₦airaland Forum

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Adedayo Akintoye

Adedayo Adeola Akintoye, a judge in the criminal division of Lagos State High Court, has procured a luxury flat worth millions of dollars inside the world-famous Burj Khalifa, records seen by Peoples Gazette showed, even though she earns roughly $1,700 per month in salaries and allowances.

Mrs. Akintoye, 63, a familiar personality across Lagos judiciary, secured the deluxe three-bed apartment on the 64th Floor of the Khalifa Tower — designated as the tallest building in the world and one of the most expensive real estates around, the Gazette has learnt.

Records of the property obtained by the Gazette’s reporters showed that Mrs. Akintoye purchased the property using her Nigerian passport number A028149** with an expiry date between March 17, 2011, and March 16, 2016. Her date of birth of January 31, 1958, was also on file as the sole owner of the luxury apartment.

A comparative worth of similar properties in the same Burj Khalifa building costs 11,984,888 United Arab Emirates Dirham or $3.2 million or N1.2 billion.

Burj Khalifa apartment.

Mrs. Akintoye’s discreet ownership of accommodation inside the Burj Khalifa, an ultra-luxury skyscraper overlooking the priciest section of Dubai, reflects a meshing of civil service and luxury lifestyles now increasingly seen amongst government officials in Nigeria.

Barefaced denial

Reached for clarification on how a serving high court judge could afford a luxury apartment at the Burj Khalifa, Mrs. Akintoye’s husband swiftly assumed the role of her spokesman.

“Mrs. Akintoye is not the owner of a property in Dubai but a joint owner with me,” Mr. Akindele Akintoye said. “I bought the property in our joint names and the records in Dubai will confirm this.”

When reminded that his name could not be found anywhere on the record as a co-owner of the property, including records of Emaar Properties, which owns Burj Khalifa, Mr. Akintoye said: “It may interest you to know that the property was bought by us before Mrs. Akintoye became a judge.”

The Gazette’s findings, however, showed that Mrs. Akintoye, a former registrar of lands in Lagos was a magistrate before former Governor Tunde Fashola elevated her to Lagos State High Court in 2014.

Details of her passport attached to records of her Burj Khalifa apartment, which was dated between 2011 and 2016, invariably prove that the property was acquired either while she was a magistrate or after becoming a senior judge.

When told that it was in the public interest to know how a magistrate or a judge was able to acquire a property worth millions of dollars, Mr. Akintoye backtracked on his previous admittance, saying this time that the property was not inside Burj Khalifa.

“We own a property elsewhere,” Mr. Akintoye, a lawyer, said without elaborating on where the property he claimed he bought with his wife was located in Dubai.

He also repeatedly declined comments on how much was paid for the apartment, insisting that “the property does not cost millions of dollars.”
But a comparative worth of similar properties in the same Burj Khalifa building costs 11,984,888 United Arab Emirates Dirham ($3.2 million), according to foremost UAE real estate provider Property Finder.

The official remuneration packages of state high court judges (official salary and allowances) are detailed below:

Annual basic salary — N1,804,740
Vehicle maintenance/fuel — N1,353,555
Personal assistant — N451,185
Hardship — N902,370
Domestic Staff — N1,353,555
Entertainment — N812,133
Utilities — N541,422
Outfit — N451,185
Newspaper — N270,711.

This leaves an annual total of N7,940,856, to be paid as N661,738 per month. From Mrs. Akintoye’s yearly wages, it will take her 156 years to purchase her Burj Khalifa luxury apartment.

Corrupt judiciary

The Gazette exposure of Judge Akintoye’s concealed asset in Dubai came as Carnegie Endowment for International Peace released a report that described the Emirati commercial capital as “an oasis for Nigeria’s corrupt political elites.”

The report, authored by Matthew Page, said corrupt wealthy Nigerians had relied on Dubai “to stash their ill-gotten gains and enjoy luxury real estate worth millions.”

Nigerian judges have come under relentless public scrutiny for large-scale corruption in the country’s legal system.

In 2016, the State Security Service confiscated not less than $800,000 in cash in coordinated raids on the private residences of many senior judges indicted for corruption.

The secret police said it also uncovered real estate valued at “several millions of naira and documents affirming unholy acts by these judges.”

Some jurists have been prosecuted for varying forms of financial impropriety, with most Nigerian judges widely seen as corrupt cash and carry merchants of political and business judgements.

Soji Oye, a spokesman for the National Judicial Council, told the Gazette he could not specifically address Mrs. Akintoye’s multimillion-dollar Dubai apartment until a petition has been filed against her to trigger a query.

Fresh facts have emerged on what transpired at the recent closed-door meeting between former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Reconciliation and Strategy Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by a former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

A source privy to the meeting told THISDAY at the weekend that Jonathan complained to the Saraki-led committee that the PDP left him in the dark, without any role assigned to him.

According to the source, Jonathan told the committee that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was trying to poach him because the PDP did not carry him along in its activities.

APC had clarified that it was not wooing the former president to become its presidential candidate in 2023.


But the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the party and Yobe State Governor, Mr. Mai Buni, had led some other governors of the ruling party to a private meeting with Jonathan in his Abuja residence without any member of the PDP in attendance.

Ebonyi State Governor, Mr. David Umahi, who recently defected to the APC from the PDP; Governor Atiku Bagudu, of Kebbi, who is the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum; and Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State were at the meeting.

Also in the team was Mr. Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, former presidential liaison officer to the National Assembly.

According to the source privy to the meeting between Jonathan and the Saraki group, the former president said he stood back because the PDP did not assign him any responsibility or role and he didn’t want to be seen as imposing himself on the party.

He explained that he perceived that the APC people might have approached him because the PDP did not assign him any responsibility as a former president on the platform of the party.


However, the source said: “Jonathan said that now that the PDP has sent a high-power delegation to him, led by the former Senate president, he would make himself available to the party, be it for reconciliation, party building, and any other responsibility. He said he is ready to play any role.”

The source said Jonathan told the PDP Reconciliation and Strategy Committee that he is a committed and loyal PDP member.

“He renewed his commitment to PDP to provide the needed leadership,” the source added.

After the meeting with the former president, the chairman of the Reconciliation and Strategy Committee, Saraki, told reporters that the committee was starting off with the former president and that they were in his house to let him know what their plans are and also to hear his own views and advice on what they need to do and how to do it as well as what they need to strengthen the party and reconcile aggrieved members in order to bring about unity and focus within the party.

According to Saraki, “It was a very useful meeting. He gave us his views and we are very happy. He reassured all of us of his commitment to the PDP and he told us that he is still ready to offer his time, experience, and resources to strengthen the party and that is very strong and important for us. Of course, you know there are funny issues going on but we are leaving this place very happy.

“He is also ready to work with the reconciliation committee to play his own role. That is a great step for the party. We have put that behind us. All those people of the other party that would like to come and disturb our leaders; Our leaders are here and they are ready to work for the party.”


The former Senate president who was evasive on the 2023 Presidency, however, said the former president’s readiness to work in furtherance of the cause of the PDP is commendable.

“We spoke about what role former presidents like him will play and he left us feeling very happy that yes, he will like to play that role in the PDP and helping our committee to move forward,” he said.

He further added that those disturbing the former president about quitting the major opposition party should perish the thought as he (Jonathan) remains a PDP man to the core.

Contrary to reports that contacts had been established with the kidnappers of students and workers of Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State, Sunday Vanguard gathered that the abductors have not been located by state and non-state actors.

Niger State governor, Abubakar Sani-Bello, had said consultations were ongoing between government and some bandits for the purpose of releasing the abductees.

He added that negotiations were at the final stage.

This was sequel to a visit to some bandits in the state by Sheik Ahmad Gummi and some government officials.

But a source who was among those who visited the bandits told Sunday Vanguard that those who had a meeting with Gummi and Niger State officials were not the abductors of the Kagara students and workers.

The source said the bandits only promised to assist in identifying the kidnappers, who belonged to another group of bandits terrorising the state.

According to the source, “No direct contact has been established with the abductors of the Kagara students. We visited the bandits in the forests, but those people Nigerians saw on television are not responsible for the Kagara incident.

“They were kidnapped by another group and they have all been taken inside the forest. The bandits only promised to assist in locating them and establishing contacts with those responsible’’.

No one has seen the boys. Unlike the Kankara incident, not even the security agencies have seen the boys. We may have to wait a little longer than the time the Kankara incident lasted.

The only thing is that those school children and their abductors have not been traced by either the security agents or the bandit leaders that were available for the reported discussion with Sheikh and government delegation.

“The other abducted group of women that were kidnapped while traveling in a luxury bus is believed to have been taken deep inside the dense forest.

“The gang holding them are said to refuse engagement with mediators that include the visiting Sheikh and sympathetic bandit leaders within the same forest.

“The position that the school children would soon be rescued is based largely on the hope that the cooperative bandits’ heads would first be able to locate them and if they are able to convince the captors. It could be a long wait perhaps longer than Kankara.”

Last Wednesday, no fewer than 42 people, including 27 students, were kidnapped when bandits attacked the school.

Niger Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Muhammad Idris, who made this known, said the whereabouts of three teachers were unknown.

