The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has assured Nigerians that the ongoing power upgrade and investment in the power sector would improve electricity supply within the next three to six months.

Mr Adelabu gave the assurance during a working visit to some ongoing projects in Maryland and Alausa substations on Thursday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Adelabu visited Ikeja Electric and other ongoing projects in the Lagos metropolis.

He disclosed that upgrading some substations in Lagos by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) had commenced on 30MVA transformers to 100 MVA and 205 MVA in Maryland and Alausa, respectively.

The minister maintained that the federal government’s position on the implementation of a cost-reflective tariff for the power sector was inevitable.

He said that investment across distribution companies (DisCos) was low due to the unavailability of funds to carry out infrastructure upgrades, appealing to the companies to ensure good service delivery to justify tariff review.

He said the ministry would do all it could to ensure that DisCos up their games through massive investment, noting, “if that fails, it will resort to legal backing.”

Mr Adelabu bemoaned the rising cases of vandalism of power assets across the country, recommending capital punishment for vandals.

He labelled vandals of power assets as “killers of people and saboteurs of business growth”.

“We need scapegoats. We are ready to give them the right punishment in terms of prosecution.

Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Power
Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Power [PHOTO CREDIT: Bayo Adelabu on Facebook]
“Punishment for vandals should go beyond six months jail term. Capital punishment should be meted out to power vandals. They kill people, and they kill businesses,” he said.
Mr Adelabu added that all hands must be on deck among operators within the power sector value chain.

He said it remained worrisome that the country with an installed capacity of 13,000MW was generating a paltry 5,000MW.

Mr Adelabu pledged to change his master plan from a top-to-bottom approach to a bottom-to-top.

”Going forward, efforts will now be concentrated on development and infrastructure upgrade from DisCos to GenCos and then transmission.

“If we get it right at the DisCo level, then we are most certain that we are almost getting there. The meeting is planned, not accidental. You have made landmark achievements in the last 10 years.

“You have done well in relation to other DisCos. We can just shake your hands and leave, but they said the biggest room is the room for improvement.

“You are a model DisCo, the biggest in terms of revenue collection. I don’t know the one that is bigger between you and Ibadan DisCo, in terms of industrial clusters, because I am aware there are a lot of industries within your catchment areas,” he said.

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Mr Adelabu urged Nigerians to continue contributing positively to the growth of the country despite the current economic challenges.

“It is a bad time for the country. I mean, if you look at the hardship in terms of commodities and prices, these have affected the purchasing power of a lot of people.

“I believe that this is the time for all of us to wake up and do things well for the country.

“Though I am bothered about what is happening, but I am not discouraged.

“This is the time that you (DisCos) should work hard with us to get desired improvements in power supply to people and businesses,” he added.

He urged DisCos to work closely with the government to expedite national development through a sustainable power sector for a reliable and cost-effective sustainable power supply.

Earlier in her address, the Chief Executive Officer of Ikeja Electric, Folake Soetan, while reeling out some of the giant strides recorded by the company, said that the company had achieved a lot in terms of infrastructure upgrades and capital expenditure.

Ms Soetan said that the company’s total CAPEX in 2015 was N5 billion but grew to N50.58 billion in 2023.

She added that the average revenue collection in 2015 was N3.75 billion and grew to N18.22 billion as of 2023.

On metering, she said 30,000 meters were deployed to consumers as of 2015, while the figure hit 800,000 as of 2023.

Ms Soetan lamented that revenue collection in the industry was largely hampered by the huge metering gap and non-payment of bills.

She worried that meter bypass and energy theft contributed immensely to the losses recorded by DisCos.

The Ikeja Electric boss said power generating capacity was still significantly lower than the electricity demand.

This she noted had resulted in frequent power outages and load shedding.

As part of the ongoing probe, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has traced 27 accounts to the suspended Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad.

It said Ahmad only declared two accounts to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

The commission said it was also investigating alleged “gross misappropriation of N12.4billion COVID 19 funds, which were disbursed to the agencies in two tranches.

The investigators have suspected that N6bilion out of N12. 4billion could have been diverted.

It also revealed that about N1.2billion, which immediately accounted for Ahmad’s suspension, was wired into the accounts of eight staff members.

Also the anti-graft commission indicted two directors of the REA for alleged involvement in malpractices in the agency.

Although Ahmad and four others were the initial focus of the investigation, the EFCC uncovered the involvement of others.

The allegations against top officials of REA are criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of public funds, procurement fraud and money laundering.


Pegs of the probe

One of the pegs of the investigation was the uncovering of 27 accounts linked with the suspended REA Managing Director.

A part of the report reads: “That the suspect made false declaration at the Code of Conduct Bureau as he operates (27) active accounts against the (2) accounts declared by him.

“ That on the 1st of September, 2020, Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad declared his assets with the Code of Conduct Bureau.

“ That the suspect declared only two bank accounts with the Code of Conduct Bureau.

“ That the suspect made false declaration at the Code of Conduct Bureau as he stated that he does not have any factory or enterprise while in reality, he is a director in five (5) companies and shareholder(owner) in four (4) companies.

“ That the suspect did not declare that he owns any factory or enterprise in the forms he filled at the Code of Conduct Bureau.”


N12.4b COVID-19 cash

On the N12.4billion COVID 19 cash, the report alleged that investigators suspected that N6bilion out of N12. 4billion could have been diverted.

The report added:” That in year 2020 and 2021, two tranches of N6.2billion each totalling N12.4billion was disbursed by the Federal Government to the Rural Electrification Agency.

“ That the funds were meant to fulfil the Federal Government’s economic sustainability plan of ‘’Energy for All’ aimed at mass rural solar power lightening.

“ That the agency decided to procure basically solar mini grid and solar lights in selected health care facilities and surrounding communities in the Federation

“ That for all the contracts proposed to be awarded by the agency, Selective Tendering procurement method was adopted and it was imperative to therefore seek ‘’certificate of no objection’’ from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

“ That the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) issued ‘’Certificate of No Objection’ while emphasizing that the agency should invite and request financial quotation from various companies for each lot, before awarding the contracts.

“ That for most of the lots, the agency did not heed the directive of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) but rather went ahead to award most of the contracts to their choice contractors without inviting other approved contractors for each lot.

“ That this approach did not give fair value to government as financial quotation was not sought and received for consideration from other contractors as approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

“ That the Rural Electrification Agency therefore awarded a total number of (77) contracts and (7) consultancy jobs to various contractors.

“ That the narration of the contract award as furnished by the agency indicates contract splitting as contracts with same project narration which should have been awarded as a single project, were split in numerous bits.

That the splitting of the contracts into numerous bits below (N250,000,000.00) allowed for the approval of the Managing Director of the Agency .

“That the approval limit for the Managing Director for ‘works’’ in 2020 and 2021 was (N250,000,000.00) & below as any contract cost higher than that would have warranted Ministerial Tenders Board approval outside the control of the Managing Director of the Agency.

“That payments totalling (N313,111,070.40) were made by the agency to various companies not captured or approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

“ That overpayments totalling about N310,000,000.00 were made to three contractors, which exceeded the contract award amount.

“That five contracts totalling N583,671,221.67 were furnished as Covid 19 contracts by the agency but Remita platform being the central source of all payments, did not reveal any form of payments to those companies; hence these contracts were used to pad the agency’s submission to the Commission in a bid to camouflage its misappropriation of the said sum.

“That suspicious payments totalling over (N80,000,000.00) were made to various staff of the agency under the guise of fictitious narrations such as ‘survey and data collection’’ and economic sustainability programme’’

“ That for some of the contracts, payment vouchers were not raised while for others, relevant supporting documents were not attached in contravention of the Financial Regulation.

“That six consultants were engaged to serve as Project Owner’s Engineers entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring and evaluating the extent of execution of Covid 19 projects across the country.

“ That the reports of the consultants in (xvii) have so far revealed that numerous contracts were under-executed, while some of them were no longer functional at the time of evaluation being just about six months after the supposed execution of the projects thereby indicating the use of inferior or substandard materials for the project execution.

“That sadly, some of the projects were also reported as 0% executed i.e they were never executed. That so far, projects totalling about (N2,000,000,000.00) have been reported as not executed across the country.

“ The section, therefore, has reasonable grounds to believe that sums totalling about (N6,000,000,000.00) could have been diverted owing to non-execution, under execution, and poor execution of the contracts. Strategic recovery of all stolen/ criminally diverted will be carried out upon conclusion of ongoing analysis.”

Regarding N1.2billion, which warranted the suspension of the Managing Director, the report alleged that the cash was siphoned from the agency’s account in tranches between March and June, 2023.

About eight ( staff in the agency’s account department were used to siphon the cash in what was described as “a devious scheme”. Others implicated included the Director of Fund, Abubakar Sambo, his Technical Service counterpart, Barka Sajor and Executive Director Corporate Services, Mr Olaniyi Netufo.

The report said: “That during the said period, various sums of money were paid into the personal bank accounts of the eight ( staff members with narrations bordering on project supervision which fell outside their job roles.

“ It was further emphasized that the funds received into the staff bank accounts were forwarded to one Usman Kwakwa Ahmed’s various bank accounts who then split the spoils of the fraud to the Director of Fund, Abubakar Sambo, the Executive Director Corporate Services, Olaniyi Netufo, one Adudu Yusuf Mohammed and Danmama Mohammed and others while also making various payments to Bureau De Change Operators on the instruction of the Managing Director, Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad.

“That the Executive Director Corporate Services, Mr Alaba Netufo has been engaging and participating in the management and running of a private business whilst being a public officer, while also emphasizing that some notable contractors of the agency had on several occasions paid monies into the account of Necol (Nigeria) Limited, which is his company.

“That two companies namely Airan Construction & Supplies, and Tungsten Project Nigeria Limited were paid (N24.4) million and (N6.1) million for doing ‘’nothing’’, as they had no contract award.”

Other highlights of the report revealed more corrupt practices in REA.

The report said: “During the course of investigation, the section received intelligence regarding other categories of large scale misappropriation of public funds within the agency, which are also being substantiated. They are as highlighted below:

*The agency coerces contractors who execute zonal intervention and

capital projects to part with (5%) of the contract sum which they tag as ‘’monitoring and evaluation’’ charges, and these monies, which are usually paid in cash to senior/management staff of the agency, are more often than not, embezzled.

* That payments totalling (N728,915,229.04) made by the agency to (15) various contractors in the year 2023 for consultancy jobs were channels for stealing and diversion of public funds majorly because by virtue of the job roles of certain staff of the agency being zonal coordinators, project department as well as monitoring and evaluation department, it was unnecessary, ridiculous and alarming that external consultants were still engaged to execute the same responsibilities.

*Parallel Financial investigation is being carried out to establish the predicate crimes as well as its associated money laundering in a bid to prosecute all criminals and their accomplices while recovering the proceeds of crime.”

“ There was questionable award of contracts, and a significant portion of those contracts were either poorly executed or not executed at all, thereby leading to criminal diversion and stealing of public funds.

“Although computation is ongoing to ascertain the exact amount that was criminally diverted based on poor execution and non-execution of contracts, the Section has so far established that contracts totalling about Two Billion naira (N2,000,000,000.00) were never executed. Additionally, overpayments totalling about (N310,000,000.00) were made to three contractors, which exceeded the contract award amount.”

