The All Progressives Congress (APC) has added a new twist to the controversial primaries for the Edo State Governorship election scheduled for September 21 saying it is yet to be concluded.

The party therefore fixed Thursday, February 22, 2024 for the completion of the process.

The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, stated these while reading the decision of its National Working Committee (NWC) in a meeting held on Tuesday night.

He said, “At its emergency meeting held today, Tuesday, February 20, 2024, to consider the report on the Edo State Governorship Primary Election, the National Working Committee (NWC) deliberated on the report and resolved that the Edo State Governorship Primary Election has not been completed, and has now fixed Thursday February 22, 2024 for the completion of the Primary Election Process.”

The poll, which was conducted on February 17 had produced three winners.

The Chairman of Electoral Committee of the primary, Governor Hope Uzodimma, had announced Dennis Idahosa as winner, while returning officer, Stanley Ugboaja, declared Monday Okpebholo as winner.

Elsewhere, Ojo Babatunde, who claimed to be representing the returning officers in all the local governments declared Anamero Dekeri as the winner of the election.

Following the confusion that ensued, both Dekeri and Okpebholo had written the appeal committee of the party to demand their certificates of return.

Another aspirant, Prof Oserheimen Osunbor, insisted on Tuesday that no election held in the state contrary to results that were announced.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Morka disclosed that the election has not been completed, adding that the process will continue on Thursday.

He said, “I am here to give you the outcome of the emergency meeting of the National Working Committee of our party held today regarding Edo State governorship primary election.

“At its emergency meeting held today, Tuesday, February 20, 2024 to consider the report on the Edo governorship primary election, the National Working Committee of our party deliberated and resolved that the governorship primary election has not been completed and has now fixed Thursday, February 22 for the completion of the APC Edo State” primary election process.”

Meanwhile, the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, had earlier congratulated Idahosa on this emergence as the party’s candidate.

It was nor clear as of press time what led to the decision of the party’s NWC led by Ganduje.

President Bola Tinubu has directed immediate settlement of outstanding electricity bill due to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained that Tinubu’s directive followed the reconciliation of accounts between the State House Management and AEDC.

According to the statement, “Contrary to the AEDC’s initial claim of N923million debt in paid advertorial in newspapers, the State House outstanding bill is N342, 352, 217.46, according to a letter by the management of AEDC to the State House Permanent Secretary dated February 14, 2024.

“Having reconciled the position to the satisfaction of both parties, the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has given assurance that the debt will be paid to AEDC before the end of this week.

“Following the example of the Presidency, Chief of Staff also urged other MDAs to reconcile their accounts with AEDC and pay their electricity bills.”

President Bola Tinubu’s government is targeting $10 billion in revenue generation to increase foreign exchange liquidity and stabilize the naira, Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed on Tuesday.

Addressing the inaugural Public Wealth Management Conference in Abuja, Shettima outlined the administration’s plans to optimize management of federal assets and investments towards unlocking their revenue potential.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) with the theme, “Championing Nigeria’s Economic Prosperity”.

According to the president, his administration will generate millions of jobs by leveraging Nigeria’s extensive public assets to maximize and double the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

What the President is Saying

Reading the President’s Keynote address, VP Shettima stated:

“The Federal Government set a goal to raise at least $10 Billion in order to increase foreign exchange liquidity, a key ingredient to stabilise the Naira and grow the economy.
“At the core of this is ensuring optimal management of the assets and investments of the Federal Government towards unlocking their revenue potential. This includes our bold and achievable plan to double the GDP growth rate and significantly increase the GDP base over the next 8 years.”

However, Tinubu pointed out that years of mismanagement and underutilization have affected Nigeria’s assets, both within and beyond its borders, resulting in revenue losses that have impeded economic growth.

Meanwhile, he assured that the newly restructured Ministry of Finance Incorporated, which is to act as custodian and active manager of these assets, will now take the center stage.

The President further emphasised transparency and accountability as key principles, believing that improved corporate governance, innovative partnerships, and attracting alternative investment capital will significantly increase returns.

What you should know

President Tinubu’s government’s move to merge the forex windows in mid-2023 triggered a significant drop in the Naira’s value, with its exchange rate against the Dollar escalating from roughly N700/$1 to an unprecedented level of over N1,500/$1.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Yemi Cardoso, has partly attributed the significant foreign exchange challenges facing Nigeria to the absence of inflow of foreign exchange into the country due to lack of confidence from investors.