According to him, 12 family members of the teachers were also abducted during the attack.

Former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, Pastor Reno Omokri, has expressed concern over the country’s security situation.


In a brief statement, Omokri asked how possible it could be for a popular Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi to locate and take photographs with bandits and herdsmen, whereas the Nigerian Army and Police could not identify their various locations.

Disclosing this on Saturday via his Facebook handle, Omokri said that the Army and Police can locate easily the Eastern Security Network, ESN that doesn’t kill but were unsuccessful to locate herdsmen and bandits that have been kidnapping, raping and killing innocent Nigerians.

He said it surprises him that the likes of Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawalle and Aminu Masari of Katsina State had negotiated with bandits, yet Nigerian soldiers and police could not find their locations.

Read his statement below:

“How is it that Sheikh Gumi can jump into forests in Zamfara and Niger, and locate the whereabouts of bandits and killer herdsmen, but both the HQ Nigerian Army and Nigerian police can’t locate and exterminate them?

“But they can locate and determine ESN that don’t kill. Sheikh Gumi took photos with bandits. Governor Masari held negations with them. Governor Mutawale holds meetings with them.

“It seems everyone has access to bandits and killer herdsmen, except our Army and Police. Those ones only know how to find and kill ESN!”

Aliyu Adamu’s house was one of the many properties burnt in the Sasha Market riot in Ibadan. Three days later, he mustered the courage to check what remained of the duplex.

Accompanied by a PREMIUM TIMES reporter, Mr Adamu suddenly stopped at the gate, his lips quivering. Then he took two steps back and fainted.

“Water! Water!! Water!!!” neighbours screamed in commotion. After receiving first aid treatment, Mr Adamu was helped to a nearby hospital.

Mr Adamu, a foodstuff dealer, is Hausa and had lived in Sasha for about 20 years until the deadly riot at the market on Friday, February 12.

“All my life investment is gone,” was all he would say later when our correspondent visited him in hospital.

The Sasha Crisis

What quickly turned into a full-scale violence began as a mere misunderstanding between a cart pusher and a woman stall owner at the Sasha market on Thursday, February 11.

A cobbler, Sakirudeen Adeola, who had his shed nearby, intervened on the side of the woman. What followed remains unclear. An account said the cart pusher stabbed Mr Adeola with a knife but another said it was a blow with his fist.

Whatever it was, Mr Adeola landed in hospital and was reported dead the following day. The news of his death ignited the violence that pitted some Yorubas against some Hausas in the area.

The rioters slaughtered or maimed passers-by and torched houses, shops, vehicles and other valuables estimated at hundreds of millions of naira in an orgy of lawlessness. By Friday evening, nowhere was safe in Sasha and its environs.

From unity to disunity

Traders and residents of the two ethnic groups in the area told PREMIUM TIMES in a series of interviews that the cart pusher whose altercation with the shop owner started the crisis was not a resident or a known face in the community.

“The Yorubas and Hausas have been living together without crisis for years,” Idrisu Muhammadu, a Hausa trader whose tomato shop was burnt in the riot, said. “The man at the centre of the incident came from another place to work here.”

Isaac Fijabi, a Yoruba who operated pepper grinding machines at the market, said people interacted peacefully in the market because traders just want to do good businesses.

“Most of the people who caused the chaos are not even the Hausas in this market and the Yorubas who attacked the Hausas too were youth from outside,” Mr Fijabi said.

Long-term Sasha neighbours and senseless killings

The violence continued into the next day, Saturday, as thugs capitalised on the situation, blocking highways and attacking people they identified as Hausas.

A witness shared pictorial evidence with PREMIUM TIMES of hoodlums dragging men out of vehicles. Sources said at least 20 people died in the disturbance and hundreds of persons were displaced.

PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify the casualty claims and the police did not provide official figures. The police spokesperson in the state, Olugbenga Fadeyi, did not respond to calls and text messages from our reporter.

The police also did not speak on arrests in connection with the riot. Mr Fadeyi only said in a statement that “normalcy has been returned in the area.”

Governor Seyi Makinde on Saturday declared a dusk-to-dawn-curfew in the market and its environs, warning perpetrators of violence that they would be made to face the wrath of the law.

Bitter Tales

When Omonike Odejobi noticed our correspondent approaching her, she started hurrying away.

“I was scared because I don’t know you. I thought you were an Hausa man,” the elderly woman said eventually.

Mrs Odejobi, a Yoruba, was a witness and victim of the riot.

“It happened all of a sudden. My house and shops have been destroyed. We are currently squatting with friends and family members outside Sasha. I don’t know where to start from.”

Her son, Solomon, who deals in foodstuff, also had a shop at the market.

“When the incident started, we did not think it would lead to a disaster like this,” he said. “It started around 7 a.m. on Friday when some Yoruba and Hausas thugs were throwing stones and bottles at themselves. It was when they started burning houses and shops that we realised it was war.

“My family house was destroyed after all of us ran for our lives. Two of my friends and two of my customers were killed in the crisis.”

A youth leader in the community, Akeem Lakotan, said he has lived in Sasha all his life but has now been rendered homeless by the crisis.

“I ran for my life while my house and shops were razed. It was a real war. Some people were burnt to ashes with their shops. No one can give you the exact figure of the casualties. It was terrible,” Mr Lakotan, a Yoruba, said.

Isa Abdullahi, an Hausa who traded in onions in the market, said two of his shops were burnt in the crisis.

“I lost over a million naira. I have sent my wife back to the north. One of my children is in Bodija (another area of Ibadan) but I have not set my eyes on him since the day of the incident,” Mr Abdullahi told PREMIUM TIMES.

This newspaper also gathered that some traders died as a result of shock over their losses.

“Two of my friends died as a result of shock. One of them, Iya Mariam, owned three shops filled with bags of rice. All were burnt. It was the shock that killed her,” a woman, Azeezat Showunmi, said.

She said another friend, who traded in food seasoning in the market, also died of shock.

“She borrowed Lapo money from five different places to stock her stores. She slept and did not wake up the following day,” she said, pointing to the remains of the shop of the said deceased trader.

Heroism and humanity

The violence, however, also produced remarkable stories of heroism and humanity, with some people of Yoruba descent shielding their Hausa neighbours from attacks and vice-versa.

Mr Adamu said it was his Yoruba neighbours who protected him from being killed by Yoruba hoodlums during the crisis. It was also his Yoruba neighbours who took him to a hospital after he fainted on Wednesday.

One of his neighbours said: “Alhaji is a good man. He is nice to all the children in the neighbourhood. We made sure he was safe during the crisis.”

Another Yoruba resident of the area, Ronke Aremu, also said her Hausa neighbours saved her from lynching on Friday.

“I have three grinding machines for corn, pepper and cassava flour. That has been my business in the market for the past 10 years and my shop is in the midst of Hausas,” Mrs Aremu told PREMIUM TIMES.

“When the crisis started, people were running helter-skelter. One of my Hausa neighbours dragged me into one of their shops and locked me there.

“I was was the only Yoruba with them and they were like 10. Around 5 p.m., the Hausa man who rescued me told us he wanted to check if the situation was calm so we could all run for our lives, but he was shot in the head when he stepped out.

“We later heard voices from outside that the shop we were hiding inside was about to be burnt. We forced the door open and fled. While running, I saw a man being macheted but I could not help. Now my shops and all my grinding machines are gone.”

A Looting Spree

As the shops and homes went up in flames, thugs embarked on a looting spree in the deserted community.

“There was no one to challenge them,” Mr Lakotan said.

Moses Akinbode said although he managed to lock his house before running for safety, his properties were still looted.

“I remember locking all the doors in my house on Friday morning before leaving Sasha. But they looted our homes including those of others who are yet to return.”

Authorities intervene

During a visit to the community, some state governors pleaded with Nigerians to live in harmony despite their ethnic differences

Representing the Southwest governors, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Sunday urged residents to embrace peaceful coexistence.

“Concerning the issue on ground, we have come to beg you. We have been living together for a very long time and this is not the time to start fighting ourselves. So, let us consider that. There are some things that could be making us angry but don’t let us look at that because things cannot be like this forever. I have come here on behalf of my colleagues in Ekiti, Lagos, Osun and Ogun.

“All of them have sent messages. Ogun has its own crisis it is battling with, so does Lagos. But as the chairman, I decided to come around to appeal to us. Though we are here in our fatherland, our own sons and daughters are in another person’s fatherland.

“So, let us think about this and continue to live in peace with one another. We don’t need to fight ourselves. We have security agencies that you can call their attention to any issue that could cause crisis. Let us not take the law into our hands. I have a brother in Abuja and others living in Hausaland.”

Governors Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Abubakar Bello of Niger and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara states also made an on-the-spot assessment of the damages on Tuesday on behalf of the NGF.

Speaking on behalf of the governors, Mr Badugu said: “We saw the destruction, but more than the destruction was the regrettable loss of lives that were caused by an unfortunate and condemnable spontaneous response to emotions.

“First, there had been contention over the leadership at Market. Both the Seriki and Baale of are in agreement about the leadership tussle, but other interested groups were not, hence, there was an undercurrent for trouble to brew.