The report exposed how N1,481,389,518.11 was paid into the accounts of some staff for laundering.

The members of Staff were Asuni Adejoke Amina (N270,103,614.00); Musa U. Karaye (N128,720,251.00); Okojie O. Henrietta (N212,900,000.00); Pada Emmanuel Titus (N291,109,081.00); Sheu Abdullahi Laure (N254,203,778.87); Yekeen Bola Nurudeen (N1,000,000.00);×Ogunjobi Folusho (N1,000,000.00);Usman Kwakwa Ahmed (N322,352,793.24); and Abdullahi A. Sambo (N2,017,500.00).


The report

The report said: “That in August 2022, Abdullahi Sambo, a staff of the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, was posted to the Rural Electrification Agency where he was first posted to the Audit Department after which he was posted to the head the Finance and Accounts Department.

“That upon resumption in the Finance and Accounts Department in March 2023, he informed the staff of the department that monies were going to be paid into their bank accounts, which they have to remit for the purpose of ‘project monitoring’.

“ That consequently, between March and June 2023, payments totalling (N1,481,389,518.11) were fraudulently made by the Director of Finance and Accounts into the bank accounts of ( staff members of the department as well as himself.

“ That the payments were made using ridiculous narrations such as ‘’implementation of performance management system and compliance monitoring’’, ‘’ programme for monitoring investment and development of power sector’, International / Local Investment and Development of Power Sector’’ etc.

“That the said payments were made by the Director of Finance and Accounts to the said accounts without necessary approvals, procurement process documents and other substantiating documents as required.

“ That upon receipt of the said funds in (iii), the said Director of Finance and Accounts gave instructions for disbursement to the staffs.

“ That Usman Kwakwa, being one of the staff in (iii), was at that time, the Personal Assistant to the Director of Finance and Accounts.

“ That the Director of Finance and Accounts instructed (7) staff members listed in

(iii) (1) – (7), to transfer bulk of the funds to Usman Kwakwa as well as other persons being his allies and some other staff of the agency.

“ That the Director of Finance and Accounts further instructed Usman Kwakwa to disburse the collected funds to his friends and allies.

“ That upon receipt, the Director of Finance and Accounts instructed his allies in (ix) to purchase various choice properties and assets being plots of land, houses and a car in his favour .

“ That the Director of Finance and Accounts also directed Usman Kwakwa to convert the total sum of (N159,608,464.38) to United Stated Dollars; this he did using two Bureau De Change Operators namely Laba Ibrahim and Ahmed Musa.

“ That Usman Kwakwa also transferred various sums of monies totalling

(N115,749,000.00) to some senior staff and management of the agency.

“That Director of Finance and Accounts benefitted over N414,346,343.51 from the disbursements.

“ That the balance remained with the staff members who had already disbursed bulk of the payments as instructed.

“That investigation into the misappropriated (N1.2) billion naira had earlier been carried out by the SIT, ONSA as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offence Commission (ICPC).

“ That some of the balance remaining with the recipients listed in (iii) were recovered by the two agencies in (xvi).

“ That all the staff members of the Finance and Accounts department involved in the mismanagement have been suspended and dismissed by the agency while the Director of Finance and Account and his Personal Assistant have been returned to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation as they are pool officers.”

The report clarified that over N200 million and assets have been recovered.

The report added:” On the misappropriated N1.2billion, there is an ongoing reconciliation of money and properties recovered by the SIT, ONSA and ICPC in order to recover what is left. So far, the SIT, ONSA has recovered the total sum of N207,013,848.00, a duplex building in Karsana Abuja, and an uncompleted filling station along Kaduna road, Abuja.

“The ICPC has so far recovered the total sum of (N38,900,000.00), three landed properties in Kaduna State, another three plots of land in Lafia and one plot of land in Mararaba, Nassarawa State. This Section has also recovered a landed property worth (N46,500,000.00) from one of the suspects.”

The Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari, has said the Port Harcourt refinery will commence operations in two weeks time.

Kyari, who appeared before Senate ad-hoc committee investigating the various Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) Projects of the Nigerian Refineries, said over 450, 000 barrels of oil had been stocked into the Port Harcourt refinery.

In an interview with newsmen after briefing the senators, Kyari said the mechanical works have been completed on the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, stressing that the Kaduna refinery would commence operations in December this year.

He said, “We are serving this country with honour and dignity. And we will make sure that the promises we make on the rehabilitation of this refineries will take place.

“We did a mechanical completion of the refinery that was what we said in December. We now have crude oil already stocked in the refinery. We are doing regulartory compliance test that must happen in every refinery before you start it, and I assure you that this Port Harcourt refinery will start in the next two week..

“Completing the mechanical work means that you are done with the rehabilitation work, now you have to test to see how it works. Of course, we have also completed the mechanical work on Warri refinery. It is also undergoing regulatory compliance; processes that we are doing with our regulator, and this will soon be completed and it will be ready.

“Kaduna refinery will be ready by December. We have not reached that stage in Kaduna, but we promise Kaduna will be delivered by December.

“Lastly, all the crude lines supplying crude to Port Harcourt and Warri are very active and we have delivered over 450, 000 barrels of oil into Port Harcourt refinery. We are confident of integrity of it. There may be security issues, but government is responding to that.”

On his part, chairman of the committee, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (APC, Anambra South), said, the next step is for the committee to visit the refineries to ascertain the level of work done.

Nigerian Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume on Wednesday admitted that 10 Senate leaders including him got more than N200 million budget each for their constituency projects in the approved 2024 Appropriation Act.

The Senator from Borno South Senatorial District disclosed this on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday, adding that it is a normal practice for some Senators to get more than others.

He said, “My colleagues know that I got more than them (floor members).”

Ndume’s comment comes as a response to the claim of a lawmaker representing Cross River North Senatorial District, Senator Agom Jarigbe, who revealed that some ‘senior’ senators received N500 million each from the 2024 budget.

SaharaReporters reported on Tuesday that Senator Jarigbe made the revelation on the floor of the Senate during the day amid controversy over budget padding allegations made by Senator Abdul Ningi, who represents Bauchi Central Senatorial District on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ningi had alleged that the Senate leadership padded the 2024 budget with N3.7 trillion and this led to his suspension for three months from the Senate.

Reacting to Senator Agom-Jarigbe’s claim, Ndume continued: “It’s disparity now, we are not the same; all animals are equal but some are more equal than the other. That’s what the case is. They have agreed to that.

“All the senators have N200 million (each) as their constituency projects but I am a leader. That is the difference. 10 of us are leaders including those in the opposition. We get more than the floor members. It’s normal.

“That decision is taken by the senators. We have the Senate budget committee before but now the floor members entrusted that to the presiding officers. That’s the difference. So, most of the senators don’t know what I get and I will not tell you.”

A 20-year old lady became traumatized in Lagos State after she was gang-raped by four young men, who also recorded their action, posted same on Facebook and it went viral.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspects, Ibe Obinna, 19, Sheu Robiu,19, Olorunlayo Emmanuel, 18 and Adebanjo Ayomide, 20, were later traced and arrested by the Police.
The incident happened at Jagunmolu Street, Bariga area of Lagos, where they reside.

According to the Police, the suspects lured the victim to an apartment, forced her to remove her clothes including her underwears and engaged her in sex romp one after the other.

While they were engaging her in the act, one of them, Ibe Obinna, brought out his Tecno phone and recorded their actions. And having satisfied themselves, they allowed her to go.
The victim was shocked and got traumatized after information leaked that they have posted the recorded video on Facebook. When she confirmed it, she informed her parents about what happened.

The matter was reported to the Police at Bariga Division. The suspects were arrested and consequently charged before the Yaba Magistrate Court for the alleged offence, which attracts several years of imprisonment.

However, the Court did not take their plea when they were arraigned after the prosecutor, Supol Thomas Nurudeen, asked the Court to refer the matter to the DPP for legal advice because of the seriousness of the alleged offence.

Thus, the Presiding Magistrate, Mr. P. Nwaka, ordered their remand in custody at the correctional center pending the outcome of the DPP’s advice and directed the prosecutor to duplicate the file and send it to the DPP.
The matter was adjourned for mention for the report of the DPP’s advice to be available, which will determine if the matter will be transferred to the High Court or not over jurisdiction.

Leaders of the Rivers State GrassRoots Development Initiative (GDI), founded by the former Governor, Nyesom Wike, have warned that actions will be taken if the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) does not cease interfering with politics in the state.

The GDI leaders spoke in Port Harcourt on Monday after a meeting with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who welcomed the former members of GDI and the Coordinators Forum at the Government House.

They pledged their dedication and allegiance to the Rivers State Government and the Simplified Movement.

Speaking, Hon. Collins Onuwo, a former Chairman of the Coordinators Forum of the Grassroots Development Initiative and Chairman of GDI, said, “Yes, two days ago, Coordinators of the Grassroots Development Initiative from Ogugbolo, Gokana, Agba-Egbema Ndoni, Borno, Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru, Ahoada-East resigned to join three of their members who had earlier resigned.

“These members are Kinikawa Amada of Port Harcourt Local Government, Daddy Green of Ahoada-West, Elder Ogolo of Opobo-Nkoro LGA, and Agumuo Eze of Oyibo LGA. We want the public to know that the GDI is the movement, the association, the group founded by the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike. He founded that group.

“That group brought him to power. That group supported him for a second term. That group is his strength. Whoever he is today, it is because of the GDI. However, today, we have all collectively decided that we are no longer members of that group.

“The reason is that we want to stand with the people of Rivers. Rivers’ interest is paramount. When we started GDI in 2012 and 2013, we were told to stand for Rivers’ interest. What was Rivers’ interest then? We were told to ensure the protection of our brother-in-law, the President of Nigeria at that time, who happened to marry our beloved daughter, Patience Jonathan.

“That was Rivers’ interest then, and we all supported that interest, which led our chief, our leader, to become the Governor. In his second term, the interest was that people in Abuja said it should not happen, but Rivers’ interest demanded it.

“People died, blood was shed, those who survived did so with injuries, and those who were killed, may their souls rest in perfect peace. He won that election. We stood firm for Rivers State and the entire nation.

“Women came out to protest. Back then, women protesting naked was not considered an abomination. Today, what is Rivers’ interest? It is to ensure the protection of our votes that were brought in Siminalayi Fubara.

“The Supreme Court has affirmed that indeed, he won that election. It was the most peaceful election, devoid of bloodshed, accidents, or gunshots, and Fubara won in all the LGAs.

“This has never happened before… today, one man says that the election should not be held. We have joined millions of Rivers women, youths, and elders who insist on protecting our votes.

“We do not care who the Governor is. A fight against any youth in this state is a fight against the entire state. All the youths of Rivers State will stand against you. The fight against Edison Ehie, because he stood for the truth… all of us are willing to stand with Edison Ehie, even unto death.”

The Niger State Government has renamed the Dr. Abubakar Imam International Airport in Minna Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport.

The President is expected to inaugurate the airport today in the state capital.

The airport is said to serve as an alternative to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, given the State’s proximity to the nation’s capital.

Here is a full list of Nigerian Airports named after notable people.

1. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport – Abuja

2. Akanu Ibiam International Airport – Enugu

3. Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport – Kano

4. Murtala Muhammed International Airport – Lagos

5. Sadiq Abubakar III International Airport – Sokoto

6. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Airport – Bauchi

7. Margaret Ekpo International Airport – Cross River

8. Yakubu Gowon Airport – Jos

9. Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport – Owerri

10. Victor Attah Int’l Airport (Akwa Ibom Airport) – Uyo

11. Sir Ahmadu Bello Int’l. Airport (Kebbi International Airport) – Birnin Kebbi

12. Danbaba Danfulani Suntai Airport (Jalingo Airport) -Jalingo

On June 1, 2023, President Tinubu directed the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria to rename some federal airports after some notable Nigerians.

This was contained in a memo directed to all Head of Operations of FAAN and titled, “Naming of Federal Airports in favour of some prominent Nigerians,” by the Federal Ministry of Aviation dated June 1, 2023.


Here is the full list:

1. Akure Airport – Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu

2. Benin Airport – Oba Akenzua II

3. Dutse Airport – Muhammad Nuhu Sanusi

4. Ebonyi Airport – Chuba Wilberforce Okadigbo

5. Gombe Airport – Brigadier Zakari Maimalari

6. Ibadan Airport – Samuel Ladoke Akintola

7. Ilorin Airport – Gen. Tunde Idiagbon

8. Kaduna Airport – Hassan Usman Katsina

9. Maiduguri Airport – Gen. Mumammadu Buhari

10. Makurdi Airport – Joseph Sarwuan Tarka

11. Minna Airport – Mallam Abubakar Imam

12. Nassarawa Airport – Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio

13. Osubi Airport – Alfred Diete Spiff

14. Port Harcourt Airport – Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo

15. Yola Airport – Lamido Aliyu Mustapha

The President Bola Tinubu-led government is working towards submitting an application for Nigeria to join international organisation, BRICS.

This was made known in a post shared via social media on Friday by the international union.

“Nigeria will apply to join BRICS in 2024,” the union wrote.

BRICS countries include major world powers, such as China and Russia, and countries which are influential on their continent, such as South Africa and Brazil.

The expanded group has a combined population of about 3.5 billion, or 45% of the world's inhabitants.

The group was designed to bring together the world's most important developing countries, to challenge the political and economic power of the wealthier nations of North America and Western Europe.

What this move means is that if Nigeria eventually becomes a member of BRICS, the West African country would be trading its major exporting product which is oil in Naira.

In February, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, stated that trading crude oil in naira would not only boost the currency's value but also reduce dependence on foreign exchange.

Falana asserted that the Central Bank of Nigeria's recent circulars are insufficient in addressing the forex issues, noting that a more comprehensive policy shift was necessary.

He added that the Federal Government should reduce its reliance on the economic predictions and policies of Bretton Woods institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

According to Falana, it was time for Nigeria to join the economic bloc to salvage the naira.

The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lamented the prevailing situation in the country, contending that the men folk has failed so women should be given a chance.

Speaking on the occasion of the International Women’s Day celebration and lecture organised by the office of the PDP Woman Leader, acting National Chairman of the party, Ambassador Umar Damagum, said in the times of old, women were always the ones that settled differences.

Represented by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, National Secretary of the party, the acting Chairman said the importance of mothers and the role of women cannot be over emphasized, adding, “if it is possible and I pray and I believe and hope that even if not in our own generation, I will like to see that one day a woman will become the president of this country and I say this with utmost sincerity and from the depth of my heart, because I can tell you that the menfolk have failed this generation.

“That is why the founding fathers of PDP know the role of women and that is why today in Nigeria, no matter how you look at it , PDP is the most democratic party in Nigeria and Africa. This is the only party that gives opportunity to women to aspire to any position free of charge without buying any form. We do that because we want to encourage women.

“In the next dispensation of the NWC, I hope we have opportunity to have more women in the NWC, even if it means to give up my own position for a woman to take over I will gladly do that because we want an organisation where women can take advantage of their nature to take the country to another level.”

In her welcome address, National Woman Leader of the party, Hon. Amina Divine Arong, said democracy will be better served if more women were elected into position.

Speaking on the theme of this year’s celebration which is; “Inspire Inclusion”, she said Women’s equal participation and leadership in politics are one of the keys to the achievement of the sustainable development goals by 2030.

“Sadly, despite women being powerful agents of change with benefits, they have continued to be under-represented in Politics, and other sectors.”

“The importance of having women in leadership positions cannot be overemphasized as result has shown clearly that Companies and organizations led by women seem to have fared better than their counterparts during times of financial crisis.

“Having women as leaders and decision-makers at all levels is critical to advancing gender justice, and gender equality and furthers economic, social, and political progress for all,” she said.

By Punch Editorial Board


PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu’s remarks that Qatari investors should report Nigerian officials who solicit bribes from them while doing business in the country to him buttresses the deep-seated corruption afflicting one of Africa’s largest economies. On the final leg of his recent two-day state visit to Qatar, the President said he would grant investors direct access to him to report any official who asked for a bribe. It takes courage for the President to make such an open admission of the sleaze in his country before a global audience. To reap the benefits of his avowal, Tinubu must lead from the front, cleansing the rot from within by his actions and disposition.

Since becoming President, one of Tinubu’s pet projects is to reignite the inflow of foreign direct investment into Nigeria, partly constricted by corruption. At minus $198 million, FDI inflows into Nigeria entered negative territories in 2022, compared to $3.31 billion in 2021, per Statista.

With a private sector background, Tinubu says he will reverse the trend by fighting corruption. In Doha, he said, “I am here to give you the assurance that reforms are going on; forget about whatever you heard in the past. Do not offer a bribe to any of our people…. Whatever the obstacle or problem that some of you might have experienced; it is in the past because there is no obstacle in the future. And I am assuring you, it is free entry and free exit.”

Truly, Nigeria’s past was littered with corruption, which has had a toxic impact on the country’s ease-of-doing business ranking. Out of 180 countries, Nigeria ranked 145 in the Transparency International 2023 Corruption Perception Index with 25 points over 100. This is extremely poor. It is below the sub-Saharan average of 33 points and the global average of 48.4 points.

In that past, the Society for Forensic Accounting and Fraud Prevention calculated Nigeria’s annual losses to corruption at N2.5 trillion in 2020. The Anti-Corruption Agencies of Nigeria said in 2022 that financial crimes cost Nigeria nearly $18 billion annually. The immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, said Nigeria lost $150 billion to stealing in the oil industry in the 10 years to 2015.

Although some citizens have condemned Tinubu for washing Nigeria’s dirty linen in public, Nigeria has a corruption problem. At an anti-corruption summit in London in 2016, the then British Prime Minister, David Cameron, was overheard telling the late Queen Elizabeth II: “We’ve got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain… Nigeria and Afghanistan, possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world.” There is no worse international odium than this.

Under Buhari, two former governors were jailed for corruption. Inexplicably, Buhari pardoned them. That government withdrew the case of a third former governor on trial for stealing after he visited the Aso Rock Villa during contest for the Senate Presidency in 2019.

In what Buhari’s deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, described as “grand corruption,” connected officials looted cash from the Central Bank of Nigeria vaults pre-Buhari era. The trial of Sambo Dasuki, President Goodluck Jonathan’s National Security Adviser, and top officials over the alleged theft of $2.1 billion arms fund is in limbo.

Already, Tinubu’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, is on suspension for alleged graft. Her immediate predecessor is also under investigation for a similar offence.

The police, security agencies, judiciary, and ministries, departments and agencies are not left out of accusations of graft.

The President owes Nigeria a debt of rectitude. To make his tenure count, he must punish any whiff of corruption around him. He should adopt the strategy of modern Singapore leader, Lee Kuan Yew, who started the cleansing of the Asian country from his own inner circle.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday has set up an ad-hoc committee to look into modalities for the payment of living wages to Nigerian workers at rates that match the present economic realities in the country.

This followed the adoption of a motion jointly sponsored by 40 members of the House.

Moving the motion on behalf of the sponsors, Aliyu Sani Madaki (NNPP, Kano) said the rising rate of inflation in the country had made it difficult for an average Nigerian to afford basic needs such as food, water, housing, education, healthcare, transportation, and clothing.

He also noted that the rising inflationary rate in the country had impacted negatively on the cost of living with the cost of food, accommodation, education, and transportation skyrocketing.

The lawmaker said that Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and Article 23 of the Declaration which states that “every individual who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration to ensure such a person and his or her family exist in dignity.”

He further said that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have a 2030 achievement deadline, and eight out of the 17 SDGs of the United Nations require the payment of a living wage to be achieved.

The lawmaker recalled that when the fuel subsidy was removed in May 2023, the federal government offered palliatives to cushion its effects.

He, however, observed that the ameliorative effect of the measure had been overtaken by the continued rise in the cost of goods and services.

He said notwithstanding the recent wage award by the president, the purchasing power of people was still low owing to the continued rise in the cost of living in the country and the fall of the naira.

Madaki said the Trade Economics in 2018 put the living wage for a Nigerian and a Nigerian family to be N43,200 per month and N137,600 per month respectively prior to the removal of subsidy on fuel.

He said no labourer can live in Nigeria with a wage of less than N100,000 currenly, hence, the need to work out a living wage.

He said according to the World Bank report, low purchasing power in the country occasioned by a high inflationary rate, had led to an increase in poverty across the country.

The lawmaker expressed concerns that unless “very immediate and pragmatic steps are taken to improve the income of Nigerians, more Nigerians will go down the economic line, with the poor population increasing.”

The motion was unanimously adopted when it was put to voice vote and resolution is to be transmitted to the Senate for concurrence.

At least 24 states of the federation will not be able to pay workers salaries this year without having to wait for federal allocations from the central government, [/b]findings by The PUNCH have revealed.

Only [b]11 out of the 36 state governments of the federation can independently pay their workers’ salaries without depending on federal allocations, according to an analysis of the state governments’ approved budgets for the 2024 fiscal year.

The states with robust internal revenue are Lagos, Kano, Anambra, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kwara, Osun, Ogun and Zamfara.

The approved budgets are also contained in Open States, a BudgIT-backed website that serves as a repository of government budget data.

While the budgets of 35 states have been made public, Rivers State budget could not be accessed neither has it also been uploaded the platform.

According to the analysis the budgets data, 24 states cannot fund salaries payments from their Internally-Generated Revenue and, as such, may have to rely on the Federal Government allocations or borrowing from banks and related institutions.

The development also means that the respective wage bills of the affected states surpassed their various IGRs, raising concerns about workers productivity and state governments’ efficiency in internal revenue generation.

The 24 states are Bayelsa, Ondo, Yobe, Sokoto, Taraba, Plateau, Oyo, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, Gombe, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Borno, Benue, Bauchi, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Abia, and Delta.

The development is coming amidst clamour for wage increase by labour unions at both the federal and state levels, following the rising cost of living on the aftermath of fuel subsidy removal and unification of the foreign exchange markets by the current administration.

The Nigerian Labour Congress has consistently maintained that if inflation continues to rise, the organised labour may have no choice but to insist on a new minimum wage of N1m for Nigerian workers. The government however has rejected the demand.

