The Senegalese government announced it is abandoning French as an official language and is replacing it with Arabic.
The Senegalese government’s decision came after a Cabinet meeting held on Sunday and is considered a sign of the political transformation that Senegal is witnessing, after the young oppositionist, Bassirou Faye, won the presidential elections a few weeks ago.
The president-elect said in a televised speech on 26 March 26: “I would like to say to the international community and to our bilateral and multilateral partners that Senegal will always honour its commitments. It will remain a friendly country and a secure and reliable ally for any partner that engages with us in virtuous, respectful and mutually productive cooperation.”
Faye stressed that by electing him, the Senegalese people made the choice to break away from the existing regime in the country but noted that he intends to work to bring about changes within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
On the internal level, Faye emphasised that the priority projects during his term will be “national reconciliation and rebuilding institutions,” in addition to “a significant reduction in the cost of living.”
“I am committed to governing with humility and transparency and to fighting corruption on all levels,” he added.
Senegal enjoys stability, unlike its neighbours, and is considered one of the pillars of ECOWAS, which has been rocked since 2020 by military coups in many of its member states.
The results of the presidential elections, which took place in Senegal at the end of last month, confirmed the deep roots of the aspirations of the people in Senegal to break free from the patterns of governance systems that were associated with Western colonialism, or those that entered into relations with colonial countries.
Crisis is brewing in the Edo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as another faction has emerged within the party ahead of the governorship election in the state.
Led by the National Vice Chairman (South-South) Dan Orbih, the faction declared it won’t support the governorship ambition of the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
Orbih also gave the party a snub ahead of the September 21 governorship election with his rejection of an appointment as a member of the governorship campaign council.
Orbih, leader of the anti-Obaseki’s Legacy Coalition in the party, had been named a member of the campaign council last week, apparently in a bid by the party to carry along all interest groups in the run-up to the polls.
He said yesterday that no one had consulted him before his name was announced as a member of the council.
“Nobody told me of any governorship campaign council membership in Edo PDP. I am not aware of it.
“Some persons who saw my name on the list called me. I have not seen the list, and I am not aware of it. I am not party to the composition of the campaign council,” he said.
Orbih, an ally of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, is not on good terms with Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Their disagreement stemmed from Obaseki’s takeover of the PDP structure in the state following his defection from the All Progressives Congress in 2020.
Some other members of the PDP in the state are not impressed with what they term as Obaseki’s imposition of Dr. Asue Ighodalo as the party’s flag bearer in the governorship election.
Yesterday, Orbih hosted a meeting of Legacy Coalition stakeholders at his Ogbona country home in the Etsako Central Local Government Area.
He told the gathering that Obaseki and Ighodalo lack what it takes to lead the state successfully.
He said the coalition would, therefore, throw its weight behind a candidate who would represent the good people of the state during the September election.
He said: “I am not part and parcel of the PDP campaign council. In 2020, we came out in Edo North Senatorial District and supported the re-election of Governor Godwin Obaseki. I, Chief Dan Orbih, worked with Governor Obaseki to deliver him.
“People asked me questions on where we are today and what is the way forward? I can boldly tell you the issue before us is what is the way forward? Let me tell you that all is not well with Edo State PDP.
“As we prepare and move forward for the upcoming governorship election, we will do all we can to let Edo people know that this election is about Edo and the future of Edo.
"Let me send a powerful message to PDP: we, the Edo PDP, can tell you that it is not well with Edo PDP. I hereby denounce my membership as a member of Edo PDP governorship campaign council. Obaseki and his anointed governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, are not the way forward for Edo State.”
Orbih also described the recent impeachment of Edo Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu as political.
“The predicament of Shaibu is that some persons said he had no right to contest the governorship election in 2024,” he said.
Shaibu, who was at the meeting, said Edo people would not vote for Ighodalo because “Edo State needs a home-grown person.”
He said: “I want to assure you that we are in support of Chief Dan Orbih and his legacy group. We will not support Asue Ighodalo but wait for the direction of the PDP legacy group on who to vote for.”
A former Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Kabiru Adjoto, while also speaking, stated that PDP, under the leadership of Obaseki, could not manage the success of the victory in 2020.
He noted that instead of the Edo governor consolidating the victory recorded in the 2020 governorship election by rewarding those who worked for his re-election, he opted for other persons within the PDP who had never worked for the party.
The former speaker pledged to work with the Orbih-led PDP coalition in the forthcoming Edo governorship election while assuring that he and his supporters in Akoko-Edo LGA in Edo North Senatorial District were on the same page with the Orbih’s legacy coalition.
Adjoto said: “Chief Dan Orbih, we have seen what you saw, and we are here to queue behind you. Anywhere you go, we will go. We are waiting for your instructions.”
The meeting also had in attendance the leaders of PDP’s legacy coalition in Edo North senatorial district, including Jude Imagwe, Damian Lawani and Fred Attah, among other top politicians.
Why I didn’t build new schools in Anambra as governor – Peter Obi opens up
April 24, 2024
By John Owen Nwachukwu
He presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, has responded to the question that he did not build a single new school when he was Governor of Anambra State.
A popular social media personality, Reno Omokri, had last week hit out at Obi, challenging the the former Anambra State Governor and his followers to show a single school he started and finished in his eight years as governor.
Reno promised to reward handsomely, anyone that could show a school built by Obi.
And responding to this during a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Obi said those who said that failed to avail themselves of his manifesto.
He said that when he came to Anambra State, education was in shambles, schools were closed and the state was number 26 in the country but by the time he left, Anambra was number one in the state.
“I improved the quality, physical and mental well-being of the people, schools, had the basic things they needed and the people shone like stars and that was my manifesto.
“Building new schools when the old ones are moribund is just like building coastal lines when internal roads are impassable.”
National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN)Emeka Rollas has expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his swift intervention towards the health crisis of veteran actor Zack Orji.
The Nation reported that Zack Orji recently departed for the United Kingdom for post-surgery assessment.
In a statement on Saturday, Rollas thanked President Tinubu for his fatherly attention to the creative industry.
He also commended the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, for her motherly care towards the veteran actor and Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son, for his unwavering support.
He also lauded the Minister for Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, for her relentless efforts in ensuring Orji’s quick recovery.
The AGN President stated that Orji was grateful to his longtime friend, Ahmed Bala, for standing by him throughout the period.
“We have witnessed the unprecedented support that President Tinubu is giving to the creative industry,” he said.
“This has clearly shown his clear determination to uplift the sector to be more relevant and beneficial to both the practitioners and the national economy and we find it necessary to appreciate him.
“We also appreciate the Minister for Women Affair, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, for her relentless efforts in ensuring that Zack Orji gets back on his feet hale and hearty.
“Zack Orji equally extends his profound gratitude to his longtime friend, Ahmed Bala, for standing by him all through the period,” the statement reads in part.
Major Crypto Exchange OKX shuts down in India, advices users to withdraw all funds
Major Cryptocurrency exchange OKX has announced that it is shutting down its services in India due to local regulations.
The Crypto exchange advised its users to withdraw all funds on the platform by the end of April.
According to Bitcoin News, the exchange sent out a notice to its users on Thursday announcing their plans to quit operations in the country.
“We regret to inform you that OKX is no longer providing services to users in India, “The note said.
“Due to local regulations, you need to withdraw all funds from your account.”
“In addition, users must also “close all margin positions, as well as positions in perpetuals, futures, and options” and “redeem all funds from Grow products: Earn, Loan, Jumpstart.” These steps must be completed by April 30 at noon UTC, Accounts will be restricted to withdrawals after this date.” OKX advised.
OKX announcement came after Apple and Google removed several crypto apps from their stores.
India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) recently flagged these crypto exchanges as operating illegally in the country.
