UK economy has entered recession after recording two successive quarters of negative economic growth in the second half of last year, official data showed on Thursday.

Gross domestic product shrank by 0.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2023 after contracting 0.1 per cent in the previous three months, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement, meeting the technical definition of a recession.

According to BBC, the UK is considered in recession if GDP falls for two successive three-month periods – or quarters.

The figures will be a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Growing the economy was one of five pledges he made in January 2023.

In 2020, the UK economy entered recession and contracted by a record 20.4 per cent in the second quarter with the country in lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic, official data had shown.

“It is clear that the UK is in the largest recession on record,” the Office for National Statistics said then.

Meanwhile, in December 2023, Britain’s economy unexpectedly shrank in the third quarter, official data showed, raising fears of a potential recession before an election due next year (2024).

Gross domestic product contracted 0.1 per cent between July and September, down from a prior estimate of zero growth, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

The Federal government has said it cannot continue to subsidise electricity for Nigerians.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, stated this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents in Abuja.

Adelabu said the poor electricity supply situation in the country was caused by numerous issues including outstanding subsidy debts.

The minister said the nation must begin to move towards a cost-effective tariff model, as the country is currently indebted to the tune of 1.3 trillion naira to generating companies (GenCos) and 1.3 billion dollars owed gas companies.

According to the minister, over N2 trillion needed for subsidy, only N450 billion was budgeted this year, adding that state governments will now be allowed to generate power independently to supply power to their states.

On the grid that has collapsed for about six times between December 2023 and now, he said this was caused by shortage of gas, ageing machines in the grid value chain, low capacity to evacuate generated power, and destruction of power stations in some parts of the North-East geopolitical zone of the country.

He said the Transmission Company of Nigeria has over 100 abandoned projects due to variations on contract figures as a result of the fluctuations of the forex, hence the company will not award any new contracts till all such projects are completed.

The minister also said over 50 billion naira has been earmarked in the 2024 budget to build mini grids to supply power to remote areas.

He said electricity distribution companies (DisCos) should sit up otherwise anyone found wanting will have his licence withdrawn.

The minister also said he has reached out to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to help provide security for power infrastructure.

The Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) , Zaccheus Adedeji, yesterday faulted the N2.59trillion Tax Credit Scheme introduced by former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2021.

The scheme was meant for road construction across the country.

He stated this when the executors of the Tax Credit Scheme the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) gave details of the $3.3billion loan facility secured for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for stabilization of Naira in the foreign exchange market.

The FIRS Chairman was not impressed with the N2.59trillion Tax Credit Scheme introduced through Executive Order 7 of 2021 by Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

He spoke when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance along with the Chief Finanancial Officer of NNPCL, Umoru Ajiya .

The Committee chaired by Senator Sani Musa, had invited the FIRS and the NNPCL management to shed more light on the implementation of the scheme especially the terrible state of the Federal Roads across the country.

The NNPCL Chief Financial Officer, in his presentation, raised the hope of the committee members that the schene was being properly implemented.

He said it was helping the Federal Government to fix elapidated roads across the six geo political zones in the country with N664billion spent so far.

When asked to speak on the scheme, the FIRS boss condemned it descring it as unlawful.

He urged the Federal Government to discontinue it.

He said, “The Mandate of FIRS lumped with execution of Tax Credit Schene for road construction , is to access , collect tax and remit it into the federation account and not to appropriate it for any purose through executive order .

” It is not the duty of FIRS and NNPCL to be paying contractors .

“The Ministry of Works should be in line with its core mandate , be allowed to award road contracts and pay for them.

” The scheme to many people, serves as a faster way for road reconstruction or rehabilitation across the country , but we should stop increasing speed towards wrong direction .

” As a way of stopping the wrong approach, FIRS and the Central Bank of Nigeria are holding meeting with the Ministry of Works Friday this week.

“At the meeting, we are going to take stock of what had been done through the scheme and thereafter we will toe the right path .

” We should in a nutshell, not continue in the wrong trajectory “, he said .