In the first half of 2023, state governments borrowed about N46.17bn from three banks to pay salaries between January and June 2023. The findings were based on an analysis of the half-year 2023 financial statements of Access Bank Plc, Fidelity Bank, and Zenith Bank Plc

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

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

In 2023, state governors got the most FAAC allocations in at least seven years. The rise in FAAC allocations to the three tiers of government especially states followed the petrol subsidy removal and currency reforms of the current administration. The reforms have reportedly led to a 40 per cent boost in income.

Experts believe the projected revenue increase should have reduced state governments’ appetite for more borrowings.

In an interview recently, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, claimed that state governments were borrowing to salaries in the past but the removal of fuel subsidies had put an end to such borrowing.

“Every governor in Nigeria is getting more money than we used to get. Before President Bola Tinubu removed the fuel subsidy, in Kaduna State, precisely in May 2023, we were borrowing to pay salaries but immediately after the subsidy removal, after paying salaries without borrowing, we had a surplus of money.”

However, despite the improved funding, no fewer than 32 states indicated plans to borrow N2.78tn from domestic and external institutions to fund their 2024 budget.

According to further analysis of the states budgets, the affected 24 states will spend N1.48tn on salaries in 2024, while they plan to make N914bn IGR. This means the states will need N566bn from either federal allocations or borrowing to complete the payment of salaries.

The breakdown of data shows that Bayelsa State with projected IGR of N23.9bn will need money to pay its workers N69.12bn this year. Ondo State with projected internal revenue of N33.6bn will also need extra money to fund its N56.76bn annual wage bill, while Yobe State will fund its N42.86bn wage bill from its projected IGR of N14.55bn and federal allocation or borrowing.

Sokoto is expected to pay N46.9bn salaries from its anticipated internal revenue of N37.1bn and partial funding from allocation/loan, while Taraba will obtain extra funding to pay its workers N54.47bn from its internal revenue of N27.8bn. Plateau with a projected revenue of N38.89bn must get federal government allocation o clear its wage bill of N52.25bn.

Also, the Oyo State will pay N132.67bn to workers after generating N92.79bn in its coffers. The state will need additional funding to complete this. Niger State with projected revenue of N61.87bn will need help to pay its civil servants N70.24bn while Nasarawa will pay its workers N54.45bn from its projected revenue of N43.3bn and another source.

Further analysis of the budget showed that states such as Kogi will pay its workers N65.07bn from its revenue of N30.23bn and federal allocation, while Kebbi will pay N37.3bn as salaries from its N17.8bn internal revenue and partial federal allocation. Katsina will spend N56.3bn on salaries from its N40bn internal revenue and federal allocation, while Jigawa will pay its workers N64.84bn from its revenue of N50.64bn and federal allocation.

Gombe must pay salaries worth N35.27bn from its anticipated revenue of N22.32bn and federal allocation. Ekiti will spend N2.78bn on salaries from its N1.5bn revenue and federal allocation. Ebonyi’s N28.16bn wage bill surpasses its revenue of N25.1bn, while Borno will pay its workers N50.28bn from its revenue of N27.5bn and federal allocation.

Furthermore, Benue State with revenue of N23.9bn will pay N56.9bn as salaries, while Bauchi must pay salaries worth N46.9bn from its anticipated revenue of N37.1bn and federal allocation; Adamawa will spend N52bn on salaries from its N26.9bn revenue and allocation; Akwa-Ibom will spend N127.8bn on salaries from its N60bn revenue and allocation while Delta with projected revenue of N110.3bn must seek assistance to pay its workers N164.3bn.

Also, Abia with a revenue of N32.14bn will pay N47.83bn as salaries while Cross Rivers with projected revenue of N34.7bn must seek assistance to pay its workers N67.75bn.

According to the budget data, the 11 states which have higher IGR will conveniently fund their combined 980.68bn wage will their internal revenue of N2.34trn


Experts speak

In different forums, financial experts have raised concerns about states’ spending on recurrent expenditure highlighting the need to embrace financial innovations.

A development economist, Aliyu Ilias, said many states had yet to fully develop themselves as industrialised and marketable to attract investors.

Ilias urged governors to develop an area of strength they could leverage to attract foreign investments.

He said, “Going forward, what they could do is to identify one area of strength. For instance, Bayelsa has oil and should be able to attract investments. I think it is about policy. They should give the policy a chance that would allow people to come and invest. They should also create an attraction and develop an economic summit that will make sure they showcase and attract investors.”

An economist and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof Akpan Ekpo, also stressed that, “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.”

He urged the states to increase their revenue by increasing service delivery, which will attract more revenue.

Also reacting, the Managing Director of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Muda Yusuf, said that the report indicated that a majority of states were not financially sustainable and were at risk of insolvency if there was no boost in investment.

He said, “This issue is a fiscal sustainability problem, showing that many states are not fiscally sustainable and need to work towards it; and that the states need to do a lot more to attract more investments to their states so that their level of dependence on the Federal Allocation Accounts Committee would reduce.

“Even as we speak, many of them are also in debt and by the time they pay salaries and service their debts, there is not much left to improve on infrastructure. It’s in the interest of the sustainability of the states for them to be more creative in generating more revenue and attracting more investment to their states so that they can generate more revenue.

“Secondly, we also need to address the issue of fiscal federalism because some of the states don’t have power over some resources in their domain and can’t bring investors into it. For instance, mining is controlled mainly by the federal government, you get permission from them and revenue is remitted to them. So we need to revisit the issue of restructuring to help states have more control over resources within their domain.

Continuing, the economist stated that the state governors should take a cue from the Federal Government to reduce its bloated staff and political appointees.

“Most of these states have heavy overhead and they have very bloated bureaucracy, political appointees and they are putting a lot of pressure on their resources, so they have to do some rationalisation on their staff, many of them don’t need more than 50 per cent of their workforce but for political reasons, they put all manner of characters on their payroll including the local government. They have to look at that and take a cue from the Federal Government on the Oronsaye report.”

Obinna Iwuno, President of Stakeholders in Blockchain Technology Association of Nigeria (SiBAN), has refuted the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) claim that $26billion in crypto transactions could not be traced.

The CBN had raised concerns over the sum of $26 billion that flowed through Binance Nigeria over the past year from “unidentified sources”.

Iwuno explained that binance, a major cryptocurrency exchange, implements KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures, requiring users to verify their identities before trading.

Speaking on Channels TV on Tuesday, Iwuno argued that anonymity is impossible on centralized exchanges like binance due to mandatory KYC.

He said, “First of all we need to understand how these platforms work, here is KYC system which every platform implements.

“On binance, before you could even have an account to trade or perform any activity on binance, you must have done your KYC. That means every single person who had used binance or using binance is known.

“The other part also is the fact that these transactions on binance are on the blockchain which are not anonymous. What it means is that the whole world does not have access to your private information and transactions but when the law enforcement or government needs it, it can get it from binance.

“We have different cases of frauds, scams involving the Interpol, EFCC and different international police organization. Money floods into binance and the identity of the owner would be revealed.

“I am not faulting the CBN position but there are tools available that can be used to trace all of these things and binance cannot claim not to have access to information and transactions that happened on its platform. That is the point I am trying to make, all of these things can be verified and are all traceable.

“Several KYC measures they used, most of these crypto platforms use the BVN for KYC and acceptable documents are passport, NIN, drivers licence and permanent voters card.

“CBN is saying $26 billion is unidentified but they didn’t told us how they arrived at that. I can tell you these things are traceable, you cannot perform transactions on any platform as long as it passes through blockchain that it cannot be traced, and if you use the centralized exchange like binance it is finished because you cannot be on those platforms without your identity known.”

In continuation of measures to address the food inflation and cost of living crisis, the Federal Government Tuesday said it had so far intercepted 141 trucks attempting to smuggle grains and other staples to Niger Republic, Chad, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic.

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, said that the service had within two weeks arrested about 120 trucks smuggling food items from Nigeria while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission stopped 21 food trucks from leaving the country on Tuesday.

As the CG was disclosing the measures being enforced to ensure food security at the House of Representatives in Abuja on Tuesday, truck drivers, who have been targets of attacks by hoodlums, had threatened to declare a strike if the situation persisted.

Several trucks and warehouses, mostly owned by manufacturers and other members of the organised private sector have come under attack from hoodlums as the food inflation and the cost of living crisis in the country spiralled.

Last week, some youths stole food items from trucks stuck in traffic along the Kaduna Road in the Suleja area of Niger State.

On Sunday, hoodlums attacked a warehouse belonging to the Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration located in the Dei-Dei area of the capital city where they looted rice, grains, and other relief items.

The miscreants in their numbers also stormed another warehouse in the Idu Industrial Estate, Jabi, Abuja, but were repelled by the troops guarding the facility.

Similarly, another set of youths attacked trucks conveying building materials and spaghetti in Ogun and Kaduna states on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Worried by the unsavoury development, the organised private sector warned the attacks could lead to a shutdown of industries across the country.

Briefing the federal lawmakers on the enforcement of the Presidential directive to curtail food smuggling during the sectoral debate series, the Customs CG, Adeniyi, said President Bola Tinubu had given a directive that the arrested trucks be diverted to the local markets in the area where they were arrested to force down the prices of grains and other food items.


120 food trucks

“We arrested in two weeks about 120 trucks of food items going out of the country. These are the food items Mr President has asked us to give back to the local markets where the arrests were made. We believe this will drive down the price of food items in these places,” he added.

He stated that the decision to halt the smuggling of food items was to fight hunger and not encourage those who wanted to enrich themselves at the expense of the people.

He warned against adopting quick-fix solutions to address the food scarcity in the country, adding that the country must put in place long-term measures to address the situation.

Adeniyi explained that the Customs were playing their part in ensuring that the problem of food security was addressed, adding that currently, most agriculture inputs attract zero duty and the value-added tax.

The CG noted that the need to learn from lessons learnt while auctioning seized food items in Lagos was the reason the service was ha to commence the program outside Lagos State.

About seven persons died in a stampede at the NCS Old Zonal Headquarters in the Yaba area of Lagos State during the auction of bags of rice confiscated from smugglers by the NCS last month.

The incident forced the authorities to suspend the exercise.

Bringing the lawmakers up to speed on the public auction, Adeniyi said President Tinubu directed the NCS to auction to vulnerable Nigerians the food items intercepted at the Nigerian borders, noting that the implementation of the programme kicked off in Lagos, but was stopped.

Adeniyi further said the seized foodstuffs were to be sold to the local markets nationwide on the President’s orders.

He said, “Mr President has directed that we sell directly to needy Nigerians food items produced locally but which were seized. This is one of the ways to address hunger and food scarcity we are facing. We have started this in Lagos.

“Also, the President has also directed that imported food items seized by the Nigeria Customs Service should be sold back to the local markets for resale to Nigerians.”

Fielding questions from lawmakers during the session presided over by Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, Adeniyi gave reasons why the auction of seized grains was temporarily discontinued by the NCS.

“We started in Lagos but you know what happened. There was a stampede. No matter the number of bags of rice you share or sell, it will not be enough.

“We have to focus on one place at a time. We will use the lessons we learnt in Lagos to coordinate this programme when we resume,” he said.

In their enforcement of the Presidential directive against food smuggling, operatives of the Maiduguri zonal command of the EFCC have arrested 21 trucks loaded with food and non-food items heading towards N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central African Republic, and Cameroon.

