The National Association of Nigerian Students NANS, has vowed to picket any tertiary institution in the country which erred against the directives of the federal not to hike fees and other sundry charges .
This is just as the body has condemned the actions of the Efcc to deny former Governor Yahaya Bello of his fundamental Human Rights to fair hearing and forthwith stop the media trial
The Senate President, National Association of Nigeria Students, (NANS) Comrade Akintola Babatunde Afeez, made the call while speaking to journalists after the resolution of the inaugural Senate sitting in Lokoja on Thursday .
He urged the EFCC to respect the rule of law and stop engaging in political persecution and media trials on the former Governor of Kogi State.
“EFCC should as a matter of urgency stop the media harassment of the immediate past Governor of Kogi State Alhaji Yahaya Bello. Even though we are aware of the rights of EFCC to perform its duty according to the law, they are also guided by the same law.
” EFCC should do everything within the ambit of the law so that it won’t look as if they have personal issues with the former Governor of Kogi State. We don’t want a bad precedent to be laid in this Country”he stated.
The Students, at the inaugural Senate meeting, also passed a voted of confidence on the current Governor of Kogi State Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo.
Continuing, Comrade Afeez said ” We are passing a vote of confidence on Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for his support to students, and his achievement in educational development in Kogi State.
“We are also thanking him for giving us the opportunity to come to the State for this sitting. The Kogi State Governor provided an enabling environment for all the Students who came from the 36 states of the Country for this maiden sitting”.
He used the opportunity to appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to as a matter of urgency declare State of emergency on the security issues across campuses in the Country.
He wants President Tinubu to put an end to the lingering fuel scarcity in the Country and also improve the electricity supply across the 36 States of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) Abuja.
Comrade Afeez promised to engage all stakeholders on issues affecting Nigerian Students adding that, “There are three stages of struggles. Consultation, consolidation before confrontation. We have consulted, now we are in the stage of consolidation. So if government refuses to do things we want and make life easier for the Students of this Country, we will confront them fully in all the 36 States of the Country.
“We also resolved that, the suspension of the Student Union Government by University of Benin management should be lifted. All institutions in the Country who are not running a democratic government of the Student Union should as a matter of urgency go and conduct election for the student for SUG Excos in the Country.
He warned some institutions that have penchant for fee hikes to stop and return to status quo ante , since , the federal government has not given go ahead to increase fees of any guise,and threatens to picket erring institutions.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called on the Nigerian government to scale up its cash transfers to help poor Nigerians manage the current cost of living crisis. cost of living crisis
Axel Schimmelpfennig, IMF’s Assistant Director, African Department and Mission Chief to Nigeria, made this call at the briefing on Nigeria’s Article IV Consultation on Thursday.
He said: “On fiscal policy, we very much recognised the pain that many Nigerians are facing at the moment. Hence, our emphasis on scaling up the cash transfer programme. It can potentially reach up to 50 million recipients, and that is potentially benefit some 65 million Nigerians in need.”
Nigerians under lots of pain
The IMF also acknowledged the pain Nigerians are going through due to rising inflation and ongoing reforms.
Schimmelpfennig said: “There is a lot of pain for Nigerians right now, and our policy advice aims to provide support to those in need while reinvigorating growth and job creation.”
He noted: “We encourage that the cash transfer system and other support systems are implemented. We emphasise that it is very important to scale those up to help Nigerians manage the ongoing cost of living crisis.”
Schimmelpfennig further said that the Fund supports the Central Bank’s commitment to bringing down inflation, which hurts the poor disproportionally.
Low revenue hampers fiscal policy
In its latest staff report for Nigeria, the IMF noted fiscal policy in Nigeria is limited due to low government revenue, which is about 9.4% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The report read: “Fiscal policy needs to support vulnerable households, create space to boost social and development spending, and maintain debt sustainability. Fiscal policy is held back by one of the lowest revenue takes in the world of 9.4 percent of GDP in 2023.
