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 Politics / Tension As Sanwo-olu, Rhodes-vivour, Adediran Battle For Lagos Governorship Seat by Shehuyinka: 7:18pm On Mar 16, 2023 |
The Lagos State governorship election holds on Saturday March 18, with the incumbent Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), AbdulAzeez Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP) the leading contenders for the seat. The ICIR’s Temitayo Odunlami examines the tension-soaked build-up to the election and the chances of the three front-seat candidates. THE stakes have gone higher in the electoral race to the Lagos State governor’s office at Alausa, Ikeja. The governorship election holds on Saturday March 18 and it is a no-brainer that it will be contested among Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP). Other candidates do not stand even a scintilla of a fighting chance. The APC is a bigger version of the ‘progressives’ camp that has held the state in its grip since 1999. Since the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, governed the state from 1999 to 2007, he has not only ensured that the party he leads controls the state, he has been directly involved in picking who would be governor. Until now, Tinubu had had it relatively easy to control the governorship election, even when former president Olusegun Obasanjo vowed his “do-or-die” politicking in the 2003 and 2007 elections. The Alliance for Democracy (AD), and later the Action Congress (AC) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), with Tinubu as a leader, had always conveniently dumped the PDP in the governorship elections in what were purely two-way races. Other parties were inconspicuous. But the sudden emergence of the LP seems to be altering the configuration for Saturday’s election. How the AD (AC, ACN, APC) dominated PDP in previous elections in Lagos In the 1999 governorship election, Tinubu, contesting on the AD platform, defeated Dapo Sarumi of the PDP, polling 841,732 votes to Sarumi’s 184,900. The PDP, with Obasanjo pushing for the party to completely take over the South-West, put up a stronger showing in the 2003 governorship election in Lagos State. The party’s Funso Williams garnered 740,506 votes, but could not do enough to unseat Tinubu, who polled 911,613 votes to return. Lagos State was the only one the PDP was unable to snatch from the AD in the South-West, a development that would begin to unravel Tinubu as an emerging political strategist to watch. Before the 2007 governorship election in the state, Tinubu had departed the AD to form the AC. It was on this new platform that he picked his Chief of Staff, Babatunde Fashola, to run for governorship to succeed him. Fashola won the election with 599,300, edging PDP’s Musiliu Obanikoro, who got 383,956 votes. - Advertisement - By 2011, the AC had metamorphosed into the ACN, on which platform Fashola ran for a return to office. He won convincingly, polling 1,509,113 votes against PDP’s Ade Dosunmu’s 300,450 votes. Again, the ACN would assume another political identity after merging with the Congress for Political Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to form the APC. It was on the APC ticket that Akinwunmi Ambode, another Tinubu nominee, contested the 2015 governorship election. Ambode won the election with 811,994 votes to succeed Fashola, beating Jimi Agbaje of the PDP, who had 659,788 votes. APC leaders in Lagos State would not give Ambode a second term opportunity for the 2019 governorship election, and in his stead, they picked Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who emerged winner with 739,445 votes, defeating Agbaje, who contested for the second consecutive time on the PDP name and got 206,141 votes. 2023 Lagos governorship election and the LP factor The tables may have turned. The governorship election in Lagos State on March 18 is expected to be fundamentally different from the two-horse race it had been since 1999. From the blues, Rhodes-Vivour has jumped into the mix, thanks to the frontline showing of the LP in Lagos State in the presidential election of February 25. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/tension-as-sanwo-olu-rhodes-vivour-adediran-battle-for-lagos-governorship-seat/
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| Politics / Agberos Rake In N2.16bn Revenue Annually From Lagos Ports Corridor by Shehuyinka: 4:54pm On Mar 16, 2023 |
This is the second part of a two-part report in which NURUDEEN AKEWUSHOLA examines how indiscriminate extortion and touting by hoodlums and corrupt security agencies along ports’ corridors impede the efficiency of electronic call-up system developed to deal with port congestion and restore order to that economic gateway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQF0FkKnpt8 Touting frustrating digital system To address the issue of truck congestion in Apapa and restore order to the port surroundings, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) initiated the electronic call-up system on February 27, 2021, which is designed to manage the movement of all trucks calling in the country’s ports. This system aims to provide a lasting solution to the challenge of congestion experienced in the industry. The electronic system was designed for the hitch-free management of truck movements and access to the Lagos Ports Complex and the Tin Can Island Ports in Apapa, and ending the perennial logjam caused by articulated trucks within the port corridors. The truck electronic call-up system, which is powered by a web application called “Eto”, is said to be responsible for the scheduling, entry and exit of all trucks in the ports. However, The ICIR investigation shows that these flagrant acts of extortion have limited the efficiency of the digital technology aimed at containing the gridlock around the ports, as the problem visibly lingers to date. The ICIR’s checks showed that trucks used to spend as long as two to three weeks, and truckers paid as much as N300,000 to access the port before the advent of the Eto Automation System. However, with the introduction of the digital system, the average time to access the ports should be less than one hour; but with obstruction by illegal toll collectors and corrupt security agencies, it now takes between 12 to 24 hours for trucks to access the ports. Under normal circumstances, it costs an average of N21,500 to access the port using Eto Application, but with multiple illegal checkpoints, truckers now spend between N50,000-N60,000. Barely three weeks before this reporter’s visit to Lagos, tragedy struck at the Trade Fair bridge, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway as a truck crushed a policeman and two other persons to death. Some touts had attempted to stop the truck and collect money from the driver by force, but he refused to obey. This made the violent thugs drag the steering wheel with the driver and, in the process, the truck lost control and crushed three persons to death. Similarly, The ICIR gathered that these hoodlums attacked and stabbed a cameraman of the Channels Television, Ismail Sanusi, whilst filming their illegal activities on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway as well as around the Apapa and Tin Can ports. A Senior Research Analyst with Nairametric, Samuel Oyekanmi, explained that the flagrant acts of impunity by lawless toll collectors would impact the productivity of the Lagos ports as some businesses might be forced to relocate their operations to other business-friendly environments. “The government needs to clamp down on the activities of the touts, either by providing them with social jobs or program that keeps them busy and productive, rather than being a nuisance and hampering the development of business in the state,” Oyekanmi said. Thuggery and Touting: A lucrative business in Lagos Area boys, or Agbero, is an informal name for a person, usually a thug, who collects rates, fees, tolls and other forms of illegal tax around motor parks. They are every Lagos resident’s nightmare. In broad daylight, they levy tolls on commercial drivers, patrol potential car-parking spaces and demand illegal fees from citizens. Earlier investigations by The ICIR have shown how these violent non-state actors pocket millions of Naira from wreaking havoc on commercial transporters and disrupting businesses in Lagos. The investigation, which was carried out in 21 LCDAs shows that bus drivers, tricyclists and motorcyclists pay a whopping ₦123.078 billion annually to touts in Lagos. However, because of their networks in the state government, they have become powerful, rampant and unstoppable in the state. According to the Trust Transit Park, over 78,500 registered trucks frequent the Lagos ports, and at least 3000 of them access the ports daily. The average amount charged by the hoodlums at these points is ₦2,000, based on The ICIR findings. This means that the hoodlums rake estimated ₦6 million daily, ₦180 million monthly and about ₦ 2.16 billion annually from this illegal business. This is just for a single extortion toll point. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/maritime-bandits-agberos-rake-in-n2-16bn-revenue-annually-from-lagos-ports-corridor-2/
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| Politics / Maritime Bandits: Lagos Govt Looks Away As Extortion Thrive At Apapa Ports by Shehuyinka: 11:12am On Mar 15, 2023 |
