The protesters bore placards with inscriptions as “BringBackOurBoys;” “government must speak out;” and “We want our children back”.
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) on Thursday embarked on a protest in Katsina State to force the government to rescue hundreds of students kidnapped from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in the state.
Led by some national leaders of the group, the protesters bore placards with inscriptions as “BringBackOurBoys;” “government must speak out;” and “We want our children back”.
The protesters also chanted songs seeking the rescue of the abducted students.
Speaking to journalist, a leader of the group, “We are here today because we want to tell the Federal Government that what they are doing is not enough and Mr President has failed us. Mr President has shown no sympathy over this matter.
” Mr President has shown no concern over this matter, Mr President doesn’t have a human feeling, the attitude of showing care and concern over these children.”
Wizkid, a Nigerian Afrobeats singer, has recounted his experiences with police brutality, saying he was once arrested, harassed, and slapped by operatives in university before he became famous.
The 30-year-old music star brought the revelation to light during a recent interview with Naomi Campbell, an English model.
Wizkid said he was vocal about the recent #EndSARS protest because it was exciting that racism and police brutality gained a place in social discourse.
“I’m so happy that racism and police brutality has become part of our conversations. I felt great seeing what was happening. I’ve been harassed by the police countless times before I could get away from it for being me,” he said.
WIZKID
“I was in uni. I was harassed; arrested. Of course, I was dealt with, like, slapped by the police so many times. It was normal when that’s not supposed to be normal. For me, the fact that it (EndSARS) happened, I was so overjoyed.
“That’s why I was so vocal about it. It’s something that needs to stop. The kids are already here. We’re already dealing with no electricity, bad roads, bad governance, no jobs, terrible schools.”
According to him, police brutality shouldn’t compound existing problems plaguing the youth in Nigeria.
“When you get out of school and graduate, there’s still no job. The youth are dealing with these things daily. Going outside and getting arrested or being profiled shouldn’t be added to it,” the Afrobeats star added.
“That can be controlled so we need to fix that. It’s a terrible thing, man. People have lost their lives for the most ridiculous things. It was sad. That was just the right time for us to speak up. I will always speak my mind.”
The House of Representatives have asked the National Communications Commission (NCC) to extend the 31st December deadline issued to sim card owners to submit their National Identification Numbers (NIN) to their network providers to prevent blocking.
The motion was moved on Wednesday during plenary by the House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu.
According to the lawmaker, two weeks is too short for 200million Nigerians to conclude the process.
The House lauds the intention of the NCC, for security reasons but wants the process to be extended to 10 weeks, considering the difficulty experienced by Nigerians in attaining the NIN.
The Federal Government on Tuesday issued an ultimatum to all telecommunications operators in the country to block all Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) without National Identification Number (NIN).
It also ordered the network operators to ask all their subscribers to provide valid NIN to update their records and suspend SIM registration.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, noted in a statement that the meeting was convened on Monday by the Minister, Dr. Isa Pantami.
According to him, the meeting resolved that the submission of NIN by subscribers would take place between December 16 and 30, 2020.
The government stated that after the deadline, all SIMs without NINs should be blocked from the networks while a Ministerial Task Force comprising the minister and all the CEOs, among others, as members would monitor compliance by all networks.
It warned that violations of the directives by any network operator would be met with stiff sanctions, including the possibility of withdrawal of operating licences.
Adinde explained that the meeting followed the earlier directive on the suspension of new SIM registration by network operators.
The need to consolidate the achievements of last year’s SIM registration audit and improve the performance and sanity of the sector was exhaustively discussed and all stakeholders agreed that urgent drastic measures had become inevitable to improve the integrity and transparency of the SIM registration process.
Eight people are feared dead in a stampede for free Christmas food items.
The stampede occurred at about 7:30am on Tuesday, December 15, around Rumudara Town, Obio/Akpor LGA, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to Vanguard, the incident happened at an office allegedly owned by Pinkcoin, an online blockchain digital assets designed for giving charity.
Victim of the stampede.
Pinkcoin was said to have invited everyone who registered with them in Obio/Akpor LGA to come and redeem their Christmas palliatives, on Tuesday.
A huge crowd turned up and could not be controlled as they struggled to get access into the premises of the firm.
President Muhammadu Buhari celebrates the decisive victory of Nigerian-born boxer, Anthony Joshua, over Kubrat Pulev Saturday night.
