₦airaland Forum

A spokesman for Mr Emefiele did not return a request seeking comments, and the CBN governor himself declined comments.

The development all but confirms Mr Emefiele’s readiness to contest the 2023 presidential race, and puts to rest speculation about whether or not he would join partisan politics while leading the nation’s central bank. He is the first central bank governor to join active politics and seek an elective position while in office.

Details shortly…


https://gazettengr.com/just-in-cbn-governor-emefiele-picks-n100-million-apc-presidential-nomination-form/?utm_source=ReviveOldPost&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ReviveOldPost


https://twitter.com/GazetteNGR/status/1522568458101272576?t=RTS62zka0VCaVRCG6JKJ2Q&s=19

Lagos State Government has appointed an ex-chairman of the state’s chapter of National Union of Road Transport Workers, Musiliu Akinsanya popularly called MC Oluomo, as the chairman of its Parks Management Committee.

Also, a former Assistant Inspector General of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, was appointed as the Liaison Officer between the government and the committee.

This was contained in a press statement by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, titled, “Lagos govt sets up Parks Management Committee”.

An ex-Permanent Secretary, Dr. Taiwo Salaam, was also appointed as the secretary of the committee while Sulyman Ojora was appointed as the Deputy Chairman.

https://punchng.com/just-in-lagos-appoints-mc-oluomo-parks-management-committee-chairman/

Cars stolen from Ontario and Quebec are openly being advertised and sold in West African countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, according to a Marketplace investigation, which also found thieves are targeting vehicles with push-to-start ignitions.

Stolen vehicles are being shipped overseas by thieves so audacious, they leave behind takeout containers, identifiable bumper stickers and even licence plates.

Experts say that car companies prioritizing convenience over security with those push-to-start ignitions allow thieves to quickly and easily steal vehicles to ship overseas, where demand for Canadian cars is high because of their reliability and the availability of parts, and the consequences for thieves are low.



A car lot in Ghana in 2017 is lined with stolen vehicles from Ontario. (Nancy Vandenbergh)

"It's low risk, high reward," said Det. Greg O'Connor of the Peel police auto crime unit, who told Marketplace this type of car theft has a low overhead cost and takes little time. Cars can be loaded onto shipping containers and be en route within hours, he said.

Police in Peel Region, west of Toronto, say that 80 to 85 per cent of stolen vehicles are tied to organized crime and destined to be shipped overseas, many to West Africa.





https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/marketplace-car-thefts-1.6396215


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gshyozP-GY8

FG removes electricity subsidy quietly, petrol in phases
March 11, 2022
Nigeria Customs Act Amendment Bill: Finance Ministry, FIRS and the gathering of vultures
Zainab Ahmed
By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief & Obas Esiedesa
The Minister of Finance, Budgets and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said that the Federal Government, FG, has quietly removed all subsidies in the power sector, with a plan to gradually end
subsidies on petrol.

Ahmed who spoke at a virtual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with the theme: “The Political Economy of Fiscal Reforms in Africa”, said the current high price of crude oil has further increased petrol subsidy burden on the Federal Government.


She noted that though the government had a setback in its plan to have subsidies on petrol removed by July this year, it would work with the National Assembly to have it removed in phases.

She stated: “We are cleaning up our subsidies. We had a setback, we were to remove fuel subsidy by July this year but there was a lot of push back from the polity. We have elections coming and also because of the hardship that companies and citizens went through during the COVID-19 pandemic, we just felt that the time was not right, so we pulled back on that.


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/03/fg-removes-electricity-subsidy-quietly-petrol-in-phases-2/

Some are calling it palindrome day while others are opting for the twos day (or “Twosday”) pun but, it seems, everyone is excited about the unusual calendar event taking place on the 22 February 2022 (22.02.2022), when the day’s date can be read the same way forwards or backwards.

This palindrome day is unusual because it’s also an ambigram, meaning that on a calculator it can be read upside down in exactly the same way.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/22/22022022-social-media-gets-excited-over-palindrome-twosday

LegendHero:
https://punchng.com/tinubu-graduated-from-our-school-says-chicago-university/

Attending a school is not the same as graduating from the same school

Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval, the Federal Government has lifted the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria.

