When death comes (and it will surely come), we do not have a choice in the matter. Death is inevitable, and because we are mere mortals, we cannot fight back. Even when we do, due to advances in medical science, the effort does not last the distance. We eventually surrender when death knocks on the door.

Why should we even be afraid of death anyway? Didn’t William Shakespeare write about “Death counterfeiting sleep” in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’? What is the difference between death and sleep? As our mum laid-in-state, beautifully draped in a white apparel, you could think for a moment that she was sleeping. So, death can imitate sleep? Even in death, Mama was beautiful.

Death has a way of teasing, taunting and challenging us to a contest: in the red corner is where you would find death in its massive and ebullient frame, jumping up and down and behaving like a bully, ready to strike and deliver the deadly upper cut, while the rest of us are sequestered in the blue corner, absorbing all the punches until we are down and out.

Death also oppresses. How do we, for example, restrain cancer that has become the harbinger of death in many forms? If it was possible to cut a deal with death, I am sure Steve Jobs, the American inventor, entrepreneur and co-founder of the highly successful Apple Inc. that now has a market cap of more than $2.85 trillion, would still be alive. When Steve surrendered to pancreatic cancer on October 5, 2011, he was only 56 years old.

While we are still alive, it is the impact that we make on the lives on others that is important than the money we have in the bank. We must constantly aim at making the world a better place through our humanitarian interventions.

Until our mother, Mama Rose Osovbakhia Braimah (nee Abebe), passed away on November 4, 2023, she always talked about a humanity that thrives, spreading joy, happiness, success and peace. Each time a new administration was inaugurated in the country, Mama used to wonder whether it will be better than the previous one.

During her lifetime, Mama was a dependable care-giver, gracious philanthropist, engaging story teller and unrelenting activist for a better society. Mama was an extraordinary woman in several ways. As she grew older, Mama was concerned about the pervasive economic hardships and deteriorating quality of life of Nigerians.

Mama was born in Ughodin Quarter in Iruekpen, Ekpoma, in Esan West local government area of Edo State. Ughodin is one of the 12 contiguous quarters of Iruekpen, my home town. The others are Ikhin (where I hail from), Idumebo, Idumogo, Abia, Idumemalua, Idumoza, Ogbomo, Idumehonle, Idumeke, Idumegbede and Evbokpe.

The late Christopher Ebhodaghe Abebe, foremost human resources executive and distinguished Nigerian who later became the chairman/managing director of the United African Company (UAC), established in 1879 as a trading company and evolved as a conglomerate – where he spent his entire career and became the first indigenous African to be appointed to that position in 1975 – hailed from Abia in Iruekpen.

Pa Abebe was the father of late Stella Obasanjo, wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. So, elder statesman Obj (Baba Iyabo) is our in-law. Pa Abebe retired in 1980 and was honoured with the Order of the Federal republic (OFR). He died in 2018 at the ripe age of 99 years.

Our Matriarch, Mama Braimah, was a beautiful woman, resourceful wife, highly respected community leader and exceptional fountain of knowledge. Her worldview was shaped by the values of hardwork, respect and perseverance which she imbibed from her parents. It explained why she was a strict disciplinarian.

As a young woman of 23 years, Mama was betrothed to our late father and she travelled from Iruekpen to Kaduna by rail – escorted by our late uncle, Pius Akuza and Alfred Ilenre, a noted Iruekpen emissary who has also passed away – to meet him to start a family.

My father worked for the government in the ministry of education. Due to his frequent postings, Mama had to traverse the length and breadth of Nigeria with our father.

Mama was an enterprising small-business owner. While at Ughelli (now in Delta State), for example, she travelled frequently to Onitsha for her business. The transition from being a member of a large community of farmers in the village to becoming self-employed in different cities was remarkable.

If Mama wasn’t buying and selling food items and other merchandise, especially bags of rice, you would see her behind her Singer sewing machine. She was also a seamstress. At other times, she was either cooking or praying. Mama was a kind and generous soul, always ready to hand you a gift and lend a hand.

Our late mother was a Deaconess in the Christ Chosen Church of God International where the presiding pastor is Apostle Promise Okafor. She worshipped at the Upper Lawani Street Parish in Benin City, and devoted her life in the service of God.

Her commitment to the Christian faith was profound. She could pray and fast for long hours. Mama averred that every course of action in life was ordained by God. She believed in destiny.

Mama always told his children that quality education is priceless, and she explained that it was the best meal ticket for a child to escape the shackles of poverty. As far as she was concerned, illiteracy is a disease!

Our mother had a strong analytical mind, and instilled the values of discipline, hardwork, love, kindness, courage, perseverance, selflessness, humility and leadership in all her children and those who had the opportunity to drink from her fountain of wisdom and knowledge.