In December last year, the Indian FIU issued “compliance Show Cause Notices” to nine offshore crypto service providers.
The Indian Ministry of Finance shared at the time that 31 crypto service providers had registered with the FIU.
OKX crypto exchange was not one of the crypto exchanges that registered with the FIU.
What to Know
In India, Cryptocurrencies are not regulated. The finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman explained that crypto assets cannot be currencies which is why they are yet to be regulated in India.
At the G20 meeting that India hosted last year, the country made a case for a global framework for regulating cryptocurrencies citing the various challenges that will emerge if only one or two countries regulate it.
Nigeria has regained its position as the biggest recipient of payments from Shell as production entitlement, royalties, taxes and fees to the government in 2023 amounted to $4.92 billion, the highest in four years.
The payout to Nigeria increased by 8.85 percent compared to the previous year, representing 16.67 percent of the company’s total payments to 26 countries, new data released by Shell shows.
Africa’s largest oil producer lost the top position in 2021, when Norway received the largest amount of about $4.52 billion compared to the $4.48 billion paid to the West African country.
In 2022, Nigeria dropped further to the third-biggest recipient of payments from the British oil giant, although the amount paid to it rose by 0.92 percent to $4.52 billion. The company’s payment to the country hit a high of $6.39 billion in 2018 but fell to $5.63 billion in 2019 and $3.24 billion in 2020.
Shell’s payments to countries where it has operations declined 14.11 percent year-on-year to $29.52 billion last year as its annual profit dropped 30 percent compared to its highest-ever earnings of $39.9 billion notched in 2022.
It said in its latest report that payments made to governments arose “from activities involving the exploration, prospection, discovery, development and extraction of minerals, oil and natural gas deposits or other materials (extractive activities)”.
[i]Its subsidiaries in Nigeria paid $3.46 billion to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) last year as production entitlement, while $587.64 million was paid in taxes to the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) was paid about $727.85 million and $1.73 million for royalties and fees respectively, while $139.99 million was remitted to the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Shell paid fees amounting to $4.28 million and $85,890 to the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure and Nigeria Police Trust Fund respectively.[/b]
Shell’s payments to the Nigerian governments look set to drop this year following its decision to sell its onshore business in the country.
The company announced on January 16 that it had agreed to sell its Nigerian onshore subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), to Renaissance, a consortium of five companies consisting of ND Western, Aradel Energy, First E&P, Waltersmith and Petrolin.
“This is an important step for the company and we hope to complete the deal as soon as possible,” Wael Sawan, chief executive officer of Shell, said last month during his presentation of the company’s 2023 fourth-quarter and full-year results. International oil companies operating in the country have had to sell many of their onshore assets since 2010, when divestment saw Seplat Energy Plc and other local operators snapping up oil blocks.
ExxonMobil announced in February last year that it had agreed to sell to Seplat its equity interest in Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, which holds a 40 percent stake in four oil mining licences including more than 90 shallow-water and onshore platforms and 300 producing wells. But the transaction has been blocked by the regulator and the NNPC.
Operators in the sector have been plagued by oil theft and pipeline vandalism for years, with the country’s production falling below 1 million barrels per day in 2022 as against a peak of 2.5 million bpd in 2010. Last year, the crude oil output ranged from 1 million bpd to 1.35 million bpd, according to data from the NUPRC.
In its 2023 Sustainability Report released on Tuesday, Shell said 139 of the 140 spills it recorded as a result of sabotage last year happened in Nigeria, with the volume of spills increasing to 1,400 tonnes from 600 tonnes in 2022.
“Most oil spills in the Niger Delta continue to be caused by crude oil theft, the sabotage of oil and gas production facilities, and illegal oil refining, including the distribution of illegally refined products,” it said.
It said that in 2023, SPDC continued on-ground surveillance of its areas of operation, including its pipeline network, to mitigate third-party interference and ensure that spills are detected and responded to as quickly as possible.
“There are daily surveillance flights over the most vulnerable segments of the pipeline network to identify any new spills or illegal activity. SPDC has introduced anti-theft protection mechanisms for key infrastructure, including steel cages to protect wellheads,” it said.
In 2023, 60 new steel cages were installed around critical infrastructure nodes, bringing the total number of cages installed to 374, according to the report.
“This includes 52 cages that have been upgraded with CCTV and 28 with satellite communications,” Shell said. “In 2023, out of 508 registered attempts to breach the cages, 38 were successful.”
Parallel market operators are quoting a buy price of N1400/$1 for holders of dollars looking to sell marking a significant strengthening on the naira.
Checks by Nairametrics indicate the exchange rate has been gaining lately as speculators start to dump their hoard of dollars following waning demand.
Multiple sources who operate in the parallel market revealed that the naira has risen from around N1600/$ which it closed yesterday to N1500/$ (some quoted N1550/$1) if they are to sell to you.
However, they buy at N1400/$1 allowing them to make a spread of N100/$1. A trader by the name of Musa who spoke to Nairametrics expressed happiness with the development stating that a stronger Naira was also good for their business.
Meanwhile, the exchange rate on the official market fell to N1,560/$1 on Tuesday the strongest the naira has traded since the 4th of March when it closed at N1534/$1.
2023: Atiku, NWC directed us to work for Rhodes-Vivour’s victory — Lagos PDP forum
by Bola Badmus March 19, 2024
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairmen in LGAs across Lagos have said the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the main opposition platform directed Dr Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, also known as JANDOR, the party’s governorship candidate to work for victory of his counterpart in Labour Party (LP), Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, by stepping down for him, few days to the 2023 guber poll, but which former bluntly rejected.
The chairmen, under the banner of Lagos PDP LGA Chairmen Forum, made this disclosure in a release jointly signed by its chairman, Hon. Adeboyega Adegbesan, and secretary, Hon. Malomo Adelabu respectfully, saying that Atiku and national leadership of the party took the step in collective interest as they saw the need for collaboration between PDP and LP to secure victory of Rhodes-Vivour, following the loss suffered by Alhaji Atiku at the 2023 Presidential poll.
According to the Forum, the party at the National took the step because it felt there was the need to collaborate with the parties in the governorship election in order to have as many states as possible for PDP, adding: “Lagos was one of the states that they had in mind.”
It, however, blamed JANDOR for refusing to step down for Labour Party candidate as directed, saying that he was the architect of his own misfortune due to failure to listen to advice and disregard for the leadership of the party, among others.
The chairmen said it was on account of establishing working arrangements with Labour Party that Atiku invited JANDOR to his Abuja home, noting that the invitation came two days after Mr. Peter Obi had discussion with JANDOR on same issue.
It disclosed that the Abuja meeting had in attendance Alhaji Atiku, a retired General, and one other powerful Northern leader, but said JANDOR rejected the move, maintaining his stand “that he was not ready to step down for Labour Party Candidate, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour, and that the only condition was for Gbadebo to step down for him because he has his Awori people behind him.
“After the PDP lost the presidential election, the party at the National felt there was need to collaborate with the parties in the governorship election in order to have as many states as possible for PDP.
“Lagos was one of the states that they had in mind. The Presidential Candidate of Labour Party, H. E. Peter Obi, called JANDOR on how PDP and Labour can collaborate for the governorship election. JANDOR told Peter Obi point blank that he was not ready to step down for anybody and the only condition was for the Labour candidate to step down for him. And that if the reconciliation must work, he must be the one that must be on the ballot.
‘Two days after Peter Obi had discussion with JANDOR on the issue of working with Labour Party, H. E. Atiku Abubakar, our presidential candidate invited JANDOR to his Abuja home on the same issue of working arrangements with Labour Party.