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) introduced the electronic call-up system, powered by the Eto App, to tackle the issue of truck congestion in Apapa ports and restore order to that economic gateway. However, indiscriminate extortion and touting by hoodlums and corrupt security agencies along ports’ corridors have continued to impede the efficiency of the system. In this report, The ICIR’s NURUDEEN AKEWUSHOLA details how this development threatens the maritime sector. As he headed out to work one sunny afternoon in November 2022, Chidera Ajaekwe, a truck driver, was filled with anticipation akin to the blazing sun in Lagos. He hoped to make a sufficient income to send to his parents in the village. Unfortunately, the trip turned out to be a horrible experience. The 29-year-old, along with his fellow truck drivers, were transporting goods from a warehouse to the Tin Can Port when they were intercepted by a group of miscreants at an illegal checkpoint in Agboju. The thugs demanded a fee of ₦1,000 per truck, but the drivers were unable to comply since they had already expended their funds in settling the demands of previous groups of criminals at prior junctions. Enraged, the thugs resorted to using force to compel compliance with their demands. In a violent outburst, one of them threw a big stone at Chidera’s eyes, causing him to collapse to the ground. Chidera cried out in agony as his eyes bled. As soon as the thugs saw what they had done, they fled the scene. Chidera’s colleagues rushed him to the garage, and then to the police station to report the incident. However, when they got there, the police said it was not within their jurisdiction, advising them to visit another police station. To save his life, his colleagues took him to the hospital, but by the time they got there, his eyes were already swollen, and he had lost a lot of blood. Today, Chidera still lives in pain that reminds him of the ugly encounter, but his attackers still walk freely on the streets of Lagos. “I have been having sleepless nights since the incident occurred, as the eyes still pain me any time I wish to sleep,” Chidera said, trying without success to cushion the tears trundling down his face because of the excruciating pain that resulted from the injury. Chidera’s boss, who identified himself as Kayode, told The ICIR that he had spent over ₦100,000 in treating his eyes and that they had plans to go to a specialist hospital, where they already knew they would expend more money to secure treatment for him. “The government is not doing well. If we talk about it, they would say it’s the government that put them there. They would be saying they are Sanwoolu boys,” he lamented. Like Chidera, many truck drivers who frequent Lagos ports have been victims of attacks by these violent toll collectors in Lagos who harass businesses and collect illegal taxes from them. They generally create unwarranted bottlenecks in the import and export businesses conducted at the ports. The open impunity Findings by The ICIR show that there are several stations of extortionists operating publicly along the Apapa and Tin Can ports corridor. Unfortunately, their activities are aided by security operatives, especially the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), a Lagos State-owned agency under the Ministry of Transportation. Some victims who spoke with The ICIR identified non-state actors at the centre of this sharp practice as Lagos touts, members of Road Transport Employees Association( RTEAN), Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Maritimes Workers Union(MWUN), National Union of Road Transport Workers(NURTW) and Lagos State Parks and Garages (LASPARK). While the complicit state actors are officers of the Lagos police, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and the Federal Road Safety Commission. This act of impunity by state and non-state actors which continues to frustrate the digital system and port operations has also led to several ghastly accidents which claimed the lives of citizens. Data collated via independent oral testimonies from over 20 truck drivers operating at Apapa and Tin Can ports shows that there are about 15 channels of extortion along the Tin Can terminal axis and about 21 along the Apapa Port axis, and each truck driver said he pays at least N30,000 daily in settling thugs, popularly called Area Boys, before reaching their destinations. The roads leading to the ports in Lagos were heavily congested on the bright afternoon of Saturday, November 26, 2022. Numerous trucks and fuel tankers lined up in extensive queues, vying to reach their intended destinations. Disguised as a truck driver, this reporter embarked on an investigative journey on some of the routes associated with the ports. Findings show that the touts, who mount checkpoints at different stations leading to the ports, make thousands of naira daily from truck drivers. The reporter visited various stations in Amuwo Odofin, proceeding from there to the Fatgbems junction and Mile-2, before heading to the Tin Can and Apapa ports. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/maritime-bandits-lagos-government-looks-away-as-touting-extortion-thrive-at-apapa-ports-corridor-part-1/
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| Politics / Steps And Timelines For Resolving Presidential Election Disputes In Nigeria by Shehuyinka: 10:19am On Mar 13, 2023 |
THE Presidential and National Assembly elections were held in Nigeria on February 25, 2023.https://www.icirnigeria.org/explainer-steps-and-timelines-for-resolving-presidential-election-disputes-in-nigeria/ 5 Likes 2 Shares
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| Politics / Photo Does Not Show Peter Obi, Gbadebo Rhodes-vivour Drunk At Lagos Airport by Shehuyinka: 12:28pm On Mar 11, 2023 |
A photo showing the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2023 general election, Peter Obi and the gubernatorial candidate of the party in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, with alcoholic drinks on their table has surfaced online. The photo is circulating alongside another one which showed the duo taking a nap at the Ikeja Airport in Lagos, with a claim that both of them were drunk and caught sleeping at the Airport. The image shows four bottles of Hero beer directly in front of Obi and a bottle of Heineken and a glass cup in front Rhodes-Vivour on the shared table. A Twitter user, @Gasbytweet tweeted the claim with a caption that read: “How it started and how it ended. Drunks” The tweet was also shared here. A Facebook user, Zara Onyinye posted the photo with a caption thus: HOW IT STARTED AND HOW IT ENDED PICTURE NO DEY LIE OBI NA 419 My uncle Obi was not sleeping at all. It was all stages managed This Man started staging this film after he took his hero beer and got high somehow … No amount of this yahoo yahoo strategies, campaigns on ethnicity, and religious bigotry can make him the next President of Nigeria. I did not hate you but his lies is just so much I sympathize with those covering under race and ecclesiastical small-mindedness supporting Peter Obi and asserting he will be the messiah to unravel Nigeria’s difficulty, records of Peter Obi’s divisiveness, looting from the treasury, and ineptitude then as Governor of Anambra are intactCLAIM The CLAIM Photo shows Peter Obi and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour with alcoholic drinks on their table. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/photo-does-not-show-peter-obi-gbadebo-rhodes-vivour-drunk-at-lagos-airport/
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| Politics / Abia Retirees Battle Poverty Over Non-payment Of Pension, Gratuity Human Rightsi by Shehuyinka: 12:14pm On Mar 11, 2023 |
Retirees in Abia state have been left to live in penury and squalor after giving their best years in service to the people and the state government. In this report, VINCENT UFUOMA chronicles their poor and harrowing conditions. WHEN Dickson Onyemeta retired as a level 6 officer from the Abia State civil service in the Ministry of Agriculture in 2006, his plan was to set up a commercial poultry farm with the hope that gains from the farm would be used to take care of himself and his family of seven children. However, when The ICIR spoke to him on January 2023, Onyemeta said he could only boast of 12 birds he keeps in a cage. The 70-year-old man blamed the refusal of the state government to pay his then N460,000 gratuity for his inability to set up the farm. In addition to the irregular payment of his N18,000 monthly pension, the elderly man said feeding and catering for his family had become a nightmare he had never anticipated when he left the service of the state in 2006. “Look at me; I am a family man who still has children to train even at 70 because I married very late. But I cannot discharge my responsibility as a father due to financial hardship,” he said disappointedly. “I left the state civil service in 2006 to leverage my experience in the Ministry of Agriculture to set up a commercial poultry farm that would take care of my needs and my immediate family. “But my dream was shattered due to the refusal of the state government to pay me my gratuity. My gratuity, which was N400,000, was a huge amount of money when I retired more than 15 years ago. All I have right now is a memory of disappointment.” “We are suffering!” he exclaimed, while adding that “retirees are suffering, Abia State government is not treating us well.” He said he now depends on the goodwill of extended family and friends to feed at least once daily. When asked how he treats his chronic arthritis, Onyemeta said he relies on prayers. “I believe in prayers. I attend a white garment church, and I believe God will heal me,” he answered. Like Onyemeta, many retirees interviewed by The ICIR in Abia state share testimonies of disappointments, despairs, hopelessness and anger they have all gone through, especially in the past seven years, in the face of withheld gratuities and irregular pensions payment spanning more than 40 months. A copy of the state civil service rules sighted by The ICIR entitles workers who have served the state meritoriously for more than 15 years to gratuities and pensions upon retirement. It reads in part, “Officers who have served for 15 years will be eligible to draw a gratuity of 100 per cent, and an annual pension of 30 per cent of the terminal salary. Thereafter gratuity will be calculated on a graduated scale up to 300 per cent of terminal salary after 35 years. “Similarly, pension benefits will follow a graduated scale subject to a maximum of 70 per cent of terminal salary after 35 years of service.” However, findings by The ICIR show that the state has not kept faith with its retired civil servants. The last gratuity was paid in 2002 by the then administration of Orji Uzor Kalu, who is now the Chief Whip of the Senate. Gratuity by connection The ICIR met Nwaeze Nnaji, who said his gratuity, which was close to a million naira, was paid in 2006 because of his privileged relationship with Theodore Ahamefule Orji, the then Chief of Staff to Kalu. He retired from the service of the state in 2003. He said that many of his colleagues who retired alongside him but had no access to higher government officials like him have been unable to access their gratuities until now. “I retired in 2003, but my gratuity was paid in 2006 after a series of struggles and intervention by TA Orji, who was then Chief of Staff. He gave me a letter to the former Abia State Accountant-General, who in turn effected the payment of my gratuity.” His only concern now is the irregular payment of his monthly pension. Nnaji, who used to be a Garri trader shortly after retirement but has now stopped due to the downturn in the trade, lamented the pains of feeding himself, his wife and his daughter, a university graduate who has not been able to secure a job. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/pension-series-abia-retirees-battle-poverty-over-non-payment-of-pension-gratuity/