“As the government finalizes and presents its reform agenda, sequencing will be key to ensure safety nets are in place or strengthened before proceeding with other measures that could adversely impact poor and vulnerable households.”
The report further stressed the need for the Federal Government to reprioritise expenditures to ensure social protection.
It read: “Expenditure reprioritization is needed to create space for social protection and other priority spending. The authorities have recently approved an enhanced social transfer mechanism developed with World Bank support, and some initial payments have been made.
“In response to governance concerns, the authorities automated and digitalized the system to build a robust mechanism that delivers swift and targeted support to vulnerable households—some 15 million households or 60 million Nigerians potentially benefit from the scheme. Once the safety net has been scaled up and inflation subsides, the government should tackle implicit fuel and electricity subsidies.”
What you should know ▪︎The World Bank recently said that cash transfers can help save Nigerians from intergenerational poverty traps as inflation and low economic growth adversely affect the poor.
▪︎However, new research by the World Bank revealed that the conditional cash transfer program of the Federal Government since 2016 has little effect on household consumption, financial inclusion or employment of beneficiaries, especially women.
▪︎The Federal Government had to suspend the cash transfer programme for further investigation and revamping following alleged misappropriations within the programme.
▪︎Betta Edu was earlier suspended as a humanitarian affairs minister due to the misappropriation of N585 million earmarked for palliative distribution.
▪︎Also, Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, is being investigated by the EFCC. The ex-minister is being probed over an alleged laundering of N37.1 billion during her tenure as a minister.
▪︎The Federal Government recently said that it has revamped its cash transfer program to combat fraud, with immediate implementation of direct payments.
Two members of the United States Congress are urging the Department of Justice to reopen an investigation into oil giants Shell and Eni over allegations of corruption surrounding a 2011 deal for lucrative Nigerian oil bloc Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245.
Their call comes after Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu controversially restored the oil block’s ownership to the European firms.
In a letter dated May 8, 2024 to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Representatives Maxine Waters and Joyce Beatty alleged that Shell and Eni violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by paying over $1.1 billion in bribes to Nigerian officials, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, to secure the OPL 245 oil rights.
“Available evidence implicates both companies in a scheme that resulted in the payment of $1.1 billion in bribes to Nigerian government officials,” stated the lawmakers from the financial services and national security committees.
They emphasised that U.S. law prohibits American firms from bribing foreign officials to benefit their business interests.
Shell and Eni, being registered with the SEC, “continue to profit from the deal in violation of the FCPA,” they added.
“Eni’s legal challenge, filed at the International Centre for Settlement of Investor Disputes (ICSID) and based upon the corruptly acquired prospecting license and related Resolution Agreement, as well as the use of the original contract in arbitration proceedings, constitutes further violation of the FCPA.
“The ICSID proceedings are currently suspended until May 23, 2024, with the agreement of the parties, suggesting that a settlement is being negotiated. Allegations have been made in the Nigerian press of further corruption relating to a settlement,” the lawmakers said.
“Shell and Eni, both registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), continue to profit from the deal in violation of the FCPA.
“The reopening of this case would further illustrate the U.S.’ commitment to ‘aggressively pursue foreign bribery cases,’ as stated in the U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption and reaffirm its pledge to fully implement the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.
“We urge you to leverage this potent anti-corruption law to address the issues in this case and to send a powerful message that the United States stands vigilant in its pursuit of corporate crime around the globe,” they added.
OPL 245 is perhaps the most talked-about asset in Nigeria’s oil industry. It covers 1958 square kilometers and holds over nine billion barrels of crude oil, equivalent to nearly one-quarter of Nigeria’s total proven reserves.
The deal popularly called the Malabu scandal involved the alleged transfer of about $1.1 billion by Shell and ENI through the Nigerian government to accounts controlled by a former Nigerian petroleum minister, Dan Etete.