Mama provided exemplary leadership in all her civic engagements, and she frowned at our permissive society that encourages impunity.

Deaconess Braimah was fond of singing and dancing, praising God in her elegant dance-steps. Mama lived a life of purpose. One of her wishes was that parents, teachers and religious leaders should uphold strong family values in a decent society that is fair and equitable.

Before Mama’s glorious life ended peacefully in her home in Benin City, she lived in the ancient city from 1980 to 2023. This was after our mother and her family lived in Ughelli for 10 years. During this period, I completed my primary education and gained admission into Government College, Ughelli – one of the best secondary schools in Nigeria – as a young lad.

Mama Braimah was blessed with nine children. Sadly, three of them preceded her in death. She was also survived by three step-sons, a brother, two sisters and grandchildren. When Mama’s funeral obsequies were announced, it was a week-long activities from January 23 – 29, 2024 to celebrate her life: service of songs, funeral service and interment, reception and thanksgiving service which held in Benin City.

But her traditional and final rites of passage held in Iruekpen, Ekpoma on January 29.

Meanwhile, we had to perform the final burial rites of my old man who died 27 years ago on January 19 in Iruekpen before we could commence the burial rites of my mother. For most young members of the family who asked questions, we had to explain to them that tradition and customary laws must be obeyed.

In the village, respect for one another and the rules of engagement are based on a hierarchy of leadership that has been passed on from generation to generation. Age grade determines everyone’s position and station in the village and there are sanctions and fines for bad behaviour. Interestingly, the women in Iruekpen have a strong voice which cannot be ignored in the conduct of community affairs.

As I travelled with family members by road from Lagos to Benin City (twice) and between Benin City and Iruekpen (thrice), we had our hearts in our mouths due to the “unfriendly” condition of the roads. We also feared for our safety but the presence of policemen and soldiers on the way allayed our concerns.

I am using this opportunity to appeal to the federal government to fix these roads as soon as possible and consider a minimum of 50 metres setback after the thick bushes on either side of the busy highway must have been cleared. Most accidents occur as motorists struggle to avoid the numerous potholes and failed sections of the highway. The Benin – Iruekpen road is a death trap.

On January 24, our mother was laid to rest at her home in Benin City. During the service of songs the previous day, it rained briefly – for about five minutes and stopped – as I read her profile.

We are thankful to family members, friends, colleagues, associates and well-wishers for their support, generosity, kindness, prayers and participation.

May Mama’s memory continue to be a blessing.  

Braimah is a global public relations and marketing strategist. He is also the publisher/editor-in-chief of Naija Times (https://ntm.ng) and Lagos Post (https://lagospost.ng), and can be reached via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

More than 500 personnel of the National Hospital, Abuja (NHA), left its services in search of greener pastures in the last two years, its Chief Medical Director, Mahmud Raji, has disclosed.

According to the CMD, most of them went abroad in search of better working conditions.

“The way they leave is a very hurtful thing for all hospital administrators.

“The most pitiful and worrisome aspect of it is the amount of money the Nigerian government has invested into each of these individuals as a doctor, a nurse, a pharmacist, a physiotherapist or whoever it is that leaves.

He said that the brain drain syndrome was an almost everyday activity as he treats two or three files of young people wishing to leave.

“Sometimes, not only young people; some people have actually gone through the ranks with lots of experience that they could teach other people. So, Nigeria is losing so much, painfully.

“Here, we have lost a number of quite senior doctors, especially the middle cadre doctors, and the very young ones.

“Nurses have also left from the middle cadre and the younger ones. Some of our medical engineers are hotcakes outside and have left.

“I must tell you, Nigeria trains people so much, Nigerian graduates and staff are well sought after, all over,” he added.

On reasons for their departure, he said that remuneration and job satisfaction had always topped the list.

“For instance, if a doctor or a nurse comes here, he or she needs to see an environment that is quite serene, quite beautiful, even to rest in a very comfortable area during their one hour break.

“At least you are able to have something to eat, replenish your energy before you go back to the next phase of work, but usually, in our hospitals in Nigeria, we don’t have such.

“In terms of the remuneration, it may not be as good as what you would expect elsewhere. Even though I must say the purchasing power in Nigeria is far better than the purchasing power elsewhere and our money is still able to buy something.

“We should also look at the unsolved problem of inter-professional rivalry that also eats into people’s psyche. People should be comfortable with the next person they’re working with, be it a nurse, a physiotherapist or whoever.”

Raji also said that the necessary equipment needed to work were not there and when these equipment are either non-existent or obsolete, the healthcare practitioners feel that more should have been done.

He, however, said that past governments had tried by taking very decisive stance on matters of health.

The current government has also put in a lot to rejig the health sector, he added.

