The Yoruba set a huge store by character, which they insist is more precious than rubies and gold. “E hu iwa Omoluwabi'' is a refrain that so unambiguously states what the Yoruba expect from every true-born son or daughter. Those who deviate are referred to as bastards – “omo ale”. Proper or good behaviour is non-negotiable. There are certain characters or behaviours that must not be mentioned, not even once, among Omoluwabis.

One of such is stealing/cheating. Another is laziness or slothfulness. Liars and unreliable people, those who are not bound by their words, are loathed among the Yoruba. They are to be avoided like a plague. Wealth does not define the Yoruba; character does. Good character, not wealth, is what the Yoruba believe a person should flaunt and which every other person should acknowledge, respect and emulate.

A number of songs, proverbs, and words of wisdom of our elders are drummed into the ears of every Yoruba child. One such song, which I learnt in elementary school and which remains ingrained in my soul, is: “Kini n f’ole se l’aiye ti mo wa? (2ce) L’aiye ti mo wa ewon ko sunwon/Ewon ko sunwon f’Omoluwabi/Kini n f’ole se l’aiye ti mo wa” Thieves and vagrants are ostracized; murderers are excommunicated and anyone related to such fellows are enveloped in shame.

Unable to live with such shame, many have been known to commit suicide, considering death a more honourable outcome - “Iku ya j’esin”. Begging was alien to Yoruba land and culture. It used to be considered a shameful thing. The Yoruba taught the virtues of hard and diligent work - “Ise l’oogun ise/Mura s’ise ore mi/Ise la fi n d’eni giga…” Students were taught to study hard – “Bata re a dun ko-ko-ka/Ti o ba ka’we e/ Bata re a dun ko-ko-ka”

I first noticed it in Lagos – “Eko gb’ole, o gb’ole” - but street begging has since enveloped the entire Yoruba landscape. Beggars of Yoruba extraction compete favourably with those who were seen as the traditional beggars. These days, there are no vices that were loathed in Yoruba land that have not now seized the entire Yoruba landscape. Look around you, the “twale” and “alright sir” boys and girls, the area boys and area girls, are mostly Yoruba youths.

While their Igbo counterparts are busy learning trade and their Hausa counterparts are riding Okada and pushing carts to eke out a living, the Yoruba youths are useless to themselves and to the society. Yet, they insist on living life to the hilt, and on the fast lane, to boot. They are the enforcers. They are the political thugs. They are the “agberos” They are the petty thieves waylaying and stripping the hapless of their phones and other valuables at street corners.

Cultism has run riots among Yoruba youths. It is no longer the exclusive preserve of students in the institutions of higher learning. Primary schools, secondary schools, any gathering of youths in Yoruba land these days is infested with cultism. They kill, they maim. Rival groups waste one another with relish.

Evil – all manner of evil – walks naked on our roads, wasting our future before our very eyes. Now, our youths are said to have graduated into the ranks of kidnappers, bandits and terrorists! All eyes used to be on the Fulani but the kidnappers of the Ekiti school children are said to be of Yoruba extraction.

Governance in Yoruba land progressively took a dip the very moment Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in pursuit of his ambition to rule Nigeria, left the office of premier of the Western Region for the position of Leader of Opposition in the Federal parliament. Cracks soon set in between him and his successor, SLA Akintola, with other Action Group leaders siding with this or with that. The Fulani-led government at the Centre cashed in on that, aided by Nnamdi Azikiwe and his Eastern Region, to set the Western Region on fire and send Awo to jail.

From that moment, things fell apart in Yoruba land. Akintola, Fani-Kayode and others betrayed Awo. Fani-Kayode in turn betrayed Akintola. In the Second Republic, the core opponents of Awo were big-time Yoruba politicians and business moguls, the likes of Meredith Adisa Akinloye, Richard Akinjide, Omololu Olunloyo, FRA Williams, Bashorun MKO Abiola, among others.

Dogs began to eat dogs. Bola Ige dumped Alayande out of the Oyo governorship race. Cornelius Adebayo did similarly to Chief Josiah Olawoyin in Kwara state. Both disrespected the counsel of Awo. Ige got his due recompense at D’Rovans, Ibadan years later as his peers ditched him for Chief Olu Falae.

Against Awo’s advice, both Ige and Sunday Afolabi served in President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government in the Fourth Republic. A man who hates your father cannot love you, the son, Awo was reported to have told his two political sons gone errant. Both Ige and Afolabi perished in Obasanjo’s government. Those who did not perish serving Sani Abacha lost relevance and the reputation that had taken them decades to build – the likes of Ebenezer Babatope, Alhaj Lateef Jakande and Olu Onagoruwa, who also lost his first son to the bargain.

The Fourth Republic started well for the mainstream Yoruba political leadership in 1999 but wily Obasanjo unhinged it four years later in 2003. Only Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Lagos governor survived the Obasanjo tsunami. A new king was born!

Whatever aileth the Yoruba nation today must be placed squarely at the door mouth of the Asiwaju of Yorubaland and Jagaban Borgu. Tinubu uprooted the Awo political dynasty and created a new political empire of his own. The Yoruba nation today is cast, for better or for worse, in the image of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If all is well, give the credit to Tinubu. If all is well the other way round, as our elders would say, hang it as well around Tinubu’s neck!

