Some children in northern Nigeria have been captured on camera stoning President Bola Tinubu's portrait in protest at the current economic problems and mounting hunger in the country.
The children are seen in the video stoning a photograph of President Tinubu hung on a wall.
Northerners and indeed Muslims are known to stone photographs of people they do not like as a sign of rejection, which was probably borrowed from Rajm.
The term also refers to the ritual casting of stones at the Devil during the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
The removal of subsidy and floating of the Naira by President Bola Tinubu’s administration have worsened hardship, pushed up the prices of goods and services and led to naira depreciation.
This has resulted in protests in some parts of the country.
Last Monday, SaharaReporters reported how residents of Ibadan in Oyo State blocked major roads to protest against the economic hardship caused by the policies.
The protest began in Ibadan's Mokola area, and the protesters, mostly youths, barricaded the Mokola under-bridge and the Queen Elizabeth Road.
Earlier this month, SaharaReporters reported how similar protests were held in Minna and Suleja, the commercial nerve centres of Niger State.
The angry protesters called on President Tinubu’s government to end the hardship and unbearable inflation in the country.
They also lamented the hikes in the prices of gas and fuel in the country.
Confusion is when you love Governor Sanwo-Olu because of his impressive projects since he was re-elected, but you still hate me because you believe that I played a role in his re-election.
If you hate me, then you must hate him too. If you love him, then you must love me too.
Qatari authorities have turned down President Bola Tinubu’s request to visit the nation and hold a business and investment forum.
The Qatari government in a letter to the ministry of foreign affairs on Thursday disclosed that it would not be able to welcome Mr Tinubu and hold the proposed forum on March 2 and 3 due to the lack of a legally binding agreement between Qatar and Nigeria for the promotion of investment.
It also noted that its ministry of commerce had other commitments on the days Mr Tinubu desired to visit.
“The Embassy has the honour to inform that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Qatar apologises that it will not be able to hold a Business and Investment Forum as proposed by Nigerian side” because “there is no any agreement signed between the State of Qatar and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Investment Promotion and Protection,” the letter sent to the foreign affairs ministry on February 22 stated.
The Gulf nation further stressed that its commerce and industry minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Thani “will be carrying out official missions outside the country during the upcoming visit period” which makes him unavailable to meet with the Nigerian leader.
It added that its officials would be too busy because Qatar was hosting its own “web summit” the same time Mr Tinubu planned to visit.
“The State of Qatar will be hosting a web summit during the suggested period and the state’s authorities will be preoccupied with this event,” the letter indicated.
The Qatari government’s failure to reschedule the business forum to a more convenient period, perhaps, suggested its unwillingness to forge any economic alliance with Nigeria.
Last year, the United Arab Emirates authorities faulted an announcement that a visa ban on Nigerians had been lifted after Mr Tinubu visited the UAE leader, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Igboho, on Friday accused former President Muhammadu Buhari of destroying the Nigerian economy.
Igboho said Buhari handed over a bad economy to President Bola Tinubu.
Addressing his followers in Oyo State, the freedom fighter insisted that Tinubu is not responsible for the hardship in the country.
Speaking in Yoruba, Igboho urged Yorubas to unite and liberate the Southwest from armed Fulani herders.
He said, “Tinubu didn’t destroy the government; my pain with Yorubas is that while Buhari was in power, I was shouting that we should unite and free ourselves from this suffering. Buhari has nothing to offer us.
“I said we should divide from Fulani because one Nigeria can’t work but they refused to listen to me. Buhari now handed over a government he had destroyed to Tinubu.
“Now some Yorubas are crying that they are hungry, have you seen Igbos crying? They have sent all Fulanis out of their lands and they are farming, doing what they want with their lands.
“Why can’t Yorubas unite and liberate the Southwest from Fulanis so that our fathers and mothers can return to their farmlands?”
Things are no longer the same, not even when the so-called acclaimed democrat, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, took over from dictator Muhammadu Buhari, who had devastated the economy and enriched his own people.
Insecurity has been a major concern. It's been 8 months since Tinubu took over from Buhari. Hundreds of people have been killed. In a single day, almost 200 people were killed in Plateau state by suspected Fulani militia. Yet, Tinubu felt comfortable inside the Aso Rock. He traveled out of the country every time people were said to be killed or kidnapped.