The Chairnan of the Committee , Senator Sani Musa , expressed satisfaction with the FIRS boss presentation.

He said relevant provisions of the 1999 constitution (as amended) ,are against the scheme.

Musa said this was because monies that the NNPC and FIRS are being made to spend on the roads through tax credit , supposed to be remitted into the consolidated revenue fund .

” We are waiting for outcome of meeting of the three agencies involved in the scheme , before deciding on how to help the present government to correct mistakes of the past ‘, he said.

On the $3.3billion loan facility , NNPCL informed the Committee members that it was secured to support CBN to suppress FOREX Volatility .

The agency said $2.2billion had already been secured for the apex bank while the balance of $1.05billion , would be credited the apex bank before the end of the month

About 60 members of the House of Representatives are currently seeking amendments to the 1999 Constitution to transition from the current presidential system to the parliamentary system of government.

Led by a lawmaker representing Lagos State under the All Progressives Congress, Wale Raji, the lawmakers identified the need for reducing the cost of government, and robust policy debates among others as some of the reasons for demanding a return to the parliamentary system.

Titled, ‘The Bills proposing constitutional alterations for a transition to parliamentary system of government,’ the bill was sponsored by the House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, and 59 others and read for the first time on the floor of the House during Wednesday’s plenary session in Abuja.

The lawmakers – drawn from different party affiliations, anchored their positions on the need to adopt a parliamentary system at the Federal, State and Local Government levels.

Addressing a press conference at the National Assembly Complex on Wednesday, the spokesman for the sponsors and member representing Kebbe/Tambuwal Constituency, Sokoto State, Abdulssamad Dasuki said that when passed, it would significantly impact the national political landscape.

He said, “Our founders in their wisdom and in a political atmosphere devoid of compulsion, and having considered the interests of their native peoples and their desire to live together in a country where truth and justice reign, where no man is oppressed, and where all citizens live in peace and plenty, adopted the parliamentary system of government.

“That was the governance system of the First Republic, a period when legislative and executive powers were exercised by the representatives of the people in parliament and in the executive, and by the nature of the system, these representatives were accountable to the people.

“For six years while it was in operation, the system worked for the country.”

He added, “The collapse of the First Republic and the long stretch of military rule culminated in the adoption of a new system of government, theoretically fashioned after the presidential system of the United States but in practice, imbibed the uttermost attributes of military rule.

“No wonder the Nigerian President appears to be one of the most powerful presidents in the world.

“Over the years, the imperfections of the presidential system of government have become glaring to all, despite several alterations to the constitution to address the shortcomings of a system that has denied the nation the opportunity of attaining its full potential.

“Among these imperfections are the high cost of governance, leaving fewer resources for crucial areas like infrastructure, education, and healthcare, and consequently hindering the nation’s development progress, and the excessive powers vested in the members of executive, who are appointees and not directly accountable to the people.

“The bills presented today (Wednesday) seek a return to the system of government adopted by our founders, which made governance accountable, responsible and responsive, and ultimately less expensive.”

Following the presentation of the bills, the lawmakers said they intend to “ignite, provoke a national conversation about the future of the Nigerian governance system, ensure robust public debates, stakeholder consultations, expert analyses, and a thorough and informed decision-making process and raise awareness about this significant development and encourage constructive dialogue on the potential implications of these proposed constitutional alterations.”

While noting that the future of Nigeria’s governance rests on informed public engagement and responsive and responsible leadership, the sponsors of the bill noted that under the parliamentary system, the President will be replaced with a Prime Minister to serve as the Head of Government and establishing the office of the President as a ceremonial leader, stressing that “these elective offices are to be chosen from the elected members of the legislature.”

Legislative elections

Dasuki added that under legislative election, there would be a shift “in the process of electing governors and Chairmen of Local Governments from general election to voting within their respective legislative bodies.”

Streamlined administration

The parliamentary system, according to Dasuki, will potentially reduce “bureaucratic hurdles and foster closer collaboration between the executive and legislative branches.