The creation, nurturing and blossoming of the Yoruba area boys and girls coincided, if I can put it that mildly, with the ascendancy of Tinubu as the master of South-west politics. Coping with the influx of Hausa/Fulani criminals into Yoruba land is difficult enough, especially with the obstacles deliberately put in the way of containing the criminals by Federal power. To now have to contend with the sad spectacle of our own children themselves swelling the ranks of the criminals is distressing, to say the least.

But what do we expect from jobless youths? What do we expect from generations whose destiny has been wasted by our political leaders who have no plan for them other than use them as thugs and then dump them? Why are our youths not being helped to learn a trade like their Igbo counterparts? Whatever you may say, the Fulani are smart; they buy carts and okada for thousands of their youths and then unleash them on us down South. Who will do similarly for our own youths?

Yesterday (Tuesday, 6 February, 2024), I was invited to join the Afenifere team to commiserate with Ekiti State’s Gov. Biodun Oyebanji over the tragedy that befell the state recently. Two traditional rulers were felled by suspected Fulani terrorists and some school children were kidnapped on their way to/from school. God have mercy! Ekiti suddenly became Chibok and Dapchi!

The Afenifere delegation was led by Chief Korede Duyile, who described the disasters as unfortunate. Duyile proffered the following solutions: that the governors of the south-west cooperate more than ever before to confront the security threats facing the sub-region; and that Amotekun, the security outfit of the South-west, be given appropriate arms and ammunition. “We want Amotekun to be fully armed. It is not easy to work with bare hands or with incantations”, he said. He also faulted the country’s structure: “If governors are in control of security, it will be easier to tackle these problems” he said, adding that the need to restructure the country has become more urgent than ever.

Responding, Gov. Oyebanji described the killing of the Obas as “sacrilege and an affront to the Yoruba race”, which he said his government would not take lightly. The culprits would be brought to book, he vowed. Despite party differences, the South-west governors are cooperating on security and had measures in the pipeline before the unfortunate death of their chairman, Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state. After giving Akeredolu a befitting burial later this month, the South-west governors will unfurl their plans.

Oyebanji praised President Tinubu for providing leadership and encouragement to Ekiti in its trying moments. Despite being out of the country, he said the president called him on a daily basis and also gave directives that have been of immense benefit to the state. “I want Afenifere to thank him for me” he said before passionately pleading with the Afenifere to forge a common front and work together “because it is only in unity that we can confront and defeat this menace. Your voice carries weight”

Nigeria needs urgent restructuring. And the South-west itself needs urgent repositioning. Governance must be elevated to a higher level. Hope renewed, which Tinubu promised, must not remain a cliché. Blood and flesh must be infused into it. Time to act is now!

The All Progressives Congress has faulted criticism of President Bola Tinubu by candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party, Peter Obi, asking the duo to share suggestions with the President on how to effectively run the economy and governance.

The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in an interview with Channels TV on Tuesday, urged the two presidential candidates of opposition political parties to suggest ideas to Mr Tinubu and not just condemn what the government is doing to address economic hardship in the country.

Mr Morka stated that they were making “incendiary” statements to instigate the public.

He said, “Opposition politics is not necessarily about condemning. These individuals, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, touted some of the economic policies this government is running with to be at the core of their economic agenda. So what has happened? So it is not enough to just condemn, these leaders should be able to, assuming they have the silver bullets this government is not deploying, they point it out.’’

Mr Morka dismissed Mr Abubakar’s recent criticisms of the Tinubu-led APC government as “completely jaundiced by his own political self-interest.”

“It is not enough for Atiku Abubakar to bandy words. I expect a man who thinks deeply as he claims about governance, economy, and other aspects of our natural life to offer ideas, concrete suggestions,” he said.

The duo of Mr Abubakar and Mr Obi have criticised Mr Tinubu’s economic policies, lamenting economic hardship in the country.

Last week, Mr Abubakar berated Mr Tinubu’s government, saying his chaotic policies were dashing hope and pushing the country to the brink.

With inflation and food prices spiking under Mr Tinubu’s watch, Nigerians have cried out over economic hardship. Earlier in the week, protests over soaring food prices rocked two northern states, Niger and Kano.

But Mr Tinubu, in December 2023, urged Nigerians to show understanding, saying “the financial re-engineering of our country is ongoing. We are determined to deliver Nigeria safely through the tunnel of hope, stability, and economic prosperity.”

Last week, fuji maestro Wasiu Ayinde, aka Kwam 1, who is also Mr Tinubu’s musician ally during his campaign, cried out over economic hardship in the country.

“Nigerians are angry, traders are angry, why is kidnapping on the increase?” Kwam 1 sang, lamenting the naira freefall against the dollar.

Renowned Nigerian economist and Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has extended her well wishes to the Super Eagles, ahead of their semi-final match against South Africa in the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Okonjo-Iweala, the former Nigerian Minister of Finance, expressed her confidence in the team’s abilities and urged them to secure victory in the semi-finals to advance to the finals of the prestigious tournament.