Kidnapping in Nigeria has become a lucrative business that many people are involved in. The anti-people policies implemented by Tinubu have harmed numerous businesses in the country and led to the premature deaths of hundreds of people. It is obvious that Tinubu is enforcing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agenda against the desires of the people.
Nigeria's current inflation rate stands at 29% and is projected to reach 49% in the second quarter. This indicates a looming disaster if the government fails to address the issue promptly. People are already expressing their discontent with the economic hardship in the country by shouting "Ebi npa wa."
Tinubu has been using the Lagos template to replicate the problems of over 200 million Nigerians. He removed fuel subsidy without providing any other alternatives, deliberately causing the demise of many businesses and leaving people feeling hopeless, all while benefiting from the people's taxes.
Tinubu is not as messy as the sojourn of Yoruba Ronu claimed, and he can never be like Awolowo or MKO Abiola. He's not different from Joseph Stalin, who brought in a live chicken, plucked it until it was naked and bleeding, and found the chicken with grain despite the pain.
Tinubu has never been a genuine leader, as he claims, not even in the South-West, where innocent people have been killed and kidnapped by Fulani herdsmen. Our people can no longer go to their farmland to farm because of the fear of the unknown.
Famine has engulfed the country, leading to widespread hunger and deaths. The prices of food have skyrocketed due to many farmers abandoning their land. Unfortunately, the Tinubu government has failed to address this critical situation.
Until the Nigerian government is ready to end this herder menace, if not, we will transition from inflation to famine.
The famine in the country is a reality, showing that Tinubu has emphatically proven to be economically illiterate, contrary to the desperate and misleading claims made by his supporters prior to the presidential election.
The cost of living has skyrocketed considerably, and even the minimum wage is not sufficient to purchase a single bag of rice, let alone meet other financial needs.
The way forward, Tinubu needs to stop giving governors palliatives to share. The governors are pursuing their own selfish interests. Instead, they should distribute palliatives to those in need, rather than favoring their party members and leaving vulnerable people helpless.
Meanwhile, palliative care can never and would never cushion hunger or solve Nigeria's problems. Nigeria's challenges require a comprehensive approach that includes measures to control inflation, increase income levels, create jobs, provide social safety nets, diversify the economy, improve governance, and invest in infrastructure.
The Tinubu administration should give priority to diversifying the economy, particularly by fostering growth in sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and technology. This approach can generate additional job opportunities and lessen reliance on imported goods.
He should prioritize economic revival and strategic resource management for Nigeria's benefit, rather than solely enriching his associates.
Those who shouted "Yoruba Ronu" before the 2023 presidential election are now lamenting, blaming their once-admired son for causing them hardship. Many have lost their jobs, and numerous businesses have been shut down due to the anti-policy enacted by their own son.
Now that we have a common enemy, we need to show the world that Yorubas are not bastards. All of us need to come out en masse and protest against Tinubu, who only feeds his family with our patrimony and has enslaved 200 million Nigerians under IMF anti-people policies.
Elections truly have consequences. The policies and decisions of our leaders indeed have impacts on our lives, either positive or negative. Tinubu's policies have turned millions of Nigerians into beggars.
On Tuesday, the naira dipped further, trading at N1,825 to a dollar, despite efforts by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to disrupt the activities of perceived manipulators and speculators.
On Monday, Peoples Gazette reported how the anti-graft agency raided the well-known Abuja Zone 4 market, shooting at Bureau De Change operators to stop the naira’s rapid decline.
But, less than 24 hours after EFCC raided BDC operators in Abuja, the naira continued its rapid decline, dipping from N1,700 against the dollar to N1,825 to a dollar 24 hours later.
This came as the naira hit an all-time low against the dollar and pound sterling in Nigeria’s history, despite efforts by the Central Bank of Nigeria to salvage the free fall of the naira.
Though the naira had been on a downward trend against the dollar before Mr Tinubu assumed office last May, the naira’s freefall accelerated following the floating of the currency.
In September, the naira exchanged at N1,000 to one dollar at the parallel market. This historic dip spotlighted the weakness of Mr Tinubu’s efforts to manage the national currency amid runaway inflation.
In July, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) complained that floating the nation’s currency had caused a drop in vehicle importation in the nation’s ports.
The currency fell to N1,520.123 to a dollar on January 31, according to Naira Rates.