“Our conviction is that a streamlined executive branch, which replaces the President and Vice President with a Prime Minister and Cabinet chosen from the legislature, could lead to a smaller central government, reducing salaries and administrative expenses.

“We also hold strongly that shifting the election of Governors and Local Government Chairmen from general election to votes within their respective legislative bodies could save billions spent on state and nationwide campaigns.

“Because ministers, commissioners (at the state level) and supervisors (at the local government level) emerge from parliament, there is greater coordination between the executive and the legislature, just as there will be increased legislative scrutiny, which would make cabinet members responsive to the yearnings of the people and more accountable.”

Conclusively, the lawmakers said as proponents of the constitutional alteration, they place national interest above any other consideration.

“Our hope is that the national conversation that would be ignited by these bills would lead to a system of government that works and our dear nation would attain her full potential,” they stated.

Leader of the sponsors of the bill and the lawmaker representing Epe Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Wale Raji, said though the road to the actualisation of the bid is a fairly long one, he noted that they hope to achieve their dream at a date not later than 2031.

The Federal Government’s effort to resolve the food crisis intensified yesterday. To reduce the high cost of food, it ordered the immediate release and distribution of 42,000 metric tonnes of grains from strategic reserves.

According to the Federal Government, the grains will be given free nationwide to the needy and vulnerable.

Also, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met with the Rice Millers Association in Abuja on how to make the staple food cheaper.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, said the proposed commodity boards will take charge of the food supply chain.

He also spoke on the challenges of food security at the maiden Ministerial Press Briefing Series (MPBS) initiated by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris in Abuja.

Also yesterday, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun announced N5 billion intervention fund to tackle rising food inflation.

Kyari said: “We are aware that food security is national security. We are trying to crash the prices of foods to make these available and affordable.

“The Federal Government is in the process of releasing 42,000 metric tonnes of grains from the nation’s strategic reserve.

“Our interventions will be targeted at the needy in all parts of the country.”

Giving the breakdown of the distribution, Kyari said 1,200 trailers of food, which is an equivalent of 42,000mt, would be distributed through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

He said the ministry was still working out the modalities for the distribution, which will involve the State Security Service (SSS).

He added: “We have met with NEMA and the SSS to give us the index on where it is necessary based on intelligence report. We want to target those areas where vulnerable Nigerians are.

“The intervention is apt and will be targeted at the needy. We are partnering with other agencies to ensure that this food intervention gets to the needy.

“Food is available as can be seen in the markets but the high cost has become a source of concern for government given its impact on the populace.”

The minister highlighted the components of food security, including demand, supply and affordability.

He said: “We have a lot of sources we can impact on farmers to boost food production in the country.

Read Also: Food crisis: States in anxious wait for FG’s grain allocations
“There will be recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture. Already, there is a provision for the National Agriculture Fund.

“We have also given the go-ahead to further subsidise fertilisers. We intend to do a comprehensive data capture of farmers. We are also trying to capture the geo-locations of farms.

“We want to do this because a lot of the data was not verified. There were non-farmers and political farmers in our database.”

On the involvement of the governors, Kyari said: “I have seen a lot of commitment to food security from the present crop of governors.”

On plans to establish commodity boards, Kyari said: “I am in support because these boards will take charge of what is needed for the country.

“What we need is that we must secure the country first before any surplus is exported.”

Information Minister Idris described the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security as critical to the economy.

Idris said Senator Kyari had been doing a lot of work to implement the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Tinubu Administration.

He said the briefing provided opportunities to share highlights of that work.

Idris stressed: “Our objective here is to enlighten, inform and educate Nigerians and the world, and to ensure that everyone is carried along through the provision of credible and timely information.”

…As Smugglers Sentenced to 2 Years Imprisonment with Hard Labor

1. The Nigeria Customs Service has successfully secured the conviction of two smugglers, Felarun Oluwasegun and Fakorede Jelili, on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

2. The convictions stem from their involvement in assembling to contravene customs laws, possession of smuggled goods and assaulting Customs Officers with charms and horsewhips at Owoyele-Igbogila, Yewa-North Local Government, Ogun State in 2023.