The Nigerian national football team (Super Eagles) are set to face South Africa at Stade Bouaké in Bouaké, Ivory Coast.

Taking to her official Twitter page in a tweet posted on Tuesday, Okonjo-Iweala encouraged the Super Eagles.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala urges Super Eagles to soar in AFCON semi-final against South Africa
Super Eagles.
She wrote;

“Wishing our very own Super Eagles the best of luck tomorrow!! Let’s get it done.”

See below;

Wishing our very own Super Eagles the best of luck tomorrow!! Let’s get it done.

— Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (@NOIweala) February 6, 2024

A fresh request has gone to the Kano State House of Assembly, seeking the return of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Emir of Kano.

The request also seeks the dissolution of the law establishing four additional emirates in Gaya, Rano, Karaye and Bichi by the immediate-past administration of Kano State so as to pave the way for the reinstatement of ex-Emir Sanusi.

The request was contained in a letter by a group identified as “Yan Dangwalen Jihar Kano” (the Kano Electorate), and addressed to the State Assembly through its Speaker.

The letter, dated 5th February, 2024 and signed by the group’s chairman, Najib Abdulkadir Salati, said Kano has lost its peace and stability since former Emir Sanusi was deposed by the administration of Ex-Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

The letter, however, said the reinstatement of Sanusi as the Emir of Kano “will foster unity, peace, and stability within Kano State and its neighbouring communities”.

The letter, which was copied to the Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf Kabir, the Deputy Governor, and the Secretary To The State Government, reads: “We write to plead to your honorable office to please redress the Executive governor and also draw the attention of the honourable members the section that governs the additional emirs in Kano State. Specifically, we would like to request a review and potential dissolution of the additional emirs and section that led to the creation of the four additional emirates.

“It is our firm belief that consolidating the emirates into a single entity will lead to greater unity and progress for the people of Kano. This consolidation may serve to streamline governance and promote a more cohesive community for the betterment of all citizens.

“We acknowledge the rightful authority of the Kano State House of Assembly in the issue of emirate management.

“However, we humbly request your esteemed assembly to revisit and reconsider the decision to remove HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi from his throne. Our belief is based on the belief that his reinstatement will foster unity, peace, and stability within Kano State and its neighbouring communities.”

Nigerians’ spending on foreign education, healthcare and personal travels gulped over $98bn in 10 years, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria data.

The CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, who made the disclosure while addressing the House of Representatives on Tuesday, was responding to an inquiry by the lawmakers on the factors behind the rapid depreciation of the naira in the last few weeks.

He spoke against the backdrop of the central bank’s battle to stabilise the exchange rate amid dollar shortage.

The lawmakers had invited Cardoso and other economic managers following last week’s plunge of the naira from about 900/dollar to over 1,400/dollar at the official market.

Members of the organised private sector and Nigerians have raised concerns over development, saying it would lead to more hardships and job losses.

However, speaking with the lawmakers, Cardoso argued that the foreign exchange market was facing increased demand pressures, causing a continuous decline in the value of the naira.

According to him, factors contributing to this situation include speculative forex demand, inadequate forex due to low remittance of crude oil earnings to the CBN, increased capital outflows, and excess liquidity from fiscal activities.

To address exchange rate volatility, he said a comprehensive strategy had been initiated to enhance liquidity in the FX markets.

This includes unifying FX market segments, clearing outstanding FX obligations, introducing new operational mechanisms for Bureau De Change operators, enforcing the Net Open Position limit for commercial banks, and adjusting the remunerable Standing Deposit Facility cap.

Cardoso revealed that between 201O and 2020, foreign education expenses amounted to a substantial $28.65bn, as per the CBN’S publicly available Balance of Payments Statistics.

Similarly, medical treatment abroad incurred around $11.01bn in costs during the same period. Within the same period, Personal Travel Allowances accounted for a total of $58.7bn.

Cumulatively, Nigerians spent about $98bn on foreign trips, medical tourism and overseas education, a figure the CBN governor said was more than the total foreign exchange reserves of the central bank.

Further compounding the situation, according to Cardoso has been the consistent decline in Nigeria’s export earnings against the backdrop of increasing imports.

In contextualising the problem, Cardoso pointed out that Nigeria’s annual imports, which require dollars for payment, amounted to $16.65bn in 1980.

By 2014, the annual imports had significantly surged to $67.05bn, although it gradually decreased to $54.71bn as of last year.

Similarly, food imports escalated from $2.63bn in 1980 to $14.84bn in 2019.

Cardoso said, “In 1980, our import expenditure stood at $16.65bn, while our exports amounted to $25.97bn, resulting in a surplus of $9.32bn. Thus, during that year, we managed to fulfil the demand for dollars from our existing supply and still had over $9bn in surplus. In such a situation, the exchange rate (the value of the US Dollar) would not increase because, similar to any commodity, its supply surpassed its demand.”

Also contributing to the free fall of the naira, per the apex bank, has been a significant decline in Nigeria’s oil revenues.