The Head of Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said in a statement on Tuesday, that the trucks were intercepted in a sting operation at major exit routes along Kalabiri/Gamboru Ngala and Bama Roads, Borno State.

It said, “Investigation showed food items cleverly concealed in the trucks that would have gone undetected but for the eagle-eyed vigilance of operatives of the commission.

“Further checks showed that the waybills covering the goods carried by trucks indicated their destinations as N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central Africa Republic, and Cameroon, respectively.


‘Food scarcity early’

Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, on Tuesday said that food scarcity came too early this year, noting that “It often rears its head in May/June but it came quite early this time.’’

This was just as he blamed the food scarcity being experienced across the country on smuggling, flooding, the naira redesign policy and the COVID-19 pandemic which ravaged the world in 2019 and 2020.

Speaking at the sectoral debate series at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Kyari noted that the naira redesign policy implemented by the government of Muhammadu Buhari denied small-scale farmers access to cash to pay for their harvest towards the end of 2022 as well as pay for cultivation during the commencement of the wet season.

He asserted that the insecurity in the country culminated in low cultivation of land as many farmers were displaced from their communities.

To address the challenges being faced by farmers nationwide, Kyari assured Nigerians that President Tinubu had mandated the agric ministry to make grains available both for cultivation and consumption.

“We have engaged the World Food Programme to help stabilize prices. We also asked them to assist our farmers to produce more food.

“But we want our farmers to take advantage of irrigation facilities to do all-season farming and the President has been very supportive of this,” he said.

The minister noted that so far, “About 5,000 tractors are working in Nigeria,” adding that the nation needs “72,000 functional tractors to meet the growing needs of Nigerians.”

He added that the ministry had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a manufacturer to supply 2, 000 tractors annually for the next five years.


Driver may strike

In a development that could compound the social and economic situation in the country, truck owners involved in the haulage of food and fuel have declared that they may stop transporting the commodities following the incessant attacks on their vehicles by hoodlums.

The National President of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, Yusuf Othman, in an interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday, said the truck drivers might withdraw their services if the attacks and looting of food trucks continued.

He called on the state governments to address the looting of trucks, adding that the looted food items were not insured by their owners.

In an interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday, Othman said the recent attacks had severely impacted their operations negatively.

He stated, “We are affected negatively by these attacks and right now we are strategizing. It might interest you to know that the insurance we get does not cover riots or such fracas.

“So, we are appealing to the general public to avoid such attacks on our trucks. This is because if such kind of attacks continue, what will happen is that transporters will stop carrying food items and this will lead to food scarcity across the country.

“If you are transporting food and somebody stops you on the road and loot the food items, what will you do?”

The NARTO president expressed worries about the inadequate security on the roads, stating that the truck owners would stop operations if the attacks on truck drivers did not abate.

“We just have to stop transporting the food items, until something is done about it. Security has to be enforced. The various state governments need to act now to reduce the suffering of their citizens because this is not entirely a Federal Government issue.

“The state governments must be able to curb these concerns because it is usually the local people in states that attack our trucks and cart away food items in these trucks,” Othman stated.

On whether NARTO had commenced any form of discussion with state governments on the issue, Othman replied in the negative, stressing that some of these attackers also targeted fuel tanker drivers.

He, however, stated that the association had met with security agencies over the issue and again pleaded with the public to desist from attacking trucks transporting food and other products.

The transporter said, “As for state governments, we have not met with them because we don’t have direct access to interface with them, but are discussing with some security agencies how best to avoid this kind of incident. It is not good for everyone.

“It can threaten the distribution of food because if you load (goods) and somebody is going to stop you on the road to loot the goods, why will you continue to load? And mind you, it is not only trucks that are transporting food that they attacked.’’

Speaking further on the attacks on tanker drivers, Othman explained, “For the fuel that we load, sometimes when these trucks break down, you will see locals coming to open the tanks by force to scoop the fuel.

“If a fire breaks out during such an instance, people will attribute it to fallen trucks, not knowing that it was the locals who forced the tanks open to scoop fuel.’’

“So, it is high time people realised that as much as we appreciate the situation of the country, they must know that two wrongs can’t make a right. There is the need to address these things holistically so that we get a lasting solution,” he stated.

President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, is planning to set up an oil trading firm that would be based in London as part of strategies to help run crude and product supply for his new refinery in Lagos, Nigeria.

This, according to six sources familiar with the matter, who told Reuters on Tuesday that, “the giant 650,000 barrel-per-day refinery is set to redraw global oil and fuel flows and the trading community is closely watching the way it will operate.”

Punch Online reports that Dangote unveiled the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos on May 22, 2023.

The move, according to a Reuters report on Tuesday would reduce the role of the world’s biggest trading firms, which have been negotiating for months to provide the refinery with financing and crude oil in exchange for products exports.

Dangote, whose wealth is estimated by Forbes at $12.7bn, did not reply to several comment Reuters requests as of the time of filing this report.

BP, Trafigura and Vitol among others have met Dangote in Lagos and London in recent weeks to offer loans for the some $3bn in working capital the refinery needs to buy large amounts of crude, trading sources told Reuters.

The traders asked the refinery to repay loans with fuel exports but so far, they have signed no deals as Dangote worries they would reduce his control of the project and potentially his profit, the sources said.

Dangote has also met state-backed firms in his search for cash and crude.

“He is going to try and do it himself,” an industry source told Reuters.

Sources told Reuters the new trading team will be led by ex-Essar trader, Radha Mohan.

Mohan joined Dangote in 2021 as director of international supply and trading, according to his Linkedin profile.

Two sources said the team was in the process of hiring two new traders.

Reuters report further stated that “the Lagos refinery took nearly a decade to complete and it came in at a cost of $20bn, some $6bn over budget.

“The plant has refined around 8m barrels of oil between January and February and will take months to get to full capacity.

“So far, Vitol has prepaid for some product cargoes to help the refinery buy crude, while Trafigura has swapped some crude oil in exchange for future fuel cargoes, sources with knowledge said. Geneva-based Vitol and Trafigura declined to comment.”

A Norwegian low-cost airline called Norse Atlantic will provide crew and aircraft to Air Peace for its Lagos-London operations.

Norse Atlantic will link Lagos to London – an unusual service for the Nigerian airline, which usually flies from Europe to the United States and the Caribbean.

On February 20, 2024, Air Peace, Nigeria’s flag carrier, announced that it would commence direct flight operations from Lagos to Gatwick airport in London, from March 30, 2024.

According to a Skift report, Norse will operate as a charter as an ‘ACMI’ contract.

ACMI stands for aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance.

An ACIM contract also known as wet or damp leasing, is an agreement between two airlines, where the lessor agrees to provide an aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) to the lessee – in return for payment on the number of block hours operated.

Norse will also provide maintenance and insurance to Air Peace

The move has been described by Norse as marking “the beginning of a strategic partnership” between the two companies.

Aside from Air Peace, Norse has entered into various sub-leasing deals, including with Spanish operator, Air Europa, to better leverage its assets.

The carrier signed a long-term aircraft leasing contract on very favourable terms during the peak of the pandemic.

Norse said its low-cost base allows the company to be more nimble and park planes during quieter periods.

Also, Norse recently trimmed back its flying program, with cuts to some transatlantic destinations and a renewed focus on core markets such as New York and Florida.

However, the Lagos-London link will mark Air Peace’s first foray into the European market, as the airline currently flies within Africa as well as select routes to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China, and India.

Although Norse is already a major operator at Gatwick, it will be using new slots allocated to Air Peace for the route.

The development will put the Nigerian carrier in competition with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, which already operate from London Heathrow to Lagos.

A native doctor, Chief Chukwuemeka Okwummo, on Sunday went for Thanksgiving at St Michael Catholic Church, Ozubulu, Ekwusigo LGA of Anambra State with masquerades following a miraculous recovery from a life-threatening ailment.

Okwummo at the Church service acknowledged the healing power of the Almighty God during his life-threatening sickness.

He said, “I thank God for healing me of a sickness many people don’t survive, I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance while I was in an unconscious state.

“I can testify to the healing power of God and can testify that God is the supreme and ultimate power as well as the only way.

“I also thank God for the successful surgery carried out on my wife, Mrs Agatha Okwummo. I must let you know that I inherited herbalism and I have done a thorough research and know that there is no one like God when it comes to power.

“That is why I had to forsake idolatry and fetish practices, which are not the way. I still do my herbal and alternative medicine business but without rituals,” he said.

Speaking, the Vicar of Ozubulu Region of the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, Very Rev Fr. Hygi Aghulor, expressed excitement over what God had done in the life of the native doctor.

Rev Fr Aghulor who is also the parish priest of St. Michael Catholic Church, Amakwa Ozubulu, stated that Chief Okwummo had been healing sick people with the use of roots and herbs.

He said the native doctor had gone deeper in his trade and realised that it is only God that actually heals not the fetish practices.

On why he allowed masquerades to be part of the celebration after the church service in his parish, the vicar said that the church is not against the culture of the people.

He said priests had been told several times not to build their parishes like the ones in European countries.

“The church is not out to eradicate cultural practices that are not harmful, there are so many positive and beneficial aspects of our culture, for instance, a scholar abroad is currently carrying out research on bitter leaf, this is the same leaf many people in this part of the clime don’t appreciate,” he said.

Very Rev Fr Aghulor, however, warned young men and women to desist from idolatry and occultism, which according to him will not be beneficial to them in the short and the long run.

The brief Thanksgiving reception at the church premises featured music, dance and masquerades’ display.

Osagie Otabor, Akure


Former First Lady of Ondo state, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has taken to social media to attack one of her in-laws, Funke Akeredolu Aruna, for showing support for Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa ahead of the party primary.
Funke Aruna served as Deputy Chief Protocol to the late former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

She was fingered as one of those who leaked information about Akeredolu’s health.

The former First Lady called Funke “shameless” in a post she shared on her Instagram page.

She posted a picture of her husband’s niece wearing a cap with the inscription “I am lucky.”

In the post, Betty said: “Behold the face of Aketi’s niece, Funke Akeredolu Aruna, the former deputy chief protocol to Aketi, shamelessly parades as ‘I am lucky’ Bloody serpent! Time will tell if she is truly lucky!”

ABOUT a week ago, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, caused his media office to issue a statement indicating his apologies to the 36 state governors, whom he had earlier accused of collecting N30 billion from the Federal Government to end the food crisis in the country.

Akpabio, during plenary on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, spoke regarding “an unverified cumulative sum of about N30bn to the sub-national governments by the Federal Government for various interventions to ameliorate the food situation of our citizens at the sub-national governments.”

But a statement by Akpabio’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, spoke of misconceptions in the public domain about the senate president’s comments at the Senate plenary, adding that the “unfortunate conjectures” are “regretted.”

However, two days after issuing the statement, it emerged that Akpabio again met with representatives of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), before whom he tendered an unreserved apology regarding the gaffe on the Senate floor.

Insiders in the National Assembly told the Sunday Tribune that the decision of the senate president to issue an apology and then follow it up with a physical meeting to further plead for forgiveness from the governors was informed by the high stake politics already being weaved around his seat in the aftermath of the statement.

Sources in the National Assembly had told the Sunday Tribune that there had been some love lost between Akpabio and especially members of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF), who felt that he had been leading the Senate astray.