“The meeting involved H. E. Atiku, a retired General and and one other powerful Northern leader. The issue of collaboration was raised and JANDOR stated that he was not ready to step down for Labour Party Candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour, and the only condition is for Gbadebo to step down for him because he has his Awori people behind him,” the chairmen said.
They recalled that, to further achieve the aim, an enlarged meeting was suggested which involved seeking the opinion of key party leaders in Lagos State, through phone calls, including the former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Chief Olabode George, on the way forward, saying that all the leaders made it clear to them that the best and ideal thing to do was to have a relationship with the Labour Party.
The Forum said all the leaders based their decision on “the outcome of Presidential Election of 2023 where Labour scored 582,664 votes as against PDP that scored 75,750 votes.”
“When the enlarged meeting was asked to suggest the way forward on how they can make progress on the collaboration, they suggested that a call should be made to Chief Olabode George and seek his opinion on the way forward.
“From the venue of the meeting in Abuja, a call was made to Bode George and other notable leaders in Lagos on the issue of working relationship with Labour Party. All the leader made it clear to them that the best thing to do is to have a relationship with the Labour Party. That is most ideal and reasonable thing to do is for JANDOR to step down for Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour because the leaders based on their analysis of the outcome of Presidential Election of 2023 where Labour scored 582,664 votes as against PDP that scored 75,750 votes,” the PDP LGAs chairmen stated.
Reacting, JANDOR dismissed every word contained in the release issued by the Forum, saying it was cooked up to justify their anti-party activities which he said they openly carried out with impunity.
The PDP standard bearer said at no time did NWC or anyone invite him, or his campaign organization to any meeting for the purpose of merger, stepping down or otherwise, even as he noted that there were procedures for merger between two political parties, that would lead “all the Actors involved to announce such merger or arrangement” to the public.
“Every word contained in the supposed LGA Chairmen forum release was cooked up to justify their anti-party activities which they openly carried out with impunity.
“At no time did NWC or anyone invite me, or my campaign organization to any meeting for the purpose of merger, stepping down or otherwise.
“In anyway, there are procedures for merger between two political parties, and there is no how such will happen without the two political parties going to press with all the Actors involved to announce such merger or arrangement,” he stated.
“The public may need to tell them to produce minute of such meeting or the correspondence from the NWC directing them to do so,” JANDOR added.
The PDP chieftain, however, said the disclosure made by the LGAs Chairmen’s Forum had confirmed that they all worked against the party in Lagos State, declaring that all the reasons adduced in the release “are mere attempt to justify their evil deed.”
“At least, one thing has been put to rest, the LGA Chairmen Forum in their release has confirmed that they all worked against the party in Lagos State, and all the reasons adduced are mere attempt to justify their evil deed,” Jandor said.
Popular Nollywood producer, Ikechukwu Nnadi, also known as Andy Best, is dead.
Nnadi was confirmed dead at a private clinic in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Tuesday.
The convener of the Best of Nollywood awards, Seun Oloketuyi, confirmed the death in a post on his Instagram page.
He wrote: “Andy Best, a top Nollywood producer and marketer, is dead.”
Until his death, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Andy Best Production and was behind the production of famous movies, including Lion of Africa, White Poison, My Father’s Cup, and many more.
He hailed from Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.
Writing by Julian Osamoto; Editing by Tony Okerafor
‘Poor people don’t eat eggs,’ Nigerian governor rejects inclusion of eggs in subsidised food items
Subsidised food items will be sold to vulnerable persons already enlisted in the state's social register.
BySaviour Imukudo March 18, 2024
Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has rejected an appeal to include “eggs” among the food items that the state government will sell to vulnerable people at a subsidised rate.
The governor turned down the appeal on Thursday during an enlarged State Executive Council meeting, where he signed into law the bill establishing the Bulk Purchase Agency.
Nigerians are facing severe hardship as prices of food items have skyrocketed following the removal of petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu.
In response to the ballooned prices of commodities, Governor Eno, weeks ago, forwarded to the state assembly, a bill for the establishment of a Bulk Purchase Agency which will buy food items in bulk and sell to the vulnerable people at a subsidised rate.
According to the law, the agency has three staple food items – rice, beans and garri on its menu. The items are to be sold at 10kg each, and once a month to the vulnerable people already enrolled in the state social register.
One attendee at the ceremony, which was live-streamed on Facebook, queried the modalities employed in selecting the three food items, arguing that garri and rice are carbohydrates while beans is the only protein on the list.
He suggested the inclusion of eggs, another protein source, particularly for the malnourished children in the society, but the governor dismissed the appeal.
“Poor people don’t eat eggs. Let’s look at staple foods,” the governor responded, while emphasising that the programme, being an intervention, will not last forever.
“We all know that there is real hunger in the land. Our people need food, so as a government, we proposed that we intervene in the high cost of food in our state.
“The only way we can do that is to set up an agency that will do a direct intervention in the market and get food to our people at a reduced price – that is what the agency seeks to address,” he said.
Criteria, vouchers for beneficiaries Closely followed by the bill signing ceremony was a presentation by Frank Ekpenyong, an aide to the governor on ICT, and a representative of the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company PLC, a company that handles voucher printing.
Giving details of the scheme, Mr Ekpenyong said the state government selected the accredited market agents that will sell the staple food items to the beneficiaries, who are to pay 70 per cent while the government subsidises 30 per cent, including a provision of five per cent as service charge (interest) to the market agents.
The agency will provide vouchers to qualify individuals enabling them to buy staple foods through accredited market agents, the governor’s aide said.
“The people will take the vouchers to the accredited agents and get garri, beans and rice once a month – not more than 10kg of each of these items.
“The agents will take the vouchers to the government and claim their money with 5 per cent interest as a service charge,” Mr Ekpenyong added.
Food voucher – security and operational features The voucher is designed and printed by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, a Nigerian company which also handles the printing of the nation’s currency – naira.
Explaining the security feature on the voucher to the governor, who queried if any other printing company cannot produce the voucher, a representative of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, said the papers are customised and cannot be imported to the country without the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria, a description that suggest that the papers for voucher printing may be as expensive, if not more than the food items.
Other concerns Raising concerns after the presentation, the chairperson of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state, Sunny James urged the governor to expand the scheme to accommodate everybody resident in rural areas, particularly workers, whom he said their take-home pay cannot take them home.
“The situation we are in the country, it will be wrong not to make food available for our people,” he said.
Mr James further suggested patronising local printers for the vouchers as according to him past experiences with the CBN had shown that sometimes the cost of printing the nation’s currency is often higher than the value of the naira itself.
He asked if the government or consumers would pay the five per cent service charge as contained on the vouchers, particularly for the price of garri, which is estimated to cost N7,000 for a 10kg bag.
“The figures are still tentative,” Governor Eno responded. “That’s why you don’t see a price on this voucher right now.
No fewer than 4,000 residents, including petty traders, sand miners and other business owners around the River Niger area in the commercial city of Onitsha in Anambra State have been left without shelter and shops where to lay their heads or do their businesses, as the state government has demolished their houses and shops.
The residents, with their family members, who spoke to South-East PUNCH on Tuesday and Wednesday, lamented that they were “brutally” thrown out from their places of abode and business without any prior notice and without allowing them to take out any of their belongings.
Although, the state government, through the Chairman of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Emeka Orji, who supervised the demolition on Monday, justified its action by insisting that the demolition follows the state government’s resolve to rid the area of “illegal structures” and incessant building collapse in the area, the victims claimed that they had lived and done businesses in their property, which they claimed they legally acquired through the National Inland Waterways Authority, even long before the emergence of successive administrations in the state.