This is against the currency’s depreciation to N1,482.75 per dollar recorded in the official foreign exchange market on January 30, amounting to a N38 depreciation for the naira under 24 hours.
The fall made it the first time after the COVID-19 pandemic that the official exchange rate was higher than the parallel market exchange rate, which traded at N1,470 per dollar from N1,425 on January 29.
The monetary policy of President Bola Tinubu’s government played a huge role in the further downward slide of the naira after he floated the currency.
Mr Tinubu’s economic policy scrapping fuel subsidy and collapsing multiple foreign exchange windows into the single Importer and Exporter, or I&E window, drastically depreciated the naira’s value by 98 per cent, a report by the Price Water Coopers stated.
The top global business advisory audit firm said in its report ‘Nigeria’s Economic Outlook: Seven Trends That Will Shape Nigerian Economy in 2024’ that Mr Tinubu implemented policies that had the domino effect of devaluing the naira by nearly 100 per cent but appealed to foreign investors as the move was projected to improve the economy in 2024.
On September 26, the naira witnessed an unprecedented historical low, dipping to N1000 against the U.S. dollar. Since then, the currency has lost 17 per cent of its value.
The persistent decline of the naira is a source of concern and a spotlight on the challenges associated with President Bola Tinubu’s fiscal policies.
Despite the far-reaching consequences, including inflation and diminished economic purchasing power, Mr Tinubu has undertaken what his cabinet refers to as strategic moves, such as the petrol subsidy removal, which was met with resistance and scepticism but reflects an attempt to reduce the government’s financial burden and promote a more market-driven economy as well as the decision to adopt a clean float foreign exchange management.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Abuja zone, on Monday, lamented the death of some of its members owing to Economic hardship in the country alongside poor remuneration of academics and unfavourable working conditions.
The union said no fewer than 46 academics lost their lives in universities under the Abuja zone, namely the University of Abuja, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State University, Nasarawa, and the Ibrahim Babaginda University, Lapai.
The union said it recently lost an eminent Professor of Fisheries, Johnson Oyero, of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, due to the inability to afford quality medical facilities.
The zonal coordinator, ASUU, Abuja zone, Salahu Muhammed made this known in a statement made available to our correspondent in Abuja.
Speaking further in the statement, Muhammed said the union was also appalled by the failure of the Tinubu-led administration to honour some of the commitments it made with the union in a bid to avert potential industrial actions in universities.
Earlier, the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, announced some of the plans of the current administration to ensure that academics are satisfied to prevent industrial actions.
Tahir noted that the government would implement a 35 per cent salary increase for professors as recommended by the previous administration.
He also noted that university academics will be exempted from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System. The issue of the IPPIS has been a major bone of contention between the Federal Government and ASUU.
But Muhammed said the government has reneged on its promise. He also called on the government to revisit all past agreements immediately.
“In conclusion, the union is calling on all well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Federal Government of Nigeria to live up to its expectations on the following: Conclude, sign, and immediately implement the Prof. Nimi Briggs’ committee renegotiated agreement.
“Immediate payment of all withheld salaries, release of promotion arrears, and Earned Academic Allowances.
“Immediate implementation of salary award (25 per cent and 35 per cent) and payment of its arrears from January 2023 to date in order to avoid backlogs; Federal and State governments should stop the proliferation of universities and Immediate implementation of exemption of universities from the IPPIS.
The Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile says there will be no protest in Igbo land and other parts of South-south in Nigeria over economic hardship until the Biafra referendum.
Peter Obi is no longer a source of concern for me, as long as his supporters engage civilly around my tweets.
Our primary focus should be on the elected government in charge. The ongoing hardship in the country is escalating day by day, & we cannot afford to play politics with our lives.
Since Kenya's William Ruto and Nigeria's Bola Tinubu became presidents, they have faced similar criticism over their frequent trips abroad.
The two men have been the subject of unflattering descriptions - the costs associated with their alleged penchant for air travel often contrasted with tough economic conditions at home.
A Kenyan newspaper, the Standard, nicknamed Mr Ruto the "Flying President". It said "so great is his love for flying that it appears that he cannot pass up any opportunity" despite pressing domestic demands, such as dealing with the high cost of living.
Last month, as Mr Tinubu made yet another trip to Europe, Nigeria's opposition leader Atiku Abubakar said on social media that Nigeria does not need a "tourist-in-chief". He criticised the president's private visit "while Nigeria is drowning in the ocean of insecurity".