“What was the trigger? There was somebody pushing a wheelbarrow with tomatoes and the items fell in front of a shop. Ordinarily, that is normal in markets. But when emotions rose and social media posts instigating crisis became strident, we had the situation we had.

“We are also glad that the Seriki and Baale of Shasha are firm that everyone is free to stay and conduct his or her lawful activities.”

We are not against Hausas – Baale of Sasha

The Yoruba traditional head (Baale) of Sasha, Akinade Ajani, told PREMIUM TIMES that he was not interested in the eviction of any ethnic group, but wants some “bad eggs” flushed out of the community.

“The matter has come and gone and we don’t pray to witness such again. We have appealed to the government to reconstruct the market and also ensure that the bad elements are flushed out of the community.

“The governor agreed to lock the market and that he will rebuild it. He saw how our homes were destroyed by the bad ones. We are not against Hausa or Igbo. We are not against any tribe. We just want the bad eggs among them out of our community and the governors agreed to with us. There are just about eight people causing crisis in the community.”

Asked who the eight persons are, he said: “I already disclosed them to the governor. When the eight individuals leave, there will be peace because those people are only pursuing their personal interests.”

Troublemakers not residents of Sasha – Seriki Hausa

PREMIUM TIMES also visited the Seriki Hausa in Sasha, Haruna Maiyesin, at his palace. He said those who triggered Friday’s crisis were not residents of the community.

“Anybody creating problem should be tackled by the government. Those that burnt and killed people are not from here. Both the Hausas and Yorubas who caused the mayhem are not faces we know. On Saturday and Sunday, I had over 5,000 people, including Yoruba and Hausas, in my palace who ran for their lives.

“We have settled our differences and we have decided to live in peace. We should join hands together to tackle the bad eggs. We have sat down together and we have answers to how to live peacefully.”

On Nigeria’s dire security situation, Mr Maiyesin said, “when the governors came, the first thing I did was to tell them about insecurity in Nigeria and I sent them to the president. If not for lack of security, there wouldn’t have been destruction. I just pray that God will keep us. We are not secured generally in Nigeria.”

Govt needs to be proactive

Speaking on the riot, Timothy Avele, a security expert with Elint Armourcop Humint Intelligence, blamed it on failure of “security intelligence.”

“The Oyo incident is a result of anger but it still boils down to a failure of security intelligence which authorities have failed to respond to.”

A public affairs analyst, Rotimi Majaro, said politics had magnified the differences between the Yoruba and Hausa.

“There is weaponisation of the crisis by some political elites whose interest is 2023. People have lost their humanity to the extent that when two people are fighting, we are quick to take sides. Many people support their own in every dispute without even listening to who is right or wrong.

“If that continues, then our brothers in the northern part and in the east are not safe. We allow thugs to shine in Nigeria and a mere disagreement was hijacked because the society is encouraging thuggery.

“This last incident was not the first in Sasha but they often resolved their issues amicably. But there is a mutual mistrust this time which government must quickly address,” Mr Majaro said.

In her comments, Ler Jonathan, a member of the Nigeria Mourns Coalition, a non-governmental organisation that tracks violent incidents from newspaper reports and family sources, said the government has failed in its responsibilities to citizens.

“The simple truth is that government has failed to secure lives and properties,” he said. “We have a biased government who look away when things are going wrong. The government looks partial and people are now fighting for themselves because the government fails to do its job. This is the real challenge and it is more than any ethnic crisis.”

LAGOS – Concerned by Leah Sharibu’s long stay in Boko Haram’s cap­tivity, an American preacher, Pastor Zakaria, has offered to submit himself to the abduc­tors, so that the girl can regain her freedom.

Sharibu, who is one of the abducted students in Govern­ment Girls’ Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State abducted three years ago, is still being held after she reportedly re­fused to renounce her Chris­tian faith.

Zakaria disclosed his in­tention while meeting with journalists in the company of a universal human rights Nige­rian lawyer, based in the Unit­ed States, Emmanuel Ogebe, at the VIP Lounge of the Murtala Muhammed International Air­port (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

The New York-based pas­tor, who is on a humanitarian mission to Nigeria, said: “I have met with senior government officials from Sokoto State and in Abuja and asked if they will be willing to bring me to Boko Haram so I can negotiate Shari­bu’s release.

“They said that nobody knows where they are and it is very difficult to deliver the message. Then I came back in December, and went as far as Jos in Plateau State and again, tried to find out where she is so I see if I can plead with them.”

Zakaria said he informed the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria of his mission in the country, adding that he has the permission of his wife of 41 years, five chil­dren, and nine grandchildren.

The Emotional Trauma Depressants Rehabilitation specialist noted that he has been following the case of the teenager since her abduction, adding that this is his third visit in four months to negotiate the girl’s release.

“Am here to negotiate the release of Leah Sharibu, ex­change me for her and go into captivity. I have sought assis­tance from top government agents to meet with the Boko Haram captors,” he said.

Pledging to offer money or lay his life for Sharibu, Zakaria said: “Take me and release Leah. Am sure they will want a Westerner much more than Leah Sharibu.

“What are they going to get hurt her? It is better to take a Westerner and release her. I believe there must be some­thing to negotiate, whether it is money or whatever they may want,” the preacher em­phasised.

Ogebe, however, used the third anniversary of the ab­duction of the 16-year-old girl to appeal to those who have held her in captivity to consider the possibility of exchanging her with this pastor.

“But even if they don’t want to exchange her with the pastor, they should just have the feel­ing of human decency; you have done the worst possible, if she has had a child for you, leave her and let her go.

“There is no point for you to continue keeping her. As far as we know that there is no com­pulsion in Islam. What they are doing is clearly not even consistent with the tenets of the Islam religion. Since there is a shadow of that, they should lose her and let her go.”

According to Zakaria, “What am offering to them is to exchange Leah for me and I will go into their captivity. Wherever she is, I am willing to go there and exchange for me. The basis of this is John 15:13 in the gospel “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lays down his life for his brother and his sister.

By Sola Shittu,



IN September 2013, hundreds of single women led by Suwaiba Isa stormed the streets of Gusau, the capital of Zamfara State, protesting scarcity of husbands for more than 8,000 of them. A similar protest earlier planned by Hajiya Altine Abdullahi for widows and unmarried Kano women in August 2009 was averted by Kano State Government which quickly arranged mass wedding for 1,000 women in the state.

It had looked as if the trend was restricted to the Northwest part of the country and the Muslim population until a pastor in one of the churches in Gombe State raised concern over their unmarried ladies’ choice of men from outside the region, especially the Southwest part of the country who came to take their women away.

Reports say that 60 per cent of the non-indigene population in Gombe State is made of people from the Southwest part of the country, who the Oba of Yoruba in Gombe, Abdulrahim Alao Yusuf, said have been living in the area for more than 150 years.

At 35, Godiya Adamu is yet to find a husband; a situation she blamed on her inability to find a man who is serious about marriage.

“What would I do? I can’t force myself on men if they do not come,” she said, revealing that she had been in about five relationships without meaningful results before she eventually gave up. “As far as I am concerned, life continues with or without a husband,” she said.

On her part, Abigail, a mother of two, said she deliberately chose to be a single mother so that she might have peace of mind. “I live in my own house in this Gombe with my children. I am their mother and their father,” she said.

Abigail said she chose to be single because she could not play the second fiddle in a marriage.

She said: “I have friends who prefer that the man should not make their existence known to the wife at home and they are comfortable with it.

“What I want to say is that one should go for whatever will make one happy. There is nothing new again under the sun.

Esther, a 45-year-old single lady, said the new trend now is for ladies to go out of their state and culture to marry. “I was in a wedding where a pastor here in the North complained bitterly that Yoruba men are taking their girls away. He said when they marry them, they don’t stay in Gombe but take them to their part of the country.


“So I said why will this not be so because some of the young men that you see out there are into drug addiction, and who wants to marry a drug addict?

“The truth is many of them are not serious. It is not only men that are looking for decent and serious ladies, ladies too are also seeking decent men to marry, and that to me is scarce right now in this generation.”

For Amina, a Fulani woman, her problem was that she had education. She said she had discovered that many men in the North are reluctant to marry educated women. “Probably because they felt it might not be easy for them to have control over such a woman. So to me, the option is of course to remain single and be both the mother and father to my children.”

Rev. Adamu Dauda of ECWA Gospel Church Gombe said when he noticed that the situation was becoming alarming, he called for a meeting with all the youths in the church.

He said: “I lead a congregation of over 1,500 members out of which we have over 800 youths. During the meeting, we discovered that out of the 800 youths, 487 were not married, so I began to take the initiative to talk to them one on one.


“The shocking discovery is that some of the ladies told me that nobody had proposed to them. Then I asked, did you not see anyone that you liked? Some said yes, but they could not go to the man because it is against African culture. That is the area we are now looking into.

“If a lady likes a man, why not go to the man herself? If that will give you better results, why not? Because I can tell you for sure that the church is already getting overwhelmed.”

Rev. Dauda also blamed the situation on the inability of many young men to use their hands to make ends meet because they are thinking of white collar jobs and other privileges that will come through the government.