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| Politics / 2023 Election: Actors, Methods And Colouration Of Online Disinformation by Shehuyinka: 1:50pm On Mar 09, 2023 |
Nigeria held the first leg of the general elections on February 25, and the second leg slated for March 11 was shifted to 19; in the build-up to the election, exaggerated, false and misleading claims saturated the media space. https://www.icirnigeria.org/2023-election-actors-methods-and-colouration-of-online-disinformation/ 1 Like 1 Share
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| Politics / 2023 Election: Disenfranchised For Being Identical Twins by Shehuyinka: 5:27pm On Mar 08, 2023 |
ON February 25, the day of Nigeria’s presidential and National Assembly elections, Paul Akinpelu shared a video of himself and his identical twin brother Peter at a polling unit. The declarative caption on the video was, “We are voting here, no matter how long it takes.” The video showed them spotting similar clothing styles. This is a norm with them. A look at their social media accounts shows that the musicians, who go with the name ‘Exceptional Twins’ on instragram, always dress alike. They were to vote in South West Nigeria, Oyo State, in the Egbeda Local Government Area. Long enough it took, Paul’s resolve to vote did not materialise. Twenty-four hours after the post, in a phone conversation with The ICIR and later via Instagram, Peter said his brother, Paul, could not vote. “Only one of us could vote because their machine indicated that the same face had already been scanned, as we look so much alike. That was after one of us did his. So, they suggested fingerprints, but it didn’t work also,” Peter stated. He said they waited and made multiple attempts, but all to no avail. This is not an isolated incident. Across the country, in Kaduna, Hussaini Muhammad Kabir and his identical twin Hassan were experiencing a similar challenge. One of them could not vote. Hussaini, on his twitter account @hussainimk shared his experience. He said, “So I couldn’t vote because my twin voted before me. Unfortunately for me, the machine indicated that the same face was scanned. Fingerprint didn’t work also.” He accompanied the tweet with a photo of their cards, which were eerily similar – image and data. Some twitter users who gave it a cusory look assumed it was the same person and information. Like the Akinpelus, the Kabirs are not only identical, they also dress alike, as can be seen from images on their Instagram page. In a follow-up conversation with The ICIR, Hussaini said, “I didn’t experience such during registering my permanent voters card (PVC).” He, however, said they had encountered a similar issue at an airport while their international passports were being screened. Another twin, Hussainah Uthman, stated in his comment section that the issue affected her and her sister as they were not able to get their PVCs. She wrote, “ Same thing happened to my sis, and I @HassanahUthman even worst cause we couldn’t get our PVC cause of the identical face thingy.” READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/2023-election-disenfranchised-for-being-identical-twins/
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| Politics / Kashim Shettima: Behold Nigeria’s Incoming Vice President by Shehuyinka: 2:17pm On Mar 02, 2023 |
IN the early hours of Wednesday, March 1, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, winner of Saturday’s presidential election. The Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, announced the final result at exactly 4:10 am, after days of collating results from across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rivals, Abubakar Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who got 6,984,520 votes and Labour Party (LP) candidate Peter Obi, who scored 6,101,533 votes. Tinubu did not run the race alone; he ran with Kashim Shettima as his running mate. Shettima is a former governor of Borno State in Nigeria’s North-West. Here are some things to know about the Vice – President-elect. Educational background Shettima, now vice president-elect of Nigeria, was born on September 2, 1966. He attended Lamisula Primary School in Maiduguri from 1972 to 1978 before transferring to Government Community Secondary School, Biu, in Southern Borno, where he spent the following two years, from 1978 to 1980. After that, he relocated to the Government Science Secondary School in Potiskum, where he completed his secondary education in 1983. Shettima thereafter attended the University of Maiduguri, where he obtained a Degree (BSc) in Agricultural Economics in 1989. He did his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the defunct Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative Bank, Calabar, Cross River, from 1989 to 1990. Furthermore, he obtained a Master’s Degree (MSc) in Agricultural Economics at the University of Ibadan in 1991. Shettima worked as a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Maiduguri from 1991 to 1993. Banking career Shettima joined the banking sector in 1993, where he worked for the now-defunct Commercial Bank of Africa as head of accounts. In 1997 he moved to the African International Bank (AIB) Limited as a Deputy Manager. He rose to become a Manager. He also worked at Zenith Bank as head of its main Maiduguri Branch. At Zenith Bank, he rose to various Senior Managerial positions before he left the bank as a General Manager in 2007. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/kashim-shettima-behold-nigerias-incoming-vice-president/
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| Politics / Terrorism: Kaduna residents skeptical about participating in 2023 election by Shehuyinka: 2:35pm On Feb 22, 2023 |
AS Nigerians gear up to elect new set of leaders who would pilot the affairs of the country for the next four years, insecurity has been identified as one of the major challenges that may mar the process as the safety of electoral personnel and voters cannot be guaranteed in some parts of the country battling insecurity. Nurudeen Akewushola reports how security situation in some terrorised communities in Kaduna threatens citizens' participation in the 2023 polls. As many Nigerians are enthusiastic about casting their votes, the situation is a bit different for 30-year-old Hussaina, a resident of Kaduna state. Election is the least of her worries because her husband is currently lying helplessly on a sick bed after being shot twice by terrorists during an attack that occurred earlier in February prior to The ICIR visit. On that fateful day, residents of Ringin Unguwan village were swallowed by fear when they woke up to the sight of sporadic gunshots by bandits. While women and young children scampered for safety, the grown men picked up their local guns and exchanged fire with the attackers. Hussaina The attack is not the first of its kind. Before then, terrorists had attacked the community several times, robbed them of their possessions, and kidnapped residents in exchange for ransom, but due to the failure of the government to find a lasting solution, they often resorted to self-defence. READ ALSO: With Buhari’s time in office coming to an end, here’s what to know about Nigeria’s elections Ogun House of Rep member dragged into illegal seizure of voters’ PVCs Ballot or bullet: Inside South-East Nigeria, ahead of 2023 election Despite owing 26-month doctors’ salaries, Abia Governor seeks election to senate On that fateful day, Hussaina's husband, Magaji Ringin, 67, was one of the men that volunteered to face the bandits to protect the lives and properties of the residents from the grip of terrorists. Magaji was shot twice in the leg during the fierce encounter. Recounting his encounter with the terrorists, Magaji said, “I decided to join them to protect our people because I'm aged, and I don't need to fear death. I just faced them, and we were exchanging fire when two bullets pierced my leg." Magaji - Politicians shun troubled communities - “We don't have peace, and we cannot participate in the election on the election. I don't think elections would hold in our community because no politician came to our village for election campaign", Magaji told The ICIR. “Our community has been taken over by bandits, our Animals have been carted away by them. So who will stay back to vote, or who would bring the boxes on election day? Even some of us that lived in the community later left because of fear of terror. What will happen to somebody that's not from the community? If the security situation improves, we can go back to our community and cast our votes, but if the situation remains the same, we cannot go back," Magaji explained. Nigerians are set to choose who leads them in the next four years. The Presidential election is scheduled for February 25, while the Governorship and State Assembly is scheduled for March 11. However, experts have said rising insecurity across the country could deny many citizens from participating in the elections. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/2023-troubled-by-terrorists-kaduna-residents-skeptical-about-participating-in-election/
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| Education / How Kebbi Primary School Teachers Are Promoted Without Pay Raise by Shehuyinka: 2:31pm On Feb 20, 2023 |