“From what we can all see, the current administration has actually rekindled that hope in us that in the next couple of months, at couple of years, we will be able to see a change or a shift in this mindset among Nigerian health professionals eager to leave the country.

“Hopefully, we should even be able to attract them to come back while we retain the ones that are here.”

He, however, said that NHA had employed various strategies to try to retain the healthcare personnel working in it.

“I may not be able to change their remuneration since this is within the purview of government, we try to pacify them because remuneration is usually the first thing people complain about.

“Secondly, in terms of welfare, at least we have tried as much as possible to relieve some of them.

“We have established cooperatives to assist staff, either financially or in whichever way they can be supported to get mortgages for their homes and other things.

“On our own, we sometimes get these mortgage organisations to come and assist our staff. We have been able to get some buses to relieve the stress that the staff get in conveying themselves from work back home and from home to work.

“We are trying to also make the environment where they work a bit more serene and accommodating for them. This would require a lot of funding, but at least with the little that we are able to get, we are able to do bit by bit.”

In terms of training, he said that since training out of the country may be expensive, the hospital arranges local trainings and, when it is able to, it supports them to go for trainings within the country and sometimes out of the country as the funds allow.

The CMD said the hospital was also trying to fix the equipment that were not working efficiently or not working at all.

“Through budgetary and intervention pathways, we are also trying to get in some more new equipment that will make them happy while doing their jobs.

“When you go to our laboratories now, you will see that they are not as they used to be.

“We have so many automated machines; with these machines, all you need to do is just to put in samples and then the thing runs by itself, unlike earlier on where a person will have to run this, after this, you do that. So, now, they have it a bit easier.

“They also feel like, yes, we are working where we would wish to have flown to, to work. So we are upgrading our laboratories or rather, to a very large extent, we are comfortable to call them automated laboratories.

“That’s what we are trying to do, at least in our own little ways, to make life better and the good thing is, some of them do appreciate it.

“But, however much you try, some people are already fixated on leaving,” he said.

On the issue of inter-professional rivalry in the healthcare profession, he said that even though it exists in other institutions, at NHA, there has been some sort of a very harmonious relationship.

He added that hardly were there local strikes at NHA in the last couple of years because of that harmonious relationship.

“But the staff are not in isolation as they also mingle with other people outside.

“So, once in a while you would hear such complaints, but then some of these issues are actually realistic that you find in other centres and it can really be quite bad.

“It sometimes affects the function of some of such organisations but we are lucky here that we are able to, at least, control it.”

To put an end to it or at least control it, he said that several attempts were made to resolve the problem, but sometimes when solutions were about coming, some other bodies may lobby to stop it.

He recalled that a couple of years ago, a certain committee was set up by the Federal Government to look into it and the committee made some recommendations.

“I am not sure those recommendations have been fully implemented, but things might probably have changed now such that it’s time to probably have a new committee set up to look into this.

“I assure you that with the current administration and the mandate given by the president to resolve the issues in healthcare and the ministers we have running the ministry, people have the confidence that they have the roadmap to solving this problem.

“We have to look at it holistically such that you don’t just see doctors as a group, solve their problem, but while solving their problem you will have problem of nurses.

“So also, when you call the nurses and solve their problem, you cause a problem for the radiologist or the pharmacist and things like that.

“From the feelers we’re having from our interactions with those of our leaders in the ministry now, they’re likely going to look at it in that holistic manner, where it should be a win-win for all facets of healthcare.”

Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has released a report showing that no fewer than 36 oil blocks are under concession to international oil companies operating in Nigeria and their indigenous counterparts in the country.

Eight blocks are located in deepwater, five blocks are continental shelf, fifteen blocks are on land, five blocks are located in swamp and another three blocks are located in partially swamp terrains.

The blocks are classified into Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL), and Oil Mining Licence (OML).

The national oil company’s financial statements outlined the blocks on concession to include OPLs 244, 242, 214, 223, 251 and 325. For the Oil Mining Licences, they include OMLs 154, 139, 119, 60-63, 111, 148, 65, 26, 28 and 30.

The Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State, on Sunday, conducted an election (congress) to pick delegates that will participate in the party’s February 22 governorship primary.

The exercise was, however, trailed by an uproar as nine out of the 11 PDP governorship aspirants boycotted the exercise.

Also, the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, who was the chairman of the three-man committee in charge of the Edo delegates election, withdrew from the exercise.

But the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, who is said to be the deputy chairman of the committee, commended the large turnout of party members for the delegates election.

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, described Makinde’s withdrawal from the process as unfortunate but said it would not undermine the credibility of the exercise, which, he said, witnessed a large turnout of party members.