3. Felarun and Jelili have been sentenced to 2 years imprisonment with hard labor without the option of fine by Honourable Justice Demi-Ajayi of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta.

4. The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, asserted that 11 suspects were convicted for committing offences of improper importation, assault of Customs officers, possession of Pangolin scales meant for export, among other illicit items, while some other smuggling and related cases instituted in the courts are at various stages of prosecution and would be followed up diligently.

5. Felarun Oluwasegun and Fakorede Jelili were first arraigned in Court in May 2023 on a three-count charge and have been remanded at the correctional center in Abeokuta since then until their recent conviction.

Abdullahi Maiwada

Chief Superintendent of Customs

National Public Relations Officer

For: Comptroller-General of Customs 

Those who bear the name Valentine dread the month of February like a plague. Besides close friends who always demand that you celebrate your name in grand style, most confront you with all manner of questions bordering on the concept that your name is supposed to embody. Thus, you are asked whether you were born on the 14th of February or whether you were a by-product of a love affair that took place in the month of February. One fact I have come to discover over the years is that people take those who bear the name of Valentine as experts in all known techniques of love, starting with its fundamentals to its metaphysics.

Despite much research, we cannot tell unequivocally the exact date the feast started, nor the route by which it entered into history. Perhaps it is connected to the life of a certain St. Valentine who was said to have suffered martyrdom in Rome as the Church hagiography would want us to believe. Perhaps, as the legend of the saint’s heroic faith says, it grew out of the love shown to prisoners by the saintly Valentine. Perhaps it has to do with the period in the year when birds of the earth look for mates. Perhaps it is another case of substitution of a pagan feast by Christian feast as a subtle way of blighting paganism at the bud. We do not know. Valentine’s Day is part of history whose beginning has been forgotten, and whose end we shall never reach.

The popularity of Valentine’s Day could be linked to the nature of the theme it celebrates – love. Writing about love, Archbishop Fulton Sheen called it “the most used, and the most misunderstood word.” The misunderstanding inherent in the nature of love often provokes people to ask questions such as: How much of what we claim as love is love indeed? Does love have different levels and spheres? Is it possible to love our neighbor as ourselves, as the Holy writ prescribes? What is love? These are the questions with which the most comprehensive theories, treatises, and analyses of love find it necessary to begin.

To the Greeks, love could be Eros, Philia, and agape. Plato’s ladder of love in the “Symposium” has different loves for its rungs, up to what we commonly call “Platonic Love”. St Thomas Aquinas distinguishes between love in the sphere of passion and love as an act of will. The former he assigns to what he calls the “concupiscible faculty” of the sensitive appetite; the latter, to the rational or “intellectual appetite”. Sometimes, people talk about metaphysical, contemplative, material, and acquisitive love, etc.

Whatever form love takes, it implies a complex psychical experience of strong attraction to, intense desire for, vivid appreciation of, a profound interest in, one's object of love. The object of love could be a fellow being, institution, cause, or even nature. It involves tender affection, sympathetic understanding, admiration, and loyalty, with reference to its object.

But apart from a few people who recognize the fact of plurality of love in their analyses, most of us, especially the youth, talk abundantly of love, commonly in the sense of amorous appetite. These are people who confess their loving the object of their love more than their own mothers. Recall the “sugar in my tea” and similar stuff. Our elders consider this form of love to be a form of “possession” or “madness”, and would frown at anyone who would propose it as a fit guide in the choice of a marriage mate. They do this, knowing that once the erotic side of love diminishes or fades away altogether, the disinterested element fades too; interest in the other’s happiness evaporates, all tender feeling is eroded, and the one desire is to get away. This is what Lucretius called “erotic befuddlement”. What Dedriot deridedly described as “the voluptuous loss of a few drops of liquid.” It is a spark thrown off by the contact or nearness of two opposite bodies.