It was further gathered that immediately after Akpabio made the statement, those who had already disliked his leadership started reaching out to the governors on the need for them to back the senators’ bid to oust the Akwa-Ibom senator as senate president.

A source stated that while the governors all felt enraged by the allegation, many of them, especially those belonging to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), were reluctant to enter into the feud in the Senate without hearing from the presidency on the matter.

It was further gathered, however, that with indications emerging that the presidency may not defend Akpabio on the matter, the ranks of governors willing to move against the senate president swelled.

Another source, after that, confirmed that it was based on the realisation of the extent of the threat coming from the governors that Akpabio had to issue an apology and further begged for forgiveness at a meeting in Abuja.

Sources in the Senate had hinted that the fear of impeachment had heightened in Akpabio’s camp, especially in the last months of 2023, following the tense moments raised at the different meetings of the Northern senators, where issues were raised against the senate president.

A source confirmed that it got so bad that the senate president had to set up some teams to spy on the offices of some strategic senators.

A source in the know said: “Anytime two or three senators converge in the office of a particular North-East senator, the alarm would go off, and the said senator would receive a call from the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, asking, ‘leader, are we safe?”

Sources further said that Akpabio was specifically worried the gaffe could sweep the rug off his feet given a statement President Bola Tinubu was said to have made to him (Akpabio) in May last year, just before he was finally endorsed for the senate presidency.

It was learnt that while President Tinubu was settling the misgivings between Akpabio and an influential Northern senator, the senator, who had been reluctant to support Akpabio up to that point, was said to have promised to support the former Akwa-Ibom governor because of the president’s intervention but warned that he may not be able to save Akpabio if the South-South senator caused trouble among senators by his action or inactions.

“The Northern senator was said to have told President Tinubu that he would not be the architect of Akpabio’s removal as senate president but that the senate president could be the architect of his downfall through his actions or inactions,” a source stated.

The president, in his reply, was said to have told Akpabio that if that happened he (the president) would also look the other way and that Akpabio would be on his own.

“That statement by President Tinubu had been ringing in Akpabio’s head all along and immediately he heard that senators opposed to his leadership were already wooing the governors, he knew that could be a source of danger and a red flag,” a source stated.

Dr Dasuki Ibrahim Arabi is the Director General of the Bureau of Public Sector Reforms, the body overseeing reforms at the federal level including the implementation of the Oronsaye Report.

President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced last week that the 12-year-old Oronsaye Report, which recommends the merging of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government (MDAs) to reduce the cost of government while restructuring the public service for efficiency, will now be fully implemented after more than a decade delay.

Arabi, in this interview, speaks on the genesis of the Oronsaye Report, the journey so far and how the committee to be inaugurated on the implementation will carry out the assignment. He says the Oronsaye Report and review committees’ reports approve the pruning of the number of ministers which currently stands at 48. Arabi also speaks on the fate of MDAs created after the Oronsaye Report had been submitted in 2012. Excerpts:


Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari’s governments did not implement the Oronsaye Report despite having substantial time to do so but President Tinubu’s government wants to implement it. How is this going to happen?

Let me take you back to history. In the first place, why was Oronsaye Committee constituted? It was constituted in response to the global call for change and the need for nations to respond to socio-economic problems all over the world. It was set up to re-jig the public service, to put Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, in their proper positions, so that we will have more efficient Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government.

I want to clear this notion of people who think that Oronsaye Committee was out just to reduce the size of government and get people out of their jobs. In the case of implementation, we are glad that Mr President has taken this bold decision to implement this report after many years but, as you said, it is not that nothing has been done about it.

Truly, there were delays in implementation. The three committees that were constituted by former President Buhari were basically aimed at looking at agencies that were created after Oronsaye’s report. With that work that was done, we have an updated version of the Oronsaye report which President Tinubu has approved for implementation. A committee has been constituted as highlighted by an Adviser to the President. I am confident that the report will be implemented.

However, the implementation, as we have said in the various committees, is not going in the way it was done in 2005, 2006 and 2007, when civil servants were downsized. Government has done quite a lot. One of the things to be done is to have an effective communication strategy to communicate with citizens, labour, the general public and other stakeholders, including our development partners.

Another key player that is being considered in this process is the legislative arm of government because some of the agencies that will be affected have laws backing them. That is why I have, over the years, led several delegations to the legislative arm of government to build this bridge between legislators and the executive, specifically to address this. I want to inform Nigerians that the legislative arm is working with us, closely. They have even created a committee in the House of Representatives saddled with oversight of reforms and institutional changes within the public service. So I am confident that it is going to be implemented.


Is government going to take a second look at the proposed merging of three agencies: the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority, NAMA, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET, in the Ministry of Aviation?

You know we have four reports now: The main Oronsaye Report, Gonji Bukar Aji Report, Ama Pepple Report and Ebere Okeke Report. The announcement made by Mr President’s Adviser has not given us full details of what is going to happen around the recommendations made, but I am sure that whatever is stated on the report that has been considered by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, is going to be implemented. Let me guide us to know that the decisions were not taken overnight, but were taken after due consultations. In any case, I don’t want to speak for the committee that is going to be inaugurated but I want Nigerians to be confident that the committee is going to look at things objectively and implement decisions in the best interest of our country, Nigeria.


What is your take on the non-inclusion of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission, ICPC, the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, etc, among the agencies to be merged? Also, how much do you think government will be saving from the exercise?

At this point, we cannot assess how much will be saved because the committee has not been inaugurated and we don’t have the approval of the Federal Executive Council, FEC. Maybe we will have the details after the inauguration. The comments people are making on which agency would save money is up to them. The committee has worked diligently and has looked into the various issues concerning reducing cost of governance. An agency may look small but when you look at its budget, you will know that it is mighty; small in size but mighty in budgetary allocation and spending. The assurance we are giving civil society is that we will collaborate and work with them. Recall what the Adviser said; that, as first step, they are implementing this.

Oronsaye has gone beyond scrapping and merging agencies of government, it has called for restructuring of agencies and ministries, management and staff audit of federal civil service. Something positive is going to come out of it.

My message to Nigerians is to be patient and allow the committee to be inaugurated because, like I said, something positive will come from this wonderful work. In all of these, we are also urging Nigerians to consider the country first, before themselves.


The report is 12 years old and, as such, people think it is outdated. What is your take? And people think the announcement of the implementation of the report was designed to distract from the NLC protests scheduled to hold the following day…

Government has taken note of that concern and that was why the other three committees were set up. They were set up basically to look into the agencies created after the Oronsaye Report was submitted. Secondly, it was to update the decisions taken. I want to inform Nigerians that some aspects of the report have been implemented. For instance, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit that was under EFCC became an office of its own about three years ago.

The privatisation of the River Basin Development Authority was part of the recommendations of the Oronsaye Report, some aspects have been implemented, including the removal of regulatory agencies from the national budget which the Ministry of Finance has driven since last year.

The three committees updated the Oronsaye Report and that is what is going to be implemented. It is not obsolete. It is up-to-date. We have learnt a lot and this is not out of a book but out of experience. We had problems in 2005 – 2007 because major stakeholders, including the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, were not carried along. On the issue of distraction, I am not a politician. I don’t know if it was a strategy but the Adviser did not say it was going to be implemented on the 27th or 28th. She only spoke of the committee being constituted. So, I think they are two different things.


What attitudinal change do we expect after the exercise?

Recall that we have the National Strategy on Public Service Reforms and Pillar Four of that strategy is looking at cultural re-orientation of the attitude of public servants and the … strategy that is driven by the Office of Head of Service of the Federation is also looking at the issue of attitudinal change by workers. Let’s be happy that government has picked us to serve in this capacity.

That alone is enough to make us patriotic and ready to deliver beyond expectation. In terms of efficiency, we have been driving reforms and changes within the public service aimed at improving efficiency within government agencies.

Some of us outside the service may feel that we have not gone to where we should be, but I am confident in telling you that civil service has improved over the years. Recall that Nigeria has an approved e-master plan which is looking at digitalizing the public service.

Also, we have approved blockchain technology in public service delivery. Digitalization of the word process is going to improve the efficiency of Ministries, Agencies and Departments of government.

Part of the reforms is aimed at opening the system so that civil societies like the Socio-Economic and Accountability Project, SERAP, will be able to work with us and demand excellence in service delivery. The Bureau of Public Service Reforms is working with several civil society groups that are helping us bring out excellent policy briefs that the government is looking at. The Renewed Hope Agenda is aimed at reforms and change. You can see that our President is always talking about reforms wherever he goes.


How is the government dealing with the issue of job loss which appears to be unavoidable if the report is implemented?

When the report was submitted, the government was asked to ensure minimal job loss. Also, the three committees had the same message. The Minister of Information also passed the same message; that there will be minimal job loss and that civil servants should not be afraid. Labour is going to be part of the entire exercise and we shall be briefing Nigerians from time to time.


If agencies are to be scrapped, can you tell us how many jobs will be lost?

Oronsaye recommended that you scrap the agencies and move the staff to where their services will be required. How will these measures cut cost? We are also looking at reducing expenditures at the National Assembly as a way of cutting cost…

If, for instance, an agency that runs a budget of N1b with a running cost of N800m is subsumed by another agency, that capital expenditure of N1b and N800m will be saved. What will remain is personnel cost for the subsuming agency. Recall what happened when we scrapped NAPEP and moved their staff to other agencies.

Whatever decision that is taken will benefit us as Nigerians and as a nation. The Gonji Bukar Aji Committee recommended that political appointees should be guided by the circular of government that determines the number of appointments to be made. The legislative arm of government is working closely with us especially the new Committee on Constitutional Reforms. There will also be a national call for all of us to make sacrifices any way we can.

Is the Committee also going to recommend a reduction in the number of ministers which is now 48?

This is part of the recommendations made by the three committees that reviewed the Oronsaye Report. Let’s allow the committee to be inaugurated, then all details will be made available, but you can see that the government has done a lot in the last six months to reduce spending. For instance, the President, Vice President and Ministers have all reduced the number of people that travel with them but when it comes to state and local governments, they are not within our control.

The call we are making is for Nigerians to look at Nigeria first, work and support the committee and government on this laudable initiative.

At the end of the day, we believe that the common man in the street is going to benefit from this initiative.

Embattled former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, is moving out of the apex bank Governors’ quarters in Lagos.

The Nation can reliably report that Emefiele was accompanied to the quarters by a team led by the CBN Special Investigator, Jim Obazee.

The former CBN’s helmsman is moving his personal effects from the building located on Glover Road, Ikoyi.

The Federal Government filed 14 fresh charges against Emefiele following a report submitted by the CBN special investigator.

Emefiele was accused of criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to conduct forgery, procurement fraud and conspiracy to commit a felony in the amendment.

He is facing accusations for charges relating to financial crimes after President Bola Tinubu removed him from his position as the CBN Governor in June 2023.

The Senate also resolved to probe how the N30tn Ways and Means loans of the CBN was obtained and spent by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Senate stated that the reckless spending of the loan collected from the CBN under Emefiele largely accounted for the food and security crises in the nation.

By Faruk Shuaibu


The Minister for Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, has advised women in the country not to argue or fight back when having arguments with their husbands at home.

The minister during a Conference of Commissioners of State Ministries of Women Affairs in Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja, said avoid trading words would prevent physical assault that may lead to injury or death.