He said: “You would believe me that the economy of our country is in serious problem. Many people are struggling. People would tell you that they have spent two or three days without cooking in their homes. In other words, they are looking for what to eat.

“They would come to the church and plead, and because we are one family, the church encourages giving and supporting one another.

“Today, most of our children, especially the boys, graduated and have nothing to do. When you ask them, they would say they are looking for government jobs. Many of them have failed to use their hands to make ends meet. They are thinking of white collar jobs and other privileges that will come through government but these are not forthcoming.

“Since they have no job, they have no means of taking care of wives. Many of them you can see walking on the streets with their files instead of taking vocational jobs where they can earn money and make themselves employers of labour.”

He said another reason for the delay in marriage for many men and women is modernization, which he said has led to trial marriage, which he said is directly opposite to African culture.

He said: “In those days, because you could not touch a woman before you married her, it encouraged a man to desire to marry. But what is happening today is not good for the ears at all.

“If they could try marriage before they get married then what would prompt them to want to marry again? Because what they are looking for in marriage, they can get it outside marriage.”

He also blamed some of the women for living care-free life. “Some of the women do not have self control, and if you do not have self control, somebody will come and get what he wants to get from you and find his way out. Then another person will come and it goes on like that in a vicious circle. At the end of the day you find out that nobody wants to marry you.

“Hardly will such a lady find a man to marry her, because even if a man is not decent and not faithful, he is looking for a faithful woman to marry. Once a man hears so much about you concerning indecency and other things, they will go away and not want to stay with such a woman.

“Another factor is on the side of the parents. Most parents do not want their daughter to marry until she attains a certain level of education. In those days, after secondary school, a girl can get married and then both husband and wife can go and struggle together and they will be whatever they want to be together. But today, the parents will say she will not marry until she obtains first degree.


“Another thing is that some parents also do select for their children, saying they should wait for a well established family with the hope that marriage with their daughter will get them out of poverty, and the lady will keep on waiting. Parents’ intervention in issues of marriage is causing a lot of problems.”

The Chief Imam of Government House Mosque in Gombe, Sheik Dr. Zakariya Hajiya, blamed the scarcity of husbands for women in the state on poverty. According to him, the huge expenses of marriage for men with regard to the bride, her family, mosques and churches have become a huge burden on them. He said the biting economic situation occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and the security challenges in the Northeast region have further worsened the situation.

He said: “The expenses on those things like dowry, clothes, necklaces, kitchen appliances, bed, television, refrigerator and other household appliances, which a would-be husband would provide for both the bride, her family and faith houses, are so huge for him.

“Another problem is the death of many men due to insurgency which have turned many women into widows and with children to cater for. The situation is further compounded by the huge number of widows of soldiers and policemen who died in the fight against insurgency in the Northeast.

“These women are also part of the society. Most of the time, men are victims of insurgency attacks, banditry, kidnapping and the rest. In fact, recently, men have become vulnerable and endangered species in our society as a result of these crises in different parts of the country.

“So, scarcity of husband, which leads to delay in marriages for women, is not limited to the Northeast; it is all over. And it is also not limited to women in Islam; it also affects Christians too.”

Another factor raised by Zakariya is the fact that most women of nowadays do not want to play the second fiddle or allow their husbands to marry another woman after them.

“This is another big problem, especially for polygamists. Some women even killed their husbands for marrying or trying to marry another woman. Yes, it is as bad as that, but it is a deviation from the teachings of Islam.

“Islam allows a man to marry as many as four wives. But these days, once you marry a woman, they hardly agreed for another woman to be married after them. Except you have a very strong hold on a woman, it could be very frustrating to put two or more of them under the same roof.

“Some, apart from trying to kill their husbands, even take him to court for divorce. It is as bad as that.”

He said the society is facing a huge problem in this regard now because the scarcity of husband is forcing many women into fornication, adultery and even prostitution in order to survive.

“Some of these women are even the ones approaching men now because they are looking for means of survival.”

He explained further that most women who prevent their husbands from marrying another woman have forgotten that they also have female children.

“Some of them even have as many as four, five or more daughters at home. If you marry one off and that one did not allow her husband to marry another woman, who will marry her sisters?” he asked.

This, according to him, is what many women who are against polygamy do not understand.

He said: “I am a teacher, and I know that girls in schools outnumber boys. It also means that the population of girls is more than boys.”

But the Statistician General of the Gombe State Bureau of Statistics, Hammed Gidado, would not agree with Sheik Zakariya. Gidado said there is no empirical statistics on ground to support the notion that there are more women than men and that is why there is scarcity of husbands or delayed marriage for women.

To him, available statistics showed that male children still outnumber fema le children, according to latest population statistics.

He said: “There is no empirical statistics on ground to support the notion that there are more single ladies than single men in Gombe State for now. However this could be true on assumption.

“There are five factors which could be responsible for this. First is the spiritual cost of marriage. If you are doing it according to Islamic marriage, it will not go through without cost. The same also applies to church wedding. The pastor and the Mallam will get something.

“Secondly, the parents will do K’aya hauri or lepe in Hausa, and this will involve buying clothes, boxes, jewellery, etc. The minimum you have to spend on this is nothing less than N200,000. Those are on the side of the person getting married.

“But the cost is even more on the side of the parents who have to buy bed, refrigerator, television, carpet, furniture, cooking utensils and other domestic tools to use at home. So the expenses are even more on the side of the parents.

“These are extreme costs which can run into not less than N600,000 or more than a million naira.

“Another is the cost of reception for invited guests at the wedding. You have to provide food for people. If you are popular, you will expect not less than 100 guests. The cost of what they will eat and drink is more than the dowry.


“In Islamic law, dowry is now pegged at a minimum of N25,000. If you put all these costs together, you will discover that it is one of the things deterring people from getting married.

“Another aspect that is neither cultural or religious is the issue of courtship or trial marriage, where a would-be husband and wife will live together and do everything that is expected in marriage. By the time they eventually get married in a matter of three to six months, they go for divorce.

“Another thing is the issue of death among men. When a husband dies, the wife becomes a widow and the number of single women increases. However, these are assumptions; there are no empirical statistics to back it up.”

Gidado however said the upsurge in single women occurs more in the urban areas than rural areas and it is not restricted to Gombe State. He added that in rural areas, a lady could marry up to three or four times.

“But if it is in urban areas, like Ibadan or Lagos, or Kano, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Abuja, who will marry her? In those urban areas, a lady could live up to 50 years without having a husband. Whenever it comes to the issue of marriage, what will be going on in the mind of the man is where would I get money? Especially now that everyone is looking for white kola job and government cannot provide job for everybody.

“Even when you get the job, the minimum wage is N30,000. Can you manage a home on N30,000 per month? There are also contemporary issues which are not religious, cultural or traditional.”

Gidado concluded that “this issue, sadly, appears to have no solution. Because even when government intervened and carried out mass weddings, many of the women ended up marrying another woman’s husband and the marriage may not last more than six months.”

He said the worrisome aspect is the rate of divorce which is borne out of contemporary issues and is now a common phenomenon all over the country.

“In the South-south and Southeast, ladies now stay away completely from marriage for life. If it is children, they can get their own children and remain single parents. This however is not according to our culture and religion in the North.”

Adelani Adepegba, Abuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress has directed workers in 18 states where the national minimum wage of N30, 000 had yet to be paid to immediately proceed on strike.

The congress said about half the 36 states of the federation were yet to conclude negotiations on payment of the minimum wage.

Findings indicate that states that have not paid the minimum wage include Imo, Rivers, Osun, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Kwara, Zamfara, Gombe, Rivers and Ogun States.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the National Executive Council of the NLC on Wednesday.

In the communiqué jointly signed by the NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba and General Secretary, Mr Emma Ugboaja, the congress stated, “The NEC also resolved to view the refusal to pay the new national minimum wage by state governments as demanded by the law as an act of criminality, betrayal of the oath of office sworn by state chief executives and a dangerous adventure in anarchy.

“The NEC-in-Session directed all states where the national minimum wage of N30,000 is yet to be paid to immediately proceed on industrial action.”

The union demanded a downward review of the template used in determining the pump price of petrol to stave off an imminent hike in the cost of the commodity following the rising price of crude oil in the international market.

It further urged the Federal Government to reduce the cost of gas sold to electricity generating companies to $1.5 cents as a means of driving down electricity tariffs.

The union rejected deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry as long as it is import-driven, stressing that it negatively impacted on the welfare of the working-class family and the masses.

It called on the FG to rehabilitate local refineries as a sustainable solution to incessant increases in the pump price of petrol.

On the electricity tariffs, the NLC asked the government to immediately address the conditions within its control that are driving up electricity tariffs.

It demanded a review of the power sector privatisation programme, since the law provides for one every two years.

“The NEC also calls for the reduction of the cost of gas to $1.5 cents and also the scrapping of the use of US and Nigeria inflation rates to determine the cost of gas to Gencos,” the communique added.

The NEC also admonished the government to do more in securing lives and property in the country.

The union resolved to picket the Corporate Affairs Commission headquarters for three days for allegedly trampling on workers’ rights.

