A 28-year-old travel content creator, Pelumi Nubi, who embarked on a solo road trip from London has arrived in Lagos.
She was received at the Nigeria-Benin Republic border on behalf of Lagos State Government by Commissioner of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka and the Special Adviser, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe.
Nubi began her journey on January 31 facing various obstacles along the way.
She survived a crash in March with a video of the wrecked vehicle revealing severe damage to the front and a shattered windshield.
Nubi started from England, crossed into France, Spain and headed to Morocco then through the West Sahara Desert, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Ghana, Togo, Benin finally reaching Lagos.
The travel content creator in 2022 listed 77 countries she had visited at 27. She has reached over 80 out of the 193 countries in the world.
With respect to her adventure, Nubi wanted to show the world that “impossible” is just a word while adding that when one has enough grit and determination, impossibility would be overlooked.
Gboyega Akosile, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to Lagos Governor on Sunday, posted on social media: “Lagos State Government gives a hero’s welcome to @peluminubi_, a Nigeria-British citizen who who did a solo drive from London to Lagos.
“Pelumi was received at the Nigeria-Benin Republic border on behalf of Lagos State Government by the Hon Commissioner of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka and the Special Adviser, Tourism, Arts and Culture @IdrisConnecting.
Let me welcome all Band A customers to the “exciting world” of expensive power.
We have been doing it for years as I explained in this post below.
Trust me, forget all your energy savings plans, the real elephant in the room is your AC. And I’ll explain why..
The last time I paid N270/Kwh plus for power was last December. Since then it’s been over N400/Kwh.
And if you are like me, with a household of 5 or more then be rest assured you will spend between 800KWh to 1000KWh for power if you get at least 18 hours of power on the average.
The elephant in the room is your AC.
I’ve seen post here suggesting turning off deep freezers, switching to energy savings bulbs etc helps conserve power. While it’s true, it is nothing close to your AC.
You can turn on your entire fridge, freezer, fans, bulbs for the whole day and you won’t rack up more than 10kwh per day which is equivalent of N2,750 per day.
But turn on a 1hp AC from 7pm to 7am and you incur 8.94KWh or N2,458 for just 12 hours. This is just 1hp.
Here is how you calculate it
Most ACs come in hose powers. So to convert it to KV you multiple by 0.745 and then by the number of hours the power is used to get the KWh.
So for example, if you use three 1hp AC, and 1 2hp AC like I do most nights it gives you 5hp.
Multiply that by 0.745 you get 44.7KWh
Multiply that by 275 you get N12,292 per day or N368.7k per month.
Some engineers will opine the consumption can vary depending on how you manage your AC.
The cooler your AC the more power it consumers. Inverter ACs consume less per hp but those things don’t work very well with our weather. Especially if you live in a big house.
This is going to be the reality of a lot of people who have large households. Especially, if there is power and they want to enjoy from when they come back from work until in the morning.
The average power bill of a 3 bedroom flat with 3 ACs and 20 hours of power should be within the range of N220k monthly.
Juxtapose it to their salaries and you understand what lies ahead for Nigeria’s lower and upper middle class.
Increasing electricity tariff will upend lifestyles more than anything else I’ve witnessed in Nigeria.
For example, real estate, birth control, WFH, long stay guests/relatives, solar power usage etc. a lot of things will change.
Inflation could also rise further.
Like my neighbours, I have solar powered inverters installed which carries everything 24/7 except ACs, water heaters, pumping machine and iron.
Yet, I average 40KWh a day as we turn on the ACs from 7pm to 7am.
Typically, mwith the rains consumptions drop because the ACs work less.
But trust me, this stuff will humble you. Power is not cheap and a rude shock awaits a lot of Nigerians.
Nigeria Wants A Road To Rival The Pacific Coast Highway - CNN
Lagos, Nigeria CNN — When Lagos state authorities notified Nigerian business mogul Paul Onwuanibe in late March that he had seven days to leave his multimillion-dollar beach resort so it could be torn down, he thought it was an April Fools’ Day hoax come early.
Onwuanibe, 58, was told in a government letter that his Landmark Beach resort – a top-tier destination visited, he says, by about a million local and foreign visitors last year – had to be removed as it “falls within the right of way” of a planned 700-kilometer (435-mile) coastal highway designed to link the former capital city to Calabar, a port city near the border with Cameroon.
Onwuanibe told CNN he had obtained the land in 2007 before the plans for the coastal highway were drawn up, and felt a mix of emotions after receiving the demolition order, which also urged him to file compensation claims.
“One was amazement, second was concern and the third one was, ‘is this real or is this an April Fools’ (Day prank in) advance?’”
Valued at over $200 millio[/b]n, according to Onwuanibe, [b]the Landmark site is home to over 80 businesses and provides more than 4,000 direct jobs. It also generates over 2 billion naira ($1.5 million) in annual tax revenue, the company said.
Approval for the new coastal road was given on February 27 by the federal authorities, according to presidential aide Temitope Ajayi. He said on social media that the superhighway, “when completed, will enter the world record books among iconic coastal routes like the Wild Atlantic Highway in Ireland and the Pacific Coastal Highway in the United States.”
The first part of the 1.06 trillion naira ($841 million-plus) highway will be built in Victoria Island. The superhighway will run through a total of nine coastal states in Nigeria, Ajayi added, and will have “five lanes on each side of the dual carriageway and a train track in the middle,” as well as spurs linking up with northern Nigeria.
Environmentalists say that, while the coastal road project would bolster the economy, it also poses environmental problems.
“It’s undeniable that the road construction will bring about significant impacts such as the destruction of wetlands, forests, and various habitats,” said Lagos-based water and environment consultant Similade Adeodun. “Activities like sand filling and dredging along the coastal areas also raise concerns,” he told CNN.
UAE halts diplomatic coordination with Israel following the killing of seven humanitarian aid workers in Gaza
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced a suspension of diplomatic coordination with Israel in the wake of the death of seven World Central Kitchen humanitarian workers in Gaza.
The decision was confirmed by official sources to i24NEWS, marking a crisis between the two countries.
i24NEWS has learned that the Emirati foreign ministry has 'expressed outrage' with the Israeli ambassador Amir Hayek over the incident.