“Moreover, from 2003 to 2013, we experienced a surplus of $331.73bn in the economy, with oil exports alone contributing over $798bn. This surplus of dollars would typically stabilize the exchange rate, leading to a “strong” naira.

“ Regrettably, over the past 12 years, oil exports, constituting over 90 per cent of our foreign exchange earnings, have declined from $93.89bn in 2011 to US$31.4bn in 2020,” Cardoso added, while noting that monetary policy actions were sometimes inhibited by transmission lags.

“It also seems that the task of stabilising the exchange rate, while an official mandate of the CBN, would necessitate efforts beyond the bank itself and indeed to an attitudinal change of all our citizens,” he added.

Cardoso expressed optimism that that the policy measures implemented by the apex bank would permeate the economy in the short to medium-term.

“Inflation pressures may persist, albeit temporarily, but are expected to moderate significantly by Q4 2024. Exchange rate pressures are also expected to reduce with the smooth functioning of the foreign exchange market,” he said.

Foreign products

According to the CBN governor, one of the primary reasons the naira has continued to take a beating on the international stage has been Nigerians’ appetite for all things foreign.

For example, a new report by the Washington-based Institute of International Education showed that the number of Nigerians studying in the United States surged to the highest in at least 23 years despite an acute shortage of foreign exchange in the country.

According to the report, the number of Nigerian students at US colleges and universities grew by 22.2 per cent to 17,640 in the 2022/23 academic year from 14,438 in the previous year.

A further analysis of the report revealed that the number of Nigerians grew at a faster pace compared to last year which rose by 12.3 per cent.

This year’s increase for the country is also the fifth highest out of the top 25 international students in the US.

According to UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics, the number of Nigerian students abroad increased from less than 15,000 in 1998 to over 71,00O0 in 2015. By 2018, the figure had reached 96,702 students, as per the World Bank.

Another report projects the number of Nigerian students studying abroad to exceed 100,000 by 2022. Additionally, the UK’s Higher Education Statistic Agency noted a 64 per cent increase in Nigerian students studying in the country.

In the same vein, a study by the Independent Research Centre Trust stated that Nigerians spend at least $1.5bn on medical tourism annually.

The Head of the Centre, Prof. Jamilu Ismail while speaking on the matter said there was an urgent need to tackle the twin menace of medical tourism and brain-drain in Nigeria’s health sector.

Jamilu said, “Currently, medical tourism is a big business and Nigeria is losing a lot to medical tourism. Some studies have shown that Nigerians spend between $1.5bn to $2bn annually on medical tourism, especially for heart diseases, kidney diseases, cancer, and other diseases as well.

“So, because of that, we have challenges in our hospital settings, maybe due to lack of equipment, and currently we are also having an issue where a lot of our specialists and doctors are leaving the country. Because of that, we felt it an opportunity that if we can provide these services we can curtail that medical tourism.”

According to recent data from CBN’s Balance of Payment compilation spanning the first six months of 2023, Nigerians spent $245.68m on overseas health-related issues, $896.09m on foreign education, and $434.63m on other personal foreign needs.

The apex bank, in an explanatory note titled, Note D, defined Balance of Payments as “a systematic record of economic and financial transactions for a given period between residents of an economy and non-residents.”

Reacting to the development, National Vice Chairman of the Joint Health Sector Unions, Dr Obinna Ogbonna, blamed a lack of confidence in the nation’s health sector for the hefty expenditure on medical tourism.

But while addressing the National Assembly, the CBN governor explained that the exchange rate is determined by the dynamics of supply and demand for a product or service.

In essence, similar to the pricing of cows or cars, the value of the US dollar in Nigeria is determined by the balance of US Dollars entering the country and the demand for US Dollars among Nigerians.

Cardoso’s argument hinged on the fact that a major reason the naira had become weakened over the years was the growing distaste for locally manufactured goods.

He said, “In 1980, more than 75 per cent of the vehicles used in Nigería were domestically produced by companies like Volkswagen in Lagos, Peugeot in Kaduna, and others.

“Presently, over 99 per cent of the cars driven are imported, necessitating dollar payments. Similarly, in 1980, the majority of the clothing worn was sourced from Nigerian textile mills in Funtua, Asaba, Kano, Lagos, and various other towns and cities. Today, nearly all the clothing worn is made from imported fabrics. Given the substantial demand for education, healthcare, professional services, personal travel, and similar needs, the exchange rate is bound to face ongoing pressure.”

Bagudu speaks

Meanwhile, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, has said that the economy is now better than the state President Bola Tinubu met it when he assumed office in May 2023.

He said, “The challenges of the moment are being dealt with. We have been meeting with the Coordinating Minister of the Economy to address the issues affecting the nation’s economy. The key focus of the budget is on agriculture, security and infrastructure. The allocation of 39 per cent of the budget is a step in the right direction. For now, our focus is to improve on our revenue collection strategies.”

House pledges commitment

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has pledged its readiness to confront the stark realities of the economic, fiscal, and revenue challenges currently confronting Nigeria.

The Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the debate series in the absence of the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen at the resumption of plenary, pledged on Tuesday on the Floor of the Green Chamber.