The nine governorship aspirants, who boycotted the delegates election, were Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Anselm Ojezua, Felix Akhabue, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, Hafia Hadizat Umoru, Omosede Igbinedion, Dr Earl Osaro Onaiwu and Arthur Esene.

They wrote a protest letter to the PDP acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and sent a copy to the National Vice Chairman South-South, Chief Dan Orbih.

The nine aspirants complained about the composition of the committee conducting the delegates election.

Speaking to party members at the George Idah Primary School, GRA, Benin, the collation centre for Ward 2, the Enugu State Governor said, “This is democracy where our people come to exercise their franchise. We appreciate this turnout. Our party is known for the principles of fairness, equity and justice. I wish you to all conduct yourselves properly as we hold this election.”

In Ward 7 at Ugbekun Primary School in Ikpoba-Okha Local government, Dr. Major Itemowe led others to conduct the exercise while in Oluku Ward, Kunle Koya from Lagos State conducted the exercise.

Speaking to journalists in his Ward 4 collation centre, Idia College, Governor Obaseki said the crisis in the party was being blown out of proportions and that it would not affect the outcome of the governorship election.

He said, “You can see from the crowd here that it is a lot of success due to the huge turnout. We had over 600 people coming out to participate here; our people are very politically aware and we are happy with this turnout to elect delegates for a our governorship primary. We are also expecting this huge turnout in the main election.”

On the resignation of Makinde, Obaseki said, “It is unfortunate that Makinde withdrew. There are three governors and he is only one of the three that withdrew, which does not remove the credibility of the process. What makes a process credible is the quality of the participation. You can see the turnout; so it is unfortunate that Governor Makinde had to take such a decision. I hope that all our efforts to continue to unify the party and pacify all stakeholders will continue. We are not deterred at all, we are going to make sure that the PDP plays its role in the politics of this country.”

Speaking on the non-participation of members of the Legacy Coalition of the PDP, he said, “You cannot have a 100 per cent participation. You can see the crowd here. When we were in the APC before we joined the PDP, we didn’t have these numbers. So, it is clear that the people we met in the party are still in the party.

“The crisis is hyped; it is not as fundamental as it is made to look. There is very little crisis, the crisis is fanned from outside and our people are smarter than that. You will see during the main election, we are not going to allow ourselves to be sold.”

When contacted to react to the Edo situation, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said,”It is publicly known that Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, for personal reasons known only to him, resigned as Chairman of the PDP Edo State Ad Hoc Delegate Congress Electoral Committee. We are not aware of any other person who boycotted.”

Also, when contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to Makinde, Sulaimon Olanrenwaju, said he was not aware that his principal resigned.

“I’m not aware that he resigned. I’m not aware,” he said.

More Nigerians have continued to express concern over the proliferation of counterfeit drugs, drinks, food items and other products in the country.

They want relevant authorities to initiate a comprehensive national inquiry into the issue and quickly reverse the trend to prevent worsening health situations and other implications.

LEADERSHIP Data Mining Department’s findings revealed that substandard drugs are responsible for the annual deaths of 500,000 individuals in sub-Sahara Africa. The report also highlights that, approximately, 267,000 deaths annually are attributed to counterfeit and substandard anti-malarial medications.

A substantial number of individuals have taken to online platforms to urge the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) to conduct an investigation and enunciate effective measures to address the escalating presence of counterfeit products in the Nigerian market.

Business owner at the popular Utako market in Abuja, Ugochukwu Henry, said the report had affected businesses, but it had not stopped people from buying products in the market.

A customer at the market, Ruth Ode, said the current economic situation in the country is responsible for the menace.

A health expert said there’s a need to clamp down further on the people involved as it may lead to an epidemic.

Experts told LEADERSHIP’s data miners that the surge of counterfeit and substandard goods in numerous Nigerian markets, along with their consumption, is a contributing factor to the rising death toll in the country.

They say the prevalence of fake drugs is   an assault on the country’s healthcare industry, asserting that it results in the loss of lives and undermines confidence in medicines, healthcare providers, and in the entire health system.

Most Common Fake Food Products In Nigeria

Findings showed that the most common fake food products in Nigeria include counterfeit and adulterated drugs, fake rice, adulterated vegetable oil, fake alcoholic beverages and expired and substandard food products.

These products do not always meet safety and quality standards, posing risks to consumers.

Just last month, numerous counterfeit products were uncovered at Ezukwu Market (Cemetery Market) in Aba, Abia State, by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

This has triggered reactions from stakeholders in the health sector.

NAFDAC’s intervention led to the confiscation of approximately 2000 adulterated products, including alcoholic drinks, beverages, and other expired items. This action resulted in the closure of more than 240 shops that were functioning as factories, producing, repackaging, and marketing fake products in unhygienic conditions, according to a statement from the food agency.