The President says by retaining his IBF, WBA, and WBO titles, Joshua has given boxing lovers round the world, and particularly in Nigeria, something to cheer.
He recalls his meeting with the heavyweight champion in London earlier in the year, describing Anthony Joshua as a humble, well brought up young man, “who will still go places.”President Buhari wishes Joshua all the best in his dream fight against Tyson Fury, saying he has the prayers and goodwill of Nigerians going with him.
The Auditor-General Office of the Federation has said the Ministry of Petroleum Resources spent N116 million for the supply of pens, letter heads, papers and toners.
The findings of the Auditor General’s Office on mismanagement of public funds contained in its 2015 audit report was presented to the Senate Committee on Public Account by the AuGF on Thursday, December 10.
A breakdown of expenditure showed the disbursement of N14.5 million for the supply of Schneider biros, N46 million for letter head papers and N56 million for toners. The query issued to the Ministry by the AuGF reads in part:
“The contract for the supply of Schneider biros worth N14.5 million was split into smaller packages of less than N5 million each was awarded to four different company in order to circumvent the permanent secretary’s approval threshold of N5 million,”
“Similarly, the contract for the printing of the ministry’s letter head worth N46 million was also split and awarded to 11 different contractors. Also, the contract for the supply of toners worth N56 million was split and awarded to seven different contractors. The Permanent Secretary has been requested to explain this contravention of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.”
At the PAC session, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Mathew Urhoghide accused the Ministry of Petroleum Resources of frivolous expenditures and asked the representative of the Ministry, Godwin Akubo, to respond to the query by the Auditor General of the Federation.
In his response, the Permanent Secretary, however, justified the expenditure, insisting that no law was breached.
“The action of the ministry was a quick response to need of the various department in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources,” stated Mr Akubo.
“These awards followed normal rules and procedures. The contract were not split. They were awarded to the various contractors at different times when item were needed. The sum of N46.6 million used for printing of letter head papers followed due process and large sum of money is explained by the volume of the letter head papers produced for most of department as per attached different letter headed papers.” he added.
However, the Chairman of the Committee expressed dissatisfaction with the defence of the Perm. Sec and therefore directed his Committee Secretariat to document the money spent and asked for refund from the officers involved in the ministry.
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, says the naira will regain its strength among the league of currencies.
He stated this on Saturday morning during the Church’s annual Holy Ghost Congress held at the RCCG International Headquarters along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The 78-year-old cleric prayed to God to intervene in Nigeria’s financial sector and change the hearts of policymakers who deliberately devalue the naira.
While sharing a testimony on instant financial breakthrough, Adeboye recalled that he had needed N5,000 some decades ago during the Church’s inaugural Convention. According to him, the naira was powerful then and N5,000 was a lot of money.
Adeboye said, “During our first Convention here at the Redemption Camp, I was bold, I asked everybody to come, free feeding. They came, I ran out of money. My wife came to me in the morning, ‘Sir, we need N5,000.’ “Naira was powerful then. It will become powerful again. Those who are deliberately devaluing our naira, before tomorrow morning, God will intervene. “So, my wife said we needed N5,000. I asked her, ‘Do you need it today or later?’ She said today. I didn’t have a kobo. I told her to go. I cried to God that I needed a breakthrough. It wasn’t long after that, one man drove in, he wasn’t a member of the church.
“He asked what’s going on and we said we are having a Convention…and then, he put his hands in his pocket and brought out an envelope with some money.
“I then called on my wife and asked her, ‘How much do you say you need?’”
Naira was exchanged to the dollar at 490/$ in the parallel market this week after it had sold for N500 last week. The Bureau De Change operators had attributed the devaluation the naira is currently experiencing to speculative activities of some operators. The Central Bank of Nigeria, however, retained the official exchange rate at N379/$ on its website.
The federal government has said health workers and vulnerable citizens will be the first beneficiaries of the 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be delivered to the country in early next year.
The development was confirmed in a statement by the executive secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, during the presidential task force on COVID-19 press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, December 10.
Shuaibu stated yesterday that Nigeria is a member of COVAX, an international coalition under the WHO umbrella, adding that upon arrival of the vaccines, it will first be given to workers in the health sector and vulnerable citizens.