Efforts to address the crisis are underway, with Israel's Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, engaging in a phone call with his Emirati counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed. Additionally, Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Yaakov Blitshtein, met with Ambassador Mohammed Mahmoud Al-Khaja in an attempt to find a resolution.
Ambassador Al-Khaja described the current state of affairs as "the darkest day in the relations between the countries."
A container fell on a car today trapping a lady inside the car. She was still alive as at the time people started calling for help and for a crane to remove the container which had crushed the car.
Just look at this pictures and pay attention to the time when the alarm was raised and when the crane arrived.
No crane for 3hours. Until she died. She must have either suffocated or be crushed to death. It would have been a slow painful torturous death. How sad.
She could have been saved. That lady could have been anyone of us. This is completely unacceptable and really sickening.
The Nigerian Emergency Services as a whole needs a complete urgent overhaul.
HOUSTON — This is a love story about angels on earth who make up a uniquely beautiful, blended Houston family.
Kris Armstrong and Brandon Smith were high school sweethearts who got married at 21 and couldn’t wait to start a family.
Two years later, in 2008, their whole world came crashing down when Brandon was nearly killed in a crash with a moving truck.
“He was in a coma, and we didn’t know if and when he would wake up, and what would happen,” Kris told CBS News correspondent David Begnaud.
When Brandon came out of the coma two months later, doctors said he had a traumatic brain injury and would need constant care. The Brandon Kris had married was gone, and she went from being a wife to a caretaker at the age of 23.
"When someone has a severe traumatic brain injury, in a big way, you lose that person, but you gain somebody new," Kris told CBS. "And it took me a long time to realize that."
For the next five years, her life revolved around caring for Brandon, while shelving her dreams of someday having children.
Kris prayed for guidance before making the toughest decision of her life.
"I had made vows that I would be with him in sickness and health, and I took that very seriously," Kris said. "I didn't stay married to him, but I wanted to take care of him."
She divorced Brandon but fought to become his legal guardian so she could continue to provide the care he would need for the rest of his life.
In 2014, Kris met James Armstrong, a single father of a small child. She explained that she and Brandon were a package deal.
"I have a former husband that I take care of and he's a part of my life and I realize that's a lot," Kris told James. "But if you're interested in dating me, that comes with the territory."
"It didn't bother me at all. It intrigued me more because I knew that Kris had a good heart,” James said.
Kris and James eventually got married and her dream of becoming a mom finally came true. She and James have two daughters, 4-year-old Meadow and 6-year-old Juniper.
Brandon is still very much a part of their family. The girls adore him and love hanging out with “Uncle Brandon” and snuggling with him on the couch.
“It’s a sad story but there’s a lot of beauty in it too,” James said.
Brandon lives in a nursing home now, but the family brings him home every few days and James helps feed and bathe him.
“I mean, the fact that we change Brandon together, I can do it by myself but it’s very, very hard,” Kris said. “James helps me, that’s such a gift of love.”
Kris also takes their daughters to see Brandon every Wednesday for a picnic lunch outside.
No matter what the future holds, the couple vows that Brandon will always be in their lives.
“He is a very part of who I am because I carry my heart in his heart and I always will,” Kris said. “And so, the decisions that I’ve made to be, to have him in our life, be a part of our family is because I can’t not. You know, when somebody is so tied to you, you can’t untie that.”
If anything ever happens to Kris, James says he will fight for guardianship of Brandon.
“It’s not just loving her, it’s loving Brandon, too, you know, he needs us,” James said. "He needs people that love him.”
First Bank recently published list of their debtors. The one wey shock me pass na University of Ibadan’s NASU. The body is owing N2billion. Wetin dem use am do?
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years has caused numerous building collapses and extensive power disruptions on the island.
At least seven people have been confirmed dead, with 77 trapped in tunnels and collapsed buildings, while over 700 are injured, according to authorities.
The quake which struck on Wednesday morning had a 7.2 magnitude according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA).
CWA said the quake was the result of movement in the Philippine Sea plate and that the epicentre was extremely shallow and close to land.
The agency said the quake was likely felt strong in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, because of the “basin effect” which occurs when earthquake reverberations become trapped in soft ground.
Taiwan lies along the Pacific ring of fire, a line of seismic faults where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.
CWA added that aftershocks between magnitudes 6.5 and 7 may occur over the next four days.
Images and videos of the quake’s aftermath showed buildings tilted at precarious angles while rescuers used ladders to help trapped people out of windows.
Some subway systems were reportedly forced open but closed briefly, while over 87,000 households lost power, according to the island’s electricity supplier.
The island’s worst quake before now struck in 1999, with a magnitude of 7.7, causing 2,400 deaths, injuring around 100,000, and destroying thousands of buildings.
Almighty God, the shield and protector of the widow has done it for me yet again! Presently at the High Court of Justice, Enugu where judgement has just been delivered in my favour as Trustee and Executor of the Will of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu in Suit no.E/398/2013 , and validating the last wishes and testamentary dispositions of my late husband Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu who passed away on 26th November 2011.
The judgement also affirmed Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s position regarding those he acknowledged as his offspring.
My thanks go to God, who always shows up for me, and always on time; to my Lawyers, Barrister Emeka Onyemelukwe and Barr Ngozi Abafor; to Barr James Ezike, for staying the course through this case which has lasted 11 years, and to others, who, through their support and encouragement we have come this far.
Good morning, @CustomsNG. In your Easter message yesterday, accompanied by a picture of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the Comptroller General of Customs, you described smuggling as “a criminal act that is detrimental to our national development”.
If smugglers are criminals, what then shall we call Customs officers who steal from smugglers? Senior criminals?
Just two weeks ago, a coterie of Customs officers led by Patrick Odion, the OC Operations for Ajegunle-Ilaro Road, Ogun State, broke into a house in Oja-Odan at 2 a.m. or thereabouts, carting away 155 bags of rice.
Unbeknownst to Odion and co, the owners of the rice bags detailed someone to track the movement of the loot. The discovery: not one of the 155 bags of rice ended up at the Customs office in Idi-Iroko or Ikeja! Instead, the Customs officers facilitated their sale at the Sango market for more than N9 million. For context, this is like a policeman breaking into a robber’s house to steal from the robber.