THE letter Nasir Garba, 43, received in 2013 was the last one that mattered. It indicated that his request for a higher grade level — from entry level 6 to level 7 — had been approved by the Kebbi State Universal Basic Education Board (KBSUBEB). In the month that followed, his salary reflected it. The process was fast. So when he requested another promotion in 2016, this time from level 7 to 8, and his monthly wage remained the same two months after approval, he considered it a minor error that would soon be rectified. He was wrong. Instead, that began an unimplemented promotion issue that would last almost a decade. He would later request a promotion in 2019 and 2022 for levels 9 and 10. All the requests were approved but not implemented. Nasir Garba teaches Information communication technology (ICT) at Gwandu Emirate Model Primary School, a government-owned school located in the Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi state capital. The school is in the middle of the city, with four blocks, a story building, about 2001 students and 42 teachers, who, like Nasir, have received promotions with pay raise for years. Most class teachers are recruited at grade level six. After three years, they are qualified for a level upgrade. Once the promotion is approved, the teachers are entitled to a raise. The Kebbi state Universal Basic Education Board (KBSUBEB) is responsible for processing and approving the promotions. After approval, the Local government Education Authority (LGEA) in the 21 LGAs in the state is to pay the new teachers an increased monthly wage. However, this process is never completed. Constitutionally, the role of the Kebbi UBE board is to appoint, promote, transfer, dismiss and discipline all teaching and non-teaching staff on grade level 07 and above in primary schools. And also supervise the affairs of the LGEAs. Multiple promotions without financial benefits The notification of payment Nasir received in November 2022 and shared with The ICIR showed that he earns N27,523 monthly, an amount below Nigeria’s minimum wage. It is the same amount he earned in 2013 after he received the upgraded letter. After working as a primary school teacher for 14 years, Nasir is entitled to N48,000 monthly wage as a grade level 10 teacher. The board had approved his application in January 2022, but his salary did not change. “Last year, I moved to level 10, but my salary is still the same amount I earned about eight years ago when I was in level 7. I have accumulated promotions that are never reflected in my pay. “I applied, provided all the required documents, and the documents were authenticated and approved, but I never got to enjoy the financial benefits. It is unfair,” Nasir told The ICIR. Nasir’s case is not isolated. Teachers who spoke to The ICIR said promotion without a raise is an issue affecting every primary school teacher in the state. Also, several teachers still earn below the minimum wage despite working for nearly a decade. The Kebbi Government announced in 2019 that it had domesticated the new minimum wage legislation and was set to commence payment of the wage to civil servants. But three years after this announcement, many civil servants still earn below N30,000. Although The ICIR could not get a full scale of the state’s teachers’ salaries, its finding showed that primary school workers still earn as low as N17,000 to N18,000 monthly. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/how-kebbi-primary-school-teachers-are-promoted-without-pay-raise/
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| Politics / Buhari’s Tenure Ends In 98 Days by Shehuyinka: 9:47am On Feb 20, 2023 |
IN line with the provision of Nigeria’s Constitution, President Muhammadu Buhari will end his second and final term in office on May 29, which is 100 days from today.https://www.icirnigeria.org/buharis-tenure-ends-in-100-days/ 8 Likes 1 Share
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| Politics / Ogun House Of Rep Member Dragged Into Illegal Seizure Of Voters’ Pvcs by Shehuyinka: 7:56pm On Feb 18, 2023 |
This report follows the stories of residents of Ogijo Town, Shagamu Local Government Area of Ogun state, who accused persons said to be working for ‘Ijaya,’ a federal lawmaker, of holding onto their PVCs slips. Olugbenga Adanikin, who visited the border town, reports. *LASISI Omole was in his home in Ogijo, Shagamu Local Government Area (LGA) of Ogun State, when he got a notice on the early morning of July 5, 2021. It was an offer to support the town’s residents who might be interested in registering their Permanent Voters Card (PVC). But the registration would have to take place at a location over 70 Kilometres (km) away from his residence in Ogun. Despite the distance, he was excited. That was because previous efforts to partake in his ward’s PVC registration process failed. Still, he vowed to exercise his voting right in the forthcoming general election, not because it was a must. But, he realised it was an obligation and the opportunity to elect a new leader who would pilot the affairs of the state and the country. The Presidential election is scheduled for February 25, while the Governorship and State Assembly is fixed for March 11. The popular contenders at the presidential level are Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP); the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who is contesting under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and candidates of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwakwaso. Omole realised his determination might just be a wild goose chase, except he got registered and obtained his PVC. Without a second thought, he jumped up and off to the meeting point where other interested persons in a similar situation had gathered – for the same purpose. Meanwhile, the participants were offered N1,000 each upon their return from the registration centres, but their PVC slips were taken by the people who facilitated the free trip for the registration exercise. Multiple sources confirmed to The ICIR that their voters’ registration slips were collected with the promise to get the PVCs and make them available in two weeks. Since then, they were yet to get their PVCs, and the alleged persons have refused to respond to the aggrieved persons’ calls, nor have they provided them with any explanation on whether or not the victims would eventually get their PVCs. “We asked for the slip, but the organiser promised to give us in two weeks. We expected it, I called him, but he did not return the slip,” Omole said. “Up until now, he is still holding on to my right, my civil responsibility. People asked me about my PVC, but I don’t know what to tell them.” “I am so ashamed.” He told The ICIR during a visit to the community. Who is behind the Greek gift? Earlier, a man, identified as ‘Alfa,’ was said to have been contacted by a notable individual in the town. Alfa’s job was simple – to scout for persons in the category of Omole. That is, those who had tried registering for their PVCs but could not due to several reasons. Based on field findings, Alfa was to persuade the victims while the people would reach out to more persons so they could all get registered for the PVCs. The people believed it was of good intentions. Alfa’s number was subjected to a search on True caller, a mobile application used to identify unknown numbers; it displayed “Wale Vote Card.” This implied several persons must have saved the accused person’s name in that manner, or he did it himself. Multiple sources who spoke to The ICIR said that the notable individual who they said contacted ‘Alfa’ was also engaged by Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) state. He was described as Kunle Oloko. And the name ‘Ijaya’ repeatedly came up during interviews with other sources. She was said to have allegedly sponsored the trip alongside others for the registration exercise. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/ogun-house-of-rep-member-dragged-into-illegal-seizure-of-voters-pvcs/
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| Health / North Korean Runs Illegal Hospital Patronised By The High And Mighty In Abuja by Shehuyinka: 2:04pm On Jan 31, 2023 |
A PRIVATE hospital run by a man, Jongsu Kim, who claims to be Chinese but is a North Korean, has been operating illegally in the heart of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, for four years, The ICIR exclusively reports. The hospital enjoys patronage from highly placed individuals, particularly public officials, including those who work in the presidency. Daily, officials in SUVs bearing FGN plate numbers and armed policemen drive in and out of the hospital premises. A former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, is one of the leading figures said to be seeking medical care at the facility. In addition to Aondoakaa, at least four lawyers who are Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) receive treatment at the hospital. The ICIR’s checks showed that at least three other expatriates whose nationalities could not be verified because they refused to speak also work and live at the facility. Kim, a doctor, leads the team. He also lives at the hospital. Clients pay for services the facility renders into Kim’s personal account rather than the hospital’s. The hospital does not have a signboard. It did not have a bank account when the larger part of this investigation was carried out between June and October 2022 and does not pay tax to the government as required by law. For instance, the hospital does not pay the “Pay As You Earn” (PAYE) tax to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Internal Revenue Service (IRS), even though it has Tax Identification Number 20913237. PAYE is the tax companies deduct from their employees’ salaries and remit to the government. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said the Federal Government exempts hospitals and schools from taxes, but they must provide a report of their annual returns. The FIRS in Abuja said only the hospital could provide evidence of submission of the annual return report. Asked how the hospital got its TIN, the FIRS said companies get TIN from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) during registration. The Private Health Establishments Registration and Monitoring Committee (PHERMC), a department in charge of private hospital registration and monitoring in the nation’s capital, confirmed to The ICIR that Lilu Hospital never applied for registration in city and runs illegally. The hospital is also not in the Nigeria Health Facility Registry, where data on all health facilities in the country are domiciled. Another observation by The ICIR is that only Kim comes out of the hospital in the daytime; his colleagues are usually indoors. Kim drives an SUV with a diplomatic number plate, a privilege the Nigerian government accords only diplomats. While Kim claims he is Chinese, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) told The ICIR that the number plate on his vehicle belongs to the North Korean Embassy. The Chinese Embassy does not know Kim and his hospital. Two spokespersons at the embassy, Huang Shuming and another who identified himself as Zhang, told The ICIR reporter they did not know Kim and his hospital. They also said the number plate on his SUV did not belong to their embassy. The North Korean Embassy refused to speak about the issue when contacted by The ICIR. The reporter was at the North Korean Embassy in Abuja and met with one of the country’s nationals who put a call across to her superior. The man, Kim, gave the reporter his phone number to send his request through Whatsapp. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/how-north-korean-runs-illegal-hospital-patronised-by-the-high-and-mighty-in-abuja/