The director-general of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, put the street value of the confiscated and destroyed fake products at over N750 million. At the end of the week-long security sweep, 10 suspects were arrested, and the agency shut down the market.

LEADERSHIP Friday reports that the consumption of fake foods has far-reaching health implications.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reported that 4.7 percent of overall cancer cases in Nigeria in 2019 was attributable to the consumption of adulterated alcohol.

A quality assurance analyst with a pharmaceutical company in Nigeria, Adekunle Ilori, who defined fake products as counterfeits bearing a striking resemblance to the original or quality products but with deviations in the manufacturing process, said that in the face of a weakened health system, economic challenges, and factors such as cash scarcity, rising transport fares, and low purchasing power, fake products are exacerbating the difficulties faced by many Nigerians.

Ilori urged NAFDAC to adopt more proactive measures in combating fake and substandard products.

He told the food and drug control agency to be uncompromising in its fight against fake products, increase its surveillance, publicly disclose the names of fake products, and engage in public sensitisation.

Following the confiscation of adulterated products in Aba, concerns about fake drugs, cosmetics, and other household items resurfaced on various social media platforms, with fake drugs being highlighted as the swiftest path to death among substandard products.

A Lagos-based pharmacist, Yemi Alabi, lamented that the peddlers of counterfeit products exhibit a high level of adaptability, engaging in large-scale production of fake replicas across a spectrum of items, spanning food products to pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.

Recently, NAFDAC chief executive, Adeyeye, issued a public warning, particularly to healthcare providers, about a batch of counterfeit Meronem, a one-gramme antibiotic used in treating skin and abdominal infections, flooding the markets and posing a significant risk to patients.

Alabi, however, urged that both NAFDAC and its counterpart, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), should be  adequately equipped with manpower, resources, and funding to effectively combat the inflow of counterfeit and substandard products, both from abroad and from local counterfeiters.

Effects Of Fake Foods On Economy

Beyond the health risks, counterfeit products also cause adverse economic effects.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) estimates suggests that Nigeria loses approximately N200 billion annually due to counterfeit medicines, excluding substandard drugs.

According to a non-governmental organisation, HealthWise International, quantifying the precise economic implications is challenging; the production and distribution of fake foods can have numerous adverse effects at both macroeconomic and microeconomic levels which include: healthcare expenditure, productivity decline, reputation damage, erosion of consumer trust, agricultural productivity, trade barriers, resource diversion, rising regulatory costs, impact on small businesses, and social and economic disparities among others.

A report by HealthWise states: “The counterfeit food industry is already estimated to generate $49 billion annual revenue; any product you think you bought from a reputable and trustworthy outlet can be one of those adding to the $49 billion revenue streams.”

“A large study, involving almost 20,000 adults, found that eating more than four servings of processed food daily was linked with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. For each additional serving, all-cause mortality risk increased by 18 percent.

“Another large study, involving more than 100,000 adults, found that eating 10 percent more ultra-processed foods was associated with above 10 percent increase in the risks of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disorders.

“Indeed, there is no way to know to what extent food fraud is contributing to stunting, which affects 34 percent of under-five African children, with lifelong impacts on physical and intellectual development.”

Tips To Identify Potential Fake Food Products

Pharmacare, an advocacy group on genuine drugs, has listed tips to help Nigerians identify potential fake food products.

1. Check labels and packaging. Look for spelling errors, unusual fonts, or poor print quality on labels. Examine packaging for signs of tampering, such as broken seals or unusual openings. Verify that the packaging information matches the product inside. Check for proper seals and packaging. Authentic products usually have proper seals and packaging. Be wary of products with broken or damaged seals. Look for holograms, barcodes, and other security features that are typically present on genuine products.
2. Verify brand authenticity. Purchase food products from reputable and well-known brands and retailers. Check the official website of the brand for information on authorised distributors and retailers.

iii. Pay attention to price: be skeptical of food products that are priced significantly lower than the market average. Extremely low prices may indicate a counterfeit or adulterated product.

iv: Check the physical characteristics. Examine the colour, texture, and overall appearance of the food product. Any unusual or off-putting characteristics may be a sign of adulteration. For example, check for unusual discoloration or an abnormal texture in fruits, vegetables, or meats.

1. Verify Expiry Dates.

vi.Use Your Senses. Trust your senses—smell, taste, and appearance. If a food product looks, smells, or tastes unusual, it’s best to avoid it. Be cautious of strong chemical or off-putting odors. Purchase from reputable retailers.

Strategies To Combat Menace

Experts have urged the government to strengthen regulatory framework, increase inspections and surveillance, collaborate with industry stakeholders; launch public awareness campaigns to educate consumers about the risks associated with fake foods and how to identify them; improve traceability and labelling.