So Nigerians like to know: if smuggling is a “criminal act”, how would the NCS describe stealing from smugglers? If uncooperative smugglers often get shot by Customs, what fate should befall Odion and other Customs officers who loot smuggled goods?
Three aircraft from the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF) are pencilled down for sale.
This is part of the Tinubu Administration's efforts to save costs.
In the fleet, there are currently 10 aircraft consisting of six jets and four helicopters. However, if the proposed action is implemented, the fleet will be reduced to seven aircraft.
“The President is uncomfortable with the rising cost of maintaining the planes.
“Three planes have been pencilled down for disposal.
“The main reason is cutting down high maintenance costs.
“I think officers in PAF were particularly concerned about the frequency of maintenance and how much it costs the nation.
“The President decided to let off the aircraft that constitute the most burdensome.” A source told The Nation newspaper.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Nigeria’s 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Mr Nyesom Wike to “widely publish copies of the loan agreements and spending details of some N5.9 trillion and $4.6 billion loans obtained by their states and the FCT, including details and locations of projects executed with the loans.”
SERAP also urged them to “promptly invite the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the spending of the domestic and external loans obtained by your state and the FCT.”
SERAP’s request followed the disclosure last week by Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State that the immediate past administration of Nasir El-Rufai left $587m, N85bn debt and 115 contractual labilities, making it impossible for the state to pay salaries.
In the Freedom of Information requests dated 30 March 2024 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “It is in the public interest to publish copies of the loan agreements and details of how the loans obtained are spent.”
SERAP said, “Nigerians have the right to know how their states are spending the domestic and external loans obtained by the governors.”
SERAP said, “Widely publishing copies of the loan agreements and spending details of the loans obtained would ensure that persons with public responsibilities are answerable to the people for the performance of their duties in the management of public funds.”
The FoI requests, read in part: “We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and your state to comply with our request in the public interest.”
“SERAP is seriously concerned that many of the country’s 36 states and FCT are allegedly mismanaging public funds which may include domestic and external loans obtained from bilateral and multilateral institutions and agencies.”
“Transparency in the spending of the loans obtained by your state is fundamental to increase accountability, prevent corruption, and build trust in democratic institutions with the ultimate aim of strengthening the rule of law.”
“According to Nigeria’s Debt Management Office, the total public domestic debt portfolio for the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory is N5.9 trillion. The total public external debt portfolio is $4.6 billion.”
“Many states and the FCT reportedly owe civil servants’ salaries and pensions. Several states are borrowing to pay salaries. Millions of Nigerians resident in your state and the FCT continue to be denied access to basic public goods and services such as quality education and healthcare.”
“Several states including your state are also reportedly spending public funds which may include the domestic and external loans to fund unnecessary travels, buy exotic and bulletproof cars and generally fund the lavish lifestyles of politicians.”
“SERAP is seriously concerned that the domestic and external loans obtained by your state and the FCT are vulnerable to corruption and mismanagement. Your government has a responsibility to ensure transparency and accountability in how any loans obtained by your state are spent, to reduce vulnerability to corruption and mismanagement.”
“Publishing copies of the loan agreements obtained by your state and the FCT would allow Nigerians to scrutinise them, and promote transparency and accountability on the spending of public funds including the loans obtained.”
“SERAP believes that providing and widely publishing the details of the spending of the domestic and external loans obtained by your state and the FCT would enable Nigerians to effectively and meaningfully engage in the management of the loans.”
“SERAP believes that the constitutional principle of democracy also provides a foundation for Nigerians’ right to know the details of loan agreements and how the loans obtained are spent. Citizens’ right to know promotes openness, transparency, and accountability that is in turn crucial for the country’s democratic order.”
“The effective operation of representative democracy depends on the people being able to scrutinize, discuss and contribute to government decision making, including on the spending of loans obtained by your state and the FCT.”
“To do this, they need information to enable them to participate more effectively in the management of public funds by their state government and the FCT.”
“The public interest in obtaining information about expenditures relating to the loans obtained by your state outweighs any privacy or other interest. Moreover, the oversight afforded by public access to such details would serve as an important check on the activities of your state and help to prevent abuses of the public trust.”
“SERAP is concerned that there is a significant risk of mismanagement or diversion of funds linked to loans obtained by state governments including your state. The accounts of Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT are generally not open to public scrutiny.”
“Your state has obligations under international anticorruption and human rights law, including a responsibility to promote transparency and accountability in the management of public funds, prevent mismanagement or diversion of public funds, and redress any abuse of public trust.”
“The Nigerian Constitution, human rights and anticorruption treaties to which Nigeria is a state party also impose obligations on your state to prevent mismanagement or diversion of public funds including the loans obtained.”
“SERAP is seriously concerned that years of allegations of corruption and mismanagement of public funds including the loans obtained by states have contributed to widespread poverty, underdevelopment and lack of access to public goods and services.”
“Opacity in the spending of loans obtained by states has continued to have negative impacts on the fundamental interests of the citizens and the public interest.”
“Transparency would ensure that these loans are not diverted into private pockets, and increase public trust that these loans are used and any future loans would be used to benefit Nigerians resident in your state.
“The Freedom of Information Act, Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantee to everyone the right to information, including about the loan agreements and how the loans obtained are spent.”
“Your state cannot hide under the excuse that the Freedom of Information Act is not applicable to your state to refuse to provide the details being sought, as your state also has clear legal obligations to provide the information as prescribed by provisions of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and. Enforcement) Act.
GRID CHALLENGES: CONTINUED EFFORTS TO ENHANCE STABILITY
Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) notes that it remains committed to managing the grid and ensuring grid stability amidst ongoing challenges such as the persistent low gas supply affecting power generation into the nation's grid.
Our diligent grid controllers work tirelessly day and night to balance the grid and prevent any kind of disturbance amidst challenges. The recent grid disturbance on March 28, 2024, was promptly managed by our skilled operators, with power restoration achieved in some areas within 21 minutes of the disturbance.
We acknowledge the collaborative efforts of the Federal Government, particularly the Minister of Power, who has been working hard to address the root causes of low gas supply. The Minister has held meetings with Generating
Companies (GenCos) and Gas Companies (GasCos) to secure a higher volume of gas supply and consistency for enhanced power generation.