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| Business / Here Are 11 Nigerian Firms, Contractors Blacklisted By World Bank In 2022 by Shehuyinka: 10:27am On Jan 30, 2023 |
The World Bank blacklisted at least, 11 Nigerian firms and contractors in 2022, The ICIR can confidently report. The affected organisations include Gitto Costruzioni Generali Nigeria Limited, Chez Aviv Nigeria Limited, Lutoyilex Construct Limited, Softech IT Solutions and Services Limited, ALG Global Concept Limited, and AIM Consultants Limited. Other contractors banned by the Bank are Bamidele Obiniyi, Frank John Friday Nnaji, Isaiah Salihu Kantigi, Abuharaira Labaran, and Amin Moussalli. Sanctioning contractors that breach the procurement guidelines of the World Bank is a usual occurrence the global bank does to promote transparency in contract awards and prevent procurement fraud among corporate entities it transacts business with. The financial institution sanctions individuals or entities that go against its procurement policies by debarring them, sometimes, they are ‘cross debarred’. An organisation or contractor is considered ‘crossly debarred‘ in this context when a member of the group of Development Financial Institutions (DFI) finds a contractor guilty of procurement fraud or related offences, and other members of the DFI decide to effect the same sanction on the firm. It is called mutual enforcement. And this exists among the African Development Bank (AfDB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank Group, and the World Bank Group. Gitto’s case was of ‘cross debarment’ from the AfDB, and the sanction took effect on December 28, 2022. The AfDB accused Gitto Costruzioni of ‘fraudulent and obstructive practices’ during the bid tendering for the contract award of the Bank’s Transport Sector Support Programme (Phase II). The World Bank, due to the agreement among the DFIs, decided to enforce the same sanction on the firm. It is worth noting that Gitto Costruzioni has executed notable projects in Nigeria, which included the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja; Akwa Ibom International Airport, Akwa Ibom state, and the Central Bank of Nigeria, Yenagoa in Bayelsa state. The apex bank has delisted it for the next four years for procurement-related offences. The decision took effect following an investigation conducted by the Bank’s Integrity and Anti-corruption Office. The unit is responsible for preventing, deterring and investigating allegations of corruption, fraud and other sanctionable practices in the AfDB’s financed projects. The firm’s ineligibility period is expected to end on September 9, 2026. Gitto is located at Plot 737, Mabushi District, in Abuja. The contracts for which it was sanctioned included the rehabilitation of the Yaounde-Bafoussam-Babadjou road, the improvement of the Great Zambi-Kribi Road, and the improvement of the Maroua-Bogo-Pouss road. The World Bank stated, “The rehabilitation of the Yaounde-Bafoussam-Babadjou Road, Improvement of the Great Zambi-Kribi Road is aimed to respond to the urgent need for further economic development in the poorest regions of Cameroon and the Far North and East regions.” Contractors barred for nine years By the sanction, the affected firms and individuals have been prohibited from participating in World Bank-financed contracts until October 3, 2031. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/here-are-11-nigerian-firms-contractors-blacklisted-by-world-bank-in-2022/ 1 Like
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| Politics / Does This Letter Show UK Government Investigating Alpha Beta? by Shehuyinka: 11:10am On Jan 28, 2023 |
A post circulating on social media shows a letter alleging that the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (NCA) is investigating a Lagos-based consulting firm Alpha Beta for a case of laundering money through British banks to suspected drug dealers in Columbia. The alleged letter from NCA has been spotted by The ICIR on Twitter and Facebook. A Twitter user, @BigChiefDamien has alleged, “More trouble for the presidential aspirant of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) begins investigating a case of money laundering by Alpha Beta through British banks to suspected drug dealers in Columbia.” The post, which was posted on January 25 and archived here, has been viewed more than seventy-eight thousand (78K) times on Twitter, retweeted 699, 49 quoted tweets, 868 likes and 29 comments. The claim, which was also posted by another Twitter user, @alumotis63, archived here, has been viewed more than one hundred thirty thousand (130.6k) and garnered 1179 retweets, 51 quoted tweets, 1762 likes and more than 54 comments. Alpha-beta is a consulting firm handling the computation, tracking and reconciliation of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in Lagos State in return for a commission. Alpha Beta, which has an exclusive right to collect funds on behalf of Lagos state, has been linked to the former Lagos Governor and 2023 Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/does-this-letter-show-uk-government-investigating-alpha-beta/
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| Politics / Nigerian Inmates In Ethiopian Prison Seek Repatriation by Shehuyinka: 10:22am On Jan 27, 2023 |
NIGERIAN inmates in Kaliti prison, a maximum security prison in Addis Abba, Ethiopia, have called on the Federal Government to facilitate their transfer to prisons in Nigeria.https://www.icirnigeria.org/nigerian-inmates-in-ethiopian-prison-seek-repatriation/ 1 Like
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| Politics / Ballot Or Bullet: Inside South-east Nigeria, Ahead Of 2023 Election by Shehuyinka: 1:54pm On Jan 26, 2023 |
DATELINE: Enugu, South-East Nigeria, Monday, January 9, 2023. It is the first working day of the week. Usually a busy day, especially for office workers. Normally, the roads would be bustling with vehicular and human traffic as residents went about their businesses. But by noon the roads are largely deserted. Only a few vehicles and tricycles (Keke) passed through the empty streets and major roads in Enugu metropolis. Shops, schools, offices are closed. Residents are indoors. Just a few people are out on the streets. Most of those who ventured out of their homes are dressed in sports wears – shorts, tracksuits, sneakers. The empty streets are ideal for jogging, walks and other forms of physical exercise. It was like an extension of Sunday – a day when most offices, shops and markets remain closed as the predominantly Christian population of the South-East attend church services. But unlike Sundays, which are usually marked by a laid-back, easy feeling, there was tension in the air on this Monday, January 9. The fitness buffs who were working out on the streets were watchful, ready to run for their lives at the slightest hint of trouble. Petty traders who opened for business, particularly sellers of okpa, a local delicacy, were wary. Those who ventured outside their homes know they are taking a major risk. It is Monday. Sit-at-home day in the South-East It was the same scenario in other major cities and towns across the five states of the South-East – Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo. Originally, the sit-at-home exercise was restricted to May 30, a day Biafra activists remember those who died in the Civil War. Mondays were eventually declared as a day for sit-at-home protest across the South-East after the arrest and detention of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the proscribed pro-Biafra group which is sharing control of the zone with the state governments. The sit-at-home was also extended to days Kanu appear in court for proceedings in terrorism and treason charges filed against him by the Federal Government. With time, enforcement of the sit-at-home turned it into a bloody affair – residents who venture out of their homes or engage in business or social activities on the day risk losing lives and property. Although Emma Powerful, IPOB spokesperson, has announced that the sit-at-home had been suspended, the exercise is still in force through orders issued by Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based self described Kanu disciple and ‘IPOB spokesperson’, reputed to be the leader of the ‘IPOB Autopilots’ who appear to have taken charge of the group since Kanu’s arrest. The ICIR’s reporter, who moved around Enugu to monitor the sit-at-home on January 9, observed that although a few intra-city buses and Keke were available to convey passengers to destinations within the metropolis, there were no vehicles to transport residents to far locations within and outside the state. At the Holy Ghost area, the major transportation hub in Enugu metropolis, none of the inter-state transport operators opened for business. Some prospective travellers, who hoped to travel outside the state, were frustrated. No vehicle was available to convey them to their destinations. It was the same situation in Abia, Ebonyi, Imo and Anambra. The entire South-East was literally on lockdown. Dateline: Finland. Monday, January 9, 2023. 