In pursuit of this type of love, there is nothing that human beings have not done, or are not capable of doing. The love potion that some ladies brew for men they suspect of unrequited love has no platonic aim. It is not out of generosity, rather to get the object of their longing, that men spend lots of money in wooing women. Women themselves do as much. To attract men, they dress in manners to arouse precipitate passion. Eyelashes are darkened with gum ammonia. Cheeks and lips are painted with sticks of minium or alkanet roots. Adjustable eyebrows are used and often pencilled with lampblack or pulverized or sulphuret of antimony, sometimes it is thinned to diverse shapes or shaved off entirely and painted “crescent moons” or other forms. Eyelids are shaded with kohl. All sorts of things are rubbed on the face, in the hope that it will make them look beautiful. Some in the villages still wrap their fingernails overnight with henna leaves to make them purple. Padded brassieres are used to make the breast look poised and … Breast enhancement has since become part of beauty regimen. There is no part of the woman’s body, in pursuit of men, that has not been perfected, decorated, refined, stretched and squeezed, bleached, reformed, compacted, and shortened.

Higher than the afore-described love is what is often called genuine friendship. In this type of love, there is often the predominance of altruistic motives. It springs from mutual admiration. Here, love is thought to precede desire and to determine its wishes. Marriages built upon this type of love are often successful. Mature lovers discover that marriage transcends the act of multiplication of the species or the fantasy of sexual acts. There are some men who think that all a woman appreciates in a man is when he brandishes the erectile organ to her satisfaction. No. Marriage is more than that. It demands deep understanding and maturity from both partners.

All the foregoing classifications and distinctions, inexhaustible though, belong to the theory of human love. But the fact of love’s diversity extends to the Christian theory of love. Christianity brought about a basic shift in man’s thinking about love. Christianity sees love not in the emotion or passion, but from the infinite perfection and creativity of God. Writing to the Corinthians (2 Cor 13: 6) St Paul said that “love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth...” God Himself is love (I John 4: 4). “Love ye one another”. In this profound sentence, God summarized all the commandments. Love rules the world and was, perhaps, as Parmenides thought, “the very first thing created by the gods to rule the world”.

The key to peace in the world is for men to embrace the ethics of Christ – love. Confucius taught a version of it in his rule of reciprocity (golden rule). Immanuel Kant espoused it in his book, The Metaphysics of Morals in what he called the “Maxims of Categorical Imperative”. All great religions teach it. Until we start to imbibe this golden rule (love), the battle to re-make the world can as well be labelled a utopia.

The sooner we use the day of Valentine to promote this type of love, the better the world will become.

There is no denying the fact that Prof. Farooq Kperogi is as engaging as he is informed about Nigeria that he discusses with passion and flair. He writes with conviction and leaves no one in doubt he wants the best for his country, Nigeria. Many Nigerians have shed the toga of patriotism that Kperogi still wears like a badge. Nigeria, to many, is a lost cause already.

 A professor of dentistry compared Nigeria to a cancer patient whose cancer can no longer be isolated for treatment because the virus has metastasized to other vital organs of the body. Even advocates of restructuring have since moved away from that prescription, believing that events have overtaken it. But no matter what we may say, Nigeria hopping on one leg is still a pot of delicious soup for those in the kitchen where the food is prepared. 

How much of the suffering of the people do our leaders in all honesty feel? They are too far removed from the suffering to feel the pain. It’s like a fairy tale or Alice in Wonderland when you describe the deprivation that hapless Nigerians have to put up with. How people who do not feel the pinch will solve a problem they know little or nothing about remains to be seen.

Yes, Tinubu cannot and must not attempt to govern like Muhammadu Buhari did. Buhari’s administration was the most ruinous ever in the history of this country. He destroyed the present and mortgaged the future. He piled up mountains of debts for this and coming generations with nothing to show for it. 

Like Fela's crooning, misery, sorrow and tears were Buhari’s regular trademark. His administration met us with only the scourge of Boko Haram but left those of Fulani herdsmen and bandits in addition. Blood flowed freely all over the country. Historians record that King Nero fiddled while Rome burned. 