As efforts to stabilize gas supply progress, TCN emphasizes the importance of consistent gas availability to sustain optimal power generation and facilitate easier grid management, reducing system disturbances. It is a fact that low power generation substantially increases grid fragility.
In addition to gas supply challenges, TCN faces various sector-specific hurdles, some impact other players in the value chain, but invariably affect grid stability. Vandalism is a persistent challenge, as clearly seen in the first quarter of 2024 alone, in which five significant vandalism incidents disrupted transmission operations, necessitating emergency repairs and, in some cases, complete tower reconstruction and/or transmission line replacement due to acts of vandalism. These highlight the critical need for increased community support and vigilance in protecting transmission infrastructure.
TCN urges heightened vigilance, for now, particularly in the Zuba area, following alerts of a planned attack on TCN facilities in Zuba. We implore residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities around power facilities in the area to safeguard the integrity of our infrastructure and ensure uninterrupted power supply to all.
Again, we urge everyone, especially those living close to TCN towers nationwide, to please join hands with TCN in safeguarding power transmission towers and cables.
Barring a last-minute change in plans, the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos, which has been partially closed to traffic in the last seven weeks, will be re-opened on April 4, 2024.
Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, in a statement confirmed the re-opening yesterday.
Osiyemi said: “Dear Lagos Residents, We’re pleased to share that the Third Mainland Bridge will resume full operations on April 4th, 2024, following extensive repairs.
“We sincerely thank you for your patience and cooperation, and we look forward to even smoother travels ahead.”
WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. in recent days authorized the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets to Israel,[/b] two sources familiar with the effort said on Friday, even as Washington publicly expresses concerns about an anticipated Israeli military offensive in Rafah.
[b]The new arms packages include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, said the sources, who confirmed a report in the Washington Post.
Washington gives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to Israel, its longtime ally.
The package comes as Israel faces strong international criticism over its continued bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza and as some members of President Joe Biden's party call for him to cut U.S. military aid.
The United States has been rushing air defenses and munitions to Israel, but some Democrats and Arab American groups have criticized the Biden administration's steadfast support of Israel, which they say provides it with a sense of impunity.
Biden on Friday acknowledged "the pain being felt" by many Arab Americans over the war in Gaza and over U.S. support for Israel and its military offensive.
Still, he has vowed continued support for Israel despite an increasingly public rift with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The White House declined comment on the weapons transfers.
The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The decision on weapons follows a visit to Washington by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant this week when he discussed Israel's weapons needs with U.S. counterparts. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Gallant, apparently seeking to cool U.S.-Israeli tensions, said he stressed the importance of U.S. ties to his country's security and of maintaining Israel’s "qualitative military edge" in the region, including its air capabilities.
The war erupted on Oct. 7 after Hamas militants attacked Israel and killed 1,200 people and seized 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel has retaliated by launching an air and ground assault on Hamas in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 32,000 people, health authorities in Gaza say.
The President, African Development Bank Group, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has called for a change of name from the Federal Republic of Nigeria to ‘The United States of Nigeria.’
Adesina said this in a statement by his Special Adviser on Industrialisation, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, made available to PUNCH Online on Saturday.
Adesina was quoted to have made the call in a lecture he delivered as the recipient of the 2024 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership, titled, ‘Making a New Nigeria: Welfarist Policies and People-Centred Development.’
He explained that a change to the ‘United States of Nigeria’ would change the relational mindset between the states and Abuja, stating that the fulcrum would be the states, while the centre would support them, not lord over them.
He said, “We must be audacious! Instead of the Federal Government of Nigeria, we could think of the United States of Nigeria. The old would give way to the new.
“We would change the relational mindset between the states and Abuja: the fulcrum would be the states, while the centre would support them, not lord over them.
“With good governance, better accountability systems, and zero tolerance for corruption, more economically stronger constituent states would emerge! We would unleash massive wealth across the states. A New Nigeria would arise! To do so, we will need all of us, not some of us.
“From our forgotten rural villages to our boisterous and dynamic urban areas. From the sparks of desire in the eyes of our children to the lingering hope in the hearts of our youths.
“From the yearnings of our women and mothers and our men and fathers for a better tomorrow, and the desires of the old that our end would be better than our past. From the hardworking street vendors and small businesses to the largest business conglomerates, we must create a movement of hope.”
He added that “the achievement of economically viable entities and the viability of the national entity requires constitutional changes to devolve more economic and fiscal powers to the states or regions. The stronger the states or regions, the stronger the federated units.”
Adesina reiterated that to get out of the economic quagmire, there is a compelling need for the restructuring of Nigeria, saying restructuring should not be driven by political expediency but by economic and financial viability.
“Economic and financial viability are the necessary and sufficient conditions for political viability.
“If there was one attribute that defined Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and there were many, it would be his visionary boldness. He went where others feared or failed to go. In the process, decades later, his footprints remain in the sands of time. Likewise, today, in Nigeria, we need men and women with vision, who are willing to take bold decisions,” he said.
He lamented that Nigerians paid one of the highest implicit tax rates in the world, adding that when governments or institutions failed to provide basic services, the people would bear the burden of a heavy implicit tax.
“Truth be told, Nigerians pay one of the highest implicit tax rates in the world. Most of the citizens provide electricity for themselves via generators; they repair roads in their neighbourhoods if they can afford to. They provide boreholes for drinking water with their money.
“In the 21st century, this is incredulous as every household should have pipe-borne water! Sadly, the abnormal has been normalised.
“If people pay taxes, governments must deliver services to citizens and be held accountable for their ability to do so or not. Governments should not transfer their responsibility to citizens. When governments or institutions fail to provide basic services, the people bear the burden of a heavy implicit tax,” Adesina said.
He suggested that to succeed with much-needed welfarist and people-centred policies across Nigeria, it was necessary to change the governance system and decentralise governance to states to provide greater autonomy.
Adesina also emphasised that states had tremendous potential to become even more financially autonomous through greater fiscal prudence.
“If states focus on unlocking the huge resources they have, based on areas of comparative advantage, they will rapidly expand wealth for their people.
“With such increased wealth, they will be able to access capital markets and secure long-term financing to fast-track their growth and development.