The demolition of no fewer than 2,000 shops and residential buildings was a fall out of the building collapse that occurred on Basden Street, Fegge, Onitsha, on Sunday, and a three-storey building, which had earlier collapsed at the Odu-Igbo area in Ochanja in the same Onitsha, three weeks ago.
In the collapsed building, no fewer than six persons were killed and over 20 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries after they were rescued from the rubbles.
The demolished shops and residential buildings located by the bank of River Niger were mostly owned by members of Sand Miners Association of Anambra State, who use them as equipment and operational offices, while some are occupied by petty traders who service them. Some people also own residential properties there.
When South-East PUNCH correspondent visited the area on Tuesday, it was like a ghost town, as the whole area has been levelled, while some of the victims were seen trying to salvage the remainder of their various items.
It was further gathered that the structures were built by the affected victims, who allegedly got the approval of the National Inland Water Ways.
But the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, during a visit to the area last week, had stated that NIWA does not have the right to build or allocate spaces to traders on Anambra land.
Soludo, during the inspection of roads constructed by his administration, ordered the chairman of Onitsha South Local Government chairman, Chief Orji, to demolish all “illegal structures,” insisting that the land belongs to Anambra State and not NIWA.
He said, “The code or bye-laws establishing NIWA gave the organisation 100 metres from the banks of the River Niger as right of easement, but what we are seeing here are illegal structures and should be demolished.”
One of numerous victims, whose property was demolished, identified as Mrs Ifeoma Nwafor, a farmer, said her two shops, which she uses as storage for seedlings and farm implements, were demolished, with various seedlings and items worth over N5 million, farm equipment and other agricultural items destroyed without notice.
Speaking with South-East PUNCH, Mrs Nwafor, an Onitsha indigene, described the demolition as “horrible and man’s inhumanity to man,” lamenting how a state government claiming to promote agriculture would destroy agricultural produce.
She said, “The demolition also encroached on some of our farmlands. My seedlings and other agricultural produces kept inside the shops, awaiting the next planting season, were totally destroyed without anything to salvage.
“There was no prior notice given to us. I acquired and built the shops legally and I got the approval of NIWA and we pay taxes both to NIWA and the Anambra State government. Government officials are aware of our activities and we are legal in that area.
“Since the demolition, my life has not remained the same, as I had been hospitalised, my blood pressure has risen and I am just managing the situation. Now, all my seedlings for the next planting season have been destroyed, nothing for planting as the next planting season begins soon.
“I had over N5 million worth of seedlings, agricultural produces and farm implements in the shops destroyed. We had some livestock that were destroyed too. The governor visited here last week and warned that ‘illegal’ structures would be demolished, but they are not ‘illegal’ structures, there were approvals given by relevant authorities. The government is there for the people and not the other way.”
While the demolition was going on, another affected victim, Martin Obiora, who was seen trying to salvage some of his equipment and goods, said there was no prior information about the demolition.
Obiora said, “We were not given any notice as regards the demolition. It is a vindictive one targeted at us because we refused to settle some government officials since we got approvals to erect structure from NIWA. We pay appropriate taxes and levies to the state government and NIWA and we don’t cut corners or pay to illegal revenue collector or government agents who shortchange the state.”
Other displaced victims who spoke to journalists, described the exercise as “wicked,” wondering why a state government will embark on such exercise at this period Nigerians are suffering, without allowing people to remove their machines and goods.
Another victim, identified as Lilian Ozoh, said, “We lost over 100 shops and equipment worth millions of naira, because we did not get a prior information of the demolition.
“We are law abiding in everything we are doing here; we are properly licensed and registered with the Federal Ministry of Environment and National Inland Waterways Authority. We pay all the necessary taxes and levies to NIWA and Anambra State government, we have even paid the necessary 2025 levies and taxes to Anambra State government and we don’t have any problem with NIWA, so we don’t know the reason for the demolition of our offices.
“We did not erect any illegal structure here, all the structures were legally registered and approved by the relevant government agencies and the appropriate payment made. It is therefore a surprise to us when they stormed the place and started demolishing without any prior notice.”
Like other victims, Augustine Nworie, was not spared the demolition agony. He lamented that he had no place to lay his head with his six children and wife.
He said, “I have a structure in the area and I have been living in my house for over 27 years now with my family. I got the approval to build from NIWA and all the approvals gotten from relevant authorities including the state government, but I am surprised what they are saying now.
“The land was not encumbered when I bought it. I made proper search in the Ministry of Lands before buying the land. The family did not tell me that government acquired it, even when I made personal inquiry from the traditional ruler of the community.”
When contacted, the Chairman of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Orji, who supervised the demolition, insisted that he was acting on the orders of the state governor, following incessant building collapse in the area.
Orji said, “A notice was issued as regards the demolition and it was followed by series of follow up notices but they disobeyed.
“Then last week, Mr Governor came to the area and told them that the place was not for shops or markets and ordered me to demolish the area, but I gave them another one week notice which ended on Monday.
“The area would be barricaded and cleared for the establishment of a Sea Side Resort, which would have green park areas with umbrella trees for relaxation and amusement.
“Everywhere cannot be shops in Onitsha and we have declared war on illegal structures and we shall ensure that the right thing is done about building collapse in Onitsha South local Government Area.”
NIWA Area Manager, Suleiman Nicholas, while responding to South-East PUNCH inquiries, said he was not aware of the development, adding that the state government cannot take action on NIWA Right of Way, without informing the agency.
Nicholas told South-East PUNCH, “If there is any illegal structure on NIWA Right of Way, the state government should have written us if they had seen any ‘illegal structures,’ and we would have take action against anybody involved. But we did not receive any complaint from the state government about such and therefore, there is no reason for such demolition to take place.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the state government through the state Ministry of Environment and the commissioner, Felix Odimegwu, for further clarifications, proved abortive, as there was no response to several calls and messages sent to his telephone line.
But a source in the Ministry of Environment, who craved anonymity, said, “What we have discovered was that a few individuals have encroached beyond the NIWA 100 meters right of way, hence the demolition was carried out to sanitise the area.
“The people were served notice on several occasions that there would be a day like this when a government would decide that it is now time to actualise the promise to build a new city.”
Unilever Ghana has relocated its tea production to Nigeria due to current mess – Ato Forson
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has revealed that Unilever Ghana has decided to move its tea production operations to Nigeria, citing the ongoing economic challenges in Ghana.
He disclosed this on Monday, March 11, following President Akufo-Addo's 2024 State of the Nation address presented to Parliament in February.
The Ajumako Enyan Essiam MP noted that more companies may follow suit due to the country's current economic downturn.
Expressing his concerns about the management of the country under the Akufo-Addo government, Dr Ato Forson emphasised that the business community's relocation is alarming and should be a cause for worry among Ghanaians.
As a former Deputy Finance Minister, Dr Ato Forson's remarks underscore the growing apprehension about Ghana's economic stability and its impact on local businesses.
"Again, Mr Speaker, Unilever Ghana, which has for a very long time been producing its famous Lipton tea in Ghana, has stopped its tea production here. Unilever has relocated its tea production to Nigeria."
"We have lost jobs by exporting the Lipton tea production to Nigeria. This is bad news for Ghanaian employees."
"Again, Mr Speaker, Unilever Ghana has not been able to commence its Pepsodent production in Ghana after President Akufo-Addo commissioned the plant, five years ago. This is as a result of the worsening business environment."
ABUJA—Six Nigerian university lecturers, some refugees and asylum seekers, detained in Cameroon, after their alleged illegal deportation from Nigeria, have called on the National Assembly to intervene to secure their immediate and unconditional release.
They had written to the House of Representatives, appealing for the intervention of the House to assist in releasing them from Cameroon prison, where they have been detained since January 2018, after their alleged illegal deportation.
The petitioners in their petition to the House, described their deportation as illegal.