One carton I saw pictured Buhari picking his teeth while herdsmen, bandits and other sundry criminals ran rings around hapless Nigerians killing, maiming, destroying life and property and walking away free. Kidnappers strolled to the bank to collect ransom money. Yes, Kperogi is right: Tinubu cannot – and should not – govern like Buhari did. No country can survive two Buharis in a row!

Kperogi followed the mainstream narrative of the twin policy of fuel subsidy removal and one-window foreign exchange policy being the cause of the unmitigated suffering in the land and the recent protests over high cost of living, especially of foodstuffs, in some parts of the country. There is no denying the fact that these policies have contributed but they are not the real cause of the problems we face today. They may have acted as catalysts but the problems have been knocking on our door for decades.

 The colonial masters diverted our attention from growing what we need (food crops) to growing what they need (cash crops). That was the beginning. Growing up in the late fifties, my father was a merchant-cum-farmer. He had sprawling cocoa farms with food crops like yams, maize, cassava and what-have-you interspersed in them. My mother was a petty trader and food vendor who also engaged in subsistence farming. On holidays, most children followed their parents to the farm, to return only a day or two before the resumption date. No more!

We are now all in the cities engaged in white- or blue-collar jobs! The farms are abandoned. Where will the foodstuffs come from? The problem of insecurity that has driven the remaining hands off the farm has accentuated the problem. That is why the food protests which, ordinarily, should have started in the big cities where the cost of living is more biting, have started from so-to-say agrarian backwoods. Why? Because agriculture is the mainstay of their sustenance. 

There is little commerce that takes place there. So, with the dislocation of agriculture caused by insecurity, they are left high and dry. It may not be politics at work; hunger is what is inciting the people. Agrarian societies, where hunger, suffering and deprivation are more pronounced, are less able to survive in today’s Nigeria than the commercial centres.

Were we not aware that rural-urban migration that has been on for ages, draining the rural areas of the needed energy and manpower, would have deleterious consequences on food production? What did we do to stem the tide? Were we also not aware that uncontrolled population explosion (Malthus theory), where population growth outstrips the resources available, would also lead to undesirable consequences? 

Think also of the three curses, nay four, that we have allowed to befall this country: The first is the resource curse where we depended, and still depend, on one resource – crude oil – and have failed to leverage on it to develop our agricultural and industrial sectors. Instead, we squandered our riches. One-time military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, said the problem of Nigeria was not money but how to spend it! And not knowing how to spend the oil windfall, we squandered it again and again! And we think we will not pay a steep price for that down the line?

Growing up, we ate rice only during festive periods. Bread was not on the menu those days. Today, our taste buds are no longer for the foods we grow but for foreign foods and goods. We waste billions of dollars on food imports. Rice curse and wheat curse combined drain us of billions of dollars yearly! We are a country of net importers and we wonder why our Naira is weak! 

In those days, foreigners came here to school; no more! Instead, we now spend billions of dollars yearly to send our children to schools abroad. In those days, our hospitals were, perhaps, the best in Africa, especially the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. No more! Today, led by our shameless leaders, we spend billions of dollars on medical tourism yearly. Industries that used to be here have voted with their feet. We produce nothing but consume everything foreign – and we think there would be no consequences?

In one of my recent columns, I proffered reasons why I think Nigeria was not moving forward. My editor, Comrade Nojeem Jimoh, called and said we should stop asking that Nigeria move forward! Instead, we should advocate that it goes backward! Yes, because our best days and years are in the past! May you not know better yesterday! But Nigeria has known better yesterday! Each government that comes appears worse than the one before it!

 Nzeogwu and his colleagues who plotted the first coup described the politicians of the First Republic as “ten-percenters…who make this country look big-for-nothing” Today, our leaders not only take 100 percent after they have mindlessly inflated the contract sum, they also end up only signing papers and doing no job! Where any job is done at all, it is shoddy! Revelations coming out of the tour of duty of the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, confirms that. What Nzeogwu called corruption in his own days is like comparing a mere headache with today’s cancer that has eaten deep into every fabric of Nigerian society. And we think there would be no consequence regardless who is the president?