11:24 am. In far away Finland, Simon Ekpa posted a video from the ongoing sit-at-home in southeastern Nigeria on Twitter via his handle @simon_ekpa. The video, posted under the caption ‘Those preparing to force Biafrans into validating a terrorist state in February 2023, this is what await you’, showed empty shops and stalls at one of the major markets in the South-East. The video appeared to have been shot that same day and was posted to illustrate the ‘success’ of the January 9 sit-at-home exercise. A voice which ran a commentary in the video described the day’s sit-at-home as “very tight, very solid, and awesome”. ‘No election in South-East’ There will be no election in the South-East, the voice in the video stressed, warning residents of the region not to come out during the election period, to avoid being killed by the “military”. The killings in the South-East have been blamed on ‘unknown gunmen’, who the security agencies say are members of IPOB and its military wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN). But the voice in the video claimed that the security agencies of the Nigerian government are behind the killings. The voice in the video said: “Let everyone be notified, as you have been notified before, let no one come out. There’s no election in Biafraland (South-East). Don’t come out and don’t be killed by the military. Because if you come out they will kill you too. So don’t come out. There’s no election in Biafraland. Thank you for sitting at home.” In an earlier Twitter post at 10:36 am, on the same day, Ekpa posted images of empty shops and streets, under the caption: ‘Monday sit at home update for Biafra liberation & release of MNK (Mazi Nnamdi Kanu) today, 9th of January 2023. Biafraland remain under lockdown.” However, although Ekpa is insisting that there will be no election in the South-East, official IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful has distanced the group from the directive. IPOB has nothing against election – Spokesperson In an interview with The ICIR, Powerful said: “IPOB has nothing against the Nigerian election and we have made it clear in our previous press releases that we are not interested on Nigeria’s selection process. And we are not not declaring sit- at- home.” He added that anybody who says IPOB don’t want election in the South-East “is an enemy of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the Biafra struggle”. The Nigerian government has continued to blame IPOB for the killings and other forms of violence in the South-East, including attacks on facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). But Powerful said the government is sponsoring the insecurity in the region just to frame the group as a terrorist organisation. The Federal Government designated IPOB as a terrorist organisation after a court proscribed the group on September 21, 2017. “Those trying to create confusion during the forthcoming elections in Nigeria are criminals and cultists recruited by the same Nigerian government to implicate IPOB and ESN. If we had wanted to stop elections we would have done that during the time of PVC registration but we didn’t do that. We never called for boycott because our strategy is to boycott election, not to stop election,” Powerful added, stressing that the group is a liberation movement that would not stop a democratic process. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/ballot-or-bullet-inside-south-east-nigeria-ahead-of-2023-election/
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| Business / Cry Freedom – Nigeria | Death By Tax Collector by Shehuyinka: 10:51am On Jan 23, 2023 |
AT 2 AM on March 28, 2022 Olanrewaju Suraju, the head of the Human and Environmental Development Agency (HEDA), was asleep beside his wife in their bedroom in Abuja when they suddenly found themselves under attack by men who had broken into the house. The men, who made off with laptops, mobile phones, and cash, could have been mistaken for ordinary criminals were it not for the fact that they mysteriously told the couple that they were ‘acting on information and instruction.’ Nigerian burglars recently appear to have developed a taste for targeting social justice activists. Houses are robbed, but the thieves also make a point of severely beating their victims too. Suraju, an activist whose organisation is involved in a long-running battle with the Ministry of Justice over corruption involving one of Nigeria’s rich oil blocks, was a very vocal activist. The attack against him and his wife was so vicious that it left both of them in the hospital. Plain-clothed thugs One month before the attack on the Suraju family, plain-clothed thugs had attacked activists on their way to a court hearing. Again victims were severely beaten and their phones and money were stolen. A month before that, a similar group targeted Omoyele Sowore, initiator of the protest movement ‘RevolutionNow’ and publisher of the critical online news site Sahara Reporters. He was also on his way to a court case. Afterwards, Sowore said, a source in the State Security Services (SSS) had told him that the attack had been ordered by them. He also recalled that the same men had attacked him during a scuffle at an earlier protest, while SSS operatives and police had prevented his escape. ‘We were alerted that one ‘Ali from Kano’ was leading a mob towards us’ Deji Adeyanju, an associate of Sowore who was himself once beaten so badly by vigilantes during a peaceful protest that he was hospitalised in a life-threatening condition, also says that sources in the SSS confirmed that the agency is behind the attacks. ‘They alerted us before the attack on us that one “Ali from Kano” was “leading a mob” towards us. As they were beating us, I mentioned this name, and it seemed to shake them, as if their secret had been exposed. Intelligence operatives in Nigeria now, whenever they can’t come out against anti-government elements openly, they hire thugs who go after them, both online and offline,’ says Adeyanju. ‘The leadership of this SSS goes after civil society instead of gathering intelligence on Boko Haram.’ Though Adeyanju formally reported the assault to the Inspector General of Police in December 2019, the police authorities have yet to make any arrests or publish an investigative report on the case. The same is true for the attack on Olanrewaju Suraju and his wife. ‘The police showed no interest at all’, Suraju says, ‘even when we tracked one of my phones, which was activated by the assailants and gave details of its location. The same authorities who use thugs to attack activists are in firm control of even institutions where victims are supposed to seek redress.’ In a joint statement about the attack, five prominent Nigerian organisations active in the fields of human rights, transparency, anti-corruption and media stated their belief that the attack was aimed at stopping Suraju’s activism. Oppressive tactics The recent uptick in violence against activists began in 2020 when organised protests against corruption and human rights abuses were gaining momentum amid a global wave of protests caused in part by the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on people’s lives and livelihoods. At the time the state security forces responded to these protests with a wave of oppressive tactics which have continued to date (see box). On August 18 2020, amid the growing unrest, the head of the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubuiko was among the first to go underground. At the time he had been in the midst of an investigation into corruption at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, where officials appeared to have embezzled 500 million Naira (around US$1.1 million) meant for children’s school lunches. Onwubuiko made the difficult decision to relocate his family after being followed home by a Toyota Camry driven by ‘a fierce-looking person, with about two other armed occupants’ while driving in Abuja on the evening of August 18 2020. Meanwhile, his work eventually led to an investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), a statutory agency that formally probes corruption, but so far the commission hasn’t published any report. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/cry-freedom-nigeria-death-by-tax-collector/
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| Politics / Atiku May Lose Big In G5 States In 2023 Presidential Election by Shehuyinka: 10:29am On Jan 23, 2023 |
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the February presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, may lose a significant number of votes if the party fails to resolve its internal crisis before the 2023 election. https://www.icirnigeria.org/atiku-may-lose-big-in-g5-states-in-2023-presidential-election/ 9 Likes
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| Politics / There's A Proposed System To Stop Vote Buying, Can It Work? by Shehuyinka: 10:13am On Jan 23, 2023 |
IN the last Ekiti state governorship election, the Centre for Democracy and Development, CDD, said its field observers documented 41 voting buying and selling cases at polling units across six LGAs. These voters are offered a sum under a "See and Pay" fraud, in which a voter displays the thumb-printed ballot to a party agent standing by a polling booth. Political pundits have said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine that was introduced in 2021 can help reduce election rigging, and parties will resort to vote buying. The ICIR reported multiple cases of vote buying in Ekiti and Osun elections. Vote buying did not start with the introduction of the BVAS. This has led to different concercens stakeholders offering solutions. Recently, a Twitter user, Nicholas Musa, has suggested modifying the voting process to curb the rise of the practice in elections. In a Twitter thread posted using on the handle @Nichmusa, Musa advised that the INEC merge the voting cubicle and the ballot box. To do this, INEC will create a slot that can only fit the ballot slip on the cubicle. And place the ballot box underneath. With this, thumbprinting and vote-casting are in the same spot. The entire process is enclosed and, according to Musa, eliminates the role of the 'spotter.' The 'spotter' is a party agent who confirms the candidate an electorate has voted for and signals an accomplice to finalise the exchange. Musa said the spotter is the most vital agent whose role INEC can eliminate by this modification. Musa told The ICIR that this proposed system tackles vote buying while incurring little or no cost. "All that is needed has been procured or is already available. I'm only suggesting we switch the process. There is nothing extra to be procured. "The only work required is sensitisation and an update to the training of Adhoc staff," he said. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/theres-a-proposed-system-to-curb-vote-buying-can-it-work/