The conference was organised by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Phase II Programme and funded by the European Union through the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).

“I am equally begging my women not to look for trouble, not even at home. Maintain peace in your home because if a home is peaceful, the woman has 80 percent to contribute to that. If you need peace, you can equally achieve it.

“Keep your mouth shut. Talking back does not yield fruit, rather it leads to death and destruction, it leads to bringing up bad children for society. Keep your mouth shut, it does not make you a fool but a wise person. When the man is shouting and saying all sorts of things, act like a fool and keep your mouth shut.

“After a while, watch him. If he is a good man, he will come back to apologise. If he is not a good one, ignore him. Have what you want to do in your mind, but when we show who we are and we fight back, most times, it leads to hitting; you could be injured.

“The same man that injures you will come back to say I am sorry. What will you do? Will you kill him? Even if we come out to fight for you and you lose one eye, are we going to replace the eye? So prevention is better than cure.”

The minister who called for the signing of a law that would provide a mobile court to try gender and sexual based offences, said she and the commissioners would lead a protest to the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the federation to sign the law.

She added that the minister would also launch an integrity group to monitor all funds donated to uplift women in the country.

She said this was necessary as the country’s current situation did not suggest donor funds for women empowerment were used for the right course.

President Bola Tinubu has launched the expatriate employment levy (EEL) to close wage gaps between expatriates and the Nigerian labour force.

The EEL also mandates firms to pay levies for hiring expatriates and provides guidelines on the employment of Nigerians in foreign-owned companies.

Tinubu said the policy, which was initiated to oversee expatriate employment in the country, should not become a hindrance to foreign investment.

The initiative, according to the EEL handbook, aims to diminish reliance on foreign skills and encourage companies to prioritise the hiring of Nigerians by supporting the development of the local workforce.

The policy document also said the government intends to find a balance between leveraging foreign expertise and fostering local talent in Nigeria’s job market through the EEL.

“I consider it a game changer. It is important to know that EEL is a contribution recently approved by the government, which will impose effective timeline on expatriates working in this country to be able to train and develop Nigerians,” Tinubu said.

“I’ve been further assured that the project has the capacity of plugging loopholes and gaps that have bedevilled the country in dealing with security challenges, and movement of foreigners in and out of the country.”

Tinubu said with the initiatives currently undertaken by his administration, Nigerians will begin to see improvement in their standard of living, adding that several arms of government are partnering to accomplish this purpose.

He said continued cooperation among MDAs would spur advancement and development that would retool and reengineer the nation’s financial system.

“There will be clear lines of implementation and effective acceleration of aims and objectives of this programme,” the president said.

“Immigration matters, expatriate quotas and relevant stakeholders have to be effectively guided to make Nigeria the focus of the objective of this EEL.”

‘EXPATRIATE WILL ONLY WORK IN NIGERIA IF NO NIGERIAN HAS NEEDED SKILLS’

On his part, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, said the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), a private company, and the federal government will run the initiative through a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

He said the project, which was approved by the federal executive council (FEC) in May 2023, would ensure that expatriates only work in the country where no Nigerian has the needed skills for such jobs.

“That’s the major objective of this particular initiative; balancing employment opportunities between Nigerians and expatriates,” Tunji-Ojo said.

“And of course, closing wage gaps between expatriates and the Nigerian labour force by making it more attractive to hire Nigerians.

“As a guide, the comprehensive handbook has been developed on the project to guide stakeholders, especially foreign-owned companies, joint venture companies, organisations and indigenous company that employ expatriates, to understand the concept as well as to comply with the new ideal.”

Part of the driving force, he said, is to reduce the reliance of companies on foreign personnel as well as the frequency with which businesses pursue the renewal of their expatriate quota.

Tunji-Ojo said the policy would also give priority to the transfer of knowledge, training Nigerians, and creating more opportunities for the youths in the nation.

Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the wife of former Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, says those who assaulted their wives mocked her late husband for being lovely.

Mrs Akeredolu stated this in a tribute she wrote to her late husband during his funeral at Saint Andrews Church, Imola, Owo.

“In civilised climes, if you beat your wife, jail awaits you even if you are a governor,” stated Mrs Akeredolu. “They marvel that a Nigerian man can love his wife. To them na only Oyibo (white) man dey love.”

Although the former first lady did not mention any names, it is believed that she referred to a few aides in her late husband’s cabinet, who claimed Mr Akeredolu was weak in matters regarding his wife.

Mrs Akeredolu had faced difficult times from political supporters and aides of her late husband, as she constantly used her social media pages to throw shade at her critics while her husband was on sick bed.

Eulogising her late husband, Mrs Akeredolu lamented that he left her “alone to face all manners of mockery.”

“You just left me, just like that. It hurts badly; it hurts. Now alone to face all manners of mockery. Not a few lashed out that you were a weakling because you loved me.

“I don’t think so. In their homes, while growing up, they saw their mothers trampled upon as doormats, beaten up like punch bags.

“They copied the template and treated their wives as pieces of furniture that can be easily discarded as trash. And in many instances, the subjugation was garnished with beatings while the community looked the other way and remained unperturbed as gender-based violence reigned supreme nationwide,” she said.

She also described the former Ondo governor as a lovely, passionate and caring man, saying, “Na love at first sight brought us together, biko. No be juju! Na love, make me cross the Niger.

“That love at first sight turned out to be true and pure. And you were proud to say it. You were proud to show it

“You were even prouder to tell the people of Ondo State, and beyond that, we were a team. You were audacious to tell your people that ‘you voted for one but got two’. A testimony of my positive contribution to your life and career, emotionally and intellectually.”

While noting that her husband was never a weakling, Mrs Akeredolu pointed out that he respected and gave her honour despite being the state governor.

Mr Akeredolu was buried in Owo, his hometown, amid tributes and eulogies from dignitaries and personalities.

The federal government, on Wednesday, unveiled the first-ever hotel at the main building of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja (NAIA).

Speaking at the unveiling of the hotel, called Sami Court, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo, said the management of the hotel has been a major stakeholder in the Nigeria’s aviation sector for long and the initiative was one of the contributions to the sector to improve passengers’ comfort while on transit.

He also said: “This is not just a one-off event, it is part of the new management drive and policy direction to collaborate with the private sector to improve passengers’ comfort.

“The CEOs and other managers of the aviation sector are working hard behind the scene to attract private sector into investments in the airport and aviation sector. This is just one of the results. In the next few months to come, we will unveil more packages for you.

“This is part of the vigour that this new management team is bringing into the sector.”

Also speaking, the managing director/chief executive of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku, said the hotel is made of 22 rooms with fitted amenities that will ensure the comfort of passengers.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said an “unverified report” indicated that state governors received N30 billion each from the Federation Account to ameliorate inflation and the high cost of food in their respective states.

Last September, the federal government said N2 billion was released to governors out of the N5 billion loan it offered to each state as a palliative to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy.

During the plenary on Tuesday, Mr Akpabio said information available to him indicates that apart from the first tranche of funds given to the governors, an additional N30 billion was also to them through the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

“I must say that unverified report has it that each of the state governments in the last few months has received additional N30 billion from Federal Inland Revenue Service outside their normal allocations from the Federation Account to assist them in ameliorating the food situation,” he said.

The senate president advised the governors to utilise the funds judiciously to reduce the high cost of food items and other challenges facing the country.

“We believed that every state government should utilise the funds received towards ensuring that food is available in the country.

“So, the state governments have a lot to do. They are closer to the people and I do not want to mention local government because most of the local governments are controlled by the state governors.

“My belief is that if the state government does what is needed, then the local government will be involved in sharing to make sure that these things get to the people. But we must not overlook the fact that Nigerians are not going to be interested in stories.

“Nigerians want to see action. Nigerians want to eat and we will provide food for them, there is no excuse. Despite what we met on ground” Mr Akpabio added.


Sponsored hardship protest

Mr Akpabio also referenced protests staged against the high cost of food items and the cost of living in different parts of the country.

On Tuesday, residents of Ibadan protested the high prices of food and other commodities.

Two weeks ago, residents of Minna, Niger State, trooped out in large numbers to protest the rising cost of living.

Last Monday, residents of Sokoto also protested the high cost of living in the country, calling on the government to find a lasting solution.

But, the senate president claimed that many of the protests were sponsored by some group of people against the federal government.

He said the protesters and their sponsors failed to recognise efforts made by the Senate and the federal government to fight inflation in the country.

“The situation is revolving daily. You can see a lot of protests here and there but those people are not aware. Most of those sponsored protests are not aware of the kind of efforts being made by this Senate to tackle the situation together with the joint management team of the Federation Government of Nigeria.

“There is no father that will want to see his child sleep in the night without food with the stomach grumbling, so we must provide. That is why I said we must not limit our discussion to – we will not import food, wherever we can find food to put on the table of Nigerians, we shall do so”.

Mr Akpabio explained that the worsening state of the economy was caused by COVID-19, insecurity and the N30 trillion Ways and Means advancement obtained by the Muhammadu Buhari administration from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“It is an uncommon situation which has been execrated by many factors, from COVID-19 to insecurity to inflation, to even the ways and means of N30 trillion that put so much pressure on the Central Bank of Nigeria and left a very big gap in the financial situation such that if this government inherited this situation it tried to feel the gap. It means that people will not eat, salaries will not be paid, and nothing will be done until the gap is filled. We have taken it and we must move on,” he said.


UK, US also grappling with bad economy

In his contribution, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, noted that the high cost of living and worsening economic situation are not peculiar to Nigeria.

Mr Jibrin said other developed countries like the United Kingdom and the United States of America are also grappling with bad economic situations.

“What is happening presently in Nigeria is not something that is happening in isolation. It is not only Nigeria that is facing this economic challenge. It is something that has an international dimension.

“The world economy is not in its best shape as we speak. As we speak, the United Kingdom’s economy is in recession. They are in recession as we speak. The price of goods and commodities in the whole world has risen everywhere, in the U.S. name it. So, it is not peculiar to Nigeria.

“The Russia-Ukraine war and the Middle East crisis have created a situation where prices of goods and commodities all over the world have gone up. So what is left for us here is to look at our own problems and try to summon these problems and that is exactly what we are doing. We should stop thinking that it is only Nigeria, No” he added.

The deputy senate president said the federal government is doing its best to resolve the worsening situation of the economy.

“Yes, we are facing challenges occasioned by what is happening internationally. We have to look at the problems and how we deal with the problems and this is exactly what we are doing.

“Of course, our security situation is not what we want it to be. We understand that the CinC (Commander-in-Chief) is doing his best in collaboration with service chiefs and other security agencies. They are doing their best.

“The government is doing its best, the president is doing his best. What we need to do is to have everybody coming together, a full collaboration of everyone” he said.

Mr Barau also called on state governors to support the federal government in resolving the challenges facing the country.

“The state governments should come on board. Let us not leave everything on the shoulders of the federal government alone. They should come on board. When we were talking about fuel subsidy, we removed it and the state governments are having more money now. They are getting a lot of money. So let them bring what they are getting to collaborate with the federal government to deal with this problem.

“But particularly, issues of commodities. Buy them and give out to the poor. The president has directed that food should be released from the statutory reserve of the federal government. Now we want the state government to also make the same pronouncement. Let them also come with their own money. Let the local government also come along.