He said, “As we gather in this sectoral debate with the Central Bank Governor, the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, and the Minister of Finance, it is imperative to recognise the urgency and importance of the agenda before us.

“We must also confront the stark realities of the economic, fiscal, and revenue challenges that our beloved nation, Nigeria, is currently facing.”

He added, “In a world of complexities and uncertainties, the path to fiscal integrity is not just a choice but a necessity. It is the bedrock upon which the trust between the government and its people is built and the foundation that supports the robust architecture of our national economy.

“Fiscal integrity ensures transparency, accountability, and the prudent management of our nation’s resources. It is our duty and responsibility to safeguard this, not just for the present generation but for the future ones that will inherit the outcomes of our decisions today.”

Edun comments

On his part, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, assured Nigerians that current challenges would soon give way to a reinvigorated economy owing to the reforms being implemented by the Federal Government.

“We are where we are today as a result of a series of economic policies over the years. Inflation has increased and the cost of living has gone up but palliatives have been rolled out. Oil production has steadily increased as a result of improved security in oil-producing areas and a sustained fight against oil bunkering and other criminalities in the areas. Today, the country is producing about 1.65mpb a day and it is rising. We have to focus on domestic resource mobilization to address our challenges,” he said.

He further said that inflation, exchange rate fluctuations and other factors were being addressed while agriculture was receiving attention for maximum production coupled with an emphasis on the non-oil sector for economic diversification.

On his part, the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zaach Adedeji, said the agency was committed to its mandate of collecting revenue on behalf government.

Adedeji noted that though the FIRS targeted the sum of N10tn in 2023, it was able to collect a total of N12tn; a disclosure that left the lawmakers impressed.

“In 2024, our target is N19.2tn. We are not going to introduce new taxes but we are determined to bring more Nigerians into the tax net,” he said.

Meanwhile, Senator Tokunbo Abiru, while announcing the postponement of the interface between the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions and the economic managers on Tuesday, said it would now hold on Friday.

Abiru told journalists that the planned interface with Cardoso, was shifted to Friday since Wednesday and Thursday had been slated for the grilling of the service chiefs by the Senate.

The Senate had by its resolution on Tuesday last week, summoned the service chiefs to appear before it in plenary for required explanations on the worsening security situation in the country.

The chairman of the committee, Abiru said, “After waiting for close to two hours for the CBN governor on the planned interface, we have resolved to postpone it to Friday this week by 9 am.

“Postponement of the interface between our committee and the CBN governor arose from the fact that he and other managers of the nation’s economy had been interfacing with our colleagues in the House of Representatives since morning without knowing when exactly, the session would end.

“We would have fixed Wednesday or Thursday this week as a new day for the interface but the Senate has fixed the two days for critical and constructive engagement with the service chiefs. This made us eventually settle for Friday this week for interface with the CBN governor by 9 am prompt. Communication to this effect would be forwarded to the CBN Governor today (Tuesday) and possibly other government officials managing the economy.”

Private sector

Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH, the President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Gabriel Idahosa, said that unless Nigerians jettisoned the flair for foreign-made products, the campaign to save the naira from the doldrums would continue to be a mirage.

Idahosa also blamed the government for lacking the foresight to create a robust manufacturing industry with oil revenues, especially because global trends suggest that oil earnings would continue to decline in the coming years.

Idahosa said, “It is a matter of choice. The CBN Governor is not telling us anything new. If we want the naira to rebound, we have to make our children study in Nigeria, we have to eat Nigerian food.

“We have to spend our holidays in Nigeria, we have to build and strengthen our currency like China did for 25 years. They locked their borders. They used the kind of cars they could produce. They ate whatever food they could produce. They built a strong economy by being disciplined.”

On her part, the Chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria Export Group, Odiri Erewa-Meggison, said exporters could not be held accountable for declining export revenues because the government had failed to provide the enabling environment for Nigerian exporters to compete with their international counterparts.

She said access to funding especially single digit to make manufacturers compete favourably on a global scale had remained a perennial bottleneck for exporters.

She said, “Difficultly accessing forex, high cost of production and challenges with getting Export Expansion Grant (EEG) incentives are top challenges for my members.

“There is a need for govt to support non-oil export more as not only do we create jobs when we export, we help improve the balance of trade, reduce pressures on forex when we repatriate our funds back and put proudly made in Nigeria goods on the global markets.

“Govt support and partnership are critical for this sector, especially in today’s economy and I know that both the Coordinating Minister of Economy/Minister of Finance and Minister of Industry Trade and Investment are very keen to support non-oil exports.”

Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara has warned critics against damaging political activities that paint the state in bad light, which eventually leads to destroying its economic fortunes.
Fubara gave the warning yesterday, while on inspection of the extent of work done at the ongoing 6.5km Woji-Aleto-Alesa-Refinery link road project.