This in some ways can be seen as a cheap shot, easily levelled by any critic. Presidents need to attend heads-of-state meetings and nurture foreign relations. This is important not only for diplomatic reasons, but also economic ones, as lucrative investment deals can be negotiated.
But some have pointed out that late Tanzanian President John Magufuli never travelled outside Africa in his six years in office.
'Personal glorification' Kenyan foreign policy analyst Prof Macharia Munene acknowledges that some trips are necessary but says others are undoubtedly "wasteful".
"You have presidents who love to be in the air... Some of these trips are personal glorifications, not so much for the country," he told the BBC.
Mr Ruto and Mr Tinubu and their spokespeople defend their trips as being vital to help address the very problems they are accused of ignoring.
In the eight months since his inauguration, Mr Tinubu has made 14 trips - an average of just under two a month - but this is dwarfed by Mr Ruto, who has made about 50 journeys abroad since he became president in 2022 - averaging more than three a month.
In comparison, Mr Ruto's predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, averaged just over one foreign trip a month in his decade in charge, similar to the record of Nigeria's previous president, Muhammadu Buhari, although in terms of total days spent abroad, the difference is not that much.
Other world leaders have also notched up the air miles, but Mr Ruto and Mr Tinubu face continued questions over whether every trip is necessary.
The Nigerian and Kenyan leaders were both in Europe at the end of last month - Mr Ruto in Italy attending the Italy-Africa summit while Mr Tinubu was continuing his unexplained "private visit" to France, the third time he has been in the country since last May. Since then, Mr Ruto has been on other trips.
In June 2023, just three weeks after assuming office, Mr Tinubu travelled to Paris for a two-day climate summit. He had already been there months earlier "to rest" and plan the transition shortly after being elected president.
From Paris he went on to the UK for private talks with his predecessor, who had also travelled to "rest" after the elections. A week later, Mr Tinubu went to Guinea-Bissau for a meeting of West African bloc Ecowas, followed by a trip to Nairobi.
In August he visited Benin, and in September India, the United Arab Emirates and the US for the UN General Assembly before returning to Paris.
He was home for the whole of October before resuming travels with a trip to Saudi Arabia, then Guinea-Bissau and Germany at the end of November and a week later travelled to Dubai.
The Nigerian presidency has said the trips are important for attracting foreign investment.
"On every foreign trip I have embarked on, my message to investors and other business people has been the same. Nigeria is ready and open for business," President Tinubu said in his 2024 New Year message.
Mr Ruto's travel schedule since his inauguration in 2022 has been even more hectic.
Between September of that year and last December he had travelled abroad at least twice every month. In May 2023 he made five trips. He has travelled to various African countries, Europe and the US for global events and bilateral meetings.
Other world leaders have also notched up the air miles, but Mr Ruto and Mr Tinubu face continued questions over whether every trip is necessary.
The Nigerian and Kenyan leaders were both in Europe at the end of last month - Mr Ruto in Italy attending the Italy-Africa summit while Mr Tinubu was continuing his unexplained "private visit" to France, the third time he has been in the country since last May. Since then, Mr Ruto has been on other trips.
In June 2023, just three weeks after assuming office, Mr Tinubu travelled to Paris for a two-day climate summit. He had already been there months earlier "to rest" and plan the transition shortly after being elected president.
From Paris he went on to the UK for private talks with his predecessor, who had also travelled to "rest" after the elections. A week later, Mr Tinubu went to Guinea-Bissau for a meeting of West African bloc Ecowas, followed by a trip to Nairobi.
In August he visited Benin, and in September India, the United Arab Emirates and the US for the UN General Assembly before returning to Paris.
He was home for the whole of October before resuming travels with a trip to Saudi Arabia, then Guinea-Bissau and Germany at the end of November and a week later travelled to Dubai.
The Nigerian presidency has said the trips are important for attracting foreign investment.
"On every foreign trip I have embarked on, my message to investors and other business people has been the same. Nigeria is ready and open for business," President Tinubu said in his 2024 New Year message.
Mr Ruto's travel schedule since his inauguration in 2022 has been even more hectic.
Between September of that year and last December he had travelled abroad at least twice every month. In May 2023 he made five trips. He has travelled to various African countries, Europe and the US for global events and bilateral meetings.
