The Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs has officially withdrawn its internal circular dated August 1, 2024, regarding the sale of subsidised rice to public servants.
In a new directive, Aderonke A. Jaiyesimi, the Director of Human Resource Management, stated, "I am directed to refer to our internal circular in the Ministry of 1st August, 2024 on the above subject matter and to inform you that the Internal Circular is hereby withdrawn."
The circular, which was addressed to all directors, heads of departments, and unit heads, further instructed that "the contents of this internal circular [should be brought] to the attention of staff in your respective Departments and Units for their information and proper guidance."
The directive was issued on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, with copies sent to the minister and the Permanent Secretary for further action.
The ministry assured that more information will be provided soon to clarify the situation.
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Nigerian government had directed its workers to fill a form and purchase the 50kg bag of rice at N40,000, describing it as a step to alleviate the food crisis in the nation and its effects on Nigerians.
The directive was disclosed in a letter from the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, which was signed by the Director of Human Resources of the Ministry, Jaiyesimi Abimbola.
The letter said all interested staff members were to complete a form on the OHCSF website and submit it to the director of human resources for endorsement.
It noted that payment for and the distribution of the rice would be coordinated by designated offices while the Chairman of the Joint Union Council of the ministry, would serve as an observer for transparency reasons in the course of the exercise.
It read, “As part of the Federal Government’s efforts to alleviate the current food crisis in the country and its effects on the general population, I am directed to inform you that 50kg bags of rice will be sold at a subsidised rate of N40,000 only per bag to interested public servants in Abuja.
“For effective implementation, all interested staff are required to complete a Google form on the OHCSF website, https://www.ohcsf.gov.ng, print, and submit the same to the Director, HR, for endorsement.
“Payment for and distribution of the rice will be coordinated by designated officials while the chairman, Joint Union Council of the Ministry is required to serve as an observer during the period of the exercise for the purpose of transparency.
“I am to add that each staff member is only entitled to purchase one bag. Two or more staff may also jointly pay for a bag for sharing among themselves.
“Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of staff in your respective Departments/Units for information and guidance.”
The Nigerian Government recently said it had created centres across the country where Nigerians could purchase the 50kg bags of rice for N40,000 each.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, said the initiative was one of several initiatives by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to ease living conditions for citizens.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has urged agro and food processing companies to work toward reducing their prices during this time of economic hardship as a way of giving back to the society and ensuring food security in Nigeria.
Governor Sanwo-Olu made the call on Thursday during a courtesy visit by the Senior Management Team of Olam Agric Nigeria, led by its Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Anil Nasir, at Lagos House, Marina, saying that Nigerians were currently going through tough times; therefore, the need for private organisations, particularly agro and food processing companies to think about people’s survival and sustainability above profitability at this crucial period in Nigeria
Sanwo-Olu, who stressed the need for food security and support from every well-meaning individuals and organisations, said his administration had done a lot through several intervention programmes to cushion the effects of economic hardship on the residents of Lagos State, assuring that he would do more to continue to provide succour for the people.
“Agro and food processing is a critical industry because food security and food systems are as critical as people trying to safeguard either medical security or even sovereign security in times of war. There is no better security these days than food.
“Today, being the first day of August, you can see agitation in some streets in Nigeria as a result of hunger. You (Olam Agric) are in a strategic position, and you have that structure and that capacity. At a difficult time like this, it shouldn’t be only the government reducing costs and providing avenues for people to buy things at a reduced price.
“You must be able to tell your shareholders that you have been in this environment for such a long time, and today it should not be about profit-making. Let us go into this market and just cover our costs and let us pass on. Let the people feel the critical support.
“I want you to take this message back. The private sector needs to know that there are times when it does not have to be about value to the shareholders because of food security and the logistics nightmare that is happening everywhere due to the economic challenge. We are all joint stakeholders, and we need to slow down on shareholder returns. We need to be alive today to be able to make a profit tomorrow,” Governor Sanwo-Olu stated.
Speaking earlier, the Managing Director/CEO of Olam Agric Nigeria, Mr. Nair, commended Governor Sanwo-Olu for his leadership in the state in the last five years, especially in the areas of security and making Lagos safe for foreign and local investments.
He sought more partnerships with the Lagos State Government in the agriculture and food sectors, saying his company wqs ready to invest more in the state.
Governor Sanwo-Olu on Thursday also received the District Governor of Lions Club International District 404B2 Nigeria, Lion Tolulope Ayodeji Senbanjo, as well as the District Governor of Rotary International District 9112, Rotarian Olufemi Adenekan, and District Governor of Rotary International District 9111, Rotarian Oluwole Kukoyi, who paid him courtesy visits at Lagos House, Marina, respectively.
Speaking during the two courtesy visits, Sanwo-Olu commended Lions Club International and Rotary International for their humanitarian services in key sectors of the state, particularly in the provision of infrastructure in the areas of health, education, and transportation, among others.
He expressed his administration’s commitment to continue to partner with Rotary International and Lions Club International for humanitarian services to make life comfortable for Lagos residents in line with the THEMES+ developmental agenda, which aligns with the core values of the humanitarian groups.
One week after Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission imposed a $220 million fine on WhatsApp for a data privacy breach, the Meta-owned company may suspend its operations in the country due to further regulatory demands.
Sources close to the situation indicate that Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, is contemplating withdrawing certain services from Nigeria.
Alongside the substantial fine, the FCCPC has directed WhatsApp to cease sharing user data with other Facebook companies and third parties without explicit user consent. The commission also requires WhatsApp to disclose details about its data collection practices and to enhance user control over data usage.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State faced intense backlash from EndBadGovernance protesters at the Port Harcourt Government House on Thursday following his offering of pure water money to them.
His offer of money for pure water and a plea for the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria demonstrators to return home fueled their anger.
While addressing the protesters in front of Government House, Fubara said, “I thank you for being peaceful. I thank you for coming. I feel your pain. I want to assure you that I will deliver your message to the President.
“Here in Rivers State, we will do everything to make life better. But all we need from you is to support the Federal Government. We know there is hunger but just be patient with the government.
“I will give you a small thing for you to drink pure water.”
At this point the youths who were listening busted with a chorused, ‘No no, saying “We don’t need your, ‘ keep your money, we want good governance in Nigeria’, Tinubu must go.”
Efforts by the governor to pacify them and to explain what he meant fell on deaf ears, as they continued to talk back with annoyance.
Fubara however continued to wave his hands towards them and came down from where he stood in front of the government house and left.
The ongoing nationwide hardship protest in Kano has turned violent as hoodlums hijack the exercise to loot shops and offices. Daily Trust reports that the…
By Salim Umar Ibrahim
The ongoing nationwide hardship protest in Kano has turned violent as hoodlums hijack the exercise to loot shops and offices.
Daily Trust reports that the hoodlums have started attacking shops and offices engaging in all sorts of mob action across streets.
The looters were seen moving valuables, including chairs, computers and other valuables.
Gunshots were fired into air at the popular Top Medical junction in Tunga area of Minna, Niger State capital, when protesters attempted to block the road.
The Police had earlier fired teargas to disperse the protesters but they attempted to reassemble while aiming at mounting a road block on the ever busy road.
The policemen on ground had to fire gunshots into the air to scare them away.
When our correspondent arrived the scene, policemen and vigilantes were seen removing the stones the protesters had use to barricade a section of the road.
Security Operatives comprising the police, military, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have taken over perceived hot spots including the Popular Kpakungu Roundabout on Minna-Bida road where protest held early this year.
Our correspondent also reports that markets and shops were closed for fear of looting.
I Received Over N1billion For Renovation Of Ex-Gov Yahaya Bello's Houses, Says Contractor
The seventh prosecution witness, Aminu Rabiu, a businessman with Falala Construction and Interior Decoration Company, Abuja, has disclosed that he received money for the renovation of former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, in cash instalments totalling more than N1,000,000,000.
The EFCC is prosecuting Ali Bello and Dauda Sulaiman on a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering.
Aminu Rabiu who led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, stated that the money was for the renovation of the former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello’s houses located in various parts of Abuja and Kogi state.