The NLC also resolved to issue a 14-day ultimatum to the management of Turkish Airline and Caverton Helicopter to reinstate all sacked trade union executives and desist from further anti-union actions.

Adelani Adepegba, Maiharaji Altine and Adebayo Ayinla

Niger State Government on Thursday stepped up efforts to rescue students and workers of Government Science College, Kagara who were abducted on Wednesday.

A competent source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, told one of our correspondents that officials of Niger and Zamfara state governments, met some bandits at Dutsin Magaji of Kotonkoro forest in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State on Thursday evening.

The source stated, “The committee from Niger State went to Kotonkoro forest this evening where the bandits who allegedly took the students chose as meeting centre. Some officials of Zamfara State also joined them.”

Kotonkoro forest, according to him bordered four states of Kebbi, Zamfara, Niger and Kaduna where the bandits from the affected states could easily meet if there was any serious issue.

A popular Kaduna-based cleric, Ahmad Gumi, also met some bandits in Niger State as part of efforts to rescue the students.

Gumi met the bandit in a forest between Tegina in Niger State and Birnin Gwari Kaduna State on Thursday afternoon.

Effort to get the comment of the Niger State Government on the state officials’ meeting with the bandits did not succeed.

The State Commission for Information Sani Idris, and the Special Adviser to the state Governor on Media, Mohammed Mohammed, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to them.

When contacted for comment on the involvement of Zamfara State Government, the Special Adviser to the state Governor on Public Enlightenment Media and Communications, Zailani Bappa said, “There is nothing like that at the moment.”

Bappa stressed that the state Governor, Bello Matawalle, had been making frantic efforts to make sure he worked with other North-West governors on how to end banditry but was not getting much support from them.

Also on Thursday, more facts emerged about the abduction of students and workers of GSC Kagara.

A resident, Aliyu Isa, who escaped while his colleagues were being taken away, said abductors told the abductees that they were soldiers.


Troops locate students, workers in forest

Also, The PUNCH learnt on Thursday said security team dispatched to Niger State from Abuja had through air surveillance detected the location of abductees from Kagara and 18 passengers of the state transport service, who were kidnapped at Yakila village also in the Rafi LGA on Sunday.

A top security source, who confided in The PUNCH, said the kidnappers of the students and the passengers belong to the same gang.

He said the two groups of abductees were being kept close to each other in Kotonkoro forest in Niger State, but close Zamfara State, adding that security forces had cornered the bandits.

Meanwhile, Isa, who stays in the GSC Kagara staff quarters, in an interview with The PUNCH, said he escaped shortly after the bandits raided the school hostel.

He stated, “After all domestic work, we went to sleep. After 2pm, we heard some people trying to force our door open. Before we knew what was happening, they forced the door open and came into the bedroom, held me by trousers and took me outside.”

“They took me to the students’ hostel. On reaching there, they started gathering the students, so when the students discovered who they were, they started running, but the kidnappers told them not to run. They said they were soldiers who came to provide security, not kidnappers. The person, who held me, wore uniform of the Nigerian Army.

“They were three that came to my room, but one wore black clothes. When we were at the hostel, they gathered the students, but some of the students succeeded in running into the bush. They took those they caught outside and tied them in pairs.

“So when they started tying us, I stayed at the rear, pulled off my shirt and God gave me the courage to run. I was running in a zigzag manner as they were shooting. At a point, I prostrated and started crawling. I ran to a driver’s house, I knocked at the door and he opened and I stayed there till around after 4pm. The kidnappers operated for two hours.”

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, lamented that a police station was two kilometres away from the school, but the bandits operated for two hours without any move by the security agency to stop them.

Another student of the school, who also escaped but refused to disclose his identity said the bandits first attacked two houses by the fence.

He added that the kidnappers were chasing and shooting students, who were running away and in the process killed a student.

A member of the security team sent from Abuja, who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity, stated, “ I can confirm to you that after the aerial surveillance, the two groups of abductees have been spotted in a bush close to Zamfara. The kidnappers have been cornered, but we are being careful because of safety of the victims.


IG drafts additional 252 operatives, chopper in Niger

Also on Thursday, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, drafted additional 252 operatives and a helicopter to reinforce the ongoing rescue operation for the abducted students and staff of the GSC Kagara.

The IG said that the joint search and rescue mission involving the police, the military and other law enforcement agencies would rescue the hostages unhurt and reunite them with their families.

According to a statement by the Force spokesman, Frank Mba, titled, ‘Kagara abductions: We are committed to the safe rescue of abductees, says IGP,’ the police component of the search and rescue operation was being coordinated by the Commissioner of Police, Niger State.

It said the commissioner of police was effectively harnessing all the deployed resources and working in sync with the military and other law enforcement agents in ensuring an intelligence-driven, focused and result-oriented ground and aerial surveillance in the rescue operations, and to bring the perpetrators to book.

The statement read, “To give impetus to the rescue operation, the IGP has ordered the deployment of additional tactical, intelligence and investigative assets of the Force including four units of Police Mobile Force attached to Operation Puff Adder II, one unit of Police Special Forces, personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Unit and operatives from the Force Intelligence Bureau and the Force Criminal Investigations Department. One police aerial surveillance helicopter has also been deployed.’’

While calling for calm, the IG enjoined members of the community to provide the Force and the security community with useful, relevant and timely information that can assist in the ongoing search and rescue operations.


We’ve deployed more troops where abductees, kidnappers are, says CP

Also, at the inauguration of the first phase of Operation Adder II at Minna on Thursday, the Niger State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Usman said that the special security troops would reinforce the fight against banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the state.

At the event, Adamu said security agencies knew where the abductees were.

He said that the police would embark on the well-planned deployment of four units of Police Mobile Force and special forces alongside other operational assets to crime prime local government areas in the state.

He expressed optimism about rescuing the abducted victims, adding that the state could no longer complain about inadequate security personnel.

Usman stated, “We will deploy them in all the areas that are regarded as red flag points. We had problems with inadequate personnel in the past but that is no longer a problem with the coming of these troops. They will be deployed to Munya, Munya, Shiroro, Mariga and the Lapai-Agaie axis.”

The commissioner of police said that the operation Puff Adder II would be intelligence-led and community-driven adding that their operations would be executed in sustained collaborate with the Armed forces, the intelligence community and other sister security agencies.

“We are also using the locals. We have mobilised the vigilantes and the police will work with the vigilantes.”

Speaking about the abducted students and other victims, Adamu said that all abducted persons were still with their abductors but the security agencies were working tirelessly to bring them back.

Adamu stated, “The abducted victims are still there. We are trying to reinforce and with the deployment of this special deployment troop, we will rescue the victims.

“Everything is being properly handled. We are have deployed troops to where they are. , We know what is happening and we are monitoring them.

“We have a lot of personnel in the area both land and air. This reinforcement will also assist and go a long way in this way in ensuring that we rescue the victims.”

The Niger State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Ketso, commended the President for his prompt response to the predicament of the state.

He expressed optimism that the deployment of Operations Puff Adder II would go a long way towards restoring the peace and safety of people and properties in the state.

He assured the people of their safety adding that efforts were ongoing to ensure that all the abducted victims would be rescued without harm.

“The security forces are gathering all the information that will lead to the rescue. We hope that within the next possible time the people will be rescued unharmed.”

He assured the special operations troops of the support of the state government. “The government will support them because we want their morale to be high, we will give them all the necessary support and information to enable them to have a successful operation,” he added.

Some communities in Gurmana Ward of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State have been attacked by gunmen.

Daily Trust learnt that Sarkin Zama, Bakin Kogi (Lagbe), Siyiko and other adjoining villages were invaded by armed gangs who operated unchallenged for hours.

According to Co-convener, Concerned Shiroro Youths, Sani Yusuf Kokki, some residents were killed in the attacks which happened hours after students and staff were abducted at Government Science College, Kagara, Rafi Local Government Area of the state.

“Countless deadly attacks have become daily occurrences thereby compelling the affected victims to live at the mercy of hydra-headed monsters. Defenceless, unarmed and peaceful locals have been abandoned to their fate,” Kokki said in a statement.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Niger, Wasiu Abiodun, neither answered calls nor replied text messages sent to him.

After the attack in Kagara, President Muhammadu Buhari had directed security agencies to ensure the immediate release of the victims.

In a statement Malam Garba Shehu, his spokesman, issued on his behalf, the president had said his government is committed to securing Nigerians.

Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, also held meetings with top government officials over the kidnap at Kagara.

Describing the incident as a source of concern, Adamu had said different strategies were being put in place to address the situation.

“We have restrategised. We are working to ensure that the students are returned unharmed. We are using the same strategy as we used in the past case but it won’t stop us from apprehending those who committed the act. We have deployed our units of mobile policemen to reinforce security in the state. The group that perpetrated the incident, we know the group and we will get the people back unharmed,” he had said.

On his part, Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, had asked Nigerians to stand up to bandits and gunmen wreaking havoc across the country.