He said; “We are on course to access safe vaccine in the first quarter of 2021. We will be leveraging on the polio platform to ensure effective delivery of vaccines to our vulnerable population. We have established a supra-ministerial advisory committee to ensure a seamless administration. A technical group meets every week and has devised a risk communication plan to deliver safe vaccines to Nigerians.”
In another news earlier, Naija News reported that the federal government of Nigeria has put all COVID-19 isolation centres nationwide on a re-opening alert over the recent increases in daily records of Coronavirus infection. The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, made this known on Thursday while speaking at the presidential task force on COVID-19 briefing.
The academic Staff Union of Universities has spent 1,500 days or 4.09 years on strike since the return to democracy in1999, findings by a newspaper suggest.
This implies that about 19.5 per cent of every academic year is spent on strike.
According to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, about 94 per cent of students attend Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions. However, most students spend more than the necessary time in school due to the usual clash between the government and lecturers.
For example, in 1992, during the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, a decree was promulgated which made strikes by teachers a treasonable felony.
The lecturers stuck to their guns and the Babangida junta bowed to pressure.
However, findings shows that the advent of civilian rule seems not to have improved tertiary education in Nigeria going by the frequency of strikes.
In 1999, the same year President Olusegun Obasanjo was inaugurated, ASUU spent 150 days on strike and in 2001, the union spent 90 days on strike largely due to the sacking of some lecturers at the University of Ilorin. In 2003, ASUU embarked on a strike that lasted for six months and spilled to 2004.
Earlier in 2003, students had witnessed interruptions of their academic calendar due to a strike which was called by the Nigeria Labour Congress under the leadership of Adams Oshiomhole over the increment in petrol price by the Olusegun Obasanjo government from N26 to N44.
Between 2005 and 2006, ASUU spent only 10 days on strike but in 2007, the union embarked on strike for 90 days and then for one week in 2008. However, the strikes became more frequent from 2009.
In 2009, the union embarked on a strike that lasted for 120 days from June to October.
The government, in a bid to end the protracted strike, made several agreements with the lecturers’ union some of which included salary increments, improved funding for universities and amending the Pension Act such that the retirement age of professors would be put at 70.
However, nine months after the 2009 agreement, the South-East zone of ASUU embarked on a strike.
The schools that were affected include Ebonyi State University, Abia State University, Anambra State University, Enugu State University of Technology and Evans Enwerem University.
The strike, which affected over 250,000 students, started on July 22, 2010 and ended on January 18, 2011.
The reason for the strike was the refusal of the South-East governors to commit to the agreement made between the Federal Government and ASUU regarding salary increment. Although the strike was not nationwide, it was given full support by the national body of ASUU, led by its then President, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie.
Between 2011 and 2012, ASUU embarked on a nationwide strike that lasted for 90 days due to the refusal of the Federal Government to review the retirement age.
On July 1, 2013, the union again embarked on an industrial action because of the government’s failure to release special funds for universities as stated in the 2009 agreement.
Tensions heightened when the then acting Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, threatened to sack all lecturers if they refused to return to work.
The government eventually bowed to pressure and released $1.3bn into a fund at the Central Bank of Nigeria. The strike was eventually called off on December 17, 2013, after five months and 263 days.
There was respite in 2014, 2015 and 2016 as no major ASUU strikes occurred across the country except a seven-day warning strike in 2016. However, on August 17, 2017, ASUU embarked on a strike that lasted for 35 days due to the government’s failure to honour the agreements of 2009.
Similarly, on November 4, 2018, ASUU again embarked on a strike that lasted till February 7, 2019, a total of 95 days.
On March 23, 2020, ASUU embarked on an indefinite strike, the same week in which the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), imposed a lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federal Government and ASUU have been at loggerheads over the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, a platform which the Federal Government said all lecturers must be registered on or they would not be paid a salary.
However, ASUU opposed IPPIS and insisted that lecturers would rather use the University Transparency and Accountability Solution. When contacted on the telephone, ASUU President, Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi, said the union had been doing well to put the government on its toes.
He said if not for ASUU, Nigerian public universities would have been worse than public primary and secondary schools.
Ogunyemi stated that it was through ASUU’s protests that TETFund was born.
Ogunyemi stated, “If you are looking at the negative side of the strikes, you should also look at the positive sides. If not for ASUU, there would be no TETFund. TETFund has been funding infrastructure and capital development both at federal and state levels with grants from TETFUND.”
