime in the country,” he said.

Another parent in Kubwa, Yinka Adesoji, said he had resolved to change schools for his children because he could not afford the current fees announced by their current school.

“The fees are now out of my reach and I cannot kill myself. Where do they expect us to get the money? Do they want us to steal? They don’t consider the common man in this country. Maybe they don’t want us to send our children to schools again so that only their children would be educated,” Adesoji said in Yoruba language.

Another parent, Mallam Ibrahim Idris, said the subsidy removal was a big blow and had put unnecessary tension and pressure on him.

“I was unable to pay the school fees of my children last term. The school management would have sent my children back home because of the removal of the fuel subsidy if not for the understanding I had with the proprietor.

“As I speak, I am planning to pull them from private school to public school, ditto other parents, to avoid unnecessary high blood pressure as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy,” he said.

Isah Mayaki, a father of three, called on the federal and state governments to provide affordable and accessible education options to alleviate the overall economic burden on families.

The proprietress of Prime Academy, Pipeline, Kubwa, Halimatu Oyedele, said there would likely be low turnout of students this term.

Checks by Daily Trust Saturday showed that almost all the private primary and secondary schools in the FCT have increased their fees.

The situation is more evident with schools that offer shuttle bus services and those operating boarding facilities.

Rivers

The same scenario seems to be playing out in Rivers State as many pupils and students have been withdrawn from their respective schools in the state by their parents as a result of the high cost of transportation occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidies by the federal government.

Some of the parents who spoke with our correspondent said they decided to look for nearby schools for their children to save money from the high cost of transportation.

A resident of Oyigbo, Peter Umeh, said he had withdrawn four of his children from a school in Port Harcourt to Oyigbo where he resides.

Also, a resident of Eleme, Emeka Ndu, said he had moved his children back to Eleme from Port Harcourt where they were attending school.

“Before the removal of fuel subsidy, three of my children attended school in Port Harcourt. From Eleme to Port Harcourt is about 10 kilometres and we spent N600 everyday on each of them. But the increase in cost of transportation moved the transport cost from N600 to 1,200, so I had no option than to bring them back to Eleme and register them in a nearby school that is a trekking distance,” he said.


Parents abandon school buses in Akwa Ibom

Some parents who spoke with our correspondent in Uyo said they had abandoned school buses for public transportation.

Pastor Elijah Umoren said the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of the school where his daughter attends consented to the increase in transport fare as the school wanted to stop the bus ride due to increased fuel price.

Umoren said the school increased both the school fees and bus fare due to the cost of fuel.

“After much deliberation with the school, we arrived at N28,000 per child per term instead of the N20,000 we used to pay.

“The school fees were also increased from N28,500 to N32,500 per term. The high cost of fuel is causing a strain on our finances,” he said.

Another parent, Etorobong Edet, said he changed the school of his children to one nearer home, saying his children’s school is now a walking distance.

“I have withdrawn my children from their old school to one nearer home. Doing school runs every day was not easy, especially with the high cost of fuel.

“My house-help just walks into the school to either drop or pick my children and take them back home,” he explained.

Oyo

Mr Yaqub Babashola, a resident of Oyo State, said he had to secure another rented apartment in Ologuneru from Eleyele in order to have his children closer to their school.

“I didn’t want to change their school as a result of the cost of transportation from Eleyele to Ologuneru, so we decided to secure another apartment close to their school since our rent was almost due.

“Their mother will also start a business around the area. That means I am the only one who will be spending money on transportation to my workshop at Eleyele,” Babashola, a roadside mechanic said.

A 45-year-old widow, Mrs Oyeleke, who lives in Amuloko, Ibadan, said the hike in fuel cost had made it difficult for her to drive her children to their public school in the Olorunsogo area.

Hassan Muhammad Nawad and Hussaini Muhammad Nawad are Kano-born twins currently tapping into the limitless opportunities of global technological innovations. The 14-year-olds have designed a cooking stove that uses petrol and water to provide fire that cooks for over five hours.

The battery powered stove has an engine which the battery energizes to propel the water and petrol to produce fire.

In an interview with Daily Trust Saturday, the twin brothers said they have been planning to use their brains to design something that will be useful to people. According to them, they usually share ideas while they are about to sleep or when they are playing, and their parents have been very supportive with advice and counselling, which has shaped their imaginations and ideas, and translating them to realities.

Hassan said the idea of designing the cooking stove started about five years ago (while they were still in primary school). “I been thinking of how gas is used to produce fire for cooking, and the possibility of doing something that will even ease the process by using an electronic method to provide the fire through the use of water and petrol. We started from there and here we are today.

“However, in this case, the petrol and water will not reduce. A litre will take months without even reducing. You can only change it if you notice that it has turned black which can take almost a year. The battery and small engine attached will just propel the water and petrol to give a flammable air which will give the fire,” he explained.

The other twin Hussaini also explained that “The water is not normal water, it is mixed with alum and salt. Inside the box, you will see a small engine that provides the wind that passes through the water and petrol.”

He said with the present economic situation of the country, their initiative can reduce the people’s burdens and contribute to economic growth if utilized properly.