To address these challenges, the CBN revised the operations of International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs), restricting them to inbound transfers only and mandating that international transfers be paid out in Naira.

This policy impacts major IMTOs, including Western Union and MoneyGram, and is part of broader efforts to stabilize the foreign exchange market.

  In a presentation to the Senate two weeks ago, Cardoso revealed that around $1 billion has been invested in the FX market over the past couple of weeks, adding that CBN’s recent policies have contributed to this positive trajectory.

Arising from a stakeholder meeting on February 20, the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) confirmed that it has resumed operations after down tooling for two days.

Its national president, Alhaji Yusuf Lawal Othman, broke the news in Abuja after a meeting with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) Senator Heineken Lokpobiri; the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA); representatives of the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and others.

The NARTO boss also confirmed that the marketers have increased the freight rate of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from N32.

He said since the marketers were still calculating the actual figure, he could not state a particular amount of the new freight rate.

He noted that the association would direct its members to start lifting petrol immediately.

During a Senate session on Tuesday, President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio stated that many of the recent protests over Nigeria’s economic hardship have been sponsored campaigns.

“You can see a lot of sponsored protests here and there. Most of those sponsored protests are not aware of the kind of efforts being made by this Senate to tackle the situation,” Akpabio declared.

“There is no father that wants to see his child sleep in the night without food, with their stomach grumbling. So we must provide.”

The Senate President did not provide evidence to back up his claim that the protests have sponsors behind them.

The comments come amid widespread demonstrations and civil actions across Nigeria over surging costs of living, unemployment, and hunger.

Nigeria has a new crop of digital television stations, in their hundreds and possibly thousands, that are giving terrestrial, cable/pay, and free-to-air TV operators a run for their money. These unlicensed, unregulated, and mostly untrained TV stations comprise the numerous digital content pages that litter the country’s social media space. From regular everyday happenings to the seldom seen and unheard of, these digital stations offer an array of creative content, featuring comical and sidesplitting moments, junk journalism, societal trends, loyalty tests, blind dates, pranks, and all sorts of citizens’ reportage and social experiments that reflect the appetite of its audience, and exposes the underbelly of a weakening social fabric. This piece discusses the proliferation of digital content creators in Nigeria, from the perspective of seven distinct categories. It also highlights key creative clusters and interesting sectoral nuances based on observation.

In January 2021, Africa Polling Institute (API), an Abuja-based opinion research think-tank, released its first study on Nigeria’s digital content space, titled:  Skit Economy: An Assessment of Digital Content Creators in Nigeria. I served as principal investigator on the study, which sought to examine the ubiquity of digital content creators, especially amongst the protuberant youth demography. The study adopted a mixed methods approach, gathering quantitative and qualitative data to explore the potential of skit-making to create jobs, generate wealth, and stimulate the economy; while examining the challenges faced by creatives. Firstly, we highlighted the huge appetite for digital content in Nigeria, as two-thirds of citizens affirmed that they watched comedy skits, as a way to relax and de-stress. Secondly, social media platforms like Facebook (58%), Instagram (34%), and YouTube (18%) are the channels through which people watch digital content. Thirdly, content creators have evolved from producing content for merely fun and comedy, to disseminating information, marketing commercial brands, and advocating social change. Fourthly, Broda Shaggi (35%), Mark Angel (26%), Mr. Macaroni (15%), Taaooma (12%), and Lasisi Elenu (11%) were ranked the top five skit-makers in Nigeria.

Following the release of the publication and the traction generated, API constituted a Digital Content Observatory that has continued to monitor trends within the new media space in Nigeria, and this piece draws extensively from our observations. We have observed, for example, that the sub-sector has become highly proliferated, growing exponentially over the last two years, with hordes of new entrants now making a living, and addressing themselves, as Content Creators. In addition, many digital content creators, especially on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, now focus on specific niches of creative content, as opposed to being jacks of all trades. Consequently, within these niches, consumers are exposed to the good, bad, and ugly; from the funny, informative, and inspiring, to the ridiculous, uncouth, offensive, and outrightly unbelievable. The Observatory has identified at least seven distinct categories of digital content pages on Facebook alone, discussed below, consistently dishing out creative content, keeping viewers hooked, and fiercely competing for screen time with other television outlets.