They stated that they were illegally abducted and deported from Nigeria on January 5, 2018, to Cameroon, on “frivolous allegations of plotting to destabilize the government of La Republique du Cameroon, LRC, President Mr. Paul Biya.”
The petitioners, in their petition submitted to the House Committee on Public Petitions through their lawyers, alleged that they were unfairly tried and incarcerated in Cameroon prison.
According to them, two separate judgments in Nigeria had been in their favour in connection with the matter.
They alleged that despite the judgments by Nigerian courts that their arrest and deportation were illegal, they were yet to be released and compensated financially in line with the courts judgments.
The petition was presented on their behalf by Prof. Carlson Anyangwe, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, Fru Awah, Abdul Oroh and Mbinkar Singeh
They prayed the House to “Cause the government of Nigeria to institute an urgent action to secure the implementation of Communication 59/2022 of October 14, 2022, of the UN-HRC-WGAD calling for the release of the petitioners. “
They also prayed the House to do “Cause the Government of Nigeria to take action and implement the rulings in the three judgments of the Federal High Court of Abuja in 2019, ordering the release and compensation of these petitioners.
“Cause Nigeria to leverage on the Abuja 2002, ruling in the case of Kelvin Ngumne et al Vs the FGN, demanding that Nigeria intervenes to resolve the conflict between Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun and respect for the particular clause of the Green Tree Agreement, which demands that both la Republique du Cameroun and Nigeria retain their boundaries at independence, to pursue the self-determination quest of the Southern Cameroons to its logical conclusion as mandated by the FHC 2002 judgment.
“Cause the Government of Nigeria to take action and urgently initiate proceedings before the ICJ and other international jurisdictions citing la République du Cameroun to be sanctioned for fraudulent misrepresentation during the Bakassi Peninsula case in the ICJ.”
“Cause the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to take its rightful place as “big brother” in African politics and cause the African Union or the United Nations to intervene in the matter between the Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun or to proceed as mediator and resolve the ongoing conflict and restore peace and stability in the Gulf of Guinea region.”
President Bola Tinubu will launch the Student Loan Scheme on Thursday, March 14, 2024.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Ajuri Ngelale, said this on Sunday during TVC’s Politics on Sunday monitored by our correspondent.
On the programme titled ‘Counting the Cost of Presidents Tinubu’s Reforms,’ Ngelale highlighted some of the President’s welfare initiatives being implemented at the moment, saying, “Later this week, on Thursday, the President will launch the historic National Student Loan Programme.”
“This is a major form of obligation reduction for Nigerians and families and young people at a time when Nigerians are feeling the pinch. We believe this is the way to go,” he added.
Tinubu had on June 12, 2023, signed the Access to Higher Education Act, 2023, into law to enable indigent students to access interest-free loans for their educational pursuits in any Nigerian tertiary institution.
The move was in “fulfillment of one of his campaign promises to liberalise funding of education,” a member of the then Presidential Strategy Team, Dele Alake, said.
The Act, popularly known as the Students Loan Law, also established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, which is expected to handle all loan requests, grants, disbursement, and recovery.
The government initially said it would take effect in September, but it did not. It later shifted the take-off to January but that also did not happen.
The President proposed N50bn for its take-off in the 2024 budget he presented to the National Assembly last November.
On February 7, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, Dr Akintunde Sawyerr, exclusively confirmed to our correspondent that the much-awaited scheme would go live on February 21, when President Tinubu launches it at the State House, Abuja.
However, the launch was delayed, with Sawyerr, alongside Presidency sources, explaining that the lag time was to enable the fund to expand its mandate to include students seeking loans for skills development, as directed by the President.
After receiving a briefing from the NELFUND team led by the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, on January 22, the President directed the fund to extend interest-free loans to Nigerian students interested in skill-development programmes.
Tinubu based his decision on the need for the scheme to accommodate those who may not want to pursue a university education, noting that skill acquisition is as essential as obtaining undergraduate and graduate academic qualifications.
“This is not an exclusive programme. It is catering to all of our young people. Young Nigerians are gifted in different areas,” he said.
Linking this directive to the delay, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga had told The PUNCH, “Don’t forget that the last time they met, the President asked them to go and expand their mandate to include those who want to learn vocational skills. That could be the reason why the whole thing was delayed; they had to increase the scope.”
On Saturday, Sawyerr also told our correspondent that the delay was due to unperfected backend systems to power the application process as the scheme is “entirely technologically driven.”
He said, “The delay in take-off was basically to enable the agency to put all necessary measures in place as the scheme is entirely technologically driven.”
Meanwhile, members of the Nigerian community in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom have called for the inclusion of students studying abroad in the student loan scheme.
Representing the community members in a meeting with the acting Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Cyprian Heen, on Saturday, Tunmise Ajiboye urged him to advocate the inclusion of students in foreign countries in the government’s loan scheme.
In a statement on Sunday by Ajiboye, he noted that enabling students abroad to participate in the loan scheme would contribute to improving access to higher education for Nigerians studying overseas.
He also urged the government to provide support for students regarding exchange rates and foreign exchange, ensuring that they have access to favourable rates and assistance in managing their financial needs.
He said, “As a representative of Nigerians living here in the United Kingdom, we are gathered here not just as individuals seeking education and economic breakthroughs but as a collective voice demanding support and recognition from our government back home.
“Therefore, today, we stand united in calling upon the Nigerian government to make the following requests:
“Diaspora voting: International passport renewal delivery by post in Nigeria and the diaspora.
“Support for the students in the exchange rate and FX; inclusion of Nigerians studying abroad in the proposed student loan programme of the Federal Government.
“Lastly, provide a platform for Nigerians living abroad who may want their children to get Nigeria’s state of origin.”
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says 60 percent of metered customers bypass meters.
Ali Ahmad, TCN’s general manager (GM) made this known at the National Institute of Physics’ webinar series 2.0 on Thursday.
The webinar series was titled “Policy, Regulatory and Technical Constraints in Achieving Energy Security in Nigeria: The Way Forward”.
Ahmad said out of an estimated population of 230 million, only 13,112,134 Nigerians are officially registered to use electricity.
According to him, only 44.23 percent of the 13.11 million customers have meters, highlighting the limited reach of metering in the country.
He also said with 230 million population, only 2.52 percent have been metered.
The GM said the meter bypass is contributing to the nation’s energy poverty, as the country is energy-poor and deficient in energy security.
According to Ahmad, energy security means having a reliable and affordable energy source, while energy poverty refers to the lack of access to good quality, affordable, and reliable energy.
“For a country to be truly independent politically and economically in the 21st century, is to have energy sovereignty and energy independence, and for the sovereignty and independence to be secured at all times and to be backed by the relevant geopolitics,” he said.
“In Nigeria, we have four types of energy poverty; the unserved, the underserved, the poor quality of supply and the served.
“Energy security in turn is the bedrock for the sustainable development and the attainment of it should leave no one, no citizen behind.”
Ahmad said Nigeria’s energy vulnerability is rooted in multiple factors, such as heavy reliance on gas, which limits diversification, and insufficient production capacity, leading to dependence on imports, and unreliable and high-cost gas supply, that further hinders energy security.
The Federal Government has paid $120m out of the $1.3bn indebtedness to gas companies for the supply of gas to run gas-fired power plants across the country.
Nigeria is currently suffering from low power supply because many gas suppliers have reduced, while others stopped supplying the commodity to power-generating companies due to the indebtedness of the Gencos to gas-producing firms.
The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, recently revealed that the crash in power generation and attendant poor supply since January was because gas suppliers stopped supplying gas for the generation of electricity due to the indebtedness of the sector to gas producers.
