₦airaland Forum

nairalanda1:
That is why I said in that quote you quoted that it may....not that it would.

Personally, I don't expect it to reduce prices to below N200. Or even 400. Maybe N450 and above. Maybe even higher.

nairalanda1:
Yeah, but eventually, we would get increased domestic refining coming up, as all them license holders for refineries don't have a choice, but to start work.

It may lead to a reduction in prices, but the era of prices below 200 naira is over. Petrol costs money to refine. Government has been protecting us from high fuel prcies for 5 decades, and it has cost us too too much.

Hanndye:
The question is if fuel subsidy is not beneficial, why are people now suffering because of it's removal? A man made a decision, in his speech, off hand in order to look smart and some people were appluding him. Nigerians!

The World Bank has stated that Nigeria has one of the highest inflation rates, which pushed an estimated four million people into poverty between January and May 2023.

This was disclosed during the launch of the June 2023 edition of the Nigeria Development Update on Tuesday in Abuja.

The Washington-based lender also said about 7.1 million poor Nigerians would become poor if the Federal Government failed to compensate or provide palliatives for them, following the removal of fuel subsidy.

According to World Bank data, 89.8 million Nigerian were poor as of the beginning of this year. The lender noted that additional four million Nigerians became poor between January and May this year, raising the figure to 93.8million.


Latest projection means the number of poor Nigerians will rise to 100.9 million if the government fails to compensate vulnerable citizens for fuel subsidy removal.

The World Bank Nigeria Development Update report noted that Nigeria’s inflation has risen to a 17-year high, and has been driven by a number of factors, such as CBN funding of budget deficit, previous multiple exchange rates, devaluation, and trade restrictions.

The report read, in part, “Consumer price inflation has surged and is currently one of the highest globally, which is related to Nigeria’s fiscal imbalance and points to the urgency of reform efforts. Inflation in Nigeria has been high for many years due to structural factors, but it escalated in 2022, to the point where consumer prices increased at their fastest pace for 17 years.

“The consumer price index further accelerated in 2023 through May, up to 22.4 percent y-o-y. High inflation has been driven by the monetization of the fiscal deficit by the CBN, multiple exchange rates and exchange rate depreciation in the parallel market, and intensified trade restrictions, exacerbated by the spike in global food and energy prices.

“The CBN implemented measures to control rising inflation, including raising the monetary policy rate by 700 basis points, but these proved ineffective and monetary policy remained loose overall in the first half of the year. The loss of purchasing power from high inflation has increased poverty in the short-term, pushing an estimated 4 million Nigerians into poverty between January and May 2023.”

The National Bureau of Statistics recently disclosed that inflation in the country rose to 22.41 per cent in May, which is the highest in about 19 years.

Also, the NBS, in its National Multidimensional Poverty Index report, disclosed that 133 million Nigerians are multi-dimensionally poor.

The NBS said 63 per cent of Nigerians were poor due to a lack of access to health, education, living standards, employment, and security.

The Multidimensional Poverty Index offered a multivariate form of poverty assessment, identifying deprivations across health, education, living standards, work, and shocks.

In its new report, the Washington-based bank noted that the loss of purchasing power increased the poverty headcount rate by an estimated 2 percentage points or 4 million people.

This may mean that the total number of poor people in the country has risen to 137 million this year.

The World Bank added that the number of poor people in rural areas increased by an estimated 4 percent, while in urban settings, there was an estimated increase of 11 per cent.

The Brenton Woods institution further noted that with the removal of fuel subsidy, about 7.1 million people are at risk of becoming poor if no form of compensation is provided by the government.

The report read, “In the immediate term, the removal of the petrol subsidy has caused an increase in prices, adversely affect ting poor and economically insecure Nigerian households. Petrol prices appear to have almost tripled following the subsidy removal.

“The poor and economically insecure households, who directly purchase and use petrol as well as those that indirectly consume petrol, are adversely affected by the price increase. Among the poor and economically insecure, 38 percent own a motorcycle and 23 percent own a generator that depends on petrol. Many more use petrol dependent transportation.

“The poor and economically insecure households will face an equivalent income loss of N5,700 per month, and without compensation, an additional 7.1 million people will be pushed into poverty.

The World Bank warned that many newly poor and economically insecure households will likely resort to consequential coping mechanisms, such as “not sending children to school, or not going to the health facilities to seek preventative healthcare or cutting back on nutritious dietary choices.”

