“Many people sold their boys and girls for a little rice…Hunger stalked us…People of all ages began to die….Everyone had to live with half-empty stomachs …People started looting, searching for food” -Bijoykrishna, survivor of the Bengal famine in 1943 (BBC, February 23, 2023)

The old man talking is reported to be 102 years old and one of the few survivors of the famine which killed millions in Bengal while World War II raged on around them. The savagery of the war and extremely bad weather resulted in horrible harvests. Suddenly, parents were “eating” their kids. Or what do you call selling your children to buy food? It happened in Bengal in 1943; it can happen anywhere – including Nigeria.

We are aware that some parents in Nigeria have been selling their children; heartless people run baby factories or phony orphanages as regular means of employment. It might not have reached the alarming proportions experienced in Bengal in the last century. But, the truth is – some adult Nigerians are already eating children.  That preamble is, however, meant to draw the readers’ attention to the dangers we face as a nation with regard to food and famine.

To be candid, government at all levels is not being honest with us. Irrespective of which political party is in power at federal and state levels, their reactions to the looming famine is, frankly speaking, shocking. Millions of Nigerian lives are at stake.  Perhaps it is only a coincidence that the FG, which encouraged herdsmen and bandits to drive millions of farmers off the field, was headed by Mohammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC – whose symbol is the broom.

Present and future historians, writing about how we ended up in this terrible situation, in which most Nigerians now live with half-empty stomachs, must lay the blame squarely on the door step of Buhari and the APC National Secretariat. Buhari started the demolition job on our farms; and none of the members called him out. One official actually had the effrontery to go on television to offer fellow Nigerians the Devil’s alternative – your land or your life. That was the audacity of infamy which has landed us where we are with regard to food production. No nation can live with lunacy for eight years without finally living on the bread of sorrow. We are now going to start dying like flies, swatted by a broom!!!

FORGET THE LIES ABOUT FOOD PALLIATIVES

  “Every government is run by liars; and nothing they say should be believed” – I F Stone

Can anyone remember how many tonnes of palliatives were promised Nigerians in September last year? And do you remember that Governor Soludo, APGA, speaking on behalf of the FG and State Governors, announced that N5 billion would be given to each state? On account of a conspiracy of silence, Nigerians were not informed that only N2 billion was actually delivered and not all the grains either. That should tell you the sort of leaders we are dealing with – they cannot be trusted to keep their words. That is why they have more Commissioners of Information and Special Advisers (Media) than the Premiers of East, North and West had during the First Republic. They are not appointed to shed light on issues but to confuse Nigerians. Here is an example.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Mohammed Idris, in mid-February this year, announced that President Tinubu had “ordered 102,000 metric tonnes of grains to be released from the National Reserves”. A week after, in my Monday article, titled FG AND THE 102,000 tonnes food swindle, I traced several promises previously made by this government. None of them had been fully redeemed. Given my knowledge about the National Food Reserves, I concluded that article by stating: “I doubt if the FG has 102,000 tonnes of food in its reserves.”

On Thursday, February 22, 2023, Mr Idris, in a manner reminding us of George Orwell’s ANIMAL FARM, changed the narrative. This time we were told: “The first one is that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has been directed to release  about  (underlying mine) 42,000 MT of maize, millet, garri and other commodities in their strategic reserves so that these items will be made available to Nigerians; 42,000MT immediately.”    The careful reader cannot fail to observe how 102,000MT, pledged two weeks earlier, shrank to 42,000MT to be released suddenly. What happened to the remaining 60,000MT of food stuff promised earlier?

The story has changed on those too. According to the latest announcement from Idris, which might not be the last, “we have held meetings with the Rice Millers Association of Nigeria (RIMAN), those who are responsible for this rice, and we have asked them to open up their stores…They have told us that they can guarantee about 60,000 tonnes of rice. They will make that available to Nigerians…” Again, a discernible reader can easily arrive at three obvious conclusions. One, the FG did not have 102,000MT of grains in its reserves when the first announcement was made. Two, the government will even have to struggle to provide the about 42,000MT. Three, the 60,000MT of rice is uncertain of delivery; for the simple reason that there is no guarantee from RIMAN to deliver 60,000MT of rice.

Instead of the deliberate attempt by the FG to deceive Nigerians, RIMAN’s position on the matter is quite clear. According to the RIMAN President: “No, no, no, we don’t have enough paddy in this country. Farmers lack enough paddy to sell. A lot of farmers have withdrawn services on the farms due to insecurity. This is in addition to the effects of fuel subsidy removal.” Obviously, Mr Idris is once again spreading falsehood in order to buy time for the FG. I know who is lying on this issue because I spent years in the rice sector and some of my friends are still in it. They tell me the truth because I advise them on investing – when they make profits.

That, unfortunately, takes us to the heart of the matter. Nigerians are now dying like flies swatted by a broom; and most of the FG’s utterances have proved to be untrue. How on earth can Tinubu plead for more time when his Ministers are busy telling us lies? To be candid, few will believe him – even if elder statesmen like Gowon plead for him. The people want the truth – no matter how bad. Only faith in their leaders or tyranny can make the people in a country endure years of great hardship as in China and India.

THE CONSEQUENCES ARE ALREADY HERE

 “Death is here and death is there/Death is busy everywhere…”  –  Percy Byshe Shelley

People have always died, everyday, every hour, every minute and every second. Death by itself is not new. At almost 80, I am in sudden death period; so is everybody over 70 in Nigeria, where life expectancy is still about 52. So what makes death so special now? It is the spike in death rates. In about 70 years, since I first became aware of the consequences of death, in no single year was it brought to my attention that up to four people known to me died in one month. The rise in death rate first attracted my attention in December last year when seven people were reported to have died. In January, the figure rose to nine. There was acceleration in February. Today, February 25, 2023, as this article is being written, the number stands at thirteen. Four of my CLUB members and a close cousin have passed on in less than six weeks.

  So, it was time to investigate – at the mortuary, at the cemeteries and talking to casket sellers. With four friends as undertakers or casket sellers, it was easy to establish that, for them, business is booming like never before. The only problem they have is with the low profile approach people now take to burials. Most families no longer buy expensive caskets. Times are hard.

A few of the recently departed souls were confronted with choosing between buying life-saving drugs or eating. There were no funds for the two. They opted for food. At least two told me that before leaving us to our self-inflicted problems of food, drugs and other scarcities and the inflation resulting from too much demand chasing insufficient supply.

The investigations confirmed my intuition. There has been a noticeable rise in burials in all the cemeteries in Lagos – involving all ages from babies a few days old to the aged. A twenty three years old attendant told me, “We have never buried so many people in a month as we are doing now. A pathologist said most of those they open up to find cause of death have next to nothing in their stomachs. So, hunger must have contributed to their demise.”

That is the truth we face; and which governments – FG, states and even local governments must face. Back to the land is no longer a slogan. It is the only way we can save Nigerians from dying like flies swatted by a broom.

FUND ME TO WRITE THE TRUTH ABOUT BUHARI

“Wherever God erects a house of prayer;  the Devil always builds a Chapel there…” – Daniel Defoe, 1661-1731.