“We shouldn’t be cowards. Sometimes the bandits come with about three rounds of ammunition and when they fire shots, everybody will run. In our younger days, we stand to fight any form of aggression. Why should people run away from minor aggressions? We should stand and face them. If these people know that the people have the competence and capability to defend themselves, they will run away,” he had said while briefing newsmen at the National Assembly.

His comment irked Nigerians, especially on social media, where people accused him of attempting to shift the responsibility of the government to the governed.

Femi Asu

The nation’s power grid suffered its first collapse this year on Wednesday, plunging parts of the country into a blackout.

Two of the electricity distribution companies in the country, Ikeja Electric Plc and Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc, disclosed this in messages to their customers through their Twitter handles on Wednesday.

It said, “This is to inform you that we experienced a system collapse at 13:58hrs today and this affected all customers on the IE network. However, we are pleased to confirm that supply has been restored to Alimosho, Ogba, and Alausa transmission stations at 14:47hrs.

“Please note that gradual restoration to other areas is currently ongoing. Thank you for your understanding.”

EKEDC said, “There has been a partial system collapse on the national grid interrupting supply to most areas within our network. We are gathering updates on the situation and will provide them as available.

“For now, please be assured that all stakeholders are working hard to make sure this is resolved. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”

The grid, which is being managed by government-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria, has continued to suffer system collapse over the years amid a lack of spinning reserve that is meant to forestall such occurrences.

Spinning reserve is the generation capacity that is online but unloaded and that can respond within 10 minutes to compensate for generation or transmission outages.

Although five power stations are meant to provide spinning reserves, none of them currently have actual reserve.

The power stations are Egbin, Delta, Olorunsogo NIPP, Geregu NIPP and Omotosho NIPP.

Total power generation in the country stood at 4,499.90 megawatts as of 6 am on Wednesday, according to the Nigerian Electricity System Operator.

The system operator put the nation’s installed generation capacity at 12,954.40MW; available capacity at 7,652.60MW; transmission wheeling capacity at 7,300MW; and the peak generation ever attained at 5520.4MW.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Tuesday, attributed the upheavals being experienced in parts of the country to a few people with resources and influence.

He assured stakeholders that the culprits will be identified and dealt with in due course.

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving a delegation of Borno/Yobe Elders Forum at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The statement was titled “We need this country, we will continue to work for its stability, says President Buhari.”

Adesina quoted the President as saying that “I am confident that we will eventually convince the small number of people with resource and influence that are a nuisance to this great country.

“God willing, we will identify them, and deal with them. I am extremely concerned about your constituency like the rest of the country.”

Buhari was also quoted as saying that the stability of the country was of paramount interest to him and the Federal Government.

He said he would continue to work towards it despite the actions of a few people.

“We need this country. We will continue to work for its stability. I feel that whatever happens, we will continue to make it, and will keep on praying to God so that for those who feel that they don’t need Nigeria, we will succeed over their intentions and actions, the President said.

Buhari noted the request for the upgrade and development of infrastructure in the states and assured his guests that while he would do his best in acceding to the requests, he would, however, prioritise development in education.

“We are aware of the infrastructure deficit. Our priorities will be education because all our citizens know that children within a certain age must receive it otherwise if they miss it, the future is destroyed,” he said.

He expressed appreciation to the leaders for coming to terms with the positive improvement that has occurred in the states since the inception of the administration.

The statement also quoted the Governor of Borno State, Prof Babagana Zulum, as saying that the leaders were in Abuja to thank the President for the tremendous improvement in their states and to intimate him with some of the prevailing socio-economic conditions.

It also quoted Bunu Sheriff and Gambo Gubio as thanking the President as well as the armed forces for their commitment and sacrifices in bringing a new lease of life to the Northeast.

They requested for completion of long-standing infrastructure and on-going projects in the states, especially roads.

They also called on the President to continue oil exploration in the Chad Basin initiated when he was the Minister of Petroleum in the 70s and the recharging of the Lake Chad which the President is passionate about.

At the end of the meeting, Zulum told State House correspondents that the elders seized the opportunity of the meeting to seek increased military presence in the two states from Buhari.

He said they also called Buhari’s attention to infrastructural deficit in the two states and the entire North.

The governor said, “The Borno Elders’ Forum and Yobe Elders’ Forum met with Mr President purposely to convey their appreciation to the Federal Government, under the distinguished leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari on all the efforts he has made to address insecurity in the region.

“Again, they have raised their concerns to Mr President with a view to solving them – infrastructural deficits in Borno and Yobe States and the entire northern region.

“They have also requested from the Federal Government sustained military operation which has been yielding fruitful results in recent times.

“So far so good, the President has responded positively to the governments and people of Borno and Yobe states that he will do everything possible within the available resources to ensure sustainability of the ongoing military operations in the region.

“In terms of improving social-economic situation of the region, we have also requested increased government support in terms of humanitarian support, in terms of education and others.

“The bottom line is that we came here to thank Mr President and to ensure increased military and para-military presence in Borno and Yobe States and indeed the entire North East subregion with a view to ensuring security of the nation.”

Salihu Yakasai, a media aide to Kano State governor has criticised Nigeria president Muhammadu Buhari over his management of issues related to the ethnic clash in Oyo State.

“@MBuhari your 2 tweets arent enough to end this barbarism,” Yakasai tweeted with his verified Twitter handle @Dawisu on Monday.

“Take action, & take action NOW b4 its too late,” he added.

Yakasai was suspended by Governor Umaru Ganduje in October after the aide criticized Buhari for his “zero empathy” in the wake of widespread protests against police brutality in the country.

His latest criticism of Buhari was in reaction to a footage on social media showing how some individuals, allegedly Hausas, were seen darting, with some loads, to an unknown destination.

A voice from the background of the footage was abusing the individuals.

The passing of Nissan Micra cars in local taxi colors of Ibadan indicates that the video was shot in the city.

The city is witnessing ethnic tension as members of Yorubas and Hausa communities faced off.

On Thursday at Shasha market in Ibadan, a clash erupted following a heated argument between a pregnant Yoruba woman and a Hausa porter over waste disposal.

The argument led to a violent clash between the Yorubas and the Hausas in the Shasha community after a cobbler named Shakirudeen Adéọlá, reportedly died from a hit by the porter while trying to broker peace between the woman and the porter.

Usman Yako, chair of the Hausa traders association at Shasha market, told Reuters by telephone at least 11 people from his ethnic group were killed in clashes at the market on Friday and Saturday.

The clash also led to the destruction of houses and shops in the community.

Until Sunday evening, Buhari was mute about the clash.

Buhari only appealed for calm in just two tweets.

“We will not allow any ethnic or religious groups to stoke up hatred and violence against other groups,” he wrote.

“The attacks, which led to the loss of lives and properties, must be investigated and perpetrators brought to justice,” rights group Amnesty International said in a statement, referring to the violence at Shasha market.

By Emmanuel Uzodinma


Authorities of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, have finally taken action against the lecturer accused of impregnating one of his students.


This came a few days after DAILY POST reported the incident and the earlier refusal of the institution to act on a petition sent to it by the family of the female student.

DAILY POST had reported that a senior lecturer at the Archeology Department of the UNN was arrested by the police for allegedly impregnating a student and going ahead to threaten her life.

The lecturer, Dr. Chigozie Odum, was alleged to have put the female student, Onah Chinyere in a family way after coercing her into a sexual intercourse.


DAILY POST gathered that following a petition from the family lawyer of the female student, men of the Crack Squad, Enugu State Police Command picked the lecturer up in Nsukka from where he was moved to Enugu.

The lecturer has now been suspended indefinitely.

A letter obtained by DAILY POST to that effect, dated February 15, was signed by Mrs. Achiuwa F.C., Deputy Registrar of the University.

It read partly, “following the accusation of sexual harassment made against you by a female student in the Department of Archeology and Tourism, the Vice-Chancellor has directed that you be suspended from duty immediately.


“You are hereby so suspended from duty with immediate effect.

“You should stay away from your duty post until the final determination of the allegation against you. You should handover any University property in your custody to the Head of Department of Archaeology and Tourism.

“The Bursar is by a copy of this letter advised to place you on half salary pending final disposal action on your case.

By Udeme Akpan

THERE were indications, Monday, that stakeholders would soon emerge with a new price of petrol as the landing cost of the product rose from N151 to N180 per litre, due mainly to rising price of crude oil in the international market.

The rise of crude oil price from $58 to more than $63 per barrel, yesterday, culminated in refiners incurring additional cost in the process of procuring, refining and supplying petrol to consumers, thus causing marketers to also incur additional cost, especially as a bulk of the product is currently imported into the nation.

Nevertheless, it was gathered that the pump price could rise from N162 to about N190 per litre when the marketers’ margins and other considerations are added.

However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC has summoned the major marketers, independent marketers and other stakeholders to a crucial meeting, which was ongoing at the time of writing this report.

Informed sources in the sector, who pleaded anonymity, said stakeholders were generally opposed to further increase in price in order not to cause instability in the sector, and by extension the nation’s economy, meaning that the NNPC would continue to bear the burden of subsidy as the government did not make provision for it in the 2021 budget.