According to Dele Oyewale, Head, Media & Publicity in a statement on Monday, the witness informed the court that he met Yahya Bello through his wife Amina Yahya Bello, since 2009.
He said; “Yes, I know the immediate past governor of Kogi State, his name is Alhaji Yahya Bello. I knew him through his wife, Amina Yahya Bello sometime in 2009.”
He told the court that he knew Ali Bello and Dauda Sulaiman.
The witness affirmed that the properties in Jabi, No 9 Benghazi, No 9 Sabi street Zone Four, No 1 Ikogosi Maitama and the house in GRA OKENE, all belong to Yahya Bello. Noting that the house he renovated in Life Camp, Benghazi, also belongs to Yahaya Bello.
The PW7 told the court that the money was paid in cash installments and the least he received was Eight Million Naira from various people who made the payment for Yahaya Bello at No 9 Benghazi street and sometimes in life Camp in Ali Bello’s house.
Narrating the circumstances for the work and payment for the properties, the witness stated that he renovated the house at No 9 Benghazi Street, Abuja.
“No 9 Benghazi, I renovated the house, furnishing and furniture. I was paid about Three Hundred and something Million Naira, they paid me by cash, instalment.”
“At Jabi, I did renovations, finishing and polishing, I was paid around Two Hundred Million Naira, by cash installments.”
“Life camp, yes, I did furnishing and polishing. I can't remember but it is around Two Hundred Million Naira by cash.”
The witness informed the court that he was operating a bank account by which he received money through his company’s name: Falala Construction, “I have a bank account with Zenith bank through which I receive money in my company’s name: Falala," he said.
While in Kogi state, the witness told the court that it was his company who demolished and rebuilt the Presidential Lodge in the state and was paid more than Six Hundred Million Naira.
“I did one job for the state government. I demolished and rebuilt the Presidential Lodge, I was paid around Six Hundred and something Million Naira and there is a variation of above One Hundred Million. The state government paid into my account”, he said.
“I also worked in Kogi state, Okene. I did renovation, I remodeled the house and the finishing. It was around Five Hundred Million Naira, (N500,000,000.00). They paid me in cash. They were made in Abuja.”
Meanwhile, Justice Omotosho adjourned the matter to July 16, 2024 for continuation of trial.
US Secret Service Beefs Up Security Following Intel On Iranian Plot To Assassinate Trump
According to a U.S. national security official, both the Secret Service and the Trump campaign were informed of the threat prior to the rally.
US intelligence services have discovered a sinister scheme by Iran to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
This alarming revelation comes just days after Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, which authorities believe is unrelated to the Iranian plot, a source told CNN.
Following the disturbing news, Secret Service officials have amped up security measures surrounding Trump to protect him from any potential threats.
Recent developments have raised concerns regarding security protocols at the rally held in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
The intelligence threat from a hostile foreign entity and the subsequent enhancement of security measures for former President Donald Trump have prompted new questions about potential security lapses at the event.
According to a U.S. national security official, both the Secret Service and the Trump campaign were informed of the threat prior to the rally.
“Secret Service learned of the increased threat from this threat stream,” the official told CNN. “NSC directly contacted USSS at a senior level to be absolutely sure they continued to track the latest reporting. USSS shared this information with the detail lead, and the Trump campaign was made aware of an evolving threat.
“In response to the increased threat, Secret Service surged resources and assets for the protection of former President Trump. All of this was in advance of Saturday.”
In a statement, the Trump campaign team said, "The Trump campaign would not disclose whether it was made aware of the Iran threat. We do not comment on President Trump’s security detail. All questions should be directed to the United States Secret Service.”
According to individuals familiar with the matter, Secret Service officials have cautioned the Trump campaign on multiple occasions regarding the heightened risks associated with outdoor rallies.
These events pose greater security challenges due to the difficulty in controlling access, compared to alternative venues where access can be more effectively managed.
The warnings issued by the Secret Service have been of a general nature, rather than specific to any particular event.
The National Identity Management Commission faced public backlash on Monday after a social media user accused the agency of charging fees in dollars for National Identification Number data modifications on its portal.
The user, known as “Akwa Ibom First Son”, posted a screenshot sighted The PUNCH purportedly from the NIMC website, showing fees of $20.78 for changes to birth dates, addresses, names, and phone numbers.
“Dear NIMC, can you explain to Nigerians why your website charges Nigerians in dollars?” he wrote on social media.
In response, NIMC explained that the portal does not charge in dollars and attributed the issue to the use of Virtual Private Networks.
“The use of VPNs can cause the website to detect a different location and currency,” the commission said.
To resolve the issue, NIMC advised users to turn off their VPNs and try again. If the problem persists, users could reach out to the support team for further assistance.
Meanwhile, the NIMC Self-Service Modifications portal enables citizens and legal residents aged 16 and older to request changes to their name, phone number, date of birth, and address.
Some data fields are non-updatable. The approved fee for a change of date of birth request is N15,000, according to information gathered from its website.
Public reaction to the NIMC’s explanation was largely negative.
Another user, Yasir Jubril, stated, “There is clearly foul play here! Regardless of the location, services should be charged in naira. And why is a change of name or address that expensive?”
Other users echoed the same sentiment, questioning the technical design of the payment system.
“Naira cards can be used from anywhere. All their charges should be in local currency, irrespective of location,” John Wick said.
Isa Kabir shared his experience, stating that while initially the portal displayed fees in naira, it later showed fees in dollars.
“I had to send several emails before it was rectified. Instead of working on the site, they are here giving excuses,” he remarked.
Earlier this month, NIMC Director General Abisoye Coker-Odusote reiterated the commission’s commitment to transparency.
“My administration has zero tolerance for corruption.
“I hereby reiterate my commitment to sanitising NIMC in conformity with the mandate of Mr President. Enrollment for the National Identification Number is free of charge in Nigeria,” she said.
Nigeria’s inflation narratives took a controversial twist yesterday as the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), gives its own figure contradicting that of the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, by a wide margin.
The NBS had released its Consumer Price Index, CPI, for June 2024 reporting that headline inflation rate increased by 0.24 percentage points to 34.19 per cent in June from 33.95 percent in May.
But when contacted by Vanguard for his comment, the President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Kelvin Oye, simply said, “Inflation is over 90 percent”, without giving further details.
Giving its own details NBS, also said that food inflation grew to 40.87 percent in June from 40.66 percent in May 2024 due to increase in the prices of millet whole grain, garri, guinea corn, etc (bread and cereals class), yam, wateryam, cocoyam, potatoes, yam & other tubers class, among other food items.
Meanwhile, financial analysts said the NBS’ figures outstripped both the individual and consensus forecasts.
NBS stated: “In June 2024, the headline inflation rate increased to 34.19 percent relative to the May 2024 headline inflation rate which was 33.95 percent.
“Looking at the movement, the June 2024 headline inflation rate showed an increase of 0.24 percentage points when compared to the May 2024 headline inflation rate.
“On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 11.4 percentage points higher compared to the rate recorded in June 2023, which was 22.79 percent.
“This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in the month of June 2024 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e. June 2023).
“The rise in Food inflation on a year-on-year basis was caused by increases in prices of the following items: Millet Whole grain, Garri, Guinea corn, etc (Bread and Cereals Class), Yam, Water Yam, Coco Yam (Potatoes, Yam & Other Tubers Class), Groundnut Oil, Palm Oil, etc (Oil & Fats Class) and Catfish Dried, Dried Fish-Sadine, Mudfish (Fish Class), etc.
According to NBS, in June food inflation on a year-on-year basis was highest in Edo (47.34 percent), Kogi (46.37 percent), Cross River (45.28 percent), while Nasarawa (34.31 percent), Bauchi (34.78 percent) and Adamawa (35.96 percent), recorded the slowest rise in food inflation on year-on-year basis.
Reacting, David Adonri, Analyst and Executive Vice Chairman at Highcap Securities Limited, said : “Despite all the measures taken by CBN, inflation rate continues to rise. Continued application of monetary policy to tackle this kind of stubborn inflation is failing because what is required is not demand management but supply side fiscal policy.