From accounts controlled by Etete, it was alleged that about half the money ($520 million) went to accounts of companies controlled by Aliyu Abubakar, popularly known in Nigeria as the owner of AA oil.
Anti-corruption investigators and activists suspect he fronted for top officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration as well as officials of Shell and ENI.
The transaction was authorised in 2011 by Jonathan through some of his cabinet ministers and the money was payment for OPL 245, one of Nigeria’s richest oil blocks.
The oil resources of the OPL 245 license have remained undeveloped since the controversies began.
Last night on Arise TV's Prime Time show, Omoyele Sowore told Charles Aniagolu, the host, that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway will be stopped at Dangote refineries, and is being built and funded by the federal government to transport rich White expatriates from Dangote Refinery to their homes in Eko Atlantic. He went further to say that Hitech, the contractors, have been promising to build Lagos-Epe highway for twenty years, and till this day are yet to complete the job.
A few minutes ago on Arise TV's Prime Time show, Omoyele Sowore told Charles Aniagolu, the host, that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway will be stopped at Dangote refineries, and is being built and funded by the federal government to transport rich White expatriates from their respective workplaces to their homes in Eko Atlantic. He went further to say that Hitech, the contractors, have been promising to build Epe highway for twenty years, and till this day are yet to complete the job. Sowore also claimed that the government is Anti-Igbo and hellbent on keeping the Igbos in bondage forever.
Every debate must end with a conclusion, a direction for the listeners to follow
"A formal discussion on a particular matter in a public meeting or legislative assembly, in which opposing arguments are put forward and which usually ends with a vote." -Oxford definition.
So therefore to end this discussion or debate, Nigerians should compile the list of those who are in support of the project and those who are against the project. The names should be stored and then released at the completion or abandonment of the project. All Nairalanders who have debated this issue should also submit their names and IP addresses. This way, in 2027 and 2031, Nigerians will know who to listen to and who to eternally ignore. Measures should also be taken to ensure that the debaters don't use new IP addresses or accounts in the future.
Anything other than this is just boring and useless.
9jatriot: This is one more proof that even if some people think that the coastal road is not a priority, that other projects in the country have not stopped.
If your only source of info is from the lamba king and his obidient crew, you will be cajoled to believe that all other projects in the country have been stopped because of the coastal road.
Earlier today the CEO of MAERSK FASHEK, Dr. Crapper Flyingdutchman met with Onyemouth and Onashuga to finalise talks on a investment of $400million dollars into the Mushin Agbero Park project. The project will see the blowing of sunshine up the president’s bum bum. After the meeting, all three men told the media that they had concluded the talks and the first batch of payment would be sent to the king of touts, MC Oluomo.
heniford2: shut up man! why would he sell his flit because he complained dude stop this mehn does what he complain not what his seeing his saying this so that something maybe addressed.
I can't wait for his business to fold. I relish the day he's forced to hightail out of the country with his tail behind his legs.
Half-baked morons like you should stick to monkeytail discourse when real businessmen enter the conversation. Why Seun won't rid this site of tribal pests like you beats me.
Onyema, a businessman? Don't make me laugh. That is the biggest joke I have ever heard. Or do you want him to give you Isi-agu to wear?
seborrhic: This guy complains a lot. I am just having this feeling he is just using victim mentality to curry favours from the government. I maybe wrong though and he may actually be being victimised as he claims.
You are very right. He is a loud mouth with lazy hands. No creativity, no intelligence. Nothing but a big mouth.
SSpeter: A man sitting on a company that was once valued at $2tn, is not a business man? Which bush are typing from?In developed countries, the president is supposed to be the one fighting for Airpeace. Trump bullied China until US tech companies caught up with 5G tech. BIDEN is slamming 25% tarrif on every Chinese EV that lands on US soil. Clearly you are handicapped when it is comes to intl trade
Politics / Re: FDC: Nigeria's Inflation Set To Increase To 34.25% by ganisucks(f): 10:58pm On May 10