This year, in January, he has been in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Italy. And already this month, Mr Ruto has been to Japan and the UAE. There is not just the question of frequency, but also the question of cost. Mr Tinubu is said to have spent at least 3.4bn naira ($2.2m; £1.8m) on domestic and foreign travel in the first six months of his presidency - 36% more than the budgeted amount for 2023, the Nigerian newspaper Punch reported, citing GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks government spending. In Kenya, the Controller of Budget, an independent office that oversees government spending, showed a significant increase in the office of the president's travel expenditure in the year to July last year - which included nine months of Mr Ruto's presidency. Overall spending for both domestic and foreign travel for the year was over 1.3bn Kenyan shillings ($9.2m; £7.3m), exceeding the travel budget for the previous year by more than 30%. The Kenyan government spokesman did not respond to the BBC's questions about Mr Ruto's trips, though the president and the spokesman have often justified them. Mr Ruto himself has said he does not "travel like a tourist" and the trips are necessary to get foreign investment and create employment for Kenyans abroad - he recently said he had secured more than 300,000 job opportunities through negotiations. After the recent trip to Japan, Mr Ruto said he had secured deals worth more than $2.3bn.
While stressing the benefits of the presidential trips, both Nigeria and Kenya have also taken some action to counter the criticism of government employees travelling abroad. Kenya said it had cut its civil service travel budget by 50% in the wake of accusations of "wastage" on domestic and foreign trips. But this does not seem to have affected the president himself, who has said he will not shun trips as long as they are beneficial. Last month, the Nigerian president announced a reduction in the official travel delegation by about 60%. The directive announced by his spokesman Ajuri Ngelale included cutting down the president's own travel entourage, but did not say whether he would cut the number of his trips. Yet is not just Kenya and Nigeria where the cost of travel has been a concern. As Congolese citizens prepared to go the polls last year, one of the criticisms of President Félix Tshisekedi was the number of trips he had made, with allegations that there was little to show for it. Last November, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera suspended all international travel for himself and his ministers, and ordered all those abroad to return due to the economic problems the country was facing. Some other countries that have also had to address travel spending by government officials since last year include Uganda, The Gambia, Namibia and Sierra Leone, with the leaders of the latter two labelled by local newspapers the "flying president" - just like Kenya's Mr Ruto.
Asenior Pakistani politician, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, who won provincial elections in the commercial hub of Karachi, Pakistan, has given up his seat, saying the vote was rigged in his favour.
Pakistan voted in national and provincial elections on February 8 but the polls were marred by accusations of rigging to defeat independent candidates backed by jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan, Reuters reports.
The caretaker government and Pakistan's election commission have rejected the allegations and said the country has laws and systems to investigate specific complaints.
Rehman of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party was declared the winner of provincial seat 129 in Karachi after securing more than 26,000 votes.
But Rehman said he discovered that votes cast for Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party-backed independent candidate Saif Bari were reduced to 11,000 from 31,000 when records of votes polled at individual polling stations were tabulated.
Khan is in jail over corruption and criminal charges after he fell out with the country's powerful military and his PTI was barred from contesting elections, forcing members to stand as independents. The military denies meddling in politics.
"Public opinion should be respected, let the winner win, let the loser lose, no one should get anything extra," Rehman told Reuters on Wednesday.
"I will not accept it, the winner should be given the victory."
Saif Bari could not be reached for comment and the PTI said it needed time to respond. The election commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has called on President Bola Tinubu to break the unfavourable monopoly on cement and other building materials.
The spokesman of IPOB, Emma Powerful, urged Tinubu not to allow Nigeria implode by crashing the price of cement and building materials.
In a statement he signed, Powerful blamed the current suffering of Igbos and Nigerians on policies of ethnic bigotry against their businesses.
“The global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by the great and indefatigable leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu calls on the Nigerian Government to break the unfavorable Fulani monopoly on cement and other building materials currently being experienced in the country.
“The current suffering of Ndigbo, together with other Nigerians, are consequences of ethnic bigotry policies against Ndigbo’s business interests.
“Dangote and BUA, the two Fulani owned companies, have been unfairly favoured, and the duo has monopolized cement business courtesy of the Nigeria government under the Obasanjo regime.
“If Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, is interested in reducing the strangling price of cement and other building materials, he should contact Ibeto and other patriotic company owners of building materials for help immediately.