“Should the monetary authority react by hiking interest rate again, it will further increase yield on debt and cause financial assets to migrate more to debt. This may harm ongoing recapitalization exercise of banks. Rising inflation is not good news for equities.”
Commenting on the further rise in inflation, analysts at Comercio Partners said: “Looking ahead, food inflation, the main driver, is expected to taper off because of the short-term federal government’s recent interventions, with a N2 trillion packages announced by Abubakar Kyari, the minister for Agriculture and Food Security, to curb rising prices and speed up stabilization and growth.
“Also, a 150-day duty-free import window has been approved, allowing tariff-free importation of maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas through land and sea borders. This measure, with imported commodities subject to a Recommended Retail Price (RRP), aims to provide immediate relief.
“However, tackling food inflation long-term means addressing underlying issues like transportation and logistics challenges, harvest losses, and regional insecurity. Moreover, discussions around raising the minimum wage could further fuel inflationary pressures.
“On the monetary front, recent interest rate hikes have helped combat inflation, but another hike seems unlikely because of tight macroeconomic environment.
“However, a focus should shift towards addressing the root causes of inflation without stifling economic growth.”
Also commenting, analysts at CardinalStone Finance stated: “The June CPI data indicated that inflation leapt by 24 bases points (bps) to 34.2% YoY, missing analysts’ average consensus of 33.94% and our projection of 33.90%. “Our tamer inflation expectation, based on the stability in the foreign exchange (FX) market was overshadowed by a more pronounced food inflation.
“We perceive that the food basket is still grappling with an uptick in input costs and persisting insecurities in the review period, thus propping up prices.
“The outlook for July’s inflation is likely to be mixed on the back of multiple factors. On upside risk, we expect the recent PMS scarcity and another electricity tariff hike for ‘Band A’ users to increase price pressure.
“Furthermore, FX volatility will likely be prevalent in July, stemming from increased FX demand for vacation and payment of foreign tuition fees.
“While these highlighted factors are expected to increase inflationary risk, we anticipate the base effect to sufficiently moderate YoY inflation.
“Moreover, the government’s decision to suspend duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of certain commodities like Maize, husked brown rice, Wheat, and cowpeas for the next 150 days is expected to lead to lower food prices. “The government’s plan to import 250,000MT of Wheat and 250,000MT of Maize also bodes well for the food price outlook, providing a positive counterbalance to the inflationary risks. “Overall, we expect headline inflation to moderate by 50bps to 33.7%. “In light of the above, we expect the monetary policy authority to maintain its hawkish stance and hike the policy rate by 50 to 100bps in its July meeting”.
In his own comment Clifford Egbomeade, Public Policy Analyst and Communication expert, said: “The rise in Nigeria’s inflation rate to 34.19% in June 2024 has several significant implications for the economy. First, it reduces the purchasing power of consumers, making goods and services more expensive and diminishing the standard of living, particularly for low and middle-income households. This increased cost of living can exacerbate economic hardship and potentially push more people into poverty.”
“High inflation also creates economic uncertainty, which can deter both local and foreign investment. Investors are likely to be cautious in such an environment, leading to reduced investment and slower economic growth. “Moreover, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) may be compelled to further raise interest rates to control inflation, which increases borrowing costs for businesses and consumers, potentially further slowing down economic activities.
“To address rising inflation, the government and the CBN should consider a combination of monetary and fiscal measures. Tightening monetary policy can help curb excessive money supply, although this must be done carefully to avoid stifling economic growth. Implementing prudent fiscal policies, such as reducing fiscal deficits and improving tax collection, is also crucial. Investing in supply-side interventions, such as supporting local production and reducing import dependency, can help stabilize prices in the long run”
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has urged the Federal Government to ensure that beneficiaries of the student loan funds are not plunged into huge debts.
The governor gave the charge on Tuesday while hosting a delegation from the leadership and management of the Nigeria Education Loans Fund (NELFUND) at his office in Osogbo.
According to Adeleke, he is aware of the challenges that the student loan scheme caused citizens of the United States of America and warned that “debt trap must never be experienced in Nigeria’s students’ loan operations.”
This came as the scheme has been officially launched in the state.
The Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyer, said the loan scheme is for government-owned tertiary institutions alone, saying beneficiaries would pay back two years after completing their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and after they have secured employment.
NELFUND opened its application portal in the first phase of registration for student loans in May.
The first phase accepted applications from federal tertiary institutions.
About 1.2m students in 226 federal universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and technical colleges were expected to benefit from the first phase.
Data obtained from the NUC and other agencies indicated that the nation has 226 federal tertiary institutions comprising 62 universities, 41 polytechnics, 96 monotechnics and 27 colleges of education.
Sawyerr in May disclosed that the Fund started receiving applications from state universities on June 25.
He requested all state institutions to submit their students’ data immediately in order to facilitate a smooth and seamless application process.
As Nigeria battles an economic crisis sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of FX windows, United Kingdom-based Diageo joined about 15 other multinational companies that have exited the country in the past three years.
Diageo is the latest to announce its departure on Tuesday, June 11 when it said it will sell its 58.02% stake in Guinness Nigeria to Tolaram.
I See Myself As Beautiful And Well Dressed, I Don't Look At The Mirror So I Won't Have Negative....0:00 / 0:00
Diageo joins others like Kimberly-Clark, manufacturers of Huggies and Kotex brands of diapers; US-based Procter and Gamble (P&G); GlaxoSmithKline (GSK); Unilever and Sanofi-Aventi Nigeria, who are either exiting completely or reducing their exposure in a country facing its worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.
Unilever Nigeria announced its exit from the home care and skin cleansing markets in Nigeria in November 2023, saying it did so “to find a more sustainable and profitable business model.” Procter & Gamble was the last to announce its exit from the country the same year. Similar reasons given by these and other companies include high energy costs, currency depreciation, insecurity etc.
The Federal Government itself acknowledged these challenges in an interview granted by Minister of Finance, Wale Edun on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, where he said “lack of a liquid foreign exchange market was the major reason why some multinational companies exited Nigeria,” explaining that the inability of the exiting multinationals to access foreign exchange was a major impediment to their operations in the country.
Weighing-in, the Director-General of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, Adewale Oyerinde, disclosed that at least 15 multinationals have either divested or partially closed operations in the country in the last three years.
Oyerinde, in his assessment, stated: “Over 15 organisations, with a combined value-chain staff strength of over 20,000 employees, have either divested or partially closed operations,” lamenting that this has “dire consequences not only for organised businesses but also for labour, government revenue and the households; massive job losses across sectors, which would continue to create insecurity challenges”.
Oyerinde added, “When NECA examined the exit of prominent companies like GSK, Sanofi, Procter & Gamble, Nampak, and others, who had been doing business in Nigeria for decades and were huge employers of labour, it was worried about the ripple effect on the broader business ecosystem.
“Within the value chain, numerous enterprises serve as suppliers to these major corporations, and their sustainability is significantly compromised when the primary businesses they cater to face extinction.
“The survival prospects of these secondary businesses are at stake, and their employees are also at risk, as the departure of the main clients could lead to their demise. The crisis within the value chain deserves more attention than it currently receives”.
Other sectoral group leaders and analysts maintain that the continuous exit of multinational firms would dampen Nigeria’s $1trn GDP target of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The President had, at the 29th Nigeria Economic Summit in Abuja, told business leaders and Nigerians that Nigeria’s economy can grow to $1 trillion by 2026.
Analysts believe the persistent exit of multinational companies from the country is set to impact negatively on this target.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that the performance of the GDP in the first quarter of 2024 was driven mainly by the services sector, which recorded a growth of 4.32 per cent and contributed 58.04 per cent to the aggregate GDP, whereas the nominal GDP growth of the manufacturing sector in the first quarter of 2024 was recorded at 8.21 per cent (year-on-year), 9.64 per cent points lower than the figure recorded in the corresponding period of 2023.