One Pastor from the Devil’s Chapel went to work for Buhari for eight years. While in residence at the Rock, which we have been told was overrun by demons by a previous lodger, the Pastor, on live TV, supported the slaughter of thousands of farmers who refused to surrender their land to herdsmen. Now he has joined others who inhabited the dungeon to write books about Buhari’s “achievements”.

In their books, you will not read about how herdsmen militia, about 400,000 armed assassins, was created to capture Nigeria. They are everywhere in Nigeria today — killing, kidnapping, raping and making farming impossible. Their Life Patron lives in peace in Daura. About 380,000 Nigerians have paid with their lives for this particular “achievement”. But, Pastor won’t tell you the truth about herdsmen genocide.  I will. I started my own book two years ago; funding it myself. Now, I am stuck. Inflation and exchange rate threaten publication of the truth about Buhari. I need your help to finish the job.

Their book, packed full of lies, is advertised for N200,000. I can deliver the truth for N20,000 or less. Can you help? Please get in touch.

Reuben Abati (“Monumental”) memorably characterises such moment as “when the phone stops ringing”. It is the ultimate nightmare of the public intellectual or just any member of the tribe at the point of — or shortly before — evacuating public office.

It is not only about the imminent forfeiture of privileges and advantage, but also the anxiety about accountability before a national jury.

For the columnist, questions are bound to be asked about just how much he practised what he had preached so magisterially before assuming public office. Observable conduct — by way of deeds or words during the stated public engagement — will be weighed against the corpus of values earlier trumpeted from the outside.

For this purpose, public intellectuals will include others involved in the knowledge economy like academics and think-tank experts, mediating between public authorities and the society.

Segun Ayanbolu could, by any stretch, not be said to have suffered any difficulty in the referenced transition between theory and praxis, despite having been exposed to the corrosive toxin of partisan politics as the Chief Press Secretary to then Governor Bola Tinubu at a very challenging moment in Lagos.

Upon returning to the media in 2008, it was clear that the critical flavor of his punditry had not diminished, which is perhaps a testimony to the character and integrity he demonstrated for the nine years he sojourned at Alausa.

Again, such seamless adaptability — this instinctive capacity for role changes without loss of identity — would seem very much in evidence in his choice to sneak onto the “sixth floor” (the sexagenarian club) recently without as much a stir or noise.

On account of his remarkable life and sterling accomplishments in journalism, not a few friends had, at the approach of the Diamond milestone, contemplated the idea of staging a commemorative shindig. But once he got wind of the plot, Ayanbolu frantically pleaded to be spared the “stress” of an “Owambe”, moreso not when most Nigerians are facing a difficult time.

Were things “normal”, self-effacing Ayobolu would probably still have found another excuse not to have a loud celebration. As attested by Tunde Olusunle in an earlier tribute last year entitled, “Segun Ayobolu: Grit, Quality, Versatility on Diamond Eve”:
“For all his staggering attributes as a very formidable scholar, a distinctly rigorous inquisitor, a sound and profound political scientist, an inimitable reporter, an engaging writer, a perspicacious editor, he savours his reticence and unobtrusive carriage.

“In a world where dunderheads, impostors and wannabes hug the klieg lights, posturing as modern-day standard-bearers, stars and men of letters, coveting conferments and adulation, he cherishes his quiet.

“He prefers to immerse himself in his study, lapping up multidisciplinary knowledge, further enriching his subsisting, even overflowing intellectual capital. His elected choices to remain ‘backstage’ in a manner of speaking, receives authentication from his minimal photographic prominence, even on the internet. And we are talking about a colossus in his own right.”

That is the essential Segun Ayobulu — one with social conscience.

In a more recent tribute on Ayobolu’s 60th birthday, President Tinubu wrote: “Segun has remained one of my steadfast associates and loyalists for many years. He served me with complete dedication and loyalty as my Chief Press Secretary when I was Governor of Lagos State. He has not failed to offer his service and intellect to us in many other areas since we left office. He remains a committed member of our progressive family.”

Overall, as anyone who has followed his writings in over three decades will readily attest, Ayanbolu’s journalism remains largely a relentless crusade for progressive values, never shy to advertise a fanatical devotion to Awoism.

As CPS to Tinubu between 1999 and 2007, he never failed to situate his many polemical skirmishes against political opponents of his boss within the broader context of never-ending progressive struggle against reactionary forces in nation space.

Of course, there can be no easy winner or loser in such ideological contestation. While recognising that the public engagement could indeed be tricky, Patrick Baert and Josh Booth, however argue that the intellectual has to reconcile themselves with some fundamental tensions and contradictions around four axes namely, “hierarchy versus equality, generality versus expertise, passion versus distance, and the individual versus the collective.”

With particular reference to the political realm, Eunice Goes, an associate professor at Richmond University in the U.K, is a bit more exact. In an intervention in defence of one-time Labour Party’s poster boy, Ed Miliband, following attack by the conservative press, she outlines the obligations of the intellectual as helping “politicians to make sense of the world.

“They offer cause-effect explanations of political and economic phenomena; they offer diagnosis and occasional prescriptions to policy puzzles. At times of great political disruption, when old certainties about how the world works are questioned, this role is particularly important.”

Doubtless, learning matters. It should however be added that learning is nothing without character, as Mahatma Gandhi forever warns. Of course, the truest test of character occurs not at the moment of comfort or convenience. Rather, it comes at a crossroads, at that perilous hour of temptation. Ayobolu’s was tested with Tinubu’s exit in 2007 and the change of guards thereafter at Alausa. He was among the few “tested hands” retained by the Fashola administration to help “stabilize” the system. The climate looked conducive for him to, in fact, be more consequential in the new order.

Though promoted as a Special Adviser, he would soon cause a major stir by resigning voluntarily “on principle”, and went back to his first love — journalism.
Indeed, as months began to roll by for the new administration at Alausa, it was clear Ayobolu was no longer finding fulfillment. In his shoes, many would have easily tagged along, for survival.

Many would have casually forsworn old loyalties or traded their convictions for new convenient principles without scruples, if only to secure continued flow of bread and butter. True, addiction to the comforts of the moment can be numbing for such slaves to office. But in not succumbing to temptations then, Ayobolu was probably reminded of Awo’s timeless admonition never “to get addicted to things you cannot afford as private citizen while in public office.”

Here is wishing Ayobolu, the one with quick smile, happy diamond jubilee.

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, celebrated his 82nd birthday on Saturday, March 2, 2024.

Naija News reports that the clergyman, in a post on social media, expressed gratitude to God for the new age and also prayed for his followers.

He wrote, “Grateful for 82 years of divine love, mercy, and grace; Thank you, Jesus. I pray that everyone reading this experiences tangible testimonies in every area of their lives in the name of Jesus.”

RCCG members and other Christians from interdenominational ministries, including President Bola Tinubu, showered birthday wishes and prayers on the revered octogenarian.

In this article, Naija News lists some facts beyond the altar you probably might not known about Pastor Adeboye.