However, speaking virtually on, ‘After Deregulation, What Next?’ in Lagos, February 11, 2021, Mr. Adetunji Oyebanji, Chairman, MOMAN, had said: “With a fully deregulated downstream industry, the natural fear and anticipation of Nigerians is the increase in the price of transportation, food items, and the attendant economic hardships.

“Solutions to these challenges can only emanate from a collective resolve by all stakeholders to face up to these challenges together. We must as a national debate and share pragmatic and realistic initiatives to mitigate the impact of a pump price increase that could follow a fully deregulated downstream.

“We stand with Nigeria and Nigerians through this difficult time and support the Federal Government’s promise to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB this year and fully deregulate the petroleum downstream sector.

“The benefit of a liberalized downstream is the most visible means of growing the economy in the medium to long term. Nigeria can become the refining hub of West and Central Africa and eventually the whole of Africa if we stick to this path of investing in new refineries, adopting a cost optimization initiative, building an environment that promotes competition, and creates a sustainable petroleum sector. These actions would lead to increased employment, reduced poverty, and reduced social inequity. We must take advantage of the opportunities brought by the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement (AfCFTA) and fully benefit from our barrels of crude, getting the maximum value it can bring Nigeria.

“MOMAN is calling for a national discourse among all stakeholders including Government, Labour, Civil Society Organizations, the Organized Private Sector, and Operators, not on the merits or demerits of petrol subsidy removal, but on the initiatives that can be taken to ease the impact of the subsidy removal on the most vulnerable in our society.”

He had also said: “The public, which includes the downstream operators, are key stakeholders in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

“We believe that as a country, we have and should move beyond the debate on the arguments for the removal of petrol price subsidies. The discussion we should be having today is how best to maximise the benefits of the removal of price controls and subsidies while minimizing the adverse effects of this action on our citizens.”

There is a mixed feeling of fear and excitement in a non-crude oil producing community, Otuabula 2, in Ogbia Local Government Council of Bayelsa State when crude oil was discovered to have spurted from the ground.

Whether the crude oil was forced out of the ground by human or natural causes is yet-to-be-established but National Oil Spill Detection And Response Agency (NOSDRA) has visited the site and taken samples for testing, Nigerian Tribune learnt.

However, an environmental scientist attached to the NOSDRA Reference Laboratory who also visited the site and pleaded not to be mentioned hinted that the crude oil is fresh, indicating that the crude oil may have erupted through a crack on the ground.

He explained that “when crude oil under the surface of the earth is overdue for exploration, it usually escaped from the ground through any crack that may have caused by vibration. It usually comes out in thick bitumen form, so there is nothing strange about this discovery because it happens from time to time.”

According to a chief of the community, Augustine Okpukpu-Isi, the crude oil was first discovered by a farmer somewhere in Iyapogo forest along the Ogbia Creek, who later alerted the leadership of the community.

Explaining further, Okpukpu-Isi said “many exploration companies have come to look for crude oil in our community without any luck. So we were surprised when one of my brothers came to inform us that he saw crude oil bubbling out of the ground somewhere in our forest.

“At the beginning, it was bubbling out with force but now it has stopped. So we have appealled to the government to come and take a look at it and find out if it can be drilled. In a case where it can be drilled for commercial purposes, please don’t bring a company that would come and divide us.”


Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Oil and Gas, Chief Timi Seimiebo, who led NOSDRA officials to the site assured that government would investigate the source of the crude oil and prevent it from polluting the environment.

He said “I am here with NOSDRA to take a sample for testing, in order to get the signature of the crude. We are also trying to get the coordinate of the site to trace the OML the site falls under.

“However, our investigation revealed that there is no pipeline running through or bunkering activities taking place in and around the community. So for now, we would have to wait for the results to be out before deciding our next line of action.”

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemn the clampdown and arrests of peaceful protesters at the controversial Lekki Toll Gates in Lagos State.

The National Coordinator of the rights group, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said on Saturday in Abuja that the conspiratorial silence of the Nigerian Police and the Department of States Services to the open backing of armed herdsmen by Bauchi State governor Bala Mohammed and the call for arms by the Kano State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Abdullahi Abbas, is condemnable, especially that the Federal government is showing double standards and gross violations of human rights of protesting citizens who are law abiding and peaceful threatens constitutional democracy.

HURIWA which compares the current administration’s bloody attacks of peaceful protesters in Lekki Toll Gates Lagos and in almost the entire peaceful marches by citizens since the last six years to the military junta in Myanmar, said that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is increasingly becoming dictatorial and totalitarian which goes against the Nigerian Constitution upon which basis they were elected by Nigerians who are the owners of the sovereignty of Nigeria.

According to him, the public demonstrations are democratic ways of passing on information of existing grievances to the elected leaders of the nation state just as the group said any attempt to suppress democratic freedoms of expression and peaceful Assembly is a coup against democracy and the Constitution.

“The crackdown on peaceful protesters in Lekki Toll Gates Lagos this weekend is a grave affront to the core principles and values of constitutionalism and democracy,” Onwubiko said.


Says arrest may trigger mass protest nationwide

He warned that action of the Lagos State Police command could motivate activists from across the country to pour out on the streets to carry out solidarity marches.

He said that the brutal arrests of these activists by the police under the command and control of Mohammed Adamu, is offensive to all known international human rights conventions, treaties endorsed by the Nigerian State and domesticated by the municipal law and the Grund Norm of Nigeria.

The Rights group said the Nigerian Police not being a law making body under section 4 of the Constitution has no authority or legal powers to stop the exercise of these protected and guaranteed fundamental freedoms of the citizens which in any event can not even be legislated against except and unless otherwise decided by the competent Court of law in line with section 6 or during periods of national emergency declared so by the legislative process.

He said that there was the constant harassment of the economist and a former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Mailafiya Obadiah by the DSS and Police over his comments on insecurity in the nation while the Bauchi State governor Bala Mohammed supported the terror actions of armed herdsmen but the security forces have not acted.

He also said same was the case of the Kano APC state Chairman who called on the supporters to decisively deal with any person or group of persons that will attempt to embark on any form of electoral rigging on election day come 2023.

Some pictures of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State buying roasted plantain are trending on social media.

With one of his security aides standing at a distance, the governor pointed at his choice among the plantain popularly referred to as “boli”.

The seller gladly selected his choice and handed over to Sanwo-Olu whose facial expression was covered by the mask he wore.

Here are the pictures.

https://cms.dailytrust.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sanwo-1.jpg

https://cms.dailytrust.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sanwo-2.jpg

Some yet-to-be identified individuals have cloned the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)’s Facebook account to “defraud” Nigerians.

The commission, in a statement on Thursday, said it discovered the fake account in the course of its regular online surveillance.

“In the course of its regular online surveillance aimed at protecting telecoms consumers and industry stakeholders, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has discovered a spurious Facebook Account purporting to be that of the Commission.

“We have since contacted Facebook Team to take down the fake account,” the commission said in the statement signed by its spoke man, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde.

The fraudulent Facebook account, with the name: “Nigerian Communications Commission – NCC – Info Zone”, was opened by unidentified individuals, ostensibly to deceive and defraud unsuspecting members of the public, some of whom may have inadvertently signed on to the fake Facebook account.

NCC, which emphasized that its official and authentic Facebook account is: “NIGERIAN COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION” with over 192,193 followers, advised the public and telecom consumers to beware of the cloned Facebook account.

It said the fake account is a typical case of profile cloning often used to create a fake profile identical to an original one, for the purpose of misleading and defrauding unsuspecting general public.

It advised members of the public are advised to disregard the Facebook Page and its content in their entirety.

“The NCC, as a responsible organisation, will continue to take measures towards protecting telecoms consumers and industry stakeholders”, Adinde said.

United Nigeria Airlines will conduct its inaugural flight on Friday, February 12, 2021.

The inaugural flight will take off from the domestic wing of Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MM2) in Ikeja, Lagos state and terminate at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu, the operational base of United Nigeria.

The flight will also visit Abuja from Enugu and finally return to Lagos.

Head, Corporate Communications, Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu said the inaugural flight will be conducted with an EMB145 aircraft.

Daily Trust reports that the commencement of operation followed the issuance of an Air Operators Certificate (AOC) to United Nigeria by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), having fulfilled all mandatory regulatory requirements.

The airline said regular daily flight operations to Lagos, Abuja, Asaba, Enugu airports would commence immediately while Owerri and Port Harcourt will follow shortly.

Following the massive importation of contraband, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday ordered that warehouses and markets stacked with smuggled rice across the South-West should be raided. Its Comptroller General, Col. Hammed Ali (rtd), who gave the directive, said that the move was part of measures to get rid of smuggled foreign parboiled rice and to boost local production of rice in the country.

Already, no fewer than 1,930 bags of 50kg smuggled rice had been evacuated from various warehouses in Lagos and Ogun states by the Service’s Strike Force, Zone A, Lagos. Coordinator, Comptroller General of Customs (CGC)’s Strike Force, Ahmadu Bello Shuaibu, a deputy comptroller, lamented the high rate of contraband that were falsely declared as machinery to evade Customs duty.