The governor observed that true lovers of the state are patriotic and will not engage in damaging political activities that will chase away investors who are expected to add to the economic prosperity of the state.
He said, “Whatever we are doing or whoever is sponsoring anything negative is not doing it to the person of Governor Fubara, they are using it to run down the state.
“I feel that it shouldn’t always be bad news from the State. People should see the good part of our state and promote the image of our state.
“Economically, no sound and serious investor will hear all these stories and feel comfortable coming here to invest. So, we will try our best to continue to project the good side of our state.”

Commenting on the project, Fubara stated that the contractor, Raffoul Nigeria Limited had increased their pace and achieved commendable milestone with the promise of delivering the road within the next three months.

The governor said, “We were here about two months ago to follow up on the commitment of the construction firm and we decided to visit again today to see what they have done and I can say that we are really impressed.”

He noted the effort the company had made to making sure the connecting bridge was achieved, and once that was done the pace of completion of the entire project will be faster.

Fubara said, “You know, the most critical part of the project is the bridge. If you have a video of what we saw last time compared to what we have on ground now, it shows they’re really doing everything to make sure that the project is completed within the timeframe. They have promised that it will be delivered in the next three months.

“For us, we will continue to do our best for our dear State. We were elected into office to deliver service. I believe that doing what we are elected for, is not something strange, it is carrying out our duty.”

[Leadership]

President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday night, returned to Nigeria after a two-week private visit to Paris, France.

The presidential jet, NAF 001, touched down at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at about 9 pm.

The President was received by top government officials, including his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Also on the receiving line were the Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri; the Director-General of the Department of State Service, Yusuf Bichi, among others.

Although the presidency remained silent on the reason for the visit, the Nigerian leader was billed to return “in the first week of February 2024,” a statement announcing his departure on January 24 noted.

The trip was Tinubu’s third to France and his 14th foreign visit since he assumed office eight months ago.

He returns amid protests in some states over the rising food and living costs.

On Monday through Tuesday, angry youths and women took to the streets of Minna, the Niger State capital and Kano to protest what they described as the rising cost of living in the country. Similar protests also erupted in Ondo State, Nigeria’s South-West.

On Tuesday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, said Tinubu had directed immediate interventions to alleviate the suffering and forestall a further breakdown in security.

The minister spoke after a meeting of the Special Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention, chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

After Tuesday’s meeting, which is the first of a series of three, Mohammed told journalists, “It is a special presidential committee to address the issue of food shortage or lack of enough food on the table of most Nigerians.

“What I will tell Nigerians is that the President has directed that government needs to step in to stem this tide. The government will not fold its arms and see how Nigerians are suffering regarding the availability of these food items.

“So, I want to plead with you to understand with the government. By the time these meetings are concluded, we’ll be able to issue a definite statement on the government’s position in this regard. But all I can say is that discussions are ongoing, and very soon, a solution is in sight for Nigerians.”

Idris, who argued that Nigeria was in no shortage of food, said the Federal Government was in talks with millers and major commodity traders to avail more supply, thereby reducing the price of some commodities.

He also alleged that some elements were taking advantage of the high food prices and the depreciation of the naira to wreak havoc.

“The government is also talking to major millers and major commodity traders, also to see what is available in their stores, to open it up so the government will provide some intervention, discuss with them, provide some intervention to make this food available to Nigerians.

“What the government is noticing is that actually there is still food in this country. Some people are taking advantage of the situation, especially because of the depreciation in the value of our currency, which has led to the cost of these food items also going up.

“So, all these issues were discussed…the National Security Adviser was there because this also has some national security implications. All these have been discussed,” the minister explained.

THE Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, met behind closed doors with the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and some ministers at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday, over food security and protests in some states.

The meeting, which began at about 05:30 pm, also had in attendance the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Yemi Cardoso; Ministers of Education, Dr Tahir Mamman; Finance, Wale Edun; Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari; and State for Agriculture, Sabi Abdullahi.

The parley was held as the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and some opposition parties disagreed over cost of living protests in Niger and Kano states.

While the APC accused the opposition of sponsoring what it dismissed as anti-President Bola Tinubu protests, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Labour Party, LP, and Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, said the APC was chasing shadows and had itself to blame for the protests.

Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting that lasted for about three hours, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, expressed President Bola Tinubu’s worry over the development.

He said that the President has directed that the situation should be arrested by the Presidential Committee in order to reduce hardship on the populace.

The Minister, who said that there is enough food in the country, added that some elements are trying to take advantage of the high food prices and the depreciation of naira to cause havoc.

He said, “We just rounded off a meeting. It is a special presidential committee to address the issue of food shortage or lack of enough food on the table of most Nigerians.

“This is just the beginning of that meeting. It is going to continue tomorrow and day after tomorrow. The government is very concerned about what Nigerians are going through, especially what has happened in Minna yesterday, and therefore government is taking some action to ensure that Nigerians have some relief in terms of the availability of food on the table.

“Of course, this meeting is not by itself exhaustive. It’s just like I said, the beginning. It is going to continue tomorrow and the day after.

“Now, some of these will involve unlocking the foods that are available in most of the storage facilities (National Food Reserve) around the country. You know that the Federal Minister of Agriculture has some food reserves. That is going to be made available to Nigerians.”