1. Mathematics don: He bagged his Master’s degree and Doctorate in Hydrodynamics and Applied Mathematics from the University of Lagos in 1969 and 1975, respectively. He later became a Mathematics Lecturer at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

2. Two universities for first degree: Pastor Adeboye gained admission to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State, but left because of the Civil War and continued his first-degree programme at the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Osun State, where he bagged Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in 1967.

3. Honorary doctorates from top varsities: Pastor Adeboye bagged honorary doctorates from the University of Lagos and the University of Nigeria in 2009.

He also got honorary doctorates from the University of Ibadan and the Obafemi Awolowo University in 2011 and 2016, respectively. He also bagged a Doctor of Theology from Canada Christian College in 2009, a Doctor of Science from the University of Lagos in 2015, and a Doctor of Divinity from the University of Nigeria and Oral Roberts University in 2017 and 2022, respectively.

4. In 2019, New African magazine named Pastor Adeboye among the top 100 most influential African people on Earth.

5. Pastor Adeboye joined RCCG in 1973 and became the interpreter of the Founder, Rev Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi. in 1981, he emerged as the General Overseer of the church, having received the blessing of Pa Akindayomi.

6.  The revered cleric has written several inspirational and motivational Christian books since he became RCCG’s general overseer. His popular books include Lessons from the Sower, Christian Moderator, Divine Favour, God of Wonders, Kingdom Prosperity, Fruits of the Spirit and Open Heavens (a daily devotional).

7. The 82-year-old clergyman is one of the founding fathers of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and became the PFN President from 1992 to 1995.

8. He was conferred with the national honour of The Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2008 during the administration of the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua.

9. In 2008, the American publication, Newsweek magazine listed Pastor Adeboye as one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.

10. Pastor Adeboye is unlike some Nigerian pastors who frequently speak about the governance in Nigeria. Instead, the RCCG G.O. will urge his members to pray for Nigerian leaders.

[NaijaNews]

I grew up on a diet of welfarism as espoused by the great manager of men and resources, Obafemi Awolowo, first Premier of the then Western Region of Nigeria. It is to that great man that many of us who later went on to play leadership roles in various aspects of our professional and national lives, owe our worldview— especially our conceptualisation of the essence of governance and leadership.

Awolowo insisted that a government derived its legitimacy from being able to protect and advance the cause of its people. Thus, he democratised the playing field by ensuring that everyone had access to primary education. His famous reaction to the subject was, “I want free access to education for all. I do not want the children of my drivers to be drivers to my children, neither do I want the children of my cooks to be cooks to my children.”

Leadership

Awolowo set a high store by leadership. To him, it was nothing less than a sacred trust. If political leaders led by example, he argued, the people would follow suit: “Those of us placed in a position of leadership must be prepared to grasp the nettle if we unite in doing so, and if, in addition, we set a worthy example in probity, unselfishness, and self-sacrifice, the people will follow, all too readily, in our footsteps.”

It was under that general philosophical base of equal opportunities for all that the government of the Western Region operated under the philosopher-politician, Awolowo. Had Providence inserted the man in the affairs of his Yoruba race during the Oyo Empire days many centuries before his premiership, historians argue, he would have wound up among the many Yoruba gods celebrated today.

At the Summit of the Organisation of African Unity, OAU in Kinshasa in 1967 where he represented Nigeria, Awolowo declared: “Today, Africa is a continent of COMPETING BEGGAR-NATIONS. We vie with one another for favours from our former colonial masters… Unless a beggar resolutely shakes off, and irrevocably turns his back on his begging habit, he will forever remain a beggar. For, the more he begs, the more he develops the beggar characteristics of lack of initiative, courage, drive and self-reliance.”

That call for Africans to lift themselves up by their bootstraps is today being championed on the continental scale by institutions such as the African Development Bank led by Nigeria’s Dr Akinwumi Adesina. Since assumption of office as President of the bank after a stint as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, Adesina has pursued a development policy based on five development priorities creatively code-named the High-5s.

His

Having assumed office on September 1, 2015 as the eighth elected President of the African Development Bank Group, Adesina vigorously encouraged African countries to buy into the five cardinal programmes of the bank namely: (1) Light up and Power Africa; (2) Feed Africa; (3) Industrialise Africa; (4) Integrate Africa; and (5) Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.

Africa has never remained the same since the rolling out of the High-5s. All over the continent, there is ample evidence that a forward-looking development partner is at work, transforming the landscape and helping to create new capacities thereby making Africa a more attractive land of promise and sustainable viability than ever before. Overall, AfDB’s impact has been panoramic as evidenced by its 6,338 projects embarked upon all over Africa since 1967.

Considering that he was born in Awolowo’s Western Region of Nigeria, I have no doubt that the philosophical underpinnings of Dr Adesina’s commitment to uplifting the continent and making Africans stand tall in the comity of nations, is partially inspired by his experience growing up under the very inspiring premiership of the late sage of the region.

Since Awo’s transition in 1987, his name and ideas have remained in public discourse, proving that those who live in the service of humanity will never die. The Foundation established in his honour is an independent, non-profit, non-political, non-religious, non-sectarian research institute committed to the promotion of a socially edifying interaction between policy and scholarship. The organisation prides itself as being dedicated to the principles of public welfare, responsible, free enterprise, social democracy, a federal and republican Nigeria, an economically self-reliant Africa- and a stable and equitable global system

So far, the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation has lived up to its billing, especially in the weight of personages that have won its now coveted Leadership Prize. The prize is given in recognition for outstanding performance in the areas of leadership and good governance. Candidates are assessed on the parameters of integrity, credibility, discipline, selflessness, visionary leadership, accountability, tenacity of purpose, among other qualities. The selection committee is chaired by the venerable Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

Awo Prize

Adesina is the fourth recipient of the prestigious honour, the first three honourees being Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka (2012), former President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa (2014), and lawyer-educationist Chief Afe Babalola (2018). Adesina will be formally presented the 2024 Leadership Prize at a ceremony in Lagos on March 6, Awo’s 115th birthday, in the presence of Heads of state and government, top diplomats, captains of industry, development partners and leaders in academia and the various professions. General Gowon will chair the occasion.

How marvellous to contemplate the intricate web of life: Soyinka, an admirer of Awolowo and world acclaimed intellectual and humanist who was our teacher at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU) when Adesina was a student; factor into the mix the freedom fighter Thabo Mbeki from whom student leaders used to collect revolutionary anti-apartheid posters at the ANC offices in Obalende, Lagos, in the 70s — and who went on to become the President of South Africa after the legendary Nelson Mandela; and then add Afe Babalola, brilliant lawyer and counsel to Irikefe Tribunal in the heady days of the 2.8 billion oil money saga when this writer faced the tribunal as a witness from Great Ife — and has since made a bigger name as an educationist and community leader… and it  would be clear that excellence defines the path of the past recipients. Adesina is in good company.

Awo would have been proud that such a forward-looking beneficiary of his free education policy in the old Western Region is now a continental champion and global player in matters of good governance and economic development.