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| Politics / Education Ministry's Hqtrs To Spend N25.8m On Meals, Refreshments In 2023 by Shehuyinka: 4:01pm On Jan 19, 2023 |
THE Federal Ministry of Education headquarters in Abuja will be spending N25.8 million on meals and refreshments this year, as approved in the Federal Government's budget signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 3. The ministry will also be spending N367 million on local and international travels during the year. The ministry has a share of N1.076 trillion from the government's N21.8 trillion for the year. In addition to the meals and refreshments budget, there is another N49.65 million for welfare packages for the ministry. The ministry's headquarters will be paying N35.52 million on security charges and N36.4 million on cleaning and fumigation services. It will spend N2 million on sewage charges. It will also be paying N42.2 to cover motor vehicle fuel costs, N5 million for other transport equipment, and another N34 million for fueling its plants and generators. Besides, the ministry's headquarters has an approved budget of N6.2 million for telephone charges, N6.1 million for internet, and N5 million for water rate. Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Health, which shares the same building with the Education ministry, has almost the size of the Education ministry's budget, at N1.07 trillion. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/education-ministrys-hqtrs-to-spend-over-n25-8m-on-meals-refreshments-in-2023/
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| Food / Who Invented Jollof Rice? by Shehuyinka: 1:42pm On Jan 19, 2023 |
By Fatima Fall Niang, Université Gaston Berger The authorship – and therefore origins – of jollof rice (called ceebu jën in Senegal according to the Wolof spelling) is the subject of a spicy debate between West African nations. In particular, Senegalese, Nigerians and Ghanaians claim ownership. And each believes their recipe surpasses all others. In a bid to settle the issue we explored the subject in our book. In it we point out the “Senegality” of this dish. The word jollof refers to an ancient kingdom that was a part of Senegal between the 12th and the 13th centuries. More broadly, we found that the origin of the dish is linked to a particular period in history – the entrenchment of colonial rule in West Africa. Between 1860 and 1940 the French colonisers replaced existing food crops with broken rice imported from Indochina. In time, broken rice came to be much more prized by the Senegalese than whole rice grain. This was followed by what we call le ceebu jën, un patrimoine bien sénégalais – the genius of the natives, especially the Saint-Louisians who set about creating something completely new. Ceebu jën consists of rice and fish, accompanied by vegetables and sometimes tomatoes. As it happens in history, when an art reaches a certain fame or notoriety, its paternity becomes an object of controversy. This is what has indeed happened with jollof rice. Colonial legacy The first act of the settlers was to make all those disconnected from agricultural activities dependent on rice. This included the men and women who had come to try to make their fortune in the markets of Saint-Louis, one of the gateways to the West and, for a good period, the capital of French West Africa. If we add teachers, various agents of the administration and the military, we can better understand the pernicious process of rice promotion. Overflowing in urban centres, rice was consumed in practically all of the colony of Senegal. The success of the rice promotion strategy resulted in the entrenchment of an economy that became increasingly dependent on crops preferred by the colonisers. To this day efforts continue to be made to grow rice in Casamance and the Saint-Louis region. At the same time, the exploitation of the market garden areas of Niayes and Gandiol contributed to meeting the population’s need for vegetables. Another intriguing part of the history of the dish is the myth that’s developed over centuries around the role of a Senegalese cook called Penda Mbaye who is regularly attached to the name of rice with fish. Although no one disputes the connection between the dish and Penda Mbaye, serious information on her identity, on the place and time she lived and on the conditions in which the dish was created is cruelly lacking. This is why we have stated in our book that she left history very quickly to take her place in legend. Why the passion? To understand the importance of ceebu jën in the diet and imagination of the Senegalese, it would be wise to point out that its attractiveness can’t be reduced to its nutritional value or its intrinsic delicacy. This culinary art is closely linked to a know-how and a way of life. Thus, the consumption of the dish is strongly linked to the ceremonial – the aesthetics of the presentation and the service. The women of Saint Louis, a port city in the northern part of Senegal, are singularly credited with remarkable know-how in this area. Their finesse and elegance is expressed in the way they dress, their speech and their gestures. All are put to good use so that the meal is a moment when they give pleasure by being pleased themselves. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/who-invented-jollof-rice/
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| Politics / N77trn Debt: Each Nigerian To Owe N384,864 By End Of Buhari’s Tenure by Shehuyinka: 9:28pm On Jan 18, 2023 |
Every Nigerian will be owing N384,864 each when President Muhammadu Buhari leaves office in May 2023, with the country’s debt profile expected to spiral to N77 trillion by then. The Debt Management Office (DMO) has projected that government’s persistent borrowings would see President Muhammadu Buhari leave a humongous debt of N77 trillion behind for the incoming administration. Patience Oniha, who heads the agency, said at a public presentation on January 4, 2023 on the 2023 budget at the National Assembly that new borrowings of ₦10.57 trillion was captured in the 2023 budget. If divided by an official exchange rate put at N422 to an American dollar, 200 million Nigerians would have inherited N384,864 debt per person when the current administration winds down. Available data showed that 73 per cent of internal debt, which is about 60 per cent of the total debt stock, is government bond, saving bonds, treasury bills, Sukuk and Green bonds. Of internal debts, 2.3 per cent is government’s promissory notes to companies issued export expansion grant. With the rising deficit in the budget, industry analysts posit that whoever takes over from President Buhari has tough choices to make on the economy, with the 2023 budget designed as a deficit document to be funded by borrowing. “There is a strong link between ballooning debt, weak exchange rate and Nigeria’s rising hyper inflation. This is already taking its toll on Nigeria’s assesment by global rating agencies like Fitch and Moody. The worst of it all is that indigenous companies quoted on the Nigeria Exchange Limited are also donwgraded,” a development economist, Kelvin Emmanuel, told The ICIR. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/n77trn-debt-each-nigerian-to-owe-n384864-by-end-of-buharis-tenure/
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| Crime / Police Deny Sit-at-home Order In South-east by Shehuyinka: 2:40pm On Jan 18, 2023 |
THE Nigeria Police have denied knowledge of the sit-at-home order across states in the southeast region. The ICIR reports that the the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) initiated order has been active for over a year ago. In August 2021, the IPOB introduced a sit-at-home order to compel the Nigerian government to release its leader, Mr Nnamdi Kanu, whose arrest the Nigerian Federal government initiated in Kenya, and who has been standing trial in Nigeria for alleged treasonable felony and terrorism. Since then, social and commercial activities in the region have been disallowed by IPOB enforcers every Monday. A two-part investigation by The International Centre for Investigative Reporting - read the investigation here and here - has shown the human and economic cost of the order, particularly on small businesses. The findings showed that the South-East region has sat at home for over 71 Mondays since the exercise began. During the investigation, The ICIR interviewed 22 small businesses in each of the five states under the region. It also estimated that annual revenue of N4.618 trillion ($10.495 billion) could have been lost due to the order. However, when The ICIR contacted the Anambra state police spokesman, Deputy Superintendent Tochukwu Ikenga, he dismissed the practical existence of the order in the state. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/police-deny-sit-at-home-order-in-south-east/
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| Crime / 5,014 Christians Killed In Nigeria Out Of 5,621 Recorded Worldwide by Shehuyinka: 11:59am On Jan 18, 2023 |
NIGERIA accounts for 89 per cent of Christians martyred worldwide, according to latest report on global Christian persecution. The Open Doors World Watch List 2023, released on Tuesday, January 17, said out of the total of 5,621 Christians killed for their faith during the reporting period, Nigeria recorded 5,014, marking the country as one of the most dangerous places “to follow Jesus”. The report tracked the period from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022. Open Doors said the data was compiled from grassroots reports by more than 4,000 of its workers across over 60 countries. Urging the United States State Department to reconsider Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, the report said if not addressed, persecution against Christians “will soon trigger a vast humanitarian catastrophe across the continent”. It added that the year under review “has also seen this violence spill over into the Christian-majority South of the nation” while “Nigeria’s government continues to deny this is religious persecution, so violations of Christians’ rights are carried out with impunity”. “Violence against Christians is most extreme in Nigeria where militants from the Fulani, Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and others conduct raids on Christian communities, killing, maiming, raping and kidnapping for ransom or sexual slavery”, the report added. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/nigeria-accounts-for-89-of-martyred-christians-worldwide-report/