Comedy Skits – Traditional comedy skits from the likes of Broda Shaggi, Mr. Macaroni, Lasisi Elenu, Taaooma, Sydiwundi, Josh2Funny, Nasboi, TriClowns, Davidsyn Comedy, and AshMusy, constitute the first distinct category of digital content pages you’ll find on Facebook. These folks produce skits mainly for entertainment; and often for marketing and informational purposes, such as EgungunOfLagos, whose skit attempts to cost the outfits of his celebrity guests; OlaofLagos, who advertises luxury cars; and Gehgeh, who offers entrepreneurship and financial counseling in pidgin English. Interestingly, over the last couple of years, artists like Sabinus, Brain Jotter, Layi Wasabi, and GorosoEkiti have honed their arts to gain significant influence within the social space.

Movies – The second category comprises social media pages that regularly post content from Nigeria’s movie industry, Nollywood. Often, these Facebook pages upload short captivating clips from recent Nollywood movies, while directing the public to their YouTube pages to watch the full movie. They include Confirm Nollywood, Nollylove Movies, NollyMateTv, NollyVision, and Mirian Movies on Facebook. This is not forgetting the likes of RuthKadiriTv, OmoniOboliTv, DestinyEtikoTv, AdaKirikiriTv, and UchennaMbunaboTv among others consistently dishing out great Nollywood movies on YouTube. I will leave these for a future piece.

Pranks – The third category are tricks and mischievous acts targeted at the unsuspecting public. While some people may find them funny, others find them quite offensive, as they often constitute public nuisance. Imagine raising false alarms to scare people, disguising as a madman to irritate passersby, eating a stranger’s food without invitation, or fooling around with the ubiquitous cucumber-in-pant ruse termed Gbola prank. The main culprits in this category are Machigoldpranks, Untouchable Comedies, Flowerboy Comedy, Teaserprank, Bob2funny Comedies, DerexxTv, McNoni, Iamtrinityguy, TwinsOfAfrica, and CheffingKing, whose latest escapade has been the phony and raunchy character, Dr. Akajiukwu, who specializes in ladies' massage. Creatives in this category are merchants of [vawulence] as they call it, and their slogan is “I don’t want peace, I want problems always”.

Blind Dates and Loyalty Tests – These are pages that help singles find love and match-make those in search of relationships. The frontliners are Playmate Comedy, Blind Date TV, NonsMiraj, Splendor’s Diary, NaijaNicki, and Freshwin_Officiall. A subset of this category specializes in matching older ladies/sugar mummies with younger sugar boys, as seen on Sweet.Curlins, Qualityc Comedian, and Chidera Comedy. Interestingly, while some persons have been lucky to find their soul mates on these platforms, others have ended up in rather unpleasant gbas-gbos. Yet, there are persons already in relationships who seek to test the loyalty of their partners, thus reaching out to content creators like - The Honour, Officialjulezz, The Help House TV, and Keezynasion.

Conflict Resolution – Yet again, some digital content pages have become experts in conflict resolution, especially as it pertains to relationship issues, family disagreements, and dealing with life’s challenges. These content creators are filling a major gap in alternative dispute resolution, as you would often find cases that should ordinarily be reported to the police or taken to the courts being treated and settled amicably. The leading lights in this category are MC Reality, Deacon_Famous, Chiamaka Ugoo Tv, Maryjanetv, Ada Uli, Sonia Official, IpallyTalker, JattoTV, PavicTv, AnnyCourage, OG Baba1, Theo Ayoms, and Spartacuz Nation.

Confessions – If you think you’ve heard unbelievable stories, you may need to check out this category of digital content. They present shocking, unbelievable, and even dreadful happenings; similar to confessions one would find on Nkan Mbe, the now-rested 1990s Yoruba show that presented strange occurrences back in the day. On these Facebook pages, you’ll hear about confessions and exposés that would make your ears tingle, from persons in distress as a result of the repercussions of past deeds, who consider these content pages appropriate for public confession. The heavyweights are UncleNasco, Skitlord Comedy, Rosy TV, Nobodybunu, De RealOma, Alamnaco, and Comedian Gwagon.