The government should also invest in food testing laboratories, by strengthening the capacity of food testing laboratories to enable quick and accurate analysis of food samples, among others.

Medical expert, Dr Mohammed Badru, told LEADERSHIP that addressing fake food production requires coordinated efforts from various sectors, including government agencies, industry players, and the public. He also said that regular evaluation and adjustments to strategies, as well as continuous monitoring and enforcement, are essential to maintaining the effectiveness of these measures over time.

• Customs: We are merely obeying CBN’s directive
• 50kg bag of rice may cost N100,000, says CPPE
• Customs under pressure to meet N5 trillion target, say stakeholders 

The adoption of the spot foreign exchange (FX) rate in computing duty on imported commodities has thrown importers and the entire business community into a panic mode.

For the first time, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) raised the import duty exchange twice within 24 hours on Friday under the guise of “obeying” the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) directive. The unusual adjustment raised the going duties across commodity lines by 48.5 per cent in less than two days.

Recall that NCS adjusted the rate from N951.94/$ to N1356.8/$ on Friday. While the market was yet to fully digest the decision, it was raised further by over four per cent on Saturday, to the current N1,413.6 to a dollar.

In a swift response, the NCS said the service is simply adhering to the official market as directed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came into office, the import duty determination rate has been increased by 235 per cent. It stood at N422.3/$ as of May 29, 2023, when the administration was inaugurated.

With the liberalisation of the FX market, naira saw a sharp depreciation last June, forcing NCS to also adjust the rate used for duty assessment. Since then, the Customs rate mimics the spot segment of the FX market, explaining it is not a decision it has control over.

The service has ignored calls for the adoption of the average rate as opposed to the spot rate. Those who have advocated average rate adoption have argued that the option would make more sense for the predictability and stability of prices.

With spot rate adoption, the Customs has left importers guessing what the next day’s duty could be – a situation economists said could worsen the inflation, increase the cost of living and raise the poverty index.

The fresh increase has already triggered a negative response in the prices of goods, including staple food. At the weekend, The Guardian learnt, the prices of many imported items were hurriedly adjusted. A list of cosmetics items sighted by our correspondent added about 18 to 25 per cent across the prices.

Some products that sold for N2,200 per unit were adjusted to N2,600, while the dealer explained that he would pay more to clear his goods, hence he had to make provision for the upward movement of the replacement cost.

There are fears that the prices of rice, a staple food consumed by many Nigerian households, could see a further sharp rise in the coming days following the increase.

As at last May, a bag of 50 kilogramme of rice sold for about N38 but soared by close to 100 per cent to N70,000 at the close of the year, following the hike in prices of fuel and importation. Traders said Nigeria should expect the essential item to hit N100,000 sooner than expected as the rising cost of import feeds into general prices.

An average Nigerian faces tough times in the face of the rising cost of importation. Last year, as in the case of previous ones, the five top imports by value were motor spirit, gas oil, wheat, sugar and used vehicles. Whereas naira depreciation means the subsidy cover for the motor spirit would expand drastically, Nigerians would face the direct consequence of spending more on wheat, sugar and used vehicle purchases.

Already, prices of vehicles have hit the roof with the cheapest cars (1990s sedans) selling for between N3.5 million and N4.5 million even before last week’s duty review. The least cost of clearing, as at the weekend, according to information sourced from clearing agents, was N2.4 million. A car dealer told The Guardian yesterday that he had increased asking prices of the vehicles at his shop on Saturday following the announcement of the new duty.

Last year, the value of used vehicles, which accounted for 1.64 per cent of the total import, was N135.82 billion. As duties went up last year, the number of cleared vehicles dipped by 32 per cent to 132,296 units, leaving thousands of units at the ports accumulating demurrages. This suggests that the government would need to find a way to manage rising abandoned vehicles this year even as duty cost doubles or triples.

imported used car

The Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for The Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr Muda Yusuf, said the drastic upward review of the exchange rate for the computation of import duties would further fuel inflation as production and operating costs escalated.

He said this would have a devastating effect on businesses across sectors, while the vulnerable segments of the population would be impoverished as cost-push inflation gets exacerbated.

Yusuf said businesses are yet to recover from the shocks of the new round of currency devaluation resulting from the sudden unification of the exchange rate, which has driven the official exchange rate to over N1,400/$.

He appealed to the government to reverse this rate hike in the interest of the already-impoverished segments of society and the numerous businesses that are on the verge of collapse.

Yusuf recommended that going forward, the determination of the exchange rate for import duty computation should be treated as a major fiscal policy matter and located within the remit of the fiscal authority which is the finance ministry.