The decision was announced by the Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE.

In a statement in Abuja, he said the approval was given following a memo written to the President by Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim.

He said, “The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) directs me to inform the public that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operation in Nigeria effective from 12am tonight, 13th January 2022.


“The approval was given following a memo written to the President by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim.

“In the Memo, the Minister updated and requested the President’s approval for the lifting based on the Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement’s recommendation

https://theinformant247.com/breaking-nigerian-govt-lifts-twitter-ban/

Johannesburg(CNN)South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is receiving treatment for mild Covid-19 symptoms after testing positive on Sunday, the office of the presidency said in a statement.

He has delegated all responsibilities to Deputy President David Mabuza for the next week.

Ramaphosa "started feeling unwell after leaving the State Memorial Service in honor of former Deputy President FW de Klerk in Cape Town earlier today," the presidency statement said.


He is however "in good spirits" and is being monitored by the South African Military Health Service of the South African National Defence Force.

"President Ramaphosa says his own infection serves as a caution to all people in the country to be vaccinated and remain vigilant against exposure. Vaccination remains the best protection against severe illness and hospitalization," the statement said.

South Africa, where scientists identified the new Omicron variant, has recently entered its fourth wave of the pandemic. Just over 25% of the country has been fully vaccinated, with an additional 5% partially vaccinated, according to CNN's global vaccine tracker.

Ramaphosa, who is fully vaccinated, recently returned from a trip in West Africa. He tested negative for Covid-19 upon his return to Johannesburg on December 8, according to his office.

The President is now in self-isolation in Cape Town.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/12/africa/ramaphosa-covid-intl/index.html

TeamLeader:
E ehn wonders shall never end.

Is this the new format?

Just now I was surfing the net and gbagaun I got this credit alert from palmpay loan app.

I did not applied for anything. I was shocked so I went to playStore to download the app and found out that I have the app already on my phone disabled because I can't remember I ever took a loan from them even though I have collected money from other loan apps and I pay back on due dates.

But this one shock me. So I try to login maybe na me forget the response I got is that my number is not registered.

How do I handle this? Because right now me I de broke o and I don swear say I will never do with any loan apps in my life again but this wan shock me.

The money still de the account as I de write no reversal

Modified:
3k is gone out of the money. I want to see. Wetin go happen

This is not a loan. It was sent from a palmpay account to your account. PERIOD

A federal high court sitting in Abuja has vacated the interim order freezing the accounts of Rise Vest Technologies Ltd, a fintech company.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had on August 17, 2021 secured, through an ex parte motion, an order freezing the accounts of some fintech companies for 180 days over alleged forex infractions.

The affected companies are Rise Vest Technologies Limited, Bamboo Systems Technology Limited, Bamboo Systems Technology Limited OPNS, Chaka Technologies Limited, CTL/Business Expenses, and Trove Technologies Limited.

Rise Vest Technologies Ltd, in a motion filed through its counsel, Seni Adio, had submitted that there was no evidence that it engaged in unlawful conduct, adding that the CBN did not meet its burden of proof in support of its allegations.

Responding, Mathew Onoja, CBN’s counsel, argued that the ex-parte order of the court was proper, lawful, and valid

He contended that the order was in accordance with the provisions of Section 97 (1) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2021, which empowered the plaintiff/respondent (CBN) to invoke the jurisdiction of the court via an ex parte application.

Ruling on the application on Monday, Taiwo O. Taiwo held that the CBN could not rely on a circular to freeze the bank account of a company.

The judge noted that the CBN failed to provide any law showing that it is illegal to deal in cryptocurrency in Nigeria, adding that the CBN circular, referenced as BSD/DIR/PUB/LAB/014/001 of February 5, 2021, is not a law.

The judge, among others, held that although the CBN has the power to investigate any infraction, the infraction must relate to BOFIA or any other enactment administered by the regulator.

“I have perused the counter affidavit of the respondent and I see that the reason for freezing the account of the applicant is based on the alleged infraction of the circular of the CBN. The law is trite that any conduct that must be sanctioned must be expressly stated in a written law,” he said.