Real GDP growth in the manufacturing sector in the first quarter of 2024, on its part, was 1.49 per cent (year-on-year), lower than the same quarter of 2023.
Reacting to this, President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Otunba Francis Meshioye said, “MAN expects the government to frontally address insecurity, improve electricity supply, promote fiscal sustainability and ensure policy consistency.
“Among other priorities, the fiscal authority must also lend supportive measures by adequately incentivising the manufacturing sector and other productive sectors.
“This is very important to boost non-oil export earnings in addition to the increase in oil export proceeds occasioned by increased oil production, rising global oil prices and the coming on stream of the Dangote Refinery”.
Director-General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Chinyere Almona, also speaking on the issue, said: “Over the last few months, there has been a consistent increase in exit plans or a reduction in involvement in the Nigerian market by the multinationals, and this trend is worrisome.
“We have seen the likes of Unilever Nigeria, GlaxoSmithKline, and recently now Guinness Nigeria Plc.
“In Nigeria, lingering foreign exchange scarcity, poor power supply, port congestion, multiple taxation, insecurity, and poor infrastructure, among others, have taken a toll on many businesses in the country.”
The chamber recommended that the government should implement measures to stabilise and ensure the availability of foreign exchange for businesses, particularly those operating in dollar-denominated environments, also imploring the government to create a more flexible and transparent foreign exchange policy to address scarcity issues.
“Further, the Chamber urges the government to engage multinational corporations and the business community to understand their challenges and gather input and feedback on policy decisions to collaboratively develop solutions that will forestall the exodus of businesses from Nigeria. The CBN should prioritise the stability of the country’s currency and adopt the right policy mix to ensure price stability,” Almona said.
National President of the Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria, ASBON, Femi Egbesola, maintained that multinationals are among the companies that contribute largely to the country’s GDP and earnings.
“We cannot be talking of growing our economy when the real investors are leaving. Assuming they are leaving and the indigenous ones are increasing, it would have been a different thing. But that is not the case. You make income as a nation when you have investments and investors,” he said.
However, since the coming of the Tinubu administration, Tinubu and Edun, among others, have been speaking on efforts being put in place towards revamping the economy, encouraging Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and also making local industries vibrant and competitive.
Whether the assurances of Edun, who, on the Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, said, “recent executive orders signed by President Bola Tinubu have improved the investment climate … and also disclosed that tax reform proposals aimed at simplifying doing business for local and foreign manufacturers are being considered as part of an Economic Stabilisation Package,” would stem the flow of multinationals exiting the country, only time will tell.
The military leader of Niger Republic, General Abdourahamane Tiani, on Saturday said that the people of his country, along with neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, have “irrevocably turned their backs” on the West African bloc, ECOWAS.
He disclosed this at the opening of a summit in Niamey between the three Sahelian nations who pulled out of the larger group earlier this year.
“Our people have irrevocably turned their backs on ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States),” said Tiani.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, had on Thursday, lamented that despite several efforts being made by the regional bloc to bring Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger back to the fold, the trio are not showing any sign of returning.
While speaking at the opening ceremony of the 92nd Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of the bloc, in Abuja, he said ECOWAS was yet to establish a framework for negotiation with the authorities in the three Sahelian countries on their decision to withdraw their membership from the Community.
On January 28, the three military juntas in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger announced they would leave the ECOWAS.
“Despite our entreaties, in the form of softening of sanctions, invitation of the governments to technical meetings, and request for meetings, we have not yet gotten the right signals from these Member States,“ Touray said.
Two summits
A divided West Africa hosts two presidential summits this weekend – one in Niger between Sahel region military regime leaders, followed by another in Nigeria on Sunday with leaders of a wider economic bloc.
Saturday’s summit in Niger’s capital Niamey marks the first between the military leaders of a new regional bloc, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger set up the mutual defence pact in September, leaving the wider Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc in January.
Their ECOWAS exit was fuelled in part by their accusation that Paris was manipulating the bloc, and not providing enough support for anti-jihadist efforts.
The exit came as the trio shifted away from former colonial ruler France, expelling anti-jihadist French troops, and turned towards what they call their “sincere partners” – Russia, Turkey and Iran.
Given the deadly jihadist violence the three countries face, “the fight against terrorism” and the “consolidation of cooperation” will be on Saturday’s agenda, according to the Burkinabe presidency.
Sunday’s summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja then offers heads of ECOWAS states the opportunity to discuss relations with the AES.
After several bilateral meetings, the three Sahelian strongmen are gathering for the first time since coming to power through coups between 2020 and 2023.
In mid-May, the foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger agreed in Niamey on a draft text creating the confederation, which the heads of state are expected to adopt at Saturday’s summit.
The Delta State Police Command has commenced an investigation into an incident where a man, identified as Onyemali Christopher, allegedly brutalised his wife, Annabel Onyemali, in the state on Thursday.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Edafe Bright, disclosed this in a post on X.com on Thursday.
In his post, he shared a picture of Annabel with blood pouring down her face.
Edafe’s caption read, “Today 4th July 2024 at about 1500hrs, the command received a petition from Ideal Chambers on behalf of the victim Mrs ANNABEL OGECHI ONYEMALI who was allegedly grievously assaulted by her husband Mr Onyemali Christopher.
“The victim is presently at the State Criminal Investigation Department. Investigation has commenced.”
PUNCH Online reported on Wednesday that the command urged victims of domestic violence, particularly married women, to be proactive by reporting abuse to the nearest police station.
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukoyede, has said that in 2022, Nigeria lost not less than $500 million to the activities of fraudsters popularly known as Yahoo Boys.
He also said that in the same year, about 71 international companies left Nigeria because fraudsters hacked their accounts.
Olukoyede said this while speaking at the occasion where the Global Peace Movement International (GPMI), an international organisation conferred him with the “Man of Valour” Award.
Speaking on the negative impact of internet crimes, Olukoyede said, “In 2022, we lost over $500million in our economy to yahoo boys. The statistics are there. In the same year, about 71 international companies left Nigeria because they hacked their accounts.
“We can’t get credit cards in Nigeria because of our poor credit rating because of the activities of these cyber criminals, so the best we can get is debit cards.
“Do you know that there are some international merchants that you cannot use Nigerian cards on their platforms?
“Display your Green Passport outside the country and see if they will not take you aside and search you thoroughly.”
Bewailing the scourge of corruption in the country, Olukoyede promised not to disappoint Nigerians and not to spare the corrupt.
According to him, for every N10 the EFCC recovers, more than N50 has been stolen and to recover that N10, there is a need for approximately N2.50k.
He therefore restated the commitment of his administration to the pursuit of preventive frameworks to tackle corruption.
He said, “We decided to go by the way of prevention and I set up a directorate of Fraud Risk Assessment and Control (FRAC).
“With this Directorate, we are going into MDAs and monitor real time the implementation of budgets. As money is being released, we will be tracking it.”
Olukoyede charged Nigerians to fully embrace the fight against economic and financial crimes in the overall interests of the nation.
He stated this on Thursday while briefing State House reporters after President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC).
President of the Dangote Industries Limited, Mr Aliko Dangote, says Nigeria has all it takes to turn its economy around within months.
He stated this on Thursday while briefing State House reporters after President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC).
The PECC, tasked with strategising a way out of the current economic situation in the country, has a mix of government officials, top private sector players, and consultants including Dangote; Chairman of the United Bank of Africa, Mr Tony Elumelu; and Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun said the Council is to meet and report to the President monthly.
Dangote applauded the president initiative, saying it will better the economy of the country and the Nigerian populace.
He said members of the council from the private and public sectors would sit regularly to advise the government on the kind of policies that government should roll out.
“Most of these things, we have them, there are already been discussed over and over again, it is a matter of implementation. I think the choice of people that are on the PECC, they are good enough to be able to advise government on how to implement the policies,” said Dangote, who is Africa’s richest man.
“The private sector will do its own bit which is to invest heavily and create jobs. Government don’t really create jobs, what they do is to give us the right policies. We have all these policies.
“I keep saying our issues are not that bad, this economy can be turned around within few months and I think we are on that way. I thank the President for inaugurating this Council.