He explained that through imposition of levy, the unit generated N708 million in the last two weeks. Shuaibu stressed that 1,227 rolls of chiffon textiles materials, 18 pallets of perfumes, cosmetics, bags, 2,064 cartons of electric bulbs and 1,810 cartons of alcoholic and non-alcoholic wines were seized, saying that they would be forfeited to the Federal Government.

He said: “1,930 bags of 50kg of foreign parboiled rice have been seized in two weeks. This is to ensure that the country is rid of smuggled foreign parboiled rice as we have instructions of the Comptroller General of Customs that markets and warehouses of smugglers should be raided and smuggled rice evacuated.”

He noted that due to the heat from the unit, smugglers had found it difficult to move smuggled foreign rice from the border in large quality but in batches through motorcycles, adding that the service had restricted them and stopped their operations.

The coordinator said: “We have various degrees of infractions on cargoes that were seized. Cargoes such as perfumes, non-alcoholic wines, electric bulbs, foot wears, bags and shoes that were falsely declared as machineries and washing machines.

“Perfumes, non-alcoholic wines, electric bulbs, textiles are dutiable, but foreign foot wears, bags are banned because we have factories investing heavily and employing Nigerians to produce them. So, we must encourage them to do more and must not discourage them through importation of those items into the country.

“We are still appealing to our stakeholders that they should work hand in hand to ensure proper declaration. Perfume is dutiable, but once it is falsely declared, it is liable to seizure. Also, non-alcoholic wines are liable to seizure.

We have factories that produce wines, so we should patronise them to boost the economy.” On why importers preferred false declaration of cargoes, Shuaibu said that importers of machinery pay five per cent customs duty and were not levied, while other luxury goods like perfumes, non-alcoholic wines had high Customs duty with import levy.

With the crisis occasioned by the Coronavirus (COVID- 19) pandemic showing no sign of abating, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in Nigeria have started issuing new conditions of service to their staff as part of measures to cut costs, New Telegraph has learnt.

According to industry sources, bank staff who have been issued letters changing the terms and conditions of their employment, are given the option of either consenting to the new conditions of service, which would result in the employees taking home reduced wages, or submitting their resignations.

An employee of a Tier 2 lender, who confirmed the development in a chat with this newspaper, said that virtually every staff at her branch reluctantly consented to the new conditions of service, because “there are no jobs out there.”

The bank employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the new conditions of service were drafted in such a way that staff who have been working mainly from home since the industry started implementing COVID- 19 restrictions, were more negatively affected compared with colleagues who have to be in the office every working day.

The bank official said: “Although, nobody wants to hear that his or her salary has been reduced, the harsh state of the economy, coupled with the COVID- 19 crisis is obvious to everyone. Some of our colleagues have, in fact, been at home since last April, because their branches were among those shut by the lender when the government imposed pandemic restrictions.


So, you could say that the new conditions did not come as a surprise to many of us.” According to the banker, the only category of staff who resigned instead of consenting to the new terms of employment were those who had already planned to quit the profession for greener pastures abroad. I

n the wake of the spread of the pandemic to Nigeria last February, the lenders, in line with COVID- 19 protocols announced by the government and the country’s health authorities, had taken measures to avoid crowds and ensure social distancing at their branches and offices. As part of such measures, most banks temporarily shut some of their branches and either redeployed staff or directed them to be working from home.

However, most of the shut branches have still not be reopened, leading to the DMBs to disengage the contract staff – security personnel, cleaners and other administrative staff who had been made redundant. Indeed, following speculation that many banks were planning to embark on mass lay off of staff following the COVID-19 induced lockdown of the economy last April, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) held a meeting with bank CEOs during which an agreement was reached that lenders would not sack during the pandemic.

New Telegraph, however, gathered that despite the pact with the apex bank, some banks have been quietly firing their employees. A top bank official, who did not want to be named, said that even before the onset of the pandemic, most lenders were already struggling to cope with the harsh business environment and that the virus had made things even more difficult.


The official said: “When people hear that banks are declaring billions as profit, they don’t appreciate the challenges that the industry is facing. The economy is in recession; inflation has been rising in the last 16 months and banks have to maintain at least two functional generators in each of their branches.

When you add the cost of providing security, investing in IT equipment, stationery and so on, you will realize that the business environment here is really harsh for banks.” However, when contacted, President of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), Comrade Oyinkan Olasanoye, told New Telegraph that members of her association had not reported receiving the new conditions of service from their employers.

She said: “No member of ASSBIFI has reported, officially or unofficially, receiving new conditions of service. You know, we have other unions in the industry. However, if I know any bank that is issuing new conditions of service, I will not hesitate to take the issue up with them.”

This newspaper had reported in 2018 that in their bid to cut costs, many banks scrapped pool cars and directed their staff to always use Uber and other ride hiring firms for official assignments.

By Damian Duruiheoma,


A police inspector attached to the Owerri Area command police headquarters, simply identified as Umoh, has shot and killed himself.

The incident occurred on Wednesday at the heart of the state capital, Owerri.

A source at the Area Command headquarters told The Nation the officer shot himself after locking himself up in one of the rooms in the quarters.

The development, our correspondent, learnt caused panic in the area.

According to the source, the inspector was a visiting cop who was at the area command on special duty.

The source said though the mobile officer complained of being sick nobody envisaged he was going to take his life.

The source said: “Mobile officers came back and one of them went to one of the rooms and locked it. The next minute, we heard a gunshot.

“When we approached the quarters, it was discovered that the door was locked. It was forced opened and the mobile policeman was found dead in the pool of his blood. He shot himself on his stomach.”

When contacted, a spokesperson for the police command, Orlando Ikeokwu, confirmed the incident.

He however said Commissioner of Police, Nasiru Muhammed, had ordered an investigation into the incident.

A new Doctoral study by Uzoamaka Chukwuma at the University of Ibadan has revealed that many men are suffering spousal abuse in Lagos State.

According to the study, many married men are victims of spousal abuse but suffering in silence because “the society does not believe that men can be victims of spousal abuse; hence, the non-disclosure of such experience for fear of stigmatisation”.

This was part of the findings of a doctoral thesis carried out by Dr. Ifeanyi Uzoamaka Chukwuma entitled “Spousal abuse against men in Lagos state, Nigeria”.

Under the Supervision of renown criminologist and former Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Professor Adeyinka Aderinto, the study found that married men among the sampled population in Kosofe, Lagos Mainland, Agege, Mushin and Ikorodu, are victims of different forms of spousal abuse.

According to Dr. Uzoamaka Chukwuma, married men suffered mostly emotional abuse, followed by sexual abuse, physical and economic abuses.

She explained that men who are older than their wives experienced more abuse than men who are younger than their wives.

According to her, married men whose wives were not in their first marriage were two times more likely to experienced spousal abuse while men in polygamous marriage are less likely to be victims of spousal abuse.

The criminologist who successfully defended her thesis at the department of Sociology, stated that despite being abused, “men would not report because they feared reactions from friends and family, did not want third-party interference and because they were still financially dependent on their wives”.

Dr. Chukwuma who noted that spousal abuse against men is underreported despite its prevalence in Lagos, asked that federal and state governments should establish centers to deal with male victims of spousal abuse and prosecute female perpetrators.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, recently disclosed that the federal government has begun the process of replacing the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and other national database systems with the National Identity Number (NIN).

Daily Trust’s Business correspondents, in this explainer, further reports the real reasons behind this move.

Aside from BVN, there are other key data systems in Nigeria.

Some of these are the Drivers Licence, issued by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Tax Identification Number (TIN) and the International Passport Number.

Others include professional licences like medical practice licence, pharmacology, nursing licence, teachers’ registration licence and engineering licence, among others.

According to the minister, his office was leading the initiative.

And the key reason for the migration of all databases to NIN is the fact that NIN is backed by law.

He said there is the need to replace BVN with NIN because the BVN is a bank policy but NIN is a law.

Because it has been established by law, the strength of the law everywhere is higher than a policy made by an institution.

The BVN was a policy directive by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that all customers of commercial banks must be identified through a verifiable number system.

Just like BVN and other data systems, there are limitations: you must be eligible to be captured in one or all these databases, but the NIN is not so, as long as you are a Nigerian or living in Nigeria.

For instance, BVN is only for those with active bank accounts, International Passport is often done by people who may have the need or opportunity to travel abroad, drivers licence works for those who have attained the 18-year for driving and are duly certified and fit for driving, while TIN is for those who are in the working-age and eligible to pay tax – Pay As You Earn (PAYE).

Countries in Asia, Europe and even the United States practice a central national identity system that tracks residents in a country.

The NIMC’s database is the primary one in the country that every institution should make reference to.

Another reason for prioritising NIMC is due to the insecurity issues in Nigeria.

Pantami said, with NIMC’s database, the level of security is 99.9 percent which is further guaranteed by the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation to guarantee safety of all data collected in the country.

Currently, NIN has been harmonised with the BVN of customers by most of the banks, the process is still on to integrate SIM cards with NIN by the telecommunication companies.

The NIN has been integrated as a central identity number in new international passports.

In December, FRSC rolled out its enforcement of NIN first before drivers licence, meaning you cannot get a new licence and renew one if you have no NIN.

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