Endorsements

Like honey to nectar, Adesina has been attracting endorsements galore. Former Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who was one of several world leaders who nominated Adesina, said: “He epitomises and combines qualities of extraordinary leadership that are often rare to find: great visionary, incredible courage, the ability to take on huge and difficult challenges, extraordinary dedication and commitment to deliver programmes and policies that transform the lives of millions of people”.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also praised Adesina’s leadership: “His contributions to the African continent and global leadership have been exceptional. Under his leadership the African Development Bank has delivered bold interventions to address some of the greatest challenges of our time,”.

A double-barrelled tribute was jointly issued by Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Global Center on Adaptation CEO, Prof. Dr Patrick Verkooijen: “We can think of no person more highly qualified or deserving of this prestigious award. Dr Adesina is forged in the same mould as Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a shining example of leadership.”

Having followed the trajectory of this worthy son of Africa from the 70s till now, I am proud to raise an elbow to Dr. Akinwumi Adedeji Adesina, Africa’s Mr. Optimist and recipient of the Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership 2024.

African youths don’t have to look too far for a role model

Traders in the North East geopolitical zone of the country have said that the increasing amount of mutilated banknotes in circulation is hindering small business transactions in the zone.

Petty traders and their customers often apportion blames, with the situation straining business relationships.

Our correspondents, who visited the capitals of Borno, Yobe, Bauchi and Taraba states, report that mutilated banknotes are a common sight in the streets and business environments, particularly among those selling water, kola nuts, vegetables and other edibles.

The overused notes, especially N10, N20, N50, N100 and N200, are weak to such an extent that they tear during transactions.

Some of the petty traders, who spoke to our correspondent, expressed grievances over the situation.

One of them, Maina Adam Konto, who sells vegetables at Monday Market in Maiduguri, said the frustration of dealing with damaged naira notes was more challenging than the business itself.

“The number of damaged notes in circulation is too much; sometimes, you will find yourself quarreling with customers over such notes.

“They will argue that it is a legal tender, that they didn’t print it; so, you must not reject it. And the same customers will refuse another damaged note, telling you that they are not in a good condition.

“Most times, the colour of the polymer has faded such that you cannot differentiate between N20 and N50,” he said.

Konto lamented that the damaged notes always took away a reasonable part of his profits, making it difficult to feed his family.

Aliyu Musa, another trader in Maiduguri, said it was after the introduction of new banknotes that the petty traders, who mostly transact in lower notes, started experiencing the problem.

“When the new notes were introduced, N500 and N1,000 became scarce and more pressure was put on lower denominations like N10, N20, N50 and N100 due to availability.

“And now, we have scarcity of the lower denominations, and the majority of the available ones are mostly damaged,” he said.

Musa appealed to the federal government to print enough notes of good quality that could withstand the weather for smooth business transactions in the country.

Mutilated notes eat up our profits – Traders

Muhammadu Lawan, a kola nut seller in Jalingo, Taraba State, also complained about how mutilated currency notes affect his daily transactions.

He said prices of kola nuts and cigarettes had gone very high, but the value of the naira kept dropping, adding that damaged naira notes exacerbated the situation.

“The naira notes are so weak that you will not know what to do with the money you collected. This is giving every trader you see here worries.

“Some of the wholesalers we buy goods from are rejecting the money. Our capital is very little. Many people gave up business because it ate up their capital,” he said.

Muhammad Goni, a Keke NAPEP rider in Maiduguri, said, “Before now, we relied on filling stations to spend such money, but fuel attendants are now rejecting them. So, it is better not to pick a passenger and collect such notes.”

He said printing new lower denominations like N10, N20, N50 and N100 would solve the transaction problems and save traders from avoidable losses.

Badaru Malum, a fruit seller in Damaturu, Yobe State, said his capital was not more than N20,000; but on the average, he recorded at least N3,000 of damaged currency notes every day.

He said he always returned home with at least N2,000 of rejected naira notes by fruit dealers whenever he went to supply them.

“Once you go to them, the dealers would separate the damaged notes and return them to you. Some would just pity me and collect part of the damaged notes. But at the end of the day, it is me that bear the loss.

“Remember, our profit is not more than N3,000 a day. So, when you consider the amount I forgo, I will be left with almost nothing to take home,” he said.

A roadside sweet potato trader in Azare, Bauchi State, Haruna Baba Usman, wondered why the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) could not mop up mutilated currency notes in circulation. 

 “It is like nobody cares about us anymore. For a very long time, these mutilated notes have been in circulation and the government knows about it. Why can’t they print new ones?

“Besides, the money goes in and out of banks daily, but they don’t want to mop them out of circulation and it is small businesses that suffer,” he said. 

Customers ask CBN to mop up dirty notes

Customers, who spoke to our reporter, called on the CBN to mop up mutilated currency notes from circulation.

They also alleged that traders were in the habit of mishandling currency notes.

One of them, Inusa Hassan, said “no matter how minted a naira note looks”, the traders would squeeze it.

“That is the first stage of disfiguring the bank notes. And some notes are easily forgotten in the pockets and washed, and they end up getting ruined,” he said.

“Believe me, some of the N100 notes in circulation are patched with pieces of brown papers. I wonder why the government should allow this kind of thing to happen. It is an embarrassment to Nigeria as a country,” he said. 

Poor storage affects money quality – Banker

An official of one of the first generation banks, who pleaded not to be named, blamed poor storage and handling of the bank notes for mutilation.

He said the bank on Friday received about N15 million of lower denominations from a customer.

“We could not reject the money, but it is very dirty and delicate to count. We only rejected those with missing parts or without serial numbers. Most of our staff don’t want to count such money because of infection,” he said.

He revealed that for a long time, the CBN had not released certain denominations to his bank.

“For a very long time, we have not been receiving N100 notes from the CBN. We receive N1,000, N500 and N200. The CBN gives us minted N50, N20 and N10, but these are not sufficient,” he said.

On the weak quality of the naira notes, he said: “I always argue that the quality is relatively okay, but our money is being handled carelessly without penalty.

“Since October 2022 when the new banknotes were introduced and the subsequent cash crunch in the country, many people stockpiled cash in nylons underground. This poor storage has affected the colour and quality of the notes,” he said.

CBN’s directives on mutilated notes

It would be recalled that in an effort to improve the quality of the naira notes, in August 2019, the CBN had directed Nigerians to deposit mutilated notes in any bank branch closer to them.

The directive was contained in an email message sent by the Guaranty Trust Bank to its customers and was reported by the media.

“As part of efforts to improve the overall quality of the naira in circulation, the CBN introduced the Clean Note Policy and Banknotes Fitness Guidelines.

“If you have overused or mutilated naira notes in your possession, you are required by the CBN Clean Note Policy to deposit them at any bank branch near you, on or before Monday, September 2, 2019.

“Please, note that overused notes include any naira note that is now weak, to such an extent that it could easily tear at further handling.

“Mutilated notes include any currency that has been partially or permanently damaged, but which clearly still has more than half of its original size together,” the message had read.