Nigeria gets more than 70 per cent of its electricity from thermal power plants that run on gas. The remaining amount of electricity comes from hydropower-generating plants.
Speaking at the ongoing 7th Nigeria International Energy Summit in Abuja on Thursday, the Director, Decade of Gas Secretariat, Ed Ubong, expressed excitement that the Federal Government had cleared $120m out of the $1.3bn gas debts.
The Decade of Gas Secretariat is under the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas). The Federal Government is subsidising electricity by paying for the gas used in generating power, as Nigerian power users are currently not paying the exact amount for electricity.
“As of last year, that (gas debts) was about $1.3bn, depending on how you add up the numbers. But I am pleased that between October and the end of January, the government has paid over $120m to offset some of that money,” Ubong stated.
On February 15, 2024, The PUNCH reported that the indebtedness of Nigeria’s power sector to electricity generating companies and gas producers had risen to about N3.3tn.
The report also stated that subsidy on electricity for 2024 would gulp about N3tn, whereas only N450bn was budgeted for this purpose in this year’s budget, adding that the government had stated that it was now very difficult to sustain power subsidy.
The power minister had said Nigeria must begin to move towards a cost-effective tariff model, as he revealed that the country was currently indebted to the tune of N1.3tn to electricity generating companies, while the debt to gas companies was $1.3bn.
Meanwhile, Ubong told delegates at the summit on Thursday that the government was developing a framework to address the lapses that often lead to such humongous gas debts in the power sector.
“More importantly, the government is also now working a framework that can mitigate most of that failure. That’s a piece of work that is ongoing and we hope that it will be approved and then the industry can move away from that legacy issue.
“We must build capacity for that. Capacity for the engineers, technicians that will work in this new gas sector that we are looking at for the next eight months. And as the secretary, we are committed to that,” he stated.
He said the Decade of Gas secretariat was sourcing competent personnel that would support the government in achieving the goals of Nigeria’s gas industry
“We are looking for interns, we are looking for young people who are willing to join us and then provide their time and energy supporting the wider and bigger goals of the sector.
“For the first time, we now have a ministerial committee. One that involves the Minister of State for Gas and the Ministry of Power, because power and gas, they go together.
“We are confident that when that becomes fully operational, that critical link between gas and power will lead to more sustainable solutions going forward,” Ubong stated.
NNPCL wants collaboration The revelation by Ubong came as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited called for deeper collaboration among upstream operators, especially independent producers, to find solutions to the challenges hindering the effective development of divested assets in the oil sector.
The company’s Executive Vice President, Upstream, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, made the call at a panel session in the ongoing summit in Abuja, while speaking on the theme, ‘Innovation, Collaboration, and Resilience: Empowering Independent Producers in the Dynamic Energy Era.’
Eyesan stated that past experiences with divestments and how the assets were operated had left much to be desired as most of them experienced a drop in production rather than growth.
“In the industry, if you want to measure success, there are some basic indicators that you utilise – production growth, reserves growth, and asset integrity. If I were to evaluate prior investment initiatives and scale the actors using these indices, I will be untrue to myself if I say everybody has done well.
“Yes, we acquired the assets, but today, we are worse off in terms of production than we were when we did the acquisition,” she stated.
Eyesan, however, acknowledged that there were some success stories in the operations of the independent producers.
She identified some of the challenges to include insecurity, lack of finance and lack of technological capacity, stressing that with collaboration among industry players, the challenges could be surmounted.
“Collaboration cannot be overemphasised. Somebody said we should be in a state of emergency, and I agree with that. It’s not by sitting here and talking about the challenges.
“I think we should have a war room where we raise the issues and set out concrete plans to resolve them rather than wait for stakeholders individually to take them on. We need collaboration, collaboration, and collaboration,” she stated.
The price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, in Nigeria, remains the cheapest in West Africa despite the exchange rate standing at N1,555 per dollar, indicating that subsidy on the product was reduced not removed as claimed by the federal government.
Data obtained from the Global Petrol Prices, a website that tracks retail prices of refined petroleum products, revealed that the cost of petrol in Nigeria stood at $0.39 per litre.
Using the exchange rate of N1,555/$, the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria calculations placed a litre of the commodity at N599.
The differential between Nigeria and Liberia, the second cheapest in the region with N1,570.5 ($1.01) is N971.5, showing that prices between the country and the rest of West Africa are now wider than it was nine months ago, which creates arbitrage incentivising the smuggling of petrol from Nigerian borders.
Analysts have said there is a lack of transparency among stakeholders in the sector, citing that this development could breed intense smuggling, stealing and pipeline vandalism.
“Subsidy is back. The faster all Marketers have access to dollars and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited isn’t the sole importer the better,” Jide Pratt, country manager of Trade Grid, said.
According to him, the books of the state-owned oil company need to be audited as it is “clearly warehousing this differential in my opinion and needs to be opened up for probity.
He said: “At NNPC retail, petrol sells for N568 per litre in Lagos versus N599 – N610 per litre at other Marketers, that’s a price advantage of N30 – N40 naira per litre. Hard to justify and a lot needs to be done.
“Until the government is no longer the owner of 100 percent shares nothing will change.”
The NNPC transformed from a corporation to a company in July 2022 through the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021. It was expected to be independent of government interference and operate without state funding, with the new goal of delivering value to its shareholders.
However, a look into the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 showed that the shareholders of the NNPCL include the Federal Government, represented by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated and the Ministry of Petroleum Incorporated.
According to the PIA, the shares are held in equal portions by the two ministries.
“Nobody can import petrol in Nigeria now as things stand apart from NNPCL. If they operate as a business they will not import fuel and sell at the current price. That’s setting fire to money,” Eze Odiri, a public sector consultant, said.
According to him, “They will buy and sell on Government instructions. They will then use that authority to deduct at source revenues accruing to the Federation. Back to square one.”
He said that the two policy changes of Government, fiscal with the abolition of fuel subsidies and monetary by the convergence of Naira exchange rates have considerable effects on the economy even if effected separately.
“With the application of these policy changes at the same time a situation has arisen where the managers of the economy do not know which policy caused which undesirable outcome.
“So the subsidy is back, that is quite clear and what we aimed to achieve by way of removing the incentive of smuggling petrol across borders has been defeated.
“Unfortunately this will open the door once again for the NNPCL to withhold federation revenues in the name of under-recovery/subsidy/provision of strategic reserves, etc.,” he added.
Kelvin Emmanuel, CEO of Dairy Hills Limited, also affirmed that the government is still subsidising the product and according to him, smuggling continues.
In November 2023, Ogbonnaya Orji, Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), a government agency, emphasised the grave consequences of oil theft, stressing its detrimental impact on oil exploration, exploitation, economic growth, business prospects, and oil company profits.
Orji provided staggering data from NEITI’s reports, revealing that between 2017 and 2021, Nigeria recorded 7,143 cases of pipeline breakages and deliberate vandalism, resulting in the theft of 208.639 million barrels of crude oil, valued at $12.74 million or N4.325 trillion.
The Cement Producers’ Association of Nigeria, CEPAN, has expressed readiness to support the President Bola Tinubu administration in reducing the price of cement in 30 days.
The Chairman of CEPAN, Prince David Iweta, told The Tribune on Monday that the current hike in price of the product is due to production being overwhelmed by demand.
He said the association had alerted the Federal Government about the ramifications and probable outcomes of assigning the responsibility of producing and providing for the cement requirements of more than 200 million individuals to a select group with privileges.
“What we are seeing today is a case of demand clearly outweighing supply and we in the association knew it would come to this because there is no way the few players in the industry can meet the cement needs of Nigerians.
“If you remember, the association had earlier warned, even when the commodity was still as low as N3,000 that in the nearest future, it would sell for as high as N9,000 if certain steps were not taken.