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| Politics / 'Sit-At-home: South-East Micro Businesses Lost Estimated N4.6trn In 52 Weeks by Shehuyinka: 5:37pm On Jan 16, 2023 |
FOR many residents of South-East Nigeria, Monday is part of the weekend. Banks, shops, transport companies, churches, schools and government offices are under lock and key.https://www.icirnigeria.org/south-east-nigeria-the-cost-of-monday-sit-at-home-exercise-part-1/ 8 Likes
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| Crime / 11 Years After Surviving Christmas Bomb Attack, Catholic Priest Burnt To Death by Shehuyinka: 8:56am On Jan 16, 2023 |
11 years after surviving Christmas Day bomb attack, Catholic priest burnt to death by terrorists A CATHOLIC Priest, Isaac Achi, was burnt to death on January 15 after terrorists set fire to his parish rectory in Niger State. Achi’s body was found among the charred parish building of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Kafin-Koro in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State, following an early morning attack by terrorists suspected to be Boko Haram fighters. The Catholic Diocese of Minna, Niger State, which confirmed the development, said another priest, Collins Omeh, escaped the building but sustained gunshot wounds and is being treated in a hospital. Here are a few things to know about the late priest According to reports, Reverend Father Achi was ordained on January 7, 1995, becoming the first indigenous Catholic priest from Gbagyi/Koro land. As a priest under the Minna Archdiocese of the Catholic Church, he was moved to different parishes. As at the time he was killed on Sunday, January 15, Achi was serving as the parish priest of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Kafin-Koro. The late priest was also the chairman of the local branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). His many battles with death Achi was the parish priest of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, near Suleja, in Niger State, when the church was bombed on December 25, 2011, by Boko Haram terrorists. The attack is popularly known as Christmas Day bomb blast. The church in Madalla, a satellite town about 40 km (25 miles) from the centre of Nigeria’s capital Abuja, was packed when the bomb exploded. The attack led to the death of 44 persons, many of whom were parishioners, and others also sustained injuries. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/11-years-after-surviving-christmas-day-bomb-attack-catholic-priest-is-burnt-to-death-by-terrorists/
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| Politics / [SPECIAL REPORT] Aisha Buhari: Can Aminu Adamu Sue? by Shehuyinka: 11:52am On Jan 14, 2023 |
A STUDENT of Federal University Dutse (FUD), Aminu Adamu Muhammed, who was in the custody of security operatives and later released over a tweet tagged as defamatory against the wife of the president, Aisha Buhari has continued to generate debate. Aisha has been Nigeria's first lady since 2015, when President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration assumed office. Adamu, a 23-year-old, 500-level student studying environmental management, was allegedly arrested on November 18 for a post he tweeted on his Twitter page on June 8. In some quarters, the arrest has been likened to abduction, citing that due process was not followed. After public outcry, the detained critic was released from Suleja correctional facility on December 2, 2022. The student alluding to her weight gain, wrote in Hausa, “Su Mama anchi kudin talakawa ankoshi", which translates to "Mother has fed fat on public fund", mother here referring to Aisha. Aminu's tweet that generated controversy Muhammad was reported to have been beaten up alongside a former social media aide to the first lady, Zainab Kazeem, before he was eventually arraigned. At the time, a call to the Police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, in reaction to the claim that Adamu was arrested, told The ICIR via text message that he was unaware of the student's arrest, although several media platforms reported that the student has been arraigned and was remanded. The issue generated reactions from Nigerians, with many describing it as a misuse of power and abuse of government apparatus while citing the arrest as not in conformity with democratic principles. The hashtag #FreeAminu was also created on social media. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/special-report-aisha-buhari-can-aminu-adamu-sue/
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| Career / 2023: Four Things You Can Do To Kick-start Your Career As A Graduate by Shehuyinka: 11:34am On Jan 14, 2023 |
YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT in Nigeria is a serious challenge that has landed the country in some of the grave societal issues it is experiencing today. Successive administrations since the beginning of the fourth republic have promised to address and adopt job creation as a foundation for pulling many Nigerians out of poverty, and as a pillar of their economic policy. Unfortunately, their campaign promises have remained just that: mere campaign promises. With over 1.8 million Nigerians entering the labour market annually from 170 universities and 170 polytechnics, the number of unemployed graduates has continued to surge incredibly. Many graduates with high hopes and many dreams of building careers had had their hopes and careers shattered as job and business opportunities ran lean. Seeking ways of how the unemployment scourge can be addressed. The ICIR interviewed human resource experts on steps that can be taken to bridge the unemployment gap, especially as it affects graduates. As an unemployed graduate who wants to kick-start his career in 2023, here are the four things that sweep potential employers off their feet: 1) Prepare an Error-free curriculum vitae As a young graduate intending to secure a job in an organization, your curriculum vitae is your image maker that speaks to a potential employer. Reacting to the curriculum vitae issue, the Human Resource Manager, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (The ICIR), Uju Ogo, said that a good CV must be simple, concise and detailed to easily enlighten your prospective employer on your ability, competence, certifications and experience. Ogo stated a CV must also be straightforward and error-free to portray a good image before potential employers. "As a recent graduate, you have to make your CV as clear and straightforward as possible, because before even you get an interview with any organization, the first thing the Hiring Manager sees is your curriculum vitae. "Basically, you have to make sure it is free of spelling errors, even if you don't have experience. Make sure your CV is as clear as possible," she said. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/2023-four-things-you-can-do-to-kick-start-your-career-as-a-graduate/
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| Politics / 2023: Elections, Demolitions, Others To Be Expected In FCT by Shehuyinka: 11:40pm On Jan 13, 2023 |
In Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as with other parts of the country, the new year will be characterised by political activities due to the general elections to start from February 25, 2023. But beyond political issues, certain other factors are bound to shape the year for residents. WITH the general elections less than two months away, Nigerians living in the FCT, eager to participate in the voting process, have been trooping in and out of designated collection centres to obtain their permanent voter cards (PVCs). Residents, mostly youths, can be spotted in clusters at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) collection centres, wanting to obtain their cards. Across Nigeria, young people make up over 71 per cent of the nine million new registrants recorded by the INEC. This is reflected in the large number of youths found at PVC collection centres within the FCT, where over 183,000 valid registrations were completed. A resident of the Jabi area of the city, Amaka Okoye, recounted, in an interview with The ICIR, her experience at the collection centre. “It did not take me too much trouble to get my PVC, although I think adequate information was not given concerning collection centres. I had to visit the INEC office in Karu first, before I was redirected to the one in Area 10. But once I got there, getting the card was not too difficult, just that the place was crowded,” Amaka said. As the January 22 deadline for the distribution of PVCs draws closer, crowds at INEC collection centres have continued to increase, making the process more cumbersome for other registrants. While this may suggest a massive turn-out of voters during the elections, some residents have experienced difficulty with the process as their cards were unavailable at the time of collection. Another resident of the FCT, Abosede Korede, confirmed that she had attempted to get her PVC from the INEC office on two occasions without success. “I went to the INEC office at Area 10 to collect my PVC, but they told me my card was not available. I don’t know why they couldn’t find it. They just asked me to write my name and phone number in a paper and check back in two weeks,” Abosede said. She expressed concern over a possible disenfranchisement ahead of the forthcoming elections. Beyond the PVC card challenge, other residents have also expressed concern over likely cases of violence during the election. This fear stems from cases of the insecurity recorded within the FCT in 2022. READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/2023-elections-demolitions-others-to-be-expected-in-fct/
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| Politics / 2023: A Look At PVC Collection Process Across Nigeria by Shehuyinka: 10:25am On Jan 13, 2023 |
IT’S another election year when Nigerians choose who leads them in the next four years. This report takes a look at the Permanent Voters Card (PVC) collection process across seven states in Nigeria. Source: https://www.icirnigeria.org/2023-a-look-at-pvc-collection-process-across-nigeria/ 3 Likes 2 Shares
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