Worried by the increasing amount of mutilated banknotes deposited with the CBN, the apex bank, in a circular titled ‘Treatment of Composed Banknotes’, issued to all deposit money banks on March 31, 2022, had directed them to stop including composed currency notes in their deposits or risk paying a penalty of 400 percent of the value of the banknotes.

Composed banknotes are mutilated currency notes comprising several parts of different banknotes of the same denomination.

“The management of the CBN observed with concern the increasing number of composed banknotes deposited by DMBs and request for replacement of such banknotes by members of the public.

“The existence of composed banknotes in the economy falsifies the true value of the currency in circulation, and can also be an avenue for fraudulent activities.

“Consequently, any composed banknote discovered in the deposit of DMBs shall attract a penalty of 400 per cent of the value,” the circular partly read.

Efforts by Daily Trust on Sunday to know the CBN’s next line of action were to no avail as its Ag. Director of Corporate Communications, Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali, neither answered phone calls nor replied messages sent to her yesterday.

[DailyTrust]

• Alake: FG has identified locations with Lithium in commercial quantity

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s two-day official visit to the State of Qatar will assume full gear today with the signing of seven agreements between Nigeria and the Middle East country.

The visit had begun yesterday with a visit the Nigerian president paid to the Museum in Doha, the capital city where the CEO of Qatar Museums Mohammed Saad Al Rumaihi and the Director of National Museum of Qatar, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al Thani conducted the Nigerian leader around the facilities.

The Museum which was recently redesigned ahead of the 2022 FIFA world Cup, offers visitors access to a variety of materials used in Islamic art, including carpets and textiles, manuscripts, ceramics, wood, ivory, metalwork, stone and glass.

The President is expected to see pieces of materials dating back to the earliest Islamic period from the 20th century, spanning Spain and North Africa to the Far East.

The host is also expected to conduct his visitor to view the early Hijazi Quran fragments, the sitara of the Holy Kaaba, the Moroccan arch, a copy of al-Sufi’s treatise on the fixed stars, the Abbasid blue-and-white bowl, the Seljuq stucco panel, the Doha Hind and the post-Islamic Spanish ceiling.

The visit to the Museum is expected to herald other events that will culminate in the signing of agreements in seven areas between the Nigeria and Qatari governments today.

From the Museum, the President will visit the Qatar Foundation, which is responsible for promoting Qatar government humanitarian activities in other countries, including Nigeria.

The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, is a state-led non-profit organisation in Qatar.

The institution, which was founded in 1995 by the then Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and his second wife Moza bint Nasser Al-Missne, has been linked to development of schools, houses and health facilities in several countries, including Nigeria.

The Foundation helped Nigeria with infrastructures including schools, residential houses and health facilities in states ravaged by insecurity.

Earlier on Friday night, President Tinubu had met with key ministers and top officials of the Qatari government.

At the meeting were some key Nigerian government officials on the President’s entourage, including the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun; the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; the Minister of Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite; the Minister of Youth Development, Jamila Ibrahim and the Minister of Health and Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare, Ali Pate.

FG has identified locations with Lithium in commercial quantity —Alake

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, said the Federal Government (FG) has identified locations where Lithium occurs in commercial quantities in the country.

He said comprehensive data on the pattern and quantity of energy mineral Lithium are available at the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency for businesses interested in  establishing lithium companies in Nigeria.

Special Adviser to the Minister, Kehinde Bamigbetan, made this known in a statement.

He said Alake made this disclosure in Doha, Qatar on Saturday at a meeting with Qatari businessmen on the sidelines of the visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Arab country.

He stated: “Comprehensive data on the pattern and quantity of energy mineral Lithium are available at the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency for businesses interested in  establishing lithium companies in Nigeria.

“Responding to enquiries on the quality of Nigerian lithium by Qatari business mogul Sheikh Shahid Jawad, at the meeting held at the prestigious Sheraton Doha, Alake said mineral exploration initiated by the Federal Government has identified locations where lithium is available in commercial quantities and in high grades.

“To buttress the disclosure, Alake recalled that on a visit to Australia, he was presented with samples of rock composites from Nigeria with high grade lithium content confirmed by laboratory analysis.

“He said it showed that the quality of Nigerian lithium has been recognised by the global mining sector.

“Encouraging Qatari businessmen to visit the country and witness the immense opportunities in mining, Alake said the Nigerian government has put in place generous, investor- friendly policies to facilitate business.

“Also speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of Solid Minerals Development Fund, Mrs Fatimah Shinkafi, urged investors to explore opportunities in mining infrastructures.

“Giving the example of Vale, a mining company in Brazil that invested in trains to ease the transportation of minerals from the mines to the processing towns, Shinkafi said while the government will continue to provide transportation facilities to the mines, mining companies that recognise the significance of transportation to their future cost control will invest wisely by supplementing government’s efforts.

“Also giving the minister the update of its activities in the mining sector, the vice- chairman of the Qatar- Nigerian Chamber of Business, Muhammed Santuraki, said the chamber was formed in 2017 to build business relations between both countries.

“Recalling a recent visit to a gold mine in Nasarawa State, Santuraki observed the existence of good roads for the haulage of minerals to the ports.

“Other businessmen at the top- level meeting were Sheikh El Jouneid, Chief Executive Officer, ETCC Qatar and Aminu Dahiru, Chairman, Asdub Oil & Gas.”

[TheNation]

When the story of Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, through history will be told, it will never be complete without the mention of a certain Jose Paseiro.

Without doubt, he will be listed amongst the national coaches that took the Super Eagles to the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, but did not clinch it, yet he was rewarded more than any other coach in the history of Nigerian football.

Jose Paseiro is a 64-years old Portuguese coach recommended by the renowned Portuguese coach, Jose Mourinho, to the former president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, on the eve of completing his tenure. His link to Mourinho was his biggest credential. He did not have any known pedigree in football to deserve to be engaged by one of the biggest teams in Africa, one with the enviable reputation of the Super Eagles. Paseiro got the job offered to him on a platter of wood. It was so cheap, he started work on a verbal contract. It was so ‘cheap’ that when his monthly wage was slashed half-way into his 2-year contract, he accepted and held on to the job that many consider a holiday since he was working from his base in Europe most of the time.

Paseiro did not disappoint those who questioned his credentials and why he was hired. For the period of almost two years that he spent as coach of the national team he hardly won any international matches, could not produce a good consistent team, did not impact domestic football in any way, stuck stubbornly to a goalkeeper that the entire country saw as not the best, and did not produce a single, exceptionally-gifted player. He took Nigerians through a frustrating period that left them without a shred of hope going to AFCON 2023 at the start of the year. That was his report card before the championship in Cote D’Ivoire.

Against the grain of all expectations the Super Eagles did well, even though they would not be remembered for any spectacular performances, or special moments during the championship. Their passage through the group matches, the round of 16 and up to the quarter-finals were ‘tales of the unexpected’. With a little bit of luck the team scraped through the matches with relative ease. By the time they arrived at the semi-final match, the players had become confident, were playing with much more ease and had succeeded in making Nigerians to have hope despite all the obvious technical flaws in the team and Paseiro’s bewildering technical manipulations during matches. Tactically, most of his substitutions of players made the team weaker not stronger. No one could decipher his tactical intentions. Obviously, he may not have had any.