The bank stressed the need for adequate compensation, noting that compensating transfers will be essential in helping to shield Nigerian households from the initial price impacts of the subsidy reform.

The lending institution further applauded the removal of the subsidy and FX management reforms, which are crucial measures to begin to rebuild fiscal space and restore macroeconomic stability.

It stressed that the opportunity should be seized to take further necessary policy reform steps.

The report added, “Following a bold start with the recent PMS subsidy reforms and FX reforms, the urgency remains for Nigeria to seize the opportunity to chart a new course with ambitious and comprehensive reforms to raise long-term growth prospects.”

In his remarks, the governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, said the reforms of the new administration are a step in the right direction.

However, he said there is a need to ensure that social safety nets are put in place because other than the local disruptions, there are also global headwinds that affect Nigeria as well.

“Social protection programs must be taken with a systemic approach towards long-term objectives,” he said.

Abia State Governor Alex Otti stressed the need for deregulation in the oil sector in order to maintain the reforms in this sector.

“What is important is not that the subsidy is removed, but the ability to sustain that removal, and the only way to do is moving from regulation to deregulation,” he said.

He further stressed the need for a sustainable cash transfer programme and other programmes that are well-targeted to the poor affected by the reforms in the country.

The Resident Representative for Nigeria of the International Monetary Fund, Ari Aisen, noted that the current reforms of the new administration are expected to have side effects.

He said, “There were so many distortions accumulated in the past, it is naturally that when these policies are implemented, you have some side effects. We should all expect that.”

Aisen added that inflation will likely keep rising, and stressed the need for policies that would curb inflation.

“Here, inflation is the main culprit in the room. We have seen inflation already high before the implementation of these policies. Inflation is likely to increase further. In our view, it is going to be critical to tailor macroeconomic policies to reduce inflation,” he said.

The IMF Representative further said that there is a need for further tightening of the monetary rates, which he said, remain loose.

He added that the IMF hopes to continue its long-term relationship with Nigeria, supporting the country with capacity building, policy advisory, and financing.

The Director General, Debt Management Office, Ms Patience Oniha, noted that although the government can borrow from the Central Bank of Nigeria through the Ways and Means Advances, it is important to stick to the limit.

She further stressed the need for urgent support from multilateral organisations in addressing the tough time Nigerians are going through.

Oniha said, “These are tough times because the policies have all been introduced now. In what ways can we get real support? We do appreciate all the concessional funding that we get from the multilaterals. In this short time, in what way can we get that assistance?”

The Special Adviser to the President, Bola Tinubu, on Monetary Policies, Wale Edun, said that other than the $800m loan from the World Bank, there may need for additional financing to ensure the sustainability of the bold reforms under the administrations.

“We have identified some sources of funding, but we are going after many more,” he said

The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri, further disclosed that Nigeria is the biggest beneficiary of concessional financing from the World Bank, with over $10.5bn since February 2020.

The World Bank lead economist for Nigeria, Alex Sienaert, during a presentation at the event, said that Nigeria is projected to save up to $5.1bn (N3.9tn) in 2023 alone after the removal of fuel subsidy and reforms of its foreign exchange market.

The Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Customs Service have taken the ongoing foreign exchange reforms to the maritime sector with a 40 per cent increase in the exchange rate used for calculating import duty.

The NCS on Saturday raised the exchange rate used for the calculation of import duty from N422.30/dollar to N589/dollar.

The development, which has led to a corresponding 40 per cent increase in import duty on imported cargoes including vehicles, has angered operators in the maritime sector with clearing agents, freight forwarders, and importers calling for an immediate reversal of the policy.

Stakeholders said the policy would lead to job losses in the maritime sector and a drastic fall in the number of imported vehicles.

This, they said, could affect business and economic growth. Economists also said the government was insensitive, saying the policy was capable of affecting Nigerians negatively

dre11:
https://punchng.com/inflation-rose-67-times-under-emefiele-says-report/

hedonido:
Anything to make the fuel price N1, 000 per litre is welcome by me. The government officials have not reduced their ridiculous motorcades and wasteful privileges, but they are talking about fuel subsidy removal. Yet the useless poor masses are 'reasoning' with them.

The stupid masses need to be suffocated and crushed to death if possible, because that's what they deserve. Their complacency is disgusting.

Never seen a country filled with such docile idiots.

The recent hike in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, would adversely affect food production and subsequently cause costs to shoot up, farmers stated.