The meeting was held on the heels of the protests by women in Minna, Niger State, and that of angry youths in Kano over the rising cost of living in the country.

A group of women in Minna, Niger State, had on Monday, blocked the ever-busy Minna-Bida Road at the popular Kpakungu Roundabout and called on the administration of President Bola Tinubu to address the problem of ‘hunger in the land.’

Youths in Kano also protested over the hardship in the country and the state governor, Abba Yusuf, assured them that he would take their complaints to the President.

There are fears that the nation’s university workers under the umbrella of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, are gearing up for another confrontation with the federal government over issues bordering on members’ welfare, working conditions, among others.

This is even as the university workers have expressed disappointment over President Bola Tinubu’s failure to fulfil promises to release their withheld eight months’ salaries resulting from the 2022 industrial action, the six-month N35,000 wage ward and upward salary review.

The union is now saying it is tired of the federal government’s unfaithfulness to promises made to the union, lamenting that it has yet to implement all its agreements with the organised labour, particularly ASUU, since the administration came in.

DAILY POST reports that the current administration has taken no significant visible action to address the grievances by ASUU despite Tinubu’s assurance and promise that his administration would take all necessary actions to ensure universities do not embark on strike again.

Tinubu, who spoke at the 33rd convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, had expressed hope that the cooperation of the unions with the federal government would ensure the needed educational development in the country.

He promised that his administration would tackle all challenges confronting the education sector and reposition it, adding that the federal government was willing to establish synergy with all the academic unions within universities in the country and exhaust all avenues for dialogue before any strike.

“I would like to enjoin all the unions in our universities to cooperate with the government in order to deliver the needed development by ensuring an atmosphere of peace and tranquility on our campuses.

“On our part, we will ensure that motivational activities are put in place to ensure improved productivity. Reciprocative actions would be expected from our universities as the government works hard to raise the bar of a conducive teaching and learning environment.

“To whom much is given, much is expected. Dialogue, patience, and positive engagements are better means of achieving results than strike actions. Industrial disharmony does nothing but disrupt life, waste time and elongate the academic calendar.

“Therefore, all avenues for dialogue must be explored and exhausted before strike actions are considered, and as a last resort,” Tinubu said.

DAILY POST reports that it is now almost four months after Tinubu approved the partial waiver of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ order instituted against striking ASUU members in 2022 under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Recall that ASUU members had embarked on an eight-month industrial action, which began on February 14, 2022, and lasted until October 17, 2022, but the federal government insisted on implementing the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy for the period the university workers were away from their duty posts.

However, nearly sixteen months after the academic staff members returned to work, they have continued to lament the unyielding response of the government to their withheld salaries.

DAILY POST reported that Tinubu, in November last year, directed the grant of an exceptional last waiver of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ order on ASUU, which would pave the way for members of ASUU to receive four months of salary accruals out of the eight months withheld during the strike.

According to the President, the move, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, was in line with his administration’s determination to mitigate the difficulties in the face of the implementation of key economic reforms in the country.

Tinubu also added that he recognised the faithful implementation of terms agreed upon during the fruitful deliberations between ASUU and the federal government.

Not happy about the development, ASUU has embarked on a nationwide consultation with members over the non-implementation of agreements by the Federal Government.

ASUU said it was regrettable that despite the gentlemen’s agreement between the union and the federal government, no dime had been paid to its members, creating unnecessary hardship for their families.

Apart from the withheld eight months’ salaries, the university workers said they were yet to be removed from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, as directed by the President.

DAILY POST recalls that the Federal Executive Council, FEC, recently approved the removal of university staff from the IPPIS.

The minister of education, Mamman Tahir, who disclosed the development while briefing State House correspondents after the weekly FEC meeting presided over by Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the President also directed the Vice Chancellors to be removed from taking permissions from the office of the Head of Service of the Federation, HOSF, before they could engage staff for their institutions.

According to the President, “they (Vice Chancellors) do not have to go to the Head of Service for approvals to engage the service of new workers anymore. They will now be paying their own staff directly.”

Before now, ASUU had called on the government to abolish IPPIS and embrace its own creation, the University Transparency Account System, UTAS.

The union argued that UTAS would better take care of the weaknesses inherent in IPPIS, telling the government to consider the peculiarities of universities.

Similarly, in October 2023, the administration ordered the immediate implementation of a new wage award of N35,000 to each federal civil servant as a palliative to cushion the harsh effects of the removal of fuel subsidy.

However, DAILY POST findings showed that the government managed to pay two months out of the six months it promised.

Also, in September 2023, the government announced an upward review of the salaries of tertiary institution workers by 35 per cent, which was backdated to January 2023 but was yet to be paid.

Speaking recently in an interactive session with journalists during the week at the Gidan Kwano Main Campus of the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, the Niger State capital, the National President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, declared that the government has not implemented all the agreements it reached with the organized labour, particularly between ASUU, since the administration of President Bola Tinubu began.

Osodeke stated that members of the National Executive Council, NEC, were currently in a nationwide consultation with the branches of the union to decide on the next line of action after the NEC meeting later this month.