“We want to initiate a transformation among the youth circle in northern Nigeria. We noticed that we are being left behind, but we have the talent. All we need is to be productive enough so that we can create employment opportunities and provide sustainable and easier means of living for people.”

Although still studying in secondary school, SS2 precisely, Hassan and his twin brother Hussaini also created an electric sprayer that can be used to spray pesticides or insecticides and even water flowers.

The sprayer uses a rechargeable battery. They said it is capable of working for 10 days if fully charged.

“If you have a garden and you want to spray, all you need is just to charge it and continue using. This too will be very useful. It is the simplest of all the things we’ve designed.”


Our next project

According to the twins, having successfully designed the cooking stove and sprayer, they will now venture into their next project, which is to design a battery that is capable of providing AC current that will replace electricity in households.

“Our next project is a battery, which we have started already. It is a 12-voltage battery that will give a.c current, enough to operate fans, fridge, TV and more in households. It is a big project but we will surely do it. Presently, we have some challenges. Some of the materials are not available and we have to wait until we get them,” they said.

They said apart from that, they are also planning to create more gadgets that will be useful to the society, adding that they are more concerned about easing the pains and difficulties people go through every day, especially the masses.


Our future ambitions

Speaking on their future ambitions, the twins said they want to study technology related courses in the university after graduating from secondary schools and hope to go to Europe or any other developed countries to gain more experience and training.

“We have big plans and in the near future, we will create more things. For the stove, we want to modernize it and add more burners. We want to produce one with up to five or six burners for large household use and other functions.

“All we need now is support and mentoring to widen our horizon. We have interest in many things that are relevant to technology. We always watch young boys like us or even below our ages who are doing excellently technology wise, in developed countries. We want to go to such places and get trained to do more,” Hussaini said.


Why youth should join creative industry

The twins enjoined youths and teenagers to join the creative industry, using the technology. They said their mates are inventing useful items in their countries, so it is time for those of them in Nigeria to start competing with their contemporaries all over the world.

“We are always encouraged whenever we see young boys making it in the field of technology in other countries. We want to see that transformation here in Africa. But the challenges we are facing are enormous.

“Sometimes, we don’t have the equipment and materials needed. We have to wait or even abandon the project because of that. But I believe our government can key into this kind of initiative to support the youths. Through that, we can fight unemployment which is bedevilling the nation.”

The twins further urged the youths to emulate what they are doing to support the general public. They also appreciated the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) for supporting them with materials and also giving them access to their technological lab to work on their projects.

“CITAD supported us with some of the materials and equipment. They also gave us access to their workshop, where go every day to do our work. This is really encouraging and supportive.”

The Nigeria Police Force has warned Nigerians against what it described as “sextortion”, cyber bullying, character defamation and blackmail that are now becoming a trend through relationships on online dating platforms.

The police gave the warning in a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, saying that its operatives arrested a 26-year-old woman identified as Opara Joan Chizaram, who got connected with a man on dating app, in agreement, went to the man’s house and had consented affair with the man.

She then recorded him without consent during the intimate moment and discreetly captured images of his home surroundings which she eventually used to blackmail him for financial extorting.

According to the police, during the investigation, it was discovered that this was not an isolated incident, adding that the suspect had engaged in similar actions with other individuals she met through the dating app, revealing a disturbing pattern of behavior.

Adejobi stated that “In a digital age where connections and relationships are often forged through online platforms, we are increasingly aware of the importance of discretion and vigilance in our virtual interactions.

“The recent case of sextortion, cyber bullying, character defamation, and blackmail serves as a stark reminder of the need for caution while navigating the world of online dating.

“The incident in question involves a complainant who, like many, sought companionship through a dating app. After months of communication, he agreed to meet a young lady who insisted on visiting his home. Their encounter resulted in consensual activities. Little did he know that his trust would be betrayed in a most invasive manner.

“The individual he met, Opara Joan Chizaram, ‘f’ 26, recorded him without consent during an intimate moment and discreetly captured images of his home surroundings. These actions, conducted in secrecy, were intended to manipulate and exploit the complainant's trust.

“Subsequently, this individual demanded a significant sum of money from the complainant. When the request was not met, she resorted to an alarming and reprehensible act: she threatened to expose private and intimate content, including explicit images and videos of the complainant, with the intent to blackmail him.

“Upon the complainant's courageous decision to report this heinous act to the NPF – National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC), investigators took swift action, leading to the arrest of the perpetrator. During the investigation, it was discovered that this was not an isolated incident.

“The suspect had engaged in similar actions with other individuals she met through the dating app, revealing a disturbing pattern of behavior. The Nigeria Police Force condemns these acts of sextortion, cyberbullying, character defamation, and blackmail in the strongest terms.

“We wish to emphasise the importance of exercising discretion and vigilance while navigating online platforms, especially when personal and intimate information is involved. To protect yourself from potential threats, we offer the following guidelines: Maintain Privacy: Protect your personal information, including your home address, financial details, and intimate content.

“Do not share sensitive data with individuals you meet online until you are certain of their trustworthiness. Consent is Key: Always seek and respect explicit consent in any online or offline interactions, especially when it comes to intimate matters.”