Based on this, they insisted that the market prices of food items were bound to rise, stressing that Nigerians should brace up for about 150 per cent increase in the cost of agricultural produce

President Bola Tinubu had declared during his inauguration as Nigeria’s 16th President, on May 29, 2023, that fuel “subsidy is gone.”

In about two days after Tinubu’s declaration, the sole importer of petrol into the country, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, released a price list for PMS at its retail stations, indicating a jump in price from N195/litre to over N500/litre.

The about 156 per cent hike in petrol price was implemented in all states and the Federal Capital Territory, aside Lagos, where it sold for N488/litre at NNPCL filling stations.

The development led to the hike in the cost of various goods and services across the country.

In the agricultural sector, farmers under the aegis of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria stated that the hike in the cost of food, following the jump in PMS price, was non-negotiable.

The situation is dire right now. Food price rise as a result of the hike in petrol price is non-negotiable. That is a reality. The issue now is, by how much or per cent will this increase be?,” the President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kabir Ibrahim, told our correspondent.

He added, “Fuel is being sold at over N500/litre, so the fact is that once transportation increases, the prices of transport will be transferred on food. So, as people pay a lot to bring the food to where it is needed, the prices will increase.

“Therefore, I foresee a situation where the prices of food items would take the biggest hit and would definitely rise because of the increase in the pump price of petrol.”

On his part, the Coordinator of Nigeria Agribusiness Group, Emmanuel Ijewere, observed that though the cost of diesel had remained stable for a while, the rise in petrol could lead to over 100 per cent increase in food prices

.The hike in petrol price is affecting food production and cost very negatively right now. The petrol price rise is not 30 per cent, but over 100 per cent and Nigerians should brace up to get something similar in the cost of agricultural commodities.

“Especially those food that are moved from one part of the country to the other, they will feel the impact. However, that on its own is not meant to be affected much if there is honesty, because the price of diesel has been liberalised long ago.

“So, those trailers cannot say the price of petrol has gone up, because they don’t use petrol but they use diesel. Therefore, the price of food, which they transport should not be affected, but the irony is that it will be affected,” he stated.

Ijewere explained that that was because “when the trailers put down their goods at the central place, the cost of moving it to the smaller markets, with shorter distances, will be borne by dealers who use vehicles that run on petrol”.

He said the government would, therefore, need to educate people about this, in order to avoid being cheated by transporters.

“This is because many people don’t understand what I have just said. The price of petrol has gone up, and trailer drivers will now capitalise on it to charge farmers twice or three times what they were charging before.

“So, information dissemination is key right now. The price of diesel has not changed, it has remained the same or around the same rate for a very long time. So, people should not be cheated by drivers who operate vehicles that run on diesel,” Ijewere stated.

He pointed out that another thing farmers should consider now was to start buying bicycles, rather than looking for public transport, particularly when going to farms that were not too far away from their homes.

“The government on its own should also find a way of encouraging people, because riding a bicycle is healthy and I think it is a good thing for our country,” Ijewere stated.

He, however, stated that the petrol price rise did not discouraged farmers from farming, as agricultural activities were still ongoing in many states, despite the development in the downstream oil sector.

jjcena:
There's no plan. Suffering and smiling continua

casualobserver:
Ghana is an oil producing country, their petrol is N800/ liter

FrancisDiote:
the problem is the subsidized fuel is still looted and sold to neighbors Benin republic, Cameroon, Togo etc so we are actually subsidizing for them.

bentenny:
Go and check!
They were never quiet!
They spoke against it!

dahnimoh:
K
I have already started my strike since Friday. How can I fill my Toyota corolla tank with 30k . How can I recover the money using it for uber.

The prices of major foodstuffs and other essential goods have started rising in response to the hike in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, following the announcement by President Bola Tinubu that the era of subsidy on the product is gone.

Tinubu had on Monday during his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square in Abuja said the era of subsidy payment on fuel had ended, adding that with the 2023 budget making no provision for it, further subsidy payment was no longer justifiable.

He added that his administration would instead channel funds into infrastructure and other areas to strengthen the economy.

The presidential pronouncement led to an instant resurgence of fuel queues across the country with Nigerians foraging for the premium product. Though Tinubu’s decision received the backing of the NNPCL and the House of Representatives, it has since been resisted by the NLC and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.

According to the organised labour, the President cannot unilaterally take a decision on subsidy removal.

Currently, petrol sells for between N495 and N600 per litre across the nation from N185 to N220 until Monday.

A survey conducted by Sunday PUNCH in various states of the federation on Saturday showed that apart from the increase in transport fares, the prices of foodstuffs, soup ingredients, daily provisions and other essential goods had started rising with expectations of further increment as manufacturers and retailers adjust to the new fuel regime.