“States that adopt this strategy would have less of a need for monthly trips to Abuja for grants. Instead, part of their federal revenue allocations can be saved as internal ‘state sovereign wealth funds’. This can then be used as a guarantee against borrowings from capital markets. In essence, they would be free from needing to exclusively rely on the federal government,” he said.
Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, has raised the alarm that his administration inherited a huge debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities from the previous administration, making it difficult for him to pay workers’ salaries now.
He, however, said that despite the humongous debt burden on the State government, he was yet to borrow a single kobo in the last nine months of his administration.
The governor, who stated this in Kaduna on Saturday while addressing a Town Hall Meeting, added that the huge debt burden was eating deep into the State’s monthly Federal Allocation of fund, hence the state was finding it difficult to pay monthly salaries.
Governor Sani lamented that due to the rise in the exchange rate, Kaduna State is now paying back almost triple of what was borrowed by the previous administration of former governor Nasir El-Rufai.
He explained that N7billion out of the N10billion Federal Allocation due to the State in the month of March was deducted to service the debt.
The governor further lamented that the state was left with N3billion, an amount which is not enough to pay salaries, as the state’s monthly salary bill stands at N5.2billion.
He, however, assured that the debt burden not withstanding, his administration remained resolute in steering Kaduna State towards progress and sustainable development, as the government has conducted a thorough assessment of the situation and it was sharpening its focus accordingly.
According to the governor, “despite the huge debt burden of 587 million Dollars, 85 billion Naira, and 115 Contractual Liabilities sadly inherited from the previous administration, we remain resolute in steering Kaduna State towards progress and sustainable development. We have conducted a thorough assessment of our situation and are sharpening our focus accordingly.
“It gladdened my heart to inform you that, despite the huge inherited debt on the state, till date, we have not borrowed a single kobo.
Recall that the immediate-past Governor Nasir El-Rufai had said he left a domestic debt of N80.60bn and a foreign debt of $577.32m for his successor during his handover to the new govenor last year.
El-Rufai also said he left N5bn and $2.05m in the state treasury.
Governor Sani highlighted some of his administration’s top priorities for 2024 to include safety and security, infrastructural development, education development, housing and urban development, social intervention and investment drive, among others.
On security, the governor said the state has made a lot of progress through revamping of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KADVS) by recruiting 7,000 additional personnel for the service, while over 100 operational vehicles and 100 motorcycles have been procured for distribution to KADVS and the federal security agencies working in the state.
In the area of education, Sani said aside the establishment of several skills and vocational cities to address skill deficits in the state, his government in collaboration with Kuwait was working to reduce out-of-school children in Kaduna State by 200,000, adding that the four-year program, which will start in may or June 2024, is a $62 million project that will build 102 new schools in the State and renovate 170 existing ones within a span of four year.
Also speaking at the Town Hall event, former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd), urged efforts to address the security challenges facing the state, noting that without peace and security, no meaningful development can be achieved.
In his remarks, the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmad Nuhu Bamali, expressed optimism that despite the challenges facing the state, the governor has the capability to turn around the economy of the state for effective development.
I have a story that is vexing me about the Blood Bank department of LASUTH. If we don’t call this fraud, then what is it? 😡😡
Okay, people have been saying they do it but i have never believed until it got closer home.
If you are scheduled for a surgery at Lasuth, they make sure you donate 2 pints of blood at the blood bank first before they proceed with the surgery which is very nice. You get people to donate on your behalf irrespective of blood type. They will keep the bloods there so that when you come in for your surgery, you will have blood to go into the theatre with. They collect any blood type but on the day of your surgery, they will give you the exact blood type you need since people have been donating different types. Nice one.
There are agents around who will help you get people to donate those two pints on your behalf for 15k each or one person can donate the two pints for 30k. That’s not the issue.
What’s now the issue?
The issue is that when you come in for the surgery and need the blood you donated earlier, they will never be available. It’s always “no blood on ground”. Your wife is being wheeled into the theatre for surgery, you are running around for blood, therefore won’t care where the blood will come from. Now you have to approach a lab to buy blood.
The attendants will tell you you must only go to the labs registered with them to buy the blood. “Only the ones registered with them” for 25k per pint.
I even heard some doctors are tired of these people. Why is blood always not available after people donate donate donate and keep donating?
After my friend’s wife spent several days there, my friend was only able to recover one of the donated pint of blood from their blood bank from the two he donated. He sourced for the rest.
The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) on Tuesday grilled Bukky Shonibare, the chairman of FIJ’s Board of Trustees, at their Abuja office, only letting her go after making her promise to “produce” ‘Fisayo Soyombo, FIJ’s founder.
The NPF-NCCC had invited Shonibare to an interview with its director to answer questions about cybercrime and seek clarification from FIJ about a case it was investigating. With nothing to hide, Shonibare, herself a lawyer, honoured the invitation, accompanied by FIJ’s legal counsel.
FROM REMOVING THE VEIL TO INVITATION
“As you know, we’ve never revealed the identities of the board members of FIJ, not even me as the board chair. That’s for security reasons,” Shonibare told FIJ on Thursday.
“But because they are law enforcement agents, they have the power to remove the veil, you know. This means that they can go to CAC or any similar organisations to obtain information about the person. So, that’s what they did to get my information: name, email address, phone number and everything.
“So, I got the email from them on Saturday. Fast forward to Monday, one of the officers called me. Her name is SP Ann Elunor.
“I was there a few minutes before nine o’clock and did some briefing with my lawyer, Folarin Aluko. Samson Itodo of YIAGA Africa also came there in solidarity. So, we got in and signed in at immediately 9:09 am. They asked me to drop my phone and all of that, but I told them that I did not come with my phone. I had been advised to leave my phone behind. I was there with my lawyer, there was another junior lawyer and Samson Itodo, but they said that I could only go in with one person. So, I went in with the senior lawyer.
“We didn’t drop anything at the gate. When we were signing in, they said we should write ‘threat response’ as the department we came to visit. I was surprised because this would imply that the organisation and I were considered to have engaged in cyber threatening. We were uncomfortable with that but we had to write it. So that there wouldn’t be any form of ambiguity, because they were asking me to write ‘TR’, I wrote the ‘Threat Response’ in full. Trust me, I was thinking of Jamal Khashoggi at this time. People had to know exactly where we went to.”