“Being unknown to law, circulars cannot create an offence because it was not shown to have been issued under an order, Act, Law or Statute.

“The learned counsel for the respondent has also raised the issue of public policy in his submissions against the application.

“Can this court decide this application based on public policy as being urged on it by the learned counsel for the respondent? I think not.

“I hereby discharge the interim freezing order of this court made on August 17, 2021, made against the defendant/ applicant.”

The judge ordered the banks – Zenith Bank Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank – to immediately grant the firm unfettered access to its accounts.


https://www.thecable.ng/court-unfreezes-rise-vests-accounts-says-cbn-circular-to-banks-not-a-law

https://www.nairaland.com/6806793/gangs-steal-heavy-munitions-extort


The Nigerian Air Force has denied a report by the Wall Street Journal that it paid N20m as ransom to bandits in exchange for an anti-aircraft gun seized from the Nigerian Army.

The Wall Street Journal said in a report on Sunday that the NAF brokered the deal as the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was planning a trip to Katsina, his home state.

The US media outlet said N20 million was delivered to the bandits in Rugu Forest by a Nigerian Air Force officer, who leaked details of the operation under anonymity, because the military realised that it would be too risky to leave the weapon in the hands of violent criminals operating in an area the presidential jet would fly over.

The rugged, lawless jungle that covers parts of Kaduna, Zamfara and the President’s home state of Katsina has served as a vast haven for bandits terrorising Nigeria’s northwestern communities. A large portion of kidnapping plots emanates or terminates in or around the forest, security agencies had previously warned.

“The mission to buy back the anti-aircraft gun began with a handoff from a high-ranking air force intelligence officer in the capital Abuja: a black zip-up bag he said was full of 20 million Nigerian naira,” the paper reported, after stating that such military hardware in the hands of bandits “posed a threat to President Muhammadu Buhari, who had been planning to fly to his hometown about 80 miles away.”

It’s a lie, says air force
But the Nigerian Air Force denied making such payment to bandits in exchange for weapons.

In a statement on Sunday by the spokesperson, Air Commodore, Edward Gabkwet, said there was no truth in the report.



The statement was titled, “NAF DID NOT MAKE ANY PAYMENT TO BANDITS IN EXCHANGE FOR WEAPONS”

It read, “The attention of the Nigerian Air Force has been drawn to news reports circulating on some media platforms alleging that the NAF, through one of its personnel, paid the sum of N20 Million to armed bandits operating in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State in exchange for an anti-aircraft gun allegedly seized.

The report went on to state that the reason behind the payment was to retrieve the anti-aircraft gun which, it alleged, the NAF feared could be used against aircraft operating within Katsina State.

Read Also
It’s annoying Gumi comparing Niger Delta militants with bandits – Asari Dokubo
Successes make our bases target of insurgents, says NAF
13,243 terrorists surrendered, 64 insurgents, bandits killed – Military
“The NAF wishes to categorically state that there is absolutely no iota of truth in the spurious allegation that was undoubtedly designed to cast aspersions on the good image of the Service.

“The said report is totally false. It should therefore be taken as fake news and disregarded. Indeed, we ordinarily would not have responded to such baseless and utterly illogical allegation but for the need to set the record straight as well as reaffirm the NAF’s unflinching commitment to decisively dealing with the armed bandits and all other criminal elements *in the Country in partnership with other services of the Armed Forces and other security Agencies.*

“For the avoidance of doubt, it must be stated that there is no basis for the NAF to pay bandits or any criminal elements that it has continued to attack and decimate in Katsina State, other parts of the North-West as well as other Theatres of Operation in the Country.

“Indeed, as recent as October 12, 2021* , NAF aircraft conducted 5 missions in the Jibia general area and engaged targets with rockets and cannons at Bala Wuta bandits’ locations in Kadaoji.


“Similar successes were recorded at Fakai Dutsin Anfare, an area in Jibia LGA known for its high incidences of bandits’ activities. The false reportage therefore, begs the question as to why the NAF would negotiate for a weapon allegedly seized and still carry out air interdiction missions on the same bandits and their strongholds.