The local production of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol, by Dangote Refinery, Port Harcourt Refining Company and others in Nigeria is not going to change the pump price of the commodity, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has said.

The NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, who disclosed this during an interview on Arise television in Abuja on Thursday, stressed that the notion that petrol prices would reduce once the country starts domestic production was false.

Kyari confirmed that the Dangote Refinery, which was inaugurated on May 22, 2023, by former President Muhammadu Buhari, would start pushing out products by the end of July and early August.

He also stated that the Port Harcourt Refinery would be delivered by the end of the year, adding that the facility was expected to further boost local production of petrol.

But Kyari declared that despite the volume of petrol being expected from these facilities, the cost of the commodity would not reduce, regardless of the fact that the product was produced locally.

“There is a notion that if the product is processed locally, prices will reduce. Let me make it clear that it is not going to change anything. If you produce locally, the refineries will also input the cost of production and other things and it will be sold at the current price.

“There will also be no subsidy when local production starts because there is no cash-to-back subsidy, this country no longer has the resources to continue with subsidy,” Kyari stated.

When he steps down next week President Muhammadu Buhari will be leaving Nigerians less secure, poorer and more in debt than when he came to office in 2015.

The former military ruler became president after winning a momentous election which saw the defeat of underperforming incumbent Goodluck Jonathan.

Riding a wave of optimism that change was possible, he was supported by a powerful coalition and had the reputation of being a hard-man soldier, who would get things done.

After Mr Buhari's brief stint in charge in the 1980s, his second coming was on the back of promises to curtail the rampaging Islamist insurgency in the north-east and tackle widespread corruption.

He is the last of a generation of British-trained military men who went on to govern the country

But the 80-year-old's two four-year terms have left many disappointed.

There have been gains in tackling Boko Haram and other extremist [/b]groups in the north-east, aided by improved military hardware from the US.

While the groups still carry out attacks on communities and military installations in the region, it is a big improvement from the years when they operated freely and controlled a large portion of Nigerian territory.

Mr Buhari also utilised [b]Chinese loans to upgrade the ailing road and rail infrastructure, building a new port in Lagos, completing a crucial bridge in the south-east, and passing important electoral and oil-sector laws.

But whatever gains have been recorded in the north-east against the Islamist militants have been eroded by the emergence of equally violent groups in other parts of the country under his watch.

Clashes between farmers and cattle herders from the Fulani ethnic group, which had simmered for years, were allowed to boil over into deadly armed confrontations with an ethnic element, as the government ran out of ideas to solve the problem of where animals could graze.

Mr Buhari, a Fulani from northern Nigeria, was accused of bias in the conflict and his proposal of grazing reserves for the herders were rebuffed by powerful southern state governors who saw it as a land-grabbing tactic.

Some of the armed groups created by the farmer-herder crisis have since transitioned into violent motorcycle-riding bandits targeting communities in the north-west and central states. These groups have helped turn a lucrative kidnap-for-ransom business into a behemoth that now extends countrywide.

It took hold during the first decade of the century when oil workers were kidnapped in the Niger Delta and blossomed under Mr Buhari's watch as the targets changed.

For instance, thousands of school children were abducted between December 2020 and September 2021, according to the UN's children's organisation, Unicef. That eclipsed the 270 girls seized from a school in Chibok who made global headlines in 2014 - a crime that was a crucial factor in Mr Buhari defeating Mr Jonathan.

"I thought that as a former military ruler he would have the solution to Nigeria's security challenges," Musa Ahmadu a farmer now living in the north-western state of Kano, told the BBC.

Mr Ahmadu, originally from the president's home state of Katsina, abandoned his land and fled to neighbouring Kano alongside thousands of others because of the activities of armed groups in the region.

Many also believe that Mr Buhari has mishandled the situation thrown up by separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu.

Mr Kanu heads the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), a group seeking secession in the south-east which is proscribed by the government.

He is a charismatic figure with a huge appetite for sensationalism which he fed devotees via his internet radio station.

Ipob was largely ignored by many Nigerians until Mr Kanu was first arrested for treason by the Buhari government in 2015. A subsequent state-sanctioned attack on his home marked the beginning of an armed confrontation that has spiralled out of control, claiming hundreds of lives in the process.

After escaping in 2017, he was abducted in unclear circumstances abroad and returned to Nigeria in 2021 to face trial. A judge has ordered his release as the process of his return was illegal but authorities continue to hold him.