The federal government, on Monday night, succumbed to the pressure from organized labour and reduced present price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as Petrol, by N5.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, who announced this to journalists after a meeting with leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), which held at Old Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, said the reduction would be from N168 to N162.44 per litre with effect from December 14.
The meeting, which started at 8:55pm Monday lasted till Tuesday morning at 1:27am.
Daily Trust reports that the product is presently sold at N168, following the decision of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company to increase the ex-depot price of petrol from N147.67 per litre to N155.17 per litre in November.
The ex-depot price is the price at which the product is sold by the PPMC to marketers at the depots.
According to Ngige, a technical committee has been set up to ensure price stability in the industry, noting that the committee, which will report back to the larger house on January 25, will appraise the market forces and other things that would ensure stability in the industry.
“Our discussion was fruitful and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, which is the major importer and marketers of petroleum products, and customers have agreed that there will be a slide down of the pump price of PMS and that the price cut will get us about N5 per litre and that the price cut will take effect from next Monday, a week today,” Ngige told journalists.
The minister explained that the price reduction was not meant to suspend deregulation because it did not affect the price of crude oil but on areas where the NNPC as the main importer had agreed that it could cut cost like freight and demurrage costs.
He argued that the reduction of new price was a product of a joint committee of NNPC and labour representatives which looked into ways of cutting costs.
The Labour minister also told journalists both sides agreed to wait till the next meeting date on January 25 to enable the special committee dealing with complaints to conclude their deliberations on electricity tariff.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, also corroborated the position of the minister, saying that the agreement was reached by both sides.
The federal government will next week commence the process of installing five million solar home systems in under-served and off-grid communities across the country.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity in the Office of the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande confirmed the development on Monday. The program is expected to benefit about 25 million Nigerians.
The program will include the assembly and manufacturing of components of off-grid solutions to facilitate the growth of the local manufacturing industry, while use of local content will be incentivized, Akande added.
It is also expected to create about 250,000 jobs including in manufacturing, assembling, installations, maintenance, and payment systems.
Beneficiaries of the program will pay between N1,500 and N4,000 monthly to access power from the solar system.The solar program is part of plans devised by the Economic Sustainability Committee, which is chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
According to government sources, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will make available funds to the private companies in the solar power sub sector involved in the manufacture, assembling, installation, servicing of the solar systems, at rates ranging between 5 to 10 percent, way below the current commercial lending rates in the country.
Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps in Ogun State, Ahmed Umar, confirmed that the incident happened around 7:00am.
Six persons on Saturday died in an accident, which involved a truck and a Honda Pilot Sports Utility Vehicle in the Ogere area of Lagos-Ibadan highway.
Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps in Ogun State, Ahmed Umar, confirmed that the incident happened around 7:00am.
According to him, the road crash was caused by speeding and loss of control on the part of the SUV driver.
He stated that the driver of the Honda Pilot marked LSR 525 FY, was on “lost control of the vehicle and subsequently rammed into the moving truck with registration number KRV 716 ZV”.
Umar added that an injured passenger was taken to Idera Hospital, Ogere, for treatment while the deceased were deposited at FOS morgue in Ipara.
The union will harmonise the positions of zones and branches at a meeting in Abuja today.
With some branches insisting that the government must meet all the demands before the strike is called off, the union may put the decision to a vote.
The Ahmadu Bello University branch agreed with the government on the N40 billion Earned Academic Allowance (EAA).The branch, however, called for payment of the allowance before the strike will be called off.
Lecturers at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Delta State, said negotiations with the Federal Government must be concluded before the strike is called off.
Ezekiel Agbalagba, chairman of ASUU at the university, said the congress on Wednesday accepted the EAA, but rejected the N25 billion for the revitalisation of the varsities.
According to him, the latest concession by the Federal Government is “an offer”, adding: “Let it land in our purse first.” He added: “We are willing to suspend the strike, but some of those contending issues should be thrashed and thrashed once.”
ASUU chapters of the University of Maiduguri, Yobe State University and Federal University Gashua resolved to get a serious commitment from the Federal Government before they call off the industrial action.
The Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (UAM) ASUU voted to continue with the strike action until the Federal Government implements what was offered during the negotiation.