“The NAF is of the view that, this latest false report could be a part of a campaign to further the cause of insecurity in Nigeria by elements who see the NAF as a threat following series of successful exploits in operations against criminal gangs.”

The statement further read, “Perhaps, this provides an avenue for the NAF to yet again appeal to members of the media, both local and international, as well as social media, to be circumspect in their reportage and endeavour to always verify their facts before going public. The public is enjoined to disregard the falsehood emanating from some sections of the social and mainstream media.

“The NAF also uses this opportunity to call on citizens to continue to cooperate with security agencies as efforts are ongoing to rid the entire Nation of criminals and their activities.

“On our part, the NAF, as a professional and disciplined force, will not in any way be discouraged from carrying out its mandate to rid the entire North-West Nigeria of banditry and other forms of criminality. We remain resolute in performing our function and will continue to work in synergy with other sister Services and security agencies to rid the Country of all criminal elements.”


https://punchng.com/naf-denies-paying-n20m-to-avoid-shooting-down-buharis-plane/

The Nigerian Air Force has denied a report by the Wall Street Journal that it paid N20m as ransom to bandits in exchange for an anti-aircraft gun seized from the Nigerian Army.

The Wall Street Journal said in a report on Sunday that the NAF brokered the deal as the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was planning a trip to Katsina, his home state.

The US media outlet said N20 million was delivered to the bandits in Rugu Forest by a Nigerian Air Force officer, who leaked details of the operation under anonymity, because the military realised that it would be too risky to leave the weapon in the hands of violent criminals operating in an area the presidential jet would fly over.

The rugged, lawless jungle that covers parts of Kaduna, Zamfara and the President’s home state of Katsina has served as a vast haven for bandits terrorising Nigeria’s northwestern communities. A large portion of kidnapping plots emanates or terminates in or around the forest, security agencies had previously warned.

“The mission to buy back the anti-aircraft gun began with a handoff from a high-ranking air force intelligence officer in the capital Abuja: a black zip-up bag he said was full of 20 million Nigerian naira,” the paper reported, after stating that such military hardware in the hands of bandits “posed a threat to President Muhammadu Buhari, who had been planning to fly to his hometown about 80 miles away.”

It’s a lie, says air force
But the Nigerian Air Force denied making such payment to bandits in exchange for weapons.

In a statement on Sunday by the spokesperson, Air Commodore, Edward Gabkwet, said there was no truth in the report.



The statement was titled, “NAF DID NOT MAKE ANY PAYMENT TO BANDITS IN EXCHANGE FOR WEAPONS”

It read, “The attention of the Nigerian Air Force has been drawn to news reports circulating on some media platforms alleging that the NAF, through one of its personnel, paid the sum of N20 Million to armed bandits operating in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State in exchange for an anti-aircraft gun allegedly seized.

The report went on to state that the reason behind the payment was to retrieve the anti-aircraft gun which, it alleged, the NAF feared could be used against aircraft operating within Katsina State.

Read Also
It’s annoying Gumi comparing Niger Delta militants with bandits – Asari Dokubo
Successes make our bases target of insurgents, says NAF
13,243 terrorists surrendered, 64 insurgents, bandits killed – Military
“The NAF wishes to categorically state that there is absolutely no iota of truth in the spurious allegation that was undoubtedly designed to cast aspersions on the good image of the Service.

“The said report is totally false. It should therefore be taken as fake news and disregarded. Indeed, we ordinarily would not have responded to such baseless and utterly illogical allegation but for the need to set the record straight as well as reaffirm the NAF’s unflinching commitment to decisively dealing with the armed bandits and all other criminal elements *in the Country in partnership with other services of the Armed Forces and other security Agencies.*

“For the avoidance of doubt, it must be stated that there is no basis for the NAF to pay bandits or any criminal elements that it has continued to attack and decimate in Katsina State, other parts of the North-West as well as other Theatres of Operation in the Country.