These security challenges made many question Mr Buhari's handling of a sector that was supposed to be his area of expertise.

"I am surprised at the level of embarrassment he has brought to his constituency, the military, despite all the promises he made," said retired Colonel Hassan Stan-Labi, a security analyst.

"How can you fail in your own area of specialty?" he asked.

The countrywide insecurity under Mr Buhari has largely been muted in the oil-rich Niger Delta where oil-militants and sea pirates held sway in the past.

But that peace seems to have coincided with a period of large-scale oil theft, with the government accused of looking away while different groups in the region steal crude from the pipelines. This led to Nigeria's production plunging to a 30-year low in 2022.

The shocking discovery last October of a kilometres-long pipeline used to steal oil was described by commentators as "nearly impossible" without help from authorities.

In one location, thieves built their own 4km-long pipeline through the heavily guarded creeks to the Atlantic Ocean. There, barges and vessels blatantly loaded the stolen oil from a seven-metre rig visible for miles on the open waters.

That theft on such a scale happened directly under Mr Buhari, who also doubled as Nigeria's petroleum minister, undermined his claim to be fighting graft, Salaudeen Hashim of anti-corruption NGO Cleen Foundation, told the BBC.

Mr Buhari's integrity was also impugned by his frequent medical trips to the UK despite spending large sums to refurbish a clinic in the presidential villa.

This lack of transparency "drained taxpayers' monies, encouraged illicit financial flows and other corruption-enabling activities the administration preached against", Auwal Rafsanjani, the head of Transparency International in Nigeria, told the BBC.

Mr Rafsanjani scored the administration four out of 10 in fighting corruption, and said Mr Buhari's appointment of people with ongoing corruption cases to his cabinet and his wife's long stays in expensive Dubai homes "contravened best practices by an administration that was fighting corruption and mismanagement".

As he leaves, Mr Buhari's handling of the Nigerian economy will most likely be remembered for his botched attempt earlier this year at redesigning the local currency.

An otherwise rudimentary exercise descended into chaos as scarcity of the new naira notes, which have now almost disappeared, resulted in untold hardship for millions in the country who relied on cash for basic needs.

"The small business we were doing was destroyed by that man," said a university graduate in Abuja who made money by supplying banknotes to her customers before the cash crisis.

Her anger was fuelled by a common problem in Nigeria - a lack of work among educated young people.

Currently one in three Nigerians who want to work are unable to find a job. Before Mr Buhari took over that figure was less than one in 10.

The government has blamed a drastic drop in oil prices in its early days, the Covid pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine.

But some of its policies, such as currency restrictions and closing the land borders to boost local production, have contributed towards record inflation that has made millions poorer and depleted a once burgeoning Nigerian middle-class.

Last week, with the end in sight, Mr Buhari pleaded with lawmakers to hurriedly approve an $800m (£640m) loan from the World Bank. Nigeria's public debt could pass $150bn this year - when he took over it stood at a little over $60bn.

His borrowing spree has drawn warnings from the World Bank that Africa's largest economy was using 96% of its revenue to service debts.

But the huge debt has been defended by the administration who say it is within acceptable limits, pointing to cash payments to poor people as justification for some of the loans.

"These welfarist interventions give a window into the kind soul of the president, a man some people have not bothered to discern, dissect and decipher," presidential spokesman Femi Adesina wrote last week.

Like him, many in the administration insist it has had a good eight-year run. Although both he and his wife have apologised for not delivering on promises made, Mr Buhari has said that he tried his best.

"I want [Nigerians] to analyse how things were when we came in and how they are when we're leaving," he responded when asked about his legacy last year.

The fact is that Nigerians were safer, better off and less in debt before Mr Buhari took over, and many will remember him for presiding over the toughest eight years they might ever lived.

Male models wearing bras and women’s swimsuits for “Pride Month”?!?!

I AM DONE WITH ADIDAS!!! pic.twitter.com/qTgz4uTQCn

— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen) May 17, 2023

nairalanda1:
Yes, and one of the things an ambitous leader can do is face reality and improve our tax to gdp ratio, so that we can pay for improvements to our social and public infrastructure, which would attract more foreign investment.

And expanding power supply requires cost reflective tarrifs too.