Professor Sheriffdeen Tella, an economist, said that raising custom duties on luxury and finished products is key for higher economic growth and job creation to reduce current unemployment for the people. However, he argued that while Customs needs to raise its revenue base, such an action must not be at the expense of Nigerians.

Director, Obsidian Archenar Nigeria, Kelvin Emmanuel, said the NCS is simply complying with the policy direction of the CBN.

His argument: “Before now, Nigeria was operating a peg system, which is a term for the fixed exchange rate. That is why the rates were able to stay stable for a long period. Now, with naira floated, the NCS can no longer maintain fixed figures.”

While he agreed that frequent changes in the import duties would destabilise the business community and make planning almost impossible, he submitted that the federal government can generate massive revenue from the new system.

“As desirable as having stability in the import duties sounds, I do not think that will be done immediately. The Federal Government will generate huge revenue, but the cost of importation will rise. Manufacturers will face more hard times. Consumers will face more hard times,” he stressed.

On whether the reduction in import rates for essential commodities and inputs for the manufacturing sector would help, Emmanuel said he does not see that happening any time soon.

“I do not think reducing import duties on these categories of items will lead to a significant reduction in the prices of feedstock and staple food. Once the currency that will be used for the imports is in foreign currency, their prices may not drop significantly,” he said.

Emmanuel argued that the CBN is in a quagmire if it cannot source about $10 billion that is needed to stabilise the FX market.

The factors may likely lead to the prices of rice skyrocketing to more than N100,000 per bag, the National Public Relations Officer of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN), Taiwo Fatomilola, said.

He said the costs of transport would spike as car purchases and spare parts would increase. He lamented that the rise in duty exchange rate will kill importation, as importers cannot cope.

He said the country, last year, witnessed a drop in importation, adding that this increase will also have a multiplying effect on every product sold in Nigeria.

Fatomilola said vehicle duties have increased drastically with a single six-tyre 2014 model truck head going for N2.6 million as at Saturday morning. According to him, the hike in the duty exchange rate is caused by the desperation of Customs to meet its N5 trillion target for the year.

Recall that the country witnessed a 32 per cent decrease in the importation of vehicles in 2023. A total of 132,296 units of vehicles were handled during the period, a sharp fall from 194,550 units cleared in 2022.

In his response, the National Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Maiwada, stressed that Customs does not determine the exchange rate, but only implements what is derived by the government.

Naira vs Dollar.

This is the fifth adjustment after the Central Bank started the implementation of a market-led FX rate regime last year. That puts the average review at once a month.

The duty FX rate was adjusted from N422.3/$1 to N589/$1 On June 24 while on July 6, 2023, it was adjusted to N770.88/$1. It went to N783.174/$1 on November 14, 2023. On December 7, 2023, it was adjusted to N951.941/$1.

[Guardian]

The federal government has announced plans to reform the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to make it a revenue-generating agency.

Jamila Bio-Ibrahim, the Minister of Youth Development, made the disclosure while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.

The minister also explained that the Federal Government was working on reforming the NYSC scheme to reflect the present realities of the nation.

She further explained that they all understand that resources were dwindling, stressing that they would find innovative ways of ensuring that corps members’ welfare is well-taken care of.

According to her, “The reforms will transform the NYSC into a revenue-generating agency and prepare the corps members for the job market and to be decently and gainfully employed or to be employers of labour through entrepreneurship all the support they need in that career path.”

She also disclosed that corps members were no longer posted to states deemed unsafe in the wake of worsening insecurity in the country.

The minister explained that the security of corps members required collaboration with other agencies of government.

[DailyPost]

THERE is hardly any jurisdiction in the common law in which a man with his current record could possibly still sit as a judge of a superior court of record. In Nigeria, however, Hyeladzira Nganjiwa proudly sits on the bench of the Federal High Court and currently serves in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State in South-East Nigeria. From the bench, he has been embroiled in all sorts controversy lately . 

Nganjiwa went to Government Secondary School, Damaturu, when it used to be part of Borno State, finishing in 1978. In 1979, University of Lagos admitted him to read law. In 1984, he enrolled to become a lawyer in Nigeria. Nganjiwa did his compulsory national service with the Ajaokuta Steel Company, before finishing it in 1985 with the Ministry of Justice in Ilorin when both were part of old Kwara State.

Thereafter, Nganjiwa returned to his native Borno State, from where he compiled a career as a public prosecutor, rising to the rank of Chief Legal Officer at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, until 1995, when he became Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions in the Borno State Ministry of Justice. Nganjiwa thereafter returned to private practice from where President Goodluck Jonathan appointed him a judge and he was sworn into the bench of the Federal High Court on May 28, 2012. 

Less than a few years into his judicial career, Nganjiwa was accused of sundry allegations on which he was charged to court. 