“Why we were saying that then was to ginger the government to take action and avert this mess that we are all in today,” he said.
The World Bank has estimated that improved access to internet coverage over three years led to a seven per cent reduction in extreme poverty in Nigeria and Tanzania.
This was disclosed in a new brief titled, “Digital transformation drives development in Africa,” noting that the exposure has also led to an increase of 8 per cent in labour force participation and wage employment.
The World Bank said, “In 2023, a World Bank flagship report found that in Nigeria and Tanzania, extreme poverty declined by about seven per cent after three or more years of exposure to internet coverage, while labour force participation and wage employment increased by up to eight per cent.”
In the brief, World Bank Chief Economist for Africa, Andrew Dabalen, was quoted as saying, “The minimal usage of mobile internet is a lost opportunity for inclusive growth in Africa. Closing the uptake gap would increase the continent’s potential to create jobs for its growing population and boost economic recovery in a highly digitalised world.”
The brief further highlights that over the past five years (2016-2021), sub-Saharan Africa experienced an extraordinary 115 per cent increase in internet users, a change that has been instrumental in spurring economic growth, fostering innovation, and creating job opportunities.
The brief adds, “The region’s digital infrastructure coverage, access, and quality still lag other regions. At the end of 2021, while 84 per cent of people in SSA lived in areas where 3G service was available, and 63 per cent had access to 4G mobile coverage, only 22 per cent were using mobile internet services.
“The gap between coverage and usage is similarly large for broadband, with 61 per cent of people in sub-Saharan Africa living within the broadband range but not using it.”
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, recently noted that the cost of data in Nigeria was still one of the cheapest in the world, but lamented that many operators are not willing to lay fibre in many parts of the countries outside the major cities because it would be unprofitable.
Nigeria’s stock market is now world’s best after Wednesday’s positive close helped the market to beat Argentina, a country it was trailing last week.
Bulls push NGX-ASI above 90,000 mark
Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) All Share Index (ASI) rose by 2.38 percent on Wednesday, surpassing 90,000 mark as bulls dominate trade.
The market has risen this year by 20.45percent, amid week-to-date (WtD) rally of 8.45percent.
Wednesday’s positive close came as more investors bought shares of Guinness Nigeria which reached maximum daily increase of 10percent and others like Wema Bank (+10percent), Honeywell Flourmills (+10percent), AIICO (+10percent), and Sunu Assurances (+10percent).
These stocks and others that recorded remarkable increase helped the benchmark performance indicator to reach a new high.
“The bulls have continued to dominate market activity this year,” said Lagos-based Vetiva Research analysts. They had expected to see some price corrections on Wednesday hoping that investors will take profit after four straight sessions of positive performance.
The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) All-Share Index (ASI) and Market Capitalisation increased further from preceding trading day’s lows of 87,970.37 points and N48.139 trillion respectively to 90,063.27 points and N49.280trillion.
Other stocks that pushed the market higher include BUA Foods (+5.49percent), BUA Cement (+9.99percent), Cadbury (+9.81), Chams (+9.71percent), Consolidated Hallmark (+8.47percent), Dangote Cement (+9.86percent), Eterna (+9.83percent), Geregu (+9.49 percent), Flour Mills (+5.10 percent), International Breweries (+9.95percent), and Japaul Gold (+8.94percent).
Also, May & Baker increased by 9.98percent, NEM Insurance (+8.70percent), Northern Nigeria Flour Mills (+9.94percent), PZ (+9.86percent), Transcorp (+9.97percent), Tripple G (+9.74percent), and UPDC (+8.50percent).
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has visited ailing Nollywood actor, Mr. Zack Orji, at the National Hospital in Abuja.
Mrs. Tinubu was accompanied by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima; the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye; the wife of the Minister for Works, Mrs. Rachael Umahi; and the wife of the Minister of State for Defence, Mrs. Bello Matawalle, among others.
The First Lady was at the hospital to celebrate the first baby of the year.
Though the details of her visit to the veteran actor were sketchy last night, it was gathered that she was with the actor for about 13 minutes.
It was learnt that the actor’s health has improved since getting to the hospital, following the intervention of Kennedy-Ohanenye at ensuring that he got the best medical attention the national hospital could offer.
“He has started talking. He is in stable condition. His wife is by his side. We really thank God for him,” the National Hospital Public Relations Officer (PRO) Tayo Hastrup told The Nation on phone yesterday.
Orji was conveyed to the National Hospital at the weekend after he reportedly slumped in his toilet.
No fever than 1,000 landlords and residents of Iyiowa Odekpe in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, under the aegis of Iyiowa Community Landlords/Residents Association on Wednesday, protested alleged killings, destruction of their properties, imposition of multiple levies and extortion.
The protesters made up of men and women including the elderly, marched to the Government House in Awka, the state capital, carrying various placards with different inscriptions to convey their grievances just as they pleaded with the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to come to their rescue.
Some of the inscriptions include, “Iyiowa community is a hostile community”, “Odekpe leadership is sponsoring terrorism”, “Odekpe is home of touting”, “Stop illegal collection of levies”, and “We are under siege of multiple taxations”, among others.
Stressing the need for the immediate intervention of the state government, the leader of the protesters, Dr Okolie Chukwunonso, who was flanked by the chairman of the embattled community, Chief Sunday Obinze, disclosed that hoodlums sponsored by the host community invaded their community on November 7, killed two persons, and destroyed goods and property worth over N30million.
Chukwunonso said, “On November 7, 2023 over N30 million worth of goods and property, including over 30 cars and scores of buildings were destroyed when some yet-to-be-identified hoodlums invaded our community around 7.30 am.
“The hoodlums also shot two persons dead on that day. This is unacceptable to us anymore.
“Again, landlords and residents were always imposed with N10,000 monthly levies by various groups of Odekpe indigenes, who always come to extort us daily.
“We are using this medium to resist this obnoxious imposition because we are not in a banana republic, we are refusing those impositions but not by physically fighting but by reporting them to the state government and that is why we are here to report them.
“On that November 7, the Odekpe youths, led by their President General stormed our community and started burning cars, houses, shops and other possessions of non indigenes resident in the area.”
The state Chief of Staff , Ernest Ezeajughi, who received the protesters on behalf of the state governor, condemned the alleged mayhem in the community and vowed to bring the perpetrators to book, reiterating that Soludo’s administration is not in support of hooliganism.
“It is unfortunate that the destructions were done by our own people, we have to invite the President-General of Iyiowa Odekpe to the Government House within the week, to come and explain because we can’t tolerate this mayhem.
“Just give us time, probably two weeks, we will look into the matter, we will invite the PG within the week, we say no to such mayhem, we want every community to be peaceful,” he stated.
When contacted, the state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the command was aware of the development in the area and is working to bring sanity to the area.
“We are aware of the development in that community and security operatives are on top of the situation. It is a case of disagreement between some parties,” Ikenga added.
In a telephone interview, the accused President General of the community, Innocent Nwanosike, denied the allegations, saying, “It is a case of election dispute.”
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has urged all the governors in the South-East states to grant amnesty to so called unknown gunmen who have been blamed for the killings and destruction of property in the region.
The group said this while commending the chairman of South-East Governors Forum and governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma for leading the way by offering amnesty to all the unknown gunmen hiding in the bush.
Uzodimma announced the amnesty programme as a way of curtailing insecurity in the state.
Reacting to the Imo initiative, Ohanaeze Ndigbo in a statement issued by the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, on Thursday in Enugu commended the move.
Ogbonnia said the decision to commend Uzodimma was reached at a meeting of selected leaders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Northern Zone, held on Tuesday at the residence of the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.