The team had two Captains. One did not even kick a single ball throughout, and the other one became the leader that the team had lacked for some time, and played himself into reckoning as the Most Valuable Player of the championship!

In the midfield, the Super Eagles did not have a single truly outstanding player. The team’s talisman, Africa’s newly minted Best Player, failed to ignite any fire, scoring only a single goal in 6 matches. Fans waited throughout the championship for a ‘souvenir’ from him, a memento to take away, a moment of a great solo performance. It never came in all the 6 matches!

At the final match, the team was dismantled by Paseiro’s lack of tactical depth as well as the players’ capitulation to the pressure of the electricity in the air, an atmosphere that would weaken any faint hearts as it did the Super Eagles.

The tactics adopted unchangingly by the Nigerian team was simple, elementary but effective until the final match. He did not have a second strategy. It was the same tactics that we learnt 45 years ago, in 1979, during the 3 months training of the Green Eagles in Brazil.

A defensive funnel strategy that requires every player to fall back in the shape of a funnel into their own half of the field as soon as the team loses possession of the ball. They will then mark the spaces and not the men, always outnumbering the opposing players in Nigeria’s goal area, making it difficult for them to create goal-scoring chances – typical Jose Mourinho tactics. That’s why the Nigerian defense was difficult to break down most of the time.

Jose Paseiro seemed contented with achieving his personal goal of a semi-final place in AFCON. In 2024, such a level of ambition is pedestrian, totally unacceptable because it is not justified by the humongous wage he earns at a time when the country as a whole is going through excruciatingly difficult times and the country is poor.

Although, Paseiro is not connected to the sad tragedy that struck the country when at least 6 Nigerians died from the pressure generated during the semi-final match, the result of poor tactical changes during the match, pressures that would have been avoided if he knew what he was doing tactically.

The country has been very generous and grateful to him for the service he rendered specifically during AFCON 2023 which took us to the final match. He has been rewarded beyond whatever contributions he made to the country’s football. No other nation on earth would have given him a house, a land in Abuja, all the bonuses he collected, and a National Honour, for coming second in a championship. It must be the most generous gift in the history of football in the world. He should go, leave Nigerian football alone and enjoy the largesse.

The Nigeria that Nigerians envision after the present ‘crucible of fire’ that the country is passing through, is a country with the ultimate dream to emerge refined and ready to take its rightful place amongst the greatest countries on earth in many fields, including football.

The goals are lofty and, definitely, beyond what a foreigner or White man without solid grounding in football can achieve for Nigeria. Jose Paseiro does not have what it takes to take the Super Eagles to the next level.

The conversation now should be who should be given the responsibility to replace him amongst the NigerianCoaches that are more qualified than Jose Paseiro to handle the national team. There are a few waiting in the wings that deserve to be given the opportunity.

Gratitude

I wish to thank the following that made my AFCON 2023 Roadshow possible –

Vanguard Newspaper, Peculiar Ultimate Concerns Ltd, Goldberg Lager Beer, Airpeace Airlines, His Excellency, Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel; His Excellency, Chief Bode George; Engineer Oluwatoyin Jokosenumi; Engineer Tony Ojesina; Lola Visser-Mabogunje and Remi Okuboyejo (both of them in Abidjan).

•How the fate of MDAs created after 2012 will be decided – Arabi, DG, Bureau of Public Sector Reforms
•Addresses claim report is outdated

•‘Reforms not only about mergers but also about restructuring’

Dr Dasuki Ibrahim Arabi is the Director General of the Bureau of Public Sector Reforms, the body overseeing reforms at the federal level including the implementation of the Oronsaye Report.

President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced last week that the 12-year-old Oronsaye Report, which recommends the merging of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government (MDAs) to reduce the cost of government while restructuring the public service for efficiency, will now be fully implemented after more than a decade delay.

Arabi, in this interview, speaks on the genesis of the Oronsaye Report, the journey so far and how the committee to be inaugurated on the implementation will carry out the assignment. He says the Oronsaye Report and review committees’ reports approve the pruning of the number of ministers which currently stands at 48. Arabi also speaks on the fate of MDAs created after the Oronsaye Report had been submitted in 2012. Excerpts:

Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari’s governments did not implement the Oronsaye Report despite having substantial time to do so but President Tinubu’s government wants to implement it. How is this going to happen?

Let me take you back to history. In the first place, why was Oronsaye Committee constituted? It was constituted in response to the global call for change and the need for nations to respond to socio-economic problems all over the world. It was set up to re-jig the public service, to put Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, in their proper positions, so that we will have more efficient Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government.

I want to clear this notion of people who think that Oronsaye Committee was out just to reduce the size of government and get people out of their jobs. In the case of implementation, we are glad that Mr President has taken this bold decision to implement this report after many years but, as you said, it is not that nothing has been done about it.

Truly, there were delays in implementation. The three committees that were constituted by former President Buhari were basically aimed at looking at agencies that were created after Oronsaye’s report. With that work that was done, we have an updated version of the Oronsaye report which President Tinubu has approved for implementation. A committee has been constituted as highlighted by an Adviser to the President. I am confident that the report will be implemented.

However, the implementation, as we have said in the various committees, is not going in the way it was done in 2005, 2006 and 2007, when civil servants were downsized. Government has done quite a lot. One of the things to be done is to have an effective communication strategy to communicate with citizens, labour, the general public and other stakeholders, including our development partners.

Another key player that is being considered in this process is the legislative arm of government because some of the agencies that will be affected have laws backing them. That is why I have, over the years, led several delegations to the legislative arm of government to build this bridge between legislators and the executive, specifically to address this. I want to inform Nigerians that the legislative arm is working with us, closely. They have even created a committee in the House of Representatives saddled with oversight of reforms and institutional changes within the public service. So I am confident that it is going to be implemented.

Is government going to take a second look at the proposed merging of three agencies: the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority, NAMA, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET, in the Ministry of Aviation?

You know we have four reports now: The main Oronsaye Report, Gonji Bukar Aji Report, Ama Pepple Report and Ebere Okeke Report. The announcement made by Mr President’s Adviser has not given us full details of what is going to happen around the recommendations made, but I am sure that whatever is stated on the report that has been considered by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, is going to be implemented. Let me guide us to know that the decisions were not taken overnight, but were taken after due consultations. In any case, I don’t want to speak for the committee that is going to be inaugurated but I want Nigerians to be confident that the committee is going to look at things objectively and implement decisions in the best interest of our country, Nigeria.

What is your take on the non-inclusion of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission, ICPC, the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, etc, among the agencies to be merged? Also, how much do you think government will be saving from the exercise?