INTERROGATION INSTEAD OF INVESTIGATION
“So, they took me upstairs. We got into this room. The room had two tables and four chairs. SP Ann was there, another person who was an investigator was there and there were two other people (a male and a female). The investigator’s name was Nnamdi.
“They spent the first few minutes asking why we released a social media post about the invitation, that they just invited me for one or two questions. Samuel Umezurike, the deputy director of the threat response unit, asked why we said that they were prosecuting me. I responded that we never used the word ‘prosecute’. Umezurike had come out to welcome us and just give us some preliminaries. I didn’t have my phone with me, but I later confirmed that they mistook ‘persecution’ for ‘prosecution’.
“The first minutes, they spent lamenting and jesting. One said, ‘that’s why I don’t like social media’. I told them that we know the work we do and why it’s necessary for us to update the public on our movement. The deputy director continued to jest and try to throw jokes. He also said that when they went into our CAC file to get who to invite, they decided to invite the board chair. When they saw that the portrait was that of a female, he asked himself if they should be inviting a woman for this exercise. He was emphasising ‘the fact of being a woman’.
“At that point, I had to cut in; I asked what was wrong about being a woman. It sounded discriminatory. I asked if I was less of a board chair who could answer their questions because I am a woman. He said that wasn’t what he was trying to say, then he went on to say, ‘this poor woman’. I was just smiling at that point. The man went on to say that he checked my age and saw that I was a young person, and he wondered if he would like to invite a young person. He said that he considered inviting the oldest person on the board instead (That would have been Mr. Jahman Anikulapo, the renowned art and culture journalist and former Editor of The Guardian on Sunday.). Again, I pointed out how that ‘poor woman, young person’ sounded discriminatory in an intersectional manner.
“They took their time before actually asking me to write statements in response to the questions they had. My lawyer asked them if they planned to take my statement under caution or voluntarily. Umezurike asked why we wanted to know and the lawyer stated that they knew what would happen either way, so he needed them to clarify if they would detain me or not.
“So the police officers looked at one another, and said that I did not have to write the statement on caution, that it would be voluntary. The official said he had to step out to confirm something, then he returned and then said it’s okay to be voluntary.”
Aluko had briefed Shonibare before they went into the NPF-NCCC building: if they made her write her statement under caution, she would have been detained.
A BIASED QUESTIONING
“After the introduction, they asked me for my role as the board chair. Now, at this point, I must say categorically that that investigator was biased,” Shonibare told this reporter.
“It was biased because, if you are conducting an investigation, you shouldn’t have held an initial position. The responses that you get from all of the parties involved are what contribute to analyses and lead to conclusions. But the man already held a position, and the position is that our stories are untrue; that our stories don’t meet journalistic standards and that we don’t adhere to our objectives.
“They asked me that, based on my role, do we have any oversight or control over any news that is released by FIJ. I told them that FIJ has an executive and a non-executive arm. The board is a non-executive arm. No board anywhere is involved in the day-to-day running of an organisation, which is where the executive arm of it comes in. They (the executive) are engaged in the operational activities. We are only engaged in the governance structure and institutional strengthening of the organisation. We are not involved in the day-to-day activities. They were trying to establish that the board chair and board members are supposed to control the stories published by FIJ.
“I explained that the board is headed by me. There is an editorial team, there is an executive arm that is headed by the editor-in-chief. ‘Fisayo (Soyombo) serves as, not just the founder, but as the executive director. In both capacities, he has a seat on the board. So any oversight or any checks that we need to do on the team regarding the day-to-day operational work, we do it through ‘Fisayo.
“So, at this point, the investigator asked, how do we post stories on our website? Does it come through the board? I said that it doesn’t come through the board and it shouldn’t come to the board.
“They said, how do we then ensure control? I said, because there are basic principles, aside from journalistic, ethics and standards. There are principles that guide our work at FIJ. At this point, the investigator started reading out our objectives, emphasising more on the ones relating to the truth. So he asked me directly, can I confirm, can I say that all of the stories that we report at FIJ are true? I said yes. I noticed that his questions were trying to establish a general standard or trying to draw out lapses in FIJ so that he could use the same yardstick to measure all of the stories.
“He asked if every story gets to the board first before it is posted and I said no. I said, no; it doesn’t and it shouldn’t because that is not our responsibility. Just imagine FIJ waiting for board members to vet every story when the board didn’t go on the field, we’re not the ones who went for the investigation. How do we affirm or reject discoveries from a journalist’s investigations? It is not our responsibility or the responsibility of any non-executive member of boards across the world.
“I insisted that other than journalistic ethics, ‘Fisayo is not just a journalist but he’s a multi-international-award-winning journalist, and no journalist will reach such heights without adhering to journalistic standards. And he’s not just qualified, he is not just an award-winning journalist, he’s also experienced with a history in many media firms. We believe that every story that we put out is true. So, on that question, I said, yes, I believe our stories are true to the best extent possible. Even the deputy director did this to me and tried to hint at criminal responsibility.
“When do we see the story, they asked. I said we see the story when others see the story. That’s when we also see the story. I said we see the story like every bystander.
“They tried to make the board assume a potentially criminal position because they were also trying to already establish that ‘Fisayo is a criminal. If they were saying that the board will be criminally responsible, it means that the person that you believed had done wrong was a criminal. They were not satisfied with how short my statement was. We were finished with the questions and the investigator crossed it.
‘PRODUCE FISAYO’
“The investigator closed his iPad, put his hands on the table and said, well we need to speak to ‘Fisayo. You need to produce ‘Fisayo. So I said, if he said I need to produce ‘Fisayo, that sounds like you have tried to get ‘Fisayo or you’ve invited him and he did not come, so you need me, in whatever capacity, to go and produce him. So, I had to clarify that ‘Fisayo was not on the run; it is not like they had invited him and he didn’t come. So, he asked when I could come with ‘Fisayo. I asked if he was inviting me again. He said, yes, but I had to return with ‘Fisayo.
“So, I told him we have to get back to ‘Fisayo and to know when he’ll be available to come, and when he’s around; ‘Fisayo is not running. He took the statement in and came back outside and asked us to come see the deputy director. He had exited at some point into the questioning.