Ogbonnia noted that Uzodimma also promised to offer full employment to all youths who denounce nefarious activities in Imo State.
“It is hoped that since Uzodimma, the Chairman of the South East Governors Forum, had done this, all the other South-East Governors will key into the Amnesty programme,” he said.
He stated that Igbo leaders have urged the young men in the region to take advantage of the amnesty programme for peace to reign in Igboland.
Ogbonnia added that the meeting expressed very deep concern over the insecurity in the South East and felt sad over the continued incarceration of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“The President General was, therefore, mandated to immediately seek appointment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with a view to negotiating the release of Kanu, amongst other security issues in the South East,” Ogbonnia said.
He further said that Igbo leaders had pledged to build an International Market in Igboland, adding that with the completion of the project, all the Igbo traders would be expected to own a market store in Igboland.
“As a corollary to this, Igbo Leader will hold a summit of Igbo Traders Associations in Nigeria and some parts of Africa,” he said.
Ogbonnia explained that Iwuanyanwu had also announced the establishment of a Special Committee, known as the “Committee for Reconciliation and Peace Building in Nigeria” with Dr Dominic Okechukwu as the Chairman while Dr. Joseph Ibekwe will be the Secretary.
He said the other members of the Committee would be announced later, adding that the president general had inaugurated the Elders Council for Abuja and the Northern States of Nigeria.
“The Council is Chaired by Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife with Chief S.N. Okeke as the Deputy while Prof. Charles Nwekeaku was named Secretary.
The publicity secretary said members of the meeting lauded the robust initiatives so far taken by Iwuanyanwu, since his assumption of Office as the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
This, he said, was more pronounced in the areas of peace building, transportation, railway, seaport, international airport and other areas of strategic interests to Igbos.
According to him, members expressed immense delight that with the Iwuanyanwu vision, intellect and invaluable diverse contacts, a lot of lost grounds will be recovered.
He listed other dignitaries that attended the meeting to include: Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, Sen. Chris Ngige, Sen. Joy Emordi, Ambassador Eddy Onuoha, Ken Emechebe, and Chief Sam Obaji, among others. (NAN)
The Federal Government through the Association of Power Generation Companies has grown the power capacity of the national grid from 13, 000megawatts recorded a few years ago to about 14,000 MW.
APGC’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Joy Ogaji, while speaking with The PUNCH on the sideline of the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria’s 2023 annual international strategic conference last week Thursday, said electricity generation capacity to the national grid has increased to almost 14,000MW.
Dr Ogaji explained that the increase was brought about due to the addition of a $1.3bn Niger state-based 700MW Zungeru hydroelectric plant which came on stream in the second quarter of the year.
“The national grid now has an installed power generation capacity of about 14,000 megawatts, and this was made possible due to the Zungeru plant that came on stream this year,” she said, adding that it was an opportunity for interested investors to partner with the Gencos.
The Federal Government had in February, announced Mainstream Energy Solution Limited as the preferred bidder for the concession of the plant. The company had offered a fee of $700m per year for a period of 30 years to operate the plant.
Despite the 14,000MW claim by Ojagi, checks by The PUNCH on the records of the Nigerian Electricity System Operator showed that the latest on-grid peak power generation as of Saturday, was 4,803.60 MW.
Experts have said Nigeria needs at least 30,000MW to reach sufficiency.
The Indigenous People of Biafra has said that it is now ready to negotiate with the Federal Government on peaceful exit of Biafra from Nigeria through a United Nations supervised referendum.
The pro-Biafran group said the peaceful agitation for Biafra Independence started in 2012 without any violence or criminality, but the Federal Government has continued to attack its members.
It stated this in a press statement issued by group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Saturday.
Powerful said IPOB has lost over 5,000 members and properties worth over $1bn as a result of the extreme use of force from the Nigeria security forces.
The statement read, “We the global family and movement of IPOB wish to reiterate once again that IPOB remains peaceful and open for negotiations and dialogue on peaceful exit of Biafra from Nigeria through a UN supervised Referendum.
“IPOB’s peaceful agitation for Biafra Independence started in 2012. Never has IPOB been associated with violence or criminality in all our years of rallies and protests. Nevertheless, Federal Government, through its security forces, has levied war against IPOB. Our members have been brutally attacked while on peaceful protest by the Nigeria security forces at many locations in Biafra Land.
“Many IPOB members and sympathisers have had their houses and business burnt by the Nigeria security forces. IPOB has lost over 5,000 members with properties worth over $1bn as a result of the extreme use of force from the Nigeria Security Forces. Irrespective of all the provocations, IPOB has never retaliated nor have we taken up arms against the Nigerian State.
“IPOB stands for peace. We stand for dialogue, and we stand for discussions. The cardinal rule under which IPOB was formed is to lead the way to a peaceful separation of Biafra from Nigeria. Biafra and Nigeria are two different nations.
“The events from 1948 to 2023 have shown that it is practically impossible for Biafra and Nigeria to coexist as one nation. IPOB has been calling on the Nigeria State for discussions on a peaceful referendum date, but the Nigeria State always returns the peaceful call with violent suppression.
“We have always maintained that self-determination is our inalienable right according to the UN laws.”
The group insisted that it remains committed to pursuing its self-determination peacefully according to international laws and regulations.
The New Nigeria People’s Party has declared its intention to remain neutral in the ongoing dispute between the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and President Bola Tinubu regarding the latter’s academic records from Chicago State University.
The NNPP said it would be more concerned with issues associated with the party and to allow the court to carry out its constitutional duty of deciding the case.
Atiku had in a press conference on Thursday called on the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and that of the NNPP, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, and other presidential candidates to join him in his legal battle against President Tinubu, particularly over the certificate forgery allegation.
Atiku had sought leave from a United States Court to order the Chicago State University to release to him certificates of the President to back his allegation of forgery against the President.
Last Monday, the US Court released the President’s document which sparked reactions both within and outside the polity.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Nwaeze Onu, noted, “If you remember we are not in court, and if you jump into what you are not, you become an interloper. We do not want to get engaged in what we are not part of. We love the country more than we love ourselves.
“We need fairness, we need equity and we allow the court to do its constitutional responsibility. We address the issues that are within the level of our party.”
While commending the judiciary for their role in promoting the rule of law, the party appreciated the condition under which they are working, praying that they should continue to work towards upholding the principle of fairness and justice.
Onu continued, “This party came into existence about 21 years ago. But little was known about the party until a little over a year ago when some notable politicians joined it. And today, the party has been taken to all the nook and corners of this great country to the extent that it came fourth in the last elections.
“We are using this medium to appreciate Nigerians in general for accepting the NNPP and seeing the party as the only hope for a better Nigeria.
“However, along the line, we discovered that some leaders of the party did not know that things had changed. They wanted to continue using every election to negotiate with governments in power at both the national and state levels, instead of contesting elections. Even when notable politicians joined, they frustrated them by aligning with the government in power,” he said.
“That was our experience in the last elections, and this prompted the party’s leadership to sanction about nine states where the executives were dissolved and some chairmen suspended or expelled.
The deputy chairman, however, further revealed that erring chairmen of the party who became disgruntled and embarked on “a war” against the party, even to the extent of conniving with enemies of the party were disciplined.”
He advised outsiders fighting the party to steer clear and stop meddling in the internal affairs of the party.
While reassuring of the party’s commitment to enthrone democracy and all its dividends, it appreciated the Independent National Electoral Commission for its passion to the growth of democracy in the country and also for its support to the party.
“We are also assuring Nigerians that we will continue to hold them dear to our hearts,” he concluded.
Foreign Affairs / Senegal Adopts Arabic As An Official Language Instead Of French by EcoBrick: 10:20am On May 01