At this point, we cannot assess how much will be saved because the committee has not been inaugurated and we don’t have the approval of the Federal Executive Council, FEC. Maybe we will have the details after the inauguration. The comments people are making on which agency would save money is up to them. The committee has worked diligently and has looked into the various issues concerning reducing cost of governance. An agency may look small but when you look at its budget, you will know that it is mighty; small in size but mighty in budgetary allocation and spending. The assurance we are giving civil society is that we will collaborate and work with them. Recall what the Adviser said; that, as first step, they are implementing this.

Oronsaye has gone beyond scrapping and merging agencies of government, it has called for restructuring of agencies and ministries, management and staff audit of federal civil service. Something positive is going to come out of it.

My message to Nigerians is to be patient and allow the committee to be inaugurated because, like I said, something positive will come from this wonderful work. In all of these, we are also urging Nigerians to consider the country first, before themselves.

The report is 12 years old and, as such, people think it is outdated. What is your take? And people think the announcement of the implementation of the report was designed to distract from the NLC protests scheduled to hold the following day…

Government has taken note of that concern and that was why the other three committees were set up. They were set up basically to look into the agencies created after the Oronsaye Report was submitted. Secondly, it was to update the decisions taken. I want to inform Nigerians that some aspects of the report have been implemented. For instance, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit that was under EFCC became an office of its own about three years ago.

The privatisation of the River Basin Development Authority was part of the recommendations of the Oronsaye Report, some aspects have been implemented, including the removal of regulatory agencies from the national budget which the Ministry of Finance has driven since last year.

The three committees updated the Oronsaye Report and that is what is going to be implemented. It is not obsolete. It is up-to-date. We have learnt a lot and this is not out of a book but out of experience. We had problems in 2005 – 2007 because major stakeholders, including the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, were not carried along. On the issue of distraction, I am not a politician. I don’t know if it was a strategy but the Adviser did not say it was going to be implemented on the 27th or 28th. She only spoke of the committee being constituted. So, I think they are two different things.

What attitudinal change do we expect after the exercise?

Recall that we have the National Strategy on Public Service Reforms and Pillar Four of that strategy is looking at cultural re-orientation of the attitude of public servants and the … strategy that is driven by the Office of Head of Service of the Federation is also looking at the issue of attitudinal change by workers. Let’s be happy that government has picked us to serve in this capacity.

That alone is enough to make us patriotic and ready to deliver beyond expectation. In terms of efficiency, we have been driving reforms and changes within the public service aimed at improving efficiency within government agencies.

Some of us outside the service may feel that we have not gone to where we should be, but I am confident in telling you that civil service has improved over the years. Recall that Nigeria has an approved e-master plan which is looking at digitalizing the public service.

Also, we have approved blockchain technology in public service delivery. Digitalization of the word process is going to improve the efficiency of Ministries, Agencies and Departments of government.

Part of the reforms is aimed at opening the system so that civil societies like the Socio-Economic and Accountability Project, SERAP, will be able to work with us and demand excellence in service delivery. The Bureau of Public Service Reforms is working with several civil society groups that are helping us bring out excellent policy briefs that the government is looking at. The Renewed Hope Agenda is aimed at reforms and change. You can see that our President is always talking about reforms wherever he goes.

How is the government dealing with the issue of job loss which appears to be unavoidable if the report is implemented?

When the report was submitted, the government was asked to ensure minimal job loss. Also, the three committees had the same message. The Minister of Information also passed the same message; that there will be minimal job loss and that civil servants should not be afraid. Labour is going to be part of the entire exercise and we shall be briefing Nigerians from time to time.

If agencies are to be scrapped, can you tell us how many jobs will be lost?

Oronsaye recommended that you scrap the agencies and move the staff to where their services will be required. How will these measures cut cost? We are also looking at reducing expenditures at the National Assembly as a way of cutting cost…

If, for instance, an agency that runs a budget of N1b with a running cost of N800m is subsumed by another agency, that capital expenditure of N1b and N800m will be saved. What will remain is personnel cost for the subsuming agency. Recall what happened when we scrapped NAPEP and moved their staff to other agencies.

Whatever decision that is taken will benefit us as Nigerians and as a nation. The Gonji Bukar Aji Committee recommended that political appointees should be guided by the circular of government that determines the number of appointments to be made. The legislative arm of government is working closely with us especially the new Committee on Constitutional Reforms. There will also be a national call for all of us to make sacrifices any way we can.

Is the Committee also going to recommend a reduction in the number of ministers which is now 48?

The call we are making is for Nigerians to look at Nigeria first, work and support the committee and government on this laudable initiative.

At the end of the day, we believe that the common man in the street is going to benefit from this initiative.

Vanguard News Nigeria

It is in order to say President Bola Tinubu is actually showing some balls with many decisions he has taken since he assumed power, although the jury is still out on the reforms. Last Monday, he “ordered” (we Nigerian journalists are madly in love with that word, aren’t we?) the implementation of the Oronsaye Report. We must quickly remind ourselves that it is a seasonal practice. President Goodluck Jonathan, who set up the seven-member panel in 2012 to “restructure and rationalise” governmental bodies, “ordered” the implementation in 2014. President Muhammadu Buhari also “ordered” the implementation in 2020. Let us now hope or pray that this will be the final “order”.

We have this obsession with proliferating governmental bodies in Nigeria. For example, we used to have the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) regulating the entire petroleum industry. Someone had a brain wave that we can further atomise it, so we now have the Nigeria Upstream Regulatory Commission (NURC) and the Nigeria Downstream and Midstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). Someone will soon develop the idea of creating the Nigeria Downstream Regulatory Commission (Diesel), the Nigeria Downstream Regulatory Commission (Petrol) and the Nigeria Downstream Regulatory Commission (Kerosene and Others). Please, don’t quote me.

How did we get here? Let me guess. Setting up agencies is our own way of “job creation”. Normally, it is private businesses that should be proliferating and creating jobs in a market-driven economy, but since this has become a very difficult thing for us (maybe because the economic policies, operating environment and infrastructure are very hostile to innovation and growth), we have found the short cut by creating agencies upon agencies. The newly established National Commission for the Coordination and Control of Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NATCOM) announced last year that it was going to employ and train about 300,000 Nigerians. Yes, 300,000 Nigerians.

Let me guess again. For a tiny group of people, the sweetest jobs in Nigeria are the ones with the coat of arms on the business cards, so proposals for the creation of new government agencies and institutions are never scarce. The moving spirits, or the political enablers, are probably thinking of replicating a bank or a fintech firm with an MD, EDs and GMs. Some agencies have been created since because someone had an idea of the lucre on offer. It does not matter if the agency will be duplicating the functions of another or if it will be useless altogether. Even before some agencies are legally created, the executives are already waiting in the wings. This is stranger than fiction.

How did we get here? As I was saying, when the oil boom happened to us in the 1970s, we lost our senses. As a result of the Arab-Israeli war of October 1973, crude oil prices had risen fourfold within five months. From an average price of $3 per barrel in 1973, it was going for $12 by December 1974. Nigeria became overwhelmed with the flood of petrodollars and the accompanying pathologies. In 1970, our earnings from oil exports was a modest $200 million. Between 1973 and 1978, we earned an overwhelming $32 billion, averaging over $5 billion per year. Imagine your salary is N150,000 and you hit a windfall that now pays you N4 million monthly. You will surely be agog and go gaga.