“We will start working immediately and I can assure you (that) you will see a lot of changes coming. We have what it takes to turn around this economy. We are going to work hard to make Nigerians proud.”
Nigeria is battling inflation, high cost of living, and other economic crisss sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of forex windows.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has threatened to penalise deposit money banks (DMBs) that reject mutilated naira notes.
In a statement on Thursday signed by Solaja Olayemi, CBN’s acting director of currency operations department, the apex bank said several reports have been made against the banks.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has received several reports of rejection of dirty/mutilated Naira banknotes by some Deposit Money Banks (DMBs),” the bank said.
“Consequently, it has become imperative to remind DMBs that the CBN circular dated July 2, 2019, reference number COD/DIR/GEN/CIR/01/006, which prescribes penalties for the rejection of Naira banknotes, is still enforceable and binding on erring DMBs.”
The apex bank said it will not hesitate to impose strict sanctions on banks reported to have rejected naira deposits from the public, under any guise.
Also, on July 2, CBN warned banks and authorised foreign exchange dealers against rejecting old series and lower denominations of dollars.
The apex bank said all relevant parties must adhere to and comply with the instruction, emphasising its disapproval of selective acceptance of deposits.
CBN said it discovered old series and lower denominations of dollars are still being rejected during a consumer market survey.
KuCoin, a cryptocurrency exchange, says it will commence collection of a 7.5 percent value-added tax (VAT) on transaction fees for users in Nigeria.
The company said a regulatory update in Nigeria led to KuCoin’s decision to introduce the VAT.
In a statement on July 3, the cryptocurrency platform said the deduction of the VAT would be effective from July 8.
KuCoin said for every trade, the 7.5 percent VAT will be applied to the transaction fee — not the total transaction amount.
“We are writing to inform you of an important regulatory update that impacts our users from Nigeria,” the company said.
“Starting from July 8th, 2024, we will begin collecting a Value-Added Tax (“VAT”) at a rate of 7.5% on transaction fees in each trade for users whose KYC information is registered in Nigeria.
“Nb: The 7.5% is only charged on the 0.1%/0.05% transaction fee and not your total amount which will be remitted.”
According to KuCoin, if a user buys $1,000 worth of bitcoin with a 0.1 percent fee rate, the transaction fee would be $1.
The VAT, the crypto platform said, would be 7.5 percent of the fee which is $0.075 — the net amount for the transaction would be $998.925.
“Please note that the VAT will be applied to the transaction fees in each trade, not the transaction amount, and covers all transaction types on KuCoin platform,” the crypto exchange said.
In 2022, Zainab Ahmed, former minister of finance, budget, and national planning, had initially hinted at government’s plans to tax cryptocurrencies and other digital assets.
In the 2023 Finance Act, the government imposed a 10 percent tax on profits from digital assets, including cryptocurrencies.
However, the particular provision of the act was not enforced.
In May, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced plans to delist naira from all peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms.
SEC said the decision was taken to avoid the level of “manipulation” happening in the cryptocurrency space.
As concerns mount over the lack of domestic crude oil to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and other indigenous refiners, the Independent Petroleum Producers Group has called on President Bola Tinubu to consider declaring a state of emergency on crude oil production in Nigeria following the lingering crisis associated with this.
IPPG is an association of Nigerian indigenous upstream exploration production companies that engages the government and other industry stakeholders on issues affecting the sector. It has 28 members including Oando Plc, Aiteo, Seplat, Energia, Eroton, First E&P, Frontier Oil, Green Energy, among others.
The oil producers also expressed fears that the 2024 budget might be implemented partially due to the low production of crude in Nigeria lately.
This came as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited announced that it had declared war on the challenges confronting oil production across the country, adding that it was currently engaging its partners including International Oil Companies.
However, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, charged the oil producers to increase their investments in the upstream arm of the business, as this would also help to grow oil output.
They all spoke at the ongoing Nigeria Oil and Gas conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Nigeria’s oil production has been dropping since this year, falling from over 1.4 million barrels per day (excluding condensates) in January to about 1.2mbpd in April.
Oil producers believe that Nigeria should be producing about 2mbpd in order to meet the demand of local refineries as well as export.
Dangote refinery as well as operators of modular refineries have continued to raise concern over the poor crude oil supply from IOCs and NNPC. However, industry experts say most of the crude volumes by the IOCs and NNPC have been contracted out to dealers already, amid the low production in-country.
Presenting the industry keynote address at the conference, the Chairman, IPPG, Abdulrazaq Isa, pointed out that the industry was in dire need of extraordinary focus to mitigate the genuine concerns on its long-term sustainability.
He stressed that “as a matter of national importance, Nigeria must act fast and hasten the pace of recovery across the entire industry, even if it means Mr President declaring a state of emergency in the oil and gas sector! We must be seen to do everything possible to unleash the industry.
“Unlocking this incremental production is achievable only through collaboration and commitment between the industry regulators (NUPRC and NMDPRA) and industry operators (NNPC, OPTS and IPPG) and this must be done for the sake of our country.”
Isa said despite Nigeria’s world class hydrocarbon resource base, with over 37 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves and 207 tcf (trillion cubic feet) and 600 tcf of proven and contingent gas reserves respectively, the country finds itself in a situation where its daily production has significantly dropped and lies at about 1.3 million barrels of oil and 8.5 bcf (billion cubic feet) of gas today.
“This is way below our capacity as a nation and by all globally acceptable standards, this reserves to production ratio is extremely low and a clear indicator that the industry is in a dire situation. In addition, we now run the risk of partial implementation of our national budget considering an estimated deficit of 400,000bpd from the forecasted 1.78 million bpd.
“This trend in production portends another frightening dimension when we consider that in the not-too-distant future our overall installed domestic refining capacity, currently closing in on about 1.2 million barrels per day, may soon outstrip our current crude oil production level with the risk of Nigeria finding itself in a position where it is unable to meet its domestic refinery crude demand or even become a net importer of crude oil, God forbid!,” he stated.
The oil producers chairman noted that it was against this scary backdrop that the IPPG was calling for urgent measures to be undertaken by all relevant stakeholders to immediately arrest this dwindling production level and under-investment by focusing on some priority areas.
Outlining the priority areas, he said, “The immediate conclusion of all pending IOC divestment transactions: IPPG strongly advocates that our member companies – Seplat, the Renaissance Consortium and Oando – have the proven track record to successfully take over and manage these onshore and shallow water assets to realise incremental production in the region of 100,000 – 200,000 barrels of oil and over 1.5bcf of gas per day within 24 months and well over 500,000 barrels of oil per day in the long term.
“IPPG believes the timely approval of these IOC divestment transactions will also be a clear signal capable of restoring global investor confidence in Nigeria in an era of competing global investment destinations in Africa and very limited access to capital.
“The urgent need to address deepwater developmental and production: Untangling issues around deepwater development, particularly in terms of competitive fiscal regime being negotiated with Shell, Total Energies, ExxonMobil and Chevron, has the potential to unlock incremental production of 700,000 barrels per day from this terrain in the short to medium term.”
Isa also stated that enabling deepwater development would attract significant economic benefits as Nigeria has one of the world’s largest untapped deepwater resource base.
“The adoption of a national value-retention strategy: Nigeria’s domestic crude oil refining and petrochemical capacity must be sustained primarily from our domestic crude oil and gas production in order to transform our country into a net exporter of refined petroleum and petrochemical products that will lay a strong foundation for the rapid industrialisation of the Nigerian economy.
“It is therefore imperative to grow our daily production to 2.5 million barrels of oil and 10 bcf of gas in the near to long term to ensure we are able to meet our domestic refinery and petrochemical demands and export commitments to generate the much needed foreign exchange earnings for macro-economic stability.
“The development of Nigeria’s gas resources to catalyse economic growth and complement decarbonisation drive: Nigeria’s vast gas resources must be exploited with immediate focus placed on restoring production to existing installed LNG capacity and expanding production (FLNG),” he stated.