“We are not begging the government not to allow Nigeria to implode. However, if Nigeria wants to crash, let them tumble. Meanwhile, Biafrans will continue to survive, eat, and build houses before Biafra comes.
“If President Bola Tinubu is interested in curtailing the soaring price of cement, he should reverse the wicked and vicious policy of Olusegun Obasanjo and bring back Ibeto cement into the Nigerian market.
“Any government that restricts competition and favours monopoly is a wicked government that doesn’t care about the people. Such a government is referred to as a government by the cabals and for the cabals. Tinubu should bring back fair market prices by allowing competition.
“Currently, a bag of cement is sold for almost N12,000, while 12mm of iron rod is sold at N13,000. These prices are outrageous because capitalists have the backings of the government through monopoly to reap people off. If care is not taken, many Nigerians will become homeless in the next five (5) years, while the capitalists will keep making more money,” he wrote.
Gov. Babagana Zulum has urged citizens of the state to fast and offer special prayers on Monday, as done in the past, for divine intervention over the current hardship caused by inflation.
Zulum, in his broadcast to the people of the state, implored traditional rulers, clerics, and citizens to observe a one-day voluntary fast on Monday for peace, prosperity, and the development of the state.
“I am deeply troubled by the recent hardships faced by our citizens, particularly the high cost of food items.
“I understand the burden that this places on families and individuals, and I want to assure you that we are taking decisive steps to alleviate this issue.
Our government is focusing on reviving agriculture in the state, intending to increase food production and reduce our reliance on food palliative.
“We are investing in modern farming techniques, providing support to local farmers, and creating incentives for agricultural innovation. By doing so, we hope to not only lower the cost of food items but also to create sustainable livelihoods for our people,” Zulum said.
He commended the Federal Government for its sustained support in the fight against insurgency and the development of our state.
The governor also expressed my gratitude to security forces and volunteers for the sacrifices they are making to safeguard lives in the state and create a peaceful society for prosperity and development.
He said that his administration was engaged with stakeholders, particularly those in the business of essential commodities that include all forms of grains and building materials, and had taken far-reaching decisions to mitigate the rising cost of the essential goods.
“In addition to our efforts in agriculture, we are also working on increasing the distribution of palliatives, especially for residents in Maiduguri Metropolitan and Jere.
“As your governor, I want to assure you that we will continue to improve healthcare service delivery, education, and water supply,” Zulum said.
He lamented the recent incidents of mines on major roads in the state, adding that those engaged in the dastardly attempt to sabotage the government would not succeed.
“I want to assure you that we are working tirelessly with security forces to rid our roads of these deadly devices and to ensure the safety of all those who travel within our state.
“I believe there are forces behind sabotaging the gains recorded so far. However, we are working to ensure the perpetrators are fished out and dealt with accordingly,” Zulum said.
Local lesson teacher Olayemi has lamented the gruesome economic hardship unleashed by his mentor, Tinubu.
Ola earned the moniker "the lesson teacher" after vowing to teach Former Governor Peter Obi a political lesson during the 2023 presidential campaigns. Obi was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party.
Unfortunately for Mr. Olayemi, while he was preoccupied teaching Obi a harsh lesson, his mentor, Tinubu, was plotting to turn Nigeria into the university of poverty.
We thought Buhari was going to be the worst.
This is getting out of hand. @officialABAT if you lack understanding of what to do, it’s best you resign and step aside.
People are suffering and you’re in @NigeriaGov chilling…
What are the governors doing?? What is wrong with those in Senate??
They should understand what we are going through better than the President. Those ministers see tweet everyday, they get scared of social media everyday. They need to step up ⬆️
In ‘fairness’ to Tinubu, he has continued from where Buhari stopped as he promised. Buhari ruined the country, Tinubu is continuing with the ruination. He did not lie. Those who taunted us that lessons will learnt have learnt the lessons of Emi Lokan.
As the rising cost of living continues to bite, many in northern Nigeria are turning to rice grains that millers normally reject after processing or sell to farmers to feed their fish.
These are referred to in the Hausa language, widely spoken in the north, as afafata, which means "battling" because they are literally a battle to cook and eat as the grains are so hard.
"A few years ago, people didn't care about this type of rice, and we usually threw it away along with the rice hulls, but times have changed," Isah Hamisu, a rice mill worker in the northern city of Kano, told the BBC.