With so much money, we began to expand the size of government without paying the necessary attention to need, efficiency and service delivery. In 1972, the Udoji Public Service Review Commission was set up by the military government to examine the organisation, structure and management of public service. In 1974, the commission made far-reaching reform proposals, but government was more excited about the recommended 100 percent increase in salaries and benefits across board — to be backdated to 1972 and paid in arrears. That would be politically more popular and beneficial. We had the oil money, so why not spend it cheerfully? Why worry about tomorrow?

Everybody was happy with the Udoji Award, save for the economists who warned of a looming inflation. We had plenty petrodollars, so the exchange rate was about 60 kobo/$ (aka “The good old days”). It was cheaper to import biscuit than make it in Nigeria. Mr Joseph Atobisi, an activist, wrote two years ago, “Civil servants developed appetite for imported commodities like sugar, canned milk, stockfish, dumping available local alternatives. More workers bought cars and expensive furniture. Nigeria soon became an import dependent nation. Manufacturing started collapsing. Unemployment spiralled. From 5.40% in 1973, inflation rose to 12.67% in 1974 and 33.96% in 1975.” It is what it is.

One of the pathologies of sudden oil wealth — or should I say natural resource windfall — is the bloating of government expenditure, notably through wage bills, overheads and white elephant projects, under the philosophy of “nina lowo” (“money is meant to be spent”). We thought our problem was not money but how to spend it. This was at a time most rural roads were untarred and most villages unelectrified. Norway, which also enjoyed the oil boom, chose to insulate most of the windfall from its economy by setting up a special fund and continuing to be a fiscal state. Although we built infrastructure from the windfall, we also created a culture of bloating government budgets.

Another pathology of the several oil booms since 1973 (starting with the Udoji Award) is the humongous expansion of public service. Government jobs could be instantly created and workers easily employed — based more on political considerations than a desire to enhance administrative capacity and efficiency. Every oil windfall came with federal, state and local governments bloating expenditures, multiplying the agencies and thinking oil money would flow forever. We can argue that with a growing population and the liberalisation of the economy from the 1980s, we needed to expand public administrative capacity — but that was probably the smallest rationale on our minds.

We created an agency to make sure that fuel prices are the same all over the country and called it Petroleum Equalisation Fund. People reported for work every day. At no time were fuel prices the same but marketers still got the bridging payments in billions. We created an agency whose job is to enforce federal character in federal employments and named it Federal Character Commission (FCC), even when it is clear that federal character is always missing. People report to that office daily and they even have a DG. I can count at least 200 useless agencies. We have never had the intention of stopping the creation of more agencies or bloating public expenditure. It is always good for politics.

The National Assembly, in particular, appears to be trigger-happy when it comes to unleashing new agencies on us, although the blame equally goes to the executive and states. As reported by PUNCH published in 2022, the 9th Senate passed bills establishing 376 institutions and agencies. How they would be funded is none of their business. We created the Nigerian Independent Warehouse Regulatory Agency, National Poverty Eradication Commission, Erosion Control and Prevention Commission, etc etc. The bill to set up the Electoral Offences Commission (a job purely within the ambit of the police) is in the pipeline. A group recently proposed a Cement Price Control Agency!

In the last three decades, we have decimated the Nigerian Police Force by creating several agencies to duplicate or take over their functions. The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (which we call “VIO”), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are all performing the functions of the police. Barely two days after Tinubu “ordered” implementation of Oronsaye Report, the house of reps passed a bill setting up the Peace Corps to also do part of the job of the police. We play too much in this country.

Even before deciding to implement the Oronsaye Report, Tinubu had ruffled features by putting directors and permanent secretaries on a maximum tenure of eight years so that civil servants will stop gaming the system and holding on to those positions forever. The policy was introduced by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua but Buhari reversed it. Let us now see how far Tinubu can go with the Oronsaye Report. There is a reason it had been gathering dust for 10 years without the political will to implement it. Vested interests will lobby to get some agencies exempted. They know what to do. We talk about how to make Nigeria work but work against it when our interests are at stake.

Finally, let me caution us that the Oronsaye Report is not a silver bullet, but it is a good development that Tinubu has set the ball rolling. He has a tough job ahead and he should know that. More so, the Oronsaye Report is dated, so there will be more knotty issues to deal with. For instance, what happens to the agencies that were created after the White Paper was issued? What happens to those commissions and agencies that are not under spotlight but are richer than some states? Shouldn’t we look at them too? Most importantly, Tinubu has to focus on an overall reform of the public service for optimal service delivery. Nigerians deserve better output from the bureaucracy.

And Four

Other Things…

FORWARD MOVEMENT

We have been told several times that we needed to ditch the “military constitution” because it is against “true federalism” but I am very happy that many states are moving forward with the same constitution. Aviation and railways are on the exclusive list, but states are building airports and running airlines. Lagos state has just inaugurated its second train service, the Red Line, covering Ebute Metta to Agbado with stations at Oyingbo, Yaba, Mushin, Oshodi, Ikeja, Agege and Iju. The first phase is projected to transport 750,000 passengers daily, reaching  1.1 million once it is fully operational. The Blue Line from Okokomaiko to Lagos Marina was inaugurated last year. Progress.

MARKET MESS

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has taken a series of policy measures in the last few days to stop the naira from bleeding, to create a sense of stability. We desperately needed some calm. The naira was already heading for N2,000/$ and someone joked that it might enter 2025 before all of us. The MPC decision on interest rate has been praised by many market analysts who are hopeful that the economy will respond positively. The instability in recent times has been very devastating, although I find it comforting that there has been a swift and decisive response and Mr Yemi Cardoso, the CBN governor, has done a good job of trying to calm our fears. We are watching with bated breath. Relief.

RICE AND DEATH

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has gone into the business of repackaging and selling contraband rice to help implement Tinubu’s “renewed hope” agenda. Well done. But, predictably, there was zero risk assessment and zero crowd control, so seven people lost their lives in the stampede at the zonal headquarters in Yaba, Lagos, where the sale took place. In response to the tragedy, customs suspended the exercise, belatedly saying it was “part of the service’s resolve to ensure the safety of Nigerians and to enable it to properly articulate its next line of action, in order not to defeat the vision of the initiative”. Why was I expecting to hear customs had fired someone? Negligence.

NO COMMENT

The Nigerian government has introduced the expatriates employment levy (EEL), fixed at $15,000 per employee. According to the geniuses behind the policy, the levy is intended to “discourage” companies from hiring expatriates for jobs Nigerians “can do”. The EEL is expected to generate $13 billion per year. Imagine if the UK, US and Canada reciprocate by charging $15,000 on each Nigerian immigrant working in their countries. Meanwhile, will expats doing the jobs Nigerians cannot do also pay the levy? If you really want to “discourage” expats, why not deny them work visas? And how will you raise your $13 billion after discouraging expats from coming to Nigeria? And you know what? The company that got the contract is owned by expats doing the job Nigerians can do! Wonderful.