“Indeed, as recent as October 12, 2021* , NAF aircraft conducted 5 missions in the Jibia general area and engaged targets with rockets and cannons at Bala Wuta bandits’ locations in Kadaoji.


“Similar successes were recorded at Fakai Dutsin Anfare, an area in Jibia LGA known for its high incidences of bandits’ activities. The false reportage therefore, begs the question as to why the NAF would negotiate for a weapon allegedly seized and still carry out air interdiction missions on the same bandits and their strongholds.

“The NAF is of the view that, this latest false report could be a part of a campaign to further the cause of insecurity in Nigeria by elements who see the NAF as a threat following series of successful exploits in operations against criminal gangs.”

The statement further read, “Perhaps, this provides an avenue for the NAF to yet again appeal to members of the media, both local and international, as well as social media, to be circumspect in their reportage and endeavour to always verify their facts before going public. The public is enjoined to disregard the falsehood emanating from some sections of the social and mainstream media.

“The NAF also uses this opportunity to call on citizens to continue to cooperate with security agencies as efforts are ongoing to rid the entire Nation of criminals and their activities.

“On our part, the NAF, as a professional and disciplined force, will not in any way be discouraged from carrying out its mandate to rid the entire North-West Nigeria of banditry and other forms of criminality. We remain resolute in performing our function and will continue to work in synergy with other sister Services and security agencies to rid the Country of all criminal elements.”


https://punchng.com/naf-denies-paying-n20m-to-avoid-shooting-down-buharis-plane/

Pierocash:
You hardly can see a Southerner in the cabinet of Northern governors

Fausat Adebola Ibikunle is the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development in Kaduna state

https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2019/07/03/el-rufai-appoints-yoruba-architect-as-commissioner/

Borno Governor appoints Igbo and Yoruba indigenes as special advisers

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2020/01/30/borno-gov-appoints-igbo-yoruba-indigenes-as-special-advisers/

Criminal gangs, flush with ransom money, are growing more brazen, stealing heavy munitions and extorting the government
Police and officials spoke to Nigerian children and adults last week after they were freed from kidnappers in Zamfara state in northern Nigeria.

By Joe Parkinson and Drew Hinshaw
Oct. 16, 2021 12:00 pm ET

GUSAU, Nigeria—The masked men emerged from the forest on motorbikes, surrounding a young intelligence officer clutching a cash-filled bag. The ransom, nearly $50,000 in crisp Nigerian bank notes, wasn’t for a person, but to retrieve a weapon that directly threatened the country’s president.

A kidnapping gang encamped in Nigeria’s Rugu forest had seized an antiaircraft gun in a clash with a military unit. That posed a threat to President Muhammadu Buhari, who had been planning to fly to his hometown about 80 miles away, and the government needed to buy it back.

An hour later, the officer, who declined to be identified, was clasping hands with a leader of a diffuse network of criminals whose campaign of kidnapping civilians—including hundreds of schoolchildren—has raised millions of dollars to build an arsenal of heavy weaponry they are using to wrest control of swaths of the north, including the president’s home state.

Over tea, the militant leader agreed to part with the truck-mounted 12.7 caliber antiaircraft gun in exchange for the ransom: His men had plenty more munitions, he said.

“I don’t need the army’s weapons,” he said, according to the officer, whose account was corroborated by another senior Nigerian official involved in the previously undisclosed mission

https://www.wsj.com/articles/nigerias-gangs-raised-millions-by-kidnapping-children-now-the-government-cant-stop-them-11634400009

From Monday, 11 October 2021, fully vaccinated travellers from Nigeria will be able to come to England without needing to provide a pre-departure test, undertake a day 8 test or self-isolate for 10 days.

According to a release from the UK High Commission in Nigeria

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria
Malam Aliyu* lives in a neat, two-bedroom house in Nigeria’s northern city of Kaduna. Squeezed into the small living room is a large, brand-new sofa set, still in its plastic. A plasma TV is on the wall. Outside, in the yard, is an area where he plans to raise poultry.

It’s the home you might expect of a mid-level public servant, maybe a teacher – probably not that of a senior ex-jihadist commander.