ASUU- UAM chapter said both their withheld salaries and sundry allowances must be also paid. A lecturer at UAM, who preferred not to be named, said they voted that the strike should continue until the government fulfils its part of the bargain.
ASUU national leadership will receive reports from zonal coordinators, following state congresses.
After considering the reports, the leadership is expected to take a position and present it to the Federal Government.
A source said some of the congresses voted to call off the strike; others did not.The source said the congresses agreed on the offers presented by the government to the union and with a timeframe to implement some of them. The source added: “All the reports will come in today (yesterday) and we can make a decision on it.”
Last Friday, the Federal Government agreed with ASUU’s demand for payment of lecturers’ salaries from February to June through the old platform – the Government Integrated Financial and Management Information System.
The government said the exemption of ASUU from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) was temporary pending when the university lecturers will complete the development of its payment platform – the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS). After weeks of negotiations, the government offered to raise the EAA from N30billion to N35billion and the revitalisation fund from N20billion to N25billion.
Cumulatively, the government, through the Accountant-General of the Federation, offered the lecturers N65 billion to call off the strike.
The government also shifted ground on some issues, including the insistence that all the academic staff of federal universities must be paid through the IPPIS platform.
The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN ASUU Chairman, Prof Moyosore Ajao, said the chapter was in alignment with the national body. He said: “Our president will make a pronouncement on our resolution after our meeting tomorrow (today).” A source at the ASUU UNILORIN meeting said the union resolved that “our salaries be paid and must henceforth not be stopped”. “We also resolved that ASUU is not and cannot be on IPPIS,” he added.
Chairman of University of Jos chapter of ASUU, Dr Lazarus Maigoro, said: “We are under a strict directive from the national body not to release our resolutions yet.”
Sokoto Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Dr Jamilu Shehu, told our correspondent that the zones are expected to make their positions known at the Abuja meeting.
The credit rating agency, Moody’s said on Sunday Nigeria would require over $3 trillion investment over the next three decades to bridge a yawning infrastructure gap and be at par with its peers in the emerging markets.
In a report released on Sunday, the United States-based firm said feeble institutions and governance frameworks together with a poor tax base are standing in the way of investment in infrastructure in the country.
“Nigeria currently has a significant infrastructure deficit and faces additional pressures from a rapidly growing population.
“Its low government funding capacity and customer affordability have been weakened further by the coronavirus pandemic and low oil prices,” Kunal Govindia, vice-president and senior analyst at Moody’s Investors Service said.
Moody’s observed that in Nigeria expansion in infrastructure had been in railways, power, roads, pipelines and ports and foresaw the pattern would persist especially as Nigeria required massive investment to resolve perennial electricity deficit.
“To this effect, Nigeria’s power sector could benefit from renewable energy like solar and wind, with financing also possible from green bonds.
“Funding from multilateral development institutions, the private sector and non-state investors is recommended for addressing budget challenges in Nigeria.
“Financial guarantors, multilateral development banks and local institutional investors will be important in helping finance infrastructure development,” Moody’s said.
Holiday season is coming at the worst possible time for millions of Nigerians.
Already, it’s been an economic calendar to forget and things look like they’ll get worse in the run-up to December 31st.
On Saturday, 21st November, the National Bureau of Statitics announced Nigeria economy was in recession, slumping by 3.62% in second quarter of 2020. The country had earlier recorded a negative 6.10 per cent growth in the second quarter.
The recession announcement follows October inflation figure of 14.25 per cent, the highest in the last 30 months.
While the latest GDP figure was expected, considering the snail-like scenario growth since 2016, Nigerians will be hoping the government economic policies will help the country exit as quickly as possible, and also keep to its promise of projected 6 percent growth in its 2021 proposed budget.
A cursory look at GDP figures shows Nigeria had the best growth quarter on quarter, an outstanding +12.1% QoQ GDP Growth rate and improving from -6.10% in Q2 2020.
However, trying to make sense of the improvement will be a little harder to coming out of recession itself.
A closer inspection of the figures shows where the country missed it and spells doom for millions of Nigerians.
Of all the 46 sectors, 29 sectors contracted while growth was recorded in 17 sectors. Trade sector which not only accounts for 15% of the economy growth but also employs millions of Nigerians was badly hit.
An unpalatable storm heading to the end of a torrid year, when added to the rising food prices, with October inflation figure of 14.25 per cent representing the highest in the last 30 months, and 21.7 million unemployed population.