Agriculture suffers from the same issues with oil. We don't set the price.

onthehill:
Nigerians Are Large-Hearted People, They Will Forgive President Buhari - Garba Shehu



https://igberetvnews.com/1443573/nigerians-large-hearted-people-will-forgive-president-buhari-garba-shehu/

seunpayne:
300k

seunpayne:
Clean series X with two series x controllers.
Game pass ultimate subscription until July 2023
Games purchased: fifa 23, outriders (worldslayer expansion installed), red dead redemption 2, division 2 (wony dlc purchased).

I also have the wireless headset from razer if interested.

Kobonaire4:
At the end of the day, army rule does not fix anything

Oga, you are upset that Obi lost. Better wipe your tears and work for 2027. [/b]Calling for the army nanny is basically retrogression. You won't like it.

Work within the system to change it.

Kobonaire4:
There is no such thing as a 'common goal' in democracy. Every body has a differing goal.

At the end of the day, it is those who work hard enough to achieve their specific goal that get there.

If Obi won, you won't be telling me this.

At the end, the side that stayed united won. Too bad it was the side that has worsened our state these past 8 years.

Kobonaire4:
UAE is a oppresive nation, and building an economy is not the same as building a democracy.

We tried army rule in the past and emerged poorer for it.

It takes time to build a democracy.

All I know is, I am freer under democracy, even with the APC and PDP mess, than I ever was under army rule.

Ikorodu APC members are revolting cus dem no pay them for voting on February 25

When you get paid to vote how will you hold the government responsible for their failures? https://t.co/pzS60gMcAQ

— Mob President Christian (@Chrisblin) March 11, 2023

Evarline Okello breaks down in tears as she tells me she is hundreds of dollars in debt, after paying a pastor to pray for her.

She lives in a tiny shack in Kibera, a vast slum in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, and can no longer provide for her four children.

Ms Okello hasn't earned anything for months, she tells me as we talk on the telephone. So when she heard about a pastor whose prayers could make life better, she wanted to see him. He asked her for $115 (£96; 15,000 Kenyan shillings).

This is known as a "seed offering": a financial contribution to a religious leader, with a specific outcome in mind.

Ms Okello borrowed the money from a friend, who took out a loan on her behalf. She had been told this pastor's prayers were so powerful that she would see a return on her money within a week.

But the miracle never came. In fact things got even worse, [/b]she says. The loan her friend took out has ballooned due to unpaid interest. She now owes more than $300, and has no idea how she'll pay it back. Her friend has stopped talking to her, and she still has no job.

[b]"Things have become so difficult I have lost all hope," she says.

......cost-of-living crisis. Food prices rose by almost 16% in the 12 months before September 2022....

This has increased their desire for supernatural solutions, she says, and [i]many are now willing to pay for a miracl[/i]e, even if they have to borrow the money.

"People are being told that God doesn't want them to remain poor. So they plant a seed," she tells me.

The Prosperity Gospel has its roots in America, where it gained momentum in the early 20th Century......

...That's what happened to 26-year-old Dennis Opili. Feeling disheartened after more than three years looking for work, he asked a friend for help.

"He advised me that there is a church where you go and they pray for you. You give a certain offering, then they pray for you, then you can secure a job," Mr Opili says.

When his savings ran out he borrowed about $120 from cash apps and from friends.

"I believed in what the pastor told me, that I'll be able to secure a job. So I didn't have any problems with borrowing, because I thought eventually I'll be able to pay off the money."

But when no job appeared, Mr Opili began to suspect that he had been tricked.

...Luckily he has now managed to find piecemeal work, which has enabled him to pay back part of the money, both to the loan companies and his friends.

"I still very much believe in God," he says. "All I have to do is just be a little more careful."

......She says both congregants and local pastors at her former church were expected to give a "tithe" of 10% of their monthly income to finance the church and its leadership in Nigeria. And that was in addition to what was called "first fruit" - their entire pay packet of the first month of the year
.......
Sarah says she saw people paying for "seed money" with their credit cards in church services.

"I remember one time at the church a lady said: 'I have been paying my tithe, and it seems like I still don't have enough money at the end of the month.'"

The pastor's response, Sarah says, was to tell people that giving was more important than paying their rent. And she says anyone who questioned why miracles were not happening was told: "You didn't pray enough, you didn't sow seed enough. You didn't have enough faith."
.....
But it can also appeal to those living in poverty, he says.

"A church that says: 'We know that you're suffering, and we have a practical, attainable solution for you,' [/b]will be more attractive than one that preaches some elusive, systemic change."
......
[b]"I wouldn't say that church is bad. The church is good. It is the pastors who are doing wrong. They are the ones who are asking for money."