At a glance: Doing deals with jihadists
A top-secret programme, known as sulhu, is encouraging senior jihadist commanders to defect and providing them with government benefits.
Some have almost certainly committed atrocities but are unlikely to be prosecuted.
The Bama massacre in 2014 killed hundreds of civilians, but one of the commanders involved is now living free on the government’s payroll.
Security officials believe sulhu could open the door to a peace deal, ending a stalemated conflict that is now in its twelfth year.
Critics argue such a deal would reward mass killers.

Aliyu has a new life now. The old was the decade he spent fighting with Boko Haram and then with the breakaway Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the scrubland of the northeast. It’s the two wives and four children he left behind when he defected, and the power he once wielded as a jihadist rijal – literally a “man” – in zones under the insurgents’ control.

In his early thirties, with a wispy goatee, Aliyu has remarried to a forthright woman from the northeastern city of Maiduguri. She is also former Boko Haram, and they have been set up with the rent-free house in Kaduna, a business license, and a small monthly stipend provided by Nigeria’s domestic spy service, better known as DSS.

The price of this largesse: to work for DSS to turn other jihadists under a clandestine project known as sulhu – Arabic for peacemaking. It’s so controversial that no government representative would go on record to discuss it, and given Abuja’s increasing hostility to independent reporting on security matters, few Nigeria-based civil society figures wanted to be named either.

Sulhu is applauded by its supporters as smart warfare – a means to remove senior jihadists from the battlefield more effectively than the stuttering orthodox military campaign. “We have a proof of concept; it’s working,” said an Abuja-based analyst, who wouldn't agree to be identified beyond that description. “It’s depleting the enemy’s fighting force.”

But the men on the sulhu programme are almost certain to have been involved in atrocities. They have not been granted a formal amnesty, but neither have they been held to account for any crimes committed in a brutal conflict that is now in its twelfth year. It’s a war that has killed 35,000 people – 350,000 if you include the victims of the accelerating humanitarian crisis – and upended the lives of millions more, according to the UN.

“These are mass killers, yet on a programme sponsored by Nigerian taxpayers,” explained a former government-Boko Haram intermediary. He has been in touch with the movement almost from the start, when it was still a local religious sect led by a young cleric, Mohammed Yusuf, before it declared war on the Nigerian state in 2009.

Sulhu grew out of the behind-the-scenes attempts to free the more than 270 Chibok schoolgirls seized by Boko Haram in 2014. After years of painstaking contact-making through a network of mediators, it dawned on the negotiators that not only did they have an opening to secure the release of some of the schoolgirls, but there were also mujahideen signalling they might be open to dialogue – a potential breakthrough in a deadlocked conflict.

A total of 150 mujahideen have surrendered their weapons and crossed over since 2019, according to people familiar with the programme. In the last few weeks, there has been a separate surge, related to internal feuding within the jihadist movement following the death this May of Abubakar Shekau, who had led Boko Haram since 2009.

https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2021/8/19/nigerias-secret-programme-to-lure-top-boko-haram-defectors

Ninhogreat22:
DETAILS HOW HUSHPUPPI WAS CAPTURED BY THE FBI






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8SKKPlz40Y

Scammer scam scammer

Interesting piece

shalom62:
Governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde says he was not perturbed by being referred to as an “audio governor read more

Ok

Ok

THE BUHARI ERA
After a fifteen-year lull, pro-government NGO activity has reached new heights since Buhari took office in 2015. Of the more than 360 pro-government NGOs identified in this research, 90 percent began operating in and around the capital, Abuja, since 2015. This surge is unlikely to be coincidental, given that pro-government NGOs rely on senior officials—albeit often indirectly—for guidance and funding. It may also be the result of a deliberate but unspoken strategy on the part of a handful of ruling party and military elites to resuscitate a familiar political tool, used during previous periods of democratic retrenchment to dilute civil society and international criticism.