NBS had earlier reported in its COVID-19 impact report for the month of August 2020 that many households have had to take out loans to meet their pressing financial obligations with majority reporting it was food.
The trade sector (wholesale and retail), in real terms, year on year growth stood at –12.12%, which was –10.67% points lower than the rate recorded the previous year (Q3 2019), but 4.46% points higher than in the preceding quarter at –16.59% growth rate.
Trade’s contribution to GDP was 13.88% lower than the 15.23% it represented in the previous year, and the 14.28% recorded in 2020.
Explaining the Scenario, Kala Aja a financial analyst tweeted, “Recession?What does it mean? Imagine a bakery making Agege bread, They buyFlour SugarYeastPay salaryPay taxesDeposit cash in bank, banks use that deposit and creates loans. An econony built by Agege bread Ioaf cost N50, output 1000 so “GDP” is N50 x 1000 =N50,000″ “Then crisis, and people lose jobs. Instead of buying one Agege bread and day, they buy one every two days. So bakery sells less bread, instead of 10,000 loaves they sell 5000So “GDP” is N50 x 500 = 25000 A 50% fall in output of Agege bread.”
“What happens? Well less Agege bread output means less flour bought less sugar bought Less salary paid Less cash deposited So Agege industry states to infect other sectors like banking. Those sectors also cut down on spending, pay less workers…a vicious cycle starts
“In summary, a recession is normal business cycle, but if you do bad policies (like closing border) you make Agege bread expensive to produce so the loaf price goes from N50 to N150 Again this makes the bread expensive and reduces sales and cycle starts again”
How Nigeria will exit this recession which experts have considered to be worst than that of 2016 remains to be seen but one thing is certain, Nigeria needs a plan.
A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, said on Monday only an intellectual and competent leader can truly transform Nigeria as the country slid into its second recession in five years.
Moghalu, who was reacting to the confirmation that Nigeria has now entered its worst recession in 33 years, said the report was not surprising, adding that the government’s excuse that the recession was occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic was untenable.
He said on his Twitter handle that “unless the problem of leadership selection and constitution structure is addressed, Nigeria’s economy cannot create wealth for its citizens except for those with political connections.”
Moghalu urged the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to fix the economy so that Nigeria can quickly come out of the recession.
He wrote: “No surprise Nigeria is entering yet another recession. Until Nigeria is led by an intellectually competent leader, with visionary politics backed by sound economic thinking and knowledge, economic transformation will remain a dream. It’s for citizens to do the needful.
“COVID-19 contributed to our current recession, but is no excuse. Nigeria’s economy has been weak for several years. Was the 2016 recession caused by COVID-19 too? The deeper problems of economic management led to our weak response to the COVID-19 crisis.
“South Africa’s budgetary fiscal stimulus response to the crisis was $26 billion. Ours was a budgetary provision of N500 billion ($1.3 billion) and a @cenbank intervention of N1 trillion ($3 billion). And only a fraction of our desperately poor households received the 20K disbursements from the money budgeted.
“Unless we address the problem of our constitutional structure and the leadership selection problem in our politics, Nigeria’s economy simply can’t create prosperity for its citizens, only for a very few with the right political connections for rent-seeking.
“The few real entrepreneurs who make it do so in spite of, not because of the government.”
A newspaper vendor was shot by a policeman attached to the convoy of the Speaker House of Representatives , Femi Gbajabiamila, at the federal secretariat Abuja on Thursday.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has described the killing of a newspaper vendor in Abuja by one of the security details as horrible, saying he is distraught by the incident.
Gbajabiamila, in a statement he personally signed and issued in the early hours of Friday, said he did not know that someone was killed in the attempt to protect him until he arrived his destination.
The incident, which occurred at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, around 3 pm on Thursday, had caused panic in the area.
The victim, identified as Ifeanyi Okereke, was subsequently rushed to the National Hospital by his brother and some police officers, where he reportedly died.
It was learnt that the shooting happened when Okereke and other street vendors selling on the Shehu Shagari Way, Three Arms Zone, flocked around the convoy of the Speaker, who was said to be in the habit of giving out money anytime he passed them.