Despite the grains being broken, dirty and tough, afafata's cheaper price has made it more attractive for humans and helped poorer families to be able to afford to eat one of the staple foods in the country.
Fish farm owner Fatima Abdullahi said her fish love it but because people are now eating afafata, its price has risen. Prices in Nigeria are increasing at their fastest rate for nearly 30 years. On top of global pressures, President Bola Tinubu's cancellation of the fuel subsidy plus the devaluation of the currency, the naira, have added to inflation.
A standard 50kg (110lb) bag of rice, which could help feed a household of between eight and 10 for about a month, now costs 77,000 naira ($53; £41). This is an increase of more than 70% since the middle of last year and exceeds the monthly income of a majority of Nigerians.
In the face of this many are struggling to cope and in some states there have been cost-of-living protests. Earlier this month in Niger state, central Nigeria, protesters blocked roads and held placards saying that they were being suffocated by the rising prices.
A few days later there was a similar demonstration in Kano in the north-west. In the aftermath, Governor Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf admitted there was starvation in his state and said a solution must be found.
The solution, for now, for some is found in afafata. Hajiya Rabi Isah, based in Kano state, told the BBC that if it were not for this type of rice her children would go hungry as she cannot afford the normal kind.
"Normal rice is 4,000 naira ($2.70) per bowl which is beyond my means, I can only afford afafata which is 2,500 naira ($1.69) now," she said. One bowl of rice from the market can feed an average family in Kano for a day.
"Without afafata, feeding my family would be a major issue for me." Market sellers have also noticed a difference.
Saminu Uba, who works in Kano's Medile market, said the afafata side of his business is booming.
"Most people can no longer afford normal rice and they come for this which is cheaper even though it tastes less good," he told the BBC.
One of his customers, Hashimu Dahiru, admits people are having to find ways of adapting.
"The cost of goods is alarming - in just two months the price of everything has doubled,'' he said.
"Our wives spend hours removing stones and dirt from the rice before cooking and even then it ends up tasting not nice, but we have to eat to survive."
The presidency has said it is doing all it can about the situation, including the distribution of more than 100 tonnes of grains such as rice, millet and maize in the hope that it would cushion the effects of inflation and help lower the market price. But the president's aide Bayo Onanuga upset many recently when he said that Nigeria still had one of the lowest costs of living in Africa.
The increasing price of rice is not a new problem though. President Tinubu's predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, banned the importation of rice to encourage more Nigerian farmers to grow the crop, but local producers have been unable to meet the demand.
Before then Nigerian markets were filled with rice from Thailand at an affordable price for many. Mr Tinubu has lifted import restrictions, but now the shortage of foreign currency and the falling value of the naira has made bringing in rice trickier.
Oh now you think you have found your voice? But you weren't this loud when Northerners were getting slaught£red in Southeast by IPOB.
You and other northern handles looked the other way when they were K!lling your people in Southeast because you were busy suckling from Buhari's administration
The Confederation of All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Group says Peter Obi of the Labour Party and PDP’s Atiku Abubakar have millions stashed away, yet Nigerians are in poverty.
The group also said that President Bola Tinubu means well for the country and should be supported by all Nigerians to achieve his desired goals.
Its director-general, Mohammed Kailani, said this on Saturday at a news conference in Abuja.
“I advise both opposition leaders, henceforth, to first strategise on how to solve the problems in their political parties first.
“They should do this by using strategies that are grounded in realism, evidence and comprehensive planning in addressing the complex challenges they have before coming out to talk or advise an administration that is doing well.
“The opposition leaders pretend when making comments that they wish the country well, especially when Peter Obi of the Labour Party has about $1 trillion kept in his bank, Fidelity Bank.
“And, Atiku Abubakar, having about the same amount stashed around the world, monies they could have invested in the country to help the masses of the country get employment and pull out of poverty.
“Today after their defeats they have now resorted to wishful thinking politics to clear the hangover of their defeats,” he said.
Mr Kailani, who rallied support for the president, however, urged the opposition to allow him to be focused and to stop distracting him.
“The President means well and is well equipped with the attribute of fighting the symmetric and asymmetric warfare of the masses of this country.
“President Bola Tinubu has the vision, strategic thinking and a clear, coherent plan built on evidence and realism to bring about a substantial leap in the quality of life of all Nigerians,” he said.