In addition to tolerating—and perhaps incentivizing—the growth of pro-government NGOs, the Buhari government has tacitly supported legislative efforts to shrink Nigeria’s civic space. Since 2015, ruling party legislators have twice introduced bills to strictly regulate NGOs, even though they are already subject to corporate laws such as the Companies and Allied Matters Act.33 Claiming that some NGOs “solicit funds for selfish motives” and “[fund] the activities of insurgents,” the House deputy majority leader introduced the first such bill in 2016, but it failed to pass before the legislative session ended in 2019.34

Reiterating these unfounded assertions, House Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila championed a similar bill in 2019, declaring that NGOs needed stricter regulation because some were aiding the Boko Haram insurgency.35 This second bill aimed to create a civil society regulatory agency with just four civil society representatives on its nineteen-seat board.36 Two of those four would be nominated by the National Youth Council of Nigeria, an organization whose president, Solomon Adodo, operates several pro-government NGOs.37 In early 2020, the bill stalled amid sharp criticism from civil society and some legislators, one of whom reminded his colleagues how, under military rule, pro-democracy NGOs gave their “blood, sweat and resources to win democracy for the country.”38 Nevertheless, legislators amended the Companies and Allied Matters Act in 2020 to increase state influence over civil society groups, empowering the government to remove trustees from the board of an NGO when, for instance, it deems that doing so is in the “public interests.”39

Instead of making it harder for briefcase NGOs to operate, increased government regulation of civil society groups likely would have the opposite effect. Skewed by partisan bias, government NGO regulators almost certainly would focus their attention on monitoring mainstream civil society groups and deregistering those critical of government policy or the security sector. The Buhari government’s failure to enforce existing corporate rules that would preclude briefcase NGOs from operating as prolifically as they do now suggests that new regulations would be implemented in an equally selective manner. Indeed, the creation of a civil society regulatory agency could be the culmination of pro-government NGOs’ long-running efforts to silence pro-democracy, good governance, and human rights groups.

Nigeria’s dynamic and expansive civil society is one of its greatest strengths and is crucial to maintaining what democratic space still exists in the country. Yet its independence, outspokenness, and unwavering commitment to democracy, transparency, and human rights have long antagonized the kleptocratic, power-hungry—but also image-conscious—ruling elites. To help protect themselves from domestic pressure and outside scrutiny, Nigeria’s top powerbrokers have cultivated a new generation of pro-government non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Like the fake grassroots groups bankrolled by past military juntas, these surrogate organizations masquerade as authentic civil society groups, singing the praises of top officials and attacking their critics.

A symptom of the country’s more fundamental political ills, Nigerian elites’ growing use of civil society surrogates should set off alarm bells both domestically and internationally. It is both corrupting and corruptive, compounding the country’s downward democratic trajectory. Like many countries in Africa—and, for that matter, elsewhere in the world—Nigeria has recently experienced democratic backsliding that threatens its long-term stability and prosperity. The rise of pro-government NGOs is both a cause and a consequence of this backsliding and must be addressed as part of any effort to arrest and reverse it.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
Nigeria’s pro-government NGO sector is thriving. Once a niche side hustle for those seeking to curry favor with the regime, running a pro-government NGO has become an increasingly lucrative means of gaining political and media influence. For some, it could be a springboard to high public office.
Out of 360 pro-government Nigerian NGOs identified by this research, 90 percent have started operating since President Muhammadu Buhari took office in 2015. This correlation suggests that these groups receive high-level support and encouragement. Many are controlled by a small number of individuals who have personal and ethnic connections to Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In addition to praising government and military leaders, Nigeria’s pro-government NGOs often attack legitimate civil society groups and even incite violence against them. Pro-government NGOs typically champion illiberal causes, defending the Nigerian government from domestic and international criticism and allegations of corruption, underperformance, and human rights abuses.
Nigeria’s pro-government NGOs are all opaquely funded, likely through off-budget payments or contracts for consulting services. Political appointees known as special assistants will mobilize surrogates on behalf of their principal, usually a minister or agency head. Top military officers’ aides play a similar role. Pro-government NGOs appear to operate sporadically, usually at the behest of their funders.
Almost all of Nigeria’s pro-government NGOs exist in name only. Fewer than 7 percent are listed on the country’s corporate registry as is legally required. Many operate for only a short time before disappearing; 80 percent of groups examined for this paper held just one or two press conferences in total.
Many pro-government NGOs thrive on the coverage they receive from a few little-known media platforms, some of which are run by their leaders or their allies. Mimicking legitimate civil society groups, pro-government NGOs often cite the work of supposed think tanks that validate their pro-government or illiberal views.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Pro-government NGOs’ rhetoric emboldens political and military leaders who behave counterproductively, undermining domestic and international efforts to encourage the Buhari administration to govern more effectively and humanely. Instead, these surrogates attack legitimate NGOs and defend Nigeria’s most abusive and corrupt officials. In doing so, they partially negate international democracy and governance assistance as well as the achievements of genuine civil society groups.
Increased government regulation of Nigeria’s civil society sector is not the solution to the problematic rise of pro-government NGOs. Partisan regulators almost certainly would abuse any new rules, allowing pro-government groups to flourish at the expense of legitimate domestic civil society groups and international NGOs. Instead of creating new rules, the Nigerian government should better enforce existing laws. Nigeria’s tax and anti-corruption agencies could start by investigating pro-government NGOs, almost none of which are legally registered or properly administered.
Nigeria’s mainstream media outlets should conduct more due diligence when covering previously unknown civil society groups and refuse inducements to attend their events or place stories about them. The country’s many legitimate civil society organizations, meanwhile, could develop a set of voluntary standards that would distinguish them from the disreputable pro-government NGOs.
Donors, diplomats, and development professionals, as well as legitimate domestic and international NGOs, should do more to call out pro-government groups’ toxic behaviors and press their high-level backers to stop sponsoring them. International diplomats should also levy visa bans on pro-government NGO leaders who issue violent threats or spew hate speech.