Persuaded that the judge was transacting in shady judicial business, the EFCC arraigned Nganjiwa a mere five years into his judicial career on June 23, 2017 on 14 counts of unlawful enrichment. This was a charge of judicial graft. 

A judge who takes his office seriously will be affronted by such a charge and will make it a priority to clear his name. This was the least of Nganjiwa’s concerns, however. Instead, he asserted impunity, claiming that the court could not try him when he had not yet been disciplined by the National Judicial Council, NJC. This was worse than an odd argument to make for three reasons. 

First, the NJC polices judicial misconduct alright but is neither the police nor a public prosecutor. Second, the NJC lacks the wherewithal by itself to investigate unlawful enrichment. Third, it was akin to saying judges are lawless. Rule 1(1) of Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, which the NJC enforces, requires all judges to “respect and comply with the laws of the land…” That would include the laws on unlawful enrichment. 

At the High Court of Lagos, Justice Adeola Akintoye was not much persuaded by this objection and threw it out. Nganjiwa appealed to the Court of Appeal, which agreed with him. On December 11, 2017, the Court of Appeal ruled that he could not be prosecuted, unless the NJC had disciplined him on the matter. 

  Interestingly, in the same judgement, the Court observed that : “If a judicial officer commits theft, fraud, murder or manslaughter, arson and the likes, which are crimes committed outside the scope of the performance of his official functions, he may be arrested, interrogated and prosecuted accordingly by the State directly without recourse to the NJC.” The Court of Appeal was able to see that theft, fraud, murder or manslaughter were not part of the job specification for a judge. But they seemed to believe that judicial corruption could be; but we digress.

  A dissatisfied EFCC appealed to the Supreme Court, which at the end of May 2022, threw out the appeal and discharged Nganjiwa. It did not acquit him though. So, the Supreme Court set him free but fully blemished with the whiff of judicial corruption. 

  In any other jurisdiction, this would have been the end of Nganjiwa’s judicial career but in the weird logic of the NJC, however, it was its rejuvenation instead. On the 10th anniversary of his appointment as a judge of the Federal High Court, Nganjiwa, who had been under suspension all these years while the proceedings went on, returned to the bench with a license once more to go judging.

  Last November, the latest postings by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court took Nganjiwa to Abakaliki. As if by divine synch, one month later on December 20, Godswill Akpabio, president of the Senate, formally declared vacancies in respect of certain seats in the upper chamber, including that for Ebonyi South, formerly represented by David Umahi who now serves as a Minister in the federal cabinet. 

  Two days thereafter, on December 22, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, issued a notice of by-elections covering the seats which the Senate president had declared vacant. It required the parties to conduct their primaries for purposes of selecting their candidates between January 5 and 9, and to complete candidate nomination formalities by January 13. In all, the parties had 17 days (including week-ends) to complete candidate selection and another four days to complete all filings with INEC. The Commission fixed actual voting in the by-elections for February 3.

  On January 9, five persons claiming to be “intending delegates” in the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, initiated proceedings in Nganjiwa’s court in suit no. FHC/AI/CS/6/2024 between Chief Stanley Okochie Nkaa & 4 Others v. PDP, INEC & 2 Others, asking the judge to exclude the party from the by-election because the selection of its candidate, Silas Onu, four days earlier, was not preceded by 21 days’ notice. The law actually only allows aspirants to sue.

In the course of the proceedings, one of the named plaintiffs told the court that he had not instructed anyone to initiate the case in his name. His name was removed from the list of parties. That should have told most judges that something was not right. But not this one. 

But 23 days after the case was filed, on February 1, Nganjiwa issued a 57-page judgement granting the claimants everything they asked for. He specifically issued “an order of perpetual injunction” restraining INEC from recognising the PDP candidate in the by-election, “and his name shall not be included in the election”. 

This was exactly two days before the by-election. As a practical matter, this was not an order that the INEC could have complied with without postponing the ballot in Ebonyi South because it had printed all the ballot papers and deployed significant electoral capability ahead of the date. As most sensible lawyers know, injunctions are equitable remedies and equity does not act in vain. 

Having made these serious orders against INEC (a defendant) in the proceedings, however, Nganjiwa very curiously also awarded costs of one million Naira in its favour to be paid by the PDP and its candidate whom he had just directed the Commission to exclude. 

In the course of his judgment, Nganjiwa felt called upon to justify why he had to accept everything INEC said as gospel. He described the Commission as “an unbiased Empire” (sic), proclaiming that as the reason why he had “no doubt in my mind to doubt whatever information(s) supplied by the (INEC)” (sic).

When you end up with a court judgement that induces moral and jurisprudential indigestion on this scale, there is a word for it: you have been Nganjiwad.

A lawyer and a teacher, Odinkalu can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.