In addition, the IPPG chairman said “we must expand domestic gas utilisation (gas-to-power; gas-based industries) by investing heavily to address the gas infrastructure deficit facing us today. The International Oil Companies will lead the charge on export gas while IPPG members will drive the domestic gas agenda led by NNPC
“These priority areas provide the most realistic and sustainable pathway towards meeting our national long term production aspiration of four million barrels of oil per day and 13 billion cubic feet of gas per day.”
NNPC reacts
Also speaking at the conference, the Group Chief Executive Officer NNPC, Mele Kyari, said in order ro increase Nigeria’s crude oil production and grow its reserves, NNPC has declared a state of emergency on production in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
“We have decided to stop the debate. We have declared war on the challenges affecting our crude oil production. War means war. We have the right tools. We know what to fight. We know what we have to do at the level of assets. We have engaged our partners. And we will work together to improve the situation,” he declared.
According to him, a detailed analysis of assets revealed that Nigeria can conveniently produce two million barrels of crude oil per day without deploying new rigs, but the major impediment to achieving that remains the inability of players to act in a timely manner.
He said the “war” would help NNPC and its partners to speedily clear all identified obstacles to effective and efficient production such as delays in procurement processes, which have become a challenge in the industry.
Oil sector principalities
Kyari described some players in the sector as principalities, but stated that the President had made orders to tackle such individuals.
“There are delays in procurement and this is because all of us the producing companies have converted procurement to business. It is not just NNPC, everyone of us. And I’ve said this to all our partners that within your companies you have principalities who will not let you complete your procurement, who will add cost to your costs.
“And now what Mr President has done is to take out all the principalities and if you do, it is your choice. But for us as a company we are moving to another level. We are going to cap the cost of production. You can call your wife to do the contract, no problem, provided you produce the oil at $20/barrel or so.
“We’re getting there so that we can take out those procurement people who have stopped us from developing as an industry and a country. This is what Mr President’s executive order has done, to take out those principalities so that we can move.”
On medium to long-term measures aimed at boosting and sustaining production, Kyari said NNPC would replace all the old crude oil pipelines built over four decades ago and also introduce a rig sharing programme with its partners to ensure that production rigs stay in the country for between four and five years which is the standard practice in most climes.
He called on all players in the industry to collaborate towards reducing the cost of production and boosting production to target levels.
He expressed the company’s commitment to investing in critical midstream gas infrastructure such as the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben, known as OB3, and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipelines to boost domestic gas production and supply for power generation, industrial development and economic prosperity of the country.
On Compressed Natural Gas, Kyari observed that NNPC has since keyed into the Presidential CNG drive, adding that in conjunction with partners such as NIPCO Gas, NNPC has built a number of CNG stations, 12 of which will be inaugurated on Thursday in Lagos and Abuja.
Meanwhile, the oil minister, Lokpobiri, charged the IPPG to increase its investments in the oil sector by ramping up its production of crude, stressing that if the 28 members of the association could produce at least 5,000 barrels daily, this would go a long way in raising Nigeria’s oil output.
A tragic incident occurred as an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) took his own life on Monday at his residence in Abuja.
PRNigeria gathered that the deceased, a member of Course 5, was described as diligent, efficient, and unassuming.
The Commission is exploring possible factors, including mental health and family challenges, that may have contributed to the operative’s depression and tragic decision.
When contacted on the incident, the EFCC spokesperson, Mr. Dele Oyewale told PRNigeria that an investigation is currently underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the suicide.
The EFCC has not released the operative’s name pending the conclusion of the investigation.
This incident has sent shockwaves through the organization, and details will be provided as more information becomes available.
Aliko Dangote, the President, Dangote Industries Ltd has identified solutions to sustaining existing local and foreign investments as well as attracting new investors into the country.
Dangote gave the solutions in a keynote speech delivered at the opening of a three-Day Nigeria Manufacturers Summit with the theme,” Rethinking Manufacturing in Nigeria”.
The summit, held at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja, was declared opened by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The Africa richest man said, to arrest investors from leaving the country in droves and attract new ones, the Federal Government must initiate deliberate industrial policies that assure investors of support and protection.
According to him, such policies are the greatest incentives for all existing investors, manufacturers, both local and foreign.
The industrialist also noted that foreign investors, manufacturers would be attracted only when they see that local investors are also doing well.
According to him, what attracts foreign investment is not when the President or any other government agencies go outside the country to seek for foreign investment.
“I am recommending that government policies should support, protect existing industries so that others will know that their investments will also be protected.
” Is there any better incentives than that ? I don’t think so.
“So, I humbly summit that an industrial policy that assures investors of support and protection is the greatest incentives for all investors both local and foreign,” he said.
Dangote also underscored the importance of stable and affordable power, as well accessible financing to sustaining and attracting investors and manufacturers.
He said stable, affordable power and access to finance by manufacturers and investors would guarantee growth, industrialisation and prosperity.
According to him, import dependent economy is equivalent to importing poverty and exporting jobs.
He further said that when government policies become more supportive and protective, investors would be more willing to collaborate and partner with government.
” This will help in resolving others challenges such as infrastructure deficit, market instability and market economic issues such as inflation and foreign exchange volatility.
“However, ignoring all these facts is what give rise to insecurity, banditry, kidnappings and abject poverty in the land,” he said
On Bank loans to investors, Dangote said that the current 30 per cent interest rates is stifling growth and there is no way anybody can create jobs.
The business magnate, however, expressed the optimism that Nigeria has all it takes to develop and sustain a globally competitive manufacturing sector.
“To do so, we must rethink our industrialisation policy. We must look to leading countries in the West and the East who are actually protecting their domestic industries.
“We must similarly, introduce policies to protect our domestic industries and nurture them into home champions that will create the jobs and prosperity we desperately need.
” The time to rethink our industrial policy is now,” Dangote said.
He reiterated that manufacturing remains the key driver in the nation’s quest to economic development and self sufficiency.
Dangote added that the strengths of a country’s manufacturing sector determines its capacity to compete in global trade.
Also speaking at the event, a former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, appealed to President Bola Tinubu to declare manufacturing, a national priority sector. NAN
REVEALED: Youth Ministry Paid One Man N10m Twice to ‘Invite 50’ Youths to Tinubu’s 1st Anniversary
To mark the first anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the Ministry of Youth Development invited at least 50 youths from across Nigeria’s 36 states to the presidential villa. This venture cost the ministry N20 million, paid in violation of the financial regulations, FIJ has gathered.
Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, and immediately began policy changes he claimed would save the country some money. “Fuel subsidy is gone,” he said during his inauguration, immediately increasing the cost of living and dividing expert opinions.
One year after taking the reins, the presidency organised a celebratory event at the villa to mark the milestone. As part of preparations, the Jamila Ibrahim-led youth ministry shelled out N20 million to invite youths to attend.
Ibrahim’s ministry made N10 million payments twice to one Dahiru Jibril on May 25, 2024, for the same purpose. Each payment, FIJ found on the Govspend portal, has a different payment number.
Each payment description reads: “Being payment for invitation of 50 youths from 36 states of the federation to participate in the celebration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s first year anniversary at the presidential villa.”
The payments had codes 1001185448-1 and 1001185448-2.
By paying into a private account, the ministry violated Nigeria’s Financial Regulations.
Chapter 7, Section 713 of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations (2009), states: “Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account. Any officer who pays public money into a private account is deemed to have done so with fraudulent intention.”
FIJ earlier reported how the State House headquarters violated the same regulation when it made a N10 million payment to a private account on March 15 to purchase consumables for Nana Shettima, wife of Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Many Nigerians are curious as to why the government has not yet implemented the recommendations of the Oronsaye Report.
There are rumours of political manoeuvring and lobbying by some powerful individuals who stand to lose from the proposed merger of ministries, departments and agencies of government (MDAs).
Others speculate that the government may face logistical and financial challenges in the mergers. However, the delay is causing anxiety among civil servants and citizens alike, who are eager to see a leaner and more efficient government.
They say the government must provide clear and transparent communication on the progress of the mergers and address any concerns or obstacles hindering the implementation.