https://carnegieendowment.org/2021/07/28/fake-civil-society-rise-of-pro-government-ngos-in-nigeria-pub-85041

History has been made with another historic space flight by Blue Origin owned by Jeff Bezos.


Billionaire Jeff Bezos blasted into space on Tuesday, in the first crewed flight of his rocket ship, New Shepard.

He was accompanied by Mark Bezos, his brother, Wally Funk, an 82-year-old pioneer of the space race, and an 18-year-old student.

They travelled in a capsule with the biggest windows flown in space, offering stunning views of the Earth.

New Shepard, built by Bezos' company Blue Origin, is designed to serve the burgeoning market for space tourism.

The passengers included the oldest person who has been to space - Ms Funk - and the youngest, student Oliver Daemen.

The spacecraft lifted off at 14:12 BST (09:12 EDT) from a private launch site near Van Horn, Texas. They parachuted back down to the West Texas desert 11 minutes later.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57849364

Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22.5 years for the murder of George Floyd which sparked off the Black Lives Matter protest

Judge Peter Cahill has sentenced Derek Chauvin to over 22 years in prison.

The former officer has been held in solitary confinement since he was found guilty in April.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-57615066

President Muhammadu Buhari will leave for the United Kingdom on a “scheduled medical follow up”, Femi Adesina, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, has announced.

According to Adesina, Buhari will leave on Friday, June 25, and is due back in the country on the second week of July.

Since 2015, Buhari has spent more than 175 days in London on medical leave despite the state house clinic receiving an allocation of N6.4 billion since 2016

.https://fij.ng/article/breaking-buhari-off-to-uk-on-another-medical-trip/

etokhana:
https://leadership.ng/breaking-senate-passes-law-prohibiting-discrimination-against-hnd-holders/amp/

In other words, convert all polytechnics to universities.

fergie001:
Presidency says Ejike Mbaka, spiritual director of the Adoration Ministry (AMEN), once brought three contractors to President Muhammadu Buhari and was rebuffed.

This, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman said, was behind Mbaka’s call on asked Buhari to resign over the worsening insecurity in the country.

In a statement released on Friday titled “Father Mbaka is everything apart form what he claims to be” and shared with TheCable, Shehu said an “outsider distilling the avalanche of verbiage will be surprised that after supporting the President two times to win the Presidency, Father Mbaka has made a complete U-Turn, preposterously asking President Buhari to resign or be impeached”

Na wa o