My own thoughts, dear Kperogi, is not Tinubu’s removal of subsidy and trying to stop forex round-tripping but what he has failed to do. Everyone agreed on the policies - but how and what should replace them? And what should we subsidize instead?

Tinubu was hasty in his announcement. It appears he did not have a plan of action on ground before making the announcements. He leaped before he looked. He acted before he had a full picture of what he was coming in to meet. Most importantly, Tinubu, surprisingly, has not engaged with the Nigerian people enough. He appears more intent on defending Buhari/APC than acting on the side of Nigerians. He seems more prepared to make himself the sacrificial lamb than haul Buhari and his henchmen into the public domain to give account of their stewardship, which many Nigerians would have preferred. 

It is not that Tinubu, like Buhari, does not command his own cult-hero image but it appears he is reluctant to activate it. Wasn’t the same Buhari stoned in the North? Tinubu has what it takes to match any anti-Tinubu protests with his own pro-Tinubu protests. He can turn the tables and have the people in his corner - but will he?

Is it also not preposterous to hint that the South-west will abandon Tinubu where the feudal North did not abandon clueless and incompetent Buhari? The South-west is politically savvy enough to see through the trick and refuse to fall into the trap. Why is Tinubu unpopular in Christian Northern Nigeria, according to Kperogi, when Muslims in the same North accuse him of surrendering his government to Christians? 

Christians have the very powerful offices of First Lady, SGF, Minister of FCT, Minister of Works, Minister of the money-guzzling Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, among others. What more does Christian Northern Nigeria want from Tinubu? His blood?

One advantage of subsidy removal has been the humongous amount that state and local governments now collect every month from the Federation account. What are they doing with this money? Food protests will achieve better results if the heat is turned on state and local governments rather than chasing after Abuja. After all, every politics, they say, is local! 

President Bola Tinubu will, on Thursday, February 15, depart Abuja for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to participate in the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU). 

The theme of this year’s summit is ‘‘Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.’’ 

The President will join other African leaders in high-level meetings on institutional reforms of the African Union; peace and security; specific thematic issues such as climate change, as well as modalities of participation and priorities of the continental body in the G20. 

On the margins of the summit, President Tinubu will also attend an extraordinary summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS in his capacity as the Chairman of the regional body.

President Tinubu will be accompanied on the trip by some ministers and other top government officials, and he is expected to return to Abuja following the conclusion of the summit.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

February 14, 2024

The Federal Government has made a U-turn on its earlier statement indicating that United Kingdom, UK, lawyers are allowed to practice in Nigeria.

Nigerian Minister for Trade and Investment Doris Uzoka-Anite, in a statement, highlighted that the UK-trained lawyers can practice in Nigeria following an Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership signed by Nigeria and the UK on Tuesday.

However, after fierce criticism, particularly by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Uzoka-Anite retracted her earlier statement.

In a series of posts on her X account, Uzoka-Anite said: “Earlier today, Nigeria signed a far-reaching MoU with the United Kingdom for Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership.

“Regrettably, our earlier report erroneously suggests that Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding that allows lawyers licensed in the United Kingdom to practise in Nigeria. We wish to state emphatically that there is no such provision or agreement in the MoU.”

The minister explained that Nigeria does not have a Mutual Recognition Agreement with the UK and made no commitment under the MoU or elsewhere to allow UK-licensed lawyers to practise in Nigeria.

“As it currently stands, foreign licensed lawyers (including those licensed in the UK) cannot practise in Nigeria, as categorically stated in the MoU.
“We recognise that cross-jurisdictional practice between Nigeria and the United Kingdom is still an ongoing conversation amongst relevant stakeholders within the legal practitioners community in Nigeria, and this was reflected in the MoU,” she added.

Recall that the NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau, had condemned the purported agreement in a statement on Tuesday, stating that the statement credited to the Minister was “ridiculous, unpatriotic, and uninformed”.