LEADERSHIP reports that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the merging, scrapping, and subsuming of some MDAs in February this year in line with its policy of reducing the cost of governance.
The president’s special adviser on policy coordination, Hajiya Hadiza Bala-Usman, said the decision was based on the Steve Oronsaye Report on Civil Service Reforms inaugurated under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in 2014.
According to the report, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria will be merged with the Voice of Nigeria, while the National Commission for Museum and Monuments will be merged with the National Gallery of Acts.
The National Theatre will merge with the National Troupe of Nigeria, while the National Meteorological Development Centre will merge with the National Meteorological Training Institute.
National Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS (NACA) is to be merged with the Centre for Disease Control in the Federal Ministry of Health, while National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is to be merged with the National Commission for Refugee Migration and Internally Displaced Persons.
The Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa will be merged with the Directorate of Technical Aid to function as a department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission is to be merged with the Bureau for Public Enterprises. The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission will merge with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, while the National Agency for Science and Technology and Science and Engineering Infrastructure will merge with the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation and the Project Development Institute.
The special adviser further revealed that the National Biotechnology Development Agency will be merged with the National Centre for Genetic Resource and Biotechnology, while the National Institute for Leather Science Technology will be merged with the National Institute for Chemical Technology.
The Nomadic Education Commission will merge with the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult Education, and Non-formal Education.
The Nigerian Army University will be merged with the Nigerian Defence Academy to function as a faculty within the latter.
Similarly, the Air Force Institute of Technology also will be merged with the Nigerian Defence Academy to function as the faculty of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
The Border Communities Development Agency will be subsumed to function as a department under the National Boundary Commission.
The National Salaries Income and Wages Commission is to be subsumed into the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission while the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution is to be subsumed under the Institute for International Affairs.
The Public Complaints Commission is to be subsumed under the National Human Rights Commission while the Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis is to be subsumed into the Institute for Veterinary Research.
On the agencies to be relocated, Hadiza Bala Usman said the Niger Delta Power Holding Company is to be relocated to the Ministry of Power while the National Agricultural Land Development Agency will be relocated to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
Meanwhile, a director in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, who pleaded anonymity while speaking on the expiration of the 12 weeks given to the presidential committee to develop a workable plan for implementing the merger of MDAs, said it was wise to give the committee this week to see what they will come out with, since the deadline just expired.
Responding on whether he was aware of the preparedness of the MDAs for the merger, he said the Office of the Head of Service does not have such information, and that it is the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation that is in charge of the merger because MDAs are under the SGF, not the Head of Service.
“The 12 weeks given to the presidential committee to implement the merger just expired, and today is Monday; you people should be patient and hold forth. Let us see what this week brings out. It is too early to ask what is happening.
“On if the MDAs are prepared, I would not know how prepared they are, because MDAs are under the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. They are in charge of parastatals, not the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation,” he said.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has assured Nigerians and the organised labour that better minimum wage will result from ongoing negotiations.
The governors had previously rejected the Federal Government’s proposal of N62,000, stating that some states would need to borrow money to pay salaries.
Despite this, organised labour continues to demand a wage of N250,000.
The governors chose to hold an emergency meeting after the Federal Executive Council postponed the minimum wage discussion on Tuesday to allow President Bola Tinubu to conduct broader consultations.
According to a communiqué released after an emergency meeting that extended into the early hours of Thursday, signed by NGF acting Director, Media, Ahmed Salihu, the Forum discussed various issues impacting the nation.
The communiqué indicated that the forum discussed the new national minimum wage and agreed to continue engaging with key stakeholders to reach a mutually acceptable solution.
It read, “The Forum received a presentation from the Minister of Women Affairs on the World Bank-Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up, along with other activities of the ministry. Members noted the importance of the project and emphasized the need to implement it at the state level as initially conceived, as the states are the primary obligors of the project.
“The governors acknowledge the work and contributions of the Ministry of Women Affairs in promoting gender equality, empowering women, and advancing social development across Nigeria.
“The Forum discussed the new National Minimum Wage. The governors agreed to continue engaging with key stakeholders to reach a mutually agreeable solution. We remain dedicated to the process and assure that better wages will result from the ongoing negotiations.”
The 36 state governors highlighted the significance of the World Bank-Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up and stressed the necessity of implementing it at the state level as originally intended, given that the states are the primary entities responsible for the project.
The communique added ” We, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), at our meeting held today, deliberated on issues affecting the country.
“Members received the Acting Country Director of the World Bank, Mr. Taimur Samad, and his team to discuss the bank’s various programmes currently being implemented in the states, including HOPE Series of Projects: Nigeria Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equality, Food and Nutrition Security, NFWP-SU: Nigeria For Women Project Scale Up, NG-CARES: Nigeria Community Action (for) Resilience and Economic Stimulus Programme SABER: State Action on Business Enabling Reforms Program, SPIN: Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria Project.
“Members expressed willingness to continue to provide the much-needed support to ensure programme effectiveness across the country.
“Members received a briefing from Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee. He highlighted the progress made regarding the ongoing Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms. He sought the input and support of their excellencies on a number of proposals which would directly impact the subnational level of government.
“Members pledged their support for the Committee to ensure the successful implementation of these reforms and to collaborate closely to address any challenges that may arise.”
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has ordered the arrest of two officers of the Commission allegedly involved in the manhandling of a female staff of Regional Hotel, Ojo, Lagos.
In a video trending online, the EFCC officials who dressed in mufti were seen badging into one of the rooms of the hotel.
An unidentified lady said to be a worker at the hotel was seen trying to open the door from inside when the men opened it forcefully.
One of them was seen slapping the lady reportedly before he ordered her out of the room.
The incident was captured on Closed Circuit Television (CCTV).
In his statement, Oyewale said the incident happened during an early morning sting operation.
He said the operation led to the arrest of a sizable number of suspects who were still being profiled.
“The EFCC’s boss has also ordered detailed investigations of the operation carried out at the hotel and assured that appropriate disciplinary measures would be taken against any of the officers found to be culpable,” the statement read.
“Olukoyede assures the general public that the EFCC would continue to ply its job professionally and with profound respect for the rule of law.”
An emerging video on X (formerly Twitter) showing that a part of the Dangote refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, was on fire has begun to draw the attention of social media users.
In the video now shared by many users, the first being at 1:22 pm, on the microblogging site, heaps of black smoke from the burning area were visible from a part of the refinery.
FIJ learned that part of the Dangote refinery was indeed on fire in the wee hours of Wednesday.
A source who spoke to FIJ confirmed that the fire started at midnight due to a leakage. “It was a leakage on Pipe A13 that caused the fire. It started small: first, a burning cable before people started perceiving some smell. This was around midnight. But it has been put out,” he told FIJ.
According to the source, firefighters were only able to contain the fire around noon.
A trigger-happy police officer from the Nsukka Urban Police Division has reportedly shot and killed a young man, identified as Amuche, on Echara Road in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The incident, SaharaReporters gathered, happened on Sunday night.
According to eyewitnesses, a group of plainclothes police officers had gone out for a night of relaxation when the incident occurred.
The trouble reportedly started when one of the officers began dancing with a woman, suspected to be a sex worker, in front of a bar.
The woman allegedly accused the officer of groping her breasts while they were dancing, leading to an altercation that ended up in the officer shooting Amuche.
The officer's identity has not been released, as the police are trying to cover it up, SaharaReporters reliably gathered.
"She alerted the management of the charlet and the manager had a heated argument with the policeman," said an eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"In the process, one of them slapped the other person. At that point, the manager went inside the charlet and mobilised some boys who were working there.
"The Manager then slapped the policeman when he returned with the boys. It was at that point that the other policemen who were in company of the one dancing with the alleged prostitute, joined the fracas to rescue their embattled colleague.
"That was when one of them pulled an AK-47 rifle from their car and shot to disperse the crowd that gathered following the chaotic situation. A stray bullet then hit Amuche, who was playing snookers at the charlet when the incident started.
"The victim was already rushing to leave the venue when he was hit by the bullet. The policemen equally whisked away the manager of the charlet on the ground that he assaulted their colleague," the witness said.