“Well, none has been implemented. On the issue of wage awards and the issue of seven-and-a-half salary arrears, I can tell you that nothing has been implemented. In fact, as I am talking to you now, none of our members has been paid,” Osodeke declared.

The ASUU leader stated that the association would present all the suggestions gathered during its nationwide consultations at the NEC meeting before taking the necessary action to press home their demands.

“That is why we have come to see our members, and we are seeking their views about the next line of action which we are taking to our NEC meeting in February (this month). And at the NEC meeting, we are going to make a decision”, Osodeke said.

Speaking to DAILY POST about the matter, the ASUU UNN branch chairman, Comrade Nobert Oyibo Eze lamented that things have become extremely difficult for the union members as their salary was no longer capable of meeting their needs.

Eze said it was sad that the government would always rush to the press and say all kinds of things but would not fulfil what it announced.

He stated that President Tinubu, who promised to resolve most of the union’s demands if elected, has not lived up to his words despite his repeated assurances.

He said, ‘‘It is extremely difficult for everyone in the university now; very very difficult because not only that the salary is not commensurate anymore, remember that this salary started in 2009, about 16 years now. It has not improved.

“Not only has it not improved, the exchange rate has messed it up completely. Around 2011, a professor was receiving almost $2,700 equivalent.

“Today, the equivalent of what a professor is getting is $255. This is what someone in the UK can use to pick some groceries in a grocery shop; that is what a professor in the Nigerian academic system is receiving.

“Yet, in spite of the fact that it has not improved, they withheld our seven-and-a-half months salary on account of our last strike.

‘‘Why wouldn’t we say that what they are paying us is no longer commensurate? Is it a crime to agitate? Throughout the countries of the world, workers do go on strike; the other time French workers went on strike. As long as the government is not doing what they are supposed to be doing, with respect to labour laws there will continue to be strikes.

“Anybody thinking that withholding our salary will make us stop going on strike is not serious because you cannot beat a child and ask him not to cry.

‘‘It is only in Nigeria that the government will be making money in millions and refuse to pay workers. It is not the health sector that they have fixed or the education sector that they have fixed.

“They want to remove their hands from discharging any responsibility. Yet they don’t want to embark on true federalism where the people will ask questions, manage the resources available and use it to develop their universities.

“They want everything to go to Abuja and they are not doing what they are supposed to do.

So, right in the university, it is extremely difficult for everybody.

‘‘The government of this country is…I don’t know how to describe it. People have already known their tactics. They go to the press and say all kinds of things but since Tinubu took over the government, he has not paid anything.

“You know last year, they gave some wage award but nothing has been paid. No arrears of salary have been paid. Even the four months they made noise about in the press, nothing has been paid.

‘‘For some time now, the national executive of ASUU have met some of the government functionaries, especially the minister of education and many others. Everything they owe us has been articulated and sent to them.

“The only thing, out of the reasons we went on strike – the IPPIS, which has been handled in the press – that they are taking us out of the IPPIS. I want to tell you that IPPIS paid December salary, IPPIS is going to pay January salary. I heard somewhere that IPPIS has asked the Bursars of the universities to send vouchers for January salary, which means we have not been out of IPPIS practically.

“Since that announcement last year, the last salary that could have been paid using IPPIS is the December salary. As I am talking to you now, we have not received our January salary.”

While throwing more light on the salaries paid to the university lecturers, Eze said: ‘‘Let me give an example with myself, as an associate professor, I am going home with N332,000.00.

“If you want me to send you my payslip, I can do so. Are they not the one paying us? A professor on the bar is receiving N400,000.00. Those who were just appointed professors two years ago are still within N300,000.00. What can you buy with N300,000.00?

‘‘The other time I read that people were demonstrating in Minna because of the current hardship. The reality is that it is not just about the academic staff in the public universities, it is about the entire workforce in the country.

“It is people who are generating the money, which they are stealing, they are doing whatever they like. Look at what is happening in the Central Bank, that is why they want their children to work in the Central Bank. Can you imagine that in the Central Bank they have over 5,000 workers at the headquarters alone? What are they doing there?”

On the next step the union will take to press home its demand, he continued, ‘‘It is not for me to speak but I think all the branches are angry. You see politicians, they can say all sorts of things during electioneering campaigns.

“Bola Tinubu who is now president said that if he becomes the Nigerian president, he will stop the strike in the universities. Very soon, he will experience one. He has not even addressed why we went on strike in the first place.

“So withholding our salary is just playing to the gallery because we did not embark on strike because they are not paying us salary. We embarked on strike because our take home pay can no longer take us home. And nobody has raised the reason why we embarked on strike, and he knows it.

“He told the public that if he becomes president he will solve all the issues that can push us to go on strike.

‘‘Now all the issues that emanated from the last strike, which one has he addressed? He has not addressed anything. As I am talking to you, there are workers in the universities who are not earning up to N100,000.00.

“The truth is that people are hungry, and they say that ‘a hungry man is an angry man’.

‘‘We will be going to a national executive council meeting soon, whatever we decide during that meeting will be made public; people will hear it. If we decide to embark on another strike, they would not say we have not given them enough time.”

[DailyPost]