The Speaker’s statement read; “A horrible incident has taken place. This evening as I left the national assembly, I stopped as usual to exchange pleasantries with the newspaper vendors at the corner. Many of them have known me since I first moved to Abuja and it was a friendly exchange.”
“Unfortunately, after the convoy set out in continuation of movement, unidentified men obstructed the convoy which got the attention of security men in the convoy who shot into the air to disperse them.”
“Some hours later, after getting to our destination, it was brought to my attention that someone was hit by a stray bullet, contrary to an earlier report by men in the convoy that they applied their security discretion to shoot in the air.”
“I have caused a report to be made to the local police station and an investigation has commenced.”
“In the meantime; the officer who fired the fatal shot has been suspended from the convoy pending the conclusion of the investigation.”
Gbajabiamila further wrote, “My value for human life and my respect for all people – irrespective of social-economic status – is what endeared me to these vendors and these are the reasons why I stop my convoy quite often to connect with them. For one of them to have been shot by my security detail is horrific and I cannot begin to imagine the grief and loss Ifeanyi’s family must feel on this sad day. No family should have to go through this.”
“I am personally distraught about this incident and my deepest sympathies go to the victim, his family, and Abuja vendors.”
According to a statement, Soraz Refinery in Zinder, Niger Republic, has an installed refining capacity of 20,000 barrels per day compared to the nation’s 5,000bpd domestic requirement.
The Nigerian Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Niger Republic for petroleum products importation.
In a statement in Abuja, Group General Manager/Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Garba Deen Muhammad, said the MoU was reached following bilateral agreements between President Muhammadu Buhari and President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger.
According to a statement, Soraz Refinery in Zinder, Niger Republic, has an installed refining capacity of 20,000 barrels per day compared to the nation’s 5,000bpd domestic requirement. This leaves a surplus of 15,000 barrels per day.
Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, signed the MoU on behalf of Nigeria while Alio Toune, Director-General of Niger Republic’s National Oil Company, Societe Nigerienne De Petrole, signed on behalf of his country.
Speaking shortly after the MoU signing, Sylva expressed delight over the development, describing it as another huge step in developing trade relations between both countries.
He said, “This is a major step forward. Niger Republic has some excess products which needs to be evacuated. Nigeria has the market for these products. Therefore, this is going to be a win-win relation for both countries. My hope is that this is going to be the beginning of deepening trade relations between Niger Republic and Nigeria.”
Also commenting on the development, the Secretary General of African Petroleum Producers Organisation, Dr. Omar Ibrahim, said he could not be happier with what he witnessed in terms of co-operation and collaboration between the two APPO member countries in the area of hydrocarbons.
He said, “I want to commend the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Niger and their leadership for this milestone.”
The founder and Spiritual Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has predicted doom and disaster for Nigeria and Nigerians in 2021.
Ayodele said on Tuesday, during a press conference in Lagos, that the year 2021 will not be a palatable year for the country and its citizens.
He declared that the country will face turbulent times and harsh economic situation such that people will not be able to go to work, while Nigerians will not enjoy the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
In the series of prophecies for the nation, Ayodele added that he sees confusion in the land, banks crashing and the government unable to bring things under control.
He also advised Nigerians to embark on a series of prayers and fasting between January 1 and 14, 2021, to avert the looming economic downturn that could lead to hard times for the country.
“2021 will not be a palatable year, economically. Nigerians will not enjoy this government.
“This government will face another hard time economically, I see some banks crashing. Let us pray between 1st – 14th of January to avert this crisis.
“Nigerians will not be able to go to work. I’m not seeing strike but I am seeing confusion everywhere. Nigerians must seek the face of God before it’s too late, it’s a warning,” the popular seer declared.
Buhari disclosed this on Tuesday at a meeting of the National Security Council.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he will not allow a repeat of the #EndSARS protests that rocked the country recently. Buhari disclosed this on Tuesday at a meeting of the National Security Council.
Recall that the #EndSARS demonstrations across the country turned violent on October 20 after Nigerian soldiers opened fire on peaceful protesters, who had converged at the Lekki Toll Gate.
Across Lagos and other states in the country, vehicles, government buildings and private properties were razed and looted. The incident triggered a global outrage, with calls for justice echoing from different parts of the world.
Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi, who spoke with journalists at the end of the meeting, said President Buhari assured Nigerians that he will carry all relevant stakeholders including the youth along in the process of maintaining peace in the country.
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