“So, they took us in and he said, madam, how was it? I told him that questions were asked, and questions were answered. He asked if I was treated well, and I said that was subjective. He then said that he could see we were being careful and all of that, that we could be friends. He was doing everything possible to be nice and playful.
“He asked why FIJ was not like another specific non-profit organisation. The deputy director said that he was friends with this non-profit organisation. He said that they would go to do their research and bring the information to the police. ‘So, why are we publishing our work?’ he asked. ‘Why don’t we bring some findings to them and settle things amicably?’ I told him that FIJ is the Foundation for Investigative Journalism. That’s the work that we do. We’re not another befriending non-profit bringing stories to them. We don’t work that way. Our job is to publish stories.
“The deputy director said that he led the investigation into Gistlover releasing wrong information and claimed that what FIJ did was similar. I told him that we don’t do that kind of work. There’s a solemness in the work that we do.
“He then said that he had access to data. ‘Just having your phone number alone, you’ll be shocked at the amount of information I can get,’ he said. He kept saying it as though it was a huge discovery. It seemed like a threat.
“The deputy director said that they had access to data everywhere, data we don’t have access to. ‘For instance, we have access to people’s account details,’ he said. He said that ‘Fisayo and FIJ don’t have that kind of data, account statements and account flows.
“He picked up the statement and said that it was very short. He started reading it and got to the point where I wrote that: for every story we release, we make sure we meet with journalistic standards, including contacting the relevant parties. So he took me up on that. He asked if we do this on every story. I said that is basic journalistic standard.
“He told us to come along to meet the executive director. We went upstairs to meet the executive director and the office was closed. We went downstairs and I was asked if I could wait a little longer to meet the executive director. I reminded him that I had a flight to catch. Then he said that he wouldn’t keep me waiting, then he asked SP Ann to accompany us out.
CONTACTING THE CYBERCRIME CENTRE
When FIJ called Elunor on Thursday to ask for her comments on the encounter, she said she needed to speak with her superior before speaking. She later sent a text message:
“I have spoken with my Team leader and he advice[sic] you come to the office. Thanks.”
When this reporter asked Elunor whom this team leader was, she failed to respond.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control said it busted a fake bottled water syndicate at the Pipeline Road axis of Eneka in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The agency said the discovery on Friday morning followed a tip off from some well-meaning members of the public which its official speedily acted on.
NAFDAC Public Relations Officer, South-South Zone, Mr. Cyril Monye, who disclosed this in a statement in Port Harcourt on Friday said the suspects were using a ‘decrepit’ shop camouflage as a pool house for the production.
Monye said one of the distributors of the fake bottled water was arrested after packing the product and loading them for sale to unsuspecting consumers.
The statement read in part, “They pick used Eva plastic bottles which they fill with contaminated water fetched from a paint bucket while using dirty rubber funnel covered with clothing material as filter.
“The already printed Eva labels were then affixed into the plastic bottles and corked with already fake fitted Eva cocks.
“One of the distributors of the adulterated water who identified himself as Chibunna James was arrested as he was loading the product for sale, while the kingpin/producer is at large and efforts are on to track him down.”
Speaking on the incident, the NAFDAC Coordinator in Rivers State, Emmanuel Onogwu, enjoined members of the public to always avail the agency of useful information that will lead to arrest of criminals who specialise in adulteration and faking of regulated products.
The statement further said the fake products of 30 packs were eventually evacuated to NAFDAC office in Port Harcourt, while the uncorked ones were emptied.
NEW YORK (AP) — Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud on hundreds of thousands of customers that unraveled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world’s most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan delivered a blistering analysis of Bankman-Fried and his crimes before announcing a sentence that was half of what prosecutors sought and less than a quarter of the 105 years recommended by the court’s Probation officers.
“There is absolutely no doubt that Mr. Bankman-Fried’s name right now is pretty much mud around the world,” Kaplan said of the 32-year-old man who once seemed atop the cryptocurrency world before his businesses collapsed in November 2022, leaving customers, investors and lenders short over $11 billion, which the judge ordered him to forfeit.
He was convicted in November of fraud and conspiracy — a dramatic fall from a crest of success that included a Super Bowl advertisement and celebrity endorsements from stars like quarterback Tom Brady, basketball star Stephen Curry and comedian Larry David.
Kaplan imposed the sentence in the same Manhattan courtroom where, four months previously, Bankman-Fried testified that he had intended to revolutionize the emerging cryptocurrency market with his innovative and altruistic ideas, not steal. The judge said Bankman-Fried repeatedly committed perjury when he told lies from the witness stand.
Kaplan said the sentence reflected “that there is a risk that this man will be in position to do something very bad in the future. And it’s not a trivial risk at all.” He added that it was “for the purpose of disabling him to the extent that can appropriately be done for a significant period of time.”
Kaplan said he would advise the Federal Bureau of Prisons to send Bankman-Fried to a medium-security prison near San Francisco because his notoriety, his association with vast wealth, his autism and social awkwardness are likely to make him especially vulnerable at a high-security facility.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos had recommended a prison sentence of 40 to 50 years, saying it was the only way to ensure “the defendant doesn’t do it again.”
“The defendant victimized tens of thousands of people and companies, across several continents, over a period of multiple years. He stole money from customers who entrusted it to him; he lied to investors; he sent fabricated documents to lenders; he pumped millions of dollars in illegal donations into our political system; and he bribed foreign officials. Each of these crimes is worthy of a lengthy sentence,” prosecutors had said in a court filing.
Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried misappropriated billions of dollars to fuel his quest for influence and dominance in the new industry, and had illegally used money from FTX depositors to cover his expenses, which included purchasing luxury properties in the Caribbean, bribes to Chinese officials and private planes.
Kaplan agreed with prosecutors Thursday that Bankman-Fried should not get leniency just because some investors and customers might get some of their losses back. He noted that customers lost about $8 billion, investors lost $1.7 billion and lenders were shorted by $1.3 billion.
Given a chance to speak, Bankman-Fried stood and apologized in a rambling statement, saying: “A lot of people feel really let down. And they were very let down. And I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry about what happened at every stage.”
He added, “My useful life is probably over. It’s been over for a while now, from before my arrest.”