Philanthropy – The seventh distinct category of digital content are pages that engage in charity and philanthropic activities. The impact of these content creators on the lives of their beneficiaries can be instantly seen and felt. Although most content creators often do “giveaways” as a way to reward loyal fans and drive followership, pages under this category exist purely for charitable causes. OsitaPopcorn is a leading philanthropist in this space. He has recently incorporated the OsitaPopcorn Foundation and acquired a bus to enhance his charity operations. Other pages under this category include: Oga Amos and A. A. Clown, who continue to put smiles to the faces of ordinary Nigerians through their extraordinary acts of kindness.

In conclusion, we’ve observed that most content creators have unique straplines that differentiate them from others. For instance, MC Reality would say, “What’s up everybody, my name is MC Reality, the sugar daddy of Lagos. Normally I don’t do this, and all of una know say this kind thing, I no dey do am”. Naija Nicki would say “What’s up my people, it's your girl Naija Nicki, you like what you see? If I give you, you no go like chop am? Ah yin ah, Anya”. Besides, content creators operate in clusters, where newbies have the opportunity to be mentored by more experienced creators. As expected, Lagos has the largest cluster of content creators, where the likes of Lasisi Elenu, MC Reality, and Untouchable Comedies operate. Portharcourt cluster has the likes of Sabinus, Romeo_wj, Wonderdtalk_ (Ndubaby), Mr_Lyfe, Freshalbino_1, and Twizzy; and Bayelsa cluster has Rosy TV, Alamnaco, Tumomo aka Nobodybunu, IpallyTalker’s Gabriel the Voice Note Guy, Steven Blinkz, and Edwin Neyo. Others include the Abuja, Enugu, Benin, Asaba, and Calabar clusters. Without a doubt, the proliferation of these digital TV stations has come to stay, given the extremely low barriers to entry. Nigeria’s Facebook population alone has been projected to hit 51.8 million in 2024. We live in an era where content is king. Thus, as long as these digital content stations continue to dish out great content, they will continue to keep regular TV stations on their toes.

Bell Ihua mni, is a Visiting Professor of Practice at Coal City University, Enugu, and Executive Director at Africa Polling Institute. He can be reached on X @Bellemskey or via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced plans to distribute seized food items to Nigerians to curb the worsening hardship being witnessed in the country.

Recall that many Nigerians had taken to the streets in some parts of the country to protest the current hardship and the high cost of food items.

Responding to the critical challenges of food security and the soaring costs of essential food items in Nigeria, Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, in a statement issued by the service National Public Relations, CSC Abdullahi Maiwada, expressed readiness to dispose of food items forfeited to the Federal Government.

The Comptroller General said the distribution will be done after all the food items have been certified fit for human consumption.

According to him, the commitment is deeply rooted in the Service core mandate of serving Nigeria’s best interests and fostering economic stability.

He said the urgent imperative fuels the need for a proactive stance to safeguard food availability within Nigeria and alleviate the detrimental effects of scarcity on citizens.

He added, “Furthermore, to alleviate the hardships faced by Nigerians and improve access to essential food items, the Nigeria Customs Service will facilitate the direct disposal of food items forfeited to the Federal Government. These items will be certified fit for consumption by relevant agencies and made available to ordinary Nigerians nationwide through equitable distribution in our Areas of Operations.

“The modalities for the disposal will be communicated through NCS formations nationwide, with a firm commitment to transparency, fairness, and public safety. It is our pledge that this exercise will be managed diligently to ensure that the benefits reach those most in need.

“The NCS remains resolute in its dedication to safeguarding the nation’s food security and advancing the economic well-being of all Nigerians. With the unwavering support and cooperation of the public, we will surmount these challenges and pave the way for a more prosperous future for our beloved nation.”

The Tinubu-led Federal government has reacted to the hike in the cost of cement in the country.

The government threatened to open the borders to force down the price of the product.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, who dropped the warning on Tuesday, said key components of cement manufacturing were locally sourced and the recent increase in the price of the product was unreasonable and unacceptable. 

He threatened that the government might open the borders for cement importation if manufacturers of the product failed to heed the pleas for a price reduction.

According to him, major input materials for cement production, such as limestone, clay, silica sand, and gypsum, are available and sourced within Nigeria, and hence, the final price of cement should not be dependent on the dollar.

Dangiwa made this known in Abuja at an emergency meeting held with cement and building materials manufacturers.