The incident, incident however, sparked a wide protest as irate youths carried the corpse and protested to the Nsukka Police Division where they were allegedly asked to go and deposit the remains in the morgue.
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters efforts to get the police reaction were unsuccessful as the Command's spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, didn't take his calls as at the time of filing this report.
The cost of a new presidential jet will be included in the 2024 supplementary budget, TheCable understands.
Sources have disclosed that the proposal will be sent to the national assembly soon.
In April, President Bola Tinubu resorted to a commercial aircraft on his way to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh after the aircraft he travelled with to The Netherlands developed a fault.
Around the same time, Vice-President Kashim Shettima was seen arriving in Ogun state in a chartered aircraft.
The vice-president would later abort his trip to the US mid-air after the aircraft transporting him developed an engine fault.
On the heels of these developments, TheCable reported that the federal government has put three ageing presidential jets up for sale.
The current fleet, maintained by the presidential air fleet (PAF), an arm of the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), include Boeing 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), a Gulfstream G550, a Gulfstream GV, two Falcon 7x and one Challenger CL605.
Two committees of the national assembly have recommended that two aircraft be bought for the use of the president and vice-president.
However, a source at the national assembly said only the cost of one presidential jet would be included in the supplementary budget.
In early June, Atiku Bagudu, minister of budget and economic planning, said the supplementary budget would be funded with the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF).
The fund is currently domiciled in the National Sovereign Wealth Investment Authority (NSWIA).
The spending bill would also provide funding for the Lagos-Calabar coastal road and rail projects across the country.
FEC steps down minimum wage memo for more consultation with governors, private sector
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Tuesday, stepped down the memo on the new millennium wage for the nation’s public workers.
Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, disclosed this after the council meeting in Abuja.
Mr Idris said the decision would allow for more consultations between President Bola Tinubu, state governors, local government authorities and the private sector.
He revealed that the FEC did not act on the memo submitted by the tripartite committee, given that the federal government was not the sole stakeholder on the national minimum wage issue.
“(That) memo was stepped down to enable Mr President to consult further, especially with the state governors and the organised private sector, before he makes a presentation to the National Assembly before an executive bill is presented to the National Assembly.
“So I want to state that on the new national minimum wage, Mr President is going to consult further so that he can have an informed position because the new national minimum wage, as I said, is not just an issue of the federal government,” he told state house journalists after the meeting.
The tripartite committee on the new minimum wage, which comprises the government’s team, organised labour, and the organised private sector, was established in January and reviewed the wages from the current pay of N30,000 to N62,000.
Amid this, organised labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, has been demanding N250,000 as the minimum living wage for workers.
Tinubu Government Owes Six-Month Salaries Of Staff Of 13 Agencies Under Health Ministry
Some staff of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Health have lamented how the President Bola Tinubu's administration has withheld their salaries and allowances for the past six months.
The agencies include; the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria, the Institute of Chemist, the Pharmacist council of Nigeria, the Health records, the Medical laboratory council of Nigeria, and the Medical and dental council of Nigeria.
Others are; the Medical rehabilitation council, the Dental technology registration board, the Optometrists Board (ODORBN), the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria ( EHCON), the Institute public analysis of Nigeria and Environmental health practitioners of Nigeria.
Some of the personnel, who spoke with SaharaReporters on Monday, lamented their inability to provide food for their households, payments of their children school fees, transport to their workplaces among others.
"The President Tinubu's administration is not paying our salaries including allowances. We are at least 14 agencies under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health. This has been from January 2024 to date.
"We have not been paid our salaries and allowances, since January 2014 and we do not know the reason for the failure and delay from the part of the government to pay despite the unimaginable hardship we are subject to.
"I think the government should talk to us, let us know why our salaries are delayed," one of them said.
"The President Tinubu administration earlier agreed to the "continuation of the Budgetary Allocation to the 14 agencies that were earlier defended under the Federal Ministry of Health & Social welfare.
"The question is, why then the delay in salaries & allowances in this hard time, where feeding is becoming a challenge to the common Nigerian?
"This is a sin against humanity and it is advised that this issue be attended to with immediate effect," another worker said.
One of the representatives of the non-Academic Staff Union of education and association institution (NASU) while speaking with SaharaReporters called for an urgent intervention of the president to ensure that their salaries were disbursed without further delay.
He said; "We want to bring the attention of President Bola Tinubu to the critical issue of non-payment of salaries for the 13 health regulatory bodies under the Ministry of Health. In June 2023, we received a letter from the budget office of Nigeria indicating that we would no longer be funded from the government's treasury.
"In response to this situation, the health regulatory bodies union chairmen formed a union to engage with the committee of Registrar CEOs of each regulatory body involved. We sought help from the Minister of Health, through whom we are granted a waiver from the federal government to remain in the government treasury. However, prior to obtaining the waiver, we were not permitted to submit our budget.
"In late March 2024, we were instructed by the budget office to resubmit our budget, which we promptly did. Unfortunately, till date, we have not received our salaries. This has put us in a difficult position as we have not been paid since January and we are unsure of how to cope.
"Your urgent intervention and assistance are needed to address this pressing matter and ensure that our salaries are disbursed without further delay."
However, the Ministry of Health, Director of Information, Patricia Deworitshe, told SaharaReporters that the workers complaining and lamenting knew the proper channels to approach for their complaints.
"I am not aware of that, the workers complaining and lamenting knows the proper channels to go if actually they have not been paid their salary. They need to contact the Minister and Permanent Secretary. If they don't notify them, how will anything be done about it?" she said.
Gbenga Sesan, the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, has revealed that his organisation bought Minister Bosun Tijani’s National Identification Number (NIN) slip for just N100.
Sesan said this on Monday while explaining a data breach and privacy concerns with Nigeria’s vulnerable identification database on News Central TV.
“NIMC’s statement (published on Saturday) suggests that it is Nigerians who are giving their data to these fake websites, but this is NIMC’s data, and we now have proof. We got the NIN slip of the minister, Dr Bosun Tijani; we got the NIN slip of the number one data regulator in Nigeria, Dr Vincent Olatunji,” Sesan said on Monday.
“We bought them for N100 each to demonstrate that this is not a joke. It basically means that your identity is for sale for N100. The real implication is that anything we can do with a NIN slip, we can get a SIM card with that. Who knows if anyone has the President’s SIM card right now. Or the National Security Adviser? A military general leading warfare in a place where they are dealing with terrorists?
“What if a terrorist bought the general’s NIN slip, got his SIM card and sent a message to the troops and said, ‘Meet me at 0700. 14 degrees north,’ just to ambush them? The implications are serious. It means that anybody can claim to be you. They can get your SIM card and do it.”
Gbenga Sesan reveals his organisation bought Minister Bosun Tijani’s National Identification Number (NIN) slip for just N100.
Only three months after FIJ exposed XpressVerify, a private website selling the Nigerian identification data, private website AnyVerify was found trading Nigerian bank verification numbers (BVNs), among other sensitive citizen data.
Paradigm Initiative said on Thursday that it was seeking legal redress on behalf of Nigerians for a breach of data privacy rights.
NIMC stated that the data of Nigerians had not been compromised on Saturday. It was responding to Paradigm Initiative’s alarm over websites such as AnyVerify and XpressVerify.
In the same breath, NIMC confirmed it did not authorise AnyVerify and some other listed websites. NIMC described these websites as data harvesters.
According to Sesan, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) failed to properly scrutinise NIMC’s responsibility for the data breach after FIJ exposed XpressVerify in March. Sesan said NIMC only got “a slap on the wrist” for the breach.
“When NIMC says there is no breach, we understand that they are trying to control and not create panic. But at this point, they need to hit the panic button; otherwise, there will be impunity over and over again,” Sesan noted.
“It’s not just that there’s a data breach, it’s that there is another data breach. XpressVerify was the one in March, and we did report it.
“Thanks to FIJ, it was revealed. We reported it to the NDPC and NIMC got a slap on the wrist, and that means that they were willing to look away again.”
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