Bankman-Fried, wearing his khaki-colored prison uniform and chained at the ankles, seemed to briefly get emotional as he spoke for about 20 minutes, expressing regret about “a lot of mistakes” but casting some of the blame onto others. His trademark messy and bushy hair had returned from the trimmer look he displayed at trial.
The judge later criticized those remarks, saying he expressed “never a word of remorse for the commission of terrible crimes.”
Defense lawyer Marc Mukasey said his client was misunderstood.
“Sam was not a ruthless financial serial killer who set out every morning to hurt people,” Mukasey said. “Sam Bankman-Fried doesn’t make decisions with malice in his heart. He makes decisions with math in his head.”
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has announced the formation of a new Cabinet as it faces international pressure to reform.
President Mahmoud Abbas, who has led the PA for nearly two decades, announced the new government in a presidential decree on Thursday.
Abbas tapped Mohammad Mustafa, a longtime adviser, to be prime minister earlier this month. He replaced Mohammed Shtayyeh, who, along with his government, resigned in February citing the need for change amid Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza and escalating violence in the occupied West Bank.
Mustafa is a politically independent US-educated economist and has pledged to form a technocratic government and create an independent trust fund to help rebuild Gaza. Mustafa will also serve as foreign minister.
Interior Minister Ziad Hab al-Rih is a member of Abbas’s secular Fatah movement and held the same portfolio in the previous government. The Interior Ministry oversees the security forces. The incoming minister for Jerusalem affairs, Ashraf al-Awar, registered to run as a Fatah candidate in elections in 2021 that were indefinitely delayed.
At least five of the incoming 23 ministers are from Gaza, but it was not immediately clear if they are still in the besieged territory.
The PA administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and is dominated by Abbas’s Fatah party. Fatah has long had a strained relationship with Hamas, the group that runs Gaza, and the two factions fought a brief war before Fatah was expelled from the territory in 2007.
The PA has little popular support or legitimacy among Palestinians, in part because it has not held elections in 18 years. Its policy of cooperating with Israel on security matters is extremely unpopular and has led many Palestinians to view it as a subcontractor of the occupation.
The provisional self-governing authority has also been unable to prevent Israeli occupation from expanding, including stopping Israel’s illegal settlement expansion project, home demolition orders and widescale arrests.
It has struggled to address major concerns about the status of Jerusalem – the eastern half of which remains occupied by Israel – as well as Palestinian refugees and the right of return.
Opinion polls in recent years have consistently found that a vast majority of Palestinians want the 88-year-old Abbas to resign.
The United States has called for a revitalised PA to administer Gaza after the Israeli war on the territory ends.
More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza since October 7, according to Palestinian authorities. More than 80 percent of its 2.3 million population has been displaced and are in desperate need of aid, and swaths of the enclave now lie in rubble.
Israel has rejected the US plan, saying it will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza and partner with Palestinians who are not affiliated with the PA or Hamas.
Mustafa said in a cabinet statement addressed to Abbas that the first national priority is an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the enclave, in addition to allowing humanitarian aid to enter in large quantities and reaching all areas, WAFA reported.
“In order to enable the launch of the recovery process and preparation for reconstruction, stop the aggression and settlement activities, and curb settlers’ terrorism in the West Bank,” Mustafa added.
Hamas has rejected the formation of the new government as illegitimate, calling instead for all Palestinian factions, including Fatah, to form a power-sharing government ahead of national elections.
Fatah and Hamas have attempted several times in the past to form a unity government, but the attempts have so far been fruitless.
How wholesome is that tomato paste you are consuming?
Experts say it may be reddish in colour and ravishing but could lead to other diseases such as cancer. To this end, the global food safety concerns on processed fruits and vegetables, which tomatoes pastes belong took the centre stage in Lagos recently, during a Consultative Meeting with Importers of Tomato Paste in Retail Packs (Sachet/Tin) from China by Erisco Foods producers of RIC-GIKO tomato paste with support from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC.
The concerns came as a result of a recent discovery that a group of Asians and their Nigerian collaborators have been killing Nigerians by selling starch and colouring in the name of Tomato paste.
According to the President of Erisco foods Limited, Chief Eric Umeiofia, reports from a NAFDAC survey revealed that such killer tomato paste with colouring are carcinogenic and therefore unfit for human consumption.
“Apart from the cancer-causing colouring, the starch contained in those products is clearly harmful to unsuspecting diabetic patients. This, the importers have been doing by luring unsuspecting Nigerians with banned synthetic colouring agents which are eye-catching and other substandard ingredients and with sell at cheap prices! However, it has been established that the more red your food is via substandard tomato paste, the more you endanger your life and that of your family,” he stated.
Umeiofia who explained that Ric-Giko shared their standard with tomato paste produced in the United State, South Africa and EU lamented the faking of some genuine tomato paste in the country. He said wholesome tomato paste such as RIC-GIKO should be a rich source of Lycopene, a photochemical with many possible health benefits and a natural pigment that gives many red fruits and vegetables their colour.
“It has been scientifically proven that Lycopene contains a potent antioxidant that stabilizes free radicals making them harmless and helping the body to dispose of them thereby reducing the risks of cancer and other Non-Communicable Diseases, NCDs.
However, the substandard tomato paste contain little or no Lycopene and secondly, the banned colouring used by importers of deadly tomato paste are most times impossible to dispose of from the body. The colourings therefore stick to veins, arteries and vital organs and accumulate to cause cancer, hypertension and other diseases.
In addition, the banned colouring agents have been proven to cause poor neurological development in children; causing hyperactivity, poor concentration and, hence, poor performance in education and progress in life.
He advised Nigerians to patronise only made-in-Nigeria Food product, adding that the Nigerian government should encourage indigenous local manufacturers, especially in the food sector as tomato paste.
Endorsing Ric-giko tomato paste, the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration, NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii stated that it has become imperative to conduct a study on the quality of tomato pastes imported from China to Nigeria.
Orhii said: “Tomato is one of the consumed fruits in the world, either as raw fruits or as processed products. In fact, available records revealed that globally, tomatoes are second only to potatoes in economic importance and consumption and are used in the food industry as raw material for the production of several products like juices, sauces, purse, pastes and canned tomatoes.”
Travel › Pelumi Nubi, Driving From London To Lagos, Arrives Nigeria After 68 Days by nlfpmod(mod): 1:57pm On Apr 07, 2024