He said the price of gas that manufacturers are using as an excuse should not be because gas is a raw material found within the country, and the excuse of an increase in mining equipment should not come up because equipment bought by these manufacturers has been used for decades and not just purchased every day.

The Minister who called on the manufacturers to be more patriotic said BUA cement for instance, has been willing and is still willing, as at the last time he spoke with them to crash the price of their cement, lower than the N7000, N8000 agreed by the manufacturers and he sees no reason why the others should not do same.

In his words, “The challenges you speak of, many countries are facing the same challenges and some even worse than that but as patriotic citizens, we have to rally around whenever there is a crisis to change the situation.

“The gas price you spoke of, we know that we produce gas in the country the only thing you can say is that maybe it is not enough. Even if you say about 50 percent of your production cost is spent on gas prices, we still produce gas in Nigeria it’s just that some of the manufacturers take advantage of the situation. As for the mining equipment that you mentioned, you buy equipment, and it takes years, and you are still using it.

“The time you bought it maybe it was at a lower price but because now the dollar is high you are using it as an excuse. Honestly, we have to sit down and look at this critically. The demand and supply should be good for you because the government stopped the importation of cement, they stopped the importation in order to empower you to produce more.

“Otherwise if the government opens the border for mass importation of cement, the price would crash but you would have no business to do and at the same time the employment generation would go down. So these are the kinds of things you have to look at, the efforts of government in ensuring things go well.”

President Bola Tinubu is yet to give Nigerians any information weeks after he suspended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu and ordered her probe.

Recall that she was alleged to have engaged in financial impropriety within her ministry.

Despite the gravity of the allegations and the initial swift action taken by the presidency, updates on the investigation’s progress remain scarce.

The suspension, announced on January 8, was prompted by public outcry over two controversial memos and a consultancy contract linked to Edu’s ministry.

One memo revealed an appropriation of N72,374,500 for air travel to Kogi State—a location without an airport—for the minister’s “advance team”.

Another document requested the transfer of N585 million to the private account of a government official, further intensifying scrutiny on Edu’s financial dealings.

Additionally, the discovery of a N438 million consultancy contract awarded to New Planet Project Limited, a company founded by the Minister of Interior, Tunji-Ojo, complicated matters.

Despite Tunji-Ojo’s assertion of having resigned from the company in 2019, his continued shareholding raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, prompting the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to invite him for questioning.

In response to the escalating controversy, President Tinubu tasked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with delving into the financial transactions of Edu’s ministry.

A panel led by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun was also established to conduct a diagnostic on the financial architecture of the social investment programmes overseen by Edu’s ministry, with the aim of initiating comprehensive reforms.

Despite these measures, the silence from the presidency on the investigation’s findings or any steps taken thereafter has left many Nigerians in the dark.

Attempts to obtain updates from presidential spokespersons have been met with no response, raising questions about the transparency and outcome of the probe.

The bill to introduce state police has scaled second reading before the House of Representatives.

The bill, sponsored by 13 members of the House, received overwhelming support from the majority of lawmakers who prioritized addressing the current state of insecurity in the country over concerns of political victimization by state governors.

Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and 36 state governors had met earlier to deliberate on state police as a viable solution to the prevalent security challenges such as kidnapping and banditry.

Despite being a controversial subject since the Seventh National Assembly, state police have finally made progress in the amendment phase.

Governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have reiterated their stance on state policing as the key to improving the country’s deteriorating security situation, warning that Nigeria is heading towards a situation similar to Venezuela.

Furthermore, various regional socio-political organizations, including Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Middle Belt Forum, and the Northern Elders’ Forum, have consistently advocated for the implementation of state police as a viable solution to the escalating security challenges faced by the nation.

Moreover, states within the South-West geopolitical zone have already established the Amotekun, while their counterparts in the South-East have created their own state-owned security outfit called Ebube Agu.

Additionally, the Benue Guards has been actively operating in Benue State located in the North Central region. Similarly, states like Katsina, Zamfara, and other areas prone to banditry have also introduced similar state-established security initiatives.

Nevertheless, these attires have proven to be ineffective as expected due to the lack of support from the Federal Government or the Presidency.

States are persistently requesting permission for groups like Amotekun, Ebube Agu, and others to be authorized to carry assault rifles such as AK-47s in order to combat dangerous armed attackers.