“Here, we have seen what the senators are doing. A lot of grains are distributed to their constituencies so also members of the House of Representatives. I am distributing about two hundred thousand grains to two hundred households. Let us hear what the state government will do, let us hear what the local government will do, let us not leave all the problems on the shoulder of the federal government,” Mr Jibrin said.

The country’s capital importation increased by 66.27 per cent to $1.08 billion in the fourth quarter of last year (Q4 2023), compared to $654.65 million in the preceding quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed yesterday.

This was also slightly higher than $1.06 billion recorded in Q4 2022 by 2.62 per cent.

According to the Nigerian Capital Importation Report for the review period, Lagos State remained the top destination for foreign capital inflows into the economy with $771.68 million, accounting for 65.38 per cent of total importation.

This was followed by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with $370.80 million or 34.07 per cent and Rivers State with $6.00 million or 0.55 per cent and Ekiti with $0.01 million.

Despite foreign trips abroad allegedly to woo investors, the report revealed the quantum of resources squandered by state government officials in the guise of attracting capital inflows.

Nonetheless, the NBS stated that Other Investment type accounted for 54.64 per cent or $594.74 million of total capital importation in Q4.

This was followed by Portfolio Investment with $309.76 million or 28.46 per cent of total share.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) amounted to $183.97 million or 16.90 per cent.

According to the NBS, the production/manufacturing sector recorded the highest inflow with $450.11 million, representing 41.35 per cent of total capital imported in the review period.

This was followed by the banking sector, which represented $283.30 million 26.03 per cent and financing which contributed $135.59 million or 12.46 per cent.

Capital Importation during the reference period originated largely from the United Kingdom with $267.24 million, with a share of 24.55 per cent.

This was followed by Mauritius with $226.18 million or 20.78 per cent and The Netherlands with $149.93 million or 13.77 per cent.

Others include Singapore, $144.25 million, and South Africa with $116.37 million.

Under the review period, agriculture-related investment amounted to $0.42 million, construction, $0.25 million, IT Services $9.08 million, financing $135.59 million, oil and gas $2.04 million and telecoms $22.84 million as well as transport $0.14 million among others.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has expressed its readiness to distribute seized food items to Nigerians to help mitigate the current hardship in the land.

It said the distribution will be done after all the food items have been certified fit for human consumption.

Recall that hundreds of young Nigerians had taken to the streets in some parts of the country to protest the current hardship in the land and the high cost of food items.

Responding to the critical challenges of food security and the soaring costs of essential food items in Nigeria, Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, on Tuesday unveiled plans by the service to distribute seized food items to Nigerians.

The service National Public Relations, CSC Abdullahi Maiwada, in a statement, issued on Tuesday, said through the action the Comptroller General is reaffirming his commitment to advancing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s food security agenda.

According to him, the commitment is deeply rooted in the Service core mandate of serving the best interests of the Nigerian people, and thereby fostering economic stability and prosperity.

He said the urgent imperative fuels the need for a proactive stance to safeguard food availability within Nigeria and alleviate the detrimental effects of scarcity on citizens.

“Furthermore, to alleviate the hardships faced by Nigerians and improve access to essential food items, the Nigeria Customs Service will facilitate the direct disposal of food items forfeited to the Federal Government. These items will be certified fit for consumption by relevant agencies and made available to ordinary Nigerians nationwide through equitable distribution in our Areas of Operations.

“The modalities for the disposal will be communicated through NCS formations nationwide, with a firm commitment to transparency, fairness, and public safety. It is our pledge that this exercise will be managed diligently to ensure that the benefits reach those most in need.

“The NCS remains resolute in its dedication to safeguarding the nation’s food security and advancing the economic well-being of all Nigerians. With the unwavering support and cooperation of the public, we will surmount these challenges and pave the way for a more prosperous future for our beloved nation” he added.

Some federal civil servants on Tuesday in separate interviews with our correspondent confirmed that the Federal Government has started the payments of the November 2023 wage award.

The payment of wage awards to Nigerian workers was one of the deals agreed upon by the organised labour and the Federal Government as one of the ways to mitigate the effect of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol.

However, the government at a time suspended the payment of the wage award, a move which was criticised by activists and other stakeholders

The development came amidst reports that the government had slashed the wage award allocation by N100bn in the 2023 supplementary budget.

The Nigeria Labour Congress had described the government’s action as dishonourable, while the Trade Union Congress also urged the government to pay civil servants the wage awards or risk industrial action.

A senior civil servant who confided in PUNCH Online, however, said some civil servants had started receiving the wage award for November 2023.

“Payment came in this morning, others have also confirmed receipt in my agency,” the source said.

Another senior civil servant in one of the Federal Government-owned schools outside Abuja also confirmed the development saying,” Yes, the November 2023 wage award has been paid.”

Following an ultimatum given by the organised labour, the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, noted that the government would again resume the payment of the wage awards.

There is a growing concern over the huge maintenance cost of Nigeria’s presidential aircraft, Air Force 001, which serves President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as it gulps billions of naira.

A senior official familiar with the maintenance of the presidential fleet told Daily Trust that between the routine maintenance and purchase of parts, the aircraft had been guzzling huge amounts of money.

He said it was not a new trend as that it had been going on for a while, making the erstwhile Presidential Air Fleet Commandeer, AVM AA Yaro, to recommend that it should be demobilised.

The Air Force 001 is a 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) bought during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the cost of $43m.

Boeing began the production of the BBJ in 1998, and it initially cost $36m for the unfinished aircraft. It now sells for $41m for a used one and $71m for a brand new aircraft.

While the age of an aircraft does not matter in terms of its performance, our correspondent reports that the maintenance cost increases unlike newer and more modern aircraft.

It would be recalled that a month to the expiration of the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the aircraft was sent for a comprehensive maintenance ahead of the inauguration of Tinubu’s government.

But since Tinubu took over and inherited the aircraft, it has been sent for other rounds of scheduled and non-scheduled maintenance.

Sources privy to the operation of the presidential fleet confirmed that the aircraft had amassed over $5m in maintenance bills, constituting nearly half of the over $10m liabilities inherited at the presidential fleet.

A source said, “Due to the age of the aircraft, maintenance cost has increased in recent times, and the amount of money spent on maintenance is huge. I am wondering how long it would take to continue to spend this much on maintenance when it could have been disposed of and a new one purchased.”

The General Secretary, Society of Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (SLAMEN), Sheri Kyari, advised that purchasing a new one would be better to reduce the maintenance cost.

Kyari said, “It is better for the government to buy a new one. How much is a brand new aircraft? They should be able to get something much better from Boeing. For me, Boeing is still the way to go.”

Findings by our correspondent revealed that neighbouring countries have fairly newer aircraft compared to Nigeria. For instance, Ivory Coast, apart from having two Gulfstream aircraft in the presidential fleet, also operate A319 and A320 for longer trips. Senegal uses A320Neo and A319 in addition to other smaller jets.

For most African countries, the Airbus and BBJ have become the choice aircraft used for presidential movement with the capacity to convey at least 30 passengers in a VIP cabin.

An aircraft engineer who did not want his name in print said, “Even the US president’s aircraft is older than our president’s. Is the US president not flying a 747? That aircraft cannot be less than 30. You can actually put a brand new engine on an aircraft and it becomes new.

“Again, we must acknowledge that the president is an important personality. So, you cannot micromanage things for him. He deserves something better, but when we know the history and maintenance record of the aircraft, we can decide to say, ‘Okay, this is what we should do.’”

The parallel section of the foreign exchange market recorded a new all-time low on Monday after the naira depreciated to N1,730 per dollar.

The naira fell by 8.13 percent from N1,600/$ recorded on February 16, 2024.

Currency traders at the street market quoted the buying price of the dollar at N1,700 and the selling price at N1,730 — leaving a profit margin of N30.

“Customers are demanding for the dollars so much and it is affecting the market,” a black market trader known as Aliyu said.

At the official window, the naira depreciated by 2.65 percent to N1,537.96/$ on February 16 — from N1,498.25 per dollar on February 15.

According to data from FMDQ Securities, a platform that oversees foreign exchange trading in Nigeria, the local currency hit an intra-day trading high of N1,631 and a low of N1,000.

Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in furtherance of its efforts to stabilise the naira, made certain policy changes in the past week.

On February 15, 2024, the CBN announced it had placed limits on the transfer of proceeds from crude exports by international oil companies (IOCs) to offshore parent company accounts.

CBN also halted cash payments of personal travel allowance (PTA) and business travel allowance (BTA) — directing banks to adopt electronic transfers.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio says the allegations against Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), are so numerous that the federal government does not know which charges to pin on him.

Akpabio made the remarks on Sunday during a thanksgiving service organised by Barinada Mpigi, senator representing Rivers south-east senatorial district.

The number three citizen also blamed the economic hardship sweeping through the land on the policies and actions that “they took”.

He did not specify who “they” entails.

Akpabio further said the prevailing hunger and economic hardship are consequences of almost 60 years of rot.

He appealed to Nigerians to be patient, while promising that the current administration will deliver on the promises they “campaigned and danced” around the country for.

“So the kind of debt and the economic mess that we are in… and lots of people do not understand,” Akpabio said.

“I remember President Obama saying you cannot know Washington until you get to Washington. So by the time we went in to look at the economic situation of the country, it was terrible.

“So you know that the former governor of central bank, we don’t even know what to charge him with.

“Whether to charge him for putting foam on top of a pail, or to charge him for illegal possession of firearms, or to charge him for printing notes without income. I don’t know what we’re going to charge him with.

“But what we know is that yes, there is hunger today because of the kind of policies and actions that they took and we recognise that, and I think every political party should recognise that there is hunger and we’re battling to ensure that Nigerians can sleep with their eyes closed.

“There is insecurity. We’re battling to ensure Nigerians can eat three square meals a day.

“But rest assured that we campaigned for this job, we campaigned and danced around the country. We will not let you down.

“We will get to the bottom of it. All we need is patience. The rot that has happened in Nigeria for so many years, for almost 60 years, cannot be solved in six months. So what we need is patience… patience from all quarters.”

The event, which took place in Koroma, Tai LGA of Rivers, was also attended by Dave Umahi, minister of works; Martin Amaewhule, speaker of the Rivers house of assembly; and other dignitaries.


BACKGROUND

Emefiele was suspended on June 9, 2023, by President Bola Tinubu, who also ordered a probe into his tenure as governor of the apex bank.

He was subsequently arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) and on July 25, he was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on “illegal possession” of firearms, at a federal high court in Ikoyi.

He was later granted bail in the sum of N20 million. However, he was rearrested by the DSS on the court premises on the same day.

In August, the court struck out the suit after the federal government filed an application to withdraw the charge of “illegal possession of firearms” against him.

A fresh 20-count charge was then filed before the federal capital territory (FCT) high court by the federal ministry of justice.

He was subsequently arraigned at the FCT high court in Abuja, on a six-count charge bordering on procurement fraud, and remanded at the Kuje correctional facility.

On November 8, Emefiele was granted bail and released, after spending 151 days in detention.

On January 18, the federal government amended the criminal charges filed against him.

The charges, formerly six counts, were increased to 20 counts.

The amended charges border on alleged breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, procurement fraud and conspiracy to commit a felony.