According to the director-general, the president must be left alone to face the challenges of Nigerians.
Enugu Community Protests Government’s Plan To Establish Cattle Ranch For Herders, Nearly 8 Years After Massacre By Militia
Hundreds of Nimbo community residents in the Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State have staged a peaceful protest against the state government’s plan to establish a cattle ranch for herdsmen in their community.
Among the protesters were people widowed or orphaned by the killing of 40 residents of the community by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen on April 26, 2016, during the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
SaharaReporters gathered that the community held the protest on Tuesday along the Nsukka - Uzo-Uwani - Anambra Federal Highway.
A video of the protest seen by SaharaReporters on Friday shows the protesters, who were mostly women and youths, displaying placards and chanting: "Nimbo doesn't want cattle, doesn't want ranching."
One of the placards reads, ‘Nimbo Community Says No To Cattle Ranch In Their Land QED.’
A resident of the community told SaharaReporters on Friday that protests in Nimbo followed an alleged plan by the state government to establish a ranch where the town shares a border with Kogi State.
"The plan followed a government inspection team to the area, nearly eight years after the April 25, 2016 Nimbo Massacre, during which armed Fulani herders murdered 40 indigenes of our town.
"The incident followed farmer-herder clashes in the general area where the RUGA (Rural Grazing Areas) settlement is allegedly being planned to be sited."
RUGA is an initiative of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to address the herders-farmers’ clashes in the country but it was rejected in most of the southern states.
Efforts to speak with the President General of Nimbo Town Union, Clement Akogwu, were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, the state government has confirmed that it is establishing a ranch in the community. It said it would manage ranching as a measure to solve permanently the farmers-herders clashes in the state.
A senior government official told SaharaReporters that the ranching is going to be fully controlled by the government.
Protest Against Tinubu Government Spreads To Kogi State As Traders Decry High Costs Of Food Items
Nigerians in more states are embracing the mass protest against the President Bola Tinubu-inflicted harsh economy as traders in Kogi State on Wednesday staged a massive protest over the high costs of food items.
Market women and men who protested in the streets of Lokoja, the state capital, lamented the ever increasing prices of essential commodities and how it has affected patronage of their businesses.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that there was a fresh round of protests in Suleja, the commercial nerve centre of Niger State which is only a few kilometres away to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The angry Nigerians had stormed the streets on Wednesday, according to photographs obtained by SaharaReporters, calling on the President Bola Tinubu-led government to end the hardship and unbearable inflation they were suffering.
According to Daily Post, in Lokoja, the traders closed their shops as they no longer got patronage due to the high cost of commodities.
During the protest, a trader who was simply identified as Mrs Ladi, who deals in rice and beans, said the astronomical increase in the cost of the commodities had affected her business capital as she has continued to record low sales.
Mrs. Ladi, who lamented that she could hardly make profit after trading was quoted as saying that “Mudu of rice which was selling for N800 now cost N1,700. This is because a bag of rice which cost N35,000 has now increased to N65,000. With this, we cannot make our own profit.”
She said that “This is the reason we are calling on the government to come to our aid by subsidising commodities grown in Nigeria. We are tired of low sales.”
Another trader lamented that despite efforts by traders to part with some profits on goods, poor patronage has become discouraging.
The trader said that “There is nothing to show for our efforts in terms of expected gains or profit. We are only praying that our labour should not be in vain at the close of trading activities.”
Also, another protester, Mrs Laruba, who sells palm oil, lamented that she usually travels to Kogi East to purchase the commodity. But she expressed regrets that the business is no longer profitable.
Laruba added that by the time she calculated her expenses and subtracted the same from the cost of the items, buyers often felt cheated.
For Mrs Adah, a vegetable trader, the Nigerian Government should address the astronomical increase in the cost of food items.
Adah said that “Prices of pepper, rice, beans among others have all gone up and the hike in price cuts across every item. To worsen the situation, the government is not helping matters.
“We are pleading with the government to assist us with a view to ensuring the reduction in the price of food items. We are only managing to eat. The hike in the price of commodities has almost eroded our profit.”
Politics › Children Stone Tinubu Amid Hunger, Hardship In Nigeria - SaharaReporters by NLCreator(op): 3:45pm On Feb 26, 2024*. Modified: 4:36pm On Feb 26, 2024
